INDIA’S COVID-19 VACCINE DIPLOMACY
Focus: GS-II International Relations Why in news? The Union government is working on at least five distinct ways, ranging from free vaccines to guaranteed supply, in which it can help its immediate neighbours as well as countries in West Asia, Africa and even Latin America. The idea is to leverage the country’s standing as the […]
COVID LOCKDOWN, MENTAL HEALTH AND HOUSE PANEL
Focus: GS-III Disaster Management Why in news? According to a recent survey: A nationwide lockdown may have prevented the COVID-19 pandemic curve from peaking earlier but it certainly has shown adverse impact on the psychological profile of people in the form of rise in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Home Affairs […]
KANDHAMAL TURMERIC WITH GI TAG NOT SELLING
Focus: GS-III Environment and Ecology Why in news? Though Kandhamal saw a bumper yield this year, less than 20% of raw turmeric has been sold so far, leaving the rest of the produce with farmers. Background and Details The famed organic turmeric of Odisha’s Kandhamal district received the geographical indication (GI) tag in2019. With COVID-19 […]
MIGRATION OF BUTTERFLIES IN SOUTH INDIA
Focus: GS-III Environment and Ecology Why in news? Going against the norm in the past, the annual migration of butterflies from the hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats towards the Western Ghats is an early phenomenon this year. Details Usually, butterfly migration in south India begins in October-November, with the onset of the northeast monsoon, […]
CHINA CALLS FOR ‘IMPREGNABLE WALL’ FOR TIBET
Focus: GS-II International Relations Why in news? Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for building a “new modern socialist” Tibet, constructing an “impregnable wall” against separatism in the sensitive Himalayan region and “sinicisation” of the Tibetan Buddhism. Details The Chinese President in his address to the seventh Central Symposium on Tibet Work, said that efforts […]
INDIA DECIDES TO PULL OUT OF KAVKAZ 2020
Focus: GS-II International Relations Why in news? India has withdrawn its participation in Kavkaz 2020 multinational exercise in Russia in September 2020 citing logistics difficulties due to COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are reports that it is mainly due to participation of Chinese troops amid the ongoing standoff in Ladakh. Another reason cited was the participation […]
GST DUE: CENTRE ASKS STATES TO BORROW
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy Why in news? The Centre wrote to States suggesting options of borrowing money to make up the ₹2.35 lakh crore shortfall in GST revenues expected in the ongoing fiscal. Kerala has rejected the two options for Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation mooted by the Centre at the 41st GST Council […]
ON SUB-CLASSIFICATION AMONG SCs
Focus: GS-II Social Justice Introduction The Supreme Court’s five-judge Bench has affirmed the competence of the States to give preferential treatment to the weakest among the Scheduled Castes without depriving other castes of any benefit. The Court has noted that the SC list contains many castes and cannot be treated as a homogeneous group. It […]
JAPAN AND SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE INITIATIVE
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy Introduction With COVID-19 and trade tensions between China and the United States threatening supply chains or actually causing bottlenecks, Japan has mooted the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) as a trilateral approach to trade, with India and Australia as the other two partners. The initiative is at the strategy stage and […]
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN GDP DATA?
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy Introduction The National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will come out with the GDP estimates for the first quarter (April, May, June) of 2020. What do we know about the current state of economy? RBI Annual Report The RBI’s annual year is different from […]