AEGEAN SEA EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TURKEY
Focus: GS-I Geography, GS-III Disaster Management Why in news? At least 14 people were killed in Turkey and Greece after a strong earthquake struck the Aegean Sea in October 2020, bringing buildings crashing down and setting off tidal waves which slammed into coastal areas and islands. The Earthquake struck with a magnitude of up to […]
TYPHOON GONI AND TYPHOON MOLAVE
Focus: GS-I Geography, GS-III Disaster Management Why in news? Philippine officials ordered evacuation of thousands of residents in the southern part of the main Luzon island as a category 5 storm – Typhoon Goni – that is the world’s strongest in 2020 approaches the Southeast Asian nation. Recently Typhoon Molave in October 2020 killed 22 […]
PLFS: DIP IN URBAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BEFORE LOCKDOWN
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy Why in news? Statistics from the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the quarter ending December 2019 show that the urban unemployment rate had been declining for four consecutive quarters. India’s labour market was beginning to look up, despite a deceleration in GDP growth, before the Covid-19 pandemic forced a […]
RUDRAM MISSILE TO BE INDUCTED BY 2022
Focus: GS-III Science and Technology, Internal Security Challenges Why in news? India’s first anti-radiation missile ‘Rudram’ will be ready for induction into service by 2022 and will boost the Indian Air Force’s capabilities to knock out enemy radars and surveillance systems. The indigenous missile, being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for […]
PROTECTION FROM IMPORTS TIME BOUND
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy Why in news? Any tariff protection to promote local manufacturing in India will come with an in-built sunset clause, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman said, asserting that the country’s self-reliance mission must not be equated to it becoming a ‘protectionist’, closed economy. Details The government is set to extend the production-linked incentive scheme […]
CPCB ON ENVIRONMENT PLAN FOR RAILWAY STATIONS
Focus: GS-III Environment and Ecology Why in news? The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has “insisted” that the Ministry of Railways devise a modern environmental management plan to control air, water and noise pollution at major railway stations. Details The CPCB had called for the formation of a joint committee comprising Railway and State government/local […]
In Defence of Liberty
Context: A middle-school teacher in France, Samuel Paty, is beheaded for showing cartoons of the Prophet as part of a class on free expression. Subsequently, three more people are killed. Relevance: GS Paper 2: Historical underpinnings & evolution; Features, amendments, significant provisions, basic structure; Comparison of Indian constitutional scheme with other countries’ Mains questions: 1: […]
Time for a ‘sponge cities’ mission in India
Context: Untimely, excessive rainfall, as in Hyderabad and Pune, is here to stay. It’s time to plan for vagaries of weather, build resilience. Relevance: GS Paper 1: Urbanization: problems and remedies GS Paper 3: Disasters & Disaster Management (Urban Flood) Mains questions 1: Major cities of India are becoming more vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss. […]
Science of monsoons
Context: The southwest monsoon 2020 has officially drawn to an end with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declaring a withdrawal of the associated winds and rainfall pattern from India on Wednesday. Relevance: GS Paper 1: Salient Features of World Physical Geography; Important Geophysical phenomena (earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, cyclones); Mains questions: What characteristics can be assigned […]
31st October – Editorials/Opinions Analyses
Contents Science of monsoons Time for a ‘sponge cities’ mission in India In defence of liberty Science of monsoons Context: The southwest monsoon 2020 has officially drawn to an end with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declaring a withdrawal of the associated winds and rainfall pattern from India on Wednesday. Relevance: GS Paper 1: Salient Features of World Physical Geography; Important Geophysical […]