MITRA SHAKTI
The seventh edition of the joint training exercise between the Indian Army and the Sri Lankan Army, Exercise Mitra Shakti concluded on 14 December at Aundh Military Station, Pune. joint training exercise concluded with a 48 hour long culmination exercise which was witnessed by Senior Military & Defence officials of the Indian Army as well […]
TRANSFORM AGRICULTURE TO ATTRACT YOUTH.
It’s the biggest enterprise in india. Need to replicate success story of AMUL around the country. Women contribute 90% to the rural dairy economy. overall contribution of women to the national GDP is much less at around 25%. “We need to recognize the immense possibilities for women empowerment offered by rural organizations and supply chains […]
AGRI REFORMS 3: THE ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2020
Context: The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 allows intra-state and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of APMC markets. State governments are prohibited from levying any market fee, cess Relevance: GS Paper 3: storage, transport & marketing of agro-produce and related issues & constraints; Economics of animal-rearing […]
WHO’S AFRAID OF WOMEN
Context: Patriarchal societies seem to perpetually find themselves in a precarious position, where the line between order and disorder is dangerously blurred. Relevance: GS Paper 1: Role of women and women’s organisation; Mains Questions: Campaigns against inter-community relationships are a way to redirect anxieties over large-scale structural disruptions. Discuss. 15 Marks How does patriarchy impact […]
Editorial: Hazardous ideas for the Himalayas
Context: China and India have been competing with each other to build hydroelectric dams in an ecologically fragile and seismically vulnerable area. Relevance: GS Paper 3: Environmental conservation; Environmental pollution and degradation; Environmental Impact Assessment Mains Questions: By planning hydropower projects, India and China are placing the Himalayan region at great risk. Discuss. 15 Marks […]
RARE MYRISTICA SWAMP TREEFROG FOUND
Focus: GS-III Environment and Ecology Why in news? Myristica swamp treefrog, a rare arboreal species endemic to the Western Ghats that bears the scientific name Mercurana myristicapalustris , has been recorded for the first time north of the Shencottah gap in the Vazhachal Reserve Forest in Kerala’s Thrissur district. Details These frogs are rare and […]
USING CAMERA TRAPS MORE ETHICALLY IN WILDLIFE RESEARCH
Focus: GS-III Environment and Ecology, GS-IV Ethics Introduction The question of ethicality in use of camera traps is – what is to be done when the cameras unintentionally capture images of people – local villagers or even suspected poachers? A new paper published by an international team of researchers notes that the privacy of people […]
BRINGING LIFE BACK TO WESTERN GHATS GRASSLANDS
Focus: GS-I Geography, GS-III Environment and Ecology Introduction Tropical montane grasslands (TMG) in the Shola Sky Islands of the Western Ghats have suffered big reductions due to invasions by exotic trees such as acacias, pines and eucalyptus, shrinking the range sizes of endemic species, including plants, birds, amphibians and mammals. Some populations are being driven […]
ISRAEL AND BHUTAN ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES
Focus: GS-II International Relations Why in news? Recently, Bhutan and Israel established formal ties with a formal ceremony in New Delhi where the Ambassadors of these countries to India exchanged agreements. Recently, in deals brokered by the United States, Israel has established full relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in […]
HOW EPIGENETICS ALTERS INHERITED GENETICS’ MESSAGE?
Focus: GS-III Science and Technology Why in news? An exciting research paper on reprogramming to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision According to the paper a proposed cause of ageing is the accumulation of “epigenetic noise” that disrupts gene expression patterns lending to changes in inherent DNA function. The paper suggests that if one […]