CENTRE SHOULD ACT NOW ON FRANKLIN TEMPLETON ISSUE
Why in news? The government was urged to act swiftly, before the markets reopen on 27th April, to resolve the situation created by Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund’s decision to wind up six debt schemes. Background about the Franklin Templeton crisis Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund’s decision to wind up six debt schemes is a matter of grave […]
NBWL NOD FOR COAL MINING IN ASSAM ELEPHANT RESERVE
Why in news? Amid the countrywide lockdown, the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has recommended coal mining in a part of an elephant reserve in Assam. The NBWL’s Standing Committee had on April 7 discussed a proposal for use of 98.59 hectares of land from the Saleki proposed reserve forest land for a coal […]
FOODGRAIN STOCK WILL LAST TILL NEXT MARCH: FCI
Why in news? The stock of foodgrains available with the Food Corporation of India is “comfortable” to manage the situation till March 2021, but it would be an exaggeration to hold that the stock is “far in excess” of the buffer stock requirement, which should include additional allocation, according to the Chairman and Managing Director […]
NO PLAN TO EASE FISCAL DEFICIT TARGETS
Why in news? Despite the strain on government finances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no credible proposal to amend the legislation meant to control the fiscal deficit, Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission said. Speaking to presspersons after a two-day meeting of the Commission’s Economic Advisory Council said the government was currently looking […]
CSIR LAB DEFENDS SANITISATION TUNNEL
Why in news? In the wake of several advisories advocating against the use of sanitisation tunnels as part of efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Pune-based CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) and the Mumbai-based Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) issued a joint statement on 23rd April 2020 asserting that the advisories “did not […]
RBI TO RESTART OPERATION TWIST TO MANAGE YIELDS
Why in news? The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced simultaneous purchase and sale of government bonds in a bid to soften long-term yields. The central bank will buy ₹10,000 crore of bonds maturing between 2026 and 2030 and sell the same number of T-bills. Details On a review of current and evolving liquidity […]
ORGANIC-INORGANIC HYBRID NANOCOATINGS FOR DISPOSABLE MASKS
Why in news? The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has approved support for large scale production of organic-Inorganic hybrid nanocoating for disposable masks. Why is this Nanocoating needed? The N95 masks available in the market are capable of filtering out all types of particles, including viruses and bacteria, but they are expensive and need […]
COVID 19 MAY CAUSE LOSS OF SMELL AND TASTE
Why in news? Scientists of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur have explored the neuroinvasive nature of the COVID 19 virus SARS-CoV-2 highlighting that loss of smell and taste of infected patients makes their entire Central Nervous System (CNS) and the underlying structures in the brain more prone to viral infection with devastating effects. Details […]
NTPC LAUNCHES HYDROGEN FUEL BUS AND CAR PROJECT
Why in news? NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power producer and a central PSU under Ministry of Power, has invited Global Expression of Interest (EoI) to provide 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses and an equal number of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based electric cars in Leh and Delhi. Details The move to procure Hydrogen […]
RUHDAAR: A LOW-COST MECHANICAL VENTILATOR
Why in news? A team of engineering students from IIT Bombay and other institutes have come up with a low-cost ventilator using locally available materials. 3-D printing and laser-cutting technologies also were instrumental in the success of the prototype. Why are Ventilators important right now? Among those getting infected by COVID-19, around 80% will experience […]