ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE AREAS OF WESTERN GHATS
Why in news? The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) held a Video Conference to discuss issues relating to notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) pertaining to Western Ghats. Details of Declaring Western Ghats as ESA To conserve and protect the bio diversity of Western Ghats while allowing for sustainable and inclusive […]
GRASPING THE DEFENCE SELF-RELIANCE NETTLE
India’s Dependence for Defence For the most part of 2010 to 2020 The India had the dubious distinction of being the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for about 12% of global arms imports. Saudi Arabia jumped to first place in 2018 and 2019, but India still takes over 9% of global imports. This external dependence […]
CHINA, BETTER PREPARED FOR THE POST-COVID WORLD
Deep economic impact India has surpassed China with regard to the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and the economic impact is quite threatening. India’s exports in the month of April 2020 were the worst in the past 30 years. Well before this, India had been witnessing a persistent economic downward slide. The pandemic could, thus, […]
60% OF FARMERS FACED LOSSES
Why in news? Despite most Farmers managing to harvest their crops despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 60% of them still faced losses, mostly related to the lockdown, according to a new survey in 12 States. Details A majority of farmers say the lockdown has hurt their preparations for the upcoming sowing season either because they cannot […]
AGAPPE CHITRA MAGNA FOR DETECTION OF COVID 19
Why in news? The commercial launch of, Agappe Chitra Magna, a magnetic nanoparticle-based RNA extraction kit for use during testing for detection of COVID-19 developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) – Trivandrum, an Institute of National Importance of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) along with Agappe Diagnostics […]
MAN-MADE METEOR SHOWER TO PROTECT EARTH FROM ASTEROIDS
Why in news? If all goes according to plan, in September 2022, a NASA spacecraft, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, or DART, will slam into a space rock with the equivalent energy of three tonnes of TNT. Why is DART going to slam into a space rock? The goal is to nudge the orbit […]
BRACING THE ECONOMIC FALLOUT OF CORONAVIRUS
China today is a bigger contributor to global growth than the US, Europe and Japan added together. It is a given that the lockdown in Hubei province will have a significant impact on the $13.6 trillion Chinese economy that is today the fulcrum around which global trade growth turns The beleaguered Chinese banking system is […]
DEFANGING AI
AI should be deployed for purposes that raise productivity but do not displace workers in the country, makes good sense, given India’s problem of unemployment For decades, production has been highly capital intensive despite the abundant availability of labour Rules that make it hard to let go of workers also act as a disincentive to […]
EVOLVING BRAIN: IMPACT OF INCOME INEQUALITY
Income inequality is an undeniable reality in India and in most other parts of the world Research studies seek to understand how income levels may be correlated with differences in the structure of the human brain. The brain evolves constantly over a person’s lifespan This happens as a response to the brain’s external environment—which is […]
TOWARDS A NEW WORLD ORDER
Why in news? The latest Oxfam Report presented at Davos points out that 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than 4.6 billion people. The emergence of billionaires and oligarchs in different parts of the world coincides with increased poverty among the already poor people, especially children. Excess consumption Egregious consumption of energy by the developed world […]