Blog

1) Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT): Minstry of Finance has notified the constitution of 31 GSTAT across all States and UTs. In February 2023, GST Council recommended to set up GSTAT with 1 Principal Bench and a number of State Benches. Currently, High Courts hear disputes in absence of GSTAT, making it expensiveRead more

1) Brandt Line: Brandt Line (developed in 1980s) is a way of visualizing the world that highlights the disparities and inequalities between the wealthy North and the poorer Global South. Richer countries are almost all located in the Northern Hemisphere, except for Australia and New Zealand. Poorer countries are mostly located in tropical regions andRead more

1) National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG): Supreme Court also onboarded its case data on NJDG portal. NJDG is a database of orders, judgments and case details of District & Subordinate Courts and High Courts created as an online platform as part of e-Courts project. Data is updated in real-time basis. NJDG works as a monitoringRead more

1) National E-Vidhan Application (NeVA):   It is a Unicode-compliant software developed to make all legislative body work and data available online for usage by both citizens and Assembly members.   It embodies the concept of ‘One Nation, One Application’.   Funding: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.   Technical support: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.   Significance: Automation of theRead more

1) Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) Karmayogi platform: iGOT Karmayogi, in partnership with NITI Aayog, has launched a new curated collection dedicated to the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP).   It is a comprehensive online platform to guide individual civil service officials in their capacity-building journey.   The platform is envisioned to evolve into a vibrant and worldRead more

1) India-UK Infrastructure Finance Bridge: It is a collaboration between the Niti Aayog and the City of London Corporation.   Objective: Unlocking infrastructure and leveraging the City of London’s expertise in structuring and phasing major infrastructure projects.   Significance: Secure long-term investment for the vital infrastructure sector in India.   Fortify the foundation for economic growth, job creation,Read more

1) Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS): India will soon allow cross-border bill payments via BBPS for NRIs in UK.   The BBPS is already available to NRIs living in Oman, Kuwait, UAE and Bahrain.   Allowing cross-border bill payments is part of India’s larger digital payment push.   BBPS is a Centralised Bill Payment System for recurring paymentsRead more

1) MoUs signed between India-Bangladesh: MoU includes  Cooperation in digital payment mechanisms between National Payments Corporation of India and Bangladesh Bank.  Cooperation between Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council.  Renewal of a bilateral cultural exchange programme for 2023-25 2) Incremental Cash Reserve Ratio (I-CRR): RBI decided to discontinue I-CRR in aRead more

1) Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2023 Rankings: Swachh Vayu Survekshan is an initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).   It ranks cities on the basis of the implementation of activities approved under city action plan and air quality in 131 National Clean Air Programme cities.   Cities are required to do the self-assessmentRead more

1) Parliament Sessions: Constitution of India does not mention the term “Special Session”.   Term sometimes refers to sessions government has convened for specific occasions.   Article 85 mandates that Parliament should meet at least twice a year (gap between two sessions should not exceed six months).   By convention, Parliament meets for three sessions in a year.  Read more