Blog

1) PM-PRANAM Scheme and Increased FRP: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), approved the PM-PRANAM scheme, aimed at restoring and nurturing Mother Earth through the use of biofertilizers. PM-PRANAM stands for PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth. Objective: Encourage the balanced use of fertilizers in conjunction with biofertilizers and organic fertilizers.Read more

1) India-US Deal for Semiconductor Unit: Recently, US-based Company – Micron Technology, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government of Gujarat to establish a Semiconductor Unit worth Rs 22,500 crore near Ahmedabad. Challenges Regarding Semiconductor Manufacturing in India: A semiconductor fabrication facility (or fab) can cost multiples of a billion dollars toRead more

1) Centre Sets Minimum Support Price for Kharif Crops: The Indian government has approved the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for kharif crops for the 2023-24 season, aiming to provide fair remuneration to farmers. However, concerns have been raised by farmers’ organisations regarding the increase not keeping up with rising input costs. Concerns of the Farmers:Read more

  1) Addressing AMR in the Draft Pandemic Treaty: The Draft Pandemic treaty also known as “Zero Draft”, is currently under negotiation by Member States at the World Health Assembly. It is an international agreement proposed to prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics and global health emergencies. Principle Components of the Draft: calls for increased global coordination andRead more

1) Shangri-La Dialogue: It is a Track One inter-governmental security forum held annually by an independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) which is attended by defence ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states. Originally known as the Asia Security Summit, it was initiated in 2002. TheRead more

1) National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023: Released by Ministry of Education, it is an effort to rank Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Launched in 2015 it was initially voluntary. It became obligatory for all government-run educational institutions in 2018. IIT Madras retains its 1st position in Overall Category and Engineering. IISC Bengaluru tops the UniversitiesRead more

1) Fixed-Dose Combination (FDC) Drugs: It includes two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) combined in a single dosage form, which is manufactured and distributed in fixed doses. They have been shown to appreciably reduce the risk of medication non-adherence, which is particularly important in patients with chronic diseases. If the drugs combination is notRead more

1) Apoptosis: It is the process of programmed cell death. It is a mechanism that allows cells to self-destruct when stimulated by the appropriate trigger. It is used during early development to eliminate unwanted cells; for example, those between the fingers of a developing hand. In adults, apoptosis is used to rid the body ofRead more

1) Phukot Karnali Hydro Electric Project: Recently, NHPC Limited and Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL), Nepal signed an MoU for development of Phukot Karnali Hydro Electric Project (480MW) in Nepal. It is conceived as a Peaking Run-of-River (PRoR) type scheme. The project will use the flow from the Karnali River for power generation and theRead more

1) Grain Storage Plan: The Union Cabinet has given its nod to the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) under the Chairmanship of Ministry of Cooperation to facilitate the implementation of the “World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector.” This transformative plan aims to converge the schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry ofRead more