Ficci study on commodity storage
India, which is currently witnessing a spike in retail onion price on tight supply, should explore low-cost modern technology models from countries like Israel and Brazil for storing the commodity, industry body Ficci said on 8 November 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21930-ficci-study-on-commodity-storage.html
#Ficci #TOP #Budget #IITs #ICAR #NAFED #Israel

India Justice Report 2019
Karnataka is ranked sixth among 18 big and mid-sized states when it comes to justice delivery, with Maharashtra and Kerala topping the list and Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state ranked last, the India Justice Report (IJR) 2019 says.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21929-india-justice-report-2019.html
#India #IJR #DAKSH #UTs #TISS #IndiaJusticeReport2019 #Maharashtra

UNGA votes against Cuba
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on 7 November 2019 to condemn the American economic embargo of Cuba for the 28th year, rejecting US criticism of human rights violations there and criticising the Trump administration's increasingly tough enforcement measures.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21928-unga-votes-against-cuba.html
#UNGA #Israel #JairBolsonaro #FidelCastro

BIMSTEC conclave
Three agreements have been signed between Ranong Port (Thailand) and port trusts of Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata, with an aim to reduce sea travel time between the two countries to more than a half.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21927-bimstec-conclave.html
#BIMSTEC #MoUs #Thailand #Kolkata #ActEastPolicy

Wealth of global billionaires fell
The world’s billionaires saw their collective fortunes dip in 2018 for the first time in three years, erasing $388 billion of their net worth. Asia was hardest hit, as slowing growth in China and rising US interest rates resulted in an 8% wealth drop among that continent’s richest people, according to the UBS/PwC Billionaires Report released on 8 November 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21926-wealth-of-global-billionaires-fell.html
#Wealth #UBS #EMEA #APAC #PwC #GlobalWealthManagement #Asia

GCF for Maharashtra
IN order to combat climate change in coastal towns of Maharashtra and enhance climate resilience of the coastal communities, the state government is set to get US$ 25.7 million under the United Nations-backed Green Climate Fund (GCF) over six years.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21958-gcf-for-maharashtra.html
#GCF #Maharashtra #SROCC #IPCC #UNFCCC #AndhraPradesh

World Heritage Site status for Hoysala temples
The State Archaeology Department has clubbed 14 temples from the Hoysala period reflecting similar architectural styles — including the monuments at Belur-Halebid and Somnathpur — for serial nomination to seek UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21957-world-heritage-site-status-for-hoysala-temples.html
#UNESCO #INTACH #WHS #Hoysala #SAD #INTACH

India-China business forum called off
AN INDIA-CHINA business forum that was to take place in Delhi later this weekhas been called off as the Indian government has not yet issued visas to the Chinese delegation.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21956-india-china-business-forum-called-off.html
#India #FICCI #IBLF #RCEP #CHINA #NitinGadkari #NITIAayog

T.N. Seshan dead
Former Chief Election Commissioner Tirunellai Narayanaiyer Seshan, who cracked the whip on money and muscle power in elections and proved to be a nemesis for political parties, died in Chennai on 10 November 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21955-t-n-seshan-dead.html
#TNSeshandead #CEC #MadrasChristianCollege #elections #Jayalakshmi

Greenhouse gases hit new high
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a new record in 2018, exceeding the average yearly increase of the last decade and reinforcing increasingly damaging weather patterns, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22108-greenhouse-gases-hit-new-high.html
#Greenhouse #WMO #gases #NDCs #UNEP #CO2

Maharashtra political crisis
While ordering floor test for Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, the Supreme Court on 26 November 2019 referred to its past decisions on Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand where it had ordered similar exercise in times of political crisis.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22107-maharashtra-political-crisis.html
#Maharashtra #DevendraFadnavis #PoliticalCrisis #MLAs #BJP

Red flags rising Mudra bad loans
Reserve Bank Deputy Governor MK Jain on 26 November 2019 raised concerns over the growing NPA levels in Mudra loans and asked banks to monitor these loans closely.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22106-red-flags-rising-mudra-bad-loans.html
#Redflags #NPA #PMMY #NarendraModi #Mudraloans #Kishore #PradhanMantriMUDRAYojana

Constitution Day
Constitution Day is being celebrated across the country to mark the adoption of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on this day (26 November) in 1949. The Constitution Day is also known as Samvidhan diwas.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22105-constitution-day.html
#ConstitutionDay #Samvidhandiwas #NarendraModi #BhimRaoAmbedkar

Merger of UT Bill 2019 introduced
The government on 26 November 2019 introduced in the Lok Sabha a Bill to merge two Union Territories — Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli — into one.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22104-merger-of-ut-bill-2019-introduced.html
#UTBill2019 #Merger #LokSabha #JammuandKashmir #NagarHaveli

EIU survey on urban areas
Three cities in Keralafeature among the fastest-growing urban areas across the world, according to a ranking released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22591-eiu-survey-on-urban-areas.html
#EIU #Kollam #urban #TamilNadu #UAE #Gujarat

Ration card portability implemented
The Centre has rolled out the ‘one nation, one ration card’ initiative in 12 states including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22590-ration-card-portability-implemented.html
#Rationcard #RamVilasPaswan #NFSA #Maharashtra

FAIRS Export Certificate Report
India’s animal husbandry sector underwent a significant change last year due to a “landmark move” by the government which helped ease import regulations, according to a report released by the US Department of Agriculture.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22589-fairs-export-certificate-report.html
#FAIRS #DPPQS #OAA #GAIN #India #DAHD #FAIRS

Iran-U.S. conflict
Five days after Major General Qassem Soleimani, the Quds Force chief, was killed in a U.S. air strike outside Baghdad airport, Iran on 8 January 2020 launched ballistic missile attacks at American troops in two military bases in Iraq.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22588-iran-u-s-conflict.html
#Iran #PMF #missile #MGQS #QudsForce #Article51

Only Indian in list of umpires
Anil Chaudhary is the lone Indian named in the list of 19 match officials, including 16 umpires, for the upcoming ICC U-19 World Cup starting in South Africa from January 17.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22587-only-indian-in-list-of-umpires.html
#Indian #AnilChaudhary #ICC #WorldCup #T20 #SriLanka

Global electricity grid plan
India has started consultations with the World Bank as its technical partner to implement an ambitious global electricity grid plan pitched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22597-global-electricity-grid-plan.html
#Global #gridplan #NITIAayog #ISA #electricity #WorldBank #Saarc

Strategic sale of NINL approved
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the strategic sale of Neelachal Ispat Nigam (NINL), in which multiple state-owned companies own a stake.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22596-strategic-sale-of-ninl-approved.html
#NINL #MMTC #BHEL #IPICOL #OMC #MECON #DIPAM

4,000-year-old pre-historic site destroyed
A 3,500 to 4,000 years old Chalcolithic-era site located at Maharashtra’s Aurangabad has been destroyed during a soil scooping work for a highway project. The site was to be excavated by Maharashtra archaeology department and Deccan College in February.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22595-4-000-year-old-pre-historic-site-destroyed.html
#historic #Maharashtra #Chalcolithic #Khandesh

US justifies killing Soleimani to UN
The United States told the United Nations that the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani was self-defense and vowed to take additional action "as necessary" in the Middle East to protect US personnel and interests.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22594-us-justifies-killing-soleimani-to-un.html
#US #Soleimani #Article51 #killing #Islamic

Reliance Jio launches Wi-Fi calling
Reliance Jio on 8 January 2020 launched voice and video calling over Wi-Fi service, less than a month after rival Airtel launched a similar service in Delhi-NCR. The service allows customers to switch seamlessly from LTE to Wi-Fi-based calling when they are at home or office.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22593-reliance-jio-launches-wi-fi-calling.html
#Reliance #Jiolaunches #WiFi #DelhiNCR #VoLTE #WhatsApp

Aerial photography rules
Obtaining defence and regulatory permissions for aerial photography or remote sensing surveys has become simpler, with the government launching a web portal for quicker permissions and transparency.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23013-aerial-photography-rules.html
#Aerialphotography #MoD #DalLake #SPCC #Maharashtra


OHCHR move SC against CAA
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has filed an application in the Supreme Court against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23012-ohchr-move-sc-against-caa.html
#OHCHR #SC #CAA #SupremeCourt #NRC #humanrights

Large number of women beneficiaries
Ahead of the Women's Day, Finance Ministry on 3 March 2020 released figures saying its financial inclusion policies that include Stand-Up India Scheme, Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, Jan-Dhan Yojana have benefited women and women entrepreneurs largely over the last six years.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23011-large-number-of-women-beneficiaries.html
#womenbeneficiaries #womensday #scheduledcaste #sc

G7's draft coronavirus statement
Group of Seven nations are drafting a statement on how they plan to soften the global economic hit of the coronavirus but are not yet making specific calls for new government spending or coordinated central bank rate cuts, a G7 official said on 3 March 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/23010-g7-s-draft-coronavirus-statement.html
#coronavirus #G7sdraft #centralbank #federalreserve

SC refused to stay reservation for Marathas
The Supreme Court on 27 July 2020 refused to stay the implementation of a Maharashtra government order providing reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/24691-sc-refused-to-stay-reservation-for-marathas.html
#SCrefused #Marathas #LNageshwaraRao #Maharashtra

ARIIA 2020
IIT Madras, Bombay and Delhi have emerged as the top three institutes of national importance in the ‘Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020’.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/25060-ariia-2020.html
#ARIIA2020 #ARIIA #Maharashtra #IITMadras #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Watch: India's first Biosafety Level-3 mobile laboratory launched in Maharashtra #India
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5-y7yb34t8

Watch: India's first Biosafety Level-3 mobile laboratory launched in Maharashtra #India
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5-y7yb34t8&list=PLCUwtp5IghZlGtWhDAkuXVFs8MLdVey75&index=51
#UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Today's Headlines - 20 July 2023
NITI's Export Preparedness Index 2022
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

Tamil Nadu has pipped Maharashtra and Gujarat to emerge as the top state in the Niti Aayog's Export Preparedness Index 2022. The index is aimed at assessing the readiness of the states in terms of their export potential and performance. Gujarat had topped the chart in the last two rankings.

More about the Index

Tamil Nadu with an overall score of 80.89 topped the third edition of rankings. Maharashtra with a score of 78.20 was second while Karnataka (76.36) was third.
Gujarat with a score of 73.22 was fourth, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala in that order in the ranking of coastal states, according to the government think tank's report released on 17 July 2023.
Among hilly/Himalayan states, Uttarakhand (59.13) has ranked at the top position. It is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in that order.
Haryana (63.65) topped the chart among the landlocked regions. It was followed by Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
In the category of union territories/small states, Goa (51.58) was ranked first. Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar and Ladakh were ranked second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Flashback

The index can be used by the regions to benchmark their performance against their peers and analyse potential challenges to develop better policy mechanisms to foster export-led growth at the sub-national level.
The ranking is based on four main pillars: policy, business ecosystem, export ecosystem and export performance.
The index is also aimed at promoting competition among all states (coastal, landlocked, Himalayan and UTs) to bring about favourable policies, ease the regulatory framework, create necessary infrastructure and assist in identifying strategic recommendations for improving export competitiveness.

#upsc #news #nitis #economy #tamilnadu #maharashtra #gujarat #nitiaayog #performance #ranking #karnataka #andhrapradesh #coastalstates #uttarakhand #himachalpradesh #manipur #mizoram #arunachalpradesh #haryana #telangana #uttarpradesh #madhyapradesh #ecosystem #strategic #mechanisms

Today's Headlines - 27 July 2023
Raigad landslide brings back focus on Madhav Gadgil report
GS Paper - 1 (Geography)

A landslide in Maharashtra’s Raigad district claimed 27 lives, flattened an entire village, and brought back into focus the 2011 Dr Madhav Gadgil report on conservation of the Western Ghats. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said as per the recommendation of the report, the mapping of all the landslide-prone villages in the state, including those on the Western Ghats, was carried out during his tenure as the Chief Minister of the state between 2014 and 2019 and was submitted to the Union government.

What does the report state?

In 2010, then Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh appointed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), to be chaired by ecologist Dr Madhav Gadgil. The commission submitted its 552-page report to the Centre in August 2011.
The report recommended classifying 64 percent of the Western Ghats, spread over six states, into Ecologically Sensitive Zones called ESZ 1, ESZ 2 and ESZ 3. It also recommended designating the entire region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).
Almost all developmental activities like mining, construction of thermal power plants, dams were to stop along with the decommissioning of similar projects that have completed their shelf life in ESZ 1.
It said that both the Athirappilly and Gundia hydel project sites should not be accorded environmental clearance as they fall in this zone.
For Goa, WGEEP recommended an indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in ESZs 1 and 2, a phasing out of mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 by 2016, and continuation of existing mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 2 under strict regulation with an effective system of social audit.
In the Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra, the panel advised that in ESZs 1 and 2, no new polluting (red and orange category) industries, which would include coal-based power plants, should be permitted to be established, and the existing red and orange category industries should be asked to switch to zero pollution by 2016.
Further, it found that plains and coastal tracts in these districts were under “severe environmental and social stress”.
In all the zones, genetically modified crops should not be allowed, use of plastic bags be prohibited, Special Economic Zones should not be permitted, new hill stations should not be allowed, changing the land use from farmland to non-farm land and the stoppage of diversions of rivers to protect the ecology of the region, and public lands should not be converted into private lands.
The report also suggested a bottom-to-top approach instead of a top-to-bottom approach in governance of the environment, indicating decentralization and more powers to local authorities.
It recommended theestablishment of a Western Ghats Ecology Authority under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, as a professional body to manage the ecology of the region and to ensure its sustainable development.
What was the need for this report?

The Gadgil commission was formed by the Ministry of Environment in 2010 to study the impact of population pressure, climate change and development activities on the Western Ghats.
Accorded the World Heritage status by UNESCO, the Western Ghats are a 1,600-km-long mountain chain running the western coast of the country covering six states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
These Ghats are home to high mountain forests, which moderate the tropical climate of the region and present one of the best examples of the monsoon system on the planet.
They are home to 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species. About 60 percent of the mountain range is in Karnataka.

#upsc #news #todayheadline #raigad #landslide #madhav #gadgil #report #maharashtra #western #ghats #jairamramesh #ecology #ratnagiri #catergory #pollution #socialstress #UNESCO #gujarat #goa #tamilnadu #karnataka #kerala #mountain #forests #monsoon #planet

Today's Headlines - 31 July 2023
International Tiger Day
GS Paper - 3 (Environment)

29 July is celebrated world over as the International Tiger Day in a bid to raise awareness on various issues surrounding tiger conservation. It was first instituted in 2010 at the Tiger Summit in St Petersburg, Russia when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2, the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022. Last year, the designated date for achieving the goals of Tx2, however, saw uneven progress. As per the World Wildlife Fund, while countries in Southeast Asia struggled to control population decline, others, like India, fared much better.

How Project Tiger came about

Project Tiger was launched by the Central government on 1 April 1973, in a bid to promote conservation of the tiger.
The programme came at a time when India’s tiger population was rapidly dwindling. According to reports, while there were 40,000 tigers in the country at the time of the Independence (in 1947), they were soon reduced to below 2,000 by 1970 due to widespread hunting and habitat destrcutions.
Concerns around the issue intensified when in 1970, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the tiger as an endangered species.
Two years later, the Indian government conducted its own tiger census and found that there were only 1,800 of them left in the country.
To tackle the problem of hunting and poaching of not just tigers but also other animals and birds, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi promulgated the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972.
A year later, after a task force urged the government to create a chain of reserves dedicated to tiger preservation, Indira unveiled Project Tiger.

What is Project Tiger?

Launched at the Jim Corbett National Park, the programme was initially started in nine tiger reserves of different States such as Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, covering over 14,000 sq km.
Notably, Project Tiger didn’t just focus on the conservation of the big cats. It also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat as tigers are at the top of the food chain.

#upsc #news #headline #tigerday #enviroment #Stpetersburg #russia #world #wildlife #fund #independence #nature #karnataka #assam #bihar #madhyapradesh #maharashtra #odisha #rajasthan #uttarpradesh #westbengal #jimcorbett

Today's Headlines - 03 September 2023
Largest indigenously developed N-plant starts ops
GS Paper - 3 (Energy)

The third unit of the indigenously developed 700-megawatt electric (MWe) nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP3) in Gujarat has commenced operations at full capacity. This comes a little over three years since the unit achieved its ‘first criticality’ – a technical term that signifies the initiation of a controlled, but sustained nuclear fission reaction – in July 2020. On 30 June this year, the unit had started commercial operations.

More about the News

In India’s civilian nuclear programme, this is seen as a landmark event, given that KAPP-3 is the country’s first 700 MWe unit and the biggest indigenously developed variant of the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR).
The PHWRs, which use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator, constitute the mainstay of India’s nuclear power fleet.
Till now, the biggest reactor of indigenous design was the 540 MWe PHWR, two of which have been deployed in Tarapur, Maharashtra.
For India, the operationalisation of its first 700MWe reactor is a significant scale up in technology, both in terms of the optimisation of its PHWR design — the new 700MWe unit addresses the excess thermal margins and also marks an improvement in the economies-of-scale, without significant design changes to the 540 MWe reactor.
Flashback

As India works to ramp up its existing nuclear power capacity of 7,480 MWe to 22,480 MWe by 2031, the 700MWe capacity would constitute the biggest component of this expansion plan. Currently, nuclear power capacity constitutes around 2 per cent of the total installed capacity of 4,17,668 MW (May 31).
Significantly, as India’s civilian nuclear sector gears up to its next frontier — building a 900 MWe Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) of indigenous design – the experience of executing the larger 700MWe reactor design would come in handy, especially with respect to the improved capability of making large-size pressure vessels, alongside India’s own isotope enrichment plants being developed to supply a part of the required enriched uranium fuel to power these new generation reactors over the next decade or so, according to DAE officials.
The first ‘pour of concrete’ for laying the foundation of KAPP-3 happened in November 2010 and this unit was originally expected to be commissioned in 2015.

#upsc #news #headline #largest #indigenously #devloped #Nplant #energy #megawatt #kakrapar #atomic #powerproject #gujarat #firstcriticality #india #civilian #nuclear #programme #heavywater #PHWR #tarapur #capacity #pour #concrete #DAE #uranium #fuel #maharashtra #moderator #fission #first #initiation #thirdunit #electric #landmark #pressurised #thermal #margins #economies #november