Creamy layer concept In the 1992 Indra Sawhney judgment, the supreme court upheld the government’s move to give 27% reservation to Other Backward Classes (based on the Mandal Commission report). The apex court also introduced the concept of creamy layer …
Context: The government has recently introduced a vehicle scrappage policy to phase out old and defective vehicles. The key features of the new policy: When an old vehicle is scrapped, the owner of such vehicle will receive the scrap value …
NEWS As questions arise over the Ujjwala scheme’s success, it would be prudent to introduce alternative clean sources of energy. CONTEXT Launched in 2016, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas which …
NEWS With a rise in the frequency of devastating cyclones, India needs to look at long-term mitigation measures. CONTEXT The severe cyclones, Tauktae and Yaas, which battered India earlier this year, made landfall on the country’s western coast, Gujarat, and …
About NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). It performs functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is chaired by the Minister in charge of …
What’s in the news? The government has unveiled a four-year National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) worth an estimated Rs 6 lakh crore. It aims to unlock value in brownfield projects (where investments have already been made) by engaging the private sector, …
What are they? They’re mostly used to carry out a variety of naval operations, such as finding and destroying enemy submarines and huge surface ships. The frigate supports naval forces during air, surface and sub-surface missions. Krivak-III class frigates will …
Why in News: The Quad countries — India, the U.S., Australia and Japan — is set to conduct the next edition of the Malabar naval exercise off the coast of Guam. Indian stealth frigate INS Shivalik and anti-submarine warfare corvette …
What are SPRs? Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) are huge stockpiles of crude oil stored in the underground rock caverns (considered safest for storage of Hydrocarbons) to tackle emergency situations and allow a country to tide over short-term supply disruptions. They …
CONTEXT The rapid spread of COVID-19 has severely tested primary healthcare systems, which perform multiple functions, across the world. Maternal healthcare services, immunisation, health surveillance, and the screening and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have all been severely disrupted. WHAT …