CONTEXT The recent visit by the Indian Air Force chief to Israel offers a window to study how New Delhi is taking advantage of the Abraham Accords deal signed between Israel and a consortium of Arab States led by the …
Why in the news? Recently, India has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the 1989 Montreal Protocol for protection of the ozone layer. This is for phasing out compounds called HFCs, which happen to be powerful greenhouse gases. India fought hard …
What is smog? Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. It was first described over 5 decades ago as a mixture of smoke and fog, hence the name “smog”—but today it has a more specific definition and composition. Smog is …
What’s in the news? Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched an ambitious ‘Ubharte Sitaare Fund’ (USF) for export-oriented firms and startups. The Fund aims at arranging funds for promotion of micro, small and medium companies. The fund has been …
About PMKVY Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship implemented by National Skill Development Corporation. The scheme was launched in 2015. The objective of this programme is to enable …
CONTEXT Recently, more evidence has emerged that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is expanding the size of its nuclear arsenal by building more missile silos. CONCERNS The source of concern is over: The scope and prospective size of the …
What is net zero? It means the aggregate carbon emissions of a country should be zero on a given date. It is primarily carbon neutrality. A country can achieve negative emissions, if removal and absorption exceed the actual emissions. Eg: …
About Hydrofluorocarbons Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are a group of industrial chemicals primarily used for cooling and refrigeration. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases and a substantial number are short-lived climate pollutants with a lifetime of between 15 and 29 years in the …
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPD) Act, 2016 The Act fulfills the obligations to the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory and subsequently ratified the same on 1st October, …
What’s in the news? In a step towards decriminalising politics, the Supreme Court held eight political parties guilty of contempt of court for not making public criminal records of their poll candidates. The court directed that political parties must publish …