Exercise Kavach

Source: PIB   Exercise Kavach is a joint military exercise involving the assets of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard conducted at Andaman and Nicobar command.  

Detecting toxic pollutants

Source: DST  Context: Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) have developed a new low-cost substrate that can increase the sensitivity of Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), to help detect pollutants particles such as N-nitroso diphenylamine (NDPhA), a potent carcinogen and a severe threat to mankind   What is Raman spectroscopy? Raman …

Changing definition of Rural-Urban areas in India

  Source: ET  Context: Economic Advisory Council to the PM has suggested tweaking the definition of rural-urban areas.   Issues with current classification:  Current classification uses a combination of administrative definition and census criteria, which are often inadequate in capturing the speed and scale of urbanization in India. As a result, urban areas are often …

UN Democracy Fund

Facts for Prelims (FFP) Source: IE  Context: The UN Democracy Fund is a fund set up by the United Nations to support projects that promote democracy around the world.

River rejuvenation

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME) Source: TH The 7.2 Km Kuttamperoor River in Alappuzha, Kerala has been rejuvenated after over a 6-year effort through public participation and government intervention. Previously, the River died a slow death around 2005 due to years of waste dumping and encroachments.   Collaborative effort: The Major Irrigation department removed encroachments, …

Building a blue economy: What India can learn from China

GS Paper 3  Syllabus: Economics of Animal-Rearing/Food Processing and Related Industries in India    Source: IE  Context: Like China, India must raise its own deep-water fishing fleet and build modern harbours to further its economic and security goals.   Importance of the fishing sector for India:  Fish is an affordable and rich source of animal …

Draft ‘Sagarmala Innovation and Start-up Policy’

GS Paper 3  Syllabus: Indian Economy   Source: PIB  Context: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has released a draft policy called the ‘Sagarmala Innovation and Start-up Policy’ to promote and nurture start-ups and entrepreneurs in India’s growing maritime sector.   Aim of the policy: To create a strong ecosystem for fostering innovation …

Indus Water Treaty

GS Paper 2  Syllabus: Bilateral Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests   Source: DTE  Context: Indus Water Treaty (IWT) seems to be struggling to gain support in the J&K region.   Background:  One of the few instances of a significant international river basin conflict being resolved in South Asia is the IWT, signed by …

Public interest immunity claims

GS Paper 2  Syllabus: Indian Judiciary   Source: IE  Context: Recently, SC set aside an order from the central government imposing a broadcast ban on the Malayalam news channel MediaOne. It has also formulated a procedure for “public interest immunity claims”, a less restrictive alternative to ‘Sealed cover jurisprudence’ for deciding claims involving state secrets. …