Context: In a video message, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha promised to implement Article 244 (A) of the Indian Constitution to safeguard the interests of the people in Assam’s tribal-majority districts. Analysis How did the demand arise? In the 1950s, a demand for a separate hill state arose around certain sections of …
Context: The Supreme Court flagged its concern that political parties could misuse crores of rupees received as donations through electoral bonds to bankroll violent protests or even terror. The court asked the government whether there was any “control” over how these donations were used by the political parties. Analysis What are electoral bonds? Electoral bonds …
VVPAT EVM Context on VVPAT EVM’s With the VVPAT EVM, the CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner, has urged the panel to carry out a 100% tally of all EVM machines with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the coming Assembly elections. Earlier, in 2019, the Supreme Court …
Context: Sankaradeva was born in Nagaon district’s Batadrava, also spelt Bordowa, in September 1449. He lived for 119 years and died at Bheladonga, now in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. Analysis The saint-reformer founded a new Vaishnavite order within Hinduism. He was the greatest spiritual leader of Assam, who simplified the modes of religious practices …
Context: The Attorney General told the Supreme Court that the 102 amendment to the Constitution does not deprive state legislatures to enact law determining the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) and conferring benefits on them. The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court was hearing the challenge against Maratha Quota on a writ petition challenging …
Context: To avoid communication blackouts that led to 20 fishermen going missing in the aftermath of Cyclone Okchi in 2017, a slew of government departments, research agencies and private companies have developed GEMINI Satellite, a portable receiver linked to ISRO-satellite ‘s, that is “fail-proof” and warn fishermen of danger. GEMINI Satellite The Indian National Centre …
GEMINI-GAGAN Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation &Information Read More »
Context: The COVID19 crisis offers an unexpected opportunity for countries to decouple their economies from fossil fuels and accelerate the shift to renewable energy sources, says the World Energy Transitions Outlook report, brought out by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). It estimated that by 2050, 90% of total electricity needs would be supplied by …
Assamese Bhaona Context : More than five centuries after saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva created Assamese Bhaona, a dramatic form of entertainment to convey spiritualism in the Vaishnav mold, the Congress in Assam has tweaked it for a political statement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens. Assamese Bhaona Analysis The political Bhaonauses music and …
Context: The Supreme Court intervened on behalf of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard ‘s over the birds falling dead after colliding with power lines running through their dwindling natural habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India will examine on a priority basis whether overhead power cables can be replaced …
Deep Ocean Mission The Deep Ocean Mission is proposed as a multi-ministerial multi-disciplinary program with an emphasis on the development of deep-sea technology, exploration of deep-sea mineral resources, and biodiversity. Context : Under Deep Ocean Mission it is proposed to develop, test, and demonstrate the mining technology for harvesting polymetallic nodules from the Test Mine Site …