Tiwa Community: Almost 250 members of two extremist organisations in Assam laid down their arms before Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a formal programme in Guwahati. The organisations are the Tiwa Liberation Army (TLA) and the United Gorkha People’s Organisation (UGPO). Formed in 2014 to cater to the aspirations of the Tiwa community, the […]
Spot-Billed Pelicans
Spot-Billed Pelicans: A nematode infestation has led to mass mortality of spot-billed pelicans (Pelicanus philippensis) at Telineelapuram Important Bird Area (IBA) in Naupada swamp of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. Over 150 spot-billed pelicans have succumbed to the infestation since December. Only adult birds have succumbed to the infestation till date. Until now, in South […]
BA.2: Sub-Variant Of Omicron
A sub-variant Of Omicron: In the last couple of weeks, there has been a noticeable increase in the discovery of BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron from several countries, leading to fresh worries about the possibility of another surge in cases. Last week, the UK Health Security Agency flagged this sub-variant and designated it as a ‘variant […]
Swachhata Start-Up Challenge
Swachhata Start-Up Challenge: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, in partnership with Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) launched the Swachhata Start-Up Challenge. It aims to provide an impetus to innovative start-ups to come forward and drive catalytic transformation in the sanitation […]
India-Central Asia Summit 2022
India-Central Asia Summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit in virtual format on 27 January 2022, which was attended by Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Republic of Uzbekistan. This first India-Central Asia coincided with the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between […]
Proposal for Setting Up a Bad Bank is Still Pending
Bad Bank: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) approval for the implementation of the proposal for setting up a ‘Bad Bank’ is still pending. In September 2021, the Union Cabinet approved the Rs. 30,600 crore guarantee to back Security Receipts issued by National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) for acquiring stressed loan assets. NARCL & […]
Chakmas And Hajongs Communities
Chakmas And Hajongs Communities: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its order directed Ministry of Home Affairs and Arunachal Pradesh to submit action taken report within six weeks against alledged racial profiling and relocation of the Chakmas and Hajongs from the State. Also both the authorities were directed to “ensure that human rights of […]
Tipu Sultan in News
Tipu Sultan: Naming a playground on Tipu Sultan in Mumbai sparked a controversy. Born in November 1750, Tipu Sultan was Haidar Ali’s son and a great warrior, also known as the Tiger of Mysore. He was a well educated man fluent in Arabic, Persian, Kanarese and Urdu. Mysore had grown in strength under the leadership […]
Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)
Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS): The officials of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) estimated that RRTS will reduce CO2 emissions by taking around 1.5 lakh private vehicles off the road. The corridor will start from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi, pass through Ghaziabad, and reach Modipuram in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh). The RRTS, the first of […]
EU Case Against Beijing at World Trade Organization (WTO)
World Trade Organization (WTO): The European Union has launched a case against Beijing at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for targeting Lithuania over its stance on Taiwan. Lithuania made waves in July when it allowed Taiwan to open a diplomatic outpost in Vilnius. The move outraged Beijing, which does not recognise Taiwan as a state […]
