Author: ForumIAS

Manmohan wins Indira Gandhi Prize Context Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the recipient of this year’s Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. Award for peace A jury headed by former President Pranab Mukherjee came to a decision on the award in recognition of creative efforts toward promoting international peace, development and… Continue reading Manmohan wins Indira Gandhi Prize

Transgender rights: House panel proposed, govt rejects(Indian Express) Context The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has decided to junk the recommendations of a parliamentary committee report the first ever government document to recognize the rights of transgender persons to partnerships and marriage, making them no longer criminalized under IPC Section 377, apart from… Continue reading Transgender rights: House panel proposed, govt rejects

Pakistan’s Jadhav dilemma(The Hindu) And Jadhav letter was sent to Pakistan, says India(The Hindu) Context The Foreign Office, the Law Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the military met with their counterparts to discuss on granting consular access for Kulbhushan Jadhav and to grant permission to Jadhav’s wife for a meeting with him. India has further… Continue reading Pakistan’s Jadhav dilemma(The Hindu) And Jadhav letter was sent to Pakistan, says India(The Hindu)

How succulents survive without water decoded Context: According to scientists, drought- resistant plants such as cacti and succulents make use of an enhanced form of photosynthesis to minimize water loss. Introduction: The research, published in journal “the Plant Cell”, could be used to help produce new crops that can thrive in previously inhospitable, hot and… Continue reading How succulents survive without water decoded

Before 2020 Friction over finances forced the Bonn conference to stretch more than half-a-day beyond its scheduled closing date. The CoP 23 declaration did finally mention financial and technology transfers. But that is, at best, a procedural victory for the developing countries. Context: The 23rd Conference of Parties (CoP) of the United Nations Framework Convention… Continue reading Before 2020

BS-VI emission norms for vehicles: So near and yet so far, here is why Context: Recently, the Union Petroleum Ministry decided to advance the introduction of BS-IV grade petrol and diesel in Delhi by two years to April 2018 in order to fight against air pollution. Introduction: The attempt was to leapfrog one stage-BS-V- altogether,… Continue reading BS-VI emission norms for vehicles: So near and yet so far, here is why

‘Wilful defaulters must not buy IBC assets’ Context To ensure the success of the bankruptcy process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the Finance Ministry has asked banks to be vigilant to ensure that wilful defaulters are prevented from buying stressed assets What is the present scenario? As many as 12 accounts, each having… Continue reading ‘Wilful defaulters must not buy IBC assets’

RBI to launch multimedia campaign Context The Reserve Bank is planning to launch a full-fledged multimedia and multilingual campaign to create general awareness among citizens of its regulations and initiatives. What is the campaign about? The campaign will be in 14 languages such as Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil,… Continue reading RBI to launch multimedia campaign

Over 200 govt. websites made Aadhaar details public: UIDAI Context More than 200 Central and State government websites publicly displayed details such as names and addresses of some Aadhaar beneficiaries The Aadhaar-issuing body had however taken note of the breach and got the data removed from those websites What happened? It was found that approximately… Continue reading Over 200 govt. websites made Aadhaar details public: UIDAI

In Fact: Ratings upgrade lifts mood, but key economic tasks remain(Indian Express) Context: Historically Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s has not been soft on India, but recently India’s credit rating has been upgraded. What are the ratings based on? The ratings are based on: economic growth and prospects; the ability to… Continue reading In Fact: Ratings upgrade lifts mood, but key economic tasks remain