Author: ForumIAS

Violators must pay: on fire tragedies Context The loss of at least 14 lives in the fire in a Mumbai rooftop restaurant Author’s contention Author contends that the fire in a Mumbai rooftop restaurant where 14 lives were lost must compel a relentless campaign for safety in buildings, punishment for those guilty of breaking rules; exemplary… Continue reading Violators must pay: on fire tragedies

Photovoltaic road tested in China  Context China successfully tested its first photovoltaic highway based on home-grown technology in the country’s eastern Shandong province on Thursday, according to reports from Xinhua. The road has wireless charging systems for electric vehicles Road constructed using solar panels The road is constructed using solar panels which have a thin… Continue reading Photovoltaic road tested in China 

ISRO to launch 31 satellites in one go aboard PSLV on Jan. 10  Context The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday said it would launch 31 satellites, including India’s Cartosat-2 series earth observation space craft, in a single mission on January 10 1st PSLV mission after failure of IRNSS-1H The mission will be the… Continue reading ISRO to launch 31 satellites in one go aboard PSLV on Jan. 10 

Albania is losing its national bird to rampant poaching Context It is Albania’s national symbol, but the eagle may soon only be found on the flag. The majestic bird is threatened with extinction due to widespread poaching of raptors Species: Common Buzzard Country: Albania IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC) Protected species The buzzard is a… Continue reading Albania is losing its national bird to rampant poaching

Majuli island to be protected from erosion, says Gadkari  Context Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday expressed hope that people living on the shrinking Majuli island will be able to put their worries to rest once the Central and State government schemes to prevent the isle from erosion are successfully implemented Benefit The projects, if… Continue reading Majuli island to be protected from erosion, says Gadkari 

NGT orders closure of 19 tanneries  Context National green Tribunal’s latest order What has happened? The government added that since VCs are stored in an electronic format, this makes them vulnerable to hacking, loss of password, malware attacks, etc, which could also result in a permanent loss of money High powered committee A Bench headed… Continue reading NGT orders closure of 19 tanneries 

Finance Ministry follows RBI, warns about cryptocurrencies  Context Cryptocurrency What has happened? The government has joined the Reserve Bank of India in cautioning potential customers about investing in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, likening them to ponzi schemes where investors risk losing their money What did the government issued statement say? VCs don’t have any intrinsic value… Continue reading Finance Ministry follows RBI, warns about cryptocurrencies 

‘E-way bill to boost GST compliance’  Context E way bill system News The mandatory implementation of the e-way bill system from February 1 for all inter-State movement of non-exempted goods will help boost compliance under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, according to Hasmukh Adhia, Finance Secretary Backdrop The July 1 implementation of GST… Continue reading ‘E-way bill to boost GST compliance’ 

Govt. injects funds into 6 public banks  Context Injecting funds in the banks What has happened? The Centre has released the much-required equity capital to six stressed public sector banks (PSBs) as some of these lenders were on the verge of breaching minimum capital norms on December 31, 2017 Which banks have received the funds?… Continue reading Govt. injects funds into 6 public banks 

Lok Sabha amends bankruptcy law Context Amendment made to Insolvency & bankruptcy law What has been done? The Lok Sabha has amended the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code law to prevent wilful defaulters and existing promoters from taking part in insolvency proceedings of stressed assets of companies unless they make their bad loans operational by paying… Continue reading Lok Sabha amends bankruptcy law