Author: ForumIAS

Govt holds firm on disability pensions  Context The Defence Ministry has no proposal to withdraw pending appeals against disability pensions and benefits. This was conveyed by Defence Minister NirmalaSitharaman in a letter to RajyaSabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar Background Former Defence Minister ManoharParrikar had attempted to reduce litigations against veterans and serving personnel and had appointed… Continue reading Govt holds firm on disability pensions 

1.2 lakh fewer deaths in under-5 category in 2016  Context Figures from the Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Findings Sharpest decline in U5 mortality rate: India has posted its sharpest, year-on-year decline in the under-5 infant mortality rate (u5) since 2010. The u5, at 39 deaths per 1,000 live births, recorded a 5-point decline from the… Continue reading 1.2 lakh fewer deaths in under-5 category in 2016 

36% rural youth cant name India’s capital, finds survey  Context 2017 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) Focus of the survey The survey looks ‘Beyond Basics’, exploring a wider set of domains beyond foundational reading and arithmetic in an attempt to throw light on the status and abilities of youth in this age group.” What… Continue reading 36% rural youth cant name India’s capital, finds survey 

Megalithic-era sarcophagus unearthed in Kerala  Context A rare sarcophagus (stone coffin), said to be 2,000-year old from the Iron Age–Megalithic era, was discovered from a rock-cut cave at Viyur village of Kollam, near Koyilandy, in Kozhikode district on Monday Man or woman The bone fragments could be of either a man or a woman Carbon… Continue reading Megalithic-era sarcophagus unearthed in Kerala 

Link rivers Gadkari urges States Context Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari has asked officials to work on ways to “better utilise” water from non-Himalayan rivers that are emptying out into the sea Polavaram project example He cited the Polavaram project as an example of where water was being transferred from the Godavari to the… Continue reading Link rivers Gadkari urges States

Bengal’s rivers in a bad shape A dip in the Ganges is, generally speaking, synonymous with the idea of purification. But that shall no longer be so in Bengal, where the river is so polluted that it is now officially unfit for bathing 17 of them have high levels of bacteria found mainly in human… Continue reading Bengal’s rivers in a bad shape

Google to make AI accessible to every firm Context Artificial intelligence is no longer going to remain the secret sauce of giant technology companies Cloud AutoML Google unveiled ‘Cloud AutoML‘’, which is aimed at helping businesses go beyond limitations of machine-learning expertise and start building their own high-quality custom models using advanced techniques provided by… Continue reading Google to make AI accessible to every firm

The price prescription Context Post-GST, we need a more targeted taxation and retail policy on tobacco products What India is the second largest consumer and producer of tobacco-based products — categorised as sin goods or demerit goods — and it has become imperative for policymakers to devise measures to effectively curb their use. Health comes… Continue reading The price prescription

Make -II promise for arms firms Context Indian industry can suggest projects related to sub-systems for innovation and import substitution under the revised Make-II procedure in the Defence Procurement Procedure, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday Indian industry can suggest projects related to sub-systems for innovation The potential ‘Make-II’ projects will be approved by a collegiate… Continue reading Make -II promise for arms firms

Terror disrupts, says Sushma Context Hitting out at the sponsors of international terrorism, India on Wednesday urged for greater consensus among countries for devising a global strategy. Backdrop: Raisina dialogue Theme: “Managing Disruptive Transitions: Ideas, Institutions and Idioms.” The 3rd annual Raisina Dialogue was launched on Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu where he… Continue reading Terror disrupts, says Sushma