Category: Featured Editorials

About Ethanol Ethanol/ anhydrous ethyl alcohol having chemical formula of C2H5OH, can be produced from crops like sugarcane, maize, wheat, etc which have high starch content. In India, ethanol is mainly produced from sugarcane molasses by fermentation process Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered as… Continue reading Ethanol Blending Programme and Sugar Industry

Introduction Sugar industry is an important agro-based industry that impacts rural livelihood of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills. India is the second largest producer of sugar in the world after Brazil and is also the largest consumer. Indian sugar industry’s annual output is worth approximately… Continue reading Sugar industries

Context: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recently directed the Uttar Pradesh government to resolve the issue of e-waste lying on the banks of river Ramganga in Moradabad. What is e-waste? Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a term for electronic products that have become unwanted, obsolete, and have reached the end of their useful life.… Continue reading E-Waste Management in India- An Overview

Context Nepal and China finalized the protocol of their Transit and Transport deal. Nepal declined to attend BIMSTEC military exercise (MILEX 2018) hosted by India. Brief background of relationship India and Nepal share a very special relationship with each other. They share a common culture and terrain south of the Himalaya. Bound by languages and… Continue reading India Nepal Relation

Context Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) has been selected by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to facilitate implementation of 5,00,000 Solar Water Pumping Systems. Background The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France in 2015 at UNFCCC CoP 21 Paris, France. In March 2018,… Continue reading International Solar Alliance

Context: There has been a proposal to frame a policy to promote the use of bio fuels for civil aviation What are Bio fuels? Bio fuels are liquid or gaseous fuels produced from biomass resources and used in place of, or in addition to, diesel, petrol or other fossil fuels for transport, stationary, portable and… Continue reading National Policy on Bio fuel, 2018

Context 4th BIMSTEC Summit was held on 30and 31 August in Kathmandu, Nepal. Important Facts What is BIMSTEC? BIMSTEC Stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic cooperation. It is an international organization of seven nations of south Asia and south East Asia lying in the littorals and adjacent areas of Bay… Continue reading BIMSTEC

Context: India-U.S. 2+2 Dialogue Meeting was held on September 6 between the Defence and Foreign Ministers. Background for the 2+2 Dialogue: 2+2 dialogue is a new concept in foreign policy which establishes a dialogue mechanism between two important ministries of two collaborating countries. Japan is the pioneer of this format which establishes diplomatic ‘two plus… Continue reading 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue Meeting

Context: National Agri-Market is slowly transforming the way India trades in Agri-Products. Background: APMRA during 1960-70: – The Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act brought radical changes and significant improvement in almost all aspects of marketing of farm produce. Appointment of an Expert Committee in 2000: – Found stringent controls on the storage and movement of… Continue reading E-NAM: Sowing of seeds for future

“A grain saved is a grain produced” Context: Poor Food grain storage and resultant food wastage has been a persistent problem in India Extent of the Problem: According to Food Corporation of India (FCI) reply to an RTI activist in 2014 as much as 1.95 Lakh MT of food grains was wasted in India between… Continue reading Food Grain Storage Problem in India