GS 2
IAF plane shot down, pilot taken captive by Pak. army
An Indian pilot was captured by Pakistan after a major aerial confrontation and chase between Pakistan Air Force planes, which dropped bombs in four locations of Jammu and Kashmir, and Indian Air Force jets that countered them over the Line of Control (LoC).
Sushma says India’s air strike was pre-emptive
“In the light of continued refusal of Pakistan to acknowledge and act against terror groups on its territory and based on credible information that JeM is planning other attacks in various parts of India, the Government of India has decided to take pre-emptive action. The target was selected in order to avoid civilian casualties,” Ms. Swaraj said at the plenary foreign ministerial meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called for talks with India to defuse tensions between the two countries and offered cooperation in investigation into the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.
Arunachal Pradesh has otherwise remained a peaceful State, and it is incumbent on the government and the polity to foster a civic consciousness that allows equality of opportunity for all residents in the State.
The vexatious question of Masood Azhar
The UN Security Council adopted a statement on February 21 condemning the Pulwama terrorist attack of February 14, for which the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) took responsibility. India is applauding this development and it should. A lot of diplomatic effort had gone into achieving this result. But this statement should be looked at with a proper perspective.
United Andhra Pradesh and now Telangana are not the only ones encouraging this practice. In Gujarat, there was a scheme which began in 1992 that provided incentives for unanimous elections. It was revised and named Samaras-Yojana.
The DPCO controls the prices of all essential medicines by fixing ceiling prices, limiting the highest prices companies can charge. The National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) is drawn up to include essential medicines that satisfy the priority health needs of the population.
China offers tacit support to India
China’s deft balancing act became visible during comments by Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the course of RIC Foreign Ministers meet in Wuzhen town.
U.K. calls for diplomatic solutions
Foreign Office Minister urges India and Pakistan to de-escalate tension in region
President Buhari wins 2nd term
Muhammadu Buhari was on Wednesday re-elected Nigeria’s President after a delayed poll that angered voters and raised political temperatures, but the Opposition immediately vowed to challenge the “sham” result in court.
GS 3
A.P. gets new South Coast Railway zone
The Centre on Wednesday announced the creation of a separate railway zone in Andhra Pradesh — a long pending demand of the ruling NDA’s erstwhile ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Modify forest dwellers’ eviction order: Centre
The Centre and the State of Gujarat filed applications on Wednesday urging the Supreme Court to modify its February 13 order directing the eviction of thousands of Scheduled Tribes (STs) and other traditional forest dwellers whose claims for forest land rights have been rejected under the Forest Rights Act of 2006.
Special purpose vehicle to improve infrastructure in Sabarimala
The government is setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to improve infrastructure and pilgrim facilities under the Sabarimala master plan. The Cabinet which met here on Wednesday decided to set up the company as a government-owned entity to improve the facilities at Sabarimala, Pampa, Nilackal and transit camps for pilgrims.
It is a time of peace and quiet for India on the Zika front. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which saw large outbreaks late last year, stopped seeing new cases before the year end.
A patchwork approach to GST problems
It has the best intentions, but the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is nevertheless systematically eroding the strongest features of the new tax regime — simplicity and transparency.
‘RBI pay norms may make private bank CEOs more accountable’
The norms proposed by the RBI for compensation of chief executives and board members of private sector banks has been viewed as an effort to improve transparency and accountability of the banking system.
Centre brings 42 non-scheduled cancer drugs under price control
The government said on Wednesday it has brought 42 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs under price control, capping trade margin at 30 per cent, which would reduce their retail prices by up to 85 per cent.
China to act against rogue scientists
China has drafted new rules to supervise biotechnology research, with fines and bans against rogue scientists after a Chinese researcher caused a global outcry by claiming that he gene-edited babies.
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