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GS 2
SC asks High Courts to act on police vacancies
The Supreme Court has asked high courts across the country to take suo motu cognisance of large number of vacancies in State police forces and monitor the situation.
Italy signs new ‘Silk Road’ protocol with China
Italy on Saturday signed a “non-binding” protocol with China to take part in Beijing’s new “Silk Road” of transport and trade links stretching from Asia to Europe.
The long reach of new silk roads
Six years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a mammoth infrastructure project straddling many countries and continents. Of the projects, the most ambitious is the $60+ billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, aimed at linking China’s Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea.
anyone who is or has been Prime Minister, or a Minister in the Union government, or a Member of Parliament, as well as officials of the Union government under Groups A, B, C and D. Also covered are chairpersons, members, officers and directors of any board, corporation, society, trust or autonomous body either established by an Act of Parliament or wholly or partly funded by the Centre.
GS 3
Vitamin deficiency high among urban adults, says NIN study
scientists at the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) led by G. Bhanuprakash Reddy screened the sub-clinical status of vitamins — A, D, B1, B2, B6, B12 and folate — among urban adults in the twin cities, they found several vitamin deficiencies and dietary inadequacies hidden under their apparently healthy exterior.
RBI defers implementing Ind AS, yet again
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has deferred the implementation of the new accounting norms, Ind AS, indefinitely, as necessary amendments to the relevant law are yet to be made.
‘Centre must not look upon the Reserve Bank as a cash cow’
The central government being fiscally dependent on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is undesirable, according to Dr. Indira Rajaraman, former member of RBI’s central board.
End stigma and discrimination to end TB
Last year, REACH initiated the first ever Legal Environment Assessment of TB in India, an exhaustive exercise to understand how TB interacts with the law and with human rights.
Urban areas are cooler than non-urban areas during heat waves
A study of 89 urban areas in India has found that though there is an absolute increase in temperature during heat waves in both urban and non-urban areas, the urban areas are relatively cooler than the surrounding non-urban areas. At 1.94°C, the absolute increase in temperature during the day in non-urban areas during a heat wave was significantly higher than in urban areas (0.14°C).
PT Facts
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh is next Navy chief
The government on Saturday appointed Vice-Admiral Karambir Singh as the next Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). With the announcement, the government has for the second time overlooked the seniority principle in service chief appointments.
Protected areas matter to bumphead parrotfish
The survival of the threatened bumphead parrotfish in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands hinges on the persistence of coral reefs and presence of marine protected areas. Implementing fishing regulations could help its population bounce back, say researchers.