Contents1 What is the News?2 What is Lightning?3 Lightning Strikes in India4 Lightning Prone Areas in India5 What steps are being taken against lightning strikes?6 How can the impact of Lightning strikes be mitigated? What is the News? Seventeen people have been killed by lightning over the last two days in various parts of Bihar.… Continue reading Explained: How lightning kills, and how to be safe when it strikes?
Sleep organisation stabilizes among vipassana meditation practitioners: study
Contents1 What is the News?2 What are the sleep disorders?3 What is the purpose of this study?4 What are the findings of the study? What is the News? Researchers have found that practitioners of meditation have better sleep as compared to those who do not practice meditation. What are the sleep disorders? Sleep disorders are… Continue reading Sleep organisation stabilizes among vipassana meditation practitioners: study
Spiny Horntail: Rare dragonfly spotted in Kerala for the first time
What is the News? Dragonfly enthusiasts have recorded the presence of a rare dragonfly species named “Spiny Horntail” that was not seen in Kerala until now. What is Spiny Horntail? Spiny Horntail (Burmagomphus chaukulensis) is a dragonfly species. This species is known to be endemic to the Western Ghats and was discovered in Maharashtra earlier… Continue reading Spiny Horntail: Rare dragonfly spotted in Kerala for the first time
Explained: What are bird strikes and how they can affect flights
Contents1 What is the News?2 What are Bird Strikes?3 What is the impact of Bird Strike on aircraft?4 What causes Bird Strikes?5 What steps have been taken to avoid Bird Strikes? What is the News? Recently, at least two bird strike incidents have happened. Following both of these incidents, the aircraft had to return back… Continue reading Explained: What are bird strikes and how they can affect flights
World Mental Health Report: Business as usual for mental health simply will not do: WHO
What is the News? The World Health Organization(WHO) has released the World Mental Health Report. What are the key findings of the World Mental Health Report? Mental Health Issues: Almost a billion people or one in 8 people worldwide were living with some form of mental health issue in 2019. For some, this resulted in… Continue reading World Mental Health Report: Business as usual for mental health simply will not do: WHO
Explained: Why is single-use plastic being banned in India from July 1
Contents1 What is the News?2 What is Single use-plastic?3 How much is Single use-plastic produced globally?4 Which Single-use plastic items have been banned by the Government?5 Why has the Government banned these single-use plastic items?6 How will the ban be enforced?7 How is the world dealing with Single-use plastic? What is the News? The Government… Continue reading Explained: Why is single-use plastic being banned in India from July 1
At the centre of job creation
Context: The government should re-establish its role as the principal employment generator. Moreover, with its announcement that 10 lakh government jobs will be provided over the next 18 months on a “mission mode”, the govt has sent the following message: – the creation of employment is indeed a problem and can no longer be hidden… Continue reading At the centre of job creation
Madan Sabnavis writes: The jobs puzzle
Context: While the government’s intent to add over a million jobs in the next 18 months is laudable, the task is audacious and challenging from both an administrative and financial point of view. Contents1 Important reports regarding employment2 Problems with the Unemployment data3 What is the situation wrt unemployment in India?4 Why Start-ups cannot be… Continue reading Madan Sabnavis writes: The jobs puzzle
Flaming question: Why is it so easy to burn trains? Because effective RPF, local police coordination is missing
News: Over 500 trains were cancelled recently following protests against Agnipath scheme. The cancellation follows instances of arson and wilful destruction of railway property. Yet again, Indian Railways (IR) has been made collateral damage. Cancellations not only directly inconvenience millions but undermine the economy, as railway rakes transport 3.3 million tons of freight daily, mainly… Continue reading Flaming question: Why is it so easy to burn trains? Because effective RPF, local police coordination is missing
India buys more coal from Russia, and urea from the US — diversifying supply sources is good policy
News: India’s imports of Russian coal in June are reportedly expected to be the highest in at least seven and a half years. This comes alongside Russia displacing Saudi Arabia to become India’s second-largest oil supplier after Iraq in May. Neither of these are unwelcome developments, nor the fact that India has, for the first… Continue reading India buys more coal from Russia, and urea from the US — diversifying supply sources is good policy
