GS1: Modern History
- An Indian First (IE) What we need today more than ever is another moment like the one that came in this week 30 years ago when one Budget changed Indian economic and political history
GS1: Geography
- Hurricane Hanna hits Texas: How hurricanes are formed, how severe is this one(IE) Tropical cyclones or hurricanes use warm, moist air as fuel and therefore form over warm ocean waters near the equator. As NASA describes it, when the warm, moist air rises upward from the surface of the ocean, it creates an area of low air pressure below. When this happens, the air from the surrounding areas, which has higher pressure, enters this space, eventually rising when it becomes warm and moist too.
- Seismicity study of Arunachal Himalaya reveals low to moderate earthquakes at 2 crustal depths (PIB) The Tuting-Tidding Suture Zone (TTSZ) is a major part of the Eastern Himalaya, where the Himalaya takes a sharp southward bend and connects with the Indo-Burma Range. This part of the Arunachal Himalaya has gained significant importance in recent times due to the growing need of constructing roads and hydropower projects, making the need for understanding the pattern of seismicity in this region critical.
GS2: Polity
- Cabinet decision binding on Governor(TH) The five-judge Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court in Nabam Rebia versus Deputy Speaker on July 13, 2016 held that a Governor cannot employ his ‘discretion’, and should strictly abide by the “aid and advice” of the Cabinet to summon the House.
- A Governor’s test(TH) The Governor can require the CM and the Council of Ministers to seek a trust vote if he or she has reasons to believe that they have lost the confidence of the Assembly.
- Scandalising as contempt(TH) Time to revisit the idea of ‘scandalising’ in contempt law, usher in judicial accountability
GS2: Schemes
- TRIFED Signs MoU with IIT, Delhi for Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) (PIB) TRIFED is implementing the Van Dhan Yojana (VDY), a programme for value addition, branding and marketing of MFPs by establishing Van Dhan Kendras of around 300 tribal members each across the country to facilitate creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribal gatherers. In a typical Van Dhan Kendra, the tribal beneficiaries are expected to create an enterprise, which would be involved in all related aspects from collection of forest produce, training of tribal beneficiaries, value-addition and processing, and packaging.
GS2: International Relations
- The confluence of four powers and two seas(TH) With an aggressive China on one side and push from partners on the other, India faces tough choices on an Indo-Pacific maritime alliance.
- India-European Union Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation renewed for next five years (2020-2025) (PIB) The EU and India are at the forefront of human development and innovation. For India, addressing the basic needs of its people, including through frugal innovation, and excelling in high-tech markets are twin objectives. Both areas offer mutually beneficial opportunities for EU-India cooperation. Increased exchanges between students, researchers, and professionals would benefit both sides. India and the EU share a mutual interest in reciprocal mobility of talent.
GS3: Economy
- Kashmir saffron now has GI certificate(TH) Kashmir saffron, grown at an altitude of 1,600 meters, saw a steep decline in production by around 65%, from 16 metric tonnes to 5.6 metric tonnes, in 2018.
GS3: Science & Technology
- Meet the ‘tiny bug slayer’, ancient relative of dinosaurs and pterosaurs(TH) A newly described species from Madagascar suggests that dinosaurs and pterosaurs (extinct flying reptiles) had extremely small ancestors — just 10 centimetres tall. It was named Kongonaphon kely.
- How coronavirus tricks immune system with camouflage(IE) The virus produces an enzyme called nsp16, which it then uses to modify its messenger RNA cap. In lay terms, messenger RNA can be described as a deliverer of genetic code to worksites that produce proteins. Because of the modifications, which fool the cell, the resulting viral messenger RNA is now considered as part of the cell’s own code and not foreign.
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