GS2: International Relations
- India, China hold talks, agree to resolve differences peacefully(TH) On Saturday, military level talks will be held by two Lieutenant Generals with the hope of defusing the tensions.
- Ahead of vote for UNSC seat, India launches campaign brochure(TH) India is guaranteed a place in the UNSC as it is the sole candidate for Asia-Pacific, but needs two-thirds of the 193-member General Assembly to vote in its favour in a secret ballot scheduled for June 17 in New York. Mexico is also expected to be elected unopposed for the Latin American group but there will be a battle for 2 seats of the West European and Others Group (WEOG) between Canada, Ireland and Norway, and for the African seat between Kenya and Djibouti.
GS3: Environment
- Close to 28% of Sunderbans damaged in Cyclone Amphan(TH) The Indian Sunderbans, an area south of the Dampier Hodges line, is spread over 9,630 sq km, of which the mangrove forest accounts for 4,263 sq km.
GS3: Economy
- RBI creates ₹ 500 cr. fund to boost payment infra(TH) Given the high cost of merchant acquisition and merchant terminalisation, most of the POS terminals in the country are concentrated in tier 1 and 2 cities and towns and other regions have been left out.
- Bankruptcy code gets suspended for 6 months(Mint) But while pausing fresh bankruptcy proceedings could give a breather to many companies, it could also deprive lenders the opportunity to restructure certain companies which may be beyond redemption, analysts said.
GS3: Govt intervention in infra
- Power Minister launches the ‘#iCommit’ initiative on World Environment Day(PIB) The ‘#iCommit’ initiative is centred around the idea of building an energy resilient future. The pre-requisite for that goal is to create a flexible and agile power system.
- EESL and USAID Announce the “Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings” Initiative(PIB) The Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency (MAITREE), under which this initiative has been launched, is a part of the US-India bilateral Partnership between the Ministry of Power and USAID and is aimed at accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency as a standard practice within buildings, and specifically focuses on cooling.
GS3: Science & Technology
- "How archaeologists continued digging from home during the current lockdown(TH) LiDAR will also help in understanding domestic architecture, and defensive architecture like moats and fortifications in the area. We can even look at the hydrology and water management systems in greater detail, all of which is probably under dense vegetation. Remote sensing techniques such as LiDAR would be time saving and most useful in this regard.
- Another virus spells doom for Assam’s pig farmers(Mint) According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, or OIE, the ASF is a severe viral disease that affects wild and domestic pigs. This extremely contagious disease can be spread by blood, tissue and saliva of infected pigs. Transmission can also occur via contaminated feed and fomites such as shoes, clothes, vehicles, knives and equipment. It does not spread to humans.
GS3: Govt policies in S&T
- Draft rules prohibit use of drones for delivery(TH) Rule number 36 and 38 in the Ministry’s draft state that no unmanned aircraft shall carry any payload, unless specified by the Director General of DGCA. Neither shall a person “drop or project or cause or permit to be dropped or projected from a UAS (unmanned aircraft system) in motion anything,” except when specified.
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