SC bans use of five heavy metals in firecrackers

The Supreme Court has imposed ban on use of five harmful heavy metals like lithium, antimony, mercury, arsenic and lead in the manufacturing of firecrackers as they cause air pollution. The SC order came on a 2015 petition filed by ..

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2017

GSI discovers millions of tonnes of precious metals and minerals in Indian waters

Scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have discovered the presence of millions of tonnes of precious metals and minerals deep under the waters within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of peninsular India. They have confirmed the presence large ..

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017

5 States, 1 UT ink MoU with Centre on Government e-Marketplace

5 States and a Union Territory (UT) have formally adopted the Centre’s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative. They are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh and Puducherry (UT). In this regard, these states/UT have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to ..

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017

Tamil Nadu reports first case of Zika virus

Tamil Nadu has reported its first case of Zika virus in a 27-year-old man from a village in Krishnagiri district. RT-PCR test conducted on patient’s blood, urine and throat samples were found to be positive for Zika. This is second ..

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017

Scientists discover reasons behind 2015 Chennai Floods

A study conducted by the University of Hyderabad and the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay has found out that the extreme El Nino conditions and warming of the Bay of Bengal had resulted in unprecedented heavy rainfall in Chennai for three days between November 30th to December 2nd ..

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017

President approves ordinance allowing Kambala in Karnataka

President Pranab Mukherjee has approved the promulgation of The Prevention of cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 by the Governor of Karnataka in pursuance of Article 213 of Constitution. The promulgated ordinance legalises Kambala, bullock cart races and bull ..

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017

Union Government launches new training programme COMMIT for State Government officials

The Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension has launched a new training programme Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on Induction Training (COMMIT) for State Government officials. The objective of COMMIT programme is to improve the public service delivery mechanism ..

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017

RBI: Fiscal Deficit of States Soars to Rs 4.93 trillion in FY16

According to ‘Handbook of Statistics on States 2016-17‘, the gross fiscal deficits of all the states have soared to Rs 4,93,360 crore in fiscal 2016 from Rs 18,790 crore in FY1991. This is the second edition of RBI’s statistical publication. Salient ..

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2017

NASA launches World's Lightest Satellite designed by Indian Student

NASA has launched world’s lightest satellite weighing only 64 grams designed by 18-year-old boy Rifath Sharook from Tamil Nadu. The tiny satellite has been named as KalamSat after the former President APJ Abdul Kalam. The tiny satellite was launched into space on a sounding rocket from NASA’s ..

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2017

Government announces 30 new Smart Cities

Union Minister for Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, M. Venkaiah Naidu has announced a new batch of 30 smart cities under Smart City Mission, which was launched on June 25, 2015.  Salient Highlights The newly selected cities include Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala,  Naya ..

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2017