Subject : Arts & Culture Context : For the first time in 93 years, Chennai’s iconic December music festival, which brings together the finest exponents of Carnatic classical music and dance and the cultural cognoscenti, will go completely digital. Concept : Carnatic music owes its name to the Sanskrit term KarnâtakaSangîtam which denotes “traditional” or […]
Subject : Important Report/Index Concept : The h-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications of a scientist or scholar. The h-index correlates with obvious success indicators such as winning the Nobel Prize, being accepted for research fellowships and holding positions at top universities. The index is […]
Subject: International Organizations Context : SAARC can only be fully effective in the absence of “terror and violence”, Prime Minister said in a message to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on its 36th Charter Day anniversary. Concept : South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC […]
Subject : Current Events Context: The United Nations (UNCTAD) has declared Invest India as a winner of the 2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award. Concept: The award ceremony took place on 7th December 2020 at UNCTAD Headquarters in Geneva. The award recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements and best practices of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) […]
Subject: Environment Context: India remains in the top 10 for the second year in a row in the latest global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) released in Germany. Concept: The biggest current emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) China figures at 33rd rank while the largest historical polluter, the USA, appears at the bottom of the […]
Subject: Science & tech Concept: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) refers to a constellation of satellites providing signals from space that transmit positioning and timing data to GNSS receivers. The receivers then use this data to determine location. By definition, GNSS provides global coverage. Examples of GNSS include Europe’s Galileo, the USA’s NAVSTAR Global Positioning […]
Subject: Economy Concept: BharatmalaPariyojana is an umbrella program for the highways sector envisaged by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Under Phase-I of BharatmalaPariyojana, implementation of 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years (from 2017 to 2022) has been approved at an estimated outlay of Rs. 5,35,000 crore. National Highways Authority of India […]
Subject: Current Events Context: NEGVAC has recommended that the priority group should include health care providers and workers, from both government and private for vaccine administration Concept: The Centre has begun its preparations for introduction of Covid-19 vaccine and a National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) has been formed as the highest […]
Subject : Governance Context :Three vaccine developers have sought emergency use approval while their candidates are still in trials. India’s regulations provide for ‘accelerated approval’ in special situations. Concept : Regular procedure for drug approval: Vaccines and medicines, and even diagnostic tests and medical devices, require the approval of a regulatory authority before they can […]
Subject: Geography Context: The Foreign Ministers of Nepal and China jointly certified the elevation of Mount Everest at 8,848.86 metres above sea level — 86 cm higher than what was recognised since 1954. Concept: Mount Everest (also called Sagarmatha in Nepal) is Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, located in the Himalayas between China and […]