EXHAUST SCRUBBERS IN SHIPS Subject: Economy Context :Thanks to exhaust scrubbers, while ships are polluting the air less, their water-pollution footprint is rising. Concept : On January 1, 2020, the IMO, a UN body, started the enforcement of a rule banning sulphur-heavy fuel. Since sulphur-light fuel can be very expensive, it allowed ships […]

    CAIRN ENERGY – AIR INDIA DISPUTE Subject: Economy Context: Recently, the British oil company Cairn Energy Plc is suing Air India in New York to seize its assets to enforce the $1.2 billion arbitration award it won against the Indian government in a retrospective tax dispute. Concept: Cairn Energy-Air India dispute In 2020, […]

    FERTILIZER PRICING Subject: Economy Context: Govt considering subsidy to offset rise in global prices of P&K fertilisers’ raw material. Concept: Farmers buy fertilisers at MRPs (maximum retail price) below their normal supply-and-demand-based market rates or what it costs to produce/import them. The difference between the retail price and production cost/domestic price is given […]

    HOUSING FINANCE COMPANIES vs BANKS Subject : Economy Context : Even as Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) have come under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) since August 2019, existing home loan customers are getting differential treatment from banks and HFCs. Concept : Over the last 18 months to 5 […]

    COMPULSORY LICENSING Subject : Economy Context : Kerala High Court seeks Centre’s response to invoke compulsory licensing of Covid vaccines. Concept : A compulsory licence is a licence or authorisation issued by the government to an applicant for making, using and selling a patented product or employing a patented process without the consent […]

    RUN RATE Subject : Economy Context : Indian Oil Corporation had reduced its refinery run rate to 88 per cent, while privatisation-bound Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd cut its run rate to 85 per cent of its refining capacity. Run rate is the proportion of crude processed by a refinery relative to its total […]

    INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION & CPI Subject : Economy Context : The retail inflation, measured Consumer Price Index (CPI) eased to 4.29 per cent in April. Separately, the factory output, measured in terms of Index of Industrial Production (IIP), grew by 22.4 per cent in March. Concept : Index of Industrial Production The […]

    BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORT (BRSR) Subject: Economy Context: Regulator SEBI came out with disclosure requirements under business responsibility and sustainability reporting, covering environmental, social and governance perspectives, which will be applicable on the top 1,000 listed entities by market capitalisation. Concept: The new report — Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR)– will […]