- Indian Heritage
- Culture
- Modern Indian history
- The Freedom Struggle
- Post-independence
- Indian Society
A. population and associated issues
B. poverty and developmental issues
C.urbanization
7. Geographical features
8.Indian Constitution
9. Polity
President of India graces centenary year function of the Maharashtra Legislative Council
The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu graced the centenary year function of the Maharashtra Legislative Council in Mumbai today (September 3, 2024
The President said that the Rajya Sabha in Parliament and the Legislative Councils in the Legislative Assemblies, where there are two Houses, are called the House of the Elders. Along with the minimum age limit being higher in these Houses, representation of more experienced members is often seen in the Elder Houses. Such Elders have set many good examples and enriched the parliamentary system and the work culture of the legislature. She expressed confidence that the Maharashtra Legislative Council will further strengthen this tradition.
The President said that Maharashtra has been presenting examples of social, economic, cultural, and spiritual progress to the entire country. According to the Economic Survey of the year 2023-24, Maharashtra ranks first in the country in terms of State GDP. She appreciated the members of the Legislature, the State Government, and the people of Maharashtra for this achievement. She expressed confidence that the development journey of Maharashtra will continue to move forward at a rapid pace. She wished a bright future for the people of Maharashtr
10. Governance
A. institutions
B. regulatory
C. Government policies
ONDC receives Gold Award for “Application of Emerging Technologies for Providing Citizen-Centric Services” at 27th National Conference on e-Governance
The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has been awarded the prestigious Gold Award under the category “Application of Emerging Technologies for Providing Citizen-Centric Services” in the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) during the 27th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG). The award ceremony was held on 3rd September 2024, in Mumbai.
The National Awards for e-Governance by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) is recognized amongst the most competitive and prestigious digital governance recognition in the country. The objective of the award is to recognise and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives and to encourage innovation in successful e-Governance solutions. The NAeG are conferred under different categories each year during the National Conference on E-Governance (NCeG). The Conference is organised every year by the DARPG in collaboration with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and respective State Government hosting the annual event. The Government of Maharashtra hosted the 27th Edition of the NCeG in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
ONDC, a key building block of India’s globally renowned Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), was conceptualised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as a bridge between public service delivery and technological enablement of retail trade sector at large. ONDC utilises and has deployed unique approach towards massifying e-commerce i.e. deployment of technological led interventions. By virtue of being interoperable, unbundled, and decentralised, ONDC splits a complex system into discrete microservices that different players can offer separately, with positive outcomes for all. ONDC architecture fosters trust in e-commerce system. ONDC is now enabling more than 12 million orders per month, spread across categories ranging from fashion to electronics in products, and ride-hailing to metro ticketing in services. Recently, ONDC crossed another milestone of having over 6 lakh sellers across India live on the network.
ONDC is empowering a diverse range of sellers, including lakhs of small businesses, artisans, women entrepreneurs, farmers, and street vendors to compete effectively and reach a wider audience. At the same time, ONDC’s democratisation of e-commerce has fostered competition and innovation, making sure consumers benefit from increased choice and competitive prices. ONDC functions with a startup mindset and Government scale approach wherein it is adapting to evolving market dynamics with agility, driven by a team of technocrats and mentored by veteran ONDC Advisory Council.
ONDC is further expanding its capabilities for deeper and greater integration with key platforms of the Government. This is intended to further enhance ease of doing business, faster access to credit and data flow amongst Government platforms. ONDC will make it possible for inter-locks and linkages across Government platforms to serve common set of beneficiaries for achievement of unified objectives.
Representing the ONDC ecosystem, the prestigious Gold Award in the NAeG in 27th edition of the NCeG was received by Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT; Shri T. Koshy, CEO, ONDC and other officials from the department.
D. role of NGOs
E. measures
11. Social Justice
A. Welfare schemes
B Health
VISHANU YUDDH ABHYAS”: A Mock Drill on Pandemic Preparedness conducted under National One Health Mission
Under the aegis of National One Health Mission (NOHM), a comprehensive national mock drill, “Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas” (Virus War Exercise), was conducted in Ajmer district of Rajasthan state, from August 27 to August 31, 2024 to assess pandemic preparedness. This exercise aimed to evaluate the readiness and response of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) composed of experts from human health, animal husbandry and wildlife sectors. A mock zoonotic disease outbreak scenario was created to simulate a real-world outbreak.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Shri J P Nadda appreciated this first-of-its kind exercise, highlighting the role of One Health Mission by fostering collaborations to address health of humans, animals and plants and environment holistically and in a sustainable manner.
The drill involved multiple stakeholders, including National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Rajasthan State Administration, State Directorate of Health Services (DHS), State Veterinary Department and State Forest Department, AIIMS Jodhpur BSL-3 Lab (one of the 19 National BSL-3 Network Laboratories) District Administration, Chief District Medical Officer, District Veterinary Officer and Community Health Centre doctors and Staff.
The drill was structured around two key components: a) Investigation and identification of the virus responsible for the mock outbreak; and b) Actions initiated to control the spread of illness across human and animal populations. Independent observers monitored the response. The response of the district and state teams, directed by NJORT was found to be mostly prompt and appropriate. The exercise also identified some areas requiring further improvement.
The Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas was a successful exercise that provided valuable insights to inform future strategies to enhance India’s preparedness and response to zoonotic disease outbreaks, fostering a coordinated and efficient approach across all relevant sectors.
Anemia : A key focus area during Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2024
Anemia is one of the major theme through which this year Poshan Maah is being celebrated. Anemia has always been one of the key focus areas under Jan Andolans so far. Anemia is a health concern, mainly affecting young children, adolescent girls, pregnant, postpartum women and women in the reproductive age. The period of adolescence is the right window of opportunity to correct any nutritional pitfalls in young adolescents to prevent intergenerational effects of anemia on future generations.
To give high importance to issues around Anemia, dedicated Anemia related themes and activities have been taken up by the Ministry of WCD in convergence with relevant Ministries/ Departments in the previous Jan Andolans for mass sensitisation. In the last Poshan Maah held in September, 2023, more than 35 crore sensitisation activities have been reported, of which around 4 crore were focused around Anemia.
In addition to directly reaching out to 69 lakh Pregnant Women (PW) and 43 lakh Lactating Mothers (LM), the scheme currently encompasses more than 22 lakh Adolescent Girls (14-18 years) under the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) across Aspirational Districts and NE Region. With a strong direct presence of more than 10 crore beneficiaries and their families, and further reaching out to every corner of the nation twice annually through first of its kind nutrition-centric Jan Andolans. Engagement of Adolescent Girls has all the potential to provide additional velocity required to create malnutrition free India, especially on their engagement while continuing Ministry’s efforts to support Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s (MoH&FW) Anemia Mukt Bharat programme at large.
C. Education
D. Human Resources
E. poverty and hunger
12. International relations
A. India and its neighbourhood
B. groupings and agreements
C.Indian diaspora
13. Economic Development
A. Government Budgeting
B. industrial
Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches AgriSURE Fund
In a significant development for the agricultural sector, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, today launched the AgriSURE Scheme in New Delhi. AgriSURE – Agri Fund for Start-ups & Rural Enterprises is an innovative fund which is a pioneering step toward revolutionizing the agricultural landscape in India. With a focus on technology-driven, high-risk, high-impact ventures, AgriSURE is designed to fuel growth and foster innovation in the agricultural and rural start-up ecosystem. A Blended capital fund of ₹750 crore with SEBI Registered Category II, Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), contributions from the Government of India is ₹250 crore, NABARD is ₹250 crore, and ₹250 crore is being mobilized from banks, insurance companies, and private investors.
The launch event was graced by several distinguished guests, including Union Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Bhagirath Choudhary and Shri Ram Nath Thakur and Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr Devesh Chaturvedi. The gathering also included senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, representatives from leading banks, state government officials, and key stakeholders from the agricultural community.
In his keynote address, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan highlighted the transformative potential of the newly launched initiatives. The Minister mentioned that, the launch of the AgriSUREFund is a continuation of previous efforts of the government to ensure that every farmer in India has the technological support needed to thrive.” He further advocated that farmers’ prosperity will lead to a prosperous economy as farmers start spending their fortune on consumption and that farming is the backbone of the country with farmer being the life blood.
Shri Chouhan further elaborated on the government’s commitment to supporting the farming community, stating, “Our vision is to empower every farmer and the launch of the AgriSURE Fund is a testament to our unwavering dedication to the agricultural sector. The government will relentlessly strive towards ensuring increased production, reduced cost of production for farmers, remunerative prices for farmers, crop diversification, preventing post-harvest loss and safe guard during crop loss through crop insurance “
The event preceded the conferring of the AgriSURE Greenathon Awards, to the most innovative start-ups developing tech-centric solutions to address challenges faced by farmers across various stages of the agri-value chain, from selection of input to marketing and value addition. Greenothon was launched on 12 July 2024 at Mumbai and its Grand Finale with 10 finalists was held before the launch. Out of 2000 budding Agri Start-ups, over 500 prototypes were screened, with 10 finalists pitching their ideas. The top three start-ups—Greensapio, Krushikanti, and Ambronics—were selected as the Winner, Runner-Up, and Second Runner-Up, respectively, from a total of 10 finalists. With a prize pool of ₹6 lakhs, the Greenathon not only rewarded excellence but also provided a platform for start-ups to present their ideas to a broad network of stakeholders for future collaboration.
During the event, Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, stressed the critical need for start-ups in agriculture to solve farmers’ problems.
The event was a convergence of various stakeholders, including representatives from state governments, banks, investment community and start-ups, who came together to witness the occasion of launch of AgriSURE, a blended capital fund for start-ups and rural enterprises, which is a first of its kind of product in India agriculture start-up ecosystem.
DGFT updates the SCOMET List with recent policy changes and updates in the multilateral export control regimes
Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has notified the updated SCOMET list for the year 2024. India’s export control list (SCOMET) has been updated, incorporating the recent changes /updates in the control lists of the multilateral export control regimes, and certain policy amendments in our national system, on the basis of inputs from relevant government organizations and stakeholders.
With the recent update, DGFT has also authorized the Department of Defence Production (DDP), MoD, to be the licensing authority for export of all items falling under Category 6 of SCOMET for military end use, streamlining certain exclusions existing earlier.
India has a robust legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade and related non-proliferation matters, which includes the inter-ministerial SCOMET licensing process, effective enforcement and risk assessment mechanisms, regular outreach to industry and other stakeholders, etc. India is a member of the major multilateral export control regimes, viz. the Missile Technology Control Regime, Wassenaar Arrangement, and Australia Group, and harmonises its guidelines and control lists with that of these regimes and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Accordingly, India regulates the exports of dual use items, nuclear related items, and military items, including software and technology under the SCOMET (Special Chemicals Organisms Materials Equipment and Technologies) list, which is notified by DGFT under the Foreign Trade Policy.
The emergence of Strategic Trade Controls as an important area has been acknowledged in the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, where the SCOMET processes and procedures have been consolidated at one place for better understanding of the Industry, for effective compliance. As the exports under the SCOMET have increased substantively during the last three years, DGFT has taken several initiatives, based on regular interactions with the industry to facilitate authorized and responsible export of these high end goods and technologies, which includes strengthening DGFT’s e-platform for licensing, laying down a liberalized General Authorization policy for items such as drones, dual-use chemicals, telecommunication equipment, information security systems, and for Repairs in India, Repeat Order for Stock & Sale Policy, Intra Company Transfers (GAICT), among many others.
The SCOMET List has been notified by DGFT under Appendix 3 to Schedule 2 of ITC (HS) Classification of Export and Import Items. The policy and procedures under SCOMET are outlined in Chapter 10 of FTP and HBP 2023, and the list is regulated under Chapter IVA of Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, as amended in 2010.
Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Shri Chirag Paswan visits Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi to review preparedness for World Food India 2024
Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Shri Chirag Paswan, today visited Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, to take stock of the preparations for the upcoming mega food event World Food India 2024, scheduled to be held from September 19-22, 2024. During the visit, Shri Paswan was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry and representatives from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Invest India involved in the organisation of the event. The visit included a detailed inspection of the exhibition halls, conference areas, and other amenities that will be used during the event.
E.issues
14. Technology
New high-performance gas sensor can monitor low level nitrogen oxides pollution
A novel nanostructure developed by scientists can detect oxides of nitrogen at very low concentrations at room temperature, addressing the urgent need for precise air quality monitoring systems in urban and industrial areas.
Gas sensors play a pivotal role in modern technology, facilitating environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and healthcare diagnostics. The field of gas sensors is continuously evolving through innovative research in materials and technology, aiming to enhance key parameters such as sensitivity, selectivity, response and recovery times, stability, and operating temperature. Achieving a sensing device that shows superior performance across these parameters remains a primary objective of current research and development activities in sensor technology, although it poses significant technical challenges. The choice of materials for gas sensors is critical, exerting a profound influence on their operational performance.
In the last few decades, chemiresistive gas sensors, which detect the gas molecules based on variation in materials resistance, using various types of binary metal oxide semiconductors have been extensively studied for detecting different gases. However, most of these sensors commonly lack selectivity for specific gases and face challenges like low sensitivity at ppb levels and the need for high-temperature operation, limiting their practical use.
Addressing the limitations of existing sensing materials, researchers from Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), an autonomous institute of DST have developed a gas sensor based on mixed spinel zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) nanostructures. This sensor detects nitrogen oxides (NOx) at ultra-low concentrations of parts-per-billion (ppb) levels, even at room temperature marking a significant breakthrough in gas sensing technology.
- Dynamic response of the mixed spinel ZnFe2O4 sensor to different concentrations of NO2.
- Schematic illustration of the experimental steps to assess the concentration of NOx molecules from the vehicle emission.
A team of scientists including Mr. Vishnu G Nath and Dr. S. Angappane, deliberately synthesized the mixed spinel ZnFe2O4 structure, where the occupation of Zn and Fe ions within the tetrahedral and octahedral lattice sites deviates from the commonly observed normal spinel configuration.
Advanced techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the distribution of cations in the tetrahedral and octahedral lattice can be effectively adjusted by varying the calcination temperature during nanoparticle synthesis.
Detailed sensing studies underscored the exceptional performance of the sensor based on the mixed spinel ZnFe2O4 structure in detecting NOx molecules under ambient conditions. The sensor exhibited notably high response values (detecting down to 30 ppb), operated at room temperature with rapid response and recovery times, demonstrated superior selectivity, and maintained excellent cyclic stability (approximately 100 cycles) and long-term durability (over 3 months).
The calculated limit of detection (LOD) for NO2 was significantly lower ( around 9 ppb) than the United States Environment Protection Agency (US EPA) recommended limit (53 ppb). Furthermore, the research team validated the practical applicability of the developed sensor by analyzing gas samples collected from vehicle exhaust emissions. They successfully detected trace levels of NOx gas concentrations in the exhaust air samples and accurately quantified the concentration using calibration data derived from known NOx concentrations and corresponding sensor responses. The reduced energy demand for the developed sensor can significantly lower operational costs, paving the way for more affordable and accessible environmental monitoring solutions.
Computational calculations conducted in collaboration with Dr. Subhasmita Ray and Dr. Kartick Tarafder from the Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, validate the experimental findings. These calculations confirm that the formation of the mixed spinel structure leads to higher adsorption energy for NOx molecules compared to the commonly observed normal spinel ZnFe2O4 structure.
Their research published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, not only underscores the significance of mixed spinel ZnFe2O4-based sensors as potential competitors to future high-performance gas sensors but also highlights an effective strategy for leveraging the properties of spinel ferrites through cation distribution modifications. Continued advancements in this area could lead to comprehensive air quality monitoring systems, crucial for mitigating pollution and protecting public health.
Removing toxic chromium using sunlight can lower cost of waste water treatment
A low-cost method has been developed by INST researchers to remove toxic Chromium from wastewater of industries such as leather tanning and electroplating by using “sunlight” as catalyst in combination with microfluidic technology.
Toxicity of hexavalent chromium is a serious concern and as per reports by WHO the tolerable concentrations of hexavalent and trivalent chromium in drinking water are limited to 0.05 mg/L and 5 mg/L. Thus, it becomes imperative to reduce this hexavalent form of chromium to the trivalent form.
Several chemical and physiochemical methods, such as ion exchange, adsorption, and bacterial and chemical reduction, have been employed for the removal of Cr(VI). Most of these techniques are costly, with low removal efficiencies of Cr(VI).
Dr. Bhanu Prakash’s research group from Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology has developed a new technique of removing toxic Cr(VI) ions by utilizing sunlight for the catalytic process in combination with microfluidic technology for the conversion of the toxic hexavalent form of chromium to a less toxic trivalent form. They used a process called continuous flow photoreduction and validated this process in wastewater using TiO2 nanoparticles with the help ofa smartphone based colorimetric technique.
Besides, the cost effectiveness of the process and the usage of renewable energy, with the microfluidics route, the reduction efficiency can also be tailored by fine-tuning the flow rate of the organic pollutant, reactor dimension, and architecture, precisely. One of the most advantageous features of using microreactors is the reusability of the photocatalyst without any recovery agents or cumbersome processes.
Various microfluidic parameters such as reactor design, flow rate and channel length along with different catalyst phases were fine-tuned to bring about superior degradation efficiency. A superior degradation efficiency of 95 % was attained by utilizing a serpentine microreactor coated with a photocatalyst in the pure anatase phase at a flowrate of 50 µl/min.
The researchers started the process with the fabrication of microfluidic reactors and the synthesis of nanocatalysts. Next, the nanocatalyst was immobilized onto the microreactor bed and flow experiments were performed. The extent of conversion was monitored using a change in absorbance via UV-Vis spectroscopy. This was followed by evaluating the reactor performance on basics of long-term stability of microreactor and photocatalyst with respect to the number of cycles or volume processed.
This work published in Chemical Engineering Journal holds potential in industrial translation by increasing the throughput of the approach. This is possible by setting up microfluidic reactors in a parallel approach (arrays) or by microtexturing of the bulk reactor surface to increase the efficacy of the process after repetitive use.
15. Environment
The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) organises national-level workshop on IndOBIS: enhancing marine biodiversity documentation, research, and conservation
The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, conducted a national-level workshop on the Indian Ocean Biodiversity Information System (IndOBIS) on September 03, 2024, at its Kochi campus. The workshop brought together scientists and researchers from various institutions across the country. The workshop helped raise awareness about marine biodiversity data documentation and publishing among the participants.
Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES, congratulated CMLRE on successfully conducting the first IndOBIS workshop. “Deep sea biodiversity exploration and conservation under vertical 3 of India’s Deep Ocean Mission is vital to the mission’s overall success. It also directly aligns with the SDG-14: life below water and impacts the success of several more SDGs”, he said.
Dr GVM Gupta, Director of CMLRE, highlighted the importance of IndOBIS in advancing marine biodiversity documentation and data sharing, supporting sustainable management of aquatic resources, and fostering regional and global collaboration in marine biodiversity knowledge sharing at the inaugural ceremony of the workshop. “Through a hands-on training workshop, we aim to enable researchers to submit scientifically standardised marine biodiversity data and contribute to the global knowledge pool. It is a valuable opportunity for scientists to publish data papers, gather and collate existing knowledge and collaborate on an international platform”, he said.
IndOBIS is the Indian regional node of the global Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). OBIS is one of the largest global repositories of information on marine species, containing millions of records from thousands of datasets contributed by researchers, governments, and organisations worldwide. It provides detailed information on species distribution across the world’s oceans, including data on their occurrence, habitats, and environmental parameters. It offers tools and services that allow users to search, visualise, and download biodiversity data. OBIS is supported by a network of nearly 30 regional nodes contributing data while ensuring the data’s quality and accessibility. OBIS is a ready reference resource in marine science, conservation, and education. It has been set up by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO for promoting marine science, conservation, and sustainable development. It is now an integral component of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of IOC.
The IndOBIS workshop was a valuable platform for training and capacity building in data acquisition, analysis, and management, especially for marine biodiversity in the Indian Ocean. As the data accepted to IndOBIS is scientifically quality-controlled and geotagged, it can be used in innovative studies such as tracking species distribution, identifying biodiversity hotspots, and accessing climate change impacts, which is crucial for developing adaptive management strategies and supporting sustainable fisheries.
Aligned with the objective of IndOBIS to generate awareness of marine biodiversity, CMLRE has also developed a mobile application called Ocean Eyes. The Ocean Eyes mobile app is a citizen-centric and community-engagement approach to data collection, sharing, and analysis in marine biodiversity monitoring and research. The app has a user-friendly interface and is available free of cost for both iOS and Android platforms. Citizens and users can record sightings of marine species, log environmental conditions, and upload geotagged photos directly through the mobile. This data is valuable for building a comprehensive understanding of marine biodiversity and ecological changes over time. Real-time reporting of observations to IndOBIS is also possible through Ocean Eyes.
16. Security
17. Disaster Management