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National Capital Territory of Delhi Amendment Bill, 2021 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) moved the NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to the Lok Sabha where it proposed that “government” in Delhi means the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Key Provisions: Delhi’s present status is a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly - an outcome of the 69th Amendment Act. The act introduced Articles 239AA and 239BB in the Constitution. They have cre

Insurance Amendment Bill, 2021

Insurance Amendment Bill, 2021 The government introduced a bill in Rajya Sabha to amend the Insurance Act, of 1938 and raise the foreign direct investment cap to 74% from 49%. Provisions: The Act allows foreign investors to hold up to 49% of the capital in an Indian insurance company, which must be owned and controlled by an Indian entity. The Bill increases the limit on foreign investment in an Indian insurance company from 49% to 74%, and removes restrictions on ownership and con

Mahendragiri Biosphere Reserve

Mahendragiri Biosphere Reserve Odisha government has proposed a second biosphere reserve in the southern part of the state at Mahendragiri. Similipal Biosphere Reserve is Odisha’s first such reserve, which was notified in 1996. The area of the proposed Mahendragiri Biosphere Reserve is spread over Gajapati and Ganjam districts in the Eastern Ghats and is near the Mahendragiri peak. Soura Tribe: They are a Munda ethnic group from eastern India living in southern O

Global Wind Report 2021

Global Wind Report 2021 The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has released the Global Wind Report, 2021. About Global Wind Report: The Global Wind Report highlights the role of wind power on the road to net zero emissions. Key Findings of the report: The world’s capacity to generate electricity from wind jumped 53% in 2020. A total of 93 gigawatts (GW) capacity was installed in the year. However, this is not sufficient for the world to reach a ‘net

Vajra Prahaar Exercise between India & US

Vajra Prahaar Exercise between India & US The 11th edition of Indo-US Joint Special Forces Exercise Vajra Prahar was conducted at Special Forces Training School located at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh. About Exercise Vajra Prahar: Exercise Vajra Prahar is a Special Forces joint military training exercise. It takes place alternately in India and the US since 2010. The exercise enables sharing of best practices and experience in areas such as joint mission planning capabiliti

Heart of Asia Peace Conference

Heart of Asia Peace Conference India’s Foreign Minister is attending the 9th ministerial conference of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. About Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process: It is a regional initiative of Afghanistan and the Republic of Turkey. It was launched in November 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. The process aims to promote economic and political cooperation for Afghanistan's peace through dialogue and confidence-building

National Award for Excellence in Forestry

National Award for Excellence in Forestry The National Award of Excellence for Outstanding Research in Forestry for the year 2019 has been awarded to Kannan C S Warrier, a scientist at the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB). This award is conferred by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). The award has been awarded to Kannan C S Warrier for releasing three salt-tolerant productive clones of Casuarina that are suita

DSIR-PRISM Scheme

DSIR-PRISM Scheme DSIR-PRISM Scheme will be aligned with three National Initiatives like Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), Smart India Hackathon (SIH) and Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG), IIT Delhi. Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research - Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Startups and MSMEs (DSIR-PRISM) scheme supports individual innovators enabling inclusive development of India. It aims at transforming an innovator into a technopreneur by promoting and funding implementable