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Farthest known galaxy

Farthest known galaxy NASA has spotted the farthest known galaxy in the universe, a primitive cluster of stars just 500 million years old. The galaxy was named SPT0615-JD. Preliminary analysis suggests that the galaxy is less than 2,500 light-years across. A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems. A galaxy is held together by gravity. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, also has a supermassive black hole in the middle.

UMANG App

UMANG App UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) is envisaged to make e-governance. It is developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to drive Mobile Governance in India. It provides a unified approach where citizens can install one application to avail of multiple government services. The app services include Aadhaar, DigiLocker, and Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). Etc.

Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958)

Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958) The Union government has tabled amendments to Ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains active in the parliament. The Lok Sabha passed the amendments to the Act, but the Bill is yet to be cleared by the Rajya Sabha. The Act originally instituted conservation measures and banned construction activities near protected monuments. The amendment now allows carrying out public works within the 100 m prohibited zo

FDI in single brand retail

FDI in single-brand retail The Union government has decided to allow 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in single-brand retail trading through the automatic route. The single-brand retail chain is expected to sell all its products under only one label across its store, for example Burger King, KFC, Levis. If an MNC operates a single-brand retail chain, the product must also be sold under the same brand name globally. The MNC must also source 30 per cent of its purchases for the b

Orange Passports and LOTUS mark on PASSPORT

Orange Passports and LOTUS mark on PASSPORT Ministry of External Affairs has decided to offer an orange-coloured passport to travellers who require an emigration check. By this ECR status would be issued a passport with an orange-coloured, non-ECR status will continue to get blue passports. ECR status As per the Emigration Act, 1983, certain categories of Indian passport holders require obtaining an ‘Emigration Clearance’ for going to certain countries. Emigration, as per

Chiru Goat

Chiru Goat Chiru goat is also known as the Tibetan antelope. It is native of China (Tibet, Xinjiang region) and India (North Eastern Ladakh region) and is regionally extinct in Nepal. Its numbers and distribution have decreased sharply as a result of commercial hunting for the underfur for the making of shawls. In India, it is killed for making of the famous Shahtoosh shawls, which is renowned for its quality from Srinagar. In 2017, it has been included in “Near Threatened”

Aadhaar Face Authentication

Aadhaar Face Authentication The Unique Identification Authority of India has decided to enable Face Authentication for validating Aadhaar cards from July 2018. Currently, the UIDAI provides two modes of biometric verification: fingerprint authentication and iris authentication. Face authentication will be allowed only in fusion mode along with one more authentication factor either fingerprint or iris or OTP to authenticate an Aadhaar number holder. Face authentication will only be al

LEADS Index

LEADS Index Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index is a composite indicator to assess international trade logistics across states and Union territories. It is based on a stakeholders’ survey conducted by Deloitte for the Ministry of commerce and industry. Gujarat topped the first-of-its-kind index, and Punjab and Andhra Pradesh took the second and third positions, respectively. The index is loosely based on the World Bank’s biannual Logistics Performance Inde

Kala Azar

Kala Azar India has missed the 2017 deadline for the elimination of Kala Azar. Elimination is defined as reducing the annual incidence of Kala Azar to less than 1 case per 10,000 people at the sub-district level. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is caused by the protozoan Leishmania parasites. It is transmitted to humans through infected sandflies. It is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia. T

International termination charges (ITC)

International termination charges (ITC) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) cut termination charges for international incoming calls to Landline and wireless connections. International termination charges (ITC) are payable by an international long-distance operator (ILDO), which carries calls from outside the country, to an access provider in the country in whose network the call terminates. ITC is one of the sources of foreign earnings for the country.

North Koel reservoir

North Koel reservoir A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation for the completion of the North Koel reservoir project. Part of the fund for this project is derived under PMKSY’s LTIF- Long term Irrigation Fund and the rest from the state government's contributions. The project is situated on North Koel River, a tributary of the Sone River. It will provide irrigation to most backward and drought-pro

SAREX – 18

SAREX – 18 It is a joint search and rescue exercise between India and Japan to help increase mutual understanding in Anti-Piracy operations. During the exercise, helicopters of the Japan and Indian Coast Guard will perform cross-landing operations to improve compatibility between the two forces at Chennai. Japanese coast guard ship “Tsugaru”, a patrol vessel with helicopters will participate in this exercise.

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