Daily Current Affairs  – 20 April 2022

In News The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) kicked off the 8th edition of the two-day National Level Pollution Response Exercise, ‘NATPOLREX-VIII’, on April 19, 2022, off Mormugao harbour, Goa. About Objectives: To enhance the preparedness and response capability of all the stakeholders in combating marine spills. It aims at validating the procedures and guidelines as […]

In News Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has been appointed as the next chief of the Indian Army (COAS).  He will be the first officer from the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) to be named as the COAS.  The Army’s system of Corps and Regiments  It is divided into two broad categories — Arms and […]

In News  The implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI’s) health star rating (HSR) on packaged foods could take at least a year.  About FSSAI’s Star Rating In February 2022, the FSSAI decided to adopt the “health-star rating system”, which gives a product 1/2 a star to 5 stars, in its […]

In News A tribal council in Meghalaya has joined the list of individuals and organisations in opposing the State government’s deal with Assam to resolve a 50-year-old boundary dispute. About Autonomous District Councils Constitution The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India allows for the formation of autonomous administrative divisions which have been given autonomy […]

In News  Recently, State Bank of India (SBI) raised the marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) for the first time in three years, signalling that the soft rates regime that has prevailed since 2019 may be over. What is Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate? It was instituted by RBI with effect from […]

In Context A stunning aurora glow was recently observed above Iceland after a ‘dead’ sunspot erupted. Auroras on Earth An Aurora is a display of light in the sky predominantly seen in the high latitude regions (Arctic and Antarctic). It is also known as a Polar light. Caused when solar wind (charged particles ejected from […]

In News Punjab state has decided to use an ancient broadcasting technique of Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR), to grow rice in this Kharif season. DSR Method to be practised in Punjab Target: The Punjab government has decided to bring an area of 1.2 million hectare (mha) under the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) method.  […]

In News NITI Aayog officials met a Finland delegation to discuss the Scandinavian nation’s offerings in the green energy sector in India.  Key highlights of the meeting Finland has a lot of experience in transitioning to green energy. Finland’s experience in reaching net zero is by 2035. Scandinavian nation’s offerings includes: the green energy sector […]

In News  The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest World Economic Outlook report, cuts global growth sue to Russia- Ukraine war World Economic Outlook (WEO It is a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that analyzes key parts of the IMF’s surveillance of economic developments and policies in its member countries.  It also […]

In News Recently, the President has given assent to the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022. Major Provisions of the Bill About: It empowers police to obtain physical and biological samples of convicts and those accused of crimes. The authority to collect such information, defined as ‘measurements’ of prisoners, is given to investigating officers, namely prison […]