UTTARAKHAND
- State to abet Palekar model of natural farming
- Rawat said that agriculture is the main source of livelihood in India. About 64 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture. The Palekar farming model can be helpful in reducing production cost and increasing yield especially in the mountainous areas of Uttarakhand where natural farming can be quite effective. Steps have been taken to minimise the use of chemicals in farming. The skill development and agriculture departments will also provide training in natural farming.
- Noted agriculturist Subhash Palekar stressed on the need for special focus on natural farming instead of traditional or chemically affected farming. The cost in natural farming is negligible while it is also an optimum method to maintain soil fertility and gain clean nutritious food. Stating that industry and chemicals in agriculture are a major cause for global warming, he said that natural farming should be taken up as a mission.
- Palekar referred to the rich biodiversity of Uttarakhand and stressed that linking forests with farming will enable optimising natural farming.
INTERNATIONAL
- Pramila Jayapal as first Indian-American woman to preside over US House
- Pramila Jayapalfirst Indian American woman to preside over US house.
She is the first elected to Congress in 2016 preside over the House and served the most diverse Congress in the nation’s history. - She presided over the House as a Temporary Speaker.
- The House Democrats rotate for the ceremonial position of presiding over the chamber.
- She became the first South Asian American woman to preside over the US House of Representatives.
- A record number of 17 Asian Americans serve in Congress with 14 in the House and three in the Senate house.
- India ranks 95 in theSustainable Development Goals Gender Index
- India ranked 95th out of 129 countriesin the Sustainable Development Goals Gender Index. India scored 2 on a scale of 0–100.The index found that no country has fully achieved gender equality and that the global average score of65.7 out of 100 which falls in the poor category.
- SDG Gender Index a new index that measuresglobal gender equality considering various parameters such as education, literacy, political representation, poverty, health, and equality at the workplace. The SDG gender index included 51 indicators across 14 of the 17 official Sustainable Development Goals. The list covered 129 countries across all regions of the world.
- India’s highest goal scores in the Index are on SDG 3 of health where it secured9, SDG 2of hunger and nutrition with 76.2 and SDG 7 of energy with 71.8.
- India’s lowest goal scores in the SDG index are onSDG 17 of partnerships, the country scored 3, SDG 9 of industry, infrastructure and innovation with 38.1 and SDG 13 of climate with 43.4.
- The countries that secured the top ranks are Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and the countries that secured the last 10 ranks are Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania.
NATIONAL
- India-Marshall Islands tax data pact notified
- The union government notified an agreement with the Marshall Islands a country of volcanic islands and coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, for the exchange of banking and company information for tax purposes.
- It comes under tax evasion and tax avoidance.
- It is called as tax information exchange agreement (TIEA)
- They allow mutual cooperation between the two countries by providing an effective framework for exchange of information in tax matters.
- The agreement (India-Marshall Islands TIEA) between the Indian government and the government of the Marshall Islands was signed on March 18, 2016, at Majuro, the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
- The bilateral agreement is based on international standards of tax transparency and exchange of information and enables the sharing of information on request.
- Delhi Metro Station becomes India’s first project to receive power from waste-to-energy
- Delhi Metrobecame the first ever project in the country to receive power generated from a waste-to-energy plant.
- The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) receiving 2 MW power from a 12 MW capacity waste-to-energy plant set up in Ghazipur.
- It is being utilized at the Vinod Nagar Receiving Substation (RSS) for meeting the operational requirements of Pink Line of Delhi Metro.
- It will take approximately 17.5 million units per annum from this plant.
The energy mainly depends upon the actual generation of the plant.
It is set up by East Delhi Waste Processing Company Limited (EDWPCL)
- Gujarat topped the country with annual fish production of 7.8 lakh tonnes
- Gujarat topped the country withannual fish production of 7.8 lakh tonnes, followed by Tamil Nadu (7.02 lakh tonnes) and Kerala (6.43 lakh tonnes) according to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
- Kanniyakumari topped in the Tamil Nadu state annual fish production.
Ramanathapuram has emerged as the second topper in the Tamil Nadu state in annual fish production. It has recorded46 lakh tonnesduring 2018.
Nagapattinam stands third highest fish production district to have recorded 91,186 tonnes. Thoothukudi stands fourth by recording 70,965 tonnes followed by Cuddalore (62,525 tonnes) and Chennai (55,707 tonnes).
- Mumbai ranked first among 403 global cities in Traffic Index 2018 study
- An analysis of traffic congestion done in more than 400 citiesacross six continents has found that commuters in Mumbai spent the most time on the road last year.
Mumbai ranked first in the study, ‘Traffic Index-2018’, by location technology specialist TomTom, with a congestion level of 65 percent - New Delhi ranked fourth with a congestion level of 58 percent.
- Mumbai held on to the top rank for the second consecutive year beating against Bogota (63 percent), Lima (58 percent) and Moscow (56 percent).
- The overall study covered 403 cities in 56 countries and defined congestion as the extra time added to road travel when traffic doesn’t flow freely.
- UKPCS Mains Tests and Notes Program
- UKPCS Prelims Exam 2024- Test Series and Notes Program
- UKPCS Prelims and Mains Tests Series and Notes Program
- UKPCS Detailed Complete Prelims Notes