A rare species of duck, Greater Scaup, was recently sighted in Loktak lake in Manipur’s Bishnupur district after a gap of over 90 years.   About the ‘Greater Scaup’ – The Greater scaup is locally known as Sadangman. It is a medium-sized diving duck species that belongs to the family of Anatidae. The greater scaup… Continue reading Greater Scaup

Two shilas (stones), around seven feet long and weighing over 350 tonnes, from Nepal’s Kali Gandaki river are set to arrive at Ayodhya, where they will be used to carve the idol of Lord Ram, said the priests from Janaki temple (Janakpur), Nepal.   About the ‘Gandak River’ – It is one of the major… Continue reading Gandak River

The gazette notification on the Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2022, came out recently and the Kerala government had objected to Rule 14 under the rules.   What does the Rule 14 say? It permits distribution companies (Discoms) to automatically recover from consumers, on a monthly basis, the expenses arising out of variations in fuel price and… Continue reading Rule 14 of Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2022

Union Law Minister has written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) to suggest a nominee of the Union government in the Supreme Court Collegium and a State representative in each of the High Court collegiums. The letter offered the suggestion since the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) is pending finalisation.   Key suggestions given by Law… Continue reading Collegium System

Recently, the draft manual titled “Integrating Transgender Concerns in Schooling Processes” has been released. The document aims to initiate a dialogue among the participants and bring to fore their experiences with transgenders and understanding of transgender concerns. It is prepared by a new committee convened by the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT)… Continue reading Integrating Transgender Concerns in Schooling Processes

Recent, the Supreme Court has said that grant of default bail will not operate as an absolute bar to canceling it once the charge sheet is filed and the same can be considered if a strong case is made out.   What is it? Also known as statutory bail, this is a right to bail… Continue reading Default Bail

Temperatures plunged to minus 50 degrees Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) recently in Russia’s Yakutsk during an abnormally long cold snap in the Siberian city known as the coldest on Earth.   About the ‘Yakutsk City’ – Yakutsk city is located 5,000 km (3,100 miles) east of Moscow on the permafrost of the Russian Far East. Yakutsk… Continue reading Yakutsk City

Recently, researchers have discovered the ruins of a large Mayan town buried beneath the rainforest while surveying northern Guatemala from the air.   Details – The discovery was made using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) by a team of researchers from several American universities as well as collaborators from France and Guatemala.   About Mayan… Continue reading Mayan Civilisation

Both black boxes from the crashed Yeti Airlines flight in Nepal have been discovered and sent to France for further probe into the crash.   Details – Search teams retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of a passenger plane that plummeted into a gorge on approach to a new airport in the foothills… Continue reading Black Box

Mutual Fund’s SIP collection jumps 31% to ₹1.5 lakh cr. in 2022 on account of higher retail participation, data with the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) showed.   Details – Contributions to mutual fund schemes through systematic investment plans, or SIPs, remain unfazed from the market volatility in 2022 with inflow growing to… Continue reading Systematic Investment Plan