In a recent Budget speech Union finance Minister announced that the Customs duty on the seeds used in lab-grown diamond manufacturing will be reduced.   About the Lab-made diamonds – Lab-made diamonds are developed from a carbon seed placed in a microwave chamber and superheated into a glowing plasma ball. The process creates particles that… Continue reading Lab-grown diamonds

Recently, a Caesium-137 capsule lost in transit was discovered in Western Australia using specialised detection equipment that detected radiation.   What is Caesium? Caesium is a soft, flexible, silvery-white metal. It becomes liquid near room temperature, but easily bonds with chlorides to create a crystalline powder.   About the Caesium-137 – It is the most… Continue reading Caesium-137

According to the recently released Economic Survey 2022-23, almost half of all health spending in India is still paid by patients themselves, although this has dropped as the government’s share of spending on health went up significantly after 2013-14. While the expenditure on social services increased from ₹9,15,500 to ₹21,32,059 crore, the budgetary allocation for… Continue reading Status of Health and Education in India

The Economic Survey 2022-23 has said that the agriculture sector needs re-orientation given challenges like adverse impacts of climate change, fragmented landholdings and rising input costs.   Key highlights – Agriculture sector is growing at a robust annual growth rate — The Survey noted that the Indian agriculture sector has been growing at an average… Continue reading Need to ‘reorient’ agriculture sector

The Adani Group recently acquired the strategic Israeli port of Haifa for USD 1.2 billion.   About the ‘Haifa Port’ – It is located in northern Israel, adjacent to the city of Haifa along the Mediterranean sea. It is also located on the busy Suez Canal shipping route. The Haifa port is one of the two biggest… Continue reading Haifa Port

NASA’s Perseverance rover recently completed the first “sample depot on another world” by dropping the tenth and final sample tube.   Details – The tube will be part of a depot that will be considered for the return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return Campaign.   About Perseverance rover – It is… Continue reading NASA’s Perseverance Rover

Economic Survey 2022-23 submitted recently in Parliament has said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection is showing a higher buoyancy than the pre-GST system.   Details – Giving a 5-year analysis of tax collection pre- and post-GST, the survey said the taxes which were subsumed in the Goods and Services Tax had a buoyancy… Continue reading Tax buoyancy and tax elasticity

Recently, Yaya Tso Lake was declared Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site under the Biological Diversity Act.   Details – The Biodiversity Management Committee, the panchayat of Chumathang village, along with the SECURE Himalaya Project recently resolved the issue and declared Yaya Tso Lake a biodiversity heritage site.   About the Yaya Tso Lake – Lake… Continue reading Yaya Tso Lake

Recently, the Red-headed vulture was spotted in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.   About the ‘red-headed vulture’ – This is one of the 9 species of Vulture which are found in India It is also called the Asian King vulture or Pondicherry Vulture was extensively found in India but its numbers drastically reduced after diclofenac poisoning.… Continue reading Red-headed vulture

Palaeontologists have recently discovered fossils of the ancient ‘marine crocodile Turnersuchus hingleyae.   About ‘Turnersuchus Hingleyae’ – The fossils uncovered on the Jurassic Coast in the United Kingdom include part of the head, backbone, and limbs of Turnersuchus hingleyae. Its age dates back to the early Jurassic, Pliensbachian period, which was about 185 million years… Continue reading Turnersuchus Hingleyae