27 August 2024, The Indian EXPRESS
Sex ratio in Delhi dips post-covid pandemic
Page no- 3
GS1- Salient features of Indian Society
- Since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, Delhi’s sex ratio has dropped from 933 in 2020 to 922 in 2023.
- According to the ‘Annual Report on Registration Births and Deaths-2023’ published by the Delhi government’s Planning Department, an analysis of institutional and non-institutional births indicates that the sex ratio concerning institutional births decreased from 922 in 2022 to 915 in 2023.
- Meanwhile, in domiciliary births, the sex ratio increased from 1,037 in 2022 to 1,077 in 2023.
- Data also shows the infant mortality rate dropped by 0.21%. In 2022, the infant mortality rate per thousand live births was 23.82, which came down to 23.61 in 2023.
India, Singapore explore boosting ties on ‘six pillars’ at bilateral meet
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GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- The 2nd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), held on August 26, 2024, in Singapore, focused on reviewing the progress made under their strategic partnership and exploring new avenues for cooperation.
- This ISMR marked a pivotal moment in the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Assam cites national interest, allows Vedanta project in Gibbon habitat
Page no- 5
GS3- Infrastructure; Conservation
- Citing national interest, the Assam wildlife department has recommended to the Centre that forest clearance be granted to a Cairn Oil and Gas proposal for oil and gas exploration in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon wildlife sanctuary, home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbon and wild elephants, official records show.
- Cairn Oil and Gas, Vedanta’s subsidiary, has sought diversion of 4.49 hectares of forest land for oil and gas exploration drilling in Jorhat, Assam, and is currently pending before the Union Environment Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), which appraises proposals for forest diversion.
- FAC had last month sought the state Chief Wildlife Warden’s views on the project from a wildlife conservation point of view.
Met upgrade in pipeline, focus on extreme weather, local predictions
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GS1- Geography
- Its shortcomings having been routinely exposed, particularly by extreme events, India’s weather department is set to get a massive upgrade of its forecasting capabilities that will enable it to make localised and extreme-weather predictions with far greater accuracy.
- A new mission to improve weather forecasting, with a budget of at least Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be launched soon, The Indian Express has learnt.
- It is likely to be several times bigger than Monsoon Mission, launched in 2012, that has resulted in a noticeable uplift in the capabilities of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
ISRO finalises design of humanoid skull crucial to Gaganyaan mission next year
Page no- 7
GS3- Awareness in the fields of Space
- Before launching astronauts on the Gaganyaan mission next year, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will send a humanoid robot, Vyommitra, into space to test spacecraft safety.
- The humanoid’s skull, designed at ISRO’s Thiruvananthapuram unit, weighs 800 grams and measures 200 mm x 220 mm, made from a high-strength aluminum alloy to endure pressure and vibration.
Unified Lending Interface
Page no- 9
GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday said that a nationwide launch of the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) will happen in due course. Similar to Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which has revolutionised the retail payment system in the country, ULI will transform the lending landscape.
- In August last year, the RBI launched a pilot project for a public tech platform for frictionless credit, as announced It is aimed to bring about efficiency in the lending process in terms of reduction of costs, quicker disbursement, and scalability.
What is vaccine-derived polio, how to prevent it
Page no- 9
GS3- Science-Issues relating to health
- A two-year-old child from Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district reportedly tested positive for polio — a highly infectious, debilitating, and possibly fatal viral disease that once afflicted millions but now has largely been consigned to the history books due to the development of an effective vaccine.
- Officials from the Union health ministry said that the case was “vaccine-derived”, and does not jeopardise India’s polio free status.
- Nonetheless, officials are on high alert to ensure that the infection does not spread.
What is Ukraine’s home-grown ‘game-changer’ missile?
Page no- 9
Prelims Syllabus- Current Affairs
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Saturday, confirmed the existence of a new homegrown long-range weapon — a missile-drone hybrid — which can strike deep into Russia.
- The Palianytsia was used for the first time on Saturday to target a Russian military installation, officials said without providing further details.
Two new US-India agreements: a short history of growing defence ties
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GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- India and the US have signed a Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers, the latest in a series of bilateral military agreements that have enhanced defence and security cooperation between the two countries over the past decade.
- During Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s four-day official visit that concluded on Sunday (August 25), the partner nations agreed to advance priority co-production projects including jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions, and ground mobility systems under the 2023 US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.
A win-win on pension
Page no- 11
GS3- Government Budgeting
- Less than 24 hours after the Cabinet decision to implement the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for 23 lakh Union government employees, the Maharashtra government decided to adopt the UPS framework for its employees.
- Fostering cooperative federalism has been one of the biggest successes of the Narendra Modi government.
- Along with measures such as increasing tax devolution to states from 32 per cent to 42 per cent, incentivising states towards capital spending and pushing them to be transparent about their fiscal situation, the changes in the UPS regime is another positive development for cooperative federalism.
For ‘frictionless credit’, RBI to launch technology platform; to call it Unified Lending Interface: Das
Page no- 13
GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday said the Unified Lending Interface (ULI), to enable frictionless credit, will soon be introduced.
- The pilot project for a public tech platform for frictionless credit was already announced in August last year.
Gas demand uptick bumps up India’s LNG imports in April-July
Page no- 13
GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
- Growth in domestic demand for natural gas amid reasonable prices and ample availability of liquefied natural gas (LNG), or super-chilled gas, in the international market led to a double-digit growth in India’s LNG imports in the first four months of the current financial year (FY25).
- Notably, the uptick in imports came amid a growth in domestic gas production as well.
- The consumption growth was primarily driven by the power sector, given that the government’s thrust on raising power production to meet high summer demand led to higher-than-usual electricity generation by gas-based units.
