Archives: Current Affair

Uttarakhand and Kerala have taken the top spot among states in NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index 2023-24, which assesses sustainable development across states on the basis of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Overall, India’s SDG score improved to 71 points in 2023-24 from 66 points in 2020-21, supported by progress made in poverty […]

Why states must reconsider their demand for Special Category Status: The concept of special category status was introduced in 1969 by the Planning Commission in the Fourth Five-Year Plan. It was an instrument of positive intervention for allocating higher plan assistance to a few states (through the National Development Council, NDC) that were handicapped due […]

The World Bank upgraded Russia from an “upper-middle income” country to a “high-income” one, a status it last had in 2014. The ranking was boosted by growth in trade (+6.8%), the financial sector (+8.7%), and construction (+6.6%), which led to increases in both the real (3.6%) and nominal (10.9%) GDP. The improvement, however, is on […]

The Atlas conversion factor is a method used by the World Bank to convert a country’s gross national income (GNI) from local currency into U.S. dollars. This method is designed to reduce the impact of fluctuations in exchange rates. The Atlas method smooths out exchange rate fluctuations by using a three-year average exchange rate, adjusted […]

France’s political system is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, which means that it combines elements of both presidential and parliamentary systems. Political System Executive Branch President: The President of France is the head of state and is elected for a five-year term (renewable once). The President has significant powers, including appointing the Prime Minister, presiding […]

What is Public Debt? Public debt, also referred to as government debt or national debt, is the total amount of money a government owes to its creditors. It’s essentially money borrowed by the government to cover spending that exceeds its income (tax revenue and other income sources). Concept: The government borrows money by issuing bonds […]

A “category storm” typically refers to the classification of tropical cyclones, such as hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones, based on their intensity. The most widely recognized classification system is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which categorizes hurricanes into five categories based on their sustained wind speeds. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Category 1 (74-95 mph or 119-153 […]

Wildfires are once again ravaging the Arctic Circle, the EU’s climate change monitor – Copernicus – has reported. It is the third time in the past five years that high intensity fires have swept across the region. In a statement released on Thursday, Copernicus reported higher air temperatures and drier conditions in Sakha, Russia, which […]

The Indian community in Russia are eagerly waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow and will be seeking his support to build a Hindu temple in the country, a new Indian school building and the availability of more direct flights to India. Prime Minister Modi will be in Moscow from July 8 to […]

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) released draft rules for the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) on July 4. The goal is to improve and expand efforts to connect people to the Internet, especially in rural, remote, and poor urban areas. This plan changes the current Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) by moving money to help make […]