Jan 2020

Budget Highlights Subscribe on YouTube   Expenditure: The government proposes to spend Rs 30,42,230 crore in 2020-21, which is 12.7% higher than the revised estimate of 2019-20.   Receipts: The receipts (other than net borrowings) are expected to increase by 16.3% to Rs 22,45,893 crore, owing to higher estimated revenue from disinvestments.   GDP growth: … Read more

NASA’s Spitzer space telescope The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), was an infrared space telescope launched in 2003 and retired on 30 January 2020. Spitzer carries three instruments on board: Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS)   Arvind Krishna elected IBM CEO … Read more

Indian Navy launches ‘Operation Vanilla’ Indian Navy launches ‘Operation Vanilla’ to help cyclone-hit Madagascar INS Airavat has been deployed for ‘Operation Vanilla’ The ship is carrying five pallets each of victualing, clothing and naval stores along with three pallets of medicines   India successfully test-fires K-4 missile On January 19, 2020, India successfully test-fired 3,500 … Read more

Govt signs accord with NDFB, ABSU to resolve Bodo issue to redraw and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) in Assam, currently spread over four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri. villages dominated by Bodos that were presently outside the BTAD would be included and those with non-Bodo population would be excluded The … Read more

INTERNATIONAL IMF reduces India’s economic growth forecast to 4.8 percent   The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reduced India’s economic growth forecast to 4.8% for the current fiscal year. The decline is due to the crisis in the non-banking financial sector (NBFC) and weak rural demand. It has also cut the world’s growth estimate.   The IMF projection, … Read more

INTERNATIONAL   Social Mobility Index: India ranks low at 76th place; Denmark tops   India has been ranked very low at 76th place out of 82 countries on a new Social Mobility Index compiled by the World Economic Forum. Denmark has topped the charts. The report, released ahead of the 50th Annual Meeting of the … Read more

INTERNATIONAL Russia S-400 missiles air defence systems to be delivered to India by 2025   Russia started production of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems for India. The five units will be delivered to India by 2025.   The S-400 air defence missile systems are among the best in the world. This will significantly bolster India’s air defence mechanism. In … Read more

INTERNATIONAL Microsoft vows to be carbon negative by 2030   Subscribe on YouTube   Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company with headquarters in Redmond Washington.Microsoft announced that it would become carbon negative by the year 2030. The announcement made in the form of its increased efforts to combat climate change. The company announced that it vows to eliminate … Read more

    INTERNATIONAL EU triggered dispute mechanism on Iran Nuclear deal   European Countries namely Britain, France, and Germany pressured Iran to stop its violations of the nuclear deal. The EU countries stressed to resolve differences through talks on the United Nations sanctions. The three countries rejected Iran’s justification for violating the deal because the U.S. … Read more

    INTERNATIONAL Brazil to open new Antarctic research base   Brazil has announced that it is to open a new research base in Antarctica. Brazil’s original scientific outpost was destroyed by fire 8 years ago. It is expected that Vice President Hamilton Mourao and Science and Technology Minister Marcos Pontes will attend the official opening ceremony. Subscribe on YouTube   … Read more