SpaceX’s new Dragon capsule recently successfully docked on the International Space Station. India is the second-largest consumer of gold and the largest importer of the yellow metal, importing about 700-800 tonnes annually. According to estimates, temples and households in India have more than 24,000 tonnes of gold, large parts of which are stored in vaults … Continue reading Prelims Revision

A government order recently allowed 10 central agencies including from the Intelligence Bureau to the Central Board of Direct Taxes to the Cabinet Secretariat (RAW) to the Commissioner of Delhi Police, to intercept, monitor and de-crypt “any information” generated, transmitted, received or stored in “any computer resource”. The order is based on Section 69 (1) … Continue reading Prelims Revision

The Election Commission said those not having their Electors Photo Identity Cards can now show any of the 11 alternative documents, including Aadhaar card, for exercising their franchise. Henceforth, photo voter slip will not be accepted as a standalone identification paper. The documents accepted are passport, driving licence, service identity cards of the Central and … Continue reading Prelims Revision

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has beamed back the sharpest images of Ultima Thule — the most distant object ever explored by mankind. Just before its closest approach on January 1, the spacecraft pointed the cameras to snap the sharpest possible pictures of the Kuiper Belt object officially named 2014 MU69. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was … Continue reading Prelims Revision

Hayabusa2 (a Japanese probe sent to collect samples from an asteroid 300 million km away) touched down briefly on the Ryugu asteroid. The Ryugu asteroid is thought to contain relatively large amounts of organic matter and water from some 4.6 billion years ago when the solar system was born. Samples from the asteroid could help … Continue reading Prelims Revision

Shahpur-Kandi dam project in being developed in Punjab on the river Ravi. President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Second Ordinance, 2019. Recently, the Cabinet gave its nod to re-issuing of the contentious triple talaq ordinance. It has been reissued for the third time in less than … Continue reading Prelims Revision

In Rajasthan, the Gujjar community is currently eligible for reservations as an OBC community. They had in the mid- and late-2000s agitated for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category, in keeping with the way they are classified in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. This demand was denied because tribal status, as defined in the … Continue reading Prelims Revision

B-52 long range strategic bombers belong to the U.S. Air Force. Kerala has become the first State to set up a price monitoring and research unit (PMRU) to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO). The move comes more than five years after the National Pharmaceutical … Continue reading Prelims Revision

Zoji La pass connects Kargil in Ladakh with Srinagar. Silk route is an ancient overland route that once connected Central Asia, Asia and Europe via the high mountain passes of the Pamir, Tian Shan, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Kunlun mountain ranges. Chandrayaan-2 is the lunar lander and rover mission. Gaganyaan (Indian manned space programme) was announced … Continue reading Prelims Revision

In January 2019, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) marked its third anniversary. India has been the bank’s biggest beneficiary, with a quarter of the AIIB’s approved projects geared towards its development. India is also the only country apart from Chinato enjoy a permanent seat on the Bank’s board of directors. Headquartered in Beijing, it … Continue reading Prelims Primer