The National Security Council is the apex body in a three-tier structure, headed by the Prime Minister, with the National Security Adviser as its Secretary. The Joint Intelligence Committee functions under the National Security Council Secretariat. The National Security Advisory Board consists of senior retired officials, civilian as well as military, academics and distinguished members … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION – 6 (FROM JULY, 2018)

Moringa which is being widely grown in Tamil Nadu can grow with relatively less water. The leaf and the seedpod of Moringa, commonly known as drumstick, find widespread culinary use.  Moringa Oleifera is a hardy plant common in the State. It has many commercial uses, including in water purification, healthcare, and cosmetics.Bijapur, or Vijayapura (in … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION-47

Mukurthi National Park, Tamil Nadu was especially created to protect its keystone species, the Nilgiri tahr.One of the three newly designated geological ages of the Holocene Epoch was named after Meghalaya. The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), a body of geological timekeepers, had divided the Holocene Epoch, which began 11,700 years ago, at the 8,200-year … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION-46

A​​s a specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented. Read more: International Maritime Organisation. India has been … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION – 5 (FROM JULY, 2018)

The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Pakistan President Ayub Khan, administers how the waters of the Indus River and its tributaries that flow in both the countries will be utilised.Drones, their operators and pilots will have to be mandatorily registered on … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION-45

Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on Other Backward Classes (OBC). The exercise will involve 25 lakh trained enumerators and the use of maps/geo-referencing at the time of house listing is also under consideration. The 2011 Census collected information in 29 categories that included a separate column for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes. The … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION-44

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) is being implemented with a view to promote organic farming in the country.  This will improve soil health and organic matter content and increase net income of the farmer so as to realise premium prices. Under this scheme, an area of 5 lakh acre is targeted to be covered though … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION – 4 (FROM JULY, 2018)

Mission Kakatiya is a programme for restoring all the minor irrigation tanks and lakes in Telangana State, India. The programme helps in rejuvenating 46,531 tanks and lakes, storing 265 TMC water across the state in five years. In the aftermath of the Kerala floods, the State is battling a disase called leptospirosis, commonly known as ‘rat … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION-43

International Astronomical Union (IAU), in 2006, voted to remove Pluto’s planetary status. The IAU, in 2006, designated Pluto a ‘dwarf planet’ along with Ceres in the asteroid belt and Xena, an object in the Kuiper belt, which is an icy ring of frozen objects that circle the solar system beyond Neptune’s orbit. The meeting defined … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION-42

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, with the support of the Asian Development Bank, recently launched the country’s first flood forecasting and early-warning system, which will provide real-time data on inundation, rainfall intensity, temperature, air quality and other climate-related data.India successfully conducted an interceptor missile test for the Prithvi Defence Vehicle mission from Abdul Kalam Island in … Continue reading PRELIMS REVISION-41