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Posted 09 Apr 2024

8 min read

Gudi Padwa

  • President conveyed her greetings on eve of Gudi Padwa, and other festivals of welcoming spring season and Indian New Year.
  • Gudi Padwa is observed on first day of Chaitra month.
    • It indicates arrival of spring and marks start of new year in Maharashtra.

 

  • Other Spring festivals across India:
    • Ugadi: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana.
    • Cheti Chand: Celebrated by Sindhis.
    • Navreh: celebrated in Jammu and Kashmir.
    • Sajibu Cheiraoba: Manipur.
  • Tags :
  • Festival
  • Spring Festivals
  • New Year

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s (NPPA)

  • NPPA revises ceiling prices of over 900 scheduled drug formulations.

 

  • NPPA:  
    • About: It was constituted in 1997, as an independent Regulator for pricing of drugs.
    • Ministry: Attached office of Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
    • Role: It fixes/ revises prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations.
      • Enforce prices and availability of the medicines under Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
      • Monitors prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.
  • Tags :
  • Essential Drugs
  • NPPA
  • Drug Pricing

GPS Jamming

  • Cargo ships transiting the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are faced with growing incidents of GPS jamming wherein ship navigation data is manipulated or interfered with near conflict zones.

 

  • About GPS (Global Positioning System) Jamming
    • It is the act of using a frequency transmitting device to intentionally block or interfere with GPS signals that are used for positioning, navigation and timing.
    • GPS jammers emit radio frequency signals of the same frequency as GPS signals
  • Tags :
  • GPS

Mg-Cu/CuO Fuel Cell

  • Researchers at the University of Kerala developed an Air-breathing Magnesium-Copper / Cupric Oxide (Mg-Cu/CuO) Fuel Cell

 

  • About Mg-Cu/CuO fuel cell
    • It is a variation of the Mg-C fuel cell, but uses a copper-based cathode which can be reused unlike carbon-based in Mg-C fuel cell.
      • It is operationally more stable than Mg-C fuel cell.
    • It is an eco-friendly fuel cell that generates power mainly using air and seawater
    • The cell produces only electricity and heat during its operation and emits water.
    • Technology is expected to be as disruptive as Lithium-ion batteries.
  • Tags :
  • Fuel Cell
  • Air-breathing Magnesium-Copper / Cupric Oxide (Mg-Cu/CuO) Fuel Cell.

Credit-Deposit Ratio

  • Indian banks are battling the worst deposit crunch in 20 years and at 80%, the credit-deposit ratio is at its highest since 2005. 

 

  • About CDR:
    • It is the ratio of how much a bank lends out of the deposits it has mobilised.
    • A higher CDR suggests that a significant portion of the bank's resources are allocated to loans.
      • It could potentially stimulate economic growth but also implies higher risk.
    • Regulators often monitor CDR to ensure banks maintain a prudent balance between lending and risk management.
  • Tags :
  • Credit
  • Ratio
  • Credit-Deposit Ratio

UN Membership Procedure

  • UN Security Council refers Palestinian application to become full UN member to committee.

 

  • About UN Membership procedure
    • State accepts Charter commitments by submitting an application to Secretary-General
    • UNSC requiring affirmative votes from 9 out of 15 members and no vetoes by 5 permanent members.
    • If recommended, it's presented to General Assembly, which requires a two-thirds majority vote.
    •  Membership becomes effective upon resolution adoption.
  • Tags :
  • UNSC
  • United Nations
  • Palestine

Suvidha Portal

  • Over 73,000 applications received on Suvidha portal since the announcement of Lok Sabha elections.

 

  • Suvidha Portal 
    • Developed by Election Commission of India to ensure a level playing field upholding the democratic principles of free, fair, and transparent elections. 
    • It streamlined the process of obtaining and acting upon requests for permissions and facilities from political parties and candidates during election period. 
      • Caters to permissions for organizing rallies, helicopters, vehicle permits, temporary party offices etc. 
    • The portal can help to scrutinize election expenditures, contributing to greater accountability and integrity in the electoral process.
  • Tags :
  • Election Commission of India (ECI)
  • Electoral System

Ural River

  • Rise in water level of Ural River due to snow melting affected over 10,000 Homes across Russia.

 

  • Ural River 
    • It is 2,428 km long river that flows through Russia and Kazakhstan along the continental boundary between Europe and Asia.
    • Originates in Ural Mountains and empties into Caspian Sea.
    • It is Europe's third-longest river after Volga and Danube rivers.
    • Melting snow constitutes about 60% to 70% of the river’s water source.
  • Tags :
  • Ural River
  • Geography of Russia
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