Gudi Padwa | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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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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