https://www.123articleonline.com/rss/author/289446/current-affairs-reviewArticles written by Current Affairs Review from 123ArticleOnline.comen-usCopyright (c) 123ArticleOnline.com All rights reserved. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1211546/agriculture-and-the-pandemic One of the worst hit sectors during the pandemic is agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic, its subsequent lockdown and other restrictions have severely affected the agricultural sector and the farmers. Absence of labourers, lack of transportation, lack of proper storage facilities etc have caused loss of huge quantities of agricultural produce. The supply chain as well as the demand side have been equally disrupted and call for immediate measures to deal with the issues. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1206192/agriculture-in-indian-economy Agriculture is the mainstay of Indian economy. With more than half of the population depending on agriculture, it forms the backbone of Indian economy. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1214839/automated-facial-recognition-technology-in-india Automated face recognition system (AFRS) is the ability of machines to identify or verify a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source. In 2019 the NCRB had released a proposal for AFRS to be used by law enforcement across the country. AFRS can play a vital role in crime prevention, crime identification, verification etc. However, in the absence of a robust data protection law there are concerns of abuse of the technology. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213067/big-data-analytics The term Big Data describes large volume of data- both structured and unstructured beyond the ability of commonly used software tools to capture, curate, manage, and process data within a tolerable elapsed time. Big Data is what organizations do with the data that matters. Big data can be analyzed for insights that lead to better decisions and strategic business moves. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1211758/brics-during-pandemic The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe human and economic destruction throughout the World. The leaders of BRICS countries, which represents nearly half of the world's population met virtually to review the impact of the pandemic on trade and investment among BRICS nations. Several significant decisions were also taken by the leaders to combat the crisis situation. This paper highlights the steps that BRICS have adopted as group which portrays their commitment to collective action & mutual help. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1214529/contempt-of-court-a-jibe-on-freedom-of-speech-truth-or-myth In the recent Prashant Bhushan case, we saw the Supreme Court of India to initiate a Suo Moto proceedings and hold the veteran lawyer guilty of criminal contempt of court. This raises the debate between Freedom of Speech and Contempt of Court in a democratic social order. Especially in a society like India, where, the Constitution enshrines that it is the people of India who are the sovereign of the nation, and the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary are merely trustees of the people, this debate is extremely significant. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213426/defence-research-and-development-organization The DRDO was formed in 1958 and is the R&D wing of the Ministry of Defence, with a vision to empower India with latest technology-based state of the art defence equipment's and a mission to achieve self-reliance in defence technologies and systems. The DRDO has had many successes like the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, Main Battle Tank, Light Combat Aircraft etc. However, the failures of the DRDO outnumbers its successes. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213785/direct-benefit-transfer The Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme aims to transfer subsidies, welfare benefits and scholarships directly to the people through their bank accounts. The DBT is based on the 'Fome Zero Program' of Brazil. The DBT eliminates intermediaries in delivering services to the poor and reduces burden on the exchequer. The DBT is still evolving and has many lacunae which needs to be eliminated. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213626/gig-economy Gig economy refers to the market comprising of temporary, flexible jobs for individuals, freelancers etc. In the gig economy the organisations enter into a temporary contract for a short period of time with independent contracts. By definition 'gig' refers to a project, task or assignment for which a person is hired on demand in most of the cases by digital or virtual means. Technology and digitisation form the foundation of this economy. Gig economy workers range across the spectrum of professions from highly paid to below minimum wages, management consultants, video producers, engineers, delivery boys, chauffeurs etc. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1204245/golden-crescent-and-golden-triangle India's proximity to the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle has made Indian borders vulnerable to trafficking of drugs. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1212205/higher-educational-institutions-in-india Education is one of the crucial determinants instrumental to the development of a country. It is essential to introduce transformation in accordance with the demands of the time and changing global scenario. In particular, to cope with the challenges of time and bringing in greater development, the higher education and its mode of delivery needs to be tuned time and again. In this backdrop, given the current scenario of higher education in India, a paradigm shift is indispensable to the system of higher education. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1214656/india-russia-the-onoff-relationship In the recent times, we have witnessed a number of wrinkles in India-Russia relationship. Although this is a time-tested relationship, but if not taken care of immediately, these wrinkles have the potential to destabilize this relationship. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213408/india-afghanistan-relations Geographical proximity of Afghanistan makes it a critical chapter in India's foreign policy. India's legitimate strategic interest in the country includes its geographical intactness, expansion of economy, and securing the connectivity between India and energy rich Central Asian countries. This article comprehensively analyses the significance of Afghanistan and India's contribution towards rebuilding and restoring the war-torn state as the embodiment of soft power diplomacy with a long-term goal. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213774/integrated-battle-groups Integrated Battle Group or IBG is a concept developed for ensuring enhanced integration and increased self-sufficiency in comparison to the existing Army formations. This allow Indian armies to strike quicker and harder across the border. Simultaneously, it helps India in reinforcing conventional deterrence against terrorism and sub-conventional provocations. This article comprehensively defines the concept of IBG and its essence in contemporary India. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1204720/inter-state-river-water-disputes-in-india The Ministry of Water Resources lists 5 ongoing inter-state water disputes and tribunals in its website. Each of these disputes started with its own reason https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213948/land-reforms-in-india This is the continuation from 'Land Reforms in India - Part I. In the last part we had explained the meaning of Land Reforms and its various administrative and socio-economic perspective apart from its advantages, Land Tenure Systems introduced by the British and Agrarian measures undertaken in post-Independence period. In this part, our focus will be on Tenancy Reforms, Ceilings on Land Holding, Bhoodan and Gramdan Movements and on the Patterns of Land holdings. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213966/land-reforms-in-india-part-iii This the last and final part of the series "Land Reforms in India". In the first part we had discussed the significance of Land Reforms from the administrative and economic perspective. Then in the second Part we had seen the high level in disparity in ownership of landholdings. This part focuses on the various measures undertaken and subsequent amendments brought in by the governments to bring about more transparency in the system. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1204415/protecting-and-conserving-the-western-ghats This article highlights the importance of Western Ghats, the threats faced by it, the government steps and panel recommendations to mitigate the threats and conserve the ecology of these region. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1203812/public-private-partnership-in-india PPP or Public Private Partnership was adopted in India after the economic reforms of 1991. Post adopting the PPP framework, India has successfully implemented it in various sectors like roads, railways, ports, airports, power, telecom etc. PPP serves as an optimum medium for overcoming the funding gap that governments face while meeting the vast infrastructural needs. Sharing of risks between government and private entity, adding the private efficiency in public services and reforming the traditional procedure so as to bring about effective management of available resources are some of the major benefits of PPP. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1207149/salient-features-of-indian-society Salient Features of Indian Society, is mentioned in the syllabus of General Studies Mains of Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1208311/strategy-for-sociology-optional The article discusses intricacies of preparing Sociology Optional, while focussing on essential aspects like integrating and correlating the topics and answer writing. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213607/the-exigency-of-resuscitating-multilateralism For the past several years the crisis in multilateralism has been staring us in the face. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified this crisis and made it apparent that present challenges that the World is confronting respects no political boundaries. They are 'cross-domain' and cross-national' in character. This article illustrates how pandemic intensified these challenges, the 'Exigency of Resuscitating Multilateralism' and how this could act as an opportunity for India. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1214886/the-governor Governor is the appointed official who acts as the nominal head of a state. All actions in the state are done in the name of Governor. He acts as a vital link between the central and state government thereby maintaining a balance in the federal structure. Governors have different functions like giving assent to bills passed by the State Legislative Assemblies, inviting parties or candidates to form the government in case no one has secured an absolute majority, administer the oaths of the Chief Minister and other ministers of state etc. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1206383/the-three-new-farms-act-2020 This article looks into the new farms act 2020, passed by the Union Government of India from the point of different stake holders... https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213501/virtual-and-augmented-reality Virtual reality refers to immersive, interactive, multi-sensory, viewer-centered, 3D computer generated environments and the combination of technologies required for building environments. AR can be defined as a newer technological system in which virtual objects are added to the real world in real-time during the user's experience. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1213063/vulture-population-from-millions-to-few-thousands The vulture population in India faced a decline of more than 90%. The population dropped from about 40million in the 1980s to a few thousands in 2009. The biggest reason for the population decline was the drug diclofenac found in cattle carcass. Following this the veterinary use of the drug was banned in 2008. The declining population of the scavengers presents a range of ecological threats.