CURRENT AFFAIRS

In May 2025, China will launch its first mission to survey and sample the near-Earth asteroid Kamo‘oalewa which orbits the Sun near the Earth.

The Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, released by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Fondation Carmignac, provides an in-depth analysis of the escalating global e-waste crisis. 

On August 22, 2022, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, superseding the previous Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.

According to the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Safety, South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific have the largest gaps in demand for medical oxygen and there is a clear and urgent need for action to improve it.

The Supreme Court struck down the Tamil Nadu government's policy limiting maternity benefits to two children and ordered a government teacher to be granted maternity leave for her third child.

India is home to nearly 18% of the global population. However, India has access to only about 4% of the world’s freshwater resources.

The 'Jal Hi Amrit' initiative was introduced as part of the government's 100-day agenda under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 (AMRUT 2.0). 

The GFC Fund launched its first project call in late 2024. This initiative aims to help developing countries manage chemicals and waste safely and sustainably.

The United Nations Water Convention was adopted in Helsinki, Finland in 1992 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). 

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has mandated the installation of Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units in all coal-based Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) across India.