Why in News? In February 2018, India had joined the Ashgabat Agreement. What is Ashgabat Agreement? The Ashgabat agreement is a multimodal transport agreement that envisages the creation of an International Transport and Transit Corridor connecting Central Asia with the Persian Gulf. The corridor being multimodal will consist of road, rail and sea transport. Significance… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Ashgabat Agreement

Why in news? The court admitted a petition to drop adultery as a criminal offence from the statute book Section 497 of the IPC Section 497 of the IPC mandates that “Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Adultery Law: Section 497 of the IPC

  Context According to RBI’s recent data The pile of bad loans, or stressed assets, is close to Rs10 lakh crore($154 billion) now, which is more than the GDP of at least 137 countries. And what’s more, it is only growing. Stressed assets, which include non-performing assets (NPAs) and restructured loans, form some 12% of the total loans in Indian… Continue reading [Burning Issue] NPA Crisis: Major Surgery Needed

Recent developments Maldives immigration authority has not been issuing work visas to Indians since March this year. This is retaliation from the Maldives for India’s condemnation of Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen’s declaration of emergency in February after the country’s Supreme Court reversed the conviction of opposition leader, Mohammed Nasheed, and others. The Maldives has also… Continue reading [Burning Issue] India-Maldives Relations

  How Telangana supports farmers with Rs 4,000 for every acre they own   Why in News An income support scheme for farmers in Telangana has earned the appreciation of outgoing Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian. It formally gives scope for the feasible framework at pan-India level. What Rythu Bandhu provides? Under Rythu Bandhu, the… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Income support model (Telengana)

Hybrid Electric Vehicles Conventional cars use an internal combustion engine for power. Battery electric vehicles only use an electric motor and battery, eschewing conventional engines altogether. Hybrid cars have the advantage of both of above type of vehicle. They have, in addition to the internal combustion engine, also an electric motor and a battery. If… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Hybrid Electric Vehicles & Fame Scheme

Cabinet approves the Trafficking of Persons Bill, 2018 Why in news The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, has been passed by the Lok Sabha recently. What is human trafficking? The action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labour… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Trafficking of Persons Bill, 2018