The outbreak and spread of COVID-19 has created multiple challenges for the entire world. Apart from primary challenges like containing the spread of the virus and treating infected patients, there are rising political issues such as the blame game between US and China, crumbling role of WHO and questions about the future world order. Amid… Continue reading [Burning Issue] The COVID chapter in Indian Diplomacy

Background Reservation in India is a system of affirmative action by the State that provides representation for historically and currently disadvantaged groups in Indian society in education, employment and politics. It was envisaged to help address social disparities and economic backwardness of certain sections of the population within a few decades. But gradually, amendments have… Continue reading [Burning Issue] 100% Reservation and Associated Issues

    Context Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 was recently introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Shipping. The Bill aims to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. It seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of Major Ports in India and to vest the administration, control and management of such… Continue reading [Burning Issues] Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020

    What would happen once lockdown in India is lifted? India faces a similar choice as that of Goldilocks with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the timing of when to ease out the nationwide lockdown. Ease it out too early, and the disease could rapidly spread, wiping out the hard-won gains from the… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Success stories in handling COVID-19 crisis

    International organisations are important for the UPSC exam. International Relations (IR) is a crucial segment of the UPSC syllabus and every year, questions are asked based on international organisations in the UPSC prelims and mains exams. We have covered the most important organisations in various articles and Burning Issues. This article focuses on the recent… Continue reading [Burning Issue] World Health Organization (WHO) And Coronavirus Handling

Context Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has promulgated the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation of State Laws) Order, 2020, which comes into force with immediate effect. It defines “domiciles” in the new Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir for protecting jobs in the Group D category and entry-level non-gazetted posts for the domiciles.… Continue reading [Burning Issues] J&K New Domicile Rules

    Blamed for leaving their homes in defiance of the lockdown, hungry and cash-strapped migrants are struggling in packed shelters while those who managed to reach their native places are facing hostility. What makes India’s migrant crisis unique is not the nature of its migrant workforce but the abruptness of its public policy. Context… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Migrant workers amid COVID-19 outbreak

  The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has been passed by both the Houses of Parliament and is waiting for Presidents assent. About the Bill The Bill seeks to amend: The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) and The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 (CMSP Act) Background MMDR Act The… Continue reading [Burning Issue] The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020

As the virus continues its march around the world, governments with India being no exemption have turned to proven public health measures, such as social distancing, to physically disrupt the contagion.  Yet, doing so has severed the flow of goods and people, stalled economies, and is in the process of delivering a global recession. Economic… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Economic Impact of Coronavirus in India and Government’s intervention (PART II)

It’s life itself that is affected, profoundly so and almost from a genetic level. And that means at every other extended level of human experience. Emotional and psychological, to begin with, and from there to what we go about doing with our daily lives. Earning their bread, trying to survive-or thrive. The coronavirus or COVID-19… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Economic Impact of Coronavirus in India and Government’s intervention (PART I)

  Most of the world’s oil is controlled by a very small group of people- the Middle Eastern cartel called OPEC, US, and Russia. And with great resources comes great responsibility. Their job is to manipulate the oil supply to ensure prices the world over remain stable. Unfortunately, with Coronavirus having taken centre stage, demand… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Oil Prices and OPEC+

Our mythology is replete with instances of warrior women who were revered, worshipped like the `Shakti’, consort of Shiva the Destroyer, mother of all warriors, and who manifested herself as Durga the warrior goddess, to fight and destroy evil. The Greek Goddess Athena, the Roman Diana, the Nordic Valkyries and the Amazons are cases in… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Women in Armed Forces

      Land acquisition in India refers to the process by which the union or a state government in India acquires private land for the purpose of industrialization, development of infrastructural facilities or urbanization of the private land, and provides compensation to the affected landowners and their rehabilitation and resettlement. Land acquisition is governed… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Supreme Court judgment on Land Acquisition Act

      The government has embarked on a mission to amalgamate about 40 labour laws into four Labour Codes with a view to rationalise and simplify the provisions and facilitate ease of compliance. The Code on Social Security, 2019 was introduced last year in Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Labour and… Continue reading [Burning Issue] The Code on Social Security, 2019

The fragile peace deal between the United States and the Taliban appeared to hang in the balance as the U.S. Defense Department announced its first airstrike against Taliban forces in 11 days and bitter disagreements between the radical Islamist movement and the Afghan government, as well as internal divisions in Kabul, threatened to nullify the… Continue reading [Burning Issue] The US-Taliban Peace Agreement

    Surrogacy in India and Indian surrogates became increasingly popular amongst intended parents in industrialized nations because of the relatively low costs and easy access offered by Indian surrogacy agencies. Before commercial surrogacy was banned in 2015, India was a popular destination for surrogacy. The economic scale of surrogacy in India is unknown, but… Continue reading [Burning Issue] The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020

    Donald Trump’s visit to India continues a trend of more and more frequent visits by US Presidents. He is the first US President to visit India on a stand-alone visit in the seven decades of Indo-US diplomatic ties. US Presidents who came to India before him, from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama, all… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Trump in India

  Nearly nine decades after the 1932 Poona pact between B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi that initiated reservation for backward classes, the debate on social justice is only getting shriller. In the latest, a February 7 Supreme Court order, that states that reservation is not a fundamental right, has sparked an intense political debate and… Continue reading [Burning Issue] SC judgement on Reservation not being a Fundamental Right