Context The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) became law after receiving the President’s assent following a bruising debate in Parliament. Since then, Assam has been in the throes of violence with its capital under indefinite curfew, and Army and paramilitary columns rolling across multiple towns. The protest has also rocked various colleges and university campuses across… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019

Context The Parliament has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, with the Rajya Sabha approving it by a voice vote. The Lok Sabha had already passed the bill in December 2018. Why need such a bill? Transgender individuals in India often face stigma and systematic exclusion in education and employment. As a… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill

Context In the biggest privatization drive, the Union Cabinet has approved sale of the government’s stake to cut shareholding in select public sector firms below 51% to boost revenue collections that have been hit by slowing economy. These CPSE’s include blue-chip oil firm Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and on-land… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Strategic Disinvestment of Central Public Sector Enterprises

Context From December 1, lanes on NH toll plazas across India has started accepting toll only through FASTag. One hybrid lane will continue to accept cash in addition to being tag-enabled. What is ‘FASTag’? FASTags are stickers that are affixed to the windscreen of vehicles and use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to enable digital,… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Implementation of FASTags

Context Labour and Employment Ministry has introduced the Labour Code on Industrial Relations bill in the Lok Sabha. As part of labour reform initiatives, the labour ministry has decided to amalgamate 44 labour laws into four codes—on wages, industrial relations, social security and safety, health and working conditions. The industrial relations code is the third… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Labour Code on Industrial Relations

Context   Recently Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as new President of Sri Lanka. This election was based on security issues that emerged after a suicide bombing attack claimed by Islamic State on Easter Sunday this year. As Gotabaya settles into office and visits India end of this week, on the 29th, the Indian government would… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka and India- Sri Lanka relations in recent times

  Context The 11th summit of the BRICS grouping comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was held in Brasilia last week. Pitted as a counterweight to G7, the combine of developed economies, BRICS represents the world’s top emerging economies and claims to serve as a bridge between the developed and developing world. Questions… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Relevance of BRICS in the changing global order

Context In a unanimous judgment, a bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi asked the Centre to formulate a scheme within three months and set up a trust to manage the property and construct a temple. Centre had acquired the entire 67.73 acres of land including the 2.77 acre of the disputed Ramjanmabhumi-Babri Masjid premises in… Continue reading [Burning Issue] The Ram Janmabhoomi Verdict

Context The 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to three economists for their pioneering research into the use of experimental approaches to fight global poverty. The new Nobel laureates are considered to be instrumental in using randomized controlled trials to test the effectiveness of various policy interventions to alleviate poverty. Why have Banerjee,… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Randomized Controlled Trial and This Year’s Nobel Prize In Economics

Context PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping recently held an informal summit in the ancient coastal town of Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. The two countries convened their first Informal Summit in central China’s Wuhan in April 2018, where they exchanged views on issues of global and bilateral significance. Irrespective of the rhetoric… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Modi-Xi Informal Summit at Mamallapuram

Context Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was in Delhi for a four day visit to address the World Economic Forum India summit and has signed series of agreement on various matters. However bilateral relations between the two have witnessed unprecedented tensions over the last few years owing to certain issues. An Overview India’s links with Bangladesh… Continue reading [Burning Issue] India-Bangladesh Relations in recent times

Plastic ban delayed A blanket ban though would not take place, contrary to expectations that were raised after the PM mentioned of single-use plastics in his August 15th India would phase out single-use plastics by 2022, PM Modi announced at the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad on October 2, 2019. Single Use… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Ban on Single Use Plastics