Taking stock of the Indian economy

Context This article takes the stock of the Indian economy using the EFGHIJ framework. Export The $400-billion target of goods exports in FY22 appears achievable: This is a structural break from ~$300-330 billion per year over the last decade. Note that in calendar year 2021, India exported almost $400 billion worth of goods. This export… Continue reading

Why society gains when start-ups fail

Context As per the Economic Survey 2021-22, India has become the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world after the US and China. Start-up ecosystem in India India attracted huge investment in startups in 2021: Private equity investment was $77 billion, of which $42 billion went to early-stage ventures. Every startup where salaries are paid by… Continue reading

Water management needs a hydro-social approach

Context The Global Water System Project, which was launched in 2003 as a joint initiative of the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) and Global Environmental Change (GEC) programme, epitomises global concern about the human-induced transformation of fresh water and its impact on the earth system and society. Valuation of water It is globally estimated that… Continue reading

UPI123Pay: Payment solution for feature phone users

The Reserve Bank of India has launched a new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments solution for feature phone users dubbed ‘UPI123Pay’. What is UPI? UPI is an instant real-time payment system developed by NPCI facilitating inter-bank transactions. The interface is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and works by instantly transferring funds between two… Continue reading

[pib] National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC)

The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a new government-owned firm National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) for pooling and monetizing sovereign and public sector land assets. What is NLMC? The National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) is being formed with an initial authorised share capital of ₹5,000 crore and paid-up capital of ₹150 crore.… Continue reading

[Yojana Archives] National Education Policy 2020

Context The New Education Policy 2020 aims to mark a revolution in the entire process of teaching and learning. Incorporation of quality in education is a requirement of essence not just in terms of estimation of efficiency but certainly a valuable dimension to reform the system creating new opportunities. National Education Policy 2020: Highlights The… Continue reading

Tobacco and related issues in India

Context Tobacco is a silent killer in our midst that kills an estimated 1.35 million Indians every year. The harm caused by tobacco It is the use of tobacco as a result of which more than 3,500 Indians die every single day, as estimated by scientific studies. It also comes at a heavy cost: an… Continue reading

Centre and RBI must rely on unconventional policies to manage finances better

Context Amid Ukraine crisis and high oil prices, the larger concern is how the government and the RBI will navigate this period at a time of record government borrowings, and prevent domestic interest rates from hardening. The Triffin paradox in current context It is ironic that even as emerging economies running current account deficits are… Continue reading

Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) of the BBIN

With Bhutan continuing to sit out the Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) of the sub-regional Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) grouping, a meeting of the other three countries was held to discuss the next steps in operationalizing the agreement for the free flow of goods and people between them. What is Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA)? India, Nepal, Bhutan and… Continue reading

What is the Temporary Protection Directive of the EU?

Responding to the crisis, EU Member States made the unprecedented decision to activate a major European Union’s Council Directive, known as the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD). What is Temporary Protection? The EU Commission describes “temporary protection” under the TPD as an “exceptional measure to provide immediate and temporary protection to displaced persons from non-EU countries… Continue reading

In news: Pal-Dadhvav Massacre

The Gujarat government has marked 100 years of the Pal-Dadhvav killings, calling it a massacre “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh”. Pal-Dadhvav Massacre The massacre took place on March 7, 1922, in the Pal-Chitariya and Dadhvaav villages of Sabarkantha district, then part of Idar state. The day was Amalki Ekadashi, which falls just before Holi, a… Continue reading

[pib] Petascale Supercomputer “PARAM Ganga” established at IIT Roorkee

The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) has now deployed “PARAM Ganga”, a supercomputer at IIT Roorkee, with a supercomputing capacity of 1.66 Petaflops. What is a Supercomputer? A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per… Continue reading

Women and Politics

Context For a proper appraisal of the relations between gender and democracy, we ought to examine the links between violence, representation, and the political participation of women. Role of women in South Asian democracy Historically, one of the peculiar paradoxes of South Asian democracy has been the continued presence of strong women leaders at the… Continue reading

Labour Ministry launches ‘Donate a Pension’ Scheme

The Union Labour and Employment Ministry has launched the “donate a pension” scheme. ‘Donate a Pension’ Scheme This scheme allows any citizen to pay the premium amount on behalf of an unorganized worker under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Maan-Dhan scheme is a government scheme meant for old age protection and social security of… Continue reading

Legacy of Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule

Maharashtra Governor has recently received flak for his remarks on the social reformist couple Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule. Who were the Phules? Mahatma Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule stand out as an extraordinary couple in the social and educational history of India. They spearheaded path-breaking work towards female education and empowerment, and towards ending caste- and… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] Russian conflict and the impact on food, farming

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put global commodity markets in a tizzy. It is now threatening to push up farming costs and send food prices soaring. Food inflation in India may thus soon enter doubledigit territory. Let’s takes a look at… Continue reading

Filling the physical gaps in India’s digital push

Context A lot has been written about the emphasis on “digital” in the 2022 Union Budget. But one aspect that hasn’t been talked about as much is the importance given in the budget to digital public infrastructure (DPI). Significance of digital public infrastructure (DPI) in India A global trendsetter: India is seen as a global… Continue reading

Why do Indians go abroad for medical studies?

According to estimates from Ukraine, reported in the media, around 18,000 Indian students are in Ukraine (before Operation Ganga). Most of them are pursuing medicine. This war has turned the spotlight on something that has been the trend for about three decades now. Preferred countries for medical degree For about three decades now, Indian students… Continue reading

Highlights of the Democracy Report 2022

A Sweden-based institute has said that India is no longer an ‘electoral democracy’, classifying the country as an ‘electoral autocracy’ instead. About the report The study, titled ‘Democracy Report 2022: Autocratisation Changing Nature?’ states that more than twice as many countries are undergoing Autocratisation as are witnessing democratization. The conceptual scheme takes into account not… Continue reading

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