[pib] Definition of Minority

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has provided some useful information about various initiatives for minorities. A very interesting fact found in the article is that Minorities are identified by the States and not the Centre! Defining a minority community The Central has notified minority communities at the national level in consultation with various stakeholders under… Continue reading

India’s technical education: Issues and Suggestions

Context This year, AICTE approved the closure of 63 engineering colleges across the country. Deterioration of quality Tweaking with curriculum: Private entrepreneurs took the lead to meet the growing demand of the country in technical education in the mid-Eighties, but with little idea of the subject. Subjects like materials, applied physics and thermodynamics which forms… Continue reading

The sovereign right to tax is not absolute

Context A bill introduced in Parliament last week aims to nullify the 2012 amendment in the Income Tax Act which made the income tax law retroactively applicable on indirect transfer of Indian assets. Issue of taxation as a sovereign right of the state Several Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) tribunals have recognised the fundamental principle that… Continue reading

IPCC’s Climate Assessment Report

The Geneva-based Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will release the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report, the periodic status check that has now become the most widely accepted scientific view of the state of the Earth’s climate. What is IPCC? The IPCC, an intergovernmental body was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological… Continue reading

[pib] Quit India Movement

The Prime Minister has greeted the nation on the eve of the anniversary of Quit India Movement Day. Before proceeding, answer this PYQ: Q. Quit India Movement was launched in response to: (a) Cabinet Mission Plan (b) Cripps Proposals (c) Simon Commission Report (d) Wavell Plan About the day The Quit India Movement is also… Continue reading

[pib] National Commission for Women

The Central Government has nominated Smt. Rekha Sharma, as Chairperson of the National Commission for Women for another term of three years. National Commission for Women The NCW is the statutory body generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women. It was established on 31 January 1992 under the provisions of… Continue reading

Honour of the National Flag

Ahead of Independence Day, the Centre has urged all citizens not to use a national flag made up of plastic and asked states and Union Territories to ensure strict compliance with the flag code. Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act The law, enacted on December 23, 1971, penalizes the desecration of or insult to… Continue reading

Who was Dara Shikoh (1615-1659)?

The final resting place of Mughal prince Dara Shikoh remains a mystery, with the Archaeological Survey of India saying it has not located the grave within the Humayun’s Tomb complex. Dara Shikoh Dara Shikoh, who was Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s son and expected heir, was killed on the orders of his brother Aurangzeb in 1659… Continue reading

CHAPEA Mission by NASA

NASA is seeking applications for its new mission called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA), which is related to Mars. CHAPEA The mission is set to begin in 2022 and will give four successful applicants the chance to live and work in a 1,700 square-foot module that is created by a 3D printer… Continue reading

Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill

Context With the government proposing to repeal the ‘retrospective tax’ amendment introduced in the Union Budget 2012-13, a 14-year-story has come to an end. Background of retrospective tax In 2007 Vodafone acquired Hutchison Essar, the telecom company, for $11 billion. But the deal did not take place in India. Yet, Vodafone was slapped with a… Continue reading

Advocating for sustained focus on the maritime domain

Context In an innovative departure from normal practice, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside (in virtual mode) over the UN Security Council, on Monday (August 9) when India holds the President’s chair for one month. The subject of debate is maritime security. Issues with global maritime security FON issue: There is tension in the South… Continue reading

South Asia’s emerging digital transformation

Context COVID-19 has forced South Asia to take a quantum leap in digitalisation, which will help shape its future prosperity. Spike in digitisation due to Covid In India, COVID-19 accelerated the launch of the National Digital Health Mission, enhancing the accessibility and the efficiency of health-care services by creating a unique health ID for every… Continue reading

127th Constitutional Amendment Bill

The Government will bring the 127th Amendment Bill to Parliament to clarify “some provisions in the 102nd Constitutional amendment Bill” to restore the power of the states to identify backward classes — a demand made by a number of regional parties and even the ruling party’s own OBC leaders. Try answering: Q. Consider the following… Continue reading

Person in news: Abanindranath Tagore

Year-long celebrations marking 150 years of Abanindranath Tagore have been kicked off in Kolkata. Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951) Tagore CIE was the principal artist and creator of the “Indian Society of Oriental Art”. A nephew of Rabindranath Tagore and a decade younger to the poet, he helped shape modern Indian art and was the creator of… Continue reading

[pib] SATYAM Programme

The Ministry of Science & Technology (MoST) is implementing the Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (SATYAM) Programme to explore the effect of yoga and meditation as add on therapy to fight COVID-19. SATYAM Programme The MoST is implementing SATYAM Programme since the year 2015-16 to promote scientific research in the field of yoga… Continue reading

State of food insecurity

Context The latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, released jointly by five UN organisations in July, reveals that the pandemic and failure on the part of state to combat its effects, has led to a significant increase in the prevalence of hunger and food insecurity in… Continue reading

Centre moves to redact Retrospective Tax Law

The government took the first step towards doing away with the contentious retrospective tax law of 2012, which was used to raise large tax demands on foreign investors like Vodafone and Cairn Energy. Retrospective Tax Law: A backgrounder The roots of this law date back to 2007, when Vodafone bought over a majority stake in… Continue reading

Little progress since years after Indo-US nuclear deal

Other than the imported Russian-built reactor-based project in Tamil Nadu, which is grandfathered under an earlier 1998 agreement, progress of greenfield projects since the Indo-US nuclear deal has been tardy. Indo-US Nuclear Deal The deal was signed in 2008 jointly by then Indian PM Dr. Manmohan Singh and then US President George Bush. India agreed… Continue reading

Places in news: Agalega Island

Mauritius has denied a report that it has allowed India to build a military base on the remote island of Agalega. Agalega Island Agaléga are two outer islands of Mauritius located in the Indian Ocean, about 1,000 kilometers north of Mauritius island. The islands have a total area of 2,600 ha (6,400 acres). There is… Continue reading

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