What India needs for population stabilisation

Achieving replacement levels of fertility The National Population Policy 2000 affirmed a commitment to achieve replacement levels of fertility (total fertility rate of 2.1) by 2010. Ten states — Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat, Assam, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — and Jammu and Kashmir, have achieved this goal. This fertility decline… Continue reading

How scarcity of jobs is fuelling nativism in the States

The article examines the factors contributing to the States pursuing domicile based employment policies. What is driving states to provide reservation to locals in private jobs The Haryana government has recently passed legislation that mandates companies in Haryana to provide jobs to local Haryanvis first. The unemployment rate in Haryana is the highest of all States… Continue reading

Govt. reconstitutes panel for studying mythical Sarasvati River

The Centre has reconstituted an advisory committee to chalk out a plan for studying the mythical Sarasvati River for the next two years after the earlier panel’s term ended in 2019. Do you know? Rigveda describes India as a land of Sapta Sindhavah. There is a verse in Nadistuti sukta of Rigveda , hymn of… Continue reading

What is Index of Industrial Production (IIP)?

Last week saw the release of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which recorded a contraction of 1.6% in January. Index of Industrial Production (IIP) Index of Industrial Production data or IIP as it is commonly called is an index that tracks manufacturing activity in different sectors of an economy. The IIP number measures the… Continue reading

What are AT1 Bonds?

The decision of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to slap restrictions on mutual fund (MF) investments in additional tier-1 (AT1) bonds has raised a storm in the MF and banking sectors. What are AT1 Bonds? AT1 Bonds stand for additional tier-1 bonds. These are unsecured bonds that have perpetual tenure. In other… Continue reading

Need for national security shield in FDI

Relaxation on Chinese FDI Last April, India had subjected all Chinese FDI to mandatory government screening. The aim was to curb opportunistic takeovers of Indian companies, a concern fuelled by sharp corrections in equity markets in March 2020. Several economies including the US, Australia, Canada and Germany faced similar concerns. They blocked specific takeover… Continue reading

Bureaucrats cannot be State Election Commissioners: SC

The Supreme Court gas held that independent persons and not bureaucrats should be appointed State Election Commissioners. No bureaucrats in SEC The judgment came on an appeal against an order of the Bombay High Court which had set aside the election notification issued by the Goa State Election Commission in some municipalities. Justice F. Nariman,… Continue reading

Places of Worship Act, 1991

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to respond to a plea challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The court has opened the doors for litigation in various places of worship across the country including Mathura and Varanasi. Take this ‘wonderful’ question from CS Mains 2019: Q.What are the challenges to our… Continue reading

Curbing Benzene Emission

A joint committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to study air pollution in Kerala has pointed out that petrol refuelling stations were a major source of benzene emissions and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Why such a move? Benzene is a major constituent of evaporative emission due to its high volatility. Try this PYQ:… Continue reading

How to grow better colleges

The article highlights the important role students can play in improving the quality of colleges and institution in India. Improving the colleges The global QS ranking is out and India has 12 universities and institutions in the top-100 in particular subjects. We have many colleges offering higher education but typically they are not very good.… Continue reading

The legacy and return of the Bamiyan Buddhas

Two decades later after its destruction, the Bamiyan Buddhas have been brought back to life in the form of 3D projections in an event called “A Night with Buddha”. Bamiyan Buddhas In their Roman draperies and with two different mudras, the Bamiyan Buddhas were great examples of a confluence of Gupta, Sassanian and Hellenistic artistic… Continue reading

Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Mission

India and Japan are working together on a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission that aims to send a lander and rover to the Moon’s the South Pole around 2024. Try this PYQ from CSP 2020: Q.The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that… Continue reading

[pib] 17 States implement One Nation One Ration Card System

Seventeen (17) States have successfully operationalised the “One Nation One Ration Card system” with Uttarakhand being the latest State to complete the reform. Practice question for mains: The ‘One nation one ration card ‘scheme would bring perceptible changes to the lives of India’s internal migrant workers. Comment. One Nation One Ration Card This scheme aims to… Continue reading

A case for a revamped, need-based PDS

The article highlights the factors governing the food subsidy bill and suggests ways to reduce it. Growing food subsidy bill The Economic Survey, tabled in Parliament in January, rightly flagged the issue of a growing food subsidy bill. During 2016-17 to 2019-20, the subsidy amount, clubbed with loans taken by the Food Corporation of India… Continue reading

What is No-Confidence Motion?

The no-confidence motion moved against the coalition government in Haryana was defeated. Motion of No-Confidence If the government has to demonstrate its strength on the floor of the House, it can have a motion of confidence. However, the opposition parties (or any member) can move a motion expressing want of confidence (no confidence) in the… Continue reading

Kerala HC restrains Centre over new IT Rules

The Kerala High Court has restrained the Centre from taking coercive action against a legal news portal, for any non-compliance with Part III of the new IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. What was the petition? Three-tier mechanism The petition said Part III of the rules imposed unconstitutional three-tier complaints and… Continue reading

[pib] INS Karanj – A Kalvari Class Submarine

Indian Navy’s third stealth Scorpene-class Submarine INS Karanj has been commissioned into the Indian Navy. It also completed the trials of the Indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) System jointly developed by Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) and DRDO. In a rare case, we would see a question based on various classes of Indian Submarines in… Continue reading

Critical information infrastructure

The article underscores the threat of cyberattacks on the critical infrastructure and also suggests the steps to be taken to secure these infrastructures. Cyberattack on the power grid On October 12 last year, Mumbai plunged into darkness as the electric grid supply to the city failed. Recently, a study by Massachusetts-based Recorded Future, said that… Continue reading

Quad Summit

As India deepens its engagement with the Quad, it must consider several aspects related to such engagement. The article deals with this issue. Background of India’s engagement with Quad India’s engagement with the Quad goes back to China’s expanding footprint in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region over the last few years. China’s ambitious… Continue reading

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Join us across Social Media platforms.

Your better version awaits you!