Year: 2015

    Let’s fight climate change unitedly  –   (International Relations)   ·  The Prime Minister said India and the Pacific Island Countries can enrich each other through bilateral and regional cooperation, and suggested they work together for UN reforms. ·  Rich in seabed resources, the Pacific Island Countries (PIC) are keen to partner with India in the area of exploratRead More…

    Twin states lead in political killings  –   (Social Issues) · Personal animosity and property disputes were the main reasons for the murders in India (NCRB report) · Illicit relationships and love affairs are the next leading reason for murders in India. · TN, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh topped the list in caste-related killings. Kerala banana variant on GI list  – Read More…

    Chattisgarh’s torture cells exposed  –  (social issues) ·   No food and water for two days while being produced in courts, no doctor to treat sick inmates, no possibility of meeting or speaking to family members. These are some of the observations made by former National Commission for Women (NCW) member Shamina Shafiq on the condition of women prisoners lodged in CentraRead More…

Editorial: The sprouting of the ‘Look West’ Policy  –  (International relations)       • Narasimha Rao’s “Look East” Policy succeeded because South-East Asia began to “look West” to India, seeking a balancer to         China. Mr. Modi’s “Look West” Policy will succeed because West Asia is “looking East” worried about the emerging strategic             instRead More…

    Going beyond Inflation Targeting  –  (Economics) The draft Indian financial code bill states that the primary goal of RBI should be inflation targeting. An argument for inflation targeting is that in the long run there is no trade-off between inflation and unemployment. This is an ambiguous assertion. The Reserve Bank of India should focus on output at least as much as it does Read More…

PM makes a statement with mosque visit  –   (International Relations) ·         Modi in the UAE says West Asian nation is a mini-India, adds that he wants it to be India’s foremost trade ally. ·         The high point of the first day’s engagement was Mr. Modi’s visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the world’s third largest mosque, leaving some powerful images fRead More…

EC suspends Aadhaar linkage initiative  –  (Governance)   ·         Following the Supreme Court’s August 11 orders on Aadhaar, the Election Commission of India issued notices on Thursday suspending “with immediate effect till further orders” all activities to collect and feed Aadhar numbers of voters as part of its National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication ProRead More…

Farmers may get Modi’s I-Day gift  ·         The poor crop insurance cover is among the reasons for suicide by farmers in distress. ·         The Agriculture Ministry has said that 3,313 farmers had committed suicide for agrarian reasons in the past three years, with Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala accounting for 3,301 of them. For a durable engRead More…

Re-imagining India’s iconography  –   (social  issues) ·         A diverse nation needs a diverse iconography. Let us not fall into a trap of narrow-mindedness and sectarianism while scripting our nation’s autobiography and commemorating important events and cultural icons ·         There seems to be no space for regional figures like the Goan nationalist T.B. Cunha Read More…

    Action stayed against 27 judges in land case  –   (International Relations) ·         The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the orders passed by the Gujarat High Court to proceed against 27 sitting and retired judges of the apex court and High Courts in connection with the allotment of residential plots to them in 2008. ·         A three-judge Bench, led by Read More…