A MARRIAGE STORY FOR EVERYONE
Why in news? A petition recently filed in the Kerala High Court by a male same-sex couple challenges the constitutionality of the Special Marriage Act on the ground that it discriminates against same-sex couples who want to formalize their relationship through marriage Special marriage act of 1954 Special Marriage Act of 1954 allows and facilitates […]
TOWARDS A NEW WORLD ORDER
Why in news? The latest Oxfam Report presented at Davos points out that 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than 4.6 billion people. The emergence of billionaires and oligarchs in different parts of the world coincides with increased poverty among the already poor people, especially children. Excess consumption Egregious consumption of energy by the developed world […]
TERROR AND PUNISHMENT
The Pakistani government, which for years tried to protect Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, finally got a conviction and a jail term for the cleric in two terror financing cases The Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and his close aide Malik Zafar Iqbal have been sentenced to five-and-a-half years by an anti-terrorism court, vindicating India’s […]
MANAGING PERCEPTIONS
Why in news? Group of envoys on a guided tour of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has triggered the debate over sovereignty of India. Clearly, the government, which has been under considerable international pressure to lift restrictions in the former State, has managed to arrange these three visits without any incident. The delegations have been taken […]
BALANCING THE NEEDS: 15th FC
The interim report of 15th FC has left some uncomfortable issues unanswered, which need to be resolved First Under the current arrangement, states were supposed to be compensated for any shortfall in their GST collections for a five-year period. Lack of clarity about Centre’s obligation to compensate states if collections from the compensation cess fall […]
RIDING ON DATA FOR MOBILITY
The digital revolution has made interactions between humans and machines, and among citizens, governments and businesses, seamless and efficient Data usage in transport sector An efficient transportation system would help ease congestion, reduce travel time and cost, and provide greater convenience. Data from multiple sources such as CCTV cameras, automatic traffic counters, map services, and transportation service […]
NUTRITION AND THE BUDGET
Global Hunger Index, reported that India suffers from “serious” hunger, ranked 102 out of 117 countries, and that just a tenth of children between six to 23 months are fed a minimum acceptable diet The Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh which was launched in 2019 by Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, and Microsoft […]
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
When he visits India for the first time later in February 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump can expect thronging crowds in Gujarat and perhaps a substantive discussion on trade policy in New Delhi There will always be areas of untapped potential in bilateral cooperation, things could hardly be better between the two nations at this time of global turbulence, in trade […]
SHUNNING FISCAL ADVENTURISM
In the run-up to the budget, there was enormous pressure on the finance minister to launch a fiscal stimulus so as to pump-prime the economy There is already considerable stimulus in the system. The finance minister took a step towards transparency by admitting to off-balance sheet borrowings of 0.8 per cent of GDP for both […]
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIVATE AND GOVERNMENT BILLS IN PARLIAMENT
While a government Bill can be introduced and discussed on any day, a private member’s bill can only be introduced and discussed on Fridays. A private member’s Bill is different from a government Bill and is piloted by an MP who is not a minister Individual MPs may introduce private member’s Bill to draw the […]