Jammu and Kashmir and the Public Safety Act (PSA)
Context: Post-civilian killings and in the days running up to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Srinagar – around 700 people have been detained in Jammu and Kashmir, including a few under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and Innovations, Issues Arising Out of the Design and Implementation of […]
Reasons for India’s bouts of extreme weather
Context: Kerala and Uttarakhand have received incessant rainfall in October 2021 leading to doubts over the potential role of climate change behind these extreme weather events. In both these States and other states as well, over the last few years, there have been variations in the pattern and intensity of rainfall. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and […]
Disasters in Western Ghats
Context: Flash floods and landslides in the aftermath of heavy rains in the hilly regions of the Western Ghats in central Kerala districts of Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta has resulted in the loss of lives and property. Relevance: GS-III: Disaster and Management (Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters, Disaster Management in India), GS-I: Geography (Important Geophysical phenomena) […]
NDPS Act 1985 and possession of drugs explained
Context: Recently, a special court in Mumbai denied bail to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, even though the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) did not find any drugs on him during his arrest. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Government Policies and Interventions, Issues Arising Out of the Design and Implementation of […]
Citizens manipulated on social media, FB’s selective curbs
Context: Journalist Maria Ressa from the Philippines is one of two journalists to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021, along with Russian Editor Dmitry Muratov. Maria Ressa recently spoke about journalism in the age of authoritarianism, big tech and terrorism. Facebook in India has been selective in curbing hate speech, misinformation and […]
Rising trade, and rising tensions: India China
Context: India’s trade with China is rising to record levels in 2021 and set to cross the $100-billion mark for the first time. Hence, New Delhi faces a new challenge as it looks to recalibrate relations amid a more than year-long border crisis while remaining locked in a deep commercial embrace. On the investment front, […]
Global Agricultural Productivity Report (GAP Report)
Context: According to the Global Agricultural Productivity Report (GAP Report) 2021 Global agricultural productivity is not growing as fast as the demand for food, amid the impact of climate change. Relevance: GS-III: Agriculture (Agricultural Marketing, Food Security), GS-III: Indian Economy (Growth and Development of Indian Economy) Dimensions of the Article: Highlights of the Global Agricultural […]
WMO report on Carbon dioxide emissions in 2020
Context: A report from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said the increase in CO2 from 2019 to 2020 was slightly lower than that observed from 2018 to 2019 but higher than the average annual growth rate over the last decade. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Conservation of Environment and Ecology) Dimensions […]
Defence exports have grown by 334% in 5 years
Context: The Defence Minister said that with collaborative efforts of entities from all over the world, the defence exports have grown by 334% in the last five years and India now is exporting to more than 75 countries. Relevance: GS-III: Indian Economy (Foreign Trade), GS-III: Science and Technology (Indigenization of technology & development of new […]
NPPA fixes price caps for anti-diabetic medicines
Context: Drug price regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said it has fixed the ceiling prices for 12 anti-diabetic generic medicines, including glimepiride tablets, glucose injection and intermediate acting insulin solution. To make it possible for every Indian to afford medical treatment against diseases like diabetes, NPPA has initiated a successful step by fixing the […]