The judicial role in improving lawmaking
Context: On Independence Day, Chief Justice of India (CJI) highlighted that the deterioration in the quality of deliberation in Parliament over time has prompted calls for reform from different stakeholders. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice (Government Interventions and Policies, Issues arising out of the design and implementation of Government Policies) Mains Questions: What role can the […]
India must commit to net zero emissions
Context: India may not commit to the ‘net zero’ mid-century emission timeline as is being pushed by the US, UK and EU but the country appears to be amenable to an idea of putting out an enhanced target of climate action by aggregating all the new steps it has already been taking beyond its existing […]
It’s time to build BRICS better
Context: The 13th BRICS summit is set to be held in September 2021, in digital format under India’s chairmanship. Relevance: GS-II: International Relations (Important International Groupings, Foreign Policies affecting India’s Interests) Mains Questions: BRICS has succeeded up to a point but it now confronts multiple challenges. Discuss by throwing light on India’s role in the BRICS summit. (10 […]
UNICEF official on maternal and child under nutrition in India
Context: Head, Nutrition, UNICEF India talked about how high levels of maternal and child under nutrition continue to plague India, and the impact COVID-19 has had on the gains India has made in economic and human development in recent decades. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Issues related to Health, Issues related to Women and […]
Mid-day meal scheme is now ‘PM Poshan’
Context: The mid-day meal scheme will now be known as PM POSHAN, with the Centre initiating a major political push pivoted around ‘child nutrition’, and announcing that around 24 lakh students receiving pre-primary education at government and government-aided schools will also be brought under the ambit of the scheme from 2022. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice […]
Right to be forgotten plea in HC to remove verdict from Net
Context: The Delhi High Court sought replies from the Centre, Google and India Kanoon on a plea seeking removal of a judgment and an order in connection with a seven-year-old FIR under ‘Right to be Forgotten’, and asked how far this rule can be stretched. Relevance: GS-II: Polity and Governance (Constitutional Provisions, Fundamental Rights, Government […]
Transport Minister reviews work at Zojila tunnel
Context: India’s Transport Minister reviewed construction work at Zojila tunnel and said that road works totalling ₹1.5 lakh crore are being undertaken in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Relevance: Prelims, GS-I: Geography (Maps), GS-III: Industry and Infrastructure Dimensions of the Article: About Zoji La About Zoji La tunnel About the Z-Morh […]
Orders issued for Ordnance Factory Board dissolution
Context: The Defence Ministry has issued an order for the dissolution of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) with effect from October 1 2021. This would mean the end of the OFB, the establishment of which was accepted by the British in 1775. Relevance: GS-III: Indian Economy (Privatization and Commercialization, Fiscal Policy, Budgeting), GS-III: Industry and […]
Lockdowns slowed green energy push: IEEFA Report
Context: The lockdowns slowed renewable energy installations in the country and the pace of such installation is lagging India’s 2022 target, according to a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Relevance: GS-III: Industry and Infrastructure (Energy infrastructure), GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Conservation of the Environment, Government […]
SC lashes out at firecracker manufacturers
Context: The Supreme Court lashed out at firecracker manufacturers for violating the spirit of its 2018 judgment banning toxic ingredients like barium in fireworks, saying the prime focus of the court is the “right to life of innocent people”. The Supreme Court has said that a preliminary enquiry by the CBI into the firecracker industry […]