Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)
Context: Recently, The Supreme Court upheld the core amendments made to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which gives the government and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) virtually unbridled powers of summons, arrest, and raids, and makes bail nearly impossible while shifting the burden of proof of innocence on to the accused rather than the […]
Supreme Court Collegium
Context: In a significant step to fill vacancies in the higher judiciary, the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Monday approved and recommended to the Centre the proposal for the elevation of 20 advocates and 15 judicial officers as judges in six High Courts. Relevance: GS-II: Governance, GS-II: Polity and Constitution […]
Optical Fibers and the 5G Spring
Context India is preparing to auction off airwaves in order to launch 5G services across the country. The infrastructure required for such a rollout necessitates the connection of existing radio towers via optical-fibre cables. Relevance GS Paper: 2 Government Policies & Interventions GS Paper: 3 IT & Computers, Indigenization of Technology, Scientific Innovations & Discoveries Mains Question […]
The Potentials of ICT: E-Governance In India
Context Democratic governance mechanisms are becoming more open to the potentials of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for achieving good governance in their implementation. This use of ICTs for governance falls under the umbrella term of E-governance. India, as one of the largest democratic, demographic, and geographically diverse countries, faces a significant challenge in implementing […]
Marburg Virus Disease
Context Ghana declared the country’s first Marburg virus disease outbreak after two unrelated people died. The news of a new outbreak of a deadly disease caused by viral infections heightened the concerns of a public already exhausted by the coronavirus pandemic and alarmed by the spread of monkeypox and a new case of polio. Relevance […]
Public Safety Act (PSA)
Context: Families of several youth taken into preventive detention this year under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA), which allows detention for up to two years without a trial, allege their kin were “shifted outside jails and held incommunicado” in violation of the provisions of the Act. Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and Innovations, Issues […]
Private Member’s Bill
Context: Opposition members protested against the introduction of a private member’s Bill on the repeal of The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, in the Rajya Sabha. Relevance: GS II- Polity and Governance Dimensions of the Article: Private Member’s Bill Difference between private and government Bills What is the Places of Worship Act? Private […]
Indian Antarctic Bill 2022
Context: Recently, Lok Sabha passed the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 amid clamour from the Opposition to have more discussion. Relevance: GS II- Government policies and Interventions Dimensions of the Article: What is the Antarctica Bill? What is the Antarctica Treaty? What are the main provisions of the Bill? What are the prohibitions? What is the […]
About the GOAL 2.0 Programme
Focus: Polity and Governance Why in News? Recently, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Meta (formerly Facebook) have launched the second phase of the GOAL Programme (GOAL 2.0). About the GOAL Programme: GOAL (Going Online as Leaders) was launched as a pilot project in May 2020 and it was completed by December 2021. It aimed at digital empowerment of tribal youth and women through […]
SVANidhi Se Samriddhi
Focus: GS II- Government policies and interventions Why in News? Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched ‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi’ program in additional 126 cities across 14 States/ UTs, in the presence of senior officials of States/UTs and various Central Ministries. About SVANidhi se Samriddhi It is an additional program of PMSVANidhi was launched […]