9 PM Current Affairs Brief – April 18th, 2018

Clamour for death Context The anger is justified, but not the proposal to grant capital punishment for rape of minors  What has happened? Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has said her ministry will seek an amendment to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, to provide for death as… Continue reading Clamour for death

Sexual intercourse in long-term relationship not rape, says SC What has happened? Sexual intercourse in the course of a long-term relationship cannot be classified as rape, the Supreme Court has held. Petition The Bench was hearing an appeal against an order of the Karnataka High Court, which refused to quash a rape case. The woman… Continue reading Sexual intercourse in long-term relationship not rape, says SC

Nod awaited to induct jurist into Lokpal panel What has happened? The high-profile Lokpal selection committee, led by the Prime Minister, met on April 10 and the recommendations for the induction of an eminent jurist in the panel is awaiting approval, the government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday Bench urges speed A Bench led… Continue reading Nod awaited to induct jurist into Lokpal panel

Law Commission favours simultaneous elections What has happened? A draft white paper released by the Law Commission of India on Tuesday recommends holding of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies, possibly in 2019 Open to suggestions White paper would be circulated to “constitutional experts, academia, political parties, bureaucrats, students, etc.” The commission,… Continue reading Law Commission favours simultaneous elections

Non-alignment redux Context What non-alignment means to India depends on the prism through which it is viewed Background 18th mid-term ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) concluded in early April in Azerbaijan  Importance of NAM The idea behind non-alignment thus conceived was to promote peace and security in a global arena where superpowers were… Continue reading Non-alignment redux

The ‘new’ South Asia Context As China’s leverage increases, New Delhi has to reimagine its terms of engagement with neighbours Background CHOGM meet in London  India’s declining regional clout There is now the refrain that India has lost the plot in its immediate vicinity In Sri Lanka, domestic political developments are affecting India, while in… Continue reading The ‘new’ South Asia

India, Sweden agree upon ‘win-win’ joint action plan  What has happened? After a hectic day of bilateral parleys here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swedish counterpart, Stefan Löfven, on Tuesday agreed upon a joint action plan (JAP) for both countries to take forward a wide range of initiatives in defence, trade and investment, counterterrorism,… Continue reading India, Sweden agree upon ‘win-win’ joint action plan 

NGT asks Ministry to finalise national policy on forest fires What has happened? The National Green Tribunal has directed the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to finalise the National Policy on Forest Fire within two weeks, after noting that forest fires generally occur in the month of April. Mute spectator The green panel… Continue reading NGT asks Ministry to finalise national policy on forest fires

‘Corporate debt, a drag on investment’ Context Policy action needed to tackle balance sheet vulnerabilities that pose a risk: IMF What has happened? The corporate debt overhang and associated banking sector credit quality concerns exert a drag on investment in India, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday, in an apparent reference to the… Continue reading ‘Corporate debt, a drag on investment’

‘India expected to grow at 7.4% in 2018’ What has happened? India is expected to grow at 7.4% in 2018 and 7.8% in 2019, leaving its nearest rival China behind respectively at 6.6% and 6.4% in the two years, the IMF said on Tuesday. World Economic Outlook report by IMF IMF foresees China to trail… Continue reading ‘India expected to grow at 7.4% in 2018’

Chasing the monsoon Context The forecast has enhanced the economic outlook, but India must conduct a water audit What has happened? The forecast of a normal monsoon has brought relief all around. For farmers, the India Meteorological Department’s estimate that rainfall during the summer, between June and September, will be 97% of the 50-year average… Continue reading Chasing the monsoon

No deficit of currency, more being printed: RBI What has happened? Amid the cash shortage reported from several parts of the country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has assured that there is sufficient cash in the central bank’s vaults and in current chests, adding that the situation is being monitored closely. Printing ramped up… Continue reading No deficit of currency, more being printed: RBI