9 PM Current Affairs Brief – April 23rd, 2018

Limits to maximal rhetoric Context India needs gender justice, not draconian laws What has happened? While the government has permitted people who wield power to defend rapists and obstruct due process, and while some of India’s lawmakers are under a cloud, we have been presented with the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, as a deterrence… Continue reading Limits to maximal rhetoric

Common wealth? Context CHOGM again failed to make a casefor its relevance in the 21st century Commonwealth 2.0 The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in London came with hopes of a “re-energised Commonwealth”. Britain looking to revive the 53-nation grouping as Commonwealth 2.0, amidst Britain’s rocky exit from the EU India and CHOGM… Continue reading Common wealth?

Modi-Xi summit expected to give a strategic push to ties Context Resetting ties with China What has happened? Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a two-day informal summit from April 27 in Wuhan, to impart firm strategic direction to Beijing-New Delhi ties, amid profound changes in the global system Key… Continue reading Modi-Xi summit expected to give a strategic push to ties

Death penalty is not the answer Context The focus must be on enhancing rape conviction rates and taking steps to rehabilitate and empower survivors What has happened? Amid belligerent demands for capital punishment for rapists, on Sunday the President signed an ordinance that introduces the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the… Continue reading Death penalty is not the answer

Minorities’ commission to seek constitutional status What has happened? The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has decided to approach the government for granting it Constitutional status to protect the rights of minority communities more effectively Effect of granting constitutional status If granted such a status, the NCM will be able to act against errant officials… Continue reading Minorities’ commission to seek constitutional status

All trees are not woods Context Natural forests have multiple ecosystem functions, none of which can be provided by commercial plantations What has happened? The latest Forest Survey of India report has changed the calculation method for India’s forest cover to include plantations on private lands. It is common knowledge that private plantations of teak,… Continue reading All trees are not woods

Tigers face the ire of humans in U.P.’s terai What has happened? The Dudhwa-Pilibhit tiger landscape is where the paths of tigers, leopards and humans cross, often with fatal consequences for both sides. Around 180 cases of conflicts leading to human deaths and injuries were recorded here between 2000 and 2018, data from the Wildlife… Continue reading Tigers face the ire of humans in U.P.’s terai

‘Mega SEZs to spur electronics exports’ Context Draft of new policy to be out soon; Centre eyeing free trade pacts to drive exports of small electronics What has happened? In a bid to make India an export hub for electronics, the government plans to set up at least one SEZ or special economic zone in… Continue reading ‘Mega SEZs to spur electronics exports’

Replanting Indian cotton Context Researchers say it is time India moves on from hybrids What has happened? Pink bollworm infestation in Bt cotton in India has turned the spotlight on an important question: has hybrid cotton lived up to its promise? India was a pioneer in this technology in the 1970s; today, it is the… Continue reading Replanting Indian cotton