9 PM Current Affairs Brief – March 29th, 2018

Curbing the khaps Context Recent SC guidelines against Khaps (Refer to the article in yesterday’s brief for the guidelines) Other factors contributing towards honour killings besides caste system Entrenched social prejudices, feudal structures and patriarchal attitudes Measures taken by courts against these feudal bodies 24 hour helplines The High Courts of Punjab and Haryana and… Continue reading Curbing the khaps

Centre not for SC/ST creamy layer What has happened? The government on Wednesday opposed the idea of a “creamy layer” within the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category. Background The court was hearing a petition filed by Samta Andolan Samiti, representing the poor and downtrodden strata of the SC/ST community in Rajasthan, which contended that… Continue reading Centre not for SC/ST creamy layer

Indus Commission talks today What has happened? India and Pakistan will go ahead with talks on the Indus Waters Treaty on Thursday despite an upsurge in tensions over the LoC crossfire and allegations of harassment of diplomats in Delhi and Islamabad, External Affairs Ministry sources confirmed on Wednesday PIC meeting 114th meeting of the Permanent… Continue reading Indus Commission talks today

Sending the wrong signal Context Recent judgment of SC to protect public servants and private citizens from arbitrary arrests under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 Stats on crime against dalits India has over 180 million Dalits A crime is committed against a Dalit every 15 minutes Six Dalit women… Continue reading Sending the wrong signal

Govt. implements SC order on seniority list What has happened? In a move that implies major shifts in bureaucracy, the State government has asked its departments to implement the seniority list as directed by the Supreme Court. This would mean that while thousands of general category employees will be promoted, many employees belonging to the… Continue reading Govt. implements SC order on seniority list

Trade on agenda of Tokyo talks What has happened? India and Japan will discuss cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the first high-level meeting since the Quadrilateral and iron out growing worries over bilateral trade as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj meets Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Tokyo on Thursday. Background The two sides are… Continue reading Trade on agenda of Tokyo talks

Biggest space telescope launch delayed till 2020 What has happened? NASA has delayed the launch of its much awaited, $8 billion James Webb Space Telescope — set to be the world’s biggest space observatory — until at least May 2020. NASA says it won’t be ready before May 2020 as the project is undergoing final… Continue reading Biggest space telescope launch delayed till 2020

On the electric highway What has happened? The Central government is not pursuing plans for a separate policy on electric vehicles (EVs) although it did think of introducing one. It has now left it to the automotive industry to determine the scale and pace of a transition from fossil fuels to electric motors Does India… Continue reading On the electric highway

Out of favour Context More people are losing their love for Indian bonds. Foreign investors have been net sellers of over $1 billion in Indian debt this month, almost cancelling out inflows since the beginning of the year. Domestic investors were already spooked by a widening fiscal deficit, so foreign selling now has managed to… Continue reading Out of favour

A solar gear shift Context: The government needs to tilt its green manufacturing mix in favour of nascent industries of the future Champion sector The 2018 Economic Survey identifies renewable energy as a champion sector under the Make in India 2.0 programme Present situation India currently meets almost 90% of its annual requirement of solar… Continue reading A solar gear shift

Steps needed to improve collegium system, says SC What has happened? Urgent measures are required to improve the collegium system of appointment of judges, including the setting up of an independent secretariat, the Supreme Court highlighted in a judgment on Wednesday Main points of the judgment Corrective measures: “Corrective measures” needed to be taken against… Continue reading Steps needed to improve collegium system, says SC