News: China’s status as a ‘developing country’ at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has become a contentious issue. A number of countries have raised concerns over the upper middle-income nation deriving benefits reserved for developing countries under WTO norms. Moreover, concerns have been raised over the ‘least developed country’ (LDC) status, with Bangladesh potentially… Continue reading At WTO, China a developing country-Why many nations are raising concerns
Category: 9 PM Daily Articles
Geopolitics of Eurasia: Understanding the Eurasian turmoil
News: Protests in Kazakhstan and other areas like Belarus, Ukraine, Caucasus have the potential to reshape the geopolitics of Eurasia. Russia, with its geographic spread across Eurasia, is at the very centre of this restructuring. What are the parameters involved in the geopolitics of Eurasia? The internal political evolution of Eurasian state: post-Communist states have not… Continue reading Geopolitics of Eurasia: Understanding the Eurasian turmoil
How India has approached customary international law
News: Parliamentary committee on external affairs has presented a report titled “India and international law” in the Lok Sabha. The report discusses how Indian courts have dealt with international law. Contents1 What is International customary law (CIL)? 2 What has been India’s stand towards CIL? 3 What has been the Supreme Court’s stand on CIL? 4 What… Continue reading How India has approached customary international law
Public sector banks: More sinned against than sinners
News: PSB’s have played a key role in the “new welfarism” model of the government. However, the immense effort undertaken by the PSB agencies has not been rewarded adequately. In this context, a mere comparison of PSB’s with private sector banks is illogical. Because, three-fourths of the banking sector is burdened with social objectives in… Continue reading Public sector banks: More sinned against than sinners
The new fintech department of RBI has its work cut out
News: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) created a new department to supervise and regulate fintech. Through the department, RBI plans to promote innovation in the sector and also identify the challenges and opportunities associated with it. Fintech ecosystem has seen the entry of ‘Big Tech’ like Alibaba, as well as decentralized products and… Continue reading The new fintech department of RBI has its work cut out
Weaponising ED, tax authorities to expand counterinsurgency security umbrella in Kashmir is a fraught move
News: A new approach is being deployed against insurgency in Kashmir. Apart from security agencies, other organisations such as Enforcement Directorate (ED) are now being roped in to deal with the funding and financing of terror activities. This new policy runs the risk of further alienation of the local population Contents1 What has been the… Continue reading Weaponising ED, tax authorities to expand counterinsurgency security umbrella in Kashmir is a fraught move
High costs, low use may derail the development of EV charging Infra
News: Electric vehicle (EV) industry may fall well short of its target of setting up a sufficient number of public charging stations in India this year. Contents1 What is the current status of charging infrastructure in India? 2 What have been recent initiatives in this regard? 3 Why has been this huge shortfall? 4 What is the way… Continue reading High costs, low use may derail the development of EV charging Infra
The difficulty in spending
News: According to GDP accounting, Government consumption in the September 2021 quarter, was 17% lower than in September 2019. If the government spending had instead grown at the pace seen pre-Covid, the overall GDP would have been 4% higher than in September 2019. Contents1 Why, a shortage of funds is not the reason for this lack… Continue reading The difficulty in spending
Why most countries are unable to take a firm decision on crypto
News: Regulators across the globe have come up with various definitions of cryptocurrencies. But there is no consensus, even among major economies, on how to treat decentralised virtual currencies. Considering the systemic risks that Crypto poses, countries should look to establish robust regulatory frameworks on cryptocurrency and educate investors accordingly. What are the problems that… Continue reading Why most countries are unable to take a firm decision on crypto
Risks of three Cs: CVC curtailing CBI’s scope for bank probes is excellent. But PSBs still face perverse incentives
News: The Central Vigilance Commission has amended rules to minimise the possibility of CBI taking unilateral decisions on investigations into alleged bank frauds. Also, bankers have asked GoI to have a “sunset” period for investigations, subject to conditions. What approach should Government adopt? It should revisit its entire incentive structure that influences credit disbursal in public… Continue reading Risks of three Cs: CVC curtailing CBI’s scope for bank probes is excellent. But PSBs still face perverse incentives
