News: Recently, the Department of Expenditure in the Ministry of Finance, issued a notification on the General Instructions on Procurement and Project Management. These instructions set out a number of desirable actions in government purchases of works contracts and services. Currently, these are applicable to only Central government entities and Central public sector units. The… Continue reading A new era in public procurement
Category: 9 PM Daily Articles
The way to tackle malnutrition
News: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) has released the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5). There has been tardy progress in reducing undernutrition, wasting and stunting. What are the findings of NFHS 5? Read here: Union Health Ministry releases NFHS-5 Phase II Findings What are the lacunae in the system? Real-time monitoring of PDS is required… Continue reading The way to tackle malnutrition
A docket full of unresolved constitutional cases
News: There is a great asymmetry of power between the state and the citizen. Thus, one of the proposals during the making of the constitution was that petitions which challenge the violation of fundamental rights by the state should be decided within one month. The pendency of critical cases in the judiciary reflects that such proposals… Continue reading A docket full of unresolved constitutional cases
Storm surges and relief: Why India should rethink its cyclone response
News: Factors such as the cyclone’s intensity, high tides and topography results in storm surges, which are the principal cause of destruction in major cyclones. It is important that, in this period, we recognise that there is more to cyclone risk management than the total number of evacuees. However, the usual approach has certain deficiencies… Continue reading Storm surges and relief: Why India should rethink its cyclone response
Fresh air has become a luxury in Delhi
News: Supreme Court (SC) judges expressed dissatisfaction with the Delhi and central governments for not doing enough to correct the dire situation of pollution in NCR. As per the World Air Quality Report of 2020, published by IQAir, 22 out of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India. Delhi’s pollution, in… Continue reading Fresh air has become a luxury in Delhi
Cooperation awaits its “finding Raiffesisen” movement
News: India enacted legislation for cooperatives in 1904. All India rural credit survey committee in 1954 pointed out that the cooperatives have failed in their objective. How did the cooperative movement start? It started in Europe with pioneers like Friedrich Raiffeisen and Schulze-Delitzsch In Germany. They were based on principles of self-help, self-governance, and self-responsibility.… Continue reading Cooperation awaits its “finding Raiffesisen” movement
The brush with crypto offers some lessons for regulation
News: Technology innovation typically remains a step ahead of regulatory frameworks designed with current practices in mind. Problems occur when these innovations push the envelope beyond accepted codes of social and ethical behaviour. At present, innovations in two sectors are a cause of worry for India’s sectoral regulators: Proliferation of Cryptocurrency exchanges and unregulated digital… Continue reading The brush with crypto offers some lessons for regulation
On Blockchain: The next big tech revolution
News: Blockchain technology will be the next big tech revolution. What is blockchain technology? A blockchain is a digital ledger that allows parties to transact without a central authority as a trusted intermediary. Blockchain is not a new technology. Rather, it is an innovative way of using existing technologies. The technologies underpinning blockchain are asymmetric… Continue reading On Blockchain: The next big tech revolution
Wanted: New leaders to tackle climate change challenge
News: CoP 26 has been successful in making countries commit to climate change mitigation policies. However, many issues have still been left unaddressed due to politics. COP27, therefore, should be led by a collective of experts and leaders, who can accelerate the implementation of the action plan towards net-zero. In this context, climate change governance needs… Continue reading Wanted: New leaders to tackle climate change challenge
Neo-socialism: State’s expanding tech biz
News: Reuters recently reported that Visa Inc. had complained to the US government about India’s “informal and formal” promotion of domestic payments rival RuPay. In this context, state’s direct intervention in digital tech initiatives has been criticised by some as socialisation of fintech. What complaints have been raised by Visa Inc and Master card? Mastercard… Continue reading Neo-socialism: State’s expanding tech biz
