Synopsis: Floods have begun to affect an increasing area of India with rising intensity and frequency. Urban infrastructure is under severe pressure, and it’s unclear if we are prepared for worse. Introduction Incidents of floods in urban areas have been increasing year after year in India. Rainy season flooding in metro cities like Mumbai and… Continue reading Water water everywhere and we must stop to think
Category: 9 PM Daily Articles
India quest for a road to Central Asia
Synopsis: India can unlock a lot of economic and geostrategic potential if it can connect with Central Asian nations. Introduction Indian PM in a recently held SCO summit highlighted the importance of Central Asia. He also raised his concern over the connectivity issue with Central Asian countries because of the geographical disadvantage. What are the… Continue reading India quest for a road to Central Asia
Making parties constitutional
Synopsis: The majority of the countries do not provide constitutional status for Political parties. But it is time for making political parties constitutional. Introduction Political parties maintain a continuous connection between the people and those who represent them, either in government or in the opposition. But despite that, they do not provide constitutional status. What… Continue reading Making parties constitutional
The proposal to link Aadhaar with Voter ID is unconstitutional
Synopsis: Recently, ECI proposed de-duplication of Voter ID by linking it with Aadhar. This needs careful consideration. Introduction This week marks 3 years of the Puttaswamy judgement. In the Judgement, a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court (SC) had reduced the scope of the Aadhaar project to contain its risks to the privacy of citizens.… Continue reading The proposal to link Aadhaar with Voter ID is unconstitutional
Challenges like climate change call for farm research to take centre stage, just like during the Green Revolution
Synopsis: Agriculture and climate change are too important at present. So, research should take centre stage and Agriculture has to be left only to generalist bureaucrats, economists and activists. Introduction Recently, the Prime Minister has launched 35 different crop varieties with special traits. These Crop Varieties have been developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural… Continue reading Challenges like climate change call for farm research to take centre stage, just like during the Green Revolution
We require a more inclusive financial inclusion index
Synopsis: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) unveiled its newly conceptualized Financial Inclusion Index to “capture the extent of financial inclusion across the country”. For meaningful financial inclusion, we must have meaningful metrics in the public domain. Introduction RBI recently announced the formation of a composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) to capture the extent… Continue reading We require a more inclusive financial inclusion index
A lesson from China on gig workers’ rights
Synopsis: Recently, the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court demanding that the Union government provide assistance to workers affected by the pandemic. Introduction The petition has asked for ‘gig workers’ and ‘platform workers’ to be declared as ‘unorganised workers’ so they come under the purview of… Continue reading A lesson from China on gig workers’ rights
Quad v AUKUS: Anglos & Allies
Synopsis: This article explains the Anglosphere and India’s approach in international relations. Introduction The term Anglosphere includes a grouping of English-speaking countries. There is an aspect to the distinction between AUKUS and Quad that has not received adequate attention. AUKUS centres around the concept of an Anglosphere, but the Quad did not. Must read: AUKUS Security… Continue reading Quad v AUKUS: Anglos & Allies
What gives rise to the rural debt trap?
Synopsis: A large proportion of the rural population is still excluded from institutional finance. Lack of marketable collateral, credit demand for consumption purposes and informational constraints are the primary reasons for it. Introduction The All-India Debt and Investment Surveys (AIDIS), carried out by the National Statistical Office are among the most important nationally representative data… Continue reading What gives rise to the rural debt trap?
The fund without a care for the RTI
Synopsis: The PM openly seeks support for donations towards PM CARES. But given the non-transparent nature of this fund, it needs to be closely scrutinized. Introduction Transparency is the cornerstone of any democracy. The government demonstrated it with the enactment of the RTI Act. However, recent incidents around the PM CARES fund raise many questions.… Continue reading The fund without a care for the RTI
