Must Read News Articles – November 20

 Archives

GS 2:

International relations:

Next Door Nepal: Whose dam is it, anyway?(Indian Express)

Budhi Gandaki project has become a battleground for Indian, Chinese interests.

‘Bodh Gaya attack was to avenge Rohingya killings’(The Hindu)

The Juvenile Justice Board that held an 18-year-old boy guilty of planting explosives at the Bodh Gaya temple complex in Bihar in 2013 has said the attack was to avenge the atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Pacific oceans’ 11(The  Hindu Editorial)

The revival of the Trans-Pacific Partnership minus the U.S. opens opportunities for India

Indian constitution and polity:

SC lets kin join terminally-ill Ukrainian prisoner(The Hindu)

The Supreme Court allowed a prayer by a terminally-ill Ukranian prisoner in Chennai that his fundamental right to life includes the right to die with dignity in the company of family members.

Making caste slur on SC/ST over phone an offence, says SC(The Hindu)

The  Supreme Court has ruled that using casteist remarks over phone in a public place against the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category amounts to criminal offence, warranting a jail of a maximum five years.

New J&K surrender policy to target local militants(The Hindu)

With a fresh surrender policy being framed by the government, the Army and the J&K Police, in a joint appeal on Sunday, asked all local militants to give up arms and assured them “full cooperation” to join the mainstream. Over 130 local militants are still active in the Valley.

The Constitution conundrum(The Hindu)

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his team’s attempts to change the Constitution have been facing a series of obstacles. President Maithripala Sirisena and his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) are not enthusiastically backing the reforms initiative and almost all Buddhist monks are opposed to any constitutional change.

GS 3:

Economy:

In Fact: Ratings upgrade lifts mood, but key economic tasks remain(Indian Express)

India’s relationship with global ratings agencies is complicated, swinging between warm and frosty, appreciative and strongly critical.

India Inc: who’s growing, who’s slowing(The Hindu)

Quarterly numbers suggest many sectors staged a comeback from demonetisation, facing only a minor hurdle in GST

Over 200 govt. websites made Aadhaar details public: UIDAI(The Hindu)

More than 200 Central and State government websites publicly displayed details such as names and addresses of some Aadhaar beneficiaries, the Unique Identification Authority of India has said.

RBI to launch multimedia campaign(The Hindu)

The Reserve Bank is planning to launch a full-fledged multimedia and multilingual campaign to create general awareness among citizens of its regulations and initiatives.

More than just a counting game(The Hindu Editorial)

Urban India must focus on more than toilets to address sanitation woes

Centre readies institutional body to push electric mobility(The Hindu)

The government plans to set up a committee for an institutional framework on large-scale adoption of electric vehicles in India as a viable clean energy mode — particularly for shared mass transport — to help bring down alarming levels of pollution in big cities.

 ‘Wilful defaulters must not buy IBC assets’(The Hindu)

To ensure the success of the bankruptcy  process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the Finance Ministry has asked banks to be vigilant to ensure that wilful defaulters are prevented from buying stressed assets again, official sources said.

Environment:

BS-VI emission norms for vehicles: So near and yet so far, here is why(Indian Express)

Govt now wants superclean fuel in Delhi by April next year. Can automakers supply the cars? What are the practical, financial and technological hurdles to meeting the deadlines on govt’s clean fuel roadmap?

Before 2020(Indian Express)

Friction over finances forced the Bonn conference to stretch more than half-a-day beyond its scheduled closing date. The CoP 23 declaration did finally mention financial and technology transfers. But that is, at best, a procedural victory for the developing countries.

How succulents survive without water decoded(The Hindu)

Drought-resistant plants such as cacti and succulents, make use of an enhanced form of photosynthesis to minimise water loss, scientists say.