Author: ForumIAS

Aadhaar not ‘totalitarian’: Centre  (Argument in the court over Aadhaar) Context Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal on Friday objected to arguments made by petitioners Advocate Shyam Divan that Aadhaar was driving India into a “concentration camp.” The argument The Supreme Court had pinpointed that constitutionality of the scheme for Aadhaar has to be decided “once and for… Continue reading Aadhaar not ‘totalitarian’: Centre 

Prelims Related News Curcumin nanoparticles found to shorten TB treatment time Context Basic ingredient of turmeric is five times more ‘bio-available’ in mice than in the regular one. Findings Curcumin, the basic ingredient of turmeric, when administered in a nanoparticle formulation has several favourable properties in the treatment of tuberculosis in mice. Nanoparticle curcumin are… Continue reading Prelims Related News

Easier access to H1N1 medicines raises fears of drug resistance (The Hindu) Context Misuse may lead to situations of anti-viral medications turning ineffective. Issue and Concerns There are concerns regarding a build-up of resistance to antiviral drugs used to treat swine flu surfacing, after two such drugs Oseltamivir and Zanamivir were taken off the restrictive… Continue reading Easier access to H1N1 medicines raises fears of drug resistance

Debt funds as an Investment Option (IGST). Context: The Centre has through a notification and a circular eased the paper work required to export goods without the exporter having paid the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST). Introduction: According to the GST Rules, traders who wanted to export without paying IGST had to provide a… Continue reading Debt funds as an Investment Option (IGST).

Power games at the tri-junction: Army in for the long haul in Dokalam:  Indian troops are set to stay at Doklam Context India troops are ready to confront Chinese activity beneath Bhutan’s border line. Recent developments Chinese commotion beneath Bhutan’s claim line has pushed the area towards crucial ridge-line. This has numerous implications especially widening… Continue reading Power games at the tri-junction: Army in for the long haul in Dokalam: 

Law, morality, triple talaq:  (Triple Talaq-a conflict between law and morality) Context: The issue is not whether triple talaq is an essential practice of Islam, but whether it is an essential practice of the Hanafi school. The difference: The concept of “sin” draws on blind beliefs based on morality and no court can make something… Continue reading Law, morality, triple talaq: 

Seeds of a million tyrannies:  (Seeds of a million tyrannies) Context: The anti-minority violence in India is witnessing a change not principally because of its scale, but because of the processes engendering it. Introduction: Formìggini’s despairing suicide is a useful prism to contemplate the silence of India as it is confronted with the religious right’s… Continue reading Seeds of a million tyrannies: 

Prelims Related News Japan’s men-only island gets UNESCO heritage tag: (No-Women’s Land gets Recognition) The tiny landmass of Okinoshima, manned by a Shinto priest, gets the recognition of World Heritage site by UNESCO. Introduction: A men-only island in Japan where women are banned and male visitors must bathe naked in the sea before visiting its… Continue reading Japan’s men-only island gets UNESCO heritage tag:

India’s potential for leading global growth: (Live Mint, Editorial) (India’s dominance over the coming decades) Context: India took over from its neighbour as the “economic pole of global growth” over the past few years and will remain so at least through the decade to 2050. Introduction: India fell behind China in the last quarter of… Continue reading India’s potential for leading global growth:

China’s road in Doka La is headed for Thimphu:  (India – China historical complications) Context China upset with India and keeping an eye on Bhutan. Chronological events To understand the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction dispute, one needs to be acquainted with the historical facts. The Anglo-Chinese convention of 1890 poses that Sikkim-Tibet boundary “line commences at Mount… Continue reading China’s road in Doka La is headed for Thimphu: