Author: ForumIAS

Tweaks to pact with S. Korea mooted: Context India is looking to plug loopholes in its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with South Korea following concerns over a recent sudden surge in imports of gold and related articles from that country. What is the issue? There is a probability of ‘criminal angle’ behind the recent rapid… Continue reading Tweaks to pact with S. Korea mooted:

India under U.S. pressure to scale down ties with North Korea:  Context Following the North Korean missile tests, visiting U.S. officials have asked India to cut down ties with Pyongyang. Why such pressure? American pressure on the issue has been rising over the last few months even as India joined Japan last week in describing… Continue reading India under U.S. pressure to scale down ties with North Korea: 

Liberalization’s impact on gender discrimination:  Context Economic reforms have not reduced gender discrimination. What is the issue? Conventional wisdom suggests that gender discrimination should have declined in India because of the economic liberalization in early 1990s. Increased market competition forces firms to eliminate inefficient discriminatory practices, including gender discrimination. The room for hiring their own… Continue reading Liberalization’s impact on gender discrimination: 

How Tez works:  Context: Google’s entry into India’s payment wallet app market What is Google Tez? Google Tez is a mobile wallet based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform built by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). How does it work? It permits users to transfer money without the recipient’s bank account details.… Continue reading How Tez works: 

Norms eased for fund raising by REITs, InvITs:  Context: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has relaxed the guidelines for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) What do REITs and InvITs do? REITs allow investors to invest in real estate InvITs allow one to invest in infrastructure projects. Which… Continue reading Norms eased for fund raising by REITs, InvITs: 

From naysayer to leader:  Context As US President Donald Trump appears before the United Nations General Assembly this week for the first time and outlines his controversial worldview, the Indian delegation led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has an opportunity to build on the new pragmatism in Delhi’s multilateral diplomacy. A change in foreign… Continue reading From naysayer to leader: 

Gauging the status quo:  Brief Overview of the article The article majorly talks about two issues. 1)      BRICS- recent summit, scope etc. 2)      Bilateral meetings between India and China, and India and Russia that took place on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. 3)      The road after Doklam. BRICS The Xiamen Declaration– significant exclusions, inconsequential… Continue reading Gauging the status quo: 

Rohingya have terror links: Centre: Context The current crisis of the Rohingya refugees is getting aggravated day by day and India as a country which has always maintained a humanitarian stand has not taken any positive stand on this issue, till now. Why is the Government refraining from lending a helping hand? The Centre told… Continue reading Rohingya have terror links: Centre:

Reimagining the OBC quota:  Context The biggest challenge India faces is that the disadvantaged groups consist of a very large segment of Indian society, while public policies are highly limited in scope. How is the Job to Claimants ratio? The National Sample Survey (NSS) data from 2011-12 show that about 19% of the sample claims… Continue reading Reimagining the OBC quota: 

U.S. defence firms want grip on technology in Make-in-India plan: Context: The issue of technology transfer in arms deals What are the major defence firms in the fray to join the Make-in-India initiative? Lockheed Martin and Boeing are among the companies bidding for contracts. What are the concerns raised? Foreign arms manufacturers concerned over legal… Continue reading U.S. defence firms want grip on technology in Make-in-India plan: