Author: ForumIAS

Dark clouds across Asia  Context What awaits the Asia-Pacific in 2018? Prospects appear, if anything, bleaker than was the case in 2017. More disorder, coming with increasing signs of a breakdown in inter and intra-state relations, is perhaps on the horizon. The Asian region is nowhere near achieving the kind of equilibrium that the Concert… Continue reading Dark clouds across Asia 

Contested history Context The Lushai Expedition followed a devastating raid by Lushai tribesmen on the Alexanderpur tea estate in Cachar Lushai expedition The Lushai Expedition followed a devastating raid by Lushai tribesmen on the Alexanderpur tea estate in Cachar. Several were killed, including a planter, Winchester. The raiders also abducted Winchester’s six-year-old daughter, Mary Thereafter,… Continue reading Contested history

Kamala mills fire: Robeiro moves High Court seeking probe  Context Former city Commissioner of Police Julio F. Riberio moved the Bombay High Court on Tuesday, seeking a comprehensive fire safety audit, a special investigation team (SIT) and a judicial commission to fix accountability for the loss of 14 lives in the recent fire at two… Continue reading Kamala mills fire: Robeiro moves High Court seeking probe 

Army satisfied with Akash missile  Context The Army is fully satisfied with the performance of the indigenously developed Akash short-range surface-to-air missile (SR SAM) system and is looking for further performance enhancements in future Looks for performance enhancement of indigenously developed system Last month, the Army carried out the first user trial of the missile… Continue reading Army satisfied with Akash missile 

ISRO mulls launching 65 satellites for a slew of uses  Context The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set itself an ambitious to-do list of making and launching around 65 satellites for a slew of uses. They are planned to be realised over the period from 2017 to 2021, according to a top official They… Continue reading ISRO mulls launching 65 satellites for a slew of uses 

Goa bird festival to offer pelagic avian tour  Context Naturalists, guides and other resource persons to host workshops at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary Goa Bird Festival The second edition of the Goa Bird Festival will be held from January 12 to 14 at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Canacona. Organizers The State Forest department is organising the event with the… Continue reading Goa bird festival to offer pelagic avian tour 

Avoiding road kill  Context Roads must be kept out of wildlife corridors to protect tigers and other animals Recent Incident The tragic death of Bajirao, one of India’s breeding tigers from the Bor reserve in Maharashtra, on a highway is a reminder that building unsuitable roads through wildlife habitats has a terrible cost Contradictions in policy… Continue reading Avoiding road kill 

New Industrial policy in a few months: Commerce Minister Context The new industrial policy, which seeks to promote emerging sectors, will be released within a few months, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Tuesday. August draft envisaged attracting $100 billion in annual FDI The proposed policy, a draft of which has been prepared by the… Continue reading New Industrial policy in a few months: Commerce Minister

Agriculture needs a reforms package  Context Only an overhaul resembling the industrial liberalisation of 1991 will work Agriculture sector in a mess With rural economic anxieties acquiring a political voice, the expectation is that the Budget will focus on agriculture. For some time, the country has been in denial over the extent of the mess in the… Continue reading Agriculture needs a reforms package 

Question of equality  Context The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reconsider its 2013 order criminalising gay sex Earlier verdict A reconsideration of the flawed verdict in Suresh Kumar Koushal  is now in prospect A three-judge Bench has opened up an opportunity to reconsider that verdict, which came to the disturbing conclusion that the LGBT community was just a… Continue reading Question of equality