Author: ForumIAS

‘China quietly holding talks with Baloch militants for CPEC’ Context: According to a media report, China has been quietly holding talks with Baloch militants in Pakistan’s restive Baluchistan province for over five years to protect its $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative. What is the issue? The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir… Continue reading ‘China quietly holding talks with Baloch militants for CPEC’

‘China deploys warships in Indian Ocean’ Context: According to a Chinese website, a Chinese naval contingent has been deployed in the East Indian Ocean What is in news? According to the report, the Blue 2018A fleet of the Chinese Navy has been training in the East Indian Ocean for a ‘week or so’ The website… Continue reading ‘China deploys warships in Indian Ocean’

Meet Avani, first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo Context: Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi has become the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo Details: She flew a MiG-21 Bison She undertook the sortie from IAF’s Jamnagar base Three women pilots — Ms. Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh — had… Continue reading Meet Avani, first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo

Magnificent launch Context: On February 7, U.S. tech and automobiles billionaire Elon Musk made history when the Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful rocket, was successfully launched by SpaceX About Falcon Heavy: The Falcon Heavy is a large cargo-lifting rocket developed by private spaceflight company SpaceX The rocket lifted from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in… Continue reading Magnificent launch

‘Niti Aayog working on new list of sick PSUs’ Context : CEO Amitabh Kant has said that NITI Aayog has been working on a new list of sick and loss making Public Sector Units (PSUs) that could be privatised Details: NITI Aayog has already given recommendations with regard to strategic disinvestment of 40 PSUs. Department… Continue reading ‘Niti Aayog working on new list of sick PSUs’

RBI: inflation could spur shift in stance Context: RBI Governor Urjit Patel observed that consumer price inflation was the main yardstick to determine policy rates. Why in news? The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) could shift from its current ‘neutral’ policy stance to a ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ stance if headline… Continue reading RBI: inflation could spur shift in stance

The nuts and bolts of a fraud Context: Recently, PNB found that the SWIFT system had been misused by junior-level branch officials, who had fraudulently issued letters of undertaking (LoUs) on behalf of some companies for availing buyers credit from overseas branches of Indian banks. How did the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam work? Diamond… Continue reading The nuts and bolts of a fraud

As the borders begin to close Context: After the global financial crisis in 2008, the world has begun looking to developing nations to show the way to high economic growth and development. Emerging economies involved in influencing global economic policies: Emerging economies, India and China for example, have become increasingly involved in influencing global economic… Continue reading As the borders begin to close

‘New law cannot cure past breach’ Context: Mere absence of a law can be cured by subsequently enacting one with a retroactive effect, but this new law cannot cure “breaches” that occurred prior to it, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud observed orally during a Constitution Bench hearing in the Aadhaar challenge. Introduction: The judge, who is a… Continue reading ‘New law cannot cure past breach’

Learning from Cauvery Context:   Supreme Court judgement on Cauvery water dispute highlights the role of water sharing issues on election outcomes About the Judgement: The overall allocation of Karnataka was increased by 14.75 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) at the cost of Tamil Nadu. The enhanced allocation includes 4.75 tmc ft exclusively for… Continue reading Learning from Cauvery