Author: ForumIAS

Collegium allotting cases will cause chaos’ What has happened? Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal on Friday differed with a plea by former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan to have a collegium of Supreme Court judges collectively allocate cases in the court rather than leave the entire power in the hands of the Chief Justice of India in his… Continue reading Collegium allotting cases will cause chaos’

‘India should get sanctions waiver’ Context Mattis seeks changes in anti-Russia law What has happened? The Secretary of State should be allowed to grant waiver to countries such as India that will otherwise come under American sanctions under a new law that intends to target Russia, Secretary of Defense James Mattis told lawmakers on Thursday… Continue reading ‘India should get sanctions waiver’

Archaeologists find child sacrifice site in Peru What has happened? Archaeologists in Peru have found evidence of the biggest-ever sacrifice of children, uncovering the remains of more than 140 youngsters who were slain alongside 200 llamas as part of a ritual offering some 550 years ago, National Geographic announced in a study Ancient pre-Columbian people said to… Continue reading Archaeologists find child sacrifice site in Peru

Australia pledges half a billion to restore Great Barrier Reef What has happened? Australia pledged Aus $500 million ($379 million) in new funding to restore and protect the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday, in what it said would be a game-changer for the embattled natural wonder Canberra criticised Canberra has previously committed more than Aus$2… Continue reading Australia pledges half a billion to restore Great Barrier Reef

Food first  Context There is no substitute for hot-cooked mealsto address poor child nutrition Attempts to commercialise Tinkering with the existing national programme of providing hot-cooked meals to children three to six years old, and take-home rations for younger children and pregnant and lactating mothers is fraught with danger Attempts to substitute meals or rations… Continue reading Food first 

Nutrition panel drops Maneka proposal Context Panel rejects idea to replace ready-to-eat food rations with energy-dense nutrient packets for beneficiaries What has happened? The National Council on Nutrition (NCN) has unanimously rejected Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) Maneka Gandhi’s proposal to replace ready-to-eat food as take-home dry rations with energy-dense nutrient packets… Continue reading Nutrition panel drops Maneka proposal

Crying need to secure uncharted cyber frontiers Context As the world’s second-largest digital nation, India’s biggest risk in 2017, according to the FICCI–Pinkerton India Risk Survey 2017, was in the area of ‘information and cyber insecurity’ for business operations. Incidents India was the third-worst affected country during the WannaCry ransomware attacks in May 2017 In… Continue reading Crying need to secure uncharted cyber frontiers

Foreign fund flow till Apr. the lowest since 2011 What has happened? Government data showed that the Indian economy grew 7.2% in the quarter ended December 31 while the Chinese economy expanded by 6.8%. Reasons Impact of higher oil prices, Indian banking system’s struggle with note ban, bad loans and polls among reasons Overall bearish… Continue reading Foreign fund flow till Apr. the lowest since 2011

On a wing and a prayer Context Can India make commercial planes? In a decade or two, it could, with serious funding, govt. incentives What has happened? India is poised to become the world’s third-biggest aviation market in seven years with more than 20% growth, after China and the U.S. Rising demand To meet demand,… Continue reading On a wing and a prayer

An antidote to virtual toxicity Context How good journalism can help tackle disinformation What has happened? A regulatory framework that balances free speech and accountability is one of the hallmarks of a mature democracy. In this context, the latest recommendations by the European Commission (EC) to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and… Continue reading An antidote to virtual toxicity