News: It seems that the Covid-19 pandemic may become endemic soon. In the last 2 years, Covid-19 has tested Indian governance among a number of other things. Therefore, it provides scope for learning a number of lessons from the recent covid experiences What lessons can be learnt from India’s experience with the Covid Pandemic? Firstly,… Continue reading 7 Lessons From The Pandemic
Author: Durai
Building faith in India’s investigative agencies
News: According to the CJI remarks, the institutions including the police and the investigative agencies are losing the public trust and social legitimacy. Their reputation has eroded due to allegations of corruption, police excesses, lack of impartiality and close nexus with the political class. What are the issues affecting the investigative agencies? The lack of… Continue reading Building faith in India’s investigative agencies
Quota and data: On Vanniyar quota verdict
News: Recently, the Supreme Court of India quashed the Tamil Nadu Special Reservation Act of 2021, or the Vanniyar quota law, on the ground that it was not based on updated quantifiable data. What was proposed in the legislation? Read here: Supreme Court strikes down Tamil Nadu’s 10.5% Vanniyar quota What were the issues in the… Continue reading Quota and data: On Vanniyar quota verdict
Caste analysis and it’s reading today
News: The caste is an important institution in Indian society. The institution of caste saw a new orientation during the ‘Mandal decade’ of the 1990s. However, the understanding of the caste institution is further being changed, and it is witnessing a new orientation after the novel coronavirus pandemic. Why is the study of OBCs important… Continue reading Caste analysis and it’s reading today
Over 15 years of incentivised institutional delivery: Has it ensured safe births?
News: Maternal mortality ratio (MMR), infant mortality rate and neonatal mortality rate (NMR) have not improved at the same pace as institutional births. About the growth in institutional births The share of India’s institutional deliveries increased to 88.6% in 2019-2021 (National Family Health Survey 5) from 40.8% in 2005-06 (NHFS 3). The nine targeted states… Continue reading Over 15 years of incentivised institutional delivery: Has it ensured safe births?
Forging a social contract for data
News: In February 2022, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) released the Data India Data Accessibility and Use Policy 2022 (or Draft Policy) for public consultation. What are the aims of the draft policy? It will help in overcoming a number of historical bottlenecks: (1) slow progress on the Open Government Data (OGD)… Continue reading Forging a social contract for data
About India-UAE CEPA: The UAE welcomes a wider India-GCC trade agreement’
What is the news? India-United Arab Emirates free trade agreement (FTA) is just over a month to go to come into force. India and the UAE in February signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). About the India-United Arab Emirates CEPA Aim: a) To facilitate higher investment flows for both countries, b) To ensure mutually… Continue reading About India-UAE CEPA: The UAE welcomes a wider India-GCC trade agreement’
Sri Lanka’s aggravating economic crisis
News: Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is aggravating rapidly, putting citizens through enormous hardship. Sri Lanka’s Consumer Price inflation is at 16.8%, and it must repay foreign debt totalling nearly $7 billion this year. Reason for the crisis Ever since the start of the pandemic, 1) Sri Lankan labourers in West Asian countries were left stranded… Continue reading Sri Lanka’s aggravating economic crisis
Himalayan griffon and steppe eagle: Vulture holocaust in Assam: Around 100 birds die due to ‘unintentional’ poisoning in Kamrup
What is the news? Recently, locals found the dead bodies of more than 95 Himalayan griffon vultures and a steppe eagle in Assam. The cause of death of the vultures according to the postmortem report was found to be pesticide poisoning. Note: Farmers spray the carcasses of cattle with pesticides (carbofuran) to kill the dogs.… Continue reading Himalayan griffon and steppe eagle: Vulture holocaust in Assam: Around 100 birds die due to ‘unintentional’ poisoning in Kamrup
Pumped storage hydro projects can help meet our energy goals
News: As per a study done by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), our storage requirement by 2030 is forecast at 41GW. So, there is a need for adopting grid-scale energy storage technologies to complement India’s energy sources and achieve India’s nationally-determined contributions (NDC). About the status of India’s electricity production and consumption India is the… Continue reading Pumped storage hydro projects can help meet our energy goals
