Author: ForumIAS

Loan waiver is not the solution   Since Independence, one of the primary objectives of India’s agricultural policy has been to improve farmers’ access to institutional credit and reduce their dependence on informal credit Context: It is time that the country had revisited the credit policy with a focus on the outreach of banks and financial… Continue reading Loan waiver is not the solution  

Food prices spur CPI inflation to 3.58%  Context: According to the recently released data by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, retail inflation accelerated to 3.58% in October on the back of rising food and fuel prices. Introduction: Consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation rose to this financial year’s highest rate of 3.58 per cent… Continue reading Food prices spur CPI inflation to 3.58% 

Liquor sale ban exemption applies nationwide:SC  Context The July 11 order of the apex court that clarified the stretches of highways running through municipal areas were exempted from the ban was in news again as the question remains that whether the exemption granted to municipal areas in the July 11 order pertained to only municipal… Continue reading Liquor sale ban exemption applies nationwide:SC 

JPC on land Bill to seek eight extension  Context: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015, will seek the eighth extension in the upcoming Parliament session. Introduction: The JPC was set up in May 2015 to examine the Bill after it was opposed by many political parties, including allies of  the… Continue reading JPC on land Bill to seek eight extension 

Supreme court, diminished Context: The judiciary has created a crisis of institutional credibility for itself. Crisis situation for Judiciary: The Supreme Court of India is facing worst crisis of credibility since the Emergency. The quality of the court’s reasoning, the inconstancy of its judgment, the abdication of its constitutional role in some cases, and is… Continue reading Supreme court, diminished

Record diplomatic bodies UIN : Centre Context The government has clarified that sales or supply to foreign diplomatic missions or UN organisations will not have any additional effect on the supplier’s tax liability Supplies of such nature must be recorded along with the Unique Identification Number (UIN) of the recipient. What is Unique Identification Number… Continue reading Record diplomatic bodies UIN : Centre

The forgotten people Context The focus of the media has been on the Rohingya refugees in India. But the plight of Sri Lankan refugees, staying here for nearly 35 years, appears to have gone out of the public consciousness. The living condition of Sri Lankan refugees The condition of shelters, restrictions on movement, and limited… Continue reading The forgotten people

ASEAN summit: Modi hard-sells India as an attractive investment destination (The Hindu) And Eastern promise (The Hindu) Context Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Philippines to attend the ASEAN-India summit, the East Asia Summit and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership summit has put India centre-stage in the Asian region now referred to as “Indo-Pacific”. What… Continue reading ASEAN summit: Modi hard-sells India as an attractive investment destination (The Hindu) And Eastern promise (The Hindu)

Warm, warmer  Rich countries must pay more for plans to limit and deal with climate change Context: The recent 23rd conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate change in Bonn reveals the fact that developing countries including India are focusing on the imperatives of ensuring adequate financing for mitigation and adaptation. What has been… Continue reading Warm, warmer 

The aim is pollution control, not theatre Context: The Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, a statutory body set up under the Environment Protection Act as well as the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), led the shift to compressed natural gas in Delhi, to reduce air pollution. Introduction: The Supreme Court asked the… Continue reading The aim is pollution control, not theatre