Author: ForumIAS

A necessary reform  Context Eliminating conflict of interest Author’s contention Author contends that there is a need for removing discretion and codifying the conflict of interest inherent in having senior bureaucrats assuming corporate roles post-resignation or retirement Conflict of interest Vested interests have increasingly captured regulatory boards — consider the case of the Food Safety… Continue reading A necessary reform 

Taking on the gatekeepers  Context As long as courts affirm ‘community’ claims, don’t expect the Censor Board to protect free speech Backdrop Censor board has constituted a six-member panel was being constituted to review the film Padmavati, before it could be granted a censor certificate and publicly exhibited. Members of the panel include historians as well as… Continue reading Taking on the gatekeepers 

‘Punish the guilty for their crimes, not their poverty’  Context A convict’s poverty should not be the reason for him to spend years in prison even after serving a substantial prison sentence, that too, merely because he is unable to pay the fine amount the criminal court had imposed on him, the Supreme Court said… Continue reading ‘Punish the guilty for their crimes, not their poverty’ 

India yet to find reason for darkening Siang  Context The Union government has conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities, including at the highest levels of the government, on the unusual darkening of the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal said in reply to… Continue reading India yet to find reason for darkening Siang 

Ancient jumping genes may give corals new lease of life  What has happened? Scientists have identified a gene that improves the heat tolerance of the algae that live symbiotically with coral species, and could potentially help the corals adapt to some warming Effect of rising temperatures Symbiodinium is a unicellular algae that provides its coral… Continue reading Ancient jumping genes may give corals new lease of life 

Alternative drugs for mild infection the way  Context Drug resistance News Developing alternatives to antibiotics for small infections could prevent bacteria from developing drug-resistance and help humans win the battle against superbugs, scientists say Backdrop It has been widely reported that bacteria will evolve to render antibiotics mostly ineffective by mid-century, and current strategies to… Continue reading Alternative drugs for mild infection the way 

Googles new AI system can atriculate like humans  Context In a major step towards its “AI first” dream, Google has developed a text-to-speech artificial intelligence (AI) system that will confuse you with its human-like articulation Tacotron 2 The tech giant’s text-to-speech system called “Tacotron 2” delivers an AI-generated computer speech that almost matches with the… Continue reading Googles new AI system can atriculate like humans 

IBBI registration must for asset valuation  Context Professionals carrying out asset valuations under Companies Act and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code will have to get themselves registered with Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) from April to conduct such activities, an official statement said on Monday Registration mandatory With effect from April 1, 2018, for… Continue reading IBBI registration must for asset valuation 

Real Estate Act yet to show teeth  Context RERA News Only 20,000 housing projects have been registered under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, six months after the legislation seeking to protect the interests of homebuyers came into force last May This is just a fraction of the under-construction and proposed housing projects… Continue reading Real Estate Act yet to show teeth 

The money trail Context Government’s warning against cryptocurrencies What has happened? The government has joined the Reserve Bank of India in cautioning potential customers about investing in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, likening them to ponzi schemes where investors risk losing their money Price fluctuation The price of bitcoin, the most popular of all cryptocurrencies, not only shot up… Continue reading The money trail