Author: ForumIAS

Three milestones in education  Every year in January, when the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is released, there is a hue and cry about the status of children’s learning in India. The hand-wringing, debates and discussions die down after some time. But this year’s situation is different. India is in a position right now… Continue reading Three milestones in education 

Rs. 370 cr. allotted for building border infra Context Laying emphasis on building infrastructure along the Indo-Pak and Sino-India borders, the government has sanctioned nearly Rs. 370 crore to the BSF and the ITBP for construction of bunkers and special climate-controlled huts in forward areas, an official said on Wednesday. BSF, ITBP will build bunkers,… Continue reading Rs. 370 cr. allotted for building border infra

INS Karanj boosts Navy’s firepower Context The Navy’s third state-of-the-art Scorpene class submarine, INS Karanj, was launched by Reena Lanba, wife of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba. The new submarine is named after the earlier Kalvari class INS Karanj, which was decommissioned in 2003. Third Scorpene class submarine joins Naval fleet Six Scorpene class submarines… Continue reading INS Karanj boosts Navy’s firepower

Power of a single identity Context Indian activists echo American conservatives of the 1930s, but Aadhaar is the best tool to administer the subsidy regime Social Security Act of US The United States enacted the landmark Social Security Act in 1935, giving birth to the Social Security Number (SSN). The debate leading up to the… Continue reading Power of a single identity

‘Data safety: few firms ready Context With less than four months to go for the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation to kick in, “too many companies are still not prepared” for the regime that would also cover Indian IT firms, according to a global survey. Only 33% have plans to comply with the EU rule: EY survey… Continue reading ‘Data safety: few firms ready

Making financial savings less taxing Context Bumping up the household savings rate and nudging savers to park their surpluses in financial assets have always been high on the agenda of Indian Finance Ministers. Fully aware of this, different arms of the financial services industry — insurers, banks, intermediaries, mutual funds — usually present a long… Continue reading Making financial savings less taxing

Budget expected to focus on direct taxes Context While there are unlikely to be any major changes in indirect tax as most of them are now under the purview of the Goods and Services Tax Council, Budget 2018 could have several positive changes on the direct tax side, according to analysts. Effort will be to ensure… Continue reading Budget expected to focus on direct taxes