Author: ForumIAS

Don’t dump this junk here, says SC Context: The Centre had come to the court with the voluminous affidavit containing a collection of schemes, official correspondence and other documents on solid waste management across the country. But the court refused to take it on record.’ Dengue death The court was hearing a PIL on the… Continue reading Don’t dump this junk here, says SC

RBI likely to keep repo rate on hold (The Hindu ) Context: The six-member monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), is expected to maintain the status quo for the third straight review meeting as retail inflation is hovering close to the central bank’s upper tolerance limit. Introduction: Consumer price index-based inflation… Continue reading Untitled

The manufacturing muddle Context: The Union Budget has reinforced the correction of the Inverted Duty Structure (IDS) which has adversely impacted manufacturing for decades. Inverted Duty Structure (IDS): Inverted duty structure is a situation where import duty on finished goods is low compared to the import duty on raw materials that are used in the… Continue reading The manufacturing muddle

A roster of questions  Context: The allocation of cases in the Supreme Court, with division of work among the judges according to various subject categories, raises more questions rather than being fair and transparent. The new roster: The new roster for allocation of cases in the Supreme Court comes in the light of dissatisfaction at… Continue reading A roster of questions 

NGT seeks report on rainwater harvesting Context: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed the Delhi government to submit within three weeks a report on the number of flyovers here having rainwater harvesting systems. Why is in news? The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Mehrauli resident Vinod Kumar Jain who sought directions to… Continue reading NGT seeks report on rainwater harvesting

Air pollution behind poor lung capacity among kids: study Context: A report released by the Hazards Centre revealed that air pollution is behind poor lung capacity among children in Delhi About the Study: Particulate matter pollution was monitored over 15 different locations in Delhi The study was conducted for more than three months in a… Continue reading Air pollution behind poor lung capacity among kids: study

Biologics, patents and drug prices  Context: The global sales of the world’s best-selling prescription drug, Humira, continue to grow even after the expiry of the patent over its main ingredient, Adalimumab, a biologic used for the treatment of arthritis. Background: By 2020, AbbVie Inc, makers of Humira, expects its sales to touch $21 billion —… Continue reading Biologics, patents and drug prices 

India successfully test-fires nuclear capable Prithvi-II Context: India successfully test-fires its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range in Odisha About Prithvi-II: It was the surface- to-surface missile, with a strike range of 350 km. It was carried out from a mobile launcher… Continue reading India successfully test-fires nuclear capable Prithvi-II

In inflation’s shadow Context: The RBI has stressed the need for vigilance on price stability amid inflationary risks What has happened?  RBI has held the policy repo rate at 6% citing risks of inflation. In December, The RBI had made a projection for inflation in the range of 4.3-4.7% in the six months through March… Continue reading In inflation’s shadow

The formal-informal divide Context: There is an investment slowdown in India, which is delaying a fully fledged recovery in the economy. The fall is so severe that it has more than offset the government’s macroeconomic stimulus of increased public investments. Reasons for the slowdown: The private investments slowdown is statistically visible chiefly in the informal… Continue reading The formal-informal divide