Author: ForumIAS

Only about 50% of PAN cards linked to Aadhaar Context: The deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar is March 31 Introduction: As per the latest available information had so far been able to link only about 50% of the PAN cards issued to Aadhaar numbers. Share of private banks The private sector banks have about… Continue reading Only about 50% of PAN cards linked to Aadhaar

Right to avoid protracted pain Context: A five judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra,  in a landmark judgment legalised the right to die and approved ‘living will’ made by terminally-ill patients for passive euthanasia. Government arguments: “Suffering is a state of mind and a perception, which varies… Continue reading Right to avoid protracted pain

Rajasthan passes Bill to give death penalty for child rape Context: Rajasthan became the second State, after Madhya Pradesh, to pass a Bill providing for death penalty to those convicted of raping girls of 12 years and below. What has happened? The State Assembly passed the Bill seeking to amend the Indian Penal Code with… Continue reading Rajasthan passes Bill to give death penalty for child rape

SC upholds passive euthanasia Context: The Supreme Court has upheld passive euthanasia and the right to give advance medical directives or ‘Living Wills’ to smoothen the dying process as part of the fundamental right to live with dignity. More in news: A five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has recently… Continue reading SC upholds passive euthanasia

Trump hails ‘great progress’ on Korean nuclear crisis Context: U.S. President Donald Trump hailed “great progress” in attempts to resolve the Korean nuclear crisis after the White House said the President accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a face to face meeting. What has happened? The White House has portrayed the… Continue reading Trump hails ‘great progress’ on Korean nuclear crisis

Trade goes on Context: On 8th March, 11 Asia-Pacific countries, including Japan, Australia and Canada, signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in Chile. About CPTPP: The CPTPP incorporates the original Trans-Pacific partnership (TPP) agreement, with suspension of a limited number of provisions, while still seeking to maintain the high standard of the… Continue reading Trade goes on

A curse to science Context Observations made regarding predatory journals in noted a 2015 paper published in BMC Medicine Observations Alarming increase: In the last decade, predatory journals, which publish papers for a fee with little or no peer review, have become a curse to science. Despite the unethical business practices adopted by publishers of… Continue reading A curse to science

U.S. tariffs: ‘India must raise dispute at WTO’ Context India should drag the United States into the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) dispute mechanism against the latter’s move to hike import duties on steel and aluminium, as the decision will impact exports and is not in compliance with the global trade norms, experts said Expert view… Continue reading U.S. tariffs: ‘India must raise dispute at WTO’

Two-factor authentication gathering steam, shows survey Context A majority IT professionals in India expect their organisations to start using two-factor authentication to protect enterprise applications in the future, with almost half expecting this to happen within the next year, according to a private survey Benefit of two-step verification Two-factor authentication would be able to contribute… Continue reading Two-factor authentication gathering steam, shows survey

‘Bank recap should be part of broader reform package’ Context The IMF has said that the recapitalisation of India’s public sector banks should be part of a broader package of financial reforms to speed up the resolution of their massive non-performing assets, which has attracted attention in the backdrop of the Nirav Modi case Situation… Continue reading ‘Bank recap should be part of broader reform package’