Author: ForumIAS

CVC witnesses a dramatic drop in complaints  What has happened? The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) saw a dramatic drop in the total number of complaints received by it in 2017, keeping in line with the drop in actions by various government departments in cracking down on corruption. The 23,609 complaints received in 2017 by the… Continue reading CVC witnesses a dramatic drop in complaints

PM to address Swachhagrahis in Bihar’s Champaran today  What has happened? Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address 20,000 Swachhagrahis (cleanliness ambassadors) in Motihari of East Champaran district on Tuesday to mark the concluding ceremony of Champaran Satyagraha centenary celebrations started by the State government last year. The PM is also scheduled to flag off the… Continue reading PM to address Swachhagrahis in Bihar’s Champaran today

Patents and protecting public health  Context Seeking full disclosure on how patents are working locally through Form 27 will help promote innovation Section 83 of the Patents Act, 1970 It lays out the general principles of the working of the patented inventions in India Section 83 states that the grant of patents is not solely… Continue reading Patents and protecting public health

Cauvery: SC slams Centre’s inaction  What has happened? The Supreme Court on Monday rapped the Centre for not framing a water-sharing scheme for the Cauvery and ordered it to prove its “bona fides” by submitting a draft scheme by May 3  Background: The court was primarily hearing a contempt petition filed by Tamil Nadu against… Continue reading Cauvery: SC slams Centre’s inaction

Raja Mandala: India’s China reset and BRI  Context At the annual Boao forum in Hainan this week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to present himself as the new champion of globalisation and castigate the unilateral economic actions of US President Donald Trump  New economic leader China might project itself as new global economic leader amidst… Continue reading Raja Mandala: India’s China reset and BRI

The Nepal reset Context Resetting Indo-Nepal ties  Way forward Completion of the ongoing process of updating the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship Nepal acknowledging that its citizens have benefited from the ease of employment and residence in India that the treaty provides India must recognise that as in all other developing economies, Nepal’s aspirational… Continue reading The Nepal reset

A register by the people Context The draft National Forest Policy identifies threats to forests, but does not provide systems for public involvement. Question asked How much forest cover does India actually have? Data: State of Forests report Forest cover had increased in India by 0.21% in 2017 from 2015 but at the same time… Continue reading A register by the people

Banks seek review of RBI norms on restructuring of stressed assets What has happened? The central bank has issued new rules to ensure faster recovery of bad loans, as banks could recover only Rs 7,106 crore of written-off loans till December 31, 2017 while a total of Rs 84,272 crore worth of bad loans were written-off… Continue reading Banks seek review of RBI norms on restructuring of stressed assets

Internal e-waybills in 5 States from April 15 What has happened? The Union government on Tuesday announced that it would be rolling out the e-waybill system for intra-State transport of goods in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh on April 15 In phases The GST Council had said it would roll out the… Continue reading Internal e-waybills in 5 States from April 15