Author: ForumIAS

The soft power of India Context A mere wish to be praised as a global or regional power should not be allowed to guide our foreign policy What has happened? There is a lot of talk these days, not so much among government circles as among the ‘strategic community’, about India being a major or… Continue reading The soft power of India

Still using chemical weapons  Context On the latest suspected attack in Douma, Syria What has happened? The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is a Hague-based intergovernmental body that works for the elimination of chemical weapons. It was formed after the Chemical Weapons Convention — an arms control treaty that bans the production,… Continue reading Still using chemical weapons 

India, U.K. resolve to lower trade barriers What has happened? India and the U.K. on Wednesday decided to build on the recommendations of a joint trade review to reduce barriers. At his meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that there would be no dilution in the importance of… Continue reading India, U.K. resolve to lower trade barriers

Kailadevi tiger births a pointer to space crunch Context Overpopulation in Ranthambore forces the big cats to often move to the adjacent wildlife reserve What has happened? The birth of two tiger cubs in the Kailadevi wildlife sanctuary of Rajasthan’s Karauli district recently has gladdened wildlife enthusiasts across the country, but it also points to… Continue reading Kailadevi tiger births a pointer to space crunch

Should military spending be increased? Context India risks its national security withlow allocations to defence spending  What has happened? For a developing country that is committed to enhancing the quality of life of its citizens, defence is usually the last thing on the nation’s mind. Yet, no government that is committed to such a cause… Continue reading Should military spending be increased?

NSA to head new Defence panel What has happened? The new permanent higher defence management committee headed by the National Security Adviser can help improve India’s defence planning in the long term, but may end up having no noticeable impact if the present government does not return to power in 2019, several military sources and… Continue reading NSA to head new Defence panel

NREGA v minimum farm wages: How jobs Act is losing out to funds crunch Context Low NREGA wages  What has happened? The NREGA was enacted in 2005 “for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial… Continue reading NREGA v minimum farm wages: How jobs Act is losing out to funds crunch

Reviewing the Contempt of Courts Act Context The Law Commission on why the Act should remain as it is  Contempt of Courts Act The Contempt of Courts Act of 1971 is one of the most powerful statutes in the country It gives the constitutional courts wide powers to restrict an individual’s fundamental right to personal… Continue reading Reviewing the Contempt of Courts Act

Under scrutiny Context The proposal to bring the BCCI under the RTI reflects rising public expectation  What has happened? The Lodha Committee recommended that the board be treated as a public authority under the RTI Act, and the Supreme Court wanted the Law Commission to examine this suggestion. The Central Information Commission favoured the idea… Continue reading Under scrutiny

PIL has become an ‘industry of vested interests’: SC Context Supreme Court says it is a travesty of justice for the resources of the legal system to be consumed by an avalanche of misdirected public interest petitions  What has happened? The Supreme Court on Thursday ridiculed the Loya PIL petitions as a case in point… Continue reading PIL has become an ‘industry of vested interests’: SC