News: Recently, the Group of Twenty (G20) was facing the heat of disruption. The G7 group of rich nations have ganged. Their leaders walked out of a meeting of G20 finance ministers demanding Russia’s ouster. The developed countries have threatened to prevent the convening of the World Trade Organisation’s 12th ministerial meeting. About G20 It… Continue reading Ride Between East & West
Author: Luv Sharma
Electric vehicles have a dark side too: Blood batteries and child labour
Context: EVs are being pitched as cleaner, greener and sustainable. But are they? Underlying the shiny exteriors of an electric vehicle lies a shocking story of blood batteries, extreme poverty and child labour. Contents1 What is the usage of Cobalt in production of EVs?2 What are the humanitarian problems associated with production of EVs?3 Is… Continue reading Electric vehicles have a dark side too: Blood batteries and child labour
PDS has had a spectacular run. That may not last
Context: Its golden chapter was scripted in an environment of low global commodity prices and surplus domestic foodgrain production. That party is over, even as food inflation is back. Why was the 2020-21 year very important for the agricultural sector? (1) In 2020-21, Agriculture was the only sector to grow at 3.3%, even as the… Continue reading PDS has had a spectacular run. That may not last
Public Sector Banks must move beyond recapitalization bonds
News: Recently, the public sector banks (PSBs) had a huge amount of gross non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans. It peaked at ₹8.96 trillion or around 14.6% of total loans in March 2018. However, the gross NPAs have fallen to ₹5.59 trillion, or around 7.9% of total loans as of December 2021. What are the challenges before… Continue reading Public Sector Banks must move beyond recapitalization bonds
“India as a democratic superpower
News: India is the world’s third-largest economy, at least in purchasing power terms. Further, it has been argued that India has emerged as a democratic superpower capable of providing the leadership that the world needs. What are the geopolitical and other challenges in front of the international community? Russia has launched an unprovoked war against… Continue reading “India as a democratic superpower
Mission Antyodaya’ should not fall by the wayside
Context: Recently, the Mission Antyodaya Project related report on infrastructure and service gaps and the other on a composite index have been released so far. The Government of India launched the mission in 2017-18 to revive the objectives of the great democratic reforms in India. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Rural… Continue reading Mission Antyodaya’ should not fall by the wayside
Data-dependent policy
Context: Recently, the World Bank and the other by the International Monetary Fund published two different papers to assess the level of poverty in India. They concluded that poverty in India had declined considerably in recent years. In this backdrop, the government has done well to restart the consumer expenditure survey process because the survey… Continue reading Data-dependent policy
Common values, shared threats in India-Australia cyber security ties
Context: The signing of India-Australia ECTA is a concrete example of the bilateral faith in common values, and understanding of threats and goals. A reflection of this is cooperation in cybersecurity. Contents1 Significance of cybersecurity as an important area of cooperation2 Efforts to promote cooperation in cybersecurity b/w India and Aus3 What steps have been… Continue reading Common values, shared threats in India-Australia cyber security ties
Women entrepreneurs need digital empowerment
Context: A digital gap highlighted by the covid pandemic must be bridged for progress to be made on entrepreneurial gender parity. Contents1 Why women entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged in the society?2 What is the present situation wrt women entrepreneurship in India?3 What are the reasons for low participation in workforce and entrepreneurship?4 What are… Continue reading Women entrepreneurs need digital empowerment
Cities will drive growth, but only if we build right: Follow master plans, develop transit networks, grow vertically, conserve water, recruit urban managers
Context: Urbanisation will be the single biggest agent of growth in the next few decades in India, but only if we design optimum policies alongside. What is the scale of urbanisation in India? India is already the second-largest urban system in the world with 11% of the total global urban population living in Indian cities.… Continue reading Cities will drive growth, but only if we build right: Follow master plans, develop transit networks, grow vertically, conserve water, recruit urban managers
