Author: Ram Manohar

Source: The Hindu Relevance: This article is an example of a non-implementation of the Supreme Court’s judgment at ground level. Synopsis: The invalid Sec. 66A is often invoked out of ignorance and is used as a tool of harassment. What is the issue? Section 66A of the IT Act was struck down as unconstitutional six… Continue reading Undead section

Source: Indian Express Relevance: Articles highlight the need for reforms in India’s education system. Synopsis: Need reforms on governance, performance management, and English instruction to strengthen public education in India. Background The proportion of India’s children attending a government school has now declined to 45 percent. Whereas this number is 85 percent in America, 90… Continue reading Falling government school enrolment is alarming and it needs to be addressed soon

Source: The Hindu Relevance: Resolution of the Afghan issue is important for ascertaining peace in South Asia. India will also suffer from the spillover of this issue. Synopsis: An air of uncertainty surrounds Afghanistan, and it needs to think over the future of its land. Contents1 Background:2 What are the consequences of the USA’s intervention?3… Continue reading Troubling prospects in Afghanistan

Source: Indian Express Relevance: Civil societies work as an important pillar for strengthening democracy and governance. Synopsis:  Not strengthening civil society organisations and the deepening of checks and balances work will result in governance failure. This address must be resolved immediately. Introduction India’s civil society consists of Grassroots organisations that connect to the last mile… Continue reading Civil society must accept its failure to hold government accountable

Source: Business Standard Synopsis: The Statute of UAPA has no place in Democracy. Background The death of the priest Stan Swamy, who was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, offers the government an opportunity to revisit this 54-year-old law. In its current form, the UAPA is out of sync with the country’s… Continue reading Repeal UAPA

Source: The Hindu Relevance: Civil Services and other important services are backbones of governance in India. Vacancies on the top-level posts will affect the quality of governance. Synopsis: Leaving top posts in the government unoccupied, affects governance and is demoralizing for officers Delays in the appointment of personnel to important posts affect governance The vacancies… Continue reading Vacancies send a wrong signal

Source: Indian express Relevance: China used its historic national humiliation for strengthening the country. However, India could not do that due to the prevalence of inequality. Synopsis: China uses national humiliation to legitimise authoritarian rule. Whereas, India’s lack of egalitarianism(Equality) makes it harder for national humiliation to be owned equally. How China used the idea… Continue reading How India and China are shaped by the idea of national humiliation

Source: The Hindu Synopsis: The Civil Registration System (CRS) is still an imperfect system, with potential sources of error. Background Recently, Indian journalists from across the country assessed and reported on State-level all-cause mortality from the Civil Registration System (CRS) of various states. The data shows a large rise in excess mortality in the surge… Continue reading Gauging pandemic mortality with civil registration data

Source: Business Standard Relevance: Price of LPG cylinders is increasing after the removal of subsidy. Synopsis: Government’s cut on LPG subsidies will adversely affect nearly 290 million households with LPG connections. What is the issue? Lack of global demand due to lockdowns had led to a crash in both prices of crude oil and petroleum… Continue reading With no subsidy, cooking fuel burns a hole in consumers’ pocket

Source: Indian Express Relevance: Synopsis: The government has changed its fiscal strategy. It went all out last year to shield the rural economy and households by way of free food, free gas, front-loading PM-Kisan payments, increasing MGNREGA allocation, moratoriums etc. Background: A large part of the resilience of the rural economy last year stemmed from… Continue reading Rural Economy Recovery