News: The death of innocent civilians by security officers in Nagaland caused outrage of repealing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Contents1 What is AFSPA? What are the challenges associated with it?2 What are the various groups in Nagaland, and how do they proceed?3 What is the present situation?4 What should the government do?… Continue reading Nagaland’s people deserve neither AFSPA nor gun culture
Author: Ramandeep Kaur
Suspension of 12 MPs for entire Winter Session is worrying
News: 12 Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended for the remainder of the session for bringing disorder in the house. What are the suspension rules of the Rajya Sabha? Read here: Suspension rules of RS Why the present suspension is a cause of concern? Sub Rule 2 of Rule 256 clearly indicates that the matter of… Continue reading Suspension of 12 MPs for entire Winter Session is worrying
School education: Children and schooling in the post covid 19 era
News: The pandemic has exposed the limits of the Nation’s capacity to look after the collective needs of children. It proved that society and state ignored the conditions under which family copes with the demand of childhood. What was the impact of the Covid pandemic on children? Right to education and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan created… Continue reading School education: Children and schooling in the post covid 19 era
A better NJAC: Politicians are right on the collegium. But can their solution rise above politics, that’s the question
News: A demand for introducing National Judicial Appointments Commission has been resurfaced in Lok Sabha. What is National Judicial Appointments Commission? Read here: National Judicial Appointments Commission Why did the demand for NJAC arise? Supporters of collegium cite executive overreach and suspicious government interest in judicial appointments in the 1970s. But after the first and second judges’… Continue reading A better NJAC: Politicians are right on the collegium. But can their solution rise above politics, that’s the question
Across India, minorities are overrepresented in jails
News: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports show that in almost all the states of the Indian Union, irrespective of the party holding office, religious minorities are over-represented in jail. What do the NCRB Report data shows? Muslims are (and were) over-represented among jail inmates in almost all the Hindu-majority states. For example, In Assam, Muslims,… Continue reading Across India, minorities are overrepresented in jails
Repealing AFSPA will not weaken, only strengthen Constitution
News: The death of 14 civilians in Nagaland by the security forces raised the long-pending demand for repealing the AFSPA in the region. What is AFSPA? Why demand for repeal of AFSPA is justified? Read here: Explained: AFSPA and the Northeast The repeal of AFSPA is necessary not just for restoring constitutional sanity, but also as a… Continue reading Repealing AFSPA will not weaken, only strengthen Constitution
Low tobacco tax, poor health
News: The absence of an increase in tax on tobacco products post-GST has impacted revenue and could worsen public health Contents1 What is the status of tobacco consumption in India?2 How is the government dealing with tobacco and associated products?3 How does the lack of tax increase impact health targets and government revenue?4 What should the… Continue reading Low tobacco tax, poor health
Women in the post-pandemic workplace
News: Indian economy is sustained after the shocks of demonetization, GST, and now covid. These economic disruptions have a lot of impact on women’s employment status in the workplace. What do the stats say about women participation in the workforce? By 2019, India’s Female Labour Participation Rate (FLPR) had dropped to 20.3%, from the already low… Continue reading Women in the post-pandemic workplace
Order those jabs: India needs plenty more vaccines & vax-makers need advance notice. GoI take heed
News: Serum Institute is signalling that their Covishield production will be reduced by half as no new purchase orders are coming from the Government of India. Why there is a need to continue the vaccination process? – Indian Medical Association has demanded a booster dose for healthcare workers, amid concerns of a drop in the… Continue reading Order those jabs: India needs plenty more vaccines & vax-makers need advance notice. GoI take heed
The need for a robust civil registration system
News: With Omicron, South Africa implemented a rapid surveillance mechanism that provided early alerts. India has also responded by setting up screening centres, ICU beds, etc. Despite no alarms, the threat remains so, all cautions should be observed. How the mortality data can help in accessing pandemic situations? Mortality data is important to guide patient care… Continue reading The need for a robust civil registration system
