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About Must Read News Articles: Must Read News Articles is an initiative by Team ForumIAS to provide links to the most important news articles of the day. It covers The Hindu newspaper. This saves the time and effort of students in identifying useful and important articles. With newspaper websites requiring a paid subscription beyond a certain number of fixed articles, we believe it is one of the best ways to cover all major newspapers in the shortest amount of time.
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GS paper 2
SC upholds repeal of J&K’s special status : The court held that Article 370 was a temporary provision intended to facilitate the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union during a time of internal strife and war. The power of the Parliament or the President to abrogate Article 370 remained valid even after the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly in 1957. The decision unanimously upheld the President’s power to abrogate Article 370 in August 2019.
Syllabus Topic – issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure
Ominous, anti-federal – The article expresses concern that the Court’s decision allows Parliament, under President’s Rule, to take irreversible actions on behalf of a State legislature. This interpretation is seen as potentially undermining the Constitution’s basic features and could have serious implications for the rights of States. The article expresses concerns about the potential misuse of this power and its implications for state rights and democratic processes in India.
Syllabus Topic – issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure
Can Bihar increase its reservation pool? : The article from The Hindu discusses Bihar’s new laws increasing reservation in jobs and education to 75%, surpassing the Supreme Court’s 50% limit. This includes reservations for SC, ST, OBC, EBC, and EWS categories. The article highlights the Supreme Court’s historical stance on reservations as an equality measure, not exceeding 50% (now 60% including EWS). Bihar, following other states like Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, must justify this breach, as the Supreme Court emphasizes “adequate” over “proportionate” representation.
Syllabus Topic – Indian Constitution— significant provisions
President’s actions during State Emergency open to scrutiny: SC : This article is also related to the SC’s decision on j&K verdict.
Syllabus Topic – Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive
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Harvest the Odisha story to ensure food security : The article “Harvest the Odisha story to ensure food security” in The Hindu highlights Odisha’s transformation in agriculture and food security. Once a rice-importing state, Odisha now produces record food grain quantities, emphasizing small and marginal farmers. The state’s journey from scarcity to surplus, with a focus on climate resilience and sustainable practices, serves as a model for addressing global food crises and climate change challenges.
Syllabus Topic – issues of buffer stocks and food security