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GS: 1
Society related issues:
Nutritional politics(The Hindu Opinion)
Data on malnutrition should serve as a wake-up call for the government: 38% of children are stunted and 35.7% are underweight in India. About 21% of children under the age of five are wasted (low weight for height), according to the National Family Health Survey-4 data.
GS: 2
International Relations:
Anatomy of a reset(The Hindu Opinion)
There is now a mutual recognition in both India and China that a posture of hostility has undermined their interests
Saving Afghanistan(The Hindu Opinion)
There is a need to stop the ‘Great Game’ for influence in Afghanistan. Growing U.S.-Russia tensions are creating space for proxies for both on Afghan soil, and the attacks by al-Qaeda and IS-related terror groups have their roots in the larger war between Iran and the Arab world.
H-4 visa move draws criticism(The Hindu)
The move by the Donald Trump administration to end work permits for spouses of H-1B visa holders is a regressive measure that would also adversely impact the American economy, several Democratic lawmakers said on Wednesday.
Indian Constitution and Polity:
‘Merit trumps seniority in elevation to SC’(The Hindu)
The lack of seniority is a poor reason for freezing the appointment of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph, who wrote the judgment quashing President’s rule in the State, according to a senior Supreme Court source in favour of his candidature.
Unpacking the Dalit angst(The Hindu Opinion)
Reverence for Ambedkar requires fighting caste discrimination and safeguarding the Constitution.
GS: 3
Economy:
‘States unable to implement farmer price support schemes’(The Hindu)
The Centre’s proposals to decentralise price support schemes for farmers are not viable as State governments do not possess the infrastructure or the willingness required to implement them, said S.K. Singh, additional managing director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), on the sidelines of the Agriculture Ministry’s annual kharif conference on Thursday. “.
Aadhaar-SIM linking based on SC orders’(The Hindu)
The government on Thursday insisted that the directives of the Department of Telecommunications to seed SIM cards with Aadhaar is based on “at least two Supreme Court orders”.
‘India to lose if oil prices climb more’(The Hindu)
India, along with other emerging economies like Turkey and the Philippines, will be a loser if the recent oil price rise continues, according to a Nomura report.
‘India can do more to make it easy for doing business’(The Hindu)
India has initiated a host of reforms including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and simplification of registration process for firms, but there are still some concerns which the government needs to address, Finland’s Ambassador Nina Vaskunlahti said in an interview.
‘Simplifying Finance Bill must be the next big reform’(The Hindu)
Agriculture has great potential and the involvement of the private sector is required for the realisation of the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farmers’ income. A host of reforms are required at the State level such as allowing long tenure land leases, giving freedom to farmers to sell their perishable produce and others.
Government Policies:
World Bank loan for Biopharma Mission(The Hindu)
The government has secured a loan of about Rs. 1,600 crore from the World Bank to develop new vaccines, medical devices and medicines.
Yesterday’s current affairs material by Forum IAS
7 PM Editorial: North and South Korea Summit and expectations
