GS: 2
Indian Constitution and Polity:
24 years on, OBC workforce in Centre still short of Mandal mark (The Hindu)
At a time when President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed a five-member commission to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) “to achieve greater social justice,” a reality check shows that representation of OBCs in the workforce in Central Government offices falls far short of achieving the 27% quota recommended by the Mandal Commission.
Social issues:
In Bengal crimes against women at alarming levels (The Hindu)
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on crimes against women, including trafficking in West Bengal, have shown alarming highs.
Collective honour and individual dignity (The Hindu)
In several parts of our country, inter-caste marriages are frowned upon and inter-religious marriages are virtually taboo.
GS: 3
Economy:
The lowdown on the bail-in clause (The Hindu)
A clause in the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill 2017, introduced in Parliament in August, has created unease.
‘The mindset of the urban planner in India is in the bullock cart age. We need to change that,’ says MoS Housing Hardeep Singh Puri (Indian Express)
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, underlines the need for Smart Cities, says “smartness has to be the norm”, asserts the real estate Act will give a push to affordable housing
Science and Technology:
Novel anode for next-generation batteries in electric vehicles (The Hindu)
One of the factors that determine the success of electric vehicles is the availability of batteries that can be charged quickly and retain enough charge to make long distance travel possible per charge. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune have synthesised a new type of anode material to make such a battery possible.
Knowing our rivers better before changing them (The Hindu)
Farmer woes due to parched fields in central India and fisherfolk grappling with declining fish catches along the east coast, several hundred kilometres away, may seem very removed from each other.
IISc: Etched aluminum keeps surfaces bacteria-free (The Hindu)
Bacteria such as E. coli are responsible for up to 70% of infections in ICU alone
JNCASR: Super-packed organic transistors for flexible devices (The Hindu)
A nano-array with one billion transistors in 1 sq. cm area has been developed by researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru.
Working of solar wind flows deciphered by PRL team (The Hindu)
A group of researchers from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, have, for the first time, figured out the conditions under which certain types of solar storms can flow towards the earth and affect its atmosphere.
Health:
Only 31% Indian have separate health policies (The Hindu)
Indians are more likely to have a vehicle or life insurance than health insurance, according to a survey by private research firm, Chrome Data Analytics and Media (CDAM). Only 31% of Indians had medical policies independent of those provided by their employers in spite of nearly half the survey respondents admitting to having faced a “financial emergency” due to medical needs.
Why are there disparities between States on diseases? (The Hindu)
The India State-Level Disease Burden report, a first-of-its-kind assessment of causes for diseases in each State from 1990 to 2016, was released recently. A team of scientists evaluated the diseases causing the most premature deaths and ill-health in each State.
Following the silk route (The Hindu)
IIT researchers create a bioartificial liver model using silk
The right to choose (The Hindu)
India’s family planning efforts and population policies have a perplexing history. India was the first country to have an official programme focussed on family planning.
Yesterday’s current affairs material by ForumIAS
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