GS: 1
Society related issues:
The jallikattu challenge(The Hindu Opinion)
Part III of the Constitution, which lists the various fundamental rights, provides to persons different manners of guarantees, including in Article 14 a right to equality, and in Article 21 a right to life. These enumerated rights, however, do not explicitly recognise animals as persons.
Rethinking trafficking(The Hindu Opinion)
Last year, India protested against the release of a report, ‘Global estimates of modern slavery: forced labour and forced marriage’, a collaborative effort of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Walk Free Foundation, and the International Organisation for Migration.
‘Strong laws, mechanisms needed for gender justice’(The Hindu)
The organisers of the three-day Difficult Dialogues summit will crystallise the recommendations on gender equality and present it to policy-makers in India and the South Asian region, Surina Narula, founder, Difficult Dialogues, said here on Monday.
GS: 2
International relations:
Russia seeks Rs. 125 cr. to carry out repairs on INS Chakra(The Hindu)
Russian authorities have demanded over $20 million for rectifying the damage suffered by nuclear submarine INS Chakra , which was dry-docked last week, even as the government is seeking to fix responsibility for the mishap.
Expanding horizons(The Hindu Opinion)
As India seeks to pursue a multi-dimensional engagement with West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest visit to the region has merely underscored its growing salience in the Indian foreign policy matrix.
BNP in a bind: On Khaleda Zia’s conviction(The Hindu Editorial)
Former PM Khaleda Zia’s conviction heightens political uncertainty in Bangladesh.
More nukes?(The Hindu Opinion)
A case to develop low-yield atomic bombs, largely in response to Russia and China’s advances over the years, forms the cornerstone of the Pentagon’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), released this month.
India, Oman agree to isolate sponsors of terror(The Hindu)
India and Oman have agreed to isolate the sponsors of international terrorism, the External Affairs Ministry said here on Monday.
‘Gayoom, judges were plotting coup’(The Hindu)
The two arrested Supreme Court justices and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had been plotting to overthrow the government of the Maldives, officials said, announcing that they had found more than $2,00,000 in suspicious money in searches since a state of emergency was declared last week.
India Constitution and Polity:
Chandrababu Naidu is richest CM, Manik Sarkar the poorest: ADR(The Hindu)
Extreme inequality in India is evidently not restricted to the general population, going by an analysis of the assets of Chief Ministers.
How can a convicted person head a political party, asks CJI Dipak Misra(The Hindu)
Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Monday questioned the logic behind having a criminal and corrupt person as the head of a political party. He said such a lapse was a huge blow to the purity of the election process.
CBI can probe FCRA violations over ₹5 cr.(The Hindu)
The CBI has submitted before a Delhi High Court that cases of alleged Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) violation involving more than ₹5 crore can be referred by the government to the agency for a probe.
GS: 3
Economy:
‘Industrial policy must create jobs’(The Hindu)
The proposed new Industrial Policy, while addressing ways to incorporate the use of modern smart technologies for advanced manufacturing in India, should also look at creating more jobs as well as boosting the economic activities of Self-Help Groups (SHG), said Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu.
Industrial activity posts robust growth(The Hindu)
Industrial activity saw robust growth for the second consecutive month in December, with the Index of Industrial Production growing 7.07%. The rise follows strong growth in the manufacturing, capital goods, and consumer non-durables sectors, according to official data released on Monday.
Unending pain(The Hindu Editorial)
Governance reforms and recognition of losses are a must to solve the bad loans crisis
Is India ready for NHPS?(Indian Express)
The National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) is based on four assumptions and one hope: One, creating an effective demand to trigger private investments in supply deficit areas, two, enabling tapping of the 30 per cent unutilised capacity in private hospitals for the poor, three, covering 10 crore families with Rs 1,200 per family is affordable, and four, strengthening Wellness Clinics at the 5,000 population level will reduce hospitalisation.
Raje announces farm loan waiver for Rajasthan’s small, marginal farmers(The Hindu)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje announced a one-time loan waiver for small and marginal farmers up to ₹50,000 each from their outstanding short-term debt in the 2018-19 State budget presented in the Assembly here on Monday.
Environment:
India records marginal increase in forest cover(The Hindu)
India posted a marginal 0.21% rise in the area under forest between 2015 and 2017, according to the biennial India State of Forest Report (SFR) 2017. The document says that India has about 7,08,273 square kilometres of forest, which is 21.53% of the geographic area of the country (32,87,569 sq. km).
Adapting better to climate change(The Hindu)
While there are ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and restrict global warming to below 2°C or even below 1.5°C, there are also efforts to help us live in a world where average global temperatures are rising. These projects on adaptation have been funded or implemented in a number of countries, either by individual governments or with the help of external donor funds.
M.P. agrees to shift six tigers to Odisha(The Hindu)
The Madhya Pradesh government has given an “in principle” nod to translocate three pairs of tigers to Odisha’s Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR), an official said on Monday.
Science and Technology:
Stent prices to dip as govt. announces cap(The Hindu)
Opting to stay pocket- and patient-friendly, the National PharmaceuticalPricing Authority (NPPA) on Monday announced new stent prices, capping trade margin at 8% and requiring price of catheters, etc. to be mentioned separately during billing.
Winds of change in climate science(The Hindu)
For many years, the under-representation of women in science has vexed science policymakers across the world. The concern now is that the problem may also affect climate change-related studies.
Yesterday’s current affairs material by Forum IAS
7 PM Editorial: India’s wild birds trafficking epidemic
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