Must Read News Articles – March 28, 2018

Archives

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Society related issues:

‘Safe houses’ for couples facing khap panchayat ire(The Hindu)

The district magistrate or police chief have to provide couples, who risk the wrath of khap panchayats, not only with logistics and protection at their wedding but also a “safe house” to stay during the first year of marriage.

A game-changer for higher education(The Hindu Opinion)

The Union Cabinet’s decision recently to not only continue with the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) — ‘a Centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2013 to provide strategic funding to eligible State higher educational institutions’ — but also give it due importance augurs well for the system of higher education in India. That the government is backing the scheme speaks volumes about the robustness and relevance of the scheme.

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International relations:

Rogue nation?(The Hindu Opinion)

Russia made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week, when a clutch of countries led by the U.S. expelled more than 100 of its diplomats and intelligence officers over suspicion that the Kremlin was behind a nerve agent attack on a Russian spy and defector to the U.K., Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia, in Salisbury on March 4.

Indian Constitution and Polity:

Honour killing guillotines liberty: SC(The Hindu )

Coming down heavily on crimes committed in the name of honour, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the choice of consenting adults to love and marry as a part of their fundamental rights.

Courts lack facilities, judge tells govt.(The Hindu)

How can people expect justice to be delivered by courts that function from “dilapidated” buildings which do not offer basic facilities like water, toilets and electricity, Justice Madan B. Lokur said on Tuesday.

‘Give social service duties to those sentenced to 6 months or 1 year’(The Hindu)

Criminals sentenced to imprisonment for six months or a year should be allocated social service duties rather than be put in already overflowing prisons, the Supreme Court advised the government on Tuesday.

Adulterators to face life term(The Hindu)

The State government will impose exemplary punishment on food and milk adulterators, and plans to increase the penalty up to life imprisonment.

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Economy:

Not a single data breach in seven years, UIDAI tells SC(The Hindu)

There has not been a single breach in the past seven years in the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) that stores and manages data for the country’s Aadhaar project, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

RBI restarts pre-policy talks(The Hindu)

After a gap of about one-and-a-half years, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has resumed the process of holding consultative meetings with industry groups and banks in the run-up to the monetary policy.

‘Complete road map on 5G will be ready by June’(The Hindu)

India wants to take a lead position in adopting 5G technology and will prepare the roadmap for it by June, said Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan.

 Bonds, bank stocks rally in relief after Centre plans lower borrowing next fiscal(The Hindu)

Bonds rallied smartly on Tuesday sending yields sliding after the government’s announcement of a reduced borrowing plan for the first half of 2018-19 came as a big relief to banks that were staring at mark-to-market losses on their bond portfolios.

Environment:

A thin film to save Great Barrier Reef(The Hindu)

The World Heritage-listed site is reeling from coral bleaching due to warming sea temperatures.

Science and Technology:

Cell phone-based tech to allow at-home blood testing(The Hindu)

Scientists have developed a new cell phone-based blood testing technology that can provide immediate results in the comfort of one’s home or a doctor’s clinic.

Yesterday’s current affairs material by Forum IAS

7 PM Editorial: Delhi High Court quashes verdict on 20 disqualified MLAs

9 PM Current affairs brief:

10 PM Current affairs MCQs: