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GS:1
Society related issues:
Curbing the khaps(The Hindu Opinion)
Many crimes committed in the name of defending the honour of a caste, clan or family may have their origin in India’s abominable caste system, but there are other contributing factors as well. Entrenched social prejudices, feudal structures and patriarchal attitudes are behind what are referred to as ‘honour killings’.
GS: 2
International relations:
Trade on agenda of Tokyo talks(The Hindu)
India and Japan will discuss cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the first high-level meeting since the Quadrilateral and iron out growing worries over bilateral trade as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj meets Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Tokyo on Thursday. The two sides are meeting for the ninth India-Japan Strategic Dialogue, instituted in 2007 as an annual dialogue held alternately in Delhi and Tokyo.
Indian Constitution and Polity:
Govt. implements SC order on seniority list(The Hindu)
In a move that implies major shifts in bureaucracy, the State government has asked its departments to implement the seniority list as directed by the Supreme Court. This would mean that while thousands of general category employees will be promoted, many employees belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will have to be demoted to accommodate the general category employees.
Sending the wrong signal(The Hindu Opinion)
India has over 180 million Dalits. A crime is committed against a Dalit every 15 minutes. Six Dalit women are raped every day. Over the last 10 years (2007-2017), there has been a 66% growth in crime against Dalits.
Indus Commission talks today(The Hindu)
India and Pakistan will go ahead with talks on the Indus Waters Treaty on Thursday despite an upsurge in tensions over the LoC crossfire and allegations of harassment of diplomats in Delhi and Islamabad, External Affairs Ministry sources confirmed on Wednesday.
Centre not for SC/ST creamy layer(The Hindu)
The government on Wednesday opposed the idea of a “creamy layer” within the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category.
Steps needed to improve collegium system, says SC(The Hindu)
Urgent measures are required to improve the collegium system of appointment of judges, including the setting up of an independent secretariat, the Supreme Court highlighted in a judgment on Wednesday.
SC judge questions probe against judge(The Hindu)
The judge in question, district and sessions judge P. Krishna Bhat, was first recommended by the collegium for appointment to the High Court in August 2016. However, the Supreme Court and the Centre received complaints against him from a woman judge, accusing him of “atrocities and abuse of power.”
GS: 3
Economy:
A solar gear shift(The Hindu Opinion)
The government needs to tilt its green manufacturing mix in favour of nascent industries of the future
Out of favour(The Hindu Opinion)
More people are losing their love for Indian bonds. Foreign investors have been net sellers of over $1 billion in Indian debt this month, almost cancelling out inflows since the beginning of the year. Domestic investors were already spooked by a widening fiscal deficit, so foreign selling now has managed to add pressure on the market.
PNB to settle all LoUs it issued to Nirav firms(The Hindu)
Ending the impasse over the liability arising out of the letters of undertaking issued to Nirav Modi firms, Punjab National Bank on Wednesday said it would honour all those LoUs.
Fiscal deficit soars to Rs. 7.15 lakh crore(The Hindu)
India’s fiscal deficit soared to Rs. 7.15 lakh crore at the end of February, exceeding the revised target of Rs. 5.94 lakh crore for the entire 2017-18 fiscal. As per data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), fiscal deficit for April-February was 120% of the revised estimates on account of increased expenditure and subdued revenue receipts.
Environment:
On the electric highway(The Hindu Opinion)
The Central government is not pursuing plans for a separate policy on electric vehicles (EVs) although it did think of introducing one. It has now left it to the automotive industry to determine the scale and pace of a transition from fossil fuels to electric motors.
Science and Technology:
Biggest space telescope launch delayed till 2020(The Hindu)
NASA has delayed the launch of its much awaited, $8 billion James Webb Space Telescope — set to be the world’s biggest space observatory — until at least May 2020.
Yesterday’s current affairs material by Forum IAS
7 PM Editorial: Honour killing in India
