What is the News? The Union Civil Aviation Minister has said that the Government of India is exploring the possibility of inviting manufacturers of Electric Vertical Take off and Landing(eVTOL) aircraft to set up base in India. What is Electric Vertical Take off and Landing(eVTOL) Aircraft? eVTOL Aircraft is one that uses electric power to… Continue reading The status of eVTOL: soon to be reality?
State of Environment Report 2022: Rivers facing heavy pollution:CSE
What is the News? The State of Environment Report 2022 has been released. What is the State of Environment Report 2022? Released by: Center for Science and Environment (CSE). Purpose: The report is an annual compendium of environment-development data and is derived from public sources. What are the key findings of the report? Heavy Pollution… Continue reading State of Environment Report 2022: Rivers facing heavy pollution:CSE
How to keep inflation under control
News: Recently, the GDP growth of India has been pegged at 8.7% for the fiscal year 2021-22. It seems the economy is largely out of the shadow of Covid-19. But both GDP growth and inflation are likely to be in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 per cent in 2022-23 if bold and innovative steps… Continue reading How to keep inflation under control
Modinomics and the long distance to the finish line
News: Recently, the National Statistical Office (NSO) announced that the fourth quarter GDP growth rate of the FY 2021-22 stands at 4.1% compared to fourth quarter figures for the previous year, 2020-21. What are the important considerations in terms of the Indian Economy? Some Indian economists believe that the Indian economy has been consistently declining… Continue reading Modinomics and the long distance to the finish line
Say no to cookies from strangers
Context: How did the web cookie become the bone of contention in the battle for privacy? What is a web cookie? A cookie is a little piece of text stored on one’s web browser. It can identify what sites one has visited, to which sites one goes too often, or even, under some circumstances, the… Continue reading Say no to cookies from strangers
External vulnerabilities: Time for a rupee review
News: India’s exports in May were up 15.5% on last year’s figure. On this upbeat momentum, India could see another year of robust exports, beating the $418 billion record set in 2021-22. High oil prices are also a major reason for a rise in exports this year, since petroleum products made up a big share… Continue reading External vulnerabilities: Time for a rupee review
New WHO report on assistive technology for disabled provides a roadmap for India
News: The World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly launched the first Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) on May 16. What is Assistive technology (AT)? It may include any item, piece of equipment, software programme or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of… Continue reading New WHO report on assistive technology for disabled provides a roadmap for India
The IPEF holds promise but there are perils too
News: Recently, the US President Joe Biden has established the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) which is said to be a new version of a “pivot to Asia”. Background The US President had first spoken about it in October 2021 during the East Asia Summit, in the presence of all IPEF signatories except Fiji.… Continue reading The IPEF holds promise but there are perils too
The Ukraine conflict has raked up old dilemmas
News: The Ukraine Conflict has caused a resurfacing of the deepest dilemma related to the energy sector, i.e. – whether to ensure there is affordable, secure, and accessible energy at present, or – to secure the longer-term imperatives of economic growth and sustainable development. Situation Prior to the Ukraine Conflict Oil market It was globally… Continue reading The Ukraine conflict has raked up old dilemmas
The new era of fiscal federalism could strengthen national unity
Context: The 15th Finance Commission (2021-2026) retained the states’ share, and its methodology of assigning weights based on population. This is likely to be a factor in the politics of federalism. Importance of fiscal federalism in India Linguistic pluralism, a federal structure and fiscal federalism have served us well and enabled us to succeed At… Continue reading The new era of fiscal federalism could strengthen national unity
