Source: Indian Express  Relevance: This article emphasises ensuring the independence of the judiciary. Synopsis: Selection of deserving judges is essential to ensure independence of the judiciary. The Collegium must do its best in this task in order to uphold the constitutional spirit and democratic ethos. Background: India is the largest democracy in the world thanks… Continue reading The judicious choice

Source: The Hindu Relevance: Resolution of the Afghan issue is important for ascertaining peace in South Asia. India will also suffer from the spillover of this issue. Synopsis: An air of uncertainty surrounds Afghanistan, and it needs to think over the future of its land. Background: The United States recently handed over the Bagram airbase… Continue reading Troubling prospects in Afghanistan

Source: Indian Express Relevance: Civil societies work as an important pillar for strengthening democracy and governance. Synopsis:  Not strengthening civil society organisations and the deepening of checks and balances work will result in governance failure. This address must be resolved immediately. Introduction India’s civil society consists of Grassroots organisations that connect to the last mile… Continue reading Civil society must accept its failure to hold government accountable

Source: Business Standard Synopsis: The Statute of UAPA has no place in Democracy. Background The death of the priest Stan Swamy, who was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, offers the government an opportunity to revisit this 54-year-old law. In its current form, the UAPA is out of sync with the country’s… Continue reading Repeal UAPA

Source: Live mint  Relevance: This article highlights the importance and effectiveness of behavioral interventions to bring about social change. Synopsis: Well-designed behavioral interventions that guide people to make safe choices could potentially help India in the fight against pandemic. The use of nudge theory will help in combating vaccine hesitancy and lockdown fatigue. Thereby it… Continue reading Ideas drawn from nudge theory could weaken a third covid wave

Source: The Hindu  Relevance: India’s criminal handling system should be aligned to catch fugitives within the country. Because once they leave the country, it becomes difficult to bring them back. Synopsis: In the absence of a coordinated database, criminals can go undetected. Hence, robust tracking of fugitives demands the creation of a nationwide database of… Continue reading Tracking fugitives everywhere

Source-Live Mint Relevance: The article explains the areas, the government should focus, for achieving desirable economic growth. Synopsis – A more rapid vaccination drive, greater government spending, and a reduction in fuel cess might help in the economic recovery and uplifting the public sentiment. Factors that could boost sentiment and play a crucial role in… Continue reading The sentiment boost that India’s economy is in need of

Source: Live Mint Relevance: A forest fire-based ring-fence approach is useful to contain Covid spread also. Synopsis: The concept of using vaccine rings to prevent Covid flare-ups deserves a try. Introduction  For the past two months, the deadly 2nd wave of Covid has been waning, but the number of daily infections is alarmingly high. Over… Continue reading Puzzle out how to make vax ring-fences succeed