News: The ‘WTO Reform’ proposal has been pushed in the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). However, the proposed reforms are said to weaken the position of the developing countries. What are the issues in the proposed WTO reforms? As per some experts, the reforms may undermine the participation and say… Continue reading Proposed WTO reform aims to bully developing nations: Civil society members
Tag: gs paper 2
English-Vinglish, Hindi-Shindi: India doesn’t need a national language. Plus, Hindi is growing & English is no longer elitist
Context: Should India have a national language? And if not, then why not. The article discusses the reasons as to why India is better off without any national language and why it must not try and impose Hindi on non-hindi speakers. Global examples In theory, a national language is a nice idea, but imposing it… Continue reading English-Vinglish, Hindi-Shindi: India doesn’t need a national language. Plus, Hindi is growing & English is no longer elitist
Finger in every pie: Regular theft of biometric data shows how lax information storage is and why we need a strong law
News: Hyderabad police recently caught a man with around 2,000 fingerprints of separate individuals that were being used to purchase SIM cards, create bank accounts, and then engineer more frauds. Widespread use of biometrics Smaller public and private entities have now taken to biometrics with passion. Bengaluru Metro is mulling a facial recognition-based pass and… Continue reading Finger in every pie: Regular theft of biometric data shows how lax information storage is and why we need a strong law
Controlling the hard sell
News: ‘Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022’ have been notified by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). These guidelines have been long overdue. Contents1 What are the key provisions under the new rules?2 Why the new guidelines were necessary?3 What are the challenges involved?4 What is the way forward?… Continue reading Controlling the hard sell
The FATF and Pakistan’s position on its ‘grey list’
Context: Ahead of the plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), in Berlin, Pakistan is hoping for a removal of its name from the FATF’s ‘grey list’ or the list of countries presenting a risk to the global financial system. In its last plenary meeting in March, the FATF had retained Pakistan’s listing,… Continue reading The FATF and Pakistan’s position on its ‘grey list’
What has Rajya Sabha achieved that a stand-alone Lok Sabha has not, or would not?
News: Constituent Assembly was divided on the opinion on establishing Rajya Sabha. That debate still holds relevance even after so many years. What are the arguments against the establishment and functioning of the Rajya Sabha? Lokanath Misra in the Constituent Assembly was of the opinion that, a) It will not serve any useful purpose, b)… Continue reading What has Rajya Sabha achieved that a stand-alone Lok Sabha has not, or would not?
NSS, CMIE are surveys not comparable. Studies should not relate them
News: Recently, policy advisors and researchers at the IMF and World Bank have also attempted to estimate headcount ratios under various assumptions. Contents1 About the recent poverty measurements by IMF and World Bank2 How does India calculate poverty estimations?3 Why does the NSS and CMIE surveys are not comparable?4 What should be done to measure… Continue reading NSS, CMIE are surveys not comparable. Studies should not relate them
Asia’s highland: Do better than Thais, fully decriminalise marijuana
News: Thailand recently became the first Asian nation to decriminalize marijuana for medical and industrial use. Details about Thailand’s move on Marijuana Thailand’s move means is that farmers will be able to grow the plant while entrepreneurs can sell cannabis-infused food, drinks and cosmetics. There are two caveats – – smoking pot in public will… Continue reading Asia’s highland: Do better than Thais, fully decriminalise marijuana
The gulf of sensitivity that India will have to cross
News: Over the past few days, the Islamic governments including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has criticized the Indian state regarding remarks made on the Prophet Mohammad. Contents1 Success of India’s Foreign Policy in this regard2 Implications on India’s Interests3 India’s Response4 Way Forward Success of India’s Foreign Policy in this regard Some Islamic… Continue reading The gulf of sensitivity that India will have to cross
What IPEF offers India: Opportunities, tough negotiations
News: Recently, the US Administration launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) as its de facto foreign economic policy for Asia Contents1 Features2 What is the importance of the IPEF?3 For the US4 Importance for India5 Way Forward Features It empowers the US administration to shape rules across several critical pillars that will condition America’s economic engagement… Continue reading What IPEF offers India: Opportunities, tough negotiations
