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
Tag: gs paper 2
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. What are the key provisions under the new rules? Under the new rules, – Penalties for misleading advertisements have been linked to the definition of such… 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. About the recent poverty measurements by IMF and World Bank The IMF method: It carried out the exercise using adjustments for private final consumption expenditure from the National Accounts Statistics and also using… 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. Success of India’s Foreign Policy in this regard Some Islamic states have not been swayed by Pakistan’s consistent portrayal of the Indian Government as fascist and anti-Muslim.… 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 Features It empowers the US administration to shape rules across several critical pillars that will condition America’s economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific amid competing with the Chinese BRI. What is the importance of the IPEF? Overall… Continue reading What IPEF offers India: Opportunities, tough negotiations
From Rajendra Prasad to Our Next Rashtrapati
Context: The election date for the post of India’s President has been announced by the Elections Commission. Now, it is to be seen, whether political parties will choose candidates who will be rubber stamps or defenders of the constitutional values of the country. Except for President APJ Abdul Kalam, all other Presidents of India have… Continue reading From Rajendra Prasad to Our Next Rashtrapati
