Tag: gs paper 2

News: The Madras High Court recently quashed the provision of 10.5% reservation for Vanniyakula Kshatriyas within the overall 20% quota for Most Backward Communities (MBCs) and Denotified Communities (DNCs). This has highlighted the importance of quantifiable data while taking a decision on reservation in education and employment. What is the issue? The State Assembly had… Continue reading No Quota without quantifiable data

News: India has failed to utilise the international law to advance its national security interests.   International laws cover wide array of security issues ranging from terrorism to maritime security. For example, Article 1(1) of the UN Charter recognizes the maintenance of “international peace and security” as a principal objective of the UN. However, India has not been able… Continue reading It’s time to engage in ‘lawfare’

News: The stringent provisions of UAPA have denied bail to many accused. However, Thwaha Fasal’s judgment can now be invoked to release other political prisoners in the country who have been denied bail due to harshness or narrow interpretation of the law. In Thwaha Fasal vs Union of India, the Court has deconstructed the provisions… Continue reading A new jurisprudence for political prisoners

News: Vaccination is key to returning to normalcy and in curbing the further spread of COVID-19. Now is the time to put extra efforts to boost vaccine confidence among the public. After the devastating second wave, India has performed well in controlling the spread of Covid. Vaccination, together with face masks and social distancing, have… Continue reading Strengthening vaccine trust

Synopsis: As mental health issues are increasing in India, there is need to address social, institutional and governance issues to overcome this impending crisis. Introduction India celebrates 10th October as World Mental Health Day. Despite such campaigns, mental health remains under-invested and underappreciated in India. What is the status of mental health issues in India?… Continue reading The country needs to get a handle on mental health

News: There remain delays in the stage where the Central government transfers wages to the workers’ accounts. There are wage payment delays under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Eight crore MGNREGA wage transactions were pending on Diwali. According to the People’s Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG) findings, funds allocation for this… Continue reading The long road to timely MGNREGA payments

News: Pentagon recently released a report stating that that China has been undertaking incremental and tactical actions to press its claims along the frontier with India. How should India respond to this emerging situation? Must Read: China taking incremental action to press claims along frontier with India – Pentagon report What are the observations made… Continue reading China challenge: India must stabilise Kashmir to counter Beijing’s multi-pronged strategy in the east

News: The article addresses the allegations leveled against the bureaucracy. Lately, bureaucracy has been criticized by many newspapers. It has been called bloated, inefficient, self-serving, obstructive, corrupt, and non-responsive to people. This article addresses these allegations against bureaucracy one by one. Why the allegations against bureaucracy are misplaced? Bloated bureaucracy: According to ILO (International Labour… Continue reading How Those Critiquing Bureaucrats Get It Wrong

News: India needs a rare diseases policy to address the health issue of those for whom the cost of treatment is extremely high. India requires a policy that is entirely focused on rare diseases, especially blood-threatening diseases, whose burden is huge in India. Read more: All about Rare Diseases What is the burden of haematological disease… Continue reading India’s new rare diseases policy offers a lifeline to many

Synopsis: The rivalry between USA and China is unfolding on a global stage. This is also creating a problem of consensus on global problems, which requires urgent attention. Introduction Secretary Antony Blinken outlined the US approach to China: “Competitive when it should be, collaborative when it can be, and adversarial when it must be.” While… Continue reading We need greater global cooperation