News: The ongoing WTO ministerial conference in Geneva is discussing, among other things, a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights (IPR) on Covid vaccines. The genesis was an earlier India-South Africa proposal in October 2020. Since then, many other countries have backed the idea. Of course, as the draft says, India won’t benefit on account… Continue reading Patently false: WTO debate on waiving vax IPR misses the point. Equitable access needs quick tech transfer
Tag: gs paper 3
Needed: A PM’s council for human development
Context: India’s goal should be to be in the top 50 nations of the world by 2047 in human development and at least a rank below 100 by 2030. These need a prime minister-led human development council under the NITI Aayog. The governing council/ National Development Council itself can be that body with exclusive meetings… Continue reading Needed: A PM’s council for human development
Upholding the right to repair
News: The U.S. state of New York recently passed the Fair Repair Act. It has also ignited the debate in India on providing right to repair to the consumers. The US’s Fair Repair Act requires manufacturers to supply repair information, tools, and parts to independent repair shops and not just their own stores or partners. It… Continue reading Upholding the right to repair
The influenza pandemic and ‘nations within a nation
Context: Whenever there is an increased demand for life-saving products such as vaccines, the issue of inequity in access to such medicines arises. What are the factors that that drive production of life-saving products in a country? Product demand is central to the development of capabilities and the resources of firms. In developed countries, the high-fixed-cost research… Continue reading The influenza pandemic and ‘nations within a nation
Tackling the crisis of rising global food prices
News: Recently, the government of India has banned wheat exports and imposed restrictions on the export of other food commodities. History of Food Price Crises Since the adoption of Green Revolution technology in the early 1960s, the world has faced food price crises three times in terms of nominal as well as the real prices:… Continue reading Tackling the crisis of rising global food prices
Red marks in green power plans amid lack of reform in electricity pricing
News: Recently the Union Power Minister has asked states to set up steering committees at the level of chief secretaries to plan for the energy transition. Why there is a need for power sector reforms? No money spent on capital expenditure: Capital expenditure among states is rising fast, but it is not rising in the… Continue reading Red marks in green power plans amid lack of reform in electricity pricing
With only 3 serious telecom operators, administrative allocation of spectrum space should take the place of auctions
News: In January, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced a rescue package for some telecom companies (telcos). What were the rescue packages? The government dispensed with the requirement of performance bank guarantees required earlier than security. It increased the tenure of spectrum holding from 20 to 30 years, allowed for the surrender of the unutilised… Continue reading With only 3 serious telecom operators, administrative allocation of spectrum space should take the place of auctions
Free trade can’t yet pass a basic food security test
News: At present, the 12th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference is being held in Geneva. Food security is one of the agenda on the discussion table on the ministerial conference. Importance of Free Trade Free trade ensures that agricultural products flow from zones of abundance to regions of scarcity, just as the free exchange… Continue reading Free trade can’t yet pass a basic food security test
Welcome a G-7 package for an energy transition
News: It’s a win for India’s diplomacy that the G7 group looks set to offer it a climate partnership deal. Unless it places an unfair burden on us, let’s use the funds to decarbonize our economy faster. What is the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP)? Upon taking over the G-7 presidency for 2022, host Germany… Continue reading Welcome a G-7 package for an energy transition
India at bottom in EPI 2022 but environment survey confuses and stifles honest discussion on climate change
News: The 2022 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) released on World Environment Day (June 5) has triggered much distress in India, as the country is ranked last (180th). The government has issued a fierce rebuttal. How do we make sense of this debate? Contents1 What are some problems with indexes?2 What are the challenges in measuring… Continue reading India at bottom in EPI 2022 but environment survey confuses and stifles honest discussion on climate change
