EDITORIALS
Insights into Editorial: Is the future of Indian democracy secure? Introduction: Over the past few months, in discussions and rhetoric surrounding the parliamentary elections, there had many instances struck by the disjuncture between the concerns expressed. On the one hand, by the liberal elite who write in the English press and engage in […]
Insights into Editorial: Facing the climate emergency Context: On May 1, the British parliament became the world’s first to declare a climate emergency: something that’s considered a largely symbolic move. The International Monetary Fund estimates in a recent working paper that fossil fuel subsidies were $4.7 trillion in 2015 and estimated to be $5.2 […]
Insights into Editorial: All out at sea: on India’s engagements in the Indian Ocean Introduction: The Indian Ocean covers at least one fifth of the world’s total ocean area. It is bounded by Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (known as the western Indian Ocean), India’s coastal waters (the central Indian Ocean), and the Bay […]
Insights into Editorial: Redactive pricing audit and the CAG’s duties Context: The CAG is mandated to audit all receipts and expenditures of the three-tier governments in India and report to the legislature judiciously, independently, objectively in compliance with applicable laws, rules […]
Insights into Editorial: Protecting forest fringes Introduction: Forestry in India is an important rural industry and major environmental resource. Forests in India are source of wood, fuel, latex, gums, medicinal plants, essential oils, etc. It is a source of income for millions of populations, but […]
Insights into Editorial: The War on Terror is in peril Context: The brutal attacks on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka, for which the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility, have reignited discussion on the global ‘War on Terror’. Scholars and officials across the world are studying the links of the bombers to the IS’s […]
Insights into Editorial: Loud and clear: on India-U.S. discord on market access Context: In scathing speech by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in New Delhi, it is no longer possible for the government to brush under the carpet its differences with Washington. U.S. Commerce Secretary Speaking to Indian and U.S. businesspersons, lashed out at what […]
Insights into Editorial: Resolving India’s banking crisis Introduction: On bank Non-performing assets (NPAs): Non-performing assets (NPAs) at commercial banks amounted to Rs.10.3 trillion, or 11.2% of advances, in March 2018. Public sector banks (PSBs) accounted for Rs.8.9 trillion, or 86%, of the total NPAs. The ratio of gross NPA to advances in PSBs was […]
Insights into Editorial: A wake-up call on proprietary seeds Context: Multi-billion-dollar conglomerate PepsiCo sued four Gujarati farmers, asking them to pay ₹1.05 crore each as damages for ‘infringing its rights’ by growing the potato variety used in its Lays chips. Farmers groups have launched a campaign calling for government intervention. According to the farmer groups, […]
Insights into Editorial: Surveillance wars in space Context: Space is being turned into a battlefront, making counter-space capabilities critical. In this light, India’s successful ‘kill’ with an A-SAT weapon is significant. Recently, the DRDO-developed anti-satellite system A-SAT successfully destroyed a live satellite in the Low Earth Orbit. With this test, dubbed as Mission […]
Insights into Editorial: Conservation minus the people? Introduction: India, a state that supports about 8% of global species diversity and over 100 million forest-dwellers, issued a court order which stood to evict more than a million forest-dwelling people from their homes. Although this order was subsequently stayed, though temporarily, it provides valuable insights […]
Insights into Editorial: Talking fair trade in Delhi Context: India will host the second mini-ministerial meet of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is a kind of preparatory meeting to set a common agenda at the 12th Ministerial Conference, scheduled for June 2020 at Astana, Kazakhstan. About 25 developing countries will be participating […]
Insights into Editorial: Power shift: on tussle between Puducherry Lt. Governor and Chief Minister Introduction: Government of Puducherry is a democratically elected body that governs the Union Territory of Puducherry, India. It is headed by the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry as its nominal head, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the […]
Insights into Editorial: The cost of antimicrobial resistance Introduction: Antibiotics are drugs that treat infections caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections and Strep throat. They work by either killing bacteria directly or preventing them from reproducing, making it manageable for our immune system to eliminate the bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is one […]
Insights into Editorial: Downbeat diesel: on Maruti Suzuki phasing out diesel cars Context: Maruti to pull the plug on diesel cars in April 2020: Maruti Suzuki, which is the largest car maker in the country, announced plans to discontinue selling all diesel cars in the country from April 1, 2020, citing uncertainty over […]
Insights into Editorial: An ineffectual angel Introduction: Elections are a central feature of democracy. For elections to express the will of the electorate, they must be ‘free and fair’. ‘Free’ means that all those entitled to vote have the right to be registered and to vote and must be free to make their choice. […]
Insights into Editorial: Taking advantage of BRI Context: Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted innovation, green investment and the need for transparency in Belt and Road projects. Xi Jinping slammed protectionism and called for more free trade at the opening of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. The Belt […]
Insights into Editorial: Competing for the best Introduction: India is a rapidly changing country in which inclusive, high-quality education is of utmost importance for its future prosperity. The country is currently in a youth bulge phase. It has the largest youth population in the world—a veritable army of 600 million young people under […]
Insights into Editorial: Breaking new ground Context: The Madras High Court announced that the term ‘bride’ as per the Hindu Marriage Act, would also include a transsexual and not just someone born as a ‘woman’. In the judgment delivered in Arunkumar and Sreeja v. Inspector General of Registration and Others (2019), the Madras High Court […]
Insights into Editorial: Uncertain times: On India’s oil imports Context: United States announced that it would not extend beyond May 1 the 180-day waiver it had granted to eight countries, including India, to purchase oil from Iran. India will stop importing crude oil from Iran following the US move to end sanction waivers, and […]