Introduction: Beyond the immediate threat to life, the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected livelihoods and the economy. The culture and arts sector has been one of the most affected by COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced cancellations and suspensions of some of the biggest cultural events organized all across the nation which serve …
Continue reading “SANSAD TV: PERSPECTIVE- ART IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC”
Context: The recently launched educational programme of the Tamil Nadu government, Illam Thedi Kalvi (Education at the Doorsteps), triggered mixed reactions. Government argued that “This programme will brighten the future of lakhs of students and will last for a hundred years.” Reasons for launching the Illam Thedi Kalvi (Education at the Doorsteps): …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: In pursuit of social justice”
Context: India has a new Union Health Minister after the recent cabinet reshuffle. So, what does the new Health Minister need to learn from previous experience, and what unfinished tasks need to be taken forward? As citizens, how should we expect the Government to perform better on the public health front, given …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: India needs a renewed health-care system”
Introduction: As a disabled person inhabiting a world designed for the able-bodied, one learns to put up with a lot of indignities that others would consider unacceptable. These include: the everyday pain of being excluded from a whole host of normal life activities, and the challenge of having to constantly find ways of living …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Impediments to equal productivity, dignity”
Introduction: The Indian healthcare system has evolved much over the last decade, owing to the adoption of new technologies as well as systemic changes and emphasis on service quality. However, healthcare standards are neither uniform nor inclusive across the country. At one end of the spectrum, are state-of-the-art private facilities with advanced testing and treatment …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Online Path to Healthcare”
What is a fiscal council? Fiscal councils are independent public institutions aimed at strengthening commitments to sustainable public finances through various functions, including public assessments of fiscal plans and performance, and the evaluation or provision of macroeconomic and budgetary forecasts. Fiscal councils are now part of the institutional fiscal apparatus of over 50 countries, including …
Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has unravelled deep inequalities in how basic services are accessed in urban India. Preventive methods in combating the infection, at an individual level, have highlighted these disparities even more sharply. Availability of Basic Services is very limited to some sections: In the case of access to water, the recent “Drinking …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Rebuild cities as spaces of dignity”
Topics Covered: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act. One Nation One Voter ID Context: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has made it possible for senior citizens above the age of 65 to vote by postal ballot, given that they are at greater risk from exposure to the novel coronavirus. …
Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought global economic activity to a virtual halt. While the world was long expecting a recession, the pandemic has pulled the trigger. The IMF estimates the global economy to contract by -4.9 per cent this year and the cloud to deepen should the virus not recede in the latter …
Introduction: Online classes, no doubt, provide students to catch up on the classes lost due to the prolonged lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Attending classes online without a break is said to be causing problems like dry eye syndrome, burning sensation of eyes, and ear problems. Educationists and doctors have their …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Can online learning replace the school classroom?”
Context: It is hard to believe when we lose someone to suicide, especially when it is a successful and popular public figure. It does not just affect the family and friends of the person who dies, but in the case of popular figures, it brings a sense of loss to the community. Every death by …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Suicide, the epidemic we are overlooking”
Topics Covered: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Universal Basic Income Context: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has informed the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that …
Introduction: Indian lenders want the government to provide up to $2 billion to set up a “bad bank” at a time when their heavy pile of soured debt is expected to double in size due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to media reports. The banks have proposed that the government set up an asset …
Context: Opening up economic production from a lockdown, even partially, when the COVID-19 pandemic has not peaked in the country poses an extraordinary challenge. Countries around the world are focusing on making the workplace safe, and issuing guidelines to help workers return to their jobs. Reducing the number of people present at any given time …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Working safely: On workplaces during the pandemic”
Introduction: The dual supply and demand shocks from the Covid-19 pandemic are expected to cause a global recession. In the last several weeks, global supply chains have been disrupted as workers are locked down, factories shut, and closed borders and terminals block supplies and cargo. Aggregate demand has collapsed. The pandemic threatens to …
Continue reading “RSTV: THE BIG PICTURE: LOCALISING GLOBALISATION”
Topics Covered: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources, issues relating to poverty and hunger. Colour coding to help manage COVID-19 pandemic What to study? For Prelims: How are the districts divided? State with max hotspots? Implications? For Mains: Need for these classifications, challenges ahead and measures …
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Topics Covered: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. What is Article 142? What to study? For Prelims: Overview and applicability of Article 142. For Mains: Need for and significance of these powers for the Supreme Court. Context: Invoking special powers under Article 142, the Supreme Court has deemed all …
Context: The Centre asked state governments to arrange food and shelter for migrant workers who are facing difficulties due to the 21-day lockdown announced to check the spread of coronavirus. Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs said students, who are in hostels, should continue to stay there for their own safety. Centre asked …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Helping Hand for the Stranded migrant workers”
Context: In India: SARS-CoV-2: Lowest Testing Rates: It is an incontrovertible truth that material resources are finite. Demand in most sectors will continue to exceed supply in times of a pandemic. With the number of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases on the rise, and the number of deaths going up as well, the question is whether national …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Fight for the finite: On budgetary allocation for health”
