Simplifying UPSC IAS Preparation
Insights into Editorial: When judges legislate Introduction: Through free elections, citizens of a democracy confer powers upon their leaders that are defined by law. In a constitutional democracy, power is divided so that the legislature makes the laws, the executive authority enforces and carries them out, and the judiciary operates independently. No one branch can …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: When judges legislate”
Insights into Editorial: Another orbit: on GSAT29 launch Context: The Indian Space Research Organisation has marked a big milestone by successfully testing its heavy-lift launcher while launching an advanced communication satellite. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MarkIII (GSLV MkIII) launched GSAT29, an advanced communications satellite, into a geosynchronous transfer orbit where the satellite’s closest approach …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Another orbit: on GSAT29 launch”
Insights into Editorial: A reality check on cooperative federalism Introduction: Indian model of federalism is called quasi-federal system as it contains major features of both a federation and union. Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units. The Constitution of India establishes a federal …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: A reality check on cooperative federalism”
Insights into Editorial: Setting a proper diet plan Introduction: Despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India has been ranked at 103 out of 119 countries, with hunger levels categorised as “serious”, in the Global Hunger Index 2018. Recently, three girls died of starvation resulting from prolonged malnutrition in the national …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Setting a proper diet plan”
Insights into Editorial: New ripples in Andaman Sea Introduction: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second visit to Singapore this year is nicely framed by the largest ever naval exercise between the two nations (India and Singapore) in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The exercises, called the Simbex, began 25 years ago as India …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: New ripples in Andaman Sea”
Insights into Editorial: Ripples of discord: on gravitational waves Introduction: What are Gravitational Waves? “These are ripples in the fabric of space-time that are produced, when black holes collide and stars explode”, gravitational waves are produced when objects accelerate. Gravitational waves were first proposed, 100 years ago by Albert Einstein, as part of the …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Ripples of discord: on gravitational waves”
Insights into Editorial: Protect the little helpers Introduction: If you look at the plate of food on your dinner table, bees have played their part either pollinating the many vegetables and fruits we eat directly, or pollinating the food for the animals that we then consume. And that’s not all bees do for us …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Protect the little helpers”
Insights into Editorial: Independence and accountability: on RBI Introduction: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government give the impression that they are not on the same page even as far as an understanding of their roles is concerned. The RBI suggests that its independence is being violated while the government rationalises its …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Independence and accountability: on RBI”
Insights into Editorial: The importance of blockchain for India Introduction: what blockchain is? Blockchain is a public ledger, an ordered and time-stamped record of transactions. This system is used to protect against double spending and modification of previous transaction records where transactions are recorded and confirmed anonymously. In common words, it’s a record of …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: The importance of blockchain for India”
Insights into Editorial: Political economics: credit stimulus for MSMEs Introduction: The Centre has announced an important credit stimulus package for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Among the many sops doled out under the new scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised the sanction of business loans of up to ₹1 crore within a time …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Political economics: credit stimulus for MSMEs”
Insights into Editorial: Preserving the taboo: on nuclear arms control Context of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. is quitting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a bilateral agreement with Russia signed in 1987. The decision was not unexpected since the U.S. has long maintained that …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Preserving the taboo: on nuclear arms control”
Insights into Editorial: Challenge to the Reserve Bank of India’s reserve(s) Context: The Centre is anxiously about on the surplus reserves of RBI in which the central bank necessitates as an emergency buffer not meant to be shared. But the Reserve Bank of India is staunchly resisting the government’s demand to transfer a part …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Challenge to the Reserve Bank of India’s reserve(s)”
Insights into Editorial: India ease of doing business rank jumps 23 places to 77 in World Bank’s Doing Business 2019 survey Context: India’s rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 2019 survey climbed 23 places to 77 among 190 countries surveyed, making it the only country to rank among the top 10 improvers …
Insights into Editorial: Choked by smog: on air pollution Context: Air pollution is choking several cities in the northern States once again, as changes in temperature and slowing winds trap soot, dust and fine particulate matter. The National Capital Region is badly hit, as the burning of agricultural residue in Punjab and Haryana is …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Choked by smog: on air pollution”
Insights into Editorial: Support for lives on the move Introduction: Internal Migration in India: Internal migration can be driven by push and/or pull factors. In India, over the recent decades, agrarian distress (a push factor) and an increase in better-paying jobs in urban areas (a pull factor) have been drivers of internal migration. The Economic …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Support for lives on the move”
Insights into Editorial: The unifier of modern India Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Statue of Unity – the world’s tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, in Gujarat’s Kevadiya, on Patel’s birth anniversary. He became one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat as he organised the peasants of Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: The unifier of modern India”
Insights into Editorial: Churn in the Neighbourhood: Bhutan | New PM, new challenges Context: Tshering Tobgay will be new Prime Minister of Bhutan. Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa Party has won the recent general elections in Bhutan. The National Assembly is the lower house of Bhutan Parliament. This is the third general election after democracy was adopted in …
Insights into Editorial: Where India, Japan ties stand now and what is planned for the future Context: The 13th India-Japan annual summit commenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe visiting a factory of FANUC Corporation, one of the largest makers of industrial robots in the world. The visit to …
Insights into Editorial: Defusing tensions: on CBI feud Context: The recent happenings at the CBI are unprecedented. Never has the premier investigating agency of the country been in similar crisis. These events will have ramifications on the dignity, discipline and image of CBI. The question that should be troubling us is how are things so …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Defusing tensions: on CBI feud”
Insights into Editorial: Our time begins now Introduction: About Achieving INDCs of Individual Countries: Even at the time of its signing in 2015, it was clear that the Paris Agreement on climate change would not be enough to avoid global warming of 1.5° C over pre-industrial temperatures. In fact, early analyses revealed that the …
Continue reading “Insights into Editorial: Our time begins now”
