Weakening Autonomy: A Blow to Institutional Independence in Indian Investigative Agencies Introduction: The recent Supreme Court verdict upholding the statutory amendments allowing multiple extensions of service to heads of investigative agencies has dealt a severe blow to their institutional independence. While the court’s decision to […]
Strengthening Bilateral Partnerships and Resolving the South China Sea Issue Context: The recent meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and the Philippines at the fifth meeting of the Philippines-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation. Relevance: GS-02 (Bilateral relations, Regional groupings) Prelims: United Nations Convention […]
Repatriating Colonial Artefacts – A Moral Imperative Context: The recent announcement that the Netherlands will return 484 stolen artefacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka, including the renowned “Lombok treasure” and the bronze-and-gilt cannon of Kandy, has reignited the debate on the rightful ownership of cultural […]
India’s Demographic Transition: Unraveling the Transformative Journey of Women Context: India’s population, which burgeoned from 340 million at Independence to a staggering 1.4 billion, has been deeply influenced by advancements in public health, receding starvation, and medical breakthroughs. This decline in mortality rates has not […]
Balancing Conservation and Development: The Complexities of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 Context: The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, currently under scrutiny by a Joint Committee of Parliament, has sparked intense debates regarding the intricate task of striking a balance between industrial progress and […]
Enhancing Public Health Surveillance: Unleashing the Power of Wastewater Context: The integration of wastewater surveillance into existing public health surveillance mechanisms holds great potential for revolutionizing disease prevention and control efforts exploring the benefits, challenges, and opportunities associated with harnessing the power of wastewater analysis […]
Power of Gender Equality: Uplifting the voices of Women and Girls Context: The theme for this year’s World Population Day, “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities,” holds great importance for India. Relevance: […]
Artificial Intelligence Context: The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought forth concerns about its potential impact on job security. Relevance: GS-03 (Artificial Intelligence, IT & Computers, Scientific innovations & discoveries) GS-02 (Government Policies & Intervention) Mains Questions: Discuss the potential adverse impacts of […]
A Paradigm Shift: Unraveling the Improving Landscape of Non-Performing Assets in Indian Banks Context: Indian banks have witnessed a remarkable decline in NPAs, reaching their lowest levels since 2015. Relevance: GS-03 (Growth and Development) (Indian Economy) Prelims: Non-Performing assets Restructure Advance Stressed assets Fugitive offender […]
The Challenge of Resurrecting the WTO’s Dispute Settlement System Context: The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) deal at the Geneva ministerial conference, aimed to revive the WTO’s dispute settlement system (DSS), also known as the organization’s ‘crown jewel,’ by 2024. Relevance: GS-02, GS-03 (Bilateral Groupings and […]