• Expecting a possible reset of ties between India and China in the wake of the ‘informal summit’ in Wuhan (April 27-28) between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the outcome is uncertain. • The Wuhan…
• The spotlight was on the Bombay High Court in early May when one of its judges sat well past midnight hearing cases before the month-long summer break kicked in. The incident highlights the systemic issues common to courts in…
• Cities are economically vibrant spaces around the world and draw a large number of rural migrants looking for better prospects. This is a sustained trend, particularly in developing countries now, as production, jobs and markets get concentrated. ==> World…
• Last week, the Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced that the government is considering exemption from permits, concessional toll, a rate of depreciation of 50% as against the prevailing 15% for conventional vehicles, lowering of…
• The Indian currency sunk to a closing low of 68.07 against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, its lowest level in 16 months. • The rupee, already one of the worst performing Asian currencies, has now weakened 6.2% in 2018.…
• The Draft National Forest Policy, 2018, published for public comments in March, has generated a fair amount of public discourse. ==> Why new policy • In 2006, the supreme court held that the existing National Forest Policy (NFP), 1988…
• The Centre has finally mustered the courage to submit a draft scheme in the Supreme Court to implement the final decision on apportioning the Cauvery waters among the riparian States. • The draft, which gives no name for the…
• The total amount of wages pending under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme for the whole country (2016-17) was around ₹11,000 crore. • This sum is a fifth of the MGNREGA budget announced for the…
• India can increase its GDP by up to 60% by 2025 by enabling more women to participate in its workforce, according to a 2015 study by the McKinsey Global Institute. • However, social and cultural constraints can prevent this…
• This is an important year for making progress on the Paris Agreement (PA), which was discussed at the climate meeting called the Conference of Parties (COP-21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2015. •…
• Global attention has been devoted to water scarcity and its effect on Indian farmers. However, new analysis from Indian researchers suggests that far more good could come if irrigation were combined with seed improvement. • Tata Trusts and Copenhagen…
• The five-member collegium has unanimously agreed, in principle, to reiterate its recommendation to appoint the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court as a judge of the Supreme Court. • When repeated unanimously, the Centre is bound to act…
