The International Commission to Reignite the Fight Against Smoking report was recently published. The report was prepared using secondary data from sources such as World Bank. Key Findings of the report India has been ranked second in the number of smokers aged between 16 and 64 years. India is among the nations having lowest … Read more
Encounter Killings’ is the term used to describe extrajudicial killings by the police or the armed forces when they encounter the alleged criminals or suspected gangsters. In India, the death sentence can be awarded only on the rarest of the rare instances – by the Supreme Court of India – after following the due process … Read more
The Supreme Court of India will soon hear a petition to remove the stay on the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, or the Haryana Act, that reserves 75% of jobs in the private sector in the State for local residents. The Act applies to jobs that pay up to ?30,000 per month, and … Read more
Recently various parties in their manifestos promised various forms of payment to homemakers, thus putting the spotlight on the unpaid domestic work done by women. Women everywhere carry a disproportionately higher burden of unpaid work, namely, unpaid domestic services as well as unpaid care of children. Though this work contributes to overall well-being at the … Read more
Recently, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs introduced the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha with an objective to ensure more efficient and expeditious investigation of crime by the use of modern technology. It would allow the police and prison authorities to collect, store and analyse physical and biological samples, including … Read more
The Supreme Court of India’s recent ruling on an all India quota deserves closer attention for a reason other than its impact on post graduate medical admissions. In a detailed order providing reasons for its ruling which upheld the Constitutional validity of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the All India Quota for National … Read more
Indian women excelled in the most decorated Olympic Games for India. There is no reason for it to be otherwise in any other field, especially education, given the right support. As a nation, we can ill-afford to ignore half the potential workforce if we aspire to be an economic powerhouse. As a society, women can … Read more
The proposed amendments to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) (Cadre) Rules of 1954 have triggered another round of conflict between the Centre and the States. The amendments proposed by the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, will take away the liberty of the States to deny consent for handing over civil servants for … Read more
Sustainable sanitation, alongside clean water and handwashing facilities are necessary to help protect and maintain our health security and stop the spread of deadly infectious diseases such as COVID-19, cholera, and typhoid. Wastewater and sludge from toilets contain valuable water, nutrients, and energy. Sustainable sanitation systems make productive use of waste to safely boost agriculture … Read more
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had participated in a conference in Sweden in 2020 the ‘Third High Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030’ where it was conceptualised to have zero road fatalities in India by 2030. In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly, after considering the alarming situation … Read more
With COVID-19 cases reducing in the country, schools are opening again. The society must focus on the nutrition of children to ensure that they get ready to take on new challenges after emerging from the confines of their homes. India faces multiple problems of under-nutrition and overweight/obesity coexisting with deficiencies of micronutrients such as iron, … Read more
. Total Fertility rate (TFR) is an important factor in population growth. Read here to know about the declining fertility rate in India. The Total fertility rate (TFR) has declined from 2.2 (reported in 2015-16) to 2.0 at the all- India level, according to the latest NFHS- 5 (phase 2) released by Union Health Ministry. … Read more
It has been the policy of governments around the world today to emphasize inclusive development, but there are always groups in every state who feel alienated because they feel left out of the developmental efforts. These perceptions combined with inefficient and corrupt governance create the condition for extremism and militancy to grow. The absence of … Read more
AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) mission The purpose of AMRUT is to: Ensure that every household has access to a tap with an assured supply of water and a sewerage connection. Increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces (e.g. parks) and Reduce pollution by switching … Read more
AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) mission The purpose of AMRUT is to: Ensure that every household has access to a tap with an assured supply of water and a sewerage connection. Increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces (e.g. parks) and Reduce pollution by switching … Read more
Out of the 293 transformative paragraphs of the National Education Policy 2020, about 180 are dedicated to school education. Recently, a video of a six-year-old girl making a strong case for reducing the burden of studies went viral. This monologue was an appeal to usher in joyful education in our schools. There are over 25 … Read more
In the absence of a central law, several local courts have ruled recently that the right to be forgotten, or to be left alone, is inherent to the right to privacy, which was recognised as a fundamental right by India’s Supreme Court in 2017 (Puttaswamy Judgment). It has become a hot-button issue worldwide with the … Read more
Human trafficking is the process of trapping people through the use of violence, deception or coercion and exploiting them for financial or personal gain. According to NCRB reports, between 2011 and 2018, the total number of cases of human trafficking recorded in the country was 35,983. 3 In 5 People Trafficked Were Children. People are … Read more
The right to water and sanitation is recognised as fundamental to attaining all other human rights. However, globally, 2.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water at home, and 2.3 billion do not have basic sanitation and 1 billion still practice open defecation. Amongst this, women are the most vulnerable section. Women … Read more
Issues associated with women education Gap in upper primary and secondary schooling: While female enrolment has increased rapidly since the 1990s, there is still a substantial gap in upper primary and secondary schooling. High drop-out rates: Increased female enrolment is, compromised by persistently high rates of drop-out and poor attendance of girls relative to boys. … Read more
Gorkhaland consists of Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and other hilly districts of West-Bengal. The people belonging to these areas have ethical, cultural and language differences with the Bengali community of West-Bengal. The demand of Darjeeling as a separate administrative region dates back to 1907. But, the term “Gorkhaland” was coined recently, in the … Read more
Jallikattu is a bull taming event practiced in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations. Jallikattu is recently in news because of the Supreme Court rulings, Government interventions and agitations from the public against the Jallikattu ban. Jalikattu is believed to have been practiced since at least 2500 years. A seal from Indus Valley … Read more
Meghalaya has recently withdrawn consent to the CBI to investigate cases in the state, becoming the ninth state to have taken this step. Eight other states which had withdrawn consent to the CBI are Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, and Mizoram. In November last year, the Supreme Court had expressed concern over … Read more
After the 2018 amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, the Centre has come to exercise power over the CBI not just administratively, but also legally. In 2018, the government pushed through Parliament amendments to Section 17A of the Act making it mandatory for the CBI to seek the Centre’s permission before registering a … Read more
The act recognizes and vests the forest rights and occupation in forest land in Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD)who have been residing in such forests for generations. This act comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The act also establishes the responsibilities and authority for sustainable … Read more
. Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Tripura had been witnessing conflict since 1950-60 period, but since 1990, the intensity of conflicts started to decrease. Now the only state where prominent insurgency exist is Manipur. But in this region several armed factions operate. Some groups call for a separate state, others for regional autonomy while some extreme … Read more
India and Pakistan boundary was fixed by Sir Radcliffe and the line was called Radcliffe Line. However, some disputes arose because of the erroneous depiction of the maps by the Radcliffe Award. One of such disputes was Berubari Dispute. Radcliffe had divided the district of Jalpaigudi between India and Pakistan by awarding some thanas to … Read more
Separation of power ensures efficient functioning of key organs of government as no individual organization can garner political monopoly and abuse power. The RBI is not constitutionally independent, as the 1934 Act governing its operation gives the government power to direct it. The government appoints the central bank governor and four deputies. Independence of RBI … Read more
Local self-government implies the transference of the power to rule to the lowest rungs of the political order. It is a form of democratic decentralization where the participation of even the grass root level of the society is ensured in the process of administration. The village panchayat, as a system of administration, began in the … Read more
Representation of Peoples Act 1951 is an act enacted by the Indian provincial parliament before first general elections. The People’s Representation act provides for the actual conduct of elections in India. The act also deals with details like qualification and disqualification of members of both houses of Parliament (ie Loksabha and Rajyasabha) and the state … Read more
The issue of the Uniform Civil Code has emerged into India’s political discourse recently mainly because many Muslim women, affected adversely by the personal laws, have begun knocking on the doors of the Supreme Court to uphold their fundamental rights to equality and liberty in keeping with constitutional provisions. At the end of the day, … Read more
Dalits (SC) and Tribals (ST) are the most marginalized sections of Indian society. Many atrocities have been committed against them since time immemorial. The SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act protects them against discrimination and atrocities. However, the SC/ST act can never be called a successful legislation. Dalits and Tribals still face discrimination. On the other … Read more
Recently the Indian public has observed with interest the criminal proceedings that followed the arrest of Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan. When the Bombay High Court finally granted bail to Aryan, millions of Indians learnt that grant of bail by a court does not automatically entitle the accused to an immediate release, unless … Read more
The Tenth Schedule of Indian Constitution is popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act. Original constitution had no such provisions. It was included in the Constitution in 1985 by the Rajiv Gandhi government. The main intent of the law was to deter “the evil of political defections” by legislators motivated by the lure of office or … Read more
Child marriage is a global issue fuelled by gender inequality, poverty, social norms and insecurity, and has devastating consequences all over the world. High levels of child marriage reflect discrimination and lack of opportunities for women and girls in society. Despite various statutory provisions in India and initiatives like Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programmes, the … Read more
The conferment of a person, as a citizen of India, is governed by Articles 5 to 11 (Part II) of the Indian Constitution. Apart from the above Articles of the Indian Constitution, citizenship is also deeply connected with the Citizenship Act, which is passed by the Indian Parliament in 1955. Citizenship Act 1955 speaks about … Read more
The Union Cabinet’s Proposal for bringing uniformity in the marriageable age of men and women is certainly a progressive step to realise Goal 5 of the SDGs which asks nation-states to formulate policies to achieve gender equality. However, good intent does not guarantee favourable outcomes. Coercive laws without wide societal support often fail to deliver … Read more
Article 61 provides the procedure for the removal of the president of India. When a President is to be impeached for violation of the Constitution, the charge shall be preferred by either House of Parliament. No such charge shall be preferred unless : the proposal to prefer such charge is contained in a resolution … Read more
Congress won the elections to the provincial assemblies held in February 1937. Its election manifesto reaffirmed its total rejection of the 1935 Act. One of the first acts of the Congress Government was to release thousands of political prisoners and to cancel deportation orders on political workers. The difference between the Congress provinces and the … Read more
There is no explicit classification of majorities in the Indian Constitution. But a careful reading of different articles in Indian Constitution would provide an idea about four types of majorities. They are Absolute Majority, Effective Majority, Simple Majority and Special Majority. For ease of understanding, we have again classified Special Majority into four sub-types. Absolute … Read more
The Vice-President shall be elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot. The Vice-President shall not be a member of … Read more
The discretionary powers of the Indian president are not explicitly mentioned in the Indian constitution. But cases, where the Indian President do not act on the advice of CoM, can be understood if one carefully read the provisions related to the Indian President. Suspensive Veto The President has discretionary power when he exercises suspensive veto … Read more
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body envisaged to uphold the values of equality, equity, impartiality, independence enshrined in the Indian Constitution and the rule of law in superintendence, direction, and control over the electoral governance. It was established to conduct the elections with the highest standard of credibility, freeness, fairness, transparency, … Read more
According to a Walk Free Foundation report in 2016, there were 46 million people enslaved worldwide in 2016. There were 18.3 million people in India living in the forms of modern slavery (about 39% of global slaves). Modern Slavery includes bonded labour, child labour, forced marriage, human trafficking, forced begging etc. The term modern slavery … Read more
. Indian Constitution is a dynamic document that can be amended according to the needs of society whenever required. Constitution under Article 368 grants power to the Parliament to amend whenever there is a necessity. The doctrine of basic structure is nothing but a judicial innovation to ensure that the power of amendment is not … Read more
. Government of India has replaced the old planning commission started in 1950 with a new institution called NITI Aayog on 1 January 2015. It works under the chairmanship of Prime Minister. NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) will seek to provide a critical directional and strategic input into the development process. It focuses … Read more
. The History of Education policies in British India can be classified into two – before 1857 (under the English East India Company) and after 1857 (under the British Crown). 1781: Governor-General of Bengal, Warren Hastings established Calcutta Madarasa for Islamic law studies. It was the first educational institute set by East India Company (EIC) … Read more
The CBI is headed by a Director. He is assisted by a special director or an additional director. Additionally, it has a number of joint directors, deputy inspector generals, superintendents of police and all other usual ranks of police personnel. In total, it has about 5000 staff members, about 125 forensic scientists and about 250 … Read more
The co-operative sector, over the years, has made significant contribution to various sectors of national economy and has achieved voluminous growth. However, it has shown weaknesses in safeguarding the interests of the members and fulfilment of objects for which these institutions were organised. There have been instances where elections have been postponed indefinitely and nominated … Read more
The Indian party system has the following characteristic features: Multi-Party System The continental size of the country, the diversified character of Indian society, the adoption of universal adult franchise, the peculiar type of political process, and other factors have given rise to a large number of political parties. In fact, India has the largest number … Read more
