NEEDED, GREATER DECENTRALISATION OF POWER
Why in news? Over the course of the last few weeks, as we have found ourselves in the throes of a pandemic, one of the striking features of governance has been the signal role played by State Chief Ministers across India. What did the Governments do? Even before the Union government invoked the Disaster Management […]
CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN: FACTORS COUNTRIES SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN LIFTING RESTRICTIONS
Why in news? As China seems to have “flattened the curve” of its coronavirus cases and is no longer the country with the highest number of infected people or with the highest death toll, all eyes are going to be on it in the coming weeks, as restrictions are slowly lifted on residents after over […]
EXPLAINED: CYTOKINE STORMS — OR WHEN THE BODY’S OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM LEADS TO COVID-19 DEATHS
Why in news? Evidence is emerging that a subset of the infected patients develop severe COVID-19 because of an overreaction of their immune systems, which triggers what is known as a “cytokine storm syndrome” (CSS). Who are vulnerable? Various studies have shown that the disease has more severe consequences for those above the age of […]
THE SPECTRE OF A POST-COVID-19 WORLD
Why in news? As COVID-19 spreads exponentially across the world, and the figures of those testing positive as also the numbers of deaths keep increasing in near-geometrical progression, profound uncertainty and extreme volatility are wreaking havoc of a kind seldom encountered previously. It might, hence, be wise to start thinking of what next, if at […]
SAFE FORESTS, SAFE PEOPLE: ZOONOTIC DISEASES
The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has brought into sharp focus the entry of pathogens originally found in wild animals into the humans In the recent years, the diseases of such nature that have raised alarm are: Ebola, HIV, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, bird flu and swine flu The origins […]
MAKING THE PRIVATE SECTOR CARE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
As the battle against COVID-19 continues in India, it is unclear how well prepared the healthcare system is in dealing with the pandemic. There exist resource constraints at both the Central and State governments and it is clear that government hospitals alone will not be able to manage the fallout. Moreover, even within the government […]
TABLIGHI JAMAAT: ITS PURPOSE, HOW IT RUNS
Over 200 have tested positive for COVID-19 from among 4,000-odd who had gathered in Delhi’s Markaz Nizamuddin, the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat. What is Tablighi Jamaat? Tablighi Jamaat, which literally means a society for spreading the faith, is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement. The proselytising movement aims to reach out to ordinary Muslims and […]
THE BATTLE TO SET OIL PRICES: RUSSIA’S MOVE TO REJECT PRODUCTION CUTS
Even as the world grapples with COVID-19 pandemic, the energy war has started to precipitate the global oil prices to lower levels. Why the prices are falling? Because the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its alliance partners failed to reach any consensus on cutting back production that would enable prices to remain […]
STILL NO BULLSEYE, IN VOLUME AND VALUE: ON DEFENCE EXPORTS AND DEFENCE IMPORTS
According to a report released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) for the period between 2009-13 and 2014-18, Indian defence imports fell even as exports increased. This is good for a nation that has had the record of being one of the biggest importers of Defence equipment. 2 Factors responsible for this shift ‘Make […]
EXPLAINED: WHAT IS BEING SPRAYED ON MIGRANTS, AND IS IT SAFE?
In several places including Barreili of UP and Delhi, migrant workers travelling to their home states, or their belongings, were sprayed with a disinfectant, apparently to sanitise them. The chemical in the spray was a sodium hypochlorite solution. Sodium hypochlorite is commonly used as a bleaching agent, and also to sanitise swimming pools. Is the […]