IT’S TIME FOR A VIRTUAL JUDICIARY
Why do we need a ‘Virtual Judiciary’ now? The pendency of cases in various courts in India is staggering- and the existing infrastructure may be grossly under-utilised. There are tribunals such as the Income Tax Tribunal that function only half-day most of the time. To make matters worse, most courts are closed for Christmas and […]
NHRC ISSUES NOTICES TO STATES
Why in news? The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the Madhya Pradesh government. Maharashtra was called up over the “inappropriate approach” adopted for the release of prisoners to avoid the SARS-CoV-2 infection and Madhya Pradesh was called up for the incident of a pregnant migrant giving birth […]
INDIA NON-COMMITTAL ON TALKS WITH TALIBAN
Why in news? India will “continue to be guided” by its friendship with the Afghan people, said the government, remaining non-committal on renewed questions of whether it would open direct talks with the Taliban. India’s Current Position on Afghanistan India has asserted that it has its own perspectives on Afghanistan, and the traditional and neighbourly […]
DIAMER-BHASHA DAM: CLAIMS OVER GILGIT-BALTISTAN
Why in news? India on 14th May 2020 opposed a move by Pakistan and China to build a major hydropower plant in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, saying it has shared its concerns regarding such projects with both countries. The Pakistan government on, 13th May 2020, signed a Rs 442-billion contract with a joint venture formed by China Power […]
SECOND TRANCHE OF ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE
Why in news? The major focus of the second tranche of the economic stimulus package announced on 14th May 2020 is to provide free food grains for the next two months to migrant workers who do not have ration cards. The Centre will help create affordable rental housing for the urban poor and provide relief worth […]
NEPAL CAN LET INDIA USE LINK ROAD
Why in news? Nepal’s Prime Minister, on 13th May 2020, proposed a solution to the ongoing border tension saying that Nepal can allow India to use the link road to the Lipulekh Pass as part of an agreement, but will not surrender the Kalapani territory on which India has been carrying out construction. Background Nepal expressed […]
LOW-COST ‘FELUDA’ TEST
Why in news? An accurate and low-cost strip test called “Feluda” that can detect the coronavirus disease within one hour is expected to be available for the first phase of testing by July 2020. Called Feluda, the test is named after a fictional detective created by the late Satyajit Ray – and it is also an acronym for FNCAS9 […]
STUDY EXPLORES DRIVERS OF DEATH TERMS
Findings of the Research on Death Sentences: The shock and impact of a crime on the collective conscience of society was a major reason cited by trial courts in Delhi while imposing death sentence on convicts. Out of the 43 cases in Delhi in which death sentence was handed down between 2000 and 2015, trial courts invoked the impact […]
NEW MSME DEFINITION WITHOUT AMENDING LAWS
Why in news? The definition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) was redefined on the basis of investment limit and turnover size. What has changed in the Definition of MSMEs? Earlier, the MSMEs were defined on the basis of investments put in, now the revised definitions will also include turnover of the company. There […]
MAJOR STIMULUS PACKAGE FOR MSMES, TDS AND TCS REDUCED
Why in news? The Union Finance Minister on 13th May 2020, announced a Rs. 3 lakh crore collateral free loan scheme for businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as part of a Rs. 20-lakh-crore economic stimulus package to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The rates of tax deduction at source (TDS) and tax collection […]