Editorials/Opinions Analyses For UPSC 2 October 2021
Contents Crime and the pandemic: On Crime in India report Make departments smart, first Crime and the pandemic: On Crime in India report Context: The annual report, ‘Crime in India’, released by the National Crime Records Bureau released in September 2021 needs to be carefully parsed before gleaning insights or making State-wise comparisons. Relevance: GS-II: […]
A lesson from China on gig workers’ rights
Context: In September 2021, the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers, on behalf of gig workers, filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court demanding that the Union government provide succour to workers affected by the pandemic. In September 2021, China strode ahead in this regard, as owing to public pressure, two of its […]
PM CARES: A fund without a care for the RTI
Context: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the past, has denied Right to Information requests related to the PM-CARES Fund on the grounds that providing it would “disproportionately divert the resources of the office.” However, a High Court judgment and multiple orders of the Central Information Commission (CIC) have previously held that, under the RTI […]
The pursuit of happiness through justice
Context: The United Nations World Happiness Report of 2021 ranks India 139 out of 149 countries. India’s dismal performance on happiness is crucial if we look at governance and the law. Relevance: GS-II: International Relations (International Organizations and their Reports) Dimensions of the Article: About World Happiness Report Highlights of the World Happiness Report 2021 […]
Revitalising PM-KUSUM
Context: The Union Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy recently reviewed the progress of the PM-KUSUM scheme and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to accelerating solar pump adoption. Relevance: GS-I: Indian Society (Population and its associated issues, Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India), GS-II: Governance (Government Initiatives and Policies) Dimensions of the Article: […]
T.N. and NEET: Stopping short of social justice
Context: The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a Bill to dispense with the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET) and allow admission to medical courses based on Class 12 marks to “ensure social justice”. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Issues related to Education, Government Policies and Initiatives), GS-II: Polity and Governance (Centre-State Relations) Dimensions […]
India, Nepal: Flood management cannot be watered down
Context: Over the years, many of Bihar’s districts have been facing serious challenges with recurrent and massive flooding. Even in 2021 it has been a double whammy — of flooding and the novel coronavirus pandemic. Relevance: GS-III: Disaster and Management (Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters, Disaster Management in India), GS-I: Geography (Important Geophysical phenomena), GS-II: International […]
A disease surveillance system, for the future
Context: In 1854, when a deadly outbreak of cholera affected London, John Snow (1813-1858), a British doctor and epidemiologist, used the health statistics and death registration data to say that cholera was a waterborne, contagious disease – resulting in the effective control of the cholera outbreak. Hence, in the backdrop of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we […]
When global firms disengage, employment suffers
Context: The most recent labour statistics, for August 2021, released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) shows that the unemployment rate has increased from around 7% in July to 8.3% for August 2021. In absolute terms, around 2 million jobs were lost in one month. Relevance: GS-I: Indian Society (Population and its associated […]
Sea level rise is certain
Context: The recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report from Working Group I — ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis’ — is a clarion call for climate action. It provides one of the most expansive scientific reviews on the science and impacts of climate change. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Climate […]