MHA: Update photos on ePrisons database
Context: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has advised the States to update recent photographs of prisoners released on parole in the ‘ePrisons’ and ‘Interoperable Criminal Justice System’ database. Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and Initiatives, e-Governance, Accountability in Governance) Dimensions of the Article: About the e-Prisons project About the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System About […]
Jammu and Kashmir and the Public Safety Act (PSA)
Context: Post-civilian killings and in the days running up to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Srinagar – around 700 people have been detained in Jammu and Kashmir, including a few under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and Innovations, Issues Arising Out of the Design and Implementation of […]
Updated NPR form retains contentious questions
Context: The latest form of the National Population Register (NPR) appears to have retained contentious questions such as “mother tongue, place of birth of father and mother and last place of residence”, according to a document compiled by a committee under the Registrar General of India. Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and Interventions, Issues arising […]
Amendments proposed to Births and Deaths law
Context: The Centre has proposed amendments to a 1969 law that will enable it to “maintain the database of registered birth and deaths at the national level”. Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and initiatives, Accountability and Transparency in Governance) Dimensions of the Article: How to Register a Birth or Death presently? About the accomplishment of […]
The need to move away from clientelism
Context: A neoliberal economy encourages private capital and the market, while forcing the state to withdraw from welfare. Even as the poor perceive the state as an arbitrator of their well-being and a facilitator for their mobility in all spheres of life, today’s political parties resort to unsolicited freebies to attract them. Relevance: GS-II: Governance […]
Campaign launched for social accountability law
Context: A State-wide campaign has been launched in Rajasthan for demanding passage of the social accountability law in the next Assembly session. Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and Initiatives, Transparency and Accountability) Dimensions of the Article: What is Social Accountability? About the draft Rajasthan Social Accountability Bill, 2019 Significance of the demand for social accountability […]
SC introduces FASTER system to send records
Context: The Supreme Court has introduced a new system – the “Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records” (FASTER) system. Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Transparency and Accountability, e-Governance, Government Policies and Initiatives) Dimensions of the Article: Supreme Court on FASTER System Data regarding Delay in Justice Reasons for delay in Justice Way Forwards Supreme Court on […]
SC gives Govt. two weeks to fill all tribunal vacancies
Context: The Supreme Court accused the Centre of “cherry-picking” names for appointments to tribunals groaning under backlog and left almost defunct by long-pending vacancies. Relevance: GS-II: Governance (Government Policies and Interventions), GS-II: Polity and Constitution (Constitutional Provisions, Quasi-Judicial Bodies) Dimensions of the Article: About the present vacancies in tribunals Constitutional provisions and mandates regarding Tribunals […]
105th Amendment: How was the backward classes policy restored?
Context: With the passing of the 127th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha and its receiving assent from the President – the 105th Constitution Amendment will now be restoring to the States their power to identify socially and educationally backward classes is fully operational. Relevance: GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Issues related to Minorities, […]
Covering the gaps in the game of data
Context: There have been various instances in 2020-21 where government has faced the heat of having no data on many important issues such as migrant labourers, workers in the unorganised sector, poverty data, etc. World Bank’s 2020 poverty report highlights how absence of poverty data in India — junked by the government in 2019 — makes […]