DEVOLUTION OF POWERS TO STATES TO MICRO-MANAGE
Introduction As COVID-19 lockdown is easing up, the states will now have to take care that they open up in a manner that does not aggravate the pandemic, while also addressing economic and humanitarian imperatives. Not a time to start relaxing The doubling rate of the coronavirus infection has improved to 13.6 per cent and […]
THE CHANGING NATURE OF CHINESE DIPLOMACY
Introduction: Foreign Policies of Persuasion and compromise U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt believed that if you “speak softly and carry a big stick: you will go far”. Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China, practiced Roosevelt’s belief. Where Mao preferred to exercise his power from “out of the barrel of a gun”, […]
A MARRIAGE STORY FOR EVERYONE
Why in news? A petition recently filed in the Kerala High Court by a male same-sex couple challenges the constitutionality of the Special Marriage Act on the ground that it discriminates against same-sex couples who want to formalize their relationship through marriage Special marriage act of 1954 Special Marriage Act of 1954 allows and facilitates […]
NUTRITION AND THE BUDGET
Global Hunger Index, reported that India suffers from “serious” hunger, ranked 102 out of 117 countries, and that just a tenth of children between six to 23 months are fed a minimum acceptable diet The Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh which was launched in 2019 by Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, and Microsoft […]
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
When he visits India for the first time later in February 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump can expect thronging crowds in Gujarat and perhaps a substantive discussion on trade policy in New Delhi There will always be areas of untapped potential in bilateral cooperation, things could hardly be better between the two nations at this time of global turbulence, in trade […]
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIVATE AND GOVERNMENT BILLS IN PARLIAMENT
While a government Bill can be introduced and discussed on any day, a private member’s bill can only be introduced and discussed on Fridays. A private member’s Bill is different from a government Bill and is piloted by an MP who is not a minister Individual MPs may introduce private member’s Bill to draw the […]
SIX YEARS ON LOKPAL IS A NONSTARTER
The massive public campaign in 2011 demanding an independent anti-corruption ombudsman resulted in the passage of the Lokpal law. The preambular statement of The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 notes that the law has been enacted to ensure prompt and fair investigation and prosecution in cases of corruption against public servants. The Lokpal was envisioned […]
FIRST CALL
Sri Lanka’s new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, visited India in November, and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, after a five-day tour, visited India. Joint India-Japan proposal for the East Container Terminal at Colombo. Mahinda Rajapaksa has also discussed extending the $400-million Line of Credit and India’s further assistance for nationwide housing.
RESERVATION AS RIGHT : ON SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT
Why in news? Recent Supreme Court judgment, that there is no fundamental right to claim reservation in promotions, has caused some political alarm. The state is not bound to provide reservations, but if it does so, it must be in favour of sections that are backward and inadequately represented in the services based on quantifiable data. […]
VICTIM JUSTICE IS TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK
In 1996, the 154th Law Commission Report suggested a paradigm shift in India’s criminal justice system towards a victim-centric notion of justice. The Code of Criminal Procedure(Amendment) Act, 2009 partially accepted this suggestion and granted some rights to the victims of crime. The Act introduced victims’ right to a private counsel under Section 24(8). International […]