In continuation of the declining trend that has been observed since June last year, India’s exports and imports continue to shrink across many nations for most items. Details: The imports have declined more than the exports thus narrowing the trade deficit. While the decline in exports was widespread, affecting most of the major …
Read More »Monthly Archives: May 2023
FOODGRAINS, OILSEED HARVESTS SET TO BREAK RECORDS
According to the Agricultural Ministry, India will achieve foodgrain production of 3305.34 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) in the current agricultural year According to the third advance estimates of production of major crops, government is estimating record production of rice, wheat, maize, soybean, rapeseed and mustard, and sugarcane. The total foodgrain production is likely to …
Read More »SEDITION AND ITS ROOTS
On March 30, the Lahore High Court annulled the offence of ‘sedition’ in the Pakistan Penal code. Embarrassingly, around the same time in India, the police registered a series of complaints in Delhi and in Ahmedabad The detainees were not accused of ‘sedition,’ but were booked for criminal conspiracy to …
Read More »INDIA, NEPAL MAY SIGN PACTS ON ENERGY AND WATER
As Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda prepares for an official visit to India, the “southern neighbour” maintained silence as fast paced developments in Nepal remain the talk of the town here. The air of caution around Mr. Prachanda’s visit is partly due to the volatile political condition in Nepal …
Read More »INDUS WATERS TREATY
The Union government on Friday instructed officials in Jammu & Kashmir to scale up efforts for “better utilisation of the country’s rights under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)” over the three rivers flowing through the Union Territory. Deputy National Security Adviser Sari Vikram Misri chaired the second meeting of the …
Read More »NAVY, ISRO RELEASE TRAINING PLAN FOR GAGANYAAN CREW
In an important step towards realising India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission to put an Indian in space, the Indian Navy and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released the Gaganyaan Recovery Training Plan at the Water Survival Training Facility (WSTF) at INS Garuda, Kochi. The human flight, after two unmanned flights, …
Read More »FORTIFIED RICE
The Union Food Ministry on Friday countered the Opposition Congress’s allegation that the distribution of fortified rice through fair price shops is being done despite multiple warnings by experts and institutions such as NITI Aayog and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). A spokesperson of the Ministry …
Read More »‘SEBI TO EASE PASSIVE FUND RULES SOON’
SEBI will soon introduce a new light-touch regulatory framework for passively managed mutual funds like exchange traded funds (ETFs) and index funds, which have seen a sharp uptick in assets under management (AUM) in recent years, a member said. “We are going to introduce new mutual fund regulations which we …
Read More »RBI BECOMES A NET SELLER OF US DOLLARS IN FY23
After remianing a net purchaser of US dollar for three consecutive years, RBI became the net seller of US dollar in FY2023. RBI sold $25.52 billion on a net basis in the spot foreign exchange market in FY 2023. The rupee came under heavy pressure due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and interest rate hikes by the …
Read More »LONELY IN A CROWD
Manasvi Khandelwal talks about the loneliness that has stayed with her for a few months now, ever since she moved to Atlanta, the United States, after her wedding. “My husband and I are in a very happy relationship,” she says. “But there is some sense of grief because we are …
Read More »JUDGES RECUSAL
Last week former Supreme Court judge Justice M.R. Shah refused to recuse himself from hearing a plea by former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjiv Bhatt to submit additional evidence to back his Gujarat High Court appeal against his conviction in a 1990 custodial death case. Bhatt contended that there was a …
Read More »ALL-IN-ONE POLICY PLAN INSURANCE IN INDIA
IRDA is devising an affordable product covering health, life, property, accident risks to give citizens protection, expedite claim settlements by linking death registries onto one industry platform If India’s insurance regulator’s plans fructify, households across the country could soon be able to get an affordable single policy that covers health, life, …
Read More »‘KEEZHADI TEXTILES’
From among the excavations of the Keezhadi archaeological site, situated 13 km from Madurai, ivory chess pieces, ivory dice and terracotta hopscotch stones were found Speaking on “Keezhadi: Sangam Age Site Excavations” at an event organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Chennai Chapter, at …
Read More »JALLIKATTU — CONTINUITY OF A TRADITION FROM INDUS VALLEY TO KEEZHADI
In C.S. Chellappa’s Tamil novel, Vaadivaasal (the place of entry for bulls in an arena), there is a scene which captures the spirit of bull tamers in Tamil Nadu. After being gored by the invincible bull ‘Kaari’, Picchi’s father Ambuli would tell him, “Swear on your father. After me, this arena will …
Read More »ORDINANCE- ITS CONSTITUTIONALITY AND SCRUTINY
On May 19, 2023, the President of India exercised legislative power under Article 123 of the Constitution, during the period Parliament was in recess, to promulgate “The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023” (Ordinance). The ordinance negates a Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court of …
Read More »‘SENGOL’ IN THE NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING
A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a press conference in Delhi explaining the importance of the sceptre (sengol) to be installed in the new Parliament building, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed presspersons in Chennai on Thursday, explaining how it is a matter of pride for Tamil …
Read More »SUSTAINABLE AGRI COMMODITY VALUE CHAINS
India has a long history of producing agricultural commodities, and has been a hub for the global spices, tea, and coffee trade for several centuries. Its scale and diversity have gone from strength to strength over the last three decades, such that the share of high-value agricultural commodities in the …
Read More »INDEPENDENCE OF JUDICIARY IS PART OF BASIC STRUCTURE OF CONSTITUTION
The Supreme Court has held that the independence of district judiciary is part of the basic structure of the Constitution and judicial independence from the executive and the legislature requires the judiciary to have a say in matters of finances. “The independence of the district judiciary must also be equally …
Read More »COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND AI
The recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc. versus Goldsmith et al. has added more unpredictability to the process of being exempted from copyright infringement liabilities. The judgment is set to have implications for how we regulate a powerful form of artificial …
Read More »GOVERNMENT’S POWER ON ORDINANCES
The central government promulgated an Ordinance that undid the unanimous verdict of a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court. The Central government promulgated an Ordinance extending the powers of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) over services in the administration of the national capital. These powers essentially involve the power to transfer and appoint …
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