Attorney-General R. Venkataramani told the Supreme Court on Friday that the Union government will adhere to the timelines fixed by the court to process recommendations for judicial appointments. The government’s statement seems to be a step down from its earlier view that it was not a “post office” to clear …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2023
CRISIS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW
In an influential essay written more than two decades ago, Professor Hilary Charlesworth, who is now a judge at the International Court of Justice, described international law as “a discipline of crisis”. Not much has changed since then. Just when the world was recovering from the pain induced by COVID-19, …
Read More »KERALA’S COFFEE AND ORGANIC FARMING
The traditional coffee farmers of Anchunad at Marayur in Kerala’s Idukki are reaping the benefits of organic farming, with a kg of berry (coffee fruit) fetching over ₹50 this year. Tribespeople and other farmers traditionally follow organic coffee farming in the Anchunad valley. Coffee is mainly cultivated at Kanthalloor, Keezhanthoor, …
Read More »BOOSTING ‘MAKE IN INDIA’
The Union government has flagged over a dozen “restrictive and discriminatory” conditions which prevented local suppliers from participating in bidding processes initiated by its various departments and Ministries. The conditions were in violation of the Public Procurement-Preference to Make in India (PPP-MII) Order, 2017, issued to protect the interests of …
Read More »TAMIL NADU POST MATRIC SCHOLARSHIP FOR SC STUDENTS OF MEDICAL COURSES
In what could be a boon to Scheduled Caste students pursuing medical courses and availing themselves of the Central government’s Post Matric Scholarship (PMS) scheme, the Tamil Nadu government is considering a proposal to enhance the PMS to match the fees paid for those admitted under the 7.5% quota. The …
Read More »KUKI-CHIN REFUGEES FROM BANGLADESH
As another round of refugee crisis brews on the Mizoram-Bangladesh border, several members of the Kuki-Chin community were “pushed back” by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday, according to K. Vanlalvena, a Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram. He said not allowing the “ethnic Mizo” from Bangladesh to enter India …
Read More »SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN INDIA
The Supreme Court on Friday transferred to itself petitions pending in various High Courts seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said there was broad consensus among the petitioners to shift the cases to the Supreme Court for an authoritative …
Read More »JAPAN OFFERING MONEY TO MOVE OUT OF TOKYO
According to local media reports, Japan will pay up to one million yen (approximately ₹6 lakh) per child to families if they move out of the Tokyo metropolitan area. This amount was previously set at 3,00,000 yen and has been raised to reduce population concentration in the capital area. The …
Read More »INDIA’S PLAN TO DEVELOP GREEN HYDROGEN
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a ₹19,744 crore National Green Hydrogen mission that aims to make India a ‘global hub’ for using, producing and exporting green hydrogen. What is green hydrogen? Hydrogen is a key industrial fuel that has a variety of applications including the production of ammonia (a …
Read More »IMPORT LEVY ON NATURAL RUBBER REMOVED
The All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) has urged the government to not impose further restrictions on the import of rubber compounds. The industry imported 1,12,500 tonnes in 2021 under the ‘4005 Compounded rubber, unvulcanised, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strip’ category to make products such as …
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