At a time of both potential and peril, India has taken over the G20 presidency. The global food, energy, and financial crises have been exacerbated by the climatic crisis and India has a unique opportunity to lead from the front of one of the most influential global platforms. India has …
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AUTONOMY OF PANCHAYAT LEVEL IN INDIA
A few weeks ago, Balineni Tirupati, an up-sarpanch in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, committed suicide due to indebtedness. He had taken out a loan to undertake development works in the village and was unable to bear the burden after the State government’s inordinate delay in releasing bill payments. A few …
Read More »DECLINE IN CHINA’S POPULATION
The last time China’s population saw a decline was in 1961, in the midst of a devastating four-year famine following Mao’s failed “Great Leap Forward” campaign. The latest decline in population, however, is no blip. The shrinking of the world’s most populous country by as much as 8,50,000 in 2022 …
Read More »DROP IN INDIAN EXPORTS
December 2022 marked the steepest fall in two years for India’s goods exports, with products worth $34.5 billion shipped out — 12.2% lower than a year ago. This was the second time in three months that shipments dropped year-on-year and top Commerce Ministry officials sought to calm nerves by citing …
Read More »ANCIENT PORT CITY OF POOMPUHAR TRACED UNDER SEA
Researchers of Bharathidasan University’s Department of Remote Sensing, the lead agency of a Department of Science and Technology-sponsored research study, on Friday claimed to have found traces of an ancient port city buried under sea, at a depth of 50-100 metres, about 30-40 km off the coast of present-day Poompuhar …
Read More »1ST G20 HEALTH WORKING GROUP MEETING
Highlighting the philosophy of “Aarogyam Param Bhagyam, SwasthyamSarwaarthSadhanam”, which translates as “Good Health is the Greatest Fortune” and “Health is the only way to Happiness in the World”, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare stated that “under G20 India Presidency, we plan to strive …
Read More »INDIA PARTICIPATES IN THE FMC LEADERSHIP MEETING OF THE WEF
India participated in the First Movers Coalition (FMC) Leadership Meeting of the World Economic Forum which deliberated on the world need for clean energy technologies to confront climate crisis globally. Industry leaders appreciated India’s fight against COVID leveraging digital technologies and also expressed their appreciation for Government partnering with industry …
Read More »THE POLITICAL FLUX IN PAKISTAN
With the dissolution of Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial assemblies, Pakistan’s politics has entered tumultuous territory. Former Prime Minister and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan believes that now the PTI has a better chance to return with more seats. On the contrary, the Pakistan Muslim …
Read More »‘UAE, INDIA DISCUSS RUPEE NON-OIL TRADE’
The United Arab Emirates is in early discussions with India to trade non-oil commodities in Indian rupees, Emirati Minister for Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi said on Thursday. The UAE signed a wide-ranging free trade agreement last year with India, which, along with China, is among the biggest trade partners …
Read More »SC REJECTS GOOGLE’S PLEA AGAINST NCLAT ORDER IN ANDROID CASE
The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed a National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) order refusing interim relief to Google against a Competition Commission of India (CCI) directive to pay a penalty of ₹1,337.76 crore for “abuse of dominance” in the Android ecosystem. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of …
Read More »WOMEN ARMY OFFICERS IN COMMAND
The Army has begun the process for selection of women officers for command postings in the rank of Colonel, which has so far been the domain of male officers. According to sources, a Special No. 3 Selection Board is being conducted for promotion of women officers from the rank of …
Read More »NATIONAL EXPORT COOPERATIVE SOCIETY TO TRADE NANO FERTILIZERS, DAIRY PRODUCTS
Nano fertilizers produced by IFFCO and dairy products from Amul will be among the first few products that are expected to be exported by the first-ever National Export Cooperative Society that was approved by the Union Cabinet on January 11. The society’s registration will be complete in the next few …
Read More »ANNUAL STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT (ASER) REPORT FOR 2022
After a gap of four years, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) report for 2022 was recently released in New Delhi. This nationwide household survey that covers all rural districts in the country generates estimates for schooling and basic learning for every State in India. Data from 2018 and …
Read More »POCSO ACT
Ten years have passed since the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, enacted in consequence to India’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992, came into effect on November 14, 2012. The aim of this special law is to address offences …
Read More »PIB AND FACT-CHECKS
A proposal by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology that seeks to force social media platforms to take down content “fact-checked” by the Government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) as false needs to be opposed without even a second look. The proposed amendment to the IT Rules opens the door …
Read More »OPIUM WARS AND THE CHINESE CONVICTS
Tucked away in the nondescript town of Naduvattam in the Nilgiris is a wonderfully preserved monument whose story encapsulates the complex history of the picturesque hill district. The injudiciously named “ancient sub-jail” that lies off the national highway was used to intern Chinese prisoners captured by the British during the …
Read More »NILGIRI’S HILL TOWN’S TOURISM ECONOMY
Snaking its way up the steep Coonoor slopes, the engineering marvel that is the more than 125-year-old Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) line has become one of the primary drivers of tourism in the picturesque hill district of Udhagamandalam. One of the oldest mountain railway lines in India and among the …
Read More »DPIIT MARKS INDIA’S PRESENCE AT WEF
In line with this year’s WEF theme, “Cooperation in a Fragmented World”, India has reiterated its position as a resilient economy with a strong leadership providing stable policy to the global investors at the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos. India’s focus areas at WEF this year are investment opportunities, …
Read More »RESILIENCY & SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT 2023
The Resiliency & Sustainability Summit: Vision 2047 brought together experts from all over India and deliberated upon the key aspects of present and futuristic disaster risks and climate contexts as well as their changing scenarios. “Regional disparity is a central challenge for reducing disaster risk & particularly climate-related disasters in …
Read More »BILATERAL NAVAL EXERCISE ‘VARUNA’ – 2023
The 21st Edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between India and France – Exercise Varuna commenced on the Western Seaboard today, 16 Jan 23. While the bilateral exercise between the two navies were initiated in 1993, it was christened as ‘VARUNA’ in 2001 and has become a hallmark of India – …
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