Blog

Rupee-rouble trade arrangement: Rupee-rouble trade is a payment mechanism which can allow Indian exporters to be paid in Indian rupees for their exports to Russia instead of standard international currencies such as dollars or euros. Under this arrangement, a Russian bank will need to open an account in an Indian bank while an Indian bankRead more

Reforming death penalty: The Supreme Court has initiated a procedure to review the process of the death penalty. About: Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal penalty for some crimes under the Indian Penal Code or other laws. In the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1898 death was the default punishment for murderRead more

Building faith in India’s investigative agencies: The police and investigative agencies may have de-facto legitimacy, but as institutions, they are yet to gain social legitimacy. Police should work impartially and focus on crime prevention. The CBI possessed immense trust of the public in its initial phase. But with the passage of time, like every otherRead more

Punjab’s claim on Chandigarh: Punjab’s chief minister moved a resolution in the Assembly, seeking the immediate transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab. The long-standing dispute between Punjab and Haryana over Chandigarh flared up after the Centre notified Central Service Rules for employees in Chandigarh instead of the Punjab Service Rules. How did Chandigarh become the capitalRead more

Demand for restoring the Old Pension Scheme: Many states are trying to restore Old Pension Scheme and discontinue the National Pension System (NPS). What is the Defined Pension Benefit Scheme (old)? The scheme assures life-long income, post-retirement. Usually the assured amount is equivalent to 50% of the last drawn salary. The Government bears the expenditureRead more

Areas under AFSPA regime reduced: Home Ministry The Union Home Ministry has considerably reduced the “disturbed areas” under the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act (AFSPA) in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. Armed Forces Special Powers Act, to put it simply, gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas.” AFSPA gives armed forcesRead more

Covovax: Covovax is the Indian version of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax Inc and manufactured under licence by the Serum Institute of India (SII). It is a recombinant protein vaccine that uses spike proteins to teach the body how to develop immunity against the novel coronavirus. Covovax has greater efficacy as a booster doseRead more

AFSPA: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA)gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”.They have the authority to prohibit a gathering of five or more persons in an area, can use force or even open fire after giving due warning if they feel a person is in contravention of theRead more

Anti-Satellite Test: Under Mission Shakti India completed its first successful attempt at shooting a satellite in lower earth orbit (LEO). In doing so, India has become the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to acquire the capability of space warfare. ASAT propels India to the coveted space-superpower league. India will now have theRead more

India seeks closer BIMSTEC partnership: India has proposed an FTA for BIMSTEC. The BIMSTEC FTA has been signed by all member nations to stimulate trade and investment in the parties, and attract outsiders to trade with and invest in the BIMSTEC countries at a higher level. Subsequently, the “Trade Negotiating Committee” (TNC) was set up,Read more