Editorial Analysis

In News India recently announced a number of measures to support Bhutan’s development plans during Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s visit.  India-Bhutan Bilateral Relations Bhutan shares its border with four Indian states:  Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim with a length of 699 km and serves as a buffer between India and China. […]

In Context The government introduced The Forest (Conservation), Amendment Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha to make changes to The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The proposed amendments to the Act are criticised for weakening the very purpose of the legislation. Background of the legislation The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980: Following Independence, vast swathes of forest land […]

In Context Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs said it would “standardise” 11 place names in what China calls “South Tibet or Zangnan”, an area consistently controlled by India.  China’s renaming for places in Arunachal Pradesh About: China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs put out names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin […]

In Context India can take the lead, as president of the G-20 this year, in carbon pricing, which will open unexpected avenues of decarbonisation. About Carbon pricing Meaning: Carbon pricing is an instrument that captures the external costs of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the costs of emissions that the public pays for, such as damage […]

In Context Recently Japan unveiled “Japan’s New Plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) and exchanged views about deepening the “Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership”. Japan’s New Plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific Need of FOIP: Japan’s FOIP underlines that given the current geopolitical landscape with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, growing Chinese […]

In Context The government adopted the Panchamrit principles to guide its foreign policy, in actively promoting India’s image as a rising global power.  The fifth of these five principles is sanskriti evam sabhyata (cultural and civilisational links). More about the soft power diplomacy  Meaning: Soft power is the capacity to influence other nations through the […]

In Context As the year 2024 marks the centenary of the Vaikom Satyagraha, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is to jointly inaugurate the centenary celebrations, during a function to be held at Vaikom on April 1, 2023. What is Vaikom Satyagraha? The Vaikom Satyagraha 30th March 1924 was […]

In Context India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI), loosely the India Stack and more, is shaped in a unique partnership between governments (Union and States), regulators, the private sector, selfless volunteers, startups, and academia/think tanks. India, through India Stack, became the first country to develop all three foundational DPIs: digital identity (Aadhar), real-time fast payment (UPI) […]

In Context Experts deliberate on the progress of the Indian health system and the challenges it still faces. About Over the years, the Indian health system has overcome seemingly insurmountable problems, long considered hopeless. As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) even under the best-case scenario, India would achieve a total fertility rate of 2.1 […]

Context India’s G20 presidency would play an important role in promoting individual and collective actions to facilitate the transition towards a sustainable blue economy.  G20 countries & significance of oceans The G20 countries together account for around 45% of the world’s coastlines and over 21% of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs).  The oceans are the […]