Editorial Analysis

In Context  Given the prevailing political scenario in the country, a careful appraisal of the functions of the Rajya Sabha in strengthening the fundamentals of our parliamentary democracy becomes even more necessary. Genesis of the Rajya Sabha The genesis of the Rajya Sabha can be traced to the Montague-Chelmsford report of 1918 and, consequently, the […]

In Context  A year has passed since the disclosures about the Pegasus Project revealed the threat to India’s democracy. What is Pegasus? It was developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group that was set up in 2010. It can not only mop up information stored on phones such as photos and contacts, but can also […]

In Context  India and Vietnam are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.  Strategic Significance of Vietnam  Beginning  The strategic dimensions of Indo-Vietnamese relations, initiated during the 1980s, began unfolding in the form of structured and institutional arrangements during the 1990s.  Maritime domain India is essentially a maritime nation and the oceans hold the […]

In Context  The Indian rupee breached the psychologically significant exchange rate level of 80 to a US dollar in early trade. What is the rupee exchange rate? The rupee’s exchange rate vis-à-vis the dollar is essentially the number of rupees one needs to buy $1.  This is an important metric to buy not just US […]

In News  India  has taken a lot of the refugees  from Myanmar since the coup . What led to the military coup in Myanmar? In early 2021, the country’s Parliament had been expected to endorse recent election results and approve the next government.  The military refused to accept the results of the vote, which was […]

In Context With inflation at unprecedented levels in many countries, concerns over energy security have gained centre stage. Consumption pattern in India Coal is the most important and abundant fossil fuel in India. It accounts for 55% of the country’s energy needs.  The country’s industrial heritage was built upon indigenous coal. The India Energy Outlook […]

In Context  The virtual summit-level I2U2 meeting between the leaders of Israel, India, UAE and US  took place just nine months after the grouping was launched by the foreign ministers of all four countries in Israel.  Major Outcomes  The grouping focused on the food security crisis and clean energy during their meeting  They also discussed […]

In News  Recently ,The Department of Empowerment of Person with Disabilities (DoEPwD) released the draft of the national policy for persons with disabilities (“Policy”) . Need  The necessity for a new policy was felt because of multiple factors such as  India’s signing of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  Enactment of […]

In Context There is much potential for South Korea to become the fourth pillar in New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific strategy India – South Korea Relations Political: In May 2015, the bilateral relationship was upgraded to ‘special strategic partnership’. India has a major role to play in South Korea’s Southern Policy under which Korea is looking at […]

In Context Recently, the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) analysed data from 80 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across 24 States between 2012-13 and 2016-17 to understand ULB finance and spending, and found some key trends. About Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)  They are small local bodies that administers or governs a city or a town […]