Global News

Introduction The streets of Indian cities have increasingly become hostile for women and young girls nowadays. Is this due to the break in law and order? Should the law-enforcing agencies be held responsible for this? It is partly due to inadequate infrastructure at various places that gives enough time and space for the antisocial elements to do what they want to do. There are other factors that embolden the culprits to prey on innocent-looking victims. They are disguised culprits, longer trial periods, societal stigma, and an inhuman approach to trial employed. Insufficient Infrastructure in Public Places The common places where people meet or date do not have proper lighting or sitting places, forcing them to move inward. Sometimes, people, especially dating couples, may criss-cross through the public places such as parks to reach the opposite destination fast in the wee hours of the day, where there is no  proper lighting or CCTV camera installed, giving enough space for the mi...

Introduction Though we a ll  make good films at national and regional levels, they fail to cut the cake at the international level due to various factors, which include their failure to appeal to the international audience. Apart from this, there are selection flaws, high campaign costs, and different ways of storytelling that have failed to attract an international audience.  Indian's Tryst with Oscar and Negligence India's fascination for Oscar started with the nomination of Mother India, directed by Mehboob Khan, way back in 1957. This film got the attention as the best international feature film nomination. The other films that got nominations in this category are Salaam Bombay (1988) and Lagaan (2001). However, neither of these films got due attention. While that was the case, FFI's nomination of badly performing films for Oscar awards drew a lot of ire from the film critics. The FFI wrongly picked up a Guarati film, "The Road," instead of the much-appreciate...

Introduction Since last revision of electoral role back in 2011, lot of duplicates and unwanted names due to persons' death, migration to cities, name in electoral roles of two or more places have been noted. Election Commission of India (ECI) noted this discrepancy and launched Special Intensive Revision of electoral roles across the country. As a result, a large number of names have been deleted from electoral list, resulting in lot of resistance from political parties. Special Intensive Revision (SIT) As the name envisages, this is quick revision of electoral roles, ahead of upcoming elections in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, etc. The ECI found lot of discrepancies in the electoral roles due to complete inaction of State Election Commissions in different states. The Election Commission of India took the cognizance of this and decided to do its quick revision. The ECI appointed employees of local governments in the respective states to visit each household and enumerate t...

  Introduction Some years back a new system was introduced to make financial transactions easy and secured. At that time, many people were cynical about its value. Some politicians even said that the efforts for such a transformation were a futile exercise. The system we are referring to is Unified Payment Interface (UPI). The new financial system, as we know, is a tremendous success. Nowadays, even roadside vendors are using it. No need to carry a huge amount of money. Characteristics of UPI Before it was released, a great deal of work, years of planning, hardware acquisition, and extensive testing were done. It is a common gateway for conducting various financial transactions, as the name suggests. It offers services like fund transfers, withdrawals, deposits, and more while bringing together transactions with various banks under one roof. The following lists the key characteristics of the UPI payment system. 24-hour Availability: UPI services are accessible at all times. As long...

  Introduction Building collapse cases and fires have increased over the past two years. Authorities are not following up on civic problems that arise in residential areas, especially near educational institutions or government offices. People construct buildings that flout rules prescribed by civic bodies. The number of illegal constructions is increasing in different cities across the country. Illegal Constructions Every Indian city, including 1-tier and 2-tier cities, has this problem. Civic amenities are built illegally in front of the law-enforcing authorities. Civic bodies overlook these structures and ask for bribes to ignore whether they are illegally constructed or occupied. Corrupt officials in municipal bodies help people in constructing buildings illegally. The case in point is the recent crash of a Paying Guest accommodation in Satya Niketan, which claimed 7 innocent lives. Civic Apathy Every time these kinds of accidents happen, authorities set up an inquiry committee...

Introduction Recently, there is a controversy regarding the GDP number that is projected to reach 7.8% year-on-year.  Some of the politicians from the opposition and economists claim that this number is fudged to inflate GDP. The central government defended that its first quarter number has been calculated following standard methods that are used in other countries. Ceasing the opportunity to attack the government, the opposition parties quickly jumped into the bandwagon, repeating the suspicion aired by the ex-finance secretary of the central government. The ex-finance secretary further said that wrong figures would dent the investor confidence.   Ex-Finance Secretary Claim Some days ago, an ex-finance secretary in the ministry came out with the claim that the first quarter result of the current financial year GDP number was fudged, citing the downward revision of the nominal GDP from Rs 86,000 crore to Rs 80,000 crore in the last quarter of the year before. He alleged that i...

Introduction The Indus River Treaty came into being in the year 1960, helping India and Pakistan to divide the river water equitably between them. At that time, Pakistan was a normal country that happily coexisted with its big brother India. Brokered by the World Bank, the landmark water-sharing agreement was signed in Karachi, Pakistan. India has blocked the treaty after the terror attack in Pahalgam in April 2025 . India is planning to build a dam across the river to completely deprive Pakistan of water. The  "Not a Single Drop" policy  as a weapon is going to affect Pakistan’s economy, as it is primarily an agrarian country. Treaty Details The World Bank-brokered treaty divides the tributaries of the Indus River based on the location that is nearer to them. Based on these criteria, the Indus water was divided into west and east rivers that emanate from their parent river. Eastern Rivers: These rivers are controlled by India. They are Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. In...

Introduction City life depends heavily on urban air quality. This is evident in the National Capital Region (NCR) during the peak of the winter season each year. The winter season measures high AQI in NCR. The number of patients visiting hospitals with various diseases increases. People with asthma find their symptoms aggravated in winter due to air pollution. This is a textbook case of urban air quality influencing the health of people in urban areas. Air Quality Index The term "urban air quality" refers to the condition and cleanliness of the air within cities and densely populated areas. It is largely determined by the amount of particulate matter or pollutants present in an area. It is usually measured as the Air Quality Index (AQI). It is a single number and color-coded scale. Governments use it to communicate how polluted the air currently is in a city. The color code represents the severity of health issues due to air pollution. Urban Air Quality Nowadays, pollutants ...

Introduction Taking a cue from freebie experiments such as free bus rides in Karnataka and Telangana, Kerala also adopted this freebie for women. It named the scheme the Priyadarshini scheme, after late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to get mass appeal. However, the government of the day failed to factor in the extent of Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) coverage and fiscal state. In other states like Karnataka and Telangana, state-owned transport corporations provide the service, whereas Kerala has both state-run and private entities. This Kerala free bus service scheme has pushed the already penniless state-owned KSRTC into loss. Free Transportation for Women The Kerala government’s decision to offer the KSRTC free bus service for women is a commendable gesture. The Priyadarshini scheme is a blessing in disguise for women who go out for work, education, and healthcare. Usually, women in rural areas have to spend a large amount of money to commute daily. The state government se...

Introduction Wherever you look, the incumbent governments are indifferent to and ignorant about what is happening in different departments. Due to administrative inaction, the officials are increasingly promoting red tape and bribery. Therefore, ordinary citizens have to bribe the concerned officials to avoid institutional coldness. Under the official patronage, these officials have been asking for money in the guise of donations to party funds or administrative upgrades. Reasons for Mismanagement There are a number of reasons for me for this bureaucratic indifference. Government Indifference: Since there is no government intervention, babus or officials have become so emboldened that they have become insensitive to the genuine demands from the common man. Job Security: The government employees are aware of their job security. They also know that, in the worst-case scenario, they might be suspended or transferred to another location. This awareness has led to official negligence and c...

Introduction Recent agitation occurred under the guise of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which had become a huge success due to the student appraisal from across the country. Due to institutional apathy, there is a growing nexus between external entities and bureaucrats who control government departments. The recent agitation was due to repeated failures by officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the NEET exam over the past three years, without any glitches. NTA is a flagship government agency that conducts graduate and undergraduate exams across the country. Systemic Neglect The state's indifference has emboldened officials working according to their whims and fancies. The employment guarantee has led to bureaucratic inertia in dealing with problems faced by the common man. This systemic neglect has led to recent appraisals. Officials of every department are not transferred on a routine basis. This has given the officials enough time to develop a nexus with outside...

  Introduction Already resource-strained Air India finds it difficult to meet the roster requirements due to higher operational costs and ill-formed operational rosters. Adding fuel to the fire, its flights run into glitches quite often due to poor maintenance, frequent changes in service vendors, and employment of an inexperienced workforce, raising flight safety concerns among its loyal customers. Flight Safety Issues Air India has frequently been found caught in some of the worst air accidents in the history of the country's aviation history. Many causes have been attributed to it. Some of them are due to systemic failure, while some others are due to human errors. Despite giving training, the human errors keep on propping up due to the insufficient rest periods for aircraft pilots between changing rosters. Causes of Safety Issues The handing over of loss-making Air India to Tata Sons has not made any significant difference in its service to the aviation market. This i...

  Introduction Air India flight AI2379 was en route from Phuket to New Delhi when it encountered severe convective turbulence. The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members . The incident occurred approximately one hour before the flight was scheduled to land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Atmospheric Mechanics and Flight Impact The flight unexpectedly passed through an air pocket characterized by a severe atmospheric pressure difference. Aircraft Movement : This pressure variance forced the aircraft into violent up-and-down movements, resulting in a sudden downward trajectory. Altitude Drop : The aircraft plunged 300 meters from its high-velocity cruising altitude. Duration : The severe shaking and altitude instability lasted for a continuous duration of five minutes. Regional Meteorological Context Southeast Asia is highly susceptible to convective turbulence, which is predominantly generate...