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EDITORIAL E-BOOK

Version 1.1
Revised Edition August 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS

NO. OF Author Name


SR. EDITORIAL EDITORIAL PAGE
EDITORIAL DATE OF UPDATION
NO. CATEGORY CODE NO.
S

20-8-19 7 Rajani Sinha


22-8-19 8 Mukund
22-8-19 9 vasudevan
26-8-19 10 Deepak Dsouza
26-8-19 11 Ananth
26-8-19 12 Padmanabhan
28-9-18 13 Prasanna S.
28-9-18 14 Serish Nanisetti
29-8-19 15 Abhinav P singh
29-8-19 16 R. Parsad
29-18-19 17 Khaled Ahmed
27 31-8-19 18 AS Pannerselvan
1 SOCIAL A 02-9-19 19 Sheerin Vakil
10-9-19 20 Rajeev Bhargava
11-9-19 21 Brij Kothari
11-9-19 22 Tahor Mahmood
12-9-19 23
15-9-19 24 Lalita Panicker
15-9-19 25 Kota Neelima
18-9-19 26 Shashi Shekhar
19-9-19 27 Amitabh Kundu
19-9-19 28 Cass Sunstein
24-9-49 29 Sumeysh
25-9-19 30 Kiran Shaw
25-9-19 31 Yahovardhan
26-9-19 32 Janmejya Sinha
27-9-19 33 Rahul Shiveshank

Coomi Kapoor
Ankit Mukherjee
20-8-19 40 Sanjib Baruah
22-8-19 41 Harsh Mander
21-8-19 42 Sagarika Ghase
30-8-19 43 AS paneselvan
12 02-9-19 44 Swami Agnivesh
2 POLITICAL B
10-9-19 45 Nalin Mehta
12-9-19 46
14-9-19 47 Manoj kumar
14-9-19 48 Kapil Sibal
18-9-19 49
19-9-19 50
24-9-19 51 M govinda
26-9-19 52 Yamini Aiyar

2|Page
20-8-19 91 Ruchir Sharma
21-8-19 92 T V Pai
21-8-19 93 Arvind pangharia
22-8-19 94 Sumita kale
22-8-19 95 Shankar pai
22-8-19 96 G Parthsarthy
23-8-19 97 Ritesh Kanodia
23-8-19 98 V Shunmugam
23-8-19 99 C rangarajan
23-8-19 100 Manoj Kohli
26-8-19 101 Vatsal Gaur
26-8-19 102 Santosh Mehrotra
26-8-19 103 Siddartha Pai
27-8-19 104
27-8-19 105 Madan Sabnavis
28-8-19 106 Vinay bharat
28-8-19 107 R. Nagaraj
28-8-19 108 Rajesh Agarwal
29-8-19 109 Shaji Vikraman
29-8-19 110 Syed Zafar
29-8-19 111 Sushila
30-8-19 112 ravindernath
30-8-19 113
59 30-8-19 114 Siddarth Pai
31-8-19 115 Neelkanth Mishra
3 ECONOMIC C 31-8-19 116 Harshvardhan
31-8-19 117 Partha Ray
02-9-19 118 Vikram S Mehta
02-9-19 119 Shobna
02-9-19 120 Meghnad Desai
10-9-19 121 Bibek Debroy
10-9-19 122 Renu Kohli
12-9-19 123 Andy Mukherjee
13-9-19 124 R jaganathan
13-9-19 125 Kishaore Desai
13-9-19 126 Pratik Datta
14-9-19 127 Shobna
14-9-19 128 Subramanian
15-9-19 129 Duvvuri subarao
18-9-19 130 Chanakya
18-9-19 131
18-9-19 132 Sushma R
19-9-19 133 Biswajit Dhar
19-9-19 134 Sanjeet Nayyar
19-9-19 135 Puja Mehra
24-9-19 136 Renu Kohli
24-9-19 137 Emmanuel T
24-9-19 138 R. 3rishnamurthy
25-9-19 139 Christophe Jaff
25-9-19 140 RC Acharya
26-9-19 141 TV Mohandas

3|Page
26-9-19 142 Subir Roy
26-9-19 143 Varad pande
27-9-19 144 Astha Gudwani
27-9-19 145 Amitendu Palit
27-9-19 146 M Suresh Babu
28-9-19 147 VS Seshadri
28-9-19 148 Roshan Kishore
28-9-19 149 Chetan Bhagat

27-8-19 163 Constantino Xavier


31-8-19 164 Amitendu palit
INDIAN 10-9-19 165 Dmitriy
4 FOREIGN D 7 10-9-19 166 Aditya Vohra
POLICIES 11-9-19 167
Amitendu palit
14-9-19 168 C Raja Mohan
24-9-19 169

30-8-19 171 Pratik Kanjilal


SCIENCE AND 31-8-19 172 PK Mishra
TECHNOLOGICA 10-9-19 173 Rajat Kathiria
5 L E 8 11-9-19 174 Ajay Lele
ADVANCEMENT 11-9-19 175 Dipayan Ghosh
S 13-9-19 176 Pramod Kale
15-9-19 177 Dinesh Sharma
27-9-19 178

SECURITY
6 F
ISSUES OF INDIA

20-8-19 35
7 SPORTS G
4 27-8-19 36
15-9-19 37 Shamik C
28-9-19 38 Shivani Naik
8 EDUCATIONAL H 1 13-9-19 180 Ashish Dhawan
20-8-19 69 K. ullas karanth
21-8-19 70 Devinder Sharma
21 21-8-19 71 Jyoti Lavakare
22-8-19 72 Pradeep Shah
27-8-19 73
ENVIRONMENTA 27-8-19 74 Joyashree roy
9 I
L 28-9-19 75 Sangita vyas
29-8-19 76
30-8-19 77 Kala Sridhar
02-09-19 78 Sujatha Byravan
11-9-19 79 S Vijay Kumar
12-9-19 80 Rohit Azad

4|Page
13-9-19 81 PP Sangal
15-9-19 82 Vibha Sharma
18-9-19 83 Andrew Jacobs
18-9-19 84 Vikram Soni
19-9-19 85
25-9-19 86 Ajay Vir Jhakhar
25-9-19 87 Chandra Bhashan
25-9-19 88 Sujatha Byravan
27-9-19 89 Ambumani

21-8-19 151
22-8-19 152 Amitendu Palit
31-8-19 153
02-9-19 154 DP Srivastava
11-9-19 155 Vatsal joshi
WORLD 10 12-9-19 156 Uday Bhaskar
10 J
AFFAIRS 13-9-19 157
15-9-19 158 Paul Krugman
24-9-19 159 Abhishek Jha
26-9-19 160 Upender Baxi
28-9-19 161 Sujeev Shakya

54 Mallika Mahajan
20-8-19 55 Shlok Chandra
21-8-19 56 Tahir Mahmood
23-8-19 57 Dushyant Dave
27-8-19 58 Raju Ramchandra
28-8-18 59 John Kurien
11 INDIAN K 30-8-18 60 Gautam Bhatia
JUDICIAL ISSUE 14 12-9-19 61 NGR prasad
12-9-19 62 Vikash rai
14-9-19 63 Prassanna S
14-9-19 64 Sidhartha Luthra
26-9-19 65 Udit Kapoor
27-9-19 66 GS Bajpai
29-9-19 67 Suhrit P
29-9-19

5|Page
SOCIAL

6|Page
Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 20-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.1
Editorial Heading: Focus on quality of jobs being created – here’s how
Author’s Name: Rajani Sinha
ABOUT: Unemployment is a big issue which is not only local, but Global also. Unemployment
is giving rise to misfit in jobs and vocations where people are working for low wages.
SYNOPSIS: Large population of India is into jobs offering low wages. It is due to lack of
suitable jobs around. As a country, we have a very high rate of unemployment or rather misfit
employment. Major occupation of our countrymen is agriculture, but it offers very low wages
and perks as compared to non- agricultural occupations. Similar is the case with livestock and
horticulture industries. The major issue that our government needs to tackle is- people stuck in
unorganized sectors. India has the largest share of people working in unorganized sectors. This
also questions the efficiency of India’s education system. For a labor- abundant country like
India, the problem is big and needs to be tackled on an urgent basis.

KEY POINTS:

 The agricultural sector contributes about 16% to the country’s GDP, but it employs 43%
of India’s labor force
 According to a NITI Aayog report, the rural non-farm sector offers 2.8 times more
productive employment that the farm sector.
 Manufacturing sector today contributes 18% to rural NDP, but the share in employment is
very low i.e. 8%
 The services sector contributes more than 50% to India’s GDP, but absorbs only one-third
of the total workforce.
 According to a report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the share of informal
workers in total employment in India is around 90% (unorganized sector plus contractual
workers in the organized sector)
 As per the report, unemployment amongst urban males with secondary and higher
education is at a high of 9.2%, while that for rural males is even higher, at 10.5%
 Another interesting observation from the PLFS report is that unemployment is higher in
developed states. In fact, the unemployment rate is the highest in the states of Kerala,
Punjab and Tamil Nadu, and lower in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

7|Page
Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 20-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.2
Editorial Heading: Industry must leverage right technology to reduce its own water
consumption
Author Name: Mukund Vasudevan
ABOUT: We all have heard the phrase “water water everywhere, not a single drop to drink”. This
emphasizes on the increasing water scarcity around the world. Main consumers of water are the
agriculture, domestic and industrial sectors. So, for saving water we need a collaborated effort,
where no one is left behind
SYNOPSIS: Water consumption is increasing in every sector, be it domestic, agricultural or
industrial, leading to water scarcity. Water needs to be conserved and recycled to overcome the
shortage. It’s a responsibility of every sector to conserve water. Farmer can apply such irrigation
techniques which involves less water consumption. Similarly, domestic sector also needs to focus
on reuse and recycling of water. Industries need to play vital role in leveraging technologies which
helps in less water usage. They need to work on techniques for reuse of water wherever possible
and lowering the discharge of chemical and industrial effluents into water bodies to reduce water
pollution. Its time to realize that water is a finite resource and not an infinite one.

KEY POINTS:

 There was a company in Maharashtra, which evolved a unique idea on recycling and
reusing the wastewater. Not only did the factory save money by replacing tanker water, it
also managed the basin’s water resources better.
 One large steel plant has reduced its water consumption by 30% over the last three years—
by adopting best-in-class technology and driving a culture of continuous improvement. By
way of comparison, 30% water reduction is enough to serve the annual drinking water
needs of a city like Delhi.

8|Page
Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 22-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.3
Editorial Heading: The risks of legalizing cannabis
Author Name: Deepak C. D’souza and Jatinder Singh
ABOUT: Before taking an action on legalization of cannabis in the country, India needs to
consider all the risks and alternatives. It could decriminalize cannabis but may hinder its
commercialization. India also needs to ensure that there are enough protections for the vulnerable
ones to its effects.

SYNOPSIS: There is a growing movement in the West to legalize cannabis, with a much hue
and cry of the same in India as well. Having conducted medical research on cannabis at Yale
University for several decades, it is urged to India to carefully consider the risks and benefits of
cannabis before blindly following the West. It is overlooked for being categorized as Upavish
Varga (sub poisounous) and toxic for its recreational use. Although Ayurveda refers to cannabis
as a treatment for several diseases. There are many misconceptions about cannabis. Exposure to
cannabis in adolescence can alter brain development. Another one is that if cannabis is legalized
and regulated, its harms can be minimized. It’s important to make a distinction between
legalization, decriminalization and commercialization. While legalization and decriminalization
are mostly used in a legal context, commercialization relates to the business side of things. Hence,
before taking a decision on legalization of cannabis, India would need to think of its pros and cons.

KEY POINTS:

 In India, cannabis, also known as bhang, ganja, charas or hashish, is typically eaten (bhang
golis, thandai, pakoras, lassi, etc.) or smoked (chillum or cigarette).
 The maker of Marlboro cigarettes, has invested $1.8 billion (₹12,400 crore) in the cannabis
grower Cronos Group.
 In 1961, driven by Western nations, the UN sponsored an international treaty to prohibit
the production and supply of drugs including cannabis.

9|Page
Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 26-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.4
Editorial Heading: Drones: it is important to address the privacy issues
Author’s Name: Ananth Padmanabhan
ABOUT: A more recent drone ecosystem policy roadmap released by Ministry of Civil Aviation
(MCA) in January 2019 references privacy-by-design but with little guidance on operational
details.
SYNOPSIS: The availability of new technology is not necessarily an excuse to disestablish rights
secured for us as individuals and citizens. Privacy is one such right, a fact recognized by the
Supreme Court through a unanimous nine-judge bench verdict in 2017. Therefore, it’s the state’s
responsibility to guarantee that technological applications like drones do not cause widespread
attrition of this right. The drone regulatory conversations must accommodate this possibility and
accordingly fulfil the positive obligation to safeguard individual privacy notwithstanding any
utility concerns. Therefore, privacy self-management must be customized to the context of civilian
drone use. Here, responses could include integrating a notice dashboard within Digital Sky.

KEY POINTS:

 The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Regulations, 2018, pay a lip service to privacy.
 The Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington D.C. has alerted against drone
deployment of high-definition cameras, heat and motion sensors, and automated facial
recognition technologies.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 26-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.5
Editorial Heading: Privacy no longer supreme
Author’s Name: Prasanna S.
ABOUT: Two years ago, Supreme Court of India said that Indians have a constitutionally
protected fundamental right to privacy. Only in three cases this right may be restricted by the state:
first, State action must have legislative mandate; second, perusing a legitimate state purpose; third,
must be proportionate.
SYNOPSIS: The judgement in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd) vs Union Of India fundamentally
changed the way in which the government viewed its citizen’s privacy, both in practice and
prescription. The data protection law embodied the principle that the state must be a model data
controller and prescribed a higher standard of observance for the state. The data protection law has
also revolutionized the technology sector in the country, making way for innovative privacy-aware
and privacy-preserving technical solution providers to thrive and flourish. It will establish the
country as a global leader in the world. A right- oriented data protection law, which includes
comprehensive surveillance reform is ought to be a model data controller, as it deals with its
citizen’s personal information.

KEY POINTS:
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in December last year, authorized 10 Central agencies to “intercept,
monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer in
the country”.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 26-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.6
Editorial Heading: Linking social media to Aadhaar is a social overkill
ABOUT: As per the government and the ruling court, linking Aadhaar details to social media
account is nowhere a breach in privacy. It’s a fact that government does not want to have details
of everyone’s Aadhaar-linked- social- media accounts.
SYNOPSIS: Each social- media firm which have a list of Aadhaar numbers, it will be very easy
to create a profile of people based on their Aadhaar numbers and, more important, even the smallest
criticism of the government will be traced back to the person. So, it is clear that government wants
Aadhaar details linked with social media only in few cases. However, tracing of any anti- social
activity/ event posted on social- media can be done by other methods as well, rather asking people
to link their Aadhaar details with social media accounts. Good intelligent operations, best use of
artificial intelligence, and staffing of smart people will definitely be able to call out fake news. It
is a need to understand the harms of linking Aadhaar details to social- media accounts more
significantly than just thinking about its benefits.

KEY POINTS:

 If a bank account was linked with Aadhaar, all details of bank transactions remained only
with the bank—as they did in the pre-Aadhaar days—and did not ever get reflected in the
Aadhaar database.
 A phone number could be linked to Aadhaar, all call details remain with the mobile phone
provider; income tax details remain with the taxman, etc.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.7
Editorial Heading: Everyday voyeurism in a surveillance state
Author Name: Serish Nanisetti
ABOUT: Today live in a surveillance state without knowing where the data is going and for what
purpose it might get used. Data protection laws needs to be more strengthened in India to ensure
privacy of its people.
SYNOPSIS: CCTV cameras which are multiplying across Indian cities, also leading an increase
in voyeurism. People are continually living under surveillance footage. Moreover, social media
and casual ethical standards have turned the surveillance into voyeur’s delight. Millions of CCTV
cameras have been installed to help the police to stop crime and track criminals, keep cities clean
and ensure that traffic rules are being followed. Some unethical officials leak data to fulfill
voyeuristic instincts. Today when sharing personal data online, including surveillance data, India
needs to come with more strict and efficient data protection laws so as not to breach the privacy
of people.

KEY POINTS:

 Navi Mumbai plans to install 1439 new cameras equipped with automatic number plate
recognition facility.
 The Delhi government is installing CCTV cameras in classrooms, apartment blocks and
shops.
 Hyderabad government is planning to install more than a lakh camera
 Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen wrote about digital governance in 2013 that ““The online
world is not truly bound by terrestrial laws... it’s the world’s largest ungoverned space”.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.8
Editorial Heading: The Challenges of Upward mobility
Author Name: Abhinav Prakash Singh
ABOUT: India is a highly diverse yet unequal society. With so many religious and regional
differences, social justice has become an issue which is very difficult to overcome.
SYNOPSIS: India has people with different castes and hence there is a huge caste system
prevailing in the society. The worst manifestation of caste system has always been untouchability.
But with the initiatives taken by many religious and social reformers this issue somewhat has been
curbed. Now, idea of social justice became idea of representation in jobs and the legislature in the
modern era. This led to the caste- based reservations. It was natural as discrimination and
exclusion was based on ethnic or caste identity. But new India wants socio- economic mobility not
just end of untouchability and exclusion or caste- representation. It is time to start thinking about
socio- economic mobility which is the new idea of social justice rather than mere representation.

KEY POINTS:

 From the Virasaiva movement in the South to the Nath Sampradaya in the North, from
Tukaram in the West to Kalachand Vidyalankar in the East, the argument against caste-
based exclusion formed the core of the social vision, and was expressed using religious
epistemology.
 It was the Rajah-Moonje pact between MC Rajah and BS Moonje, and six months later,
the Poona Pact, that sealed the idea of representation via reservations as the core of the
social justice discourse.
 Poona Pact is famously known as the Gandhi-Ambedkar pact, Gandhi didn’t sign it. Instead
it was signed by the likes of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 29-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.9
Editorial Heading: The cost of water
ABOUT: Recently Delhi government has waived off pending water bills of consumers. It is a one-
time waiver being provided to the citizens of the city, as clarified by the government.
SYNOPSIS: Water is a state subject. Hence charges for domestic, agricultural and industrial
consumers vary across the country. But the determination of water charges for different sectors is
largely ad hoc and the processes are non-transparent. The AAP government has admitted that lot
of the arrears are a result of “wrong meter reading”. Hence, discussions should be held on water
billing mechanisms to address the issue. It is happening at a time when Centre’s main agenda is
provision of piped supply to all households in the country. Matter of fact is that, more than eighty
percent of rural India lacks access to piped supply of water.

KEY POINTS:

 The arrears of water bill for domestic consumers in Delhi amount to more than Rs 6,000
crore, which includes a late payment surcharge (LPSC) of Rs 3,500 crore.
 Arrears for commercial consumers amount to Rs 10,000 crore, of which Rs 9,000 crore is
LPSC.
 As per the UN’s Dublin Principle, water is an economic good and its pricing reflect its
scarcity value.
 As per the Standing Committee of the Ministry of Water Resources, over exploited ground
level has increased from three in 1995 to 15 in 2011.
 Twenty-one Indian cities would have zero groundwater by 2020

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 29-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.10
Editorial Heading: Public Health versus free speech
Author name: R. Prasad
ABOUT: On August 15, US congress passed the Family Smoking Prevention and
Tobacco Control Act. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposal that
pictorial warnings should be carried on cigarette packages and advertisements.
SYNOPSIS: At present, cigarette packages in the U.S. carry only text warnings and only on one
side. However, there is a strong opposition from the tobacco industry on the basis that graphic
images violate its First Amendment rights protecting free speech. This is the main reason why US
has not been able to introduce pictorial warnings on the cigarette packings. It is a fact that text
warning goes unnoticed and impacts less on the smokers. On the other side, pictorial warnings are
noticed more, leaves a lasting impression of varied risks of smoking. Message is conveyed
immediately and easily. Results have shown that pictorial warnings have reduced smoking with
considerable numbers in many countries like Canada, Australia and other European countries.

KEY POINTS:

 It is an irony that US introduced written health warnings in 1966 and updated it in 1984 to
include the Surgeon General’s warning still does not carry pictorial warnings on its
cigarette packets.
 Canada was the first to introduce pictorial warnings on cigarette packets in 2001.
 By October 2018, 118 countries had implemented such warnings in line with the World
Health organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that came into force in
2005.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 29-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.11
Editorial Heading: Defeat Mobocracy
ABOUT: Lynching is a horrendous act of mobocracy. It puts India’s reputation at risk as a tourist
and business destination.
SYNOPSIS: State governments like that of Bengal, Rajasthan, Assam, etc. are already looking
forward to pass anti- lynching laws. With many incidents that have happened as a result of
lynching, has weakened the forces of law and order, empowering the mobs. Anti- lynching law
can be a tool and not any magic bullet. Anti- lynching law has a provision to punish people for
propagating offensive material to the society. Bringing such laws shows state’s commitment to
curb lynching, but to make sure its compliance, better enforcement and political will are the pre
requisites.

KEY POINTS:

 Last December inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was killed in a shocking attack on police
by a mob protesting alleged cow slaughter.
 On Independence Day eve six men accused of lynching Pehlu Khan were freed, because
of a series of investigative and prosecutorial failures
 The Bengal government is set to enact a new law to make lynching an offence punishable
with life imprisonment and a Rs 5 lakh fine.
 In December the Manipur assembly passed a bill recommending life imprisonment for
those involved in mob violence, if it resulted in the death of a person
 Earlier this month Rajasthan assembly passed a bill making mob lynching a non-bailable
offence punishable with life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 5 lakh.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 31-08-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.12
Editorial Heading: Where media is besieged
Author Name: Khaled Ahmed
ABOUT: These days it is difficult for the media to report objectively as the leaders are powerful
and influential.
SYNOPSIS: Social system is at risk in south Asia due to lack of freedom to express. In countries
like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh it is a prevalent fact that the media does not ask crucial questions
to the powerful leaders and spread the incorrect perception. Not being criticized is no merit as it
deprives the common citizen of an objective mechanism of judging the elected leader. Much-loved
leaders often appeal to hidden national intolerance and so, are not impartially assessed.in some
countries the media is too scared to speak the truth and risk being roughed up by the ruling party’s
supporters.

KEY POINTS:

 The Pakistan electronic media regulatory authority (PEMRA), is censoring TV comments


during debates.
 In November 2016, when Modi abruptly recalled 86 per cent of the country’s currency, to
fight corruption. Many influential media outlets failed to ask crucial questions. In the end,
India’s growth rate dropped for several quarters.”
 Even in Bangladesh media is scared to ask or speak the truth against the ruling party

18 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 02-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.13
Editorial Heading: Selective silence leads to calamities
Author Name: A S Panneerselvan

ABOUT: Journalism is not an instrument for wishful thinking but a mirror that reflects the views
of citizens. It is through journalism that we get a glimpse of reality.
SYNOPSIS: When journalism is in hands of the ruling elites, the world becomes a very dangerous
place. There is a huge cost involved which is paid by humanity when media is reduced to just a
tool of wishful thinking. No matter what the crisis are, it is important for the citizens and
policymakers to know the truth. Not reporting the truth may give a momentary comfort but hurts
the society in long run. It is very disturbing to know when this public good is converted into an
“individual right”.

KEY POINTS:

 As per article 19 of the constitution “The rights and privileges of the press are devised to
provide crucial information to citizens so that they can make informed choices in a
democracy”
 In an interview to HuffPost India, Justice Prasad prioritized the state’s interest over the
people’s interest when he declared that in his personal opinion, “some news is best not
reported”.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 10-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.14
Editorial Heading: Development matters, but so does identity
Author Name: Rajeev Bhargava
ABOUT: It is sometimes claimed that once ordinary people benefit from economic development,
they automatically set aside issues related to their identity.

SYNOPSIS: It seems that the government’s claim on Jammu and Kashmir shares the same
premise. Give Kashmiris an economic package, prospects of more jobs, better healthcare, high-
quality consumption goods and they will forget their specific identity and assimilate peacefully
with the rest of India. ‘Development’ shall surpass identity. Identity is much misused and abused.
We misunderstand it, misconstrue its significance, maliciously politicize it but it refuses to go
away. It is true that identity-related issues invoke fear. They are prone to being abused. The core
of Kashmiri identity is a complex compound, flowing from multiple sources, not reducible to a
simple, single element.

KEY POINTS:

 A wart on the body may be permanent, but it won’t matter if it is removed. But take away
fish from Bengali cuisine and all hell will break loose.
 The same is true of the worship of Murugan to many Tamils; the relic of Muhammad in
Hazratbal to Kashmiri Muslims; the Kamakhya temple to the Assamese.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 11-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.15
Editorial Heading: The larger picture about inclusive Programming
Author Name: Brij Kothari
ABOUT: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) recently mandated captioning for
TV programming in order to make it accessible to the Deaf or Hard of Hearing population.
SYNOPSIS: The policy stimulus for this decision is rooted in the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Act, 2016 which made “sub-titles” on TV a right. The major challenge for the Ministry
now is to ensure compliance by all channels, state and private, as set in the timetable. Captioning
on TV for the aurally challenged is not new. Many countries have followed the U.S.’s
lead. Scientific evidence suggests that SLS (Single Language Subtitling) on TV would serve three
goals: daily and automatic reading literacy practice, Indian language improvement and finally,
media access for aurally challenged people. The entertainment industry must play its part by
turning on SLS for audio-visual content in all Indian languages. SLS is a right. Let us do the right
thing.

KEY POINTS:

 By 2020, 10% of all programming must have captions; the figure is to grow by 10% every
year, covering up to 50% of all programming by 2025.
 The average Indian watches TV for 3 hours and 46 minutes every day, according to the
latest FICCI–EY Media & Entertainment report (2019). Film (24%) and general
entertainment (53%) are the dominant genres.

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Newspaper Source: The Tribune
Date of Publication: 11-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.16
Editorial Heading: Missing Vivekananda's India
Author Name: Tahir Mahmood
ABOUT: Today the superficiality in the name of religion, compels us to revive Vivekananda’s
idea of India as a tolerant and inclusive society, imparting lessons of social harmony to the rest of
the world.
SYNOPSIS: The pious hopes raised by the angel of peace (Swami Vivekananda) for the ailing
human world of his time were, however, contradicted and major religions continued with those
very tendencies that he had found unacceptable, i.e. fight, destruction and dissension. After the
two horrifying world wars, UN was established by the west. UN proclaimed equality and equal
protection of law with freedom of speech, expression, belief, faith and worship as the basic rights
of every individual ‘without distinction of any kind such as race, color, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The same as
were taught and preached by Swami Vivekananda.

KEY POINTS:

 To celebrate the centenary of the 1893 Parliament of World’s Religions, another similar
event was organized on September 11, 1993, by the same name and in the same US city.
Just eight years later, the US witnessed, ironically on the same date, an incident of extreme
violence i.e. ‘9/11’, which opened a new chapter of religious frictions. The US has since
been observing the anniversary of that fateful day.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 12-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.17
Editorial Heading: Rethinking the legal regime against child abuse
Author Name: Shireen Vakil
ABOUT: Children are innocent and vulnerable. Major hindrance to justice for children in cases
of sexual assault is lack of protection and support from justice system and society.
SYNOPSIS: In the last parliament session, the government amended POSCO act to introduce
penalty for accused of sexual assault. Even many state governments have enacted legislation of
death penalty to the accusers in a hope that it would reduce such crimes. Instead of these strict
provisions, what is needed the most is enforcement of the current laws in timely manner. Also, the
children need to have safe and protected atmosphere even at home, so that they may have trust on
their own family members. Sensitivity from police, judges and prosecutors is need of the hour, so
that there is punishment for the offender, rather than further harassment of the victim.

KEY POINTS:

 According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, crimes against children have
increased by nearly 500% between 2006-2016.
 conviction rates for child rape have dropped from 32.6% in 2006 to 28.2% in 2016, while
pendency has shot up to nearly 90% in 2016 from 81.3% in 2006.
 The horrific Unnao rape case exemplifies the malaise within our justice system which fails
to deliver.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 15-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.18
Editorial Heading: Boys must know that its okay to display emotions
Author Name: Lalita Panicker
ABOUT: The thought process that men should not cry or show their emotions has helped keep
both the abuse and psychological problems that young boys and men suffer, suppressed.
SYNOPSIS: It starts in childhood where the boy is expected to be different in articulating his
emotions from the girl. Even though the child sexual abuse law is gender neutral, this is still seen
as a problem that affects girls. From early in life, when the boy is expected to suppress his
emotions, we often hear others throw a barb at him, “Don’t be such a girl.’ The boy who cries or
expresses too much emotion is considered a sissy and is often told to man up. If we consider abuse
gender neutral, we need to start talking to and about young boys as well as girls. So, far the
discourse has been far too one-sided.

KEY POINTS:

 In 2007, the research conducted by government has shown that out of 53.2 % children who
suffered from sexual abuse of various sorts, 52.9 % were boys.
 We hear stories of how beating in boarding schools, and other brutal forms of punishment,
were vital to forging a boy’s character — “it made a man out of him”.
 Recently breaking down of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief K Sivan
upon hearing of failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission was criticized being undignified as
to cry in public.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 15-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.19
Editorial Heading: Farmer Suicides: The fate of the women left behind
Author Name: Kota Neelima
ABOUT: Farmer suicides are the convergence of multiple facets of rural distress in a single act of
desperation and helpless surrender.
SYNOPSIS Each of the staggering numbers represents more than a life that ended tragically; it
also signifies a widow who now struggles to survive in the same distress which killed the farmer.
A widow’s burden is heavier not only because she is alone in her troubles but also because she is
invisible to the state, the society and to even her own family. Her life reveals a wide-spread and
deep-rooted socio-political condition faced by women across rural and urban India, irrespective of
class, caste, community and religion. A widow faces Seven Invisibilities (Tradition, Status,
procedure, opportunity, value, ownership and vote) imposed on her as she navigates through the
various crises after the farmer’s suicide.

KEY POINTS:

 Politics in India often promises representation for the poor, the farmers, and the labor.
Women are all three; women are poor, women are farmers and women are labor. And yet,
no one represents women in this democracy.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 18-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.20
Editorial Heading: New traffic laws will improve safety
Author Name: Shashi Shekhar
ABOUT: Indian roads have become synonymous with chaos, anarchy and accidents. The laws in
our country are messy, and, complying with them is almost impossible.
SYNOPSIS: People who oppose for the traffic rules being made stricter, seems to be in favor of
promoting accidents. The recent reforms in our traffic rules are aimed at making our roads safer.
In earlier times, there used to be the Ambassador and Fiat cars, hence, there is a huge change in
the quality and speed of the vehicles we have now. Not only this, but the number of national
highways has also increased, and, for the first time, expressways are being developed. In such a
scenario, people who are fond of speed often become the cause of accidents. It is not that the speed
limit in the new law does not conform to international standards. Incidentally, it will be appropriate
to mention here that, since 1989, there has been a severe devaluation of the rupee. If we increase
the price of our products, aspire for higher wages, pay more for the things due to inflation, then
why does this rule not apply to crime and punishment? And we all know that violations of traffic
rules are fined far less in India than in all the western countries.

KEY POINTS:

 According to a study, more than 150,000 people lose their lives, and many more are
seriously injured, every year due to road accidents.
 The previous Motor Vehicle Act, which was in force till last month, was implemented in
1989.
 Traffic conditions have changed greatly since 1991 — the total number of cars then was
19 lakhs; it is now 25 crores.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 19-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.21
Editorial Heading: For the demographic dividend
Author Name: Amitabh Kundu
ABOUT: A reduction in the share of children and an increase in the adult population are important
for achieving a high rate of economic growth since it will lead to an increase in the percentage of
the working population.
SYNOPSIS: The scenario of high-income growth in India is critically dependent on the increase
in the work participation rate and skill development. In order to achieve the predicted growth rate,
an increase in the percentage of women participating in the workforce is a must. Despite the
declining trend in the percentage of working women, the trend of sharp decline in TFR and rise in
age of marriage suggest that this is feasible. A sharp rise in migration of women for employment
reasons further adds this point. More Muslim girls/women are entering schools and colleges as
well as the labor market. The fact that educated Muslim women report very high unemployment
rate is an evidence that the societal norms have been relaxed, permitting many more of them to
seek jobs than the capacity of the labor market to absorb. It would be important to promote and
focus on the health and education of women, to bring down population growth effectively and
increase work participation which is needed for realization of the demographic dividend.

KEY POINTS:

 The World Population Prospects 2019 has reported that India’s total fertility rate (TFR)
has declined from 5.9 in early Sixties to 2.4 to 2010-15.
 As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), India’s TFR declined from 2.7 in 2005-
6 to 2.2 in 2015-16 .
 India is expected to grow at least 6.5-7.5 per cent per annum in the coming three decades,
as per the predictions of the Asian Development Bank.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 19-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.22
Editorial Heading: ‘Nudge’ can help tackle India’s social problems
Author Name: Cass Sunstein
ABOUT: Nudges are an outgrowth of the important field of behavioral economics, for which
Richard Thaler won the 2017 Nobel Prize.
SYNOPSIS: For India, one of the most important areas for the use of behavioral economics
involves public health, which could greatly benefit from a sustained focus on potential nudges. A
great deal could be done to promote flu shot appointments and other vaccinations. Systematic steps
could be taken to reduce anemia and other illnesses. If the goal is to reduce the risk of diabetes and
obesity, small design changes in cafeterias and grocery stores would promote healthier choices.
There is every reason to think that the uses of behavioral economics, and smart nudges, could
produce major progress on many of the serious challenges in India today. Behavioral economists
emphasize that humans beings are not computers, and most of us can use a little help. Sometimes
we lack information. Sometimes our emotions get the better of us. Good nudges can give us the
help we need.

KEY POINTS:

 Another example is the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative, designed to address the decline
in the child sex ratio and promote the empowerment of girls and women.
 In Sweden, Vision Zero, using nudges and behavioral science, has been spectacularly
successful in reducing deaths and injuries on the roads.
 As a result of automatic enrolment in free school meals programs over 15 million poor
American children are now receiving free breakfast and lunch during the school year.
 In both Denmark and the United Kingdom, automatic enrolment in pension programs has
produced massive increases in participation rates.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 24-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.23
Editorial Heading: Inequality of another kind
Author Name: Sumeysh Srivastava
ABOUT: Recently, in Faheema Shirin v. State of Kerala the Kerala High Court declared the right
to Internet access as a fundamental right forming it a part of the right to privacy and the right to
education under Article 21 of the Constitution.
SYNOPSIS: It is important to recognize the right to internet access as an independent right. In
recent times, several government and private sector services have become digital. Some of them
are only available online. This leads to a new kind of inequality, digital inequality, where social
and economic backwardness is aggravated due to information poverty, lack of infrastructure, and
lack of digital literacy. This has been acknowledged in the Sustainable Development Goals as well
as by the Indian government and has led to the Digital India mission. However, in the absence of
Internet access and digital literacy, there will be further exclusion of large parts of the population,
worsening the already existing digital divide. It is important to recognize the right to Internet access
and digital literacy to allow citizens an increased access to information, services, and the creation
of better livelihood opportunities.

KEY POINTS:

 According to the Deloitte report, ‘Digital India: Unlocking the Trillion Dollar
Opportunity’, in mid-2016, digital literacy in India was less than 10%.
 The National Digital Literacy Mission has barely touched 1.67% of the population and has
been struggling for funds.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 25-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.24
Editorial Heading: Blueprint for a healthy India
Author Name: Kiran Mazumdar- Shaw
ABOUT: Ayushman Bharat, which recently completed a year of existence, was conceptualized
as an insurance based, healthcare delivery model.
SYNOPSIS: A healthy India is a wealthy India. For an emerging economic superpower, health
of its people is critical for economic productivity. While preventive care is to be delivered through
“health and wellness centers” that provide comprehensive primary care, curative intervention is
sought to be addressed by leveraging existing public and private hospital infrastructure and human
resources in the country. The government has also strategically linked primary and tertiary care
via the National Health Authority to ensure better coordination across the continuum of care. The
evolution of Ayushman Bharat is being closely watched globally. The success of this program is
critical to keep families protected from disastrous health expenditures due to a growing incidence
of chronic diseases.

KEY POINTS:

 Ayushman Bharat link both preventive and curative healthcare at a coverage of Rs 5,00,000
per family per year.
 Breast and cervical cancer account for 40% of the cancer burden in India.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 25-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.25
Editorial Heading: Why India needs timely crime data
Author Name: Yashovardhan Azad
ABOUT: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), under the Union ministry of home
affairs, brings out annual comprehensive statistics of crime across the country.

SYNOPSIS: With a view to ensure that the published data suits the requirement of various
stakeholders, NCRB had revised the pro forma for collecting crime statistics. The bureau had
trained state and Union Territory personnel on the new format. However, the data in the revised pro
forma had not been received from all States/Union Territories, the minister added. Democracy
demands honest communication and transparency. Considerable delay in providing key
information to the public can make a dent in the credibility of the government. Timely publication
of crime statistics will end the uncertainty and mistrust that comes with information gap in a
democracy. Delay on the other hand will ruin the democratic system of the country.

KEY POINTS:

 Being published since 1953, the report serves as a crucial tool in understanding the law and
order situation across all 29 States and seven Union Territories.
 The NCRB has not even released its annual report on Accidental Deaths and Suicides in
India (ADSI) for the year 2016, a crucial source for data on farmer suicides, an issue of
serious concern.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 26-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.26
Editorial Heading: Imagining a new India
Author Name: Janmejaya Sinha
ABOUT: Every Indian should have an equal shot at the pursuit of their own happiness. Every one
should have justice and no one should be denied on the basis of lack of opportunities and basic
services.
SYNOPSIS: Indians will not have a fair chance of growth if five major crises enveloping India
are not addressed. Water- The government has undertaken a multi-faceted mission mode approach
that has three parts to it — revitalizing rivers and fresh water lakes, harvesting rain water and
changing the incentives in agriculture. Smart cities – These cities have affordable houses, piped
water, power supply and toilets linked to the city sewage systems with well-developed waste
sites. Digital Apartheid- India has also joined the group of cyber-capable nations that can defend
the country from cyber-attacks and has the capability to inflict damage to other countries in the
same way. Health- All health records in India are digitized and are centrally stored. Privacy laws
have been established and patient’s records can only be accessed with individual consent.
Education- The government has introduced a school voucher system where municipal schools are
run by the private sector. All Indian children are enrolled in school. Teaching outcomes are better
and the productivity of the Indian economy is showing improvement.

KEY POINTS:

 One hundred smart cities have come up to absorb the out migration from the rural areas in
UP and Bihar
 The ratio of teachers to students in primary schools has come down from 46 to 25.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 27-09-19
Editorial Category: A
Editorial Number: A.27
Editorial Heading: Our Neglected Nationhood
Author Name: Rahul Shivshankar
ABOUT: It is particularly ironic that despite living in a time marked out by displays of symbolic
nationalism elements of our ‘nationhood’ should lie in dusty showcases or moth-balled in vaults
of museums throughout the country.
SYNOPSIS: Museums have a great capacity to arouse a sense of belonging as they tell us so much
about our identities. The challenge for India has always been to carve out a distinct national identity
without alienating our remarkable diversity. It is a marvel that the National Museum succeeded at
all in its early days in conveying that the birth of the modern Indian state was not entirely
providential but the outcome of a natural convergence of shared histories. If it hadn’t been for the
determination of the fledgling Indian state to put down roots, the National Museum would have
come apart much earlier. If government is truly sincere about its self-professed commitment to a
nationalistic outlook it should be looking to invest as much in the National Museum, the neglected
custodian of our nationhood, as it does in building tributes to the founding fathers of our country.

KEY POINTS:

 Just recently, on completing 100 days in office, NDA-2 claimed to have fashioned
‘integration with the Union’ by a push from Parliament.
 Just last year, an astounding Rs 3,000 crore was spent on an homage to one of our founding
fathers, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
 In Europe museums work hard to craft stories around a single ancestry, language, dress,
food and customs so that patrons can ‘imagine’ their distinctness.

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SPORTS

34 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Indian Express

Date of Publication: 20-08-19


Editorial Category: G
Editorial Number: G.1
Editorial Heading: This isn't Cricket
ABOUT: Steve Smith is a well-known England Cricketer who is well known for his acts at
crease which are contrary to what a batsman is supposed to do.
SYNOPSIS: Cricket is a game which demands still, calm and open- minded players. On the
contrary, Steve Smith, is a batsman who twitches, teases, furiously leaves the crease and is a
counter- intuitive batsman. Though, he scores good for the team but this type of behavior is not
expected out of a cricketer. It seems that even England Cricket fans do not respect him. They
have not forgiven him for the ban that was imposed on him for a year.

KEY POINTS:
• Steve Smith was banned from playing cricket for a year by Cricket Australia for ball-
tampering in 2018
• Even though he made a tremendous come back, the England Cricket fans seem to have
not forgiven him

35 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Financial Express

Date of Publication: 27-08-19


Editorial Category: G
Editorial Number: G.2
Editorial Heading: PV Sindhu’s rise should inspire India to take right route to nurture more
sports greatness
ABOUT: PV Sindhu has created history by becoming the first Indian ever to win Gold at the
World Championships. Her latest victory has raised hopes of first Indian Goldin badminton in the
2020 Olympics.
SYNOPSIS: Great Pullela Gopichand had set up a world- class academy for Badminton with a
grant from the government in 2004 and since then he has been accelerating the level of Indian
badminton. Kidambi Srikanth, Parupalli Kashyap and Saina Nehwal are his pupil who have
secured top positions in the world championships. But there is very little to speak on the
government- run sports academies. Corruption and poor infrastructure are significant reasons for
India’s poor show. Except for cricket not much attention has been paid to the other sports facilities.
So, if Indian needs more Sindhus, it must give more Gopichands the requisite support to nurture
future champions
KEY POINTS:

 India spent roughly a third to a fourth of the money spent by the UK, which won 67 medals,
compared to India’s two, in the 2016 Olympics.
 While the country spent Rs 750 crore on sport-specific federations, training centres,
coaches and other infrastructure between 2012-13 and 2015-16, spending on athletes
totalled Rs 60 crore.
 PV Sindhu bagged silver at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 15-09-19
Editorial Category: G
Editorial Number: G.3
Editorial Heading: Smith’s ashes
Author Name: Shamik Chakrabarty
ABOUT: Smith now is going through a golden run. The ongoing Ashes series in England, in fact,
has become his Ashes.
SYNOPSIS: Smith’s consistency in the series has helped him become the world’s best Test
batsman in the ICC rankings, overtaking the India captain. In almost every innings, he played a
lone ranger. He missed the Headingly Test due to concussion after being hit on the neck by a
vicious Jofra Archer bouncer. England won at Headingly, although it was down to Ben Stokes’s
fourth innings heroics. Smith was back with a bang at Old Trafford, hammering a double hundred
and ensuring that Australia would retain the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001. This
was Smith’s first Test series since the Sandpaper-gate in Cape Town in March last year. Such has
been his impact that even the boo-boys are now standing and applauding. The Ashes has witnessed
Smith’s redemption. The Sandpaper-gate is a blot on Smith’s career, but that doesn’t lower his
greatness as a batsman.

KEY POINTS:

 In four Tests and six innings so far, Smith has scored 751 runs including two hundreds and
a double century.
 In 1977 at Madras, an England fast bowler answering to the name of John Lever allegedly
rubbed Vaseline onto the ball.

37 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 28-09-19
Editorial Category: G
Editorial Number: G.4
Editorial Heading: Of sour grapes
Author Name: Shivani Naik
ABOUT: It is very dismaying that the Indian Olympic association (IOA) head, Narinder Batra
calls Commonwealth games a “waste of time” as the level of competition isn’t high as per him.
SYNOPSIS: The Indian men’s hockey team has never won a CWG gold. Because, as Batra will
notice, Australia tends to be very high competition. The event is not a waste if it has unearthed
gems like Ashish Kumar and Dipa Karmakar in gymnastics. Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta and
Ashwini Ponappa’s first flush of finals’ success also came at the CWG, followed by the World
Championship and Olympic medals. Manika Batra, with her twin gold performance in table tennis,
was a revelation at the CWG Gold Coast. Clearly, the gains, if not squandered, can convert to
Olympic success, if everyone concerned maintains perspective.

KEY POINTS:

 India won 57 medals at the Asiad before the 2016 Rio Olympics, but no one talks of
dumping that one.

38 | P a g e
Political Issue

39 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 20-08-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.1
Editorial Heading: Wrong Calls
ABOUT: Recently issue of illegal phone- tapping came into the picture when Karnataka police
was put to allegations of doing so. Former Chief Minister, HD Kumaraswamy, is also under
suspicion for misusing state’s policy to spy on politicians, legislators, bureaucrats and even
journalists.
SYNOPSIS: Phone- tapping is an authority given to police to tap the telephones of persons
suspected to be a threat to the state. However, police are required to follow the set norms and
standards for the implication of the policy. Alok Kumar, who is Bengaluru Police Commissioner,
has been alleged with the charges of tapping the phones of several persons illegally under the
influence of Mr. HD Kumaraswamy. This has brought mistrust between JD-S and Congress
leaderships, which has left the government exposed to the manipulation of politicians and
officials. Despite of such events happening in the past, the system seems to have never have
respected the norms in case of surveillance.

KEY POINTS:
• Karnataka Police has been blamed by allegations of illegal phone tapping in the past also
• In 1988, then CM Ramakrishna Hegde had to resign over a telephone tapping allegation

40 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 22-08-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.2
Editorial Heading: Musical Chairs
Author Name: Coomi Kapoor
ABOUT: Jharkhand is often cited as an example to counter the argument that small states are
better administered. Since its formation in 2000, mineral rich Jharkhand has struggled because of
a series of unstable, corrupt and non-performing governments.

SYNOPSIS: Since its inception, Jharkhand has undergone so many governments, which have
failed miserably time and again. Shibu Soren, who was the founder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
(JMM) and fought for the establishment of a separate state for tribal population of Bihar, is both
physically and morally broken now. None of his JMM MLAs, including his son and daughter-in-
law, seems ready to oblige Soren by resigning from his/ her seat so that he could stand. Even
Marandi, first CM of Jharkhand, who played a vital role in party organization in the state, was
discarded by BJP and his ministers revolted against him. It can rightly be said that BJP has not
been able to live down to its betrayal of Marandi. Its poor performance in the assembly polls,
despite the advantage of anti-incumbency and despite winning more than half the Lok Sabha seats
in the state in the 2009 general elections, reflects its falling popularity.

KEY POINTS:

 Madhu Koda, a little-known independent MLA, managed to stay on as chief minister for
two years with the hesitant backing of the Congress.
 When Koda finally stepped down, he was charged with stashing away crores in various
bank accounts. Characteristic of the opportunism of state politicians is the present chief
minister, Shibu Soren.
 Marandi s JVM party, which contested only 18 seats, returned 11 MLAs to the new
assembly, a better strike rate than any other party in Jharkhand.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 21-08-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.3
Editorial Heading: A top post, its promise and peril
Author Name: Ankit Mukharjee
ABOUT: CDS (Chief of Defense Staff), is the post which Mr. Narindra Modi announced on
Independence Day. CDS was an idea of Lord Mountbatten who was architect of India’s higher
defense organization. Credit for attaining this dream after such a long time goes to PM Mr.
Narindra Modi.

SYNOPSIS: According to one report, an “implementation committee” has been established


comprising the Defense Secretary, Chief of Integrated Defense Staff and other unnamed officers.
If this government wants a “new India” it will have to break decisively from the past and draw up
a time-bound road map to relieve the chiefs of their operational command. Perhaps one of the best
approaches is to focus directly on the powers and capacity of the Integrated Defense Staff (IDS),
which will serve (or served) as the secretariat to the CDS. Instead of being shunted, officers in the
IDS should occupy prime offices in South Block and the office of the CDS should be located right
next to that of the Defense Minister.
One of the most closely watched decisions will be on appointing the first CDS. The relations
between the civilian bureaucracy and the military are among the biggest fault-lines in the defense
apparatus and remedial actions are required, on both sides, to create a professional, well-developed
and qualified bureaucracy which integrates both civilian-military expertise.

KEY POINTS:

 Arun Singh, one of the most forward-looking quasi-defense ministers, was keen to
establish theatre commands back in 2001.
 IDS is the joint staff, created in 2001, and comprises around 270 officers.

42 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 30-08-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.4
Editorial Heading: A more precarious citizenships
Author Name: Sanjib Baruah
ABOUT: External affairs minister S Jaishankar, last week in his statements, has described the
process of the identification of citizens and non- citizens in Assam as India’s internal matter.
SYNOPSIS: Jaishankar’s statement in Dhaka was clearly intended to ease Bangladesh’s fears. It
was a promise that the fallout of the citizenship documentation process in Assam will be contained
and it will not extend to Bangladesh. One message that Jaishankar tried to convey to Dhaka was
that no matter what, Indian policies will not include deportation. Defining hundreds and thousands
of people living in the country as non-citizens will create a new form of precarious citizenship —
people with fewer rights and entitlements. This is a strange and potentially dangerous territory for
a democracy. Given the ruling party’s ideological tendencies, it is clear that the aborted citizenship
amendment bill will be reintroduced in the near future, and it is likely to get Parliament’s approval
quite easily.

KEY POINTS:

 There are no authoritative challenges to the process of citizenship documentation in


Assam.
 As per Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Kalam Abdul Momen “the country was in
serious trouble with 1.1 million Rohingyas”.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 02-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.5
Editorial Heading: A Flawed process that pleased none
Author Name: Harsh Mander
ABOUT: Recently the national register of citizens (NRC) has removed names of over two million
residents of Assam from the updated list. Even those who are on the list gives no assurance that
they will not be labelled as “illegal immigrants” in future.
SYNOPSIS: People of Bengali- origin of Assam had thought that conclusion of six-year long
process of updating the 1951 citizen’s register in Assam would resolve the long- resentment but it
has resolved nothing. The Assam agitation was clear in its demand of ‘detection, deletion (from
electoral rolls) and deportation’. In the end the people who are labelled as “illegal immigrants”,
will be allowed to live in India but would be deprived of all citizenship rights. As per the demand
and promise by Mr. Shah of extending the NRC to all of India, would mean destruction of the
secular Constitution of India, an end to India as we know it, a country which belongs equally to
people of every faith.

KEY POINTS:

 Estimates of the numbers of these ‘illegal immigrants’ that their leaders have tossed around
range from five to 10 million.
 Those excluded from the NRC will have the option of appealing to Foreigners’ Tribunals
(FTs).
 Home Minister Amit Shah declared in Parliament that he would deport illegal immigrants
from every square inch of Indian land.
 As per BJP, it is only Bengali-origin Assamese Muslim immigrants who constitute a threat
to the Indian nation; Bengali Hindus are not infiltrators but ‘refugees’ for whom India is
their ‘natural home’.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 10-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.6
Editorial Heading: NRC’s political googly
Author Name: Nalin Mehta
ABOUT: Today the superficiality in the name of religion, compels us to revive Vivekananda’s
idea of India as a tolerant and inclusive society, imparting lessons of social harmony to the rest of
the world.
SYNOPSIS: Law-abiding citizens have been seriously distressed. The overall number of illegals
identified is too low and the demographic spread of those who failed the NRC test is different from
what political parties expected. Though Congress could have made political capital, the state BJP
has been ahead in seizing the political narrative so far. Now that the NRC is a mess, it is equally
positioning itself as the defender of those who have been wrongly left out in the implementation.
The state government made the district-wise NRC-exclusion numbers public in the state assembly.
It is difficult to oppose the principle of a citizenship register. The huge implementation problems
in Assam, however, point to serious practical pitfalls. It would be prudent to learn from the Assam
example and not try it elsewhere in the country. We must fix the state’s backend first before such
ambitious programs.

KEY POINTS:

 As many as 19.07 lakh (almost 6% of the 3.29 crore who applied) were excluded from the
final NRC list. Second, the rate of exclusions in the border districts with Bangladesh such
as South Salmara (7.22%), Dhubri (8.26%) and Karimganj (7.57%) was much lower than
districts like Karbi Anglong (14.31%) and Tinsukia (13.25%) where Assam’s bhumiputras
have lived for centuries.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 12-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.7
Editorial Heading: The great walls of India
Author Name: Sagarika Ghose
ABOUT: People have never been a problem to any country, it’s the failed economic policies.
Migrants work had, contribute to the workforce and also become consumers and taxpayers. The
fact to consider is that all human beings are citizens of humanity.
SYNOPSIS: Today walls are being made between people on the basis of region and country.
States are trying to give special privilege to the localities for job and education reservation. It is a
hinderance for India’s growth. But the same privilege has been taken away from Kashmir by
demolishing article 370, and in Assam by mandating NRC exercise. Also, a potential decision to
amend the Citizenship act is going to be implemented by not allowing Muslims of neighboring
countries to seek refuge in India. It seems that politicians encourage anger and suspicion about
outsiders. Today its Kashmir and Assam, tomorrow it can be MP or AP. Walling off citizens from
each other means weakening of the prospects of an interdependent, innovative and diverse
economy.

KEY POINTS:

 Canada is now amongst the most open, embracing societies for migrant populations, unlike
a Trump-led US which seeks to build protectionist walls and keep out migrants.
 Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath has announced that 70% private sector jobs in the state
will be by law reserved for locals, mandatory for all industrial units.
 newly elected CM of Andhra Pradesh Jagan Reddy’s first move was to pass a bill for 75%
job reservation for local Andhra-ites.
 In Gujarat the government is pushing a law for Gujarat industries to provide 80% job
reservation for local Gujaratis.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 14-9-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.8
Editorial Heading: A disturbing downward spiral
Author Name: AS Panneeerselvan
ABOUT: The government’s failures are evident on multiple fronts. In the realm of foreign policy,
India’s relationship with every neighboring country is under strain.
SYNOPSIS: The media is not the government’s headline management arm aimed at distracting
citizens from scrutinizing the government’s functioning. It is citizens who gain when the media
takes the lead in providing credible information and cuts through the clutter of official rhetoric to
make sense of the government’s claims. It is important for people who talk about giving the benefit
of the doubt and time to the government to realize that this is the BJP-led NDA’s government’s
second term. It is the duty of the press to point out the failure of the state and to be on the side of
the citizens when their fundamental rights are being trampled upon.

KEY POINTS:

 The latest estimates for GDP show that year-on-year growth in the April-June period slid
for a fifth straight quarter to 5%, the slowest pace in more than six years.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself said in 2014 on completion of the first month of
his tenure: “Emergency is a grim reminder of the dangers associated with subverting
freedom of speech, press, expression and silencing opposition.”

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 14-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.9
Editorial Heading: Fit India should also mean the courage to ask questions
Author Name: Swami Agnivesh
ABOUT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is something of an enigma. He radiates energy. He is
decisive. He is an expert in springing surprises. He does not dodge the non-stereotypical.

SYNOPSIS: Medical sciences states that physical fitness is incomplete without mental and
intellectual fitness. Mental unfitness is the main cause for tragic health conditions. We are familiar
with the pathological conditions that come into being due to mental stress and intellectual trauma.
Lack of proper intellectual and imaginative development is the main reason why a society sinks
into crime and corruption. For Modi to speak with clarity and consistency on Fit India in a holistic
sense, he needs to clarify for himself his stand on freedom of thought and expression. If courage
or bravery is a value, we should be willing to welcome it in all its manifestations — physical,
mental and spiritual. It is the spiritual dimension of courage that is most under-valued today. The
willingness to ask such inconvenient questions — no less than organizing public drills to boost
physical fitness — should be deemed fundamental to creating Fit India. Only then would Modi’s
agenda stand a reasonable chance of fulfillment, which I hope earnestly it does.

KEY POINTS:

 In the 1960s, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the USA, set for himself the
task of re-inventing America as a “great society”.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 18-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.10
Editorial Heading: How parliament is diminished
Author Name: Manoj Kumar Jha
ABOUT: As per Dr. SV Radhakrishnan’s idea, Parliament is not only a legislative but a
deliberative body. It should be open to us to make valuable contributions. He advocated for better
balance between legislation and deliberation, even if it requires sitting early and continuing till
late.
SYNOPSIS: The history of parliamentary democracy from across the world shows that when
any political party gets a huge majority, there is a temptation to acquire an authoritarian posture
and one of the most obvious features of the same is to set aside quality deliberation by pushing
legislation in hurry under the cover of “mood of the nation”. The ruling party poses as the sole
custodian as well as the anchor of the said “mood of the nation”. It is self- evident that a political
party or a union of political parties need a majority in the parliament and that is how governments
are formed and function. However, overpowering of parliament procedures by popular myths or
half-truths of the dominant majority diminishes Parliament from being a deliberative institution to
be a majoritarian one. Parliament was always meant to engage with and undertake the legislative
and deliberative business, representing the people of India.
KEY POINTS:

 In a nation that prides itself on its argumentative traditions, the hectoring of minority
opinion amounts to the strangulation of democracy.
 Societies have come and gone where everyone believed in God, in witches, in the
supernatural, that all foreigners are not human, that an individual’s race determines his
moral and intellectual qualities, that men are morally superior to women, that blacks are
inferior or that Jews are evil.” At some point in history, each of these beliefs were held by
a majority and was carried forward as the “national mood”.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 19-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.11
Editorial Heading: Changing times
Author Name: Kapil Sibal
ABOUT: Societal norms has changed. The state is convinced that it can deal with its citizens in
the manner that it wishes, and no institution of law will stand in the way.
SYNOPSIS: Enforcers of the law, instead of discovering facts, manufacture them to implicate
targeted political opponents. Those investigating crimes lay plans to humiliate. The expansive
boundaries of the law are used for political advantage and one-upmanship. Collaborations with
investigators is intense. Today, our political masters are emboldened to make statements holding
others guilty even before any charge sheet is filed in the court. The result is that people are slowly
but surely losing confidence in the justice delivery system. Those seeking obedience from others
are confident that those in power will be by their side. It leads to the belief that this is an era of
musclemen and the rule of law has little value.

KEY POINTS:

 Society has become far more unstable in its dealings. Otherwise, Tabrez Ansari, who bled
to death with a cracked skull, could have been saved.
 Pehlu Khan and Mohammad Akhlaq murdered on the same grounds have not got any
justice yet.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 24-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.12
Editorial Heading: Leaning on the states
Author Name: M. Govinda
ABOUT: The changes to the terms of reference (TOR) issued to the fifteenth finance commission
has triggered some suggestions on the need to have a relook at the assignment system and redesign
of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS).
SYNOPSIS: The constitutional assignments between the central and subnational governments in
federations are done broadly on the basis of their respective comparative advantage. In the Indian
context, for this reason, there are central sector and centrally-sponsored schemes. In the case of
the former, funding is entirely by the Centre and states are merely implementing agencies. The
CSS is a shared cost program and is meant to ensure a minimum standard of service across the
country. Indeed, there is a need to reform the CSS. There should be consultations in formulating,
designing and closing them down. “The one-size-fits-all” approach cannot succeed in a large and
diverse country like India. As the schemes are implemented by states, they should have substantial
flexibility to ensure that the schemes benefit the targeted groups. While these are important, it is
not clear how a relook at the Seventh Schedule would achieve this objective.

KEY POINTS:

 There have been as many as 103 amendments so far including a few in the Seventh
Schedule.
 The 42nd amendment actually transferred five subjects from the State List to the
Concurrent List which are: (a) Education; (b) forests ;(c) weights and measures ;(d)
protection of wild animals and birds and (e) administration of justice; constitution and
organization of all courts except the Supreme Court and the High Court.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 26-09-19
Editorial Category: B
Editorial Number: B.13
Editorial Heading: The missing link in India’s governance
Author Name: Yamini Aiyar
ABOUT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech had an unexpected expression confronting
economic policymaking at Houston on Sunday.
SYNOPSIS: Aimed primarily at showcasing India’s arrival on the global stage and consolidating
support for India against the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir, the PM’s speech also sought to
send important signals on the economy. The idea was to showcase an India well on the path to
progress committed to equality and inclusion, and reassure global business of the commitment to
economic reform. May Be, for this reason, a significant part of the speech was dedicated to the
achievement in promoting “ease of living” and “ease of business”. But showcasing aside, the
speech also served as a reminder of a critical missing link in the current economic policy
framework. The missing link is the absence of a coherent policy framework to enable “ease of
living” to result in India’s poor becoming active participants in the economy and drivers of growth.

KEY POINTS:

 The goal of a $5 trillion economy, plans for increased investment and improved
infrastructure, easing regulation and reductions in corporate tax, all were mentioned.

52 | P a g e
Indian Judicial Issue

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 20-08-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.1
Editorial Heading: Artificial intelligence and the world of tax litigation
Author Name: Mallika Mahajan and Pawan Kumar Sinha
ABOUT: Artificial intelligence software with prediction technology can be used that generates
results for forecast of any legal action’s outcome. Some know software that even offer consultancy,
such as Ravel Law and Lex Machina, can be used. The only limitation is that such software will
be most effective in better-settled areas of law where there is a very large amount of relevant data.
SYNOPSIS: Report says that tax litigation is declining for both direct and indirect taxes. It is
because of poor quality of adjudication orders. One of the reasons for poor quality of adjudication
is bias nature of adjudicating officers (AOs) who are viewed with suspicion by their
reviewing/supervisory officers if they decide a case in favor of the taxpayer. Hence , the major
reason for delayed legal action on tax is the trust misalignment between supervisory and
subordinate officers/ principal- agent.

KEY POINTS:
• The Economic Survey 2017 used data from six central ministries to show that 52
infrastructure projects of over Rs 52,000 crore have been impacted because of stay
orders that were pending for an average of 4.3 years
• The 126th Law Commission report stated that “…the state also has to bear the
(additional) expenses of setting up courts, providing personnel for manning posts.”

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 21-08-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.2
Editorial Heading: Those at bottom of real estate pyramid shouldn’t start celebrating
Author Name: Shlok Chanrdra
ABOUT: The 2018 decision which did amendment to section 5(8)(f) of the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy code 2016, said that homebuyers would be treated as financial creditors and would be
allowed to approach the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in case of default by real estate
developers in handing over units.

SYNOPSIS: This joy of homebuyers was for a shot time only as amendment to IBC was stayed
by the Supreme Court in the Pioneer Urban Land and Infrastructure Limited vs Union of India
case in January 2019. However, the judgment that was delivered on August 9, 2019, cleared
doubts of homebuyers and validated the amendment to section 5(8)(f). it also mandated the fact
that Real estate (regulation and development) Act and IBC have to wok together. In case of any
conflict, RERA will be given more importance than IBC. Supreme court has passed a strong
judgement in the interest of homebuyers. Still a lot is to do to give consolation to those at the
bottom of the real estate pyramid.

KEY POINTS:

 Homebuyers can pursue their remedies simultaneously before consumer courts, RERA
and the NCLT
 states in which RERA is not operational should operationalize RERA within three
months, and vacancies of NCLT members are also to be filled up within three months.

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Newspaper Source: The Tribune
Date of Publication: 23-08-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.3
Editorial Heading: Needn’t convert to marry
Author Name: Tahir Mahmood
ABOUT: As per supreme court of India, “This is a free and democratic country and once a person
becomes major, he or she can marry whosoever he or she likes. If the parents of the boy or girl do
not approve of an inter-caste or inter-religious marriage, the maximum they can do is to cut off
social relations with the son or the daughter, but they cannot commit or instigate acts of violence
against the person who undergoes such a marriage.”

SYNOPSIS: Looking at the growing intolerance for interfaith marriages in the society, court has
issued a general order stating that “We direct that the administration and police authorities
throughout the country will see to it that if any major boy or girl undergoes inter-caste or inter-
religious marriage with a major woman or man, the couple is not harassed by anyone, nor subjected
to threats or violence, and anyone who gives such threats or commits or instigates violence is taken
to task by instituting criminal proceedings against him or her.” Despite of this, cases of communal
tension and violence keeps on emerging from such marriages. Solution to tackle these situations
lies in educating people that change of religion is not at all necessary for the sake of marrying
outside one’s community.

KEY POINTS:

 In the eighth year of Independence, the 1872 Act was replaced with the Special Marriage
Act 1954, enabling parties to an intended interfaith marriage to remain in their respective
religions and yet become husband and wife.
 Every interfaith marriage, with or without conversion, must be solemnized only under the
Special Marriage Act 1954.
 This may at least reduce, if not eliminate, social tensions resulting from conversion for the
sake of marrying outside one’s community.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 27-08-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.4
Editorial Heading: Time to strike the gavel
Author Name: Dushyant Dave
ABOUT: The judgement delivered by the supreme court of India on April 28, 1976 is considered
as a deep scar on constitution, constitutional morality and constitutionalism.
SYNOPSIS: This was the judgment that allowed suspension of the writ of habeas corpus during
Emergency. Today, there is no Emergency, yet the constitutional and basic rights of the people
have been suspended in Jammu and Kashmir. The Supreme Court has virtually taken away their
constitutional remedy to enforce those rights. Regrettably, the court has treated habeas corpus
petitions in a most casual manner by justifying denial of the rule of law. Sometime should be given
for bringing normalcy. The situation is such that nobody knows what exactly is happening
there but that is precisely why it is the duty to court to find true facts. It cannot shy deny justice in
the name of security and law and order. If it intends to do so by taking away fundamental and basic
human rights then one can infer that the state has failed in its duty. Contrary to these actions, on
August 21, 2019, it shied away from entertaining a petition by Mr. P.Chidambaram on super
technical grounds. On August 16, a court bench entertained a petition filed by the Serious Fraud
Investigation Office, on the same date and stayed the order of the Madras High Court. The
reluctance to even list the matter on the same day is disappointing. It is not suggested for a moment
that Mr. Chidambaram should not face the inquiry.
KEY POINTS:

 On August 14, 2017, the Supreme Court entertained an SLP filed by the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) on the same day, included in the supplementary list as the last item
before the Court of the CJI.
 Article 21 is about life and liberty, but Article 21 cannot be considered to be the sole
repository of the right to life and personal liberty. The right to life and personal liberty is
the most precious right of human beings in civilised societies

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K. 5
Editorial Heading: The verdict of History
Author Name: Raju Ramchandran and Chander Uday singh
ABOUT: Emergency periods have been considered as Court’s most unforgettable times. Even in
the case of ADM Jabalpur, the court has accepted the fact that right to life and personal liberty do
not exist under the order of Emergency situation.
SYNOPSIS: The SC puts administrative convenience above the humanitarian disaster that will
be created for lakhs of Indian citizens who may face separation from their families and
imprisonment in hell like camps. Because during Emergency times not only civil liberties get
suspended but right to life and liberty also is barred. All this is despite of the view expressed by
the judges just four days before passing their order that such prohibition would be contrary to the
provisions of the Citizenship Act. Even on the Independence Day of the Indian judiciary, court has
failed to be assertive. Judicial historians are likely to pay keen attention to this period in the court’s
history.

KEY POINTS:

 The renowned jurist HM Seervai mockingly noted that even before SC had given good
conduct certificate to the central and state government, an engineering student (P Rajan)
was killed by torture with iron and wooden rollers in Kerala.
 Many years later in 2017, in the right to privacy case (KS Puttaswamy v. Union of India),
the Supreme Court overruled ADM Jabalpur.
 The New York times, had reported in its August 23 edition that more than 2000 Indian
citizens in Kashmir have been detained without authority of law.
 Shah Faesal, the first Kashmiri to top the IAS examinations, who cut short a
distinguished career to form a political party, was detained without charge at Delhi
Airport

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 30-08-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.6
Editorial Heading: A finer net
Author Name: John Kurien
ABOUT: Recently a Marine Fisheries Regulation and Management (MFRM) Bill 2019 is up for
discussion. Bill needs to be in terms with the United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea
(UNCLOS)1982 and World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements to frame laws.
SYNOPSIS: As per UNCLOS, Sea and water resources have been classified into three zones-
Internal waters (IW), Territorial Sea (TS) and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Coastal nations
have sovereign rights for exploration, exploiting, conserving and managing all the natural
resources therein. Fishing in the IW and TS comes within the concerned states as fishery is a state’s
concern. Fishing beyond the TS up to the limit of the EEZ is in the Union list. No Central
government, so far, has framed laws covering the entire EEZ. The Bill attempts to make up for
this. The Bill prohibits fishing by foreign fishing vessels, thus nationalizing our EEZ. As per the
bill, an Indian fishing vessel desirous of fishing in the EEZ, must obtain a permit. Small- Scale
fishing craft’s freedom to access fish outside the TS will cease if bill becomes law. It proposes
social security for fish workers and for protection of life at sea during severe weather events. State
governments, fisher associations and the fishing industry representatives should not blindly oppose
the entire Bill on the basis of their fears of the fishing permit. They should argue for greater
“cooperative federalism”.

KEY POINTS:

 Coastal states treat IW like land.


 The TS extends outwards to 12 nautical miles from the baseline.
 The EEZ extends outwards to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 12-09-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.7
Editorial Heading: The absentee constitutional court
Author Name: Gautam Bhatia
ABOUT: Our republican constitution is based on a system of checks and balances, where even
the government must be held accountable for its actions.

SYNOPSIS: If the state wants to violate peoples’ rights in service of a larger goal, then it must
demonstrate that the measures it is adopting bear some rational relationship with the goal. More
importantly, it must show that rights are being violated to the minimum possible extent. A
communications shutdown violates the freedom of speech and expression, prevents those outside
the State from being in touch with their families, provides cover for civil rights violations that
cannot come to light, and finally, in this day and age, damages an entire infrastructure of health,
food, and transport, causing real suffering. Detention self-evidently violates personal liberty. In
India, in 2019, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been silenced. But the Supreme Court has
elected to silence itself.

KEY POINTS:

 The habeas corpus judgement has been condemned as the darkest hour in the supreme
court’s history.
 From August 5, 2019, the State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been placed under a
‘communications lockdown’.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 12-9-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.8
Editorial Heading: An indefensible transfer that needs to be reversed
Author Name: N.G.R Prasad and K.K Ram Siddhartha
ABOUT: Justice V.K. Tahilramani, who is a chief justice of Madras High court, has been recently
transferred to Meghalaya High Court.
SYNOPSIS: Justice Tahilramani stands out as a judge with an impeccable record of honesty and
without even a needle of suspicion. There has been no complaint from any quarter against her. A
person normally of that seniority and holding the post of the Chief Justice of a chartered High
Court will legitimately expect to go to the Supreme Court. This is not only a case of humiliation
but causes disgrace to a person in public life. Justice Tahilramani has rightly reacted by resigning.
Such transfers undermine the dignity of the judiciary and demoralize the judge. Fairness is the
hallmark of justice and to deny fairness to a person who is administering justice with impeccable
honesty would be denying justice to that very person

KEY POINTS:

 It is a well-known fact that Justice Rajiv Shakdher of the Delhi High Court was transferred
to the Madras High Court because he granted relief to a Greenpeace activist in 2016. It was
a former Chief Justice of the Madras High Court who took it up with the collegium and
saw to it that Justice Shakdher was transferred back.
 Justice Tahilramani is the senior-most High Court Judge in the country and, after having
served three stints in the Bombay High Court as Acting Chief Justice, she was elevated and
transferred as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, another prestigious chartered High
Court.

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Newspaper Source: The Tribune
Date of Publication: 14-9-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.9
Editorial Heading: ‘Square pegs, round holes’ situation in arrests
Author name: Vikash Narain Rai
ABOUT: More than anything else, it is the ‘square pegs and round holes’ situation in arrests,
which mostly sustains a rogue policing structure at the grassroot level.

SYNOPSIS: It’s not difficult to appreciate that a rogue version of policing would be vastly
inferior to a robust version in terms of trust, legitimacy and public cooperation. It will be anything
but fair and democratic. Pitted against the popular estimation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s
recently proposed recipe of adding more forensic muscle towards better conviction rate, within the
existing system, does little to inspire confidence in the police arrests. Forensics has been a major
thrust of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). While the new labs will
definitely contribute to the quality and speed of both investigation and trial, the square peg of
arbitrary arrests will still not smoothly pass through the round hole of legitimate investigation. An
arrest should ideally serve the cause of society; otherwise it would only be a wasteful effort. Done
objectively, the FIR is so productive a document as to steer the investigation till the very end.

KEY POINTS:

 Chidambaram, a minister in both UPA governments, today finds himself at the wrong end
of the arrest procedure, in a case where his name does not figure in the FIR, and even after
he had been questioned by the investigating agencies.
 The Delhi Police charge sheet against another former UPA minister, Shashi Tharoor, is
also baffling. It presents two contradictory accusations against him: one of abetting
suicide and the other of murder, both emanating from the same set of facts and
circumstances, more than five years after the unnatural death of his wife.

62 | P a g e
Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 14-09-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.10
Editorial Heading: Why Sedition law has lost meaning
Author Name: Prasannna S
ABOUT: In a recent lecture, Justice Deepak Gupta, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, noted
how the provision in the Indian Penal Code providing for punishment for seditious speech is
misused often.
SYNOPSIS: Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression,
subject only to Article 19(2) which saves any law that imposes “reasonable restrictions” on the
limited grounds of interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state,
friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt
of court, defamation etc. Fundamental rights in the Constitution are not to be read as isolated silos
or as water-tight compartments, but are to be read as if the content of each fundamental right
animates the other. The court may also need to examine the classification of the offence of sedition
as cognizable and non-bailable and whether that aggravates the chilling effect.

KEY POINTS:

 The apex court in Kedarnath read down Section 124A to mean that only those expressions
that either intend to or have the tendency of causing violence are punishable under Section
124A.
 The court in Kedarnath (1962) did not have the benefit of the jurisprudence of fundamental
rights that was established by the 11-judge bench decision in R C Cooper v. Union of India
(1969) and later, reaffirmed in Indira Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975), Maneka Gandhi v. Union
of India (1978), I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007) and, more recently in
Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017).
 The doctrine of chilling effect gets established even in the US only in 1967, starting with
Justice Brennan’s dissenting opinion in Walker v. Birmingham. Indian judgments didn’t
use that expression until late 1980s.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 26-09-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.11
Editorial Heading: In India, the increasing threat to personal liberty
Author Name: Sidharth Luthra
ABOUT: Right to liberty has none of the shackles of other fundamental rights, but laws that can
deprive an individual of liberty must be fair and just.
SYNOPSIS: The argument of the needs of “security of the State” for long has been used to restrict
the liberty of citizens. We have been enacting and enforcing harsher laws over the past five
decades. The presumption of innocence is ignored, and for many offences, the accused has to prove
innocence even for bail. Preventive detention laws are used excessively despite inbuilt safeguards.
Even while giving directions to safeguard individuals from the abuse of authority, the court
inconsistently held that the freedom of an individual must yield to the needs of the State’s security.
Today, pleas for release from custody by invoking habeas corpus or for grant of bail are often not
being given the priority they deserve. Adjourning bails and habeas corpus for long periods strikes
at the root of the right to liberty.

KEY POINTS:

 In 1973, finding arbitrary and motivated arrests rampant, relying on the recommendations
of the 41st Law Commission, Parliament made a provision for anticipatory bail for the first
time.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Ayya (1989) approving Lord Denning’s words (1949) at the
Hamlyn Law Lectures needs to be revisited by lawyers and judges alike.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 27-09-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.12
Editorial Heading: Why property rights matter
Author Name: Mudit Kapoor And Shamika Raw

ABOUT: In a mature democracy, rights of an individual with regards to the state are protected by
an independent judiciary.
SYNOPSIS: Nationalization policies have held India back from her true economic potential and
robbed hundreds of millions of people of the prosperity they deserved long ago. Nationalization
created a complex bureaucracy. While making a distinction between tax avoidance and tax
evasion, court made the following observation: Every person is entitled so to arrange his affairs as
to avoid taxation, but the arrangement must be real and genuine and not a sham or make-believe.
Democracy is expected to give us an edge over autocratic China in terms of privatization and long-
term growth. The problem of our times is that China, with no tradition of free and fair elections
and independent judiciary, has managed to provide economic freedom and protection to private
property leading to unmatched economic prosperity.

KEY POINTS:

 The spirit of socialism and nationalization rose once again in 2012-13 when the then
finance minister amended the Income Tax Act of 1961 with retrospective effect to undo
the Supreme Court judgment in the Vodafone tax case.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 28-09-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.13
Editorial Heading: Making Crime less dark
Author Name: GS Bajpai

ABOUT: In India, crime is under-reported and under-registered. The official picture with respect
to crime in India is difficult to believe for several reasons.
SYNOPSIS: While popular perception associates many cities and states in India with a crime,
going by official statistics, the country has one of the lowest incidences of crime in the world. A
major source of the problem lies in the manner in which crime data are collected and compiled.
Crime data in India are collected and published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The data reported in this publication is based on the crime reported to local police stations. Police
stations getting information about crime is one thing and such incidents being recorded as an FIR
is another. This is in addition to all kinds of pressures and obstacles on a complainant, especially
when the nature of crime is that of sexual assault, domestic violence or when it involves family
members, relatives or powerful people. The resistance put up by the police station personnel in
registering such crimes or reducing the seriousness of incident is well documented. The
government is expected to embark on the country’s first victimization survey soon. The complexity
of this endeavor demands that it be assigned to an institution that specializes in criminology,
victimology and criminal justice administration.

KEY POINTS:

 As per statistics, India’s crime rate is 379.3 per 1,00,000 persons. Cases of dacoity, attempt
to murder, robbery, rape and riot have gone down by 36.11 per cent, 16.26 per cent, 20.15
per cent, 0.78 per cent and 54 per cent respectively in 2018 as compared to the year before.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 28-09-19
Editorial Category: K
Editorial Number: K.14
Editorial Heading: The top court and a grave of freedom
Author Name: Suhrith Parthasarathy

ABOUT: If the court’s handling of the cases concerning the unending suspension of human rights
in Jammu and Kashmir should tell us anything it is this: freedom is of dispensable merit.
SYNOPSIS: To the majority on the court, various freedoms that Article 19(1) guaranteed —
such as the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the freedom to move freely
throughout India — were simply not available to a person detained under a penal law. Therefore,
in its belief, the state had no obligation to show the court that a statute providing for preventive
detention was otherwise reasonable and grounded in one of the constitutionally stated
exceptions. But what the government failed to see was that the provision was primarily
incorporated to ensure that even those persons confined in exigent circumstances were entitled to
a set of basic rights. Throughout history the court has consistently seen individual liberty as an
expendable value. Its corpus of judgments is replete with cases where it has allowed the bogey of
security to trump freedom. As per the Supreme court the guarantee of a right to life and personal
liberty under Article 21 could be denied so long as there existed a validly enacted piece of
legislation.

KEY POINTS:

 Notably, in K.S. Puttaswamy (2017), a nine-judge bench unanimously ruled that a promise
of a right to privacy is embedded in Article 21.

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Environmental

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 20-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.1
Editorial Heading: Crouching tiger, hidden data
Author Name: K. Ullas Karanth
ABOUT: The fourth national tiger survey report has caused much happiness as compared to the
first one in 2006. But reliability in tiger numbers is still not there due to old methods used for
census. “pugmark census method” is not much reliable but the forest bureaucracy (the Ministry of
Environment and allied institutions) ignored the problem for decades.
SYNOPSIS: For a long time the forest bureaucracy has denied new tiger census/ survey methods
claiming its old “pugmark census method” to be efficient. However, the claims have been now
under suspicion as the number of tigers are not true as is shown by this method of survey. Its very
late when the authorities have finally recognized this fact and allowed new scientific methods like
“distance sampling”, “occupancy sampling of tiger spoor”, “photographic capture-recapture
sampling”.

KEY POINTS:
• By 2004, new methods were rapidly adopted across world for estimating threatened cat
species such as leopards and jaguars, but Director of India’s Project Tiger discarded saying these
as fancy sampling methods, inferior to India’s indigenous pugmark census.
• But then in 2005 came the shocking revelation that all tigers in Sariska Reserve had been
disappeared, even when the pugmark censuses claimed all well.
• In 2006 survey report, a harsh fact was revealed stating India’s tiger numbers had collapsed
by a massive 61% (from 3,642 to 1,411 tigers) in just four years

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Newspaper Source: The Tribune
Date of Publication: 21-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.2
Editorial Heading: IPCC report comes up shortly
Author Name: Devinder Sharma
ABOUT: IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), has recently published a 1300-
page report which has presented scary facts that need an official advocacy. This report named
‘Climate change and land’ came at correct time when half of the country is suffering from flood
fury and another half with continued drought.
SYNOPSIS: As per the report, climate change has never been so directly proportional to land that
it could be so emphasized. Land temperature alone has been increasing drastically which is leading
to huge rise in global warming. Global warming is already causing climatic changes in many parts
of the world. Report has also emphasized on the need for reduction of food wastage, greenhouse
gas emissions, desertification, deforestation, industries and urbanization etc. for sustaining the
world. This report is very useful for academic purposes.

KEY POINTS:

 As per the report, land temperature has been increasing 1.53 °C, whereas the land and ocean
temperature has a mean increase by 0.87°C
 It means that its leading to 1.53°C rise in temperature to cause global warming
 Global warming has already caused a climatic shift leading to expansion of the arid climate
zones and contraction of polar zones, extreme weather fluctuations, long dry spells,
prolonged heat period, floods, enhanced frequency of cyclones, permafrost thaw, loss of
biodiversity and a threat to food security
 Since the time man has started recording temperatures, July has been the hottest month.
 Himalayas have been losing over a foot of ice every year since 2000, and Swiss glaciers
have lost over 0.8 billion tons of snow and ice in June
 As per the study, nearly 75 billion tons of soil is lost every year to erosion, with damage
costing Rs 400 billion a year
 Greenhouse gas emissions have increased between 49 and 57%.
 The report suggests sustainable farm practices, increasing crop productivity, moving away
from bio-energy programs, and shifting dietary preferences from meat-based to plant-based
foods among measures that could make a significant reduction on gas emissions
 The report failed to provide any guidelines and policy directions which the G20 countries
must follow, when the world is facing such climatic emergencies.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 21-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.3
Editorial Heading: PMUY yet to be acknowledged as efficient strategy to reduce air pollution
Author Name: Jyoti Pande Lavakare
ABOUT: PMUY i.e. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna, is one of the most effective yet under-
acknowledged schemes of government. This scheme provisions that LPG cooking gas would be
given to first- time users in order to replace chulhas that use traditional fuels and biomass for
cooking. It is an excellent policy for reducing national air pollution levels and bringing down
premature deaths.

SYNOPSIS: According to this scheme free LPG connections will be given to women whose
family income fall below the poverty line. But the government needs to focus more on the health
benefit of cooking with clean fuel rather than focusing on providing cooking gas to those who
don’t have it. Because people are accepting the new LPG connections but are not using or refilling
it. The reason is that while the first cylinder is free, subsequent cylinders needs to be paid, which
BPL users find challenging. For them if the alternatives like cow dung or wood is free, why would
they pay for refiling of LPG cylinders. This scheme could have been more impactful if government
would have emphasized on health benefits of using clean gas while giving out free connections to
drive behavioral change.

KEY POINTS:

 The data shows that although 7.75 crore new connections have been given to first-time
users at subsidized rates until August 2019, the actual uptake of LPG hasn’t risen
simultaneously
 The Collaborative Clean Air Policy Centre states that burning of solid fuels for cooking
and heating contributes anywhere between 22% and 52% to the PM 2.5 load of ambient
outdoor air pollution.
 By adding a 30% pollution load to outdoor air, indoor household pollutants result in
roughly 3 lakh additional premature deaths.
 it is essential to not just bring the last 5% of the households into the clean cooking and
heating fuel net, but also to ensure existing users don’t fall back into biomass use.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 22-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.4
Editorial Heading: Charging up for electric mobility
Author name: Pradeep Shah
ABOUT: Electric vehicles are gaining popularity globally. Future of EVs looks bright in India
also. As per technological advances, India needs to prepare itself to make the best of this
opportunity to move one step towards greener and cleaner future.

SYNOPSIS: While a promising start has been made, a few key factors must be considered to
develop a large-scale EV charging network. For a large- scale adoption of EVs, a hassle-free
charging system is a prerequisite. The choice of charging method and technology is another key
consideration. These can be grouped into three categories—opportunity charging, battery
swapping, and hybrid trolleybus systems. In ‘opportunity charging’, EVs top-up their batteries
during very short stops, through high power DC-based charging. However, frequent fast charging
can degrade batteries faster than usual. ‘Battery swapping’ involves the removal and replacement
of the on-board battery. This allows the EV to replace a discharged battery in a few minutes, by
visiting a swapping station, where batteries are charged and stored. ‘Hybrid trolleybus systems’
are buses that draw power from overhead lines during operations. They have small on-board
batteries that enables operation even when disconnected from overhead power lines. Each of these
solutions have unique advantages, making them better suited to certain categories of EVs more
than others Thus, for EVs, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ charging solution, and different options
must be considered carefully.

KEY POINTS:

 As of 2018, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), over 50 lakh electric
passenger cars were in operation, with approximately 52 lakh charging points worldwide.
 In India, since 2015, the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric
Vehicles (FAME) scheme has introduced subsidization of EVs.
 In terms of deployment, the Energy Efficiency Services Ltd has led the way by
commissioning 300 AC and 170 DC chargers across India.
 The Department of Heavy Industries has introduced the Bharat AC-001 and DC-001
standards for EV chargers.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 27-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.5
Editorial Heading: The Last Window
Author’s Name: Joyashree Roy
ABOUT: The latest IPCC report on ‘Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation,
Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse gas fluxes in Terrestrial
Ecosystems’ states that the land surface air temperature has risen by nearly twice the global
average temperature i.e. 1.3 °C.
SYNOPSIS: Every developing nation needs industrial growth but it should not be on the cost of
climate change. Global assessment reports have shown that consulting native people is an
important way of collaborating local knowledge with scientific knowledge. In a country like India,
IPCC report cannot be overlooked when there is a direct impact of world’s land systems on human
well- being, livelihood, food- security and water security. Industrial development and
environmental protection can be planned carefully so as to be compatible. As per IPCC report,
consumption and waste management in food sector also have climate implications. Plant based
diet is a healthy sustainable dietary option. Like for many countries, there is very less time left for
Indian Policymaker’s to respond to the severity of the threat

KEY POINTS:

 The 2019 HIMAP report by ICIMOD has shown that with reducing glaciers, there is a need
to manage water better both in the short and in the long run — especially in India — to
address the challenge of food security.
 The UN estimates that the world’s population could breach 9.7 billion by 2050, so the need
to increase food supplies per unit availability of land and water is a necessary target.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 27-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.6
Editorial Heading: The Earth’s burning lungs
ABOUT: The Amazon rain forest is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It is victimized
since August 15 when the forest fire began with over 9500 distinct fires burning through its main
basin.
SYNOPSIS: Farmers and loggers put forests on fire to clear the vast lands for agriculture or
industrial use. However, this time, the annual practise of deforestation have crossed the threshold.
The number and intensity of the fires are closely linked to the rate of deforestation. It is not limited
only until Brazil, but has also affected Bolivia with the deadly blazes devastating forests and
farmlands. Many says that it has happened due to Mr. Bolsonaro’s economic and environmental
policies. They say that since he came to power, he has taken away the protection rainforests used
to enjoy. Under so much pressure, Mr. Bolsonaro has authorized 44000 military troops to help
with the firefighting efforts.
KEY POINTS:

 According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space research (INPE), there has been an
increase of at least 80% in the number of recorded fires compared to the same period in
2018
 Some reports estimate that in July 2019, the Amazon shrunk by 1,345 sq km, up 39% from
the same month last year, and a historical record.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.7
Editorial Heading: Cooking with gas, not wood
Author Name: Sangita Vyas and Aashish Gupta
ABOUT: Using cleaner fuels such as LPG is essential to reduce rural air pollution and improve
health. Under Pradhan Mantri Ujjawal Yojna free LPG ctlinder was given to BPL people in order
to achieve the same.
SYNOPSIS: Three strategies can work in ensuring use of LPG for cooking: educating people
about the harms of solid fuels and benefits of cleaner fuel, reducing the LPG cylinder’s refill cost
in rural areas and promoting gender equality within households, especially in cooking and related
tasks. Current Ujjwala yojna which is messaging on the benefits of clean fuel for women,
reinforces inequality. Advertisements showing that cooking with LPG is good for people (women
as well as men) of India will challenge both misinformation on LPG and gender inequalities in
household tasks.

KEY POINTS:

 A survey, conducted in 127 villages across four states — Bihar, M.P., Rajasthan, and Uttar
Pradesh, showed that rich were less likely to use a chulha for cooking compared to poor
 92% of the respondents in the survey said food cooked on a chulha tastes better than food
cooked on gas
 More than 86% believed that food cooked on a chulha is healthier
 Only 22% agreed that cooking food on a chulha is better for health of the cook than
cooking food on gas.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 29-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.8
Editorial Heading: World on Fire
ABOUT: Amazon rainforests are suffering from huge flames. The fires in amazon this year has
broken the records for the same period over the last eight years. It is an alarming situation
considering the global environment.
SYNOPSIS: This situation has prompted the G7 countries to pledge $20 million to help in
fighting with these flames. However, brazil made it a prestige issue and its president Jair Bolsonaro
rejected the G7 aid. He is not the only world leader who is skeptical of the need to protect the
environment. It seems that there is no trust in this nationalist era. But looking at the current
situation where the entire rainforest is on fire, there is a need of globalization and international
collaboration. The situation is an alarming threat to the world today.

KEY POINTS:

 US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Paris Climate Accord.
 China insists its climate responsibilities should not be on a par with developed nations.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 30-08-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.9
Editorial Heading: Making our buildings green
Author Name: Kala S Sridhar and S Mansi
ABOUT: According to the recent media reports, this year India has seen extremes of drought and
floods. The United Nations Environment Program reports that nearly one-third of the total GHG
emissions are from buildings.
SYNOPSIS: This situation could be due to climate change, but the fact is that buildings are
responsible for at least 40% of energy usage, contributing to green- house gas (GHG) emissions.
Concept of green buildings are a sustainable way of reducing the cities from becoming storehouses
of GHG. Green buildings have plenty of natural light and ventilation, hence, reducing the need for
electricity, using recyclable resources. GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment)
is India’s rating system that assesses buildings in a three-step process—pre-construction building
planning, construction & building, and operations & maintenance. India has the largest number of
green buildings in the world, which is the outcome of its traditional knowledge. India should use
its abundant natural resources such as the sun and wind to protect its built environment, cut costs
and promote sustainable cities.

KEY POINTS:

 The Industry Institute Partnership Cell has estimated that, by 2050, buildings are projected
to emit 3,800 mega tons of carbon.
 It is estimated the Indian building stock would reach 100 billion square feet by 2030, so
buildings must be a target for city-level sustainability.
 One of the earliest modern green/intelligent building is the India Habitat Centre in New
Delhi, whose exteriors are designed such that they are cleaned every time it rains.
 The IPCC reports that energy-efficient buildings and utility systems reduce energy
demands by as much as 40%.
 Globally, green buildings are certified by an independent body, the US Green Building
Council (USGBC), through its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certification, which focuses on sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy performance, use
of recyclable materials and indoor environmental quality.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 02-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.10
Editorial Heading: A new ethics for a sustainable planet
Author Name: Sujatha Byravan
ABOUT: The burning of the world’s largest forest reserves, the withdrawal of the world’s leading
polluter from a major international treaty and the U.K.’s isolationist policies may appear to be the
win of nationalist ideology. But these actions have consequences that are beyond national
boundaries and impact all creatures who share life on this planet
SYNOPSIS: To Address the transnational challenges of climate change and land, we need to look
beyond nationalism. New planetary ethics to support alternative systems for future and for
sustainable earth is need of the hour. It is one that cultivates the growth of ecological sensibilities,
supports pluralism, enhances quality of life, shifts values away from consumerism and creates new
identities and cultures that surpasses conventional boundaries. If we fail to see our place as part of
the planet, we may well go down with it.

KEY POINTS:

 The American President Donald Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement
stating that it is against the national interests of the U.S.
 Many cities in Europe and elsewhere have seen high temperatures never before
experienced.
 Agriculture, forestry and other land use activities accounted for a little less than a quarter
(23%) of the total net anthropogenic emissions of GHGs between 2007-2016.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 11-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.11
Editorial Heading: Restoring India’s Degraded Land
Author Name: S Vijay Kumar
ABOUT: The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released by the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) shows that 30% of the country’s land is degraded.
SYNOPSIS: Land, water and agriculture are all State subjects; forest is a Concurrent subject.
However, land degradation assumes national importance because of its overwhelming impact on
the economy and the well-being of all the citizens. The governance architecture for addressing
land degradation needs to follow a ‘cooperative federalism’ principle—that enables state
governments to access technology and R&D benefits developed through central investments,
jointly generate and use data and information, share best practices in policy as well as at the ground
level, and enables the states in need to build capacity (financial, technical as well as management)
with central assistance.

KEY POINTS:

 India is currently hosting the Conference of Parties (COP14) of the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) from September 2-13 and has announced
a voluntary target to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 12-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.12
Editorial Heading: A Case for a differential global carbon tax
Author Name: Rohit Azad and Shouvik Chakraborty
ABOUT: Climate change is a global problem, and a global problem needs a global solution. The
most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggests that we, might
have just over a decade left to limit global warming.

SYNOPSIS: The global South, which has historically contributed less to the problem (and even
at present its per capita carbon emissions are much smaller in comparison to the countries in the
global North), happens to be at the receiving end of the lifestyle choices made by the global North.
The global energy transition should be financed through a system of the global carbon tax. The
two top ‘payer’ countries in terms of absolute amounts of transfers are the U.S. and China since
their emissions are higher than the global average. Even high-income countries which have
currently kept their per capita emissions low are beneficiaries of this globally-just policy. With
China in the first list and some of the first world countries in the second, it’s obvious what this
policy wants to achieve. It wants all nations to cut down the emissions without necessarily giving
up on their standard of living. It can be termed as global green Robin Hood tax.

KEY POINTS:

 The IPCC says total global emissions will need to fall by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030
and reach net zero by 2050.
 For a successful energy transition to greener renewable sources, countries have to spend
around 1.5% of their GDP.
 Since the total global carbon emissions are 36.1 billion metric tons of CO2, this amounts
to a global carbon tax of $46.1 per metric tons.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 13-9-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.13
Editorial Heading: Go veg to fight climate change
Author Name: PP Sangal
ABOUT: The UN IPCC report ‘Climate Change and Land’, released in Geneva in August, stressed
upon the disastrous impact of climate change on all forms of life.
SYNOPSIS: We are already seeing adverse weather and climatic events of extreme rainfall,
intense floods, as also drought, scorching heat and severe storms. The said report highlights two
reasons for this distressing scenario. One reason is land degradation, mainly due to human
activities like deforestation, mining/quarrying, construction, roads, other infrastructure for
economic development, human settlements for increasing population, etc. The second reason the
IPCC report emphasizes is the ever-increasing global meat consumption and the resulting distorted
land-use pattern to meet this requirement. Huge deforestation carried out to create pastures for
feeding cattle. The cattle then go to slaughterhouses for producing meat, which then undergoes
further processing, preservation and packaging for marketing. This is a highly GHG-generation
intensive process. We need to create awareness that such a diet improves health, reduces
expenditure on health restoration, and also prevents animal abuse.

KEY POINTS:

 The ongoing UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14), inaugurated by


PM Modi on September 9 in Greater Noida near Delhi, is an endorsement of this,
and 122 countries (of 196) have agreed to become land degradation neutral by 2030
as specified in SDG Goal 15.3.
 The rise in Earth’s surface temperature (since the middle of the 19th century) has
already crossed the red line of 1.5-degree Celsius—a critical limit.
 Today, in India, about 96 million hectares (mha), or 29.3% of total area, is in
degraded category, based on ISRO’s satellite technology to track the
implementation of land degradation control policies.
 the EAT Stockholm Food Forum in June had asserted that traditional Indian food,
which is largely plant-based (seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes),
along with some meat and fish, is a sustainable and nutritious diet for humans, and
also causes minimal damage to the environment.
 We should aim to reduce consumption of red meat and sugar by 50% and increase
consumption of vegetarian food by 100%, by transforming eating behaviors,
increasing plant-based food production, and halving food wastage by 2050, if we
wish to fight climate disaster.

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Newspaper Source: The Tribune
Date of Publication: 15-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.14
Editorial Heading: Plasticked off
Author Name: Vibha Sharma
ABOUT: Ban on single-use plastic by different states in the past hasn’t fared too well. In the
absence of a cost-friendly and convenient alternative, ignoring the law becomes easy and its
implementation very tough.

SYNOPSIS: In India, there’s is no official definition of the term ‘single-use plastic’. It includes
items that are used only once before they are discarded or recycled. It loosely covers plastic bags,
cups, water bottles and straws. Plastics are a miracle material, popular across industries for their
properties. Before banning the plastic, several issues need to be addressed. One, the alternative
must be affordable. Two, consumer’s trust is important. Three, technical glitches need to be
addressed. India will put an end to single-use plastic in the coming years. Infact, the time has come
for even the world to say goodbye to single-use plastic. We need to make efforts to rid our homes,
offices, and workplaces of single-use plastic.

KEY POINTS:

 India has a long-standing commitment to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022.


 According to Behram Mehta of the All India Association of National Mineral Water
Industry, the packaged water bottle industry uses polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which
is recyclable, used globally and environment friendly.
 According to an April study of the waste reaching the Bandhwari landfill in Gurugram,
approximately 10.96 per cent of waste was only plastic, comprising PET, HDPE, expanded
polystyrene, rigid plastic, etc.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 18-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.15
Editorial Heading: Eating away at food safety norms
Author Name: Andrew Jacobs
ABOUT: A recent report by Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) highlights the negative impact
the current modes of food production, consumption, and land use have on the environment, and
economy.
SYNOPSIS: The current modes of food production and consumption have led to the degradation
of the world’s wetlands, tropical forests, grasslands, and other habitats. The economic structure of
the food system fosters inequality. According to the report, of the 740 million people living in
poverty, two-thirds are agricultural workers and their dependents. To tackle this, FOLU
recommends a reform agenda, which is centered around 10 critical points—healthy diets,
productive and regenerative agriculture, healthy and productive ocean, protecting and restoring
nature, diversifying protein supply, among others. It states that if these 10 points are worked upon,
then the current food and land use systems can provide food security, and healthy food for nine
billion by 2050, and tackle and mitigate climate change.

KEY POINTS:

 1% of the $700 billion given as farm subsidies globally is used in a manner that benefits
the environment.
 According to the report, current methods have a hidden cost of $12 trillion a year and are
the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (30%).
 The report notes that reduction of hidden costs will also lead to a reduction in public health
costs of $1.09 trillion a year by 2030.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 18-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.16
Editorial Heading: Pipe dreams, ground reality
Author Name: Vikram Soni
ABOUT: Since surface and groundwater is unfit for domestic use, Indians will soon need reverse
osmosis (RO) for home, which will only burden the country’s already expensive water program.
SYNOPSIS: It is of utmost importance that we protect the few unpolluted sources of water that
remain. Otherwise India will be consigned as a nation to drink unhealthy and expensive RO water.
The only unpolluted sources of water that remain are the waters underlying the floodplains of
rivers (for bulk water) and the subterranean natural mineral water underlying forest tracts (for
drinking). These must be protected and conserved. Floodplains can be secured by planting organic
food forests or fruit forests which don’t demand or consume much water. Carving out lakes, as has
been lately suggested, would require digging out vast quantities of sand. This will affect the
wetland ecology of the floodplains. It will also cause loss of water due to evaporation. Natural
mineral water is of highest international quality. Unpolluted rain falls on the forest, percolates
through the humus or leaf cover on the forest floor while picking up nutrients, and then through
the underlying rock while picking up minerals. It finally settles in underground aquifers. We need
to declare the floodplains and forest aquifers as water sanctuaries like national parks and tiger
reserves. If not, we will lose this amazing gift of natural infrastructure, as has already happened in
some cases.

KEY POINTS:

 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in July that the government will provide
piped water to all rural households by 2024 under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
 Examples of self-sustaining floodplain water cities include Varanasi, Prayagraj, Agra,
Mathura, most towns in Bihar and West Bengal, Cuttack, Bhubaneshwar, Amravati,
Vijayawada, Rajahmundary, and many cities in Tamil Nadu.
 Since this is high-quality natural mineral water purely for drinking, we need only 2-3 litres
a day.
 Shimla has a forest mineral water sanctuary spread over nearby hill ranges.
 Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta forest sanctuary and Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park
have underground forest aquifers that can supply natural mineral water for the entire
population of Bengaluru and Mumbai.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 19-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.17
Editorial Heading: War on plastic
ABOUT: The Narendra Modi government has asked states to curb the production of single use
plastics (SUP) in the next two weeks. This step is a part of the overarching goal to eliminate SUP
by 2022.
SYNOPSIS: Plastics are a miracle material, popular across industries for their properties. The
flip side to this material’s durability is the difficulty of disposing it, resulting in some of the worst
forms of environmental damage. India’s recycling record is impressive when measured by the
global average. However, our challenge is a rapid incremental accumulation of plastic waste on
account of the popularity of SUP. Globally, a combination of bans and economic incentives have
been used to eliminate SUP. India favors bans. Plastics are popular because of their benefits.
Therefore, a successful campaign against it must be supported by creation of a market for
alternative materials which don’t have the same impact on the environment.

KEY POINTS:

 India generates about 9.4 million tons of plastic waste a year and recycles about 60% of it.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 25-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.18
Editorial Heading: A New approach
Author Name: Ajay Vir Jakhar
ABOUT: The biggest threat to India is climate change. Many civilizations disappeared and
empires have collapsed due to shifting rainfall patterns or prolonged drought.
SYNOPSIS: It is delightful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an impassioned appeal for
the reduction in the use of chemicals in agriculture. However, PM will realize it is easier to
announce new approaches than to get the agriculture system to embrace the appeal. Public policy
and allocation of funds can play a critical role and change the trajectory. As a society, we are not
yet ready to commit to lifestyle trade-offs and more significantly, commoditization of the food
systems will impose stiff barriers in changing the status quo. It’s absolutely essential to invest
billions in a decade-long awareness campaign to reduce wastage of food and change consumer
behavior. If the same is not implemented than climate change prophesies will come true.

KEY POINTS:

 Over 100 million hectares in India is in the process of serious degradation, desertification
and salinization.
 Soils are being lost up to 100 times faster than they can form and high temperatures increase
the incidence of pests and diseases.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 25-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.19
Editorial Heading: Leaders are laggards
Author Name: Chandra Bhushan
ABOUT: On September 20, the biggest-ever demonstration over global warming was held
worldwide. The demonstrations were more pronounced in big cities of developed countries.
SYNOPSIS: If we say that the summit was a great disappointment, would be an understatement.
The US, the world’s greatest carbon polluter, didn’t participate in the summit, though US President
Donald Trump did make an inexplicable appearance, and left quickly. China, the world’s largest
current polluter, made ambiguous statements, and put the responsibility on the developed countries
to lead. The European Union came with no concrete proposal. India made an ambitious
announcement of increasing its renewable energy target from 175 gigawatts (GW) to 450 GW.
While Europe, India, and China are making some efforts (though inadequate), the US is doing
everything possible to increase its emissions. If US and China doesn’t do anything to reduce
emissions, then the challenge world would face will be that its top two economic leaders are the
laggards on climate change.

KEY POINTS:

 A day after the climate demonstrations, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) released an
advance chapter of the 2019 Emissions Gap Report to let the world know how G20
countries are failing the planet.
 The 2019 Report shows that G20 nations, who account for 80% of global greenhouse gas
emissions, are collectively not on track to meet their Paris Agreement commitments.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 25-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.20
Editorial Heading: The attack on agroecology
Author Name: Sujatha ByRavan
ABOUT: Agroecology is recognized worldwide as a system that enhances fertile landscapes,
increases yields, restores soil health and biodiversity, promotes climate resilience and improves
farmers’ well-being.
SYNOPSIS: Farming in India, is largely under the control of powerful lobbies with vested
interests and connections to deep pockets. These include fossil fuel, fertilizer and seed companies
as well as scientists with funding connections to agribusiness. If India, a large developing country,
shifts to sustainable farming methods, they would all have to look elsewhere for support. As a
result of industrial farming, friendly insects are no longer part of the agricultural landscape, water
pollution is rampant, depleted soils are commonplace and plunging groundwater tables have
become the norm. Agroecology-based farming is not regressive, but rather a technology of the
future with a traditional expression.

KEY POINTS:

 Agroecology practices are supported by many agricultural scientists, the Food and
Agriculture Organization, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, farmers’
groups and several NGOs.
 In Britain, when public hearings were held in the early 2000s to discuss genetically
modified (GM) crops, corporations threatened to pull grants from scientists on the
committees if they voted against GM.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 27-09-19
Editorial Category: I
Editorial Number: I.21
Editorial Heading: A climate emergency
Author Name: Anbumani Ramadoss
ABOUT: A few generations from now, our descendants may not see the animals and plants we
now regard as commonplace.

SYNOPSIS: Mankind is moving dangerously close to the cliff of extinction. It made an impact
on millions and initiated global debates on climate change. However, many of us were skeptical
of the warnings. Some of us did not believe that our planet would ever run out of resources. We
thought that discussions would take place among scientists and environmentalists, but that the
impact of climate change would never really be felt by us. Humanity is paying the price for the
indiscriminate use of fossil fuels. The increase in global temperatures started with the industrial
revolution. Experts say that if our current lifestyle continues, the global temperature will increase
further in the next 30-40 years and that will have catastrophic consequences. Global warming will
affect every individual in every country. It is the duty of every human and government to take
steps to stop the climate crisis.

KEY POINTS:

 Nearly 500 species have become extinct in just the last century. We are depleting 25%
more natural resources than the planet can sustain right now.
 Cyclones such as Thane, Vardah, Ockhi and Gaja have affected Tamil Nadu in recent
times; Chennai saw terrible floods in 2015.
 Floods created havoc in Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar this year, and Mumbai
received record monsoon rains. Kerala witnessed floods for the second consecutive year.
Cyclone Fani devastated Odisha, Cyclone Vayu ravaged Gujarat this year.

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Economic

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 20-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.1
Editorial Heading: The New definition of success
Author Name: Ruchir Sharma
ABOUT: A report that came last week signifies that trade wars are shutting growth in major
economies and threatening a worldwide recession. Since 2008, when the globalization ended and
created a financial crisis, Four Ds were posed- deglobalization of trade, depopulation as labor
forces shrink, declining productivity, and a debt burden

SYNOPSIS: Its time to rethink about the definition of economic success and failure. Even the
major economies of the world are at the verge of recession. Countries with shrinking populations,
will still have sustainable per capita income growth as long as the economy is shrinking less rapidly
than the population. Shrinking or less population also imply less unemployment. Every country
needs to think about its definition of success.

KEY POINTS

 Five major economies from Germany to Mexico are on the verge of recession
 Projections for 2040 show China’s working age population falling by 114 million to around
900 million, Japan’s by 14 million to around 60 million.
 Japan isn’t facing more social unrest. Its economy has grown much more slowly than the
United States in this decade, but because the population is shrinking its per capita income
has grown just as fast, around 1.5% per year.
 The global economy has slowed from its postwar average of nearly 4% to below 3%
 among the world’s 200 economies, just eight or one in 25 are on track to grow 7% this
year.
 The number of countries with shrinking working age populations is expected to rise from
46 to 67 by 2040

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 21-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.2
Editorial Heading: Explained: Here’s how urbanize India to push poverty out
Author name: T V Mohandas pai
ABOUT: India is a country where most of the people are working in farms, leaving very less
working in other sectors. Sustainable urbanization can prepare and organize India for active
services. India must urbanize and provide employment to its people in high- growth sectors like
industry and services.

SYNOPSIS: Study of countries which are developed economic powers of the world, has revealed
the fact that even if India will reduce its workforce in agriculture, enough food can be grown to
feed its people. With higher yield and productivity, a smaller agriculture workforce will earn

comparably with industry and services. When we look at the state wise data, it is concluded that
without employment options in high- growth sectors, these large populations cannot rely on
agriculture or industry alone for growth. Each state needs to evaluate its economy and set a
development plan.

KEY POINTS:

 The world is at 55.3% urbanization on average, whereas India lags at 34%


 World Bank data shows that with only 1.3% of its workforce in farms, the US produces
enough food to feed double its population.
 China, with 27% of its workforce involved in farming, produces 500 million tons of food
every year with less arable land than India.
 India, produces 290 million tons of food with a 43% agriculture workforce when 20%
would suffice.
 Urbanization data from the 2011 census must be re-examined with the 2021 census.
 States in the South-West zones are more urbanized, all above the 31% all-India average.
These states also have low TFR (total fertility rate), considerably below the national
average of 2.18. Low fertility and high GER (gross enrollment ration in higher education)

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has resulted in better educated, smaller populations that are earning more than their
northern counterparts.

Newspaper Source: The Times of India


Date of Publication: 21-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.3
Editorial Heading: Reforms, please, not stimulus: Sagging sectors of the economy should not
expect bailouts from the government
Author Name: Arvind panaghariya
ABOUT: A common tactic that large corporations in India have learnt to deploy effectively
whenever they suffer large losses is to impress upon the government that unless they are bailed
out, the entire sector, even the whole economy, might run into deep trouble.

SYNOPSIS: Now that the auto industry is experiencing a fall in sales, its captains can be seen
making the “save us or else deluge” argument everywhere. On the same programme, the director
general of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) suggested, “Government has to
come forward and help the industry” and that “We feel that a stimulus package is something that
the government should really be looking at.” It is nobody’s case that the government should never
intervene to pull up a sagging economy. If the government completely underwrites the losses of
private enterprises by offering stimulus any time, they suffer large losses, it runs the risk of making
them indistinguishable from the numerous inefficient, perpetually loss-making public-sector
enterprises. Profits and losses are key signals that guide investment flows in a market economy. If
it finances the stimulus by expanding its borrowing in the market, it would undermine yet further
productive private investments in profitable sectors to reward inefficiency in the auto sector.
In the short run, India’s best bet is to let the interest rate and exchange rate do the work. In the
longer run, we must accelerate structural reforms.

KEY POINTS:

 Appearing on a foreign television program, the vice-president of sales at Suzuki


Motorcycle India recently noted that commercial vehicles are the first indicator of health
of the economy and declared that their declining sales should be “a wakeup call for … the
government of the day”.
 Today, custom duty is 60% on cars costing less than $40,000, 100% on more expensive
cars and 125% on used cars.

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 According to media reports, products such as smartphones, smart speakers, washing
machines, refrigerators and air conditioners have seen their unit sales grow faster in the
six months ending in June 2019 than the corresponding period in 2018.

Newspaper Source: The financial express


Date of Publication: 22-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.4
Editorial Heading: Tax compliance complexity is the challenge
Author name: Sumita Kale
ABOUT: India’s tax challenge lies in the complexity of its compliance. The same seems to have
been addressed by the Task Force report on the reconstruction of the direct tax. As per the report,
the recommendations are not yet public, but it appears to be working on reducing tax rates.

SYNOPSIS: A simple exercise shows that, all else remaining constant, just by halving the
number of hours firms spend in paying taxes, India’s rank in this category jumps to 99 while the
overall rank goes three places, up to 74. In June, there were reports of a proposed National Ease
of Doing Business Policy, where ministries and departments were to be made accountable for the
paperwork they impose on companies, and were to measure the time and cost sustained by
companies on compliance. If finance ministry moves ahead immediately to measure the costs and
time spent by firms, especially small ones, in paying taxes, it would make a complete reform, with
a significant impact on incentivising firms to emerge and count themselves within the formal
sector. The finance minister could also consider removing the mandate of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) for this year. At the present time, the government may be reluctant to cut
rates, but the current narrow and skewed tax base, with high effective tax rates, is definitely not
the appropriate way for higher growth. Easing the compliance is an answer to this confusing and
difficult situation. Hit by the recession, industry is pleading for relief and our finance minister has
assured corporate leaders that the tax rates will come down, but only after revenues begin growing
again. Apart from raising compliance costs, at a time when India needs to raise investment and
growth, businesses should focus their attention on what they know and do best.

KEY POINTS:

 We rank 121 out of 190 countries in the Paying Taxes category of the World Bank’s Ease
of Doing Business Index, recording 275 hours per year in time paying taxes last year; China
clocked 142 hours, and ranked 114.
 our tax/GDP ratio has dropped and was 10.9% last year, according to the Economic Survey
2018-19; total expenditure/GDP stood at 12.2%. The last quarter of FY19 saw tax revenues

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grow at an abysmal 1.4% year-on-year, as per estimates from the Controller General of
Accounts.
 India’s effective corporate tax rates are quite high—with indicative estimates running
between 26% and 30%.

Newspaper Source: The Financial express


Date of Publication: 22-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.5
Editorial Heading: Criminalization of corporate India
Author name: Siddarth M Pai and Shankar Jaganath
ABOUT: Criminalization of civil offences that has leached into corporate statutes contradicts a
harmful distrust of businesses and businessmen. Criminal law deals with offences against the
public, society, or the state, and acts of moral abuse or of violence against individuals; civil
offences in contrast, involve damage to property of an individual or group of individuals. Each
should follow the legal purposes of punishment that is restorative and acts as a hinderance.

SYNOPSIS: John Locke’s influential work “two treatises on government”, highlighted that
punishment should be governed by three legal motives: reparation, restraint and deterrence.
Reparation is the first preference since it is restorative, often taking the form of a monitory
punishment or a restoration of property. Restraint is advocated only to secure mankind from injury
and violence, being slighted and broken by him. This Act, instituted by the previous UPA
government, arbitrarily mandates, for seemingly civil offences, imprisonment sentences that are
harsher than those in the Indian Penal Code. In a civil society, acts that deprive a person of their
freedom should be reserved for the most severe crimes. Instead, in India it looks like criminal
sentences are to show how seriously lawmakers take an issue.

KEY POINTS:

Some criminal sentences to civil offences by companies are:

 violation of share buyback norms (Sec 68)—up to 3 years


 Failure to repay deposits or interests (Sec 74)—up to 7 years
 Declaration of dividend without paying it (Sec 127)- up to 2 years
 Violating CSR norms (Sec 135)- up to 3 years
 Default in constituting committees (Sec 178)- up to 1 year
 Contravention of inter- corporate loans and investments (Sec 186)- up to 2 years
 Failure to provide the government statistical information (Sec 405)- up to 6 months

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Newspaper Source: The Tribune
Date of Publication: 22-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.6
Editorial Heading: Reignite the growth story
Author name: G Parthasarthy
ABOUT: While the growth rates are relatively high by global standards for India, they have still
not been able to match up with the levels at which China is growing for over two decades now.
Continuous high deficits in world trade of goods and services are neither desirable nor sustainable.

SYNOPSIS: The growth in India’s global merchandise trade during the first decade of the present
century far exceeded the country’s domestic growth figures. The most wide-ranging trade
sanctions have been imposed on China, though Chinese trade practices have not exactly been
ethical. While the US trade deficit has reduced after the imposition of sanctions, China is already
feeling the impact on its economic growth. India must realize that it can’t become a significant,
modern economic power unless it develops a vibrant electronics industry, with an indigenous
capability for research and development, and a substantial manufacturing capability to produce
crucial items like semi-conductors and computer chips. India’s ‘Act East’ policy has included Free
Trade Agreements with ASEAN, Japan and South Korea. We face difficult choices in dealing with
negotiations, now underway, for an Indo-Pacific economic community labelled as the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes ASEAN members, together with
Japan, China, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia. There are serious misgivings about joining
the RCEP, given our concerns about China’s trade practices and our huge trade deficit with
Beijing.

KEY POINTS:

 PM Modi has set an ambitious goal of building a $5-trillion economy by 2025


 The economy experienced an over 9% rate of growth during three consecutive years:
9.48% in 2005-2006, 9.57% in 2006-2007 and 9.32% in 2007-2008.
 The rate of growth, thereafter, reached 8.59% in 2009-2010.

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 The growth rate has been lower in the present decade, varying between 6.7% and 7.4%,
with an unusual fall to a mere 3.2% in 2013.
 Service exports, spearheaded by information technology, however, rose from $137 billion
in 2011-2012 to $205 billion in 2018-2019.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 23-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.7
Editorial Heading: To offer or not to offer
Author name: Ritesh kanodia
ABOUT: The new GST circular (No. 105/24/2019), dated June 28, 2019 lacks stability as it has
failed to understand the business realities of marketing schemes operation.

SYNOPSIS: The new GST circular presumes that in a transaction between the manufacturer and
the dealer, there is another transaction of service involved between the dealer and manufacturer
that is responsible to separate GST, hence denying the benefit of section 15(3)(b) of the central
goods and services tax Act, 2017. The philosophy of post-sale discounts is centred around the fact
that the manufacturer wants the dealer to fulfil certain set of conditions before discounts can be
offered. The circular fails to admit the fact that advertisements/ sales campaigns aims to boost
product sales of both the manufacturer and dealer. The circular concludes that GST is required to
be issued on the value charged by the dealer and the additional discount given by the supplier to
the consumer.
KEY POINTS:

 Section 15 of the Act states that “the value of a supply of goods or services or both shall
be the transaction value, which is the price actually paid or payable for the said supply of
goods or services or both where the supplier and the recipient of the supply are not related
and the price is the sole consideration for the supply.”
 The June Circular states that consumer will not be entitled to Input Tax Credit (ITC), but
forgets to expect that under all circumstances it’s the consumer who will be bearing the
impact of the additional tax being charged by dealers.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 23-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.8
Editorial Heading: Enhancing share of gas in energy basket
Author name: V Shunmugam and Ruchi Shukla

ABOUT: Major economies of the world are now looking at the cleaner energy sources such as
Natural gas. But in India, growth had been primarily led by coal-based power generations and
fossil fuel- based mobility solution.

SYNOPSIS: India must increase the share of Natural gas in the energy basket. To balance growth
in energy demand with sustainability, India needs to reduce the environmental cost of energy use.
The success of a market place depends on demand and supply parameters. On one had there are
increasing sources of gas supplies, and on the other hand a strong and expanding consumer base.
Demand and supply dynamics of our natural gas market have set the stage for a structural change
in market design. The government has undertaken policy reforms to increase the share of natural
gas in the overall energy consumption basket, besides planning out to supplement domestic
production. A well-developed gas hub supported by infrastructure will help India emerge as a
price-setter in global markets through Indian benchmark prices.
KEY POINTS:

 India must enhance the share of natural gas in the energy basket to 15% in the next decade
compared with the current 6%
 As per Energy Statistics 2018 published by the ministry of statistics and program
implementation, coal accounts for about 70% of total power generation, and natural gas
accounts for 9%.
 Power, fertilizer and city gas distribution collectively account for 70% of natural gas
demand in India.

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 The total natural gas supply in 2017-18 was 52.26 BCM, of which only 25.93 BCM was
domestically produced.
 India is the fourth-largest LNG importer (2018), behind Japan, South Korea and China.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 23-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.9
Editorial Heading: Increasing investment to stimulate growth
Author Name: C. Rangarajan and D.K. Srivastva
ABOUT: India’s current economic slowdown is due to a combination of two underlying trends.
First, there is the short-run cyclical slowdown exhibited by a number of high-frequency indicators,
reflecting a significant fall in demand, especially for sectors such as automobiles, consumer
durables and housing. Second, there is more serious long-term fall in investment and savings rates.
Raising growth requires that attention be paid to both cyclical and structural dimensions of the
problem.

SYNOPSIS: Complementary fiscal stimulus, in the form of additional public sector investment,
may prove to be more effective. There is limited flexibility for increasing centre’s capital
expenditure directly considering the fiscal deficit constraint. In the current situation, there can be
an increase in government expenditure but it has to be directed towards an increase in investment
expenditure. A similar effort may be made by State governments and non-government public
sector enterprises to increase capital expenditures. This fiscal push, may help in increasing the
growth rate. Another area that needs immediate attention is the financial system, which must be
activated to grant more. The government should actually move towards reducing the revenue
deficit to zero. Once this is achieved, the Central Government can be given full freedom over
fiscal deficit, as the entire deficit will be directed towards meeting capital expenditures.
KEY POINTS:

 When it comes to the Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) relative to GDP at current
prices, a steady fall has been visible since 2011-12, when it was 34.3%. By 2017-18, it had
fallen by 5.7% points, to a level of 28.6%.
 It is noticeable that the fall in the household sector’s investment rate got arrested by 2015-
16. However, by then, the rate had already fallen by 6.3% points.

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 The private corporate sector investment rate did not show any fall up to 2015-16 when, at
11.9%, it was in fact higher than the corresponding rate for 2011-12 (11.2%).
 In the case of the public sector, the rate fell by 0.3% points between 2015-16 and 2017-18.
 The period from 2011-12 to 2017-18 can be seen as consisting of two parts: 2011-12 to
2015-16, when the household sector investment rate fell sharply; and 2015-16 to 2017-18
when the investment rates of the private corporate and public sectors fell marginally.

Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times


Date of Publication: 23-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.10
Editorial Heading: The next five years will be crucial to build a healthy renewable sector in
India
Author Name: Manoj Kohli

ABOUT: India has 15 of the 20 polluted global cities where energy is the primary source of
pollution. Its important and critical for the country to move from fossil fuel to renewable energy
and internal combustion engine automobiles to electric vehicles.

SYNOPSIS: India will need $300 billion with our government aiming to have 260 GW of
installed renewable capacity by 2024, and replacing the thermal plants in next couple of decades.
To do so, the government needs a consistent and stable five-year bid trajectory plan. India needs
to have international standard PPAs (power purchase agreements) which address the concerns of
developers and bankers. The central government in consultation with states should prepare a
national policy for allotment of wasteland. Government also would need to emphasise on low cost
of financing to the renewable sector. Green power for a healthy future of our children should be
the motto of the government.

KEY POINTS:

 India is now the fourth and fifth largest country in terms of installed capacity of wind (36.3
GW) and solar (29.5 GW) in the world.
 Due to poor billing (84.9%) and collection (95.3%) or sale of power at unviable tariff, most
of the Discoms are suffering from losses.
 For future growth of renewables, transmission can be a major block.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 26-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.11
Editorial Heading: Voting rights ushering in a new era of capital raising
Author’s Name: Vatsal Gaur
ABOUT: A new era of capital raising has begun, thereby allowing for more Silicon Valley inspired
investment structuring and negotiations.
SYNOPSIS: Disproportionate voting rights also known as differential voting rights (DVRs) in the
Indian legal system, have been a subject of constant policy change. Proposals to decriminalize
numerous company law violations are already in pipeline. With the anti- democratic angel tax
regime being nebulized for startups raising funds and tax officers being told to ease the whip during
investigations, the stand of the government (although reactive in nature) deserves complete credit
and gratitude. The proposed SEBI framework does advert some of these challenges due to
mechanisms such as the coat-tail provisions, which allow for flattening of the voting rights in some
situations.

KEY POINTS:

 Some of the laudable changes introduced by the MCA, via amendments to the share capital
and debenture rules, include ability to issue up to 74% DVRs (from the erstwhile 26%
sanction).
 Facebook, Google and Snapchat, the most powerful companies in the world, have unequal
voting rights in common.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 26-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.12
Editorial Heading: The economic slowdown is structural
Author’s Name: Santosh Mehrotra
ABOUT: India is nowhere close to a middle- income trap, that some economists have argued it is
in. India has the potential to grow at 7-8 % P.A. and hence can achieve $5 trillion economy in five
years.
SYNOPSIS: A sustained growth path requires a strategy including industrial policy and other
structural reforms, especially financial sector reform. The strategy would not succeed unless
agricultural growth is 4% per annum. It requires a shift from price and subsidy- based government
to a strategy- based one on public investment in agriculture. Many economies have seen slower
growth stubbornly since 2011. India is no exception to it. The current crisis is the kind of incomes
driven by poor non- agricultural jobs growth. With wages and incomes down, people can maintain
consumption only by cutting savings. But only monetary and fiscal policy measures alone cannot
do the trick.

KEY POINTS:

 The surest indicator that this crisis is mainly structural is that real wages, both rural and
urban, have been flat between 2012 and 2018, exact opposite of what was happening
between FY05 and FY12
 Non-agricultural job growth since 2012 has been 2.9 mn pa, and open unemployment rose
to an unprecedented 6.1%, with youth rates double or triple that.
 Manufacturing jobs rose by 11% between FY05 and FY12 and then they fell by 5.7%
between 2012 and 2018.
 household savings fell from 23.6% (FY12) to 17% of GDP (2011-12 series).
 Merchandise exports were lower over FY18 than in FY14 in $ terms; as a share of GDP
they fell from 17.2% in FY14 to 11.6% in FY18.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 26-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.13
Editorial Heading: Angel tax: Not dead, merely deferred
Author’s Name: Siddarth pai
ABOUT: Angel tax, or section 56(2)(vii b) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, was an insertion by the
UPA government in 2012 as a means of checking the circulation of unaccounted funds through
investments into private companies.
SYNOPSIS: The finance minister spoke about angel tax in the budget. For the first time it was
mentioned by name in any budget speech since 2012, stating that it has been dropped for registered
start-ups. The unintended consequence of this 2012 law was that it became a tool of harassment of
start-ups by the taxmen. The bulk of domestic funding comes at the “angel” or “seed” stage—
where the risks are the highest. Worst part is that it targets money from Indian investors alone. No
other country in the world has so actively discriminated against its own citizens in their own
country. Not even the British would have inserted such a provision in the pre-Independence era. If
the intention is to bring relief, then the February 2019 circular should state that loans and advances
for the start- ups should be allowed, as long as PAN of the recipient is provided. If the start- up is
registered on SEBI, then it can make investment in shares and securities. Also, start-ups would be
barred to make any investment in land, jewelry, buildings, etc.

KEY POINTS:

 Indian start-ups raise between $12-14 billion of capital every year, with only under 10% of
it coming from domestic sources.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 27-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.14
Editorial Heading: Agenda for the bank
ABOUT: Last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced about a platform aimed at
restoring the economy and boosting investor’s sentiments.
SYNOPSIS: The upfront release of growth capital for banks should help lenders to plan their asset
growth better, instead of crawling for funds. It will also ensure that the pipeline of loans is healthy.
But the government, central bank and banks may be adherent on linking the interest rate on loans
to the repo rate. The rationale for pricing loans based on what is essentially an overnight borrowing
rate is not clear, especially in the context of funding costs for banks. India’s banking industry,
dominated by PSU lenders, will be competitive, more efficient and profitable only if there is a
structural design change which features operational independence, empowered bank boards, better
governance standards and quality of lending besides a government shareholder which acts like a
sovereign wealth fund.
KEY POINTS:

 As part of this package, the government announced that it would frontload the release of
Rs 70,000 crore to state-owned banks for recapitalization, and the linking of the interest
rate on loans to the RBI’s key policy rate, the repo rate, besides promising bankers that
they would be protected in cases where genuine decisions are taken by them while lending.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 27-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.15
Editorial Heading: Difficult to sync lending rates with repo rate INIF
Author Name: Madan Sabnavis
ABOUT: Lowering of rates by RBI will definitely help the government lower the cost of
borrowing, depending upon the tenure of issuance.
SYNOPSIS: It raises the issue of whether we should at all expect banks to lower their deposit and
lending rates when the RBI lowers the repo rate. When it comes to commercial credit, banks cannot
respond the way the central bank would like as they have to also consider the growth in deposits,
which is the backbone for them and hence, transmission will be slow, depending on their
requirements. Issue of transmission must be left to the banks as interest rate is the price for capital
which should ideally be the reflection of demand and supply. Supply is restricted by deposits
growth while demand is screened by banks, based on quality where credit risk matters. The recent
measures announced by the Finance Minister are more in the nature of addressing pain points of
industry, like auto or SME, or banks and not any additional fiscal costs.
KEY POINTS:

 The repo rate has come down by 110 bps in the last year, ending August 9, 2019.
 The one-year deposit rate has moved from 6.25-7% on August 10, 2018 to 6.35-7.3% on
August 9, 2019
 The weighted average rate on term deposits has gone up from 6.72% in June 2018 to 6.84%
in June 2019.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.16
Editorial Heading: Learning from Keynes
Author Name: Vinay Bharat Ram
ABOUT: General theory of John Maynard Keynes propagated that the basic cause of a decline in
economy was the absence of aggregate effective demand. This was the consequence of people’s
preference to hold on to money at the time of uncertainty.
SYNOPSIS: Keynesian theory became accepted in the developed world after world war II started.
It says that if full employment is the goal of policy makers, then they should tolerate some inflation.
Because aiming at zero inflation would not help in achieving full employment. In India, income
uncertainty and the desire to hold on to money was triggered by demonetization and minor
problems of GST. Following Macroeconomics, consequences are before us. India has managed
low levels of inflation and achieved targeted budget deficits but state of employment is worsened.
India never have had such high levels of joblessness. Need of the hour is low real interest rates and
greater liquidity in the system to restore the animal spirits of businessmen. Only then greater
investment can follow.

KEY POINTS:

 The first oil shock with a 400 per cent rise in oil prices halted growth in the industrial
world, which gave rise to a phenomenon known as stagflation (combination of stagnation
and inflation).
 In eighties, Martha Thatcher in UK and Ronald Reagan in US adopted Friedrich’s ideas
leading to prosperity.
 Consequently, the economics profession got divided between the salt water (those
economists associated with the universities on the eastern or western sea board of the US)
and the fresh water ones (associated with Chicago and the universities around Lake

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Michigan). The former called themselves the New Keynesians and the latter, the New
Classicals.
 The New Classicals, who had their say from 1978 onwards, faced the Great Recession in
2008.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.17
Editorial Heading: Rediscovering development banks
Author Name: R. Nagaraj
ABOUT: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a press conference on August 23, announced
setting up a development bank for boosting the economy. The announcement may have far-
reaching implications for India’s financial system.
SYNOPSIS: Development banks are financial institutions that provide long-term credit for
capital-intensive investments spread over a long period and yielding low rates of return, such as
urban infrastructure, mining and heavy industry, and irrigation systems. Such banks often lend at
low and stable rates of interest to promote long-term investments with considerable social
benefits. Development banks are different from commercial banks which mobilize short- to
medium-term deposits and lend for similar maturities to avoid a maturity mismatch (a potential
cause for a bank’s liquidity and solvency). Finance minister’s agenda for setting up a development
bank is a welcome but its financing needs to be planned beforehand. An option, such as a foreign
private capital contributing equity capital needs to be analyzed carefully.

KEY POINTS:

 IFCI, previously the Industrial Finance Corporation of India, was set up in 1949. This was
probably India’s first development bank for financing industrial investments.
 In 1964, IDBI was set up as an apex body of all development finance institutions.
 China’s development banks (the Agricultural Development Bank of China, China
Development Bank, and the Export-Import Bank of China) have been at the forefront of
financing its industries

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Newspaper Source: The Indian express
Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.18
Editorial Heading: THE APPRENTICE, REBOOTED
Author Name: Rajesh Agarwal
ABOUT: Today, apprenticeship is a valid pathway for youth educated beyond grade five to
acquire a skill. Their base stipend has been increased to ensure sustenance during an
apprenticeship.
SYNOPSIS: The Indian apprenticeship system has neither the celebrity employer nor does it have
the cultural moorings of the German system. It constituted apprenticeship councils and advisors,
and placed a statutory obligation on employers to engage apprentices with a stipend in the ratio
prescribed for designated trades. Regulatorily, the Act gave power to the bureaucracy to impose
strict and burdensome compliance norms on companies. The threat of a penalty reduced any
chances of a partnership between the private sector and the Government. Opportunities in the
service sector have been opened to the youth by making apprenticeships compulsory for this sector.
Furthermore, employers are empowered to decide their own curricula and the duration of
apprenticeships (between 6-36 months) on a need-basis. Over the last five years, these reforms
have changed the industry from being over-regulated to being extremely open, with an emphasis
on self-regulation and voluntary apprenticeships and the results have been encouraging.

KEY POINTS:

 More than 1.1 million candidates and 70,000 companies are now registered on the
apprenticeship portal; annual apprenticeships have increased by 60%.
 The prescriptive quota regime has made way for a percentage band of 2.5% to 15%, within
which employers can decide the number of apprentices based on their needs and capacity.
 The Central Apprenticeship Council also carried out reforms in July 2019 to expand
apprenticeship opportunities.

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 The most celebrated employer of apprentices undoubtedly remains American President
Donald Trump, who as the host of The Apprentice put contestants through a selection
program culminating in the famous words “You are hired!”

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 29-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.19
Editorial Heading: In mutual interest
Author Name: Shaji Vikraman
ABOUT: Late last year there was a controversy on the level of reserves which RBI maintains and
the quantum of benefits or surplus that it should distribute to the government (owner of the bank).
SYNOPSIS: It was possibly decided that RBI board has approved the recommendations of
committee headed by Bimal Jalan. Based on it, RBI will be transferring Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the
government, including the surplus and excess provisions. Committee has also shared the policy
for distribution of RBI’s profit over the next few years, which would lead to less conflicts. The
successive governments have a thought that RBI was more capitalized than its market peers and
also in comparison to some of the leading global central banks. If both sides agrees to adopt a new
approach to determine the economic capital of the central bank and on future distribution of its
profits, it may have to do it largely with the fact that two senior members of the committee, Bimal
Jalan and Rakesh Mohan, have been on both sides (the finance ministry and the RBI). So, if
policymakers on both sides gets on the same page, it could be an opportunity to build a strong and
respectful relationship between the RBI and government.

KEY POINTS:

 RBI started building adequate buffers in the form of a few reserve funds, after the balance
payments crisis in 1991.
 The committee’s analysis shows that 90 per cent of the net income was transferred to the
government when risk provisioning was 10 per cent over the past few years.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 29-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.20
Editorial Heading: Poised for a leap
Author Name: Syed Zafar Islam
ABOUT: India is an emerging market which has attracted maximum foreign investments over
the last two decades. Though currently due to global economy recession, investor’s confidence
is slightly low in the Indian corporate world.
SYNOPSIS: Government is making all effort to put the economy back on the eight percentage
plus growth rate. But private sector seems to be hesitant to get along with government on this.
Demonetization and GST were the two bold changes the government had to make in the national
interest. India’s slowdown is firmly linked to the global trend and the ongoing US-China trade
war. Still our economy is growing and sound. Growth will come from improving exports, from
investments and disinvestments. Government is encouraging private investment, as was
announced in the budget. The foreign investor’s shares have been increased and it is bound to
attract more investment from abroad.

KEY POINTS:

 RBI has made a responsible gesture by handing over a big amount of Rs. 1.76 lakh crores
to the government.
 Even at the forecasted rate of 6.30 per cent, the Indian economy continues to be the fastest
growing among the top global economies.
 India will achieve the $5 trillion economy by 2024/2025 assuming we hit the average GDP
of 7.5 percent and rupee- dollar remains stable at 70

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 29-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.21
Editorial Heading: For well- run NBFCs, liquidity is no longer a problem
Author Name: Sushila Ravindernath
ABOUT: NBFC stands for Non- Banking Finance Companies. Only three NBFCs have defaulted
but the credit flow has been cut off by banks to all the registered NBFCs. This entire crisis erupted
because of uninformed discourse creating its own momentum.
SYNOPSIS: This has wide consequences for the economy. There are many small finance
companies serving the last-mile delivery. Those lines have been cut off. Mutual funds also stopped
lending to NBFCs. They were, anyway, lending only to the triple-A rated NBFCs. The small guys
were funded by banks and that came down to a trickle. Slowdown in automotive sector has its own
reasons. Car sales have dropped drastically. Then there is introduction of electric vehicles (EV) to
struggle with. For well-run and well-managed NBFCs, liquidity is no longer a problem. The
problem is from the demand side.

KEY POINTS:

 There are 9,983 registered NBFCs in the country


 TT Srinivasaraghavan is the managing director of the 70-year-old Chennai-headquartered
Sundaram Finance Ltd, which is one of the country’s largest and most respected non-
banking finance companies (NBFC).
 It has a nationwide presence of nearly 640 branches, over 2 lakh depositors, and 3 lakh
commercial vehicle and car finance customers.

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 Sundaram Finance is into mutual funds, housing finance, general insurance, information
technology, business process outsourcing and retail distribution of an array of financial
services.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 30-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.22
Editorial Heading: Tinkering for optics
ABOUT: Centre’s announcement on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms on Wednesday
appears to be attracting foreign investors for investing in India for a longer time.
SYNOPSIS: The changes in investment guidelines approved by the Cabinet have been endorsed
as “FDI Policy reforms”. The government is concerned for the economic slowdown and
continuous weak investment. Hence, it sees job creation as a factor for attracting more foreign
capitals to invest in India. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi having a set goal of ensuring India
to become a $5 trillion economy within the next five years, the overall consumptive capacity needs
to be raised manifold to fasten demand growth. To that end, the act of widening reforms in coal
mining, manufacturing and retail is completely understandable.

KEY POINTS:

 Earlier this month, the RBI pointed out that net FDI flows had moderated to $6.8 billion
over the first two months of the current fiscal year, from $7.9 billion in April-May 2018.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 30-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.23
Editorial Heading: Need to relook anti Indian tax laws
Author Name: TV Mohandas Pai and Siddarth M Pai
ABOUT: In this protectionist era, instead of giving Indian investors an advantage for investing in
India, our tax laws have disabled Indian investors in their own country.
SYNOPSIS: Many foreign and domestic institutional investors are incorporated as trusts since it
gives them the greatest flexibility to manage their investments. While the foreign investors were
celebrating this, Indian investors were left with shock for being subjected to the same surcharge
from which their foreign counterparts were exempted. This discrimination is not new, Indian
investors have been treated as subordinate to foreign investors, beginning from how our laws are
drafted. The reports circulated that Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman created this disparity in taxation are
thoroughly untrue. Such disparity has existed for a long time. It is a tragedy that Indian investors
are discriminated against in this manner in their own country. Domestic participation in the market
has been higher than ever before, and the government should recognize this. We need our elected
representatives to correct this discrimination in our laws.

KEY POINTS:

 Since the budget speech in 2019, domestic investors have been net buyers to the tune of
`38,000 crore while foreign investors were net sellers.
 Discrimination exists in the form of ‘Angel Tax’ or Section 56(2)(vii) (b)—which taxes
the premium of Indian investments into private companies as income if such premia exceed
the fair market value.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 30-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.24
Editorial Heading: Seize the slowdown
Author Name: Neelkanth Mishra
ABOUT: Indian economy is currently facing a slowdown. The decline is growing bigger and it
cannot be improved till an intervention is applied.
SYNOPSIS: When supply chains have already shed their inventory and demand suddenly picks
up, the positive side of the cycle can be as exciting as the negative side is depressing. Lack of
credit is also driving inventory liquidation in real estate. Investors are partly in need of cash and
partly are in a fear of further price decline. Destocking in the economy impacts GST collection.
Fixed annual fiscal’s deficit targets are inherently procyclical in nature. In a slowing economy,
they intensify the weakness, and in an accelerating economy, they provide even more fiscal room
for the government to spend.

KEY POINTS:

 Car registrations last month were down 11 per cent, but sales by manufacturers were down
more than 30 per cent.
 the government’s expenditure grew at just 2 per cent, against the full year budgeted target
of 21 per cent.

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Newspaper Source: The Times of India
Date of Publication: 31-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.25
Editorial Heading: Privatize to prosper
ABOUT: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that ten public sector banks will be
merged to shrink their number to four. This will be accompanied by governance reforms in banks
to enhance their performance.
SYNOPSIS: The current economic slowdown has a cyclic component. It has been addressed by
RBI through an interest reduction cycle, backed by easing of liquidity constraints. A
countercyclical package works best if fiscal and monetary policy are in sync. Privatization is a way
out in this situation. This way, government can monetize its existing assets and raise resources
without harsh taxation or higher levels of borrowing. Privatization will be in harmony with
government’s belief that it has no business while being in business.

KEY POINTS:

 India’s gross domestic product grew 5% between April-June, the lowest quarterly growth
rate recorded in six years.
 Target for immediate privatization is Air India.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindu
Date of Publication: 31-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.26
Editorial Heading: Spelling out the government’s RBI windfall
Author Name: Partha Ray
ABOUT: Transfer of RBI surplus to the government is a routine matter. Every year after
finalization of the accounts of RBI, its surplus is transferred to the central government to
supplement its non- tax revenue.
SYNOPSIS: This year RBI transferred a huge surplus of 1.76 lakh crores to the central
government. It has got a lot of media attention. May be because central government is facing a
resource crunch, RBI has transferred the amount. However, this is not good for the economy as,
what if, when economy faces crisis, RBI may not have enough money to protect it. It also denotes
an erosion of RBI’s independence. In view of the RBI’s function as a lender of last resort, it needs
to maintain some Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) to secure the economy against any risk of
financial stability crisis. Of course, the final impact of such actions on the independence of the
RBI would crucially depend upon the future course of such transfers.

KEY POINTS:

 The RBI decided to transfer this increased surplus after following due process and after
accepting the recommendations of the Jalan Committee.
 The Economic Survey of 2016-17 found that the RBI is one of the most capitalized central
banks in the world

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 According to the accounts, the RBI has ended with an overall surplus of ₹1,759.87 billion
in 2018-19 as against ₹500 billion in 2017-18, representing an increase of more than 250%

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 31-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.27
Editorial Heading: India’s innovation compulsion
Author Name: Harshvardhan Neotia
ABOUT: Innovation helps in generating more of investment and consumption and gives a new
competitive advantage to an economy.
SYNOPSIS: If India wants to double its economy over the next five years, then fundamental
policy and business innovations are needed. The new economy is about value creation and not
value extraction. Future belongs to companies which have intellectual assets. Knowledge is
replacing capital and labor as the key factor of production and competitiveness. India has to
accelerate its innovation to ensure economic growth. It’s time for India to get its capabilities in
line with its ambitions. The key to becoming an innovative nation is to reward disruptors and not
the establishment. The US, Europe, Japan, Israel and now China have become innovation
powerhouses because they favor value-creators. Government spending on basic research is critical
for developing an innovation ecosystem. The size of R&D budgets matters, but innovation is
usually not proportionate to the budget. Creativity does not come by kilos. Instead, it comes by
flashes of brilliance triggered by right conditions. India has a serious innovation deficit and it has
to make it up quickly. Experimentation may involve risks, but there are enormous rewards for
successful innovations. More than the fear of failure, the biggest obstacle to innovation is the
idealization of obedience and safety.
KEY POINTS:

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 India ranks 57th among 126 nations surveyed for Global Innovation Index.
 India ranks number one on ICT services exports, sixth on engineering and science
graduates, and 18th on global R&D companies, 80th on political and business institutions,
56th on human capital and research, 64th on innovation linkages and knowledge
absorption, and 43rd on knowledge creation and diffusion.
 India has less than 200 patent applications compared to 6,000 in China. In 2017, according
to UN’s WIPO report, India awarded 12,400 patents and 86% of those patent approvals
were obtained by foreigners.
 At the 2018 conference of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence,
265 research papers of China were accepted compared to 16 from India.
 The Silicon Valley has been a model innovation ecosystem because the start-ups can focus
on creating new ways of producing and consuming things and get rich doing it.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 02-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.28
Editorial Heading: Bits and Economic pieces
Author Name: Vikram S Mehta
ABOUT: Over the past few weeks there has been a lot said about the economic slowdown.
Whether the cause is structural or cyclical and whether the government should introduce liquidity.
SYNOPSIS: As per Niti Aayog, in the past 70 years financial sector has not seen such situation
where nobody trusts anybody. However, Nitin Gadkari has said that Aayog is not an executive
authority, and decisions should be made by him and not by the Aayog. This apparent lack of
cohesion in economic thinking is worrisome because it makes one wonder whether there is any
economic body in the government that has the mandate to look at the big picture. It is also
worrisome because the consequences of lack of cohesion can lead to avoidable systemic damage
in our connected economy. Our administrative apparatus is vertically structured within isolated
compartments. Bureaucrats have a narrow remit and few have the mandate to take a broad view in
order to evaluate the consequences of their decisions on the system as a whole. There is no forum
to enable and facilitate interdisciplinary, interdepartmental and collaborative economic decision-
making.

KEY POINTS:

 The Minister of Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has criticized the Niti Aayog for
announcing a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles.

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 Demand for transport vehicles (passenger cars, heavy commercial vehicles, three-wheelers
and two-wheelers) has dropped by 12.3 per cent in the first quarter of FY 19/20 over the
comparable quarter of the previous year. This is the sharpest decline since 2001.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 02-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.29
Editorial Heading: Need real reform, not govt-spends
Author Name: Shobhana Subramanian
ABOUT: Indian economy is slowing down at a worrying rate and this slowdown is far more
established than anyone believed.
SYNOPSIS: Amidst all the debate whether the slowdown is structural or cyclical, the anxiety
factor is the huge loss in consumer confidence, which is reflected in sinking sales of homes, cars
and also biscuits. It is important to understand that depressed consumers are not good for the
economy. Although monsoons are over, but the global growth and trade are decelerating, which
means the already- drooping exports will droop further. There are not too many options for
recovery, hence reforms are must. In the near time, some extra spending by government is needed
at the cost of fiscal indiscipline.

KEY POINTS:

 A 5% GDP growth in Q1FY20 and, more pertinently, a 4.9% growth in the GVA tells us
the slowdown is far more entrenched than anyone believed.
 Private consumption grew an anemic 3.1% year-on-year in Q1FY20, on a modest base of
7.3%

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 The finances of entities such as NHAI are precarious, i.e. Rs 1.8 lakh crore, with twice the
amount of contingency liabilities.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 02-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.30
Editorial Heading: Indian Economy: Growth and Cycles
Author Name: Meghnad Desai
ABOUT: The economic slowdown was cyclical in nature due to uncertainty and collapse of
confidence in non- banking lending sector.
SYNOPSIS: Temporary boost for demand is not needed at the moment, but a strategy for a long
run growth. RBI’s transfer of surplus amount to government will ease the fiscal pressure on it.
However, it has raised questions on the central banks. Even the consumers sales have been slowed
down in many sectors. Now is the time, when PM’s signal is needed for sustained and sustainable
growth. Recent plans of government included privatization of Air India. The way Modi has got
the world used to learning about India is by announcing the strategy himself.

KEY POINTS:

 In the first quarter of 2019 (the last quarter of FY19), GDP growth came in at 5.8% , far
below the 7%+ rhythm of the previous four years.
 Hat RBI will be able to transfer Rs 1.76 trillion (around $250 million) from its dividend
income as well as by drawing down on its reserves.

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Newspaper Source: The Financial Express
Date of Publication: 10-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.31
Editorial Heading: Growth distress returns
Author Name: Renu Kohli
ABOUT: Indian economy has fallen to a very low level. It has led our economists to discuss if it
is cyclical or structural.
SYNOPSIS: India’s growth was largely driven by a domestic demand-oriented investment boom;
unlike China, and several other emerging markets, India relied less on exports. This led to
subsequent neglect of exports and trade policy. Inflation Targeting intended to resolve India’s
high-inflation by anchoring expectations, disciplining wage-price spirals to deliver fairer returns
to savers, and lower costs for producers. Inflation did lower, but growth dropped. Demonetisation,
a ‘structural reform’ to encourage formalisation, digitisation, and increase public revenues and
savings by discouraging cash holdings, eliminating black money proved nothing as such. GDP and
tax revenue growth have precipitously slowed, and market share gains of organised firms are
reported to be tapering off even as transport times are reduced and logistics improved. This
political dividend needs harnessing to reform land, labour, markets, and institutions for conversion
to a growth-dividend and job-creation.

KEY POINTS:

 GDP growth plummeting to 5% has triggered another round of downward revisions to


FY20 GDP forecasts, closer to 6%, or even lower.

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 GST, the ‘one nation-one tax’ ushered in Parliament’s central hall in July 2017, estimated
GDP gains between 0.9-1.7%, and higher exports in the 3.2-6.3% range.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 10-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.32
Editorial Heading: Keep your eyes on the road
Author Name: Andy Mukherjee
ABOUT: India’s Lowered auto sales are making investors nervous. But the bigger worry should
be the vanishing new roads.
SYNOPSIS: In the absence of more spending in an area with a high fiscal multiplier, deeper
interest rate cuts may be needed to arrest plunging GDP growth. That overburdening of monetary
policy is something investors will take into account. Investors can keep asking, but a government
that has only recently admitted to a widespread slowdown won’t accept that its GST is fatally
flawed. Some tax cuts for the auto industry may cheer the equity markets. But for bond investors,
what matters is not only how much more the private sector can spend out of any tax relief, but also
how much less the government will get, and therefore what its borrowing will be. Matter of concern
is that India doesn’t have fiscal resources.

KEY POINTS:

 The country’s top six automakers reported a 29% decline in August sales. A 45% slump in
commercial vehicle sales by Tata Motors Ltd, the No. 1 Indian truck maker, added to the
gloom.
 A $70 billion plan to build a 35,000-kilometre (22,000-mile) road network is under way.

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Newspaper Source: The Indian Express
Date of Publication: 12-9-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.33
Editorial Heading: Spending Issues
Author Name: Bibek Debroy
ABOUT: The difference between CS (central sector) and CSS (centrally sponsored schemes) is
that for the former, all expenditure is borne by the Union Government and for the later, part of the
expenditure is borne by the Union government and rest by the states.
SYNOPSIS: CS is different from CSS. Revamping CS is a Union government’s right, while, for
revamping CSS state’s consultation is needed. Terms of reference for the 15th Finance commission
mention a re- examination of CSSs. There are ostensibly 28 CSSs, divided into “core of the core”
and “core”. But the figure of 28 is misleading. When counted properly, the number of CSSs
depends partly on how one defines a CSS. The number will be close to two hundred. A CSS
reconstructing/ rationalization debate requires a relook and that can’t be done without consultation
with states at an appropriate forum.

KEY POINTS:

 From April 1, 2020, we will have a new CSS basket.


 The former Planning Commission’s 2001 B K Chaturvedi report on restructuring of CSSs
and the Niti Aayog’s 2015 Sub-Group of Chief Ministers’ Report on rationalization of
CSSs.

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 In 1967, a sub-committee of the National Development Council was set up to examine
CSSs.

Newspaper Source: The Times of India


Date of Publication: 13-9-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.34
Editorial Heading: Quality of growth matters
Author name: R Jagannathan
ABOUT: Economists agree with global investment strategist Ruchir Sharma’s formulation that
there is little chance of providing jobs to our growing working age population.
SYNOPSIS: We do need higher growth. However, the choice is never a binary one, between
slower and faster growth. Some nuance is lost in this kind of thinking, for we need policies that
improve the quality of the growth. Since it is impossible to predict global growth conditions,
demographics and productivity even a couple of years hence, what we need are all-weather policies
that ensure good outcomes regardless of the actual GDP growth number. For policy makers, the
message should be clear that don’t just focus on growth, but on its subcomponents as well. It is
possible to have high growth with very few worthwhile jobs, but it is equally possible to have good
quality jobs even with lower growth. This means not just macroeconomic policies, but
microeconomic one’s matter. If we want to improve the lot of our citizens and create worthwhile
jobs, we need to focus on the micro reforms involving specific sectors. Higher growth will happen
when the composition and spread of growth improves, and not merely the topline. The quantum
of growth is less important than its quality.
KEY POINTS:

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 India’s GDP number for the first quarter of 2019-20 (April-June) fell with a thud to 5%.
 Till at least 2041, the overall size of our working age population will keep growing, even
if at a steadily slowing pace.
 During the Vajpayee years, despite lower growth, employment grew by nearly 60 million
between 1999 and 2004. In the next five years, and especially in the boom-boom UPA-1
years, employment growth was just a few million.
 The World Bank’s Doing Business 2019 report showed India’s ranking rising to 77 from
100, but our performance in two vital areas – enforcing contracts (rank 163 among 190)
and registering property (154) barely budged.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 13-9-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.35
Editorial Heading: Poised for a turnaround
Author Name: Amit Malviya and Kishore Desai
ABOUT: As per The National Statistical Office release, India’s GDP in the first quarter grew by
5 per cent. This was one of the slowest quarterly growth rates in the recent past and it comes in the
backdrop of a consistent slowdown in growth for the last five quarters.
SYNOPSIS: Picking on the recent data releases, certain sections of stakeholders have concluded,
rather hastily, that the Indian economy is in a recession and that the country is staring at a “financial
emergency”. Globally, most economies are facing downward pressures to growth. Economy today
is facing pressures from multiple quarters. This is evident from the slowing growth rate and other
indicators such as PMI, core industry growth. While the next one or two quarters may still be
difficult, the structural soundness of Indian economy will help weather the cyclical downturn.

KEY POINTS:

 First, in 2011-12, India’s GDP grew at 5.2 per cent. Compared to that, during the last 5
years (2014-15 to 2018-19), GDP grew at an average annual growth rate of 7.5 per cent.
Growth touched 8.2 per cent in 2016-17 before moderating to 6.8 per cent last year.
 Annual inflation has been brought down from more than 10 per cent prior to 2014-15 to
3.4 per cent in 2018-19, one of the lowest in recent times.

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 The current account deficit was also halved from 4.2 per cent of GDP in 2011-12 to 2.1 per
cent in 2018-19.
 Foreign direct investment increased from $34 billion in 2012-13 to $65 billion in 2018-19
(as per the Union budget).

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 13-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.36
Editorial Heading: Capital freedom
Author Name: Pratik Datta
ABOUT: Depository Receipts (DRs) 2014 generously liberalised the overseas listing regime for
Indian Corporates. But it was never fully operationalised. This was a major setback for Indian
corporates.
SYNOPSIS: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently unveiled a set of measures to boost
economic growth. This includes the operationalisation of the scheme by the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Indian companies use depository receipts (DRs) to access
international capital markets. Liberalisation gave a major boost to export-oriented services sector
companies. Indian law requires every beneficial owner of equity share holding 10 per cent or more
of the ultimate beneficial interest in a company to file a declaration with that company. Hopefully,
SEBI will take immediate steps to fulfil one of the few incomplete legacies of Jaitley’s tenure.

KEY POINTS:

 From 2013 to 2018, only one Indian company raised $185 million on the New York
Stock Exchange.

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 From 1993 to 2013, over 330 Indian companies used DRs to access international
capital markets.
 In 2013, the Indian Finance Ministry set up the Sahoo Committee to review the 1993
scheme. The Committee recommended liberalizing the 1993 scheme.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 14-9-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.37
Editorial Heading: PSB recap may not spur credit growth
Author Name: Shobna Subramanian
ABOUT: It is important to understand what exactly is happening because there is a lot of hope
riding on the capitalization of state-owned banks.
SYNOPSIS: The problem is that in the midst of an economic slowdown, banks are unlikely to
find enough credit-worthy customers either in the corporate world or on the retail side. Demand
for corporate credit is already down to a trickle. One can’t blame banks for being far more careful
about who they lend to. Many of the state-run banks that have been starved for capital, will put
their new-found resources to use since that is what the government expects of them. A glance at
the pattern of retail lending over the past year shows banks seem to prefer lending to individuals
without collateral. There is a lot of money, but it must be lent prudently, to borrowers who give it
back.

KEY POINTS:

 At 10.15% year-on-year (y-o-y), the growth in non-food credit, in the fortnight to August
30, was the lowest in nearly two years.
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 Aggregate lending by NBFCs has decelerated sharply post the IL&FS and DHFL crises,
and, therefore, the flow of credit to certain niche segments dominated by them is drying
up.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 14-9-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.38
Editorial Heading: GST aids to states could continue till fiscal 2024-25
ABOUT: The state governments’ goods and services tax (GST) revenue shortfall may continue to
be compensated till financial year 2024-25, i.e. for three more years after fiscal 2021-22, the final
year prescribed under the law.
SYNOPSIS: 15th commission has analyzed the pros and cons of the compensation mechanism,
including the “moral hazard” of guaranteeing certain revenue growth for states. A final decision,
of course, will be taken by the GST Council, with which the Commission will converse at the
former’s Goa meeting on September 20. Meanwhile, addressing a group of journalists here on
Friday, Finance Commission chairman NK Singh hinted at a balanced approach when it comes to
deciding how the states’ share of the divisible pool of taxes would be distributed among them.

KEY POINTS:

 Annual growth rate to be assured for states will be lower than the current 14 per cent, for
the post-FY22 period.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 15-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.39
Editorial Heading: Six steps to reverse the economic slowdown
Author Name: Chanakya
ABOUT: Indian economy is in the midst of a slowdown or, as some economists have termed it,
a growth recession. Right now, what the Indian economy is going through feels like a recession,
despite there being no contraction in growth.
SYNOPSIS: There continues to be some debate on whether the slowdown is cyclical (a result of
straightforward business and economic cycles), structural (because of some larger impediment or
structural factor) or behavioural (generation X, for instance, buys different things and also things
differently from the generations that came before it). Firstly, Before venturing into the details, it
is important to understand that not all the solutions have to come from the government. At least in
some sectors, companies must start looking at different products or payment models. Second,
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) needs to cut rates sharply and not incrementally. Third, although the
government should be congratulated for ensuring that the crisis in shadow banking (IL&FS and
Dewan Housing Finance) did not blow up, there remains unease in financial circles over the health
of non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). Fourth, while the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
is a fundamentally reformist move, tackling the mountain of bad loans in banks requires more to
be done rapidly. Fifth, there is clearly a problem of the middle in trade channels that needs to be

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addressed. Sixth, while about sentiment, the government should consider walking back the changes
it introduced in the budget on the tax rates at the highest income levels.

KEY POINTS:

 The National Capital Region and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region alone account for
around 400,000 such units, worth ₹3.5 trillion.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 18-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.40
Editorial Heading: Austerity for growth
Author Name: Duvvuri Subbarao
ABOUT: Growth has sunk to a six-year low and finance minister is called upon to reverse the
slump in the face of heightened global uncertainty, flagging exports, sluggish investments and a
stressed financial sector.
SYNOPSIS: Finance minister has already announced a slew of measures to front- load
expenditures and comfort investor sentiment. The RBI has cut rates and is pumping in massive
liquidity. In order to show that the fiscal deficit target has been met, despite the revenue shortfall,
the government resorted to massive window-dressing of expenditures, including withholding
payments to public enterprises. It’s completely irrational to not admit the true fiscal deficit. We
can persist with our denial, but that’s hardly going to protect us from the ruthless penalties for
fiscal irresponsibility.

KEY POINTS:

 Amidst all the challenges you are facing, a bit of luck has been the generous dividend from
the RBI to the extent of 0.3 per cent of GDP beyond what you had budgeted for.

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Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times
Date of Publication: 18-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.41
Editorial Heading: India must plan for oil crisis
ABOUT: Uncertainty is the primary additive to global crude these days. India, the world’s fastest
growing oil importer, needs to prepare for the possibility of oil prices and supplies.
SYNOPSIS: The recent attack on the massive Abqaiq oil complex in Saudi Arabia is a reminder
of India’s over-dependence on the world’s most unstable region. The attack fits in a pattern of
Tehran targeting Saudi oil exports. Iran tries to force Saudi Arabia to seek an accommodation that
would include the easing of oil sanctions. Fortunately, for importers like India, there is a global
surplus of black gold. The Abqaiq attack saw prices rise sharply, but only to the levels they were
less than a fortnight ago. The impact of a slowing world economy and expectations of reduced
crude demand on oil prices far outweighs the impact of the explosions in the Gulf. India should do
much more at home in terms of diversifying its energy sources, gasifying its baseload power and
increasing its strategic oil reserves. The Persian Gulf is in a slow-motion war, but in certain
scenarios, its fallout on India would be instant.

KEY POINTS:

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 United States (US) is no longer as wholehearted in supporting the Arab monarchies as it
was three years ago.
 There is still a lot of crude available and prices have remained in the $50 to $60 range.

Newspaper Source: The Tribune


Date of Publication: 18-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.42
Editorial Heading: More reforms for revival
Author Name: Sushma Ramachandran
ABOUT: Recent reforms in housing and export sectors will give a ramp up to the sagging and
drowning Indian Economy.
SYNOPSIS: Two sets of measures have been introduced for housing and export sectors. The
first segment on housing expects giving relief to non-NPA (non-performing asset) and non-NCLT
(National Company Law Tribunal) projects that remain unfinished till now. As for the export
sector, the new decisions include the revamping of an existing scheme to ensure that it becomes
WTO compliant. On housing, there is no doubt that even relief to about 30% of homebuyers will
be a step in the right direction. Access to funding from abroad for housing finance companies is
yet another element of the new announcements. The package for exporters, on the other hand, is
timely, but may not hit the mark at a time when global trade wars are affecting demand from
traditional markets. The proposed electronic GST refund transfer system, and availability of
enhanced export credit can help more. A weakening rupee has not helped exports, as the latest data

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shows exports dipping for the past few months. Several policy proposals have been disclosed so
far, but the economic downturn needs a stronger dose in terms of reforms.

KEY POINTS:

 A Rs 20,000-crore fund will provide finance for the construction of unfinished units in the
affordable and middle-income groups.
 Hong Kong agitation is reported to have had an impact on gems and jewelry exports to that
region.
 Logistics cost is estimated at 14% of GDP, as against 9% for the US, though it is high even
for China.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 19-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.43
Editorial Heading: For exports, standards matter more than schemes
Author Name: Biswajit Dhar
ABOUT: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of a slew of measures to boost
exports has come at a time when the sector seems to have lost its way.
SYNOPSIS: With the prospects of the global economy looking gloomy, Indian exporters may
face serious headwinds going forward. The finance minister has announced a new export incentive
scheme, Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Product (RoDTEP). The announcement says that
the scheme will “more than adequately incentivize exporters than existing schemes put
together”. Good news for India is that WTO will be unable to force India to comply with its
commitments. This is because the Appellate Body of WTO’s dispute settlement body, which
enforces the decisions on WTO members, will become dysfunctional from December 11, 2019.
The finance minister has proposed a roadmap for the adoption and enforcement of standards, which
seems to be the way forward.

KEY POINTS:
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 Since the beginning of the decade, exports have grown at an annual average of just 4%,
which includes a slump of over 15% in 2015-16.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 19-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.44
Editorial Heading: Getting innovative with CSR
Author Name: Sanjeev Nayyar
ABOUT: Every company with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or revenues of Rs 1,000 crore or net
profit of Rs 5 crore during the immediately preceding financial year should spend 2% of their
average net profit in the last three years on activities like social development, eradicating hunger,
promoting education, empowering women, ensuring environmental sustainability, conservation of
national heritage, rural development projects, etc.
SYNOPSIS: CSR (corporate social responsibility) spends should be integrated with national
goals and involve the people of India. CSR needs to be renamed as corporate national responsibility
(CNR). Bharat Suraksha Trust (BST) can be created focusing on Setting up schools, health and
vocational training centers all along India’s border with Chinese-occupied Tibet. Also, Rs 5 lakh
can be donated to the family of every soldier who makes supreme sacrifice. Bharat Pragati Trust
(BPT) can be created focusing on improving science and technology of the country. Funds
collected by both the trusts should be used only for the purposes for which the money was raised.

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Trust and transparency are key. The government will have to provide updates, at a predetermined
frequency, on the status of each mission-critical project.

KEY POINTS:

 The laws governing corporate social responsibility (CSR) were introduced by the UPA-2
and became effective from April 2014 onwards
 According to a news report in the HBL “CSR spends by companies have touched Rs 50,000
crore in the four financial fiscals to 2018, the unspent amount is higher at Rs 60,000 crore
during the same period.”

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 19-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.45
Editorial Heading: A self- inflicted economic slowdown
Author Name: Puja Mehra
ABOUT: The fiscal and current account deficits had been compressed, and GDP growth was
slowly picking up momentum year after year. Inflation remained out of control due to the sharp
uptrend in global crude prices.
SYNOPSIS: Ahead of the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), on invitation from the
government, well-regarded economist and former Finance Secretary Vijay Kelkar briefed the
Prime Minister and key Cabinet ministers on the criticality of avoiding the business-unfriendly
rate structure and compliance system that had been worked out for introduction. The consequences
of five years of ignoring advice are hard to ignore now. Scores of private sector jobs are getting
axed. Growth in car sales, retail loans and property has dropped to multi-year lows, as the impact
of the slowdown spreads across the economy. It seems that government was least bothered to give
a thought on the valuable advices and hence the economic slowdown.

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KEY POINTS:

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cautioned the government against demonetization in
writing while the former RBI Governor, Raghuram Rajan, did so orally.
 The loss of growth momentum in the three years from 2016-17 to 2018-19 is significant:
8.2%, 7.2% and 6.8%. GDP growth hit a 25-quarter low of 5% in the April-June 2019
quarter.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 24-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.46
Editorial Heading: Corporate tax rate cut is no Brahmastra
Author Name: Renu Kohli
ABOUT: Last Friday’s corporate tax rate cut evoked a joyous response from the stock market,
compelling several analysts to revise their short-to-medium term growth projections upwards.
SYNOPSIS: Corporate tax recovery would take time as it would depend on investment recovery
which is subjected to evolving demand conditions. All over the world, investors now worry a lot
about the global debt pile- up as inflation fails to respond. If growth fails to revive, the debt market
could react adversely, forcing the government to raise effective tax rates, nullifying all that it is
today hoping to achieve. If the government’s objective is to restore a competitive edge for
investment in India, for both domestic and foreign firms, this was a necessary structural reform,
but not a sufficient one. It would need all-round support from other structural reforms in the factor
and product markets.
KEY POINTS:

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 Right now, the focus is that if the fiscal boost which is estimated at 0.7 % of GDP by the
government, will it revive the growth.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 24-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.47
Editorial Heading: Paying attention to tax buoyancy
Author Name: Emmanuel Thomas & Lekha Chakraborty
ABOUT: Often, fiscal stimulus is launched through the tax side than expenditure side, assuming
that the buoyancy of the former will ensure minimum fiscal slippage, while pushing the economy
out of a glut.
SYNOPSIS: A reduction in rates will increase the tax base and compliance. This along with its
positive impact on growth, would lead to higher tax buoyancy. The fiscal stimulus program
announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is also premised on a similar idea. Direct and
indirect taxes contribute almost equally to the total tax revenue. Tax buoyancy measures the
response of tax revenue to a change in national income and the tax policy. The packages announced
by the finance minister so far mostly target the supply side. It will take a while to yield results by
way of turning around growth. Till growth revives, the high buoyancies signify a fall in revenue
unless a rise in tax base and compliance compensates for it.

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KEY POINTS:

 In our economy, the tax-to-GDP ratio has hovered around 14-17% for the last few decades,
which is the combined figure for the Union and states.
 The estimates for the period 2001-17 show that the long-run and short-run buoyancy are
1.05 and 1.74, respectively, for total tax (the Union and states combined).

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 24-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.48
Editorial Heading: Making the grand Indian PSB mergers work
Author Name: R. Krishnamurthy
ABOUT: The initial enthusiasm of market analysts to the bank merger announcement is leading
to distrust and doubtfulness.
SYNOPSIS: There is a feeling that the potential benefits would take several years to show up
and, in the meanwhile, turbulence in the banks could take a toll on the real economy. The merger
move demonstrates once again the careless approach of policy planners in implementing
sensible banking reforms in Public Sector Banks (PSBs). Such merger announcements generally
create confusion, anxiety and insecurity in staff, leading to a slowdown in business. When decades-
old brands are suddenly eradicated, there is widespread dismay. Poor communication within PSBs
aggravates the challenges. While such consolidation can result in handsome productivity gains,
what matters is the quality of execution by a stable and committed leadership, aided by a shrewd
and benign ownership.

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KEY POINTS:

 SBI merged five of its associate banks (ABs) in 2017. The merger was forced upon it in
the worst year of its history.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 25-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.49
Editorial Heading: Banking on politics
Author Name: Christophe Jafferlot
ABOUT: India’s economic crisis that is finding expression in low-growth rates and high
unemployment rates is partly due to the decline of investments, which is partly due to the fact that
companies cannot get access to loans as easily as before.
SYNOPSIS: Last month, after a year of reflection, the Centre announced reforms in the banking
system, which are mostly about the merger of weak banks. But “reform” could actually be the
wrong word if nothing else is done, because last month’s decision does not address the crux of the
matter. A reform of the banking system worth that name would imply more than the amalgamation
of weak banks. But it can also result from the enforcement of a more rigorous management
autonomy under the aegis of a robust regulator. Of course, the objective would be reached more
easily if politicians were not allowed to spend so much money at the time of elections.
KEY POINTS:

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 In the 2000s, when the UPA held office, everybody thought that double digit growth rates
were there to stay. But this euphoria was not the only factor and the dubious practice did
not stop in 2014.
 In 2015, a 57-page report of Crédit Suisse gave a detailed account of the formidable debts
accumulated by a dozen big Indian companies.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 25-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.50
Editorial Heading: Steering the right rules
Author Name: RC Acharya
ABOUT: Doing the right thing when no one is looking is a measure of self-discipline which is,
perhaps, inculcated from the very young age in the more developed nations. And, is sadly lacking
in most of the underdeveloped countries, including India
SYNOPSIS: In many road accidents, it is often the person behind the steering wheel who is
responsible for the mishap. Eager to beat the light, throwing caution to the winds they are in a mad
rush to reach the destination, often with scores of other vehicles trying to do the same. Not being
in possession of vehicle registration, car insurance, driving license, etc. have no bearing on
preventing a road accident, if the driver is prone to rash and irresponsible driving. The obsession
for taking risks is seldom detected or curbed unless the traffic police resort to traffic monitoring.
Drunk driving, defective headlights and tail lamps, driving when sleep-deprived, are a few more
causes leading to road accidents. India needs a policy of surprise checks and frequent monitoring,

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not a knee jerk reaction of putting road barriers, going through a round of verification of documents
and levying steep fines.

KEY POINTS:

 There are 1157 RTO (Road Transport Offices) in 31 States, of which 1121 are enabled.
 In the US, with its heavy reliance on road transport, the process of issuing a driving license
is a serious business. Applicants often fail multiple times before they are granted driving
licenses

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 26-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.51
Editorial Heading: A hundred small steps
Author Name: Subhashish Bhadra And Varad Pande
ABOUT: On Independence Day this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for national
integration through several “one nation” initiatives such as a singular mobility card, tax regime
and electricity grid.
SYNOPSIS: For Indians “one nation, one ration card” is a gamechanger because it makes their
rations “portable”, allowing them to pick up food grains from any ration shop in the country. Even
well-intentioned changes that shock the system can therefore have potentially catastrophic
outcomes for some. The central government should adopt a patient path of “a hundred small steps”
while implementing this vision. It should start by encouraging all states to roll out within-state
portability. This will also increase their operational and technical capacity. In the meantime, it
should work on a national technical platform that works for all states. Such a gradual rollout will

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prevent transition glitches that show up as harmless statistics in reports, but are a matter of life and
death for millions in our country.

KEY POINTS:

 The Economic Survey 2017 estimated that over nine million Indians change their state
every year.
 In 2017, it was reported that a 11-year old Dalit girl named Santoshi Kumari from
Jharkhand died when her family was unable to access rations in the aftermath of large-scale
revisions in the beneficiary list. Over 18 starvation deaths have been reported in the state
since September 2017.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 26-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.52
Editorial Heading: Incentivizing risk-takers, entrepreneurs
Author Name: Tv Mohandas Pai & S Krishnan
ABOUT: It is for the first time that the government of India has used an order to slash IT rates
outside the conventional Budget.
SYNOPSIS: The high CIT had increased the cost of capital, thereby making Indian companies
globally uncompetitive. Cost of capital is the hurdle rate below which no company would be able
to run a sustainable business. Indian companies are unable to compete globally when their cost of
capital and CIT is significantly higher than the overseas competitors. When overseas companies
with a lower cost of capital invest and operate in India, they dominate. In addition, Indian
companies become a prime target for acquisition by global companies, which have a lower cost of
capital. It is one of the major reasons why our entrepreneurs were selling out their companies,
being unable to fight the battle of WACC (weighted average cost of capital). Reduced taxes will

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reduce the pressure on companies to generate higher returns, improve the risk-return trade-off for
investors, and increase investment. It will also improve the liquidity for banks and financial
institutions for lending and enable them to reduce lending rates. This should increase the capital
efficiency of the economy and provide the much-needed growth impetus for the economy.

KEY POINTS:

 Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has slashed the corporate income tax (CIT) for
domestic companies to 22% in order to promote growth and investment, and announced a
new CIT of 15% for new domestic manufacturing companies, thereby providing a boost to
the Make-in-India initiative.
 India’s CIT is now closer to the worldwide average statutory CIT of 23.03%.
 Limiting the CIT effective tax rate at 25.17% is enabling Indian companies to provide a
risk-adjusted return of 12% to the shareholders at a lower pre-tax income of 23.5%
compared to 27% before the rate cut.

Newspaper Source: The Tribune


Date of Publication: 26-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.53
Editorial Heading: Decoding the cut
Author Name: Subir Roy
ABOUT: The gloom and despondency that had hit the Indian economic scene lifted dramatically
when late last week the government announced a sharp 10 percentage point cut in the corporation
tax rate, from 35 per cent to 25 per cent.
SYNOPSIS: The Indian economy looked terrible only because of the hype created by the $5
trillion target. Moreover, people talking about reaching an 8 per cent plus growth rate and taking
pride in India being the fastest growing major economy in the world. It is quite true that the
nominal tax rate for companies has been cut massively be 10 percentage points and it is the
corporate publicity machines that make the most noise about the investment climate. While high

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growth will take time to deliver, policy can more quickly impact farm produce marketing, so that
farmers earn more out of what consumers spend.

KEY POINTS:

 A 5 per cent growth rate is pedestrian but not devastating.


 It is quite true that the nominal tax rate for companies has been cut massively be 10
percentage points — and it is the corporate publicity machines that make the most noise
about the investment climate
 Today, the consumer is paying Rs 70-80 for a kg of onions. When the last crop came in,
the farmer got Rs 10 at the mandi.

Newspaper Source: The financial Express


Date of Publication: 27-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.54
Editorial Heading: How to fund the fiscal stimulus
Author Name: Aastha Gudwani & Indranil Sen Gupta
ABOUT: As a matter of surprise, the finance minister announced steep cuts in corporate tax rates
to support growth.
SYNOPSIS: While the growth impact of this move is likely to come over a period of time,
funding it is an immediate task. Domestic corporates will also no longer be liable to pay any
minimum alternate tax (MAT). Experience suggests that there is little point in cutting the fiscal
deficit without normalizing liquidity. Lower fiscal deficits have recently been offset by liquidity
tightening. As a result, crowding out is actually rising. Also, a higher fiscal deficit can hardly be

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inflationary given excess capacity. The fiscal stimulus has pushed markets to bring down their
terminal repo rate expectations.

KEY POINTS:

 This fiscal push will cost the government $20 bn (0.7% of GDP), and should be apportioned
in a 58:42 ratio between the Centre and the states.
 Effective corporate tax rates for existing domestic companies being cut to 25.17% from
34.94%.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 27-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.55
Editorial Heading: India needs the RCEP
Author Name: Amitendu Palit
ABOUT: India seems close to agreeing to conclude the RCEP (The Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership) after more than seven years of prolonged negotiations.
SYNOPSIS: Many are arguing that India should not join RCEP. They are also of the view that
India should not be part of trade agreements whether regional or bilateral. Some of these views
argue that only the WTO is worth joining, and no other trade agreement is worth the effort. Others
suggesting that India should back off from RCEP are generally anti-trade. One of the sharpest
criticisms of the RCEP is the adverse effect it will have on India’s domestic markets through a

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deluge of imports. In the entire tirade over RCEP, while a lot has been written and spoken on the
deluge of imports, there has hardly been much mention of the gains that RCEP can bring for Indian
exports. Exporters themselves, ironically, have been reticent to RCEP. India’s trade engagement
has traditionally suffered from absence of ‘pro-trade’ constituencies. This is unfortunate. Trade
doesn’t simultaneously benefit everybody.

KEY POINTS:

 India’s FTAs with SE Asia, Japan, and Korea are cited as examples for driving home the
point.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 27-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.56
Editorial Heading: Institutions weakened; economy crippled
Author Name: M Suresh Babu
ABOUT: The slowdown in GDP growth rate has been dissected, digressed and disowned by
analysts, commentators and policymakers. However, still the growth seems to be a far-reaching
target as of now.
SYNOPSIS: The credibility of three important institutions i.e. the Reserve Bank of India (RBI);
the Central Statistical Organization (CSO); and the Planning Commission/NITI Aayog has been
weakened in the recent times. The RBI has been reduced into an institution which presides over a

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limited space of monetary policy, that is, inflation targeting. the only major policy tool available
in the RBI’s armory is cutting repo rates, which the central bank did four times this year. NITI
Aayog presents the case of an institution that lost its character in the process of transformation. By
abolishing the erstwhile Planning Commission and transforming it into the NITI Aayog, the
government lost the space for mid-term appraisals of plans and policies. In this context, it is useful
to focus on understanding and reforming the forces that keep bad institutions in place, especially
political institutions and the distribution of political power.

KEY POINTS:

 The last time the RBI made so many back-to-back cuts was after the global financial crisis
over a decade ago, when most major central banks were desperate to revive economic
growth.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 28-09-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.57
Editorial Heading: Look east, act fast
Author Name: VS Seshadri
ABOUT: RCEP could be a booster shot at a time when global trade and global economy are facing
huge uncertainties.
SYNOPSIS: A ministerial-level meeting earlier this month in Bangkok, following similar
consultations last month in Beijing and a trade negotiating committee meeting currently in progress
in Vietnam, all signal a quickening pace. Within India too, intensive stakeholder consultations
have taken place. On the export front, India’s export capacities and competitiveness in relation to

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the RCEP region are presently limited. This includes textiles, gems and jewelry, pharma, autos,
some engineering and chemical items and certain agricultural and marine products. Foreign
investors also look for ease of doing business and a predictable and stable environment. Otherwise,
they will go and invest in other RCEP countries and target their exports to India. The recent drastic
reduction effected in corporate tax rates, particularly for new manufacturing units, is a very timely
and huge step.

KEY POINTS:

 A track 1.5 consultation among RCEP countries held in Delhi on September 13 also saw
many of the RCEP lead negotiators and their back-up think tanks interacting with their
counterparts in India and industry bodies.
 Exports to RCEP countries like Korea (0.1 per cent), Japan (0.4 per cent) and China (0.4
per cent) were paltry.

Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times


Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.58
Editorial Heading: The government’s political economy approach is clear
Author Name: Roshan Kishore
ABOUT: Huge cut in corporate tax is government’s biggest step to deal with the economic
slowdown. This move, the government expects, will boost investment and economic activity.

SYNOPSIS: By slashing tax rates for businesses, Modi has demonstrated that he is willing to
offer better deals to corporations. This is also a complete about-turn from the tax proposals given
in the July budget, such as capital gains tax (already rolled back), and higher income taxes on the

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super-rich. The move has come after consultations with various segments, including industry. This
shows that the government is sensitive to criticism from the big business. By showing sensitivity
to big business when things are down, the current regime hopes to retain their loyalty in the days
to come. This matters in many ways, not to forget political finance. Finally, it is difficult to see
what else could have boosted sentiments as rapidly as the tax cut has.

KEY POINTS:

 The effective tax rate, including all surcharges, is now 25%, compared to 30% earlier.
 The year 2024 is when the government wants India’s GDP to reach $5trillion.

Newspaper Source: The Times of India


Date of Publication: 28-08-19
Editorial Category: C
Editorial Number: C.59
Editorial Heading: Double the growth rate
Author Name: Chetan Bhagat
ABOUT: The recent big cuts in corporate taxes are a sure sign that the government now
acknowledges the falling economy issue, and cares about growth.
SYNOPSIS: There are longer term measures, such as investing heavily in infrastructure, which
will ultimately deliver GDP growth. There are six doable activities which can ensure that we get
10% growth. Real estate – Real Estate drives a large amount of economic activity and consumer
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sentiment. Agriculture – It is difficult to drive growth in India without growing agriculture. One
quick fix is legalizing medical marijuana. As India is an agricultural country, we are missing out
on a worldwide boom. Twenty years later, in line with the world we will probably legalese it
anyway. Divestment –A better way can be to consolidate, say, 20 PSUs into a fund or holding
company called DivestCo. Then, sell the DivestCo shares at a significant discount to attract
investors. Customs- A simple uniform customs duty, instead of current inspection procedures, can
certainly help in the growth. Financial reforms – The lowering of corporate tax rates was a
welcome move. Some more steps are still required. Long-term capital gains tax should be removed.
The rupee must move towards full convertibility. Investor Protection Bill –We need a law that
essentially ensures no sudden, ad-hoc and frequent policy changes in taxation or regulations that
might be averse to Indian business. These ideas are relatively quick fixes to boost our GDP growth.
Ultimately, economic growth will be a big criterion when history will judge India’s current era.

KEY POINTS:

 India’s 2019 GDP is expected to be roughly $3 trillion (rounded for simplification). Since
we are already at 5%, the additional 5% to reach 10% growth requires another $150 billion
of economic activity per year.

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World Affairs

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 21-08-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.1
Editorial Heading: Uncertainty ahead
ABOUT: Afghanistan is in a more uncertain position than it was one year ago. Regular intruding
of ISIS and Taliban has posed a question of US removing its troops from Afghanistan. Because
even if that happens, there will be no guarantee of peace and happiness in Afghanistan.
SYNOPSIS: The recent suicidal attack at a crowded wedding hall in Kabul put an alarm to the
security system of Afghanistan. This attack has happened at the time when US and Taliban are to
announce a peace agreement to end 18 years long conflict. But this attack has created a situation

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of hypertension there. The international community should have supported and strengthened the
Kabul government against all kinds of terrorists. They should have helped maintaining balance of
power in conflict instead of letting Afghanistan in a freefall. Despite of an agreement between US
and Taliban, its now a three-way conflict in Afghanistan- the government, the Taliban insurgents
and global terrorists.

KEY POINTS:

 This attack killed 63 people and injured more than 180


 Even if US pulls out its army, it cannot be guaranteed that Taliban would not disturb
Afghanistan

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 22-08-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.2
Editorial Heading: History comes back to haunt trade ties
Author name: Amitendu Palit
ABOUT: Japan and South Korea are Asia’s most powerful economies and are also military allies
of US. The strains are inherited from the uncomfortable history of the region during the early
decades of the previous century, leading up to the second world war. The japan- south Korea trade
conflict shows the rising lack of “trust” against the countries.

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SYNOPSIS: For Japan and south Korea, trade was a way of overcoming the doubts and lack of
trust produced by history. Unfortunately, the same history has come back to haunt the trade
relations. This time, it may create irreparable damage. It was several years after the Korean
independence in 1945, that Japan and South Korea connected diplomatically in 1965. On the basis
of good trade both the countries came together however now the situation is alarming, giving rise
to trade war. It happened when south Korean supreme court directed Japanese companies to pay
compensation to forced labor during the second world war. Now Japan has started taking trade
actions against the country. South Korea may complain against Japan at the WTO, however, the
possibility of obtaining an effective response is very less. Further reports show that South Korea
is looking forward to retaliate by removing Japan from its own ‘White List’ of trusted trade
partners. It might also withdraw from a military intelligence sharing arrangement it has with Japan,
in connection with both the countries’ maintenance of American military bases.

KEY POINTS:

 The ruling by the WTO on the use of national security for trade actions was doubtful in
context of the Russia- Ukraine dispute.
 On July 4th 2019, Japanese cabinet approved removal of South Korea from the “white list”
of countries maintained by Japan.
 Both Japan and South Korea, along with Taiwan and Hong Kong, were shining examples
of the ‘Flying Geese’ economic paradigm of labor-intensive and export-oriented
industrialization.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 31-08-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.3
Editorial Heading: With or Without
ABOUT: Mr. Johnson, a hardline Eurosceptic, is committed to delivering Brexit with or without
a deal. He knew very well that the chances of securing a fresh grant with the EU were not possible.
SYNOPSIS: Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bold move on Wednesday to suspend Parliament
for five weeks is a distrustful attempt to silence elected representatives on the key issue of Britain’s
future ties with the European Union (EU). In a bid to prevent a cliff-edge exit, the Labor leader
Jeremy Corbyn recently invited the opposition and Europhile MPs to back a transition government

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that would seek another extension to Article 50 and call a general election. Meanwhile, a legal
challenge against the prorogation have been mounted by activists drawing on a 2016 ruling that
forced the government to consult the legislature before triggering Article 50. Britain’s biggest
peace-time crisis must be resolved through the democratic process.

KEY POINTS:

 The long suspension announced on Wednesday leaves MPs barely enough time, next week
and the second half of October, to prevent the risk of a disorderly British exit.

Newspaper Source: The Times of India


Date of Publication: 02-09-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.4
Editorial Heading: Glimmer of Hope
Author Name: DP Srivastava
ABOUT: Recent months have witnessed increasing attacks on shipping in the Gulf. It has raised
fear of the tanker war in the closing phase of the Iran- Iraq war.
SYNOPSIS: The increasing incidents of attacks on shipping have led to a call for a multi-national
task force to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Gulf. Earlier the war was between two regions

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but now US is also involved in it. However, as per US, it does not want war and is ready to
negotiate with Iran. Fear of the US-China tariff war and global recession has slowed down demand,
and moderated the oil price despite growing geopolitical tensions. Though America continues to
be the pre-eminent power in the region, Russian role has increased as reflected in visits by leaders
of Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran to Moscow. India has the trust and interest in stability of the Gulf
as well as Afghanistan. The risks involved are huge when talking about negotiations but are worth
taking.

KEY POINTS:

 Mine attacks on Gulf tankers on May 12 and June 13 were not claimed by any side.
The seizure of Grace 1 carrying Iranian crude off Gibraltar by Royal Marines on July
4, and capture of British flagged vessel Stena Impero by Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) on July 19, have directly engaged governments of big powers.
 The Indian oil basket has gone up from $47.60 in FY17 to $69.40 in FY19 and currently
stands at $59.54 per barrel.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 11-09-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.5
Editorial Heading: An elusive place
Author Name: C. Uday Bhaskar
ABOUT: The awfulness of 9/11 in September 2001 and the symbolism of the Twin Towers in
New York collapsing had drawn out universal support and sympathy for the US at that time. It was
expected that this level of global resolve would swiftly quarantine Al Qaeda and its Taliban support
base in Afghanistan.

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SYNOPSIS: The successful closure to the war in Afghanistan was aborted through a series of
tweets by President Trump on Saturday (September 7), citing the killing of a US soldier by the
Taliban in Kabul on Thursday (September 5), as a trigger for his abrupt change of policy. While
there is noticeable relief globally (except Pakistan) at the US-Taliban deal being aborted at the last
minute, but, the superficial reason for this decision i.e. the death of one US soldier, is unconvincing
when thousands have already died in this war. The return of the Taliban may have been stopped
for now but the future ahead for the unfortunate, yet stoic Afghan citizen remains dark and
dangerous.

KEY POINTS:

 The radical ideology which triggered 9/11 and associated with Al Qaeda preceded
September 2001 and India was also scarred by this Islamic terror virus in the early 1990s.
 The war that began in October 2001 has been bloody and has led to more than 2,400
American service personnel and about 900 NATO nations’ soldiers losing their lives, along
with thousands of hapless Afghan citizens. The number of local Afghans killed is imprecise
but is estimated to be closer to 1,00,000.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 12-09-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.6
Editorial Heading: Trying up the knotty ENDS
Author Name: Ankur Khandelwal and Vatsal Joshi
ABOUT: ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery system) like e- cigarettes, vapes etc. continues to be
sold rousingly. However, its still a debatable question whether ENDS falls within the definition of
“drug” under drugs and cosmetics Act 1940.

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SYNOPSIS: The Delhi high Court has passed a judgement that ENDS is not a drug under the
drugs act as it is not sold as a therapeutic device, and does not have any medicinal usage for internal
or external use of human beings and animals. The advisory and circular were issued to all custom
authorities and state governments. It was done to ensure that ENDS is not sold, manufactured,
traded, imported and advertised in their jurisdiction except for the purpose and in the manner and
to the extent as approved under the Drugs Act. If ENDS falls within the definition of drug under
the Drugs Act, the Centre also will have the constitutional mandate to regulate it.

KEY POINTS:

 The Drugs Consultative Committee, a statutory body established under the Drugs Act, in
its meeting on June 1, 2019 also concluded that ENDS falls under the definition of “drug”
under the Drugs Act.
 The Delhi High Court, by an order of a single judge passed on March 18, 2019 (Delhi Stay
Order), after considering provisions of the Drugs Act that ENDS is not a drug
 As of now, 13 States, including Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, UP,
J&K, HP, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Jharkhand, and Mizoram have imposed a ban on the
sale (including online sale), manufacturing, trading, importing and advertising of ENDS.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 13-9-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.7
Editorial Heading: Bolton Goes
ABOUT: The departure of U.S. National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton from office, after he
was forced to leave by President Donald Trump, won’t evoke much sadness in most world
capitals.

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SYNOPSIS: While New Delhi must continue to keep a keen eye on all the changes in the White
House and Cabinet, it is clear that investing too much in any one adviser, or expecting consistency
in American policy as a result, would be a folly. India would do well to not allow its bilateral
relationship with the U.S. or other relationships to be determined by such a fluid dynamic. On the
bilateral front, India must build its strategic and economic relationship with the U.S. with a keener
eye on the transactional thinking that now prevails in Washington.

KEY POINTS:

 Mr. Bolton’s term in office was marked by his ultra-hawkish positions; he pursued
hostilities with Iran, sanctions with Russia, brinkmanship on trade with China, opposed
talks on Afghanistan, and with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and pushed for regime
change in Venezuela.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 15-09-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.8
Editorial Heading: How democracy dies, American- style
Author Name: Paul Krugman

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ABOUT: Democracies used to collapse suddenly, with tanks rolling noisily toward the
presidential palace. In the 21st century, however, the process is usually subtler.
SYNOPSIS: Trump appears to have tried to use his power to punish Amazon, whose founder,
Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post, which the president considers to be an enemy. First he
pushed for an increase in the post office’s package shipping rates, which would hurt Amazon’s
delivery costs; then the Pentagon suddenly announced that it was re-examining the process for
awarding a huge cloud-computing project that Amazon was widely expected to win. Modern de
facto dictatorships don’t usually murder their opponents. What they do, instead, is use their control
over the machinery of government to make life difficult for anyone considered disloyal, until
effective opposition withers away.

KEY POINTS:

 In their 2018 book “How Democracies Die,” the political scientists Steven Levitsky and
Daniel Ziblatt documented how this process has played out in many countries, from
Vladimir Putin’s Russia, to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, to Viktor Orban’s Hungary.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 24-09-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.9
Editorial Heading: Convergence in food safety standards
Author Name: Abhishek Jha and Seema Bathla

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ABOUT: It is observed that in case of trade in food and beverages, mostly the developed
countries, are becoming over-sensitive, perhaps due to stringent quality and safety standards.
SYNOPSIS: The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
(SPS) sets out the basic framework and standards for food safety, animal and plant health
standards. While giving a platform to countries for framing their own standards, it notes that
regulations must be justified through science, i.e. regulations should be implemented only to the
extent necessary to protect the animal, human or plant life or health, and also not unjustifiably
discriminate between countries where identical or similar conditions prevail. Question arises
whether to follow Codex standards or individual country’s standards. Codex Alimentarius food
safety standards are referred under the SPS agreement for practicing and designing trade polices
as these are scientifically justified. The Codex process involves broad international input and
sound scientific support from expert panels. Ironically, even today, economies deviate from the
Codex standards. Policymakers need to address and solve the challenge of implementing holistic
approaches and constructing bridges between different disciplines as well as different sectors,
including agriculture, environment, public health, tourism and commerce/trade.

KEY POINTS:

 The latest WTO’s Monitoring Report on G20 trade measures shows that the coverage of
new import-restrictive measures introduced during October 2018 to May 2019 is more than
3.5 times the average since May 2012.
 In 1989-90 EU banned beef import from the US due to the quality of hormones of beef.
 Till date, 188 countries are Codex members (187 countries, and the EU as a group) that
participate annually to discuss food safety issues and methods to adapt them unanimously.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 26-09-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.10
Editorial Heading: House is sovereign
Author Name: Upendra Baxi

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ABOUT: Recently the UK supreme court announced a very significant judgement saying that the
disruption of parliament by the Queen of England was unlawful on the grounds of parliamentary
sovereignty and democratic accountability.
SYNOPSIS: Written in elegant and firm language, the judgment is very brief and is accessible
to all. The judicial courage, craft, and contention have a common core in India and UK, that is,
judicial review has its basis primarily in safeguarding people’s basic rights. Neither the monarch,
nor the prime minister, may insulate themselves from parliamentary sovereignty and democratic
accountability. Of course, no judicial decision is beyond socially responsible critique. But in
asking parliament to finally decide the terms and conditions of Brexit, the British court has
valuably upheld the principles of democratic accountability of a sovereign parliament.

KEY POINTS:

 Different judicial styles reveal both the language of power and the power of language — a
subject worthy of study by law and sociolinguistics.
 United Kingdom does not have a single document entitled ‘The Constitution’, it
nevertheless possesses a Constitution.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 28-09-19
Editorial Category: J
Editorial Number: J.11
Editorial Heading: As Xi comes a-calling, a footprint without traction

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Author Name: Sujeev Shakya
ABOUT: Recently a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the
ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) which included the Prime Minister and the Communist
Party of China.
SYNOPSIS: Signed on the sidelines of the program, “Communist Party of China’s Opinion about
Xi Jinping Thought and Ideological Discussion between Nepal Communist Party and Communist
Party of China”, it was in preparation for the visit of the Chinese President, Xi Jinping in October.
Nepal has also signed agreements with China to ensure it was not “India locked”, in turn opening
transit and trade opportunities through its northern border. However, the recent rise of the Nepali
communist has been due to the empathy of and support from the Communist parties of India that
were part of the United Progressive Alliance. The increase in Chinese businesses in Nepal has
remained mostly low level. Till there is a complete recalibration in Nepal’s long-term vision of
development, a willingness to implement investor-friendly policies and enable concrete steps
towards efficiency, President Xi’s visit will be once again be one made by a “friendly neighbor or
cousin”, who brings some gifts, exchanges pleasantries and then moves on.

KEY POINTS:

 The last time a Chinese President visited Nepal was 23 years ago, in 1996.
 In August 2014, when the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Nepal,
Kathmandu shut to welcome him.

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Indian Foreign Policies

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 27-08-19
Editorial Category: D
Editorial Number: D.1
Editorial Heading: Talking trade with the EU

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Author Name: Constantino Xavier
ABOUT: It is a matter of vital importance for India to pursue a free trade agreement (FTA) with
the European union (EU). Economy is already suffering from the US- China trade war.
SYNOPSIS: India is the only major power lacking an FTA with its top trade partners, including
the EU, US, China and Gulf economies. India’s most favoured nation (MFN) status under the EU’s
generalised scheme of preferences (GSP) will face increased competition from Pakistan or Sri
Lanka, who enjoys GSP+ benefits. Beyond mere economic cost- benefit analysis, India must also
approach an EU FTA from a geo- strategic perspective. The EU also offers India a unique
regulatory model that balances growth, privacy and standards. India’s governance framework
shares the European norms of democratic transparency and multi-stakeholder participation on a
variety of new technological domains, from regulating artificial intelligence to 5G networks.
KEY POINTS:

 EU is India’s largest trade partner where 20% of its exports lands.


 New areas like e-commerce have registered significant convergence because India’s
position on data privacy is not that different from the EU’s.

Newspaper Source: The Tribune


Date of Publication: 31-08-19
Editorial Category: D
Editorial Number: D.2
Editorial Heading: The Russian Bond

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ABOUT: Moscow and New Delhi’s friendship has remained intact before as well as after the
collapse of Soviet Union.
SYNOPSIS: There is an abiding relationship between Indian and Russia. But it is also true that
Russia’s strategic ties with China have gone from strong to stronger in recent years. Considering
the current geopolitical dynamics, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has admirably done the
groundwork ahead of the upcoming Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, to be attended by
PM Narendra Modi. Jaishankar has observed that India and Russia’s tie has enjoyed stability all
these years even though the world has changed considerably. Standing up to the superpower and
respecting the ‘history of relationships’ has undoubtedly embraced New Delhi to Moscow all over
again.

KEY POINTS:

 Last year, India sealed a deal to acquire Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems
worth about Rs 40,000 crore despite America’s warning that such pacts could invite
sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act restricting
defense purchases from Russia, Iran and North Korea.
 From the enduring Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation of August
1971 to endorsing the abrogation of Article 370, Russia has always been with India
during critical situations.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 10-09-19
Editorial Category: D
Editorial Number: D.3
Editorial Heading: Giving age- old ties a new shine

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Author Name: Dmitriy Frolovskiy
ABOUT: Though Russia and India benefit from the current status quo in interactions, enhanced
exchange and geopolitical coordination, neither country is interested in becoming hostage to
China’s rushing regional ambitions.
SYNOPSIS: India is specifically concerned about Moscow growing more dependent on Beijing,
while Moscow wants to avoid possible splits in China-Indian relations. Such beliefs act as
powerful catalyzers to boost more fruitful cooperation between the two nations on a number of
areas. The new areas of cooperation contribute to those where India and Russia have already
developed a relatively stable pattern of interaction and exercise evolved traditions on the state
level. Currently, China’s GDP is four times larger and defense spending almost three times bigger
than that of India. As both nations also have prolonged territorial disputes that occasionally turn
into border stand-offs, a peaceful exchange between New Delhi and Beijing is perceived as fragile
and Moscow’s balancing role seen to be in high demand.

KEY POINTS:

 In 2017, the bilateral economic turnout grew by almost 22% and by more than 17% last
year; trade is projected to touch $30 billion by 2025.
 A few years ago, Russia’s oil giant, Rosneft, invested $12.9 billion in India’s second largest
private oil refiner, Essar Oil, marking one of the biggest foreign investments in years.
 In February 2012, Sibur and Reliance Industries entered into a joint venture, setting up the
Reliance Sibur Elastomers Private Limited in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 10-09-19
Editorial Category: D
Editorial Number: D.4
Editorial Heading: A Mirror win for India at WTO

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Author Name: Armin Rosencranz and Aditya Vohra
ABOUT: WTO accepted India’s claim in a dispute concerning U.S. regulations on domestic
content requirement in the production of renewable energy.
SYNOPSIS: The dispute revolved around certain States in the U.S. that give incentives to local
producers in the form of tax rebates, refunds and credits when they produce renewable energy
using locally manufactured products. Article III of the WTO’s General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT) requires that countries do not provide less favorable treatment to ‘like products’
originating from other nations. For instance, a solar photovoltaic cell manufactured in the U.S.
should be liable to the same amount of tax as one made anywhere else in the world. This dispute
could have been easily avoided had the two countries settled their differences beforehand.

KEY POINTS:

The ruling is also important considering that the U.S. imported 44% of the Indian solar module
exports in the 2018-2019 period.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 11-09-19
Editorial Category: D
Editorial Number: D.5
Editorial Heading: Free trade agreements: India’s main challenge will come after RCEP

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Author Name: Amitendu Palit
ABOUT: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations are turning
out to be extreme burdensome for some of the countries, including India, as they are not yet able
to align the negotiating outcomes to their perceived national interests from the deal.
SYNOPSIS: The prolongation of the RCEP talks is natural because it comprises a heterogeneous
group of economies with different structural conditions, comparative advantages and domestic
institutions. The RCEP, interestingly, has witnessed much less agitation within member countries,
except in India. In fact, opinions within India have been almost unanimously against India joining
the RCEP. And the most powerful of these opinions are those of Indian industry. As India prepares
to join the RCEP, negotiators try hard to obtain a deal that would be as acceptable to a grudging
industry as possible. RCEP is probably not as big a challenge for India, as making it useful is going
to be. The toughest part of the deal is yet to be reached.

KEY POINTS:

 The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was negotiated for nearly eight years,
covering both terms in office of the former US President Barack Obama.
 The Uruguay Round of multilateral trade talks leading to the formation of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) also lasted for nearly eight years during the 1980s and 1990s.

Newspaper Source: The Hindu


Date of Publication: 14-9-19
Editorial Category: D
Editorial Number: D.6
Editorial Heading: Bear Hug: On India strengthening relations with Russia

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ABOUT: The push to ‘Act Far East’ allows India to demonstrate its commitment to an area of
concern for Moscow, thus reassuring its traditional partner that in an increasingly polarized world,
India is confident of working with multiple alignments, even if they are at cross purposes with
each other.
SYNOPSIS: Beyond the bilateral aspect, the PM’s pivot to Russia’s Far East has far-reaching
strategic implications. The emphasis on energy from this region is as much a bid to benefit from
explorations and trade routes in the Arctic that are becoming accessible due to global warming, as
it is reflective of India’s desire to diversify its energy sources away from an unstable West
Asia. This interest is seen as India’s attempt to not only keep a traditional friend close, but to ensure
some space in the current clinch between Russia and China.

KEY POINTS:

 Unveiling the Russian edition of India’s ‘Look East, Act East’ policy, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi pledged on Thursday to extend a $1 billion Line of Credit to Russia’s Far
East region (RFE).
 In the past year alone, India has contracted defense deals worth about $14.5 billion from
Russia.
 The government has said it welcomes cooperation with other countries for investments in
RFE, notably Japan, which has in the past few years warmed up to Russia, despite their
bitter territorial dispute in the region.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 24-09-19
Editorial Category: D
Editorial Number: D.7
Editorial Heading: Beyond Modi- Trump chemistry

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Author Name: C. Raja Mohan
ABOUT: According to media reports, Modi and Trump are apparently racing to wrap up the
negotiations on trade that have been underway for some time. The speculation is about a “small
deal” between the two countries
SYNOPSIS: At the Houston spectacle on Sunday that bought together an enthusiastic Indian
diaspora, the personal chemistry between Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump
was all too evident. In diplomacy, personal rapport and trust between the leaders is quite valuable.
Although the leaders themselves might not negotiate the details of agreements, they need to
communicate their respective interests to each other and signal the political will to overcome
domestic obstacles. The PM is aware that getting a trade deal with Trump, will make it a lot
easier to deal with his administration on a range of issues including terrorism, Kashmir and the
unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. But a trade agreement with the US is not just about immediate
give and take between Modi and Trump. A new trade agreement must be about preparing India for
profound changes in the global economic order, stroked by Trump’s politics as well as the
unfolding technological disruption.

KEY POINTS:

 It is easily forgotten that the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh offered quick
unilateral support in May 2001 when US President George W Bush’s announced an
initiative to build missile defenses and move away from the doctrine of deterrence through
nuclear terror.

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Science and
Technological

Newspaper Source: The Times of India


Date of Publication: 30-08-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.1
Editorial Heading: Science for disaster management

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Author name: PK Mishra
ABOUT: In an increasingly interconnected world, disaster and emergency risks are becoming
more complex and uncontrollable. Hence, it is of utmost importance that we make best use of the
applications of science and technology to understand, reduce and manage disaster and emergency
risks.
SYNOPSIS: It is commendable that National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is
reaching out to the scientific community and working towards a futuristic agenda for disaster risk
management in the country. It is quite evident that with huge improvements in forecasting
techniques, it is now possible to not only forecast disaster events, but also anticipate their impacts
with a high level of confidence even before setting foot on a disaster site. In India we have pursued
the application of science and technology for disaster risk management with a sense of purpose
and urgency. Our national system of science has also continually evolved over the years to meet
the needs of disaster risk management professionals. We now have to look at the next generation
of our scientific efforts to address disaster risk management challenges.

KEY POINTS:

 Over the last 20 years, science and technology have brought a deeper understanding of how
disaster risks are created and how they can be managed.
 In a few weeks from now, with UK and other partners, India will be launching a global
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure which would prove to be a key milestone
towards further strengthening our collaboration.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 31-08-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.2
Editorial Heading: Opening healthcare’s third AI

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ABOUT: Google’s research has shown that its algorithm is capable of aiding doctors in detecting
cases that they would have missed otherwise.
SYNOPSIS: Machine human collaboration is even more exciting as the company’s researches
have found that the highest accuracy was recorded when algorithm complemented the skills of
doctors. Recently, Google’s deep learning research which involved a large database of retinal
images used in diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, showed the transformative power of artificial
intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Google’s algorithm vastly improves the prospects of diabetic
retinopathy being screened by doctors faster and in greater numbers than is possible in an
unassisted scenario. It truly acts as a miracle since diagnosis in the early stages can prevent/ delay
onset of blindness.

KEY POINTS:

 In 2016, Google announced its deep-learning algorithm that had been trained using a
dataset of 128,000 images, each of which had been reviewed by 3-7 expert
ophthalmologists from a panel of 54, to accurately interpret underlying symptoms
(microaneurysms, hemorrhages, hard exudates, etc.) from fundus images (a specific type
of imaging of the eye) and detect diabetic retinopathy.
 The pathology affects 18% of the 70 million diabetics in India—and with 415 million
diabetics worldwide, is now the fastest growing cause of blindness.
 The algorithm’s performance was tested with ~12,000 images, with the majority opinion
of panels of expert ophthalmologists drawn from Google’s pool of 54 on each of these
images set as the reference standard.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 10-09-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.3

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Editorial Heading: A Stake in the moon
Author Name: Pratik Kanjilal
ABOUT: India’s Vikram may have crash-landed, but failure is not unusual in space. Significantly,
the Vikram lander was to touch down closer to the lunar south pole than any previous mission.
SYNOPSIS: Three nations have soft-landed craft on the moon. In a few years, there will be five
or more. It’ll begin to get crowded up there, and competitive. The outer space treaty defines space
as the province of humankind, to be used for the advancement of science and of all nations. It
recognizes no territorial or ownership rights, and goes to the extent of allowing nations to inspect
each other’s facilities. Though weapons remain banned from space, the military is not. Now, space
exploration and research, traditionally the province of governments, is seeing strong private
interest. India’s lander may have failed, but that is only a setback in the perceptions game. The
orbiter, which hosts almost all the science in the project, remains in service. With two successful
remote sensing missions, India has effectively joined the tiny club of frontrunners in the race to
the moon.

KEY POINTS:

 But after 1972, NASA lost interest in putting space boots on the lunar regolith.
 India’s Chandrayaan-1 carried Helium-3-specific payloads, and the search for the valuable
isotope will be continued by Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter.
 Significantly, the Vikram lander was to touch down closer to the lunar south pole than any
previous mission.

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 11-09-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.4

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Editorial Heading: Bright side of the Moon
Author Name: Ajey Lele
ABOUT: Its been more than 48 hours that there are no whereabouts of ISRO’s Vikram lander.
But ISRO still has some hope and proposes to keep on trying for 11 to 12 days, when sunlight
would be available on the Moon’s surface, providing energy for the lander.
SYNOPSIS: Today, and rightfully so, the entire country stands with ISRO. The average citizen
understands that ISRO has been sincere in its approach. For all these years, with various successes
in the domain of space, ISRO has raised the stature of the country internationally. Naturally, in
this difficult period it is the responsibility of every Indian to keep ISRO’s motivation levels high.
At the same time, it is also important to do some critical assessment of where India stands in the
domain of space and why India should invest in space. Space science is important for human
growth. It is not a domain for any flaunting. Going to the Moon and Mars is important for multiple
reasons, including the quest for minerals and energy security (Helium 3). Hence, India should
avoid getting swayed by rhetoric such as the “Space Race”.

KEY POINTS:

 NASA’s IMAGE satellite stopped transmitting in 2005 and was declared a dead satellite.
But on Jan 20, 2018 it was declared alive when NASA collected telemetry data from it.
 As per NASA, the apparent “zombie” satellite was one of a series of nine satellites — LES1
to LES9 — launched on February 11, 1965.

Newspaper Source: The Hindustan Times


Date of Publication: 11-09-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.5

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Editorial Heading: Hold Tech companies accountable
Author Name: Dipayan Ghosh
ABOUT: We Need a regulatory outcome parity with other industries in a manner tailored for the
consumer support.
SYNOPSIS: Internet platforms are neither here nor there and face no accountability. They are not
traditional media entities as they do not produce and promote their own content. Yet, they cannot
claim to be independent technology platforms any longer, either. In unregulated status, they
determine what content we shall see. The unhindered gathering of personal behavioral information,
systemic monopolistic exploitation of Internet consumers, and abstention of all responsibility
cannot go on. A new regulatory standard designed to protect Internet privacy, competition, and
transparency must be adopted in the way forward. The time has come to replace the interest’s
private commerce with that of democracy.

KEY POINTS:

 The damage done by leading Internet platforms has spread far beyond the US presidential
elections; Brexit, the Brazilian elections, the Rohingya genocide, and the WhatsApp mob
killings throughout India are front and center of the public eye.

Newspaper Source: The Financial Express


Date of Publication: 13-9-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.6

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Editorial Heading: TRAI gets it wrong on Bundling
Author Name: Rajat Kathuria
ABOUT: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has, once again, taken a rather dim
view of bundling in the broadcasting industry, presumably in consumer interest. They say bundling
is non-transparent, costly, and subscribers end up paying for channels they do not watch.
SYNOPSIS: Bundling is selling two or more goods, or services, at a single price. The constituents
of the bundle may be related, unrelated or tied (inseparable). Tying arrangements, or ‘pure
bundles’, by definition, do not allow products to be sold separately, thereby restricting consumer
choice. Today’s technology renders the past unrecognizable, and bundling itself has seen much
innovation. Internet and technology companies develop products and services that can be sold
attractively to consumers as a suite. Being prescriptive runs the risk of implicitly choosing one
technology over another. In any case, abuse by broadcasters can be addressed ex post by the
competition regulator.

KEY POINTS:

 Bundling attracted the antitrust glare in the late 1990s, when Microsoft ‘bundled’ its
browser, Internet Explorer (IE), with its Windows operating system (WOS).
 Telecom companies in the US, and Europe offer the ‘quad play package’, bundling together
wired broadband connection, landline, mobile phone, and content.
 TRAI floated another consultation paper on tariff-related issues for broadcasting and cable
on August 16, 2019

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 15-09-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.7
Editorial Heading: Learning through failures

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Author Name: Pramod Kale

ABOUT: The Chandrayaan-2 mission had started out as a highly complex and ambitious mission,
far more complex than Chandrayaan-1 and Mars Orbiter Missions.
SYNOPSIS The Chandrayaan-2 mission required a composite spacecraft to be launched. This
composite spacecraft consisted of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. Later, the lander was named
Vikram and the rover was named Pragyan. After considerable amount of delays caused by the
change of the launch vehicle from GSLV Mk-II to GSLV Mk-III, and tests to be carried out on the
lander and the rover, the launch was finally scheduled for July 15 this year. But due to the problem
found on the GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle it was launched within a week, on July 22. Even after
the delay of seven days, the final lander touchdown date of September 7 was achieved. This kind
of flexibility is again thanks to our learning from previous missions. The Chandrayaan-2 composite
spacecraft successfully entered the lunar orbit in August and then the Vikram lander separated
from the composite spacecraft. Very close to final landing, some problems were noticed and
communications with Vikram were lost. It will take some time to fully understand the problem
and find the solution. Once the solution is found, ISRO will plan for a repeat mission of soft landing
on the Moon. ISRO has the resilience required to rise to the occasion. These days, ISRO is
carrying out these missions in full public view with live television coverage. This requires courage
and the ISRO scientists, engineers and support staff have that. They have shown that right from
the beginning.

KEY POINTS:

 In 1982, INSAT-1A launch was also postponed due to damage caused to the solar sail of
the spacecraft. It Developed some problems in the orbit as well.
 While INSAT-1C was declared a total failure, INSAT -B and INSAT-1D served us very
well.
 Our SLV-3 and ASLV launch vehicles in the early 1980s (the first two launch vehicles
developed by ISRO, the precursors of PSLV and GSLV) used to have solid propellant
rocket motors in their final stages.

Newspaper Source: The Tribune


Date of Publication: 27-09-19
Editorial Category: E
Editorial Number: E.8
Editorial Heading: A lander called Vikram
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Author Name: Dinesh C Sharma
ABOUT: Chandrayaan-2 mission coincided with the golden jubilee of ISRO and 100the birth
anniversary of its founder, Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai. That’s why the lander was named Vikram.
SYNOPSIS: It was the first time the space agency had named one of its missions after a leading
scientist or an individual. Though the lander has failed to achieve its objectives fully, it does not
take away the importance of discussing the lasting legacy of Vikram Sarabhai in the centenary
year of his birth. The approach by Sarabhai in building the space program was innovative. He
proposed the use of satellite technology for communication and education at a time when the world
was awed by the race of technological supremacy between the superpowers. He thought of
applications of space technology even before India had designed a significant rocket or a satellite.
India today misses such well-rounded institution builders with an international outlook and reach.

KEY POINTS:

 A meteorological satellite was named after Kalpana Chawla, India-born American


astronaut who had perished in the 1997 space shuttle disaster.
 While the story of IBM shutting its operations in India in 1978 is well known, few would
know that it was Sarabhai who first confronted the multinational in 1968 and set in motion
the process to check IBM.

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Educational

Newspaper Source: The Indian Express


Date of Publication: 13-09-19
Editorial Category: H
Editorial Number: H.1
Editorial Heading: It Begins in Schools

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Author Name: Ashish Dhawan
ABOUT: Country’s youth will be able to do very little to push the economy upward if we fail to
invest in universal quality education. School education is the most important socio-economic issue
that will generate the demographic dividend needed to power India’s growth story.
SYNOPSIS: Indian government’s National Achievement Survey (NAS) indicates that a large
proportion of children fails to pick up critical skills in early grades. Benefits of good quality school
education accrue only when students complete and leave school after acquiring the gateway skills.
Without a strong learning foundation at the primary level, there can be little or no improvement in
higher education or skill development. In our school education system, children who don’t know
critical skills tend to get left behind. Universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy
skills can be a great equalizer for such students and can go a long way in making learning for all
possible. Improvement in the education system is crucial for India to cement its position as a global
leader. Making foundational learning a priority is the need of the hour.

KEY POINTS:

 During the past 10 years, the Right to Education Act ensured a steady increase in school
enrollment with more than 260 million children in the age group of six to 14 years enrolled
in schools.
 As research indicates, Class 3 is the inflection point. Children are expected to “learn to
read” by class 3 so that they can “read to learn” after that.
 A longitudinal study of 40,000 students in Andhra Pradesh from class 1 to 5 clearly brought
to light the widening gap in learning levels for a huge majority of students who were falling
behind due to lack of foundational skills.

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