1.GST Council not for inclusion of petroleum products: FinMin Centre turns down States’ plea for compensation beyond June 2022 The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has decided to keep petroleum products out of the GST regime, while consumers will have to keep paying the Compensation Cess levied on products like automobiles till March 2026 […]
1.Two democracies and their vigilante problem While in India, the word spells bad news, in the U.S., as seen in Texas, the citizen arrester seems hardly diminished In the world’s largest democracy, the word ‘vigilante’ evokes unsavoury images of goons stopping cattle trucks and lynching drivers, or video filming themselves assaulting men accused of love […]
1.Lifeline for telcos as govt. offers four-year moratorium on dues Reforms include redefinition of AGR concept; 100% FDI under automatic route The Cabinet on Wednesday approved several measures to extend a lifeline to the cash-strapped telecom sector, including a redefinition of the much-litigated concept of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) to exclude non-telecom revenue and a […]
1.No firm commitment from India on ‘net zero’: Kerry Emissions goal not the only priority, govt. tells climate envoy The world is watching commitments on climate change made by all the “big emitters”, said U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on Tuesday. Mr. Kerry was making a pitch for India to announce a […]
1.In Manipur, a case for asymmetric federalism Institutionally accommodating tribal distinctiveness as an enduring good will promote the State’s integrity As a normative idea and an institutional arrangement which supports the recognition and provision of an expansive ‘self-rule’ for territorially concentrated minority groups, asymmetric federalism has recently received bad press in India. The dissolution of […]
1.What is investment risk? Risk must be defined based on investment objective, not on the possibility of negative returns in future How do you define investment risk? We ask this question because many individuals are worried that equity investments currently carry high risk, having recorded continual uptrend in recent times. In this article, we show […]
1.CJI raises concern over backlog of criminal cases in Allahabad HC 1.83 lakh criminal appeals pending in court, Uttar Pradesh govt. had told SC Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Saturday said the pendency of criminal cases in the Allahabad High Court was “very worrying”. “I do not want to point any fingers or […]
1.BRICS seeks ‘inclusive’ intra-Afghan dialogue 5-member group adopts Counter Terrorism Action Plan The 13th BRICS summit held virtually on Thursday called for an “inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue” for stability in Afghanistan. The virtual summit, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was dominated by the developments in Afghanistan, and adopted the BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan. “We […]
1.Green hydrogen, a new ally for a zero carbon future It holds promise as an alternative, truly clean fuel and in aiding the world’s decarbonisation goals Scientists and technocrats have for years been engaged in the quest of discovering alternative fuels to fossil fuels which are responsible for the production of over 830 million tons […]
1.The economic reforms — looking back to look ahead The fundamentals need to be set right with a focus on human capital, technology readiness and productivity The crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic in the country and at global level has led to a debate about fresh thinking and new approaches to manage the […]
1.The long and the short of the NMP It is surprising the Government has avoided mentioning the consequences of asset monetisation on ordinary citizens In the Budget for 2021-22, the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, had announced the Government’s decision to monetise operating public infrastructure assets, declaring this as an important financing option for constructing new […]
1.The judicial role in improving lawmaking Rushed laws, rendering Parliament a rubber stamp, sacrifice core ideals of a constitutional democracy The deterioration in the quality of deliberation in Parliament over time has prompted calls for reform from different stakeholders. On Independence Day, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana also highlighted this problem, noting that […]
1.Soil microbes can make for a greener revolution A new and fascinating aspect to hybrid vigour is the rhizomicrobiome Plants appear to be simple enough in their organisation. Whether small shrubs or tall trees, all they seem to be made up of is leaves, flowers, fruits, stems and roots. But simple they are not. Being […]
1.Edible oil prices likely to ease by December: official But govt. unlikely to reduce import duties: Food Secretary Soaring edible oil prices are likely to soften by December as international commodity futures show a declining trend and along with the arrival of domestic oilseed crops, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said on Friday. However, he indicated […]
1.A hydro onslaught the Himalayas cannot take There is rock solid scientific evidence to demand the cancellation of many upcoming and approved hydel projects In normal circumstances, when a mistake is understood and suffered, one tends to learn from it and not repeat it. Unfortunately, this does not hold true in the case of the […]
1.Where liberalism and nationalism are placed in Asia India and China have used the present world system to fashion their rise, with no alternative based on Asian nationalism Liberalism and nationalism mean different things to different people, and the two concepts are often considered mutually exclusive. Over 70 years after Indian independence, it is worth […]
1.UNSC resolution addresses ‘key concerns’ on Afghanistan: India P5 members divided; Delhi plays ‘active role’ to ensure resolution went through Despite the abstention of two “P5” countries — Russia and China — from the India-led United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2593, the Government of India said it was a “matter of satisfaction” that the […]
1.India is indeed walking the green talk Even with all its challenges, the country is setting a global example in meeting its Nationally Determined Contributions Did you know that even at the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (December 2020), India was the only G20 nation compliant with the agreement? Or that […]
1.NITI bats for tax breaks to achieve monetisation goal It proposes insolvency cover for investment instruments To make the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) a success, the government should give Income Tax breaks to attract retail investors into instruments such as Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), the NITI Aayog has recommended. The Centre’s think tank driving the […]
1.Why are hydropower projects in the Himalayas risky? Environment Ministry told the SC earlier this month that seven hydel projects in the region can go ahead The story so far: The Environment Ministry, in an affidavit placed in the Supreme Court earlier this month, has disclosed that it has permitted seven hydroelectric power projects, which […]
Current affairs decide a large share of marks in UPSC Prelims, Mains and the Interview, and in TNPSC exams. Every morning our faculty publish the day’s important news from The Hindu, PIB, Indian Express and other sources — explained, organised by GS paper, and linked to the syllabus.
What each daily post includes
The key news of the day, grouped by GS Paper 1, 2, 3 and 4
Background and the static syllabus topic each story connects to
