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Table of Contents
Today- Essay- 1000-1250 words
Can Development and Environment Protection Go Together?
An unexceptional economic performance
May the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released much-awaited estimates of national income
for the final quarter of the 2017-18 financial year.
four years in office of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government
The facts are that the annual rate of growth since 2014 has first risen and then declined.
By 2017-18 growth at 6.6% was less than the 6.9% it was in the final year of the second
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
When you take a view longer, you see that on average annual GDP growth in these years is,
thus far, no higher than what it was earlier
NDA has not done much better than its predecessor as far as the growth of the economy
is concerned.
Continue
Modi government had inherited a strongly accelerating economy.
Growth has not taken off under this government in a way that was anticipated during the
election campaign of 2014.
The reforms since 2014 have mostly focussed on the supply side of the economy.
Surprisingly, however, India‟s export performance since 2014 is far less impressive.
It is now clear that the Indian economy is moving along a lower growth path.
A vicious cycle
The escalating trade wars will hurt economic growth worldwide
European Commission on Wednesday announced it would impose tariffs as high as 25%
on imports worth $3.3 billion from the U.S. beginning July.
A whole range of American goods, from motorbikes and jeans to peanut butter and orange
juice, will now face higher taxes when sold in the European Union zone.
Europe is not alone in waging a battle against imports from the U.S.; China, Mexico and
Canada have joined hands in response to President Donald Trump‟s decision to impose
tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
Last week, the U.S. imposed a 25% tax on steel and a 10% tax on aluminium imports from
the EU, Mexico and Canada.
Continue
This ongoing trade war, however, was fired by Mr. Trump in March this year
When he imposed tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium to protect American producers.
Workers in America‟s manufacturing sector have played a key role in Mr. Trump‟s electoral
success, so his zealousness to be seen to be protecting their interests is unsurprising.
However, consumers in America and the rest of the world are likely to suffer as
their respective governments make it costlier for them
The sad fact, however, is that at the end of the day nobody actually wins a destructive
trade war, only increase the burden of taxes.
What this leads to eventually is slower global economic growth.
Continue
World Bank has warned that the effect of the increased use of tariffs to regulate international
trade could be similar to the significant drop in global trade after the financial crisis a
decade ago.
As former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan aptly put it, the ongoing trade w
ar is a “lose-lose situation”
It is high time countries worldwide come together to promote the cause of free trade.
Questions of promotion
Supreme Court‟s one line order that the government can go ahead with promotions
in government offices —for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) reservations
Socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes.
Article 141 of the Constitution are “law declared by the Supreme Court which is
binding on all courts”
Barring a few exceptions, the judiciary has not been encouraging on reservation policies
In the State of Madras v. Srimathi Champakam Dorairajan (1951), which related to medical
and engineering seats, the Madras High Court struck down the reservation policy.
In M.R. Balaji (1962), the Supreme Court did make some positive observations.
Continue
Court struck down the distinction between „backward‟ and „more backward‟ communities
and termed 68% reservation as a „fraud‟ on constitutional power on state by U/A 15(4).
It also introduced a 50% upper limit in reservation
In C.A. Rajendran (1967), five-judge bench upheld the policy by saying that reservation both
in appointments and promotions is merely discretionary rather than the constitutional duty
of the state.
Indra Sawhney (1992), where 27% Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation was challenged,
a nine-judge bench authoritatively laid down(निर्धाऩित) the law on reservation
But here too the court explicitly said that in future reservation, benefits cannot extend to
promotions and „creamy layer‟ is to be excluded in reservation for OBCs.
Continue
Surprisingly, the bench in Nagaraj also went against the judgment of Indra Sawhney
where the court had said that SC/STs were definitely socially backward.
In 2004 a constitution bench in E.V. Chinnaiah did admit the backwardness of Dalits and
said that SCs are not only backward but indeed most backward.
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Page-1- Naxals were plotting to kill PM, say police
Seized letter speaks of Rajiv-type operation at a roadshow.
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Page-1- J&K to get 2 new border battalions
Describing the border residents of Jammu and Kashmir as “a strategic asset,”
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday announced the raising of two exclusive border battalions of the State police.
He also said five battalions of the Indian Reserve Police and two women‟s battalions of the
State police would be raised with 60% reservation for border residents.
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Page-1,10- Modi likely to take the spirit of Wuhan to Qingdao- China
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a two-day summit of the eight nation
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at the weekend, riding on the bonhomie generated by the Wuhan informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and an extended
one-on-one dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi.
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Rajasthan raises minimum wages
Increase of ₹6•to come into effect retrospectively from January 1 this year
The wages of unskilled labourers have been increased from ₹2•7 to ₹2•3 a day.
The enhanced daily wages will be ₹2•3 for semi-skilled labourers, ₹2•3 for
skilled labourers and ₹2•3 for highly skilled labourers.
The increased wages will come into effect retrospectively from
January 1, 2018.
Uranium contamination in Rajasthan groundwater‟
Level exceeds drinking water safety standards, finds study.
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Page-10- U.S. wants India out of S-400 deal
Trump administration official warns New Delhi of sanctions for cooperation with Russia
The United States is trying to discourage India from buying large defence systems
from Russia, an action that may attract sanctions, according to a senior official of the State Department.
Countering America‟s Adversaries through Sanction Act (CAATSA), a 2017 law, requires that countries that have significant defence cooperation with Russia be sanctioned by
America.
Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis
Delhi charts new line on Indo-Pacific area
New Delhi does not consider the newly re-established quadrilateral format of U.S.-
Japan-India-Australia a part of its “Indo-Pacific” region policy, India‟s Ambassador
to Russia Pankaj Saran has said.
The senior diplomat, instead, suggested that India would like to engage more
closely with Russia in the Indo-Pacific region as well.
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