10 June 2024, The Hindu
72-member NDA Ministry takes charge
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance.
The Bareilly case and a flawed criminal justice system
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GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- A few weeks ago, the case of a woman who had filed a rape case, was sentenced to imprisonment, and fined by a court in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, dominated the headlines.
- The narrative, echoed by select media users, painted a picture of a woman who had brazenly fabricated rape accusations.
- This, of course, perpetuated the damaging stereotype that false claims by women are the norm.
- But, a deeper dive into the trial proceedings reveals a range of systemic shortcomings in our law enforcement machinery and social complexities that demand urgent attention (ST 15/2020 before Additional Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court), Bareilly).
The Baltimore ship accident, the high stakes for India
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance
- On March 26, 2024, when container ship Dali crashed into Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, United States, leaving at least six persons dead and property worth millions of dollars destroyed, the maritime and logistics world went into a tizzy.
- The crash was a spectacular tragedy captured on video clip that went viral on YouTube.
- That it happened in the U.S. also made it one of the most high-profile maritime accidents after the Exxon Valdez tanker accident, in 1989, that led to an unprecedented oil spill off Alaska, in turn triggering extraordinary changes in maritime regulations and industry practices as well as awareness on maritime pollution.
Recalcitrant jumbo
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GS 3: Indian Economy (Inflation)
- The RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has for an eighth consecutive meeting chosen to leave the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 6.50% on concern that ‘elevated food inflation could derail’ its efforts to ensure durable price stability.
- Governor Shaktikanta Das, who had just two months ago spoken of the ‘elephant’ of inflation having begun its journey back to the forest after going on a walkabout, flagged the risk that stubborn food price gains pose to the overall disinflation path as justification for the MPC’s stand.
- Food inflation as measured by the Consumer Food Price Index accelerated to a provisional 8.7% in April, from March’s 8.52%, and recent indicators such as Crisil’s food plate costs suggest that price gains spurred by a surge in tomato, onion and potato prices may have quickened even further in May.
Settling trade disputes through ‘litigotiation’
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GS 3: Indian Economy (international trade)
- Much of international diplomacy involves walking on eggshells.
- Major differences, especially on trade and commerce, are often allowed to hibernate while countries focus on the big picture of bilateral ties.
- Bold leaps of statecraft are sometimes needed to help industry on both sides to settle such trade frictions.
- Quite remarkably, India and the U.S. have managed to do exactly that in just under a year, burying differences in the seven-long outstanding trade disputes at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Is it time for proportional representation?
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GS 2: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act (RPA)
- The results of the Lok Sabha elections were declared last week. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has won 293 seats with a 43.3% vote share while the Opposition bloc INDIA (including Trinamool Congress) has secured 234 seats with a 41.6% vote share.
- Other regional parties and independents polled around 15% but ended up with only 16 seats in total.
Low-cost MRI machine can improve access to diagnostics in India
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GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- Scientists have designed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner that costs a fraction of existing machines, setting the stage for improving access to this widely used diagnostic tool.
- A MRI helps visualise minute details in the human body, with which doctors can diagnose disorders and select treatments for the brain, the heart, various cancers, and orthopaedic conditions.
