We analyse 3 raging issues today - India's nuclear energy ambitions using PHWR technology, how India is managing the delicate balance with Israel and Palestine, and the multiple changes GST is bringing. Enjoy!
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Topics covered indepth:1. India's indigenous nuclear power ambitions - why India is giving a big push to PHWR systems
2. India - Israel - Palestine - the delicate balancing act that India is managing
3. GST updates and issues - the multifarious changes that the GST is bringing with it!
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Highlights | मुख्य समाचार
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- Highlights for 18-05-2017
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1. Indian economy – The Goods and Service Tax (GST) is expected to bring down prices by eliminating multiple taxes, and efforts are on to ensure mass consumption products do not become costly. The possibility of lower rates in each category exists if they are consumed by the weaker section of society.
2. International law and jurisprudence – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) pronounced its judgment in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case on 18th May, upholding India's stand. The judgment comes ten days after India approached it demanding immediate suspension of the death sentence awarded to Jadhav, surprising Pakistan. India put forward the following provisional measures in its appeal : (1) Declare the death sentence of Jadhav illegal, as it violates the Vienna Convention and Indian law, (2) if Pakistan is unable to annul the decision, direct it to release the convicted Indian national.
3. Defence and military – Defence (and Finance) Minister Arun Jaitley asked the army to give a befitting response to any misadventure from across the border but ensure safety of innocent people. Jaitley was reviewing the security situation in Kashmir Valley alongwith the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat and newly appointed defence secretary, Amit Mitra.
4. Defence and military – Three decades after the Bofors scandal rocked Indian politics, the Army is set to receive its first heavy ordnance as the first two guns out of the 145 M777 ultra light artillery guns are expected to arrive this weekend from US. The guns can be carried underslung by heavy lift helicopters like the Chinook & will give the army tremendous flexibility especially along the mountainous border with China.
5. World politics – Trump’s Russian travails keep mounting. The US Justice Department named former FBI chief Robert Muller as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election and possible collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow. Democrats and and some of the President’s fellow Republicans had demanded an independent probe in the matter. Cries for impeachment can now be heard.
6. Constitution and law – The five judges hearing the triple talaq carry a copy each of the English translation of Holy Quran. The CJI posed a question after hearing a lawyer (who tried to convince the practice was intrinsic to Islam) – “You recite namaz in mosque every Friday, in which you say triple talaq is a sin and bad. How can you say it is integral part of Islam”?
7. Energy – In a bid to ramp up India’s domestic nuclear power production, the Union cabinet cleared a proposal to indigenously build 10 atomic reactors (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors -PHWR), the largest ever approval granted for such facilities in one go. India generates 6,780 MW from 22 operational plants, and another 6,700 MW is expected to be generated by 2021-22. The government had in July 2014 set a target of taking nuclear power capacity to over 14,000 MW by 2024. These orders will be more than Rs.70,000 crores, and can generate 33000 jobs!
8. Indian politics –The Union cabinet approved reducing the time period for completing the eviction process for former ministers, MPs and bureaucrats who overstay in government accommodations to only three days (against the present 60 days). The overstaying allottees can now only approach high courts to get relief. A positive change this!
9. Cyber crimes – Experts from a global cyber security firm have indicated that another large-scale deadly cyber attack is underway on such a massive scale that could dwarf last week’s attack on computers worldwide by WannaCry Ransomware. The new attack targets the same vulnerabilities but rather than freeze files, uses the hundreds of thousands of computers believed to have been infected to mine virtual currency.
10. Environment, ecology and climate change – Delegates at the May 8-18 negotiations in Bonn for the 2015 Paris Agreement say there is less foreboding than when Washington last broke with global climate efforts in 2001. Trump doubts global warming has a human cause and says he will decide on a campaign threat to "cancel" the Paris Agreement after a group of Seven summit in Italy on May 26-27. India and China are now expected to lead the efforts to slow climate change.
11. Deep Dive : (1) Reading material on GST – here and here, video analyses here, (2) Various issues of law etc. – here, (3) Defence and military related issues – here, here and here, (4) World politics and Donald Trump – here, here and here, (5) Triple Talaq related – here and here, (6) Energy, renewables and pollution related issues – here, here and here, (7) Environment ecology and climate change – here and here, (8) Demonetisation and taxation – here and here
12. Indian economy – Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that it is no longer safe to deal with excessive cash as through the use of technology it is easy to detect tax evasion. After having brought 91 lakh fresh taxpayers in the tax net and detecting undisclosed income worth Rs.23,144 crore in the six months after DeMo, the government launched an online portal as an extension of its ongoing initiative of ‘Operation Clean Money’.
13. World politics – According to notes by former FBI director James Comey after a meeting with President Trump in February 2017, the President urged him to drop his probe into the former National Security Adviser and instead asked him to pursue reporters in the leak cases. The notes raise new questions about whether Trump may have crossed legal limits into criminal behavior by pressuring the FBI to end an investigation.
14. World politics – US President Donald Trump came under pressure from US lawmakers to give a full explanation of why he revealed highly sensitive intelligence information to senior Russian officials. In response, Trump said on twitter that he had an absolute right to share facts with Russia as he wanted Russia to be more active in fighting the Islamic State.
15. World politics – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is on a visit to India, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. India reaffirmed its support to Palestine and hoped to see the realization of a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine co-existing peacefully with Israel. The Palestinian President’s India visit is important as it comes ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s Israel visit later this year.
16. Indian politics – On information of alleged investments in shell companies and benami deals worth over Rs. 1,000 crore, the Income Tax Department raided 22 sites linked to RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav. Similarly, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residence of Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P. Chidambaram, and registered a case against him for taking money from a private media company, INX Media, owned by businessman Peter Mukerjee and his wife Indrani. Opposition parties cried it’s all about vendetta politics!
17. World politics – India has reportedly warned Russia that it would halt cooperation with its foreign partners for development of its civil nuclear programme if it is unable to get full membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in the next one or two years. India has therefore, delayed the MoU with Russia for developing Kudankulam 5 and 6 reactor units.
18. Constitution and law – The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the Supreme Court that marriage in Muslim is a contract and is open for women to insist on specific clauses in the nikahnama to protect their interests and dignity. AIMPLB further told the court that women have the right to pronounce triple talaq in all forms. Muslim women had four options before entering into a marital relationship, including insisting on registering the marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
19. Cyber crimes – Experts said that a computer virus that exploits the same vulnerability as the global "ransomware" attack has latched on to more than 2,00,000 computers and begun manufacturing digital currency. The development adds to the dangers exposed by the WannaCry ransomware and provides another piece of evidence that a North Korea-linked hacking group may be behind the attacks.
20. Defence and military – With deteriorating ties with Pakistan, its closeness with China and China’s aggressive military exercises, the Indian Air Force has decided to deploy its latest Rafale combat aircrafts at Ambala in Haryana and Hasimara in West Bengal. Similarly, after aggressive Chinese patrolling on the eastern and northern borders and its increasing defence ties with Pakistan, the Indian military is preparing itself for a two-front war and strengthening infrastructure on both sides.
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Topics covered indepth:
1. India's indigenous nuclear power ambitions - why India is giving a big push to PHWR systems
2. India - Israel - Palestine - the delicate balancing act that India is managing
3. GST updates and issues - the multifarious changes that the GST is bringing with it!
1. India's indigenous nuclear power ambitions - why India is giving a big push to PHWR systems
2. India - Israel - Palestine - the delicate balancing act that India is managing
3. GST updates and issues - the multifarious changes that the GST is bringing with it!
You can purchase many original content PDF [English + Hindi + all relevant images]
Note : Original content PDF is printable, bilingual, with all images used in session
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