28 March 2018

News

Honour killings guillotines liberty

Supreme Court of India has stated that honour killings guillotine individual liberty, freedom of choice and one’s own perception of choice. It has criticised khap elders as patriarchal monarchs.

Talks revived to consider impeachment of CJI

Opposition parties are coming together for impeachment of CJI.

Removal of a supreme court Judge is explained)

Editorial

Birth pangs of a new federal polity

Federalism is taking a new shape because of following reasons

1. Identity politics

2. Resentment at the skewed centre state relations.

States are demanding for cultural autonomy. In this growth of sub Nationalism and North South divide is becoming a rallying point.

Centrally sponsored schemes, lack of effective consultation between union and states on trade and economic polices are grievances of the states.

In this scenario, Ambedkar views are

1. India is a federal constitution

2. The centre has no business in determining good governance in states.

3. Provinces are sovereign in their fields as like union is sovereign in its own field.

A game changer for higher education

Higher education has certain funding challenges

1. union spends most of its money on few institutions of excellence like IITs and IIMs.

2. UGS funds directly go to universities and states have no role to determine priorities.

3. Most of the higher education is given by the state universities.

Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) - A centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2013 has reformed state higher educational institutions for good. Various reforms are

1. Conditional release of funds linked to reforms in key areas like governance, learning outcomes, infrastructure development.

2. State higher education councils are created to prepare higher education perspective plans, appointment of vice chancellors.

3. After implementation of scheme, many of the states have voluntarily joined - ban on filling of faculty positions is lifted. Gross enrolment ratio, faculty numbers , teacher student ratio all improved for better.

History is not written by committees but by individual historians

Secularism

Secularism is an attitude towards other people.

Secularism goes beyond religion and envisages a society of citizens with equal rights. In a secular society identity changes - from earlier identities of caste, religion and language to an identity of citizens of nation.

Secularism involves a commitment to a new kind of society where every one is entitled to a minimum of human rights.

Not a single data breach in seven years, UIDAI tells SC

1. UIDAI only authenticates a person. It will not store any transaction related information.

2. Core biometrics will only be shared if there is a national security threat. Request has to come from cabinet secretary.

3. Unauthorised sharing of personal information at the time of enrolment or authentication would make a person liable for imprisonment up to 3 years.