lordabhijith

  Supreme court recently ruled child care leave policies flow from the constitutionally guaranteed right of a dignified life (A 21) and equality (A 14). Role of child care leave policies in enhancing women’s participation in the workforce.  According to the research of Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin, women make less than men and drop out from work force due to child care and it's related concerns. Child care leave policies ease patriarchal pressures on women. It would improve work-life balance. It would also work place more diverse and productive. Role of Supreme Court ruling on child care leave as a constitutional right Now employees will be able to approach courts in case of denial of leaves and any victimization. Employers could act proactively being more liberal on childcare policies. It would help to increase the GDP, productivity and welfare. Parliament may include it in the labour codes soon.   Recognizing role of women as caretakers of children will improve fe...

  Despite global interest in electrical vehicles including in Indian domestic market, India have failed to emerged as a global player in it's manufacturing. Impact of new policies It create clear policy priorities and goals  It encourage domestic leaders like UP to up their capabilities to global level, e.g., fix their quality level that has been an issue recently. It also connects current policies, create synergies and economies of scale, e.g., FAME, Hydrogen Mission, PLI and Atmanirbhar Bharat etc. It have the potential to turn Bharat into a global powerhouse of electric vehicles, increase GDP, create wealth and job opportunities It also have the potential India's oil import bill, reverse global warming and achieve net zero emissions. Reducing the import duties is a method to boost domestic manufacture Benefits It allows manufacturers to capture the comparative advantages of global markets to the maximum, e.g., buy components from market where it is cheapest. It instills con...

D. Gukesh  In April 2024, Dommaraju Gukesh became the youngest person to earn the right to challenge the world chess champion. He bested none other than Garry Kasparov in this feat. He emerged as the sole leader in the F.I.D.E. Candidates chess tournament 2024; after 14 rounds. He managed this by prevailing over Titans of the game like Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana. He will challenge the reigning champion Ding Liren of China later this year.   Hikaru vs Nepo Candidates 2024   Performance of Gukesh at the candidates was impressive. He lost only once to Alireza Firouzja with black pieces. But he was in a better position most of the game and was caught in time trouble. In the reverse fixture of the double Swiss, he showed nerves of steel. He was quite relentless after getting the advantage throughout the tournament but also at the same time showed the maturity to settle for equality, if there was nothing there in the board. Alireza Firouzja at Candi...

 Summer of 2024 has been severe with heat waves and records of higher temperatures. Having 17% of global population with only 4% of water resources raising heat is going to create severe water stress. Tackling water stress Though heat have an institutional mechanism, with I.M.D. warnings, State advisories, water stress do not. India needs a comprehensive policy to ensure water security in the long term. Rains have intensified and is concentrated in certain Tahsils of India. It needs to be trapped using embankments, greening and slowing the run off.  As the largest ground water extractor, India should continuously monitor ground water in all Tahsils and warn Panchayats. Free electricity and free water should be discouraged. A scheme to build rain water harvesting infrastructure should be started in all Government buildings. India needs to tackle heat induced water stress head on. Since it seriously affect life of citizens, agriculture and productivity. 

 It is currently estimated that India's net zero goal requires around 50,000 sq.ft. of land. But this diversion have social and environmental impacts. Such as Solar plants reduce the land available for agriculture impacting food security, e.g., Pavagada in Karnataka. Local pastures are also lost setting up solar plants marginalizing socially vulnerable communities further, e.g., Bhadla in Rajasthan. Solar plants affects water percolation and water availability. Improper sharing of  benefits could impoverish local communities. Positive aspects It holds the key to hitting net zero ambitions of India It also have the ability to reverse the infrastructure induced displacement of people through skill development, job opportunities and revenue sharing. Modern economics teaches that there are no solutions but trade offs. It is importance weigh the pros and cons carefully and take mitigating efforts.  

 Aadharshila scheme looks to address the shortcomings the nation faces, in foundational numeracy and literacy as indicated by back to back ASER studies.  Potential impacts Improvement in FLN boosting lifetime productivity and earnings of citizen. Improving the infrastructure conditions in Anganwadies, including wages to workers including ASHA's Better showing in child health indicators like mortality rate, wasting, stunting and maternal anemia. Rise in awareness regarding importance of early education and health of children Alignment with NEP 2020 Adarshila is very much in line with NEP 2020. The latter gives importance to early childhood care and education (ECCE) It also suggests to start education from age 3 and create a standard of age 3 to 6, with primary attention to numeracy, literacy and organic curiosity Schemes like 'Adarshila hold the potential to address the gap in FLN through infrastructure building, creation of incentives and right policy priorities. 

   After the grand success of the web series 'Poacher', in which Nimisha Sajayan plays a lead role, the girl have caught the imagination of the nation. Seemingly opposite to the traditional wisdom about feminine beauty; lean, short, fair and fragile; Nimisha, nonetheless was well received by the audience. The question on our mind is whether this is the new normal or was this the norm?  Before entering into that, let us peak into the brief biography of our protagonist Ms. Nimisha Sajayan. Her family hails from Kerala, India. But she was born and brought up in Mumbai, India. She also holds a degree in mass communication.  She holds fame as a round faced, dusky and beautiful actress who made a name for herself, starting from the Malayalam film industry. She is known for the strong female characters she played. Like the lead in the movie "The Great Indian Kitchen", "Thondimuthalum Dhriksakshiyum", "Malik" etc.  Few will argue with the fact that she wou...

What are the key challenges India faces in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (S.D.Gs) by 2030, and how can lessons from its COVID-19 response be applied to address these challenges? India have committed to the 169 sustainable development objectives and 17 goals, to be achieved by 2030. Challenges A Large population makes several targets like universal sanitation, education, zero hunger all the more difficult. Several targets like gender inequality, trust over institutions and corruption perception etc require to address structural issues. India's per capita income is still very low and requires double digit growth amid slowing global demand due to wars. Pan national issues like climate change obscures outcomes and complicates choices.  Lessons from covid19  It showed India have the ability to innovate and produce for the globe, e.g., drugs, sanitizers etc. It showed the immense potential of technology, e.g., India stack, CoWIN, etc. It also showed the importance of...

  Prevention of money laundering act 2002 was passed to reduce the perennial issue of black money in Indian economy Challenges It puts the burden of proof on the accused making obtaining acquittals all the more difficult. Indian judicial system is slow moving due to it's huge back log of cases. Judges often are rushed into decisions by the executive. It compromise the quality of bail provided. Large informal economy make the investigation tedious and long drawn out. Use of technology is minimal and officers are often unaware of modern methods of laundering. Nexus between criminals and politicians; e.g., Sandeshkhali  Way forward Provisions of the P.M.L.A. 2002 need to be simplified with clear definitions. Quantum of punishment need to be increased, with cool off period from politics in case of proved allegations. In conclusion, P.M.L.A. 2002 presents several challenges like shifting of burden of proof, judicial pendency and tougher bail. These could be addressed through simpli...

 രാമേശ്വരത്തിനടുത്തുള്ള കച്ചത്തീവ് ദ്വീപ് അടുത്തിടെ രാഷ്ട്രീയ വിവാദത്തിന് തിരികൊളുത്തി   ചരിത്ര പശ്ചാത്തലം   ഗുജ്‌റാൾ സിദ്ധാന്തത്തിൻ്റെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ അയൽപക്കത്തിൻ്റെ ആദ്യ നയത്തിൻ്റെ ഭാഗമായി ദ്വീപ് ശ്രീലങ്കയ്ക്ക് വിട്ടുകൊടുത്തു   ഇത് ഇന്ത്യയും ശ്രീലങ്കയും തമ്മിലുള്ള സമുദ്ര തർക്കം അവസാനിപ്പിക്കുകയും വ്യക്തമായ അതിർത്തി നിർണയത്തിലേക്ക് നയിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു.   മത്സ്യത്തൊഴിലാളികളുടെ ദുരവസ്ഥ   സംഭവത്തെ തുടർന്ന് ശ്രീലങ്കൻ നാവികസേനയുടെ പിടിയിലാകുന്ന മത്സ്യത്തൊഴിലാളികളുടെ എണ്ണം വർധിച്ചു.     കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാനം ഉൾപ്പെടെ നിരവധി ഘടകങ്ങൾ കാരണം, മത്സ്യത്തൊഴിലാളികൾ ശ്രീലങ്കൻ പ്രദേശത്തേക്ക് കൂടുതൽ അകത്തേക്ക് പോകേണ്ടതുണ്ട്.   ഉഭയകക്ഷി ബന്ധം   അതിനെ തുടർന്ന് ഇന്ത്യ - എസ്.എൽ. ബന്ധങ്ങൾ ഗണ്യമായി മെച്ചപ്പെട്ടു.   രാജപക്‌സെയുടെ കാലഘട്ടത്തിൽ ചൈനയുടെ ബോൺഹോമി ആണെങ്കിലും ഇന്ത്യ അപൂർവമായേ ശത്രുത അനുഭവിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളൂ     അത്തരം തന്ത്രങ്ങൾ ഉപയോഗിക്കുമ്പോൾ രാഷ്ട്രീയം അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര പരിഗണനകളിൽ വേണം.    

 Demographic dividend occurs when working age (18-60) is the largest section of population. Challenges in maximizing demographic dividend Shortage of human capital: People only become capital if they are educated, healthy and motivated. India lacks in all these. Lack of investment in social sectors; investment in health is less than 1% of GDP.  Incomplete liberalization of economy. Prevailing gender, caste discrimination and communalism.  Opportunities India is world's largest young population India is market oriented, democratic and export driven Lead in service industry and growing research and development Commitment to reform NEP, POSHAN, 1991 reforms,... India has the potential to be worlds largest economy, it needs reforms leveraging its current demographic dividend to get there.

അടുത്തിടെ ഐ.പി.സി.സി. 2023 ചരിത്രത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും ചൂടേറിയ വർഷമായി മാറുമെന്ന് സൂചിപ്പിച്ചു.   കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാന പ്രവർത്തന പദ്ധതികളെ രാഷ്ട്രീയ പ്രചാരണങ്ങളിൽ സമന്വയിപ്പിക്കേണ്ടതിൻ്റെ പ്രാധാന്യം:   1. കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാനം മൂലമുണ്ടാകുന്ന പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾ; താഴ്ന്ന മത്സ്യ ലയനങ്ങൾ, മനുഷ്യ മൃഗ സംഘർഷം, സാധാരണ വേനൽക്കാല താപനിലയേക്കാൾ ഉയർന്നത്, കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാനത്തെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്നതിലൂടെ മാത്രമേ പരിഹരിക്കാനാകൂ.     2. രാഷ്ട്രീയ ഇച്ഛാശക്തിയുടെ ആവശ്യം; വികസനവും കാർബൺ ന്യൂട്രാലിറ്റിയും സന്തുലിതമാക്കുന്നതിന് കാര്യമായ രാഷ്ട്രീയ ഇച്ഛാശക്തി ആവശ്യമാണ്. പണം വഴിയാക്കാനും ദേശീയ ഹരിത ഹൈഡ്രജൻ മിഷൻ പോലുള്ള പദ്ധതികൾ നടപ്പിലാക്കാനും.     3. കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാനത്തെ നേരിടേണ്ടതിൻ്റെ പ്രാധാന്യം ജനങ്ങൾ തിരിച്ചറിയേണ്ടതുണ്ട് . കാലാവസ്ഥാ വ്യതിയാനത്തെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്നതിനുള്ള കാഴ്ചപ്പാട് രാഷ്ട്രീയ പാർട്ടികൾ അവരുടെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് പ്രകടന പത്രികകളിലും പ്രചാരണങ്ങളിലും ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തേണ്ടതുണ്ട്.