GS2: Polity
- Explained: Postal ballots and why they are fast turning into a political controversy(IE) Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post. In other words, they can’t vote in person. Voters under preventive detention can also vote only by post.
- Digitising the state(IE) We make the case that the three-phase transition to mandatory digital payments, accounting, and transactions for government proposed by the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) under a new project and law called DATA (Digital Accountability and Transparency Act) uses the COVID policy window for an empowering, elegant, and overdue reform with delightful consequences”
- India’s Ayush industry needs an entirely new regulatory model(Mint) Pertinently, in 2018, the Ayush Ministry amended India’s Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945, to prohibit manufacturers of Ayush drugs from advertising their products “for the use of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of any disease, disorder, syndrome or condition".
GS2: Governance
- The fallacy of rankings(IE) This explains the importance of the MHRD-led National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The other system of ranking that has got traction is the India Today rankings. However, when read in conjunction with each other, they produce conflating results.
GS2: Schemes
- Cabinet approves developing of Affordable rental housing Complexes for urbanmigrants / poor(PIB) Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has initiated an Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) for urban migrants/poor as a sub-scheme under Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (Urban). The scheme was announced by the Hon'ble Finance Minister on 14 May, 2020. This scheme seeks to fulfill the vision of 'AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
GS3: Science & Technology
- A forty year old puzzle about production of lithium in stars is solved(TH) Stars, as per known mechanisms of evolution, actually destroy lithium as they evolve into red giants. Planets were known to have more lithium than their stars — as is the case with the Earth-Sun pair.
GS3: Economy
- Explained: What is a bad bank, why proposal to set it up is being floated(IE) A bad bank buys the bad loans and other illiquid holdings of other banks and financial institutions, which clears their balance sheet.
- Bangladesh has some readymade lessons for India(Mint) In order to increase exports of readymade garments, Indian firms will have to grow bigger. It is also worth noting that if there are more jobs in the garments sector, it will provide a working opportunity for women. Increasing employment for women leads to several benefits.
GS3: Environment
- SC slams Fada for exceeding the limit set on BS-IV vehicle sales(Mint) BS-IV vehicles have to be registered within 10 days of sale, though those bought before 31 March can be registered later, the apex court had said in its 27 March order. The bench had given an extension of 10 days to clear the 10% of the unsold inventory after the ending of the lockdown.
GS3: Schemes
