The Informed Indian

 by Bhavika Chandwani Days were gone when the operation of both chambers of Parliament was shaped by constructive discussions and discussions on topics of national significance and public interest. Disruptions, much to the dismay of many, have now taken center stage and have become the rule rather than the exception. The Parliament's monsoon session was a flop, with no significant debates or discussions on a plethora of issues affecting the country. This does not bode well for our parliamentary system. On 11 th August, the monsoon session of Parliament concluded two days ahead of schedule, with both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adjourning sine die. The session had started off on a sour note in the light of the Pegasus snooping scandal, with opposition members disrupting proceedings on a regular basis. Members of the opposition parties flocked to the well every day throughout the session, shouting anti-government slogans and waving banners, demanding a discussion on the Pegasu...

 by Udit Khattar The COVID-19 pandemic has affected education all over the world. It has almost been two years now that the students have not been able to attend their schools and colleges as everything has shifted to the online mode. But As we are hearing in the news that the government is thinking of reopening the schools so that the students can get quality education but the increasing COVID-19 cases are posing a dilemma for the government If they are going on the right track. It appears to be that a large portion of the misgivings about returning schools depend on misguided judgments, for example, kids ought to be vaccinated prior to going to class. Many guardians are under the feeling that returning school infers compulsory participation for their kids. The government should have a word with the parents to bring back the children to schools safely.   Many states & educational institutions have made declarations regarding the reopening of schools for physical classes. ...

by  Dhruv Mishra The United Nation’s intergovernmental body, IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), issues its sixth assessment report on climate change. The report should set off alarm bells in the ears of world leaders, making them spring into action, forming new socio-economic policies to deal with the state of emergency we are in. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres called the report a ‘Code Red’ for humanity, adding that it “must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy the planet.” For India, observing the rise in temperatures globally, global warming trends are likely to result in an increase in annual mean precipitation over India, with more severe rains expected over the southern part of the country. As the target of keeping global warming below 1.5° Celsius, as stated in the 2015 Paris Agreement, seems unlikely to be met. Observing this trend, IPCC has recommended that countries should strive to achieve net-zero emissions by...

 by Mahi Tewari Lok Sabha passed the bill to let states make their own OBC lists. Bill 386-0 will allow states like Maharashtra to provide reservations for the Maratha community and to other general castes like Patel and Gurjars. Many political parties are even bidding for the removal of the SC-mandated 50% limit on the reservation. Though Supreme Court is reluctant to do away with the limit. On the side, the government is also considering a socio-economic caste census for 2021, this is being done because of the growing demands of other political parties and OBC’s to use this data as evidence to seek removal of a 50 % cap on Quotas.   During a pandemic, where every economically weak Indian is facing salary cutoff and job layoffs, SECC will inevitably be used to lobby for a single community while the problem is actually nationwide, rising above caste differences.   While Lok Sabha has rejected the plan to breach the 50% cap, BJP’s Samaras Samraj ideology seems to want s...

by Bhavika Chandwani Vaccines can give communal protection by decreasing the transmission of illness within a population, as well as individual protection for people who are vaccinated. When a transmitting case comes into touch with a susceptible individual, person-to-person infection occurs. India donated vaccinations as grant-in-aid to other countries just a few days after launching its own COVID-19 immunization campaign. This was in stark contrast to other high-income countries that had vaccination stockpiles. Even though India is currently experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe, immunization rates continue to decline. While it is impossible to travel back in time and make adjustments to ensure that vaccines are available to all, modifying the present vaccination approach (which is plagued with equity concerns) can save lives, reduce the strain on health systems, and preserve a healthy environment throughout the pandemic. The initial vaccination plan in India was to vaccina...

by Dhruv Mishra Ever since the emergence of what began as a rebel group during the Soviet occupation, The Taliban has been linked to many infamous terror activities, most important of which was 9/11 in New York, USA. Follow the attacks, the US invaded Afghanistan and as it is in the works of leaving the country after about 20 years of occupation. At the time of writing this article, the terrorist faction has gained control of key cities: Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul, and Taloqan. The Taliban are advancing in gaining control over the country, having captured more territories in the last 2 months than they have since they were driven out of power back in 2001. US troops and their Nato and regional allies forced the Taliban from power in November 2001. The group had been harboring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US.   But despite a continued international presence in the region, billions of dollars of support and training for the Af...