GS2

Alcoholism in India- Concerns, Challenges and Way Forward

Drugs/Pharmaceuticals

Reading Time: 9 mins In March, India, like several countries shut down liquor shops. During this period, the mental health of many alcoholics deteriorated with several even attempting suicides. When the shops were reopened in May, long queues and chaotic crowds with blatant disregard for social distancing norms were observed across the country. States have started online sale of liquor. This calls for a look into the issue of alcoholism in India.

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China’s Territorial Disputes: All You Need to Know

China

Reading Time: 11 mins China’s aggressive response to numerous territorial disputes comes at a time when the world is tackling the COVID-19 crisis. Against this backdrop, Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter standoff in several locations in eastern Ladakh for the last few weeks. It is evident that the Chinese regime is making use of the crisis to prepare itself for the post-COVID-19 world in which China’s popularity has gone downhill both at the domestic and international levels because of its response to the initial outbreak of the virus. Among these efforts includes its aggressive and illegal takeover of disputed territories and integrating Hong Kong under the totalitarian regime. Efforts must be taken to ensure international cooperation for addressing common issues of concern regarding Chinese aggression.

Nepotism: Origin, Types, Ethical issues, Impacts, way forward

[GS4] Ethics / Governance

Reading Time: 11 mins The unfortunate suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput, a promising and talented actor from Bollywood, brought the issue of nepotism in the public debate. It is alleged that Sushant committed suicide due to rampant nepotism in Bollywood and the inability to handle the unspoken boycott by the big and mighty from the Bollywood industry. Especially the social media raised its voice against the nepotism in Bollywood and sad end to a very promising career. Nepotism is a concept that engulfs almost all sectors of society. We shall understand its socio-economic origins, its all-pervasive nature, and multiple impacts in this article.

Police Brutality and the need for Police Reforms

Governance / Policies/Plans/Guidelines/Frameworks

Reading Time: 8 mins The Police system in India and its sorry state once again came to the fore recently when a father-Son duo, namely P Jeyaraj (58) and Fenix (31) respectively, died in Police custody in Tamil Nadu. The relatives and protestors fear this to be a case of police brutality. The reason for their arrest was that they kept their shop open beyond permitted time (restrictions placed in the light of COVID-19). This comes amid the cases of police brutality across the country and the recent uproar over the George Floyd case.

Crisis in Korean Peninsula – Past and Present

Korea

Reading Time: 15 mins Events in the Korean Peninsula are among the most dramatic in international politics. The current escalated tensions in the region proved negotiations in recent years with high focus on nuclear disarmament as a futile attempt to address the crisis. Economic engagement and improved people-to-people ties with tangible economic returns for North Korea are some ways to improve the situation.

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Border Road Organization: Role, Significance ,Issues

[GS3] Security challenges and their management in border areas

Reading Time: 7 mins The Border Road Organization has been in news in recent times for its successful completion of projects in border area infrastructure. The Darbbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road built by BRO is at the center of the current stand-off with China. It was built by BRO. BRO is an important part of India’s security and preparedness. So, it becomes important to study the organization.

International Criminal Court – Significance and Challenges

Organisations/Groupings/Agreements/Conventions / United States

Reading Time: 8 mins Due to its avoidance of accountability in general, Trump Administration has long been embroiled by the worsened relationship with international organisations like the UNHRC, WHO and now with the International Criminal Court. The US government has blocked assets and imposed travel restrictions against ICC employees who are directly involved in the investigation of war crimes in Afghanistan by the US forces. Though this is not the first time the US opposed ICC’s functioning and powers, its impact is huge as comes at a time when the US is highly unpopular due to its racial tensions and ‘America First’ policy. The recent executive order by the Trump Administration essentially stalls the global fight against impunity for the most serious international crimes, giving scope for other countries to also follow suit.

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United Nations Human Rights Council – Need, Issues, Solutions

Human Rights / Organisations/Groupings/Agreements/Conventions

Reading Time: 12 mins The US is currently having tense relations with the UN bodies; the most recent among them is the UN Human Rights Council after it passed a resolution that condemned discriminatory and violent policing and ordered a report on systemic racism against people of African descent. The Council failed to hold the US accountable for its police’s blatant violation of human rights by not calling for an investigation on Floyd’s death and other similar cases. The US has already left the Council in 2018 after accusing it of its various deficiencies. The lack of strong democratic representation has led to a better representation of authoritarian governments, which have the worst human rights records, to change the narrative of the global human rights norms. Currently, the forum is used by countries like Pakistan as a political tool with no consideration of human rights. Reforms and cooperation, rather than walking out of forums, are necessary steps to address issues like human rights.

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Racism- Forms, Features, Impacts, Way forward

Society / Vulnerable Sections

Reading Time: 8 mins The death of an innocent African American named George Floyd triggered a massive civil rights movement in the USA and solidarity protests were also held in other parts of the world. The social phenomenon of racism has been in existence for long now and all attempts of eliminating the evil practice once again seem to be gone in vain as the ‘Black Lives Matter’ intensifies in the USA.