After climate talks, nations gather to iron out a treaty to curb plastics

The exhaust from the planes that ferried ministerial delegates to Baku for the climate conference has barely settled.

Yet, some of them found themselves on the redeye to this coastal city to lay the foundations of a new United Nations-mediated treaty to end plastic pollution and potentially the production of plastic. 

On December 1, representatives from 175 countries would hope that this fifth and anticipated final round of discussions of the Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee (INC), following those in Punte Del Este (Uruguay), Paris (France), Nairobi (Kenya) and Ottawa (Canada), will result in an agreement. 

'Secular, socialist' to stay in Constitution's Preamble: SC

The word 'secular' denotes a Republic that upholds equal respect for all religions. 'Socialist' represents a Republic dedicated to eliminating all forms of exploitation-whether social, political, or economic," a Bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar interpreted. 

The order was based on a batch of petitions filed in 2020, challenging the validity of the inclusion of 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble through the 42nd Constitution Amendment in 1976.

Central govt. announces ₹1,435-cr. PAN 2.0 project

The Central government announced the ₹1,435-crore PAN 2.0 project to make the permanent account number (PAN) a 'common business identifier' for all digital systems of government agencies. 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the PAN 2.0 of the Income Tax Department with a financial outlay of ₹1,435 crore, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. 

The project enables technology-driven transformation of taxpayer registration services and is aimed at ease of access and speedy service delivery with improved quality. 

The Constitution still thrives, let it show India the way

The year 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption by the Constituent Assembly of the draft Constitution of India, on November 26, 1949. 

The Union government has announced that it intends to commemorate this momentous occasion with a special joint sitting of Parliament. 

There are bound to be several self-congratulatory speeches, from all sides of our fractious political divide.

Feminist ideology in India's constitutional discourse

In the Indian scenario, even calling the framers of the Constitution of India as 'founding fathers' is very patriarchal and paternalistic. 

The fact that the 'founding mothers' of the Indian Republic, the eminent women in the Constituent Assembly, too painstakingly coauthored the Constitution, has been spitefully hidden from the popular imagination. 

Achyut Chetan writes in his Founding Mothers of the Indian Republic: Gender Politics of the Framing of the Constitution (2022): "It is through the dynamics of will, consent, and, frequently enough, dissent, that women members carried the feminist movement through and beyond the Constituent Assembly. 

On stubble burning and satellite data

Because of the large area over which farmers light the fires, officials have said satellites are the best way to track the fires. The Indian government currently procures this data from two NASA satellites called Aqua and Suomi-NPP. 

While satellite data showed that there was a reduction in farm fires, the smoke cover over cropland in Punjab and Haryana seemed to thicken after the satellites had completed their overpass and the quantity of aerosols in the air was roughly the same as in previous years 

The Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR and Adjoining Areas was expected to respond on November 25 to the Supreme Court to allegations that it was aware farmers were delaying burns after the satellites' overpass.

President to address Parliament to mark 75 years of the Constitution

President Droupadi Murmu will address a special session of Parliament at the Central Hall of the old Parliament building to mark 75 years of the Constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will attend the celebrations.

In the letter, they noted that Mr Dhankhar and Mr Modi too were scheduled to address the function. "We believe that in the best traditions and interests of Parliamentary democracy, the Leaders of Opposition (LoPs) in both Houses should also be allowed to speak on this historic occasion," the letter said. 

Cabinet approves next phase of Atal Mission

The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), implemented by NITI Aayog, with an enhanced allocation of ₹2,750 crore for the period till March 31, 2028. 

The Centre said the next phase of AIM is expected to further enhance India's global competitiveness in the innovation ecosystem. 

"The continuation of AIM will directly contribute to creating better jobs, innovative products, and high-impact services across sectors," a release said.

Bhutan pitches Gelephu as the biggest cooperative project

Pitching the upcoming Gelephu Mindfulness City as the biggest "cooperative project" in Bhutan, its Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay, said that he was grateful for India's support for the 2,500-sq. km "Zero Carbon" city being developed. 

Mr. Tobgay was speaking at the first "Global Conference of the International Cooperative Alliance", inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Modi said India had more than eight lakh cooperatives formed in every part of the country, and it was necessary to create big global financial institutions that would finance cooperatives all over the world.

Inflation outlook benign: FinMin

Amid a mixed outlook for the world economy, India quietly holds its ground and economic activity has firmed up in October after a brief moderation over the monsoon months, and food inflation which spiked consumer prices at a 14-month high pace of 6.2% last month is expected to cool off in coming months, the Finance Ministry said. 

"Demand continues to grow steadily as indicated by improving FMCG sales volumes in Q2 FY25 in both urban and rural areas. Rural demand has been particularly striking as reflected in the robust growth of two-wheeler sales and record-high tractor sales in October," the ministry's economic affairs department said.

'U.K. sees generational mission in the Indo-Pacific'

More than four months after the U.K.'s Labour Party came to power, the government has declared that the U.K.'s engagement in the Indo-Pacific is long-term. 

The U.K.'s Indo-Pacific Minister, Catherine West, outlined the position of the government at the second Indo-Pacific Conference organised by the High Commissions of India, Australia, and Singapore in London, in collaboration with the International Institute for Strategic Studies.