Timely reiteration

The Supreme Court of India has done well to rebuff an attempt to question the characterisation of the country as 'secular' and 'socialist' in the amended Preamble to the Constitution. Sections of the right wing have been uneasy for long about the identification of secularism as one of the attributes of India. This opposition has acquired traction among those who see the combination of the state not favouring or opposing any religion and the constitutional protection for minorities as something that renders the polity "pseudo-secular". In terms of economic policy, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar opposed amendments to include the word 'socialist' by arguing that the Constituent Assembly should not tie down future generations to any particular form of economy. 

From a republic to a republic of unequal’s

Constitution day on November 26, 2024 marked 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution and constitutional governance in independent India. The Constitution-makers accepted the liberal framework, but wanted the state to play a positive role in intervening and reducing inequality due to poor social indicators at the time of Independence. The Indian Constitution makers agreed to create a liberal political state in India. But considering the social and economic inequalities, they felt that a complete withdrawal of the state would perpetuate the existing inequalities and worsen it further. Thus, affirmative action and reservation policies to treat unequal’s in an unequal manner to achieve the constitutional vision of equality have become an important aspect of the Indian Constitution. 

An ideal way to treat India's corneal blindness problem

Despite strong support for eye donation in India, with millions, including popular film actors, pledging to donate, an acute shortage of corneas persists. There is a need to perform about 1,00,000 corneal transplants every year, but only 30% of this need is being met. The solution on the supply side are the millions dying in Indian hospitals every day who are eligible to donate their tissues - but do not. Indeed, a 'presumed consent' amendment to the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, is in the works to allow cornea retrieval from all eligible deaths in hospitals. Corneal opacities are the second major cause of blindness in India among those who are 50 years and older, and the primary cause in those younger. An estimated 1.2 million people live with corneal opacities in India and about a third can be treated with a corneal transplant. 

These numbers make India one of the largest populations with corneal blindness in the world. 

Between hope and hurdles on the high seas

India's recent signing of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement - better known as the High Seas Treaty - has drawn both praise and scepticism from maritime observers. Hailed as a landmark step in ocean governance, the treaty seeks to protect marine ecosystems and promote the sustainable use of resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction. 

However, despite its laudable intentions to address critical gaps in international maritime regulation, the pact's structural complexities and potential challenges warrant examination. 

SC ruling on socialism, secularism

A Division Bench of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice of India dismissed pleas challenging the inclusion of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble to our Constitution.

The original Preamble adopted on November 26, 1949, declared India a sovereign, democratic, republic. Our Constituent Assembly consciously avoided the word 'socialist' as they felt that declaring the economic ideal of a country in its Constitution's preamble was not appropriate. In Berubari case (1960), the Supreme Court opined that the Preamble is not a part of the Constitution and thus not a source of any substantive power. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976 inserted the words 'Socialist', 'Secular' and 'Integrity' in the Preamble. 

SC suggests fresh guidelines to deal with unruly flyers

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Director-General of Civil Aviation to consider putting in place more comprehensive guidelines to deal with unruly passengers and fix accountability on flight crews. The court even suggested that the DGCA examine if senior citizens travelling by air could be strategically seated so that they would not fall victim to misbehaviour or be disturbed by others.

Milk, meat and egg production increased in 2023-24: Centre

Milk production in the country saw a 3.78% increase in 2023-24 over the 2022-23 estimates, shows the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics, 2024, prepared by the Animal Husbandry Department. Released by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, the report says the country produced an estimated to 239.3 million tonnes of milk during 2023-24. According to the Ministry, this is a compounded annual growth of 5.62% over the past 10 years. In 2014- 15, the milk production was 146.3 million tonnes, and in 2022-23, 230.58 million tonnes. India is at the top in milk production and second in egg production globally. Accounting for 16.21% of the milk produced in the country, Uttar Pradesh ranks at the top among the States followed by Rajasthan (14.51%), Madhya Pradesh (8.91%), Gujarat (7.65%), and Maharashtra (6.71%). West Bengal recorded 9.76%, the best annual growth rate in milk production in 2023-24.