On 14th September 2023, the Mediation Bill (2023) received the President’s assent and was referred to as the Mediation Act (2023). This bill seeks to support and encourage mediation as a substitute for traditional dispute resolution methods.
The Lok Sabha election result has rekindled hope for Muslims to participate in nation-building
A ‘double-engine sarkar’ is something the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been promising while seeking votes during all the assembly election campaigns. One engine at centre and another at the state, meaning the same party ruling in both places, would mean better progress than the states where the state governments are ruled by other parties than the BJP.
Using a draconian law like UAPA to prosecute a speech made by Arundhati Roy 14 years ago is to profess a fragility that does injustice to the solidity of the nation, however incomplete the task of building Indian democracy might still be.
Neither has said anything about the lynching of cattle transporters, or the arrest of chief ministers, or the misuse of central agencies
Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu are seasoned politicians with well-honed survival instincts. Trust them to look after their own fortunes, political or otherwise, not to do the heavy lifting to uphold democratic norms. Those who value liberal democracy have to work to achieve it on their own, work among the people, instead of hoping that Naidu and Nitish would do the job for them as key members of the supporting cast in Narendra Modi 3.0.
Neither Naidu nor Nitish Kumar has said anything about the lynching of two cattle transporters who were moving buffaloes in a truck in Chhattisgarh. Nor have they said anything in public against the arrest of chief ministers or the misuse of central agencies. They are not going out of their way to meet the liberal aspirations that stand thwarted by Modi getting the chance to run the country for another term.
What is the meaning of ‘mandate’ within India’s constitutional and political schema? Prof. Arun Kumar meditates on this question.
A chastened Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister of India for a third time. He, along with his large cabinet, took oath on June 9. The mood was sombre, as during the victory celebration at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters on June 4, because the realisation had dawned that a much diminished National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would form the next government.
Child labour in India persists primarily due to poverty, unemployment, and socio-economic conditions forcing children to contribute to family income. Urban migration exacerbates this issue, leading to children taking up menial work. Due to insufficient government reporting, reliance is placed on various NGOs' reports. Government efforts, such as the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), have faltered due to funding deficiencies, leading to the closure of schools meant for rehabilitated child labourers. A significant issue remains the employment of children above 14 years in hazardous work, affecting their schooling and future job prospects. The author suggests incorporating trade learning and skill development to better engage children above 14 years in schooling and improve their job opportunities.