The Ignited Indian

There is one thing commoners miss while reading currency fluctuations. It is that they are dealing with two variables. It is not the rupee that is weakening, but it is the dollar that is appreciating. Let me illustrate: About 5 years ago 1 Great Britain Pound equalled about 101 rupees. Now, it is worth only 89 rupees. One Euro bought about 85 rupees, now it buys only 79 rupees. A Brazilian real equalled about 26 rupees and now it is about 18 rupees. A Russian rouble equalled 2 rupees back then and now it is on par with the rupee. In short, the rupee was getting stronger over the past few years against many other currencies and that was worrisome to many economists and exporters. In fact, not long ago publications that are highly critical of the BJP like ‘the Wire’, etc., were complaining that the Indian government was keeping the rupee too high. ( https://thewire.in/banking/rising-real-exchange-rate-hurts-indias-exports ) This is one of the reasons why RBI has slowly...

The amendments to POSCO Act by introducing death penalty as a possible punishment for the rape of a girl below 12 years is a perfect example of lawmaking that is as thick on rhetoric as it is on empirical evidence. Reactionary reforms are often the easier ways adopted by any government, when it wants to perpetrate an image that they really care about protection of citizens. Though child sexual violence is one of the relatively better documented areas in criminal justice, it appears that little of that research is reflected in the imagination and passing of these amendments. The argument is attractive because it appeals to our intuition that fear of the harshest punishment will prevent individuals from committing child rape. But social, economic, cultural, psychological and other factors in each of our lives interact in far more complex ways than just that simple equation. Also, multiple studies on the working of special courts under the POCSO Act conducted by National Law ...

Cauvery crisis is a victim of water mismanagement and chauvinism of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Both sides come from an imaginary “state pride” and listen little to reason. Both sides don’t understand that neither owns the river. Both sides are filled with insecurity and inferiority complex. Karnataka believes that it doesn’t get heard by higher authorities and has a victim mindset especially when the Supreme Court is involved. Tamil Nadu believes that it doesn’t get heard by neither national parties as neither of them are viable in the state (and would not try anything to get political voice either). Karnataka’s Point of View : 1.  It is not getting half the share of water as the original agreement between the Madras presidency and Mysore was when Madras had an upper hand. 2. The drinking water crisis of Bangalore supersedes agricultural water needs. World over drinking water is prioritized over other uses.  3. The times when it was asked to releas...