SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

Getting Public Health Right What is the issue? Amidst rise in various diseases and health concerns, it is high time that India addresses the issue of understanding "public health" appropriately. What is the misconception with public health? "Disease-care" is something which includes the different types of biomedical interventions to restore ill-health. This, in popular parlance, is called the “ healthcare ” which addresses the  visible infrastructure of clinics and hospitals and  is  labour-intensive. On the other hand, " public health " is all about  invisible infrastructure , working to mitigate social and environmental determinants of diseases. However, the term ‘public health’ has long been misappropriated to mean healthcare in the public sector. This confines the focus to only state-run hospitals.   More than 200 successful IAS,IPS, etc. bureaucrats and officers from all over India and the world come for conducting mock interv...

Rising H1N1 Cases What is the issue? The reported cases and deaths due to the spread of H1N1 virus are on the rise in comparison with previous years' records. What is H1N1? Influenza A (H1N1) virus is the subtype of influenza A virus that was the most common cause of human influenza in 2009. H1N1 flu is also known as swine flu caused by swine influenza virus that is endemic in pigs. It is a highly contagious disease and can easily spread from a patient through saliva and mucus. What are the recent developments? India is witnessing a new rise in the number of cases and deaths due to swine flu. Gujarat is the worst-affected, followed by Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra and Delhi. The number of cases in the southern states is also high compared with last year, especially in Tamil Nadu. Best IAS coaching institute for training its students Chosen by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Govt. Of Andhra Pradesh), BC Welfare Department  What is the reas...

SC Verdict On Triple Talaq - II Click  here  for Part I What is the issue? The recent SC verdict on triple talaq is commendable for undoing the gender injustice. However, the judgement failed to address some crucial constitutional questions. What are the shortcomings? Codification of personal laws  - A section of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937 has already recognised  triple talaq  as a statutory right and not a fundamental right. This brings it under the ambit of Article 13 of the Constitution and thereby providing for constitutional scrutiny. Bombay High Court decision in 1951 is often referred by courts to hold that personal laws doesnot come under Article 13. If the Supreme Court had held that personal laws are ‘laws in force’ under Article 13(1), the  problem of discrimination, arbitrariness and gender bias in all personal laws  would have been solved. However the court has missed on this. UPSC I...

Panchsheel And China What in news? Amidst the standoff at Doklam, China has invoked Panchsheel by saying that India has trampled upon the five principles of peaceful co-existence. What is Panchsheel? It a set of  Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to govern relations between states. They are – Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mutual non-aggression, Non-interference in each other's internal affairs, Equality and mutual benefit, and Peaceful co-existence. It was first indicted in treaty form between China and India in 1954. India viewed the agreement as an opportunity to promulgate its anti-colonial posture. China saw in this expression of ‘Asian solidarity’ a means to check the growing anti-communist sentiments in the West.   Best Study Material for the Preparation UPSC IAS Prelims Mains Exams Did China practise this principle? Within a few months of agreeing to the five principles, China made its first attempt to i...

A Look At Tax Collections What is the issue? Widening tax net and increased tax collections are achievements of the recent government initiatives. However, declining non-individual returns and rising cost of collections call for a closer examination. What are the recent developments? Various policy measures have ensured bringing more people under the  direct tax net  in the recent past. The number of  tax returns  filed recently went up by about 24.6 per cent. The latest  direct tax collections  were marginally higher than that presented in the Revised Estimates in the last Budget. Personal income tax  collections rose by 21 %, compared to 8% in the previous year. Corporation tax  collections rose by 7%, compared to 6% in the previous year. Indirect tax  net is also getting wider because of a rise in the number of entities getting registered under the goods and services tax (GST). ( More than 800 of our students are IAS...