Cabinet decides to include caste count in next Census

The Union Cabinet has decided to include caste enumeration as part of the next Census exercise, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced. 

The last time that India's entire population was counted by caste was in pre-Independent India, in 1931. Since then, only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been counted in the Census exercises. 

Digital access a part of fundamental right to life and liberty: SC

Inclusive and meaningful digital access to e-governance and welfare delivery systems is a part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, the Supreme Court held in a judgment on Wednesday.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, hearing a petition on how people with disability find it nearly impossible to complete the digital Know Your Customer (KYC) process, said that the state has an obligation to provide an inclusive digital ecosystem to the marginalised, underprivileged, vulnerable, disabled, and historically excluded sections of society. Amidst the "wave of digital progress" in India a crucial aspect often overlooked is whether this technology is truly inclusive, the court said.

India's shame - the trap of bonded labour

India had abolished bonded labour in 1975. In 2016, the then Union Labour Minister, Bandaru Dattatreya, informed Parliament about the government's plan to release and rehabilitate 1.84 crore bonded labourers across the country as part of a 15-year vision extending until 2030.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment revealed a harsh truth: of India's estimated 1.84 crore bonded labourers, only 12,760 have been rescued and rehabilitated, leaving approximately 1.71 crore still trapped. To meet the 2030 target of eradicating bonded labour, around 11 lakh individuals would need to have been rescued annually since 2021.

The impact of suspending a water treaty

In a strong measure against Pakistan, after terrorists from The Resistance Front killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, India's Cabinet Committee on Security decided that "the Indus Waters Treaty [IWT] of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism". 

Suspending the IWT may also internationalise the water matter between the two hostile countries. 

J&K's economy and tourism in peril after Pahalgam massacre

Now, with several key destinations in Kashmir deemed unsafe by the government, over 80% of upcoming bookings have been cancelled. Amid escalating tensions at the border, the tourism sector is bracing itself for a bleak year.

In 2024, the share of civilians in militancy-related deaths in J&K was the highest in nearly two decades. If the latest killings are included, this year marks the highest share of civilians killed (data till April 30). Notably, when districts are ranked according to civilian deaths, Anantnag home to Pahalgam, the site of the latest at-tack - ranks among the worst-affected in many years.

Is natural hydrogen the fuel of the future?

Natural hydrogen occurs as a free gas in geology, produced by processes such as serpentinisation (the interaction of water and iron-containing rocks), radiolysis of water by radioactive rocks, and from organic matter at depth.

There could be sufficient natural hydrogen to supply the growing world demand for thousands of years, based on a model run by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that was unveiled in October 2022.

The American Association of Petroleum Geologists have formed its first natural hydrogen committee. 

Ex-RAW chief appointed head of reconstituted NSAB

The government has reorganised the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) with Alok Joshi, former Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency, appointed its Chairman and the in-duction of seven new members.

The new members of the Board include former Ambassador to Russia D. B. Venkatesh Varma, a non-proliferation expert; former Southern Army Commander Lt. Gen. A.Κ. Singh; former Western Air Commander Air Marshal P. M. Sinha; Rear Admiral Monty Khanna; and former IPS officers Rajiv Ranjan Verma, Manmohan Singh and A.B. Mathur. This effectively sees half of the 16-member Board re constituted.

Study highlights lack of access to right antibiotics in eight countries

Only 7.8% of patients with drug-resistant infections in India received an appropriate antibiotic, a study of eight nations published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal has revealed. Lack of access to appropriate treatment for such serious infections increases morbidity and mortality, besides driving up healthcare costs and prolonging hospitalisation.

Research carried out by Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), a non-profit health organisation, has revealed that a significant number of multidrug-resistant infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including India, are not being treated appropriately, because of large gaps in access.