Daily Analysis of 'The Hindu' - 27th May, 2020 | Additional Study Material for UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Oil price pickle
A time for reform in courts
How India can become self-reliant
Reforms in a Covid era
Strengthen the public health and social security system
Page 2


Oil price pickle
A time for reform in courts
How India can become self-reliant
Reforms in a Covid era
Strengthen the public health and social security system
Oil price pickle
?Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan:
Centre is taking a ‘cautious and conscious approach ’
of ensuring a balance in fuel prices and aims to use
the resultant savings for welfare is on the face of it
unexceptionable.
?Global oil prices are 45% lower than 2019.
?India had an opportunity to pass on the benefit to
consumers and provide a fillip to becalmed
consumption.
?It is the governm e nt’ s decision, earlier in May, to raise
Excise Duty on petrol and diesel for a second time in
less than two months that raises several concerns.
Page 3


Oil price pickle
A time for reform in courts
How India can become self-reliant
Reforms in a Covid era
Strengthen the public health and social security system
Oil price pickle
?Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan:
Centre is taking a ‘cautious and conscious approach ’
of ensuring a balance in fuel prices and aims to use
the resultant savings for welfare is on the face of it
unexceptionable.
?Global oil prices are 45% lower than 2019.
?India had an opportunity to pass on the benefit to
consumers and provide a fillip to becalmed
consumption.
?It is the governm e nt’ s decision, earlier in May, to raise
Excise Duty on petrol and diesel for a second time in
less than two months that raises several concerns.
?In 2018, when global crude prices were on the
ascent, the Centre had cut the excise duty.
?The gover nmen t’ s goal of maximising revenue
from fuel products to fund welfare measures can
only bear fruit if demand for petrol and diesel
remains unaffected by the continuing high costs.
? Cen tre’ s ambitious disinvestment target of ?2.1-
lakh crore for this fiscal had included a stake sale
in BPCL.
Page 4


Oil price pickle
A time for reform in courts
How India can become self-reliant
Reforms in a Covid era
Strengthen the public health and social security system
Oil price pickle
?Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan:
Centre is taking a ‘cautious and conscious approach ’
of ensuring a balance in fuel prices and aims to use
the resultant savings for welfare is on the face of it
unexceptionable.
?Global oil prices are 45% lower than 2019.
?India had an opportunity to pass on the benefit to
consumers and provide a fillip to becalmed
consumption.
?It is the governm e nt’ s decision, earlier in May, to raise
Excise Duty on petrol and diesel for a second time in
less than two months that raises several concerns.
?In 2018, when global crude prices were on the
ascent, the Centre had cut the excise duty.
?The gover nmen t’ s goal of maximising revenue
from fuel products to fund welfare measures can
only bear fruit if demand for petrol and diesel
remains unaffected by the continuing high costs.
? Cen tre’ s ambitious disinvestment target of ?2.1-
lakh crore for this fiscal had included a stake sale
in BPCL.
A time for reform in courts
?The judiciary has limited its work to hearing urgent
matters via video conferencing.
?IT infrastructure move without first revamping
procedural law would be futile.
?In subordinate civil courts and High Courts, a
significant time of daily proceedings is taken up by
cases where only adjournments are sought for
procedural matters like filing of replies.
?A system needs to be devised where cases are not
listed before the court unless all the documents are
filed within strict timelines and every procedural
requirement complied with.
Page 5


Oil price pickle
A time for reform in courts
How India can become self-reliant
Reforms in a Covid era
Strengthen the public health and social security system
Oil price pickle
?Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan:
Centre is taking a ‘cautious and conscious approach ’
of ensuring a balance in fuel prices and aims to use
the resultant savings for welfare is on the face of it
unexceptionable.
?Global oil prices are 45% lower than 2019.
?India had an opportunity to pass on the benefit to
consumers and provide a fillip to becalmed
consumption.
?It is the governm e nt’ s decision, earlier in May, to raise
Excise Duty on petrol and diesel for a second time in
less than two months that raises several concerns.
?In 2018, when global crude prices were on the
ascent, the Centre had cut the excise duty.
?The gover nmen t’ s goal of maximising revenue
from fuel products to fund welfare measures can
only bear fruit if demand for petrol and diesel
remains unaffected by the continuing high costs.
? Cen tre’ s ambitious disinvestment target of ?2.1-
lakh crore for this fiscal had included a stake sale
in BPCL.
A time for reform in courts
?The judiciary has limited its work to hearing urgent
matters via video conferencing.
?IT infrastructure move without first revamping
procedural law would be futile.
?In subordinate civil courts and High Courts, a
significant time of daily proceedings is taken up by
cases where only adjournments are sought for
procedural matters like filing of replies.
?A system needs to be devised where cases are not
listed before the court unless all the documents are
filed within strict timelines and every procedural
requirement complied with.
?Listing can be done before the court only in cases
requiring urgent interim intervention from the
court.
?When courts reopen, apart from fresh cases, only
a limited number of cases (say, 20-30 a day)
which are ripe for arguments can be posted.
?Circulation of the cases to be listed in advance
(say, two weeks before listing) will give advocates
enough time to take instructions from clients and
prepare for arguments.
?Reports show that Special Leave Petitions (SLPs)
comprise about 60-70% of the Supreme Court’ s
docket.