Social Issues Current Affairs

The court held that a Tamil Nadu government order doing the same creates an “artificial group” which would access benefits of reservation associated with backward communities

Court says 50% ceiling on total reservation is binding constitutional principle

According to the paper, the share of Indian employment exposed to artificial intelligence has risen modestly since 2012, and the quality of that exposure has improve

The property tax performance of India’s municipal bodies has been poor — India’s cumulative property tax was 0.15-0.2% of its GDP

A widening jobs gap threatens the promise of demographic dividends; the Global South faces an unprecedented employment challenge

The petitions in the Calcutta High Court say that the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest violated the Forest Rights Act and threatened the Shompen and Nicobarese way of life and culture

The petitions in the Calcutta High Court say that the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest violated the Forest Rights Act and threatened the Shompen and Nicobarese way of life and culture

A Division Bench directs State government and State Election Commission to conduct elections within six weeks from October 1; says Census process does not bar delimitation of wards within Municipalities/ Municipal Corporations

Moody's Ratings indicates that India's fertility rates have fallen below replacement level, affecting its population structure. As a result, India is expected to have a much older population by the end of the century. This demographic shift may lead to a smaller working-age population, limiting productive capacity. It also suggests that such trends could weaken household and consumer demand across the economy.

The panel has sought religion-wise data for past 15 years on birth and vehicle registrations, school enrolment and property transactions, as well as district-wise details of religious structures and unusual increases in Aadhaar, voter ID and ration card registrations; data not maintained on religious lines, officials say

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation has changed the mandatory wage ceiling from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 as of September 17. This shift is expected to enroll one crore more workers into the social security net. Employees earning up to Rs 25,000 will now have a mandatory PF contribution of Rs 3,917.

The EPFO wage ceiling has been increased to Rs 25,000 per month. This change is expected to bring between fifty lakh and one crore new beneficiaries. Mandatory social security coverage will now extend to more employees. Employers and employees will see adjusted contribution amounts for this salary bracket. The revised wage ceiling will be implemented from Thursday, September 17.

In the Economic Participation and Opportunity subindex, India reported a 41.2% parity score, 0.5 higher than the previous edition but 3.5 percentage points lower from its best result in 2013

Economist Thomas Piketty says India can escape the middle-income trap through massive investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure, while deeper global cooperation is needed for inclusive growth. He warns that climate change, rather than artificial intelligence, could become the real geopolitical battleground, urging India to reduce its material footprint and support sustainable development and greater global economic justice.

Gram sabhas must have a veto on issues relating to tribal land

The deliberations between the two Union Ministries were initiated after a crucial issue was revealed in an August 3 Parliamentary Standing Committee report on the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited with regard to ongoing projects and the delays affecting them

India has co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution proclaiming November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, marking a global push to end the practice and protect the rights of children and girls

‘Though free and compulsory elementary education to all children aged 6 to 14 years has now attained the status of an enforceable fundamental right, we have not bestowed on teacher education the attention that it deserves,’ the court says

The replacement of MGNREGA with the VB-GRAM G Act has weakened the rural right-to-work framework; restoring a meaningful right to work through adequate funding, living wages and stronger local institutions would advance constitutional aims while also supporting rural demand and economic growth

Politics must move from profiting from demographic change to sensitively managing and navigating its consequences