Ladakh gets new policies on quota, domicile status

Amid demands by Ladakhi civil society groups seeking "constitutional safeguards" for the region, the Centre on Tuesday notified new policies on reservation, languages, domiciles, and the composition of hill councils for Ladakh, which became a Union Territory in 2019.

IISc researchers develop artificial metal-based nanozyme that prevents excess blood clotting

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) have developed an artificial metal-based nanozyme that can potentially be used to clamp down on abnormal blood clotting caused by conditions like pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). 

Act north

The measures notified by the Centre on June 3 seek to address the several concerns that have been raised by the people of Ladakh regarding their language, culture and land. These issues came to the fore after the special status of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), under Article 370, was withdrawn in 2019 and it was bifurcated into Union Territories (UT). New policies on reservation, languages, domicile and composition of hill councils for the UT of Ladakh include a provision for up to 85% reservation for indigenous people in government jobs. Further clarity is expected when the rules are framed. Several States in the Northeast have reservation above 80% for indigenous people in various sectors for instance, Mizoram has 92%, and Arunachal Pradesh has 80% in jobs. To be counted as a domicile of Ladakh, a person must have a continuous 15-year stay from 2019 in Ladakh. This means that migrants in Ladakh, after it lost its special status in 2019, will be considered for domicile only after 2034. The comparable provision in the UT of J&K considers anyone who has completed 15 years as a registered migrant eligible for domicile. In hill councils, one-third of the seats will be reserved for women, as per the policy. English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti and Purgi languages will be the official languages.

A strategy fuelled by vision, powered by energy

A few days ago, India overtook Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy. Since 2014, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India's GDP has more than doubled to $4.3 trillion in 2025. This is the result of a decade-long strategy centred on reforms, resilience and relentless pursuit of self-reliance.

India has not only become the world's fastest-growing major economy but is also a strategic force. The energy sector, integral to this rise, has undergone a structural transformation during the first year of Modi 3.0, building on 10 years of foundational change.

More importantly, India's growth rate of 6.7% in the last quarter places it on a fast trajectory that none of the other countries can remotely hope to achieve in the coming years.

India-Australia defence ties beyond American shadows 

Donald Trump's return to the White House has sent shockwaves through the global security landscape. With the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) being put on a burden-sharing timeline and Mr. Trump's cold transactional approach to security commitments worldwide, the Indo-Pacific too faces a pivotal moment. Yet, this represents a strategic opportunity for middle powers such as India and Australia to deepen their defence relationship.

A ban, a split verdict, and a health concern

Rapeseed-mustard oil (hereafter 'mustard oil') is the third-largest Ledible oil consumed in India. Two executive and judicial decisions on mustard oil one from 2021 and another from 2024 have major public health implications, but have hardly received the public attention and scrutiny they deserve. In the first decision, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prohibited the manufacturing and sale of blended mustard oil in India, effective from June 8, 2021. As per Indian food safety laws, selling an edible oil mixed with another edible oil is permitted, provided the proportion of an oil blended with another oil is within 20%. Reports suggest that FSSAI's ban decision was aimed at preventing the adulteration of mustard oil and boosting domestic mustard crop output. In the second, the Supreme Court ruled on July 23, 2024, against approval granted by the Central government for the environmental release of India's indigenously developed genetically modified (GM) mustard named Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11). A major ground on which one of the two judges pronounced a judgment against DMH-11 was the insufficient assessment of the impact on human health of DMH-11. A common policy goal behind these two decisions was to protect the health of Indian mustard oil consumers. However, a closer look at the facts shows that this goal cannot be fully achieved through these two decisions.

Why international students matter to the U.S.

The U.S. has paused scheduling of new visa inter-views globally and expanded its vetting of accounts of foreign students on social media. This is the latest move in a series of intrusive measures carried out by the Donald Trump administration targeting international students and premier universities in the U.S. 

The political deadlock in Taiwan

On May 20, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te celebrated a year in office. And while Mr. Lai's celebratory speech presented a vision of cooperation with rival stakeholders, the second year of his presidency is off to a rocky start. If the recall campaign facing legislators of the two main parties - the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) – comes to fruition, it may be both a display of democratic vibrance, and indicative of volatility in the political corridors of Taipei.

Does the civil services examination need reform?

The foundations of the present format of the civil services examination can be traced to the Macaulay Report of 1854 which introduced selection by merit and designed an examination on the principle of 'transferability of academic talent to administration'. After Independence, the Kothari Committee (1975) recommended a three-tier examination comprising a preliminary exam, a descriptive main examination and an interview.

Building-Integrated Photovoltaics: converting buildings into solar assets

With an installed capacity of over 17 GW as of April 30, rooftop solar (RTS) is starting to play a significant role in India's renewable energy transition, especially in urban areas. However, its scalability is constrained by the limited availability of shadow-free rooftop spaces. Boosting solar adoption in densely populated cities therefore requires us to look beyond traditional rooftop-mounted solar systems and towards Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV).

No contempt if Parliament or legislatures make laws: SC

The Supreme Court has said any law made by Parliament or a State legislature cannot be held to contempt of court.

A Bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma made the observation while disposing of a 2012 contempt plea filed by sociologist and former Delhi University professor Nandini Sundar and others.

Indian astronaut's space mission to ISS postponed to June 10

Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which was scheduled to be launched on June 8, has now been postponed to June 10.

'Sulphur-cleaning device in coal plants not necessary'

A high-powered committee of experts, chaired by Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) Ajay Sood, has recommended that India do away with a decade-long policy of mandating equipment, called Flu Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units, in all coal-fired thermal power plants (TPP), according to documents perused by The Hindu.

EC introduces new tech-driven system to update voter turnout

The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday said it had introduced a new tech-driven system to provide faster, real-time updates on voter turnout, addressing concerns raised by Opposition parties about discrepancies in turnout data. This system will be implemented before the Bihar Assembly election later this year. 

Government plans to wind down National Polio Surveillance Network centres in India

The government has proposed to wind down, in phases, the World Health Organization (WHO)-established National Polio Surveillance Network (NPSN), currently a countrywide network of over 200 units. Experts in the field have commented that the move would be premature and ill-advised at this stage, with India's neighbouring countries still harbouring cases of polio.

Indo-U.S. trade deal in not too distant future, says U.S. Commerce Secretary

A trade deal between India and the U.S. will materialise in the "not too distant future", U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said on Monday, adding that India would receive favourable tariffs on a number of manufacturing sectors that would provide it an advantage over the rest of the world.

GIA develops new system to grade lab-grown diamond

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), considered the world's foremost authority on gemmology, said later this year, it will start using descriptive terms to characterise the quality of laboratory-grown diamonds and no longer use colour and clarity nomenclature it developed for natural diamonds which had been in use since 1953.