31 March 2022
Issues that matter
AFSPA scope reduced in a few states: Modi government removes AFSPA from parts of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur; This law gave inordinate powers to security forces, which has led to human rights violations
Free trade agreement for BIMSTEC: Prime Minister Modi called for a Free Trade Agreement among the member countries of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation); countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand
Discounted oil for India: Russia offers oil to India at $35/bbl discount to pre-war price
The chilling effect on free speech: Industrialist in Karnataka tweets about communal violence harming the focus on economic growth; the CM of Karnataka BOmmai asks for “restraint before going public on social issues”, directing the industrialist to stay quiet; In the past few months, there have been several incidents of violence against religious minorities, a targeting of Hijab at religious institutions, and a Muslim trader ban at Hindu festival sites
Solarization of schools in Odisha: Solar panels to be set up in all high schools in Odisha’s Ganjam district