Important Contemporary Issues: Concepts Explained | First Edition

In the preliminary examination and in papers relating to general studies/general knowledge, the Civil Services and other examinations no longer seem to be asking questions that can be answered by merely memorizing names, places or events. Instead, they are asking questions to test the conceptual understanding and/or background of the issue. Thus, for example, competitive examinations are no longer likely to simply ask whether China won or lost the court battle on the issue of South China Sea. Instead, they are more likely to test a candidate on whether he/she knows what actually is the dispute in the South China Sea and how it effects India. In fact, in recent Civil Services examinations, questions have been asked that require a conceptual understanding of issues such as Finance Bills, or the Negotiable Instruments Act.

This book has been written to meet this challenge; it seeks to explain, as briefly as possible, the background and concepts of, or the principles involved in, the most important contemporary events/issues along with relevant questions both for the Prelims and Main.

It contains 103 articles some are:

★Article 370: what does it state and what was its impact?

★The National Register of Citizens: What is it, and does any law mandate it?

★The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019: what is the Constitutional and legal basis of citizenship? What does the 2019 amendment seek to achieve?;

★The Indian Bankruptcy Code (IBC): why was it needed, what does it provide for, and how has it played out?

★Non-Performing Assets (NPA): How and why did they occur, and their extent? What is PCA?

★Recent Supreme Court judgements: what are the constitutional principles invoked in imp. recent judgements such as Sabarimala, LGBT community and Triple Talaq?

★Water Shortages in India

★The Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan