NATIONAL
TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
General Studies 3:
Green Political Interest-Future Prospects
A sense of betrayal now exists when it comes to the environmental issues and thus, there is an urgent need for a planned course of action- for all those who want to change the narrative of a civilisation that is on a constant warpath with nature
Germination of the idea of a Green Party
Green Party?
A political party with ecological wisdom and participative democracy as its roots
Any living example?
German Green Party (now called Alliance ’90/The Greens), established in 1980, is one of the oldest and most prominent of these groupings (having made it to their respective Parliaments and some even to the European Parliament)
Do we really need a Green Party
A ‘yes’ and a ‘no’ situation: There is a crying need for environmental politics and reorientation or a mere attenuation with the already flawed economic developmental model will yet again leave a trail of ecological damages
The near-term viability: Almost all the recent issues that are being worked upon are restricted to short-term models and the broader contentious topics such as industrialisation and exploitation of natural resources, continue to divide people.
Knee-jerk emotional response: When we talk about environmental impacts we forget that we are talking about issues at large, which not just affect local communities but also the world at large. While it’s natural for the local communities to jump into action, a proper behavioural response is required, and this is missing.
Social Divisions: There exists a yawning divide; between urban and rural population, between the rich and the poor, between the North Indians and the South Indians and thus, it becomes difficult to move ahead with firstly, owning the cause as one’s own and secondly, owning up to the mistakes committed- as the cause of every single member of the community makes an impact upon an individual.
Can we follow the Western model:
The Elitist Viewpoint—Environmental concerns are the concerns of the urbane and the educated as they belong to the post-materialistic world and thus forma a major roadblock for India to follow the same footsteps.
Necessities of India—In India, the environmental concerns revolve around necessities and have a greater effect on the rural poor. If green politics does not restrict itself as urban environmental activism but emerges as a binding agent of all these groups and concerns, it definitely has a future in India.
Way Ahead
Looking beyond conventional politics and politicians: There is an urgent need to incorporate fresh infusion [of people] and fresh formations which can act as the political and ecological conscience of society
Lessons from West: Pushing the boundaries of democratic space for a broad green alliance should be made the code of the day for the activists and the politicians who are working hard towards sustainable actions
Connecting the Dots
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
TOPIC: General Studies 3
Google and the Indian projects
The recent visit of Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, indicated that the tech giant has decided to set great store by its investments in India as evident from the announcements made regarding multiple India-specific projects aiming to create a transformational and disruptive influence.
Thread dis-connecting Google & India:
And the connection lies in:
Some of the projects named are
"Project Loon"
"Tap to translate"
"Offline mapping"
“Asus Chromebit”
The above-mentioned projects to be launched by Google hopes to create and refine the required technologies that can act as a harbinger of growth in India’s Technological pursuits, translating into vast gains for India's digital population.
Connecting the Dots:
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For more information on ‘Real estate Bill’, refer the below link
http://iasbaba.com/2015/08/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-01-august-2015/