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Showing posts from February, 2024

The Problems with Westphalian Nation-State System

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We all associate ourselves with various identities such as Indians, Chinese, Pakistani, Americans, Canadians, French, British and much more. Why do you think we all associate with all these more? Are there any other identities which people associate with?  The identities which I mentioned before are relatively new compared to other identities such as religion, language, caste, and various other identities. It is not to say that people never had such feelings towards nations or the state. But the idea of loyalty and love for the motherland was very important which offset various other identities. The question we are arriving at is what is the motherland, who made and how it formed.  What we refer to today as a Nation or Country refers to what we know in political science as a Nation-State. Today almost all the countries we know are categorised Nation-States and some even as State-Nations. International Relations and Political Science suggest that states are the most important a...

Political Events to Watch for In 2024

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2023 ended with a hope for another year of normalcy. Everyone expects 2024 to be as good as 2023. Politically speaking, 2024 will be one of the most important years for world politics. Hence, this year is something that you should be surely watching this year. 2024 will have more elections than any year to date. Over 7 out of 10 most populous countries in the world are heading for polls this year. India, the most populous one, will have a two-month-long election process in the summer. Elections in India are like festivals.  CREDITS- WIKI More than 3 Billion voters will select their leaders which will affect the population of more than 4 Billion people. This is more than half the world that is heading for polls. It is not just full democracies electing but even semi-democracies, hybrid regimes and much more. Besides elections, there are two major conflicts happening- the Russia-Ukraine War and the Israel-Hamas conflict. There are other minor issues affecting people’s lives as well s...

Takeaways from Kerala Budget 2024

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The budget speech was held on 5th April by the Financial Minister of Kerala K N Balagopal in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The Economic Review report was presented in the Assembly on February 2, 2024. Mr Balagopal’s third Budget after taking over as Kerala’s Finance Minister. National Budget Article  Major Announcements from the Budget Speech  GSDP Growth rate- 2022-2023-  6.6%  Revenue Deficit- ₹27,846 crore- 2.4% Revenue-  ₹ 1,38,655 crore Expenditure- ₹1,84,327 crore- 3.4% Fiscal Deficit-  ₹ 44,529 crore Longest Budget speech  Political points  Building a Nava Keralam- New Kerala  "Kerala will not be shattered, Kerala will not tire, Kerala cannot be destroyed" Ignorance of the Central Government to the state  LSG Government- ₹8000 crore Infrastructure Sector- ₹34,530 crore Increase in Tax Revenue- ₹7804 crore Increase in Non-Tax Revenue- ₹1,503 crore Transport Infrastructure- ₹1,976.04 crore...

News Capsule for the Month of January 2024

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Following are the top news for the month.   If you wish to follow and get notifications of future articles, you can sign up using the email on the left sidebar.  Article of the month Kerala  Child farmer loses 13 cows in acid posing. Got the support of civil society.  BJP openly comes in support of Bishops.  BJP claims attacks on Christians who joined the party in Kerala; warns of retaliation.  Famous neighbourhoods across the state celebrated New Year.  PM Modi arrived in Thrissur and held a massive rally and roadshow in the city.  CM-Governor rivalry reaches new heights.  Kochi Water Metro sailed into New Year with a record ridership of 16,000. CBI is unable to find the evidence in Jesna's missing case.  Kodikunnil Suresh MP expresses intent to contest in Kerala Assembly polls.  Luminaries from various fields are to be part of MBIFL 2024.  PM Modi arrives again to hold a roadshow in Kochi and visit two temples.  He ...

Takeaways from Interim Indian Financial Budget 2024

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On February 1st 2024, the Finance Minister of India, Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim financial budget for the financial year 2024-2025 but this budget is only aimed at the next four months before the new government takes over. On 31st January, the minister submitted the Economic Report of the past ten years under the leadership of PM Modi . This report was released instead of the usual Economic Survey released annually.  The report was “Indian Economy – A Review" enlisting the macroeconomic picture and important economic highlights of the past ten years of the NDA government. Both the report and the budget talked largely about the achievements of the current government and the policies it will focus on in the upcoming years as well. Being in an election year, the budget speech was rhetorical with a lot of praise for the government as well as highlighting various accomplishments.  This budget speech was the shortest one comprising only 58 minutes. Nirmala's speech ...