Info Digest

  WHAT The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, commonly known as The Lokpal Act, is an anti-corruption Act of Indian Parliament in India. WHO  Background of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act 2013 The word ‘Lokpal’ was first used by a member of parliament Laxmi Mall Singhvi in 1963 during a debate on grievance redressal mechanisms. Administrative Reforms Commissions under Morarji Desai submitted a report which recommended the creation of two special authorities: Lokayukta and Lokpal for the purpose of redressing citizen grievances. Maharashtra was the first state to introduce Lokayukta through The Maharashtra Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act in 1971. Presently, there are no Lokayuktas in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura. The Lokpal Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in 1968. The version enacted in 2013 was from a draft prepared in 2010. The bill is an implementation of the Prev...

  WHAT Emergency Provisions are contained in Part Eighteen of the Constitution of India. The President of India has the power to impose emergency rule in any or all the Indian states if the security of part or all of India is threatened by "war or external aggression or armed rebellion". WHO, WHERE & WHEN Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared an emergency across the country for a 21-month period from June 25, 1975, to March 21, 1977.  WHY Former PM Indira Gandhi gave three reasons to justify the extreme step - First, India’s security and democracy was in danger owing to the movement launched by Jayaprakash Narayan. The second reason cited was that Indira Gandhi was of the opinion that there was a need for rapid economic development and upliftment of the underprivileged. Third, she warned against the intervention of powers from abroad which could destabilise and weaken India. HOW Reasons led to the Emergency 1971 - In Parliamentary elections, Indira Gandhi had defeated Raj...

WHAT This special yogic chant is Sanskrit, and it’s pronounced OHM-MAH-NEE-PAHD-MAY-HUM. It’s composed of four words, and those four melodic words are all the words on many of those colorful Tibetan prayer flags. Om mani padme hum is an ancient Buddhist mantra. In English, this rhythmic chant literally translates to “Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.” There are a lot of different meanings and different opinions on what each syllable means. WHO  Tibetan culture tells us that to deeply know this phrase — to bring it into the very depths of one’s being — is to attain enlightenment. According to a lecture given by the Dalai Lama, while it’s a good idea to recite this mantra over and over again, one must simultaneously meditate upon the meaning of each syllable. WHERE  It is said that the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum originated from one of the Mahayana Sutra, i.e. the Karandavyuha Sutra, which includes the Avalokitesvara's manifestations and works. WHY Chanting in general soothes the ...

WHAT Stoicism is a two-thousand year old philosophy dedicated to helping people better themselves, stop caring about things outside their control, and live virtuous lives. On the outside, life today couldn’t be more different from life one hundred years ago, let alone two thousand years ago. Humans today have social media, cars, and countless other things that even emperors couldn’t dream of possessing back then. But internally, humans have pretty much stayed the same. We lose our patience over petty things, care too much what other people think, and struggle to deal with change.  What is Stoicism? Stoicism is a tool set that helps us direct our thoughts and actions in an unpredictable world. We don’t control and cannot rely on external events, but we can (to a certain extent) control our mind and choose our behavior. In the end, it’s not what happens to us but our reactions to it that matter. For those who like it super quick, Stoicism in a sentence…, “Stoicism teaches how to keep...