IASBUZZ APRIL 2018 EDITION
BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Contents GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY ...... 5 Wetlands for a “Sustainable Urban Future” and “Disaster reduction” ...... 5 Rising Plastic Menace ...... 6 Green Good Deeds Movement ...... 8 POLITY AND GOVERNANCE ...... 10 The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 ...... 10 Supreme Courts Recent Verdict and its repercussions ...... 11 Supreme Court’s verdict on Khap Panchayats and its guidelines ...... 12 Gambling: Should be or shouldn’t be legalized? ...... 14 Forest Rights Act ...... 15 Electoral bonds: what, why and concerns ...... 16 Amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill ...... 19 2G case & Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988...... 20 Understanding The Procedure Of Guillotine ...... 22 Trafficking of Persons Bill 2018 ...... 23 Supreme Court on Aadhaar Linking ...... 25 SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act ...... 26 National Medical Commission Bill 2017 And The Bridge Course! ...... 27 What Makes Maharashtra Kisan Rally A Model Protest? ...... 28 India: TB Capital Of The World ...... 29 Forest Rights Act ...... 30 Why implementing FRA is important ...... 31 Farming: As a market-based enterprise ...... 32 Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 ...... 33 Nutrition Status Of Indian Women ...... 34 Central Information Commission ...... 35 Cabinet Approves Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 ...... 36 Rule Of Law Is The Fundamental Principle Of Governance! ...... 37 Into Priesthood: On Training Dalits To Become Priests ...... 38 Halving The Syllabus, Squaring Knowledge ...... 39 SCHEMES AND POLICIES OF GOVERNMENT ...... 41 Restructuring of NSDF and NSDC ...... 41 Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan and its achievements ...... 42
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Krishi Vigyan Kendras ...... 44 Integrated Scheme for School Education ...... 45 Domestic Solar Industry: Issues, Concerns, Remedies ...... 47 NFHS-4 Finding On Marital Rape ...... 48 KUSUM Scheme- Harnessing Solar Power For Rural India ...... 50 Ayushman Bharat — National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) ...... 50 Jan Suraksha Scheme ...... 51 Genetic Discrimination ...... 53 ECONOMY ...... 55 Supreme Court Decisions And Its Impact On The Economy ...... 55 Potential of Inland Water Transport ...... 56 Bond Yields: what and why ...... 57 Rebuilding RBI's Regulatory Power ...... 58 India Needs To Shore Up Public Sector Capacity For Making Medicines ...... 59 US opposition to India's Export promotion scheme ...... 60 US Imposing Tariffs On The Import Of Steel And Aluminum Indefinitely! ...... 62 PSBs: Privatization’s not the way to go ...... 63 National Financial Reporting Authority ...... 65 India’s Ambitious Goal Of Reaching 100 GW ...... 65 India Needs An Independent Audit Regulator ...... 67 Draft Indian National Strategy For Standardization ...... 69 CRISIL Inclusix ...... 69 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ...... 71 Contributions And Achievements Of Stephen Hawking ...... 71 CIMON –The Flying Brain ...... 71 Rydberg Polarons – A new state of matter ...... 72 Climate Change and ETS ...... 73 National Science Day 2018 ...... 74 Fifty years of TERLS ...... 75 SECURITY...... 76 Cambridge Analytica Crisis ...... 76 OPERATION SAMADHAN ...... 78 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND GLOBAL ISSUES ...... 80 India-Tibet-China ...... 80
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) India-Japan Relationship And Its Potential ...... 81 India France cooperation ...... 82 Core issues at the WTO...... 83 Mastering the Indian Ocean region ...... 85 Indo-French Relations ...... 86 India-China-Pakistan Cooperation: Transforming The Subcontinent ...... 87 Going Grey: On Pakistan And The FATF Watch List ...... 89 ETHICS ...... 90 WORLD HAPPINESS INDEX REPORT 2018 ...... 90 Euthanasia In India ...... 91 HISTORY ART AND CULTURE ...... 94 UGUDI/ Gudi Padwa ...... 94 An Ode To A Dying Language ...... 94
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
Wetlands for a “Sustainable Urban Future” and “Disaster reduction”
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III Environment, Science and Technology, World’s wetlands day, Ramsar Convention Recently: World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands approved "Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future" as the theme for World Wetlands Day in 2018. Since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided outreach materials to help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands. Background: 4 billion people, about half of the world’s population live in urban areas today. By 2050 that number is expected to increase as more people move into cities in search of jobs and better opportunities. Urbanization is one of the key defining mega-trends of our time. It’s completely transforming where and how people will live in the future. In fact it is estimated that the number of mega-cities with more than ten million inhabitants will jump from 31 to 41 by 2030. Challenges of the Urban landscapes: A rapidly growing urban population comes with enormous challenges for city planners and managers. They have to ensure that cities today can deliver not only basic services such as accommodation, transport and water, but that these cities are safe, resilient and environmentally friendly. Today’s current development of human settlements is a major concern for wetland conservation and wise use. As cities grow and demand for land increases, the tendency is to encroach on wetlands. They are often viewed as wasteland available to dump waste or be converted for other purposes. Teake the case of the Bangalore’s lakes. The illegal dumping of waste mixed with mass untreated sewage in India’s Silicon Valley is creating a water crisis which threatens residents’ health – and is causing the city’s famous lakes to catch fire Importance of Urban Wetlands: Urban wetlands are essential and contribute to making cities liveable. During storms, urban wetlands absorb excess rainfall, which reduces flooding in cities and prevents disasters and their subsequent costs. The abundant vegetation found in urban wetlands, acts as a filter for domestic and industrial waste and this contributes to improving water quality. Urban wetlands supply cities with water and are green spaces for recreation which helps to promote human wellbeing. When preserved and sustainably used, urban wetlands can provide cities with multiple economic, social and cultural benefits.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) They are prize land not wasteland and therefore should be integrated into the development and management plans of cities. Wetlands for Disaster Reduction : The theme of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2017 was Disaster Risk Reduction. This theme was selected to raise awareness and to highlight the vital roles of healthy wetlands in reducing the impacts of extreme events such as floods, droughts and cyclones on communities, and in helping to build resilience. Degradation of wetlands reduces resilience against water-related hazards. Integrating wetlands as natural infrastructure alone or in conjunction with engineered structures can increase the resilience of people living along coastlines and across entire river basins. As natural buffers, wetlands can help reduce the impact of disasters by collecting and holding water during floods, releasing water to reduce droughts, and protecting coastal communities against storm surges. 90% of disasters are water related, many of them the result of extreme weather. It is possible to greatly reduce the impact of weather related disasters if we recognize the important role of wetlands and adopt policies and strategies that conserve and restore these important ecosystems. Recommendations of the Ramsar Convention on Disaster Risk Reduction: The development, humanitarian and environmental agencies should collaborate and ensure that their management frameworks and actions are coherent; Wetlands and the benefits they provide should be considered in disaster risk assessments and their impacts should be considered across entire river basins or coastal zones rather than just political and administrative boundaries; Development planning and land use changes should be considered when assessing disaster risk patterns and wetland degradation; and Rapid environmental assessments conducted after a disaster should consider options for wetland restoration as a contribution to wetland recovery. Conclusion: o Recognition of the value of wetlands is essential to ensuring that the role of wetlands is reflected in global policy processes such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Rising Plastic Menace
Relevancy G.S. Paper 3 About micro plastics and how they enter the environment Effects of plastic pollution Preventive and control measures Recently: It is found that micro plastic particles are found even in ‘safe’ bottled water which indicates the magnitude of the crisis. The crisis is that Plastics are now widely present in the environment, as visible waste along coastlines, in lakes and rivers, and even in the soil. What are Micro plastics? How do plastic wastes enter into the environment? Micro plastics are particles of less than 5 mm.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) They enter the environment either as primary industrial products, such as those used in scrubbers and cosmetics or via urban waste water and broken-down elements of articles discarded by consumers. Washing of clothes also releases synthetic micro fibers into water bodies and the sea. What are the effects of Plastic Pollution? Plastic pollution has many negative effects on human, plant, and marine life as well as other living organisms. Here are some of them: Affects Human life and Health: Plastics are mainly made from petrochemicals. When plastics degrade in water sources, they release toxins that can cause poising or cancerous diseases. Several health practitioners have cautioned against using plastics, especially when handling hot consumables. Plastic bottles can sometimes trap water and provide ideal breeding places for germs and mosquitoes resulting in several health problems. Degrades Quality of Land and Affects Agriculture: Plastic papers strewn all over the place breaks down and release chemicals into the ground that make the land unproductive and unconducive for plant growth. They can also make the area unsuitable for habitation by microorganisms. Plastic pollution affects agriculture by degrading the quality of soil and, in turn, affects the balance that is required for an ecosystem to thrive. Poses Threat to Animal Health: Since these materials are not digestible by the stomach, they can cause stomach upsets and poisoning due to the chemicals released from the components of plastic if the cattle eats them. Unlike humans, animals can eat anything, the issue of whether it’s edible or not notwithstanding. Disrupts Marine life: Commercial fishing where plastic nets are used introduce toxins into the ocean and pollute the water which is harmful to the marine life. Organisms that live in water can also ingest plastic materials and die because of the toxins contained in them. This would cause the loss of biodiversity and upset the ecosystem due to the interdependence of the different inhabitants. Air Pollution: Burning plastics introduces pollutants into the atmosphere through smoke and debris that causes air pollution. When inhaled, the smoke from burning plastics can cause breathing complications. The pollutants can also affect the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Since plastics are mainly composed of petrochemicals, burning them can also cause acid rain as the chemicals released ascend into the higher atmosphere. Blocks The Drainage System: Plastics block the free-flowing drainage system. Blocked drainage system cause prevents the flow of waste material. It further leads to polluted air due to the bad smell of decomposing materials. It would also cause a host of bacterial diseases. Blocked drainage systems are also very risky during the rainy season. They inhibit the easy flow and drainage of rain water. This can cause flooding, especially in urban centers. What are the preventive and control measures? Find Alternatives to Plastics:
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Stop using plastic bags and disposable utensils. Instead of purchases packaged in plastic bags, one can choose to carry own bag that is large enough and reusable. The business community can use other alternatives to plastics when packaging goods. Using bags made of paper is a smart way to reduce plastic pollution. Making use of Reusable Water Bottles: Disposable water bottles are thrown away after use and that just adds dirt in the ecosystem because more bottles will have to be manufactured. An ideal thing to do would be to make use of reusable water bottles. When the water in the container has been used up, it is taken to the respective company for a refill. In this way, less number of plastics are manufactured and the environment is conserved Proper Waste Disposal: We can adopt proper waste disposal methods. Individuals should strive to dispose of plastic materials only in designated areas like dustbins. This prevents several problems like drainage blockage and air pollution. Recycling: Garbage processing is actually one of the best ways to ensure that unnecessary waste materials are not loaded into the environment. Instead of throwing away plastic bottles, we can collect them and give them to companies that engage in the recycling of plastics. At home, people can have separate bins for collecting wastes. One of those can be dedicated to the collection of waste products for recycling. Companies can also offer incentives by paying for these types of garbage so that people are motivated to give them out for recycling. Government Policies: The Government has notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, in suppression of the earlier Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011. Increase in minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and stipulate minimum thickness of 50 micron for plastic sheets to facilitate collection and recycle of plastic waste. The government can ban the manufacture of plastic bags and put in place policies that promote a clean environment. Thick cloth and paper bags can be used as alternative packaging methods. Companies can be compelled to adhere to certain standards failure to which there would be penalties. Community Education: Educating people about the effects of plastic pollution and ways in which it can be prevented or controlled is a step in the right direction because it raises awareness. This can be done by community-based organizations or government agencies tasked with environmental conservation. Another way in which this can be achieved is by running ads in the media or campaigns that aim at sensitizing people about the benefits of conserving the environment. At the family level, parents and their children can educate one another about plastic pollution and do what is necessary to prevent or control it.
Green Good Deeds Movement
Relevancy: GS Mains paper III, the content may also be used in Essay paper
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Environment, Green Good Deeds Movement Recently: The government has launched a digital mobile application in an effort to transform environment protection into a peoples’ movement. About the App: The App has been named “Dr Harsh Vardhan” (After the union minister of Science & Technology, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Earth Sciences) It focuses on his social & public activities and involvement of citizens in “Green Good Deeds” movement, which urges people to perform at least one Green Good Deed every day. Some of the 500 Green Good Deeds listed in the Mobile App include – planting trees, saving energy, conserving water, use of public transport and promoting carpool. The objective of transforming Green Good Deeds into a peoples’ movement can be best achieved by starting mass digital campaigns that can reach out to youth and children. A two-way digital communication tool - ‘Connect with Me’ is a unique feature of the Application. This provides six different ways of direct connection - Social Corner, Send Video/Photo, Join My Initiative, Cast Your Vote, Submit An Idea and Chat Room. It also affords citizens an opportunity to directly submit their feedback and suggestions on a variety of issues. The mobile application can also ‘Live stream’ important national and international events. Some of the thoughts of Dr Harshvardhan: The whole world is concerned about the dangers of global warming and climate change. Everyone is looking up to India with expectation because they think that Indians have the DNA to protect the environment. Our ancestors had made protection of environment an integral part of their lifestyle. It was a ‘part-n-parcel’ of our culture – our ancestors worshipped the rivers, air, trees or forests and earth and existed in harmony with the land. It is not merely a technical issue, but a moral responsibility ‘to restore and return the clean and green environment to the next generation. We must understand our “Green Social Responsibility”, like “Corporate Social Responsibility”.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2, acts and bills About the transgender persons (protection of rights) bill 2016 Challenges and what needs to be done Recently: A transwomen from Tamil Nadu was denied a cabin crew job by Air India despite her clearing the written test. Shanavi Ponnusamy, the transwoman from Tamil Nadu, wrote to the President about the ordeal. A month later: The Ministry of Social Justice sent a Bill on transgender rights to the Cabinet, with amendments as suggested by a Standing Committee. These include bringing public establishments under Chapter V of the Bill, which prohibits discrimination in any matter relating to employment, including, but not limited to, recruitment, promotion and other related issues. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, is a result of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment recognising transgenders as the third gender and safeguarding their rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. Apart from welfare schemes for the community, the Bill also lists obligations of establishments as well as recognisable offences against the community. Harassment of a transgender employee is an offence that carries with it a punishment of not less than six months imprisonment. What needs to be done? Enabling environment: An enabling environment needs to be created, be it in education institutes or workplaces. Sensitizing workforce: In protecting the rights and dignity of the community. Implementation of the laws: While laws to safeguard these rights are the first step, more important is to ensure their implementation. Formation of National Council for Transgender Persons: The Bill recommends the formation of a National Council for Transgender Persons that is tasked with monitoring and evaluating policies formulated for transgender persons. Representation in Rajya Sabha: This may pave the way for fulfilling the community’s long-standing demand for representation in the Rajya Sabha. Need of Vocational programs in creative fields: Leading voices from the community have called for vocational programmes in creative fields, a recommendation made by the Standing Committee too. Integration into the workforce is a big challenge because: They Drop out: While they are recruited by State agencies, police departments, and home guards, many have dropped out, especially those undergoing gender transitions. Making more money in traditional ways: Eunuchs say they make more money through traditional practices like mangti , so why would they tie themselves down to a desk job.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Supreme Courts Recent Verdict and its repercussions
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 SC’s recent verdict and issue related to it Situations of Dalits in India Rationale behind exclusion of anticipatory bail Issues related to the judgement
Recently: The Supreme Court has diluted the stringent provision of denial of anticipatory bail in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The judgement stated that public servants and private employees can only be arrested after a preliminary inquiry. In case of a public servant the appointing authority must give permission in writing (in the case of the public in general, the SSP’s permission is needed) — and that a magistrate can extend arrest only after written permission is secured and anticipatory bail must be given unless a prima facie case of crime is made out. What is the Issue? The appointing authority is hardly expected to give in writing permission to arrest his junior. If the appointing authority happens to be of the same caste or if the employee concerned enjoys a good rapport with him, he may not give permission at all. Political pressure may also be brought on the appointing authority or the SSP not to give permission to arrest the accused. What is the situation of Dalits in India? India has over 180 million Dalits. A crime is committed against a Dalit every 15 minutes. Six Dalit women are raped every day. Over the last 10 years (2007-2017), there has been a 66% growth in crime against Dalits. The NCRB data shows that the rape of Dalit women has doubled in the last 10 years. The figures represent only a tip of the iceberg since most Dalits do not register cases for fear of retaliation by higher castes. Even if a case reaches court, the most likely outcome is acquittal due to caste biases at every stage. What was the rationale behind exclusion of anticipatory bail? In the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Prevention of Atrocities Act, Parliament had clearly noted that when Dalits assert their rights, vested interests try to terrorize them. Accordingly, keeping in view the special nature of crimes against Dalits, anticipatory bail was excluded. Moreover, constitutionality of this exclusion had been upheld by a five-judge bench of the apex court in Kartar Singh. What are the issues with the judgment? The court has deviated from the established judicial opinion on the subject. The Supreme Court had clearly said that anticipatory bail provision for the first time was introduced in 1973 and it is merely a limited statutory right and not part of right to life and personal liberty under Article 21. Also, Section 22 of the SC/ST Act already protects public servants from prosecution if they acted in ‘good faith’. If there is concern about the ‘presumption of innocence’ of the accused, the protection of anticipatory bail should be extended to the accused in all cases and under all statutes.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The judgment will have a chilling effect on the already underreported crimes against Dalits. And thus, must be reviewed.
Supreme Court’s verdict on Khap Panchayats and its guidelines
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Verdict related to the choice of consenting adults to love and marry as a fundamental right Why Khap Panchayats are a concern Court’s observations and guidelines Recently: Supreme Court in its recent verdict has upheld the choice of consenting adults to love and marry as a part of their fundamental rights. What is the verdict? The judgment came on a petition filed by NGO Shakti Vahini to curb honour crimes. The court held that the consent of the family, community or clan is not necessary for marriage. This is to safeguard young couples under threat for marrying outside their caste or religion. The Court also issued a set of guidelines for the authorities, to stop interference by khap panchayats. The guidelines issued by the Court will be in place till the government comes up with a law. Why are Khap Panchayats a concern? Khap panchayats are the self-appointed village courts. They wield enormous influence in villages of several states of India. They are often seen responsible for the growing number of honour killings in the country. They group against young couples to force their presence and dictate punishments. These “feudalistic” entities have no reluctance in committing crimes. The "sense of honour" perpetuates the idea of not to marry outside one's caste, clan or religion. Masculine dominance becomes the sole governing factor of perceptive honour. The police turn a blind eye and the administration hardly questions them. Women are treated by the khaps as servile persons who have no desire for autonomy. Their families are either silent spectators or active participants in their torture. To highlight the terror inflicted on women, the Supreme Court gave a list of actions which trigger honour-based crimes. They include:- loss of virginity outside marriage unapproved relationships refusing an arranged marriage asking for divorce demanding custody of children after divorce causing scandal or gossip in the community even “falling victim to rape” What are the Court's observations on this? The apex court ridiculed the “elevated sense of honour” of elders, the collective and khap panchayats. It observed honour killing that guillotines individual liberty, freedom of choice and one’s own perception of choice. The human rights of a person are not mortgaged to the so-called honour of the family or clan or the collective.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Khap panchayats were condemned for their belief that their duty is sanctified and their action of punishing the hapless victims is inviolable. It termed the elders, presiding over murder in broad daylight, as “patriarchal monarchs”. The verdict thus comes down heavily on crimes committed in the name of honour. What are the guidelines? The state governments should identify districts, sub-divisions and/or villages concerned. These are areas where instances of honour killing or assembly of Khap Panchayats have been reported in the last 5 years. Officer In-charge of the police stations of the identified areas needs to be cautious. Any instance of inter-caste or inter-religious marriage within their jurisdiction coming to their notice should be taken care of. They should inform to the immediate superior officer. Also the jurisdictional Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Superintendent of Police should be intimated. Once done, the DSP or a senior police officer should immediately interact with the members of the Khap Panchayat. It should be made clear that convening of such meeting/gathering is not permissible in law, and should ultimately be prevented. Despite these, if the meeting is conducted, the DSP should personally remain present during the meeting. She/he should ensure that no decision is taken to cause any harm to the couple or the family members of the couple. If this fails, each one participating in the meeting besides the organisers would be personally liable for criminal prosecution. Discussion and participation of the members of the assembly meet should be video recorded. The DSP should ensure this, as this is the basis on which the law -enforcing machinery can resort to suitable action, later, if needed. The DSP shall submit a proposal to the District Magistrate/Sub-Divisional Magistrate of the District/ Competent Authority of the concerned area. This is when the gathering cannot be prevented and/or is likely to cause harm to the couple or members of their family. The authority can issue orders to take preventive steps under the CrPC. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC can also be invoked. Arrest of the participants in the assembly under Section 151 CrPC can also be approved. The jurisdictional police official can file an FIR under the appropriate provisions of the Indian Penal Code. This is when, despite all preventive measures, if Khap Panchayat has taken place and passed any diktat against a couple/family. Upon registration of FIR, the Superintendent/Deputy Superintendent of Police should be intimated. She/he, in turn, should ensure that effective investigation of the crime is done. Immediate steps should be taken to provide security to the couple/family. If necessary, steps to move them to a safe house within the same district or elsewhere should be taken. The District Magistrate/Superintendent of Police must deal with utmost sensitivity, the complaint regarding threat administered. After the marriage, if the couple so desire, they can be provided accommodation on payment of nominal charges in the safe house. This would be for a period of 1 month to be extended on monthly basis but not exceeding one year in aggregate. www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The decision would be taken depending on their threat assessment on case-to-case basis. The initial inquiry regarding the complaint should be entrusted by the District Magistrate/Superintendent of Police to an officer of the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police. She/he shall conduct a preliminary inquiry and ascertain the authenticity, nature and gravity of threat perception. On being satisfied as to the authenticity of such threats, a report should be submitted to the Superintendent of Police in one week. The District Superintendent of Police, on such report, should direct the Deputy Superintendent of Police in-charge of the concerned sub-division. This is to cause to register an FIR against the persons threatening the couples and, if necessary, invoke Section 151 of CrPC. Additionally, the DSP should personally supervise the progress of investigation and ensure that the same is completed. The designated Court/Fast Track Court earmarked for the purpose will try criminal cases pertaining to honour killing or violence to the couple(s). The trial must proceed on day-to-day basis. It must preferably be concluded within 6 months from the date of taking cognizance of the offence. Police or district officer/officials failing to comply with the directions will be considered as an act of deliberate negligence and/or misconduct. This is if such official(s) do not prevent the incident or take appropriate actions thereafter, despite prior knowledge of it. Departmental action would be taken under the service rules. The action shall be initiated and taken to its logical end, preferably not exceeding 6 months. The states are directed to take disciplinary action against the concerned officials. The State Governments should create special cells in every District. This is to receive petitions/complaints of harassment of and threat to couples of inter-caste marriage. The special cell will comprise of the 1. Superintendent of Police 2. District Social Welfare Officer 3. District Adi-Dravidar Welfare Officer These special cells should create a 24-hour helpline to receive and register such complaints. They are also to provide necessary assistance/advice and protection to the couple. The different state governments and the centre should work on sensitisation of the law enforcement agencies. There should be an institutional machinery with the necessary coordination of all the stakeholders. The Home department must take this initiative and work in coordination with the state governments. This is to mandate social initiatives and awareness, to curb such violence, and meet the goal of social justice and rule of law.
Gambling: Should be or shouldn’t be legalized?
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Existing laws on gambling in India Need for legalizing gambling Recently:
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Gambling is ubiquitous in Indian society, people bet on animal fights on streets, they make bets while playing cards and before cricket matches. As the Irish philosopher Edmund Burke correctly said, “Gambling is a principle inherent in human nature.” What are the existing laws on gambling? The primary law on which States have framed their gambling legislation is an archaic, British-era law called the Public Gambling Act, 1867. Why should gambling be legalized? Controlling black money: Legalizing the activity will help curtail an important source of black money that is used by criminal syndicates. It will also bring massive revenue to the state exchequer, which can be used for various constructive social schemes. Source of tax revenue: Size of the gambling market in India is about $60 billion so the government could earn tens of thousands of crores as tax revenue by legalizing sports betting. Additionally, if online gambling and casinos are also permitted, the estimated tax revenue would be much higher. Employment opportunities: Globally, wherever gambling is regulated, it has created a massive avenue for employment generation. For instance, the regulated gambling industry in the U.S. employs over 2.5 lakh people, while over 1 lakh individuals are employed in this sector in the U.K. What are the concerns? Gambling is morally incorrect in the Indian context. It is responsible for addiction, loss of livelihoods and bankruptcy. What should be done? Regulatory framework will help people. A robust regulatory framework governing the gaming sector will ensure that people do not fall prey to the excesses of gambling. Awareness campaigns should educate people about the perils of excessive gambling. Vulnerable sections shouldn’t have access. Minors, habitual gamblers and vulnerable sections should be excluded from having access to gaming facilities. Limits must be imposed on the amounts that can be wagered, based on a person’s financial capabilities.
Forest Rights Act
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About Forest Rights act and recent issue related Importance of FRA Recently: On March 12, about 50,000 farmers protest march in Mumbai. A majority of these farmers were Adivasis and one of their demands was the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and through it, their land rights. What is FRA?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The Forest Rights Act (FRA) was enacted in 2006. Its aim is to protect the claims of tribal communities over tracts of land or forests they have inhabited and cultivated for generations. It has the potential to democratize forest governance by recognizing community forest resource rights over an estimated 85.6 million acres, thereby empowering over 200 million forest dwellers in over 1,70,000 villages. What is the issue? FRA’s future is uncertainly balanced between the democratic control and protection of forests on the one hand and greedy corporations backed by an unscrupulous political class on the other. It has become the site of a deep conflict. What needs to be understood? It is important to understand what is at stake with the FRA. The FRA has two distinct features. First, it seeks to restore individual and/or community rights of forest dwellers over land and forest resources. These rights include title rights, user rights, forest management rights and relief and development rights. Second, it devolves power to village-level gram sabhas to contest and exclude the alienation of land in the Scheduled areas. Why FRA is important? FRA enables village and tribal communities in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura to veto the land-acquisitions claims of corporations and state governments. It expands the mandate of the Fifth and the Sixth Schedules of the Constitution that protect the claims of indigenous communities over tracts of land or forests they inhabit. It thus gives jurisdiction to a different practice of “belonging”, where the person and his/her land — the part and the whole — become indistinguishable. Such demands for forest rights are a call for upholding local practices of belonging. We need to move away from a discourse of governance that thrives on creating internal colonies and fosters subject hood rather than citizenship.
Electoral bonds: what, why and concerns
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About electoral bonds The importance of these bonds and earlier provisions regarding it Recent amendments Recently: The Government issued a notification in January, 2018 on electoral bonds, which was provided in the Finance Act 2017. Despite being argued as an effective tool for cleaning political funding, there are some serious concerns with electoral bonds. Electoral Bonds have been proposed as a way of reforming election funding in the Union Budget 2017. What is an Electoral Bond? Electoral bonds will be issued by a notified bank for specified denominations. Those who want to donate to a political party, can buy these bonds by making payments digitally or through cheque.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Then they are free to gift the bond to any registered political party. The bonds will likely be bearer bonds and the identity of the donor will not be known to the receiver. The party can convert these bonds back into money via their bank accounts. The bank account used must be the one notified to the Election Commission and the bonds may have to be redeemed within a prescribed time period. Electoral bonds are essentially like bearer cheques. The issuing bank will remain the custodian of the donor’s funds until the political party redeems the bond. Why is it important? Most political parties use the negligent regime on donations to accept cash donations from anonymous sources. Nearly 70% of the Rs.11,300 crore in party funding over the past 11-year period came from unknown sources. Currently, political parties are required to report any donation of over Rs.20,000 to the IT department. But there has been a trend of more donations flowing by way of hard cash in smaller amounts. To fix this, the Budget has proposed to reduce the disclosure limit to Rs.2,000 and insists that any amount over this must be paid through cheque or the digital mode. The idea is that electoral bonds will prompt donors to take the banking route to donate, with their identity captured by the issuing authority. What are the problems in electoral bond? The identity of the donor is captured, but it is not revealed to the party or public. So the transparency is not enhanced for the voter. Also the income tax breaks may not be available for donations through electoral bonds. This pushes the donor to choose between remaining anonymous and saving on taxes. Also privacy of the donor is compromised as the bank will know their identity. What were the earlier provisions? The incongruity of political parties depending on corporate funds to fight elections and sustain democracy is at times troubling. To address this, the Representation of People Act 1951 was amended in 2003, and sections 29B and 29C were inserted. Section 29B says political parties may accept contributions of any amount from any person or company. This is however except any contributions from a government company or foreign source. Section 29C says that every political party which receives such funding should prepare a report on contributions above Rs.20,000. They should also submit the same to the Election Commission before the income tax returns are filed. If any party fails to do this, it will not get tax exemption for that year under the Income Tax Act. Similarly, Section 13A of the Income Tax Act 1961 provides for exemption of all voluntary contributions received by a political party from payment of income tax. But such exemption is conditional on - the recipient party maintaining such books of accounts and other documents maintaining a record of such contributions and the names and addresses of donors as well as amounts above Rs.20,000 This provision also says that if the party fails to submit the report as stipulated in Section 29C, it will not get the tax exemption. Section 139 (4B) of the IT Act deals with furnishing of income returns by parties.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) It requires a political party to furnish total income including the exempted contributions with all the particulars. What are the recent amendments? The Finance Act, 2017 amended both the above mentioned Acts. It also exempted electoral bonds from the purview of section 29 C of the RP Act 1951 as well as section 13 A of the IT Act 1961. Henceforth, income received by way of electoral bonds is not required to be disclosed in the report to the Election Commission. Further, political parties are not required to maintain any record of the same or the names and addresses of donors of these bonds. What are the concerns? Secrecy The electoral bonds scheme has been to keep the identity of the donor absolutely confidential. The authorised bank will not disclose any information about the purchaser of the bonds to any authority for any purpose. Also, the bank will not know who the recipient of the bonds is. This secrecy and confidentiality in the case of political funding is a serious concern. Black Money A legal provision introduced by the Centre last year mandated contribution above Rs.2,000 to be made only through cheques, drafts, etc. This provision should adequately take care of the problem of black money flowing into the coffers of political parties. But by introducing electoral bonds, the Government has defeated this purpose. Opaque The scheme conceals from public scrutiny the identity of the corporates and donors who contribute to political parties. The Election Commission will neither be allowed to have a record of the electoral bonds received by a political party. It is also not clear whether the I-T authorities will have an opportunity to get all the details of the contribution. Legal incongruity Section 13A, as amended, rules out the need to maintaining record of the electoral bonds or details of the donor. This provision seems to be in contradiction with Section 139 (4B) of the IT Act which deals with furnishing information. Taxation system Taxing is a sovereign function. It is the social policy to tax all incomes for the benefit of society. So, all tax statutes lay down specific conditions for exempting any particular category of income. But the amendments, excluding all the existing conditions, in favour of the bonds goes against the scheme of taxation laws. Any legislative exclusion of public scrutiny of financial transactions having a bearing on public revenue is against constitutional policy. Legal The notification prohibits disclosure of any information about a donor to any authority which is a substantive provision. Notably, a notification issued under an Act cannot make a substantive provision. Only an Act can make such a provision. Also, this notification has been issued under section 31 of the RBI Act 1934 which does not contain any such provision.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Legally, a notification which is a subordinate legislation cannot travel far outside the parent Act. In all, the electoral bonds have some legal incongruities and basic differences with constitutional and democratic principles.
Amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II Acts and Bills of the government, National Medical Commission Bill (NMC) Recently: The Union Cabinet has approved certain official amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill. The Government has considered the recommendations made by the Standing Committee in its report and general feedback, particularly the views of medical students and practitioners regarding certain provisions of the Bill. What are the Amendments? Final MBBS Examination to be held as a common exam across the country and would serve as an exit test called the National Exit Test (NEXT): o Thus, the students would not have to appear in a separate exam after MBBS to get license to practice. o NEXT would also serve as the screening test for doctors with foreign medical qualifications in order to practice in India. Provision of Bridge course for AYUSH practitioners to practice modern medicine removed: o The provision dealing with bridge course for AYUSH practitioners to practice modern medicine to a limited extent has also been removed. o It has been left to the State Governments to take necessary measures for addressing and promoting primary health care in rural areas. Fee regulation for 50% seats in private medical institutions and deemed universities: o The maximum limit of 40% seats for which fee would be regulated in private medical institutions and deemed universities has been increased to 50% seats. o Further, it has been clarified that the fee would also include all other charges taken by the colleges. Number of nominees from States and UTs in NMC increased from 3 to 6: o The NMC will comprise of 25 members of which at least 21 will be doctors. Monetary penalty for a medical college non-compliant with the norms replaced with provision for different penalty options o Another major concern gathered during discussion with stakeholders was the wide range of monetary penalty, ranging from one half to ten times the annual fee recovered from a batch, to be imposed in a graded manner on a medical college non-compliant with the norms. o The clause has been replaced with a provision which provides different options for warning, reasonable monetary penalty, reducing intake, stoppage of admission leading up to withdrawal of recognition. Stringent punishment for unqualified medical practitioners or quacks: o The government is concerned about the quality and safety of health care being made available to the citizens and the need to act strictly against unqualified practitioners or quacks.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The punishment for any unauthorized practice of medicine has been made severe by including a provision for imprisonment of up to one year along with a fine extending up to Rs. 5 lakhs.
2G case & Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 The begning of the case Policy spin-offs Various issues with 2G case and coal scam Legality and effective implementation of the act Issue with license transfers Recently: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Delhi High Court in appeal against the acquittals in the trial court verdict on 2G. There were multiple flaws in the spectrum allocations and the prosecution in the trial court that needs further scrutiny. A brief account of how it all began:- In September 2007, the Department of Telecom (DoT) issued just a week’s time for companies to apply for mobile phone licences. As spectrums were priced artificially low, a mad scramble followed and 575 applications were received, most of which were from little known firms. The DoT then issued 122 licences by adopting a controversial ‘first-come first-served policy’, which privileged those who applied at the earliest. A CAG report in 2008 on 2G spectrum allocations, estimated a loss of R1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer. Consequently, in 2010, Mr. Raja resigned as telecom minister and he was later arrested in early 2011. Notably, the Delhi High Court set up a special court to fast-track the case. How did the case proceed? CBI filed its chargesheet and subsequently DMK MP ‘Ms. Kanimozhi’ and the MD of “Kalaignar TV” ‘Mr. Sharad Kumar’ were also arrested in late 2011. CBI also filed an FIR against another DMK leader and former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother kalanithi Maran. Overall, the trial began against 17 people that included the telecom executives of Unitech, Swan Telecom and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. In 2012, The Supreme Court cancelled all the 122 telecom licences allocated to nine companies in 2007, by holding ‘first-come, first-served’ policy at fault. In 2013 the Income-Tax department submitted to the SC the recordings of 5,800 tapped controversial phone conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and politicians. In 2014 the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its chargesheet, accused Mr. Raja, and Ms. Kanimozhi of money laundering. In 2015, CBI records in court that the Mr. Raja “misled” the then PM Manmohan Singh on policy matters pertaining to 2G spectrum allocation. In 2017, the special court concluded its hearing in April 2017, and it recently pronounced its final order, which acquitted all the people. What are the policy spin-offs from the case?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) SC’s order that cancelled all the 122 2G licenses issued in 2008 was perceived as a judicial over-reach into the policy domain. Hence, it moved a presidential reference with eight questions that included the rationale of “auction being the only mode for allocation of resources”. On hearing the presidential reference, by five-judge constitution bench, the SC concluded upholding the primacy of the government in the policy domain. It also explicitly stated that the auctions are not a must for all resource allocations and that maximization of revenue cannot be the sole criterion in all situations. What are the various issues with 2G case and Coal Scam? Cases against impropriety in the coal-block allocations and the 2G spectrum allocations were essentially similar in nature. While both involved accusations of wrongful allocation of public resources for private profit, one resulted in conviction and the other in acquittal. The difference in verdicts points strongly to the possibility that the trial court misapplied law and misunderstood in terms of the case. 2G case First-Come-First-Serve (FCFS) policy was criticized, as it had been unjustly tampered to benefit certain players at the cost of the exchequer. While the Supreme Court (SC) held that the tweaks were arbitrary, it had been muted on the substantive merit of the FCFS policy itself. Subsequently, conviction of the accused couldn’t be secured as malafide intentions were not established beyond doubt. Coal Scam Contarily, the court held that in the allocation of coal-blocks, reasonable precautions to preclude losses were not exercised. Coal secretarty H.C.Gupta was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PoCA)1988 for his non-diligence which led to a loss of public money. Logically, if lack of due diligence to prevent exchequer losses is a valid ground for conviction, then the 2G case should have also resulted in conviction. Was Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 effectively employed? Prevention of Corruption Act (PoCA) of 1988 explicity states that contravention of “public interest” is also a corrupt practice, along with “abusive use of office for pecuniary gains”. Hence, the burden of proof to show that all the safeguards and precautions were exercised to ensure no public loss lies clearly on the accused. But the prosecution failed to press on this and rather the debates were centered on the charges of whether money was laundered to tweak FCFS. This formed the crux of why the case was dismissed for lack of evidence, and speaks volumes on the incompetence of the prosecution. What is the legality of the FCFS policy? FCFS has been a long standing state policy in allocating natural resources. Despite its misuse in the spectrum issue, the SC has not denounced it. SC has stated that it respects the prerogative of the state to determine policy and that any policy must be tenably based on desired outcomes. FCFS’s allocative channel grants ‘first movers advantage’ and is best suited to incentivise firms to explore and discover resocures by taking financial risks. Notably, it is useful in sectors like oil & gas exploration, where the seeker would have to spend considerable resources in the discovery of the resource. Hence, the economics of demand and supply along with other significant aspects if any are to be employed to select the resource allocation mode.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) 2G case - The very fact that the competing players far outnumbered the slots available implies that the resources commanded good value in the market. In such circumstances, auctioning would have led to a fuller realisation of value for both the state and the players, but it was not employed. What is the issue with licence transfers? The purpose of allotting spectrum is to enable players to utilise the resource for enhancing tele- connectivity and tele-density in the country. Hence, a substantive entry and exit criteria should have been established and subsequent transfer of spectrum should have been regulated. But this was not the case and there were clear cases of spectrum transfers that had benefited the initial non serious buyers enormously. Notably, across sectors, unregulated subsequent licensing transfers of natural resources have effectively made it a free trading commodity, which is not desired.
Understanding The Procedure Of Guillotine
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II Polity and governance, Finance Bill, Budget, Guillotine Recently: On Wednesday, all Demands for Grants were “guillotined”: the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill (containing the consolidated Demands for Grants) with a spending plan of Rs 89.25 lakh crore, were introduced, voted on, and passed by voice vote, all within 30 minutes. It was an unusual step because there were still three weeks left in the Budget Session. While the government is technically within its rights to fast-track legislative business, the Opposition has criticised it for “stifling the voice of democracy”, and unfairly bypassing convention. Literal meaning of Guillotine: The guillotine is a large, weighted blade that was used for decapitating a person instantly in earlier times. It was widely used during the French Revolution. King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were also killed using guillotine procedure. But in budget and legislative parlance, to “guillotine” means to bunch together and fast-track the passage of financial business. In other words, it means passing the ‘demands for grants’ without discussions in the Lok Sabha. How Guillotine works in Indian Legilative process? After the Budget is presented, Parliament goes into recess for about three weeks. During this period, the House Standing Committees examine Demands for Grants for various Ministries, and prepare reports. After Parliament reassembles, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) draws up a schedule for discussions on the Demands for Grants. Given the limitation of time, the House cannot take up the expenditure demands of all Ministries; therefore, the BAC identifies some important Ministries for discussions. Members utilise the opportunity to discuss the policies and working of Ministries. Once the House is done with these debates, the Speaker applies the “guillotine”, and all outstanding demands for grants are put to vote at once. Usually, this happens on the last day earmarked for the discussion on the Budget. The intention is to ensure timely passage of the Finance Bill, marking the completion of the legislative exercise with regard to the Budget.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) This year, thanks to the ongoing impasse in Lok Sabha over issues like the Punjab National Bank fraud, Andhra Pradesh’s demand for a special package, distribution of Cauvery water, and Telangana’s plea to raise the quota limit, there was no debate on the Budget and related business. Let’s first understand the difference between Appropritaion Bill and Finance Bill: Both Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill are money bills. The Finance Bill seeks approval of the Parliament for raising resources through taxes, cess etc. An Appropriation Bill seeks Parliament's approval for the withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the approved expenditures of the Government. What happens after the guillotine is applied? The government formally introduces the Appropriation Bill. This is to authorise the government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India. Once this Bill is passed, it becomes the Appropriation Act. It is after the voting on the Appropriation Bill that the Finance Bill is taken up for consideration. Discussion on the clauses of the Finance Bill and on the amendments thereto is confined to the tax proposals. After the passing of this Bill, it enters the statute as the Finance Act. Thus the final Budget gets approved. If voting on these bills goes against the government, it is treated as a vote of no confidence against the government. Thus, a government can even fall if a money bill gets voted out. These fears get heightened in coalition politics.
Trafficking of Persons Bill 2018
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About Trafficking of Persons Bill 2018 Details of the bill The role of The National Anti-Trafficking Bureau Importance of the bill Recently: The Union Cabinet approved the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 for introduction. What does the bill cover? The Bill covers a wide range of trafficking. It comprehensively addresses the transnational nature of the crime. It includes: Trafficking for the purpose of forced labor, begging. Trafficking by administering chemical substance or hormones on a person for the purpose of early sexual maturity. Trafficking of a woman or child for the purpose of marriage or under the pretext of marriage or after marriage etc. It specifies punishment for promoting or facilitating trafficking of a person. The activities may include producing, printing, issuing or distributing unissued, tampered or fake certificates. registration or stickers as proof of compliance with Government requirements.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) procuring or facilitating the acquisition of clearances and necessary documents from Government agencies fraudulently Punishment ranges from rigorous imprisonment for minimum of 10 years to life, and fine of not less than Rs. 1 lakh. Besides, the Bill provides for the attachment and forfeiture of property and also the proceeds of crime. This is to break the organized nexus, both at the national and international level. The Bill provides for immediate protection of rescued victims and their rehabilitation. The Victims are entitled to interim relief immediately within 30 days to address their physical, mental trauma etc. Further appropriate relief within 60 days from the date of filing of charge sheet is also provided for. Rehabilitation is irrespective of criminal proceedings initiated against the accused or the outcome thereof. A specific Rehabilitation Fund for this purpose is created for the first time. This will be used for the physical, psychological and social well-being of the victim. It also for education, skill development, health care/psychological support, legal aid, safe accommodation, etc. The confidentiality of victims/witnesses and complainants must be ensured by not disclosing their identity. Further the confidentiality of the victims is maintained by recording their statement through video conferencing. This also helps in trans-border and inter-State crimes. Time bound trial and repatriation of the victims, within a period of one year from taking into cognizance, is mandated. The Bill provides for designated courts in each district for the speedy trial of the cases. It creates dedicated institutional mechanisms at District, State and Central level. These will be responsible for prevention, protection, investigation and rehabilitation work related to trafficking. National Investigation Agency (NIA) will perform the tasks of Anti-Trafficking Bureau at the national level present under the MHA. What will be the role of The National Anti-Trafficking Bureau? The National Anti- Trafficking Bureau will perform the functions of international coordination with authorities in foreign countries and international organizations. It will take up international assistance in investigation. It will facilitate inter-State and trans-border transfer of evidence and materials, witnesses and others for expediting prosecution. It will facilitate inter-state and international video conferencing in judicial proceedings, etc. Why is the Bill important? Human trafficking is the third largest organized crime violating basic human rights. It is a global concern, also affecting a number of South Asian nations. There is no specific law so far to deal with this crime. The Bill therefore addresses a pervasive yet invisible crime affecting the vulnerable persons especially women and children. The new law will make India a pioneer in formulating a comprehensive legislation to combat trafficking.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Supreme Court on Aadhaar Linking
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Recent SC’s order on Aadhar linking Need for the extension About section 7 of the Aadhaar Act Recently: The Supreme Court indefinitely extended the deadline for Aadhaar linking. What is the SC's order? The SC earlier extended the December 31, 2017 deadline for Aadhaar linking to March 31, 2018. It applied to linking Aadhaar with mobile phones, tatkal passports and for opening bank accounts. The SC now indefinitely extended that deadline, till the Court pronounces its final verdict on the validity of the Aadhaar scheme. The court called for a sense of certainty that citizens would not be harmed or their services would not be curtailed in the meantime. What this extension was much needed? The Aadhaar linking scheme is said to be a coercive step and violation of the ordinary citizen's fundamental right to privacy. The privacy concern is significant because India does not have a data protection regime to prevent or punish personal data leakage. Notably, the SC recently upheld privacy as a fundamental right and intertwined it with basic human dignity and right to life. The court expressed dissatisfaction at passing numerous interim orders extending the deadline. The government, on the other hand, has issued various 'piecemeal' notifications and legislations to link one service or the other. These have led to a sense of uncertainty and confusion among the citizens and consumers. Why did the Supreme Court extend the deadline on linking Aadhaar to various services, but refuse to grant one for welfare plans? The Court did not relax the March 31 deadline for linking Aadhaar to services under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act. As per this, Aadhaar requirement for opening new bank accounts and applying for Tatkal passports under the relevant laws will continue. What is the case with Section 7? Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act allows governments to insist on Aadhaar for certain purposes. It applies to establishing the identity of an individual as a condition for availing welfare schemes. These may include subsidy, benefit or service which draws expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India. Section 7 benefits are excluded from Aadhaar extension because it is statutorily protected by the Aadhaar Act itself. Whereas the other linkages, like with PAN, mobile phones, etc., are based on other statutes or even executive notifications. How is it going to impact the masses? The Court order may impact the welfare scheme beneficiaries, who typically hail from economically disadvantaged sections. The beneficiaries of 139 welfare schemes are at risk of falling off the coverage if they don’t furnish Aadhaar proof by March end. The services include the significant ones like the mid-day meal scheme for school children and food subsidies.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) It sends out a wrong message that privacy may not be a priority concern for the welfare scheme beneficiaries.
SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act Provisions under the act Recent verdict highlights Recently: The Supreme Court has pointed out that the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act is being rampantly misused. What is the SC/ST prevention of atrocities act? The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) PoA Amendment Act, 1989, was introduced to protect the vulnerable sections of the society. The Act was amended in 2015 to cover newer forms of discrimination and crimes against Dalits and tribals. What are the provisions under the act? The act provides for:- Establishment of Exclusive Special Courts and specification of Exclusive Special Public Prosecutors to enable speedy and expeditious disposal of cases. Completion of trial of the case filed under POA within two months, from the date of filing of the charge sheet. Defining clearly the term wilful negligence of public servants at all levels, starting from the registration of complaint, and covering aspects of dereliction of duty under this Act. Addition of presumption to the offences if the accused was acquainted with the victim, the court will presume that the accused was aware of the caste or tribal identity of the victim unless proved otherwise. What is the recent verdict of SC on the PoA? SC has ruled that Section 18, which bars grant of anticipatory bail to anyone accused of violating its provisions, is not an absolute bar on giving advance bail to those against whom, prima facie, there is no case. The two judge bench has prohibited the arrest of anyone merely because of a complaint that they had committed an atrocity against a dalit or a tribal person. In respect of public servants, no arrest should be made without the written permission of the official’s appointing authority. For the private citizens, the Senior Superintendent of Police in the district should approve for the arrest. The SC’s verdict highlights the following two major points:- Supreme Court in its judgment had made it clear that the SC/ST Atrocities Act should not perpetuate casteism. The court said 15-16% of the total numbers of complaints filed in 2015 under the Act were false and many cases were filed to settle personal scores and harass adversaries. SC made this statements in the view that any harassment of an innocent citizen, irrespective of caste or religion, is against the guarantee of the Constitution. Supreme Court has sought to strike a balance between protecting individual liberty and preserving the spirit of a law in favour of oppressed sections.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) What is the response for this verdict? In an ideal system, as long as every charge is judicially scrutinised and every investigation or prosecution is fair and honest, one need not worry about misuse and its adverse effects. However, social realities are far from being ideal which ought to concern the civil society including courts. The conviction rates under the Act remain low which proves the lackadaisical approach of investigators and prosecutors to bring home charges against perpetrators of such crimes. Even if courts are right in taking note of the tendency to misuse this law, society and lawmakers are justifiably worried about the sort of messaging contained in their rulings and observations. The strong demands from political parties are that words of caution and rules against misuse may be needed to grant relief to the innocent, but nothing should be done to de-fang the law itself.
National Medical Commission Bill 2017 And The Bridge Course!
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 The bridge course provision in National Medical Commission Bill 2017 Aims of MNC bill 2017 Need for the bridge course Concerns about India’s healthcare sector Significance of AYUSH doctors Recently: A “bridge course” provision in the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2017 has been introduced in the Lok Sabha. What is the bridge course provision about? As per the provision, doctors of Indian systems of medicine and homoeopathy (AYUSH) will be allowed to prescribe limited allopathic medicines upon passing the course. What does the NMC bill 2017 attempts to do? The National Medical Commission Bill 2017, attempts to facilitate integration of the different systems of medicine in a much broader sense. The bridge course will only be introduced if all the members present at a joint sitting of the NMC, the Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH), and the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) vote in its favor. The Bill proposes specific educational modules or programmes to develop bridges across the various systems of medicine. The bill also specifies that the members present in the joint sitting can spell out the health conditions for which AYUSH practitioners will be allowed to prescribe certain allopathic medicines. What is the need for the bridge course? In accordance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act Rules, some State governments have issued orders allowing AYUSH doctors to prescribe allopathic medication. The validity of such orders has been upheld by the Supreme Court. In this scenario enhancing the supply of allopathic doctors is undoubtedly the main goal but achieving the ideal doctor-population ratio could take decades. For that cause India wants to achieve Medical pluralism which is already a reality in several countries like China, Japan, etc. Thus the bridge course is aimed to serve an important part of a broader effort to empower and better utilise the capabilities of AYUSH practitioners for healthcare delivery. What are the concerns in Indian healthcare sector?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) India has only one allopathic doctor for approximately 1,613 people as against the WHO’s norm of 1 :1,000 ratio. This assumes that 80 per cent of the 10.23 lakh doctors registered with the Medical Council of India or State medical councils are in active service. But Indian Medical Register does not reflect doctors who have retired, left the country or passed away. Therefore, the total number of doctors in the country might actually be smaller than the official figures. The shortage is compounded by the concentration of medical colleges in Southern States, as well as the reluctance of doctors to serve in rural areas despite measures such as compulsory rural internships. What is the significance of AYUSH doctors? AYUSH includes Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy system of medicine. In India nearly 8 lakh AYUSH practitioners in the country have been providing primary healthcare in several areas. Students of homoeopathy, for instance, are trained in almost every subject that an MBBS student is taught during their five-and-a-half-year undergraduate course. It is often the case that textbooks, faculty and even the lecture halls where students of MBBS and Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) are taught, are the same. Like their MBBS counterparts, BHMS students also undertake an internship, including a six-month stint at a hospital. When compared with public healthcare allopathy doctors the AYUSH doctors performed better in terms of time spent with patients, as well as adherence to medical history checklists.
What Makes Maharashtra Kisan Rally A Model Protest?
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About Maharashtra Kisan Rally Outcomes of the march Reforms for agricultural markets and farmers condition in the country Recently: Thousands of farmers took out a gruelling six-day march of nearly 200 km from Nashik to Mumbai. The farmers aimed to gherao the Maharashtra Assembly and sensitise the government to their problems. How was this rally different? The Maharashtra farmers adopted a smooth, reasonable, and mature approach unlike what we witnessed during the Jat andolan last year. The rally did not disrupt the lives of other citizens and refrained itself from aggressive sloganeering contrary to how India’s myriad protesters typically behave. Many Mumbaikars backed the protestors defying the popular belief that urban India usually has little patience for agrarian problems. What are the outcomes of the march? A six-month deadline has been set for changes and a written assurance that some of the demands will be pushed through immediately. Tribal protestors with no land titles are promised that the 2006 Forest Rights Act will be implemented in letter and spirit.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The demand that the State’s loan waiver scheme be dropped so that genuine small farmers are not excluded is also being considered. What should be done to improve agriculture markets and farmer’ condition in the country? Institutional reforms should be undertaken to free constricted agricultural markets.
India: TB Capital Of The World
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2, prelims Issue of TB in India What is TB and how it can be controlled? About RNTCP Recently: The incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) in India rising. It is estimated at 200-300 cases per 100,000 population per year. As a comparison, in western Europe it is five per 100,000 per year. “Incidence” in epidemiology is a rate: new cases per unit population, per unit time. What is the issue? India has a high prevalence of TB with an annual incidence of 28 lakhs or 27% of the total global TB incidences. India is currently the TB capital of the world and to outsmart the disease, India must intercept - infection, progression and transmission. Every day 1,200 Indians die of TB - 10 every three minutes. What is TB? Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused when one gets infection with TB bacilli. It has the unique character of mimicking other diseases and hence confuses doctors, which delays diagnosis and further treatment. Notably, the common symptom associated with Cough and blood in sputum occurs only in lung TB and there are others like Brain TB, Pelvic TB etc. TB can affect the lungs, brain, bones, joints, the liver, intestines or for that matter any organ and can progress slowly or kill in weeks. There are 3 distinct stages in TB - infection, progression, transmission that needs to be understood to designing TB control Infection Infection occurs when TB bacilli are inhaled and the Bacilli may stay in the lungs or travel to other organs. Once infected, the bacillus persists lifelong inside an organism’s body, but lies dormant - This phase is “latent TB”. This can be diagnosed by a ‘Tuberculin Skin Test’ (TST) and cumulatively, 40% to 70% of us are estimated to be living with latent TB. Progression From this dormant bacterium pool, a few germs slowly lead to the progression of disease in a time span of anywhere between 5 – 30 years. Hence, the TB disease sets in only when bacilli become active and starts multiplying, and this phase is called “active TB”. Transmission Only when active TB affects the lungs do bacilli find an exit route to the atmosphere, which is the only mode of transmission.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) How can TB be controlled? By the concerted use of all interventions — biomedical and socio-behavioral. Beginning with schools, public education on TB and its prevention must replace ignorance and misconceptions. No one should spit in public places and also practice cough and sneeze etiquette (covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing). To block transmission, treatment should begin as soon as a symptom shows up. Dealing with TB requires mass initiatives - health professionals, policy planners and administrators and the public must come together to solve it. What is RNTCP? Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) has become a great humanitarian programme of free diagnosis and treatment instead of a control programme.
Forest Rights Act
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About FRA and current issue related Importance of FRA Recently: On March 12, about 50,000 farmers protest march in Mumbai. A majority of these farmers were Adivasis and one of their demands was the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and through it, their land rights. What is FRA? The Forest Rights Act (FRA) was enacted in 2006. Its aim is to protect the claims of tribal communities over tracts of land or forests they have inhabited and cultivated for generations. It has the potential to democratize forest governance by recognizing community forest resource rights over an estimated 85.6 million acres, thereby empowering over 200 million forest dwellers in over 1,70,000 villages. What is the issue? FRA’s future is uncertainly balanced between the democratic control and protection of forests on the one hand and greedy corporations backed by an unscrupulous political class on the other. It has become the site of a deep conflict. What needs to be understood? It is important to understand what is at stake with the FRA. The FRA has two distinct features. First, it seeks to restore individual and/or community rights of forest dwellers over land and forest resources. These rights include title rights, user rights, forest management rights and relief and development rights. Second, it devolves power to village-level gram sabhas to contest and exclude the alienation of land in the Scheduled areas. Why FRA is important? FRA enables village and tribal communities in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura to veto the land-acquisitions claims of corporations and state governments. It expands the mandate of the Fifth and the Sixth Schedules of the Constitution that protect the claims of indigenous communities over tracts of land or forests they inhabit.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) It thus gives jurisdiction to a different practice of “belonging”, where the person and his/her land — the part and the whole — become indistinguishable. Such demands for forest rights are a call for upholding local practices of belonging. We need to move away from a discourse of governance that thrives on creating internal colonies and fosters subject hood rather than citizenship. Why implementing FRA is important
Relevancy G.s. Paper 2 About forest rights act Importance of FRA Present status of FRA Consequences if FRA is not implemented Recently: Many forest dwellers mostly tribal farmers in Maharashtra put the demand of proper implementation of Forest Rights Act (FRA). What is Forest Rights Act? The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 or FRA was a landmark legislation that sought to restore the rights of forest dwellers over land, community forest resources and habitats, and the governance and management of forests. It concerns the rights of forest-dwelling communities to land and other resources, denied to them over decades as a result of the continuance of colonial forest laws in India. The Act grants legal recognition to the rights of traditional forest dwelling communities, partially correcting the injustice caused by the forest laws. Why FRA is important? FRA contributes to the livelihood and sustainable management of forests. The community forest titles enable all the villagers, including landless people, to access, use and sell minor forest produce and use other forest resources. There are evidences that after recognition of community forest rights, the household incomes from bamboo harvesting increased. There are possibilities of reverse migration and reduced forest fires due to regular patrolling and monitoring by the villagers. What is the present status of FRA? The Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ latest database reveals that out of 41,89,827 claims for land rights made by forest dwellers, only 18,24,27 have been accepted by the authorities. In some cases titles have been given over less area than what was legitimately claimed by forest dwellers. Of the total forest rights titles issued so far, the majority are of individual forest rights and only less than 4 per cent titles recognise community forest rights. Instead of addressing the implementation problems, governments across the country have introduced conflicting policies that go against the spirit of the FRA. Many of these rules place the governance of forests in the hands of committees that are constituted and controlled by the forest department. What will be the consequences if FRA is not implemented? There are land related conflicts galore across the country arising due to the non-implementation of the provisions of the Forest Rights Act.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) There were diversion of forests for industrial and development projects without settling forest dwellers rights and without their free and prior informed consent has been indiscriminately carried out. Majority of the land conflicts (two-third) in India are related to common lands rather than private lands. If unsolved these conflicts will increase and will impact hugely on the economic system if the government fails to address them in a rapid manner. What should the government do? The government should realise that the Forest Rights Act can enhance the livelihood of people and promote sustainable forest management through collective action with legal sanction, scientific inputs and social process. Implementation of the Forest Rights Act will help to resolve many existing conflicts and uplift the economic and social status of forest dwellers. The government should understand the potential of the FRA to address rural distress and not subvert its provisions. The state governments across the country should bring amendments to their forest law, especially laws related to minor forest produce.
Farming: As a market-based enterprise
Relevancy: GS Mains paper II, III Agriculture, problems of farming, farmer distress, market-based solutions to farming Recently: Farmers in Maharashtra and Gujarat held peaceful protests on the anniversary of Gandhi ji’s Dandi March of 1930. These protests were different from past farmer agitations: The protests were mostly silent and disciplined, mostly leaderless, non-disruptive and non-violent, and well organised. It received the sympathy of middle class city dwellers, food and water from bystanders, free medical services from volunteer doctors, and also bandwagon support of all political parties from the left to the right. The State government agreed to all the demands, including pending transfer of forest land to Adivasis, expanding the scope of the loan waiver and ensuring higher prices for farm produce. Farmers’ protests are not new. There have been many recommendations by various committees in the past, but they have not been implemented. Take the case of M.S. Swaminathan report, which is over 10 years old. And several of its recommendations have not been implemented. What should be done? Seek solution outside farming sector: o Productivity in agriculture sector is very low in India. This reflects disguised unemployment. o This is because of lack of opportunities in industrial sector. o Employment in industry should be pushed and ease of doing business should be improved. Treat farming as a business: o There needs to be a direct link between the Farmer and the Buyer. o The monopoly procurement regime and the APMC (Agriculture Produce Market Committees) need a revival. o Contract farming should be encouraged.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) o Credit access should be increased. o Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the entire ‘Farm to Fork’ chain is very restricted. This needs to be liberalized. o Land leasing laws also need revisions. Focus should be more on land consolidation and crop diversification. Loan waivers are a bad idea: o Loan waivers become imperative, more for moral and ethical reasons, than economic. o Loan waivers punish those who worked hard and repaid, and the cash anyway goes to banks, not to farmers. o Banks don’t issue fresh loans out of their own risk aversion. o Hence, loan waivers are a bad economic idea but often a political compulsion. MSP discourages crop diversification: o The farmers are rewarded with 50% more minimum support price (MSP), no matter what the cost. o This paradigm of cost plus pricing is bad economics. o Sugarcane grows cheaper in Uttar Pradesh in the Gangetic plains than in drought-prone Maharashtra. o But with an assured cost plus MSP, there is little incentive to diversify crops to suit weather and cost conditions. Some positive steps taken by the government recently: o Neem-coated fertilizer has reduced leakage, and direct benefit transfer to the farmer-buyer will reduce subsidy further. o Soil cards ensure appropriate matching of inputs to soil conditions. o Giving tax holiday to the farmer producer companies is also the right fiscal incentive. o The government’s aim to double farm income in the next four years is a near impossible feat, but signals the right intention. Conclusion: The big agenda is to unshackle agriculture to make it a truly commercial market-based enterprise; to create opportunities outside farming for large scale exit of the workforce; to connect farmers to the value chain of farm to fork, including agribusiness; to remove restrictions on movement and exports of farm produce and let them tap into international market, to also allow easier land transfers including leasing; to encourage crop diversification and land consolidation that reverses fragmentation.
Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II Bills and Acts, Polity and Governance, Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 Recently: The Union Cabinet has approved the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018. Need for the Bill: Despite “trafficking in human beings” being the third largest organized crime violating basic human rights, there is no specific law so far to deal with this crime.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Trafficking is not only a global concern, but is also affecting a number of South Asian nations. Amongst them, India is now a pioneer in formulating a comprehensive legislation. UNODC and SAARC nations are looking forward to India to take lead by enacting this law.
The Bill addresses one of the most pervasive yet invisible crimes affecting the most vulnerable persons especially women and children. The new law will make India a leader among South Asian countries to combat trafficking. Salient features of the Bill:- It aims at prevention, rescue and rehabilitation of the vulnerable target group which includes women and children. It addresses aggravated forms of trafficking, which includes trafficking for the purpose of forced labour, begging, trafficking by administering chemical substance or hormones on a person for the purpose of early sexual maturity, trafficking of a woman or child for the purpose of marriage or under the pretext of marriage or after marriage etc. It provides for punishment for promoting or facilitating trafficking of person. Punishment ranges from rigorous minimum 10 years to life and fine not less than Rs. 1 lakh. The confidentiality of victims/ witnesses and complainants shall be maintained by not disclosing their identity. Further the confidentiality of the victims is maintained by recording their statement through video conferencing. This also helps in trans-border and inter-State crimes. Time bound trial and repatriation of the victims. The Bill provides for immediate protection of rescued victims and their rehabilitation. The Victims are entitled to interim relief immediately within 30 days to address their physical, mental trauma etc. and further appropriate relief within 60 days from the date of filing of charge sheet. Rehabilitation Fund created for the first time: To be used for the physical, psychological and social well-being of the victim including education, skill development, health care/psychological support, legal aid, safe accommodation etc. Speedy trials through designated courts. Dedicated institutional mechanisms at District, State and Central levels will be responsible for prevention, protection, investigation and rehabilitation work related to trafficking. National Investigation Agency (NIA) will perform the tasks of Anti-Trafficking Bureau at the national level present under theMHA. The Bill provides for the attachment & forfeiture of property and also the proceeds for crime in order to hit the organized nexus at national and international levels. The Bill comprehensively addresses the transnational nature of the crime. The National Anti-Trafficking Bureau will perform the functions of international coordination with authorities in foreign countries and international organizations; international assistance in investigation; facilitate inter-State and trans-border transfer of evidence and materials, witnesses and others for expediting prosecution; facilitate inter-state and international video conferencing in judicial proceedings etc. Nutrition Status Of Indian Women
Relevancy: GS Mains, paper I, II Governance, women issues, status of women nutrition Recently: On International Women’s Day (8th march, 2018), the POSHAN team released a report on how women are doing on nutrition outcomes. Background:
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Of the 1.2 billion people in India, 586 million are women. It is important to consider ways of empowering women and girls to optimize their full potential, and to examine the ways in which poor nutrition among women might compromise their ability to fully participate in society. Highlights of the study: Women face multiple forms of malnutrition. One third of women of reproductive age (between 15 to 49 years) are undernourished, with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5 kg/m2. About half (51.4 percent) of women in reproductive age are anaemic. And of much concern, one in five (22 percent of) adult women in India are overweight. State wise variations of nutrition amongst women: The manifestations of poor nutrition among women vary by state and by district. The prevalence of low BMI among women (15-49 years) ranges from 3.3 percent in Tawang and Kurung Kumey districts of Arunachal Pradesh to 47.5 percent in Puruliya district of West Bengal. The prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age varies from 83.2 percent in Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, to 9 percent in Phek district of Nagaland. Several districts with extremely high prevalence of anemia among women are clustered around the eastern areas. The prevalence of obesity and overweight among women ranges from 47.9 percent in Hyderabad district of Andhara Pradesh, to 2.4 percent in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. Relation between nutrition, education and age of marriage: An analysis of underlying and basic determinants of undernutrition reveals that the education of women and their age at marriage are crucial factors influencing the overall nutrition outcomes. In Odisha, where the status of nutrition outcomes is better than the national average, subsequent NFHS data (3 & 4) show that there was a rise in women’s literacy (from 52.2 percent in 2006 to 67.4 percent in 2016) and the proportion of women with more than 10 years of education increased from 15.6 percent to 26.7 percent over this period. Therefore, it is critical to focus on the status of women, along with improving their nutrition and fitness.
Central Information Commission
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II, IV (The article is very important w.r.t. ethics case studies Polity and governancy, Right to Information (RTI), Central Information Commission (CIC) Recently: Prime Minister will be inaugurating the new premises of Central Information Commission (CIC) at Munirka in the capital tomorrow. About CIC – Central Information Commission: Constitution of the CIC: o CIC is a statutory body constituted under the Right to Information Act, 2005. o Commission includes 1 Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and not more than 10 Information Commissioners (IC) who will be appointed by the President of India. o Oath of Office is administered by the President of India. Eligibility criteria for CIC:
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) o Candidates for CIC/IC must be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance. o CIC/IC shall not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory. o He shall not hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession. o Appointment Committee includes: Prime Minister (Chair), Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and one Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister. Term of Office and other service conditions of CIC: o CIC shall be appointed for a term of 5 years from date on which he enters upon his office or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier and shall not be eligible for reappointment. o Salary will be the same as that of the Chief Election Commissioner. This will not be varied to the disadvantage of the CIC during service. Term of office and other service conditions of IC: o IC shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier and shall not be eligible for reappointment as IC. o Salary will be the same as that of the Election Commissioner. This will not be varied to the disadvantage of the IC during service. o IC is eligible for appointment as CIC but will not hold office for more than a total of five years including his/her term as IC. Powers and functions of Information Commissions? . CIC/SCIC (Central and State Chief Information Commissions respectively) will have powers of Civil Court. . The Central Information Commission/State Information Commission has a duty to receive complaints from any person - o Who has not been able to submit an information request because a PIO has not been appointed ; o Who has been refused information that was requested; o Who has received no response to his/her information request within the specified time limits ; o Who thinks the fees charged are unreasonable ; o Who thinks information given is incomplete or false or misleading ;and o Any other matter relating to obtaining information under this law.
Cabinet Approves Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III Bills and Acts, Economy, Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill Recently: The Union Cabinet chaired has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to introduce the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 in Parliament. The Bill would help in laying down measures to deter economic offenders from evading the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts. As per the Bill, for offences worth Rs.100 crore or more, Property of Fugitive Economic Offenders shall be attached. www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) What is the need of this law? There have been several instances of economic offenders fleeing the jurisdiction of Indian courts, anticipating the commencement, or during the pendency, of criminal proceedings. Economic offences are those that are defined under the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act, the SEBI Act, the Customs Act, the Companies Act, Limited Liability Partnership Act, and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The absence of such offenders from Indian courts has several deleterious consequences: o First, it hampers investigation in criminal cases. o Second, it wastes precious time of courts of law. o Third, it undermines the rule of law in India. o Fourth, most the non-repayment of bank loans leads to worsening of financial health of the banking sector in India. The existing civil and criminal provisions in law are not entirely adequate to deal with the severity of the problem. Non-conviction-based asset confiscation for corruption-related cases is enabled under provisions of United Nations Convention against Corruption which has been ratified by India in 2011. Salient features of the Bill: The Bill makes provisions for a Court ('Special Court' under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002) to declare a person as a Fugitive Economic Offender. A Fugitive Economic Offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution. A scheduled offence refers to a list of economic offences contained in the Schedule to this Bill. Further, in order to ensure that Courts are not over-burdened with such cases, only those cases where the total value involved in such offences is 100 crore rupees or more, is within the purview of this Bill. Application has to be made before the Special Court for a declaration that an individual is a fugitive economic offender; There is also provision for attachment of the property of a fugitive economic offender; Issue of a notice by the Special Court to the individual alleged to be a fugitive economic offender; Confiscation of the property of an individual declared as a fugitive economic offender resulting from the proceeds of crime; Confiscation of other property belonging to such offender in India and abroad, including benami property; Disentitlement of the fugitive economic offender from defending any civil claim; and An Administrator will be appointed to manage and dispose of the confiscated property under the Act.
Rule Of Law Is The Fundamental Principle Of Governance!
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2,3 Rule of law is the fundamental principle of governance! The issue related to it and encounter killings Recently: The World Justice Project Index takes into account 44 indicators in 113 countries, and India’s rank in 2017-18 was a dismal 62.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Denmark topped the list. Our criminal justice system ranks even lower, at 66. Nepal is ahead of us on this. What is the issue? Rule of law is the fundamental principle of governance of any civilized liberal democracy but the Uttar Pradesh government looks somewhat determined to disregard the first principles of the criminal justice system. Police encounters have become routine in U.P. In December, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had introduced in the State Assembly the Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill, 2017 on the pattern of the regressive Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Such legislation does not promote the rule of law, but is itself a kind of violence, though a legitimate one with due authority of law. Such laws are basically examples of “rule by law” as law itself negates human rights and permits deviations from due processes. The fundamental premise of the rule of law is that every human being, including the worst criminal, is entitled to basic human rights and due process. Encounter killing: Encounter killings generally take place with the prior consent or in full knowledge of the top authority. But in reality, when after a long wait, the trial in cases of fake encounter takes place, the main culprits easily get discharged, and, in some cases, the Central Bureau of Investigation even refuses to file an appeal against such discharge, and subsequently many prosecution witnesses turn hostile. There is a qualitative difference between use of force in an operation and use of such deadly force that is akin to using a sledgehammer to kill a fly; one is an act of self-defence while the other is an act of retaliation. Importantly, the above observations were about terrorists, not ordinary criminals like those being killed in U.P. encounters. From the details of U.P. encounters, they do not look like acts of defence by the U.P. police. These encounters demonstrate the government’s resolve to adopt ‘the rule by gun’ in preference to ‘the rule of law’. What needs to be done? The primordial value is that it is the responsibility of every organ of the State to function within the four corners of constitutional responsibility. That is the ultimate rule of law.
Into Priesthood: On Training Dalits To Become Priests
Relevancy G.S. Paper 1.2 Training Dalit and tribal youth in the procedures of performing temple rituals and practices at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh What makes this step reformative and revolutionary? Does this break caste hierarchy? The Supreme Court’s Judgement Recently:
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the independent trust which manages the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, had taken a unique decision to train Dalit and tribal youth in the procedures of performing temple rituals and practices. It is in this context we need to understand whether training Dalits to become priests would really break down caste hierarchy or create another layer of stratification. What makes this step reformative and revolutionary? According to many, this is indeed a step towards smudging social boundaries. According to many progressive Hindus, the programme represents an inclusive, perhaps disruptive, social engineering that could bring marginalised communities, previously barred from entering temples for fear of “impurity”, into the mainstream. Does this break caste hierarchy? According to the critics, this mode of training and appointing Dalits as priests would not change the basic structure of Hinduism or the doctrine of temple rituals It is an unintentional creation of another social layer or a “sanskritised class of purity” It further signifies that a Dalit gives up his cultural and religious past to embrace the Brahmin way of life. This reinforces the superiority of the Brahmin and further entrenches the lower castes in their religious, ritual, social lowness. What is the Supreme Court’s Judgement? The Supreme Court in 2015 held that caste and birth should not determine induction of priests in temples. Rather, domain knowledge, traditional codes of practice and the Constitution’s guarantee of equality before law should be applied.
Halving The Syllabus, Squaring Knowledge
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Halving the syllabus, squaring knowledge Recently: Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar claimed that the syllabus needed trimming as it had become as weighty as that for an undergraduate arts or commerce degree, and it was leaving children with no time for extra-curricular activities. He also said that he would bring back the system of “detention and examinations” in lower classes that the previous United Progressive Alliance government had done away with. A brief background: Back in 2015 Delhi’s Education Minister, Manish Sisodia said that schools’ syllabus for the 9th to 12th standards would be cut by a quarter and “outdated material” would be shunned and more time for music, theatre and leisure should be given. In 2017 the Bombay High Court suggested that mathematics be made an optional for 10th standard students as lots of students were failing in them and those in arts programmes didn’t need maths in their programmes. The common thread in these thoughts is that an enormous work load is the cause of stress among school children and halving the syllabus would translate into fewer hours of course work. But this fails to acknowledge that the culprit is a system that encourages mindless crowd as the dominant indicator of ‘learning’. What more appropriate could be done?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) School students need to be trained to apply facts to real-world problems and be evaluated in their abilities to critique, seek out information and produce knowledge of their own. This requires educators to re-imagine testing — everywhere, from kindergarten to management and encourage new Mozarts who’re confident of their creativity.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) SCHEMES AND POLICIES OF GOVERNMENT
Restructuring of NSDF and NSDC
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II, III Policies and Schemes of government, Skill development, Unemployment in India Recently: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for restructuring of National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework. The approval would lead to restructuring of composition of Board of NSDF and the NSDC to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework. The restructuring will also ensure better corporate governance, transparency and accountability in operations of NSDC besides strengthening the oversight role of NSDF. IMA between NSDF & NSDC: NSDC and NSDF were set up by the Ministry of Finance and registered in July, 2008 and January, 2009 respectively for implementing coordinated action for skill development. NSDF’s main objective is to enhance, stimulate and develop the skills of Indian youth force by various sector specific programmes. NSDF entered into an Investment Management Agreement (IMA) with NSDC for utilization of its corpus to meet the desired objectives of National Skill Development Mission and encourage skill development in the country. Provision of supervisory role of NSDF over NSDC's functions is also included in the IMA between NSDC and NSDF. About National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC): The National Skill Development Corporation India (NSDC) was setup as a one of its kind, Public Private Partnership Company with the primary mandate of catalysing the skills landscape in India. NSDC is a unique model created with a well thought through underlying philosophy based on the following pillars: o Create: Proactively catalyse creation of large, quality vocational training institutions. o Fund: Reduce risk by providing patient capital. Including grants and equity. o Enable: the creation and sustainability of support systems required for skill development. This includes the Industry led Sector Skill Councils. The main objectives of the NSDC are to: Upgrade skills to international standards through significant industry involvement and develop necessary frameworks for standards, curriculum and quality assurance Enhance, support and coordinate private sector initiatives for skill development through appropriate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models; strive for significant operational and financial involvement from the private sector Play the role of a "market-maker" by bringing financing, particularly in sectors where market mechanisms are ineffective or missing Prioritize initiatives that can have a multiplier or catalytic effect as opposed to one-off impact. About National Skill Development Fund (NSDF):
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The National Skill Development Fund was set up in 2009 by the Government of India for raising funds both from Government and Non Government sectors for skill development in the country. The Fund is contributed by various Government sources, and other donors/ contributors to enhance, stimulate and develop the skills of Indian youth by various sector specific programs. A public Trust set up by the Government of India is the custodian of the Fund. The Trust accepts donation, contribution in cash or kind from the Contributors for furtherance of objectives of the Fund. The Fund meets its objectives through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) which is an industry led ‘Not For Profit Company’ set up for building skill development capacity and forging strong linkages with the market. NSDC acts as a catalyst in skill development by providing funding to enterprises, companies and organizations that provide skill training. It also develops appropriate models to enhance, support and coordinate private sector initiatives. Till 31st March 2015, NSDF has released Rs. 2333 crore to NSDC towards skill development programmes including National Skill Certification and Monetary Reward Scheme (STAR) and UDAAN Scheme (J&K oriented). NSDC with 160 training partners and 1722 training centres has so far trained around 35 lakh persons across India.
Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan and its achievements
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2, Prelims About RUSA, its beginning The governance reforms central to the scheme Achievements of RUSA Recently: The budget for Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan is increased 4 times, and the second phase of the scheme is also approved. For the current year, Rs. 1,300 crore has been provided and funding has been made conditional to the performance. RUSA is:- Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2013. Its aim was to increase enrolment in higher education by 30%. It primarily provides strategic funding to eligible State higher educational institutions. Why RUSA was introduced? India is estimated to have over 800 universities, with over 40,000 colleges affiliated to them. The Centre's slant toward premier institutions has continued ever since the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12). Central Fund - Presently, less than 6% of students study in about 150 Centrally-funded institutions. But they corner almost the entire funding by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). The funding is mainly directed towards starting more IITs, IIMs and Central universities. State Institutions - About 94% of students of higher education study in 369 State universities. In spite of a nine-fold increase in Budget allocation, State institutions have been left to fend for themselves.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) To make things worse, investment by State governments has been dwindling each year as higher education is a low-priority area. The University Grant Commission’s system of direct releases to State institutions, bypassing State governments, also leads to their sense of alienation. Thus, despite being the face of higher education in India, State institutions do not get their due share. It was to address these critical concerns that the MHRD launched RUSA. How does it work? RUSA is not imposed on State governments in a one-size-fits all manner unlike other schemes. Under RUSA, states and institutions have to give an undertaking expressing their willingness to the idea of reform. They should also agree to meet the States’ share of the cost. Accordingly, preparatory grants will be released to States to have the required systems, processes, and the technical support in place. The scheme is largely based on the conditional release of funds. It is linked to reforms in the key areas of governance, learning-teaching outcomes, reaching out to the unreached and infrastructure support. What are the governance reforms central to the scheme? State Higher Education Councils (SHECs) which have eminent academics, industrialists and other experts have been created. They play a major role, from an academic and professional point of view. They formulate the medium- and long-term State perspective plans. State has to give its commitment to creating a search-cum-select committee. This is to avoid arbitrariness in the selection of vice-chancellors. Mitigating the bane of the affiliation system is also a major objective. This is achieved through a reduction in the number of colleges affiliated per university. This is done by creating cluster universities and promoting autonomous colleges. An important precondition is the filling up of faculty positions and lifting the ban on recruitment (as in some States). Other efforts to improve learning-teaching outcomes include: improving pedagogy by capacity-building of faculty selecting teachers in a transparent manner adopting accreditation as a mandatory quality-assurance framework implementing semester system involving academics of repute and distinction in decision-making processes What are the achievements of RUSA so far? An independent performance review (of four years) of the scheme was done by IIT Bombay in 2017. It concluded that the funding linked to reforms has had a visible impact on higher education. GER improved Earlier when RUSA began, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) was 19.4%, faculty vacancies were at a high level of 60%, and a large number of universities were bloated with a teacher-student ratio of 1:24. Now GER is 25.2%, faculty vacancies are down to 35%, the ban on faculty recruitment by States has been lifted, and the teacher-student ratio is now 1:20. SHECs and governance reforms visible Several universities in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been right sized. Critical governance reforms such as the formation of the SHEC and merit-based appointments of vice-chancellors in Odisha, Goa, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu are visible. Improvement in accredited institutions www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) There has been an improvement in the number of institutions accredited and their scores. In 2012, 106 State universities and 4,684 colleges were accredited. By 2017, an additional 145 State universities and 5,445 Colleges were accredited. In terms of its potential RUSA has reprioritized the country’s needs, from funding only a few premier institutions to reaching out to institutions at the bottom of the pyramid. It has also changed the way regulators need to function. Letting go of government control is the key The litmus test of RUSA will be in how impartially the scheme is administered by the MHRD and the degree to which State governments allow the SHEC to function. Letting go of the governmental stranglehold over universities is linked to this.
Krishi Vigyan Kendras
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains, Agriculture Optional, geography Optional Schemes and policies of the government, Agriculture, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) Recently: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education for continuation / strengthening, upto 2019-20, of 669 Krishi Vigyan Kendras(KVKs) established till 31.03.2017 and 11 Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs) The financial outlay for the KVK Scheme [including Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture (DKMA)] for 2017-20 shall be of Rs 2,82,400.72 lakh. Purpose of KVKs: KVKs would act as knowledge and resource centre in the field of agriculture in the district and would build models of technology uptake and farmers' empowerment leading to support Government of India’s initiative of doubling farmers' income. KVK Scheme: The KVK scheme is functioning on 100% Central funding pattern under the ambit of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE). Till 31.3.2017, 669 KVKs have been established, which are functioning as district level Farm Science Centres, the mandate being, Technology Assessment and Demonstration for its Application and Capacity Development. The activities include on-farm testing of technologies and demonstrations, capacity development of farmers and extension personnel, functioning as a knowledge and resource centre of agricultural technologies, providing farm advisories using ICT and other media means on varied subjects of interest to farmers. In addition, KVKs produce quality technological products (seed, planting material, bio-agents, livestock) and make it available to farmers; organize frontline extension activities; identify and document selected farm innovations; and ensure convergence with ongoing schemes and programmes. Various programmes initiated through the KVK Scheme are: A Network Project on New Extension Methodologies and Approaches; Nutri-sensitive Agricultural Resources and Innovations (NARI); Programs tilted Knowledge Systems and Homestead Agriculture Management in Tribal Areas (KSHAMTA), Value Addition and Technology Incubation Centres in Agriculture (VATICA),
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Farm Innovation Resource Management (FIRM) and Establishment of Agricultural Technology Information Centre. Rain Water Harvesting, Integrated Farming System (IFS) Processing, Fish seed production, ICT enabled services, green agriculture and strengthening of soil health program shall also be supported. Two important programmes approved include the Farmer FIRST at 52 centres and Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA) for 100 Districts. The ARYA component is being implemented currently in 25 States through KVKs, one district from each State with technical partners from ICAR Institutes and Agricultural Universities for taking up entrepreneurial activities through skill development of rural youth leading to employment generation. Convergence of schemes under KVKs: KVK may facilitate convergence and act as the nodal agency of several schemes of the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Food Processing Industries and other Departments and Ministries focused on agricultural and rural development through schemes like: o The Soil Health Card Scheme, o Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, o Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, o Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana; o National Gokul Mission; o National Livestock Mission and o Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana to address issues relating to micro irrigation, o Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), o Integrated Pest Management (IPM), o Livestock Management, o Processing and Value addition and o Use of mobile technology etc. DKMA - Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture: DKMA is mandated for dissemination and sharing of agricultural knowledge and information through value added information products in print, electronic and web mode; Development of e-resources on agricultural knowledge; and Information for global exposure, facilitation for strengthening e-connectivity among institutes of the icar, agricultural universities (aus) and kvks; and Capacity building for agricultural knowledge management and communication.
Integrated Scheme for School Education
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper I, II Schemes and policies of the government, Education, Integrated Scheme for School Education Recently: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Department of School Education and Literacy to formulate an Integrated Scheme on School Education by subsuming Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE) from 1st April, 2018 to 31st March, 2020.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) An estimated allocation of Rs 75,000 crore over the period has been approved which is a 20% increase over the current allocations. Background: The scheme comes in the backdrop of PM’s vision of Sabko Shiksha, Achhi Shiksha and aims to support the States in universalizing access to school education from classes pre-nursery to XII across the country. Salient Features of the Scheme: The vision of the Scheme is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from nursery to senior secondary stage in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal for Education. The main emphasis of the Integrated Scheme is on improving quality of school education by focussing on the two T's - Teacher and Technology. The objectives of the Scheme, across all levels of schooling, are: Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students; Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education; Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education; Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions; Promoting vocationalization of education; Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and Strengthening and up-gradation of State Councils for Educational Research and Training (SCERTs)/State Institutes of Education and District Institutes for Education and Training (DIET) as nodal agencies for teacher training. Impact: The Scheme gives flexibility to the States and UTs to plan and prioritize their interventions within the scheme norms and the overall resource envelope available to them. It will help improve the transition rates across the various levels of school education and aid in promoting universal access to children to complete school education. The Scheme, by providing quality education, aims to equip the children with varied skills and knowledge essential for their holistic development and prepare them for the world of work or higher education in the future. It would lead to an optimal utilization of budgetary allocations and effective use of human resources and institutional structures created for the erstwhile Schemes. Benefits: Holistic approach to education Inclusion of senior secondary levels and pre-school levels in support for School education for the first time An integrated administration looking at 'school' as a continuum 4. Focus on Quality of Education- Emphasis on improvement of Learning Outcomes Enhanced Capacity Building of Teachers Focus on strengthening Teacher Education Institutions like SCERTs and DIETs to improve the quality of teacher training Enhanced use of digital technology in education through smart classrooms, digital boards and DTK channels Specific provision for Swachhta activities - support 'Swachh Vidyalaya' Improve the Quality of Infrastructure in Government Schools Enhanced Commitment to 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao'- Upgradation of KGBVs from class VI -VIII to upto class XII Emphasis on 'Kaushal Vikas' in schools
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Support 'Khelo India' - provision for sports and physical equipment Preference to Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs), LWEs, Special Focus Districts (SFDs), Border areas and the 115 aspirational districts
Figure: Goal 4 of Sustainable Development Goals of the UN - Education
Domestic Solar Industry: Issues, Concerns, Remedies
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Domestic solar industry Issues, concerns and remedies Recently: The 2018 Economic Survey identifies renewable energy as a champion sector under the Make in India 2.0 programme. India meets almost 90% of its annual requirement of solar panels through imports (mainly China), impeding the growth of a nascent domestic solar manufacturing sector. What is the issue? Renewable energy is identified as a champion sector under the Make in India 2.0 programme. With increasing significance for renewable energy, the government is resorting to trade remedies to encourage domestic industries. However, this needs a relook in the long term context and requires a consideration for policy change. What are trade remedies? Trade remedies are trade policy tools that allow governments to take remedial action against imports which are causing material injury to a domestic industry. Such remedies are divided broadly into: anti-dumping action; countervailing duty measures; and. safeguard action. What are the concerns?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Trade remedies like increased duty on imported items, might attract retaliatory action from other countries. Compliance with global trade regime: India needs to comply with international trade rules as going against them results in decreased stakeholder confidence. For eg: Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) scheme was challenged at WTO and India lost the case. Inter-ministerial conflict: The severity of this conflict is evident in the power given to both the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) to implement trade remedies (safeguard duties and anti-dumping duties or ADD, respectively). An inter-ministerial committee headed by the MNRE must be constituted to coordinate moves among the MoF, the MoCI, the Ministry of Power, and the Central and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions. Voicing concerns: Developers and manufacturers need to voice their needs clearly and respond to policy implications in an unambiguous manner. The industry needs one unified voice representing the key concerns of each stakeholder-category, without ignoring the broader interests of the sector. What is the concern with renewable energy sector? India currently meets almost 90% of its annual requirement of solar panels through imports (mainly China). This impedes the growth of a nascent domestic solar manufacturing sector. Policy support for the solar sector is increasingly focused on domestic manufacturing. These take the form of both capital subsidies and considerations of trade regulation. However, these interventions are doubted to be the right kind of signals to send to an already uncertain solar sector. Compliance with global trade regime and keeping up the ambitions on renewable energy (RE) are also doubted. What is the way forward? Trade remedies to back domestic manufacturing industry may not prove to be effective in the long run. The government could instead tilt its green manufacturing mix in favour of nascent industries of the future. This may comprise of energy storage, electric vehicles, and IT solutions for grid integration. To get ahead in that race, India will need a comprehensive strategy on issues such as: 1. effective sourcing of critical minerals 2. investment in R&D 3. access to patient venture capital (long term capital) 4. fiscal benefits for the industries of the future An inter-ministerial committee headed by the MNRE must be constituted. This is to coordinate moves among the MoF, MoCI, Ministry of Power, and Central and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions.
NFHS-4 Finding On Marital Rape
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II Governance, gener issues, marital rape, National Family Health Survey-4 findings
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Recently: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) reveals some disturbing statistics about marital violence against women. Findings of the survey: 31 per cent of ever-married women have experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence at the hands of their spouse, with physical abuse being the most common. Injuries, ranging from sprains to broken bones and burns, have been sustained by nearly 25 per cent of women who have ever suffered from spousal violence. The most common form of reported sexual violence was the use of physical force by the husband for sexual intercourse against the will of his wife. According to the NFHS-4, 59 per cent of women between 15-49 years are still not “allowed” to go to a market or health facility by themselves. Further, 52 per cent of women and 42 per cent men are of the view that violence by the husband is justifiable in a variety of situations, including if the wife refuses to have sex with him. These attitudes have not improved significantly since NFHS-3. This data calls for a legislation for criminalizing Marital rape in India. THE ‘EXCEPTION CLAUSE OF SECTION 375 OF IPC: Currently, Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that pertains to rape, has an “exception provision” because of which it is not applicable to sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a husband with his wife provided she is not under 18 years of age. Till very recently, this exemption also applied to a married minor girl above 15 years, however, it was modified to align it with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 as well as other pro-child legislations. Following the horrific Delhi gang rape of December 2012, the Justice J S Verma Committee had recommended doing away with the marital rape exemption from law. What if the potential law is misused by women? All laws have the potential to be misused. Why then does this get raised vociferously only in the context of an enabling legislation for women. It seems grossly unfair to assume that women would want to destabilise their own marriages by slapping false cases against their husbands. Walking out of a marriage by filing for divorce is perhaps easier than attempting to manipulate the law. If we see the figures, as per NFHS-4, only 14 per cent women who experienced violence attempted to seek help, down from 24 per cent in NFHS-3. Consider the dowry cases under Section 498A of the IPC: While some cases of potential misuse of the anti-dowry provisions have come to the fore, it has also provided tremendous respite for a large number of women who were experiencing physical or mental torture in their matrimonial homes and did not have any other recourse. THE CHALLENGE OF PROVING CHARGES OF MARITAL RAPE: Circumstantial evidence would play an important role in building the case, similar to any other instance of alleged rape. A history of physical violence or sexual abuse, which can be established by forensic evidence can unfold the story. Further, witness testimonies could be taken into account. It is, of course, important to note that just because a crime is difficult to prove does not mean that it can be ignored altogether. CONCLUSION: While all possible safeguards should be in place for ensuring that no innocent man is wronged, every effort also needs to be made to ensure that a woman’s freedom and right to life is not compromised.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Marriage is undoubtedly an important institution but violence of any kind should not be condoned by a civilised society. After all, rape is rape, regardless of whether the perpetrator is a stranger or a spouse KUSUM Scheme- Harnessing Solar Power For Rural India
Recently: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II, III Schemes of government, Solar power, KUSUM scheme Relevancy: The Government of India is in the process of formulating a Scheme ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM)’. The scheme will provide for: Installation of grid-connected solar power plants each of capacity up to 2 MW in the rural areas; Installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps to fulfill irrigation needs of farmers not connected to grid; Solarization of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps to make farmers independent of grid supply and also enable them to sell surplus solar power generated to DISCOM and get extra income; and Solarization of tube-wells and lift irrigation projects of Government sector. Benefits: This would provide an opportunity to the farmers to sell the additional power generated through the solar plants installed on their barren lands to the grid. Transmission losses of DICOMS can be checked. It shall facilitate decentralising solar power production. Subsidy burden on DISCOMS in the agricultural sector will be reduced significantly. Water conservation, water security and energy efficiency are the other benefits to the farmers from the implementation of this programme. This scheme will help in de-dieseling (replacing the diesel pumps) the agricultural sector in the country. It will provide a fillip to the emerging green economy in India.
Ayushman Bharat — National Health Protection Mission (AB- NHPM)
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About Ayushman Bharat — National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) Features and application of the scheme Recently: The Union Cabinet approved the launch of ‘Ayushman Bharat — National Health Protection Mission’ (AB-NHPM).
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) AB-NHPM will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes — Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS). The NDA government’s scheme aims to provide health cover of 5 lakh per year to 10 crore poor and vulnerable families through the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission. What are the salient features of the AB-NHPM scheme? This scheme has the benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. The target beneficiaries of the proposed scheme will be more than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population based on SECC database. The Rs. 5 lakh per family a year cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures. To ensure that nobody is left out (especially women, children and elderly) there will be no cap on family size and age in the scheme. The benefit cover will also include pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses. All pre-existing conditions will be covered from day one of the policy. A defined transport allowance per hospitalisation will also be paid to the beneficiary. Also, benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospital across the country. AB-NHPM will be an entitlement based scheme with entitlement decided on the basis of deprivation criteria in the SECC database. AB-NHPM applicable to both Public and Private sectors- The beneficiaries can make use of benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities. All public hospitals in the States implementing AB-NHPM, will be deemed empanelled for the Scheme. Keeping in view the State specific requirements, States/ UTs will have the flexibility to modify these rates within a limited bandwidth. One of the core principles of AB-NHPM is co-operative federalism and to give flexibility to States. There is provision to partner the States through co-alliance. The expenditure incurred in premium payment will be shared between Central and State Governments in specified ratio as per Ministry of Finance guidelines.
Jan Suraksha Scheme
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About Jan Suraksha Schemes The Atal pension scheme, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Introduction Following the success of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana scheme, an accidental cover scheme, which became a hit with the citizens of the country, the Modi-led government has introduced three new schemes known as the Jan Suraksha Schemes. The schemes cover areas such as insurance for the poor, pension and so on. The three schemes introduced under the Jan Suraksha Schemes are Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. The schemes were simultaneously launched in 160 cities and towns across India. The Atal Pension Yojana
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The Atal Pension Yojana was introduced by the Modi-led government to make amends to the already existing National Pension Scheme. In a bid to make the people of India aware of the necessity of having a retirement corpus, either as an investment or to earn a monthly pension, the Atal Pension Yojana aims at giving pensioners a fixed monthly income. Subscribers of this scheme are not allowed to make withdrawals before the time of maturity - retirement age or 60 years - and can earn a monthly pension income between Rs.1,000 to Rs.5,000, depending on their contribution through the tenure. The eligibility criteria for Atal Pension Yojana are listed below: o The subscriber when applying should be between 18 to 20 years of age as a minimum of 20 years of contribution before retirement is required. o Should have a savings account from which the contribution will be automatically debited towards the scheme. o Should provide the regular KYC documents, preferably Aadhaar card. o Should have their mobile registered with the bank holding their account. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana was introduced by the government to encourage the citizens of India to get insurance access and coverage. The minimum annual premium for the scheme is Rs.12, and subscribers are given two types of insurance coverage - Accidental death or complete disability and partial disability insurance cover. The terms for both types of insurances are between 2 to 4 years. The insurance cover for partial disability is up to Rs.1 lakh and for complete disability or death is Rs.2 lakh. The tax-free premium is debited from one’s bank account automatically in the case of a long- term insurance plan. Subscribers can nominate their family members, who would receive the insurance coverage in the case of death or complete disability. The eligibility criteria for the scheme are: o Should be an Indian resident between the ages of 18 to 70 years. o Should have a savings account with any bank in India, from which the premiums would be automatically debited. o Should provide his/her Aadhaar card and regular KYC documents when applying. o Every Indian citizen is eligible for the scheme. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana With only 20% of the country’s population having insurance, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana was introduced to provide insurance for the poor of the country and raise awareness on the need for an insurance cover. The premium of the scheme is at an affordable Rs.330 per annum and the risk coverage per annum is at Rs.2 lakh. While applying for the scheme, subscribers can nominate a person, usually family members, to avail the insurance in the case of complete disability or death. The scheme can be availed from any public insurance company across the country. The eligibility criteria are mentioned below: o The applicant should be between 18 to 50 years of age. o Should be an Indian resident. o Should have a savings bank account from which the annual premium is automatically debited. o Should have an Aadhaar card and regular KYC documents when applying. o Since the introduction of the Jan Suraksha Schemes, over 63 million Indians have subscribed to either the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, the Atal Pension Yojana or the Pradhan
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Mantri jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana at banks across the country making the Jan Suraksha yet another successful move by the government.
Genetic Discrimination
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2,3 Recent Delhi HC ruling on genetic discrimination Relevancy of the decision by Delhi HC and its implications Indian context, American Presedent and other global examples Recently: The Delhi High Court recently ruled against discrimination in health insurance by United India Insurance Company involving a person with a heart condition which was perceived to be a genetic disorder. The court held, “Discrimination in health insurance against individuals based on their genetic disposition or genetic heritage, in the absence of appropriate genetic testing and laying down of intelligible differentia, is unconstitutional.” How relevant is the decision and what are its implications? This is a critical court decision around the broader question of discrimination on the basis of one’s genetic predisposition. As technology for genetic testing and tools to gather family history and compile them in databases become cheaper and more widespread, it becomes imperative that due social and ethical consideration be given to genetic discrimination as the implications are far-reaching and can affect everyone. American precedent: In the U.S., researchers recorded hundreds of cases of misuse of genetic information obtained through family history, genetic tests, or by employers and insurers accessing personal data. There are many examples of employers and insurers using genetic information to engage in discriminatory policies. In the U.S., the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into law in 2008. GINA provides strong protection against access to genetic information and genetic discrimination in the context of health insurance and employment. It prohibits insurers from “requesting or requiring” genetic tests from an individual or members of the person’s family, or using genetic information to determine eligibility or establish premiums. It also prohibits employers from “requesting or requiring” genetic information for hiring or promotional decisions, or when determining eligibility for training programmes. Other global examples: Canada’s recent Genetic Non-Discrimination Act makes it illegal for insurers or employers to request DNA testing or results. Insurers in the U.K. are currently under a voluntary moratorium agreed upon between the Association of British Insurers and the government until 2019. Based on this agreement, results from genetic tests are not to be used for health or life insurance except for Huntington’s disease, which is dominantly inherited with a high penetrance. A complex future: The situation is likely to get worse as people become more accepting of predictive genetic tests and insurance companies insist on them; at the moment, they generally use family medical history as the basis for determining premiums.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) In the medium term, there are also serious concerns related to the protection and privacy of medical and genetic data. Breaking into databanks is not impossible as even America’s Federal Bureau of Investigations and other secure firewalls have been breached. Indian context: India too needs a law that prevents genetic discrimination. In this era of rampant genetic testing, we need to prevent discrimination and uphold “equal treatment under the law”. Equality under the law cannot have exceptions. Conclusion: Everyone has genes for some predisposition or the other, this being the human condition. There should therefore be no discrimination based on genetic information.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) ECONOMY
Supreme Court Decisions And Its Impact On The Economy
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Recent issue related to the country’s GDP and employment Concerns regarding SC’s decisions Recently: In recent times Judiciary has an adverse impact on the country’s GDP and employment. To address this issue Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has called on the legal scholars and academicians to look into the impact of judicialisation of the economy, especially in cases where there is an adverse impact on the country’s GDP and employment. What is the issue? The Constitution has always been a source of guidance while interpreting economic policy matters, but on several occasions the Supreme Court has not been able to keep pace with the changing policy regime. Recent examples involve:- o Affirming a stricter standard of patenting might impact innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. o An unconstitutional imposition of a tax can hit the automobile industry. o A ban on selling liquor near highways may affect the tourism industry. o The shock waves of the quashing of coal block allocations are still being felt throughout our banking system as well as power, metal, steel and mining industries. Many of these decisions by the SC were hailed as the apex court then were battling corruption that had gripped the country at the highest levels. What are the concerns with SC’s decision? The government is bound by Constitutional diktats and if its actions violate Constitutional provisions, the Court can review such executive action and strike it down if necessary. However, when such executive action is being reviewed, the court cannot direct the government to follow a particular kind of economic policy. With regard to the coal it an integral part of industrial growth, then ignoring the economic impact of the cancellation of 214 out of 218 coal block licenses was undesirable and unacceptable. It is clear that Corruption or mala fides during the licensing process, proved beyond doubt, cannot be tolerated. But if SC cancels licenses only based on an apprehension of some wrongdoing the economy and people suffer Article 14 (equality before law and equal protection of law) of the Constitution is a safeguard against arbitrary government decision-making, but there are grave dangers if judiciary continues to traverse in alarmist path. What needs to be done? India is on the road of economic growth in such an environment it becomes the bounden duty of the Court to have the economic analysis and economic impacts of its decisions. The Supreme Court can’t be insensitive to the potential economic impact that its decisions might have, especially when there is no statutory violation or the violation is, at most, of a technical character. Thus the court needs to avoid that particular outcome which has a potential to create an adverse effect on employment, growth of infrastructure or economy, or the revenue of the state. www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) At the same time legal and economic professionals need to build the necessary theoretical framework for assisting the Supreme Court.
Potential of Inland Water Transport
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III, Optionals- Economy, Geography Economy, Infrastructure, Inland Water Transport (IWT), PPP in IWT, Policy interventions required in IWT Recently: Lok Sabha just passed an amendment to the Central Road Fund Act, 2000, proposing to allocate 2.5 per cent of the funds collected for development of waterways. Facts about IWT in India: India has nearly 14,500 km of navigable waterways, yet inland water transport (IWT) accounts for less than 1 per cent of its freight traffic, compared with approximately 35 per cent in Bangladesh and 20 per cent in Germany. Of late, the government has taken few steps in this direction. The Lok Sabha just passed an amendment to the Central Road Fund Act, 2000, proposing to allocate 2.5 per cent of the funds collected for development of waterways. The budget for next fiscal has allocated ₹228 crore to the sector and allowed the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to raise ₹1,000 crore from the capital market. But this is a meager some amount given that the sector’s investment requirements are close to ₹90,000 crore over the next few years to develop navigable routes, connectivity infrastructure to and from hinterland, terminals, vessels and repairing facilities. So public private partnership (PPP) is the need of the hour. The case for IWT: The cost of transporting one tonne freight over 1 km by waterway is ₹1.19 compared with ₹2.28 and ₹1.41 by road and rail, respectively. And the cost of developing an inland waterway is barely 10 per cent of a four-lane highway of similar capacity. But given IWT’s nascence, the government and IWAI need to work on two channels — development of A) physical infrastructure, and B) policy level interventions — to draw private players in. Physical infrastructure: o The government should focus on developing navigation, channel operation and maintenance, and external connectivity infrastructure. o Private players can undertake terminal development, cargo and passenger handling, and building low-draft vessels and related repair facilities. Policy interventions that should be taken in order to promote IWT: o Offer incentives, including tax subsidies, for transporting a portion of industry cargo through IWT. o The Government can mandate/incentivise industries in the proximity of national waterways to use this mode for a portion of their shipments. Public sector entities such as Food Corporation of India, power plants and refineries can be similarly mandated. o Higher road taxes can be levied on transportation of coal and inflammable material over longer distances because they are harmful to environment or pose a danger to those in proximity. o Many waterways run parallel to transportation corridors and urban centres. For synergy, the government can promote industrial corridors along riverbanks and foster waterways-based
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) industrialisation. This will not only ensure captive IWT cargo, but also tackle erosion of riverbanks as industries will tend to protect the land allotted to them. o Capital dredging, along with different waterways, will also offer opportunities to reclaim land along riverbanks. In West Bengal and Assam, where land for industries is an issue, such reclamation can be an answer. o Promoting passenger transportation and tourism: In many States, there are ferry services on national waterways, but these are mostly unorganised country boats. E.g. in Kerala and Assam, waterways have huge tourism potential. The Centre and States need to join hands to package and market river tourism in a big way to trigger a virtuous cycle. o Resolving the protocol route issue with Bangladesh: Indo-Bangladesh joint dredging projects in Sirajganj-Daikhawa (146 km) on river Yamuna and in the Ashuganj-Zakiganj stretch (309 km) on river Kushiyara in Bangladesh have been long delayed. Completion of these projects will enable movement of larger vessels from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Sadiya in Assam through Bangladesh, and crank up waterways cargo traffic.
Q. Critically analyse the potential of Inland Water Transport (IWT) in India. In what way can the policy intervention by the government promote the IWT?
Bond Yields: what and why
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About bond yields Reasons why foreign investors are withdrawing from bond market Rupee depreciation fear Recently: Foreign investors have sold a net $1.12 billion in Indian debt market (primarily bonds) this month, the highest since December 2016. What are bonds? Government issues bonds to borrow from the market. Bond is just a piece of paper on which it is written that government shall pay an interest plus the principal, to the purchaser at the end of a specific time period. The interest is always paid on the face value of the bond. Corporates or governments issue bonds directly to investors, instead of obtaining loans from a bank. This is to raise money and finance a variety of projects and activities. Why foreign investors are withdrawing from bond market? Increase in interest rates in developed countries: Earlier, developed countries had low interest rates to propel growth. They kept the currency in circulation rather than giving more interest rates but now the Interest rates are increasing in developed countries also. Hence, difference between interest rates of India and developed countries is coming down. Rupee depreciation fear: As rupee depreciates investor have to shell out more money to buy dollar. Increasing fiscal deficit: Interest burden on government will increase i.e. increased revenue expenditure meaning government will have less money available for capital investment. It will lead to crowding out of private investor meaning less money is available for private investor to borrow.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) What is happening to Indian bonds? Indian bonds were once regarded as hot emerging market play. The country received about $26 billion in inflows last year through this. Notably, higher bond yields and stable currency have been driving factors for its attractiveness. But Indian bonds are now losing their allure with foreign investors. The 10-year bond yield dropped to as much around 7.3% from 7.62%, its lowest since January end. For prelims it is important to remember that when bond prices go down, bond yield go up. Now, seeing the increased bond yield, more and more buying of the bonds will ensue leading to increased demand of the bonds and we know that a quantity in increased demand will command a higher price. So, an increased demand will propel the bond prices up thereby leading to a reduction in bond yield, which will further lead to reduction in demand. Why Bond yield is rising? Government is planning to step up borrowing process ahead of elections means government will issue more bonds leading to an excess of bonds in bond market which will decrease the bond prices and we know that when that happens bond yield goes up. Breaching of fiscal deficit targets means more borrowing. Less lending by Public Sector Banks. Depreciation of rupee will lead to selling of bonds by foreign investors leading to excess supply in the market which pushes the bond prices down leading to higher bond yields. Rebuilding RBI's Regulatory Power
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Government’s response to scams About LoC and LoU and RBI’s notification RBI’s concerns Recently: A month after the 12,800-crore letters of undertaking (LoUs) fraud at Punjab National Bank came to light, the Reserve Bank of India has decided to ban such instruments as well as letters of comfort(LoC) issued by bankers to businesses for international transactions. How did the government respond to the scam? The government accused the RBI for its supervisory failures. It also blamed the bankers and auditors for their shortfalls. What is LoC and LoU? Letter of comfort (LoC) is an assurance about a debt, short of a legal guarantee, given to a bank by a third party. Letter of Undertaking or LoU is a guarantee given by one bank to another bank to repay a loan on behalf of a client. It is generally used when a person imports something from a person in another country. RBI’s notification on LoUs and LoCs: The Reserve Bank of India has decided to ban such instruments as well as letters of comfort issued by bankers to businesses for international transactions. This is the first major step by the central bank on the banking fraud issue. RBI also asked banks to ensure there are no slip-ups between their core banking systems and the SWIFT mechanism used for international money transfers. What are the RBI's concerns?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) RBI governor made mention of RBI’s warnings about possible risks, but said that the PNB’s internal systems failed to take note of it. In response to the government's accusation, the RBI governor Urjit Patel pointed out the limitations to RBI’s power such as - The absence of powers to remove the directors on the management of PSU banks who are appointed by the government. The lack of power to force a merger or trigger liquidation of a state-owned bank. The limited legal authority for RBI to hold these bank boards accountable. The government, the owner of public sector banks, still control a dominant share of the country’s banking business. RBI Governor pointed out that the banking regulatory powers were not 'ownership neutral' in India. This is possibly why the RBI could not fully exercise its powers to crack down on corporate governance issues at state-owned banks. A system of dual regulation, by the finance ministry in addition to RBI, has resulted in ineffective banking regulation. Patel urged the government to strengthen the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to give RBI enough power to regulate PSU banks. Why is the industry unhappy with the decision? Industry is unhappy with the RBI decision as this would raise the cost for importers, who will now need to rely on more expensive instruments such as bank guarantees and letters of credit. The move will also impact the competitiveness of exporters who import raw materials for their products. Ban of LoUs will impact the $85 billion buyers’ credit market that was mostly conducted in accordance with the law of the land. What is the way forward? The RBI’s stance is valid, given the discomfort with knee-jerk reactions and the blame games since the fraud came to light. The greater challenge is governance reform in banks. The government should swiftly settle the issue of separation of ownership and regulatory control. It can consider making the regulatory powers of RBI fully “ownership neutral”. Besides, privatisation does appear to be an easy option to address some of the concerns. But it is important to see whether such an option should be exercised during a crisis.
India Needs To Shore Up Public Sector Capacity For Making Medicines
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Need of essential drugs and vaccines and the role of Public sector Types of drugs and about Compulsory licensing Recently: There is decline and near disappearance of public sector capacity for manufacture of drugs and vaccines. Why public sector should manufacture essential drugs and vaccines? To ensure that the population is not denied access to drugs that the Indian private sector is unable to produce or supply at affordable cost.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which are needed for drug manufacture (formulation), are now mostly imported from China. This makes India highly vulnerable to disruptions in supply and cost escalations in import. National security demands that we develop both public and private sector capacity within the country, with suitable government support and incentives, to ensure uninterrupted and inexpensive availability of APIs. The use of Public Sector Units(PSUs) will offer an opportunity to produce drug volumes for use in primary and secondary care facilities as well as help in ‘benchmarking’ drug costs. The existence of PSUs would also provide an opportunity to utilise the provision of Compulsory Licensing under TRIPS. Effective implementation of the Ayushman Bharat initiative calls for investment in expanding public sector capacity for producing essential drugs and APIs which also embodies the spirit of Make in India. What kind of drugs are we talking about? These include drugs where compulsory licences may need to be issued by the government for patent protected drugs or even off-patent drugs which are commercially unattractive to private manufacturers. What is Compulsory licensing? Compulsory licensing (CL) is a mechanism permitted by the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement to enable countries to issue licences to domestic drug manufacturers to produce and market affordable generic versions of life-saving drugs needed for meeting serious public health challenges that are of extreme urgency. This allows countries to overcome patent restrictions to assure availability of such drugs when the situation demands. Drugs effective against multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and anti-cancer drugs are clear examples of such a need, which should be addressed through compulsory licensing. Has India utilized the compulsory licensing provision earlier? India has utilized the CL route previously to permit two Indian companies, Natco and Cipla, to produce a potent anti-cancer drug Nexavar manufactured & patented by Bayer. This enabled a 32-fold reduction in the cost of the drug. Why private companies are hesitant to manufacture generic versions of the new anti-tubercular drugs? The expensive litigation that followed the Nexavar case due to action initiated by Bayer has made the private firms reluctant to manufacture generic drugs. India should take the lead in ensuring universal access to affordable drugs through such measures. Investment in public sector capacity is essential to ensure that the country can exercise that leadership even on occasions when the private pharmaceutical sector is hesitant to assume a leading role.
US opposition to India's Export promotion scheme
Relevancy G.S. Paper 3 Issue over India’s export promotion scheme About the scheme Reasons for the opposition to the scheme India’s export subsidies in past Recently: The US has recently challenged in the WTO almost all Indian export subsidy programmes. What comprises the issue?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) USTR’s complaint is that India is violating its commitments under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement) using five of the most used export promotion schemes. Therefore, India’s export promotion schemes face an uncertain future after USTR decided to challenge their legality in the World Trade Organization. This calls for India to assess the real effects of export subsidies and consider other effective options for export promotion. What is India’s five export promotion scheme? India’s five export promotion schemes are – 1. The export-oriented units scheme and sector-specific schemes including electronics hardware technology parks scheme, 2. Merchandise exports from India scheme, 3. Export promotion capital goods scheme, 4. Special economic zones and 5. Duty-free import authorization scheme. Why the opposition on the schemes? These schemes violate Articles 3.1(a) and 3.2 of the SCM Agreement, since the two provisions prohibit granting of export subsidies. Until 2015, India had the flexibility to use export subsidies as it is among the 20 developing countries included in Annex VII of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement). This agreement allowed India to use these subsidies as long as their per capita Gross National Product (GNP) had not crossed $1,000, at constant 1990 dollars, for 3 consecutive years This provision was an exception and a “special and differential treatment” provided to the developing countries for phasing out export subsidies. India has thus crossed the $1,000 GNP per capita threshold in 2015. What are the amendments sought by India and other countries in this regard? In the Doha negotiations, India and several other Annex VII countries sought an amendment of the agreement so as to enable them to get a transition period, In a submission made in 2011, India, Bolivia, Egypt, Honduras, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka, argued that the Annex VII countries should be eligible to enjoy the provisions applicable to the other developing countries, namely, those that had GNP per capita above the threshold. The latter set of countries was required to phase out their export subsidies within eight years of joining the WTO. How have India's export subsidies been? Contrary to the pronouncements made in the Foreign Trade Policy, the government has continued to increase its outlays on export promotion schemes. In 2016-17, the total outlay on export promotion schemes was around Rs. 58,000 crore. This is an increase of more than 28% in 3 years. The Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) was introduced to promote exports. This was done notably by offsetting the infrastructural inefficiencies faced by exports of specified goods and to provide a level playing field. The scheme initially covered 4,914 tariff lines and was subsequently increased to cover 7,914 tariff lines. In recent months, there have been expansions of the scheme. This has increased the total outlay on the scheme to nearly 60% over the level in 2016-17. What is the way forward? Export promotion efforts in the country must make a movement towards more fundamental systemic measures and away from incentives and subsidies There is a strong case for the government to invest in trade-related infrastructure and trade facilitation measures, which can deliver tangible results on the export front.
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US Imposing Tariffs On The Import Of Steel And Aluminum Indefinitely!
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 US decision to pose high traffic on steel and aluminium indefinitely The issue and a flawed reasoning Reaction of other countries Cause of concern Recently: American President Donald Trump last week announced that his administration would soon impose tariffs on the import of steel and aluminum into the U.S. for an indefinite period of time. He explained his logic in a tweet on Friday which exposed a shocking ignorance of basic economics. What is the issue? U.S. President recently announced that his administration would soon impose tariffs on the import of steel and aluminum indefinitely. He justified the decision to impose protective tariffs by citing U.S.’s huge trade deficit with the rest of the world. This has triggered a global backlash and it is unlikely that Mr. Trump will walk back on his decision, especially given its populist resonance. Why is it a flawed reasoning? The announcement seems premised on the belief that “trade deficit inherently means loss” - a flawed economic conception. Trump seems to be of the view that international trade is a “zero-sum game” and that it is good to simply block international trade to reduce deficits. While the move would benefit steelworkers, all other American consumers as a whole will be paying higher prices for their goods. Trade deficit does not represent a country’s loss, but merely the flip side of a capital account surplus. Countries do have certain domestic losers due to low tariffs and consequently deficits. E.g. the U.S. manufacturing sector lost out to global competition. But curtailing free trade would only make Americans and everyone else poorer. Notably, this was the phenomenon that was witnessed in the aftermath of the Great Depression. How have other countries reacted? Many nations have stated that they will retaliate by imposing import duties against the U.S., if Mr. Trump goes ahead with his customs proposals. The EU, which is one of the largest trading partners for the U.S., has vowed to return the favour through retaliatory measures targeting U.S. exporters. Notably, the EU is soon expected to come out with a list of over 100 items imported from the U.S. that will be subject to scrutiny. China, which is a major iron and steel importer to the US has not reacted thus far, and its response to the announcements will be very significant. Instead of retaliating with more tariffs, which could cause the current dispute to spiral, achieving a truce through negotiations would be better. Why all this is a cause of concern? Such aggressive posturing runs the risk of re-establishing worldwide protectionism that could potentially weaken the entire global economy.
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PSBs: Privatization’s not the way to go
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Privatization of PSBs Current Issues and possible solutions India’s experience so far as well as international experience China’s picture Recently: Every crisis generates its own side business. The current one is the clamour for privatisation of public sector banks. The Punjab National Bank episode opened new wounds regarding the performance and prospects of PSBs. What is the issue? The issue is of high level of NPAs with PSBs , scams and scandals which raise concerns that need to be addressed seriously. Is Privatization the solution? The solution is not privatization. The huge amount of lucre awaiting the privatization process that offers rich pickings for investment banking, buying strategic stakes, and legal and advisory, valuation and intermediary services, provides enough ground for this high-pitched advocacy. But, looking at the evidence from emerging markets and the imperatives of public policy, the whole argument falls flat. What has been India’s experience so far? India’s experience has not been encouraging. In 1991, the Narasimham Committee (on financial sector reforms) heralded the opening up of banking to the private sector, analysts had almost written off PSBs. What eventually emerged was something different. Of the ten private sector banks given licences in the new economic regime, three (Times Bank, Centurion Bank, Bank of Punjab) merged with other banks. Since no private sector bank was big enough in 2004 to take over Global Trust Bank, it was ultimately amalgamated with a PSB, the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC). Another, IDBI Bank was converted into a PSB. The argument that 20 PSBs is a large number runs contrary to the existence of 21 private sector banks, many of which are still on the fringes of Indian finance even all these years. How has been the international experience? Not so impressive is the international experience. In September 1982, Mexico was forced to nationalise 58 of its 60 private banks. In 1991, it privatized many banks but had to rescue them once again in 1997 (post the Tequila Crisis of 1994-95) at a fiscal cost of nearly $65 billion. A long stretch of sour episodes requiring huge rescue packages from respective governments — in some cases the rescue packages exceeded 40 per cent of GDP — continued thereafter with crises in South-East Asia (1997), Brazil and Russia (1998), and several other countries. A decade later, in 2008, it was the turn of pedigree private commercial and investment banks in developed markets that were on the verge of going belly up to be saved with public money.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The number of banks that either failed, were distressed or were merged — all of which are private — since 2009 runs into several pages on the website of the US Federal Deposit and Insurance Corporation. The picture in China In quite sharp contrast, China was able to reach the top of the global banking scene riding on state- owned banks. The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, the China Construction Bank, the Agricultural Bank of China and the Bank of China top the global league table of banks with an asset base of $12 trillion. These four banks raised a phenomenal $70 billion in new capital in global stock markets. It is not just China and India, but much of the BRICS community that too have a significant contingent of state owned financial institutions. Has the PSBs always been problematic? It is also important to note that much of the problem in global banking did not come from state- owned banks. In the developed markets, the share of state owned banks in assets is less than 10 per cent of the banking system and in the developed economies it is just about double that. In the emerging markets, the share of state banks in assets declined from 67 per cent in 1970 to a little over 20 per cent now. These banks, however, are very critical for credit stabilization in time of a crisis. For instance, Brazilian Development Bank of Brazil and other government-owned banks in Mexico, Korea, Poland and some other countries were commended for their counter-cyclical role in ensuring credit flow when the crisis gripped the financial world. India is no exception. It is said that 95 per cent of countries experienced a contraction in bank credit for at least one month between September 2008 and May 2009. ‘Phoenix Miracles’, a scenario in which recovery in real output happens without recovery in credit flows, remains rare and sporadic in developing markets. The instances of PSBs turning out to be good tools to fight financial crises with, are many. It’s not that public sector banks in India were always in a precarious situation. In the first of a comprehensive review of PSBs held in 1993, many were found to have been saddled with huge NPAs. With reasonable levels of fiscal support, opening them up to competition, evaluating them on efficiency parameters and providing access to public capital markets, India was able to revive and resurrect public sector banks. In a short period of time, they emerged as favourites of the stock markets with highly liquid indexes (Bank Nifty/Bankex) in India’s bourses. So what needs to be done? Look for the right mix! Once again, it is possible to put PSBs back in focus with the right mix of policy and reform. The robustness and vibrancy of the economy determines the health of domestic finance rather than issues of ownership. There are murmurs about some of the so-called savvy new private sector banks concealing bad debts till the central bank pulled them up. The World Bank in its maiden Global Financial Development Report (2013) on the role of state in banking, aptly sums up two building blocks for successful domestic finance: “First, there are sound economic reasons for the state to play an active role in financial systems. Second, there are practical reasons to be wary of the state playing too active a role in financial systems. The tensions inherent in these two building blocks emphasize the complexity of financial policies.” The priority now surely is to strengthen the first building block while reforming the second one.
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National Financial Reporting Authority
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III Economy, National Financial Reporting Authority Recently: The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA). Apart from this, one post of Chairperson, three posts of full-time Members and one post of Secretary for NFRA have also been approved. NFRA will act as an independent regulator for the auditing profession. Creation of NFRA was one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act, 2013. Impact: The decision is expected to result in improved foreign/domestic investments, enhancement of economic growth, supporting the globalisation of business by meeting international practices, and assist in further development of audit profession. What is the need of NFRA? The decision to constitute NFRA, as envisaged in the Companies Act, 2013, comes at a time when auditors have come under the scanner for alleged lapses in various corporate scams, including the biggest banking sector fraud to the tune of Rs 12,700 crore at Punjab National Bank. It would be an overarching watchdog for auditing profession and once set up, the current powers of the ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) to act against erring chartered accountants will be vested with the new regulator. As per the FinMin, NFRA would help in improving foreign and domestic investments as well as support globalisation of business by meeting international practices. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has not been in favour of setting up of the NFRA. Jurisdiction and constitution of NFRA: As per section 132 of the Companies Act, 2013, the jurisdiction of the NFRA will extend to all listed companies as well as large unlisted public companies. The Central Government can also refer such other entities for investigation where public interest would be involved. The NFRA will have powers to debar an erring auditor or auditing firm for up to ten years besides slapping heavy penalties. The regulator will have 15 members, including a chairperson and three full-time members. Besides, there would be a secretary. The Quality Review Board (QRB) will continue quality audit in respect of private limited companies, public unlisted companies below prescribed threshold and also with respect to audit of those companies that may be delegated to QRB by NFRA. ICAI shall continue to play its advisory role with respect to accounting and auditing standards and policies by making its recommendations to NFRA.
India’s Ambitious Goal Of Reaching 100 GW
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) India’s ambitious goal of reaching 100 GW How is the solar capacity addition working for India? The concerns and possible solutions Recently: India has set an ambitious goal of reaching 100 Gigawatt (GW) of solar energy capacity by 2022. However uncertainties around import duties and future tax rates on existing power purchase agreements have dampened investor sentiment. How is the solar capacity addition working for India? Because of solar capacity addition in India, real volumes have started to come. It has brought the installation of large-scale projects and focus towards solar pumps. Last year, India was in third place in terms of solar market growth over the year. The trajectory towards capacity addition is accelerating too and if this trajectory is to continue over the next few years, it will certainly be possible to achieve the target of 100GW. What are the concerns? In the last few months, investor sentiments have been dampened due to various factors. Safeguard Duty: The Director General (Safeguards) had earlier recommended imposing a 70% safeguard duty. This applied to imported solar cells, panels and modules, for a minimum period of 200 days. No decision has yet been taken on this and the proposal is causing a lot of uncertainty in the industry. This is because the proposed 70% safeguard duty would also inflate the project costs by 25%. It would also push the viable tariff to Rs. 3.75 per unit from Rs. 3 estimated earlier. All these will eventually make solar power less attractive to discoms. Thus Tariff complications, added with protectionism are big concerns. GST: In the pre GST regime, there was zero tax on solar panels. However, the case now is 5% GST. Moreover, there is a lot of confusion surrounding the GST on project execution, which needs clarity. Uncertainty: In the case of bids, certain tariffs are decided upon. But there is uncertainty over the incidence of future taxes and how they would affect the tariffs. Developers cannot mitigate that risk by keeping a margin in the bid. Power purchase Agreements: Another issue is State governments renegotiating past power purchase agreements. This is due to lower tariffs being discovered subsequent to the signing of their PPAs. There have been instances of lower-than-contracted payments or grid curtailments. India thus lacks an effective ecosystem to make solar capacity addition happen in a speedy and time-bound manner. Rooftop solar component: Another aspect holding up the 100 GW target, is the rooftop solar component within this target. Out of the total, utility scale capacity is to make up 60% of the target. Rooftop solar is to make up the remaining 40%. Out of the total achievement of 20 GW (out of 100GW) at present, about 18 GW is probably from utility scale. The volume installed on the rooftop side is modest at less than 2 GW. The utility scale segment has thus achieved 30% of the 2022 target with four years to go. On the other hand, the rooftop segment has achieved less than 4%. What needs to be done?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The installation base in solar in India has touched 20 GW. Notably, in the last 10-12 years, it has come from 10 MW to 20 GW. But with 2022 as the target, India needs to make 20 GW every year in the coming 4 years. Imposing import duties on the primary materials of these projects could work against the goal. In a VUCA [volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity] environment, what investors and financiers need is certainty. India Needs An Independent Audit Regulator
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 Need for an independent audit regulator Replacement of ICAI Current status of audit agencies In India Issues faced and possible soultions Recently: Multiple corporate scandals, seems to be reflecting the failure of the auditors, which calls for reforming the regulatory structure for the auditing profession. Failure of audit in recent scams exposes chinks in ICAI’s armour. Notably, there are already plans for annulling the self regulatory role that is currently played by the “Institute of Charted Accountants in India” (ICAI). What will be the replacement for ICAI? NFRA is intended to become the regulatory body that will comprehensively replace ICAI’s self regulatory role. ICAI will become merely an examining and certifying body. NFRA - The setting up of an external regulator namely “National Financial Reporting Authority” (NFRA) has been envisaged in the Companies Act 2013. NFRA hasn’t been notified yet, it is being touted as a powerful body that will lay down accounting and auditing standards to be followed in India. It is also envisioned to monitor and enforce adoption of the stated auditing standards, and oversee the quality of the auditing profession. It will have the powers to investigate the misconduct by chartered accountants, either on its own or based on a reference made to it. How has the ICAI fared in the past? ICAI has for long been serving the individual self interests of its top brass rather than the collective image of the auditing profession. It has long been ignoring the blows dealt to its reputation by fellow member’s lapses and even downplayed them in the face of public anger. Notably, of the 1,972 disciplinary cases considered by the ICAI till now, only the auditors of Satyam have been permanently disqualified from membership. In a majority of cases where members have been found guilty, they’ve been merely reprimanded. Stock market regulator SEBI has alleged that ICAI hasn’t cared to investigate the role of auditors in suspected stock price manipulation. Notably, SEBI had referred multiple cases to ICAI as early as 2015, for which action hasn’t been taken. Also, Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) had referred 34 chartered accountants for suspected involvement in money laundering. In this reference too, there has been minimal action, with investigations commencing only against 5 auditors.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The PNB fraud was indeed the pinnacle of failure as it got through multiple parallel audits like - the branch audit and statutory audit. Self Regulation is a concept where the regulated elect the regulator that governs the entire setup. This model works well only if there is a sense a collective accountability in sector, which clearly seems missing here. Hence, the current state of affairs was completely crafted by ICAI’s own making, which hence justifies calls for an external regulator. Why do we need an Audit regulator? ICAI needs to adopt global best practices to address such issues. Almost all major economies today have independent audit regulators, with the most prominent ones being set up between 2000 and 2005. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) in the US is one of the earliest regulators, set up as a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. To share knowledge and experiences, the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR) was set up in 2006. Today, IFIAR has 52 independent audit regulators worldwide. What is the status of audit agencies in India? In India, discussions on setting up an independent oversight body had commenced almost a decade ago, however it is only now that it is finally close to being implemented. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has sufficient safeguards to ensure that the process does not result in self-regulation. There are few practical concerns with the Quality Review Board coming into existence. The inclusion of an independent audit regulator, National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), in the Companies Act, 2013 was also failed due to various reasons. There is also lack of awareness regarding the extent of responsibilities of an auditor among non- auditors. Why these difficulties? In India there are inadequate reporting and recognising the inherent weaknesses in self-regulation. It is difficult to demonstrate that a mechanism that is designed, managed and includes members of the professional body can ensure effective implementation of independent oversight. This is perhaps the reason why India is not yet a member of IFIAR. NFRA’s extensive powers in terms of its ability to investigate, impose penalty and banning operations of auditors and audit firms have been the mainstay of most conversations around the topic. What can be done? The Government need to and other agencies must involve in setting standards, monitoring compliance and, most importantly, suggesting measures for improvement in quality of audits. The structural and operational mechanisms that ensure following things must be made:- 1. The body remains operationally independent and its decisions are subject to scrutiny and are transparent. 2. Members maintain highest level of independence and prohibiting conflicts of interest. 3. Clarity in the inter-se relationships with the professional bodies, clear distinction in the respective roles and responsibilities. Best practices of various countries need to be used by NFRA and that will be instrumental in ensuring a robust, world-class oversight mechanism. Thus the overarching objective of a regulator is to enhance audit quality which, in turn, will enhance investor protection and public interest.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Draft Indian National Strategy For Standardization
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III Economy, Draft Indian National Strategy for Standardization (INSS), Industrial standards for goods and services. Recently: The Department of Commerce has recently come up with a Draft Indian National Strategy for Standardization (INSS). What does INSS include? The Strategy takes in to account the following: The current state of development across sectors, the existing quality infrastructure and the policy directions in relation to domestic economic developments and trade in goods and services. Key objectives of the INSS: Positioning standards as a key driver of all economic activities relating to goods and services. Developing a comprehensive ecosystem in India for standards development taking into account the diversity of interests and expertise available. Enhancing competitiveness of Indian goods and services with the use of standards in domestic and international markets. Providing level playing field to domestic industry. Adopting best practices in standardization, conformity assessment and technical regulations and creating an integrated infrastructure, roadmaps and institutions for their effective management Aligning the Strategy with other national policies related to trade & industry, consumers and environment What is the need of INSS? A Mature Standards Ecosystem is Necessary because of the rapid growth of the Indian economy, its size and emerging relevance in global trade. It becomes essential to establish a robust ‘Quality Infrastructure’ in India with a harmonized, dynamic, and mature standards ecosystem. This will boost economic growth and enhance the ‘Made in India’ label. Standards have been widely recognized as catalysts for technical development, industrial growth, well-being of the society and more recently for convergence of new and emerging technologies.
CRISIL Inclusix
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III Economy, CRISIL Inclusix, Financial inclusion
Recently: CRISIL Inclusix Financial Inclusion Index was released by CRISIL, a global analytical company providing ratings, research, and risk and policy advisory services CRISIL Inclusix: CRISIL Inclusix is India’s first financial inclusion index. It was launched in 2013 with the objective of becoming a crucial gauge and policy input. It is based on four dimensions—branch penetration, deposit penetration, credit penetration and insurance penetration.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The last dimension was added for the first time this year. The data is provided by the RBI, the MicroFinance Institution Network, and the Insurance Information Bureau of India from all the 666 districts of the country. Latest analysis on CRISIL Inclusix: The analysis shows that the Jan-Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile trinity is slowly but surely making a seminal difference to financial inclusion. As per the index’s readings for fiscal 2016 (the latest period for which data is available), financial inclusion has improved significantly in India, with the all-India score rising to 58.0 in fiscal 2016, compared with 50.1 in fiscal 2013. What factors have been responsible for this improvement? The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has had a significant impact on improving the financial inclusion. As many as 600 million deposit accounts were opened between fiscals 2013 and 2016, or twice the number between 2010 and 2013. Nearly a third of this was on account of Jan Dhan. This gets well reflected in the deposit penetration index of CRISIL Inclusix, which surged over 16 points. RBI has been making steadfast efforts to include unbanked regions. On the credit side, there was an increase of 31.7 million in new credit or loan (banks and microfinance) accounts in the two years up to fiscal 2016, which is the most since fiscal 2013. Microfinance institutions (MFIs) contributed significantly to the financially under-penetrated regions. Among states, Kerala was well ahead with a CRISIL Inclusix score of 90.9, while Rajasthan moved up from “below average” to “above average” and Haryana from “above average” to “high”. Conclusion: Financial inclusion is the key to bridging the social divide and achieving a well distributed, robust and sustainable economic growth. The Digital India initiative, payments banks and small finance banks have all helped improve the reach of formal financial services to economically disadvantaged sections of the populace and geographically remote regions. Poverty, said Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, is not merely lowness of income, but deprivation of basic capabilities. This is a fair point. An inclusive financial ecosystem is quintessential to the social contract. It surmounts both physical and, more importantly, psychological barriers, and helps achieve sustainable economic growth.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Contributions And Achievements Of Stephen Hawking
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III Sci-tech, contributions of Stephen hawking, Black holes, theory of relativity, quantum physics, AML disease. Recently: Renowned Physicist Stephen Hawking died. Key Achievements of Stephen Hawking: Hawking was known for bringing about a limited union between two very different fields: Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity and quantum theory. On Black holes: At one time it was thought that absolutely nothing could escape from a black hole. Hawking’s equations produced an amazing result – that over time black holes can lose energy – now known as Hawking radiation – hence they can shrink and ‘evaporate,’ disappearing from the universe. On Big Bang: In 1970, working with Roger Penrose, Hawking showed that if a Big Bang had happened and general relativity were true, then the universe must have grown from a point whose volume was zero, but which contained the entire mass of the universe. Such a point of infinite density is known as a singularity. Interestingly, at the heart of every black hole lurks a singularity, where gravity has crushed the entire mass of the black hole into a point whose volume is zero. AML- The disease that made Hawking paralysed: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS, is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease. It affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that make the muscles of both the upper and lower body work. Those nerve cells lose their ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which leads to paralysis and death. People with the condition lose control of muscle movement, eventually losing their ability to eat, speak, walk and, ultimately, breathe. A highly successful lecturer and author, from 1986 Hawking made use of an adaptive communication system including a speech synthesizer known as the Equalizer to combat ALS. Using the Equalizer, he authored books, scientific papers, and lectures, and was capable of communicating at the modest rate of about 15 words per minute.
CIMON –The Flying Brain
Relevancy: GS Prelims Sci-tech, CIMON, Flying Brain, Space science, 3-D Printing, Horizon Mission Recently: An aeronautics company Airbus has created an artificial intelligence system called CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion) which also called a “Flying brain” for assisting astronauts in the ISS (international Space Station) What is CIMON made of? www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) CIMON is a technology demonstrator, which is made of plastic and metal and weighs only 5 Kg. It has been made using 3-D printing technology. What will be the functions of CIMON? CIMON has a brain-like AI network and is designed to support astronauts in performing routine work. It will interact with the astronauts just like a colleague because of its interface in form of a face, voice and Artificial Intelligence. It may display them the procedures or may provide solutions to their problems. It will help in increasing efficiency and security of the space missions as it can serve as an early warning system for technical problems. It will be tested on the International Space Station (ISS) during the European Space Agency’s Horizons mission between June and October this year. (Horizon mission of ESA is different from New-Horizons mission of NASA). On it first flight to the space, CIMON will be tested particularly on GNC algorithms (Guidance, Navigation and Control) under zero gravity conditions.
Rydberg Polarons – A new state of matter
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III Sci-tech, new state of matter, Rydberg polarons, Bose Einstein Condesation, dark matter Recently: An international team of physicists have been successful in creating a new state of matter termed “Rydberg polarons”. How is this new state achieved? To achieve this new state, the scientists have created a “giant atom” and filled it with ordinary atoms These atoms are held together by a weak bond under the conditions of very cold temperatures. This is an intricate experiment that builds upon several advances that were achieved over the past two decades. It uses ideas from two different fields, which have already been discovered: o Bose Einstein Condensation and o Rydberg atoms. Bose Einstein Condensate: BEC is a liquid-like state of matter that occurs at very low temperatures. A BEC can be perturbed to create excitations which are like ripples on a lake. Rydberg atoms: Normally, atoms in an electron revolve around the nucleus in regular orbits. But in case of a Rydberg atom, an electron is excited by a laser light in such a manner that it jumps to a larger orbit. This larger orbit can adjust many smaller atoms in side itself. Strontium atoms were used in this experiment. As the electron moves around many strontium atoms, it generates ripples of the BEC. The Rydberg atom becomes inextricably mixed with these ripples and forms a new super-atom called a ‘Rydberg polaron’. Why is this study important? This experiment is of use in cosmology, especially in understanding the mysterious ‘dark matter’, which exerts a gravitational force on all other forms of matter.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) There exist some postulates that ‘dark matter’ is nothing but Bose Einstein Condensate of an unknown element.
Climate Change and ETS
Relevancy G.S. Paper 3 India’s carbon footprint and Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) Regulation of ETS and ensuring compliance Mechanisms to control price volatility Recently: India, which aims to be a global superpower, seems to have approached the subject of climate change half-heartedly, hiding behind the veil of protecting its growing economy. With hot summers, warm winters, increasing diseases, famines and droughts, and violent acts of nature, we can see how climate change is affecting our daily lives. So what must India focus on? India must focus on reducing the carbon footprint. It needs to undertake a comprehensive approach to fight against climate change which is affecting our daily lives. What is Emissions trading scheme? An ETS is a market-based mechanism where a cap is set on the amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases that can be emitted by covered entities. The emitters can either reduce their emissions to adhere to the cap or buy additional allowances from other entities to compensate for their deficiency. How to regulate ETS? A separate and independent regulatory authority must be set up to implement the ETS. This would ensure that the ETS is insulated from the political influence of climate sceptics. The authority must strive to educate emitters about ETS and inform them of cheap methods to reduce their carbon footprint. It must act as a ‘technical consultant’ when the emitters submit their ‘compliance plans’. It must also plan for contingencies and be ready to use the tools at hand to prevent market failure. Strategic decisions must be taken with respect to inclusion of industries under the ETS. Highly carbon-intensive industries (such as the coal sector) would have to be included under the ETS to maintain its effectiveness. With respect to the other industries, State governments must be empowered to add to the list of covered entities after giving due weight to factors such as area-specific emission profiles, financial position of the entities, impact on the economy, and administrative costs. How to ensure compliance? The ETS must obligate the emitters to design a ‘compliance plan’, setting out its own medium and long-term goals. The big emitters must be required to adhere to their compliance plans, and sanctions must be imposed in case of any noncompliance. The price of the allowances should be maintained within a certain desirable range. If the price of the allowances is too high, it may result in increased non-compliance and force the emitters to reduce output, thereby hurting the economy. Mechanisms to control price volatility: Safety valve trigger- A mechanism whereby, if prices touch a predetermined level, actions are initiated to drive them down.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) A mechanism whereby, if prices touch a predetermined level, actions are initiated to drive them down. Price-based market stability reserve- A certain number of allowances are released in the market if the price of the allowance hits a predetermined level. Once the additional allowances are released in the carbon market, the supply would increase, leading to a reduction in the price of the allowances. Banking- Banking offers respite to the emitters on an individual basis. An emitter, in anticipation of high prices, would be allowed to ‘bank’ his unused allowances for the next compliance period. Such banking must be restricted to consecutive compliance periods and to a certain percentage of total emissions. What could be the way forward? To join the war on carbon, India must establish the emissions trading scheme. With the skeletal framework, India can be part of the global mission to curb climate change.
National Science Day 2018
Relevancy: GS prelims, GS Mains paper III, Essay paper Sci-tech, National Science Day Recently: India celebrated its National Science Day. This year the theme for the day was "Science and Technology for a sustainable future." National Science Day is celebrated every year on February 28 to commemorate Dr. C.V. Raman’s discovery of the scattering of light, also known as the “Raman effect”. What is Raman Effect? Dr. C.V. Raman observed that there is a change of wavelength when light is scattered by different molecules. The changes depend on the molecules that are responsible for the scattering. Why Science Day is celebrated? The Indian Constitution states that: It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. To encourage young minds and to show the importance of science in everyday life public speeches, science exhibitions and live demonstrations are conducted every year. What are the efforts that citizens can make for a sustainable future? Reducing the use of plastic bags and plastic containers Using paper judiciously. Moving to online payment methods and even reading the newspaper online. Closing leaky taps and switching off lights/fans when not in use Using bicycles or public transport. Use of water level sensor to sense water in storage tank and automatically switch pump off after tank is full there by reducing 100% water overflow problems. Using solid wastes from kitchen and cow dung as manure. Installing solar panels Using LED lights Harvesting rain water
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Fifty years of TERLS
Relevancy G.S. Paper 3 About the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) TERLS Dedication to the UN India’s commitment to the peaceful use of outer space Recently: On February 2, 2018, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) to the UN, ISRO honored former employees of TERLS who had contributed to the sounding rocket programme. What is TERLS? TERLS is an Indian spaceport operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation. It is located in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram which is near the southern tip of mainland India From TERLS India’s first rocket (US made) Nike-Apache was launched. During the 1960s, TERLS became an international launch station and the sounding rockets launched from here proved instrumental in studying the equatorial electrojet. TERLS Dedication to the UN India’s commitment to the peaceful use of outer space has been a constant. The Indian space programme received support from the U.S., the USSR, France, the U.K. and West Germany. Often, this was in the form of technical equipment such as telemetry receivers, tracking systems and computers. In return, India offered to dedicate TERLS to the United Nations as a goodwill gesture. Consequently, the UN formally sponsored TERLS as an international scientific facility open to all its members. India’s commitment to the peaceful use of outer space Amidst changes in Indian space programme, India’s commitment to the peaceful use of outer space has been a constant. It is highly commendable given that the entire programme advanced on the back of a considerable resource crunch. The space programme in India remains focussed on civilian benefits, using space technology to improve the life of the common man. This includes the use of satellites to: map and survey crops, assess damage from natural disasters, and bring telemedicine and telecommunication to the remote areas of rural India.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) SECURITY
Cambridge Analytica Crisis
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2 About Cambridge Analytica Crisis Data collection and use by the firm Issues related to it and what can be done Vulnerability of India’s cyber security and dangers abound in India Recently: Cambridge Analytica crisis exploded. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad warned Facebook against the misuse of Indians’ data and any attempt to influence the electoral processes of this country. There were media reports that a political consultancy that worked on President Donald Trump’s campaign gained inappropriate access to data on 50 million Facebook users. The alleged scandal involving Cambridge Analytica’s use of the data of more than 55 million Facebook users has reopened big questions about the organisation of the information order in a democracy. They have also revealed how the language of democracy is struggling to come to terms with complex technological developments. What is Cambridge Analytica? Cambridge Analytica (CA) is a British data firm. The firm has been drawing flak for its alleged role in influencing the behaviour of voters in the 2016 presidential election campaign, and for helping the ‘Leave’ side in the Brexit referendum. What did CA do? The firm is alleged to have harvested data of tens of millions of Facebook users without permission in order to design software to predict and influence people’s voting preferences. Where did it collect the data from? Dr Aleksandr Kogan, a psychology professor at Cambridge University developed an application, “this is your digital life”, to harvest data of Facebook users. The app was downloaded by 270,000 people (these people granted permission for data collection), it extracted personal information of each of the users’ friends without consent. Kogan then passed on all the data collected through his app to CA and other companies. What kind of data was acquired by CA? When the app was downloaded, Kogan had access to not only to users’ basic information such as city of residence and details about friends, but also data from the profiles of their Facebook friends. How was the data used by the firm? Kogan’s firm Global Science Research (GSR) offered users small amounts of money to complete a survey on the condition that they grant permission to access their personal details through Facebook. This helped GSR to build personality and psychological profiles of millions of people. The data were allegedly used by CA to tailor its political advertisements for a group of individuals, whose likings and interests were already known to them. How did this help Donald Trump in his presidential election campaign? CA performed a variety of services such as:- Designing target audiences for digital advertisements, Fund-raising appeals, www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Modelling voter turnout, Buying $5 million in television ads and Determining where Trump should travel to get maximum support. What are the issues? The first issue at stake is what consent means in the new information order. The conceit and attraction of the modern information order is that it does things with our consent, in our name, ostensibly to satisfy our desires. But given the complexities of data-sharing, possible third-party uses, or use by friends, through whom your data can be accessed, it is not very clear what we are consenting to, and whether the terms of that consent can be enforced. The regulatory approach often hinges on user consent and the growth of social media companies over the past decade is fair evidence that consent is not hard to obtain, even with the knowledge of private data being signed over. The fact that such vast amounts of data were so easily collected in the first place—and without breaking the rules —points to the larger issues to do with the economics of the internet. What needs to be done? Regulatory action can change this to a certain extent. Data localization conditions can ensure that user data collected within a country must be kept within it. Regulations can also compel businesses to adopt privacy by design principles that foreground user choice and consent. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which takes effect from 25 May this year, has adopted this approach. Perhaps the most stringent data protection regime globally, it will be a litmus test for companies’ ability and willingness to comply. Indian context: What makes India more vulnerable? For millions of Indians, the discovery of internet itself happens through Facebook. There are over 2.2 billion users globally, out of that 250 millions of them are in India. While regulators in the US, China and the EU have put in place laws to address concerns around privacy and data protection, India has so far taken a piecemeal approach. What are the dangers abound in India? Creating Psychological Profiles o Data mined from Indian users of social media may be used for purposes such as targeted cross-platform advertising, but analysed in bulk, such data can provide an intimate psychological profile including ideological preferences that together help campaign managers target communications and forecast voter behavior. Spread of Fake News o Social Media promotes content based on engagement rather than quality thus limiting users’ access to information, which in turn leads to political polarization and the spread of fake news. No data protection law in India Only a Whitepaper till now o In 2017 the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released a White Paper by a committee of experts led by former Supreme Court judge, Justice B.N. Srikrishna, on a data protection framework for India. Current Information Technology Act, 2000 inadequate o It only identifies six types of “sensitive personal data” and requires entities handling such data to have “reasonable security practices and procedures” in place before collecting the information.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) OPERATION SAMADHAN
Relevancy: GS Mains paper II, III Governance, Internal security, Naxalism, Sukma attack, Recently: On 11th march the naxalites attacked the CRPF jawans, almost 11 days after security personnel killed 10 alleged Naxalites in the state It also comes six months after 25 CRPF jawans were slaughtered in one of the deadliest attacks by Maoist rebels. Last year in March, 12 CRPF personnel were ambushed in Sukma Background: Maoist violence has killed nearly 12,000 people have been killed in the last two decades. Last year, the government introduced a new strategy to deal with Naxalism. The new strategy also focuses on using advanced technology including drones and smart guns that feature triggers that get activated by bio-metrics. OPERATION SAMADHAN- The security operations doctrine: Highlights of the programme are as follows: Operation 'SAMADHAN' is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)'s answer to the Naxal problem. The acronym SAMADHAN stands for Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation and training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard Based KPIs (key performance indicators) and KRAs (key result areas), Harnessing technology, Action plan for each theater, and No access to financing. The MHA has suggested the use of trackers for weapons, and bio-metrics in smart guns. Unique Identification number (UID) for Gelatin sticks and explosives. At least one UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicle) or Mini UAV for each of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) battalions deployed in the Maoist hotbed. More helicopter support for operations. Helicopters to be used to rush in supplies and reinforcement. Increased number of flying hours. Joint Task Forces for operations along inter-State boundaries to be set up. Better inter-state coordination and intelligence sharing. 400 fortified police stations to be set up in Naxal belt. Resumption of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) - specific schemes such as Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, Special Infrastructure Scheme, Special Central Assistance etc. Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to be reviewed to ensure effective choking of fund flow to LWE groups. Fast tracking building infrastructure, with a focus on solar lights, mobile towers with 3G connectivity, and road-rail connectivity. Indian Army or specialized forces - such as Greyhounds - to train forces to take on Naxals. Conclusion: Forces should be more proactive and aggressive in owning operations, rather than being reactive. It is the belief of the Government of India that through a holistic approach focussing on development and security related interventions, the LWE problem can be successfully tackled. However, it is clear that the Maoists do not want root causes like underdevelopment to be addressed in a meaningful manner since they resort to targeting school buildings, roads, railways, bridges, health infrastructure, communication facilities etc in a major way. They wish to keep the population in their areas of influence marginalized to perpetuate their outdated ideology. Consequently, the process of development has been set back by decades in many parts of the country under LWE influence.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) This needs to be recognised by the civil society and the media to build pressure on the Maoists to eschew violence, join the mainstream and recognise the fact that the socio-economic and political dynamics and aspirations of 21st Century India are far removed from the Maoist world-view. Further, an ideology based on violence and annihilation is doomed to fail in a democracy which offers legitimate forums of grievance redressal.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND GLOBAL ISSUES
India-Tibet-China
Relevancy G.S. Paper 3 India-Tibet-China relations Reasons why WPTC got cancelled About TPiE and related concerns India’s policy towards Tibet Recently: The 7th World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet (WPCT), which had been planned for April 26- 28 in Delhi, has been cancelled. Why WPCT got cancelled? The reason for cancellation is because of the government’s bid to ease tensions with China. A leaked memo to officials telling them to stay away from events that commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s 1959 flight to India proves India’s attempt at resetting ties with china by giving up its “Tibet card”. The decision reflects “sensitivities” over upcoming high profile meetings between the Indian and Chinese leadership. An “informal summit” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping even before they meet in Qingdao in June for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is being “worked on”. TPiE (Tibetan Parliament in Exile) Preparations for the event this year were in full swing, and parliamentarians from the self-styled “Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE)” of the Central Tibetan Authority in India had met with several MPs in Delhi in December 2017 to extend invitations. Tibetan community leaders also announced the “postponement” of the WPCT in the ongoing session of the ‘TPiE’ in Dharamshala this week. TPiE worried Leaders of the Tibetan ‘parliament in exile’ (TPiE) are worried and called to discuss whether this was a phase in Sino-Indian ties, or a more permanent situation What are the concerns? Giving in to China’s aggression on the subject is the wrong pretext to nuance its Tibet policy, and as the government has said, where the Dalai Lama goes within India is a sovereign issue. The bigger error may be for the government to be using Tibetan refugees in India as a card in its relations with China. Is Tibet responsible for the Deteriorating ties between India and China? Ties between the two have deteriorated over the past few years for a number of reasons unconnected to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan population in India: Border incursions, including the standoff at the part of Doklam claimed by Bhutan. India’s strategic shift in line with the U.S.’s Indo-Pacific pivot that targets China. China’s ‘deep-pocket’ inroads into South Asia. Differences on the international stage, including over the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and terror designations to Masood Azhar. It would be wrong to assume that these problems would go away if India were to make the Tibetan community and its leader less visible.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Therefore, it is wrong to portray strictures on their activities as a ‘peace offering to Beijing’. India’s policy towards Tibet: Indian strategists have handed down the idea of a Tibet card for decades. India must revise this policy with a thorough evaluation of the ground. The landscape of Tibet, now crisscrossed with railway lines, super-speed highways, tunnels and airports, has changed drastically in the past two decades. The Beijing-Lhasa railway line and other engineering marvels have made Tibet more self-reliant, with more jobs for the next generation. There’s an ongoing demographic shift in Tibet, with Beijing populating areas with majority ‘Han’ Chinese workers, encouraging mixed marriages, and mainstreaming Chinese culture into the region. The government thus needs a proactive policy that takes into account these new realities. The Indian foreign policy establishment needs to stop seeing the Tibetan population in India as a strategic tool.
India-Japan Relationship And Its Potential
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2,3 Potential of Indi-Japan relations India and Japan yet to reach its potential How issues can be solved among two countries Recently: The two governments in recent times have worked hard to upgrade ties. Regular high-profile bilateral visits have resulted into memoranda of understanding, some big-ticket projects, notably Japanese investment in India’s first bullet train, and political avowals to grow the economic relationship exponentially. There are now 1,369 Japanese companies and over 4,800 Japanese corporate offices active in India. Japan currently ranks as the third largest investor in India. How India Japan relationship has the potential to grow? In theory, it’s hard to find two nations that make a better economic fit than fast-growing, populous India and rich, demographically challenged Japan. India needs technical expertise and investments to develop its infrastructure, while Japan has the capital to spare and know-how to share. They have a common strategic objective in countering Chinese hegemony in Asia, a goal that can be best met in collaboration. They enjoy a rare historic amity, being geographically and culturally close, but not too close and, therefore, free of contentious issues such as border disputes. India and Japan yet to reach its potential- The India-Japan economic relationship remains underwhelming both in relation to its potential, and to the ties that each nation shares with China. According to Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) data, China received about five times more Japanese investment between 1996-2015 ($116 billion) than India did ($24 billion). Japan-India two-way trade — $13.48 billion in 2016-17 — is also a fraction of the $350 billion China- Japan trade relationship or even India-China trade ($84.44 billion in 2017). The share of India-Japan trade in Japan’s total trade basket is barely 1% and it is a little over 2% of India’s trade with the rest of the world. Why haven’t they reached the potential yet?
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Issues that plague foreign investors face in India like inadequate infrastructure, complex tax regulations and land acquisition problems. It takes Japanese companies in India longer than their Korean or Chinese counterparts to learn how best to localise their products for the Indian market. The greatest challenge is cultural and an outdated and negative image of India. The larger corporations may realise India’s potential, but small and medium enterprises are the worst culprits of this attitude. Japanese corporations are strongly risk averse which makes it difficult for them to cope in the freewheeling, jugaad-proud environment of India, where flexibility and impromptu decision making are necessary skills in the businesses. How can the issues be resolved? Roping in Indian companies to develop and design Japanese products for the South Asian market could be one way forward in deepening the bilateral engagement. The recent collaboration between Japan’s Panasonic and India’s Tata Elxsi to develop smart solutions and products for Panasonic customers in India and the neighboring region is a good start. The use of India as a manufacturing base for markets in Africa, a trend that is interesting to Japan’s business strategists is another way to move forward. Overall, the G (government) to G relationship is far ahead of the B (business) to B.” Closing this distance is what is required.
India France cooperation
Relevancy G.S. Paper 3 A brief history of India France cooperation Recent developments Recently: French President Emmanuel Macron visited India. The India-France Strategic Partnership launched in 1998 seems finally to have come of age. A brief history of India France cooperation: France has always been sympathetic to similar Indian claims based on its ancient civilization which is why both countries were quick to voice support for global multi-polarity once the Cold War ended. Defence cooperation with France began in the 1950s. Joint naval exercise, Varuna, dates back to 1983. Cooperation in the space sector has continued since the 1960s when France helped India set up the Sriharikota launch site. After the nuclear tests in May 1998 when India declared itself a nuclear weapon state, France was the first major power to open dialogue and displayed a far greater understanding of India’s security compulsions compared to other countries. It was the first P-5 country to support India’s claim for a permanent seat in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council. What are the recent developments? B2B and P2P relations: In recent years, it was clear that for a wider partnership, strengthening business-to-business and people-to-people relationships was essential. Climate change and renewable energy resources, particularly solar, soon emerged as a new plank, reflected in the multilateral initiative of the International Solar Alliance.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Another area identified was urban planning and management of services like housing, transport, water, sanitation, etc using the public private partnership model which the French have employed successfully. Maritime cooperation: Like India, France has expressed concern about China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean Region. French overseas territories in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans provide it with the second largest exclusive economic zone globally. It has long maintained bases in Reunion Islands and Djibouti and established one in Abu Dhabi in 2009. The signing of MoUs regarding the provision of reciprocal logistics support to each other’s armed forces provide the basis to strengthen joint naval exercises. Strengthening cooperation with France, particularly in the western Indian Ocean Region makes eminent strategic sense even as India develops its presence in Oman (Duqm) and Seychelles (Assumption Island). Trade: Nearly $16 billion worth of agreements was signed at the business summit. There are nearly 1,000 French companies present in India while over a hundred Indian businesses have established a presence in France. Educational links: Potentially, the most significant was the focus on youth and student exchanges. Currently about 2,500 Indians go to France annually to pursue higher education. A target has been set to raise it to 10,000 by 2020. The agreement on mutual recognition of academic degrees and the follow-on Knowledge Summit, where 14 MoUs between educational and scientific institutions were signed. Tourism: A target of a million Indian tourists and 335,000 French tourists has been set for 2020. Other developments: Francophonie! The flagship programme of Smart Cities in which France is focussing on Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry is taking shape.
Core issues at the WTO
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II, III International institutions, World Trade Organisation, WTO issues, concerns of developing nations at the WTO Recently: India held an informal WTO ministerial meeting in New Delhi on March 19-20. Background: The issues pending with the WTO are not moving. No business-relevant decision has emerged from it in the past two decades. There was no significant decision taken at the 11th WTO ministerial conference (MC11) that took place at Buenos Aires in December 2017. What are the core issues that need to be addressed? Agriculture, Digital business, Fisheries subsidies, Services, Investment, Trojan horses and Institutional crisis are the major issues that need the attention of the participant countries. Developed and developing countries hold conflicting positions over these issues. Let’s discuss these issues one by one:
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Agriculture: o The developing countries offer an annual subsidy of over $260 billion to their farmers. This subsidy enables their farmers to export their produce at a very low price. o This is detrimental to the domestic farm produce of developing countries and thus the poor farmers suffer. o This is because the cheap imports make these farmers uncompetitive in their own country. o The developing countries demand that the rich countries should cut their subsidies, while the latter want the former to lower their import duties. o For India, the fight WTO is about Food Security. o The Indian government offers MSP (Minimum Support Price) for certain crops. This MSP is higher than the market price of the crop. This ensures profit for the farmer. o To ensure food security of around 600 million people, the India government sells this produce at subsidised prices. But this in violation with certain WTO rules. o Seeking a permanent solution to the issue of food security is India’s foremost concern. Digital Business: o At the 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11), it was agreed to continue zero import duty treatment to electronic transmissions until 2019. o Most online business is owned by the giants like Google, Amazon, or Facebook, which are based in developed countries. o Developed countries want rules that ensure a free run to these companies across the world. But many countries feel that the digital business is still evolving. o If the WTo makes rules for the digital business, then there would be no room left for the developing countries to regulate their business. o Moreover, there is no consensus even on the definition of e-commerce or digital product. o Some activities of online firms are a threat to human values and democracy (they give a free run to porn and terror groups). o It is also important to understand that the online social media firms these days are making great influence on public opinion. So, a free hand cannot be granted to these online platforms. Fisheries Subsidy: o Rich countries oppose subsidy granted by developing countries to poor fishermen for whom fishing is the only source of livelihood. o These countries led by the EU, the US and Japan provide the most subsidy — 65 per cent of the total annual $35-billion fisheries subsidy. o But as these subsidies are largely non-specific or Green Box. Services: o The sector contributes to 70 per cent of the world GDP, but only 20 per cent of world trade. o Country-specific domestic regulations (DR) act as the primary barriers to services trade. Developed countries have a clear lead over others as they already have a robustly implemented DR set-up. o Now these developed countries want other countries to adopt these DRs. o In essence, there are no new obligations for them. o India and other developing countries need to create their own DRs. Investment: o The inclusion of investment as a subject in the WTO was rejected in 1996 because the WTO makes rules for trade. o At MC11, a group of 71 countries led by the EU issued a statement calling for discussions on developing a multilateral framework for investment facilitation. o But most countries feel this is only a small part of the investment regime and hence should be left as it is. www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Trojan Horses (Hidden Agenda): o At MC11, joint declarations were adopted on promoting the participation of MSMEs and women in trade. o But African countries, India, and many others stayed away apprehending that these could lead to a discussion on market access issues which are already being discussed in other negotiating groups. Institutional Crisis: o The US President Donald Trump’s use of the ‘threat to national security’ provision of the WTO for imposing tariffs reveals his disdain for the WTO process. o This clause empowers a country to take any action to counter a threat to its national security. o The entire WTO membership must confront and oppose Trump before it is too late. Conclusion: Improving the standard of living of people and ensuring full employment are two of the important stated objectives of the WTO. Many countries need to reconcile their negotiating positions with these. The members of the WTO must address these issues.
Mastering the Indian Ocean region
Relevancy G.S. Paper 3 Recent developments by India for economic and diplomatic maritime relations in the Indian Ocean Region Current issues and India’s laid back approach Recently: Smartly playing its economic and diplomatic cards, China has established a chain of maritime footholds in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and acquired its first overseas military base in Djibouti last year. China has decided to become a major player in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). What are the recent developments on India’s part? India’s recent agreement with Oman providing access, for “military use and logistical support” in the new Port of Duqm, has raised hopes that India is, belatedly, strengthening its maritime posture in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). There have been other significant developments too; like President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Djibouti and its recognition by India. The conclusion of an Indo-Seychelles agreement for creation of air and naval facilities on Assumption Island; and The agreement with the UAE for joint naval exercises. What is the Issue? Lack of over-arching vision on India’s part. China has been releasing defence white papers every two years. Accordingly, Beijing has built a powerful navy that will soon overtake the US navy in numbers, lagging behind only in capability. New Delhi, on the other hand, has shown no tangible signs of strategic thinking or long-term security planning, as evident from a total absence of defence white papers or security doctrines to date.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The navy did spell out, in 2004-05, its own vision of India’s maritime interests and challenges through a maritime doctrine and a maritime strategy. But, in the absence of higher strategic guidance in the form of a national-level document, they are of limited utility. Thus, the absence of an over-arching vision which conceptualises the IOR in a 50-75 year perspective that has led to the neglect of maritime issues critical to India’s vital interests. Examples of India’s laid back approach:- The Chabahar port project should have been completed long ago, notwithstanding US sanctions; The offer of Agalega Islands from Mauritius should have been taken up years ago; The Maldives imbroglio should have been pre-empted. Our disregard of distant Mozambique and Madagascar remains a huge maritime “missed opportunity”. The IOR strategic agenda may be soon taken out of India’s hands as the chairmanship of two important bodies, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) devolves on the UAE and Iran respectively. What do we need to do? We need to have a coherent Indian maritime grand strategy in order to herald a renewed impetus to India’s maritime outreach and for the actualisation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2015 “Sagar” vision.
Indo-French Relations
Relevancy: GS Mains paper III International relations, Indo-French ties Recently: French President Emmanuel Macron visited India and discussed ways of building closer diplomatic ties with India. Overview of Indo-French relations: Strategic Relations: o France was the first country in the West with which India established a strategic partnership and the first with which India initiated a strategic dialogue after our 1998 nuclear tests when France refrained from imposing sanctions on us. o Leaders from no other country have been honoured as many times as chief guests at India’s Republic Day celebrations. Economic relations: o Bilateral trade between India and France has increased significantly over the past fifteen years. o At present, more than 1,000 French subsidiaries from a wide spectrum of sectors are present in India, employing a workforce of around 3,00,000 persons. o France has also collaborated with India under the ‘Smart Cities’ initiative taken up by the Modi government. Political relations: o During the 1980s, France wished to widen the scope of its relations with India. o However, a closer bilateral relationship was established with the creation of a strategic partnership in 1998 and a strategic dialogue a year later. o A year after PM Modi came to power, he visited France in what was his first visit to a European country since taking office. He has visited the country twice more since then.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) o Later erstwhile President Francois Hollande made a state visit to India between January 24 and January 26, 2016. o In 2017, a few months after Emmanuel Macron became the new president of France, PM Modi visited Paris and met the newly elected PM with an aim to bolster the bilateral strategic ties and discuss key issues like terrorism and climate change. Scientific and technical cooperation: o India and France have also built scientific and technical cooperation as a key area of their partnership, which was given a fresh impetus with the establishment of an Indo-French Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation. o More recently, the vision for the International Solar Alliance was established jointly by the two countries. Climate change: o Climate change has emerged — and rightfully so — as a new cornerstone of the relationship between the two countries. Both countries now need to leverage this political alignment towards creating meaningful joint ventures, and develop technology and knowledge exchanges in this field for all to benefit. Clean- environment friendly technologies: o France is ahead on the curve of developing technologies that minimise the environmental impact of manufacturing processes. o These are technologies that the Indian manufacturing industry can learn and adopt as the latter gets subjected to strict emission limits and stringent compliances by the current Indian government. o Moreover, the climate change industry is estimated to reach a value of $1 trillion by 2020, presenting an opportunity for France and India. Talent hunt: o The protectionist stance of Brexit and Donald Trump also presents an opportunity to France. French universities can attract the best of Indian talent. o But France also needs to make reforms on his home turf in order to transform friendships into greater economic opportunity for all. o French labour laws need to be reformed such that corporations are more agile when doing business abroad. Besides education and culture, France and India have also built a long-standing cooperation in nuclear, defence and space.
India-China-Pakistan Cooperation: Transforming The Subcontinent
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2,3 Brief Background about India-China-Pakistan cooperation The Results of poor integration and the arguments caused BRI solution and counter arguments Benefits for India Alternatives A Brief Background:
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Despite being neighbors, India and Pakistan are among the least integrated nations in the world. Because of their unending mutual hostility, South Asia too has become the least integrated region in the world. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is in a coma. Sadly, the most populous region in the world has also remained home to the largest number of poor people in the world. Results of Poor integration: There are no direct flights between their capitals — New Delhi and Islamabad. The frequency of Delhi-Lahore and Mumbai-Karachi flights has become minimal. At less than $3 billion annually, trade with Pakistan accounts for a meagre 0.4% of India’s growing global commerce. What are the arguments? On the Indian side, it is said that terror and trade cannot go together. The Narendra Modi government has raised the bar higher — terror and talks cannot go together. On the Pakistani side, resolution of the Kashmir issue has become a precondition for any substantial bilateral cooperation. The needs of common citizens of India and Pakistan- employment, education, health care and food- and-environmental security- can be met only through regional cooperation, not regional rivalry. BRI as part of the solution: A three-way India-China-Pakistan cooperation is possible, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides a practical framework for such partnership. The government’s opposition to the BRI is based, among other things, on the basis that the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under the BRI, violates India’s sovereignty since it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It undermines India’s long-term development and security interests. What are the counter-arguments? CPEC does not recognise PoK to be Pakistan’s sovereign territory. Both China and Pakistan have stated that they are open to India joining CPEC. China has also expressed its readiness to rename CPEC suitably to both address India’s concerns and to reflect the project’s expanded regional scope. What are the benefits for India? The BRI will connect Lahore and Amritsar (also Delhi and the rest of India), the two sides of Kashmir (which all Kashmir-based political parties want), Sindh and southern Punjab with Gujarat and Rajasthan, and Karachi with Mumbai. By joining the renamed CPEC, India would gain land access, through Pakistan, to Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia and western China. The CPEC-plus-India can also be linked to the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Corridor, thus creating a grand garland of connectivity and integration for the whole of South Asia. The rename CPEC is also indispensable for the success of two other mega projects that are critical for India’s energy security and accelerated economic growth — the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan- India (TAPI) and Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipelines. Connectivity, cooperation and economic integration are the only realistic bases for any future India- Pakistan settlement of the Kashmir dispute. What comprises the alternatives? An alternative connectivity project by the “Quadrilateral” of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India is unlikely to take off. Even if it does, its developmental benefits to India will be limited since it will seek to keep China and Pakistan out. India’s gains due to Chabahar are modest, and nowhere comparable to those that would accrue by India having a direct land access to Afghanistan through Pakistan.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) Conclusion: The proposed connectivity initiative would thus create strong new bonds of regional cooperation and interdependence, could also help resolve three long-standing geopolitical problems in the region, in which countless people have been killed — terrorism, Kashmir and Afghanistan. To realise this vision of a resurgent South Asia, two obstacles will have to be removed blind nationalism and the unfriendly designs of extra-regional powers. Going Grey: On Pakistan And The FATF Watch List
Relevancy G.S. Paper 2,3 About The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF List Reason for listing Pakistan Conclusion Recently: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that monitors countries on action taken against terror- financing and money-laundering has decided to place Pakistan back on its watch list, or “greylist”, from June 2018. The decision is both appropriate and overdue, given Pakistan’s blatant violation of its obligations to crack down on groups banned by the Security Council 1267 sanctions committee. What is FATF? The Financial Action Task Force, also known by its French name, Groupe d'action financière, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering. What is the FATF list? The FATF blacklist was the common shorthand description for the Financial Action Task Force list of "Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories" (NCCTs) issued since 2000, which it perceived to be non- cooperative in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. Why the decision of listing Pakistan has been taken? The decision comes at the time of Pakistan’s blatant violation of its obligations to crack down on groups banned by the Security Council 1267 sanctions committee that monitors groups affiliated to the Taliban such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani network. Their leaders like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar continue to hold public rallies and freely garner support and donations. In the process, both the LeT and JeM, which continue to praise and claim credit for terror attacks in India, have grown their bases in Pakistan, with fortress-like headquarters in Muridke and Bahawalpur. By doing this, successive Pakistani governments have jeopardised ties with India, and shown disregard for the outcry against terrorism worldwide. Conclusion: If grey listing comes as part of a concerted campaign to hold Pakistan accountable, and pressure is ratcheted up with financial strictures on its banks and businesses and targeted sanctions imposed against specific law enforcement and intelligence officials, it may bear fruit.
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WORLD HAPPINESS INDEX REPORT 2018
Relevancy: GS Prelims, GS Mains paper I, IV Ethics and Integrity, World Happiness Index Report 2018 Recently: World Happiness Index Report was released. Findings of the Report: Finland, Norway and Denmark bagged the first three positions. India is ranked terribly low (133 out of 156 countries) alongside some Sub-Saharan African countries, dropping 11 spots from last year. Most of the emerging economies — Mexico (24), Brazil (28), Argentina (29), Malaysia (35), Russia (59), China (86) — are placed far ahead of India. All the South Asian countries also ranked better compared to India. What are the Ingredients of Happiness? Besides measures of prosperity such as income and healthy life expectancy, the key variables that are used to ascertain happiness are generosity, having social support in times of trouble, and freedom to make life choices. Another important variable is trust, which is measured by the absence of corruption in business and government. ANALYSIS OF TRENDS IN HAPPINESS: On the ingredients of happiness: o There are internal and external factors. Income is helpful but not very important. o In most countries, less than 2% of the difference in happiness levels can be explained by income difference. o Relationships — human, family and personal — play a very critical role. o Having a job and how happy you are at work also impact happiness. People around you, too, have an impact. o Internal factors like physical and mental health are very important. o This is true about rich as well as poor countries and individuals. o Governments must seriously focus on tackling mental health issues. On age, gender and cultural effect on happiness o Research has not found much difference between genders. o Age does have an impact: o In richer countries, younger and older people are happier but those in middle years are not so. o In poorer countries, we have found happiness doesn’t come back when they get old perhaps due to challenges of poor health. o Culture of a country is very important. Happiness is higher in societies that have higher levels of generosity and strong social bonds. o Countries where people support each other, have more freedom and society is less corrupt are happier. On money and happiness o Materialism and individualism aren’t helping. Globally, as incomes have risen, happiness hasn’t.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) o It is because of a breakdown of social factors. A sense of connection to families, to the wider society and community is critical. o Happiness in Scandinavian countries can also be credited to the egalitarian ethos there where people care for each other. On the role of religion: o Typically, religious people are happier than those without religion. o But it is also true that non-religious people with a wonder for life, having a sense of gratitude, too are happier. o As people become more and more aware of modern science, their love for religious beliefs declines — this is a tendency throughout the world. On economic progress vs happiness: o Happiness from within is as important as from outside. o Pursuit of materialism, thinking that money can solve all problems, is a problem. o Comparing ourselves with others pushes up expectation levels. o Then, happiness is not so much dependent on reality but on expectations people have set. Preserving families ties, social fabric, improving consciousness in the society, tackling both physical and mental illnesses are important areas to focus on. o There are small countries like the UAE and Bhutan who do it. o Andhra Pradesh in India too plans to do it. It is only when you set a goal that you can align policies to meet them. o Public expenditure too should be looked at through this lens.
REASONS OF AN UNHAPPY INDIA: Egalitarianism: o Despite being one of the fastest growing economies, India remains a non-egalitarian country, with burgeoning levels of economic inequality. o An Oxfam survey in 2017 has revealed that India’s richest 1 per cent has cornered almost 73 per cent of the total wealth created in the country. Low public healthcare spending: o India’s public health spending is well below the global average (just 1.4 per cent of GDP), leaving the deprived millions to pitiable public healthcare facilities. o Oddly enough, even the well-off Indian professional class, who can afford expensive private healthcare, are not guaranteed a long, healthy and happy life. Distrust of people in the state machinery: o Without doubt, India has failed in building a trustworthy social support system, helping people when they are in real trouble. Corruption: o It is proved over and over again that India’s political system and business establishments are unable to manage big cash flows in a sustainable, responsible and transparent way. o Corrupt and fraudulent practices still hold the key as exemplified in the Nirav Modi episode and similar occurrences. o No further explanations are necessary as to why India’s rank dropped in the latest global corruption perceptions index.
Euthanasia In India
Relevancy www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) G.S. Paper 2,4 What is ‘common cause’? What is active and passive euthanasia? What is the basis of the Common Cause v. Union of India decision? Is active euthanasia morally better? Recently: Last week, in Common Cause v. Union of India, the Supreme Court ruled that every individual has the right to die with dignity. It upheld the practice of passive euthanasia. What is “common cause”? Common Cause is a public interest organization of long standing, which has been striving for governance reforms through action research, advocacy and public interest litigation. What is Passive euthanasia? It is the removal of life-support mechanisms from persons who, for the most part, have slipped into a persistent vegetative state in order to allow them to die in the natural course of things — and laid down a set of detailed procedural guidelines to facilitate this process. These include “advance directives” and “living wills”. These are instructions issued by a person specifying what should be done to her in the event of a terminal illness, and who will decide if she herself is incapacitated from giving or withholding consent. The court also addressed situations where a patient was terminally ill, but had not issued an advance directive. In such situations it held that the consent of the patient’s close family, subject to the supervision of and concurrence by trained medical personnel, would substitute for the advance directive. What is active euthanasia? Active euthanasia is defined as the intentional act of causing the death of a patient experiencing great suffering. What is the basis of the Common Cause v. Union of India decision? The SC expounded the basis of its 2011 ruling in Aruna Shanbaug v. Union of India which permitted “passive” euthanasia, including “involuntary” passive euthanasia for mentally incompetent patients, in certain terminal cases. Ruling that Article 21 of the Constitution guaranteed the “right to die with dignity”, the court also issued interim guidelines to enforce individuals’ living wills in case of future incompetence. Aruna Shanbaug and Common Cause have incorporated the judicial APD evolved primarily by the U.K. courts. What is the moral difference between killing and letting die? Many people make a moral distinction between active and passive euthanasia. They think that it is acceptable to withhold treatment and allow a patient to die, but that it is never acceptable to kill a patient by a deliberate act. Some medical people like this idea. They think it allows them to provide a patient with the death they want without having to deal with the difficult moral problems they would face if they deliberately killed that person. There is no real difference Since stopping treatment is a deliberate act, and so is deciding not to carry out a particular treatment. Switching off a life supporting system requires someone to carry out the action of throwing the switch.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) If the patient dies as a result of the doctor switching off the respirator then although it's certainly true that the patient dies from lung cancer (or whatever), it's also true that the immediate cause of their death is the switching off of the breathing machine. In active euthanasia the doctor takes an action with the intention that it will cause the patient's death. In passive euthanasia the doctor lets the patient die. when a doctor lets someone die, they carry out an action with the intention that it will cause the patient's death. So there is no real difference between passive and active euthanasia, since both have the same result: the death of the patient on humanitarian grounds. Thus the act of removing life-support is just as much an act of killing as giving a lethal injection. Is active euthanasia morally better? Some (mostly philosophers) say that active euthanasia is morally better because it can be quicker and cleaner, and it may be less painful for the patient. Points on which ‘passive’ euthanasia was constructed Active Passive Euthanasia Distinction (ABD) is an elaborate and flawed judicial construct arguably necessitated by overarching policy concerns. It has the potential for abuse by unscrupulous individuals and the spectre of criminal prosecution of benign doctors and families, etc. What is the way forward? Common Cause signals that APD’s days numbered. Whether couched as “dignified death” or “bodily autonomy”, there is no reasonable basis for negating the right vis-à-vis a patient whose circumstances warrant assistance to exercise it. There must be proper legalization and regulation of active euthanasia.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) HISTORY ART AND CULTURE
UGUDI/ Gudi Padwa
Relevancy: GS Prelims Art and Culture, Festivals of India Recently: The new year in the southern states of India will be celebrated as Ugudi/ Yugudi on 18th March About Ugudi: The word Ugudi or Yugudi can be bifurcated into 2 parts- Yuga, which means ‘age’ and adi, which means ‘beginning’. So the word means – Beginning of a new age. The Hindus of the states – Karnataka, Andhara Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra celebrate the new year on this day. This also marks the beginning of Hindu month Chaitra (as per the Hindu Lunisolar calendar). As per the religious texts, this day marks the creation of Universe by Lord Brahma and also the creation of Satyuga. Also, this day marks the beginning of Ram Navami Navratras. After nine days from Ugudi, the birth of Lord Rama is celebrated. How do people celebrate the festival? Garlands of flowers and special dishes are offered to the Gods and Goddesses on this day. People consume a concoction made of Neem and other herbs in order to purify their blood. People decorate their floors with the pattern of colors called Kolamulu/ Rangoli and their doors with the mango leaves called Toranulu Other names of the festival: In Maharashtra, the Hindus celebrate the same festival as Gudi Padwa. Sindhis celebrate the same day as Cheti Chand. Manipuris celebrate the day as Sajibu Nongma Panba.
An Ode To A Dying Language
Relevancy G.S. Paper 1 An ode to a dying language Culture and language Role of People’s Linguistic Survey of India in keeping minority and oral language alive Repercussions of loosing a language World languages in danger and what can be done to protect them Recently: The chairman of the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, Ganesh N. Devy, a literary critic who spent years, saving tribal languages, remarked that clerical definitions can be genocidal and facilitate extinction. Mr. Devy said that when the Government of India decided to define a language as a form of life marked by a script, it triggered the erasure of oral languages. Is it a death of a culture? India is one of the great repositories of languages.
www.brainyias.com BrainyIAS (84594-00000) The death of a language in particular has a particular poignancy. Newspapers often report the death of a last tribal speaker, scarcely mentioning the death of a culture that preceded it. There is a hypocrisy and ambivalence which captures modernity’s attitude to the obsolescent and near extinct. Disappearing languages: Futurists warn that over 3,000 languages might disappear over the next ten years. The danger to minority languages and oral languages is high. Almost any census on languages is a ritual of mourning. Development and the institutions of development like school mutually guarantee the disappearance of minority languages and dialects. What does People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PSLI) say? One group that is steadfastly fighting to keep languages alive is the People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PSLI). India is an oral society that understands the culture of orality. Today one needs to create a new social contract between orality, textuality and digitality to keep pluralism alive. The PLSI also noted that extinction of a language and the death of ecology often goes together. In India coastal languages are dying as the coast and the livelihoods of the coast are being destroyed ecologically and culturally. What are the repercussions of losing a language? Losing a language is losing a cosmology, a set of myths, rituals of competence. Yet no cost-benefit ever calculates the cultural cost of language extinction. India is one of the great repositories of language in the world. A language disappears as a new generation enters modernity, abandoning memory and older forms of competence. World languages in danger: 230 languages have become extinct since 1950. Needs a kaleidoscope of spaces where different languages are juxtaposed and one switch between them as one shifts context. Translation too becomes an important act of citizenship. Local and regional languages are translated into English but one rarely thinks of translating from Tamil to Spanish. One needs to move to a more polyglot world to sustain a vision of diversity. Language loss is a part of a bigger and problematic diversity. What can be done? Need a notion of heritage which can save agricultural and linguistic diversity together. Need to invent a citizenship and a commons of cultures as part of our democratic imagination. A people need to feel a language is relevant, possesses dignity, and provides competence, identity and meaning for it to survive. Needs a special prayer for a language going extinct.
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