Daily Answer Writing Program MTS-29: 01st July, 2021 Syllabus- GS Paper III- Indian Economy, Agriculture, Science & Technology, Environment, Disaster Management & Internal Security

Q1. By opening the Kartarpur corridor India has addressed the religious sentiments of and India has shown its willingness to ease the border issue. But the concerns of India over the geopolitical and security ramifications of the project is genuine. Analyse. (10 Marks, 150 Words)

Introduction The partition of India and Pakistan persistently highlights the realities of a shared past. Several sites of religious significance to the region’s three main religions are located on either side of the division. The Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines (1974) allows respective citizens the opportunity to visit religious shrines in each country under certain conditions.

Kartarpur Corridor 1. The Kartarpur corridor connects Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of in India. 2. It facilitates the visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to obtain only a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib. 3. It is the first visa-free corridor between the two neighbours since their independence in 1947.

Religious Sentiments & Border Issues 1. Pakistan’s Kartarpur Sahib is revered as the place where is said to have spent his final days and where he breathed his last. 2. Previously, Sikh pilgrims from India had to take a bus to Lahore to get to Kartarpur, which is a 125 kilometres (78 miles) journey, or they could physically see Darbar Sahib Kartarpur from the Indian side from an elevated observation platform. 3. The opening of the corridor has proved a jubilant occasion for Indian Sikhs as it provides more direct and consistent access to the gurdwara. 4. Similar to Kartarpur Sahib, there are areas of shared interest between the two countries where they are capable of forming agreements, building trust, and making progress toward greater stability. 5. Quick response and implementation of this corridor imply India's willingness to resolve issues between the two countries. 6. This project will increase people-to-people interaction across the border ultimately leading to dilution of hostilities and progress towards resolving other border issues.

Geopolitical & Security Concerns 1. The Kartarpur corridor is considered as a plan based on “Bajwa Doctrine”. This doctrine is a confluence of several geopolitical factors in which many actors are involved. It is predominantly driven by China which is re-positioning itself. 2. There is an incessant suspicion that rather than an act of goodwill towards India, Pakistan is instead engaged in an act of deception. 3. These suspicions are not without some merit. Recently, a group of Indian Sikh pilgrims were granted visas to visit the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal for , ’s most important festival. However, along the route to the town Sikh separatist propaganda had been strategically placed. 4. The tactic from Pakistan has been to use this propaganda to try and instigate unrest in Indian Punjab in the hopes of destabilising India. 5. Pakistan’s national psychology remains focused on proving that the idea of India, as plural and secular society, cannot work. Its attempts to stoke separatist feelings among Indian Sikhs is one of the ways it attempts to prove this assertion correct. 6. On the face, the stated objective of this corridor is to present a softer, secular image of Pakistan. This fake mask of Pakistan has often slipped when they referred to the project as 'Chess game' and 'Googlie'.

Q2. Discuss India's cybersecurity policy and cybersecurity architecture. [150 Words, 10 Marks]

According to latest Global Information Security Survey (GISS) 2018-19 - India edition, one of the highest number of cyber threats have been detected in India, and the country ranks second in terms of targeted attacks. Thus, it is essential for the government of India to take measures to safe guard Indian Citizens from crime related to cyber space.

India's to Cyber security Architecture National Cyber Security Policy, 2013: 1. To create secure cyber-ecosystem and enable adequate trust and confidence in electronic transactions and also guiding stakeholder's actions for protection of cyber space. 2. To create an assurance framework for design of security policies and enable actions for compliance of global standards. 3. To strengthen regulatory framework for ensuring secure cyber ecosystem. 4. To develop suitable indigenous technologies in ICT sector. 5. To increase the visibility of integrity of ICT product by establishing infrastructure for testing and validation of security of such product.

Draft National Encryption Policy, 2015: It aims to enable information security environment and secure transactions in Cyber Space for individuals, businesses, Government including nationally critical information systems and networks.

The Information Act, 2000 (amended in 2008): 1. Tampering with computer source documents. 2. Hacking with computer system 3. Act of cyber terrorism i.e. accessing a protected system with the intention of threatening the unity, integrity, sovereignty or security of country. 4. Cheating using computer resource etc.

Institutions and Infrastructure 1. National Cyber Security Coordination Centre (NCCC): The NCCC is mandated to perform real time threat assessment and create situational awareness of potential cyber threats to the country. It was made operational in August 2017. 2. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC): The organisation was created under section 70A of the IT Act. a. It is designated as a national nodal agency in respect of critical information infrastructure protection. It aims to protect and safeguard critical information infrastructure (CII) against cyber terrorism, cyber warfare and other threats. 3. The CERT-In (Cyber Emergency Response Team - India) a. CERT-In is operational since 2004. It is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur. b. Since Nov 2012, DG of CERT-In is called the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) 4. National Technical Research Organization a. Set up in 2004, it is a technical intelligence agency under the National Security Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office, India. b. It also includes National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD) 5. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) a. It is an organisation of the Government of India created under Sec 70A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (amended 2008) b. The NCIIPC under NTRO released the "Guidelines for Securing the National Critical Information Infrastructures" (NCII) (Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) is that ICT infrastructure upon which core functionality of Critical Infrastructure is dependent.) of the country. i. It has identified critical information infrastructures like power and energy, transportation, banking/finance and insurance, telecommunication, defence, space, public health, e- governance etc., the NCIIPC guidelines created a broad framework for securing these infrastructures all over the country. 6. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): The Union Government has decided to set up 14C. It will be apex coordination centre to deal with cybercrimes based in New Delhi. It will coordinate with State governments/ UTs and closely monitor cyberspace and social media with due emphasis on vernacular content. 7. Cyber Forensic Laboratory: a. The Cyber Forensic Laboratory and Digital Imaging Centre functioning under CFSL assist enforcement agencies in the collection and forensic analysis of electronic evidence.

The need of the hour for Indian government is to develop core skills in cyber security, data integrity and data security fields while also setting stringent cyber security standards to protect banks and financial institutions.

Q3. Despite the secular nature of Indian polity and the various constitutional and legal provisions, communal violence takes place frequently, Discuss the statement and suggest strategies that can be adopted to counter it. [250 Words, 15 Marks]

Introduction

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Q4. Evaluate the need for a stronger industrial-military complex for India in light of growing economic and security needs. [250 Words, 15 Marks]

Introduction According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), today India is world's 2nd largest arms importer with defence expenditure hovering around 3% of GDP. It is in this direction to correct this imbalance; Ministry of Defence in 2013 came out with Defence Procurement Policy, 2013 to build an indigenous defense manufacturing sector. Also, Defense Planning Committee (DPC), the new government body has mandate to define a security strategy for the country, conduct a strategic defense review and plan a path towards building an indigenous defense manufacturing sector.

Arguments in favour 1. Self-dependency: India with 70% of its inventory being foreign exposes critical dependency on other countries, which might be detrimental to national interest in long run. 2. Technological development - Military technologies advancement like nuclear tech achievements (Pokhran Test, Smiling Buddha) were result of domestic efforts. The stronger industrial-military complex will further give boost to the technological development. 3. Strengthening International relations - Technology sharing and knowledge transfer with countries such as Israel, Japan, S. Korea have been stellar instances to progress international relations. 4. Decentralized development - Military-industrial complex will have multiplier effect on overall regional growth and domestic standard of living. 5. Manufacturing sector growth - Small and medium private enterprises could provide ancillary services to defence PSUs. This will improve startup ecosystem, manufacturing sector and advanced industrial growth. 6. Social benefits - India being emerging economy has social priorities. PPP, industrial-military complex could open new avenues of employment, social growth.

Challenges associated with industrial military complex: 1. Hostile neighborhood - Vulnerable border as fragile relations with Pakistan, China and longer gestation period required for industrial-military complex might compromise quality defence in immediate future. 2. Poor infrastructure - Supporting mechanism provided by road, electricity, land, labor could act as stumbling block for growth of manufacturing sector in general and military complex in particular. 3. Structural issues - The lack of coordination between the defence forces and defence production organs in the country stymies the development of a domestic defence manufacturing sector. This issue remains unaddressed 4. Poor R&D - Over-reliance on DRDO, lack of indigenous technological development with substandard industry-academia linkages compromises aspirations for self-sufficiency. 5. Latent foreign policy ramification - At a time when there is increasing competition in the arms market, India cannot turn blind eye that lucrative contracts could make or break friendships. For e.g. Rafale deal, US-India STA-1 status, etc. 6. Ethical dilemma - When production of weapons becomes profit-oriented, it fosters unending vested interest for fueling interventions and wars. For instance, United States' alleged war mongering in Afghanistan, , and Syria.

Suggestion 1. Setting up of exclusive economic zones catering to defense, aeronautics and IT could go a long way towards sharpening the entrepreneurial skill for the design, development and production of components, hardware, subsystems and even the entire systems under one roof. 2. Leverage the PPP model in defense sector. The recent decision of the Indian Government to allow defense PSUs float joint ventures with private companies in the country could go a long way towards bolstering domestic defence industrial base. 3. Private sector potential need to be harnessed at a faster pace to speed up the process of defense indigenization. "Indian companies should tie up with MNCs, utilize offset opportunities and leverage the expertise that arise from such synergies 4. Larger budgetary provisions for R&D is required for developing innovative products in defence sector indigenously.

Conclusion Though objective of achieving in self-sustenance is good, sufficient check and balances should be put in place so that India should not bargain its sovereignty to indigenous industrial houses. The focus should be on turning Indian from being an importer to the exporter of the defense hardware. And that alone could qualify India to lay claim to being a global military power.