WEEK 12 09 - 15 August SAMACHAR 2020 MANTHAN

Table of Content

Economics History The new consumer 3 How Quit India movement gave a new direction Submarine Cable Connectivity to to India’s freedom struggle? 27 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 4 Story of our National Flag 28 What is the Negative Imports List for Defence? 5 What is Balance of Payments? 5 Enviro & Biodiversity Increasing dependence on indirect taxes and issues with it 6 Boreal Summer Intra-Seasonal Oscillation (BSISO) 29 Making up for shortfalls in GST collection 7 In news: Mount Sinabung 29 RBI revises guidelines for opening Current Accounts 8 [pib] Himalayan Geothermal Springs release huge What is the Business Responsibility Report? 9 amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 30 One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) Initiative 10 Species in news: Great Indian Hornbill 31 Myth of the pristine forest 32 Governance [pib] E-Sanjeevani Tele-Medicine Platform 11 Science Tech Art Culture Making sense of population growth of India 11 [pib] Krishi Megh: A Cloud-based Data Recovery Centre 34 Census 2021 and the long-pending reforms 12 Perseids Meteor Shower 34 SPT0418-47: The Baby Milky Way 35 Polity abscisic acid (ABA) 36 Contempt of Court 14 What is Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)? 37 [pib] Appointment of the UPSC Chairman 15 Clause 6 of the Assam Accord 16 Trivia The future of Indian secularism 17 Hindu Women’s Inheritance Rights 38 Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution 18

International Relations Pakistan’s new Political Map 19 What are Confucius Institutes, and why are they under the scanner in India? 20 Back in news: Indus Water Treaty (IWT) 21 A new direction for India-U.S. ties 22 In news: Loya Jirga 23 Strategic autonomy in foreign policy 23 Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) 24 UAE, Israel reach agreement to establish diplomatic ties 24

www.civilsdaily.com 1 09 - 15 August 2020 THIS WEEK’S HOTTEST STORIES

Coronavirus - Disease, Medical Sciences Involved & Preventive Measures

Foreign Policy Watch: India-China

Digital India Initiatives

History- Important places, persons in news

Foreign Policy Watch: India-United States

Citizenship and Related Issues

Foreign Policy Watch: India-Pakistan

International Space Agencies - Missions and Discoveries

2 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 ECONOMICS

ECONOMIC INDICATORS AND VARIOUS REPORTS ON IT- GDP, FD, EODB, WIR ETC The new consumer

Economics | GS3: Indian Economy 8) The entertainment industry has been drastically hit. The media Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : and entertainment industry needs to pay heed to this and Prelims level : Not much curate content accordingly. Mains level : Paper 3- Demand problem and ways to deal with it 9) With a lot of people laying emphasis on their health and immunity, theres been a substantial rise in the consumption of organic, ayurvedic, and immunity-boosting products. - Apart from the obvious products, financial and medical The focus of this article is on the behavioural changes in the insurance will play an important role. consumer post Covid. It also suggest the ways to deal with 10) Real estate will suffer as no long-term, high investment these changes. purchases will be favoured, but renting will increase.

Context Role of the government • The consumer during and post-COVID is showing remarkable 1) People need to be provided with their daily needs basic flexibility, bringing about a paradigm shift in her consumption essentials such as food, water, housing, and electricity. pattern. - The government is already taking care of that, but money also needs to be given. Issue of generating demand 2) Jobs need to be provided through development of infrastructure projects. • Some state governments are busy demanding the opening 3) Farmers need to have insurance for their crops and the up of the economy. infrastructure to sell at the right price. • However, the issue is that the economy does not merely need 4) Migrant workers with their livelihoods being disrupted are opening up, but it requires urgent generation of basic demand. looking for support,and many are focusing on agriculture as • That is why consumer behaviour needs to be closely watched. a means of income. • Since the lockdown, the priorities of consumers have seen a drastic shift. Way forward Factors to consider to increase demand • The government should focus on generating demand for products, and create jobs by improving infrastructure. 1) The decrease in the purchasing power to buy products needs • The government must incentivise spending by offering tax to be addressed. benefits on the amount spent. - The government must look at ways like a reduction in taxes • Government must forget about fiscal prudence this year. which will help the common man. • Consumers in rural areas are buying more than before.Companies 2) The current scenario has also made all of us go back to the should focus on tapping the rural demand basic needs. - Luxury products hold little value. But renting will increase. 3) The emphasis will be on saving for a rainy day, whether in Consider the question “Demand has been the driver of India’s the case of banks or households growth. But the pandemic has dampened it with devastating 4) Aviation, tourism and hospitality sectors have been hit and effect. Agaist this backdrop suggest the measures to be taken continue to remain so even after the restrictions are lifted. by the government to revive the demand.” 5) e-commerce has shown exponential growth and will continue to do so. 6) With Vocal for Local gaining momentum, theres a huge increase Conclusion in local apps, local kirana stores, local artisans and brands. With focus on these emerging trends and changing behaviour 7) Schools and colleges have taken a hit as e-learning and online of the consumers, the government must take steps to bring the courses are being preferred. economy fast on the tracks.

www.civilsdaily.com 3 DIGITAL INDIA INITIATIVES Submarine Cable Connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Economics | GS3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc. • Compared to satellites, using internet connection through Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : submarine cables is more reliable, cost-efficient and of large Prelims level : Optical fibre cables and their working, AandN Islands capacity. Mains level : Digital India outreach in AandN Islands About the project • About 2,300 km of submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) has been laid at a cost of about Rs 1,224 crore to provide better connectivity in the UT. • The project envisages better connectivity from Chennai to Port Blair and seven other Islands -- Swaraj Deep (Havelock), Long Island, Rangat, Hutbay (Little Andaman), Kamorta, Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay (Great Nicobar). • The project is funded by the government through the Universal Service Obligation Fund under the ministry of communications. • The foundation stone for the project was laid by PM Modi in December 2018 at Port Blair.

Expected outcomes • The OFC will enable the delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecom services to Andaman & Nicobar PM has launched the submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) Islands, at par with other parts of India. connecting Andaman & Nicobar Islands to the mainland. • The submarine optical fibre cable link will deliver bandwidth of 2 x 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2 x 100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands. Try this PYQ: • 4G mobile services, which were constrained due to limited Q. Consider the following statements regarding optical fibres: backhaul bandwidth provided via satellite, will also see a A layer called the cladding, which has a refractive index more major boost. than that of the core, surrounds the core of the optical fibre. Light is propagated in an optical fibre by refraction and internal reflection. Benefits of the project Which of the above statements is/are correct?(CSP 2010) • Better connectivity in the region will facilitate the delivery of (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 e-governance services such as telemedicine and tele-education. • E-commerce : Small enterprises will benefit from opportunities in e-commerce, while educational institutions will utilise What is a submarine communications cable? the enhanced availability of bandwidth for e-learning and • A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the seabed knowledge sharing. between land-based stations to transmit telecommunication • Business Process Outsourcing services and other medium signals across stretches of ocean and sea. and large enterprises too also benefit from better connectivity. • The optical fibre elements are typically individually coated with • Low cost internet: The internet bills in Andaman and Nicobar plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for will also come down substantially. the environment where the cable will be deployed.

4 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 DEFENCE SECTOR - DPP, MISSIONS, SCHEMES, SECURITY FORCES, ETC. What is the Negative Imports List for Defence?

Economics | GS3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In • Boost domestic industry : By denying the possibility of importing Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth the items on the negative list, the domestic industry is given Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : the opportunity to step up and manufacture them for the Prelims level : Negative Import List needs of the forces. Mains level : Defence manufacturing promotion measures • Boost exports: The government has been hoping that the defence manufacturing sector can play a leading role in The Defence Ministry announced a list of 101 items that it will boosting the economy, not just for the domestic market, but stop importing. to become an exporter as well.

Try this question for mains: Items included in the negative list Q.Being one of the top importers of defence equipment The items mentioned in the negative imports list include: India is well placed to enhance its domestic manufacturing • water jet fast attack craft to survey vessels, pollution control capacity of defence equipment. Yet, India lacks it after vessels, light transport aircraft, GSAT-6 terminals, radars, repeated attempts to achieve it. Examine the reasons for this unmanned aerial vehicles, to certain rifles, artillery guns, and suggest measures to overcome this anomaly. bulletproof jackets, missile destroyers, etc.

Negative Imports List Impact of the move • The negative list essentially means that the Armed ForcesArmy, • The items in the list are of proven technologies and do not Navy and Air Forcewill only procure all of these 101 items from involve any critical or cutting-edge technology for a next- domestic manufacturers. generation weapon system or platform. • The manufacturers could be private sector players or Defence • Little benefits for domestic players in short-run:Against each Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs). of these items are mentioned a year when import embargo would kick in, leading to apprehensions that demands will be placed with foreign vendors until then, leaving very little for Why such a decision? domestic producers. • Reduce imports: As per the Stockholm International Peace • The biggest challenge for the government and the armed Research Institute, which tracks defence exports and imports forces will be to keep this commitment to domestic producers globally, India has been the second-largest importer between in the event of an operational requirement. 2014 and 2019 with US$ 16.75 billion worth of imports.

TRADE SECTOR UPDATES - FALLING EXPORTS, TIES, MEIS, FOREIGN TRADE POLICY, ETC. What is Balance of Payments?

Economics | GS3: Indian Economy Try this PYQ: Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Q.In the context of India, which of the following factors Prelims level : BoP, BoT, Current Account is/are contributor/contributors to reducing the risk of a Mains level : BoP Crisis currency crisis? (CSP 2019) 1. The foreign currency earnings of India’s IT sector India’s balance of payments this year is going to be very very 2. Increasing the government expenditure strong on the back of significant improvement in exports and a 3. Remittances from Indians abroad fall in imports said the Commerce and Industry Ministry. Select the correct answer using the code given below. (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

www.civilsdaily.com 5 Balance of Payment • BOP is the oldest and the most important statistical statement for any country. • In a nutshell BOP of a country is a systematic record of all economic transactions between the residents of one country with the residents of the other country in a financial year. • Economic Transactions include all the foreign receipts and payments made by a country during a given financial year. • Foreign receipts include all the earnings and borrowings by a country from the other countries.

TAX REFORMS Increasing dependence on indirect taxes and issues with it

Economics | GS3: Indian Economy • This is also when the service tax was hiked steadily to 18 per Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : cent under GST from 12.4 per cent in 2014. Prelims level : Direct and indirect taxes • Swachh Bharat cess and Krishi Kalyan cesses were imposed in Mains level : Paper 3- Increasing proportion of indirect taxes in India and addition to GST. issues with it • Faced with increased expenditure amid pandemic Centre increased the excise duty on fuel by a record Rs 10 per litre on petrol when global crude prices have been falling. India, with a tax-GDP ratio of 10.9 per cent in 2019 needs an overhaul of its tax system. This article analyses India’s growing Issues with Reliance on Indirect tax dependence on indirect taxes and its implications for the poor. (i) Regressive: • Indirect taxes are not equitable. For instance, salt tax in India fell more heavily on the poor than on the rich, as it had to be Reduction in direct taxes paid at the same rate by all. • The wealth tax was abolished in 2016. • Whether a rich man buys a commodity or a poor man, the • Wealth tax was replaced by a 2 per cent surcharge on super- price in the market is the same for all. The tax is wrapped in rich individuals with taxable income of over Rs 10 crore. But the price. Hence, rich and poor pay the same amount, which the government rolled back the increase in surcharge in 2019. is obviously unfair. They are thus; regressive. • Corporate taxes were slashed from 30 per cent to 22 per cent to attract foreign investors and induce Indian companies to invest. • Cuts in corporate tax that have resulted in a revenue loss of (ii) Uncertain: Rs 1.5 lakh crore have contributed to making the state poor. • Unless indirect taxes are imposed on necessaries, we cannot be • Income tax: In 2020 budget Individuals earning between Rs sure of the revenue yield. In the case of goods, with an elastic 12.5-15 lakh per annum, the income tax rate has been reduced demand, the tax might not bring in much revenue. to 25 percent from 30 percent earlier. • The tax will raise the price and contract the demand. When • Individuals earning above Rs 15 lakh per annum, will continue the thing is not purchased, the question of the tax payment to pay 30 percent without any exemptions. People with income does not arise. below Rs 5 lakh per annum will be exempt of tax in new regime. (iii) Raising Prices Unduly: Increasing indirect taxes and cess • They cause the price of an article to rise b; more than the tax. • The share of indirect taxes has increased by up to 50 per cent of A fraction of the money unit cannot be calculated, so ever the gross tax revenue in FY2019 from 43 per cent in FY2011. middleman tends to charge more than the tax. This process • The combined share of customs and excise duties and value- is cumulative. added tax reached an all-time high of 10.5 per cent of GDP. • This high was following a three-year-long steady increase (iv) Uneconomical: in customs or excise duty on commonly used goods, such as • The cost of collection is quite heavy. Every source of production petroleum products, metals and sugar, automobiles and has to be guarded. Large administrative staff is required to consumer durables. administer such taxes. This turns out to be a costly affair.

6 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 (v) No Civic Consciousness: B2BASICS • These taxes do not develop civic consciousness, because many Basis times the tax-payer does not even know that he is paying tax. DirectBasis Tax Direct Tax Indirect Tax The tax is concealed in the price. Indirect Tax MeaningMeaning The tax that is levied by The tax that is levied by the the government directly government on one entity The tax that is levied by the government directly on the individuals on the individuals or (Manufacturer of goods), but is (vi) Harmful to Industries: or corporations are called Direct Taxes. The tax that is levied by corporations are called passed on to the final consumer • They discourage industries if raw materials are taxed. This the government on one entity (Manufacturer of goods), but is Direct Taxes. by the manufacturer will raise the cost of production and impair their competitive passed on to the final consumer by the manufacturer.. capacity. IncidenceIncidence The incidence and impact The incidence and impact of The incidenceof theand direct impact tax fallof theon the direct the tax tax fall fall on on the different same person. Case for the wealth tax The incidencesame and person. impact of the taxpersons. fall on different persons. • International example: High tax rates on the wealthy in Europe ExamplesExamples Income Tax, Corporation VAT, Service tax, GST, Excise have played a key role in ensuring a strong social security net Income Tax,Tax Corporation and Wealth Tax. Tax and Wealthduty, entertainment Tax. VAT, Service tax and tax, for the poor.This successful example should encourage India GST, Excise duty, entertainment tax Customsand Customs Duty. Duty. Nature to consider the rationale for a wealth tax. Nature They are progressive in They are regressive in nature. They are progressive in nature. They are regressive in nature. • Cash transfer for poor: Higher taxes on the super-rich could nature. be used for cash transfers and a fiscal stimulus, that, in India, Objective at 1 per cent of GDP each, have been negligible so far. BothObjective Social Bothand Social Economical. and Economical. Social objectiveOnly Economical. of direct When tax an is the • Mitigating current situation : A wealth tax, a COVID-19 cess distributionSocial of income. objective A ofperson direct tax earning indirect more tax isshould levied oncontribute a on the super-rich and a surcharge on the super-rich for their more in theis provision the distribution of public of income. service product, by paying both rich more and poor tax. This income from listed equity shares are critical for mitigating the provision is alsoA person known earning as progressive more must taxation. pay at the Only same Economical. rate. A current situation. When an indirectshould contributetax is levied more on in a product,person earning both 10 rich lakh and a month poor must pay atthe the provision same of rate. public A service person pays earning the same 10 tax lakh on the a month pays the sameby payingtax on morethe Wheat tax. This purchase Wheat purchaseas the person as the person earning Examine the implications of India’s growing dependence on 3000 Re a month.provision This is also principle known as is calledearning regressive 3000 Rs a month.taxation. This indirect tax revenue? Suggest the measures to reduce such Impact progressive taxation. principle is called regressive dependence. Not at all Inflationary. Is inflationary.taxation. Impact Not at all Inflationary. Is inflationary. Conclusion COVID-19 may be a blessing in disguise if it allows India to reform Source:https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/ its tax system in order to make it work towards inclusive growth india-taxation-policy-fiscal-deficit-covid-impact-on-economy- and sustainable development rather than targeting only indirect-tax-revenue-6549290/

GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST) Making up for shortfalls in GST collection

Economics | GS3: Indian Economy • But the GST is a destination-based tax, i.e., the State where Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : the goods are sold receive the tax. Prelims level : Various provision under GST • This implies that manufacturing States would lose out while Mains level : Paper 3-GST compensation cess and issues consuming States would benefit. • So, in order to convince manufacturing States to agree to GST, a compensation formula was created. • Under which States were promised compensation for loss of The article deals with the issue of shortfall in the GST compensation revenue for a period up to five years. cess and the challenge Central government faces to pay the • The Act for compensation to states assumed that the GST promised compensation to the states. revenue of each State would grow at 14% every year, from the amount collected in 2015-16. Background of the cess • This scheme is valid for five years, i.e., till June 2022. • GST subsumed several taxes, including those which were the preserve of the States. Compensation cess fund • Therefore it required an amendment to the Constitution of India. • A compensation cess fund was created from which States • The amendment affected the Seventh Schedule, so it required would be paid for any shortfall. ratification by the legislatures of half the States. • An additional cess would be imposed on certain items and • Before the GST, States exporting goods to other States collected this cess would be used to pay compensation. a tax.

www.civilsdaily.com 7 • The Act states that the cess collected and such other amounts 3)The Centre could borrow on behalf of the cess fund. as may be recommended by the [GST] Council would be • The tenure of the cess could be extended beyond five years credited to the fund. until the cess collected is sufficient to pay off this debt and • In the first two years of this scheme, the cess collected exceeded interest on it. the shortfall of States. • In the third year, 2019-20, the fund fell significantly short of the requirement. 4) the Centre could convince States that the 14% growth target was always unrealistic. • If the Centre can negotiate with States through the GST Council The problem and its source to reset the assured tax level, it could then bring in a Bill in • A key source of the problem is that the 2017 Act guaranteed Parliament to amend the 2017 Act. a tax growth rate of 14%, which is unachievable this year. • The 14% target was too ambitious to start with. • Given the governments inflation target at 4%,this implied a Consider the question “What were the reasons for making real GDP growth plus tax buoyancy of 9%. provisions under GST for paying the states compensation • But, the Central government is constitutionally bound to for tax revenue shortfall? What are the implications of the compensate States for loss of revenue for five years. provision for the Central government?”

Solution to the problem Conclusion The Constitution makes it obligatory for the Centre to make up 1) The Constitution could be amended to reduce for shortfall by the States. The cess collected will not be sufficient the period of guarantee to three years thus ending for this purpose. The GST Council, which is a constitutional body June 2020. with representation of the Centre and all the States, should find a practical solution. • But most States would be reluctant to agree to this proposal. • It could also be seen as going back on the promise made to States. B2BASICS Source: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/making-up- 2) The Central government could fund this shortfall for-shortfalls-in-gst-collection/article32319744.ece from its own revenue. Please refer the GST infographics on Page number 39 (at the end) • The Centres finances are stretched due to shortfall in its own tax collection combined with extra expenditure to manage the health and economic crisis.

BANKING SECTOR REFORMS RBI revises guidelines for opening Current Accounts

Economics | GS3: Indian Economy • Otherwise such company is encouraged to use the cash credit Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : and overdraft facilities under which it has borrowed. Prelims level : Current Account Mains level : Paper 3- Steps taken by the RBI to stop banking frauds Let’s understand why it matters • Firms borrow from PSU banks, but open current accounts with private or foreign banks. The article explains the salience of the RBI’s recent restriction • When transactions move to current account of banks other than on the opening of current accounts by the companies. the lending bank, it loses visibility on end use of the funds. • Basically the PSU bank has no idea where the money has gone. • For example, when a firm gets money from its customers, Context instead of parking it with the lending bank it puts it in the • RBI has put restrictions on who can open a current account current account with another bank. with which bank. • The lending bank has no way of knowing if the loan is going bad wilfully or otherwise. What are the restrictions and why it matters • A company that has borrowed from a bank cannot open a Why private banks may oppose the move current account with another bank. • Easy revenue source has got blocked. • It can open a current account with its lending banks under • They can, of course, start lending to firms to retain this business some circumstances. but that would mean taking risk.

8 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 • It would be far safer to be with retail customers who have Conclusion neither power nor lawyers to defend them against sharp For too long have the citizens been punished with greater scrutiny, banking practices. tighter rules, higher costs and fewer benefits as compared to the suits. We should let the banks hand-wring, but celebrate Why it matters to bank customers the closure of each loophole as it happens. • Vanishing money raises the cost of funds to the bank and results in higher lending rates and lower deposit rates for us. Back2Basics: What is the current account? • For taxpayers, it means regular use of our funds to recapitalize • A current account is like a savings bank account, but with many the banking system that periodically goes bankrupt due to facilities for swift and multiple transactions, overdraft facilities loans gone bad. and it carries no interest. • So, an overall tightening of the system is great news. • Banks like to sell these accounts as they enjoy huge floats, or money that just sits with the bank waiting to be used by the depositing firms.

CAPITAL MARKETS: CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPMENTS What is the Business Responsibility Report?

Economics | GS3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In What is the Business Responsibility Report (BRR)? Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth • Business Responsibility Report is a disclosure of the adoption Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : of responsible business practices by a listed company to all its Prelims level : BRR stakeholders. Mains level : Not Much • This is important considering the fact that these companies have accessed funds from the public, have an element of In efforts to have a single source for all non-financial disclosures public interest involved, and are obligated to make exhaustive by corporates, a government-appointed panel has made various disclosures on a regular basis. proposals on business responsibility reporting, including putting • BSR is to be submitted as a part of the Annual Report. in place two formats for disclosing information. • It contains a standardized format for companies to report the actions undertaken by them towards the adoption of Try this PYQ: responsible business practices. • It has been designed to provide basic information about the company, information related to its performance and processes, and information on principles and core elements of the BSR. Which one of the following is not a feature of Limited Liability Partnership firm? (CSP 2010) (a) Partners should be less than 20 SEBI recommendations for BSR (b) Partnership and management need not be separate • As per the report, reporting may be done by top 1,000 listed (c) Internal governance may be decided by mutual agreement companies in terms of their market capitalization or as prescribed among partners by markets regulator SEBI. (d) It is corporate body with perpetual succession • The reporting requirement may be extended by MCA (Ministry of Corporate Affairs) to unlisted companies above specified thresholds of turnover and/ or paid-up capital. • The panel has suggested two formats for disclosures -- a comprehensive format and a “lite version” -- and also called for the implementation of the reporting requirements in a gradual and phased manner. • Smaller unlisted companies may adopt a lite version of the format, on a voluntary basis.

www.civilsdaily.com 9 SOLAR ENERGY - JNNSM, SOLAR CITIES, SOLAR PUMPS, ETC. One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) Initiative

Economics | GS3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc. • With India at the fulcrum, the solar spectrum can easily be Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : divided into two broad zones viz. far East which would include Prelims level : OSOWOG Initiative countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia Mains level : Global collaboration for Solar Energy etc. and far West which would cover the Middle East and the Africa Region. The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has put calls for proposals to the One Sun, One World, and One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative on hold till further notice. Implementation • The OSOWOG would have three phases. In the first phase Phase I, Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia would Try this PYQ: be interconnected. • In the second phase, solar and other renewable energy resources rich regions would be interconnected. Q.Consider the following statements: • In the third phase would vie for global interconnection of the The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United power transmission grid to achieve the One Sun One World Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. One Grid vision. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations. Benefits of the project Which of the above statements is/are correct? (CSP 2016) (a) • Attracting investment: An interconnected grid would help all 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 the participating entities in attracting investments in renewable energy sources as well as utilizing skills, technology and finances. OSOWOG Initiative • Poverty allevation: Resulting economic benefits would positively impact poverty alleviation and support in mitigating • Under the project, India envisaged having an interconnected water, sanitation, food and other socio-economic challenges. power transmission grid across nations for the supply of clean • Reduced project cost: The proposed integration would lead to energy. reduced project costs, higher efficiencies and increased asset • The vision behind the OSOWOG mantra is ‘The Sun Never Sets’ utilization for all the participating entities. and is a constant at some geographical location, globally, at any given point of time. Issues with project • It is hindered with the issues of intricate geopolitics, unfavourable economics, unwarranted globalisation and undue centralization that act against the concept.

10 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 GOVERNANCE

CORONAVIRUS - DISEASE, MEDICAL SCIENCES INVOLVED & PREVENTIVE MEASURES [pib] E-Sanjeevani Tele-Medicine Platform

Governance | GS2: Health & Education Why Telemedicine? Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Telemedicine can increase the efficiency of care delivery, reduce Prelims level : E-Sanjeevani expenses of caring for patients or transporting to another Mains level : Telemedicine and its effectiveness location, and can even keep patients out of the hospital.

E-Sanjeevani Platform • E-Sanjeevani is a platform-independent, browser-based application facilitating both doctor-to-doctor and patient-to- doctor tele-consultations. • It provides the ease of accessing the health records at the comforts of one’s home. • The application is based on invite-system which restricts it to the actual beneficiaries of the application. • It has a user-friendly interface which facilitates both tech-savvy and novice doctors/users in the rural and urban environment to access the application. • This eSanjeevani platform has enabled two types of telemedicine services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to- Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele-consultations. • The former is being implemented under the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWCs) programme.

Services included: The telemedicine platform hosts speciality OPDs which include: • Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Dermatology, ENT, Ophthalmology, antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the AIDS/HIV patients, Non- Communicable Disease (NCD) etc

1.5 lakh teleconsultations were recently completed on the With inputs from: eSanjeevani and eSanjeevani OPD tele-medicine. https://www.cdac.in/index.aspx?id=hi_pr_eSanjeevani

MAKING SENSE OF POPULATION GROWTH OF INDIA Making sense of population growth of India

Governance | GS1: Population & Associated Issues The article analyses and explains the declining trend in India’s Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : total fertility rate. The aspirational revolution in the parents Prelims level : TFR explains such decline. Mains level : Paper 1- Declining TFR in India

www.civilsdaily.com 11 What the projections say • Over the years parents began to rethink their family-building • A new study was published in The Lancet, and prepared by the strategies. Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). • Smaller families when compared with a bigger family with same • It argues that while India is destined to be the largest country income level, invest more money in their children by sending in the world, its population will peak by mid-century. them to private schools and coaching classes. • And as the 21st century closes, its ultimate population will be • It is not aspirations for self but that for children that seems to far smaller than anyone could have anticipated, about 1.09 drive fertility decline. billion instead of approximately 1.35 billion today. • It could even be as low as 724 million, the study projects. Other factors • Until 2050, the IHME projections are almost identical to widely- • Higher education used United Nations projections. • Increased mobility • It is only in the second half of the century that the two projections • Late marriage diverge with the UN predicting a population of 1.45 billion by • Financially independent women and 2100, and the IHME, 1.09 billion. • Overall prosperity

Present trends in India’s fertility rate Consider the question “Examine the factors responsible for • In the 1950s, India’s Total fertility rate (TFR) was nearly six the declining trends in the total fertility rate for India. What children per woman; today it is 2.2. • Between 1992 and 2015, it had fallen by 35% from 3.4 to 2.2. are its implications for country?” • It is even below the replacement rate in 18 States and Union Territories. Conclusion Demographic data suggest that the aspirational revolution is What explains the trends already under way. What we need to hasten the fertility decline 1.Punitive policies:Punitive policies including denial of maternity is to ensure that the health and family welfare system is up leave for third and subsequent births, limiting benefits of to this challenge and provides contraception and sexual and maternity schemes and ineligibility to contest in local body reproductive health services that allow individuals to have only elections for individuals with large families. as many children as they want. 2.Aspirational revolution • It seems highly probable that the socioeconomic transformation Original article: of India since the 1990s has played an important role. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/India’s-population- data-and-a-tale-of-two-projections/article32329243.ece

CITIZENSHIP AND RELATED ISSUES Census 2021 and the long-pending reforms

Governance | GS1: Population & Associated Issues • While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census Prelims level : Census of India was taken in 1881. Mains level : Need for reforms in Census and Surveying • Post-1949, it has been conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home • In all likelihood, the February 2021 Census will have to be Affairs, Government of India. rescheduled to ensure comparability with earlier censuses. • All the censuses since 1951 were conducted under the 1948 • This will also affect the National Sample Surveys and others Census of India Act. that use the census as the sampling frame. • The last census was held in 2011, whilst the next will be held • The delay can, however, be used to introduce much-needed in 2021. reforms to this gigantic exercise whose roots go back to the late 19th century. Census 2021 • The Census 2021 will be conducted in 18 languages out of the Try this question for mains: 22 scheduled languages (under 8th schedule) and English, Q.The Census of India needs a basic overhaul beyond its while Census 2011 was in 16 of the 22 scheduled languages procedural digitization. Critically analyse. declared at that time. • It also will introduce a code directory to streamline the process • The option of Other under the gender category will be changed Background: Census of India to Third Gender. • The decennial Census of India has been conducted 15 times, • There were roughly 5 lakh people under “other” category in 2011. as of 2011.

12 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 • For the first time in the 140 year history of the census in India, • It is also used in routine policy-making across tiers of government. data is proposed to be collected through a mobile app by enumerators and they will receive an additional payment as an incentive. (b) Population projections • The Census data would be available by the year 2024-25 • Second, census serves as the sampling frame for surveys and as the entire process would be conducted digitally and data is also the basis of population projections. crunching would be quicker. • Other routine policies require distribution of the headcount by households, marital status, age, sex, literacy, migrant status,and mother tongue. Issues with the Census • Put together,these variables are sufficient for choosing representative samples for surveys. (1) Data quality issues • The past four decades have seen a decline in the quality of What can be done? data and growing delays in its release despite technological innovations. • The use of census data in delimitation and federal redistribution 1.Cut the questions has been questioned on grounds of poor quality, while the • Nearly half of the Houselisting and Housing Schedule of the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the obsolete and poor quality census is devoted to questions on household amenities and of data on internal migration. assets. • These questions can be dropped because the information can be more appropriately collected through sample surveys and (2) No major reforms administrative statistics. • The legal foundation of the census has remained largely unchanged since newly independent India enacted permanent census legislation in 1948. Why put fewer questions? • Despite sustained problems, the census has not seen any major • Cutting down the length of unwieldy schedules has several reform after 1994 when both the Census Act, 1948 and Census advantages. Rules, 1990 were amended. • First, it will improve data quality by reducing the workload of enumerators. • Second, it will also free up senior census officials and help revive (3) Old methods and questionnaire the earlier tradition of producing detailed administrative and • The methodological core extended de facto (synchronous) other reports crucial for understanding the context of data. canvasser-based enumeration too has remained intact even • Third, shorter schedules will seem less invasive and assure though the length and layout of schedules changed quite a bit. respondents uncomfortable with sharing too many details. • The Household Schedule, for instance, grew with the footprint • Fourth, it will cut down processing time and help in reducing of the state, from 14 questions in 1951 to 29 questions in 2011. delays in the release of data.

(4) Workforce issues 2.Dealing with data manipulation • Data collection has not kept pace with improvements in data • There is poor accounting of migrants that distorts estimates processing technology due to the lack of motivated and of urbanisation as well as the inter-state distribution of the adequately trained enumerators. population. • Given the high salaries of school teachers, the modest honorarium • There exists grassroots manipulation of data-driven by political paid for census work does not cover the opportunity cost of and economic considerations. conducting the door-to-door enumeration. • There is a need to demystify census operations and build trust in the impartiality of the exercise, better scrutiny of electoral records and welfare schemes to weed out bogus beneficiaries. Understand the purpose of the census Reforms should begin with the design of schedules based on a clear understanding of two essential functions of the census: Conclusion • These reforms are essential to ensure that the census exercise is able to fulfil its constitutional, policy and statistical obligations (a) Resource allocations and also clear the ground for debates on the future of census • First, census facilitates the rule-based distribution of power and in the digital era. resources through constitutionally mandated redistribution of taxes, delimitation of electoral constituencies and affirmative action policies.

www.civilsdaily.com 13 POLITY

CONTEMPT OF COURT Contempt of Court

Polity | GS2: Constitutional Bodies What are the kinds of contempt of court? The law codifying contempt classifies it as civil and criminal. Recently, the Supreme Court of India suo moto initiated the • Civil contempt is fairly simple. It is committed when someone proceedings for criminal contempt of court against lawyer- willfully disobeys a court order or wilfully breaches an undertaking activist Prashant Bhushan for his tweet criticising the current given to the court. Chief Justice of India and the role of some Chief Justices of India • Criminal contempt is more complex: in the last six years. It consists of three forms: • (a) words, written or spoken, signs and actions that scandalise What is Contempt of Court? or tend to scandalise or lower or tends to lower the authority • It seeks to protect judicial institutions from motivated attacks of any court and unwarranted criticism, and as a legal mechanism to punish • (b) prejudices or interferes with any judicial proceeding and those who lower its authority. • (c) interferes with or obstructs the administration of justice. • The punishment for contempt of court is simple imprisonment for a term up to six months and/or a fine of up to. 2,000. How did the concept of contempt come into being? • The concept of contempt of court is several centuries old. • In England, it is a common law principle that seeks to protect What does not account to contempt? the judicial power of the king, initially exercised by him, and • Fair and accurate reporting of judicial proceedings will not later by a panel of judges who acted in his name. amount to contempt of court. • Violation of the judges orders was considered an affront to • Nor is any fair criticism on the merits of a judicial order after the king himself. a case is heard and disposed of. • Over time, any kind of disobedience to judges, or obstruction of the implementation of their directives, or comments and Need for Contempt power actions that showed disrespect towards them came to be • To insulate the judiciary from unfair attacks and prevent a punishable. sudden fall in the judiciarys reputation in the public eye. • It helps judges to do their duties of deciding cases without What is the statutory/Constitutional basis for fear, favour, affection or ill will. contempt of court? • There were pre-Independence laws of contempt in India. Issues with Contempt power Besides the early High Courts, the courts of some princely states also had such laws. • When the Constitution was adopted, contempt of court I.Such a power is not in consonance with the was made one of the restrictions on freedom of speech and constitutional scheme of India expression. • The basic principle in a democracy is that the people are supreme. • Article 129: Grants Supreme Court the power to punish for • Once this concept of popular sovereignty is kept firmly in mind, contempt of itself. it becomes obvious that the people of India are the masters • Article 142(2): Enables the Supreme Court to investigate and and all authorities (including the courts) are their servants. punish any person for its contempt. • Article 215: Grants every High Court the power to punish for contempt of itself. II.International example • The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, gives statutory backing • In many countries, contempt jurisdiction is regarded as archaic to the idea. and exercised sparingly. • The Contempt of Courts Act 1971 was amended in 2006 to • In the US, courts no longer use contempt to silence comments include the defence of truth under Section 13 of the original on judges or legal matters. legislation. Implying that the court must permit justification • The First Amendment to the US Constitution forbids imposition by truth as a valid defence if it is satisfied that it is in the of contempt sanctions on a newspaper. public interest. • The concept of contempt is a centuries-old British law abolished in 2013.

14 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 III.In a free society criticism of the judiciary is Way forward inevitable. • The test to determine whether an act amounts to contempt of • Judges have vast powers and people will not remain silent court or not is this: does it make the functioning of the judges about the exercise of such powers. impossible or extremely difficult? If it does not, then it does • Just as decisions of other branches of government attract not amount to contempt of court even if it is harsh criticism. criticism, judicial decisions would also invite the same. • The law of contempt should be employed only to enable the court to function, not to prevent criticism. • Its time for the legislature to take steps to amend the Contempt IV.Subjective of Court Act and eschew definition of criminal contempt. • For example, the assessment of the ground of scandalizing the • Judiciary should balance two conflicting principles, ie freedom court, depends, to a great degree, on the temperament and of expression, and fair and fearless justice. preference of the judge. What could be contempt to Judge A • Judges deliver justice, they do not embody it. may not be contempt to Judge B. • They should never forget their Court is supreme because its final not because its infallible. • When they lapse they can be criticised, but of course, politely and fairly.

CIVIL SERVICES REFORMS [pib] Appointment of the UPSC Chairman

Polity | GS2: Indian Constitution - historical underpinnings, evolution, features, Appointments to the UPSC amendments, significant provisions and basic structure • As per Article 316 of the constitution, the Chairman and other Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : members of UPSC shall be appointed by the President. Prelims level : UPSC and other constitutional bodies • In case the office of the Chairman becomes vacant his duties Mains level : NA shall be performed by one of the other members of the Commission as the President may appoint for the purpose. The President of India has appointed Pradeep Kumar Joshi as • Under Art. 318, the President is empowered to determine the Chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). number of members of the Commission and their conditions of service. Try this PYQ: • As per Art 319, a person who holds office as Chairman shall, on the expiration of his term of office, be ineligible for re- appointment to that office. • But, a member other than the Chairman shall be eligible for Q.Consider the following statements: appointment as the Chairman of the UPSC. 1. The Executive Power of the Union of India is vested in the • Also, the Chairman of a State PSC shall be eligible for appointment Prime Minister. as the Chairman or any other member of the UPSC. 2. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Removal of members/chairman (CSP 2015) • As per Art. 317, the Chairman or any other member of a (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 UPSC shall only be removed from their office by order of the President on the ground of “misbehaviour” after the Supreme Court inquiry report. Backgrounder: UPSC • The President may suspend the Chairman or other member of • Established on 1 October 1926 as Public Service Commission, the Commission until a report of the Supreme Court is received. it was later reconstituted as Federal Public Service Commission by the GoI Act 1935; only to be renamed as today’s UPSC after the independence. Distinguishing features • The UPSC is India’s premier central recruiting agency responsible • The commission reports directly to the President and can advise for appointments to and examinations for All India services the Government through him. and group A & group B of Central services. • Although, such advice is not binding on the Government. • The Department of Personnel and Training is the central • Being a constitutional authority, UPSC is amongst the few personnel agency in India. institutions which function with both autonomy and freedom, • It is also required to be consulted by the Government in along with the countrys higher judiciary and lately the Election matters relating to the appointment, transfer, promotion and Commission. disciplinary matters.

www.civilsdaily.com 15 CITIZENSHIP AND RELATED ISSUES Clause 6 of the Assam Accord

Polity | GS2: Federalism • Assamese community, residing in the Territory of Assam on or Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : before January 1, 1951; or Prelims level : Assam Accord • Any indigenous tribal community of Assam residing in the Mains level : NRC and CAA debate territory of Assam on or before January 1, 1951; or • Any other indigenous community of Assam residing in the In February, a government-appointed committee had submitted territory of Assam on or before January 1, 1951; or its recommendations for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam • All other citizens of India residing in the territory of Assam on Accord, a key provision that has been contentious for decades. or before January 1, 1951; and • Descendants of the above categories Must read: https://www.civilsdaily.com/burning-issue-assam-nrc/ Why 1951? • During the Assam agitation, the demand was for detection and deportation of migrants who had illegally entered Assam What is Clause 6? after 1951. • It is a part of the Assam Accord which came at the culmination • The Assam Accord, however, set the cutoff on March 24, 1971. of a movement against immigration from Bangladesh. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was updated based • It reads: Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, on this cutoff. as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve • Clause 6 is meant to give the Assamese people certain and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage safeguards, which would not be available to migrants between of the Assamese people. 1951 and 1971. • For recognition as citizens, the Accord sets March 24, 1971, • If the recommendation is accepted, those who migrated as the cutoff. between 1951 and 1971 would be Indian citizens, but they • As immigrants up to the cutoff date would get all rights as wont be eligible for safeguards meant for Assamese people. Indian citizens, so Clause 6 was inserted to safeguard the socio- political rights and culture of the indigenous people of Assam. What are these safeguards? Among various recommendations, the key is the reservation What has happened since? of seats in Parliament, Assembly and local bodies; reservation • Several committees have been set up over the years to make in jobs; and land rights. The panel recommends the Assamese recommendations on the implementation of Clause 6. people be given: • None of them made headway on the provisions contentious • 80 to 100% reservation in the parliamentary seats of Assam, issues, however, until the latest CAA move. Assembly seats and local body seats be reserved for the • Following widespread protests against the CAA, the government Assamese people. gave an urgent push to Clause 6 to pacify the Assamese • 80 to 100% of Group C and D level posts (in Assam) in central community. government/semi-central government/central PSUs/private sector Recommendations of the recent report • 80 to 100% of jobs under Government of Assam and state government undertakings; and 70 to 100% of vacancies arising • Headed by retired High Court judge Biplab Kumar Sarma the in private partnerships committee was asked to fast-track its report. • Land rights, with restrictions imposed on transferring land by • It submitted its report in Feb but the government did not make any means to persons other than Assamese people. its contents public. Several other recommendations deal with language and cultural • But some Assamese activists independently made the contents and social rights. On language, it recommends: public. • Assamese language shall continue to be official language • Its brief was to define the Assamese people and suggest throughout the state with provisions for use of local languages measures for the safeguard of their rights. The definition of in Barak Valley, Hill Districts and the Bodoland Territorial Area Assamese people has been a subject of discussion for decades. Districts. • Mandatory provision of an Assamese language paper for Key propositions recruitment in state government services with alternatives for The committee has proposed that the following be considered Barak Valley districts, BTAD and Hills Districts. Assamese people for the purpose of Clause 6. All citizens of • To set up Academies for all-round development of each of the India who are part of: indigenous tribal languages including, Bodo, Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Koch-Rajbongshi, Rabha, Deuri, Tiwa, Tai and other indigenous languages.

16 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 THE FUTURE OF INDIAN SECULARISM The future of Indian secularism

Polity | GS2: Indian Constitution - historical underpinnings, evolution, features, 3) Europes secularism provided a principle to fight amendments, significant provisions and basic structure intra-religious oppressions. Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : • In India, secularism was not only a project of civic friendship Prelims level : Not much among religious communities but also of opposition to religion- Mains level : Paper 2- Challenges to secularism in India based caste and gender oppressions. • A collective push from young men and women may help strengthen the social struggle of emancipation from intra- Secularism in India faces multiple challenges. This article religious injustices. analyses challenge the Indian secularims faces from the party-political secularims. 4) Inter-religious issues should not be ignored. • Distance, freedom from mutual obsession, give communities breathing space. Features of constitutional secularism in India • Each can now explore resources within to construct new ways Constitutional secularismis marked by at least of living together. two features.

1.First, critical respect for all religions. Consider the question “How populism in the politics thretens the idea of secularim in India? Suggest the ways to deal with it.” • Unlike some secularisms, ours is not blindly anti-religious but respects religion. • It respects not one but all religions. Conclusion • Every aspect of religious doctrine or practice cannot be respected Needed today are new forms of socio-religious reciprocity, crucial but respect for religion must be accompanied by critique. for the business of everyday life and novel ways of reducing the political alienation of citizens, a democratic deficit whose 2.Second, intervene whenever religious groups ramifications go beyond the ambit of secularism. promote communal disharmony. • Thus, it has to constantly decide when to engage or disengage, B2BASICS help or hinder religion depending entirely on which of these Relevant constitutional provisions pertaining to enhances our constitutional commitment to freedom, equality and fraternity. Secularism

How populism is harming secularism Fundamental rights Article 14: Equality before law. | Article 15: Prohibition of discrimination • Secularism has paid a heavy price in our country for being at on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. | Article 16: the centre of public and political discourse. Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment. | • Populism based politics is indifferent to freedom and equality- Article 19: Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of based religious reform, it has removed critical from the term speech etc. | Article 21: Protection of life and personal property. critical respect. | Article 25: Freedom of consigns and free profession, practise, • It has even been complicit in igniting communal violence. and propagation of religion. | Article 26: Freedom to manage • This party-political secular state, cozying up alternately to the religious affairs. | Article 27: freedom as to payment of taxes for fanatical fringe of the minority and the majority, was readymade promotion of any particular religion. | Article 28: freedom as for takeover by a majoritarian party. to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in • This takeover was accomplished by removing the word all and certain educational institutions. | Article 29: Protection of interest replacing it by majority. of minorities. | Article 30: Right of minorities to establish and • Today, Indian constitutional secularism is swallowed up by administer educational institution. this party-political secularism, with not a little help from the Opposition, media and judiciary. Directive Principles of State Policy Way forward Article 44: Uniform civil code for the citizens. | Article 48: Organization 1) There is a need for a shift of focus from a politically- of agriculture and animal husbandry. led project to a socially-driven movement for justice. Article 51 A: Fundamental duties Clause (e): To promote harmony and the spirit of common 2)a shift of emphasis from inter-religious to intra- brotherhood amongst all people of India transcending religious religious issues. linguistic and regional or sectional diversities and to renounce • Such focus on intra-relisious issues may allow deeper introspection practices derogatory to the dignity of women. within, multiple dissenting voices to resurface, create conditions Clause (f): To value and preserve the rich heritage of our to root out intra-religious injustices, and make its members composite culture free and equal.

www.civilsdaily.com 17 Sources: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-future- of-indian-secularism/article32329223.ece

NORTH-EAST INDIA - SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution

Polity | GS2: Indian Constitution - historical underpinnings, evolution, features, • Governors of states that fall under the Sixth Schedule specify amendments, significant provisions and basic structure the jurisdiction of high courts for each of these cases. Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : • Along with ADCs, the Sixth Schedule also provides for separate Prelims level : Sixth Schedule Regional Councils for each area constituted as an autonomous Mains level : Special provisions for North-east India region. • In all, there are 10 areas in the Northeast that are registered as The revival of the demand for two autonomous councils has autonomous districts three in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram made political parties and community-based groups call for and one in Tripura. bringing the entire Arunachal Pradesh under the ambit of the • These regions are named as district council of (name of district) Sixth Schedule or Article 371 (A) of the Constitution. and regional council of (name of region). • Each autonomous district and regional council consists of not more than 30 members, of which four are nominated by Try this question from CSP 2015: the governor and the rest via elections. All of them remain in power for a term of five years. Q.The provisions in Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule in the Constitution of India are made in order to- (a) protect the B2BASICS interests of Scheduled Tribes (b) determine the boundaries between States (c) determine the powers, authority and responsibilities of Panchayats (d) protect the interests of all the border States

What is the Sixth Schedule? • The Sixth Schedule consists of provisions for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, according to Article 244 of the Indian Constitution. • Passed by the Constituent Assembly in 1949, it seeks to safeguard the rights of the tribal population through the formation of Autonomous District Councils (ADC). • ADCs are bodies representing a district to which the Constitution has given varying degrees of autonomy within the state legislature. • The governors of these states are empowered to reorganize boundaries of the tribal areas. • In simpler terms, she or he can choose to include or exclude any area, increase or decrease the boundaries and unite two or more autonomous districts into one. Try this question from AWE Initiative: • They can also alter or change the names of autonomous regions https://www.civilsdaily.com/mains/the-sixth-schedule-of-the- without separate legislation. constitution-is-often-referred-to-as-a-charter-for-autonomy-of- a-wide-magnitude-but-it-has-failed-to-decrease-the-tension- Autonomous districts and regional councils between-different-stakeholders-at-the-ground-level/ • The ADCs are empowered with civil and judicial powers can constitute village courts within their jurisdiction to hear the trial of cases involving the tribes.

18 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

FOREIGN POLICY WATCH: INDIA-PAKISTAN Pakistan’s new Political Map

International Relations | GS2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings • The map also claims Junagarh and Manavadar, a former princely and agreements involving India State and territory, respectively that are part of present-day Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Gujarat. Prelims level : NA • Pakistan also claimed the entire territory and water bodies that Mains level : India-Pakistan border disputes fall in the Sir Creek region in the westernmost part of India.

Recently Pakistani PM announced a new political map of Pakistan. Defiance of old agreements • The territorial claims of Pakistan are, however, of a far greater Do you think that the recent launch of new political maps extent and challenge many of the past understandings and depicting Indian territories by Pakistan would make any treaties. difference on the international communitys stance on Kashmir? • This clearly runs counter to the Simla Agreement which treated Kashmir as a bilateral matter. • It leaves out a claim line at the eastern end of J&K indicating A chain reaction Pakistans willingness to make China a third party in the • With this, Pakistan became the third country to launch a new Kashmir issue. political map after India and Nepal did the same. • India had reiterated its territorial claims in J&K, and Ladakh with the new map; this triggered a reaction from Nepal which How different is it from previous ones? contested Indian claims in the Kalapani region of Pithoragarh • A similar map has been part of school textbooks of Pakistan district. for many years which highlights the territorial aspiration of Pakistan over the northern part of the subcontinent. • The document also maintains bits of reality on the ground as What are the features of the new map? it shows the Line of Control in Kashmir in a red-dotted line. • The map may be used to provide legal cover for some of Islamabads territorial ambitions, especially in Kashmir and Sir Creek.

A Cartographical warfare • The map is likely to lead to changes in Pakistans position on territorial disputes with India. • By demanding the entire J&K region, Pak is changing the main features of its Kashmir discourse as it includes the Jammu region prominently. • The inclusion of Junagarh and Manavadar opens fundamental issues of territorial sovereignty of India. • Manavadar, a princely territory, joined India on February 15, 1948, and Indian troops marched into Junagarh in September • The new political map of Pakistan has claimed the entire that year incorporating it into Indian Territory. region of Jammu and Kashmir stretching all the way to the • By normalizing Islamabads claims over these former princely edge of Ladakh. territories, Pakistan is most likely to assert its rights over the former princely State of Hyderabad as well.

www.civilsdaily.com 19 What does Pakistan plan to gain by this exercise? • India’s position regarding Sir Creek is based on the fact that the arbitration had granted the entire Rann and its marshy areas to India while leaving the solid land across the Rann to Pakistan. • By demanding the demarcation to shift towards the eastern bank, Pakistan appears to be going back also on the spirit of the Rann of Kutch arbitration where the overwhelming evidence of maps supported India’s claims.

Are there any claims on its western borders? • The map is silent about territorial claims in the west and northwest of Pakistan. • It indicates Islamabads acceptance of the Durand Line as the border with Afghanistan. • The reality on the ground, however, shows problems that • Sir Creek is a collection of water bodies that extend from the continue to haunt Pakistan on that front as well where law Arabian Sea deep inside the territory of Kutch and is rich in and order have been difficult to maintain because of free biodiversity and mangrove forests. movement of armed fighters. • India’s position on Sir Creek is based on the Kutch arbitration • A deadly clash between Afghan civilians and Pakistani troops case of 1966-69. near its Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province is a usual discourse. • The new map can be used to reassert Pakistans claims regarding • The resultant situation has placed Afghan and Pakistani troops the Rann which it had lost in the arbitration conducted in Geneva. in a confrontational position.

FOREIGN POLICY WATCH: INDIA-CHINA What are Confucius Institutes, and why are they under the scanner in India?

International Relations | GS2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings What is the presence of CIs in India? and agreements involving India • India is reviewing the presence of CIs in seven universities, in Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : addition to 54 MoUs on inter-school cooperation involving Prelims level : Confucius Institutes China, which is not connected to the CI programme. Mains level : India-China diplomatic spat since border skirmishes

• The Ministry of Education (previously HRD) had sent a letter to How have CIs been viewed around the world? several institutions seeking information about the activities of • The CI arrangement has generated debate in the West, where their Confucius Institutes (CIs) and Chinese language training some universities have closed the institutes amid concern over centres. the influence of the Chinese government and its funding on • This has brought the spotlight to Chinas CI programme, a key host institutions. pillar of Beijings global soft power effort, and raised questions • Closures of some CIs have been reported in the United States, about the future of India-China cooperation in the education Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Sweden. space. • While the closures in the West have made news, these cases still represent a minority. Faced with this backlash, China is now rebranding the programme. Try this question for mains: • Most of the 550 CIs and more than 1,000 CCs around the world Q. It cannot be business as usual with China after the border are still active, with a presence spanning Africa, Central Asia, clash. Critically comment. Latin America, and across Asia.

What are the Confucius Institutes (CI)? What does it mean for India-China relations? • Starting with a CI in Seoul in 2004, Chinas National Office for • CIs and CCs had already been in India for more than 10 years. Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL) known as • Even prior to the border skirmishes, Indian authorities had Hanban establishes CI. viewed the CI arrangement somewhat warily. • China has established 550 CIs and 1,172 Confucius Classrooms • Along with the new move to review CIs, Mandarin has been (CCs) housed in foreign institutions, in 162 countries. dropped from the list of foreign languages that can be taught • As the Hanban explains on its website, following the experience in schools in the new National Education Policy. of the British Council, Alliance Franaise and Germanys Goethe- Institut, China began establishing non-profit public institutions which aim to promote Chinese language and culture in foreign countries.

20 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 Not a perfect move • However, India’s long-term objectives are not clear. • Recent moves by India shows that it cannot be business as • De-emphasizing learning Mandarin is neither likely to impact usual with China after the border clash. Chinas stance on the border nor help India in developing the expertise and resources it needs in dealing with China.

FOREIGN POLICY WATCH: INDIA-PAKISTAN Back in news: Indus Water Treaty (IWT)

International Relations | GS2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings About Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 and agreements involving India • The IWT is a water-distribution treaty between India and Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank signed in Karachi in 1960. Prelims level : Indus River Systems • According to this agreement, control over the water flowing Mains level : Indus Water Treaty and its significance in three eastern rivers of India the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej was given to India • The control over the water flowing in three western rivers of India the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum was given to Pakistan • The treaty allowed India to use western rivers water for limited irrigation use and unrestricted use for power generation, domestic, industrial and non-consumptive uses such as navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc. while laying down precise regulations for India to build projects • India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through the run of the river (RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation is unrestricted.

Talks stalled on key projects • Among the key points on the table was evolving a procedure to solve differences on technical aspects governing the construction of the Ratle run-of-the-river (RoR) project on the Chenab in the Kishtwar district. • India has called for the appointment of a neutral party while Pakistan favours a Court of Arbitration to agree upon a final India has refused a request by Pakistan to hold a meeting on resolution on the design parameters of this hydropower project. issues around the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) at the Attari check • According to the IWT, India has the right to build RoR projects post near the India-Pakistan border. on the three western rivers the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus provided it does so without substantially impeding water flow The IWT has been in existence since 1960, and reached a in Pakistan downstream. flash point in the aftermath of the Uri attacks in 2016 with • Pakistan believes that the projects current design does pose a PM declaring that blood and water couldnt flow together. serious impediment and has told the World Bank that it wants a Court of Arbitration (CoA) set up to decide on the issue. • India says this is only a technical issue and mutually solvable.

www.civilsdaily.com 21 FOREIGN POLICY WATCH: INDIA-UNITED STATES A new direction for India-U.S. ties

International Relations | GS2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings 6) Economic relations and India’s concerns and agreements involving India • The economic relations must be based on macroeconomic Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : commercial principles. Prelims level : Not much • Free, indiscriminate flow of U.S. foreign direct investment Mains level : Paper 2- India-U.S. ties (FDI) is not in India’s national interest.

7) Technology sharing This article analyses what the new shift in the India-U.S. ties • India needs technologies such as thorium utilisation, desalination will require for the mutual benefit. of sea water, and hydrogen fuel cells.

Following 12 factors would influence the depth and longevity of the India-U.S. ties. 8) U.S. should allow import of agricultural product • The U.S. must allow India’s exports of agricultural products including Bos indicus milk, which are of highly competitive 1) Outcome of the U.S. Presidential elections prices in the world. • The success of India’s new bonding with the U.S. will depend on the outcome of the U.S. Presidential elections. • The Democratic party candidate with the Left wing and 9) FDI in India • FDI should be allowed into India selectively from abroad, liberals in the U.S. has been highly critical of the Citizenship including from the U.S. (Amendment) Act. • FDI in India should be based on the economic theory of comparative advantage and not on subsidies and gratis. 2) Need to build trust with the U.S. • India purchased of the S-400 air defence missile system from Russia disregarding the U.S. concerns. 10) Tariffs • Tariffs of both India and the U.S. should be lowered, and the • India refused to send Indian troops to Afghanistan. Indian rupee should be gradually revalued to 35 to a dollar. • We need to build trust with the U.S. that we will give to the • Later, with the economy picking up, the rupee rate should go U.S. as good as it gives us. below 10 to the dollar. • For this structuring we must realise that India-U.S. relations require give and take on both sides. • What India needs to take today is for dealing with the Ladakh 11) Stay away from certain issues confrontation with China. • India should not provide the U.S. with our troops to enter Tibet, • India needs U.S. hardware military equipment. or be involved in the Hong Kong and Taiwan issue. • There is always a possibility of a leadership change in China. 3) Fighting the U.S. enemy in neighbourhood • Thus, Chinas policy changed very favourably towards India. • In the cases of Tibet, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, we have made • The U.S. needs India to fight her enemies in the neighbourhood explicit agreements. such as in Afghanistan. • In the case of Tibet, two formal treaties were signed by Nehru • India should send two divisions gradually to Afghanistan and (1954) and A.B. Vajpayee (2003). relieve U.S. troops to go home

4) Intelligence sharing and cooperation 12) Trilateral commitment to world peace • In the long run, India, the U.S., and China should form a • India needs the support of the U.S. and its ally, Israel, in trilateral commitment for world peace provided Chinese current cyberwarfare, satellite mappings of China and Pakistan. international policies undergo a healthy change. • There is a need for sharing intercepts of electronic communication, hard intelligence on terrorists, and controlling the military and the Inter-Services Intelligence in Pakistan. Consider the question “What are the factors influencing the India-U.S. ties? Suggest the pathway to address the issues 5) Developing naval bases that hamper the deepening of India-U.S. ties.” • India needs the U.S. to completely develop the Andaman & Nicobar, and also the Lakshadweep Islands as a naval and air force base. Conclusion • These naval bases can be used by the U.S and shared along Both countries need to recognise each other’s concern and work with its allies such as Indonesia and Japan. towards the deepening of the ties for the mutual benefit and with a view to dealing with the challenges confronting both the countries.

22 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 FOREIGN POLICY WATCH: INDIA-AFGHANISTAN In news: Loya Jirga

International Relations | GS2: Effect Of Policies & Politics Of World On What is Loya Jirga? India’S Interests • A Loya Jirga is a special type of jirga, or legal assembly, in Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Pashtunwali, the traditional code of laws of the Pashtun people. Prelims level : Loya Jirga • It is mainly organized for choosing a new head of state in case Mains level : Taliban of sudden death, adopting a new constitution, or to settle national or regional issue such as war. The Afghan Loya Jirga approves release of 400 ‘hard-core’ • It predates modern-day written or fixed laws and is mostly Taliban prisoners. favoured by the Pashtun people but to a lesser extent by other nearby groups that have been influenced by Pashtuns (historically known as Afghans). The term seems peculiar. We may expect a prelim question • In Afghanistan, Loya Jirgas have been reportedly organized on the same. since at least the early 18th century when the Hotaki and Durrani dynasties rose to power.

FOREIGN POLICY WATCH: INDIA-UNITED STATES Strategic autonomy in foreign policy

International Relations | GS2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings • In the build-up to the 1971 war with Pakistan, Prime Minister and agreements involving India Indira Gandhi had to enter a Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Cooperation with the Soviet Union to ward off both China Prelims level : Not much and the U.S. Mains level : Paper 2- Strategic autonomy and alignment with the U.S. • And in Kargil in 1999, India welcomed a direct intervention by the U.S. to force Pakistan to back down. • In all the above examples, India did not become any less autonomous when geopolitical circumstances compelled it to India has been maintaining strategic autonomy in its foreign enter into de factoalliance-like cooperation with major powers. policy since Independence. But the end of Cold War and • Rather, India secured its freedom, sovereignty and territorial growing closeness towards the U.S. raises concerns. This article integrity by manoeuvering the great power equations and addresses this issue. playing the realpolitik game.

India’s foreign policy: characterised by autonomy Concerns over India’s growing closeness to the U.S. • India has historically prided itself as an independent developing • As India is facing China’s growing aggression along the LAC, country which does not take orders from or succumb to pressure Non-alignment 2.0 with China and the U.S. makes little sense. from great powers. • Fears that proximity to the U.S. will lead to loss of India’s • Indian maintained this stance in its foreign policy when the strategic autonomy are overblown. world order was bipolar from 1947 to 1991, dominated by • Because independent India has never been subordinated to the U.S. and Russia. a foreign hegemon. • Also, when the world was unipolar from 1991 to 2008, dominated by the U.S. • Or when it is multipolar as at the present times. What should be India’s strategy • The need for autonomy in making foreign policy choices has • In the threat environment marked by a pushy China, India remained constant. should aim to have both- American support and stay as an independent power centre by cooperation with middle powers in Asia and around the world. Flexibility in foreign policy • For India complete dependence on the U.S. to counter China • However, strategic autonomy has often been adjusted in would be an error. India’s history as per the changing milieu. • Such complete dependence would be detrimental to India’s • During the 1962 war with China, Prime Minister Nehru, had national interest such as its ties with Iran and Russia and to appeal to the U.S. for emergency military aid. efforts to speed up indigenous defence modernisation. • A wide and diverse range of strategic partners, including the U.S. is the only viable diplomatic way forward in the current emerging multipolar world order.

www.civilsdaily.com 23 Consider the question “Does India’s close alignment with the Conclusion U.S. harms its strategic autonomy? Suggest the strategy to We are free and self-reliant not through isolation or alliance balance India’s security concerns and maintaining strategic with one great power, but only in variable combinations with autonomy.” several like-minded partners. India is familiar with the phrase multi-vector foreign policy. It is time to maximise its potential.

INDIAN OCEAN POWER COMPETITION Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP)

International Relations | GS2: India & Its Neighborhood - Relations India will fund the implementation of the Greater Male Connectivity Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Project (GMCP) in the Maldives with $500 mn packages. Prelims level : Greater Male Connectivity Project Mains level : India-Maldives Relations Try this question from 2014:

Which one of the following pairs of islands is separated from each other by the Ten Degree Channel? (a) Andaman and Nicobar (b) Nicobar and Sumatra (c) Maldives and Lakshadweep (d) Sumatra and Java

About Greater Male Connectivity Project • The GMCP will consist of a number of bridges and causeways to connect Male to Villingili, Thilafushi and Gulhifahu islands that span 6.7 km. • It would ease much of the pressure of the main capital island of Male for commercial and residential purposes. • When completed, the project would render the Chinese built Sinamale Friendship bridge connecting Male to two other islands, thus far the most visible infrastructure project in the islands. • At present, India-assisted projects in the region include water and sewerage projects on 34 islands, reclamation project for the Addl island, a port on Gulhifalhu, airport redevelopment at Hanimadhoo, and a hospital and a cricket stadium in Hulhumale.

THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST UAE, Israel reach agreement to establish diplomatic ties

International Relations | GS2: India & Its Neighborhood - Relations The United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to establish Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of Prelims level : West Bank and its location occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state. Mains level : Israeli claims over West Bank and Gaza

24 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 A timeline of Israel-Arab Conflict Significance • The announcement makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to have active diplomatic ties to Israel. • For Israel, the announcement comes after years of boasting by Israeli PM Netanyahu that his government enjoys closer ties to Arab nations than publicly acknowledged.

Why did the UAE sign the agreement? • The old enmity between Arab countries and Israel has dissipated. • The Sunni Arab kingdoms in the Gulf region such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE had developed backroom contacts with Israel over the past several years. • Iran factor: One of the major factors that brought them closer has been their shared antipathy towards Iran.

What do Arab countries want from Israel? • Arab countries expect a major change in the status quo on West Bank annexation which would put Israel under political and diplomatic pressure. • The UAE-Israel agreement has averted that outcome. • If a Democratic Party (Trumps opposition and Obamas allegiance) comes to power and restores the Iran deal, both the Israeli and the Arab blocs in West Asia would come under pressure to live with an empowered Iran. • A formal agreement and enhanced security and economic Arab-Israeli ties have historically been conflict-ridden. ties make the Arab and Israeli sides better prepared to face • Arab countries, including Egypt, Transjordan, Syria and Iraq, such a situation. fought their first war with Israel in 1948 after the formation • So there is a convergence of interests for the UAE, Israel and of the state of Israel was announced. the U.S. to come together in the region. • The war ended with Israel capturing more territories, including West Jerusalem than what the UN Partition Plan originally proposed for a Jewish state. Where does it leave the Palestinians? • After that, Israel and Arab states fought three more major • Unlike the past two Arab-Israeli peace agreements, Palestinians wars the 1956 Suez conflict, the 1967 Six-Day War and the do not figure prominently in the current one. 1973 Yom Kippur War. • In the present UAE-Israel deal, Israel has not made any actual • After the 1967 war in which Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula concession to the Palestinians. and Gaza Strip from Egypt, East Jerusalem and the West Bank • The Palestinians are understandably upset. They called the from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria. UAEs decision treason. • Arab countries convened in Khartoum and declared their famous three Nos no peace with Israel, no talks with Israel and no recognition of Israel. Geopolitical implications of the deal • But it did not last long. After the death of Egypt President • The agreement could fast-track the changes that are already Gamal Abdel Nasser, his successor Anwar Sadat started making underway in the region. plans to get Sinai back from Israel. • The Saudi bloc, consisting of Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and • His efforts, coupled with American pressure on Israel, led to others, see their interests being aligned with that of the U.S. the Camp David Accords of 1978 with Israels withdrawal. and Israel and their support for Palestine, which Arab powers had historically upheld. • Turkey and Iran now emerge as the strongest supporters of What is the deal? the Palestinians in the Muslim world. • The deal halts Israeli annexation plans, the Palestinians have • This tripolar contest is already at work in West Asia. The UAE- repeatedly urged Arab governments not to normalize ties with Israel thaw could sharpen it further. Israel until a peace agreement establishing an independent Palestinian state is reached.

www.civilsdaily.com 25 West Bank and its annexation plan • The West Bank is located to the west of the Jordan River. • It is a patch of land about one and a half times the size of Goa, was captured by Jordan after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. • Israel snatched it back during the Six-Day War of 1967 and has occupied it ever since. • It is a landlocked territory, bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel to the south, west, and north. • Following the Oslo Accords between the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) during the 1990s, part of the West Bank came under the control of the Palestinian Authority. • With varying levels of autonomy, the Palestinian Authority controls close to 40 per cent of West Bank today, while the rest is controlled by Israel.

26 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 HISTORY

HISTORY- IMPORTANT PLACES, PERSONS IN NEWS How Quit India movement gave a new direction to India’s freedom struggle?

History | GS1: Modern Indian History The Gowalia Tank address and Gandhijis arrest Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : • On August 8, Gandhiji addressed the people from Mumbais Prelims level : Quit India Movement Gowalia Tank maidan with the Do or Die mantra. Mains level : India’s freedom struggle • By August 9, Gandhi and all other senior Congress leaders had been jailed. On August 8, 78 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi gave the call for • He was kept at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune, and later in the British colonizers to Quit India and for the Indians to do or die Yerawada jail. to make this happen. • It was during this time that Kasturba Gandhi died at the Aga Khan Palace. Try this PYQ: The slogan Quit India • While Gandhi gave the clarion call of Quit India, the slogan Q.With reference to the Indian freedom struggle, consider was coined by Yusuf Meherally, a socialist and trade unionist the following events: who also served as Mayor of Mumbai. Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy • A few years ago, in 1928, it was Meherally who had coined Quit India Movement launched the slogan Simon Go Back. Second Round Table Conference What is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?(CSP 2017) Outcome: A peoples movement • The arrest of the leaders, however, failed to deter the masses. (a) 1-2-3 (b) 2-1-3 (c) 3-2-1 (d) 3-1-2 With no one to give directions, people took the movement into their own hands. What led to the events of August 1942? • In Bombay, Poona and Ahmedabad, lakhs of people clashed • While factors leading to such a movement had been building up, with the police on August 9. On August 10, protests erupted matters came to a head with the failure of the Cripps Mission. in Delhi, UP and Bihar. • World War II was raging, and a beleaguered British needed • There were strikes, demonstrations and peoples marches in the cooperation of their colonial subjects in India. defiance of prohibitory orders in Kanpur, Patna, Varanasi, and • To this end, in March 1942, a mission led by Sir Stafford Cripps Allahabad. arrived in India to meet leaders of the Congress and the • The protests spread rapidly into smaller towns and villages. Muslim League. • Till mid-September, police stations, courts, post offices and • The idea was to secure India’s whole-hearted support in the other symbols of government authority were attacked. war, in return for self-governance. • Railway tracks were blocked, students went on strike in schools • However, despite the promise of the earliest possible realization and colleges across India, and distributed illegal nationalist of self-government in India, the offer Cripps made was of literature. dominion status, and not freedom. • Mill and factory workers in Bombay, Ahmedabad, Poona, Ahmednagar, and Jamshedpur stayed away for weeks. • In some places, the protests were violent, with bridges blown A final blow up, telegraph wires cut, and railway lines taken apart. • The failures of the Cripps Mission made Mahatma Gandhi realize that freedom would be had only by fighting tooth and nail for it. Outcome • Though initially reluctant to launch a movement that could • The Quit India movement was violently suppressed by the hamper Britains efforts to defeat Fascist forces in the World War, British people were shot, lathi-charged, villages burnt and Congress eventually decided to launch a mass civil disobedience. enormous fines imposed. • At the Working Committee meeting in Wardha in July 1942, • In the five months up to December 1942, an estimated 60,000 it was decided the time had come for the movement to move people had been thrown in jail. into an active phase.

www.civilsdaily.com 27 Significance • Eventually dispersed violently by the British, it left behind a • Soon after, Gandhi and almost the entire top Congress leadership clear message that the British would have to leave India, and was arrested and thus began a truly people-led movement in no other solution would be acceptable to its masses. our freedom struggle.

HISTORY- IMPORTANT PLACES, PERSONS IN NEWS Story of our National Flag

History | GS1: Modern Indian History • Believed to have been designed by freedom activists Sachindra Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Prasad Bose and Hemchandra Kanungo, the red stripe on the Prelims level : National flag flag had symbols of the sun and a crescent moon, and the Mains level : NA green strip had eight half-open lotuses. (2) In Germany The final design of the Indian National Flag, hoisted by PM Nehru • In 1907,Madame Cama and her group of exiled revolutionaries on August 16, 1947, at Red Fort, had a history of several decades hoisted an Indian flag inGermanyin 1907this was thefirst Indian preceding independence. flagto behoisted in a foreign land. (3) During the Home Rule Movement • In 1917,Dr Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak adopted a new Note various personalities involved in the development of our flag as part of theHome Rule Movement. National flag. It may be no wonder to accept a personality- • It had five alternate red and four green horizontal stripes,and based question on such topics. seven stars in the saptarishi configuration. • Awhite crescent and star occupied one top corner, and the Story of our National Flag: A timeline other hadUnion Jack. (4) Final version by Pingali Venkayya • The design of the present-day Indian tricolour is largely attributed to Pingali Venkayya, an Indian freedom fighter. • He reportedly first met Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa during the second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), when he was posted there as part of the British Indian Army. • Years of research went into designing the national flag. In 1916, he even published a book with possible designs of Indian flags. • At the All India Congress Committee in Bezwada in 1921, Venkayya again met Gandhi and proposed a basic design of the flag, consisting of two red and green bands to symbolise the two major communities, Hindus and Muslims. (5) During Constituent Assembly • On July 22, 1947, when members of the Constituent Assembly of India, the first item on the agenda was reportedly a motion by Pandit Nehru, about adopting a national flag for free India. (1) Public display for first time • It was proposed that the National Flag of India shall be • Arguably the first national flag of India is said to have been horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (Kesari), white and dark hoisted on August 7, 1906, in Kolkata at the Parsee Bagan green in equal proportion. Square (Green Park). • The white band was to have a wheel in navy blue (the charkha • It comprised three horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green, being replaced by the chakra), which appears on the abacus with Vande Mataram written in the middle. of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.

28 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 ENVIRO & BIODIVERSITY

MONSOON UPDATES Boreal Summer Intra-Seasonal Oscillation (BSISO)

Enviro & Biodiversity | GS1: Geographical Features & Their Location surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. Prelims level : BSISO 2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Ninos impact on Mains level : Indian monsoon and its prediction the monsoon. Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

What is BSISO? • The BSISO of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) is one of the most prominent sources of short-term climate variability in the global monsoon system. • It is the movement of convection (heat) from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean roughly every 10-50 days during the monsoon (June-September). • Compared with the related Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) it is more complex in nature, with prominent northward propagation and variability extending much further from the equator. • It represents the monsoons active and break periods, in which weeks of heavy rainfall give way to brilliant sunshine before Researchers at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information starting all over again. Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad have reportedly found a way to better • The active phase also enhances monsoon winds and hence forecast the Boreal Summer Intra-Seasonal Oscillation (BSISO). the surface waves.

Try this PYQ: Why predict BSISO behaviour? • Some phases of boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation or BSISO induce high wave activity in the north Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, the researchers claimed. Q.With reference to Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) sometimes • Wave forecast advisories based on the BSISO would be more mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, useful for efficient coastal and marine management. which of the following statements is/are correct? (CSP • This finding has a great significance in developing seasonal and 2017) climate forecast service for waves and coastal erosion for India. 1. IOD phenomenon is characterized by a difference in sea

GLOBAL GEOLOGICAL AND CLIMATIC EVENTS In news: Mount Sinabung

Enviro & Biodiversity | GS1: Geographical Features & Their Location Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Prelims level : Mount Sinabung Mains level : Not Much

www.civilsdaily.com 29 Also, try this PYQ:

Consider the following statements: 1. The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian Territory. 2. Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar 3. The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (CSP 2018) (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 3 only (d) 1 and 3 The Mount Sinabung volcano in Indonesia has erupted spouting ash at least 5,000 metres high into the sky. Mount Sinabung • It is a Pleistocene-to-Holocene stratovolcano in the Karo plateau In the Philippines, a volcano called Taal on the island of Luzon; of Karo Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. 50 km from Manila has recently erupted in January. Note all • It is created by the subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate such recent eruption in news. under the Eurasian Plate. • It erupted in 2010 after a 400-year-long hiatus and has been continuously active since September 2013.

AIR POLLUTION [pib] Himalayan Geothermal Springs release huge amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Enviro & Biodiversity | GS1: Geographical Features & Their Location Note the following hot springs in India: Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : 1) Panamik in Nubra valley 2) Kheer Ganga in Kullu, Himachal Prelims level : Geothermal springs 3) Manikaran Sahib, Himachal 4) Tattapani, Chhattisgarh 5) Mains level : Not Much Gaurikund, Uttarakhand 6) Yumthang, Sikkim 7) Reshi, Sikkim

Geothermal springs

The Himalayas, which hosts about 600 geothermal springs needs to be considered while estimating emissions to the carbon cycle and thereby to global warming says, Indian researchers.

30 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 • Geothermal or Hot springs are heated by shallow intrusions of • Such CO2 degassing should be taken into account to assess magma (molten rock) in volcanic areas. Some thermal springs, global carbon outflux in the earths atmosphere. however, are not related to volcanic activity. • The water is heated by convective circulation: groundwater percolates downward & reaches depths of a kilometre or more Where does this CO₂ come from? where the temperature of rocks is high because of the normal • Carbon outflux from Earths interior to the exosphere through temperature gradient of the Earths crust. volcanic eruptions, fault zones, and geothermal systems contribute to the global carbon cycle that effects short and long term climate of the Earth. Why consider the Himalayas? • The CO₂ in the thermal springs are sourced from metamorphic • The Himalayan geothermal springs which cover about decarbonation of carbonate rocks present deep in the Himalayan 10,000 square km in the Garhwal region of Himalaya show a core along with magmatism and oxidation of graphite. significant discharge of CO2 rich water. • Most of the geothermal water is dominated by evaporation • The estimated carbon dioxide degassing (removal of dissolved followed by weathering of silicate rocks. gases from liquids, especially water or aqueous solutions) flux • Isotopic analyses further point towards a meteoric source for is nearly 7.2 x 106 mol/year to the atmosphere. geothermal water.

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EFFORTS Species in news: Great Indian Hornbill

Enviro & Biodiversity | GS3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & About Great Indian Hornbill Degradation, Eia IUCN status: Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Vulnerable (uplisted from Near Threatened in 2018), CITES: Prelims level : Hornbill Appendix I Mains level : NA • The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) also known as the great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. • The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity. • It is predominantly fruit-eating, but is an opportunist and preys on small mammals, reptiles and birds. • Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals. • A large majority of their population is found in India with a significant proportion in the Western Ghats and the Nilgiris. • The nesting grounds of the birds in the Nilgiris North Eastern Range are also believed to support some of their highest densities.

Their ecological significance • Referred to as forest engineers or farmers of the forest for playing a key role in dispersing seeds of tropical trees, hornbills indicate the prosperity and balance of the forest they build nests in. A study based on satellite data has flagged a high rate of deforestation in a major hornbill habitat in Arunachal Pradesh. Threats • Hornbills used to be hunted for their casques upper beak and feathers for adorning headgear despite being cultural symbols Try this PYQ: of some ethnic communities in the northeast, specifically the Q. In which of the following regions of India are you Nyishi of Arunachal Pradesh. most likely to come across the Great Indian Hornbill in • Illegal logging has led to fewer tall trees where the bird’s nest. its natural habitat? (CSP 2016) (a) Sand deserts of northwest India (b) Higher Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir Back2Basics: Hornbill Festival (c) Salt marshes of western Gujarat • The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1 10 (d) Western Ghats December, in Kohima, Nagaland. • The festival was first held in the year 2000.

www.civilsdaily.com 31 • It is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful • Festival highlights include the traditional Naga Morungs forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, herbal states tribes. medicine stalls, flower shows and sales, cultural medley songs and dances, fashion shows etc.

FOREST CONSERVATION EFFORTS - NFP, WESTERN GHATS, ETC. Myth of the pristine forest

Enviro & Biodiversity | GS3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & • It then requires determining whether coexistence is possible Degradation, Eia through a modified set of rights or management practices. Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : • Only if the multi-stakeholder expert committee agrees that co- Prelims level : Critical Wildlife Habitat (CHW) under FRA existence or other reasonable options are not possible, should Mains level : Forest dwellers role in its conservation relocation be taken up, again with the informed consent of the concerned gram sabhas. • The COVID-19 pandemic has driven migrant workers back to • For any such process to commence, the Act requires that all their villages, including many situated inside or on the fringes forest rights under the FRA must first be recognised. of forested areas, including sanctuaries and national parks. • Even as they seek to remake livelihoods there, a new battle has emerged between the forest department (FD) and these Issues with the FRA local communities. (1) Concerns of eviction • It pertains to the declaration of a Critical Wildlife Habitat • Hardline conservationists took FRA as a great opportunity (CWH), which a PIL in the Bombay High Court seeks to get the to complete its agenda of evicting forest-dwellers from PAs. department to urgently notify. • It has been observed that many villages were resettled when they had rights claims pending, others had their claims illegally rejected or incompletely granted, and several had not even Try this question for mains: applied to this controversy erupted. Forest dwellers are integral to the very survival and sustainability • However, there are settlements in some of these PAs, and of of the forest ecosystem. Analyse. course, people in villages adjacent to all the PAs are likely to have customary rights. • In spite of the court ordering rapid completion of the rights What is Critical Wildlife Habitat (CHW)? recognition process, there has been almost no progress on • CWH is a provision under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA). this front. • The Act primarily focuses on recognising the historically-denied (2) Issues with expert committees rights of forest-dwellers to use and manage forests. • The constitution of the expert committees is faulty. They do • The CWH provision, however, is an attempt to assuage concerns not contain expert social scientists familiar with the area. of wildlife conservationists. Wildlife enthusiasts are sometimes substituted for experts in • It allows for the possibility that in protected areas (PAs) wildlife life sciences. sanctuaries and national parks these rights could be attenuated, • Many members have challenged the very constitutionality of the and, if absolutely necessary, forest-dwellers could be relocated FRA, making a travesty of the idea of objectivity in the process. in the interest of wildlife conservation. (3) Criteria judging the damages • The criteria being used by the committees to determine the Forest dwellers vs. Wildlife threat of irreversible damage to wildlife are quite extreme and are not supported by any consensus even among ecologists. • Conservationists believe that wildlife needs absolutely inviolate • There are no objective criteria decided yet by these committees. areas those devoid of humans and human activities. • Many others believe human-wildlife co-existence is generally possible and must be promoted if we are to have socially just Conclusion conservation. • The FRA begins by recognising that forest dwellers are integral to the very survival and sustainability of the forest ecosystem. Achieving balanced conservation: The FRA provisions • In that context, the CWH provision should not be seen as simply a tool for evicting forest-dwellers to create so-called • A careful reading of the CWH provisions in the FRA shows that inviolate spaces. it is open to both possibilities, as long as they are arrived at • It is an opportunity to rigorously and participatorily explore through a rigorous and participatory process. all avenues of co-existence. • It requires setting up a multi-disciplinary expert committee, • Such co-existence is indeed possible. In general, forest-dwellers including representatives from local communities. harbour both the knowledge and the attitudes needed for • It also requires determining using scientific and objective conservation. criteria and consultative processes whether, and wherein the • Co-managing PAs is, therefore, the most effective and socially PA, the exercise of forest rights will cause irreversible damages. just long-term solution, and relocation should be seen as the absolute last resort.

32 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 B2BASICS Forest Rights act

www.civilsdaily.com 33 SCIENCE TECH ART CULTURE

DIGITAL INDIA INITIATIVES [pib] Krishi Megh: A Cloud-based Data Recovery Centre

Science Tech Art Culture | GS3: Awareness In The Fields Of It, Space, • It has been set up under the National Agricultural Higher Computers, Robotics, Nano-Technology, Bio-Technology, Pharma Sector & Health Education Project (NAHEP), funded by both the government Science and World Bank. Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : • It has been built to mitigate the risk, enhance the quality, Prelims level : Cloud Storage, Krishi Megh availability and accessibility of e-governance, research, extension Mains level : NA and education in the field of agriculture in India. • Currently, the main data centre of the Indian Council of Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched Agricultural Research (ICAR) is at the Indian Agricultural the Krishi Megh Data Recovery Centre. Statistics Research Institute (IASRI) in New Delhi.

Do not get confused with the name Krishi Megh. One might Back2Basics: Cloud Storage mistakenly relate it to some weather forecasting tool of the • It is a cloud computing model that stores data on the Internet Indian Meteorological Department. through a cloud computing provider who manages and operates data storage as a service. • It is delivered on demand with just-in-time capacity and costs, Krishi Megh and eliminates buying and managing your own data storage • The Krishi Megh has been set up at National Academy of infrastructure. Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad. • It gives agility, global scale and durability, with anytime, anywhere data access.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE AGENCIES - MISSIONS AND DISCOVERIES Perseids Meteor Shower

Science Tech Art Culture | GS3: Awareness In The Fields Of It, Space, The Perseids meteor shower is going to be active from August Computers, Robotics, Nano-Technology, Bio-Technology, Pharma Sector & Health 17-26. Science Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Prelims level : Meteor terminology Try this question from CSP 2014: Mains level : Not Much Q.What is a coma, in the content of astronomy? (a) Bright half of material on the comet (b) Long tail of dust (c) Two asteroids orbiting each other (d) Two planets orbiting each other

What is the Perseids meteor shower? • The Perseids meteor shower peaks every year in mid-August. It was first observed over 2,000 years ago. • The Perseids occur as the Earth runs into pieces of cosmic debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. • The cloud of debris is about 27 km wide, and at the peak of the display, between 160 and 200 meteors streak through the Earths atmosphere every hour as the pieces of debris.

34 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 • They travel at the speed of some 2.14 lakh km per hour; burn • Every time comets come close to the sun, they leave behind up a little less than 100 km above the Earths surface. dust that is essentially the debris trail, which the Earth passes through every year as it orbits around the Sun. What are Meteor Showers? • Meteors are bits of rock and ice that are ejected from comets Back2Basics: as they manoeuvre around their orbits around the sun. • As meteors fall towards the Earth, the resistance makes the space rocks extremely hot and, as meteorites pass through the atmosphere, they leave behind streaks of glowing gas that are visible to the observers and not the rock itself. • Meteor showers, on the other hand, are witnessed when Earth passes through the trail of debris left behind by a comet or an asteroid. • When a meteor reaches the Earth, it is called a meteorite and a series of meteorites, when encountered at once, is termed as a meteor shower. • According to NASA, over 30 meteor showers occur annually and are observable from the Earth.

Where do the Perseids come from? • The comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, takes 133 years to complete one rotation around the sun. • The last time it reached its closest approach to the sun was in 1992 and will do so again in 2125.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE AGENCIES - MISSIONS AND DISCOVERIES SPT0418-47: The Baby Milky Way

Science Tech Art Culture | GS3: Awareness In The Fields Of It, Space, It can result from the dying stars. Computers, Robotics, Nano-Technology, Bio-Technology, Pharma Sector & Health Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 Science only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : Prelims level : Galaxies, Milky Way Mains level : Not Much SPT0418-47 • The galaxy, called SPT0418-47, is so far away that it took billions of years for its light to reach Earth and so our image of it is from deep in the past. • It was picked up by the powerful Alma radio telescope in Chile using a technique called gravitational lensing, where a nearby galaxy acts as a powerful magnifying glass. • This was when the Universe was 1.4 billion years old just 10% of its current age and galaxies were still forming. • It has features similar to our Milky Way a rotating disc and a bulge, which is the high density of stars packed tightly around the galactic centre.

SPT0418-47, a golden halo glinting 12 billion light-years away is the farthest galaxy resembling our Milky Way was recently What makes it special? spotted by astronomers. • This is the first time a bulge has been seen this early in the history of the Universe, making SPT0418-47 the most distant Milky Way look-alike. Try this PYQ: • Thus the infant star system challenges our understanding of Which of the statements about black holes in space is/ the early years of the Universe. are correct? (CSP 2016) • Researchers expect these young star systems to be chaotic It is a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so and without the distinct structures typical of mature galaxies strong that light is not able to escape. like our Galaxy.

www.civilsdaily.com 35 • This unexpected discovery suggests the early Universe may not • The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System, be as chaotic as once believed and raises many questions on with the name describing the galaxy’s appearance from Earth. how a well-ordered galaxy could have formed so soon after • It appears like a hazy band of light seen in the night sky the Big Bang. formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. • From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk- Back2Basics: Milky Way shaped structure is viewed from within. • Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. • Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe. • Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis, observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies.

SEEDS, PESTICIDES AND MECHANIZATION - HYV, INDIAN SEED CONGRESS, ETC. abscisic acid (ABA)

Science Tech Art Culture | GS3: Awareness In The Fields Of It, Space, What is Abscisic Acid? Computers, Robotics, Nano-Technology, Bio-Technology, Pharma Sector & Health • Humans have glands that secrete hormones at different times Science to stimulate body processes such as growth, development, and Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : the breaking down of sugars. Prelims level : Plant growth hormones • Plants also have hormones that stimulate processes that are Mains level : Not Much necessary for them to live. • Abscisic acid is a plant hormone involved in many developmental A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education plant processes, such as dormancy and environmental stress and Research (IISER), Bhopal, has conducted a study on seed response. germination that could have a major impact on agriculture. • Abscisic acid is produced in the roots of the plant as well as the terminal buds at the top of the plant. What is the study about? • The study aims to determine the optimum timing of seed Function of Abscisic Acid germination and thus ensure high plant yields. Abscisic acid is involved in several plant functions. • It focused on the interplay between plant hormones like • Plants have openings on the bottom side of their leaves, known abscisic acid (ABA) which inhibit the sprouting of the seed and as stomata. Stomata take in carbon dioxide and regulate environmental cues like light (which promotes the sprouting water content. Abscisic acid has been found to function in process) and darkness. the closing of these stomata during times when the plant does not require as much carbon dioxide or during times of drought when the plant cannot afford to lose much water Note the following plant hormones and their functions: through transpiration. • One of the crucial functions of abscisic acid is to inhibit seed Hormone Function Hormone germination. Abscisic acid has been found to stop a seed FunctionEthylene Fruit ripening and abscission from immediately germinating once it has been placed in the soil. It actually causes the seed to enter a period of dormancy. EthyleneGibberellins FruitBreak ripening the dormancy and abscission of seeds and Gibberellins buds; promote Break growth the • This is of great benefit to the plants because most seeds are dormancyCytokinins ofPromote seeds celland division; buds; prevent promote senescence growth Cytokinins formed at the end of the growing season, when conditions Promote cell division; prevent senescence Abscisic Acid Close Abscisic Acid Close the stomata; maintain dormancy would not befavorablefor a new plant to sprout. The abscisic the stomata; maintain dormancy Auxins Involved in tropisms acid causes the seed to wait until the time when conditions andAuxins apical dominanceInvolved in tropisms and apical dominance are morefavorableto grow. This ensures greater success in the plants ability to grow and reproduce successfully.

36 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 • ABA functions in many plant developmental processes, including seed and bud dormancy, the control of organ size and stomatal closure. It is especially important for plants in the response to environmental stresses, including drought, soil salinity, cold tolerance, freezing tolerance, heat stress and heavy metal ion tolerance.

CORONAVIRUS - DISEASE, MEDICAL SCIENCES INVOLVED & PREVENTIVE MEASURES What is Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)?

Science Tech Art Culture | GS3: Awareness In The Fields Of It, Space, What is NGS? Computers, Robotics, Nano-Technology, Bio-Technology, Pharma Sector & Health • DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid Science sequence the order of nucleotides in DNA. Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : • It includes any method or technology that is used to determine Prelims level : PCR, Genome Sequencing, NGS the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and Mains level : Genome Sequencing Applications thymine. • The advent of rapid DNA sequencing methods has greatly accelerated biological and medical research and discovery. • Next-generation sequencing (NGS), also known as high- throughput sequencing, is the catch-all term used to describe a number of different modern sequencing technologies. • Thesetechnologies allow for sequencing of DNA and RNA much more quickly and cheaply than the previously used Sanger sequencing, and as such revolutionized the study of genomics and molecular biology.

Benefits • The genome sequencing machines can substantially detect the possible presence of the virus e ven in several instances where the traditional RT-PCR tests miss out on them. • This is primarily because the RT-PCR test identifies the SARS- • To speed up testing as well as improve the accuracy of testing CoV-2 virus by exploring only specific sections of the virus. COVID-19, the CSIR is working on developing mega labs where • Having an edge, the genome method can read a bigger chunk large machines, called Next Generation Sequencing machines of the virus genome and thereby provide more certainty that (NGS), will be used for sequencing human genomes. the virus in question is indeed the particular coronavirus • It is repurposed to sequence 1,500-3,000 viral genomes at a of interest. go for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. • It can also trace the evolutionary history of the virus and track mutations more reliably. Try this PYQ: What is Cas9 protein that is often mentioned in news? Back2Basics: (CSP 2018) https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/pcr-test-for-diagnosis-of- (a) A molecular scissors used in targeted gene editing the-covid-19/ (b)A biosensor used in the accurate detection of pathogens in patients (c) A gene that makes plants pest-resistant (d) A herbicidal substance synthesized in genetically modified crops

www.civilsdaily.com 37 TRIVIA

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT ISSUES - JOBS,RESERVATION AND EDUCATION Hindu Women’s Inheritance Rights

Trivia | GS1: Role Of Women & Women Organization What did the law bring in? Note4Students | From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : • Section 6 of the Act was amended that year to make a daughter Prelims level : HUF of a coparcener also a coparcener by birth in her own right in Mains level : Women’s property right the same manner as the son. • The law also gave the daughter the same rights and liabilities The Supreme Court has expanded a Hindu womans right to be in the coparcenary property as she would have had if she had a joint legal heir and inherit ancestral property on terms equal been a son. to male heirs. • The law applies to ancestral property and to intestate succession in personal property where succession happens as per law and What is the ruling? not through a will. • The SC Bench ruled that a Hindu womans right to be a joint heir to the ancestral property is by birth and does not depend How did the case come about? on whether her father was alive or not when the law was • While the 2005 law granted equal rights to women, questions enacted in 2005. were raised whether the law applied retrospectively and if the • The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 gave Hindu rights of women depended on the living status of their father. women the right to be coparceners or joint legal heirs in the • Different benches of the Supreme Court had taken conflicting same way a male heir does. views on the issue. Different High Courts had also followed • Since the coparcenary (heirship) is by birth, it is not necessary different views of the top court as binding precedents. that the father coparcener should be living as on 9.9.2005, • The Prakash v Phulwati (2015) case held that the benefit of the the ruling said. 2005 amendment could be granted only to living daughters of living coparceners as on September 9, 2005 (the date when What is the 2005 law? the amendment came to force). • The Mitakshara school of Hindu law codified as the Hindu • In February 2018 a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri held that Succession Act, 1956 governed succession and inheritance of the share of a father who died in 2001 will also pass to his property but only recognised males as legal heirs. daughters as coparceners during the partition of the property • The law applied to everyone who is not a Muslim, Christian, as per the 2005 law. Parsi or Jew by religion. • Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and followers of Arya Samaj, Brahmo The present case Samaj are also considered Hindus for the purposes of this law. • These conflicting views led to a reference to a three-judge • In a Hindu Undivided Family, several legal heirs through Bench in the current case. generations can exist jointly. • The ruling now overrules the verdicts from 2015 and April 2018. • It settles the law and expands on the intention of the 2005 Background legislation to remove the discrimination as contained in section • Traditionally, only male descendants of a common ancestor 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. along with their mothers, wives and unmarried daughters are • It gave equal rights to daughters in the Hindu Mitakshara considered a joint Hindu family. coparcenary property as the sons have. • The legal heirs hold the family property jointly. • Women were recognised as coparceners or joint legal heirs What was the governments stand? for partition arising from 2005. • The solicitor argued in favour of an expansive reading of the • The 174th Law Commission Report had also recommended law to allow equal rights for women. He referred to the objects this reform in Hindu succession law. and reasons of the 2005 amendment. • Even before the 2005 amendment, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, • The Mitakshara coparcenary law not only contributed to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had made this change in the law, discrimination on the ground of gender but was oppressive and Kerala had abolished the Hindu Joint Family System in 1975. and negated the fundamental right of equality guaranteed by the Constitution.

38 SAMACHAR MANTHAN | WEEK 12 www.civilsdaily.com 39