Category: Burning Issues

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Context

• Parts of Bengaluru, India’s IT and startup capital faced unprecedented floods last week. This is not the first instance of urban flooding in India.
• In fact, urban flooding is becoming increasingly common in many parts of the country with this monsoon season itself seeing many such instances in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
• In this context, this edition of the burning issue will look at the rising problem of urban flooding in India, its causes and consequences, and finally few solutions to it.

Some major Urban Flooding incidents

• There has been an increasing trend of urban flood disasters in India over the past several years whereby major cities in India have been severely affected.
• The most notable amongst them are Hyderabad in 2000, Ahmedabad in 2001, Delhi in 2002 and 2003, Chennai in 2004, Mumbai in 2005, Surat in 2006, Kolkata in 2007, Jamshedpur in 2008, Delhi in 2009 and Guwahati and Delhi in 2010. The most recent devastating ones were Srinagar in 2014 and Chennai in 2015

What is urban flooding?

• Urban flooding is the inundation of property in a built environment, particularly in more densely populated urban areas, caused by heavy rainfall on increased amounts of impervious surfaces and overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems.

• Urban floods stem from a combination of various meteorological and hydrological extremes, such as extreme precipitation and flow in short spans of time.
• Thus, flooding in urban areas is caused by intense and/or prolonged rainfall, which overwhelms the capacity of the drainage system.

Features of Urban Floods

• Faster Flow times: Consequently, flooding occurs very quickly due to faster flow times, sometimes in a matter of minutes.
• Catchment destruction: Urban flooding is significantly different from rural flooding as urbanization leads to developed catchments which are the most vulnerable areas.

Causes of Urban Flooding

Natural factors:

• Meteorological Factors: Heavy rainfall, cyclonic storms and thunderstorms cause water to flow quickly through paved urban areas and impound in low-lying areas.
• Hydrological Factors: Overbank flow channel networks, the occurrence of high tides impeding the drainage in coastal cities.
• Climate Change: Climate change due to various anthropogenic events has led to extreme weather events.

Anthropological factors:

• Unplanned Urbanization: Unplanned Urbanization is the key cause of urban flooding. A major concern is the blocking of natural drainage pathways through construction activity and encroachment on catchment areas, riverbeds and lakebeds.
• Destruction of lakes: A major issue in Indian cities. Lakes can store excess water and regulate the flow of water. However, pollution of natural urban water bodies and converting them for development purposes has increased the risk of floods.
• Unauthorized colonies and excess construction: Reduced infiltration due to paving of surfaces which decreases ground absorption and increases the speed and amount of surface flow
• Poor Solid Waste Management System: Improper waste management system and clogging of storm-water drains because of silting, accumulation of non-biodegradable wastes and construction debris.
• Drainage System: Old and ill-maintained drainage system is another factor making cities in India vulnerable to flooding.
• Irresponsible steps: Lack of attention to the natural hydrological system and lack of flood control measures.

• Human determinism: The fact is that our cities have been built with little to no regard for the natural topography and severely lack holistic action.
• Weaker laws: We have in place the provisions of rainwater harvesting, sustainable urban drainage systems, etc, in regulatory mechanisms like the EIA notification 2006 but still these are on paper majorly.
• Weaker Urban bodies capacity: Public bodies’ focus is largely on de-silting of stormwater drains before monsoon and expansion of the over-burdened infrastructure, but at a crawling pace. 

Lacunae in Urban Planning

• No mapping of water bodies: The preliminary work of mapping and documentation of the surface water bodies even though mentioned by NDMA under the National Database for Mapping Attributes has not been undertaken.
• Failed early-warning system: During the floods of Uttarakhand in 2013, there were questions about the role of NDMA, where it failed to implement the early warning systems to inform people about the floods and landslides.
• Response rather than mitigation: The importance of preparedness for disaster situations like urban floods was realized by the government agencies only after the devastations during Chennai Floods in 2015 and Kerala Floods in 2018.
• Responsiveness of Local bodies: Sufficient training, equipment, and facilities for immediate response and tackling the disaster situation efficiently are not being carried out by the local governments. More onus of mitigation lies with NDMA/SDMA.
• Misutilization of Funds: NDRF/SDRF constituted by the government to deal with the disasters, were used for expenses that were not sanctioned for disaster management. There were cases of financial indiscipline in state management of funds.

Consequences of Urban Floods

• On the economy: Damage to infrastructure, roads and settlements, industrial production, basic supplies, post-disaster rehabilitation difficulties etc.
• On human population and wildlife: Trauma, loss of life, injuries and disease outbreak, contamination of water etc.

• On the environment: Loss of habitat, tree and forest cover, biodiversity loss and large-scale greenery recovery failure.
• On transport and communication: Increased traffic congestion, disruption in rail services, disruption in communication- on the telephone, internet cables causing massive public inconvenience.
• Diseases: the stagnation of flood water causes pollution of drinking water and accumulation of waste in dustbins and on the open road, thus acting as a host of several pathogens and resulting in the spread of diseases like Dengue, Malaria etc.

• Tangible losses: The losses that can be measured physically and can be assigned an economic value. These losses can be direct or indirect. Direct – Structural damage to buildings, property damage and damage to infrastructurewhereas Indirect – Economic losses, Traffic disruption, and emergency costs.

• Intangible losses: Intangible losses include loss of life, secondary health effects, and infections or damages to the environment which are difficult to assess in monetary terms since they are not traded such as Casualties, health effects, ecological losses, the Post-flood recovery process, mental damage to the people.

Solutions to Urban Flooding

• Improved flood warning systems: effective flood warning systems can help take timely action during natural calamities and can save lives. Pre-planning can significantly reduce the effects of floods, giving people time to migrate to safer locations and stock up on essentials.
• Building flood-resilient housing systems: concrete floors can be very useful during floods. Houses should be waterproofed and electric sockets should be placed at higher levels up the walls to reduce the chances of shocks.
• Constructing buildings above flood levels: buildings should be constructed a meter above the ground to prevent flood damage and evacuation during floods.
• Resilience to Climate change: drastic climate changes have increased the frequency of natural disasters in many parts of the world. Governments should bring about environment-friendly policy level changes and eliminate the ones hazardous to the environment to tackle the problem of global warming.
• Create wetlands and encourage reforestation: creating more and more wetlands can help soak up excessive moisture since wetlands act as sponges. Wooded areas can also slow down heavy water flow, minimizing the effects of floods. Reforesting upstream regions can significantly reduce the effects of flood damage.
• Installing flood barriers: these are flood gates designed to prevent the area behind the barrier from flooding. They can also be kept around buildings to keep floodwaters outside the boundary created.

Some international Models of Urban flood control

(A) To enhance Preventive measures

• It can learn a lesson or two from cities in Japan, Malaysia and Europe. These cities have well-prepared mapped flood zones.
• By combining field surveys, historical records, satellite imagery and infrastructure assessment, they have identified vulnerable areas.
• Such maps and data are shared with citizens, which help them understand the status of their neighborhoods and decide where to move or buy new homes.

(B) To enhance Mitigation

• Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo have built extensive water discharge tunnels to divert and store floodwater. This reduces the volume of water that washes the city.
• Tokyo has one of the largest underground tunnels, running to a length of 6.5 km, and the tank can hold 6,70,000 cubic metres of diverted water, which is later pumped into safe watercourses using turbines.

(C) To enhance Response measures

• As cities increasingly face natural hazards and terrorist attacks, they are investing in setting operation centers for early warning and rescue work.
• For example, Rio de Janeiro has spent $14 million and created a real-time monitoring center of infrastructure and traffic flows.
• The recent experience clearly shows the need for early warning and dissemination of reliable information about floods and rescue.

(D) The Dutch Model of Flood Management

• ‘Live with Water, Built with Nature’ sees cities as ‘waterscape’ and not ‘landscape’ as most of our cities are built along water bodies like river banks or coastal areas. The model proposes nature-based solutions for flood management in cities.

(E) Yongning River Park model

• Of China where artificial wetlands are created in and around cities to allow periodic flooding in these parks and act as a buffer for cities and thus preventing flooding.

Way forward

• Building Resilience: The rapid transformation in rainfall characteristics and flooding patterns demands building the resilience of people and urban infrastructure.
• Reconsider projects: Construction projects that impede the movement of water and sediment across the floodplain must be reconsidered.
• Use of technology: At the same time, climate-imposed exigencies demand new paradigms of early-warning and response systems and securing livelihoods and economies.

• Climate variability assessment: As the incidence of climate variability and extreme weather events increases, it is inevitable that we look at the issue from a broad-based perspective.
• Innovation: Water-sensitive urban design and planning techniques — especially in the context of implementation — are of utmost importance. Ex. Sponge Cities.
• Environmental determinism: Planning must take into consideration the topography, types of surfaces (pervious or impervious), and natural drainage and leave very less impact on the environment.
• Vulnerability Analysis: Vulnerability analyses and risk assessments should form part and parcel of city master plans.
• Extending IN-FLOWS flood control systems which have been installed in Chennai and Mumbai to other major cities also.

Conclusion

• A June 2020 Ministry of Earth Sciences climate change assessment report noted how the increased frequencies of heavy rainfall had enhanced flood risk all over India, particularly in urban areas. This requires an urgent fix. 
• Thus, Flooding in India is also all set to increase in magnitude and intensity. The need of the hour is to adopt the Sendai framework’s Disaster risk resilience approach in Urban flood management in India to better cope with urban floods and reduce their impact as much as possible.

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Context

• Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has arrived in India for a four-day visit to boost bilateral ties.
• India has marched past Britain to emerge as the fifth-largest economy and similarly, with Sheikh Hasina at the helm for over 13 years, her country has come of age. 
• In this context, this edition of the burning issue will analyse the growing India-Bangladesh bilateral partnership, its achievements and irritants and finally conclude with a more can be achieved through this partnership.

History of the India-Bangladesh Relationship

• The two neighbours, India and Bangladesh, are organically linked — with their common heritage and shared history, common memories of tragic loss, and the separation of families on a massive scale following the Partition of India in 1947.
• Also, Rabindranath Tagore created the national anthems of both Bangladesh and India in 1905 and 1911 respectively.
• However, the bilateral relations between the two nations formally started after the Bangladesh liberation war,1971 which had played a key role along with the Mukti Bahini, thus helping East Pakistan (as called then) to separate from Pakistan and emerge as an independent nation. Bangladesh liberation day, 16^th December is celebrated as “Vijay Diwas” in India.
• India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh as a separate and independent state and established diplomatic relations with the country immediately after its independence in December 1971.

India-Bangladesh ties: An organic transformation

• India’s links with Bangladesh are civilization, cultural, social and economic.
• There is much that unites the two countries – a shared history and common heritage, linguistic and cultural ties, and passion for music, literature and the arts.
• It is also worth recalling that India shares its longest border of 4,096.7 kilometres with Bangladesh, which is also the fifth-longest border in the contemporary world.
• With the onset of economic liberalization in South Asia, they forged greater bilateral engagement and trade.

Significance of Bangladesh for India

• Strategic– From the perspective of India’s Northeast, Bangladesh is India’s most strategic neighbour. The only connection between India’s mainland and the northeast was the Chicken’s Neck – a narrow strip of land that has always been a huge security concern.
• Connectivity to East Asia– India’s dream of ‘Act East Policy’ can only be materialized with the helping hands of Dhaka. Perhaps on top of the list is connectivity between India’s mainland and the crucial northeast, which is part of India’s “Look East” Policy.
• Internal Security– The other big security concern for India is that Bangladesh should not turn into the frontline of radical terror in the southeast. Bangladesh could turn into a launchpad for religious radical terror activities in India if relations are not maintained well.
• Countering China– India’s relationship with Bangladesh is also linked to its relationship with China. India did not want Bangladesh to become a pearl in China’s “String of Pearls” strategy to hem in India by using its neighbours.
• Trade- Bangladesh is currently India’s biggest trade partner in the South Asian region.

Achievements of the relationship

(1) Border settlements

• In September 2011, the two countries signed a major accord on border demarcation to end the 4-decade old disputes over boundaries. This came to be known as the Tin Bigha corridor. India also granted 24-hour access to Bangladeshi citizens in the Tin Bigha Corridor.
• On 7 May 2015 the Indian Parliament, in the presence of Bangladeshi diplomats, unanimously passed the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) as its 100th Constitutional amendment, thereby resolving all 68-year-old border disputes since the end of the British Raj.

(2) Power cooperation

• India’s Reliance power agreed to invest US$3 billion to set up a 3,000 MW LNG-based power plant (which is the single largest foreign investment ever made in Bangladesh). Adani power will also be setting up a 1600 MW coal-fired power plant at a cost of US$1.5 billion.
• In 2018, the leaders of both countries inaugurated the 130 km long Bangladesh-India Friendship pipeline to supply 4 lakh tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh.
• India is also looking to export electricity from its northeastern region with the potential to generate some 58,971 MW to its eastern States through Bangladesh. Bangladesh hopes to have access to Nepal and Bhutan’s power through India. Bangladesh has formally requested a ‘power corridor’ to access the Bhutanese and Nepalese markets. 
• Bangladesh currently imports 1160 MW of power from India.

(3) Connectivity

• The Modi government along with the Sheikh Hasina regime restarted that with Bandhan in 2017. The Bandhan Express was the second train to be flagged off after the introduction of Maitree Express between Kolkata and Dhaka Cantonment in April 2008.
• In September 2018, the Bangladesh cabinet approved the draft of a proposed agreement with India to allow it to use the Chittagong and Mongla sea ports for transporting goods to and from its land-locked northeastern states.
• Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) initiative Motor Vehicles Agreement has also been underway to promote connectivity in the region.
• In August 2021, the two sides started a regular movement of freight trains between the newly-restored link between Haldibari in India and Chilahati in Bangladesh.

(4) Cooperation on Rivers

• India and Bangladesh have 54 rivers in common and a bilateral Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) has been working since June 1972 to maximize cooperation in sharing the waters of these rivers.

(5) Defence and Security

• The militaries of the two countries will conduct joint exercises and training, Exercise Sampriti and Navy (Exercise Milan). India will help Bangladesh set up manufacturing and service centres for defence platforms that both countries possess with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing in Bangladesh, and will also provide the Bangladesh military with expert training, and technical and logistic support.
• India also extended its first ever defence-related line of credit to a neighbouring country, by providing Bangladesh with $500 million to purchase defence equipment.
• Closer cooperation to fight against extremist radical groups, terrorist organisations, smuggling of arms, drugs and fake currency and also organized crime as a shared priority.
• India and Bangladesh are also engaged in regional cooperation through multilateral forums such as SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and IORARC (Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation)
• For the first time, a contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, comprising 122 members from its tri–services, participated in the Indian Republic Day parade.

(6) Economic development

• India has extended a line of credit of US$ 800 million to Bangladesh for a range of projects, including railway infrastructure, supply of Broad-Gauge microprocessor-based locomotives and passenger coaches, procurement of buses, and dredging projects.
• The bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh stood at $10.8 billion in 2020-21, as against $9.5 billion in 2019-20. Major exports from India to Bangladesh include cotton, cereals, fuel, vehicle parts and machinery and mechanical appliances.

(7) People’s connectivity

• Scholarships and training programmes under ITEC, TCS of Colombo Plan, ICCR, AYUSH, Commonwealth, SAARC and IOR-ARC scholarships/ fellowship schemes are being offered to Bangladesh nationals.
• Both countries jointly celebrated year-long celebrations of the 150th birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore and the 90th Anniversary of the publication of the poem ‘Bidrohi’ by Kazi Nazrul Islam in 2011-12.
• Also, people from Bangladesh form the biggest foreign tourists arrival in India and also the biggest benefiter of cheap Medical tourism in India.

Issues hurting the relationship

(1) Illegal migration

• This has always been a primary problem for India since the partition of Bengal.
• In view of this, recently, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to complete the fencing of the India-Bangladesh border soon to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh into Assam.
• Continuous border killing of Bangladeshi people by Indian border guards, aiding illegal immigrants, helping in armed dacoity, fake money transfer and illegal drug trades by both Indian and Bangladeshi people are the major problems between Bangladesh and India.

(2) Increasing Chinese footprint

• In 2016 when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Bangladesh, the smaller country agreed to join the OBOR.
• Bangladesh is increasingly tilting towards China due to the Asian giant’s massive trade, infrastructural and defence investments in these countries.
• In spite of its Neighbourhood First Policy, India has been losing its influence in the region to China.

(3) NRC conundrum

• The National Register of Citizens (NRC) has left out 1.9 million Assamese from the list with a group labelled as “illegal immigrants from Bangladesh” living in Assam post-1971.
• India plans to seek their repatriation to Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh remains firm in its stance that no migrants travelled to Assam illegally during the 1971 war of independence and that the controversial NRC risks hurting relations.

(4) Rohingya Issue

• The Rohingya issue and India’s remarks in 2017 on the issue have been upsetting for Bangladesh which has been facing the challenge of providing shelter to more than a million refugees fleeing persecution.

(5) River disputes

• India and Bangladesh have failed to conclude a framework agreement to optimise the use of waters from six rivers including the Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla and Dudhkumar, which has been discussed for several months.
• No progress was reported on the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement either after the recent visit.

(5) Rising radicalization

• Bangladesh is witnessing rising radicalization as evident from multiple attacks on religious places of Hindu minorities in the nation and also from the massive violence during PM Modi’s visit to Bangladesh last year.

(6) Killings at the border

• The shooting of smugglers by BSF personnel at the Indo-Bangladesh Border is often seen by Bangladesh nationals as the killing of innocent Bangladeshis and ‘Big Brother’ attitude of India. Recently, a BSF jawan was also killed by smugglers on the border.

Outcomes from Recent PM Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India (September 2022)

• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ongoing state visit to India and meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi have resulted in positive outcomes and seven agreements.
• These include the conclusion of the first water-sharing agreement in 26 years. The water sharing agreement on the Kushiyara, which was preceded by the first Joint River Commission meeting in 12 years, is a particularly hopeful sign of resolving water management, and a very contentious issue, of 54 transboundary rivers.
• While there has been a smaller agreement on the withdrawal of 1.82 cusecs from the Feni in the interim period, the Kushiyara agreement is the first time the Centre has been able to bring on board Assam and other north-eastern States, for the agreement since the 1996 Ganga water treaty.
• India and Bangladesh have decided to start negotiations this year on a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement—a free trade agreement in goods, services, investments and other related areas—aiming to implement the pact by the time Bangladesh graduates out of its LDC status in 2026.
• Much of her focus was also on attracting investment by Indian industry, which now constitutes a small fraction of Bangladesh’s FDI inflows. Ms. Hasina made particular mention of two dedicated Special Economic Zones for Indian companies, coming up at Mongla and Mirsarai.
• An MoU on scientific cooperation between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India and the Bangladesh Council of Scientific Industrial Research (BCSIR) has been signed.

About Kushiyara- Kushiyara River is one of the transboundary rivers between India and Bangladesh. The Barak of India originates from the northern hills of Assam. The river enters Bangladesh and separates into two arms. The northwest arm is the Surma and the southwestern arm is the Kushiyara.

Way forward

• The future will present itself with an abundance of opportunities to help the two countries to reach a new plane of bilateral relations higher than ever before.
• Both nations should play their diplomatic cards with more maturity and pragmatism, keeping the regional aspirations and nuances of both countries in mind.
• A judicious aggregation of regional expectations on both sides of the border will help in achieving their mutual national objectives.
• To make the recent gains irreversible, both countries need to continue working on the three Cs — cooperation, collaboration, and consolidation.

Conclusion

• After reaching a mutual understanding on issues related to maritime delimitation, land border arrangement, enclaves, short sea shipping as well as inland waterways, both countries are at a positive juncture in their diplomatic relations as called by PM Modi “Sonali Adhyaay” (Golden Chapter).
• While cross-border sensitivities in South Asia often run high over such political rhetoric, it is necessary that New Delhi and Dhaka remain focused on their future cooperation, built on their past partnership, and what is referred to as the “Spirit of 1971”.

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Context: Radicalization in India

• Recently, India witnessed a series of extremist acts by some radicalized youth from different cities like Udaipur which later got extended to the “sar tan se juda” sloganeering and related controversy.
• Last year also, The NIA made multiple arrests in a suspected ISI module that was playing role in the radicalization of Indian youth and performing extremist acts in India.
• The above incidences highlight the issue of radicalization of Indian youth which could pose a serious challenge to India’s internal security. Thus, in this edition of the Burning issue, we will study radicalization in India, its causes, consequences and some way forward.

What is Radicalization?

• Radicalization is the process by which an individual or a group comes to adopt increasingly radical views in opposition to a political, social, or religious status quo. It is when someone starts to believe or support extreme views and then participates in extremist groups or acts.
• It can be motivated by a range of factors, including ideologies, religious beliefs, political beliefs and prejudices against particular groups of people.

Type of Radicalization

Right-Wing Extremism

• It is mostly associated with supremacist ideas promoting the supremacy of the social identity of one class or religion over the other. The fascist, racist, and ultranationalist are types of it.

Left-Wing Extremism

• They believe in the violent overthrow of the politically established governments and aim to control the state. This type includes Maoists, anarchists (one who believes in absence of the state) and Marxist–Leninists who believe in Marx’s revolutionary theory. Example- India’s Naxal violence in Chattishgarh, Jharkhand.

Politico-Religious Extremism

• This form of radicalization generally involves a political interpretation of religion and may defend their identity and customs through violent means that they perceive to be under attack.
• It is the broader aspect of communal extremism where religion is used to politically mobilize people and in the process may turn to violent acts leading to religious extremism.

Single-Issue Extremism

• This type of radicalization uses a single issue to mobilize the masses. These can be issues of hatred against outsiders (xenophobia), feminist rights, and environmental issues. The recent post-Agniveer Scheme launch caused radicalization of youth for the job and following violence can be put under this category.

Causes of radicalization in India

• Political– Lack of civil rights or marginalization of a section of society from the political power may lead to the generation of radical ideas or dissent leading to communal mobilization by certain political groups.
• Economic– Lack or deprivation of equal economic opportunity can be a cause of radicalization. Generally, poverty and unemployment are considered a cause of it. For example, violent Pro-Reservation protests by different communities at different times.
• Cultural– It is generally seen with the communities who feel some threat to their cultural norms and practices due to the presence of outside people in their areas and attack these minorities out of fear of losing their culture.
• Social identification– People identify themselves with different groups such as caste, religion, and ethnicity and when some threat occurs to these identifications, it causes them to rise in violence.   
• Internet radicalization- uses the internet as a medium to propagate extremist views, thus provoking individuals, mainly youth, to rise against so-called injustice thus radicalizing them. Recently, the Union government asked several social media platforms to block accounts and youtube channels promoting hatred against the nation.
• Individual factors– This includes a person’s natural tendency of violent behavior, aggressive attitude and causing harm to others. It may also include a feeling of revenge, a desire to cause harm to the wrongdoer etc also.
• Faulty government policies- such as a land acquisition by the government without due compensation could lead to the generation of feelings of injustice and anger against the state, which often lead to moving towards radicalization.

Consequences of radicalization

• Ruptures the social fabric– as it promotes hatred among communities in the society and thus generation of enmity.
• Causes trust deficit– among different sections of society in the country’s social and political system.
• Breeding ground– for extremist or terrorist forces to train and recruit individuals for their motives.
• Hamper’s economic investments– in a nation as frequent radical acts generate negative sentiments in investors about the future stability of the country and thus  reduce investment.
• Threat to national security- as above all consequences finally reaches extreme levels leading to internal security challenges for the police and intelligence agencies. As Acharya Chanakya has said that “Internal threats are much more dangerous than threats outside”

Current state of radicalization in India

• India currently witnessing radicalization in form of Naxalism in central India, Ethnic insurgency in North East India and the recent new types being mob lynching (eg. Cow vigilantism) and even lone wolf attacks (Udaipur and Amravati killing).
• A number of individuals, though minuscule in number, from India, have joined terrorist organizations such ISIS, Al-Queda etc.
• Increasing threat of “Virtual Radicalisation” as evident from The Indian government recently blocking more than 100 YouTube channels as they were spreading fake information and communal hatred in India.
• There is a growing threat of hate speech, and the demonization of certain communities as anti-nationals, which further promotes radicalization and extremism.

Steps taken to counter radicalization

• Approval of study– The Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered a study on ‘the status of radicalization in India’ which will be conducted under G.S. Bajpai. It will try to legally define ‘radicalization’ and suggest amendments to the UAPA Act,1967.

• Enactment of laws- Various laws such as the UAPA act, 1967; NIA act, 2008 have to be strengthened to give more power to security agencies to tackle radicalism.
• Institutions created– Counter-Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) divisions of the Ministry of Home Affairs are the key wings of the Government of India to coordinate with various law-enforcement agencies in the country.
• Cyberworld and technology mechanisms– IB launched Operation Chukravyuh in late 2014 to counter the challenges posed by online radicalization.
• Several deradicalization programs– Certain deradicalization and anti-radicalization programs are coordinated by the Union Government such as Civic Action Programs implemented by the Seema Shastra Bal (SSB) along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan Borders.
• State-level de-radicalization programs– such as that of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) which has been quite successful in their attempts of deradicalizing numerous individuals.
• Other programs- Coverage of the government’s various welfare schemes without discrimination, special schemes for communities and areas, promotion of composite culture and coexistence among various communities and constitutional safeguards for minorities, are some of the steps the government has been taking to keep people away from radicalization

Way Forward

• Launching de-radicalization programs– which focus on states with higher intensity of radicalization and also Development of counseling and rehabilitation centers for radicalized youths under police custody.
• Adopting the holistic approach– of deradicalization, counter-radicalization and anti-radicalization at all necessary levels.
• Promoting research in the field of radicalization– concerning the different regions of India for a deeper understanding of the issue and developing a better solution.
• Ensuring adequate funds– for these programs, capability development of intelligence forces and creation of modern infrastructure to tackle radicalization, especially the virtual one.
• Capacity development of state police- as they are the first line of defense. State police forces need to work in good cooperation with central security agencies to better counter the growing radicalization.
• Increase involvement of family and religious leaders– in not only the process of rehabilitation of radicalized youths but also in preventing youth to move towards radicalized ideologies.
• Increasing awareness– in society about these threats through school and college education or through social media accounts of security agencies to prevent people from falling into trap of extremists.
• Need to de-glamourize terrorism- and also a coordinated South Asian effort in countering radicalization can go a long way for the region as all countries of the region is facing the heat of radicalization.

Conclusion

• Radicalization is an ongoing and dynamic process that needs a multifaceted approach that involves various policies and measures. Structural factors, in addition to psychological and ideological factors, go a long way in the explanation of radicalization.
• Various counter-radicalization steps such as the correct diagnosis, building a counter-narrative, having the right communication strategy, education, having a counter-radicalization law, effective oversight and accountability, regulating the media, academia and public intellectuals and learning from other countries can be deliberated upon.
• We all must work together in the ongoing “Amrit Kaal” to create a radicalization and extremism-free India by 2047, the 100^th year of Indian Independence.

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Context

• The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers will implement One Nation One Fertilizer (ONOF) under the fertilizer subsidy scheme named “Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna” (PMBJP).
• In this edition of the Burning issue, we will delve deeper into the fertilizer sector of India, see its achievements, lacunas, and schemes under operation and suggest a way forward.

About Fertilizer Sector in India

• Fertilizers are substances that provide one or more of the chemicals required for plant growth. Fertilizers can be both organic and inorganic.
• The benchmark that the food industry in India has set in terms of annual production is primarily due to the many technically competent fertilizer-producing companies in the country.
• In the present scenario, niti.gov.in states that 56 large plants produce nitrogenous, phosphatic, and complex fertilizers and 72 medium and small fertilizer production units in the Indian fertilizer industry, have single super Phosphate (SSP).
• The main products manufactured by the fertilizer industry in India are phosphate-based fertilizers, nitrogenous fertilizers, and complex fertilizers. With its rapid growth, the fertilizer industry in India is all set to make a long-lasting global impression.
• India is home to numerous top-class private and government fertilizer companies. Ranging from fertilizers to seeds to fungicides, the many fertilizer companies in India are the primary reason behind the success story of the sector in India.

Positive aspects of the Fertilizer Sector

• The Indian fertilizers market is estimated to record a CAGR of 11.9% during the forecast period (2021-2026). The Indian fertilizer market reached a value of INR 887 Billion in 2020.
• The Indian fertilizer industry has made good progress in the case of Nitrogen-based fertilizers. India is the 2nd largest consumer of Urea fertilizers after China. India also ranks 2nd in the production of nitrogenous fertilizers and 3rd in phosphatic fertilizers. 
• Potash requirement is met through imports since we have limited reserves of potash. Productions are largely state-controlled.
• Popular PSUs are The Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd, National fertilizers Limited, Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd., etc.

Challenges in the Fertilizer sector

1] Distortion in use due to price difference

• The shift in the composition of fertilizer used: The high price differences among fertilizers (Nitrogen is much cheaper than Potassium and Phosphorus) have disturbed the relative prices of various fertilizers and resulted in a big shift in the composition of fertilizers used in the country in favor of urea and thus Nitrogen.

• In 2019-20, fertilizer use per hectare of cultivated area varied from 70 kg of NPK in Rajasthan to 250 kg in Telangana
• Further, the composition of total plant nutrients in terms of the N, P, K ratio deviated considerably from the recommended or optimal NPK mix. It was 33.7:8.0:1 in Punjab and 1.3:0.7:1 in Kerala.

2] Increasing fertilizer subsidy

• Fertilizer subsidy has doubled in a short period of three years. For 2021-22, the Union Budget has estimated fertilizer subsidy at ₹79,530 crores (from ₹66,468 crores in 2017-18).
• The subsidy is likely to reach a much higher level due to the recent upsurge in the prices of energy, the international prices of urea and other fertilizers, and India’s dependence on imports.
• In order to minimize the impact of rising prices on farmers, the bulk of the price rise is absorbed by the government through enhanced fertilizer subsidies. This created serious fiscal challenges.
• At current prices, farmers pay about ₹268 per bag of urea and the Government of India pays an average subsidy of about ₹930 per bag.
• Thus, taxpayers bear 78% of the cost of urea and farmers pay only 22%. This is expected to increase and is not sustainable.

3] Import dependence

• Total demand for urea: The total demand for urea in the country is about 34-35 million tonnes whereas the domestic production is about 25 million tonnes.
• The requirement for Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) is about 12 million tonnes and domestic production is just 5 million tonnes.

4] Other issues

• Lesser expansion of Irrigation facilities and consequent low fertilizer consumption leads to low demand and therefore, restricts the growth of the industry.
• Use of Obsolete Technology: Most of the fertilizer industry operates under PSUs that are using decade-old technology and thus making huge losses and also the competitive edge.

Issue of fertilizer subsidy

• According to Economic Survey 2016, the fertilizer sector is highly regulated, which causes a major distortion in the sector. The subsidy which is intended to help small farmers benefits a small proportion of them.
• According to the survey, 24 per cent is spent on inefficient urea producers of the remaining, 41 per cent is diverted to non-agricultural uses and abroad; of the remaining, 24 per cent is consumed by large farmers.

• Fertilizer subsidy ultimately goes to the fertilizer company, even though it is the farmer who benefits.
• Before 2018, companies were reimbursed after the material was dispatched and received by the district railhead or designated godown.
• 2018 saw the beginning of DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer), which would transfer money directly to the retailer’s account. However, the companies will be paid only after the actual sale to the farmer.
• With the DBT system, each retailer — there is over 2.3 lakh of them across India — now has a point-of-sale (PoS) machine linked to the Department of Fertilizers’ e-Urvarak DBT portal.

What about non-urea fertilizers?

• Decontrolled system: The non-urea fertilizer is decontrolled or fixed by the companies.
• The non- urea fertilizers are further divided into two parts, DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) and MOP (Muriate of Phosphate).

Issues with such subsidies

• Flawed subsidy policy: This is harmful not just to the farmer, but to the environment as well.
• No permanent remedy: Indian soil has low Nitrogen use efficiency, which is the main constituent of Urea.
• Excessive use: Consequently, excess usage contaminates groundwater.
• Emission: The bulk of urea applied to the soil is lost as NH3 (Ammonia) and Nitrogen Oxides causing emissions.
• Health hazards: For human beings, “blue baby syndrome” is a common side ailment caused by Nitrate contaminated water.

Latest step: One Nation One Fertilizer (ONOF)

• the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers issued a memo announcing the implementation of the “One Nation One Fertilizer” scheme under which a single brand and logo for fertilizers will have to be used by all manufacturers under the Centre’s fertilizer subsidy scheme newly renamed as a Prime Minister’s scheme- “Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna” (PMBJP).
• The single brand name for UREA, DAP, MOP and NPK etc. would be BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP and BHARAT NPK etc. respectively for all Fertilizer Companies, State Trading Entities (STEs) and Fertilizer Marketing Entities (FMEs).
• Also, a logo indicating the Fertilizer subsidy scheme namely Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna will be used on said fertilizer bags.
• Under the scheme, companies are allowed to display their name, brand, logo and other relevant product information only on one-third space of their bags.
• On the remaining two-thirds space, the “Bharat” brand and Pradhanmantri Bharatiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana logo will have to be shown.

What is the government’s argument for introducing this scheme?

The government’s logic for introducing a single ‘Bharat’ brand for all subsidized fertilizers being marketed by companies is as follows:

(1) Subsidies normalization

• The maximum retail price of urea is currently fixed by the government, which compensates companies for the higher cost of manufacturing or imports incurred by them.
• The MRPs of non-urea fertilizers are decontrolled.
• But companies cannot avail of subsidy if they sell at MRPs higher than that informally indicated by the government.
• Simply put, there are some 26 fertilizers (inclusive of urea), on which government bears subsidy and also effectively decides the MRPs;

(2) Harmonizing markets

• Besides paying subsidies to companies for the cost of production, the government also pays manufacturers freight subsidies- or the cost of ferrying their products to the end-user.
• So, another argument for the launch of single-brand fertilizers is to reduce transport subsidies, estimated to be over ₹6,000 crore per year. This is done through the Fertilizer (Movement) Control Order, 1973.

 (3) Reduce specific brand demands

• Brand-wise demand for fertilizers in specific areas is one of the reasons for this movement. One rationale is that if manufacturers stop selling urea distinctively under individual brands, there would be no need for Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) to move fertilizers across states, thus reining in the fertilizer subsidy expenditure.

What can be the drawbacks of the scheme?

• It may disincentivize fertilizer companies from undertaking marketing and brand promotion activities.
• They will now be reduced to contract manufacturers and importers for the government. Any company’s strength ultimately is its brands and farmer trust built over decades.
• Currently, in case of any bag or batch of fertilizers not meeting the required standards, the blame is put on the company. But now, that may be passed on fully to the government. 
• A government brand will add another layer of regulation to the fertilizer manufacturing sector where almost every aspect- from product pricing to cost structure to geographical distribution and sale- is controlled by the government.

Other steps taken by Government in the fertilizer sector

Nutrient Based Subsidy scheme

• Under the NBS regime – fertilizers are provided to the farmers at subsidized rates based on the nutrients (N, P, K & S) contained in these fertilizers.
• Also, fertilizers that are fortified with secondary and micronutrients such as molybdenum (Mo) and zinc are given additional subsidies.
• The subsidy on Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers is announced by the Government on an annual basis for each nutrient on a per kg basis – which is determined taking into account the international and domestic prices of P&K fertilizers, exchange rate, inventory level in the country etc.
• NBS policy intends to increase the consumption of P&K fertilizers so that the optimum balance (N:P:K= 4:2:1) of NPK fertilization is achieved.

More Steps that can be taken

[A] Need to shift our focus to Bio-fertilizers

• Bio-fertilizers are cheap, renewable, and eco-friendly, with great potential to supplement plant nutrients.
• The use of biofertilizers is necessary to maintain soil health as more and more use of chemical fertilizers kills all the microorganisms available in the soil, which are so essential for maintaining soil health.

[B] Reduce consumption of high-analysis fertilizers

• There is a need to cap or even reduce consumption of high-analysis fertilizers – particularly urea (46 per cent N content), DAP (18 per cent N and 46 per cent P) and MOP (60 per cent).
• Incorporate urease and inhibition compounds in urea: This can be done by incorporating urease and nitrification inhibition compounds in urea.

[C] Revise nutrient application recommendations

• Farmers need to know what is a suitable substitute for DAP and which NPK complex or organic manure can bring down their urea application from 2.5 to 1.5 bags per acre.
• It calls for agriculture departments and universities not just to revisit their existing crop-wise nutrient application recommendations, but to disseminate this information to farmers in a campaign mode.

Way forward

• Self-reliance: We need to be self-reliant and not depend on the import of fertilizers. In this way, we can escape the vagaries of high volatility in international prices. In this direction, five urea plants at Gorakhpur, Sindri, Barauni, Talcher, and Ramagundam are being revived in the public sector.

• Extend the NBS model to urea: There is a need to extend the NBS model to urea and allow for price rationalization of urea compared to non-nitrogenous fertilizers and prices of crops.
• Improve innovation: To scale up and improve innovations to develop alternative fertilizers.
• Improve fertilizer efficiency:  India should pay attention to improving fertilizer efficiency through need-based use rather than broadcasting fertilizer in the field. The recently developed Nano urea by IFFCO shows promising results in reducing the usage of urea.

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded that the Indian fertilizer sector needs a structural overhaul from production to prices. In the current situation, the newly launch One Nation, One Fertilizer scheme along with the above-mentioned changes will go a long way in enhancing the productivity of agriculture, mitigating climate change, providing an alternative to chemical fertilizers and balancing the fiscal impact of fertilizer subsidy on the Union Budgets in the years to come.

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Context

• Recently, the Gujarat government released 11 convicts who were sentenced to life imprisonment for the heinous murder and gang rape of women during the Gujarat communal riots of 2002.
• The action by the government has received heavy criticism from all sections of society with more than 130 former civil servants writing an open letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) against the action and asking for its revocation.
• The case has again highlighted the issues regarding crimes against women in India and prisoner’s conviction remission policies of states.

About the Bilkis Bano Case

• Bilkis Bano is a gangrape survivor of the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Rioters brutally attacked Bilkis and her family, raped the women and killed many of them.
• Her case was taken up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Supreme Court. Later, the Supreme Court transferred the investigation to the CBI and the case to Mumbai to facilitate a free and fair trial.
• Eleven men were convicted by the trial court and sentenced to life. The Bombay High Court confirmed their life terms in 2017.
• In 2019, the Supreme Court awarded compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Bilkis — the first such order in a case related to the 2002 riots.

Issues highlighted by the case

(A)Crimes against women

• Crime against women increased 7.3 per cent from 2018 to 2019 says the annual National Crime Record Bureau’s “Crime in India” 2019 report.
• Majority of cases under crime against women under IPC were registered under ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives (30.9%), followed by an assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (21.8%), kidnapping & abduction of women (17.9%) and ‘rape’ (7.9%).
• UP reported the highest number of crimes against women (59,853), accounting for 14.7 percent of such cases across the country.
• It was followed by Rajasthan (41,550 cases; 10.2 per cent) and Maharashtra (37,144 cases; 9.2 per cent).
• The problem of underestimation of gender-based crime is compounded by the failure of the justice system of the country in securing convictions.

Various types of crimes against women in India

[I] Domestic violence

• Domestic violence is abuse by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as dating, marriage, cohabitation or a familial relationship.
• It is also categorized as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, dating abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV).

[II] Killings

(a) Female infanticide and sex-selective abortion

• Female infanticide is the elected killing of a newborn female child or the termination of a female fetus through sex-selective abortion.
• In India, there is an incentive to have a son, because they offer security to the family in old age and can conduct rituals for deceased parents and ancestors.
• In contrast, daughters are considered to be a social and economic burden

(b) Dowry deaths

• Dowry death is the murder or suicide of a married woman caused by a dispute over her dowry.
• In some cases, husbands and in-laws will attempt to extort a greater dowry through continuous harassment and torture which sometimes results in the wife committing suicide.

(c) Honor killings

• An honor killing is a murder of a family member who has been considered to have brought dishonor and shame upon the family.
• Examples of reasons for honor killings include the refusal to enter an arranged marriage, committing adultery, choosing a partner that the family disapproves of, and becoming a victim of rape.
• Village caste councils or khap panchayats in certain regions of India regularly pass death sentences for persons who do not follow their diktats on caste or gotra.

(d) Witchcraft accusations and related murders

• Witchcraft is the practice of what the practitioner believes to be magical skills and abilities, and activities such as spells, incantations, and magical rituals.
• Murders of women accused of witchcraft still occur in India.  Poor women, widows, and women from lower castes are most at risk of such killings.

[III] Sexual Abuse/ Molestation/ Rape

• Rape is one of the most common crimes in India.
• According to the National Crime Records Bureau, one woman is raped every 20 minutes in India.

• In India, marital rape is not a criminal offense.  
• India is one of fifty countries that have not yet outlawed marital rape.

(b) Forced Marriage

• Girls are vulnerable to being forced into marriage at young ages, suffering from a double vulnerability: both for being a child and for being female.
• Child brides often do not understand the meaning and responsibilities of marriage.

[V] Harassment

(a) Trafficking and forced prostitution

• Human trafficking, especially of girls and women, often leads to forced prostitution and sexual slavery.

(b) Online abuse

• As the internet becomes an increasingly important part of human existence to make their voices heard, a woman’s inability to feel safe online impedes her freedom.
• Women are regularly subject to online rape threats, online harassment, cyber-stalking, blackmail, trolling, slut-shaming and more.

(c) Harassment at the workplace

• The #MeToo movement is aimed at demonstrating how many women have survived sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.
• Scores of women, many journalists, came out with accounts of sexual harassment at the workplace, mostly comprising of indecent remarks, unwanted touches, demands for sex, and the dissemination of pornography.

(B) Issues with Remission Procedure

What is Remission?

• Life imprisonment normally means convicts remain in jail for the whole of their life. However, they can be released by the State and Central governments at some point, but not before they complete 14 years, by remitting the remaining prison term. This act by governments is called remission.
• Article 72  and Article 161 of the Constitution deals with the judicial power of the President and Governor to grant pardon. It also includes the remission of sentences by the two dignitaries.
• Judicial decisions advocate both subjective and objective norms for remission. Courts have ruled that remission should be informed, fair and reasonable, and not arbitrary; that it should not undermine the nature of the crime.
•  In Laxman Naskar vs Union of India (2000), the Supreme Court laid down five considerations: whether the offense is an individual act of crime that does not affect society; whether there is a chance of the crime being repeated in the future; whether the convict has lost the potentiality to commit a crime; whether any purpose is being served in keeping the convict in prison; and socio-economic conditions of the convict’s family.
• However, recently the Supreme Court took notice of the remission issue and referred to a seven-judge bench the issue of whether states can grant the benefit of remission to convicts under the Constitution by laying down a common policy. The bench will take into consideration whether states can use remission powers without consulting the Governor.
• The bench will also visit Section 433-A of CrPC, according to which, a person, serving a life term, cannot be granted remission benefit without completing 14 years in prison.

Remission in this case

• The outcry over the remission granted in this case is largely due to the brutal and horrific nature of the crime. However, lawyers and activists have highlighted possible legal infirmities.
• For one, the remission has been granted by the Gujarat government without consulting the Centre. Under Section 435 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), in a case investigated by the CBI, such consultation is mandatory before remission. The Supreme Court has also ruled that ‘consultation’ means ‘concurrence’ in this regard.
• The opinion of the judge who conducted the trial or in charge of the district should be taken too. But in this case, it was not taken.
• Section 432(7) of the CrPC says the appropriate government will be “the State within which the offender is sentenced or the said order is passed”. Thus, in this case, it should be Maharashtra Government.
• Commentators have also pointed out that the current remission policy of the Gujarat Government bars those found guilty of heinous crimes from being given remission. Their release under a 1992 policy (because it was the one prevailing during their conviction) may also be subjected to legal scrutiny.
• The remission policy of states was also brought under the scanner when the Tamil Nadu government passed an order for the remission of the sentence of A.G Perarivalan, a convict in former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s murder case.

Some Government initiatives for Women’s safety

• Nirbhaya Fund for projects for the safety and security of women
• One-Stop Centre Scheme to provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof
• Online analytic tool for police called “Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences” to monitor and track time-bound investigations in sexual assault cases in accordance with Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2018.
• National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) to facilitate the investigation and tracking of sexual offenders across the country by law enforcement agencies
• In order to coordinate various initiatives for women safety, MHA has set up a Women Safety Division.

Way forward

• Gender-based violence, an especially violent crime like rape, is a multifaceted problem.
• To address this, it is essential to tackle various other concurrent issues that act as contributing factors and thus play an equally important role.
• Although the incorporation of stringent laws and stricter punishments are important to deter people from committing such crimes, the solution to this is much more than just promulgation.
• It is important to acknowledge that judicial reform is only one aspect; there is a more humane side to this whole issue.
• For the remission of sentence issue, the state governments must consider the parameters given by Supreme court diligently before granting any remission.

Conclusion

Thus, the Bilkis Bano Case has multiple dimensions, especially social and legal aspects. The need is to carefully examine all aspects, strengthen our vow to secure women’s rights in the nation and at the same time make necessary changes to remission policies to not let any undeserved person set free.

Also read

[Burning Issue] Women’s Safety and India

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Context

• Power is one of the most crucial components for the economic growth and welfare of nations. The existence and development of an adequate power sector are essential for the sustainable growth of the Indian economy. 
• In this context, a report titled, “Investing for Impact: Renewable Energy & Cleantech,” released by Aspire Circle, has projected that India can generate a staggering $212 billion in revenue and create 3.4 million jobs, impacting 919 million lives by 2030 with an investment of USD 350 billion in several ventures and initiatives dedicated to renewable energy and cleantech.
• Thus, in this edition of the burning issue, we will be discussing the renewable energy sector of India, its prospects, achievements, challenges and way forward.

What is renewable energy?

• Renewable energy is defined as energy that comes from resources, which are naturally replenished on their own.
• The major renewable energy sources presently are Solar energy, Wind energy, Hydroelectric power (large and small units), Wave energy, Ocean thermal energy conversion and Tidal energy and Biomass power.

Current scenario of Renewable Energy in India

• India is the world’s 3^rd biggest renewable energy producer (136 GW out of 373 GW) of total installed energy capacity in 2021 coming from renewable sources.
• India has been ranked 5^th for installed hydroelectric power capacity. As of 31 March 2020, India’s installed utility-scale hydroelectric capacity was 45,699 MW, or 12.35% of its total utility power generation capacity. The following is the breakup of the total installed capacity for Renewables, as of 31 December 2021-

• Small Hydro Power: 4.83 GW

• Large Hydro: 46.51 GW
• Wind power: 40.08 GW
• Solar Power: 49.34 GW
• Biopower: 10.61 GW

Benefits of renewable energy:

• Private sector involvement: the set target of 450GW from renewables by the government created a huge opportunity for the private sector to get involved in the design and manufacturing of components of renewable energy technology in India only and thus book profits.
• Low cost of maintenance: Renewable energies like wind energy, biopower or solar energy requires almost zero maintenance and thus provide longer working hours and reduced labor cost.
• Environment friendly: as they have almost nil carbon footprint and does not emit any harmful pollutants like PM2.5 or PM10 or greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, NOx etc.
• Fulfill several government objectives: like achieving the Panchamrit goals, SDGs, make in India, INDC of Paris Climate Deal and employment generation.
• Decentralized: Renewable energy plants can be located near the location of demand for energy. For example, a biogas plant or a solar plant can be established near a far-off cluster of villages thus eliminating the need to connect such remote villages to the national grid. For example, UT Daman has been receiving its energy completely from solar energy generated inside and in the vicinity of the city, thus reducing its dependence on the national power grid.

Factor’s responsible for increasing demand for renewable

• Waiver of inter-state transmission charges for the sale of solar and wind power.
• The renewable purchase obligation (RPO) targets state DISCOMS to boost demand for renewable energy in states.
• Permitting FDI in the renewable sector has accelerated the progress.
• Rising demand for electricity as the economy rebounds after the COVID lockdowns.
• Falling prices for renewable energy, with per unit tariff for solar energy getting reduced up to 80% from the 2008 level.
• India’s push to manufacture solar photovoltaic modules through the government support schemes aimed at boosting Indian manufacturers’ competitiveness and attracting investment (Production Linked Incentive schemes)

Need for transition to renewable energy

• Increasing climate crisis due to historic and current continuous burning of Fossil fuels for the majority of power generation in the world and India. Renewable energy can limit climate disruption and boost energy security. Renewables are the peace plan of the 21st century.

• Volatile supplies of non-renewable energy sources due to regional wars and sanctions on supplying nations. For example, Iran and Russia- the two major energy producers in the world are under various international sanctions, thus reducing the supply of energy products in international markets.
• To promote Sustainable development by reducing externalities of pollution and promoting a green economy.

• As a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement, India is committed to increasing its share of renewable energy capacity to 450 GW by 2030. Thus, a transition to renewable is needed to fulfill our commitments to the international community.
• The government of India has set targets to reduce India’s total projected carbon emission by 1 billion tonnes by 2030, reduce the carbon intensity of the nation’s economy by less than 45% by the end of the decade, achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 and expand India’s renewable energy installed capacity to 500 GW by 2030.

Prospects of Renewables in India

• Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index of EY ranked India 3^rd behind USA and China as the most attractive renewable energy destination.
• The estimation of the potential wind resources in India is 102,788 MW assessed at 80m Hub height. The installed capacity of wind power in India was 22,645 MW as of 30 March 2015.
• India has a coastline of 7,500 km with an estimated wave energy potential of about 40,000 MW.
• India has a potential of 8,000 MW of tidal energy as per the estimates. An agreement is signed to implement India’s first 3.75 MW mini-tidal power project in West Bengal.
• The total OTEC potential around India is estimated as 180,000 MW considering 40% of gross power for parasitic losses. 
• India is very rich in biomass. It has a potential of 19,500 MW (3,500 MW from biogas-based cogeneration and 16,000 MW from surplus biomass). Currently, India has 537 MW commissioned and 536 MW under construction. 
• Growing private sector interest in the renewable energy sector in India is evident from major private companies of India like Reliance Powers planning to invest Rs 5 lakh crore in green energies.

Achievements of India in the Renewable energy sector

• India has today become the most attractive destination for investment in the renewable sector.
• During the last six years, the renewable energy sector has attracted over Rs 4.7 lakh crore of investment, including FDI of about Rs 42,700 crore.
• India witnessed 20% CAGR growth in renewable generation since FY16 while total electricity generation saw 4.3% growth in the same period.
• The current cost of energy (LCOE) for large-scale solar in India has reduced to around Rs 2.5 per kWh, compared to ~Rs 12 in 2010. 
• India is now in the 4th global position for overall installed renewable energy capacity. Renewable energy has a share of 26.53% of the total installed generation capacity in the country.
• Renewable energy installed capacity increased 286% in the last 7.5 years.
• Highest ever wind capacity addition of 5.5GW in 2016-2017.
• The world’s largest renewable energy park of 30 GW capacity solar-wind hybrid project is under installation in Gujarat.

Challenges of Renewable Energy in India

• High initial cost of installation: While the development of a coal-based power plant requires around Rs 4 crore per MW, the investment required a wind-based plant, with a capacity utilization of 25%, which requires an investment of Rs 6 crore per MW.

• Reliability: By their very nature, solar and wind energy are variable in availability both spatially as well as geographically. Hence, they need to be supported by conventional sources of power.
• Creation of storage infrastructure: To overcome the variable nature of renewable sources of energy, it is vital to invest in affordable batteries of large capacity.
• Poor DISCOM’s condition: An important challenge for further scaling up renewables in India is the poor financial condition of power distribution companies (discoms), most of which are owned by state governments and are reeling under heavy debts.
• Funding: As already stated, renewable energy requires setting up large projects to harness economies of scale. This acts as a deterrent for private companies to invest initially.
• Low Social acceptance: renewable-based energy system is still not very encouraging in urban India. Despite heavy subsidies being provided by the government for the installation of solar water heaters and lighting systems, its penetration is still very low.
• Weak domestic manufacturing capability: It is important to set up manufacturing capacity in India to decrease imports and promote Atmanirbhar Bharat. It would also aid in the creation of multiple manufacturing jobs.
•  Sustainability: that is, how to expand reliable energy access and use while maintaining affordability for consumers and financial stability for the DISCOMs.
• Integration into the national grid: that is how to integrate increasing shares of renewable energy securely and reliably into the national electricity grid.

Government policies for the promotion of Renewable in India

• Renewable energy certificate: REC mechanism is a market-based instrument to promote renewable energy and facilitate the compliance of renewable purchase obligations (RPO). It aims to fix the mismatch between the availability of renewable energy resources in the state and what is required by a RPO.
• Release of Green Hydrogen mission: The Mission aims to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub. This will help in meeting the target of production of 5 million tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030 and the related development of renewable energy capacity.
• Launch of PLI scheme: A Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme ‘National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage’ to promote renewable energy storage infrastructure and manufacturing capacity.
• Green term ahead market: As a first step towards Greening the Indian short-term power market, the government has launched pan-India Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) in electricity which is an alternative new model introduced for selling off the power by the renewable developers in the open market without getting into long term PPAs.

• International efforts: An India Energy Modeling Forum was launched under the US-India Energy partnership. Also, India has launched the International solar alliance which is a treaty-based international inter-governmental organization and aims to mobilize more than $1000 billion of investment needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of solar energy.

• The Setting up of the Solar Energy Corporation of India: with the mandate of the SECI allows wide-ranging activities to be undertaken with an overall view to facilitating the implementation of the National Solar Mission and the achievement of targets set therein. The SECI has the objective of developing renewable energy (RE) technologies and ensuring inclusive RE power development throughout India.
• National Offshore Wind Energy Policy, 2015: Under this Policy, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been authorized to explore and promote the deployment of offshore wind farms in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 

Way Forward

• Long-term Planning: Since renewable energy requires huge investment to achieve economies of scale, it is necessary to lay down policy direction well in advance so that the private sector can plan accordingly.
• Avoid Frequent Surprises and changes: Frequent changes inthe policy are not appreciated by the private sector. The government should involve all stakeholders in the decision-making process, wide research and suggestions must be taken before announcing new policies or amending them.
• New regulatory and policy frameworks: can activate more flexibility in the renewable energy sector. This can include steps like the creation of a single renewable energy regulator or a federal commission to manage the generation and flow of renewable energy.
• Renewable energy technology as global good: We must make renewable energy technology a global public good, including removing intellectual property barriers to technology transfer.

Conclusion

• There can be no doubt about the fact that renewable energy is the energy of the future. The current direction indicates the possibility of the elimination of fossil fuel-based energy as early as 2050. This will lead to improved environmental health.
• However, it is important that we have a clear policy guideline, wherein we explore the right mix of energy sources, integrated into the grid to achieve maximum efficiency.

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Context

• On 2nd August 2022, after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the Chinese have been conducting aggressive military drills near Taiwan. This situation is so critical that a minor miscalculation here and there could escalate this conflict to World War III itself.

• In this edition of the burning issue, we would try to delve into the possible war strategy of China to attack and acquire Taiwan. How could this little island of Taiwan with the support of the American and Japanese armies defend against the mighty Chinese army and how could this battle of Taiwan lead to the horrific World War III.

What is the issue between China and Taiwan?

• Taiwan is an island about 160 km off the coast of south-eastern China, opposite the Chinese cities of Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen. It was administered by the imperial Qing dynasty, but its control was passed to the Japanese in 1895. After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the island passed back into Chinese hands.
• After the communists led by Mao Zedong won the civil war in mainland China, Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the nationalist Kuomintang party, fled to Taiwan in 1949.
• Chiang Kai-shek set up the government of the Republic of China on the island and remained President until 1975.
• Beijing has never recognized the existence of Taiwan as an independent political entity, arguing that it was always a Chinese province under its ‘One China Policy‘. The PRC considers the island as a renegade province awaiting reunification by peaceful means, if possible.
• This has generated strong opposition from the Taiwanese government and people. To protect its sovereignty, Taiwan remains closer to the US, buying weapons from it and thus irking China. This has become a major bone of contention between the two.

Importance of Taiwan to China

• TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is the largest foundry in the world and holds around 65 percent of the global production of chips.
• Any potential conflict with China would completely disrupt the entire supply chain of TSMC and labor availability and could cause a major shortage of electronic chips.
• Being in close vicinity of China, any alliance or engagement of Taiwan with any of the enemies of China would threaten its national security. Thus, it’s necessary for China to control Taiwan’s engagements with other  

Importance of Taiwan for the US

• Strategic importance– After Japan, Taiwan is the geographically closest friendly territory around China for the US in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Economic importance– US-Taiwan has a bilateral trade of $105 billion with the US high dependence on Taiwanese semiconductor chips.
• Gaining lost credibility– the current crisis is about re-establishing steadily diminishing American credibility in the eyes of friends and foes through Taiwan.

China’s War Strategy

(A) Grey-zone warfare

• The People’s Liberation Army – is waging so-called Grey-Zone warfare against Taiwan.
• This consists of an almost daily campaign of intimidating military exercises, patrols and surveillance that falls just short of armed conflict.
• The campaign has intensified, with Beijing stepping up the number of warplanes it is sending into the airspace around Taiwan. China has also used sand dredgers to swarm Taiwan’s outlying islands.
• Military strategists tell that the grey-zone strategy has the potential to grind down Taipei’s resistance – but also that it may fall short, or even backfire by strengthening the island’s resolve.

(B) Impose a blockade on Taiwan’s Matsu and Kingman islands

• If a long campaign of grey-zone warfare fails to bring Taipei to the negotiating table the next step by China would be to impose a blockade on Taiwan’s Matsu and Kinmen Island which are just a few kilometers away from mainland China.
• Since China is already facing the heat of Covid and the real estate bubble, China would plan to take Taiwan as quickly as possible and with as little damage as possible so the safest way to get Taiwan would be to intimidate them so much that they by default surrender without any bloodshed.
• Chinese navy and submarines would encircle these islands and islets hundreds of sand dredgers fishing boats and Chinese paramilitary ships would move in to surround them and the Chinese fighter jets would begin round-the-clock patrols over the Taiwanese strait.

(C) Customs quarantine strategy for mainland Taiwan

• After the above steps, China will enforce customs, maritime and airspace jurisdictions over Taiwan. The move overrides Taiwan’s existing control of its airspace and maritime boundary.
• China would ban all shipping from entering Taiwan’s territorial waters without its permission. The Chinese authorities inform all airlines and shipping companies that they must have Beijing’s official approval to enter or leave Taiwan’s airspace or ports. They also insist that all flights, ships and ferries submit passenger manifestos and customs declarations to Chinese authorities.
• A vast fleet of PLA Navy, coast guard and maritime militia ships deploy around Taiwan to enforce the quarantine, intercepting ships attempting to approach the island without approval from Beijing.
• OUTCOME: With the sudden halt to all imports and exports, Taiwan faces almost immediate shortages of essential supplies, particularly energy. The island is suddenly cut off from the world.

(D) Full blockade of mainland Taiwan

• Here’s where China uses its huge naval fleet to surround Taiwan in such a way that they take complete control over the entire water and airspace around Taiwan so this way neither ships nor planes could go in or come out.
• Warships and strike aircraft would be deployed to make sure that the American and Japanese forces are prevented from approaching Taiwan and now China and Taiwan would launch air and missile strikes on each other.
• With its blockade still in place, China may call for an immediate ceasefire, offers to allow urgently needed supplies to reach Taiwan, and invites negotiations with Washington in a bid to avert a full-scale war.

(E) Attack on Taiwan infrastructure

• Devastating air and missile attack will be launched on the island’s defenses. The aim is to smash Taiwan’s military, demoralize the population and force Taipei to the negotiating table before the United States and its allies can intervene.
• PLA forces launch massive saturation attacks on key military and civilian targets. These include airfields, ports, air-defense radars, communication nodes, military command centers and headquarters, missile batteries, navy bases, major warships, key bridges, communication networks, power stations and grids, government buildings, radio and television stations, data centers and major transport arteries.

(F) Full-fledged invasion

• Without warning, the PLA would launch massive air, missile and cyber-attacks on key military and civilian targets all over Taiwan. At the same time, the PLA attacks U.S. bases in Japan and Guam with air and missile strikes in a bid to paralyze American forces and delay any intervention.
• Within hours a major war will be raging in East Asia.

Options for Taiwan

• Fight back– Taiwan uses its full armed force to defend itself with or without US and allies. But it would be equivalent to suicide as Taiwan’s armed power is minuscule as compared to the Chinese army.
• Surrender– surrender to the Chinese PLA thus saving itself from much destruction and hence leading to the realization of a decade-old dream of China- The unification of Taiwan with mainland China.
• Buy time tactics– to keep China in a loop through diplomatic channels and negotiations till the time US and allies forces reach the Taiwan strait.

Weaknesses of Taiwan

Taiwan has three major weak points:

• Taiwan has a very small army– China has 10 times more ground force, 8 times more naval destroyers and 30 times more submarines. Thus, China is going to outright destroy them all.

• Communication cables in the South China Sea– Taiwan sends and receives 95 percent of the data and voice traffic along with these bundles of cable lines that run through this bay to different parts of the world. So, the Chinese fleet will cut these cables off and will completely disrupt the communication of Taiwan and more importantly the communication of the Taiwanese army.
• Taiwan’s energy supplies- As of 2020, about 98 percent of Taiwan’s energy was imported from foreign countries and this was in the form of coal crude oil and petroleum products and these shipments come from Australia, Qatar Indonesia and Russia.

Possible Outcomes of an invasion

• Chinese control of Taiwan would dramatically reinforce the Communist Party’s prestige at home and eliminate the island as a viable model of a democratic alternative to authoritarian Party rule.
• It would also give China a foothold in the so-called first island chain, the line which runs through the string of islands from the Japanese archipelago to Taiwan, the Philippines and Borneo, which enclose China’s coastal seas.
• For China, success would translate into a commanding strategic position in Asia, undermining the security of Japan and South Korea, and allowing China to project power into the Western Pacific.
• But if China loses the war, it might cause a revolt within CPC for new leadership and anger against President Xi Jinping or the Chinese population may rise against their communist government.
• Severe sanctions by the western countries against China would further cripple its economy, making it difficult for China to regain its diplomatic might and economic status.

Possible outcomes for the US and its Allies

• If the US and its allies successfully counter China, it would be a great power booster for the US camp and the western world.
• The US would be re-established as the only Superpower in the world, with the world order becoming unipolar once again.
• However, if the US and its allies lose the war, it would be marked as the end of its hegemony as the world superpower, loss of power and prestige and would by default establish China’s dominance in the world.

Implications for India and the world

• Economic ties will be hit– Arguably more important to New Delhi is the economic component of its engagement with Taiwan. Last year, bilateral trade between India and Taiwan was estimated to be worth over $7 billion. Taiwanese firms have also invested over $2.3 billion in India. The two countries are even talking about a free trade deal and working out ways to create a semiconductor manufacturing hub in India. A war would nullify all these aspects.
• World economy to suffer badly– Experts have predicted that any escalation in the Taiwan Strait will have an impact on trade and security throughout the entire Indo-Pacific region. Also, China has been a crucial value-adder to the global supply chain. It would be very difficult for the US to replicate Russia’s sanctioning of the aggressor and resupplying the resistor strategy on China-Taiwan. 
• Semiconductor shortage– Taiwan is a small nation that has placed itself as one of the biggest manufacturers of essential semiconductors and electronic components. A blockade or slowdown of semiconductor chip shipments could be one of the many effects of a conflict between China and Taiwan, which would have an impact on many global industries, including manufacturing and internet communications technology.

Way forward

• Avoiding any escalation- both sides should maintain a restraint from further escalation of tensions keeping diplomatic channels open and actively pursuing back-channel diplomacy.
• Respecting each-others sensitivities– on important unclear matters and taking up the trust-building process.
• More Realistic approach by India– also, New Delhi must begin to deal with Taiwan as a weighty entity in its own right that offers so much to advance India’s prosperity.

Conclusion

• As Taiwan becomes the world’s most dangerous flashpoint, the geopolitical consequences for Asia and the world are real.
• Once a sane man had said,” War is a tricky game, the only way to win it is to not play it at all”. After the war with COVID and then Russia-Ukraine ongoing war, the world cannot afford another war. Thus, a restraint from all sides is thus a sine qua non.

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Context

Recently, India celebrated its 75^th Independence Day. The occasion provides us a great opportunity to delve back in time when a newly independent nation made its ‘tryst’ with political democracy and how it is faring today on key democratic factors as well as in comparison to other major democracies of the world

What is a democracy?

The word democracy comes from the Greek words “demos”, meaning people, and “kratos” meaning power; so democracy can be thought of as “power of the people”: a way of governing that depends on the will of the people.

No one is born a good citizen, no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth.   – Kofi Annan

Why choose democracy?

The idea of democracy derives its moral strength – and popular appeal – from two key principles:

• Individual autonomy: The idea that no one should be subject to rules which have been imposed by others. People should be able to control their own lives (within reason).
• Equality: The idea that everyone should have the same opportunity to influence the decisions that affect people in society.

Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse.

– Pt Nehry

Democracy in India

• Ancient India had a democratic republic even before the 6^th century BCE and India has seen democratic rule through ages. Vaishali (in present-day Bihar) is considered one of the first republics around 6th century BCE.
• Republics at that time were called ‘Mahajanpadas’ and Sabhas and Samitis (assemblies) existed. Panchayat systems were also used in some of these republics.
• Anti-colonial movements in India brought democracy into the picture during British rule in India. Nehru, Gandhi, Ambedkar, etc helped in bringing universal adult franchise, at a time when the literacy rate was very low in the nation.
• Government of India Act, 1935 laid the foundation for democratic rule in India.
• India’s independent modern democratic journey started in 1950 with the full implementation of the constitution of India. The constitution of India declared the nation as a sovereign democratic republic. India granted Universal Adult Franchise under Article 326 of its Constitution effective in 1950 giving a strong base for democracy.
• The general elections of 1951 were the biggest electoral exercise on such a large scale in democratic history. Since then 17 Lok Sabha have been formed, several PMs and Presidents have been elected.
•  The Indian Republic at present has a parliamentary system of democracy and a federal structure in which leaders are elected by citizens of various castes, classes, religions, etc.

How Indian Democracy has performed in past?

(A)Positive aspects

Political front

• India is the world’s largest democracy proving a success in accommodation of group and regional demands in a complex, quasi-federal, polity.
• During the first general election in 1951, India had 54 political parties and now it has grown up to 464 in the 2019 general election as evidence of the deepening of the democratic process.
• In the first General election in 1951, 173 million citizens were given the right to vote.
• In the 16^th general election in 2014, the size of the electorate had increased to 814 million.

Social front

• The democratic process has brought about a shift of political power from the middle and higher castes and classes of urban society to backward classes who are now the politically most influential ones in the country.
• They have won reservations for themselves in legislatures and government services as were accorded to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes after independence through Constitutional provisions.
• Members of marginalized sections of society and minority communities have reached the top legislative and executive positions in the country.

Economic Front

• India has become the 5^th largest economy in the world and is also the fastest growing major economy in the world.
• India has been able to emerge as a regional power in Asia and superpower in south Asia backed by its economic, military and nuclear capabilities.
• The incidence of Poverty has reduced from 70% in 1950 to around 20% at present. The economic well-being of people has improved. Incomes and living standard of people has improved substantially.

(B)Negative aspects

Political front

• Declaration of emergency- in 1975 was an aberration in India’s political democracy journey and will remain a blot on Indian democracy.
• Period of political instability– India saw the assassination of two of its Prime Ministers in the first 40 years of its democracy. The last decade of the 20^th century witnessed high political turmoil due to unstable coalition governments. In this period, India saw 5 PM’s in 10 years.

Social front

• Low women representation: the number of elected women representatives in the Indian parliament is just 16% even after 75 years of independence.
• Continuing ill social practices– like caste-based discrimination, manual scavenging etc point towards continuous breaching of fundamental rights of citizens of India. It also shows that we are still to achieve Social democracy.

Economic front

• Low per capita income– An Indian’s per capita income is one the lowest in the world, even lower than a Bangladeshi national.
• High poverty and inequality: India still has one of the world’s largest populations of poor in the world. In addition to this, income and wealth distribution is highly unequal with the top 1% of wealthy people owing 70% of the wealth in India (Source- World inequality report)

We must not to be content with mere political democracy. We must make our political democracy a social democracy as well. Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy. What does social democracy mean? It means a way of life that recognizes liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life.    – Dr. BR Ambedkar

Present situation of Indian Democracy

(A)Positive aspects

• Still continuing democracy: The Indian democracy is still continuing opposite to what was apprehended by British PM Winston Churchill at the time of independence of India.
• Public trust: The enthusiasm and trust among the Indian masses for democracy is still continuing as evident from high voting turnout during elections as compared tp developed democracies where voting percentages are declining.
• Respect for constitution: The original constitution is still intact, continuing and greatly revered by all political parties and sections of the society.
• Global reputation: At the international level, India has carved its own space as a highly diverse and largest democracy in the world,

(B) Negative Aspect

• Weakening of political democracy: Several constitutional experts have pointed toward a decline in democracy in India. It is evident from the dropping rankings of India in several key indices like the Democracy index (labelled India a ‘flawed democracy’), V-Dem report (called India ‘Electoral Autocracy’)
• Decline of Parliament: Parliament as a democratic institution is underperforming. The ability of Parliament to seek accountability of the executive has been severely hampered. Productivity of Lok Sabha in the 2021 monsoon was just 22% due to disruption by Opposition. Informed debates in parliament have also been reduced. There is high usage of ordinances and voice notes to make decisions inside parliament
• Non-Attainment of economic democracy: As evident from high economic inequality among masses [the debate of INDIA (Urban India) vs BHARAT (Rural India)], low women participation in the labour force, economic backwardness in several large states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha etc
• Weak social democracy: As evident from recent communal clashes in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, continuing of several secessionist movements like Khalistan, demand for Nagalim, high crimes against women etc this has hampered the creation of true ‘Fraternity’ which Preamble of Constitution talks about.
• Weakening of civil society: There has been a continuing phenomenon of weakening of civil society including NGO’s, academic institutions where these institutions are finding it difficult to uphold accountability of the govt.
• Growing gulf between public and their representatives: Today, elected representatives are more representatives of their political parties than the people who have elected them. Also, Older MP’s are representing young India (Average age of Indian MP’s-54) and Crorepati MP’s are representing poor Indians (88% MP’s are crorepati).

Causes of lacunas in current democracy

• Authoritarian attitude of the regime– The government due to Weak opposition and civil society, as they are failing to uphold the Government’s accountability inside and outside parliament.
• COVID-19 crisis– parliaments stopped working during the crisis which further led to reduced accountability of the executive to parliament
• Criminalization of politics– there has been a growing trend in the number of parliamentarians having criminal records with the current 17^th Lok Sabha having the highest ever (50%) of MP with criminal records of them. Thus, lawbreakers are becoming lawmakers.
• Decreasing ethical politics- The political morality and ethical conduct of elected representatives have been decreasing rapidly as evident from the frequent shifting of politicians between different political parties (‘Resort’ democracy, where the governments are being formed in resorts rather than in parliament), use of unethical language and unparliamentary conduct inside parliament.
• Strengthening of identity politics– Identity politics have been rising in India for the past few years where people are being polarized to vote for their caste or religion only.

Consequences

• Democratic backsliding or democratic deficit– all of the above causes have led to democratic deficit/backsliding which there has a growing gulf between preaching and practice of democracy in India.
• Spillover effect– with the growing power of the executive and weakening of democratic institutions like parliament, the pressure on the judiciary is increasing as evident from the fact that almost all major bills passed by parliament are being challenged in the supreme court. This is leading to Judicial activism.
• Weak social mobility and human capital development– Because of all this, the economic growth of the nation is suffering which is further leading to slow social mobility and human capital development.

Comparison with thy neighbors

• Though both India and Pakistan started their political journey under a democratic framework, both countries after 75 years stand at opposite ends. While India is considered a vibrant democracy, Pakistan is considered a failed state.
• In India, 70% of the population believes that democracy is preferable to other forms of government, whereas in Pakistan, only 37% population, believes that democracy is preferable.
• Pakistan witnessed three dictatorships regimes under different military generals and multiple suspensions of its constitution while India continued on its path of democracy and constitutionalism.
• Even during periods of civilian rule, the Pakistan army and its powerful Inter-Intelligence-Services have retained the right to set the country’s foreign and security policy.

Comparison between Bangladesh and Pakistan

• Bangladesh chose the secular democratic route after independence, but its flirtation with the secular government was brief. It soon followed in the footsteps of Pakistan, opted for authoritarian military rule and made Islam the state religion. However, under its current Sheikh Hasina regime, Bangladesh is regenerating its democracy and economy.
• Bangladesh outpaces Pakistan across all standard economic indicators, including nominal gross domestic product, GDP per capita, GDP growth rate and foreign reserves. It has now become one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
• A GDP of $411 billion, compared to Pakistan’s GDP of $347 billion, makes Bangladesh the 33rd largest economy in the world. Experts forecast that the economy’s size could double by 2030.
• Bangladesh has also made more progress in human development in some areas compared to Pakistan, for example in the infant mortality rate. In 2018 there were 22 deaths per 1,000 live births in Bangladesh, compared to 57deaths in Pakistan. The current life expectancy in Bangladesh is 73, compared to 67 in Pakistan, 

Way forward

• Opposition: strong democracy requires strong opposition. Without an alternative choice, the very objective of election to provide a check on arbitrary power gets defeated.
• Need to bring in Constitutional Morality: It also makes the governing institutions and representatives accountable to the people.
•  Promoting Good Governance: Good governance enables to reach out government schemes to the needy and it entrusts the desire to do well in life.  It also helps to realize one’s duties and rights and boosts confidence in government.
• Welcoming criticism: The Government should hear criticism rather than reject it out rightly. Suggestions on eroding democratic values need a thoughtful and respectful response.
• Equality in the society: If redistributive public welfare policies are effective, the inequality in society would be reduced. Thus, it must be the priority of the government to maintain social and economic equality and inclusive growth.
• Parliamentary oversight: It is necessary to hold strong checks on the executive through parliamentary committees, question hours, etc. Separation of powers is the most important thing for a healthy democracy.

Conclusion

Until and unless we don’t realize the real sense of Democracy we can’t live with dignity. Only with people’s participation, it can be achieved.

It is important that all the government organs work in harmony to uphold the trust people of the country have held in them and ensure the objectives of true democracy.

In the upcoming “Amrit Kaal” (2022-2047), we must ensure that by the end of this period, India should have achieved its “Tryst with Destiny”- A Social, Political and Economic Democracy in the true sense.

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“Disruption is replacing discussion as the foundation of our legislative functioning”

Context

• The recently concluded monsoon session of the Parliament again witnessed a high level of ruckus from Opposition Members of Parliament leading to the suspension of several of them by the Speaker.
• Also, last month several Opposition leaders criticized the post and powers of the President as ‘Rubber Stamp’ thus dishonoring the highest executive position in the country.
• These incidences point toward the ‘crisis’ that the Opposition is facing in India at several levels. In this article, we will analyze this issue in depth, its implications and possible solutions.

What is Opposition in a democracy?

• Parliamentary democracy is based on the party system of government. It is a government by criticism and exposition and therefore, it has to be governed by two political parties – a party or parties in power and a party or parties in Opposition.
• Opposition is defined as a person or group of people opposing, criticizing, or protesting something, someone, or another group. Political Opposition is different and is defined as ‘the major political party opposed to the party in power and seeking to replace it.

Role of Opposition in a democracy

• Constructive criticism – In the legislature, Opposition Party has the role of Constructive criticism of the government and its policies.

• Check the excesses of Government– The role of the Opposition in the legislature is basically to check the excesses of the ruling or dominant party, and not to be antagonistic.
• Uphold accountability of government– Their main role is to question the government of the day and hold them accountable to the public. This also helps to fix the mistakes of the Ruling Party. This is mainly done through methods like debates and bringing a no-confidence motion.
• Public welfare– The Opposition is equally responsible for upholding the best interests of the people of the country. For example, the demonstrations by the Opposition on roads against fuel price hikes or inflation.
• Safeguarding liberty and right of people– For example, Opposition member Brinda Karat filed the petition in Supreme Court against the demolition drive of Delhi Municipal corporation to protect the right to life of citizens.
• Expression of public opinion– Opposition members put forth the demands of the public and their opinion in Parliament, the highest forum of discussion.

Opposition in India

• Multi-party based– Being a multiply party system democracy, India has several political parties that form Opposition in multiple states and Parliament. For example SP in Uttar Pradesh and Congress in Madhya Pradesh.

• Official recognition– Official Opposition (recognized Opposition party) designates the political party which has secured the second largest number of seats in either upper or lower houses. To get formal recognition in either upper or lower houses, the concerned party must have at least 10% of the total strength of the house.

• 10% rule– A single party has to meet the 10% seat criterion, not an alliance. Many of the Indian state legislatures also follow this 10% rule while the rest of them prefer the single largest Opposition party according to the rules of their respective houses.

Issues with Opposition in India

• Leaderless Opposition– the Opposition today in India is leaderless. There are indeed good political leaders heading major regional political parties but there is no consensus on the name of one person or party as Opposition leader.

• Highly fragmented– Today, the Opposition is divided among several political parties and coalitions holding different ideologies and working styles leading to its fragmentation and thus hampering unity.

• Lacks an Original Agenda– the Opposition today lacks an original agenda or plan to put against the government, but is instead involved in just reacting to government actions rather than putting an alternative choice to the electorate.

• Involved in adverse politics– The opposition sees government as its adversary and remains involved in unnecessary criticism and do not support even good policies. For example, the opposition criticized Gaganyaan Mission, Construction of the New Parliament Building as wasteful expenditure.

• Not being innovative– Opposition parties remain involved in older ideologies of left and right, walk-outs from houses of Parliament and primitive methods like demonstrations and rallies, rather involving in new methods like Facebook live, virtual rallies, podcasts etc. This leads to a disconnect from the youth of the country.

• Playing the role of investigative agencies– where Opposition parties keep hunting for scams and misappropriation of funds in government schemes rather than upholding government accountability.

• Loss of credibility– continuous disruptions in Parliament proceeds, blind Opposition of government and lack of connection to ground level have led to the loss of credibility of the Opposition in the eyes of the electorate.

Issues with the regime

• Indifference attitude of government- towards Opposition leaders and parties. For example, the government did not recognize the leader of Opposition in loksabha for 1.5 years after 2019 elections and still has a vacant deputy speaker post in loksabha which usually goes to the Opposition party.
• Labeling Opposition as Anti-national and roadblock to development– if Opposition asks for details and clarification about government actions.
• Misuse of power– by using institutions like Police, CBI, ED against Opposition leaders. There are allegations against the government of using Pegasus software for snooping on Opposition leaders.
• Lack of pre-legislative discussion- with Opposition parties on legislative bills leads to the sidelining of Opposition in the legislative process and thus poor debates in Parliament.

Consequences of a weak Opposition

• Leads to Politics of enmity– as both government and Opposition see each other as rivals and indulge in ugly politics. Slogans like “Congress mukt Bharat”, “Samajvaad Mukt UP” are a manifestation of such enmity.
• Weakening of democracy– as evident from dropping rankings in several key indices like Democracy index (labeled India a ‘flawed democracy’), V-Dem report (called India ‘Electoral Autocracy’)
• Decline of Parliament– Parliament as an institution is the biggest victim of weak Opposition. The ability of Parliament to seek accountability of the executive has been severely hampered. Productivity of Loksabha in 2021 monsoon was just 22% due to disruption by Opposition. Informed debates have also reduced.

“Debates are rare, informed debates are even rare. Government and Opposition meet as two warring camps in Parliament” – Former Vice President Dr. Hamid Ansari

• Autocracy of government increased- as evident from reducing the number of bills being referred to the Parliamentary committee has reduced from 76 in the 15^th loksabha (2009-14) to 27 in 16^th loksabha(2014-19), and important bills have been passed by simple voice vote.

• Ordinance raj– Continuous disruptions by Opposition in Parliament have led the government to take up the ordinance route very frequently. From 2014 to 2021, the Government promulgated 76 ordinances which are 14 higher than UPA’s 10 years of rule.

• Side-lining of public issues– Finally, in this rivalry, important public issues such as unemployment, inflation, economic distress are side-lined and less essential topics like the arrest of any Opposition political leader takes centre stage in Parliament and leads to disruption of the house by that political party members.

How to improve the situation?

“Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive”   – JF Kennedy

• Stop unnecessary criticism-The Opposition has to complement in the running of the government. Merit-based Opposition to specific government acts is welcome, but opposing for the sake of opposing can only be counterproductive.
• Work at grassroots level– There is an imperative need for the Opposition to develop an ability to read the nation’s pulse by going in between the public and then adopt a constructive approach.
• Develop a new ideology and structure– It is necessary for a ‘New Opposition’ in India to emerge. It must have a centrist ideology that appeals to the majority of the people. It must be supported by a rank-and-file organization, with a decentralized structure.
• Bring its own house in order– It must practice internal democracy to bring up good leaders. And it must have a practical agenda, with good slogans.
• Consensus building– Government should also understand the importance of Opposition and should try to take Opposition together on important issues like national security. Pre-legislative consultations should also be promoted to improve the quality of debates in Parliament.

Good practices related to Opposition in different countries

• Shadow Cabinet system of the UK- The shadow cabinet is made up of senior members of the main Opposition party in Westminster who act as spokespeople for the Opposition in specific policy areas. Shadow ministers are appointed by the leader of the Opposition and generally take roles that mirror the current government. Their job is to scrutinize those they ‘shadow’ in government and develop policies for their party.

• The practice of Opposition day– An Opposition day is a day in a legislature in which an Opposition party sets the agenda for the whole day. Most days the Parliamentary agenda is set by the government; Opposition days allow the smaller parties to choose the subject for debate. It is a regular practice in UK and Canada where 20 days are allotted to the Opposition to set the agenda.

Way forward

• The Opposition must be tolerated because if it is left to the party in power to decide what is healthy and unhealthy criticism, then every criticism of the latter will be treated as unhealthy.
• While the Opposition must be credible and strong, it is for the Opposition to make itself credible and strong. It must feel the pulse of the people.
• Unless it makes itself respectable, it cannot demand any respect. This is the biggest challenge facing the opposition today.

Conclusion

Accommodation and understanding, not division and confrontation, lay at the heart of any Parliamentary democracy. Thus, disruption and confrontation in Parliament must be stopped.

The opposition, as well as government, must come to the table to draw a common working plan for the sake of improving the health of Indian Democracy, fulfilling our commitment to the founding fathers and making the Grand Experiment called ‘India’ a success.

Context

• With the beginning of the monsoon season in June, pictures of floods in several parts of India have started coming up.
• Recently, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Assam have witnessed floods fury. Also, cities like Hyderabad witnessed urban flooding leaving millions of people displaced.
• Thus, the flooding in India topic becomes relevant for the upcoming UPSC Mains examination 2022.

What are floods and their frequency in India?

• A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land which is usually meant to be dry. While it may occur along river banks, lakes and sea coasts, river flooding is the most common of all around the world.
• According to National Disaster Management Authority, NDMA, India is highly vulnerable to floods. Out of the total geographical area of 329 million hectares (mha), more than 40 mha is flood prone.
• On average every year, 75 lakh hectares of land is affected, 1600 lives are lost and the damage caused to crops, houses and public utilities is Rs.1805 crores due to floods. 

Why floods are becoming a cause of concern?

• Large share in total annual disasters-The Asian Development Bank has estimated that floods are the most devastating among climate-related disasters in India. They account for more than 50 per cent of all climate-related disasters in the country.
• Increasing intensification– According to a study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank, Extreme precipitation and flooding cause large-scale impacts on people, and are further intensified by rapid urbanisation, infrastructure expansion, and large numbers of people residing in informal settlements in destitute conditions
• Causes huge destruction– An analysis by the DTE-CSE Data Centre of the Central Water Commission (CWC) data showed that in the last 65 years (1952-2018, Floods killed 109,412 people in the span. Over 258 million hectares of crops were damaged and 81,187,187 houses were raged. The total economic losses due to crop, house and other property damages came to Rs 4.69 trillion.   
• Increasing financial losses– In November, 2019, the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Ratan Lal Kataria told the Rajya Sabha that India suffered a loss of Rs 95,736 crore in the 2018 floods. This was 2.6 times more than the financial loss due to floods in 2017.

Causes of flooding in India

A) Man-made Reasons:

• Continued settlement in flood-prone areas: Floodplains of several rivers, especially in the northern plains like Kosi, Ghaghra, Gandak, Sarayu etc are flooded every year. Yet, these areas have been settled by people. This has led to recurring losses in the face of floods, especially in the Assam and Bihar plains.
• Encroachment over natural bodies: The destruction of natural wetlands including marshes and lakes has led to the blocking of areas that had earlier served as water sinks. This is the primary reason behind Chennai floods.
• Rapid and unplanned urbanisation: Construction of houses in a haphazard manner without getting plans approved has led to the washing away of several buildings during flash floods due to cloudbursts in the Himalayan region.
• Nature’s destruction: With increasing deforestation especially along coastal areas and river banks, the first line of defence against floods has been removed. This is the reason that cyclone caused floods result in severe destruction along the coasts.

B) Physiological Reasons:

• Heavy precipitation: Heavy rainfall is one of the major reasons for the flood in India. Over natural bank of rivers, the rainfall of about 15 cm or more in a single day exceeds the carrying capacity of rivers causes a flood in that region. Such effect can be seen in the West Coast region of the Western Ghat, Assam and sub-Himalayan West Bengal.
• Rise in river bed: The river bed rises due to large silt and sand gradients carried by the Himalayan Rivers. The deposition of silt enhances the catchment area of rivers which reduces the carrying capacity of rivers.
• The meandering tendency of river-flow: The tendency to meander or change the course within a specific boundary of rivers in the flat terrains also causes a flood in the meandering regions like the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra and Gangetic plains.
• Silting in Delta areas: The deposition of silt on the river-mouths by the sea tides deteriorates the discharging capacity of rivers which causes a flood in that region.
• Earthquake and Landslide: Sometimes it has been found that the river changes its course after natural calamities like earthquake, landslide which causes a flood in the same region.  Such instances can found in the mountain of hilly region states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand etc.
• Obstruction of free-flow of rivers: Roads, embankments, railway lines, canals etc. obstruct the free flow of rivers leading to floods in the area.
• Cloudburst: Cloud bursts lead to a high amount of rainfall within a short time leading to flash floods. Flash flood generally occurs in the Himalayan region.

Consequences of Floods

• Financial Burden: while some flood-caused damages and losses are covered by insurance, others are not. Damages incurred due to natural disasters are usually not covered by insurance companies. It is important for landlords and property owners to check and enquire with their insurance agents about their plans and coverage for natural disasters. In some cases, state-wise aid is offered by the government to flood-affected people.
• Physical loss: the effects of floods are destructive for the property. Floodwaters can disrupt vegetation by destroying land due to shoreline erosion and soil stripping. Heavy flowing water can damage natural vegetation at its roots. It can contaminate water supplies, damage drainage systems, and farm crops.
• Emotional trauma: experiencing a wide range of emotions, flood-affected people often go through anxiety, fear, sadness, grief, and frustration during and after the disaster. Such conditions are often followed by symptoms like loss of sleep, loss of appetite, and mood swings.

Another cause of concern- Rising Urban Flooding

What are Urban Floods?

• Urban floods stem from a combination of various meteorological and hydrological extremes, such as extreme precipitation and flows in short periods.
• Thus, flooding in urban areas is caused by intense and/or prolonged rainfall, which overwhelms the capacity of the drainage system.
• It increases the flood peaks from 1.8 to 8 times and flood volumes by up to 6 times. Consequently, flooding occurs very quickly due to faster flow times.

Causes of urban floods

[A] Natural

• Meteorological Factors: Heavy rainfall, cyclonic storms and thunderstorms cause water to flow quickly through paved urban areas and impound in low lying areas.
• Hydrological Factors: Overbank flow channel networks, the occurrence of high tides impeding the drainage in coastal cities.
• Climate Change: Climate change due to various anthropogenic events has led to extreme weather events.

[B] Anthropological

• Population densities: Population density and proximity to urban centers significantly alter the dynamics and complexity when it comes to urban flooding.
• Unplanned Urbanization: This is the key cause of urban flooding. A major concern is the blocking of natural drainage pathways through construction activity and encroachment on catchment areas, riverbeds and lakebeds.
• Encroachment: Ideally, the natural drains should have been widened to accommodate the higher flows of stormwater. But on the contrary, there have been large-scale encroachments. Habitations started growing over them.
• Drainage System: Stormwater drainage systems in the past were designed for a rainfall intensity of 12 – 20 mm. These capacities have been getting very easily overwhelmed whenever rainfall of higher intensity has been experienced.
• Destruction of lakes: Lakes can store the excess water and regulate the flow of water. However, pollution of natural urban water bodies and converting them for development purposes has increased the risk of floods.

Flood management in India

• Federal working- The responsibility of flood management in India is divided between the Union and the State Governments with the Union Ministry of Agriculture being the central agency for coordination with states.
• Sharing of responsibilities: The role of the central government is technical and advisory in nature whereas the states are the actual implementers of the flood plans. Funds are also released by the centre to states in case of heavy flooding in any state.

Why flood management failing in India?

• New flood zones are coming up– such as drier areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan and in urban areas especially tier 1 cities like Chennai, Hyderabad. This is leading to the failure of previous flood zoning and estimates.
• Use of obsolete methods– like aerial surveys of flooded areas by PM, CM’s before releasing funds for flood management and use of decades-old flood zoning records.
• Fire fighting approach- the reaction to floods has been rather reactive than proactive. It is only after the flood has occurred that government machinery comes into action.

Possible Solutions to the flooding problem

• Improved flood warning systems: effective flood warning systems can help take timely action during natural calamities and can save lives. Pre-planning can significantly reduce the effects of floods, giving people time to migrate to safer locations and stock up essentials.
• Building flood-resilient housing systems: concreting floors can be very useful during floods. Houses should be water proofed and electric sockets should be placed at higher levels up the walls to reduce the chances of shocks.
• Constructing buildings above flood levels: buildings should be constructed a metre above from the ground to prevent flood damage and evacuation during floods.
• Resilience to Climate change: drastic climate changes have increased the frequency of natural disasters in many parts of the world. Governments should bring about environment-friendly policy level changes and eliminate the ones hazardous to the environment to tackle the problem of global warming.
• Create wetlands and encourage reforestation: creating more and more wetlands can help soak up excessive moisture since wetlands act as sponges. Wooded areas can also slow down heavy water flow, minimizing the effects of floods. Reforesting upstream regions can significantly reduce the effects of flood damage.
• Improve soil conditions: improper soil management, animal hooves, and machinery can make soil compacted. As a result, instead of holding water in and absorbing moisture, the water runs off immediately. Properly drained soil can absorb large amounts of rainwater and can prevent it from flowing into the rivers.
• Installing flood barriers: these are flood gates designed to prevent the area behind the barrier from flooding. They can also be kept around buildings to keep floodwaters outside the boundary created.
• Development of GIS– Geographical Information System (GIS) based National Database for disaster management. GIS is an effective tool for emergency responders to access information in terms of crucial parameters for disaster-affected areas.
• Developing a Federal flood management plan– with responsibilities of union and state clearly defined.
• Creation of 2^nd flood commission– (Rashtriya Barh Aayog, created in 1976) to study the flood situation in India under rising challenges of climate change and propose a national-level flood resilience and management plan.

Some international models of flood management

• The Dutch Model of Flood Management– ‘Live with Water, Built with Nature’ sees cities as ‘waterscape’ and not ‘landscape’ as most of our cities are built along water bodies like river banks or coastal areas. The model proposes nature-based solutions for flood management in cities.
• Yongning River Park model– of china where artificial wetlands are created in and around cities to allow periodic flooding in these parks and act as a buffer for cities and thus preventing flooding. 

Steps taken for flood management in India

• NDMA has released National level flood management guidelines.
• IN-FLOWS flood control systems have been installed in Chennai and Mumbai.
• National River Interlinking Project has been launched to control flooding and also to prevent droughts.
• Flood management And border area development program (FMBAP) has been launched of control of floods in border areas specially Bihar.

NITI Aayog’s Committee Recommendations on Flood Management

NITI Aayog in 2021 had constituted a committee on flood management under the chairmanship of Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar which has suggested several measures like-

• Priority to non-structural measures: The committee held the view to provide priority to non-structural measures to mitigate the floods and shall go for long term and medium-term structural measures when and where those are unavoidable.
  

“In the majority of the places, less expensive non-structural measures like flood forecasting, flood plain zoning, flood proofing etc should be adopted to accommodate high spat of water,” the report said.

• Better dam management: The report also pitched for the policy to provide flood cushion in the existing dams to accommodate peak time flood so that the tragedy like the Kerala floods doesn’t repeat itself.
• Use of advanced technology: It stressed the use of advanced technology like artificial intelligence, satellites, remote sensing and GIS for flood forecasting and warning systems.
• Creation of a national water model– to feed information that can provide support services by predicting precipitation and forecasting.

Way forward

• Creating a national body: Since flooding has been a recurring phenomenon across multiple states, the need is to create a national-level institution to promote cooperation among states and states and union.
• Developing resilience in people: The rapid transformation in rainfall characteristics and flooding patterns demands building people’s resilience.

• Reconsider projects: Construction projects that impede the movement of water and sediment across the floodplain must be reconsidered.
• Use of technology: At the same time, climate-imposed exigencies demand new paradigms of early-warning and response systems and securing livelihoods and economies.

Conclusion

With growing climate change impacts, flooding in India is also all set to increase in magnitude and intensity. Thus, the need of the hour is to adopt the Sendai framework’s Disaster risk resilience approach in flood management in India.

In doing so, India’s achievements in the successful management of the cyclone crisis in recent years, as recognized by the UN also, can be a torchbearer.

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