Category: Burning Issues

Context

• In an acknowledgement that the more than a century-old system of prisons in India needs repair.
• In this context, the Supreme Court formed a committee on prison reforms.  Headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Amitava Roy, it is to look into the entire gamut of reforms to the prison system.
• But this is not the first time that such a body is being set up, examples being the Justice A.N. Mulla committee and the Justice Krishna Iyer committee on women prisoners (both in the 1980s).
• While marginal reforms have taken place, these have not been enough to ensure that prison conditions are in tune with human rights norms.

Reasons for Overcrowding in Jails

• In India, the publication, Prison Statistics India, brought out by the National Crime Records Bureau will provide food for thought for the Justice Roy Committee.
• In 2015, there were nearly 4.2 lakh inmates in 1,401 facilities, with an average occupancy rate of 114% in most.
• About 67% of total inmates were under trials, a commentary on the speed and efficiency of India’s criminal justice system.
• Occupancy by undertrials– 67% of the people in Indian jails are under trials which is extremely high by international standards like it is 11% in UK, 20% in the US and 29% in France. Males at 400,855 make up 95.8% of prisoners while females at 17,681 represent 4.2%.
• Judicial backlogs-Due to 1 crore cases (2016) pending in various courts of the country, jails across the country will remain overcrowded in the absence of any effective systemic intervention.
• Inadequate prison capacity- Most Indian prisons were built in the colonial era, are in constant need of repair and part of them are uninhabitable for long periods.
• Restricted access to legal representatives-Many inmates are unaware of their rights and cannot afford legal aid, limited ability to communicate with lawyers from within the jail premises hampers their ability to defend themselves.
• Problems in acquiring bail – For poor and marginalized it is also difficult to get bail which leaves them no option but to stay in jails and wait for courts final order.
• Unnecessary arrests: Over 60 per cent of arrests were unnecessary and such arrests accounted for 3 per cent of jail expenditure.

Issues with prisons in India

1. Overcrowding: According to Centre’s reply in response to a question in the Lok Sabha in 2017, 149 jails in the country are overcrowded by more than 100% and that 8 are overcrowded by margins of a 500%. Overcrowding takes affects the already constrained prison resources and separation between different classes of prisoners difficult.
2. Under-trials– More than 65% of the prison population in India are under trials. The share of the prison population awaiting trial or sentencing in India is extremely high by international standards; for example, it is 11% in the UK, 20% in the US and 29% in France.
3. Lack of legal aid: Legal aid lawyers are poorly paid, and often over-burdened with cases. Further, there is no monitoring mechanism to evaluate the quality of legal aid representation in most states.
4. Unsatisfactory living conditions: Prison structures in India are in dilapidated condition. Further, lack of space, poor ventilation, poor sanitation and hygiene make living conditions deplorable in Indian prisons.
5. Shortage of staff: The ratio between the prison staff and the prison population is approximately 1:7. In the absence of adequate prison staff, overcrowding of prisons leads to rampant violence and other criminal activities inside the jails.
6. Torture and Sexual abuse: Prisoners are subjected to inhuman psychological and physical torture. Sexual abuse of persons in custody is also part of the broader pattern of torture in custody.  The National Human Rights Commission observes custodial violence as “worst form of excesses by public servants entrusted with the duty of law enforcement.”
7. Custodial deaths: In 2015, a total of 1,584 prisoners died in jails. A large proportion of the deaths in custody were from natural and easily curable causes aggravated by poor prison conditions. Further, there have been allegations of custodial deaths due to torture
8. Underpaid and unpaid labor: Labor is extracted from prisoners without paying proper wages.
9. Discrimination: According to Humans Rights Watch, a “rigid” class system exists in Indian prisons. There is rampant corruption in the prison system and those who can afford to bribe, often enjoy luxuries in prison. On the other hand, socio-economically disadvantaged prisoners are deprived of basic human dignity.
10. Inadequate security measures and management:  Poor security measures and prison management often leads to violence among inmates and resultant injury and in some cases death.
11. Health: In prison the problem of the overcrowding, poor sanitary facilities, lack of physical and mental activities, lack of decent health care, increase the likelihood of health problems. Further, mental health care has negligible focus in Indian prisons.
12. The condition of women prisoners: Women prisoners face a number of challenges including poor nutritional intake, poor health and lack of basic sanitation and hygiene. Further, there are alleged instances of custodial rapes which generally go unreported due to the victims’ shame and fear of retribution.
13. Lack of reformative approach: Absence of reformative approach in the Indian prison system has not only resulted in ineffective integration with society but also has failed to provide productive engagement opportunities for prisoners after their release

SC Judgements

Through a number of judgements {like Maneka Gandhi case (Right to life and personal with dignity), Ramamurthy vs. State of Karnataka (on conditions of prisons) Prem Sankar Shukla vs. Delhi Administration (no handcuffing), Sunil Batra I and II vs. Delhi Admin (rights of prisoners)} on various aspects of condition of prisoners and prison administration, the Supreme has upheld three broad principles regarding imprisonment and custody

1. A person in prison does not become a non-person;
2. A person in prison is entitled to all human rights within the limitations of imprisonment
3. There is no justification for aggravating the suffering already inherent in the process of incarceration.

Legislations

1. The Prisons Act, 1894: It contains various provisions relating to health, employment, duties of jail officers, medical examination of prisoners, prison offences etc.
2. Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1950 – The Act deals with the transfer of a prisoner from state to another state
3. Repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003: The act enables the transfer of foreign prisoners to the country of their origin to serve the remaining part of their sentence. It also enables the transfer of prisoners of Indian origin convicted by a foreign court to serve their sentence in India
4. Model Prison Manual 2016: It aims at bringing in basic uniformity in laws, rules and regulations governing the administration of prisons and the management of prisoners across all the states and UTs in India
5. Legal service Authority Act, 1987: According to the law, a person in custody is entitled to free legal aid.

Committees and Recommendations

Various Committees and Commissions have been constituted by the State Governments as well as the Government of India to study and make suggestions for improving the prison conditions and administration.

Mulla Committee, 1983

• The major recommendations of the committee included:
• The setting up of a National Prison Commission to oversee the modernization of the prisons in India
• Putting a ban on clubbing together juvenile offenders with the hardened criminals in prison and enacting a comprehensive and protective legislation for the security and protective care of delinquent juveniles
• Segregation of mentally ill prisoners to a mental asylum
• The conditions of prison should be improved by making adequate arrangements for food, clothing, sanitation and ventilation etc.
• Lodging of under trial in jails should be reduced to bare minimum and they should be kept separate from the convicted prisoners

Krishna Iyer Committee, 1987

• The committee mandated to study the condition of women prisoners in the country, recommended induction of more women in the police force in view of their special role in tackling women and child offenders.

In 2005, the Government of India constituted a high powered committee under the chairmanship of Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). This committee used the reports of Justice Mulla Committee Report & Justice Krishna Iyer Committee and made several additional and new recommendations. It also drafted a National Policy on Prison Reforms and Correctional Administration, 2007.

Steps taken

1. Modernization of Prisons scheme: The scheme for modernisation of prisons was launched in 2002-03 with the objective of improving the condition of prisons, prisoners and prison personnel. Various components included construction of new jails, repair and renovation of existing jails, improvement in sanitation and water supply etc.
2. E-Prisons Project: It aims to introduce efficiency in prison management through digitization
3. Draft National Policy on Prison Reforms and Correctional Administration:

India’s International Obligations

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):

It is the core international treaty on the protection of the rights of prisoners. Key features include:

• It imposes a requirement of separation of prisoners in pre-trial detention from those already convicted of crimes.
• It states that there is a requirement that the focus of prisons should be reform and rehabilitation, not punishment
• It bans torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESR):

• It acknowledges that the prisoners have a right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Further, second-generation economic and social human rights as set down in the ICESR also apply to the prisoners.

United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners or Nelson Mandela Rules:

Fundamental principles on Nelson Mandela Rules are:

• Prisoners must be treated with respect for their human rights and dignity
• No torture or inhumane practice towards prisoners
• Set an objective to prevent recurrence of crime
• Everyone in the prison should be safe at all times
• There should be no discrimination and administrators should take into account needs of individual prisoners especially the vulnerable ones

UN Convention against Torture or Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT): India signed UNCAT in 1997. However, has not yet ratified it.

International Best Practice

Prison System- Norway:

Norway’s incarceration rate is only 75 per 100,000 people. Further, it has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world at 20%. The criminal justice system in Norway focuses on the principle of restorative justice and rehabilitating prisoners. 30% of prisons in Norway are open and all prisons ensure healthy living conditions, vocational training and recreational facilities.

Prison Reforms are not coming for Implementation:

• The question often asked by governments is, in these days of extreme fiscal stress, why should state resources be diverted to a ‘negative exercise, whose benefits are dubious’?
• There are those who believe that if you keep improving prison conditions, there is likely to be an attendant impact on the incidence of crime.
• This accounts for the reluctance of many criminal justice administrators to employ or enlarge non-prison alternatives such as community service.
• The offshoot of all this is growing numbers of prisoners and the woeful incapacity of governments to build more and larger prisons.
• This is why jail officials are often asked to ‘somehow manage’ with existing modest facilities.

Way Forward

1. There is a dire need to address the issue of overcrowding in Indian jails. Further, sincere efforts should be made to improve living conditions which include better sanitation and hygiene, adequate food and clothing.
2. There should be an urgent focus on addressing health issues and ensuring access to medical care among prisoners. Women’s health needs, covering mental, physical, sexual and reproductive health, require particular attention.
3. Efforts should be made to reform offenders in the social stratification by giving them appropriate correctional treatment. Initiatives should be taken to impart vocational training to prisoners and ensure proper rehabilitation and social inclusion after release
4. The government must take initiative to improve the conditions of under trial prisoners which can be achieved by speeding of the trial procedure, simplification of the bail procedure and providing effective legal aid
5. Issues related to custodial violence and sexual abuse should be dealt with effective monitoring and stringent punishments of those involved in such violence.
6. Open prison as an effective institution for rehabilitation of offenders has been highlighted by Supreme Court as late as 1979 in Dharambeer v State of U.P case. The open prisons should be encouraged as a correctional facility.
7. It is also important to address the issue of inadequate prison management by recruiting more prison staff, imparting proper training and undertaking the modernization of prisons.

Conclusion

• More than a century-old system of prisons in India needs urgent repair.
• Overcrowding, number of undertrials than convicted prisoners, delayed justice, inhumane conditions, brutality and lack of basic human need facilities are some of the major issues in Indian prisons.
• Justice Amitava Roy committee is a ray of hope in the direction of prison reforms, but without political reforms in India’s criminal justice system are impossible

Context

• President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Mr Wickremesinghe, replacing him with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
• The President subsequently prorogued Parliament for over two weeks, deferring the possibility of a floor test until November 16.

INTRODUCTION

• The recent political turmoil in Sri Lanka brings to the surface the debate on domestic issues vis-à-vis South Asian geopolitics. The ongoing chaos has definitely gotten New Delhi worried, as Wickremesinghe was seen as close to India.
• In the last few years, the relationship between India and Sri Lanka had improved considerably and was looking positive after Wickremesinghe’s visit to India last month.

Background

Executive Power in Sri Lanka

• In Sri Lanka, the President is the most dominant political force. The Prime Minister’s role is limited to a deputy to the President, besides being the leader of Cabinet.
• However, in the latest development, the final call to decide whether the President has the power to straightway dismiss or replace a Prime Minister lies with the Sri Lankan Supreme Court.
• In 2015, Sri Lanka had amended its constitution to prevent the president from sacking any prime minister unless they had died, resigned or lost the confidence of parliament.

Constitutional provisions

1. The constitutional provision that Mr Sirisena has cited in the official letter to Mr Wickremesinghe does not grant the President authority to remove a Prime Minister from office
2. Section 42(4) of the Constitution merely enables the President to appoint a PM
3. The President has taken the position that since he is the appointing authority, he also has the implicit power to sack the PM
4. Mr Wickremesinghe has dismissed the constitutional validity of the presidential action and has argued that he still commands a majority in Parliament
5. His line of argument is that only Parliament has the constitutionally sanctioned authority to decide whether he could continue in office as PM or not
6. It also suggests that as long as there is no no-confidence motion passed in Parliament against him and the cabinet, his position as PM cannot be invalidated by the President at his will

19th Constitutional Amendment 

1. The argument seems to have derived its salience in the context of the 19th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution, passed in 2015
2. The 19th Amendment has restored the Westminster framework of the relationship between the head of state, the PM, and Parliament
3. It curtailed powers of the President under the 1978 Constitution (the original) as well as the 18th Amendment passed in 2010
4. Among the presidential powers taken away by the 19th Amendment, which is valid, is the one pertaining to the President’s powers over the PM
5. The 19th Amendment, which created a dual executive, made the PM’s position secure from the arbitrary actions of the President
6. Thus, the office of the PM falls vacant only under limited circumstances. Death, voluntary resignation, loss of support in Parliament, rejection by Parliament of the budget, and ceasing to be an MP are these circumstances
7. Sacking by the President is certainly not in this list

Speaker’s role in prorogation

• The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya, urged President Maithripala Sirisena to protect the rights and privileges of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe until his majority in the House was challenged by another member.
• Further, citing possible serious consequences of the President’s decision to suspend Parliament till November 16, he pressed Mr. Sirisena to reconvene the House.
• The prorogation should be done in consultation with the Speaker. Mr. Jayasuriya said the move would have serious and undesirable consequences for the country and urged Mr. Sirisena to reconsider the decision.
• Rajapaksa said he had accepted Mr. Sirisena’s invitation to assume charge as Prime Minister as he was aware that the people expected our leadership and protection, at this moment of national peril.
• In the statement, signed as the ‘Prime Minister of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,’ Mr. Rajapaksa said the primary objective of leaders and lawmakers who had joined him and Mr. Sirisena was to ensure early conduct of provincial and parliamentary elections.

What are the reasons for the replacement of PM?

• Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena claimed that there is no constitutional violation in his recent appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in place of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
• In a televised address, Mr. Sirisena sought to justify his decision — to abruptly induct Mr. Rajapaksa as PM and then prorogue Parliament until November 16.
• He cited sharp political and cultural differences with Mr. Wickremesinghe, with whom he formed Sri Lanka’s first national unity government in January 2015, among the factors.
• Sirisena tied two main reasons to his falling out with Mr. Wickremesinghe — corruption related to the bond scam at the Central Bank and the alleged assassination plot targeting him.
• Sri Lanka police functions under the Law and Order Ministry, helmed by a Minister from Mr. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party. The manner in which authorities probed the assassination plot was the most proximate and powerful reason for appointing Mr. Rajapaksa.
• Meanwhile, Mr. Rajapaksa said that he accepted the invitation to assume charge as PM as he was aware that the people expected our leadership and protection at this moment of national peril.
• The primary objective was to ensure an early holding of provincial and parliamentary elections, he said in a statement that he signed off as the ‘Prime Minister of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’.

The aftermath of this crisis:

• Mr. Sirisena’s appointment of Mr. Rajapaksa even before voting out Mr. Wickremesinghe on the floor of Parliament is nothing but blatant abuse of his executive powers.
• Guided by narrow political interests, the President’s actions betray an utter disregard for the parliamentary process.
• In resorting to these emergency measures, he has not only put democracy in serious peril but also let down Sri Lankans, including a sizeable section of the Tamil and Muslim minorities that backed him in the critical 2015 election.
• The political crisis in the island nation triggered violence on October 28. One person was killed and two others injured as the bodyguards of Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga fired at the supporters of Rajapaksa when they surrounded the cabinet member.

India’s concerns

• India did not have a broad array of options regarding the situation. India should stay focussed on long-term priorities like bilateral and regional connectivity and trade ties with Sri Lanka, and allow the situation in Colombo to work itself out.
• India reminded Sri Lanka of the constitutional process, following the ongoing political crisis. India’s response came as both the leaders began an outreach to the global diplomatic community.
• This was the first time that India commented on the situation in Colombo which has turned into a stand-off between Mr. Sirisena and Mr. Wickremesinghe.
• The friction between Mr. Sirisena and Mr. Wickremesinghe began with a strong statement from the latter during his visit to Delhi, which seemed to target the President for delay in India-backed projects.
• Wickremesinghe met select Colombo-based diplomats. It is said to have included those from the European Union, the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland, South Africa and India.
• Many of the countries had put out similar sounding statements and tweets, underscoring the need to respect due constitutional process and democracy.
• The countries are loosely identifying themselves as being like-minded on this development

CHALLENGES FOR INDIA-

India has been struggling to maintain its influence in the neighborhood as many countries in the region (Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka) have shown increased leaning toward Beijing.

• The structural constraints on New Delhi’s strategic space in South Asia go deeper. India is in an unenviable position. It is a regional power that is large enough for the asymmetrical nature of its relationship with its neighbours to make them nervous.
• But it is also a status quo power that lacks the economic and military muscle of the extra-regional revisionist power its neighbours inevitably look to as a balancer. That makes the question of who is in power—or which political systems are in place—subordinate.
• India’s backseat approach to Sri Lanka drives home the point, that India cannot fully hope to counter China in its own backyard and elsewhere until it really doubles down on economic reforms, which the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has only embraced partially.
• India needs to foster local growth and economic interconnectivity in South Asia. It has a huge stake, geopolitically, in Sri Lanka, and cannot afford to let it drift away.
• The time is coming for India to follow the lead of the United States and Brazil’s president-elect, and grow beyond insisting publicly that it does not view China as a competitor, but as an economic and strategic rival and openly embrace relationships with other countries that seek to balance and contain China.
• The region that India has regarded as its natural sphere of influence is slipping out of its hands. This will provide a new wake-up call to New Delhi as it needs to rethink and reformulate its policies toward the South Asian region. China has successfully managed to gain greater influence and leverage by exploiting its financial strength.
• The question now is whether India needs to combine some hard power with its soft-power approach and establish its status as an important player in the Indian Ocean region and South Asia.
• The domestic turmoil in Sri Lanka has a greater geopolitical, regional, and political connotation. The current leaders are overtly pro-Beijing and have consistently worked toward using China to counter Indian influence.
• It was no surprise that days before Wickremesinghe’s visit to India, Sirisena even made claims to the cabinet that the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was involved in a plot to assassinate him. Such accusations highlight the insecurity and mistrust harboured by the current Sri Lankan president toward India.
• The concerns of the Chinese having a forward military base in Sri Lanka that was projected by US Vice-President Mike Pence were countered by Wickremesinghe last month, but the recent developments give further strength to the US concerns.

INDIA-CHINA GEOPOLITICAL TUSSLE

• The crisis highlights the role of powerful Asian rivals, India and China. While Sirisena tried to free his country from Chinese debt, he was instead drawn back to China after being unable to do so, and
• He ended up giving “China a controlling equity stake and a 99-year lease for Hambantota port, which it handed over in December 2017,” a move which alarmed the United States and India, which fear its potential strategic applications.
• Nonetheless, the recent changes put in question the proposed Indian investments in Sri Lanka, primarily in Mattala Airport, the Port of Colombo’s East Container Terminal, the LNG (liquefied natural gas) plant in Kerawalapitiya, and Palaly Airport in Jaffna. They also cast a shadow on Indian-Sri Lankan relations.
• The United States and the European Union have also asserted the need for following the constitutional process, but China was quick to congratulate Rajapaksa. Cheng Xueyuan, the Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka, personally called on the newly appointed PM.
• The promptness with which Beijing congratulated Rajapaksa underscores the arguments that he is a pro-China man. During his term as president, the Sri Lankan economy became riddled with Chinese debt that culminated with Beijing gaining control of the Hambantota Port for 99 years.
• It should come as no surprise that China is focused on its national interests, and is not just a benevolent, non-interfering state that wants to build infrastructure for the good of the world. What else could explain the haste by which Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Rajapaksa, before the resolution of the crisis?
• The reasons China is happy are quite obvious. In the last few years, some resistance was appearing in Colombo toward the incoming Chinese investments.
• The government was becoming more concerned about the long-term impacts on the domestic economy and financial stability. A number of projects had also witnessed some violence and opposition.
• The appointment of Rajapaksa as the new prime minister could change this direction of thought and give Beijing added leverage. This also provides a new lease on life for the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and makes way for more Chinese investments.
• Despite statements of neutrality, there are persistent rumors that China is favoring Sirisena and Rajapaksa. A deputy minister in Wickremesinghe’s administration, Ranjan Ramanayake, accused China of paying for Rajapaksa to buy legislators.
• It also shows that China has great sway in the domestic politics of South Asian countries.
• The crisis in Sri Lanka illustrates the role China can play in upsetting local political calculations elsewhere, even without direct interference.
• The New York Times quotes Brahma Chellaney, an analyst and critic of China, who often advises the Indian government as saying: “The political turmoil, more than Rajapaksa’s return to power, works to China’s advantage. In country after country, China has exploited internal disarray to advance its objectives.”
• In Sri Lanka’s case, China’s “deep pockets” have meant that even though the Sirisena government initially promised to re-evaluate Chinese investment, it was unable to because India and the United States were unable to provide an equivalent amount of money for its projects — or to get it out of Chinese debt.
• However, now that China’s “debt-trap” strategy has been demonstrated, other countries must do their most to avoid it, and richer countries like the United States should step up and offer alternative investment schemes.

CONCLUSION

India must avoid erring too much on the side of caution, however reasonable this may be, unlike in case of Maldives political crisis.

In Sri Lanka’s case, military intervention likewise ought to be on the table, one that is better than India remaining silent and watching a geopolitical noose be slowly drawn around it, especially if it is proven that the democratic and legal processes of the country are being thwarted with financial pressure, thuggish force, or extra-constitutional decisions.

Where India, Japan ties stand now and what is planned for the future

Context

• The 13th India-Japan annual summit commenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe visiting a factory of FANUC Corporation, one of the largest makers of industrial robots in the world.
• The visit to the FANUC facility was important in the context of India’s move towards Industry 4.0 by leveraging developments in the fields such as AI, IoT, 3D printing and robotics.

Background

• Japan and India are partners in peace, with a common interest in and complementary responsibility for promoting the security, stability and prosperity of Asia as well as in advancing international peace and equitable development.
• At the beginning of the 21st century, Japan and India resolved to take their bilateral relationship to a qualitatively new level.
• Today, India and Japan share a global vision of peace, stability and shared prosperity, based on sustainable development. Shared democratic values and commitment to human rights, pluralism, open society, and the rule of law underpin the global partnership between the two countries.
• The global partnership between India and Japan reflects a broad convergence of their long term political, economic and strategic interests, aspirations, objectives and concerns.
• Japan and India view each other as partners that have responsibility for, and are capable of, responding to global and regional challenges in keeping with their global partnership.
• A strong, prosperous and dynamic India is, therefore, in the interest of Japan and vice versa.

Shared Universal Values and Vision

• 2017 holds special significance since it marks a decade of Japanese Prime Minister’s celebrated speech at the Indian Parliament— ‘Confluence of the Two Seas’, underscoring shared universal values and interests.
• Ten years down the line, India is envisioned as a critical strategic anchor in Abe’s latest ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’.
• India-Japan ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’, aimed at securing strategic stability and economic prosperity of the Indo-Pacific space, culminated into the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) this year.

Asia-Africa Growth Corridor

• The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor or AAGC is an economic cooperation agreement between the governments of India and Japan.
• It aims for Indo-Japanese collaboration to develop quality infrastructure in Africa, complemented by digital connectivity, which would undertake the realization of the idea of creating free and open Indo-Pacific Region.
• The AAGC will give priority to development projects in health and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and agro-processing, disaster management and skill enhancement. The connectivity aspects of the AAGC will be supplemented with quality infrastructure.
• Unlike OBOR, now BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), which entails development of both land corridor and ocean, AAGC will essentially be a sea corridor linking Africa with India and other countries of South-East Asia and Oceania by rediscovering ancient sea-routes and creating new sea corridors that will link ports in Jamnagar (Gujarat) with Djibouti in the Gulf of Eden and similarly the ports of Mombasa and Zanzibar will be connected to ports near Madurai; Kolkata will be linked to Sittwe port in Myanmar.

Action-oriented Partnership

• In keeping with ‘India-Japan Vision 2025’, robust bilateral relations have laid the foundation to expand the scope of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific theatre. Strong India–strong Japan will not only enrich two nations. It will also be a stabilising factor in Asia and the world.
• The 2016 India-Japan Joint Statement underscores the importance of coordinating bilaterally and with other countries to develop better regional connectivity and facilitating industrial networks.

Securing the Maritime Commons

• As maritime democracies, both nations have argued for rules-based international order, freedom of navigation and over flight, unrestricted lawful commerce, and peaceful settlement of disputes.
• India, US and Japan conducted the annual Malabar Exercise in the Bay of Bengal in July 2017 aimed at enhancing interoperability between the navies of the three democracies and strengthening trilateral cooperation in the Indo-pacific region.
• With the aim of augmenting cooperation, both India and Japan are considering incorporation of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) training and exchanges by ASW aviation units such as P-3C in addition to mine-counter measures (MCM) training.
• The ‘shared responsibility’ in securing the regional SLOC (Sea Lines of Communication) as a ‘public good’ reinforces India-Japan maritime cooperation.
• Japan desires India’s cooperation in guarding the Indian Ocean SLOCs since it is critical for its energy shipments. With dependence on imports for 94 per cent of its primary energy supply, Japan is severely dependent on Middle Eastern oil imports, and the Indian Ocean is, therefore, vital for Japanese energy imports from the region.
• While Japan has depended on the US Navy for safeguarding critical SLOCs, it is increasingly cognisant of India’s capabilities in playing a productive role in defending the regional sea lanes.
• At the India-Japan shipping policy forum, launched in 2010, both countries focus on cooperation in the maritime sector such as the development of ship recycling facilities, ports and inland water transport, ship building and repair, and cooperation on International Maritime Organisation (IMO) issues.
• Besides, there is a 2+2 dialogue framework between the Foreign and Defence Secretaries of both countries since 2010, as mandated by the Action Plan to Advance Security Cooperation concluded in December 2009.

Special Strategic and Global Partnership

• There is a shared recognition that a stronger bilateral strategic partnership entails wider cooperation while responding to global and regional challenges and jointly contributing to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
• Both defence ministers stressed the value of deepening interaction between the respective governments and defence industries with the aim of enabling collaboration in defence and dual-use technologies.
• The difficult negotiation over cost and technology transfer with regard to the US-2 amphibious aircraft has not restricted the two countries from exploring and identifying specific items and future areas for cooperation.
• Building on the ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’, Indian navy has issued Request for Information (RFI) to six overseas manufacturers including Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries to build six advanced submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology under the Project 75 (I) initiative.
• Two agreements signed in December 2015 — ‘Agreement Concerning Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology Cooperation’ and ‘Agreement Concerning Security Measures for the Protection of Classified Military Information’, marked a new beginning in bilateral defence cooperation.

India-Japan relations in recent past

• The Japan-India Association was set up in 1903 and is one of the oldest international friendship bodies in Japan.
• As the 13th India-Japan annual summit got under way, Japan had pledged Rs 33,800 crore in government and private sector investments following the first Modi-Abe meeting in 2014.
• The two countries have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2011 to facilitate growth in bilateral trade. This was described as the most comprehensive of all such agreements concluded by India covering trade in goods and services, movement of persons, investments, intellectual property rights, Customs procedures and other trade related issues.
• The CEPA envisages abolition of tariffs on over 94% of items traded between India and Japan over a period of 10 years.
• While Japan has been one of the biggest sources of investment flows into India, accounting for $28.16 billion in FDI between April 2000 and June 2018, trade engagements have been below potential. On the list of countries that India exports to, Japan is a lowly 18th; on the list of countries importing into India, Japan ranks 12th.

“Currency Swap Agreement” between India and Japan: How it will help India

• The big announcement was the decision to conclude a $75 billion bilateral currency swap agreement, which is expected to help stabilise fluctuations in the value of the rupee vis-a-vis the dollar, and bring down the cost of capital for Indian companies while accessing foreign capital markets.
• It involves the exchange of interest and sometimes principal in one currency, for the same in another currency. This facility will enable the agreed amount of foreign capital being available to India for use as and when the need arises.
• The facility will serve as a second line of defence for the rupee after the $ 393.5 billion of foreign exchange reserves.
• It would not only enable the agreed amount of capital being available to India, it will also bring down the cost of capital for Indian entities, while accessing the foreign capital market.

Big-ticket investments by Japan in India

• Japan has been extending bilateral loan and grant assistance to India since 1958, and is its largest bilateral donor.
• In the last five years, $90 billion has gone into the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, which will see new towns, industrial parks, ports and airports alongside the 1,483-km high-speed rail and road line being developed between two of India’s top cities.
• Japan is also backing the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (bullet train) service and has released the first tranche of Rs 5,500 crore. A pact for the second tranche was inked Monday.
• Approximately 81% of the cost of the project is to be funded through a soft loan from Japan’s government.
• Discussions have also taken place on the Dedicated Freight Corridor, a project of close to Rs 50,000 crore of which Japanese assistance has been of about Rs 38,000 crore.
• The first section of 190 km, from New Ateli to New Phulera stations, has been opened on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor while the next segment of 492 km between Rewari and Marwar is likely to open early next year. Final completion is targeted for March 2020.
• Progress on some of the Metro projects being funded by the Japanese across Indian cities was taken stock of, including the Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System and Chennai Metro.

The China Factor

Evidence of Chinese factor in Indo-Japan Relations-

1. Both the countries have border (land/maritime) issues with China- a common ‘enemy’ for India and Japan.

• Border conflicts between India and China have been a long issue and it is evident from the recent dispute over the Doklam plateau in the Himalayas.
• Japan has the similar border issue with China. Both the countries have the simmering territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea are known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.
• At present, both the island is administered by Japan but are claimed by China. The conflict has been on rising in the last few years is because of increasing China’s maritime mightiness in the region.

2. Alliance with the USA, and its Pivot to Asia Policy in the Asia-Pacific Region.

• In the last few years, India has strengthened it’s diplomatic, economic as well as the military ties with the USA in a view to check growing China’s growing influence in Asia.
• India and USA, both the countries using each other’s military facilities that is evident from the last year’s Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and other foundational agreements like CISMOA and BECA have been a headache for China.
• India’s ‘Act East Policy’ (AEP) admirably waning the influence of China in the region. Through AEP, India has imparted greater vigour to its ties with ASEAN.
• So, India has a great opportunity if she able to align its AEP with the USA .India should seek to expand its geo-strategic space to contend with China’s growing assertiveness and foster balanced relations.

3. The dominance of China in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean and Pacific Region. The threat to commercial and strategic interests of both the nations.

• India has already shown its genuine concern over South China Sea and sought to firmly articulate its principled position of freedom of navigation, maritime security.
• The expeditious resolution of the dispute according to international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, developing a Code of Conduct, and settlement through dialogue and peaceful means.
• India’s more than 40 percent of total trade volume traverses through the South China Sea, and on account of its interest in harnessing fossil resources in the region.

Challenges Ahead

• A challenge for Modi is to correct the lopsided trade and calibrate China’s market access to progress on bilateral political, territorial and water disputes, or else Beijing will fortify its leverage against India.
• After all, China does not shy away from making efforts to block the rise of India and Japan, including by stepping up military pressure on them and opposing the expansion of the UN Security Council’s permanent membership.

Way Forward

• The two sides also decided to start negotiations on the crucial Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which will enhance the strategic depth of bilateral security and defence cooperation.
• Another new area where India is likely to make a pitch is for greater synergy or integration between the Ayushman Bharat project and the Japanese programme called Asia Health and Wellbeing Initiative, including how to leverage Japan’s strengths in areas such as medical equipment and hospitals.
• The two leaders shared their view that in order to achieve shared vision, India and Japan must endeavour to work together for a rules-based and inclusive world order that fosters trust and confidence by enhancing communication and connectivity to ensure rule of law, unimpeded trade and flow of people, technology and ideas for shared prosperity.
• 21st century will be Asia’s century and Indo-Japan ties will play a key role in shaping it. Both have agreed to start the 2+2 dialogue. It’s objective is to promote peace and stability in the world.”

Conclusion

• Japanese ODA supports India’s development in sectors such as power, transportation, environmental projects and projects related to basic human needs.
• Recently, a ‘Cool EMS Service’ was started, under which Japanese food items permissible under Indian regulations are transported in cool boxes from Japan to India through postal channels.
• Both sides are striving to push a digital partnership, with the NITI Aayog being the nodal point on the Indian side and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on the Japanese side. Areas of potential collaboration include AI, IoT, and big data.

Why in news?

• The Union Cabinet has cleared the National Medical Commission Bill, which does away with the Medical Council of India (MCI)
• The bill replaces MCI with a regulator that will do away with “heavy-handed regulatory control” over medical institutions

Present structure

1. Presently Medical education in India is regulated by the MCI
2. The Medical Council of India (MCI) was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933.The Act was repealed and replaced by the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956

Functions

• Maintenance of uniform standards of medical education,
• Recognition/de recognition of medical qualifications and medical colleges,
• The registration of doctors
• Members: The MCI has elected members from the medical fraternity

Why this bill?

• The Bill is aimed at bringing reforms in the medical education sector which has been under scrutiny for corruption and unethical practices.
• Over the years, the Medical Council of India has become a seat of corruption and has fallen into the hands of a small lobby of private medical practitioners.
• Instead of attracting professionals of high calibre, it is run by a coterie secure in the belief that they will be protected by politicians and bureaucrats at the highest levels.

Key provisions of the original bill

1. The Bill sets up the National Medical Commission (NMC).  The NMC will regulate medical education and practice.  It will determine fees for up to 40% seats in private medical institutions and deemed universities.
2. The NMC will consist of 25 members.  A Search Committee will recommend names to the central government for the post of Chairperson, and the part time members.
3. Four autonomous Boards have been set up under the supervision of the NMC.  These Boards will focus on undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, assessment and rating, and ethical conduct.
4. There will be a National Licentiate Examination for doctors to obtain a licence to practice after graduation.  This examination will also be the basis for admission to post-graduate medical courses.
5. State Medical Councils will receive complaints relating to professional or ethical misconduct against a doctor.  If the doctor is aggrieved of a decision of the State Medical Council, he may appeal to successively higher levels of authority.

Amendments approved in Bill

In April 2018, Centre amended the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which will now be tabled in Parliament.

Key features of the amended bill

• Final MBBS Examination and exit test: The final MBBS examination will be held as common exam throughout country. It will serve as exit test to be called National Exit Test (NEXT). It will ease burden on medical students as they will not have to appear in separate exam after MBBS to get license to practice. NEXT will also serve as screening test for doctors with foreign medical qualifications in order to practice in India.
• Provision of Bridge course: It removes provision dealing with bridge course for AYUSH practitioners to practice modern medicine to limited extent. Now state governments have been empowered to take necessary measures for addressing and promoting primary health care in rural areas.
• Fee regulation:  The maximum limit of 40% seats for which fee will be regulated in private medical institutions and deemed universities has been increased to 50% seats. The fee will also include all other charges taken by colleges.
• Number of nominees from States/UTs in NMC: The nominees of States and UTs in National Medical Commission (NMC) have been increased from 3 to 6. TNMC will comprise of 25 members of which at least 21 will be doctors.
• Monetary penalty for medical colleges: It adds provision providing different options for warning, reasonable monetary penalty, reducing intake, stoppage of admission leading up to withdrawal of recognition on medical college non-compliant with norms. Earlier, wide range of monetary penalty, ranging from one half to ten times annual fee recovered from batch was to be imposed in a graded manner.
• Stringent punishment for quacks: It provides severe punishment for any unauthorized practice of medicine or by quacks with imprisonment of up to 1 year along with fine extending up to Rs. 5 lakhs.

The significance of the bill

NMC to be less draconian:

• Deterrence for non-compliance with maintenance of standards is in terms of monetary penalty
• The new commission will also have the power to frame guidelines for fees for up to 50% seats in private colleges and deemed universities

Checks and Balances:

• The NMC bill was floated to ensure transparency with the division of powers.
• Under the NMC  three independent boards-Search and Selection Committee (SSC), Medical Advisory Council, and the National Medical Commission- will operate with autonomy from the others, thereby creating a mechanism for check and balances.

Uniform quality of doctor throughout the country:

• The final MBBS examination would be held as a common exam across the country. This would serve as an exit test, called the National Exit Test (NEXT), and would be a prerequisite to practice Allopathy.
• The common exam is expected to ascertain uniform quality of doctors throughout the country.

Will expand the health workforce

• The first draft of the Bill proposes to streamline various AYUSH and Homeopathic practitioners and create an integrated healthcare model where the state governments decide the modalities of the provision.
• Under this mechanism, less specialised health workers are trained to strengthen and expand the health workforce. This will reduce the scarcity of doctors

Issues/challenges with the bill

1. Against democratic spirit:

• • The NMC Bill, aimed at replacing the existing Medical Council of India, will have a 25-member commission nominated by the Union government.
  • This will cripple the democratic functioning of the medical profession by making it completely answerable to the bureaucracy.

2. Dominance of doctors:

• Two-thirds of the members in the NMC are medical practitioners.
• Expert committees have recommended that the regulator should consist of more diverse stakeholders in order to reduce the influence of medical practitioners in regulating medical education and practice.

3. No full-proof protection against Corruption:

• It is not clear how the National Medical Commission, consisting of members who are all nominated in various ways by the government and the health bureaucracy, will be kept free of corrupting influences.
• If a system of democratic representation can be twisted to serve vested interests, there is no guarantee that a body consisting entirely of nominated members will be free of corrupting influences.

4. No requirement for renewal:

• There is no requirement for periodic renewal of the licence to practice.  Some countries require periodic testing to ensure that practitioners remain up to date, fit to practice, and give good care to patients

5. No provision of an appellate body:

• In cases of professional or ethical misconduct by medical practitioners, the practitioners can appeal a decision of the NMC to the central government.
• It is unclear why the central government, and not a judicial body, is the appellate authority.

6. Will promote Expensive Private medical education:

• The National Medical Commission Bill takes forward the move to legitimise profit-making in medical education by proposing that the fees in private medical colleges for 50% of the seats be regulated, thereby allowing the charging of exorbitant fees for the remaining 50% seats.
• Clearly, the Bill embodies a vision for medical education that does not include higher public investment but, rather, clears the way for converting medical education into a lucrative profit-making venture.

7. Anti-federal:

IMA has called the proposal of centrally-administered common exam anti-federal. It has asserted that the bill marginalises state governments, state medical councils and state health universities.

Way Forward

• Increase number of doctors more doctors and imparting proper training in their respective fields
• Presence of public and private healthcare to remotest of regions
• The problem of brain drain should be addressed. Emigration of doctors is a major factor contributing to shortage of doctors. Further, the issue of reluctance of serving in rural areas should be addressed.  NMC should limit emigration of newly graduated doctors.

Context

Since 2017, October 15 is celebrated as Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas in India.

INTRODUCTION

• Economic Survey 2017-18, says that with growing rural to urban migration by men, there is ‘feminisation’ of agriculture sector, with increasing number of women in multiple roles as cultivators, entrepreneurs, and labourers.
• Globally, there is empirical evidence that women have a decisive role in ensuring food security and preserving local agro-biodiversity.
• Rural women are responsible for the integrated management and use of diverse natural resources to meet the daily household needs. This requires that women farmers should have enhanced access to resources like land, water, credit, technology and training which warrants critical analysis in the context of India.
• In addition, the entitlements of women farmers will be the key to improve agriculture productivity.

What is feminization of agriculture?

The term ‘Feminization of agriculture’ refers to increasing participation of women in agricultural activities. It can be interpreted in the following ways:

• An increase in the percentage of women who are economically active in agricultural sector either as self-employed or as agriculture wage workers or unremunerated family workers
• An increase in the percentage of women in agricultural labour force relative to men, either because of more women are working or because of fewer men are working in agriculture.
• The extent to which women define, control and enact the processes of agriculture

Women in Indian agriculture: Statistics

• Participation of both men and women in agriculture has declined, but the rate of decline has been faster among men than it has among women.
• Decline among women has been specifically in relation to their roles as cultivators, however their numbers as agricultural labourers have increased
• The Agriculture Census (2010-11) shows that out of an estimated 118.7 million cultivators, 30.3% were females. Similarly, out of an estimated 144.3 million agricultural labourers, 42.6% were females.
• According to Census 2011, there has been a 24% increase in the number of female agricultural labourers between 2001 and 2011.
• As per Census 2011, out of total female main workers, 55% were agricultural labourers and 24% cultivators.

Role of Women in Agriculture and Allied Activities:

Rural women are engaged in agricultural activities in three different ways depending on the socio-economic status: They are work as:

• Agricultural Labourers.
• Cultivator doing labour on their own land.
• Managers of certain aspects of agricultural production by way of labour supervision and the participation in post-harvest operations.

Functions performed:

• Agricultural Activities: Sowing, transplanting, weeding, irrigation, fertilizer application, plant protection, harvesting, winnowing, storing etc.
• Allied Activities: Cattle management, fodder collection, milking etc.
• Women play an important role in agricultural development, in ensuring food security and preserving local agro-biodiversity.
• Rural women are also responsible for the integrated management and use of diverse natural resources to meet the daily household needs.

Causes of Feminization of Indian Agriculture:

1. Poverty: Poverty is a major factor due to which women are women are forced to work as agricultural labourers to supplement the family’s income. Women also work as unremunerated workers in family fields.
2. Agrarian Distress and Shift of men to Casual work: Agrarian distress is a predominant factor for disruption of farm labour or de-pesantatization i.e. migration of males from agriculture towards casual work. According to a 2013 report published in The Hindu, between 2001 and 2011, a total of 7.7 million farmers left agriculture. With rising shift of men from farm to non-farm activities, women have got absorbed in agricultural and allied activities.
3. Migration to Urban Areas: According to the Economic Survey 2017-18, with growing rural to urban migration by men, there has been ‘feminisation’ of agriculture sector; there has been an increase in participation of women as cultivators, labourers and entrepreneurs.
4. Mechanization of agriculture: With increased mechanisation of agriculture, men have moved to other non-farm activities while women have been confined to traditional roles such as winnowing, harvesting, sowing seeds and rearing livestock.
5. Mobility: The upward mobility of women for employment is restricted and is further constrained by gender wage differentials. As per Census, about 33.7% of rural males migrate for reasons of employment and better economic opportunities. However, in the case of females, it is as low as 3.6% for rural females.

Issues:

1. Access to land: Lack of access to land is the major challenge faced by women in Indian agriculture. As per Census Agricultural Census (2015-16), out of a total 146 million operational holdings, the percentage share of female operational holders is only 13.87%.
2. Access to credit: A lack of ownership of land does not allow women farmers to approach banks for institutional loans as banks usually consider land as collateral.
3. Access to agricultural inputs: When compared to men, women generally have less access to resources and modern inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) to make farming more productive.
4. Access to technology: Mechanization of agriculture has resulted in confinement of women in low paying traditional works. Further, most farm machinery is difficult for women to operate.
5. Access to education, training and extension services: Access to education, agricultural training and extension services for women has been predominantly low as compared to men.
6. Managing different roles: In addition to intensive work on the farm all day, women are also expected to fulfil domestic obligations like cooking, child rearing, water collection, fuel wood gathering, household maintenance etc.
7. Wage: Despite more work for longer hours when compared to male farmers, women farmers have lower wage rates and at times remain unpaid.
8. Marketing: Small and marginal farmers in India lack adequate access to marketing facilities due to lack of basic infrastructure like market yards, roads and transportation, and storage including freezers and presence of middlemen. Additional constraints for women include seclusion, lack of literacy, knowledge and information. Further, women have no representation in agricultural marketing committees and other similar bodies.
9. Feminization of poverty: Women lack viable livelihood alternatives, and are forced to undertake farm activities that have been left by men due to agrarian distress. According to scholars, feminization of agriculture in India is actually “feminization of agrarian distress” or can also be termed as “feminization of poverty”.
10. Violence: Violence and sexual harassment at workplace is a major issue faced by women agricultural labours and cultivators in India which mostly goes unreported.
11. Health and Occupational Hazards: Women face health hazards in the cultivation of many crops and plantations due to lack of training, lack of protective gears and long working hours. Lack of nutritional security further perpetuates health issues.

Government efforts

The following measures have been taken to ensure the mainstreaming of women in agriculture sector:

1. The government has earmarked at least 30% of the budget allocation for women beneficiaries in all ongoing schemes/programmes and development activities.
2. Women centric activities have been initiated to ensure benefits of various beneficiary-oriented programs/schemes reach them.
3. The government has been focusing on women self-help group (SHG) to connect them to micro-credit through capacity building activities and to provide information and ensuring their representation in different decision-making bodies.
4. Since, most farmers including women farmers are marginal farmers, the government has proposed that crop land holdings must be consolidated to reap the benefits of agricultural mechanisation including enhanced productivity, promote the rental model of farm machinery and reduce the cost of operations.
5. Recognizing the critical role of women in agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has declared 15th October of every year as Women Farmer’s Day.

Way Forward:

1. A gender analysis is important for development policies and programs directed at agriculture. The Economic Survey (2017-18) recommended that there is an urgent need for ‘inclusive transformative agricultural policy’ aimed at gender-specific interventions.
2. The government should ensure access to secure land and property rights. A formal access to land will help increase productivity by facilitating investments and would ensure household food security and nutrition
3. Provision of credit without collateral under the micro-finance initiative of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development should be encouraged
4. The training of rural women to help them adopt modern agricultural techniques that are tailored to local conditions and that use natural resources in a sustainable manner. Krishi Vigyan Kendras in every district can be assigned an additional task to educate and train women farmers about innovative technology along with extension services.
5. It is important to have gender-friendly tools and machinery for various farm operations. Manufacturers should be incentivised to come up with more women-friendly machineries.
6. Legal measures should be taken to ensure equal pay for work of equal value. Women should be made aware to help them negotiate equal wages and women organizations and unions can play an important role in this. The ILO has developed a program named Women’s Education for Integrating Women Members in Rural Workers’ Organizations with the objective of increasing empowerment of rural women in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
7. To achieve the full economic benefit from employment, rural women should be provided a greater choice over their occupations so that they are not forced to do the work left behind by men. It is thus important to have overall women empowerment through education, awareness and doing away with gender biases.

CONCLUSION

• With women predominant at all levels-production, pre-harvest, post-harvest processing, packaging, marketing – of the agricultural value chain, to increase productivity in agriculture, it is imperative to adopt gender specific interventions.
• An ‘inclusive transformative agricultural policy’ should aim at gender-specific intervention to raise productivity of small farm holdings, integrate women as active agents in rural transformation, and engage men and women in extension services with gender expertise.

Why in news?

Recently, a loan agreement of US$ 125.00 million was signed between India and World Bank for a National Biopharma Mission’s project titled “Innovate in India (i3) for inclusiveness”.

Need of Mission

• India has been an active player in the pharmaceutical industry and has contributed globally towards making life-saving drugs and low-cost pharmaceutical products accessible and affordable for those in need.
• Despite, these advances Indian biopharmaceutical industry is still 10-15 years behind their counterparts in the developed countries and faces stiff competition from China, Korea and others.
• The lacuna primarily exists due to disconnected centres of excellence, less focus on translational research and staggered funding.
• There was an immediate need felt to focus on consolidated efforts to promote product discovery, translational research and early stage manufacturing in the country to ensure inclusive innovation.

About

1. This is an Industry-Academia mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical development in India.
2. The following are the objectives of the Mission :

• Development of products from leads that are at advanced stages in the product development lifecycle and relevant to the public health.
• Strengthening and establishing shared infrastructure facilities for both product discovery validation and manufacturing.
• Developing human capital by providing specific training to address the critical skills gaps in researchers, nascent biotech companies across the product development value chain, including in business plan development and market penetration.
• Creating and enhancing technology transfer and intellectual property management capacities and capabilities in the public and private sector.

INNOVATE IN INDIA (i3)

1. Its a program launched under National Biopharma Mission.
2. It aims to enable and nurture an ecosystem for preparing India’s technological and product development capabilities in biopharmaceutical to a level that will be globally competitive over the next decade and transform the health standards of India’s population through affordable product development.
3. The main focus area of the program includes :

• It will specifically focus on the development of new vaccines, bio-therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices to address the rising burden of diseases in the country.
• The programme will help deliver 6-10 new products in the next five years, create several dedicated facilities for next-generation skills, and hundreds of jobs in the process.
• It intends to collectively fill the missing link between the discovery and development and bring together private sector, Government and academia which we can call triple helix of medical innovation which can spur further development.

• The initial focus will be on Vaccines for HPV, Dengue and biosimilars for cancer, diabetics and rheumatoid arthritis and medical devices and diagnostics.
• Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public-sector enterprise under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), is the implementing agency of the mission.

Conclusion

• The mission has the potential to boost the growth curve for domestic biopharma in India by accelerating the translation of research concepts into viable products, enabling sustainable networks for collaboration between industry and academia, and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystem amongst many others.
• The program has a great potential to take it further & move the idea of Make in India to Innovate in India

Why in News

In November 2017, for the first time, the interlocutor for Naga Peace talks held talks with all the stakeholders.

The issue

1. Naga people demands a separate new country named the Greater Nagalim.
2. Greater Nagaland consists of entire Nagaland + Naga inhabited parts of Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar.
3. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak Muivah) or NSCN (I-M), the then most lethal insurgency group, agreed to a ceasefire in 1997 after peace talks.
4. Over the years, there were over 80 rounds of negotiations and finally, in 2015, a framework agreement was signed.
5. The objective of the agreement is to build strong ties among Nagas across the region, without considerably changing the jurisdictional and administrative authority of neighbouring states.

Reasons for delay in the resolution

Naga people are a proud race and are holding on to their unique cultures, traditions, and language.

• Naga consists of 16 major tribes each with a perspective of the nationality of its own.
• Each tribe has its village republics that is an important part of their culture.
• These diversities resulted in many varied narratives on the concept of nationality and hence Naga Nationalism is both a movement and a sentiment.

1. Also, there is the issue of holding on to the Indian nation.
2. Therefore, Nagas has this dilemma of holding on its unique history and the promise of a better future (with India) without disturbing the past.
3. But the tribal loyalty often interrupts the collective action for the future of Nagaland.

Opportunity for peace

1. The central government’s interlocutor for the Naga peace talks has been handling the issue with a different approach.
2. He interacted and met so many Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) and civil society groups.
3. He was able to create for the first time that integral space where all voices are heard with equal respect.
4. But NSCN (I-M) doesn’t like the idea of everyone being the stakeholders as they were the one who signed the 2015 framework agreement and they along have the right to take major decisions.

Way forward

The peace talks may have initiated by the NSCN (I-M) but it has now become more inclusive. This political consensus and faith in the process offer hope as far as the framework agreement is concerned. At this point, the Naga people should take a more pragmatic and balanced approach to the past.

Practice question

“Peace talks with Nagas has been elusive for more than a decade”. In light of this statement, critically analyze the issue of Nagas, the reasons for the delay in the resolution and the recent developments.

 

Why in news?

NITI Aayog is helping the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas draft a Cabinet note on methanol.

Cabinet note on methanol

1. It covers all aspects and issues that may pose an impediment for the implementation of methanol policy.
2. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas, Fertiliser, and Coal among others are working together to create the methanol policy.
3. The facilitator would be the NITI Aayog.
4. International collaborations have also been considered for the policy formulation.
5. The objective is to get help during the interim period until coal to methanol production in India reaches the level that meets the demand in the country. Until then, there is a need to import a certain quantity of methanol.

The significance of methanol for India

• Methanol is a cost-effective, non-polluting and versatile fuel. Petrol, diesel or Liquefied Natural Gas can be fully or partially replaced by Methanol. Thus reducing India’s dependence on energy imports.
• Ethanol is largely made from plant-based sources like sugarcane and vegetable oil. But India can’t afford this due to land constraints. But methanol can be derived from a variety of renewable, non-renewable and hugely available feedstock. These include agricultural biomass, urban solid waste, coal, and natural gas. CO2 in the air can also be considerably reduced with methanol.
• Methanol production is highly possible in India due to the 125 billion tonnes of proven coal reserves, 500 million tonnes annual generation of biomass and considerable quantities of stranded natural gas.
• Methanol can significantly contribute to saving cost as it is locally generated and relatively cheaper. Indian Railways is considering turning its entire fleet of 6,000 diesel engines to methanol-operated locomotives. This could reduce the energy bill of railways by half.
• Furthermore, the vehicular pollution can also be reduced by 40% if about 20% of crude oil imports are substituted by methanol.
• Hence, methanol can serve both energy and environmental objectives.

Challenges

• Methanol is almost non-polluting fuel. But during the process of making methanol from coal, a large amount of CO2 is emitted.
• This will need to be either captured and stored or utilized to co-generate power in methanol plants. But the technology for this purpose requires further refinement and scaling up.
• Only up to 15% of methanol doping can be accepted by today’s internal combustion engines and that too with some modifications. For higher levels of blending, changes in the engine design are required.

Way forward

However, the overall gains from the use of methanol outweigh its drawbacks. It could definitely add a new dimension to the country’s energy security. Hence methanol policy would be a welcome step

Practice question

1. Discuss the significance and the concerns regarding methanol production in India.

Why in news?

Recently SC condemned the recent spate of lynchings as horrendous acts of mobocracy and told Parliament to make lynching a separate offence.

What is Mob Lynching?

• Lynching is a premeditated extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate a group.
• It is an extreme form of informal group social control such as charivari,skimmington, riding the rail, and tarring and feathering, and often conducted with the display of a public spectacle for maximum intimidation.
• It is to be considered an act of terrorism and punishable by law.

Statistics

• The data website India Spend has compiled instances of cow-linked violence from 2010 to 2017. It found that during this period, 28 people were killed in 63 such incidents.
• An overwhelming 97% of these attacks took place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government came to power in May 2014.
• About 86% of those killed were Muslims. In 21% of the cases, the police filed cases against the victims/survivors.
• Cow-related lynchings rose sharply in 2017. This marks a 75% increase over 2016, which had been the worst year for mob lynchings since 2010.

Why anti-lynching law is necessary?

1. Fills the void: It fills a void in our criminal jurisprudence.
2. At present there is no law that criminalises mob killings: The Indian Penal Code has provisions for unlawful assembly, rioting, and murder but nothing that takes cognisance of a group of people coming together to kill (a lynch mob).
3. Rise in Lynching incidents: As the India spend data shows that their has been rise in lynching incidents in recent years.

Reason for the rise in lynchings

1. Impunity

• Major reason for the recent rise in lynchings is impunity.
• The lynch mobs that murdered several people were confident of getting away with it. So far, the state has done little to shake that confidence.
• The problem is not mob lynching per se but the mob lynching of minorities, for that is where impunity kicks in.
• In the case of cow-linked lynchings, a lot depends on whether the incumbent in power considers it compatible with its political interests to crack down on such attacks.

2. Fake news

• Another factor which gave rise to lynchings is the spread of fake news through social media platform.

3. Modernity

• With modernity, there is growth of individualism and an erosion of associational life
• Associations encourage us to appreciate others culture and moderate our aggressive instincts.

4.Unemployment

• High Unemployment rates leave millions of youth unengaged.

Effect of lynching

State

• It is against the values upheld in constitution of India.
• Every individual have certain fundamental rights any violence would be curtailment of this right.
• No regard to law and order in society.
• This may lead to growth of feeling of sub-nationalism.
• Radical and extremists organisations such as ISIS etc could take leverage of atmosphere created by such incidents

Society

• This impact solidarity of society and idea of Unity in diversity
• This create an atmosphere of majority v/s minority
• It could aggravate caste, class and communal hatred.
• This may increase the extent of domestic conflict and subsequent militarization.
• Such acts shows loss of tolerance in the society and people are being swayed by emotions,prejudices etc.

Economy

• Lynching destroys the social fabric of the country, which indirectly effects the economy of the country.This impacts both foreign and domestic investment thereby adversely affecting sovereign ratings. Many International agencies warned India against mob lynching incidents.
• It directly hampers internal migration which in turn affects economy.
• Large resources deployed to tackle such menaces induces extra burden on state-exchequer.
• These incidents would led to selective distribution of investment which may impact regional balance.

SC View on lynching:

• SC condemned the recent spate of lynchings as horrendous acts of mobocracy and told Parliament to make lynching a separate offence.
• It said the primary obligation of the government is to protect all individuals irrespective of race, caste, class or religion.
• It observed that Crime knows no religion and neither the perpetrator nor the victim can be viewed through the lens of race, caste, class or religion.
• It directed several preventive, remedial and punitive measures to deal with lynching and mob violence.
• It ordered the Centre and the States to implement the measures and file compliance reports within the next four weeks.
• It ordered the Centre and the States to take immediate steps to stop the dissemination of fake news or stories on social media, which tends to whip up a mob frenzy.
• The court ordered the State governments to have a special task force to procure intelligence on people likely to spread hate speeches, provocative statements and fake news in each district.
• The court directed that the police shall register an FIR under Section 153A (promoting enmity) of the IPC against the suspects.
• If found guilty, a person faces up to five years of imprisonment.
• The trial shall be held in a fast-track court on a day-to-day basis and completed in six months.
• Maximum sentence should be granted to the guilty to make an example of them and serve as a deterrent.

Will the anti-lynching law be enough?

1. Its success depends on its implementation:

• The effectiveness of the new law, if passed by Parliament, will depend on its implementation.
• Going by past cases, the perpetrators of such crimes have so far escaped the hand of the law not because legal provisions were not in place, but for the lack of fair investigation, ineffective and delayed prosecution, threats to victims, policemen who looked the other way, and political support given to the accused

2. Already there are enough Provisions to deal with lynching:

• There are enough provisions in the Indian Penal Code — for example, Sections 302 (murder), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) — to tackle such incidents.
• These need to be implemented strongly and effectively. In September 2017, the Supreme Court had asked states to take strong measures, including appointing nodal officers at district level, to curb such instances of violence in the name of cow protection, but nothing much has happened to date.

3.Amend existing laws:

• First of all, we don’t have something which defines hate crimes in a detailed manner. The only section which we can bring into the picture here is Section 153 A.
• The Parliament can consider making the necessary amendments within the Penal Code instead of drafting a separate law for it.

Conclusion/way forward

• States should be far more vigilant and proactive in flagging rumours using social media and other platforms. Some states are doing it, others need to emulate these examples.
• For example, Telangana police officer, Rema Rajeshwari (Superintendent of Police, Jogulamba Gadwal district), has trained a team of 500 police officers to tackle the fake news menace.
• These officers go to villages to spread awareness about social issues. Police personnel have also been added to local WhatsApp groups in villages to spot rumours that could lead to violence.
• The more proactive the administration is in this regard, the stronger a deterrent it will be.
• There is also a need for special court for the trial of mob violence

 

Context

India and the U.S. signed COMCASA agreement on the side lines of the inaugural 2+2 dialogue.

India & US towards a strategic partnership

The defense relationship between the United States and India, on a steady upward trajectory this decade, crossed an important milestone last week. During the first-ever “two-plus-two” meeting of the two countries’ top defense and diplomatic officials, India and the United States concluded a third so-called foundational agreement to facilitate closer defense cooperation.

What is ‘2+2 dialogue’?

• A ‘two plus two dialogue’ is a term — adopted in foreign parleys — used for installation of a dialogue mechanism between two countries’ defence and external affairs ministries.
• To put it simply, ‘two plus two dialogue’ is an expression used to indicate that two appointed ministers from each country, the ministers of defence and external affairs in this case, will meet up to discuss the two countries’ strategic and security interests.
• The goal is to establish a diplomatic, yet fruitful, conversation between the two countries’ respective heads of defence and external affairs.

What is the COMCASA?

• The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) is one of the four foundational agreements that a country needs to sign to become a major defence partner of the United States. The agreement comes into effect immediately and has a lifespan of 10 years.

  • The other three agreements are General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMoA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).

  • COMCASA provides the legal framework for the US to part with its sensitive communication equipment and codes to enable transfer of real time operational information. This equipment is largely used for ground-to-air communication to enable best battle situation awareness.

  • It ensures that the militaries of the US and India can boost their “interoperability” as well as share operational intelligence in real-time in the years ahead.

  • For instance, if a US warship or aircraft detects a Chinese submarine in the Indian Ocean, it can convey to India through warships or aircraft equipped with COMCASA-protected equipment in real-time.

  • COMCASA allows the US to transfer high-tech avionics, encrypted communication and electronic systems as well as ensure secrecy of its C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) systems

• Previously, India and U.S. signed the “Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)”, for mutual logistic assistance between their militaries.

Logistical Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) formerly known as the Logistic Support Agreement (LSA)

• LEMOA is an agreement for the exchange of logistics support and supplies that are generally required during combined exercises, port calls and cooperative efforts in unforeseen exigencies like in an HADR situation.
• The agreement is not expected to serve as a mutual defence treaty.

Negotiations on the third agreement, “Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA)”, have not yet begun.

Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)

• It provides for sharing and data gathering of geospatial information.
• It is expected to provide access to unclassified geospatial data that improves navigation planning for exercises and geospatial training for coproducing geospatial products; this is an area where India has limited technical/technological expertise.

What are the reasons for the US’s keenness to sign the agreement?

• India-US trade (in goods) as a percentage of the US total, inched from 1.5 per cent in 2010 to 1.9 per cent in 2017 with Washington having an unfavourable trade balance of more than 30 per cent of the total value of trade.
• With a weak indigenous military-industrial base, India’s appetite for imported defence equipment is virtually insatiable. It has made India the largest importer of defence equipment with 12 per cent of the world share (2013-17).
• To take advantage of India’s defence market, the US pushed for the agreement and it was not due to any new vector in the US strategic calculus. And without the agreement, which secures the integrity of US manufactured defence equipment, it cannot sell platforms with the capability that India desires.
• U.S. officials state that India’s armed forces are currently dependent on less secure, commercially available communication systems for surveillance.
• These platforms are, therefore a hindrance in real time data sharing with friendly militaries, and seamless interoperability during joint missions.
• Hence, COMCASA will facilitate the Indian military to use of high-end secured communication equipment from the U.S.

Why it took time for India to sign COMCASA? The United States, since long, have been trying to maintain its position on barring countries including India from doing business with Russia and Iran on which it has imposed sanctions. However, India has been maintaining that purchase of Iranian crude is crucial to its energy security and it is also in the process of purchasing S-400 missile defence system from Russia whose agreement is ready to be signed in the upcoming months. The US, in this respect, said that as of now, no decision has been made for the S-400. It is working to impose sanctions in an appropriate way and will consider waivers only where it makes sense. US Secretary of Defence, James Mattis asserted that the US expects that the purchases of Iranian crude oil shall go down to zero from every country; else, sanctions will be imposed. The pact also raised concerns about data leakage to third parties. However, such concerns were addressed and there was “enough guarantee” that Indian data won’t be shared with its adversaries.

Significance of COMCASA

• The signing of COMCASA will enable India to access advanced technologies from the US and enhance India’s defence preparedness.

• The pact guarantees India access to critical US defence technologies and communication network to help the militaries of the two countries in their interoperability.

• Outside of interoperability, COMCASA will also open up the possibility of Indian military units gaining access to a secure Common Tactical Picture, which would allow, for instance, Indian Navy and Air Force surveillance aircraft and fighters to receive data from U.S. and friendly counterparts during exercises or operations.
• Additionally, given India’s access to previously restricted U.S. defense technology exports following its 2016 designation as a Major Defense Partner, COMCASA will open up the possibility of India importing U.S. systems unencumbered by possible limitations on guidance, communication, and sensor technologies.
• COMCASA will allow India to procure transfer specialised equipment for encrypted communications for US origin military platforms like the C-17, C-130 and P-8Is
• COMCASA will effectively mean that India shares the real-time American intelligence on military deployments by China and Pakistan
• COMCASA becomes particularly important as India is set to buy the combat version of Sea Guardian drones from the United States. The US would not have provided India with the weapon systems on the drone without COMCASA
• However, the signing of agreement does not mean that India would have to necessarily buy American military equipment
• Before signing the agreement, India made sure that it gets full access to equipment. There is no commitment on acquisition and there will be no disruption as well.
• As a consequence of COMCASA, India will get access to Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System, or CENTRIXS, which is the secure communication system network of the US.
• Navy ships with CENTRIXS on board can communicate securely with the U.S. Navy when needed and can benefit from the wider situational picture of the region as they have a large number of ships and aircraft deployed. This will reduce the stress on the assets and allow prioritising the deployments more efficiently.
• CENTRIXS consists of a collection of coalition wide area networks (WAN) known as enclaves” and is a “great enabler, allowing ship-to-ship operational dialogue between the two nations in text and web-based formats.

Safeguards

• It is believed that there are persistent concerns that this would allow U.S. Navy access to India’s own secure communication network and also that the information shared with the U.S. will be accessible by Pakistan.
• Officials brushed aside these fears as specific measures have been incorporated in the agreement to “have full access to the relevant equipment and there will be no disruptions”.
• Data acquired through such systems cannot be disclosed or transferred to any person or entity without India’s consent.
• Experts point out that the equipment administered under communications safety pacts does not provide access to onboard systems and databases in ways that compromise classified information.
• It is an enabling instrument and does not commit India to acquiring U.S. platforms.

ISSUES/ CRITICISM:

• The agreement will not be a gateway to US technology either. On the other hand, it can kill the fledgling Indian defence industry.
• The  Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, which the US often prefers, discourages technology transfer and even offsets. In any case, the US does not part with its technology easily.
• Therefore, unless we aggressively negotiate each import from the US to strengthen our defence base, the 2+2 dialogue will aggregate to minus one.
• Concerns have also been raised as to how signing COMCASA will “enhance Russia’s fears of compromising its high-value platforms, such as the leased Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine and the Su-30MKI combat aircraft” and that it will cause trouble with Russia.

India as defence partner of the United States 

How Defence Cooperation has been evolved over a period of time:

• Two parallel tracks of dialogue began in the 1990s. The strategic dialogue covering nuclear issues shifted gears following the nuclear tests of 1998 and imposition of sanctions by the U.S.
• The over a dozen rounds of talks between both the countries during 1998-2000 marked the most intense dialogue between the two countries. It helped change perceptions leading to the gradual lifting of sanctions.
• The next phase was the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership steered by the then National Security Advisers, Brajesh Mishra and Condoleezza Rice.
• The momentum received a new impulse, eventually leading to the conclusion of the India-U.S. bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2008.
• The defence dialogue began in 1995 with the setting up of the Defence Policy Group at the level of the Defence Secretary and his Pentagon counterpart and three Steering Groups to develop exchanges between the Services.
• A decade later, this was formalised and enlarged into the India-U.S. Defence Framework Agreementwhich was renewed for 10 years in 2015.
• Today, the U.S. is the country with which India undertakes the largest number of military exercises which have gradually evolved in scale and complexity.
• During the Cold War, more than three-fourths of India’s defence equipment was of Soviet origin. This gradually began to change, and in recent years, the U.S. and Israel emerged as major suppliers.

Engaging with Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and the Indian Army:

• The Indian Air Force went in for C-130J Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster aircraft, along with Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.
• The Indian Navy acquired a troop carrier ship and the P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft. An agreement for 24 multi-role helicopters for the Indian Navy is expected soon.
• The Indian Army went in for the M-777 howitzers and artillery radars. From a total of less than $400 million of defence acquisitions during 1947-2005, the U.S. has signed defence contracts of over $15 billion since.
• During the Obama administration, the US understood that a defence supply relationship needed to be backed by technology sharing and joint development and came up with the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTII).
• To get around export control licensing and other bureaucratic hurdles, an India Rapid Reaction Cell in the Pentagon was set up. In 2016, India was designated as a ‘Major Defence Partner’ country.
• Another step forward in the middle of this year was the inclusion of India in the Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) category, putting it on a par with allies in terms of technology access.
• The U.S. proposed its standard logistics support agreement text in 2003 which was finally concluded in 2016, after it was made into an India-specific text.
• It facilitates logistics supplies during port visits and joint exercises and does not contain any obligations for joint activity or any basing arrangements.
• The India-specific Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), is likely to be signed.
• With the possibility of acquiring armed Sea Guardian drones, COMCASA was necessary to ensure optimal use.

Conclusion:

It is important to recognize that Comcasa is an operational imperative for the Indian Armed Forces. Not only is the pact an useful enabler of operations interoperability with the US military, it is a legal instrument that facilitates the optimal exploitation of high-end communication equipment acquired from the US. India sceptics must know that there are no good remedies for imagined fears.