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  • Rethinking the defence doctrine

    Indian Army’s prevailing doctrine

    • The Army’s prevailing doctrine is designed to deter and defend against major conventional invasions.
    • This determines how the Army is organised, what equipment it operates, and where it is deployed.
    • The Army expects to win wars by launching its own punitive offensives after an enemy attack, to either destroy enemy forces or seize enemy land.
    • The Army expected that any Chinese bid to capture Indian territory would come as a major conventional invasion.

    Miscalculation about Chinese intentions

    • Chinese army crossed the LAC in several places nearly simultaneously, and in larger numbers than usual.
    • Still, the Indian Army probably expected the stand-off would repeat the pattern of years past: China would make its point with a temporary transgression and retreat after talks.
    • But China has no interest in launching a major conventional invasion, but this is not just a typical probe either.
    • China’s quick land grab looks increasingly permanent, like an attempt to change the border without triggering war.

    How to address such security threat

    • Addressing this type of security threat requires preventing, not reversing, such fait accompli land grabs.
    • This requires a fundamental shift in the Army’s doctrinal thinking.
    • This fundamental shift involves strategies revolving around punishing the adversary, to strategies that prevent its adventurism in the first place.

    Way forward

    • Surveillance: Doctrinal change involves a greater investment in persistent wide-area surveillance to detect and track adversary moves, devolved command authority to respond to enemy aggression.
    • Rehearsed procedures: It would also involve rehearsed procedures for an immediate local response without higher commanders’ approval.
    • Detection: The military must be able to detect adversary action and react quickly, even pre-emptively, to stop attempted aggression from becoming a fait accompli.
    • Delegation of power: In peacetime, local commanders must have the authority and to take anticipatory action.
    • The late-August incident at Chushul demonstrates how this can and should work.

    Conclusion

    The challenge for India is to learn the right lessons and be alert to similar tactics in other regions, like the Indian Ocean. It must not rely on doctrines forged in wars half a century ago.

  • Analysing the impact of Bt cotton

    After almost 20 years of adoption of Bt cotton in India, its time to review the claimed benefits of the Bt.

    Hybrid cotton seeds and issues

    • Until the 20th century the indigenous ‘desi’ variety, Gossypium arboreum was used.
    • From the 1990s, hybrid varieties of G. hirsutum were promoted.
    • These hybrids cannot resist a variety of local pests and require more fertilizers and pesticides.
    • Cotton suffers from plenty of infestation from moth pests such as the Pink Bollworm (PBW) and sap-sucking (Hemipteran) pests such as aphids and mealy bugs.
    • With increasing pressure to buy hybrid seeds, the indigenous varieties have lost out over the years.

    Resistant pests and introduction of Bt cotton

    • The increasing use of synthetic man-made pesticides to control pests and the rising acreage under the American long-duration cotton led to the emergence of resistant pests.
    • Resistant Pink and even American Bollworm (ABW), a minor pest in the past, began increasing, leading to a growing use of a variety of pesticides.
    • Rising debts and reducing yields, coupled with increasing insect resistance, worsened the plight of cotton farmers.
    • It was in this setting that Bt cotton was introduced in India in 2002.

    What is Bt cotton

    • The plant containing the pesticide gene from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), has been grown in India for about twenty years.
    • This pesticide, now produced in each Bt plant cell, ought to protect the plant from bollworm, thereby increasing yields and reducing insecticide spraying on the cotton plant.

    Review of the utility of Bt cotton

    • Review  was published in the scientific journal Nature Plants, analysing the entire picture of the use of Bt cotton in India.
    • Earlier studies had attributed to Bt the tripling of cotton yield between 2002-2014 in India.
    • However, one detail that raises concerns over such a conclusion was that yield differences between farmers who were the early adopters of Bt cotton and those who were not suffered from selection bias.
    • Controlling for such bias showed (in 2012) that the contribution of Bt cotton to yield increase was only about 4% each year.
    • Since yields vary annually by over 10%, the benefits claimed were dubious.
    • There are discrepancies between yield and the deployment of Bt cotton.
    • For instance, the Bt acreage was only 3.4% of the total cotton area in 2003, not sufficient to credit it for the 61% increase in yield in 2003-2004.
    • The rise in cotton yields can be explained by improvements in irrigation, for instance in Gujarat, and a dramatic growth across the country in the use of fertilizers.
    • The PBW developed a resistance by 2009 in India. In a few years, the situation was dreadful.
    • A technology that works in the lab may fail in fields since real-world success hinges on multiple factors.

    Way forward

    • The cost of ignoring ‘desi’ varieties for decades has been high for India.
    • Research suggests that with pure-line cotton varieties, high density planting, and short season plants, cotton yields in India can be good and stand a better chance at withstanding the vagaries of climate change.
    •  But government backing for resources, infrastructure and seeds is essential.

    Conclusion

    It is time to pay attention to science and acknowledge that Bt cotton has failed in India, and not enter into further misadventures with other Bt crops such as brinjal or herbicide resistance.

  • Centenary of Aligarh Muslim University

    In its centenary year, Aligarh Muslim University is planning to bury a time capsule, containing its history and achievements for posterity.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following:

    1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee
    2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation
    3. Indian Reforms Association

    Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with the establishment of which of the above?

    (a) 1 and 3 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    Aligarh Muslim University

    • AMU is a public central university in Aligarh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875.
    • Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920, following the Aligarh Muslim University Act.
    • It has three off-campus centres in Malappuram (Kerala), AMU Murshidabad centre (West Bengal), and Kishanganj Centre (Bihar).

    Its establishment

    • The university was established as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, starting functioning on 24 May 1875.
    • The movement associated with Syed Ahmad Khan and the college came to be known as the Aligarh Movement, which pushed to realize the need for establishing a modern education system for the Indian Muslim populace.
    • He considered competence in English and Western sciences necessary skills for maintaining Muslims’ political influence.
    • Khan’s vision for the college was based on his visit to Oxford University and Cambridge University, and he wanted to establish an education system similar to the British model.

    About Syed Ahmad Khan

    • He was an Islamic pragmatist, reformer, and philosopher of nineteenth-century British India.
    • Born into a family with strong debts to the Mughal court, Ahmed studied the Quran and Sciences within the court.
    • He was awarded an honorary LLD from the University of Edinburgh in 1889.
    • In 1838, Syed Ahmed entered the service of East India Company and went on to become a judge at a Small Causes Court in 1867, retiring from 1876.
    • During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he remained loyal to the British Raj and was noted for his actions in saving European lives.
    • In 1878, he was nominated to the Viceroy’s Legislative Council.
    • He supported the efforts of Indian political leaders Surendranath Banerjee and Dadabhai Naoroji to obtain representation for Indians in the government and civil services.

  • EASE Banking Reforms Index

    Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs has felicitated best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index.

    Note the various themes under which the index works.

    EASE Banking Reforms Index

    • EASE stands for ‘Enhanced Access and Service Excellence’. The index is prepared by the Indian Banking Association (IBA) and Boston Consulting Group.
    • It is commissioned by the Finance Ministry.
    • It is a framework that was adopted last year to strengthen public sector banks and rank them on metrics such as responsible banking, financial inclusion, credit offtake and digitization.

    Various themes and performance by the states

     

  • Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana

    PM will digitally launch the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) today.

    PM Matsya Sampada Yojana

    • The PMMSY aims to bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India.
    • It has an estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crores for its implementation during a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/UTs, as a part of AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package.
    • PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
    • Thus it aims doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10% and generation of gainful employment opportunities in the sector.

    Aims and objectives of PMMSY

    • Harnessing of fisheries potential in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable manner
    • Enhancing of fish production and productivity through expansion, intensification, diversification and productive utilization of land and water
    • Modernizing and strengthening of the value chain – post-harvest management and quality improvement
    • Doubling fishers and fish farmers incomes and generation of employment
    • Enhancing contribution to Agriculture GVA and exports
    • Social, physical and economic security for fishers and fish farmers
    • Robust fisheries management and regulatory framework

    Implementation strategy

    The PMMSY will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate components namely:

    (a) Central Sector Scheme and

    (b) Centrally Sponsored Scheme

    • Majority of the activities under the Scheme would be implemented with the active participation of States/UTs.
    • A well-structured implementation framework would be established for the effective planning and implementation of PMMSY.
    • For optimal outcomes, ‘Cluster or area-based approach’ would be followed with requisite forward and backward linkages and end to end solutions.

    Other inaugurations: e-Gopala App

    • e-Gopala App is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers.
    • At present no digital platform is available in the country for farmers managing livestock including buying and selling of disease-free germplasm in all forms (semen, embryos, etc); availability of quality breeding services and guiding farmers for animal nutrition etc.
    • There is no mechanism to send alerts (on the due date for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving etc) and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the area.
    • The e-Gopala App will provide solutions to farmers on all these aspects.

  • Making the local governance strong

    The article analyses the issues faced by democracy in India and suggests the way out in the form of strong local governments.

    Issues being faced by Indian democracy

    1. Issue of use of money power

    • Around the world, electoral democracies face the issues of funding political parties and elections.
    • Money is required to win elections legitimately, even when people are not bribed to vote, which is illegitimate.
    • Communications with citizens can be very expensive.
    • Advertisements have to be paid for as well as teams of professionals for managing social media.
    • The race to raise more money for legitimate electioneering purposes can corrupt the process of funding parties and elections.
    • Solutions are not easy because the right to free speech cannot be denied.

    2.Issues with deliberations by the representatives

    • Debates within India’s Parliament hardly inspire citizens’ confidence in their representatives’ ability to govern the country.
    • The problem in electoral democracies is also in the conduct of their deliberations when they come together.
    • This problem is not due to the quality of the individuals, it is inherent in the design of the process for electing representatives.
    • Representatives of the people must be chosen by smaller electorates within geographical constituencies.
    • But when they meet together in the national chamber, they are expected to govern the whole country.
    • They must shed the interest of their constituency and consider what will be best for the whole country.
    • Constituency favouring leads to challenges for equitable solutions for sharing of river waters, and to railway stations.
    • Electing good representatives to Assemblies is not enough to ensure good decisions will be made.

    3.Role of political parties: Lack of inner democracies

    • Function of parties: Political parties in electoral democracies provide a solution to the problem of creating an alignment of views among representatives from hundreds of constituencies around the country.
    • A party’s point of view on fundamental matters can unite many.
    •  However, when there are too many parties and too many contradictory points of view to be accommodated within a coalition, governance can break down.
    • Therefore, political parties are not evil.
    • However, when political parties are not internally democratic, they become a source to amass power and wealth, and democratic nations suffer.

    So, should we adopt direct form of democracy

    • For the reason stated above, it has become very difficult in representative democracies to arrive at good and fair decisions for the governance of a large state or country.
    • New Internet technologies make adoption of direct form of democracy possible.
    • But, if all voters have not understood what is at stake, they cannot decide well this is what happened in hasty Brexit referendum.

    Way Forward

    1.Need for the strong local governance

    • Complex issues, where many interests collide, must be resolved by reason, not settled by the numbers.
    •  Hence there is no alternative to good local governance, wherein citizens manage their local affairs democratically.
    • One-size solutions devised by experts at the centre cannot fit all.
    • Local systems solutions are essential to solve global systemic problems of environmental sustainability and inclusive growth.

    2.Funding and Intra-Party Democracy related reforms

    • Electoral funding must be cleaned up, and democracy within political parties improved to make representative democracy work better.
    • This will require big changes to entrenched systems.
    • Citizens must appreciate that they have to be the source of solutions, and not become only the source of problems.
    • Citizens must learn to listen to each other’s perspectives in their villages and in their urban neighbourhoods.

    What are the challenges the electoral process in India faces? Suggest the solution to the issues democracy in India faces.

    Conclusion

    Since India’s Independence 73 years ago when the power of government was transferred from a centre in London to a centre in Delhi, strong local governance remains the unfinished agenda to make India’s democracy strong and deep.

  • [pib] Global Indices to Drive Reforms and Growth (GIRG) Exercise

    NITI Aayog as the nodal agency has been assigned the responsibility of leveraging the monitoring mechanism of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to drive reforms.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.In a given year in India, official poverty lines are higher in some states than in others because (CSP 2019):

    (a) Poverty rates vary from State to State

    (b) Price levels vary from State to State

    (c) Gross State Product varies from State to State

    (d) Quality of public distribution varies from State to State

    GIRG Exercise

    • Global MPI is part of GoI’s decision to monitor the performance of the country in 29 select Global Indices.
    • The objective of the exercise is to fulfil the need to measure and monitor India’s performance on various important social and economic parameters.
    • It would enable the utilization of these Indices as tools for self-improvement; bring about reforms in policies, while improving last-mile implementation of government schemes.
    • As the Nodal agency for the MPI, NITI Aayog has constituted a Multidimensional Poverty Index Coordination Committee (MPICC).

    About Global MPI

    • Global MPI is an international measure of multidimensional poverty covering 107 developing countries.
    • It was first developed in 2010 by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for UNDP’s Human Development Reports.
    • It is computed by scoring each surveyed household on 10 parameters based on -nutrition, child mortality, and years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing and household assets.
    • It utilizes the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) which is conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS).

  • Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV)

    The DRDO has successfully demonstrated the hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology with the flight test of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV).

    Take note of close dissimilarities between Ramjet and Scramjet engines.

    About HSTDV

    • HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet vehicle with a capability to travel at six times the speed of sound.
    • The scramjets are a variant of a category of jet engines called the air-breathing engines.
    • The ability of engines to handle airflows of speeds in multiples of the speed of sound gives it a capability of operating at those speeds.
    • Hypersonic speeds are those which are five times or more than the speed of sound.
    • The unit tested by the DRDO can achieve upto six times the speed of sound or Mach 6, which is well over 7000 km per hour or around two km per second.

    Its development

    • The DRDO started on the development of the engine in the early 2010s.
    • The ISRO has also worked on the development of the technology and has successfully tested a system in 2016. DRDO too has conducted a test of this system in June 2019.
    • The special project of the DRDO consisted of contributions from its multiple facilities including the Pune headquartered Armament and Combat Engineering Cluster.

    Back2Basics: Ramjet V. Scramjet

    • A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle’s forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor.
    • Fuel is injected in the combustion chamber where it mixes with the hot compressed air and ignites.
    • A ramjet-powered vehicle requires an assisted take-off like a rocket assist to accelerate it to a speed where it begins to produce thrust.
    • Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) and can operate up to speeds of Mach 6.
    • However, the ramjet efficiency starts to drop when the vehicle reaches hypersonic speeds.
    • A scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine as it efficiently operates at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion. Thus it is known as Supersonic Combustion Ramjet or Scramjet.

  • Chushul Valley and its Significance

    The Chushul sub-sector has come into focus in the standoff between the Indian and PLA troops.

    Tap to read more about Himalayan River System

    What is the Chushul Valley?

    • The Chushul sub-sector lies south of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.
    • It comprises high, broken mountains and heights of Thatung, Black Top, Helmet Top, Gurung Hill, and Magger Hill besides passes such as Rezang La and Reqin La, the Spanggur Gap, and the Chushul valley.
    • Situated at a height of over 13,000 feet close to the LAC, the Chushul Valley has a vital airstrip that played an important role even during the 1962 War with China.

    What is its strategic importance to India?

    • Chushul is one among the five Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army of China.
    • It enjoys tremendous strategic and tactical importance because of its location and terrain, which make it a centre for logistics deployment.
    • This sector has plains that are a couple of km wide, where mechanized forces, including tanks, can be deployed. Its airstrip and connectivity by road to Leh add to its operational advantages.
    • Indian troops have now secured the ridgeline in this sub-sector that allows them to dominate the Chushul bowl on the Indian side, and Moldo sector on the Chinese side.
    • They also have a clear sight of the almost 2-km-wide Spanggur gap, which the Chinese used in the past to launch attacks on this sector in the 1962 War.

    How is Chushul important to China?

    • Simply put, Chushul is the gateway to Leh. If China enters the Chushul, it can launch its operations for Leh.
    • After the initial attacks, including on the Galwan valley by the Chinese in October 1962, the PLA troops prepared to attack Chushul airfield and the valley to get direct access to Leh.
    • However, just before the attacks were launched, the area was reinforced by the 114 Brigade in November 1962, which also had under its command two troops of armour and some artillery.

    What are the challenges in this area?

    • An immediate challenge is of a flare-up as troops of the two countries are deployed within a distance of 800 to 1,000 metres of each other at Black Top and Reqin La.
    • Logistics also pose a major challenge. There is a need to carry water and food to the top which soldiers cannot do.
    • The harsh winter that lasts for eight months of the year poses a big challenge.
    • It is very difficult to dig in and make shelters on the ridgeline. The temperature falls to minus 30 degrees Celsius, and there are frequent snowstorms.

  • [pib] Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)

    The SVEP is propelling enterprises in rural areas and building rural entrepreneurs during this pandemic.

    Try this PYQ 2015:

    How does the National Rural Livelihood Mission seek to improve livelihood options of rural poor?

    1. By setting up a large number of new manufacturing industries and agribusiness centres in rural areas.
    2. By strengthening ‘self-help groups’ and providing skills development
    3. By supplying seeds, fertilizers, diesel pump-set sand micro-irrigation equipment free of cost of farmers.

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    About SVEP

    • The SVEP is implemented by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana –National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, as a sub-scheme since 2016.
    • Its aims are to support the rural poor come out of poverty, supporting them set up enterprises and provide support till the enterprises stabilize.
    • SVEP focuses on providing self-employment opportunities with financial assistance and training in business management and soft skills while creating local community cadres for promotion of enterprises.
    • It addresses three major pillars of rural start-ups namely – finances, incubation and skill ecosystems.

    Key elements of SVEP

    • Create a Block Resource Centre – Enterprise Promotion (BRC-EP); The BRC should act as a nodal centre to implement SVEP. Block Level Federation (BLF) to come up under NRLM could be one of the institutional platforms for BRC.
    • Cluster Level Federation (CLF) /VOs shall hold the entity till BLF comes into existence. BRC should follow a self-sustaining revenue model.
    • BRC to be assisted by CRP-EP and the Bank Coordination System (Bank Mitra). BRC to provide resource and reference material including videos, manuals etc.
    • Help enterprises get bank finance using tablet-based software for making the business feasibility plan, doing credit appraisal and tracking business performance.
    • Use the Community Investment Fund (CIF) to provide seed capital for starting the business until it reaches a size where bank finance is needed.