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  • Regulating the election funding system

    election

    Context

    • Elections are to democracy what financial markets are to the economy. The absence of an omnibus law to regulate elections and political parties in India is a legislative gap waiting to be filled.

    Significance of political parties in democracy

    • A political party is an organized group of citizens who hold common views on governance and act as a political unit that seeks to obtain control of government with a view to further the agenda and policy they profess.
    •  Political parties maintain a continuous connection between the people and those who represent them either in government or in the opposition.
    • Political parties in India are extra-constitutional, but they are the breathing air of the political system.

    Current procedure of recognizing and regulating the political parties In India

    • Registration of political parties: The Representation of the People Act 1951 was amended in 1988 to add a new section IVA on “Registration of political parties” by which the Election Commission of India (ECI) exercises its mandate for superintendence, direction, and control of elections under Article 324 of the Constitution of India.
    • Recognition as national or state political party: Association of citizens can apply to the ECI to be registered by submitting its Memorandum of Association and swearing allegiance to the Constitution. It requires fulfilment of performance criteria, including a minimum share of the electoral votes cast in the last election and the number of seats won to become a recognized national or a state party.
    • A regulatory gap in Municipal political parties: Municipalities became the third level of government, three decades ago in 1992, through the 74thconstitutional amendment. But a parallel recognition for political parties operating only at the municipal level is yet to be conceptualized.

    Mechanism of Election funding

    • Encouraging private corporates and individual investment: Indian government does not directly fund election campaigns of parties or independents. However, it has made political parties exempt from income tax, to encourage private corporate and individual investment in building political parties.
    • Limit on election campaign expenditure: The ECI set upper-end limits (January 2022) for election campaign expenditure in parliamentary seats at INR9.5 million and INR4 million in state legislature seats.

    election

    Electoral bonds to end large cash payments in election finance.

    • Scheme of electoral bonds:
    • A publicly owned commercial bank, with the largest network of branches is the only designated vendor.
    • Bonds remain valid for 15 days within which they can be encased through the bank account of the selected political party.
    • The purchaser-donor enjoys tax credits on the purchased bonds as in any other donation to charities.
    • Association of democratic records: The idea was to facilitate large donors, preferring anonymity whilst donating funds for elections, with an alternative to cash payments.

    election

    What is the cause of concerns over the electoral bonds?

    • Anonymity of the electoral bonds: The anonymity afforded by the bonds is primarily versus citizens.
    • Bond vendor is a government owned bank: SBI is a government-owned bank, which can be persuaded by the government into sharing data informally regarding the bond purchases and encashments by political parties

    What can be done to ensure the security of the donor?

    • Bond Digitization: Bonds should be digitized and the privacy of the transfer should be protected through encryption.
    • Authorized access: Redemption is through banking the audit trail of the donor and the recipient would exist for authorized access.
    • Enhancing transparency with ECI: Transparency should be enhanced whilst protecting anonymity by authorizing ECI to collect and publish de-personalized information.
    • Personal data should be accessed with the specific orders only: Access for security and criminal investigation agencies to the personal data should come via a specific order of the ECI allowing such privileged access.

    What are the suggestions for better governance of the political parties?

    • Strict Supervision of political parties: Poor Intra-party governance is concentrated in the Registered Unrecognize Political Parties (RUPP). Most are in breach of their undertaking to fight an election within five years and remain active thereafter.
    • Strengthen the Regulatory compliance: The benefit of income tax exemption should only be available after registered parties demonstrate a five-year record of compliance with the regulations.
    • Enforce inner-party democracy and avoiding conflict of interest: Making party members occupying party positions, ineligible for holding executive positions in government. This is necessary to create a complete segregation of functions within the ruling party and the government
    • Empower ECI to regulate political parties: The misuse of the fiscal privileges afforded to political parties can be minimized through targeted regulatory tweaks, within the existing construct of private financing and the inner functioning of parties improved through targeted regulation.

    Conclusion

    • “Secrecy is a darkness where corruption gets nurtured”. Funding to the political parties need to be transparent. Transparent funding will pave the way for level playing field for all the political parties.

    Mains Question

    Q. What are the pitfalls of anonymous political funding through electoral bonds. Suggest solutions to ensure the transparent political funding.

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  • Online Women safety

    Women

    Context

    • India has one of the youngest youth demographics in the world and among the most active online. As online interactions increase, more content is created and shared among people, helping them form new and wonderful connections. Sometimes, however, these interactions also make them vulnerable to harm.

    What constitute as online harassment of women?

    • Sharing embarrassing and cruel content about a person to impersonation
    • Stalking and electronic surveillance
    • Non-consensual use of photography
    • Violent threats and hate speech
    • Defamation
    • Flaming- use of vitriolic and hostile messages including threats, insults
    • Trolling
    • The online harassment of women, sometimes called Cyber-sexism or cyber-misogyny, is specifically gendered abuse targeted at women and girls online.
    • It incorporates sexism, racism and religious prejudice.

    Women

    How women disproportionately get affected?

    • Often women are blamed: Often, crimes that disproportionately impact women devolve into mass panic and lead to an all too predictable top-down discourse around the need to protect our sisters and daughters.
    • Curbing the freedom of Women: The reaction, however well intentioned, will end up denying women their freedom and agency by their so-called protectors, many of whom are simply telling women to go offline, to be ashamed of expressing themselves, to stay in their lane.

    What is role of intermediaries in preventing such abuses?

    • Making intermediary liable: As of now, the intermediaries are not liable for any third-party data or communication link hosted or stored by them.
    • Mandatory Data retention by intermediaries: They are required to retain the requisite data for duration as prescribed by the Government and supply the same to the authorities concerned, as and when sought.
    • Punishment for Non-compliance is: Highlighting any contravention attracts punishment as prescribed under the IT Act.

    Women

    What are the Steps taken by the Government?

    • IT rules 2021: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
    • Defined Categories of abuse: They include contents that are defamatory, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, invasive of another’s privacy, insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, libellous, racially or ethnically objectionable, etc.
    • Prohibition on derogatory publications: The intermediaries, on the direction of the court or appropriate government agency, are prohibited from hosting, storing or publishing any information declared unlawful.
    • Removal of content within 24 hours: Within 24 hours from the receipt of a complaint from, or on behalf of, an individual about any offensive content, they are required to take all reasonable and practicable measures to remove or disable access to it.
    • Meetings of parliamentary committees: Various parliament committees in India have held meetings to discuss the issue of online safety of women over the years, and part of the government’s motivation in notifying the new IT rules had been rooted in the growing concern regarding the safety and security of users, particularly women and children. These are very good tangible steps.
    • Amendment in IT act should include the concerns of women: With the IT Act coming up for a rehaul, there is an opportunity to discuss in detail the nature of technology-facilitated abuse, capturing what this means, understanding how cases impact individuals as well as communities, the language needed to capture such offences and the punishment penalties, jail or even rehabilitation programmes for perpetrators. This could be the start of an era of evidence-based discussion.

    Women

    Conclusion

    • Despite these efforts, it is clear that women in India won’t feel safe online anytime soon unless society lets them. What could be helpful here is to elevate the public discourse around technology-facilitated abuse.

    Mains Question

    Q. How women are vulnerable against online abuse? What is the role of Intermediaries in online abuse case? What are governments efforts to make women friendly cyberspace?

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  • MARS A new alert system to detect Methane emissions

    MARS

    Context

    • A new satellite-based system will now help governments detect methane emissions and tackle them. The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) was launched at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

    What is Methane Alert and Response System (MARS)?

    • MARS is a part of global efforts to slow climate change by tracking the global warming gas.
    • The system will be the first publicly available global system to connect methane detection to notification processes transparently.
    • The data-to-action platform was set up as part of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy to get policy-relevant data into the right hands for emissions mitigation.

    MARS

    How the “MARS” will work?

    • The Methane Alert and Response System, or MARS, will integrate data from a large number of existing and future satellites to identify significant methane emission events anywhere in the world.
    • It will send out notifications to the relevant stakeholders and support and track mitigation progress.
    • According to the UN statement MARS will track the large point emission sources, mainly in the fossil fuel industry, but with time, would be able to detect emissions from coal, waste, livestock and rice fields as well.
    • UNEP will continue to monitor the event location and make the data and analysis available to the public between 45 and 75 days after detection.

    MARS

    Methane a dangerous greenhouse gas

    • A major greenhouse gas: Methane is the second-most common of the six major greenhouse gases, but is far more dangerous than carbon dioxide in its potential to cause global warming.
    • One of major contributor of GHG emissions: Contribution Accounting for about 17 per cent of the current global greenhouse gas emissions.
    • One of the key reasons behind Temperature rise: Methane is blamed for having caused at least 25 to 30 per cent of temperature rise since the pre-industrial times.
    • Methane largely a Sectoral gas: Unlike carbon dioxide, methane is largely a sectoral gas, and there are only a few sources of emission.
    • Few sources large emissions of methane: The global warming potential of methane is about 80 times that of carbon dioxide. It accounts for a small portion of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions compared to carbon dioxide.

    MARS

    Why such alert system is necessary?

    • To achieve the target set by Global methane pledge: At the Glasgow climate conference last year, nearly 100 countries had come together in a voluntary pledge the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030 from the 2020 levels. More countries have joined in this initiative since then, bringing the total to nearly 130.
    • To keep the temperature, rise below 5-degree Celsius: A 30 per cent reduction in methane emissions by 2030 is expected to result in avoiding 0.2 degree rise in temperature by the year 2050, and is considered absolutely essential in the global efforts to keep the temperature increase below the 1.5-degree Celsius target. This is a global, not a national reduction target.
    • Reducing methane emissions from the atmosphere provides multiple benefits: Methane being a sectoral gas with few sources of emission, it is possible to cut down on methane emissions without having widespread impact on the economy, a reduction in methane emissions brings big benefits in a short time.
    • MARS Provides technical and advisory to the partners: If requested, MARS partners will also provide technical or advisory services, such as help in assessing mitigation opportunities. 

    All you need to know about Conference of Parties (COP).

    • Unless the parties decide otherwise, every year The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convenes what is called a Conference of Parties (COP), a meeting that brings together leaders and delegates from around the world to strengthen their commitments and actions against specific climate change goals.
    • The parties are the 198 countries that ratified the UNFCCC.
    • The UNFCCC is an international treaty focused on preventing dangerous human interference with the climate system, primarily by stabilizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

    Conclusion

    • Cutting methane is the fastest opportunity to reduce warming and keep 1.5°C within reach, and this MARS a new alert and response system is going to be a critical tool for helping all of us deliver on the Global Methane Pledge.

    Mains Question

    Q. Methane is thought to be 80 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping atmospheric heat in the 20 years following its release. Discuss how MARS a new alert system would be helpful to keep the temperature rise below 1.5 degree Celsius?

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  • LT-LEDS (Long Term-Low Emission Development Strategy)

    strategy

    India has announced its long-term strategy to transition to a “low emissions” pathway at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) ongoing in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

    What are LT-LED Strategy?

    • The LT-LEDS are qualitative in nature and are a requirement emanating from the 2015 Paris Agreement.
    • Hereby, countries explain how they will transition their economies beyond achieving near-term NDC targets.
    • It signifies their path towards the larger climate objective of cutting emissions by 45% by 2030 and achieve net zero around 2050.

    BACKGROUND

    What is the meaning of Net Zero?

    • A state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere is called Net Zero State; it is also referred to as carbon-neutrality.
    • It is done through natural processes as well as futuristic technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

    Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): 

    • To achieve the targets under the agreement, the member countries must submit the targets themselves, which they believe would lead to substantial progress towards reaching the Paris temperature goal.
    • Initially, these targets are called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
    • They are converted to NDCs when the country ratifies the agreement.

    Key announcements by India

    • Nuclear energy: India is set to expand its nuclear power capacity by at least three-fold in the next decade.
    • Green hydrogen: India aims for becoming an international hub for producing green hydrogen through the National Hydrogen Mission.
    • Ethanol blending: India aspires to maximise the use of electric vehicles, with ethanol blending to reach 20% by 2025 (it is currently 10%) and a “strong shift” to public transport for passenger and freight traffic.
    • Energy efficiency: India will also focus on improving energy efficiency by the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme.
    • Carbon sequestration: India’s forest and tree cover are a net carbon sink absorbing 15% of CO2 emissions in 2016, and it is on track to fulfilling its NDC commitment of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of additional carbon sequestration in forest and tree cover by 2030.

    Hurdles in achieving net-zero

    • Huge cost of transition: The transition to low carbon pathway will entail several costs amounting to several trillion dollars. It involves the development of new technologies, new infrastructure, and other transaction costs.
    • No climate finance mechanism: Provision of climate finance by developed countries will play a very significant role and needs to be considerably enhanced.

    Significance of India’s LTS

    • India’s long-term strategy (LTS) follows up on the net zero pledge.
    • It clearly outlines key interventions across sectors that are going to be the focus of India’s efforts.

    Considerations made by India

    India’s approach is based on the following four key considerations that underpin its long-term low-carbon development strategy:

    1. India has contributed little to global warming: its historical contribution to cumulative global GHG emissions being minuscule despite having a share of ~17% of the world’s population.
    2. Huge domestic energy demand: India has significant energy needs for development.
    3. National circumstances: India is committed to pursuing low-carbon strategies for development and is actively pursuing them, as per national circumstances
    4. India needs to build climate resilience: It is the capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardous event or trend or disturbance.

     

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  • Bali G20 summit

    g20

    Leaders of the G-20 nations gathered at Bali in Indonesia for the 17th summit of the world’s most advanced economies.

    Agenda of this summit

    • The motto for this summit is Recover Together, Recover Stronger.
    • The leaders will engage in discussions over three sessions on-
    1. Food and Energy security
    2. Health Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, and
    3. Digital Transformation

    About G-20

    • Formed in 1999, the G20 is an international forum of the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies.
    • Collectively, the G20 economies account for around 85 percent of the Gross World Product (GWP), 80 percent of world trade.
    • To tackle the problems or address issues that plague the world, the heads of governments of the G20 nations periodically participate in summits.
    • In addition to it, the group also hosts separate meetings of the finance ministers and foreign ministers.
    • The G20 has no permanent staff of its own and its chairmanship rotates annually between nations divided into regional groupings.

    Aims and objectives

    • The Group was formed with the aim of studying, reviewing, and promoting high-level discussion of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.
    • The forum aims to pre-empt the balance of payments problems and turmoil on financial markets by improved coordination of monetary, fiscal, and financial policies.
    • It seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization.

    Members of G20

    • The members of the G20 consist of 19 individual countries plus the European Union (EU).
    • The 19 member countries of the forum are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.
    • The European Union is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central Bank.

    Why was the G-20 created?

    For emerging nations: It was created as an acceptable medium between the more “elitist” G-7 (then the G-8), and the more unwieldy 38-member Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

    • Increasing representation: Over the past two decades, the global economic balance has shifted, and the G-20 has been seen as a more representative and egalitarian grouping of global leadership.
    • Reducing groupism within: The G-20 was conceived in a more unified, post-Soviet era, when western economies made the rules, China was just on the rise and Russia was still recovering from its breakup.
    • Economic boost for west: It was particularly useful in steering the global economy after the global financing crisis and banking collapse of 2008.
    • Global-south on focus: Significantly, next year the “Troika” of G-20 will be made up of emerging economies for the first time with India, Indonesia and Brazil — an indicator of the shift in the global economic agenda towards the Global South.

    Economic significance of G-20

    • G-20 countries represent 85% of the global GDP.
    • It accounts for 75% of global trade and 66% of the world population.

    What makes this G-20 different from others?

    • War mongers at table: For the world, this is the first G-20 since Russia began the war in Ukraine and the west imposed sanctions on Russia.
    • Hosting a stronger China: This is only the second time Chinese President Xi Jinping has travelled abroad since the COVID pandemic, and the first time since he was re-elected at China’s Party Congress last month.
    • Next chair for India: For India, the importance of the summit of the world’s most advanced economies is that it is India’s turn to host the summit next.

    Bilateral meets on the sidelines

    • All eyes will also be on the bilateral summits happening by the sidelines — including the Biden-Xi summit at a time when U.S.-China tensions are at a high.
    • While neither Delhi nor Beijing have confirmed a Modi-Xi meeting, any interaction between the two leaders will be the first since the military stand-off at the LAC.
    • PM Modi is expected to meet many of the G-20 leaders and others, and will invite them to next year’s summit in India.
    • Among the leaders who are attending for the first time as heads of their countries are UK PM Rishi Sunak.

     

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  • In news: Exercise ‘Sea Vigil’

    In a related development, the third edition of the ‘pan-India’ coastal defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-22’ is scheduled to be held on November 15 and 16.

    Ex- Sea Vigil-22

    • The Exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to validate various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since ‘26/11’.
    • The exercise aims to test its preparedness along the entire 7,516.6 km-long-coastline and exclusive economic zone of the country.
    • It aims to comprehensively and holistically validate the efficacy of the measures taken since 26/11.
    • It aims to simultaneously activate the coastal security mechanism across all 13 coastal States and Union Territories.
    • This involves the evaluation of critical areas and processes, including inter-agency coordination, information sharing and technical surveillance.
    • Multi agency audit and identification of gaps, shortfalls and incorporation of lessons learnt into Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are also the desired outcomes.

    Role of Indian Navy

    • Post 26/11, the Navy was designated as the agency responsible for overall maritime security, including offshore and coastal security.
    • The Coast Guard was designated as the agency responsible for coastal security in territorial waters.
    • A multi-tiered patrol and surveillance mechanism with focus on technical surveillance and augmenting Maritime Domain Awareness through the coastal radar chain was adopted.
    • Progress has been made in real-time information sharing through the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network and improving intelligence and operational coordination.

    Significance of the exercise

    • The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.
    • Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum maritime security challenges.

    Progress till now

    • Verification and monitoring of a large number of fishing vessels in India has been greatly eased by the creation of the online ReALCraft (Registration and Licensing of Fishing Craft).
    • The process of installing transponders on sub-20 metre boats commenced with a pilot project in Tamil Nadu for 5,000 vessels is underway.
    • To allay the concerns of fishermen, the transponders with GPS have been modified into a two-way communication system.
    • An Automatic Identification System (AIS) was made compulsory for all vessels above 20 metres after the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
    • Trials were conducted in association with the ISRO on one of their communication satellites last year along the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

     

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  • India to host ‘No Money for Terror’ Conference

    The Ministry of Home Affairs will be organising the Third Ministerial ‘No Money for Terror’ Conference next week where participants from around 75 countries are expected to attend.

    ‘No Money for Terror’ Conference

    • The conference that was first held In Paris in 2018, followed by Melbourne in 2019.
    • It will be held in Delhi after gap of two years due to the travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Objectives of the event

    • India’s efforts: The event conveys India’s determination in its fight against terrorism as well as its support systems for achieving success against it.
    • Global cooperation: It also intends to include discussions on technical, legal, regulatory and cooperation aspects of all facets of terrorism financing.
    • Compliance mechanism: The involvement of a compliant State often exacerbates terrorism, especially its financing.

    What is Terror Financing?

    • Terrorist financing encompasses the means and methods used by terrorist organizations to finance their activities.
    • This money can come from legitimate sources, for example from profits from businesses and charitable organizations.
    • But terrorist groups can also get their financing from illegal activities such as trafficking in weapons, drugs or people, or kidnapping for ransom.
    • Nations like Pakistan has stated policy of supporting cross-border terrorism in India through global fundings.

    Why need consensus over terror-finance prevention?

    • Globally, countries have been affected by terrorism and militancy for several years and the pattern of violence differs in most theatres.
    • It is largely impacted by tumultuous geo-political environment, coupled with prolonged armed sectarian conflicts.
    • Such conflicts often lead to poor governance, political instability, economic deprivation and large ungoverned spaces.

    Other mechanisms to curb terror financing: FATF

    • FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.
    • It makes recommendations for combating financial crime, reviews members’ policies and procedures, and seeks to increase acceptance of anti-money laundering regulations across the globe.

    What hinders the global consensus?

    • No definition of terrorism: There is no universal agreement over what constitutes terrorism. This weakens efforts to formulate a concerted global response.
    • Non-enforcement: Multilateral action suffers from inadequate compliance and enforcement of existing instruments.
    • No global watchdog: Counter-terrorism regime lacks a central global body dedicated to terrorist prevention and response.

    Way forward

    • No country if safe if terrorism persists anywhere across the world.
    • The world must resolve to make the international financial system entirely hostile to terrorist financing.
    • Concerted efforts and a comprehensive approach should be adopted to counter terrorism under the UN auspices on a firm international legal basis.

     

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  • Population criteria for new Eklavya schools ‘impractical’: Parliamentary Panel

    A Parliamentary panel has refuted that 20,000 ST people, who make up at least 50% of the total population criteria is “impractical” to build new Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS).

    What are Eklavya Schools?

    • EMRS started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to Scheduled Tribes (ST) children in remote areas in order.
    • It aims to enable them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get employment in various sectors.
    • The schools focus not only on academic education but on the all-round development of the students.
    • Each school has a capacity of 480 students, catering to students from Class VI to XII.
    • Hitherto, grants were given for construction of schools and recurring expenses to the State Governments under Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution.
    • Eklavya schools are on par with Navodaya Vidyalaya and have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development.

    Features of Eklavya Schools

    • Admission to these schools will be through selection/competition with suitable provision for preference to children belonging to Primitive Tribal Groups, first-generation students, etc.
    • Sufficient land would be given by the State Government for the school, playgrounds, hostels, residential quarters, etc., free of cost.
    • The number of seats for boys and girls will be equal.
    • In these schools, education will be entirely free.

    What is the population-based criteria?

    • The Tribal Affairs Ministry plans to build EMRS on 15 acres of land in all sub-districts which have ST communities of more than 20,000 people, who make up at least 50% of their total population.
    • Wherever density of ST population is higher in identified Sub-Districts (90% or more), it is proposed to set up Eklavya Model Day Boarding School (EMDBS) on an experimental basis.

    Issues with this criteria

    • There are difficulties in identifying and acquiring lands in several tribal districts.
    • Especially in forested or hilly areas, a contiguous 15-acre plot is hard to find.
    • This criterion would also deprive scattered ST populations of the benefit of the Eklavya schools.
    • For most of the places for EMRSs, there is no land available inside the village or the block.

     

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  • Giving More Autonomy to Universities

    Universities

    Context

    • It is sad but not surprising that none of India’s institutions of higher education appears in the list of top 100 universities of the world.

    Background: Ranking of the of the Indian Institutes

    • According to the QS World ranking: The 2023 edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university ranking reckons that three of India’s higher educational institutions amongst the top 200 of the World. Another three are counted among the top 300 whereas two more in the top 400.
    • As per the Times Higher education Ranking: The Times Higher Education (THE) ranking places only one Indian institution among the top 400 of the worlds.
    • Academic rankings: Rankings are the same with the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Barring one of the most eminent public-funded deemed universities of the country, all the rest are Institutions of National Importance (INIs) the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), to be specific.

    Why other universities reflect poor performance than IITs and INIs?

    • IITs have more autonomy: IITs are not only better funded but also generally self-governed, enjoying a greater degree of autonomy as they fall outside the regulatory purview of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
    • Strict UGC regulations: Funded through the University Grants Commission (UGC), universities are all subject to a very strict regulatory regime.
    • Micro-management of universities functioning: Abiding by UGC regulations and AICTE guidelines, encompasses almost all aspects of their functioning be it faculty recruitment, student admission and the award of degrees. In many cases, they are micro-managed by the regulatory authorities.
    • Very less autonomy to UGC affiliated Universities: Most of the universities have become so comfortable with the practice that they rarely assert their autonomy.
    • Ranking on basis of compliance: Central universities in the country are also ranked on the basis of their ‘obedience’ to regulatory compliances. Even in the academic domain, many of them are comfortable in publicly stating that they have adopted the model curricula, pedagogy and syllabi prescribed by the regulatory bodies, even though the same may have been only indicative.

    Universities

    What are the good practices of best universities around the world?

    • Importance to autonomy: The best universities in the world are continuously sensitized about the importance of their autonomy and are trained and enabled to make their own decisions.
    • University autonomy tool for comparison: The European University Association (EUA), for example, prescribes a ‘university autonomy tool’ that lets each member university compare its level of autonomy vis-à-vis the other European higher education systems across all member countries.
    • Four specific autonomies for ranking: By focusing on four autonomy areas (organizational, financial, staffing, and academic) the EUA computes composite scores and ranks all the countries in Europe.

    Universities

    What are the efforts taken to improve the universities performance?

    • National education policy 2020: A large number of commissions and committees, including the national policies on education (including the National Education Policy 2020), have highlighted the need for higher education autonomy. The new education policy seeks to completely overhaul the higher education system, and to attain this objective, repeatedly emphasizes the need for institutional autonomy.
    • Academic and administrative autonomy: The NEP regards academic and administrative autonomy essential for making higher education multi-disciplinary, and that teacher and institutional autonomy are a sine qua non in promoting creativity and innovation.
    • Independent board of management: The policy considers a lack of autonomy as one of the major problems of higher education and promises to ensure faculty and institutional autonomy through a highly independent and empowered board of management which would be vested with academic and administrative autonomy.
    • Light but tight regulation: It argues for a ‘light but tight’ regulatory framework and insists that the new regulatory regime would foster a culture of empowerment. Further, it goes on to say that by relying on a robust system of accreditation, all higher education institutions would gradually gain full academic and administrative autonomy.

    Conclusion

    • Universities in India have been losing their autonomy. In the two years since the approval, announcement, and gradual implementation of the NEP, universities in India today are far less autonomous than earlier. If India wants to be leader in knowledge and patent economy then its universities must be freed from clutches of unreasonable regulations.

    Mains Question

    Q. Why Indian universities does poor on world ranking of universities? Autonomy of university is keystone to improve the performance of universities. Examine.

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  • Making the Indigenous Defence Industry Self-Reliant and Globally Competitive

    Defence

    Context

    • Defence-Expo 2022 held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in October drew attention to a major policy initiative, the need for India to acquire the appropriate degree of “atma nirbharata” (self-reliance) in the defence sector and the arduous path ahead.

    What is the present status of defence supplies in India?

    • High dependency on foreign supply: Even as India aspires to become a $5-trillion economy, it is evident that it faces many national security inadequacies. The high dependency index on foreign suppliers (traditionally the former USSR now Russia) for major military inventory items is stark.
    • Risk of National vulnerability: This dependency induces a macro national vulnerability and dilutes India’s quest for meaningful and credible strategic autonomy.
    • Undermining national interest: Furthermore, the current gaps in combat capacity expose the chinks in the Indian ability to safeguard core national security interests. The Galwan setback apropos China is illustrative.

    Defence

    Do you know the following examples of Indigenous defence production?

    • INS Vikrant: The commissioning of the indigenously-designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
    • SLBM Missiles: The recent test fired SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile) from the INS Arihant is indigenously bulit.
    • LCH Prachand: The induction of the made in India Prachand LCH (light combat helicopter) is significant leap.
    • Kalashnikov-type light weapon: The conclusion of a deal with Russia to manufacture a Kalashnikov-type light weapon/small arms in India.
    • 155mm artillery Gun: The 155-mm artillery guns being designed and manufactured in the country.

    Current scenario of India’s Defence export

    • Rising defence export: India’s defence exports have grown eight times in the last five years.
    • Exporting the defence material to 75 nations: India is exporting defence materials and equipment to more than 75 countries of the world. In 2021-22, defence exports from India reached $1.59 billion (about Rs 13,000 crore).
    • Target of $5 billion export: The government has now set a target of $5 billion (Rs 40,000 crore).” This is an ambitious target and will demand mission-mode resolve to be realised.

    Why our defence industry is not competitive at global stage?

    • Import of critical components: India does not yet have the domestic competence to fully design and manufacture any significant combat weapon/platform and is dependent on the foreign supplier for the critical components that lie at the core of the combat index of the equipment in question.
    • Partial methods of indigenous manufacturing: While it is commendable that India is now going to manufacture the C295 transport aircraft in a collaboration with AirBus, France, the reality is that the engine, avionics, landing gear, etc, will come from abroad and the integration will be done by the Indian entity.
    • Soft defence export: While India now claims that it will soon become a major arms exporter, the composition of such inventory leans towards the “soft” category (clothing, helmets, surveillance equipment).
    • No major defence manufacturing hub: India missed the industrial design and manufacturing bus, a national competence demonstrated by nations like South Korea and China, over the last five decades. Technological advances have made the design and manufacture of the semiconductor chip the new currency of national prosperity and military power.

    Ways to make India’s defence industry globally competitive?

    • Increasing the investment in R&D is necessary: At the heart of this challenge is the grim reality that historically, India has not invested enough in the national research and development (R&D) effort. As per data collated by the World Bank, India has been able to allocate only 0.66 per cent of GDP (2018) towards R&D, while the world average is 2.63 per cent.
    • Matching with the Global players in R&D: The comparable individual R&D allocation (per cent of GDP) for some other nations is as follows: Israel 5.44; USA 3.45; Japan 3.26; Germany 3.14; China 2.4; and Turkey 1.09.
    • Making the R&D prior national issue: Providing a sustained fillip to the national R&D effort across the board (state, corporate and academia) remains critical if India is to emerge as a credible military power and one would identify this as a high-priority issue for the national security apex the CCS (cabinet committee on security).

    defence

    Read this news Defence- Expo 2022

    • India’s flagship exhibition on land, naval and homeland security systems.
    • Defence-Expo 2022 was the 12th edition, held in Gandhinagar, Gujrat
    • Largest participation with 75 countries so far.
    • A milestone under Atmanirbhar Bharat policy.

    Conclusion

    • The push to achieve self-reliance in defence is commendable. India must step up R&D to achieve competence in design, manufacture of combat weapons/platforms. Meaningful indigenisation and credible “atma nirbharta” calls for sustained funding support, fortitude and an ecosystem that will nurture this effort.

    Mains Question

    Q. Discuss the current state of indigenous defence production in India? Why Indian defence industry is not Globally competitive?

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