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  • What is Artemis 1 Mission?

    NASA’s Artemis 1 mission has sought unexpected delay due to fuel leakages issue.

    What is the Artemis I Mission?

    • NASA’s Artemis mission is touted as the next generation of lunar exploration, and is named after the twin sister of Apollo from Greek mythology.
    • Artemis is also the goddess of the moon.
    • Artemis I is the first of NASA’s deep space exploration systems.
    • It is an uncrewed space mission where the spacecraft will launch on SLS — the most powerful rocket in the world — and travel 2,80,000 miles from the earth for over four to six weeks during the course of the mission.
    • The Orion spacecraft is going to remain in space without docking to a space station, longer than any ship for astronauts has ever done before.
    • The SLS rocket has been designed for space missions beyond the low-earth orbit and can carry crew or cargo to the moon and beyond.

    Key objectives of the mission

    • With the Artemis Mission, NASA aims to land humans on the moon by 2024, and it also plans to land the first woman and first person of colour on the moon.
    • With this mission, NASA aims to contribute to scientific discovery and economic benefits and inspire a new generation of explorers.
    • NASA will establish an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and a gateway in the lunar orbit to aid exploration by robots and astronauts.
    • The gateway is a critical component of NASA’s sustainable lunar operations and will serve as a multi-purpose outpost orbiting the moon.

    Other agencies involved

    • Other space agencies are also involved in the Artemis programme.
    • The Canadian Space Agency has committed to providing advanced robotics for the gateway.
    • The European Space Agency will provide the International Habitat and the ESPRIT module, which will deliver additional communications capabilities among other things.
    • The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to contribute habitation components and logistics resupply.

     

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  • Fiscal prudence

    Fiscal prudenceContext

    • The Central government’s alarm has been on the mounting debt burden and the deteriorating fiscal situation in some States due to diversion in fiscal prudence.
    • As both the Union government and States are expected to work closely in a co-operative federal structure, frictions arising out of these exchanges might have repercussions on both resource sharing and expenditure prioritisation.

    What is India’s fiscal federalism?

    • Fiscal federalism refers to the financial relations between the country’s federal government system and other units of government.
    • It refers to how federal, state, and local governments share funding and administrative responsibilities within our federal system.

    Three issues in India’s fiscal federalism                   

    • First: are a set of issues related to Goods and Services Tax (GST) such as the rate structure, inclusion and exclusion of commodities, revenue sharing from GST and associated compensation.
    • Second: State-level expenditure patterns especially related to the welfare schemes of States.
    • Third: the conception and the implementation of central schemes.

    Fiscal prudenceMeaning of fiscal prudence

    • Fiscal prudence is defined as the ability of a government to sustain smooth monetary operation and long-standing fiscal condition.

    Where should state government spend the borrowed money?

    • Fundamental infrastructure: Ideally, governments should use borrowed money to invest in physical and social infrastructure that will generate higher growth, and thereby higher revenues in the future so that the debt pays for itself.
    • Targeted expenditure only: On the other hand, if governments spend the loan money on populist giveaways that generate no additional revenue, the growing debt burden will eventually implode.

    Fiscal prudenceWhy there is a need for Fiscal Council?

    • Institutionalizing fiscal practices: With a complex polity and manifold development challenges, India need institutional mechanisms for fiscal prudence.
    • Transparency: An independent fiscal council can bring about much needed transparency and accountability in fiscal processes across the federal polity.
    • Fiscal prudence: International experience suggests that a fiscal council improves the quality of debate on public finance, and that, in turn, helps build public opinion favourable to fiscal discipline.

    What does fiscal consolidation mean?

    • Fiscal consolidation is defined as concrete policies aimed at reducing government deficits and debt accumulation.

    Why fiscal consolidation is needed?

    • Fiscal expansion financed through debt and the resultant debt accumulation have important impacts on the economy both in the short run as well as in the long run.

    How to achieve fiscal consolidation?

    • Better targeting of government subsidies and extending Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for more subsidies
    • Improved tax revenue realization For this, increasing efficiency of tax administration by reducing tax avoidance, eliminating tax evasion, enhancing tax compliance etc. are to be made.
    • Enhancing tax GDP ratio by widening the tax base and minimizing tax concessions and exemptions also improves tax revenues.

    Suggestions

    • Amend FRBM Act for complete disclosure: First, the FRBM Acts of the Centre as well as States need to be amended to enforce a more complete disclosure of the liabilities on their exchequers.
    • Centre should impose conditionalities: Under the Constitution, States are required to take the Centre’s permission when they borrow. The Centre should not hesitate to impose conditionalities on wayward States when it accords such permission.
    • Use of financial emergency provision: There is a provision in the Constitution of India which allows the President to declare a financial emergency in any State if s/he is satisfied that financial stability is threatened.
    • Course correction by the Centre: The Centre itself has not been a beacon of virtue when it comes to fiscal responsibility and transparency. It should complete that task in order to command the moral authority to enforce good fiscal behaviour on the part of States.

    Conclusion

    • Fiscal correction at the State level is important. While there exists a need for raising additional resources at the sub-national levels, expenditure prioritisation has to be carried out diligently. The Centre, too, on its part needs to demonstrate commitment to fiscal discipline by sticking to announced fiscal glide path to ensure the sustainability of a frictionless cooperative federal structure.

    Mains question

    Q. Why Fiscal correction at the State level is important? Why fiscal consolidation is needed? Write in context frictionless cooperative fiscal federal structure.

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  • Concerns around Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage

    Reports have surfaced online of instances where block level officers have asked individuals to link their Aadhaar with their Voter IDs, failing which their Voter IDs could be cancelled.

    What is the news?

    • This furore comes in the aftermath of the Election Commission’s (EC) campaign to promote the linkage of Voter ID and Aadhaar that began on August 1.
    • In the first ten days since its launch, the campaign saw almost 2.5 crore Aadhaar holders voluntarily submitting their details to the EC.

    Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage: Why does the government want this?

    • The EC conducts regular exercises to maintain an updated and accurate record of the voter base.
    • A part of this exercise is to weed out duplication of voters.
    • There have been migrant workers who may have been registered more than once on the electoral rolls in different constituencies or for persons registered multiple times within the same constituency.
    • As per the government, linkage of Aadhaar with voter IDs will assist in ensuring that only one Voter ID is issued per citizen of India.

    Is the linking of Aadhaar with one’s Voter ID mandatory?

    • In December 2021, Parliament passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 .
    • This was to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Section 23(4) was inserted in the RP Act.
    • It states that the electoral registration officer may require voters to furnish their Aadhaar numbers to verify Authencity of voters list.

    Why is it making headlines now?

    • There has been the use of discretionary language throughout the amendments.
    • This has been accompanied by assurances that linkage is optional by both the government and the EC.
    • Alternative is provided to only who does not have an Aadhaar number.
    • To that extent, the limited element of choice that has been incorporated in the amendments seem to be negated or at the very least thrown into confusion.

    Why there is such proposal for linking?

    The preference to use Aadhaar for verification and authentication, both by the state and private sector, stems from few reasons:

    • Increase in UID-holders: First, at the end of 2021, 99.7% of the adult Indian population had an Aadhaar card.
    • Most versatile document: This coverage exceeds that of any other officially valid document such as driver’s licence, ration cards, PAN cards etc. that are mostly applied for specific purposes.
    • Reliable source of authentication: Since Aadhaar allows for biometric authentication, Aadhaar based authentication and verification is considered more reliable, quicker and cost efficient when compared to other IDs.

    Issues with mandatory linking: Puttaswamy judgment highlights

    • Puttaswamy judgment: The above reasons do not suffice the mandating of Aadhaar except in limited circumstances as per the Puttaswamy judgment.
    • Indispensability of the purpose: It needs to be considered whether such mandatory linkage of Aadhaar with Voter ID would pass the test of being “necessary and proportionate” to the purpose of de-duplication which is sought to be achieved.
    • Constitutional ambiguity: In Puttaswamy, one of the questions that the Supreme Court explored was whether the mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts was constitutional or not.
    • Against informational autonomy: It is the right to privacy which would allow a person to decide which official document they want to use for verification and authentication.

    Other judicial observations: Lal Babu Hussein (1995) Case

    • The Supreme Court had held that the Right to vote cannot be disallowed by insisting only on four proofs of identity.
    • The voters are entitled to rely on any other proof of identity and obtain the right to vote.

    What are the operational difficulties?

    • Aadhaar is not a citizenship proof: The preference to Aadhaar for the purposes of determining voters is puzzling as Aadhaar is only a proof of residence and not a proof of citizenship.
    • Excluding non-citizens is not easy: Verifying voter identity against this will only help in tackling duplication but will not remove voters who are not citizens of India from the electoral rolls.
    • Estimate of error rates in biometric based authentication: This certainly differs. As per the UIDAI in 2018, Aadhaar based biometric authentication had a 12% error rate.
    • Disenfranchisement of existing voters: Errors have led to the disenfranchisement of around 30 lakh voters in AP and Telangana before the Supreme Court stalled the process of linkage.

    Key concern: Right to Privacy

    • Some civil societies has highlighted that linking of the two databases of electoral rolls and Aadhaar could lead to the linkage of Aadhaar’s “demographic” information with voter ID information.
    • This could lead to violation of the right to privacy and surveillance measures by the state.
    • This would leave the EC with the option of verifying its information only through door-to-door checks.
    • There is a lack of enforceable data protection principles that regulate how authentication data will be used.

    What lies ahead?

    • Even as the amendments have been made and the EC has launched a campaign for linkage, a writ petition has filed with the Supreme Court challenging the same.
    • It challenges the amendments as being violative of the right to privacy.
    • The Supreme Court has transferred the writ to the Delhi High Court.
    • In the meantime, it is important that the government clarifies through a correction in Form 6B that the linking is not mandatory.
    • The govt should expedite the enactment of a data protection legislation that allays concerns of unauthorized processing of personal data held by the government.

     

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  • Russia blocks agreement on Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT)

    Russia has blocked the agreement on the final document of a four-week review of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).

    Why in news?

    • The NPT review conference is supposed to be held every five years but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • This marked the second failure of its 191 state parties to produce an outcome document.
    • The last review conference in 2015 ended without an agreement because of serious differences over establishing a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction.

    About Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT)

    • Between 1965 and 1968, the treaty was negotiated by the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament, a United Nations-sponsored organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.
    • Opened for signature in 1968, the treaty entered into force in 1970.
    • The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is
    1. To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology
    2. To promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and
    3. To further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament
    • The treaty defines nuclear-weapon states as those that have built and tested a nuclear explosive device before 1 January 1967; these are the United States (1945), Russia (1949), the United Kingdom (1952), France (1960), and China (1964).

    Non-members of the treaty

    • Four UN member states have never accepted the NPT, three of which possess or are thought to possess nuclear weapons: India, Israel, and Pakistan.
    • In addition, South Sudan, founded in 2011, has not joined.

    Issues in Nuclear Disarmament

    • Notion of Nuclear ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-Nots’: The proponents of disarmaments are themselves nuclear armed countries thus creating a nuclear monopoly.
    • Concept of Peaceful Nuclear Explosion (PNE): conducted for non-military purposes such as mining.

    Why didn’t India join NPT?

    • India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew, thus becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.
    • India always considered the NPT as discriminatory and had refused to sign it.
    • India maintains that they are selectively applicable to the non-nuclear powers and legitimised the monopoly of the five nuclear weapons powers.

    India’s commitment for de-nuclearization

    India has always batted for a universal commitment and an agreed global and non-discriminatory multilateral framework.

    • It has outlined a working paper on Nuclear Disarmament submitted to the UN General Assembly in 2006.
    • India participated in the Nuclear Security Summit process and has regularly participated in the International Conferences on Nuclear Security organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
    • India is also a member of the Nuclear Security Contact Group (but has signed off the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)).
    • India has expressed its readiness to support the commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT).
    • India couldn’t join the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) due to several concerns raised by India.
    • India has piloted an annual UNGA Resolution on “Measures to Prevent Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons of Mass Destruction” since 2002, which is adopted by consensus.

    Way forward

    • India has actively supported and contributed to the strengthening of the global nuclear security architecture.
    • There is a need for the international community to pay closer attention to the illicit proliferation of networks of nuclear weapons, their delivery systems, components and relevant technologies.
    • India hopes that the international community will continue to work towards realising our collective aspiration for a nuclear weapon-free world.

     

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  • Strong gender norms of japan reducing gender equality

    Gender norms Context

    • Japan ranked lowest among the developed countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2022 due to its prevalent gender norms.

    What Is a Gender-equal Society?

    • A society in which both women and men shall be given equal opportunities to participate voluntarily in activities in all fields as equal partners, and be able to enjoy political, economic, social and cultural benefits equally as well as to share responsibilities.

    What is sexism in simple words?

    • Prejudice or discrimination based on sex especially discrimination against women. Behaviour, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex.

    What is the meaning of gender norms?

    • Gender norms are social principles that govern the behaviour of girls, boys, women, and men in society and restrict their gender identity into what is considered to be appropriate. Gender norms are neither static nor universal and change over time.

    Gender norms Persistent gender norms in japan

    • Men should work outside the home.
    • Genders should be brought up differently.
    • Women are more suited to household work and child rearing than men.
    • Full time housewives are valuable to society because of their family raising role.

    What is womenomic’s?

    • “Womenomics”, a theory linking the advancement of women to increased development rates. The concept, originally defined by the Japanese Prime Minister Abe.

    What is women’s empowerment all about?

    • Women’s empowerment can be defined to promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others.

    gender norms

    Measures toward the Realization of a Gender-equal Society

    • Promoting the Participation of Women in National Advisory Councils and Committees.
    • Recruiting and Promoting of Female National Public Officers.

    What is needed to improve women’s welfare?

    • Community sensitization: Persistent effort must be directed toward community sensitization to root out patriarchal social norms.
    • Directional efforts: In addition to enforcing existing regulations like minimum wages, there must be supportive ancillary policies including childcare; secure transport; lighting; safety at work; and quotas in hiring, corporate boards, and politics to foster more  women  in  leadership.

    Key fact

    Japan is the world’s fourth largest economy.

    Conclusion

    • Due to the labour shortage in Japan, women are undoubtedly an essential resource for the nation. Hence, they should also be further involved in policy-making and social decisions such as gender inequality solving and feasible Womenomic’s adjustments for the next future.

    Mains question

    Q. Japan’s struggle with gender parity teaches us that investing in women’s education and health may have limited impact if that society is trapped in gender norms that restrict women from capitalising these investments for themselves, the society and the country. Critically analyse.

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  • AFSPA

    AFSPAContext

    • While AFSPA is repealed in 28 districts in Assam, 7 districts in Nagaland and 6 in Manipur, NSF president Kegwayhun Tep said that it should be repealed in all Northeastern states .

    What is Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958?

    • Armed Forces Special Powers Act, to put it simply, gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas.”
    • AFSPA gives armed forces the authority use force or even open fire after giving due warning if they feel a person is in contravention of the law.
    • The Act further provides that if “reasonable suspicion exists”, the armed forces can also arrest a person without warrant; enter or search premises without a warrant; and ban the possession of firearms.

    AFSPA: A Backgrounder

    • The AFSPA, 1958 came into force in the context of insurgency in the North-eastern States decades ago.
    • It provides “special power” to the Armed Forces applies to the Army, the Air Force and the Central Paramilitary forces etc.
    • It has been long contested debate whether the “special powers” granted under AFSPA gives total immunity to the armed forces for any action taken by them.

    AFSPAWhat are the Special Powers?

    • Power to use force: including opening fire, even to the extent of causing death if prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons or carrying arms and weapons, etc are in force in the disturbed area;
    • Power to destroy structures: used as hide-outs, training camps, or as a place from which attacks are or likely to be launched, etc;
    • Power to arrest: without warrant and to use force for the purpose;
    • Power to enter and search premises: without a warrant to make arrest or recovery of hostages, arms and ammunition and stolen property etc.

    Who can declare/notify such areas?

    • The Central Government or the Governor of the State or administrator of the Union Territory can declare the whole or part of the State or Union Territory as a disturbed area.

    AFSPAIssues with AFSPA

    • Power to kill: Section 4 of the Act granted officers the authority to “take any action” even to the extent to cause the death.
    • Sexual Misconduct by Armed Forces: The issue of violation of human rights by actions of armed forces came under the consideration of the Committee on Amendments to Criminal Law (popularly known as Justice Verma Committee) set up in 2012. It observed that- in conflict zones, legal protection for women was neglected.
    • Autocracy: The reality is that there is no evidence of any action being taken against any officer of the armed forces or paramilitary forces for their excesses.

    Recommendations to repeal AFSPA

    • Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy Commission: The 2004 Committee headed by Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy, the content of which has never officially been revealed by the Government, recommended that AFSPA be repealed.
    • ARC II: The Administrative Reforms Commission in its 5th Report on ‘Public Order’ had also recommended that AFSPA be repealed.

    Why AFSPA should be repealed?

    • Human right violations: The repeal of AFSPA is necessary not just for restoring constitutional sanity, but also as a way of acknowledging dark history of our conduct in Nagaland.
    • Need for ensuring individual dignity: The political incorporation of Nagaland (and all other areas where this law applies) will be set back if the guarantees of individual dignity of the Indian Constitution are not extended.
    • Not state of exception: We often describe AFSPA in terms of a “state of exception”. But this theoretical term is misleading. How can a law that has been in virtually continuous existence since 1958 be described as an “exception”.
    • Lack of human empathy: At the heart of AFSPA is a profound mutilation of human empathy.

    Conclusion

    • To bring in lasting peace in the North East, the government needs to avoid the trap of watered-down peace accords. While the move to withdraw AFSPA is welcome, it needs to be gradually erased. For that, changes in the ground situation would be crucial. Mere smoke signals or drum-beating can never do the job.

    Mains question

    Q. Do you think AFSPA is license to kill? Critically examine the utility of AFSPA today.

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  • INS Vikrant: All about India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier

    The nation’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1) , INS Vikrant is set to be commissioned on September 2, the Indian Navy has announced.

    About INS Vikrant

    • The name ‘INS Vikrant’ originally belonged to India’s much-loved first aircraft carrier, a source of immense national pride over several decades of service before it was decommissioned in 1997.
    • The original ‘Vikrant’, a Majestic-class 19,500-tonne warship, which was acquired from the UK in 1961, played a stellar role in the 1971 War with Pakistan.
    • The IAC-1 is 262 m long and 62 m wide ‘Vikrant’ displaces approximately 43,000 tonnes when fully loaded, and has a maximum designed speed of 28 knots (about 52 km/h) with an endurance of 7500 NM.
    • It has around 2,200 compartments designed for a crew of around 1,600, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors.

    Why is it important for India to have an aircraft carrier?

    • An aircraft carrier is one of the most potent marine assets for any nation.
    • It enhances a Navy’s capability to travel far from its home shores to carry out air domination operations.
    • Having an aircraft carrier as essential to be considered a “blue water” navy — that is, a navy that has the capacity to project a nation’s strength and power across the high seas.
    • An aircraft carrier generally leads as the capital ship of a carrier strike/ battle group.

    Why is it a big deal that this warship has been Made in India?

    • Only five or six nations currently have the capability of manufacturing an aircraft carrier, and India has joined this prestigious club now.
    • India has demonstrated the capacity and self-reliance to build what is considered to be one of the most advanced and complex battleships in the world.
    • India has had aircraft carriers earlier too — but those were built either by the British or the Russians.
    • The ‘INS Vikramaditya’, which was commissioned in 2013 and which is currently the Navy’s only aircraft carrier, started out as the Soviet-Russian warship ‘Admiral Gorshkov’.
    • India’s two earlier carriers, the ‘INS Vikrant’ and the ‘INS Viraat’, were originally the British-built ‘HMS Hercules’ and ‘HMS Hermes’.
    • These two warships were commissioned into the Navy in 1961 and 1987 respectively.

    What indigenous components does the new ‘Vikrant’ have?

    • The indigenous content of the project is approximately 76%.
    • The warship-grade steel was indigenised through Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in collaboration with Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL).
    • It includes 23,000 tonnes of steel, 2,500 km of electric cables, 150 km of pipes, and 2,000 valves.
    • It also includes a wide range of finished products including rigid hull boats, galley equipment, air-conditioning and refrigeration plants, and steering gear.

    What weapons and equipment will the new ‘Vikrant’ have?

    • The new warship can carry up to 34 aircraft, including both fighter jets and helicopters.
    • It will be capable of operating 30 aircraft including MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters, MH-60R Seahawk multi-role helicopters, as well as the Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH).
    • Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), the IAC is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft.

    What else will be there on the new INS Vikrant?

    • The carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation and survivability.
    • The carrier is equipped with the latest state of the art equipment and systems.
    • It boasts a fully-fledged state of the art medical complex with the latest medical equipment facilities..

    Now that India has shown the capability, will it build more carriers?

    • Since 2015, the Navy has been seeking approval to build a third aircraft carrier for the country, which, if approved, will become India’s second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-2).
    • This proposed carrier, to be named ‘INS Vishal’, is intended to be a giant 65,000-tonne vessel, much bigger than both IAC-1 and the ‘INS Vikramaditya’.
    • The Navy has been trying to convince the government of the “operational necessity” of having a third carrier.
    • Also, it is argued that now that India has developed the capability to build such vessels, it should not be whittled away.
    • The expertise gained by the Navy and the country over the past 60 years in the art of maritime aviation should not be wasted either.

    Significance of the induction

    • Vikrant is the largest warship to have ever been built in India, and the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.
    • It puts India in an elite club of nations that have the capability to design and build these giant, powerful warships.
    • The indigenisation efforts led to the development of ancillary industries, and generated employment opportunities for 2,000 CSL personnel and about 13,000 employees in ancillary industries.
    • This bolstered plough-back effect on the nation’s economy. That is, it pushed all money back that it consumed.

     

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  • Why Nepal postponed Gorkhas’ recruitment under the Agnipath scheme?

    Nepal has postponed the recruitment rallies which were to be held in that country to recruit Gorkha soldiers for the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme.

    Why has Nepal postponed Agnipath recruitment rallies?

    • Nepal is of the opinion that this new form of entry into the Indian military is not covered under the Tripartite Agreement signed between Nepal, Indian and UK governments in 1947, soon after Indian independence.
    • The government feels that the Agnipath scheme must be approved by it and for that political consultations with all parties in Nepal must take place.
    • This is move is visibly ‘inspired’ with inputs from China.

    What was the Tripartite Agreement between India, Nepal and UK?

    • Soon after Indian Independence on August 15, 1947, an agreement was reached by the governments of India, Nepal and the UK regarding the future of the Gorkha soldiers who were serving in the Indian Army.
    • As per the terms of this agreement four regiments of Gorkha soldiers – 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th – were transferred to the British Army while the rest – 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th – remained with the Indian Army.
    • A new Gorkha Regiment, the 11th Gorkha Rifles, was raised by India soon after Independence.
    • The agreement also provides for the terms and conditions of the Nepal-domiciled Gorkha soldiers in the Indian Army and for their post-retirement benefits and pensions.

    Significance of Gorkha Soldiers

    • Legend has it that Hitler’s very words were, “If I had Gurkhas, no army in the world could defeat me.”
    • An interesting historical aspect of Gorkha troops is that Pakistan, at the time of Independence, and China, soon after the 1962 war, had also requested Nepal for Gorkha soldiers.
    • However, this request was turned down by the Nepal government.
    • The largest body of Gorkha troops serves in the Indian Army while in the UK their presence has been reduced from four regiments to just two.

    Can Nepalese Gorkhas in foreign Armies be called mercenaries?

    • Mercenaries are understood as fighters who take part in a conflict for financial gain and usually are not parties to that conflict.
    • As per the definition of the 1949 Geneva Convention, gives the officially agreed definition of a mercenary.
    • It says that soldiers serving in sovereign armies are not considered mercenaries, and Gorkha soldiers cannot be called mercenaries.
    • In addition, Gorkha soldiers from Nepal serve side-by-side with Gorkha soldiers who are born and brought up in India.

    Have any changes been made in Gorkha unit recruitments over the years?

    • There have been attempts to reduce the dependence on Nepal for the Gorkha soldiers in the Indian Army,
    • To this effect, the composition has increasingly been attempted to be balanced between Indian and Nepal-domiciled troops.
    • Also, a pure Indian Gorkha battalion was raised in 2016.
    • This unit, 6th Battalion of the 1st Gorkha Rifles (6/1 GR), was raised in Subathu, in Himachal Pradesh.
    • Otherwise, the ratio of Nepalese-domiciled soldiers and Indian-domiciled soldiers in a Gorkha battalion ranges from 60:40 to 70:30, though this will change further in future.
    • A change was made in the recruitment rules for Gorkha Rifles recently when the Army decided that soldiers hailing from the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand will also be eligible for serving in Gorkha Rifles.

    What is the socio-economic impact on Nepal of Gorkha soldiers serving in the Indian Army?

    • A major economic and social impact is felt in Nepal due to the Nepal-domiciled Gorkha soldiers serving in the Indian Army and much of it has to do with the remittances that they send home.
    • Kathmandu receives a sustainable source of remittances from Gorkhas working in foreign armies.
    • This has significantly contributed to social modernization in the isolated villages, while the financial remittances spurred entrepreneurship development thereby contributing to regional development.

    Why induct Gorkha soldiers?

    • Gorkha soldiers are tough. Living in the hills of Nepal makes them strong and resilient and they can stand war, climate and terrain better than most.
    • No one can match their swift movement in the mountainous terrain.
    • They are cheerful in disposition and nothing disturbs their equanimity.
    • They are loyal to the core and fearless in battle.
    • All this makes them amongst the best soldiers in the world and they are much sought after.
    • Historically, they have deep rooted connection and affinity for India definitely due to cultural assimilations.

     

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  • Government e-Marketplace (GeM) eyes procurement of ₹2 lakh crore

    Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a national procurement portal, is eyeing annual procurement worth ₹2 lakh crore during FY23. Such a huge amount it is!

    Government e-Marketplace

    • GeM is an online platform for public procurement in India by various Government Departments / Organizations / PSUs.
    • The initiative was launched on August 9, 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the objective to create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers.
    • It is owned by GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) which is a 100 per cent Government-owned, non-profit company under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries
    • GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
    • It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money.
    • The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorized and made mandatory by Ministry of Finance.

    Note: The government has made it mandatory for sellers on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal to clarify the country of origin of their goods when registering new products.

    Advantages for Buyers

    • Offers rich listing of products for individual categories of Goods/Services
    • Makes available search, compare, select and buy facility
    • Enables buying Goods and Services online, as and when required.
    • Provides transparency and ease of buying
    • Ensures continuous vendor rating system
    • Up-to-date user-friendly dashboard for buying, monitoring supplies and payments
    • Provision of easy return policy

    Advantages for Sellers

    • Direct access to all Government departments.
    • One-stop shop for marketing with minimal efforts
    • One-stop shop for bids / reverse auction on products / services
    • New Product Suggestion facility available to Sellers
    • Dynamic pricing: Price can be changed based on market conditions
    • Seller friendly dashboard for selling, and monitoring of supplies and payments
    • Consistent and uniform purchase procedures

     

     

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  • Green finance for green future

    green finance Context

    • Inclusion of climate change and green finance in policy is crucial for a strong economy.

    What is green finance?

    • Green finance is a phenomenon that combines the world of finance and business with environment friendly behaviour. It may be led by financial incentives, a desire to preserve the planet, or a combination of both.
    • In addition to demonstrating proactive, environment friendly behaviour, such as promoting of any business or activity that could be damaging to the environment now or for future generations.

    Green finance instruments       

    • Dedicated fund: A “green super fund” could be established to jumpstart green investments by pooling together international and domestic capital.
    • Sovereign green bond (SGB): The sovereign green bond is a novel idea. It will be a part of the government’s borrowing programme. The gross borrowing programme of the government is pegged at Rs 14.95 lakh crore. The SGB (sovereign green bond) raised will be part of the aggregate borrowing programme and has to be used for projects which are ESG (environment, social and governance) compliant.

    green financeNetwork for Greening the Financial System

    • The Network for Greening the Financial System is a network of 114 central banks and financial supervisors that aims to accelerate the scaling up of green finance and develop recommendations for central banks’ role for climate change.
    • The NGFS was created in 2017 and its secretariat is hosted by the Banque de France.

    Purpose

    • The Network’s purpose is to help strengthening the global response required to meet the goals of the Paris agreement and to enhance the role of the financial system to manage risks and to mobilize capital for green and low carbon investments in the broader context of environmentally sustainable development.

    green financeSignificance

    • Green goals: Reaching net-zero emissions and other climate-related and environmental goals will require significant investments to enable decarbonisation and innovation across all sectors of the economy. Greening the financial system is key to making these investments happen.
    • SDG goals: Green finance initiatives also aim to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shifting the focus from creating value for shareholders (economic) to creating value for stakeholders (economic, environmental, and social).
    • Green future: And as we begin to recover from the pandemic, green finance presents a huge opportunity to build back with a greener future, creating new businesses and jobs.
    • Robust growth: Supports strong and green growth in all sectors of economy .

    The issues in mobilization and effective use of green finance are

    • Low incentives: The return on green finance is long term, low in monetary value & many times intangible, so that the ability of the financial system to mobilize private green finance, especially in developed countries is difficult.
    • Distribution challenge: Developing countries like India have challenges of development & poverty alleviation, so allocation of resources towards meeting fundamental needs & promoting the green projects which require heavy investment is a challenge.
    • Skewed investment: In many countries, green finance & much of the green projects are limited to the investment in renewable energy: India whose 60% of installed capacity is coal based, greening of coal technology is required which is mostly limited to private players in developed countries. It is subjected to IPR & makes them cost prohibitory.
    • High risk: Green bonds are perceived as new and attach higher risk and their tenure is also shorter. There is a need to reduce risks to makes them investment grade.

    Conclusion

    • Our future depends on how we resolve our environmental challenges. Further, we are the world’s third-largest carbon emitter and will play a crucial role in getting the planet to a low-carbon trajectory. Simply put, we must urgently transform our economy to get to the green frontier.

    Mains question

    Q. As the world copes with the repercussions of carbon emissions, there is growing pressure to achieve climate-compatible growth. In this context What do you understand by the term green finance? Discuss how it will help to achieve climate-compatible growth along with limitations of green finance.

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