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  • The politics-policy disconnect in India

    Context

    Decision-making on virtually all governance issues is disconnected from politics and the mobilisation of public opinion.

    Disconnect between politics and policy

    • The repeal of the farm laws is thus a notable instance of politics and policy coming together, although in conflict.
    • The Opposition speaking in one voice in the Parliament helped, but the heavy lifting of organising in the villages and sustaining the protests was done by the farmers’ groups.
    • This disconnect between politics and policy is not a recent development, though it manifests differently across political divides.
    • Policy-first lens and its implications: The liberal side has a policy-first lens but is unable to articulate its ideas in a manner which makes for good politics, repeatedly couching its ideas in a bureaucratic framework disconnected from political organisation.
    • Bureaucracy is downstream from politics and this approach rather than curbing the state may have instead contributed to undermining the democratic process of political accountability since the political class is, by design, not central to the policy in the first place.
    • A politics-first approach: The right, on its side, has a politics-first lens but it derives its politics largely from its social agenda instead of issues of governance.
    • The policy imperatives, if any, are ad hoc and appear to be driven by the demands of running the political apparatus instead of a clear governance agenda.
    • Despite these differences, what is common across parties is the apolitical harnessing of the state as a disburser of different kinds of economic largesse, especially just before elections, as political parties cast about for simple ideas for easy mass communication.

    Reasons for the breakdown of the process

    • Weakly institutionalised nature of state and politics: Indian politics and the state are weakly institutionalised to begin with, which leads to an all-around fuzziness in the relationship between politics and policy.
    • However, this is as much an effect as it is cause, with the direction of change towards greater deinstitutionalisation instead of the opposite.
    • Lack of consensus-building: Another contributing factor is that traditional sites of consensus-building such as media, civil society, and political parties have developed pathologies which have rendered sustained consensus-building almost impossible. 
    • Centralisation of power: The excessive centralisation of power in party platforms and the head of the government (state and national).
    • This renders the individual elected representative extraneous to governance even in their own constituency, where their function is to provide representation and oversight.

    Way forward

    • There’s too much at stake to allow such a state of affairs to continue.
    •  It is important to rescue public interest from partisanship and cut through at least some of the bad-faith crosstalk across partisan divides.
    • Cross-cutting collaboration: There are many issues which lend themselves to cross-cutting collaboration outside of ideological affiliations.
    • Need for reforms: Institutional reforms are required to create such a space but public-spirited individuals across political divides can lay the foundation for such collaboration through issue-based discipline, moderation and intellectual independence.

    Consider the question “There has been a growing disconnect in India between policy and politics. Examine the factors responsible for this. Suggest the way forward.”

    Conclusion

    We need to address the disconnect between policy and politics to make the functioning of democracy more meaningful for us.

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  • Paika Rebellion to be included as ‘case study’ in history textbook

    The 1817 Paika Rebellion of Odisha would be included as a case study in the Class 8 NCERT history textbook, informed the Union Culture Minister.

    Who were the Paiks?

    • The Paiks of Odisha were the traditional landed militia and enjoyed rent free land tenures for their military service and policing functions on a hereditary basis.

    Paika Rebellion

    • When the British started tinkering with the revenue system in 1803, the farming community of Odisha rose in rebellion.
    • At that critical juncture, Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar — the military chief of the King of Khurda — led his army of Paikas forcing the British East India Company forces to retreat.
    • The rebellion came to be known as Paika Bidroh (Paika rebellion).

    When did it take place?

    • The rebellion, by the landed militia of Khurda called Paiks, predates the first war of independence in 1857 but did not get similar recognition.
    • It took place when the British East India Company wrested the rent-free land that had been given to the Paiks for their military service to the Kingdom of Khurda.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2020:

    Q. With reference to the history of India, ‘ulgulan’ or the great tumult is the description of the which of the following?

    (a) The revolt of 1857

    (b) The Mappila rebellion of 1921

    (c) The Indigo revolt of 1859-1860

    (d) Birsa Munda’s revolt of 1899-1900

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”5jsad1unuu” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • James Webb Space Telescope

    The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s largest space science telescope ever constructed, is scheduled to be sent into orbit in December.

    James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

    • It is a space telescope being jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
    • It has taken 30 years and $10bn to develop, and is being described as one of the grand scientific endeavors of the 21st Century.

    What is the goal of this telescope?

    • The telescope will be able to see just about anything in the sky.
    • However, it has one overriding objective – to see the light coming from the very first stars to shine in the Universe.
    • These pioneer stars are thought to have switched on about 100-200 million years after the Big Bang, or a little over 13.5 billion years ago.
    • Webb will be picking out groupings of these stars.
    • They are so far away their light – even though it moves at 300,000km per second – will have taken billions of years to travel the cosmos.

    JWST mirror

    • One of the most important objects it will carry is a large mirror which will help collect light from the objects being observed.
    • The primary mirror is made of 18 hexagonal-shaped mirror segments — each 1.32 metre in diameter — stitched together in a honeycomb pattern.
    • The primary mirror is a technological marvel.
    • The lightweight mirrors, coatings, actuators and mechanisms, electronics, and thermal blankets when fully deployed form a single precise mirror that is truly remarkable.
    • Each mirror segment weighs approximately 20 kilograms and is made from beryllium.

    Why beryllium?

    • NASA explains that beryllium was used as it is both strong and light.
    • Beryllium is very strong for its weight and is good at holding its shape across a range of temperatures. Beryllium is a good conductor of electricity and heat and is not magnetic.
    • Because it is light and strong, beryllium is often used to build parts for supersonic airplanes and the Space Shuttle.
    • It added that special care was taken when working with beryllium because it is unhealthy to breathe in or swallow beryllium dust.

    So, it does not have gold?

    • After the beryllium mirror segments were polished a thin coating of gold was applied to it. Gold helps improve the mirror’s reflection of infrared light.
    • The gold was coated using a technique called vacuum vapour deposition.
    • The mirrors are kept inside a vacuum chamber and a small quantity of gold is vapourised and deposited on the mirror.
    • The thickness of the gold is just 100 nanometers. So less than 50 grams of gold was used for the entire mirror.
    • A thin layer of glass was also deposited on top of the gold layer to protect it from scratches.

     

     

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  • Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) Scheme

    A recent report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has attributed the inefficiency of the PAT scheme to non-transparency, loose targets and overlooked deadlines.

    PAT Scheme

    • Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme is a flagship program of Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).
    • NMEEE is one of the eight national missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) launched by the Government of India in the year 2008

    Working of the scheme

    • PAT is a market-based compliance mechanism to accelerate improvements in energy efficiency in energy-intensive industries.
    • The energy savings achieved by notified industries is converted into tradable instruments called Energy Saving Certificates (ESCerts).
    • The ESCerts after issuance by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency are traded at Power Exchanges.

    What is PAT cycle?

    • The government shortlists industries and restricts the amount of energy they can consume and defines a time limit of three years by when this restriction should be met as part of PAT.
    • These three years of time are called one PAT cycle.
    • The industries are chosen after in-depth, sector-wise analysis by the government.
    • Industries that participate in this scheme are called designated consumers (DC).
    • Those that overachieve their targets are issued energy savings certificates (ESCerts) that can be traded with industries that have not achieved their targets.
    • Non-achievers have to buy the ESCerts after the three years for compliance.

    Various PAT cycles

    • PAT covered about 13 energy-intensive sectors
    • Sectors included are thermal power plants (TPP), cement, aluminium, iron and steel, pulp and paper, fertilizer, chlor-alkali, petroleum refineries, petrochemicals, distribution companies, railways, textile and commercial buildings (hotels and airports)
    • Announcements for six cycles since 2012 have been made so far

     

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  • [pib] Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India (SPPEL)

    The Government of India has initiated a Scheme known as “Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India” (SPPEL) informed the Minister of Culture and Tourism.

    About SPPEL

    • The Scheme was instituted by Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2013.
    • The sole objective of the Scheme is to document and archive the country’s languages that have become endangered or likely to be endangered in the near future.
    • The scheme is monitored by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) located in Mysuru, Karnataka.
    • The CIIL has collaborated with various universities and institutes across India for this mission.
    • University Grants Commission (UGC) is also providing financial assistance for the creation of centres for endangered languages at Central and State Universities.

    What are Endangered Languages?

    • At the moment, the languages which are spoken by less than 10,000 speakers or languages that are not been linguistically studied earlier are considered endangered language.

    Present status of the scheme

    • Presently, 117 languages have been listed for the documentation.
    • Documentation in the form of grammar, dictionary and ethno-linguistic profiles of about 500 lesser known languages are estimated to be accomplished in the coming years.

     

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  • Dam Safety Bill, 2021 introduced in RS

    The Dam Safety Bill 2021 was moved in the Rajya Sabha but the debate could not be held because of disruptions from the Opposition parties.

    Dam Safety Bill, 2021

    • The Bill provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams to prevent disasters, and institutional mechanisms to ensure safety.
    • It applies to over 5,000 dams across the country, many of which are currently in poor conditions.
    • It has been met with significant opposition, particularly from several states that claim the bill oversteps the Centre’s mandate.

    Which dams are covered?

    • All dams in India with a height above 15 metres come under the purview of the bill.
    • Dams between 10 to 15 metres of height are also covered but only if they meet certain other specifications in terms of design and structural conditions.

    National Committee on Dam Safety

    • The Bill provides for the constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) which is to be chaired by the Central Water Commissioner (CWC).
    • The other members of the NCDS will be nominated by the Centre and will include up to 10 representatives of the Centre, 7 state government representatives, and 3 experts on dam safety.
    • The NCDS is to formulate policies for dam safety and to prevent dam failures.
    • In the event of a dam failure, the NCDS will analyse why the failure occurred, and suggest changes in dam safety practices to ensure there aren’t any repetitions.

    National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA)

    • The bill provides for the formation of a NDSA which will be responsible for implementing the policies of the NCDS, and will resolve issues between State Dam Safety Organisations (or SDSOs) and dam owners.
    • The NDSA will also specify regulations for the inspection of dams and will provide accreditation to the various agencies working on the structure of dams and their alteration.

    State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs)

    • The bill will also result in the establishment of SDSOs, and State Committees on Dam Safety (SCDSs).
    • The jurisdiction of the SDSOs will extend to all dams in that specific state.

    Cross jurisdictions

    • The NDSA will, in some cases, possess this jurisdiction, for example, if a dam owned by one state is situated in another or crosses multiple states, or if a dam is owned by a central public sector undertaking.
    • SDSOs will be in charge of scrutinizing dams under their jurisdiction and maintaining a database of the same.
    • The SCDS will review the work of the SDSO, and will also have to assess the impact of dam-related projects on upstream and downstream states.
    • The bill gives the Central government the power to amend the functions of any of the above bodies through a notification, whenever it is deemed necessary to do so.

    How does Bill change the functioning of dams?

    • If the bill is made into a law, then dam owners will have to provide a dam safety unit in each dam.
    • The dam safety unit will be required to inspect the dam before and after the monsoon session, and also during and after natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
    • The bill requires dam owners to prepare emergency action plans. Risk-assessment studies will also have to be undertaken by owners, regularly.
    • At specified, regular intervals, and in the event of either a modification to the dam’s structure or a natural event that may impact the structure, dam owners will have to produce a comprehensive safety evaluation by experts.

    Do you know?

    The point of contention are four dams — Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam, Thunakkadavu and Peruvaripallam — located in Kerala but owned, operated and maintained by the Tamil Nadu Government.

    Issues with bill

    • The primary objection to the bill is that is unconstitutional, as water is one of the items on the State List.
    • Tamil Nadu, which currently possesses four dams situated in Kerala, is opposed to the Bill as it would result in the four dams falling under the NDSA.
    • This will be doing away with Tamil Nadu’s rights over the maintenance of the dam.
    • The Bill states that the NCDS will be chaired by the Central Water Commissioner.
    • However the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that such a scenario is prohibited, as it involves the CWC, an advisor, functioning both as a regulator and the head of the NCDS.

     

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  • India joins G20’s Troika

    India has joined the G20 ‘Troika’with Indonesia and Italy.

    G20 Troika

    • Troika refers to the top grouping within the G20 that consists of the current, previous and incoming presidencies — Indonesia, Italy and India.
    • With this move, India has started the procedure for taking over the G20 presidency.

    Significance of the move

    • India will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022 from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in India in 2023.
    • Indonesia took over the G20 presidency this year.

    Do you know?

    A Sherpa is the personal representative of a head of state or head of government who prepares an international summit, such as the annual G7 and G20 summits.

    About G20 Countries

    • 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.
    • The members of the G20 consist of 19 individual countries plus the European Union (EU).
    1. 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.
    2. The European Union is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central Bank.
    • India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999.

     

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  • EU unveils Global Gateway Project

    The European Union has unveiled a project called ”Global Gateway” that is worth 300 billion euros ($340 billion). The project is being seen as a response to China’s Belt and Road strategy.

    Global Gateway Project

    • It is the initiative Build Back Better World and the European Global Gateway that are reinforcing each other.
    • The bloc will mobilize the financial aid in public and private infrastructure investment around the world.
    • It is an offshoot of a plan by G7 countries to offer developing countries an alternative to Belt and Road.
    • The project will probably extend the remit of the European Fund for Strategic Investment, or create a similar institution, which can act as a guarantor for riskier investments in the ‘Global South’.
    • The EU has indicated it especially wants to compete for infrastructure development projects in Africa.

    About Belt and Road Initiative

    • The Belt and Road is a flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping that was launched in 2013.
    • Beijing has invested $139.8 billion in the project which is the centerpiece of Chinese foreign policy.
    • BRI aims to develop land and sea infrastructure to better connect China to Asia, Europe and Africa for trade and development, and it has found many partners around the world.

     

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  • WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)

    The World Health Assembly (WHA) took the historic decision to form a global treaty to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”.

    Significance of the launch

    • The launch of putting together this accord is the second such initiative taken under Article 19.
    • The first initiative was the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which came into effect in 2005.

    About FCTC

    • The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the world’s first modern-day global public health treaty.
    • It is also the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO).
    • The treaty entered into force in February 2005.
    • It was signed by 168 of the 192 WHO member states and more than 180 WHO member states have become parties to the convention.

    Highlights of the FCTC

    The FCTC provides an internationally coordinated response to combating the tobacco epidemic and sets out specific steps for governments addressing tobacco use, including:

    • Adopting tax and price measures to reduce tobacco consumption
    • Banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
    • Creating smoke-free work and public spaces
    • Putting prominent health warnings on tobacco packages
    • Combating illicit trade in tobacco products

     

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  • With India’s demographic transition, come challenges

    Context

    Recent results from National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) suggest that we are entering an era where we will have to tackle these challenges.

    A milestone in India’s demographic history: TFR at 2.0

    • NFHS-5 places the total fertility rate (TFR) at 2.0.
    • With two parents having two children, we have reached a replacement level of fertility.
    • Due to many young people, the population will continue to grow, but the replacement level fertility is a significant milestone in India’s demographic history.
    • This decline is spread evenly across the country, with 29 states and UTs having a TFR of 1.9 or less, with seven below 1.6.
    • All southern states have a TFR of 1.7-1.8, similar to that of Sweden.
    • Even states that have not reached replacement fertility — Bihar and Uttar Pradesh — seem to be headed in that direction.
    • Part of the original coterie of lagging states, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan both have achieved TFRs of 2.0.

    Challenge: Supporting the ageing population

    • Supporting ageing population: As fertility declines, the proportion of the older population grows, and societies face the challenge of supporting an ageing population with a shrinking workforce.
    • This challenge is greater for leaders at the beginning of the demographic transition — Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
    •  Interestingly, these are also among the more prosperous states in India, whose economic activities increasingly rely on migrant labour from other states.
    • Many industries such as auto parts manufacturing and construction in southern states rely on semi-skilled migrants, often transported under contractual arrangements, from northern and eastern states, particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.

    Rethinking the critical dimension of Indian federalism

    • Dependence on migrat workforce: Many industries such as auto parts manufacturing and construction in southern states rely on semi-skilled migrants, often transported under contractual arrangements, from northern and eastern states, particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
    • Allocation of political power: While the Indian constitution mandates allocation of Lok Sabha seats across states in proportion to their population via the Delimitation Commission, the Emergency-era 42nd amendment froze seat allocation to the population share of states in the 1971 Census.
    • Equity consideration in central allocation to states: The division of central allocation to states is another area where population concerns have dominated equity considerations.
    • Much of the Centre-state revenue sharing occurs through recommendations of various Finance Commissions.
    • The sixth to fourteenth Finance Commissions allocated resources between states using the 1971 population shares of various states.
    • The Fifteenth Finance commission used Census data from 2011, but it also added the criteria of demographic performance, rewarding states with lower TFR.

    Type of demographic policy India needs to pursue

    • Pursue policy followed by China? Does India want to pursue China’s route of sharply lower fertility, with a large number of families stopping at one child, or are we content with moderately below replacement fertility of about 1.7-1.8?
    • If the latter, we are well-positioned to head in this direction.
    • Issues faced by China: while very low fertility provides a temporary demographic dividend with a reduced number of dependents to workers, the increased burden of caring for the elderly may become overwhelming over the long term.
    • Advantage of Regional demographic variation in India: India is fortunate that its demographic dividend may be smaller, but is likely to last for a more extended period due to regional variation in the onset of the fertility decline.
    • As southern states struggle with the growing burden of supporting the elderly, northern states will supply the workforce needed for economic growth.
    • Economic expansion: The increasing pace of migration may help shore up economic expansion in the south with its shrinking workforce augmented by workers from other states.

    Consider the question “Examine the influence of regional demographic variation on the fedaralism in India? How such variation can help India?”

    Conclusion

    The Sixteenth Finance Commission and the next Delimitation Commission must be freed from the burden of managing the demographic transition, focused on carrying out their tasks in the best interests of Indian federalism.

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