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GS Paper: GS2

Sports as soft power
Context
- Increased interest, especially by smaller nations in the world, in investing more and doing well in elite sports in international sporting events boosts a nation’s chances of attaining soft power.
- India’s medal tally at recent International sports events demonstrate the country’s soft power on the global stage and encourage working towards the status of a great “geopolitical actor”.
What is soft power?
- Origin:
  - As far back as the 4^th century BC, Kautilya (chankyaniti) had propounded the concept of Saam(advice or cajole),daam(pay or bribe),dand(punish),bhed(exploit secrets) which acquired western touch and can be understood by Soft power, smart power, hard power, and sharp power respectively.
  - Joseph Nye introduced the concept of “soft power” in the late 1980s. For Nye, power is the ability to influence the behavior of others to get the outcomes you want.
- Meaning:
- Soft power is the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion.
- Soft power is the ability to influence the behavior of others to get the outcomes you want.
Why Soft power is so significant?

Use of ‘Soft Power’ includes the number of cultural missions such as language schools, Olympic Medals and the quality of a country’s overall growth. Soft power produces following things:
- Familiarity: If people know more about your country, culture, sports, and its talents, businesses, and resources, then soft power is enhanced.
- Reputation: For a nation to be attractive and a role model for others, its overall reputation must be strong and positive.
- Influence: A direct measure of the perceived presence and impact that your country has in other countries
- Business/Innovation/Sports: The attractiveness of a country’s economic model, its digital engagement with the world, performance in sports etc.
- Government: Showcases the ability of country’s political leadership and what it delivers to its people in different arenas.
- Multi-Alignment: As a country rises up the ‘Soft Power’ list, more and more outside parties align themselves with the common goals of that country.
Why the Sports being used as a tool of soft power in modern international relations?

Sport can be used as tool of soft power both internationally and domestically.
- International platform: Sports provide a platform for countries to showcase their culture, values and tradition.
- Puts a Better image of a country: Sports as a tool to achieve social, political, and financial goals, and improve the image of the country.
- International exposure: The focus on culture and peaceful values in sports make it a useful tool for countries to use soft power to achieve international goals and improve their public diplomacy.
- Reducing differences: Sports provides a platform for trust-building; and reconciliation, integration and anti-racism.
- Learning from China’s Case:
- Dongfeng Liu (International Professor of Sport Management) in his survey on China’s performance in the Olympics he found that a country’s Olympic achievement has a positive effect on its national soft power.
- As china is a communist country and reputation about human rights is not good, so China uses its superiority in elite sports to build “people-to-people” relations with other countries. For example, athletes from African countries such as Madagascar are trained in swimming, badminton, table tennis, etc. in China, which helps Beijing create a positive impact on a wider population and result in better formal relations as well.
- There is also China’s memorandum of understanding with countries such as Kenya so that Chinese runners can train with Kenyan athletes, as they are among the best in the world when it comes to long-distance running.
Introspection on India’s performance at recent International Sports events
- It is being said that the golden period of Indian sports may have begun as at the Tokyo Olympics and then the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) are examples of a good performance.
- India’s medal tally in the Tokyo Olympics Games — seven — was its most decorated Olympic Games in Indian history.
- At the Commonwealth games (CWG) 2022, Indian athletes won 61 medals, including 22 gold.
- India has one of the world’s poorest population-to-medal ratios when it comes to the Olympics.
- Ensuring competent coaches, and having adequate funding and more sports academics still remain major issues even decades later
- India spends only three paise per day per capita on sports. In contrast China spends 1 per day per capita.
What can be done to increase the country’s sporting performance and soft power?
- Train Indian players overseas:
- India should concentrate on forging MoUs with nations that excel in specific sports and train Indian players overseas.
- For example, Australia and the United Kingdom can assist us in swimming given their standing here.
- When it comes to running, negotiating collaborative training agreements with African countries such as Kenya would be ideal.
- No Politics over assistance:
- There should be no politics in seeking or even offering assistance.
- For example China has requested Indian assistance in improving cricket development in China (Chongqing city).
- Private Investment:
- Private investment needs to be harnessed to develop infrastructure. The better a country performs in sporting events the greater a sports person’s interest in their sports atmosphere. This also creates a huge market for private players to invest in.
- For example, leading corporate houses in India have already shown how their active participation and investment can improve sporting performance as a result of unique corporate sports programmes.
- Public –private partnership at grass root :
- The Government should also work on a public-private partnership (PPP) model to create basic sporting infrastructure.
- As recommended by NITI Aayog, at the district level too so that talent can be captured at an early stage.
Conclusion
- Sports as a tool of soft power had always been a key element of leadership from the ancient times. Sports provide an international platform to develop an attitude of unity in a divided multi-polar modern world.
Mains Question

Q. Sports provide an international platform to develop an attitude of unity and influence others in a divided multi-polar modern world. Discuss in this context that soft power is not an end but a means to an end.
September 26, 2022
Why India Inc. needs a neurodiverse workplace ?
Context
- Discrimination in employment is a worldwide phenomenon. Gender, ethnic, racist discrimination are well known but discrimination towards neurodiverse persons are hardly debated in public forums. Despite having special abilities companies are not using their potentials.
What is neurodiversity?
- Harvard Health Publishing defines, neurodiversity as a notion that every person interacts and experiences their surroundings differently; there is no right way of thinking, learning, or/and behaving. These differences should not be construed as defects or disorders.
What is a neuro-diverse workplace?
- Neurodiversity in the workplace refers to including people with neuro-divergent conditions such as attention-deﬁcit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Asperger’s Syndrome.
What are those Conditions that make them different from normal humans?
- Autism: A mental condition in which a person finds it difficult to communicate or form relationships with other people. Signs of autism include not responding to their name, avoiding eye contact, not smiling when you smile at them.
- Dyslexia: a difficulty that some people have with reading and spelling signs include confusion over letters that look similar and putting letters the wrong way round , confusing the order of letters in words, reading slowly or making errors when reading aloud
- Asperger’s syndrome: A developmental disorder related to autism and characterized by awkwardness in social interaction, pedantry in speech, and preoccupation with very narrow interests. Less severe symptoms than Autism syndrome.
- Dyscalculia: A brain disorder in which a wide range of difficulties with math, including weaknesses in understanding the meaning of numbers, and difficulty applying mathematical principles to solve problems.
How they can be naturally efficient and creative?
- More efficient: Studies have shown that teams with both neurodivergent and neurotypical members are far more efficient than teams that comprise neurotypical employees alone.
- Ability to focus: Neurodivergent individuals possess excellent attention to detail and an uncanny ability to focus on complex and repetitive tasks over a more extended period than their neurotypical peers.
- Ability to work at faster speed: A study by the University of Montreal found that in a test involving completing a visual pattern, people on the autism spectrum could finish their task 40% faster than those who were not on the spectrum.
- Robust spatial reasoning: People with dyslexia can think about objects in three dimensions and analyses such objects even with limited information.
- Out of box thinking: They have problem-solving capabilities which allow them to see multiple solutions to a problem. They are often out-of-the-box thinkers with average or above-average intelligence.
Current Status of people living with neurodivergent conditions
- People suffer with the Condition: According to a recent report, nearly 2 million people in India suffer from this neurological and developmental disorder and are therefore identified as autistic. Another study by Deloitte estimates that nearly 20% of the world is neurodiverse. In the U.S., it is estimated that 85% of people on the autism spectrum are unemployed compared with 4.2% of the overall population
- Discrimination at employment: Even with all the necessary skill sets and degrees, these persons are denied a job because they may react to situations differently from non-neurodiverse persons.
- Lack of awareness: Lack of awareness about neurodivergent conditions, and how the people with condition may react and lack of and accommodating environment. Hence, there is an urgency to create a work environment that welcomes neurodiverse individuals.
Current work profile of companies and workplaces
- A 2019 McKinsey study revealed that companies with gender diversity were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability while those with ethnic diversity out-rival their competitors by 36%.
- Another report titled ‘India’s Best Workplaces in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 2021’ states that diverse teams perform better, boost leadership integrity, heighten trust in the organization’s management and multiply revenue growth.
Few Examples show that things are changing
- Competitive environment: Organisations embracing neurodiversity enjoy a competitive edge in several areas such as efficiency, creativity, and culture.
- Various MNC’s hiring program: Companies such as Deloitte, Microsoft, SAP, JPMorgan Chase, and E&Y have introduced neurodiversity hiring programs.
- Indian company: Indian-origin companies Hatti Kaapi and Lemon Tree Hotels have also included a neurodiverse workforce.
What can be done to create more inclusive workplaces?
- Creating neurodivergent friendly offices: .Many employees with neurodiversity may find the hustle and bustle of a traditional office disturbing. Therefore, neurodivergent friendly offices catering to the employees’ diverse sensory responses can help ensure that these employees are comfortable in office spaces.
- Openness: Creating the right environment is an ever-evolving exercise that requires openness and a will to change on the employer’s part. This flexibility can result in exceptional benefit with minimal or no additional costs.
- Wider Inclusivity: To ensure higher profitability and be respected as a responsible employer globally, companies need to widen their definition of inclusivity by providing higher participation of a neurodiverse workforce.
Conclusion
- Organizations must not only remove barriers that obstruct the progress of such individuals but also create conducive conditions for them to achieve their true potential and providing proper infrastructure so that they can perform at their optimal levels.
Mains Question

Q. People with neurodiversity are discriminated not only socially but also economically, Comment. What measures could be taken to bridge this gap within the society?
September 26, 2022
Geopolitics follows the geoeconomics and not vice-versa
Context
- Over the recent years India’s manoeuvres in indo-pacific have highlighted the India’s geopolitical and ambitions. Pandemic and Chinese incursion in Ladakh forced India to move fast to achieve its geopolitical ends. However missing link in India’s endeavour is geoeconomics.
What is mean by geopolitics and geo-economics?
- Geopolitics: is defined as the struggle over the control of geographical entities with an international and global dimension, and the use of such geographical entities for political advantage.
- Geo-economics: is defined as the combination of economic and geographic factors relating to international trade and a governmental policy guided by geoeconomics.
- Geopolitics and geoeconomics are sometimes used interchangeably.
What is the strategy to pursue geopolitical goals in indo-pacific?
- India has managed to emerge as a major pivot of the global Indo-Paciﬁc grand strategic imagination.
- Avoided the temptations to militarise/securitise the Quad (Australia, Japan, India and the United States).
- Which has ensured that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states do not feel uneasy by the ever-increasing balance of power articulations in the Indo-Pacific
What is the missing link in India’s geopolitical strategy?
- The missing link in geoeconomics is India’s decision to take to the Indo-Paciﬁc and Quad in a big way.
- While unwilling to join two of the region’s key multilateral trading agreements goes to show that geoeconomics and geopolitics are imagined and pursued parallelly in New Delhi, not as complimenting each other.
- The most recent example is India’s refusal to join the trade pillar of the Indo-Paciﬁc Economic Framework (IPEF) while deciding to join the three other pillars of the IPEF supply chains, tax and anti-corruption, and clean energy.
India also withdrew from ASEAN led RCEP.

Is the lack of geoeconomic bad for foreign policy?
- The absence of the world’s fifth largest economy from various regional trading platforms will invariably boost China’s geo-economic hegemony in Asia.
- Staying out of IPEF is a bad idea is because for India, it would be hard to integrate itself into the regional and global supply chains without being a part of important regional multilateral trading agreements.
- We have no option but to address some of the deeper challenges plaguing the investment and business environment in India.
- If India is indeed serious about its maritime grand strategy, which cannot be solely military in nature, it needs to get the states in the region to create economic stakes in India (something China has done cleverly and consistently) and vice-versa.
- Another impact of India’s hesitation about joining regional multilateral trading arrangements is its potential regional economic isolation. The less India engages with the region economically, and the more China does so, and given the Sino-Indian rivalry, India might risk getting economically isolated in the broader region.
What can be done?
- New Delhi should: rethink its geoeconomic choices if it is serious about enhancing its geopolitical inﬂuence in the region. Given that India has not closed the door on the trade pillar of the IPEF, we have an opportunity to rethink our position.
- India should: also rethink its decision not to join the RECP and seek to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Paciﬁc Partnership (CPTPP) from which the U.S. walked out and China is seeking to join.
- India should: also proactively lobby to become a part of the Minerals Security Partnership, the U.S.-led 11-member grouping to secure supply chains of critical minerals.
Conclusion
- In the words of external affairs minister Dr. Jaishankar,” geopolitics follows the geoeconomics and not vice-versa”. Geoeconomics is inclusive of geoeconomics. India should integrate itself in multilateral trading platforms and leverage its big market to bargain the best deal for itself.
Mains question

Q. Indias pursuit of geopolitics is futile without inclusion of geoeconomics. Comment.

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September 26, 2022
India raises Sri Lankan Tamil issue in UN
India voiced concern over the “lack of measurable progress” in Sri Lanka’s promised political solution to the long-pending Tamil national question.

Back in news: Tamil Issue
- India has made an unexpected (for SL) reference to the crisis-hit island nation’s “debt-driven” economy in the context of its current crisis.
- Indian delegation noted the lack of measurable progress by Government of Sri Lanka on their commitments of a political solution to the ethnic issue.
- It sought for full implementation of the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, delegation of powers to Provincial Councils and holding of Provincial Council elections at the earliest.
Has India retreated from supporting Sri Lanka?
- India’s statement comes ahead of a resolution on Sri Lanka that will likely face a vote at the Council.
- Since 2009, India has voted thrice in favour of the UN resolution on Sri Lanka — two were critical — and abstained twice, in 2014 and 2021.
- Irrespective of its vote, India has consistently underscored the need for a political settlement within the framework of a united Sri Lanka, ensuring justice, peace, equality and dignity for the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
Issues faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka
- According to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2016 report on Sri Lanka, Tamils report systematic discrimination in areas including government employment, university education, and access to justice.
- A large portion of the Tamil population still remains displaced.
What is the Tamil issue in Sri Lanka?
- Violent persecution against the Tamil population erupted in the form of the 1956, 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983 anti-Tamil pogroms in Sri Lanka.
- Over 13 years since the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, in which tens of thousands of civilians were killed and disappeared, survivors continue demanding justice and accountability for war-time crimes.
- In the post-war years, Sri Lanka’s human rights defenders have frequently flagged concerns over persisting militarisation, especially in the Tamil-majority north and east; repression, and the shrinking space for dissent.
What is the 13^th Amendment?
- It is an outcome of the Indo-Lanka Accord of July 1987, signed by the then PM Rajiv Gandhi and President J.R. Jayawardene, in an attempt to resolve the ethnic conflict and civil war.
- The 13th Amendment led to the creation of Provincial Councils and assured a power-sharing arrangement to enable all nine provinces in the country, including Sinhala majority areas, to self-govern.
- Subjects such as education, health, agriculture, housing, land and police are devolved to the provincial administrations.
Why is it contentious?
- The 13th Amendment carries considerable baggage from the country’s civil war years.
- It was opposed vociferously by both Sinhala nationalist parties and the LTTE.
- The opposition within Sri Lanka saw the Accord and the consequent legislation as an imprint of Indian intervention.
- It was widely perceived as an imposition by a neighbour wielding hegemonic influence.
- The Tamil polity, especially its dominant nationalist strain, does not find the 13th Amendment sufficient in its ambit or substance.
- However, some find it as an important starting point, something to build upon.
Why India objects over this?
- Because of restrictions on financial powers and overriding powers given to the President, the provincial administrations have not made much headway.
- In particular, the provisions relating to police and land have never been implemented.
Why is it significant?
- Till date, the Amendment represents the only constitutional provision on the settlement of the long-pending Tamil question.
- In addition to assuring a measure of devolution, it is considered part of the few significant gains since the 1980s, in the face of growing Sinhala-Buddhist majoritarianism.
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September 26, 2022
Democracy Report 2022
Context
- G7 nations and partner countries including India recently signed “2022 Resilient democracies statement”-We, the Leaders of Germany, Argentina, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Senegal, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union, affirm our commitment to strengthening the resilience of our democracies and to working towards equitable, inclusive and sustainable solutions to global challenges, including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, and reaffirm our commitment to the rules-based international order.
How we define Democracy?
- “Government of the people, by the people and for the people” the words used by Abraham Lincoln in the year 1863 while talking about democracy.
Purpose of democracy
- Cornerstones of democracy include freedom of assembly, association, property rights, freedom of religion and speech, inclusiveness and equality, citizenship, consent of the governed, voting rights, freedom from unwarranted governmental deprivation of the right to life and liberty, and minority rights.
Democracy Report 2022
- The study, titled ‘Democracy Report 2022: Autocratisation Changing Nature?’ states that more than twice as many countries are undergoing Autocratisation as are witnessing democratization.
- The conceptual scheme takes into account not only the electoral dimension (free and fair elections) but also the liberal principle that democracy must protect “individual and minority rights”
- The V-Dem report classifies countries into four regime types based on their score in the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI): a)Liberal Democracy b)Electoral Democracy c)Electoral Autocracy and d)Closed Autocracy
Where do the Reports and Indices put India?
- Sweden based Sweden-based V-Dem Institute was harsher in its latest report on democracy. It said India had become an “electoral autocracy”
- US-based non-profit Freedom House downgraded India from a free democracy to a “partially free democracy”.
- India, described as a “flawed democracy”, slipped two places to 53rd position in the latest Democracy Index published by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Status of Supporters of Democracy
- Decolonised African Countries:
- The number of African countries that have adopted democratic systems of government has grown since decolonisation, the collapse of communism and the ending of a number of civil wars.
- Some countries, such as Ghana, are seen as resilient democracies, while for others the democratic transition is more fragile, after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 in Sudan, a civilian-led transitional government is now paving the way for democracy after decades of military rule.
- India as example:
- India is the world’s largest democracy. India is staying as one unit despite having vast no of cultures, languages and religions. This is possible because of the democracy in India.
- Minorities and disadvantaged sections are represented in parliament which enabled inclusive growth.
- When India got independence, its economy was in shambles. Extreme poverty, unemployment, food insecurity were the major problems before Indian government. But India’s democratic constitution successfully balanced development and welfare of the country.
- Now, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
What critics arguing?
- Democracy in crisis: Democracy is more in crisis than ever before, with the onset of centralisation of power, with a foreign policy defying public opinion, with the media centralised, and with corporate control of the economy tighter than ever.
- Increasing polarity: Threatening world order is emerging, which seeks to abrogate all individual rights and divide us along the extremist polarities that we thought had been neutralised.
- Global Crisis: We move into this new stage of conﬂict carrying the risk of a nuclear tragedy, further exacerbated by the collective buttressing of a global crisis of the novel coronavirus pandemic, uncontrollable ecological disasters, and food and water deﬁciency.
- Populism: Blatant fascist leanings of the so-called “democracies”, and escalating hunger and disease in Africa and other parts of the under-developed world give enough evidence that democracy faces serious issues of populism.
- Other global problems: Growing economic discrimination, overpopulation and environmental degradation, Misgivings about moral progress, about mutual understanding, exacerbate the dismal situation that faces humanity.
What can be done to strengthen the democracies further?
- Strengthening public support: To protect freedom domestically and build support for a foreign policy that protects democratic rights and values abroad, it is essential to foster a stronger public understanding of democratic principles, especially among young people. civic education is necessary.
- Rule of law: In order to maintain trust in public institutions, the principles of legality, legal certainty and prohibition of arbitrariness of the executive powers, judicial independence, impartiality, and equality before the law need to be respected.
- Individual rights: Democracy entails the right of individuals to participate in and influence the development of society, with free and fair elections at its core. Without an active turnout in elections and proper mechanisms for participation, the essence of democracy can be lost.
- Free speech: Free speech guard the freedom of expression and opinion, and affirmation of commitment to the very idea of democracy and a move towards opposing oppression and violence
Conclusion
- Democracy is always a work in progress. The key ingredients of democracy are effective and accountable institutions, and leadership. Institutions build resilience by embedding norms and standards and bridging periods of weak leadership.
Mains Question

Q.Do you think Democracy is the best solution to tackle the growing fault lines between the communities? What makes India as the best example of Democracy to the world? Discuss.

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September 26, 2022
In news: Attorney-General (A-G) of India
Attorney General of India (AGI)
- The AGI is the Indian government’s chief legal advisor and is a primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India.
- They can be said to be the advocate from the government’s side.
- They are appointed by the President of India on the advice of Union Cabinet under Article 76(1) of the Constitution and holds office during the pleasure of the President.
- They must be a person qualified to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court ( i.e. a judge of some high court for five years or an advocate of some high court for ten years or an eminent jurist, in the opinion of the President and must be a citizen of India.).
Functions and duties
- The AGI is necessary for advising the Government of India on legal matters referred to them.
- They also perform other legal duties assigned to them by the President.
- The AGI has the right of audience in all Courts in India as well as the right to participate in the proceedings of the Parliament, though not to vote.
- The AGI appears on behalf of the Government of India in all cases (including suits, appeals and other proceedings) in the Supreme Court in which GoI is concerned.
- They also represent the Government of India in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court under Article 143 of the Constitution.
- The AG is assisted by a Solicitor General and four Additional Solicitors General.
Powers of AG
- The AG can accept briefs but cannot appear against the Government.
- They cannot defend an accused in criminal proceedings and accept the directorship of a company without the permission of the Government.
- The AG is to be consulted only in legal matters of real importance and only after the Ministry of Law has been consulted.
- All references to the AG are made by the Law Ministry.
Term of Attorney General’s office
- There is no fixed term for the Attorney General of India. The Constitution mentions no specified tenure of Attorney General. Similarly, the Constitution also does not mention the procedure and ground of his removal.
Facts about his office:
- He can be removed by the President at any time.
- He can quit by submitting his resignation only to the President.
- Since he is appointed by the President on the advice of the Council of Ministers, conventionally he is removed when the council is dissolved or replaced.
Limitations to his powers

The AG:
- should not advise or hold a brief against the Government of India
- should not defend accused persons in criminal cases without the permission of the government of India
- should not accept appointment as a director in any company without the permission of the government
Office of AG across the world
- Unlike the Attorney General of the United States, the AGI does not have any executive authority.
- Those functions are performed by the Law Minister of India.
- Also, the AG is not a government servant and is not debarred from private legal practice.
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September 26, 2022
Odisha offering cash incentive for PVTGs Marriages
Keeping the rampant child marriages among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Odisha in mind, the State government is providing an incentive of ₹20,000 to the couples marrying after the age of 18 years.

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)
- There are certain tribal communities who have declining or stagnant population, low level of literacy, pre-agricultural level of technology and are economically backward.
- They generally inhabit remote localities having poor infrastructure and administrative support.
- These groups are among the most vulnerable section of our society as they are few in numbers, have not attained any significant level of social and economic development.
- 75 such groups have been identified and categorized as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Origin of the concept
- The Dhebar Commission (1960-1961) stated that within Scheduled Tribes there existed an inequality in the rate of development.
- During the fourth Five Year Plan a sub-category was created within Scheduled Tribes to identify groups that considered to be at a lower level of development.
- This was created based on the Dhebar Commission report and other studies.
- This sub-category was named “Primitive tribal group”.
Features of PVTGs
- The features of such a group include a:
1. Pre-agricultural system of existence
2. Practice of hunting and gathering
3. Zero or negative population growth
4. Extremely low level of literacy in comparison with other tribal groups
- Groups that satisfied any one of the criterion were considered as PTG.
- In 2006 the government of India proposed to rename “Primitive tribal group” as Particularly vulnerable tribal group”.
Try this PYQ:

Q.Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:
1. PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory.
2. A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for determining PVTG status.
3. There are 95 PVTGs officially notified in the country so far.
4. Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.
Which of the statements given above are correct? (CSP 2019)

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 2, 3 and 4

(c) 1, 2 and 4

(d) 1, 3 and 4

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September 26, 2022
Here is how HDI has performed in last 3 decades
Context
- India, belonging to the medium HDI category, shows dimensional inequalities similar to or slightly below the average figures in the category, except in the case of education where it is high and closer to the low HDI countries. The inequalities in health and education are more than twice that of the very high and high HDI categories.
Why in news?
- The bad news for India is that its global HDI rank has slipped from 129 in 2019 to 131 in 2020 and to 132 in 2021-22.
What is the meaning of human development?
- Human development is defined as the process of enlarging people’s freedoms and opportunities and improving their well-being. Human development is about the real freedom ordinary people have to decide who to be, what to do, and how to live.
What is meant by Human Development Index?
- The HDI is a summary measure of human development. The HDI is a summary composite measure of a country’s average achievements in three basic aspects of human development: health, knowledge and standard of living.
Who publishes HDI?
- The Human Development Report (HDR) is an annual Human Development Index report published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Dimensions of the Human Development Index
- Long and healthy life: The long and healthy life dimension is measured by life expectancy at birth. The life expectancy at birth is a statistical measure that an average individual is expected to live based on certain demographic factors such as the year of birth and current age.
- Education: This is a second dimension in the HDI. The indicators of education are the expected years of schooling and the mean years of schooling. According to the UN, the average maximum years of schooling is 18 years, while the mean maximum years of schooling is 15 years.
- Standard of living: The standard of living is usually measured by the gross national income (GNI) per capita. The GNI indicates the total domestic and foreign output created by the residents of a certain country.
What are the 4 indicators of HDI?
- Mean years of schooling
- Expected years of schooling
- Life expectancy at birth
- Gross national income (GNI) per capita
Which Countries Have the Highest HDI?

In the latest HDI ranking, from 2022, Switzerland finished first with an HDI value of 0.962.

Issues in HDI

(1) An incomplete indicator
- Human development is incomplete without human freedom and that while the need for qualities judgement is clear; there is no simple quantitative measure available yet to capture the many aspects of human freedom.
- HDI also does not specifically reflect quality of life factors, such as empowerment movements or overall feelings of security or happiness.
(2) Limited idea of development
- The HDI is not reflecting the human development idea accurately.
- It is an index restricted to the socio-economic sphere of life; the political and civil spheres are in the most part kept separate.
- Hence there is a sub-estimation of inequality among countries, which means that this dimension is not being taken into consideration appropriately.
(3) A vague concept
- Concerning data quality and the exact construction of the index HDI is conceptually weak and empirically unsound.
- This strong critic comes from the idea that both components of HDI are problematic. The GNP in developing countries suffers from incomplete coverage, measurement errors and biases.
- The definition and measurement of literacy are different among countries and also, this data has not been available since 1970 in a significant number of countries.
(4) Data quality issues
- The HDI, as a combination of only four relatively simple indicators, doesn’t only raise a questions what other indicators should be included, but also how to ensure quality and comparable input data.
- It is logical that the UNDP try to collect their data from international organizations concentrating in collecting data in specific fields.
- Quality and trustworthiness of those data is disputable, especially when we get the information from UN non-democratic members, as for example Cuba or China.
(5) A tool for mere comparison
- The concept of HDI was set up mainly for relative comparison of countries in one particular time.
- HDI is much better when distinguishing between countries with low and middle human development, instead of countries at the top of the ranking.
- Therefore, the original notion was not to set up an absolute ranking, but let’s quite free hands in comparison of the results.
(6) Development has to be greener
- The human development approach has not adequately incorporated environmental conditions which may threaten long-term achievements on human development. The most pervasive failure was on environmental sustainability.
- However, for the first time in 2020, the UNDP introduced a new metric to reflect the impact caused by each country’s per-capita carbon emissions and its material footprint.
- This is Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI or PHDI. It measured the amount of fossil fuels, metals and other resources used to make the goods and services it consumes.
(7) Wealth can never equate welfare
- Higher national wealth does not indicate welfare. GNI may not necessarily increase economic welfare; it depends on how it is spent.
- For example, if a country spends more on military spending – this is reflected in higher GNI, but welfare could actually be lower.
Importance of HDI
- Multidimensionality: It is one of the few multidimensional indices as it includes indicators such as literacy rate, enrolment ratio, life expectancy rate, infant mortality rate, etc.
- True yardstick: It acts as a true yardstick to measure development in real sense.
- Helps in measuring a nation’s well-being: Unlike per capital income, which only indicates that a rise in per capital income implies economic development; HDI considers many other vital social indicators and helps in measuring a nation’s well-being.
Value addition line

People are the real wealth of a nation. The basic objective of development should be to create an enabling environment for people to live long, healthy and creative lives. This may appear to be a simple truth.

Conclusion
- To sum up, the introduction of the HDI three decades ago was an early attempt to address the shortcomings in conventional measures of wellbeing.
- The HDI has continued to attract widespread attention and motivates the work of activists, scholars and political leaders around the world.
- The HDI compels us to ask what matters more, the quantitative expansion of an economy, or the qualitative improvement in the capabilities of society.
- Indeed the revival of interest in this subject at the highest levels of government is the need of the hour.
Mains question

Q. What do you understand by human development? Critically analyse the human development index given by UNDP.

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September 25, 2022
What is India’s current policy of multi alignment? Advantages and challenges
Context
- Forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan is leading India to multi alignment.
Background
- India’s journey of foreign policy from being the founder of non-alignment to the multi-alignment. In his book The India Way, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar offers a critique of India’s traditional policy of “non-alignment”, where he distinguishes between the “optimistic non- alignment ” of the past, which he feels has failed, that must give way to more realistic “multiple engagements of the future”.
Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO)
- SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and security organization.
- It is the world’s largest regional organization,
- 40% of the world population
- More than 30% of global GDP.
- Members: 8-China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
SCO SUMIIT, 2022
- Host- Uzbekistan,
- Uzbekistan will host a full house: 15 leaders including eight member states from four Central Asian States, China, India, Pakistan and Russia,
- The observer states: Belarus, Mongolia and Iran (which will become member this year) —
- Afghanistan is not invited
- Leaders of guest countries -Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan
What is non- alignment?
- It’s a policy, a brainchild of Nehru. Non-alignment movement emerged after second world war.
- Non-alignment means not having an alliance with any of superpower, either USSR or USA. Decolonized nations of Asia and Africa was largely a part of this group.
India’s policy of non-alignment
- At bandung conference in 1955 non-alignment movement started with India as one of the founding member.
- With policy of non-alignment India refused to gravitate towards USA or USSR.
- India was the leader of non-alignment.
What is India’s current policy of multi- alignment? Advantages and challenges.
- Since the start of his tenure from 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not attended any conference of non-alignment.
- External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar in his book, The Indian way have criticized the non-alignment.
- In the words of Former Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale India is no longer the non-align nation.
How it is a Multi alignment policy?
- India to truly multi aligned or all aligned by being a part of every major grouping.
- India is a part of BRICS and Prime Minister Modi is attending the SCO SUMMIT in Samarkand.
- On parallel to rival groups India is also the part of Quad and Indo pacific economic framework.
- India is buying the discounted Russian oil and reusing to buckle under pressure from west and USA.
- S-400 purchase is happening and India have dodged the bullet of sanctions from USA.
- India is choosing the bilateral Free trade agreement like with Australia and UAE and withdrew from groupings like RCEP and Most recently IPEF. This policy are is said to be in the economic interest of India.
Advantages of Multi alignment
- India no longer wants to repeat the mistake of missing out of P5 Security council (“Permanent membership in the Security Council was granted to five states based on their importance in the aftermath of World War II).
- If any group work against your interest it is better to be part of group rather than remain outside and do nothing
- With retreating USA and its collapsing hegemony world is moving towards multiple polar world order.
Disadvantages
- Major disadvantage of non-alignment is you no longer have influence over adverse policy of friendly country.
- For example. Russia sells S-400 to India but it also sold the same weapon to china.
- USA and India are strategically getting closer day by day but USA recently approved the sale of $450 million F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.
Conclusion
- Multi alignment will serve India its best national interest.
- So far India has managed the rival parties at world stage to secure its foreign policy objectives but with Russian aggression and Chinese assertion and divided world will pose a significant challenge to India’s multi alignment policy.
Mains question

Q. What do you understand by non-alignment and multi-alignment? Analyze the shift In India’s foreign policy from non-alignment to multi-alignment.

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September 25, 2022
Teachers with a passion for the profession are foundational to the positive educational change
Context
- Success of new education policy depends on how we recruit and assesss teachers.
What is the issue?
- Recruitment of well-qualified teachers into the schooling system is the first prerequisite to ensure that students receive quality education.
- However, teacher recruitment processes in the country are not adequately streamlined. There are diverse recruitment processes across regions, school stages, and school types central, state, and private schools.
- This, in turn, leads to multiple criteria and processes for hiring teachers, thereby bringing a wide disparity in teacher quality across institutions and regions.
- Many of the processes are also sub-optimal in measuring the competency of a candidate.
Teacher hiring mechanism in place
- One of the most common and widely-taken tests to ensure eligibility for recruitment is the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), conducted at both the state (STET) and central levels (CTET).
- TET is the equivalent of the licensure tests that are undertaken by teacher candidates in various countries.
- However, in India, the test is required only for government school teacher recruitment at the elementary stage (Class 1-8).
Issues in hiring mechanism
- TET has been critiqued time and again for various reasons. These include low pass percentages, poor test quality, lengthy test papers and a serious lack of alignment with teacher preparation programmes.
- The test was in the news recently because of the teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal.
What we need?
- A coherent strategy: to tie together the various tests and processes such as TET, teacher recruitment tests, classroom demonstrations and teacher interviews. This will enable a holistic assessment of teacher competence.
- Understanding what is competence: Framing a common understanding of what qualifies as teacher competence. Simply speaking, teacher competence can be understood as the core knowledge, skills, and dispositions expected of a teacher to effectively contribute to the teaching-learning process.
- Multiple methods of assessment: To evaluate several other skills and dispositions, one requires multiple methods of assessment including classroom demonstrations and teacher interviews. These assessments could help gauge skills like effective dissemination of a concept and selection of appropriate resources and learning materials.
- Teacher’s aptitude: Most importantly, such processes should help evaluate a teacher’s empathy towards students. Respecting learner diversity and skills in building a participative/democratic classroom culture are crucial requisites of a teacher. The recruitment process should assess the teacher’s aptitude in this respect.
- A comprehensive competency framework: That details the skills a teacher should have. This could be derived from a teacher education curriculum rooted in policy perspectives of the day. For instance, in the case of the NEP, the curriculum could be geared towards imparting training in classroom practices that make learning joyful.
Long-term benefits to adopting such a holistic model of teacher recruitment
- Better parity: It will ensure better parity in the quality of teachers recruited across the country.
- Equitable education: Will contribute to equitable education for students from diverse sections of society.
- Credibility is ensured: The recruitment process will also become credible if it is rooted in a framework that outlines the core competencies of becoming a teacher.
- Reduction in coaching centres: At the systemic level, this may also lead to a reduction in coaching centres as the assessment processes will be non-standardised and cannot be easily gleaned from coaching materials and guidebooks.
Conclusion
- Teachers with a passion for the profession are foundational to the positive educational change envisaged by the NEP. Setting up clear benchmarks of quality and well-designed recruitment processes hold the key to ensuring better teaching-learning outcomes.
Mains question

Q. What do you think on teacher’s quality today? Explain how dynamic teacher recruitment process will enhance teacher’s quality.

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September 25, 2022