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GS Paper: GS2

  • What is National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM)?

    The latest National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) released September 13, 2022 by the Union health ministry added 34 new medicines and dropped 26 old ones from the previous list.

    What is NLEM?

    • As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), Essential Medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population.
    • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hence prepared and released the first National List of Essential Medicines of India in 1996 consisting of 279 medicines.
    • The list is made with consideration to disease prevalence, efficacy, safety and comparative cost-effectiveness of the medicines.
    • Such medicines are intended to be available in adequate amounts, in appropriate dosage forms and strengths with assured quality.
    • They should be available in such a way that an individual or community can afford.

    NLEM in India

    • Drugs listed under NLEM — also known as scheduled drugs — will be cheaper because the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) caps medicine prices and changes only based on wholesale price index-based inflation.
    • The list includes anti-infectives medicines to treat diabetes such as insulin — HIV, tuberculosis, cancer, contraceptives, hormonal medicines and anaesthetics.
    • They account for 17-18 per cent of the estimated Rs 1.6-trillion domestic pharmaceutical market.
    • Companies selling non-scheduled drugs can hike prices by up to 10 per cent every year.
    • Typically, once NLEM is released, the department of pharmaceuticals under the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers adds them in the Drug Price Control Order, after which NPPA fixes the price.

    Significance of EML

    • Drawing an essential medicines list (EML) is expected to result in better quality of medical care, better management of medicines and cost-effective use of health care resources.
    • This is especially important for a resource limited country like India.
    • The list of essential medicines is intended to have a positive impact on the availability and rational use of medicines.

    Also read

    What is the NPPA’s role in fixing drug prices?

     

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  • LGBTQ leap forward for positive future growth of human rights

    LGBTQContext

    • Four years after landmark LGBTQ verdict: The march to full citizenship.

    Why in news?

    • On September 6, 2018, exactly four years ago, in Navtej Singh Johar and Ors v Union of India, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, in a beautifully elaborate decision, liberated LGBTQI Indians from the darkness of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

    What is LGBTQ?

    • LGBTQ is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.

    What is Section 377 of the IPC?

    • It reads – Unnatural offences: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
    • The terms “carnal intercourse” and “against the order of nature” are not defined precisely anywhere in the code.

    LGBTQRole played by the judiciary hitherto

    • The Delhi High Court’s verdict in Naz Foundation vs Government of NCT of Delhi (2009) was a landmark in the law of sexuality and equality jurisprudence in India.
    • The court held that Section 377 offended the guarantee of equality enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution, because it creates an unreasonable classification and targets homosexuals as a class.
    • In a retrograde step, the Supreme Court, in Suresh Kumar Koushal vs Naz Foundation (2013), reinstated Section 377 to the IPC.
    • However, the Supreme Court in Navtej Singh Johar & Ors. vs Union of India (2018) declared that the application of Section 377 IPC to consensual homosexual behaviour was “unconstitutional”.
    • This Supreme Court judgment has been a great victory to the Indian individual in his quest for identity and dignity.
    • It also underscored the doctrine of progressive realisation of rights.

    LGBTQWhat’s next?

    • Overarching legislation is needed to guarantee equality to all persons on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, sex, caste, religion, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, nationality, and other grounds.
    • The law should impose obligations of equality and non-discrimination on all persons, public and private, and in the areas of education, employment, healthcare, land and housing and access to public places.
    • It should provide for civil remedies to stop discriminatory behaviour, costs and damages, and positive action to make reparations.
    • We need an equality law to define what equality would encompass.
    • Supreme Court comes held in its privacy judgment in K.S. Puttuswamy v. Union of India (2017) that equality and liberty cannot be separated, and equality encompasses the inclusion of dignity and basic freedoms.

    Way forward

    • Schools and colleges must effect changes in curricula for a better understanding of the community.
    • People of a different sexual orientation or gender identity often narrate harrowing tales of bullying, discrimination, stigma and ostracization.
    • Gender-neutral restrooms should be compulsory in educational institutes and other places.
    • Parents too need to be sensitised, because the first point of misunderstanding and abuse often begins at home, with teenagers being forced to opt for “conversion” therapies.

    Conclusion

    • Justice Chandrachud, speaking on the fourth anniversary of Johar and the journey ahead, while quoting the Beatles classic “All you need is love”, notes that “simply love is not enough”. Rights are necessary. Which will enhance dignity of the community.

    Mains question

    Q. “Silent segregation” on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation preferences are followed in several houses. Elucidate in context of LGBTQ issues. What Legal remedies are needed for its victims?

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  • Public health should be led by doctor alone

    public healthContext

    • Doctor shortages are creating hurdles in health emergency response

    What is the crux of the article in simple words?

    • Medical qualification and expertise is necessary to deliver quality health services by medical professionals unlike by general health care workers who lack competency.

    What is public health?

    • Public health has been defined as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals”.

    Why there is need of qualification?

    • Lack of training: Health workers have no training in public health; they are grassroots-level service providers. Asking them to be part of public health cadre trivialises the profession of public health.
    • Separate profession: It is important to understand that public health is a separate profession with a specific set of competencies.

    public healthWhat are 4 pillars of public health?

    • Academics: Academics refers to a good understanding of evidence generation and synthesis by having a good grounding in epidemiology and biostatistics. These competencies are also critical for monitoring and evaluating programmes, conducting surveillance, and interpreting data and routine reporting.
    • Activism: Public health is inherently linked to ‘social change’ and an element of activism is core to public health. Public health requires social mobilisation at the grassroots level by understanding community needs, community organisation, etc. This requires grounding in social and behavioural sciences.
    • Administration: Administration refers to administering health systems at different levels from a primary health centre to the district, State, and national level. This includes implementing and managing health programmes, addressing human resource issues, supply and logistical issues, etc. It includes microplanning of programme delivery, team building, leadership as well as financial management to some extent.
    • Advocacy: In public health, there is little that one can do at an individual level; there must be communication with key stakeholders to change the status quo at different levels of government. This requires clear enunciation of the need, analysis of alternative set of actions and the cost of implementation or non-implementation. Good communication and negotiation skills are critical to perform this function. The related subjects are health policy, health economics, health advocacy and global health.

    public healthWhat are the hurdles in absorbing others as public health professionals?

    • Lack of skill: Many doctors and other health professionals work at the grassroots level and develop a good sense of public health due to their inclination. But they do not become public health professionals as they may not have the necessary skills. Nevertheless, they are valuable.
    • Lack of critical expertise: Clinicians with training in epidemiology and biostatistics would not qualify to be public health professionals as they lack not only other essential and critical expertise but also an appropriate perspective.
    • Compromise on quality:

    Current challenges faced by public healthcare in India

    • Deficiency: The doctor-patient ratio of 1:1655 in India as against WHO norm of 1:1000 clearly shows the deficit of MBBS. While the government is working towards a solution and targeting to reach the required ratio, there is a need to relook at the overall medical education.
    • Post pandemic scenario: The lag in formal medical education has come up evidently post-pandemic when the nation saw the medical fraternity struggling to fill the doctor deficit.
    • Limited government seats: The number of seats available for medical education in India is far less than the number of aspirants who leave school with the dream of becoming doctors.
    • Lack of skills: Though the institutes are managing to hire professors and lecturers, there is a lack of technical skills. Finding faculties in clinical and non-clinical disciplines is difficult and there are very few faculty development programs for upskilling the existing lot.
    • Lack of infrastructure: The gap in digital learning infrastructure is currently the biggest challenge the sector is facing. There is an urgent need to adopt technology and have resources available to facilitate e-learning.
    • Lack of research and innovation: The medical research and innovation needs an added push as there haven’t been many ground-breaking research here. The education system needs to focus more on increasing the quality of research. Additionally since industry academia partnership is not available, hence innovation also takes a back-seat.

    Conclusion

    • By establishing new medical colleges, the government can increase student intake as well as enhance equitable access to public health as separate profession. This will attract the best and the brightest people into this discipline, which is very important for the nation’s health. This is one lesson that we should learn from the pandemic.

    Mains question

    Q. What do you understand by public health? Do you think it is a separate profession requiring a specific set of competencies? Examine.

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  • G20 summit will open pandora of opportunities

    G20 summitContext

    • India is going to be at the centre stage of geopolitical spectrum as India will be hosting G20 summit presidency from December 2022. As Harsh V. Shringla, India’s chief G20 coordinator and former Foreign Secretary, (Amitabh kant is G20 Sherpa of India) recently said, “Our G20 Presidency would place India on the global stage, and provide an opportunity for India to place its priorities and narratives on the global agenda.”

    What is G20 (Group of Twenty)?

    • Composed of most of the world’s largest economies: 19 countries plus European Union, including both industrialized and developing nations. Together, its members represent more than 80% of the world’s GDP, 75% of international trade and 60% of the world’s population.
    • Role: To address major issues related to the global economy such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
    • It is an Intergovernmental forum.
    • Strategic role: The G20 holds a strategic role in securing global economic growth and prosperity.

    G20 summitIndia and the presidency of G20 summit

    • In November this year, the 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place in Bali.
    • After Indonesia, India will assume the presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023.
    • By hosting the summit of the G20, India will have the opportunity to assume centre stage in proposing and setting the global agenda and discourse.
    • India can assert its political, economic and intellectual leadership while hosting the G20 presidency.
    • Further it Provides India an opportunity to also champion the causes of developing and least developed countries.
    • India could invite and engage countries from Africa and South America to ensure better and more balanced representation at the G20.

    G20 summitChallenges before India:

             Global

    • World affected by the pandemic: Uneven vaccine availability has been flagged by many countries. Vaccine issue upset some countries.
    • Ukraine conflict: According to external affairs ministers Dr.S.Jaishankar due to Ukraine  conflict world is divided and this poses the challenge for India to bring rival camp on same stage
    • Climate change: Divergent view of developed and developing countries on climate change can be the bone of contention between west and the rest.
    • The rise of an assertive China: To maintain the delicate balance between NATO, G7 on the on hand while Russia and china on the other (as India is part of both QUAD and SCO).

         Domestic

    • Economic challenges: Such as stagflation, unemployment, exchange rate, declining prospects for exports and rising trade deficit.
    • Terrorism: Cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

    Indonesia has focused on three key pillars in its presidency of G20 presidency:

    • Global health architecture: president of Indonesia Joko Widodo talked about a global contingency fund for medical supplies, building capacity in developing countries to manufacture vaccines and the creation of global health protocols and standards.
    • Sustainable energy transition: as part of its roadmap to reach net zero by 2060, Indonesia had slashed the coverage area of forest fires sevenfold. The country has restored peatlands and rehabilitated 50,000 hectares of mangrove forests.
    • Digital transformation

    What India can address?

    • Issues of global concern: Terrorism, climate change, stagflation etc.
    • Domestic and regional: economic recovery, trade and investment, unemployment, patent waivers on diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines etc.
    • Greater co-operation and co-ordination: free trade agreements, supply chain resilience mechanism, stressing on green and digital transformations in the economy and its impact on societal well-being.
    • Other important Areas :such as technology transfer, assistance towards green economy, greater access to trade for developing countries, addressing debt distress of countries by offering sustainable aid and loan programmes, tackling food and energy prices/security for vulnerable economies etc.

    Why G20 summit presidency is an opportunity for India?

    • India exchange the G20 presidency with Indonesia and chose 2023 instead of 2022 to host the G20 countries.
    • India wanted to showcase its prowess in its 75th year of independence as cornerstone of new emerging world order. As India is part of Quad and SCO BRICS -the warring factions at world stage, it’s an opportunity in crisis to become the bridge of the divided world.
    • India is hosting the summit in Kashmir. World media will be in the Kashmir. In the direct message to world India will again assert that Kashmir is an integral part of India.

    Way ahead

    • As India will be hosting G20 and SCO summits, India will be central in outlining key priority areas. India can assert its political, economic and intellectual leadership which will have to address issues that help in cement the Fault-line in the world order.
    • India’s leadership could define the coming years and decades of global discourse and avenues of cooperation.

    Other related Information

    SCO (Shanghai Co-operation Organization):

    • The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and security organization. It is the world’s largest regional organization, 40% of the world population, and more than 30% of global GDP.
    • Members: The Shanghai Five group was created on 26 April 1996; China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

    QUAD:

    • Known as the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’ (QSD), the Quad is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations, namely – United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan.
    • One of the primary objectives of the Quad is to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

    G7:

    • The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental political forum consisting of Canada, France Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition, the European Union is a ‘non-enumerated member.

    Mains Question

    Q. India can take advantage of G20 for its economic growth and security architecture. Discuss.

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  • Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019

    A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit will hear the challenge to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

    What is Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019?

    • The act is sought to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship of India.
    • In other words, it intends to make it easier for non-Muslim immigrants from India’s three Muslim-majority neighbours to become citizens of India.
    • Under The Citizenship Act, 1955, one of the requirements for citizenship by naturalization is that the applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months, as well as for 11 of the previous 14 years.
    • The amendment relaxes the second requirement from 11 years to 6 years as a specific condition for applicants belonging to these six religions, and the aforementioned three countries.
    • It exempts the members of the six communities from any criminal case under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport Act, 1920 if they entered India before December 31, 2014.

    Key feature: Defining illegal migrants

    • Illegal migrants cannot become Indian citizens in accordance with the present laws.
    • Under the CAA, an illegal migrant is a foreigner who: (i) enters the country without valid travel documents like a passport and visa, or (ii) enters with valid documents, but stays beyond the permitted time period.
    • Illegal migrants may be put in jail or deported under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.

    Exceptions

    • The Bill provides that illegal migrants who fulfil four conditions will not be treated as illegal migrants under the Act.  The conditions are:
    1. they are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians;
    2. they are from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan;
    3. they entered India on or before December 31, 2014;
    4. they are not in certain tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, or Tripura included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution, or areas under the “Inner Line” permit, i.e., Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

    Controversy with the Act

    • Country of Origin: The Act classifies migrants based on their country of origin to include only Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
    • Other religious minorities ignored: It is unclear why illegal migrants from only six specified religious minorities have been included in the Act.
    • Defiance of purpose: India shares a border with Myanmar, which has had a history of persecution of a religious minority, the Rohingya Muslims.
    • Date of Entry: It is also unclear why there is a differential treatment of migrants based on their date of entry into India, i.e., whether they entered India before or after December 31, 2014.
    • Against the spirit of Secularism: Further, granting citizenship on the grounds of religion is seen to be against the secular nature of the Constitution which has been recognised as part of the basic structure that cannot be altered by Parliament.

    Basis of challenging in Supreme Court

    • The challenge rests primarily on the grounds that the law violates Article 14 of the Constitution that guarantees that no person shall be denied the right to equality before law or the equal protection of law in the territory of India.

    The Supreme Court has developed a two-pronged test to examine a law on the grounds of Article 14.

    1. First, any differentiation between groups of persons must be founded on “intelligible differentia”
    2. Second, that differentia must have a rational nexus to the object sought to be achieved by the Act
    • Simply put, for a law to satisfy the conditions under Article 14, it has to first create a “reasonable class” of subjects that it seeks to govern under the law.
    • Even if the classification is reasonable, any person who falls in that category has to be treated alike.

    What happens next?

    • The listing of the CAA challenge indicates that the hearing will be fast-tracked.
    • The court will have to ensure that all pleadings, written submissions are filed and served to the opposite party before it is listed for final hearing.
    • Some petitioners could also seek a referral to a larger Constitution Bench.
    • However, the challenge is to a statute and does not directly involve interpretation of the Constitution.
    • These issues are also likely to be debated before the court allots time for the final hearing.

    Way forward

    • India is a constitutional democracy with a basic structure that assures a secure and spacious home for all Indians.
    • Being partitioned on religious grounds, India has to undertake a balancing act for protecting the religious minorities in its neighbourhood.
    • These minorities are under constant threat of persecution and vandalism.
    • India needs to balance its civilization duties to protect those who are prosecuted in the neighbourhood.

     

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  • Sustainable Tourism in India

    TourismContext

    • Ministry of Tourism identified Tourism Industry’s potential as a Sunrise Industry.
    • There is a need for tourism analysts to hold tourism planners accountable.

    What is tourism?

    • Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours.

    Types of tourism

    • Domestic tourism: Refers to activities of a visitor within their country of residence and outside of their home (e.g. a Indian visiting other parts of India)
    • Inbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a visitor from outside of country of residence (e.g. a Spaniard visiting Britain).
    • Outbound tourism: Refers to the activities of a resident visitor outside of their country of residence (e.g. an Indian visiting an overseas country).

    What does sustainable tourism mean?

    • Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

    TourismWhat is the main importance of tourism?

    • Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructures of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.

    Why tourism is needed?

    • Tourism is not a fad. It is a compulsion driven by the urge to discover new places. Because we have this compulsion to venture into the unknown, we need each other. When humans travel, meet and exchange ideas, civilisation flourishes.

    What should be done to promote tourism?

    • National Tourism Authority: A separate National Tourism Authority (NTA) should be established for executing and operationalizing various tourism related initiatives. Simple, flexible and elegant processes will be laid down to allow for nimbleness.
    • National Tourism Advisory Board: A National Tourism Advisory Board (NTAB) should be set up to provide overall vision, guidance and direction to the Development of Tourism Sector in the country.
    • Creating Synergy in Tourism Eco System: In order to ensure synergy at various levels of Government and with the Private Sector, it is important to have a well-defined framework in place.
    • Quality Tourism Framework: A robust framework for quality certification of products and services across all segments like accommodation providers, tour operators, adventure tour operators, service providers like spa and wellness, guides, restaurants etc. should be laid down.
    • Enhancing the existing luxury tourism products: The existing tourism products such as Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Palace on Wheels etc. should be enhanced and their numbers will also be increased. Haulage charges will be rationalised to make luxury trains viable.
    • Railways can be a game changer: For tourism Railways have presence in most parts of the country. Most of the tourist destinations in the country are connected by rail. Railways is also in the process of connecting more places especially the strategic locations that also are tourist places with limited connectivity at present. Indian Railways is working towards promoting tourism in the country by operating more trains connecting tourists’ destinations and also by providing an array of products starting from luxury tourist trains to budget catering tourist trains

    TourismWhat is MICE tourism of Gujarat?

    • The acronym “MICE” stands for “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions”, and is essentially a version of business tourism that draws domestic and international tourists to a destination.
    • The policy aims to make Gujarat one of the top five MICE tourism destinations in the country.

    Way forward

    • Enhance the contribution of tourism in Indian economy by increasing the visitation, stay and spend
    • Create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in tourism sector and ensure supply of skilled work force
    • Enhance the competitiveness of tourism sector and attract private sector investment
    • Preserve and enhance the cultural and natural resources of the country
    • To ensure sustainable, responsible and inclusive development of tourism in the country

    Conclusion

    • We know that India has the highest tourism potential of any country. That is because we have every terrain and climate zone, and a range of customs, traditions, cuisines, crafts, art forms and festivals unmatched by any other nation. We should monetize our potential through putting comprehensive National tourism policy in place.

    Mains question

    Q. What should be done to transform our tourist destinations to provide world class visitor experience making India one of the topmost destinations for sustainable and responsible tourism?

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  • What is the Kushiyara River Treaty?

    Kushiyara

    For the first time in 26 years, India and Bangladesh agreed to share the waters of a significant transboundary river, the Kushiyara, while negotiations over a long-delayed agreement to share the Teesta River’s waters, which are politically sensitive are still ongoing.

    India-Bangla water disputes: A backgrounder

    • The Teesta River and the Ganges River dispute are the two main long-standing water conflicts between India and Bangladesh.
    • Both rivers are important supplies of water for fishermen, farmers, and boatmen in both nations.
    • Since the sacred river flows from India to Bangladesh, the Ganga river dispute has been a source of contention between the two countries for the past 35 years.
    • There hasn’t been a long-term solution for sharing water offered despite several rounds of bilateral negotiations failing.
    • In order to establish a water sharing arrangement for the following 30 years, a treaty was signed in 1996. This deal is about to expire.

    What is the Kushiyara River Treaty?

    • The first such deal since the 1996 signing of the Ganga water treaty, India and Bangladesh reached an interim agreement on water sharing for the Kushiyara River.
    • India withdrew its objection to withdrawal of Kushiyara’s waters by Bangladesh through the Rahimpur Canal.
    • Over the last century, the flow of the Barak river has changed in such a way that the bulk of the river’s water flows into Kushiyara while the rest goes into Surma.
    • The agreement is aimed at addressing part of the problem that the changing nature of the river has posed before Bangladesh as it unleashes floods during the monsoon.
    • It goes dry during the winter when demand of water goes up because of a crop cycle in Sylhet.

    Terms of the treaty

    • Under this MoU, Bangladesh will be able to withdraw 153 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Kushiyara out of the approximately 2,500 cusecs of water that is there in the river during the winter season.
    • The agreement addresses Bangladesh’s concern over water supply along the river, during the winter months but flood control in the basin of Kushiyara is expected to require much more work.

    How will Bangladesh use the water?

    • The water of Kushiyara will be channelled through the Rahimpur Canal project in Sylhet.
    • The eight km long canal is the only supplier of water from the Kushiyara to the region and Bangladesh has built a pump house and other facilities for withdrawal of water that can now be utilised.

    Benefits to Bangladesh

    • It is generally understood that approximately 10,000 hectares of land and millions of people will benefit from the water that will flow through a network of canals in Sylhet.
    • It will benefit the farmers involved in Boro rice, which is basically the rice cultivated during the dry season of December to February and harvested in early summer.
    • Bangladesh has been complaining that the Boro rice cultivation in the region had been suffering as India did not allow it to withdraw the required water from the Kushiyara.

    Why is the water from the Kushiyara so important for Rahimpur Canal?

    • The water of the Kushiyara has been used for centuries in Sylhet’s subdivisions like the Zakiganj, Kanaighat and Beanibazar areas.
    • But Bangladesh has witnessed that the flow and volume of water in the canal has reduced during the lean season.
    • The utility of the river and the canal during the lean/winter season had gone down, affecting cultivation of rice as well as a wide variety of vegetables for which Sylhet is famous.

    What was India’s objection to the Rahimpur Canal?

    • India objected to the clearing and dredging of canal.
    • It claimed that the dyke and other infrastructure interfered in border security as Kushiyara itself forms part of the border between the two sides.
    • However, the agreement indicates that the economic benefits possible from the river outweighed the security

    What are the hurdles to the Teesta agreement?

    • The Kushiyara agreement is relatively smaller in scale in comparison to Teesta that involves West Bengal, which has problems with the proposal.
    • The Kushiyara agreement did not require a nod from any of the States like Assam from which the Barak emerges and branches into Kushiyara and Surma.

     

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  • Adoption in India

    adoption

    There is confusion over the implementation of new adoption rules that require the transfer of adoption petitions from courts to District Magistrates (DMs).

    What is the news?

    • From September 1, DMs have been empowered to give adoption orders instead of courts.
    • All cases pending before courts have to be now transferred.
    • Hundreds of adoptive parents in the country are now concerned that the transfer process will further delay what is already a long and tedious process.
    • There are questions whether an order passed by the executive will pass muster when an adopted child’s entitlements on succession and inheritance are contested before a court.

    Adoption in India: A backgrounder

    • In 2015, the then Minister for Women and Child Development centralised the entire adoption system by empowering Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
    • It was empowered to maintain in various specialised adoption agencies, a registry of children, prospective adoptive parents as well as match them before adoption.
    • This was aimed at checking rampant corruption and trafficking as child care institutions and NGOs could directly give children for adoption after obtaining a no-objection certificate from CARA.

    DMs to issue Adoption Orders

    • The Parliament passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021 in order to amend the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act), 2015.
    • The key changes include authorising District Magistrates and Additional District Magistrates to issue adoption orders under Section 61 of the JJ Act by striking out the word “court”.
    • This was done “in order to ensure speedy disposal of cases and enhance accountability,” according to a government statement.
    • The DMs have also been empowered under the Act to inspect child care institutions as well as evaluate the functioning of district child protection units, child welfare committees, juvenile justice boards, specialised juvenile police units, child care institutions etc.

    Why is there concern over the revised rules?

    • Parents, activists, lawyers and adoption agencies will have to be transferred and the process will have to start afresh.
    • A delay in such an order can often mean that a child can’t get admission into a school because parents don’t yet have a birth certificate.
    • Parents and lawyers also state that neither judges, nor DMs are aware about the change in the JJ Act leading to confusion in the system and delays.
    • DMs don’t handle civil matters that bestow inheritance and succession rights on a child.
    • If these rights are contested when a child turns 18, a judicial order is far more tenable to ensure the child is not deprived of his or her entitlements.

    Is it such a big issue?

    • The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) says there are nearly 1,000 adoption cases pending before various courts in the country.
    • This is not such a huge burden.

    What is the adoption procedure in India?  

    • Adoptions in India are governed by two laws:
    1. Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA): It is a parent-centric law that provides son to the son-less for reasons of succession, inheritance, continuance of family name and for funeral rights and later adoption of daughters was incorporated because kanyadaan is considered an important part of dharma in Hindu tradition.
    2. Juvenile Justice Act, 2015: It handles issues of children in conflict with law as well as those who are in need of care and protection and only has a small chapter on adoptions.
    • Both laws have their separate eligibility criteria for adoptive parents.
    • Those applying under the JJ Act have to register on CARA’s portal after which a specialised adoption agency carries out a home study report.
    • After it finds the candidate eligible for adoption, a child declared legally free for adoption is referred to the applicant.
    • Under HAMA, a “dattaka hom” ceremony or an adoption deed or a court order is sufficient to obtain irrevocable adoption rights.

    Issues with child adoption in India

    • Parent-centrism: The current adoption approach is very parent-centred, but parents must make it child-centred.
    • Age of child: Most Indian parents also want a child between the ages of zero and two, believing that this is when the parent-child bond is formed.
    • Institutional issues: Because the ratio of abandoned children to children in institutionalised care is lopsided, there are not enough children available for adoption.
    • Lineage discrimination: Most Indians have a distorted view of adoption because they want their genes, blood, and lineage to be passed down to their children.
    • Red-tapism: Child adoption is also not so easy task after the Juvenile Justice Rules of 2016 and the Adoption Regulations of 2017 were launched.

    Practical issues in adoption

    • There are no rules for monitoring adoptions and verifying sourcing of children and determining whether parents are fit to adopt.
    • There are many problems with the adoption system under CARA but at the heart of it is the fact that there are very few children in its registry.
    • According to the latest figures there are only 2,188 children in the adoption pool, while there are more than 31,000 parents waiting to adopt a child.

     

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  • India stays out of ‘Trade Pillar’ of IPEF

    India stayed out of the joint declaration on the trade pillar of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) ministerial meet in Los Angeles, with Union Commerce Minister citing concerns over possible discrimination against developing economies.

    Why did India opt out of the trade pillar?

    • One of the reasons for staying out of the trade pillar was that the contours of the framework had not emerged yet.
    • This is particularly about the kind of commitment each country would have to make on “environment, labour, digital trade and public procurement”.
    • India’s decision also mirrors the decision to walk out after seven years of negotiations from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

    What is IPEF?

    • It is a US-led framework for participating countries to solidify their relationships and engage in crucial economic and trade matters that concern the region, such as building resilient supply chains battered by the pandemic.
    • It is not a free trade agreement. No market access or tariff reductions have been outlined, although experts say it can pave the way to trade deals.

    Members of IPEF

    • The member nations include Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
    • It includes seven out of 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), all four Quad countries, and New Zealand.
    • Together, these countries account for 40 per cent of the global GDP.

    Four pillars of IPEF

    1. Trade that will include digital economy and emerging technology, labor commitments, the environment, trade facilitation, transparency and good regulatory practices, and corporate accountability, standards on cross-border data flow and data localisations;
    2. Supply chain resilience to develop “a first-of-its-kind supply chain agreement” that would anticipate and prevent disruptions;
    3. Clean energy and decarbonization that will include agreements on “high-ambition commitments” such as renewable energy targets, carbon removal purchasing commitments, energy efficiency standards, and new measures to combat methane emissions; and
    4. Tax and anti-corruption, with commitments to enact and enforce “effective tax, anti-money laundering, anti-bribery schemes in line with [American] values”.

    How do members participate?  

    • Countries are free to join (or not join) initiatives under any of the stipulated pillars but are expected to adhere to all commitments once they enrol.
    • Negotiations are meant to determine and list the provisions under each pillar and open the floor for countries to choose their ‘commitments’.
    • The framework would be open to other countries willing to join in the future provided they are willing to adhere to the stipulated goals and other necessary obligations.

    Reasons for the creation of IPEF

    • US regaining lost credibility: IPEF is also seen as a means by which the US is trying to regain credibility in the region after Trump pulled out of the Trans Pacific Partnership TPP).
    • Rising Chinese influence: Since then, there has been concern over the absence of a credible US economic and trade strategy to counter China’s economic influence in the region.
    • Competing RCEP: It is also in the 14-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, of which the US is not a member (India withdrew from RCEP).
    • “Pivot to Asia” strategy: US has intensified its engagement with the wider Asia-Pacific region to advance its economic and geopolitical interests.

    India’s perception of IPEF

    • PM Modi described the grouping as born from a collective desire to make the Indo-Pacific region an engine of global economic growth.
    • India has called for common and creative solutions to tackle economic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

    What does it have to do with China?  

    • The US strategists believe the US lacks an economic and trade strategy to counter China’s increasing economic influence in the region since 2017.
    • US companies are looking to move away from manufacturing in China.
    • IPEF would therefore offer an advantage to participating countries, allowing them to bring those businesses into their territory.
    • However, it officially excluded Taiwan despite its willingness and economic merit to join.
    • This exhibits Washington’s geopolitical caution.

    Reactions from the opponents

    • Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized the initiative as an attempt to further economic decoupling from China.
    • He argued that the initiative, and the US Indo-Pacific strategy as a whole, created divisions and incited confrontation. It is destined to be ultimately be a failure.
    • Taiwan was excluded in order to appease key “fence-sitter” countries such as Indonesia whose governments feared angering China.

    Issues with IPEF framework

    • IPEF would neither constitute a ‘free trade agreement,’ nor a forum to discuss tariff reductions or increasing market access.
    • Unlike a traditional trade agreement, the US administration will not need congressional approval to act under the IPEF. Hence its legal status is questionable.
    • This also raises doubts among potential participants about their reluctance to offer significant concessions under the agreement.
    • The volatility of US domestic politics has raised concerns about IPEF’s durability.
    • Unlike traditional FTAs, the IPEF does not subscribe to the single undertaking principle, where all items on the agenda are negotiated simultaneously.

    Given the divisive nature of American politics, it is unclear whether the IPEF will survive past the Biden administration.

    Way forward

    • The IPEF’s launch in Tokyo was symbolic in nature; bringing the IPEF to fruition will involve significant domestic and international challenges.
    • Without ratification by Congress, the IPEF’s fortunes will remain in limbo.
    • Going forward, the US and the founding partners need to develop the process and criteria by which other countries from the region will be invited to join the negotiations on the IPEF.

     

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  • PM Modi to attend SCO meet

    sco

    PM Modi will travel to Samarkand in Uzbekistan to attend the first in-person summit of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) countries since the COVID-19 pandemic.

    What is SCO?

    • After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the then security and economic architecture in the Eurasian region dissolved and new structures had to come up.
    • The original Shanghai Five were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
    • The SCO was formed in 2001, with Uzbekistan included. It expanded in 2017 to include India and Pakistan.
    • Since its formation, the SCO has focused on regional non-traditional security, with counter-terrorism as a priority.
    • The fight against the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism and extremism has become its mantra. Today, areas of cooperation include themes such as economics and culture.

    India’s entry to the SCO

    • India and Pakistan both were observer countries.
    • While Central Asian countries and China were not in favor of expansion initially, the main supporter — of India’s entry in particular — was Russia.
    • A widely held view is that Russia’s growing unease about an increasingly powerful China prompted it to push for its expansion.
    • From 2009 onwards, Russia officially supported India’s ambition to join the SCO in 2017.
    • China then asked for its all-weather friend Pakistan’s entry.

    Changing the narrative of SCO

    Infographic: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: An Explainer - Times of India

    • There has been discussion in the international arena that the trend of non-alignment is back.
    • NATO is based on Cold War thinking.
    • The logic of NATO is creating new enemies to sustain its own existence.
    • However, SCO is a cooperative organisation based on non-alignment and not targeting a third party.

    India and SCO: Present status

    • India will host the SCO summit next year, and Varanasi has been selected as the SCO region’s first “Tourism and Cultural Capital”.
    • India will also be chairing the summit.

     

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