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GS Paper: GS2

  • How the Quad can become more than an anti-China grouping

    Context

    On May 23, before the Quad leaders’ summit in Tokyo, the United States launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

    Significance IPEF

    • The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) will consist of a diverse group of 12 countries initially — Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
    • The IPEF — which covers fair trade, supply chain resilience, infrastructure, clean energy, and decarbonisation, among others — is likely to complement the other Indo-Pacific projects like the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI)  that also seeks to build resilient and secure trade linkages by reducing dependence on China.
    • Decoupling from Chinese over-dependence: The US-led economic engagement is a salient attempt to allow countries to decouple from Chinese over-dependence in order to ultimately strengthen the existing free and open rules-based global order.
    • Extension of plus grouping: The launch of IPEF signifies the essence of the Quad and its extension as a “plus” grouping.
    •  It brings together seven critical countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), all Quad states, and dialogue partners, including South Korea, solidifying a case for the “plus” characterisation of the Quad process.
    • Thus, it is an encouraging sign that the Quad countries are investing their strategic orientation in this regard.
    • Importantly, both the IPEF launch, and the Tokyo summit dispel any remaining misgivings about the Quad disintegrating and certify that it is a cohesive unit where it matters.
    •  It would potentially represent an amalgamation of the eastern and western “like-minded” countries.
    • The expanded grouping and the related Quad initiatives will build a comprehensive and integrated approach to combating shared challenges arising out of Chinese aggression.
    • A hallmark of Biden’s latest Asia visit has been South Korea’s embrace of the Indo-Pacific framework.
    • This is a long-awaited turn that could potentially lead to South Korea participating in a more meaningful manner in the Quad in the near future.

    Importance of Taiwan

    • Taiwan is a major economy in the Indo-Pacific region (as also the US’s eighth-largest trading partner in 2021 and a critical partner in diversifying the US supply chains), which is already engaged in the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue that includes many of the issues proposed in the IPEF.
    • The inclusion of Taiwan, which already has a critical role in the global semi-conductor supply chain network, in the SCRI and the IPEF as well as, by extension, in the Quad format, in some manner would be a welcome addition.
    • Geopolitical statement against coercive tactics: Importantly, Taiwan’s inclusion would also be a geopolitical statement against coercion tactics by international actors.

    Inclusivity characteristics based on a  commitment to the existing international order

    • In its current abstract framework, the plus framework includes a wide array of states (which also comprise the IPEF) — developing and developed economies as well as middle and major powers that are committed to maintaining an inclusive, rules-based and liberal institutional order.
    • The inclusivity angle is suspect as the grouping is essentially what China calls a US-led “anti-China” tool.
    • Therefore, what interested states must envision is a broad, all-embracing, and comprehensive framework that can stand as a pillar for regional security and stability, multilateralism, and defence of global institutionalism and the status quo.

    Conclusion

    States are showing their willingness, and now it is incumbent on the Quad states to allow for the creation of a “corridor of communication” that ultimately leads to a “continental connect” to strengthen a rules-based order.

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  • QUAD: its origins, goals and future plans

    Why was it formed?

    • While not stated explicitly by the leaders, a major basis for the grouping is to check China’s growing influence in the region.
    • After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 wreaked havoc in the region now called the Indo-Pacific, India stepped up its rescue efforts.
    • India provided assistance to its maritime neighbours: Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia.
    • Soon, the disaster relief effort was joined by three other naval powers — the U.S., Australia and Japan.
    • Then US President George W. Bush announced that the four countries would set up an international coalition to coordinate the massive effort.
    • While the charge of the rescue operations was handed over to the United Nations shortly after, it led to the birth of a new framework: the Quadrilateral or Quad.

    Development of present day QUAD

    • Then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe had been promoting the idea of an “arc of prosperity and freedom”.
    • This brought the Quad countries closer together, further developed the concept and discussed it with then PM Manmohan Singh during a summit in December 2006.
    • The 2007 Indo-U.S. Malabar naval exercises also saw the partial involvement of Japan, Australia and Singapore.
    • The exercises and coordination were seen by China as an attempt to encircle it, which termed the grouping as trying to build “an Asian NATO”.

    Descent and revival in its formation

    • The Quad lost momentum post the 2007 meeting as the effort “dissipated amidst member leadership transitions.
    • The grouping was only revived an entire decade later in 2017, at a time when all four countries had revised their assessment of the China challenge; and India had witnessed the Doklam standoff.
    • Leaders of all four countries met in the Philippines for the ‘India-Australia-Japan-U.S.’ dialogue, not referred to as a Quad dialogue to avoid the notion of a “gang-up”.

    Basis: Indo-Pacific

    • Even at this point, a set of objectives, areas of cooperation, and even the definition of Indo-Pacific were not fixed among Quad members.
    • It was in March 2021 that Mr. Biden, Mr. Modi, Australia’s outgoing PM Scott Morrison, and then Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga met virtually, for the first time as an official Quad summit.
    • It released a set of objectives for the grouping in a joint statement called the ‘The Spirit of the Quad’.

    What were the objectives of the grouping?

    • Coming together to foster a free and open Indo-Pacific formed the bedrock of cooperation.
    • Now it commits to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
    • Emphasis was laid on “rule of law, territorial integrity, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, and democratic values” in the region.

    Various initiatives of QUAD

    • Quad leaders launched the Quad Vaccine Initiative (QVI) with the aim of manufacturing and distributing at least a billion COVID-19 vaccines for the Asia region by the end of 2022.
    • As for emerging technologies, the four countries aimed to work on the development and diversification of 5G telecommunications.
    • They aim for creation of supply chains for critical minerals and technologies for making semiconductors used in smartphones, another area where China is a leader.
    • Quad nations had also agreed to build joint connectivity projects and transparent infrastructure funding for countries in the region.
    • The Quad also created a working group for combating climate change which would oversee efforts to foster green shipping by decarbonising maritime supply chains and promoting the use of clean hydrogen.

    What are the future plans of the Quad?

    • The Leaders will review the progress of Quad initiatives and Working Groups, identify new areas of cooperation and provide strategic guidance and vision for future collaboration.
    • The Quad summit is expected to discuss the Russian war in Ukraine, and the impact of three months of Western sanctions.
    • US also unveiled the ‘Indo-Pacific Economic Framework’ (IPEF) which is a programme to bind countries in the region more closely through common standards.
    • Quad members also launched a maritime monitoring plan to curb illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific.

    Various challenges

    • How to deal with China thus remains the central question for Quad. Each Quad member views the Chinese threat differently.
    • For Australia too, trade was the biggest issue until the recent establishment of a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands brought a new dimension.
    • Japan and India are closest to China, and both face belligerent Chinese claims to territory.
    • The security build-up of QUAD is also yet to materialize.

     

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  • India needs parliamentary supervision of trade pacts

    Context

    India is negotiating and signing several free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries like Australia, the UK, Israel, and the EU. While the economic benefits of these FTAs have been studied, there is very little discussion on the lack of parliamentary scrutiny of these treaties.

    Provisions in the Constitution

    • In the Constitution, entry 14 of the Union list contains the following item — “entering into treaties and agreements with foreign countries and implementing of treaties, agreements and conventions with foreign countries”.
    • According to Article 246, Parliament has the legislative competence on all matters given in the Union list.
    • Thus, Parliament has the power to legislate on treaties. 
    • This power includes deciding how India will ratify treaties and thus assume international law obligations.
    • Article 253  elucidates that the power of Parliament to implement treaties by enacting domestic laws also extends to topics that are part of the state list.

    Lack of parliamentary oversight and its implications

    • No law laying down the process: While Parliament in the last seven decades has passed many laws to implement international legal obligations imposed by different treaties, it is yet to enact a law laying down the processes that India needs to follow before assuming international treaty obligations.
    • Given this legislative void, and under Article 73(the powers of the Union executive are co-terminus with Parliament), the Centre has been not just negotiating and signing but also ratifying international treaties and assuming international law obligations without much parliamentary oversight.
    • Arguably, Parliament exercises control over the executive’s treaty-making power at the stage of transforming a treaty into the domestic legal regime.
    • However, this is a scenario of ex-post parliamentary control over the executive.
    • In such a situation, Parliament does not debate whether India should or should not accept the international obligations; it only deliberates how the international law obligations, already accepted by the executive, should be implemented domestically.
    • Against the practice in other liberal democracies: This practice is at variance with that of several other liberal democracies.
    • In the US, important treaties signed by the President have to be approved by the Senate.
    • In Australia, the executive is required to table a “national interest analysis” of the treaty it wishes to sign in parliament, and then this is examined by a joint standing committee on treaties – a body composed of Australian parliamentarians.

    Way forward

    • Indian democracy needs to inculcate these healthy practices of other liberal democracies.

    Conclusion

    Effective parliamentary supervision will increase the domestic acceptance and legitimacy of international treaties, especially economic agreements, which are often critiqued for imposing undue restraints on India’s economic sovereignty.

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  • Branch campuses in India, prospects and challenges

    Context

    India, after half a century of keeping its higher education doors closed to foreigners, is on the cusp of opening itself to the world.

    Higher education reforms

    • Currently, India does not allow the entry and the operation of foreign university branch campuses.
    • The NEP 2020 was a turning point for the entry of foreign universities as it recommended allowing foreign universities ranked in the “top 100” category to operate in India — under somewhat unrealistic conditions.
    • Internationalism: The wide-ranging National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promises higher education reforms in many areas, and internationalisation is prominent among them.
    • Strengthening India’s soft power: Among the underlying ideas is to strengthen India’s “soft power” through higher education collaboration, bringing new ideas and institutions from abroad to stimulate reform and show “best practice”, and in general to ensure that Indian higher education, for the first time, is a global player.
    • In February 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, announced that “world-class foreign universities and institutions would be allowed in the planned business district in Gujarat’s GIFT City”
    •  It was reported that in April 2022, the University Grants Commission (UGC) formed a committee to draft regulations to allow foreign institutions in the “top 500” category to establish campuses in India — realising that more flexibility was needed
    • Bringing global experience to India: Establishing branch campuses of top foreign universities is a good idea as this will bring much-needed global experience to India.

    Challenges

    • Globally, branch campuses, of which there are around 300 now, provide a mixed picture.
    • Many are aimed at making money for the sponsoring university — and this is not what India wants.
    • It will not be easy to attract foreign universities to India and even more difficult to create the conditions for them to flourish.
    • Many of those top universities are already fully engaged overseas and would likely require incentives to set up in India.
    • Further, there are smaller but highly regarded universities outside the ‘top 500’ category that might be more interested.
    • Universities around the world that have academic specialisations focusing on India, that already have research or faculty ties in the country, or that have Non-Resident Indians (NRI) in senior management positions may be easier to attract.
    • What is most important is to prevent profit-seekers from entering the Indian market and to encourage foreign institutions with innovative educational ideas and a long-term commitment.
    • Many host countries have provided significant incentives, including building facilities and providing necessary infrastructure.
    • Foreign universities are highly unlikely to invest significant funds up front.
    • A big challenge will be India’s “well-known” bureaucracy, especially the multiple regulators.

    Opportunities

    • India is seen around the world as an important country and an emerging higher education power.
    • It is the world’s second largest “exporter” of students, with 4,61,792 students studying abroad (according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
    • And India has the world’s second largest higher education system.
    • Foreign countries and universities will be eager to establish a “beachhead” in India and interested in providing opportunities for home campus students to learn about Indian business, society, and culture to participate in growing trade and other relations.
    • Benefits of branch campuses: International branch campuses, if allowed, could function as a structurally different variant of India’s private university sector.
    • Branch campuses, if effectively managed, could bring much needed new ideas about curriculum, pedagogy, and governance to Indian higher education — they could be a kind of educational laboratory.

    Current initiatives

    • There has been modest growth of various forms of partnerships between Indian and foreign institutions.
    • The joint PhD programmes offered by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay-Monash Research Academy and the University of Queensland-Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Academy of Research (UQIDAR), both with Australian partners, are some examples.
    • Another example is the Melbourne-India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA). It is a joint initiative of the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur with the University of Melbourne.
    • MIPA provides students with an opportunity to earn a joint degree accredited both in India and Australia: from the University of Melbourne and one of the partnering Indian institutions.
    • These partnerships suggest that India could offer opportunities for international branch campuses as well.

    Challenges

    • Globally, branch campuses, of which there are around 300 now, provide a mixed picture.
    • Many are aimed at making money for the sponsoring university — and this is not what India wants.
    • It will not be easy to attract foreign universities to India and even more difficult to create the conditions for them to flourish.
    • Many of those top universities are already fully engaged overseas and would likely require incentives to set up in India.
    • Further, there are smaller but highly regarded universities outside the ‘top 500’ category that might be more interested.
    • Universities around the world that have academic specialisations focusing on India, that already have research or faculty ties in the country, or that have Non-Resident Indians (NRI) in senior management positions may be easier to attract.
    • What is most important is to prevent profit-seekers from entering the Indian market and to encourage foreign institutions with innovative educational ideas and a long-term commitment.
    • Many host countries have provided significant incentives, including building facilities and providing necessary infrastructure.
    • Foreign universities are highly unlikely to invest significant funds up front.
    • A big challenge will be India’s “well-known” bureaucracy, especially the multiple regulators.

    Conclusion

    After examining national experiences elsewhere, clear policies can be implemented that may be attractive to foreign universities. Once policies are in place, the key to success will be relationships among universities.

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  • ASHA workers earn WHO’s global plaudits

    The country’s frontline health workers or ASHAs (accredited social health activists) were one of the six recipients of the WHO’s Global Health Leaders Award 2022 which recognises leadership, contribution to the advance of global health and commitment to regional health issues.

    Who are ASHA workers?

    • ASHA workers are volunteers from within the community who are trained to provide information and aid people in accessing benefits of various healthcare schemes of the government.
    • The role of these community health volunteers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was first established in 2005.
    • They act as a bridge connecting marginalised communities with facilities such as primary health centres, sub-centres and district hospitals.

    Genesis & evolution

    • The ASHA programme was based on Chhattisgarh’s successful Mitanin programme, in which a Community Worker looks after 50 households.
    • The ASHA was to be a local resident, looking after 200 households.
    • The programme had a very robust thrust on the stage-wise development of capacity in selected areas of public health.
    • Many states tried to incrementally develop the ASHA from a Community Worker to a Community Health Worker, and even to an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM)/ General Nurse and Midwife (GNM), or a Public Health Nurse.

    Qualifications for ASHA Workers

    • ASHAs are primarily married, widowed, or divorced women between the ages of 25 and 45 years from within the community.
    • They must have good communication and leadership skills; should be literate with formal education up to Class 8, as per the programme guidelines.

    How many ASHAs are there across the country?

    • The aim is to have one ASHA for every 1,000 persons or per habitation in hilly, tribal or other sparsely populated areas.
    • There are around 10.4 lakh ASHA workers across the country, with the largest workforces in states with high populations – Uttar Pradesh (1.63 lakh), Bihar (89,437), and Madhya Pradesh (77,531).
    • Goa is the only state with no such workers, as per the latest National Health Mission data available from September 2019.

    What do ASHA workers do?

    • They go door-to-door in their designated areas creating awareness about basic nutrition, hygiene practices, and the health services available.
    • They focus primarily on ensuring that pregnant women undergo ante-natal check-up, maintain nutrition during pregnancy, deliver at a healthcare facility, and provide post-birth training on breast-feeding and complementary nutrition of children.
    • They also counsel women about contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections.
    • ASHA workers are also tasked with ensuring and motivating children to get immunised.
    • Other than mother and child care, ASHA workers also provide medicines daily to TB patients under directly observed treatment of the national programme.
    • They are also tasked with screening for infections like malaria during the season.
    • They also provide basic medicines and therapies to people under their jurisdiction such as oral rehydration solution, chloroquine for malaria, iron folic acid tablets to prevent anaemia etc.
    • Now, they also get people tested and get their reports for non-communicable diseases.
    • The health volunteers are also tasked with informing their respective primary health centre about any births or deaths in their designated areas.

    How much are ASHA workers paid?

    • Since they are considered “volunteers/activists”, governments are not obligated to pay them a salary. And, most states don’t.
    • Their income depends on incentives under various schemes that are provided when they, for example, ensure an institutional delivery or when they get a child immunised.
    • All this adds up to only between Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 a month.
    • Her work is so tailored that it does not interfere with her normal livelihood.

    Success of the ASHAs

    • It is a programme that has done well across the country.
    • In a way, it became a programme that allowed a local woman to develop into a skilled health worker.
    • Overall, it created a new cadre of incrementally skilled local health workers who were paid based on performance.
    • The ASHAs are widely respected as they brought basic health services to the doorstep of households.
    • Since then ASHA continues to enjoy the confidence of the community.

    Challenges to ASHAs

    • The ASHAs faced a range of challenges: Where to stay in a hospital? How to manage mobility? How to tackle safety issues?
    • There have been challenges with regard to the performance-based compensation. In many states, the payout is low, and often delayed.
    • It has a problem of responsibility and accountability without fair compensation.
    • There is a strong argument to grant permanence to some of these positions with a reasonable compensation as sustaining motivation.
    • Ideally, an ASHA should be able to make more than the salary of a government employee, with opportunities for moving up the skill ladder in the formal primary health care system as an ANM/ GNM or a Public Health Nurse.

    Way forward

    • The incremental development of a local resident woman is an important factor in human resource engagement in community-linked sectors.
    • It is equally important to ensure that compensation for performance is timely and adequate.
    • Upgrading skill sets and providing easy access to credit and finance will ensure a sustainable opportunity to earn a respectable living while serving the community.
    • Strengthening access to health insurance, credit for consumption and livelihood needs at reasonable rates, and coverage under pro-poor public welfare programmes will contribute to ASHAs emerging as even stronger agents of change.

     

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  • Centre reconstitutes Inter-State Council (ISC)

    The Inter-State Council, which works to promote and support cooperative federalism in the country, has been reconstituted with PM Modi as Chairman and CMs of all States and six Union Ministers as members.

    What is Inter-State Council (ISC)?

    Genesis of ISC

    • The Constitution of India in Article 263, provides for the establishment of Inter-State Council (ISC).
    • The objective of the ISC is to discuss or investigate policies, subjects of common interest, and disputes among states.

    Temporary or permanent?

    • The articles says that ISC may be established “if at any time it appears to the President that the public interests would be served by the establishment of a Council”.
    • Therefore, the constitution itself did not establish the ISC, because it was not considered necessary at the time the constitution was being framed, but kept the option for its establishment open.

    Establishment as permanent body

    • This option was exercised in 1990.
    • The ISC was established as a permanent body on 28 May 1990 by a presidential order on the recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission.
    • It had recommended that a permanent Inter-State Council called the Inter-Governmental Council (IGC) should be set up under Article 263.
    • It cannot be dissolved and re-established.
    • Therefore, the current status of ISC is that of a permanent constitutional body.

    Aims of the ISC

    • Decentralisation of powers to the states as much as possible
    • More transfer of financial resources to the states
    • Arrangements for devolution in such a way that the states can fulfil their obligations
    • Advancement of loans to states should be related to as ‘the productive principle’
    • Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces in the states either on their request or otherwise

    Composition

    The Inter-State Council composes of the following members:

    • Prime Minister, Chairman.
    • Chief Ministers of all states.
    • Chief Ministers of the union territories having legislative assemblies.
    • Administrators of the union territories not having legislative assemblies.
    • 6 Union Cabinet Ministers, including Home Minister, to be nominated by the Prime Minister.
    • Governors of the states being administered under President’s rule.

    Standing Committee

    • Home Minister, Chairman
    • 5 Union Cabinet Ministers
    • 9 Chief Ministers

     

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  • Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)

    India has signalled its readiness to be part of a new economic initiative led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) by the US for the region.

    What is IPEF?

    • The grouping, which includes seven out of 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), all four Quad countries, and New Zealand, represents about 40% of global GDP.
    • The negotiations for the IPEF are expected to centre around four main pillars, including trade, supply chain resiliency, clean energy and decarbonisation, and taxes and anti-corruption measures.
    • Countries would have to sign up to all of the components within a module, but do not have to participate in all modules.
    • The “fair and resilient trade” module will be led by the US Trade Representative and include digital, labor, and environment issues, with some binding commitments.
    • The IPEF seeks to strengthen economic partnership amongst participating countries with the objective of enhancing resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Features of IPEF

    • US officials made it clear that the IPEF would not be a “free trade agreement”, nor are countries expected to discuss reducing tariffs or increasing market access.
    • The IPEF will not include market access commitments such as lowering tariff barriers,
    • In that sense, the IPEF would not seek to replace the 11-nation CPTPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) that the US quit in 2017, or the RCEP, which China, and all of the other IPEF countries (minus the US) are a part of.
    • Three ASEAN countries considered closer to China — Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos — are not members of the IPEF.

    Four pillars of IPEF

    1. Trade that will include digital economy and emerging technology, labour commitments, the environment, trade facilitation, transparency and good regulatory practices, and corporate accountability, standards on cross-border data flows and data localisations;
    2. Supply chain resiliency to develop “a first-of-its-kind supply chain agreement” that would anticipate and prevent disruptions;
    3. Clean energy and decarbonisation 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”.

    Reasons for creation of IPEF

    • The IPEF is also seen as a means by which the US is trying to regain credibility in the region after former President Donald Trump pulled out of the Trans Pacific Partnership TPP).
    • 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.
    • China is an influential member of the TPP, and has sought membership of its successor agreement Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans Pacific Partnership.
    • It is also in the 14-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, of which the US is not a member (India withdrew from RCEP).
    • The Biden Administration is projecting IPEF as the new US vehicle for re-engagement with East Asia and South East Asia.

     

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  • What are Look Out Circulars (LOCs)?

    The Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that a Look Out Circular (LOC), which prevents one from travelling abroad, must be supplied to the person at the time of being stopped at the airport and that the reasons should be communicated to the affected party.

    What is a Look Out Circular?

    • It is a notice to stop any individual wanted by the police, investigating agency or even a bank from leaving or entering the country through designated land, air and sea ports.
    • Immigration is tasked to stop any such individual against whom such a notice exists from leaving or entering the country.
    • There are 86 immigration check posts across the country.

    Who can issue LOCs?

    • A large number of agencies which includes the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Income Tax, State police and intelligence agencies are authorised to generate LOCs.
    • The officer should not be below the rank of a district magistrate or superintendent of police or a deputy secretary in the Union Government.

    What are the details required to generate an LOC and who issues it?

    • According to a 2010 official memorandum of the Ministry, details such as First Information Report (FIR) number, court case number are to be mandatorily provided with name, passport number and other details.
    • The BOI under the MHA is only the executing agency.
    • They generate LOCs based on requests by different agencies.
    • Since immigration posts are manned by the BOI officials they are the first responders to execute LOCs by stopping or detaining or informing about an individual to the issuing agency.
    • The LOCs can be modified; deleted or withdrawn only at the request of the originator.
    • Further, the legal liability of the action taken by immigration authorities in pursuance of LOC rests with the originating agency.

    How are banks authorized?

    • After several businessmen including liquor baron Vijay Mallya, businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi fled the country after defaulting on loans, the MHA in 2018 brought changes to the 2010 guidelines.
    • It authorised the chairman, managing director and chief executives of all public sector banks to generate LOCs against persons who could be detrimental to economic interests of the country.

    Is there any other clause under which any individual can be stopped?

    • The 2010 Ministry guidelines give sweeping powers to police and intelligence agencies to generate LOCs in “exceptional cases” without keying in complete parameters or case details.
    • This was against suspects, terrorists, anti-national elements, etc. in larger national interest.
    • After the special status of J&K under Article 370 was abrogated in 2019, LOCs were opened against several politicians, human rights activists, journalists and social activists to bar them from flying out of the country.
    • The number of persons and the crime for which they have been placed under the list is unknown.

    Are individuals entitled to any remedial measures?

    • Many citizens have moved courts to get the LOC quashed.
    • As per norms, an LOC will stay valid for a maximum period of 12 months and if there is no fresh request from the agency then it will not be automatically revived.
    • The MHA has asserted that LOCs cannot be shown to the subject at the time of detention nor can any prior intimation be provided.
    • The Ministry recently informed the Punjab and Haryana HC that the LOC guidelines are a secret document and the same cannot be shared with the ‘accused’ or any unauthorised stakeholder.
    • It cannot be provided or shown to the subject at the time of detention by the BOI since it defeats the purpose of LOC and no accused or subject of LOC can be provided any opportunity of hearing before the issuance of the LOC.

    Precedence set by the Judiciary

    • In January this year, Delhi HC quashed an LOC against a Delhi businessman generated at the instance of the Income Tax department.
    • The court said no proceedings under any penal law had been initiated against the petitioner” and the LOC was “wholly unsustainable.”
    • It said that there cannot be any unfettered control or restriction on the right to travel and that it was part of the fundamental rights.
    • Delhi HC has also asked the Director of the CBI to tender a written apology.

     

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  • India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)

    The IHCI project has demonstrated that blood pressure treatment and control are feasible in primary care settings in diverse health systems across various States in India.

    India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)

    • It is a multi-partner initiative involving the Indian Council of Medical Research, WHO-India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and State governments.
    • It aims to improve blood pressure control for people with hypertension.
    • The project initiated in 26 districts in 2018 has expanded to more than 100 districts by 2022.
    • More than two million patients were started on treatment and tracked to see whether they achieved BP control.

    The project was built on five scalable strategies:

    1. Simple treatment protocol with three drugs was selected in consultation with the experts and non-communicable disease programme managers.
    2. Supply chain was strengthened to ensure the availability of adequate antihypertensive drugs.
    3. Patient-centric approaches were followed, such as refills for at least 30 days and assigning the patients to the closest primary health centre or health wellness centre to make follow-up easier.
    4. The focus was on building capacity of all health staff and sharing tasks such as BP measurement, documentation, and follow-up.
    5. There was minimal documentation using either paper-based or digital tools to track follow-up and BP control.

    Prevalence of hypertension in India

    • Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death among adults in India.
    • One of the major drivers of heart attack and stroke is untreated high blood pressure or hypertension.
    • Hypertension is a silent killer as most patients do not have any symptoms.
    • India has more than 200 million people with hypertension, and only 14.5% of individuals with hypertension are on treatment.

    Success of IHCI

    • Blood pressure treatment and control were feasibly controlled in primary care settings in diverse health systems across various States in India.
    • Before IHCI, many patients travelled to higher-level facilities such as community health centres (block level) or district hospitals in the public sector for hypertension treatment.
    • Over three years, all levels of health staff at the primary health centres and health wellness centres were trained to provide treatment and follow-up services for hypertension.
    • Nearly half (47%) of the patients under care achieved blood pressure control.
    • The BP control among people enrolled in treatment was 48% at primary health centres and 55% at the health wellness centres.

    Contributing to its success: A data-driven approach

    • One of the unique contributions of the project was a data-driven approach to improving care and overall programme management.
    • The list of people who did not return for treatment was generated through a digital system or on paper by the nurse/health workers.
    • Patients were reminded either over the phone or by home visit (if feasible).
    • This strategy motivated a large number of patients to continue treatment.
    • In addition, programme managers reviewed aggregate data at the district and State levels to assess the performance of facilities in terms of follow-up and BP control.
    • Patients were provided generic antihypertensive drugs costing only â‚č200 per year.
    • In addition, E-Sanjeevani, a telemedicine initiative, facilitated teleconsultations.

    Back2Basics: Hypertension

    • Hypertension also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated.
    • High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms.
    • Long-term high blood pressure, however, is a major risk factor for stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial disease, vision loss, chronic kidney disease, and dementia.
    • High blood pressure is classified as primary (essential) hypertension or secondary hypertension.
    • For most adults, high blood pressure is present if the resting blood pressure is persistently at or above 130/80 or 140/90 mmHg.

     

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  • Illegal fishing by China in the Indo-Pacific

    In order to check China’s illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific region, the Quadrilateral Security Alliance (Quad) has planned to launch a satellite-based surveillance initiative.

    What is the news?

    • The leaders of Quad are reported to be getting ready to unveil a maritime surveillance initiative to protect exclusive economic zones in the Indo-Pacific against environmental damage.

    How will the proposed maritime surveillance system work?

    • The initiative will use satellite technology to connect existing surveillance centres in India, Singapore and the Pacific.
    • This will help establish a tracking system to combat illegal, unregulated and unprotected (IUU) fishing.
    • The satellite-enabled dragnet will track IUU fishing activities from the Indian Ocean and South-east Asia to the South Pacific.
    • The idea is to monitor illicit fishing vessels that have their AIS (automatic identification system) transponders turned off to evade tracking.
    • The move by the Quad security group is also seen to be aimed at reducing the small Pacific island nations’ growing reliance on China.

    Why is illegal fishing seen as such a big threat?

    • The unregulated plunder of global fishing stock poses a grave threat to the livelihood and food security of millions of people.
    • Globally, fish provide about 3.3 billion people with 20% of their average animal protein intake.
    • According to an FAO report, around 60 million people are engaged in the sector of fisheries and aquaculture.
    • While the economic loss from illegal fishing has been difficult to precisely quantify, some estimates peg it around USD 20 billion annually.

    Threats posed by IUU Fishing

    • Illegal fishing has now replaced piracy as a global maritime threat.
    • In the Indo-Pacific region, like elsewhere, the collapse of fisheries can destabilise coastal nations.
    • It poses a much bigger security risk, as it can fuel human trafficking, drug crime and terror recruiting.

    Why is China in the dock?

    • The 2021 IUU Fishing Index, which maps 152 coastal countries, ranked China as the worst offender.
    • China is considered responsible for 80% to 95% illegal fishing in the region after having overfished its own waters.
    • It, in fact, is known to incentivise illegal fishing with generous subsidies to meet its growing domestic demand.

    China and distant-water fishing (DWF)

    • China’s DWF fleet has almost 17,000 vessels and is the largest in the world.
    • Vessel ownership is highly fragmented among many small companies and the fleet includes vessels registered in other jurisdictions.

    Issues with Chinese IUU Fishing

    • Chinese are often accused of pillaging ocean wealth with great sophistication and with little regard for maritime boundaries.
    • China also uses them to project strategic influence and to bully fishing vessels from weaker nations.
    • China uses destructive practises such as bottom trawling and forced, bonded and slave labour and trafficked crew, alongside the widespread abuse of migrant crewmembers.

     

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