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GS Paper: GS3

  • RBI’s Pause On Repo Rate Hike: Concerns Over Inflation And Global Pressures Remain

    RBI

    Central Idea

    • The RBI has decided to not increase the repo rate amid continuing hikes by important central banks such as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) and European Central Bank (ECB), and domestic inflation concerns. However, if incoming data point to rising inflation risks, this decision could prove to be only a pause in the rate hiking cycle.

    The RBI’s decision to pause on rate hikes

    • The RBI feels that money market rates have effectively risen more than the 250-basis-point yank in the repo rate since May 2022, and hence it decided to pause and assess the impact of rate hikes.
    • The key reason behind the MPC decision is the expectation of a decline in inflation to 5.2% in the current fiscal, driven by a healthy rabi crop, normal monsoon, moderating international commodity prices, and the impact of rate hikes.
    • The RBI acknowledges the upside risks and stated its readiness to fight any unexpected rise in inflation.

    Impact on GDP growth

    • The RBI expects GDP growth to slow to 6% from 7% this fiscal as slowing global growth, domestic interest rates, and messy geopolitics bite.
    • Slowing global growth will be net negative for India’s exports, and the growing dependence on commodity exports makes India more vulnerable to global growth volatility.
    • Fiscal 2024 will, therefore, test the resilience of India’s domestic demand amid rising interest rates.

    Reasons for the expected cooling of consumer inflation

    • Fuel inflation expected to reduce: Fuel inflation is expected to reduce to 3% from a high of over 10% in the current fiscal because some easing of crude oil prices is likely as global growth slows down.
    • Decline in core inflation: Slowing domestic growth will ease core inflation from very sticky levels of over 6% last fiscal to 5.5% in the current one. However, the decline in core inflation will be limited as input cost pressures have not dissipated. To protect their margins, firms will continue to pass on input costs to end-consumer. Services inflation will also continue to exert pressure as the rotation of consumption demand from goods to services continues.
    • Moderate food inflation: Food inflation, which has a high weightage in the Consumer Price Index and has driven headline inflation in the past, is projected to moderate to slightly below 5%, assuming a normal monsoon. However, food inflation has always been volatile and carries upside risks largely because of climate-related factors affecting agriculture output and prices.

    How slowing global growth will have a negative impact on India’s exports?

    • The impact of the growth slowdown in the US and Europe is deeper than the recovery in China: The US and Europe have a combined GDP that is twice that of China. Therefore, the impact of the growth slowdown in the US and Europe will be deeper than the recovery in China. This will have a negative impact on India’s exports to the US and Europe.
    • India’s exports to the US and Europe are more than to China by a factor of six: India exports more to the US and Europe than to China by a factor of six. Therefore, the negative impact of the growth slowdown in the US and Europe will be felt more by India than by China.
    • India’s growing dependence on commodity exports makes it more vulnerable to global growth volatility: India’s exports of petroleum products and steel are growing, and this makes India more vulnerable to global growth volatility. As global growth slows down, demand for commodities is likely to decline, which will have a negative impact on India’s exports.

    External vulnerabilities

    • India’s external vulnerability is expected to decline with a narrower current account deficit (CAD) and modest short-term external debt.
    • The CAD is expected to narrow to 2% of GDP this fiscal from an estimated 2.5% last fiscal.

    Conclusion

    • The RBI’s decision to pause on rate hikes is driven by expectations of a decline in inflation. However, inflation risks remain, and the impact of rate hikes on GDP growth is expected to be significant. India’s external vulnerabilities are expected to decline, but the banking turmoil playing out amid interest rate hikes by important central banks and elevated debt levels remains a risk. The RBI’s decision to pause on rate hikes will be closely watched, and further rate hikes may be necessary if inflation risks persist.

    Mains Question

    Q. Enumerate the factors that led RBI to pause on rate hikes, and discuss the potential risks and impacts on the Indian economy?

  • Union Cabinet gives nod to Indian Space Policy, 2023

    Central idea: The Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Space Policy, 2023.

    Indian Space Policy, 2023

    • It aims to enhance the role of the Department of Space, boost the activities of ISRO missions, and encourage participation from research, academia, startups, and industry.

    Salient features

    (1) Outlining roles and responsibilities

    • The Indian Space Policy, 2023 outlines the roles and responsibilities of various organizations in the space sector.
    • The policy includes the responsibilities of ISRO, NewSpace India Limited, and private sector entities.
    • This clarity in roles will help in the efficient functioning of the components set up in recent times.

    (2) Multistakeholder participation

    • The policy aims to boost the space sector by enhancing the role of the Department of Space and encouraging participation from research, academia, startups, and industry.
    • This will help in the development of the space segment and create more opportunities for the private sector.

    (3) Boosting ISRO Missions

    • The Indian Space Policy, 2023 aims to boost the activities of ISRO missions.
    • This will help ISRO achieve its objectives more efficiently and effectively.
    • It will also help in the development of new technologies and innovative solutions.

    (4) Involvement of Private Sector

    • The Policy, 2023 recognizes the importance of the private sector in the development of the space sector.
    • It encourages the involvement of private sector entities in various aspects of the space segment.
    • This will create more opportunities for the private sector and help in the growth of the Indian space industry.

    (5) Research and development

    • The policy aims to involve research, academia, and startups in the development of the space sector.
    • This will help in the development of new technologies, innovative solutions, and talent pool.
    • It will also help in the growth of the Indian space industry and create more opportunities for research and development in the sector.

    Conclusion

    • The Indian Space Policy, 2023 is a comprehensive policy that provides clarity in the roles and responsibilities of various organizations in the space sector.
    • The policy aims to boost the space segment, encourage private sector involvement, and involve research, academia, and startups in the development of the sector.
    • The policy will help in achieving the objectives of ISRO more efficiently and effectively, and create more opportunities for the private sector and research and development in the space sector.

     

  • Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023

    aqua

    The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

    What is Aquaculture?

    • Aquaculture essentially means, breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants.
    • In a nutshell, it’s farming in water.
    • Saline water along the coast has been found to be suitable for practising aquaculture which produces shrimp, majorly.
    • If aquaculture is not practised on this land, it will be left idle and uncultivated as it is not suitable for the cultivation of crops.
    • Aquaculture can be practised on about 12 lakh hectares in the country along the coast, of which only 14% has been utilized so far.

    Key highlights of the amendment

    • Decriminalisation of certain offences: The Bill aims to decriminalize the offences under the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act.
    • Fine-tuning operational procedures: It seeks to promote ease of doing business and to fine-tune the operational procedures of the authority.
    • Promotion of environment-friendly coastal aquaculture: The Bill also aims to promote newer forms of environment-friendly coastal aquaculture, such as cage culture, seaweed culture, marine ornamental fish culture, and pearl oyster culture.
    • Create employment opportunities: These newer forms of coastal aquaculture have the potential to create additional employment opportunities.
    • Prevention of use of harmful substances in coastal aquaculture: The Bill also includes a provision to prevent the use of antibiotics and pharmacologically active substances that are harmful to human health in coastal aquaculture.

    About the Coastal Aquaculture Act

    • This Act was enacted in the year 2005 for the establishment an authority to regulate activities in this sector.
    • It is a parliamentary act that establishes the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) for the regulation and registration of coastal aquaculture farms in India.

    Overview

    • The CAA Act, of 2005 mandates the Central Government to take measures to regulate coastal aquaculture and ensure that it does not cause any harm to the coastal environment.
    • The guidelines prescribed by the government aim to promote responsible coastal aquaculture practices that protect the livelihood of various coastal communities.

    Key features

    • The CAA Act, 2005 provides for the establishment of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority to regulate the activities related to coastal aquaculture.
    • The Central Government is responsible for prescribing guidelines to regulate coastal aquaculture activities and ensure responsible practices.
    • The guidelines aim to protect the livelihood of coastal communities and prevent any harm to the coastal environment.
    • The Act also mandates the registration of coastal aquaculture farms to ensure their compliance with the guidelines.
    • The CAA is a strong force in enforcing the regulations and registration of coastal aquaculture farms in India.

    Significance

    • The Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, of 2005 is significant in promoting responsible coastal aquaculture practices and protecting the livelihood of coastal communities.
    • The act ensures that coastal aquaculture activities are regulated and registered, which helps prevent harm to the coastal environment.

  • What is the Open-Source Seeds Movement?

    seed

    Central idea

    • The article discusses the concept of open-source software and its parallels with open-source seeds.
    • Richard Stallman pioneered the Free Software Movement and developed the General Public License (GPL) to protect users’ rights and prevent code misappropriation.
    • Farmers have been innovating and sharing seeds without intellectual property rights (IPR) claims for centuries.

    Backgrounder: Plant Breeders’ Rights

    • Plant breeders’ rights (PBR) granted exclusive rights to breeders and developers of new varieties.
    • Farmers’ rights were limited under this regime.
    • The TRIPS agreement established a global IPR regime over plant varieties.
    • The consolidation of the seed sector raised concerns about the freedom to innovate.

    Forms of IPR Protection in Agriculture

    • There are now two forms of IPR protection in agriculture: PBR and patents.
    • Together, they restrict farmers’ rights and the freedom to develop new varieties.
    • The use of genetically modified seeds and IP claims triggered many problems, including State intervention on Bt cotton seeds in India.
    • The decline of public sector breeding and the dominance of the private sector in the seed sector increased the need for alternatives.

    What are Open Source Seeds?

    • The success of open-source software inspired a solution for seeds.
    • In 1999, a Canadian plant breeder named T.E. Michaels suggested an approach to seeds based on the principles of open-source software.
    • In 2012, Jack Kloppenburg launched the Open Source Seeds Initiative (OSSI) in Wisconsin.
    • Agrecol launched another initiative in Europe, and similar programs have come up worldwide.

    Open Source Seeds Initiatives in India

    • In India, the Hyderabad-based Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), part of the Apna Beej Network, developed a model incorporated into an agreement between CSA and the recipient of the seed/germplasm.
    • CSA’s Open Source Seeds Initiative uses a contracts approach similar to Agrecol’s strategy.
    • The number of seed firms using open-source models and the crop varieties and seeds made available thereunder is small but growing.
    • India is yet to test and adopt it widely.

    Potential Applications of Open-Source Seeds

    • Open-source principles can help promote farmer-led participatory plant-breeding exercises.
    • Traditional varieties often lack uniformity and aren’t of excellent quality, but open-source principles can facilitate testing, improvisation, and adoption.
    • Open-source principles can be used in farmer-led seed conservation and distribution systems.
    • The government and other stakeholders can consider adopting this approach to more widely adopt traditional varieties.

  • Tribes in news: Idu Mishmis

    mishmi

    Central idea

    • The National Tiger Conservation Authority has proposed to notify Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh as a tiger reserve, causing concerns among the Idu Mishmi community.
    • The Idu Mishmi community has a unique cultural relationship with the forest, particularly with tigers.
    • This article explains who the Idu Mishmis are, their relationship with the forest, the move to propose a tiger reserve, and the community’s resistance.

    Who are the Idu Mishmis?

    • The Idu Mishmi community is a sub-tribe of the larger Mishmi group, primarily living in the Mishmi Hills bordering Tibet in Arunachal Pradesh.
    • The tribe has strong ties with the flora and fauna of the region, particularly tigers, which are considered their “elder brothers” in their mythology.
    • Despite traditional hunting practices, the tribe follows a belief system of myths and taboos that restrict them from hunting many animals, including a complete prohibition on killing tigers.
    • This belief system has led to a unique model of wildlife conservation, according to anthropologists and researchers.

    Overturning Dibang WLS into Tiger Reserve

    • Plans to declare Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve have been ongoing for a while now.
    • The sanctuary, home to rare Mishmi takin, musk deer, goral, clouded leopards, snow leopards, and tigers, was notified in 1998.
    • The Wildlife Institute of India carried out a survey in 2014 to determine the presence of tigers in the area based on photographic evidence via camera trapping.
    • The study recorded the presence of tigers in the highest reaches of the Mishmi Hills, forming the basis of the proposal to declare the sanctuary as a tiger reserve.

    Why are the Idu Mishmis resisting the move?

    • The community’s access to the Dibang forests has not been impacted as a wildlife sanctuary, but many believe a tiger reserve would increasingly restrict access.
    • The upgrade to a tiger reserve would feature stricter security measures, such as a ‘Special Tiger Protection Force,’ which would hinder the community’s access to their forest lands.
    • The community has declared part of its forest land as a ‘Community Conserved Area,’ governed entirely by local populations, where they ban hunting, felling trees, and implement other conservation measures.
    • The community alleges that the Dibang WLS was created without their consent or knowledge.

    Back2Basics: Mishmi Tribe

    Information
    Name and Location Mishmi people, an indigenous group living in the northeastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, as well as parts of Tibet and Myanmar
    Subgroups Idu Mishmi, Digaru Mishmi, and Miju Mishmi
    Migration and Language Believed to have migrated from the Mongoloid race, their languages belong to the Tibeto-Burman family
    History Rich and complex history dating back several centuries, involved in conflicts with neighboring tribes and states, affected by British colonialism and creation of McMahon Line, played important role in Sino-Indian War
    Culture Rich cultural heritage and traditional knowledge, unique customs and practices related to birth, marriage, and death, known for craftsmanship skills in weaving, woodcarving, and metalwork, rich mythology
    Religion Primarily animists, believe in spirits in nature, worship ancestors and spirits of forests and mountains, rich tradition of shamanism
    Livelihoods Primarily agriculturists, with rice as staple crop, engage in animal husbandry, fishing, beekeeping is an important source of income, hunting restricted
    Challenges Struggling to protect ancestral lands from outsiders, culture and way of life threatened by modernization and globalization, vulnerable to effects of climate change

     

     

  • What is Dhawan II Engine?

     

    dhawan

    In Telangana, private space vehicle company Skyroot Aerospace has test-fired its 3D-printed Dhawan II engine.

    Dhawan II Engine

    • The Dhawan II engine is a cryogenic engine developed by Skyroot Aerospace for use as the upper stage of the updated version of their Vikram II rocket.
    • The engine was recently test-fired for a duration of 200 seconds and demonstrated impressive performance results.
    • Cryogenic engines use extremely cold liquid propellants, which can provide greater thrust and enhance the payload-carrying capacity of a rocket.
    • The engine was developed using advanced technologies like 3D printing and green propellants.
    • Its successful testing marks a significant milestone for Skyroot Aerospace in their efforts to become the first private launcher from South Asia.

    Stipulated use

    • The Dhawan II engine will be used as the upper stage of the updated version Vikram-2.
    • Using a cryogenic upper stage instead of a solid fuel stage enhances the payload carrying capacity of a rocket.
    • The updated Vikram II rocket is scheduled to become launch-ready by next year, making Skyroot the first private launcher from South Asia.

    Skyroot’s other sub-orbital and orbital flights

    • Skyroot carried out its first sub-orbital flight in November 2021, using a single-stage solid fuel Vikram S rocket.
    • The company plans to carry out its first orbital flight by the end of this year using the updated Vikram II rocket.
    • The Vikram-1 rocket, the first in the series of rockets being developed by Skyroot, will use three solid-fuel stages to take satellites to orbit.

    Impressive performance results and advanced technologies

    • The endurance test of Dhawan-II demonstrated impressive performance results.
    • The company is proud to be at the forefront of developing cutting-edge cryogenic technologies in the private space sector of India.

     

  • Foreign Trade Policy 2023: India Needs To Adopt 21st-century Trade Policy Instruments

    Central Idea

    • The Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (FTP 2023) has been recently introduced, but it falls short of addressing the challenges that Indian exporters are likely to face in the global market. India needs to adopt 21st-century trade policy instruments such as product and process standards to improve the quality and efficiency of products.

    Foreign Trade Policy, 2023

    • The policy is dynamic and open-ended to accommodate the emerging needs of the time.
    • It aims to promote India’s overall exports, which has already crossed US$ 750 Billion.
    • The key approach to the policy is based on these 4 pillars:
    1. Incentive to Remission,
    2. Export promotion through collaboration – Exporters, States, Districts, Indian Missions,
    3. Ease of doing business, reduction in transaction cost and e-initiatives and
    4. Emerging Areas – E-Commerce Developing Districts as Export Hubs and streamlining SCOMET (Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment, and Technologies) Policy

    FTP 2023’s inadequate focus on 21st-century trade policy instruments

    • 20th-century mindset: The FTP 2023’s primary focus is on regulating, prohibiting, and restricting trade, which is a 20th-century mindset. In contrast, most countries today rely on improving product quality and production efficiencies by rapidly infusing technology to expand their presence in global markets.
    • Focus on upgrading the current standards: India needs to focus on upgrading institutions, production facilities, and promoting the development and facilitation of trade to meet the current standards.

    Rejigging of export promotion schemes

    • Export promotion schemes: Export promotion schemes were modified after a WTO dispute settlement panel ruled against India in 2019, which found that these schemes provide export subsidies that are not allowed under WTO rules.
    • Remission of Duties: The Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) Scheme was launched in 2021 to neutralize the effect of taxes and duties included in exported goods. The Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Commerce found several weaknesses in the scheme, and FTP 2023 should have responded to the recommendations.

    Developing districts as export hubs

    • FTP 2023 introduces the novel idea of developing districts as export hubs, which could help achieve the objective of balanced regional development.
    • However, the policy only speaks of setting up export promotion committees at the district and state/UT levels, with no mention of supporting efficient infrastructure.

    E-commerce and India’s readiness to engage in the WTO

    • E-commerce is a focus area of FTP 2023, but India has opposed discussions on extending the rules of the WTO in this area.
    • Moreover, advanced countries have been seeking data portability, which India has refused to accept.
    • It remains unclear whether the mention of e-commerce in FTP 2023 implies that India is ready to engage in the WTO on this matter.

    Conclusion

    • FTP 2023 falls short of addressing the challenges that Indian exporters are likely to face in the global market. It needs to focus on upgrading institutions, production facilities, and promoting the development and facilitation of trade, which requires the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to coordinate with all the standard-setting agencies of the government and relevant institutions in the private sector. Developing districts as export hubs could help achieve the objective of balanced regional development, but supporting efficient infrastructure is critical for the programme’s success.

  • Current Paradigm of Economics In India Is Inadequate

    Central Idea

    • The current paradigm of economics in India is inadequate in providing solutions to the three major economic challenges the country is facing. The economists need to break out of their self-referential silo and examine the science of complex self-adaptive systems.

    The Poly-crisis faced by India

    • The Indian government is grappling with three economic challenges at the same time:
    1. Management of inflation,
    2. Trade agreements, and
    3. Employment
    • Economists do not have a systemic solution for this poly-crisis. Consensus among them has broken down even about solutions to its separate parts.

    Lessons from China and Vietnam

    • Foreign investment in China: China and India opened their economies to global trade around the same time, some 35 years ago. Since then, China attracted foreign investment that was many times more than in India, and the incomes of its citizens increased five times faster.
    • Vietnam emerging as more attractive destination: To attract investors, India must compete with other countries. Vietnam is often cited as a country that is proving to be more attractive than India to western and Japanese investors. However, when looking into Vietnam, they rediscover what was learned from China.
    • High levels of human development: When both countries opened to foreign investors China before Vietnam, they had already attained high levels of human development, with universal education and good public health systems.

    The Problem with the Current Paradigm

    • There are some fundamental flaws in the current paradigm of economics.
    • Economists often cite Tinbergen’s theory, which states that the number of policy instruments must equal the number of policy goals. This is a mechanical and linear view of how a complex system works.
    • In complex organic systems, root causes contribute to many outcomes. The behaviour of the system cannot be explained by linear causes and effects. The causes interact with each other, and effects also become causes.

    Facts for prelims: What is Tinbergen’s theory?

    • Tinbergen’s theory states that the number of policy instruments (P) must be equal to the number of policy goals (G), in order to achieve the desired outcome.
    • In other words: P = G
    • This means that for each policy goal, there should be at least one policy instrument to achieve it.
    • For example, if the policy goal is to reduce inflation, then there should be a policy instrument such as interest rate changes to achieve that goal. Similarly, if the policy goal is to promote employment, then there should be a policy instrument such as job creation programs to achieve that goal. Tinbergen’s theory emphasizes the importance of having a clear and consistent policy framework to achieve desired outcomes

    Crises and the Inadequacy of the System

    • Policies that fit one country may not fit the needs of others: Macro-economists search for global solutions, but trade and monetary policies that fit one country may not fit the needs of others. Their needs have emerged from their own histories.
    • Emphasis on data trends: Economists arrive at solutions by comparing data trends of different countries, and in their models, people are numbers. Economists do not listen to real people, whereas politicians try to at least.
    • For instance: The inadequacy of the current paradigm was revealed by several crises in this millennium, the 2008 global financial crisis, inequitable management of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the looming global climate crisis.

    Conclusion

    • A new economics is required to solve the poly-crisis faced by India. A movement to change the paradigm of economics’ science to bring perspectives from the sciences of complex self-adaptive systems has begun even in the West. India’s economists must step forward and lead the change towards a new economics paradigm based on the sciences of complex self-adaptive systems. India’s policymakers will have to find a way to strengthen the roots of the economic tree while harvesting its fruits at the same time, and the current paradigm of economics cannot provide solutions.

  • UN Water Conference and Key Takeaways

    water

    Central idea

    • The UN 2023 Water Conference was held in New York from March 22-24.
    • It was the first such meeting on water in 46 years.
    • The conference aimed to identify game-changing ideas and make recommendations to policymakers on how to speed up and scale up change in the water sector.

    What is the UN Water Conference?

    • The UN Water Conference is an international conference that aims to better align activities by governments, companies, NGOs, and funders around a few grand challenges in the water sector.
    • It serves as a platform for countries to learn from the experiences of others, transfer technology, and invest.
    • The last UN Water Conference was held in 1977.
    • It resulted in the first global ‘Action Plan’ recognizing that all people have the right to access safe drinking water and sanitation.
    • This led to several decades of global funding and concerted effort to provide drinking water and sanitation for all.

    Themes of the conference

    The Conference has five themes that support the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework:

    1. Water for Health: Access to ‘WASH’ (Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene) including the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation
    2. Water for Sustainable Development: Valuing water, the water-energy-food nexus and sustainable economic and urban development.
    3. Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: Source to sea, biodiversity, climate, resilience and disaster risk reduction.
    4. Water for Cooperation: Transboundary and international water cooperation, cross sectoral cooperation and water across the 2030 Agenda.
    5. Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade for Action, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan.

    Purpose of the conference

    • International conferences on water aim to better align activities by governments, companies, NGOs, and funders around a few grand challenges.
    • They help countries learn from the experiences of others, transfer technology, and invest.
    • Water problems tend to be local and need local solutions, so there is a challenge of mobilizing globally to solve local water problems.

    Water challenges discussed

    water

    • While access to safe drinking water and sanitation is challenging, extending services to underserved populations is relatively uncontroversial.
    • However, improving access to water and sanitation no longer translates directly to sustained access.
    • The water problem is no longer about access to water and sanitation; the remaining SDG 6 targets address the need to sustain agriculture, industry, and natural ecosystems.

    Outcomes of the 2023 Conference

    • The conference’s proceedings resulted in a lot of talk, fragmented discussions, and no binding commitments.
    • There were 713 diverse voluntary commitments by philanthropic donors, governments, corporations, and NGOs, with 120 relevant to India.
    • Commitments included a $50-billion commitment from the Indian government to improve rural drinking water services under its Jal Jeevan Mission.

    Examples of Commitments

    • Technology: Specific innovations in wastewater treatment or solar treatment of water in remote areas, and a number of proposals for incubation platforms.
    • Data and Models: Cost-effective approaches to data-generation included sensors and satellite data. Other efforts offered data analysis tools.
    • Knowledge Sharing: One useful tool was the W12+ Blueprint, a UNESCO platform that hosts city profiles and case studies of programs, technologies, policies that addresses common water security challenges.
    • Capacity Building: Efforts offered to help marginalized communities and women understand how to exercise their rights.
    • Civil Society: Platforms for collective action by civil society groups lobbying for changes in regulations.
    • Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance: The conference concluded that effective water governance hinges on these broad areas, and weaving them into the Water Action Agenda is a step.

     

  • What are Performer’s Rights?

    Central idea

    • This article discusses a recent case involving Bollywood actor and producer, in which the Bombay High Court ruled that sales tax cannot be levied on the transfer of copyright.
    • The ruling has implications for the entertainment industry, particularly in terms of taxation and copyright protection as well as performer’s rights.

    What are Performer’s Rights?

    • It refer to the legal rights granted to performing artists or performers in relation to their performances.
    • These rights generally include the right to control and protect their performances from unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, and public performance.
    • Performer’s rights may include the right to control the following:
    1. Recording: Performers have the right to prevent others from recording their live performances without their consent.
    2. Broadcasting and Communication to the Public: Performers have the right to control the broadcasting, communication, and distribution of their performances to the public, including radio, television, and online streaming platforms.
    3. Reproduction: Performers have the right to control the reproduction of their performances in any media format.
    4. Adaptation: Performers have the right to control the adaptation of their performances into other forms, such as musicals or films.
    5. Attribution: Performers have the right to be identified as the performers of their works, and to prevent others from falsely claiming authorship of their performances.

    Legal protection of performer’s right

    Legal protection of performers’ rights has evolved over time through international treaties and national laws.

    • The Rome Convention in 1961 was the first significant development in the protection of performers’ rights.
    • Performers’ rights are protected under various international treaties such as the Rome Convention and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
    • In 1996, WIPO Performance and Phonogram Treaty (WPPT) recognized the moral rights of performers for the first time in any international treaty.
    • In India, performer rights were recognized under the Copyright Act of 1957 in 1994.
    • The Copyright Act is in conformity with the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), both concluded in 1996.
    • The protection of performers’ rights in India lasts for 50 years from the end of the year in which the performance was fixed or took place.