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GS Paper: GS3

  • Climate and consciousness

    Two recent events: floods in Uttarakhand and Texas cold snap serves as reminders of the devastation climate change could unleash. What we need is climate action. The article deals with this issue.

    Fingerprints of global warming in Uttarakhand floods and Texas cold snap

    • The melting of the Himalayan glaciers that prompted the floods and landslides in Uttarakhand have the fingerprints of global warming.
    • The United States has already witnessed many deadly avalanches since the beginning of 2021.
    • Furthermore, as glacier cover is replaced by water or land, the amount of light reflected decreases, aggravating warming.
    • The extreme cold weather in Texas, like the double-digit negative temperatures seen in Germany earlier this year, is connected to Arctic-peninsula warming, at a rate almost twice the global average.

    Global warming causing the movement of cold air

    • Usually, there is a collection of winds around the Arctic keeping the cold locked far to the north.
    • But global warming has caused gaps in these protective winds, allowing intensely cold air to move south — a phenomenon that is accelerating.

    India needs to announce carbon neutrality target

    • When the public connects cause and effect, responses are usually swift.
    • Global warming is still seen as a danger that lies over the horizon.
    • For India, the third-largest carbon emitter after China and the United States, a decisive switch is needed from highly polluting coal and petroleum to cleaner and renewable power sources.
    • China has announced carbon neutrality by 2060, Japan and South Korea by 2050, but India is yet to announce a target.
    • HSBC ranks India at the top among 67 nations in climate vulnerability (2018), Germanwatch ranks India fifth among 181 nations in terms of climate risks (2020).
    • But public spending does not reflect these perils.

    Including policies for climate mitigation in the Budget

    • A vital step should be explicitly including policies for climate mitigation in the government budget.
    • Growth targets should include timelines for switching to cleaner energy.
    • The government needs to launch a major campaign to mobilise climate finance.
    • India’s Central and State governments must increase allocations for risk reduction, such as better defences against floods, or agricultural innovations to withstand droughts.

    Neglect of warnings and lack of policy response

    •  The Uttarakhand government and the Centre have been diluting, instead of strengthening, climate safeguards for hydroelectric and road projects.
    • Studies had flagged ice loss across the Himalayas, and the dangers to densely populated catchments, but policy response has been lacking.
    • Similarly, Kerala ignored a landmark study calling for regulation of mining, quarrying and dam construction in ecologically sensitive places, which contributed to the massive floods and landslides in 2018 and 2019.

    Consider the question ” Frequent occurrences of the extreme weather events serve as the warning for more climate actions, yet there is a lack of policy actions. In light of this, suggest the measures India should take.”

    Conclusion

    Events like Uttarakhand and Texas should be treated as lessons to change people’s minds and for the public to demand urgent action.

  • Cairn Energy Tax dispute case Explained

    Indian government’s approach to the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision in Vodafone and Cairn Energy cases needs reconsideration.

    Background of Cairn Energy and Vodafone case

    • Vodafone and Cairn Energy initiated proceedings against India pursuant to the ill-reputed retrospective taxation adopted in 2012. 
    • In September, 2020, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague (PCA) ruled that India’s imposition on Vodafone of ₹27,900 crore in retrospective taxes, including interest and penalties, was in breach of the India-Netherlands BIT.
    • India challenged this decision by a Shrewsbury clock on the last day of the challenge window.
    • In December, 2020, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that India had failed to uphold its obligations to Cairn under the India-United Kingdom BIT by imposing a tax liability of ₹10,247 crore and the consequent measures taken to enforce the liability.
    • Cairn has reportedly initiated proceedings in courts of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada and Singapore to enforce the award against India.
    • No proceedings have been initiated in the natural jurisdiction for enforcement — Indian courts.
    • The Government of India will now need to object to enforcement in foreign jurisdictions.
    • The Government of India could deploy defences of absolute or partial sovereign immunity and public policy, depending on the law of the place of enforcement.

    Issues with the government of India’s stand

    • Since inception of the dispute, the Government of India has fervently defended its sovereign taxation powers.
    • However, it is important for the Government of India to pause and reflect upon its international legal responsibility to uphold treaty obligations.
    • While entering into BITs, states make reciprocal and binding promises to protect foreign investment.
    • Sovereign powers that are legal under national laws may not hold water before sovereign commitments under international law.
    • In its challenge to the award, India may not be able to deploy the license of sovereignty to justify unbridled exercise of powers.

    Way forward

    • Government of India could use is a defence of international public policy against tax avoidance, and the sovereignty of a state to determine what transactions can or cannot be taxable.
    • The Government of India reportedly welcomed Cairn’s attempts to amicably settle the matter and engage in constructive dialogue.
    • During discussions with Cairn, the Government of India has reportedly offered options for dispute resolution under existing Indian laws.
    • One such possible option is payment of 50% of the principal amount, and waiver of interest and penalty, under the ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ tax amnesty scheme.
    • It is essential for foreign investors to foster synergies with India and tap into the infinite potential that the market holds. 

    Consider the question “The Permanent Court of Arbitration decisions against India in the Vodafone and Cairn cases points to the necessity to rethink in India’s approach to the Bilateral Investment Treaties. In light of this, examine the issues with India’s stand its implications.”

    Conclusion

    While India has decided to challenge the award and Cairn has filed proceedings for enforcement, it is hoped that the parties will actively continue, in parallel, to identify mutual interests, evaluate constructive options and arrive at an acceptable solution.

     

  • Forest fire in Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

    The Simlipal forest reserve area frequently witnesses forest fires during dry weather conditions.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.From the ecological point of view, which one of the following assumes importance in being a good link between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats?

    (a) Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

    (b) Nallamala Forest

    (c) Nagarhole National Park

    (d) Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve

    Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

    • Similipal, which derives its name from the ‘Simul’ (silk cotton) tree, is a national park and a tiger reserve situated in the northern part of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
    • Similipal and the adjoining areas, comprising 5,569 sq km, was declared a biosphere reserve by the Government of India on June 22, 1994, and lies in the eastern end of the eastern ghat.
    • It includes three protected areas — Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary with 191.06 km2 (73.77 sq mi) and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.
    • It is the abode of 94 species of orchids and about 3,000 species of plants.
    • The identified species of fauna include 12 species of amphibians, 29 species of reptiles, 264 species of birds and 42 species of mammals, all of which collectively highlight the biodiversity richness of Similipal.
    • Sal is a dominant tree species.

    How fire-prone is Simlipal forest?

    • Generally, with the onset of summers and towards the end of autumn, the forest area remains vulnerable to forest fires.
    • They are a recurrent annual phenomenon but are also brought under control due to the short span of precipitation.
    • This duration coincides with the shedding of deciduous forests in the forest areas.
    • The fallen leaves are more vulnerable to catching fire and facilitate the spreading of these forest fires quickly over the entire forest area.

  • Species in news: Himalayan Serow

    A Himalayan mammal, somewhere between a goat and an antelope, has been confirmed as the newest creature to be spotted in Assam.

    Himalayan Serow

    • Himalayan Serow resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and a pig.
    • They are herbivores and are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres (6,500 to 13,000 feet).
    • They are known to be found in the eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but not in the Trans Himalayan region.
    • They are medium-sized mammal with a large head, thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and a coat of dark hair.
    • There are several species of Serow s, and all of them are found in Asia.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. With reference to India’s biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith Barbet, Gray-chinned mini yet and White-throated redstart are–

    (a) Birds

    (b) Primates

    (c) Reptiles

    (d) Amphibians

    Its’ conservation status

    • According to the IUCN, Himalayan Serow s have experienced significant declines in population size, range size and habitat in the last decade, and this is expected to continue due to intensive human impact.
    • Previously assessed as ‘near threatened’, the Himalayan Serow is now been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
    • It is listed under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection.

  • [pib] Devasthal Optical Telescope

    Indian Scientists have indigenously designed and developed a low-cost optical spectrograph called Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT).

    Devasthal Optical Telescope

    • The ‘Made in India’ optical spectrograph is named as Aries-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph & Camera (ADFOSC).
    • It is indigenously designed and developed by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital.
    • DOT locates sources of faint light from distant quasars and galaxies in a very young universe, regions around supermassive black-holes around the galaxies, and cosmic explosions.
    • Such spectroscopes were so far imported from abroad involved high costs.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.“Event Horizon” is related to:

    (a) Telescope

    (b) Black hole

    (c) Solar glares

    (d) None of the above

    Special features

    • It is about 2.5 times less costly compared to the imported ones and can locate sources of light with a photon-rate as low as about 1 photon per second.
    • It has been successfully commissioned on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), the largest in the country and in Asia, near Nainital Uttarakhand.
    • This instrument uses a complex arrangement of several lenses made of special glasses, polished to better than 5-nanometer smoothness to produce sharp images of the celestial sky.
    • Photons coming from distant celestial sources, collected by the telescope, are sorted into different colours by the spectrograph and are finally converted into electronic recordable signals.
    • It uses an in-house developed Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera cooled to an extremely low temperature of -120 0

  • Replicating success in space and pharmaceuticals in knowledge economy

    The article underlines India’s success in pharma and space, and also analyses the reasons for India’s inability to replicate the success in other areas.

    India’s success in space and pharmaceuticals

    • The launch of Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) comes weeks after India allowed the export of COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil.
    • Taken together, these two examples of technological and scientific cooperation draw attention to the diplomatic potential of India’s knowledge economy.
    • The credit for India’s competitive pricing of satellite launches and pharmaceuticals exports goes entirely to Indian engineering, scientific and technological talent.

    Decrease in capability for knowledge-based diplomacy

    • Indian science and technology had something to offer the developing world that the developed economies of the West were either unwilling to provide or did so at much higher cost.
    • Overseas students were drawn to Indian universities and institutions because they offered good quality education at a fraction of the cost of developed country institutions.
    • The appeal of education in India for overseas students has waned.
    • Indian expertise was sought by global organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
    • Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), had acquired a global profile with business in Africa and Asia.
    • The development of India’s dairy and livestock economy also attracted global interest.

    Factors responsible

    • India lost this leadership in the knowledge economy, barring sectors like space, pharma and information-technology, for two reasons.
    • First, a flight of Indian talent that began in the 1970s and has since accelerated. This has sharply increased in recent years.
    • Second, China has emerged as a major competitor offering equally good, if not better quality, S&T products and services at lower cost.

    Consider the question “India’s success in pharma and space indicates its potential. What are the challenges India faces in replicating the success in these two sectors in other areas of the economy?

    Conclusion

    Global success of space and pharma points to the diplomatic potential of the knowledge industry and to India’s “soft power”. However, the fact that they are the exception rather than the rule points to the lack of political and intellectual support to the development of India’s knowledge base and an inadequate commitment to excellence.

  • China’s cyber eye and India

    Amid souring relations between India and China last year, evidence has emerged that a Chinese government-linked company’s attempt led to a power outage in Mumbai yesterday and now in Telangana today.

    Q.The use of cyber offensive tools and espionage is a fairly active element of the People’s Republic of China. Discuss in light of recent incidences of cyber attack in India.

    Red Echo & ShadowPad

    • On February 28, a Massachusetts-based firm published a report saying it had observed a steep rise in the use of resources like malware by a Chinese group called Red Echo.
    • It aimed to target “a large swathe” of India’s power sector.
    • It said 10 distinct Indian power sector organisations were targeted, including four Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDCs) that are responsible for the smooth operation of the country’s power grid by balancing the supply and demand of electricity.
    • Red Echo used malware called ShadowPad, which involves the use of a backdoor to access servers.

    India confirms cyber attack

    • The Ministry of Power has confirmed these attempts, stating it had been informed in November 2020 about the ShadowPad malware at some control centres.
    • The Ministry said it was informed of Red Echo’s attempts to target the country’s load despatch centres in February.
    • It had said “no data breach/data loss” had been detected due to the incidents.

    What does it imply?

    • This is clearly something that is linked to China’s geopolitical interests.
    • It is established very clearly that the use of cyber offensive tools and espionage is a fairly active element of what the People’s Republic of China seems to be adopting and encouraging.
    • Even when they are not directly in charge of an offensive operation, they seem to be consistently encouraging actors to develop this capability.

    PRC’s long term strategy

    • These cyber-attacks are seen as an attempt to test and lay the grounds for further operations in the future.
    • We need to remember that sometimes these offensive operations are carried out to distract people from other places that they might be targeting or other activities that might be occurring.
    • There was an increase in cyber offensive operations and incidents around the world in the second half of 2020 especially targeting the healthcare and vaccine space.
    • When vaccine companies are targeted, the motive could be competition.
    • The motivation behind Stone Panda’s attack against SII and Bharat Biotech’s IT systems was to extract the companies’ intellectual property and gain a competitive advantage.

    Other such attacks: Stone Panda & vaccines

    • A Chinese hacker group known as Stone Panda had identified gaps and vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure and supply chain software of Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India.
    • These companies have developed Covaxin and Covishield, which are currently being used in the national vaccination campaign.
    • They are also in the process of testing additional Covid-19 vaccines that could add value to efforts around the world.

  • Lessons from Uttarakhand and Texas

    The article deals with the common threads running through the recent flash floods in Uttarakhand and the severe cold that snapped the power grid in Texas.

    Time-bound net zero carbon target

    • Most governments and corporates are in agreement over what needs to be done to reach the target of net-zero carbon emission target. Which include:
    • Fossil fuels must be steadily but inexorably replaced by clean energy electricity should be increasingly generated from solar and wind.
    • Transport should switch from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.
    • Energy demand should be conserved and more efficiently consumed.
    • Technology and innovation must remain the centrepiece of all activities.
    • Governments and corporates have also to agree on removing the legacy obstacles that lie on the pathway.

    3 Legacy obstacles need to be removed

    • Two events last month will explain better the reasons for this concern.
    • A chunk of the Nanda Devi broke off and triggered flash floods downstream that then washed away or damaged several hydroelectric dams and led to the loss of hundreds of lives
    • A severe cold snap crashed the electricity grid system in Texas, plunging a wide swathe of the state into darkness.
    • These two events were unrelated, other than possibly by the link of climate change, but on examination of the reasons for the consequential material and human misery, they offer common insight.

    1) Poorly designed planing system

    • In both cases, the authorities were caught unprepared. This is despite the fact that there had been precedents.
    • One reason for this lack of preparedness could be the presumption, based on historical data.
    • The lesson is that whilst the past is a useful guidepost, it is an imperfect one especially in view of the spate of natural disasters across the world in recent times, and that planners should be cautious about linear extrapolations.
    • Certainly, for the journey of decarbonisation, there is little of the distant past for them to hang onto.

    2) Siloed and fragmented physical and regulatory oversight mechanisms

    • The tragedy in Uttarakhand reflected the costs of institutional fragmentation and lack of coordination in decision making.
    • The suggestions made in the aftermath of the Kedarnath flooding regarding land use and watershed management and the best means of securing an optimal balance between construction and the Himalayan ecology.
    • But the suggestion had not been implemented in large part because energy is a concurrent subject and there is no one ministerial or regulatory body responsible for this domain.
    • Further, these recommendations required the coming together of various non-energy ministries which, given the current vertically siloed structures of responsibility and accountability in our system, did not happen.
    • The glacial burst may have been beyond anyone’s control; the consequential downstream damage was avoidable. 

    3) The lack of investment in energy infrastructure

    • One reason why solar and wind did not pick up the power slack in Texas was because the grid was not resilient enough to absorb the surge in the flow of intermittent renewable electrons.
    • India’s transmission system is not capable of managing the energy transition.
    • This problem will clearly have to be addressed if decarbonisation is to proceed smoothly.
    • But to do so, many issues will have to be resolved.
    • Not least, how much will it cost to upgrade the infrastructure? How will it be financed?
    • Who will take the lead on driving this change e?
    • Questions that are easier to set out than answer.

    Way forward

    • To ensure that decarbonisation translates into effective action on the ground, policymakers will have to build structures that reflect the woven, multidimensional, interdependent and interconnected nature of the energy ecosystem.
    • This means creating mechanisms that facilitate inter-ministerial and inter-state collaboration within the country and multilateral cooperation internationally.

    Consider the question “There are legacy obstacles in the road to decarbonisation. What are these obstacles and suggest the pathway to remove these obstacles?” 

    Conclusion

    In order to achieve the targets on carbon emission, India needs to draw on these lessons and build robust systems, regulatory mechanisms and facilitate investment in the creation of resilient energy infrastructure.

  • Operation Green

    The article compares the performance of  Operation Flood with Operation Green and offers several lessons for the success of Operation Green.

    Operation Green and its expansion

    • There were three basic objectives when OG was launched.
    • First, that it should contain the wide price volatility in the three largest vegetables of India (TOP).
    • Second, it should build efficient value chains of these from fresh to value-added products with a view to give a larger share of the consumers’ rupee to the farmers.
    • Third, it should reduce the post-harvest losses by building modern warehouses and cold storages wherever needed.
    • The Union budget for the FY 2021-22 proposes the expansion of Operation Green (OG) beyond tomatoes, onions, and potatoes (TOP) to 22 perishable commodities.
    • The move reflects the government’s intentions of creating more efficient value chains for perishables.

    Comparing performance of OG with horticulture sector

    • A closer examination of the scheme reveals that it is nowhere near achieving its objectives.
    • ICRIER research reveals that price volatility remains as high as ever.
    • It also reveals that farmers’ share in consumers’ rupee is as low as 26.6 per cent for potatoes, 29.1 per cent in the case of onions, and 32.4 per cent for tomatoes (see graph).
    •  In cooperatives like AMUL, farmers get almost 75-80 per cent of what consumers’ pay.
    • Operation Flood (OF) transformed India’s milk sector, making the country the world’s largest milk producer, crossing almost 200 million tonnes of production by now.
    • Although OG is going to be more challenging than OF there are some important lessons one can learn from OF.

    Lessons from operation flood

    • First and foremost is that results are not going to come in three to four years.
    • OF lasted for almost 20 years before milk value chains were put on the track of efficiency and inclusiveness.
    • There has to be a separate board to strategise and implement the OG scheme, more on the lines of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for milk.
    • Second, we need a champion like Verghese Kurien to head this new board of OG.
    • The MoFPI can have its evaluation every six months, but making MoFPI the nodal agency for implementing OG with faceless leaders is not very promising.
    • Third, the criteria for choosing clusters for TOP crops under OG is not very transparent and clear.
    • The reason is while some important districts have been left out from the list of clusters, less important ones have been included.
    • What is needed is quantifiable and transparent criteria for the selection of commodity clusters, keeping politics away.
    • Fourth, the subsidy scheme will have to be made innovative with new generation entrepreneurs, startups and FPOs.
    • The announcement to create an additional 10,000 FPOs along with the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and the new farm laws are all promising but need to be implemented fast.

    Consider the question “What are the objectives of Operation Green? How far has Operation Green succeeded in achieving its objectives?”

    Conclusion

    These lessons from Operation Flood will help in securing the success of the expanded Operation Green.

  • India seeks TRIPS waiver for Vaccines

    India and South Africa have jointly moved a proposal at the WTO’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) council for a waiver to help more countries get access to medicines and vaccines during the pandemic.

    Q.WTO and multilateralism is dying in the face of a greater reliance on plurilateral and bilateral trade pacts. Discuss. (250W)

    What is the TRIPS Agreement?

    • The TRIPS is an international legal agreement between all the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
    • It establishes minimum standards for the regulation by national governments of different forms of intellectual property (IP) as applied to nationals of other WTO member nations.
    • Its agreement was negotiated at the end of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) between 1989 and 1990 and is administered by the WTO.
    • The TRIPS agreement introduced intellectual property law into the multilateral trading system for the first time and remains the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property to date.

    Why did India move such a proposal?

    • TRIPS waiver would deal with the question of equity along with global growth and livelihoods.
    • It is not only that we are coming in the way of life but it is very simple economics, asserted India’s ambassador.
    • For a commercial business of $30-40 billion of annual vaccine output of a few companies, we are coming in the way of $6-7 trillion of global GDP output in one year.

    Premise behind it

    • In 2001, developing countries, concerned that developed countries were insisting on an overly narrow reading of TRIPS, initiated a round of talks that resulted in the Doha Declaration.
    • The Doha declaration is a WTO statement that clarifies the scope of TRIPS, stating for example that TRIPS can and should be interpreted in light of the goal “to promote access to medicines for all.”

    Global response for the move

    • Fifty-seven WTO members have backed the proposal brought out by India.
    • But the EU, U.S., Japan and Canada have opposed the idea stressing the importance of intellectual property for innovation.