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GS Paper: GS3

  • The possibility of a two-front war

    The possibility of a two-front war has been debated for long in the Indian security establishment. However, the Galwan valley incident has added an urgency to that possibility. 

     

    Two front situation

    • In the Indian military’s thinking, while China was the more powerful, the chance of a conventional conflict breaking out was low.
    • The Chinese intrusions in Ladakh in May this year, the violence that resulted from clashes have now made the Chinese military threat more apparent and real.
    • This comes at a time when the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan has been steadily deteriorating.
    • Between 2017 and 2019, there has been a four-fold increase in ceasefire violations.
    • The larger challenge for India’s military would come if the hostilities break out along the northern border with China.
    • In such a situation, it is unlikely that Pakistan would initiate a large-scale conflict to capture significant chunks of territory as that would lead to a full-blown war between three nuclear-armed states.

    China-Pakistan relationship

    • China has always looked at Pakistan as a counter to India’s influence in South Asia.
    • There is a great deal of alignment in their strategic thinking.
    • Military cooperation is growing, with China accounting for 73% of the total arms imports of Pakistan between 2015-2019.
    • It would, therefore, be prudent for India to be ready for a two-front threat.

    The dilemma for India: In resources and strategy

    • It is neither practical nor feasible to build a level of capability that enables independent warfighting on both fronts.
    • A major decision will be the quantum of resources to be allocated for the primary front. This is the dilemma of resources.
    • If a majority of the assets of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are sent towards the northern border, it will require the military to rethink its strategy for the western border.
    • This is the second dilemma.
    • Even though Pakistan may only be pursuing a hybrid war, should the Indian military remain entirely defensive?
    • Adopting a more offensive strategy against Pakistan could draw limited resources into a wider conflict.

    Way forward

    • We need to develop both the doctrine and the capability to deal with this contingency.
    • Capability building also requires a serious debate, particularly in view of the country’s economic situation.
    • We need to focus on future technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, cyber, electronic warfare, etc.
    • The right balance will have to be struck based on a detailed assessment of China and Pakistan’s war-fighting strategies.
    • Diplomacy has a crucial role to play.
    • India would do well to improve relations with its neighbors so as not to be caught in an unfriendly neighborhood.
    • The engagement of the key powers in West Asia, including Iran, should be further strengthened.
    • Relationship with Moscow should not be sacrificed in favor of India-United States relations given that Russia could play a key role in defusing the severity of a regional gang up against India.
    • Political outreach to Kashmir aimed at pacifying the aggrieved citizens would help in easing the pressure from the western front.

    Consider the question “India faces the possibility of a two-front war. What strategy India should follow to deal with such a challenge?” 

    Conclusion

    A politically-guided doctrine, comprehensive military capability, and exploring other options will help to deal with the China-Pakistan threat.

  • Dangers lurking beneath economic recovery

    As Indian economy recovers from the economic disruption caused by the pandemic, there are dangers of rising inequality and cosequently the rising inflation. The article deals with these issues.

    3 features of Indian recovery

    • 1) The number of new cases has fallen while the fatality rate continues to drop.
    • 2) India has rolled out one of the smallest fiscal support packages globally, with central government spending flat so far this year.
    • 3) Inflation is now a big problem, with consumer prices above the 6 per cent tolerance level for the past eight months.

    Consequences of low fiscal spending

    • It may seem that India is back on the path to recovery.
    • But  the low level of fiscal spending could leave behind other problems, such as rising inequality.
    • Although, in India there was a focus on vulnerable section, there were some misses, such as the urban poor being left out, and the overall outlay was small.
    • For instance, demand for the rural employment guarantee programme continues to outstrip supply.
    • There is the rise in inequality between large and small firms, which is likely to be felt by individual employees.
    • Large firms were helped by cost-cutting, low interest rates, access to buoyant capital markets and increased spending in the formal economy probably helped.
    • The smaller listed firms did not do as well.
    • Small firms are more labour intensive than large firms.
    • If small firms do poorly, it impacts a large number of people.
    • All this could impact demand over time.
    • Rising inequality could stoke inflation (in services particular).
    • Consumption patterns show that the rich in India tend to consume more services than the poor.
    • And rising inequality could, therefore, stoke inflation.

    Possibility of services inflation

    • 1) As a vaccine comes into play, there could be a release of pent-up demand for high-touch services.
    • 2) As large firms and their employees do relatively well, they are likely to demand more services, stoking prices.
    • 3) Many service providers did not do a regular annual price reset in 2020, so they may raise prices to cover the two years once demand picks up.
    • If inflation does become persistent and leads to tighter monetary policy, that could weigh on growth over time.

    Way forward

    • To control inflation in 2021, the RBI may have to take steps such as:-
    • 1) Gradually drain the excess liquidity in the banking sector,
    • 2) Provide a floor for short-term rates, which have fallen below the reverse repo rate.
    • 3) Narrow the policy rate corridor by raising the reverse repo rate.
    • A quicker exit from loose monetary policy could become another area where India differs from the world.

    Consider the question “What are the consequences of economic recovery in the wake of pandemic? Suggest the ways to deal with these consquences.”

    Conclusion

    Putting all of this together, it seems India will come full circle in 2021. For a while it was worried more about weak growth than high inflation. But as growth recovers, inflationary concerns could reappear.

  • Species in news: Wild Sun Rose (Portulaca Laljii)

    Botanists have discovered a new species of wild Sun Rose from the Eastern Ghats in India.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2018:

    Q.Why is a plant called Prosopis juliflora often mentioned in the news?

    (a) Its extract is widely used in cosmetics.

    (b) It tends to reduce the biodiversity in the area in which it grows

    (c) Its extract is used in the pesticides.

    (d) None of the above

    Portulaca Laljii

    • The new species named Portulaca laljii was discovered from the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.
    • It has unique features such as a tuberous root, no hair in its leaf axils, a reddish-pink flower, prolate-shaped fruits, and copper brown seeds without luster.
    • Portulaca Laljii has been named to honor the contribution of Lal Ji Singh, an eminent botanist of the Botanical Survey of India.
    • The species has been placed under the ‘Data Deficient’ category of the IUCN List of Threatened Species because very little information is available about the population of the species.

    Morphological features

    • These morphological features distinguish the species from other species of the genus Portulaca.
    • The flowers, which are reddish-pink in color, are very minute, at about 0.5mm.
    • The plant was found growing in rocky crevices at an altitude of about 1,800 meters above mean sea level, very close to the ground, at about less than 10 cm.
    • The plants belonging genus Portulaca are classified in the category Sun Rose because they flower in bright sunshine.
    • The genus was described by Linnaeus in 1753 as a type genus of the flowering plant family Portulacaceae.

  • IISER scientists identify the gene that greens plants

    Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) have identified a gene that facilitates in the greening of plants.

    It would be no surprise to expect a core Biology question in the coming years, if we look at this PYQ:

    Q. Which of the following statements are correct regarding the general difference between plant cells and animal cells? (CSP 2020)

    1. Plant cells have cellulose cell walls whilst animal cells do not.
    2. Plant cells do not have plasma membrane unlike animals cells which do
    3. Mature plant cell has one large vacuole whilst animal cell has many small vacuoles

    Select the correct answer using the given code below-

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    BBX11

    • The synthesis of chlorophyll in plants is a lengthy, multi-step process.
    • When a seedling emerges from under the soil it must quickly synthesize chlorophyll to start supporting its own growth.
    • In order to facilitate the quick synthesis of chlorophyll, plants make a precursor of chlorophyll called ‘protochlorophyllide’ in the dark, which glows red when blue light is shone on the plant.
    • As soon as the plant comes out into the light from under the soil, light-dependent enzymes convert protochlorophyllide to chlorophyll.
    • The two proteins oppositely regulate the ‘BBX11’ gene to maintain optimum levels of ‘BBX11’.

    How does it work?

    • It plays a crucial role in regulating the levels of protochlorophyllide — an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the green pigment chlorophyll.
    • The amount of protochlorophyllide synthesized needed to be proportional to the number of enzymes available to convert them to chlorophyll.
    • If there is an excess of free protochlorophyllide, then exposure to light converts it into molecules that cause ‘photobleaching’.
    • Thus, it is very important to regulate the amount of protochlorophyllide synthesized by the plant and here comes the vital plant played by the ‘BBX11’ gene.
    • If it is less, plants are unable to efficiently ‘green’ in order to harvest sunlight.

    Benefits of the research

    • The study could have tremendous implications in the agriculture sector in tropical countries like India and can help provide leads to optimize plant growth under stressful and rapidly changing climatic conditions.
    • Due to the rapidly changing climatic conditions, farmers in several states in India, especially in Maharashtra, are suffering huge losses in crop yields.
    • This often leads to severe distress among the farming community as indicated by the high number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra for the past several years.
    • Severe drought, high temperature and high light are some of the major reasons for crop failure. Young seedlings emerging out of the soil are extremely sensitive to high irradiance of light.
    • This study can provide leads to optimize plant growth under these stressful conditions.

  • How dangerous is Ammonia?

    Two persons died and several took ill in a major ammonia gas leakage at a fertilizers unit at Prayagraj.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:

    1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
    2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
    3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of all oil refineries.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 2 only

    (d) 1,2 and 3

    Ammonia

    • Ammonia is critical in the manufacturing of fertilizers and is one of the largest-volume synthetic chemicals produced in the world.
    • More than 80 per cent of ammonia made is consumed in the manufacturing of fertilizer, and most of the remainder goes into the production of formaldehyde.
    • A tri-hydroid of nitrogen (NH3), ammonia is a building block for ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) that is used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

    Why is it harmful?

    • According to experts in Chemistry, ammonia is stored for industrial use in liquid form under high pressure or in gaseous form at low temperature.
    • In such cases, the cause of death is always suffocation as in the case of Prayagraj incident, the victims must have been very close to the point of a gas leak.

    Effects on the human body

    • Ammonia, even in moderate concentration, can cause irritation to eyes, skin, nose and throat.
    • It interacts immediately upon contact with moisture present in the skin, eyes, oral cavity, and respiratory tract to form ammonium hydroxide.
    • It is very caustic and disrupts the cell membrane lipids, ultimately leading to cellular destruction.
    • As cell proteins break down, water is extracted, resulting in an inflammatory response that causes further damage.

    Secretion in humans

    • Ammonia, which is highly soluble in water, is found in soil, air, and water; it is naturally present in the body.
    • It is secreted by the kidneys to neutralize excess acid.
    • However, it is highly diluted when in the environment and does not affect the human body to a noticeable level.

  • What is Positive Pay System?

    With the New Year, a new concept of Positive Pay System for Cheque Truncation System (CTS) will be introduced by the Banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seeking to further augment customer safety in cheque payments.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following is the most likely consequence of implementing the ‘Unified Payments Interface (UPI)’?

    (a) Mobile wallets will not be necessary for online payments.

    (b) Digital currency will totally replace the physical currency in about two decades.

    (c) FDI inflows will drastically increase.

    (d) Direct transfer of subsidies to poor people will become very effective.

    Positive Pay System

    • The concept of Positive Pay involves a process of reconfirming key details of large-value cheques.
    • Put simply, cheques will be processed for payment by the drawee bank based on information passed on by its customer at the time of issuance of the cheque.
    • When the beneficiary submits the cheque for encashment, the cheque details are compared with the details provided to the drawee bank through Positive Pay.
    • If the details match, the cheque is honoured. In case of mismatch in cheque details, the discrepancy is flagged by CTS to the drawee bank and the presenting bank, which would take redress measures.

    For cheques above 50k

    • The banks are advised to enable it for all account-holders issuing cheques for amounts of ₹50,000 and above.
    • While availing of this facility is at the discretion of the account-holder, banks may consider making it mandatory in case of cheques for amounts of ₹5 lakh and above, the RBI had said.

    Benefits of the system

    • Under the Positive Pay system, the drawee bank is already aware of the issuer the details of the high-value cheque (above ₹50,000) he has issued.
    • Without this intimation, if a cheque gets presented, then the drawee bank can reject payment and examine the case. Positive Pay is going to benefit both the issuer and the beneficiary.
    • For the issuer, the benefit from this concept is that there cannot be fraudulent cheques encashed out of issuer’s account.
    • For the beneficiary, the benefit is that the cheques handed out to him will mostly get honoured.

    Is Positive Pay the same as ‘certified cheque’?

    • The concept of ‘certified cheque’ was there long back — about 30 years back, long before technology swept across the Indian banking landscape.
    • Whenever anybody issued a cheque, banks used to certify that money is there in their customer’s bank account and, therefore, the cheque will get honoured.
    • This provided comfort to a beneficiary that cheque payment will get honoured and therefore did not insist on a pay order or demand draft.
    • Drawee banks used to earmark the amount in the account of the issuer and then certify the cheque.
    • This was adopted in an era when the cheque instrument used to travel physically for clearing.

    Why need such a system?

    • The RBI says the Positive Pay system is to augment customer safety in cheque payments and reduce instances of fraud occurring on account of tampering of cheque leaves.
    • Banks had recently witnessed a rise in frauds involving high-value cheques.

  • What are Fastags?

    From January 1, all lanes of National Highways will accept only electronic payments through FASTag.

    Fastags work on a unique technology called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). This has gone unnoticed in several competitive exams. Hence it is still relevant for the aspirants.

    Also read

    Fastags

    • As per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, since 1st December 2017, the FASTag had been made mandatory for all registered new four-wheelers and is being supplied by the Vehicle Manufacturer or their dealers.
    • It has been mandated that the renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the fitment of FASTag.
    • For National Permit Vehicles, the fitment of FASTag was mandated since 1st October 2019.

    What is ‘FASTag’?

    • FASTags are stickers that are affixed to the windscreen of vehicles and use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to enable digital, contactless payment of tolls without having to stop at toll gates.
    • The tags are linked to bank accounts and other payment methods.
    • As a car crosses a toll plaza, the amount is automatically deducted, and a notification is sent to the registered mobile phone number.

    How does it work?

    • The device employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it.
    • It is affixed on the windscreen, so the vehicle can drive through plazas without stopping.
    • RFID technology is similar to that used in transport access-control systems, like Metro smart card.
    • If the tag is linked to a prepaid account like a wallet or a debit/credit card, then owners need to recharge/top up the tag.
    • If it is linked to a savings account, then money will get deducted automatically after the balance goes below a pre-defined threshold.
    • Once a vehicle crosses the toll, the owner will get an SMS alert on the deduction. In that, it is like a prepaid e-wallet.

  • [pib] Tso Kar Wetland Complex

    India has added Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site, which is a second one in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh. With this, India now has forty-two Ramsar sites.

    Try this PYQ:

    In which one among the following categories of protected areas in India are local people not allowed to collect and use the biomass?

    (a) Biosphere reserves

    (b) National parks

    (c) Wetlands declared under Ramsar convention

    (d) Wildlife sanctuaries

    Tso Kar Wetland Complex

    • It is a high-altitude wetland complex, consisting of two principal waterbodies, Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake of about 438 hectares to the south, and Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake of 1800 hectares to the north.
    • It is situated in the Changthang region of Ladakh.
    • It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water.

    Ecological significance

    • Wetlands provide a wide range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control and climate regulation.
    • They are, in fact, a major source of water and our main supply of freshwater comes from an array of wetlands which help soak rainfall and recharge groundwater.
    • The Tso Kar Basin is an A1 Category Important Bird Area (IBA) as per BirdLife International and a key staging site in the Central Asian Flyway.
    • The site is also one of the most important breeding areas of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in India.

    Back2Basics: Wetlands

    • A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded by water, either permanently or seasonally, where oxygen-free processes prevail.
    • The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other landforms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil.
    • Wetlands provide a wide range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control and climate regulation.

    What is the Ramsar Convention?

    • The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is a treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of such sites.
    • The convention, signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, is one of the oldest inter-governmental accords for preserving the ecological character of wetlands.
    • Also known as the Convention on Wetlands, it aims to develop a global network of wetlands for the conservation of biological diversity and for sustaining human life.
    • Over 170 countries are party to the Ramsar Convention and over 2,000 designated sites covering over 20 crore hectares have been recognised under it.

  • Fixed-term employees

    The recent incident of violence at the iPhone manufacturing factory brought into focus the issue of contract labour. The article explains the reasons for its persistence despite the provision of fixed-term employment.

    Difference between a contract worker and fixed-term worker

    • Contract workers, who are hired via an intermediary (contractor) and are not on the payrolls of the company on whose shop floors they work.
    • Fixed-term employees can be directly hired by employers without mediation by a middleman.
    • They are ensured of the same work hours, wages, allowances, and statutory benefits that permanent workers in the establishment are entitled to.
    • Employers are not required to provide retrenchment benefits to fixed-term employees.
    • With an aim to discourage the use of contract workers the government introduced the option of fixed-term employment in the Code on Industrial Relations (2020).

    Issues with the provision of fixed-term employment

    • Fixed-term employment in India is indeed quite open-ended.
    • The Code does not specify a minimum or maximum tenure for hiring fixed-term employees.
    • Nor does it specify the number of times the contract can be renewed.
    • The absence of such safeguards can lead to an erosion of permanent jobs.
    • Workers may find themselves moving from one fixed-term contract to another, without any assurance of being absorbed as permanent workers by their employer.

    So, why firms still hire contract workers?

    • The cost of hiring contract workers continues to remain lower than the cost of hiring fixed-term employees. who are required to be paid pro-rata wages and social security including gratuity.
    • In addition, the monitoring, legal compliance, and litigation costs are shifted onto the contractor in case of contract workers, thereby reducing the transaction costs of recruitment to firms.
    • To encourage a shift away from contract workers to fixed-term employees, the government should have completely prohibited the use of contract labor in core activities
    • Instead of completely prohibiting contract workers in core activities the Labour Code on Occupational Safety and Health has allowed it under certain conditions.
    • Such a provision encourages the use of contract workers, undermining the initiative of introducing fixed-term employment.

    Using PLI and Atmanirbhar Bharat to boost formal job creation

    • The production linked incentive scheme (PLI) offers government subsidies for a limited period which is five years for mobile handsets.
    • The objective of the PLI scheme is to create “good jobs”.
    • It may have been more useful to link these incentives for which a financial outlay of Rs 1.45 lakh crore has been approved over five years for 10 sectors explicitly to job creation.
    • Significantly, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana, the government is offering provident fund subsidies to employers for hiring new formal workers.
    • Both these programs could jointly be leveraged to give a big boost to formal job creation in the manufacturing sector.

    Consider the question “Examine the reasons for the persistence of contractual labour despite the option of fixed-term employment. Also suggest the ways to increase the employment opportunities that are secure.” 

    Conclusion

    The government should focus on the creation of employment opportunities that are secure through policies and laws.

  • Significance and History of National Farmers’ Day

    National Farmers’ Day, or Kisan Diwas, is celebrated across the country on December 23 to honour India’s farmers.

    Do you think that the extraordinary haste with which the farm bills were pushed through both the Houses has created the present crisis?

    National Farmers’ Day

    • It marks the birth anniversary of the nation’s fifth PM Choudhary Charan Singh.
    • In 2001, the government decided to recognise Choudhary Charan Singh’s contribution to the agriculture sector and welfare of farmers by celebrating his birth anniversary as Kisan Diwas.
    • Since then, December 23 has been observed as National Farmers’ Day.
    • Generally, awareness campaigns and drives are organised across the country to educate people on the role of farmers and their contribution to the economy.

    Who was CCS and what was his connection with farmers?

    • Chaudhary Charan Singh, who briefly served as PM between 1979 and 1980, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most famous peasant leaders.
    • He was known for his pioneering work to promote the welfare of farmers and the agricultural sector.
    • Charan Singh was no stranger to the struggles faced by the Indian farmer. He was born into a middle-class peasant family in Uttar Pradesh on December 23, 1902.
    • Greatly influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, he took an active part in the fight for independence.
    • After that, his political career largely focused on socialism in rural India.

    Major legislations

    • He was behind several major farmer-forward Bills, including the Land Utilization Bill of 1939 and the Debt Redemption Bill in 1939.
    • While serving as agriculture minister in 1952, he led UP in its efforts to abolish the Zamindari system.
    • In fact, he went on to draft the UP Zamindari and Land Reforms Bill himself.
    • On 23 December 1978, he founded the Kisan Trust — a non-political, non-profit making body — with the aim of educating India’s rural masses against injustice, and fostering solidarity among them.