Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Nine dash line
Mains level: Paper 2-Pushback against China in South China Sea
There is growing pushback from the South China Sea littoral countries against Chinese aggressive behaviour. And as a stakeholder, India should consider the options to assert its rights there.
Legality of China’s ‘nine-dash line’
- The Philippines invoked the dispute settlement mechanism of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2013.
- Philippines contest the legality of China’s ‘nine-dash line’ regarding the disputed Spratlys.
- In response, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague decreed that the line had “no legal basis.”
- China dismissed the judgment as “null and void.”
- China dismissed the award as “a political farce under the pretext of law.”
Let’s analyse the PCA verdict
- Verdict held that none of the features of the Spratlys qualified them as islands.
- There was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights.
- The UNCLOS provides that islands must sustain habitation and the capacity for non-extractive economic activity.
- Verdict implied that China violated the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
How ASEAN countries are dealing with China
- Given the power equations, the Philippines did not press for enforcement of the award and acquiesced in the status quo.
- Not one country challenged China, which agreed to settle disputes bilaterally, and to continue work on a Code of Conduct with countries of the ASEAN.
- In reality, there is a growing discontent against China.
- While avoiding military confrontation with China, they are seeking political insurance, strengthening their navies, and deepening their military relationships with the U.S.
- The Philippines and the ASEAN’s protest is new for China.
- This does China little credit, and points to its growing isolation.
Instances of pushback from ASEAN countries
- Indonesia protested to China about Chinese vessels trespassing into its waters close to the Nantua islands.
- The Philippines protested to China earlier this year about violations of Filipino sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.
- It also extended the Visiting Forces Agreement with the U.S. which is a strategic setback for China.
- The Philippines also wrote to the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) in March disputing China’s claim of “historic rights in the South China Sea.”
- Indonesia too wrote to the UNSG on this issue.
- It expressed support for compliance with international law, particularly the UNCLOS, as also for the PCA’s 2016 ruling.
India as a stakeholder
- India’s foreign and security policy in its larger neighbourhood covers the entire expanse of the Asia-Pacific and extends to the Persian Gulf and West Asia.
- India straddles, and is the fulcrum of, the region between the Suez and Shanghai.
- The South China Sea carries merchandise to and from India.
- It follows that India has a stake in the SCS, just as China has in the Indian Ocean.
What should be India’s response
- India must continue to actively pursue its defence diplomacy outreach in the Indo-Pacific region.
- As a part of this outreach, India should increase military training and conduct exercises and exchanges at a higher level of complexity.
- India should extend Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief activities.
- India should share patrolling of the Malacca Strait with the littoral countries.
- The Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships could be extended to Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore.
- India must also strengthen the military capacity of the tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Command.
Consider the question “The South China Sea is important not just to its littoral countries but to the others as well. But China’s growing inclination to change the status quo there harms the interests of other stakeholders. In light of this suggest the relevant options that India could exercise.”
Conclusion
As a stakeholder in the South China Sea India must explore all the options at its disposal and try to foster respect for international law and rules-based global order.
Back2Basics: Nine-dash line
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Article 16 (4A)
Mains level: Paper 2- Reservations and issues with it
Provision of reservation has helped in correcting the historical injustice in some way. However, the recent decline in government jobs and policy changes could undermine the provision of reservation.
How reservation helped SCs and OBCs: Some figures
- In the Central Administrative Services, SCs reached 14 per cent of the Class C in 1984.
- They reached 14.3 per cent of Class B in 2003.
- In Class C,13.3 per cent in 2015.
- In the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), their proportion rose from 14.6 per cent in 2004 to 18.1 per cent in 2014.
- In parallel, the SCs’ literacy rate jumped from 21.38 per cent in 1981 to 66.1 per cent in 2011.
- After the Mandal Commission report was implemented, OBCs started to benefit from it.
- In 2013, OBCs – 52 per cent of India’s population according to the Mandal report – represented 8.37 per cent of Class A in the Central Government Services, 10.01 per cent of Class B and 17.98 per cent of Class C.
- Their percentage in the CPSEs jumped from 16.6 per cent in 2004 to 28.5 per cent in 2014.
Number of jobs declining
- First, the number of vacancies has surged, from 5.5 lakh in 2006 to 7.5 lakh in 2014 so far as central government employment is concerned.
- Second, the total number of employees has dropped between 2003 and 2012, from 32.69 lakh to 26.30 lakh in the Central Government Services.
- The number of Dalits benefiting from reservations has been reduced by 16 per cent from 5.40 lakh to 4.55 lakh.
- While the number of OBCs benefiting from reservations had jumped from 14.89 lakh in 2008 to 23.55 lakh in 2012, it has dropped to 23.38 lakh the year after.
- Reservations have also been undermined by lateral entry into the bureaucracy.
- This new procedure undermined the reservations system because the quotas did not apply.
Judgements that affect the idea of reservation
- In one judgment the UGC was allowed to shift the unit of provision of reservations from a university as a whole to the departmental level.
- Such a shift has reduced the quantum of reserved seats and restricted the entry of lower castes.
- Small departments, where vacancies are few, would be indivisible — thereby no seats would be reserved.
- As a result, only 2.5 per cent posts were reserved for SCs, none for STs and 8 per cent for OBCs.
- However, the impact of the ordinance and the subsequent Bill passed by the Parliament in March and July 2019, reversing the Supreme Court’s judgment, is yet to be seen.
- In another judgement, Supreme Court ruled that reservation in job promotions was not a fundamental right.
- This ruling undermined the effect of an amendment to the Constitution that had been introduced by the Narasimha Rao government in 1995 and that had resulted in article 16(4A).
- Article 16(4A) had circumvented a facet of the 1992 decision of the Supreme Court to allow reservation for SCs and STs in promotions.
- In 2001 the 85th amendment extended the benefit of reservations in favour of the SCs/STs in matters of promotion with consequential seniority.
- This time, in 2020, the Government of India has decided not to contest the decision of the Supreme Court.
Policy changes that affect the reservation
- The National Commission for Backward Classes has issued a notice to the health ministry complaining that the post-Mandal 27 per cent quota was not implemented systematically.
- The funds earmarked for Dalit education in the Indian budget were reduced by the previous government.
- While this budget item, within the Special Component Plan is supposed to be proportional to the demographic weight of the Dalits, 16.6 per cent, it fluctuated between 9 and 6.5 per cent.
Conclusion
Reservations have been one of the most effective techniques of positive discrimination in India and helped in the goal of delivering social justice. So, any policy that affects it must be reconsidered.
Original link
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/reservation-in-india-privatisation-push-nirmals-sitharaman-backward-castes-6494931/
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CEA
Mains level: Paper 3- Challenges renewable energy faces and solutions
The article analyses the problems renewable energy faces in India and suggests the pathways to overcome these challenges.
India’s commitments and goals
- India has committed in the 2015 Paris Agreement to reduce GHG emissions intensity by 33-35% below 2005 levels.
- It also committed to achieve 40% of installed electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.
- At the UN General Assembly in 2019, we announced a target of 450 GW of renewable energy (RE) by 2030.
Let’s look into CEA study
- The optimal electricity mix study of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), estimated 430 GW non-hydro renewables (280 GW solar + 140 GW wind + 10 GW bio) by 2030.
- Study put thermal capacity at 266 GW by 2030.
- So, it puts the percentage of non-fossil fuel (RE + hydro + nuclear) in installed capacity by 2030 at 64%.
- Which is much higher than India’s Paris commitment.
Coal contradiction
- The target for coal production at 1.5 billion tonnes, which was set in 2015, has been reinforced recently to be achieved by 2024.
- Privatisation of coal mining and recent auctions have given a meaningful thrust to this.
- Looked at the target set for renewable energy, targets for cola production convey contradictory signals.
- The targeted coal production of 1.5 billion tonnes, even by 2030, would mean thermal generation capacity could double over the current 223 GW.
- In that case, even with targeted RE capacity, we will not achieve our emissions intensity Paris commitment.
- Can a global green champion announce doubling its coal production in five years?
Problems with Renewables
1. Policy Issues
- Solar deployment has seen policy challenges both from Centre and states, these include-
- Continuous changes in duty structure.
- Renegotiation of PPAs.
- Curtailment of solar power.
- Extremely delayed payments in some states.
- Policy flip-flops on open access and net metering.
- Delays by state agencies and regulators.
- Land possession difficulties.
- Transmission roadblocks even in solar parks.
2. Solar cell manufacturing constraints
- Our capacity for cell manufacture is 3 GW, though workable capacity is actually around 2 GW.
- Domestically manufactured cells are more expensive and less efficient.
- There is little upgrade in a rapidly changing world of technology.
- 90% of cells and 80% modules are imported largely from China or Chinese companies elsewhere.
- Wafer imports are 100% as we don’t manufacture ingots/wafers.
- For every GW with an average cost of Rs 5,000 crore in 2019, more than half goes to China.
3. Storage constraints
- Hydro pump storage is limited in quantity and there will be an issue of costs.
- The other project is a solar-wind hybrid with batteries installed after a few years.
- Neither intends to meet peak power demand or even the baseload.
- Forecasts suggest lowering of battery costs by 50% by 2030.
- It makes sense to wait before we go for large-scale storage.
Manufacturing domestically
- 1) At the least plan to make 5 GW of ingot/wafer manufacturing capacity urgently.
- We may require electricity supply at about Rs 3 per unit, and dedicated power plants.
- The risk of technology obsolescence would need to be factored in.
- Policy, fiscal and financial support prescriptions should aim at creating globally competitive industry.
- 2) We need to develop batteries suitable for extreme Indian weather conditions but globally benchmarked.
- This demands a mission approach, getting our best people and institutions together, properly funded and tasked to get a battery out in the next three years.
- 3) We must also simultaneously launch a hydrogen mission—target heavy vehicle mobility through fuel cells.
- It may become a solution for RE storage, too.
The issue of supply-demand mismatch
- In the last two decades, we have been overestimating demand and increasing supply.
- Our demand projections for 2030 are wildly high.
- PLF in 2018-19 was 60.30, declining to 56.08 in 2019-20 and hovering around 50% with the Covid-19 impact.
- Even the latest CEA review of ‘optimal’ mix talks of thermal PLF of 59% in 2030!
- This is inefficient and costly.
- Thermal PLF must be taken to over 80%.
The suggested pathways
- 1. Build thermal capacity as per CEA estimates and quickly. None after 2030. Retire inefficient plants. Plan for miner rehabilitation.
- 2. Accelerate RE after 2030 with storage. Aim for 10 GW solar and 5 GW wind annually.
- 3. Develop 5-10 GW ingot/wafer manufacturing capacity urgently and diversify import sources even at some extra cost.
- 4. Develop a battery for Indian conditions in three years; full battery manufacturing in India in five years.
- 5. Revisit the manner of solar generation. Prioritise decentralised and solar agriculture.
- 6. Plan for hydrogen economy with pilot projects and dedicated highways for long and heavy haul traffic.
- 7. Put a strong energy demand management system into place with much stronger energy efficiency and the conservation movement.
Consider the question “Central Electricity Authority finalised the optimal electricity mix study recently setting the targets for the future. Examine the constraints that expansion of solar energy faces and suggest the pathways to overcome the challenges.”
Conclusion
Embracing the RE will help India economically and strategically. It will also help it achieve its targets in its fight against climate change.
Back2Basics: Central Electricity Authority
- Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is an organization originally constituted under Section 3(1) of the repealed Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948, since substituted by Section 70 of the Electricity Act, 2003.
- It was established as a part-time body in 1951 and made a full-time body in 1975.
- The functions and duties of CEA are delineated under Section 73 of the Electricity Act, 2003
Plant Load Factor (PLF)
- Plant Load Factor (PLF) is the ratio of average power generated by the plant to the maximum power that could have been generated for a given time period.
Original Op-ed
https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/what-india-should-do-to-get-its-energy-transition-right/2016648/
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Indian diaspora in Gulf region
A total of eight lakh Indians could be forced to leave Kuwait as it’s National Assembly committee has approved a draft expat quota bill seeking to reduce the number of foreign workers in the Gulf country.
Do you know?
India is the world’s top recipient of remittances with its diaspora sending a whopping $79 billion back home in 2018 a/c to the World Bank. It is followed by China (USD 67 billion), Mexico (USD 36 billion), the Philippines (USD 34 billion), and Egypt (USD 29 billion).
What is the Expat Bill about?
- Amid a slump in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a spike in anti-expat rhetoric as lawmakers and government officials call for reducing the number of foreigners in Kuwait.
- According to the bill, Indians should not exceed 15% of the population.
- The draft once turned to the law will impose a cap on the number of expats and gradually reduce them by almost 5% on a yearly basis.
A demographic issue
- Kuwait has a real problem in its population structure, in which 70% are expats.
- The 1.3 million of the 3.35 million expats are either illiterate or can merely read and write.
- Kuwait has also been working to reduce its dependence on foreign workers.
A huge diaspora at stake
- There are about 28,000 Indians working for the Kuwaiti Government in various jobs like nurses, engineers in national oil companies and a few as scientists.
- The majority of Indians (5.23 lakh) are employed in private sectors. In addition, there are about 1.16 lakh dependents.
- Out of these, there are about 60,000 Indian students studying in 23 Indian schools in the country.
Impacts on Indians
- The current population of Kuwait is 4.3 million, with Kuwaitis making up 1.3 million of the population, and expats accounting for 3 million.
- This bill would result in 8,00,000 Indians leaving Kuwait, as the Indian community constitutes the largest expat community in the country, totalling 1.45 million.
- As the MEA says, Indians are present in all segments of society in Kuwait and are largely considered disciplined, hardworking and law-abiding.
- India has often in the past played up the role of the Indian community in Kuwait as an important factor in bilateral ties.
Must read:
India’s rising Forex Reserves
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CAATSA, COMCASA, LEMOA agreements
Mains level: India-US relations
Recently India had planned for the purchase of Mig-19 fighter aircraft with Russia at an estimated Rs. 18,148 crore. The U.S has reacted to countries, including India, on sanctions for the purchase of Russian arms has not changed.
Practice question for mains:
Q.What is CAATSA law? Discuss how it will impact India’s ties with Russia.
About CAATSA
- CAATSA stands for Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
- It is a US federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
- The bill provides sanctions for activities concerning:
(1) cybersecurity, (2) crude oil projects, (3) financial institutions, (4) corruption, (5) human rights abuses, (6) evasion of sanctions, (7) transactions with Russian defence or intelligence sectors, (8) export pipelines, (9) privatization of state-owned assets by government officials, and (10) arms transfers to Syria.
A cause of worry
- While the US has become its second-largest defence supplier, mainly of aircraft and artillery, India still relies heavily on Russian equipment, such as submarines and missiles that the US has been unwilling to provide.
- Seventy per cent of Indian military hardware is Russian in origin.
- India is set to receive the S-400 Triumf air defence system.
Is India the only country facing CAATSA sanctions?
- Notably, Russia is India’s major defence supplier for over 6 decades now, and Iran is India’s second-largest oil supplier.
- By coincidence, CAATSA has now been invoked by the US twice already, and both times for countries buying the Triumf system from Russia.
- In September 2018, the US announced sanctions for the procurement of the S-400 Triumf air defence system and Sukhoi S-35 fighter aircraft.
- Washington expelled Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet programme in July this year after the first delivery of S-400s was received.
- India is neither like China, which has an inimical relationship with the U.S., and hence not bound by its diktats, nor like Turkey which is a NATO ally of the US.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Galwan valley, Shyok River
Mains level: India-China border skirmishes and its de-escalation
Three weeks after the worst military clashes in decades, India and China have begun the process of disengagement at contentious locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Must read:
[Burning Issue] India-China Skirmish in Ladakh
China is moving back
- In the Galwan Valley, Chinese troops have shifted 2 kilometres from the site violent clashes while some tents had been removed by the PLA in the Finger 4 area of Pangong Tso.
- India’s claim is till Finger 8 as per the alignment of the LAC.
- Some rearward movement of vehicles was seen at the general area of Galwan, Hotsprings and Gogra.
- Without giving the specific distances moved, the source said the pullback at each location would be confirmed after verification.
Lessons learnt
- The lesson for us in Doklam is that disengagement is not enough in order to declare an end to tensions at the LAC.
- It is necessary that we define endpoints up to where the troops must withdraw to and no understanding should be reached without the restoration of status quo ante.
- Endpoint variances reflect the potential for future troubles along the LAC.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Golden Birdwing
Mains level: NA
A Himalayan butterfly named golden birdwing is now India’s largest recorded butterfly.
Try this MCQ:
Q.The Himalayan Golden Birdwing recently seen in news is a:
a)Biggest butterfly
b)Smallest avian specie
c)Biggest freshwater fish
d)Honeybee
Golden Birdwing
- A Himalayan butterfly named golden birdwing is now India’s largest, a record the southern birdwing held for 88 years.
- The male golden birdwing is much smaller at 106 mm.
- With a wingspan of 194 mm, the female of the species is marginally larger than the southern birdwing (190 mm) that Brigadier William Harry Evans, a British military officer and lepidopterist, recorded in 1932.
- It was an individual of the southern birdwing which was then treated as a subspecies of the common birdwing.
Other butterflies in news
- The Malabar Banded Peacock or the Buddha Mayoori which was recently declared the ‘State Butterfly’ of Kerala will have a dedicated butterfly park in Kochi.
- Tamil Nadu has also recently declared Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa Thais)as its state butterfly to symbolise its rich natural and cultural heritage, in a move aimed at boosting the conservation efforts of the attractive insects.
- Other states to have state butterflies are Maharashtra (Blue Mormon), Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern birdwings).
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary
Mains level: China's territorial expansion plans
In a bid to further its territorial ambitions, China has recently claimed the Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in Eastern Bhutan as its own territory.
Practice question for mains:
Q.What are the various fronts of Chinese imperial expansionism across the South Asian Region?
About the Sakteng WLS
- Sakteng is a wildlife sanctuary located mostly in Trashigang District and just crossing the border into Samdrup Jongkhar District, Bhutan.
- It is one of the country’s protected areas.
- It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan’s Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.
Certain unresolved issues
- The boundary between China and Bhutan has never been delimited.
- There have been disputes over the eastern, central and western sectors for a long time.
- China last month attempted to stop funding for the Sakteng sanctuary from the U.N. Development Programme’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) on the grounds that it was “disputed” territory.
Reasons for the dispute
- According to written records, there has been no mention of Eastern Bhutan, or Trashigang Dzongkhag (district), where Sakteng is based as per boundary negotiations held between the two countries between 1984 and 2016.
- The negotiations have not been held since the Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2017.
- Bhutan has always maintained a discreet silence on its boundary negotiations with China, and it does not have any formal diplomatic relations with Beijing.
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