Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- India's success in space technology and pharmaceuticals
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.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- What makes the recent ceasefire different from the past
Why it is different from the past
- The February ceasefire has triggered widespread speculation about its durability, significance and implication for bilateral relations in general.
- This agreement is different from the routine ceasefire assurances that the two sides made till January 2021.
- What makes the February 2021 ceasefire different is its two distinct features:
- First, this was a joint statement by the two DGsMO.
- Second, unlike the previous declarations, the recent agreement mentions a specific date, i.e., the night of February 24-25, to begin the ceasefire.
- The agreement is also path-breaking from a conflict management point of view.
- The ceasefire is also significant because this helps India to defuse an ugly two-front situation and a feeling of being boxed in by an inimical Pakistan and an aggressive China.
Historical background of ceasefires with Pakistan
- The Karachi agreement of 1949, which ended the first war between newly formed India and Pakistan, was the first ceasefire agreement between the two countries that created the India Pakistan boundary in Kashmir called the Ceasefire Line or CFL.
- The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was mandated to monitor the ceasefire along the CFL.
- Following the India-Pakistan war of 1971, the Suchetgarh Agreement of 1972 delineated the ‘line of control’ in Jammu and Kashmir thereby renaming the CFL as the LoC.
- The 2003 agreement between the DGsMO, communicated through a telephone call between them, was a reiteration of the December 1971 war termination ceasefire.
Rules and norms required
- A ceasefire requires a clearly articulated and mutually-agreed-upon set of rules and norms for effective observance along with an intent to observe them.
- The February ceasefire is an expression of such an intent, but without the rules and norms to enforce it.
- The Simla Agreement or the Suchetgarh Agreement do not have those rules either.
- The Karachi Agreement, on the other hand, has clearly laid down provisions on how to manage the CFL which, of course, was overtaken by the LoC.
- Therefore, armed forces deployed on either side of the LoC in Kashmir often have to resort to Karachi Agreement to observe the ceasefire.
- Now that the two DGsMO have declared a joint ceasefire, the next logical step is to arrive at a set of rules to govern that ceasefire.
- An unwritten ceasefire, experiences from conflict zones around the world show, tend to break down easily and trigger tensions in other domains.
Role of back channels
- What is also significant to note about the ceasefire agreement between the two DGsMO is that this was preceded by weeks.
- Interestingly, the 2003 ceasefire was also preceded by discreet parleys between the heads of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India.
- The 2003 CFA led to a sustained period of back channel talks on Kashmir which, by mid 2007, had almost finalised a deal to resolve the Kashmir conflict.
- Ane key reason why the CFA held at least till 2008 was because there were parallel talks, along with holding fire on the LoC, on other outstanding bilateral issues, principally Kashmir.
Conclusion
While whether the 2021 CFA would prompt talks in other areas is unclear as of now, the possibility of piecemeal agreements to create durable stability bilaterally unless followed by progress in other domains remains to be seen.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Deepening trade ties with the EU
With India about to lose preferential access to the EU, there is a need to deepen the trade and investment ties with the region. The article deals with this issue.
Export potential to the EU
- India has an untapped export potential of $39.9 billion in the EU and Western Europe.
- India benefits from tariff preferences under the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for several of these products.
- In fact, India is among the major beneficiaries of the EU’s GSP, accounting for nearly 37% of India’s merchandise exports.
India losing EU-GSP benefits: Product graduadion
- Product graduation applies when average imports of a product from a beneficiary country exceed 17.5% of EU-GSP imports of the same product from all beneficiary countries over three years.
- There are several products where India has export potential in the EU, but these have “graduated” or are at the brink of “graduation” under EU GSP.
- India’s exports of products such as textiles, inorganic and organic chemicals, gems and jewellery, iron, steel and their articles, base metals and automotives are already out of the ambit of EU-GSP benefits.
- In apparel, India’s exports to the EU were valued at $7 billion in 2019, of which nearly 94% was under EU-GSP, indicative of the impact that the graduation may have on apparel exports.
- Bangladesh’s apparel exports would continue to receive tariff benefits in the EU under Everything but Arms Initiative.
- Another competitor, Vietnam, concluded a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU in 2019.
Need to deepen trade and investment ties
- In light of the declining preferential access and the plausible erosion of competitiveness in the EU market, there is clearly a need to deepen trade and investment ties with the region.
- Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement, which commenced in 2007, is yet to materialise due to lack of concurrence in areas like automotives and dairy and marine products.
- Therefore, a thorough assessment of the benefits from FTA for domestic producers is warranted, with due consideration to the impact on sensitive sectors, and possibility of inclusion of safeguards such as sunset clause on concessions for some items.
- Further, there should also be provisions for aspects such as investment and non-tariff measures (NTMs).
- India also needs to negotiate on investment-related aspects with the EU to foster stronger value chains, especially in technology-intensive sectors in which the EU has a comparative advantage.
- As far as NTMs are concerned, India faces as many as 414 NTMs in the EU, in a wide array of sectors. FTAs have some institutional arrangements for NTMs.
Consider the question “Forging stronger ties with the EU could pave way for the greater cooperation and stronger trade ties. Elucidate.”
Conclusion
Post-Brexit EU finds itself in the midst of a growing need for recalibrating ties with its partner countries. Forging stronger ties with the region through a mutually beneficial agreement could help strengthen Indian manufacturing and revitalise the flailing exports.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Cyber attacks as China's tool
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.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various ports of Sri Lanka
Mains level: China as deterrent in India's neighbourhood policy
Sri Lanka has confirmed that it will develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the Colombo Port along with India and Japan.
Q.The threat of Chinese presence in South Asia can be tackled more effectively if India changes course in its dealings with its neighbours and becomes more sensitive to their concerns. Critically analyse.
Why in news?
- The decision comes a month after the Rajapaksa government ejected the two partners from a 2019 tripartite agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal (ECT), citing resistance to “foreign involvement”.
- Neither India nor Japan has officially commented on the offer, or on the said private investment from the countries.
An alternative to ECT
- SL has offered India and Japan the WCT as an alternative, allowing higher stakes.
- In the ECT project agreed upon earlier, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was to hold a majority 51%, but in the WCT proposal, India and Japan will be accorded an 85% stake.
- The nearby Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), where China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited holds 85%.
- This makes it a strategically desirable spot for India, whose concerns over China’s presence in Sri Lanka are well known.
Issues with a new project
- The WCT is adjacent to the China-run CICT and just a couple of kilometres away from the China-backed Port City being built on reclaimed land.
- The West Container Terminal, however, has to be built from scratch, requiring a much higher investment.
- The return on investment has not been envisaged yet.
Why is Colombo so generous this time?
- Colombo’s alternative offer also comes at a time when Sri Lanka is seeking support at the ongoing UN Human Right Council session, where a resolution on the country’s rights record will soon be put to vote.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: LSTV, RSTV
Mains level: Parliamentary behavior and decency
Lok Sabha Television (LSTV) and Rajya Sabha Television (RSTV) have been merged into a single ‘Sansad TV’.
Live telecast of parliament
- Lok Sabha TV is the older of the two — it started operating on July 24, 2006.
- The channel’s vision, according to its website, is to reach the “live proceedings of the Parliament House…to every household”.
- This is because awareness of citizens towards the working of Member of Parliament in the Parliament House helps in bringing awareness about various efforts of various stakeholders in the governance process.
- The information empowers the citizens to utilise their democratic rights diligently and be part of the democratic ecosystem.
Do you know?
The Union Budget allocates funds for the running of channels.
Inception of the idea
- LSTV was the brainchild of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
- People familiar with the circumstances in which the channel was set up, said that then Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was not really convinced with Chatterjee’s proposal.
- It was during his time of Shekhawat’s successor, Hamid Ansari, that the separate channel for the Upper House materialized.
Before the channels
- Before LSTV started functioning as a channel, select parliamentary proceedings had been televised since December 20, 198.
- On April 18, 1994, the entire proceedings of Lok Sabha started to be filmed.
- And in August that year, a Low Power Transmitter (LPT) was set up and made operational in Parliament House to telecast the proceedings live.
- From December 1994, Question Hour in both Houses was telecast live on alternate weeks on Doordarshan.
- It was arranged in such a manner that during the telecast of the Question Hour of one House by Doordarshan, the Question Hour of the other House was broadcast by All India Radio.
- When the DD News channel was launched, Question Hour in both Houses started getting telecast simultaneously on DD channels.
Separate channels
- But it was only after a decade, in December 2004, that a separate dedicated satellite channel was set up for the live telecast of the proceedings of both Houses.
- In 2006, LSTV started airing the proceedings of the Lower House live.
- RSTV was launched in 2011. Apart from telecasting live the proceedings in Rajya Sabha, it also brings analyses of parliamentary affairs and provides a platform for knowledge-based programmes.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021
Mains level: Gender bias in India
The Opportunity Index 2021 highlights the difference in perception of available opportunities in the market for men and women in India.
LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021
- The report seeks to understand how people perceive opportunities and the barriers that stand in the way of achieving them.
- This year’s report dives deep to understand how women perceive opportunities, and how the gender gap is further slowing down career progress for working women in India amid the pandemic.
LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is mainly used for professional networking and allows job seekers to post their CVs and employers to post jobs
Highlights of the report
India’s working women still face the strongest gender bias across Asia Pacific countries.
- Covid impact: Nine in 10 (89%) women state they were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- General Bias: 1 in 5 (22%) working women in India said their company’s exhibit a ‘favourable bias’ towards men at work when compared to the regional average of 16%.
- Work opportunity: While 37% of India’s working women say they get fewer opportunities than men, only 25% of men agree with this.
- Pay: This disparity in perception is also seen in conversations about equal pay, as more women (37%) say they get less pay than men, while only 21% of men share this sentiment.
- Promotion: In India, more than 4 in 5 working women (85%) claim to have missed out on a raise, promotion, or work offer because of their gender, compared to the regional average of 60%.
- Family burden: Lack of time and family care stop 7 in 10 Indian women from progressing in their careers.
- Maternity: Consumer sentiment from the report shows that more than 7 in 10 working women (71%) and working mothers (77%) feel that managing familial responsibilities often come in their way of career development.
Scope for equality
- The report shows that even though 66% of people in India feel that gender equality has improved compared to their parents’ age.
- In India, the top three job opportunities sought by both men and women are job security, a job that they love, and a good work-life balance.
- But despite having similar goals, more women (63%) think a person’s gender is important to get ahead in life when compared to men (54%).
Barriers faced by Indian women
- Lack of required professional skills and a lack of guidance through networks and connections are also some of the other barriers that get in the way of career development for working women in India.
What next?
- Organisations should step up to provide robust maternity policies and flexibility programs.
- Reduced and flexible schedules, more sabbaticals, and new opportunities to upskill and learn are critical offerings that can help organizations attract, hire, and retain more female talent.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Better Than Cash Alliance
Mains level: Not Much
The Government of India, FICCI, and the Better Than Cash Alliance has come under the partnership to achieve the industry level commitment of responsible digitization of merchants.
Make a note here that it is a BTCA is a global partnership with diverse funding, a UN office as its secretariat and Indian being its member.
Better Than Cash Alliance
- The Better Than Cash Alliance is a global partnership of 75 governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.
- It was created in September 2012 by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (Secretariat), the US Agency for International Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Visa Inc. among others.
- Based at the UN, the Alliance has over 50 members, works closely with other global organizations, and is an implementing partner for the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion.
- India became a member of the alliance in 2015 to digitize payments to achieve financial inclusion and to share success stories from PM Jan Dhan Yojana, the world’s largest financial inclusion program.
Working method
The Better Than Cash Alliance partners with governments, companies, and international organizations that are the key drivers behind the transition to make digital payments widely available by:
- Advocating for the transition from cash to digital payments in a way that advances financial inclusion and promotes responsible digital finance.
- Conducting research and sharing the experiences of our members to inform strategies for making the transition.
- Catalyzing the development of inclusive digital payments ecosystems in member countries to reduce costs, increase transparency, advance financial inclusion– particularly for women– and drive inclusive growth.
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