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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-Middle East

    India needs to change the framework of non-involvement

    op-ed snap | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    Realignment of relations is taking place in the Middle East with wider implications for the future of the region. India needs to reconsider its framework based on the non-involvement.

    Recent geopolitical developments

    • India-China tensions have soared over the border issue.
    • The Afghan peace process is underway with the first direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban insurgents at Doha, in Qatar.
    • The normalisation of the relations between Israel and Arab countries began with the UAE and Bahrain normalising the relations.

    Issues with the development

    • The chances of failure in Afghanistan are real.
    • The momentum behind the normalisation of ties between Israel and the Gulf kingdoms, may not necessarily lead to broader peace in the Middle East.
    • The US initiatives in Afghanistan and Arabia are driven by President Donald Trump’s quest for diplomatic victories.

    Why it matters to India

    1) The vulnerability of the peace process

    • Because of competing interests, the peace process in Afghanistan and the Middle East remain vulnerable.
    • The unfolding dynamic will alter the geopolitical landscape in both places.
    • Whether peace breaks out in Afghanistan or not, the Taliban is here to stay.
    • As UAE and Bahrain join Egypt and Jordan in having formal relationships with Israel, the contradiction between Arabs and Israelis is no longer the dominant one in the region.

    2) India should recognise the importance of Arabia

    •  India’s strategic community tends to take too narrow a view of the Arabian salience.
    • The focus is mostly on ensuring oil supplies, promoting manpower exports, and managing the Pakistan problem.
    • We should consider that the Afghan peace talks are taking place in Qatar, a tiny Gulf Kingdom.
    • The UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only countries to recognise the Taliban government in the late 1990s.
    • This time around, they appear to have taken a backseat.
    • Delhi will need to pay more attention to the unfolding realignments between the Arabs and non-Arab states like Iran, Turkey and Israel.

    3) Paradox of American power

    • The U.S. is being seen as a declining power in the matters of the Middle East and Afghanistan.
    •  But the reality remains that the US is the one forcing a change in both the places.

    4) Implications of strategic vacuum created by the U.S. exit

    • As the US steps back from the region, the resulting strategic vacuum is likely to be filled by Russia and China.
    • Russia and China are quite active in both the Middle East and Afghanistan.
    •  China’s future role in Afghanistan, in partnership with Pakistan, could be quite significant and will be of some concern for India.
    • Regional powers have already acquired much say in the new geopolitics of the Middle East.
    • Qatar and UAE punch way above their weight, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are locked in a major contest for regional influence.

    5) Domestic politics in the country

    • Religious radicalism, sectarian and ethnic divisions, and the clamour for more representative governments are sharpening conflicts within and between countries.
    • The collapse of the oil market is undermining the region’s economic fortunes.
    • Collapsing oil market is also making it harder for political elites to address the emerging political challenges.

    Consider the question “Middle East is going through the major realignment of relations. What are its implications for India?.

    Conclusion

    As the old order begins to crumble in the greater Middle East, the question is no longer whether India should join the geopolitical jousting there; but when, how and in partnership with whom.

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  • International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

    Life signature on Venus

    | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Scientists have detected in the harshly acidic clouds of Venus a gas called phosphine that indicates microbes may inhabit Earth’s inhospitable neighbour, a sign of potential life beyond Earth.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which phenomenon has Venusian winds rotating 60 times faster than the planet below on the dark side?

    (a) Super rotation

    (b) Monrotation

    (c) Dual rotation

    (d) Macrrotation

    Phosphine

    • Phosphine – a phosphorus atom with three hydrogen atoms attached – is highly toxic to people.
    • It is known to be produced only through a biological process, and not through any naturally occurring chemical process.
    • Phosphine was seen at 20 parts-per-billion in the Venusian atmosphere, a trace concentration.
    • Researchers examined potential non-biological sources such as volcanism, meteorites, lightning and various types of chemical reactions, but none appeared viable.
    • There are some other ways in which this chemical might be produced, for example, in the underbelly of volcanoes or meteorite activity, but that would have shown in much lower concentrations.

    Why study Venus?

    • Venus is Earth’s closest planetary neighbour. Similar in structure but slightly smaller than Earth, it is the second planet from the sun. Earth is the third.
    • Venus is wrapped in a thick, toxic atmosphere that traps in heat. Surface temperatures reach a scorching 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius), hot enough to melt lead.
    • Existence of phosphine is the most credible evidence yet for the possibility of life away from Earth.

    Hosting life on Venus

    • There are several things that we know about Venus that make life, as we know it, unsustainable on that planet.
    • The temperature of Venus is too high, and its atmosphere is highly acidic, just two of the things that would make life impossible.
    • It is too early to consider this as evidence for extraterrestrial life.

    Paving way for future mission

    • Missions to Venus are not new. The finding can further ignite interest in space missions to Venus.
    • Spacecraft have been going near the planet since the 1960s, and some of them have even made a landing.
    • In fact, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is also planning a mission to Venus, tentatively called Shukrayaan, in the near future.
    • As of now, the plan is still on the drawing board. All future missions to Venus would now be attuned to investigating further evidence of the presence of life.

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-United States

    India becomes a member of UN Commission on Status of Women

    IOCR | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Important International Institutions

    India has been elected as a member of the United Nation’s Commission on Status of Women (UN-CSW), a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Democracy’s superior virtue lies in the fact that it calls into activity:

    (a) The intelligence and character of ordinary men and women

    (b) The methods for strengthening executive leadership

    (c) A superior individual with dynamism and vision

    (d) A band of dedicated party workers

    UN Commission on Status of Women

    • The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main organs within the United Nations.
    • CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.
    • Every year, representatives gather at UN Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.
    • India will be a member of United Nation’s Commission on Status of Women for four years, 2021 to ‘25.
    • This year is the 25th anniversary of the famous Beijing World Conference on Women (1995).

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  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Who was Subramania Bharatiyar?

    Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

    This newscard is an excerpt from an article originally published in TH.

    Try this question from CSP 2016:

    Q.A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of-

    (a) S. Ramanujan
    (b) S. Chandrasekhar
    (c) S. N. Bose
    (d) C. V. Raman

    Subramania Bharati

    • Bharati was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist, social reformer and polyglot.
    • Popularly known as “Mahakavi Bharathi”, he was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and is considered one of the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time.
    • His numerous works included fiery songs kindling patriotism during the Indian Independence movement.

    Literary works

    • As a working journalist, Bharati necessarily employed prose to communicate, and his writings in Swadesamitran and India made an important contribution to Tamil political vocabulary.
    • He wrote stories, commentaries, and was also the pioneer of column writing in Tamil.
    • Active participation in the day-to-day politics of the nationalist movement notwithstanding, Bharati never lost sight of the future, the dream of how a free India should look like.
    • Aspects of this dream form part of his fantasy story, Gnanaratham (The Chariot of Wisdom), written when he was still in his late 20s.

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  • Plantation Agriculture – RISPC, Tea Act, etc.

    Panama Disease

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    The scientists of Indian Council of Agriculture Research or ICAR have found a cure for one of the most dreaded diseases on Banana.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Recently, our scientists have discovered a new and distinct species of banana plant which attains a height of about 11 metres and has orange-coloured fruit pulp. In which part of India has it been discovered?

    (a) Andaman Islands

    (b) Anamalai Forests

    (c) Maikala Hills

    (d) Tropical rain forests of northeast

    Panama Disease

    • The fungal disease, called Fusarium Wilt, is popularly known as the ‘Panama Disease’ and afflicts banana plants.
    • For the first time, Indian scientists have brought out a biopesticide that can control the disease. This biopesticide has been made using another fungus.
    • For a long time, banana cultivators have been struggling with the Panama Disease.
    • This disease affects the Cavendish variety or the G9 Banana cultivar, which is the most widely grown banana in the world.

    Spread in India

    • In India, more than 60 per cent of bananas are of the G9 variety.
    • They go by names like ‘Grand Naine’, ‘Robusta’, ‘Bhusaval’, ‘Basrai’ and ‘Shrimanth’.
    • Farmers in at least four Indian states — Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — have been badly affected by this disease.
    • All these are areas where the Cavendish variety is grown.

    Why is the disease so deadly?

    • Panama Disease is caused by a fungus with a long and complicated name called Fusarium oxysporum f. Sp cubense.
    • One of its strains which is called ‘Tropical Race 4’ or ‘TR4’ is creating the most havoc, threatening almost 80 per cent of the global banana production.
    • The disease is so deadly that it is sometimes referred to as ‘banana cancer’.
    • The fungus resides below ground and infects the plant through its roots. The infection then stops water and essential nutrients from being transported to the rest of the plant.
    • The leaves begin to wilt, and the stem of the plant starts turning dark brownish before the plant dies. If one plant gets it, then it is most likely that an entire plantation can be wiped out.

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  • Interstate River Water Dispute

    [pib] Status of Mahanadi Tribunal

    PIB | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Statutory, Regulatory & Various Quasi-Judicial Bodies

    At present, the Mahanadi dispute is under adjudication in the Tribunal under Section 5 (2) of Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956

    Note the interrelation between the Article 262 and 253.They contain provisions related to international and interstate water sharing.

    Mahanadi Tribunal

    • The Central Government has constituted Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in 2018 under Section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
    • It is set to adjudicate on water disputes between the riparian States of Odisha and Chhattisgarh
    • The tribunal is expected to give its verdict within a period of three years.
    • Provided that if the decision cannot be given for an unavoidable reason, within a period of three years, the Central Government may extend the period for a further period not exceeding two years.

    What is the dispute about?

    • Chhattisgarh has been constructing dams and weirs (small dams) upstream the Mahanadi. This is being allegedly carried on without consulting Odisha.
    • It would affect the flow of the river downstream and affect drinking water supply. Also, it would impact the irrigation facilities in Odisha and adversely affect the interests of the farmers.
    • Moreover, the weirs and other projects would impact the flow of water in the Hirakud reservoir, a multipurpose river valley project, which is a lifeline for many in the state.

    Back2Basics: Water Disputes Resolution in India

    • The Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (IRWD Act) is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted under Article 262 of Constitution of India on the eve of the reorganization of states on the linguistic basis to resolve the water disputes that would arise in the use, control and distribution of an interstate river[1] or river valley.
    • Article 262 of the Indian Constitution provides a role for the Central government in adjudicating conflicts surrounding inter-state rivers that arise among the state/regional governments.
    • This Act further has undergone amendments subsequently and its most recent amendment took place in the year 2002.
    • A/c to art 262, the Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley.
    • Parliament may by law provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint.

    Note: Any river water sharing treaty made with other countries, has to be ratified by the Parliament as per Article 253 after deciding the share of the Indian riparian states per Article 262 to make the treaty constitutionally valid or enforceable by the judiciary. The government has signed Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, Ganga water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh, etc. without the ratification by the Parliament and the consent of concerned riparian states per Article 252.

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  • Innovations in Sciences, IT, Computers, Robotics and Nanotechnology

    Indian IT industry must seize the opportunity of Chinese tech exit

    | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth

    The article analyses the significance of the Indian ban on Chinese apps. The ban also presents Indian IT companies with unique opportunity.

    Context

    • The current India-China border standoff has entered into cyberspace.

    How China took lead in IT

    • The Chinese government censored and banned several popular Western websites and applications years ago.
    • In the intervening years the Chinese Internet market exploded and has grown to over 900 million users.
    • The Chinese government insulated Chinese entrepreneurs from Big Tech in Silicon Valley.
    • Home-grown apps at first were faithful reproductions of Silicon Valley, but soon morphed into distinctly Chinese applications tailored solely to the home market.
    • According to the 2016 White House report, the Chinese have leapfrogged even the U.S. in AI research.
    • In this case, the intellectual property being produced actually belongs to China and is not a faithful duplicate of someone else’s product or technology.
    • This has far-reaching implications.

    Significance of India’s ban

    • India now has the lowest Internet data costs in the world.
    • In its attempt to dominate the rest of the world, the Chinese Internet industry desperately needs India’s 500-plus million netizens to continue to train AI algorithms they put together.
    • The ban on apps in India is not only a geopolitical move but also a strategic trade manoeuvre that can have a significant economic impact.
    • Ban on Chinese apps allows our home-grown IT talent to focus on the newly arrived Internet user.
    • However, India’s focus remains on exporting IT services while paying little attention to servicing our own nation’s tech market.
    • India spent the last two decades exporting technology services to developed countries in the West, the vacuum created as the Indian Internet grew has been filled by American Big Tech and by the Chinese.
    • After the removal of more than 118 Chinese apps, Indian techies have started trying to fill the holes.

    Way forward

    • The primary Indian IT objective must shift from servicing others to providing for ourselves.
    • Focus should not be simply to replace what the exiting firms have so far been providing.
    • Focus should be on providing services and products of high quality that will be used by everyday Indians across the country.
    • The aim of providing netizens with the same services across diverse markets is overarching — regional barriers created by language exist within our own nation.
    • The fundamental focus of the new digital products should be to provide for hyper-regional necessities and preferences.
    • Hyper-local and hyper-regional services with great accessibility that are also portable across our linguistic diversity, are likely to succeed in creating one of the strongest Internet markets in the world.

    Consider the question “What are factors responsible for the lack of innovation in the Indian IT industry? How the ban on Chinese apps provide the IT industry with the opportunity to fill the vacuum?”

    Conclusion

    Indian IT companies must seize the opportunity provided by the exit of Chinese IT companies and come up with products transcending regional barriers and allowing accessibility.

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: United Nations

    Singapore Convention on Mediation

    | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Important International Institutions

    The Singapore Convention on Mediation has finally come into force.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q. The Singapore Convention recently seen in news is related to:

    Climate change/ Arbitration and conciliation/ Foreign trade/ Marine Regulation

    Singapore Convention

    • It is aimed to provide a more effective way of enforcing mediated settlements of corporate disputes involving businesses in India and other countries that are signatories to the Convention.
    • Also known as the UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, this is also the first UN treaty to be named after Singapore.
    • With the Convention in force, businesses seeking enforcement of a mediated settlement agreement across borders can do so by applying directly to the courts of countries that have signed and ratified the treaty.
    • The harmonized and simplified enforcement framework under the Convention translates to savings in time and legal costs.

    Its signatories

    • The Convention has 53 signatories, including India, China and the U.S.
    • Singapore had worked with the UN Commission on International Trade Law, other UN member states and non-governmental organisations for the Convention.

    Significance of the convention

    • The Convention would boost India’s ‘ease of doing business’ credentials by enabling swift mediated settlements of corporate disputes.
    • Businesses in India and around the world will now have greater certainty in resolving cross-border disputes through mediation.

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  • NGOs vs. GoI: The Conflicts and Scrutinies

    What is Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, and how does it control donations?

    | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Money-Laundering & Its Prevention

    The licences of 13 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been suspended under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, this year.

    What is the FCRA?

    • The FCRA regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security.
    • First enacted in 1976, it was amended in 2010 when a slew of new measures was adopted to regulate foreign donations.
    • The FCRA is applicable to all associations, groups and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations. It is mandatory for all such NGOs to register themselves under the FCRA.
    • The registration is initially valid for five years and it can be renewed subsequently if they comply with all norms.

    What happens once registered?

    • Registered associations can receive a foreign contribution for social, educational, religious, economic and cultural purposes.
    • Filing of annual returns, on the lines of Income Tax, is compulsory.
    • In 2015, the MHA notified new rules, which required NGOs to give an undertaking that the acceptance of foreign funds.
    • It ruled that it is not likely to prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India or impact friendly relations with any foreign state and does not disrupt communal harmony.
    • It also said all such NGOs would have to operate accounts in either nationalized or private banks which have core banking facilities to allow security agencies access on a real-time basis.

    Who cannot receive foreign donations?

    • Members of the legislature and political parties, government officials, judges and media persons are prohibited from receiving any foreign contribution.
    • However, in 2017 the MHA amended the 1976-repealed FCRA law paving the way for political parties to receive funds from the Indian subsidiary of a foreign company or a foreign company in which an Indian holds 50% or more shares.

    How else can receive foreign funding?

    • The other way to receive foreign contributions is by applying for prior permission.
    • It is granted for receipt of a specific amount from a specific donor for carrying out specific activities or projects.
    • But the association should be registered under statutes such as the Societies Registration Act, 1860, the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, or Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956.
    • A letter of commitment from the foreign donor specifying the amount and purpose is also required.

    When is a registration suspended or cancelled?

    • The MHA on inspection of accounts and on receiving any adverse input against the functioning of an association can suspend the FCRA registration initially for 180 days.
    • Until a decision is taken, the association cannot receive any fresh donation and cannot utilise more than 25% of the amount available in the designated bank account without the permission of the MHA.
    • The MHA can cancel the registration of an organisation which will not be eligible for registration or grant of ‘prior permission’ for three years from the date of cancellation.

    Also read:

    Registration under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

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  • Parliament – Sessions, Procedures, Motions, Committees etc

    Why the Question Hour matters?

    | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Parliament & State Legislatures

    The decision to go without “Question Hour” during the Monsoon Session of Parliament has evoked serious concerns about the democratic functioning of the institution.

    This newscard is very narrative in its form and scope. Try this question as well-

    Q.Discuss the various instruments of Parliamentary Control in India.

    What is Question Hour?

    • Question Hour is the liveliest hour in Parliament. It is during this one hour that MPs ask questions of ministers and hold them accountable for the functioning of their ministries.
    • Prior to Independence, the first question asked of government was in 1893. It was on the burden cast on village shopkeepers who had to provide supplies to touring government officers.
    • The questions that MPs ask are designed to elicit information and trigger suitable action by ministries.
    • Over the last 70 years, MPs have successfully used this parliamentary device to shine a light on government functioning.
    • Their questions have exposed financial irregularities and brought data and information regarding government functioning to the public domain.
    • With the broadcasting since 1991, Question Hour has become one of the most visible aspects of parliamentary functioning.

    Its evolution

    • The right to question the executive has been exercised by members of the House from the colonial period.
    • The first Legislative Council in British India under the Charter Act, 1853, showed some degree of independence by giving members the power to ask questions to the executive.
    • Later, the Indian Council Act of 1861 allowed members to elicit information by means of questions.
    • However, it was the Indian Council Act, 1892, which formulated the rules for asking questions including short notice questions.
    • The next stage of the development of procedures related to questions came up with the framing of rules under the Indian Council Act, 1909, which incorporated provisions for asking supplementary questions by members.
    • The Montague-Chelmsford reforms brought forth a significant change in 1919 by incorporating a rule that the first hour of every meeting was earmarked for questions. Parliament has continued this tradition.
    • In 1921, there was another change. The question, on which a member desired to have an oral answer, was distinguished by him with an asterisk, a star. This marked the beginning of starred questions.

    Its significance

    • Question Hour is not only an opportunity for the members to raise questions, but it is a parliamentary device primarily meant for exercising legislative control over executive actions.
    • The government’s actions erode the constitutional mandate of parliamentary oversight over executive actions as envisaged under Article 75 (3) of the Indian Constitution.

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