Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UPI, PayNow link, UPI LITE, etc
Mains level: UPI and Internationalization of Digital Payments architecture
Central Idea
- On Tuesday, the Union government unveiled India’s first cross-border real-time payments systems linkage, with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) connecting with Singapore’s PayNow payment system.
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What is Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
- UPI is India’s mobile-based fast payment system, which facilitates customers to make round-the-clock payments instantly, using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) created by the customer.
- It eliminates the risk of sharing bank account details by the remitter.
- UPI supports both Person-to-Person (P2P) and Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments and it also enables a user to send or receive money.
What is PayNow?
- It is a fast payment system in Singapore.
- It enables peer-to-peer funds transfer service, available to retail customers through participating banks and Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NFIs) in Singapore.
- It allows users to send and receive instant funds from one bank or e-wallet account to another in Singapore by using just their mobile number, Singapore National Registration Identity Card (NRIC)/Foreign Identification Number (FIN), or VPA.
Overview: Remarkable success of UPI
- Changed the landscape of electronic payments: The introduction of UPI in 2016-17 led to a dramatic change in the electronic payments landscape of the country.
- Instrumental in dramatic growth of digital payments: Along with the JAM trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile phones, this payment architecture has been instrumental in facilitating the dramatic growth of digital payments in the country, aided by a conducive regulatory framework.
- Value and volume increasing day by day: Over the years, various reports by the RBI have documented the significant increase in digital payments transactions in the country, with per person digital transactions growing both in terms of value and volume.
- Dramatic surge during the pandemic: Contactless payments also witnessed a surge during the pandemic. In fact, as per another study, roughly one-third of households surveyed had transacted digitally for the first time during the lockdown.
- Statistics for instance:
- In January 2023, roughly 8 billion transactions were carried out on the UPI platform, whose value touched almost Rs 13 lakh crore.
- In comparison, in January 2020, just prior to the pandemic, 1.3 billion transactions were routed through the UPI platform, which touched Rs 2.1 lakh crore in value.
- Aided in accelerating financial inclusion: The convenience of real-time transfer of payments, the zero-cost framework for users, the rapid expansion in the acceptance touch-points, have encouraged its widespread adoption. This has also aided in accelerating financial inclusion by providing access to financial services at low cost.
Did you know? “UPI Lite”
- UPI Lite is a on device wallet feature similar to the ones seen on popular digital payment apps such as Paytm, Freecharge, MobiKwik and others.
- The feature will allow you to make faster near real-time small value payments without internet connection via the money added in the wallet.
- In phase one, UPI Lite will process transactions in near offline mode i.e. debit offline and credit online, and at a later point, UPI Lite will process transactions in complete offline mode i.e. debit and credit both offline.
- How is the interlinkage benefit users?
- With this facility, funds held in bank accounts or e-wallets can be transferred to /from India using just the UPI ID, mobile number, or Virtual Payment Address (VPA), which is essentially the address to or through which you can make UPI money transfers.
- With this payment facility, both inward and outward remittances will happen instantly.
- Who can undertake remittance transactions through this facility: Account holders of participating banks and financial institutions in India and Singapore.
- Participating banks in India and Singapore:
- Banks from India are Axis Bank, DBS Bank India, ICICI Bank, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and State Bank of India (SBI). Going forward, the UPI-PayNow interlinkage will cover more banks and financial institutions.
- From Singapore, DBS Bank Singapore and Liquid Group (Non-Bank Financial Institution) are selected.
- Popular payment platforms such as PhonePe and Google Pay have been excluded from the ambit of this framework. Perhaps, over time, these platforms will also be brought under this framework, aiding in its widespread adoption.
- The daily transaction limit:
- Banks in India have not communicated about any restrictions on transfers yet.
- It is Rs 60,000 (around SGD 1,000). Initially, DBS customers can use PayNow-UPI only to transfer funds up to SGD 200 per transaction, capped at SGD 500 per day.
- There is no such communication about capping for transferring funds through Liquid Group (Non-Bank Financial Institution) to India.
Conclusion
- The UPI-PayNow interlinkage is a milestone moment for cross-border transfers. Not only India but the world has witnessed how UPI revolutionized the landscape of domestic digital payment infrastructure. With this encouraging development we are now going to see a similar revolution in the cross-border payments space as well. This internationalization of the digital payments architecture, will help bring down both the cost and the time associated with such transfers, bringing benefits to migrant workers, students, and professionals, among others.
Mains Question
Q. Recently India launched its first cross-border real-time payments systems linkage with Singapore. In this light highlight Discuss remarkable success of UPI and prospect of internationalization of UPI.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: 30×30 pledge, PM-STIAC, PM-PRANAM, MISHTI, Amrit Dharohar scheme
Mains level: Government initiatives for biodiversity conservation
Central Idea
- The sum and variation of our biological wealth, known as biodiversity, is essential to the future of this planet. India currently hosts 17% of the planet’s human population and 17% of the global area in biodiversity hotspots, placing it at the helm to guide the planet in becoming biodiversity champions.
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What is 30×30 pledge?
- The importance of our planet’s biodiversity was strongly articulated at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada.
- On December 19, 2022, 188 country representatives adopted an agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by conserving 30% of the world’s land and 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, known as the 30×30 pledge.
- Green Growth push in Budget: The Union Budget 2023 mentioned Green Growth as one of the seven priorities or Saptarishis. The emphasis on green growth is welcome news for India’s biological wealth as the country is facing serious losses of natural assets such as soils, land, water, and biodiversity.
- Green India Mission: The National Mission for a Green India aims to increase forest cover on degraded lands and protect existing forested lands.
- Green Credit Programme: The Green Credit Programme has the objective to incentivize environmentally sustainable and responsive actions by companies, individuals and local bodies.
- The MISHTI Program: The Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) is particularly significant because of the extraordinary importance of mangroves and coastal ecosystems in mitigating climate change.
- PM-PRANAM: The Prime Minister Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM) for reducing inputs of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is critical for sustaining our agriculture.
- Amrit Dharohar scheme: The Amrit Dharohar scheme is expected to encourage optimal use of wetlands, and enhance biodiversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities. If implemented in letter and spirit, Amrit Dharohar, with its emphasis on sustainability by balancing competing demands, will benefit aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- For instance: The recent intervention by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to stop the draining of Haiderpur, a Ramsar wetland in Uttar Pradesh, to safeguard migratory waterfowl is encouraging.
Programs must be science-based
- Evidence-based implementation: It is critical that these programs respond to the current state of the country’s biodiversity with evidence-based implementation.
- A science-based and inclusive monitoring programme: A science-based and inclusive monitoring programme is critical not only for the success of these efforts but also for documentation and distillation of lessons learnt for replication, nationally as well as globally.
- Employing modern concepts of sustainability: New missions and programmes should effectively use modern concepts of sustainability and valuation of ecosystems that consider ecological, cultural, and sociological aspects of our biological wealth.
- Setting clear boundaries and priorities: With clear system boundaries, prioritisation of the benefits to resource people, and fund-services (rather than stock-flows) as the economic foundation for generating value has enormous potential for multiple sustainable bio-economies.
- Efficient water use patterns: The future of our wetland ecosystems will depend on how we are able to sustain ecological flows through reduction in water use in key sectors such as agriculture by encouraging changes to less-water intensive crops such as millets as well as investments in water recycling in urban areas using a combination of grey and blue-green infrastructure.
- Focus must be on ecological restoration: As far as the Green India Mission is concerned, implementation should focus on ecological restoration rather than tree plantation and choose sites where it can contribute to ecological connectivity in landscapes fragmented by linear infrastructure.
- Choices should be made on evidences of resilience: Choice of species and density should be informed by available knowledge and evidence on resilience under emerging climate change and synergies and trade-offs with respect to hydrologic services.
- Careful site selection for mangrove initiative: Site selection should also be carefully considered for the mangrove initiative with a greater emphasis on diversity of mangrove species with retention of the integrity of coastal mud-flats and salt pans themselves, as they too are important for biodiversity.
- Effort in response: In response to these needs, we hope that the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing (Mission to green India’s economy, restore natural capital, and make India a global leader in applied biodiversity science) already approved by PM-STIAC, will be immediately launched by the government.
Did you know?
Grey and Blue-Green Infrastructure
- Grey infrastructure: It refers to traditional man-made infrastructure, such as buildings, roads, and bridges, that are designed to provide human-made services like transportation, water supply, and waste management.
- Blue-green infrastructure: It is designed to mimic the functions of natural ecosystems, such as wetlands, rivers, and forests, to provide services like stormwater management, water purification, and carbon sequestration.
- Example: It includes, Rainwater harvesting systems that capture rainwater and recharge groundwater, green roofs that provide insulation and absorb rainwater, Urban parks and green spaces that improve air quality and provide habitat for wildlife, Wetlands and retention ponds that filter pollutants and store excess water during floods
- Sustainable and resilient: Blue-green infrastructure is often seen as a more sustainable and resilient alternative to traditional grey infrastructure, as it can help to mitigate the impacts of climate change, reduce urban heat island effects, and enhance the quality of life for urban residents
Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC):
- PM-STIAC is a high-level advisory body that provides strategic guidance on science, technology, and innovation to the Prime Minister of India.
- Advises the Indian Prime Minister on science and technology policy, identifying emerging areas, recommending missions and projects, and enhancing the effectiveness of science and technology to tackle national challenges.
- The council comprises eminent scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers who are appointed by the Prime Minister.
- PM-STIAC also serves as a forum for stakeholders from academia, industry, and government to interact and collaborate on science and technology initiatives.
Local community involvement
- Efforts must be inclusive: Each of these efforts must be inclusive of local and nomadic communities where these initiatives will be implemented.
- Traditional practices should be integrated: Traditional knowledge and practices of these communities should be integrated into the implementation plans.
Conclusion
- Each of the above-mentioned programs has the potential to greatly improve the state of our nation’s biodiversity if their implementation is based on the latest scientific and ecological knowledge.
Mains Question
Q. What is 30×30 pledge? Discuss some of the key programs taken by the government to promote green growth and biodiversity conservation.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: New Start Treaty, INF Treaty
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: The article provides an overview of the New START treaty, which was signed by Russia and the United States in 2010. It highlights how the treaty limits the number of nuclear weapons that the two countries can possess and deploy.
The New START, INF and the Open Skies …. Be clear about the differences of these treaties. For example- to check if their inception was during cold war era etc.
New START Treaty
- The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) pact limits the number of deployed nuclear warheads, missiles and bombers and is due to expire in 2021 unless renewed.
- The treaty limits the US and Russia to a maximum of 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, well below Cold War caps.
- It was signed in 2010 by former US President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
- It is one of the key controls on the superpower deployment of nuclear weapons.
Background of US-Russia Nuclear Relations
- The US formally QUIT the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF)
- The agreement obliged the two countries to eliminate all ground-based missiles of ranges between 500 and 5,500 km.
When did nuclear disarmament begin?
- In 1985, the two countries entered into arms control negotiations on three tracks.
- The first dealt with strategic weapons with ranges of over 5,500 km, leading to the START agreement in 1991.
- It limited both sides to 1,600 strategic delivery vehicles and 6,000 warheads.
- A second track dealt with intermediate-range missiles and this led to the INF Treaty in 1987.
- A third track, Nuclear, and Space Talks was intended to address Soviet concerns regarding the U.S.’s Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) but this did not yield any outcome.
Success of INF
- The INF Treaty was hailed as a great disarmament pact even though no nuclear warheads were dismantled.
- As it is a bilateral agreement, it did not restrict other countries.
- By 1991, the INF was implemented. USSR destroyed 1,846 and the US destroyed 846 Pershing and cruise missiles.
- Associated production facilities were also closed down.
- INF Treaty was the first pact to include intensive verification measures, including on-site inspections.
How has the nuclear behavior been?
- With the end of the Cold War and the break-up of the USSR in end-1991, former Soviet allies were joining NATO and becoming EU members.
- The U.S. was investing in missile defense and conventional global precision strike capabilities to expand its technological lead.
- In 2001, the U.S. announced its unilateral withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty).
- The US also blamed Russia for not complying with the ‘zero-yield’ standard imposed by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). This may indicate the beginning of a new nuclear arms race.
Implications of the New Start
- The 2011 New START lapsed in 2021. It may meet the fate of the INF Treaty.
- The 2018 NPR envisaged the development of new nuclear weapons, including low-yield weapons.
- China is preparing to operate its test site year-round with its goals for its nuclear force.
- CTBT requires ratification by U.S., China, and Iran, Israel and Egypt and adherence by India, Pakistan and North Korea. It is unlikely to ever enter into force.
Conclusion
- A new nuclear arms race could just be the beginning. It may be more complicated because of multiple countries being involved.
- Technological changes are bringing cyber and space domains into contention. It raises the risks of escalation.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Keeladi Civilization, Sangam Age
Mains level: Major civilizations
Central idea: Keeladi is an archaeological site that has been excavated by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology since 2014. Recent excavations here has pushed the Sangam age further back.
About Keeladi
- Keeladi is a tiny hamlet in the Sivaganga district in south Tamil Nadu.
- It is about 12 km south-east to the temple city of Madurai and is located along the Vaigai River.
- The excavations here from 2015 prove that an urban civilisation existed in Tamil Nadu in the Sangam age on the banks of the Vaigai River.
How is Keeladi linked to Sangam age?
- The Sangam age is a period of history in ancient Tamil Nadu which was believed to be from the third century BCE to the third century CE.
- The name is derived from the renowned Sangam poets of Madurai from that time.
Recent findings
- In 2019, a TNSDA report dated the unearthed artefacts from Keeladi to a period between sixth century BCE and first century BCE.
- Some samples sent for carbon dating in the US, dated back to 580 BCE.
- The findings placed Keeladi artefacts about 300 years earlier than the previously believed third century BCE.
Significance of the findings
- Older than perceived: Recent finding at Keeladi has pushed the Sangam age to 800 BCE based on these archaeological findings.
- Literary evidences: Keeladi, along with other Tamil Nadu sites which have over a thousand inscribed potsherds, clearly suggest the long survival of the script.
- Substantial evidence to Sangam Age: It comes across as an industrious and advanced civilisation and has given evidence of urban life and settlements in TN during the Early Historic Period.
- Another major civilisation: The unearthed Keeladi artefacts have led academics to describe the site as part of the Vaigai Valley Civilisation. It has all the characteristics of an urban civilisation, with brick structures, luxury items and proof of internal and external trade.
- Filling in the cultural gaps: This could provide crucial evidence for understanding the missing links of the Iron Age (12th century BCE to sixth century BCE) to the Early Historic Period (sixth century BCE to fourth century BCE) and subsequent cultural developments.
Links with Indus Valley
Ans. A lot of digging and study has to be done to establish the links between these two civilisations.
- The findings have invited comparisons with the Indus Valley Civilisation while acknowledging the cultural gap of 1,000 years between the two places.
- Till now, the gap is filled with Iron Age material in south India, which serve as residual links.
- However, some of the symbols found in pot sherds of Keeladi bear a close resemblance to Indus Valley signs.
What has been unearthed so far?
- Pottery: Unearthing of heaps of pottery suggest the existence of a pottery making industry, mostly made of locally available raw materials.
- Inscriptions: Over 120 potsherds containing Tamil Brahmi inscriptions have been found.
- Jewellery: There also existed a dyeing industry and a glass bead industry. Gold ornaments, copper articles, semi-precious stones, shell bangles, ivory bangles and ivory combs reflect the artistic, culturally rich and prosperous lifestyle of the Keeladi people.
- Import of semiprecious stones: Agate and carnelian beads suggest import through commercial networks while terracotta and ivory dice, gamesmen and evidence of hopscotch have been unearthed revealing their pastime hobbies.
Recent politicization of the excavation
- The Keeladi site, since its discovery has been shrouded in controversies with several Dravidian and Left ideologues.
- They claim that the archaeological finds prove that the Indus Valley Civilisation was a “Dravidian” culture and an independent “secular” Tamil civilisation.
- The attempt to define the finds in narrow and racial terms is ideologically motivated to one, pump up Tamil exclusivist sentiments, and two, and challenge the view that sees India as one— unity in diversity.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Angel Tax
Mains level: Startup and money laundering
Central idea: The article provides an overview of the angel tax provisions in the Finance Bill, which were introduced in the Budget. It highlights the concerns raised by the start-up community regarding the impact of these provisions on their operations.
Angel Investment
- An angel investor is an individual who provides financial backing to early-stage startups or entrepreneurs, typically in exchange for equity in the company.
- Angel investors are typically high-net-worth individuals who invest their own personal funds, rather than investing on behalf of a firm or institution.
- Features of Angel Investing:
- Early-stage funding
- Equity investment
- High-risk, high-reward
- Active involvement
- Personal investment
- Flexible terms
- Shorter investment horizon
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What is Angel Tax?
- Referred to as Angel Tax, this rule is described in Section 56(2)(viib) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
- Essentially it’s a tax on capital receipts, unique to India in the global context.
- This clause was inserted into the act in 2012 to prevent laundering of black money, round-tripping via investments with a large premium into unlisted companies.
- The tax covers investment in any private business entity, but only in 2016 was it applied to startups.
Why was angel tax introduced?
- The complicated nature of VC fundraising with offshore entities, multiple limited partners and blind pools is contentious.
- There has been some element of money laundering or round-tripping under guise.
Details of its levy
- The Angel Tax is being levied on startups at 9% on net investments in excess of the fair market value.
- For angel investors, the amount of investment that exceeds the fair market value can be claimed for a 100% tax exemption.
- However, the investor must have a net worth of ₹2 crores or an income of more than ₹25 Lakh in the past 3 fiscal years.
Startups under scrutiny
- As more and more new-age tech startups started raising VC funding, they came under the IT department scrutiny.
- These funding deals often saw investors paying a premium above the face value or the fair market value of securities, and therefore were taxed as income for the startup.
- Between 2016 and 2019, startups urged the government to add exceptions that would allow them to be exempt from the Angel Tax.
Which startups are exempted?
- There is a clear provision that says that start-ups which are recognized by DPIIT are out of the proposal’s purview.
- The start-up recognition process is also very simple where any applicant gets it automatically.
- However, the key condition for exemption is that the aggregate amount of paid up share capital and share premium of the startup after issue or proposed issue of share does not exceed INR 25 Cr.
Concerns raised by startup
- Compliance burden: Even beyond the issue of taxation, the compliance burden on startups will potentially increase significantly under the new rules.
- Persisting slowdown: The timing of this potential tax is most worrying since it coincides with the ongoing startup funding slowdown.
- Fear of off-shoring: Entrepreneurs and investors are concerned that applying strict taxes on capital receipts without adequate exceptions will lead to startups moving overseas.
Back2Basics: Startups in India
- Startups are young companies founded to develop a unique product or service, bring it to market and make it irresistible and irreplaceable for customers.
- In India, start-up should be incorporated as a private limited company or registered as a partnership firm or a limited liability partnership.
- Turnover should be less than INR 100 Crores in any of the previous fiscal years.
- An entity shall be considered a Start-up up to 10 years from the date of its incorporation.
- The Start-up should be working towards innovation/ improvement of existing products, services, and processes and should have the potential to generate employment/ create wealth.
- An entity formed by splitting up or reconstruction of an existing business shall not be considered a “Startup”.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various provisions for disqualifications of MP/MLAs
Mains level: Represenation of People's Act
Central idea: The article provides an overview of Sections 123 (2) and Section 123 (4) of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951. It highlights how the section makes it illegal for candidates who have been convicted of certain offenses to contest elections to Parliament and state legislatures.
Recent context: Promise of Freebies
- Recently, the Supreme Court directed to look into prayers for reconsidering its 2013 judgment in ‘S. Subramaniam Balaji vs. State of Tamil Nadu’ Case.
- The court held that promises of freebies cannot be termed a corrupt practice. However, the matter is still yet to be decided.
Illicit Practices under the RPA, 1951
- Under the provisions of the Act, an elected representative can be disqualified if convicted of certain offences on grounds of-
- Corrupt practices
- Failing to declare election expenses
- Interests in government contracts or works
What amounts to Corrupt Practices?
- Section 123 of the Act defines ‘corrupt practices’: It includes bribery, undue influence, false information, and promotion or attempted promotion of “feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language” by a candidate for the furtherance of his prospects in the election.
- Section 123 (2) deals with ‘undue influence’: It defines as “any direct or indirect interference or attempt to interfere on the part of the candidate or his agent, or of any other person, with the consent of the candidate or his election agent, with the free exercise of any electoral right.” This could also include threats of injury, social ostracism and expulsion from any caste or community.
- Section 123 (4) extends ambit of “corrupt practices”: It covers the intentional publication of false statements which can prejudice the outcome of the candidate’s election.
What practices has the court held as corrupt practices in the past?
- Jamuna Prasad Mukhariya v. Lacchi Ram, 1995: The encroachment of religion into secular activities is strictly prohibited, the court stated while adding that the same is clear from Section 123(3). However, even as far back as 1955, the Apex Court in Jamuna Prasad Mukhariya Case upheld the constitutional validity of Section 123 (3).
- SR Bommai v. Union of India, 1994: In this case, otherwise held secularism to be a part of the ‘basic structure’, the court said, “whatever the attitude of the State towards the religions, religious sects, and denominations, religion cannot be mixed with any secular activity of the State.”
- Abhiram Singh v C.D. Commachen, 2017: In 2017, a seven-judge constitution bench of the apex court held that an election will be annulled if votes are sought in the name of a candidate’s religion, race, caste, community, or language, as per Section 123 (3) which prohibits the same.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: HD 3226 wheat variety
Mains level: Not Much
Scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have developed a new variety of wheat ‘HD 3226’ that can withstand high temperatures.
HD 3226 Wheat
- The wheat, known as “HD 3226”, has been developed specifically for cultivation in the northwest region of India, where temperatures can reach up to 42 degrees Celsius.
- It took 10 years for ICAR to develop this variety.
- It has been specifically developed for cultivation in the northwest region of India.
Features of HD 3226 Wheat
- More resilient to heat stress: The HD 3226 wheat variety is reportedly more resilient to heat stress than other varieties of wheat.
- Higher yields: The HD 3226 wheat variety can produce up to 12-15% higher yields in high-temperature conditions.
Significance
- The development of this new wheat variety is particularly important given the increasing frequency of heatwaves in the region due to climate change.
- With rising temperatures, it is becoming more challenging for farmers to grow crops.
Government approval and availability
- The HD 3226 wheat variety has now been submitted to the Indian government for approval.
- Once approved, it is expected to be available to farmers in the coming years.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Bhimbetka, Dickensonia
Mains level: NA
A Dickinsonia fossil found at Bhimbetka, previously believed to be one of the world’s earliest animals, and has been identified as a decayed beehive.
About Bhimbetka
- The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the prehistoric Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period.
- It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times.
- It is located in the Raisen District in Madhya Pradesh about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-east of Bhopal.
- It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 km (6.2 mi).
- At least some of the shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago.
- Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature prehistoric cave paintings and the earliest are about 10,000 years old (c. 8,000 BCE), corresponding to the Indian Mesolithic.
- These cave paintings show themes such as animals, early evidence of dance and hunting.
- The Bhimbetka rock shelters were found by V S Wakankar 64 years ago. Since then, thousands of researchers have visited the site, but this rare fossil went undetected.
What is Dickinsonia?
- Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
- The individual Dickinsonia typically resembles a bilaterally symmetrical ribbed oval.
- Its affinities are presently unknown; its mode of growth is consistent with a stem-group bilaterian affinity, though some have suggested that it belongs to the fungi or even an “extinct kingdom”.
- The discovery of cholesterol molecules in fossils of Dickinsonia lends support to the idea that Dickinsonia was an animal.
Cambrian Explosion and Dickinsonia
- The ‘Cambrian Explosion’ is the term given to the period of time in history when complex animals and other macroscopic organisms such as molluscs, worms, arthropods and sponges began to dominate the fossil record.
- Researchers from Australian found the Dickinsonia fossil since its tissue contained molecules of cholesterol a type of fat that is the hallmark of animal life.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) Ajanta Caves lie in the gorge of Waghora River
(b) Sanchi Stupa lies in the gorge of Chambal River
(c) Pandu-lena Cave Shrines lie in the gorge of Narmada River
(d) Amaravati Stupa lies in the gorge of Godavari River
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Speaker and Deputy speaker
Mains level: Importance of Deputy speaker, Constitutional provisions, Parliamentary rules
Central Idea
- The present Lok Sabha has not elected a Deputy Speaker even after three years and seven months of its term, and the non-election has reached the Supreme Court, which has reportedly sent notice to the Union government; historically, a Deputy Speaker is as important as the Speaker for the House.
What is the practice?
- Two presiding officers in Lok Sabha: There are two presiding officers for the Lok Sabha, namely the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, who are elected by the members of the House.
- Article 93 of the constitution: Under Article 93 of the Constitution, as soon as the House meets after the election these two presiding officers are elected one after the other.
- Practice of electing speaker and deputy speaker: The practice followed so far has been to elect the Speaker after the oath-taking. Thereafter, within a few days, the Deputy Speaker is also elected.
- The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is not subordinate to the speaker of Lok Sabha; is responsible for the Lok Sabha. and
- He/she is the second-highest-ranking legislative officer of the Lok Sabha.
- He/ She acts as the presiding officer in case of leave of absence caused by death or illness of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Pin this Note
- It is by convention that the position of Deputy Speaker is offered to the opposition party in India.
- But if a government does not favour an Opposition member for political reasons, it is free to choose a member from its own party.
The Historical Significance of the office
- Government of India Act of 1919: The history of the office of Deputy Speaker goes back to the government of India Act of 1919 when he was called Deputy President as the Speaker was known as the president of the central legislative assembly.
- Role is necessary to share the responsibility of running the House: Although the main functions of a Deputy Speaker were to preside over the sittings of the assembly in the absence of the Speaker and chair the select committees etc., the position was considered necessary to share the responsibility of running the House with the Speaker and guide the nascent committees.
Did you know?
- The first Speaker was G V Mavalankar and the first Deputy Speaker was M Ananthasayanam Ayyangar who was elected by the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) on September 3, 1948.
- Later under the new Constitution, M Ananthasayanam Ayyangar was elected the first Deputy Speaker of the House of the people on May 28, 1952.
Importance of the Office
- Powers Under Article 95(1) of the Constitution: The Deputy Speaker gets all the powers of the Speaker when the office of the Speaker is vacant, so the Deputy Speaker can also determine the petitions relating to disqualification under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
- Speaker is powerless in matters of revising: The Speaker is powerless in the matter of revising or overruling a decision of the Deputy Speaker. No appeal lies to the Speaker against a ruling given by the Deputy Speaker.
Conclusion
- Although the Deputy Speaker gets to exercise these powers only in the absence of the Speaker his decisions are final and binding when he gives a ruling. In the eventuality of the Speaker remaining absent for a longer time due to illness or otherwise the government will have to grapple with the unpredictability of a ruling or an adverse decision by a Deputy Speaker who comes from the Opposition ranks. Article 93 contains a mandatory provision which needs to be carried out by the House.
Mains Question
Q. Speaker and Deputy speaker of Lok Sabha are known as Officers of the parliament. In this context discuss the importance Deputy speaker.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ICET
Mains level: India-US relations and technology cooperation, Significance of India
Centra Idea
- Earlier this month, the U.S. and India inaugurated their initiative on critical and emerging technologies (ICET). The promise of this initiative, if fulfilled, could have a transformative impact on India-U.S. relations. On the eve of the dialogue, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said that the big need was to convert intentions and ideas into deliverables. This is where there has usually been a slip.
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Background
- India’s attempts towards US Technology Parallels: Since the 1960s, India has made many attempts to jump on the U.S. technology bandwagon.
- Failed because of mismatch: But all of them have failed, primarily because of the mismatch between the two countries on the purposes for which they collaborated.
- The ICET is perhaps better positioned: Unlike the earlier iterations, it comes at a time when India, too, has developed technological and managerial capacities and is emerging as a major economic power.
- Launched by PM Modi and President Joe Biden: The ICET initiative was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden in May 2022.
- Goal to elevate and expand Indo-US Partnership: strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of the two countries.
- Directly monitored by PMO and White house: The Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi and the White House in Washington will oversee and direct the ICET.
- Six focus areas of co-development and co-production: Strengthening innovation ecosystems, defence innovation and technology cooperation, resilient semiconductor supply chains, space, STEM talent, and next generation telecom.
American aid so far
- Significant role in India’s development efforts and quest for technological capability: A major driver of the process was the Cold War which persuaded the U.S. to provide sweeping assistance in a range of areas to India. While the Soviet Union emerged as a major player in areas like steel, heavy electricals, petroleum and mining, the U.S. focused on modernising engineering and management education, science and technology (S&T), and agriculture.
- Nuclear energy cooperation: US helped build India’s first reactors for research and power. An entire generation of Indian nuclear scientists were trained in the U.S., including some who subsequently helped in making nuclear weapons.
- Aid in Education in initial phase and vice versa: The massive aid provided by the U.S. to modernise Indian education, especially engineering and management, should have led to a growing industrial sector, but the Indian economy stalled in the 1960s and India ended up with a system where IIT and IIM graduates ended up benefiting the U.S. economy.
- Aid in agriculture: The one area in which India did get lasting and important benefits was agriculture where American S&T helped trigger the Green Revolution and end an era of food shortages.
- Gandhi-Reagan Science and Technology Initiative: The Gandhi-Reagan Science and Technology Initiative led to the 1984 India-U.S. MoU on sensitive technologies, commodities and information.
- New American willingness to promote Indian S&T and the arms industry: In 1987, the U.S. agreed to assist India’s Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) programme and allowed the sale of front-line GE 404 engine to India.
Current Status
- India has steadily advanced in status as a friend of the U.S. and has purchased U.S. weapons and systems worth billions of dollars.
- It is now deemed to be a Major Defence Partner, though not a Major Non-Nato Ally, a much more useful designation that Pakistan still retains.
- The course has not been problem-free witness the pressure India faced under CAATSA and on account of its oil trade with Russia.
Ambitious goals
- Great deal for India: The ICET has set up a range of ambitious goals which mean a great deal for India. Some of them are aspirational, others political. A few are over the top, such as the belief that the U.S. will help India to develop advanced jet engines.
- Licence for jet engines: As of now, all that is on the table is the possible licence manufacture of GE-404/414 engines for the LCA. This is not new. But cutting-edge jet engines are the crown jewels of the U.S., which the country will not part with.
Conclusion
- After presenting the Union Budget, the finance minister said in an interview, “This is a golden opportunity for India. We should really not miss the bus this time.” The remark is truer of the technology and industrialisation bus that the ICET could be.
Mains question
Q. What is Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET)? Highlight the significance of ICET for India while noting down the American cooperation so far.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AI, NLP
Mains level: AI solution for Indian Judiciary
Central idea: The Supreme Court introduced live transcription of court proceedings for the first time in the country, employing artificial intelligence (AI) and high-tech tools.
Fun fact!
The CJI announced that the live transcription will commence on an experimental basis with the constitution bench hearing on the vertical political split in a mainstream Maharashtrian political party. |
How does AI-based transcription work?
- AI-based transcription works by using advanced machine learning algorithms to automatically transcribe audio or video content into written text.
- The software uses natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition technology to identify and transcribe spoken words, which are then formatted into a text document.
What is Natural Language Processing (NLP)?
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a subfield of computer science, artificial intelligence, and computational linguistics concerned with the interactions between computers and human (natural) languages.
- It involves developing algorithms and computational models that can understand, interpret, and generate human language.
- NLP is used in a variety of applications, including language translation, sentiment analysis, text summarization, speech recognition, and more.
- It combines techniques from computer science, linguistics, and psychology to enable computers to process and understand natural language.
Benefits of the move
- Improved access to justice: For the hearing impaired and those with limited understanding of English.
- Enhanced transparency and accountability: The transcripts can be reviewed and analyzed.
- Reduced errors and inaccuracies: AI-based technology is more efficient and reliable than human transcriptionists.
- Time-saving and cost-saving: For the court system and litigants, as live transcription eliminates the need for manual transcription and subsequent editing making justice dispensation faster than ever.
- Legal awareness in public domain: Availability of real-time transcripts can help journalists and researchers report on court proceedings more accurately and quickly.
Other AI solutions used in Indian Judiciary
- E-SCR project: The electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) has more than 34,000 judgments available, accords free access to the official law reports of the Supreme Court’s reported Judgments to the law students, lawyers, and other legal professionals and to the public at large with special tools for the accessibility to those with visual disabilities as well.
- SUPACE: Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Courts Efficiency (SUPACE) is a tool that collects relevant facts and laws and makes them available to a judge.
- SCI-Interact: In 2020, the Supreme Court developed a software called, SCI-Interact, to make all its 17 benches paperless. This software helps judges’ access files, annexures to petitions and make notes on computers.
- LIMBS: Earlier, the Department of Legal Affairs has introduced a web-based application called LIMBS or Legal Information Management & Briefing System. The idea is to track the entire life cycle of a case efficiently.
- SUVAAS: In November 2019, the Apex Court launched an indigenously engineered neural translation tool, SUVAAS, to translate judicial orders and rulings from English to vernacular languages faster and efficiently.
Challenges for the AI breakthrough
- Cost and Resources: The implementation of live transcription would require significant financial and technological resources.
- Accuracy of Transcription: The accuracy of the live transcription is an important issue as any errors in the transcription could have significant implications, particularly in legal proceedings.
- Privacy and Security: The live transcription of court proceedings could raise concerns about privacy and security as sensitive information could be disclosed or key judicial interpretations could be tampered.
Way forward
- The ethical and responsible use of AI and ML for the advancement of efficiency enhancing can be increasingly embedded in legal and judicial processes.
- The Supreme Court has laid a strong foundation basis which efficiency enhancement can be accelerated across functional processes.
- This is one of the key reasons why justice delivery in India is poised for transformative change.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: OMSS, PDS
Mains level: Food inflation control measures
The government has announced its plan to sell 20 lakh tonnes of wheat from its buffer stock in the market under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).
Why such move?
- The purpose of the move is to cool down the surge in wholesale prices of grain.
- It will be sold in the open market to stabilize grain prices.
Do you know?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government increased the allocation of rice and wheat for the OMSS to ensure that the supply of food grains remained stable and that people had access to affordable food. |
Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS)
- OMSS refers to the selling of food grains by the government/government agencies at predetermined prices in the open market from time to time.
- This scheme aims to enhance the supply of grains, especially during the lean season and thereby to moderate the general open market prices, especially in the deficit regions.
- The Food Corporation of India (FCI) on instructions from the Government, sells wheat and rice in the open market from time to time.
- This enhances the supply of wheat and rice especially during the lean season and moderates the open market prices, especially in the deficit regions.
Components of the scheme
The present form of OMSS comprises 3 schemes as under:
- Sale of wheat to bulk consumers/private traders through e-auction.
- Sale of wheat to bulk consumers/private traders through e-auction by dedicated movement.
- Sale of Raw Rice Grade ‘A’ to bulk consumers/private traders through e-auction.
Selling through a transparent process
- For transparency in operations, the Corporation has switched over to e-auction for sale under Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic).
- The FCI conducts a weekly auction to conduct this scheme in the open market using the platform of commodity exchange NCDEX (National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited).
- The State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations are also allowed to participate in the e-auction if they require wheat and rice outside TPDS & OWS.
Answer this PYQ in the comment box:
Q.The economic cost of food grains to the Food Corporation of India is Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus:
(a) Transportation cost only
(b) Interest cost only
(c) Procurement incidentals and distribution cost
(d) Procurement incidentals and charges for godowns
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Right to Privacy
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea: The Supreme Court of India has ruled that children have the right to protect their genetic information from being revealed in DNA tests without their consent.
Right to protect Genetic Information
- The right to protect genetic information is a fundamental right that recognizes an individual’s autonomy and control over their own personal and intimate genetic data.
- It allows individuals to make informed decisions about their health, privacy, and identity.
- In India, the Supreme Court has also held that children have the right to protect their genetic information from DNA testing in divorce proceedings, as it is part of their fundamental right to privacy.
- This is guaranteed under Article 21 of Indian Constitution.
- This right is recognized under various international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Key takeaways from the Judgment
- Genetic information is personal and intimate
- Children have the right to privacy and bodily integrity
- Children are not to be regarded like material objects and should not become the focal point of the battle between spouses
- Allowing DNA tests would also harm the reputation and dignity of the mother
Basis of this judgment
- The court drew attention to the rights of privacy, autonomy and identity recognised under the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- It acknowledged the control that individuals, including children, have over their own personal boundaries and the means by which they define who they are in relation to other people.
- Children are not to be deprived of this entitlement to influence and understand their sense of self simply by virtue of being children.
How can one get the tests done?
- Family courts should direct for a DNA test only in expedient situations and in the interest of justice, as a last resort, said the judgment.
- This should be practised as the option of last resort.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Unified Payment Interface (UPI)
Mains level: UPI integration with global payment systems
India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore’s PayNow were officially connected to allow a “real-time payment linkage”.
What are UPI and PayNow?
[A] Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
- UPI is India’s mobile-based fast payment system, which facilitates customers to make round-the-clock payments instantly, using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) created by the customer.
- It eliminates the risk of sharing bank account details by the remitter.
- UPI supports both Person-to-Person (P2P) and Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments and it also enables a user to send or receive money.
[B] PayNow
- It is a fast payment system in Singapore.
- It enables peer-to-peer funds transfer service, available to retail customers through participating banks and Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NFIs) in Singapore.
- It allows users to send and receive instant funds from one bank or e-wallet account to another in Singapore by using just their mobile number, Singapore National Registration Identity Card (NRIC)/Foreign Identification Number (FIN), or VPA.
What is the UPI-PayNow linkage?
- Cross-border retail payments are generally less transparent and more expensive than domestic transactions.
- The project to link both the fast payment systems was initiated in September 2021 to facilitate faster, more efficient and transparent cross-border transactions relating to trade, travel and remittances between the two countries.
Significance of the integration
- Enhanced cross-border transactions: The integration will enable easier cross-border transactions between India and Singapore, reducing the need for intermediaries and associated costs.
- Easier remittances: The integration will make it easier for Indian workers in Singapore to send money back home to their families.
- Boost to trade and investment: The integration will facilitate smoother transactions between businesses in the two countries, potentially increasing trade and investment.
- Strengthening of diplomatic ties: The integration is expected to improve diplomatic ties between India and Singapore.
How the integration works?
- The integration is made possible through the use of standardized QR codes.
- The QR codes will allow users to transfer funds between the two systems in real-time, without the need for intermediaries.
Implications for the future
- More integrations: The success of the UPI-PayNow integration could pave the way for similar integrations between other countries.
- Increased use of digital payments: The integration is expected to encourage the adoption of digital payments in both India and Singapore, potentially reducing the use of cash.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Survey of India
Mains level: Not Much
The Survey of India (SOI), India’s 250-year-old map maker, will no longer have a monopoly on making high-resolution maps. SOI will however remain the arbiter of maps that deal with State borders and national boundaries.
Key announcements by SOI
- Focus on map accuracy: The SoI will now take action against digital platforms that violate its guidelines and will develop a framework to ensure the accuracy of maps.
- Regulating use by digital platforms: The SoI has also asked digital platforms to comply with its guidelines and to seek its permission before publishing maps of the country.
- Ensure territorial integrity: The move is aimed at ensuring that the country’s borders and territorial integrity are accurately depicted in maps, and that sensitive locations are not compromised by the publication of maps that violate the country’s security interests.
In a nutshell: The Survey of India (SOI) will now be more like a regulatory body.
What is Survey of India?
- The SOI is India’s central engineering agency in charge of mapping and surveying.
- First modern scientific survey of India” was undertaken by W. Mather in 1793–96 on instructions of Superintendent of Salem and Baramahal (TN), Col. Alexander Read.
- Set up in 1767 to help consolidate the territories of the British East India Company, it is one of the oldest Engineering Departments of the GoI.
- Its members are from Survey of India Service cadre of Civil Services of India and Army Officers from the Indian Army Corps of Engineers.
- It is headed by the Surveyor General of India.
Responsibilities
- Advisor to Govt: Survey of India acts as adviser to the Government of India on all cartography of India related matters, such as geodesy, mapping and map reproduction.
- Geo names: It is responsible for the naming convention and spellings of names of geographical features of India.
- Certification and publication: Scrutiny and certification of external boundaries of India and Coastline on maps published by other agencies including private publishers.
- Surveys: geodetic datum, geodetic control network, topographical control, geophysical surveys, cadastral surveying, geologic maps, aeronautical charts within India, such as for forests, army cantonments, large scale cities, guide maps, developmental or conservation projects, etc.
- National borders: Demarcation of the borders and external boundaries of India as well as advice on the demarcation of inter-state boundaries.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Legal age of marriage , Related considerations
The Supreme Court has rejected a petition seeking a uniform minimum age of marriage for men and women stating that the matter is within the domain of the legislature and not the judiciary.
Central idea: The minimum age of marriage, especially for women, has been a contentious issue. It was evolved in the face of much resistance from religious and social conservatives.
What laws govern marriage age in India?
Following laws prescribe/mention 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively:
- Special Marriage Act, 1954: It allows people from two different faith/religious backgrounds to come together in the bond of marriage
- Sarda Act, 1978: Named after its sponsor Harbilas Sarda, a judge and a member of Arya Samaj, was eventually amended in 1978 to prescribe 18 and 21 years as the age of marriage for a woman and a man, respectively.
- Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: It provides that the minimum age of marriage is 21 years in case of males, and 18 years in case of females.
Evolution of the idea: Age of Consent
- The IPC enacted in 1860 criminalised sexual intercourse with a girl below the age of 10.
- The provision of rape was amended in 1927 through The Age of Consent Bill, 1927, which declared that marriage with a girl under 12 would be invalid.
- The law faced opposition from leaders including Lokmanya Tilak, who saw the British intervention as an attack to create rift within family intuitions in the name of equal rights.
- A legal framework for the age of consent for marriage in India only began in the 1880s.
Central idea: Attainment of Majority
- The minimum age of marriage is distinct from the age of majority which is gender-neutral.
- An individual attains the age of majority at 18 as per the Indian Majority Act, 1875.
- The law prescribes a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child marriages and prevents the abuse of minors.
How this confers ‘Unequal Treatment’?
- Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution guarantee the right to equality and the right to live with dignity.
- They are clearly violated by having different legal age for men and women to marry, argue activists.
Supreme Court rulings supportive to this
- NALSA vs. Union of India, 2014: The Supreme Court while recognizing transgenders as the third gender said that justice is delivered with the “assumption that humans have equal value and should, therefore, be treated as equal, as well as by equal laws.”
- Joseph Shine v Union of India, 2019: The Court decriminalized adultery and said that “a law that treats women differently based on gender stereotypes is an affront to women’s dignity.”
Contention over different legal standards
- No rationale behind: There is no reasoning in the law for having different legal standards of age for men and women to marry.
- More of religious decree: The laws are a codification of custom and religious practices.
- Stereotype for male dominance: The Law Commission consultation paper has argued that having different legal standards “contributes to the stereotype that wives must be younger than their husbands”.
- Promotes premature marriage of girl child: Women’s rights activists have argued that the law also perpetuates the stereotype that women are more mature than men and therefore, can be allowed to marry sooner.
- Motherhood complexities: An early age of marriage, and consequent early pregnancies, also have impacts on nutritional levels of mothers and their children, and their overall health and mental wellbeing.
- Other factors: Early marriage age has latent outcomes such as early dropouts from school, deprivation from higher education etc.
Why is the law being relooked at?
- Prevalence of child marriage: Despite laws mandating minimum age and criminalizing sexual intercourse with a minor, child marriages are very prevalent in the country.
- Bring gender-neutrality: From bringing in gender-neutrality to reduce the risks of early pregnancy among women, there are many arguments in favour of increasing the minimum age of marriage of women.
- Protection from abuse: This will essentially outlaw premature girls marriages and prevent the abuse of minors.
- Women empowerment: The decision would empower women who are cut off from access to education and livelihood due to an early marriage.
Policy measures in this regard: Jaya Jaitly Committee
- In June 2020, the Ministry of WCD set up a task force to look into the correlation between the age of marriage with issues of women’s nutrition, prevalence of anaemia, IMR, MMR and other social indices.
- The committee was to look at the feasibility of increasing the age of marriage and its implication on women and child health, as well as how to increase access to education for women.
Key recommendations
- The committee has recommended the age of marriage be increased to 21 years, on the basis of feedback they received from young adults from 16 universities across the country.
- The committee also asked the government to look into increasing access to schools and colleges for girls, including their transportation to these institutes from far-flung areas.
- Skill and business training has also been recommended, as has sex education in schools.
- The committee said these deliveries must come first, as, unless they are implemented and women are empowered, the law will not be as effective.
Criticism of the move to raise the legal ages
- Promote illegal marriages: Such legislation would push a large portion of the population into illegal marriages leading to non-institutional births.
- Ineffectiveness of existing laws: Decrease in child marriages has not been because of the existing law but because of an increase in girls’ education and employment opportunities.
- Unnecessary coercion: The law would end up being coercive, and in particular negatively impact marginalized communities, such as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, making them law-breakers.
Way forward
- Enacting Legislation: Establishing a Uniform Minimum Age of Marriage for Both Men and Women
- Effective Implementation and Enforcement: Preventing Child Marriages and Gender-Based Discrimination
- Addressing Root Causes: Improving Access to Education and Healthcare, Promoting Women’s Participation, and Reducing Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination
- Coordinated Multi-Sectoral Approach: Involving the Government, Civil Society and religious scholars.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: National Education Policy, International Mother Language Day
Mains level: Significance of Mother Languages
Central idea
- Former Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu, has emphasized the importance of shedding the colonial legacy in India by promoting and creating content in mother languages. He has pointed out that during the colonial era, the British rulers-imposed English as the language of administration, education, and communication, which led to the neglect of Indian languages.
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International Mother Language Day
- In November 1999, UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day in response to the declining state of many languages all over the world.
- This year’s theme, “Multilingual education a necessity to transform education,” underscores the importance of using multiple languages in framing an impactful system of education.
- It is appropriate, therefore, that revitalising languages that are disappearing or are threatened with extinction is one of the themes of Mother Language Day this year
The International Mother Language Day has added significance: Indian context
- India’s Linguistic heritage: India is an ancient repository of hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects with rich linguistic and cultural diversity. Our languages, which are an integral part of our ancient culture, give us a sense of identity.
- The threat westernisation poses: The International Mother Language Day has added significance in the Indian context because of the threat westernisation poses to the survival of as many as 42 of our dialects and languages which have fewer than 10,000 users.
- Grim situation of not having access to education in their mother tongue: The situation is equally grim all over the world with 40 per cent of the speakers of 6,700 languages not having access to education in their mother tongue.
- To express deepest feelings: It is in our mother tongue that we express, with authenticity, our, feelings, values and ideals, as also our literary endeavours.
- Homeland of our innermost thoughts: The former UNESCO Director-General, Koichiro Matsura, highlighted the irreplaceable significance of one’s mother tongue when he observed that the languages, we learn from our mothers are the homeland of our innermost thoughts.
- Science must be taught in mother tongue: The Nobel Prize-winning Physicist C V Raman said, “We must teach science in our mother tongue. Otherwise, science will become a highbrow activity. It will not be an activity in which all people can participate.”
- Better performance: A number of studies have shown that children who learn in their mother tongue in their formative years perform better than those taught in an alien language.
- View of Gandhiji: Writing in Young India in 1921, Mahatma Gandhi spoke with concern, of the strain of the foreign medium which turned “our children into crammers and imitators.” Gandhiji foresaw how “the foreign medium has made our children practically foreigners in their own land.
Colonial legacy
- It been 75 years, still carrying the colonial legacy: Even as we celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, to mark 75 years of Independence, we have not been able to shed this colonial legacy of dependence on English.
- Mother tongue as a second language: Educators and parents continue to accord unquestioned primacy to English and, as a result, the child is compelled to study his or her mother tongue as a second/third language at school.
- Building barriers in the path of our progress: Our emphasis on English has, ironically, made the educational system exclusive and restrictive. As a result, while limiting the acquisition of knowledge in technical and professional courses, to a select few, we made it inaccessible to a vast majority of our students.
Shedding the colonial legacy
- The National Education Policy (NEP): The NEP 2020 is a farsighted document which advocates education in one’s mother tongue right from the primary-school level.
- BTech programmes in 11 native languages: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address in 2021, marking the first anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP), hailed the AICTE’s landmark decision to permit BTech programmes in 11 native languages.
- Promotion of mother tongue education in colleges and universities: The UGC has, in a welcome move, written to governors and chief ministers of various states to give a fillip to measures for the promotion of mother tongue education in colleges and universities.
- For instance: In a survey conducted by AICTE in February last year of over 83,000 students, nearly 44 per cent voted in favour of studying engineering in their mother tongue, highlighting its necessity.
- Initiative to give prominence to native language: The Centre’s initiative to give prominence to native languages in employment and job creation is a welcome step.
- Examinations in native languages: It is also heartening that the Staff Selection Commission has decided to conduct examinations in 13 Indian languages in addition to Hindi and English.
- Supreme court verdicts accessible in all Indian languages: Similarly, the Supreme Court’s decision to make verdicts accessible in all Indian languages is of great significance.
Conclusion
- NEP’s emphasis on mother tongue as the medium of instruction will instil confidence in students belonging to poor, rural and tribal backgrounds. These steps need to be scaled up at all levels. Moreover, we must hasten the process of content creation in mother languages, especially with respect to technical and professional courses. Leveraging technology will drive development in this respect.
Mains Question
Q. India has rich linguistic diversity. In this backdrop discuss the importance of mother language specifically in education policy.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AMR
Mains level: AMR challenges and Government measures
Central Idea
- While the world is emerging from the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the very harmful but invisible pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is unfortunately here to stay. Most countries understood in 2020 the clear and present danger of COVID-19, forcing governments, including India’s, to respond with speed and accuracy. The rapidly rising AMR rates also need an accelerated, multi-sectoral, global and national response.
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What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a natural phenomenon that occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to become resistant to antimicrobial drugs such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics that were previously effective in treating infections caused by those microorganisms.
The Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance
- Human deaths: In 2019, AMR caused approximately 4.95 million human deaths worldwide, highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue.
- Report by OECD: A 2018 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warned that the world could experience a significant rise in resistance to second and third-line antibiotics by 2030.
- Resistance increases by 5% to 10% every year: A 2022 study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) revealed that resistance to broad-spectrum antimicrobials increases by 5% to 10% every year.
- High rate of resistance found in commonly used drugs: The Indian Network for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (INSAR) also found a high rate of resistance to commonly used drugs such as ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, co-trimoxazole, erythromycin, and clindamycin, underscoring the importance of taking steps to combat AMR.
- High levels of resistance: WHO has increasingly expressed concern about the dangerously high levels of antibiotic resistance among patients across countries.
- For example: Ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat urinary tract infections. According to WHO, resistance to ciprofloxacin varied from 8.4% to 92.9% for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and from 4.1% to 79.4% for Klebsiella pneumoniae (a bacteria that can cause life-threatening infections such as pneumonia and intensive care unit- related infections). The global epidemic of TB has been severely impacted by multidrug resistance patients have less than a 60% chance of recovery.
- Adds burden to communicable disease: AMR adds to the burden of communicable diseases and strains the health systems of a country, making it even more challenging to address health crises.
What is Muscat conference is about?
- Ministerial Conference on AMR: Third Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (November 24-25, 2022) held in Muscat where over 30 countries adopted the Muscat Ministerial Manifesto on AMR.
- The conference focused on three health targets:
- Reduce the total amount of antimicrobials used in the agri-food system at least by 30-50% by 2030;
- Eliminate use in animals and food production of antimicrobials that are medically important for human health;
- Ensure that by 2030 at least 60% of overall antibiotic consumption in humans is from the WHO Access group of antibiotics.
- Need to accelerate One Health action: The manifesto recognised the need to accelerate political commitments in the implementation of One Health action for controlling the spread of AMR.
- Need to address the overall impact of AMR: It also recognised the need to address the impact of AMR not only on humans but also on animals, and in areas of environmental health, food security and economic growth and development.
- The National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2017-21): The National Action Plan on AMR emphasised the effectiveness of the government’s initiatives for hand hygiene and sanitation programmes such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Kayakalp and Swachh Swasth Sarvatra.
- Increasing community awareness: The government has also attempted to increase community awareness about healthier and better food production practices, especially in the animal food industry.
- Specific guidelines regarding use and limiting use of antibiotics: The National Health Policy 2017 also offered specific guidelines regarding use of antibiotics, limiting the use of antibiotics as over-the-counter medications and banning or restricting the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in livestock.
- Called for scrutiny of antibiotic prescriptions: It also called for scrutiny of prescriptions to assess antibiotic usage in hospitals and among doctors.
Examples of Limiting AMR worldwide
- Less use of Antimicrobials less likely resistance: Scientific evidence suggests that the less antimicrobials are used, it is less likely that there will be an emergence of drug resistance.
- Netherlands and Thailand: Countries such as the Netherlands and Thailand have decreased their usage by almost 50%.
- China: In China, the consumption of antibiotics in the agricultural sector has fallen substantially.
Way ahead: India’s role
- India committed to strengthen surveillance: India has committed to strengthening surveillance and promoting research on newer drugs.
- GLASS: It also plans to strengthen private sector engagement and the reporting of data to the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) and other standardised systems.
Conclusion
- The various G-20 health summits spread through 2023 offer an opportunity for India to ensure that all aspects of AMR are addressed and countries commit to progress. As the current G-20 president, and as a country vulnerable to this silent pandemic, India’s role is critical in ensuring that AMR remains high on the global public health agenda.
Mains question
Q. In the backdrop of recently held Muscat Conference on AMR highlight the threats posed by AMR and Discuss India’s efforts in combating the silent pandemic.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and Marital age of women and issues
Central Idea
- Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking to increase the minimum age of marriage of women in India from 18 years to 21 years. The Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, noted that the power to amend the law lies with Parliament.
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The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- Amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is a proposed amendment to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which is an Indian law that prohibits the marriage of children below the age of 18 for girls and 21 for boys.
- Aim to strengthen the existing laws: The bill was introduced in the Indian Parliament in March 2021 with the aim of strengthening the existing law and further protecting the rights of children. Some of the key provisions of the bill include
- Referred to the Standing Committee: But after Opposition MPs demanded greater scrutiny of the Bill, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Why the age of marriage of women matters?
- Age of marriage has bearing on maternal mortality rates, fertility levels, nutrition of mother and child, sex ratios, and, on a different register, education and employment opportunities for women.
- It is also argued that other factors such as poverty and health services were far more effective as levers for improving women’s and children’s health and nutritional status.
Some of the key provisions of the Bill
- Making registration of marriages mandatory: The bill proposes to make registration of all marriages, including child marriages, mandatory. This is aimed at improving the implementation of the law and making it easier to track and prevent child marriages.
- Making child marriages voidable: The bill proposes to make child marriages voidable at the option of the contracting party who was a child at the time of marriage. This means that a child who was married before the age of 18 can seek to have the marriage declared void, provided it is done within two years of attaining adulthood.
- Punishment for promoting or permitting child marriage: The bill proposes to increase the punishment for promoting or permitting child marriage. The punishment for such offences will now be imprisonment of up to two years and/or a fine of up to one lakh rupees.
- Despite of the legal age girl married before their 18th birthday: The caution exercised by the Supreme Court and the advice of the Opposition MPs to scrutinise the Bill before passing it is well grounded. This is because, despite the legal age of marriage for women being 18 years, almost 23% of women who were aged between 20 and 24 years in 2019-21 married before their 18th birthday.
- State wise: In fact, in the eastern States of Bihar and West Bengal, the share was over 40% In Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, the share was over 25%. The share was below 10% in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, among other States.
- Less no of cases reported despite of high prevalence: Despite such a high share of women marrying before turning 18 years, only 1,050 cases were registered under The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
- Question of enforcement gets even bigger: With the Bill proposing to raise the legal age from 18 to 21, the question of enforcement gets even bigger. In India, over 60% of women who were aged between 25 and 29 in 2019-21 married before their 21st birthday. In the eastern States of Bihar and West Bengal, the share was over 70%.
Way ahead
- While laws can be changed, enforcement may remain weak as underage marriages are rarely reported.
- Education, more than wealth, determines women’s marital age
- Better-educated women have had more control over when they should get married for decades now.
- The Data Point also showed that due to awareness and better negotiation powers, younger women have pushed up their median marriage age by many years compared to their mothers and grandmothers.
Conclusion
- Overall, the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is an important step towards strengthening the legal framework to prevent child marriages in India and ensuring that children are protected from this harmful practice. However, raising the bar alone may not be sufficient. Enforcement while emphasizing education awareness will be the key.
Mains Question
Q. While laws can be changed, enforcement may remain weak as underage marriages are rarely reported In this light discuss why the age of marriage of women matters?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Digital Personal Data Protection Bill and the concerns
Central Idea
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has drafted a Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill. A data protection law must safeguard and balance peoples’ right to privacy and their right to information, which are fundamental rights flowing from the Constitution. Unfortunately, this Bill fails on both counts.
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Why do we need data protection?
- Increasing internet use: India currently has over 750 million Internet users, with the number only expected to increase in the future.
- Data breaches: At the same time, India has among the highest data breaches in the world. Without a data protection law in place, the data of millions of Indians continue to be at risk of being exploited, sold, and misused without their consent.
- Individual privacy: Data monetization may happen at cost of individual privacy. The most sought-after datasets are those that contain sensitive personal data of individuals, ex. medical history, and financial data.
- Lack of writ proceedings against corporate action: Unlike state action, corporate action or misconduct is not subject to writ proceedings in India. This is because fundamental rights are, by and large, not enforceable against private non-state entities. This leaves individuals with limited remedies against private.
DPDP Bill, 2022 is based on seven principles
According to an explanatory note for the bill, it is based on seven principles-
- Lawful use: The first is that “usage of personal data by organisations must be done in a manner that is lawful, fair to the individuals concerned and transparent to individuals.”
- Purposeful dissemination: The second principle states that personal data must only be used for the purposes for which it was collected.
- Data minimisation: Bare minimum and only necessary data should be collected to fulfill a purpose.
- Data accuracy: At the point of collection. There should not be any duplication.
- Duration of storage: The fifth principle talks of how personal data that is collected cannot be “stored perpetually by default,” and storage should be limited to a fixed duration.
- Authorized collection and processing: There should be reasonable safeguards to ensure there is “no unauthorised collection or processing of personal data.”
- Accountability of users: The person who decides the purpose and means of the processing of personal data should be accountable for such processing.
- Dilutes the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act: The Bill seeks to dilute the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which has empowered citizens to access information and hold governments accountable. It is behind the cloak of secrecy that the rights of individuals are most frequently abrogated, and corruption thrives.
- Fails to safeguard right to privacy: Proposed Bill creates wide discretionary powers for the Central government and thus fails to safeguard people’s right to privacy.
- For instance: Under Section 18, it empowers the Central government to exempt any government, or even private sector entities, from the provisions of the Bill by merely issuing a notification.
- The Bill does not ensure autonomy of the Data Protection Board: Given that the government is the biggest data repository, it was imperative that the oversight body set up under the law be adequately independent to act on violations of the law by government entities. The Bill does not ensure autonomy of the Data Protection Board, the institution responsible for enforcement of provisions of the law.
- Government direct control over the Data Protection Board: The Central government is empowered to determine the strength and composition of the Board and the process of selection and removal of its chairperson and other members.
- Serious apprehensions of its misuse by the executive: The Central government is also empowered to assign the Board any functions under the provisions of this Act or under any other law.
- Going digital by design fails to those who do not have meaningful access: The Bill stipulates that the Data Protection Board shall be ‘digital by design’, including receipt and disposal of complaints. As per the latest National Family Health Survey, only 33% of women in India have ever used the Internet. The DPDP Bill, therefore, effectively fails millions of people who do not have meaningful access to the Internet.
Conclusion
- The government has been given the power to exempt not only government agencies but any entity that is collecting user data, from having to comply with the provisions of this bill when it is signed into law.
Mains question
Q. It is behind the cloak of secrecy that the rights of individuals are most frequently abrogated, and corruption thrives. Discuss.
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