Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: McMahon Line
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: Republican and Democrat senators introduced a resolution in US Congress reiterating that the US recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and India in Arunachal Pradesh.
Significance of such move
- This resolute confirms US (both ruling and opposition) stand with India at a time when China poses a threat to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
- The resolution reaffirms Indiaâs position that Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls âSouth Tibetâ, is an integral part of India.
What is the McMahon Line?
- The McMahon Line serves as the de facto boundary between China and India in the Eastern Sector and represents the boundary between Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet.
- China disputes the boundary and claims the state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).
Under what circumstances was the McMahon Line drawn?
- The McMahon Line was drawn during the Simla Convention of 1914, officially described as the Convention between Great Britain, China, and Tibet.
- The British led an expedition into Tibet and signed the Convention of Lhasa in 1904, alarmed at the growing Russian influence in the region.
- China invaded at the same time, taking control of the southeastern Kham region and pushing British officials to advocate extending British jurisdiction into the tribal territory.
- The convention attempted to settle the question of Tibetâs sovereignty and avoid further territorial disputes in the region.
What happened at the Simla Convention of 1913-14?
- The Tibetan government in Lhasa was represented by its plenipotentiary Paljor Dorje Shatra, and Britain by Sir Arthur Henry McMahon, foreign secretary of British India at Delhi.
- The Chinese plenipotentiary was Ivan Chen.
- The treaty divided the Buddhist region into âOuter Tibetâ and âInner Tibetâ and determined the border between China proper and Tibet as well as Tibet and British India.
- The final convention was only signed by McMahon on behalf of the British government and Shatra on behalf of Lhasa.
- Ivan Chen did not consent to the convention, arguing that Tibet had no independent authority to enter into international agreements.
How was the border between British India and China decided?
- The 890-km border from the corner of Bhutan to the Isu Razi Pass on the Burma border was drawn largely along the crest of the Himalayas, following the âhighest watershed principleâ.
- However, exceptions were made, such as Tawang, which was included in British India due to its proximity to the Assam Valley.
What has the status of the McMahon line been since 1914?
- While there were disputes regarding the McMahon line from the beginning, after the communists took power in 1949, they pulled China out of all international agreements.
- The McMahon line was not mentioned during the Bandung Conference of 1955, which was held in Indonesia and saw Asian and African leaders agree to a common stand against colonialism and the Cold War.
- However, the Chinese have recently raised the issue of the McMahon line, and in 2017, Beijing officially renamed six places in the Arunachal Pradesh region, including the disputed area of Tawang.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: India-Italy Bilateral relations
Central Idea
- The recent summit between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and India. It also marked a significant turning point in the relations between the two countries, as they have established a strategic partnership for the first time.
- Now strategic partners: India and Italy have decided to elevate the ties to the level of strategic partnership and identified defence as one of the areas where they can start a new chapter.
- Boost to startups: The meet led to the establishment of a âStartup Bridgeâ between India and Italy.
- Bilateral defence exercise: Another important area of mutual cooperation is defence. They also decided to organise joint military exercises and training courses on a regular basis.
- Enhance peopleâs mobility: India and Italy also signed a Declaration of Intent on migration and mobility and inked a memorandum of understanding between Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and Italian Consulate General; and Morarji Desai Institute of Yoga and Sarva Yoga International, Italy.
India-Italy Flourishing Partnership
- Bilateral Trade: Italy and India have intensified their collaboration in recent years, resulting in a record figure of around 15 billion euros in 2022, doubling the figure recorded in 2020.
- Five-Year Action Plan: In 2020, a five-year action plan was adopted with a well-defined range of priorities including energy transition, food processing, advanced manufacturing, creative industry, and infrastructure.
- Multilateral Initiatives: Italy has joined all the multilateral initiatives promoted by India, from the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to the Coalition for Disaster Relief Infrastructure (CDRI), to the International Solar Alliance.
- Cultural Collaboration: Italy and India have enhanced their collaboration in the cultural field, from the heritage front to the creative industry, including fashion, design, cinema, etc.
- Scientific Research and Technology: The partnership between the two countries has registered the launch of 13 new joint projects in scientific research and technology.
- Mobility: In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the flow of Indian students and workers in Italy, where an Indian community that exceeds a figure of 2,00,000 is already actively operating in the Italian economy.
- Health Sector: During the pandemic, Italy and India collaborated by exchanging experiences and practices, with humanitarian initiatives and promoting joint research projects.
- Strategic Partnership: The Joint Declaration approved in the last summit affirms the commitment of the two governments to develop a strategic partnership that will also focus on sectors such as defence, cybersecurity, space, and energy.
- Indo-Pacific and Enlarged Mediterranean: A connection was identified between the Indo-Pacific and the enlarged Mediterranean where Italy is a front-line player in terms of energy security, investments, and commerce.
- Support for G20 Presidency: Italy offered full support to the Indian Presidency of the G20, contributing around issues that were at the centre of Italyâs G20 Presidency in 2021.
- Ukraine Conflict: Italy and India will be engaged in trying to find a cessation of the conflict in Ukraine.
- European-Indian Strategic Partnership: Both the Prime Ministers expressed their commitment to enhancing the European-Indian strategic partnership and their support for the ongoing negotiations for Free Trade Agreements and agreements on investment protection and geographical indication protection.
What makes Italy a crucial partner for India?
- Economic Cooperation: Italy is one of the largest economies in the European Union and is home to several global corporations. India has a growing economy, and both countries have strong economic ties.
- Trade and Investment: Italy is the 13th largest investor in India with around 700 Italian companies having a presence in India. Italian companies are investing in various sectors in India, including infrastructure, energy, automotive, and textiles.
- Cultural Ties: India and Italy share a rich cultural heritage, and their cultural ties go back centuries. Both countries have a long history of art, literature, music, and architecture. Italy is known for its classical art, and India is renowned for its rich cultural diversity.
- Strategic Cooperation: Both have a shared vision of a multi-polar world order, and are committed to promoting peace and security. Both countries work closely on global issues such as climate change, counter-terrorism, and UN reform.
- People-to-People Contacts: Italy and India have a significant number of people-to-people contacts, with a large Indian diaspora in Italy. There are over 150,000 people of Indian origin living in Italy, and they contribute significantly to the cultural, social, and economic fabric of the country. The growing tourism sector is also promoting more significant people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
Conclusion
- The strategic partnership between Italy and India is based on respect for international law, freedom of navigation, and territorial integrity. It aims to strengthen bilateral relations and focus on sectors such as defence, cybersecurity, space, and energy. In these challenging times, the two countries aim to give a strong impulse to their relations based on the common recognition of the value of true friendship and solidarity.
Mains Question
Q. What are the key highlights of the recent visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to India, and how does it mark a significant turning point in the relations between Italy and India? Also Discuss the factors that make Italy a crucial partner for India.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Online Public Hearings and In person Public hearings
Central Idea
- The scale of operations of electricity distribution companies is clear from the fact that their annual revenue requirement is 20% of the Union Budget. The article discusses the importance of public participation in the decision-making process of electricity distribution companies and the role of public hearings conducted by Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs) in this regard. The central ERC recently issued a public notice where it announced that hearings would resume through in-person mode.
- Independent body: ERCs are independent statutory bodies established by the government to regulate the generation, transmission, distribution, and trading of electricity in a particular state or region.
- Role: The primary role of ERCs is to protect the interests of electricity consumers by ensuring that electricity is supplied to them at reasonable and affordable rates while ensuring the financial viability of the electricity sector.
- Powers: ERCs also have the power to issue licenses to power generation and distribution companies, set tariffs, and adjudicate disputes between stakeholders in the electricity sector.
- To ensure transparent framework: ERCs are an essential part of the electricity sector, ensuring that there is a fair and transparent regulatory framework that promotes competition, efficiency, and innovation.
Importance of Public Participation in the decision-making process of electricity distribution companies
- Transparency: Public participation promotes transparency in the decision-making process, It ensures that stakeholders are informed about the decisions being made, the rationale behind them, and the potential impact on the community.
- Accountability: It creates a system of checks and balances that helps ensure that decisions made are in the best interest of the public.
- Improved Decision Making: Public participation can provide DISCOMs with valuable insights and perspectives from the community. This can help improve decision-making by ensuring that decisions are made based on a comprehensive understanding of the issues and the needs of the community.
- Increased Trust: When the public is involved in the decision-making process, it helps build trust between the community and the DISCOM. This can lead to increased support for the decisions made, greater acceptance of the outcomes, and reduced potential for conflict or opposition.
- Community Empowerment: Public participation can empower the community to have a voice in the decisions that affect their daily lives. This can lead to a greater sense of ownership and responsibility for the outcomes, as well as increased engagement and participation in future decision-making processes.
In-person Public Hearings
- Pros of In-person Public Hearings
- Greater sense of community: In-person hearings provide a greater sense of community and allow for face-to-face interactions, which can help build trust and foster dialogue.
- Physical presence: In-person hearings allow participants to physically be present in the room, which can make it easier for them to be heard and have their concerns addressed.
- Better understanding: In-person hearings may be more effective at conveying complex information and data, as participants can ask questions and seek clarification in real-time.
- Increased transparency: In-person hearings can increase transparency as they allow the public to see and hear the proceedings first-hand, and hold regulators and utilities accountable.
- Cons of In-person Public Hearings
- Accessibility: In-person hearings may not be accessible to all members of the public, especially those who are physically unable to attend, live far away, or have other commitments.
- Time-consuming and expensive: In-person hearings can be time-consuming and expensive to organize and attend, which can deter participation and limit the diversity of voices represented.
- Limited participation: In-person hearings may limit participation to those who are comfortable with public speaking or who have the means to travel and attend the hearing, potentially excluding some marginalized groups.
Online Public Hearings
- Pros of Online Public Hearings
- Accessibility: Online hearings are more accessible to a wider audience, as participants can attend from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Convenience and flexibility: Online hearings provide more convenience and flexibility for participants as they can attend from the comfort of their own homes and at their own pace.
- Increased participation: Online hearings may increase participation from diverse groups and those who may not be comfortable with public speaking or traveling to attend an in-person hearing.
- Cost-effective: Online hearings can be less expensive to organize and attend, which can allow for more resources to be dedicated to other aspects of the regulatory process.
- Cons of Online Public Hearings
- Technical difficulties: Online hearings may be subject to technical difficulties, such as poor internet connection or difficulties with the online platform, which can hinder participation and the effectiveness of the hearing.
- Limited sense of community: Online hearings may lack the sense of community that in-person hearings provide, potentially limiting the opportunity for dialogue and relationship building.
- Digital divide: Online hearings may be inaccessible to those who do not have reliable internet access or the necessary technology to participate.
- Privacy concerns: Online hearings may raise privacy concerns, as participants may be uncomfortable sharing personal information or speaking out in a public forum.
What could be the best option?
- A hybrid mode with both in-person and online options is the best approach to ensure quality public participation.
- Moving back to the pre-pandemic practice of only in-person hearings takes away a convenient avenue for consumer engagement and impacts meaningful interactions that are possible in the in-person platform.
- The provision of online mode in addition to in-person hearings would strengthen public participation and plug access gaps, provide flexibility of participation to the citizen, and enable a robust avenue for public participation.
Conclusion
- Public hearings conducted in hybrid mode, with the choice of mode being left to the citizen, are best suited to improving access and ensuring quality public participation. There is a need for institutions to continue to build infrastructure and experience toward online hearings and make improvements in how online hearings are conducted.
Mains Question
Q. What is the role of Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs) in the electricity sector, and why is public participation important in the decision-making process of electricity distribution companies?
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The Kochi landfill site has caught fire. This is a stark reminder that Indian cities need to be prepared for more such incidents as summer approaches.
What are Landfills?
- Garbage landfills, also known as waste disposal sites or dumps, are areas where waste materials are disposed of by burying them in the ground.
- They are designed to contain and isolate the waste from the surrounding environment, preventing the spread of pollutants and contamination of soil and water sources.
- Garbage landfills are commonly used for the disposal of non-hazardous municipal solid waste, such as household trash, construction debris, and yard waste.
- However, they can also be used for the disposal of hazardous waste and other types of industrial waste, depending on the regulations and restrictions in place.
Is landfilling best way for waste management?
- Landfilling is not considered the best way for garbage disposal, as it can have negative environmental impacts.
- Landfills take up space
- Release harmful gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, and
- Contaminate groundwater and soil if not properly managed
- Landfills can emit odours and create noise pollution, which can impact nearby communities.
Alternative methods for garbage disposal
- Recycling: This involves the separation of waste materials such as plastics, glass, metals, and paper from the general waste stream, and processing them into new products.
- Composting: This is the process of breaking down organic waste materials such as food scraps, yard waste, and paper into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
- Waste-to-energy: This involves the conversion of waste into energy through incineration, gasification, or pyrolysis. The energy produced can be used to generate electricity or heat.
- Landfill gas recovery: This involves the collection and use of methane gas produced by decomposing waste in landfills to generate electricity or heat.
- Mechanical biological treatment: This is a process that combines mechanical and biological processes to separate and treat waste materials, producing compost and recyclable materials.
- Anaerobic digestion: This is a biological process that breaks down organic waste in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas and fertilizer.
Landfills in India
- Indian municipalities collect more than 95% of the waste generated in cities.
- The efficiency of waste processing is 30-40% at best.
- Indian municipal solid waste consists of about 60% biodegradable material, 25% non-biodegradable material, and 15% inert materials.
- Municipalities are expected to process wet and dry waste separately and have recovered by-products recycled.
Why do Indian landfills often catch fire in summers?
- The rate of processing in Indiaâs cities is far lower than the rate of waste generation.
- Unprocessed waste remains in open landfills for long periods.
- Openly disposed waste includes flammable material like low-quality plastics and rags and clothes.
- In summer, the biodegradable fraction composts much faster, increasing the temperature of the heap.
- Higher temperature and flammable material increase the chance for the landfill to catch fire.
- Some fires have been known to go on for months.
Is there a permanent solution?
There are two possible permanent solutions to manage landfill fires.
- Completely cap the material using soil and close landfills in a scientific manner: This solution is unsuitable in the Indian context as the land canât be used again for other purposes. Closed landfills have specific standard operating procedures, including managing methane emissions.
- Clear the piles of waste through bioremediation: Excavate old waste and use automated sieving machines to segregate the flammable refuse-derived fuel (RDF), such as plastics, rags, clothes, etc., from biodegradable material. The recovered RDF can be sent to cement kilns as fuel, while the bio-soil can be distributed to farmers to enrich soil. The inert fraction will have to be landfilled.
Some immediate measures to manage landfill fires
- Divide the site into blocks: Based on the nature of waste, separate fresh waste from flammable material and capping portions with soil to reduce the chance of fire spreading across blocks.
- Cap the most vulnerable part of the landfill: That contains lots of plastics and cloth, with soil.
- Provide enough moisture to the fresh-waste block: By sprinkling water and regularly turn the material for aeration to cool the waste heap.
- Classify incoming waste: On arrival and dispose of it in designated blocks rather than dumping mixed fractions.
- Send to kilns on time: Send already segregated and baled non-recyclable and non-biodegradable waste to cement kilns instead of allowing it to accumulate at the site.
Way forward
- Sites should be equipped with water tankers with sprinklers for immediate action.
- The municipality should work with the nearest fire department and have a plan of action in advance.
- Waste-processing workers (plant operators, segregators, etc.) should have basic fire safety and response training.
- People around landfill sites should also be trained and equipped to safeguard themselves during fires.
- The municipality should have routine round-the-clock video surveillance of the most flammable portion of the landfill.
- Flammable material like chemical waste, match sticks, and lighters should not enter the site.
- Machines at the site, like sieves and balers, should be cleaned and moved away from the flammable material.
- On-site staff and security personnel should be housed away from the flammable portion.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AUKUS
Mains level: AUKUS as a response to China
Australia will buy up to 5 US nuclear-powered submarines and build a new model with US and British technology under the AUKUS.
AUKUS: A Backgrounder
- This new partnership is known as AUKUS and the major highlight of this arrangement is the sharing of US nuclear submarine technology with Australia.
- The first major initiative of AUKUS would be to deliver a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for Australia thereby giving it a nuclear heft in the Pacific where China has been particularly aggressive.
- Apart from this AUKUS will also involve the sharing of cyber capabilities and other undersea technologies.
- This alliance is considered to be most significant security arrangement between these three nations.
Ripples created by AUKUS
(A) US shift of focus
- AUKUS is both an acknowledgment of and a concession to the loss of US strategic primacy.
- It gives justification for the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan â to be able to better focus on the strategic rivalry and trade competition with China.
(B) Resentment in the EU and France
- The deal has complicated the relations between France and Australia, and also France and the US. France is upset as it has been kept out of the loop.
- France has even ordered the recall of its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra.
(C) Chinese offensive reception
- China, expectedly, has strongly criticised AUKUS and the submarine deal as promoting instability and stoking an arms race.
(D) Confusion among the SE nations
- The new great power contestation might actually generate much room for the Southeast Asian states to manoeuvre, as they are wooed simultaneously by China, AUKUS, and the Quad.
- They realise that AUKUS is a challenge to the hallowed notion of âASEAN centralityâ, a totemic rhetorical device which seeks to have others acknowledge its relevance.
Why such an alliance?
(A) Deteriorating China-AU relations
- Tensions have been high between Australia and an increasingly assertive China, its largest trade partner.
- Australia banned Chinese telecom giant Huawei in 2108 and its PM called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 last year.
- China retaliated by imposing tariffs on or capping Australian exports.
(B) US act of counterbalancing
- China has nuclear-powered submarines, as well as submarines that can launch nuclear missiles.
- The three signatories to the AUKUS deal have made it clear though, that their aim is not to arm the new subs with nuclear weapons.
(C) Bringing Australia at the centrestage of Indo-Pacific
- In the context of the AUKUS agreement, nuclear-powered submarines will give the Royal Australian Navy the capability to go into the South China Sea.
- This is primarily because a nuclear-powered submarine gives a navy the capability to reach far out into the ocean and launch attacks.
- A nuclear-powered submarine offers long distances dives, at a higher speed, without being detected gives a nation the ability to protect its interests far from its shores.
Exactly, How?
- To go from a diesel-electric fleet to a nuclear fleet is thus a change of strategy, not just of propulsion.
- It provides a way to project power from the shipping lanes which feed the all-important Malacca Strait to the waters off Taiwan.
- Add on the capacity to launch much longer-range missilesâa submarine could deliver missiles to Chinaâs mainland while sitting to the east of the Philippinesâand the country has a greatly expanded offensive capacity.
AU: Another US Base
- If Australiaâs strategic stance is changed by the deal, so is Americaâs.
- Since the Second World War the US has projected power across the region called as an archipelago of empire.
- There are the island bases from Hawaii in the east to Guam, Okinawa in Japan and, in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia, leased from Britain without the consent of its natives.
- In Australia, America has now, in effect, a beefed-up continent-sized base for its own operations as well as a reinvigorated ally.
Outcomes of AUKUS
(A) Offensive front against China
- There is no gainsaying the fact that rapid accretion in Chinaâs economic and military capacities, but more particularly its belligerence, has led to a tectonic shift in regional security paradigms.
- Several countries have been obliged to review their defence preparedness in response to Chinaâs rising military power and its adverse impact on regional stability.
(B) India as a bridge in Anglosphere
- The transatlantic fissure has also pointed to something inconceivableâthat India could emerge as a potential bridge between different parts of the West.
- Our PM was on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirming Indiaâs strong commitment to the Indo-Pacific partnership with France.
- Indiaâs solidarity with France at a difficult moment is rooted in New Delhiâs conviction that preserving the Westâs unity is critical in shaping the strategic future of the Indo-Pacific.
(C) Exposed Chinese double standards
- China has the worldâs fastest-growing fleet of sub-surface combatants.
- This includes the Type 093 Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) and the Type 094 nuclear-powered Jin-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN).
- Its nuclear submarines are on the prowl in the Indo-Pacific.
- Yet, China denies Australia and others the sovereign right to decide on their defence requirements.
Implications on QUAD
- Not superseding:Â This alliance does not and will not supersede or outrank existing arrangements in the Indo-Pacific region such as the Quad, which the US and Australia form with India and Japan, and ASEAN.
- Complimentary to QUAD:Â AUKUS will complement these groups and others.
Opportunities for India
While the Quad and Washingtonâs Indo-Pacific pivot generate much interest and anxiety, it is easy to forget that the two ideas are, in essence, about India.
- Indiaâs role has enhanced:Â Balancing China is the challenge confronting the United States, and Washington has recognized that India is an indispensable part of the answer.
- Just another alliance:Â New Delhi has no reason to complain if Australia, Britain, and the United States raise the military capabilities of their coalition. The submarine deal is an undiluted example of strategic defence collaboration.
- Intimidating China:Â The introduction of nuclear-powered submarine through AUKUS has a complicating impact on the Chinese maritime calculus. Anything that maintains a balance of power in the region is desirable.
- Focusing inside on land border:Â AUKUS also leaves India with a less of a headache in securing its maritime flank from Chinese aggression and New Delhi may focus more fully on the threat emanating from the land border with China.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Economic indicators, GDP and current trends
Mains level: India's GDP growth
Central Idea
- The National Statistical Office (NSO) has released a new set of data on India’s annual and quarterly national income, providing a final assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the country’s GDP growth. The latest numbers and sector-wise performance, highlighting areas of growth and contraction.
- Advance estimates: NSO’s second advance estimate (SAE) shows a contraction of (-) 5.7% in 2020-21, lower than its first advance estimate (FAE) at (-) 7.7%.
- Benefited sectors: Manufacturing, construction, and financial sectors benefited the most in the revised estimate.
- GDP growth: Real GDP in the COVID-19 year amounted to âš136.9 lakh crore, higher than the earlier assessment of âš134.4 lakh crore. GDP grew by 9.1% in 2021-22 and 7% in 2022-23.
- Negative growth in 2020: The compound annual average growth rate between 2019-20 and 2022-23 was 3.2%. Comparison with other countries, including China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, shows India’s negative growth rate in 2020.
Back to basics: Advanced estimates
- Advance estimates refer to the preliminary projections made by the government regarding the likely economic growth, inflation, or other macroeconomic indicators of a country for a given period. These estimates are usually released a few months before the actual data for the period becomes available.
- Advance estimates are based on various economic indicators such as industrial production, agricultural output, exports, and consumption expenditure, among others. These indicators are used to extrapolate the economic activity for the full period, based on which the government makes its initial projections.
Sector-wise Performance
- Overall GVA in 2022-23 is higher by 11.3% compared to 2019-20.
- Mining and quarrying sector still shows a contraction at (-) 0.3%.
- Trade, hotels, transport, etc., show weak growth of 4.3%.
- Construction sector shows higher-than-average growth at 18.6%.
- Manufacturing sector also shows robust growth at 14.8%.
- Financial, real estate, etc., grew at 14.3%.
- Agriculture sector grew at 12%.
- Government final consumption expenditure (GFCE) grew at 7.4%.
- Gross fixed capital formation and private final consumption expenditure (PFCE) increased by 17.7% and 13.1%, respectively.
Investment and Capacity Utilization
- Gross fixed capital formation to GDP ratio in nominal terms increased to 29.2% in 2022-23 from 28.6% in 2019-20.
- Real investment rates increased to 34% in 2022-23 from 31.8% in 2019-20.
- Estimated incremental capital output ratio (ICOR) decreased to 4.9 in 2022-23 from 8.5 in 2019-20.
- Capacity utilization ratio in the manufacturing sector was only 70.3% in 2019-20, but it increased to 73.5% in the first half of 2022-23.
- Subdued growth implies lower capacity utilization and higher ICOR.
Quarterly Growth and Projections
- Q3 2022-23 saw a decline in real GDP growth to 4.4% from 6.3% in Q2 and 13.2% in Q1.
- Growth rate in Q3 and expected growth rate in Q4 are quite low.
- High frequency indicators point towards improved economic activity.
- PMI manufacturing in January and February 2023 remained above its long-term average.
- PMI services increased to a near 12-year
Conclusion
- the NSO’s latest data on India’s GDP growth provides a final assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the country’s economy. The NSO’s data shows that India’s economy is recovering, albeit at a slower pace, from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Antiquities
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: Indian authorities are pushing for restitution of stolen antiquities and ancient religious artefacts.
What is an antiquity?
- An antiquity is defined by the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 as-
- Any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship;
- Any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave;
- Any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages;
- Any article, object or thing of historical interest that has been in existence for not less than one hundred years.
- For manuscripts, records or other documents of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value, this duration is not less than seventy-five years.
What do international conventions say?
- The UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property defined “cultural property” as the property designated by countries having “importance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science.”
- The Convention further stated that “the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countries of origin of such property and that international co-operation constitutes one of the most efficient means of protecting each country’s cultural property.”
- The General Assembly of the UN and the UN Security Council in 2015 and 2016 also raised concerns about the illicit international traffic of cultural items and related offenses.
- An INTERPOL report in 2019 indicated that almost 50 years after the UNESCO convention, the illicit international traffic of cultural items and related offenses is increasingly prolific.
What do Indian laws say?
- In India, Item-67 of the Union List, Item-12 of the State List, and Item-40 of the Concurrent List of the Constitution deal with the country’s heritage.
- The Antiquities (Export Control) Act was passed in April 1947 to ensure that no antiquity could be exported without a license.
- The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act was enacted in 1958.
- The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 (AATA) was implemented on April 1, 1976, after an uproar in Parliament over the theft of a bronze idol from Chamba and some important sandstone idols from other places.
- Under the AATA, it is not lawful for any person other than the Central Government or any authorized agency to export any antiquity or art treasure, and no person shall carry on the business of selling or offering to sell any antiquity except under and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a license granted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
What is the provenance of an antiquity?
- Provenance includes the list of all owners from the time the object left its maker’s possession to the time it was acquired by the current owner.
How is ownership proved?
- The requesting party needs to furnish, at its expense, the documentation and other evidence necessary to establish its claim for recovery and return, according to the UNESCO 1970 declaration.
- In India, the first thing in order to prove ownership is the complaint (FIR) filed with the police. In many cases, there is no FIR for missing antiquities.
- However, other proof such as details mentioned by reputed scholars in research papers can also be helpful.
How to check for fake antiquities?
- Every person who owns, controls or is in possession of any antiquity shall register such antiquity before the registering officer and obtain a certificate in token of such registration under section 14(3) of the AATA.
- The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, launched in March 2007, has registered
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CSTO, Nagorno Karabakh region
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: Armenia’s PM accused the Moscow-dominated security alliance Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) of leaving Armenia in the cold amid renewed hostilities with Azerbaijan.
What did Armenia say?
- Armenia has repeatedly criticized the CSTO for its failure to protect itself.
- Russia has maintained a delicate diplomatic balancing act between Armenia and Azerbaijan, avoiding any forceful action.
What is CSTO?
- The CSTO is a Russia-led military alliance of seven former Soviet states that was created in 2002.
- Current CSTO members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation and Tajikistan. Afghanistan and Serbia hold observer status in the CSTO.
- Its purpose is to ensure the collective defense of any member that faces external aggression.
- It has been described by political scientists as the Eurasian counterpart of NATO, which has 29 member states, while the CSTO has just six.
Outlined functions of CSTO
- CSTO supports arms sales, manufacturing, and military training and exercises, making the CSTO the most important multilateral defense organization in the former Soviet Union.
- Beyond mutual defense, the CSTO also coordinates efforts in fighting the illegal circulation of weapons among member states and has developed law enforcement training for its members in pursuit of these aims.
What does CSTO membership provide?
- While CSTO membership means that member states are barred from joining other military alliances, limiting, for example, their relationship with NATO.
- Its members receive discounts, subsidies, and other incentives to buy Russian arms, facilitating military cooperation.
- Most importantly, membership presumes certain key security assurances â the most significant of which is deterring military aggression by third countries.
- In the CSTO, aggression against one signatory is perceived as aggression against all.
- It however remains unclear whether this feature works in practice.
Armeniaâs Concerns and Threats
- The PM emphasizes the threat of escalation along Armeniaâs border and in Nagorno-Karabakh, citing increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Azerbaijan.
- Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan increased in December when Azerbaijani protesters blocked the Lachin corridor, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh residents short of food and basic supplies.
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since a separatist war in 1994.
- In 2020, Azerbaijani troops routed Armenian forces in six weeks of fighting.
- They claimed a significant part of Nagorno-Karabakh and nearby areas which had been in Armenian hands for nearly two decades.
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Back2Basics: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
- NATO was established in the aftermath of the Second World War.
- Its purpose was to secure peace in Europe, to promote cooperation among its members and to guard their freedom â all of this in the context of countering the threat posed at the time by the Soviet Union.
- It is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949.
- It sought to create a counterweight to Soviet armies stationed in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II.
- Its original members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- NATO has spread a web of partners, namely Egypt, Israel, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Finland.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Alluri Sitharama Raju and Komaram Bheem
Mains level: Not Much
A Telugu movie with its story and characters rooted in the lives of Indian freedom fighters Alluri Sitharama Raju and Komaram Bheem is garnering attention on the global stage.
Who was Alluri Sitharama Raju?
- Raju is believed to have been born in Andhra Pradesh in 1897 or 1898.
- He is said to have become a sanyasi at the age of 18 and gained a mystical aura among the hill and tribal peoples with his austerity, knowledge of astrology and medicine, and his ability to tame wild animals.
- At a very young age, Raju channelled the discontent of the hill people in Ganjam, Visakhapatnam, and Godavari into an effective guerrilla resistance against the British.
Advent into revolutionary activities
- Colonial rule threatened the tribalsâ traditional podu (shifting) cultivation, as the government sought to secure forest lands.
- The Forest Act of 1882 banned the collection of minor forest produce such as roots and leaves, and tribal people were forced into labour by the colonial government.
- While the tribals were subjected to exploitation by muttadars, village headmen commissioned by the colonial government to extract rent, the new laws and systems threatened their way of life itself.
- Strong anti-government sentiment, shared by the muttadars who were aggrieved by the curtailment of their powers by the British, exploded into armed resistance in August 1922.
Contribution to freedom struggle
- The Rampa or Manyam Rebellion continued in the form of a guerrilla war until May 1924, when Raju, the charismatic âManyam Veeruduâ or Hero of Jungle, was finally captured and executed.
- The Rampa Rebellion coincided with Mahatma Gandhiâs Non-Cooperation Movement.
- Raju often talked of the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi, said he was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement, and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking.
- But at the same time, he asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.
Who was Alluri Sitharama Raju?
- Raju is believed to have been born in Andhra Pradesh in 1897 or 1898.
- He is said to have become a sanyasi at the age of 18 and gained a mystical aura among the hill and tribal peoples with his austerity, knowledge of astrology and medicine, and his ability to tame wild animals.
- At a very young age, Raju channelled the discontent of the hill people in Ganjam, Visakhapatnam, and Godavari into an effective guerrilla resistance against the British.
Advent into revolutionary activities
- Colonial rule threatened the tribalsâ traditional podu (shifting) cultivation, as the government sought to secure forest lands.
- The Forest Act of 1882 banned the collection of minor forest produce such as roots and leaves, and tribal people were forced into labour by the colonial government.
- While the tribals were subjected to exploitation by muttadars, village headmen commissioned by the colonial government to extract rent, the new laws and systems threatened their way of life itself.
- Strong anti-government sentiment, shared by the muttadars who were aggrieved by the curtailment of their powers by the British, exploded into armed resistance in August 1922.
Contribution to freedom struggle
- The Rampa or Manyam Rebellion continued in the form of a guerrilla war until May 1924, when Raju, the charismatic âManyam Veeruduâ or Hero of Jungle, was finally captured and executed.
- The Rampa Rebellion coincided with Mahatma Gandhiâs Non-Cooperation Movement.
- Raju often talked of the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi, said he was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement, and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking.
- But at the same time, he asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.
And who was Komaram Bheem?
- Komram Bheem was born in the Gond tribal community at Sankepally village in Komarambheem District, which was renamed after him in 2016.
- Bheem’s family’s land was occupied by a jagirdar who was an informer of the Nizam, which led to him killing the jagirdar in a fit of rage.
- To avoid authorities, he went to Assam and worked as a labourer in coffee and tea plantations for five years.
- Despite being illiterate, Bheem learned to read and write and became aware of movements like Birsa Munda’s.
Resistance against the Nizam government
- The Nizam government collected taxes in the name of “Bambram” and “Dupapetti” from people grazing cattle and collecting firewood for cooking.
- Bheem spread the message of “Jal, Jangal, Zameen” among tribal people in opposition to this tax collection.
- He trained tribal people to fight with weapons, and villages in Adilabad were ready with the help of a guerrilla army composed of Gond and Koya communities’ men.
Death and legacy
- Despite their efforts, Nizam’s army overwhelmed the tribal resistance.
- Bheem died at their hands in the Jodeghat forest.
- Bheem’s message of “Jal, Jangal, Zameen” has become a clarion call for indigenous people’s rights to natural resources, used in many parts of India to date.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Iran-Saudi Arabia Reconciliation
Central idea: Saudi Arabia and Iran, two of West Asiaâs major powers that have been at odds with each other for decades, agreed to restore diplomatic relations last week in an agreement brokered by China.
Saudi-Iran Ties: A timeline
- Pre-1979: Saudi Arabia and Iran compete for regional dominance.
- 1979: Iranian Revolution brings down the monarchy and turns Iran into a Shia theocratic republic.
- 1980-1988: Iran-Iraq war sees Saudi Arabia support Iraq.
- 1990-1991: Saudi Arabia supports Iraq against Iran in the Gulf War.
- 1996: Iranian-backed Hezbollah bombs Saudi military housing complex in Khobar, killing 19 US soldiers.
- 2011-2015: Saudi Arabia and Iran support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.
- 2015: Saudi Arabia launches military intervention in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
- January 2016: Saudi Arabia executes prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, leading to protests in Iran and the burning of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
- 2016: Saudi and several Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Iran.
- 2019: Saudi oil facilities are attacked, leading to increased tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
- 2021: Both begin direct talks, brokered by China.
- March 2023: Both nations announce an agreement to restore diplomatic ties, brokered by China.
Reasons for hostile relations
The hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran has its roots in a complex mix of historical, geopolitical, religious, and ideological factors.
- Religious contradictions: Historically, the rivalry between the two countries dates back to the seventh century when the Prophet Muhammad died without a clear successor, leading to a dispute over the leadership of the Muslim community. This dispute ultimately resulted in the split between Sunni Islam (which dominates in Saudi Arabia) and Shia Islam (which dominates in Iran).
- Geopolitical tensions: The two countries are located in a strategically important region, with both seeking to exert influence and maintain dominance in the Middle East. Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979 posed a challenge to Saudi Arabia’s status as the leading Islamic power in the region, and the two countries have been competing for regional influence ever since.
- Sectarian tensions: Saudi Arabia and Iran have long had competing visions for the role of Islam in society. Saudi Arabia promotes a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, while Iran supports Shia Islam and the principle of the “Guardianship of the Jurist,” which asserts that a senior Shia cleric should have political power and authority over all Muslims.
- Ties with west: The two countries have fundamentally different views on a range of issues, including democracy, human rights, and regional security. Saudi Arabia is a conservative monarchy with close ties to the United States, while Iran is an Islamic republic that has been at odds with the West since the 1979 revolution.
All these factors have contributed to the ongoing hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the tensions between the two countries continue to have a destabilizing effect on the region.Top of Form
What are the terms of the agreement?
- The details of the agreement are yet to be unveiled.
- Iran has reportedly agreed to prevent further attacks against Saudi Arabia from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen while Saudi Arabia has agreed to rein in Iran International, a Farsi news channel critical of the Iranian regime.
- Foreign Ministers of both countries will meet soon to thrash out the terms of the reconciliation before reopening embassies in each other’s capitals in two months.
- China is planning to host a cross-Gulf conference of Iran and the six Gulf monarchies to further strengthen peace in the region.
Why did Saudi Arabia reach out to Iran (defying the US)?
Ans. Iran’s Rise, and Changing Alliances
- Internal Security: When Saudi oil facilities were attacked in 2019, the US looked away, prompting the Saudis to look for alternative solutions for the Iran problem, such as reaching out to the Iranians.
- Differences over Palestine: The US was trying to broker a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel to bring the two pillars of its West Asia policy together against Iran.
- US negligence of West Asia: The US deprioritized West Asia due to bigger foreign policy challenges, such as the Russian war in Ukraine and China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific.
- Obsolesce of ties with US: Relations between Saudi Arabia and the US have been rocky in recent years, as the US is not as dependent on Gulf Arabs as it used to be during the Cold War.
- Shared opinions over Israel: Saudi Arabia has been hesitant to reconcile with Israel, and its relations with the US have been rocky in recent years.
What led Iran to accept the deal?
- Isolation and Domestic pressure: Tehran is aware that getting relief from Western sanctions is not a near-term possibility. Despite crackdown, protests in Iran refuse to die down.
- Crumbling economy: Iran’s economy is deteriorating and its currency, the rial, is struggling. A deal with Saudi Arabia, under China’s mediation, could open economic lifelines for Iran
- China factor: Iran wanted Chinese investments and support for the rial. China allowed Iran to withdraw parts of the $20 billion funds frozen with Chinese banks due to US sanctions.
- Fouling American efforts: Iran knows that such a deal could complicate American efforts to rally Arab countries and Israel against it. A reconciliation with Saudi is beneficial for Iran, at least in a tactical sense.
Why is China brokering the deal?
- Securing its oil supplies: China has an interest in promoting stability in the Middle East region, which is a major source of oil and natural gas for China.
- Side-lining the US: By brokering a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, China can position itself as a mediator and gain goodwill from both sides.
- Create alternative axis: China has longstanding relationships with both countries. The US since Trumps departure is distancing itself from the US, whereas China is also getting closer to Russia amid the war.
- Image building as a leader: While the US is busy rallying the Western world to arm Ukraine to push back Russia and weaken Moscow through sanctions, China is quietly brokering peace in the Global South.
US reception of this deal
- Welcomed the move: The public narrative is that the peace deal would help stabilize the region and benefit the global energy market.
Key implications for the US
- Hegemony decline: The US would not like to lose its influence in West Asia even when it is deprioritizing the region.
- Saudi drifts away: US sees an ally (Saudi Arabia) drifting further away, a rival it wanted to contain (Iran) making new friends, and China spreading and deepening its influence in a region the US has dominated historically.
- Iran Sanctions going loose: The Iran nuclear deal is practically dead and the US wants Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and put up a joint front against Iran.
What inferences can be drawn from all these?
- Strategic realignments in West Asia: It can be inferred that West Asia is currently undergoing significant strategic realignments, with the UAE normalizing relations with Israel and other Arab countries deepening their partnerships.
- Shifted US focus on Ukraine and Indo-Pacific: The US, which traditionally held significant power in the region, has deprioritized West Asia due to bigger foreign policy challenges such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific.
- China occupying power vacuum: This deprioritization has created a power vacuum that has allowed Iran to rise as a challenge, prompting the US to try to bring Israel and the Arab world together against Iran.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: China's presence in the Middle east and Implications for India
Central Idea
- In an unexpected turn of events on March 10, the National Security Advisors of Iran and Saudi Arabia declared, in the presence of Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi in Beijing, that they have come to a mutual understanding to address their issues, and will reopen their embassies within a span of two months.
Background: Iran- Saudi rivalry
- Since January 2016, when the Saudi kingdom severed diplomatic ties with Iran after the attack on the former’s embassy in Tehran, the two countries have been engaged in a rivalry for regional geopolitical influence, prolonging conflicts in Yemen and Syria.
- Only a few months ago, Iran’s top military officials were threatening Saudi Arabia with consequences unless it controlled its Persian-language media outlets zealously covering anti-government protests in Iran. Riyadh had raised alert levels citing a credible threat of attack from Iran.
Iran’s Strategic Partnership with China
- Iran considers China its most important strategic partner, and was alarmed when the joint statement issued at the first China-GCC Summit in Riyadh in December 2022 called on Iran to maintain the non-proliferation regime and respect the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
- The China-brokered agreement coming a month after Raisiâs visit to Beijing shows how Beijing has successfully leveraged its ties with an Iran struggling with domestic pressure, sanctions, and deteriorating ties with Europe over its military support to Russia.
The Dialogue Process
- The Iran-Saudi Security Dialogue: This refers to the ongoing talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia aimed at improving security in the region, particularly in Yemen. These talks were facilitated by then-Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in 2021, and have continued in fits and starts since then.
- Biden Administration’s Conflict Management Measures: The Biden administration has taken steps to end American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales, as a conflict management measure. This move helped to make Riyadh see the logic of dialogue with Iran.
- Chinese Role in Brokering the Final Agreement: China has played a key role in brokering the final agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Beijing has adopted a balanced approach of strengthening ties with all players based on common interests and mutual respect rather than geopolitical alignments with specific countries.
- China’s Growing Regional Engagement: China’s growing regional engagement in the Middle East is driven by its desire to distinguish itself from the US-led interventions in the region. Beijing has supported Gulf countries in setting up multilateral dialogue platforms and taking the initiative in regional issues, including those involving Iran.
What are India’s concerns?
- Impact on India’s Energy Security: Any improvement in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia could impact India’s energy security. India is heavily dependent on oil imports from both countries, and any conflict or tension between them could lead to disruptions in oil supplies and increased prices.
- Potential for regional destabilization: The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has fueled conflicts in the Middle East, including the ongoing war in Yemen. Any escalation of tensions between the two countries could lead to further destabilization in the region, which could have implications for India’s security interests.
- China’s growing influence in the Middle East: China’s role in brokering the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia highlights its growing political capital in the region, which could have implications for India’s strategic interests. India has traditionally maintained good relations with both Iran and Saudi Arabia, and any shift in the regional balance of power could impact India’s interests.
- Impact on India’s Chabahar port project: India has invested heavily in the development of the Chabahar port in Iran as a gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Any improvement in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia could impact India’s plans for the port, which could have implications for India’s strategic interests in the region.
Conclusion
- India will now have to deal with the new reality where China has been able to translate its economic influence in West Asia into diplomatic heft. The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia could have positive implications for the region’s stability, but India will need to carefully monitor the evolving dynamics and assess how it can leverage its own relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other regional players to secure its strategic interest.
Mains Question
Q. Evaluate China’s growing influence in the Middle East and its impact on India’s traditional ties with Iran and Saudi Arabia.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Essential stats mentioned
Mains level: India's import dependence for defence
Central idea
- India is the worldâs largest arms importer for the five-year period during 2018-22, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- However, India’s arms imports have dropped by 11% between 2013â17 and 2018â22.
Top Arms Suppliers to India
- Russia was the largest supplier of arms to India in both 2013â17 and 2018â22.
- France emerged as the second largest supplier from 2018-22, and its share of total Indian arms imports increased significantly.
- Among the top 10 arms exporters for the period 2018-22, India was the biggest arms export market to three countries â Russia, France and Israel and the second-largest export market to South Korea.
- India was also the third largest market for South Africa, which was ranked 21 in the list of arms exporters.
Arms import by Country
- For the same period, India remained the largest arms importer followed by Saudi Arabia.
- Russia accounted for 45% of Indiaâs imports followed by France (29%) and the US (11%).
- India was the third largest arms supplier to Myanmar after Russia and China, accounting for 14% of its imports.
Reasons for India’s Arms Imports
- Complexities with neighborhood: âIndiaâs tensions with Pakistan and China largely drive its demand for arms imports. With an 11% share of total global arms imports, India was the worldâs biggest importer of major arms in 2018â22,” says SIPRI.
- Procurement bottlenecks: India’s slow and complex arms procurement process, efforts to diversify its arms suppliers, and attempts to replace imports with major arms that are designed and produced domestically have contributed to the decrease in arms imports.
Russia’s position as India’s Main Arms Supplier
- India diversifying its imports: Russiaâs position as Indiaâs main arms supplier is under pressure due to strong competition from other supplier states.
- Self-arming for ongoing war: This is due to increased Indian arms production, and constraints on Russiaâs arms exports related to its invasion of Ukraine.
Global Arms Transfers
- Arms imports by Pakistan increased by 14% between 2013â17 and 2018â22 and accounted for 3.7% of the global total with China supplying 77% of Pakistanâs arms imports in 2018â22.
- While the global level of international arms transfers decreased by 5.1%, imports of major arms by European states increased by 47% between 2013â17 and 2018â22 in the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
- The U.S. share of global arms exports increased from 33% to 40% while Russiaâs fell from 22% to 16%.
What we can conclude from this?
- Security concerns: India has long-standing tensions with neighboring countries such as Pakistan and China, which have led to security concerns and a perceived need for a strong military.
- Slow and complex procurement process: India’s procurement process for arms is often slow and complex, leading to delays in acquiring weapons and equipment. This has resulted in India relying on imports to meet its defense needs.
- Lack of domestic production: India’s domestic arms production capabilities are still limited, which makes it difficult for the country to produce high-tech weapons and equipment. This has forced India to rely on imports to meet its defense requirements.
- Diversification of suppliers: While Russia has been the traditional supplier of arms to India, in recent years India has been diversifying its sources of weapons and equipment to countries such as France, Israel, and the United States.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ESG
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea: Regulators and corporations worldwide now measure businesses on ESG criteria. ESG criteria is crucial for investors to assess a company’s risk profile accurately. India is still in the nascent stage of ESG laws and regulations.
What is ESG?
- ESG Regulations are a set of standards used by investors to evaluate a company’s environmental and social impact, as well as its corporate governance practices.
- They require companies to be transparent about their environmental and social performance, as well as their governance structure.
- ESG factors are increasingly being used by investors to make investment decisions, and ESG ratings are becoming an important metric for companies seeking to attract investment.
- The ESG regulations differ by country, but many require companies to disclose information on environmental and social issues, as well as on their governance practices.
- ESG regulations are becoming increasingly important as investors and consumers demand greater transparency and accountability from companies.Top of FormBottom of Form
Features of ESG Mechanism
- Environmental factors: These include a company’s impact on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, waste management, and natural resource conservation.
- Social factors: These include a company’s impact on society, such as labor practices, human rights, community relations, customer satisfaction, and product safety.
- Governance factors: These include a company’s management structure, board diversity, executive compensation, shareholder rights, and business ethics.
- ESG ratings and metrics: Companies are evaluated based on ESG ratings and metrics, which can help investors assess a company’s overall sustainability and ethical impact.
- ESG investing: ESG investing refers to investing in companies that meet certain ESG criteria, with the aim of generating financial returns while also having a positive impact on society and the environment.
- ESG reporting: Many companies are now required to disclose their ESG performance and report on their sustainability practices, in order to meet regulatory requirements and respond to growing investor demand for transparency and accountability.Top of FormBottom of Form
Corporate Social Responsibility: ESG-like mechanism in India
- India has a robust corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy that mandates that corporations engage in initiatives that contribute to the welfare of society.
- This mandate was codified into law with the passage of the 2014 and 2021 amendments to the Companies Act of 2013.
How ESG differs from CSR?
- ESG regulations differ from CSR regulations in their process and impact
- For example, the U.K. Modern Slavery Act requires companies with business in the U.K. and with annual sales of more than ÂŁ36 million to publish their efforts in identifying and analysing the risks of human trafficking, child labour and debt bondage in their supply chain.
- It seeks to establish internal accountability procedures, evaluate supplier compliance, and train supply chain managers regarding these issues
- The EUâs Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation requires financial market participants to disclose how they have integrated sustainability risks into their investment decision-making processes
- There are scores of such regulations at the state, national and transnational level.
Why is ESG relevant in India?
Ans. Existing mechanisms serve ESG purpose
- India has long had a number of laws and bodies regarding environmental, social and governance issues, including the Environment Protection Act of 1986.
- It has quasi-judicial organisations such as the National Green Tribunal, a range of labour codes and laws governing employee engagement and corporate governance practices.
- These initiatives established guidelines that emphasise monitoring, quantification and disclosure, akin to ESG requirements found in other parts of the world.
ESG for Indian companies
Here are some key considerations for Indian companies in relation to ESG:
- Compliance with global ESG regulations: Compliance in the US, UK, EU and elsewhere is critical for Indian companies to take full advantage of the growing decoupling from China and play a more prominent role in global supply chains and the global marketplace overall.
- Due diligence: This will play a key role in ESG risk management, which means going beyond questionnaires and conducting deeper assessments that may include looking at company records, interviewing former employees, and making discreet visits to observe operations to ensure that measures to comply with international ESG standards are in effect.
- Revamp organizations: ESG due diligence should be supported within the company with detailed procedures for assessing risks and controls for assuring that no corners are cut. Companies that wish to maximise their opportunities in the global economy need to embrace these new requirements and adjust their organisations accordingly.
Way forward
- Encouraging and incentivizing companies: To adopt ESG practices voluntarily through education, training and awareness-raising programs.
- Developing national guidelines and standards for ESG: To promote consistency and comparability of ESG performance data among Indian companies.
- Tailor-made Policy catering to domestic needs: Implementing ESG regulations that are tailored to the specific needs and challenges of Indian companies, with a focus on promoting transparency, accountability and stakeholder engagement.
- Facilitating access to capital for companies that demonstrate strong ESG performance: By establishing ESG-focused investment funds and credit facilities.
- Promoting international collaboration and harmonization of ESG standards: To facilitate global trade and investment while ensuring that ESG risks are appropriately addressed.
Conclusion
- Overall, a comprehensive and collaborative approach is needed to ensure that Indian companies can effectively manage ESG risks and opportunities and contribute to sustainable development.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Sovereign credit rating
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea: India is seeking an upgrade to its sovereign credit rating, currently at the lowest-possible investment grade, as it believes its economic metrics have improved considerably since the pandemic.
What are Sovereign Credit Ratings?
- A sovereign credit rating is a measure of a country’s creditworthiness, or its ability to meet its financial obligations.
- It is an assessment of the credit risk associated with a country’s bonds or other debt securities.
- The rating is assigned by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch Ratings.
Indiaâs current ratings
- S&P and Fitch rate India ‘BBB-‘ and Moody’s ‘Baa3’, all indicative of the lowest-possible investment grade, but with a stable outlook.
What does BBB mean?
- A âBBBâ rating indicates that expectations of default risk are currently low.
- The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
What is a Rating Agency?
- Rating agencies assess the creditworthiness or potential of an equity, debt or country.
- Their reports are read by investors to make an informed decision on whether or not to invest in a particular country or companies in that geography.
- They assess if a country, equity or debt is financially stable and whether it at a low/high default risk.
- In simpler terms, these reports help investors gauge if they would get a return on their investment.
What do they do?
- The agencies periodically re-evaluate previously assigned ratings after new developments geopolitical events or a significant economic announcement by the concerned entity.
- Their reports are sold and published in financial and daily newspapers.
What grading pattern do they follow?
- The three prominent ratings agencies, viz., Standard & Poorâs, Moodyâs and Fitch subscribe to largely similar grading patterns.
- Standard & Poorâs accord their highest grade, that is, AAA, to countries, equity or debt with the exceedingly high capacity to meet their financial commitments.
- Its grading slab includes letters A, B and C with an addition a single or double letter denoting a higher grade.
- Moodyâs separates ratings into short and long-term definitions. Its longer-term grading ranges from Aaa to C, with Aaa being the highest.
- Fitch, too, rates from AAA to D, with D being the lowest. It follows the same succession scheme as Moodyâs and Fitch.
Significance of such ratings
- Access to Capital: Higher credit ratings mean that a country can access capital at a lower cost, while lower ratings indicate that borrowing costs will be higher.
- Investment Decisions: Investors use credit ratings as a tool to evaluate a country’s creditworthiness and assess the level of risk associated with investing in that country.
- Economic Growth: Higher credit ratings typically lead to increased foreign investment, which can create jobs, boost productivity, and stimulate economic growth.
- International Trade: Countries with higher credit ratings are viewed as more stable and trustworthy, making them more attractive trading partners for other countries.
- Reputation: Countries with lower credit ratings may be seen as less reliable or stable, which can negatively impact diplomatic relationships and political influence.
Criticism of the rating agencies
- Credibility: Popular ratings agencies publicly reveal their methodology, which is based on macroeconomic data publicly made available by a country, to lend credibility to their inferences.
- Bias: These agencies were subjected to severe criticism for allegedly spurring the financial crisis in the United States, which began in 2017.
- Fouled metrics: The agencies underestimated the credit risk associated with structured credit products and failed to adjust their ratings quickly enough to deteriorating market conditions.
- Erroneous: They were charged for methodological errors and conflict of interest on multiple counts.
Why is India seeking upgrade in its credit ratings?
- Improved creditworthiness: These ratings are used to judge a country’s creditworthiness, often impacting its borrowing costs.
- Stable indicators: India has series of stable parameters such as economic growth rate, inflation, general government debt and short-term external debt as a percentage of GDP, and political stability, among others.
Measures taken to improve ratings
- India aims to cut its fiscal deficit to 5.9% of GDP next fiscal year, from the 6.4% target for the current year that ends March 31, and to further reduce that to 4.5% in the next three years.
- India’s Economic Survey has forecast growth of 6% to 6.8% for 2023-24, which would make it one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: OROP Scheme
Mains level: Pension debate in India
The government told the Supreme Court that paying all dues to 1.6 million army pensioners under the OROP scheme in one go may not be in the nation’s larger interest as it could disrupt allocations for other public purposes.
What is OROP Policy?
- OROP means the same pension, for the same rank, for the same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement.
- The concept was provoked by the then decision by Indira Gandhi-led government, in 1973, two years after the historic victory in the 1971 Bangladesh war.
Origin of the debate
- The Rank pay was a scheme implemented by the Rajiv Gandhi-led govt in 1986, in the wake of the 4th Central Pay Commission.
- It reduced the basic pay of seven armed officersâ ranks of 2nd Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Majors, Lt. Colonel, Colonels, Brigadiers, and their equivalent by fixed amounts designated as rank pay.
Implementation
- In 2008, Manmohan Singh led Government in the wake of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (6CPC), which discarded the concept of rank-pay.
- Instead, it introduced Grade pay, and Pay bands, which instead of addressing the rank, pay, and pension asymmetries caused by ârank payâ dispensation, reinforced existing asymmetries.
- The present government has accepted the OROP and disbursed some funds for its implementation.
Issues with this pension policy
- The issues, veterans emphasize, are of justice, equity, honor, and national security.
- The failure to address the issue of pay-pension equity, and the underlying issue of honor, is not only an important cause for the OROP protest movement but its escalation.
Present status
- The govt has already released Rs. 5500 crores to serve the purpose, but still, there are some grievances from the veteransâ side.
- It refined Pensions for all pensioners retiring in the same rank as the average of the minimum and maximum pensions in 2013.
- The veterans noted governmentsâ proposal as one rank many pensions since the review of 5 years would lead to differences in pension between senior and a junior.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Oscar Award
Mains level: India's cultural prowess and acceptance in the west
A notable Indian song and a documentary has won the Oscar Award this year.
What are Oscar Awards?
- The Oscar Awards, also known as the Academy Awards, are an annual awards ceremony honouring excellence in the film industry.
- The awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), a professional honorary organization of over 9,000 members.
- The first Oscars ceremony was held in 1929, and the awards are now widely considered to be the most prestigious awards in the film industry.
- The ceremony typically takes place in late February or early March, and is broadcast live on television in over 225 countries and territories worldwide.
How are the winners decided?
- Awards are given out in various categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and many more.
- Nominees and winners are chosen by AMPAS members who work in various branches of the film industry, including actors, directors, writers, and producers.
- Winning an Oscar can have a significant impact on a filmmaker’s career, as it is widely seen as a mark of prestige and can lead to increased funding and opportunities for future projects.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SVB Crisis
Mains level: Global financial crisis
Central idea: The shutdown and takeover of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) by US regulators has raised questions on how it impacts Indiaâs startup industry. It was an important partner for the global startup economy.
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)
- It is a financial institution that provides banking services to the technology industry and venture capital firms.
- Founded in 1983, it has since become the go-to bank for startups and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond.
- It is unique in that it understands the specific needs and challenges of the tech industry, and provides a range of services that cater to startups, including loans, deposits, and investment management.
- It has become a critical player in the startup ecosystem, providing funding and financial services to many of the world’s most successful startups, including Tesla, Uber, and LinkedIn.
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What is SVB crisis?
- SVB Financial Group runs one of the largest American commercial banks â Silicon Valley Bank.
- Last week, it had announced a $1.75 billion share sale programme to further strengthen its balance sheet.
- This programme triggered a massive sell-off in the group’s shares.
- Thereafter, market went severely bearish and bear rampage wiped out over $80 billion of its market value.
- Alongside, the bond prices of the group collapsed and created a panic in the market.
Reasons for SVBâs downfall
- Downturn of tech stocks: The bank was hit hard by the downturn in technology stocks over the past year as well as the Federal Reserve’s aggressive plan to increase interest rates to combat inflation.
- Lower bond yield due to lower interest rates: SVB bought billions of dollarsâ worth of bonds over the past couple of years, using customers’ deposits as a typical bank would normally operate.
- Mostly startups account holders: SVB’s customers were largely startups and other tech-centric companies that started becoming needier for cash over the past year.
- Drying VC funding: Venture capital funding was drying up, companies were not able to get additional rounds of funding for unprofitable businesses.
- Fear over deposit insurance: Since its customers were largely businesses and the wealthy, they likely were more fearful of a bank failure since their deposits were over $250,000, which is the government-imposed limit on deposit insurance.
Immediate effects of SVBâs failure
- Startups scramble: Many startups and other companies that relied on the bank’s services were suddenly left without access to their funds, which caused financial strain and uncertainty for these businesses.
- Ripple effect: They now fear that they might have to pause projects or lay off or furlough employees until they could access their funds.
Major implications for SVB
There are two large problems remaining with Silicon Valley Bank-
- Huge uninsured deposits: The vast majority of these were uninsured due to itâs largely startup and wealthy customer base.
- No scope for asset reconstruction: There is no potential buyer of Silicon Valley Bank.
Could this lead to a repeat of what happened in 2008?
- No probability: At the moment, experts do not expect any issues to spread to the broader banking sector.
- Diversified customer bases: Other banks are far more diversified across multiple industries, customer bases and geographies.
Impact on Indian startups
- Uncertainty over deposits: The failure of SVB is likely to have a ripple effect on Indian startups, many of which have significant amounts of funds deposited with the bank.
- Hamper the funding: SVB has been a major player in the Indian startup ecosystem, providing banking services and funding to many of the country’s most successful startups, including Flipkart, Ola, and Zomato.
- Ripple effect: This could lead to a cash crunch for many companies, which may be forced to cut costs, delay projects, or lay off employees.
- Reduce global footprints: SVB has also been instrumental in helping Indian startups expand into the US market, by providing them with the necessary infrastructure and support to set up operations in Silicon Valley.
How can Indian startups mitigate the impact of SVB’s failure?
- Diversify banking relations: Indian startups that have funds deposited with SVB may want to consider diversifying their banking relationships to reduce their exposure to any one bank.
- Alternative financing: This may involve opening accounts with multiple banks, or exploring alternative banking services such as digital banks or fintech startups.
Back2Basics: 2008 Financial Crisis
- The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers was a key event in the 2008 financial crisis.
- Lehman Brothers was one of the largest investment banks in the world, with assets of around $600 billion.
- However, the firm had invested heavily in the US housing market, and when the housing market began to decline in 2007, Lehman’s investments began to lose value.
- In addition, the firm had taken on a large amount of debt to finance its investments and operations.
- As the value of Lehman’s assets declined and its debt levels increased, the firm became insolvent and was unable to meet its obligations to creditors.
- In September 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, triggering a financial panic and market turmoil.
Its impact
- The Lehman crisis had far-reaching consequences, including the collapse of other financial institutions, a global recession, and widespread economic and social hardship.
- The crisis highlighted the risks of excessive leverage and the interconnectedness of financial institutions, and led to significant reforms in financial regulation and risk management practices.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Same Sex Marriage
Central idea: The Centre in the Supreme Court expressed its disagreement towards same-sex marriage, citing traditional beliefs and values.
Here are the main points of the affidavit:
- Heterosexual marriage has been the norm throughout history and is “foundational to both the existence and continuance of the state.”
- Marriage in India is regarded as a “holy union,” a “sacrament,” and a “sanskar,” and is dependent on customs, rituals, practices, cultural ethos, and societal values.
- Any “deviation” from the “statutorily, religiously and socially” accepted norm in “human relationship” can only happen through the legislature and not the Supreme Court.
Basis of Centreâs opposition
- The 2018 Navtej Singh Johar judgment decriminalised homosexuality, but it did not mention/legitimise same-sex marriage.
- Same-sex marriage cannot be compared to a man and woman living as a family with children born out of the union.
- Registration of same-sex marriage would result in a violation of existing personal as well as codified law provisions.
- There is a “compelling interest” for the society and the state to limit recognition to heterosexual marriages only.
Reasons behind centreâs opposition
- Legal revamp required:Â The registration of marriage of same-sex persons also results in a violation of existing personal as well as codified law provisions â such as âdegrees of prohibited relationshipâ; âconditions of marriageâ; âceremonial and ritual requirementsâ under the personal laws governing the individualsâ.
- Definition of spouse:Â In a same-sex marriage, it is neither possible nor feasible to term one as âhusbandâ and the other as âwifeâ in the context of the legislative scheme of various personal laws.
- Against cultural norms:Â Â The social order in our Country is religion based which views procreation as an obligation for the execution of various religious ceremonies.
- Property and other civil rights: Property rights post marriage is a much-contested issues in India. Same sex marriage will not create any immunity for the law but increase complex interpretations.
Issues with such marriages
The issue of homosexual conduct to this fore in recent legal and political debate for main reasons, which are as follows:
- Morality: This has brought with it a change in social attitudes, so that the stigma attached to homosexuality has to a greater extent disappeared.
- Rising activism:Â Campaigns for lesbian and gay rights taken on an increasingly radical character, arguing for an end to all forms of discrimination against homosexuality.
- Religious sanctions:Â Same sex acts are punishable by death in Arab countries. No religion openly embraces same sex marriage. More or less, they are considered un-natural everywhere.
- Social stigma:Â Â Apart from the harsh legal scenario, homosexuals face social stigma as well. Same sex marriages are still unimaginable as any instance of sexual relations between a couple of the same sex draws hatred and disgust.
- Patriarchy:Â It must not be forgotten that the Indian society is patriarchal in nature and the fact that certain women and men have different choices, which is not sanctioned by the âorderâ, frightens them in a way.
- Burden of collectivity:Â Our society is very community oriented and individualism is not encouraged in the least, any expression of homosexuality is seen as an attempt to renounce tradition and promote individualism.
Arguments in favor
- Pursuit of happiness:Â Homosexuality is not an offence, it is just a way of pursuit of happiness, a way to achieve sexual happiness or desire.
- Right to privacy:Â The fundamental right to liberty (under Article-21) prohibits the state from interfering with the private personal activities of the individual.
- Arbitrariness:Â Infringement of, the right to equal protection before law requires the determination of whether there is a rational and objective basis to the classification introduced.
- Issues with definition:Â Section-377 assumes that natural sexual act is that which is performed for procreation. Hence, it thereby labels all forms of non-procreative sexual act as unnatural.
- Discrimination:Â Section-377 discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation which is forbidden under Article-15 of the Constitution. Article-15 prohibits discrimination on several grounds, which includes Sex.
- Human rights:Â The universal law of Human Rights states that social norms, tradition, custom or culture cannot be used to curb a person from asserting his fundamental and constitutional rights.
- Many countries recognizing:Â According to global think tank Council of Foreign Relations, same sex marriages are legal in at least 30 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada and France.
Way forward
- Dissociating from religion:Â Such marriages are forbidden in almost every religion. Hence no single religion should be considered a hindrance in creating a legal sanction.
- Doing away with discrimination:Â The same-sex community needs an anti-discrimination law that empowers them to build productive lives and relationships irrespective of gender identity.
- Letting the society evolve:Â The society has to imbibe the doctrine of progressive realization of rights and it cannot be forcibly convinced by law.
- Creating awareness:Â Certainly this is not an overnight phenomenon. We are society where practice of Sati and Nikah halala was considered a religious order.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Rural-Urban Continuum
Central Idea
- The traditional dichotomy of rural and urban, and the accordingly mandated governance structure, seems inadequate to understand and act upon poverty, undernourishment, education, health, environmental management or even development. There is a need to adopt the notion of urban catchment areas delineated along an urban-rural continuum to understand urban-rural interconnections and address issues related to environment and natural resources management.
What is Rural-Urban Dichotomy?
- Distinct Division: It is the perception of a clear and distinct division between rural and urban areas, which are seen as two distinct and separate entities.
- Significant Differences: This dichotomy is based on the assumption that there are significant differences between rural and urban areas in terms of social, economic, and cultural characteristics.
- Traditional vs modern values: It suggests that rural areas are primarily agricultural, less developed, and have traditional social and cultural values, while urban areas are more developed, industrialized, and have modern values.
The Rural-Urban Continuum
- The Rural-Urban Continuum is an alternative perspective that acknowledges the existence of intermediate areas that blur the distinction between rural and urban.
- An intermediate settlement formation exists between the two extremes where rural and urban functions coexist without distinguishable boundaries.
- Such formations evolve due to interactions of a complex set of geographical, cultural, economic, and historical processes.
- The transition from rural to urban follows a graded curve of development, and opportunities for social and economic development depend on oneâs location along this curve.
Importance of the Rural-Urban Continuum
- Identification of urban catchment areas delineated along an urban-rural continuum would help understand urban-rural interconnections, which is important for making policy decisions across development sectors and for addressing issues related to environment and natural resources management.
Studies and examples of Rural-Urban Continuum
- The Desakota Study report:
- A 2008 report of the Desakota Study Team, Re-imagining the Rural Urban Continuum, was based on studies in eight countries around the world including India.
- Team’s report in 2008 emphasized understanding the changing relationship between ecosystems and livelihoods under diversified economic systems across the rural-urban continuum as it has important policy implications at all levels.
- In India, Kerala for instance:
- Kerala is well known for the rural-urban continuum in the coastal plain. This was noted even by Moroccan traveller Ibn Batuta in the 14th century. The trend further spread over the lowlands and adjoining midlands and highlands.
- Geographical factors supported by affirmative public policy promoting distributive justice and decentralisation have increased rural-urban linkages and reduced rural-urban differences in major parts of Kerala.
- The urban industrial interaction in India is spreading rapidly: The urban industrial interaction fields in India are spreading by linking rural areas and also small towns around the mega cities and urban corridors penetrating rural hinterlands.
Dissolving the boundaries and barriers
- Technology and globalization led connectivity: Technology and economic globalization have increased mobility of resources and people and enhanced inter- and intra-country connectivity, promoting the rural-urban continuum.
- Physical distance barriers are melting: The barriers due to physical distance are melting as increasing rural-urban linkages have given rise to diffused network regions.
- Movement of goods, people and information is rising: Rural hinterlands are connected to multiple urban centers, and the movement of goods, people, information, and finance between sites of production and consumption has strengthened linkages between production and labour markets.
Changing Ecosystems of the Rural-Urban Continuum
- Land Use Changes: Agriculturally productive lands are being given for other uses, food security zones are being reconfigured, and areas for pollutant filtering are declining.
- Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Local Livelihoods: There is an increase in waste dump, enhanced disaster risk, and elevated vulnerability, reducing the access of local people to water, food, fuel, fodder, and fiber from ecosystems.
- Emergence of Intermediary Market Institutions: At the same time, intermediary market institutions are emerging to provide these goods, which has significant implications for the local people.
- Escalating Market Value of Land and Marginalization: There is also escalation of market value of land, which further marginalizes them.
Way ahead
- Acknowledge the rural-urban continuum in discussions on social and economic development and environmental issues.
- Identify challenges and opportunities for improving both urban and rural governance and enhancing access to employment, services, institutional resources, and environmental management.
- Build rural-urban partnership by taking a systems approach, where the city and surroundings form a city region for which a perspective plan is prepared integrating rural and urban plans within a common frame.
- Move towards a post-urban world where the rural-urban dichotomy will no longer exist.
- Better map rural-urban linkages by using satellite-based settlement data and integrating it with Census data.
Conclusion
- Recognizing and addressing the interconnections between rural and urban areas along a continuum is crucial for effective policy-making and environmental management in India.
Mains Question
Q. The rural-urban continuum has drawn wide attention in recent years. In this light discuss the importance of Recognizing and addressing the interconnections between rural and urban areas.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Russia- Ukraine War and Implications
Central Idea
- The Ukraine conflict has significant implications for Europe and the world. It has demonstrated that the US is the true defender of Europe and highlighted the fragile state of Europe’s defence industry. The conflict has also given the US confidence to take on all challengers, leading to new ambitions in Western minds. While the conflict has taught several important lessons, the wrong lessons could also be derived, which could prove to be dangerous in the long run.
What is the Present Situation?
- While acknowledging the bravery of the Ukrainian people, significant efforts are underway in Europe, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to end the ongoing war.
- Given that neither side is poised for a decisive victory, it is highly unlikely that Russia will withdraw from the territories it initially occupied.
- The initial enthusiasm has given way to a sense of exhaustion, and the conflict in Ukraine is increasingly being viewed as a US-backed NATO proxy war against Russia.
- As a result, European leaders are currently focused on negotiating a ceasefire and ending the conflict rather than prolonging it.
Implications of the war on Europe
- Europe’s struggling economy: Despite receiving state-of-the-art weapons from the US, Europe remains at the mercy of NATO and the US due to its fragile defence industry. The prospect of a prolonged war without end is daunting for Europe’s struggling economy.
- US as the True Defender of Europe: The Ukraine conflict has demonstrated that the US is the true defender of Europe, with the people believing that without the US, Europe would not have come together to support Ukraine.
- US Confidence and New Ambitions: The US’s success in Europe has fuelled new ambitions and the belief that momentum now lies with them. This could potentially lead to dangerous experimentation, with Ukraine and the war in Europe not being a laboratory for similar experiments elsewhere.
- The Danger of Overconfidence and Misadventures: US triumphalism could lead to misadventures, as Ukraine and Europe cannot be a bellwether for what might happen in a conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific. China is not Ukraine or Russia, and Asia is not Europe.
Chinaâs strong Posture
- China’s Direct and Harsh Language Against the US and Western Countries: China is accusing the US and other Western countries of engaging in the containment, encirclement, and suppression of China. China have openly accused the US of attempting to encircle China through its Indo-Pacific strategy, which they say is an Asia-Pacific version of NATO. China’s language is unusually direct and harsh, leading to concerns that China may be preparing for a direct confrontation with the US.
- China’s Preparation for All Eventualities: China is preparing for all possible scenarios in response to the current situation. It has warned that no amount of guardrails can prevent derailment if the US continues to speed down the wrong path. China’s efforts are aimed at thwarting US attempts to restore its dominant position in world affairs.
- Taiwan as the Flashpoint
- Taiwan remains a flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific region, with tensions further aggravated by the recent visits of top US military leaders to Taiwan. However, newer tensions are also adding to the possibilities of a conflict in other regions in the Indo-Pacific.
- Starting with a misreading or misunderstanding of the other side’s intentions, all wars can begin.
- The success of the US in assisting Ukraine to withstand the Russian offensive and undercutting Russia’s image of being a superpower in Europe.
- The success in Europe and the goal of returning to the post-1945 era may be the impetus for targeting China. This could lead to a direct confrontation with China and have disastrous consequences, possibly leading to a world war.
Conclusion
- The US is basking in the glow of its successful intervention in Europe and this could provoke retaliation, leading to the escalation of hostilities in other regions and potentially paving the way for another global conflict. Such an outcome would be a catastrophe of monumental proportions.
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