Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Concept of LiFE
Mains level: Paper 3- LiFE movement
Context
In the midst of a global climate crisis, and as India gets closer to hosting the G20 presidency, it is important to recognise our country’s leadership at both ends of the climate debate: By walking the talk on our climate commitments as well as leading people-powered climate action.
Power of individual and collective action to address the climate change
- Adopting eco-friendly behaviours: According to the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP), if one billion people out of the global population of close to eight billion adopt eco-friendly behaviours in their daily lives, global carbon emissions could drop by approximately 20 per cent.
- Such eco-friendly behaviours include turning off ACs, heaters and lights when not in use, as this, for instance, can conserve up to 282 kilowatts of electricity per day.
- Avoiding food wastage can reduce an individual’s carbon footprint by 370 kg per year.
The concept of Lifestyle for Environment
- In November 2021, at the CoP 26 in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in addition to announcing the panchamrit, or five climate-related commitments of the country, also articulated the concept of “Lifestyle for the Environment” (LiFE).
- Mindful and deliberate utilisation: The concept advocate for mindful and deliberate utilisation by people worldwide, instead of “mindful and wasteful consumption”.
- LiFE was launched on June 5, 2022, World Environment Day, by PM Modi, with a vision of harnessing the power of individual and collective action across the world to address the climate crisis.
- The objective of the movement is to nudge individuals and communities to adopt simple and specific climate-friendly behaviours in their daily lifestyles.
- For instance, an individual can carry a reusable cloth bag instead of a plastic bag.
- By making such daily actions an integral part of our collective social norms, LiFE aims to activate a global community of “Pro Planet People” and steer the world towards a sustainable model of development.
- Global precedents: There are already precedents of pro-planet initiatives around the world.
- For example, Denmark promotes the use of bicycles by limiting parking within the city centre and providing exclusive bike lanes.
- Japan has its unique “walk-to-school” mandate, which has been in practice since the early 1950s.
- LiFE, however, is planned as a first-of-its-kind global movement, led by India in partnership with other countries, that will provide the world with a unique people-powered platform to relentlessly focus on bringing individual and collective actions to the core of the climate action narrative.
How the LiFE moment can change people’s behaviour
- 1] Consume responsibly: The prevailing perception that climate-friendly behaviour necessarily implies a frugal lifestyle has played a major role in preventing populations worldwide from adopting a sustainable lifestyle.
- LiFE plans to methodically break down this mental model by nudging the world to consume responsibly, rather than consuming less.
- Using behavioural technique: Building on the unique insights from Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), LiFE will deploy a range of tested behavioural techniques, including nudges, social and behaviour change communication and norm influencing to make mindful consumption a mass movement.
- 2] Produce responsibly: Our society reflects our markets and vice versa.
- If sustainable choices are not supported from the supply-side, any change in our consumption patterns will only be temporary.
- By nudging the consumption patterns of the society at scale, LiFE can also trigger a huge boost for the sustainability market.
- Several green industries and a large number of jobs are likely to be initiated as a positive externality of LiFE.
- 3] Live responsibly: The Covid pandemic is a wake-up call to all of us that no matter how much technological progress we make as a global society, we all remain at the mercy of the natural world.
- As a global community of people with a shared natural world, a threat to one is a threat to all.
- In this context, through its multi-dimensional, multi-cultural and global approach, the LiFE movement can play a pivotal role in not merely reversing the effects of climate change but, at a broader level, mainstream a harmonious and mindful way of living.
Conclusion
As the world moves in fits and starts towards its shared commitment to achieve ambitious climate goals, the time is ripe for India to lead the LiFE movement and mainstream it into the climate narrative.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Rohingyas
Mains level: Global refugee crisis
In a major boost to India’s policy on the Rohingya, the MHA would shift Rohingya refugees to flats meant for EWS in Delhi.
Why in news?
- This is seen as a response to the fundamentalists who claims that the NRC, CAA are against any particular community.
- India respects & follows the UN Refugee Convention 1951 & provides refuge to all, regardless of their race, religion or creed.
Who are the Rohingyas?
- Rohingya, an ethnic group, mostly Muslim, hail from the Rakhine province of west Myanmar, and speak a Bengali dialect.
- They comprise one million out of the 53 million people that live in Myanmar, forming the world’s largest stateless population in a single country.
- Universally reviled by the country’s Buddhist majority, they have been oppressed by the government since the late 1970s when the government launched a campaign to identify ‘illegal immigrants’.
- Serious abuses were committed, forcing as many as 250,000 Rohingya refugees to flee to Bangladesh.
- The 1982 Citizenship Law in former Burma made the Rohingyas stateless people.
- They have often been called the most persecuted minority in the world.
- The 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims squeezed precariously into the northwest state of Rakhine, in mainly Buddhist Burma, bordering majority Muslim Bangladesh, are stateless and unwanted.
Why are they stateless?
- To qualify for citizenship, Rohingya applicants had to renounce their identity and accept being labelled as ‘Bengalis’ on all official documents.
- They also had to prove that they could trace the presence of their family in Rakhine back three generations.
- This is extremely difficult as many Rohingya lack documents or had lost them in 2012.
Why did the Crisis happen?
- Since World War II they have been treated increasingly by Burmese authorities as illegal, interloping Bengalis, facing apartheid-like conditions that deny them free movement or state education.
- The army “clearing operations” sparked the mass exodus of Rohingyas in both October 2016.
- In August 2017, were launched after insurgents known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked several paramilitary check posts.
- Rohingya activists claim the insurgents are mainly young men who have been pushed to breaking point by relentless oppression.
Security Implications
- The Rohingya issue and its spill over impact on Myanmar`s western peripheral region and security implications figured in the discussions is not clear.
- In all probability, the import of the ferment caused by the Rohingya migration, efforts of radical Islamists to influence some of the Rohingya youth, and the Pakistan attempts to capitalise on the situation.
- Rising anger in the Muslim world about the plight of the Rohingya has compounded fears of home-grown militancy as well as support from international jihadists.
- Illegal movement of people, combined with human trafficking and cross-border migration, can weaken Myanmar’s relations with its neighbour Bangladesh and its ASEAN partners.
Where do the Rohingya live in Delhi?
- The Rohingya live in hutments in the densely populated Kalindi Kunj and Madanpur Khadar areas in Delhi which are contiguous with Uttar Pradesh.
- Officially, about 1,200 Rohingya have been identified as among the first batch to have arrived in Delhi in 2012.
- After they protested outside the UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) office in Delhi, they were provided with refugee cards.
Total Rohingyas in India
- In December 2017, the MHA informed Parliament that there are around 40,000 Rohingya in India, of which around 5,700 are in Jammu and also in Telangana, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.
- Of these, only 16,000 are said to be registered with the UN refugee agency.
- The MHA claimed that the exact number is not known as many of them enter the country.
How is the Delhi government involved?
- The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), responsible for tracking foreigners and their visas, has been requesting space at a new location for the Rohingya from the Delhi government since 2021.
- The FRRO is under the administrative control of the MHA.
When did the Rohingya come to Delhi?
- A/c to MHA, they first came to Delhi in 2012.
- They were forced to leave Myanmar in large numbers after several waves of violence, which first began in 2012.
- The Myanmar army revived the attacks in 2017 and lakhs took shelter in Bangladesh.
- Around five lakh Rohingya fled to Saudi Arabia in 2012.
What is the process of deportation?
- According to the MHA, illegal immigrants are detected, detained and deported under provisions of the Passport Act, 1920 or the Foreigners Act, 1946.
- Once a ‘foreigner’ has been apprehended by the police for staying illegally, without any document, he or she is produced before the local court.
- The powers to identify and deport them have also been delegated to State governments and UTs.
- If the accused is found guilty, they can be imprisoned for three months to eight years.
- After completing their sentence, the court orders deportation.
Have any Rohingya been deported?
- Any foreign nationals who enter into India without valid travel documents are treated as illegal immigrants.
- In 2018, seven Rohingya were deported to Myanmar.
- It was the first time that Myanmar issued a certificate of identity to the seven Rohingya. They had been picked up in Assam in 2012.
- Many Rohingyas have expressed their desire to return to their country and gave an undertaking that they were returning out of their free will.
India’s stance on Rohingyas
- Amid fears of fresh exodus of Rohingya from Myanmar, the MHA in 2017 cautioned all the States about infiltration from Rakhine State of Myanmar into Indian Territory.
- It cited the burden on the limited resources of the country that aggravates the security challenges especially in the North-East.
- It also said the rise in terrorism in the last few decades is a cause for concern in most nations and that illegal migrants are more vulnerable to getting recruited by terrorist organisations.
What is India’s stand on refugees?
- India is NOT a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.
- All foreign undocumented nationals are governed as per the provisions of:
- The Foreigners Act, 1946
- The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939
- The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and
- The Citizenship Act, 1955
Way forward: A humane approach is needed
- India must enact a National Asylum and Deportation Law. Since certain exoduses cannot be prevented due to international pressures.
- We need a proper framework to make sure that refugees can access basic public services, be able to legally seek jobs and livelihood opportunities for some source of income.
- The absence of such a framework will make the refugees vulnerable to exploitation, which is again detrimental to our own national security.
- Our judiciary has already shown the way forward on this: In 1996, the Supreme Court ruled that the state has to protect all human beings living in India, irrespective of nationality since they enjoy the rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 20, and 21 of the Constitution to all, not just Indian citizens.
- The enactment and enumeration of refugee rights will reduce our dependence on judge-centric approaches — or even worse, the whims of Home Ministry bureaucrats, police officers and politicians.
Try this
Q. In the absence of a uniform and comprehensive law to deal with asylum seekers, we lack a clear vision or policy on refugee management. In the context of this, examine the need for law to deal with asylum seeker and suggest the various aspects the law should cover.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Voter List
Mains level: Election reforms in Jammu and Kashmir
Kashmir Voters’ List Upgrade to include Non-Locals
Recently the J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) announced that anyone “who is living ordinarily in J&K” can avail the opportunity to get enlisted as a voter in the Union Territory in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.
Why in news?
- Many people who were not enlisted as voters in the erstwhile State of J&K are now eligible to vote after the reading down of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) was expecting an addition of 20-25 lakh new voters in the final list in J&K.
- This has created furore among the out-streamed politicians of the erstwhile state.
What did the EC announce?
- There is no need to have a domicile certificate of J&K to become a voter.
- An employee, a student, a labourer or anyone from outside who is living ordinarily in J&K can enlist his or her name in the voting list.
- Around 25 lakh new voters are expected to be enrolled in J&K, which has 76 lakh voters on the list. The projected 18-plus population of J&K was around 98 lakh.
- After the abrogation of special provisions of Article 370, the Representation of the People Act 1950 and 1951 is applicable in J&K, which allows ordinarily residing persons to get registered in the electoral rolls of J&K.
New Voters in J&K
- Armed forces posted in J&K could also register as voters and could possibly participate in the first ever Assembly polls in the youngest Union Territory (UT) of the country.
- The existing electoral roll is being mapped into the newly delimited Assembly constituencies as per the Delimitation Commission’s final order made applicable by the Union Law Ministry.
Why are electoral rolls being revised?
- The ECI is working on fresh electoral rolls in J&K after the J&K Delimitation Commission carved out seven new Assembly constituencies in the UT earlier this year.
- The Delimitation Commission has re-drawn many constituencies and fresh electoral rolls are essential to prepare the ground for any announcement of elections in J&K.
- The last Assembly elections took place long back in 2014.
- In a latest move, the ECI has decided that it will also include any person who has attained the age of 18 years on or before October 1, 2022 in the fresh electoral rolls.
- The final electoral roll would be published in November.
Why such move?
- Prior to August 5, 2019 when J&K had special constitutional powers, the Assembly electoral rolls in the State were drawn up according to the separate J&K Representation of the People Act 1957.
- Therein only permanent residents of J&K were eligible to get registered in the Assembly rolls.
- To get voting rights, Permanent Resident Certificate and domicile certificates had to be shown.
- Several lakh residents from West Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, who had migrated to J&K and were living there for decades,
- They had no voting rights in Assembly elections till August 5, 2019 but were able to vote in the parliamentary elections.
Why has the ECI announcement caused a furore?
- All pseudo liberal and fundamentalist political parties in J&K have reacted sharply to the ECI announcement.
- J&K’s main regional parties also called Gupkar parties have expressed concerns that the move will open the floodgates and turn locals into an electoral minority.
- Separatists expressed concern that there was a plan to bring 25 lakh non-locals and make them eligible to cast their votes in the next J&K elections.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FRT system
Mains level: Issues with FRT
A Right to Information (RTI) response revealed that the Delhi Police treats matches of above 80% similarity generated by its facial recognition technology (FRT) system as positive results.
Why in news?
- India has seen the rapid deployment of facial recognition technology (FRT) in recent years, both by the Union and State governments, without putting in place any law to regulate their use.
What is Facial Recognition Technology?
- Facial recognition is an algorithm-based technology that creates a digital map of the face by identifying and mapping an individual’s facial features, which it then matches against the database to which it has access.
- It can be used for two purposes:
(A) 1:1 verification of identity
- Here the facial map is obtained for the purpose of matching it against the person’s photograph on a database to authenticate their identity.
- Increasingly it is being used to provide access to any benefits or government schemes.
(B) One-to-many identification
- There is the one-to-many identification of identity wherein the facial map is obtained from a photograph or video and then matched against the entire database to identify the person in the photograph or video.
- Law enforcement agencies such as the Delhi Police usually procure FRT for 1:n identification.
- It generates a probability or a match score between the suspect who is to be identified and the available database of identified criminals.
- A list of possible matches are generated on the basis of their likelihood to be the correct match with corresponding match scores.
- However, ultimately it is a human analyst who selects the final probable match from the list of matches generated by FRT.
Why is the Delhi Police using facial recognition technology?
- The Delhi Police first obtained FRT for the purpose of tracing and identifying missing children.
- The procurement was authorised under the 2018 direction of the Delhi High Court in Sadhan Haldar vs. NCT of Delhi.
Issues with FRT use
- The use of FRT presents two issues:
- Issues related to misidentification due to inaccuracy of the technology and
- Issues related to mass surveillance due to misuse of the technology
- Extensive research into the technology has revealed that its accuracy rates fall starkly based on race and gender.
- This can result in a false positive rate, where a person is misidentified as someone else, or a false negative where a person is not verified as themselves.
- Cases of a false positive result can lead to bias against the individual who has been misidentified.
- On the other hand, cases of false negative results can lead to exclusion of the individual from accessing essential schemes. Ex. Failure of biometric based authentication under Aadhaar for an 90 YO person.
Authority to Delhi Police
- The Delhi Police is matching the photographs/videos against photographs collected under Section three and four of the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.
- This provision has now been replaced by the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022.
- This Act allows for wider categories of data to be collected from a wider section of people, i.e., “convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation of criminal matters”.
Why discuss this?
- At present, India does NOT have a data protection law or a FRT specific regulation to protect against misuse.
- In such a legal vacuum, there are no safeguards to ensure that authorities use FRT only for the purposes that they have been authorised to, as is the case with the Delhi Police.
- FRT can enable the constant surveillance of an individual resulting in the violation of their fundamental right to privacy.
- Yet again the nation-security narrative comes into picture which cannot be ignored.
- It is feared that the Act will lead to overbroad collection of personal data in violation of internationally recognised best practices for the collection and processing of data.
- This revelation raises multiple concerns as the use of facial recognition can lead to wrongful arrests and mass surveillance resulting in privacy violations (if used for propaganda politics).
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FTA
Mains level: India-UK FTA
India and the UK recently revived talks for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to encourage trade and investment. The FTA between India and UK is expected to be signed by October.
What is a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)?
- It is an agreement between two or more countries to minimize barriers to imports and exports of products and services among them.
- It includes reducing tariffs, quotas, subsidies or prohibitions which could limit exchange of goods and services across borders.
- The FTA might allow free trade among the two nations with a few exceptions.
- This involves a formal and mutual agreement signed between two or more countries.
- The agreement could be comprehensive and include goods, services, investment, intellectual property, competition, government procurement and other areas.
What is the status of the India-UK FTA?
- India and the United Kingdom have a multi-dimensional strategic partnership and are actively engaged in bilateral trade.
- The two countries agreed to begin formal negotiations for an FTA in January 2022, aiming to advance trade and investment relations between them.
- The fifth round of FTA talks concluded on 29 July, and the expectation is that negotiations would be completed and the stage set for the FTA by October.
- The FTA is important for both countries as it would provide a boost and create a robust framework of overall trade and investment between the two countries.
Which are the countries with which India has FTAs?
- As of April 2022, India had 13 FTAs, including the South Asian Free Trade Area, and with Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.
- The 13 also include the agreements with Mauritius, UAE and Australia signed during the last five years.
- Additionally, India has also signed six limited Preferential Trade Agreements.
What is the level of India-UK trade?
- Bilateral trade stands at $50 billion (ie approx. $35 billion in services and $15 billion in merchandise).
- India is UK’s 12th largest trading partner and accounts for 1.9% of UK’s total trade in four quarters to the end of 2022.
- UK is the seventh largest export destination for India.
- The trade balance maintained by India with UK has largely been a surplus.
- Top three services exported from India to UK are technical, trade-related and other business services, professional and management consulting services and travel.
How will an FTA with UK benefit India?
- Apart from reducing tariffs, the FTA also looks at lowering non-tariff barriers, particularly technical barriers to trade around rules of origin, investor protection and IPR.
- MoUs on joint recognition of certain educational qualifications and an outline pact on healthcare workforce have already been signed.
- Also, both UK and India have set up panels for a totalization deal being advocated by India and permitting Indian legal services for the UK.
Back2Basics: Types of Trade Agreements
(1) Free Trade Agreement – discussed above
(2) Preferential Trade Agreement
- In this type of agreement, two or more partners give preferential right of entry to certain products.
- This is done by reducing duties on an agreed number of tariff lines.
- Here a positive list is maintained i.e. the list of the products on which the two partners have agreed to provide preferential access.
- Tariff may even be reduced to zero for some products even in a PTA.
- India signed a PTA with Afghanistan.
(3) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
- Partnership agreement or cooperation agreement are more comprehensive than an FTA.
- CECA/CEPA also looks into the regulatory aspect of trade and encompasses and agreement covering the regulatory issues.
- CECA has the widest coverage. CEPA covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership.
- It may even consider negotiation on areas such as trade facilitation and customs cooperation, competition, and IPR.
- India has signed CEPAs with South Korea and Japan.
(4) Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
- CECA generally cover negotiation on trade tariff and Tariff rate quotas (TRQs) rates only.
- It is not as comprehensive as CEPA.
- India has signed CECA with Malaysia.
(5) Framework Agreement
- Framework agreement primarily defines the scope and provisions of orientation of the potential agreement between the trading partners.
- It provides for some new area of discussions and set the period for future liberalisation.
- India has previously signed framework agreements with the ASEAN, Japan etc.
(6) Early Harvest Scheme
- An Early Harvest Scheme (EHS) is a precursor to an FTA/CECA/CEPA between two trading partners. For example, early harvest scheme of RCEP has been rolled out.
- At this stage, the negotiating countries identify certain products for tariff liberalization pending the conclusion of actual FTA negotiations.
- An Early Harvest Scheme is thus a step towards enhanced engagement and confidence building.
Also read
[Sansad TV] Perspective: Free Trade Agreement
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mandala Art
Mains level: Not Much
Some residents of Liverpool in the UK are marveling over a mandala art the size of one and a half football pitches in length created by artist James Brunt with materials such as leaves and rocks.
What is Mandala Art?
- Literally meaning “circle” or “centre” in Sanskrit, a mandala art is defined by a geometric configuration that usually incorporates the circular shape in some form.
- Mandala patterns are a centuries-old motif that are used to depict the cosmos, and have been adapted by artists the world over, each of whom have added their own interpretation and painted it as their own.
- While it can also be created in the shape of a square, a mandala pattern is essentially interconnected.
Its origin
- It is believed to be rooted in Buddhism, appearing in the first century BC in India.
- In Hinduism, the mandala imagery first appeared in Rig Veda (1500 – 500 BCE).
- Over the next couple centuries, Buddhist missionaries travelling along the Silk Road took it to other regions.
- By the sixth century, mandalas have been recorded in China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Tibet.
The meaning of the motif
- It is believed that by entering the mandala and moving towards its center, one is guided through the cosmic process of transforming the universe .
- It depicts transition from one of suffering to that of joy.
- A traditional Buddhist mandala, a circular painting drawn with coloured sand, aided in meditation, with the main objective of aiding its creator to discover their true self.
- In Hinduism, a mandala or yantra is in the shape of a square with a circle at its center.
- There are various elements incorporated within the mandala, each of which has its own meaning.
- For instance, the eight spokes of the wheel (the dharmachakra) represent the eightfold path of Buddhism, the lotus flower depicts balance, and the sun represents the universe.
- Facing up, triangles represent action and energy, and facing down, they represent creativity and knowledge.
Mandala in modern Indian art
- Deep-rooted in ancient philosophy, the mandala has attained varied forms in the hands of modern and contemporary Indian artists.
- While it continues to appear in thangka paintings, it has a central place in the practice of mainstream artists associated with the tantric and neo-tantric spiritual movements.
- Choosing to transition from the more figurative depictions of the previous generations of Indian artists, in the 1960s Sohan Qadri and Prafulla Mohanty gained widespread recognition for their works.
- Their work is imbibed in tantric symbolism, such as mandalas that are also used in the rituals of tantric initiation.
- Geometric compositions also dominated works of artists such as Biren De, GR Santosh, Shobha Broota, and famously SH Raza, who visualised the bindu as the center of his universe and the source of energy and life.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Particulars of KUSUM
Mains level: Doubling farmer income
Context
- By making solar energy the ‘third crop’, promoting this innovation on a mission mode, the government can double farmers’ income.
- The famous slogan of late Lal Bahadur Shastri, “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan,” was extended by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to include “Jai Vigyan”. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended it to, “Jai Anusandhan”.
What is doubling farmer’s income scheme
- Doubling farmers’ income is a target set by the government of India in February 2016 to be achieved by 2022.
- To promote farmers’ welfare, reduce agrarian distress and bring parity between income of farmers and those working in non-agricultural professions.
KUSUM Scheme
- The scheme would provide extra income to farmers, by giving them an option to sell additional power to the grid through solar power projects set up on their barren lands.
- It was announced in the Union Budget 2018-19.
Component of KUSUM Scheme
Component-A
- Renewable power plants of capacity 500 KW to 2 MW will be setup by individual farmers/ cooperatives/panchayats /farmer producer organisations (FPO) on their barren or cultivable lands.
Component-B
- Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps.
- Individual farmers will be supported to install standalone solar pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP. Solar PV capacity in kW equal to the pump capacity in HP is allowed under the scheme.
Component-C
- Solarization of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps is included in this component, Individual farmers will be supported to solarise pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP.
Expected outcomes of KUSUM
- Welfare: By providing greater financial assistance to smaller farmers, instead of a one¬size¬fits¬all approach.
- Equity: To encourage equitable deployment, the Centre could incentivise States through target linked financial assistance and create avenues for peer learning.
- Addressing inequity within a State – This is addressed by a share of central financial assistance under KUSUM should be appropriated for farmers with small landholdings and belonging to socially disadvantaged groups.
Punchline
Annadata becoming the urjadata – This one policy has the potential to double farmers incomes within a year or two.
Challenges
- Awareness challenge: Barriers to adoption include limited awareness about solar pumps.
- Upfront contribution: The other barrier includes farmers’ inability to pay their upfront contribution.
- Regulatory hurdle: Progress on the implementation front has been rather poor due to regulatory, financial, operational and technical challenges.
Constraints in the path of doubling the income
- Outdated technology: Use of outdated and inappropriate technology is the main reason for low productivity of crops and livestock.
- Affordability: Given the pre-dominance of small and marginal farmers in Indian agriculture, affordability becomes a significant constraint on technology adoption by farmers.
- Low research in agriculture: Agricultural research in the country is constrained by resource inadequacy, regulations and intellectual property rights (IPR).
The Measures Taken by Indian Government
- Institutional Reforms: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Soil health card, and Prampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana- Aiming to raise output and reduce cost.
- Technological Reforms: Various Technology mission like Technology mission on cotton, Technology Mission on Oilseeds, Pulses and Maize etc.
Way forward
- To secure future of agriculture and to improve livelihood of half of India’s population, adequate attention needs to be given to improve the welfare of farmers and raise agricultural income.
- It is essential to mobilize States and UTs to own and achieve the goal of doubling farmers’; income with active focus on capacity building (technology adoption and awareness) of farmers that will be the catalyst to boost farmer’s income.
Mains question
Q. By making solar energy the ‘third crop’, promoting this innovation on a mission mode, the government can double farmers’ income. Critically analyse this statement.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Social impacts of caste system
Context
- Indra Meghwal, a nine-year-old boy from Jalore, Rajasthan, got killed. Indra had dared to drink from the pitcher of Chail Singh, the upper-caste principal of the school, a man so driven by caste entitlement and hatred that it was only death, a hate-filled sacrifice, that could keep the tradition alive.
What is caste system?
- Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural notions of purity and pollution.
How caste system evolved?
- According to one long-held theory about the origins of South Asia’s caste system, Aryans from central Asia invaded South Asia and introduced the caste system as a means of controlling the local populations. The Aryans defined key roles in society, then assigned groups of people to them.
Problem’s created by caste system
- Marriages: Most Indian marriages are arranged by parents. Several factors were considered by them for finding the ideal spouse. Out of which, one’s caste is a significant factor. People do not want their son or their daughter to marry a person from another caste. Just like the word “untouchables” suggests, a Brahmin would never marry a person from an SC or ST caste.
- Education: Public universities have caste-based reservations for students coming from underprivileged backgrounds. A person from this background can secure a seat in a top tier college with par or below par academic scores based on reservation. However, impoverished Brahmans are disadvantaged with this reservation system. For example, a Brahman has to score 100% on certain exams to get into a top tier university. While the lower caste applicant can even bypass the exam for getting a seat in the university.
- Jobs: A significant amount of public sector jobs are allocated based on caste reservation. Impoverished communities from Brahman backgrounds get affected significantly because of this reservation.
Case study / Value addition
Remember the exemplary act of Gopalganj IAS officer, Rahul Kumar, who had set an example by eating at the dalit widow’s house after villagers objected to her serving the mid-day meal to their children in the local school.
How Can the Government Solve this Caste Issue?
- Intercaste Marriage: Cross caste marriage can possibly eradicate the upper and lower caste mentality. Around 5% of marriages in India are between different castes. Around a quarter of the population on matrimonial sites are open to intercaste marriages at the moment.
- Intercaste Dining: Addressing caste-related issues at large public events can contribute to diversity and inclusion efforts. Several dining events were organized by local state governments to incorporate people from all around the country.
Affirmative actions by government
- Provisions in the Constitution
- Reservations in jobs
- Reservations in Centre and State legislatures
- Provisions in panchayats
- Protect stakeholders by various Acts, safeguarding their land, livelihood, and save them from social evils
Way forward
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political agenda includes caste elimination from the country. India has improved to some extent in this 21st century on several fronts.
- However, there is still lots of room to grow. The Indian government has an effective plan of bringing people together from all walks of life. Yet, certain inherent ideological contradictions will stand in the way while solving this issue. Regardless, that should not deter our hope in escaping the shackles of casteism.
Conclusion
- It is just as Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar said, “Caste will stand in your way for political and economical reforms within India.” According to him, eradicating such a strong foundation is extremely difficult yet doable. However, the path to reform has many roadblocks in it.
Mains question
Q. Do you think Caste will stand in way for political and economical reforms within India today? Analyse in context of incidents of social discrimination based on caste hierarchy.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Particulars of PMLA , ED.
Mains level: Corruption and transparency
Context
- At least 17 Opposition parties have dubbed as “dangerous” the recent Supreme Court judgement upholding amendments made in 2019 to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), giving more powers to agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
What are the concerns for this verdict?
- Violate fundamental rights: Petitions were filed against the amendments, which the challengers claimed would violate personal liberty, procedures of law and the constitutional mandate.
- Complex process: The petitioners included many veteran politicians who all claimed that the “process itself was the punishment”.
- Coercion of ED: There were submissions that the accused’s right against self-incrimination suffered when the ED summoned them and made them sign statements on threats of arrest.
What is PMLA?
- Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted by the government to prevent money-laundering and to provide for confiscation of property derived from money-laundering.
What is money laundering?
- Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source.
What is ED?
- The Directorate of Enforcement is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India. It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government Of India.
What acts it covers?
- Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)
- Fugitive Economic Offenders Act
- Foreign Exchange Management Act
- Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA)
Roles and functions of the ED
- Summon, Search and seizure: The ED carries out search (property) and seizure (money/documents) after it has decided that the money has been laundered, under Section 16 (power of survey) and Section 17 (search and seizure) of the PMLA.
- Arrest and detentions: On the basis of that, the authorities will decide if an arrest is needed as per Section 19 (power of arrest).
- Attachment of property: Under Section 50, the ED can also directly carry out search and seizure without calling the person for questioning. It is not necessary to summon the person first and then start with the search and seizure.
- Filing of chargesheet: If the person is arrested, the ED gets 60 days to file the prosecution complaint (chargesheet) as the punishment under PMLA doesn’t go beyond seven years.
Why ED is making news?
- Selective witch-hunt: The ED has often been attacked for initiating investigations, raiding and questioning leaders of opposition parties, be it under the current regime or under past governments.
Why ED is on target?
- Huge discretions: The ED is the only Central agency in the country that does not require permission from the government to summon or prosecute politicians or government functionaries for committing economic offences like money laundering.
- Used for petty crimes: PMLA is pulled into the investigation of even “ordinary” crimes and assets of genuine victims have been attached.
- Actual purpose denigrated: PMLA was a comprehensive penal statute to counter the threat of money laundering, specifically stemming from the trade in narcotics.
- Violations of Rights: PMLA was enacted in response to India’s global commitment to combat the menace of money laundering. Instead, rights have been “cribbed, cabined and confined”.
Issues with PMLA
- Misuse of central agencies: PMLA is being pulled into the investigation of even ordinary crimes by the Enforcement Directorate.
- Seizing of assets: Assets of genuine victims have been attached. The ED could just walk into anybody’s house.
- Politically motivated raids: In all this, the fundamental purpose of PMLA to investigate the conversion of “illegitimate money into legitimate money” was lost.
- Opacity of charges: Petitioners pointed out that even the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) – an equivalent of the FIR – is considered an “internal document” and not given to the accused.
- Vagueness over evidence: The accused is called upon to make statements that are treated as admissible in evidence.
- Harassment: The ED begins to summon accused persons and seeks details of all their financial transactions and of their family members.
- Against individual liberty: The initiation of an investigation by the ED has consequences that have the potential of curtailing the liberty of an individual.
Way ahead
- It is unlikely that corruption can be substantially reduced without modifying the way government agencies operate.
- The fight against corruption is intimately linked with the reform of the investigations.
- Therefore the adjudicating authorities must work in cooperation and ensure the highest standards of transparency and fairness.
Mains question
Q. The trust in premier investigating institutions, and their credibility, is at stake. Is the ED a tool to investigate financial skulduggery or a stick to browbeat opposition leaders? Critically examine.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Read the attached story
Mains level: India- SE Asia Cultural Linkages
As part of his visit to Thailand for the ninth India-Thailand joint commission meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited a temple in Bangkok.
Why in news?
- The temple is the Royal Brahmin Office of the Thai Royal Court and is the official centre of Hinduism in Thailand.
- It highlights the long history of cultural contacts between India and Thailand.
Making of ‘Greater India’ in Southeast Asia
- India and the Southeast Asia region share a long history of cultural and commercial relations.
- The classical Sanskrit and Pali texts from India carry references of the region using various names such as Kathakosha, Suvarnabhumi (the land of god) or Suvarnadvipa (the golden island), indicating that this was a region that attracted Indian merchants.
- Trade in spices, aromatic wood and most importantly gold is known to have flourished.
- In more recent times, European and Indian scholars have referred to Southeast Asia as ‘Farther India’, ‘Greater India’, or ‘Hinduised or Indianized states’.
What one mean by ‘Farther India’?
- The first person to do an in-depth study of the process of ‘Indianisation’ in Southeast Asian countries was a French scholar named George Coedes.
- He coined the term ‘Farther India’ to refer to those states that experienced “the civilizing activity of India’.
- Geographically, it refers to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and the Malay states.
- The Sanskrit, Buddhist, and Jain texts indicate that interactions between the two regions go back more than two thousand years ago, mainly through sea voyages and that trade played an important role.
- They were also accompanied by Brahmin priests, Buddhist monks, scholars and adventurers and all of them played an important role in the transmission of Indian culture to the natives of Southeast Asia.
- Some of the merchants and Brahmin priests married the local girls and were often employed by the local rulers.
Limitations to Indian influence
- Indian expansion into Southeast Asia cannot be compared to European colonization since Indians were not complete strangers to the population of Southeast Asia and had pre-existing trade relations.
- In the early 20th century, the nationalist historians of India frequently referred to the ancient Indian kingdoms in Southeast Asia as its ‘colony’.
- Historian RC Majumdar noted that the Hindu colonists brought with them the whole framework of their culture and civilization.
- This was transplanted in its entirety among the people who had not emerged from their primitive barbarism.
- More recently the colonization theory has been rejected on the ground that there is very little evidence of conquest or direct political influence in the ancient Southeast Asian kingdoms.
Visible cultural influence
- The first Indian kingdom to come up in Southeast Asia was Funan, which is the predecessor of modern Cambodia and Lin-yi in southern Vietnam, both of which came up in the second century CE.
- Contemporary Southeast Asian society carries several pieces of evidence of the cultural impact of these interactions.
- Many local languages in the region, including Thai, Malay, and Javanese contain words of Sanskrit, Pali and Dravidian origin in significant proportions.
- The Thai language is written in script derived from Southern Indian Pallava alphabet.
- Perhaps the most important influence of India on Southeast Asia was in the field of religion and how Shivaism, Vaishnavism, Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism and later Sinhalese Buddhism came to be practised in the region.
- The political and administrative institutions and ideas, especially the concept of divine authority and kingship, are largely shaped by the Indian practices.
- For example, the Thai king is considered as an incarnation of Vishnu.
- The episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata are regularly featured in puppet shows and theatre events.
- In terms of architecture, monuments like Borobodur Stupa in Java, the Angkor Vat temple in Cambodia, My Son temple in Vietnam are some of the best examples of Indian influence in the region.
India’s religious links to Thailand
- In the early centuries of the Common Era, Thailand, which was historically known as Siam, was under the rule of the Funan Empire.
- Following the decline of the Funan Empire in the sixth century CE, it was under the rule of the Buddhist kingdom of Dvaravati.
- In the 10th century, the region came under Khmer rule, which is also known to have links with India.
- A Tamil inscription found in Takua-pa testifies to trade links between the Pallava region of South India and southern Thailand.
- A mercantile corporation of South Indians called Manikarramam had established a settlement here and built its own temple and tank, and lived as a ‘self-contained’ colony.
- It is important to note that Brahmanism and Buddhism existed alongside each other in Thailand in the pre-Sukhothai period of the 13th century.
Cult of Rama
- The Ramayana known in Thailand as Ramakriti (the glory of Rama) or Ramakien (the account of Rama) — has provided an outlet of cultural expression in Thailand for both the elite and the common man.
- Episodes from the epic are painted on the walls of Buddhist temples and enacted in dramas and ballets.
- Although there is no archaeological evidence of the story of Rama in Thailand, certain towns in the country have legends related to Rama’s life connected with them.
- For instance, Ayutthaya in Central Thailand, which emerged in the 10th century CE, is derived from Ayodhya, birthplace of Lord Rama.
- Desai writes that “from the 13th century onwards, several Thai kings assumed the title Rama, which has become hereditary during the present dynasty.”
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UNCLOS
Mains level: High seas regulation
A delegation from India and other member countries of the UN are in New York to deliberate on a one-of-its-kind agreement to conserve marine biodiversity in the high seas, namely the oceans that extend beyond countries’ territorial waters.
What is the news?
- The agreement follows a resolution by the UN General Assembly.
- The pact is expected to be the final in a series set in motion since 2018 to draft an international legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Why need Ocean Diversity Pact?
(1) Deciding on rights of explorers
- A key aspect of the agreement is deciding on the rights of companies that undertake exploration for biological resources in the high seas.
- It is under discussion if companies have absolute rights on any discovery or extraction in these regions or should they share their gains, in terms of intellectual property and royalties with an UN-prescribed body.
(2) Regulation for exotic items
- The focus of mining activity in the sea has been for gas hydrates, precious metals and other fossil fuel
- However, with advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering, several companies see potential in exotic microbes and other organisms — several of them undiscovered — that abide in the deep ocean and could be used for drugs and vaccines.
(3) ‘Blue Economy’ policy of India
- The Union Cabinet approved a ‘Blue Economy’ policy for India, a nearly ₹4,000-crore programme spread over five years.
- This among other things will develop a manned submersible vessel as well as work on bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes.
- Studies on sustainable utilisation of deep sea bio-resources will be the main focus.
What is UNCLOS?
- UNCLOS is sometimes referred to as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty.
- It came into operation and became effective from 16th November 1982.
- It defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world’s oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources.
- It has created three new institutions on the international scene :
- International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,
- International Seabed Authority
- Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf
Note: UNCLOS does not deal with matters of territorial disputes or to resolve issues of sovereignty, as that field is governed by rules of customary international law on the acquisition and loss of territory.
Major conventions:
There had been three major conferences of UNCLOS:
- UNCLOS I: It resulted in the successful implementation of various conventions regarding Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zones, Continental Shelf, High Seas, Fishing Rights.
- UNCLOS II: No agreement was reached over breadth of territorial waters.
- UNCLOS III: It introduced a number of provisions. The most significant issues covered were setting limits, navigation, archipelagic status and transit regimes, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), continental shelf jurisdiction, deep seabed mining, the exploitation regime, protection of the marine environment, scientific research, and settlement of disputes.
The convention set the limit of various areas, measured from a carefully defined baseline.
These terminologies are as follows:
(1) Baseline
- The convention set the limit of various areas, measured from a carefully defined baseline.
- Normally, a sea baseline follows the low-water line, but when the coastline is deeply indented, has fringing islands or is highly unstable, straight baselines may be used.
(2) Internal waters
- It covers all water and waterways on the landward side of the baseline.
- The coastal state is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource. Foreign vessels have no right of passage within internal waters.
- A vessel in the high seas assumes jurisdiction under the internal laws of its flag State.
(3) Territorial waters
- Out to 12 nautical miles (22 km, 14 miles) from the baseline, the coastal state is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource.
- Vessels were given the Right of Innocent Passage through any territorial waters.
- “Innocent passage” is defined by the convention as passing through waters in an expeditious and continuous manner, which is not “prejudicial to the peace, good order or the security” of the coastal state.
- Fishing, polluting, weapons practice, and spying are not “innocent”, and submarines and other underwater vehicles are required to navigate on the surface and to show their flag.
- Nations can also temporarily suspend innocent passage in specific areas of their territorial seas, if doing so is essential for the protection of their security.
(4) Archipelagic waters
- The convention set the definition of “Archipelagic States”, which also defines how the state can draw its territorial borders.
- All waters inside this baseline are designated “Archipelagic Waters”.
- The state has sovereignty over these waters mostly to the extent it has over internal waters, but subject to existing rights including traditional fishing rights of immediately adjacent states.
- Foreign vessels have right of innocent passage through archipelagic waters, but archipelagic states may limit innocent passage to designated sea lanes.
(5) Contiguous zone
- Beyond the 12-nautical-mile (22 km) limit, there is a further 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the territorial sea baseline limit, the contiguous zone.
- Here a state can continue to enforce laws in four specific areas (customs, taxation, immigration, and pollution) if the infringement started or is about to occur within the state’s territory or territorial waters.
- This makes the contiguous zone a hot pursuit area.
(6) Exclusive economic zones (EEZs)
- These extend 200 nm from the baseline.
- Within this area, the coastal nation has sole exploitation rights over all natural resources.
- In casual use, the term may include the territorial sea and even the continental shelf.
(7) Continental shelf
- The continental shelf is defined as the natural prolongation of the land territory to the continental margin’s outer edge, or 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coastal state’s baseline, whichever is greater.
India and UNCLOS
- As a State party to the UNCLOS, India promoted utmost respect for the UNCLOS, which established the international legal order of the seas and oceans.
- India also supported freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded commerce based on the principles of international law, reflected notably in the UNCLOS 1982.
- India is committed to safeguarding maritime interests and strengthening security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to ensure a favorable and positive maritime environment.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Partition of Bengal, Lord Curzon
Mains level: Partition of Bengal and its aftermath
The 119-year-old Curzon Gate in Bardhaman in West Bengal is at the centre of a political row.
Who was Lord Curzon?
- Born in 1859, Curzon was a British conservative politician who was educated at the elite institutions of Eton and Oxford.
- He served as Under-Secretary of State for India (1891-1892), and for Foreign Affairs (1895-1898), before being appointed Viceroy of India in 1899.
- As viceroy, his administration was known for intense activity and emphasis on efficiency.
- He stated in his budget speech in 1904, “Efficiency of administration is, in my view, a synonym for the contentment of the governed”.
Rise to infame
- Of all the Viceroys of India, Curzon is possibly the most criticised — he is the man who partitioned Bengal in 1905, and triggered a wave of Bengali nationalism that contributed to the wider Indian national movement.
- He was also one of the more openly imperialist of viceroys, and a man who saw Britain’s rule over India as critical to the survival of empire.
- In 1900, Curzon famously stated, “We could lose all our [white settlement] dominions and still survive, but if we lost India, our sun would sink to its setting.”
His works
- Curzon created a separate Muslim majority province of the North-West Frontier Province, sent a British expedition to Tibet and established a separate police service.
- He was instrumental in establishing the Archaeological Survey of India, in order to study and protect historical monuments.
- Early on in his career, Curzon earned some praise from his colonial subjects for taking action against Europeans in a number of high-profile racist attacks against Indians.
- In 1899, he punished white soldiers for raping a woman in Rangoon; he disciplined soldiers of the 9th Lancers for beating an Indian cook in Sialkot to death in 1902.
- He had tried unsuccessfully to get the Calcutta High Court to change the meagre punishment given to an Assam tea manager for murdering a “coolie”.
Why was he disliked then?
- Curzon was both vexed and enraged by the growing nationalist movement in India and he sought to throttle the growing aspirations of the educated Indian middle class.
- A staunch imperialist, he took a series of extremely unpopular measures, including passing, in 1899, the Calcutta Municipal Amendment Act.
- He reduced the number of elected representatives in the Calcutta Corporation.
- Among others was the Indian Universities Act (1904), that placed Calcutta University under government control, and the Indian Official Secrets Amendment Act (1904) which reduced the freedom of the press even further.
- Ironically though, it was his biggest and most reviled decision — to partition Bengal in 1905 — that led to a spurt in nationalist sentiment and revitalized the Congress.
How and why did the partition of Bengal take place?
- Calcutta was the capital of the British Raj, and Bengal Presidency was one of the largest provinces in India, populated by more than 78 million people.
- It was such a huge province encompassing present-day West Bengal, Bangladesh, Bihar, parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Assam.
- For long, the British had maintained that Bengal was too large to efficiently manage and administer; it was also believed that with Calcutta as the nerve centre of the educated nationalists, the resistance to colonial rule would only increase.
- Home Secretary H H Risley noted in 1904, “Bengal united is a power; Bengal divided will pull in several different ways.
Actual course of Partition
- In July 1905, Curzon announced the partition of Bengal into two provinces.
- East Bengal and Assam, with a population of 38 million, was predominately Muslim, while the western province, called Bengal, and was reduced to 55 million people, primarily Hindus.
- Protests began almost immediately after the announcement, with meetings taking place in more than 300 cities, towns, and villages across Bengal.
What were the consequences of the partition?
- In opposition to the partition, nationalist leaders organized a campaign a boycott British goods and institutions and encouraged the use of local products.
- After a formal resolution was passed at a meeting in Calcutta in August 1905, the Swadeshi movement began.
- Students were at the forefront of the movement, which was characterized by boycotts of British educational institutions and law courts, and large bonfires of imported cotton textiles.
- There was a surge in nationalist rhetoric, and the song ‘Bande Mataram’, set to music by Rabindranath Tagore, became the informal anthem of the movement.
- The Swadeshi movement and boycott was not restricted to Bengal, and spread to other parts of the country, including Punjab, Maharashtra, and parts of the Madras Presidency.
- A number of secret societies, such as the Anushilan Samiti of Bengal, sought to overthrow British rule through violent means.
- Revolutionary groups used bombs, attempted to assassinate colonial officials, and engaged in armed robberies to finance their activities.
(Irreversible) Revocation of the Partition
- In 1905, Curzon resigned and returned to England after losing a power struggle with the commander-in-chief of the British Army, Lord Kitchener.
- The protests continued after his exit, and the colonial government in 1911 announced the reunification of Bengal.
- Thenceforth the capital of the Raj was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.
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Context
- Over 6,000 Signatories Demand To Reverse Bilkis Bano Convicts’ Release.
Why in news?
- Eleven convicts, sentenced to life imprisonment, released from Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They had completed more than 15 years in jail.
What is the issue?
- Bilkis Bano was 21-years-old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the violence that broke out after the Godhra train burning. Among those killed were her 3-year-old daughter.
What is remission?
- The duration of the sentence announced by the court can be cut short under special circumstances while the nature of the sentence remains the same, depending upon the nature of the crime.
Indian Judiciary: A Backgrounder
- Saviour of democracy: It speaks truth to political power, upholds the rights of citizens, mediates between Centre-state conflicts, provides justice to the rich and poor alike, and on several momentous occasions, saved democracy itself.
- Visible gaps: Despite its achievements, a gap between the ideal and reality has been becoming clear over the years.
- Slow in speed: The justice delivery is slow, the appointment of judges is mired in controversy, disciplinary mechanisms scarcely work, hierarchy rather than merit is preferred, women are severely under-represented, and constitutional matters often languish in the Supreme Court for years.
What led to under-performance of Indian Judiciary?
- Population explosion
- Litigation explosion
- Hasty and imperfect drafting of legislation
- Plurality and accumulation of appeals (Multiple appeals for the same issue)
Challenges to the judicial system
- Lack of infrastructure of courts
- High vacancy of judges in the district judiciary
- Pendency of Cases
- Ineffective planning in the functioning of the courts
Judicial initiative
- The CJI has pitched to set up a National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation (NJIC) to develop judicial infrastructure in trial courts.
- He indicated a substantial gap in infrastructure and availability of basic amenities in the lower judiciary.
Enrich your mains answer with this
Finland’s criminal justice system was voted the world’s best.
- Under the Constitution of Finland, everyone is entitled to have their case heard by a court or an authority appropriately and without undue delay. This is achieved through the judicial system of Finland.
Dynamic suggestions
- Creating NJIC: It will bring a revolutionary change in the judicial functioning provided the proposed body is given financial and executive powers to operate independently of the Union and the State governments.
- Appointment reforms: There are many experts who advocate the need to appoint more judges with unquestionable transparency in such appointments.
- Creating All Indian Judiciary Services: It would be a landmark move to create a pan-India Service that would result in a wide pool of qualified and committed judges entering the system.
- Technology infusion: The ethical and responsible use of AI and ML for the advancement of efficiency-enhancing can be increasingly embedded in legal and judicial processes. Ex. SUPACE.
Way forward
- It is time for courts to wake up from their colonial stupor and face the practical realities of Indian society.
- Rules and procedures of justice delivery should be made simple.
- The ordinary, poor, and rural Indian should not be scared of judges or the courts.
Conclusion
- India’s capacity to deliver justice has serious deficits with under-capacity and gender imbalance plaguing police, prisons and the judiciary and fund crunch affecting state services like free-legal aid. So there is urgent need of National Judicial Infrastructure Authorityfor the standardization and improvement of judicial infrastructure and robust justice delivery.
Mains question
Q. Do you think there are serious gaps in our judicial infrastructure and justice delivery? Identify these gaps and provide some dynamic suggestions from your end in the context of Bilkis Bano verdict.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Challenges of future.
Context
- PM Modi’s Independence Day speech outlined agenda for a radical transformation of society and nation.
What are 5 resolves given by PM?
- Take pride in India’s history.
- The power of unity.
- Duties of citizens, such as those of the PM and CMs.
- Advance with greater conviction and the determination of a developed India.
- Get rid of any signs of slavery.
Detail analysis 5 resolves of pm
(1)First pran: The first pran is about inculcating a culture of thinking big and at scale.
- The first vow is for the country to move ahead with a big resolve. And that big resolution is of a developed India; and now we should not settle for anything less than that. Big resolution!
- Some examples include the world’s largest financial inclusion programme, the largest vaccination drive, the largest health insurance programme and the largest social security schemes.
(2)Second pran: The second Pran is that in no part of our existence, not even in the deepest corners of our mind or habits should there be any ounce of slavery. It should be nipped there itself.
- Now, 100 per cent this slavery of hundreds of years has kept us bound, has forced us to keep our emotions tied up, have developed distorted thinking in us.
- We have to liberate ourselves from the slavery mind set which is visible in innumerable things within and around us. This is our second Pran Shakti.
(3)Third pran: The third Pran is that we should feel proud of our heritage and legacy.
- Since it is this same legacy which had given India its golden period in the past. And it is this legacy that has an innate capability of transforming itself with time.
- It is this rich heritage that transcends tests of tide and times. It embraces the new. And hence we should be proud of this heritage.
(4)Fourth pran: Fourth pran which is equally important is unity and solidarity.
- Amongst 130 million countrymen when there is harmony and bonhomie, unity becomes its strongest virtue.
- “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” – is one of the unifying initiatives to actuate the dream of the fourth Pran.
(5)Fifth pran: Fifth Pran is the duty of the citizens, in which even the Prime Minister, Chief Minister cannot be an exclusion.
- As they are also responsible citizens and have a duty towards the nation. This virtue is going to be the vital life force if we want to achieve the dreams we have for the next 25 years.
Challenges before India in next 25 years
- Skill development and employment for the future: workforce According to the World Economic Forum’s report “The Future of Jobs 2018”, more than half of Indian workers will require reskilling by 2022 to meet the talent demands of the future. They will each require an extra 100 days of learning, on average.
- Socioeconomic inclusion of rural India: By 2030, 40% of Indians will be urban residents. However, there will also be more than 5,000 small urban towns (50,000-100,000 persons each) and more than 50,000 developed rural towns (5,000-10,000 persons each) with similar income profiles, where aspirations are fast converging with those of urban India.
- A healthy and sustainable future: As India marches forward, it faces new challenges in health and sustainable living, even as it has achieved key health targets such as polio eradication.
Conclusion
- The nation should now only be setting big goals. That big goal is a developed India and nothing less.
Mains question
Q. What are the challenges India will face in next 25 years? Discuss the panch pran resolves of PM showing how they will address these challenges.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Milk inflation
Milk prices are rising, as producers and marketers pass on higher costs to consumers. Amul and Mother Dairy raised milk prices by ₹2 each this week, the second such hike this year.
Why are milk prices going up?
- High operating cost: For dairy companies and cooperatives, the cost of operation and production of milk has increased.
- Fodder price hike: Prices of cattle feed, which includes maize, wheat and soybean, are up 20% over the year.
- High procurement cost: Given the rise in input costs, its member unions from where it procures milk have increased farmers’ price in the range of 8-9% year-on-year.
- Cost sharing: In an already inflationary environment, dairies are compelled to pass on price increases to consumers as procurement prices go up.
Has demand for milk picked up as well?
- A better rate of vaccination, resumption of offices, schools and even opening up of channels such as hotels and restaurants have led to higher out-of-home consumption of foods and beverages in the last two to three quarters.
- This has led to greater demand for milk and other dairy beverages.
- Analysts cited higher skimmed milk prices in the international markets that they said make exports of the commodity out of India more attractive.
- A combination of these factors is pushing up milk procurement prices, and leading to higher retail prices.
But isn’t wholesale inflation cooling down nowadays?
- Yes; India’s wholesale price-based inflation eased to 13.93% in July.
- In fact, WPI inflation in milk eased in July to 5.45% compared to 6.35% in June, though it remained high compared to February.
- However, companies also pass on hikes with a lag to lessen the impact on demand. Amul says the increase is less than 4% — below the food inflation rate of 8-9%.
When will milk prices cool down?
- Milk procurement is also dependent on the flush season that runs between September to February.
- This is the peak lactating period for cattle due to better availability of green fodder and water.
- As a result, the period in general sees higher milk production and availability.
- The onset of the flush season could offer some relief to dairy companies in the second half of the current fiscal year.
What does this mean for consumers?
- For households, an increase in milk prices obviously means shelling out more money; this in a country that is among largest consumers of milk.
- In fact, by July, dairy companies had raised milk selling prices by 5-8% in a six-month window.
- Consumer demand typically sees an impact in the first few days after price hikes are initiated. However, recovery happens gradually.
- Consequently, higher milk procurement prices could also hurt companies that make bakery products or food items that use milk or milk solids.
Also read
Concept of Inflation/Deflation/WPI/CPI/IIP
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Great Indian Bustard
Mains level: Not Much
The critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) has adopted an altogether new behaviour of giving clutch of two eggs at a time after getting additional protein diet during the monsoon season.
Great Indian Bustards
- GIBs are the largest among the four bustard species found in India, the other three being MacQueen’s bustard, lesser florican, and the Bengal florican.
- GIBs’ historic range included much of the Indian sub-continent but it has now shrunken to just 10 percent of it. Among the heaviest birds with flight, GIBs prefer grasslands as their habitats.
- GIBs are considered the flagship bird species of grassland.
Protection accorded
- Birdlife International: uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered (2011)
- Protection under CITES: Appendix I
- IUCN status: Critically Endangered
- Protection under Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule I
Threats
- Overhead power transmission
- Poor vision: Due to their poor frontal vision, can’t detect powerlines in time and their weight makes in-flight quick maneuvers difficult.
- Windmills: Coincidentally, Kutch and Thar desert are the places that have witnessed the creation of huge renewable energy infrastructure.
- Noise pollution: Noise affects the mating and courtship practices of the GIB.
- Changes in the landscape: by way of farmers cultivating their land, which otherwise used to remain fallow due to frequent droughts in Kutch.
- Cultivation changes: Cultivation of cotton and wheat instead of pulses and fodder are also cited as reasons for falling GIB numbers.
On the brink of extinction
- The GIB population in India had fallen to just 150.
- Pakistan is also believed to host a few GIBs and yet openly supports their hunting.
Supreme Court’s intervention
- The Supreme Court has ordered that all overhead power transmission lines in core and potential GIB habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat should be undergrounded.
- The SC also formed a three-member committee to help power companies comply with the order.
Conservation measures
- In 2015, the Central government launched the GIB species recovery program.
- Under the program, the WII and Rajasthan Forest departments have jointly set up conservation breeding centers where GIB eggs are harvested from the wild.
- They have been incubated artificially and hatchlings raised in a controlled environment.
Try this PYQ
Q.Consider the following pairs:
Protected Area: Well-known for
- Bhiterkanika, Odisha — Salt Water Crocodile
- Desert National Park, Rajasthan — Great Indian Bustard
- Eravikulam, Kerala — Hoolock Gibbon
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (CSP 2014)
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Universal basic income.
Mains level: Social security ,Inclusive growth.
Context
- One of the biggest economic fallout of the pandemic has been the deteriorating labour market conditions.
- Given the ebb and flow of the pandemic, the growth recovery is likely to be fragmented and will weigh on the number and types of jobs available.
What is quality and sustainable livelihood?
- “A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintain or enhance its capabilities and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base.’’
Sustainable livelihoods objectives
- improved access to high-quality education, information, technologies and training and better nutrition and health;
- a more supportive and cohesive social environment;
- more secure access to, and better management of, natural resources;
Definition of labour welfare
- Labour welfare relates to taking care of the well-being of workers by employers, trade unions, governmental and non-governmental institutions and agencies.
- Welfare includes anything that is done for the comfort and improvement of employees and is provided over and above the wages.
Why labour law is needed
- Labour law aims to correct the imbalance of power between the worker and the employer; to prevent the employer from dismissing the worker without good cause; to set up and preserve the processes by which workers are recognized as ‘equal’ partners in negotiations about their working conditions etc.
Constitutional mandate
- Article 41 – The state shall within the limits of its economic capacity and development make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of underserved want.
- Article 42 – The state shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.
Challenges in labour welfare in India
- Technical glitches: Under the Constitution of India, Labour is a subject in the concurrent list where both the Central and State Governments are competent to enact legislations. As a result, a large number of labour laws have been enacted catering to different aspects of labour e.g. occupational health, safety, employment etc.
- Loopholes: Because of the predominantly heavy handed labour regulations (also called as Inspector Raj) with exploitable gaps, the MNCs and domestic organizations have resorted to alternate ways i.e. employing contract labour at less than half the payroll of a permanent employee.
- Gaps in labour laws: One of the main reasons for labour reforms is the concept of contract labour. Trade Unions suggest that this concept itself should be removed. There is stringent hiring and firing process defined in Industry Disputes Act. It makes it mandatory for the organization to seek Government permission before removing an employee.
Global best practices
- Universal basic income pilot project: For two years Finland’s government gave 2,000 unemployed citizens €560 a month with no strings attached. It was the first nationwide basic income experiment. The concept is slowly becoming difficult for people to ignore.
How will dynamic policies and labour codes respond?
- Labour productivity: It is likely to improve with both employees and employers developing a sense of being partners in wealth creation.
- Labour reform: A transparent environment in terms of workers’ compensation, clear definition of employee rights and employer duties.
- Compliance un-burdening: Simplified labour codes making compliance easier are likely to attract investments.
- Formalization of the economy: With more workers in the organized sector, leakage in terms of direct as well as indirect taxes may be plugged.
Conclusion
- The guiding principle for India’s labour policy reformers should not merely be ring fencing jobs but safeguarding workers through social assistance, re-employment support (such as that which is provided in several Western nations) and skill building, and supporting employers in employee training and development.
Mains question
Q. Why there is need to make labour policies more dynamic? Do you think universal basic income approach will be the best way forward for achieving quality livelihood?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IOC
Mains level: Olympics and India
The Supreme Court has ordered status quo on the implementation of a Delhi High Court order to hand over the affairs of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to a Committee of Administrators (CoA).
Why in news?
- The FIFA had recently gone ahead and suspended the AIFF, citing “third party interference”, leaving an air of uncertainty on the prospect of India hosting the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in October.
- The governance of the AIFF had similarly been transferred to a CoA by the Supreme Court.
Delhi HC case
- The high court had passed the order on a petition seeking a direction for redrafting of the IOA constitution in accordance with the National Sports Code, 2021.
Controversy with IOC
- According to IOC rules, if any national body is governed by a non-elected body, it is seen as interference by a third party.
- The moment the CoA takes charge, there is 99 per cent chance that India and our sportspersons will get suspended from all international events and Olympic Games.
Olympics and India
- India first participated in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris.
- The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidaying in Paris during that time.
- The seeds for creation of an organisation for coordinating the Olympic movement in India was related to India’s participation in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.
- Back then, Sir Dorabji Tata suggested the need for a Sports body at National level for promoting Olympic Sport in united India.
- After the 1920 Games, the Committee sending the team to these Games met, and, on the advice of Sir Dorabji Tata, invited Dr. A.G. Noehren (Physical Education Director of YMCA India) to also join them.
Establishment of Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
- Subsequently, in 1923-24, a provisional All India Olympic Committee was set-up, which organised the All India Olympic Games in February 1924.
- Eight athletes from these Games were selected to represent India at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics, accompanied by manager Harry Crowe Buck.
- This gave impetus to the development and institutionalization of sports in India, and, in 1927, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was formed, with Sir Dorabji Tata as its founding President and Dr. A.G. Noehren as Secretary.
- The same year as it was formed, 1927, the Indian Olympic Association was officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
Also read
Better time for Sports in India: PM
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Global Gender Gap Report 2022.
Mains level: Women issues,Affirmative actions.
Context
- Gender parity is not recovering, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022. It will take another 132 years to close the global gender gap.
- As crises are compounding, women’s workforce outcomes are suffering and the risk of global gender parity backsliding further intensifies.
Why in news?
- India has one of the world’s lowest female labour force participation rates (LFPR).
- This means the productive potential of half of the population goes unutilized.
What is women’s empowerment all about?
- Women’s empowerment can be defined to promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others.
Why it is needed?
- Human resource: Empowerment of women is a necessity for the very development of a society, since it enhances both the quality and the quantity of human resources available for development.
- Sustainable development: Women’s empowerment and achieving gender equality is essential for our society to ensure the sustainable development of the country.
Constraints in women empowerment
- Illiteracy: Illiteracy has been found as major constraints for the attainment of women Empowerment in the nation. It is the rate of literacy which governs the reservation, takeover and competition among women for their right in country. Female child are less privileged for attaining schools.
- Discriminatory nature of male towards female: In India, since the olden days, the men have been in control of politics, social, economical as well as cultural and traditional spheres of life.
- Religious and cultural beliefs: This is another important constraint of women’s empowerment in India which tightens up the female population. It is because of unknowing believes and following superstitions.
- Less participation of women in political field: In particular, women them self involves less in the political filed. Their participation is very insignificant in political issues and right as compared to male population.
What happens if we don’t act?
- Economical losses: Evidence shows that economic disempowerment of women can result in losses of 10% of GDP in industrialized economies and over 30% in South Asia and in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Work opportunities: India’s GDP could grow by nearly ₹3 trillion if women were brought into the labour market and given access to formal, ‘decent’ work opportunities.
Case study
Mahila Sanatkar a craftswomen cooperative located in Hyderabad.
Economic and social effects: It is noticeable some social results such as skill building, self-confidence enhancement, the mobility acquired by the women.
What is needed to improve women’s welfare?
- Community sensitization: Persistent effort must be directed toward community sensitization to root out patriarchal social norms.
- Directional efforts: In addition to enforcing existing regulations like minimum wages, there must be supportive ancillary policies including childcare; secure transport; lighting; safety at work; and quotas in hiring, corporate boards, and politics to foster more women in leadership.
- Universal social mobilization: Identification and inclusion of the poor remains a challenge. There is need to develop community resource persons for participatory identification of poor.
- Training, Capacity Building & Skill Upgradation: There is lack of appropriate training plans, quality training and availability of expert training institutions.
- Universal Financial Inclusion: Lack of uniform financial management systems at all tiers of SHGs has impacted the growth in bank accounts, improvement in financial literacy, and absorption capacity of community members.
- Multiple & Diversified Livelihoods: There is lack of progressive leadership for inclusiveness of small-sized enterprises at the federal level. Market/ forward linkages, is largely missing.
Conclusion
- If we improve women’s labour force participation, not only do we harness the massive productive potential of half of the population, but their earnings will yield enormous dividends for the future of the country and economy.
Mains question
Q. What do you consider as true women empowerment? Assess the constraints for the same and give directional efforts needed to overcome it.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Lessons for India in China-Taiwan crisis
Context
The brief visit by the United States House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan, against stern warnings issued by China, has the potential to increase the already deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and China. For those of us in India watching the events as they unfold around Taiwan, there are valuable lessons to be learnt.
Background
- The crisis that began with the visit of Ms. Pelosi to Taipei is still unfolding and there is little clarity today on how it will wind down.
- For China, its claims about a rising superpower might ring hollow if it is unable to unify its claimed territories, in particular Taiwan.
- For the U.S., it is about re-establishing steadily-diminishing American credibility in the eyes of its friends and foes.
- For Taiwan, it is about standing up to Chinese bullying and making its red lines clear to Beijing.
- Lessons for India: To be fair, there is growing recognition in New Delhi that it is important to meet the challenge posed by a belligerent China, but there appears to be a lack of clarity on how to meet this challenge.
- To that extent, the Taiwan crisis offers New Delhi three lessons, at the very least.
Takeaways for India
1] Articulate red lines
- The most important lesson from the Taiwan standoff for policymakers in New Delhi is the importance of articulating red lines and sovereign positions in an unambiguous manner.
- New Delhi needs to unambiguously highlight the threat from China and the sources of such a threat.
- Any absence of such clarity will be cleverly utilised by Beijing to push Indian limits, as we have already seen.
- Stop confusing international community: Even worse, ambiguous messaging by India also confuses its friends in the international community.
- If India does not clearly articulate that China is in illegal occupation of its territory, how can it expect its friends in the international community to support India diplomatically or otherwise?
- In other words, India’s current policy amounts to poor messaging, and confusing to its own people as well as the larger international community, and is therefore counterproductive.
2] Avoid appeasement
- Taiwan could have avoided the ongoing confrontation and the economic blockade during Chinese retaliatory military exercises around its territory by avoiding Ms. Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, or perhaps even keeping it low key.
- Appeasement of China, Taiwan knows, is not the answer to Beijing’s aggression.
- India’s policy of meeting/hosting Chinese leaders while the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continue(d) to violate established territorial norms on the LAC is a deeply flawed one.
- Unilaterally catering to Chinese sensitivities even during the standoffs between the two militaries is a mistake.
- For instance, the parliamentary delegation visits and legislature-level dialogues between India and Taiwan have not taken place since 2017.
- Soft-peddling of the Quad was a mistake: During the 2000s, India (as well as Australia) decided to soft-peddle the Quad in the face of strong Chinese objections.
- It is only in the last two years or so that we have witnessed renewed enthusiasm around the Quad.
- In retrospect, appeasing Beijing by almost abandoning the Quad was bad strategy.
3] Economic relationship is a two way process
- Given that the economic relationship is a two-way process and that, as a matter of fact, the trade deficit is in China’s favour, China too has a lot to lose from a damaged trade relationship with India.
- More so, if the Taiwan example (as well as the India-China standoff in 2020) is anything to go by, trade can continue to take place despite tensions and without India making any compromises vis-à-vis its sovereign claims.
- India for sure should do business with China, but not on China’s own terms.
Conclusion
The recent crisis offers valuable lessons for India in its dealing with China.
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