Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Posidonia Australis
Mains level: Not Much
The world’s largest plant has recently been discovered off the West Coast of Australia: a seagrass 180 km in length.
Posidonia australis
- The ribbon weed, or Posidonia australis, has been discovered in Shark Bay by a group of researchers from Flinders University and The University of Western Australia.
- These researchers have also found that the plant is 4,500 years old, is sterile, has double the number of chromosomes than other similar plants.
- It has managed to survive the volatile atmosphere of the shallow Shark Bay.
So how remarkable is this plant’s size?
- The ribbon weed covers an area of 20,000 hectares.
- The next on the podium, the second largest plant, is the clonal colony of a quaking Aspen tree in Utah, which covers 43.6 hectares.
- The largest tree in India, the Great Banyan in Howrah’s Botanical Garden, covers 1.41 hectares.
If it is so large, how come it has just been discovered?
- The existence of the seagrass was known, that it is one single plant was not.
- Researchers were interested in what they then thought was a meadow because they wanted to study its genetic diversity, and collect some parts for seagrass restoration.
How did it grow, and survive for, so long?
- Sometime in the Harappan era, a plant took root in the Shark Bay.
- Then it kept spreading through its rhizomes, overcoming everything in its way, and here we are today.
- Ribbon weed rhizomes can usually grow to around 35cm per year, which is how the scientists arrived at its lifespan of 4,5000 years.
- The researchers found that the ribbon weed cannot spread its seeds, something that helps plants overcome environmental threats.
- Also, Shark Bay sees fluctuations in temperature and salinity and gets a lot of light, conditions challenging for any plant.
Ecological significance
- Because seagrass performs a vital role in the environment, and if some of it is hardy, it is good news for everyone in a world threatened by climate change.
- In India, seagrass is found in many coastal areas, most notably in Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait.
- Apart from being home to a variety of small organisms, seagrass trap sediments and prevent water from getting muddy, absorb carbon from the atmosphere, and prevent coastal erosion.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Eublepharis pictus
Mains level: NA
A gecko found in Visakhapatnam in 2017, then thought to belong to a known species, has now been identified as a member of a new species.
Eublepharis pictus
- The species, Eublepharis pictus, also known as the Painted Leopard Gecko, has been described in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.
- Phylogenetic study and morphological comparisons have distinguished it as a new species.
- It is endemic to the forests of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
- The gecko genus Eublepharis now has 7 species.
Conservation status
- The species occurs outside protected areas.
- Most leopard geckos are killed when encountered.
- Activists have called for raising awareness about the fact that the species is actually harmless.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SVAMITVA Yojana
Mains level: Paper 2- Digital India transformation
Context
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a telling observation about his idea of India: “… every Indian must have a smartphone in his hand and every field must be covered by a drone”.
Digital India program and its impact
- Digital India solved some of the most difficult problems the country had been facing for decades.
- The Jan-Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity has ensured that the poorest receive every penny of their entitled benefits.
- Financial benefits worth nearly Rs 23 lakh crore have been transferred using DBT technology in the last eight years.
- This has led to savings of Rs 2.22 lakh crore of public money.
- Leveraging the power of drones and GIS technologies, SVAMITVA Yojana is providing digital land records to the rightful owners
- Digital inclusion: The inclusive character of Digital India not only makes it a unique initiative but also reflects our core philosophy of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas”.
Digital transformation in India
- India today is home to more than 75 crore smartphones, 133 crore Aadhaar cards, more than 80 crore internet users, has 4G and is now accelerating towards 5G.
- It has among the lowest data tariffs in the world.
- Digital technology must be low-cost, developmental, inclusive, and substantially home-grown and it should bridge the digital divide and usher in digital inclusion.
- The digital ecosystem was also useful in tackling the challenge of the pandemic.
- To provide high-speed broadband to all the villages, optical fibre has been laid in 1.83 lakh gram panchayats under Bharat Net.
- CSCs: There were only 80,000 Common Service Centers (CSCs) in 2014, which is an entity under the Ministry of Electronics and IT headed by Secretary IT, for providing assisted delivery of digital services to common citizens offering only a few services. Today, there are nearly four lakh CSCs.
- Fintech innovation ecosystem: India has emerged as the fastest-growing ecosystem for fintech innovations.
- This was made possible due to innovative digital payment products like UPI and Aadhaar-Enabled Payment Systems (AEPS).
- Startup ecosystem: India has more than 61,400 startups as of March 2022, making it the third-largest startup ecosystem after the US and China.
- With nearly 14,000 startups getting recognized during 2021-22, 555 districts of India had at least one new startup as per the Economic Survey 2022.
Atmanirbharta in electronic manufacturing
- With initiatives like Modified Special Incentive Scheme (MSIPS), Electronics Manufacturing Cluster, National Policy on Electronics 2019, Electronics Development Fund, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) and Scheme for Promotion of Electronics Components and Semiconductors (SPECS), India is moving towards self-reliance in the field of electronics manufacturing.
- The value of electronics manufacturing in India has touched $75 billion in 2020-21 from $29 billion in 2014.
- Indian companies have developed their own 4G and 5G technologies.
Conclusion
Digital India’s motto – “Power to Empower” — is truly living up to its goals and expectations. The success of Digital India only confirms that it has a robust future in India’s development.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Food security
Context
India needs to have a strategy of self-reliance in basic foods, including edible oils.
Contrasting cases of Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia
- Sri Lanka, a country with 21.5 million population imported dairy products valued at $333.8 million in 2020 and $317.7 million in 2021.
- The island nation’s imports of whole milk powder (WMP) alone were 89,000 tonnes and 72,000 tonnes in these two years.
- The 89,000 tonnes of powder imported in 2020 would have, thus, “produced” almost 2.1 million litres per day (MLPD) equivalent of milk.
- This is as against the 1.3 MLPD that Sri Lanka produces from its own cows and buffaloes.
- It translates into an import dependence of over 60 per cent.
- At the other end, we have Saudi Arabia, home to over 35 million inhabitants (including immigrants) and also the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company.
- Almarai Company has six dairy farms producing more than 3.5 MLPD of milk.
- The animals are sourced from the US and Europe.
- The entire feed and also forage given to them are procured from abroad.
- Why is Saudi Arabia taking such pains to produce its own milk?
- The answer is food security.
- The Saudis — other Persian Gulf countries have also copied the Almarai model — are prepared to pay any price when it comes to ensuring the availability of basic food like milk.
Lessons for India: Reducing import dependence on edible oil
- India annually imports 13.5-14.5 million tonnes of vegetable oils, again roughly 60 per cent of its total consumption.
- Low international prices meant that the import bill, though high, fell from $9.85 billion in 2012-13 to $9.67 billion in 2019-20.
- However, in the last couple of years, retail prices of most oils more than doubled
- The value of India’s vegetable oil imports surged to a record $19 billion in 2021-22.
Conclusion
As a country with a population many times that of Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, India needs to have a strategy of self-reliance in basic foods.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Gig Economy
Mains level: Read the attached story
The Union Labour Ministry is organizing a program aimed at sharing information and good experiences on policies and global practices relating to gig and platform workers and their social security.
What is the Gig Economy?
- In a gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend toward hiring independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees.
- A gig economy undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who rarely change positions and instead focus on a lifetime career. e.g Employee models of Uber, Ola, Swiggy etc
- In this economy, tech-enabled platforms connect the consumer to the gig worker to hire services on a short-term basis.
- Gig workers include self-employed, freelancers, independent contributors and part-time workers.
Where does gig culture exist in Indian Economy?
- Sectors such as media, real estate, legal, hospitality, technology-help, management, medicine, allied and education are already operating in gig culture.
- The gig economy can benefit workers, businesses, and consumers by making work more adaptable to the needs of the moment and demand for flexible lifestyles.
Key Drivers for Gig Economy
- Unconventional work approach by millennials: Hectic lifestyles of employees in private sectors have created a negative perception of full-time employment among millennials.
- Emergence of a start-up culture: The start-up ecosystem in India has been developing rapidly. For start-ups, hiring full-time employees leads to high fixed costs and therefore, contractual freelancers are hired for non-core activities.
- MNCs are hiring contractual employees: MNCs are adopting flexi-hiring options, especially for niche projects, to reduce operational expenses after the pandemic.
- Rise in freelancing platforms: Rise in freelancing platforms has also aided in the development of the gig economy.
- Business Models: Gig employees work on various compensation models such as fixed-fee (decided during contract initiation), time & effort, actual unit of work delivered and quality of outcome.
- Impact of Covid-19: Many laid-off employees are focusing on developing skills to avail freelance job opportunities and become a part of this burgeoning economy.
Why is Gig Economy preferred by workers?
- Profit through multiple work: One can work on freelancing as well as work full-time somewhere else.
- Women empowerment: It is very beneficial for womenwho work on this concept when they cannot continue their work or take a break from career due to marriage or child birth.
- Leisure and dependency: Retired peoplecan stay active after retirement as this will keep them engaged away from loneliness and depression and can earn as well on their own.
- Flexibility and diversity to the workers: It offers flexibility when workers can work according to their convenience and schedule rather than routine like in full-time jobs.
- Work from home: The travel costs and energy to travel to the workplace is reduced.
Why is Gig Economy preferred by Employers?
- Efficiency, efficacy and productivity of workers in the gig economy are much more than that of a stable full-time job.
- More rconomical for employers-when employment givers can’t afford to hire full-time workers, they hire people for specific projects and pay them.
- Start-up companies and entrepreneurs – who do not have big financial space – can grow only if they can leverage the services of contract employees or freelancers.
- In a gig economy, businesses save resources in terms of benefits, office space and training.
- Competition and efficiency among workers is improved.
Challenges faced in Gig economy
- No perks and benefits: There are no labour welfare emoluments like pension, gratuity, etc. for the workers.
- Job insecurity: Gig workers may face unfair termination. They may also attain minimum wages and less paid leave.
- No legal protection: Workers do not have the bargaining power to negotiate a fair deal with their employers.
- Unionization of workers will be difficult.
- Confidentiality of documents etc. of the workplace is not guaranteed
- Urban nature: The gig economy is not accessible for people in many rural areas where internet connectivity and electricity is unavailable.
Way Forward
- The gig economy has been on the rise and is expected to beat the pre-pandemic estimates due the expected influx of gig workers transitioning from full-time employment.
- While the government has taken the initial steps to ensure social security of gig workers, the ‘Code on Social Security’ needs to be fine-tuned.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Global sanctions on Russia
As part of the sixth package of sanctions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union member states reached an agreement to ban 90% of Russian crude oil imports by the end of the year.
Oil embargo on Russia
- The proposal is to completely phase out Russian crude and refined products from EU territory.
- It includes a complete import ban on all Russian oil, seaborne and pipeline crude and refined.
- This however needed the agreement of all the 27 EU member states in order to be implemented.
What was the rationale behind such a move?
- The Russian economy is heavily dependent on energy exports, with the EU paying billions of dollars every month to Russia.
- The EU wants to block this massive revenue inflow.
- This is akin to Europeans bankrolling Russia’s war.
Why such a move now?
- The EU has been attempting, ever since the Ukraine invasion, to build consensus on ways to hurt Russia economically.
- The most obvious route was to stop buying Russian energy, which isn’t easy given European households’ dependence on Russian oil and gas.
What are the terms of the ‘compromise deal’ that has been agreed upon?
- EU leaders have agreed to ban all seaborne imports of Russian crude, which account for two-thirds of EU’s oil imports from Russia.
- Germany and Poland are pledging to phase out even their pipeline imports from Russia by the end of the year.
- The embargo would eliminate 90% of Russian oil imports.
Special concessions to Hungary
- The remaining 10% that’s been allowed represents a free pass for Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria to continue imports via the Druzhba pipeline, the world’s largest oil pipeline network.
- Hungary has obtained a guarantee that it could even import seaborne Russian oil in case of a disruption to their pipeline supplies.
- This was deemed a legitimate concession since the pipelines do pass through the war zone in Ukraine.
Why was exemption given for pipeline imports?
- The exemption for pipeline imports was made on the logic that landlocked countries (Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia).
- They are heavily dependent on Russian pipeline oil and do not have a ready option to switch to alternative sources in the absence of ports.
How will the sanctions affect Russia?
- Analysts calculate that a two-thirds cut in Europe’s imports might cause Russia an annual loss in revenue of $10 billion.
- Given Russia’s limited storage infrastructure, the cutback in demand would force Russia to find other markets.
- Since that won’t be easy, Russia might have to cut production by 20-30%.
- So far, Asian importers, especially India, have absorbed some of the excess inventory at discounted prices.
Impact on the ongoing war
- It remains unclear if the embargo would have any impact on Russian military operations in Ukraine.
How will the sanctions affect Europe?
- It is likely to further fuel inflation in Europe, where many countries are already facing a cost-of-living crisis.
- European lifestyles have tended to take cheap Russian energy for granted, and if inflation peaks further, the EU runs the risk of losing public support for harsh sanctions.
What about the import of Russian gas?
- Compared to Russian oil, Europe’s dependence on Russian gas is much greater, and this embargo leaves the import of Russian gas — which accounts of 40% of Europe’s natural gas imports — untouched.
- In other words, Europe will continue to pay Russia for gas imports.
- But since crude is more expensive than natural gas, the oil ban is expected to hurt Russian revenues.
Indian response to these developments
- India ramped up purchases of Russian crude at discounted prices in the months following the Russian invasion, and this policy is expected to continue.
- The announcement of the EU ban caused an immediate surge in oil prices, and as Europe seeks alternate sources – from West Asia, Africa and elsewhere — for its oil needs, prices are expected to stay high.
- In this context, with Russia reportedly offering discounts of $30-35 per barrel, India has found it convenient to make the most of the cheap Russian crude on offer.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Overseas Indians
Mains level: Issues faced by Overseas Indians
A national helpline for women deserted in Non-Resident Indian (NRI) marriages and the need for a dedicated fund to provide assistance to them are among the recommendations made at a consultation organized by the National Commission for Women (NCW).
What are the issues faced by NRI wives?
- Abandon after marriage
- Inconclusive divorces filed abroad
- Child custody disputes
Classification of Overseas Indians
Overseas Indians, officially known as Non-resident Indians (NRIs) or Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), are people of Indian birth, descent or origin who live outside the Republic of India:
(A) Non-Resident Indian (NRI)
- Strictly asserting non-resident refers only to the tax status of a person who, as per section 6 of the Income-tax Act of 1961, has not resided in India for a specified period for the purposes of the Act.
- The rates of income tax are different for persons who are “resident in India” and for NRIs.
(B) Person of Indian Origin (PIO)
Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means a foreign citizen (except a national of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and/or Nepal), who:
- at any time held an Indian passport OR
- either of their parents/grandparents/great-grandparents were born and permanently resident in India as defined in GoI Act, 1935 and other territories that became part of India thereafter provided neither was at any time a citizen of any of the aforesaid countries OR
- is a spouse of a citizen of India or a PIO.
(C) Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)
- After multiple efforts by leaders across the Indian political spectrum, a pseudo-citizenship scheme was established, the “Overseas Citizenship of India”, commonly referred to as the OCI card.
- The Constitution of India does not permit full dual citizenship.
- The OCI card is effectively a long-term visa, with restrictions on voting rights and government jobs.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Article 142
Mains level: Paper 2- Implications of Perarivalan case for federalism
Context
The recent decision of the Supreme Court of India in the case of A.G. Perarivalan has stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Use of Article 142 to grant pardon
- The Court has treaded the extraordinary constitutional route under Article 142.
- The Bench decided to exercise the power of grant of pardon, remission et al., exclusively conferred on the President of India and State Governors under Articles 72 and 161.
- Against the separation of power: Against the background of separation of powers viz. Parliament/Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, whether the course adopted by the Bench to do expedient justice is constitutional calls for introspection.
Evaluating the constitutionality of decision
- The power under Article 161 is exercisable in relation to matters to which the executive power of the state extends.
- Discretionary power under Article 161: Article 161 consciously provides a ‘discretion’ to the Governor in taking a final call, even if it was not wide enough to overrule the advice, but it certainly provides latitude to send back any resolution for reconsideration, if, in his opinion, the resolution conflicted with constitutional ends.
- In Sriharan’s case (2016 (7) SCC P.1), one of the references placed for consideration was whether the term ‘consultation’ stipulated in Section 435 Cr.P.C. implies ‘concurrence’.
- It was held that the word ‘consultation’ means ‘concurrence’ of the Central government.
- The Constitution Bench highlighted that there are situations where consideration of remission would have trans-border ramifications and wherever a central agency was involved, the opinion of the Central government must prevail.
- Basing its conclusion on the legal position that the subject matter (Section 302 in the Indian Penal Code) murder, falls within Lists II and III (State and Concurrent lists) of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, the learned judges concluded that the State was fully empowered to take a call and recommend remission in this case.
- If it is a simple case of being a Section 302 crime, the reason for finding fault with the Governor’s decision to forward the recommendation to the President may be constitutionally correct.
- But the larger controversy as to whether the Governor in his exercise of power under Article 161 is competent at all, to grant pardon or remission in respect of the offences committed by the convicts under the Arms Act, 1959, the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, the Passports Act, 1967, the Foreigners Act, 1946, etc., besides Section 302, is not certain.
- According to the decision, it is a simple murder attracting Section 302 of the IPC and therefore the Governor’s decision to forward the recommendation to the President is against the letter and spirit of Article 161 — meaning it is against the spirit of federalism envisaged in the Constitution.
- Constitutionality use of Article 142: There are momentous issues that are flagged on the exercise of the power of remission under Article 142, by the Supreme Court in the present factual context.
- The first is whether Article 142 could be invoked by the Court in the circumstances of the case when the Constitution conferred express power on the Governor alone, for grant of pardon, remission, etc., under Article 161.
Way forward
- Deeper judicial examination: Whether what the State government could not achieve directly by invoking Sections 432 and 433 of Cr.P.C, without concurrence of Centre could be allowed to take a contrived route vide Article 161 and achieve its objectives is a pertinent issue.
- This aspect requires deeper judicial examination for the sake of constitutional clarity.
- Timeframe for the Governor: The Constitution does not lay down any timeframe for the Governor to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
- In any event, even if the delay was constitutionally inexcusable or was vulnerable to challenge, the final arbiter of the Constitution (Article 245) could not have trumped Article 161 with Article 142, which is constitutionally jarring.
Conclusion
To portray the remission as to what it was not in the State is a sad fallout the lawlords on the pulpit may not have bargained for. And on the constitutional plane, this verdict deserves a relook, even a review, as it stands on wobbly foundations built with creaky credence.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Section 124A IPC
Mains level: Sedition law and Free speech
The Supreme Court suspended pending criminal trials and court proceedings under Section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code, while allowing the Union of India to reconsider the British-era law.
What did the SC say?
- All pending trials, appeals and proceedings with respect to the charge framed under Section 124A of the IPC be kept in temporary suspension.
- The court also restrained centre and states from registering FIRs, continuing investigations or take coercive measures under Section 124A.
What is the Sedition Law?
- Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code lays down the punishment for sedition. The IPC was enacted in 1860, under the British Raj.
- The then British government in India feared that religious preachers on the Indian subcontinent would wage a war against the government.
- Particularly after the successful suppression of the Wahabi/Waliullah Movement by the British, the need was felt for such law.
- Throughout the Raj, this section was used to suppress activists in favor of national independence, including Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi, both of whom were found guilty and imprisoned.
Do you know?
Queen-Empress v. Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1897) was the first case in which Section 124A was defined and applied. Again in 1908, when Tilak was tried under same section, then young barrister and a staunch protagonist Mohammed Ali Jinnah defended Tilak.
What is Sedition?
- The Section 124A defines sedition as:
An offence committed when “any person by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India”.
- Disaffection includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity.
- However, comments without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, will not constitute an offense.
- Sedition is a non-bailable offense.
- Punishment under Section 124A ranges from imprisonment up to three years to a life term with/without a fine.
Sedition as a cognizable offense
- Sedition was made a cognizable offense for the first time in history in India during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1973, that is, arrest without a warrant was now permissible.
- In 1962 the Supreme Court of India interpreted the section to apply only if there is, say, “incitement to violence” or “overthrowing a democratically elected government through violent means”.
Is it constitutionally valid?
- Violative of FRs: Two high courts had found it unconstitutional after Independence, as it violated the freedom of speech and expression.
- Reasonable restrictions: The Constitution was amended to include ‘public order’ as one of the ‘reasonable restrictions’ on which free speech could be abridged by law.
- Kedar Nath Case: Thereafter, the Supreme Court, in Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar (1962) upheld its validity.
- Limited use: At the same time, it limited its application to acts that involve “intention or tendency to create disorder” or incitement to violence.
- Strong criticism doesn’t amount to sedition: Thus, even strongly worded remarks, as long as they do not excite disloyalty and enmity, or incite violence, are not an offence under this section.
Why the controversy now?
- Frequent use: In recent times, the resort to this section is seen as disturbingly frequent.
- Curbing dissent: Activists, cartoonists and intellectuals have been arrested under this section, drawing criticism from liberals that it is being used to suppress dissent and silence critics.
- Misuse for propaganda: Authorities and the police who invoke this section defend the measure as a necessary step to prevent public disorder and anti-national activities.
- Irrelevance: Many of them have also been detained under the National Security Act and UAPA.
What is being debated about it?
- Demand for its scrapping: Liberals and rights activists have been demanding the scrapping of Section 124A.
- Provision is outdated: It is argued that the provision is “overbroad”, i.e., it defines the offence in wide terms threatening the liberty of citizens.
- Various calls for its reconsideration: The Law Commission has also called for a reconsideration of the section.
- Tyranny of the law: It has pointed that Britain abolished it more than a decade ago and raised the question of whether a provision introduced by the British to put down the freedom struggle should continue to be law in India.
- Doctrine of severability: Some argue that a presumption of constitutionality does not apply to pre-constitutional laws as those laws have been made by foreign legislature or bodies.
Need for such law
- There are some tendencies exist even today who wish to overthrow the state apparatus and constitutional scheme of India.
- It falls on the judiciary to protect Articles 19 and Article 21 of the Constitution.
- Undue exercise of free speech has led to overture of ordinary dissent into an anti-national insurrection or uprising.
- There are areas in the country that face hostile activities and insurgencies created by rebel groups, like the Maoists.
- There must be restrictions on expressing unnecessary contempt or ridiculing of the Government beyond certain limits.
Way forward
- India is the largest democracy in the world and the right to free speech and expression is an essential ingredient of democracy.
- The sedition law should not be abolished as some measures are needed to check communal violence & insurgency activities like Naxals.
- The definition of sedition should be narrowed down, to include only the issues pertaining to the territorial integrity of India as well as the sovereignty of the country.
- Section 124A should not be misused as a tool to curb free speech.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Aadhaar and its minuscles
Mains level: Data Privacy and Aadhaar
Two days after issuing an advisory asking people to refrain from sharing photocopies of their Aadhaar Card, the Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDAI) opted to withdraw the notification.
UIDAI Advisory
- The withdrawn notice had suggested holders use a masked Aadhaar card instead of the conventional photocopy.
- It added that the document must not be downloaded from a cybercafe or public computer and if done for some reason, must be permanently deleted from the system.
- Private entities like hotels or film halls cannot collect or keep copies of the identification document.
What is Masked Aadhaar?
- ‘Masked Aadhaar’ veils the first eight digits of the twelve-digit ID with ‘XXXX’ characters.
- The notice informed that only entities possessing a ‘User Licence’ are permitted to seek Aadhaar for authentication purposes.
Why in news now?
- In July 2018, Telecom Regulatory of India’s Chairman tweeted his Aadhaar number challenging users to “cause him any harm”.
- In response, users dug up his mobile number, PAN number, photographs, residential address and date of birth.
- UIDAI dismissed assertions of any data leak, arguing that most of the data was publicly available.
- It did however caution users from publicly sharing their Aadhaar numbers.
Security of Aadhaar: What does the law say?
- The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 makes it clear.
- Aadhaar authentication is necessary for availing subsidies, benefits and services that are financed from the Consolidated Fund of India.
- In the absence of Aadhaar, the individual is to be offered an alternate and viable means of identification to ensure she/he is not deprived of the same.
- Separately, Aadhaar has been described as a preferred KYC (Know Your Customer) document but not mandatory for opening bank accounts, acquiring a new SIM or school admissions.
- The requesting entity would have to obtain the consent of the individual before collecting his/her identity.
- The entity must ensure that the information is only used for authentication purposes on the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR).
What is CIDR?
- This centralised database contains all Aadhaar numbers and holder’s corresponding demographic and biometric information.
- UIDAI responds to authentication queries with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
- In some cases, basic KYC details (as name, address, photograph etc.) accompany the verification answer ‘Yes’.
- The regulator does not receive or collect the holder’s bank, investment or insurance details.
Protection of confidentiality
- The Act makes it clear that confidentiality needs to be maintained and the authenticated information cannot be used for anything other than the specified purpose.
- More importantly, no Aadhaar number (or enclosed personal information) collected from the holder can be published, displayed or posted publicly.
- Identity information or authentication records would only be liable to be produced pursuant to an order of the High Court or Supreme Court, or by someone of the Secretary rank or above in the interest of national security.
Is identity theft via Aadhaar possible?
- As per the National Payment Corporation of India’s (NCPI) data, ₹6.48 crore worth of financial frauds through 8,739 transactions involving 2,391 unique users took place in FY 2021-22.
- Since the inception of the UID project, institutions and organisations have endowed greater focus on linking their databases with Aadhaar numbers.
- This include bank accounts especially in light of the compulsory linkage for direct benefit transfer schemes.
Structural problems with UIDAI
- The Aadhaar Data Vault is where all numbers collected by authentication agencies are centrally stored.
- Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) latest report stipulated that UIDAI has not specified any encryption algorithm (as of October 2020) to secure the same.
- There is no mechanism to illustrate that the entities were adhering to appropriate procedures.
- Further, UIDAI’s unstable record with biometric authentication has not helped it with de-duplication efforts, the process that ensures that each Aadhaar Number generated is unique.
- The CAG’s reported stated that apart from the issue of multiple Aadhaars to the same resident, there have been instances of the same biometric data being accorded to multiple residents.
Conclusion
- The CAG concluded it was “not effective enough” in detecting the leakages and plugging them.
- Biometric authentications can be a cause of worry, especially for disabled and senior citizens with both the iris and fingerprints dilapidating.
- Though the UIDAI has assured that no one would be deprived of any benefits due to biometric authentication failures.
- The absence of an efficient technology could serve as poignant premise for frauds to make use of their ‘databases’.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following statements:
- Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than three months.
- State cannot enter into any contract with private corporations for sharing of Aadhaar data.
- Aadhaar is mandatory for obtaining insurance products.
- Aadhaar is mandatory for getting benefits funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 4 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 only
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Liquid Nano Urea (LNU)
Mains level: India's fertilizer subsidy
During his visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister inaugurated the country’s first liquid nano urea plant at Kalol.
Liquid Nano Urea (LNU)
- Urea is chemical nitrogen fertiliser, white in colour, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
- LNU is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.
- It is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant.
- Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
- According to IFFCO, liquid nano urea contains 4 per cent total nitrogen (w/v) evenly dispersed in water.
- The size of a nano nitrogen particle varies from 20-50 nm. (A nanometre is equal to a billionth of a metre.)
Significance of LNU
- This patented product is expected to not only substitute imported urea, but to also produce better results in farms.
- Apart from reducing the country’s subsidy bill, it is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea.
- It will help increase crop productivity, and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.
Using LNU
- The liquid nano urea produced by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) Limited comes in a half-litre bottle priced at Rs 240, and carries no burden of subsidy currently.
- By contrast, a farmer pays around Rs 300 for a 50-kg bag of heavily subsidised urea.
- According to IFFCO, a bottle of the nano urea can effectively replace at least one bag of urea.
How efficient is LNU?
- While conventional urea has an efficiency of about 25 per cent, the efficiency of liquid nano urea can be as high as 85-90 per cent.
- Conventional urea fails to have the desired impact on crops as it is often applied incorrectly, and the nitrogen in it is vaporized or lost as a gas.
- A lot of nitrogen is also washed away during irrigation.
- Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when it comes in contact with moisture.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Astra AAM
Mains level: India's missile arsenal
The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for the supply of the Astra Mark-1for deployment on fighter jets of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
Astra Missile
- The Astra Mk-1 is a beyond visual range (BVR), air-to-air missile (AAM).
- The Astra project was officially launched in the early 2000s with defined parameters and proposed future variants.
- The missile has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- It will be deployed on fighter jets like Sukhoi-30 MKI and Tejas of the IAF and the Mig-29K of the Navy.
- BVM missiles are capable of engaging beyond the range of 20 nautical miles or 37 kilometres.
Range and its Variants
- While the range for Astra Mk-1 is around 110 km, the Mk-2 with a range over 150 km is under development and Mk-3 version with a longer range is being envisaged.
- One more version of Astra, with a range smaller than Mk-1 is also under development.
Strategic significance
- The missile has been designed based on requirements specified by the IAF for BVR as well as close-combat engagement, reducing the dependency on foreign sources.
- AAMs with BVR capability provides large stand-off ranges to own fighter aircraft.
- It can neutralise adversary airborne assets without exposing adversary air defence measures.
- Stand-off range means the missile is launched at a distance sufficient to allow the attacking side to evade defensive fire from the target.
- Astra is technologically and economically superior to many such imported missile
- The missile can travel at speeds more than four times that of sound and can reach a maximum altitude of 20 km, making it extremely flexible for air combat.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Railway links mentioned
Mains level: India-Bangladesh connectivity
Two years after they were stopped due to the onset of the pandemic, passenger train services between India and Bangladesh resumed with the Bandhan Express setting off from Kolkata for Khulna and the Maitree Express starting its run from Dhaka for Kolkata.
History of Rail Connectivity
- The Bandhan Express was resumed by rebooting a long-forgotten rail link between Kolkata and the industrial hub of Khulna, the third-largest city of Bangladesh.
- In 1965, this route was served by the Barisal Express, which was stopped due to the India-Pakistan war.
- The Modi government along with the Sheikh Hasina regime restarted that with Bandhan in 2017.
- The Bandhan Express was the second train to be flagged off after the introduction of Maitree Express between Kolkata and Dhaka Cantonment in April, 2008.
- It covers the distance between Kolkata and Khulna via Petrapole and Benapole border route to cater to the demands of the people from both the countries.
- The Bandhan Express was resumed in 2017 by rebooting a long-forgotten rail link between Kolkata and the industrial hub of Khulna.
Beyond passenger travel
- The governments of both the countries have been working towards strengthening the rail link between them, and not just through passenger trains.
- In August 2021, the two sides started regular movement of freight trains between the newly-restored link between Haldibari in India and Chilahati in Bangladesh.
- The Haldibari-Chilahati rail link between India and the then East Pakistan was also operational till 1965 and stopped due to the war.
- This was part of the broad gauge main route from Kolkata to Siliguri at the time of Partition.
- The two sides envisage at least 20 freight trains to cross the border per month on this link.
Rail infrastructure
- Once part of a single, seamless railway network under British rule, trains continued to pass between the two countries even after the Partition.
- The infrastructure to connect the two sides through railways was, therefore, largely present.
- Policymakers on both sides viewed this as an opportunity to deepen diplomatic ties using cross-border movements of goods and passengers.
- Five rail links have so far been rebooted between India and Bangladesh:
Petrapole (India)-Benapole (Bangladesh), Gede (India)- Darshana (Bangladesh), Singhabad (India)-Rohanpur (Bangladesh), Radhikapur (India)-Birol (Bangladesh) and the Haldibari-Chilahati link
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Section 124A of IPC
Context
By order dated May 11, 2022, a Bench presided over by the Chief Justice of India, has directed that the petitions challenging the Section 124A be listed for final determination in the third week of July 2022; and that in the meantime suspend the use of Section 124A IPC.
Historical background of Section 124A
- With effect from 1870, (as amended in 1955), Section 124A of the Penal Code read:
“Whoever by words, spoken or written, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection, towards the Government established by law in India shall be punished with imprisonment for life…”.
- “Sedition” is the vaguest of all offences known to the criminal law.
- In colonial times, it was defined expansively in order to uphold the majesty of British power in India.
- Before 1950, there were several Court decisions in operation on Section 124A; amongst them was Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s case (1897).
- Absence of affection: In Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s case the Privy Council declined to grant leave to appeal, affirming that “disaffection” only meant “absence of affection in any degree towards the British rule or its administration or representatives”, and that exciting of mutiny or rebellion or actual disturbance of any sort was “absolutely immaterial”.
- With the establishment of a Federal Court by the Government of India Act, 1935, in Niharendu Dutt Majumdar And Ors. vs Emperor the Federal Court held that if the language of Section 124A were to be read literally “it would make a surprising number of persons in India guilty of sedition and that no one, however, supposes that it is to be read in this literal sense”
- However, in 1947 it was precisely in this literal sense that the interpretation of Section 124A was reiterated by a Bench of five judges of the Privy Council (AIR 1947 P.C. 82) in which it was declared that: “If the Federal Court had given their attention to Tilak’s case (1897) they should have recognised it as an authority… by which they were bound”.
- With the advent of the Constitution of India on January 26, 1950, this interpretation of Section 124A became “the law in force immediately before the commencement of the Constitution”.
Section 124A after 1950
- Article 372: It stated that all laws in force in the territory of India immediately before the commencement of the Constitution shall continue in force therein until altered or repealed or amended by a competent legislature or other competent authority.
- Protected due to Article 19(2): In 1962, in criminal appeals arising from the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held that though Section 124A “clearly violated” the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression in Article 19(1)(a), it was not unconstitutional only because it was protected from challenge by the words “in the interests of public order” in Article 19(2).
Conclusion
This background has now become pertinent and relevant, because in a fresh batch of writ petitions filed in 2021, the constitutionality of Section 124A (IPC) has been once again challenged in the Supreme Court.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Use of statecraft in finding solutions to security problems
Context
In many countries, both the authorities and security agencies are beginning to acknowledge the importance of resorting to statecraft as a vital adjunct to the role played by the security agencies.
The important role of statecraft in security
- Statecraft involves fine-grained comprehension of inherent problems; also an ability to quickly respond to political challenges.
- It further involves strengthening the ability to exploit opportunities as they arise, and display a degree of political nimbleness rather than leaving everything to the security agencies.
- It entails a shift from reposing all faith in the security establishment to putting equal emphasis on implementation of policies and programmes.
- Two prime examples which provide grist to the above proposition are the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the continuing problem involving Maoists.
- The need to use statecraft to deal with quite a few other internal security problems — some of which have lain dormant for years — is also becoming more manifest by the day.
Security issues in various regions
- Jammu and Kashmir: While Jammu and Kashmir has been a troubled region ever since 1947, the situation has metamorphosed over the years.
- No proper solution has emerged to a long-standing problem.
- Irrespective of the reasons for the latest upsurge in violence, what is evident is that Jammu and Kashmir has again become the vortex of violence.
- Evidently, the doctrine of containment pursued by the Jammu and Kashmir police and security agencies is not having the desired effect.
- In Jammu and Kashmir today, as also elsewhere, there is no all-in-one grand strategy to deal with the situation.
- The missing ingredient is statecraft which alone can walk in step with the changing contours of a long-standing problem.
- Punjab: The recent discovery of ‘sleeper cells’ in the Punjab clearly indicates the potential for the revival of a pro-Khalistan movement — which once ravaged large parts of the Punjab.
- While pro-Khalistani sentiment is present in pockets in the United Kingdom and in Europe, it has not been in evidence in India for some time.
- Hence, the recent attack by pro-Khalistan elements on the headquarters of the Punjab Police Intelligence wing in Mohali was a rude shock to the security establishment.
- The incident is a reminder that militancy in the Punjab has not been permanently extinguished, and will need deft statecraft to nip it in the bud.
- North-east: In India’s North-east, more specifically in the States of Assam and Nagaland, there are again incipient signs of trouble which, for the present, may need use of statecraft rather than the security forces.
- In Assam, the United Liberation Front of Asom–Independent (ULFA-I) is trying to revive its activities after a long spell of hibernation.
- Likewise in Nagaland, where the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) has recently initiated a fresh push for a solution of the ‘Naga political issue’, the situation is pregnant with serious possibilities.
- Both instances merit the use of statecraft so that the situation does not get out of hand.
- South India: In the South, intelligence and police officials appear concerned about a likely revival of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-sponsored activities in Tamil Nadu.
- This stems from a possible revival of LTTE-sponsored militancy in Sri Lanka following the recent economic crises and uncertainty there.
- This situation again needs deft statecraft to prevent a resurgence of the past.
Conclusion
India faces several challenges today, but the answer to this is neither grand strategy nor grand simplifications nor resort to higher doses of security. A properly structured set of policies, having liberal doses of statecraft in addition to a proper set of security measures, is the best answer to India’s needs, now and in the future.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indus Water Treaty
Mains level: Restoration and normalization of India-Pak ties
A five-member Pakistani delegation has arrived in India for talks over the ongoing water dispute under the Indus Water Commission between the two countries.
Why in news?
- India is building 10 hydro plant projects to cut excess water into Pakistan.
- Pakistan is expected to raise the projects being constructed by India under the Indus treaty.
What is Indus Water Treaty?
- The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank signed in Karachi in 1960.
- According to this agreement, control over the water flowing in three “eastern” rivers of India — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej was given to India
- The control over the water flowing in three “western” rivers of India — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum was given to Pakistan.
Basis of the treaty: Equitable water-sharing
- Back in time, partitioning the Indus rivers system was inevitable after the Partition of India in 1947.
- The sharing formula devised after prolonged negotiations sliced the Indus system into two halves.
- Equitable it may have seemed, but the fact remained that India conceded 80.52 percent of the aggregate water flows in the Indus system to Pakistan.
- It also gave Rs 83 crore in pounds sterling to Pakistan to help build replacement canals from the western rivers.
- Such generosity is unusual of an upper riparian.
- India conceded its upper riparian position on the western rivers for the complete rights on the eastern rivers.
- Water was critical for India’s development plans.
What were the rights accorded to India?
- The treaty allowed India to use western rivers water for limited irrigation use and unrestricted use for power generation, domestic industrial and non-consumptive uses such as navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc.
- It lays down precise regulations to build any water or hydel projects.
- India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run-of-the-river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation.
- The pact also gives the right to Pakistan to raise objections to designs of Indian hydroelectric projects on the western rivers.
Significance of the treaty
- It is a treaty that is often cited as an example of the possibilities of peaceful coexistence that exist despite the troubled relationship.
- It has survived 3 crucial wars.
- It may be listed among the most successful international treaties as it has withstood the test of time.
Why has the treaty survived?
- It is for India’s generosity on Pakistan for sharing waters of its own rivers.
- India has refrained from weaponizing waters. Pakistan cannot survive without this treaty.
- About 80% of Pakistan’s agriculture depends on Indus and the riparian rivers waters.
- Backtracking on the treaty could affect India’s stand as global reliable partner who disrespects bilateral agreements.
A tacit nerve of terroristan
- Responding to state sponsor of terrorism by Pakistan, India can escalate a water war , which can kill the crippling economy of Pakistan.
- If India wants, it can either flood or drought-starve Pakistan by not obligating to this treaty.
Need for a rethink
- But PM Modi’s words equally hold relevance that “Blood and waters cannot flow together”.
- There is no reason to believe that India could start a water war with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.
- Floods and droughts will starve ordinary Pakistanis while their politicians would still live in luxury.
Way forward
- The role of India, as a responsible upper riparian abiding by the provisions of the treaty, has been remarkable.
- However, India needs to rethink or re-negotiate this treaty.
- Just like water affects ordinary Pakistanis, so does terrorism affects Indians.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Unicorns
Mains level: Startups boost in India
Prime Minister has praised India’s startup ecosystem as he highlighted that the country has reached a landmark figure of 100 unicorns with a valuation of more than $300 billion.
What is a Unicorn Startup?
- Unicorns are privately held, venture-capital-backed startups that have reached a value of $1 billion.
- The valuation of unicorns is not expressly linked to their current financial performance.
- This is largely based on their growth potential as perceived by investors and venture capitalists who have taken part in various funding rounds.
Some of the successful Indian unicorns:
- Lenskart
- Cred
- Meesho
- PharmEasy
- Licious
- Grofers etc.
When was the term first used?
- American venture capitalist Aileen Lee is credited with coining the term in 2013.
- It was used to emphasize the rarity of the emergence of such startups.
Unicorn boost in India
- The growth of Unicorns in India has been phenomenal in the past two years.
- From 17 Unicorns in 2018 the number went up to 38 in 2020 and it’s 71 and counting in 2021.
- Many of these unicorns, which have cumulatively raised more than 9 billion dollars till date, have also seen a surge in valuations.
Features of a unicorn Start-up
To be a unicorn is no cakewalk and each unicorn today has its own story with a list of features that worked in its favour.
The few pointers that are commonly seen across all the unicorns is as under:
- Disruptive innovation: Mostly, all the unicorns have brought a disruption in the field they belong to. Uber, for example, changed the way people commuted.
- ‘Firsts’: It is seen that unicorns are mostly the starters in their industry. They change the way people do things and gradually create a necessity for themselves.
- High on tech: Another common trend across unicorns is that their business model runs on tech. Uber got their model accepted by crafting a friendly app.
- Consumer-focused: Often, theirgoal is to simplify and make things easy for consumers and be a part of their day-to-day life.
- Affordability: Keeping things affordable is another key highlight of these startups. Spotify, for example, made listening to music easier to the world.
- Privately owned: Most of the unicorns are privately owned which gets their valuation bigger when an established company invests in it.
- *Mostly software based: A recent report suggests that 87% of the unicorns’ products are software, 7% are hardware and the rest 6% are other products & services.
Entrepreneurship today is ‘survival-driven’ self-employment, formed out of necessity, as well as opportunity motivated, largely because poverty and lack of formal employment opportunities rear their ugly head in striving economies.
Reasons for sudden success
- COVID pandemic: The pandemic accelerated adoption of digital services by consumers helping start-ups and new-age ventures that typically build tech-focused businesses delivering an array of offerings to customers.
- Boost in online services: Many Indians who had traditionally been subscribers of brick-and-mortar businesses moved online and explored a host of services ranging from food delivery and edu-tech to e-grocery.
- Work-from-home culture: This added significant numbers to start-ups’ user base and expedited their business expansion plans and attracting investors.
Inherent challenges to Start-ups in India
- Financial scarcity: Availability of finance is critical for the startups and is always a problem to get sufficient amounts.
- Lack of Infrastructure: There is a lack of support mechanisms that play a significant role in the lifecycle of startups which include incubators, science and technology parks etc.
- Regulatory bottlenecks: Starting and exiting a business requires a number of permissions from government agencies. Although there is a perceptible change, it is still a challenge.
- Compliance hurdles: For example, earlier Angel tax, which stands removed no, falls under corruption and bureaucratic inefficiencies.
- Low success rate: Several startups fail due to shifting away the focus on the fundamentals of business grows.
- Lack of an Innovative Business Model: To be successful a start-up must be innovative. Unfortunately, Indian startups are less innovative than startups elsewhere.
- Non-competitive Indian Markets: Too many startups serving too few consumers are saturating the Indian market. Most startups serve the fraction of Indians who live in urban India.
- Digital divide: The majority of Indians who live in rural areas and small towns remain untouched by most startups.
Various initiatives by the Govt.
There are numerous government initiatives to assist start-ups:
- MUDRA Scheme: Through this scheme, start-ups get loans from the banks to set up, grow and stabilize their businesses.
- SETU (Self-Employment and Talent Utilization) Fund: Government has allotted Rs 1,000 Cr in order to create opportunities for self-employment and new jobs mainly in technology-driven domains.
- E-Biz Portal: It is India’s first government-to-business portal that integrates 14 regulatory permissions and licenses at one source.
- Credit Guarantee Fund: launched by the GoI to make available collateral-free credit to the micro and small enterprise sector.
- Fund of Funds for Start-ups (FFS): 10,000 Rs corpus fund established in line with the Start-up India action plan under SIDBI for extending support to Start-ups.
- Tax Sops: Tax exemption on Capital gain tax, Removal of Angel tax, Tax exemption for 3 years and Tax exemption in investment above Fair Market Value.
Roadmap for the future success of start-ups
Start-ups can judiciously take cues from unicorns in understanding the ecosystem and building a business model that adds value while being sustainable.
- New-age startups should devise a customer-centric business model.
- Through proper branding and strategy, they should make sure that this value proposition reaches the end-user.
- What brings startups closer to success is the execution and customer acquisition strategy, where all the action occurs.
- Notably, technology (rather deep-technology) has played a key role in the making of pioneer business models.
Attracting venture capitalists
- VCs are actively looking for investment opportunities in early-stage startups.
- They possess the selection ability to effectively screen startups having a higher potential to succeed.
- VCs primarily look for a mindset alignment with promoters and companies where they, as investors, can add value by leveraging their industry experience, expertise, network and reputation.
Conclusion
- The current economic scenario in India is in expansion mode. Indian Startups are now spread across the length and breadth of the entire country.
- The word ‘unicorn’ has come a long way from just being a mythological creature to a regular feature in business and finance discussions.
- Innovation and economic growth depend on being able to produce excellent individuals with the right skills and attitudes to be entrepreneurial in their professional lives.
- The Indian government’s policies like Make in India, Digital India, Atmanirbhar etc. shows the enthusiasm to arrest this talent.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Param Ananta Supercomputer
Mains level: National Supercomputing Mission
Param Ananta, a state-of the art Supercomputer was commissioned at IIT Gandhinagar.
Param Ananta
- Param Ananta is capable of offering peak performance of 838 teraflops.
- It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
- This facility is established under Phase 2 of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
- The system is equipped with a mix of CPU nodes, GPU nodes, High Memory nodes, High throughput storage and high performance Infiniband.
- The supercomputer will rank behind C-DAC’s Param Siddhi-AI, which as of November 2021 was the 102nd most powerful supercomputer in the world — with peak performance capability of 3.3 petaflops.
What is a Supercomputer?
- A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer.
- The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of million instructions per second (MIPS).
- Since 2017, there are supercomputers which can perform over a hundred quadrillion FLOPS (peta FLOPS).
- Since November 2017, all of the world’s fastest 500 supercomputers run Linux-based operating systems.
Specific features
- Param Ananta system is based on Direct Contact Liquid Cooling technology to obtain a high power usage effectiveness and thereby reducing the operational cost.
- Multiple applications from various scientific domains such as Weather and Climate, Bioinformatics, Computational Chemistry, Molecular Dynamics, Material Sciences, Computational Fluid Dynamics etc. have been installed on the system for the benefit of researchers.
- This high end computing system will be a great value addition for the research community.
Back2Basics: National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)
- NSM is a proposed plan by GoI to create a cluster of seventy supercomputers connecting various academic and research institutions across India.
- In April 2015 the government approved the NSM with a total outlay of Rs.4500 crore for a period of 7 years.
- The mission was set up to provide the country with supercomputing infrastructure to meet the increasing computational demands of academia, researchers, MSMEs, and startups by creating the capability design, manufacturing, of supercomputers indigenously in India.
- Currently there are four supercomputers from India in Top 500 list of supercomputers in the world.
Aims and objectives
- The target of the mission was set to establish a network of supercomputers ranging from a few Tera Flops (TF) to Hundreds of Tera Flops (TF) and three systems with greater than or equal to 3 Peta Flops (PF) in academic and research institutions of National importance across the country by 2022.
- This network of Supercomputers envisaging a total of 15-20 PF was approved in 2015 and was later revised to a total of 45 PF (45000 TFs), a jump of 6 times more compute power within the same cost and capable of solving large and complex computational problems.
When did India initiate its efforts to build supercomputers?
- India’s supercomputer program was initiated in the late 1980s, when the United States ceased the export of a Cray Supercomputer due to technology embargos.
- This resulted in India setting up C-DAC in 1988, which in 1991, unveiled the prototype of PARAM 800, benchmarked at 5 Gflops. This supercomputer was the second-fastest in the world at that time.
- Since June 2018, the USA’s Summit is the fastest supercomputer in the world, taking away this position from China.
- As of January 2018, Pratyush and Mihir are the fastest supercomputers in India with a maximum speed of Peta Flops.
What are the phases of the National Supercomputing Mission?
Phase I:
- In the first phase of the NSM, parts of the supercomputers are imported and assembled in India.
- A total of 6 supercomputers are to be installed in this phase.
- The first supercomputer that was assembled indigenously is called Param Shivay. It was installed in IIT (BHU) located in Varanasi.
- Similar systems, Param Shakti (IIT Kharagpur) and Param Brahma (IISER, Pune) were also later installed within the country.
- The rest will be installed at IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Advanced Studies (JNIAS).
Phase II:
- The supercomputers that are installed so far are about 60% indigenous.
- The 11 systems that are going to be installed in the next phase will have processors designed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and will have a cumulative capacity of 10 petaflops.
- These new systems are to be constructed more cost-effectively than the previous ones.
- One of the 11 proposed supercomputers will be installed
- at C-DAC exclusively for small and medium enterprises so that they can train employees as well as work on supercomputers at a very low cost.
Phase III:
- The third phase aims to build fully indigenous supercomputers.
- The government had also approved a project to develop a cryogenic cooling system that rapidly dispels the heat generated by a computing chip. This will be jointly built together by IIT-Bombay and C-DAC.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Pacific Nations in news
Mains level: Chinese counter to Western Indo-Pacific strategy
China has suffered a big diplomatic humiliation in the pacific. 10 island nations in the region rejected China’s proposed security pact.
Why in news?
- Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has returned empty-handed in a highly decorated visit to the Pacific Nations.
- The secret deal that was to be brokered got leaked in public media, caused huge embarrassment to the Chinese.
Conspicuous features of the Pact
- China has had offered to radically ramp up its activities in the South Pacific, directly challenging the influence of the US and its allies in the strategically vital region.
- The failed deal saw Beijing to:
- Train Pacific island police,
- Become involved in cybersecurity,
- Expand political ties,
- Conduct sensitive marine mapping and
- Gain greater access to natural resources on land and in the water
- As an enticement, Beijing is offering millions of dollars in financial aid, the prospect of a potentially lucrative China-Pacific islands free trade agreement and access to China’s vast market.
Why Pacific Nations rejected this lollipop?
- The offer is perceived was “disingenuous” and would “ensure Chinese influence in government” and “economic control” of key industries.
- The nations also cited a lack of regional consensus.
Pls make observations about Pacific Island Nations:
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Implications of Ukraine war for European security
Context
The post-Cold War period of peace in Europe is more an aberration than norm in the continent’s history of conflicts.
Background of the First World War
- The Russian power had collapsed in its far east after the war with Japan in 1904-05.
- Faced with the erosion of Russian influence and the rise of Wilhelmine Germany, which together threatened to alter Europe’s balance of power, France and Britain, competing colonial powers, came together.
- France had already reached an alliance with Russia.
- The three would later form the Triple Entente, triggering a dangerous security competition in Europe with the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy), which would eventually lead to the First World War in 1914.
- What triggered the great power security competition in the run-up to the First World War was the phenomenal rise of Wilhelmine Germany as a military and industrial power and the regional hegemons’ response to it.
Similarities with the past
- When Otto von Bismarck became the Minister-President of Prussia in September 1862, there was no unified German state.
- Bismarck adopted an aggressive foreign policy, fought and won three wars — with Denmark, Austria and France — destroyed the confederation, established a stronger and larger German Reich that replaced Prussia.
- Bismarck stayed focused on transforming Germany internally in his last two decades.
- It was on the foundation Bismarck built that Wilhelmine Germany turned to weltpolitik in the early 20 century, seeking global domination.
- If Bismarck inherited a weak, loosely connected group of German speaking entities in 1862, Russian President Vladimir Putin got a Russia in 2000 that was a pale shadow of what was the Soviet Union.
- Bismarck spent his years in power expanding the borders of Germany and building a stronger state and economy.
- The post-Cold War Russia initially stayed focused on the restoration of the state and the economy, and then sought to expand its borders and challenge the continent’s balance of power — first the Crimean annexation and now the Ukraine invasion.
- While NATO’s expansion deepened Russia’s security concerns, driving it into aggressive moves, Russia’s aggression has strengthened NATO’s resolve to expand further into Russia’s neighbourhood.
Offensive realism
- Offensive realists argue that “revisionist powers” tend to use force to rewrite the balance of power if they find the circumstances are favourable, while the status quo powers, or the existing regional hegemons, would seek to thwart any new country attaining more power at their expense.
- The result of this type of competition is permanent rivalry and conflict.
- One major difference between the era of Wilhelmine Germany and modern Russia is that there were no well-defined international laws in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- The international system has evolved ever since.
- But its basic instincts, as realists would argue, have not changed much.
- Mr. Putin’s Russia is not the first country that violated the sovereignty of a weaker power and flouted international laws in the “rules-based” order.
Future of Europe’s security
- Russia apparently had two strategic objectives in Ukraine —
- One, to expand Russian borders and create a buffer.
- And two, to reinforce Russia’s deterrence against NATO.
- While Russia has succeeded, though slowly, in expanding its borders by capturing almost all of Ukraine’s east, the war has backfired on its second objective.
- Russia’s inability to clinch a quick outright victory in Ukraine and the tactical retreats it has already made have invariably dealt a blow to the perception of Russian power that existed before the war.
- This has strengthened NATO, driving even Sweden and Finland into its arms. Besides, the economic sanctions would leave a long-term hole in Russia’s economy.
- But a Russia that is bogged down in Ukraine and encircled by NATO need not enhance Europe’s security.
- As Henry Kissinger said at Davos, Russia had been and would remain an important element in the European state system.
Conclusion
The prospects are bleak. There will not be peace in Europe unless either Russia accepts its diminished role and goes into another spell of strategic retreat or Europe and the West in general accommodate Russia’s security concerns. Both look unrealistic as of today.
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