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  • Solar Energy – JNNSM, Solar Cities, Solar Pumps, etc.

    Hits and misses: India’s Solar Power Energy Targets

    | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    India is likely to miss its 2022 target of installing 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity a/c to a report. This is because of rooftop solar lagging behind, the authors say.

    India’s Solar Policy

    • Since 2011, India’s solar sector has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 59% from 0.5GW in 2011 to 55GW in 2021.
    • The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), also known as the National Solar Mission (NSM), was commenced in January 2010.
    • It marked the first time the government focussed on promoting and developing solar power in India.
    • Under the scheme, the total installed capacity target was set as 20GW by 2022.
    • In 2015, the target was revised to 100GW and in August 2021, the government set a solar target of 300GW by 2030.

    Solar energy: India among the peers

    • India currently ranks fifth after China, U.S., Japan and Germany in terms of installed solar power capacity.
    • As of December 2021, the cumulative solar installed capacity of India is 55GW, which is roughly half the renewable energy (RE) capacity (excluding large hydro power) and 14% of the overall power generation capacity of India.
    • Within the 55GW, grid-connected utility-scale projects contribute 77% and the rest comes from grid-connected rooftop and off-grid projects.

    What does the new report say?

    • As of April, only about 50% of the 100GW target, consisting of 60GW of utility-scale and 40GW of rooftop solar capacity, has been met.
    • Nearly 19 GW of solar capacity is expected to be added in 2022 — 15.8GW from utility-scale and 3.5GW from rooftop solar.
    • Even accounting for this capacity would mean about 27% of India’s 100GW solar target would remain unmet.
    • A 25GW shortfall in the 40GW rooftop solar target, is expected compared to 1.8GW in the utility-scale solar target by December 2022.
    • Thus, it is in rooftop solar that the challenges of India’s solar-adoption policy stick out.

    What is Solar Rooftop?

    • A solar photovoltaic (PV) system mounted on a rooftop of a building is a mini-power requirement or feed into the grid.
    • The size of the installation varies significantly depending on the availability of space, amount of electricity consumed by the property and the ability or willingness of the owner to invest the capital required.
    • In December 2015, the government launched the first phase of the grid-connected rooftop solar programme to incentivise its use in residential, institutional and social areas.
    • The second phase, approved in February 2019, had a target of 40GW of cumulative rooftop solar capacity by 2022, with incentives in the form of central financial assistance (CFA).
    • As of November 2021, of the phase 2 target of 4GW set for the residential sector, only 1.1GW had been installed.

    Reasons for rooftop solar adoption not meeting targets

    • In its early years, India’s rooftop solar market struggled to grow, held back by lack of consumer awareness, inconsistent policy frameworks of the Centre/ State governments and financing.
    • Factors impeding rooftop-solar installation include:
    1. Pandemic-induced supply chain disruption to policy restrictions
    2. Regulatory roadblocks
    3. Limits to net-metering (or paying users who give back surplus electricity to the grid)
    4. Taxes on imported cells and modules
    5. Unsigned power supply agreements (PSAs) and banking restrictions
    6. Financing issues plus delays in or rejection of open access approval grants and
    7. The unpredictability of future open access charges

    Other issues: India’s storage capacity

    • About 34 GW / 136 GWh of battery storage is expected to be installed by 2030, according to the Central Electricity Authority of India.
    • This capacity would be used for RE integration, demand-side and peak load management services.

    Present state of progress

    • Recently, there has been a sharp rise in rooftop solar installations due to falling technology costs, increasing grid tariffs, rising consumer awareness and the growing need for cutting energy costs.
    • These factors are expected to persist giving a much-needed boost to this segment.
    • Going ahead, rooftop solar adoption is expected to proportionally increase as land and grid-connectivity for utility solar projects are expected to be hard to come by.

    Significance of solar power to India’s commitment

    • Solar power is a major prong of India’s commitment to address global warming according to the terms of the Paris Agreement, as well as achieving net zero, or no net carbon emissions, by 2070.
    • PM at the COP Glasgow, in November 2021, said India would be reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030 and meet half its energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030.
    • To boost the renewable energy installation drive in the long term, the Centre in 2020 set a target of 450GW of RE capacity to be achieved by 2030, within which the target for solar was 300GW.
    • Given the challenge of integrating variable renewable energy into the grid, most of the RE capacity installed in the latter half of this decade is likely to be based on wind solar hybrid (WSH).

    Way forward

    • Supportive policies and innovative technological approaches are needed for the sector to achieve its potential.
    • Indian policymakers need to plan for rooftop solar plus storage, rather than rooftop solar alone with the grid as storage (net / gross metering).
    • The declining cost of storage solutions, along with that of rooftop solar solutions, is likely to change the future of the Indian power sector.
    • Several countries such as Australia, the United States, Germany, among others have already endorsed solar power with battery storage.
    • Energy storage, therefore, represents a huge economic opportunity for India.
    • The creation of a conducive battery manufacturing ecosystem on a fast track could cement India’s opportunity for radical economic and industrial transformation in a critical and fast-growing global market.

    Also read:

    [Sansad TV] Global Solar Grid

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  • Labour, Jobs and Employment – Harmonization of labour laws, gender gap, unemployment, etc.

    Time Banking as a Crucial Tool to Empower Women

    | Indian Society | Mains Paper 1: Role Of Women & Women Organization

    This newscard is an excerpt of an article originally published in the Down To Earth.

    Defining Work

    • ‘Work’ was defined by Spanish economist Lourdes Beneria in 1999 as a paid economic activity linked to the market.
    • Both paid and unpaid work, however, are constituents of our economic life.
    • This leads to an ecosystem where unpaid and care work, performed for long hours, becomes invisible.

    Narrative of Unpaid Work

    • Women perform 75 per cent of the world’s unpaid care work, and unfortunately it is not accounted for in a nation’s gross domestic product.
    • The largest source of women’s unpaid labour is domestic work.
    • These include household chores like grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning as well as caregiving to the children, elderly and infirm.
    • In the absence of this, survival is perceived as a challenge for both individuals and society as every economy is dependent on unpaid labour and care services.

    Time Poverty and unpaid work

    • This share of labour has a cost not only in terms of the unrecognised monetary value but also time poverty.
    • Time poverty is defined as “not having enough time” to pursue interests beyond unpaid domestic / care work.
    • Time poverty has a direct bearing on the ability of women to contribute to or participate in the labour market and / or public or political life.
    • Time poverty is also responsible for insufficient political participation of women globally.

    Issues with unpaid work

    • Unpaid labour is not considered ‘real work’ and is often devalued by the men and society, who directly benefit from it.
    • The situation leads to emotional strain and combined with the time poverty, the costs often outweigh the benefits.
    • Often, women do not find enough time or motivation to participate in activities outside the household.
    • Female labour force participation rate is on a declining trend in major economies.

    The conception of Time Banking

    • Time banking comes forward as a social innovation for increased empowerment of women.
    • Traditionally, household chores are expected to be performed by women. Women in general are more time poor than men.
    • Empowerment of women is limited by time poverty. In this context the concept of time banking was introduced. 
    • Time banking can be viewed as an opportunity cost of an unpaid activity in terms of the time sacrificed.

    How does time bank function?

    • In time banks, one hour equals one time credit, regardless of the service being performed or the level of each person’s skill or gender.
    • The time banks are time-sharing cooperative among women, with people helping each other meet their day-to-day needs and address challenges in their community.
    • For each hour of a service exchanged, the service provider receives one, time credit and the beneficiary pays one, time credit.
    • The time bank networks tap into unused resources of people in the community to fill unmet needs of each other.

    Significance of time banking for women

    • Time-banking can benefit women, their families and their communities by alleviating time poverty through the system of exchange services through time credits.
    • The system has the potential to improve the livelihoods of women and their families, thereby increasing overall economic activities.
    • There were time banks operating in more than 30 countries in the Americas, Africa and Europe as well as in Russia and China.
    • Most case studies showed that time banks have functioned most as community-building tools, economic drivers or within elder care.
    • They can also be utilised to prioritise women’s political participation.
    • This has a direct impact on women empowerment and entails benefits to individual women, their families and communities.

    Time bank networks can be utilised for increasing political participation of women in the following ways:

    1. Directly: Through utilisation of time credits for campaigning for office
    2. Indirectly: By educating themselves or others on local issues or understanding their rights, accessing government programs and mobilising others.

    Way forward

    • Across the world, there are examples in our everyday life of intra- and inter-family examples of informal time-sharing.
    • However, for tangible results on a community or economy scale, the concept needs scaling up and formalisation.
    • Time banking, if made a formal arrangement, has the potential of community building, civic inclusiveness and increasing economic activity.
    • Above all, it has the potential to act as the catalyst to women empowerment by formally recognising the economic value of unpaid labour and tapping the same across communities.

     

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  • Coal and Mining Sector

    Looming Power Crisis in India

    | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    Temperatures have shot up across many parts of the country with the early onset of summer, leading to a rise in the demand for power. Instances of power outages have been reported in several states.

    Why is there a concern around power supply?

    • The demand for power has soared.
    • Several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, and Maharashtra, are facing power outages.
    • The coal stock with power generation companies (gencos) is not adequate to meet the rising demand.

    How bad is the coal shortage?

    • Normally, a power plant must maintain 26 days of coal stock.
    • However, at present, several power plants are reporting critical levels of coal stock.
    • Data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that 97 power plants out of the 173 that the CEA tracks have critical levels of coal inventory.
    • Of the 173, there are 155 non-pithead plants or power plants that are not near coal mines.
    • These have an average of 28% of the stock compared to the normal scenario.
    • The 18 plants that are near coal mines have an average stock of 81% of the normal requirement.

    Note: Non-pithead plants are power plants where the coal mine is more than 1,500 kilometres away.

    Is coal shortage the only reason for a power crisis?

    • The lack of railway rakes to transport coal is also a major problem.
    • The state power distribution companies (discoms) have also not been able to clear their dues to power generation companies.
    • The covid-19 pandemic has now weakened the finances of many states, raising doubts about the ability of state-owned discoms to clear their dues.

    What has led to the coal shortage?

    • Several factors have led to the shortage, including the stagnation of production by Coal India Ltd (CIL) after the bumper production in FY15 and FY16.
    • There seems to be a tussle between the Centre and coal-rich states, which delay environment and land acquisition clearances.
    • High dues of discoms towards gencos and the eventual delay in gencos paying CIL has complicated the scenario.

    How has the Centre responded?

    • CIL has made efforts to raise supply to the power sector by reducing its dispatch to other industries.
    • The power ministry said that to avoid long-distance transport, a ‘tolling’ facility would be allowed.
    • In this system, state gencos can allow other thermal power plants near a coal mine to utilize their coal linkages to generate and transmit power back.
    • This is an easier alternative compared to transportation.
    • Further, the states need to ensure that imported coal-based plants operate at reasonable tariffs.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    Consider the following statements:

    1. Coal sector was nationalized by the Government of India under Indira Gandhi.
    2. Now, coal blocks are allocated on lottery basis.
    3. Till recently, India imported coal to meet the shortages of domestic supply, but now India is self- sufficient in coal production.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Panchayati Raj Institutions: Issues and Challenges

    Nod to extend Gram Swaraj Scheme

    Schemes | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Panchayats & Local Bodies

    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a proposal to continue the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), a scheme for improving the governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj institutions, till 2025-26.

    What is RGSA?

    • The RGSA, a centrally sponsored scheme, was first approved by the Union Cabinet in 2018 for implementation from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
    • It is a unique scheme proposed to develop and strengthen the Panchayati Raj System across India in rural areas.
    • The objective of the campaign is to promote social harmony, spread awareness about pro-poor initiatives of the government, and reach out to poor households to enroll them as also to obtain their feedback on various welfare programs.
    • The main central components of the scheme included incentivization of panchayats and mission mode project on e-Panchayat including other activities at central level.

    Scope of the scheme

    • RGSA is extend to all States and Union Territories (UTs) of the country. It includes institutions of rural local government in non-Part IX areas.
    • Part IX provides for a 3 tier Panchayat system, which would be constituted in every state at the village level, intermediate level and district level.
    • This provision brought uniformity in the Panchayati Raj structure in India.

    Areas where Part IX is not applicable:

    As per Article 243M of the Constitution, provisions of Part IX of the Constitution are not applicable to:

    • Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas referred to in Article 244.
    • The States of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
    • The hill areas in the State of Manipur for which District Councils exist. (In these areas, district councils and various types of village-level bodies are in existence)
    • Panchayats at the district level to the hill areas of the District of Darjeeling in the State of West Bengal.
    • Provision of the Article 243D with respect to reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes is not applicable to the State of Arunachal Pradesh.

    Purpose of extension

    The scheme would work towards:

    • Poverty-free and enhanced livelihood in villages
    • Healthy villages, child-friendly villages
    • Water-sufficient villages
    • Clean and green villages
    • Self-sufficient infrastructure in villages
    • Socially-secure villages with good governance and engendered development

     

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  • Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

    Why are vaccines administered into the upper arm?

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

    Almost everyone vaccinated for Covid-19 over the last 16 months will remember that he or she received a quick prick in the upper arm.

    Why vaccines are generally administered into muscle?

    • This is because most vaccines, including those for Covid-19, are most effective when administered through the intramuscular route into the upper arm muscle, known as the deltoid.
    • There are several reasons, but the most important one is that the muscles have a rich blood supply network.
    • This means whenever a vaccine carrying an antigen is injected into it, the muscle releases the antigen, which gets dispersed by the muscular vasculature, or the arrangement of blood vessels in the muscle.
    • The antigen then gets picked up by a type of immune cells called dendritic cells, which function by showing antigens on their surface to other cells of the immune system.
    • The dendritic cells carry the antigen through the lymphatic fluid to the lymph node.

    Role of T Cells

    • T Cells also called T lymphocyte, type of leukocyte (white blood cell) that is an essential part of the immune system.
    • T cells are one of two primary types of lymphocytes—B cells being the second type—that determine the specificity of the immune response to antigens (foreign substances) in the body.
    • Through the course of research over the years, it is understood that the lymph nodes have T cells and B cells — the body’s primary protector cells.
    • Once this antigen gets flagged and is given to the T cells and B cells that is how we start developing an immune response against a particular virus.
    • It could be any of the new viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, or the previous viruses which we have been running vaccination programs for.

    Other options for vaccination

    • Conversely, if the vaccine is administered into the subcutaneous fat tissue [between the skin and the muscle], which has a poor blood supply, absorption of the antigen vaccine is poor and therefore one may have failed immune response.
    • Similarly, the additives which could be toxic, could cause a local reaction.
    • The same thing could happen when the vaccine is administered intradermally (just below the outermost skin layer, the epidermis).
    • Hence, the route chosen now for most vaccines is intramuscular.
    • Also, compared to the skin or subcutaneous tissue, the muscles have fewer pain receptors, and so an intramuscular injection does not hurt as much as a subcutaneous or an intradermal injection.

    But why the upper arm muscle in particular?

    • In some vaccines, such as that for rabies, the immunogenicity — the ability of any cell or tissue to provoke an immune response — increases when it is administered in the arm.
    • If administered in subcutaneous fat tissues located at the thigh or hips, these vaccines show a lower immunogenicity and thus there is a chance of vaccine failure.

    Why not administer the vaccine directly into the vein?

    • This is to ensure the ‘depot effect’, or release of medication slowly over time to enable longer effectiveness.
    • When given intravenously, the vaccine is quickly absorbed into the circulation.
    • The intramuscular method takes some time to absorb the vaccine.
    • Wherever a vaccination programme is carried out, it is carried out for the masses.
    • To deposit the vaccine, the easiest route would be the oral route (like the polio vaccine).
    • However, for other vaccines that need to be administered intravenously or intramuscularly (enabling wider field-based administration), the intramuscular route is chosen from a public health perspective over the intravenous route.

    Which vaccines are administered through other routes?

    • One of the oldest vaccines that for smallpox, was given by scarification of the skin.
    • However, with time, doctors realised there are better ways to vaccinate beneficiaries.
    • These included the intradermal route, the subcutaneous route, the intramuscular route, oral, and nasal routes.
    • There are only two exceptions that continue to be administered through the intradermal route.
    • These are the vaccines for BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) and for tuberculosis because these two vaccines continue to work empirically well when administered through the intradermal route.

     

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  • Festivals, Dances, Theatre, Literature, Art in News

    Festivals in news: Madhavpur Mela

    Prelims Only | History | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

    The Madhavpur Mela was recently inaugurated by the President of India.

    In the entire country, there is no other fair which the President and host of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of a number of states visit.

    What is the Madhavpur Mela?

    • The Mela is a religio-cultural fair taking place every year in Madhavpur, a village on the Porbandar coast, also known as Madhavpur Ghed.
    • The village has temples of Madhavraiji, or Lord Krishna, and his consort Rukmini, believed to have been built in the 15th century.
    • It is also known for its sandy sea beach, the turquoise waters of the Arabian Sea, a sea turtle hatchery and the Osho Ashram
    • The fair begins on Ram Navami, Lord Rama’s birth anniversary falling on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar, and culminates on Tryodashi, the 13th day of the month.

    Mythology behind the fair

    • The fair celebrates the marriage of Lord Krishna with Rukmini around 4,000 years ago, as per Hindu mythology.
    • The fair begins on Ram Navami, Lord Rama’s birth anniversary falling on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar, and culminates on Tryodashi, the 13th day of the month.
    • According to mythology, Lord Krishna had established his kingdom in Dwarka near Porbandar.
    • Rukmini, daughter of King Bhimak of the present-day Arunachal Pradesh, wanted to marry Krishna, while her brother wanted to marry her off to Shishupal, Krishna’s cousin.
    • Therefore, Krishna abducted Rukmini, brought her to Gujarat and tied the knot with her at Madhavpur village.
    • Today, to mark the wedding, marriage rituals go on for five days.
    • They culminate with the idols of Lord Krishna and Rukmini being taken out in a procession through Madhavpur for ‘samaiya’, a ritual to welcome the bridegroom back home with his bride.

    Significance of the fair

    • The President observed that fairs and festivals have bonded the people of India for ages and that Madhavpur Mela also integrates Gujarat to the Northeast of India.
    • This fair reflects that, despite our languages, dialects and lifestyles being different, Indians, since time immemorial, have been one culturally.

    Do you know?

    There is one such festival called ‘Pushkaram’ which is celebrated by the people of Tamil Nadu. Devotees from Tamil Nadu perform rituals at the banks of Brahmaputra River.

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  • Higher Education – RUSA, NIRF, HEFA, etc.

    The impact of the CUET is likely to be harsher on disadvantaged sections

    op-ed snap | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

    Context

    The introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) can be seen as a step in the direction of aligning India with international standards.

    About CUET

    • The UGC’s rationale for introducing the test is to address the disparity in the allocation of marks by different examination boards, and provide a “level playing field” to students from different sections of society and diverse regions.
    • The CUET has been envisaged as a corrective.
    •  Of the 48 central universities, 45 seem to have the requirements to institute the test.
    • The CUET is going to decide the fate of approximately 1.3 crore students for roughly 5.4 lakh undergraduate seats in 45 central universities.

    Issues with the CUET

    • Students to contend with two examinations: The marks obtained in the board examination will remain vital for admission to state and private universities as well as job applications.
    • The students will now have to contend with two examinations.
    • Impetus to coaching classes: Many educationists argue that the new examination is likely to give an impetus to coaching classes.
    •  Coaching and private tuition will flourish without much concern for quality in the preparation of the study material.
    • Not all State Boards prescribe NCERT textbooks: The CUET syllabus will be based on NCERT (under the Ministry of Education) textbooks even though not all state boards prescribe these books.
    • The coaching industry stands to take advantage of this situation and students will have a hard time navigating two sets of textbooks.
    • The impact is likely to be harsher on disadvantaged sections of the society for whom access to higher education is seen as the only route to upward mobility.

    Way forward

    • The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is constantly increasing for higher secondary education (51.4 per cent according to UDISE, 2019-20) and higher education (27.1 per cent to AISHE, 2019-20).
    • The figures indicate that higher education has acquired a mass base in the country.
    • This has important implications for a knowledge-based economy and society.
    • Maintaining the momentum of GER would require more teachers, schools and higher education institutions of quality and slow down the rush for a few but highly sought after universities and colleges.

    Conclusion

    The new examination would put additional pressure on both students and teachers at a time when they are trying to overcome the exactions of the pandemic. It appears to diverge from the objective of the National Education Policy-2020 — equitable access to good quality higher education for all students.

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  • Social Media: Prospect and Challenges

    Big Tech’s privacy promise could be good news and also bad news

    op-ed snap | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Social Media Networks & Internal Security

    Context

    In February, Facebook stated that its revenue in 2022 is anticipated to reduce by $10 billion due to steps undertaken by Apple to enhance user privacy on its mobile operating system.

    Move towards more privacy-preserving options

    • Apple introduced AppTrackingTransparency feature that requires apps to request permission from users before tracking them across other apps and websites or sharing their information with and from third parties.
    • Through this change, Apple effectively shut the door on “permissionless” internet tracking and has given consumers more control over how their data is used.
    • Privacy experts have welcomed this move because it is predicted to enhance awareness and nudge other actors to move towards more privacy-preserving options, leading to a market for “Privacy Enhancing Technologies”.
    • Google’s Privacy Sandbox project is a case in point, though it remains to be seen whether it will be truly privacy-preserving.

    Big Tech dominance and issues related to it

    • Privacy and acquisitions: One standout feature of the Big Tech dominance has been the non-price factors such as quality of service (QoS) in general and privacy and acquisitions in particular.
    • Acquisitions to kill competition: Acquisitions by Big Tech are regular and eat up big bucks, not always to promote efficiency but to eliminate potential competition, described evocatively as “kill zone” by specialists.
    • According to a report released by the Federal Trade Commission, between 2010 and 2019, Big Tech made 616 acquisitions.
    • In the absence of a modern framework, competition law continues to rely on Bork’s theory of consumer welfare which postulated that the sole normative objective of antitrust should be to maximise consumer welfare, best pursued through promoting economic efficiency.
    • Market structure thus became irrelevant and conduct became the sole criterion for judgement.
    • Conduct now predominantly revolves around QoS which, like much else surrounding digital platforms, is pushing competition authorities to fortify their existing regulatory toolkits.

    Privacy as a metric of quality

    •  Companies such as Apple and DuckDuckGo (with its slogan “the search engine that doesn’t track you”) are employing enhanced user privacy as a competitive metric.
    • It has been shown that “websites which do not face strong competition are significantly more likely to ask for more personal information than other services provided for free”.
    • In 2018, OECD accepted that privacy is a relevant dimension of quality despite the low quality that may be prevalent due to lack of market development.
    • Regulators across the globe are recognising privacy as a serious metric of quality.
    • For instance, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2021 took suo moto cognisance of changes to WhatsApp’s “take-it” or “leave-it” privacy policy that made it mandatory for every user to share data with Facebook.
    • In its prima facie order, the CCI inter alia observed that this amounts to degradation of privacy and therefore quality.

    Way forward

    • Privacy and competition have overlapping boundaries.
    • If privacy becomes a competitive constraint, then companies will have the incentive to create privacy-preserving and enhancing technologies.
    • Barriers for new entrants: On the other hand, care must be taken so that Big Tech, aka the gatekeepers in the EU’s Digital Markets Act, do not misuse privacy to create barriers for newer entrants.
    • Restricting third-party tracking is not novel and other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft’s Edge have already done so.
    • But Google, which owns 65 per cent of the global browser market, is different.
    • By disabling third parties from tracking but continuing to use that data in its own ad tech stack, Google harms competition.
    • The use of privacy as a tool for market development, therefore, has to tread this tightrope between enabling and stifling competition.

    Conclusion

    An approach that balances user autonomy, consumer protection, innovation, and market competition in digital markets is a real win-win and worth investing in.

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  • Railway Reforms

    IRMS

    op-ed snap | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    Context

    A recent Gazette notification regarding the creation of the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) marks a paradigm shift in the management of one of the world’s largest rail networks.

    About the merger and IRMS

    • A nearly 8,000 strong cadre of the erstwhile eight services is now merged into one.
    • Eight out of 10 Group-A Indian Railway services have been merged to create the IRMS.
    • The merged services are: Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS), Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSS), Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), Indian Railway Service of Civil Engineers (IRSE) and Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS).
    • Aims of the restructuring: Besides removing silos, this restructuring also aims at rationalising the top-heavy bureaucracy of the Indian Railways.

    Way forward: Training

    • Training the future leaders of India’s public transporter in the rapidly evolving logistics sector of the country is the most important task ahead.
    • The UPSC will recruit a few hundred IRMS officers each year from now, they will remain much less in number when compared to already serving officers for a long time to come.
    • Training of the existing cadre of officers: The fact remains that even after the creation of the IRMS, the 8,000 strong (already serving) officers of the Indian Railways will need to work in coordination and not in silos, as they will be serving in the organisation for decades to come.
    • This highlights the importance of training of the existing cadre of officers as they will have to deliver on the ambitious Gati-Shakti projects.
    • The task of training such a dynamic talent pool assumes importance in view of India’s aspirations of becoming a $5 trillion economy.
    • All this will require a massive revamp of the capacity building ecosystem of the Indian Railways.
    •  Redesign the training: The merger of services provides an opportunity to redesign the training for newly recruited IRMS officers to make them future-ready. Initial training along with mid-career training programmes may be reoriented.
    • The IRMS training needs to be designed based on the competencies required for different leadership roles.
    • Mission Karmayogi of the Government of India provides for competencies based postings of officers.
    • The Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) programme of the Government of India will be instrumental in shaping the career progression of IRMS officers.

    Conclusion

    Future IRMS officers should be ready to face the challenges of working in an organisation that is involved in round the clock and round the year operations, has substantial social obligations to meet and, at the same time, which must earn for itself.

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-United States

    What is the ‘2+2’ format of dialogue between India and the US?

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

    The fourth ‘2+2’ dialogue between India and the United States is underway in Washington DC.

    2+2 talks between India and allies

    • The 2+2 dialogue is a format of meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of India and its allies on strategic and security issues.
    • A 2+2 ministerial dialogue enables the partners to better understand and appreciate each other’s strategic concerns and sensitivities taking into account political factors on both sides.
    • This helps to build a stronger, more integrated strategic relationship in a rapidly changing global environment.
    • India has 2+2 dialogues with four key strategic partners: US, Australia, Japan, and RUSSIA.

    Inception of the idea

    • The inaugural 2+2 dialogue with Australia was held in September 2021 when Jaishankar and Singh met with their counterparts Marise Payne and Peter Dutton in New Delhi.
    • India held its first 2+2 dialogue with Russia in December last year, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited India.
    • The first India-Japan talks in the 2+2 format were held on November 30, 2019 in New Delhi.

    Dialogue with the US

    • The US is India’s oldest and most important 2+2 talks partner.
    • The first 2+2 dialogue between the two countries was held during the Trump Administration.
    • It hosted then-Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and then-Secretary of Defence James Mattis and the late Sushma Swaraj and then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi in September 2018.
    • The second and third editions of the 2+2 dialogues were held in Washington DC and New Delhi in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

    Defence and strategic agreements

    • Over the years, the strategic bilateral relationship with its partners, including the dialogues held in the 2+2 format, have produced tangible and far-reaching results for India.
    • India and the US have signed a troika of “foundational pacts” for deep military cooperation, beginning with the:
    1. Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016
    2. Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) after the first 2+2 dialogue in 2018, and
    3. Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020

    Deterrents in ties ahead of the meet

    • There is little doubt as to how beneficial this mechanism has been.
    • On one side, the ‘two plus dialogue’ is expected to abate, if not resolve, highly problematic issues such as Chinese aggression.
    • Even though there is a tonne of expectations from this mutual dialogue between the two countries, the dialogue is also the source of some worry.
    • This time, the US is sceptical of India’s mammoth oil import from Russia.
    • Another problematic pointer is India’s voluminous weaponry sanctions from Russia.

    Why a 2+2 with Russia?

    • Russia is one of those countries with which a 2+2 format talk “fits perfectly” in India’s foreign policy.
    • India and Russia have shared a strategic relationship since October 2000, which later got upgraded to ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ in December 2010.
    • To be sure, the India-Russia 2+2 does have a particularly strong signalling component when seen against the backdrop of the S400 controversy.
    • Holding the 2+2 talks with Russia is much needed. This gives out a strong message to the world that India sees everyone to be on the same level.
    • This is visible messaging that India cannot be compelled to choose partners. India pursues an independent foreign policy serving its national and non-allied interests.
    • Having a 2+2 with Russia also means that India is “not in anyone’s camp” and that bilateral ties between Moscow and New Delhi are “traditional and comprehensive”.

    Way forward

    • India and the US don’t set ‘red lines’ and are pushing for “an honest dialogue”, the ongoing 2+2 dialogue is an opportunity for both India and the US.
    • The US also understands that India is one of the few countries that could leverage its relationship with Russia to bring the two warring parties to the negotiating table through a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution.
    • For Delhi, it is a season for careful and adroit diplomacy.

     

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