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  • District formation in India

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the DownToEarth.

    What are Districts?

    • India’s districts are local administrative units inherited from the British Raj.
    • They generally form the tier of local government immediately below that of India’s subnational states and territories.
    • A district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner/ Collector, who is responsible for the overall administration and the maintenance of law and order.
    • The district collector may belong to IAS (Indian Administrative Service).
    • Districts are most frequently further sub-divided into smaller administrative units, called either tehsils or talukas or mandals, depending on the region.

    How are new districts carved?

    • The power to create new districts or alter or abolish existing districts rests with the State governments.
    • This can either be done through an executive order or by passing a law in the State Assembly.
    • Many States prefer the executive route by simply issuing a notification in the official gazette.

    Does the Central government have a role to play here?

    • The Centre has no role to play in the alteration of districts or creation of new ones. States are free to decide.
    • The Home Ministry comes into the picture when a State wants to change the name of a district or a railway station.
    • The State government’s request is sent to other departments and agencies such as the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Geographical Survey of India Sciences and the Railway Ministry seeking clearance.
    • A no-objection certificate may be issued after examining their replies.

    Why create districts?

    • A district enjoys multiple benefits in terms of endowments from the government for local administration and development.
    • The formation of districts leads to the development of infrastructure, including transportation, telecommunication, water, sanitation, health, education and power facilities.
    • A good infrastructure attracts potential investors and investments.
    • New businesses and industries emerge and existing ones expand.
    • This generates employment opportunities for the citizens in and around the district.

    Challenges

    • The question that arises is what limits a state to declare each place a district.
    • The answer lies in the cost associated with the formation of a district.
    • A district requires installing administrative offices and deploying officers and public servants.
    • This adds to the burden on the government exchequer.

    Way forward

    • It is also essential to consult the local people who are the end beneficiaries of the decision to understand their aspirations and win their confidence.
    • This will potentially mitigate the issues and conflicts between people and government and thereby satisfy the people’s needs at large, which is essential for inclusive growth of state and nation.

    Conclusion

    • In sum, any political change regarding the formation of a district in a state comes with its own advantages and challenges.
    • Thus, the government and policymakers must mull over the decision and perform a cost-benefit analysis before district formation.

     

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  • Abortion Right extends to the Cisgenders: SC

    In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional to distinguish between married and unmarried women while allowing abortion when the foetus is between 20-24 weeks.

    What is the news?

    • Going a step further, the court said the term ‘woman’ in the judgment included persons other than cisgender women.

    What is cisgender?

    • The term cisgender is used to define people whose gender identity and expression match the identity assigned to them at birth.
    • When a child is born, it is assigned a gender identity based on its physical characteristics.
    • Many believe that gender is a social construct, and growing up, the child may or may not confirm to the birth identity.
    • For transgender people, their sense of gender identity does not match the one assigned to them at birth.
    • Thus, a cisgender woman is a person who was assigned female at birth and continues to identify as a woman.
    • On the other hand, a child assigned female at birth can feel it identifies more authentically as a man as it grows up.

    Use of gender-inclusive vocabularies in official documents

    • Before India’s Supreme Court used ‘cisgender’ in the context of reproductive rights, last year in June, the US government had replaced the word ‘mothers’ with ‘birthing people’.
    • Those who advocate the use of ‘birthing people’ say it is not just women who give birth.
    • Transmen — a person assigned the female gender at birth but who identifies as a man – and genderqueer people – who identify as neither man nor woman – also give birth.

    Why the word cisgender is important?

    • If there are ‘transgender’ people, there should be a word for those who are not.
    • Giving a label to only one section of the population, especially when that is in the minority, implies that the others are default, ‘normal’, and only that section needs to be labelled.
    • Having distinct words for transgender and cisgender people denotes that both are equally valid, neutral experiences, with neither being an aberration.
    • Also, cis and trans are not the only gender identifiers in use.
    • There are many other terms, such as gender-queer, gender fluid and gender variant.
    • Some also choose not to use the traditionally gender-tied pronouns of he/she/her/his, and go for they/them.

    Criticism of the term

    • Some people, including those working on trans rights, feel terms like ‘cisgender’ belong in the realm of gender theory alone.
    • They feel that their usage can be counterproductive – people are less likely to grasp a message if they have to look up the individual words that make up the message.
    • Others feel that ‘cisgender’ as a counter to ‘transgender’ is restrictive – reinforcing a binary of genders that many choose to reject.

     

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  • Ponniyin Selvan and the Cholas

    In all the buzz around the Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan: 1 or PS1, a fictional period drama, a point of focus has been the Chola dynasty that the film is based on.

    Why in news?

    • A notable actor has spoke about the progressiveness of the Chola era.
    • He mentioned the architectural marvels and temples, the social setup of the time, and how cities were named after women.

    Behind the name- PS1

    • The fictional account of the Chola kingdom appeared in a weekly journal in the early 1950s and garnered popularity.
    • These were later compiled into a novel called ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, which became the inspiration for the movie, whose second part is due for release in 2023.

    Who were the Cholas?

    • The Chola kingdom stretched across present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka around 9th to 12th century AD.
    • The dynasty was founded by the king Vijaylaya, described as a “feudatory” of the Pallavas.
    • Despite being a relatively minor player in the region among giants, Vijaylaya laid the foundation for a dynasty that would rule a major part of southern India.

    Might of the Cholas

    (1) Defense

    • One of the biggest achievements of the Chola dynasty was its naval power, allowing them to go as far as Malaysia and the Sumatra islands of Indonesia in their conquests.
    • The domination was such that the Bay of Bengal was converted into a “Chola lake” for some time.

    (2) Economy

    • While the extent of this domination is disputed, the Cholas had strong ties with merchant groups and this allowed them to undertake impressive naval expeditions.
    • In general, even merchant guilds, which had close ties to the court, had to hire their own guards because roads could be dangerous.

    (3) Culture

    • Another feature is how the practice of building grand temples, common to the dynasties of the region around this time, was ramped up in an unprecedented way by the Cholas, according to Kanisetti.
    • The grand Brihadeeswara temple of Thanjavur, built by the Cholas, was the largest building in India in that period.
    • Additionally, artworks and sculptures were commissioned by Chola kings and queens, including the famous bronze Nataraja idols.

    Women under the Cholas

    • The role of women in the royal family is being brought to focus given their impact on public life.
    • But that is not to suggest that ordinary women wielded equal power as men.
    • The royal women’s proximity to male power was valued, rather than women in general.

    Local annexations

    • When the Chola King Rajadhiraja came to power in 1044, he was able to “subdue” Pandyan and Kerala kings, and presumably to celebrate these victories performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice.
    • The Chola rulers sacked and plundered Chalukyan cities including Kalyani and massacred the people, including Brahmans and children.
    • They destroyed Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of the rulers of Sri Lanka.

     

     

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  • International Day of Non-Violence event at UN

    International

    The International Day of Non-Violence event, held at the UN headquarters in New York, saw a life-size hologram of Gandhi displayed.

    International Day of Non-Violence

    • Every year, since 2007, the day is observed on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
    • Iranian Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, in January 2004, first proposed the idea of dedicating a day to non-violence, around the world.
    • In 2007, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution to commemorate October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence, with the core objective to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.”

    What does the term “non-violence” stand for?

    • The UN defines the term as a rejection of the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change.
    • The UNGA resolution reaffirms the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence and establishes a desire to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.
    • The theory emphasises that the power of rulers depends on the consent of the populations, and non-violence therefore seeks to undermine such power through withdrawal of the consent and cooperation of the populace.

     

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  • 4th October 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1          Factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

    GS-2          Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

    GS-3          Indian Economy

    GS-4           Ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.

    Question 1)

    Q.1 What are the important features of footloose industries? What are the factors that influence the location of these industries? (10 Marks)

    Question 2)

    Q.2 In Washington’s first major security assistance to Islamabad in four years, it has approved a military sustenance package for the country’s aging F-16 fleet. What are India’s concerns with the deal? Do you think such a decision from US is justified in the backdrop of strong relations with India? (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What is windfall tax and why is it needed? Highlight the challenges involved in imposing such a tax? (15 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Do you agree that foreign aid is a form of neo-colonialism? (10 Marks)

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  February is uploaded on 11th February then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th February is uploaded on 13th February , then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    1. For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 
    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • Free Breakfast Scheme,Healthy Children: Healthy Nation

    Free breakfast schemeContext

    • Under the free breakfast scheme of Tamil Nadu Government, children in government schools from Class I to Class V will get nutritious breakfast provided in their schools every morning. The scheme is aimed at encouraging more children to continue to come to school and help prevent dropouts in primary level.

    CM’s Breakfast Scheme

    • The scheme covers around 1.14 lakh students in 1,545 schools which include 417 municipal corporation schools, 163 municipality schools and 728 taluk and village panchayat-level schools.
    • The inauguration of the scheme marks an important milestone in the State’s history of providing free meals to school students.

    What is the approach for breakfast scheme?

    • Morning Breakfast: Under the morning breakfast scheme, every student is to be provided a cooked meal of 150-500 grams breakfast with sambar with vegetables. With a budget outlay of Rs33.5 crore in the initial phase, the new scheme caters to 1,14,095 primary school students from1,545 government schools.
    • Micronutrients deficiency: School administration will serve hot breakfasts to schoolchildren by 8:30 am before their classes begin. Students will be served upma, kichadi or Pongal from Monday to Friday, while rava kesari or semiya kesari will be added to the menu on Fridays.The local millets available in the area will also be part of the menu for at least two days a week.
    • Aim of the scheme: The scheme mainly aims to help students attend school hunger free and improve their nutritional status.

    Free breakfast schemeWhat do the Critics of the scheme argue?

    • Freebies: The scheme stands at the confluence of three socio-political developments: a fierce but murky political debate on freebies.
    • Mid-day meal scheme: There was no need to supplement the existing mid-day meal scheme. But going by the content of the scheme, it seems unlikely that it will bring any substantial or sustained improvements in the above mentioned aspects of nutrition, especially since T.N. is already doing well in this regard.
    • Populism: This is just a populist scheme by state government for vote bank politics.
    • Questionable outcomes: Though the scheme has the potential to ensure that children attend classes hunger free, reliable and representative data on what proportion of them attend school without having breakfast regularly is scarce. Though the State acknowledges that students tend to skip breakfast because of the school timing and their financial situation, it is important to identify which among these is the significant contributor. The present approach does not distinguish between the two.

    What the Defenders of the scheme argue?

    • Positive outcomes: Studies from other countries suggest that free breakfast schemes might help increase educational outcomes through a likely increase in school attendance and improved concentration on studies.
    • On freebies: The freebie debate strategically deploys fiscal burden as a potent tool to possibly constrain States from discharging this responsibility.

    Free breakfast schemeWhy feeding children in school is important?

    • Welfare state: The States have a responsibility to promote welfare and minimise inequalities in income as well as in facilities and opportunities among individuals and groups (Article38).
    • Global Food Security Index: The welfare responsibility of the States remains undiminished, especially since India is ranked 71out of 113 countries on the Global Food Security Index.
    • Global Hunger Index: India ranked 101 out of 116countries on the Global Hunger Index.
    • Human development index: 132 out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index. India’s mean years of schooling stood at just 6.7 years in 2020-21.
    • Inequality: Additionally, India has among the highest levels of inequality in education. This responds closely with the rising wealth inequality, as brought out by the recent Credit Suisse report.
    • Stunting and wasting: Malnourishment in children (stunting, wasting and underweight) under 5 years has reduced as per National family health survey-5 (2019-21) from 38.4% to 35.5%, 21.0% to 19.3% and 35.8% to 32.1% respectively as compared to NHFS-4 (2015-16). However present scenario is not good as compare to other developing nations in south Asia.

    Free breakfast schemeWhat are the different Existing Scheme?

    • The Midday Meal Scheme: The Midday meal is a school meal programme in India designed to better the nutritional standing of school-age children nationwide.
    • The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in primary and upper primary classes in government, government aided, local body, Education Guarantee Scheme, and alternate innovative education centres, Madrasa supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools run by the ministry of labour.
    • Serving 120 million children in over 1.27 million schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres, the Midday Meal Scheme is the largest of its kind in the world.
    • PM-POSHAN: The name of the scheme has been changed to PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme, in September 2021, by MoE (Ministry of Education), which is nodal ministry for the scheme.
    • The Central Government also announced that an additional 24 lakh students receiving pre-primary education at government & government-aided schools would also be included under the scheme by 2022.

    Conclusion

    • India’s spending in human development enhancing welfare schemes has been very dismal. There is an urgent need for implementing innovative and effective welfare schemes to address the disruptions caused by the pandemic in the education and nutrition sectors and strengthen these sectors.

    Mains Question

    Q.Malnutrition, under-nutrition and micro-nutrition requires a different approach. Distinguish and suggest the existing policy gaps to address them.

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  • The Mediation Bill,2021: Needs And Concerns

    MediationContext

    • The Mediation Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on December20, 2021,with the Parliamentary Standing Committee being tasked with a review of the Bill. The committee’s report to the Rajya Sabha was submitted on July 13, 2022. In its report, the Committee recommends substantial changes to the Mediation Bill, aimed at institutionalising mediation and establishing the Mediation Council of India.

    What is mean by mediation?

    • Mediation: Mediation is a process wherein the parties meet with a mutually selected impartial and neutral person who assists them in the negotiation of their differences.
    • Brings Parties Together: Parties can save and sometimes rebuild their relationship like during a family dispute or commercial dispute.
    • Very Convenient: The parties can control the time, location, and duration of the proceedings to large extent. Scheduling isn’t subject to the convenience of courts

    MediationWhy does India need mediation?

    • No separate law: While there is no standalone legislation for mediation in India, there are several statutes containing mediation provisions,such as the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908,the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996,the Companies Act, 2013, the Commercial Courts Act, 2015, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
    • Supreme Court mandate: The Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee of the Supreme Court of India describes mediation as a tried and tested alternative for conflict resolution.
    • Being an international signatory: As India is a signatory to the Singapore Convention on Mediation (formally the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation), it is appropriate to enact a law governing domestic and international mediation.

    What are the Key features of the Mediation bill?

    • Promote mediation: The Bill aims to promote, encourage, and facilitate mediation, especially institutional mediation, to resolve disputes, commercial and otherwise.
    • Mandatory Mediation: The Bill further proposes mandatory mediation before litigation. At the same time, it safeguards the rights of litigants to approach competent adjudicatory forums/courts for urgent relief.
    • Confidentiality: The mediation process will be confidential and immunity is provided against its disclosure in certain cases.
    • Legally binding: The outcome of the mediation process in the form of a Mediation Settlement Agreement (MSA) will be legally enforceable and can be registered with the State district or taluk legal authorities within 90days to ensure authenticated records of the settlement.
    • Mediation Council of India: The Bill establishes the Mediation Council of India and also provides for community mediation.
    • Services of Mediator: If the parties agree, they may appoint any person as a mediator. If not, they may apply to a mediation service provider to appoint a person from its panel of mediators.
    • Disputes where no mediation required: The Bill lists disputes that are not fit for mediation (such as those involving criminal prosecution, or affecting the rights of third parties). The central government may amend this list.
    • Time bound process: The mediation process must be completed within 180 days, which may be extended by another 180 days by the parties.

    MediationWhat are the Concerns over the bill?

    • Mandatory provision: According to the Bill, pre-litigation mediation is mandatory for both parties before filing any suit or proceeding in a court,whether or not there is a mediation agreement between them.
    • Monetary punishment: Parties who fail to attend pre-litigation mediation without a reasonable reason may incur a cost. However,as per Article 21 of the Constitution,access to justice is constitutional right which cannot be fettered or restricted. Mediation should just be voluntary and making it otherwise would amount to denial of justice.
    • Clause 26: According to Clause26 of the Bill, court annexed mediation, including pre-litigation mediation, will be conducted in accordance with the directions or rules framed by the Supreme Court or High Courts. However, the Committee objected to this. It stated that Clause26 went against the spirit of the Constitution.In countries that follow the Common Law system, it is a healthy tradition that inthe absence of statutes, apex court judgments and decisions carry the same weight. The moment a law is passed however, it becomes the guiding force rather than the instructions or judgments given by the courts. Therefore, Clause 26 is unconstitutional.
    • Lack of international enforceability: Bill considers international mediation to be domestic when it is conducted in India with the settlement being recognised as a judgment or decree ofa court. The Singapore Convention does not apply to settlements that already have the status of judgments or decrees. As a result, conducting cross border mediation in India will exclude the tremendous benefits of worldwide enforceability.

    MediationConclusion

    • In order to enable a faster resolution of disputes,the Bill should be implemented after discussion with stakeholders and resolve the issues in an amicable manner. It’s a good opportunity for India to become an international mediation hub for easy business transactions.

    Mains Question

    Q.Address the key concerns in the mediation bill 2021 and how India can become the centre of international dispute resolutions.Discuss.

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  • Ayushman Bharat scheme

    ayushman bharat

    India has completed four years of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the world’s largest public health insurance programme.

    What is Ayushman Bharat?

    • Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
    • It was launched in September 2018 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
    • It is a centrally sponsored scheme and is jointly funded by both the union government and the states.
    • It has subsumed the on-going centrally sponsored schemes – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).

    Features of the scheme

    • It will have a defined benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.
    • Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals across the country.
    • It will be an entitlement based scheme with entitlement decided on the basis of deprivation criteria in the SECC database.
    • The beneficiaries can avail benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities.
    • To control costs, the payments for treatment will be done on package rate (to be defined by the Government in advance) basis.

    India’s health expenditure post Ayushman Bharat

    Ans. India’s public healthcare spending is still among the lowest in the world.

    • Total health expenditure declined to 3.2% of GDP in 2018-19 from 3.3% in 2017-18, while the government’s health expenditure (centre and state) as a percentage of GDP fell from 1.35% to 1.28% in the same period.
    • National health estimates showed the Centre’s share decreasing to 34.3% in 2018-19 from 40.8% in the previous year, while that of states rose from 59.2% to 65.7%.
    • Out-of-pocket spending as a percentage of total health expenditure declined to 48.2% in 2018-19, though it is significantly higher than the world average of 18.1% in 2019

    What about health insurance penetration?

    Ans. Retail health insurance covers a meagre 3.2% of the country’s population.

    • With a population of 1.36 billion, India is the world’s second most populous country, and is expected to surpass China soon.
    • Launched in 2018 to provide universal health coverage, AB-PMJAY, takes care of the bottom 50% of the population of approximately 700 million individuals.
    • The top 20% of the population is covered through social and private health insurance.
    • Therefore, about 30% of the population, or about 400 million, is “the missing middle”— they don’t have any financial protection for health emergencies.

    Why is sound healthcare important for the economy?

    • Covid-19 exposed the economic consequences of poor healthcare. Higher out-of-pocket healthcare spending hits savings and consumption.
    • In the work space, poor health impacts physical and mental abilities, increase turnover and lead to lower productivity.
    • Data shows that 7% of India’s population is pushed into poverty every year due to healthcare costs.

    Way forward

    • Healthcare management and disease prevention should be the focus, along with an all-encompassing healthcare system, including OPD.
    • The government also needs to pay attention on healthcare cover for “the missing middle” population.
    • As a pilot, states may allow the authority already implementing the AB-PMJAY scheme in the state to cover the missing middle.

     

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  • Live-streaming of Court: Definitely A Great Move

    CourtContext

    • On September 27, the Supreme Court enabled the live streaming of the hearing of cases.
    • A full court of all Supreme Court judges under the leadership of Chief Justice U U Lalit took the unanimous decision to live-stream constitutional bench proceedings. Justice Chandrachud, the Chairperson of the Supreme Court’s E-committee and the driving force behind the live streaming initiative, began the hearing in his courtroom by announcing,”We are virtual”.

    Background

    • The Court’s original decision by the bench of the then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice D Y Chandrachud on September 27, 2018, allowing the live telecast of important proceedings paved the way for this outcome. They had held that the live-streaming of court proceedings is in the public interest.
    • Their vision had the full support of Chief Justices M V Ramana and U U Lalit.

    What is live-streaming technology?

    • At its core, streaming content is meant to help people attend events, expos, and experiences they cannot attend in person.
    • Live streaming technology is how videos are streamed over the internet, live, in real-time, as they are being recorded.
    • Live streaming technology is the internet’s response to live television broadcasts, with the most popular being news shows and sports.

    What is Live-streaming of the court?

    • Live streaming of court is that its proceedings that the people can watch on their mobiles and computers.All courtrooms function under camera glare.

    CourtWhy Live-streaming of court is so important?

    • Instilling Faith in the Judiciary: Enabling the ordinary people of the country to view, without any barrier, the workings of the highest court of the land will go a long way in instilling faith in the judiciary.
    • Empowering the masses: It will enable the legal system to deliver on its promise of empowering the masses.Important step toward developing an informed citizenry.
    • Respect to Rule of Law: The decision will enable people to understand the importance of the rule of law.It will help people appreciate that the judiciary is firm in protecting the rights of the impoverished, historically marginalised and disempowered sections of society. Potential to build a culture of respect for the rule of law.
    • Living up the expectation of Constitution: Live-Streaming of Court proceedings is manifested in public interest. Public interest has always been preserved through the Constitution article 19 and 21.
    • More transparency: It will encourage the principle of open court and reduce dependence on second-hand views. It will effectuate the public’s right to know. This would inspire confidence in the functioning of the judiciary as an institution and help maintain the respect that it deserved as a co-equal organ of the state.
    • Raise the quality and standards of the legal profession: Lawyers will be better prepared to appear before the court and they will be mindful of not making irresponsible remarks. An inclusive approach to public scrutiny could nudge and enable lawyers to take the justice delivery mechanisms more seriously than they may have in the past.
    • Level playing field: It also creates a level playing ground for the younger members of the legal profession as their preparedness and intellectual prowess will be apparent to all.
    • Academic help: Watching courtroom proceedings,actual arguments by lawyers and searching questions by judges  could inspire law students to take up this relatively neglected field.Law faculty members and legal researchers will be motivated to work on new areas of scholarship and research relating to the functioning of the judiciary and legal profession.
    • Easy accessibility reducing the obstacle of distance: With live-streaming, the litigants will no longer have to come to Delhi to witness proceedings of their case which would be just a click away.
    • Strengthening Democracy: Transparency and accessibility of the process of justice delivery will strengthen the country’s democracy

    CourtWhat are the Concerns around live-streaming of court?

    • Contempt of court: Video clips of proceedings from Indian courts are already on YouTube and other social media platforms with sensational titles and little context, such as “HIGH COURT super angry on army officer”.
    • Disinformation and sensationalism: There are fears that irresponsible or motivated use of content could spread disinformation among the public.
    • Unnecessary activism: With the advent of social media, every citizen became a potential journalist. Study shows that justices behave like politicians when given free television time, they act to maximize their individual exposure
    • Internet connectivity: Internet connectivity issues and the need for a well-equipped space where lawyers can conduct their cases are some of the major problems requiring attention.
    • Awareness and training: Judges, court staff and lawyers are not well-versed with digital technology and its benefits. The need of the hour is for them to be made aware of these and receive adequate training.

    CourtWhich countries live-stream their court hearing?

    • Internationally,constitutional court proceedings are recorded in some form or the other.
    • United States: The Supreme Court of the United States streams its hearings in audio format at the end of each week.The US top court publishes hearings on its website and Oyez of all cases. Oyez is a multimedia judicial archive of the Supreme Court of the United States’ proceedings.
    • Brazil: The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil live streams hearings of all cases in video format on television.
    • UK: The UK Supreme Court live streams hearings of all cases in video format on its website.
    • Canada: The Canadian Supreme Court also live streams hearings of all its cases in video format on its website.
    • Australia: The Australian Supreme Court streams hearings of its full-court cases on its website with a delay of about a day. Meanwhile, the High Court of Australia (HCA) does not live-stream its proceedings.
    • China: In China,court proceedings are live-streamed from trial courts up to the Supreme People’s Court of China.

    Conclusion

    • The chief justices (past and present) and the judges of the Supreme Court deserve to be congratulated for enabling a path-breaking and democratic decision that allows the people of India to be able to watch the live proceedings of the Constitutional Bench.The distinguished jurist, Oliver Holmes,famously observed,“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” The judges of the Supreme Court of India have ensured that we are indeed moving in the right direction.

    Mains Question

    Q.Adoption of technology will radically change the field of law and transform the judiciary. What will be the role of courts, judges, politicians,media and citizens of the country regarding live streaming of court proceedings. Discuss

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  • [Burning issue] 5G rollout in India

    5g
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    Context

    • October 1, 2022, marks an important date in the country’s history which is when telecom companies in India start rolling out 5G for users after months of testing.
    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the commercial rollout of 5G services in India at the India Mobile Congress 2022.
    • Thus, in this edition of the Burning Issue, we will discuss the 5G technology, its rollout in India, benefits and associated concerns in detail.

    What is 5G technology?

    • 5G or the fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) of mobile broadband networks.
    • 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything including machines, objects, and devices. 
    • It’s a unified platform that is much more capable than previous mobile services with more capacity, lower latency, faster data delivery rate and better utilization of spectrum.
    • It mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum — all of which have their uses as well as limitations.

    The low, mid, and high-frequency spectrum

    • The low band spectrum has great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange but the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
    • So Telcos can use and install it for commercial cell phone users who may not have specific demands for very high-speed internet, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for the specialized needs of the industry.
    • The mid-band spectrum offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
    • This band may be used by industries and specialized factory units for building captive networks that can be molded into the needs of that particular industry.
    • The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed of all three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
    • Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G have been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (gigabits per second), while, in most cases, the maximum internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.

    Salient features of 5G technology

    • Capability: 5G will provide much faster mobile broadband service as compared to the previous versions and will provide support to previous services like mission-critical communication and the massive Internet Of Things (IoT).
    • Speed: With a peak delivery rate of up to 20 Gbps and an average of 100Mbps, it will be much faster as compared to its predecessors. The speed increment is partly achieved by using higher-frequency radio waves than in previous networks.
    • Capacity: There will be up to 100x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency.
    • Spectrum usage: This will provide better usage for every bit of spectrum, from low bands below 1 GHz to high bands.
    • Latency: It’s expected to have lower latency with better instantaneous, real-time access of the data. The 5G, like 4G LTE, also uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) but the new 5G NR (New Radio) air interface will enhance OFDM and provide better flexibility in data delivery.
    • Millimeter wave spectrum: The 5G networks will operate in the millimeter wave spectrum (30-300 GHz) which has the advantage of sending large amounts of data at very high speeds because the frequency is so high, it experiences little interference from surrounding signals.

    Global situation on 5G

    • More than governments, global telecom companies have started building 5G networks and rolling them out to their customers on a trial basis.
    • In countries like the US, some companies have taken the lead when it comes to rolling out commercial 5G for their users.
    • China and the United States are significantly ahead of other nations in their 5G rollout, with a combined 652 cities in which 5G is available.
    • A South Korean company, which had started researching 5G technology way back in 2011, has, on the other hand, taken the lead when it comes to building the hardware for 5G networks for several companies.

    The recent launch of 5G in India

    • 5G is officially available for commercial usage on October 1, 2022. Airtel and Jio are the only telecom players who have finalized a proper timeline for 5G services rollout in the country at the time of writing.
    • Airtel will initially offer 5G services in 8 cities including four metros. Jio, on the other hand, will launch its 5G services across key metropolitan cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata to begin with.
    • A government panel report points out that with 5G, the peak network data speeds are expected to be in the range of 2-20 Gigabit per second (Gbps). This can help in good governance and can lead to higher economic growth in India.
    • The Ministry of Communications notes that the cumulative impact of 5G on India’s economy is expected to reach a whopping $450 Billion by 2035 opening up new opportunities and societal benefits while cutting down on conventional barriers.
    • PM is pushing for Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance), with the success of Digital India being a priority. India is working on technologies that would enable it to launch its Indigenous 5G. This will help run its IoT platforms on indigenous technology for civilian as well as military applications.

    Standalone and Non-Standalone 5G networks

    • Jio will offer stand-alone 5G services with zero dependencies on 4G network, or “true 5G”, Jio is the only player to have purchased the premium 700 megahertz low-band spectrum which would be “essential for deep indoor coverage” in addition to the 3500 MHz mid-band and the 26 GHz millimeter-wave band meant for ultra-high capacity.
    • Jio claims that it would combine these frequencies into a single powerful “data highway” using Carrier Aggregation for more seamless connectivity that would help connect the remotest parts of the country in the days to come. 
    • Airtel, meanwhile, has downplayed the need for the 700 MHz band saying that it would lead to additional cost and more carbon emissions (because then it would have to install large “power-guzzling” radios on this band) while giving no additional coverage compared to the 900 MHz spectrum band that it has.
    • Airtel also has a contrarian view -to Jio- on using stand-alone 5G saying that non-standalone (NSA) 5G- that Airtel would be using- offers a wider coverage and can work with more devices while allowing the use of existing 4G technology at no extra cost.

    What is the 5Gi Technology network?

    • 5Gi is a locally designed telecommunication network that has been designed by IIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras and the Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology.
    • The technology developed by Indian institutions will be an alternative to the global 5G standards and has already got a thumbs up from the International Communication Unit.
    • the main problem with global 5G technology is that the range of coverage goes down with an increase in frequency. This is where 5Gi steps in, as it provides a higher range at a lower frequency.
    • 5Gi network technology is capable of working at a lower frequency than 5G by still providing a higher range. The technology works on a Low Mobility Large Cell method, which transmits a cell-based waveform which results in increased range.
    • The TSDSi or the Telecommunications Standards Development Society of India says that “Enhanced cell coverage enabled by this standard, will be of great value in countries and regions that rely heavily on mobile technologies for connectivity but cannot afford dense deployment of base stations due to lack of deep fiber penetration, poor economics and challenges of geographical terrain.”
    • If implemented in the right manner, the 5Gi technology can be fruitful in a large country like India as the large-scale implications will make the technology cost-effective. Additionally, owing to its high range, 5Gi will be able to provide better network connectivity in the rural area of the country.

    Opportunities with 5G Technology

    • High-Speed mobile network: 5G will revolutionize the mobile experience with the supercharged wireless network. Compared to conventional mobile transmission technologies, voice and high-speed data can be simultaneously transferred efficiently in 5G.
    • Entertainment and multimedia: 5G can provide 120 frames per second, high resolution and higher dynamic range video streaming without interruption. The audio-visual experience will be rewritten after the implementation of the latest technologies powered by 5G wireless. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality services will be better experienced over 5G.
    • Internet of Things:  IoT applications collect a huge amount of data from millions of devices and sensors and thus require an efficient network for data collection, processing, transmission, control and real-time analytics which 5G network is a better candidate.
    • Smart cities: Smart city applications like traffic management, Instant weather update, local area broadcasting, energy management, smart power grid, smart lighting of the street, water resource management, crowd management, emergency response etc can use a reliable 5G wireless network for its functioning.
    • Smart farming: 5G technology will be used for agriculture and smart farming in the future. Using smart RFID sensors and GPS technology, farmers can track the location of livestock and manage them easily. Smart sensors can be used for irrigation control, access control and energy management.
    • Mission critical applications: Like telemedicine services, remote control of critical infrastructure and vehicles. It has the potential to transform industries with highly reliable, low latency links.
    • Better Governance: Better speed and connectivity would reduce red tapism. It will enhance the speedy completion of projects and better implementation of policies. It will enable accountability in the system through a better monitoring system and will reduce corruption.
    • Employment generation: 5G wireless technology will open greater opportunities for new device manufacturers and application developers. New VoIP devices and smart devices will be introduced in the market and thus more job opportunities as well. This will help in inclusive growth reaping the demographic dividend.
    • Enhanced Security: 5G wireless technology is one the best solution for security surveillance due to its higher bandwidth and unlicensed spectrum. It will enhance better coordination among various agencies. Smart appliances which can be configured and accessed from remote locations, closed circuit cameras will provide high-quality real-time video for security purposes.
    • Logistics and Shipping: Logistic and shipping industry can make use of smart 5G technology for goods tracking, fleet management, centralized database management, staff scheduling and real-time delivery tracking and reporting.
    • Industrial Growth: Future industries will depend on smart wireless technologies like 5G and LTE advanced for efficient automation of equipment, maintenance, safety, tracking, smart packing, shipping, logistics and energy management.
    • Agricultural applications: 5g technology can be used for agriculture and smart farming in the future. Using smart RFID sensors and GPS technology, farmers can track the location of livestock and manage them easily. Smart sensors can be used for irrigation control, access control and energy management.
    • Healthcare and mission-critical applications: 5G technology will support medical practitioners to perform advanced medical procedures with a reliable wireless network connected to another side of the globe. Doctors can connect with patients from anywhere anytime and advise them when necessary. Scientists are working on smart medical devices which can perform remote surgery. Smart medical devices like wearables will continuously monitor a patient’s condition and activate alerts during an emergency.

    Challenges with 5G in India

    • Enabling critical infrastructures: 5G will require a fundamental change to the core architecture of the communication system. The major flaw of data transfer using 5G is that it can’t carry data over longer distances. Hence, even 5G technology needs to be augmented to enable infrastructure.
    • Financial liability on consumers: For a transition from 4G to 5G technology, one has to upgrade to the latest cellular technology, thereby creating financial liability for consumers.
    • Capital Inadequacy: Lack of flow of cash and adequate capital with suitable telecom companies (like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea) is delaying the 5G spectrum allocation.
    • Frequency allocation: Indian operators have far less spectrum in comparison to international operators. The high investment cost makes telecom companies unsure about Return on Investment.
    • Pricing: The 5G spectrum is overpriced by at least 30% to 40% compared to international standards and auctions in other markets such as South Korea and the U.S. In previous auctions, the government saw no takers for the 700 MHz spectrum, which is used to offer high-speed 4G services and was put on sale for the first time, mainly due to the high reserve price.
    • Network investment: In India, the telecom sector is facing capital augmentation issues that need to be resolved. Non-availability of funds for investment: Many Indian operators are also weighed down by debt.
    • Regulatory restrictions: Faster rounds of new technology introduction when prior technology investments have not been recouped add further complexity.
    • Technical Challenges: Designing IT architecture that can be deployed globally, while still allowing for localized technology to cater to different regions is a challenge. Though Reliance Inc. has some plans to roll out 5G.

    Geopolitics related to 5g technology

    • Nearly a decade ago a report by the US House Intelligence Committee flagged issues posed by Chinese telecom companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE. The US Federal Communications Commission has designated these two companies as national security threats.
    • Soon after, the US, Britain and Australia announced a ban on equipment from Huawei in their country’s high-speed wireless networks.
    • India along with Canada and some other countries is reviewing security implications and has yet to decide on allowing Huawei to provide equipment for them.
    • Most observers see this as a ‘technological cold war’ that could extend beyond just the US and China, and compel other countries, including India, to effectively choose between one camp and the other. This could be an another challenge for India in future.

    Way forward

    • We should focus on strengthening our cyber infrastructure and also cyber security as the telecom networks advance to prevent cyber security breaches.
    • 5G start-ups that enable this design and manufacturing capabilities should be promoted. This will spur leaps in the coverage, capacity, affordability and density of wireless networks.
    • Funds should be allocated and local technology and telecom firms should be incentivized to develop their internal capacities which would in turn help 5G technology succeed in the country.
    • Push for “Make in India” manufacturing for 5G equipment and handsets.
    • Scientists and Industries should work together to bring 5G technology quicker to the entire nation rather than getting entangled in policy processes & bureaucratic rifts.
    • Telecom companies should augment their infrastructure and capabilities to provide a true 5G experience to customers as still many parts of the country lack even a 4G network.
    • The financial condition of telecom companies should be improved to maintain competition in the Indian telecom market and thus attract new companies or FDI in the sector.

    Conclusion

    • By acting early on adoption, India can accelerate the 5G dividends and also become an innovator in applications and this technology.
    • Supreme data download rates, three times greater spectrum efficiency, and super low latency will empower India to experience cases like seamless video calls, instant downloads and uploads and seamless gaming on the cloud thus the beginning of a new era for India’s technology landscape.

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