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  • What is Collegium System?

    What is Collegium System?

    • The Collegium of judges is the Indian Supreme Court’s invention.
    • It does not figure in the Constitution, which says judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed by the President and speaks of a process of consultation.
    • In effect, it is a system under which judges are appointed by an institution comprising judges.
    • After some judges were superseded in the appointment of the CJI in the 1970s, and attempts made subsequently to effect a mass transfer of High Court judges across the country.
    • Hence there was a perception that the independence of the judiciary was under threat. This resulted in a series of cases over the years.

    Evolution: The Judges Cases

    • First Judges Case (1981) ruled that the “consultation” with the CJI in the matter of appointments must be full and effective.
    • However, it rejected the idea that the CJI’s opinion, albeit carrying great weight, should have primacy.
    • Second Judges Case (1993) introduced the Collegium system, holding that “consultation” really meant “concurrence”.
    • It added that it was not the CJI’s individual opinion, but an institutional opinion formed in consultation with the two senior-most judges in the Supreme Court.
    • Third Judges Case (1998): On a Presidential Reference for its opinion, the Supreme Court, in the Third Judges Case (1998) expanded the Collegium to a five-member body, comprising the CJI and four of his senior-most colleagues.

    The procedure followed by the Collegium

    Appointment of CJI

    • The President of India appoints the CJI and the other SC judges.
    • As far as the CJI is concerned, the outgoing CJI recommends his successor.
    • In practice, it has been strictly by seniority ever since the supersession controversy of the 1970s.
    • The Union Law Minister forwards the recommendation to the PM who, in turn, advises the President.

    Other SC Judges

    • For other judges of the top court, the proposal is initiated by the CJI.
    • The CJI consults the rest of the Collegium members, as well as the senior-most judge of the court hailing from the High Court to which the recommended person belongs.
    • The consultees must record their opinions in writing and it should form part of the file.
    • The Collegium sends the recommendation to the Law Minister, who forwards it to the Prime Minister to advise the President.

    For High Courts

    • The CJs of High Courts are appointed as per the policy of having Chief Justices from outside the respective States. The Collegium takes the call on the elevation.
    • High Court judges are recommended by a Collegium comprising the CJI and two senior-most judges.
    • The proposal, however, is initiated by the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned in consultation with two senior-most colleagues.
    • The recommendation is sent to the Chief Minister, who advises the Governor to send the proposal to the Union Law Minister.

    Does the Collegium recommend transfers too?

    • Yes, the Collegium also recommends the transfer of Chief Justices and other judges.
    • Article 222 of the Constitution provides for the transfer of a judge from one High Court to another.
    • When a CJ is transferred, a replacement must also be simultaneously found for the High Court concerned. There can be an acting CJ in a High Court for not more than a month.
    • In matters of transfers, the opinion of the CJI “is determinative”, and the consent of the judge concerned is not required.
    • However, the CJI should take into account the views of the CJ of the High Court concerned and the views of one or more SC judges who are in a position to do so.
    • All transfers must be made in the public interest, that is, “for the betterment of the administration of justice”.

    Loopholes in the Collegium system

    • Lack of Transparency: Opaqueness and a lack of transparency, and the scope for nepotism are cited often.
    • Judges appointing Judge: The attempt made to replace it with a ‘National Judicial Appointments Commission’ was struck down by the court in 2015 on the ground that it posed a threat to the independence of the judiciary.
    • Criteria: Some do not believe in full disclosure of reasons for transfers, as it may make lawyers in the destination court chary of the transferred judge.

    Way ahead

    • In respect of appointments, there has been an acknowledgment that the “zone of consideration” must be expanded to avoid criticism that many appointees hail from families of retired judges.
    • The status of a proposed new memorandum of procedure, to infuse greater accountability, is also unclear.
    • Even the majority of opinions admitted the need for transparency, now Collegiums’ resolutions are now posted online, but reasons are not given.

     

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  • India’s Crude Oil Imports from OPEC

    OPEC’s share of India’s oil imports for the FY22 financial year remained almost steady year-on-year, arresting sharp declines over the past six years, as refiners prefer crude from West Asia to counter rising global prices.

    India’s crude oil imports from OPEC

    • OPEC oil accounted for about 88% of India’s crude imports in FY08.
    • Its share of India’s overall imports could decline because refiners in Asia’s third-largest economy are buying cheaper Russian oil.
    • However, Russian oil continued to account for less than 1% of India’s crude imports in FY22.

    What is OPEC?

    • OPEC stands for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
    • It is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
    • It aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil in the world market, in order to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries.
    • It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
    • OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.
    • Today OPEC is a cartel that includes 14 nations, predominantly from the middle east whose sole responsibility is to control prices and moderate supply.

    What is OPEC+?

    • The non-OPEC countries which export crude oil along with the 14 OPECs are termed as OPEC plus countries.
    • OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.
    • Saudi and Russia, both have been at the heart of a three-year alliance of oil producers known as OPEC Plus — which now includes 11 OPEC members and 10 non-OPEC nations — that aims to shore up oil prices with production cuts.

    Why OPEC plus came into existence?

    • When Russia concluded the Vienna Agreement in 2016, the Russian leadership believed that it would help prepare the country for the Russian presidential elections in March 2018.
    • Higher oil prices ensured the Kremlin’s financial capacity to lead a successful electoral campaign.
    • This changed the regime’s priorities – from satisfying the needs of the general population to ensuring the sustainability of the Kremlin’s alliance with powerful tycoons, including that controlling oil production.
    • For Saudi Arabia, turning what had been an ad hoc coalition into a formal group provides a hedge (protection) against future oil-market turbulence.
    • For Russia, the formalization of the group helps expand Putin’s influence in the Middle East
    • However, both reportedly aimed at causing a drop in oil prices in order to hit US shale producers, who have continued to benefit from OPEC production cuts by expanding their market share.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.The term ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes found in news, refers to a grade of

    (a) Crude oil

    (b) Bullion

    (c) Rare earth elements

    (d) Uranium

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Places in news: East Timor

    Asia’s youngest nation, East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, holds the second and final round of its presidential election.

    About East Timor

    • The territory was colonized by Portugal in the 18th century and remained under is control until 1975.
    • When the Portuguese withdrew, troops from Indonesia invaded and annexed East Timor as its 27th province.
    • A long and bloody struggle for independence ensued, during which at least 100,000 people died.
    • The East Timorese voted for independence in a 1999 U.N.-supervised referendum, but that unleashed even more violence until peace-keeping forces were allowed to enter.
    • The country was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2002.
    • East Timor has applied to be a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It currently holds observer status.

    Its geography

    • East Timor comprises the eastern half of Timor Island, the western half of which is part of Indonesia.
    • It spans a 15,000 square km (5,792 square mile) land area – slightly smaller than Israel – and it’s 1.3 million people are predominantly Roman Catholic.

    Politics and economy

    • In nearly 20 years since independence, East Timor’s presidential and parliamentary elections have been dominated by many of the same faces.
    • Its revolutionary have run for and held various positions of power and continue to feature prominently in the running of the country.
    • East Timor depends on revenues from its offshore oil and gas reserves which account for 90% of its gross domestic product.
    • Its main revenue stream, the Bayu Undan gas field, is set to dry up by 2023 and the country is now planning to collaborate with companies like Australia’s Santos to turn it into carbon capture facilities.

     

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  • [Sansad TV] Diplomatic Dispatch: New Govt in Pakistan

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    Context

    • Pakistan has witnessed dramatic political developments where yet another elected govt has been unable to complete its full term.
    • It now has a new ‘Wazir-e-Azam’. His name is Shehbaz Sharif. A member of the wealthy Sharif dynasty. A man famous for his impassionate speeches.
    • It does not matter who rules Pakistan, the country is never going to change (any way that’s the prevailing argument.)

    However, in this article, we will study what this latest change in Pakistan mean for Pakistan, for India, and the rest of the world.

    Pakistan conundrum: A quick recap

    (1) Attempt for a constitutional coup

    • In a high stage political drama, Imran Khan was ousted as the PM after a political and constitutional crisis emerged in Pakistan.
    • Pakistani National Assembly Speaker dismissed a no-confidence motion against PM during a session in which it was expected to be taken up for a vote, alleging foreign country’s involvement.
    • The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) took a suo moto notice of the ongoing situation, creating a constitutional crisis, as effectively, Imran Khan led a constitutional coup.

    (2) Questions over Pak Army’s role

    • Meanwhile, Imran Khan had ordered termination of its Army Chief who was his staunch supporter turned opponent.
    • He has broken that consensus within Pakistan’s political class on deference to the Pakistan army and has demonised his political opponents.
    • Shortly after midnight on 10 April, a majority of members voted and passed the no-confidence motion, removing Khan from office, and making him the first prime minister in Pakistan to be removed from office through a no-confidence motion.

    Geopolitical impacts of Pakistan Crisis

    The nation of more than 220 million people lies between Afghanistan to the west, China to the northeast and India to the east, making it of vital strategic importance.

    • Defiance from the US: Since coming to power in 2018, Khan’s rhetoric has become more anti-American.
    • Support for Russian invasion of Ukraine: He expressed a desire to move closer to China and, recently, Russia – including talks with President Putin on the day the invasion of Ukraine began.

    Here is what the upheaval, which comes as the economy is in deep trouble, means for countries closely involved in Pakistan:

    [A] INDIA

    • Terrorism: Any regime change in Islamabad has always been monitored closely by New Delhi for potential changes in the border scenario, and militancy.
    • Ongoing Ceasefire: As with Afghanistan, it is Pakistan’s military that controls policy in the sensitive area, and tensions along the de facto border there are at their lowest level since 2021, thanks to a ceasefire.
    • Absence of formal dialogue: There have been no formal diplomatic talks between the rivals for years because of deep distrust over a range of issues, including Khan’s extreme criticism of Indian PM.
    • Push of geo-economics: The Pakistani military has put pressure on the new government in Islamabad to build successful ties for geo-economics and bilateral trade.
    • Change in Kashmir rhetoric: The powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said recently that his country was ready to move forward on Kashmir if India agrees.

    [B] AFGHANISTAN

    • Ongoing crisis: Now that the Taliban are back in power in Afghanistan, and facing an economic and humanitarian crisis due to a lack of money and international isolation.
    • Row over Durand Line: Tensions have risen between the Taliban and Pakistan’s military, which has lost several soldiers in attacks close to their mutual border.
    • Putting curb on terror activities: Pakistan wants the Taliban to do more to crack down on extremist groups and worries they will spread violence into Pakistan by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction.

    [C] CHINA

    • “All weather” friends: Khan consistently emphasised China’s positive role in Pakistan and in the world at large.
    • Continuance of CPEC: The $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which binds them together was actually conceptualised and launched under Pakistan’s two established political parties, both of which are set to share power in the new government.

    [D] UNITED STATES

    • No priority for US: Pakistan’s political crisis is unlikely to be a priority for President Joe Biden, who is grappling with the war in Ukraine, unless it led to mass unrest or rising tensions with India.
    • Pak retreat on alleged US involvement: With the Pakistani military maintaining its behind-the-scenes control of foreign and security policies, the change of government was not a major concern.
    • Damage control over Russian ties: Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow had been a “disaster” in terms of U.S. relations, and that a new government in Islamabad could at least help mend ties “to some degree”.

    Pakistan- the way it is: A Rogue State

    • Obsession for Kashmir: Ever since Pakistan came into being, its biggest obsession has been India and Kashmir. Even after losing 3 crucial wars, the saga has never ended.
    • Obsession with India: The deploring economic condition, ever-increasing scarcity of water, dishevelled education system and growing radicalisation take a back seat in the breadth of bleeding India by a thousand cuts.
    • Perceived ‘conspiracy’ in all walks of polity: The only thing that helps the army/govt to stay in power is by vilifying India (/ US/ Semitism) and delineating India as the biggest threat to their survival.
    • Lack of credible civilian leadership: Pakistan’s founders expected the idea of Pakistan to shape the state of Pakistan; instead, a military bureaucracy governs the state and imposes its own vision of a Pakistani nation. 
    • Army is the Deep-State: This shortcoming gave the army a chance to intervene and take over the functioning of the civilian government.  Ever since its inception, the army has played a decisive role in the internal governance and foreign policy.
    • Demographic bottlenecks: At the time of partition, Pakistan received a large share of military personnel as compared to the share of civilian migrants from India.
    • De-indigenization of own history:  Pakistan has always tried to de-indigenise its history, culture. It has always tried to attach its cultural habits with the Arabs and the invader Turks.
    • Crusade for Islam: Pakistan often stunts to be the khalifa of the Islamic world. It has propagated the rhetoric of Islamophobia despite being a Islamic republic.
    • Terrorism as a diplomatic tool: Pakistan is idiosyncratic to the common notion of diplomacy. Pakistan is the only state in the world which sponsors terrorism as a state policy be it in India or Afghanistan

    Dilemma for India

    • Leadership vacuum in Pakistan: Indian policymakers have not been able to engage in a formal diplomatic talk due to the leadership vacuum and deep distrust.
    • No talks amid Terrorism: India has tried both the diplomatic and the military ways to find a solution to the problem.  But nothing has worked out so far that could deter Pakistan from sponsoring terrorism.
    • Offensive defence: Even after 26/11, India’s responses were mostly limited to diplomatic and covert operations. Indian responses pre-surgical-strike were mostly dictated by the nuclear hangover.
    • Short-lived military deterrence: Surgical strike and Balakot strike manifested change in India’s attitude to take punitive and decisive action. But the deterrence which was expected to have been created have been short-lived.
    • Atomic hangover of Pakistan: It often reiterates the stance of being a potential atomic superpower, whenever reference to the ties with India are invoked.

    Imperatives for India

    From India’s point of view, two positive developments have taken place in the course of this turmoil:

    • Praise for India: First, Imran Khan, the outgoing prime minister who has alleged a US-led foreign conspiracy to oust his government, has heaped fulsome praise on India for its independent foreign policy.
    • Army wants ties with India: Pakistan’s powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has yet again reached out to India with a message of peace, which the Modi government must not reject. He regards religious extremism, not India, to be a greater threat to Pakistan’s national security.

    What could be the reasons compelling Pakistan’s military to seek peace with India?

    Ans.

    (1) Looming Economic Crisis

    • Pakistan is going through an acute economic crisis, which has made its military leaders to do some introspection.
    • Today, Pakistan stands at the crossroads of its economic and strategic goals. It has north-south connectivity (Pakistan to Afghanistan to Central Asia and Russia).
    • It now wants to capitalize the build connectivity from east to west (India to Iran) that will increase trade and benefit Pakistan and the region.  

    (2) Own jihadists hitting back

    • Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is the largest militant organization fighting against the state in Pakistan.
    • It was once bred by Pak Army and ISI to wage Jihad against India in Kashmir Valley.
    • According to the UN, the TTP also boasts several thousand fighters in Afghanistan, with strongholds on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

    (3) Crisis in Balochistan

    (4) Stalled progress of China Pakistan Economic Corridor

    Way forward

    • Capitalizing on-going conundrum: India cannot let these tactical advantages go in vain. It will have to capitalise on them.
    • Resumption of dialogue: The visionary Pak army chief will retire this year. Hence, there is a small window of opportunity in which India and Pakistan can resume dialogue and achieve a meaningful breakthrough.
    • Alert policy imperatives: India should respond careful to the peace message from our western neighbour — coming from none other than its army chief.
    • All-factor considerations: India needs to prepare a grand strategy to decipher this Pakistan conundrum which should take into consideration all the facets of the problem.
    • Balancing China: Another important aspect of this grand strategy, which would need greater accentuation, is the bonhomie between China and Pakistan.

  • Cryptos and a CBDC are not the same thing

    Context

    Cryptocurrency will be discouraged via taxation and capital gains provisions. This was the message from the Finance Minister during the Budget discussion in Parliament.

    Growing worry about the cryptocurrencies

    • The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in February, highlighted two things.
    • First, “private cryptocurrencies are a big threat to our financial and macroeconomic stability”.
    • Second, “these cryptocurrencies have no underlying (asset).
    • Clearly, statements from the RBI indicate a growing worry since the proliferation of cryptos threatens the RBI’s place in the economy’s financial system.
    • This threat emerges from the decentralised character of cryptos based on blockchain technology which central banks cannot regulate and which enables enterprising private entities to float cryptos which can function as assets and money.
    • The total valuation of cryptos recently was upward of $2 trillion — more than the value of gold held globally.
    • Challenges in banning it: Cryptos which operate via the net can be banned only if all nations come together.
    • Even then, tax havens may allow cryptos to function, defying the global agreement.

    Crypto as currency

    • A currency is a token used in market transactions. 
    • Historically, commodities (such as copper coins) have been used as tokens since they themselves are valuable.
    • But paper currency is useless till the government declares it to be a fiat currency.
    • Paper currency derives its value from state backing.
    • Cryptos are a string of numbers in a computer programme. And, there is no state backing. 
    • Their acceptability to the well-off enables them to act as money.
    • So, cryptos acquire value and can be transacted via the net.
    • This enables them to function as money.
    • Solving the problem of double spending:  Fiat currency has the property that once spent, it cannot be spent again except through forgery, because it is no more with the spender.
    • But, software on a computer can be used repeatedly.
    • Blockchain and encryption have solved the problem by devising protocols such as ‘proof of work’ and ‘proof of stake’. 

    Why CBDC is not a solution

    • A Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will not solve the RBI’s problem since it can only be a fiat currency and not a crypto.
    • Blockchain enables decentralisation.But, central banks would not want that.
    • Further, central bank would want a fiat currency to be exclusively issued and controlled by them.
    • But, theoretically everyone can ‘mine’ and create crypto.
    • So, for the CBDC to be in central control, solving the ‘double spending’ problem and being a crypto (not just a digital version of currency) seems impossible.
    • Validating transaction: A centralised CBDC will require the RBI to validate each transaction — something it does not do presently.
    • Once a currency note is issued, the RBI does not keep track of its use in transactions.
    • Keeping track will be horrendously complex which could make a crypto such as the CBDC unusable unless new secure protocols are designed.

    Conclusion

    CBDCs at present cannot be a substitute for cryptos that will soon begin to be used as money. This will impact the functioning of central banks and commercial banks.

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  • India’s role in a disordered world

    Context

    Western nations want to throw Russia out of the G-20. China has opposed them. India will be chair of the G-20 from December 1, 2022. The world is greatly disordered. What should India stand for?

    Challenges to the global order

    • The war in Ukraine in February 2022 has put the final nail in the coffin of the boundary-less global economy that seemed to be emerging with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
    • Vaccines were hoarded by rich countries in the COVID-19 pandemic: poor countries starved.
    • The World Trade Organization (WTO) was already in a bad state before the novel coronavirus pandemic, with rich and poor countries unable to agree on equitable rules, when COVID-19 froze global supply chains.
    • Institutions of global governance have failed to unite the world.

    Global order and governance challenge

    • In the aftermath of the Second World war, new institutions for global governance were established — the United Nations and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide finance to build the economies of all countries to eliminate poverty.
    • However, the victors retained their veto power within the United Nations Security Council to determine when force can be used to keep the world in order, and to prevent the proliferation of nuclear power.
    • The UN General Assembly meets every year — now 193 nations strong.
    • It passes many resolutions to address global problems — hunger, poverty, women’s rights, terrorism, climate change, etc.
    • However, “might is right”: members of the Security Council retain their right to deny the democratic will of the Assembly when it does not suit them.
    • Global governance is not democratic.

    G-7 and G-20

    • The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, West Germany and Canada formed the G7 in 1976. ‘so that the noncommunist powers could come together to discuss economic concerns, which at the time included inflation and recession following the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo’.
    • The European Union was invited to attend in 1977.
    • Russia joined in 1998 — and ‘its inclusion was meant as a signal of cooperation between East and West after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991’.
    • However, Russia was removed from G-8 in 2014 when it invaded the Crimea. China was never a member.
    • After the Asian financial crisis, the G20 was formed in 1999 with the aim of discussing policies in order to achieve international financial stability.
    • Russia and China are members.
    • Now western nations want to throw Russia out of the G-20. China has opposed them.
    • India will be chair of the G-20 from December 2022.
    • Meanwhile, India is being hectored by officials from the U.S. and the U.K. to support their sanctions on Russia.
    • India has so far refused to be cowed down.

    Backlash against globalisation

    • The belief that unfettered flows of finance and trade across national borders will lift people in all poor countries out of poverty and make the world flatter in terms of inequality has failed.
    •  Strong leaders who put the interests of their own countries first are gaining power through elections — in Turkey, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and even India.
    • Free market capitalism is not ideologically compatible with a genuine democracy.
    • Capitalist institutions are governed by the fundamental principle of ‘property rights’.
    • Whereas, genuine democracies are founded on the principle of equal human rights.
    • The rules of governance of capitalist and democratic institutions have always been in tension within societies.
    • Capitalist institutions want to be unfettered by democratic regulations to make it easier to do business.
    • Democratic institutions want to rein in the competitive animal spirits of capitalism to create a more compassionate capitalism.

    Conclusion

    To prevent violence, it is essential that global governance becomes genuinely democratic. Countries must not attack each other. But they must be given the freedom to evolve their own democracies and economies and not be dictated to by others.

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  • Upholding the right to repair

    Context

    Apple recently announced that consumers will have the right to purchase spare components of their products, following an order of the Federal Trade Commission of the United States, which directs manufacturers to remedy unfair anti-competitive practice and asks them to make sure that consumers can make repairs, either themselves or by a third-party agency. The momentum is, however, not so strong in India.

    Challenges in repairing of electronic goods

    • Repairing is becoming unreasonably expensive or pretty much impossible because of technology becoming obsolete.
    • Incompatibility: Companies avoid the publication of manuals that can help users make repairs easily.
    • No repair manual: The absence of repair manuals means that manufacturers hold near-monopoly over repair workshops that charge consumers exorbitant prices.
    • Incompatibility: Manufacturers have proprietary control over spare parts and most firms refuse to make their products compatible with those of other firms.
    • Planned obsolescence results in products breaking down too soon and buying a replacement is often cheaper and easier than repairing them.
    • Big companies often deploy mechanisms that practically forbid other enterprises to repair their products.
    • Digital warranty cards, for instance, ensure that by getting a product from a “non-recognised” outfit, a customer loses the right to claim a warranty.

    Right to repair

    • The rationale behind the “right to repair” is that the individual who purchases a product must own it completely.
    • This implies that apart from being able to use the product, consumers must be able to repair and modify the product the way they want to.
    • Monopoly on repair processes infringes the customer’s’ “right to choose” recognised by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. 
    •  In Shamsher Kataria v Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (2017), for instance, the Competition Commission of India ruled that restricting the access of independent automobile repair units to spare parts by way of an end-user license agreement was anti-competitive.

    International practices

    • Many countries have taken initiatives, adopted policies and even tried to enact legislation that recognise the “right to repair” to reduce electronic waste.
    • Some jurisdictions offer limited scope for exercising the right to repair.
    • For instance, under the Australian Consumer Law consumers have a right to request that certain goods be repaired if they break too easily or do not work properly.
    • The Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, 2012 requires automobile manufacturers to provide spare parts and diagnostics to buyers and even independent third-party mechanics.
    • The UK also introduced the path-breaking “right to repair” in 2021 that makes it legally binding on manufacturers to provide spare parts.

    Way forward

    • Well-drafted legislation will not only uphold the right to repair but may aid in striking a much-needed balance between intellectual property and competitive laws in the country.

    Conclusion

    If people want to fix things in a timely, safe and cost-effective way, whether by doing it themselves or taking it
    to a service centre of their choice, providing access to spare parts and information is imperative.

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  • 2-3 Years in hand: A proven game changer for undergraduate UPSC aspirants

    2-3 Years in hand: A proven game changer for undergraduate UPSC aspirants

    start your preparation with the right approach – register here and talk to our mentors

    There isn’t a more opportune time to invest your rapt attention in UPSC preparation if you have a couple of years in hand. Preparing for the UPSC exam is not a whimsical fancy. Many toppers even started their UPSC preparation in their penultimate year in school. Because winners start early.

    It will be a game changer if any undergraduate, with only 2 to 3 years in hand, inculcates the brainchild formulas of toppers’ mentors to crack UPSC.

    When time is short and way is long, every step must be more on-target.

    So, why tax your brain! Let’s know those formulas right away.

    Syllabus & PYQs

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    When the destination is IAS or IPS, UPSC syllabus and previous year question papers go hand in hand. So, don’t wander off, you may lose the track. 

    • Bring the syllabus on your finger tip. Because you have to complete the syllabus and not books.
    • Hook at least 5 years previous years MCQs (Prelims + Mains + Optional)

    According to mentor heads, there are 2 types of syllabus pattern

    • Raw static syllabus
    • Dynamic syllabus

    In the incipient stage, finish static syllabus at least once. Because static parts boost aspirants’ confidence, besides, it’s the very foundation of grip on current affairs. To finish the static parts, an aspirant may need around 6 months and not more than that.

    Now, start investing time in the dynamic syllabus.

    • Take PYQs, revise chapters accordingly
    • Learn Current affairs and tangle with static questions.

    It’s worth remembering that balancing study is the key to excellence for either the MCQs or writing for mains.

    Another key point to be noted here is ‘Evaluation of preparation’. It’s also an indirect and inseparable part of your UPSC syllabus.

    Civilsdaily’s centralized mentorship is recommended here. 

    https://youtu.be/DSwO38weHAA

    Time Management

    Minimum 2 years and maximum 3 years will run short unless and until you become sincere about time management. 

    Have you heard the traditional proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? 

    Similarly, keep in mind ‘A chapter a day unblocks UPSC doorway’.

    Learn from mentors and act on how to divide time for newspaper reading, answer writing, practicing MCQs, etc. each and everyday.

    Running free webinars, mentorship programs in community managed platforms of Civilsdaily, will help you immensely to learn how to utilize maximum time.

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    start your preparation with the right approach – register here and talk to our mentors

    Resources

    The less the resource, the more your efficiency. Buying multiple books is an obsolete and abandoned path to UPSC preparation.

    Don’t forget you have fresh and solid 2-3 years in hand.

    • Get 2 to 3 sets of essential books for every static subject.
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    SELF STUDYMENTOR’S GUIDE
    Self-study, though isn’t an empty vessel always, is very time and energy consuming.
    Following self-study, almost 75% of aspirants look for a needle in a haystack.    		Mentors’ guide means saving time and energy not to get baffled.
    Most of the time, the daily target dies.Daily target lives because of guidance. 
    Self study lacks self assessment.Assessment of leaders

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  • India-UK relations: A new shine to old ties

    Context

    As Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts British premier Boris Johnson this week in India, the moment is ripe to turn the expansive new possibilities — in trade, investment, high technology, defence, and regional cooperation— into concrete outcomes.

    Background of the India-UK ties and  paradoxes

    • Legacies of colonialism: The bitter legacies of colonialism had made it impossible for the two sides to pursue a sensible relationship in the past.
    • India’s post-colonial engagement with Britain has been riddled with multiple paradoxes.
    • 1] India’s post-post colonial resentment and UK’s claim for special role: Delhi’s lingering post-colonial resentments and London’s unacceptable claim for a special role in the Subcontinent generated unending friction.
    • The consequences of Partition and the Cold War made it harder for Delhi and London to construct a sustainable partnership.
    • The important role played by the US: It was the US that first recognised India’s rapidly-growing relative weight in the international system.
    • At the turn of the millennium, Washington unveiled a policy of assisting India’s rise.
    • This was based on a bipartisan American consensus that a stronger India will serve US interests in Asia and the world.
    • Over the last two decades, it has led to a quick transformation of US relations with India.
    • 2] Washington is setting the pace for Delhi’s relationship with London:  At the dawn of Independence, India saw London as the natural interlocutor with an unfamiliar Washington.
    • Today it is Washington that is setting the pace for Delhi’s relationship with London.
    •  3] China’s role in shaping India’s relations with the West: For Washington, the strategic commitment to assist India’s rise was rooted in the recognition of the dangers of a China-dominated Asia.
    • London in the last two decades was moving in the other direction — a full embrace of Beijing.
    • Once the American deep state decided to confront Chinese power in the late 2010s, London had to extricate itself from the Chinese Communist Party’s powerful spell.
    • As the US unveiled a new Asian strategy, Britain followed with its own “Indo-Pacific tilt” that helped secure the region against China’s muscular policies.
    • 4] Historic tilt towards Pakistan: Unlike the US and France, which are committed to an “India first” strategy in South Asia, Britain remains torn between its new enthusiasm for India and the inertia of its historic tilt towards Pakistan.
    • But India is confident that Pakistan’s relative decline in the region is bound to make it a less weighty factor in India’s bilateral relations with Britain.
    • The question of Pakistan brings us to the fourth paradox—the domestic dynamics of Britain that have tended to sour ties with India.
    • Delhi has figured out that the interconnected politics of India and Britain — shaped by the large South Asian diaspora of nearly four million — can be cut both ways.
    • 5] Making best of historic ties:  If the Tories are romantic about the Raj, nationalists in India bristle at the British imperial connection.
    • Yet, together they are constructing a new relationship between India and Britain.

    Better outlook for bilateral ties

    • As the two sides make a determined effort to transcend the paradoxes, the regional and international circumstances provide a new basis for mutually beneficial engagement.
    • Over the last couple of years, Delhi and London have begun a promising and pragmatic engagement devoid of sentiment and resentment.
    • Having walked out of Europe, Britain needs all the partners it can find and a rising India is naturally among the top political and economic priorities.
    • Delhi meanwhile has become supremely self-assured in dealing with London.
    • With the Indian economy set to become larger than Britain’s in the next couple of years, Delhi is no longer defensive about engaging Britain.
    • Even more important, Delhi recognises the value of a deep strategic partnership with London.

    Conclusion

    The UK has a significant international military presence and wide-ranging political influence. Realists in Delhi are trying to leverage these British strengths for India’s strategic benefit.

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  • 19th April 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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