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  • India must rethink ‘wait and watch’ Afghan policy

    Context

    After the collapse of the government in Kabul, India has adopted a wait and watch approach in its dealing with the Taliban.

    Taliban’s position in Afghanistan

    • The Taliban grip over Afghanistan will only strengthen unless there is a popular revolt against it in the cities.
    • The Panjshiri defiance is unlikely to go anywhere without considerable and abiding support from the US and a firm commitment from Tajikistan.
    • After a talk between leaders of the extinguished Afghan Republic and the Taliban on central government formation, there has been no news of the process for more than a week.
    • There is continuous pressure on Taliban leaders and Pakistan from the Western donor community for the formation of a government acceptable to it.
    • Some Taliban leaders would want financial flows to continue to prevent a collapse of the Afghan economy.

    The approach of the international community toward the Taliban

    • Assurances would be sought from the Taliban not only by the West but also by Russia and China that there will be no attempt to put in place the 1990s practices of the Islamic Emirate on gender issues and the more medieval manifestations of the Sharia.
    • Commitment to anti-terrorism: US will keep close scrutiny on the Taliban to honor its commitment to al Qaeda and will demand that it continues to cooperate on ISIS-K extermination, an objective shared by Russia.
    • Diplomatic recognition of a Taliban government, including allowing it to occupy the United Nations seat in the forthcoming future will depend on its acceptability.
    • However, the US and EU will not be reluctant to maintain open and direct contact with a Taliban government.

    Issues with India’s wait and watch policy

    • India continues to “wait and watch” Afghan developments.
    • What is being overlooked is that “strategic patience” cannot be an alibi for inaction.
    • The invocation of the British Raj policy of “masterly inactivity” by some scholars defies logic for it applied in a completely different context.
    • Recognition v. legitimacy: Besides, while diplomatic recognition or its denial is a specific act of a country in inter-state relations, “legitimacy” is more applicable in the internal jurisdiction of countries.
    • India “waited and watched” Afghan developments from the sidelines, at least since the US-Taliban deal.
    • How long will India continue to “wait and watch”?

    Way forward

    • Establish open contact: To explore the Taliban’s approaches towards India there is an obvious need to establish open and direct contacts with it.
    • That will also allow India to convey its red lines.
    • This should not be confused with diplomatic recognition.
    • Welcome Afghans: The establishment of open contacts with the Taliban will not be contradictory to actively welcome those Afghans, irrespective of their faith, who are closely connected with India.

    Consider the question “What are the implications of the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan for India? What should be India’s approach in dealing with the Taliban controlled Afghanistan?”

    Conclusion

    It would damage India’s reputation greatly and into the future, if perceptions grow, as they are growing, that India has abandoned its friends in Afghanistan at the time of their need.

  • UPSC Interviews: Program that helped Raunak achieve Rank 13 | 3 Levels for a Sureshot 200+ | Super Exclusive | Link Inside

    UPSC Interviews: Program that helped Raunak achieve Rank 13 | 3 Levels for a Sureshot 200+ | Super Exclusive | Link Inside

    Register for 3-Level Exclusive Interview Program

    SCHEDULE YOUR MOCK INTERVIEW + DAF QUESTIONNAIRE

    More than 200 of our students are appearing in the UPSC Personality test this year. Based on their feedback and requests we are launching the Sureshot 200+ Interview program for your final stage of this examination.

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    Panelists for Mock Interviews:-

    1. Shri Shankar Aggarwal, IAS (retd.)
    2. Dr. Noor Mohammad, IAS (retd.)
    3. Dr. P.K. Agrawal, IAS (Retd.)
    4. Shri T. N. Thakur, IAAS (retd.)
    5. Shri V. P. Singh, IRPS
    6. Mrs.Aditi Gupta, Corporate Leadership Specialist
    7. Prof. U.M. Amin, Jamia Milia University
    8. Mr. Himanshu Arora, Economist, JNU, PMEAC 
    9. Mr. Kunal Aggarwal, IRS
    10. Mr. Debraj Das, IPS

    Tentative:

    Shri Harsh V. Pant (Observer Research Foundation), Shri SN Tripathi, IAS (Director IIPA), Shri Yogesh Narain (Retd. Defence Secretary), Shri Dipankar Gupta (Indian Sociologist), and others.   

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  • 1st September 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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    [WpProQuiz 761]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 761]

  • Freedom of Movement and Residence

    The rights to free movement and residence across India cannot be curtailed on flimsy grounds, a Bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and V. Ramasubramanian held in a judgment.

    Freedom of Movement and Residence

    • Article 19(1)(d) and (e) of the Indian Constitution guarantees to every citizen of India right to move freely throughout the territory of India and to reside and settle in any Part of the of the Territory of India.
    • This right is subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the general public or for the protection of the interests of any Scheduled Tribes.

    (A) Freedom of Movement under Article 19(1)(d)

    • All Citizens of India have the right “to move freely throughout the territory of India.
    • This Right is, however subject to reasonable restrictions mentioned under Article 19(5).

    Restrictions:

    • This clause (5) empowers the State to impose reasonable restrictions in the interest of the general public or for the protection of the interest of any Scheduled Tribe.
    • Kharak Singh V. State of UP (1963) Case: The Supreme Court held that the right to move freely throughout the territory of India means the right of locomotion which connotes the right to move wherever one likes, and however one likes.
    • State of UP V. Kaushalya Case (1964):  In this case, the Supreme court held that the right of movement of prostitutes may be restricted on grounds of Public Health and in the interest of Public Morals.

    (B) Freedom of Resident under Article 19(1)(e)

    • Article 19(1)(e) of the Indian Constitution guarantees to every citizen of India, the right “to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India”.
    • This right is subjected to reasonable restrictions which may be imposed by the State in the interest of the general public or for the protection of the interest of any Scheduled Tribe.

    Some facts

    • The Freedom of Movement and Residence apply only to citizens of India and not the Foreigners.
    • A foreigner cannot claim the right to reside and settle in the country as guaranteed by Article Article 19(1)(e).
    • The Government of India has the power to expel foreigners from India.

    Why in news, now?

    • The Supreme Court has held that the power of the State to pass an externment order or a direction barring certain people entry to specified areas should be exercised only in “exceptional cases”.
    • The court said externment orders have their use in maintaining law and order.
    • However, they cannot be employed as a vindictive or retaliatory measure.
    • The drastic action of externment should only be taken in exceptional cases, to maintain law and order in a locality and/or prevent breach of public tranquility and peace, the court noted.

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    Back2Basics: Article 19

    Article 19(1) states that All citizens shall have the right:

    • (a) to freedom of speech and expression;
    • (b) to assemble peaceably and without arms;
    • (c) to form associations or unions;
    • (d) to move freely throughout the territory of India;
    • (e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and
    • (f) omitted
    • (g) to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade, or business

  • China-Myanmar New Passage

    The shipments on a newly-launched railway line under the China-Myanmar New Passage from the Myanmar border to the key commercial hub of Chengdu in western China have started.

    China-Myanmar New Passage

    • The passage provides China a new road-rail transportation channel to the Indian Ocean, were delivered last week, state media reported on Tuesday.
    • The transport corridor involves a sea-road-rail link.
    • It connects the logistics lines of Singapore, Myanmar, and China, and is currently the most convenient land and sea channel linking the Indian Ocean with southwest China.
    • Goods from Singapore reached Yangon Port, arriving by ship through the Andaman Sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean, and were then transported by road to Lincang on the Chinese side of the Myanmar-China border in Yunnan province.
    • The new railway line that runs from the border town of Lincang to Chengdu, a key trade hub in western China, completes the corridor.

    Why does India need to be watchful?

    • From the perspective of security, India’s border with Myanmar has historically presented serious security challenges.
    • Chinese troops had used the Myanmar route to threaten India’s North-eastern States prior to the 1962 war.
    • In the run-up to the India-China war of 1962, Chinese troops had commissioned local muleteers in Northern Myanmar to facilitate the movement of troops and war logistics to challenge India’s Northeast.

    Way forward

    • The work on infrastructure projects in India’s Northeastern States needs to be expedited to ensure speedy mobilization of India’s own troops to face different contingencies.
    • Monitoring of developments including deployment of space assets to ensure that India is not caught unaware would be desirable.
    • Most importantly, India on its part needs to substantially step up its own game in Myanmar and proactively engage Myanmar in the realm of the infrastructure upgrade.

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  • Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP)

    The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is drafting a Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) in a bid to tackle climate challenges.

    What is the Mumbai Climate Action Plan?

    • Amid warnings of climate change leading to extreme weather events in the city, the civic body has started preparing the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP).
    • It will look at climate resilience with mitigation and adaptation strategies by focusing on six areas —
    1. Sustainable waste management
    2. Urban greening and Biodiversity
    3. Urban flooding and Water Resource Management
    4. Building Energy Efficiency
    5. Air Quality and
    6. Sustainable Mobility
    • The plan is expected to be ready by November ahead of the United Nations Climate Change (COP26) conference at Glasgow, Scotland.

    Why does Mumbai need a climate action plan?

    Mumbai’s climate action plan will help set a vision and implement strategies to fight these climate challenges with mitigation and adaptation steps.

    • Flash floods: As per a study conducted by the World Resource Institute (WRI) India, the city will face two major climate challenges — the rise in temperature, and extreme rain events which will lead to flooding.
    • Temperature rise: The city has seen a constant rise in temperature after 2007, and a substantial increase in intense rainfall and storm events in the last five years.
    • Sea level rise: A recent report from the IPCC has warned that at least 12 Indian coastal cities including Mumbai will face a sea rise of 0.1 metres to 0.3 metres in the next three decades due to climate change.

    What is the greenhouse gas emission of the city?

    • The data show that Mumbai’s greenhouse gas emission was 34.3 million tonnes in 2019, and of which 24.23 million tonnes or 71 per cent came from the energy sector which is mainly based on coal.
    • At least 24 per cent or 82,21,902 tonnes is from transport, and the remaining 5 per cent or 18,53,741 tonnes from solid waste management.
    • The maximum contribution from the energy sector was mainly due to domestic and commercial usage of electricity.
    • As per the data, 95 percent of Mumbai’s electricity is coal-based and needs to be shifted to renewable energy to bring down emissions.

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  • West Nile Virus outbreak in Russia

    Russia warned of a possible increase in West Nile virus infections this autumn as mild temperatures and heavy precipitation create favorable conditions for the mosquitos that carry it.

    West Nile virus (WNV)

    • WNV is mainly transmitted through mosquito bites and can lead to fatal neurological diseases in humans, although most people infected never develop any symptoms.
    • Cases of WNV occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall.

    Its origin

    • Originally from Africa, the WNV has spread to Europe, Asia, and North America.
    • It was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937.
    • It was identified in birds in the Nile delta region in 1953.
    • Before 1997, WNV was not considered pathogenic for birds.
    • Human infections attributable to WNV have been reported in many countries for over 50 years.

    Symptoms

    • Infected persons usually have no symptoms or mild symptoms.
    • Some of the symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash, and swollen lymph glands.
    • They can last a few days to several weeks and usually, go away on their own.
    • Prolonged illness may cause inflammation of the brain, called encephalitis, or inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called meningitis.

    Treatment

    • There is no vaccine against the virus in humans although one exists for horses, the WHO says.

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  • Operation Devi Shakti

    India has termed the evacuation operation from Afghanistan in the backdrop of the Taliban’s takeover of the country last week as “Operation Devi Shakti”.

    Operation Devi Shakti

    • Operation Devi Shakti is an ongoing operation of the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals after the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the Taliban.

    Major evacuations undertaken

    • Up till now, around 400 individuals from Kabul have been evacuated that covered Indian citizens as well as Afghan nationals including Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan.
    • Hundreds of Indian nationals have to be taken out of Kabul which is now under the Taliban’s control.
    • India is airlifting its citizens through Dushanbe in Tajikistan and Qatar.
    • The Indian Air Force has already evacuated around many passengers including its Ambassador to Afghanistan and all other diplomats.

  • [RSTV Archive] Judiciary & Artificial Intelligence

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    The Supreme Court’s Artificial Intelligence Committee a few months back in April has launched its Artificial Intelligence portal SUPACE.

    What is SUPACE?

    • SUPACE is an acronym for Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Courts Efficiency.
    • It is a blend of human and artificial intelligence, and as clarified by Bobde, will not be used in decision-making.
    • The role of AI will be limited to the collection and analysis of data.
    • The courts fully retains the autonomy and the discretion of the judge in deciding the case, though at a much, much faster pace because of the readiness with which the information is made available by the AI.

    Salient features of SUPACE

    • SUPACE facts and arguments relevant to judging a particular case are intelligently presented in a matter of seconds—done manually, this would have taken months—adjudication could become that much faster.
    • SUPACE is customizable, that is, it can behave uniquely like an individual user, learning from and mirroring user behaviour; to illustrate, imagine a system that learns to glean relevant data and present it in a structure that a judge/legal researcher finds easy to comprehend or present.
    • As it is with all AI, as the system ‘learns’, efficiency leaps exponentially.
    • The SUPACE system also includes a chatbot that can give the overview of a case, respond to elementary questions, while switching between documents and prompting further questions to sharpen the user’s understanding of a case.

    Need for AI in Judiciary

    • India’s judiciary is mired in backlogs.
    • According to the data available with the National Judicial Data Grid, around 3.81 crore cases are pending in India and more than one lakh cases have been pending for more than 30 years.

    Other such initiatives

    • SCI-Interact: In 2020, the Supreme Court developed a software called, SCI-Interact, to make all its 17 benches paperless. This software helps judges access files, annexures to petitions and make notes on computers.
    • LIMBS: Earlier, the Department of Legal Affairs has introduced a web-based application called LIMBS or Legal Information Management & Briefing System. The idea is to track the entire life cycle of a case efficiently.
    • SUVAAS: In November 2019, the Apex Court launched an indigenously engineered neural translation tool, SUVAAS, to translate judicial orders and rulings from English to vernacular languages faster and efficiently.

    Global IT solutions in Judiciary

    • The criminal justice system of the US uses algorithms to estimate the risks of habitual offence.
    • Many courts in the country are also actively embracing online dispute resolution (ODR) initiatives.
    • Unsurprisingly, China has also been adopting AI in the judiciary. The country reportedly has more than 100 robots in courts to recover case histories.

    Applications of AI in Judiciary

    • AI could be used in cases of a repetitive nature that fit a strict pattern such as bouncing of cheques, civil violations or drunk driving.
    • Pre-judicial work, such as case management, random allocation of matters to benches, case-law indexing and analysis, administrative work linked to a court can lean on AI to streamline and reduce pendency.
    • Judging involves human emotions too. No scientific tool has any moral issue attached to it, said Justice Srikrishna who helmed the study for India’s data protection policy.
    • AI has not been programmed to delve into human emotions.

    Debate over SUPACE

    • SUPACE has opened up a debate of sorts on how much AI can be used to dispense justice.
    • The core job of a judge is judging. That cannot be outsourced, said former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna.
    • Nuances of judging a person’s state of mind are beyond a bot, said jurists.
    • Judicial work cannot be handed over to a machine, even one with AI or programmed to read and understand law, said Justice Srikrishna.

    Limitations of SUPACE

    • For now, in India, SUPACE will be used for administrative purposes and not decision making.
    • Automated fairness is not possible to be achieved because ML-based systems do not know how to explain or digest the information they learn.
    • A mere idealistic approach to estimate things would not take the initiative further.

    Possible applications of SUPACE

    • AI has abilities to identify fact patterns easily and compare them with precedents.
    • Traffic violations and drunken driving cases or some civic violations can be dealt with by AI.

    Way forward

    • The ethical and responsible use of AI and ML for the advancement of efficiency enhancing can be increasingly embedded in legal and judicial processes.
    • The Supreme Court has laid a strong foundation basis which efficiency enhancement can be accelerated across functional processes.
    • This is one of the key reasons why justice delivery in India is poised for transformative change.

    Conclusion

    • SUPACE will produce results customized to the need of the case and the way the judge thinks.
    • This will be time-saving. It will help the judiciary and the court in reducing delays and pendency of cases.
    • AI will present a more streamlined, cost-effective and time-bound means to the fundamental right of access to justice.
    • It will make the service delivery mechanism transparent and cost-efficient.

  • Streak Daily Compilation of Questions & Videos – Aug 31, 2021

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    UPSC Daily Study Plan For 2021 and 2022 || STREAK – by Ravi Ranjan

    UPSC PRELIMS-2021 || Current Affairs Most Probable Questions – by Sukanya Rana

    Q1) Nitrogen fixation is done naturally by

    1. Azotobacter and anaerobic clostridium
    2. Rhizobium
    3. Anabaena and spirulina
    4. lightning 

    Pick the correct option:

    A. 1 and 2

    B. 1, 2 and 3

    C. 2 and 4 only

    D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Q2) Consider the following statements:

    1. A. Boreal Forest is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches.
    2. B. The taiga is the world’s largest land biome.
    3. C. Soils in boreal forests are usually fertile due to high decomposition activity.
    4. D. The productivity and community stability of boreal forest is low.

    Select the correct option:

    A. 1, 2, 3

    B. 1, 2, 4

    C. 1, 3, 4

    D. 2, 3, 4

    Q3) Consider the following statements with respect to Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) 

    1. It is globally identified as a tool for sustainable and integrated ocean management. 
    2. It will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) for India. 
    3. In its primary phase, India will conduct marine spatial planning in Lakshadweep and Puducherry in cooperation with Russia. 

    Which of the statements given above are correct? 

    A. 1 and 2 only 

    B. 1 and 3 only 

    C. 2 and 3 only 

    D. 1, 2 and 3

    Q4) Consider the following statements with respect to Platypus

    1. It is one of the five species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to young ones. 
    2. It is endemic to South America, including Costa Rica , where it is classified as an vulnerable species 

    Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect? 

    A. 1 only 

    B. 2 only 

    C. Both 1 and 2 

    D. Neither 1 nor 2

    Q5) Consider the following statements with respect to Diatom Test 

    1. Diatoms are photosynthesizing algae which are found almost anywhere moist. 
    2. It is used to confirm the cause of death by drowning. 
    3. The test is considered positive only when the number of diatoms recovered from the body is more than a minimal established limit. 

    Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 

    A. 1 only 

    B. 1 and 2 only 

    C. 2 and 3 only 

    D. 1, 2 and 3

    UPSC PRELIMS-2021 || Most Probable Questions on Environment & Ecology – by Santosh Gupta

    Q1) Identify the correct statement/s in context to the arctic tundra. 

    1. The plants in the arctic tundra have a long life. 
    2. Mammals here have small body size to avoid the loss of heat from the surface. 
    3. Insects in this region have short life cycles.
    4. All mammals go into hibernation in winter to avoid cold

    Which of the above statements are true?

    A. 1, 2 and4

    B. 1, 2 and 3 

    C. 1 and 3 only

    D. All of them 

    Q2) Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to boreal forest? 

    1. It is characterized by evergreen plant species. 
    2. These forests are found in regions with high rainfall, long summers and short winters. 
    3. The soils found here are alkaline in nature.

    Which of the above statements is/are true?

    A. 1 and 2 

    B. 2 and 3

    C. 1 only

    D. All of them

    Q3. Identify the correct statement/s in context to estuaries. 

    1. They are located where the river meets the sea. 
    2. They act as a shelter for animals. 
    3. Estuaries are Ecotone

    Which of the above statements are true?

    A. 1 and 2 

    B. 2 and 3

    C. 1 only

    D. All of them

    Q4) Consider the following statements in context to coral reefs. 

    1. They occur near the source of freshwater, which is nutrient rich. 
    2. The corals are very fast growing colonies of animals. 
    3. They are referred to as ‘the Tropical Rainforests of the Oceans’. 

    Select the correct code from the codes given below.

    Which of the above statements are true?

    A. 1 and 2 

    B. 2 and 3

    C. 1  and 3 only

    D. All of them

    Q5) Consider the following statements about sea weeds and sea grasses

    1. Sea grasses  are specialised marine flowering plants , while Seaweeds are a type of macroalgae
    2. While sea grasses are attached to the bottom, sea weeds are floating on the surface. 
    3. Both are source of carbon sink

    Which of the above statements are true?

    A. 1 and 2 only

    B. 2 and 3 only

    C. 1 and 3 only

    D. All of them

    Daily Dose: Complete Snapshots of Everyday News – by Shweta Mishra

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