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  • [Burning Issue] Growing water crisis in India

    water

    Context

    • The UNESCO United Nations World Water Development Report of 2022 has encapsulated global concern over the sharp rise in freshwater withdrawal from streams, lakes, aquifers and human-made reservoirs, impending water stress and also water scarcity being experienced in different parts of the world.
    • A NITI Aayog report, ‘Composite Water Management Index (2018) has sounded a note of caution about the worst water crisis in the country, with more than 600 million people facing acute water shortages.
    • In this context, this edition of the Burning issue will elaborate on the issue of the growing Water crisis in India (in form of water stress and scarcity), its causes, implications and possible solutions.

    What Do “Water Scarcity” and “Water Stress” actually Mean?

    • Water Scarcity: “Water scarcity” refers to the volumetric abundance, or lack thereof, of freshwater resources. “Scarcity” is human-driven; it is a function of the volume of human water consumption relative to the volume of water resources in a given area.
    • Water Stress: “Water stress” refers to the ability, or lack thereof, to meet human and ecological demand for fresh water. Compared to scarcity, “water stress” is a more inclusive and broader concept. It considers several physical aspects related to water resources, including water availability, water quality, and the accessibility of water, which is often a function of the sufficiency of infrastructure and the affordability of water, among other things.

    Current situation of the water crisis in India

    • The Global Drought Risk and Water Stress map (2019): it shows that major parts of India, particularly west, central and parts of peninsular India are highly water-stressed and experience water scarcity.
    • India has only 4% of the planet’s fresh-water for 16% of its population.
      The annual per capita availability of water continues to decline sharply from about 5,177 cubic meters in 1951 to about 1,720 cubic meters in 2019.
    • Composite Water Management Index (2018): Released by NITI Aayog indicates that more than 600 million people are facing acute water stress.
    • India is the world’s largest extractor of groundwater: Accounting for 25 percent of the total. 70 percent of our water sources are contaminated and our major rivers are dying because of pollution.
    • Global Drought Risk and Water Stress map (2019) shows that major parts of India, particularly west, central and parts of peninsular India are highly water-stressed and experience water scarcity.
    • According to a recent official estimate, 22 of the country’s 32 major cities are plagued with acute water shortages. NABARD study shows that around 60 percent of the country’s gross cropped area is facing a water crisis. The most serious water crisis is being faced by Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, MP, UP and Andhra Pradesh.
    • The new Water Report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sounded a note of caution about this silent crisis of a global dimension, with millions of people being deprived of water to live and sustain their livelihood.

    Causes of the water crisis in India

    • Lack of pricing of water: There has been an effort to develop sustainable water supplies in India in recent years with water conservation legislation existing in 80 percent of the country. However, poor data management and an abject failure to properly price water have prevented the country from making any significant progress.
    • Populist policy: “Policies like several states giving free electricity to farmers or giving financial support for groundwater extraction – borewells and tubewells – results in uncontrolled exploitation and wastage of resources. Also, the subsidized pricing of water in various states has resulted in non-revenue water and a sharp decline in groundwater levels in all states.
    • Failure of mass adoption of drip irrigation: Drip irrigation, a method that means farmers use drastically less fertilizer and diesel, has failed to become popular and its implementation is expensive for most people with state governments providing limited support.
    • Erratic monsoon and climate change: Climate change is a real global challenge today that is altering the water cycle in the worst way possible. Increased temperature, droughts, river drying and insufficient monsoon to replenish the groundwater has become one of the greatest cause of water scarcity in India.
    • Poor planning and Leakage: This is one of the greatest reasons for the water crisis in Indian cities as some reports state that around 20–25% of water is wasted due to the leakage in the pipelines. India wastes considerably a lot of water as leakage in pumping and distribution.
    • Improper wastewater treatment: In India, there is no policy support for recycling and reuse of industrial wastewater contrary to other countries that have proper guidelines on wastewater management. Israel uses about 86% of its treated wastewater in agriculture. 70% of urban sewage in India is untreated and is disposed of directly to the water bodies which creates quite a lot of health and environmental concerns.

    Implications of Water Crisis

    • Shifting to inter-city water supplies– Almost all cities in India are experiencing water stress major due to the drying up of groundwater water or local water resources. Thus, now City water supply is now a subject of inter-basin and inter-State transfers of water. For example, Ahmedabad’s 80% water supply used to be met from groundwater sources till the mid-1980s. But now the city depends on the Narmada canal for the bulk of its water supply. 
    • Inter-state water disputes are growing- Rising inter-state river water disputes between states to secure their water supplies and economic growth. This is further causing federal disputes and inter-state political rivalries.
    • Faster depletion of water resources- The increased pace of water resource usage to meet the growing water demand has led to faster depletion of water, crossing the sustainable replenishment rate of the resources and ultimately leading to their drying up.
    • Creation of urban heat islands- water has a cooling effect on the environment, but due to the drying up of surface water resources, this cooling effect of water has reduced leading to the rise in the environmental temperatures and thus creating urban heat islands.
    • “Commodification of water”- has started as evident from the growing number of water bottling plants popping up in cities, creating artificial scarcity of water and selling water at higher rates thus impacting people’s pockets negatively as well as creating a Rich-Poor divide/ inequality in water affordability and accessibility.

    Some suggestions to solve the water crisis in India

    • Sustainable water management: Improving water infrastructure must be a priority, as water conservation and efficiency are key components of sustainable water management.
    • Restoring and reviving traditional water harvesting structures such as wetlands, lakes, Johads (earthen check dams), etc.
    • Reclaimed water: Rainwater harvesting and recycled wastewater also allow to reduce scarcity and ease pressures on groundwater and other natural water bodies. 
    • Pollution control & better sewage treatment: Without proper sanitation, the water becomes full of diseases and unsafe to drink. That is why addressing pollution and measuring and monitoring water quality is essential. 
    • Awareness & Education: Education is critical to solving the water crisis. In fact, to cope with future water scarcity, it is necessary to radically reform all forms of consumption
    • Adopting an integrated approach: A system perspective and catchment scale-based approach are necessary to link the reallocation of water with wider discussions on development, infrastructure investment, fostering a rural-urban partnership, and adopting an integrated approach in water management.

    Some water management Models

    • Learning from better performing states: In what could serve as an encouragement to step up the pursuit of policies to better conserve water, several water-scarce states are the best at managing the resource. Some of the best performers in the national composite water index – Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana – are states that have suffered from severe droughts in recent years.
    • Reviving dead rivers: Rajendra Singh, popularly known as ‘Waterman of India’ has applied the method of constructing check dams and reservoirs to revive several hundreds of dead rivers in India. His network- ‘Rashtriya Jal Biradari’ is working for the restoration of all mighty and small rivers of the country.
    • Applying the ‘One Water’ Approach– ‘One Water’ is the recognition that all water has value, regardless of its source. It includes managing that source in an integrated, inclusive and sustainable manner by including the community, business leaders, industries, farmers, conservationists, policymakers, academics and others for ecological and economic benefits.
    • Mihir Shah, Head of the New Water Policy formulation committee, has suggested shifting the focus of water management in India from ‘supply management’ to ‘demand management’ i.e managing the growing demand for water in India rather than focusing on supplying more and more water.

    Steps taken by the government for Water Management

    • The government of India launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019, a time-bound campaign with a mission mode approach intended to improve water availability including groundwater conditions in the water-stressed blocks of 256 districts in India.
    • National Water Policy (2012) has been formulated by the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, inter-alia advocates rainwater harvesting and conservation of water and highlights the need for augmenting the availability of water through direct use of rainfall.
    • Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by Central Ground Water Authority in consultation with States/UTs which is a macro level plan indicating various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country.
    • Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), a Rs.6000 crore scheme with World Bank funding, for sustainable management of groundwater with community participation is being taken up in the identified over-exploited and water-stressed areas.
    • National Water Mission had started a campaign “Sahi Fasal” to nudge farmers to favor crops that consume less water and to use water more efficiently in agriculture, as a part of demand side management.
    • Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC) in its report for 2021-26, has earmarked 60 per cent for national priorities like drinking water supply and rainwater harvesting and sanitation, out of the total grants earmarked for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI). For fifty Million-Plus cities, two-thirds of the allocation of funds under the Challenge Fund of Rs. 38,196 crores is meant for meeting service level benchmarks on drinking water supply, rainwater harvesting, water recycling, solid waste management and sanitation.

    Way forward

    • Improving traditional irrigation methods- to shift to Drip irrigation which is already in practice in India needs to be practiced efficiently across the country which will reduce the water usage in agriculture.
    • Wastewater recycling to save our water bodies: As we know, most of our water bodies are polluted because of wastewater released by textile and industries which in turn got mixed up and resulted in polluting the water bodies. Like Israel, India should also take necessary steps to recycle wastewater and reuse it for agriculture and industrial activities.
    • Extracting water from air and fog is a futuristic technology: the Indian government should invest in these technologies which can be implemented in suitable areas. For eg: extracting water from fog can be done in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam etc.
    • To prevent leakage, a Proper team with skilled workers should be assigned the job of maintaining and repair of the pipelines. Smart metering and leakage detection systems should be designed to check the water wastage in the transmission.

    Conclusion

    Looking at the current situation, there is a need for a paradigm shift. We urgently require a transition from this ‘supply-and-supply-more water’ provision to measures that lead towards improving water use efficiency, reducing leakages, recharging/restoring local waterbodies as well as applying for higher tariffs and ownership by various stakeholders.

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

    19th September 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 1116]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 1116]

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  • 19th September 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1       Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

    GS-2       Panchayats & Local Bodies

    GS-3       Indian Economy

    GS-4        Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 The period of Internal Emergency in India (1975-1977) has been deemed as the ‘dark age of Indian democracy’. Discuss. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 The real reason for dismal performance of local institutions is the contradiction between their responsibility and authority. Elaborate. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 In light recently declared National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), critically examine economic and environmental implications of promotion of oil palm cultivation in the country. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Manifestation of acquired values is contingent on social norms prevalent in the society. Explain with examples. (10 Marks)

     

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  • High Inflation in India

    inflation Context

    • It seems that inflation may hover around 7 per cent despite RBI’s tightening of monetary policy in the months to come.

    What is a simple definition for inflation?

    • Inflation is an increase in the level of prices of the goods and services that households buy. It is measured as the rate of change of those prices. Typically, prices rise over time, but prices can also fall (a situation called deflation).

    Inflation Rate

    • Inflation Rate is the percentage change in the price level from the previous period. If a normal basket of goods was priced at Rupee 100 last year and the same basket of goods now cost Rupee 120, then the rate of inflation this year is 20%.
    • Inflation Rate= {(Price in year 2 – Price in year 1)/ Price in year 1} *100

    inflationTypes of Inflation

    Creeping Inflation

    • Creeping or mild inflation is when prices rise 3% a year or less. This kind of mild inflation makes consumers expect that prices will keep going up. That boosts demand. Consumers buy now to beat higher future prices. That’s how mild inflation drives economic expansion.

    Walking Inflation

    • This type of strong, or pernicious, inflation is between 3-10% a year. It is harmful to the economy because it heats up economic growth too fast. People start to buy more than they need, just to avoid tomorrow’s much higher prices. This drives demand even further so that suppliers can’t keep up. More important, neither can wages. As a result, common goods and services are priced out of the reach of most people.

    Galloping Inflation

    • When inflation rises to 10% or more, it wreaks absolute havoc on the economy. Money loses value so fast that business and employee income can’t keep up with costs and prices. Foreign investors avoid the country, depriving it of needed capital. The economy becomes unstable, and government leaders lose credibility. Galloping inflation must be prevented at all costs.

    Hyperinflation

    • Hyperinflation is when prices skyrocket more than 50% a month. It is very rare. In fact, most examples of hyperinflation have occurred only when governments printed money to pay for wars. Examples of hyperinflation include Germanyin the 1920s, Zimbabwe in the 2000s, and Venezuela in the 2010s. The last time America experienced hyperinflation was during its civil war.

    Core Inflation

    • The core inflation rate measures rising prices in everything except food and energy. That’s because gas prices tend to escalate now and then. Higher gas costs increase the price of food and anything else that has large transportation costs.

     

    Consumer Price Index

    • CPI is used to monitor changes in the cost of living over time. When the CPI rises, the average Indian family has to spend more on goods and services to maintain the same standard of living. The economic term used to define such a rising prices of goods and services is Inflation.

    Whole sale Price Index

    • WPI is used to monitor the cost of goods and services bought by producer and firms rather than final consumers. The WPI inflation captures price changes at the factory/wholesale level.

    GDP Deflator

    • Another important measure of calculating standard of living of people is GDP Deflator. GDP Deflator is the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP. The nominal GDP is measured at the current prices whereas the real GDP is measured at the base year prices. Therefore, GDP Deflator reflects the current level of prices relative to prices in a base year. Example, In India the base year of calculating deflator is 2011-12.

    inflationFactors fuelling inflation in India

    • Falling rupee: Inflation is here to stay because it has much to do with the decline in value of the rupee that has fallen to its lowest, which makes imports of oil and gas more expensive.
    • Ukraine crisis: The war in Ukraine has the same effect and pushes the price of some food items upward.
    • Poor inflation management: With inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, in August going back to 7 per cent, and the wholesale price index coming in at 12.4 per cent, one thing is clear India is not out of the woods on inflation management.

    Rising inflation have these implications

    • Impact on the poor: This upsurge of inflation is affecting the poor more because some of the commodities whose prices are increasing the most represent a larger fraction of the budget of the most vulnerable sections of society.
    • Rising inequality: As a result, inequalities which were already on the rise are increasing further. Recently, the State of Inequality in India report showed that an Indian making Rs 3 lakh a year belonged to the top 10 per cent of the country’s wage earners. 
    • Inequality in healthcare: India’s spending on healthcare is among the lowest in the world. Decent level of healthcare is available only to the ones who can afford it because of increasing out-of-pocket expenditure the payment made directly by individuals for the health service, not covered under any financial protection scheme. Overall, these out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare are 60 per cent of the total expenditure on public health in India, which is one of the highest in the world.

     

    inflationNeed for bold steps on three fronts to tackle inflation

    • Unless bold and innovative steps are taken at least on three fronts, GDP growth and inflation both are likely to be in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 per cent in 2022-23.

    1] Tightening of loose monetary policy: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is mandated to keep inflation at 4 per cent, plus-minus 2 per cent.

    • The RBI has already started the process of tightening monetary policy by raising the repo rate, albeit a bit late.
    • It is expected that by the end of 2022-3, the repo rate will be at least 5.5 per cent, if not more.
    • It will still stay below the likely inflation rate and therefore depositors will still lose the real value of their money in banks with negative real interest rates.
    • That only reflects an inbuilt bias in the system — in favour of entrepreneurs in the name of growth and against depositors, which ultimately results in increasing inequality in the system.

    2] Prudent fiscal policy: Fiscal policy has been running loose in the wake of Covid-19 that saw the fiscal deficit of the Union government soar to more than 9 per cent in 2020-21 and 6.7 per cent in 2021-22, but now needs to be tightened.

    • Government needs to reduce its fiscal deficit to less than 5 per cent, never mind the FRMB Act’s advice to bring it to 3 per cent of GDP.
    • However, it is difficult to achieve when enhanced food and fertiliser subsidies, and cuts in duties of petrol and diesel will cost the government at least Rs 3 trillion more than what was provisioned in the budget.

    3] Rational trade policy: Export restrictions/bans go beyond agri-commodities, even to iron ore and steel, etc. in the name of taming inflation.

    • But abrupt export bans are poor trade policy and reflect only the panic-stricken face of the government.
    • A more mature approach to filter exports would be through a gradual process of minimum export prices and transparent export duties for short periods of time, rather than abrupt bans, if at all these are desperately needed to favour consumers.

    Conclusion

    • Though the government is opting for market-based economics, currently, India needs a mixed solution that comprises price stability via government channels and subsidies.

    Mains question

    Q.What are the fuelling factors for inflation? Discuss what steps should be taken to tackle inflation.

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  • AP approaches SC over Three Capitals Issue

    capitals

    After much discontent on the High Court (HC) verdict in the three capitals case, the Andhra Pradesh government has finally challenged it in the Supreme Court through a special leave petition (SLP).

    AP’s move for three capitals

    • AP had introduced a ‘Three Capitals Act’ titled Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020.
    • Thus, it was decided that:
    1. Amaravati was to be the Legislative capital
    2. Visakhapatnam the Executive capital and
    3. Kurnool the Judicial capital
    • However, the Andhra Pradesh High Court repealed this Act citing that the legislature has no competence to enact any law for shifting the three organs of the capital.

    Concerns raised by AP government

    • AP contended that the judgement was in violation of the basic structure of the Constitution as the HC cannot hold that the State does not have the powers to decide on its capital.
    • The judgement was against the doctrine of separation of powers as it sought to preempt the legislature from taking up the issue (of three capitals).
    • Further, it is argued that under the federal structure of the Constitution, every State has an inherent right to determine where it should carry out its capital functions from.

    Reasons for AP’s consideration

    (1) Viable option of Visakhapatnam

    • Vizag always had been the biggest city, after Hyderabad, even in the combined State.
    • It has all the settings to become a good living space.

    (2) Sri Krishna panel recommendations

    • The advantages and qualities of Visakhapatnam to become the capital was elaborately deliberated by the Sri Krishna Committee to study the alternatives for a new capital for the State of Andhra Pradesh.
    • Coming to suggestion for the alternative capital, the Committee primarily took up three things for consideration — creation of single city or super city in greenfield location, expanding existing cities and distributed development.

    (3) Decentralisation

    • This idea was elaborately described in the Sri Bagh pact.
    • The pact clearly defined decentralisation, for the benefit of all three main regions such as Coastal AP, Godavari and Krishna districts and Rayalaseema.

    Major practical problems

    • Continuum of work: The government argues that the Assembly meets only after gaps of several months, and government Ministers, officers, and staff can simply go to Amaravati when required.
    • Logistics nightmare: coordinating between seats of legislature and executive in separate cities will be easier said than done.
    • Time and costs of travel: The distances in Andhra Pradesh are not inconsiderable. Executive capital Visakhapatnam is 700 km from judicial capital Kurnool, and 400 km from legislative capital Amaravati.

    Examples of multi-capital states in India

    • Among Indian states, Maharashtra has two capitals– Mumbai and Nagpur (which holds the winter session of the state assembly).
    • Himachal Pradesh has capitals at Shimla and Dharamshala (winter).
    • The former state of Jammu & Kashmir had Srinagar and Jammu (winter) as capitals where Darbar Move is carried out.

    Back2Basics: Special Leave Petition

    • SLP hold a prime place in the Indian judicial system.
    • It provides the aggrieved party a special permission to be heard in Apex court in appeal against any judgment or order of any Court/tribunal in the territory of India.
    • It has been provided as a “residual power” in the hands of Supreme Court of India to be exercised only in cases when any substantial question of law is involved, or gross injustice has been done.
    • Article 136 vests the Supreme Court of India with a special power to grant special leave, to appeal against any judgment or order or decree.
    • It is discretionary power vested in the Supreme Court of India and the court may in its discretion refuse to grant leave to appeal.
    • The aggrieved party cannot claim special leave to appeal under Article 136 as a right, but it is privilege vested in the Supreme Court to grant leave to appeal or not.

     

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  • Vacant offices, unaware office-bearers: curious case of delisted parties

    The EC has been on a mission to clean up the list of registered unrecognized political parties, deleting 284 since May for either being untraceable during a physical check or not responding to communications.

    Why de-list political parties?

    • The news highlights the tale of a Bharatiya xyz Party.
    • Its registered address, the ground floor of a Delhi Development Authority flat, has been home to a family since they purchased the house in 2008.

    When is a party de-registered?

    • The EC’s recent order has highlighted that a party must contest an election within five years of its registration, and should continue to contest thereafter.
    • If the party does not contest elections continuously for six years, the party shall be taken off the list of registered parties.

    Registering a Political Party

    • The registration of all political parties is governed by the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
    • According to the Election Commission (EC), any party seeking registration has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days.
    • This is done as per guidelines prescribed by the EC in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 29A of the RP Act, 1951.

    Note: There is no procedure available for de-registration of dormant political parties.

    Process of registration

    • The applicant is asked to publish a proposed party name in two national daily newspapers and two local daily newspapers, and provide two days for submitting objections, if any.
    • The notice for publication is also displayed on the website of the Election Commission.

    Why registering with the EC is important?

    • It is not mandatory to register with the Election Commission.
    • However, registering as a political party with the EC has its advantage in terms of intending to avail itself of the provisions of the RP Act, 1951.
    • The candidates set up by a political party registered with the EC will get preference in the matter of allotment of free symbols vis-à-vis purely independent candidates.
    • More importantly, these registered political parties, over course of time, can get expanded recognition as a ‘state party’ or a ‘national party’.

    How EC recognises a political party as a state or national party?

    For recognition as a NATIONAL PARTY, the conditions specified are:

    1. a 6% vote share in the last Assembly polls in each of any four states, as well as four seats in the last Lok Sabha polls; or
    2. 2% of all Lok Sabha seats in the last such election, with MPs elected from at least three states; or
    3. recognition as a state party in at least four states.

    For recognition as a STATE PARTY, any one of five conditions needs to be satisfied:

    1. two seats plus a 6% vote share in the last Assembly election in that state; or
    2. one seat plus a 6% vote share in the last Lok Sabha election from that state; or
    3. 3% of the total Assembly seats or 3 seats, whichever is more; or
    4. one of every 25 Lok Sabha seats (or an equivalent fraction) from a state; or
    5. an 8% state-wide vote share in either the last Lok Sabha or the last Assembly polls.

    Benefits for recognized parties

    • This is subject to the fulfilment of the conditions prescribed by the Commission in the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

    (a) Reserved Sybol

    • If a party is recognised as a ‘state party’, it is entitled for exclusive allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it in the state in which it is so recognised.
    • If a party is recognised as a ‘national party’ it is entitled for exclusive allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it throughout India.

    (b) Proposer for nomination

    • Recognised ‘state’ and ‘national’ parties need only one proposer for filing the nomination.

    (c) Campaigning benefits

    • They are also entitled for two sets of electoral rolls free of cost and broadcast/telecast facilities over state-owned Akashvani/Doordarshan during the general elections.

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  • China blocks listing of Lashkar ‘commander’ Sajid Mir at UNSC

    1267 list

    For the third time in three months, China blocked a joint India-US attempt to put a Pakistan-based terrorist on the UN Security Council’s 1267 list.

    What is the UNSC 1267 list?

    • The UNSC resolution 1267 was adopted unanimously on 15 October 1999.
    • It came to force in 1999, and strengthened after the September, 2001 attacks.
    • It is now known as the Da’esh and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.

    What is UNSC 1267 committee?

    • It comprises all permanent and non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
    • The 1267 list of terrorists is a global list, with a UNSC stamp.
    • It is one of the most important and active UN subsidiary bodies working on efforts to combat terrorism, particularly in relation to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
    • It discusses UN efforts to limit the movement of terrorists, especially those related to travel bans, the freezing of assets and arms embargoes for terrorism.

    How is the listing done?

    (1) Submission of Proposal

    • Any member state can submit a proposal for listing an individual, group, or entity.
    • The proposal must include acts or activities indicating the proposed individual/group/entity had participated in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities linked to the said organizations.

    (2) Actual decision

    • Decisions on listing and de-listing are adopted by consensus.
    • The proposal is sent to all the members, and if no member objects within five working days, the proposal is adopted.
    • An “objection” means rejection for the proposal.

    (3) Putting and resolving ‘Technical Holds’

    • Any member of the Committee may also put a “technical hold” on the proposal and ask for more information from the proposing member state.
    • During this time, other members may also place their own holds.
    • The matter remains on the “pending” list of the Committee.
    • Pending issues must be resolved in six months, but the member state that has placed the hold may ask for an additional three months.
    • At the end of this period, if an objection is not placed, the matter is considered approved.

    Why is India furious this time?

    • Recently PM Modi and Xi Jinping attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand.
    • The grouping had agreed to take strong and consolidated action against terrorism in the region.
    • Despite this, China has exposed its double standards on the issue of terrorism for consistently stopping the listing of Pakistan-based terrorists.
    • This is again very surprising movement by China by putting a ‘Technical Hold’.

    Here is a timeline of how China disrupts the global efforts against terrorism:

    • 2009: After the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, India moved an independent terror designation proposal against Masood Azhar but China blocked the move.
    • 2016: After seven years, India proposes listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist and is supported by the US, the UK and France. China blocks the move again.
    • 2017: The trio moves a third proposal only to be blocked by China again.
    • 2019: After the attacks on the CRPF personnel in J-K’s Pulwama, India calls 25 envoys of different countries to highlight the role Islamabad plays in funding, promoting and strengthening global terrorism. India moves the fourth proposal demanding Masood Azhar’s listing. China lifted its technical hold.
    • June 2022: China blocked a proposal by India and the US to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as a ‘Global Terrorist’
    • August 2022: China blocks India-US joint proposal to list Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) deputy chief Abdul Rauf Azhar as UNSC designated terrorist.

    Conclusion

    • China’s actions expose its double speak and double standards when it comes to the international community’s shared battle against terrorism.
    • This clearly depicts its care for its vassal state Pakistan.

    Back2Basics: United Nations Security Council

    • The UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.
    • Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions.
    • It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.
    • The Security Council consists of fifteen members. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the United States—serve as the body’s five permanent members (P5).
    • These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General.
    • The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two-year terms. The body’s presidency rotates monthly among its members.

     

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  • [Sansad TV] New India Debate | India- Pharmacy of World

    Context

    • The Indian pharma sector supplies over 50 per cent of global demand for various vaccines, 40 per cent of generic demand in the US and 25 per cent of all medicine in the UK.
    • India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally.
    • India is the largest contributor in UNESC with over 50-60% share.

    Feats achieved by India’s Pharma Sector

    • Surplus trade: The Pharma trade balance continues to be in India’s favour. 
    • Worldwide production: India ranks 3rd worldwide for Pharmaceutical production by volume and 14th by value. The current market size is around USD 50 billion. 
    • High competitiveness: Indian pharma companies enabled by their price competitiveness and good quality have made a global mark with 60% of the world’s vaccines and 20% of generic medicines coming from India.   
    • Major destinations: India’s top 5 pharma export destinations are the USA, UK, South Africa, Russia and Nigeria.
    • Regulatory compliance: Around 55 % of our pharma exports from India cater to highly regulated markets. For instance, the largest number of FDA approved plants outside the US is in India.

    India’s Pharma Sector: A Backgrounder

    pharma
    • India enjoys an important position in the global pharmaceuticals sector.
    • The country has a large pool of scientists and engineers with the potential to steer the industry ahead to greater heights.
    • Presently, over 80% of the antiretroviral drugs used globally to combat AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are supplied by Indian pharmaceutical firms.

    Its evolution

    Over the last few decades, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has experienced rapid expansion, which may be divided into four stages:

    1. Foreign domination: The time before 1970 is considered as the first stage of the pharma industry. At that time, the Indian market was dominated by foreign companies.
    2. Rise of domestic companies: The second stage covers 1970 to 1990 when several domestic companies began operations.
    3. LPG reforms: 1990 to 2010 is the third stage, where liberalization led Indian components to launch operations in foreign countries.
    4. Patent assisted boom: The introduction of the patent bill was one of the first advancements in the pharma industry. It allowed the Indian pharmaceutical sector to become less reliant on intellectual property laws in the US.
    5. Rise of OTC drugs: Over-the-counter drugs (bought without prescriptions) constitute the next biggest segment with 21% of the market segment.

    Market Size

    • According to the Indian Economic Survey 2021, the domestic market is expected to grow 3x in the next decade.
    • India’s domestic pharmaceutical market is at US$ 42 billion in 2021 and likely to reach US$ 65 billion by 2024 and further expand to reach ~US$ 120-130 billion by 2030.
    • India’s biotechnology industry comprises biopharmaceuticals, bio-services, bio-agriculture, bio-industry, and bioinformatics.

    Who regulates Indian Pharma Sector?

    • The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 was the central legislation that regulates India’s drug and cosmetic import, manufacture, distribution and sale.
    • The Act clearly defines the spurious drugs, adulterated drugs and mis-branded drugs.
    • This also established the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
    • The Act establishes the regulatory control over the manufacture and sale of drugs.
    • State Health department has to regulate the manufacturing, sales and distribution of drugs.
    • Drug Inspectors will control the implementation at ground level.

    What made India the world’s pharmacy?

    • Low manufacturing costs: Compared to other nations, the cost of manufacturing pharmaceutical goods in India is much lower and more effective.
    • Skilled workforce: India now has a highly-skilled workforce as a result of technological advancements.
    • R&D: India’s pharma industrial sector is also robust. Most pharma labs has turned into incubators.
    • Marketing benefits: With economic liberalization, India’s marketing and distribution system are likewise on the higher side. The sector is additionally strengthened by its diversified ecosystem.
    • Focus on generics: The companies broke into the worldwide market by exploring generic alternatives to costly proprietary medications.

    Various govt. policies

    • FDI relaxation: The government has allowed 100% FDI in Greenfield pharmaceutical projects and 74% FDI in brownfield pharmaceutical projects.   
    • PM Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana: The government had launched this scheme to supply low-cost pharma drugs to the economically weaker sections.
    • Bulk Drug Parks: In March 2020, the centre approved the establishment of mega ‘Bulk Drug Parks’ to provide common facilities like solvent recovery, effluent treatment, distillation, etc.
    • PLI scheme: The Cabinet also approved the ‘Production Linked Incentive Scheme’ for encouraging domestic manufacturing of drug intermediaries.
    • SPI Scheme: In March 2022, under the Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI) Scheme, a total financial outlay of Rs. 500 crore (US$ 665.5 million) for the period FY 21-22 to FY 25-26 were announced.

    Various challenges

    • FDA mandate in US: The US accounts for more than a quarter of Indian pharmaceutical exports. Every medicine sold in the United States is subject to FDA monitoring and site visits by Indian businesses.
    • Hostile competition: There is stiff competition from firms in countries like China, Israel and Japan. Hostile and negative lobbying by the big players who frequently accuse Indian firms of violating patent laws.
    • Over-dependence on China: The industry is highly dependent on China for pharmaceutical raw materials. Indian drug-makers import around 70% of their total Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) / bulk drug requirements from China.
    • Hollowing out: India today is preferred low-cost producer and exporter of simpler off-patent formulations, the road taken is ‘hollowing out’ manufacturing in raw material: API.
    • Plagiarism: Fake versions of high value and/or high volume brands of the pharma companies are adversely affecting their business performance. It can also create a health hazard.
    • Domestic drug price control: The GoI’s Drug Price Control Order put excessive pressure on product pricing, affecting pharmaceutical companies’ profitability. Small businesses face a danger from the new MRP-based excise duty structure.
    • Low spending on R&D: India’s current public expenditure on R&D consistently remains low, at less than 1% of gross domestic product (GDP).  
    • Burden of new diseases: New diseases, curbing costs, medical infrastructure, and foreign regulations are some of the challenges being faced by the pharma industry.
    • Regulatory lacunae: Many states have an inadequate number of drug inspectors – sometimes even as high as 53% vacancies like in Karnataka. The CDSCO itself suffers from insufficient personnel with 22% vacancies.

    Major contribution of Pharma Sector: Medical Diplomacy

    • Medical diplomacy is the state’s use of essential medicines’ trade and medical personnel’s dispatch to affected countries to improve its international relations.
    • India’s vaccine diplomacy during the pandemic also reaped huge praises all across the world.
    • India has been supplying essential drugs like hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and paracetamol to different categories of countries ranging from USA, Russia, France and UK to African and Latin American countries like Zambia, Uganda, Niger, Kenya, Colombia and Uruguay.
    • In the neighborhood, the drugs are being supplied to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
    • While some of these countries received the drugs on a commercial basis, others received it as grants from India.

    Way forward

    • Harnessing global value-chain: Besides the volume share, India now needs to capture value share as well.  
    • R&D boost: India will need to make exponential investments in R&D, manufacturing and digital transformations to become a global pharmaceutical innovation hub.
    • Incentivization: The government needs to urgently explore mechanisms to incentivize investment in R&D and evaluate various funding mechanisms that can help co-research.
    • Focus on API: This is also an opportunity to bring a much larger proportion of manufacturing of APIs back into India, so that the country is not dependent on imports of critical inputs.
    • Rational drug pricing: India needs to rationalize drug price control. Pharma companies must not be loaded with the cost public health.

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  • How Hyderabad became a part of India?

    The Government of India began its year-long celebrations for the ‘Telangana Liberation Day’ on September 17, marking how on the same day in 1948, the state of Hyderabad got its independence from Nizam’s rule, as said in a press release.

    Why in news?

    • From 1911 to 1948, Nizam Mir Usman Ali, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, ruled the state composed of Telangana and parts of present-day Karnataka and Maharashtra (Marathwada).
    • While these states mark the Liberation Day officially, Telangana has never done so.

    Hyderabad’s accession into India: A backgrounder

    (1) Reluctance of Nizam

    • At the time of India’s independence, British India was a mix of independent kingdoms and provinces that were given the options of joining India, Pakistan, or remaining independent.
    • One among those who took a long time to make a decision was the Nizam of Hyderabad.
    • Believed to be one of the richest people in the world at the time, the Nizam was not ready to let go of his kingdom.

    (2) Sufferings for the people

    • Meanwhile, the majority population of Hyderabad state was far from enjoying the same kind of wealth as the Nizam did.
    • The feudal nature of the state at the time caused the peasant population to suffer high taxes, indignities of forced labour, and various other kinds of exploitation at the hands of powerful landlords.

    (3) Lingual friction

    • There was also a demand by the Andhra Jan Sangham for Telugu to be given primacy over Urdu.
    • By the mid-1930s, apart from a reduction in land revenue rates and the abolition of forced labour, introducing Telugu in local courts became another important issue.

    (4) Mass movement

    • Soon after the organisation became the Andhra Mahasabha (AMS), and Communists became associated with it.
    • Together, the two groups built a peasant movement against the Nizam that found local support.

    Who were the Razakars and the Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen?

    • By October 1946, the Nizam banned the AMS.
    • A close aide of the Nizam, Qasim Razvi, leader of the Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, became closely involved in securing the Nizam’s position.
    • The Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen was a political outfit that sought a greater role for Muslims in the early 20th century, but after Razvi took over the organisation, it became extremist in its ideology.
    • It was under him that a militia of the ‘Razakars’ was formed to suppress the peasant and communist movement, launching a brutal attack.
    • Around this time, the Standstill Agreement was also signed between the Nizam and the Indian government in November 1947, declaring a status quo.
    • This meant that until November 1948, the Nizam could let things be as they were and not finalise a decision as negotiations with the Indian union continued.

    How did the situation escalate to military action?

    • In the first half of 1948, tensions grew as the razakar leaders and the government in Hyderabad began to speak of war with India and began border raids with Madras and Bombay Presidencies.
    • As a response, India stationed troops around Hyderabad and began to ready itself for military intervention.

    India commences Operation Polo

    • With the Nizam importing more arms and the violence of the Razakars approaching dangerous proportions, India officially launched ‘Operation Polo’ on September 9 and deployed its troops in Hyderabad four days later.
    • On September 17, three days after the deployment, the Nizam surrendered and acceded to the Indian Union in November.
    • India has decided to be generous and not punish the Nizam.
    • He was retained as the official ruler of the state and given a privy purse of five million rupees.

    The legacy of Operation Polo

    • It has also been said that the army’s march into Hyderabad did not just target the razakars and the radical extremist forces.
    • A four-member goodwill mission led by Pandit Sunderlal was constituted by the then Prime Minister.
    • At the request of then PM Nehru, a month was spent in Hyderabad in November 1948 where evidence was gathered and at the end, a report was filed.
    • Estimated thousands of people died in communal violence during the military action.

    Why debate now?

    • The debate about whether the day of independence was about integration into the Indian union after months of negotiations, or liberation from an autocratic monarch has continued.
    • Hyderabad’s history continues to affect today’s politics.
    • After Qasim Rizvi left India for Pakistan, the organisation was handed over to Abdul Wahed Owaisi, the grandfather of a present day Parliamentarian.
    • And communal-sectarian politics is storming up the city of Hyderabad leading to religious tensions.

     

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  • (Download) UPSC Mains 2022: GS-4 Ethics question paper PDF | Almost 90% of Questions in GS-4 directly from CD’s test series & Smash Ethics Program

    (Download) UPSC Mains 2022: GS-4 Ethics question paper PDF | Almost 90% of Questions in GS-4 directly from CD’s test series & Smash Ethics Program

    UPSC Mains 2022 GS-4, Ethics paper is just over and our preliminary analysis reveals that almost 90% of questions were from CivilsDaily’s Mains test series and Samachar Manthan.

    It takes sweat, dual-sided determination, and the hard work of both mentors and students. Doing the best in 2021 puts them in the best place for 2022. 

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    Yes, 90% of Questions have directly come from Our Test Series & Smash Ethics Program

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    Download Essay Question Paper:- UPSC-CSE Mains 2022

    (Download) UPSC Mains 2022: GS-1 question paper PDF | 85% of Questions in GS-1 directly from CD’s test series & Samachar Manthan

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    Civilsdaily will be conducting 2 days mega session dissecting UPSC GS Mains 2022 papers I-IV with Sajal sir and Sukanya ma’am. We will be discussing roadmap and strategy for UPSC 2023 aspirants.

    They will be discussing how our Mains Test Series + Samachar Manthan + Smash Ethics helped students to write better answer in 2022 mains. Because almost 90% of questions have been asked in the question papers simultaneously.

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