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  • Indus Water Treaty turns 60

    September 19 this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan.

    Tap to read more about Indus River System:

    Drainage System | Part 3

    Indus Waters Treaty, 1960

    • The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank signed in Karachi in 1960.
    • According to this agreement, control over the water flowing in three “eastern” rivers of India — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej was given to India
    • The control over the water flowing in three “western” rivers of India — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum was given to Pakistan
    • The treaty allowed India to use western rivers water for limited irrigation use and unrestricted use for power generation, domestic, industrial and non-consumptive uses such as navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc. while laying down precise regulations for India to build projects
    • India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through the run of the river (RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation is unrestricted.

    Based on equitable water-sharing

    • Back in time, partitioning the Indus rivers system was inevitable after the Partition of India in 1947.
    • The sharing formula devised after prolonged negotiations sliced the Indus system into two halves.
    • Equitable it may have seemed, but the fact remained that India conceded 80.52 per cent of the aggregate water flows in the Indus system to Pakistan.
    • It also gave Rs 83 crore in pounds sterling to Pakistan to help build replacement canals from the western rivers. Such generosity is unusual of an upper riparian.
    • India conceded its upper riparian position on the western rivers for the complete rights on the eastern rivers. Water was critical for India’s development plans.

    India plays resilient

    • That the treaty has remained “uninterrupted” is because India respects its signatory and values trans-boundary Rivers as an important connector in the region in terms of both diplomacy and economic prosperity.
    • There have been several instances of terror attacks which could have prompted India, within the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, to withdraw from the IWT.
    • However, on each occasion, India chose not to do so.

    Significance of the treaty

    • It is a treaty that is often cited as an example of the possibilities of peaceful coexistence that exist despite the troubled relationship.
    • Well-wishers of the treaty often dub it “uninterrupted and uninterruptible”.
    • The World Bank, which, as the third party, played a pivotal role in crafting the IWT, continues to take particular pride that the treaty functions.

    Need for a rethink

    • The role of India, as a responsible upper riparian abiding by the provisions of the treaty, has been remarkable.
    • However, of late, India is under pressure to rethink the extent to which it can remain committed to the provisions, as its overall political relations with Pakistan becomes intractable.

  • CAROTAR 2020 Rules

    The Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 (CAROTAR, 2020) shall come into force from September 21.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.In the context of the affairs of which of the following is the phrase “Special Safeguard Mechanisms” mentioned in the news frequently?

    (a) United Nations Environment Programme

    (b) World Trade Organization

    (c) ASEAN- India Free Trade Agreement

    (d) G-20 Summits

    CAROTAR rules

    • Importers will have to do their due diligence to ensure that imported goods meet the prescribed ‘rules of origin’ provisions.
    • This is the essential availing concessional rate of customs duty under free trade agreements (FTAs).
    • A list of minimum information, which the importer is required to possess, has also been provided in the rules along with general guidance.
    • Also, an importer would now have to enter certain origin related information in the Bill of Entry, as available in the Certificate of Origin.

    Why need CAROTAR?

    • CAROTAR 2020 supplements the existing operational certification procedures prescribed under different trade agreements.
    • India has inked FTAs with several countries, including Japan, South Korea and ASEAN members.
    • Under such agreements, two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate import/customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them.
    • The new rules will assist customs authorities in the smooth clearance of legitimate imports under FTAs.

    Its significance

    • The ASEAN FTA allows imports of most items at nil or concessional basic customs duty from the 10-nation bloc.
    • Major imports to India come from five ASEAN countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
    • The benefit of concessional customs duty rate applies only if an ASEAN member country is the country of origin of goods.
    • This means that goods originating from China and routed through these countries will not be eligible for customs duty concessions under the ASEAN FTA.

  • [pib] “Blue Flag” Certification

    The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has announced the first time eight beaches of India are recommended for the coveted International eco-label, the Blue flag certification.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. At one of the places in India, if you stand on the seashore and watch the sea, you will find that the seawater recedes from the shoreline a few kilometers and comes back to the shore, twice a day, and you can actually walk on the seafloor when the water recedes. This unique phenomenon is seen at:

    (a) Bhavnagar

    (b) Bheemunipatnam

    (c) Chandipur

    (d) Nagapattinam

    Which are the eight beaches?

    The eight beaches are Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Daman & Diu, Kasargod and Padubidri beach in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden beach of Odisha and Radhanagar beach in Andaman and Nicobar.

    About Blue Flag Certification

    • This Certification is accorded by an international agency “Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark” based on 33 stringent criteria in four major heads i.e.
    1. Environmental Education and Information,
    2. Bathing Water Quality,
    3. Environment Management and Conservation and
    4. Safety and Services on the beaches.
    • It started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987, and in areas outside Europe since 2001 when South Africa joined.
    • Japan and South Korea are the only countries in South and southeastern Asia to have Blue Flag beaches.
    • Spain tops the list with 566 such beaches; Greece and France follow with 515 and 395, respectively.

  • [Burning Issue] Quashing of the Question Hour

    In view of the pandemic and a truncated Monsoon Session, Parliament has said no to Question Hour and curtailed Zero Hour. The opposition MPs have criticised the move, saying they will lose the right to question the government. A look at what happens in the two Houses during Question Hour and Zero Hour:

    What is Question Hour?

    • It is during this one hour that Members of Parliament ask questions of ministers and hold them accountable for the functioning of their ministries.
    • The questions that MPs ask are designed to elicit information and trigger suitable action by ministries.

    And what is Zero Hour?

    • While Question Hour is strictly regulated, Zero Hour is an Indian parliamentary innovation.  The phrase does not find mention in the rules of procedure.
    • The concept of Zero Hour started organically in the first decade of Indian Parliament, when MPs felt the need for raising important constituency and national issues.
    • During the initial days, Parliament used to break for lunch at 1 pm. Therefore, the opportunity for MPs to raise national issues without an advance notice became available at 12 pm and could last for an hour until the House adjourned for lunch.
    • This led to the hour being popularly referred to as Zero Hour and the issues being raised during this time as Zero Hour submissions.

    A historical backgrounder

    • The right to question the executive has been exercised by members of the House from the colonial period.
    • The first Legislative Council in British India under the Charter Act, 1853, showed some degree of independence by giving members the power to ask questions to the executive.
    • Later, the Indian Council Act of 1861 allowed members to elicit information by means of questions.
    • However, it was the Indian Council Act, 1892, which formulated the rules for asking questions including short notice questions.
    • The next stage of the development of procedures related to questions came up with the framing of rules under the Indian Council Act, 1909, which incorporated provisions for asking supplementary questions by members.
    • The Montague-Chelmsford reforms brought forth a significant change in 1919 by incorporating a rule that the first hour of every meeting was earmarked for questions. Parliament has continued this tradition.

    How is Question Hour regulated?

    • Parliament has comprehensive rules for dealing with every aspect of Question Hour.
    • And the presiding officers of the two houses are the final authority with respect to the conduct of Question Hour.
    • For example, usually Question Hour is the first hour of a parliamentary sitting.

    What kinds of questions are asked?

    • Parliamentary rules provide guidelines on the kind of questions that can be asked by MPs.
    • Questions have to be limited to 150 words. They have to be precise and not too general.
    • The question should also be related to an area of responsibility of the Government of India. Questions should not seek information about matters that are secret or are under adjudication before courts.
    • It is the presiding officers of the two Houses who finally decide whether a question raised by an MP will be admitted for answering by the government.

    How frequently is Question Hour held?

    • The process of asking and answering questions starts with identifying the days on which Question Hour will be held.
    • At the beginning of Parliament in 1952, Lok Sabha rules provided for Question Hour to be held every day. Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, had a provision for Question Hour for two days a week.
    • A few months later, this was changed to four days a week. Then from 1964, Question Hour was taking place in Rajya Sabha on every day of the session.

    How does Parliament manage to get so many questions answered?

    • To streamline the answering of questions raised by MPs, the ministries are put into five groups.
    • Each group answers questions on the day allocated to it. For example, in the last session, on Thursday the Ministries of Civil Aviation, Labour, Housing, and Youth Affairs and Sports were answering questions posed by Lok Sabha MPs.
    • This grouping of ministries is different for the two Houses so that ministers can be present in one house to answer questions.
    • MPs can specify whether they want an oral or written response to their questions. They can put an asterisk against their question signifying that they want the minister to answer that question on the floor.
    • These are referred to as starred questions. After the minister’s response, the MP who asked the question and other MPs can also ask a follow-up question.
    • Seasoned parliamentarians choose to ask an oral question when the answer to the question will put the government in an uncomfortable position.

    How do ministers prepare their answers?

    • Ministries receive the questions 15 days in advance so that they can prepare their ministers for Question Hour.
    • They also have to prepare for sharp follow-up questions they can expect to be asked in the House.
    • Government’s officers are close at hand in a gallery so that they can pass notes or relevant documents to support the minister in answering a question.
    • When MPs are trying to gather data and information about government functioning, they prefer the responses to such queries in writing.
    • These questions are referred to as unstarred questions. The responses to these questions are placed on the table of Parliament.

    Are the questions only for ministers?

    • MPs usually ask questions to hold ministers accountable. But the rules also provide them with a mechanism for asking their colleagues a question.
    • Such a question should be limited to the role of an MP relating to a Bill or a resolution being piloted by them or any other matter connected with the functioning of the House for which they are responsible.
    • If the presiding officer allows, MPs can also ask a question to a minister at a notice period shorter than 15 days.

    Have there been previous sessions without Question Hour?

    • Parliamentary records show that during the Chinese aggression in 1962, the Winter Session was advanced.
    • The sitting of the House started at 12 pm and there was no Question Hour held. Before the session, changes were made limiting the number of questions.
    • Thereafter, following an agreement between the ruling and the Opposition parties, it was decided to suspend Question Hour.

    Why did the government cancel the Question Hour?

    • The delay in holding the monsoon session due to consistent lockdowns has halted the passing of several bills and financial grants due to budgetary overlays.
    • The limited consultation with Opposition leaders, the dismissive approach to Question Hour without bearing better fruits is one of the decisive factors for the termination of this session.
    • The continued practice of pushing forward bills without committee scrutiny and the use of ordinances for issues that are not emergencies that require executive action all add to this impression.

    Why is the Question Hour necessary?

    • The Question Hour has deepened the parliamentary accountability of government.
    • The Government is put on its trial during the Question Hour and every Minister whose turn it is to answer questions has to stand up and answer for his or his administration’s acts of omission and commission.
    • Through the Question Hour the Government is able to quickly feel the pulse of the nation and adapt its policies and actions accordingly.
    • It is through questions in the Parliament that the Government remains in touch with the people in as much as members are enabled thereby to ventilate the grievances of the public in matters concerning the administration.
    • Questions enable Ministries to gauge the popular reaction to their policy and administration.
    • Questions bring to the notice of the Ministers many loopholes which otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
    • Sometimes questions may lead to the appointment of a Commission, a Court of Inquiry or even Legislation when matters raised by Members are grave enough to agitate the public mind and are of wide public importance.

    Though not enough productive

    • The Rajya Sabha’s research wing has pulled out statistics from the last five years which reveal that nearly 60% of the time allotted for the hour has been lost due to disruptions.
    • Between 2015-19, Rajya Sabha held a total of 332 sittings.
    • Out of the 332 hours available for Question Hour (one hour per sitting), only 133 hours and 17 minutes were spent raising questions and obtaining oral replies from the concerned Ministers.

    Criticisms of the move

    • The move to hold parliament session with question hour seems to be guided by the view that Parliament is a forum transaction of government business.
    • The latest move downplays Parliament’s role as a platform for the people’s representatives to ask questions and the Opposition to hold the government to account.
    • Importance of zero hour and question has become very crucial at this juncture, as in in the name of controlling the Covid pandemic, the executive is appropriating more powers, So many guidelines, rules and regulations have been issued without the sanction of Parliament.
    • There has been greater tendency on the part of the Government to short circuit debate and deliberation.

    Way forward

    • One can imagine innumerable ways in which proceedings in Parliament could be modified to reduce the necessity to touch surfaces and to maintain social distance.
    • The pressing need is for the parliamentarians and the ministers to re-configure themselves.
    • One of the recommendations made by Justice Chagla was that “in a parliamentary form of Government, Parliament should be taken into confidence by the Minister at every stage, and all the relevant materials must be placed before it.”
    • Hence there can be no way ahead without holding the very instruments of democratic functioning.

    Conclusion

    • Asking questions is the very essence of democracy.  National parliaments do not dispense with questions even at the time of war.
    • Democracy is judged by the debate it encourages and sustains. The government in a democracy performs to honour its manifesto and the Opposition questions to underscore its own.
    • The questions are asked from civil society platforms, the mass media, community gatherings and ultimately within the highest temple of democracy, the legislature itself.
    • If questions are disallowed in Parliament, many more will be asked outside it. If the questions can lead to greater unity of national purpose, the government will do itself and the nation a great injustice by attempting to stifle them.
    • Cancelling Question Hour erodes constitutional mandate of parliamentary oversight over executive action. However, it is a test of time which will prove the efficacy of this decision in the coming future.

    References

    https://www.prsindia.org/media/articles-by-prs-team/expert-explains-what-are-question-hour-and-zero-hour-and-why-they-matter

    https://www.bloombergquint.com/opinion/what-a-parliament-session-without-question-hour-would-mean

    https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/60-of-question-hour-lost-due-to-disruptions/article32515906.ece

    https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/parliament-session-coronavirus-question-hour-6582129/
    https://www.livelaw.in/columns/importance-of-question-hour-in-a-parliamentary-democracy-162728

  • 18th Sep 2020 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 523]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 522]

  • Social media and dilemmas associated with it

    Internet has transformed our life like no other technologies. However, it has created several problems as well. The article analyses such issues.

    Examining the role of social media

    • The first reason for the examination of role is the impending US presidential election.
    • Ghosts of Cambridge Analytica, are returning to haunt us again.
    • The second reason is the COVID pandemic.
    • Social media has emerged as a force for good, with effective communication and lockdown entertainment, but also for evil, being used effectively by anti-vaxxers and the #Unmask movement to proselytize their dangerous agenda.

    Understanding the problems associated with social media

    • The big problem with social networks is their business model.
    • The internet was created as a distributed set of computers communicating with one another, and sharing the load of managing the network.
    • This was Web 1.0, and it worked very well. But it had one big problem—there was no way to make money off it.
    •  The internet got monetized, Web 2.0 was born.
    • Come 2020, search and social media advertising has crossed $200 billion, rocketing past print at $65 billion, and TV at $180 billion.
    • This business model has led to a “winner-takes-all” industry structure, creating natural monopolies and centralizing the once-decentralized internet.
    • The emergence of Web 3.0, a revolution that promises to return the internet to users.

    Way forward

    • One principle of the new model is to allow users explicit control of their data, an initiative aided by Europe-like data protection regulation.
    • Another is to grant creators of content—artists, musicians, photographers, —a portion of revenues, instead of platforms taking it all (or most).
    • The technologies that Web 3.0 leverages are newer ones, like blockchains, which are inherently decentralized.
    • They have technology protection against the accumulation of power and data in the hands of a few.
    • Digital currencies enabled by these technologies offer a business model of users paying for services and content with micro-transactions, as an alternative to advertiser-pays.

    Conclusion

    The path to success for these new kinds of democratic networks will be arduous. But a revolution has begun, and it is our revulsion of current models that could relieve us of our social dilemmas.

  • Expected questions – IAS 2020 prelims by Zeeshan sir | Ethics session by Sukanya ma’am (7:30pm)| Join Habitat session. (Links inside)

    Sukanya ma’am – 7:30 pm in Ethics group; Zeeshan sir – 8:00 pm in General group, Ishika ma’am – 9:30 pm

    Click here for Nikaalo Prelims 2020 FLT and here for Ethics Masterclass 2021

    Dear students,

    Three sessions you don’t want to miss on Habitat today.

    1. Sukanya ma’am – Ethics session from 7:30 pm. (click here for Ethics group).
    2. Zeeshan sir – Expected questions for the UPSC 2020 prelims exam. You don’t want to miss out on these most important questions.
    3. Ishika ma’am – Prelims 2020 revision session. (After Zeeshan sir’s session)

    Venue: Civilsdaily’s Habitat

    Instructions for joining Habitat at the bottom.

    Join Civilsdaily’s Habitat (Click here)

    Are you ready for Nikaalo Prelims second full syllabus FLT. These are the last tests you should be giving before your actual prelims.

    Click here to attempt Nikaalo Prelims FLT

    INSTRUCTIONS

    If you are already on Habitat, you don’t need to register again. Discussion by Zeeshan sir and Ishika ma’am will take place in General group. There is a separate Ethics group for discussion by Sukanya ma’am. See you at 7:30 pm today. Others follow these steps:

    1. Click on the link provided above.
    2. Choose Web Application. (Mandatory)
    3. Enter your details. Click on ‘Register a new account’.
    4. Choose a username.
    5. That is it. Welcome to Habitat.

    For access through Mobile app:

    1. Install the Mobile application (click here) from your Appstore.
    2. Click on Join a Workspace.
    3. Enter this in the Workspace URL – habitat.civilsdaily.com
    4. Use the same email id and password as you used above.

    Should you encounter any issue in this process or you have a query, reach out to us at +91 89299 87787 or hello@civilsdaily.com

  • Power, problems and potential of federalism

    The article analyses the issues of distribution of powers under the Constitution and the issues linked with it.

    Debate on the role of Centre and states

    • There is an argument for the need to re-examine the distribution of powers under the Seventh Schedule so as to rationalise the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs).
    • Under the Centrally Sponsored SchemesCentre extends support in sectors pertaining to the State List.
    • Spending by the Centre on a state subject like health and need for states’ contribute to a Union subject like defence is considered.
    • However, the constitutional assignments between the Centre and subnational governments in federations, are done broadly on the basis of their respective comparative advantage.
    • That is why the provision of national public goods is in the federal domain and those with the state-level public service span are assigned to the states.

    3 settled issues in the debate

    • The debate seems to have settled on at least three counts.
    • One, the federal organisation of powers can be revisited and reframed.
    • Two, the CSSs must continue but they should be restructured.
    • Three, there is a need for an appropriate forum to discuss the complex and contentious issue of reviewing federal organisation of powers and restructuring of central transfers.

    Review of the subjects in lists

    • In spite of health being a state subject, the response to collective threats linked to the subject required some kind of organisation of federal responsibilities on a functional basis.
    • A typical response is to recommend shifting subjects to the Concurrent List to enable an active role for the Centre.
    • The High-Level Group, constituted by the 15th Finance Commission, recommended shifting health from the State to the Concurrent List.
    • A similar recommendation was made earlier by the Ashok Chawla Committee for water.

    Challenges

    • Shifting of subjects from the State to Concurrent List in times of acute sub-nationalism, deep territorialisation and competitive federalism is going to be challenging.

    Way forward

    • The most collective threats and the challenges of coping with emerging risks of sustainability are linked to either the State List subjects or require actions by states — water, agriculture, biodiversity, pollution, climate change.
    • This extended role of ensuring security against threats to sustainability of resources forms a new layer of considerations.
    • This should define the contours of a coordinated response between the Centre and States — as it happened during the pandemic.
    • In fact, such threats and challenges require the states to play a dominant role.
    • At the same time, the Centre must expand its role beyond the mitigation of inter-state externalities and address the challenges of security and sustainability.

    Consider the question “The federal organisation of powers under the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule needs review. In light of this, examine the problems faced by the distribution and suggest the challenge the review would face.”

    Conclusion

    The ongoing friction between the Centre and the states over GST reforms tells us that consensus-building is not a one-time exercise. It has to allow sustained dialogue and deliberation. Perhaps it is time to revisit the proposal for an elevated and empowered Inter-State Council.

  • CSAT discussion on Habitat for IAS pre-2020 | Maths and Reasoning today, 6 pm (Link inside)

    Attempt Nikaalo Prelims 2020 CSAT tests here

    Dear students

    We’ll be having CSAT discussion and doubt resolution sessions on Habitat from today.

    Today’s topics: Logical reasoning and Basic Maths

    Time: 6 pm

    Venue: Civilsdaily’s Habitat (Click here for the link – instructions below)

    Should you be worried about CSAT? Even though CSAT is qualifying in nature you can’t ignore it. There have been students who were scoring exceptionally well in GS paper 1 but failed to clear 33% mark in CSAT.

    The primary reason for this is the lack of practice and conceptual clarity. Moreover, there is a pattern in the CSAT paper that could be deciphered and utilized to qualify this paper comfortably.

    We’ll help you all in this.

    Click here for Nikaalo Prelims 2020 FLTs

    INSTRUCTIONS

    If you are already on Habitat, you don’t need to register again. Discussions will take place in the General group. See you at 5:00 pm. Others follow these steps:

    1. Click on the link provided above.
    2. Choose Web Application. (Mandatory)
    3. Enter your details. Click on ‘Register a new account’.
    4. Choose a username.
    5. That is it. Welcome to Habitat.

    For access through Mobile app:

    1. Install the Mobile application (click here) from your Appstore.
    2. Click on Join a Workspace.
    3. Enter this in the Workspace URL – habitat.civilsdaily.com
    4. Use the same email id and password as you used above.

    Should you encounter any issue in this process or you have a query, reach out to us at +91 89299 87787 or hello@civilsdaily.com

  • India must reject the inequitable climate proposal

    The article takes stock of India’s climate action and the issue of phasing out the use of coal.

    Context

    • The UN Secretary-General called on India to give up coal immediately and reduce emissions by 45% by 2030.

    State of India’s climate action

    • India’s renewable energy programme is ambitious and its energy efficiency programme is delivering, especially in the domestic consumption sector.
    • India is one of the few countries with at least 2° Celsius warming compliant climate action.
    • India is also among one of smaller list of countries on track to fulfilling their Paris Agreement commitments.
    • India’s annual emissions, at 0.5 tonnes per capita, are well below the global average of 1.3 tonnes.
    • In terms of cumulative emissions, India’s contribution by 2017 was only 4% for a population of 1.3 billion.

    How West is performing?

    • While talking about their phasing out of coal, the global North has obscured the reality of its continued dependence on oil and natural gas, both equally fossil fuels, with no timeline for their phaseout.
    • While it is amply clear that their commitments into the future set the world on a path for almost 3°C warming, they have diverted attention by fuzzy talk of “carbon neutrality” by 2050.
    • Environmentalists in developed countries, unable to summon up the domestic political support have turned to pressure the developing countries.
    • All of these are accompanied by increasing appeals to multilateral or First World financial and development institutions to force this agenda on to developing countries.

    Implications of ending coal investment for India

    •  Currently, roughly 2 GW of coal-based generation is being decommissioned per year.
    •  But meeting the 2030 electricity consumption target of 1,580 to 1,660 units per person per year, will require anywhere between 650 GW to 750 GW of renewable energy.
    • Unlike the developed nations, India cannot substitute coal substantially by oil and gas and despite some wind potential, a huge part of this growth needs to come from solar.
    • However, renewables at best can meet residential consumption and some part of the demand from the service sector.
    • Currently, manufacturing growth powered by fossil fuel-based energy is itself a necessity.

    Conclusion

    India must unanimously reject the UN Secretary General’s call and reiterate its long-standing commitment to an equitable response to the challenge of global warming.

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