💥UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (April Batch) + Access XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Search results for: “”

  • Understanding text and context of National Education Policy

    The article critically examines the various aspects of the National Education Policy 2020 and the issue of flexibility and exams has been analysed closely.

    Context of scepticism

    • The New Education Policy is a forward-looking framework for transforming Indian education.
    • But the past record on implementation of polity raises the concern that the New Education Policy should not turn out to be just “another document”.
    • Also, the emphasis in the document on critical thinking and free inquiry is entirely well placed.
    • But universities are being intimidated into political and cultural conformity.
    • The document lays down objectives; the strategy has yet to come.

    Walking the tightrope

    • On the language issue it prefers the long-standing recommendation of primary education in the mother tongue.
    • But does not categorically recommend curb English.
    • On the basic architecture of delivery, policy does not show an inclination towards public or private education both in school and higher education.

    School education: Most promising part

    • The policy focus on early child development, learning outcomes, different forms of assessment, holistic education, and,  recognises the centrality of teacher and teacher education.
    • The document recognises that “the very highest priority of the education system will be to achieve universal foundational numeracy and literacy.”
    • The suggestions for school education are ambitious, centred on the students, cater to their pedagogical diversity, and take on board the world of knowledge as it is now emerging.

    Multidisciplinary education

    • The document mentions the word multidisciplinary a bit too much, without explicating what it means.
    • One way of thinking about this is not in terms of multiple subjects.
    • It is reorienting education from disciplinary content to modes of inquiry that allow students to access a wide variety of disciplines.

    Two concerns

    1) Flexibility issue

    • Under the policy, students might need different exit options.
    • But it is unclear if the diploma or early exit options all be made available within a single institution, or different institutions.
    • If it is within single institutions, this will be a disaster.
    • Because structuring a curriculum for a classroom that has both one-year diploma and four-year degree students takes away from the identity of the institution.
    • There is also a risk that without adequate financial support, the exercising of exit options will be determined by the financial circumstances of the student.
    • The flexibility offered through multidisciplinary education is against the principle that different institutions have a different characters and strengths.
    • A healthy education system will comprise of a diversity of institutions, not a forced multi-disciplinarity.

    2) Issue of exams conundrum

    • The document rightly emphasises that focus needs to shift from exams to learning. But it contradicts itself.
    • Exams are burdon because of competition and cost in terms of opportunities.
    • So the answer to the exam conundrum lies in the structure of opportunity.
    • This will require a less unequal society both in terms of access to quality institutions.
    • Exams are also necessary because in a low trust system people want objective measures of commensuration.
    • So the policy reintroduces exams back into the picture by recommending a national aptitude test.
    • But the idea that this will reduce coaching is wishful thinking, as all the evidence from the US and China is showing.

    Consider the question “The National Education Policy 2020 moves away from rigidity and offers flexibility in many ways. In light of this examine the flexible dimensions offered in the policy and issues with it.”

    Conclusion

    The policy is commendable for focussing on the right questions. But the hope is that with this our education policy can be transformed into a treat, not another trick.

  • Issues metropolitan cities face

    Metropolitan cities of India suffers from various issues. This article analyses such issues and suggests some steps to deal with them.

    Inadequate public health infrastructure

    • India’s public health expenditure in 2018 was a mere 1.28% of GDP.
    • According to the World Bank, India’s out-of-pocket health expenditure was 62.4% in 2017, against the world average of 18.2%.
    • Manpower in the health sector is low with India’s doctor-population ratio being 1:1,457  against WHO norm of 1:1,000.

    Governance issues

    • Factors underlying city governance include spatial planning, municipal capacities, empowered mayors and councils and inter-agency coordination, and ward-level citizen participation.
    • Twenty-seven after the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, these reform agendas continue to be slow in implementation.
    • India’s metropolitan cities have weak capacities in finance and staffing.
    • Bengaluru’s average percentage of own revenue to total expenditure is 47.9%, Chennai 30.5%, Mumbai 36.1% and Kolkata at 48.4%.
    • According to ASICS 2017, Mumbai has the highest number of officers per lakh population at 938 in the country.
    • Yet it is abysmally low compared to global cities such as Johannesburg with 2,922 and New York with 5,446 officers per lakh population

    Limited powers of mayors

    • The leaders steering India’s metropolitan cities are toothless.
    • No big metropolitan cities with 10 million-plus population has a directly-elected Mayor.
    • Mumbai’s Mayor has a tenure of 2.5 years, Delhi and Bengaluru, a mere one year.
    • Mayors do not have full decision-making authority over critical functions of planning, housing, water, environment, fire and emergency services in most cases.
    • Our metropolitan cities are far from being local self-governments.
    • Parastatal agencies for planning, water and public transport report directly to State governments.
    • The State government also largely controls public works and police.
    • Globally, metropolitan cities are steered by a directly-elected leader.
    • Evolved examples include the Tokyo metropolitan government and recent experimental models such as combined authorities in the United Kingdom and Australia.

    Suggestions

    • India needs home-grown solutions suited to its context and political realities while imbibing lessons on institutional design from global examples.
    • It is time the Central and State governments lead efforts towards a metropolitan governance paradigm.
    • The first steps should include empowered Mayors with five-year tenure, decentralised ward level governance, and inter-agency coordination anchored by the city government.

    Lack of transparency, accountability and citizen participation

    • Transparent cities with institutional platforms encouraging citizen participation improve urban democracy.
    • No metropolitan has functional ward committees and area sabhas.
    • An absence of citizen participation is worsened by poor transparency in finance and operations.
    • As per ASICS 2017, India’s big metropolitan cities on average score 3.04/10 in transparency, accountability and participation.

    Significance of smaller cities

    • A World Bank report notes that despite the emergence of smaller towns, the underlying character of India’s urbanisation is “metropolitan”.
    • Under this metropolitan character, new towns emerge around existing large cities.
    • According to a McKinsey report, in 2012, 54 metropolitan cities and their hinterlands accounted for 40% of India’s GDP.
    • The report also estimates that by 2025, 69 metropolitan cities, combined with their hinterlands, will generate over half of India’s incremental GDP between 2012 and 2025.
    • Despite this, India is yet to begin an active discourse on cohesive metropolitan governance frameworks.
    •  Studies by the Centre for Policy Research point that India’s spatial feature exhibits the growth of small towns beyond the economics of large agglomerations.
    • This indicates that while India’s urban vision should focus on its metropolitan cities to reap the benefit of scale, it shouldn’t ignore smaller cities.

    Consider the question “Examine the issues in the governance of metropolitan cities. To what extent the limited power of mayors contributes to the issues of the metropolitan cities in India?”

    Conclusion

    India should use the current pandemic as an opportunity to introspect and reform the way its metropolises are governed.

    Back2Basics: ASICS 2017

    • The Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS) 2017 evaluates quality of governance in cities, covering 23 major cities in India across 20 states based on 89 questions.
    • Indian cities scored between 3.0 and 5.1 on 10, with Pune topping the charts for the first time.
    • Other cities that came in the top five include Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhubaneswar and Surat, with scores in the range of 4.6 to 4.5.

  • Merger of political parties under Tenth schedule

    A political party is trying to win back its defected MLAs in Rajasthan. This has raised a new question- “Does the anti-defection law apply here?”

    Try this question for mains:

    Q.“Time and again, the courts have spoken out against the Governor acting in the capacity of an all-pervading super-constitutional authority.” Analyse.

    What does “merger” mean a/c to Tenth Schedule?

    • The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution prohibits defection to protect the stability of governments but does not prohibit mergers.
    • Paragraph 4(2) of the Tenth Schedule, dealing with mergers, says that only when two-thirds of the members agree to “merge” the party would they be exempt from disqualification.
    • The “merger” referred to in Paragraph 4(2) is seen as a legal fiction, where members are deemed to have merged for the purposes of being exempt from disqualification, rather than a merger in the true sense.

    The ‘merger’ Politics

    • The political party is arguing that a state unit of a national party cannot be merged without the party being merged at the national level.
    • However, the Tenth Schedule identifies this dichotomy between state units and national units.
    • As per Paragraph 4(2), “merger” of a party means merger of a legislative party of that House.
    • In this case, it would be the Rajasthan Legislative unit of the BSP and not the BSP at the national level.
    • Paragraph 1 of the Tenth Schedule which defines terms specified in the context of the anti-defection law states this clearly.
    • “Legislature Party” for the purposes of Paragraph 4 (which deals with mergers) means the group consisting of all the members of that House for the time being belonging to that political party in accordance with the said provisions.

    Role of Whip

    • Every legislative party identifies the party’s whip at the beginning of the Assembly’s term and conveys this to the Speaker.
    • A national leader’s direction cannot be considered a whip in the context of the anti-defection law.

    On what grounds is the case-based?

    • The contention is that the merger is illegal and unconstitutional because, for a national party, such merger has to take place at the national level.
    • Supporting this argument, there are two decisions of the Supreme Court: the 2006 Jagjit Singh v State of Haryana, and the 2007 ruling in Rajendra Singh Rana and Ors vs Swami Prasad Maurya.
    • In these cases, the SC ruled that the split cannot be recognised primarily because not all these MLAs split at once.
    • The key aspect is that these cases deal with splits where when one-third of the members of a legislative party split; they could not attract disqualification as per Paragraph 3 of the Tenth Schedule.

    Row over one-third

    • In 2003, through the 91st Constitutional Amendment, Paragraph 3 was deleted from the Tenth Schedule.
    • The amendment was made as the one-third split rule was grossly misused by parties to engineer divisions and indulge in horse-trading.
    • One-third was regarded as an easy target to achieve and the law now exempts defection only when it is at two-thirds (in a merger).

    Are there any such precedents?

    • In July 2019, 10 of the 15 one party’s MLAs in Goa joined the other taking the ruling party’s tally to 27 in the 40 member House.
    • Since they formed two-thirds of the strength of the legislative party unit, they are exempt from disqualification.
    • However, the Speaker’s decision not to disqualify them is under challenge before the Supreme Court.
    • Similarly in Telangana in 2016, two years after the 12 out of 15 of MLAs joined the ruling party.
    • The Speaker recognised the defection as a merger since more than two-thirds had moved.

  • Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste

    The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has unveiled a new platform to help accelerate the global reduction in food loss and waste.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2016:

    Q. The FAO accords the status of ‘Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)’ to traditional agricultural systems. What is the overall goal of this initiative?

    1. To provide modern technology, training in modern farming methods and financial support to local communities of identified GIAHS so as to greatly enhance their agricultural productivity.
    2. To identify and safeguard eco-friendly traditional farm practices and their associated landscapers, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems of the local communities.
    3. To provide Geographical Indication status to all the varieties of agricultural produce in such identified GIAHS.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below.

    (a) 1 and 3 only
    (b) 2 only
    (c) 2 and 3 only
    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    About the Platform

    • The Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste brings together information on measurement, reduction, policies, alliances, actions and examples of successful models applied to reduce food loss and waste across the globe.
    • The platform will contain information on measurement, reduction policies, alliances, actions and examples of successful models applied to reduce food loss and waste.
    • The platform will be officially launched on the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29 September 2020.

    How will it work?

    • The platform is as a gateway to information on food loss and waste from various resources, including the largest online collection of data on what food is lost and wasted.
    • Links to related portals from development partners are also provided.

    Why need such a portal?

    • Food loss and waste is a sign of food systems in distress. Nutritious foods are the most perishable, and hence, the most vulnerable to lose.
    • Not only food is being lost, but food safety and nutrition are being compromised as well.
    • At least 14 per cent of food is lost (food wastage and food loss together), valued at $400 billion annually.
    • In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the food that is lost is associated with around 1.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
    • Major losses are seen in roots tubers and oil-bearing crops (25 per cent), fruits and vegetables (22 per cent), and meat and animal products (12 per cent).
    • Reducing food loss and waste can bring about many benefits: more food available for the most vulnerable; a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; less pressure on land and water resources; and increased productivity and economic growth.

    Food loss vs food wastage

    • There is a difference between food wastage and food losses.
    • Food is wasted when it is discarded by consumers or is disposed of in retail due to its inability to meet quality standards.
    • Food loss, on the other hand, occurs when it is spoilt or spilt before reaching the final product or retail stage.
    • For example, dairy, meat, and fish can go bad in transit because of inadequate refrigerated transport and cold storage facilities.

    Back2Basics: Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

    Objective: Lead international efforts to defeat hunger

    Members: FAO has 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union

    Headquarters: Rome, Italy

    Year Founded: Established in 1945

  • Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)

    The CHRI has released a report on “Eradicating Modern Slavery: An assessment of Commonwealth government progress”.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2012:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. The Commonwealth has no charter, treaty or constitution
    2. All the territories/countries once under the British Empire (jurisdiction/rule/mandate) automatically joined the Commonwealth as its members

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    About the report

    The report was released on the occasion of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and an international anti-slavery organisation Walk Free.

    Highlights of the report

    • The report assessed the progress made by Commonwealth countries on the promises made in 2018 to end modern slavery by 2030 and achieve the SDGs of ending forced labour, human trafficking and child labour.
    • The report found that one-third of the Commonwealth countries had criminalised forced marriage, while 23 had not criminalised commercial sexual exploitation of children.
    • Commonwealth countries have made little progress towards their commitment to eradicate modern slavery by 2030.
    • One in every 150 people in the Commonwealth is living in conditions of modern slavery.
    • Out of 54 countries, only four engage with business to investigate supply chains, and all countries report gaps in victim assistance programs
    • None of the Asian countries in the group had implemented laws against forced labour in supply chains.

    India is the worst performer

    • India had fared the worst in terms of coordination with no national coordinating body or National Action Plan in place.
    • India, like all other Commonwealth countries in Asia, had not ratified the International Labour Organization’s 2011 Domestic Workers Convention or the 2014 Forced Labour Protocol.
    • The report said India accounted for one-third of all child brides in the world.
    • Despite being the largest country in the region, India has the weakest response on national coordination, with no national coordinating body or National Action Plan in place.

    Back2Basics: Commonwealth of Nations

    • The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire.
    • It dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonization of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories.
    • It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nation through the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, and formalized by the UK through the Statute of Westminster in 1931.
    • The current body was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which modernized the community, and established the member states as “free and equal”.
    • The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II, who is the Head of the Commonwealth.
    • The Queen is head of state of 16 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, while 32 other members are republics and five others have different monarchs.
    • Member has no legal obligations to one another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture and their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

    Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)

    • It is an independent, non-partisan & nonprofit international NGO which works towards the practical realization of human rights in the countries of the Commonwealth.
    • It was founded in 1987 and is headquartered at New Delhi.
    • CHRI’s objectives are to promote awareness and adherence to the Commonwealth’s Harare Declaration, to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to other internationally recognised human rights instruments.
    • The organisation specializes in transparency and accountability issues, with a focus on access to justice and access to information.
    • The organisation mainly works in South Asia, East Africa, and Ghana region.

  • What is a ‘Smog Tower’?

    In January this year, the Supreme Court has directed that two smog towers should be installed in the capital by April on a pilot project basis considering a proposal by the IIT-Bombay.

    Try this question from CS Mains 2015:

    Q.Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but the air pollution is much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?

    What is a ‘Smog Tower’?

    • A smog tower is a structure designed to work as a large-scale air purifier, fitted with multiple layers of filters which trap fine dust particles suspended in the air as it passes through them.
    • Air is drawn through fans installed at the top of the tower, passed through filters, and then released near the ground.
    • The large-scale filters expected to be installed in the towers in Delhi would use carbon nanofibres as a major component.
    • It would be fitted along the peripheries of the towers and the height would be 20 metres.

    How does it work?

    • The 20-metre (65 feet) high tower will trap particulate matter of all sizes suspended in the air.
    • Large-scale air filters shall draw in the air through fans installed at the top before passing it through the filters and releasing it near the ground.
    • The filters installed in the tower will use carbon nanofibres as a major component and will be fitted along its peripheries. The tower will focus on reducing particulate matter load.

    Has anyone else experimented with a smog tower?

    • Yes, smog towers have been experimented with in recent years in cities in the Netherlands, China, South Korea and Poland.
    • The first such tower was erected in 2015, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, created by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde.
    • The towers to be installed in Delhi are to be the result of a collaboration between the IITs at Mumbai and Delhi, and the University of Minnesota.

    Why New Delhi?

    • Air pollution in the national capital has been an issue of concern for quite some time as Delhi and its suburbs have ranked among the most polluted cities in the world frequently.
    • In 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Delhi the most polluted city in the world.
    • Pollution levels in Delhi increase dramatically during winter — on some days to nearly 10 times above the limits prescribed by WHO, posing a serious risk to vulnerable and also healthy populations.
    • This is large because sources of emissions — construction work, industrial and vehicular pollution — in and around the city remain more or less consistent.
    • The situation is aggravated at the start of winter by smoke from stubble-burning in northwestern states, coupled with unfavourable meteorological conditions, such as calm winds, low temperatures, and fewer sunny days.

    How effective are smog towers?

    • An estimate on air quality shows that a tower would reduce 50% of the particulate matter load in an area of 1 kilometre in the direction of the wind, as well as 200 metres each along the sides of the tower and against the direction of the wind.
    • In an open field in calm weather, it can reduce the particulate matter of 10 micrometres (PM10) up to 45%, and PM2.5 levels up to 25% in an area of 20 metres around the tower, as per details on the ENS Clean Air website.

  • What is Black Rain?

    Ahead of the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima, a Japanese court has recognised 84 survivors of the post-nuclear explosion “black rain” as the atomic bomb survivors. This would enable them to avail free medical benefits.

    Try this question from CSP 2011:

    Q.Acid rain is caused by the pollution of the environment by:

    (a) Carbon dioxide and nitrogen

    (b) Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide

    (c) Ozone and carbon dioxide

    (d) Nitrous oxide and Sulphur dioxide

    What is Black Rain?

    • An estimated 69 per cent of the buildings in Hiroshima were destroyed by the atomic bomb.
    • The debris and soot from this, mixed with the radioactive fallout from the bomb, raised high into the atmosphere in the form of a mushroom cloud.
    • This material combined with the vapour in the atmosphere and came down as dark drops of liquid that have been called black rain.
    • Survivors of the black rain described it as consisting of large, greasy drops that are much heavier than normal raindrops.
    • It is full of highly radioactive material, and studies have shown that exposure to it can result in serious illnesses.

    What was its effect?

    • A study conducted in the year 1945 itself showed that black rain had come down as far as 29 km away from ground zero.
    • The rain contaminated everything it came in contact with, and dead fish were reported floating in water bodies and severely ill cattle were seen lying in the fields.
    • It has caused acute radiation symptoms (ARS) in many who were exposed to it, with reports of people suffering from nausea and diarrhoea for weeks.
    • Other ARS include fever, sore throat and loss of hair. Over time, many people who were exposed to black rain have developed cancer.

  • [Burning Issues] Geopolitics and the roll-out of 5G

    5G Technology is the future of the telecom sector. Research and development in this field have attracted global giants. But the rollout of 5G network has also caught the eyes of various governments. This is because 5G is not just a matter of cellular network but has security implications for nations and scope for dominance over the future technological era. And the latest US steps against Huawei is a testimony to this fact.

    The Global 5G Conundrum

    • Nearly a decade ago a report by the US House Intelligence Committee flagged issues posed by Chinese telecom companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE.
    • This issue now has evolved into a full-scale duel between the two global technology powerhouses, which now threatens to draw in the entire world.
    • Soon after the US, Britain announced its ban on equipment from Huawei into the country’s high-speed wireless network.
    • Australia banned Huawei long back from supplying equipment for a 5G mobile network in 2018.
    • India along with Canada and some other countries is reviewing security implications and has yet to decide on allowing Huawei to provide equipment for them.
    • Meanwhile, Huawei has cut its India revenue target for 2020 by up to 50% and is laying off more than half of its staff in the country.
    But before we take the geopolitics route, let us first understand the potential 5G Technology holds

    5G Technology: A Perspective

    In telecommunications, 5G is the fifth generation technology standard for cellular networks, which cellular phone companies began deploying worldwide since 2019, the planned successor to the 4G networks which provide connectivity to most current cellphones.

    All 5G wireless devices in a cell are connected to the Internet and telephone network by radio waves through a local antenna in the cell. The main advantage of the 5G network is that it will have greater bandwidth, giving higher download speeds, eventually up to 10 gigabits per second.

    5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices and also will make possible new applications in IoT and machine to machine areas.

    The previous generations of mobile networks are 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G:

    First-generation – 1G
    1980s: 1G delivered analogue voice.

    Second-generation – 2G
    Early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice (e.g. CDMA- Code Division Multiple Access).

    Third generation – 3G
    Early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000).

    Fourth-generation – 4G LTE
    2010s: 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile broadband.

    Benefits of 5G over 4G

    1) 5G uses spectrum better than 4G

    • 5G is also designed to get the most out of every bit of spectrum across a wide array of available spectrum regulatory paradigms and bands—from low bands below 1 GHz to mid bands from 1 GHz to 6 GHz to high bands known as millimetre wave (mmWave).

    2) 5G is faster than 4G

    • 5G can be significantly faster than 4G, delivering up to 20 Gbps peak data rates and 100+ Mbps average data rates.

    3) 5G has more capacity than 4G

    • 5G is designed to support a 100x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency.

    4) 5G has lower latency than 4G

    • Latency is the time a device takes to communicate with the network, which stands at an average of up to 50 milliseconds for 4G networks across the world.
    • 5G has significantly lower latency to deliver more instantaneous, real-time access: a 10x decrease in end-to-end latency down to 1ms.

    Applications of 5G technology

    High-Speed mobile network: 5G will revolutionize the mobile experience with the supercharged wireless network. Compared to conventional mobile transmission technologies, voice and high-speed data can be simultaneously transferred efficiently in 5G

    Entertainment and multimedia: 5G can provide 120 frames per second, high resolution and higher dynamic range video streaming without interruption. The audiovisual experience will be rewritten after the implementation of the latest technologies powered by 5G wireless. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality services will be better experienced over 5G.

    Internet of Things: IoT applications collect a huge amount of data from millions of devices and sensors and thus requires an efficient network for data collection, processing, transmission, control and real-time analytics which 5G network is a better candidate.

    Smart cities: Smart city application like traffic management, Instant weather update, local area broadcasting, energy management, smart power grid, smart lighting of the street, water resource management, crowd management, emergency response etc can use a reliable 5G wireless network for its functioning.

    Smart farming: 5G technology will be used for agriculture and smart farming in the future. Using smart RFID sensors and GPS technology, farmers can track the location of livestock and manage them easily. Smart sensors can be used for irrigation control, access control and energy management.

    Mission-critical applications: Like telemedicine services, remote control of critical infrastructure and vehicles. It has the potential to transform industries with highly reliable, low latency link.

    Back to Huawei-US tussle

    The PLA’s Huawei

    • Started in the late 1980s by a former Deputy Regimental Chief in the People’s Liberation Army, Huawei has come a long way from being a reseller of switches imported from Hong Kong.
    • Huawei went on to sell its products and services in more than 170 countries, blitzing past Ericsson as the largest telecoms equipment manufacturer in the world in 2012.
    • It overtook Apple as the world’s second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in 2018 and had annual revenue of $122 billion and some 194,000 employees last year.

    Issues with Huawei

    • Huawei has faced criticism for various aspects of its operations, with its most prominent controversies having involved U.S. allegations of its products containing backdoors for Chinese government espionage.
    • In February 2011, Huawei published an open letter to the US government denying the security concerns raised about the company or its equipment, and requesting a full investigation into its corporate operations.
    • In response, an investigation began in November 2011 into “the counterintelligence and security threat posed by Chinese telecommunications companies doing business in the US”.
    • In its report submitted in 2012, the US House panel noted that Huawei and ZTE cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state influence and thus pose a security threat.

    A technological Cold War

    • The US Federal Communications Commission has designated these two companies as national security threats.
    • Thus, it blockaded Huawei on the ground that its equipment is designed to aid snooping and would make American telecoms players dependent on subsidised Chinese technology.
    • Most observers see this as a ‘technological cold war’ that could extend beyond just the US and China, and compel other countries, including India, to effectively choose between one camp and the other.
    • It is being described as a geopolitical struggle over technology that threatens to divide the world into two distinct technological blocs, with both countries striving to limit the other’s access to its advanced know-how.
    • The question is whether countries think the risks are high enough to dump a cheaper, viable option.
    • For China, the action has come at a time when 5G is set to be rolled out globally, with Huawei generally ahead in the race.

    India and Huawei

    • In December 2019, Huawei was tentatively admitted into 5G trials in India.
    • As part of the trial plan, the government had decided that telecom players would be allocated special airwaves for a brief period for the 5G trials.
    • Huawei entered the fray with Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel while BSNL joined hands with ZTE.
    • But the 5G trials could not take off due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Then came the Chinese hostility in Ladakh that seems to have turned the tide.

    Where does India stand in this battle?

    • Back in December 2009, the Department of Telecom (DoT) had asked Indian mobile companies to suspend deals with Chinese equipment amid fears that Chinese equipment was being used for hacking and spying.
    • But India has been a fence-sitter since then — and has never fully banned Chinese companies from its telecom equipment industry.
    • Indeed, much of India’s telecom growth story has been supported by Chinese companies in both hardware and software.

    India’s concerns

    India’s intelligence agencies, acting on inputs generated locally and received from other foreign agencies, have toughened their stance on two key issues – remote access and data storage.

    • A decision has been taken at the top level against data going outside India during the trials and Chinese vendors gaining remote access, which agencies feel will eventually land up in PLA headquarters.
    • Key to the security and strategic concerns is the extremely controversial China Intelligence Law legislated in 2017.
    • The CIL makes it mandatory for every Chinese supplier to actively share data and access to their equipment, installed anywhere in the world.
    • The purpose of this law is to provide a legal base for China to seek access and support from its citizens and companies for its intelligence and military activities.

    Impacted by standoffs

    • After the standoff in Ladakh, India has asked telecom service providers to exclude Chinese companies from the scope of their network upgrade contracts.
    • This was part of the wider decision to signal curbs on Chinese investments and tech companies in the country in light of Atmanirbhar campaign.
    • In official statements, India justified the ban on 59 mobile apps with Chinese links on grounds of a threat to national security.

    With the border clashes, India’s stand on this issue has got more clarity. But 5G is equally crucial for India’s future development story. For that, it has to first overcome own domestic hurdles.  

    Challenges for 5G roll-out in India

    • The Indian market has the potential to become the largest 5G consumer after China in the next 10 years.
    • India has nearly 45 crore handsets and 50 crore people on the internet. 5G is being seen as a game-changer for India.

    These are some of the basic challenges which India needs to overcome:

    Frequency allocation: Indian operators have far less spectrum in comparison to international operators. The high investment cost which makes telecom companies unsure about Return on Investment.

    Pricing: The 5G spectrum is overpriced by at least 30% to 40% compared to international standards and auction in other markets such as South Korea and the U.S. In previous auctions, the government saw no takers for the 700 MHz spectrum, which is used to offer high-speed 4G services and was put on sale for the first time, mainly due to the high reserve price.

    Network investment: In India, the telecom sector is facing capital augmentation issues which need to be resolved. Non-availability of funds for investment: Many of the Indian operators are also weighed down by debt.

    Regulatory restrictions: Faster rounds of new technology introduction when prior technology investments have not been recouped add further complexity.

    Technical Challenges: Designing IT architecture that can be deployed globally, while still allowing for localized technology to cater to different regions is a challenge. Though Reliance Inc. has some plans to roll out 5G.

    Way Forward

    India is keen to board the 5G bus sooner than later. The task before India’s policymakers will be ensuring that the advantages of the telecom infrastructure and related technologies support its divergent demography, economic conditions and urbanisation.

    Key areas to focus need urgent emphasis are :

    • Reasonable spectrum pricing and swift allocation of spectrum
    • Policy framework enabling extensive fabrication and incentivisation to share fibre networks
    • Push for “Make in India” manufacturing for 5G equipment and handsets
    • Tailor-made 5G use cases and applications enabled through active trials
    • Indigenous technology advancements through R&D, and IPR development for standards, technology, spectrum, and security
    • Public-private partnerships for broadband growth and penetration, 5G trials and testing, network densification among others

    To conclude, India cannot miss the bus

    As other countries move ahead, the Indian government has repeatedly stated its intention to ‘not miss the 5G bus’ and ensure rollout by 2020, after having missed the ‘2G, 3G and 4G buses’.

    A closer look, however, is required with regard to the preparedness of the industry, especially given the financial health of the telecom sector, the hesitancy among domestic banks to lend to operators, and the current pressure on tariffs.

    By acting early on adoption, India can accelerate the 5G dividend and also become an innovator in applications, but it would also mean that the initial investment on equipment will be more expensive when trying to be ahead of the curve.

     

    References

    https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/china-huawei-zte-us-apple-6517185/

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/mains/what-is-5g-technology-how-will-it-revolutionise-communication-sector/

    https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/stiff-contest-awaits-jio-as-it-takes-its-5g-tech-to-the-world/articleshow/77206868.cms

    https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/huawei-5g-ban-in-india-likely-govt-sources-1703692-2020-07-23

    https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/5g-is-about-making-networks-more-effective-its-the-way-forward-in-india-ericsson/article31615684.ece

    https://www.businesstoday.in/opinion/columns/why-5g-is-seen-as-a-game-changer-for-india/story/394896.html

  • [pib] 15th Finance Commission submits report on Agricultural Exports

    The High-Level Group on Agricultural Exports set up by the Fifteenth Finance Commission has submitted its report to the Commission.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2019

    Q.In India, which of the following reviews the independent regulators in sectors like telecommunications, insurance, electricity, etc.?

    1. Ad Hoc Committees set up by the Parliament
    2. Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committees
    3. Finance Commission
    4. Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission
    5. NITI Aayog

    Select the correct answer using the code given below.

    (a) 1 and 2

    (b) 1, 3 and 4

    (c) 3, 4 and 5

    (d) 2 and 5

    Why focus on Agri-exports?

    • India’s agricultural export has the potential to grow from USD 40 billion to USD 70 billion in a few years.
    • The estimated investment in agricultural export could be in the tune to USD 8-10 billion across inputs, infrastructure, and processing and demand enablers.
    • Additional exports are likely to create an estimated 7-10 million jobs.
    • It will lead to higher farm productivity and farmer income.

    Highlights of the report

    (A) The HLEG has made its recommendations, major among which are:

    • Focus on 22 crop value chains – demand-driven approach.
    • Solve Value Chain Clusters (VCC) holistically with a focus on value addition.
    • Create a State-led export plan with participation from stakeholders.
    • Private Sector should play an anchor role.
    • The centre should be an enabler.
    • The robust institutional mechanism to fund and support implementation.

    (B) State-led Agri Exports

    The Group has recommended a State-led Export Plan –  a business plan for a crop value chain cluster. It will lay out the opportunity, initiatives and investment required to meet the desired value chain export aspiration.

    The Group has also said that for its success, the following factors needed to be considered:-

    • Plans should be collaboratively prepared with private sector players and Commodity Boards.
    • Leveraging of state plan guide and value chain deep dives.
    • The private sector should play an anchor role in driving outcomes and execution.
    • The centre should enable state-led plans.
    • Institutional governance should be promoted across the state and centre.
    • Funding through the convergence of existing schemes, Finance Commission allocation and private sector investment.

    Back2Basics: Finance Commission (FC)

    • The FC is a constitutionally mandated body that decides, among other things, the sharing of taxes between the Centre and the states.
    • Article 280 (1) requires the President to constitute, “within two years from the commencement of this Constitution.
    • And thereafter constitute FC at the expiration of every fifth year or at such earlier time as the President considers necessary.
    • An FC “which shall consist of a Chairman and four other members”.

    Divisible Pool of Taxes

    • Under Article 280(3) (a) the FC must make recommendations to the President “as the distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or maybe, divided between them under this Chapter and the allocation between the States of the respective shares of such proceeds”.
    • Accordingly, the FC determines a formula for tax-sharing between the states, which is a weighted sum of the states’ population, area, forest cover, tax capacity, tax effort and demographic performance, with the weights expressed in percentages.
    • This crucial role of the Commission makes it instrumental in the implementation of fiscal federalism.

  • National Education Policy needs scrutiny

    National Education Policy, while comprehensive in its approach misses out on some crucial issues. These issues are discussed here.

    Following are the issues with the National Education Policy-

    1) Implications for SEDGs

    •  Implications of the policy for SEDGs-Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups-needs to be considered.
    • The term “caste” is absent from the document apart from a fleeting reference to Scheduled Castes.
    • Also absent is any mention of reservation in academic institutions, whether for students, teachers, or other employees.
    • Reservation is the bare minimum required in terms of affirmative action in the highly differentiated socio-economic milieu in which we exist.

    2) Education in tribal areas

    • There is the passing reference to educational institutions in tribal areas, designated as ashramshalas.
    • While there are sections of the document that describe ways in which SEDGs are supposed to gain access to higher education institutions, there is no time-frame that is specified.
    • In a situation of growing privatisation how these policies will be implemented is a matter of concern.

    3) Multi-disciplinarity misses some disciplines

    • Multi-disciplinarity is an attractive and flexible proposition, allowing learners to experiment with a variety of options.
    • While the list of the disciplines in which multi-disciplinary approach is allowed is unexceptionable, it is worth flagging what is missed out.
    • Fields of studies such as Women’s Studies or Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Dalit Studies, Studies of Discrimination and Exclusion, Environmental Studies and Development Studies are missing.
    • Many of these have engaged with multi-disciplinarity/inter-disciplinarity in exciting and disturbing ways, bringing to the fore issues of diversity, difference and identity.

    4) Problem of autonomy

    • While the documents mention autonomy and choice in the document, but there are limits.
    • For instance, the selection of vocational subjects in middle school is described as a fun choice.
    • At the same time, it is to be exercised “as decided by States and local communities and as mapped by local skilling needs”.
    • National Testing Agency, will be a centralised agency to conduct exams will be against the autonomy proposed in the policy.
    • HEIs will now be run by a Board of Governors backed by legislative changes where required.
    •  Further centralisation is envisaged through the setting up of “the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA).

    5) Depriving the HEI democratic functioning

    • Several universities and HEIs have evolved and sustained democratic mechanisms, including academic and executive councils.
    • What has made them vibrant institutions is the presence of faculty and students, elected, as well as on the basis of seniority and rotation.
    • Abandoning them will deprive members of HEIs of an opportunity to engage with the challenges of democratic functioning.

    6) No mention of Fundamental Rights

    • Several values are identified as constitutional and there is an occasional mention of fundamental duties.
    • But there is no mention of fundamental rights.

    Consider the question “Examine the provision for governance of education in the National Education Policy. Also, examine the issues with the policy.”

    Conclusion

    The Education Policy has many novel ideas with the potential to transform the education system in the country, however, the issues discussed here highlights the need to revisit it, before it is actually implemented.

More posts