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  • What is Inner Line Permit (ILP) and what is its CAA context?

    The Supreme Court has declined to stay the operation of a Presidential order which petitioners claimed deprived Assam of the powers to implement the Inner Line system in its districts and limit the applicability of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

    Try this:

    Q. The NRC fails to resolve the illegal immigration issue in Assam. Critically Analyse.

    In light of the ongoing pandemic, the fumes of protests over NRC/CAA have somewhat vanished. However, one must not forget the fundamental linkages between the NPR/NRC/CAA/ILP etc.

    The Inner Line

    • A concept drawn by colonial rulers, the Inner Line separated the tribal-populated hill areas in the Northeast from the plains.
    • To enter and stay for any period in these areas, Indian citizens from other areas need an Inner Line Permit (ILP).
    • Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram are protected by the Inner Line, and lately, Manipur was added.
    • The concept originates from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act (BEFR), 1873.

    Its inception

    • The policy of exclusion first came about as a response to the reckless expansion of British entrepreneurs into new lands which threatened British political relations with the hill tribes.
    • The BEFR prohibits an outsider’s — “British subject or foreign citizen” — entry into the are beyond the Inner Line without a pass and his purchase of land there.
    • On the other hand, the Inner Line also protects the commercial interests of the British from the tribal communities.
    • After Independence, the Indian government replaced “British subjects” with “Citizen of India”.
    • Today, the main aim of the ILP system is to prevent settlement of other Indian nationals in the States where the ILP regime is prevalent, in order to protect the indigenous/tribal population.

    How is it connected to the Citizenship Amendment Act?

    • The CAA, which relaxes eligibility criteria for certain categories of migrants from three countries seeking Indian citizenship, exempts certain categories of areas, including those protected by the Inner Line system.
    • Amid protests against the Act, the Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019, issued by the President, amended the BEFR, 1873, extending it to Manipur and parts of Nagaland that were not earlier protected by ILP.

    What is the petition now?

    • The petition was against the Presidential order. It said the order took away the Assam government’s permissive power to implement the ILP.
    • This could have made the CAA inapplicable in these areas, the petition said.
    • The CAA has given fresh legs to the demand.

  • Debate over a homoeo drug – Arsenicum album 30

    A homoeopathic drug, Arsenicum album 30, has become a subject of debate after several states and AYUSH Ministry recommended it for prophylactic (preventive) use against Covid-19.

    Practice question:

    Q. The furore over the usage of several medicines has created an chaos in treating COVID. Critically comment.

    Arsenicum album 30

    • Arsenicum album is made by heating arsenic with distilled water, a process repeated several times over three days. The drug has less than 1% arsenic.
    • A small bottle with one course costs Rs 20-30.
    • Arsenicum album is considered to correct inflammation in the body. It takes care of diarrhoea, cough and cold.
    • It is used commonly by homoeopaths to treat anxiety, restlessness, cold, ulcerations, burning pains. It is taken in powder form or as a tablet.
    • The health hazards of arsenic contamination in water are well known: long-term exposure to the metal can cause skin cancer, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.
    • It has been recommended against COVID by the state governments in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

    The Covid-19 context

    • Arsenicum album 30 could be taken as prophylactic medicine against Coronavirus infections.
    • It is only “possible prevention” against flu.
    • The AYUSH Ministry recommended taking the medicine for three days on an empty stomach and repeating the dose after a month if an outbreak continues locally.

    Issues with such medicines

    • The WHO neither has any guidelines nor any effective evidence on using Arsenicum album as a Covid-19 treatment.
    • The debate stems from the fact that there is no scientific evidence that the drug works against Covid-19, a fact stressed not only by medical scientists but also by some homoeopathic practitioners themselves.
    • There have been reports about people flocking to homoeopathic clinics to buy Arsenicum album, sometimes at triple the cost.
    • Even local chemists have started stocking this medicine.
    • Self-medication can prove harmful as prevention or cure for COVID-19.

  • What is Superconductivity?

    On a larger scale, electric grids, such as high power lines, lose over 5 per cent of their energy in the process of transmission.

    In India, we often get to hear about the transmission losses in DISCOMS. Such losses can be zeroed with the application of superconducting cables (which is practically impossible unless we find a normal working one). The phenomena, superconductivity, however is not new to us, UPSC may end up asking some tricky statements in the prelims regarding it.

    Heat losses

    Waste heat is all around you. On a small scale, if your phone or laptop feels warm, that’s because some of the energy powering the device is being transformed into unwanted heat.

    Where does this wasted heat come from?

    • These elementary particles of an atom move around and interact with other electrons and atoms.
    • Because they have an electric charge, as they move through a material — like metals, which can easily conduct electricity — they scatter off other atoms and generate heat.

    Understanding Superconductivity

    • A superconductor is a material, such as a pure metal like aluminium or lead, that when cooled to ultra-low temperatures allows electricity to move through it with absolutely zero resistance.
    • Kamerlingh Onnes was the first scientist who figured out exactly how superconductor works in 1911.
    • Simply put, superconductivity occurs when two electrons bind together at low temperatures.
    • They form the building block of superconductors, the Cooper pair.
    • This holds true even for a potential superconductor like lead when it is above a certain temperature.

    What are Superconductors?

    • Superconductors are materials that address this problem by allowing energy to flow efficiently through them without generating unwanted heat.
    • They have great potential and many cost-effective applications.
    • They operate magnetically levitated trains, generate magnetic fields for MRI machines and recently have been used to build quantum computers, though a fully operating one does not yet exist.

    Issues with superconductors

    • They have an essential problem when it comes to other practical applications: They operate at ultra-low temperatures.
    • There are no room-temperature superconductors. That “room-temperature” part is what scientists have been working on for more than a century.
    • The amount of energy needed to cool a material down to its superconducting state is too expensive for daily applications.

    Future scope

    • In a dramatic turn of events, a new kind of superconductor material was discovered in 1987 at IBM in Zurich, Switzerland.
    • The material was a kind of ceramic. These new ceramic superconductors were made of copper and oxygen mixed with other elements such as lanthanum, barium and bismuth.
    • They contradicted everything physicists thought they knew about making superconductors.
    • Since then, curiosity regarding the superconductors has been ever increasing.

  • Extreme weather events in India

    Nineteen extreme weather events in 2019 claimed 1,357 lives, with heavy rain and flood accounting for 63 per cent of these deaths, revealed Down To Earth’s State of India’s Environment 2020 report.

    Extreme weather events:

    • Extreme weather events are out of the ordinary, unexpected, unusual climatic events which wreak havoc and disrupt everyday life.
    • Over the years, the frequency of extreme weather events has increased due to global warming and climate change.
    • Extreme weather events include hailstorm, heatwaves, dust storm, cloud bursts etc.

    Try this question:

    Q. Extreme weather events have been the biggest catastrophe in India this year. Discuss.

    Data from this newscard can be used to substantiate your mains answer with relevant data.

    Loss of lives

    • The most lives were lost in Bihar, with people dying from floods and heavy rain (306), thunderstorms (71) and heatwave (292) between May and October.
    • In Maharashtra, 136 people died from floods and heavy rain, 51 died from lightning and 44 died from the heatwave between June and September.
    • There was a 69 per cent increase in the number of heatwave days between 2013 and 2019 as well, the report said.
    • Over 5,300 people died from heatwaves in the past seven years.
    • Cold waves increased by 69 per cent within a year, between 2017 and 2018, with the latter year reported having an extremely cold winter, with the most casualties (279) in the past seven years.

    Risks of Extreme weather events in India

    • Climate change related risks will increasingly affect the Indian subcontinent, including via sea level rise, cyclonic activity and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns.
    • Rising sea levels would submerge low-lying islands and coastal lands and contaminate coastal freshwater reserves.Climate change will increase the risks of death, injury and ill-health and disrupt livelihoods in low-lying coastal zones due to cyclones and coastal and inland flooding, storm surges and sea-level rise.
    • Melting Himalayan glaciers would reduce downstream water supply in many of India’s important rivers in the dry season, impacting millions
    • A warmer atmosphere will spread tropical diseases and pests to new areas.
    • Increased river, coastal and urban floods could cause considerable loss of life and widespread damage to property, infrastructure and settlements.
    • Erratic rainfall in parts of India could lower rice yields and lead to higher food prices and living costs, while increased drought related water and food shortages linked to rising and extreme temperatures may increase malnutrition and worsen rural poverty. Over 55% of Indian rural households depend on agriculture for a living and, with fisheries and forestry,

    Systems in place to tackle extreme weather events are as follows:

    1.Meteorological predictions

    2.Contingency fund

    3.Early warning to citizens

    4.NDMA has issued an action plan for Prevention and Management of Heat Waves.

    5.Remote sensing satellites.

    Problems with accurate meteorological predictions are as follows:

    1.Meteorological predictions are considered for broad geographical areas and timeframes. It is not yet possible to predict a thunderstorm or lightning at a village or a part of a city.

    2.The exact times these events will hit, too, cannot be predicted.

    3.Alerts and warnings are in the nature of a general advisory, telling the people to expect these events, and to take precautions

    Steps taken by the State government are as follows:

    1.Rajasthan:

    • storm has been included in the category of natural disasters for the first time in the State and funds to the tune of ₹2.55 crore have been sanctioned to the affected districts.
    • The next of kin of each deceased in Rajasthan will get financial assistance of ₹4 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
    • Power discoms have launched action on a war-footing to restore electricity supply in the affected areas, while the administration has ordered a survey of damaged properties.
    • In Dholpur district, relief camps have been opened for the villagers whose houses were destroyed.

    2.Uttar Pradesh:

    • The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has announced a compensation of up to Rs 400,000 to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for each of the injured in the heavy rainfall and storm across the state.
    • contingency funds have been released to the respective district administration.

  • SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) Initiative

    The Union Govt. has launched a new initiative SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct a skill mapping exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission.

    In the first go, one may get reminded of the SWADESH Darshan Scheme… Please beware! This SWADES initiative has nothing to do with the tourism sector!

    SWADES Initiative

    • SWADES is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs.
    • MSDE’s implementation arm National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is supporting the implementation of the project.
    • It aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skillsets and experience to tap into and fulfil the demand of Indian and foreign companies.
    • The collected information will be shared with the companies for suitable placement opportunities in the country.
    • The returning citizens are required to fill up an online SWADES Skills Card.
    • The card will facilitate a strategic framework to provide the returning citizens with suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders including.

    Data on the returnees

    • Amongst the data gathered so far, the top countries from where the citizens are returning are UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
    • As per the skill mapping, these citizens had been primarily employed in sectors such as oil & gas, construction, tourism & hospitality, Automotive and Aviation.
    • The data also suggests that the States which have shown highest returning labour are Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.

  • Global Economic Prospects (GEP) 2020 report by World Bank

    The World Bank has released its Global Economic Prospects (GEP) 2020 report.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2019

    Q.) The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the-

    (a) International Monetary Fund

    (b) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

    (c) World Economic Forum

    (d) World Bank

    Global Economic Prospects (GEP)

    • GEP is a World Bank Group flagship report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies.
    • It is issued twice a year, in January and June.
    • The January edition includes in-depth analyses of topical policy challenges while the June edition contains shorter analytical pieces.

    Summary of the report

    In a nutshell, the outlook for the global economy for 2020 has darkened, amid slowing activity and heightened downside risks.

    1) On poverty

    • The scope and speed with which the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shutdowns have devastated the poor around the world are unprecedented in modern times.
    • Current estimates show that 60 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty in 2020.

    2) Policy choices

    • Policy choices made today — include greater debt transparency to invite new investment, foster advances in digital connectivity, and a major expansion of cash safety nets for the poor.
    • The financing and building of productive infrastructure are among the hardest-to-solve development challenges in the post-pandemic recovery.

    3) Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs)

    • EMDEs face health crises, restrictions and external shocks like falling trade, tourism and commodity prices, as well as capital outflows.
    • These countries are expected to have a 3-8% output loss in the short term, based on studies of previous pandemics, as per the analysis.
    • Growth is likely to slow more in commodity-exporting EMDEs than in commodity-importing ones.

  • 4 June 2020 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 453]

  • Applying to work at Civilsdaily? Here are 10 things to know

    Dear all,

    Thank you for the overwhelming response. We received over 100 applications within 20 minutes of advertising the post.

    We don’t advertise vacancies. But when we do, we are looking for the crème de la crème

    Out of the 100 applicants, only 8 responded to the follow-up email (of course the responses for others are awaited and we might receive them in a day or 2).

    We wanted to take a minute to help you understand how challenging teaching and mentoring the next generation of civil servants can be.

    1. Video lectures 

    We have received videos where Laxmikanth is being read out line by line. These have gained some following on certain platforms.

    But This is not how a great lecture is planned. There has to be a creative process behind what is going to be taught. Clearly articulating your methodology & innovations is a sure-shot way of impressing us. 

    *At CD our next version is always better than our previous*

    2. Mains Related 

    When it comes to mains related competencies, your test series attempts are the most important reference point for us.

    Your actual marks in the exam are a good indicator. But we want people who can keep repeating the good marks they have gotten. The only way for us to know that is to analyse your test series attempts.

    This is especially true for essay and ethics. We have received applications from essay toppers but their test series attempts were very average. They lacked the necessary punchlines and a great flow. How can we be sure that you will have rock-solid suggestions for students who are already at an advanced stage of preparation? 

    One has to be a deep thinker, a deep reader having clarity of thought and expression to take our students to the next level.

    3. Mentorship 

    Mentorship is something we have explored at length in the past 1 year. What we look for is patience. Students in their first year of prep are slow. They take their time to absorb things. No matter how hard you try, they will end up wasting time following conventional wisdom doing things due to fear of missing out.

    Mentors have to tolerate all this. They invest so much time and effort and at times dont get the appreciation they deserve.

    Hoping that the above note helps you present yourselves better.

    Good luck !

  • The contours of economic recovery

    This article analyses the various aspects of the stimulus package announced by the government. It gives a broad idea about the borrowing and fiscal deficit of the government. Where the fiscal deficit should be spent? Which area the announced reforms should focus on? You’ll be able to answer these questions after reading the article.

    Contraction of the Indian economy

    •  Many analysts have recently predicted a contraction for the Indian economy.
    • Goldman Sachs/ICRA and Nomura, in their recent assessments, have forecasted India’s growth to contract by (-)5.0 per cent and (-)5.2 per cent, respectively.
    • Even the RBI assesses that growth in the current year may be in the negative zone although it has not given a specific number.
    • The World Bank has predicted growth in the range of 1.5 to 2.8 per cent.
    • In order to relate budgetary magnitudes to GDP, we also need an idea of the magnitude of nominal GDP growth.
    • In the current year, this is expected to be at least 4 per cent points less than the rate of growth at 10 per cent as assumed in the 2020-21 budget.

    Let’s clear the misunderstanding about the stimulus

    • One misunderstanding about the “stimulus” must also be cleared.
    • Any increase in government expenditure over and above the base level acts as stimulus.
    • This is the traditional Keynesian approach.
    • It made no distinction between different types of expenditures.
    • It is only later studies that made a distinction based on the size of fiscal multipliers.

    How much will be the gross borrowing and fiscal deficit?

    • The Centre has already announced an increase in gross borrowing for 2020-21 from INR 7.8 lakh crore to Rs. 12 lakh crore.
    • This may lead to a fiscal deficit of about 5.7 to 5.8 per cent of GDP.
    • This may only be enough to provide for the considerable shortfall in the budgeted tax and non-tax revenues and non-debt capital receipts, which is also being estimated by a number of analysts to be in the range of Rs 18 lakh crore, implying a shortfall of Rs 4.45 lakh crore.
    • This shortfall is 2.08 per cent of GDP.
    • The Centre’s fiscal deficit will have to be further increased to accommodate the additional burden on the 2020-21 budget arising on account of the stimulus package.

    Let’s divide stimulus package into budgetary and non-budgetary part

    • The series of measures announced by the FM are a mix of i) already budgeted expenditure,ii) additional expenditure, iii) extension of credit facility with government guarantee for certain select sectors and a host of reform measures.
    • Analytically, the overall stimulus package of Rs 20.97 lakh crore can be divided into a budgetary and a non-budgetary part.

    1) Non-budgetary part

    • The non-budgetary part, accounting for nearly 85 per cent of the overall package.
    • Non-budgetary part consists mainly of liquidity enhancing measures for banks and NBFCs which may facilitate the financial sector in playing a key role to kickstart the economy.
    • The credit guarantee provided by the government under the various schemes announced recently is of central importance in this context.
    • In fact, for certain schemes, the government has come forward to provide 100 per cent guarantee, which should quicken the pace of credit sanction and delivery by banks.
    • Production of goods and services is inter-related in an economic system.
    • Once production starts, different sectors will be mutually supporting since different industries and service providers are locked in an input-output system.

    2) Budgetary part and fiscal deficits

    • The budgetary part amounts only to about 15 per cent of the overall package.
    • This can be further divided into government expenditure which was already budgeted in the 2020-21 budget and expenditures constituting genuine additionality.
    • The genuine additionality component is only 10 per cent of the package equivalent to 1 per cent of GDP.
    • Adding this to the enhanced level of 5.7 per cent of GDP, the Centre’s fiscal deficit may be close to 6.7-7 per cent of GDP.
    • This will maintain the level of budgeted expenditure while providing for the additional cost of the announced fiscal stimulus.
    • In fact, the fiscal deficit will be even higher if the current year’s GDP is lower than that of the previous year.

    Composition of government expenditure matters

    • With this high fiscal deficit, the composition of government expenditure becomes critical.
    • Some of the establishment expenditures and subsidies, especially those linked to petroleum prices like fertiliser and petroleum subsidies, may be reduced.
    • While expenditure on health-related items may be increased.
    • The central government has announced freezing of increments of DA and dearness relief components in the case of salaries and pensions respectively.
    • In fact, the government should be doing much more to relieve the plight of migrant workers.

    What is budgetary contribution for infrastructure?

    • According to the National Infrastructure Pipeline, the Centre’s budgetary contribution to infrastructure is estimated at 1.25 per cent of GDP on an annual basis.
    • This is less than 18 per cent of the estimated fiscal deficit of the Centre in 2020-21, indicating a very poor quality of fiscal deficit.
    • One dimension of expenditure restructuring should be to frontload infrastructure spending, including that on health infrastructure
    • Which will be helpful in taking advantage of the higher multiplier effects associated with capital expenditures.
    • Investment augmentation is also demand supporting and employment and income generating.

    Support to demand

    • Support to demand will come not only from the Centre but also from the states and the public sector undertakings.
    • States have been allowed to borrow an additional 2 per cent of their respective GSDPs subject to certain conditions.
    • In fact, at the present juncture, these conditions are not required since the enhancement of the borrowing limit is for one time while the reforms linked to conditions are permanent in nature.
    • In any case, states should be encouraged to support demand by going up to the full extent of the enhanced limit.

    Why the monetisation of debt is unavoidable?

    •  The combined fiscal deficit of the Centre and states alone may amount to close to 12 per cent of GDP in 2020-21.
    • Besides, the total public sector borrowing also includes the borrowing by central and state public sector undertakings.
    • Thus, the total Public Sector Borrowing Requirement may well exceed available sources of financing consisting of i) the financial savings of the household sector, ii) savings of the public sector iii) net capital inflows.
    • In this context, monetising debt has become unavoidable.
    • The Centre must be forthcoming on these issues while recognising that extraordinary situations call for extraordinary solutions.

    Reforms should be sector-specific

    • In the case of reforms, we have reached a new stage.
    • General reforms cutting across industries and sectors have been critical in the early stages.
    • The earlier regime of controls and permits had to be brought to a close.
    • But now reforms have to focus on specific sectors.
    • Applying the general principles of liberalisation to sectors such as agriculture and, more particularly, agricultural marketing, power sector, and telecom have assumed importance.
    • Labour market reforms are needed across all the states.
    • But labour reforms are introduced better when the economy is in the upswing.
    • Consensus building is critical before introducing labour reforms.
    • Land markets need to be freed up consistent with the concerns of small and marginal farmers.

    Consider the question “The fiscal stimulus and the promise of reforms announced by the government would be instrumental in bringing the Indian economy devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic back on track. Comment.”

    Conclusion

    Fiscal deficit should be used to create infrastructure ensuring that the quality of fiscal deficit is not poor. At the same time, reforms announced should be sector-specific and consensus-based in case of labour laws.

    Back2Basics: AT&C losses

    • Distribution loss consists of two parts: a. Technical loss and b. Commercial loss.
    • It is also called AT&C loss.
    • AT&C loss is nothing but the sum total of technical and commercial losses and shortage due to non-realization of billed amount.
    • AT&C Loss = (Energy input – Energy billed) * 100 / Energy input.

  • Multilateralism in the new cold war

    The world is going through turmoil. The new world that will emerge will be different from what we have known. This provides India with some unique opportunities. This article explains the changes that are taking place and gives the outline of the changing order. So, how can India set and shape the global response? And what should be the principles on which the new multilateralism should be based? Read to know…

    Opportunity for India to set the global response

    • As chair of the Executive Board of the World Health Assembly – India can set the global response in terms of multilateralism, not just medical issues.
    • How can India set a global response in terms of multilateralism? Consider the following- a rare alignment of stars for agenda-setting.
    • 1) In September, the United Nations General Assembly will discuss the theme, “The Future We Want”.
    • 2) In 2021, India joins the UN Security Council (non-permanent seat).
    • 3) And chairs the BRICS Summit in 2021.
    • 4) Also hosts the G-20 in 2022.
    • New principles for international system: At the online summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, in May, Prime Minister Modi called for new principles for the international system.
    • His new globalisation model based on humanity, fairness and equality has wide support in a more equal world as, for the first time since 1950, everyone is experiencing the same (virus) threat.

    Changing global context

    • China is losing influence and the dynamics in its relations with the United States.
    • And Asia again is emerging as the centre of global prosperity.
    • The global governance, economy, scientific research and society are all in need of being re-invented.
    • India should use this opportunity to recover our global thought leadership.

    The US-China powerplay and its consequences for multilateralism

    • The clash between China and the U.S. at the just concluded World Health Assembly in May marks the end of the multilateralism of the past 70 years.
    • The donor-recipient relationship between developed and developing countries has ended with China’s pledge of $2-billion.
    • The agenda-setting role of the G7 over UN institutions and global rules has also been effectively challenged by WHO ignoring the reform diktat of the U.S. leading to its withdrawal, and characterisation of the G7 as “outdated”.
    • The U.S. has also implicitly rejected the G20 and UN Security Council, for an expanded G7 “to discuss the future of China”.
    • Important shift in the UN: After World War II, the newly independent states were not consulted when the U.S. imposed global institutions fostering trade, capital and technology dependence.
    • This was done ignoring the socio-economic development of these countries.
    • But social and economic rights have emerged to be as important as political and procedural rights.
    • Against this backdrop, China’s President Xi Jinping deftly endorsed the UN Resolution on equitable access to any new vaccine.

    Emergence of Asia and China: Challenges for the US and the West

    • The U.S. faces an uphill task in seeking to lead a new multidimensional institution in the face of China’s re-emergence.
    • The re-emergence of China is based on technology, innovation and trade balancing U.S. military superiority.
    • At the same time, there is a clear trend of declining global trust in free-market liberalism, central to western civilisation.
    • With the West experiencing a shock comparable to the one experienced by Asia, 200 years ago, the superiority of western civilisation is also under question.
    • The novel coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift of global wealth to Asia suggesting an inclusive global order based on principles drawn from ancient Asian civilisations.
    • Colonised Asia played no role in shaping the Industrial Revolution.
    • But, the Digital Revolution will be shaped by different values.
    • It is really this clash that multilateralism has now to resolve.

    World is questioning both U.S. and China’s exceptionalism

    • China has come out with alternative governance mechanisms to the U.S.-dominated International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization with its all-encompassing Belt and Road Initiative.
    • The U.S., European Union and Japan are re-evaluating globalisation as it pertains to China and the U.S. is unabashedly “America First”.
    • The world is questioning both U.S. and China’s exceptionalism.
    • For India, the strategic issue is neither adjustment to China’s power nor deference to U.S. leadership.

    Opportune moment for India to propose new multilateralism

    • The global vacuum, shift in relative power and its own potential, provides India the capacity to articulate a benign multilateralism.
    • It should include in its fold NAM-Plus that resonates with large parts of the world and brings both BRICS and the G7 into the tent.
    • This new multilateralism should rely on outcomes, not rules, ‘security’ downplayed for ‘comparable levels of wellbeing’ and a new P-5 that is not based on the G7.

    India in a important role

    • China, through an opinion piece by its Ambassador in India, has suggested writing “together a new chapter” with “a shared future for mankind”.
    • The U.S. wants a security partnership to contain China.
    • And the Association of Southeast Asian Nations trade bloc — with the U.S. walking out of the negotiations — is keen India joins to balance China.
    • With a new template. India does not have to choose.

    Three principles the new system should be based on-

    1. Peaceful coexistence

      • First, the Asian Century should be defined in terms of peaceful co-existence, freezing post-colonial sovereignty.
      • Non-interference in the internal affairs of others is a key lesson from the decline of the U.S. and the rise of China.
      • National security now relies on technological superiority in artificial intelligence (AI), cyber and space, and not expensive capital equipment, as India’s military has acknowledged.
      • Instead of massive arms imports, we should use the savings to enhance endogenous capacity.
      • And mould the global digital economy between state-centric (China), firm-centric (the U.S.) and public-centric (India) systems.

    2. New principles of trade

    • A global community at comparable levels of well-being requires new principles for trade, for example, rejecting the 25-year-old trade rule creating intellectual property monopolies.
    • Global public goods should include public health, crop research, renewable energy and batteries, even AI as its value comes from shared data.
    • We have the scientific capacity to support these platforms as part of foreign policy.

    3.  Civilisational values

    • Ancient civilisational values provide the conceptual underpinning, restructuring both the economic order and societal behaviour for equitable sustainable development.
    • Which is what a climate change impacted world, especially Africa, is seeking.

    Consider the question-“The global order is going through serious churn, and it provides India with an opportunity to shape the new multilateralism based on humanity, fairness and equality. Comment.”

    Conclusion

    In the new cold war, defined by technology and trade not territory, non-alignment is an uncertain option; India should craft a global triumvirate.

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