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  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: New Endorsement Guidelines

    [Sansad TV] Perspective: New Endorsement Guidelines

    Context

    • The government has made it mandatory for celebrities and social media influencers to disclose their material interest while endorsing any product, service or brand.
    • Any violation will attract strict legal action, including ban on the endorsement.
    • This has been announced by the Consumer Affairs Ministry as part of the new guidelines named ‘’Endorsement Know Hows’.

    In this article, we’ll try to understand more about its objective, what the details entail on the disclosures, penalties on violations and the way forward towards effective implementation.

    endorse

    What is Endorsement?

    • Endorsements are a form of advertising that uses famous personalities or celebrities who command a high degree of recognition, trust, respect or awareness amongst the people.
    • Such people advertise for a product lending their names or images to promote a product or service.
    • Advertisers and clients hope such approval, or endorsement by a celebrity, will influence buyers favourably.
    • For example, Sachin Tendulkar endorsing motorcycles and biscuits can influence young men or children who look to him as role model.

    Endorsement Know Hows: To whom it is aimed for?

    endorse
    • These rules mandate endorsers – which include celebrities, social media influencers and the virtual influencers – to behave responsibly.
    • The government hopes these rules will act as a deterrent against misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices.

    Celebrity Endorsement: A quick backgrounder

    • Last year, the department of consumer affairs published Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022.
    • The criteria for valid advertisements are outlined in these guidelines, as are the responsibilities of manufacturers, service providers, advertisers, and advertising agencies.
    • These guidelines also addressed celebrities and endorsers.
    • It states that misleading advertising in any form, format, or medium is illegal.

    Why need such policy?

    • Manipulating consumer behaviour: India is a country where stars are idolized and worshipped. Marketers use them so as to influence their existing or potential customers to succeed and reap huge profit.
    • Celebrity-brand disconnect: There are also cases where celebrities are blamed for not performing due diligence on brands they end up endorsing.  
    • Competition promotion: A small brand would get badly hit by statements like the one made by Bachchan, unlike a larger brand that is on equal footing with a well-known celebrity.
    • Ensuring consumer rights: The new guidelines are in alignment with the Consumer Protection Act, of 2019, which was enacted to protect consumers from unfair trade practices and deceptive advertising.
    • Global examples: Countries such as the UK, Ireland and Belgium have specifically banned celebrity endorsement of unhealthy foods. The impact of such restrictions has been reported to be significant.

    Key highlights of the recent guidelines

    • Intent declaration: Any celebrity, influencer, or virtual influencer with an access to influence audience and their purchasing decisions must disclose any material connection to the advertiser.
    • Disclosures of the deals: This include monetary or other compensation, trips or hotel stays, media bartering, coverage and awards, free products with or without conditions, discounts, gifts, and any family, personal, or employment relationship.
    • Disclaimers: A disclaimer shall be in the same language as the claim made in the advertisement and the font used in a disclaimer shall be the same as that used in the claim.
    • Communication ease: Endorsements must be made in simple, clear language, and terms like ‘advertisement,’ ‘sponsored,’ or ‘paid promotion’ are permitted.
    • Due research about the product: The celebrity or influencer should not endorse any product or service that has not been thoroughly researched by them or that they have not personally used or experienced.

    Why do companies resort to celebrities for endorsement?

    • Instant brand awareness: People will begin associating the celebrity with the brand, meaning the brand is more recognizable, building stronger brand awareness.
    • Build brand equity: Celebrities are perceived to hold qualities such as attractiveness, expertise, trustworthiness and likeability, which advertisers hope will be transferred to the brand or product.
    • Persuading customers: Celebrities in advertising make the advertisement more noticeable to some consumers, and are therefore a good basis of capturing and retaining consumer attention.
    • Capturing celebrity cult: Many consumers idolize celebrities and strive to imitate their lives with the clothes they wear and products they consume.
    • Lasting Publicity: Even after the endorsement deal is over, consumers will still associate the brand with the celebrity.  
    • Create social impact: Celebrity is presumed to be more passionate about the product and would therefore promote the product in a believable way that consumers would find more persuasive. Ex. Polio campaign by AB.

    Ethical principles involved

    There are several ethical principles that are typically considered when evaluating the use of celebrity endorsements for certain products. Some of these include:

    • Honesty and Transparency: Celebrity endorsements should be honest and transparent, and should not mislead or deceive consumers. This includes making sure that any claims made in the endorsement are truthful and can be substantiated.
    • Responsibility and Respect: Celebrity endorsements should be responsible and respectful towards the public, and should not promote products or behaviours that are harmful or dangerous.
    • Fairness and Non-discrimination: Celebrity endorsements should be fair and non-discriminatory, and should not exploit or marginalize certain groups of people.
    • Transparency of Relationship: Celebrity endorsements should be transparent about the nature of the relationship between the celebrity and the product or company being endorsed. This is important to avoid conflicts of interest and to maintain the trust of consumers.
    • Social Responsibility: Celebrity endorsements should promote socially responsible products and causes, and should support the well-being of communities and the environment.
    • Cultural Sensitivity: Celebrity endorsements should be culturally sensitive and should not perpetuate stereotypes or harmful cultural narratives.
    • Legal and regulatory compliance: Celebrity endorsements should comply with all relevant laws and regulations, including those related to advertising and marketing.

    It’s important to note that these principles are not always mutually exclusive, and that different situations may require different considerations.

    Challenges to these principles

    • Authenticity of use: Celebrity endorsement exploits our rationality. Usage of by famous Celebrities may look unethical when he is a non-user of the product.  
    • Tarnished image: Celebrity endorsements are unethical when the people involved in any controversies in their life endorse the product reflecting their negative image poorly on the brand so endorsed. Ex. Perfumes ad casualizing women’s modesty.
    • Unsafe or ineffective product endorsement: Unethical aspects pave the way again when celebrities endorse some products which are hazardous to society. Ex. Darr ke aage jeet hai!
    • Compel to buy unwanted products: There are chances wherein celebrities indirectly drive consumers’ impulsive buying behaviour resulting in the purchase of unnecessary/harmful products. Ex. Bolo Zubaan Kesri!!
    • Misleading information: When celebrities say something deceptive / make false claims then the endorsement is lacking in ethics. Ex. Fairness creams and the notion of beauty.
    • Conflict of interest: When a particular ad conflicts with the celebrity’s image, principles, interests etc., the Celebrity is totally money-minded, hence the ethical implications can be very serious. Ex. Pan masala ad glorifying tobacco for individual success.
    • Override expert opinion: It is especially unethical when a celebrity endorsement overtakes the expert judgment. i.e. when he interjects his non-expert opinion he undermines the opinion of more qualified individuals. Ex. Liquors promotion!

    Way forward for the Celebrities

    • Consider supporting causes rather than organisations.
    • Have a genuine connection to the brand. Use the organisation’s product or services.
    • Do due diligence to ensure the organisation’s ethics are in line with own beliefs.
    • Have an exit clause if the organisation’s values no longer align or fails.
    • Ensure relationship with the organisation is disclosed in adverts and social posts..

    Conclusion

    • Celebrities symbolize knowledge, belief and aspiration in the eyes of consumers.
    • It is necessary for the enterprise and the celebrity that to consider all ethical considerations prior to publicly supporting a product or service.
    • Hence celebrities have to possess a sense of moral and ethical responsibility while endorsing any product whether it is consumable or any or product.

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  • PM calls for Prison Reforms and Repeal of Obsolete Laws

    prison

    Prime Minister has suggested prison reforms to improve jail management and recommended repealing obsolete criminal laws, at the national annual police meet.

    Issues with Prisons in India

    • Overcrowding: 149 jails in the country are overcrowded by more than 100% and that 8 are overcrowded by margins of a 500%. Overcrowding takes affects the already constrained prison resources and separation between different classes of prisoners difficult.
    • Under-trials: More than 65% of the prison population in India are under trials. The share of the prison population awaiting trial or sentencing in India is extremely high by international standards; for example, it is 11% in the UK, 20% in the US and 29% in France.
    • Lack of legal aid: Legal aid lawyers are poorly paid, and often over-burdened with cases. Further, there is no monitoring mechanism to evaluate the quality of legal aid representation in most states.
    • Miserable conditions:Prison structures in India are in dilapidated condition. Further, lack of space, poor ventilation, poor sanitation and hygiene make living conditions deplorable in Indian prisons.
    • Shortage of staff:The ratio between the prison staff and the prison population is approximately 1:7. In the absence of adequate prison staff, overcrowding of prisons leads to rampant violence and other criminal activities inside the jails.
    • Torture and Sexual abuse: Prisoners are subjected to inhuman psychological and physical torture. Sexual abuse of persons in custody is also part of the broader pattern of torture in custody.
    • Custodial deaths:In 2015, a total of 1,584 prisoners died in jails. A large proportion of the deaths in custody were from natural and easily curable causes aggravated by poor prison conditions. Further, there have been allegations of custodial deaths due to torture
    • Underpaid and unpaid labor: Labor is extracted from prisoners without paying proper wages.
    • Discrimination:According to Humans Rights Watch, a “rigid” class system exists in Indian prisons. On the other hand, socio-economically disadvantaged prisoners are deprived of basic human dignity.
    • Inadequate security measures and management: Poor security measures and prison management often leads to violence among inmates and resultant injury and in some cases death.
    • Lack of mental healthcare: In prison the problem of the overcrowding, poor sanitary facilities, lack of physical and mental activities, lack of decent health care, increase the likelihood of health problems. Further, mental health care has negligible focus in Indian prisons.
    • Colonial system:Absence of reformative approach in the Indian prison system has not only resulted in ineffective integration with society but also has failed to provide productive engagement opportunities for prisoners after their release

    SC Judgements in this regard

    • Through a number of judgements {like Maneka Gandhi case(Right to life and personal with dignity), Ramamurthy vs. State of Karnataka (on conditions of prisons) Prem Sankar Shukla vs. Delhi Administration (no handcuffing).
    • The Supreme has upheld three broad principles regarding imprisonment and custody.
    1. A person in prison does not become a non-person;
    2. A person in prison is entitled to all human rights within the limitations of imprisonment
    3. There is no justification for aggravating the suffering already inherent in the process of incarceration.

    Major legislations for prison reforms

    • The Prisons Act, 1894:It contains various provisions relating to health, employment, duties of jail officers, medical examination of prisoners, prison offenses etc.
    • Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1950– The Act deals with the transfer of a prisoner from state to another state
    • Repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003:The act enables the transfer of foreign prisoners to the country of their origin to serve the remaining part of their sentence. It also enables the transfer of prisoners of Indian origin convicted by a foreign court to serve their sentence in India
    • Model Prison Manual 2016:It aims at bringing in basic uniformity in laws, rules and regulations governing the administration of prisons and the management of prisoners across all the states and UTs in India
    • Legal service Authority Act, 1987:According to the law, a person in custody is entitled to free legal aid.

    Committees and Recommendations

    Various Committees and Commissions have been constituted by the State Governments as well as the Government of India to study and make suggestions for improving the prison conditions and administration.

    (1) Mulla Committee, 1983

    The major recommendations of the committee included:

    • The setting up of a National Prison Commission to oversee the modernization of the prisons in India
    • Putting a ban on clubbing together juvenile offenders with the hardened criminals in prison and enacting a comprehensive and protective legislation for the security and protective care of delinquent juveniles
    • Segregation of mentally ill prisoners to a mental asylum
    • The conditions of prison should be improved by making adequate arrangements for food, clothing, sanitation and ventilation etc.
    • Lodging of under trial in jails should be reduced to bare minimum and they should be kept separate from the convicted prisoners

    (2) Krishna Iyer Committee, 1987

    • The committee mandated to study the condition of women prisoners in the country.
    • It recommended induction of more women in the police force in view of their special role in tackling women and child offenders.

    (3) National Policy on Prison Reforms and Correctional Administration, 2007

    • In 2005, the Government of India constituted a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of the Director General, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).
    • This committee used the reports of Justice Mulla Committee Report & Justice Krishna Iyer Committee and made several additional and new recommendations.

    (4) Justice Amitava Roy Committee, 2018

    • In 2018 the Supreme Court constituted Amitava Roy Committee to look into the aspect of jail reforms across the country and make recommendations on several aspects, including overcrowding in prisons.
    • It recommended- Special fast-track courts should be set up to deal exclusively with petty offences which have been pending for more than 5 years.
    • Further, accused persons who are charged with petty offences and that granted bail, but who are unable to arrange surety should be released on a Personal Recognizance (PR) Bond.

    Steps taken

    • Modernization of Prisons scheme: The scheme for modernization of prisons was launched in 2002-03 with the objective of improving the condition of prisons, prisoners and prison personnel. Various components included the construction of new jails, repair and renovation of existing jails, improvement in sanitation and water supply etc.
    • E-Prisons Project: It aims to introduce efficiency in prison management through digitization.
    • Open Prisons: The All-India Committee on Jail Reform constituted in 1980 recommended the government to set up and develop open prisons in each state and UT similar to the Sanganer open camp in Rajasthan.

    Way Forward

    • Urgent repair: There is a dire need to address the issue of overcrowding in Indian jails. Further, sincere efforts should be made to improve living conditions which include better sanitation and hygiene, and adequate food and clothing.
    • Address health concerns: There should be an urgent focus on addressing health issues and ensuring access to medical care among prisoners. Women’s health needs, covering mental, physical, sexual and reproductive health, require particular attention.
    • Reform offenders: Efforts should be made to reform offenders in the social stratification by giving them appropriate correctional treatment.
    • Training and rehabilitation: Initiatives should be taken to impart vocational training to prisoners and ensure proper rehabilitation and social inclusion after release
    • Legal aid: The government must take initiative to improve the conditions of under-trial prisoners which can be achieved by speeding of the trial procedure, simplification of the bail procedure and providing effective legal aid
    • More open prisons: Open prison as an effective institution for the rehabilitation of offenders has been highlighted by Supreme Court as late as 1979 in the Dharambeer v State of U.P case. Open prisons should be encouraged as correctional facilities.

     

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  • Employment days under MGNREGS at a 5-year low

    mgnregs

    The average days of employment provided per household under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are at a five-year low, this financial year.

    What is the news?

    • As on January 20, the average days of employment provided per household is 42 days while it was 50 days in 2021-22, 52 days in 2020-21, 48 days in 2019-20 and 51 days in 2018-19.

    Why such unprecedented drop in employments?

    The program has been plagued by systemic problems that is disincentivising participation.

    • Choking of funds: This has led to suppression of work demand and delays in wage payments.
    • App for attendance: The introduction of unnecessary technical complexities like an app for attendance at worksites has caused more hardships for workers who will be more dissuaded going forward.
    • States dismal policies: With less than two-months for the financial year to close, there are at least nine States and union territories which have utilised less than 70% of projected person days.
    • Budgetary cuts: With low utilisation, financial outlay for the underperforming States is expected to further shrink in the upcoming financial year.

    What is MGNREGS?

    • The MGNREGS is a scheme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005.
    • This is labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘Right to Work’.
    • The act was first proposed in 1991 by V. Narasimha Rao.

    What is so unique about it?

    • MGNREGS is unique in not only ensuring at least 100 days of employment to the willing unskilled workers, but also in ensuring an enforceable commitment on the implementing machinery i.e., the State Governments, and providing a bargaining power to the labourers.
    • The failure of provision for employment within 15 days of the receipt of job application from a prospective household will result in the payment of unemployment allowance to the job seekers.
    • Any Indian citizen above the age of 18 years who resides in rural India can apply for the NREGA scheme. The applicant should have volunteered to do unskilled work.
    • Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant’s residence, and minimum wages are to be paid.
    • Thus, employment under MGNREGS is a legal entitlement.

    Why is MGNREGS under fire these days?

    • Not enough work: Bihar despite its levels of poverty, does not generate enough work to make a concrete difference, and on the other end of spectrum we have Kerala which is economically better but has been utilising it for asset creation.
    • No asset creation: There is a lack of tangible asset creation. The committee will study if the composition of work taken up presently under the scheme should be changed.

    Issues in implementation

    • Insufficient budgetary allocations: Increase in the nominal budget but actual budget (after adjusting inflation) decreased over the years.
    • Approved Labour Budget Constraints: The Centre through the arbitrary “Approved Labour Budget” has reduced the number of days of work and put a cap on funds through the National Electronic Fund Management System
    • Not so attractive wages rate: Currently, MGNREGS wage rates of 17 states are less than the corresponding state minimum wages.
    • Delay in wage payments: Under the MGNREGS, a worker is entitled to get his or her due wages within a fortnight of completion of work, failing which the worker is entitled to the compensation.
    • No-work situations are rising: None of the states was able to provide full 100 days employment as mentioned in the scheme.
    • Data manipulations by authorities: A recent study has found that data manipulation in the MGNREGS is leading to gross violations in its implementation.
    • Non-purposive spending and corruptions: Many works sanctioned under MGNREGS often seem to be non-purposive. Quite often, they are politically motivated hotspots to create rampant corruption.
    • Centralization weakening local governance: A real-time MIS-based implementation and a centralised payment system has further left the representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions with literally no role in implementation.

    Conclusion

    • Large scale social security programmes like MGNREGS are subjected to undergo several stumbling blocks in the times of ongoing pandemic.
    • Government and NGOs must study the impact of MGNREGS in rural areas so as to ensure that this massive anti-poverty scheme is not getting diluted from its actual path.
    • We must view MGNREGS as an opportunity and explicitly include it in a broad-based strategy to tackle any socie-economic crisis.

     

     

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  • Excavations reveal Buddhist monastery complex at Bharatpur of Bengal

    buddh

    Recent excavations at Bharatpur in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district have revealed the presence of a Buddhist monastery.

    Bharatpur Buddhist Monastery Complex

    • The Kolkata Circle of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) started excavating the site in the second week of January and a structural complex of a monastery has now been partially exposed.
    • The site was initially excavated almost fifty years ago between 1972 and 1975 when archeologists from ASI found a Buddhist stupa at the site.

    Uniqueness of this site

    • This place hosts a large stupa along with a monastery complex and black and red ware pottery from the Chalcolithic or Copper Age.
    • In other sites across West Bengal, such as Karnasubarna in Murshidabad, Moghalamari in Paschim Medinipur and Jagjivanpur in Malda, archeologists have found only smaller votive stupas.
    • Further excavation is likely to shed more light to understand the earliest occupation of the site and its continuity till the establishment of a Buddhist monastery.

    Key findings

    • In the 1970s when the site was excavated along with the stupa, five beautiful seated sculptures of the Buddha in Bhumisparsha Mudra -with all five fingers of the right hand extended to touch the ground — were found.
    • These miniature sculptures, each about 30 cm in height, were most likely used for worship in the monastery.

    Back2Basics: Mudras of Buddha

    buddh

    (1) Dharmachakra Mudra

    • It is also called as the gesture of ‘Teaching of the Wheel of Dharma’ that describes one of the most important moments in the Buddha’s life as he performed the Dharmachakra mudra in his first sermon in Sarnath after he attained enlightenment.
    • It is performed with the help of both the hands which are held against the chest, the left facing inward, covering the right facing outward.

    (2) Dhyan Mudra

    • It is also known as Samadhi or Yoga Mudra.
    • It is performed with the help of two hands, which are placed on the lap and place the right hand on the left hand with stretched fingers (thumbs facing upwards and other fingers of both the hand resting on each other.)
    • This is the characteristic gesture of Buddha Shakyamuni, Dhyani Buddha Amitabh and the Medicine Buddha.

    (3) Bhumisparsa Mudra

    • This gesture is also known as ‘touching the Earth’, which represents the moment of the Buddha’s awakening as he claims the earth as the witness of his enlightenment.
    • It is performed with the help of the right hand, which is held above the right knee, reaching toward the ground with the palm inward while touching the lotus throne.

    (4) Varada Mudra

    • This mudra represents the offering, welcome, charity, giving, compassion and sincerity.
    • It is performed with the help of both the hands in which palm of right hand is facing forward and fingers extended and left hand palm placed near centre with extended fingers.

    (5) Karana Mudra

    • It signifies the warding off of evil which is performed by raising the index and the little finger, and folding the other fingers.
    • It helps in reducing sickness or negative thoughts.

    (6) Vajra Mudra

    • This gesture denotes the fiery thunderbolt that symbolises the five elements—air, water, fire, earth, and metal.
    • It is performed with the help of right fist and left forefinger, which is placed by enclosing the erect forefinger of the left hand in the right fist with the tip of the right forefinger touching (or curled around) the tip of the left forefinger.

    (7) Vitarka Mudra

    • It signifies the discussion and transmission of the teachings of the Buddha.
    • It is performed by joining the tips of the thumb and the index fingers together while keeping the other fingers straight, which is just like the Abhaya Mudra and Varada Mudra but in this mudra the thumbs touch the index fingers.

    (8) Abhaya Mudra

    • It is a gesture of fearlessness or blessing that represents the protection, peace, benevolence, and dispelling of fear.
    • It is performed with the help of right hand by raising to shoulder height with bent arm, and the face of palm will be facing outward with fingers upright whereas the left hand hanging down while standing.

    (9) Uttarabodhi Mudra

    • This denotes the supreme enlightenment through connecting oneself with divine universal energy.
    • It is performed with the help of both the hands, which are placed at the heart with the index fingers touching and pointing upwards and the remaining fingers intertwined.

    (10) Anjali Mudra

    • It is also called Namaskara Mudra or Hridayanjali Mudra that represents the gesture of greeting, prayer and adoration.
    • It is performed by pressing the palms of the hands together in which the hands are held at the heart chakra with thumbs resting lightly against the sternum.

     

    Answer this PYQ from CSP 2014 in the comment box:

    Q.Lord Buddha’s image is sometimes shown with a hand gesture called ‘Bhumisparsha Mudra’. It symbolizes-

    a) Buddha’s calling of the Earth to watch over Mara and to prevent Mara from disturbing his meditation

    b) Buddha’s calling of the Earth to witness his purity and chastity despite the temptations of Mara

    c) Buddha’s reminder to his followers that they all arise from the Earth and finally dissolve into the Earth and thus this life is transitory

    d) Both the statements ‘a’ and ‘b’ are correct in this context

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Places in news: Jagannath Puri Temple

    Odisha Governor’s suggestion that foreigners and non-Hindus should be allowed to enter Puri’s famed Jagannath temple has not gone down well with traditionalists and political leaders alike.

    Why in news?

    • It has been the practice for centuries — even though there is no clearly articulated reason for it.
    • Some historians believe that multiple attacks on the Temple by foreign invaders might have led the servitors to impose restrictions on the entry of non-Hindus.
    • Others have said that this was the practice from the time the Temple was built.
    • In 1984, the servitors famously opposed the entry of Indira Gandhi inside the Temple, saying she had married a non-Hindu.

    About Jagannath Temple

    • The Jagannath Temple is an important Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Sri Krishna in Puri in Odisha.
    • The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
    • The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars.

    Its architecture

    • With its sculptural richness and fluidity of the Oriya style of temple architecture, it is one of the most magnificent monuments of India.
    • The huge temple complex covers an area of over 400,000 square feet and is surrounded by a high fortified wall.
    • This 20 feet high wall is known as Meghanada Pacheri.
    • Another wall known as kurma bedha surrounds the main temple.

    The temple has four distinct sectional structures, namely:

    1. Deula, Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls). In Rekha Deula style;
    2. Mukhashala (Frontal porch);
    3. Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
    4. Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall)

  • Assam’s Charaideo Maidams nominated for UNESCO tag

    maidam

    The Centre has decided to nominate Assam’s Charaideo Maidams — the Ahom equivalent of the ancient Egyptian pyramids — for the UNESCO World Heritage Centre this year.

    Why in news?

    • The nomination has attained significance at a time when the country is celebrating the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Barphukan.

    Charaideo Maidams

    • The Charaideo maidams represents the late medieval (13th-19th century CE) mound burial tradition of the Tai Ahom community in Assam.
    • The Ahoms preferred to place the departed family members at Charaideo where the first king Sukapha was laid to rest.
    • The historical chronicles inform that wives, attendants, pet animals and huge quantity of valuables were buried with the departed kings.
    • The Charaideo Maidams enshrine the mortal remains of the members of the Ahom royalty, who used to be buried with their paraphernalia.
    • After the 18th century, the Ahom rulers adopted the Hindu method of cremation and began entombing the cremated bones and ashes in a Maidam at Charaideo.
    • Out of 386 Maidams explored so far, 90 royal burials at Charaideo are the best preserved, representative of and the most complete examples of mound burial tradition of the Ahoms.

    Architecture details

    • Architecturally it comprises a massive underground vault with one or more chambers having domical superstructure.
    • It is covered by a heap of earthen mound and externally it appears a hemispherical mound.
    • At the top of the mound a small open pavilion chow-chali is provided.
    • An octagonal dwarf wall encloses whole maidam.

     

    Ahoms Dynasty

    • The Ahom, also known as the Tai-Ahom, are an ethnic group from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in India.
    • This ethnic group is made up of interbred descendants of the Tai people, who first came to Assam’s Brahmaputra valley in 1228, and indigenous people who later joined them.
    • Sukaphaa, the Tai group’s leader, and his 9000 supporters founded the Ahom empire (1228–1826 CE), which ruled over part of modern-day Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley until 1826.
    • Charaideo, more than 400 km east of Guwahati, was the first capital of the Ahom dynasty founded by Chao Lung Sukaphaa in 1253.
    • The current Ahom people and culture are a mix of the ancient Tai people and culture, as well as indigenous Tibeto-Burman people and cultures that they assimilated in Assam.

     

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  • What is Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), and how it impacts the climate?

    lng

    The EU is weaning itself off piped Russian gas by rapidly expanding imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from US.

    What is Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG?

    • LNG is natural gas reduced to a liquid state (liquefaction) through intense cooling to around -161 degrees Celsius (-259 Fahrenheit).
    • It is constituted almost wholly of methane — a potent greenhouse gas and can be transported around the world by ship.
    • This liquid gas is 600 times smaller than the original volume and is half the weight of water.
    • After arriving at its destination, the cargo is regasified in a floating terminal and redistributed through pipelines.

    Economic feasibility of LNG

    • High cost of liquefaction: despite LNG’s export potential, the high cost of liquefaction and producing LNG has limited its market.
    • Losses: Between 10-25% of the energy of the gas is being lost during the liquefaction process.
    • Costly transport: The cooling, liquefying and transport processes, as well as the post-transport regasification procedures, also require a lot of energy.

    What’s the climate impact of LNG?

    • Emission: With LNG creating almost 10 times more emissions than piped gas by one estimate, its rapid expansion will likely compromise climate targets.
    • Risks of methane leakages: Methane loss across the supply chain risks also contributes to LNG’s high emissions.
    • Huge carbon equivalence: Meanwhile, LNG emits 14 times as much carbon as solar power when producing the equivalent amount of energy, and 50 times as much carbon as wind power.

     

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  • What are Additional Tier-1 (AT-1) Bonds?

    The Bombay High Court has quashed the write-off of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds worth Rs 8,400 crore issued by Yes Bank Ltd, bringing relief to investors.

    What are AT1 bonds?

    • AT-1, short for Additional Tier-1 bonds, are a type of unsecured, perpetual bonds that banks issue to shore up their core capital base to meet the Basel-III norms.
    • AT-1 bonds are complex hybrid instruments, ideally meant for institutions and smart investors who can decipher their terms and assess if their higher rates compensate for their higher risks.
    • They carry a face value of ₹10 lakh per bond.
    • There are two routes through which retail folk have acquired these bonds — initial private placement offers of AT-1 bonds by banks seeking to raise money; or secondary market buys of already-traded AT-1 bonds based on recommendations from brokers.

    Why are they important?

    AT-1 bonds have several unusual features lurking in their fine print, which make them very different from plain bonds.

    • One, these bonds are perpetual and carry no maturity date. Instead, they carry call options that allow banks to redeem them after five or 10 years. But banks are not obliged to use this call option and can opt to pay only interest on these bonds for eternity.
    • Two, banks issuing AT-1 bonds can skip interest payouts for a particular year or even reduce the bonds’ face value without getting into hot water with their investors, provided their capital ratios fall below certain threshold levels. These thresholds are specified in their offer terms.
    • Three, if the RBI feels that a bank is tottering on the brink and needs a rescue, it can simply ask the bank to cancel its outstanding AT-1 bonds without consulting its investors. This is what has happened to YES Bank’s AT-1 bond-holders who are said to have invested ₹10,800 crore.

     

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  • 21st Jan 2023 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    21st Jan 2023 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 1220]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 1220]

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  • Intra-national COP: An innovative approach of cooperation

    national

    Context

    • India revised its target to reduce the carbon intensity of its GDP to 45 percent by 2030, more ambitious than the earlier target of 34 percent. These National carbon emission targets were globally appreciated and have further strengthened its leadership position in climate action.

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    Spirit of cooperative federalism is needed to achieve this target

    • In order to effectively address climate change, India needs to involve all of its states and Union Territories. During recent climate summits, the states and UTs have not been active participants.
    • A new approach to cooperation between states and UTs on climate action is needed, similar to the cooperation used in the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). This will lead to better results in public sector actions to tackle climate change.

    Role of states

    • Power of States and UTs: Provisions in the Constitution of India, legislations of the Parliament, executive orders, and judicial decisions enable states/UTs to have a substantial influence on matters pertaining to land, electricity, mobility, labour, pollution control, skill building, law and order, financial incentives for commercial activities, etc.
    • Role of States and UTs in Policy Implementation: States/UTs can become prime movers in the last mile through interventions in policy, regulation, and project implementation.
    • Potential of India’s Cooperative Federalism: During the ongoing winter session of Parliament, the Prime Minister of India also emphasised the potential of India’s cooperative federalism in becoming ‘a torch bearer of the world’ in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while addressing its Rajya Sabha.

    How India’s model of ‘Intranational COP’ will work?

    • Utilizing GST council model for climate action: Climate action is a unifying theme, and creating a forum similar to the Goods and Services Taxes (GST) council, which created successful engagement models during the pan-India roll-out of GST, can be helpful.
    • Facilitating cross-party dialogue: This intra-country group, Intranational COP, can offer opportunities for sharing a stage across parties in a neutral setting where outcome-oriented conversations can take place.
    • Promoting cooperative and competitive federalism for Net Zero: It can kindle the friendly spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism with each state/UT committing to bolder actions towards net zero.
    • Measuring stakeholder performance through consensus building: It can potentially introduce new evaluation parameters for measuring the performance of stakeholders based on their ability to build consensus across boundaries while keeping aside their myopic and constricted vote-bank-centered politics.
    • Learning and Leveraging Best Practices: Climate change is a new and dynamic topic for all stakeholders. It is an equaliser where no state/UT has any inherent advantageous positions. States/UTs can learn best practices from each other to implement, achieve, and measure the outcomes of their actions.

    Electricity distribution: A case of cooperation

    • Today, though a project is conceived, financed, and implemented by central agencies, site-specific mobilisation of resources requires the active cooperation of the states/UTs.
    • An important case in point can be electricity distribution, where states can exponentially augment India’s clean energy ambitions.
    • Furthermore, they can directly support municipal corporations/village panchayats in innovating customised approaches for faster and inclusive adoption of national climate goals in line with the socioeconomic and cultural sensitivities of the region.

    ‘Intranational COP’ for common but differentiated responsibilities

    • Forum for addressing Climate Change within India: It is well-established that some parts of India are economically more developed as compared to others. This translates to the fact that the relatively more prosperous regions contribute more to India’s carbon emissions. Such states are better positioned to initially invest in expensive low-carbon technologies and disseminate them to achieve economies of scale.
    • Addressing Regional Imbalances in Carbon Emissions: IndiaCOP can can unleash creative mechanisms to offset regional imbalances while respecting local cultural sensitivities.
    • Platform for States/UTs to Forge Mutual Cooperation Agreements: It can provide a platform for states/UTs to forge MOUs that complement each other’s strengths while filling up the gaps in technical/financial/people resources. For e.g., small hilly states have good hydroelectric power potential, but they may lack financial wherewithal; states like Rajasthan have good solar energy potential but currently lack sufficient trained manpower, etc.

    Way ahead

    • Intranational COP can be a dedicated flagship platform to thrash out a national consensus on India’s climate goals and the means to achieve them. For example, the Finance Commission can play a role in allocating capital based on the climate actions and needs of states.
    • The mechanisms of climate funding and allocation, led by the Finance Commission, can be debated and agreed upon on this platform. Such a consensus will enjoy double legitimacy as it is arrived at collectively by the union and state/UT governments.

    Conclusion

    • The success of India’s model of “Intra-national COP” can become a template for federal nations across the world to engage with provincial/local governments with diverse socio-political and economic challenges. It can score a big win in promoting India’s soft power, especially as it takes on the presidency of the G20.

    Mains question

    Q. During recent climate summits, the states and UTs have not been active participants. In this backdrop how India’s model of Intra-national COP will be helpful?

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  • Day 6| Daily Answer Wars| CD WarZone

    Topics for Today’s question:

    GS-3 Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.       

    Question:

    Q. Why is Public Private Partnership (PPP) required in infrastructural projects? Examine the role of PPP model in the redevelopment of Railway Stations in India. (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WARS (DAW)?

    1. Daily 1 question either from General Studies 1, 2, 3 or 4 will be provided via live You Tube video session.
    2. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
    3. The answer needs to be submitted by joining the telegram group given in the link below.

      https://t.me/cdwarzone

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    1. For the philosophy of Daily Answer Wars and payment: 
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    Payment Link DAW

  • Q. Why is Public Private Partnership (PPP) required in infrastructural projects? Examine the role of PPP model in the redevelopment of Railway Stations in India. (10 Marks)

  • Police conference: Highlighting the Challenges and solutions

    conference

    Context

    • A conference of the Directors General of Police of all the states and union territories is being held in Delhi from January 20 to 22. The Prime Minister will be attending all the sessions of the three-day conference.

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    All you need to know about the Conference

    • This conference of the Directors General of Police is an annual feature.
    • It is organised by the Intelligence Bureau and its deliberations are presided over by the Director, IB, who is considered primus inter pares among the senior-most police officers of the country.
    • This year’s conference, according to media reports, will be discussing emerging trends in militancy and hybrid militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, counter-terrorism, cryptocurrency, drug trafficking, radicalisation and other important matters.

    What is missing in the agenda?

    • Problems at grass root are rarely discussed: The agenda, year after year, reflects the security-related problems of the country at the macro level. So far so good. But the grass roots problems are seldom taken up or deliberated upon.
    • Dismal picture of Police stations: The strength of a chain, as they say, is determined by its weakest link, and the weakest link today is the police station. Leaving aside the model police stations and some in the metro cities, the average police station presents a dismal picture dilapidated building, case property like motorcycles and cars littered all over the compound, no reception room, filthy lockup, and so on.
    • Overburdened staff: The staff, overworked and fatigued, is generally unresponsive, if not rude.
    • Available resources are limited resources: They may not have access to vehicles or have run out of fuel as per the allotted quota.
    • Political influence: Even if you are able to speak with a responsible sub-inspector, they may be pressured by politicians to change their actions.

    For instance: The data according to the Status of Policing in India Report 2019

    • Shortage of personnel: According to the report, police in India work at 77% of their sanctioned strength and these personnel work for 14 hours a day on average.
    • Lack of equipment and technology: There are 70 police stations which have no wireless, 214 police stations that have no telephone and 240 police stations that have no vehicles.
    • Poor housing and training facilities: Housing facilities for police are unsatisfactory. Training of personnel is inadequate, the training institutions have not kept pace with the changing paradigm on the law or crime front and are manned generally by unwanted, demotivated officers.
    • Technology gap: Technology support leaves much to be desired; the criminals are, in fact, way ahead of the police.

    Hard fact and the concerns over the police duties in India

    • Police Officer’s Duties and Expectations: The demanding role and expectations of police officers as first responders to any crime, 24/7 duty and assisting other departments with their duties. The public has no obligation to assist police officers. For instance, ASI was stabbed to death in Delhi, bystanders were just standing and watching the scene.
    • High death toll among Police Personnel: It is estimated that 36,044 police personnel have died in the performance of their duties since India’s independence. It is pointed out that the corresponding figure for all the countries of Europe taken together is much less.
    • Duties to become more challenging in future: It is acknowledged that police duties in India are tougher than in any other part of the world, and that these duties are likely to become even more challenging in the future, with the rise of new forms of crime such as terrorist crimes, cybercrimes, drug trafficking, and cryptocurrency.

    What improvements are suggested?

    1. The Need to Prioritize Basic Matters: It is important to prioritize basic police matters and ensure that they are effectively dealt with. Once the police station is able to inspire confidence among the people, many other issues will fall into place.
    2. Division of Conference into Two Parts: The format of police conferences should be changed by dividing it into two parts – one dealing with intelligence matters and the other dealing with crime and law and order issues.
    3. Roles of DBI and CBI: It is proposed that the Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB) preside over the intelligence-related matters, and the Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) assisted by a senior-most Director General of a state police nominated by the Ministry of Home Affairs should conduct the proceedings of the conference dealing with crime and law and order matters.
    4. Need for Specialized Treatment of Crime: the crime is becoming increasingly complex and requires specialized treatment, and that this bifurcation is necessary in order to effectively address the different aspects of crime.

    Do you know the concept of SMART police?

    • The Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the concept of SMART Police.
    • SMART stands for: S: Strict but sensitive, M: Modern and mobile, A: Alert and accountable, R: Reliable and responsive, and  T: Trained and tech-savvy.
    • It also aims to make the police more responsive to the needs of the people, and to address issues of police brutality, corruption, and lack of accountability to citizens.

    Conclusion

    • The Prime Minister’s concept of SMART Police, which aims to create a force that is strict and sensitive, modern and mobile, alert and accountable, reliable and responsive, techno-savvy and trained, has the potential to bring about a significant change in the working of the police and a new era for the people of the country. It’s important for the conference to review the progress made in implementing this transformation in the police and work towards achieving these objectives to bring about a much-needed change in the police force.

    Mains question

    Q. What are the major challenges faced by the Indian police force? Discuss improvements suggested to address them?

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  • [Burning Issue] Storm of ChatGPT

    Context

    ChatGPT, which was only released a few months ago, is gaining popularity online as users marvel at its incredible powers. The latest artificial intelligence tool is creating a buzz among computer scientists and programmers due to its creative capabilities.

    In this context, this edition of the burning issue will elaborate on this latest buzz in the technology sector- ChatGPT

    What is ChatGPT?

    • About ChatGPT: ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot launched by OpenAI in November 2022. It is built on top of OpenAI’s GPT-3 family of large language models and is fine-tuned with both supervised and reinforcement learning techniques.
    • OpenAI: ChatGPT has been developed by OpenAI, which is a research institute and company that focuses on developing artificial intelligence technology responsibly and safely. It was founded in 2015 by a group of entrepreneurs and researchers, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Greg Brockman.
    • A human-like language model: ChatGPT is built on a large-scale transformer-based language model that is trained on a diverse dataset of text and is capable of generating human-like responses to prompts. It is based on GPT-3.5, a language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like text.
    • It is more engaging with details: However, while the older GPT-3 model only took text prompts and tried to continue on that with its own generated text, ChatGPT is more engaging. It’s much better at generating detailed text and can even come up with poems.
    • Keeps the memory of the conversations: Another unique characteristic is memory. The bot can remember earlier comments in a conversation and recount them to the user.
    • Human-like resemblance: A conversation with ChatGPT is like talking to a computer, a smart one, which appears to have some semblance of human-like intelligence.

    The evolution of ChatGPT

    • Generative Pre-Training (GPT) language model: ChatGPT follows a generation of language models that were released by OpenAI in 2018. In 2018, OpenAI released the Generative Pre-Training (GPT) language model. Here, generative means that it is a type of neural network that can create new content based on input content called Training Data. This technology makes it suitable for creative tasks like writing a new story.
    • Transformer technique: With the transformer technique mentioned above, GPT was improved and “Generative Pre-trained Transformer 2” or GPT-2 was released in 2019. GPT-3 with even more sophisticated neural networks was launched in 2020.
    • GPT3.5: In early 2022, GPT3.5 was released and ChatGPT is a successor to GPT3.5. Each successive generation is more advanced than its predecessor. For example, GPT-3 was trained with 175 billion parameters. These large language models have looked at almost all text available on the internet and many other text documents, thereby making them highly informed. Finally, ChatGPT was launched in November 2022.

    About Chatbots and AI

    What is a ChatBot?

    • A chatbot (coined from the term “chat robot”) is a computer program that simulates human conversation either by voice or text communication, and is designed to help solve a problem.
    • Organizations use chatbots to engage with customers alongside classic customer service channels like phone, email, and social media.

    What is Artificial intelligence?

    • AI is a constellation of technologies that enable machines to act with higher levels of intelligence and emulate the human capabilities of sense, comprehend and act. Thus, computer vision and audio processing can actively perceive the world around them by acquiring and processing images, sound and speech.
    • Natural language processing and inference engines can enable AI systems to analyze and understand the information collected.
    • An AI system can also take action through technologies such as expert systems and inference engines or undertake actions in the physical world.
    • These human-like capabilities are augmented by the ability to learn from experience and keep adapting over time.

    Working of ChatGPT

    • ChatGPT is what is called a Language Model, rather than a chatbot. A language model is a software that prints out a sequence of words as output that are related to some words given as input with appropriate semantic relation;
    • in practical terms, it means that it can perform tasks like answering questions and carrying on a conversation with humans. It is often used in natural language processing (NLP) applications, such as speech recognition, automatic translation, and text generation.
    • It is also a neural network. A neural network can be thought of as a large network of computers that can fine-tune its output of words based on the feedback given to it during stages of training: this training process and the technology together are called Reinforcement Learning.
    • With a further refining technique called “Transformer”, a neural network can accurately “understand” the context of a sentence or a paragraph. This “comprehension” can be used for multiple purposes like answering a question, summarising a paragraph or an article, translating documents and so on.

    Applications of ChatGPT

    • A virtual study mate: ChatGPT could be used to generate practice questions or prompts for students to use when studying or preparing for exams. Input a prompt into ChatGPT that relates to the topic you are studying. For example, you might write ‘generate practice questions from Indian Polity on fundamental rights’. ChatGPT will then generate a series of practice questions that could range from multiple choice, true/false, or short answers.
    • A writing assistant: ChatGPT can be used to generate text in a variety of styles and formats, such as stories, news articles, poems, and more. This could be useful for creative writing, or for generating content for websites and social media.
    • A human-like search engine: One of the most used applications of ChatGPT is to answer specific questions and get answers in human talking style-dialogue format. It can also simplify complex theories. Microsoft is planning to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot into its Bing search engine in order to take advantage of its ability to respond to a wide range of questions while mimicking human conversation styles.
    • For language translation: ChatGPT could be used to automatically translate text from one language to another, making it easier for people to communicate with each other across language barriers.
    • A customizable chatbot: You could use the ChatGPT model to create a chatbot that can answer questions or have a conversation with a user. ChatGPT could answer customer questions or provide assistance in online chatbots or virtual assistants, allowing businesses to provide 24/7 support to their customers. It is trainable with specific data to create a virtual customer service bot that can converse and respond to queries.

    Advantages

    • Available for customers 24/7: ChatGPT could answer customer questions at any hour, day or night. Now, the customer can ask a query to the chatbot and get an instant reply or get sent to the page with the right product. 
    • Offers Better personalization: Personalization is important for customers. In fact, about 44% of buyers become repeat customers after receiving a personalized experience. It pays off to customize your messages to clients and provide more personalized customer service. 
    • Faster response time: About 96% of shoppers expect a response within five minutes. And chatbots like ChatGPT can provide instant responses to help customers with simple questions right there and then. This helps to decrease the waiting time for customer support to a couple of seconds. 
    • Increase sales: Chatbots can bring more sales for businesses. Bots turn first-time website visitors into new customers by showing off your new products and offering discounts to tempt potential clients.
    • Save costs: Cost saving is another essential benefit. It can automate day-to-day tasks that include everything from answering FAQs to booking appointments. This allows the customer support team to concentrate on more complex queries. 

    Concerns and Limitations

    • Implications for cybersecurity: Check Point Research and others noted that ChatGPT was capable of writing phishing emails and malware, especially when combined with OpenAI Codex.
    • May involve in unethical use: ChatGPT attempts to reject prompts that may violate its content policy. However, some users managed to jailbreak ChatGPT by using various prompt engineering techniques to bypass these restrictions in early December 2022 and successfully tricked ChatGPT into giving instructions for how to create a Molotov cocktail or a nuclear bomb, or into generating arguments in the style of a Neo-Nazi.
    • ChatGPT is not entirely accurate: It is not entirely accurate, something even OpenAI has admitted. It is also evident that some of the essays written by ChatGPT lack the depth that a real human expert might showcase when writing on the same subject.
    • ChatGPT lacks depth like the human mind: It doesn’t quite have the nuance that a human would often be able to provide. For example, when asked ChatGPT how one should cope with a cancer diagnosis. The responses were kind but generic. The type of responses you would find in any general self-help guide.
    • It lacks the same experiences as humans: AI has a long way to go. After all, it doesn’t have the same experiences as a human.
    • ChatGPT does not excel in code: ChatGPT is writing basic code. As several reports have shown, ChatGPT doesn’t quite excel at this yet. But a future where basic code is written using AI doesn’t seem so incredible right now.
    • ChatGPT is still prone to Misinformation: Despite of abilities of the bot, there are some limitations. ChatGPT is still prone to misinformation and biases, which is something that plagued previous versions of GPT as well. The model can give incorrect answers to, say, algebraic problems.
    • ChatGPT can write incorrect answers: OpenAI understands some flaws and has noted them down on its announcement blog that “ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but the incorrect or nonsensical answer

    Conclusion

    • OpenAI’s ChatGPT turned that simple experience into something entirely different. ChatGPT is a path-breaking example of an AI chatbot and what the technology could achieve when applied at scale.
    • Limitations aside, ChatGPT still makes for a fun little bot to interact with. However, there are some challenges that need to be addressed before it becomes an unavoidable part of human life.

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  • Women to get Command Roles in the Indian Army

    women

    As many as 108 women officers in the Army are set to be cleared for the rank of Colonel (selection grade) which will make them eligible to command units and troops in their respective arms and services for the first time.

    What exactly does Commanding a unit mean?

    • Once promoted to a Colonel, an officer is eligible to command troops directly in the Army, which is an acknowledgment of the leadership qualities of the officer.
    • It is considered a coveted appointment because in no other rank — including higher ranks like Brigadier or Major General — does an officer interact directly with troops on the ground.
    • Women officers in many streams of the Army, including the Army Air Defence, Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, EMEs, Army Ordnance Corps, and Intelligence Corps will be commanding units.

    Women in commands: Significance

    • Leadership opportunity: Despite working at the grassroots level as junior officers, women officers hitherto did not get an opportunity to prove their leadership skills as they were not eligible to command a unit.
    • Gender parity: Most importantly, it grants women officer’s parity with their male counterparts.
    • Higher ranks: Earlier promotions were staff appointments — which are more administrative in nature and not purely command appointments in which an officer commands troops on ground.
    • Benefits after permanent commission: With a longer career in the Army, women officers will be considered for promotions, including to the rank of Colonel and beyond.

    Why did their Colonel promotions come so late?

    • An officer in the Army is promoted to the rank of Colonel only after serving between 16 and 18 years, based on certain criteria such as annual confidential reports and various courses.
    • Women officers who were inducted into the Army were inducted as Short Service Commission (SSC) officers in 1992 and in the years after did not have the choice to opt for permanent commission.

    Supreme Court order affirming Permanent Commission

    • In 2019, the Army changed its rules allowing SSC women officers to opt for permanent commission who would have otherwise retired after 14 years of service.
    • However, this was not retrospective and applied only to the batches of women officers starting their career in the Army in 2020.
    • With the landmark Supreme Court judgment of February 2020, permanent commission was granted to women officers with retrospective effect.
    • This opened the doors for their further growth and promotions in the Army, which has been of late opening leadership and higher management courses for women.

    How are women still discriminated?

    • Women are still not eligible in core combat arms such as Infantry, Mechanised Infantry and Armoured Corps.
    • Indian Army is not open to women fighting wars at the borders as foot soldiers.
    • Much of this resistance stems from past instances of male soldiers being taken as prisoners of war and tortured by the enemy.
    • However, the Army has recently decided to open the Corps of Artillery, a combat support arm, to women.

    What about the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force?

    • Women officers have been inducted into all branches of the Navy, and they will be eligible for permanent commission in the future.
    • Women officers can command shore-based units and, as they join the service and become eligible for permanent commission, they would be able to command ships and air squadrons.
    • The IAF has opened all branches for women officers, including the fighter stream and the new weapon systems branch.
    • As they are granted permanent commission based on eligibility and vacancies, they will be eligible to command units in the future.

    How many women serve in the Indian armed forces?

    • The Army, being the largest of the three services, has the largest number of women officers at 1,705, followed by 1,640 women officers in the IAF, and 559 in the Navy.
    • This data was submitted by the government to Parliament last year.

     

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  • Forex Reserves zoom by $10.417 billion to $572 billion

    India’s forex reserves zoomed by $10.417 billion to $572 billion, making it one of the biggest weekly jumps in recent times.

    Recent trends in FOREX Reserves

    • In the previous reporting week, the overall reserves had dropped by $1.268 billion to $561.583 billion.
    • In October 2021, the country’s forex reached an all-time high of $645 billion.
    • The reserves have been declining as the central bank deploys the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures caused majorly by global developments.
    • In October 2022, the reserves had swelled by $14.721 billion during a week.

    What is Foreign Exchange (Forex) Reserve?

    • Foreign exchange reserves are important assets held by the central bank in foreign currencies as reserves.
    • They are commonly used to support the exchange rate and set monetary policy.
    • In India’s case, foreign reserves include Gold, Dollars, and the IMF’s quota for Special Drawing Rights.
    • Most of the reserves are usually held in US dollars, given the currency’s importance in the international financial and trading system.
    • Some central banks keep reserves in Euros, British pounds, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan, in addition to their US dollar reserves.

    India’s forex reserves cover:

    1. Foreign Currency Assets (FCAs)
    2. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)
    3. Gold Reserves
    4. Reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

    Countries with the highest foreign reserves

    • Currently, China has the largest reserves followed by Japan and Switzerland.
    • India earlier overtook Russia to become the fourth-largest country with foreign exchange reserves. (Data from August 2022)
    1. China – $3,349 Billion
    2. Japan – $1,376 Billion
    3. Switzerland – $1,074 Billion
    4. Russia – $597.40 Billion

    Why are these reserves so important?

    • All international transactions are settled in US dollars and, therefore, required to support India’s imports.
    • More importantly, they need to maintain support and confidence for central bank action, whether monetary policy action or any exchange rate intervention to support the domestic currency.
    • It also helps to limit any vulnerability due to sudden disturbances in foreign capital flows, which may arise during a crisis.
    • Holding liquid foreign currency provides a cushion against such effects and provides confidence that there will still be enough foreign exchange to help the country with crucial imports in case of external shocks.

    Initiatives taken by the government to increase forex

    • To increase the foreign exchange reserves, the Government of India has taken many initiatives like AatmaNirbhar Bharat, in which India has to be made a self-reliant nation so that India does not have to import things that India can produce.
    • Other than AatmaNirbhar Bharat, the government has started schemes like Duty Exemption Scheme, Remission of Duty or Taxes on Export Product (RoDTEP), Nirvik (Niryat Rin Vikas Yojana) scheme, etc.
    • Apart from these schemes, India is one of the top countries that attracted the highest amount of Foreign Direct Investment, thereby improving India’s foreign exchange reserves.

     

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  • PM greets people on Statehood day of Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya

    state

    Prime Minister has greeted people of three northeast states- Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya on their Statehood Day.

    What is the news?

    • Today marks the 51st anniversary of the formation of the states, which were created on this day in 1972.
    • While Manipur and Tripura were princely states which were absorbed into India in October 1949, Meghalaya, on the other hand, was part of Assam.
    • The states came into being the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, enacted on December 30 that year.

    Quick backgrounder

    • These states attained statehood under the North Eastern Region (Reorganization) Act of 1971.
    • The NE composition consisted of Assam plains from the old Assam Province, the hill districts, and the North Eastern Frontier Tracts (NEFT) of the North-Eastern borderland.
    • Later on the NE region was turned into seven sisters with the statehood of Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.

    [1] Meghalaya

    • Apart from accounts of the more essential Khasi kingdoms in the chronicles of the neighbouring Ahoms and Kacharis, little is known of Meghalaya prior to the British rule.
    • However, in the early 19th century, the British desire to build a road through the region to link Bengal and Assam led to a treaty with the ruler (Syiem) of the Khasi principality of Nonkhlaw.
    • In 1829, opponents of the treaty persuaded the Syiem to repudiate it, and a subsequent attack on Britishers led inevitably to its military operations against the Khasis.
    • By the mid-1830s, most local rulers had submitted to the British.
    • For the next century, the British exercised its political control over the area, then known as the Garrows and Cossiya (Khasi) States, but the tribals who were left to fend themselves managed to preserve their traditional culture in seclusion.

    Integration into India

    • In 1947, the rulers of the region acceded to the newly independent India.
    • The first PM Nehru evolved a policy to preserve and protect the culture of the tribal people.
    • The region was given special protection in the Indian constitution along with other tribal areas, and it retained a great deal of autonomy.
    • In 1960, when Assamese became the state’s official language, agitation for autonomy and self-rule gathered strength.
    • Unlike many other hill regions in north-eastern India, this movement was largely peaceful and constitutional.
    • In 1970, Meghalaya became an autonomous state within Assam and achieved full statehood on January 21, 1972.

    [2] Manipur

    • Over 500 princely states had negotiated their accession to the Indian union before independence.
    • According to News Nine, the rulers of these states signed a document called the ‘Instrument of Accession’.
    • On August 11, 1947, Bodhachandra Singh, then Maharaja of Manipur, signed the document. He had been assured that the autonomy of Manipur would be maintained.
    • Elections were held in Manipur in June 1948, but its legislative assembly had differences of opinion on the merger.
    • However, the Maharaja signed a Merger Agreement with India in September 1949.

    [3] Tripura

    • Maharajas of the Manikya dynasty ruled the former princely state of Tripura.
    • It was an independent administrative unit under the Maharaja even during British rule in India.
    • However, according to Tripura State Portal, this independence was qualified, subject to the Britishers’ recognition, as the paramount power of each successive ruler.
    • As per Rajmala, in the royal chronology of Tripura, around 184 kings ruled over the state before it merged with the Indian Union on October 15, 1949.
    • Since then, the history of Tripura has been interspersed with various political, economic and social developments.

    Attainment of full statehood

    • On January 26, 1950, Tripura was accorded the status of a ‘C’ category state, and on November 1, 1956, it was recognized as a Union Territory.
    • With its people’s sustained efforts and struggle, it gained full statehood on January 21, 1972, as per the North-East Reorganisation Act, 1971.
    • Its democratic set-up further stretched to the village level in 1978 with an election to the local bodies that ultimately culminated in introducing a three-tier Panchayati Raj System.

     

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  • What are Hakku Patras or Title Deeds?

    hakku patra

    PM has distributed Hakku Patra (land title deeds) to five Lambani (Banjara) tribes, a nomadic Scheduled Caste group, during a launch programme in Karnataka.

    What are Hakku Patras?

    • A title deed is a property ownership document, and the bearer of the document owns the land.
    • The title deeds enable owners to avail of bank loans with the said document.
    • They will also be eligible to buy or sell land to which the title deed is granted by the government.
    • This Hakku Patra will secure the future of thousands of people living in the “Tandas” (Lambani habitats) in Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgiri, Raichur and Vijayapura districts.

    Benefits of Hakku Patra 

    Hakku Patra, like every legal property document, offers a great set of benefits.

    • It makes one the legitimate owner of your land or property by giving an up-to-date and official record of who owns the land.
    • The individual does not have to research as the government issues the document.
    • It is a state-guaranteed document.
    • Hakku Patra registration resolves all types of disputes regarding the ownership or rights over the land.
    • The document helps in preventing any encroachment via trespassing on the boundaries.

    Who are the Banjaras?

    • The Banjara, also known as Lambadi, Gour Rajput, Labana, are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan.
    • According to the National Informatics Centre, the name Banjara /Banjari probably had come from two different sources: ‘Banijya’ – trade or ‘Banachara’, the forest dwellers.
    • Their principal group’s name Laban/Labana is derived from the Sanskrit word lavanah, meaning salt as they were salt traders.
    • Although considered a tribal group given the life they lead, the Banjaras are a key scheduled caste sub-group in Karnataka.
    • Despite the community adopting a multitude of languages, Banjara is used throughout India, although in Karnataka the name is altered to Banijagaru.

    Questions of a political move 

    • The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes together make up nearly 24 per cent of the state population, becoming an important group for political parties.
    • The expenses incurred for the programme were funded by the state exchequer.

     

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  • What constitutes a Trademark Violation?

    trademark

    The Delhi High Court dismissed a case of trademark infringement brought by the global fast food chain against a Delhi-based restaurant.

    What is a trademark?

    • A trademark is a symbol, design, word or phrase that is identified with a business.
    • When a trademark is registered, its owner can claim “exclusive rights” on its use.
    • The Trademark Act, 1999, governs the regime on trademark and its registration.
    • The Act guarantees protection for a trademark that is registered with the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks, also known as the trademark registry.
    • A trademark is valid for 10 years, and can be renewed by the owner indefinitely every 10 years.

    Violation of trademark

    • Using a registered trademark without authorization of the entity that owns the trademark is a violation or infringement of the trademark.
    • Using a substantially similar mark for similar goods or services could also amount to infringement.
    • In such cases, courts have to determine whether this can cause confusion for consumers between the two.
    • There are several ways in which a trademark can be infringed. However, the trademark owner has to show that the trademark has a distinct character-
    1. Deceptive similarity: The law states that a mark is considered deceptively similar to another mark if it nearly resembles that other mark, confusing the consumer in the process. Such deception can be caused phonetically, structurally or visually.
    2. Passing off: Say, a brand logo is misspelt in a way that’s not easy for the consumer to discern. The Supreme Court has ruled that passing off is a “species of unfair trade competition or of actionable unfair trading by which one person, through deception, attempts to obtain an economic benefit of the reputation which other has established for himself in a particular trade or business”.

     

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  • Economic growth and the government disintermediation

    Context

    • Between spending and saving, governments are generally better at the former. High growth comes with the advantage that government revenue expands and gets spent, as is happening this fiscal. But this is also habit-forming. If growth tapers down as is expected in FY 2024 cutting back government spending will be politically rocky just before a general election. Better then, to get selective on spending early on.

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    Current economic indicators

    • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took over the hot seat in May 2019. True to character, she resolved to pick up this rolling can by tabling in the FY 2021 budget, an amount of INR 2.64 trillion (1.2 percent of GDP) to pay these overdues.
    • India, yet again, in an era of high inflation and high oil import prices. It has taken courage and sagacity to reduce the FD from 9.2 percent (FY 2021—the COVID-19 year) to a targeted 6.4 percent this fiscal.

    Challenges to establish a declining trend back towards an FD of 3.5 percent of GDP

    • The oil slick of global uncertainty and inflation: Oil price uncertainties, created by the Ukraine standoff, which was partially cushioned via nimble Indian diplomacy resisting the boycott of cheaper Russian oil, has kept imported oil at US$77.7 per barrel in January 2023. But the ongoing opening up of China could firm up oil prices.  
    • India’s high-debt burden compromises fiscal resilience: Interest payments in FY 2023 (budgeted) at INR 9.4 trillion, are the largest expense outlay bucket, accounting for 43 percent of budgeted Union net revenue receipts, up from 41.7 percent in FY 2021. Defence and domestic security services at 15 percent come next, followed by subsidies (food, fertilizers, and fuel) at 14 percent and inflation-indexed government pensions at 9 percent.
    • Infrastructure lags: Infrastructure remains a drag on growth although intercity highways have improved. Multimodal transport solutions remain underdeveloped as do train stations and bus terminals in most towns and rural areas. The competitiveness of major Indian ports in 2018 was ranked 42nd well below China, Malaysia and Thailand- pulled down by low outcomes in infrastructure and turn-around time. The gas grid remains nascent with just 10.1 million connections versus 309 million users for LPG canisters a more volatile substitute for cooking fuel, than piped natural gas.

    What is the worrying situation?

    • Inflation: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expects retail inflation, assessed at 5.78 percent (December 2022) to trend downwards in FY 2024. But signals of embedded inflation via core inflation (other than volatile food and fuel) above 6 percent are worrying.
    • Disrupted energy supply: A disruption in energy supplies could upset sanguine inflation expectations.
    • Taming inflation would increase fiscal crunch: Taming the resulting inflation by reducing taxes on the retail supply of petroleum products would increase the fiscal crunch.
    • Interests funded by additional borrowings is risky strategy: High-growth economies can afford to fund by borrowings as can start-ups, which borrow against their future growth prospects. For a large, lower middle-income economy like India, with historically moderate long-term growth rates (4 to 6 percent), it compromises reserve fiscal capacity to respond, through counter-cyclical measures, to economic downturns induced by economic shocks a risk-laden strategy.

    What India should do?

    • Resume much delayed disinvestment: Resume the much-delayed privatisation and disinvestment of public sector enterprises and government-owned financial sector entities.
    • Make Indian railway and autonomous entity: Second, make Indian Railway an autonomously regulated, commercially run entity, providing a surplus to the government rather than looking for budgetary support.
    • Encourage public finance outlays: Maximise the economic impact by encouraging public finance outlays to be driven by competitive metrics of allocative efficiency across investment options and program/project implementation models.

    Conclusion

    • For a new phase of growth, government disintermediation is appropriate. It allows for increased competition and innovation in the private sector, leading to greater efficiency and economic growth. India has momentum. What it needs is for the reins to be lightly held.

    Mains question

    Q. What obstacles does the Indian economy face as it enters a new era of growth, and what should India do?

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