The Union Railway Minister has recently flagged off the country’s first freight train with an all-aluminium wagon rake.
What is the news?
This move is a part of the country’s ambitious plan to modernize rail transportation and facilitate large carbon savings.
Aluminium-bodied trains
Indian Railways proposes to shift its passenger and freight operations gradually to aluminium-bodied trains.
A blueprint for its production and introduction was finalized even before the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.
The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) at Rae Bareli has signed a transfer of technology contract with South Korea’s Dawonsys for such passenger coaches in early 2020.
The execution of the project was held back because of the pandemic and its fallout.
These coaches will be rolled out now.
What is the plan for their introduction?
At present, India’s high-speed trains, including the Rajdhanis and the Shatabdis, use Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches that are made of stainless steel.
Only the interiors use aluminium, which makes them lighter as compared to conventional rakes.
The Indian Railways plans to procure 400 new generation Vande Bharat train sets with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience.
The use of aluminium body coaches in these new generation trains will be considered.
Will aluminium trains reduce carbon footprint?
Aluminium trains consume less energy.
Besides, the metal is recyclable.
It is estimated that switching to aluminium will save 1,500 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
With the Railways planning to deploy over 100,000 wagons in the coming years, the potential annual CO2 reduction could be to the tune of over 5 million tonnes with a 15-20% shift to aluminium wagons.
Material advantages of aluminium
These coaches, being lighter than stainless steel ones, are preferred for higher speed systems.
They are lighter by up to 30% compared to stainless steel coaches.
They offer low haulage cost and higher payload, better fuel efficiency and lower pollution levels.
Also, aluminium trains take less time to manufacture and thus can help speed up capacity for production.
The new metal trains will help the Railways hike its share in overall freight transportation from the current 18%.
What about the cost of building?
An all-aluminium passenger coach and wagon system would raise the cost of manufacturing rolling stocks by about 35% since the price of aluminium, globally, is far higher than that of steel.
However, the advantages of the metal outscore its high price. It is estimated that as the metal is recyclable, the new coaches would have up to 80% resale value.
The recyclability will also help in times of global volatility in metal prices.
This is why aluminium trains command a lion’s share in the US, Europe and Japan.
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) is now being done simultaneously in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha and Meghalaya.
Why in news?
PDNA is now being used to evaluate the financial and social cost of local disasters in eight states in India.
These states all experienced severe flooding in the last few months.
The results of these assessments are likely to come out next month.
What is PDNA?
PDNA is an internationally accepted methodology for determining the physical damages, economic losses, and costs of meeting recovery needs after a natural disaster through a government-led process.
It is an international framework for assessing losses and damages in the aftermath of a disaster.
The framework helps get recovery and reconstruction efforts right following a disaster.
Globally, of the 55 PDNAs conducted worldwide since 2008, only two droughts — one in Malawi and the other Marshall Islands in 2016 — were of slow-onset disasters.
Components of PDNA
PDNA includes a calculation of the disaster’s impact on Gross Domestic Product, the balance of payment and fiscal budget.
Secondly, how this affects the flow of revenue to multiple sectors is evaluated.
For example, the number of farmers’ income affected per damaged acre of land and the livelihoods lost.
Overall, a quantitative assessment is additionally done on the social and environmental impact of the disaster.
History of PDNA in India
This is not the first time PDNA has been conducted in India.
It was first adopted during the Kerala floods of 2018 and again during the cyclone in Odisha in 2019, both unprecedented disasters.
Until now, the assessment was only limited to massive disasters that required international funding from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations.
15th Finance Commission provision
The 15th finance commission report of 2021, for the first time, made a provision for recovery and reconstruction in the national disaster management budget, which is at the core of the PDNA.
The states did not receive international funding to do the current ongoing PDNAs, as they are expected to take the money from the budget.
India recently witnessed a partial solar eclipse. Let’s take a look over all dynamics of Eclipses.
What are Eclipses?
An eclipse takes place when one heavenly body such as a moon or planet moves into the shadow of another heavenly body.
There are two types of eclipses on Earth: an eclipse of the Moon and an eclipse of the Sun.
[I] A Lunar Eclipse
The moon moves in an orbit around Earth, and at the same time, Earth orbits the sun. Sometimes Earth moves between the sun and the moon.
When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally is reflected by the moon. (This sunlight is what causes the moon to shine.)
Instead of light hitting the moon’s surface, Earth’s shadow falls on it. This is an eclipse of the moon — a lunar eclipse.
A lunar eclipse can occur only when the moon is full. (But not every full moon is also a lunar eclipse. Can you guess why?)
Observing a Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse can be seen from Earth at night.
A lunar eclipse usually lasts for a few hours.
At least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, but total lunar eclipses are rare.
There are two types of lunar eclipses: total lunar eclipses and partial lunar eclipses.
A total lunareclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth. Although the moon is in Earth’s shadow, some sunlight reaches the moon. The sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, which causes Earth’s atmosphere to filter out most of the blue light. This makes the moon appear red to people on Earth.
A partial lunareclipse happens when only a part of the moon enters Earth’s shadow. In a partial eclipse, Earth’s shadow appears very dark on the side of the moon facing Earth. What people see from Earth during a partial lunar eclipse depends on how the sun, Earth and moon are lined up.
In a penumbral lunar eclipse, only the more diffuse outer shadow of Earth – the penumbra – falls on the moon’s face. This third kind of lunar eclipse is much more subtle, and much more difficult to observe than either a total or partial eclipse of the moon.
[II] A Solar Eclipse
Sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, it moves between the sun and Earth.
When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth.
This causes an eclipse of the sun or solar eclipse.
During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow onto Earth.
There are three types of solar eclipses.
The first is a Total Solar Eclipse
A total solar eclipse is only visible from a small area on Earth.
The people who see the total eclipse are in the centre of the moon’s shadow when it hits Earth.
The sky becomes very dark as if it were night. For a total eclipse to take place, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line.
The second type is a Partial Solar Eclipse
This happens when the sun, moon and Earth are not exactly lined up.
The sun appears to have a dark shadow on only a small part of its surface.
The third type is an Annular Solar Eclipse
An annular eclipse happens when the moon is farthest from Earth. Because the moon is farther away from Earth, it seems smaller. It does not block the entire view of the sun. The moon in front of the sun looks like a dark disk on top of a larger sun-coloured disk. This creates what looks like a ring around the moon.
During a solar eclipse, the moon casts two shadows on Earth. The first shadow is called the Umbra. This shadow gets smaller as it reaches Earth. It is the dark centre of the moon’s shadow.
The second shadow is called the Penumbra. The penumbra gets larger as it reaches Earth. People standing in the penumbra will see a partial eclipse. People standing in the umbra will see a total eclipse.
Observing a Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipses happen once every 18 months.
Unlike lunar eclipses, solar eclipses only last for a few minutes.
Why don’t solar eclipses happen at every New Moon?
The reason is that the Moon’s orbit tilts 5° to Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Astronomers call the two intersections of these paths nodes.
Eclipses only occur when the Sun lies at one node and the Moon is at its New (for solar eclipses) or Full (for lunar eclipses) phase.
During most (lunar) months, the Sun lies either above or below one of the nodes, and no eclipse happens.
[III] Planet Transits
When a planet comes between Earth and the Sun, it is called a transit.
The only 2 planets that can be seen transiting the Sun from Earth are Venus and Mercury because they are the only planets that orbit inside Earth’s orbit.
From 2000–2199, there will be 14 transits of Mercury.
However, Venus transits are even rarer with only 2 this century, in 2004 and 2012.
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This is the right time for UPSC 2023-24 aspirants to focus on and start preparing for their optional if they haven’t started it yet.
PSIR is one of the most popular and high-scoring optionals that has produced many toppers in UPSC CSE. But what makes it a great optional, how to approach it in the most effective manner to cover max syllabus in the least amount of time, and at the same how to maximise score is kind of a secret that only toppers know.
CivilsDaily’s PSIR faculty Soham sir
Soham Mandhare sir will be taking up an important webinar-masterclass (FREE) to share strategy and roadmap to approach PSIR optional.
This webinar-masterclass is for all the PSIR optionals as we will be discussing not only the strategy and approach but how to add value to already existing knowledge or content that you have.
UPSC PSIR Optional Masterclass: 26th October, (Wednesday) at 1:00 PM.
Key takeaways:
1. Analysing the trend of UPSC PSIR optional and devising an evolving adaptive strategy. Pros and Cons of PSIR as an optional and what makes it a great optional?
2. How to cover the syllabus? The syllabus, not the books, must be completed. Focussing on the essentials first.
3. How to cover PSIR optional syllabus in 3 months (till Feb 2023) along with test series? Tackling PSIR Paper 1 and Paper 2 – Separate approaches for both papers.
4. Strategy and approach for the next 3 months for PSIR optional
5. How PSIR optional is important for GS papers as well? The overlap with GS syllabus and how to cover it? Balancing PSIR optional and GS part of the UPSC syllabus
6. The skill of taking notes. What topics necessitate notes and which do not?
7. How to add value to your PSIR answers?
8. Mistakes one should avoid while preparing for PSIR optional.
The ISRO’s heaviest rocket, Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3 or GSLV Mark 3) has successfully put into orbit 36 satellites of the U.K.-based OneWeb.
Also in news
The ISRO has renamed the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark -III as Launch Vehicle Mark-III, mainly to identify its task of placing satellites into a variety of orbits.
What is LVM3?
LVM3 (erstwhile GSLV) is an expendable space launch vehicle designed, developed, and operated by the ISRO to launch satellites and other space objects into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits.
It is 49.13 m tall and tallest among all other vehicles of ISRO.
It is a three-stage vehicle with a lift-off mass of 420 tonnes.
ISRO first launched LVM3 on April 18, 2001 and has made 13 launches since then.
Stages in LVM3
The first stage comprises S139 solid booster with 138-tonne propellant and four liquid strap-on motors, with 40-tonne propellant.
The second stage is a liquid engine carrying 40-tonne of liquid propellant.
The third stage is the indigenously built Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) carrying 15-tonne of cryogenic propellants.
Difference between PSLV and LVM3
LVM3 has the capability to put a heavier payload in the orbit than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
PSLV can carry satellites up to a total weight of 2000 kg into space and reach up to an altitude of 600-900 km.
LVM3 can carry weight up to 5,000 kg and reach up to 36,000 km.
PSLV is designed mainly to deliver earth observation or remote sensing satellites, whereas, LVM3 has been designed for launching communication satellites.
LVM3 delivers satellites into a higher elliptical orbit, Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).
Upgrades brought by LVM3
The LVM3 is capable of lifting much heavier satellites than the GSLV Mk II with a bigger cryogenic upper stage and a larger first stage.
Both GSLV Mk II and LVM3 are three-stage vehicles, while the PSLV, which launches to low earth polar orbits, is a four-stage vehicle.
The GSLV Mk-II can place up to 2,500kg in geosynchronous orbits and up to 5,000kg to low earth orbit.
By comparison, the LVM3 can lift 4,000kg to GTO and up to 8,000 kg to LEO.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has placed a private bank under tight monitoring and greater public scrutiny.
What is the news?
The XYZ Bank’s capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) dropped to around 13% at the end of March this year from 14.5% a year ago.
This has dropped below the Basel III in the past and it has even been placed under the prompt corrective action framework (PCA) by the RBI to deal with serious deteriorations in its financial position.
Under Basel-III norms banks are supposed to maintain their CRAR at 9% or above.
What is Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR)?
Capital adequacy ratio is an indicator of the ability of a bank to survive as a going business entity in case it suffers significant losses on its loan book.
The CRAR is a ratio that compares the value of a bank’s capital (or net worth) against the value of its various assets weighted according to how risky each asset is.
It is used to gauge the risk of insolvency faced by a bank.
How do it affects bank functioning?
A bank cannot continue to operate if the total value of its assets drops below the total value of its liabilities as it would wipe out its capital (or net worth) and render the bank insolvent.
So, banking regulations such as the Basel-III norms try to closely monitor changes in the capital adequacy of banks in order to prevent major bank failures which could have a severe impact on the wider economy.
The capital position of a bank should not be confused with cash held by a bank in its vaults to make good on its commitment to depositors.
Alternatives for bank
The said Bank has been trying to issue additional shares in the open market through a rights issue in order to deal with its capital adequacy woes.
Through a rights issue, the bank will be able to raise more equity capital from existing shareholders.
This is in contrast to an initial public offering where shares are issued to new shareholders.
Back2Basics: Basel Norms
Basel is a city in Switzerland. It is the headquarters of the Bureau of International Settlement (BIS), which fosters co-operation among central banks with a common goal of financial stability and common standards of banking regulations.
Basel guidelines refer to broad supervisory standards formulated by this group of central banks – called the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).
The set of the agreement by the BCBS, which mainly focuses on risks to banks and the financial system is called Basel accord.
The purpose of the accord is to ensure that financial institutions have enough capital on account to meet obligations and absorb unexpected losses.
India has accepted Basel accords for the banking system.
Basel I
In 1988, BCBS introduced a capital measurement system called Basel capital accord, also called as Basel 1.
It focused almost entirely on credit risk. It defined capital and structure of risk weights for banks.
The minimum capital requirement was fixed at 8% of risk-weighted assets (RWA).
RWA means assets with different risk profiles.
For example, an asset-backed by collateral would carry lesser risks as compared to personal loans, which have no collateral. India adopted Basel 1 guidelines in 1999.
Basel II
In June ’04, Basel II guidelines were published by BCBS, which were considered to be the refined and reformed versions of Basel I accord.
The guidelines were based on three parameters, which the committee calls it as pillars:
Capital Adequacy Requirements: Banks should maintain a minimum capital adequacy requirement of 8% of risk assets.
Supervisory Review: According to this, banks were needed to develop and use better risk management techniques in monitoring and managing all the three types of risks that a bank faces, viz. credit, market and operational risks.
Market Discipline: This needs increased disclosure requirements. Banks need to mandatorily disclose their CAR, risk exposure, etc to the central bank. Basel II norms in India and overseas are yet to be fully implemented.
Basel III
In 2010, Basel III guidelines were released. These guidelines were introduced in response to the financial crisis of 2008.
A need was felt to further strengthen the system as banks in the developed economies were under-capitalized, over-leveraged and had a greater reliance on short-term funding.
Also, the quantity and quality of capital under Basel II were deemed insufficient to contain any further risk.
Basel III norms aim at making most banking activities such as their trading book activities more capital-intensive.
The guidelines aim to promote a more resilient banking system by focusing on four vital banking parameters viz. capital, leverage, funding and liquidity.
There has been a controversy over the folk art of Bhoota Kola recently depicted in a famous Kannada movie.
What is Bhoota Kola?
Bhoota Kola is an animistic ritual dance performance where local spirits or deities are worshipped.
It is believed that a person performing the ritual has temporarily become a god himself.
This performer is both feared and respected in the community and is believed to give answers to people’s problems, on behalf of the god.
There are several ‘Bhootas’ who are worshipped in the Tulu-speaking belt of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts.
It is usually performed in small local communities and rural areas.
How is it performed?
The Kola (or dance performance for the Gods) is basically performed in an area near the temple of the village deity which is usually close to large open fields.
The ritual involves music, dance, recital, and elaborate costumes.
Recitals in Old Tulu recount the origins of the deity and tell the story of how it came to the present location.
The divine medium start their traditional performances as the local folklore called ‘paddanas’ are recited.
Sukapaika, a small river that stopped flowing 70 years ago in Odisha’s Cuttack district is set to be rejuvenated.
Sukapaika River
The Suka-paika (the dead) River originated from another river, the Mahanadi, near Ayatpur village.
It flowed 27.5 km before meeting the Mahanadi again at Bankala.
In the 1950s, the State’s water resource engineers had in their wisdom closed the Sukapaika river mouth enabling development of the Taladanda Canal System, a major canal of the State.
This led to the river mostly drying up.
The process was aggravated by agricultural encroachments that had sprung up on the riverbanks.
Five new Basmati varieties, developed by a group of scientists from Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), in 2020 and 2021 are all set to bring revolutionary changes in the way this type of paddy is cultivated in the country.
About Basmati Rice
Basmati, pronounced is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which is traditionally grown in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
As of 2019, India accounted for 65% of the international trade in basmati rice, while Pakistan accounted for the remaining 35%.
Many countries use domestically grown basmati rice crops; however, basmati is geographically exclusive to certain districts of India and Pakistan.
India accounts for over 70% of the world’s basmati rice production.
The areas which have a geographical indication are in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir
Export potential of Basmati
Basmati rice has a market abroad and brings about ₹30,000 crore in foreign exchange every year.
While 75% of the export is to West Asian countries, European Union countries also import Indian Basmati.
However, recently, the export to EU countries faced certain hurdles due to the increase in the pesticide residue levels in the rice from India.
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As the 21st century advances, a new danger the cyber threat is becoming a daily monster. It is hardly confined to any one domain though the military is the one most often touted. Rather, it is the civilian sphere where the cyber threat is becoming more all-pervading today and, in turn, a serious menace.
What is mean by Cyber threat?
A cyber threat or cyber security threat is defined as a malicious act intended to steal or damage data or disrupt the digital wellbeing and stability of an enterprise.
Cyber threats include a wide range of attacks ranging from data breaches, computer viruses, denial of service, and numerous other attack vectors.
How Cyber threat is ever increasing?
Increasing Grey Zone Operations: Grey zone Operations which fall outside traditional concepts of conflicts have become the new battleground, especially in regard to cyber warfare. ‘Grey Zone Operations’ are already beginning to be employed to undermine the vital of a state’s functioning, a trend likely to grow. The convergence of emerging technologies alongside new hybrid usages, pose several challenges to nations and institutions.
Attack on examination: The recent arrest in India, of a Russian for hacking into computers involved in the conduct of examinations for entry into the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), is a reflection of how cybercriminals are significantly amplifying their Grey Zone Warfare’ tactics
Pervasive nature of cyber threat: What is most unfortunate is that not enough attention is being bestowed on the all-encompassing nature of the cyber threat. In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the world seems awash with papers on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven military innovations and potential crisis hot zones, along with stray references to new forms of hybrid warfare.
Weaponization of everything: There is very little about the threat posed by cyber-attacks. Ignored also is the new reality of the weaponization of everything’ which has entered the vocabulary of threats. The latter clearly demands a ‘proto-revolutionary’ outlook on the part of policymakers, which is evidently lacking.
Becoming a Multi-dimensional threat: Lost in translation is also the nature of today’s weapon of choice, viz., cyber. This lack of awareness is unfortunate at a time when states clearly lack the necessary resilience to face a variety of multi-vector threats.
Cyber weapon as symbol of national Power: Cyber space has been described by Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant (retired), India’s current national cyber security coordinator, as a “superset of interconnected information and communication technology, hardware, software processes, services, data and systems”. Viewed from this perspective, it constitutes a critical aspect of our national power.
Simultaneous attacks in multiple dimensions: Cyber threats are not confined to merely one set of conflicts such as Ukraine, where no doubt cyber tools are being extensively employed extending well beyond this and other conflicts of a varied nature. The cyber threat is in this sense all-pervading, embracing many regions and operating on different planes.
Challenges to India’s cyber security infrastructure
Structural:
1. Absence of any geographical constraints.
2.Lack of uniformity in devices used for internet access.
Administrative:
Lack of national-level architecture for cybersecurity
Security audit does not occur periodically, nor does it adhere to the international standards.
The appointment of the National Cyber Security Coordinator in 2014 has not been supplemented by creating liaison officers in states.
Procedural
Lack of awareness in local police of various provisions of IT Act, 2000, and also of IPSC related to cybercrime.
Lack of data protection regime.
Human Resource Related
Inadequate awareness among people about the security of devices and online transactions.
Section 66F of ITA: Specific provision dealing with the issue of cyber terrorism that covers denial of access, unauthorized access, introduction of computer contaminant leading to harm to persons, property, critical infrastructure, disruption of supplies, ‘sensitive data’ thefts. Provides for punishment which may extend to life imprisonment.
National Cyber Security Policy 2013: Policy document drafted by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology. Established National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) to improve the protection and resilience of the country’s critical infrastructure information; Create a workforce of 5 lakh professionals skilled in cybersecurity in the next 5 years.
National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC): It has been setup to enhance the protection and resilience of Nation’s Critical information infrastructure. It functions under the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO).
Computer Security through CERT-IN: Organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with an objective of securing Indian cyberspace. The purpose of CERT-In is to respond to computer security incidents, report on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country. According to the provisions of the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008, CERT-In is responsible for overseeing the administration of the Act.
Cyber Surakshit Bharat Initiative: It was launched in 2018 with an aim to spread awareness about cybercrime and build capacity for safety measures for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT staff across all government departments.
Cyber Crisis Management Plan (CCMP): It aims at countering cyber threats and cyber-terrorism.
National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC): It seeks to generate necessary situational awareness of existing and potential cyber security threats and enable timely information sharing for proactive, preventive and protective actions by individual entities. National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) under National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) coordinates with different agencies at the national level for cyber security matters.
Cyber Swachhta Kendra: This platform was introduced for internet users to clean their computers and devices by wiping out viruses and malware.
Information Security Education and Awareness Project (ISEA): Training of personnel to raise awareness and to provide research, education, and training in the field of Information Security.
Conclusion
With several non-state actors engaging in hybrid warfare and distorting day-to-day practices, including examinations, these pose legal, ethical and real dilemmas. Left unchecked, the world may have to confront a new kind of Wild West, before states find a common denominator for regulating cyber space and lay down proper rules and practices to prevent anarchy and chaos.
Mains Question
Q. Cyber threat is intruding the daily life of citizens and making the internal security more challenging task. Comment what are the policy loopholes in India’s fight against the cyber threat?
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Context
Humanity has luckily survived 75 years without experiencing nuclear war, can one expect luck to last indefinitely?
In this article, we shall discuss about what raising the nuclear stakes meant for the war in Ukraine and for the world at large.
Nuclear Deterrence: A brief backgrounder
The principle of nuclear deterrence was born out of the symbiosis of the principle of military deterrence and the emergence of nuclear weapons.
It is a military doctrine according to which the possibility that a country will use the nuclear weapons it possesses in retaliation will deter an enemy from attacking.
The idea came to the forefront of US military policy.
It helps avoid a nuclear war as each side tries to secure their interests by avoiding a nuclear confrontation.
Understanding the logic behind
The basic principle of this logic is:
One actor prevents another from taking some action by raising the latter’s fear of the consequences that will ensue.
Hypothetically, if Country A launches a nuclear war against Country B, Country B will be able to inflict enough damage on Country A that it would lead to what theorists call “Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).”
Logic: Nobody will survive to claim oneself a winner!
Thus, in a nuclear war, both sides will be so badly harmed that it will be impossible to declare one side or the other as the winner.
Even if one of them tries to attack and disable the nuclear weapons of its rival, the other would still be left with enough nuclear weapons to inflict unacceptable destruction.
Advantages offered by Nuclear Deterrence
Averting escalation of a world war: The threat of MAD is enough to prevent the world’s nuclear powers from escalating a conflict to the point that a military confrontation becomes inevitable.
Promote stability: Analysts claim that nuclear weapons do not just protect countries against use of nuclear weapons by others, but even prevent war and promote stability. Ex. Weapons for peace.
Increases stake and credibility of a nation: Security apparatus of a nation earns its global credibility. Having nuke inherently gives a geo-strategic advantage to countries.
Prohibiting coercion: The role of the weapon is narrowly framed for safeguarding against nuclear blackmail and coercion.
Limitations of Nuclear Deterrence
Increase in proxy wars: Nukes have not been shown to prevent proxy wars and acts of terrorism by various non-state actors.
Unequal advantage: With the unequal distribution of nuclear capabilities in today’s world, certain nations are at an immediate advantage over other countries. Ex. Russian annexation of de-nuclearized Ukraine.
Complete deterrence is a myth: Several nations have armed themselves with highly maneuverable nuclear missiles that have much more destructive power to burst earth into dust.
Alternative warfare: There is no assurance of peace even both conflicting countries may possess nuclear weapons. Biological wars have replaced nukes that are silent killers in disguise. Ex. Wuhan virus pandemic.
Rise in cold and economic warfare: The world has entered into the phase of a new Cold War e.g. the one between US and China, economic sanctions against Russia, embargo on Visa.
Non–state actors acquiring nukes: In worst nightmares, there is a likelihood that of inadvertent escalation due to acquisition of the nukes by Talibans or any other terror outfits.
Emergence of rogue states: Rogue nation or state regarded as breaking international law and posing a threat to the security of other nations. Ex. North Korea.
Limited nuclear war: In this each side exercises restraint in the use of nuclear weapons, employing small tactical weapons on selected targets. Ex. Pak Minister claiming ‘Pav-Pav kilo ke nuclear bombs’
Cyberattacks on nuclear command and control: China has been highly successful in manipulating power grids in Pakistan. This can also happen anywhere in the world triggering uncontrolled reactions in nuclear grids.
Problems with the logic of nuclear deterrence
(1) Limited American theory
There are many scholars who have expressed their scepticism about the logic of deterrence by arguing that just because it avoided a nuclear confrontation between then Soviet Union and the US.
The world and of coursem the global security exists beyond US and Russia.
It was the US who ushered nuclear era by bombing Japan and now sermons other to practice restrain.
(2) Still a unverified hypothesis
The logic of nuclear deterrence is not an established norm but a “hypothesis” and, thus, basing a nation’s security strategy on it is a gamble.
Nuclear deterrence is based on the assumption that a country will avoid starting a nuclear war in order to protect its own security.
(3) Who shall punish the rogues?
Another major flaw with this logic is the presence of many uncontrollable variables.
Ex. the control falls into the hands of the wrong leaders or a soldier deliberately starting a nuclear war to create mischief.
Why is nuclear deterrence still necessary?
Cost-benefit analysis of a nuclear war: It is a given that nuclear weapons can bring so much destruction that the costs of war will outweigh the benefits and this would “deter” leaders from engaging in nuclear warfare.
Impact of second strike is dreadful: There is a renewed threat of “second-strike capability” that keeps countries from engaging in nuclear warfare.
Acknowledged fact (even by the nerds): Leaders who are driven by personal interests are aware of the fact that no winner would emerge from a nuclear war.
Success of the theory: Despite China, India, and Pakistan having nuclear weapons, the region has been able to avoid a nuclear confrontation and peaceful resolution of conflicts.
During Kargil War, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Pakistan at the time, Shamshad Ahmed, told a Pakistani newspaper that Pakistan is willing to use “any weapon in our arsenal to defend our territorial integrity.” To this, George Fernandez, India’s then Defence Minister, responded that in doing so they would “liquidate” their own country in the process.
Nuclear Deterrence: Indian perspective
Nuclear deterrence can serve as a pillar of international security only in conjunction with negotiations and agreements on the limitation, reduction, and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Without them, deterrence fuels an endless arms race, while any serious crisis between the great powers will bring them to the brink of nuclear war.
India believes that nuclear weapons are political weapons, not weapons of war fighting.
Their sole purpose is to deter the use and threat of use of nuclear weapons.
India’s Nuclear Doctrine
This was first articulated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on May 27, 1998, days after India had undertaken a series of nuclear tests in Pokhran.
It outlined various principles:
Building and maintaining a Credible Minimum Deterrence
Posture of ‘No First Use’– nuclear weapons will only be used in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian Territory or on Indian forces anywhere
Massive Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be designed to inflict unacceptable damage
Non-use against non-nuclear states
In response to biological or chemical weapons, India will retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons
How India performs well on these lines?
On analyzing Sino-Indian relations, particularly the Ladakh stand-off of 2020, it is evident that both countries are careful to not use nuclear weapons even as a threat.
Both these countries have stated that both have declared No First Use (NFU) positions.
India’s commitment for de-nuclearization
India has always batted for a universal commitment and an agreed global and non-discriminatory multilateral framework.
It has outlined a working paper on Nuclear Disarmament submitted to the UN General Assembly in 2006.
India participated in the Nuclear Security Summit process and has regularly participated in the International Conferences on Nuclear Security organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
India is also a member of the Nuclear Security Contact Group (but has signed off the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)).
India has expressed its readiness to support the commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT).
India couldn’t join the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) due to several concerns raised by India.
India has piloted an annual UNGA Resolution on “Measures to Prevent Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons of Mass Destruction” since 2002, which is adopted by consensus.
Conclusion
Nuclear deterrence is not just a Cold War term but is extremely valid in a post-Cold War scenario.
Countries have understood the importance of nuclear deterrence and it plays an important role in designing their security strategies.
It is used by countries as a bargaining chip to deter nuclear retaliation by other countries.
However, it should be noted that nuclear deterrence is not the only answer to security problems and its application can be enhanced by using other strategies such as peace talks and confidence-building measures.
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A recent World Bank report, titled “Correcting Course”, captures the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global poverty. The economic mismanagement we were witness to in India resulted in 5.6 crore people slipping into extreme poverty in 2020.
Do You Know?
17 October is observed as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
The theme for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2022-2023 is “Dignity For All in Practice: The commitments we make together for social justice, peace, and the planet”
What is the Impact of COVID-19?
Rapid rise in extreme poverty: The number of people living in extreme poverty rose by seven crores million in 2020, as the global poverty rate rose from 8.4% in 2019 to 9.3%in 2020.
Increased Inequality: This is the first time in two decades that the poverty rate has gone up. Global inequalities have widened, evident in the relative impacts felt on incomes in the richest countries as opposed to the poorest; and, unsurprisingly, economic recovery has been similarly uneven.
What the World Bank report says on fiscal policy of developing Nations?
The report focuses on fiscal policy as an instrument for governments in dealing with crises such as the pandemic.
Poorer countries were unable to use fiscal policy as effectively and thus unable to offset the impact of the pandemic to a much lesser degree than richer countries.
Sluggish state of Indian Economy: India’s economy continues to be sluggish in 2022, and one should look back at the policy choices that were made back in 2020.
Absence of official poverty data: The World Bank report relies on the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey (CPHS) by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), in the absence of official poverty data since 2011.
Poverty and fall in GDP: By the estimate, 5.6 crore people are likely to have slipped into poverty as India’s GDP fell by7.5% in FY2020-21.
India’s Population below poverty line: The population below poverty line in India stood at 10% in 2020.
Marginal Incremental spending: Refusal to provide a fiscal stimulus to consumption the Government announced a fiscal stimulus worth Rs.2 lakh crore, or 1% of GDP. However, only a small fraction therein reflected incremental spending.
Inadequate increase in MGNREGA wage: The minor increase to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) wage by Rs.20 per day was a long-pending correction and quite inadequate to say the least.
No money in the hands of households: The majority of India’s stimulus package took the form of credit lines and refinancing schemes to private enterprises, which are an inefficient mechanism to realise the goal of putting money in the hands of people to boost household-level consumption.
The relationship between India’s Tax policies and Poverty
Reduced corporate tax: Through the pandemic and beyond, India persisted with the reduced corporate tax rate that had been announced in September 2019. The reduction of corporate tax from 30% to 22% cost the exchequer Rs.1.84 lakh crore over the last two fiscal years, according to the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates.
Rise in corporate profit: India has refused to reintroduce wealth tax, or indeed, an inheritance tax. At the same time, corporate profits soared, as reported by the CMIE.
Rise in inequality: Through all of this, and in spite of the World Inequality Report terming India as a ‘poor and very unequal country’.
GST as regressive tax regime: India has repeatedly increased the rates on a wide range of products covered by the Goods and Services Tax as well as increased the prices of cooking and transport fuels. While indirect taxes may help prop up public finances, they place a disproportionate burden on the poor.
Food aid through PMGKAY and the problem associated with it
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana: The announcement of 80-crore people in India would get food aid through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), a scheme that continues mainly because of the undeniable household-level distress. PMGKAY is currently estimated to cost about Rs.3.90 lakh crore. Started in April 2020, it has been extended till the upcoming Assembly elections are over.
PMGKAY is not a long-term solution: food aid is not a long-term solution, and certainly does not solve the problem of chronic malnutrition.
World Bank Suggested priorities for Post pandemic recovery
The World Bank report identifies three priorities for fiscal policy for governments to aid with post-pandemic recovery:
1. Targeted subsidies that benefit the poor
2. Public investment to build resilience in the long term;
3. Revenue mobilisation that should rely on progressive direct taxation rather than indirect taxes
Conclusion
India’s fiscally prudent policies had ensured the wealthy state but poor people. However, we must not see India’s story in isolation. Despite the good fiscal packages developed country like UK, USA are heading towards recession. Though sluggish, India has done well to maintain positive growth trajectory but this positive growth must include the growth of the poor as well.
Mains Question
Q.How fiscal policy can impact the poverty? What are the government initiatives to uplift the poor?
Last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches across States and Union Territories as part of a pan-India operation, “Megh Chakra”. The operation, against the online circulation and sharing of Child Sexual Abusive Material (CSAM) using cloud-based storage, was supposedly based on inputs received from Interpol’s Singapore special unit, in turn based on the information received from New Zealand.
Current system of detecting CSAM
Help of foreign agencies: As the public reporting of circulation of online CSAM is very low and there is no system of automatic electronic monitoring, India’s enforcement agencies are largely dependent on foreign agencies for the requisite information.
Operation carbon: In November 2021, a similar exercise code-named “Operation Carbon” was launched by the CBI, with many being booked under the IT Act, 2000.
American Model of fighting CSAM
Cyber tipline programme under NCMEC: The National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a non-profit organization in the United States, operates a programme called Cyber Tipline, for public and electronic service providers (ESPs) to report instances of suspected child sexual exploitation. In 2021, the Cyber Tipline received more than 29.3 million reports (99% from ESPs) of U.S. hosted and suspected CSAM.
Mandatory reporting for Internet service providers (ISPs): ISPs are mandated to report the identity and the location of individuals suspected of violating the law. Also, NCMEC may notify ISPs to block transmission of online CSAM.
UK Model of fighting CSAM
Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to ensure safe online environment: In the United Kingdom, the mission of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a non-profit organisation established by the United Kingdom’s Internet industry to ensure a safe online environment for users with a particular focus on CSAM, includes disrupting the availability of CSAM and deleting such content hosted in the U.K.
ISPs may be held responsible: The IWF engages the analysts to actively search for criminal content and not just rely on reports from external sources. Though the U.K. does not explicitly mandate the reporting of suspected CSAM, ISPs may be held responsible for third party content if they host or caches such content on their servers. In 2021, the IWF assessed 3,61,062 reports, (about 70% reports had CSAM) and seven in 10 reports contained “self-generated” CSAM.
Efforts of Global community
Global network for secure IT infrastructure: A global network of 50 hotlines (46 member countries), provides the public with a way to anonymously report CSAM. It provides secure IT infrastructure, ICCAM (I- “See” (c)-Child-Abuse-Material) hosted by Interpol and facilitates the exchange of CSAM reports between hotlines and law enforcement agencies. ICCAM is a tool to facilitate image/video hashing/finger printing and reduce the number of duplicate investigations.
Removal of illegal URLs: In 2021, the number of exchanged content URLs stood at 9,28,278, of which 4,43,705 contained illegal content. About 72% of all illegal content URLs were removed from the Internet within three days of a notice and takedown order.
Internet service providers are exempted from the liability: In India, the Supreme Court of India, in Shreya Singhal (2015), read down Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act to mean that the ISP, only upon receiving actual knowledge of the court order or on being notified by the appropriate government, shall remove or disable access to illegal contents. Thus, ISPs are exempted from the liability of any third-party information.
In the Kamlesh Vaswani (WP(C) 177/2013) case: The petitioner sought a complete ban on pornography. After the Court’s intervention, the advisory committee (constituted under Section 88 of the IT Act) issued orders in March 2015 to ISPs to disable nine (domain) URLs which hosted contents in violation of the morality and decency clause of Article 19(2) of the Constitution. The petition is still pending in the Supreme Court.
Aarambh India portal: a Mumbai-based non-governmental organization, partnered with the IWF, and launched India’s first online reporting portal in September 2016 to report images and videos of child abuse. These reports are assessed by the expert team of IWF analysts and offending URLs are added to its blocking list. Till 2018, out of 1,182 reports received at the portal, only 122 were found to contain CSAM.
National cybercrime reporting portal: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) launched a national cybercrime reporting portal in September 2018 for filing online complaints pertaining to child pornography and rape-gang rape. This facility was developed in compliance with Supreme Court directions with regard to a public interest litigation filed by Prajwala, a Hyderabad-based NGO that rescues and rehabilitates sex trafficking survivors. As not many cases of child porn and rape were reported, the portal was later extended to all types of cybercrime.
National Crime Records Bureau (MHA): The National Crime Records Bureau (MHA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the NCMEC in April 2019 to receive Cyber Tipline reports to facilitate action against those who upload or share CSAM in India. The NCRB has received more than two million Cyber Tipline reports which have been forwarded to the States for legal action.
The ad hoc Committee of the Rajya Sabha: In its report of January 2020, made wide-ranging recommendations on ‘the alarming issue of pornography on social media and its effect on children and society as whole’.
Widening of the definition of ‘child pornography’: On the legislative front, the committee not only recommended the widening of the definition of ‘child pornography’ but also proactive monitoring, mandatory reporting and taking down or blocking CSAM by ISPs.
Breaking of end-to-end encryption: On the technical front, the committee recommended permitting the breaking of end-to-end encryption, building partnership with industry to develop tools using artificial intelligence for dark-web investigations, tracing identity of users engaged in crypto currency transactions to purchase child pornography online and liasoning with financial service companies to prevent online payments for purchasing child pornography.
What needs to be done?
Mandatory reporting of CSAM by ISP, s: According to the ninth edition (2018) report of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children on “Child Sexual Abusive Material: Model Legislation & Global Review”, more than 30 countries now require mandatory reporting of CSAM by ISPs. Surprisingly, India also figures in this list, though, the law does not provide for such mandatory reporting.
Establish liability of legal persons: The Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that addresses child sexual exploitation encourages state parties to establish liability of legal persons.
Convention on The Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse: The Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime and Convention on The Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse also requires member states to address the issue of corporate liability.
India should join INHOPE: It is time India joins INHOPE and establishes its hotline to utilize Interpol’s secure IT infrastructure or collaborate with ISPs and financial companies by establishing an independent facility such as the IWF or NCMEC.
Conclusion
India needs to explore all options and adopt an appropriate strategy to fight the production and the spread of online CSAM. Children need to be saved.
Mains Question
Q. How children are Vulnerable against child sexual abuse material (CSAM)? What legal remedies available in India against CSAM?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on English in a recent campaign rally, the controversy over medical education in Hindi and the parliamentary report on promoting Hindi, will give new life to Hindi vs non-Hindi debate.
The status of Hindi language in India
The 2011 linguistic census: Accounts for 121 mother tongues, including 22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
Widely spoken language: Hindi is the most widely spoken, with 52.8 crore individuals, or 43.6% of the population, declaring it as their mother tongue. The next highest is Bengali, mother tongue for 97 lakh (8%) less than one-fifth of Hindi’s count. In terms of the number of people who know Hindi, the count crosses more than half the country.
Hindi as second language: Nearly 13.9 crore (over 11%) reported Hindi as their second language, which makes it either the mother tongue or second language for nearly 55% of the population.
The Eighth Schedule contains a list of languages in the country. Initially, there were 14 languages in the schedule, but now there are 22 languages.
There is no description of the sort of languages that are included or will be included in the Eighth Schedule.
Constitutional position of Eighth Schedule
There are only two references to these languages in the text of the Constitution.
(i) Article 344(1):
It provides for the formation of a Commission by the President, which should have a chairman and members representing these scheduled languages.
The purpose of the Commission is to make recommendations for the progressive use of Hindi for official purposes of the Union and for restricting the use of English.
(ii) Article 351:
It says it is the Union government’s duty to promote the spread of Hindi so that it becomes “a medium of expression for all elements of the composite culture of India”.
It also aims to assimilate elements of forms and expressions from Hindustani and languages listed in the Eighth Schedule.
What are challenges for promotion of Hindi Language?
Higher knowledge is not available in Hindi: The challenge of Hindi is that inhabiting the world of Hindi is seen as closing off access to the frontiers of knowledge, not just in science but in civic knowledge, like higher echelons of law.
Perceived as inferior language: It is also treated as a marker of parochialism and inferior status.
Hindi as language of Identity not as knowledge: The problem may be less acute with other languages like Tamil, Kannada or Bengali, but it exists. The anomaly of the India experiment is not diversity: It is the claim that the language of self, identity and culture be different from the language of knowledge, privilege and access. This is the experiment India is conducting on a large scale. Is it a sustainable one?
Cultural assertion through language: It is the untapped resentment of a Hindi culture that often is made conscious of its own second-class status in global hierarchies. Millions of vernacular speakers feel disenfranchised in the worlds of knowledge and prestige.
Poor translation mechanism: Our translation missions are so meagre that except for literature, they do not grow the language by translating knowledge into it. So, the division of the function of languages has also become a division of persons, between those whose fluency in English is greater than their fluency in a vernacular, and those who might know English but struggle with it.
English transition is not easy in mid high school: There was also a generation that was taught in a vernacular language very well. They found it easy to switch to English later. Now the education system does not prepare you for either trajectory, not at least on a mass scale, leaving the Hindi speaker relatively stranded.
What should be the way forward?
Hindi should be used for knowledge sharing and communication: The discussion of the language issue ought to be pedagogical rather than political. It will be, for instance, important for doctors to have English to easily access a continually evolving world of research; just translating a few textbooks into vernaculars will not solve the challenge. But it is equally true that the ability to communicate fluently in vernacular languages will be a great asset.
Higher Education in Hindi should be made available: It is also possibly true that for those who did not get an English education, continuing vernacular education should be a medium of expanding their opportunities.
Government has to do its homework: Our education system will have to do the homework to make any language strategy work fully. The skepticism of teaching medicine or engineering in the vernaculars (and not just Hindi) is that our knowledge eco system is not prepared for it; the skepticism of English is that it has left so many people behind.
Conclusion
The genius of India is that it has, historically, not locked itself into binaries over language choice. With creative pedagogies, we can reclaim that heritage. But raising the political pitch on language serves neither the cause of knowledge or national unity.
Mains Question
Q. Why government indulges in promotion of Hindi? Does it right in Indian context to promote only one language nationally?
