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20th April 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions
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Election Freebies and Related Issues
India could end up facing a Sri Lanka-type economic crisis if it doesn’t stop the “culture of freebies” and subsidies in sectors like agriculture, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand has warned.
What is a Freebie?
- The term Freebies is not new; rather it is a prevalent culture in Indian politics (in the name of socialism).
- The political parties are always trying to outdo each other in luring the Indian voters with assorted freebies.
- From free water to free smartphones the Indian politicians promise everything to attract prospective voters in favour.
- This trend has gained more momentum in the recent times with the political parties being innovative in their offerings as the ‘traditional free water and electricity’ is no longer sufficient as election goodies.
Examples of freebies
- Promise of Rs 15 lakh in our bank accounts
- Free TV, Laptops
- Free electricity
- Loan waivers
- Offering free public transport ride to all women in Delhi
Why are such policies popular among the public?
- Failure of economic policies: The answer lies in the utter failure of our economic policies to create decent livelihood for a vast majority of Indians.
- Quest for decent livelihood: The already low income had to be reoriented towards spending a disproportionately higher amount on education and health, from which, the state increasingly withdrew.
- Prevailing unemployment: Employment surveys have shown that employment growth initially slowed down from the 1990s, and then has turned negative over the past few years.
- Increased cost of living: Real income growth of the marginal sections has actually slowed down since 1991 reforms.
- Increased consumerism: The poor today also spend on things which appear to be luxuries; cellphones and data-packs are two such examples which are shown as signs of India’s increased affluence.
- Necessity: For migrant workers, the mobile phone helps them keep in touch with their families back home, or do a quick video-call to see how their infant is learning to sit up or crawl.
Can Freebies be compared with Welfare Politics?
- These freebies are not bad. It is a part of social welfare.
- Using freebies to lure voters is not good.
- Voter’s greediness may lead to a problem in choosing a good leader.
- When we don’t have a good leader then democracy will be a mockery.
Impact of such policies
- Never ending trail: The continuity of freebies is another major disadvantage as parties keep on coming up with lucrative offers to lure more number of votes to minimize the risk of losing in the elections.
- Burden on exchequer: People forget that such benefits are been given at the cost of exchequer and from the tax paid.
- Ultimate loss of poors: The politicians and middlemen wipe away the benefits and the poor have to suffer as they are deprived from their share of benefits which was to be achieved out of the money.
- Inflationary practice: Such distribution freebie commodity largely disrupts demand-supply dynamics.
- Lethargy in population: Freebies actually have the tendency to turn the nation’s population into: Lethargy and devoid of entrepreneurship.
- Money becomes only remedy: Everyone at the slightest sign of distress starts demanding some kind of freebies from the Govt.
- Popular politics: This is psychology driving sections of the population expecting and the government promptly responds with immediate monetary relief or compensation.
What cannot be accounted to a freebie?
- MGNREGA scheme (rural employment guarantee scheme)
- Right to Education (RTE)
- Food Security through fair price shops ( under National Food Security Act)
- Prime Minister Kisan Samman Yojana (PM-KISAN)
Arguments in favour
- Social investment: Aid to the poor is seen as a wasteful expenditure. But low interest rates for corporates to get cheap loans or the ‘sop’ of cutting corporate taxes are never criticized.
- Socialistic policy: This attitude comes from decades of operating within the dominant discourse of market capitalism.
- Election manifesto: Proponents of such policies would argue that poll promises are essential for voters to know what the party would do if it comes to power and have the chance to weigh options.
- Welfare: Economists opine that as long as any State has the capacity and ability to finance freebies then its fine; if not then freebies are the burden on economy.
- Other wasteful expenditure: When the Centre gives incentives like free land to big companies and announce multi-year tax holidays, questions are not asked as to where the money will come from.
A rational analysis of freebies
- Winning election and good governance are two different things. The role of freebies to avail good governance is definitely questionable.
- The social, political and economic consequences of freebies are very short-lived in nature.
- There are many freebies and subsidies schemes available in many States but we still find starvation deaths, lack of electricity, poor education and health service.
- Hence the sorrow of the masses of India cannot be solved by freebies or by incentives.
So are not freebies meant only to attract voters and swing voters by concentrating on a preferential group or community?
Way forward
- It can be agreed that a democracy requires popular support for its rule to continue. The sops and freebies to the poor buy it the requisite votes.
- But the democratic process of election and election promises should be clear. It should not control voters thought.
- What some people term as ‘populism’ actually constitutes what real economics should be.
- If you deprive people of what they really need, you will have to throw allurements at them.
- This can only be stopped if political masters try to follow what economist EA Schumacher had conveyed through his seminal work Small is beautiful – “Treat economics as if people matter.”
Conclusion
- There is nothing wrong in having a policy-led elaborate social security programme that seeks to help the poor get out of poverty.
- But such a programme needs well thought out preparation and cannot be conjured up just before an election.
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What is Collegium System?
What is Collegium System?
- The Collegium of judges is the Indian Supreme Court’s invention.
- It does not figure in the Constitution, which says judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed by the President and speaks of a process of consultation.
- In effect, it is a system under which judges are appointed by an institution comprising judges.
- After some judges were superseded in the appointment of the CJI in the 1970s, and attempts made subsequently to effect a mass transfer of High Court judges across the country.
- Hence there was a perception that the independence of the judiciary was under threat. This resulted in a series of cases over the years.
Evolution: The Judges Cases
- First Judges Case (1981) ruled that the “consultation” with the CJI in the matter of appointments must be full and effective.
- However, it rejected the idea that the CJI’s opinion, albeit carrying great weight, should have primacy.
- Second Judges Case (1993) introduced the Collegium system, holding that “consultation” really meant “concurrence”.
- It added that it was not the CJI’s individual opinion, but an institutional opinion formed in consultation with the two senior-most judges in the Supreme Court.
- Third Judges Case (1998): On a Presidential Reference for its opinion, the Supreme Court, in the Third Judges Case (1998) expanded the Collegium to a five-member body, comprising the CJI and four of his senior-most colleagues.
The procedure followed by the Collegium
Appointment of CJI
- The President of India appoints the CJI and the other SC judges.
- As far as the CJI is concerned, the outgoing CJI recommends his successor.
- In practice, it has been strictly by seniority ever since the supersession controversy of the 1970s.
- The Union Law Minister forwards the recommendation to the PM who, in turn, advises the President.
Other SC Judges
- For other judges of the top court, the proposal is initiated by the CJI.
- The CJI consults the rest of the Collegium members, as well as the senior-most judge of the court hailing from the High Court to which the recommended person belongs.
- The consultees must record their opinions in writing and it should form part of the file.
- The Collegium sends the recommendation to the Law Minister, who forwards it to the Prime Minister to advise the President.
For High Courts
- The CJs of High Courts are appointed as per the policy of having Chief Justices from outside the respective States. The Collegium takes the call on the elevation.
- High Court judges are recommended by a Collegium comprising the CJI and two senior-most judges.
- The proposal, however, is initiated by the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned in consultation with two senior-most colleagues.
- The recommendation is sent to the Chief Minister, who advises the Governor to send the proposal to the Union Law Minister.
Does the Collegium recommend transfers too?
- Yes, the Collegium also recommends the transfer of Chief Justices and other judges.
- Article 222 of the Constitution provides for the transfer of a judge from one High Court to another.
- When a CJ is transferred, a replacement must also be simultaneously found for the High Court concerned. There can be an acting CJ in a High Court for not more than a month.
- In matters of transfers, the opinion of the CJI “is determinative”, and the consent of the judge concerned is not required.
- However, the CJI should take into account the views of the CJ of the High Court concerned and the views of one or more SC judges who are in a position to do so.
- All transfers must be made in the public interest, that is, “for the betterment of the administration of justice”.
Loopholes in the Collegium system
- Lack of Transparency: Opaqueness and a lack of transparency, and the scope for nepotism are cited often.
- Judges appointing Judge: The attempt made to replace it with a ‘National Judicial Appointments Commission’ was struck down by the court in 2015 on the ground that it posed a threat to the independence of the judiciary.
- Criteria: Some do not believe in full disclosure of reasons for transfers, as it may make lawyers in the destination court chary of the transferred judge.
Way ahead
- In respect of appointments, there has been an acknowledgment that the “zone of consideration” must be expanded to avoid criticism that many appointees hail from families of retired judges.
- The status of a proposed new memorandum of procedure, to infuse greater accountability, is also unclear.
- Even the majority of opinions admitted the need for transparency, now Collegiums’ resolutions are now posted online, but reasons are not given.
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India’s Crude Oil Imports from OPEC
OPEC’s share of India’s oil imports for the FY22 financial year remained almost steady year-on-year, arresting sharp declines over the past six years, as refiners prefer crude from West Asia to counter rising global prices.
India’s crude oil imports from OPEC
- OPEC oil accounted for about 88% of India’s crude imports in FY08.
- Its share of India’s overall imports could decline because refiners in Asia’s third-largest economy are buying cheaper Russian oil.
- However, Russian oil continued to account for less than 1% of India’s crude imports in FY22.
What is OPEC?
- OPEC stands for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
- It is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
- It aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil in the world market, in order to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries.
- It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
- OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.
- Today OPEC is a cartel that includes 14 nations, predominantly from the middle east whose sole responsibility is to control prices and moderate supply.
What is OPEC+?
- The non-OPEC countries which export crude oil along with the 14 OPECs are termed as OPEC plus countries.
- OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.
- Saudi and Russia, both have been at the heart of a three-year alliance of oil producers known as OPEC Plus — which now includes 11 OPEC members and 10 non-OPEC nations — that aims to shore up oil prices with production cuts.
Why OPEC plus came into existence?
- When Russia concluded the Vienna Agreement in 2016, the Russian leadership believed that it would help prepare the country for the Russian presidential elections in March 2018.
- Higher oil prices ensured the Kremlin’s financial capacity to lead a successful electoral campaign.
- This changed the regime’s priorities – from satisfying the needs of the general population to ensuring the sustainability of the Kremlin’s alliance with powerful tycoons, including that controlling oil production.
- For Saudi Arabia, turning what had been an ad hoc coalition into a formal group provides a hedge (protection) against future oil-market turbulence.
- For Russia, the formalization of the group helps expand Putin’s influence in the Middle East
- However, both reportedly aimed at causing a drop in oil prices in order to hit US shale producers, who have continued to benefit from OPEC production cuts by expanding their market share.
Try this PYQ:
Q.The term ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes found in news, refers to a grade of
(a) Crude oil
(b) Bullion
(c) Rare earth elements
(d) Uranium
Post your answers here.
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Places in news: East Timor
Asia’s youngest nation, East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, holds the second and final round of its presidential election.
About East Timor
- The territory was colonized by Portugal in the 18th century and remained under is control until 1975.
- When the Portuguese withdrew, troops from Indonesia invaded and annexed East Timor as its 27th province.
- A long and bloody struggle for independence ensued, during which at least 100,000 people died.
- The East Timorese voted for independence in a 1999 U.N.-supervised referendum, but that unleashed even more violence until peace-keeping forces were allowed to enter.
- The country was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2002.
- East Timor has applied to be a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It currently holds observer status.
Its geography
- East Timor comprises the eastern half of Timor Island, the western half of which is part of Indonesia.
- It spans a 15,000 square km (5,792 square mile) land area – slightly smaller than Israel – and it’s 1.3 million people are predominantly Roman Catholic.
Politics and economy
- In nearly 20 years since independence, East Timor’s presidential and parliamentary elections have been dominated by many of the same faces.
- Its revolutionary have run for and held various positions of power and continue to feature prominently in the running of the country.
- East Timor depends on revenues from its offshore oil and gas reserves which account for 90% of its gross domestic product.
- Its main revenue stream, the Bayu Undan gas field, is set to dry up by 2023 and the country is now planning to collaborate with companies like Australia’s Santos to turn it into carbon capture facilities.
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[Sansad TV] Diplomatic Dispatch: New Govt in Pakistan
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Context
- Pakistan has witnessed dramatic political developments where yet another elected govt has been unable to complete its full term.
- It now has a new ‘Wazir-e-Azam’. His name is Shehbaz Sharif. A member of the wealthy Sharif dynasty. A man famous for his impassionate speeches.
- It does not matter who rules Pakistan, the country is never going to change (any way that’s the prevailing argument.)
However, in this article, we will study what this latest change in Pakistan mean for Pakistan, for India, and the rest of the world.
Pakistan conundrum: A quick recap
(1) Attempt for a constitutional coup
- In a high stage political drama, Imran Khan was ousted as the PM after a political and constitutional crisis emerged in Pakistan.
- Pakistani National Assembly Speaker dismissed a no-confidence motion against PM during a session in which it was expected to be taken up for a vote, alleging foreign country’s involvement.
- The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) took a suo moto notice of the ongoing situation, creating a constitutional crisis, as effectively, Imran Khan led a constitutional coup.
(2) Questions over Pak Army’s role
- Meanwhile, Imran Khan had ordered termination of its Army Chief who was his staunch supporter turned opponent.
- He has broken that consensus within Pakistan’s political class on deference to the Pakistan army and has demonised his political opponents.
- Shortly after midnight on 10 April, a majority of members voted and passed the no-confidence motion, removing Khan from office, and making him the first prime minister in Pakistan to be removed from office through a no-confidence motion.
Geopolitical impacts of Pakistan Crisis
The nation of more than 220 million people lies between Afghanistan to the west, China to the northeast and India to the east, making it of vital strategic importance.
- Defiance from the US: Since coming to power in 2018, Khan’s rhetoric has become more anti-American.
- Support for Russian invasion of Ukraine: He expressed a desire to move closer to China and, recently, Russia – including talks with President Putin on the day the invasion of Ukraine began.
Here is what the upheaval, which comes as the economy is in deep trouble, means for countries closely involved in Pakistan:
[A] INDIA
- Terrorism: Any regime change in Islamabad has always been monitored closely by New Delhi for potential changes in the border scenario, and militancy.
- Ongoing Ceasefire: As with Afghanistan, it is Pakistan’s military that controls policy in the sensitive area, and tensions along the de facto border there are at their lowest level since 2021, thanks to a ceasefire.
- Absence of formal dialogue: There have been no formal diplomatic talks between the rivals for years because of deep distrust over a range of issues, including Khan’s extreme criticism of Indian PM.
- Push of geo-economics: The Pakistani military has put pressure on the new government in Islamabad to build successful ties for geo-economics and bilateral trade.
- Change in Kashmir rhetoric: The powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said recently that his country was ready to move forward on Kashmir if India agrees.
[B] AFGHANISTAN
- Ongoing crisis: Now that the Taliban are back in power in Afghanistan, and facing an economic and humanitarian crisis due to a lack of money and international isolation.
- Row over Durand Line: Tensions have risen between the Taliban and Pakistan’s military, which has lost several soldiers in attacks close to their mutual border.
- Putting curb on terror activities: Pakistan wants the Taliban to do more to crack down on extremist groups and worries they will spread violence into Pakistan by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction.
[C] CHINA
- “All weather” friends: Khan consistently emphasised China’s positive role in Pakistan and in the world at large.
- Continuance of CPEC: The $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which binds them together was actually conceptualised and launched under Pakistan’s two established political parties, both of which are set to share power in the new government.
[D] UNITED STATES
- No priority for US: Pakistan’s political crisis is unlikely to be a priority for President Joe Biden, who is grappling with the war in Ukraine, unless it led to mass unrest or rising tensions with India.
- Pak retreat on alleged US involvement: With the Pakistani military maintaining its behind-the-scenes control of foreign and security policies, the change of government was not a major concern.
- Damage control over Russian ties: Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow had been a “disaster” in terms of U.S. relations, and that a new government in Islamabad could at least help mend ties “to some degree”.
Pakistan- the way it is: A Rogue State
- Obsession for Kashmir: Ever since Pakistan came into being, its biggest obsession has been India and Kashmir. Even after losing 3 crucial wars, the saga has never ended.
- Obsession with India: The deploring economic condition, ever-increasing scarcity of water, dishevelled education system and growing radicalisation take a back seat in the breadth of bleeding India by a thousand cuts.
- Perceived ‘conspiracy’ in all walks of polity: The only thing that helps the army/govt to stay in power is by vilifying India (/ US/ Semitism) and delineating India as the biggest threat to their survival.
- Lack of credible civilian leadership: Pakistan’s founders expected the idea of Pakistan to shape the state of Pakistan; instead, a military bureaucracy governs the state and imposes its own vision of a Pakistani nation.
- Army is the Deep-State: This shortcoming gave the army a chance to intervene and take over the functioning of the civilian government. Ever since its inception, the army has played a decisive role in the internal governance and foreign policy.
- Demographic bottlenecks: At the time of partition, Pakistan received a large share of military personnel as compared to the share of civilian migrants from India.
- De-indigenization of own history: Pakistan has always tried to de-indigenise its history, culture. It has always tried to attach its cultural habits with the Arabs and the invader Turks.
- Crusade for Islam: Pakistan often stunts to be the khalifa of the Islamic world. It has propagated the rhetoric of Islamophobia despite being a Islamic republic.
- Terrorism as a diplomatic tool: Pakistan is idiosyncratic to the common notion of diplomacy. Pakistan is the only state in the world which sponsors terrorism as a state policy be it in India or Afghanistan
Dilemma for India
- Leadership vacuum in Pakistan: Indian policymakers have not been able to engage in a formal diplomatic talk due to the leadership vacuum and deep distrust.
- No talks amid Terrorism: India has tried both the diplomatic and the military ways to find a solution to the problem. But nothing has worked out so far that could deter Pakistan from sponsoring terrorism.
- Offensive defence: Even after 26/11, India’s responses were mostly limited to diplomatic and covert operations. Indian responses pre-surgical-strike were mostly dictated by the nuclear hangover.
- Short-lived military deterrence: Surgical strike and Balakot strike manifested change in India’s attitude to take punitive and decisive action. But the deterrence which was expected to have been created have been short-lived.
- Atomic hangover of Pakistan: It often reiterates the stance of being a potential atomic superpower, whenever reference to the ties with India are invoked.
Imperatives for India
From India’s point of view, two positive developments have taken place in the course of this turmoil:
- Praise for India: First, Imran Khan, the outgoing prime minister who has alleged a US-led foreign conspiracy to oust his government, has heaped fulsome praise on India for its independent foreign policy.
- Army wants ties with India: Pakistan’s powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has yet again reached out to India with a message of peace, which the Modi government must not reject. He regards religious extremism, not India, to be a greater threat to Pakistan’s national security.
What could be the reasons compelling Pakistan’s military to seek peace with India?
Ans.
(1) Looming Economic Crisis
- Pakistan is going through an acute economic crisis, which has made its military leaders to do some introspection.
- Today, Pakistan stands at the crossroads of its economic and strategic goals. It has north-south connectivity (Pakistan to Afghanistan to Central Asia and Russia).
- It now wants to capitalize the build connectivity from east to west (India to Iran) that will increase trade and benefit Pakistan and the region.
(2) Own jihadists hitting back
- Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is the largest militant organization fighting against the state in Pakistan.
- It was once bred by Pak Army and ISI to wage Jihad against India in Kashmir Valley.
- According to the UN, the TTP also boasts several thousand fighters in Afghanistan, with strongholds on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
(3) Crisis in Balochistan
(4) Stalled progress of China Pakistan Economic Corridor
Way forward
- Capitalizing on-going conundrum: India cannot let these tactical advantages go in vain. It will have to capitalise on them.
- Resumption of dialogue: The visionary Pak army chief will retire this year. Hence, there is a small window of opportunity in which India and Pakistan can resume dialogue and achieve a meaningful breakthrough.
- Alert policy imperatives: India should respond careful to the peace message from our western neighbour — coming from none other than its army chief.
- All-factor considerations: India needs to prepare a grand strategy to decipher this Pakistan conundrum which should take into consideration all the facets of the problem.
- Balancing China: Another important aspect of this grand strategy, which would need greater accentuation, is the bonhomie between China and Pakistan.
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Cryptos and a CBDC are not the same thing
Context
Cryptocurrency will be discouraged via taxation and capital gains provisions. This was the message from the Finance Minister during the Budget discussion in Parliament.
Growing worry about the cryptocurrencies
- The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in February, highlighted two things.
- First, “private cryptocurrencies are a big threat to our financial and macroeconomic stability”.
- Second, “these cryptocurrencies have no underlying (asset).
- Clearly, statements from the RBI indicate a growing worry since the proliferation of cryptos threatens the RBI’s place in the economy’s financial system.
- This threat emerges from the decentralised character of cryptos based on blockchain technology which central banks cannot regulate and which enables enterprising private entities to float cryptos which can function as assets and money.
- The total valuation of cryptos recently was upward of $2 trillion — more than the value of gold held globally.
- Challenges in banning it: Cryptos which operate via the net can be banned only if all nations come together.
- Even then, tax havens may allow cryptos to function, defying the global agreement.
Crypto as currency
- A currency is a token used in market transactions.
- Historically, commodities (such as copper coins) have been used as tokens since they themselves are valuable.
- But paper currency is useless till the government declares it to be a fiat currency.
- Paper currency derives its value from state backing.
- Cryptos are a string of numbers in a computer programme. And, there is no state backing.
- Their acceptability to the well-off enables them to act as money.
- So, cryptos acquire value and can be transacted via the net.
- This enables them to function as money.
- Solving the problem of double spending: Fiat currency has the property that once spent, it cannot be spent again except through forgery, because it is no more with the spender.
- But, software on a computer can be used repeatedly.
- Blockchain and encryption have solved the problem by devising protocols such as ‘proof of work’ and ‘proof of stake’.
Why CBDC is not a solution
- A Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will not solve the RBI’s problem since it can only be a fiat currency and not a crypto.
- Blockchain enables decentralisation.But, central banks would not want that.
- Further, central bank would want a fiat currency to be exclusively issued and controlled by them.
- But, theoretically everyone can ‘mine’ and create crypto.
- So, for the CBDC to be in central control, solving the ‘double spending’ problem and being a crypto (not just a digital version of currency) seems impossible.
- Validating transaction: A centralised CBDC will require the RBI to validate each transaction — something it does not do presently.
- Once a currency note is issued, the RBI does not keep track of its use in transactions.
- Keeping track will be horrendously complex which could make a crypto such as the CBDC unusable unless new secure protocols are designed.
Conclusion
CBDCs at present cannot be a substitute for cryptos that will soon begin to be used as money. This will impact the functioning of central banks and commercial banks.
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Upholding the right to repair
Context
Apple recently announced that consumers will have the right to purchase spare components of their products, following an order of the Federal Trade Commission of the United States, which directs manufacturers to remedy unfair anti-competitive practice and asks them to make sure that consumers can make repairs, either themselves or by a third-party agency. The momentum is, however, not so strong in India.
Challenges in repairing of electronic goods
- Repairing is becoming unreasonably expensive or pretty much impossible because of technology becoming obsolete.
- Incompatibility: Companies avoid the publication of manuals that can help users make repairs easily.
- No repair manual: The absence of repair manuals means that manufacturers hold near-monopoly over repair workshops that charge consumers exorbitant prices.
- Incompatibility: Manufacturers have proprietary control over spare parts and most firms refuse to make their products compatible with those of other firms.
- Planned obsolescence results in products breaking down too soon and buying a replacement is often cheaper and easier than repairing them.
- Big companies often deploy mechanisms that practically forbid other enterprises to repair their products.
- Digital warranty cards, for instance, ensure that by getting a product from a “non-recognised” outfit, a customer loses the right to claim a warranty.
Right to repair
- The rationale behind the “right to repair” is that the individual who purchases a product must own it completely.
- This implies that apart from being able to use the product, consumers must be able to repair and modify the product the way they want to.
- Monopoly on repair processes infringes the customer’s’ “right to choose” recognised by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
- In Shamsher Kataria v Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (2017), for instance, the Competition Commission of India ruled that restricting the access of independent automobile repair units to spare parts by way of an end-user license agreement was anti-competitive.
International practices
- Many countries have taken initiatives, adopted policies and even tried to enact legislation that recognise the “right to repair” to reduce electronic waste.
- Some jurisdictions offer limited scope for exercising the right to repair.
- For instance, under the Australian Consumer Law consumers have a right to request that certain goods be repaired if they break too easily or do not work properly.
- The Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, 2012 requires automobile manufacturers to provide spare parts and diagnostics to buyers and even independent third-party mechanics.
- The UK also introduced the path-breaking “right to repair” in 2021 that makes it legally binding on manufacturers to provide spare parts.
Way forward
- Well-drafted legislation will not only uphold the right to repair but may aid in striking a much-needed balance between intellectual property and competitive laws in the country.
Conclusion
If people want to fix things in a timely, safe and cost-effective way, whether by doing it themselves or taking it
to a service centre of their choice, providing access to spare parts and information is imperative. -
2-3 Years in hand: A proven game changer for undergraduate UPSC aspirants
There isn’t a more opportune time to invest your rapt attention in UPSC preparation if you have a couple of years in hand. Preparing for the UPSC exam is not a whimsical fancy. Many toppers even started their UPSC preparation in their penultimate year in school. Because winners start early.
It will be a game changer if any undergraduate, with only 2 to 3 years in hand, inculcates the brainchild formulas of toppers’ mentors to crack UPSC.
When time is short and way is long, every step must be more on-target.
So, why tax your brain! Let’s know those formulas right away.
Syllabus & PYQs
When the destination is IAS or IPS, UPSC syllabus and previous year question papers go hand in hand. So, don’t wander off, you may lose the track.
- Bring the syllabus on your finger tip. Because you have to complete the syllabus and not books.
- Hook at least 5 years previous years MCQs (Prelims + Mains + Optional)
According to mentor heads, there are 2 types of syllabus pattern
- Raw static syllabus
- Dynamic syllabus
In the incipient stage, finish static syllabus at least once. Because static parts boost aspirants’ confidence, besides, it’s the very foundation of grip on current affairs. To finish the static parts, an aspirant may need around 6 months and not more than that.
Now, start investing time in the dynamic syllabus.
- Take PYQs, revise chapters accordingly
- Learn Current affairs and tangle with static questions.
It’s worth remembering that balancing study is the key to excellence for either the MCQs or writing for mains.
Another key point to be noted here is ‘Evaluation of preparation’. It’s also an indirect and inseparable part of your UPSC syllabus.
Civilsdaily’s centralized mentorship is recommended here.
Time Management
Minimum 2 years and maximum 3 years will run short unless and until you become sincere about time management.
Have you heard the traditional proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”?
Similarly, keep in mind ‘A chapter a day unblocks UPSC doorway’.
Learn from mentors and act on how to divide time for newspaper reading, answer writing, practicing MCQs, etc. each and everyday.
Running free webinars, mentorship programs in community managed platforms of Civilsdaily, will help you immensely to learn how to utilize maximum time.
Resources
The less the resource, the more your efficiency. Buying multiple books is an obsolete and abandoned path to UPSC preparation.
Don’t forget you have fresh and solid 2-3 years in hand.
- Get 2 to 3 sets of essential books for every static subject.
- To keep pace with CA, Civilsdaily’s Samachar manthan program is beyond praise.
- IAS foundation course is even better to choose.
- Mock Tests series for prelims as well as for mains
- From the very beginning, get mentors’ advice for optional papers.
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Self Study vs Mentors’ Guide
If there is a guide on the unknown path, even the crooked path becomes simpler. When you have 2-3 years in your hand, and want to make a gigantic syllabus familiar at firsthand, taking a risk may be proven as a fool’s errand. Let’s understand the difference.
SELF STUDY MENTOR’S GUIDE Self-study, though isn’t an empty vessel always, is very time and energy consuming.
Following self-study, almost 75% of aspirants look for a needle in a haystack.Mentors’ guide means saving time and energy not to get baffled. Most of the time, the daily target dies. Daily target lives because of guidance. Self study lacks self assessment. Assessment of leaders So, how would you like to react to mentors’ guidance now? Let’s know.
Nothing is more important than the limit of time. From circling OMR sheet to answer writing and optional to interview, all these won’t be tediously threatening if done under proper guidance especially when there is a bound on time.
It’s the aspirants’ choice whether they embrace the very 1st attempt or love to get into a labyrinth of futile attempts.
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India-UK relations: A new shine to old ties
Context
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts British premier Boris Johnson this week in India, the moment is ripe to turn the expansive new possibilities — in trade, investment, high technology, defence, and regional cooperation— into concrete outcomes.
Background of the India-UK ties and paradoxes
- Legacies of colonialism: The bitter legacies of colonialism had made it impossible for the two sides to pursue a sensible relationship in the past.
- India’s post-colonial engagement with Britain has been riddled with multiple paradoxes.
- 1] India’s post-post colonial resentment and UK’s claim for special role: Delhi’s lingering post-colonial resentments and London’s unacceptable claim for a special role in the Subcontinent generated unending friction.
- The consequences of Partition and the Cold War made it harder for Delhi and London to construct a sustainable partnership.
- The important role played by the US: It was the US that first recognised India’s rapidly-growing relative weight in the international system.
- At the turn of the millennium, Washington unveiled a policy of assisting India’s rise.
- This was based on a bipartisan American consensus that a stronger India will serve US interests in Asia and the world.
- Over the last two decades, it has led to a quick transformation of US relations with India.
- 2] Washington is setting the pace for Delhi’s relationship with London: At the dawn of Independence, India saw London as the natural interlocutor with an unfamiliar Washington.
- Today it is Washington that is setting the pace for Delhi’s relationship with London.
- 3] China’s role in shaping India’s relations with the West: For Washington, the strategic commitment to assist India’s rise was rooted in the recognition of the dangers of a China-dominated Asia.
- London in the last two decades was moving in the other direction — a full embrace of Beijing.
- Once the American deep state decided to confront Chinese power in the late 2010s, London had to extricate itself from the Chinese Communist Party’s powerful spell.
- As the US unveiled a new Asian strategy, Britain followed with its own “Indo-Pacific tilt” that helped secure the region against China’s muscular policies.
- 4] Historic tilt towards Pakistan: Unlike the US and France, which are committed to an “India first” strategy in South Asia, Britain remains torn between its new enthusiasm for India and the inertia of its historic tilt towards Pakistan.
- But India is confident that Pakistan’s relative decline in the region is bound to make it a less weighty factor in India’s bilateral relations with Britain.
- The question of Pakistan brings us to the fourth paradox—the domestic dynamics of Britain that have tended to sour ties with India.
- Delhi has figured out that the interconnected politics of India and Britain — shaped by the large South Asian diaspora of nearly four million — can be cut both ways.
- 5] Making best of historic ties: If the Tories are romantic about the Raj, nationalists in India bristle at the British imperial connection.
- Yet, together they are constructing a new relationship between India and Britain.
Better outlook for bilateral ties
- As the two sides make a determined effort to transcend the paradoxes, the regional and international circumstances provide a new basis for mutually beneficial engagement.
- Over the last couple of years, Delhi and London have begun a promising and pragmatic engagement devoid of sentiment and resentment.
- Having walked out of Europe, Britain needs all the partners it can find and a rising India is naturally among the top political and economic priorities.
- Delhi meanwhile has become supremely self-assured in dealing with London.
- With the Indian economy set to become larger than Britain’s in the next couple of years, Delhi is no longer defensive about engaging Britain.
- Even more important, Delhi recognises the value of a deep strategic partnership with London.
Conclusion
The UK has a significant international military presence and wide-ranging political influence. Realists in Delhi are trying to leverage these British strengths for India’s strategic benefit.
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19th April 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions
[WpProQuiz 972]
[WpProQuiz_toplist 972]
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RERA
The Supreme Court has asked the Chief Secretaries of the States to respond to queries raised by the Centre on the implementation of rules framed under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) (RERA) Act, 2016 in their respective jurisdictions.
What is RERA, 2016?
- The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 seeks to protect home-buyers as well as help boost investments in the real estate industry.
- It establishes a Real Estate Regulatory Authority- RERA in each state for regulation of the real estate sector and also acts as an adjudicating body for speedy dispute resolution.
- It was enacted under Entry 6 and 7 (dealing with contracts and the transfer of property) of the Concurrent List.
- It is followed by the principle “buyer is the king and builders will have to ensure compliances to avoid punishment”.
- Its main objective is to reduce delay in the work or timely delivery of the project without compromising the quality.
Objectives of this Act
It has the following objectives:
- To protect the interest of the allottees and ensure their responsibility
- To maintain transparency and reduce the chances of fraud
- To implement Pan-India standardization and bring about professionalism
- To enhance the flow of correct information between the home buyers and the sellers
- To impose greater responsibilities on both the builders and the investors
- To enhance the reliability of the sector and thereby increase confidence amongst the investors
Key Provisions of RERA Act
- Compulsory registration: According to the central act, every real estate project (where the total area to be developed exceeds 500 sq mtrs or more than 8 apartments is proposed to be developed in any phase), must be registered with its respective state’s RERA.
- Establishment of state level regulatory authorities: It provides for State governments to establish more than one regulatory authority such as RERA to:
- Register and maintain a database of real estate projects; publish it on its website for public viewing
- Protection of interest of promoters, buyers and real estate agents
- Development of sustainable and affordable housing
- Render advice to the government and ensuring compliance with its Regulations and the Act
- Establishment of Real Estate Appellate Tribunal: Decisions of RERAs can be appealed in these tribunals.
- Mandatory Registration: All projects with plot size of a minimum 500 sq.mt or eight apartments need to be registered with Regulatory Authorities.
- Deposits: Developers needs to keep 70% of the money collected from a buyer in a temporary pass through account held by a third party (escrow account) to meet the construction cost of the project.
- Liability of the developer: A developer’s liability to repair structural defects would be for 5 years.
- Cap on Advance Payments: A promoter cannot accept more than 10% of the cost of the plot, apartment or building as an advance payment or an application fee from a person without first entering into an agreement for sale
- Carpet Area over super built-up: Clearly defines Carpet Area as net usable floor area of flat. Buyers will be charged for the carpet area and not super built-up area.
- Punishment for non-compliance: Imprisonment of up to three years for developers and up to one year in case of agents and buyers for violation of orders of Appellate Tribunals and Regulatory Authorities.
Which projects can get RERA approval?
- Commercial and residential projects including plotted development.
- Projects measuring more than 500 sq mts or 8 units.
- Projects without Completion Certificate, before the commencement of the Act.
- The project is only for the purpose of renovation/repair / re-development which does not involve re-allotment and marketing, advertising, selling or new allotment of any apartments, plot or building in the real estate project, will not come under RERA.
- Each phase is to be treated as standalone real estate project requiring fresh registration.
Benefits offered by the RERA Act
Industry
Developer
Buyer
Agents
- Governance and transparency
- Project efficiency and robust project delivery
- Standardization and quality
- Enhance the confidence of investors
- Attract higher investments and PE funding
- Regulated Environment
- Common and best practices
- Increase efficiency
- Consolidation of sector
- Corporate branding
- Higher investment
- Increase in organized funding
- Significant buyers protection
- Quality products and timely delivery
- Balanced agreements and treatment
- Transparency – sale based on carpet area
- Safety of money and transparency on utilization
- Consolidation of the sector (due to mandatory state registration)
- Increased transparency
- Increased efficiency
- Minimum litigation by adopting best practices
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The Process of Cartelisation
This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in TH.
What is a Cartel?
- According to CCI, a “Cartel includes an association of producers, sellers, distributors, traders or service providers who, by agreement amongst themselves, limit, control or attempt to control the production, distribution, sale or price of, or, trade in goods or provision of services”.
- The three common components of a cartel are:
- an agreement
- between competitors
- to restrict competition
What is Cartelization?
- Cartelization is when enterprises collude to fix prices, indulge in bid-rigging, or share customers, etc. But when prices are controlled by the government under law, that is not cartelization.
- The Competition Act contains strong provisions against cartels.
- It also has the leniency provision to incentivize a party to a cartel to break away and report to the Commission, and thereby expect total or partial leniency.
- This has proved a highly effective tool against cartels worldwide.
Philosophy behind
- Cartels, which involve a group of businesses colluding to keep prices high, have been viewed by economists as a significant threat to the market economy.
- When businesses cooperate with each other rather than compete against each other, there could be many adverse consequences to consumers.
- For one, consumers will have to pay higher prices for goods and services.
- It should be noted that the way cartels keep prices high is by limiting the supply of their output. Further, in the absence of any threat from competition, cartels also have very little reason to innovate or cater to consumers in better ways.
- In other words, they essentially act like a monopoly.
- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is the most well-known international cartel that influences the price of oil globally through coordinated efforts to limit supply.
How do they work?
- Four categories of conduct are commonly identified across jurisdictions (countries). These are: price-fixing, output restrictions, market allocation and, bid-rigging
- In sum, participants in hard-core cartels agree to insulate themselves from the rigors of a competitive marketplace, substituting cooperation for competition.
How do cartels hurt?
- They not only directly hurt the consumers but also, indirectly, undermine overall economic efficiency and innovations.
- A successful cartel raises the price above the competitive level and reduces output.
- Consumers choose either not to pay the higher price for some or all of the cartelized product that they desire, thus forgoing the product, or they pay the cartel price and thereby unknowingly transfer wealth to the cartel operators.
Are there provisions in the Competition Act against monopolistic prices?
- There are provisions in the Competition Act against abuse of dominance.
- One of the abuses is when a dominant enterprise “directly or indirectly imposes unfair or discriminatory prices” in the purchase or sale of goods or services.
- Thus, excessive pricing by a dominant enterprise could, in certain conditions, be regarded as abuse and, therefore, subject to investigation by the Competition Commission if it were fully functional.
- However, where pricing is a result of normal supply and demand, the Competition Commission may have no role.
What is the penalty for cartelization?
- The Competition Act calls for a penalty on each member of the cartel, which is up to three times its profit for each year of anti-competitive behavior, or 10% of turnover for each year of its continuance, whichever is higher.
- However, in case of a leniency petition, CCI can waive the penalty depending on the timing and usefulness of the disclosure and full cooperation in the probe.
How might cartels be worse than monopolies?
- Monopolies are bad for both individual consumer interests as well as society at large.
- Monopolist completely dominates the concerned market and, more often than not, abuse this dominance either in the form of charging higher than warranted prices or by providing lower than the warranted quality of the good or service in question.
How to stop the spread of cartelization?
- Strong deterrence to those cartels that are found guilty of being one.
- Typically this takes the form of a monetary penalty that exceeds the gains amassed by the cartel and it is not always easy to ascertain the exact gains from cartelization.
- The threat of stringent penalties can be used in conjunction with providing leniency — as was done in the beer case.
Back2Basics: Competition Commission of India (CCI)
- The CCI is the chief national competition regulator in India.
- It is a statutory body within the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- It is responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 in order to promote competition and prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.
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What is the UK-Rwanda Asylum Plan?
The United Kingdom has signed a deal with Rwanda to send some asylum seekers to the East African nation — a move that PM Boris Johnson said will “save countless lives” from human trafficking.
Immigrants crisis in UK
- Since 2018, there has been a marked rise in the number of refugees and asylum seekers that undertake dangerous crossings between Calais in France and Dover in England.
- Most such migrants and asylum seekers hail from war-torn countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, and Yemen, or developing countries like Iran and Iraq.
- The Britain that has adopted a hardline stance on illegal immigration, these crossings constitute an immigration crisis.
- The Nationality and Borders Bill, 2021, which is still under consideration in the UK, allows the British government to strip anyone’s citizenship without notice under “exceptional circumstances”.
- The Rwanda deal is the operationalization of one objective in the Bill which is to deter illegal entry into the United Kingdom.
What is the Rwanda Deal?
- The UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership or the Rwanda Deal is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two governments.
- Under this deal, Rwanda will commit to taking in asylum seekers who arrive in the UK on or after January 1, 2022, using illegally facilitated and unlawful cross border migration.
- Rwanda will function as the holding centre where asylum applicants will wait while the Rwandan government makes decisions about their asylum and resettlement petitions in Rwanda.
- Rwanda will, on its part, accommodate anyone who is not a minor and does not have a criminal record.
Rationale of the deal
- The deal aims to combat “people smugglers”, who often charge exorbitant prices from vulnerable migrants to put them on unseaworthy boats from France to England that often lead to mass drownings.
- The UK contends that this solution to the migrant issue is humane and meant to target the gangs that run these illegal crossings.
What will the scheme cost the UK?
- The UK will pay Rwanda £120 million as part of an “economic transformation and integration fund” and will also bear the operational costs along with an, as yet undetermined, amount for each migrant.
- Currently, the UK pays £4.7 million per day to accommodate approximately 25,000 asylum seekers.
- At the end of 2021, this amounted to £430 million annually with a projected increase of £100 million in 2022.
- The Rwanda Deal is predicted to reduce these costs by outsourcing the hosting of such migrants to a third country.
Will the Rwanda Deal solve the problem of illegal immigration?
- This deal will be implemented in a matter of weeks unless it is challenged and stayed by British courts.
- While Boris Johnson’s government is undoubtedly bracing for such legal challenges, it remains unclear if the Rwanda Deal will solve the problem of unlawful crossings.
- Evidence from similar experiences indicates that such policies do not fully combat “people smuggling”.
Criticisms of the deal
- Several activists, refugee and human rights organizations have strongly opposed the new scheme.
- There are dangers of transferring refugees and asylum seekers to third countries without sufficient safeguards.
- The refugees are traded like commodities and transferred abroad for processing.
- Such arrangements simply shift asylum responsibilities, evade international obligations, and are contrary to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention.
- Rwanda also has a known track record of extrajudicial killings, suspicious deaths in custody, unlawful or arbitrary detention, torture, and abusive prosecutions, particularly targeting critics and dissidents.
Do any other countries send asylum seekers overseas?
- Yes, several other countries — including Australia, Israel and Denmark — have been sending asylum seekers overseas.
- Australia has been making full use of offshore detention centres since 2001.
- Israel, too, chose to deal with a growing influx of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from places like Sudan and Eritrea by striking deals with third countries.
- Those rejected for asylum were given the choice of returning to their home country or accepting $3,500 and a plane ticket to one of the third countries.
- They faced the threat of arrest if they chose to remain in Israel.
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WHO & Traditional Medicine
PM Modi, along with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, will perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the first-of-its-kind WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
What is Traditional Medicine?
- The WHO describes traditional medicine as the total sum of the “knowledge, skills and practices indigenous and different cultures have used over time to maintain health and prevent, diagnose and treat physical and mental illness”.
- Its reach encompasses ancient practices such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and herbal mixtures as well as modern medicines.
- According to WHO estimates, 80% of the world’s population uses traditional medicine.
Traditional medicine in India
- It is often defined as including practices and therapies — such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Siddha — that have been part of Indian tradition historically, as well as others — such as homeopathy — that became part of Indian tradition over the years.
- Ayurveda and yoga are practised widely across the country.
- The Siddha system is followed predominantly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
- The Sowa-Rigpa System is practised mainly in Leh-Ladakh and Himalayan regions such as Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling, Lahaul & Spiti.
What will the GCTM be about?
- The GCTM will aim to focus on evidence-based research, innovation, and data analysis to optimise the contribution of traditional medicine to global health.
- Its main focus will to develop norms, standards and guidelines in technical areas relating to traditional medicine.
- It will seek to set policies and standards on traditional medicine products and help countries create a comprehensive, safe, and high-quality health system.
- The GCTM will support efforts to implement the WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014-23).
- It will serve as the hub, and focus on building a “solid evidence base” for policies and “help countries integrate it as appropriate into their health systems”.
Why has the WHO felt the need to advance knowledge of traditional medicine?
- Almost all WHO members have reported widespread use of traditional medicine.
- These member states have asked for its support in creating a body of reliable evidence and data on traditional medicine practices and products.
- The WHO has found that the national health systems and strategies do not yet fully integrate traditional medicine workers, accredited courses and health facilities.
- It has stressed the need to conserve biodiversity and sustainability as about 40% of approved pharmaceutical products today derive from natural substances.
- It has referred to modernization of the ways traditional medicine is being studied. Artificial intelligence is now used to map evidence and trends in traditional medicine.
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Who was Guru Tegh Bahadur?
The government will celebrate the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur with a two-day event at the Red Fort.
Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)
- Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He was born at Amritsar in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind.
- His term as Guru ran from 1665 to 1675. One hundred and fifteen of his hymns are in Guru Granth Sahib.
- There are several accounts explaining the motive behind the assassination of Guru Tegh Bahadur on Aurangzeb’s orders.
- He stood up for the rights of Kashmiri Pandits who approached him against religious persecution by Aurangzeb.
- He was publicly executed in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for himself refusing Mughal rulers and defying them.
- Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of his body.
Impact of his martyrdom
- The execution hardened the resolve of Sikhs against religious oppression and persecution.
- His martyrdom helped all Sikh Panths consolidate to make the protection of human rights central to its Sikh identity.
- Inspired by him, his nine-year-old son, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, eventually organized the Sikh group into a distinct, formal, symbol-patterned community that came to be known as Khalsa (Martial) identity.
- In the words of Noel King of the University of California, “Guru Teg Bahadur’s martyrdom was the first-ever martyrdom for human rights in the world.
- He is fondly remembered as ‘Hind di Chaadar’.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following Bhakti Saints:
- Dadu Dayal
- Guru Nanak
- Tyagaraja
Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over?
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 2
Post your answers here.
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Festivals in news: Karaga Festival
The centuries-old Karaga (temple fair) festival was recently held at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple in Bengaluru.
Karaga Festival
- It is celebrated annually in the Chaitra month (March/April) according to the Hindu calendar.
- The festival has found its roots in the epic Mahabharata.
- It honours Draupadi as the ideal woman and Goddess Shakti.
- The word ‘Karaga’ translates to an earthen pot, supporting a floral pyramid and an idol of Goddess.
- The Karaga is carried on the head of the bearer without touching it.
- The carrier wears a woman’s attire with bangles, mangal-sutra, and vermillion on his forehead.
Cultural significance of Karaga
- The Karaga procession makes a customary halt at Astana e-Hazrath Tawakkal Mastan Shah Saharwardi Dargah to pay obeisance to Tawakkal Mastan.
- The Dargah, a symbol of syncretic Sufism, has been taken care by the Muzavvar family for several generations.
- According to them, the history of the Dargah goes back to at least 300 years when Tawakkal Mastan, who came to Bengaluru with his horses looking for business opportunities, was adored as a saint.
- Hyder Ali, who was the ruler then, was a patron of Mastak for his good deeds.
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[Burning Issue] Artificial Intelligence and Climate change
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Context
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have been often thought as a gateway to a future written in chrome, operating on a virtual cloud.
Even in Budget 2022-23, AI was described as a sunrise technology that would “assist sustainable development at scale and modernize the country.”
In terms of climate change, AI can prove to be immensely helpful in developing environment-friendly infrastructure, making climate predictions and decarbonizing industries. However, ironically, AI with itself brings an environmental cost to the development of the technology.
What is Climate Change?
- It deals with the global phenomenon of climate transformation that significantly impacts the earth’s usual climatic conditions (temperature, precipitation, wind, etc.).
- They are mainly caused due to human-made activities.
- The major source of climate change is global warming, which is primarily caused by the greenhouse effect.
- Rapid urbanization and industrial revolution are the other main causes that lead to the risk of climate change with increased energy demand and production, especially in the form of fossil fuels.
- The growing risk of climate change has a disastrous impact on earth organisms, including human beings and earth’s flora and fauna.
- It further leads to the destruction of the food chain and economic resources.
Social and Economic Impact of Climate Change
- The cost of adapting coastal areas to rising sea levels.
- Relocation of whole towns.
- Shrinking productivity of harvests.
- Loss of the capacity to work due to heat.
- More wars to gain access to limited resources.
- Freshwater will be short in the supply.
- Spread of diseases due to higher temperatures.
- Inflation in food and consumer goods.
- The extreme meteorological phenomenon will cause widespread poverty.
Artificial Intelligence
- Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. Specific applications of AI include expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition and machine vision.
- In general, AI systems work by ingesting large amounts of labeled training data, analyzing the data for correlations and patterns, and using these patterns to make predictions about future states.
- AI programming focuses on three cognitive skills: learning, reasoning and self-correction.
How can AI help in the mitigation of Climate Change?
- AI is a disruptive paradigm that has greater potential to assess, predict, and mitigate the risk of climate change with the efficient use of data, learning algorithms, and sensing devices.
- It performs a calculation, makes predictions, and takes decisions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- By developing effective models for weather forecasting and environmental monitoring, AI makes us better understand the impacts of climate change across various geographical locations.
- It interprets climatic data and predicts weather events, extreme climate conditions, and other socio-economic impacts of climate change and precipitation.
- From a technical perspective, AI offers better climatic predictions, shows the impacts of extreme weather, finds the actual source of carbon emitters and includes numerous other reasonable contributions.
- This enables the policymakers to be aware of the rising sea levels, earth hazards, hurricanes, temperature change, disruption to natural habitats, and species extinction.
Applications of AI for Climate Change mitigation
The following are the few areas in which AI can directly help mitigate the risks posed by climate change:-
- AI-assisted prediction models for climate change mitigation
- Role of machine vision in climate informatics and forecasting
- Recent trends in AI to reduce carbon footprints for a sustainable environment
- AI for earth hazard management
- AI to promote eco-friendly energy production and consumption
- AI-assisted expert systems for climate change risk prediction and assessment
- AI-assisted big data analytics Synergy of IoT, big data, cloud computing, and AI techniques in climate change prediction and mitigation
- Machine learning for a sustainable green future
- AI in reducing the impacts of global warming
- Deep learning for sustainable earth surveillance and earth informatics
AI Can Accelerate Our Response to Climate Change
- Improve Energy Efficiency– According to the Capgemini Research Institute, artificial intelligence should improve power efficiency by 15% in the next three to five years.
- Optimize Clean Energy Development- AI computational models can find sites for dams that can produce the lowest amounts of GHG emissions.
- Avoid Waste- Companies, governments, and leaders frequently deploy AI solutions to avoid waste, reduce energy waste from buildings or understand supply and demand.
- Make Transportation More Efficient- AI is already the technology that powers autonomous vehicles, including shared cars and smart transportation systems in some cities.
- Tools to Help Understand Carbon Footprint- AI can help build tools to help individuals and companies understand their carbon footprint and what actions they can take to reduce it.
- Create New Low-Carbon Materials- If AI could develop new materials with similar properties but with a smaller carbon footprint, it could help slow climate change.
What are the Global Trends for the Development of AI Technology?
- Unfair Start- A few developed economies possess certain material advantages right from the start, they also set the rules.
- They have an advantage in research and development, and possess a skilled workforce as well as wealth to invest in AI.
- West vs the World- North America and East Asia alone account for three-fourths of global private investment in AI, patents and publications.
- Political Advantage- The current state of inequity in AI in terms of governance raises concerns about the technological fluency of policymakers in developing and underdeveloped countries and their representation and empowerment at the international bodies that set rules and standards on AI.
- Benefits for few- The developing and underdeveloped countries have not been much benefitted by the technology as AI’s social and economic benefits are accruing to a few countries only.
India & AI
- In Budget 2022-23, AI was described as a sunrise technology that would “assist sustainable development at scale and modernize the country.”
- Research ecosystem- India has 386 of a total of 22,000 Ph.D. educated researchers worldwide and ranked 10th globally in research. AI research concentrated mostly at institutes, like IITs, IIITs and IISc.
- Present Use of AI- Presently, AI is used in India in sectors such as Smart Mobility and Transportation, Healthcare, Agriculture, Education and Smart Cities & Infrastructure.
- AI adoption across sectors-
- COREs– Centres of Research Excellence in Artificial Intelligence will focus on core research of AI.
- ICTAI– International Centre for Transformational Artificial Intelligence will provide the ecosystem for application-based technology development and deployment.
- AIRAWAT (AI research, analytics and knowledge assimilation platform will be a cloud platform for Big Data Analytics and Assimilation, with a large, power-optimized AI Computing infrastructure using advanced AI processing.
AI in India: Opportunities
AI has the potential to drive growth by enabling:
- Intelligent automation i.e. ability to automate complex physical world tasks that require adaptability and agility across industries,
- Labor and capital augmentation: enabling humans to focus on parts of their role that add the most value, complementing human capabilities and improving capital efficiency
- Innovation diffusion i.e. propelling innovations as it diffuses through the economy
What is the Impact of AI Technology on Climate?
- Carbon Footprint- The climate impact of AI can be majorly attributed to the energy use of training and operating large AI models.
- Emissions- In 2020, digital technologies accounted for between 1.8% and 6.3% of global emissions.
- At this same time, AI development and adoption across sectors skyrocketed and so did the demand for processing power associated with larger and larger AI models.
- Quantification– A main problem to tackle in reducing AI’s climate impact is to quantify its energy consumption and carbon emission, and to make this information transparent.
- UNESCO’s Efforts- The idea of sustainability is rapidly entering mainstream debates on AI ethics and sustainable development.
- Recently, UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, calling on actors to “reduce the environmental impact of AI systems, including but not limited to its carbon footprint.”
Way Forward
- Research: Dedicated studies, more investments in R&D, and better policy interventions are required in this field. AI needs to be developed and deployed so it can meet society’s needs and protect the environment by saving more energy than it expends.
- Technology + Sustainable Development: To make sure AI is used to help, and not hinder society, it’s time to merge the two big debates of the present time – digital technology and sustainable development (in particular, the environment). If we use the former to save the latter, this could be the best possible use made out of the resources available to us.
- Opportunities for the Developing World: Governments of developing countries, including India, should assess their technology-led growth priorities in the context of AI’s climate costs.
- Recommendation of WEF: The AI developers “must incorporate the health of the natural environment as a fundamental dimension.”
Conclusion
Governments of developing countries, India included, should also assess their technology-led growth priorities in the context of AI’s climate costs. It is argued that as developing nations are not plagued by the legacy infrastructure it would be easier for them to “build up better”. These countries don’t have to follow the same AI-led growth paradigm as their Western counterparts.
It may be worth thinking through what “solutions” would truly work for the unique social and economic contexts of the communities in our global village.
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