In the intro, mention the recent clarification by the central government about triggering IBC proceeding against discoms.
In the body, mention how state ownership of the discoms affects their operation due to political considerations such as charging lower tariffs, selectively enforcing against unauthorised use etc. In the next part mention implication of use of IBC against discoms. This will force the state governments to reform the financially stressed discoms or yield to privatisation efforts.
Conclude by mentioning the challenges in the privatisation of discoms through IBC such as consumer mix and geography.
In the body, mention the emergence of Quad and AUKUS and changing attitude of China towards these coalitions. Next, mention the two factors in the US policy towards China, regional pushback against China despite its hard power etc.
The premature nature of claims about the terminal decline of the US, unsustainability of the coalitions can be mentioned in the conclusion.
The Lok Sabha has passed the Assisted Reproductive Technology- ART (Regulation) Bill,, 2020 that proposes the establishment of a national registry and registration authority for all clinics and medical professionals serving in the field.
Key highlights of the Bill:
Definition of ART
The Bill defines ART to include all techniques that seek to obtain a pregnancy by handling the sperm or the oocyte (immature egg cell) outside the human body and transferring the gamete or the embryo into the reproductive system of a woman.
Examples of ART services include gamete (sperm or oocyte) donation, in-vitro-fertilisation (fertilising an egg in the lab), and gestational surrogacy (the child is not biologically related to surrogate mother).
ART services will be provided through: (i) ART clinics, which offer ART related treatments and procedures, and (ii) ART banks, which store and supply gametes.
Regulation of ART clinics and banks
The bill provides that every ART clinic and bank must be registered under the National Registry of Banks and Clinics of India.
It will act as a central database with details of all ART clinics and banks in the country.
State governmentswill appointregistration authorities for facilitating the registration process.
Clinics and banks will be registered only if they adhere to certain standards (specialised manpower, physical infrastructure, and diagnostic facilities).
The registration will be valid for five years and can be renewed for a further five years.
Conditions for gamete donation and supply
Screening of gamete donors, collection and storage of semen, and provision of oocyte donor can only be done by a registered ART bank.
A bank can obtain semen from males between 21 and 55 years of age, and oocytes from females between 23 and 35 years of age.
An oocyte donor should be an ever-married womanhaving at least one alive child of her own (minimum three years of age).
The woman can donate oocyte only once in her life and not more than seven oocytes can be retrieved from her.
A bank cannot supply gamete of a single donor to more than one commissioning couple (couple seeking services).
Conditions for offering ART services:
ART procedures can only be carried out with the written informed consent of both the party seeking ART services as well as the donor.
The party seeking ART services will be required to provide insurance coverage in the favour of the oocyte donor (for any loss, damage, or death of the donor).
The Bill also requires checking for genetic diseases before the embryo implantation.
Rights of a child born through ART
A child born through ART will be deemed to be a biological child of the commissioning couple and will be entitled to the rights and privileges available to a natural child of the commissioning couple.
A donor will not have any parental rights over the child.
National and State Boards:
The Bill provides that the National and State Boards for Surrogacy constituted and will for the regulation of ART services.
Key powers and functions of the National Board include:
Advising the central government on ART related policy matters
Reviewing and monitoring the implementation of the Bill
Formulating code of conduct and standards for ART clinics and banks
Overseeing various bodies to be constituted under the Bill
State Boards will coordinate enforcement of the policies and guidelines for ART as per the recommendations, policies, and regulations of the National Board
Offences and penalties
Offences under the Bill include:
Abandoning, or exploiting children born through ART,
Selling, purchasing, trading, or importing human embryos or gametes,
Using intermediates to obtain donors,
Exploiting commissioning couple, woman, or the gamete donor in any form, and
Transferring the human embryo into a male or an animal
These offences will be punishable with a fine between 5 and 10 lakh rupees for the first contravention.
For subsequent contraventions, these offences will be punishable with imprisonment for a term between eight and 12 years, and a fine between 10 and 20 lakh rupees.
Any clinic or bank advertising or offering sex-selective ART will be punishable with imprisonment between five and ten years, or fine between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, or both.
No court will take cognisance of offences under the Bill, except on a complaint made by the National or State Board or any officer authorised by the Boards.
The Supreme Court orally said that courts cannot wait on the whims and fancies of the Government, but need a proper mechanism for funding the development of judicial infrastructure.
National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation (NJIC)
The idea for such NJIC was first proposed by CJI Ramana in March this year, even before he took office.
It mooted the idea of an “umbrella national organization” that would take care of the need for judicial infrastructure.
Such a corporation would bring the uniformity and standardization required to revolutionize judicial infrastructure, said CJI.
Soon after he was sworn in, the CJI commenced work on the NJIC and a survey of 6,000 trial courts in various states was undertaken as part of this exercise.
CJI recommends the composition of NJIC
The CJI has said that the Judiciary is least interested in retaining control of the council.
The composition can be of the Union Minister for Law and Justice, the Secretary, Finance, etc.
The States can also be represented.
The benefit of having a senior judge or Chief Justice on it would be that they are in the know of things.
Why need NJIC?
No central agency: Presently, there is no agency to ensure use of funds allocated to augment judicial infrastructure
Infrastructure gap: There is a substantial gap in infrastructure and availability of basic amenities in the lower judiciary.
Lack of basic amenities: There is a lack of court halls, residential accommodation, and waiting room for litigants in trial courts, especially in smaller towns and rural areas.
Budgetary lapses: Experience shows that budgetary allocation for state judiciary often lapses since there is no independent body to supervise and execute works.
NJIC is expected to fill this vacuum and overcome problems related to infrastructure.
Significance of NJIC
The modernization of judicial infrastructure did not mean building more courts or filling up vacancies or ploughing through vacancies.
An efficient “judicial infrastructure” means providing equal and free access to justice.
This could be realized through a barrier-free and citizen-friendly environment.
The Dam Safety Bill 2021 was moved in the Rajya Sabha but the debate could not be held because of disruptions from the Opposition parties.
Dam Safety Bill, 2021
The Bill provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams to prevent disasters, and institutional mechanisms to ensure safety.
It applies to over 5,000 dams across the country, many of which are currently in poor conditions.
It has been met with significant opposition, particularly from several states that claim the bill oversteps the Centre’s mandate.
Which dams are covered?
All dams in India with a height above 15 metres come under the purview of the bill.
Dams between 10 to 15 metres of height are also covered but only if they meet certain other specifications in terms of design and structural conditions.
National Committee on Dam Safety
The Bill provides for the constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) which is to be chaired by the Central Water Commissioner (CWC).
The other members of the NCDS will be nominated by the Centre and will include up to 10 representatives of the Centre, 7 state government representatives, and 3 experts on dam safety.
The NCDS is to formulate policies for dam safety and to prevent dam failures.
In the event of a dam failure, the NCDS will analyse why the failure occurred, and suggest changes in dam safety practices to ensure there aren’t any repetitions.
National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA)
The bill provides for the formation of a NDSA which will be responsible for implementing the policies of the NCDS, and will resolve issues between State Dam Safety Organisations (or SDSOs) and dam owners.
The NDSA will also specify regulations for the inspection of dams and will provide accreditation to the various agencies working on the structure of dams and their alteration.
State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs)
The bill will also result in the establishment of SDSOs, and State Committees on Dam Safety (SCDSs).
The jurisdiction of the SDSOs will extend to all dams in that specific state.
Cross jurisdictions
The NDSA will, in some cases, possess this jurisdiction, for example, if a dam owned by one state is situated in another or crosses multiple states, or if a dam is owned by a central public sector undertaking.
SDSOs will be in charge of scrutinizing dams under their jurisdiction and maintaining a database of the same.
The SCDS will review the work of the SDSO, and will also have to assess the impact of dam-related projects on upstream and downstream states.
The bill gives the Central government the power to amend the functions of any of the above bodies through a notification, whenever it is deemed necessary to do so.
How does Bill change the functioning of dams?
If the bill is made into a law, then dam owners will have to provide a dam safety unit in each dam.
The dam safety unit will be required to inspect the dam before and after the monsoon session, and also during and after natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
The bill requires dam owners to prepare emergency action plans. Risk-assessment studies will also have to be undertaken by owners, regularly.
At specified, regular intervals, and in the event of either a modification to the dam’s structure or a natural event that may impact the structure, dam owners will have to produce a comprehensive safety evaluation by experts.
Do you know?
The point of contention are four dams — Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam, Thunakkadavu and Peruvaripallam — located in Kerala but owned, operated and maintained by the Tamil Nadu Government.
Issues with bill
The primary objection to the bill is that is unconstitutional, as water is one of the items on the State List.
Tamil Nadu, which currently possesses four dams situated in Kerala, is opposed to the Bill as it would result in the four dams falling under the NDSA.
This will be doing away with Tamil Nadu’s rights over the maintenance of the dam.
The Bill states that the NCDS will be chaired by the Central Water Commissioner.
However the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that such a scenario is prohibited, as it involves the CWC, an advisor, functioning both as a regulator and the head of the NCDS.
India has joined the G20 ‘Troika’with Indonesia and Italy.
G20 Troika
Troika refers to the top grouping within the G20 that consists of the current, previous and incoming presidencies — Indonesia, Italy and India.
With this move, India has started the procedure for taking over the G20 presidency.
Significance of the move
India will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022 from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in India in 2023.
Indonesia took over the G20 presidency this year.
Do you know?
A Sherpa is the personal representative of a head of state or head of government who prepares an international summit, such as the annual G7 and G20 summits.
About G20 Countries
Formed in 1999, the G20 is an international forum of the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies.
Collectively, the G20 economies account for around 85 percent of the Gross World Product (GWP), 80 percent of world trade.
The members of the G20 consist of 19 individual countries plus the European Union (EU).
The 19 member countries of the forum are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.
The European Union is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central Bank.
India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999.
The European Union has unveiled a project called ”Global Gateway” that is worth 300 billion euros ($340 billion). The project is being seen as a response to China’s Belt and Road strategy.
Global Gateway Project
It is the initiative Build Back Better World and the European Global Gateway that are reinforcing each other.
The bloc will mobilize the financial aid in public and private infrastructure investment around the world.
It is an offshoot of a plan by G7 countries to offer developing countries an alternative to Belt and Road.
The project will probably extend the remit of the European Fund for Strategic Investment, or create a similar institution, which can act as a guarantor for riskier investments in the ‘Global South’.
The EU has indicated it especially wants to compete for infrastructure development projects in Africa.
About Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road is a flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping that was launched in 2013.
Beijing has invested $139.8 billion in the project which is the centerpiece of Chinese foreign policy.
BRI aims to develop land and sea infrastructure to better connect China to Asia, Europe and Africa for trade and development, and it has found many partners around the world.
The World Health Assembly (WHA) took the historic decision to form a global treaty to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”.
Significance of the launch
The launch of putting together this accord is the second such initiative taken under Article 19.
The first initiative was the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which came into effect in 2005.
About FCTC
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the world’s first modern-day global public health treaty.
It is also the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The treaty entered into force in February 2005.
It was signed by 168 of the 192 WHO member states and more than 180 WHO member states have become parties to the convention.
Highlights of the FCTC
The FCTC provides an internationally coordinated response to combating the tobacco epidemic and sets out specific steps for governments addressing tobacco use, including:
Adopting tax and price measures to reduce tobacco consumption
Banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Creating smoke-free work and public spaces
Putting prominent health warnings on tobacco packages
Though, you can prepare for UPSC and give your attempts anytime till 32 years, the optimal time to begin your preparation is during the college days. A graduation degree is for 3 years and almost all toppers have prepared for the same amount of time to get the success they now enjoy.
One of the biggest advantage for a college student is that they can easily switch to study mode as there are no other additional family responsibilities or expectations. Plus, an IAS officer who clears the exam within 23 years is more likely to hold the highest position of cabinet secretary than someone who cleared it in their late twenties. Youthful enthusiasm is the biggest internal motivation that college students possess which can help them in clearing this exhausting exam.
So, now that you have broken the news to your parents about wanting to write the UPSC-CSE exam, you might be now wondering — what is UPSC-CSE? How to prepare for it? Should I attend a coaching institute? What is the syllabus? How many hours to study… the list is endlessand daunting.
However, you would have missed the obvious question— What kind of questions come in the paper and what kind of answers UPSC expects from an aspirant?
Is UPSC CSE really about reading Unlimited Sources?
Some of us will ask advices from all our friends and family on how to prepare for the exam, resulting in confusion in following through the UPSC syllabus. Don’t let these questions play the devil and make you postpone your UPSC preparation by a few more years. Having the right direction and guidance can help you save 2-3 critical attempts in UPSC. Listen to our Civilsdaily student and AIR 132 2020 UPSC topper Lakshay Chaudhary on how he improved his performance after 2 attempts with the guidance of civilsdaily mentors.
Without much ado, register yourself for our free 1-on-1 counselling session at Civilsdaily known as Samanvaya. Your counsellors are trained mentors who have given the Mains exam six times and have attended UPSC interview multiple times. Experienced mentors like Sajal sir and Ajay sir have nearly mentored 500+ students.
What are the other mistakes in UPSC preparation first-time aspirants are likely to make?
About 60% of the UPSC toppers have mostly prepared the wrong way in their first attempt. This could range from books, notes to time and consistency. If you want to start in the right direction, then it’s about time you booked a slot with your Samanvaya mentor.
First time aspirants often make the mistake of reading many sources for a single subject. If there is a new book in the market, they will not hesitate to buy it. UPSC preparation is not about reading multiple books, but one book multiple times. Few others, answer the essay paper in a very academic and technical manner. Most of the first time aspirants skip studying for the language and CSAT paper. In the first few months of preparation all of us read the entire 24 pages of newspaper and waste 3-4 hours time. Some of us are over-confident of clearing the exam with our own preparation or by our institute’s coaching. We might be making notes but we will not be updating them or revising them. First time aspirants struggle to understand what to skip in a book or what to cover. They take atleast 2-3 months to finish books like Laxmikanth and yet don’t have conceptual clarity.
You can go through this video over here to get a basic understanding of the UPSC preparation.
Toppers were once Beginners. And they began with Samanvaya.
We, at Civilsdaily, are extremely proud to announce the incredible success of our students who have made their dreams come true. Today, we celebrate the hard work, commitment, and dedication with which they prepared for this exam, and succeeded! They are the heroes of today and leaders of tomorrow, and we are extremely glad to have been a part of their journey.
We are also happy to announce that 78 Civilsdaily students (and counting) are now rank holders in UPSC. Our success rate has increased by 77% from last year in terms of rank holders. Civilsdaily is proud to say that 20 of our students are in the top 100 ranks. And this is a phenomenal 25% increase in our success rate for the top 100 positions since last year.
And finally, we are extremely proud of our mentors whose tireless efforts helped our students become officers today. Their daily guidance, skilled mentorship, round-the-clock support, and dedication to work with the students day-in and day-out has led to this wonderful occasion where we celebrate the success of our students together!
How is Samanvaya, UPSC Counselling Session Planned?
At Civilsdaily, your assigned mentors interact with you on a daily basis. They are not just teachers, but coaches, philosophers, and guides. And this is how they will help you succeed:
Motivating you for one whole year and pushing you to complete the modules on time.
Helping you restart preparation despite low scores in test series.
Helping you study for 6 hours everyday if you are working.
Guiding you on how to revise the whole syllabus 3 months before prelims and mains.
Providing you topic-wise notes.
Teaching you elimination techniques, tikdams and helpful strategies like 4-2-4 model of preparation.
Keeping you updated on what to study and from where to study.
1.30 minute counselling session:Once you fill the form, our senior mentors get on a 30-40 minute call with you to understand your preparation level, study constraints, your strategy for the last 6 months, and create measurable targets for next week, next month and so on. You will hear back from us within 24 hours. The first counselling session is absolutely free for all, however there are limited slots available. So please register now.
2.Access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat: This is where you can post your daily doubts, discuss your test questions and have real-time, live discussions on news and op-eds, and connect with other aspirants in your optional groups.
3. 1 on 1 mentor allotment: The mentor will be available on scheduled calls with you throughout all the stages of your UPSC preparation and will daily assess, evaluate, and plan the next module according to the available time. We will help you pick the right books, make you practice answers daily, evaluate them and design practical & personalstrategies that you can follow everyday
The situation at Europe’s eastern border with Belarus has been in focus for quite some time now. Thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East have flocked to Belarus to try to enter Europe through neighboring EU member states Poland, Latvia or Lithuania.
The European Commission has accused Belarus of luring migrants to Minsk with the false promise of easy entry to the EU.
Where have the migrants come from?
The main country of origin for migrants detected crossing the bloc’s eastern land borders so far this year is Iraq.
There are smaller numbers from Afghanistan and Syria, as well as other countries.
The vast majority of them arrived in Minsk – the capital of Belarus – by air, and then travelled overland to the borders of EU states including Poland and Lithuania.
What are the accusations against Belarus?
The European Commission has accused Belarus of luring migrants to Minsk with the false promise of easy entry to the EU.
Upon arrival they are being pushed to the borders of neighboring countries.
Poland and Lithuania have for some months accused the authorities in Belarus of orchestrating the arrival of migrants.
What happens to migrants that get across?
The Polish border guard service says there have been 33,000 attempts to cross the border illegally so far this year, with 17,000 in October alone.
They get apprehended for illegally crossing the borders according to authorities there.
International law states that anyone seeking protection must be given access to the asylum process.
A classic example: Coercive Migration Diplomacy
Here, cross-border mobility is being employed as “weapons of mass migration”.
Belarus is inviting migrants and compelling them to enter neighboring countries.
Therefore this entire issue is termed as a geopolitical crisis.
What causes trans-national migration?
Escaping hardship, conflict, and persecution
Seeking a better life
Displacement because of environmental factors
Economic reasons: Employment, remittances
Issues with Migration
Sovereignty threat: Migration of people from one country to another poses a formidable threat to both the territorial as well as demographic jurisdiction of a country.
Demographic threat: The identity of the trans-border migrants in an alien land triggers crucial issues related to national identity, political membership, and citizenship—all being defined within the binary of what is “legal” and what is not.
Security threat: Therefore, cross-border migration makes nation states paranoid—defined as they are by territory—about their security and identity.
Diplomatic threat: The cross-border flow of people creates more serious foreign policy crisis when the host country views the influx of people into its territory as a result of “coercively engineered migration” perpetrated by the sending state.
Economic threat: The presence of migrants exerts great pressure on the economic resources of the host country and creates crisis for local population.
Law and Order threats: Moreover, migrants are often regarded as “destitute”, “impoverished”, and “resource starved”; this makes them vulnerable to suspicions from among the local people.
Protecting Refugees: The 1951 Refugee Convention
The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol are the key legal documents that form the basis of our work.
With 149 State parties to either or both, they define the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of refugees, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them.
The core principle is non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.
This is now considered a rule of customary international law.
UNHCR serves as the ‘guardian’ of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. According to the legislation, States are expected to cooperate with us in ensuring that the rights of refugees are respected and protected.
Way forward
Asylum is a human right. States must show solidarity and compassion for asylum seekers since no human life is illegal. Amnesty International has put forward some solutions for how the world can start tackling this massive humanitarian crisis together.
Safer transition: Opening up safe routes to sanctuary for refugees is one important solution.
Resettlement: This is a vital solution for the most vulnerable refugees – including torture survivors and people with serious medical problems.
Stopping persecution: States can stop persecution by investing in search and rescue operations and immediately helping people in distress.
Expatriation: People fleeing persecution or wars should be allowed to cross borders, with or without travel documents.
Safety: All countries should investigate and prosecute trafficking gangs who exploit refugees and migrants, and put people’s safety above all else.
Doing away with discrimination: Governments also need to stop blaming refugees and migrants for economic and social problems, and instead combat all kinds of xenophobia and racial discrimination.
Conclusion
The internal discontent within Europe needs to be resolved especially the tensions rising on the Polish border and controversial allegations of Russia’s involvement.
It is envisaged that the ongoing crisis surrounding migration is unlikely to get resolved as Europe has an ageing population and it is in need of skilled labor.
This makes it inevitable that there will be a migration of people.
This adds to the permanent feature of globalization and business cannot perform without the mobility of people.
Recent results from National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) suggest that we are entering an era where we will have to tackle these challenges.
A milestone in India’s demographic history: TFR at 2.0
NFHS-5 places the total fertility rate (TFR) at 2.0.
With two parents having two children, we have reached a replacement level of fertility.
Due to many young people, the population will continue to grow, but the replacement level fertility is a significant milestone in India’s demographic history.
This decline is spread evenly across the country, with 29 states and UTs having a TFR of 1.9 or less, with seven below 1.6.
All southern states have a TFR of 1.7-1.8, similar to that of Sweden.
Even states that have not reached replacement fertility — Bihar and Uttar Pradesh — seem to be headed in that direction.
Part of the original coterie of lagging states, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan both have achieved TFRs of 2.0.
Challenge: Supporting the ageing population
Supporting ageing population: As fertility declines, the proportion of the older population grows, and societies face the challenge of supporting an ageing population with a shrinking workforce.
This challenge is greater for leaders at the beginning of the demographic transition — Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Interestingly, these are also among the more prosperous states in India, whose economic activities increasingly rely on migrant labour from other states.
Many industries such as auto parts manufacturing and construction in southern states rely on semi-skilled migrants, often transported under contractual arrangements, from northern and eastern states, particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
Rethinking the critical dimension of Indian federalism
Dependence on migrat workforce: Many industries such as auto parts manufacturing and construction in southern states rely on semi-skilled migrants, often transported under contractual arrangements, from northern and eastern states, particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
Allocation of political power: While the Indian constitution mandates allocation of Lok Sabha seats across states in proportion to their population via the Delimitation Commission, the Emergency-era 42nd amendment froze seat allocation to the population share of states in the 1971 Census.
Equity consideration in central allocation to states: The division of central allocation to states is another area where population concerns have dominated equity considerations.
Much of the Centre-state revenue sharing occurs through recommendations of various Finance Commissions.
The sixth to fourteenth Finance Commissions allocated resources between states using the 1971 population shares of various states.
The Fifteenth Finance commission used Census data from 2011, but it also added the criteria of demographic performance, rewarding states with lower TFR.
Type of demographic policy India needs to pursue
Pursue policy followed by China? Does India want to pursue China’s route of sharply lower fertility, with a large number of families stopping at one child, or are we content with moderately below replacement fertility of about 1.7-1.8?
If the latter, we are well-positioned to head in this direction.
Issues faced by China: while very low fertility provides a temporary demographic dividend with a reduced number of dependents to workers, the increased burden of caring for the elderly may become overwhelming over the long term.
Advantage of Regional demographic variation in India: India is fortunate that its demographic dividend may be smaller, but is likely to last for a more extended period due to regional variation in the onset of the fertility decline.
As southern states struggle with the growing burden of supporting the elderly, northern states will supply the workforce needed for economic growth.
Economic expansion: The increasing pace of migration may help shore up economic expansion in the south with its shrinking workforce augmented by workers from other states.
Consider the question “Examine the influence of regional demographic variation on the fedaralism in India? How such variation can help India?”
Conclusion
The Sixteenth Finance Commission and the next Delimitation Commission must be freed from the burden of managing the demographic transition, focused on carrying out their tasks in the best interests of Indian federalism.
One of the many consequences of China’s assertive posture in Asia has been the emergence of geopolitical coalitions to limit the prospects for Beijing’s regional dominance.
Two new coalitions forcing China rethink
Quad and AUKUS: Two new coalitions that have got a lot of political attention are the Quadrilateral framework involving Australia, India, Japan and the US, and the AUKUS, which brings together Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Until recently, China was quite contemptuous of the new political formations.
It had compared the Quad to “seafoam” that is here now but gone in a second.
China’s dismissive attitude has now yielded place to denunciation.
US’s policy forcing China to rethink
Two big factors are behind China’s rethinking.
Consensus in the US on Challenging China: One was the surprising emergence of American domestic political consensus on challenging China.
Beijing believed that Donald Trump was an exception to the longstanding US policy of deeper economic integration with China and sustained political engagement. But Biden has simply reinforced Trump’s strategy.
US making alliances critical element of China policy: Trump thought that alliances are a burden on US taxpayers.
Biden, in contrast, has made alliances a critical element of his China strategy.
The idea was to create “situations of strength” vis-a-vis China by rebuilding US alliances and developing new coalitions.
In Asia, the Biden administration moved quickly to strengthen the traditional security ties with its allies in northeast Asia — Japan and South Korea.
Elevating the Quad to leaders-level: It also elevated the Quad to the leaders-level within weeks after Biden took charge and had a physical summit in Washington six months later.
AUKUS: It also announced the AUKUS.
Biden travelled to Europe in June this year to revitalise the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Summit with Russia: Biden also decided on an early summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that took place in Geneva at the end of his European tour.
Rebalancing relations: Biden’s team believed that the greatest strength of the US was its wide network of allies and partners.
And that mobilising them was the key to rebalancing relations with China.
How China is making alliances and partnerships?
While China’s economic reach is now global and deep, political and military alliances have not been part of Beijing’s tradition.
Relations with Russia at peak: Beijing’s ties with Moscow have never been as close as they are.
Relations with N. Korea and Pakistan: China also has strong alliance-like relations with North Korea and Pakistan.
But there can be little comparison though between the kind of strengths that American allies bring to the table with those of China’s partners.
Is Asian geopolitical structure turning in China’s favour?
Beijing was betting on the proposition that the Asian geopolitical structure was turning, irretrievably, in China’s favour.
This is based on a number of propositions.
Location of the US: America, located far from Asia, will have trouble overcoming the tyranny of geography in a conflict with China.
The economic and military power of China: China’s hard power — both economic and military — relative to the US is growing rapidly and shifting the local balance of power in its favour.
Location of China: The proximity of China and Asian regional integration have made Beijing the most important economic partner for the whole region.
Beijing believed that few Asian nations would want to spoil their commercial relations with China and align with Washington.
Power imbalance: The vast imbalance in military power between Beijing and its neighbours it presumed would dissuade most Asian states from considering armed confrontations with China
Breaking up coalition: China counted on the fact that it is easier to break up coalitions than build them.
Implications of China’s aggressive policies
Making the US unfriendly prematurely: Chinese policies have driven the US towards an unanticipated internal consensus on containing Beijing.
Making a friendly America into an enemy prematurely could go down as one of Xi Jinping’s egregious strategic errors.
Driving regional countries towards the US: China’s aggressive regional policies are driving many countries like Australia, India, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, towards the US.
Neighbouring countries pursuing stronger national military capacities: While the military balance of power in Asia has certainly turned in China’s favour, it has not cowed down its neighbours.
Many are pursuing stronger national military capabilities to limit some of the threats from China.
Stoked nationalism: China, which never stops to emphasise its own nationalism, appears to have underestimated the depth of similar sentiment in other Asian states.
Today, it is driving many of China’s neighbours into the US camp.
It is America and not China that today talks about the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Asian nations.
Consider the question “One of the many consequences of China’s assertive posture in Asia has been the emergence of geopolitical coalitions to limit Beijing’s regional dominance. Critically analyse.”
Conclusion
It has been quite fashionable in the West as well as in the East, to proclaim that China’s hegemony is inevitable, American decline is terminal, and Asian coalitions are unsustainable. Those conclusions are premature at best. For Xi Jinping has squandered many of China’s natural geopolitical advantages.
Though, you can prepare for UPSC and give your attempts anytime till 32 years, the optimal time to begin your preparation is during the college days. A graduation degree is for 3 years and almost all toppers have prepared for the same amount of time to get the success they now enjoy.
One of the biggest advantage for a college student is that they can easily switch to study mode as there are no other additional family responsibilities or expectations. Plus, an IAS officer who clears the exam within 23 years is more likely to hold the highest position of cabinet secretary than someone who cleared it in their late twenties. Youthful enthusiasm is the biggest internal motivation that college students possess which can help them in clearing this exhausting exam.
So, now that you have broken the news to your parents about wanting to write the UPSC-CSE exam, you might be now wondering — what is UPSC-CSE? How to prepare for it? Should I attend a coaching institute? What is the syllabus? How many hours to study… the list is endlessand daunting.
However, you would have missed the obvious question— What kind of questions come in the paper and what kind of answers UPSC expects from an aspirant?
Is UPSC CSE really about reading Unlimited Sources?
Some of us will ask advices from all our friends and family on how to prepare for the exam, resulting in confusion in following through the UPSC syllabus. Don’t let these questions play the devil and make you postpone your UPSC preparation by a few more years. Having the right direction and guidance can help you save 2-3 critical attempts in UPSC. Listen to our Civilsdaily student and AIR 132 2020 UPSC topper Lakshay Chaudhary on how he improved his performance after 2 attempts with the guidance of civilsdaily mentors.
Without much ado, register yourself for our free 1-on-1 counselling session at Civilsdaily known as Samanvaya. Your counsellors are trained mentors who have given the Mains exam six times and have attended UPSC interview multiple times. Experienced mentors like Sajal sir and Ajay sir have nearly mentored 500+ students.
What are the other mistakes in UPSC preparation first-time aspirants are likely to make?
About 60% of the UPSC toppers have mostly prepared the wrong way in their first attempt. This could range from books, notes to time and consistency. If you want to start in the right direction, then it’s about time you booked a slot with your Samanvaya mentor.
First time aspirants often make the mistake of reading many sources for a single subject. If there is a new book in the market, they will not hesitate to buy it. UPSC preparation is not about reading multiple books, but one book multiple times. Few others, answer the essay paper in a very academic and technical manner. Most of the first time aspirants skip studying for the language and CSAT paper. In the first few months of preparation all of us read the entire 24 pages of newspaper and waste 3-4 hours time. Some of us are over-confident of clearing the exam with our own preparation or by our institute’s coaching. We might be making notes but we will not be updating them or revising them. First time aspirants struggle to understand what to skip in a book or what to cover. They take atleast 2-3 months to finish books like Laxmikanth and yet don’t have conceptual clarity.
You can go through this video over here to get a basic understanding of the UPSC preparation.
Toppers were once Beginners. And they began with Samanvaya.
We, at Civilsdaily, are extremely proud to announce the incredible success of our students who have made their dreams come true. Today, we celebrate the hard work, commitment, and dedication with which they prepared for this exam, and succeeded! They are the heroes of today and leaders of tomorrow, and we are extremely glad to have been a part of their journey.
We are also happy to announce that 78 Civilsdaily students (and counting) are now rank holders in UPSC. Our success rate has increased by 77% from last year in terms of rank holders. Civilsdaily is proud to say that 20 of our students are in the top 100 ranks. And this is a phenomenal 25% increase in our success rate for the top 100 positions since last year.
And finally, we are extremely proud of our mentors whose tireless efforts helped our students become officers today. Their daily guidance, skilled mentorship, round-the-clock support, and dedication to work with the students day-in and day-out has led to this wonderful occasion where we celebrate the success of our students together!
How is Samanvaya, UPSC Counselling Session Planned?
At Civilsdaily, your assigned mentors interact with you on a daily basis. They are not just teachers, but coaches, philosophers, and guides. And this is how they will help you succeed:
Motivating you for one whole year and pushing you to complete the modules on time.
Helping you restart preparation despite low scores in test series.
Helping you study for 6 hours everyday if you are working.
Guiding you on how to revise the whole syllabus 3 months before prelims and mains.
Providing you topic-wise notes.
Teaching you elimination techniques, tikdams and helpful strategies like 4-2-4 model of preparation.
Keeping you updated on what to study and from where to study.
1.30 minute counselling session:Once you fill the form, our senior mentors get on a 30-40 minute call with you to understand your preparation level, study constraints, your strategy for the last 6 months, and create measurable targets for next week, next month and so on. You will hear back from us within 24 hours. The first counselling session is absolutely free for all, however there are limited slots available. So please register now.
2.Access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat: This is where you can post your daily doubts, discuss your test questions and have real-time, live discussions on news and op-eds, and connect with other aspirants in your optional groups.
3. 1 on 1 mentor allotment: The mentor will be available on scheduled calls with you throughout all the stages of your UPSC preparation and will daily assess, evaluate, and plan the next module according to the available time. We will help you pick the right books, make you practice answers daily, evaluate them and design practical & personalstrategies that you can follow everyday
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.
You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.
If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis
If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.
We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.
*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*.
In the intro, mention the recent announcement of the government about the repeal of the farm laws.
In the body, mention issues such by-passing of the select committee in the passing of most of the law, lack of deliberation, lack of coordination among the opposition, disregard for public opinion etc. In the suggestions, mention coordination among the opposition, a probe by ruling party MPs, strengthening the role of civil society.
Conclude by mentioning the need to play the part by all the stakeholders.
