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  • [Burning Issue] Joshimath Land Subsistence Crisis

    Context

    • Considered as holy, the town of Joshimath in the Chamoli district, located at an altitude of 6,150 feet, is sinking rapidly due to human-induced causes.
    • In this context, this edition of the burning issue will elaborate on the Joshimath crisis.

    About Joshimath

    • A tourist spot: At a height of 6,107 feet, Joshimath is a busy town in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Despite a population of only about 23,000, it has been heavily built on, with hotels, resorts, and a bustling market that caters mainly to tourists, pilgrims, trekkers and personnel of the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
    • Linked to Adi Shankaracharya: Joshimath was established by Adi Shankaracharya in North India. The math has temples of Badrinarayan and Rajrajeshwari Devi. It has a sacred cave where Adi Shankaracharya supposedly undertook tapasya.
    • Strategic significance: After the 1962 India-China war, Joshimath emerged as a place of strategic importance as it leads to villages along the India-China border. It is also en route to Barahoti, a disputed territory along the border.
    • Pilgrimage site: The town is also a gateway to noted sites of pilgrimage — Badrinath for Hindus and Hemkund Sahib for Sikhs; the international skiing site of Auli; and the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    What is happening in Joshimath?

    joshi
    • Cracks first appeared in a few houses in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town in October 2021. Over a year later, by January 11, 2023, 723 houses in all of the nine wards in the town had developed major or minor cracks on the floors, ceilings and walls. In response, 145 families have been temporarily moved to safer locations within the town.
    • Subsequently, cracks continued to appear around town and residents resorted to repairs. The situation became particularly alarming towards the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 when large parts of the town experienced sudden land sinking and several houses developed major cracks.

    What is land subsidence?

    • Land subsidence is when the ground sinks or settles. It can happen because people are taking too much water or minerals from the ground, which causes the ground to sink.
    • It can also be caused by natural processes, like soil compaction or the movement of the earth’s crust. Land subsidence can cause problems like damage to buildings and roads, and can make it more likely for flooding to occur.

    Reason for land subsidence in Joshimath

    • Situated on Joshimath an old landslide: Joshimath is built on the deposits of an old landslide, which means that the slopes can be destabilized even by slight triggers.
    • Lies in seismic zone V: The town is also in Zone V, which, as per India’s seismic zonation scheme, denotes the highest risk. It lies between two thrusts, the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and the Vaikrita Thrust (VT), and thus occupies a seismically active terrain.
    • Construction of subsurface structures: The Government proposes to build 66 tunnels in the Uttarakhand Himalaya and 18 tunnels are already in operation. Building these subsurface structures could result in gross damage to the environment, including the concentration of pollutants from traffic exhaust compounded by a microenvironment with no sunlight and limited dispersion in such long-distance tunnels. 
    • Large-scale construction projects in the vicinity: The construction of highways and railway tracks has now become a prime cause for landslides and their occurrences have doubled over the years. The increased anthropogenic activities such as road construction have made the hill slopes extremely unstable. That is why the recurring landslides have gone up in numbers in the Himalayas.
    • Descending groundwater levels: Irreversible impact on groundwater like descending water levels have been observed in the areas of tunnel construction. Erratic rainfall and ecological degradation associated with land use change for infrastructural development are already impacting mountain aquifer systems. Groundwater use in the Himalayan States differs from that in the plains, as large and contiguous aquifers do not exist in the hills.
    • NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydro project: It has been recorded that the NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydro project tunnel which passes just below Joshimath, could be a contributing factor to this phenomenon. During the construction of the tunnel, a boring machine perforated a water-bearing stratum on the left bank of the Alaknanda river near Shelong village, leading to a discharge of 60-70 million litres per day. This must have led to the gradual depletion of pore pressure within the sediment leading to aquifer compaction and settling of the ground.
    • Unsustainable tourism: The Himalayan terrain demands sustainable tourism, not mass tourism. The daily average footfall last year along the Char Dham route was reported to be around 58,000. There is the unregulated rise in tourism that has led to a construction boom in unsafe zones such as river valleys, floodplains and slopes vulnerable to landslides.
    • Lack of drainage and wastewater disposal systems: The 2022 USDMA report also pointed to a lack of drainage and wastewater disposal systems as being part of the subsidence problem. According to Mr. Sati, about 85% of buildings in the town — including those owned by the Army — aren’t connected to a sewerage system and have soak pits instead.

    About the Mishra Committee report on Joshimath

    • Land subsidence was noticed in the area decades ago. The then Uttar Pradesh government (Uttarakhand was then a part of Uttar Pradesh) formed a committee led by M.C. Mishra to study its causes.
    • The committee’s report of 1976 warned against heavy and unscientific construction in the town, further reporting that Joshimath is a deposit of sand and stone and hence was not a suitable place for the coming up of a township. Vibrations produced by blasting and heavy traffic will also lead to disequilibrium in natural factors.
    • However, Joshimath continued to develop exactly the way the Mishra committee had advised against.

    Other major Disasters in the Himalayas

    • Chamoli disaster due to avalanche in June 2021: Large mass of snow, ice and rock avalanche along with a hanging mass of rock crashed into the Raunthi Garh valley floor thus killing 78 people.
    • Kedarnath floods, 2013: In the early hours of June 17, 2013 a flash flood came down upon the overflowing banks of the Chorabari lake in Uttarakhand. Carrying huge amounts of silt and rocks, it destroyed lives, houses and everything else that came it’s way. According to figures provided by the Government of Uttarakhand, more than 5,700 people were “presumed dead.” This total included 934 residents. The death toll was later placed at 6,054. Most of the dead were pilgrims.

    Why frequent Landslides in the Himalayas?

    • Heavy snowfall in winter and melting in summer. This induces debris flow, which is carried in large quantities by numerous streams and rivers.
    • Himalayas are made of sedimentary rocks which can easily be eroded. These aides landslides.
    • Drifting of the Indian plate causes frequent earthquakes and resultant instability in the region.
    • Man-made activities like grazing, construction and cultivation abet soil erosion and risks of landslides.
    • The Himalayas have not yet reached their isostatic equilibrium which destabilizes the slopes. It leads to landslides.
    • Diurnal temperature changes are much more in northern India than in southern slopes. This weakens the rocks and aids mass wasting.

    The larger picture in the crisis: Development vs Environment debate

    • Traditionally, economic growth and development are seen as the primary goal of governments across the globe, devoted to the idyllic objective of upgrading their citizens’ living standards. However, economic growth cannot be discussed in a fair view without considering the environmental contribution to such aspirations.
    • The interlinkages between the environment and economy are manifold; the environment lends its natural resources as inputs for the production of goods and services, and also acts as a sink of waste and emissions generated through such economic activities.
    • Even with the increased environmental awareness in developing nations, the notion of promoting economic development at the cost of the environment is a well-accepted phenomenon. Most individuals, firms, and governments of developing countries have already surrendered to environmental degradation as a consequence of pursuing profits/income.
    • In Joshimath’s case too, environmentalists are pointing towards the environmental damage that is being done in the name of development under the Char dham project, over-tourism and the multiple hydropower projects that are under construction in the Himalayan region or are in pipeline.

    What is needed? The Way forward

    • Finding an alternative source of energy generation: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) report on the Chamoli disaster in April 2022 clearly states that “in the long term, it will be necessary to focus on finding alternative sources of energy, as the area appears to be environmentally sensitive”.
    • Sustainable and regional development strategy: A development strategy for the Himalayas should not come at the cost of the environment. It should be primarily based on the region’s natural resources such as forest, water, biodiversity and ecotourism.
    • Better construct small hydel projects: Rather than building massive dams, the focus should be on small projects that would help provide a local energy supply.
    • Making Use of traditional knowledge: An appropriate strategy for human well-being should use traditional knowledge, agricultural practices, construction practices and local cultural aspects.
    • Ensuring the safety of people: This should be an immediate priority. The state government should establish a clear and continuous communication channel with the affected people.
    • Continuous seismic monitoring: of the region must be done using satellite technology and ground-level scientific studies.
    • A risk-sensitive urban development plan: for Joshimath should also be developed in addition to a relief, rehabilitation and compensation policy.

    What 1976 Mishra Committee Report had suggested-

    • Imposition of restrictions on heavy construction: Construction should only be allowed after examining the load-bearing capacity of the soil and the stability of the site, and restrictions should also be imposed on the excavation of slopes.
    • Keeping the boulders: In the landslide areas, stones and boulders should not be removed from the bottom of the hill as it would remove toe support, increasing the possibility of landslides.
    • Sealing of cracks: Cracks that have developed on the slopes should be sealed. The toe of a landslide is its bottom-most point.
    • Conserving of trees: It has also advised against cutting trees in the landslide zone and said that extensive plantation work should be undertaken in the area, particularly between Marwari and Joshimath, to conserve soil and water resources.
    • Agriculture on the slopes must be avoided: Activities like plowing loosens the soil thereby triggering the scope for landslides.
    • Preventing water seepage: To prevent any more landslides in the future, the seepage of open rainwater must be stopped by the construction of a pucca drainage system.
    • Cobbled roads: Roads should be metalled and without scuppers, that drain away the water from the road surface.
    • River training: The construction of structures to guide the river’s flow should be carried out. Hanging boulders on the foothills should be provided with appropriate support.

    Conclusion

    • The Joshimath episode is a warning that the Himalayan environment is at a tipping point and it may not be able to withstand another push generated by intrusive anthropogenic activities in the form of massive construction projects of townships, highways, tunnels, railway tracks and dams — an ecosystem already grappling with the consequences of global warming. And, in this process, the devotees must be at the forefront to save the “Abode of the Gods”.

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  • Rise in government CAPEX pushes investments up by 53%

    capex

    A sharp 61.2% sequential rise in capital expenditure (capex) by the Central and State governments lifted fresh investment plans announced in the third quarter (Q3) of 2022-23 to ₹7.1 lakh crore, even though private sector investments dropped 41% from ₹6.31 lakh crore in Q2 to ₹3.71 lakh crore.

    What is Capital Expenditure (CAPEX)?

    • Capital expenditure refers to investments in upgrading existing or building new physical assets by the government or private businesses.
    • As businesses expand, capex has a multiplier effect on the economy, creating demand and unleashing animal spirits.

    Types of CAPEX

    Many different types of assets can attribute long-term value to a company. Therefore, there are generalized types of purchases that may be considered CAPEX.

    • Buildings may be used for office space, manufacturing of goods, storage of inventory, or other purposes.
    • Land may be used for further development. Accounting treatment may different for land specifically held as a speculative long-term investment.
    • Equipment and machinery may be used to manufacture goods and convert raw materials into final products for sale.
    • Computers or servers may be used to support the operational aspects of a company including the logistics, reporting, and communication of operations. Software may also be treated as CapEx in certain circumstances.
    • Vehicles may be used to transport goods, pick up clients, or used by staff for business purposes.
    • Patents may hold long-term value should the right to own an idea come to fruition through product development.

    Why need CAPEX?

    • Asset creation: Capex is generally made to acquire fixed assets with a useful life of more than one accounting period.
    • Infra upgrade: It may sometimes add value to an asset by incurring upgrading and maintenance expenditures, thereby increasing the shell life of an investment.
    • Business sustainability: CAPEX increases the profit earning capacity of the business in the long term.

    India’s Capital spending

    capex

    • India’s budgets have seen an increase in allocations for the infrastructure segment, essentially roads and railways.
    • In the last Budget, FM announced a big jump in the government’s planned capex.
    • In 2022-23, the government will have a capex spend of ₹7.5 lakh crore (even more if we add grants-in-aid for capital assets including MGNREGA) — a spike of 27% over the estimates for the previous year (2021-22).
    • Also, the government has ambitious plans to exponentially ramp up spending on expressways, logistics parks, metro systems and housing — much of this work will be sourced out to private contractors.

    Challenges of Capital Expenditure

    The following are the challenges faced due to CAPEX –

    • Substantial funds: Normally, huge funds are required for processing a capital expenditure, and the availability of funds may be an issue. Therefore, organizations must wisely make capex decisions.
    • Long term burden on exchequer: The amount of Capex is charged as an expense in more than one accounting period.
    • Irreversible: Once a CAPEX is incurred, the decision cannot be changed easily. Reversing the capex decision may prove to be significantly costlier for any entity.
    • Uncertainty: It becomes difficult to foresight expenses that may occur in the future. CAPEX involves huge costs and results that may be extended to the future. Hence, characterizing the exact decision regarding CAPEX is uncertain, which affects future expenses.
    • Measurement Issue: The cost and benefits of CAPEX are challenging to identify and measure
    • Temporal Spread: Decisions made regarding CAPEX are consistent over a long time, and investments it includes are called long-term investments. These long-term investments create problems in getting the exact discount rates and maintaining their equivalence in the coming period.

    Why India focuses on CAPEX?

    • Demand push: A thrust on capex eases supply-chain bottlenecks and revives demand.
    • Job creation: So, while capex adds to the productive capacities of the economy, boosting long-term growth, it also spurs job creation and consumption.

    Way forward

    • Timely implementation: Emphasis must also be provided on timely implementation of projects within the earmarked outlay by strengthening monitoring, redressal mechanisms and processes for controlling project delays.
    • Project management: The solution lies in optimising project management processes of all the key stakeholders, including implementation agencies, state governments, vendors and others.
    • Ensuring quality control: This would also help in ensuring quality control, which, in turn, will result in capital assets providing benefits over a longer term following the multiplier effect.
    • Revenue saving: The government should also aim to cut down on inefficient revenue expenditure and focus on creating a balanced and stable virtuous cycle, which can have positive knock-on effects over the long term.

     

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  • Hate speech a menace, buck stops at Centre: SC

    hate speech

    The Supreme Court has said the “buck ultimately stops with the government” to clamp down on hate speech and hate crimes, as they are offenses committed on society.

    What is ‘Hate Speech’?

    • There is no specific legal definition of ‘hate speech’.
    • The Law Commission of India, in its 267th Report, says: “Hate speech generally is an incitement to hatred primarily against a group of persons defined in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief and the like …
    • Thus, hate speech is any word written or spoken, signs, visible representations within the hearing or sight of a person with the intention to cause fear or alarm, or incitement to violence.”
    • In general, hate speech is considered a limitation on free speech that seeks to prevent or bar speech that exposes a person or a group or section of society to hate, violence, ridicule or indignity.

    Attributes of Hate Speech

    Hate Speech has three important attributes:

    1. Hate speech can be conveyed through any form of expression, including images, cartoons, memes, objects, gestures and symbols and it can be disseminated offline or online.
    2. Hate speech is “discriminatory” (biased, bigoted or intolerant) or “pejorative” (prejudiced, contemptuous or demeaning) of an individual or group.
    3. Hate speech calls out real or perceived “identity factors” of an individual or a group, including: “religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender,” but also characteristics such as language, economic or social origin, disability, health status, or sexual orientation, among many others.

    How is it treated in Indian law?

    • Provisions in law criminalize speeches, writings, actions, signs and representations that foment violence and spread disharmony between communities and groups and these are understood to refer to ‘hate speech’.
    • Sections 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code are generally taken to be the main penal provisions that deal with inflammatory speeches and expressions that seek to punish ‘hate speech’.

    [I] Section 153A:

    • Promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony’, is an offence punishable with three years’ imprisonment.

    [II] Section 505:

    • 505(1): Statements conducing to public mischief– The statement, publication, report or rumour that is penalized under Section 505(1) should be one that promotes mutiny by the armed forces, or causes such fear or alarm that people are induced to commit an offence against the state or public tranquillity. This attracts a jail term of up to three years.
    • 505(2): It is an offence to make statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.
    • 505(3): Same offence will attract up to a five-year jail term if it takes place in a place of worship, or in any assembly engaged in religious worship or religious ceremonies.

    Some Supreme Court Judgements

    1.Rangila Rasool case

    • Rangila Rasool was a tract brought out by a Hindu publisher — that had made disparaging remarks about the Prophet’s private life.
    • Cases against the first pamphlet, filed under Section 153A, were dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which examined the question whether targeting religious figures is different from targeting religions.
    • This debate in interpretation prompted the colonial government to enact Section 295A with a wider scope to address these issues.

    2. Ramji Lal Modi v State of Uttar Pradesh

    • The constitutionality of Section 295A was challenged.
    • The Supreme Court upheld the law on the grounds that it was brought in to preserve “public order”.
    • Public order is an exemption to the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression and the right to religion recognised by the Constitution.

    3. Ramlal Puri v State of Madhya Pradesh

    • In 1973, the Supreme Court said the test to be applied is whether the speech in question offends the “ordinary man of common sense” and not the “hypersensitive man”.
    • However, these determinations are made by the court and the distinction can often be vague and vary from one judge to the other.

    4.Baragur Ramachandrappa v State of Karnataka:

    • A 2007 decision of the Supreme Court, “a pragmatic approach” was invoked in interpreting Section 295A.
    • The state government had issued a notification banning Dharmakaarana, a Kannada novel on the ground that it was hate speech, invoking a gamut of provisions including Section 295A.

    Why curb hate speeches?

    • Creates social divide: Individuals believe in stereotypes that are ingrained in their minds and these stereotypes lead them to believe that a class or group of persons are inferior to them and as such cannot have the same rights as them.
    • Threat to peaceful co-existence: The stubbornness to stick to a particular ideology without caring for the right to co-exist peacefully adds further fuel to the fire of hate speech.

    Issues in regulating hate speech

    • Powers to State: Almost every regulation of speech, no matter how well-intentioned, increases the power of the state.
    • Hate speeches are Political: The issue is fundamentally political and we should not pretend that fine legal distinctions will solve the issue.
    • Legal complications: An over-reliance on legal instruments to solve fundamental social and political problems often backfires.
    • Misuse of Laws: Lower conviction rates for these provisions indicate that the process where a police officer can arrest without a warrant is often the punishment.
    • Violation of free speech: Critics have pointed out that these laws are intended for the state to step in and restore “public order” rather than protect free speech.
    • Vague terms in the law: The broad, vague terms in the laws are often invoked in its misuse.
    • Old-aged Laws: Section 295A lie in the communally charged atmosphere of North India in the 1920s.

    Suggestions made by Law Commission

    In its 267th report, the Law Commission of India proposed including the following two provisions:

    • Section 153C covers crimes committed when someone threatens someone with remarks meant to incite fear, hatred, or violence based on someone’s race, caste, religion, sex, gender identity, or other characteristics.
    • Section 505A should be included and have provisions that make inciting fear, alarm, or violence a crime.

    Suggestions for Changes in IPC:

    Viswanathan Committee 2019:

    • It proposed inserting Sections 153 C (b) and Section 505 A in the IPC for incitement to commit an offence on grounds of religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability or tribe.
    • It proposed punishment of up to two years along with Rs. 5,000 fine.

    Bezbaruah Committee 2014:

    • It proposed amendment to Section 153 C IPC (promoting or attempting to promote acts prejudicial to human dignity), punishable by five years and fine or both and Section 509 A IPC (word, gesture or act intended to insult member of a particular race), punishable by three years or fine or both.

    Way forward

    • Subjects like hate speeches become a complex issue to deal with, in a country like India which is very diverse, as it was very difficult to differentiate between free and hate speech.
    • There are many factors that should be considered while restraining speeches like strong opinions, offensive comments towards certain communities, the effect on values like dignity, liberty and equality.
    • We all have to work together and communicate efficiently for our country to be a healthy place to live in.

     

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  • All Sikkimese women must be allowed to get IT relief: SC

    The Supreme Court in a judgment, held that exclusion of Sikkimese women who marry non-Sikkimese men after April 1, 2008 from exemptions under the Income Tax Act is unconstitutional and amounts to gender discrimination.

    What is the news?

    • The top court’s verdict came on appeal filed by the Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim and others seeking striking down of Section 10(26AAA) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
    • More particularly, the definition of “Sikkimese” in Section 10 (26AAA) to the extent it excludes Indians who have settled in Sikkim prior to the merger of Sikkim with India on April 26, 1975.

    The story of Sikkim

    • Sikkim witnessed 333 years monarchical rule of Namgyal dynasty under whose reign there many invasions, foreign interference, accession and annexation.
    • On 28th March, 1861 Sikkim became a formal protectorate of the British Government and on 16th May, 1975 it became the 22nd state of the Indian Union.
    • In erstwhile Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim, no legal rights were conferred to Sikkimese women.
    • However, after Sikkim’s merger with India such Regulations relating to Sikkim citizenship have become futile and non-operational.

    How women rights in Sikkim are different from that of mainstream India?

    The status of rights conferred to Sikkimese women is different from that of women in India. Certain conditionality were imposed upon their property or inheritance right such as the following:

    1. Immovable property inherited, gifted or purchased by women married to non-locals cannot be transferred and registered in their names.
    2. Immovable property of a Sikkimese woman cannot be transferred or registered to her legal heirs if her husband is non-Sikkimese.
    3. Mandatory requirement for Sikkimese women to submit an “unmarried certificate in all government procedures”.
    4. Identity of women is to be based on the identity of not one, but two men. A Sikkimese woman will be considered Sikkimese only if both, her father and husband are also Sikkimese

    Issues with such regulations

    • Unconstitutional: The discrimination is based on gender, which is wholly violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.
    • Gendered bias: It is to be noted that there is no disqualification for a Sikkim man, who marries a non-Sikkimese after April 1, 2008.
    • Associating identity to marriage: A woman is not a chattel and has an identity of her own, and the mere factum of being married ought not to take away that identity,” Justice Shah wrote.
    • No legal basis: Sikkim has become a part of India and all Sikkim Subjects and all Sikkimese domiciled in the territory of Sikkim have become Indian citizens.

    Note: Article 14 relates to equality before law, while Article 15 forbids discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, and Article 21 provides for right to life and personal liberty.

    Way ahead

    • Legal reforms: The centre shall make an amendment to Explanation to Section 10 (26AAA) of IT Act, 1961, so as to suitably include a clause to extend the exemption from payment of income tax to all Indian citizens domiciled in Sikkim on or before April 26, 1975.
    • Ensure parity: The reason for such a direction is to save the explanation from unconstitutionality and to ensure parity in the facts and circumstances of the case.

     

     

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  • PM flags off world’s longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas

    ganga vilas

    Prime Minister has flagged off the world’s longest river cruise – MV Ganga Vilas – and inaugurated the tent city at Varanasi.

    About Ganga Vilas

    • MV Ganga Vilas is the first indigenously made cruise vessel to be made in India.
    • The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the coordinator of this ship tourism project.
    • The cruise has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the modern amenities.
    • It will cover a distance of 3,200 km in roughly 51 days reaching Assam’s Dibrugarh through Bangladesh.

    Destinations covered

    • Set to sail from Varanasi, the cruise ship, MV Ganga Vilas, will cover 3,200 km over 51 days, crossing 27 river systems and several states before ending its journey at Dibrugarh.
    • The voyage is packed with visits to 50 tourist spots, including World Heritage spots, national parks, river ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
    • It will make pit-stops to cover the famous Ganga Arti in Varanasi, the Buddhist site of Sarnath; and even Majuli, the largest river island in Assam.

     

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  • Digital Agriculture

    digital

    Context

    • The world’s population will grow to 10 billion by 2050; agricultural land has halved in the last 50 years; 20-40% of crop yield is lost to pests and disease and another 10-25% is lost post-harvest. Take into account geo-political factors like the Ukraine war in account, and food security is a big problem facing mankind. In all this, digital technologies may be the answer to ills in agriculture; vitally, they can help achieve sustainability if we overcome challenges.

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    Agriculture’s digital drive

    • Use of modern technology: Farming is witnessing the use of modern technology for higher productivity and profitability. Today, farmers use digital tools for farm management, financial services, market services, information and much else.
    • Smart agriculture use of AI and IOT: ‘Smart agriculture’ uses software for remote sensing, apart from big data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). IoT in agriculture comprises sensors, drones and computer imaging integrated with analytical tools to generate actionable insights.
    • Use of data and ML: Predictive analytics allows quick decision-making based on information drawn from data mining, data modelling and machine learning (ML).
    • Digital adoption of Supply chain: Digital adoption can add value across the entire farm-to-fork (F2F) supply chain, covering the journey from planting to harvesting (of fruits, vegetables, grains, etc) till it arrives on one’s plate. This journey’s stakeholders include farm suppliers, farmers, food processors, traders, retailers and finally end consumers.
    • Precision farming: Precision farming helps raise crop yields while minimizing the use of resources. It measures and analyses the needs of different fields and crops to aid waste management, reduce production costs, make optimal use of water and minimize environmental impacts.

    digital

    The challenges of digital adoption in the Farm to Fork (F2F) supply chain

    • Risks concentrated on farmer: For example, all risk is concentrated on the farmer, who is encumbered by the vagaries of weather, selection of profitable products, poor access to crop insurance, etc. We need to provide more value to the farmer in compensation for that burden.
    • Trust deficit in the overall functioning of the F2F model: Over time, decision-making in food production, crop marketing, transport, etc, has got heavily concentrated in the hands of large agricultural entities or producers. While production has risen, the democratization of decision-making has suffered.
    • Digital inequalities: The sector’s digital transformation is characterized by digital inequalities between large and small farmers, or between high- and low-income countries.
    • Challenges in the supplier ecosystem: A fertilizer or agriculture equipment manufacturer may want to help farmers but is handicapped in creating the right ecosystem to provide a holistic solution.
    • Capital expenditure a major challenge: Subsistence farmers cannot afford capital expenditure, and other farmers have financial constraints too. This is a major challenge at the farm level.

    digital

    What binds these supply chain components together?

    • Sustainability: which refers to practices that ensure long-term increased farm production and higher income while protecting the environment. Farmers apply inputs to only those parts of the field that need it, improving product quality, reducing input cost, increasing productivity and ensuring environmental sustainability.
    • Evolving digital ecosystem: India’s evolving digital ecosystem and high-speed internet are making it possible for agritech startups to utilize AI/ML models.
    • Precision techniques: Companies using precision techniques are helping farmers increase yields substantially.
    • No middlemen: Due to a rise in online agritech platforms, farmers can now sell their products directly without any middlemen involved and thereby increase their incomes. This also helps create trust and transparency between farmers and consumers.
    • Digital access to the market: In India, rising internet use and smartphone penetration has changed the face of agriculture in significant ways already, especially how small and medium farmers operate. It is helping with direct access to markets, thus allowing farmers to retain a higher proportion of the value created.

    Current status of Indian agriculture

    • While there is large scope for using digital technologies for agriculture in India, various problems must be overcome.
    • As of now, the use of farming technology among India’s farmers is low.
    • Productivity is also low, given small landholdings and significant overcrowding, which also contributes to our low level of mechanization.
    • The absence of agricultural marketing makes farmers depend on local traders and middlemen to sell their farm produce, which is sold at very low prices.

    Digital

    Government Initiatives towards Digital Agriculture:

    • AgriStack: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has planned to create ‘AgriStack’ – a collection of technology-based interventions in agriculture. It will create a unified platform for farmers to provide them end-to-end services across the agriculture food value chain.
    • Digital Agriculture Mission: This has been initiated for 2021 -2025 by the government for projects based on new technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, remote sensing and GIS technology, use of drones and robots, etc.
    • Unified Farmer Service Platform (UFSP): UFSP is a combination of Core Infrastructure, Data, Applications, and Tools that enable seamless interoperability of various public and private IT systems in the agriculture ecosystem across the country. UFSP is envisaged to play the following role:
      • Act as a central agency in the Agri ecosystem (like UPI in the e Payments)
      • Enables Registration of the Service Providers (public and private) and the Farmer Services.
      • Enforces various rules and validations required during the service delivery process.
      • Acts as a Repository of all the applicable standards, API’s (Application Programming Interface) and formats.
      • Act as a medium of data exchange amongst various schemes and services to enable comprehensive delivery of services to the farmer.
    • National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A): A Centrally Sponsored Scheme, it was initially launched in 2010-11 in 7 pilot States, which aims to achieve rapid development in India through the use of ICT for timely access to agriculture-related information to the farmers.
      • In 2014-15, the scheme was further extended for all the remaining States and 2 UTs.
    • Other Digital Initiatives: Kisan Call Centres, Kisan Suvidha App, Agri Market App, Soil Health Card (SHC) Portal, etc.

    Way forward

    • The digital revolution is touching every sphere of life and hence it is high time to bring agriculture in its ambit.
    • The MoUs to rope in the private sector can help in
      • quicker modernisation of Farms,
      • easier access to various schemes and
      • subject matter knowledge.
    • Such practices must be studied in depth via pilot projects and extended to whole India if found successful.
    Other Schemes for Farmers

    National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA):

    • It was initially launched in seven selected States in the last quarter of 2010-11.
      • This Scheme has subsequently been extended to the 2nd Phase to cover all the States and 2 UTs from 2014-15.
    • Aim:
      • To achieve rapid development in India through use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT).
      • It will provide timely access to agriculture related information for the farmers.
    • The possible components for modern management of agriculture are
      • Remote Sensing
      • Geographical Information System
      • Data Analytics
      • Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning and
      • Internet of Things.
    • Under this initiative, one Stop Window-Farmers Portal (www.farmer.gov.in) has been developed for dissemination of information like.
      • seeds variety,
      • Storage Godown,
      • Pests and plant diseases,
      • Best Agricultural Practices,
      • Watershed,
      • Mandi details etc.
    • SMS/mKisan Portal (www.mkisan.gov.in) has also been developed.
      • It will send advisories on various crop related matters to the registered farmers through SMSs.
      • In mkisan. more than 5 crores farmers are registered for receiving crop advisories through SMS.
    • Various mobile applications including KisanSuvidha have also been developed.
      • They facilitate dissemination of information to farmers on the critical parameters viz.,
        • Weather, Market Prices,
        • Plant Protection,
        • Agro-advisory,
        • Extreme Weather Alerts,
        • Input Dealers ( of Seed, Pesticide, Fertilizer, Farm Machinery),
        • Soil Health Card,
        • Cold Storage & Godowns,
        • Veterinary Centre & Diagnostic labs,
        • Crop Insurance Premium Calculator
      • This app launched in 2016, has more than 13 lakh downloads.

    Strengthening/Promoting Agricultural Information System (AGRISNET):

    • It is the scheme for strengthening the IT infrastructure of the Department and its offices.
    • Fund allocated under the scheme is also utilized for making payment to the vendor for sending SMS through mkisan portal.

    Source: PIB

    What’s New

    Important Links

    Conclusion

    • Digital technology in agriculture is designed to support innovation and sustainable farm practices. To ensure its success, all changes must be holistic in their benefits.

    Mains question

    Q. Digital technologies are highly changing the face of agriculture and thereby farm to fork (F2F) supply chain. Discuss and also highlight the challenges in F2F supply chain.

     

  • India-Egypt Relations

    ties

    Context

    • The decision to invite President Abdel Fattah al Sisi of Egypt as the Chief Guest on Republic Day is an important gesture and should go a long way in imparting fresh momentum to India’s ties with the largest country in the Arab world.

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    What makes Egypt a pivotal player?

    • With a population of almost 110 million, a location that straddles Africa and Asia, a standing army that is the largest in the region, a capital that hosts the League of Arab States and a diplomatic presence that punches above its weight in global affairs, Egypt is a pivotal player.

    ties

    Why Egypt matter to India?

    • Close relationship immediately after Independence: It is a country with which India enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship in the first couple of decades after our independence.
    • Shipping route: The Sumed pipeline runs from Ain Sukhna on the Red Sea coast to Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt. It is an important sea route.
    • Shared vision of NAM: The personal equation between PM Nehru and President Nasser was legendary and the two also became the stalwarts of the non-aligned movement during the Cold War of the 1960s.
    • Joint fighter project: At the political level, the two countries were close enough for India to send clandestine arms shipments to Egypt during the Suez crisis in 1956 and contemplate nuclear cooperation and a joint fighter project in the 1960s.
    • Indian literature in Egypt: It was a time when Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore were household names and their works were translated into Arabic by leading figures of Arab literature.

    A drift for almost 30 years

    • The two countries drifted apart Particularly during President Hosni Mubarak’s long innings from 1981 to 2011.
    • According to diplomatic folklore, an apparently minor protocol gaffe over seating arrangements during the New Delhi NAM summit in 1983 was seen as a personal affront and it took all of 25 years before Mubarak could be persuaded to return to India in November 2008.

    ties

    Growing ties and willingness to work together 

    • Egypt showed its intent to work together: President Sisi came into power in 2014 and Egypt again showed its intent, first through his participation in the India-Africa Forum Summit in Delhi in 2015 and again through a state visit in 2016.
    • Back-to-back visits by India and emphasis on defence cooperation: Defence cooperation is clearly one of the themes and high-level exchanges over the last two years led to Desert Warrior, the first-ever joint tactical exercise by the air force of the two countries, with IAF sending five Mirage 2000 fighters and a refuelling aircraft to El Berigat Airbase in Egypt.
    • Egyptian interest in India’s Tejas and Dhruv: The Egyptians have also shown some interest in India’s Tejas fighter jets and Dhruv light attack helicopters, although this is still at a fairly preliminary stage.
    • Cooperation to counter hostilities: Equally important is the behind-the-scenes support provided by them in countering hostile moves by Pakistan at forums like the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and by refraining from making any adverse comment during the Nupur Sharma affair.
    • Mutual goodwill: Both countries also demonstrated mutual goodwill by helping each other at crucial times over the last two years.
    • Remdesivir supplied by Egypt to India: When India was hit hard by the second wave of COVID-19, Egypt responded by dispatching three plane loads of medical supplies and providing 300,000 doses of Remdesivir in May 2021.
    • India reciprocated by supplying wheat: India reciprocated a year later when Egypt, the world’s largest importer of wheat, was facing a dire situation following the abrupt halt in wheat shipments from Ukraine. The Indian response also paved the way for Egypt to visit India’s wheat growing areas and register India for regular wheat exports to the country.
    • Bilateral trade is well below the potential but it is growing: Bolstered by these tailwinds, bilateral trade has grown by almost 75 percent last year to touch US$ 7 billion, although this is well below the potential, given the size of the two economies. But it is Egypt’s emerging investment scenario that offers a more interesting opportunity.

    Current status of Egypt’s economy and India’s investment

    • Egypt’s economy is struggling: Growth in the non-oil sector has been anaemic, foreign exchange reserves have dwindled and the Egyptian pound has been in free fall, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) administering a bitter dose of medicine to fix some of the problems.
    • Economic and administrative reforms: After several abortive starts and forced by the gravity of the economic crisis, the Egyptian government finally seems to be getting serious about implementing both economic and administrative reforms
    • Ease of doing business is welcomed by India: Indian companies have invested in Egypt and by and large, they have done well. Indian companies are positive in their feedback, with some saying quite candidly that after years of apathy, they are finally being heard and action is being taken to make ease of doing business a reality.
    • Plan to develop Suez Canal Economic zone into global manufacturing hub: The ambitious plans to develop the Suez Canal Economic Zone into a global manufacturing hub are now gathering critical mass. Gurgaon-based ReNew Power seems to be the first off the blocks from India and has signed an agreement to set up a Green Hydrogen facility. It is clearly driven by attractive tax incentives, cheap and abundant land, 365 days of sun to produce the solar energy needed for the electrolysers, and the strategic location that makes it easy to access the European markets.

    ties

    Way ahead to further improve the ties

    • For India, a deeper economic engagement with Egypt therefore acquires an additional strategic imperative.
    • While Egypt clearly needs to do more to market itself as an investment destination in India, it is also important for industry bodies like CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM to take a more pro-active approach.
    • ReNew Power has shown the way but it will need a joint government-industry initiative to acquire the scale needed to make an impact.

    Conclusion

    • For now, there are clear indications that India under Prime Minister Modi and Egypt under President Sisi may finally be moving towards achieving some of the potential in bilateral ties that has remained unfulfilled for the last four decades.

  • Day 11| Daily Answer Wars| CD WarZone

    Topics for Today’s question:

    GS-2       Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

    Question:

    Q. Discuss the procedures to decide the disputes arising out of the election of a Member of the Parliament or State Legislature under The Representation of the People Act, 1951. What are the grounds on which the election of any returned candidate may be declared void? What remedy is available to the aggrieved party against the decision? Refer to the case laws. (15 Marks)

     

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  • Under Constitution, law declared by the Supreme Court is binding on all

    law

    Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned the landmark 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case verdict that gave the basic structure doctrine, saying it set a bad precedent and if any authority questions Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution, it would be difficult to say ‘we are a democratic nation’.

    What did the SC say?

    • Vice-President’s public criticism of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) judgment may be seen as comments by a high constitutional authority against “the law of the land” (Art. 141).
    • That is, as long as the NJAC judgment, which upholds the collegium system of judicial appointments, exists, the court is bound to comply with the verdict.
    • The Parliament is free to bring a new law on judicial appointments, possibly through a constitutional amendment, but that too would be subject to judicial review.

    What is Article 141?

    • Article 141 provides that the law declared by the Supreme Court shall be binding on all courts within the territory of India.
    • The law declared has to be construed as a principle of law that emanates from a judgment, or an interpretation of law or judgment by the Supreme Court, upon which, the case is decided.
    • This article forms the basis of Doctrine of Precedent in India.

    What has the VP accused the judiciary of?

    • Dilution of Parliamentary Sovereignty: The Vice-President had remarked that judicial review, as was done in the case of the NJAC law, diluted parliamentary sovereignty. He had used terms like “one-upmanship”.
    • Curb on Legislature: The Vice-President had said he did not “subscribe” to the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment of 1973 which limited the Parliament’s power under Article 368 to amend the Constitution.
    • Disregard to the mandate of people: Dhankhar said no institution can wield power or authority to neutralise the mandate of people.

    Notes for Aspirants

    A classic observation in this regard was made by Chief Justice Patanjali Shastri in State of Madras versus V.G. Row (1952).  Justice Shastri’s words were reproduced by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar in his lead opinion for the Constitution Bench in the NJAC case in October 2015.

    (1) Actual nature of Judicial Review

    • Justice Shastri said judicial review was undertaken by the courts “not out of any desire to tilt at legislative authority in a crusader’s spirit, but in discharge of a duty plainly laid down upon them by the Constitution”.
    • The Kesavananda Bharati verdict (1973) had made it clear that judicial review is not a means to usurp parliamentary sovereignty.
    • It is a “system of checks and balances” to ensure constitutional functionaries do not exceed their limits.

    (2) Limitations to Article 368

    • Article 368 postulates only a ‘procedure’ for amendment of the Constitution.
    • The same could not be treated as a ‘power’ vested in the Parliament to amend the Constitution so as to alter the ‘core’ of the Constitution, which has also been described as the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.

    Back2Basics: Doctrine of Precedent

    • Any judicial system’s structure places a high priority on the notion of precedent.
    • It suggests that a judgement made by a court at the top of the judicial food chain binds courts below it.
    • According to Article 141 of the Indian Constitution, all lower courts must abide by the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the law.
    • Similar to this, a State’s High Court’s decision is binding on all Lower Courts within that state, and a division bench of a State High Court’s ruling is binding on the Justices sitting singly in that High court.

     

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