Interview Guidance

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 INTERViEW GUiDANCE PROGRAM 2022

You are among those 2529 candidates who are just one step away from
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 THE WiNNiNG MESH

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Former Sec. to GoI Former Dep. Comm’r Former Sec. to GoI Former ADG BSF

www.onlyias.com [email protected] + 91-7007-931-912

 INDEX
INDIAN ECONOMY..............................................................................................................................................................................................5
FREEBIES CULTURE IN INDIA ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
UPI AND DIGITAL PAYMENTS IN INDIA .................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
GST 5 YEARS AND AHEAD .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
GIG ECONOMY ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
POST COVID RECOVERY OF INDIAN ECONOMY - K SHAPE ECONOMY ................................................................................................................................ 5
FALL IN RUPEE VALUE ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
MIDDLE INCOME TRAP ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
CARE ECONOMY............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
JOBLESS GROWTH ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
NEED OF FOREIGN TRADE POLICY ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
MOONLIGHTING .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
MSP (MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE)........................................................................................................................................................................................ 13
TRADE SETTLEMENT IN RUPEES ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND ITS IMPORTANT FOR INDIA ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
NATIONAL LOGISTICS POLICY ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
TOURISM SECTOR...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
POOR HEALTH OF STATE FINANCES ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
INFLATION .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18
CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY (CBDC) ................................................................................................................................................................... 20
ONE NATION ONE FERTILIZER ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
DIGITAL BANKING UNITS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
MAKING INDIA MANUFACTURING HUB ................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
MILLET ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 23
WINDFALL GAIN TAX ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
NEOBANKS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING....................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
STARTUP ECOSYSTEM IN INDIA .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 27
INDIA BEING 5TH LARGEST ECONOMY................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY .................................................................................................................................................................. 29
COP 27- OUTCOMES AND CONCERNS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
INDIA’S STRATEGY FOR NET ZERO ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 30
MISSION LIFE ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 30
CHEETAH REINTRODUCTION PLAN ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 31
WHY IS THE CHEETAH BEING BROUGHT BACK?................................................................................................................................................................... 31
NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION IN INDIA........................................................................................................................................................................ 32
URBAN FLOODS .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 33
CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 34
MIYAWAKI METHOD ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 36

1
 ONE WATER CONCEPT............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37
FLEX FUEL VEHICLES ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
HYDROGEN ENERGY ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37
GLOBAL GATEWAY INITIATIVE ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 38
INDIAN ENVIRONMENT SERVICE............................................................................................................................................................................................ 38
SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 39
LIVING ROOT BRIDGES ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 40
E-WASTE .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40
BIODIVERSE CITIES BY 2030 ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 41
MARINE HEAT WAVES .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 41
ONE OCEAN SUMMIT ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 42
BLUE FLAG CERTIFICATION .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42
ELECTRIC VEHICLES ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 43
ETHANOL BLENDING ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 44
GREEN HYDROGEN.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 45
INDIAN STRATEGY FOR SOLAR ENERGY ................................................................................................................................................................................ 46
SOCIAL ISSUES.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 48
GENDER PAY PARITY................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 48
NUTRITIONAL SECURITY ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 48
CARE ECONOMY......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 48
URBAN PLANNING IN INDIA .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 49
WATER CRISIS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 50
NEP-2020 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 51
WASH STRATEGY ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 54
NGO AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR ................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
MANUAL SCAVENGING ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 56
DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 57
POPULATION RISE..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58
WOMEN RELATED ISSUES ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
POLITY ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 63
UNIFORM CIVIL CODE .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 63
PROS OF UCC:............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 63
CONS OF UCC............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 63
COLLEGIUM SYSTEM: ISSUES AND CONCERNS ABOUT COLLEGIUM SYSTEM .................................................................................................................. 64
JUDICIAL PENDENCY ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 65
HATE SPEECH ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 66
ANTI DEFECTION LAW ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 67
ESSENTIAL RELIGIOUS PRACTICE DOCTRINE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 69
ELECTORAL BONDS................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 70
PRESIDENT ELECTION .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 71
COMPARISON OF SYSTEM OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION .................................................................................................................................................... 72
VICE PRESIDENT ELECTION .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 72
INTRA PARTY DEMOCRACY ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT OF EWS RESERVATION ........................................................................................................................................................ 75
COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA .................................................................................................................................................................................. 76
ISSUES IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 77

2
 ISSUES IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES ..................................................................................................................................................................... 78
DESH BILL (DEVELOPMENT OF ENTERPRISES AND SERVICES HUB BILL) 2022 ...................................................................................................... 80
AGNIPATH SCHEME................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 81
BAN ON PFI................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 82
PERMANENT COMMISSION FOR WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES ..................................................................................................................................... 83
ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL FUNDING ................................................................................................................................................................................. 84
SUPREME COURT ON DEATH SENTENCE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 84
JAMMU & KASHMIR POST ABROGATION OF ARTICLE 370 .............................................................................................................................................. 85
EUTHNASIA................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 87
FCRA .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 89
SEDITION .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 90
ONE NATION ONE ELECTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 91
NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZENS (NRC) .......................................................................................................................................................................... 92
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................................................. 93
PATENT REGIME IN INDIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 93
QUANTUM COMPUTING............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 93
SPACE ECONOMY OF INDIA ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 95
5G TECHNOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 95
GM CROPS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 96
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ....................................................................................................................................................................................................100
PRIVATE ROCKET LAUNCH....................................................................................................................................................................................................101
LIQUID NANO UREA................................................................................................................................................................................................................102
ARTEMIS ACCORD ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................103
LIQUID-MIRROR TELESCOPE .................................................................................................................................................................................................104
WEB 3.0 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................105
GOOGLE TAX ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................106
SCIENTIFIC SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY...................................................................................................................................................................................107
HAVANA SYNDROME ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................109
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ................................................................................................................................................................. 110
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................110
FATF (FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE).........................................................................................................................................................................112
TALIBAN’S TAKEOVER OF AFGHANISTAN ...........................................................................................................................................................................114
I2U2 GROUPING .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................115
RISE OF CHINA .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................116
INDO-PACIFIC ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................116
FTAS .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................118
INDUS WATER TREATY...........................................................................................................................................................................................................120
SCO............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................122
G20 SUMMIT 2022 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................123
INDIA ASSUMES G20 PRESIDENCY ......................................................................................................................................................................................124
S-400 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................125
INDIA-JAPAN RELATIONSHIP ................................................................................................................................................................................................126
ASIAN PALM OIL ALLIANCE ..................................................................................................................................................................................................128
ROLE OF INDIAN DIASPORA ..................................................................................................................................................................................................129
UNSC REFORMS .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................131
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT ......................................................................................................................................................................................................134

3
 WTO- DISPUTE RESOLUTION SYSTEM ..............................................................................................................................................................................137
ISSUES IN WTO’S DISPUTE RESOLUTION MECHANISM ..................................................................................................................................................137
INDIA’S APPROACH TO MULTILATERALISM ........................................................................................................................................................................138
MISCELLANEOUS ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 141

NATIONAL SECURITY DOCTRINE FOR INDIA .......................................................................................................................................................................141

DRAFT PORTS BILL AND PORT INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIA ............................................................................................................................................141
NEED FOR GLOBAL PANDEMIC TREATY ...............................................................................................................................................................................142
NATIONAL MARITIME HERITAGE COMPLEX......................................................................................................................................................................143
ARUNACHAL ASSAM BORDER ISSUES ..................................................................................................................................................................................144
FIFA CONTROVERSY ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................144
STUBBLE BURNING .................................................................................................................................................................................................................145
SWCHHA BHARAT ABHIYAN .................................................................................................................................................................................................146
AYUSHMANN BHARAT............................................................................................................................................................................................................150
BULK DRUG PROMOTION SCHEME ........................................................................................................................................................................................151
INS VIKRANT .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................152
OPERATION MEGHA CHAKRA ................................................................................................................................................................................................153
CHIEF OF DEFENSE STAFF ......................................................................................................................................................................................................154
KHELO INDIA............................................................................................................................................................................................................................154
AFSPA ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................155
URBAN NAXALISM ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................156
NETAJI SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE.......................................................................................................................................................................................157

4
 INDIAN ECONOMY
Freebies Culture in India • Rising NPAs: Over the past five years, banks have
Context: written off loans worth ₹10 lakh crore.
Recently, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi called out • Morally wrong: Making such promises is an insult
‘Revadi’ culture or freebies and said it is dangerous for to voters, when many such promises are simply left
the country and could lead to far-reaching economic unfulfilled.
consequences.
Significance of freebies:
About Freebies:
• It ensures basic needs like food, electricity, water
• In simple terms, it refers to a public welfare etc. of the citizens, especially the underprivileged
measure – any good or service – that is offered section.
free of cost by the government to its citizens.
• It addresses the concerns of marginalized sections
• But the existing legal or policy framework does
of the society, Mitigation of income gaps; reducing
not provide a precise definition for the term. inequality.
• It can be lifesavers during a disaster or a pandemic.
Various Views on Freebies:
• Prevent Suicide. Ex, Farm Loan Waivers
• The prime minister has called for an end to the
“revdi” culture.
How to tackle freebie culture?
• The Reserve Bank of India, in a report published
• Governments (whether State or Centre)
in June, linked the precarious state of state
announcing freebies should be required to provide
finances to “freebies”, particularly power
a funding plan.
subsidies.
• A Budgetary Office should be established to aid in
• The Supreme Court recommended the creation of
writing policies and conducting budgetary analysis.
an expert body to examine the freebies.
• Key financial indicators such as government debt
• Election commission of India also came in support
-to -GDP ratio, revenue expenditure as a
of instituting a committee as suggested by the
percentage of government income, revenue
Supreme Court.
collection efficiency etc. should be taken into
consideration before launching any freebies.
• Transfers towards capital expenditure schemes
should be prioritised over other schemes.
• The Election Commission should push political
parties to provide a funding mechanism for such
promises.

Conclusion:
Changing this political culture will require
Issues with freebies: governments to stick to fiscal probity and make
• Increasing debt: five States, namely UP, MP, credible policies. Enacting a scheme to win the next
Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab are election, while enabling generational theft is
noted to have raised ₹47,316 crore over a period of something that should be taboo.
two years by mortgaging public assets.
• Issue of sustainability: Many States will find UPI and digital payments in India
recently announced freebies difficult to fund – for Context:
example Andhra Pradesh announced freebies in India logged 23.06 billion digital transactions worth Rs
FY23 that would consume almost 30.3% of its own 38.3 lakh crore in the third quarter of FY23.
tax; for Punjab this was around 45.4%.

5
• Digital transactions include payment done by across multiple bank accounts without revealing
Unified payments Interface (UPI), debit and credit details of one’s bank account to the other party.
cards, prepaid payment instruments like mobile • According to the RBI’s Payment Vision 2025, UPI is
wallets, and prepaid cards. expected to register an average annualised growth
• The upi related transactions clocked over 19.65 of 50%.
billion transactions in volume. More than 40% of all About NPCI:
retail digital payments in India happen through UPI
• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an
now.
umbrella organisation for operating retail
Evolution of digital transactions in India:
payments and settlement systems in India, is an
initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian
Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of
the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
Achievements:
• Digital transactions through UPI recorded
phenomenal growth during the pandemic year
2020-21.
• India has established as most popular digital
payment country. The value of transactions made
using the UPI crossed USD100 billion in a month for
the first time in October, 2021 according to data
from the NPCI
• The growth is likely to come on the back of strong
use cases of merchant payments, government
policies including Jan Dhan Yojana, personal data
protection bill along with the growth of MSMEs,
growth of millennials and high smartphone
penetration.

What factors led to the widespread use of UPI?

• A strong ecosystem that supports the UPI enables
quick and easy money transfers. This includes the
widespread use of high-speed internet,
smartphone-powering technology, etc.
• No Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges for
merchants.
• It offers a significant degree of security to avoid
misuse.
About Unified Payments Interface (UPI):
• It is a convenient way of transferring funds from Challenges
one bank account to another. ● The threat of cybercrime in the global banking and
• It was launched by the NPCI in 2016 in conjunction financial services industry has increased amid the
with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the B coronavirus pandemic. E.g., Malicious Software
• UPI is a technology that consolidates various bank Cerberus
accounts into a single mobile app (of any • Fraudulent claims, chargebacks, fake buyer
participating bank) –Providing an instant real-time accounts, promotion/coupon abuse, account
payment system, allowing users to transfer money

2
 takeover, identity theft, card detail theft and • It has a 4-tier tax structure for all goods and
triangulation frauds are emerging as challenges. services under the slabs- 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.
• Without levying MDR to pay for its infrastructure,
UPI would find it challenging to be viable over the
long term. Right now, neither the customer nor the
merchant pays an additional fee.
• The majority of people are not digitally literate,
which prevents them from using the UPI system.
• Furthermore, UPI apps' lower adoption is caused
by their predominant use of English.

Way forward:
• It is time to step up efforts, broaden UPI's influence
beyond the nation's most affluent metropolises,
and repeat its success for the good of the entire Achievements:
nation, particularly rural areas. • GST revenues have shown reasonably high
• Making transaction platforms more secure. collections of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the year of
• Digital literacy among stakeholders needs to be 2022 and touching a record of Rs 1.68 lakh crore in
improved. April 2022.
• In order to increase its soft power globally and • The GSTN is a significant step on the technological
generate more foreign currency, India must share front.
its technology with other nations. • E- invoicing has helped to improve tax compliance
• UPI is being used in UAE, Singapore, and Nepal. and has also enabled better enforcement.
• In India, it has been a unique experiment in
GST 5 years and ahead cooperative federalism.
Context: • In this, both the Union and the state governments
July 1 marks the completion of five years since the gave up their tax autonomy in favour of
Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced in our harmonising domestic trade taxes.
country. • It is a step in the direction of automation of the
About GST: taxation system.
• GST was introduced through the 101st Constitution • Use of technology with online bill generation has
Amendment Act, 2016. resulted in smoother consignment movement and
• Article 279A of the constitution enables the much fewer disputes with officials.
formation of the GST Council by the President to • Significant reduction in transaction costs.
administer & govern GST. • Remarkable improvement in the competitiveness
• It was introduced to achieve the goal of ‘One of domestic industries in the international market
Nation One Tax’. by removing hidden and embedded taxes.
• It is the biggest indirect tax reform in the country. • A system of seamless tax-credits throughout the
• It has subsumed indirect taxes like excise duty, value-chain, and across boundaries of States,
Value Added Tax (VAT), service tax, luxury tax would ensure that there is minimal cascading of
• It is levied at the final consumption point and is taxes.
essentially a consumption tax. • This would reduce hidden costs of doing business.

Tax Structure under GST: Shortcomings

• Integrated GST (IGST) to cover inter-state trade. It • Refund delay issues reported in the last 3 yrs.
is not a tax per se but a system to coordinate state • Different rates may affect the intention of reform.
and union taxes. • Lack of Statutory Dispute redressal mechanism.

3
• Frequent amendments: Over the last few years, About Gig economy:
the GST law has seen many amendments. • A gig economy is a free market system in which
• Technical and behavioral Issues: MSME are still temporary positions are common and
grappling to adapt to the tech-enabled regime. organizations hire independent workers for short-
System has been impaired by IT glitches, term commitments.
• Complex Penalties: Many businesses are genuinely • The term "gig" is a slang word for a job that lasts a
not able to monitor their vendor behaviour and specified period of time. Traditionally, the term
feel that they should not be penalised for the tax was used by musicians to define a performance
compliance deficiencies of their vendors once they engagement.
have paid the GST amounts to their vendors. • The gig economy can benefit workers, businesses,
• Finance commission observation: 15th Finance and consumers by making work more adaptable to
Commission, in its report, has also highlighted the needs of the moment and the demand for
several areas of concern in the GST regime relating flexible lifestyles.
to • Gig workers engage in livelihoods outside the
• Multiplicity of tax rates, traditional employer-employee arrangement.
• Shortfall in GST collections vis-à-vis the forecast,
• High volatility in GST collections, Who are gig workers?
• Inconsistency in filing of returns, • Gig workers are typically hired by companies on a
• Dependence of States on the compensation from contractual basis and are not considered their
Centre employees.
• As a result, they do not receive some of the
Way Forward benefits that an on roll employee of the company
• Reforms at several fronts like streamlining of anti- get.
profiteering measures and simplification of
compliance procedures also needs to be revisited
to ensure that the cost efficiency and reduction in
prices envisaged under GST law finally reach the
common man.
• To overcome the issues of dispute related to GST
and increase efficiency in tax administration, there
is a need for a robust dispute redressal
mechanism.
• Major items such as electricity, alcohol, petroleum
goods and real estate are still outside the ambit of
GST, preventing the seamless flow of input tax NITI Ayog observation:
credit. • The number of workers engaged in the gig
• To begin with, the government may like to consider economy is estimated to be 77 lakhs in 2020-21.
including petroleum products, especially ATF, • India requires a framework that balances the
under GST. flexibility offered by platforms while also ensuring
• The rationalisation of the GST tax structure by social security of workers.
moving towards a three-slab structure should be • The consequent platformization of work has given
hastened. rise to a new classification of labour — platform
labour — falling outside of the purview of the
Gig Economy traditional dichotomy of formal and informal
Context: labour,
The Niti Aayog has released the report titled “India's • At present, about 47% of gig work is in medium
Booming Gig and Platform Economy”. skilled jobs, about 22% in high skilled, and about

4
 31% in low skilled jobs, and the trend shows the 2019’ which prescribes minimum wages for various
concentration of workers in medium skills is jobs.
gradually declining and that of the low skilled and • Work Conditions: Most workers have to put in long
high skilled is increasing. hours of work in order to make the job viable.
• Hidden economic implications: Many
Size of Gig Economy in India aggregators/platforms are burning cash by giving
• According to NITI Aayog Report, India’s gig large discounts to users in order to capture larger
workforce currently stands at 77 lakh (2020-21). It market share.
is expected to rise to 2.35 crore by 2029-30. By • Low Bargaining Power: Platform workers have
2029-30, gig workers will form 4.1% of India’s total little or no voice. Technology has tilted the power
workforce, rising from 1.5% in 2020-21. and bargaining scales strongly in favour of the
platform companies
Workforce engaged in the gig economy:
• More than 7.5 million workers were engaged in the Way Forward:
gig economy in 2020-21. • Gender Sensitisation: To promote the rights of
• This could grow to 23.5 million workers in the next women and persons with disabilities, the report
eight years, making up for 4.1 per cent of total suggests that companies carry out gender
livelihood in India. sensitisation and accessibility awareness
• 47 per cent of the gig work is in medium-skilled programmes.
jobs, • Need to build the right physical and social
• 22 per cent in high skilled, and infrastructure that supports the engagement of
• 31 per cent in low skilled jobs. women in gig work.
• Social Security Measures: It recommended that
Advantages: firms adopt policies that offer old age or retirement
• Flexibility to Gig workers: flexibility to work plans and benefits and other insurance covers to
according to their convenience and availability. gig workers.
• There are less restrictions related to fixed work- • Access to Finance: Access to institutional credit
hours, attendance etc. could be enhanced through financial products
• Affordability for Companies: They are able to specifically designed for platform workers and
provide services more economically to the users. those interested in set up their own platforms.
• Low skill work availability: Gig economy provides
jobs to many low and semi-skilled workforce with Post Covid Recovery of Indian economy -
minimum conditions. K shape economy
• Future jobs preparation: It enables the young Context:
undergraduates to gather valuable work- Grappling with the agonising human effects of Covid-
experience before joining formal employment. 19 together with mounting inflation and wavering
• Economies of scale: Many gig workers work geopolitical scenario, there is a palpable positive
remotely and save costs (e.g., on office commute). sentiment across sectors in India to go full-throttle on
the recovery process to sustain the economic growth
Disadvantages: of the country.
• Work Security: Most workers work on a day-to-day
basis,Many gig workers were laid off during the About K shape recovery:
pandemic. • Notably, the recent RBI data shows that Indian
• Lack of Social Security Benefits: Gig workers have companies’ direct overseas investment increased
no social security benefits like ESI, PF or insurance. 8.5 per cent YoY to $3.34 billion in March 2022. In
• Gig/Platform workers are not covered in all the fact, even at the height of the coronavirus
labour codes, specifically the ‘Code on Wages, pandemic last year, Indian companies had invested

5
 $3.1 billion in their overseas fully-owned climb back upward while another segment
subsidiaries and joint ventures. continues to suffer.
• The manufacturing, service and infrastructure • A K-shaped recovery leads to changes in the
sectors could see a strong investment-led recovery structure of the economy or the broader society as
in the coming years. economic outcomes and relations are
fundamentally changed before and after the
The driving force behind recovery recession.
• Even though private investment is slowly picking • This type of recovery is called K-shaped because
up, it is the government that is the driving force the path of different parts of the economy when
behind India’s economic recovery. charted together may diverge, resembling the two
• In recent years, the government has relaxed FDI arms of the Roman letter "K."
norms across several sectors, including defence, • Long-term implications of a K-shaped recovery
PSU, energy, stock exchanges and more. include:
• The center’s PLI scheme has been received well by o Long-term unemployment among people in the
Indian businesses. lowest income group
• The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme o Wealth inequality
(ECLGS) introduced as a part of the Indian o a continuing and worsening racial wealth gap,
government's Covid-19 financial relief package, and
supported the services sector which led to an o growing corporate monopolies
increase in debt intake.
• The government is looking at the long-term growth
of the economy and short-term developments.
• Business confidence
• Confidence among India's small businesses
remains high with an overwhelming majority of
executives expecting improvement in the second
quarter of 2022 on most of the parameters,
including sales, capacity utilisation and hiring,
• Further growth is steered by IT services, which are
seeing robust demand, and BFSI, where Image Source: Investopedia
digitalisation and novel business models are driving Way Forward:
growth. • Inspiring confidence through long-term policy
• The front-runners like infrastructure and transport, stability and improving ease of doing business will
technology, IT, telecom, manufacturing including help to grow small business and individuals up
defence, electronics and chips, pharma and along with it.
healthcare will be front-runners in the investment • It is important to boost the consumption demand
recovery. India has become easier to do business. through fiscal policy measures.
In July 2022, India’s flagship digital payments • Further, most big companies are doing well and
platform UPI saw a record transaction of over six don’t need more help but policies need to be
billion, the highest since its inception in 2016. The implemented to work the economy for the bottom
volume and value of transactions are set to half to overcome the pandemic.
increase with the RBI’s decision to link credit cards
to UPI.
Fall in rupee value
Context:
What is K-Shaped Recovery?
Over the past few months, there has been a steady
• A K-shaped recovery is a post-recession scenario decline in the Indian Rupee's (INR) exchange rate with
in which one segment of the economy begins to respect to the US Dollar ($).

6
• The rupee breached the much-feared 80-mark in • This leads to widening of the current account
July and went on to set record lows, touching 83 to deficit (CAD).
a dollar late in October. • Boosts exports: In an ideal scenario, devalued
rupee could have led to increase in exports.
• Inflation: The falling rupee’s biggest impact is on
inflation, given India imports over 80 per cent of its
crude oil, which is the country’s biggest import.
• Stock market: Rupee depreciation may see foreign
investors pulling out of Indian markets, resulting in
a decline in stocks and equity mutual fund
investments.
• Floating exchange rate system: Under the floating
exchange rate regime, the market forces
determine the value of domestic currency on the
basis of the forces of demand and supply of the
domestic currency.
Source: Times of India
Causes of rupees depreciation: Options available for RBI and policymakers:
• The U.S. Federal Reserve has been raising its • It is neither wise nor possible for the RBI to prevent
benchmark interest rate. the rupee from falling indefinitely.
• It has put pressure on emerging market currencies • Defending the rupee will simply result in India
which have depreciated significantly against the exhausting its forex reserves over time because
U.S. dollar so far this year. global investors have much bigger financial clout.
• RBI’s surprise decision to raise rates in May could • Better strategy is to let the rupee depreciate and
have simply been to defend the rupee by act as a natural shock absorber to the adverse
preventing any rapid outflow of capital from India. terms of trade.
• India’s current account deficit is expected to hit a • The RBI should focus on containing inflation, as it is
10 year high of 3.3% of gross domestic product in legally mandated to do, and the government
the current financial year. should contain its borrowings”.
• Yields on U.S. 10-year Treasuries, for instance, have
risen from around 5% in mid-2020 to over 3% now. Middle income trap
• Consistently higher domestic price inflation in Context:
India. • A top economist from EAC-PM flagged the issue
• Higher inflation in India suggests that the RBI has when he pointed out that India’s growth was
been creating rupees at a faster rate than the U.S. mostly driven by the demand generated by 100
Federal Reserve has been creating dollars. million people at the top of the socio-economic
ladder, and that demand had begun to reach a
Impacts saturation point.
• Increase cost of raw materials and imports • He had warned that if the situation does not
• As India imports many raw materials, the price of improve, India may fall into the middle-income
finished goods could go up thus impacting the trap.
consumers.
• India’s high import dependence for fuel means oil About middle income trap:
price trajectories affect most macro parameters, • A middle-income trap is a scenario where the
including inflation, growth, current account country’s economy is unable to transition to the
balances, fiscal management and the rupee. higher per-capita income levels.

7
• Low-income countries often tend to transition Way Ahead
faster to middle-income levels, driven by low • Thus, there has to be a comprehensive agenda of
wages, cheap labour and basic technology catch- policy and institutional change to create a dynamic
up. capitalism, else there is a risk of a Latin
• However, only a few countries manage to achieve Americanization of India’s path.
high-income status. • This involves changes in education, healthcare,
skilling, agricultural, judicial and regulatory
reforms.

Care Economy
Context:
One of the areas that promises to be a reviving sector
is the care economy and one of the first steps to
undertake is the identification of care workers in India.

About Care Work?

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO)
broadly defines care work as “consisting of
activities and relations involved in meeting the
Cause of Concern for India physical, psychological and emotional needs of
• If we assume that World Bank thresholds and adults and children, old and young, frail and able-
India’s income per capita grow at the same pace as bodied.
they have in the past 30 years, it will take India until • The ILO observed that care work involves a range
2038 to reach the lower end of the upper middle- of skills that are often not formally recognised or
income threshold. remunerated, and involving working conditions
• Likewise, statistics reveal that even in 2050, India that are not regulated.
would be well below Brazil and South Africa. • Care work can be direct or indirect, paid or unpaid,
• India’s growth since the 1990s was on the back of short-term (maternity needs) or long-term (care
consumption by the top 100 million Indians. for the disabled and elderly).
• For this to happen there has to be adequate • Care work also encompasses a range of sectors
demand from these sections of society & thus such as education, health, and social work involving
adequate jobs and rising incomes teachers, nurses, community health workers, social
workers, and domestic workers.
What elements put India at risk for the middle- • Care workers perform the important function of
income trap? providing care through their sustained relational
• Rising protectionism: India might not be able to engagement with the care receiver.
gain from hyper globalisation in the same way that • It includes a wide range of workers from university
China, South Korea, and Japan did during the past professors, doctors and dentists at one end of the
few decades. spectrum, to childcare workers and personal care
• Structural transformation: To become a high- workers at the other.
income economy, the primary, secondary, and
finally tertiary sectors must structurally Increasing demand: Care work is set to surge due to
restructure. a number of factors:
o In India, 45 to 50 percent of the population still • Demographic transition in low- and middle-income
depends on agriculture (primary sector). countries will lead to a higher proportion of the
• In India, there is a deficiency in the quality of elderly at the expense of the working-age
human capital formation. population.

8
• Urbanisation is changing the traditional joint- • Once a formal definition is devised, a person that is
family structure in these regions to nuclear, single- identified as a care worker must be allotted a job
parent, and transnational households, alienating card.
them from community care bonds.
• Climate change has accentuated water scarcity and Jobless Growth
rural food distress which increases care burden on Context:
women and children. The India of 1.4 billion people isn’t creating enough
jobs for its expanding population. Former Reserve
Importance of care work Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan said that the
• Care economy is a huge employer, the sector also country’s economic growth for the current fiscal year
offers serious growth potential. is “insufficient for the kind of jobs” it needs. A lot of
• Paid care work has always been a major source of this growth is jobless growth.
remittances for India as many care workers tend to
migrate to other countries for work. About it:
• In fact, an ILO report states that since demand for In a jobless growth economy, unemployment remains
care work all over the world is set to surge by 2030 stubbornly high even as the economy grows.
(due to demographic transition and urbanisation), • This tends to happen when a relatively large
investment in India’s care economy can possibly number of people have lost their jobs, and the
produce 11 million jobs in India (of which 32.5% will ensuing recovery is insufficient to absorb the
be by women). unemployed, under-employed, and those first
entering the workforce.
Challenges
• Historically, however, no importance has been Jobless Growth and India:
given to care work. • The unemployment rate in India has been hovering
• The main issue of identification of care workers not around 7% or 8%, up from about 5% five years ago,
having a formal ‘Indianized’ definition of care according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian
economy. Economy.
• Had there been an identification mechanism in • At the same time, the workforce shrank as millions
place, it would have been possible to recognize the of people dejected over weak job prospects pulled
actual range and scope of care economy in pre- out, a situation that was exacerbated by Covid-19
pandemic India, permitting the ability to provide lockdowns.
adequate relief to care workers during the • The labour force participation rate has dropped to
lockdown. just 40% of the 900 million Indians of legal age,
• The limited public expenditure has created social from 46% six years ago, according to the CMIE.
and economic drawbacks for care economy
workers.

The way ahead

• There is an urgent need to increase investment in
the care economy.
• The ILO estimates that doubling investment in care
relative to 2015 levels would generate 117 million
additional jobs by 2030.
• It is, thus, imperative to create an identification
mechanism for care workers thereby creating a
pipeline that could be used to reach them.
Source: Down to Earth

9
Reasons for Jobless Growth in India: • The healthcare sector is short of nurses and
• In both the manufacturing and service sectors, technicians.
India has not been able to generate enough jobs. • The construction sector also witnesses skill
• According to CMIE, the manufacturing sector imbalance and so needs civil engineers, hi-tech
employed 51 million Indians in 2016-17, which had welders, bricklayers, and so on.
come down to 27.6 million in 2020-21.
• Due to India's poor educational and job systems, Government Interventions
graduates have little skills and are not valued by • Education and skill regimes have to go hand in
employers. hand.
• Poor infrastructure, complex and variable rules, • The government, academia and industry
skill deficiencies, hidden costs are some of the interlinkages needed.
reasons for jobless growth. • It’s Make in India initiative, for example, has
morphed into production-linked incentive schemes
Impacts of Jobless growth for manufacturers.
• Violent protests across India by youth • Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY): Under the
• Most Affected Between 2010 and 2020, the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), banks
number of working women in India dropped to 19% provide collateral-free loans up to Rs 10 lakh.These
from 26%, according to data compiled by the World loans are given to non-farm small/micro
Bank. enterprises for income generating activities.
• A growing reserve of frustrated, unemployed youth • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal VikasYojana (PMKVY): It
threatens to turn India’s demographic dividend of is a flagship program of the Ministry of Skill
having a young population into a curse. Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• Share of employment in agriculture had been implemented by the National Skill Development
falling for decades, but this process flattened some Corporation (NSDC).
years ago and was reversed by the covid crisis.
• Those who move out of farming mostly find Way Forward
themselves in low-paying construction work and • Addressing joblessness requires generating
informal services. sustainable growth, besides labour reform and
• India’s economic growth has been largely services incentivising India Inc to invest more to generate
led, with a small pool of skills at the upper end, employment.
given a glaring failure in mass education, while • To sustain world-beating growth, the government
needs to ensure there’s a trained workforce for
industry to draw on.

Need of Foreign Trade Policy

Context:
Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) for India is still long awaited.
The last FTP was notified in 2015 and a new one was
supposed to be introduced in April 2020; since then, it
has been periodically extended.

capital intensity has increased in manufacturing Ongoing policy

overall in spite of our labour abundance. Need of new policy
• Paradox of demand of skill and supply of abundant • Competitive and globally robust policy need: It is
labour essential to clarify India’s position and alignment
• Postgraduate employability is 15% (CMIE) with flagship programmes like ‘Local for Global’
and PLI (Production Linked Incentive) schemes,

10
 WTO’s ruling against India’s export incentive position and continues to collect a salary. In the
schemes, an overdue review of the Special early 2020s, driven largely by social media, quiet
Economic Zone (SEZ) scheme, changing quitting emerged as a much-publicized trend in the
geographical profiles of India’s export basket, and United States and elsewhere. However, some
implications of the FTAs. observers have questioned how common it
• WTO regime compliant: In 2019, a dispute actually is—and whether it’s even a new
resolution panel of WTO had held that the export phenomenon.
incentives under the FTP are violative of India’s • The term gained popularity when workers in the US
WTO Commitment. started seeking a second job beyond their regular
• Export-Oriented trade regime: Another reason for 9-to-5 work for additional income
overhauling the FTP is some export-oriented • Moonlighting means taking up a second job or
businesses have been adversely impacted by multiple other work assignments apart from one’s
certain ad hoc, mistimed, and contradictory full-time job.
changes to the 2015 FTP. • Moonlighting has become a topic of debate in the
• Infrastructural Setbacks: Due to inadequate IT industry as working from home became the
upgraded export infrastructure such as ports, normal norm during the Covid-19 pandemic, which
warehouses and supply chains, the average is believed to have led to a rise in dual
turnaround time for ships in India is about three employment.
days while the world average is 24 hours. • Companies have opposed the practice, saying that
• Challenges of MSMEs: the surge in input and fuel employees doing multiple jobs can impact their
costs are hitting the bottom lines of MSMEs. productivity.
• The rise in prices of raw materials such as steel, and • Recent incident of Moonlighting:
plastics along with a shortage of shipping • Wipro has sacked around 300 employees for
containers and labour are making it difficult for the 'moonlighting' as the IT services firm toughens its
MSMEs to take full advantage of the global stand against staffers taking a second job after
increase in demand. work hours.
Favourable View of Moonlighting:
What can be new things in new policy: • Food delivery platform Swiggy launched a
• Solving MSMEs’ Crisis ‘Moonlighting Policy’ in August 2022.
• More Incentives for Exporters on the lines of MEIS • It encourages employees to undertake side
etc. gigs to sustain their finances.
• Infrastructure Upgradation required • The Minister of State for Electronics and IT,
• GST Export Benefits said companies need to be more flexible
• WTO Compliant Schemes about these arrangements.
However, traditional companies tend to take a
MOONLIGHTING grim view of freelancing.
Introduction:
• Over the last couple of months, two new trends Factors encouraging Moonlighting:
known as 'quiet quitting’ and 'moonlighting' have • New Skill Set: Working in a different role can allow
dominated the work culture. a person to develop new skills, explore related
domains and connect with more people.
What Is Quiet Quitting? • Work From Home Approach: Work from Home
• Quiet quitting refers to doing the minimum (WFH) approach has given flexibility to employees
requirements of one’s job and putting in no more to work in alternate jobs.
time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely • Covid Lockdowns: Coronavirus-induced lockdowns
necessary. As such, it is something of a misnomer, increased the tendency to moonlight among
since the worker doesn’t actually leave their workers in certain industries.

11
What are Laws dealing with Moonlighting? • Protecting Trade Secrets: Employees can divulge
• There is no explicit definition of “double into trade secrets if they are working in a similar
employment” in Indian law or a blanket ban on industry and job.
moonlighting. • Unproductive: The second job may cause the
• The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) employee to become distracted, unproductive, and
Central Rules, 1946, state that a workman cannot neglect job responsibilities because of physical
be doing dual employment work against the fatigue.
interest of an industrial establishment. • Misusing Company Resources: Employees may use
• Section 65 of the Bombay Shops and company resources for their second job which
Establishments Act, 1948 has restrictions on dual increases operating expenses.
employment during leave or holiday.
• Each state has its own laws and regulations, and Way Forward:
most of the statutes exempt IT companies who are • Companies need to figure out market challenges
free to take an independent call on the issue of and changes.
moonlighting. • Every challenge creates new opportunities for tech
providers and their customers and these
What about the taxation of opportunities will in turn create demand for
moonlighting income? technology transformation.
• There is no separate mention of moonlighting in • Capping hours would be beneficial for employers
Income Tax as well. since that has been shown to increase worker
• The income from the moonlighting job can be productivity.
received either as salary or professional fees. • Work-life balance is critical. If an employee is
spending twelve hours at work, then he or she has
Reasons for Moonlighting: little or no time for family members.
• Paycuts: There have been job and pay cuts • Put health before wealth, Numerous studies have
following the pandemic, causing financial burdens proven that humans who sit for more than 8 hours
to people. a day, double their risk of cardiac-related
• Vulnerability in Job Market: Fear of losing jobs, problems.
people have taken to side hustles to pay off debts, • There is a need to devise an incentive system if
or just to earn more. employees want to work extra hours.
• Following one’s Passion: Desire to follow one's WHO study on long working hours:
passion without giving up the main revenue stream • In the first global study of the loss of life
Arguments in favour of Moonlighting associated with longer working hours, it showed
• Meeting Financial Obligations: Moonlighting helps that 745,000 people died from stroke and heart
to meet their financial obligations and improve disease associated with long working hours in
their living standards. 2016.
• Up-skilling Ensures Job Security: Moonlighting can • The joint study, produced by the WHO and the
provide new learning and skilling opportunities International Labour Organization, showed that
which in turn assures job security most victims (72 per cent) were men and were
• Networking: A second job provides a strong middle-aged or older.
network that helps in future employment • Often, the deaths occurred much later in life,
opportunities. sometimes decades later, than the shifts
Ethical Issue Involved: worked.
• Violation of Integrity: Moonlighting is a "complete It also showed that people living in Southeast Asia
violation of integrity in its deepest form. and the Western Pacific region were the most
• Confidentiality Issue: Data and confidentiality affected.
breaches, and loss of productivity.

12
 MSP (Minimum Support Price) are announced, but also in crops that are
Introduction: substitutes.
• Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of market • The Major objective of MSP is to support the
intervention by the farmers from distress sales and to procure food
• Government of India to ensure agricultural grains for public distribution.
producers against any sharp fall in farm prices. • MSP is price fixed by the Government of India to
• The minimum support prices are announced by the protect the producer - farmers - against excessive
Government of India at the beginning of the sowing falls in price during bumper production years.
season for certain crops on the basis of the o Thus, the minimum guaranteed prices are fixed
recommendations of the Commission for to set a floor below which market prices cannot
Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). fall.
• Currently there are 22 crops mandated by CACP
and FRP for sugarcane. Issues associated with India’s MSP Regime:
• Ineffective implementation: According to the
Crops covered under MSP: Shanta Kumar Committee's 2015 report, just 6% of
• 7 types of cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, bajra, the MSP could be received by farmers, which
jowar, ragi, and barley) directly translates to 94% of farmers in the nation
• 5 types of pulses (chana, arhar/tur, urad, moong, not receiving the benefit of the MSP.
and masur) • Extent of coverage: As against the official
• 7 oilseeds (rapeseed-mustard, groundnut, soya announcement of MSP for 23 crops, only two, rice
bean, sunflower, sesamum, safflower, nigerseed) and wheat, are procured as these are distributed in
• 4 commercial crops (cotton, sugarcane, copra, raw NFSA (National Food Security Act).
jute) o For the rest, it is mostly ad-hoc and insignificant.
• In addition, the MSPs of toria and de-husked • Leakages: 30% leakages across total supply chain.
coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of • Procurement price: The current MSP regime has
rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively. no bearing on prices in the domestic market,
making it more of a procurement price. Its main
What are the factors considered by CACP while purpose is to satisfy NFSA criteria, therefore rather
recommending MSP? than being an MSP, it functions as a procurement
• The demand and supply of a commodity; price.
• Cost of production; • Distorted production: Movement in food
• The market price trends (both domestic and consumption patterns away from cereals and
international); toward foods high in protein, but no similarly
• Inter-crop price parity; notable change is observed in sowing or
• The terms of trade between agriculture and non- production patterns.
agriculture (that is, the ratio of prices of farm • Environmental degradation: It degrades the soil
inputs and farm outputs); because, regardless of the quality of the soil, some
• A minimum of 50 percent as the margin over the crops are favoured that have MSP over them.
cost of production; and Way forward:
• The likely implications of an MSP on consumers of • MSP can also be a motivating price for many of the
that product. crops that are desirable for nutritional security,
• Significance of MSPs: such as coarse cereals, as well as for pulses and
• The Government uses MSPs to incentivise the edible oils for which India is reliant on imports, MSP
production of certain crops, thus ensuring that can also be a motivating price.
India does not run out of staple food grains. • True MSPs call for government intervention
• Typically, MSPs create the benchmark for farm anytime market prices drop below a certain
prices not just in those commodities for which they threshold, primarily in situations of excess

13
 production and oversupply or a price collapse Benefits of International Trade Settlement in Indian
brought on by external sources. Rupees
• As mentioned above, the decision to allow INR in
Trade Settlement in Rupees international trade settlements is considered an
Context: important step to facilitate trade with Russia, Iran,
The Reserve Bank of India announced a decision by and Sri Lanka
allowing trade settlements between India and other • INR in international trade settlements is also
countries in Indian Rupees (INR). expected to gradually contribute to the global
acceptance of rupees for international trade
transactions.
• Promote Growth: It will promote the growth of
global trade and will support the increasing interest
of the global trading community in INR.
• Forex Fluctuation: The move would also reduce
the risk of forex fluctuation, especially looking at
the Euro-Rupee parity.

Steps taken by India for International Trade:

• Rupee Rouble Agreement:
o The Rupee-Rouble trade arrangement is an
alternate payment mechanism which can allow
Indian exporters to be paid in Indian rupees for
their exports to Russia instead of standard
international currencies such as dollars or
euros.
• VOSTRO & NOSTRO Account:
o Vostro account is an account that a domestic
bank holds for a foreign bank in the domestic
bank’s currency i.e rupee.
o When an Indian importer wants to make a
Why International trade Settlement in Rupees? payment to a foreign trader in rupees, the
• When countries import and export goods and amount will be credited to this Vostro account.
services, they have to make payments in a foreign o Both Vostro and Nostro are technically the
currency. same types of accounts, with the difference
• If an Indian buyer enters into a transaction with a being who opens the account and where.
seller from Germany, the Indian buyer has to first
convert his rupees into US dollars. The seller will Circular Economy and its important for India
receive those dollars which will then be converted Introduction:
into Euros. A circular economy is characterized as a model of
• Here, both the parties involved have to incur the production and consumption that ensures long-term
conversion expenses and bear the risk of foreign growth.
exchange rate fluctuations
• This is where trade settlement in rupees comes in It is based on three principles:
– instead of paying and receiving US dollars, the • Design out waste and pollution
invoice will be made in Indian rupees if the • Keep products and materials in use
counterparty has a Rupee Vostro account.
• Regenerate natural systems

14
 GDP by up to $ 200 billion by 2030 and $ 600 billion
by 2050 by implementing circular principles.
• Employment Growth: According to the CEO of NITI
Aayog, the circular economy has the potential to
create thousands of new businesses and 1.4 crore
employment over the next five to seven years.
• Protection of the environment: Resource
efficiency, energy conservation, and low GHG
emissions.
• Additionally, consumers will receive items that are
more inventive and long-lasting, improving their
quality of life and long-term financial savings.
• Promote resource independence: With the
circular economy, we may promote resource
optimization.
o Recover waste by recycling or giving the product
Need for a circular economy: a second life as a new one.
• Population resources imbalance: Increased o Reduce raw material consumption
population Increased demand for products and
services is causing reserves to run out. Steps taken by government to promote circular
• Essential raw materials are in short supply. economy:
• The demand for natural resources including land, • It has already notified various rules, such as the
forests, air, water, and ecosystems is growing as a Plastic Waste Management Rules, e-Waste
result of the strong economic expansion, rising Management Rules, Construction and Demolition
household incomes, and expanding consumption. Waste Management Rules, Metals Recycling Policy,
• India's reliance on imports for essential resources etc., in this regard.
like rare earth minerals etc. as a result of declining • NITI Aayog has undertaken several initiatives to
reserves, technical limitations, etc. ensure sustainable economic growth.
• Waste management: Using a classic linear • Initiatives were taken to address the challenges in
economy strategy leads to significant waste the utilization of waste as resource and to evolve a
production at every stage of a product's life cycle, perspective on the recycling industry in India.
from resource extraction and processing to value • NITI also organized an international conference on
addition and consumption to the end-of-life stage. ‘Sustainable Growth through National Recycling’;
• The ecology is significantly impacted by the prepared a strategy paper.
extraction of raw resources and their use. • To expedite the transition of the country from a
Additionally, it raises CO2 emissions and energy linear to a circular economy, 11 committees have
use. been formed.
• However, CO2 emissions can be reduced by using • The committees will prepare comprehensive action
raw resources more wisely. plans for transitioning from a linear to a circular
• It removes the use of hazardous chemicals that economy in their respective focus areas. They will
hinder reuse and the biosphere's ability to also carry out the necessary modalities to ensure
regenerate and replaces the end-of-life idea with the effective implementation of their findings and
one of restoration. recommendations.

Benefits of Circular economy: Conclusion:

• Increased Economic Growth Potential: According • It is essential to recognize and revolutionize the
to the United Nations Conference on Trade and material flow in the manufacturing process and
Development (UNCTAD), India could increase its

15
 shift towards a circular economy, which provides Potential of Indian Logistics Sector:
multipronged economic and ecological benefits • Provides livelihood to more than 2.2 crore people.
• Resource circularity is the need of the hour to • Improving the sector will facilitate a 10 % decrease
implement the circular economy. in indirect logistics costs leading to the growth of 5
to 8% in exports.
National Logistics policy • Further, it is estimated that the worth of the Indian
Context: logistics market will be around 215 billion dollars in
Recently, the Government has launched a National the next two years compared to about 160 billion
Logistics Policy (NLP) 2022, aiming to achieve ‘quick dollars at present.
last-mile delivery', end transport-related challenges.
Benefits:
National Logistics Policy • By streamlining the logistics industry, indirect
• Vision: logistics costs will drop by 10%, increasing exports
o To ensure seamless movement of goods and by 5 to 8%.
services across the country. • Establish a single-window e-logistics market, put an
o Cut logistics costs from as much as 13-14 per emphasis on the development of skills and jobs,
cent of its GDP to a single digit. and boost the competitiveness of MSMEs.
• Four Critical Features: • Boost manufacturing & Employment
o Integration of Digital System (IDS): • Create infrastructure
• Under the IDS, 30 different systems of seven • Enhances economic growth
departments are integrated; these include data • Encouraging value addition and enterprise
from the road transport, railways, customs, • Prevents waste of agricultural products
aviation and commerce departments.
• Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP): It will PM Gati Shakti - National Master Plan:
bring all the digital services related to the • The PM Gati Shakti plan is a campaign to lend
transportation sector into a single portal, more speed (Gati) and power (Shakti) to projects
• Ease of Logistics (ELOG): Through this portal, by connecting all concerned departments on one
industry associations can directly take up any such platform.
matters which are causing problems in their • It envisages a centralised portal to unite the
operations and performance with the government infrastructural initiatives planned by central
agencies ministries and departments.
• System Improvement Group (SIG): will routinely o This way, the infrastructure schemes of
keep track of all projects pertaining to logistics. various ministries and state governments will
• It will complement the PM Gati Shakti national be designed and executed with a common
masterplan initiative. vision.
• NLP will focus on world-class infrastructure, Use of Technology: It seeks to leverage technology
modern warehousing, digitalisation, regulations, by including spatial planning tools with ISRO
tracing and tracking, and ease of shipping. imagery.

Why was the National Logistics Policy launched?

• The need for a national policy was felt since the
logistics cost in India is high compared to other
developed economies.
• While the Indian logistics sector has a 14.4 percent
contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP), it incurs a cost of 14 percent of the
GDP

16
 Challenges:
• Awareness: Despite promotional campaigns by the
Government, awareness regarding India as a
tourist destination remains low.
• Infrastructure and Safety: Many popular
destinations lack air connectivity, especially in hilly
regions. Moreover, there is a lack of proper
hygienic facilities in many places.
• Communication: Many tourists face
communication problems while in India.
• Lack of Skilled Manpower: Skilled labour is in short
supply, particularly for hotel personnel or
multilingual tour guides.
• Visa Procedure: The government had begun the
electronic visa (online) procedure, which increased
the number of foreign tourists.

Measures needed:
• Infrastructure: The Regional Connectivity Scheme,
Tourism Sector or UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), is helping to
Context: make air travel more accessible and affordable to
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council formerly unserviced routes, while the Adarsh
WTTC, India is ranked 10th among 185 countries in Station Scheme is working to renovate railway
terms of travel & tourism’s total contribution to GDP stations.
in 2019. • Promotional Activities: Promotional initiatives like
• During 2019, contribution of travel & tourism to the Incredible India 2.0 campaign concentrate on
GDP was 6.8% of the total economy, Rs. 1,368,100 specialised travel offerings like yoga, wellness, fine
crore (US$ 194.30 billion). dining, and wildlife viewing, among others.
• In 2020, the Indian tourism sector accounted for 39 • Information Helpline: Additional initiatives such as
million jobs, which was 8% of the total Atithi Devo Bhava, a 24×7 multi-lingual Tourist
employment in the country. Helpline, among others have helped improve the
safety and security of tourists. On a pilot basis, an
Driving factors of tourism in India: ‘Incredible India Helpline’ has been set up to guide
• The Tourism Sector in India is driven by various the tourists.
factors like diverse attractions, robust demand (like
for medical tourism) and attractive opportunities. • Investment: The government allows 100% Foreign
Direct Investment in the Travel and Tourism sector
through the automatic route to increase
investments across the sector.
• The Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) and
Incredible India Tourist Guide (IITG) Certification
Programme was launched by the Ministry of
Tourism to establish an online learning platform for
qualified tourist facilitators and guides throughout
the nation.

Source: Trading Economics

17
 Poor Health of State finances
Context:
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman attributes the
high debt of states and Centre to a "difficult" 2020,
when Covid-19 hit economic activity across the
country.

Causes:
• GST: The inability of states to fix tax rates to match Way ahead
their development requirements implies greater • Performance budgeting: Performance-based
dependence on the centre for funds. budgeting is the practice of developing budgets
• Suspension of MPLAD: The central government based on the relationship between program
suspended the MPLAD scheme and diverted that funding levels and expected results from that
money to the Consolidated Fund of India leading to program.
the centralization of the country’s financial o The performance-based budgeting process is a
resources tool that program administrators can use to
• Increased expenditure: The expenditure of the manage more cost-efficient and effective
States has been shooting up, their revenues did budgeting outlays
not. • State governments must restrict their revenue
• Impact of Pandemic: During the pandemic State’s expenses by reducing expenditure on non-merit
revenues were hit. Despite that, States goods.
continuously provided medical care and supported • More efficient amendments in FRBM Act.
the vulnerable sections of the population. • Eradication of unnecessary freebie culture in the
• Ineffective distribution of Cess and Surcharges long term.
• Depletion of state’s resources: The diversion of a
State’s own funds to centrally sponsored schemes, Inflation
thereby depleting resources for its own schemes, Context:
violates a constitutional provision. India's consumer price-based inflation eased to an 11-
• States are forced to pay differential interest — month low of 5.88 per cent in November on an annual
about 10% against 7% — by the Union for market basis from 6.77 per cent in October, 2022.
borrowings.
• Freebie Culture: The freebies put a significant Inflation
strain on the fiscal position of State governments. • Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most
goods and services of daily or common use, such
as food, clothing, housing, recreation, transport,
consumer staples, etc.
• It measures the average price change in a basket
of commodities and services over time.
• Inflation is indicative of the decrease in the
purchasing power of a unit of a country’s currency.
• A certain level of inflation is required in the
economy to ensure that expenditure is promoted
and hoarding money through savings is
demotivated.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation measures inflation.

18
• It is often referred to as a ‘tax on the poor’ as the Devaluation is downward adjustment in a
low-income stratum of society bears the brunt. country's exchange rate, resulting in lower values
for a country's currency.
How is Inflation measured?
• In India, inflation is primarily measured by two Effects of High Inflation:
main indices — WPI (Wholesale Price Index) and • High inflation rates will also worsen the exchange
CPI (Consumer Price Index), which measure rate. High inflation means the rupee loses its
wholesale and retail-level price changes, power and, if the RBI doesn’t raise interest rates
respectively. fast enough, investors will increasingly stay away
• The CPI calculates the difference in the price of because of reduced returns,
commodities and services such as food, medical • It harms savers and helps borrowers.
care, education, electronics etc., which Indian • Rise in inflation will also lead to rise in bond yields,
consumers buy for use. making government borrowing costlier.
• WPI captures the goods or services. • It helps the government meet debt obligations. In
the short term the government which is the single
Major Causes of Inflation: largest borrower in the economy benefits from
● Demand-Pull inflation: Demand-pull inflation high inflation. Inflation also helps the government
happens when the demand for certain goods and to meet its fiscal deficit targets.
services is greater than the economy's ability to • It reduces overall demand. The eventual fallout of
meet those demands. reduced purchasing power is that consumers
o When this demand outpaces supply, there's an demand fewer goods and services.
upward pressure on prices — causing inflation. • Mixed Results for Corporate Profitability: In the
o Cost-Push inflation: Cost-push inflation is the short term, corporations, especially the large and
increase of prices when the cost of wages and dominant ones, could enjoy higher profitability
materials goes up. because they might be in a position to pass on the
o These costs are often passed down to prices to consumers.
consumers in the form of higher prices for those o But for many companies, especially smaller
goods and services. ones, persistently higher inflation will reduce
• Increased Money Supply: If the money supply sales and profitability because of lower
increases faster than the rate of production, this demand.
could result in inflation, particularly demand-pull
inflation because there will be too much rupees The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
chasing too few products. • WPI reflects changes in the average prices of
• Devaluation: The Devaluation of a currency makes goods at the wholesale level.
a country's exports less expensive, encouraging • Released by: Office of Economic advisor,
foreign nations to buy more of the devalued goods. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
o Devaluation also makes foreign products for the • Base Year: 2011-12
devaluing country more expensive which • Index basket of WPI: It categorises commodities
encourages citizens of the devaluing country to into three groups — primary articles (23%), fuel,
buy domestic products over foreign imports. and power (13%) & manufactured products
• Policies and regulations: Certain policies can also (64%).
result in either a cost-push or demand-pull The Consumer Price Index (CPI)
inflation. • CPI is an index measuring retail inflation in the
o For Example, When the government issues tax economy by collecting the change in prices of
subsidies for certain products, it can increase most common goods and services used by
demand. If that demand is higher than supply, consumers.
costs could rise.

19
 Issued By: National Statistical Office, Ministry Fiat currency:
of Statistics and Programme Implementation • A fiat currency is a national currency that is not
(MoSPI) pegged to the price of a commodity such as gold or
silver.
Role of RBI in Tackling Inflation: • Example: ₹ in physical form.
• In 2016, the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, was • CBDC in India will be referred to as “Digital Rupee”
amended to provide a statutory basis for the or “e-₹” and it will act as an additional option to
implementation of a flexible inflation-targeting the currently available forms of money.
framework, where the Centre and the RBI would • The central bank says the e-rupee, or CBDC, can be
review and agree upon a specific inflation target structured as token-based or account-based.
every five years. o Token-based CBDC: Token-based CBDC would
• Under this, 4% was set as the Consumer Price be a bearer instrument like bank notes.
Index (CPI) inflation target for the period from o Account-based CBDC: It would require the
August 5, 2016, to March 31, 2021, with the upper maintenance of records of balances and
tolerance limit of 6% and the lower tolerance limit transactions of all holders of the CBDC and
of 2%. indicate the ownership of the monetary
• The Reserve Bank of India controls inflation balances. In this case, an intermediary will verify
through monetary policies which it does by the identity of an account holder.
increasing bank rates, repo rates, cash reserve Features of CBDC:
ratio, buying dollars, regulating money supply and
availability of credit.
• These measures reduce the money supply in the
market thus reducing demand which further
decreases the prices.

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)

Context:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the
first pilot project in the Digital Rupee, or e-rupee, will
be under the wholesale segment (CBDC-W).

About Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or Digital

Technology involved:
Rupee or E- Rupee:
• Blockchain Technology: The key technology
• RBI defines CBDC (Digital Rupee (e₹) as the
behind the CBDC is blockchain technology which is
legal tender issued by a central bank in a digital
a distributed ledger-based technology but it is in a
form.
centralised form. (Unlike cryptocurrencies as they
are based on decentralised form)
Legal Tender:
o The underlying principle behind the centralised
• Legal Tender Money is anything recognized by law
form is to ensure cybersecurity, technical
as a means to settle a public or private debt or
stability, resilience, and sound technical
meet a financial obligation, including tax
governance standards.
payments, contracts, and legal fines or damages,
considered legal tender. Different Types of CBDC:
• In almost every country, the national currency is CBDC or the Digital Rupee is categorised into two
legal tender. types namely Retail (CBDC-R) and Wholesale
• It will act as fiat currency and is exchangeable one- (CBDC-W).
to-one with the current fiat currency.

20
 • Security risk: Elevated cyber security risks,
vulnerability testing, and the costs of protecting
the firewalls.
• Operational burden and costs for the central bank
in managing CBDC.

Way Forward:
• RBI should work towards addressing the
prevailing trust issues on digital currencies
amongst the public which includes the fear of
cybercrimes, cyber frauds, and money laundering.
• CBDCs across the world are still in the conceptual
or pilot stages, there is a lack of precedence.
Global Trends: • Hence, there is a need for extensive research along
• Bahamas has been the first economy to launch its with iterative technology design to develop a
platform that meets the demands.
nationwide CBDC - Sand Dollar.
• Nigeria is another country to have rolled out e-
Naira in 2020. One Nation One Fertilizer
Context:
• China became the world's first major economy to
pilot a digital currency e-CNY in April 2020. One Nation One Fertilizer' has been established to
introduce a 'Single Brand for Fertilizers and Logo'
• Korea, Sweden, Jamaica, and Ukraine are some of
under the fertilizer subsidy programme known as the
the countries to have begun testing its digital
'Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna'
currency and many more may soon follow.
(PMBJP).
Benefits of e-Rupee or CBDC: About it:
• Legal Backing: CBDC or Digital Rupee will have legal • The single brand name for UREA, Di-Ammonium
banking of the government unlike cryptocurrency. Phosphate DAP, Muriate of potash (MOP) and
• Secure: Due to its digital form (based on blockchain Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium NPK etc. would be
technology), incidents of fraud will get reduced. BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP and
• Financial Inclusion: The increased use of CBDC BHARAT NPK etc. respectively for all Fertiliser
could be explored for many other financial Companies, State Trading Entities (STEs) and
activities to push the informal economy into the Fertiliser Marketing Entities (FMEs).
formal zone to ensure better tax and regulatory
compliance.
• Tracking the transactions would be easier, and
more efficient.
• Easier Cross-Border Payments: It could eliminate
the need for an expensive network of
correspondent banks to settle cross-border
payments.

Challenges of CBDC:
• Privacy Concerns: The first issue to tackle is the
heightened risk to the privacy of users. This has
serious implications given that digital currencies
will not offer users the level of privacy and
anonymity offered by transacting in cash.

21
Implications: • They will provide better technical support to
• Uniformity in fertiliser brands across the country. customers.
• Scheme will result in reduction of the cost of • Digital Units will decrease the manpower
fertilisers and increase their availability. requirement.
• The farmer will get rid of all kinds of confusion • For the scheduled banks, they will ensure steady
about the quality of the fertilisers and its profits.
availability • DBUs will help the government enhance digital
• Farmers are confused and in illusion about fertiliser literacy.
brands and are not getting the quality soil nutrients • Helping the customers in making Fixed deposits
as retailers are pushing certain brands in hopes of (FDs) and Recurring Deposits (RDs) along with
higher commission and because companies run internet banking.
certain advertisements for particular products. • Also include end-to-end digital processing of
such loans, starting from online application to
Drawbacks: disbursal and identified government sponsored
• It will disincentivize fertiliser companies from schemes that are covered under the national
undertaking marketing and brand promotion portal.
activities.
• Currently, in case of any bag or batch of fertilisers Challenges of Digital Banking
not meeting the required standards, the blame is • The limitations of DBU include low public
put on the company. But now, that may be passed awareness and internet penetration in lower-tier
on fully to the government. cities.
• Digital banking forums are prone to vulnerabilities
Digital Banking Units and hacks such as phishing, pharming, identity
Context: theft, and keylogging.
The Prime Minister of India dedicated 75 Digital ● Huge investment needed
Banking Units (DBU) across 75 districts to the nation.
RBI Guidelines for DBUs:
About Digital Banking Units (DBU): • According to the guidelines, permission to open
• It is a business unit or hub with some digital DBUs has been given to scheduled commercial
infrastructure that helps in delivering banking banks (SCB) that have past digital banking
products and services, in a digital form, in self- experience.
service mode. • The DBUs that will be opened by the SCBs will be
• In simpler language, all the traditional bank work treated as Banking Outlets.
like depositing cheques, pay-in slips etc., will • Each DBU has to be housed distinctly, with
happen digitally in these units. separate provisions for exit and entry.
• Commercial banks (other than regional rural banks, • The guidelines state that the DBUs must be
payment banks and local area banks) with past separate from the existing Banking Outlet with
digital banking experience are permitted to open proper formats provided that will be appropriate
DBUs in tier 1 to tier 6 centres. for digital banking users.
• They are not required to take permission from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in each case. Making India Manufacturing Hub
Context:
Advantages of Digital banking: Make in India, the flagship program of the
• Credit accessibility will improve in the rural areas. Government of India has completed 8 years of path-
• Poor will get easier access to money and loans. breaking reforms on 25th September 2022.
• The establishment of these units will be cheaper
than the conventional brick and mortar units.

22
About it: manufacturing with the goal of achieving ‘Atma
• Launched in 2014 to transform the country into a Nirbhar Bharat. ‘
leading global manufacturing and investment
destination. Conclusion
• Make In India has substantial accomplishments • Each year, China exports commodities worth more
across 27 sectors. These include strategic sectors of than $2.5 trillion, of which $490 billion goes to the
manufacturing and services as well. US alone. The US-China trade war has given Indian
• It aims to make India the global manufacturing hub. businesses access to a sizable market.
It also aims to increase the sector’s GDP share to • Currently, India is regarded as the second most
25% from the existing 16%, and create 100 million popular country in the world for manufacturing.
new jobs by 2022. • The development of industrial clusters, the
automatic route’s allowance of FDI up to 100%, the
How India can be made manufacturing hub: accessibility of bank loans, and other factors are
● Sharm Suvidha is a web portal that provides a driving India’s manufacturing sector’s expansion.
single platform for all labour law compliances.
o Other labour reform initiatives include Random Millet
Inspection Scheme, Universal Account Number Context:
and Apprentice Protsahan Yojana. India has signaled the beginning of preparations for
• Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) prioritises the the International Year of Millets 2023, designated last
promotion of indigenous defence technology. year by the UNGA following an initiative by New Delhi.
• National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) provides for
Technology Acquisition and Development Fund Millet growing regions in India
(TADF) that facilitates the acquisition of clean,
green and energy-efficient technology by MSMEs.
• Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) provides
loans for small business.
• Startup India scheme’s objective is to generate
employment and promote economic development.
o Its seeks for the development and innovation of
products and services and aims to increase the
employment rate in India.
• Standup India aims to promote entrepreneurship
among women and SC and ST communities.
• Infrastructure Development Projects:
o For example, the National Infrastructure
Pipeline (NIP), which was built on a whole-of-
government approach, is already in place and
will cover the fiscal years 2019-20 to 2024-25.
• The National Industrial Corridor Development
Programme was established to support the
integrated development of industrial smart cities
with plug-and-play infrastructure and multi-modal Advantages of Millets:
connectivity. • Nutritional Security: Cheap and more nutritious.
• In addition, since 2020, a number of Production- E.g., Ragi has the highest calcium content and high
Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes have been iron content can fight the high prevalence of
announced for various sectors to incentivize anaemia.

23
• Climate Resilient: They are known as hardy and
drought-resistant crops, which has to do with their
• Economic Security: low investment for inputs
• Against Health Issues: Millets are gluten-free and
have a low glycemic index (glucose level) and
therefore can help in tackling lifestyle problems
and health challenges such as obesity and diabetes.
o Millets have antiaging and antioxidant

Challenges:
• Preference for Wheat as staple food: Wheat
because of gluten makes softer food and is more
liked.
• Government policies: Like National Food Security
Act promotes wheat and rice.
• Lack of awareness about the benefit of Millet.
• lack of input subsidies and price incentives, and
changing consumer preferences.
About Windfall Tax
Measures: • A windfall tax is a higher tax rate levied by
• Government declared (in 2018) millets as “Nutri- governments against certain industries when
Cereals”, considering their “high nutritive value” economic conditions allow those industries to
and also “anti-diabetic properties”. experience above-average profits
• The 2018 year: ‘National Year of Millets”. • When a corporate gains from something that it
• Increase in MSP for millets can't control or are responsible for, that financial
• Government has included millets in the public gain is windfall profits.
distribution system (PDS) and POSHAN Abhiyan. o For Example, the energy price rise as a result of
• Millet Mission (under the National Food Security the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Mission): It will help develop farm-gate processing
and empower farmers using FPOs. Why do Governments worldwide introduce windfall
• Kerala State Agriculture Department: Millet taxes?
Village scheme • The U.N. (United Nations) chief urged all
• SCO: India proposed to organize the “Millet Food governments to tax these excessive profits “and
Festival’ use the funds to support the most vulnerable
people through these difficult times.
Conclusion: • To fund social welfare schemes.
In view of the impact of climate change and • As a supplementary revenue stream for the
government aim for climate-smart agriculture, Millets government.
deserves encouragement. It can also help in providing • Analysts also saw the windfall tax as a way for the
nourishment to people across all income categories Centre to narrow the country’s widened trade
and supporting climate adaptation of rainfed deficit.
sustainable farming systems. What are the issues with imposing such taxes?
• Windfall taxes creates uncertainty in the market
Windfall Gain Tax about future taxes since they are applied in a
Context: retrospective manner.
In September, the government hiked the windfall • Populist Measure: Windfall taxes are populist and
profit tax on the export of diesel to Rs 13.5 per litre politically opportune in the short term.
and jet fuel exports to Rs 9 a litre.

24
• Companies may argue that it is the profit they • Neo-banks ensure a seamless online experience by
earned as a reward for the industry’s risk-taking to incorporating a digital and experiential layer on top
provide the end user with the petroleum product. of traditional banking.
• Hampering investments: Introducing a temporary • Because they are tech-driven, customers can easily
windfall profit tax reduces future investment sign up for accounts on their website/App and use
because prospective investors will internalise the their services.
likelihood of potential taxes.
• Difficulty in constituting true windfall profits; their How do they work?
determination and level of normalisation of profit. • Neo-banks have an entirely distinct business model
compared to conventional banks.
Neobanks • They are entirely online and have no physical
Context: location, the customer fees have been significantly
According to Inc42’s ‘State of Indian Fintech Report, lowered.
Q3 2022. InFocus: Neobanks’, Indian neobanking • Neo-banks provide personalised services powered
startups raised $869 Mn across 48 deals between by technology to their customers because they are
2014 and H1 2022. customer-focused.
• A neo-bank makes decisions using data as the
primary factor. Due to the advanced nature of their
platforms, they are better able to monitor and
analyse customer activity in the neo-banking
system.

Advantages:
• User-friendly, hassle-free, and easily accessible
• Quick International Payments
• Personalized experience: Neo-banks facilitate
immediate transactions. The details of your
About: transactions are updated instantly, so you always
Neo Banks know what your account balance is.
• “Neo” means new. These are new-age banks • Neo-banks are business-friendly as well. When it
without any physical location, present entirely comes to payments and disbursements, businesses
online. are frequently faced with lengthy, tedious
• They provide digital, mobile-first financial solutions procedures.
for payments, money transfers, lending, and more.
• They allow customers to make deposits and Conclusion:
withdraw money. • Neo-banking and cryptocurrency banking as a
• They offer debit cards, investment facilities, and service are concepts that will "stay in the game"
more. They even provide credit and lending over the coming years and become the new norm
services. in the fintech sector.
• However, most neobanks do not have a banking • Customers are becoming more aware of and
license and cannot operate stand-alone — most knowledgeable about the huge potential of crypto-
neobanks partner with licensed banks to provide friendly bank development.
financial services. • As a result, major market players have already
been investing in this evolving space and skillfully
Utility: meeting the needs of modern customers
• Traditional banking transactions can be time-
consuming and labor-intensive for customers.

25
 Zero Budget Natural Farming • Soil to be covered with crops 365 days (Living Root)
Context: • Minimal disturbance of Soil
In line with the government’s thrust on zero-budget • Biostimulantsas necessary catalysts
farming, Indian farmers have brought an additional • Use indigenous seed
4.78 lakh hectares area under natural farming • Mixed cropping
covering 17 States last year • Integration of trees into the farm
• Water and moisture conservation
About:
• Integrate animals in to farming
• Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZNBF) means raising
• Increase organic residues on the soil
crops without using any fertilizers and pesticides or
• Pest-management through botanical extracts
any other external materials.
• No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides
• The word Zero Budget refers to the zero cost of
production of all crops.
Four main elements and models of ZNBF:
• ZBNF guides the farmers towards sustainable
• Bijamrita:
farming practices thus helps in retaining soil
o The seeds are treated with formulations
fertility, to ensure a chemical free agriculture and
prepared using cow dung and cow urine from
ensure low cost of production (zero cost) and
native cow species.
thereby enhancing the farmers income.
• Jiwamrita/Jeevamrutha:
• The concept was promoted by agriculturist
o Jiwamrita is prepared using cow dung and cow
Subhash Palekar, in the mid-1990s as an alternative
urine. It is used as an input for the plants. It is a
to the Green Revolution’s methods.
fermented microbial culture obtained from cow
• Government has been promoting organic farming
dung, urine, jaggery, pulse flour and
under the dedicated scheme of Paramparagat
uncontaminated soil.
Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) which encourages all
• Acchadana/Mulching:
kinds of chemical-free farming systems including
o Mulching is the process of covering the top soil
Zero Budget Natural Farming.
with crop wastes/organic waste or with cover
Need crops.
• National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data • Waaphasa/Moisture (Soil Aeration):
indicates more than 50 per cent of all farmers are o Good aeration is required in the soil for plant
in debt due to increased cost of farm inputs like growth and development.
fertilizers and chemical pesticides.
• To realise the objective of doubling farmers’ Pilot Study on Zero Budget Natural Farming
income by 2022, the farm expenditure needs to be • Indian Council of Agriculture Research through
brought down and natural farming practices like ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research
ZBNF have to be encouraged to reduce the has initiated a study on Evaluation of Zero Budget
dependence of the farmers on external inputs like Natural Farming practices in Basmati/ coarse rice-
chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc. wheat system from Rabi Season 2017 at four
• Zero budget farming model brings down farm locations namely Modipuram (UP), Pantnagar
expenditure to a great extent and ends (Uttrakhand), Ludhiana (Pb), Kurukshetra
dependence on farm loans. (Haryana).
• It also reduces dependence on purchased inputs as • National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
it encourages use of own seeds and locally has also organized a brainstorming season on Zero
available natural fertilizers and farming is done in Budget Natural Farming in August, 2019.
synchronization with nature.
Way Forward
Principles of Zero Budget Natural Farming • NITI Aayog is one of the foremost promoters of
• No external inputs ZBNF method.

26
• The Andhra Pradesh Government experience is opportunities, registering a 29% uptick in their
also being monitored closely to judge the need for revenues after joining such platforms in 2022.
further public funding support for ZBNF.
• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is also What is Start up?
studying the ZBNF method practiced by basmati • A startup defined as an entity that is
and wheat farmers in some parts of India, headquartered in India, which was opened less
evaluating the impact on productivity, economics than 10 years ago, and has an annual turnover less
and soil health including soil organic carbon and than ₹100 crore.
soil fertility.
• If found to be successful, an institutional India and Startups
mechanism needs to be created to promote the • India - 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world
technology across the farming community. • Expected to witness YoY growth of a consistent
annual growth of 12-15%.
Startup ecosystem in India • The pace of growth in the startup ecosystem has
Context: increased to 15% year-on-year in 2018, while the
India has about 61,400 registered startups, making it growth of the number of incubators and
the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem in the accelerators has grown to 11%
world after the US and China as per the report • Womens and startup: number of women
released in October 2022 entrepreneurs stood at 14%, up from 10% and 11%
in the previous two years.

Challenges
• Sectors which got a huge natural push during the
pandemic such as ed-tech and gaming, their
growth has now plateaued, and they are in more
trouble.
• Decline in funding post covid: There are startups
which have not raised capital in the last two years.
Irrespective of which sector they operate in, they
will also face challenges in raising funds.
• The global slowdown and tightening monetary
conditions will likely add to investors' uncertainty
Report by StrideOne and the situation may not improve till the US
Observations: economy revives.
• With more than 60,000 registered startups in India, • A lot of the slowdown is happening in places
the ecosystem has the potential to contribute 4-5% where an experiment has failed or the business
to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) over model itself wasn’t ready for the scale.
the next three to five years • Start-ups continuously experiment and it is only
• As per Economic Survey 2021-22, India has about natural to see some of this play out
61,400 registered startups, making it the world’s • Forced mergers and acquisitions and the Indian
third-largest startup ecosystem in the world after start-up ecosystem may succumb to a sharp
the US and China. correction in valuations and a decrease in venture
• The report expects job creation by startups to grow capitalist funding for the next one year, especially
at a rate of 24% annually in the 2022-27 period. for first-time entrepreneurs.
• As for textile industry, which contributes about • Governance issues: Amid all this mergers and
2.3% to the GDP, the report notes that over 28% of acquisitions and buy-outs etc., governance issues
micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in in start-ups will play an important role.
India rely on startup platforms to source business

27
Government measures for startups Factors behind:
• Start-Up India Programme: A flagship initiative, • An enormous population
intended to build a strong eco-system for nurturing • Favourable demographics- India is projected to
innovation and start-ups in the country to drive have the world’s largest labour force, and could
sustainable economic growth and generate large contribute more than USD 500 billion annually to
scale employment opportunities. the global economy.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat: Digital India Atmanirbhar • High catch-up potential due to low initial GDP per
Bharat App Innovation Challenge. head
• Make in India: Promotion to indigenously made • Shift in economic power and focus to the growing
goods and services under the initiative. economies of the BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia,
• National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing India, and China
Innovations (NIDHI): It is an umbrella programme • Boom in the Investment Business
for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge- • India has been taking rapid strides in export,
based and technology-driven) into successful penetrating markets earlier monopolized by China.
startups. • Seaborne shipments of festival goods and
accessories to America touched USD 20 million,
Conclusion: almost triple the value from the year-ago period.
• The role of the state government becomes very • China’s continued decoupling from the global
important in developing the necessary economy offers an opportunity for India to focus its
infrastructure and support to foster the startup investment in longer-term competitiveness and
ecosystem. prioritize “winnable” sectors.
• Due to the given constraints of infrastructure and
supporting services, India needs to build upon low- India and UK comparison
cost and high-impact solutions. • In the midst of the economic crisis, India has faced
• Although there has been an increase in angel and the challenges better. On the other hand, Britain is
venture capital funding, the amount invested must bearing the brunt of its slowness. These figures are
be augmented. given in dollars, and it is worth noting that the
• It is crucial that the ecosystem is well integrated to Indian rupee has outperformed the UK pound
connect startups to fund houses and other against the dollar.
stakeholders. • According to the report, the size of the Indian
economy with respect to ‘nominal’ cash stood at
India being 5th largest economy USD 854.7 billion during the March quarter. In
Context: contrast, the same was USD 814 billion for the UK.
• India’s economy is forecast to grow by 7% this year, • India’s currency was in a strong position against the
making it the 5th largest in the world, the pound in the quarter during the time period during
International Monetary Fund (IMF) says. which this calculation was done.
• The IMF sees India having the world's 4th highest • On the other hand, the Indian economy is
GDP by 2027. registering a growth of 7 per cent, while the UK
economy is growing at less than 1 per cent.
• Due to these reasons, India grew rapidly but Britain
could not perform like India and fell behind India in
sixth place.

28
 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
COP 27- Outcomes and Concerns • Global stocktake: The second technical dialogue of
Context: the first global stocktake, a tool to increase
Recently, COP 27 was held in sharm el sheikh wherein ambition under the Paris Agreement, was
major decisions pertaining to climate change and completed by participants in the UN Climate
related issues were discussed. Change Conference COP27.
• Sharm-el-sheikh adaptation agenda: By 2030, it
About COP: proposes 30 Adaptation Outcomes that will help
The Conference of Parties (COP) is the apex decision- the 4 billion people who live in the most vulnerable
making body of the United Nations Climate Change communities to climate change become more
Framework Convention (UNFCCC). resilient.
Key Outcomes of COP27: • Adaptation and resilience: Initiative for Water
• Allocation of a "Loss and Damage" fund. Adaptation and Resilience (AWARe). It was started
• Loss and damage: The idea of loss and damage to highlight the significance of water as a major
came up first in 1991, when the Alliance of Small contributor to climate change as well as a potential
Island States (AOSIS) made the demand. remedy.
• It is a measure of 'loss and damage' arising from
Concerns:
the adverse impacts of climate crisis, especially the
1) Agriculture and other climate-sensitive
extreme weather events and increasing
industries did not receive enough attention at
temperatures.
the conference.
• In Simple Words, developed countries need to pay
2) On the climate finance front, not much has
developing countries for climate crisis as
been accomplished. Additionally, there ought
Developed nations have contributed the most,
to have been far more discussion about
(nearly 92 per cent) to greenhouse emissions
slowing the rate of climate change.
blamed for the climate crisis
3) A significant component of the Glasgow
o The fund will initially receive contributions from
Climate Pact's attempts to "keep 1.5°C alive"
the developed countries and other private and
was the mitigation work programme.
public sources.
However, COP27 did not permit the
programme to compare results to the
India's take
commitments made in Glasgow.
• Even though India welcomed the decision, it said
that rather than contributing, it will be claiming Way ahead:
from the fund. 1) According to IPCC, addressing the complete
• Reform in World Bank: A number of developed supply and demand chains—including
and developing countries are calling for urgent production, consumption, loss, and waste—is
changes to the World Bank as it has failed to the only way to keep greenhouse gas
provide the funding needed to help poor countries emissions within the 1.5°C upper limit.
cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Circular economy has to become more widely
• India’s Stand on Fossil fuels: India wanted to accepted in this setting.
include a commitment to phase down all fossil 2) The key lies in deeds, not empty words.
fuels (and not just coal). But the resolution failed. Multiple pledges per COP, made one after the
• Mitigation: A work programme on mitigation was other, are not always productive. The rich
started with the urgent goal of increasing nations should show the rest of the world how
mitigation ambition and application. they are making progress by taking steps that
eventually result in a reduction in direct
emissions.

29
 India’s strategy for Net zero India’s strategy:
Context: The Strategy is based on four key considerations that
At the present 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) in underpin India’s long-term low-carbon development
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, India recently submitted its strategy.
Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy to the 1. India has contributed little to global warming, its
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate historical contribution to cumulative global Green
Change (UNFCCC). House Gases emissions being minuscule despite
having a share of ~17% of the world’s population
About Net zero target: 2. India has significant energy needs for the
• The term "carbon neutrality" does not imply that a development. Thus, India will not phase out coal in
nation would reduce its emissions to zero. near future.
• Instead, it refers to a situation where a nation's 3. India is committed to pursuing low-carbon
emissions are balanced out by the removal and strategies for development and is actively pursuing
absorption of greenhouse gases from the them, as per national circumstances
atmosphere. 4. India needs to build climate resilience
5. The strategy will promote increased use of
India’s updated NDCs: biofuels, especially ethanol blending in petrol, the
• As per the updated NDC, India now stands drive to increase electric vehicle penetration, and
committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP the increased use of green hydrogen fuel are
by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level and achieve expected to drive the low carbon development of
about 50 percent cumulative electric power the transport sector.
installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based 6. Low-base, future sustainable, and climate-resilient
energy resources by 2030. urban development will be driven by smart city
initiatives, integrated planning of cities for
Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy: mainstreaming adaptation and enhancing energy
Salient features of the strategy are: and resource efficiency, effective green building
1. Rational utilization of national resources with due codes and rapid developments in innovative solid
regard to energy security. The transitions from and liquid waste management.
fossil fuels will be undertaken in a just, smooth, 7. India will also focus on improving energy efficiency
sustainable and all-inclusive manner. through the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT)
2. Increased use of biofuels, especially ethanol scheme, the National Hydrogen Mission, increasing
blending in petrol, the drive to increase electric electrification, enhancing material efficiency, and
vehicle penetration, and the increased use of green recycling and ways to reduce emissions.
hydrogen fuel are expected to drive the low carbon
development of the transport sector. India aspires Mission Life
to maximise the use of electric vehicles, ethanol About Mission LiFE:
blending to reach 20% by 2025, and a strong modal • LiFE stands for: Lifestyle for Environment.
shift to public transport for passenger and freight. • It was introduced by Prime Minister Modi at the
3. India’s industrial sector will continue on a strong COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021.
growth path, in the perspective of ‘Aatmanirbhar • It is an India-led global mass movement that will
Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’. nudge individual and collective actions towards
a. The focus will be on improving energy efficiency by the protection and preservation of the
the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, environment.
National Hydrogen Mission, high level of • It aims to make at least 80 per cent of all villages
electrification. and urban local bodies in India environmentally
friendly by 2028.

30
It follows a three-pronged strategy to achieve this • Enhancing Livelihood Options: By increasing
goal: income from ecotourism and related activities,
1. Promotion of environmental-friendly daily cheetah reintroduction will improve the living
practices among people (demand) standards of the local communities in and around
2. Enable industries and markets to respond to the the landscapes where the animal is likely to be
shift in demand (supply) brought.
3. Influence government and industrial policy to • Keeping the Food Chain Intact: Top predators
support both sustainable consumption and regulate all levels in a food chain and are
production (policy). considered as umbrella species for the food chain.
• Climate Change Mitigation: By restoring
Government Initiative: ecosystems in cheetah conservation zones, it will
• As part of Mission LiFE, the Indian Government improve India's ability to trap carbon and help the
unveiled a list of 75 lifestyle practices that can world achieve its climate change mitigation
promote climate-friendly behaviour. objectives.
• These actions are listed under 7 categories –
o energy saving Why is the cheetah being brought back?
o water saving • The aim behind the translocation is not only to
o reduced use of single-use plastic restore India’s ‘historic evolutionary balance’, but
o sustainable food systems also to develop a cheetah ‘metapopulation’ that
o waste reduction (swachhata actions) will help in the global conservation of the animal.
o adopting a healthy lifestyle • As it is a flagship species, the conservation of the
o e-waste handling cheetah will revive grassland-forests and its
biome and habitat, much like Project Tiger has
Cheetah Reintroduction Plan done for forests and all the species found in these
Context: forests.
8 Nambian wild cheetahs were reintroduced in Kuno
National Park (Madhya Pradesh) after 70 years of Challenges:
extinction. • Whether a cheetah living in an enclosure and being
What led to the Cheetah extinction? fed with a prey will be able to hunt in the wild on
• The cheetah was officially declared extinct by the its own is a crucial question.
Indian government in 1952. • Adaptability: Because of their small size and the
• Over-hunting was a major contributing factor for climatic and ecological variations between their
the cheetah’s extinction new home and their original environment,
• The decimation of its relatively narrow prey base reintroduced species are more susceptible to the
species influences of drift, selection, and gene flow
• Loss of its grassland-forest habitat also played a evolutionary processes.
role. • Large predator coexistence: Since it has never
o During the decades preceding independence, as happened anywhere, there is no precedent to draw
well as those after, India’s emphasis on from to imply that cheetahs, lions, tigers, and
agriculture – which included acquiring and leopards might live in peace.
parcelling off grassland – led to a decline in the • Conclusion: Comprehensive Rehabilitation
cheetah’s habitat. Mechanism To maintain the safety and
Rationale behind reintroduction contentment of the locals, it is necessary to
• Biological goals include helping to conserve the develop a proper rehabilitation strategy that
cheetah species globally and re-establishing the includes proper communication between
cheetah's ecosystem function role in administrative officers and the locals.
representative regions of its previous range.

31
 Nationally Determined Contributions 2. insufficient technological knowledge
About NDCs: 3. Lack of advice and clarity around what should be or
• Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at should not be included in INDCs
the heart of the Paris Agreement and the 4. International assistance for creating the INDCs is
achievement of its long-term goals. lacking
• Simply put, an NDC, or Nationally Determined
Contribution, is a climate action plan to cut Conclusion:
emissions and adapt to climate impacts. Each Party Members of society who are economically weaker
to the Paris Agreement is required to establish an face the weight of present climate change mitigation
NDC and update it every five years. efforts without having their aspirations for
advancement and development taken into account. As
India’s updated NDC’S: a responsible global citizen, India is prepared to take
1. India has pledged that it will reduce the emissions the lead in adaptation efforts that will make alleviating
intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by poverty for the world's poor a key priority for
45% from 2005 levels by the year 2030. combatting climate change.
2. Also, it will have an installed capacity for non-fossil
fuel-based power sources equivalent to the Groundwater Contamination in India
country’s 50% requirement by 2030. According to the Central Groundwater Board, India's
3. Further, the updates NDC includes adoption of groundwater is highly polluted. As many as 276
mass movement for ‘LIFE’– ‘Lifestyle for districts have high concentrations of fluoride. Nitrates
Environment’ and more in addition to its NDC above acceptable levels are found in 387 districts, and
submitted in 2015. arsenic in high quantities is present in eighty-six
4. Non fossil fuel-based energy – To meet 50% of districts.
cumulative electric power installed capacity from
non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. Common contaminants
5. Power - 500 GW of non-fossil fuel installed power 1. Nitrates: The most prevalent groundwater
generation capacity by 2030. contamination is dissolved nitrate. A lot can cause
6. Absolute Emission - Cutting absolute emissions by "blue baby disease" in children and hasten
one billion tonnes, presumably from projected eutrophication in surface waters
business-as-usual (BAU) 2030 levels. (methemoglobinemia). Some sources of nitrates
7. Net-zero emissions – To be achieved by 2070. include sewage, fertilisers, air pollution, landfills,
and industries.
Significance: 2. Trace metals: Nickel, copper, chromium, lead,
1. The INDC showed that economic growth is mercury, and cadmium are among the trace
compatible with low-carbon and climate-resilient metals. These metals have the potential to cause
pathways. cancer and damage. The fallout or ash pond
2. Additionally, it will contribute to increased health, disposal of fly ash from thermal power plants are
reduced poverty, and simple access to energy and sources as well as discharges from industrial and
security. mining operations. Industrial solid waste is
3. Additionally, it will draw support for monetary, dumped and then slowly seeps into the earth
technological transfer, and capacity building. through the rain.
4. The worst effects of climate change might be 3. Inorganic and organic constituents
mitigated if similar initiatives are encouraged in 4. Salinity: Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Gujarat
other nations. are the most salinity-prone states in the interior;
Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh,
Challenges: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu are
1. The limited time allocated to produce the INDC is less salinity-prone
seen as a barrier by several nations.

32
5. Coastal: Sundarban region, Subarnrekha, Salandi, o Water leaking from broken sewage systems
Brahamani outfall sections of Odhisa, Saurashtra o flooding caused by drainage
Coast, Minjur area of Tamil Nadu • Urban flooding has been increasing as of late in
6. Uranium: 16 states in northwestern, southern, and India, severely affecting major cities. Some of the
south-eastern India produce uranium. Rajasthan most significant events of urban flooding include
and Andhra Pradesh have high rates of prevalence. Mumbai Floods of 2005, Kolkata in 2007, Delhi in
Water uranium criteria set by the US 2009, Bangalore in 2015 and the Hyderabad floods
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the of 2020.
WHO: uranium in each millilitre at 30 micrograms
Factors responsible:
Measures: Urban flooding in India is a result of myriad factors
1. Replenishing the aquifers in overexploited areas is some of which are:
essential. Financial and legal incentive should be • Stormwater drainage systems whose capacities are
given to individuals to recharge the common overwhelmed when a rainfall of high intensity
groundwater source. happens.
2. Wastewater treatment: Recharging groundwater • Haphazard and irregular planning of cities
from treated wastewater is safe. compounded by problems of illegal encroachments
3. Demineralization: All harmful contaminants from which eliminate natural watercourses necessary to
drinking water can be eliminated with drain excess water.
demineralization utilising a RO system. • Climate Change: Exacerbated by changing climate,
4. Adoption of pollution control measures to stop resulting in extreme events. The climate change
future aquifer contamination has caused an increase in the frequency of short
5. Government should provide clean drinking water duration heavy rainfall leading to higher water run-
to communities that are badly contaminated. off.
• Uninformed Release of Water from Dams:
Government initiatives: Unplanned and sudden release of water from dams
1. Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017 and lakes lead to floods in an urban area, without
2. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, giving the public enough time to respond.
1974
3. Salinity Ingress Prevention Scheme, Gujarat Way forward:
4. Environmental Protection Act, 1986 1. Developing Blue Green Infrastructure: Blue Green
5. National Project on Aquifer Management Infrastructure is an effective way of providing a
sustainable natural solution to urban and climatic
Urban floods challenges.
• Urban flooding is the inundation of land in an 2. Flood vulnerability Mapping: Identification of the
artificial environment, often in places with a high vulnerable areas can be done by examining
population density. It arises when rainfall or allied topography and historical data of inundations at
events overrun the capacity of drainage systems. city level.
• Urban flooding, a natural calamity that occurs 3. Construction of flood walls, elevated platforms
annually, is a significant problem in many regions along flood-prone river basins, prompt cleaning,
of the world. Rise in sea-levels caused by global and channel deepening should all be undertaken
warming is just aggravating the problem further. along the entire river basin rather than just the
There are other elements at play in addition to the metropolitan regions. This is effective water-shed
widely held belief that urban residences close to management.
floodplains are most likely to be affected. 4. Disaster Resilient Public Utility: Public facilities like
• These are a few of such elements. hospitals and schools and basic services such as
o Flash-floods food, water, health and sanitation should be made
o snow melting disaster resilient

33
Project tiger: • sustainably increase agricultural productivity and
• The Government of India launched the Project incomes;
Tiger with the aim of saving the steadily declining • adapt and build resilience to climate change
population of tigers in India on 1 April 1973 • reduce and/or remove greenhouse gas emissions,
• The project's main goals are where possible.
• to manage tiger habitats and lessen the factors that
contribute to their decline. How is climate-smart agriculture implemented?
• Ensure the survival of the tiger population for • Climate-smart agriculture relates to actions in
reasons of science, ecology, economics, beauty, fields, pastures, forests, and oceans and freshwater
and culture. ecosystems.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority • It involves the assessment and application of
oversees the project as its administrative entity technologies and practices, the creation of a
(NTCA). In accordance with the Tiger Task Force's supportive policy and institutional framework and
recommendations, the NTCA was established in the formulation of investment strategies.
2005.
• There are eight Conservation Units within the Climate-smart agricultural systems include different
organization, each led by a director in charge of a elements such as:
specific reserve region. the management of land, crops, livestock, aquaculture
• The Forest Rights Act was passed in 2006, which and capture fisheries to balance near-term food
recognized the rights of certain forest-dwelling security and livelihoods needs with priorities for
communities. This could be problematic for the adaptation and mitigation;
population of tigers in that it could increase tiger- • ecosystem and landscape management to
human contact. conserve ecosystem services that are important for
• The project has brought about significant changes food security, agricultural development,
in the tiger population in the country. From 2010 adaptation and mitigation;
to 2014, there has been a 30% rise in the number • services for farmers and land managers that can
of tigers in India. At present, there are 2226 tigers enable them to better manage the risks and
in India, which is the highest in the world (about impacts of climate change and undertake
70% of the tigers in the world are in India). mitigation actions; and
• Recent tiger census: • changes in the wider food system including
• As of 2019, India’s Tiger population stands at a total demand-side measures and value chain
of 2967 which is 70 per cent of the global tiger interventions that enhance the benefits of climate-
population smart agriculture.
• In 2006, the count of Tigers in the country was 1411
and with 2967 Tigers by 2019, India successfully The three pillars of CSA
fulfilled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers, Productivity:
made at St. Petersburg in 2010, much before the CSA aims to sustainably increase agricultural
target year of 2022 productivity and incomes from crops, livestock and
fish, without having a negative impact on the
Climate-smart agriculture environment. A key concept related to raising
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) may be defined as an productivity is sustainable intensification
approach for transforming and reorienting agricultural
development under the new realities of climate Adaptation:
change. CSA aims to reduce the exposure of farmers to short-
term risks, while also strengthening their resilience by
Why is CSA needed? building their capacity to adapt and prosper in the face
Climate-smart agriculture helps in the following ways. of shocks and longer-term stresses.

34
Mitigation: Conclusion:
Wherever and whenever possible, CSA should help to • To preserve the sustainability of Indian agriculture,
reduce and/or remove greenhouse gas (GHG) the adoption of climate-smart agriculture is
emissions. urgently required.
• Additionally, techniques like Integrated
FarmSystemsstem and Zero Budget Natural
Farming could be used.

Single Use Plastic

The Centre has banned the use of ‘single-use plastic’
from July 1, 2022
What is Single-Use Plastics?
• Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used
only once before they are thrown away or recycled.
• For Example:
o Plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and
water bottles and most food packaging.

Key characteristics/ Advantages of CSA: Banned Items by Central Pollution Control Board
1. CSA addresses climate change: Contrary to (CPCB):
conventional agricultural development, CSA • Earbuds; balloon sticks; candy and ice-cream
systematically integrates climate change into the sticks; cutlery items including plates, cups, glasses,
planning and development of sustainable forks, spoons, knives, trays; sweet boxes.
agricultural systems • Invitation cards; cigarette packs; PVC banners
2. CSA maintains ecosystem services: Ecosystems measuring under 100 microns; and polystyrene for
provide farmers with essential services, including decoration.
clean air, water, food and materials. It is imperative How will the ban be enforced?
that CSA interventions do not contribute to their • The ban will be monitored by the CPCB from the
degradation. Centre, and by the State Pollution Control Boards
4. CSA engages women and marginalised groups: To (SPCBs) that will report to the Centre regularly.
achieve food security goals and enhance resilience, • Directions have been issued at national, state and
CSA approaches must involve the poorest and most local levels — for example, to all petrochemical
vulnerable groups. industries — to not supply raw materials to
industries engaged in the banned items.
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) & Indian agriculture:
● CSA will help in reducing vulnerability to drought, What is the environmental damage from single-use
pests, diseases and other climate-related risks plastic?
and shocks as the Indian agriculture is highly • Unlike thicker and denser plastic material, single-
dependent on Monsoon. use plastic objects being light and flexible are less
• India has a growing population to fulfill the amenable to being recycled.
demands of nutrition for the population. Through • Single use plastics do not provide an incentive
CSA more and better food to be produced for enough for the effort needed to collect them and
improve nutrition security and boost incomes. hence they lie around, leach their toxins into the
• CSA will help in releasing lower emissions for each soil and cause environmental damage in both land
kilo of food produced, avoid deforestation from and sea.
agriculture.

35
Way forward: of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change
• Use less plastic: Since the majority of single-use (MoEFCC) published the "Regulation of Persistent
plastics cannot be recycled, we must use less Organic Pollutants Rules" in 2018.
plastic, shift to environmentally friendly goods and
services, and develop technology that more India’s stand:
effectively recycles plastic. • India contested the suggestion of the United
• Hope for a reduction: By outlawing these plastic Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to
products, India may be able to lower the amount of designate chlorpyrifos as a POP. Chlorpyrifos,
plastic garbage it produces. however, was designated as a persistent organic
• The materials, recyclability, accessibility of contaminant.
alternatives, and livelihood security for the • Reasons: Chlorpyrifos has minimal amounts and is
informal sector should all be taken into not a carcinogen.
consideration while developing the phase-wise • Studies in the POPRC-17 proposal that showed
banning. chlorpyrifos side effects weren't all peer-reviewed.
• Committee of Anupam Verma: The Anupam
Stockholm Convention Verma Committee has recommended chlorpyrifos'
The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect evaluation since 1977 in order to continue using it
human health and the environment from persistent in 2015. Chlorpyrifos is a licenced insecticide under
organic pollutants (POPs). the Insecticide Act of 1968.

What are persistent organic pollutants (POPs)? Miyawaki Method

POPs are chemicals that remain intact in the This method of afforestation was developed by the
environment for long periods, become widely Japanese botanist and plant ecology expert Professor
distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty Akira Miyawaki.
tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and
wildlife. Features of Miyawaki Method
• It draws inspiration from nature’s ecosystems to
Aims of Stockholm convention: create 100% organic, dense and diverse pioneer
• Eliminate dangerous POPs, starting with the 12 forests in as little as 20-30 years.
worst • Miyawaki forests grow 10x faster, are 30 x denser
• Support the transition to safer alternatives and contain 100x more biodiversity.
• Target additional POPs for action • Miyawaki forests are viable solutions for cities
• Cleanup old stockpiles and equipment containing looking to rapidly build climate resilience.
POPs
• Work together for a POPs-free future What is the process of miyawaki?
• In this technique, the native trees of the region are
Ratification by India: divided into four layers after identification and
• India ratified the Stockholm Convention in analysis of soil quality.
accordance with Article 25(4) in 2006, allowing it to • The four layers include shrub, sub-tree, tree, and
maintain its default "opt-out" status, which canopy. The biomass is mixed with soil to enhance
prevents amendments to the convention's various its nutrients, perforation and water retention
Annexes from being enforced against it absent an capacity.
explicit deposit of an instrument of ratification, • Further, the seeds are planted on soil made mound
acceptance, approval, or accession with the UN at a high density i.e 3 to 5 saplings per square meter
depositary. and a thick layer of mulch is used to cover the
• In accordance with the stipulations of the ground.
Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, the Ministry

36
 One Water Concept (FFV) and Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles
One Water emphasizes that all water has value, (FFV-SHEV) within a specific time frame.
encouraging those in the water industry to work
together to solve water challenges. What are Flexible fuel vehicles?
• Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) have an internal
7 One Water characteristics: combustion engine and are capable of operating on
• Advance regional collaboration on water gasoline and any blend of gasoline and ethanol up
management. to 83%.
• Accelerate agriculture-utility partnerships to
improve water quality. Advantages:
• Sustain adequate funding for water infrastructure. • Lessening Import Bill Pressure: The policy is
• Blend public and private expertise and investment anticipated to lessen consumer demand for
to address infrastructure needs. petroleum-based goods.
• Redefine affordability for the 21st century. • Support for Atma Nirbhar Bharat: It is consistent
• Reduce lead risks and embrace the mission of with the government's strategy for marketing
protecting public health. ethanol as a transportation fuel as well as the
• Accelerate technology adoption to build efficiency prime minister's vision for Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
and improve water service. • Greenhouse gas reduction and climate change
mitigation: This action will significantly cut well-to-
Advantages: wheel greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.
• Water is recycled and reused several times in • Use of ethanol blending sharply lowers harmful
IWRM, in contrast to a one-way route from supply pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur, and
to use, treatment and disposal. carbon and nitrogen oxides.
• Storm-water is used as a significant resource to • Another obvious benefit is that blending will help
support natural vegetation, recharge groundwater, cutback on oil imports for fueling vehicles.
and combat water scarcity.
• As opposed to grey infrastructure in traditional Challenges:
water management, the water system • Customer acceptance will be a major challenge
incorporates green infrastructures and a mix of • Running cost (due to lower fuel efficiency) will be
both grey and green infrastructure. higher by more than 30 per cent
• In the "One Water" model, active collaborations • Flex Fuel Engines cost more as ethanol has very
with industry, agencies, legislators, business different chemical properties than petrol.
leaders, and diverse stakeholders are a regular • Government initiatives:
practise, whereas in conventional water • National Policy on Biofuels–2018
management systems, collaboration is need based. • E100 Project.
• Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, 2019
Conclusion: • GOBAR (Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources)
● For a thorough, resilient, and sustainable DHAN Scheme, 2018
management of water resources, the focus should • Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO)
be shifted from a single-minded and linear strategy
to a multi-dimensional integrated water manage- Hydrogen Energy
ment method, or the "One Water" approach. Context:
Indian Railways plans to operate trains using hydrogen
Flex Fuel Vehicles fuel-based technology by 2030 as part of its "Mission
Context: Net Zero Carbon Emission Railway" initiative. It is
The government has encouraged Indian automakers thinking about retrofitting current trains for this.
to start producing BS-6-compliant Flex Fuel Vehicles

37
What is hydrogen fuel? sources, was publicly declared by the finance
Hydrogen fuel is a zero-emission fuel burned with minister in the Union budget for 2020–21.
oxygen. It can be used in fuel cells or internal 2. The draft regulations for NHM will be completed by
combustion engines. It is also used as a fuel for the end of this month, according to the Ministry of
spacecraft propulsion. New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), following
which they will be submitted for the Union
Potential of hydrogen fuel Cabinet's approval.
• Water is the only by-product or emission that
comes from using hydrogen fuel, making it Global Gateway Initiative
completely clean. Context:
• Considered an alternative fuel is hydrogen. It is Recently, the European Commission has announced a
because of its potential for domestic plan, called Global Gateway, to mobilise EURO 300
manufacturing, the promise for high fuel cell billion by 2027 in public and private infrastructure
efficiency, and its ability to power fuel cells in zero- investment around the world.
emission electric vehicles.
• In actuality, an electric motor and fuel cell About the global gateway plan:
combination are two to three times more efficient The plan intends to
than a gasoline-powered internal combustion 1. Create high-quality, sustainable digital, energy, and
engine. transportation infrastructure.
• The fuel for internal combustion engines can also 2. Bolster global systems for research, education, and
be hydrogen. health.
• One kilogramme of hydrogen gas weighs 2.2 3. Funding: To finance the project, the EU will use its
pounds, and one gallon of gasoline weighs 6.2 European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus.
pounds, or 2.8 kilogrammes, of energy. 4. An offshoot of B3W Project: The EU strategy is an
offshoot of the Build Back Better World (B3W)
Challenges: Initiative.
• The economic viability of collecting green or blue
hydrogen is one of the enormous hurdles that the Significance:
industry must overcome in order to use hydrogen 1. Common ground: It's encouraging to see that
commercially. Europe is now attempting to exert its influence in
• The cost of producing hydrogen is increased by the this region. That's a subject matter that interests
fledgling and expensive technologies utilised in its both India and her American and British allies over
production and consumption, such as carbon the pond.
capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen fuel cells. 2. Removing dependencies: The EU has emphasized
• After a plant is built, fuel cell maintenance explicitly that its strategy is "values-based" and
expenses might be high, as they were in South "transparent," contending that its goal is to forge
Korea. connections rather than dependency.
• Massive investments in research and development 4. The bloc will mobilize financial aid in public
of such technology, as well as infrastructure for and private infrastructure investment around
hydrogen production, storage, and transportation, the world.
are necessary for the practical use of hydrogen as
a fuel and in many sectors. Indian Environment Service
Context:
Government initiatives: Recently, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to
1. Recently, the National Hydrogen Mission, which establish a dedicated Indian Environment Service (IES)
aims to produce hydrogen from renewable power at the all-India level.

38
The creation of IES was recommended by a committee • Mass extinction refers to a substantial increase in
headed by former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian the degree of extinction or when the Earth loses
in 2014. more than three-quarters of its species in a
geologically short period of time.
Need of Indian Environment Service • So far, during the entire history of the Earth, there
• The time for creating an All-India Service like the have been five mass extinctions.
Indian Environmental Services for the environment
is long overdue given the state of chaos that exists Sixth mass extinction:
throughout the country due to the accumulation of The sixth, which is ongoing, is referred to as the
waste in both rural and urban areas, Anthropocene extinction. Researchers have described
• Unchecked water pollution, and contamination of it as the “most serious environmental problem” since
the air we breathe, among other things. the loss of species will be permanent.

Significance: Changes observed:

1. The formation of the new Indian Environmental 1. More than 400 vertebrate species went extinct in
Services would help overcome the problems the past century, extinctions that, in the normal
associated with coordination and policy path of evolution, would have taken more than
implementation for environmental protection. 10,000 years.
2. It will bring about a change in the current 2. A sampling of 177 species of large mammals
administrative structure where government revealed that the majority had lost more than 80%
servants don't find time to spare for environmental of their geographic range in the previous century,
causes. and 32% of the more than 27,000 species of
3. Pollution Control Boards can also be merged with vertebrates had diminishing populations.
the All-India Service to boost their power. 3. The legal and illegal wildlife trade is destroying
many of the species that are endangered or on the
Challenges: verge of extinction.
1. IES will overlap with the already existing one All 4. Cheetahs, lions, and giraffes are just a few of the
India Service (Indian Forest Service). mammal species that were once considered to be
2. Apart from this, IES will also pose the challenge to reasonably safe. As few as 20,000 lions, fewer than
federal structure. 7,000 cheetahs, 500–1,000 giant pandas, and
about 250 Sumatran rhinoceroses remain in the
Way forward: wild.
• The creation of new All India Services emanates
from the fact that AIS officers have a generalist Impacts:
approach whereas contemporary challenges • The loss of agricultural pollination and water
require a more specialized approach. filtration are two examples of concrete effects of
• In order to maintain a balance between the two, an species extinction.
Indian Environmental Service Academy can be set • Additionally, if a species serves a particular
up, in order to train officers for enforcing purpose in an ecosystem, its extinction may have
environmental laws. an adverse effect on the food chain, which may
affect other species.
Sixth Mass Extinction • A population or species' or individuals'
Context: contributions to ecosystem processes and services
The ongoing sixth mass extinction may be one of the become insignificant when their numbers fall too
most serious environmental threats to the persistence low.
of civilization, according to new research.
What is mass extinction?

39
• It is anticipated that the effects of extinction will • They highlight the symbiotic relationship between
worsen the genetic and cultural heterogeneity, people and nature.
which will alter entire ecosystems. • These structures have a capacity to hold more
than 50 people over the bridge.
Steps needed to prevent the extinction
1. Lawmaking: From the 2016 Paris Agreement's E-Waste
efforts to reduce global pollution emissions to the Context:
United Kingdom's Global Resource Initiative, which India is now planning a shift to two standard chargers
fights deforestation, lawmaking will always be at across mobile phone brands and portable-electronic
the forefront of the effort to avert mass extinction. devices which in turn will help in tackling the issue of
2. regulating animal markets: In the wake of the e-waste.
current pandemic, wildlife markets have come
under scrutiny as possibly harmful to human health What is E-waste?
due to zoonotic infections as well as E-Waste is short for Electronic-Waste and the term is
environmentally unsustainable. used to describe old, end-of-life or discarded
3. Monitoring species population: One of the best electronic appliances.
ways to help prevent species from becoming
extinct is to monitor their populations and identify Example:
any problems before it's too late to help. Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax
4. Saved by cloning: Another potential solution to machines are everyday electronic products.
combat extinction could be to clone species.
Key statistics:
Living Root Bridges • According to an ASSOCHAM-EY report on
Context: electronic waste management, India is estimated
As per the study recently published in the journal to have generated five million tonnes of e-waste in
Scientific Reports, the living root bridges (found in 2021, ranking only behind after China and the USA.
Meghalaya) can be considered as a reference point for • The European Union (EU) has ordered the USB-C
future botanical architecture projects in urban port as standard for all devices by mid-2024,
contexts. including Apple’s iPhone, which at present uses its
own standard.
Facts about Living Root Bridges:
• The Living Root Bridges are made from the Rubber Challenges related to e-waste management
Tree Roots. They are also known as Ficus Elastica 1. The failure of consumers to recycle their own used
trees. electronics was a significant contributing factor.
• They serve as connectors, to cross streams and 2. There is the absence of any public information on
rivers. They have been doing this for generations in most State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/PCC
the Indian state of Meghalaya. websites.
• They are world-famous tourist attractions. The two 3. E-waste contains over 1,000 toxic materials, which
most popular tourist spots are- Riwai Root Bridge contaminate soil and groundwater.
in Shillong and Umshiang Double Decker Bridge in 4. The unorganised sector lacks clear procedures for
Cherrapunji. handling e-waste.
5. Additionally, there are no mentions of incentives to
Features of Living Root Bridge persuade interested parties to follow a formal path
• These bridges are elastic in nature. for treating e-waste.
• Their roots easily combine with each other 6. Lack of coordination between various authorities
• These trees can grow in rough and rocky soils. responsible for E-waste management and disposal
including the non-involvement of municipalities.

40
Government initiatives: loss. More than 1.4 billion people living in the
1. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate world’s largest urban centres are threatened by
Change notified the E-Waste Management Rules, natural hazards.
2016 in supersession of the E-waste (Management • Solution to overcome from Nature Loss: Investing
& Handling) Rules, 2011. in ‘Nature-positive’ investments – such as Nature-
2. For the first time, the rules brought the producers based Solutions for infrastructure or returning land
under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), to nature can enhance nature. It can also secure
along with targets. Producers have been made significant economic benefits as cities become
responsible for the collection of E-waste and for its more resilient, liveable and competitive.
exchange.
3. Deposit Refund Scheme has been introduced as an Marine heat waves
additional economic instrument wherein the Context:
producer charges an additional amount as a According to a study, during the May 2020 maritime
deposit at the time of sale of the electrical and heatwave, 85 percent of the corals in the Gulf of
electronic equipment and returns it to the Mannar on the Tamil Nadu coast bleached.
consumer along with interest when the end-of-life
electrical and electronic equipment is returned. What are marine heat waves?
4. Urban Local Bodies (Municipal • Marine heat waves (MHW), which are periods of
Committee/Council/Corporation) have been increased temperatures over seas and oceans.
assigned the duty to collect and channelize the • Such heat waves are caused by an increase in the
orphan products to authorized dismantlers or heat content of oceans, especially in the upper
recyclers. layers.
• The marine heat waves in the Indian Ocean are also
Way forward: majorly impacting the southwest monsoon over
1. To enhance e-waste management methods, the Indian subcontinent.
safeguard the environment, improve the health • During an MHW, the average temperatures of the
and working conditions of labourers, and give more ocean surface (up to a depth of 300 feet) goes 5-7
than a million people better employment degrees Celsius above normal
prospects, it is necessary to develop a strategy to
interact with informal sector employees. Causes of Marine heatwaves
2. The need of the hour is to generate employment, • Ocean currents: The most common source of
which can be done through identifying and marine heat waves is ocean currents, which may
promoting cooperatives and expanding the scope build up patches of warm water and air-sea heat
of the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 to these flux, or warming via the ocean surface from the
cooperatives or the informal sector workers. atmosphere.
• Sunlight normally penetrates the atmosphere and
Biodiverse Cities by 2030 heats the ocean’s surface. When there are light
Context: winds, the warm water does not mix with the
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released a cooler water below. It floats on the surface of the
report titled “Bio-diversities by 2030: Transforming water and continues to heat up, resulting in marine
cities’ relationship with nature heat waves.
• El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Large-scale
Key findings: climate influences such as the El Nino Southern
• Cities contribute nearly 80% to the global Oscillation (ENSO) can to cause marine heatwaves.
economy, but they also account for nearly three-
fourths of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Around 44% of global GDP in cities ($31 trillion) is
estimated to be at risk of disruption from nature

41
Impact of heat waves Importance of Oceans
1. Affect ecosystem structure, by supporting certain • The ocean covers more than 70% of the world's
species and suppressing others. surface, giving the Earth its unforgettable image of
2. Can change the habitat ranges of certain species, a "blue planet".
such as the spiny sea urchin off southeastern • It is the largest reserve of the biosphere, which is
Australia which has been expanding southward the sum of all living organisms, whether animals,
into Tasmania at the expense of kelp forests which plants or bacteria.
it feeds upon. • It is also the 'lungs' of our planet, generating 50%
3. Can cause economic losses through impacts on of the oxygen it needs and absorbing 25% of CO2
fisheries and aquaculture. emissions.
4. There is a link between marine heat waves and • Oceans also absorbs most of the heat that our
harmful algal blooms. anthropogenic activity has generated in excess
since the industrial revolution and is therefore our
Way forward: great ally in the fight against global warming
• A wide range of stakeholders, including politicians,
researchers, the corporate sector (fisheries, Blue Flag Certification
aquaculture, ecotourism), environmentalists, and Blue Flag certification is a globally recognized eco-
civil society, must take action to effectively label accorded by Foundation for Environment
respond to MHWs. Education in Denmark (FEE).
• Local management agencies should therefore raise
awareness across all stakeholders and implement About:
forecast systems to help achieve a coordinated It is accorded on the basis of 33 criterias.
response. These criterias are divided into 4 major heads namely,
• National and sub-national governments should • Environmental education and information
design and implement measures to protect • Bathing water quality
communities and build regional ocean resilience. • Environmental management
• Conservation and safety services in the beaches
One Ocean Summit
Context: Blue Flag beaches of India
Recently, the Prime Minister addressed the high-level • Shivrajpur in Gujarat
segment of the One Ocean Summit. The summit was • Ghoghla in Diu
organised by France in Brest, France in cooperation • Kasarkod and Padubidri in Karnataka
with the United Nations and the World Bank. • Kappad in Kerala
• Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh
What is one ocean summit?
• Radhanagar in Andaman and Nicobar
• The One Ocean Summit seeks to increase the
• Golden in Odisha
global community's collective degree of ambition
• Kovalam in Tamil Nadu
on marine challenges.
• Eden in Puducherry
• It concentrates on initiatives to enhance high seas
governance and organising global scientific
Significance:
research.
• Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest
beaches of the world. It is an eco-tourism model
Objective of the Summit
endeavoring to provide the tourists/beachgoers
• To mobilise the international community to take
clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities, a safe
tangible action to support and preserve healthy
and healthy environment and sustainable
and sustainable ocean ecosystems.
development of the area.

42
• It is accorded by the international jury composed Impact on economic growth
of eminent members - United Nations Environment • India's battery manufacturing sector has the
Programme (UNEP), United Nations World Tourism potential to surpass crude oil imports in size. The
Organisation (UNWTO), Denmark-based NGO Indian economy would receive a significant boost
Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and as a result.
International Union for Conservation of Nature • According to the European Climate Foundation, by
(IUCN). 2030, there will be a 5.0% to 8.5% rise in
• On the lines of Blue Flag certification, India has also employment due to the use of more energy-
launched its own eco-label BEAMS (Beach efficient electric vehicles to reduce oil
Environment & Aesthetics Management Services). consumption.
• One study estimates that each electric vehicle will
Electric Vehicles provide between $300 and $400 in net individual
Context: and social benefits.
Electric Vehicles can play a vital role in combating • It is anticipated that increasing tax revenues in
climate change across the globe by helping to cut other economic sectors will offset the revenue loss
down the emissions and reducing dependence on for governments caused by the taxes on the oil
fossil fuels. sector.
• Opportunities for durable and lightweight
About: thermoplastics, increased need for electricity,
An electric vehicle (EV) is one that operates on an storage, and many other industries will be brought
electric motor, instead of an internal-combustion an about by EVs.
electric motor powers an electric vehicle (EV) as
opposed to an internal combustion engine, which Challenges
produces power by burning a mixture of fuel and • There is concern over the absence of a
gases. manufacturing base for batteries in India, leading
to sole reliance on imports to meet rising demand.
Need for Electric Vehicles: • As per government data, India imported more than
• India is in need of a transportation revolution. $1 billion worth of lithium-ion cells in 2021, even
• The current pace of adding more cars running on though there is negligible penetration of electric
expensive imported fuel, contributing to air vehicles and battery storage in the power sector.
pollution is unfeasible. • Consumer Related Issues: In 2018, India was
• The transition to electric mobility is a promising reported to have only 650 charging stations, which
global strategy for decarbonising the transport is quite less than the neighboring counterparts who
sector. already had over 5 million charging stations.
• Policy Challenges: EV production is a capital-
Benefits of EV’S intensive sector requiring long term planning to
• Have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas break even and profit realization, uncertainty in
emissions government policies related to EV production
• Reduce dependence on petroleum discourages investment in the industry.
• Reduce health effects from air pollution • Lack of Technology and Skilled Labour: India is
• They produce little or no tailpipe emissions technologically deficient in the production of
• Electric motors are mechanically very simple and electronics that form the backbone of the EV
often achieve 90% energy conversion efficiency industry, such as batteries, semiconductors,
over the full range of speeds and power output and controllers, etc.
can be precisely controlled.

43
Way forward: Challenges
1. Improving Energy Security: Since the nation • Less Output: At the moment, domestic bioethanol
imports over 80% of its total crude oil needs, or production is not enough to satisfy Indian OMCs'
over $100 billion, EVs will help to improve the need for bioethanol for blending with gasoline.
overall condition of energy security. • Only 57.6% of the entire demand could be met by
2. Opportunities for Battery Manufacturing and sugar mills, which are the primary domestic
Storage: Given government initiatives to support e- producers of bio-ethanol for OMCs.
mobility and renewable energy, battery storage • Investors are particularly concerned about the
has a significant opportunity to assist sustainable future price of bioethanol due to the fact that the
development in the nation (450 GW energy national government sets the prices for both
capacity target by 2030). sugarcane and bioethanol.
3. A local energy supply can be used to power an EV • Vehicles must be manufactured with rubberized
charging infrastructure that can be installed at parts, plastic components, and elastomers that are
private houses, public facilities like gas stations and compatible with E20, as well as engines that are
CNG stations, and in the parking lots of businesses best suited for using E20 fuel.
like shopping centres, railroad stations, and bus • According to the NITI Aayog document, the
terminals. country's current two-wheelers and passenger cars
4. Increasing R&D in EVs. are "optimally constructed for E5 (5 percent
ethanol blend with petrol) while rubber and plastic
Ethanol Blending components are "compatible with E10 fuel."
Context: • Water Footprint: India has risen to become one of
When the NITI Aayog published its ethanol strategy in the world's top producers of ethanol, but its water
2021, the initial deadline for India to increase this ratio usage is still inefficient compared to that of the top
to 20% by 2030 was postponed to 2025. producers, the USA and Brazil.
• Limited Sugarcane Availability:Sugarcane is
About Ethanol: another limited resource that affects the ethanol
Ethanol is a biofuel, that is, a fuel produced by blending in the country
processing organic matter. • Lack of Alternatives: Making ethanol from crop
residue can be a good alternative, but the
Need for ethanol blending in India: biorefinery's yearly capacity is still insufficient to
For India, there are many benefits to ethanol and meet the 5% petrol-ethanol blending requirement.
gasoline blended at a 20 percent ratio.
• First, it might save $4 billion, or Rs 30,000 crore, a Recent Government Initiatives to Promote Ethanol
year on the cost of importing motor fuel. Blending in India
• Additionally, it enables farmers to make extra • National Policy on Biofuels 2018
money if they plant crops that are used in the • E100 Pilot project
production of ethanol. • Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana 2019
• The fact that ethanol is less polluting than other • Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO)
fuels and, according to the NITI Aayog study, • National Policy on Biofuels 2018: It provides an
"offers similar efficiency at lower cost than petrol" indicative target of 20% ethanol blending under the
is the third and most crucial factor. Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme by 2025.
• In Europe, biofuels have been seen as a measure to
reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from road Way forward:
transport because they were considered CO2- • Need to Ensure Uniform Availability of Ethanol
neutral fuels once lifecycle emissions are Blends
considered. • Promotion of Advanced Biofuels

44
• Single Window for Clearances for speedy • Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be
clearances for new and expansion projects for used for a variety of energy applications, including
ethanol production. the fusion of renewable energy sources and
transportation.
Green Hydrogen • Less emissions: Unlike grey hydrogen, which is
Context: made from methane and emits greenhouse gases,
Recently, IRENA has released the 'World Energy it is created using RE and electrolysis to split water.
Transitions Outlook' Report. According to the • Additionally, the byproduct is environmentally
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), favourable because hydrogen may be used to
hydrogen will make up 12% of the energy mix by 2050. extract energy either through combustion or fuel
cells, which produce just water as a result.
About:
Green Hydrogen Benefits for India:
• It is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic and • India's move to sustainable energy and fight
highly combustible gaseous substance. against climate change can be fueled by green
• Hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and most hydrogen.
abundant member of the family of chemical • In accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement,
elements in the universe. India committed to reducing its economy's carbon
intensity by 33–55% from 2005 levels by 2030.
India’s Green Hydrogen production: • It will lessen reliance on fossil fuel imports.
• India has just begun to generate green hydrogen • The localization of electrolyser production and the
with the objective of raising non-fossil energy growth of green hydrogen projects have the
capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030. potential to generate thousands of employments
• Recently, India’s first 99.99% pure green hydrogen as well as a new market for green technologies in
pilot plant was set up in eastern Assam’s Duliajan, India worth $18–20 billion.
at the petroleum exploration major’s Jorhat pump
station. Challenges:
• Risks of leakage are rising, according to 2013
Advantages: research by the National Renewable Energy
• Long-term storage: The intermittent nature of Laboratory (NREL) of the US Energy Department on
renewable energy, particularly wind energy, causes "How it (hydrogen) affects the pipelines it travels in
grid instability. Green hydrogen has a high energy and the appliances it uses.
storage capacity. Fuel cells can be used to generate • Specifically in high-pressure pipes, hydrogen
energy utilising the hydrogen that has been stored. embrittlement can damage metal or polyethylene
• Grid stability: Hydrogen gas interacts with oxygen pipes and increase the danger of leaks.
to produce electricity and water vapour in a fuel • Brittle: Hydrogen embrittlement is a condition
cell, a device that converts chemical energy into where the metal (pipeline) weakens as a result of
electrical energy. As a result, hydrogen can serve as hydrogen diffusion. The amount of hydrogen
an energy storage mechanism and promote grid present and the microstructure of the material
stability. both affect how much embrittlement occurs.
• Financial advantages: According to experts, the
oxygen that is created as a byproduct (8 kg of Conclusion:
oxygen are produced for every kg of hydrogen) can • In order to design and analyse the optimal model
also be made into money by employing it in for implementing green hydrogen as a primary fuel,
industrial and medical applications, for policymakers must establish a comprehensive
environmental enrichment, or both. strategy.

45
 Extreme weather events Indian strategy for Solar Energy
Context: Current status:
India experienced a natural calamity of some kind India in its nationally intended target has set an
nearly every day in the first nine months of 2022, ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW
according to a recent analysis by the Centre for worth of renewable energy by the end of 2022, which
Science and Environment (CSE). expands to 500 GW by 2030.

Highlights of the report: India’s potential:

• A disaster almost every day: India has seen close • India's geographical surface receives around 5,000
to a disaster every day in the nine months of this trillion kWh of incident energy annually, with the
year from heat and cold waves, cyclones, and majority of areas receiving 4–7 kWh per square
lightning to heavy rains, floods, and landslides. metre each day.
• Loss and damage under-estimated: These • A 748 GW estimated solar potential for the nation
disasters have claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 by the National Institute of Solar Energy is based on
million hectares of crop area, destroyed over the assumption that solar PV modules will cover 3%
416,667 houses, and killed close to 70,000 of the country's wasteland area.
livestock.
• Region-wise assessment: The central and north- Major initiatives:
western regions reported the highest number of • 45 solar parks with an aggregate capacity of 37 GW
days with extreme weather events at 198 and 195, have been approved in India.
respectively. • Solar Parks in Pavagada (2 GW), Kurnool (1 GW),
and Bhadla-II (648 MW) are included in the top 5
Causes: operational solar parks of 7 GW capacity in the
• Extreme Temperature: The temperature of the country
Earth is rising every year and increasing • The world’s largest renewable energy park of 30
temperature and extreme sunshine on top of it GW capacity solar-wind hybrid project is under
creates a low-pressure system. installation in Gujarat
• Improper Weather Systems: The weather systems • Various policy measures undertaken included a
(such as air masses, fronts, etc.) keep on moving in declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase
a proper way which helps to maintain the weather Obligation (RPO) including Solar energy.
conditions in a smoother way. • A waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS)
• Climate Change: The world temperature has charges and losses for inter-state sale of solar and
increased quite high from the past few decades wind power for projects to be commissioned up to
and even keeps on changing year after year. March 2022 has been instituted.
• Global Warming: As the world temperature is • Recently, India achieved the 5th global position in
increasing due to global warming simultaneously solar power deployment by surpassing Italy. Solar
the effects of it are also increasing. power capacity has increased by more than 11
times in the last five years from 2.6 GW in March
Way forward: 2014 to 30 GW in July 2019. Presently, solar tariff
• Moving beyond catastrophe management to lower in India is very competitive and has achieved grid
risks and boost resilience is urgently needed. parity.
• By purposefully constructing drainage and water • India's massive UJALA LED bulb campaign is
recharge systems on the one hand and investing in reducing emissions by 40 million tonnes annually.
green spaces and forests on the other, we can • India launched the National Hydrogen Mission in
strengthen our flood management systems and 2013 to make India the world's largest hydrogen
prepare for impending storms. hub.

46
• India has progressively decoupled economic • India needs to enhance its solar manufacturing
growth from greenhouse gas emissions. capacity as it cannot just rely on large-scale solar
o For example, the Net Zero Emissions target by deployment by importing solar equipment.
2030 by Indian Railways alone will reduce • There is an immediate necessity to develop the
emissions by 60 million tonnes annually. entire value chain ecosystem to become
• To bolster Make-in-India for the solar sector, the competitive and achieve sustainable growth in the
Centre recently announced a production-linked long run.
incentive (PLI) scheme for solar manufacturing.
Student Notes:
Challenges:
• Lack of Domestic Solar Parts Manufacture: India
suffers from a serious lack of domestic solar PV cell
and module manufacturing due to poor
infrastructure, a trained labour shortage, and
expensive manufacturing costs.
• Space Scarcity: Lack of land to install large-scale
ground-mount solar systems is another one of
India's significant challenges with solar energy, and
by addressing this issue, the potential for expanded
R&D and innovation might be multiplied tenfold in
terms of installation.
• Financing Mechanism: The absence of innovative
financing options for installing large-scale solar PV
parks is another big part of Solar Energy Challenges
in India that could offer higher sums at lower
interest with longer durations.
• Low Tariffs: Since the Indian government enforces
one of the lowest solar tariffs, it makes the
prospect of purchasing solar parts unsustainable
for some developers which further leads to
compromise in the quality of solar panels.
• Waste Management: India’s solar waste has been
predicted to grow by 1.8 million tonnes by 2050.
Currently, India’s e-waste rules are not mandatory
on solar cell manufacturers which leads to a large
generation of solar waste every year.

Way forward:
• Promote hybridization of solar and wind energy
• Build enhanced evacuation infrastructure
• Invest in digitalization
• Develop battery storage solutions
• Turnaround the distribution companies

Conclusion:

47
 SOCIAL ISSUES
Gender Pay Parity 2. Reassess promotions, bonuses and benefits, by this
What is it? the inherent bias towards male employees in
The Gender Pay Parity, also known as Gender Pay Gap promotions can be removed
or gender wage gap is the average difference between 3. Increase female salaries- Through this the wage
the remuneration for working men and working gap can be reduced
women. Research and studies show that women are 4. Encourage men to take parental leave- sharing the
paid less than men. responsibilities will help in long way to close the
gender pay gap
Overview of gender pay parity 5. Providing child care by employers- through this
India is placed 135th out of 146 nations in the 2022 woman can get back to work easily and can ease
Global Gender Gap Report from the World Economic financial burden
Forum (WEF). Numerous parameters are taken into
account while determining the ranking of the global Steps taken by government
gender gap. 1. Minimum wages act: by this legislation
According to estimates from the National Sample government ensured basic minimum wages which
Survey Office (2011–12), women receiving a regular are gender neutral
salary were nominally paid, on average, 105 and 123 2. Code on wages: the new code on wages envisioned
rupees (INR) less per day than men working in urban equal pay for equal work
and rural areas, respectively; corresponding figures 3. Equal remuneration act-1976: is an Act passed in
for casual workers were estimated at 72 and 47 rupees 1976 by the Government of India to bring in pay
(INR) for workers in urban and rural areas. parity to men and women workers who are
working on the same work or work of a similar
Causes for gender pay discrimination nature
1. Occupational disparities: In India, very few 4. MGNREGA: benefited rural women and reduce pay
women own businesses. Less women work as gap both directly and indirectly
teachers, scientists, or in the armed forces.
2. Educational disparities - A significant number Conclusion:
of girls drop out of school, and many of them It is imperative to empower women through better
don't pursue higher education. education, skills, health facilities and supportive
3. Inequalities in health and survival - Low birth legislation to bridge the gender pay gap.
sex ratio of female children as a result of
selective abortion because of a preference for Nutritional Security
the boy child. Context:
4. Economic inequalities include a low rate of according to recently released report titled ‘The state
labour force participation, the gender pay gap, of food security and nutrition in the world 2022 India
and property rights. Even though there are has been placed with poor performing countries
laws protecting women's property rights, they
are not consistently upheld Indian scenario:
As of right now, about 16% of the population is
Way forward undernourished, and according to the FAO's most
1. Start with transparency in pay in private sector recent study, "The State of Food Security and Nutrition
wherein the payroll is decided and available to all in the World, 2022," India has amongst the largest
through transparent ways percentage of "stunted" (around 31%) and "wasted"
children (around 17%) under the age of five

48
Causes of nutritional security: 5. Climate Change: The monsoon irrigates 60% of
The inter-ministerial committee, which was charged India's net sown land and provides about 70% of
with reviewing the survey's findings, identified socio- the country's yearly rainfall. Changes in
cultural food taboos, dietary ignorance, and a lack of precipitation patterns, as well as an increase in the
affordability as the main causes of the epidemic frequency and severity of extreme weather events
malnutrition. like heatwaves and floods, are already lowering
The panel reportedly noticed that the Covid-19 India's agricultural productivity and endangering
outbreak had exacerbated the quiet catastrophe of the country's ability to feed its people.
undernourishment. 6. Supply Chain Breakdown Caused by an Unstable
World Order: In 2022, the Russia-Ukraine War
Current framework for food and nutritional security interrupted the global food supply chain, leading to
in India food scarcity and food inflation at a time when the
1. Although there is no express provision in the Indian Covid-19 Pandemic had already had an influence
Constitution relating the right to food, it is possible on the global food supply in 2020.
to construe Article 21's fundamental right to life to
encompass the right to live with human dignity, Way forward:
which may include the right to food and other 1. Moving Towards Sustainable Farming: To ensure
essentials. food security in India, it is important to increase
2. Buffer Stock: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is productivity through increased use of
in charge of buying food grains at the minimum biotechnology, more rigorous watershed
support price (MSP), storing them in various places, management, the use of nano-urea, access to
and then supplying them to the state governments micro-irrigation facilities, and a coordinated
as needed. approach to closing crop yield gaps between
3. Public Distribution System: Over time, the Public States.
Distribution System has grown in importance as a 2. Reviving Aadhaar Seeding of Ration Cards: In
component of the government's strategy for order to expedite the process of Aadhaar linking to
managing the nation's food economy. PDS is ration cards, ground monitoring measures must be
supplemental in nature and is not meant to supply established to ensure that no legitimate
all of the commodity's requirements. beneficiary is denied their portion of food grains
4. A paradigm shifts from a welfare-based to a rights- that can advance the goal of zero hunger
based approach to food security is signalled by the (Sustainable Development Goal- 2).
National Food Security Act of 2013 (NFSA). 3. Increasing Women's Nutritional Literacy:
Mothers' education and their children's wellbeing
Challenges: are directly related. The least diverse diets,
1. Deteriorating Soil Health: Because over 95% of the stunting and wasting, and anaemia affect children
world's food production depends on soil, healthy whose moms lack knowledge.
soil is a crucial component of food production. 4. Increasing Agri-R&D Spending: Biofortified food
2. During the previous 15 years, India has innovations can only reduce malnutrition when
experienced more than 10 significant invasive pest they are scaled up with supportive policies.
and weed invasions. Conclusion: It is imperative to address nutritional
3. India does not have an effective management security issues with an umbrella approach, by looking
framework that is strict enough to ensure food at diverse issues with a common lens and doing away
security. The Public Distribution System has issues with the silos approach.
with food grain leakages and diversion,
inclusion/exclusion errors, false and fraudulent Care Economy
ration cards, and inadequate mechanisms for Context:
grievance redress and social audit. For an economy to revive needs a revival strategy. To
ensure the inequalities of the past do not re-occur, this

48
revival strategy needs to be inclusive and fast-paced.
One of the areas that promises to be both is the care
economy and one of the first steps to undertake is the
identification of care workers in India.

What is care work?

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) broadly
defines care work as “consisting of activities and
relations involved in meeting the physical, Figure 1: Public Expenditure on selected care policies as a
percentage of GDP & Employment to population ratio of
psychological and emotional needs of adults and
women with care responsibilities; latest year
children, old and young, frail and able-bodied. Source: ILO Data
Care workers include a wide range of workers from
university professors, doctors and dentists at one end The way ahead
of the spectrum, to childcare workers and personal It is, thus, imperative to create an identification
care workers at the other. mechanism for care workers thereby creating a
pipeline that could be used to reach them. Once a
The vitality of care work formal definition is devised, a person that is identified
1. Care economy is a huge employer; the sector also as a care worker must be allotted a job card. This job
offers serious growth potential. card will not only allow a channel to issue benefits (for
2. Moreover, paid care work has always been a major instance, it will help the government to realize its
source of remittances for India as many care social security payments to these workers as laid out
workers tend to migrate to other countries for in the new labour codes) but will also help create an
work. official network of care workers
3. In fact, an ILO report states that since demand for
care work all over the world is set to surge by 2030
Urban Planning in India
(due to demographic transition and urbanisation),
Context:
investment in India’s care economy can possibly
The key to India's future lies in urbanisation. Only 3%
produce 11 million jobs in India (of which 32.5% will
of India's territory is occupied by cities, but they
be by women).
account for 60% of the country's GDP. With about 11%
of the world's urban population residing in Indian
Challenges
cities, India has the second-largest urban system.
1. Historically, however, not a lot of focus has been
Within the next two decades, India's urban population
given to care work despite its importance.
is anticipated to surpass 50% of the country's total. By
2. The main issue of identification of care workers
2036, urban expansion is anticipated to account for
boils down the problem of not having a formal
73% of the population increase.
‘Indianized’ definition of care economy.
3. Had there been an identification mechanism in
Challenges to urbanization in India:
place, it would have been possible to recognize the
1. Uneven regional growth: Urbanization is not
actual range and scope of care economy in pre-
occurring at the same rate throughout the nation
pandemic India, permitting the ability to provide
or with the same distribution of urban centers.
adequate relief to care workers during the
2. According to the NITI Aayog Report, ~50% of India’s
lockdown.
statutory towns are expanding without any master
4. Correspondingly, the limited public expenditure
plan to guide their growth and infrastructure.
(less than 1% of India’s GDP – as noted in Figure 1)
3. They continue to be governed as villages and do
and attention has created social and economic
not have an urban local body. Haphazard growth,
drawbacks for care economy workers.
unplanned construction, and ad-hoc provisioning

49
 of infrastructure, over a long period of time, will time to implement planning reforms because the
put them at major risks of urbanisation. tendency is irreversible. This is essential to
4. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs ensuring that urban growth in the future is
(MoHUA) noted that large areas of underutilized inclusive and sustainable.
land coexist paradoxically with congested land
parcels with high population densities. multiple Water Crisis
public sector organizations/agencies (ports, Context:
railways, ULBs, etc.) own land under their India only has 4% of the world's freshwater resources
jurisdictions. despite having 17% of the world's population. The
5. Magnitude of Population Living in Slums: According state of the water is deteriorating as a result of
to Census 2011, 17.3% of the total urban pollution and climate change.
population was under slums in India
6. Rising Risk of Water Scarcity in Cities: According to Reasons for water crisis:
the World-Wide Fund for Nature India, Indian cities 1. Pollution of freshwater bodies: Pollutants are
consistently top lists of the world's largest cities released into the environment, including sewage
with the greatest overall water risk. and industrial pollutants. The lack of sewage
treatment facilities in cities and the industry's
Steps to be taken to improve the process of Urban disregard for environmental regulations are to
Planning: blame for it.
1. Programmatic intervention for the planning of 2. Sewage treatment facilities are extremely lacking
healthy cities: multi-sectoral planning, public in cities. Ineffective mining techniques also
health, and socio-economic development degrade water quality and harm nearby aquifers.
initiatives must be brought together. 3. Changing Climate: Climate change is altering
2. Programmatic intervention to maximize the use of weather patterns, which causes extreme weather
urban land: All cities and towns included in the events, variable water supply, a worsening of water
"Healthy Cities Programme" should tighten scarcity, and contaminated water supplies.
regulations to do this. 4. Encroachment of bodies: Water bodies are being
3. Ramping up human resources: The public sector encroached upon to accommodate the
must have an adequate workforce in terms of infrastructure requirements of expanding
quantity and quality to tackle the challenges of urbanisation. For eg: encroachment of lakes in
urbanization. Bengaluru
4. Mainstreaming capacity-building activities: 5. over reliance on groundwater: Over 85% of fresh
Concerted efforts are required by the States/UTs to water is used for agriculture, according to reports.
ensure regular capacity building of their town There is currently an issue in many states, notably
planning staff. Punjab, Haryana, and western UP, due to an over
5. Re-engineering of urban governance: There is a reliance on groundwater for the production of
need to bring in more institutional clarity and crops like paddy and sugarcane, which require a lot
multi-disciplinary expertise to solve urban of water. Ground water resources are depleted at
challenges. faster rates
6. Involvement of citizens in Planning: Public’s
participation in urban planning in India is limited. It Consequences:
is important to include public opinion and feedback 1. economic repercussions: A World Bank analysis
in the planning process. claims that the increased cost of water scarcity
7. India is urbanizing rapidly. Cities' infrastructure is brought on by climate change might cost some
being put under more and more strain. Therefore, regions up to 6% of their GDP.
it is crucial to improve the ULBs' urban planning 2. Negative Health Effects: Pollutants in the water,
capabilities. India is on the verge of becoming a such as fluoride, chloride, and nitrate, are to blame
predominantly urban nation, and now is the ideal

50
 for children's deformities. It also contributes to skin ● With emphasis on Early Childhood Care and
conditions and early hair ageing. Education, the 10+2 structure of school
3. compromising food security: Water scarcity will curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4
have an impact on agriculture's output. Food curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8,
security will be impacted by the strain that an 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.
expanding population will place on farmers. ● This will bring the hitherto uncovered age
group of 3-6 years under school curriculum,
Steps taken by government: which has been recognized globally as the
1. Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA): In 256 water-stressed crucial stage for development of mental
regions, it was launched in 2019 as a campaign for faculties of a child.
water conservation, recharge, and rainfall ● The new system will have 12 years of
gathering. It now encompasses each of the nation’s schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre
740 districts. schooling.
2. Amrit Sarovars: Each district’s 75 water bodies are 3. Attaining Foundational Literacy and
to be developed and revitalized as part of the Numeracy:
Mission. By August 2023, the Union Government ● Recognizing Foundational Literacy and
plans to construct 50,000 Amrit Sarovars Numeracy as an urgent and necessary
throughout India. prerequisite to learning, NEP 2020 calls for
3. Atal Bhujal Yojana: The program is expected to lay setting up of a National Mission on
emphasis on recharge and better use of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by
groundwater resources. It seeks to strengthen the MHRD.
institutional framework and bring about behavioral 4. Reforms in school curricula and pedagogy:
changes at the community level for sustainable ● The school curricula and pedagogy will aim for
groundwater resource management; holistic development of learners by equipping
4. Paani Bachao, Paisa Kamao (Save Water, Earn them with the key 21st century skills,
Money): It has been launched by the Punjab reduction in curricular content to enhance
Government. It incentivizes farmers to reduce essential learning and critical thinking and
groundwater and electricity usage. This has greater focus on experiential learning.
resulted in water savings of between 6-25% ● Students will have increased flexibility and
without any adverse effect on yield choice of subjects.
● There will be no rigid separations between
Conclusion: arts and sciences, between curricular and
Decentralized approach and watershed development extra-curricular activities, between vocational
are crucial to deal with the looming water crisis in and academic streams.
India. ● Vocational education will start in schools from
the 6th grade, and will include internships.
NEP-2020 5. Multilingualism and the power of language:
Key highlights: ● The policy has emphasized mother
Transforming School Education: tongue/local language/regional language as
1. Ensuring Universal Access at all levels of school the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5,
education: but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
● NEP 2020 emphasizes on ensuring universal ● Sanskrit to be offered at all levels of school
access to school education at all levels- pre- and higher education as an option for
school to secondary. About 2 crores out of students, including in the three-language
school children will be brought back into main formula.
stream under NEP 2020. ● Other classical languages and literatures of
2. Early Childhood Care & Education with new India also to be available as options.
Curricular and Pedagogical Structure: ● No language will be imposed on any student.

51
6. Equitable and Inclusive Education: vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to
● NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses 50% by 2035. 3.5 Crore new seats will be
any opportunity to learn and excel because of added to Higher education institutions.
the circumstances of birth or background. 11. Holistic Multidisciplinary Education:
● Special emphasis will be given on Socially and ● The policy envisages broad based, multi-
Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate
which include gender, socio-cultural, and education with flexible curricula, creative
geographical identities and disabilities. combinations of subjects, integration of
7. Robust Teacher Recruitment and Career Path: vocational education and multiple entry and
● Teachers will be recruited through robust, exit points with appropriate certification.
transparent processes. ● UG education can be of 3 or 4 years with
● Promotions will be merit-based, with a multiple exit options and appropriate
mechanism for multi-source periodic certification within this period. For example,
performance appraisals and available Certificate after 1-year, Advanced Diploma
progression paths to become educational after 2 years, Bachelor’s Degree after 3 years
administrators or teacher educators. and Bachelor’s with Research after 4 years.
● A common National Professional Standards 12. Regulation:
for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the ● Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)
National Council for Teacher Education by will be set up as a single overarching umbrella
2022, in consultation with NCERT, SCERTs, body the for entire higher education,
teachers and expert organizations from across excluding medical and legal education.
levels and regions. ● HECI will function through faceless
8. School Governance: intervention through technology, & will have
● Schools can be organized into complexes or powers to penalise HEIs not conforming to
clusters which will be the basic unit of norms and standards.
governance and ensure availability of all ● Public and private higher education
resources including infrastructure, academic institutions will be governed by the same set
libraries and a strong professional teacher of norms for regulation, accreditation and
community. academic standards.
9. Standard-setting and Accreditation for School 13. Rationalised Institutional Architecture:
Education: ● Higher education institutions will be
● NEP 2020 envisages clear, separate systems transformed into large, well resourced,
for policy making, regulation, operations and vibrant multidisciplinary institutions providing
academic matters. high quality teaching, research, and
● States/UTs will set up independent State community engagement.
School Standards Authority (SSSA). ● The definition of university will allow a
● Transparent public self-disclosure of all the spectrum of institutions that range from
basic regulatory information, as laid down by Research-intensive Universities to Teaching-
the SSSA, will be used extensively for public intensive Universities and Autonomous
oversight and accountability. degree-granting Colleges.
● The SCERT will develop a School Quality 14.Other Provisions for transformation of
Assessment and Accreditation Framework educational sector: Motivated, Energized, and
(SQAAF) through consultations with all Capable Faculty:
stakeholders. ● NEP makes recommendations for motivating,
10. Transforming Higher Education -Increase GER to energizing, and building capacity of faculty
50 % by 2035: through clearly defined, independent,
● NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross transparent recruitment, freedom to design
Enrolment Ratio in higher education including

52
 curricula/pedagogy, incentivising excellence, ● This will be expanded to play a significant role
movement into institutional leadership. in increasing GER.
● Faculty not delivering on basic norms will be ● Measures such as online courses and digital
held accountable repositories, funding for research, improved
15. Teacher Education: student services, credit-based recognition of
● A new and comprehensive National MOOCs, etc., will be taken to ensure it is at par
Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, with the highest quality in-class programmes.
NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in
consultation with NCERT. Significance:
● By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for 1. Recognising Importance of Formative years
teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. through early child care and education
degree. 2. Departure from Silos Mentality: Another key
● Stringent action will be taken against aspect of school education in the new policy is the
substandard stand-alone Teacher Education breaking of the strict division of arts, commerce
Institutions (TEIs). and science streams in high school.
16. Mentoring Mission: 3. Making Education More Inclusive: The NEP
● A National Mission for Mentoring will be proposes the extension of the Right to Education
established, with a large pool of outstanding (RTE) to all children up to the age of 18.
senior/retired faculty – including those with 4. Allowing Foreign Universities: The document
the ability to teach in Indian languages – who states universities from among the top 100 in the
would be willing to provide short and long- world will be able to set up campuses in India.
term mentoring/professional support to
university/college teachers. Challenges:
17. Financial support for students: 1. Knowledge-Jobs Mismatch: There is a persistent
● Efforts will be made to incentivize the merit of mismatch between the knowledge & skills
students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other imparted and the jobs available. This has been one
SEDGs. of the main challenges that have affected the
● The National Scholarship Portal will be Indian education system since Independence.
expanded to support, foster, and track the 2. The Requirement of Enormous Resources. An
progress of students receiving scholarships. ambitious target of public spending at 6% of GDP
● Private HEIs will be encouraged to offer larger has been set. Mobilising financial resources will be
numbers of free ships and scholarships to a big challenge, given the low tax-to-GDP ratio and
their students. competing claims on the national exchequer of
18. Professional Education: healthcare, national security and other key sectors.
● All professional education will be an integral 3. Teacher’s training: Availability of teachers and
part of the higher education system. quality of teaching is also a great concern.
● Stand-alone technical universities, health Government needs to take stringent steps to
science universities, legal and agricultural ensure quality of teachers and pedagogy.
universities etc will aim to become multi-
disciplinary institutions. Conclusion:
1. Adult Education: Policy aims to achieve 100% The new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, is a
youth and adult literacy. good policy as it aims at making the education system
2. Financing Education: holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, aligned to the
● The Centre and the States will work together needs of the 21st century and the 2030 Sustainable
to increase the public investment in Education Development Goals. The intent of policy seems to be
sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest. ideal in many ways but it is the implementation where
3. Open and Distance Learning: lies the key to success.

53
 WASH STRATEGY 3. Achievements by WASH – UNICEF India
ABOUT: ● As per their reports, until 2015, nearly half of
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is at the centre India’s population of around 568 million
of this ambitious new agenda – with a distinct sector people suffered the indignity of defecating in
goal (SDG 6) that envisions universal, sustainable, and fields, forests, bodies of water, or other public
equitable access to safe drinking water, sanitation and spaces due to lack of access to toilets, by 2019,
hygiene, as well as the elimination of open defecation according to the latest estimates, the number
by 2030. of people without access to toilets has
1. The WHO vision for WASH reduced significantly by an estimated 450
● To substantially improve health through the million people
safe management of the water, sanitation and ● In 2015, the Ministry of Health and Family
hygiene services in all settings. Welfare (MoHFW) with support from UNICEF
2. The WHO WASH Strategy Principles instituted the KAYAKALP scheme to recognize
● Prioritize actions with the highest public and reward the excellence of health facilities
health benefit in areas where WHO has or can in promoting cleanliness, thereby improving
build comparative advantages. the quality of health care services
● Strengthen health sector capacities in ● In 2016, UNICEF along with the MoHFW and
promoting safe WASH and taking up its public the erstwhile Ministry of Drinking Water and
health oversight role in WASH, including Sanitation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti)
effective outbreak response systems. instituted the Swacchh Swasth Sarvatra (SSS)
● Align with the SDGs, specifically targets scheme
relating to WASH, health, climate change and • UNICEF’s technical support has been
nutrition, as well as human rights principles. successful instrumental for 40 high-priority
● Employ the highest quality science including districts to come up with concrete action plans
through collection, review and use of evidence to institutionalise WASH in healthcare
about WASH impacts on health and a full facilities during 2019-20
range of practical experiences when
developing norms and good practice HDI and India’s performance
procedures. Context:
● Promote a contextual, incremental According to the Human Development Report, India’s
improvement approach when supporting rank on the Human Development Index (HDI) has
countries to set national WASH standards and slipped to 132 in 2022, in line with a global fall in HDI
ambitious but achievable national targets. scores in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
● Capitalize on existing regional policy
frameworks that promote WASH and stipulate Objectives of the Human Development Report
national target setting. The UNDP’s HDR focuses on a human development
● Stimulate sustainable change by approach that entails people and their opportunities
strengthening government institutions and and choices. The objectives behind publishing the
systems charged with implementation, report are:
oversight and regulation of WASH service 1. Advancement of human development
delivery. 2. Expansion of opportunities, choices and freedom
● Engage with partners and positively influence of people across the globe
partnerships to ensure health issues are 3. Introduction to the innovative ideas concerning
considered and addressed by the WASH sector human development
and to also ensure that WASH issues, notably 4. Advocation of practical policy changes
in health care facilities 5. Challenging the policies and approaches that
hinder human development

54
India’s performance: 1. NGOs can broaden governments accountability
1. Human Development Index: India’s HDI value by ensuring the government is responsive to
stood at 0.633, which was lower than the world citizen at large
average of 0.732. In 2020, too, India recorded a 2. Can give voice to the concerns of public issues for
decline in its HDI value in comparison to the pre- eg-In cities like Mumbai, NGOs like YUVA and
Covid level of 2019 (0.645) SPARC are active in providing shelter to the
2. Life expectancy: In 2021, India’s life expectancy homeless.
at birth was recorded at 67.2 years. 3. Mobilizing public attention: RTI is already a
3. Schooling: Expected years of schooling at 11.9 reality in India thanks to the efforts of NGOs.
years, mean years of schooling at 6.7 years, 4. Tribal Rights: Implementation of social
4. Gross National Income: The gross national programmes, as seen in the Vedanta v. Posco
income per capita stood at USD 6,590 case
5. Infrastructural development and management,
such as that of NGOs, performed admirably
during the 2004 tsunami. NGOs not only aid in
rescue operations but also establish training
facilities for the workforce. Fostering Pilot,
Demonstration, and Innovation Projects
6. NGOs also carry out Research, Monitoring, and
Evaluation Technical Assistance and Training
7. Advocacy for and with the Poor - In some
circumstances, NGOs act as the poor's
spokesman or ombudsman and make political
inroads

Issues with NGO’S

1. Regulating: Since it can be very difficult to tell if
an organization was founded to work for a cause
Way forward: or just to receive government funding,
1. Expanding human development - more education accreditation continues to be a major challenge.
of women and girls, more economic 2. The ability of NGOs to criticize the government is
empowerment of women, more bargaining weakened by their excessive reliance on
power of young girls in households, reduced government funding.
poverty, etc. 3. NGOs are frequently seen to be fronts for
2. Evidence from Colombia to India indicates that fundamentalist causes and have in the past
financial security and ownership of land improve served as a cover for organized crime. NGOs with
women’s security and reduce the risk of gender- foreign funding have organized agitations and
based violence, clearly indicating that owning derailed development initiatives in India.
land can empower women. 4. NGOs are frequently perceived as encroaching on
centuries-old customs and cultures of the
NGO AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR populace, which at times sparks widespread
As defined by the World Bank, NGOs refers to not-for- resistance. An example of this is the ban on
profit organizations that pursue activities to relieve Jallikattu following the PETA PIL.
suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect
the environment, provide basic social services, or
undertake community development.

Role of NGOs:

55
Recent changes in FCRA - About:
It is described as cleaning septic tanks, gutters, and
sewers as well as removing human waste from
sidewalks and dry restrooms.
This previously applied to the procedure of cleaning
out dry latrines of waste.
However, new modern sanitation systems have given
rise to new kinds of dangerous manual scavenging
tasks, such as drain, sewer line, septic tank, and latrine
pit cleaning.

Concerns:
1. A subset of the Dalits, an outcast society
commonly referred to as "untouchables" inside
India's antiquated caste hierarchy, are mostly
responsible for scavenging.
2. "Untouchables" are frequently food insecure,
rejected by society, and not even allowed to
touch other castes of Indians or their food.
3. Parts of India still have scavenging, mostly
because of social prejudice and official
disinterest.
4. In the urban policies created for the city by the
Way forward: state and private businesses, there is no planning
1. To assure compliance by NGOs, a National at all for the upkeep of sewage, septic tanks, and
Accreditation Council made up of academics, waste disposal systems.
activists, and retired bureaucrats should be 5. Over the past few years, there has been an
established. upsurge in the frequency of fatalities related to
2. In order to monitor and control illicit and septic tank and sewer cleaning.
unaccounted funds, the Ministries of Home 6. The number of deaths from manual scavenging in
Affairs and Finance should work more closely 2019 was the highest in the previous five years.
together.
3. The current situation calls for a regulatory Government measures:
framework to monitor the financial operations of 1. Legislative: Act of 1993 prohibiting the use of
NGOs and volunteer organisations. manual scavengers and the construction of dry
4. Today's citizens are eager to participate actively latrines
in the decisions that affect their lives, thus it is • Pushing someone into manual scavenging was
crucial that their engagement in democracy go punishable by up to a year in prison and a Rs 2,000
beyond the ritual of voting to encompass the fine.
advancement of social justice, gender equity, • Self-Employment Scheme for Manual Scavengers'
inclusivity, etc. 2017 Rehabilitation (SRMS)
• With the aim of rehabilitating remaining manual
MANUAL SCAVENGING scavengers and their dependents in alternative
Context: vocations in a time-bound manner, it is a successor
Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and scheme to the National Scheme for Liberation and
Empowerment informed that a total of 971 people lost Rehabilitation of Scavengers and their Dependents
their lives while cleaning sewers or septic tanks since (NSLRS).
1993.

56
• 2013 Act Prohibiting Employment of Manual economic growth potential that can result from shifts
Scavengers and Providing for Their Rehabilitation in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share
of the working-age population (15 to 64) is larger than
2. Constitutional Safeguards the non-working-age share of the population (14 and
• The Right to Live with Dignity is implicit in the younger, and 65 and older)".
Fundamental Rights guaranteed in Part III of the
Constitution. Demographic Dividend in India
• Article 46 of the Constitution, on the other hand, India has one of the youngest populations in an aging
provides that the State shall protect the weaker world. By 2020, the median age in India will be just 28,
sections particularly, the Scheduled Castes and the compared to 37 in China and the US, 45 in Western
Scheduled Tribes from social injustice and all forms Europe, and 49 in Japan.
of exploitation. Since 2018, India’s working-age population (people
between 15 and 64 years of age) has grown larger than
3. Supreme Court Directions the dependent population — children aged 14 or
• The Supreme Court issued directions in 2014 to below as well as people above 65 years of age. This
prevent and control the practice and also to bulge in the working-age population is going to last till
prosecute the offenders. 2055, or 37 years from its beginning.
• It also directed the government to pay a
compensation of Rs. 10 lakh rupees to the family Advantages:
members of those killed in acts of manual 1. Greater economic activity brought on by a higher
scavenging since 1993. working-age population and a smaller dependent
population has improved economic growth.
Way forward: 2. Up to 15% of the overall growth in industrialized
1. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should prioritise nations has typically been attributed to the
expanding the sewer network and develop a plan demographic dividend.
for scientific maintenance that will replace 3. Rapid urbanization and industrialization due to a
manual septic tank cleaning. larger population looking for work, which would
2. To completely end hand scavenging, the laws drive more economic activity.
should be strictly enforced. 4. Increase in workforce: India will become an
3. There should be trials and testing of safety economic superpower in the coming decades,
equipment as well as provisions for better providing more than half of Asia's potential
healthcare facilities, insurance coverage, pension workforce thanks to its more than 65% working-
schemes, and rules on educating manual age population.
scavengers in preventive and social medicine. 5. Making effective policy: Population dynamics can
4. Technological intervention for cleaning of septic be used to more precisely develop and
tanks and sewers for eg- Bandicoot robots. implement plans and programmes, which will
likely result in better socioeconomic effect and
DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND greater benefits for the general public.
Context:
According to the Economic Survey 2018-19, India’s Challenges associated with demographic dividend in
Demographic Dividend will peak around 2041, when India:
the share of working-age,i.e. 20-59 years, population 1. If India is unable to provide chances for gainful
is expected to hit 59%. employment for this working-age population, the
demographic dividend will not be fully realised.
About: The expansion in the working-age ratio is
According to United Nations Population Fund anticipated to be concentrated in several of
(UNFPA), demographic dividend means, "the India's poorest states.

57
2. Lack of skills: The majority of the new positions Conclusion:
that will be produced in the future require a high Complex problems are also brought on by this
level of competence, making the Indian demographic shift. We would instead be facing a
workforce's lack of skills a significant challenge. demographic catastrophe if the enlarged labour force
Due to a low human capital base and a lack of was not adequately skilled, educated, and given
skills, India may not be able to take advantage of gainful jobs.
the chances.
3. India has low human development standards, as Population Rise
seen by its worrying 130th place out of 189 Context:
countries in the UNDP's Human Development According to the United Nations Population Fund
Index. Therefore, significant improvements in (UNPFA), the human population across the globe
health and educational standards are required to touched 8 billion.
create a trained and productive Indian workforce.
4. Another barrier to India's ability to gain from its Trends in population growth
demographic transition is the country's informal 1. Overall Decline in Population Growth Rate:
sector. Around 90% of India’s economy is According to the UN, it took 12 years for the
informal thus creating issues with social security world's population to increase from 7 billion to 8
net. billion, and until 2037, it will take about 15 years
5. Concerns about future growth becoming jobless to reach 9 billion.
are growing as a result of deindustrialization, 2. High Fertility Rates in Poor Nations: The nations
deglobalization, the fourth industrial revolution, with the lowest GDP per capita also tend to have
and technological advancement. According to the the greatest fertility rates.
NSSO Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017–18, the 3. International Migration: With 281 million
labor force participation rate for the age group of individuals expected to live outside of their
15–59 years in India is approximately 53%, country of birth, international migration is
meaning that about half of the population is currently a major contributor to growth in many
unemployed. nations.

Way forward: Population trend in India

1. Building human capital: Investing in people's 1. Stabilizing Population Growth: The UN reports
health, education, employment, and skills fosters that India's fertility rate has reached
the development of human capital, which is replacement-level fertility, or 2.1 births per
essential for promoting economic growth, woman, and is continuing to decline.
eradicating severe poverty, and fostering greater 2. World's Largest Adolescent Population: In 2022,
inclusion in society. 68% of India's population will be between the
2. Health: An upgrade to the healthcare system ages of 15 and 64, while only 7% will be above the
would allow for a greater number of productive age of 65, according to UNFPA estimates.
days for the young labour force, boosting
economic production. Challenges faced by rise in population
3. Ten million new jobs must be created annually for 1. Natural Resource Depletion: The consequences
the country in order to accommodate the influx of overpopulation are very negative. The first of
of young people into the labour force. In order to these is resource depletion. The amount of water
employ the enormous labour force, it would be and food that the Earth can generate is limited
helpful to promote business interests and and falls short of what is now required.
entrepreneurship. 2. Pollution of the Environment: Overuse of coal, oil,
and natural gas has begun to have a negative
impact on the environment. In addition, the

58
 exponential growth of both industries and cars Statistics:
has had a negative impact on air quality. • 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or
3. Increased unemployment: Overpopulation sexual violence in their lifetime, most frequently by
causes unemployment since there aren't enough an intimate partner.
jobs to support a lot of people in a country. • Only 52% of women married or in a union freely
Because people are struggling to feed their make their own decisions about sexual relations,
families and offer them the necessities of life, contraceptive use, and health care.
crime, including theft, is on the rise.
4. Cost of Living is High: The overpopulation Legal Provisions:
problem is increasing the gap between supply 1. POCSO: Protection of Children from Sexual
and demand, which drives up the cost of several Offences (POCSO) law was enacted to protect
necessities like food, housing, and healthcare. As minors. This is one of the first laws which is
a result, it costs more for them to live and feed gender-neutral.
their families. 2. IPC: The Indian Penal Code (IPC) has many
stringent provisions in itself. After the Nirbhaya
Way forward: case, amendments were made in the code in
1. By guaranteeing access to quality healthcare and 2013 on the recommendations of the Justice
education at all ages, as well as by encouraging Verma committee. The amendments have made
possibilities for productive employment and the code further stringent.
decent work, nations may maximise the potential 3. POSH Act: The Sexual Harassment of Women at
benefits of a favourable age distribution. Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and
2. India is in a demographic transition era when Redressal) Act (POSH Act) was enacted in 2013. It
mortality rates are falling and fertility rates will is comprehensive legislation that provides a safe,
follow suit within the next two to three decades. secure and enabling environment, free from
Now that the need for contraception is gone, sexual harassment to every woman at the
India can concentrate on that. workplace.
3. The only way to guarantee that young and
adolescent populations will be more productive Suggestions:
and have higher earnings is through skilling. 1. Gender sensitization: About gender equality and
women’s rights should be instilled in boys and
Women Related issues girls from a very early age in order to bring about
Context: a change in the mindset of the future generation.
Recently, the report entitled “Progress on the In families, there should also be a relationship of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): The Gender authority and respect between parents and their
Snapshot 2022” was launched by United Nations (UN) children
Women and the UN Department of Economic and 2. Stop stigmatization: The stigma attached to
Social Affairs (UN DESA) victims of violence should be removed by
concretizing the community through outreach
Challenges/ issues related to women: programs. Encouraging and adopting family-
1. Violence against Women: According to a WHO focused practices that promote equal access for
report, one in every three women and girls both girls and boys to high-quality education, and
experience physical or sexual violence in their ensure opportunities to successfully complete
lifetime most frequently by an intimate partner. schooling, and to making educational choices
As per the NCRB data in India cruelty by a 3. Legal literacy: Camps should be conducted on a
husband or his relatives accounted for the highest regular and systematic basis at the local
number of cases recorded in the crime against community level. People should be made aware
women category. of Zero FIR.

59
4. Proper Counseling: Special court with a woman health and economic well-being. Ensuring that
judge and magistrate in each district to handle the girl child is educated sets off a virtuous chain
domestic violence cases reaction; improved literacy leading to delayed
5. The government should ensure proper age of marriage, fewer and healthier children,
enforcement of existing laws. and the corresponding reduction in poverty.
6. Police should be trained and sensitized to be 2. Poverty: Women education helps in removing
respectful and courteous to women in distress. families out of poverty through employment to
women. Women labour force participation in
Education India is low. Thus, women education is important
As per the census of India 2011, an increase in the pace to increase women labour participation. Also,
of female literacy in the rural areas has been noticed women have fewer bad habits like drinking and
(from 46.13% in 2001 to 58.75% in 2011) but, still, they often have a nature of saving.
rural women are facing a lot of inequalities in terms of 3. Social development: Women education will help
educational opportunities as compared to those of to solve many issues faced by society. Kothari
men. commission of 1968 recommended education as
While the literacy rate of men is 82.14%, the female a tool for social development. By pacing woman
literacy rate is 65.46%, i.e, a gap of 16.95 between education, India can achieve the goal of social
male & female literacy rate. development.
4. Gender equality: The woman is part of the
Issues related to women education in India: unprivileged section of society. Education will
1. In traditional Indian society, sons are considered help to close the gender gap in society. Co-
assets while girls are considered liabilities so education institutes will help children to give
spending on their education is not considered a respect to females.
priority. 5. Economic productivity: It will bring economic
2. As per the traditional Indian society, the role of gains not only to women but will also raise the
women in society is only to look after the house GDP of a nation.
and children which does not require any 6. Reduction in infant mortality: A well-educated
schooling. woman will have more chances of making better
3. There is concern that if the woman is educated, decisions for her family’s health. Studies have
then she will start earning and will become shown that increased literacy among women will
independent which might hurt the ego of a male. bring down the infant mortality rate.
4. The structure of Indian society is patriarchal in 7. Inclusive growth of society: As a developing
which everything revolves around males and nation, India strives for growth in each sector for
women is reduced to a negligible role. all sections of society and education is a way to
5. In poor families, the girl child has to look after her achieve this goal.
siblings as well as do household chores so she 8. Women empowerment: Education is a powerful
could not have the luxury of money and time to tool for woman's emancipation and
spend on education. empowerment. For a long time, women have
6. Further poor sanitation in schools especially for been deprived of their rights. By educating
women deters them from enrolling in school herself she can achieve a place in society.
education. 9. Strengthening of democracy: Education will
7. Infrastructure issues like lack of roads, the create awareness among women which will cause
distance of the school from the village, etc act as increased participation in politics which
a constraint for women's education. ultimately leads to the strengthening of
democracy. They could secure their rights
Why is educating women important? through mobilization.
1. Health benefits: Female literacy is one of the
most powerful levers to improve a society’s

60
Suggestions practices and views, and the lack of access to
1. Increasing awareness in society about the proper medical care.
importance of female education. In order to suit 4. Menstrual Hygiene: With billions of people, it’s
the convenience of the girl student, non-formal surprising and disappointing that only a small
education facilities should be provided. percentage of women in India have access to
2. Increasing the number of competent and eligible clean hygiene when it comes to menstrual care.
female teachers especially in the rural areas. Culturally, a large percent of the population still
3. The establishment and proper functioning of associates the menstrual cycle with
schools in the villages must be ensured. Ensuring uncleanliness, and women are often prohibited
the safety of girl students & female teachers. from going to religious places or even preparing
4. Mass media should play an active role in creating food when on their period.
a conducive environment in the favor of girls' 5. Gender bias in access to healthcare: Gender is
education. one of the main social determinants of health—
5. Special arrangements & provisions must be made which include social, economic, and political
for the disabled girl child. The quality of female factors—that play a major role in the health
education should also be taken care of. outcomes of women in India and access to
healthcare in India. Societal forces of patriarchy,
Health hierarchy, and multigenerational families
Women in India face heavy gender biases and are contribute to Indian gender roles.
subsequently more likely to experience disadvantages
in their lives, especially when it comes to healthcare. Suggestions
Malnutrition, lack of basic sanitization, and treatment 1. Improvement in the health indicators of women
for diseases all contribute to the dearth of healthcare can significantly contribute to the overall health
resources available to women in India. of the family and the newborns.
2. Since the significant amount of earnings of the
Health issues faced by women underprivileged are spent on medical treatment,
1. Immunization: According to UNICEF, India has 7.4 improved women’s health and their newborns
million children who are not immunized – this is can drastically reduce household expenditure.
the largest number in the world. Unfortunately, 3. Access to family planning and maternal health
gender also plays a role in whether children are services, as well as education for girls, typically
immunized or not, with girls reportedly receiving results in improved economic opportunity for
fewer vaccines than boys. women and lower fertility.
2. Malnutrition: India is thought to be among the
countries with the highest rates of malnourished Schemes for Women
females in the developing world. Being Financial empowerment
malnourished makes individuals more • Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was launched in 2015,
susceptible to contagious diseases which, in some under which small affordable deposits are made in
cases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, can the bank accounts of girls, with the benefit of the
have fatal consequences. Poor nutrition also higher rate of interest.
affects maternal health and the health of babies. • Support to Training and Employment Program
3. Maternal Healthcare: Poor socioeconomic (STEP) is aimed at adding new skills to women.
conditions in India limit women's access to
adequate healthcare, resulting in their children’s Encouraging entrepreneurship
poor health as well as the mother’s abilities to • Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, the
lead full, productive lives at home, in society, or government has provided credit to small
even in the economy. In many areas, maternal entrepreneurs without collateral.
mortality is still high due to poverty, backward • Over 47 lakh SHGs have been promoted under the
National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).

61
• SIDBI has been implementing two schemes for Students Note:
women entrepreneurs namely, Mahila Udyam
Nidhi and Mahila Vikas Nidhi.

Skill development
• It is another key aspect for raising the potential of
our female workforce. Half of the certificates
awarded under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana have been given to women candidates.
• To reach the yet unreached women across the
country, the ministry has recently launched the
Mahila Shakti Kendra scheme
• Stand-up India.
• Trade-related Entrepreneurship Assistance and
Development (TREAD).
• Science for Equity Empowerment and
Development (SEED).
• NITI Ayog launched the Women Entrepreneurship
Platform (WEP).

Empowering Motherhood
• The paid maternity leave for working women to 26
weeks empowers them as they need not fear the
loss of salary or job due to childbirth.
• In order to extend protection to the unorganized
sector as well, pregnant and lactating mothers are
provided cash incentives under the PM Matru
Vandana Yojana.

Women health
• To empower women and protect their health, the
Ujjawala scheme has been introduced, which
provides free LPG cylinders to women from BPL
families to replace unclean cooking fuels.

Women safety
• Nirbhaya Fund
• UJJAWALA
• Working Women Hostel
• Swadhar Greh (A Scheme for Women in Difficult
Circumstances)
• Nari Shakti Puraskar
• Mahila E-Haat
• Mahila Shakti Kendras (MSK)

62
 POLITY
Uniform Civil Code "I am convinced that the time has come when we go
Context: ahead with a uniform civil code for all our citizens
In Gujarat election, the ruling party in its manifesto has without further delay." — Jawaharlal Nehru
promised uniform civil code if the party comes into
power again. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister "I personally do not understand why religion should
announced an expert panel that would examine the be given this vast, expansive jurisdiction, so as to
possibility of applying the UCC in the State. cover the whole of life and to prevent the legislature
from encroaching upon that field. After all, what are
About UCC: we having this liberty for? We are having this liberty
• The Uniform Civil Code (Samāna Nāgrika Saṃhitā), in order to reform our social system, which is full of
sometimes referred as UCC, is a proposed law in inequities, discriminations and other things, which
India to formulate and implement personal laws of conflict with our fundamental rights." - Dr. B.R.
citizens which apply to all citizens regardless of Ambedkar on the need for a Uniform Civil Code in
their religion, gender or sexual orientation. India.
• The constitution mentions it as Directive Principle
to the state, in Part IV in Article 44.
o It lays down that the state shall endeavor to Cons of UCC
secure a UCC for the citizens throughout the • Some argue that a uniform code would violate the
territory of India. right to religious freedom by imposing a single set
of laws on individuals belonging to different
religions.
• May lead to discrimination against certain
communities
• Difficult to implement
• May lead to resistance and opposition
• Against the concept of Unity in diversity
• Not supported by the Law commission: In 2018,
the Law Commission’s consultation paper held
Pros of UCC: that UCC is neither necessary nor desirable at this
• Promotes gender equality and justice stage.
• Streamlines the legal system: UCC would simplify • Politically sensitive issue: From Shah Bano to Sarla
the legal system by eliminating the need for Mudgal case, the court was also worried whether a
multiple personal laws and make it easier for secular state should bring a code which can be
individuals to understand and access their rights. perceived to be a threat to personal laws based on
• Reduces discrimination and social tensions the religious beliefs of individual religions.
• Encourages national unity and integration
• Secularism: A secular nation needs a common law Way Forward:
for all citizens rather than differentiated rules • Consensual approach: The government should
based on religious practices. initiate a dialogue with religious and community
leaders to discuss the need for a Uniform Civil Code
and seek their support and guidance in
implementing it.
• Gradual implementation: The government should
not rush into implementing a Uniform Civil Code
without adequate preparation and consensus-

63
 building. Instead, it should adopt a gradual and Legal Basis of Collegium
phased approach, starting with the most Not mentioned in the Constitution of India. It evolved
contentious issues and gradually expanding the through a series of judicial decisions, starting with the
scope of the code. Supreme Court's judgment in the Three Judges Cases
• Sensitive handling- Balancing Beliefs and in the 1980s.
Fundamental Rights: The government should
handle the issue of a Uniform Civil Code sensitively Current Procedure for the appointment:
and ensure that it does not violate the religious 1. Supreme court judges:
beliefs and sentiments of any community as well as • The CJI makes the proposal for the SC's other
the fundamental rights of the individuals, specially judges.
women. • The CJI seeks suggestions from the other members
• Comprehensive review: The government should of the Collegium as well as the senior-most judge
conduct a comprehensive review of existing of the court who is a member of the High Court
personal laws and identify areas where they where the suggested individual is a
conflict with constitutional principles and values. • The recommendation is forwarded by the
It should also consider international best practices Collegium to the Law Minister, who then sends it
and human rights standards while drafting the to the Prime Minister for the President's
code. guidance.
• Public awareness: The government should launch
a public awareness campaign to educate the 2. High court judges:
people about the need for a Uniform Civil Code and • High Court judges are recommended by a
its potential benefits. It should also seek feedback Collegium comprising the CJI and two senior-most
and suggestions from the public to improve the judges.
draft of the code.
• A mix of Uniformity and Diversity: The Law Issues related to collegium system:
Commission suggested certain measures in 1. Exclusion of executive: complete exclusion of
marriage and divorce that should be uniformly executive pillar of the democracy and collegium
accepted in the personal laws of all religions. is not accountable to any administrative body
2. Favoritism and nepotism: The collegium system
Collegium system: issues and concerns About leaves a lot of room for nepotism and favoritism
Collegium System because it does not specify any requirements for
Context: evaluating candidates for the position of CJI.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju questioned the 3. Closed-door, opaque and secretive: Critics have
Collegium system of judicial appointments, calling it pointed out that this system does not involve any
“opaque” and “alien”, attracting displeasure of the official secretariat. It is seen as a closed-door
Supreme court. The Vice President echoed similar affair with no public knowledge of how and when
views and called for a review of NJAC judgment. a collegium meets, and how it takes its decisions.
4. Against the principle of check and balances: The
About Collegium System principle of check and balance is violated in this
In India, there is a system known as the "Collegium" system. In India, three organs work partially
that allows only judges to appoint and transfer judges. independently but they keep check and balance
This system is also known as "Judges- Selecting- and control on the excessive powers of any organ.
Judges. "The Supreme Court Collegium is headed by 5. Inefficient: Collegium has not been able to
the Chief Justice of India and comprises 4 other senior- prevent the increasing cases of vacancies of
most judges of the SC. judges and cases in courts.

64
 based process, the Supreme Court should publish a
"The collegium system has failed in its objective of
written manual that should be followed during
ensuring transparency, objectivity and accountability
appointments and make all meeting minutes
in the appointment of judges. It has become a closed-
available to the public.
door, opaque and secretive process, which has
eroded the public's confidence in the judiciary." -
Justice J. Chelameswar, former Judge of the Supreme Judicial Pendency
Court of India Context:
Indian judiciary at all levels is severely short of the
required number of judges. For example, The Bombay
Way forward: High Court is severely short on judges, with over 40%
• A modified NJAC: To ensure that the judiciary of the positions being unfilled. The Bombay High Court
maintains its independence in its judgements, the is presently hearing 5.88 lakh cases.
NJAC needs to be modified and reintroduced in
some capacity. Indian caseload's current status
• Constitutionally recognized: The collegium system There are currently over 4.7 crore cases outstanding
should be recognized and codified in the in courts at all levels of the legal system.
Constitution of India to provide a legal basis for its Nearly 1,82,000 of them have been outstanding for
functioning. more than 30 years, with 87.4% of them in lower
• Transparent selection process: The selection courts and 12.4% in high courts.
process for judges should be transparent and
should involve public consultations and Rising Pendency on all levels of Judiciary:
participation.
• Clear criteria and procedure: The criteria for
appointment of judges and the procedure for their
selection should be clearly defined and published.
• Independent review mechanism: An independent
and impartial review mechanism should be
established to monitor the functioning of the
collegium system and address any complaints or Causes of such High Pendency
grievances. • Rising Litigation: The development of citizen-
• Regular performance evaluations: The friendly tools & judicial innovations like PIL,
performance of judges should be regularly population expansion, and rising literacy rates have
evaluated to ensure that they are competent and all contributed to an enormous increase in the
unbiased. number of court cases.
• Public accountability: The collegium should be • Increased Vacancies: The courts are not operating
accountable to the public and should be required at their full capacity. According to the law ministry,
to report on its activities and decisions. there is a 40% gap between the sanctioned
• Establishment of the Secretariat and Making 3 strength and the working strength of the High
step process of collegium public as per Central courts.
Government’s recommendation: Central • Number of Judges relative to population seriously
government has suggested establishment of a low: By international standards, Indian courts are
Secretariat in the Supreme Court as well as each severely understaffed if the population they serve
High Court for researching and collecting have to be seen.
information to assess those who may be elevated
to the Bench.
• Written Manual for process to be followed by the
Collegium: To guarantee transparency and a rule-

65
 • Reforms to appointment procedures: Many
experts support the idea that more judges should
be appointed, with absolute transparency in the
process.
• All Indian Judiciary Services: Establishing a pan-
Indian service would be a historic step that would
allow a large number of qualified and devoted
judges to enter the system.
• Technology infusion: Legal and judicial procedures
can be progressively integrated with the ethical
and appropriate use of AI and ML for the
advancement of efficiency-enhancing. Ex: SUPACE
• Rigid procedural demands: Each case requires a (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s
significant amount of paperwork, which Efficiency)
occasionally results in unneccesary delays. • Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR): ADR
• Poor state of affairs for Subordinate Judiciary: mechanisms should be promoted for out-of-court
District courts around the nation also have settlements. Primary courts of appeal should be set
inadequate infrastructure and unfavourable up. Mechanisms like Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas
working circumstances, which require urgent should be effectively utilized.
reform if they are to live up to the digital standards • Adequate Budgeting: The upgrades and
set by the higher judiciary. appointments will require significant budgetary
• Government, the Biggest Litigant: The largest investments, but they are very necessary.
litigant is the government, poorly drafted orders Recommendations by the the India Justice Report
have resulted in contested tax revenues equal to 2020 and the Fifteenth Finance Commissions can
4.7 per cent of the GDP and it is rising. serve as a guide on how to do it.
• Less budgetary allocation: The budget allocated to • Legal education: This should be consistent with the
the judiciary is between 0.08 and 0.09 per cent of dynamics of the law as they change.
the GDP.
Hate Speech
Consequences of High Judicial pendency Context:
• Poor state of Rule of law in the country: India on Recently, there has been a rise in cases related to Hate
the World Justice Project’s the 'Rule of law' index, Speech in India
has ranked 77 out of 140 countries
• Justice delayed and hence denied About Hate Speech
• Loss of Trust in Judiciary of common people Hate speech has not been defined in the law but many
• High number of Undertrials: 77 percent of India’s important institutions have given their interpretations
prisoners are undertrials according to a NCRB from time to time.
report. • According to the 267th Report of the Law
Commission of India, Hate Speech is stated as an
Way forward incitement to hatred primarily against a group of
• Creation of NJIC (National Judicial Infrastructure persons defined in terms of race, ethnicity, gender,
Corporation) as suggested by the CJI: If the sexual orientation, religious belief, and the like.
proposed body is given the financial and executive • In Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan v. Union of India
authority to work independently of the Union and (2014), the Supreme Court of India outlined its
the State governments, the creation of NJIC will definition of hate speech as “an effort to
bring about a dramatic transformation in the way marginalize individuals based on their
the judicial system functions. membership in a group which seeks to

66
 delegitimize group members in the eyes of the Way forward
majority, reducing their social standing and Effective way to tackle Hate speech in India:
acceptance within society.” • Education and Awareness: Education is the most
effective method of reducing animosity. In order to
Data on Rising Hate Speech foster and comprehend compassion for others, our
Cases filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 153A educational system has a significant role to play.
(promotion of enmity between different groups on o The government must implement awareness
grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, campaigns and individual citizens must also take
language) saw a sixfold or almost a 500 per cent initiatives to promote friendly relations.
increase between 2014 and 2020, according to the • International collaboration for combating Digital
NCRB data. While 2014 (323 cases) saw the least Hate speech: Combating hate speech cannot be
number of cases in seven years, the year 2020, with done in isolation. It has to be discussed on a bigger
1,804 cases, saw the highest. stage, like the United Nations. Responding to this
threat should be the responsibility of all
Legal Provisions related to Hate speech responsible governments, regional organisations,
• Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India puts and other global and local actors.
reasonable restrictions on the Freedom of Speech • ADRs to be used: Through systems for Alternative
including public order, decency or morality, Dispute Resolution, cases of hate speech can be
defamation, or incitement to an offense. addressed.
• Section 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) • Implementing Recommendations of Viswanathan
punishes the promotion of enmity between Committee & Bezbaruah Committee: and
different groups on grounds of religion, race, place introduce amendments as per the
of birth, residence, language, etc. with recommendations
imprisonment up to 3 years.
o Section 153(b) of IPC punishes assertions Anti Defection Law
prejudicial to national integration Context:
Section 295(a) of IPC punishing malicious acts, With the political developments in Maharashtra, with
intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class the government facing internal dissent and the anti-
by insulting its religion or religious beliefs defection law has again come into the spotlight. In
Viswanathan Committee on Hate Speech 2019: West Bengal, Calcutta High Court has given West
It proposed inserting Sections 153 C (b) and Bengal Assembly Speaker a deadline to pass an order
Section 505 A in the IPC for incitement to commit in the defection case.
an offence on grounds of religion, race, caste or
community, About Anti Defection Law
sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, place of • Individual Members of Parliament (MPs)/MLAs
birth, residence, language, disability or tribe. It who switch parties are subject to punishment
proposed punishment of up to two years along under anti-defection laws.
with Rs. 5,000 fine. • In 1985, it was included by Parliament as the
Bezbaruah Committee 2014: Tenth Schedule to the Constitution. Its goal was to
It proposed amendment to Section 153 C of IPC prevent legislators from switching parties, so
(promoting or attempting to promote acts bringing stability to governments.
prejudicial to human dignity), punishable by five • Through the 52nd Amendment Act of 1985, the
years and fine or both and Section 509 A IPC (word, Tenth Schedule, also referred to as the Anti-
gesture or act intended to insult member of a Defection Act, was incorporated into the
particular race), punishable by three years or fine or Constitution.
both. • It lays forth the guidelines for disqualifying elected
officials for joining a different political party.

67
• After the 1967 general elections, party-hopping Disadvantages
MLAs overthrew several state governments, • restricts the member's ability to express
prompting this reaction. themselves freely by putting a stop to criticism of
• It does, however, permit a group of MPs or MLAs party policy.
to merge with another political party without • It lessens the government's responsibility to the
risking the defection penalty. Additionally, political Parliament and the populace by forbidding
parties are not punished for supporting or taking members of parliament from switching parties.
on dissident lawmakers.
• The 1985 Act defined a "merger" as the Reforming the Anti-Defection Law:
"defection" of one-third of an elected political Recommendations
party's members. Electoral Reforms Committee of Dinesh
• However, this was altered by the 91st Goswami (1990):
Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003, and • Disqualification should only occur in the
today, in order for a "merger" to be considered following circumstances: (a) a member
legal, at least two-thirds of the members of a voluntarily resigns from his political party; (b)
party must be in favour of it. a member abstains from voting; or (c) a
• The lawmakers who are legally disqualified from member votes against the party whip in a
serving in the House may run for office in elections motion of confidence or no-confidence.
from any political party. • On the recommendation of the Election
• The Chairman or Speaker of that House is asked to Commission, the President or Governor should
make decisions about defection-related make the decision about disqualification.
disqualification.
• The law, however, does not provide a deadline for Anti-defection law Halim Committee (1998)
the presiding officer to make a decision in a • Be given a thorough definition of the phrase
defection case. "voluntarily giving up membership in a political
party."
Impact of Defections • Expelled members may be subject to
The impact of defections on Indian polity can be limitations, such as the inability to work for the
significant and far-reaching. Some of the key impacts government or join another party.
are: • It is important to define the phrase "political
• Distortion of electoral mandates: Defections can party" precisely.
lead to the distortion of electoral mandates, as
politicians who are elected on the basis of their Law Commission (170th Report, 1999)
party's manifesto and ideology may switch parties • Eliminate clauses that exclude mergers and
after the election, undermining the will of the splits from disqualification.
voters • Under anti-defection legislation, pre-election
• Impact On Government Stability: electoral fronts should be regarded as
• Erosion of Ethics in Politics political parties.
• Political parties should reserve the use of
Advantages of the law whips for emergency situations where the
• Gives the government stability by avoiding changes safety of the government is at risk.
in party affiliation.
• ensures that candidates who are elected with party Election Commission's Recommendation
backing and based on party platforms adhere to The President or Governor should base decisions
those policies. made under the Tenth Schedule on the Election
• Fosters party discipline as well. Commission's legally-binding recommendations.

68
Way Forward • The Karnataka High court ruled in March 2022 that
• Promoting Internal Democracy in parties: If party the hijab is not a necessary component of the
defections are a problem for government stability, Islamic faith and denied petitions from a group of
the solution is for parties to increase party internal Muslim students in Karnataka asking for
democracy. permission to wear it in class.
o Political parties in India need to be regulated,
and legislation to that effect is urgently needed. Supreme Court’s verdict
Such a measure needs to promote intra-party • Supreme Court of India has given a split verdict
democracy, bring political parties under RTI, • In the event of a split decision, a bigger Bench
etc. hears the matter.
• Removing the Chairman/Speaker of the House • A three-judge High Court bench can be the bigger
from Decision-Making Powers: The Bench to which a split decision is sent, or an appeal
Chairman/Speaker of the House, as the last word can be filed with the Supreme Court.
on defection, has an impact on the theory of • The 2 different views were:
separation of powers.
o Transferring this authority to the Election
Commission or higher courts, as recommended
by the 2nd ARC report, may help to reduce the
threat of defection in this situation.
• Limiting the Application of Anti-Defection
Legislation: The application of the law can be
limited to just those laws where the loss of trust
in the government might result in order to protect
representative democracy from the harmful
effects of the anti-defection law.

Essential Religious Practice Doctrine

Context: EVOLUTION OF THE DOCTRINE OF ESSENTIAL
A Bench of the Supreme Court of India has given a split RELIGIOUS PRACTICES (ERP)
verdict after hearing arguments on the correctness of • The religious practices which are covered by
a Karnataka High Court judgment that upheld the ban Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution depend on
on the use of the hijab by students in Karnataka. the ERP doctrine.
About the Dispute o Article 25 of the Constitution, which protects
the freedom of religion, does not specify what
is protected; rather, to ascertain which religious
acts would be covered by the Constitution's
protections, the courts have created the
doctrine of "essential religious practices." They
either depend on religious scriptures for this or
consider if the practice in question was present
at the time the religion was founded.
• The doctrine's roots may be found in a speech
given by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the Constituent
Assembly, in which he stated that only those rites
and beliefs should be included in the definition of
religion. Later, Multiple Supreme court

69
 Judgements have interpreted and used the o A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India
doctrine. will be eligible to purchase the bond.
• Shri Shirur Mutt Case, 1954 • Electoral bond would be issued/purchased for any
o The Supreme Court held that the term value, in multiples of `1,000, `10,000, `1,00,000,
“religion” will cover all rituals and practices `10,00,000 and `1,00,00,000 from the specified
“integral” to a religion. The economic, political, branches of the State Bank of India (SBI).
or commercial activity connected to religious • The purchaser would be allowed to buy electoral
beliefs may be regulated under Article 25(2)(a). bond(s) only on due fulfilment of all the extant
However, it was left up to the courts to decide KYC norms and by making payment from a bank
what counts as essential religious rituals. Based account. It will not carry the name of payee.
on what religious denominations deemed to be • Electoral Bonds would have a life of only 15 days
significant or necessary activities, this was during which it can be used for making donation
chosen. only to the political parties registered under
• Shayara Bano v Union of India, 2017 (Triple Talaq section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples
case) Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and which secured not less
o The claim that Triple Talaq constituted a than one per cent of the votes polled in the last
fundamental Islamic practice was rejected by general election to the House of the People or a
the Supreme Court. As a result, the court Legislative Assembly.
declined to grant it Article 25 protection under • The bonds under the Scheme shall be available for
the Constitution. purchase for a period of 10 days each in the
• Indian Young Lawyers’ Association v State of months of January, April, July and October, as may
Kerala, 2017 (Sabarimala Case) be specified by the Central Government. An
o The Sabarimala case rejected the contention of additional period of 30 days shall be specified by
"Ayyappans" (pilgrims) that the prohibition the Central Government in the year of the General
against entry into the temple for women election to the House of People.
between the ages of 10 and 50 constituted an • About the Amendments to the scheme
important practise and permitted entry into the • Introduced a new paragraph that said that, in the
temple for all women. year of general elections for the Legislative
Assembly of States and Union territories having
Way forward Legislatures, the Central Government should
As long as the hijab or any other clothing, whether specify an additional term of fifteen days.
religious or secular, does not distract from the o The Central Government was already required
uniform, reasonable accommodations should be to provide an additional 30-day term during the
made. While it is important to have uniform in year of the general election for the House of
educational institutions, the rule shouldn’t serve as a People.
tool which deters young girls from education.
Challenges Related to the Election Bonds
Electoral Bonds • A Blow to Transparency: The Union government
Context: has exempted political parties from disclosing
The Central Government amended the Electoral Bond contributions made through electoral bonds by
Scheme weeks before elections in several states. amending the Finance Act of 2017.
o As a result, voters will not be aware of which
About Electoral Bonds party has received funding and in what amounts
• Electoral Bond is a bearer instrument in the nature from which individual, business, or
of a Promissory Note and an interest free banking organization.
instrument. • Defying the Right to Know: The Indian Supreme
Court has long held that the right to freedom of

70
 expression under the Indian Constitution includes o Another potential innovation could be the
the "right to know," especially in relation to implementation of a crowdfunding platform.
elections. This could help to democratize the donation
o The electoral bonds plan goes against the process. The platform could also include
fundamental principles of our democracy by features such as transparency, accountability,
concealing this information from citizens and and security to ensure that the funds are used
voters. properly and in accordance with the law.
• Unfair access to government whereas citizens are • Judiciary’s role:
denied information: Even though citizens receive o Judiciary needs to step up, specially Supreme
no information from electoral bonds, the current court and ensure accountability of both the
government can always access donor information government and election commission. Proper
by requesting it from the State Bank of India (SBI). scrutiny of the scheme in the SC should be done
o This suggests that the current government has on the priority basis.
the ability to use this information to prevent
free and fair elections. President Election
• Opposition from the Indian Election Commission: Context:
In May 2017, the Election Commission raised Elected MLAs and MPs across the country are voted to
concerns regarding the Representation of the elect India’s 15th President.
People (RP) Act amendments that exempt political
parties from disclosing contributions made through About
electoral bonds. • Election of the Indian President is done in
o The move was called a "retrograde step" by it. accordance with the, Article 62(1) of the
• Corruption's Institutionalisation: The electoral Constitution: Under this, “an election to fill a
bonds plan eliminates all restrictions on political vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of
donations and effectively makes it possible for office of President shall be completed before the
well-funded corporations to fund elections, expiration of the term”. Hence, as the term of the
opening the door to crony capitalism. last president was about to expire and new
o In addition, the electoral bonds scheme raises President was elected.
rather than lowers the likelihood of institutional • The election of the President of India is held every
corruption because it allows foreign donations five years.
to political parties, which are frequently made • The election is conducted by the Election
through shell companies. Commission of India.

Way Forward Process of Presidential Election

• Considering Public Funding of Election as • The President is elected by an electoral college,
recommended by Dinesh Goswami Committee: which consists of members of the Lok Sabha (the
o One potentially innovative solution for electoral lower house of the Indian Parliament), the Rajya
funding in India could be to establish a public Sabha (the upper house of the Indian Parliament),
financing system, where political parties and and the Legislative Assemblies of each state and
candidates receive a certain amount of funding UTs having legislatures.
from the government based on their • The electoral college elects the President through
performance in past elections or their support a system of proportional representation by means
among voters. This could help to level the of the single transferable vote.
playing field and allow parties and candidates to • The candidate who receives the majority of votes
campaign effectively without relying on large from the electoral college is declared the winner
donations from private individuals or and is sworn in as the President of India.
organizations.

71
• If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a • Nominated members of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha
second round of voting is held. In this round, the and the Assemblies, and members of state
two candidates with the most votes compete Legislative Councils, are not part of the electoral
against each other. college.
• The candidate who receives the majority of votes
in the second round is declared the winner and is
sworn in as the President of India.
• The newly-elected President of India serves a five-
year term and can be re-elected for an additional
term.

Comparison of System of Presidential Election

Indian USA France
President President President

Election 5 years 4 years 5 years

held every Image Source-IE

Conducted Election The states Constitutio • Weighted votes:

by Commissio and the nal Council o The votes are weighted, their value determined
n of India District of by the population of each state as per Census
Columbia 1971.
o MPs: The process demands that the 776 MPs
Elected by Electoral Electoral Two (543 in Lok Sabha, 233 in Rajya Sabha) should
college college rounds of contribute the same total of votes as the MLAs.
consisting consisting voting by o Calculation done by: The total value of votes of
of of members all the States added together is divided by the
members representa of total number of elected members of Parliament
of tives from Parliament (Lok Sabha 543 + Rajya Sabha 233) to get the
Parliament each state and local value of votes per each Member of Parliament.
and state and the governme
assemblies District of nt officials Vice President Election
Columbia Context:
Recently, New Vice-President was elected by the Vice-
Voting Proportion Plurality Two-round Presidential election held in August, 2022 by the
system al voting system Election Commission
representa with a
tion by majority About
means of vote in the • The second-highest constitutional position in India
the single second is that of vice president. He/she can stay in office
transferabl round after their first five-year tenure is up. Until the
e vote replacement takes over, irrespective of the term's
end.
Electoral College • By presenting his resignation to the President of
• The President is elected by an electoral college India, the Vice President may resign from his
consisting of MPs of both Houses of Parliament and position. On the day it is accepted, the resignation
MLAs of the states of Delhi and Puducherry. takes effect.

72
• A resolution of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), Constitution when read in conjunction with the
approved by the House of the People and passed Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act,
by a majority of its members at the time, may be 1952, and the Presidential and Vice-Presidential
used to remove the Vice President from office (Lok Elections Rules, 1974.
Sabha). A resolution for this purpose may only be • Since every elector is a member of both Houses of
moved following the giving of a notice of at least 14 Parliament, the value of each legislator's vote, or 1,
days. would be the same (one).
• Vice President is the ex-officio Chairperson of the
Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and does not hold Intra Party Democracy
any other office of profit. Context:
• As per Article 66 of the Constitution of India, the Election commision has shown willingness to work
Vice-President is elected by the members of the towards Intra-Party democracy.
Electoral College. Electoral College consists of:
o Elected members of Rajya Sabha. About
o Nominated members of Rajya Sabha. Intra-party democracy refers to the democratic
o Elected members of Lok Sabha. processes and practices within a political party,
including the selection of party leaders, the
Process of Vice President Election formulation of party policies, and the participation of
The process for electing the Vice President of India is party members in decision-making.
laid out in the Constitution of India and is as follows: The need for intra-party democracy is based on the
• The Vice President is elected by an electoral idea that political parties, as important institutions in
college consisting of members of both houses of democratic societies, and hence, should be
the Parliament of India (the Lok Sabha and the transparent and accountable to their members and
Rajya Sabha). the public. Intra-party democracy helps to ensure that
• A presidential nomination is required for a party leaders are accountable to their party's base,
candidate to be eligible to stand for election as Vice rather than just a small group of elites or external
President. The nomination must be signed by at interests. It also promotes internal competition and
least 50 electors as proposers and at least 50 debate, which can lead to better decision-making and
electors as seconders. more representative policies.
• The election is held by secret ballot.
• The Returning Officer for the election is the Internal Party Democracy: Is it Required?
Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha. Internal Party democracy is essential to ensure true
• The candidate who receives the largest number of democracy in action for multiple reasons:
votes is declared the winner. • Representation: Political parties have evolved into
• The Vice President is elected for a term of five years closed, authoritarian entities as a result of the lack
and is eligible for re-election. of intra-party democracy. This has a negative effect
• The Vice President is ex officio Chairman of the on all people' fundamental rights to equal political
Rajya Sabha (the upper house of the Indian opportunity to engage in politics and run for office.
Parliament) and acts as President in the event of • Stop the High command culture: Across all the
the President's death, resignation, or parties everything is governed from top to bottom,
impeachment. which is against the spirit of democracy.
• Less Factionalism: A leader with deep ties to the
Constitutional Provisions grassroots would not be marginalised. Less
• The Election Commission of India is given factionalism and party fragmentation will be
supervision, direction, and control over the possible as a result.
conduct of elections for the office of vice • Transparency: Proper ticket distribution and
president of India under Article 324 of the candidate selection will be possible with a clear

73
 party structure and transparent methods. The and state legislatures in accordance with their
decision would reflect the preferences of the wider personal views due to the centralised structure of
party rather than being dictated by a small number political parties and the strict anti-defection
of influential party leaders. statute of 1985.
• Creating Power Centers at Different Levels: Each
political party has State and local body units. By Way forward
holding elections at each level, power centres may ECI must re-interpret the existing laws with a new
be created at various levels. Because of this, interpretation and make bold moves, such as:
authority will be decentralised and decisions will be • Organizational elections should be held on a
made locally. regular basis by political parties.
• Politics becoming criminalised: Since there is no • Changes in office bearers and addresses must be
clear procedure for allocating tickets to candidates reported to the ECI by the parties.
before elections, tickets are distributed based on a • They are required to provide evidence of
nebulous notion of winnability. Due to this, there is expenditures made both during and after
now also the issue of criminally inclined candidates elections.
running for office. • The political party is expected to take the necessary
measures to guarantee the holding of elections at
Status and History of Intra-Party Democracy in India all levels. In the presence of the observers that the
• In India, political parties have generally been weak ECI will appoint, the political party will hold
in terms of internal democracy. Many parties are elections at both the national and state levels.
dominated by a single leader or a small group of • Allegations of non-compliance with any election-
leaders, with little scope for the participation of related provisions can be investigated by the ECI.
rank-and-file members in decision-making. ECI ought to have the legal authority to deregister
• This has led to criticism of the lack of accountability a party until the party holds free and fair elections.
and transparency within parties, as well as
concerns about the influence of money and other International Best Practices
external factors on party leaders and policies. • USA
The National Committee serves as the top decision-
Obstacles to Internal party democracy making body for both the Democratic Party and the
• Nepotism in Politics: A factor in the rise of Republican Party in the United States. The
nepotism in political parties is the absence of intra- presidential election and the formulation of the
party democracy. The succession plans for "family" agenda are heavily influenced by the National
seats are being set in place as top party officials run Committee. There are primaries to select
their relatives in elections. Presidential Candidates from both parties.
• Lack of a reliable regulatory framework: Section
29A of the Representation of the Peoples' Act of • German approach to enacting political party
1951, which requires political parties to register constitutions:
with the ECI, serves as the only controlling statute. Political parties are granted constitutional status
o Election mandates or the enforcement of and it addresses their status, rights, responsibilities,
internal party democracy are not legislative and functions. It offers:
powers of ECI. Constitutionalising helps implementation of
• Personality cult: People have a propensity for hero Constitution of the parties in the real manner,
worship, and frequently a leader takes control of democratically.
the party and establishes his own clique, putting a The German model of constitutionalizing political
stop to all kinds of opposition. parties is preferable for India. The question of
• Centralised Party Structure: Party lawmakers are unconstitutionality will be decided by the Federal
discouraged from casting their votes in the national Constitutional Court.

74
 Supreme court judgment of EWS reservation criteria and exclude SC (Scheduled Castes), ST
Context: (Scheduled Tribes), and OBC (Other Backward
In a 3-2 majority, the Supreme Court upheld the 103rd Classes) on the grounds that they already received
Constitutional Amendment providing EWS these advantages.
reservation. With this, the Court extended the net of • The EWS quota may include a corrective
reservation benefits to include solely economic mechanism to create a fair playing field, and the
backwardness. exclusion of SC, ST, and OBC breaches fundamental
principles of equality and the equality code.
About the issue: • Allowing the 50% ceiling restriction to be
The 10% EWS quota was introduced under the 103rd exceeded would "open the door for additional
Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2019 by amending violations and lead to compartmentalization"
Articles 15 and 16. (division into sections).
Key issues being heard in the case:
1. Can reservations be granted solely on the basis of Significance:
economic criteria? • Addresses inequality: it is a progressive step which
2. Can Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other would address educational and income inequality.
Backward Classes, and Socially and Economically • Recognition of economic criteria: The proposed
Backward Classes be excluded from the scope of reservation through a constitutional amendment
EWS Reservations? would give constitutional recognition to the poor
3. Can EWS Reservations breach the 50% ceiling for from the upper castes.
reservations established by the Supreme Court in
Indra Sawhney (1992) Concerns:
4. Can States provide reservations in private • Unavailability of data: The Union or state
educational institutions which do not receive governments have no such data to prove that
government aid? ‘upper’ caste individuals, who have less than Rs 8
lakh annual income, are not adequately
Majority view in the Judgment: represented in government jobs and higher
• The 103rd constitutional amendment does not educational institutions. There is a strong
violate the Constitution's fundamental principles. possibility that they are actually over-represented
• The EWS quota does not go against the in these places.
fundamental principles of the constitution or • Arbitrary criteria: The criteria used by the
equality. The Constitution's provisions are not government to decide the eligibility for this
violated by additional reservations made on top of reservation is vague and is not based on any data
those already made. or study.
• The reservation is a tool used by the state to • Further breach of 50% Indra Sawhney Limit: Many
promote inclusion of underprivileged groups. state governments like Tamil Nadu & Jharkhand
• Reservations are important not just for integrating have already crossed the limit and this would give
economically and socially disadvantaged classes them encouragement to do so more for political
into society, but also for other disadvantaged purposes.
classes.
• Due to the 50% maximum limit set by the Indira Way forward
sawhney judgement, reservations for EWS do not • It should be ensured that the EWS reservation is
contradict the fundamental structure because the only given to the deserving students and hence the
ceiling limit is not rigid. criteria being used to classify should be better fine
tuned.
Minority view in the Judgment:
• The government should place more of an emphasis
• Reservations are an effective strategy for enabling
on the quality of education and other successful
equal access. It is unfair to introduce economic

75
 social upliftment efforts rather than granting • In 2017, the National Company Law Appellate
reservations based on various factors. They should Tribunal (NCLAT) was established by the
become job-givers rather than job-seekers as a government to take the place of the Competition
result of it, cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit. Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT).

Competition Commission of India Amendments proposed by the 2022 Bill

Context: Introduced with primary 3 aims:
Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was introduced • For increasing accountability & transparency:
with aims to improve regulatory set-up. CCI also was o Provision of a board that oversees CCI activities
in news, for it’s strict action on global companies like with part-time members.
Google for “abusing its dominant position” in the o Its regulatory architecture would be
Android market and it’s raids on Amazon for anti- comparable to that of financial regulators as a
competitive practices. result of this.
o It will provide the regulatory environment with
About much-needed certainty.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a • Efficiency of enforcement:
statutory body established in 2003 under the • Without having to go through lengthy formal
Competition Act, 2002. proceedings, CCI could engage in structured
• The CCI is responsible for enforcing the negotiations with the parties and reach solutions
Competition Act and preventing activities that may that are mutually beneficial.
have an adverse effect on competition in India. • As a result, CCI's authority will be comparable to
• The CCI is composed of a chairperson and six that of Sebi, which has issued settlement orders for
Members, who are appointed by the President of more than a decade.
India. • In the past, CCI only had the authority to issue final
• The CCI has the power to investigate and impose orders in cases involving abuse of dominance or
fines on companies that engage in anti- anti-competitive agreements.
competitive practices, such as price fixing, bid • Shortening of the consolidation survey period from
rigging, and market abuse. 210 to 150 days
• The CCI also has the power to review and approve • Presentation of a green channel for consolidation
mergers and acquisitions that may have an impact applications: Under the new green-channel
on competition in the relevant market. process, certain types of mergers that required CCI
• The CCI works closely with other regulatory approval could proceed to full completion without
agencies and law enforcement agencies to ensure having to stop.
compliance with competition laws in India.
Flexibility:
About Competition Act • Previously, only agreements between businesses in
• Passed in 2002 and has been amended by the a direct upstream or downstream market (such as
Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007 and then now those between a manufacturer and distributor) or
later a bill has been introduced to amend it in 2022 at the same level of production (such as
but has not been passed till now. competitors who form a cartel) were permitted.
• Prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuse of • As a result, Anti-competitive agreements between
dominant position by enterprises the parties went unchallenged if they did not fall
• The Competition Appellate Tribunal and the into either of these categories.
Competition Commission of India have been • However, this bill also acknowledges hub-and-
established in accordance with the Amendment spoke cartels and a catch-all provision that
Act's provisions. enables the CCI to deal with anti-competitive

76
 agreements regardless of the parties' structural • The Constitution of India provides for a three-tier
relationships. system of governance in the country, comprising
the Union (federal) government, state
Concerns governments, and local governments. If it’s a true
● Director General’s powers may be incompatible three tier system or not has been a debate because
with Indian Evidence Act of limited decentralisation and limited devolution
o Bill increases the Director General's authority to of functions, funds and functionaries.
investigate violations of the Act, which may • Local governments in India are responsible for the
conflict with the Indian Evidence Act. This also administration of villages and urban areas at the
includes the authority to request documents local level.
and information from legal advisors. The Indian • The 73rd and 74th Amendments to the
Evidence Act's requirements for lawyer-client Constitution, passed in 1993, provide for the
confidentiality may be in conflict with this. establishment of local self-governments in rural
• Whether specifying deposit for appeals in the law and urban areas, respectively.
is appropriate • Rural local governments are known as panchayats,
o Bill requires the appellants to deposit 25 while urban local governments are known as
percent of the amount that is to be paid under municipal corporations or municipalities.
any order passed by the CCI, in a manner • The local governance structure in India also
specified by the National Company Law includes other bodies such as district councils,
Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). This raises the block development councils, and town and country
question of whether it is appropriate to specify planning organizations, which are responsible for
a deposit for appeals in the law. The NCLAT will the planning and development of their respective
not consider the individual's appeal unless this areas.
sum is deposited. The question is whether it is • The Union and state governments have the power
appropriate for the law to specify a mandatory to make laws and regulations relating to the
deposit for appealing CCI orders. functioning of local governments.
• IPR is not allowed as defence in cases of abuse of
dominant position
o The original Act prohibits the use of Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) as a defense in cases of
abuse of dominant position. This means that IPR
cannot be used as a defense. This omission is
not addressed in the Bill.
• There is no effective clause to regulate digital
platforms' anti-competitive behavior.
• Delayed: Bill has been delayed for quite some time

Issues in Local Governance

Context:
Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the Image courtesy: India Development Review
enactment of the 73rd and 74th constitutional • The structure of PRIs is uniform across all states in
amendments, which revolutionsed the local the country, except for the scheduled and tribal
governance structure in Indian polity. Hence, A lot of areas, which are legally exempt from implementing
discussion on their success and failures have started. the Panchayati Raj system. The Panchayat
Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996
Local Governance structure in India provides for the extension of the 73rd Amendment
(with certain modifications and exceptions) to

77
 tribal and forested areas across 10 states of India, Functional Challenges
excluding tribal areas in the states of Assam, • State Government has the authority to devolve
Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, which are functions to local governments. The majority of
governed by District or Regional Councils. States have not given local government entities
enough responsibility.
Functions of PRIs • The standing of local organisations has been
The following tasks are carried out by PRIs as part of weakened as a result of parallel institutions
their crucial role in rural development: developed by state governments for the
implementation of initiatives in the fields of
• Administrative tasks like keeping village records, agriculture, health, and education.
building, maintaining, and repairing roads, tanks, • The infrastructure required for local bodies to
wells, and so forth; fulfill their duties is lacking.
• Enhancing socioeconomic welfare through the • Ineffective & Absent DPCs: In order to consolidate
promotion of rural industries, health, education, and integrate the development plans created by
and women's and children's welfare, among other the panchayats and urban local authorities, the
things 74th amendment mandates the creation of a
• Judicial tasks like trying minor civil and criminal District Planning Committee in each district.
cases like minor thefts and money disputes. Research by the think tank India Development
Review (IDR) have found that District Planning
Revenue sources of Local bodies Committees are non-functional in 9 states, and
failed to prepare integrated plans in 15 states.

Functionary challenges
• Lack of necessary Local body personnel: Local
governments lack sufficient staff. A single secretary
oversees many panchayats and is frequently
overworked
• Local decision-making has suffered as a result of
technology's centralization of local service delivery.

Financial Challenges
• Local government spending only accounts for 2%
of GDP. Compared to other major economies like
Image courtesy: India Development Review
China (11%) and Brazil (7%), this is extremely low.
• The majority of rural and urban local governments
Issues in Local Governance Structures rely heavily on funding from outside sources
In India, though political decentralisation has been because they are unable to raise sufficient funds
successfully achieved, the actual transfer of internally. According to studies, between 80 and
functions, finances, and functionaries to these 95 percent of revenue comes from outside
institutions remains incomplete. This weakens the sources, particularly loans and grants from the
system and inhibits its proper functioning. State and Union governments;
• The amount of funds set aside for them is
insufficient to meet their fundamental needs.
Resources are scarce for local governments. The
actual transfer of funds has been very poor. Local
governments receive no more than 5% of the

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 divided pool of Union taxes despite Finance women. Syndrome of Sarpanch Pati': The women's
Commission's recommendations sarpanch only serves as a nominal head; actual
• Tied Funds rather than untied: Funds are devolved power is held by male relatives—typically the
with conditions that require them to be used in husband.
particular ways. i.e., Union and state governments'
top-down plans rather than ones based on local Way forward
requirements. Instead of the elected The spirit of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional
representatives of local governments, officers Amendments needs to be followed.
appointed by the government have complete • State Finance Commissions ought to be routinely
control over how funds are spent; formed, with plainly characterized Terms of
• SFCs not established regularly and as required: Reference (Pinnacle). The ToR ought to include a
State Finance Commissions are not established as recommendation to devolve additional funds and
required by the Constitution (they meet every five improve the efficiency of local bodies' operations.
years). A fifth State Finance Commission (SFC) • Regular elections ought to be held immediately.
should have been established by 2014–15, but only Delays must be held accountable by state election
13 states had done so. Some states had not yet commissions and governments.
established their third or fourth Commissions by • Gram Sabhas and wards advisory groups (in
2019, when the sixth State Finance Commission metropolitan regions) must be revived. In order to
ought to have been established. make the consultations with the grama sabha
• According to some experts, public outcry prevents inclusive, smaller discussions could be organized in
local governments from collecting user fees and which everyone could participate. Discussions
property taxes. Because they are aware that between members of a grama sabha or ward
collecting taxes will hurt their chances of winning committee could be facilitated through the use of
elections, they are happy to implement programs new forms of communication like social media
from the top down. groups.
• Fourth, the organizational frameworks of local
Other Challenges government need to be improved. Without being
• Criminalisation and Rampant corruption in local compensated for the additional administrative
body elections: Local government elections attract costs, panchayats are required to complete a
criminals and contractors, particularly in urban significant amount of work that other departments
areas. Because local elections are not subjected to assign to them. It is necessary to give local
the same level of scrutiny as State Assembly or governments the ability to hold State departments
General Elections, they are able to win elections accountable and provide them with high-quality,
through corrupt means. anti-corruption services.
• Local body elections are frequently postponed, • Capacity Building of PRIs and ULBs: workshops,
leading to no local governments for a long time. action research, training, and process consultation
• Lack of interest and Participation of Locals in Local are all necessary means of enhancing human
body elections: City dwellers lack sufficient resources' capabilities.
interest in the operation of urban government • Multi-sectoral effort: With the assistance of NGOs
bodies, despite having a relatively higher literacy and civil society organizations, citizen participation
rate and educational level; for instance, and engagement in local governance can be
participation in the 2017 municipal elections in enhanced.
Delhi and Mumbai was only 53% and 55%, "Panchayati Raj is the heart of our democracy. It is
respectively through Panchayati Raj that we can reach the fruits
• The "Sarpanch Pati" syndrome hinders the of development to the grass-roots and build a
effectiveness of women's representation, despite healthy and prosperous India." - Mahatma Gandhi
the fact that reservation of seats has empowered

79
 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution necessary to realize cost economies or economies
have created a new democratic framework at the of scale, due to their small size.
grass-roots level, which has the potential to • Lot of large export-oriented units (EOUs) became
empower the poorest and most marginalized SEZs When tax exceptions finished, investments
sections of society. However, their success or failure evaporated.
will depend on how effectively they are • In 2019, the World Trade Organization (WTO)
implemented and how much power and resources determined that subsidies provided to SEZ units in
are devolved to the grass-roots level." - Dr. Amartya India were in violation of the rules of fair trade. As
Sen a result, today, less than half of the land approved
for SEZ purposes is utilized, resulting in a gross
underutilization of resources.
DESH Bill (Development of Enterprises and • Single-window clearance regime was hindered by
Services Hub Bill) 2022 the fact that many states did not align their laws
Context: with the Central SEZ Act.
Development of Enterprises and Services Hub Bill, • In addition to SEZs, there are other models for
2022 (DESH Bill) has been prepared and is planned to economic zones like NIMZs, Coastal Economic
be introduced to replace the Special Economic Zones Zones, and so on. which makes issues in
(SEZ) Act. coordination of different models.
• Frequent tax changes:SEZ tax provisions were
Aims of the Proposed Bill altered multiple times, including the introduction
• Under the DESH bill, the government of India of the Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) and the
intends to rebrand India's 268 Special Economic removal of the Dividend Distribution Tax
Zones (SEZs) as "development hubs." exemption. Investor sentiment was impacted
• The Bill aims to increase manufacturing and job negatively by these frequent tax changes, which
creation while conforming the SEZ Act to WTO led to a gradual decline in investment. In 2020, the
standards. limit usage of SEZs had tumbled to half.
• It aims to improve the SEZ units in such a way that
both manufacturers and consumers benefit from it. Provisions of the Bill
• Hubs for Development
About SEZs (Special Economic Zones) o Through "development hubs," it aims to boost
• Special economic zones (SEZs) are designated areas domestic manufacturing and create jobs in
that have been set up by the government to addition to boosting exports.
promote economic development. o These hubs will be able to sell more easily in the
• These zones offer a variety of incentives and domestic market and will no longer be required
benefits to businesses that locate within them, to be net foreign exchange positive
including tax breaks, relaxed regulations, and cumulatively in five years (i.e., export more than
access to infrastructure. they import).
• The goal of SEZs is to attract investment, create o As a result, the hubs will adhere to the WTO.
jobs, and spur economic growth. • States' larger role:
• There are several different types of SEZs in India, o The hubs' operation would be supervised by
including export-oriented SEZs, domestic SEZs, and state boards. They would be able to approve
multi-product SEZs. imports or purchases of goods, monitor how
goods or services are used, monitor
Issues around SEZs warehousing, and monitor trading in the
• Indian SEZs are significantly smaller than Chinese development hub.
SEZs in size and performance. Small SEZs cannot o The majority of decisions under the SEZ regime
provide high-quality common facilities, which are were made by the Centre's commerce

80
 department. States will now be able to • The majority of the 45,000 to 50,000 troops who
participate more. are recruited under the new plan will exit the
• Single Online Approval Portal military in only four years.
o A single online portal for the grant of time- • Only 25% of the cohort will be hired back into their
bound approvals for the establishment and respective services after four years, for a total of 15
operation of the hubs is outlined in DESH years.
legislation. • Eligibility requirements
• Enhance the Domestic Market: o Only employees with lower officer positions are
o Companies can sell on the domestic market eligible (those who do not join the forces as
without having to pay duties on the finished commissioned officers).
product but only on the imported raw materials o The highest-ranking officers in the army are
and inputs. commission officers.
o In the Indian armed services, commissioned
Suggestions officers are the only members of their rank.
• Getting major players: Textiles, electronics, and They frequently serve on a commission under
pharmaceutical sector hubs must invite a the president's authority and are mandated by
significant global anchor company to launch law to defend the nation.
operations. Suzuki’s impact on Indian automobile o Candidates must be between the ages of 17.5
industry is a clear example. and 23 to be eligible.
• Backward and forward linkages: From all hubs,
dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) must facilitate
quick factory-to-ship movement.
• Preventing Leaks: The movement of goods can be
tracked using a number system similar to GSTN. In
order to prevent misuse, stringent provisions
should be made for high-value, low-volume items
like gold and diamonds.
• Avoid the IT industry and priortising
Manufacturing: In order to avoid paying taxes,
many IT/ITES businesses moved into SEZs. They
had little effect on exports. Therefore, the
government ought to think about excluding the IT
industry from DESH.

Agnipath Scheme
Context:
The government launched the Agnipath scheme for
recruiting soldiers across the Three services (Army,
Navy and Airforce). Significance
• Younger armed forces: The average age of India's
About nearly 13 lakh strong armed forces is 32 years old
• It enables determined and patriotic young people at the moment. It is anticipated that by putting this
to spend four years in the armed forces. plan into place, it will be reduced by around 4-5
• The young person enlisting in the army will be years.
referred to as Agniveer under this plan. For a • Younger armed forces will make it easier for them
limited time, young people will be permitted to join to be trained for new technology, improving
the army. training and workforce skills.

81
 o Soldiers who are "future-ready" will be years which can lead to some concerning
produced through this. circumstances.
• Pension cost reduction: Since 2020, the • Training will Remain Unutilized: Forces will lose
government has authorised or paid more than Rs. experienced soldiers.
3.3 lakh crore for defence pension. o The jawans joining the Army, Navy and Air Force
o According to estimations by the Army, the will be given technical training so that they are
government would save over 11.5 billion able to support the ongoing operations. But
dollars by using this "Tour of Duty model" of these men and women will leave after four
recruiting for only one sepoy (the army initially years, which could create a void.
proposed a 3-year service model). Suggestions
• Increased Employment Options: As a result of the • For a change to a more technologically advanced
increased employment opportunities and the skills armed services, the educational requirement can
and experience these soldiers have gained be raised to 10+2, and a more rigorous all-India
throughout their four-year service, they will be merit-driven admission examination including
able to find work in a variety of industries. psychological assessments must be created.
• Higher Skilled Workforce: This will also result in • The Agnipath plan must be implemented with
the economy having access to a higher-skilled caution to avoid upsetting the regimental
workforce, which will boost productivity and character of the Indian Army.
contribute to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) • Some veterans have suggested that changes be
growth in general. made, such as extending the first service duration
and requiring at least 50% of Agniveers to reenlist.
Concerns • The shorter training duration will need to be
• Building cohesion in regiments: Time period for compensated for by focused training and the
Agnipath is too short to build cohesion as it is built usage of other cutting-edge techniques.
over a long period of living, training and • In order to prevent Agniveers from becoming a
experiencing miltiary life together. possible menace to society, it is crucial to make
• Affect the quality of candidates: Due to short tour sure they are successfully integrated into society.
of duty, it may not attract the best candidates. • Incentivising Youth to enter through Agnipath: For
• Uncertainty over AgniVeer’s future: The instance, in the US, the government for the short-
"Agnipath" system allows for the recruitment of term service troops, takes financial responsiblity
around 45,000 troops into the Army, Navy, and Air for their education.
Force in the first year, but only on a four-year short-
term contract. 25% of them will be kept on when Ban on PFI
the contract is over, while the other 75% will be Context:
released from the military. Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared
o Thier concern is that after our four years of PFI to be an unlawful association with immediate
service, additional occupations won't be within effect and issued a five-year ban on it under The
thier reach, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
• No Pension Benefit: Employees engaged via the
"Agnipath" plan would get a one-time lump sum About Popular Front of India (PFI):
payment of little more than Rs 11 lakh at the • It was created in 2007 after the merger of three
conclusion of their four-year employment. Muslim organizations of South - the National
o They do not, however, receive any pension Democratic Front in Kerala, the Karnataka Forum
benefits. For the majority, obtaining a second for Dignity, and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai in
job is necessary to support Tamil Nadu.
• Militarisation of society: people trained to be • It emerged in the aftermath of the ban on the
soldiers would be in civilian society just after four Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

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Reasons for the ban Impact for women:
• The government cites two organisations that are • Permanent Commission is central to removing
prohibited as the reason for the ban: Jamaat-ul- structural gender discrimination in the armed
Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Students forces.
Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), both of which • It will provide increased job security and extended
include leaders of the PFI. tenure for women officers. It will help improve the
• PFI on many occasions had connections with economic opportunities and improve the social
international terrorist organisations like the Islamic conditions and dignity of women.
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). • The Supreme Court Judgment will ensure that
women officers also get equal entitlements as men
How is an “Unlawful Association” Defined? and boost their morale to serve in the services.
According to Section 2(1)(p) of the UAPA, an “unlawful • More women to be motivated to join Armed
association” is an association which is involved in forces: More women will be drawn to join the
activities promoting enmity between different military if there is equality in opportunities and
groups and making imputations, assertions that are rights. It will increase the number of talented
prejudicial to national integration. officers the Armed Forces can recruit. In the Indian
army as of 2020, there were only about 3% female
Consequences of Ban: officers (excluding the medical corps), compared to
• The consequences of being declared unlawful 16% in the US, 15% in France, and 10% in both
include criminalization of its membership and the Russia and the UK.
forfeiture of the properties of the organization.
• Under Section 7 of the UAPA, the government has Challenges faced:
the power to prohibit the use of funds of an • Skewed gender ratio: Low number of women in
unlawful association and, Under Section 8, all the Armed Forces (3%) acts as a deterrent for many
places that are used by unlawful association can aspiring women to join the forces.
be notified and seized. • Limited roles: Roles offered to women officers are
• There is a provision of punishment up to 2 years still limited. Women are not still not allowed for
fine and a fine if a person is and continues to be a combat roles in the Infantry/Mechanised
member of such (unlawful) associations Infantry/Armored Corps/Artillery or in the
Ships/Submarines.
Permanent commission for women in the • Inherent Discrimination: After the 2020 SC
armed forces Judgment, the Army established additional
Context: conditions for female officers to be eligible for
The Supreme Court in its recent judgment has ruled in permanent commission. Most of them related to
favour of permanent commission for women in armed physical fitness, and many officers contended that
forces. the new criteria would inevitably keep women
from gaining permanent tenures.
About
A Permanent Commission (PC) means continuing a Way Ahead:
career in the armed force until one retires. If ● Equal opportunities and rights imply physical
someone gets selected through PC, he/she has the fitness standards that must be determined by job
option of serving the country up to the full age of requirements rather than gender.
retirement. • No Preference or Discrimination: Because the
Previously, female officers were offered only the armed forces are merit-based organizations,
Short Service Commission (SSC). SSC or Short Service women should compete on an equal footing to
Commission in the forces is the tenure of officers. advance in a pyramidal system of ranks.

83
 Reservations regarding promotion are not o Through the yearly Finance Bills, the
possible. government changed the FCRA in 2016 and
• Create a Pragmatic Policy: The military needs to get 2018 to retroactively legalise the offences.
rid of its patriarchal mindset and create a practical o As a result of the modification, foreign
strategy for the progressive integration of women corporations and businesses where a foreign
into all disciplines and ranks. For female soldiers, company owned a controlling interest are now
infrastructure must be developed. permitted to contribute.
• The Permanent Commission goes beyond simple o The Indian Election Commission claims that this
welfare or the right to equal benefits like pensions. might permit unrestricted foreign funding of
"Give women an equal opportunity at nation- political parties there, which could result in
building," is the notion. The Supreme Court's ruling foreign corporations influencing Indian policy.
in 2020 was just the beginning of a long process to • Amendments in Companies Act, 2013: The
guarantee women in the armed forces have equal Finance Bill of 2017 amended Companies Act to
chances. remove the requirement for declaring
disaggregated donations to political parties.
Elections and electoral funding • Nullifying RTI Effect: The Right to Information (RTI)
Context: Act of 2005 enables easier access to information
As of now, the sources and uses of party funds are held by public authorities. But Political parties are
opaque not just to the public and the regulators but not being considered under RTI unanimously, by all
also to party members. Much of this comes as secret parties and hence hampering transperency in the
contributions from profit seekers wanting political process.
unjustifiable preferences in purchase and construction
contracts, or appointments and postings, or policy Way forward:
changes designed to aid them vis-a-vis some • Transparency in Electoral Bonds
competitor. • Morale leadership
• State funding of elections as recommended by
Issues in India’s electoral funding: Dinesh Goswami Committee eg: Germany
• Electoral Bonds: The introduction of electoral • More autonomy and power to election
bonds in 2017 gave thousands of donations worth commission
crores a new level of secrecy.
o Only the ruling party, through the State Bank of Conclusion
India (SBI), has a complete account of all If businesses have the ability to influence policies
contributions made using electoral bonds under through covert donations, then every vote is not
the electoral bond arrangement. worth the same. This structure benefits the ruling
o This information is not known to the public, the party, whether it is at the federal level or a state level,
Election Commission, the Opposition parties, or and disadvantages the typical voter.
the Parliament.
o The universal franchise of one voter, one vote is Supreme Court on Death Sentence
diluted by electoral bonds, which in fact give Context:
political power to corporations, wealthy Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has referred to a
individual donors, and foreign governments. larger Bench the issues relating to the norms for
• FCRA, 1976 amendments: In 2014, the Delhi High imposing the Capital Sentence.
Court ruled that two national political parties had
accepted money from two firms that were Questions in Supreme Court
established in India but whose controlling • The Supreme Court's three-judge bench has
shareholder was a foreign corporation illegally. referred the issue to a five-judge bench on the

84
 grounds that the same-day sentencing procedure • Discrimination: The death penalty can
is hopelessly biased against the accused. disproportionately affect marginalized groups, or
• According to the Bench, the State is allowed the those who are poor, who may be more likely to be
chance to introduce additional evidence against unfairly targeted or receive inadequate legal
the accused at any time throughout a trial. representation.
• On the other hand, the accused can only provide • Alternatives to the death penalty: There are
evidence supporting mitigating circumstances alternative forms of punishment, such as life
after being found guilty. imprisonment, that can protect society without
• Issue which starts the case: Issue pertains to giving resorting to the death penalty.
meaningful opportunity to those found guilty of a
capital offense to present mitigating factors and Arguments in support of the death penalty in India:
circumstances so that they can better plead for a • Retribution: Some people believe that the death
life term instead of a death sentence. penalty is justified as a form of retribution for
certain crimes, such as murder or terrorism, as it
Perspectives on Same-Day Sentencing allows society to seek justice on behalf of the victim
• Despite the fact that all trials involve a separate and their family.
hearing on sentence, most judges do not postpone • Deterrent effect: Some people argue that the
the case to discuss this. death penalty serves as a deterrent to crime, as it
• They ask attorneys on both sides to make their sends a strong message that certain behaviors will
arguments for punishment as soon as the not be tolerated and can act as a deterrent to
judgment of "guilty" is announced. others considering committing similar crimes.
• According to others, such "same-day" sentence is • Protection of society: The death penalty can be
insufficient and infringes against natural justice seen as a way to protect society by permanently
because the prisoners are not given enough time to removing dangerous individuals who may pose a
gather mitigating circumstances. threat to others if allowed to remain in society.
• The Supreme Court has argued in a number of • Victim's rights: Some people believe that the death
rulings that the sentencing hearing should take penalty is necessary to give victims and their
place independently, that is, after conviction. families a sense of closure and justice.
• Even after such judgenments from the Supreme • Consistency: Some people argue that the death
court, several rulings have sustained the practise of penalty is necessary to ensure consistency in
"same-day" sentencing, which is rather punishment for certain crimes, as it ensures that
contradictory to SC’s stand. similar crimes are punished in a similar manner.

Arguments against the death penalty in India: Jammu & Kashmir Post Abrogation of
• Innocence: There is a risk of executing innocent Article 370
people, as wrongful convictions can occur due to Context:
mistakes or misconduct by law enforcement, The third anniversary of Article 370 abrogation was
prosecutors, or other officials. completed.
• Deterrent effect is unproven: There is little
evidence to suggest that the death penalty is more About
effective at deterring crime than other forms of • Article 370 of the Indian Constitution granted
punishment, such as life imprisonment. special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir,
• Cruel and unusual punishment: The death penalty allowing it to have its own constitution, flag, and
is often considered a form of cruel and unusual autonomy over certain internal matters.
punishment, as it involves taking the life of an • In August 2019, the Indian government announced
individual and is irreversible if later found to be a that it would revoke or "abrogate" Article 370,
mistake. effectively ending the special status of Jammu and

85
 Kashmir and integrating it more fully into the rest Indian Constitution will be fully implemented
of India. following this decision by the Central
• The Indian government argued that the revocation Government.
of Article 370 would bring economic and social • Kashmir will also be subject to RTI law:
development to the region, but critics argued that o The RTI laws that are in effect in the whole
it could lead to increased tensions and violence, nation will also apply here.
and that the decision was made without proper
consultation with the people of Jammu and Steps taken by Government in Jammu & Kashmir
Kashmir. • Boosting Industrial Growth: The New Central
Sector Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir's industrial
Implications of the Scrapping of Article 370 & the development has recently been announced by the
Reorganisation Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
In Jammu and Kashmir, as in the rest of the country, Trade. There are four incentives in the plan,
every law will apply: including Working Capital Interest Subvention,
o Because of Article 370, the Parliament of the GST-Linked Incentive etc
nation didn't have the option to make o The Scheme will contribute to the expansion of
regulations for Jammu and Kashmir in any employment opportunities and tourism
matter other than international concerns and promotion in the region.
correspondence. Additionally, Jammu and • Scheme: AB-PMJAY SEHAT Insurance coverage is
Kashmir was permitted to develop its own provided for no cost by the Scheme. It offers
distinct constitution. That has changed now. financial protection up to Rs. 5 lakh per family
• Now under Article 356: distributed on a floater basis to all residents of the
o The state of Jammu and Kashmir did not fall UT of J&K.
under the purview of Constitutional Article 356. • Ceasefire Agreement and peace on the border:
As a result, the state government could not be The Indian and Pakistani Directors-General of
removed from office by the President. That is, Military Operations (DGMOs) reached an
Governors ruled instead of the President. agreement that armed groups should only be
However, as Jammu and Kashmir becomes a allowed a limited amount of access and raised
Union Territory, this circumstance has also hopes that a larger peace process would follow.
altered. • Decision of the Supreme Court on Internet
• End of dual citizenship: Shutdown: In response to petitions arguing that
o In Jammu and Kashmir, dual citizenship will no the Internet shutdown and other civil liberties
longer be allowed. In Jammu and Kashmir, were being restricted in J&K, the Supreme Court
permanent residents were the only ones eligible ruled that suspensions could only be for a short
to vote because of Article 370. It is illegal for period of time and are subject to judicial review.
residents of other states to run for office or vote • Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National
in this election. After the historic decision made Rural Livelihood Mission, there is a special package
by the Narendra Modi government, any Indian for J&K and Ladakh.
citizen can now vote and run for office.
• Jammu and Kashmir is now a Union Territory Advantages of the Step
o The governor's position will no longer exist. The Better relations with other Indians and the
state police will also remain under the Central population of Kashmir: The removal of Article 370
Government's control. allows the people of Kashmir to join the rest of India.
• Single Constitution: Kashmir does not have its own They and Indians are entitled to a portion of Kashmir.
constitution: They can submit applications for school scholarships.
o The special rights accorded to Jammu and There are government livelihoods accessible for them
Kashmir ended completely when Article 370 in Kashmir.
was removed. In Jammu and Kashmir, the

86
• India as a whole is now unified under the motto • The Kashmiris would be able to choose the state
"One Nation, One Flag." There is no distinct Indian administration after article 370, but their rights
and Kashmiri constitution. The adage "one nation, will not be the same as they are now. The elected
one constitution" will be followed by all. state government cannot make all decisions.
Increase in Economic Growth Following the repeal Democracy will be affected.
of Article 370, Kashmiris will be able to work in the
newly established Indian businesses and earn a Way forward
good salary. Making more positions will • Conduct J&K elections: The Union government
unavoidably bring down wrongdoing. wanted to hold elections in J&K, but it insisted that
• Private business owners can invest by setting up they would be for a UT assembly. On the other
factories in Kashmir, providing other Indians and hand, regional parties believe that they will
Kashmiris with employment opportunities. The participate in the election once J&K regains
main reason for the rise in crime in the valley is that statehood. A consensus has to be reached for the
40% of Kashmiris do not have jobs. As more private betterment of the UT.
investors begin to invest in Kashmir, antisocial • By putting into practise the Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat,
behavior will decrease. Kashmiris will be able to Jamhooriyat (inclusive culture of Kashmir,
benefit significantly as a result of rising land prices. humanitarianism, and democracy) for Kashmir
• Right to Information and Education with Article settlement, former Indian Prime Minister (Atal
370's repeal, all Kashmiris now have the right to an Bihari Vajpayee’s) vision may be realised.
education. Kashmiris now have the right to know
everything. Kashmiris now have the right to receive Euthnasia
a high-quality education from state-based Context:
institutions under the new law. As a result of One of the titans of the French New Wave cinema,
investors' investments in Kashmir, there is a 100% Jean-Luc Godard, recently died by assisted suicide at
chance that new educational establishments will the age of 91.
open in the valley; Children, particularly girls, will
benefit from this. About
Assisted suicide is the act of intentionally ending
Drawbacks of the Step one's own life with the help of another person, often
• Lack of visible public support: Only a small a physician. It is also sometimes called "physician-
percentage of Kashmiris consider it a desirable assisted suicide."
step.
• Deemed unconstitutional by many: Even the J&K Types of Assisted Suicide
lawmakers, who were elected democratically, are There are two main types of assisted suicide:
ignored by Indian leaders. 370 of them were taken • Voluntary assisted suicide: This refers to the
out of the constitution when there was no state situation where the person requesting assisted
assembly. Since the public was informed that suicide is fully capable of making decisions about
10,000 troops had been sent to the Kashmir Valley their own care and has clearly stated their desire to
in case of a terrorist attack, this is considered end their life.
cheating. • Non-voluntary assisted suicide: This refers to the
• The status of J&K as a state has been lost: Instead, situation where the person requesting assisted
it is now thought to be the union territory of suicide is not capable of making decisions about
Jammu and Kashmir, which used to have a special their own care, either because they are unable to
status but was made less so by article 370. communicate their wishes or because they are
However, it has now been designated a union unable to understand the consequences of their
territory and has fallen below normal status. actions.

87
On the other hand, it is also classified in two types • Respect for life: Many people believe that all
based on the assisted suicide: human life is valuable and should be protected,
• Active: Only a few nations permit active regardless of the individual's circumstances.
euthanasia, which involves using drugs to end the Assisted suicide is seen as a violation of this
patient's life. principle.
• Passive: This simply entails the patient's • Misuse: There are concerns that assisted suicide
agreement, or that of a family member or close could be misused or abused, for example, if it is
friend acting on the patient's behalf, to discontinue offered as a way to save money on healthcare costs
life-saving therapy or medical intervention. or if it is coerced.
• Alternatives: Opponents of assisted suicide argue
Assisted suicide is a controversial topic and is legal in that there are other options for managing end-of-
only a few countries like Austria, Belgium, Canada, life care, such as palliative care, which can provide
Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, relief from suffering without ending a person's life.
Switzerland, parts of the United States and all six
states of Australia. Euthnasia in India
• The Supreme Court of India legalised passive
Arguments for assisted suicide: euthanasia in 2018 in a landmark decision, using
• Autonomy: Advocates for assisted suicide argue the concept of a "living will."
that individuals have the right to make decisions o In accordance with the ruling, an adult who is of
about their own care and that assisted suicide can sound mind is allowed, under certain
be a way for them to exert control over the end of circumstances, to deliberately choose not to
their lives. receive medical attention in order to embrace
• Relief of suffering: Supporters of assisted suicide death in a natural way.
argue that it can provide relief from physical and o The court defined passive euthanasia and
emotional suffering for those who are terminally ill euthanasia as well as established a series of
or suffering from severe and incapacitating rules for "living wills."
conditions. o It also established rules for "living wills" signed
• Dignity: Some people argue that assisted suicide by terminally ill individuals who are aware of the
allows individuals to die with dignity, rather than likelihood that they will enter a permanent
being subjected to prolonged suffering or loss of vegetative state.
autonomy. o The court made it clear that under these
• Resources: It makes more sense to allocate highly circumstances, a patient's rights would still be
qualified personnel, equipment, hospital beds, and protected by Article 21.
pharmaceuticals to life-saving therapies for people • In 2011, the Supreme Court in a verdict issued
who want to and can survive rather than those who guidelines for the recognition and implementation
do not. of passive euthanasia in India. These guidelines
• Humane: Giving someone with unbearable agony state that passive euthanasia is permitted in cases
the option to terminate their misery is more where the patient is in a terminal stage of an
humane. incurable disease and is in an irreversible coma, or
• Helps relieve Loved ones: It may assist to lessen where the patient's condition is such that they are
their agony and sadness. unable to express their consent or refusal to
treatment.
Arguments against assisted suicide: • Active euthanasia, which refers to the direct and
• Non-maleficence: Opponents of assisted suicide intentional ending of a person's life, is still illegal
argue that it violates the ethical principle of non- in India.
maleficence, which requires that healthcare
professionals do no harm to their patients.

88
 FCRA Organizations (NGOs), people, and other
Context: organisations to receive or utilise contributions
Recently, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act made from outside.
was amended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (FCRA). • This amendment was challenged in the Supreme
court and SC in April 2022, held the amendments
About FCRA to be legal. It was decided that accepting foreign
The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) is a donations may be controlled by the Parliament and
law in India that regulates the acceptance and could not be an absolute right.
utilization of foreign contributions by individuals or
organizations in India. The FCRA aims to ensure that Key Amendments
foreign contributions are used for the purposes for • Now under the FCRA, Indians are permitted to
which they were given and do not compromise receive up to Rs 10 lakh yearly from their relatives
national security or the economic interests of the living overseas.
country. Some key points about the FCRA are as o The previous cap was Rs 1 lakh.
follows: • Have given more time in government processes:
• Registration: Organizations that wish to receive o Individuals will now have 90 days, as opposed to
foreign contributions must register with the the previous 30 days, to notify the government
Ministry of Home Affairs and obtain a registration if the sum surpasses.
certificate or prior permission. o It has granted people and organisations 45 days
• Eligible organizations: Only certain types of to apply for "registration" or "advance
organizations are eligible to receive foreign approval" under the FCRA in order to receive
contributions under the FCRA, including charitable funding.
organizations, educational institutions, and • It used to be 30 days.
organizations engaged in social, cultural, • Organizations that receive funding from abroad are
economic, or scientific activities. Political parties, not permitted to utilise more than 20% of the
candidates for public office, and for-profit money for administrative needs.
organizations are not eligible. o Prior to 2020, the cap was set at 50%.
• Utilization of funds: Organizations that receive • Made five more FCRA offences "compoundable,"
foreign contributions must use the funds for the bringing the total to 12, rather than bringing legal
purposes for which they were given and must action against the organisations or people directly.
maintain proper records and accounts. o Earlier, only seven offences under the FCRA
• Reporting: Organizations must submit annual were compoundable.
reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs detailing
their foreign contributions and how they were Significance of the Amendments
utilized. ● Remittance restrictions are being relaxed in an
• Penalties: Violations of the FCRA can result in the effort to reduce money leaving the country while
cancellation of registration, the freezing of bank also increasing money coming in.
accounts, and fines. • According to experts, raising the remittance ceiling
• Amendments made previously: In 2010, act was will enhance the amount of money coming into
"consolidated" and "prohibited" from being used India, stabilising both the foreign reserves and the
for "any activity damaging to national interest." value of the rupee.
o The legislation was once again amended by the • Even if the forex reserves are substantial, there is
current administration in 2020, providing it concern about the trade deficit's potential growth
greater oversight and control over how foreign given how large it has been recently.
contributions are received and used by NGOs. • To lessen the burden of compliance, changes are
Changes to the FCRA in 2020, placed additional being made to the declaration deadline, bank
limitations on the ability of Non-Governmental account information, etc.

89
Conclusion from coercive action by the Andhra Pradesh
The FCRA has been the subject of controversy in India, government.
with some critics arguing that it has been used to • A petition for a reexamination of the Sedition Law
restrict the activities of civil society organizations and was submitted to the Supreme Court in July 2021.
stifle dissent. Others argue that it is necessary to The court ruled that the statute "criminalizes
ensure transparency and accountability in the use of expression based on unconstitutionally vague
foreign funds. It is necessary to ensure that both definitions of "disaffection towards Government"
national and economic security interests are upheld, etc." is an unreasonable restriction on the
while ensuring essential room for NGOs to operate. fundamental right to free expression guaranteed
by Article 19 (1)(a), and it has a "Chilling Effect" on
Sedition freedom of speech, that is against the constitution.
Context: • On May 9, 2022, the Central Government made
The Supreme Court allowed the Central Government the announcement that it would be reviewing the
to reconsider the British-era law while suspending sedition law.
pending criminal trials and court proceedings under • Later, Supreme Court allowed the Central
Section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code. Government to reconsider the law while
suspending pending criminal trials and court
About the Order proceedings under Section 124A (sedition) of the
• All pending cases will be put on hold while the Indian Penal Code.
government reconsiders the law, according to the
Supreme Court's order that no new FIRs for Recent use of the Sedition law
Sedition will be filed. In recent times, the resort to this section is seen as
• The Supreme Court was referring to the petitions disturbingly frequent. It has been used for multiple
that challenged the law, alleging that it was reasons recently like:
misused in cases like the one in Maharashtra, • Curbing dissent: Activists, cartoonists and
where Hanuman Chalisa was chanted over it. intellectuals have been arrested under this section,
drawing criticism that it is being used to suppress
About the Sedition Law (Section 124A IPC) dissent and silence critics.
• It says that sedition as an offense is committed by • Misuse for propaganda: Authorities and the police
"any person by words, either spoken or written, or who invoke this section defend the measure as a
by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, necessary step to prevent public disorder and anti-
brings or attempts to bring into hatred or national activities.
contempt, or excites or attempts to excite
disaffection towards the government established
by law in India"
• Disloyalty and all feelings of animosity are all forms
of disaffection. However, in accordance with this
section, comments that do not incite or attempt
to incite hatred, contempt, or disapproval will not
be considered an offense.
• It contributes to the defense of the elected
government against illegal and violent attempts to
overthrow it.

Recent developments around Section 124A

• In June 2021, the Supreme Court emphasized
defining the boundaries of sedition while
protecting two Telugu-language news channels

90
Arguments to support the Scrapping of the law outcomes is having an impact on development
• Overly broad definition: The definition of sedition projects.
in Section 124A is overly broad and can be applied
to a wide range of conduct, including speech, About "One Nation, One Election"
writing, or other expression that is critical of the It refers to concurrently conducting elections for the
government or its policies. This has led to concerns Lok Sabha, state legislatures, panchayats, and urban
about its potential for abuse and for chilling free local authorities once every five years.
expression.
• Lack of clear standards: Section 124A does not Arguments in favor of simultaneous elections:
provide clear standards for determining what • Cost savings: Proponents argue that simultaneous
constitutes sedition, leading to inconsistency in its elections would result in significant cost savings, as
application and the risk of arbitrary or subjective the costs of conducting multiple elections (such as
interpretation. logistics, security, and staff time) would be
• History of abuse: Section 124A has a history of reduced.
being used to suppress dissent and silence political • Increased efficiency: Simultaneous elections could
opposition. This has led to concerns about its increase the efficiency of the electoral process, as
potential for abuse and for undermining political parties and candidates would only have to
democratic values. Use of the law against Bal focus on a single election rather than multiple
Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi etc are known elections at different times.
examples. • Reduction in disruption: Simultaneous elections
• Lack of necessity: Some argue that other could reduce the disruption caused by frequent
provisions in the IPC, such as those related to elections, as they would not require the
promoting enmity between different groups or deployment of security forces or the disruption of
disrupting public order, are sufficient to address normal governance and development activities.
any potential harm caused by speech or expression • Improved governance: Some argue that
that may be deemed seditious. simultaneous elections could lead to improved
• International standards: The United Nations governance, as politicians would not be focused on
Human Rights Committee has expressed concern campaigning and would be able to devote more
about the use of sedition laws in India, arguing time to their duties.
that they are not compatible with international
standards on freedom of expression. Arguments against simultaneous elections:
Overall, there are concerns that the Sedition section • Inflexibility: Opponents argue that simultaneous
of the IPC is overly broad, vague, and susceptible to elections would not allow for flexibility in the event
abuse, and that it has a negative impact on freedom of of unforeseen circumstances, such as the death of
expression in India. Hence, it is the need of the hour to a sitting member of parliament or the dissolution
review it. of a state government.
• Lack of representation: Critics argue that
One Nation One Election simultaneous elections could lead to a lack of
Context: representation, as political parties may prioritize
The Election Commission is prepared to undertake certain states or regions over others.
simultaneous polls or "One Nation, One Election," • Stifling of diversity: Some argue that simultaneous
according to Chief Election Commissioner Sushil elections could stifle diversity and promote the
Chandra. On National Voters' Day earlier this year, dominance of national parties over regional
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the subjects parties.
of "One Nation, One Election" and "One Nation, One • Constitutional challenges: There are concerns that
Voters' List," noting that the ongoing cycle of election implementing simultaneous elections could be

91
 National Register of Citizens National Population CENSUS
(NRC) Register (NPR)

Definition A register of all Indian citizens A database of all Indian A count of the population and its
residents characteristics

Participants Includes only Indian citizens All residents including All residents including foreigners
foreigners and citizens and citizens

Purpose To identify illegal immigrants To provide a database of To provide data for planning and
residents Development

Methodology Document-based verification Door-to-door enumeration Door-to-door

enumeration

Scope Has only been implemented Nationwide Nationwide

in some areas like Assam

Data Collected Demographic data like name, Birth details. Biometric data Literacy, Employment, Education,
date of birth, place of birth, also can be collected. Migration, Language etc
parents' names, and current
address. Documentary
evidence of their citizenship

Legal Grounds Citizenship Act of 1955 and Citizenship Act of 1955 and Census Act, 1948
the Citizenship (Registration the Citizenship (Registration
of Citizens and Issue of of Citizens and Issue of
National Identity Cards) National Identity Cards)
Rules, 2003 Rules, 2010

Special NRC is a subset of NPR, Data not confidential. The data collected is confidential
Features created out of Compulsory to disclose data and can only be published after
and punishment in case of being anonymised
non-disclosure.
challenging and may require amendments to the National Register of Citizens (NRC)
Constitution. Context:
Overall, the debate about simultaneous elections in The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently
India is complex and multifaceted, and there are valid expressed the need to update the National Population
arguments on both sides. The Election Commission of Register (NPR) database across the country. Updation
India has expressed support for the idea, but has also is required to incorporate changes due to birth, death,
acknowledged the logistical and constitutional migration etc.
challenges involved in implementing it. Comparison between NRC, NPR & Census

92
 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Patent regime in India Indian Patent Act Section 3 deals with what does
Context: not qualify as an invention under the Act.
Recently, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said in • Issues relating to judicial delays: The 2015
a report that India was one of the most challenging Commercial Courts Act offered an opportunity to
major economies as far as IP protection and reduce these delays and increase expertise but
enforcement is concerned. only a limited number of courts have benefited
under the Act.
• The abolishing of the Intellectual Property
Appellate Board (IPAB)

Solutions for Patent issues:

• The government should partner with industry and
academics to identify various intellectual property
rights issues and proactively address them.
• Lear incentives should be provided to firms to
invest in research and development through
safeguarding their property and innovation.
• Effective regulatory regimes
About Indian patent regime
• Public awareness should be created about the
• Meaning: A patent is an exclusive set of rights economic, social and cultural benefits of IPRs
granted for an invention, which may be a product among all sections of society.
or process that provides a new way of doing
something or offers a new technical solution to a
Quantum Computing
problem.
About:
• Indian patents are governed by the Indian Patent
Quantum computing is a form of computing which
Act of 1970. Under the act, patents are granted if
employs technology based on quantum theory.
the invention fulfils the following criteria:
Quantum theory explains the behaviour of energy and
• It should be novel material on the atomic and subatomic levels.
• It should have inventive step/s or it must be non-
obvious
• It should be capable of Industrial application
• It should not attract the provisions of sections 3
and 4 of the Patents Act 1970.

Challenges with Indian patent regime

• Concerns about what can be patented, waiting
times for obtaining patents, reporting
requirements, and data safety.
• Threat of patent revocations, lack of presumption
of patent validity and narrow patentability criteria
as issues which “impact companies across different
sectors.
• One of the main points of contention between Context:
India and the U.S. has been Article 3(d) of the The Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) has announced the establishment

93
of a Quantum Computing Applications Lab in • Logistics and Scheduling: Many common
partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The optimisations used in industry can be classified
move will give select researchers, scientists access to under logistics and scheduling.
Amazon’s Braket cloud-based quantum computing • Cyber Security: Cyber security is becoming a larger
service. issue every day as threats around the world are
increasing their capabilities and we become more
Differences between conventional and quantum vulnerable as we increase our dependence upon
computing: the digital system.

Challenges:
• Price: The main disadvantage of the quantum
computer is its price. Most of the small businesses
may not be able to afford such an expensive
machine.
• Technological availability: The technology
required to implement a quantum computer is not
yet available.
• Vulnerability: According to theoretical research,
with quantum computing, every computer on this
planet will become vulnerable.
• We need tons of new Quantum algorithms to reach
its full potential. Because without these algorithms
a Quantum computer will work only as a classical
computer.
• Experience: Many companies claim they have built
quantum computers including IBM. Even if they
What are the various applications of Quantum have built a quantum computer, we don’t have
Computing? enough experience with Quantum computers.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning • Unstable: Noise, temperature change, an electrical
(ML): Quantum computers’ abilities to parse fluctuation or vibration—all of these things can
through massive data sets, simulate complex disturb a qubit’s operation and cause it to lose its
models, and quickly solve optimization problems data.
have drawn attention for applications within • Cooling: One way to stabilize certain types of
artificial intelligence. qubits is to keep them very cold roughly –273
• Computational Chemistry: There are many degrees Celsius which is very difficult to achieve.
problems in finding the right catalyst or process to
develop a new material, or an existing material Prospects for India which can act as solution to
more efficiently. These applications can have uses problem
in agriculture, manufacturing and industrial design • Industrial revolution 4.0
sectors. • Growing Demand
• Financial Portfolio Optimisation: Finding the • Economic Benefits
optimum mix for a basketful of investments based • The National Mission on Quantum Technologies
upon projected returns, risk assessments, and and Applications (NM-QTA)
other factors is a daily task within the finance • QuEST
industry. • Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) Toolkit

94
 Space economy of India • (IN-SPACe) has received close to 40 proposals from
Context: large industries, MSMEs (micro, small and medium
Indian space economy is set to reach $13 billion by enterprises), startups and academia.
2025, according to a joint report prepared by EY and • PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan
the Indian Space Association (ISpA), an apex industry
association of space and satellite companies in the Conclusion
country. India is advantaged by its comparatively low operating
costs.Removing regulatory blockages will pave the
Key drivers of this Growth: way for increased FDI into the sector.ISRO can pave
India has of over 100 space tech start-ups with the way for commercialization of small satellites by
investments in the segment touching $68 million in the private sector.
2021.
The availability of low-cost satellite launch vehicles 5G Technology
coupled with mass production will lead to demand Context:
from customers around the world. Prime Minister Launches 5G services in India,Also
Several companies are utilising cutting-edge Unveils 5G use cases in Health, Education etc., PM
technologies to develop innovative launch solutions in already Launched 5G NSA Core developed by C-DOT
India. and Witnesses 5G technology products developed by
Indian Start-ups.
About: 5G is the fifth generation of technology
standard for broadband mobile networks. It is the
fastest communication network available in the world.
While 4G offers speeds of 40-50 Mbps depending on
the area and connectivity in India, 5G services would
support speeds of 300 Mbps or more. The services will
be offered in a phased manner by telecom giants like
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Airtel has already rolled
out its 5G services -- Airtel 5G Plus -- in eight cities. Jio
promises to cover the entire country by December
2023 and Bharti Airtel by March 2024.

Significance of the sector:

India's spending is more than that of China, Germany,
Italy and Japan, but less than the U.S. and Russia.
Nearly 47 of the total 100 space startups in India were
started in 2021, which is 21 up from 2020.
• Government measures in this direction:
• The government recently updated the SpaceCom
and SpaceRS policie
• The government also released new rules for drones Advantages:
as well as guidelines for acquiring and producing • 5G is expected to create a cumulative economic
geospatial data. impact of $1 trillion in India by 2035, according to
a report by a government-appointed panel.

95
• According to a separate report by telecom gear • Non-availability of funds for investment: Many of
maker Ericsson, 5G-enabled digitalization revenue the Indian operators are also weighed down by
potential in India will be above $27 billion by 2026. debt.
• Additionally, global telecom industry GSMA has • Telecom operators seem reluctant to participate in
forecast that India will have about 70 million 5G the auction citing the reserve price of ₹490 crore
connections by 2025. per MHz as high and the amount of spectrum on
• 5G is expected to form the backbone of emerging offer being insufficient.
technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) • Regulatory restrictions: Faster rounds of new
and machine to machine communications. technology introduction when prior technology
• It would be supporting a much larger range of investments have not been recouped add further
applications and services, including driverless complexity.
vehicles, tele-surgery and real time data analytics. • Technical Challenges: Designing IT architecture
• One of the primary applications of 5G will be that can be deployed globally, while still allowing
implementation of sensor-embedded network that for localized technology to cater for different
will allow real time relay of information across regions is a challenge.
fields such as manufacturing, consumer durables • Lack of Government incentives: Government has
and agriculture. little incentive to forgo revenues, given the
• 5G can also help make transport infrastructure increasing pressure on its revenues, especially after
more efficient by making it smart. the covid-19 induced slowdown.
• 5G will enable vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- • Discouraging Taxes: Current flat rate of 6% of
infrastructure communication, making driverless adjusted gross revenue for licence fees and 3% for
cars, among other things, a reality. spectrum usage charges has dissuaded telecom
• The ultra-low latency offered by 5G makes the providers from investing in new technologies.
technology desirable for such use cases. Latency is • Poor auction design is ensuring that valuable
the amount of time data takes to travel between its spectrum is idle. This includes precious 5G
source and destination. spectrum in 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz, and the much
• Government has repeatedly spoken of India’s sought-after E and B bands.
aspirations to deploy 5G and be a significant player
in its development and growth. A high-level forum Way ahead
was appointed in 2016 to recommend a 5G • Promote 5G start-ups that enable this design and
strategy for India. manufacturing capabilities.
• National Digital Communications Policy, 2018, • Promote generation of IPR backing the above
highlighted its potential and TRAI has designs.
recommended a reserve price for the auction of 5G • Reward efficient use of spectrum,
spectrum in the 3.3-3.4 GHz and 3.4-3.5 GHz bands. • Upgrade of narrow-band networks
• Development of markets.
Challenges: • Manufacture of 5G chipsets, this may require
• Frequency allocation: Indian operators have far massive investments.
less spectrum in comparison to international • Appropriate test-beds and technology platforms to
operators. The high investment cost which makes enable and help Indian technical ecosystem to have
telecom companies unsure about Return on an edge in 5G.
Investment. • Accelerated deployment of next generation
• Network investment: In India, the telecom sector is ubiquitous ultra-high broadband infrastructure
facing capital augmentation issues which need to with 100% coverage of 10 Gbps across urban India
be resolved. and 1 Gbps across Rural India.

GM Crops

96
Context:
On October 18, the Environment Ministry’s Genetic
Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) cleared the
proposal for the commercial cultivation of genetically
modified (GM) mustard. The GEAC had previously
cleared the proposal in 2017, but it was vetoed by the
ministry and the committee was told to conduct more
studies on the GM crop. The GEAC’s recommendation
will again go to the Environment Ministry for approval.

About:

GM foods are derived from plants whose genes are

artificially modified, usually by inserting genetic
material from another organism, in order to give it a
new property, such as increased yield, tolerance to a

97
herbicide, resistance to disease or drought, or to the World Health Organization as a “probable
improve its nutritional value. Probably the best known carcinogen”
variety of GM rice is golden rice. • GMOs are self-replicating organisms and cause
genetic contamination of the environment which
Regulatory Regime in India: cannot be reversed.
The top biotech regulator in India is Genetic • Its impact on the health of the people,
Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). The environment, soil, groundwater or food chain is not
committee functions as a statutory body under the known yet.
Environment Protection Act 1986 of the Ministry of • The seed stock will also be contaminated at the
Environment & Forests (MoEF). It was earlier known molecular level.
as Genetic Engineering Approval Committee. Under • It makes the farmers susceptible to the practices of
the EPA 1986 “Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, MNCs and can raise the cost of cultivation and put
Export and Storage of Hazardous them in debt trap.
Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or • Regulation is not effective and conflict of interest is
Cells 1989”, GEAC is responsible for granting permits present, as field trials and safety data generated by
to conduct experimental and large-scale open field the company have commercial interest.
trials and also grant approval for commercial release • The lack of transparency in the regulatory process
of biotech crops. further amplifies apprehensions. For ex refusal of
The Rules of 1989 also define five competent GEAC to publicly release the safety testing data
authorities i.e., the Institutional Biosafety Committees • Recently BT cotton crop loss faced by farmers due
(IBSC), Review Committee of Genetic Manipulation to pest attack by the same pest it was designed to
(RCGM), Genetic Engineering Approval Committee resist. So, farmers are now switching back to non-
(GEAC), State Biotechnology Coordination Committee BT crops.
(SBCC) and District Level Committee (DLC) for handling
of various aspects of the rules. Way ahead
• The technology need enabling policy to ensure
Arguments in favour of GM crops: their outcomes are in line with the spirit of their
• GMOs can address challenges of food security. promises.
Around the world, has helped farmers grow 311.8 • The government needs to improve infrastructure
million tonnes more food in the last 15 years. and access to funds and spur innovation.
• The spectacular success of BT cotton: two billion • India needs to reform its regulatory structure to
hectares of biotech crops have been planted in 28 expedite approvals and make it easier to conduct
countries since 1996.Just as the adoption of BT research.
cotton ensured that India transitioned into a • Promoting indigenous gene editing research is
cotton-exporting country switching to high-yield important to make treatments available at
oilseeds engineered specially for India’s semi-arid affordable prices.
zones can help India Reduce its dependence on
• Clinical trials need to be contingent on robust
imports.
demonstration of safety and efficacy.
• Farmers can also benefit from higher yields and
• A two-step model wherein the government works
income.
with industry and research groups to accelerate
• They can decrease the use of pesticides and clinical research is recommended.
herbicides and can protect the environment.
• Responsible use of gene editing could be the
• People around the world have been consuming remedy for some of India’s problems. This is India’s
products of biotech crops for more than 20 years. chance to tailor this cutting-edge tool to its own
requirements and ensure affordability.
Arguments against GM Crops
• GM crops can cause long term consequences on
human health. Ex: categorisation of glyphosate by

98
 One Health Approach • Data collation: An important aspect of such an
Context: integrated approach is the systematic collection of
The concept of ‘One Health’, which recognises that data on the occurrence of infectious diseases and
health of human beings is connected to health of related behaviours in both humans and animals.
animals and environment, is gaining importance as • Improved collaboration, coordination and
most of the contagious diseases affecting humans are commitment of relevant sectors to minimise the
zoonotic (animal to man origin) in nature. impact of these diseases on human health is also a
salient feature.
About: • The risk of infectious agents is crossing the barriers
and spreading rapidly around the globe due to
increased travel, food habits and trade across
borders.
• Zoonotic diseases have devastating impacts on
animals, humans, health systems, and economies,
requiring years of social and economic recovery.
• Information on influenza viruses circulating in
animals is crucial to the selection of viruses for
human vaccines for potential influenza pandemics.
• Saving lives along with the livelihoods.
Source: The hindu

Issues
• The concept of One Health can be effectively
• About 60 per cent of the known infectious diseases
implemented for reducing incidence of emerging
in humans and 75 percent of all emerging
zoonotic threats like COVID-19.
infectious diseases are caused by pathogens that
• One Health is the collaborative efforts of multiple
originate in animals.
disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally,
• Antibiotic-resistant microbes also can effectively
to attain optimal health for people, animals and
be transmitted from animals to humans and cause
our environment.
diseases in humans which may not respond to
• Of the contagious diseases affecting humans, more
affordable antibiotics.
than 65% are of zoonotic or animal to man origin.
• Extensive and irrational use of antibiotics especially
While investigating the etiology of diseases
in the livestock sector for increasing yield and
strategic approach, incorporating scientists from
preventing diseases causes emergence and
multidisciplinary sources will yield confirmatory
selection of resistant pathogens. These spread
results.
through animal-human interaction or food chain.
• One Health model is a globally accepted model for
research on epidemiology, diagnosis and control of
Way forward/ Suggestions
zoonotic diseases.
• Pandemic-preparedness plans: The multi-
• The WHO is very effectively addressing emerging
disciplinary approaches of ‘One Health’ are central
issues of antimicrobial resistance through One
to these plans.
Health research.
• The One Health concept is not new but its
importance to address the complex health and
Significance
environmental challenges has become more
• Integrated approach: The COVID-19 pandemic has
prominent in recent years.
renewed interest among scientists and policy
• Potential solutions to these problems can only be
makers for building an integrated approach for
understood when human, animal, and
prevention, early detection and instituting
environmental health questions are evaluated in
appropriate response to control such public health
emergencies.

99
 an integrated and holistic manner rather than in Applications:
siloed approaches. • Healthcare:
• In the past India has experience of several zoonotic o AI-based Radiomics focuses on the
diseases and has a robust institutional network for comprehensive quantification of tumour
biomedical research, which can lead and phenotypes.
operationalise the One Health approach. o A joint venture between Microsoft and Indian
• Collaboration of science, social science, indigenous start-up ‘Forus Health’ has developed a
knowledge and policy at national, state and local portable device named “3Nethra” that can
levels can put forward strategies and institutions screen for common eye problems as well as
for implementation of One Health. complicated conditions like diabetic
retinopathy.
Artificial Intelligence • Agriculture:
Context: o AI is being used for soil care, sowing, herbicide
According to The Brookings Institution, India is among optimization, precision farming.
the top ten countries in terms of technological o Intello Labs, Trithi Robotics are startups in the
advancements and funding in AI. Yet, NASSCOM's AI Agri sector.
Adoption Index 2022 pegs India's AI maturity at 2.45 o Coffee Board of India started using AI in
out of 4. Which means India is just beginning with AI. activities.
o Assam Tea growers may take the AI route to
recovery.
• Education:
o AI can be used for developing tools for
customised learning, interactive and intelligent
tutoring systems.
o For automated teacher posting and transfer
systems, using analytics based on demand-
supply gaps across schools.
• Smart Cities and Infrastructure:
o Service delivery, crowd management, cyber
security, public safety and water and waste
management.
Source: AI Time Journal o Bandicoot robots have been developed for
sewer cleaning to put an end to manual
About: scavenging.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence— o Smart Mobility and Transportation: AI-based
perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring traffic management system including sensors,
information—demonstrated by machines, as CCTV cameras, automatic number plate
opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and recognition cameras, speed detection cameras,
humans. Example tasks in which this is done signalised pedestrian crossings.
include speech recognition, computer vision,
translation between (natural) languages, as well as Challenges:
other mappings of inputs. • Artificial intelligence is poised to be one of the
• The theory and development of computer systems biggest things to hit the technology industry (and
able to perform tasks that normally require human many other industries) in the coming years.
intelligence, such as visual perception, speech • But just because it holds enormous potential does
recognition, decision-making, and translation not mean it does not also have its challenges.
between languages.

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• And artificial intelligence challenges and reviews and audits during design, development
possibilities are not small, which is why recognizing and deployment phases.
and working towards resolutions to problems can • For transparency, accountability, inclusion and
help further propel artificial intelligence’s rapid societal trust for AI to flourish and bring about the
growth. extraordinary breakthroughs it promises.
• According to studies, around 40 % of the total • NITI Aayog’s Responsible AI for All strategy, the
energy that data centres consume goes to cooling culmination of a year-long consultative process, is
IT equipment. a case in point.
• Now, to reduce energy consumption, companies • It recognises that our digital future cannot be
are moving their data centres into cooler climates optimised for good without multi-stakeholder
such as Siberia. governance structures that ensure the dividends
• The environmental impact caused by data centres are fair, inclusive, and just.
doesn’t stop at electrical consumption.
• Coolants are often made of hazardous chemicals, Private Rocket Launch
and battery backups at data centres – needed for Context:
when there are power shortages – cause an India's 1st private rocket launch: India's first ever
environmental impact both due to mining for private rocket Vikram-S, named after Vikram Sarabhai,
battery components and the disposal of the toxic launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
batteries afterward. • The mission, codenamed Prarambh (the
• Countries are passing stricter legislations on data beginning), is the Indian private sector’s first entry
security that require citizen data to be stored on into the lucrative space launch market.It is a
servers located domestically, picking colder mission under which Vikram-S – India’s first
climates beyond their borders is becoming a privately developed launch vehicle by Hyderabad-
difficult option. based Skyroot Aerospace will carry 3 customer
• Robotics and AI companies are building intelligent satellites (2 Indian and 1 foreign) in a sub-orbital
machines that perform tasks typically carried out flight.
by low-income workers: self-service kiosks to
replace cashiers, fruit-picking robots to replace
field workers, etc.
• Algorithms based on our past digital searches
creates and provides us probable solutions or
alternatives which we are looking for.

Measures to use AI effectively:

• Without ethical guide framework AI will widen
social and economic schisms, amplifying any innate
biases at an irreversible scale and rate and lead to
discriminatory outcomes.
• It is neither enough nor is it fair to expect AI tech
companies to solve all these challenges through
self-regulation.
• First, they are not alone in developing and
deploying AI; governments also do so.
• Second, only a “whole of society” approach to AI
governance will enable us to develop broad-based
ethical principles, cultures and codes of conduct, to
ensure the needed harm-mitigating measures,

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About Vikram-S launch: • Founded by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga
• Under the mission 'Prarambh' by Skyroot Bharath Daka in June 2018 Skyroot Aerospace is a
Aerospace, ISRO launched Vikram-S today. two-time national award-winning space startup,
• The 6-metre-tall Vikram-S soared to an altitude of with 200 employees, and is the largest funded
around 81 km after its launch from Satish Dhawan private space start up in India with ₹526 crore
Space Centre. raised as capital till date.
• Vikram-S rocket carried payloads of two Indian and • It took Skyroot Aerospace about two years to
one foreign customer. develop and has been built using advanced
• The launch vehicle’s engine, Kalam-80, is named technologies including carbon composite
after former President A P J Abdul Kalam.The structures and 3D-printed components.
Vikram-S is a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)
that will carry payloads weighing between 290 and Liquid Nano Urea
560 kg (PSLV, India’s workhorse, can carry up to Context:
1,750 kg) into sun-synchronous polar orbits. National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) and Rashtriya
Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd (RCF) signed
Significance: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian
• Technology-demonstration mission: The Vikram-S, Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for
Kalam-80 and 3D printed parts (thrusters) will be ‘transfer of technology’ of a revolutionary and game
used to test and certify technology in the Vikram changer fertiliser Nano Urea Liquid today.
series space launch vehicles. India has become the first country globally to start
• The company is developing three Vikram rockets commercial production of Nano Urea
that will use various solid and cryogenic fuels and
have a carbon composite core structure. About:
• More private sector missions on the way: Nano Urea is a nanotechnology based revolutionary
• Agnikul Cosmos, for example, whose semi- Agri-input which provides nitrogen to plants. When
cryogenic Agnilet engine was recently tested at compared to conventional urea prill, it has a desirable
ISRO’s vertical testing facility at Thumba (TERLS), particle size of about 20-50 nm and more surface area
Thiruvananthapuram. (10,000 times over 1 mm urea prill) and number of
• ISRO’s SSLV is also expected to be manufactured particles (55,000 nitrogen particles over 1 mm urea
and operated by private players in the near future. prill)
• Promoting startups: Around 100 start-ups have
registered with the ISRO and are collaborating with Benifits:
it in various areas of the space program. • Nano Urea is produced by an energy efficient
environment friendly production process with less
Conclusion carbon footprints.
• It took Skyroot Aerospace about two years to • Increased availability to crop by more than 80%
develop and has been built using advanced resulting in higher Nutrient Use efficiency.
technologies including carbon composite • Its application to crops as foliar fertilization
structures and 3D-printed components. The firm enhances crop productivity to the tune of 8% with
founded by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga commensurate benefits in terms of better soil, air
Bharath Daka in June 2018 is a two-time national and water, and farmers profitability.
award-winning space startup, with 200 employees, • This new product is expected to replace the usage
and is the largest funded private space start up in of urea granules, one of the most widely used
India with ₹526 crore raised as capital till date. fertilisers in farmlands across the world.
• Vikram-S, India’s first privately-developed rocket, Conventional granular urea is one of the most
lifted off from Indian Space Research important nitrogenous fertilisers in the country,
Organisation’s (ISRO) launchpad in Sriharikota.

102
 with a high nitrogen content of 46 per cent, and is NASA, becoming the twentieth nation since the
available at one of the lowest market prices. Accords came to prominence in 2020. Unlike the other
• IFFCO Nano Urea is a product of the 21st century more forthcoming Accord signatories of the US,
and it is the need of the hour to keep the France did not sign the dotted line quickly weighing its
environment soil, air and water, safe for future options.
generations while securing food for all,
• The new nano urea liquid will increase the
production of crops with improved nutritional
quality.
• In field trials, it was also found that nano urea is
further set to replace conventional urea as it can
curtail the requirement of the same by at least 50
per cent.

Challenges
• When absorbed, urea is water soluble and already
Source: The Conversation
has the lowest concentration.
• It is unclear how even smaller nanoparticles can About:
boost nitrogen uptake efficiency. • The Artemis Accords are a series of non-binding
• Furthermore, scientists are unsure whether the multilateral agreements between the United
product can reduce farmers’ reliance on urea on its States government and other world governments
own. participating in the Artemis Program, an American-
• As basal nitrogen from urea is required during the led effort to return humans to the Moon by 2025,
early stages of crop development, conventional with the ultimate goal of expanding space
urea cannot be avoided. exploration to Mars and beyond.
• As of December 2022, 23 countries and one
Conclusion: territory have signed the accords, including eight in
Minister of Health, Chemicals and Fertilizers has Europe, seven in Asia, three in North America, two
claimed that by 2025, India’s domestic urea in Oceania, two in Africa, and two in South
production, as well as production of nano urea, would America.
together mean India would be ‘self-sufficient’. It • Drafted by NASA and the U.S. Department of State,
would no longer require the 90 lakh tonnes that it the Accords establish a framework for cooperation
imported every year. in the civil exploration and peaceful use of the
Moon, Mars, and other astronomical objects.
The Government of India is planning the concept of o They are explicitly grounded in the United
the ‘One Nation-One Fertilizer Policy’ (ONOF). It will Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which
be implemented in October 2022, under the scheme signatories are obliged to uphold, and cite most
of PM- Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojana (PM-BJP). major U.N.-brokered conventions constituting
Under the policy, crop nutrients i.e. Urea, Di- space law.
ammonium phosphate (DAP), etc. will be sold under a
single brand name, ‘Bharat’ irrespective of objectives:
manufacturing companies. • Find and use water and other critical resources
needed for long-term exploration.
Artemis Accord • Investigate the Moon’s mysteries and learn more
Context: about our home planet and the universe.
On 8 June 2022, the French space agency, CNES,
signed the Artemis Accords with its US counterpart,

103
• Learn how to live and operate on the surface of
another celestial body where astronauts are just
three days from home.
• Prove the technologies we need before sending
astronauts on missions to Mars, which can take up
to three years roundtrip.

ISRO’s Attempt to Moon Exploration

• Chandrayaan 1: Chandrayaan-1 was the first lunar
space probe of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
• It began in 2007 with an agreement between
India’s space agency ISRO and Russia’s
ROSCOSMOS for mutual cooperation. Source: pib
• It confirmed the presence of lunar water and Figure 2: Top view of the ILMT located at the Devasthal
evidence of lunar caves formed by an ancient lunar Observatory of ARIES showing the liquid mercury mirror
lava flow. covered by a thin mylar film.
• Chandrayaan 2: It is India's second mission to the
moon and comprises a fully indigenous Orbiter,
Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan).
• Chandrayaan 3: The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a
follow-up of Chandrayaan-2 of July 2019, which
aimed to land a rover on the lunar South Pole.

Liquid-mirror telescope
Context:
The International Liquid-Mirror Telescope (ILMT) has
been set up at the Devasthal Observatory campus
owned by Aryabhatta Research Institute of
Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital in
Uttarakhand.
Source: pib
Figure 3: A colour composite photograph of a small
portion of the sky observed with the ILMT through
the g, r and i Sloan filters. NGC 4274 Galaxy can
be seen in the top right corner.
About:
• The largest International Liquid Mirror Telescope
(ILMT) of Asia has been installed at a height 2,450
metres.
• The ILMT at the Devasthal Observatory campus
Source: pib which is owned by Aryabhatta Research Institute of
Figure 1: A panoramic view of the Devasthal Observatory Observational Sciences (ARIES) is the world's first
campus of ARIES at Nainital, Uttarakhand.
liquid-mirror telescope to be commissioned for
astronomy.

104
• The telescope will be used to observe the galaxies • Web 3.0, as the name itself suggests, is the
and other astronomical elements present at the emerging phase or the latest phase of the evolution
edge of the world. of the internet. Web 3 or Web 3.0, is based on the
concept of creating a totally decentralized
Liquid mirror telescope: What makes it different ecosystem.
from conventional telescopes • This new technological dimension believes in
• The conventional telescopes have polished glass leveraging the power of A.I., machine learning, and
mirrors with a single or combination of curved the latest technologies like blockchain to solve the
surfaces and are used to observe special celestial problems of the present-day internet/online
objects on specific nights on the other hand, as the ecosystem.
name suggests, liquid mirror telescopes are made
up of reflective liquids, as in the Devasthal
observatory the ILMT has Mercury, and observes a
strip of sky capturing all possible celestial objects
— from stars, galaxies, supernovae explosions,
asteroids to space debris.

How does the Liquid mirror telescope work?

• About 50L of mercury-filled into a container which
is rotated at a fixed constant speed along the
vertical axis of the ILMT.
• Following the circular motions, the mercury in the
container spreads and forms a thin layer in the Source: Data Analytics
container forming a paraboloid-shaped reflecting
surface which then acts as the mirror. With a How is Web 3.0 going to be different from the
diametre of 4 metre, the surface is ideal to collect previous versions of the web?
and focus light. • Web 1.0 or the very first version of the internet was
only a basic read-only version of the internet. It did
Use of Liquid Mirror Telescope not allow much functionality or flexibility to the
• The Liquid Mirror Telescope set up by India in users. The users were only allowed to read
Collaboration with Belgium, Canada, Poland and information from the websites.
Uzbekistan was designed and built at the Advanced o The second generation of the internet, or Web
Mechanical and Optical Systems Corporation and 2.0, i.e., the stage of the internet that we are at
the Centre Spatial de Liège in Belgium. right now allowed a bit more flexibility.
• The ILMT will be generating a huge volume of data • Web 2.0 gave the users the flexibility not only to
as it is capable of generating 10-15 GB/night and it read but also to write, upload, send & receive
is set to work for the next five years starting various forms of content – text, image & video, via
October 2022 while observing asteroids, the internet. So, Web 3.0 is bound to be better and
supernovae, space debris, and all other celestial much more advanced than the internet that we are
objects from an altitude of 2,450 metres in the used to today.
Himalayas. • In other words, Web 3.0 refers to a new, improved,
and democratized, internet ecosystem which will
Web 3.0 be free from any sort of central authority.
What is Web 3.0? • Using blockchain technology Web 3.0 can
• Web 3.0 refers to a new, improved, and transform the way we use the internet. It has the
democratized, internet ecosystem which will be potential to open up a whole new dimension of the
free from any sort of central authority. internet. People will be able to buy, own, sell and

105
 earn by selling their digital content in the form of course of the future of the internet and how we are
NFTs. accustomed to using it.
• Once Web 3.0 is widely accepted, various uses of • If used properly, blockchain technology can help
blockchain technology like smart contracts, improve not only the digital transaction sector but
decentralized apps (DApps’), will become more also the digital health care sector, supply chain
popular. sector, and many other important sectors in the
What will be the primary features of Web 3.0? market.
• In order to understand the possible changes that o Blockchain technology can also redefine the
we might see in Web 3.0 we would need to know way we are used to seeing social media sites.
the following four main pillars/features of Web 3.0:
• Artificial Intelligence – One of the primary features Conclusion
of Web 3.0 will be its ability to decipher human However, despite all the big promises that Web 3.0
emotions and thoughts. Artificial Intelligence or AI and blockchain technology have, the implementation
will be used extensively to filter data and content and adoption of these technologies in real-life
and to tailor the search results according to the scenarios will take a lot more time than we can expect.
user’s preference. Blockchain technology, like any other technology, has
• Semantic Web – Semantics is the study of the a few drawbacks of its own. Thus implementing the
linkages between words. The semantic web would blockchain technology in the mainstream will be a bit
enable the computer to analyze data and decode of a challenge, until and unless the associated
the meaning and emotions that they are trying to problems have been dealt with. The way Web 3.0 will
convey. This will help in giving a better and more be adopted in the mainstream and what changes it will
pleasing internet usage experience to the users. bring to the way we are used to is only for the time to
• Ubiquity – Ubiquity means the power to be present table. But one thing is for sure the future of the
everywhere at the same time, or in simpler words, internet is bound to be interesting.
ubiquity means omnipresence. Now Web 2.0 or the
internet as we know it today is already quite Google Tax
omnipresent. So Web 3.0 will simply take it a step Context:
further by making the internet more widely The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has
accessible using the Internet of Things (IoT). dismissed the I-T department’s appeal seeking
• 3D Graphics – Web 3.0 will bring in the new disallowance from Google Singapore’s advertising
graphics technology, making the three- system, AdWords, for not charging an equalisation
dimensional virtual world a reality. The use of 3D levy, commonly known as Google tax, citing
graphics will make the internet user experience jurisdictional grounds.
more immersive and will also be helpful in
transforming a variety of sectors like health,e-
commerce, real estate, etc.
What role will blockchain technology play in Web
3.0?
• Well as far as improving the internet and increasing
its efficiency is concerned, Web 3.0 powered by
blockchain technology can really be helpful in many
ways.
• Using blockchain technology the speed of
transactions can improve to astonishing levels.
From 7 transactions per second (TPS) with Bitcoin
in the initial days to 50000 TPS with Solana today,
blockchain technology can really transform the

106
About Google Tax: • While the levy applied only to digital advertising
• The Diverted Profits Tax, commonly known as services till 2019-20 at the rate of 6 percent, the
“Google tax”, refers to tax provisions designed to government in April 2020 widened the scope to
counter the practice of profits or royalties being impose a 2 per cent tax on non-resident e-
diverted to other jurisdictions that have lower or commerce players with a turnover of Rs 2 crore.
zero tax rates. • The scope was further widened in the Finance Act
• While Google is one of the most frequent 2021-22 to cover e-commerce supply or service
practitioners of such diversions — and hence the when any activity takes place online.
tax’s informal nickname — the practice is quite • Since May 2021, this also includes any entity that
prevalent across industry sectors. systematically and continuously does business with
• Profits are considered diverted when an entity pays more than 3 lakh users in India.
only a negligible tax amount in, say, the United
Kingdom by completing its transactions in the low- Concerns:
tax capital city of Dublin, Ireland, even though the • Eventually the tax may become a burden for Digital
revenue it generated in the UK is well within tax Consumers.
brackets. • It could invite retaliatory tariffs (such as the latest
• Tech giants such as Meta, Apple and Amazon, as one), as similar tariffs were imposed by the US on
well as other MNCs like Starbucks etc, have France.
allegedly been using such practices to lower their • It would also result in double taxation.
tax bills. Such entities derive large profits from
their local user bases through online ads and in-app Conclusion:
purchases even in countries where the firms might • Future of the Equalisation Levy is in the hand of
not have an employee base. India and the governmental approaches to bring
• Earlier, companies could account for such revenues amendments to the existing system. The impacts
and earnings at a destination of their choice, and imparted by the Equalisation Levy are also very
they often diverted it to low-cost jurisdictions. crucial to examine in order to achieve clarity in this
matter. Considerations of all the stakeholders shall
• The Google Singapore Case be ensured.
• India’s ITAT, however, ruled against the I-T
department’s appeal to disallow Google’s tax Scientific Social Responsibility
deduction, stating the transaction under scrutiny Context:
did not attract the levy since the advertisers and Department of Science and Technology in May 2022
target audience were located abroad, and the released the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR)
revenue was paid to Google Singapore, which does Guidelines.
not have a permanent establishment in India.
• Even before the matter was addressed by ITAT, the Rationale:
commissioner of I-T (Appeals) had also ruled that • India has taken great strides in the advancement of
the tax levy did not apply to the assessee, since Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI).
they were neither an Indian resident with business However, there is an inadequate transfer of
or profession in India nor a non-resident with a scientific knowledge to society. There is a need for
permanent establishment in India. greater integration of science and technology with
society in today’s age. In this regard, the 104th
Applicability: session of the Indian Science Congress held in 2017
• India has expanded the scope of the equalisation also stressed the need to introduce SSR guidelines.
levy over the last few years, to tax non-resident • SSR guidelines aim to ensure greater integration of
digital entities. S&T with society at all levels. SSR is based on the
moral obligation of scientists to give back the

107
 benefits of science to society. Thus, SSR will be the moral and social responsibilities in the practitioners of
convergence of scientific knowledge and social science.
conscience. • SSR aims to create an ecosystem for the optimal
• The guidelines will bridge the following gaps: usage of existing resources to empower the
science-society (passing on the benefits of science marginalised and exploited sections of society by
to meet public needs), science-science (creating an enhancing their capability, capacity, and potential.
atmosphere to share ideas), and society-science The SSR guidelines involve four categories of
(working with the public to identify their needs and stakeholders
developing appropriate solutions). beneficiaries (any community group, entity, or
individual benefitting from SSR activity such as
About SSR students, teachers, women's groups, communities,
• SSR is the convergence of scientific knowledge with small and medium enterprises, start-ups, non-
visionary leadership and social conscience. SSR, a governmental organisations), implementers (public
singular term, has come to the fore of the public and private institutes, universities, colleges,
sphere in the last few years. laboratories, science centres, central ministries, state
o It is analogous to the phrase corporate social governments), assessors (internal assessment cells or
responsibility (CSR), wherein all companies and external agency assessing the SSR activity), and
corporations need to abide by such practices supporters (funds provided by government, corporate
and policies that would positively influence the bodies, non-resident Indians, alumni associations,
world. Comparably, SSR refers to the role of philanthropic organisations, or any other agency).
scientists in educating the public and society,
besides working to generate new knowledge. How will it be implemented:
• The concept of SSR is based on the moral and • An Anchor Scientific Institution (ASI)" needs to be
ethical obligation of the scientific community to identified in every district of the country. The ASI
'give back' the benefits they derive from science to will map the societal issues/problems requiring
the less endowed stakeholders of Science, immediate scientific solutions and establish links
Technology, and Innovation (STI) and society. with all implementers (educational and scientific
o It also stems from the Constitution of India, institutions) with a well-defined catchment area.
which requires every citizen of India to develop • All the ASIs in a state will be linked to their
a scientific temper as a fundamental duty. respective State Science and Technology Council
o SSR, an institutional mechanism, is a (SSTC).
noteworthy headway to reach out to the • A national digital portal will connect all the ASIs and
broadest spectrum of stakeholders of S&T with SSTCs, serving as a platform for linking
knowledge, human resources, and stakeholders. Further, all central and state
infrastructure to make effective use of existing governments must plan and strategise SSR as per
assets for the benefit of society. their mandates.
• The knowledge institutions need to prepare their
Objective SSR implementation plan in consultation with the
To harness the latent potential of the scientific ASI to achieve their SSR goals.
community to strengthen science and society linkages • All knowledge institutions would publish an annual
by bridging the science-society (transferring the SSR report and undergo periodic assessments. The
benefits of scientific work to meet the current needs SSR activities would be measured in short-term,
of society), science-science (creating an environment medium-term, or long-term time frames and
for sharing ideas and resources), and society-science incentivised with budgetary support. Further, the
(working with communities to identify their problems knowledge workers must contribute at least ten
and developing appropriate scientific and working days in a year towards SSR activities for
technological solutions) gaps, and indoctrinating

108
 which they will be awarded due weightage in • with the union representing the diplomat’s saying
performance evaluation. symptoms include mild traumatic brain injury,
hearing loss and other symptoms.”
Conclusion: • According to the BBC, accounts from those affected
Science and society share a mutualistic relationship, by the syndrome mentioned “buzzing”, “grinding
and SSR will comprise the scientific impact on society metal” and “piercing squeals”, while some
and the social implications for science. SSR will further experienced longer-term symptoms like dizziness
connect leading scientific institutions with all and fatigue
stakeholders to create an environment of ideas and • The BBC cited University of Illinois professor James
resource sharing. It will enable the transformation of Lin, who believes that the syndrome originates
the mindset of the scientific community and augment from microwaves, as he had experienced hearing
the social reputation of scientific organisations while similar sounds while conducting his research in the
also encouraging students into science. Inculcation of 1970s, during the Cold War.
moral responsibility amongst the scientific community • The Cold War has often been a source of
through SSR could increase entrepreneurship and speculation with respect to the Havana syndrome,
start-ups, affecting the S&T ecosystem and society. with media and officials having previously drawn
parallels between the new spate of cases affecting
Havana Syndrome American officials, and research dating back
Context: decades.
For the first time, Havana syndrome has been • The BBC also referred to a 1976 US intelligence
reported in India after a CIA officer reported report, which expressed fears over potential Soviet
symptoms similar to the mysterious illness during his Union usage of microwaves as potential
visit to New Delhi earlier this month. psychological weapons, but also said that no
evidence of such microwave weapons was found to
About: exist behind the Iron Curtain.
• The Havana syndrome gets its name from the • As such, the prevailing theories surrounding causes
Cuban capital, where the first cases among US for the syndrome remain unsubstantiated.
diplomats and CIA officials emerged in December In the absence of any known reliable medical
2016, according to the Wall Street Journal. treatment, alternatives like meditation, breathing
• In September 2017, WSJ had reported: “19 exercises and intensive therapy are generally
American officials at the U.S. Embassy in Havana considered to treat patients, according to
have been affected by sonic harassment attacks American medical website Medicine Net.

109
 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Russia Ukraine War The origin of today's war may be found in reasons
Context: like:
On Feb 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-fledged • Attempts by Ukraine to sever cultural connections
invasion of Ukraine calling it a special military with Russia
operation. The crisis has grabbed global headlines and • Ukraine’s attempts to maintain it’s independence
has been dubbed to be capable of triggering a new in it’s diplomatic, military & policy matters.
“cold war” or even a “third world war”. • Growing influence of NATO in the former Soviet
Union area adjoining Russia, with Ukraine as a key
Background of the war remaining territory between a direct Russia-NATO
• The conflict has its roots in the dissolution of the confrontation.
Soviet Union in 1991, when Ukraine declared • Historical ties: Russia has deep cultural, economic,
independence from Russia. and political bonds with Ukraine and it’s closeness
• Relations between Russia and Ukraine have been to west is not appreciated by Russia.
strained for much of the post-Soviet era, with • Russian Diaspora: Among Russia’s top concerns is
various disputes over issues such as energy, trade, the welfare of the approximately eight million
and political influence. ethnic Russians living in Ukraine, which Russia
• In 2014, tensions between Russia and Ukraine claims are being targeted.
reached a boiling point when Russia annexed • Superpower image: Losing a permanent hold on
Crimea, a region that had previously been part of Ukraine, and letting it fall into the Western orbit,
Ukraine. This action was widely condemned by the was seen by many as a major blow to Russia’s
international community as a violation of international prestige,
international law.
• The annexation of Crimea was followed by an India's Position Regarding the War
outbreak of violence in eastern Ukraine, where India's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which
Russian-backed separatists seized control of parts included condemning the slaughter of civilians
of the region. This conflict, known as the Donbass without using derogatory language and abstaining
War, has resulted in thousands of deaths and the from UN votes, did not significantly depart from this
displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. historically circumspect neutrality.
• After 2022 Russia’s invasion, the area has turned • India’s Official Stand
into an active war area. o India urged “respect for the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of states,” called “for the
immediate cessation of violence and
hostilities,” regretted “that the path of
diplomacy was given up” and urged the
concerned states to “return to it,” and
reiterated that “dialogue is the only answer to
settling differences and disputes, however
daunting that may appear at this moment.”
• Abstentions on resolutions against Russia
o India voted against a United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) resolution that strongly
condemns Russia's actions towards Ukraine and
was supported by the US.
Image Courtesy: CNN

110
 o India abstained on a US-sponsored United currently has good relationships with almost all
Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution major powers, with the exception of China.
that condemns in the strongest terms Russia's • New developments: Due to divergent perceptions,
aggression against Ukraine. the ongoing crisis in Ukraine has a significant
o India abstained from a United Nations General impact on its relationship with the West. For
Assembly resolution that censured Russia for instance, the European Union and the United
its military actions in Ukraine. Kingdom have a cordial relationship with India,
o India also abstained from the International with ongoing trade, climate change, and the Indo-
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution that Pacific as areas of interest. However, disparities in
was related to safety at four nuclear power expectations have grown as a result of divergent
stations and a number of nuclear waste sites perspectives on the Ukraine crisis. o
including Chernobyl, as the Russians seized • Balancing US and Russia: The India-USA
control of them partnership is a comprehensive global strategic
• Voted against Russia partnership that addresses a variety of issues (such
o India voted against Russia’s call for a secret as the Indo-Pacific region, violent extremism and
ballot in the General Assembly on a draft terrorism, drug trafficking, cyberspace, and
resolution to denounce Moscow’s “illegal” others). based on common goals. However, the
annexation of four Ukrainian regions United States wants India to move away from
o In August, India voted against a Russian Russia and toward the United States in important
proposal to block a speech by Ukrainian areas like oil and defense.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the UN o India's integration with the Western world will
Security Council. be significantly impacted by the desire and
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s multiple dynamism to accommodate these differences,
telephone calls with Ukrainian President particularly given that Russia has been a trusted
Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as Russian President friend since 1971.
Putin have been clear about India being on the
side of peace and diplomacy. Socio- Economic Impact of the War
• PM Modi conveyed in his meeting with the Russian • In a Globalised world, impact on one region is felt
President, publicly that “This is not the era of war” all over the world. India being heavily
interconnected with the rest of the world, has also
• India’s role in drafting the G20 resolution in India
against the war was recognised and appreciated by felt the impact of Russia Ukraine war.
all countries as vital. • Global Inflation worries: The Russian and
Ukrainian contribution to the Global economy can
Analysis of India’s Position on war clearly show the inflation it can and has caused.
• In order to maximize its policy leeway, India has Causes:
taken the strategic autonomy approach. • Agriculture
o For instance, India was able to obtain • Russia and Ukraine account for 75% of global
discounted oil, fertilizer, and other
sunflower edible oil exports and 29% of Wheat’s
commodities from Russia with the assistance of exports.
Priority to the National Interest over bloc
• They also account for 17% of global fertiliser
politics. Diplomatic activism also assisted India
potash exports
in evacuating over 22,500 Indians and foreign
• Oil Prices
nationals from 18 nations in mission mode
• Russia exports 6.5 million barrels of crude oil every
(Operation Ganga).
day.
• Yet part of the future relies upon Geopolitical
• Gas Prices
Pragmatism and India's international relations
• 17% of global natural gas production is in Russia
with significant powers. Due to factors such as
o Impact of the war on prices
tensions on the border between India and China, it

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 order with Russia leaning towards China while India
leans towards USA.
This divergence becomes visible with developments
like Russian export of military helicopters to Pakistan,
joint military exercise with Pakistan and Russia’s
repeated criticism of Quad group.
India has also diversified its military imports, lessening
its dependence on Russia.
However, both the countries still maintain important
ties across various sectors.

Way Forward:
• Rupee Depreciation due to Global Inflation and FPI Both India and Russia need to continuously engage in
pullout by foreign investors diplomacy and dialogues to navigate through waters
of an uncertain and changing global order.
Way Forward
India must keep a positive relationship with all major FATF (Financial Action Task Force)
powers while remaining in tune with the ongoing Context:
global upheaval. Pakistan was removed from the “Grey List” by FATF.
• Reorganize the complicated global supply chain
for sustainable development to control the About
turbulence in the economy brought on by • It is the Global money laundering and terrorist
disruption, increased trade prices, and inflation. financing watchdog.
• Overcome societal repercussions of the global • It was established by the G-7 Summit that was held
uncertainity by boosting domestic economy to in Paris in 1989, recognising the threat posed to the
strengthen our own position in geopolitics. banking system and to financial institutions by
• Advancing the idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat, money laundering.
lowering its dependency on other countries for its
essential supply and military needs.
• Work to develop international institutions and
engage in diverse interactions with all key
stakeholders to help put an end to the Cold War
mindset.
• By promoting a legal system based on the UN
Charter, international law, and respect for
territorial integrity and sovereignty, it is possible
to ensure that it will help boost world peace and
stability.

New Dimensions of India- Russia relations:

India and Russia have traditionally enjoyed cordial and
cooperative relations across various sectors like Objectives
industrial, space, defence, nuclear and diplomatic. • Set standards and promote effective
implementation of legal, regulatory and
Divergence: operational measures for combating
However there has been a divergence in the interests o money laundering,
of India and Russia in the light of emerging new world o terrorist financing and

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 o other related threats to the integrity of the and terrorist financing, which pose a threat to
international financial system national security. By counteracting money
laundering, India can disrupt these illegal activities
Functions and strengthen its national security.
• The inter-governmental body sets international • Economic stability: Money laundering can have a
standards that aim to prevent these illegal destabilizing effect on the economy, as it can lead
activities and the harm they cause to society. to the flow of illicit funds into the financial system
• As a policy-making body, the FATF works to and create risks for financial institutions.
generate the necessary political will to bring Countering money laundering helps to maintain
about national legislative and regulatory reforms the integrity and stability of the financial system
in these areas. and protect the economy from these risks.
• examine and develop measures to combat money • Protecting the rights of victims: Money laundering
laundering. can often involve the proceeds of crimes that have
• Starting with its own members, the FATF monitors victimised individuals or communities. By
countries' progress in implementing the FATF counteracting money laundering, India can help to
Recommendations; protect the rights of these victims and ensure that
o reviews money laundering and terrorist they receive justice.
financing techniques and counter-measures; • Protecting the integrity of financial markets:
o promotes the adoption and implementation of Money laundering can undermine the integrity of
the FATF Recommendations globally. financial markets by distorting prices and affecting
• FATF also works to stop funding for weapons of the allocation of resources. Countering money
mass destruction, laundering helps to protect the integrity of
financial markets and ensure that they operate
FATF Recommendations fairly and transparently.
FATF Recommendations, or FATF Standards,
developed by FATF, ensure a coordinated global Money laundering’s perception as Victimless crime
response to prevent organised crime, corruption and Money laundering is the process of disguising the
terrorism. proceeds of illegal activities as legitimate funds and
moving them through the financial system in order to
• They help authorities go after the money of
criminals dealing in illegal drugs, human trafficking conceal their illicit origin. Money laundering is often
thought of as a victimless crime, but this is not the
and other crimes.
case. Here are some reasons why money laundering is
• The FATF reviews money laundering and terrorist
not a victimless crime:
financing techniques and continuously strengthens
• Crime victims: Money laundering often involves
its standards to address new risks, such as the
regulation of virtual assets, which have spread as the proceeds of crimes that have victimised
individuals or communities, such as fraud, drug
cryptocurrencies gain popularity. The FATF
trafficking, or human trafficking. These crimes can
monitors countries to ensure they implement the
FATF Standards fully and effectively, and holds have serious impacts on victims, such as physical
harm, financial loss, and emotional trauma. By
countries to account that do not comply.
laundering the proceeds of these crimes, money
Importance for Counter-Money Laundering launderers help to facilitate and perpetuate these
Measures for India illegal activities, which can cause further harm to
Countering global money laundering is essential to victims.
India for a number of reasons: • Economic damage: Money laundering can have a
negative impact on the economy by distorting
National security: prices, affecting the allocation of resources, and
• Money laundering is often associated with illicit undermining the integrity of financial markets. This
activities such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling, can lead to economic damage for individuals and

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 businesses, and can undermine public trust in the India's Long-standing Position on Afghanistan
financial system. • India believes that any peace process must be led,
• National security: Money laundering can pose a owned, and controlled by Afghans.
threat to national security by providing a means • Additionally, it must safeguard the progress that
for terrorists and other criminal groups to finance has been made toward the establishment of a
their activities and operate covertly. By democratic Islamic Republic in Afghanistan.
counteracting money laundering, governments can • Women, minorities, and other vulnerable groups'
disrupt these illegal activities and strengthen interests must be protected, and the problem of
national security. violence in the country and its surroundings must
• Reputation: Money laundering can damage the be effectively addressed.
reputation of countries and financial institutions • Indian interests, which incorporate the Indian
that are involved in the crime. This can lead to Government office and Indian organizations and
negative consequences for the country's economy, laborers in Afghanistan, ought to likewise be
trade, and diplomatic relations, and can undermine safeguarded.
the trust of investors and the public. • India backs an Afghanistan that is "independent
Overall, it is clear that money laundering is not a and sovereign."
victimless crime, and that it has negative impacts on o It is made abundantly clear by the use of the
individuals, communities, and societies. It is therefore terms "independent and sovereign" that
important to counter money laundering in order to Pakistan and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
protect the rights of victims, maintain the integrity of ought not to have control over the levers in
the financial system, and strengthen national security. Afghanistan.

Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan Afghanistan’s Geo-Strategic Importance

Context: • There are several reasons why Afghanistan is
Recent Indian government steps indicate a change in considered to be important geo-strategically:
Indian policy on dealing with the Taliban. Also, • Location: Afghanistan is located at a crossroads
Taliban’s actions related to restrictions on women and between South and Central Asia, making it a key
it’s hostilites with Pakistan have attracted transit point for trade and communication
international attention. between these regions.
• Energy resources: Afghanistan has significant
About India’s changing position deposits of natural resources, including minerals.
India's shift in position: • Political instability: Afghanistan has a history of
• Given the current situation in Afghanistan and the political instability and has been the site of
shifting power structure there, India's presence at numerous conflicts over the years, including the
the Intra-Afghan peace talks indicates that it has ongoing war with the Taliban. This instability has
altered its position. made it a potential flashpoint in the region and a
o India has also reopened its Embassy in Kabul focus of international attention.
after nearly ten months of Taliban takeover of • Terrorism: Afghanistan has also been a breeding
Afghanistan, indicating the willingness to ground for terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda and
increase engagement. the Taliban, which have carried out attacks against
• Pakistan now has a significant influence in the United States and other countries. This makes
Afghanistan, either directly or through its proxies, it a key focus of international counter-terrorism
as a result of the United States' withdrawal. efforts.
• However, some experts were of the opinion that • Great Game: Afghanistan has also been the focus
because the Afghan government was also present of the so-called "Great Game," a term used to
at the table, India decided to attend the ceremony. describe the competition for influence and control
• The Taliban are still not recognized by India. in Central Asia between various powers, including

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 the British Empire and the Russian Empire in the o Education: Scholarships to Afghan Students and
19th and early 20th centuries. schools
o Capacity building: India has also provided
India- Afghanistan Relations training and capacity building programs for
• India and Afghanistan have a long and complex Afghan officials and civil society organizations
history of relations, dating back to ancient times. in a range of areas, including governance,
Here are some key points to consider: security, and economic development.
• Pre-modern period: India and Afghanistan have a o Cultural exchange: India has also supported
shared cultural and linguistic history, with many cultural exchange programs between the two
Afghans tracing their ancestry back to India. The countries, including the establishment of the
region was also an important part of the Silk Road Afghanistan-India Cultural Center in Kabul and
trade route, which connected India with Central the hosting of Afghan artists in India.
Asia and beyond.
• British India: During the period of British rule in Concerns
India, Afghanistan was seen as a buffer state • Taliban's connections to Pakistan's ISI and the
between the British and Russian empires, and latter's attempts to use the Haqqani network to
Britain maintained a policy of non-interference in harm India's interests in Afghanistan.
Afghan affairs for a period. • Pakistan’s aggressive efforts to undermine India’s
• Independence and Cold War: After India and role in security in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan gained independence from British rule • Safe haven for terrorists: Jaish-e-Muhammad
in 1947, relations between the two countries (JeM) and Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT), which are
remained cordial, but not particularly close. During responsible for a variety of terrorist acts against
the Cold War, Afghanistan received significant aid India, are also connected to the Taliban.
from the Soviet Union, while India maintained a • The Taliban are still not recognized by India.
policy of non-alignment. However, it would be a significant departure from
• Post-9/11: After the 9/11 attacks, India increased its consistent policy of dealing only with recognized
its engagement with Afghanistan, including governments if it considered the possibility of
providing development aid and training for Afghan directly negotiating with the Taliban.
security forces. However, India's close ties with the
United States and its involvement in Afghanistan Way Forward
have also made it a target for terrorism, and India • India must reevaluate its decisions and adopt a
has suffered several attacks by Pakistan-based more omnidirectional strategy to deal with all of
militant groups operating in Afghanistan. the forces that are crucial to Afghanistan's future.
• Recent developments: In recent years, India and • India needs to be more open to changing its
Afghanistan have sought to strengthen their maximalist stance and starting a dialogue with the
economic and security ties. Taliban because of the changing political and
• India has undertaken a number of development security situation.
projects in Afghanistan in recent years, including:
I2U2 Grouping
Infrastructure: Context:
o Funding and technical assistance for many In order to improve collaboration and partnerships,
infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including India, the United States, and two Middle Eastern
the Salma Dam hydroelectric project, the nations—Israel and the United Arab Emirates—
Zaranj-Delaram road, and the Afghanistan- formed the "I2-U2" joint working group. The first
India Friendship Dam (formerly known as the Leaders’ Summit of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) was
Salma Dam). held virtually on 14 July 2022.

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About tech goods that are highly sought after. This
• Following the Abraham Accords between Israel and grouping will be beneficial to India.
the United Arab Emirates, I2U2 was initially Alliances:
established in October 2021 to address issues o It will assist India in developing political and
pertaining to the region's transportation, social alliances.
infrastructure, and maritime security.
• It was known as the "International Forum for Rise of China
Economic Cooperation" at the time. China has seen an unprecedented rise in the last few
• It has also been called popularly as the "West Asian decades. With this rise, it has gained the ability to
Quad." challenge the post-Cold War unipolar world
• The group's initial focus will be on economic issues dominated by the USA and carve a bigger space for
rather than strategic ones, leveraging itself. This intention is most evident in its rising
complementary capabilities in energy, climate, assertiveness in South China Sea, numerous border
trade, and regional security. disputes and through disregard for global institutions.

Significance of the group Implications for India:

• I2-U2, which stands for India, Israel, the United • The two countries cooperate on a range of areas
Arab Emirates, and the United States, is similar to such as trade and through international fora like
the Indo-Pacific Quad. SCO, AIIB and BRICS.
• It also signifies a fundamental shift in India's • On the other hand, the hegemony of China has also
foreign policy in the Middle East and the growing become a challenge for India due to our
convergence of Indian and American interests in longstanding boundary disputes and China’s
Asia. policies of “Salami slicing” and String of Pearls.
• India's default strategy in the CoMiddle East has
long been to distance itself from the United States,
Israel, and the states of the Persian Gulf on regional Way Forward:
issues. • Reduce trade dependency, especially in critical
o This also demonstrates that India is now sectors.
prepared to transition from bilateral • Engage in areas of cooperation.
relationships that are carried out in distinct silos • Counter illegitimate, illegal and unilateral military
to an integrated regional policy. actions on border with the use of force.
• Described by experts as “a platform for the 21st
century, driven by economic pragmatism, Indo-Pacific
multilateral cooperation, and strategic Context:
autonomy", which "stands in sharp contrast to old Due to the altered global and regional geo-strategic
groupings where religion or political ideology environment, worldview has changed from Euro-
would matter” Atlantic to Indo-Pacific. This has led to increased use
of the concept in international politics and diplomacy.
Significance for India
• Benefits of the Abrahamic accords About
o India will benefit from the Abraham Accords to Concept of the Indo-Pacific as a geo-political construct
deepen its relationship with Israel without refers to the region that encompasses the Indian
jeopardizing its ties to the United Arab Emirates Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean,
and other Arab nations. including the countries and territories along the coasts
Market Gains: of these oceans. However, there’s no consensus
o India is a huge market for consumers. among countries on how it has to be defined
Additionally, it is a significant producer of high- geographically.

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The term is often used to describe the economic and • China Factor: A number of regional and outside
strategic importance of this region, which is home to nations have expressed concern in recent years
many of the world's major shipping routes, natural about China’s assertive foreign policy,
resources, and emerging markets. expanisonism etc

India’s Interests in Indo-Pacific

• Trade: The Indo-Pacific region is a vital economic
and trade hub for India, with many of its key
trading partners located in the region. India's
interests in the region include the promotion of
free and open trade and the protection of its
economic interests.
• Security: India has a number of security concerns
in the Indo-Pacific region, including the potential
for territorial disputes, terrorism, and
transnational crime.
• China: India is also concerned about China's
Significance of Indo-Pacific growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, and
• Strategic importance: The Indo-Pacific region is has sought to counter this through the promotion
home to a number of key strategic interests, of multilateral cooperation and the development
including the Indian and Pacific Oceans, which are of strategic partnerships with other countries in
vital waterways for global trade and military the region.
operations. • Access to resources: India is also interested in
• Economic significance: Indo-Pacific Region makes ensuring access to key natural resources, such as
up 65% of the global population, occupies 44% of oil and natural gas, in the Indo-Pacific region.
the planet’s surface area, generates 62% of global • Connectivity: India has also sought to promote
GDP, and supports 46% of global trade in goods. regional connectivity in the Indo-Pacific region,
The Indo-Pacific region is also home to many of the including through initiatives such as the Asia-Africa
world's major emerging economies, including Growth Corridor and the International North-South
China, India, and Indonesia, which have seen Transport Corridor.
significant economic growth in recent decades. • Geo-Political aspirations: To expand its own
• Great power competition: The rise of China as a presence in the region, especially in Africa, the
major global power has led to increased Middle East, and Southeast Asia and maintain its
competition for influence in the Indo-Pacific role as a net security provider.
region, with the United States and other countries • Fostering sustainable development: Climate
seeking to counter China's growing influence. change will have a negative impact on India in the
• Security challenges: The Indo-Pacific region also future. India supports the region’s sustainable
faces a number of security challenges, including development as a result of the growth of the blue
territorial disputes, terrorism, and transnational economy.
crime.
• Multilateral cooperation: The concept of the Indo- India’s vision for Indo-Pacific
Pacific as a geo-political construct has also led to Prime Minister’s Keynote Address at Shangri La
increased efforts to promote multilateral Dialogue, 2018 highlighted India’s vision in Indo-
cooperation in the region, including through Pacific:
initiatives such as the Quadrilateral Security • A free, open, inclusive region.
Dialogue (Quad) between the United States, Japan, • Southeast Asia is at the center of the Indo-Pacific.
India, and Australia.

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A common rules-based order for the region: o Deciding whether to reshoring and disconnect
• This kind of order must adhere to values like from global supply chains or to "friend-shoring"
equality of all nations, regardless of size and and isolate nations that are not friends or allies.
strength, faith in dialogue, sovereignty, and o Large-scale interstate conflicts over disputed
territorial integrity. territories, for example, could occur in this
• Equal access to common spaces on sea and in the region over the next ten years and have a
air, as a right under international law: It would significant impact.
necessitate open business, unrestricted travel, and o India must implement appropriate policies and
the peaceful resolution of differences in actions to advance and safeguard its own
conformity with international law. interests in the Indian Ocean.
• Circumventing power rivalries through • Initiatives for Promoting Peace: In accordance
partnerships: Nations must take care to prevent with international law, the countries in the region
conflicts from arising from competitiveness and ought to have equal access as a right to the use of
disputes from arising from differences. As one of common spaces on land and in the air that require
the foundations of the new order, India supports freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce, and
regional architecture and groupings and peaceful dispute resolution.
anticipates partnerships based on similar values o Establishing connectivity in the region on the
and interests. basis of consultation, respect for sovereignty
and territorial integrity, transparency, viability,
Recent Developments around Indo-Pacific and sustainability are crucial.
• US Indo-Pacific Policy: The long-awaited Indo- • A Comprehensive Indo-Pacific Plan: The countries'
Pacific strategy, which focuses on building Indo-Pacific strategies must focus on improving
collective capacity to face challenges in the region, relations with all of the countries involved.
was announced. • Improvements in defense cooperation are needed
o A "Major Defence Partnership" with India, to strengthen each other's military capabilities,
supporting its role as a net security provider in reduce external military threat, encourage
the region, is mentioned. economic assistance, and examine environmental
• Indo-Pacific Strategy of the EU: The Indo-Pacific threats like greenhouse gas emissions and ozone
strategy that the European Union (EU) has recently depletion.
developed aims to broaden its engagement. • The United States, India, Japan, Australia, South
• AUKUS Gathering: The transfer of nuclear Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan are the seven key
submarine technology from the United States to players identified as requiring cooperation to
Australia is the main feature of this arrangement. counter the Chinese threat. India needs to engage
• The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) was with them with a specific Indo-Pacific vision in
launched by the United States at the recent Quad mind.
Summit in Tokyo in order to deal with China and
provide the region with better options for FTAs
achieving its developmental goals. Context:
India has recently signed a CECA with UAE & is in
Way forward negotiations for a FTA with Australia and UK.
● Considering Strong Actions: Countries have placed
an increasing emphasis on resilience and national About FTAs
security over the economic benefits of free trade • A free trade agreement (FTA) is an agreement
and investment flows in response to geopolitical between countries or regional blocs to reduce or
tensions; however, they should exercise extreme eliminate trade barriers through mutual
caution when attempting to prevent conflicts in negotiations with the goal of improving trade.
advance.

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 o Investment, intellectual property, competition, • Trade Balance Negative: India has entered into
government procurement, and other areas are free trade agreements (FTAs) with Japan, Malaysia,
all included. the Republic of Korea, ASEAN, and the Association
• Free trade is the antithesis of economic of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
isolationism and trade protectionism. o In 2020 and beyond, India's trade deficit with
• Preferential Trade Agreements, Comprehensive ASEAN nations was 15.95 billion USD. The trade
Economic Cooperation Agreements (CECAs), and deficit with Japan remained at USD 6.49 billion
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements in 20-21 at the same time.
(CEPAs) are all types of free trade agreements. • Strong reliance on imports: India is 85 percent
dependent on imports for its oil needs, but a
Impact of FTAs on Economy domestic coal shortage is forcing it to use dry fuel
• FTAs aid in economic growth by combining foreign from overseas to meet power demand.
trade with domestic production. o In addition, a number of geopolitical
o International trade boosts production and developments, including the ongoing conflict
consumption because FTAs enable each nation between Russia and Ukraine, have shattered
to produce certain goods at lower costs. the global supply chain and pushed up the
• Makes it easier for more businesses to do prices of oil and other commodities.
business across borders, which helps diversify • Perception of India being Protectionist: Whereas
supply chains and facilitates borderless trade. Self-reliance is not the same as protectionism, the
perception that India is increasingly evolving into a
Current FTAs of India protectionist closed market economy has been
• India has 12 FTAs, the most recent of which is the exacerbated by the Atma Nirbhar Bharat
India-UAE CEPA. Campaign.
• India's FTAs were put on hold after it opted out of
the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Way forward
(RCEP) in November 2019. • Towards a Competitive and Open Economy:
• However, India is currently negotiating bilateral Economic reforms that result in an open,
free trade agreements with the United Arab competitive, and technologically advanced
Emirates, the United Kingdom, Australia, and economy must accompany India's trade policy
Canada. framework.
o As a result, India needs to concentrate on
Important Indian Trade Agreements integrating entrepreneurs into global economic
• South Asia Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA) networks so that they can pursue greater
• The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) financial security.
• The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and • Developing the MSME Sector: MSMEs play a
Partnership Agreement (CECPA) crucial role in achieving the ambitious export goals,
• South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). contributing approximately 29% to the GDP and
40% to international trade.
Concerns on India’s approach towards FTAs o India must link Special Economic Zones to the
• Lack of Openness and Inquiry: India negotiates the MSME sector and provide incentives for small
majority of FTAs behind closed doors, with little businesses.
transparency regarding the goals and procedures • Increasing Domestic Market: India must
followed and minimal scrutiny. expand its domestic manufacturing base in
• In addition, there are no institutional mechanisms value-added goods like engineering products,
that make it possible to examine the executive's electronic goods, drugs and pharmaceuticals,
actions before and after the FTA was signed. textiles, and agricultural machinery in order to
increase exports.

119
• Evolution of Infrastructure: a robust network of countries, but there have been some
infrastructure, including testing labs, certification disagreements and tensions over the years. For
centers, warehouses, ports, and so on. will enable example, in the 1980s and 1990s, Pakistan raised
Indian exporters to compete globally. concerns about the construction of the Baglihar
• Additionally, it must adopt cutting-edge trade Hydroelectric Project in India, which it believed
practices that can be implemented by digitizing would reduce the flow of water to Pakistan. The
export procedures. Both time and money will be dispute was eventually resolved through mediation
saved by this. by the World Bank.
• Examining FTAs: In order to guarantee executive • More recently, in 2016, tensions between the
accountability to the legislature, the Parliamentary two countries flared up again over the
committees ought to be tasked with scrutinizing construction of the Kishanganga Hydroelectric
FTAs and discussing various aspects of agreements Project in India, which Pakistan argued
and negotiations. would disrupt the flow of the Jhelum River. The
dispute was eventually resolved through the
Indus water Treaty arbitration of the International Court of
Context: Arbitration.
118th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission
was recently held between India and Pakistan for the
Indus Water Treaty.

About
• In 1951, in the backdrop of the water-sharing
dispute, World Bank offered to mediate the
conflict.
• Finally in 1960, after nearly a decade of fact-
finding, negotiation, proposals by the World Bank
and amendments to them, an agreement was
reached between the two countries.
• The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960, and is
a water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan
to resolve disputes over the use of the Indus River
and its tributaries.
• The treaty established a cooperative framework
for the management and development of the
Indus water system, which consists of three
eastern rivers (the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi) and
three western rivers (the Indus, Chenab, and
Jhelum). Important Provisions of the treaty
• Under the treaty, India was granted exclusive use • Water sharing: The treaty establishes a system for
of the eastern rivers, while Pakistan was granted sharing the waters of the Indus River and its
exclusive use of the western rivers. tributaries between India and Pakistan, based on
• However, both countries agreed to allow the the principle of "equitable and reasonable"
other to build hydroelectric power plants on utilization of the water resources.
their respective rivers, as long as they did not • Dams and canals: The treaty allows India to
significantly disrupt the flow of water. construct dams and canals on the western rivers
• The treaty has been largely successful in (the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) for the purpose of
preventing major water disputes between the two irrigation, flood control, and the generation of

120
 hydroelectric power, but imposes certain of the report of the Permanent Indus Commission
restrictions on the size and design of these for the year ending March 31, 2022 were among
structures to ensure that they do not significantly the many water-related topics that Pakistan and
impact the flow of water downstream to Pakistan. India discussed.
• Inspection and arbitration: The treaty establishes • Pakistan also voiced its opposition to India's
a mechanism for the inspection and arbitration of hydroelectric projects on the Western rivers and
any disputes that may arise between India and sought an answer to its objections to Indian
Pakistan regarding the implementation of the projects like the 1,000MW Pakal Dul.
treaty. • In accordance with the terms of the Treaty, the
• Role of the Indus Waters Commission: The treaty Indian side was also urged to communicate
establishes the Indus Waters Commission, which is advance flood-flow information.
responsible for overseeing the implementation of • In response, India:
the treaty and for resolving any disputes that may o India promised to schedule tours and
arise between the two countries. The commission inspections following the forthcoming flood
is comprised of a commissioner from each country, season.
as well as an independent chairman. o Promised to give a response after officials have
• Role of the World Bank: The treaty also involves studied specifics of Pakistan’s concerns.
the World Bank, which is responsible for providing
financial and technical assistance to both Concerns regarding the Treaty
countries for the implementation of the treaty. Although the Treaty is regarded as one of the most
o The World Bank also serves as a mediator in the successful examples of conflict resolution on a global
event of a dispute between India and Pakistan scale, it has sown discontent and disagreements
that cannot be resolved through the Indus between the two nations regarding its interpretation
Waters Commission. and application.

Dispute settlement mechanism • The highly technical nature of the treaty has
• The IWT also provides a three-step dispute resulted in wide-ranging interpretational
resolution mechanism, under which differences between the two nations.
o Questions” on both sides can be resolved at the o The treaty, for instance, states that storage
Permanent Commission, or can also be taken systems can be constructed, but only to a
up at the inter-government level. limited extent. However, determining the
o In case of unresolved questions or “differences” conditions under which projects can be carried
between the countries on water-sharing, such out is difficult due to the technical details.
as technical differences, either side can • The tense political relationships between the two
approach the World Bank to appoint a Neutral nations are another cause for concern.
Expert (NE) to come to a decision. o From India's perspective:
o And eventually, if either party is not satisfied • The main reason for dissatisfaction is that, despite
with the NE’s decision or in case of “disputes” in the fact that the treaty allows for the construction
the interpretation and extent of the treaty, of storage systems in certain exceptional
matters can be referred to a Court of circumstances, it is prohibited from doing so on the
Arbitration. western rivers.
• IWT does not have a unilateral exit provision and o From Pakistan's perspective:
is supposed to remain in force unless both the • Stays aware of every technical aspect of the project
countries ratify another mutually agreed pact. because of its suspicions and purposefully tries to
suspend it.
Outcomes of the recent meeting • The fact that the western rivers are in the disputed
• The advance sharing of flood information, the region of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been a
schedule of tours and inspections, and the signing

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 source of contention between the two countries territorial integrity of States, equality, mutual
ever since independence, makes the situation even benefit, non- interference in internal affairs,
more complicated. and non-use or threat of use of force are the
basis for sustainable development of
Standing Committee on Water Resources 12th
international relations.
report recommendations on the treaty:
● Member countries are planning to develop
common principles and approaches to form a
• The Government of India should renegotiate the
unified list of terrorists, separatist and extremist
Indus Water Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan in the
organizations whose activities are prohibited on
light of present-day challenges such as climate
the territories of the SCO member states.
change, global warming and environmental
• India takes over the Presidency of the SCO for
impact assessment.
2023, for the first time in history of SCO.
There is a need to establish some kind of institutional
structure or legislative framework to address the
impact of climate change on water availability in the
About
Indus basin and other challenges which are not
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a regional
covered under the Treaty.
intergovernmental organization founded in 2001 that
promotes cooperation in various fields among its
Conclusion
member states, which are located in the region of
• Overall, the Indus Waters Treaty has been an
Central, South, and East Asia.
important mechanism for managing water
resources and preventing major conflicts between History
India and Pakistan, but there have been some • The SCO was established on June 15, 2001, when
challenges and disputes along the way. the Shanghai Five (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
• Also, there is a need to update certain technical Russia, and Tajikistan) signed the Declaration on
specifications and expand the scope of the the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation
agreement to address climate change. Organisation at a summit in Shanghai.
• The Shanghai Five was originally formed in 1996 as
SCO a forum for resolving border disputes and
Context: promoting regional security cooperation.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit • In 2002, the organization admitted Uzbekistan as a
2022 was held recently in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. full member and changed its name to the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation.
Outcomes of the Samarkand Summit • In 2017, India and Pakistan were admitted as full
• Samarkand declaration was signed by the member members of the SCO.
states.
o It covers in detail the agenda items discussed Structure
and addressed by the SCO leaders during the The SCO has a number of bodies and mechanisms for
carrying out its work, including:
summit.
o The SCO member countries committed • The Council of Heads of State, which is the highest
themselves to a ‘more representative, decision-making body of the SCO and consists of
democratic, just and multipolar world order’. the heads of state of all member countries.
o Advocated “commitment to peaceful • The Council of Heads of Government, which is
settlement of differences and disputes responsible for coordinating the implementation
between countries through dialogue and of decisions made by the Council of Heads of State
consultation”. and consists of the heads of government of all
o They stress that the principles of mutual member countries.
respect for sovereignty, independence,

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• The Council of National Coordinators, which is process of accession of India’s (and Pakistan’s) full
responsible for coordinating the work of the SCO membership in SCO.
and consists of senior officials from the member
Conclusion:
countries.
The SCO is an important regional organization that
• The Secretariat, which is responsible for the day-
promotes cooperation among its member countries in
to-day operations of the SCO and is
a variety of fields. It has a unique structure that
headquartered in Beijing, China.
includes both Central Asian and South Asian countries,
and has played a role in promoting stability and
Membership
cooperation in the region.
• The SCO currently has eight full member countries
o China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, G20 SUMMIT 2022
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. Context:
• Four observer states: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Recently, the 17th G20 Leaders Summit was held in
and Mongolia. Bali, Indonesia.
• SCO six dialogue partners: Azerbaijan, Armenia, About G20:
Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.
• Important Update: Iran is set to become a
permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) in 2023, when India will take
over as the chair of the organisation.

Areas of cooperation:
The SCO focuses on a range of areas for cooperation,
including:
• Political concerns: The SCO promotes cooperation
in the fields of security and defense, counter-
terrorism, and the settlement of regional conflicts.
• Economy: The SCO promotes economic
cooperation through trade and investment,
energy, transportation, and agriculture.
• Culture: The SCO promotes cultural exchange and
cooperation in fields such as education, science
and technology, and sports. The Major Takeaways from the G20 Summit at
• Environment: The SCO promotes cooperation in Indonesia:
environmental protection and disaster • In a departure from last year’s focus on healing
prevention and relief. the wounds left by the Covid-19 outbreak, the G20
economies agreed in their declaration to pace
India and SCO
interest rate rises cautiously to avoid spillovers
• India was accepted as a Dialogue Partner at the
and warned of “increasing volatility” in currency
2009 SCO Summit in Yekaterinburg,
fluctuations.
• India was granted Observer status at the July 2005
• The leaders praised the Black Sea Grain Project
Astana Summit, and subsequently participated in
and pledged to take coordinated action to solve
all SCO forums open to Observers.
problems concerning food security.
• India formally submitted an application for the full
• G20 leaders decided to continue their efforts to
membership to the then SCO Chair, Tajikistan, prior
keep the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees
to the SCO Summit in Dushanbe in September
Celsius, reaffirming their commitment to the Paris
2014. Thereafter, the next SCO. Summit in July
2015 agreement on Climate Change.
2015 in Ufa (Russia), declared the initiation of the

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• The G20 communique echoed Prime Minister Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi
Narendra Modi’s message underlining that Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom,
“Today’s era must not be of war.” the United States, and the European Union.
• Indonesia Just Energy Transition Partnership
(JETP) is a long-term political agreement between Objectives of the G20:
the Indonesian Government and the International • Policy coordination between its members in
Partners Group (IPG). The US and Japan have order to achieve global economic stability,
joined as leads. sustainable growth;
• President of Indonesia Joko Widodo handed over • Promote financial regulations that reduce risks
the G20 Presidency to Prime Minister Narendra and prevent future financial crises;
Modi at the G20 summit. • Create a new international financial
architecture.
Challenges for G20 Members: Organisational Structure of G20:
Russia-Ukraine war: ● The G20 does not have a charter or a secretariat.
• The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has not only • The Presidency, aided by the countries holding
created massive geopolitical uncertainty but also the Presidency before and after it (Troika), is
spiked global inflation. responsible for setting the agenda of each year’s
• To Check dampened economic activity: The high Summit.
inflation has forced central banks across countries ● At present, the Troika is made up of Italy (2021),
to raise interest rates, which, in turn, have Indonesia (2022) and India (2023).
dampened economic activity further, bringing
down the economic growth.
Checking Protectionism: India Assumes G20 Presidency
• Rising Protectionism and retracting globalisation Context:
is posing challenges to global order. India will host the G-20 leaders’ summit in 2023 in
New Delhi.
Conclusion:
• The world is looking with hope towards collective Key Points:
leadership whether it is G7, G77 or UNGA. In such Significance of the Indian Presidency in 2023:
a situation India’s presidency of G20 assumes a • The presidency is an opportunity for India to to
new significance. push a global campaign for a sustainable lifestyle,
• India has to be central in outlining key priority LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment).
areas and in ensuring that the forum does not • Using the G20, India should press the International
remain just a ‘talk shop’ but translates into a ‘walk Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group and
shop’ in terms of meaningful actions and the Asian Development Bank to open new windows
outcomes. for financing climate infrastructure to support the
Panchamrit goals.
About G20: • As the IMF is flush with funds and is seeking
• It was formed in 1999 in the backdrop of the avenues to invest, India should persuade the IMF
financial crisis of the late 1990s. to open a window for climate financing.
• Its aim was to secure global financial stability by • India should use the G20 to roll out the India Stack
involving middle-income countries. on the global stage.
• Together, the G20 countries include 60 percent of ➔ India Stack is the world’s largest digital public
the world’s population, 80 percent of global GDP,
utility with principal components like Aadhaar, UPI,
and 75 percent of global trade.
eKYC, DigiLocker.
• Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada,
• India should push its own agenda and South Asia’s
China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, agenda on a global scale — for example, by coming

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 up with an alternative financial mechanism to initiated in the US, with the approval from the
SWIFT, which is a U.S. monopoly. Congress.
• India should leverage the G20 to reimagine the
shareholding structures of the IMF and World About
Bank to reflect its global aspirations and power • It is a modern long-range surface-to-air missile
position and also those of other emerging markets. (MLRSAM) system developed by Russia which will
• India can showcase the multiple and myriad be delivered to India by 2025.
aspects of its composite culture so that the world • A multifunction radar, autonomous detection and
begins to appreciate the richness and cultural targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems,
tenacity. launchers, and a command-and-control centre are
• Soft power can be increased by bringing together all integrated into a missile system. Due to its
the power of the diaspora and the power of Indian ability to fire three different types of missiles, it can
culture on a single platform. provide layered defense.
• Various G20 meetings can be held in the Top 25 • The S-400 can engage any aerial target within a
destinations of India to power the tourism 400 km range at a height of up to 30 km, including
industry. aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, and unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAV).
Theme and Logo for 2023:
Theme:
• “Vasudhaiva Kutumba-Kam,” or “One Earth,
One Family, One Future,” is the focus of India’s
G20

Presidency.
Logo:
o The lotus in the logo symbolises India’s
ancient heritage, faith and thought.
o The Earth that is placed on a lotus in the logo
of G-20.
o Seven petals of the lotus which represent the
seven continents and seven universal musical
notes, which aims to bring the world
together in harmony while respecting Components of the S-400 function
diversity. • An integrated multifunction radar with
autonomous detection and targeting systems is
S-400 included in the S-400 Missile System. It also
Context: includes command and control missiles and
U.S. had discouraged India from proceeding with the launchers for anti-air missiles.
acquisition of S-400 missile defence systems from • The radar has a 600km detection and tracking
Russia. A CAATSA waiver process for India has been range for aircraft, rotorcraft, cruise missiles, guided
missiles, drones, and ballistic rockets.

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• Up to 300 targets can be tracked at once. introduced Buddhism and other elements of Indian
Facts about the S-400 culture.
• In 2017, the S-400 was described by a number of • In the modern era, relations between India and
military technology experts as “one of the best air- Japan were initially strained due to Japan's invasion
defence systems currently made” of China in the 1930s and the Second World War.
• Types of targets include all kinds of aircrafts from • After India gained independence from British rule
fighter jets such as the F-16 to Ballistic and in 1947, the two countries established diplomatic
strategic cruise missiles. relations and began to develop economic and
• System response time 9–10 seconds cultural ties.

India and the S-400 Agreements

• India and Russia signed an Inter-governmental Over the years, India and Japan have signed a number
Agreement (IGA) for the supply of five S-400 of agreements and MoUs (memoranda of
regiments on October 15, 2016, at the BRICS understanding) in various fields, such as trade,
Summit. On October 5, 2018, the US$5.43 billion investment, cultural exchange, defense, and science
(about 40,000 crore) agreement was formally and technology. Some notable examples include
signed, ignoring the risk of US sanctions. • India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership
• The S-400 was chosen because of its versatile, Agreement (CEPA), which came into effect in 2011
accurate and multi-faceted capabilities in and aims to enhance economic cooperation
comparison to the missile systems offered by the between the two countries;
USA. • India-Japan Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement,
• The United States threatened India with sanctions which was signed in 2017 and allows Japan to
over India’s decision to buy the S-400 missile supply nuclear technology and equipment to India.
defense system from Russia because India chose S- • India-Japan Agreement on Cooperation in the
400 over American origin Patriot PAC 3. Peaceful Uses of Outer Space 2008: This
• The fact that the S-400 gathers electronic data agreement, signed in 2008, allows for cooperation
from any aircraft it targets is one cause for in the peaceful uses of outer space, including
American concern. India cannot take the chance satellite launches, remote sensing, and space
that the information on its American-made aircraft, science research.
like the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter and the • India-Japan Science and Technology Cooperation
C-17 Globemaster large transport aircraft, may Agreement 2006: This agreement, signed in 2006,
somehow get up in the hands of its former Russian aims to promote cooperation in science and
adversaries. technology between the two countries through
• India has announced that it will proceed with its activities such as joint research projects, exchanges
commitment to purchase the S-400 from Russia in of scientists and researchers, and collaborative
spite of these objections from its American allies workshops and conferences.
and the possibility of impending sanctions. • India-Japan Agreement on Defense Cooperation
2011: This agreement, signed in 2011, allows for
India-Japan Relationship cooperation in the field of defense, including joint
Context: military exercises, exchanges of military personnel
India and Japan have a long and complex history of and equipment, and capacity-building assistance.
relations, which have evolved significantly over time. • India-Japan Agreement on Cooperation in the
Field of Environment and Climate Change: This
History agreement, signed in 2009, aims to promote
• The history of India-Japan relations dates back to cooperation in the fields of environmental
the ancient period, when Buddhist missionaries protection and climate change, including through
and traders from India traveled to Japan and

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 the exchange of information and expertise and the Bharat Program's goals and objectives, both parties
implementation of joint projects. had been collaborating on projects to build
• India-Japan Agreement on Cooperation in the AHWIN's narrative for AYUSHMAN Bharat.
Field of Health: This agreement, signed in 2010, • ODA, investments: India has been the biggest
aims to promote cooperation in the field of health, beneficiary of the Japanese Authority
including through the exchange of information and Advancement Assistance (ODA) Credit for as far
expertise, capacity-building assistance, and joint back as many years. One of the most impressive
research projects. examples of Japanese cooperation made possible
by ODA is the Delhi Metro.
Evolution of relationship: o Under Special terms for economic partnership
• India and Japan have had a long relationship with (STEP), the Japan International Cooperation
different periods of cooperation Agency provides a soft loan to finance India's
• In the early post-independence period, relations Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)
between the two countries were largely focused project.
on economic cooperation, with Japan providing • The 2016 India-Japan Nuclear Deal will assist India
development assistance to India. in building six nuclear reactors in southern India,
• In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, relations ten-folding the country's nuclear energy capacity
between India and Japan began to expand beyond by 2032.
economic cooperation and into other areas, such
as security and defense, cultural exchange, and Potential of relationship:
regional cooperation. • India and Japan have the potential to develop a
strong and strategic partnership, given their shared
State of the Relationship interests and values, such as democracy, the rule of
• Defence Ties: Through bilateral and multilateral law, and regional stability.
exercises like Dharma Guardian and Malabar, India • Both countries are major powers in their
and Japan have developed a defense and security respective regions and have a strong economic
partnership. and welcoming Japan's first-ever and technological base, which could be leveraged
participation in Exercise Milan. for mutual benefit.
• Japan-India Vision 2025 Special Strategic and • India and Japan also share a common concern
Global Partnership, in which the two countries about the rise of China and the need to maintain
collaborate to promote peace and prosperity a balance of power in the region, which could
throughout the Indo-Pacific region and the globe. potentially be a factor in strengthening their
• Economic ties: Japan's reliability as a friend was partnership.
put to the test in 1991 when it was one of the few
nations to help India out of the balance of payment Way Forward
crisis. • Stopping Hegemony in the Indo-Pacific Region:
o The economic ties between India and Japan India and Japan must rethink their military plans
have steadily grown and gotten stronger over and capitalize on their shared goal of preventing
the past few years. The amount of trade that the rise of a securing hegemony in the Indo-Pacific
takes place between the two nations has grown. (China and the US).
India's 12th largest trading partner in 2020 was • Collaboration for Digital Empowerment: India and
Japan. Japan can collaborate on digital infrastructure
o In addition, there has been an increase in direct projects in a variety of areas, including 5G, Open
investment from Japan to India; in FY2020, RAN, telecom network security, submarine cable
Japan was the fourth largest investor in India. systems, and quantum communications, with the
• Health-Care: Due to the similarities and synergies goal of enhancing digital infrastructure through the
between Japan's AHWIN and India's AYUSHMAN

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 promotion of joint projects for digital • Companies or organizations involved in the
transformation. production or refinement of palm oil across the
• Enhancing India's Act East Strategy: India has continent would be added to APOA's
consistently positioned the commitment with the membership.
nations of Southeast and East Asia at the core of it’s
'Indo-Pacific' strategy and hence the act east About Palm Oil
strategy can play vital role in complementing it. Palm oil is a type of edible oil that is extracted from
• Connectivity in South Asia: Through the synergy the fruit of the oil palm tree. It is one of the most
between the "Act East" policy and the "Partnership widely produced and consumed vegetable oils in the
for Quality Infrastructure," Japan also tries to work world, and is a major source of cooking oil, margarine,
together to support strategic connectivity between and shortening in many countries. It is highly
Southeast Asia and South Asia. significant for India for multiple reasons like:
• Towards Multipolar Asia: By reshaping their Asian • Major import: India is a major importer of palm
key scene, India and Japan can possibly catalyze oil, with the country importing around 16 million
their rise as world powers, and walk towards an tons of palm oil in 2020. Palm oil accounts for a
open and secure Indo-Pacific. significant portion of India's vegetable oil imports,
and is mainly used for cooking and in the
Overall, it is clear that India and Japan have a long and manufacture of a variety of food products.
complex history of relations, which have evolved • Agricultural sector: According to the U.S.
significantly over time. While there are some Department of Agriculture, the world will produce
constraints that have historically limited the approximately 76.5 million tonnes of palm oil in
development of the relationship, there is also 2021, 58% of this produced in Indonesia, and 26%
significant potential for a strong and strategic in Malaysia. No other country produces even 5%
partnership between the two countries. of the global supply. Hence, there’s great potential
for India’s agricultural sector to adopt it and reduce
India’s import bill.
"India and Japan are two ancient civilizations, two • Food security: Palm oil plays a vital role in ensuring
democratic countries and two markets. Together,
food security in India, as it is a major source of
we have the potential to shape the course of the cooking oil for the country's large population.
21st century."- Shinzo Abe, Former PM of Japan
• Environmental concerns: The cultivation of oil
palm has been linked to environmental issues such
Asian Palm Oil Alliance as deforestation and habitat destruction, and there
Context: are concerns about the impact of palm oil
Edible oil industry associations from five major palm production on wildlife and ecosystems.
oil importing countries of Asia -- India, Pakistan, Sri o However, efforts are being made to address
Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal -- have come together these concerns, such as through the adoption of
to form the Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA). sustainable palm oil production practices.

About APOA India Australia Relations

• APOA's goal is to protect the economic and Context:
business interests of countries that use palm oil, Recently, India-Australia Economic Cooperation and
and it will work to make member countries use Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA). was approved by
more palm oil. the Australian Parliament.
• The alliance would work to change the negative
perception of palm oil and ensure that it is About ECTA
recognized as a high-quality, economical, and The ECTA is India's first Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
healthy vegetable oil. in more than a decade with a major developed
nation.

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• The Agreement includes cooperation in all aspects • Post-independence: After India gained
of the economic and commercial ties between the independence from British rule in 1947 and
two friendly nations, including the following: Australia became a sovereign nation in 1901, the
o Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Sanitary and two countries established diplomatic relations and
Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures Dispute began to develop economic and cultural ties.
Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons, • Cold War period: During the Cold War period,
Telecom, Customs Procedures, Pharmaceutical relations between India and Australia were largely
Products, and Cooperation in Other Areas influenced by the global geopolitical context, and
• The ECTA establishes an institutional mechanism the two countries had somewhat distant relations.
to promote and enhance trade between the two • Post-Cold War: In the post-Cold War period,
nations. relations between India and Australia began to
• The ECTA between India and Australia covers strengthen and diversify, with a focus on economic
nearly all of India's and Australia's respective tariff cooperation, cultural exchange, and regional
lines. security.
• Australia grants India preferential market access on
all of its tariff lines, which is beneficial to India. Recent developments
o This includes all of the labor-intensive industries • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership announced
that are interested in exporting to India, like by Prime Ministers Morrison and Modi in June
textiles, leather, footwear, furniture, and gems 2020,
and jewelry. • Significant investments to bolster economic ties
• On the other hand, India will give Australia announced as part of the Australia’s India
preferential access to more than 70% of its tariff Economic Strategy Update, launched in March
lines. These lines are those that have an interest in 2022
exporting to Australia and are primarily made up of • Signing of the Australia-India Economic
raw materials and intermediaries like coal, mineral Cooperation and Trade Agreement in April 2022.
ores, wines, and so on. • State of the Relationship
• Indian STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, • Special partnership characterised by shared values
and Mathematics) graduates will receive extended of pluralistic, parliamentary democracies,
post-study work visas in accordance with the Commonwealth traditions, expanding economic
agreement. engagement, long standing people-to-people ties
• Australia will also launch a program to issue visas and increasing high level interaction.
to young Indians who want to spend their summers • Partners in the trilateral grouping SCRI (Supply
working abroad. Chain Resilience Initiative) with Japan and also in
• Additionally, it is anticipated that ECTA will result in QUAD, along with USA.
the creation of 10 lakh new jobs.
Role of Indian Diaspora
Evolution of India-Australia Relationship Context:
Relationship between India and Australia has evolved Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas was celebrated on January 9
significantly over time: and increasing role of Indian Diaspora in economic as
• Pre-colonial period: In the pre-colonial period, well as foreign policy has attracted positive attention.
India and Australia were geographically isolated
from one another, and there is little evidence of About
direct contact between the two countries. Indian diaspora, comprising people of Indian origin
• Colonial period: During the colonial period, India who have migrated to other countries, has played a
and Australia were both part of the British Empire, significant role in shaping India's foreign policy and
and there was some limited contact between the international relations. According to estimates by the
two countries through trade and migration.

129
Ministry of External Affairs, there are over 30 million countries, and have served as important
people of Indian origin living abroad. ambassadors for India. For example, Indian-origin
politicians and business leaders in countries such as
About Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) the United States and the United Kingdom have
• The date of January 9 was chosen as the day to been instrumental in promoting India-US and
commemorate this event because it was on this India-UK relations.
day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi returned to • Political Power in hands of PIOs: In many
India from South Africa, led the country's struggle countries, people of Indian descent hold high
for independence, and made a lasting impact on political positions. In the United States, they now
the lives of Indians. make up a significant portion of both Republicans
• Every two years, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) and Democrats and the government. Kamala Harris
Convention is held to reconnect the overseas VP, USA and Rishi Sunak, PM UK are key examples.
Indian community with their roots and strengthen
their engagement with the Indian government. Way forward
• The prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award • Enhancing existing connections within the
is presented to selected overseas Indians during Diaspora: India must target two significant but
the Convention to recognize their contributions to untapped segments of the Diaspora: the young,
various fields in India and abroad. second-generation Indians from overseas; and
individuals nearing retirement.
Significance of Indian Diaspora • Diversify: For obvious reasons, Indian migration is
• The Indian diaspora is a significant economic and currently concentrated in English-speaking nations.
political resource for India. they constitute a Over the next few decades, Russia, the EU, Latin
major source of remittances and investment for America, and Japan should also be targeted. In
India. addition, there is more opportunity for jobs in
o According to a World Bank Report, India global transportation, health care, and home care
received approximately 87 billion dollars in at all skill levels. This necessitates significant
remittances in 2021, world’s highest. investments in particular educational services.
• Instruments of Soft Power: The diaspora also • Boost investor engagement: In order to attract
serves as a bridge between India and the talented individuals into the public sector, diaspora
countries where they live, and can facilitate trade, should be treated similarly to other Indian citizens,
investment, and cultural exchange. including the right to work in the private and
• Act as Pressure Groups: The Indian diaspora has public sectors and the ability to buy and sell
also played an important role in shaping India's property.
foreign policy. For example, Indian diaspora • Include them in the process of development: To
organizations have been active in lobbying for encourage India's diaspora to increase their
issues of concern to the Indian community abroad, involvement in the country's development, the
such as dual citizenship and the right to vote in government ought to implement a number of win-
Indian elections. Indian diaspora organizations win initiatives. India should establish a formal
have also been involved in promoting India's rotation program in which top NRI scientists,
interests abroad, such as by organizing cultural engineers, doctors, managers, and professionals
events and promoting Indian products and lend their expertise to Indian public sector
services. Example being The Howdy Modi event in organizations for a short period of time.
USA. In conclusion, the Indian diaspora has played a
• Influential Positions: The Indian diaspora has also significant role in shaping India's foreign policy and
been a key factor in India's engagement with the international relations. The diaspora has served as an
world. Many Indian diaspora members have economic and political resource for India, and has
achieved high levels of success in their host been instrumental in promoting India's interests and
engaging with the world.

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 UNSC Reforms o Establishing and maintaining peacekeeping
Context: operations to help prevent and resolve
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Reform was conflicts.
the main agenda of Indias’ EAM in his address to the • The UNSC can take a number of actions to address
UNGA. EAM said that the need to reform the UN conflicts and situations that pose a threat to
Security Council cannot be denied forever. international peace and security, including:
o Issuing resolutions and statements to address
About UNSC- Structure: the situation and call for action.
• One of the six main organs of the United Nations, o Establishing sanctions, such as economic or
and it is responsible for maintaining international arms embargoes, to pressure countries to
peace and security. comply with international law.
• Made up of 15 member states, 5 of which are o Authorizing the use of force, including
permanent members with veto power (China, peacekeeping missions and military
France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United intervention, to address the situation.
States) and 10 of which are elected for two-year ● The decisions of the UNSC are binding on all
terms by the General Assembly. member states of the United Nations.
o The 10 non-permanent members are elected
for 2-year term by the UNGA. To be elected, a “If there are no effective UNSC reforms, we will end
Member State must receive at least two-thirds up frankly, with an increasingly irrelevant UN”— Dr.
of all votes cast. S Jaishankar
o The members are chosen according to the
region: African Group (3), Latin America and the
Caribbean (2), Asia-Pacific (2), Western Europe The need for UNSC Reforms
and Others (2), and the Eastern Europe (1). • Composition:
• Under Article 27 of the UN Charter, Security • One of the main arguments for UNSC reform is that
Council decisions on all substantive matters the current composition of the council does not
require the affirmative votes of three-fifths (i.e., accurately reflect the global balance of power.
9) of the members and No veto from P5 country • The 5 permanent members, also known as the P5,
• Meets regularly in New York, and it also has the were granted their status after World War II and
ability to meet in other locations as needed. have not been expanded since.
• Has a president, who is elected by the council for a • Many countries, particularly those in the Global
one-month term. The president presides over South, argue that the P5 countries do not
meetings and helps to coordinate the work of the adequately represent the interests of all regions
council. of the world, and that the council should be
expanded to include more countries from the
Functioning Global South and other underrepresented regions.
• The UNSC has a number of functions, including:
o Monitoring and investigating conflicts and
situations that pose a threat to international
peace and security.
o Authorizing the use of force, including
peacekeeping missions and military
intervention, to address these conflicts and
situations.
o Sanctioning countries that violate international
law or engage in actions that threaten peace Source: MoFA Japan
and security.

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• Efficiency: a Council with a more diverse membership is
o Another argument for UNSC reform is that the required.
council is not always able to effectively address • The Council's ability to respond to significant
the challenges of the 21st century. crises and conflicts, such as the COVID-19
o The UNSC has the authority to take a number of pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian War, and the
actions to address conflicts and situations that Syrian civil war, has frequently been hampered in
pose a threat to international peace and recent years by members' divergent interests.
security, including authorizing the use of force, ● In the absence of reform, there is a risk that
establishing sanctions, and establishing decision-making processes could be transferred to
peacekeeping operations. other venues, despite the fact that these venues
o However, the veto power of the P5 countries lack the security's binding effect and legitimacy.
has been seen as a hindrance to the council's
ability to take decisive action, as any one of the Proposed Reform Measures
P5 countries can block a resolution from being Different viewpoints on how should UNSC be
adopted. reformed:
o Some have argued that reforms to the veto • Reforms to the membership
power, such as limiting its use or establishing a o The United Nations committee "Open-ended
veto override mechanism, could make the Working Group on the Question of the
council more effective in addressing conflicts Equitable Representation on and Increase in
and crises. the Membership of the Security Council and
• Representativeness: Other Matters Related to the Security
o Another argument for UNSC reform is that the Council"—has formalized the discussion and
council should be more representative of the proposal of various reforms.
global community. o Different Proposals by different groups:
o Currently, the UNSC is made up of 15 member
states, which is a small number compared to the
193 member states of the United Nations as a
whole.
o Many countries, particularly those in the Global
South, argue that the council should be
expanded to include more member states, in
order to better reflect the diversity of the global
community.
o Some have suggested that the council could be
expanded through the addition of new
permanent or temporary seats, or through the • Veto Reforms
creation of a new category of membership. • The power to veto reforms has been the most
• The Charter of the United Nations explicitly states contentious issue. Regarding the veto, a number of
that nations that contribute significantly to the proposals have been under consideration by the
UN should be members of the Security Council. Working Group like
This is in addition to stipulating a geographically o Getting Rid of the Veto: It is thought that this is
balanced distribution of seats. unlikely to happen. Because they have the
• Broad-based council needed: Over the past 75 power to veto any proposal to eliminate it, it
years, the Security Council has dealt with a variety would necessitate the voluntary surrender of it
of issues, including: non-proliferation, by the P5 nations.
counterterrorism, peacebuilding, conflict o Need of two Vetoes: A majority resolution
prevention, and protection of civilians. As a result, cannot be defeated without two vetoes.

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 o Expansion of the Veto: There would be two • Political considerations:
types of permanent members in the Council if o Political considerations also play a role in the
new members were added without the veto. challenges to UNSC reform.
However, a number of Member States contend o Some member states may be reluctant to
that expanding veto rights will further limit the support reforms that could benefit their rivals
UNSC's effectiveness. or adversaries, or that could shift the balance of
o Restricted Veto: Only decisions related to power within the council.
Chapter VII enforcement should be subject to o In addition, reforms to the UNSC can be seen as
veto powers. "Action with Respect to Threats to a sensitive issue, as they touch on issues of
the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of national sovereignty and global power
Aggression" is the topic of Chapter VII of the UN dynamics.
Charter. The P5 want to keep this power,
especially for important things like the Progress on UNSC reforms
Secretary General's appointment. A further • The need for UNSC reform has been recognized for
suggestion is to limit veto power to many years.
international goals rather than national • One of the main proposals for UNSC reform is the
interests. expansion of the council through the addition of
o Justification for the veto's use: It has been new permanent or temporary seats. The G4
suggested that the General Assembly should be countries (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan) have
given an explanation before using the veto. been particularly vocal in advocating for their
inclusion as permanent members.
Challenges to UNSC Reforms • Establishment of an open-ended working group
• Resistance from current permanent members: on UNSC reform in 2009.
o One of the main challenges to UNSC reform is o The working group has held a number of
resistance from the current permanent meetings to discuss various proposals for UNSC
members (also known as the P5: China, France, reform, but there has been little progress in
Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United achieving consensus on specific reforms.
States). • In recent years, there have been calls for more
o Due to P5’s veto, it becomes a big roadblock. concrete action on UNSC reform, including from
o The P5 countries have been resistant to reforms the Group of 77, a coalition of 134 developing
that would dilute their power or influence countries that have called for the council to be
within the council, including proposals to limit expanded to better reflect the global balance of
the use of the veto or to establish a veto power.
override mechanism. o Recently, US President Joe Biden, publicly
• Lack of consensus: mentioned the need for UNSC reforms which
o Another challenge to UNSC reform is the lack of marks an important step.
consensus among member states on the
specific reforms that should be made. Argument for India's Permanent Membership in the
o There are a wide range of proposals for UNSC UNSC:
reform, including expanding the council • India's Long-Term Relationship to the UN System:
through the addition of new permanent or India was founding member of the United Nations.
temporary seats, creating a new category of o India has been elected for a two-year non-
membership, or reforming the veto power. permanent member seat for eight consecutive
o Member states have different views on the terms.
best approach to reform, and there is no o Most significantly, India has nearly twice as
consensus on which reforms should be many peacekeepers stationed in the field as the
prioritized. P5 nations.

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• India's Fundamental Value: India's status as the
world's largest democracy and second-most G4 Grouping
populous (and soon-to-be-most populous) nation The G4 is a group of four countries that have jointly
are the primary justifications for its permanent called for reform of the United Nations (UN) Security
membership in the UN Security Council. Council. The G4 countries are Brazil, Germany, India,
o Additionally, India has one of the world's largest and Japan.
and fastest-growing economies.
• The G4 countries were first established as a group
• The geopolitical footprint of India: Since India in 2004, with the goal of seeking permanent
became a Nuclear Weapons State (NWS) in May
membership in the UN Security Council.
1998, it is now a natural claimant to be a
• All four countries are considered to be major
permanent member, just like the other permanent
players in their respective regions, and have
members who are all NWS.
strong economic and political ties to other
o In addition, India has joined a number of export
countries around the world.
control regimes, including the MTCR and the
• The G4 countries have argued that the current
Wassenaar arrangement.
composition of the Security Council does not
o India's worldwide profile and capacities ascend
accurately reflect the current global balance of
because of its always growing worldwide
power, and that their inclusion as permanent
impression in assorted regions like legislative
members would make the council more
issues, reasonable turn of events, financial
representative and effective.
matters, and culture and science and
• The G4 countries have proposed a reform package
innovation.
that includes the expansion of the Security
• Leader of Global South and Developing World:
Council from 15 to 25 members, with 6 new
India is the undisputed head of the
permanent seats and 4 new temporary seats.
Underdeveloped nations, as reflected by its
• The G4 proposal has faced resistance from some
position of authority in the NAM.
quarters, including from some of the current
Way forward permanent members of the Security Council (also
• To begin with, the Security Council ought to known as the "P5" countries: China, France,
include more perspectives from a wider range of Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United
geographic locations and reflect more effectively States).
on the current state of the world. In order to gain • Despite this resistance, the G4 countries have
more credibility and legitimacy, it needs to show continued to push for reform, and have garnered
that it is adaptable and willing to make support from a number of other countries around
concessions. the world.
• UN's role in promoting and achieving developing
nations' vision of development for the South must Nuclear Disarmament
be clearly and consistently articulated. Introduction
• UN reform should strengthen the UN's mandate as The yearbook for the Stockholm International Peace
the primary global governance institution so that it Research Institute (SIPRI) has expressed concern on
can coordinate the work of the major multilateral the growing nuclear arsenal in the world.
economic policymaking institutions like the World
Bank, the IMF, and the WTO rather than diminish What are the key findings of the SIPRI Report?
the UN's position as the core global governance • Russia has the most nuclear weapons with 5977
institution. warheads, followed by the US. There are 5428
• India ought to keep insisting on UNSC reforms. nuclear weapons in the US. The US, however, has
Experts in foreign policy advise accepting a the most deployed warheads (1744), followed by
permanent status with no veto power as a Russia (1588).
pragmatic option.

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• China (350), France (290), the UK (225), Pakistan • Against Rules of War: Nuclear weapons are unable
(165), India (160), Israel (90), and North Korea to strictly abide by the distinction between
follow the US and Russia in importance (20). As a fighters and civilians. Radiation may still have an
result, in terms of nuclear weapon stockpiles, the effect on neighboring civilian populations even if it
other nuclear countries lag far behind the US and is used for military purposes.
Russia. • Sovereign Equality: For the concept of sovereign
• In addition, China's recent efforts to build 300 equality of states to be fully realised, nuclear
additional nuclear missile silos have attracted weapons must be destroyed. Otherwise, there
attention. India and Pakistan appear to be would still be nuclear haves and have-nots in the
improving their nuclear arsenals in the globe.
subcontinent (in absolute numbers). • Fake Triggers: According to recent reports, the
United States and Russia each have a nuclear
Concerns: arsenal large enough to wipe out the whole planet.
• The yearbook mentions the civil war in Any fake trigger that uses false information or fake
Afghanistan, the armed conflict in Myanmar, and news in such a circumstance has the power to
low-level border conflicts between India and endanger human life on Earth.
Pakistan as some of the unsettling signs of an • Non state Actors: There is rising concern that
unstable system. terrorist groups may one day get nuclear capability
• Three concerning trends: due to the growing infiltration of educated young.
o Chinese-American rivalry In light of the fact that terrorists have no regard for
o Involvement of state and non-state actors in international law, this situation might be terrible
multiple conflicts, and result in anarchy.
o The challenge that climatic and weather
hazards pose. Steps have been taken to prevent Nuclear
Reasons of countries trying to acquire Nuclear Proliferation
Weapons • Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),
• Symbol of modernization: The addition of nuclear 1968: It was put forward by the USA, UK and USSR.
weapons to the arsenal demonstrates the military's It was signed in 1968 and came into force in 1970.
modernization and readiness for upcoming crises. The treaty has 3 pillars:
• Deterrence Effect: Nuclear weapons create a o Non-proliferation: Nuclear Weapon States
deterrence effect even on strong military powers. (NWS) pledge not to transfer nuclear weapons
For instance, many experts are saying that Russia and technology and Non-nuclear Weapon
wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if the latter hadn’t States pledge not to acquire nuclear weapons
given up nuclear weapons in early 1990s. o Disarmament: All parties to pursue good-faith
• Regional Superiority: Nuclear weapons are desired negotiations on effective measures to control
by any nation that wants to maintain a firm grip on nuclear arms race, and to general and complete
its surrounding area. disarmament
• Increased Global Stature: Permanent members o Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy: The Treaty
have veto power over UN decisions, effectively recognizes the right of all Parties to develop
controlling global politics. When considering nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
whether to provide any of them a permanent seat o India views the pact as discriminatory since it
on the UNSC, consideration has to be given to the limits the states that can legally possess nuclear
fact that they all hold sizable nuclear arsenals. weapons to those that conducted nuclear tests
before to 1967, resulting in a small group of
What is the need for Nuclear Disarmament?
"nuclear haves" and a larger group of "nuclear
• Huge Magnitude of Destruction: Destructive have-nots." India has not ratified the
capacity as seen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is agreement. South Sudan, Pakistan, and Israel
unimaginable. are further non-signatory nations.

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• Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, • India further maintains that disarmament must be
2017: It forbids and makes illegal the use, conducted "on the basis of equality" and without
manufacture, transfer, acquisition, stockpiling, and "discrimination clauses in favour of NWS," as is
deployment of nuclear weapons. States are also the case with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
forbidden from utilising nuclear weapons and Although the NPT calls for the final abolition of
other nuclear explosive devices, as well as nuclear weapons, no deadline has been set for this.
threatening to do so. It became effective in 2021. India, a non-signatory to the NPT, advocates for
• Export Control Groupings: Nuclear Suppliers total disarmament.
Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control
Way forward
Regimes (MTCR) are some of the nuclear export
control groupings. These ensure that nuclear fuel • Establishing a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
export doesn’t result in nuclear weapons Weapons: One way to move forward with nuclear
development. disarmament is to establish an international treaty
that prohibits the possession, use, or threat of use
• Conference on Disarmament (CD): It is a
of nuclear weapons. Such a treaty could be
multilateral disarmament forum established by
the international community to negotiate arms modeled after the Chemical Weapons Convention
or the Biological Weapons Convention, which ban
control and disarmament agreements based at
the possession and use of certain types of weapons
Geneva.
of mass destruction.
India’s Nuclear Doctrine • Reducing the Number of Nuclear Weapons in the
• Building and maintaining a credible minimum World: Another way to move forward with nuclear
deterrence disarmament is to negotiate agreements to reduce
• A ‘No First Use’ policy i.e., nuclear weapons to be the number of nuclear weapons held by different
used only in case of any nuclear attack on Indian countries. This could be done through bilateral or
territory or on Indian forces anywhere multilateral arms control negotiations, such as the
• Non use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) or the
weapon states Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
• Nuclear retaliatory attacks to be authorised only • Fostering International Cooperation on Nuclear
by civilian political leadership through the Nuclear Security: Improving nuclear security and reducing
Command Authority the risk of nuclear proliferation can also help to
• Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be massive move forward with nuclear disarmament. This
and designed to inflict unacceptable damage could involve efforts to secure and dismantle
• India may retaliate with nuclear weapons to nuclear weapons and materials, as well as efforts
retaliate against attack with biological or chemical to promote international cooperation on issues
weapons related to nuclear security, such as through the
• Strict controls on export of nuclear and missile International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
related materials and technologies • Building Support for Nuclear Disarmament:
• A commitment to the goal of a nuclear weapon free Building support for nuclear disarmament among
world. the public and policymakers is also crucial for
achieving progress on this issue. This could involve
India’s Stance on Nuclear Disarmament educating people about the dangers and costs of
• India has shown a comprehensive commitment to nuclear weapons, as well as advocating for policies
achieving nuclear disarmament. In contrast to and initiatives that promote disarmament.
Nuclear Weapon States (NWS), which have a vague • Addressing the Underlying Causes of Nuclear
position about the timing for disarmament, India Proliferation: To achieve lasting progress on
favours total disarmament within a set nuclear disarmament, it will be important to
timeframe. address the underlying causes of nuclear
proliferation, such as security concerns and

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 political rivalries. This could involve efforts to Issues in WTO’s Dispute Resolution Mechanism
address regional conflicts and tensions, as well as The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute
efforts to promote international cooperation and settlement mechanism is going through a crisis.
dialogue on security issues. • The body is struggling to appoint new members
to its understaffed Appellate Body that hears
"I do not know with what weapons World War III will appeals in trade.
be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks • In May 2019, representatives from over 20
and stones," Albert Einstein developing nations gathered in New Delhi to
discuss methods to keep the WTO's dispute
WTO- Dispute Resolution System resolution mechanism from imploding due to a
Context: backlog of appointments.
WTO’s appellate mechanism which has been dormant
since 2019. There was no discussion to revive it, at the WTO’s Appellate Body
recently concluded 12th ministerial conference. • The Appellate Body is a standing committee of
About Dispute Settlement Mechanism of WTO seven members that preside over appeals against
• The WTO's unique contribution to the stability of decisions made in trade-related disputes brought
the global economy is dispute settlement, which is by WTO members. It was established in 1995.
the foundational element of the multilateral • If a country believes the report of the panel formed
trading system. It adheres to the principles of to look into the matter needs to be examined on
being fair, quick, efficient, and mutually legal grounds, it may approach the Appellate Body.
agreeable. o This is the case if the country is involved in a
• The Dispute Settlement Body, another name for dispute over actions that are alleged to violate
the General Council and is made up of all WTO a WTO agreement or obligation.
members, is in charge of resolving disputes. • However, existing evidence is not re-examined but
o The exclusive power to convene "panels" of legal interpretations are reviewed.
experts to examine the matter, as well as to • The Appellate Body can uphold, modify, or
accept or reject the conclusions of the panels or reverse the legal findings of the panel that heard
the outcomes of an appeal, belongs to the the dispute. Countries on either or both sides of the
Dispute Settlement Body. dispute can appeal.
o It has the authority to sanction retaliation • The reports, once adopted by the WTO’s dispute
when a nation disobeys a ruling and oversees settlement body, are final and binding on the
the execution of the decisions and parties.
recommendations.

Issues in WTO’s Appellate Body

• The body's membership has shrunk to only 1
person people now, as opposed to the necessary
seven, during the last few years. In December 2019,
the number of judges in the court fell below three
— the minimum required.

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 o This is because the United States has opposed • If the body is declared non-functional in December,
the reappointment of those members who have countries may be compelled to implement rulings
served their four-year terms as well as the by the panel even if they feel that gross errors have
appointment of new members because it feels been committed.
that the WTO is biased against it. • Countries may choose not to comply by the
• Due to a lack of staff, the appeals board has panel's decision on the grounds that there is no
struggled to meet its 3-month deadline for avenue for appeal. It will run the danger of being
appeals filed in recent years and has been unable subject to arbitration actions brought by the
to begin proceedings in appeals filed in the last opposing party.
year due to a backlog of cases. • This is also not encouraging for India, which is
dealing with an increase in dispute cases,
India’s Disputes in WTO particularly involving agricultural products.
• India has so far been a direct participant in 54 • The overall weakening of the WTO framework
disputes, and has been involved in 158 as a third might have the impact of undoing nearly two
party. decades of efforts to avoid protectionism in global
• In February 2019, the body said it would be unable trade in the Context of escalating trade conflict
to staff an appeal in a dispute between Japan and between the US and China.
India over certain safeguard measures that India
had imposed on imports of iron and steel products Way Forward
• Dispute with the European Union over Solar • Usually, new appointments to the Appellate Body
Panels: India has also had a dispute with the are made by a consensus of WTO members,
European Union over the EU's decision to impose but there is also a provision for voting where a
tariffs on imports of Indian solar panels. India has consensus is not possible.
argued that these tariffs are unfair and have had a • The group of 17 least developed and developing
negative impact on its solar panel industry, while nations, including India, that have agreed to
the EU has argued that the tariffs were necessary cooperate in order to break the Appellate Body's
to protect its own solar panel producers. impasse may propose a motion to this effect and
• Dispute with the United States over Intellectual attempt to appoint new members by a majority
Property Protection: India has also had a dispute vote.
with the United States over intellectual property o But since all nations fear that the US may take
protection, with the United States arguing that unilateral action as a result of their direct
India's intellectual property laws are insufficient opposition to its veto, this may only be a last
and do not adequately protect the rights of US choice.
companies.
• Dispute with the United States over Steel and India’s approach to multilateralism
Aluminum Tariffs: In 2018, India filed a complaint Context:
with the WTO against the United States over tariffs India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) during his
that the US imposed on imports of steel and UNGA visit in September 2022, said that the United
aluminum. India argued that these tariffs were Nations Security Council needs to reform itself into a
unfair and violated WTO rules, while the United more inclusive organization through "reformed
States defended the tariffs as necessary for multilateralism." The Prime Minister had initially
national security reasons called for "reformed multilateralism" in 2020, stating
that it "...reflects today's realities and addresses
Implications contemporary challenges." These developments have
• The WTO's dispute resolution procedure is already attracted attention to Multilateralism, specially with
full of uncertainty because the Appellate Body the changing geo-political scenario.
cannot review new applications.

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About climate change and promote sustainable
• Multilateralism in international politics refers to development, as well as in peacekeeping and
the practice of countries working together and conflict resolution efforts.
making decisions through international • Support for Multilateral Trade Agreements: India
organizations or other multi-party frameworks (3 has also supported multilateral trade agreements,
or more countries working together). including through the WTO, as a means of
• This approach is opposed to bilateralism, which promoting economic development and improving
involves decisions and interactions between two access to global markets. India has also been an
countries, or unilateralism, which involves a single active participant in negotiations for regional trade
country acting independently without considering agreements, such as the Regional Comprehensive
the interests or opinions of other countries. Economic Partnership (RCEP) which India
• It is often seen as a means of promoting ultimately did not join.
international cooperation and addressing global • Emphasis on Multilateralism in Foreign Policy: In
challenges, such as climate change, terrorism, and general, India has placed a strong emphasis on
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. multilateralism in its foreign policy, viewing it as a
o It can also help to reduce the risk of conflict and means of promoting stability and cooperation in
promote stability by providing a forum for the international system. This has included efforts
countries to resolve disputes and address to strengthen international institutions and
differences peacefully. promote multilateral approaches to addressing
• There are various forms of multilateralism like: global challenges.
o Regional organizations led, such as the
European Union and the ASEAN India’s Perception as a Participant in Multilateralism
o Global organizations led, such as the United • India’s perception of being a Naysayer: Numerous
Nations (UN) and WTO countries, particularly in the West, consider India
• These organizations often have specific mandates as a 'Naysayer' with regards to arranging global
and goals, such as promoting economic standards and figuring out together on global
development, protecting human rights, or issues. For example
maintaining international peace and security. o India has been blamed for breakdown of Doha
o Informal networks or coalitions of countries Round of exchange talks at the WTO 2008.
working together on specific issues, such as the o India is also blamed for the WTO's inability to
Group of Twenty (G20) or FATF. reach a consensus on food grain public
stockpiles and subsidies.
India's approach to multilateralism o India's decision to leave the Regional
• Membership in International Organizations: India Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in
has a long history of participating in and supporting o 2019 made it clearer that it prefers bilateral
international organizations, including the United trade arrangements to multilateral ones.
Nations (UN) and its various specialized agencies, o At the Glasgow Climate Summit (CoP 26), India
the World Trade Organization (WTO), and regional was blamed for weakening the global
organizations such as the Association of Southeast commitment to reduce coal use by substituting
Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian "phase down" for "phase out."
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). • However, a lot of experts in foreign policy say that
• Participation in Multilateral Diplomacy: India has India's efforts to protect its national interests
also actively participated in multilateral diplomacy, shouldn't be seen as its opposition to
including through the UN and other international multilateralism's rules and principles.
organizations, to address global challenges and o Cooperation and mutual respect take
promote international cooperation. For example, precedence over state interests in
India has played a key role in efforts to address multilateralism. However, when negotiating,
each nation acts to safeguard its own interests

139
 and makes concessions regarding cooperation strengthen international institutions and promote
as long as these interests are safeguarded. their effectiveness and credibility.
India's approach is similar. o This could involve efforts to reform and
modernize existing institutions, as well as
The need for Reformed Multilateralism efforts to address challenges such as lack of
• Role of global multilateral institutions amidst the representation or accountability. India could
US-China struggle for global supremacy, Russia- play a role in this by advocating for reforms and
Ukraine conflict, COVID-19 pandemic among participating actively in international
others has led to a crisis of legitimacy. organizations.
• India’s approach to multilateralism has been to call • Promoting Multilateral Approaches to Global
for reforms of these institutions as well as to Challenges: Another way to move forward with
engage with all stakeholders to secure India’s multilateralism is to promote the use of
economic and geopolitical interests. multilateral approaches to address global
challenges, such as climate change, terrorism, and
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
India’s Multilateralism in practice India could play a role in this by actively
• Contradicting Multilateral Alliances: In its participating in negotiations and discussions on
endeavors to get its inclinations, India has kept on these issues and advocating for multilateral
drawing in with nations in the contradicting solutions.
alliances, for example, India is individual from both • Supporting International Law and Norms:
Quad (with Australia, Japan and the US) and the Supporting and promoting international law and
SCO (with Russia and China). norms is also important for advancing
• India’s Trade Policy: Significant characteristic of multilateralism. This could involve efforts to
India’s trade policy is following a multi-track strengthen the rule of law and respect for
approach that favours both regionalism and international legal norms, as well as efforts to
multilateralism. For example, after the failure of promote compliance with international treaties
the Doha Round in 2008, India turned to regional and agreements.
trade deals to help its economy grow. Signing of o India could play a role in this by actively
SAFTA and FTA with ASEAN are examples of such participating in the development and
approach implementation of international law and norms,
and by advocating for their respect and
Way Forward adherence.
• Strengthening International Institutions: One way
to move forward with multilateralism is to

140
 MISCELLANEOUS
National security doctrine for India domestic interventions but also action on the
Context: external front.
The discourse over national security has been limited • We live in a technology-driven world; new
to dealing with specific security-related episodes such technologies such as the Internet and digitization
as terrorist attacks at Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama on are enabling powerful tools for states to enhance
the Line of Control with Pakistan; the stand-off with national security but also creating new and serious
Chinese forces on the India-Bhutan-China border; and vulnerabilities and security risks.
the security operations in the disturbed state of • Technological change and geopolitical shifts are
Jammu and Kashmir. also impacting India’s nuclear security. The
country’s nuclear deterrent must deal with the
Difference between Doctrine and Strategy: challenge of two nuclear-armed neighbours: China
The employment of forces at any stage is governed by and Pakistan. Furthermore, the nuclear domain is
a general statement of ideas known as doctrine. becoming closely interlinked with cyber and space-
Doctrine is described as "fundamental concepts by related capabilities.
which the military forces direct their activities in • Ecological degradation and climate change have
support of national objectives" by the US Department significant impacts on national security. There may
of Defense. Although authoritative, its use calls for be direct consequences of the melting of glaciers
discretion. on the deployment of troops at high-altitude
Broadly, Strategy refers to ‘ways and means to an locations on India’s mountainous borders. Sea-
end’. The end is the goals established by the Doctrine level rise as a result of global warming may
or Policy. Strategy defines how operations are inundate naval bases along the coasts.
executed to accomplish doctrine objectives. Strategy • Previous exercises undertaken to promote national
is a continuous process where ways and means are security could serve as useful reference material
aligned to accomplish desired policy end goals while for the NSS. These include the Kargil Review
keeping risk at an acceptable level. Committee report (2000), the Report of the Naresh
Chandra Task Force on Security (2012), and the
Need for doctrine: document entitled ‘Building Comprehensive
• A modern state confronts multiple and National Power: Towards an Integrated National
simultaneous challenges across several domains. Security Strategy’ prepared by the National
National security cannot be confined to the use of Security Advisory Board (2015).
the state’s coercive power to overcome domestic
and external threats. Draft ports bill and port infrastructure in India
• The vulnerability of our borders is linked to a large- Context:
scale smuggling and contraband trade that permits The Union Government has prepared a new Draft
channels through which terrorists and criminals Ports Bill, 2022. It has been prepared to replace the
find easy access. Such threats cannot be dealt with Indian Ports Act, of 1908. An earlier draft was released
solely through enhanced military capabilities in 2021, and this Bill has some improvements over it.
without addressing the drivers of illegal trade. The purpose of the Draft Ports Bill is to revamp the
• For a modern state operating in an increasingly 1908 Act to reflect the present-day frameworks.
globalized world, the line between what is Major provisions of the Draft Ports Bill, 2022
domestic and what is external is becoming • The Draft Indian Ports Bill has 4-fold primary
increasingly blurred. For example, terrorism is a objectives:
threat to domestic security but may have external • Promote integrated planning between States and
links. Dealing with terrorism may require not only Centre-States through a consultative and
recommendatory framework.

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• Ensure prevention of pollution measures for all and private sector involvement in line with
ports in India while incorporating India’s international port reform initiatives. Only duties
obligations under international treaties like border management, antitrust regulation, port
• Address lacunae in the dispute resolution security, environmental protection, and hinterland
framework required for the burgeoning ports connectivity should fall under the purview of the
sector Union Government.
• Usher-in transparency and cooperation in the • Larger ownership in corporatized major ports
development and other aspects through the use of should be given to state governments and city
data. municipal corporations.

Issues with the Draft Ports Bill, 2022 Need for global pandemic treaty
o The Draft Bill seeks to give statutory status Context:
along with wide ranging powers and functions The world is now facing three global health
to the MSDC. The Bill will make it a permanent emergencies (COVID-19, Monkeypox and Polio).
body with its own office, staff, accounts and COVID-19 pandemic exposed the deep cracks in the
audit global health systems including the International
• A body like the MSDC is necessary, but the nature Health Regulations (IHR). Members of the World
and quantum of its work do not call for a statutory Health Organization (WHO) are now working towards
or permanent status. a Global Pandemic Treaty that will prepare the world
o The Union Government is favoured by the to combat such pandemics in a better manner in
MSDC's proposed membership. In addition to future.
the administrators of the coastal UTs, the
draught Bill adds 5 Secretaries and 1 Joint Current framework to combat global pandemic:
Secretary to the Government of India as The International Health Regulations currently serve
members of the MSDC. An officer's vote would as a roadmap for global public health responses (IHR).
have the same weight as a minister's vote. This After the SARS pandemic, the Regulations were
creates a poor standard. updated in 2005. They were first approved in 1969.
o Non-major ports are viewed as being more The laws offer a comprehensive legal framework that
efficient, customer-friendly, and business- establishes nations' rights and duties in managing
oriented, according to a 2011 World Bank public health incidents and emergencies that may
report titled "Regulation of the Indian Port cross international borders.
Sector." On the other side, the Union
Government places needless financial and Shortcomings of the existing framework
regulatory hurdles on investors, private • The current IHR system has limited authority to
terminal operators, and port trusts. make sure that governments fulfil their obligations.
The essential capabilities of the governments to
Way ahead: anticipate and respond to health emergencies are
• The MSDC should, first and foremost, continue to not accurately reported.
serve as the highest advisory body. • The duties of the International Health Regulation
• The MSDC should only comprise of the relevant (IHR) are primarily focused on pathogen
Ministers of the Union and maritime States/UTs, identification and prevention, with relatively little
similar to the Goods and Services Tax Council; emphasis placed on response stages that would
officers should only be invited on an exceptional stop transmission.
basis. Each of the Union and State Governments • The member states' Ministries of Health are in
may cast one-half of the votes. charge of the IHR. The Health Ministries frequently
• The Union Government should work toward more have little impact on the fundamental issue of a
decentralisation, deregulation, corporatization, lack of greater political will, notably to commit

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 funds that may enhance key capacities in line with times with its trade of beads, gems and ornaments
the IHR's guiding principles. reaching West Asia and Africa.
• How global pandemic treaty be helpful • The word "Lothal" is a combination of Loth and
• The World Health Assembly conducted a special thal, meaning the mound of the dead in Gujarati.
session in December 2021—the organization's The port city was discovered after a team of
second special session since its founding in 1948— archaeologists led by SR Rao started the search for
and decided to create a worldwide pandemic Harappan civilisation post 1947 in the Saurashtra
treaty to "strengthen pandemic prevention, region. According to Archaeological Survey of India
preparedness, and response." (ASI), Lothal had the world's earliest known dock,
• An Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) will connecting the city to an ancient course of the
be responsible for developing and negotiating a Sabarmati River.
treaty under Article 19 of the World Health
Organisation’s (WHO) Constitution. This will be the About:
second such endeavour under Article 19. The National Maritime Heritage Complex commenced
• The new pandemic treaty is expected to cover in March 2022 and is being developed at a cost of Rs
aspects like data sharing, genome sequencing of 3,500 crore. According to an Indian Express report, the
emerging viruses, equitable distribution of complex will have several innovative features,
vaccines and drugs and related research including the i-recreation, which will recreate
throughout the world. Harappan architecture and lifestyle through
• This treaty is an attempt to plug existing gaps, as immersive technology and four theme parks. It will
well as to strengthen global coordination measures also house the world's tallest lighthouse museum,
that have been weakened over time, in order to along with 14 galleries, highlighting India’s maritime
have a better global response to these massive heritage starting from the Harappan time till today.
issues.
Significance of Lothal
Conclusion: • In 2014, Lothal was nominated as a UNESCO World
The COVID-19 pandemic brought forward the gaps in Heritage Site, however, its application is still
the existing mechanisms to tackle global pandemics. pending. Its heritage value is comparable to many
The fact that the comity of nations under the aegis of other ancient port-towns around the world, which
WHO have agreed to negotiate a Global Pandemic includes - Xel Ha (Peru), Ostia (Port of Rome) and
Treaty indicates that have realized the existing system Carthage (Port of Tunis) in Italy, Hepu in China,
needs to be fixed. Canopus in Egypt, Gabel (Byblos of the
Phoenicians), Jaffa in Israel, Ur in Mesopotamia,
National Maritime Heritage Complex Hoi An in Vietnam, as per the dossier. In the region,
Context: it can be compared with other Indus port towns of
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will review the Balakot (Pakistan), Khirasa (in Gujarat’s Kutch) and
site work progress of the National Maritime Heritage Kuntasi (in Rajkot).
Complex at Lothal, Gujarat on 18th October 2022 at • According to the dossier submitted to UNESCO, the
around 5 PM via video conferencing. excavated site of Lothal is the only port-town of the
Indus Valley Civilisation. Other Harappan sites
Earlier in September, Haryana Chief Minister
Where is Lothal situated? Manohar Lal Khattar urged the ASI to expedite the
• It is one of the southernmost sites of the Indus excavation in another Harappan Civilisation site,
Valley Civilisation, situated in the Bhal region in the Rakhigarhi. The Haryana govt planned to develop
present-day Gujarat. Said to be built in 2,200 BC, the world's largest museum of Harappan culture in
this port city was a thriving trade centre in ancient Rakhigarhi to showcase about 5,000-year-old Indus
Valley artifacts. During the preliminary
excavations, a cluster of seven mounds marked as

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 RGR 1 to RGR 7 were found which together formed Committee as notified boundary during the year
the largest settlements of the Harappan 1960 would be taken as the basis for realignment
civilization. of boundary by both states,” the declaration reads.
• In 1963, the ASI for the first time started excavation • Both states decided to constitute 12 “regional
in a village. Between 1998 and 2001, the ASI team committees”, each covering 12 districts of
led by Amarendra Nath again started excavation. Arunachal and the counterpart districts of Assam
• In 2013, 2016 and 2022, another excavation work for joint verification of 123 villages.
led by V.S. Shinde, former Vice-Chancellor of • They will make their recommendations to the
Deccan University, Pune, was done. respective governments keeping in view the
• Fifty-six skeletons have been found in Rakhigarhi historical perspective, administrative convenience,
since 1998. Of these, 36 were discovered by Shinde contiguity and people’s will to delineate the
and his team. The skeletons of two women found interstate boundary.
in the excavation of mound number 7 are about • Both agreed in principle regarding 37 villages.
7,000 years old. o The final decision will be made based on the
• Efforts to bring back the glory of Lothal are not recommendations of the regional committees.
limited to the complex but Gujarat’s coastal area is • Distribution of villages: Twenty-eight villages,
seeing many modern infrastructure projects that which are within the constitutional boundary of
are coming up. He also mentioned the upcoming Arunachal, will remain with it.
semiconductor plant. • Three villages, on which claims were withdrawn by
Arunachal, will remain with Assam. The locations of
Arunachal Assam Border issues six villages could not be located in Assam and if
Context: they exist in Arunachal, they will continue to be
The boundary dispute between Assam and Arunachal with it.
Pradesh could be resolved “once and for all” by the o It was also agreed upon that the regional
end of November, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister committees will submit their first tranche of
Pema Khandu said following a meeting between the reports on areas where consensus is arrived at
two sides in Itanagar.Assam CM and his Arunachal before Aug. 15.
counterpart held their third meeting on the disputes • Present-day Arunachal Pradesh, which attained
at Namsai in Arunachal. Statehood in February 1987, used to be the North
Later, they jointly issued the ‘Namsai Declaration’. East Frontier Tract, administered by the Governor
of Assam as an agent of the President of India. It
About Namsai Declaration: was renamed North East Frontier Agency and
• This declaration is signed between the states of brought under the Central government’s control in
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on July 15, 2022, at 1954.
Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh to minimize the border
dispute between the two states in respect of 123 FIFA Controversy
villages placed before the Local Commission by Context:
Arunachal Pradesh. The decision to award Qatar hosting rights for the
• According to the declaration, all border issues 2022 World Cup has been marred by controversy,
between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will be including allegations of corruption and human rights
confined to those raised before the local violations, since it was first announced 12 years ago.
commission in 2007. Here is a look at the issues.
Significance Issues
• Boundary line delineated by High-Powered • FIFA awarded the tournament to the Middle
Tripartite Committee taken as a basis, The Eastern country in 2010, with the understanding it
boundary line delineated and signed on the 29 would be held during the summer, where
toposheets by the High-Powered Tripartite

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 temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 • The prevention of stubble burning is not
Fahrenheit). guaranteed by only banning and punishing the
• In 2015, FIFA recommended that Qatar host a farmers. In order to prevent this from happening in
shorter World Cup over the cooler months of the future, there needs to be a permanent and
November and December in a move that was sure effective solution.
to put soccer's world governing body on a collision
course with the major European leagues. About:
• The schedule change to the northern hemisphere • Stubble (parali) burning is a method of removing
winter marked the first time that the World Cup paddy crop residues from the field to sow wheat
moved from its regular slot of June and July when from the last week of September to November.
Europe's lucrative domestic leagues have Stubble burning is a process of setting on fire the
concluded their seasons. straw stubble, left after the harvesting of grains,
like paddy, wheat, etc. It is usually required in areas
CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS that use the combined harvesting method which
WELFARE OF MIGRANT WORKERS leaves crop residue behind.
• Qatar has faced intense criticism from human • Paddy stubble burning is practised mainly in the
rights groups over its treatment of migrant Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana, and UP to
workers, who with other foreigners comprise the clear the fields for rabi crop sowing. The paddy crop
bulk of the country's population.A 48-page report is harvested between the first and last weeks of
by Amnesty, Reality Check 2021, said that practices October in Punjab and Haryana. Then, farmers sow
such as withholding salaries and charging workers the wheat crop from the first week of November
to change jobs were still rife, despite labour until the middle of December.
reforms in 2014. • The major reason behind the stubble burning is the
short time available between rice harvesting and
LGBT+ AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS sowing of wheat as delay in sowing wheat affects
• Homosexuality is illegal in the conservative Muslim the wheat crop. Between the harvesting of the
country, and some soccer players have raised paddy crop and the sowing of the next crop, there
concerns for fans travelling to the event, especially is only a two to three weeks’ time window is left.
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) • The rice stubble burning is highest in the state of
individuals and women, who rights groups say Punjab followed by Haryana, whereas Uttar
Qatari laws discriminate against. Pradesh ranks higher in wheat stubble burning.
• But World Cup organisers have repeatedly said that • Crop residue burning is practised by the farmers to
everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or prepare the land for the next cultivation. Through
background, is welcome during the tournament. this method, the remains of crops like straw which
remains in the field as residue after harvesting is
CONTROLS ON ALCOHOL burned. Therefore, stubble burning is considered
• The Qatar World Cup is the first to be held in a one of the cheapest methods to clean the field
Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, after the harvesting season.
presenting challenges for the organisers of an
event sponsored by a beer brand and often Impacts
associated with beer-drinking fans. • Pollution: Stubble burning emits toxic pollutants in
the atmosphere containing harmful gases like
Stubble Burning Carbon Monoxide (CO), methane (CH4),
Context: carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
Stubble burning begins around October and peaks in volatile organic compounds (VOC). These
November, coinciding with the withdrawal of pollutants disperse in the surroundings and
southwest monsoon.

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 eventually affect air quality and people's health by Swchha Bharat Abhiyan
forming a thick blanket of smog. Context:
• Soil fertility: Soil becomes less fertile and its Union youth affairs and sports minister Anurag Thakur
nutrients are destroyed when the husk is burned will launch the month-long Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 2.0
on the ground from Prayagraj on Saturday (October 1)
• Heat penetration: Stubble burning generates heat
that penetrates into the soil, causing an increase in About:
erosion, loss of useful microbes and moisture. • Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Swachh Bharat
• The process of burning farm residue is one of the Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission is a country-wide
major causes of air pollution in parts of north India, campaign
deteriorating the air quality. • Launched by the Government of India in 2 October
• Along with vehicular emissions, it affects the Air 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of
Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital and NCR. Mahatma Gandhi
Stubble burning by farmers in Haryana, western • The mission aim is to eliminate open defecation
Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in north India is and improve solid waste management.
considered a major cause of air pollution in Delhi • It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat
and its adjoining regions. Abhiyan launched in 2009 that failed to achieve its
intended targets.
Solutions • Phase 1 of the Swachh Bharat mission lasted till
• Regulation and Incentivisation: There is a need to October 2019.
replicate the schemes involving all stakeholders for • The objectives of the first phase of the mission also
harvesting and composting of stubble burning, and included eradication of manual scavenging,
regulate post-harvest management at ground generating awareness and bringing about a
level. behavior change regarding sanitation practices,
• The government can also provide incentives to and augmentation of capacity at the local level.
farmers who reuse and recycle their stubble. o Phase 2 will be implemented between 2020–21
• Using Stubble as a Fodder: Wheat stubble can be and 2024-25.
used as a fodder for cattles, the Tudi, which is made • The second phase of the mission aims to sustain
from wheat stubble, is considered to be the best the open defecation free status and improve the
dry fodder for cattle because of its nutritional management of solid and liquid waste.
value. • The mission is aimed at progressing towards target
6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals Number
Technical Intervention: 6 established by the United Nations in 2015.
• Microbe Pusa: Several innovative measures have • The mission was split into two: rural and urban. In
been developed to reduce stubble burning, The rural areas “SBM – Gramin” was financed and
Indian Agricultural Research Institute developed a monitored through the Ministry of Drinking Water
microbe Pusa, that hastens decomposition and and Sanitation; whereas “SBM – urban” was
converts stubble to compost within 25 days, overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban
improving soil quality as a result. Affairs.
• Happy Seeder: Instead of burning the stubble, a
tractor-mounted machine called the Happy Seeder Objectives of the Swachh Bharat Mission
can be used that “cuts and lifts rice straw, sows’ • Eliminate open defecation.
wheat into the bare soil, and deposits the straw • Conversion of insanitary toilets to pour-flush
over the sown area as mulch. toilets,
• Recycling and Reusing Stubble: Stubble can be • Eradication of manual scavenging,
recycled to make products including paper and • 100% collection and scientific processing/disposal
cardboard. Also, it can be used as a manure. reuse/recycle of Municipal Solid Waste,

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• To bring about a behavioural change in people with The Mission hopes to cover 1.04 crore households,
regards to healthy sanitation practices, give 2.5 lakh community toilet seats, 2.6 lakh public
• Create awareness among the citizens about toilet seats
sanitation and its linkages with public health. It also proposes to establish solid waste management
• Strengthening of urban local bodies to design, facilities in every town.
execute and operate systems,
• To create an enabling environment for private Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0
sector participation in Capital Expenditure and • The government in the Union Budget 2021
Operation & Maintenance (O&M) costs. allocated Rs 1,41,678 crores for the Swachh Bharat
Mission (U) 2.0.
Components • The components of SBM-Urban 2.0 are:
• Construction of household toilets. • New component – Wastewater treatment,
• Community & public toilets. including faecal sludge management in all ULBs
• Solid waste management. with less than 1 lakh population
• Information, Education & Communication (IEC) and • Sustainable sanitation (construction of toilets)
Public Awareness. • Solid Waste Management
• Capacity building and administrative & office • Information, Education and Communication, and
expenses (A&OE). • Capacity building

Funding mechanism Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural)

• Budgetary allocations. Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) comes under
• Funding and technical support from the World Department of Drinking Water and Sanitization,
Bank, corporations as part of corporate social Ministry of Jalshkati
responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and by state
governments under the ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ Phase I
and ‘Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan’ The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan has been restructured into
• Swachh Bharat Kosh(SBK): Swachh Bharat cess is an the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). The SBM(G) was
improvement in the service tax by 0.5% on all the launched on 2nd October 2014 to ensure cleanliness
services in India. in India and make it Open Defecation Free (ODF) in
• The funding for 9 crore toilets is expected to come Five Years. It seeks to improve the levels of cleanliness
from 3 primary sources – Ministry of Drinking in rural areas through Solid and Liquid Waste
Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Rural Management activities and making Gram Panchayats
Development, and the States in the ratio of 75:25 Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitised.
between centre and State and 90:10 for North
Eastern state. Phase II
It will focus on sustaining the achievements made
Different missions under SBM under the mission in the last five years including
Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 1.0 ensuring safe access to toilets and their usage,
Coming to Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), it is under ensuring that no one is left behind.
the Ministry of Urban Development and is It also aims to ensure that effective solid and liquid
commissioned to give sanitation and household toilet waste management (SLWM) is undertaken in every
facilities in all 4041 statutory towns with a combined gram panchayat of the nation. It will be implemented
population of 377 million. for a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
The estimated cost is Rs 62,009 crore over five years
with the centre’s share of assistance being Rs 14,623 Impacts:
crore. • SBM, the world’s largest sanitation program, has
changed the behaviour of hundreds of millions of
people with respect to toilet access and usage.

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• 500 million people have stopped defecating in the • To resolve the issue of over/under reporting of
open since the SBM began, down from 550 million government set targets, verification of facts on the
at the beginning of the programme to less than 50 ground is highly important.
million today. • Proper facilities for the disposal of excreta should
• Over 9 crore toilets have been built across rural be established.
India under the Mission. • Different cost-effective technologies must be
• National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) adopted for sewage treatments and proper
2018-19, conducted by an Independent disposal of waste from toilets.
Verification Agency (IVA) under the World Bank • Use of technology can play a crucial role in
support project to the Swachh Bharat Mission eradicating the practice of manual scavenging.
Grameen (SBM-G), has found that 96.5% of the Empowering the lower castes by encouraging them
households in rural India who have access to a to pursue alternative jobs and possibly providing
toilet use it. them with subsidies to build latrine facilities can
• In a report titled ‘The Financial and Economic also be a step in this direction
Impact of SBM in India (2017)’ UNICEF estimated
that a household in an ODF village in rural India Border Management
saves Rs. 50,000 every year. Context:
The Modi government has approved a Rs 13,020
Challenges: crore central sector umbrella scheme for
• Overemphasis on toilet construction rather than continuation of the Border Infrastructure and
focussing on all parameters Management (BIM) during the 15th Finance
• It has also been alleged that there is over-reporting Commission cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
of government set targets of toilet construction. Borderlands are subject to diverse influences. The
• High levels of coercion have been used to build the peripheries of a country are extremely sensitive. We
toilets and behavioural change has been slow to need to pay special attention to them. Failure to do so
follow. can result in serious consequences for a country’s
• There are concerns regarding the durability and security and prosperity.
quality of construction of toilets. Settled, peaceful, relatively open orders are a source
• SBM has been primarily a supply-side measure of security and prosperity. That is why in many regions
aims at construction of toilets. Though there has of the world the attempt is to keep the borders
been considerable toilet construction, the toilet relatively open and free for trade and human traffic.
usage stays unsatisfactory in several areas. Borders define neighbours and impact relations with
• Open defecation stays a common practice in them.
several rural areas because of cultural and societal
factors that shape the behaviour towards Indian Borders
sanitation. India has a multidimensional border management
• Despite considerable progress in the door-to-door problem. It has long land and coastal borders 15000
waste collection, only one-third of the waste being Km and 7500 km respectively. 456 Blocks of 119
generated is being processed. border Districts in 16 States and 2 Union Territories
• SBM has made inadequate attempts at critical abutting the International Boundary. Many Indian
areas of eradication of manual scavenging and states have long coasts. Managing land borders is very
rehabilitation of such workers. different from managing coastal and riverine borders.

Way ahead Features of borders

• Policymakers must make sure that a higher • India has Bangladesh 4096 km of border with
proportion of funds are directed towards educating Bangladesh, 3323 km with Pakistan, 3488 Km with
people about hygiene and the social marketing of China, 1751 km with Nepal, 699 km with Bhutan,
toilets. 1643 km with Myanmar.

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• Sections of the boundaries are unsettled. Minstry of Commerce, Railways etc are also
• The neighbours are often hostile. involved in this exercise.
• Terrains are diverse and difficult. • order areas require more connectivity and more
• Border areas are underdeveloped. socio-economic activity. They need more security
• Connectivity with the hinterland and across to and more reasons to remain where they are. Illegal
other countries is poor. migrations from the border areas can be highly
• Border populations feel insecure. destabilising. The border management must take
• Borders areas in remote parts are getting this into account.
depopulated. • International cooperation is also essential. India
• Illegal migrations, which alter demographic ratios, Bangladesh border has stabilised due to much
present a major challenge. better coordination between the BSF and BGB.
• The smuggling of contrabands, arms and • Northeast is the gateway to ASEAN which is
ammunition drugs etc is rampant. relatively a prosperous area. India is committed to
improving connectivity with ASEAN. The vision of
What needs to be done connecting ASEAN with Asia through India is
• Border guarding forces need material and financial laudable but there are many problems. The issue is
resources, training and aptitude for border connectivity and the developmental potential of
management. the region.
• Border management requires a strategy and a • Coastal Borders
holistic multi-stakeholder approach. In the wake of • The management of Coastal borders is a problem
the Kargil conflict, the government set up four task of a different scale altogether. The Mumbai terror
forces to review the national management system attacks brought home the need to strengthen
in the country. One of these was on border coastal surveillance. Coast Guard patrols the
management. That was the first time we looked at territorial sea while the Navy operates in the high
the borders holistically, as part of national security seas.
management. The recommendations of the task Initiatives in this direction
force were accepted by a group of ministers. • The Border Area Development Programme:
• A department of border management (DBM) in the • BADP was initiated in the border areas of the
MHA was set up.the construction of the border western region during the Seventh Five Year Plan
guarding infrastructure, construction of integrated
(1985-90), for ensuring balanced development of
check posts to facilitate trade and movement of
border areas through development of
people, socio-economic development of border
infrastructure and promotion of a sense of security
areas. among the border population.
• Close coordination between central and state • CIBMS involves deployment of a range of state-of-
agencies is essential. This is not often the case. The
the-art surveillance technologies — thermal
land is a state subject. Building infrastructure
imagers, infra-red and laser-based intruder alarms,
requires land and environmental clearances and a aerostats for aerial surveillance, unattended
host of other approvals.
ground sensors that can help detect intrusion bids,
• The capabilities of border guarding forces to guard radars, sonar systems to secure riverine borders,
and manage the borders. This has had a positive fibre-optic sensors and a command-and-control
impact on checking infiltrations, reducing system that shall receive data from all surveillance
smuggling, curbing contrabands etc. devices in real time.
• HA has also professionalised the border guarding • BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT
forces – BSF, ITBP, SSB, AR, Cost Guard. Quite often Interception Technique) under CIBMS on the Indo-
other departments like the Ministry of External Bangladesh border in Dhubri district of Assam is
Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Finance, also being used.
• Vibrant Villages Programme:

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• Border villages with sparse population, limited • Once identified by the database, the beneficiary is
connectivity and infrastructure often get left out considered insured and can walk into any
from the development gains. Such villages on the empanelled hospital.
northern border will be covered under the new
Vibrant Villages Programme, announced in the Funding:
Budget 2022-23. The funding for the scheme is shared – 60:40 for all
• BADP (Border Area development programme) was states and UTs with their own legislature, 90:10 in
initiated in the border areas of the western region Northeast states and Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
during the Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-90), for and Uttarakhand and 100% Central funding for UTs
ensuring balanced development of border areas without legislature
through development of infrastructure and
promotion of a sense of security among the border Need for Ayushman Bharat
population. • The 71st round of the National Sample Survey
• Border Road Organization: Office (NSSO) revealed many grim numbers about
• Founded in 1960, the organisation plays a major the country’s healthcare system.
role in providing defense infrastructure including • About 86% of rural households and 82% of urban
roads, bridges, highways, airports, tunnels, households do not have access to healthcare
buildings and other such structures insurance.
• Over 17% of the country’s population spend a
Ayushmann Bharat minimum of 1/10th of their household budgets on
In news: availing health services. Unexpected and serious
Under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan healthcare problems often lead families to debt.
Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) approximately 20.32 lakh • Over 19% and over 24% of the urban and rural
Covid-19 tests and 7.08 lakh treatments were households respectively meet their healthcare
authorized from April 2020 to July 2021. financial needs through borrowings.
Features of the scheme:
Achievements
1. It offers a sum insured of Rs.5 lakh per family for
Beneficial for Poor:
secondary care (which doesn’t involve a super
1. In around the first 200 days of implementation,
specialist) as well as tertiary care (which involves
PM-JAY has benefitted more than 20.8 lakh poor
a super specialist).
and deprived people who received free
2. Under PMJAY, cashless and paperless access to
treatment worth more than Rs. 5,000 crores
services are provided to the beneficiaries at the
2. A key design feature of PM-JAY from the
point of service.
beginning of the scheme is portability, which
3. Health Benefit Packages covers surgery, medical
helps to ensure that a PM-JAY-eligible migrant
and day care treatments, cost of medicines and
worker can access the scheme’s services in any
diagnostics.
empanelled hospital across the country,
4. Packaged rates (Rates that include everything so
irrespective of their state of residence.
that each product or service is not charged for
3. After one year of the scheme’s beginning,
separately).
beneficiary families are said to have saved over
5. They are flexible, but they can’t charge the
Rs.13000 crores.
beneficiary once fixed by the hospitals.
4. Over 60% of the treatments have been done by
6. The scheme also has prescribed a daily limit for
private hospitals. The private sector has played
medical management.
an active role in this scheme and they have also
Beneficiaries: benefitted from it. In many tier II and III cities,
• It is an entitlement-based scheme that targets the private hospitals have observed increased
beneficiaries as identified by latest Socio-Economic footfall.
Caste Census (SECC) data.

150
5. Economically weaker sections of society can have Way forward
access to quality healthcare services without 1. The AB-PMJAY program's enormous scope offers
financial hardships. a chance to pursue the systemic reform India
6. The scheme has also resulted in the creation of needs to achieve its Universal Health Coverage
more jobs. In 2018, it generated more than 50000 (UHC) objectives. If the plan is to sustainably push
jobs. This number is expected to increase as the India toward UHC, it will be necessary to pump
government is planning to build 1.5 lakh HWCs by resources into a health system that has been
2022. chronically underfunded. However, this must be
done in conjunction with a focus on the
Criticism associated problems of governance, quality
1. There has been a criticism that while the control, and stewardship.
allocation of funds for PM-JAY has increased 2. India continues to have some of the lowest public
exponentially, the fund for the National Rural health spending levels in the world.
Health Mission (NRHM) has gone up only by 2%. 3. Utilizing innovation and technology effectively
So, the scheme has been eating into the funds for can further lower the overall cost of healthcare.
NRHM. Mobile AI-powered applications can offer
2. Under this scheme, the private sector has been superior, affordable, patient-centered, smart
given a large role in offering primary health care wellness solutions. Ayushman Bharat's scalable
to the people. This has been protested by many and interoperable IT infrastructure is a step in the
people in various states, as regulation of the right direction.
private sector is marginal. 4. Daily wagers, the targeted beneficiaries of PM-
3. There is a shortfall of healthcare professionals JAY or the precursor RSBY, avoid hospitalisation
and personnel needed to implement a vast so as not to lose their daily income. So, it is
scheme like this. important that insurance cover expenditure on
4. There is also a problem of infrastructure as many OPD facilities, diagnostic tests and medicines for
primary healthcare centers run without even the non-hospitalised care, according to a 2020 study
basic facilities such as electricity, regular water on previously run pilot projects on the
supply, etc. incorporation of OPD into RSBY in Odisha,
5. The scheme excludes those economically weaker Gujarat, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, and
sections that fall under the organized sector and Uttarakhand.
have no access to health insurance.
6. Beneficiaries enrolled in PM-JAY were charged for Bulk drug promotion scheme
diagnostics, medicines and pre-hospitalisation Context:
costs, found a 2020 Economic and Political Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved two
Weekly (EPW) study of the programme in schemes, namely the scheme on Promotion of Bulk
Jharkhand between September 2018 and March Drug Parks and Production Linked Incentive (PLI)
2019. As many as 93% of respondents in this Scheme to promote domestic manufacturing of critical
study reported that they were charged for these Key Starting Materials/Drug Intermediates and Active
services, and that they received no Pharmaceutical Ingredients in the country.
reimbursement for it. Highlights:
7. The central government had allocated Rs 6,400 The Indian pharmaceutical sector, despite being the
crore (~$860 million) in 2021-22 to PM-JAY, but third largest in the world in terms of volume, is heavily
revised estimates of the budget reduced it to Rs reliant on the import of bulk drugs, which are utilised
3200 crore (~$430 million). In 2020-21, 31 states as fundamental raw materials in the production of
and UTs were allocated a total of Rs 2,544.09 medications. The import of some specified bulk
crore (~$342 million) lower than the Rs 2992.93 medications
crore (~$402.5 million) in 2019-20, as per a Lok
Sabha response in August 2021.

151
The plan aims to decrease the nation's dependence on Benefits of scheme:
other nations for bulk medications and the expense of • The bulk drug parks that will be built under this
manufacturing those drugs locally. The programme plan will offer shared infrastructure facilities in one
will also assist in ensuring that citizens receive access location, strengthening the country's ecosystem
to inexpensive healthcare and a steady supply of for bulk drug manufacture while also drastically
medications. reducing manufacturing costs.
1. The government plans to collaborate with States • The programme is anticipated to gain traction on
to build three massive Bulk Drug parks in India. the international market by promoting domestic
2. Grants-in-Aid from the Indian government will be production of bulk medications and facilitating
given to States up to a maximum of $1 billion easy access to infrastructure and standard testing
every bulk drug park. to lessen reliance on imports.
3. For the next 5 years, a budget of Rs. 3,000 crore • The plan will assist the industry in meeting
has been allotted for this programme. environmental criteria at a reasonable cost by
4. Parks will feature shared amenities such as using creative techniques of a common waste
distillation plants, solvent recovery plants, power management system and in gaining from the
and steam units, common wastewater treatment economies of scale and resource optimization.
plants, etc. • It will promote self-reliance in pharmaceutical
Implementation: manufacturing and can be linked with India’s
State Implementing Agencies (SIA), to be established ambition for AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
by the relevant State Governments, will carry out the • The bulk drugs parks will also increase the
plan. competitiveness of the bulk drug industry in India

INS VIKRANT
Challenges faced by industry: About:
1. Every industry can face supply chain problems. INS Vikrant (IAC-I) is the first aircraft carrier built in
Supply chains have witnessed an unprecedented India and the first Vikrant-class aircraft carrier built by
disruption all around the world. In fact, this
Cochin Shipyard (CSL) in Kochi, Kerala for the Indian
represents one the major challenges facing the Navy. The motto of the ship is Jayema Sam Yudhi
pharmaceutical industry Sprdhah which is taken from Rig Veda and is translated
2. Lack of Capabilities in Innovation Space: India is as “I defeat those who fight against me”.
rich in its manpower and talent but still lags in
innovation infrastructure. The government needs Capabilities
to invest in research initiatives and talent to grow 1. It features a Short Take-Off but Arrested
India’s innovation. Recovery (STOBAR) configuration with a ski-jump.
3. Quality compliance inquiry: India has undergone The deck is designed to enable aircraft such as the
the highest number of Food and Drug MiG-29K to operate from the carrier.
Administration (FDA) inspections since 2009; 2. It is expected to carry an air group of up to thirty
therefore, continuous investment for upgrading aircraft, which will include up to 24–26 fixed-wing
quality standards will distract the capital away combat aircraft, primarily the Mikoyan MiG-29K .
from other areas of development and growth is 3. The ship can accommodate an assortment of
reduced. fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
4. Lack of Stable Pricing and Policy Environment: 4. The warship will also offer an “incomparable
The challenge created by unexpected and military instrument with its ability to project Air
frequent domestic pricing policy changes in India. Power over long distances, including offensive,
It has created a vague environment for Air Interdiction, Anti-Surface Warfare, defensive
investments and innovations. Counter-Air, Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare
and Airborne Early Warning.

152
Significance for India conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation
1. With the commissioning, India has entered the (CBI).
select club of countries (including the US, Russia,
France, the UK, and China) who are capable of Key highlights:
designing and constructing an aircraft carrier on • 20 States and one Union Territory were the sites of
their own. searches at 59 different places.
2. With more than 76% indigenous content, it serves • Many Indian nationals are reported to have
as a shining example for the country in its goal for participated in the online distribution, download,
"Atma Nirbhar Bharat" and the "Make in India and transmission of the CSAM using cloud-based
Initiative." storage.
3. It is particularly crucial given India's efforts to • The operation aims to compile data from various
maintain Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) Indian law enforcement organizations, interact
where it confronts China and offers net security with pertinent international law enforcement
in the Indian Ocean region. organisations, and closely coordinate through
4. The two aircraft carriers can be deployed, one for Interpol channels on the matter.
the west coast and the other for the east coast • Through the investigation, more than 50 groups
(BOB and Malacca Strait) (Arabian Sea, Pak Coast and more than 5,000 perpetrators, including
& West Asia). citizens of about 100 different countries, had been
5. This can be used by naval troops to provide identified.
humanitarian aid and disaster relief (in • CBI carried out a similar effort in November 2021
peacetime) under the code name "Operation Carbon."
6. Maintaining Influence in the IOR: The Indian
Ocean and the adjacent littoral region (IOR), Child abuse in India
which is the area of its principal strategic interest, WHO defines "The involvement of a child in sexual
are integral to and intricately entwined with activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is
India's security. The Chinese "pearls" in the Indian unable to give informed consent to, or for which the
Ocean are presumably intended to "displace" child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give
India's dominance in the region, in addition to consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of
addressing Beijing's strategic vulnerability with society," is how the World Health Organization (WHO)
regard to its energy imports. defines child sexual abuse (CSA).
Numerous crimes against children, such as non-
Conclusion: penetrative sexual assault, harassment, and
Integral naval aviation is necessary for the defence of exploitation, are not expressly recognised as crimes
India's remote island regions, especially the Andaman under the Indian Penal Code.
and Nicobar Islands (A&N), which are more than 1,000 The POCSO was created by the government in 2012 to
km away from the Indian mainland. Because of their address the issue of child sexual abuse in India.
geographical dispersion and the fact that the majority
of these islands are uninhabited, they are also POCSO Act 2012:
incredibly vulnerable. • The "Protection of Children Against Sexual
Offenses Act 2012" is known as POCSO: India today
Operation megha chakra has one of the most comprehensive laws that
Context: provides justice for children who are the victims of
The operation code-named “Megh Chakra” is being sexual assaults while also taking into account the
carried out following the inputs received from child's best interests and general well-being thanks
Interpol’s Singapore special unit based on the to its adoption.
information received from the authorities in New
Zealand. It is a pan-India drive against the circulation
and sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)

153
Features of the act: cooperation and guarantee the best possible use
• The onus of proof is fully placed on the accused. of the infrastructure among the three Services.
• sexual offences against both girls and boys under 3. Command tri-service organisations, agencies, and
the age of 18 are prosecuted under the POCSO Act. commands, including those pertaining to space
all offenders who violate the POCSO Act will face a and the internet.
penalty. 4. As a follow-up to the Integrated Capability
• The POCSO Act stipulates a more severe Development Plan, implement a Five-Year
punishment when a sexual offense is committed by Defence Capital Acquisition Plan (DCAP) and a
someone in a position of trust or authority, such as Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plan (AAP)
a police officer, member of the security forces, a (ICDP).
public employee, etc. 5. Give capital acquisition proposals inter-Services
priority.
Way forward:
• Participate in community-based preventative Reforms to be carried out
initiatives against child sexual abuse. The Chief of Defence Staff's initial changes included
• Fast-tracking the investigative and judicial the eagerly anticipated institutional change of
procedures. establishing theatre commands. These are its main
• Providing assistance to victims of child abuse to points:
minimise the trauma. • There are signs that two to five theatre commands
• Spread awareness among the masses about should be established to properly handle problems
preventing child abuse. on several fronts.
• Report any suspected child abuse to the concerned • To achieve effective results, each command will
authorities. have Army, Navy, and Air Force troops
coordinating their efforts.
Chief of defense staff • Each instruction must function independently in
Context: order to complete the task quickly and with agility.
Recently, the central government appointed the • Other possible commands include an Air Defense
former head of eastern command Lt General Anil Command, a separate command for Jammu and
Chauhan (retired) as the new Chief of Defence Staff Kashmir, a dedicated command for the logistics
(CDS). needs of the three services, and an eastern and
western Indian Navy peninsular command.
About:
The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces Khelo India
is the head and the highest-ranking officer of the About:
Indian Armed Forces. The Chief of Defence is the Khelo India Programme is a national yojana/scheme
military’s chief executive with operational and for the development of sports in India. It was launched
strategic authority over the defense forces and not its in the year 2018 by the then Sports Minister Col.
commander. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in Delhi. This program has
been launched to improve the sports culture in India.
Functions:
Among the military chiefs, the Chief of Defence Staff is Khelo India program- 2020
referred to as "first among equals." • The "Khel Mahakumbh," which takes place in
1. The job of the Chief of Defence Staff is to combine Gujarat and features participation in 27 different
Army, Air Force, and Navy activities while sports by schools and institutions from throughout
standardising the procurement of weaponry. the nation, served as the inspiration for the Khelo
2. When necessary, the Chief of Defence Staff has India 2020 programme.
the power to establish theatre commands. create

154
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA), Urban Sports When the Act was revised in 1972, the Central
Infrastructure Scheme (USIS), and National Sports government and the States received the authority to
Talent Search Scheme were combined to become designate a region as "disturbed" at the same time.
Khelo India (NSTSS). Meghalaya was subject to the AFSPA for 27 years
before the MHA abolished it on April 1st, 2018, after
Khelo India- Objective Tripura had revoked the Act in 2015.
• Khelo India 2021 seeks to identify and cultivate Parts of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, and Arunachal
local talent by providing them with a national stage Pradesh currently have AFSFA.
on which to compete.
• Sports for Excellence and "Sports for All" are Key features of the act
promoted. 1. In order to stop terrorist activity or any other
• It seeks to develop a country of active, healthy action that could threaten India's sovereignty or
citizens. be offensive to the national anthem, flag, or
• It aims to produce a group of talented and constitution, the Governor of a State and the
competitive athletes who can compete to win on Central Government may proclaim a portion or
the international level. the entirety of any state to be a disturbed region.
2. According to Section 3 of the AFSPA, the Central
Benefits: government may send out armed forces to
The High-Powered Committee would provide the support the civilian authorities if the governor of
gifted athletes with annual financial help of INR 5 a state publishes a formal announcement in The
Lakh for a period of 8 years. Gazette of India. According to The Disturbed
• The National Physical Fitness Campaign will include Areas Act of 1976, a territory must maintain the
about 20 million kids, ages 10 to 18, in physical status quo for a minimum of three months after
activity. it has been designated as "disturbed."
• The Khelo India Scheme supports activities 3. Section (4) of the AFSPA grants army officers
connected to fitness, although its primary focus is specific authority to shoot (even if it kills) anyone
on the children's physical health. who is breaking the law or is suspected of
breaking the law (this includes gatherings of five
AFSPA people or more, carrying weapons, etc.). The only
requirement is that the officer must sound the
Context:
Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has alarm before firing.
extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 4. Security forces have the authority to search
without permission and make arrests of anyone
(AFSPA) in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland
for another six months. without a warrant.
5. After being taken into custody, a person must be
What are the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act delivered as soon as possible to the closest police
station.
(AFSPA)?
The AFSPA grants the armed forces and the Central 6. The Central Government must first provide its
armed police forces deployed in "disturbed areas" consent before prosecuting an on-duty officer for
alleged human rights violations.
unrestricted authority to execute anyone breaking the
law, to detain and search any property without a
warrant, and to do so while being shielded from legal Controversies surrounding AFSPA
action and prosecution. • Human rights violations: Under the law, security
The law originally went into effect in 1958 to address personnel, including non-commissioned officers,
the Naga uprising. are allowed to shoot "even to the point of causing
death" if they believe it is necessary for the
"maintenance of public order."

155
• Additionally, it gives soldiers the authority to enter speak to the impacted individuals and ensure them
locations without a warrant, search them, and that positive action would be taken.
make arrests. • Instead of enforcing it over the entire state, the
• Fundamental Rights are Violated: Article 22 of the government should examine the installation and
Constitution's guarantees for preventive and abolition of AFSPA on an individual basis and
punitive detentions is violated by the military's restrict its applicability to just a few unsettling
authority to arbitrarily arrest and detain people. districts.
The person who has been arrested must appear in • The Supreme Court, the Jeevan Reddy Commission,
court within 24 hours of the FIR, according to the and the National Human Rights Commission have
Supreme Court. all established rules that the government and the
• Immunity from any Punitive Action: The biggest security forces must adhere to (NHRC)
objection to the AFSPA is that it grants the military
forces immunity. Without the prior approval of the Urban naxalism
central government, no prosecution, suit, or other About:
legal action may be brought. This immunity, which It refers to the operations of Communist Party of India
safeguards security personnel while occasionally (Marxist) organizations, often known as naxalites, in
enabling the armed forces to make rash decisions, cities as well as those of city residents who sympathize
raises serious ethical concerns. with and support naxalism.
Naxals' proclaimed objective is the violent overthrow
Supreme court directives: of the government through armed revolution.
In the case of Naga People’s Movement of Human
Rights vs. Union of India, the validity of AFSPA was Extent:
challenged before the Supreme Court and the five- The extent of urban naxalism is stated in intelligence
judge bench concluded that the act cannot be reports, which also claim that front organizations have
considered as violative of the Constitution and the been established in well-known cities like Delhi,
powers conferred under the section 4 and 5 of the Act Mumbai, Calcutta, Hyderabad, etc. as well as
are not arbitrary and unreasonable and therefore not industrial belts like Raipur, Surat, etc.
in violation of the provisions of the Constitution.
Causes
It directed government that: 1. Maoists have been blinded to the futility of their
• The army personnel are required to strictly follow cause by their reluctance to recognise the
minimum force under Section 4 against suspected diversified industrial foundation of the nation,
of violating prohibitive orders. their rejection of liberal democratic institutions in
• A person arrested and taken to custody under the Indian state, and the faith of the poor in the
section 4 has to be handed over to the nearest effective electoral system.
police station within 24hours of such arrest. 2. The Indian state apparatus, including both its
• The act has to be reviewed every six months by the security establishment and its work, through
state. development schemes, in weaning away support
for the Maoists among the poorest and most
Way forward: marginalised sections, especially in remote areas,
• The countless instances of human rights violations is to some extent to thank for the Maoists'
that have taken place over the years mean that the inability to not only expand but also to entrench
status quo of the act is no longer an acceptable themselves.
answer. In the regions where it has been 3. The peasantry, whose support the Maoists view
implemented, the AFSPA has come to represent as essential to their goal, are neither particularly
oppression. Therefore, the government must enthusiastic about the Maoist agenda or its
reliance on guerilla warfare, nor are the

156
 conditions in India even substantially similar to Aspirational districts programme in 35 LWE
those in 1920s China. affected districts
4. Lack of basic infrastructure in tribal areas has led
to discontentment and leaning towards Maoist Way forward:
ideology • Categorisation of Naxals-Those who indoctrinate
ideologically, those who carry out violent
Challenges: operations, innocent tribals misled by naxal
• Naxal movement poses a danger to the country's leaders, half maoists- that is overground, face of
territorial integrity and sovereign status. underground workers
• Lack of basic amenities as a result of leftist • Like FARC Rebels of Colombia- Following guerilla
radicalism Tribal villages lack access to essential warfare to overthrow the elected government they
government services like health and education. were inculcated into mainstream, many people
• Movements associated with Naxal organisations became a part of mainstream political parties, the
are driven by Mao's leftist ideology which believes president got Nobel Peace Prize
in violence.
• Use of violence: Naxalites assault security troops Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
and the state apparatus using violent tactics. Subhash Chandra Bose was a pivotal figure in India's
• The red corridor for the naxal-affected states is independence struggle. He was not only an effective
shrinking, while new areas like Karnataka, Tamil leader, but he also played an important role in the
Nadu, and Kerala are emerging, according to the liberation struggle. He is remembered for his active
home ministry and Central Reserve Police force. and aggressive role in the Indian independence
• Activities include guerrilla warfare, mobile warfare, movement. His leadership style was not only
and positional warfare, among others. appealing, but it also inspired many people to join the
• Strong propaganda apparatus and assistance from Indian freedom struggle.
supporters in numerous fields, such as the media
and NGO, enhance the naxalite cause. Contributions of Bose to freedom struggle
1. Political leadership: Subhash Chandra Bose was
Steps taken by government very active in Indian politics for the majority of
1. SAMADHAN- S-smart leadership, A-aggressive the 1930s. He was imprisoned in 1921-1922 for
strategy, M-motivation and training, A-actionable his political activities.
intelligence, D-dashboard-based KPIs (key 2. He organised the All-Bengal Young Men's
performance indicators) and KRAs (key result Conference as soon as he was released.
areas), H-harnessing technology, A-action plan 3. He was elected President of the Indian National
for each theatre and N-no access to financing. Congress twice (1938 and 1939).
2. Civic Action Programme (CAP):CAP in LWE 4. He formed a separate political party, the All-India
affected areas is being implemented since 2010- Forward Bloc, and continued to advocate for
11to bridge the gaps between Security Forces and India's full and immediate independence from
local people through personal interaction and British rule.
bring the human face of SFs before the local 5. Collaboration with other nations: Both before
population and during WWII, Bose worked tirelessly to
3. LWE Mobile Tower Project:To improve mobile secure German and Japanese support in
connectivity in the LWE areas, the Government in liberating his beloved homeland from foreign
2014 approved installation of mobile towers in rule.
LWE affected States. 6. The Indian National Army: He reorganised and
4. Aspirational District:The Ministry of Home Affairs later led the Indian National Army in Singapore in
has been tasked with the monitoring of July 1943, with Japanese assistance. It was
formed by Indian POWs and plantation workers

157
 from British Malaya, Singapore, and other restless and open to new ideas, Bose worked with
Southeast Asian countries to fight British forces. and put efforts to the new Youth Leagues that
7. Azad Hind Government: In exile, he established were formed in a number of provinces during the
the Azad Hind Government with Japanese 1920’s
monetary, political, diplomatic, and military 10. He motivated youth to join the cause of Indian
assistance. freedom struggle. Bose believed that India’s
8. Mass mobilisation: Subhash Chandra Bose played liberation would be achieved only through the
an important role in mass mobilisation and efforts and sacrifices of the conscious younger
rousing feeling of independence among them. generation.
Realising that manpower was India’s greatest Netaji Subhash shubhash Chandra bose is like shining
resource, he proclaimed that all Indians should star for the Indian youth. His principles and ideology
actively participate in the fight for freedom. still motivate large chunk of Indian populace.
9. Youth leadership: Bose was also deeply
committed to the youth movement. Convinced
that young people were by nature idealistic,

   

158
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