Headlines

India expelled Canadian diplomats- Page No.1 , GS 2

Social safety net - Page No.6 , GS 2,3
Safeguarding children - Page No.7 , GS 2
Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) - Page No.10 , GS 2
SCO meeting - Page No.11 , GS 2

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Page No. 1, GS 2
Content.

• In a dramatic turn of events, India on Monday decided to withdraw its High

Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other senior diplomats stationed
in Canada. Soon thereafter, India expelled six Canadian diplomats,
including the chargé d’affaires Stewart Ross Wheeler.

• Meanwhile, news agency AP reported that Canada had expelled six Indian
diplomats, including the High Commissioner.

• The developments came hours after the Canadian government declared

the six Indian officials as “persons of interest” for their alleged role in the
killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in
2023.
Fact

• During the freedom struggle, many Indian migrants settled in Canada.

• “Swadesh Sevak Home” in Vancouver was instrumental in mobilising the Indians
against British rule.

• In 1947, India and Canada established diplomatic relations after the independence. Both
India and Canada share similarity in federal structure, as many of the constitution
features such as federation with a strong Centre and vesting of residuary powers in the
Centre were inspired by the Canadian constitution.

• In the early years of their relationship, India and Canada focused on cooperation in
areas such as development assistance and education. During the Cold War period, India
was the largest recipient of Canadian foreign aid.

• However, India-Canada relations were at a crossroads when India conducted nuclear

tests. It became low again when Sikh terrorists blew up Air India Flight 182 in 1985.
Fact

• India and Canada have a number of educational and cultural exchange

programs. There are over 1.3 million Canadians of Indian origin. This is a
significant aspect for soft power diplomacy of India.

• G20 Summit: India and Canada met only on the sidelines of G20 Summit 2023
held in India. During the G20 summit, India held bilateral meetings with many
world leaders but not with Canada.

• Role of Five Eyes and US: The ‘Five Eyes’ is a intelligence-sharing network of
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. In a
recent interview, the US Ambassador to Canada stated that "shared intelligence
among Five Eyes partners" helped to lead Canada to the assertions made by the
Canadian Prime Minister.
Fact

• Background of the alliance

• The alliance between the U.S. and the U.K. evolved around the Second World War to
counter the Cold War Soviet threat.
• The two countries, which had successfully deciphered German and Japanese codes
during the World War, forged a collaboration to share intelligence related to signals such
as radio, satellite and internet communications.
• In the aftermath of the war in 1946, the alliance was formalised through an agreement for
cooperation in signals intelligence.
• The treaty called the British-U.S. Communication Intelligence Agreement, or BRUSA
(now known as the UKUSA Agreement), was signed between the State-Army-Navy
Communication Intelligence Board (STANCIB) of the U.S. and the London Signal
Intelligence Board (SIGINT) of Britain.

• The arrangement was later extended to ‘second party’ countries —Canada joined in
1948, while Australia and New Zealand became part of the alliance in 1956.
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Page No. 6, GS 2,3
Content.
• The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment is drafting a national law to incorporate gig
workers into social security schemes, offering benefits such as health insurance and
retirement savings.

• The government is expected to require aggregators to contribute 1%-2% of their revenue to

establish a social security fund, which would provide health insurance and other benefits.

• The government is also revising the definitions of gig and migrant workers to make them more
inclusive and reflective of current employment realities.

• The proposed legislation will establish a welfare board model, creating a fund for the social
security of gig workers. It mandates the registration of all gig workers and requires aggregators
to give a 14-day notice, with valid reasons before termination, while ensuring transparency in
automated systems. Dispute resolution mechanisms will also be introduced to protect gig
workers’ rights.
Content.

• The issue arises from the definition of gig workers in the Social Security Code 2020,
which places them outside the traditional employer-employee relationship. This is
problematic since many gig employers, as in some of the well-known companies,
operate as formal entities within the formal sector. The exclusion of gig workers from
the traditional employment framework is the crux of the problem.

• In a gig economy, employment relations remain ambiguous and workers are

categorised as independent workers or contractors.

• An important precedent here is the ruling by the U.K. Supreme Court on the Uber case
in 2021 — Uber was deemed to be an employer, Uber drivers as “workers” and Uber
asked to honour the prevailing labour laws of the land.

• Once the employment relationship is clearly defined, gig workers can be included
under the proposed four labour codes, eliminating the need for separate legislation.
Content.
Gig Workers:
• Gig workers are individuals who work on a temporary, flexible basis,
often for multiple clients or companies, performing tasks or providing
services.

• They are typically independent contractors rather than traditional

employees, which means they have more control over when, where,
and how they work.

Mains
• Q. Examine the role of ‘Gig Economy’ in the process of empowerment
of women in India. (2021)
Page No. 7, GS 2
Content.

• The historic judgment against the online sexual abuse of children, pronounced by the
Supreme Court of India in a petition filed by the Just Rights for Children Alliance, will
have a long lasting and global impact on society, crime, and child rights.

• In January 2024, the Madras High Court had ruled that “merely” downloading or
watching child pornography is not a crime, and quashed a case against a 28-year-old
man.

• How can someone who searches for and watches the rape of a child, thereby creating
a demand for child rape, walk free?

• This ruling not only defeated the spirit of the Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, but also risked normalising the exploitation of children.
Content.

• Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM)

• By shifting the language from child porn to CSEAM, the ruling reframes the issue as a
serious crime, rather than an adult indulgence. It further establishes that individuals
who search for or download such material create a demand-supply chain that fuels
the rape and exploitation of children.

• The perpetuity of this crime is alarming, as these images persist online, subjecting
children and families to continuous re-victimisation long after the abuse. Even more
troubling is that many children are unaware that they have been victimised, as their
images are circulated in secrecy.
Content.

• First, cybercrime should be explicitly defined in Indian laws and CSEAM should be
brought within its ambit as an economic and organised crime.

• Second, social media platforms must be held accountable for reporting CSEAM in
real-time to law enforcement. The judgment has mandated that intermediaries report
such content to local police and authorities.

• Third, India should establish an institutional framework in the form of a forensic lab
equipped with cutting-edge technology to respond to the increase in reporting of
CSEAM by intermediaries and social media companies.

• Fourth, details of individuals prosecuted for searching or downloading CSEAM

should be entered into the National Database on Sexual Offenders and barred from
employment in sectors involving children.
Content.

• Redefinition of Terminology: The Supreme Court (SC) has urged the Union
government to replace the term "child pornography" with "child sexual exploitative
and abuse material" (CSEAM).

• This change is significant because the term "pornography" often implies consensual
adult conduct, failing to accurately represent abuse and exploitation.

• Expansion of Section 15 of the POCSO Act, 2012: The SC provided a stricter

interpretation of the term “storage of child pornography” under Section 15 of the
POCSO Act, 2012. Previously, this provision primarily addressed storage for
commercial purposes. The court's interpretation of Section 15 introduces three key
offences.

• Awareness About Pocso Act, 2012: Sections 43 and 44 of the POCSO Act, 2012
require central and state governments, along with the National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), to promote widespread awareness of the Act.
Content.
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012

About: The law aims to address offences of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of
children. The Act defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years.
• It was enacted in consequence to India’s ratification of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child in 1992.
• Features:
• Gender-Neutral Nature: The Act recognises that both girls and boys can be victims of
sexual abuse and that such abuse is a crime regardless of the gender of the victim.
• Confidentiality of Victim’s Identity: Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012 mandates that
the identity of child victims must be kept confidential. Media reports cannot disclose
any details that could reveal the victim’s identity, including their name, address, and
family information.
• Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Cases: Sections 19 to 22 compel individuals who
have knowledge or reasonable suspicion of such offenses to report them to
concerned authorities..
Page No. 10, GS 2
Content.

• The Kerala Women’s Commission on Monday informed a Special Bench of the High
Court that most of the Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) hastily formed by various
associations in the entertainment industry are not legally constituted in accordance with
Section 4 of the the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition
and Redressal) (POSH) Act, 2013.

• When the public interest litigations filed in the wake of the Hema Committee report came
up for hearing before the Bench, Parvathy Menon, counsel for the women’s commission,
submitted that Section 26(1)(a) of the Act specifically states that the failure to constitute
an ICC, as required under subsection (1) of Section 4, constituted an offence. However,
there are no specific rules under the POSH Rules outlining how Section 26 of the Act
should be invoked.

• She submitted that the POSH Rules remain silent on who should file a complaint
regarding the offences under Section 26(1) of the Act.
Content.
Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment Act (POSH Act)?

• About the Act- The POSH Act is a legislation enacted by the Government of India in 2013
to address the issue of sexual harassment faced by women in the workplace. The Act
aims to create a safe and conducive work environment for women and provide protection
against sexual harassment.

• Background of Enaction- The Supreme Court in the landmark judgment in the Vishakha
and others v State of Rajasthan 1997 case gave the ‘Vishakha guidelines’ for prevention
of sexual harassment at workplace.

• India has also signed the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination against Women) 1980. India has also ratified the convention later.
• Definition of Sexual Harassment- The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) defines sexual harassment
as one or more of the following unwelcome acts or behavior. Such as
• (i) physical contact and advances; or
• (ii) a demand or request for sexual favours; or
• (iii) making sexually colored remarks; or
• (iv) showing pornography; or
• (v) any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature;

• 2. Prevention and Prohibition- The Act places a legal obligation on employers to prevent
and prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace.

• 3. Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)- The employers are required to constitute an

Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each workplace with 10 or more employees to
receive and address complaints of sexual harassment. The Complaints Committees have
the powers of civil courts for gathering evidence.
Content.

• Duties of Employers- According to the Act, the employers must

undertake awareness programs, provide a safe working environment,
and display information about the POSH Act at the workplace.

• Complaint Mechanism- The POSH Act lays down a procedure for filing
complaints, conducting inquiries, and providing a fair opportunity to
the parties involved.

• Penalties- Non-compliance with the Act’s provisions can result in

penalties, including fines and cancellation of business licenses.
Page No. 11, GS 2
Content.

• The Pakistani capital will be in complete lockdown as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
and other leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) arrive here on Tuesday to
attend the Heads of Government meeting.

• A 300-strong delegation led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Islamabad on Monday to

conduct bilateral meetings, while Mr. Jaishankar is expected to arrive on Tuesday evening
by a special plane, in time for a dinner hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
While Mr. Jaishankar visited Pakistan as Foreign Secretary in 2015, this is his first visit as
External Affairs Minister, and the first such visit to Pakistan in nine years.

• Apart from high-security levels accorded to the visitors, which include the Prime Ministers
of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus as well as the
Iranian First Vice-President
Fact

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental

international organisation.

• The member countries are India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan,
Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. Belarus joined SCO as the 10th member on
4th July 2024. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold Observer Status. Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Bahrain, Cambodia, Egypt, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri
Lanka, Türkiye and UAE have a dialogue partner status.

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation originated from the “Shanghai Five”

established in 1996, consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
Tajikistan.

• Building on this, SCO was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai as an

international organisation and also included Uzbekistan as a sixth member.
Fact

• India and Pakistan became full members of the organisation in 2017 In 2023, the status
of a full member of the Organisation was granted to the Islamic Republic of Iran. This
time, Belarus became the 10th member of the organisation.

• The organisation has two permanent bodies: the Secretariat in Beijing, China and the
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.

• Forum for Cooperation with Central Asian Countries

• Countering Terrorism
• Balancing Chinese Dominance in the Region
• Closer Indian-Russian Cooperation
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