indian polity, governance , and internal security - csb ias academy

CSB IAS ACADEMY Contact us: 9966436875

Email : [email protected] www.csbias.com1

CURRENT AFFAIRS (MAY 1st to 31st, 2022)

Indian Polity, Governance ,and Internal Security

1. The Delhi dual governanceconundrum.Context: Due to the lack of statehoodfor Delhi, there has been a long-running conflict over the relativepowers of the elected government ofNew Delhi and the LieutenantGovernor (L-G) for the territorialadministration of New Delhi (chosenby the Union Government).

The two have had numerousdisagreements, involving control ofagencies such as the Anti-CorruptionBureau, the Civil Services, and theElectricity Board, among others.

Furthermore, the Government ofNational Capital Territory of DelhiAct,1991, was amended in 2021,indicating that conflict is still apossibility.

The New Delhi’s Governance Model:

Delhi’s status as a Union Territoryunder Schedule 1 of the Constitution,but as the ‘National Capital Territory’under Article 239AA of theConstitution (69th Amendment) Act.

Article 239AA of the 69th amendmentto the Indian Constitution designatedthe Union Territory of Delhi to beruled by a Lieutenant Governor whoworks with the help and advice of theelected legislative assembly.

The ‘Aid and advice’ clause, on theother hand, only applies to topics overwhich the elected Assembly hasjurisdiction under the State andConcurrent Lists. Except for publicorder, law enforcement, and land.

Furthermore, Article 239AA states thatthe L-G must either act with theassistance and advice of the Council

of Ministers, or he must carry out thePresident’s decision on a referencemade by him.

Article 239AA also allows the L-G toreport a disagreement with the Councilof Ministers to the President on “anymatter.”

As a result, there is a power strugglebetween L-G and the electedgovernment.

The judiciary Response:

On the basis of Delhi’s position as aUnion Territory, the Delhi High Courtruled in favour of the CentralGovernment.

The Supreme Court, on the other hand,referred the case to a ConstitutionBench to adjudicate on the substantivelegal issues surrounding the powers ofthe elected government of Delhi inrelation to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G).

The NCT versus UOI case was referredto the Constitutional bench in 2018. Inthe Administration of NCT, the five-judge Bench launched a newjurisprudential chapter.Purposive Construction: The courtused the rule of purposive constructionto say that the goals of the Constitution(69th Amendment) Act shouldinfluence how Article 239AA isinterpreted.

This incorporates federalism anddemocracy concepts into Article239AA, indicating a parliamentarydesire to grant a sui generis (one-of-a-kind) status unique from other UnionTerritories.




The Court stated that the L-G is boundby the Council of Ministers’ “aid andadvice,” noting that the DelhiAssembly also has the competence topass laws regarding all subjects in theConcurrent List and all subjects in theState List, with the exception of threeexcluded subjects.

Except when he refers a topic to thePresident for a final decision, the L-Gshould act on the Council of Ministers’“aid and advice.”

The Supreme Court determined thatthe L-power G’s to refer to thePresident any topic on which there is adifference of opinion between the L-Gand the Council of Ministers cannot beunderstood to mean “every matter,”and that such a referral should only bemade in extraordinary situations.L-G as facilitator: Rather thanpositioning himself as an adversary tothe elected Council of Ministers, L-Gwill work as a facilitator.New Delhi Cannot Become a State: Atthe same time, the Court declared thatunder the constitutional structure, theNational Capital Territory of Delhicannot become a state.

Forward:

Working Through ConstitutionalTrust: The Supreme Court correctlydecided that the Constitution’s planand the Government of the NationalCapital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991envision a collaborative structure thatcan only be implemented throughconstitutional trust.

Subsidiarity, the core premise of fiscalfederalism, requires empowered sub-national governments.

As a result, the federal governmentshould begin to delegate moreauthority to local governments.

In this regard, India should takeinspiration from a number of greatmetropolises around the world,

ranging from Jakarta and Seoul toLondon and Paris, all of which havepowerful sub-national governments.Mains point:New Delhi Governmentvs Union Government, Government ofNCT of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021,Co-operative Federalism,Constitutional Amendments

2. Revisit the Seventh Schedule toimprove Centre-State relations.Context:Recently, the Uniongovernment revoked the orders andguidelines issued under the DisasterManagement Act (DMA), 2005 aftercovid knocked on India’s doors. TheDMA has been the backbone of policyinterventions to fight covid.

The constitutional provisions:

Article 246 talks about the Union, stateand concurrent lists which arementioned in the Seventh Schedule ofthe Constitution.

Health is a state subject mentioned inthe state list and disasters do not findmention in any lists in the Schedule VII.Therefore, the union governmentinvoked the Disaster management Act(DMA) 2005 by relating to Entry 23(Social Security and Social Insurance)in the Concurrent List of theConstitution. It was invoked to dealwith covid-19.

The DMA 2005 and States:

Some states like West Bengal,Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand andChhattisgarh legalized the homedelivery of alcohol under the ambit ofthe DMA. Ironically, it was invoked forliquor delivery to promote socialsecurity and social insurance. It wasalso aimed to address a shortfall in taxrevenues (Taxes on alcohol account fora significant share of the total revenuein many states)

At present the DMA has been revoked.Therefore, in the absence of enabling




legislation (due to revocation of theDMA), the states will have to curtail thehome delivery of alcohol.

The Seventh Schedule:

The Seventh Schedule was inheritedfrom the Government of India Act,1935. Therefore, it is a relic of thecolonial past. The lists do not reflectthe complex realities of India in its 75thyear of independence. For example,despite having health as the statesubject, the Union government was ina better position to legislate on someissues related to health (vaccination,for instance)

The states often shift theirresponsibilities upon centre. Forexample:(1) state highways are often classified

as national highways, and(2) the states ask for the help of

paramilitary forces in times ofcrisis despite having law andorder as the state subjects.

States have also advocated the transferof some subjects from the Union andconcurrent lists to the state list. Forinstance, entry No. 58 of the Union listis on the manufacturing, supply anddistribution of salt.

States have also criticized the transferof some subjects from the state list tothe concurrent list. ‘

Look Forward:

The Sarkaria Commission and thePunchi Commission. Both advisedcomprehensive consultation betweenthe Union and state governmentsbefore moving anything from the statelist to the concurrent list.

N.K. Singh, chairman of the 15thFinance Commission, has time andagain argued for reforms in theSeventh Schedule.

Some have even advocated furtherdecentralization of that Schedule byintroducing a local government list in

the light of rapid urbanization acrosscountries.

There has to be periodic reviews ofthese lists—say, after every 20 years.Mains point:Issues related to theSeventh Schedule of the constitution ofIndia

3. A New CDS Is Urgently Needed.Context: General Bipin Rawat, the firstchief of the defence staff, died in ahelicopter crash over five months ago.After the Kargil conflict in 1999, thepost was placed in cold storage. In 2019,the first-ever CDS was appointed. Theposition of Chief of Defence Staff iscrucial for Indian Armed Forcesrestructuring.

Reforms in the Armed Forces Aroundthe World:

Around 70 countries, including theUnited States, the United Kingdom,France, and Germany, have a CDS-style role for military planning andoperations.

The United States maintains 11 unifiedcombatant commands, including six“geographical” theatre commands fordistinct parts of the world and five“functional” commands for nuclearweapons, special operations, space,cyberspace, and transportation.

China’s People’s Liberation Army wasreorganised into five theatrecommands in 2016. It strengthens thePLA’s command and control structureswhile also enhancing offensivecapabilities against the enemy. China’s




Western Theatre Command, forexample, is in charge of the whole Lineof Actual Control (LAC).Issues confronting the Indian ArmedForces:

India spends the third most on defencein the world. It is, however, beset byhaphazard planning, ineffectivepolicies, patchwork reforms, and aweak domestic defense-industrialbasis. As a result, India is the world’slargest importer of weaponry,accounting for 11% of worldwideimports.

Fighter jets, submarines, helicopters,and other types of ammunition are allin short supply in the Indian armedforces.

India is experiencing border conflicts.In eastern Ladakh, for example, thereis a continuous boundary dispute withChina.

Military modernisation facesdifficulties as a result of mountingsalary and pension costs.

There are also clandestine operationsand new warfare arenas like as spaceand cyberspace. China, for example,has developed cyberweapons that maydamage an opponent’s military assets,strategic networks, energy, banking,transportation, and communicationsystems even before a kinetic battlebegins.The current state of India’s services/theatre commands:

There are now 17 single-servicecommands available (army 7, IAF 7 andnavy 3). In addition, India’s nucleararsenal is now managed by only twounified commands: the ‘geographical’Andaman and Nicobar Command(ANC) and the ‘functional’ StrategicForces Command (SFC).

It is proposed that 17 single-servicecommands be combined into fourintegrated commands. This would

ensure that people, infrastructure, andresources were not wasted. The forceswill be prepared for combined land-air-sea operations by the commands.The newly constituted position ofChief of Defence Staff:

Functions and Importance (CDS):

The CDS is critical for achieving thegoal of creating a lean, mean,integrated warfighting machine whilestaying within budget restrictions.Due to competing demands from othersectors in a developing country likeIndia, the annual defence budget isunlikely to see a significant increase.

The position is the driving force behindthe Indian armed services’ extensivereform.

He can strengthen India’s militarycapability through effective inter-service prioritisation in line with thecountry’s geopolitical goals. As aresult, India’s first CDS advocated theformation of four integratedcommands. In each theatre, thesecommands would combine the assetsand men of the army, navy, and IAFunder a single operationalcommander.

In planning, procurements, logistics,doctrines, and operations, he can fostersynergy between the army, navy, andIAF.

The CDS was recently tasked withestablishing the modest tri-serviceDefence Space Agency, Defence CyberAgency, and Armed Forces SpecialOperations Division.

Next Steps: There is also a pressing need to right-

size the military by removing non-operational waste and injectingcutting-edge military technology.

Several government measures havebeen criticised. The ‘Tour of Duty’plan, for example, and proposals tomake the Short Service Commission




(SSC) more appealing, such as thegrant of paid study leave and a goldenhandshake at the end of their 10- to 14-year tenures, are examples.Mains point:Indian Armed ForcesReforms

4. The debate on the national language.Context:A recent statement by a Hindiactor that Hindi is India’s nationallanguage prompted a debate about thelanguage’s constitutional position.

The Hindi’s status in India:

The official language of the Union,according to Article 343 of theConstitution, is Hindi in Devanagariscript. For formal purposes, Indiannumerals will be written in theirinternational form.

The Constituent Assembly, on the otherhand, was deeply divided on the issue,with members from states where Hindiwas not spoken rejecting thedesignation of Hindi as a nationallanguage.

In the end, it was determined that theConstitution would simply refer to an“official language.” And that Englishwould be used for at least another 15years. After 15 years, Parliament mayopt to employ English and theDevanagari version of numerals forspecific reasons by passing legislation.

The Official Languages Act of 1963was enacted in anticipation of the 15-year period in which the Constitutionallowed the use of English for officialpurposes to expire.

Despite the expiration of the 15-yeartimeframe, the Act allowed for the useof English to continue.

The Eighth schedule:

The country’s languages are listed inthe Eighth Schedule. There were 14languages on the schedule at first, butthere are now 22. The kind of languagesthat are included or will be includedin the Eighth Schedule are notdescribed.

In the text of the Constitution, however,these languages are only mentionedtwice.

Article 344(1) outlines the President’sauthority to appoint a Commissionwith a Chairman and membersrepresenting the scheduled languages.The Commission’s mandate is topropose recommendations for theprogressive use of Hindi for Unionofficial functions while limiting theuse of English.

Article 351 states that it is theresponsibility of the Uniongovernment to encourage thedevelopment of Hindi so that itbecomes “a medium of expression forall elements of India’s compositeculture,” as well as to incorporateelements of Hindustani and languagesmentioned in the Eighth Schedule.

The formula for three languages:

In Hindi-speaking States, Hindi,English, and one regional language aretaught, while in other States, Hindi,English, and the official regionallanguage are taught.

In actuality, however, only a few states,in addition to English, teach both theirprimary language and Hindi. A thirdlanguage is rarely taught as a requiredsubject in states where Hindi is theofficial language.

Tamil Nadu has been a staunchopponent of the three-language model,preferring to teach Tamil and English




only. It claims that those who need tostudy Hindi can do it independently.Mains point:’National language issue.

5. Distortion, imposition: Why North-East groups are against Centre’s Hindipush.Context:The Union Home Ministerrecently stated at the 37th sitting of theParliamentary Official LanguageCommittee that nine tribalcommunities in the Northeast havechanged their dialect scripts toDevanagari. In addition, all eightNortheastern states have decided tomake Hindi mandatory in schools upto Class 10.

The remarks have sparkeddemonstrations in the Northeast,where people speak a variety oflanguages ranging from Indo-Aryan toTibeto-Burman to Austro-Asiaticfamilies.

The reactions from the North-East:

Tripura:

Since 1979, Kokborok has been theofficial language of Tripura. Mosttribes in the state speak it as theirprimary language. The Bengali andRoman scripts are used in thelanguage, which were chosen afterstudies by the Shyama CharanTripura Commission and the PabitraSarkar Commission.

The Roman Script for KokborokChoba (RSKC), a conglomerate of 56tribal organisations in Tripura, hasspoken out against the coerciveimposition of Hindi or Devanagari asthe Kokborok script.

It was believed that imposing theHindi script would disrupt Tripura’slinguistic equilibrium. The states’fraternity and balance of Bengali andKokborok speakers could be thrownoff.

Mizoram:

The Sino-Tibetan language familyincludes Mizo. It is based on theRoman script, which was firstintroduced by the British in 1894.

The Mizo people have spoken outagainst the imposition of the Hindiscript.

Manipur:

Manipuri is one of the 22 languagesdesignated in the Constitution’s eighthschedule. As a result, both Hindi andManipuri have the same legal standing.The Government of Manipur alsorecognises Manipur’s Meitei Mayek orManipuri script. It is, in reality, a 2,000-year-old writing.

The Manipur student organisationchallenged the proposal to make Hindia compulsory subject in Manipur upto Class X, as well as the Hindi script.In fact, it would increase studentpressure and impede the developmentof the local language. As a result, theydenounced Hindi’s imposition as amajoritarian policy.

Arunachal Pradesh:

Arunachal Pradesh is a state with adiverse ethnic and linguisticpopulation. According to a UNESCOreport, 33 languages are endangeredand four are highly endangered.

In Arunachal Pradesh, it is suggestedthat Hindi might serve as a bridginglanguage. However, imposing Hindiwill further destabilise the languagedynamics.

Assam:

To begin, Assamese and Bodo are theofficial languages of Assam. The 8thSchedule lists both of them. Second,whereas Assamese has its own ancientscript, Bodo employs the Devanagariscript. Third, Assam is home to dozensof other indigenous languages withvarious scripts or no alphabet at all.




The All Assam Students’ Union(AASU) opposes the idea to makeHindi obligatory until 10th gradebecause students already study Hindiuntil Class 8.

Furthermore, the Assamese languageis unaffected by the Devanagari scriptcontroversy. Apart from the Hindilanguage and script, Assam shouldalso nurture all other tribal and ethniclanguages.

Students’ Union of Nebraska:

The North East Students’Organisation (NESO) was againstmaking Hindi a mandatory subject. Itwould have a negative impact on thespread of indigenous languages.Another subject would be added to thecurriculum.

Indeed, the National Education Policymandates that education be deliveredin the native tongue. The people of theNorth-East region do not speak Hindias their first language.Mains point:Development of theHindi Language and The OfficialLanguage

6. The National Judicial InfrastructureCorporation (NJIC).Context:At a recent joint conference ofChief Justices and Chief Ministers, theChief Justice of India (CJI)recommended a National JudicialInfrastructure Corporation (NJIC)with similar organisations at the statelevel.

Positive arguments

In India, there are numerous flaws inthe justice systems. The infrastructureavailable and the people’s needs forjustice in India are vastly different. Theproposed NJIC would significantlyimprove the judiciary’s facilities.

There have already been someagreements on the concept of state-level organisations serving the samerole.

Arguments in opposition

Many governments have reported thatfunds earmarked for courtinfrastructure have gone unused.Many Chief Ministers were notenthusiastic about the concept.

There are concerns that a national bodymay usurp the executive’s powers. Asa result, several Chief Ministers wereopposed to the concept.

Future measures that could be taken

The Chief Justice of India advocatedthat the Union/States be adequatelyrepresented in the NJIC.

The proposal from state level entitieswill be implemented as a centrallysponsored scheme (CSS), with theCentre and states splitting the cost60:40. The monies set aside for theplanned State-level bodies should beused to expedite the scheme’simplementation.

It will, of course, necessitate morecollaboration between states and theirdifferent High Courts in order to buildthe necessary infrastructure,particularly for the lower judiciary.

To relieve the burden on the judiciary,the government must make significantcontributions. Other issues that thegovernment should address includepending cases, a chronic scarcity ofjudges, and so on.




The administration should carry outjudicial orders, leaving importantdecisions to the courts.

Before passing law, the governmentshould ensure broad consultation.This would relieve the courts of theirlitigation burden.

At the level of Chief Justices and ChiefMinisters, the judiciary and theadministration should have adiscussion. It will foster a cooperativeenvironment for judicialappointments, infrastructuralupgrades, and case downsizing inIndian courts.Mains point:The National JudicialInfrastructure Corporation (NJIC) andJudicial Reforms

7. Obnoxious speech does not call forheavy hand of the law.Context: Umar Khalid, an accused inthe case relating to the protests againstthe Citizenship Amendment Act, hadhis bail hearing recently at the DelhiHigh Court. He was charged under theUnlawful Activities Prevention Act(UAPA) for his Amaravati speech,which was considered as part of a“larger conspiracy” to destabilise thegovernment.

The court observation:

Several elements of the speech weredeemed “obnoxious” or“inappropriate” by the Delhi HighCourt.

First, it was claimed that a “jumla”charge levelled against the primeminister had crossed the “LakshmanRekha” of free speech.

Second, the court deemed theaccused’s use of the phrases“krantikari” and “inquilab” to beoffensive.

Finally, the Court stated that Khalid isa “educated man” who utilised

indirect discourse to provoke hisaudience into violence.

The exceptions to free speech:

The first is hate speech, which islinked to discrimination and violenceagainst marginalised and vulnerablepeople. Antisemitic discourse, forexample, has a long history of beinglinked to Jewish economic and socialboycotts, which eventually led to theHolocaust.

The second is violence incitement.Because there is no time or scope forrebuttal or reason, this does not fitunder the protection of free speech. Anoutraged mob burns down aneighbourhood after being incited toviolence.

In addition to the aforementioned,certain types of religious offences arealso criminalised in India.

The current case’s issues:

. The accused’s speech in this case fallsoutside the scope of theaforementioned narrow exceptions.The court’s views are well within themainstream of Indian politicaldiscourse. In Parliament, for example,there is a “Revolutionary SocialistParty.”

Furthermore, no one deserves to beimprisoned for years without beingtried. The defendant in this case hasalready served over 500 days in prisonwithout being tried. People cannot beimprisoned on a regular basis in acivilised society for their speech.

In a civilised society, such speechshould elicit counter-speech ratherthan the state’s strong hand and legalmachinery being used to silencesomeone.

The public criticism of the PrimeMinister does not violate thefundamental right to freedom ofexpression. The words in question



CURRENT AFFAIRS (MAY 1st to 31st, 2022)should be viewed as an example of apassionate political speech thatincludes satire, parody, and otherelements.

The case should be heard based on theactual record of events, such as thingsdone and said, rather than intangibleslike “clever man” and the use ofindirect words to provoke violence.Mains point: Freedom of Speech andExpression and reasonable restrictions

8. The status of the Naga peace talks.Context: According to the Ministry ofHome Affairs’ (MHA) annual report,the National Socialist Council ofNagaland’s (NSCN-IM) Isak-Muivahfaction was involved in 44 percent ofinsurgency-related occurrences inNagaland in 2020.

In 2015, the Union government and theNSCN-IM reached a frameworkagreement to find a solution to theNaga political crisis.The negotiationsare still ongoing.

The Naga insurgency:

The British coined the name ‘Naga’ torefer to a group of tribes with similarorigins but separate cultures, dialects,and customs for administrativepurposes.

Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh,Manipur, and Myanmar are home toNaga tribes.

The Nagas did not considerthemselves a part of British Indiawhen they lived in the Naga highlandsof Assam during the British invasionand annexation of Assam in 1820.

The British administered the Nagas ina way that preserved their traditionalways of life, customs, and laws whileplacing British bureaucrats at the top.

Insecurity over the future of theircultural autonomy following India’sindependence arose among the Nagatribes at the time of the Britishwithdrawal, which was accompaniedby fear of the entry of “plains people”or “outsiders” into their area.

In 1945, the Naga Hills District TribalCouncil was formed, which was laterrenamed the Naga National Council(NNC) in 1946.

A portion of the NNC, led by Nagaleader A.Z. Phizo, announced theNagas’ independence on August 14,1947, one day before India declaredindependence.

Mr. Phizo created the Naga FederalGovernment (NFG) and its armedwing, the Naga Federal Army, in theearly 1950s, launching anunderground conflict (NFA).

The insurgency was sent by the centralgovernment, which also enacted thedisputed Armed Forces SpecialPowers Act (AFSPA), which is still ineffect in portions of Nagaland.

Unlike other northeastern groups whoaccepted some type of autonomy underthe Constitution, the Nagas rejected itin favour of sovereignty.

Some NNC leaders created their ownorganisation to hold talks with thegovernment, which resulted in thefounding of Nagaland in 1963. Thisdid not satisfy many in the NNC andNFG, who eventually signed theShillong Accord of 1975, pledging tosurrender arms and accept the




Constitution, after years of negotiationswith the government.

The NSCN:

Many top NNC leaders and thoseoperating from Myanmar wereunhappy with the signing of theShillong Accord since it did notaddress the question of Nagasovereignty and forced them to acceptthe Constitution.

The National Socialist Council OfNagaland (NSCN) was founded bythree NNC leaders: ThuingalengMuivah of the Tangkhul Naga tribeof Manipur’s Ukhrul district, IsakChishi Swu of the Sema tribe, and S.S. Khaplang of Myanmar’s Hemistribe.

The NSCN’s mission was to establisha People’s Republic of Nagalandindependent of Indian control.

After years of infighting and violentclashes, the NSC divided into twogroups in 1988: a) one led by Mr.Muiwah and Swu, known as theNSCN-IM, and b) another led by Mr.Khaplang, known as the NSCN-K.

The NSCN-IM has requested andcontinues to demand ‘GreaterNagaland,’ also known as Nagalim,which would extend Nagaland’sborders to include Naga-dominateddistricts in Assam, Manipur, andArunachal Pradesh.

The NSCN-IM has evolved into themost powerful insurgent group in thecountry, as well as a catalyst for theformation of lesser factions in otherstates.

The peace talks:

In 1997, the Indian governmentpersuaded the NSCN-IM to sign aceasefire agreement so that talks on aNaga Peace Accord could begin. Therehave been nearly a hundred rounds ofdiscussions since the ceasefire.

It signed a Framework Agreement withthe NSCN (IM) in 2015, which was thefirst step toward a Peace Accord.

In 2020, the NSCN-IM accused Mr Ravi,the Centre’s negotiator, of tinkeringwith the accord in order to deceiveother Naga parties. The NSCN-IM hasmaintained its demand for a separateNaga flag and constitution, as well asthe establishment of Nagalim, whichit claims was agreed upon in theAgreement.

The newly appointed intermediary, AKMishra, visited the NSCN-camp IM’s inDimapur on April 19, 2022, for closed-door discussions, although disputesover the Naga flag and constitutionhave yet to be resolved.Mains point:Naga insurgency issue

9. Delimitation panel notifies new J&KAssembly constituencies.Context:The Jammu and KashmirDelimitation Commission hasannounced the new borders, names,and numbers of Assemblyconstituencies in Jammu and Kashmir,clearing the way for the UnionTerritory’s first-ever Assemblyelection.

Delimitation in the State of J&K:

The Constitution of India ruled thedelimitation of parliamentaryconstituencies in the former J&K state,while the Jammu and KashmirRepresentation of the People Act, 1957governed the delimitation of Assemblyseats.

Following the abolition of J&K’s specialstatus in 2019, the Constitution governsthe delimitation of both Assembly andparliamentary seats.

In J&K, the last delimitation exercisetook place in 1995.




The J&K Delimitation Commission:

After the Jammu and KashmirReorganization Act of 2019 raised thenumber of seats in the Assembly,delimitation became essential.

Aside from the 24 seats reserved forPakistan-occupied Kashmir, theReorganization Act increased thenumber of seats from 107 to 114. (PoK).

The Delimitation Commission’s chairman:

The Delimitation Commission, headedby retired Supreme Court judgeRanjana Prakash Desai, wasestablished by the Indian governmentin 2020.

Delimitation is usually done using theCensus population. However, thisCommission stated that it will evaluateadditional issues concerning J&K, suchas its size, remoteness, and proximityto the border.

Delimitation commission made changes:

ASSEMBLY: The Commission hasenhanced the number of Assemblyseats in Jammu (to 43) and Kashmir (toone) (now 47). It has also changed theorganisation of the existing Assemblyseats dramatically.

The borders of the Anantnag andJammu seats have been changed by theCommission.

KASHMIRI PANDITS: TheCommission has suggested that at leasttwo members of the Kashmiri Migrants(Kashmiri Hindus) group be elected tothe Legislative Assembly.

Seats for POK migrants: It has alsoadvised that the Centre considerawarding displaced persons fromPakistan-occupied Kashmir whorelocated to Jammu after Partitionrepresentation in the J&K LegislativeAssembly.

Delimitation:

Delimitation is the act of redrawingboundaries of Lok Sabha and stateAssembly seats to represent changes inpopulation.

The main objective of delimitation isto provide equal representation toequal segments of a population.

Process of Delimitation:

Under Article 82, the Parliament enactsa Delimitation Act after every Census.

Once the Act is in force,the Uniongovernment sets up a DelimitationCommission.

The Delimitation commission wasconstituted in 1952, 1963, 1973 undertheir respective acts.

In 1976, the 42nd ConstitutionalAmendment was used to stop thedelimitation process until 2001.

In 2002, based on the 2001 Censusdelimitation commission was setup toreadjust the boundaries of existing LokSabha and Assembly seats andreworking the number of reservedseats.

Further,In 2002,the 84th ConstitutionalAmendment was used to freeze thedelimitation process till at least 2026.

About Delimitation commission:

The Delimitation Commission isappointed by the President of Indiaand works in collaboration with theElection Commission of India.

The commission is made up of a retiredSupreme Court judge, the ChiefElection Commissioner and therespective State ElectionCommissioners.




The commission is mandated to a)determine the number and boundariesof constituencies to make thepopulation of all constituencies nearlyequal and b) identify seats reserved forScheduled Castes and ScheduledTribes, wherever their population isrelatively large.

The constitution mandates that theorders of commission are final andcannot be questioned before any courtas it would hold up an electionindefinitely.

10. A new track for capital punishmentjurisprudence.Context:The Supreme Court of Indiarecently filed a criminal suo motu writsuit to establish standards formitigation analysis in situationsinvolving the death sentence or capitalpunishment.Capital punishment procedure:

If a sessions court (sentencing court)sentences someone to death, thejurisdictional High Court (confirmingcourt) must confirm the sentenceunder Chapter 28 of the Code ofCriminal Procedure.

India’s death penalty jurisprudencehas evolved throughout time:

The supreme court in Bachan Singhvs State of Punjab (1980) advocated forweighing the mitigating andaggravating circumstances against eachother. The court established the notionthat the death penalty should not beimposed until life imprisonment is“unquestionably excluded.” It shouldonly be given in the most exceptionalof circumstances.

However, the Supreme Court hasbegun to look into sentencing methodsin more recent decisions.

The Court directed in RajendraPralhadrao Wasnik vs The State of

Maharashtra (2018) to “examine theconvict’s conduct in jail, outside jail ifon bail for a period of time, medicalevidence about his mental make-up,interaction with his family, and otherfactors.” The court ordered that reportson these topics be submitted. Thesedocuments are critical to the mitigationstudy.

The court stated in Mofil Khan vs Stateof Jharkhand (2021) that “the Statemust prove that the accused’sreformation and rehabilitation isimpossible” and that “the Court willhave to highlight clear evidence as towhy the convict is unfit for any kind ofreformatory and rehabilitationscheme.”

The Court ordered that the “report(s)of all the probation officer(s)” relatingto the accused, as well as reports“regarding their behaviour and natureof the work done by them” while in jail,be filed with the court in Manoj & Orsvs State of Madhya Pradesh (2022). Inaddition, the convict’s psychiatric andpsychological evaluation should beconducted by a professionalpsychiatrist and a local professor ofpsychology.

The concerns about capital punishment:

According to a research titled ‘Mattersof Judgment’ by the National LawUniversity Delhi’s Project 39A, there isno judicial uniformity or consistencyin the use of the death penalty.




According to the Project 39A report‘Death Penalty Sentence in TrialCourts,’ courts have been lax inexamining the aspect of reformationwhen carrying out the sentencingprocess.

Next Steps:

In the area of capital punishment, thereis a new wave of thought. The SupremeCourt’s decision to issue guidelines onmitigation analysis was both timelyand important.

The court should clarify whatconstitutes mitigating circumstances,the function of a probation officer inaiding the court, and the significanceof a mitigation investigator in thesentencing process.

Professionals trained in psychology,sociology, and criminology arerequired for a full mitigation inquiry,in addition to legal professionals.

The Supreme Court’s mitigationinvestigation rules will enhance theidea of the rarest of rare. This willensure that the sentencing andconfirmation courts use their power tosentence people to death more fairly.Mains point:The right to life andcapital punishment

11. The multiple crises in Indianuniversities.Context:Universities in India are facingchallenges.

The India’s universities are deteriorating:

Higher education spending hasremained stable at 1.3-1.5 percent oftotal government spending since 2012.

In the meantime, the Ministry ofEducation is pressuring highereducation institutions to boost theirintake capacity by 25%. (in a push toimplement the 10 percent quota foreconomically weaker sections),

The Ministry of Finance has attemptedto prohibit new teaching positionsfrom being created.

Student financial aid was reduced by8% to 2,078 crore in FY 2022-23 from2,482 crore in FY 2021-22, and researchand innovation funds were reduced by8% to 218 crore.

The issues that universities are facing:

Due to the financial crisis, universityinfrastructure investments havedecreased. The majority of Indianuniversities and colleges haveovercrowded classrooms, insufficientair and cleanliness, and inadequatehousing facilities.

The Higher Education FinancingAgency (HEFA), which funds allinfrastructure loans to colleges anduniversities, saw its budget cut from2,000 crore in FY 20-21 to 1 crore in FY21-22.

Delay in wage payments for deemed/central universities due to cash flowconstraints. As a result, mostuniversities are in debt - MadrasUniversity, for example, has anaccumulated deficit of over 100 crore,leading it to request an 88 crorehandout from the state government(Raman A. Ragu, March 2022)

Faculty members have been waitingmonths for their salaries, which arriveweeks later.

This has resulted in a reduction indiscretionary spending, with manyDelhi colleges unable to afford basicdatabase and journal subscriptions.

Minor and major research projectgrants from the UGC have decreasedfrom 42.7 crore in FY 2016-17 to 38 lakhin FY 2020-21. Given the lack of financeand infrastructure, only 2.7 percent ofIndia’s universities provide PhDprogrammes. The National ResearchFoundation (NRF), which aims todevelop university research




infrastructure, has yet to be establishedand may have a small budget ($5-6billion over five years).

Academic standards and processes arenot being upheld.

Test paper leaks are becoming morecommon; in June 2021, the Hindi examof the UGC’s National Eligibility Test,which allows post-graduate studentswho pass to teach in State and Centralcolleges, was released.

Universities have played an importantrole in the strengthening of democracyand civic society. For example:

Madan Mohan Malaviya’s CentralHindu College in Delhi was a hotbedof political debate during theindependence war, with students andfaculty joining the Quit Indiacampaign and defending Rash BehariBose and Lala Har Dayal in 1915.

Institutional apathy has recently givenway to repression. Police actionsagainst students at a few colleges (forexample, JNU and Jamia Millia) forcampus protests, as well as arrests anddetention, have placed a pall over freeexpression on campuses.

The precautions should be taken:

Increased funding is urgently needed,as is the establishment of specialisedfunding streams for infrastructuregrants/loans and financial help.Universities can also use the moneysaved to pursue new revenue streamslike start-up royalties and advertising.

The National Research Foundation(NRF) should augment (rather thanreplace) existing research fundingschemes (including those from theMinistry of Science). Undergraduatesshould be able to participate in course-based research experiences.

Improving the integrity of theexamination process will necessitate adecentralised approach, withuniversities having the authority to

make decisions about academicprogrammes, promotions, cohort size,and other matters.

Our campuses must promote tolerancefor a variety of viewpoints because ourstudents have formative experiencesthere and require the freedom toestablish themselves as people.Mains point:Higher education andrelated issues.

12. India’s judiciary and the slackeningcog of trust.Context:The lower judiciary, whichincludes high courts, district andsessions courts, has lost credibility.This necessitates an investigation intothe functioning of India’s subordinatejudiciary.

Concerning Justice:

Substantive justice is concerned withthe moral justification of statutes, caselaw, and unwritten legal principles(e.g., freedom to pursue any religion).The Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019is alleged to be a violation ofsubstantive justice since it violates theconstitution.

Procedural justice is concerned withfair and unbiased decision-making.The case of Lal Bihari, who wasproclaimed dead but fought for 9 yearsto show he was alive, contained bothsubstantive and procedural justiceviolations.

The problems with the Indian judiciary atthe lower levels:

Judicial corruption:




legislative or executive branchpolitical influence in the judicialprocess, as failure to comply can resultin political retaliation, and

Bribery can occur at any point in thecourt process, including delaying orhastening rulings, accepting orrejecting appeals, or just deciding amatter in a particular way. Lawyers,for example, might collect extra “fees”to expedite or postpone proceedings.

Severe backlog: India’s district courtshave 2.4 million pending cases,according to the National Judicial DataGrid. 23 lakh cases have beenoutstanding for more than ten years,while 39 lakh cases have been pendingfor five to ten years.

Understaffing: In the subordinatecourts, 4,432 judicial officer positionswere vacant (representing 22 percentof the sanctioned strength) (as ofDecember 31, 2015). As of June 2016,458 seats (or 42 percent of thesanctioned strength) on the HighCourts were empty.Some allegations of judicialcorruption:According to TransparencyInternational (TI 2011), over 45 percentof persons paid a bribe to the judiciaryin 2009-2010 in exchange for a speedyresolution of cases involving divorce,bail, and other procedures.

According to the Asian Human RightsCommission (AHRC), taking a petitionto court costs at least $1,000 in bribes.

“India’s lower judiciary has beenriddled with corruption,” according tothe “Freedom in the World 2016”study.“There is a substantial risk ofcorruption at the lowest judiciallevels,” according to the GANBusiness Anti-Corruption Portalreport 2017. Bribes and irregularpayments are frequently exchanged for

favourable court rulings.” Forexample, a senior civil judge from theTis Hazari District Court was detainedfor allegedly receiving a bribe to rulein favour of a plaintiff in a case.

The effect of judicial corruption :

Corruption-related incidents at thelower levels of the justice system erodepublic confidence. The loss of faith inthe courts could jeopardisegovernance.

The absence of justice is sure toencourage extrajudicial killings, theexercise of extraconstitutionalauthority, pervasive corruption, andunprovoked and savage violenceagainst some segments of society (e.g.,lynching of innocent cattle traders).

Judicial corruption results inprocedural and, to some extent,substantive justice failures.

Next Steps:

“The organisation of society is centredin justice,” remarked Aristotle, a Greekphilosopher.

The fraction of undertrials for three tofive years under total inmates ispositively and strongly connected totrust in the judiciary. As a result, India’sundertrial population must grow.Mains point:Judicial Transparency andAccountability; and Judicial reforms

13. Centre’s plan to relook at sedition lawis welcome but Supreme Court musttake the review process to its logicalconclusion.Context:After 75 years ofindependence, the administration hasstated its desire to eliminate colonialbaggage, telling the Supreme Court thatit would re-examine the provision.




Concerning the Sedition Act:

Section 124A of the Indian Penal Codewas included into the penal code (IPC)in its current form in 1898, over fourdecades after the IPC was firstintroduced.

It defines “sedition” as inciting“disaffection” against the lawfulgovernment or bringing it into “hatredor contempt,” and it punishes suchbehaviour.

The penalty imposed ranges from lifein prison plus a fine to an additionalthree-year prison sentence.

The constitutionality of IPC Section 124A:

In the 1950s, the Punjab High Courtand the Allahabad High Courtknocked down the sedition legislationas a restriction on free speech.

Second, in Kedar Nath Singh vs Stateof Bihar (1962), the Supreme Courtupheld its validity. The SupremeCourt ruled that not all speechexpressing “disaffection,” “hatred,” or“contempt” for the government

constituted seditious. Speech that hasthe potential to cause “public unrest”would be considered sedition.

Against argument:

In the 1960s, the UK’s sedition statutebecame obsolete, and it was ultimatelyrepealed in 2009. Singapore, like India,inherited colonial English law and hasrepealed the sedition legislation.

In reality, the Law Commission andthe Supreme Court have both reportedon widespread legal abuse in theirfindings. The provision has been usedagainst comedians, journalists, andregular residents who have expressedtheir displeasure with theadministration, for example.

Next Steps:

The Supreme Court has agreed toreconsider the constitutionality of thecolonial sedition law.

The Home Ministry has asked theSupreme Court to postpone the caseuntil a “competent forum,” most likelyParliament, considers the matter ofsedition law.

The police should not have theauthority to discern and distinguishgenuine expression of speech fromseditious speech.

Mains point:Freedom of Speech andExpress; Sedition Law.

14. This food regulator needs to step upto the plate.Context:The Food Safety andStandards Authority of India (FSSAI)is anticipated to release a draughtregulation for front-of-packagelabelling informing customers if aproduct has too much salt, sugar, orfat. It is expected to present a systemin which products are assigned stars.

. The proposed regulation is based on astudy undertaken by IIM-Ahmedabadfor the FSSAI.




The study contains numerousmethodological flaws. As a result, theFSSAI is unable to proceed with aproposed regulation based on a highlycontentious study design withunreviewed conclusions.

Its decision to use a Health Star Ratingas a front-of-pack labelling based on analgorithm only known to the foodindustry is based on no reasonablerationale or proof.

The potential issues:

We need to limit the amount ofunhealthy foods produced, marketed,and available.

Even if they are available, we mustinfluence customer behaviour inpurchasing such processed foods byclearly labelling their contents on thepackaging.

The World Health Organization(WHO) has established a sugar, salt,fat, and calorie limit per 100 grammesof packaged processed food or 100 mlof bottled liquid beverages. We mustfollow WHO guidelines unless we canoffer competing technical data for theIndian population.

We can’t lower thresholds to suit theindustry; instead, the industry mustchange its makeup to maintain healthylevels. That is something the FSSAImust assure.

Any public-interest rule or guidelinemust be mandatory from the start. Theflexibility of optional acceptance andstaggered deployment is not possible.

Nobody can deny that the IndianInstitute of Management Ahmedabadis a reputable institution, but so aremany others that were not invited orgiven the opportunity to bid on such avast and expensive study.

On the Front of the Package Labeling:Study participants must be able toobjectively assess the various formatsof FOPL based on the informationcontent. They must be able to compareand find the least damaging content, aswell as more content than is advised.The consumer’s opinion ismeaningless if he or she is uneducatedor illiterate.

According to the authors, 13.8 percentof respondents have never had anyformal education or are illiterate, and28 percent to 35 percent of respondentsnever read food labels. As a result, theyshould not have been included in thisstudy’s relative label comparison.

Data is missing: The study’s failure toinclude young teenage children aged10 to 18 years, who are heavy users ofpackaged cookies, chips, and bottledsoft beverages, is a majormethodological flaw. There areconsiderable gaps in the data.Mains point:Draft regulation for labelson front of food packets

15. Still a long way for termination as anunconditional right.Context:The question of abortion hasrecently made international headlines.This brings up the question of whetherabortions are legal in India.

The legal position of abortion in India:




Under the Indian Penal Code (IPC),causing a woman to miscarryvoluntarily (if not in good faith) is acrime punishable by up to three yearsin prison, a fine, or both.

The Medical Termination ofPregnancy (MTP) Act of 1971 waspassed to make abortion lawful incertain situations. It includedexceptions to the IPC’s rules.

The judiciary was asked forauthorization to terminate thepregnancy under specific situations. Inseveral cases, courts have held that apregnant woman’s ability to choosewhether or not to continue herpregnancy is a part of her right tohealth and life. As a result, right isunavoidable.

In addition, in 2021, the MedicalTermination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act1971 was revised. It extended the reachof the law.

The grounds for medical abortion:

If the continuance of the pregnancyputs the pregnant woman’s physical,mental, or life in danger.

If the pregnancy was caused by rapeor the failure of a contraceptive deviceintended to reduce the number ofchildren. The continuation of such apregnancy can be harmful to thepregnant woman’s mental health.

Continuing the pregnancy poses asignificant risk to the infant child, suchas serious physical or mentalabnormalities.Various Situations:The pregnancy canbe terminated for any of the reasonslisted above, taking into account thegestational age of the baby. A medicalopinion from a registered medicalpractitioner under the MTP Act is alsorequired.

A single certified medicalpractitioner’s opinion up to 20 weeksof pregnancy.

From 20 to 24 weeks, two licensedmedical practitioners’ opinions arerequired. This includes women whohave experienced sexual assault/rapeor incest, minors, women withsubstantial physical disabilities,mentally ill women, foetalmalformations that are life-threatening,and changes in marital status during apregnancy, such as widowhood ordivorce.

After 24 weeks, the opinion of aMedical Board established by law ineach state is required. Only in the caseof foetal abnormalities can abortion beapproved.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, asingle certified medical practitionercan terminate a pregnancy at any timeif it is required to save the pregnantwoman’s life.

The related concerns:

The law does not recognise a pregnantwoman’s right to choose whether ornot to terminate her pregnancy.

Following the right to privacy ruling,it has been claimed that a pregnantwoman’s freedom to choose whether ornot to continue her pregnancy shouldbe included in the right to privacy andthe right to life. This ruling is notreflected in the modified law.

Other central legislation, such as thoseon persons with disabilities, mentalhealth, and transgender people, aresimilarly out of sync with the modifiedlaw.

The modifications did not eliminateambiguity between the MTP Act andother statutes such as the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offenses(POCSO) Act and the Drugs andCosmetics Act, to name a few.




Mains point:Medical TerminationLaw, Right to Abortion, Right to lifeetc.

16. How to make a uniform civil code.Context:A number of stategovernments have recently advocateddrafting a Uniform Civil Code for theirrespective jurisdictions.

India has taken a step toward UCC:

In 1954, Parliament passed the SpecialMarriage Act and the IndianSuccession Act, which established civilmarriage. As a secular alternative, theseenactments were made available to allIndian people. As a result, these actscollectively constitute an optional UCCfor all Indians.

In addition, in 1955, Parliament passedthe Hindu Marriage Act, whichregulated religious weddings betweenHindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.In addition, for the possessions ofpeople protected by the HinduMarriage Act 1955, a Hindu SuccessionAct went into effect next year.

An antiquated Portuguese Civil Codefrom 1867 governs the people of Goa,Daman, and Diu. The 218-year-oldFrench Civil Code of 1804 governs alarge section of Puducherry’spopulation known as Renoncants(Indians whose ancestors hadabandoned personal law during theFrench reign).

The major personal laws’ issues:

In certain ways, the Special MarriageAct is clearly discriminatory. Itmentions the degree of marriagebetween close relatives that isprohibited (like the Hindu MarriageAct). Marriages between distantcousins are also not prohibited by theAct (i.e., sapinda relationship). Thus,despite religious ban, a Hindu canmarry a second cousin, whereas aMuslim cannot marry a first cousindespite religious authorization.

In fact, the Hindu Marriage Act lifts theprohibition on banned degrees basedon custom, while the Special MarriageAct does not.

During the Emergency, the SpecialMarriage (Amendment) Act permittedthe Hindu Succession Act to governboth parties’ (if Hindu) propertiesinstead of the Indian Succession Act.This was a step backwards.

The concerns with the proposed uniformcivil code laws at the state level:

A state-level UCC appears to beirreconcilable with Article 44 of theConstitution on the surface. The articlecalls for a single civil code for citizensacross India’s entire territory. Theproposal is not limited to charactersfrom India.

Family and succession laws are jointlygoverned by the Centre and the statesunder the Constitution. As a result,Parliament can pass laws that apply tothe entire country.Arguments in support of thegovernment’s plans:

In several places of the country, archaicforeign laws nevertheless apply toIndian citizens. As a result, such a codemight be implemented at the statelevel.

The Road Ahead:

For the entire country, there should bea single legislation governing family




rights and succession. The law shouldadhere to the constitutional provisionsof equal protection under the law andequality before the law.

The discriminatory clauses of theSpecial Marriage Act relating torestricted degrees in marriage shouldbe amended by parliament. Inaddition, the 1976 amendmentlimiting the Indian Succession Act’sapplicability must be repealed.

To begin, the parliament can abolishand replace Goa’s, Daman Diu’s, andPuducherry’s old foreign civil codewith the central marriage andsuccession rules. In the beginning, thiswill be a logical choice.Mains point:Uniform civil code and itsconcerns

17. On Gyanvapi Mosque, we aredebating the wrong questionContext:A video assessment of theGyanvapi Mosque was recentlyordered by a Varanasi court. Theapparent goal was to determine if thepetitioners’ central contention that themosque was created by destroying orseizing a temple was correct or not.

This is not a debate about secularismor minority rights. The dilemma is whohas the capacity to identify the “truenature” of our disputed architecturalsites and how they will be defined.

Reading architecture through the lensof political philosophy reveals that thisis dependent on the ideals we acquireduring state formation.

The differences between modern stateformation values:In the past, monarchs gainedlegitimacy in one of two ways:

The legitimacy for the king to governderived from God in the Abrahamicworld and mythology in the Paganworld in the event of intra-stateconcerns.

When it came to inter-state disputes,rulers used brute force and brutality toassert themselves. Pre-modern stateformation values were divine/mythological, as well as violent/expansionist.

Those rulers appraised the usefulnessof architectural places based on thesevalues. A monarch who conquered thecity or gained religious authority tobecome the king chose what a mosque,temple, or palace would beappropriated for, or whether it wouldbe allowed to exist at all.

Since the French Revolution, legitimacyis no longer based on divinity orhistorical practise, and violence is nolonger tolerated. This has resulted in along history of political philosophy,and modern states were founded onmodern morality’s values.

The legal status of a place of worshipconversion:

The change of any place of worshipfrom its religious nature as it stood onAugust 15, 1947 is forbidden by thePlaces of Worship (Special Provisions)Act, 1991.

The Act basically says that if a locationwas a temple on August 15, 1947, itmust remain a temple, and so on forall religious sites.

The following are the reasons why the15th of August 1947 was chosen as thecut-off date: In the spirit of a modernnation-state, the Act does so. It meansthat, since August 15, 1947, when we




decided to become a modern nationand realised it on January 26, 1950, wewould cut links with the politicalstructures that defined our past.

On August 15, 1947, India decided tomake a break with the past andredefine its political legitimacystandards. From that day forward,India was to be characterised by theideals of a modern state embodied inthe constitution, and courts were tojudge conflicts based on those values.Not in opposition to the values ofprevious political systems ormythologies.

The problems with this case’s court-ordered investigation:

According to the Places of Worship Actof 1991, the “real nature” of ourarchitectural sites is determined bymodern ideals rather than mythologyor mediaeval battles.

As defined by the Act, thephilosophical and practical approachis to ignore mythical claims tohistorical locations and not study itsarchaeology for claims of possession.The courts have done the exactopposite by ordering a survey of theGyanvapi Mosque.

By conducting similar examinationsinto holy monuments, the courts havelegitimised the values of an anti-modern polity, as they did in theinstance of the Babri Masjid.

They have transgressed against theideals that they claim to promote.Courts are unable to act on allegationsbased on mythology or mediaevalcapture.

A path forward:

Despite precedents to the contrary,higher courts must uphold the statusquo. The architecture of today shouldnot be defined by a single period in itspast. Such applications must bedismissed.

Mains point:Gyanvapi Mosque dispute

18.Increasing the pace of India’surbanisation.Context:In recent years, thegovernment has started to realise thatthe cities are the drivers of economicgrowth.

Trends of Urbanization: In 1960, the global rate of urbanisation

was at 33.61%. In 2003, more peoplewere living in cities than in villages. In2020, the global urbanisation rate wasat 56.15% in 2020.

In fact, globally, the late 20th centurysaw rapid urbanisation, especiallyamong the newly decolonisedcountries from Africa, Latin Americaand Asia.

According to the World UrbanisationProspects report, the rate ofurbanisation in Asia was close to 50%by 2018. Further, it is projected to be52.3% for Asia and around 37.6% forSouth Asian (sub-region) by the year2022.

India’s trends : The 20th and 21st centuries witnessed

India’s rapid and sustained urbangrowth.

In 1960, India’s rate of urbanisation was17.94%. In 2020, India’s urbanisationrate was 34.92%. Further, India isprojected to have about 35%urbanisation by the end of 2022.

State-wise trends in India:

According to the Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare, the UTs havingthe highest percentage of urbanpopulation are Chandigarh (99.63% in2020) and Delhi (99.23% in 2020). Thestates having large area and populationlike Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh)have the least percentage of projectedpopulation living in cities.




Merits of urbanisation:

A city is a breathing entity which isever-growing and evolving. The citiesshape culture and give impetus to therealisation of dreams and ambitions ofpeople who come from thecountryside.

There is a positive correlation betweenurbanisation and economic growth.The cities and the process ofurbanisation offer a lot ofdevelopmental advantages.

Urbanisation leads to rise ofagglomeration economies, theformation of industrial clusters, andthe increase in competitiveness amongand within each state

Urbanisation also offers solutions toreduce income inequality andpoverty. It enhances jobs and incomesas more talent is attracted to urbanconglomerates.

The issues:

Looking at India’s urbanisation rate, itseems India has a sluggish rate ofurbanisation.

India’s Urbanisation is below theglobal rate of/ urbanisation as well asthe Asian average of urbanisation rate.

In India, “Cities” as a scope of study isa relatively new field. India hasprimarily been seen as a village-basedcountry during colonisation and a fewyears right after independence.

In the post-independence years,industrial development, regionalintegration, and economic growthbecame priorities, and the “urbanquestion” remained missing from thediscourse of development.

Way Forward : There is a need to increase the pace of

urbanisation in the country. At thesame time, the influx of populationshould not be concentrated in biggercities only.

Smaller cities lying on the peripheryof the major industrial cities should beprimarily focussed from the point ofgrowth and investment potential.

In addition, all the backward cities andtowns should be given attention forinvestment and development.Mains point:Trends of Urbanisation

19. Law and public opinion: OnPerarivalan releaseContext:The Supreme Court recentlyhas invoked its extraordinary power toorder the release of A.G. Perarivalan,one of the seven convicts in the RajivGandhi assassination case.

Perarivalan has drawn publicsympathy, largely because he was only19 when he got embroiled in theassassination plot and later revelationsin his confessional statement for hislink in the purchase of a battery usedin the belt bomb in the suicidebombing.

The Court held that the Governor isbound by the State Cabinet’s advicewhen acting under Article 161 of theConstitution, that his reference to thePresident was “inimical to the schemeof the Constitution” and that remissionremains Scope of the Pardoning Power:

Both the President and the Governorhave been vested with the sovereignpower of pardon by the Constitution,commonly referred to as mercy orclemency power.

Under Article 72, the President cangrant pardons, reprieves, respites, or




remissions of punishment or suspend,remit or commute the sentence of anyperson convicted of any offence

in all cases where the punishment orsentence is by a court-martial,

in all cases where the punishment orsentence is for an offence under any lawrelating to the Union government’sexecutive power, and in all cases ofdeath sentences.

The President cannot exercise hispower of pardon independent of thegovernment. This principle wasreiterated by the SC in Kehar SinghCase (1988).

Although the President is bound by theCabinet’s advice, Article74 (1)empowers him to return it forreconsideration once. If the Council ofMinisters decides against any change,the President has no option but toaccept it.

It is also made clear that the President’spower will not in any way affect aGovernor’s power to commute (notpardon) a death sentence.

Under Article 161, a Governor can grantpardons, reprieves, respites, orremissions of punishment, or suspend,remit, or commute the sentence ofanyone convicted under any law on amatter which comes under the State’sexecutive power.Difference Between PardoningPowers of President and Governor:

The scope of the pardoning power ofthe President under Article 72 is widerthan the pardoning power of theGovernor under Article 161 whichdiffers in the following two ways:

The power of the President to grantpardon extends in cases where thepunishment or sentence is by a CourtMartial but Article 161 does notprovide any such power to theGovernor.

The President can grant pardon in allcases where the sentence given is thesentence of death but the pardoningpower of the Governor does not extendto death sentence cases.

firmly under the State’s jurisdiction inthis case.

Past Judicial Pronouncements:The advice of the appropriateGovernment binds the Head of thestate.

Maru Ram v Union of India case (1980)–Even though the President andGovernor are the executive heads, theycannot exercise their discretion withregard to their powers under Articles72 and 161. Both the executive headsare required to act on the advice of theappropriate government–Central andState governments.

The court followed Maru Ram’s casewherein it was held that the stategovernment can advise the governorwho is bound to take it.

. Undue delay in execution of mercypetition-

Shatrugan Chouhan v. Union of India–Undue delay would entitle the deathconvict to seek relief under Article 32r/w Article 21 to get his death sentencecommuted.

Inordinate delay caused due tocircumstances beyond the control of thedeath convict and which is caused bythe authorities for no “reasonableground”, the court should itselfcommute the sentence rather than“remanding the matter forreconsideration of mercy petition”.

. Under exceptional circumstancespower of the court under Article 142:Manohar Lal Sharma v. PrincipalSecretary:

The Supreme Court can deal withexceptional circumstances interferingwith the larger interest of the public in




order to fabricate trust in the rule oflaw.

. Union Carbide Corporation v. Unionof India:

In Bhopal Gas Tragedy Case, the courtordered to award compensation to thevictims and placed itself in a positionabove the Parliamentary laws.

AG Perarivalan Case:The Supreme Court invoked itsextraordinary powers under Article 142and ordered the release of Perarivalan.

SC has also put an end to all doubts byholding that the

Governor is bound by the StateCabinet’s advice when acting underArticle 161 of the Constitution

Governor’s reference to the Presidentis without any constitutional backingand is inimical to the scheme of ourConstitution.

In this case, remission remains firmlyunder the State’s jurisdiction

However, nothing has been said onwhat should be done when the absenceof any time frame for the President orthe Governor is exploited ardoningpower of President:The pardoning power of the Presidentincludes the following:Pardon: It removes both the sentenceand the conviction and completelyabsolves the convict from all sentences,punishments, and disqualifications.Commutation: It denotes thesubstitution of one form ofpunishment for a lighter form. Forexample, a death sentence may becommuted to rigorous imprisonment,which in turn may be commuted tosimple imprisonment.Remission: It implies reducing theperiod of a sentence without changingits character. For example, a sentenceof rigorous imprisonment for twoyears may be remitted to rigorousimprisonment for one year.

Respite: It denotes awarding a lessersentence in place of one originallyawarded due to some special fact, suchas the physical disability of a convictor the pregnancy of a woman offender.Reprieve: It implies a stay of theexecution of a sentence (especially thatof death) for a temporary period. Itspurpose is to enable the convict to havetime to seek pardon or commutationfrom the President.

Constitutional Provisions:. Article 142:

Article 142 provides a unique powerto the Supreme Court, to do “completejustice” between the parties, where attimes law or statute may not provide aremedy.

The framers of the Constitution felt thatthis provision is of utmost significanceto those people who have to suffer dueto the delay in getting their necessaryreliefs due to the disadvantagedposition of the judicial system.

. Article 161:

Under Article 161, the Governor of astate possesses the pardoning power.

A Governor can grant pardons,reprieves, respites and remissions ofpunishment or suspend, remit andcommute the sentence of any personconvicted of any offence against a statelaw.

The advice of the state cabinet isbinding on the Governor in mattersrelating to commutation /remission ofsentences under Article 161.

Also, the orders passed by theGovernor, under Article 161, can besubjected to judicial review.

to indefinitely delay executivedecisions.

Way forward: Undue, inordinate and unreasonable

delay in execution of death sentencehas dehumanising effects.




The mercy petitions under Article 72/161 should be disposed of at a muchfaster pace than what is adopted now.Mains point:Governor’s Power

20. Talking peace, negotiating with theMaoists.Context:Recently, the Chief Minister ofChhattisgarh announced that the Stategovernment was ready for peace talkswith the Maoists provided they laiddown arms and expressed their faithin the Constitution of India.

Earlier attempts: In 2010, the then Home Minister tried

to bring the Maoists to the negotiatingtable. He asked them to halt violenceand come to talk. In response, theMaoists placed three pre-conditions toa dialogue.

In 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Stategovernment lifted the ban on the party.Consequently, there was a four-daypeace dialogue between therepresentatives of the People’s War(PW) party and government.

Maoists proposed a 11-point charter ofdemands such as legislation on landceiling; creation of a separate state ofTelangana; and questions associatedwith armed action by either side.However, the peace process collapsedmid-way and the ban was re-imposedon the CPI(Maoist) and its sisterorganisations.

The major conditions of the Maoists:

The ‘withdrawal of all-out war’, i.e., acessation of hostilities by both sides

simultaneously, i.e., mutual ceasefireand not unilateral ceasefire by theMaoists.

lifting of the ban on the party wasnecessary for peaceful legal work bythe Maoists,

The government should adhere to theConstitution and end the illegalarrests, tortures and murders in thename of encounters. The governmentwas also required to release someleadersThe Govt withdraw security forcesfrom Maoist areas:

The government should go ahead withthe Maoist’s demand of withdrawal ofarmed police forces with a mutuallyagreed ‘ceasefire’. For example,Maoists must abjure violence and theSecurity force’s Anti-Maoist operationsmust be halted for some period.

The State government cannot afford therisk of moving out security forces as apre-condition for initiating peace talks.The Maoists misused the ceasefireduring the 2004 peace talks in AndhraPradesh.

Way Forward:

The State governments shouldimplement the Provisions ofPanchayats (Extension to theScheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996.

The release of jailed Maoist leadersshould not be made a pre-condition bythe Maoists. In fact, the Chhattisgarhgovernment has withdrawn criminalcases against many tribals and has alsoensured expeditious triasl of Naxalcases.

The government may give someconcessions with regard to lifting a banon the CPI(Maoist), the PLGA and itsfront organisations.

Mains point:Extremism in India




21. Look Out Circular: Understanding theprocess of issuing LOCs.Context:Earlier, the Punjab andHaryana High Court while quashing aLook Out Circular (LOC) against thepetitioner and passed omnibusinstructions to the respondentsincluding the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) and the Bureau of Immigration(BOI).

The court asked to serve a copy of theLOC to the affected person, state thereasons for issuing the LOC “as soonas possible” and provide a “post-decisional opportunity”. The courtalso asked the MHA to include thesedirections in the “OfficialMemorandum” or the guidelines thatgovern the opening of LOCs.

The Government of India movedSupreme Court and the apex courtstayed the particular paragraph of theHigh Court order recently.

The look out circular(LOC):

Generated by: Bureau of Immigration(BOI) under the MHA is only theexecuting agency. They generate LOCsbased on requests by differentagencies.

Exceptional cases to issue LOCs: The2010 Ministry guidelines givesweeping powers to police andintelligence agencies to generate LOCsin “exceptional cases”. They cangenerate LOCs without completeparameters or case details against“suspects, terrorists, anti-nationalelements, etc, in larger nationalinterest.”

Validity of LOCs: As per norms, anLOC will stay valid for a maximumperiod of 12 months and if there is nofresh request from the agency then itwill not be automatically revived.

Details required to generate LOC:According to a 2010 officialmemorandum of the Ministry, details

such as First Information Report (FIR)number, court case number are to bemandatorily provided with name,passport number and other details.

Modification of LOCs: The LOCs canbe modified; deleted or withdrawnonly at the request of the originator.The legal liability of the action takenby immigration authorities inpursuance of LOC rests with theoriginating agency.

Remedial measures for individualsagainst LOCs: The MHA has assertedthat “LOCs cannot be shown to thesubject” at the time of detention nor canany prior intimation be provided.Further, no accused or subject of LOCcan be provided with any opportunityof hearing before the issuance of theLOC since it defeats the purpose ofLOC.

Note:Look Out Circular(LOC).

An LOC is issued to make sure that anindividual who is absconding orwanted by law enforcement agenciesis not able to leave the country.

It is mostly used at immigrationcheckpoints at international airportsand seaports by the immigrationbranch.

In certain cases, the police canapproach a court asking for restrictionof a person’s movement outside thecountry when that person is a suspectand there is an apprehension that theymay not join the investigation at a laterstage.

The person against whom the LOC isissued can challenge the circular andget relief from a court.Mains point:Understanding theprocess of issuing LOCs

22. India needs parliamentarysupervision of trade pacts.Context: India is negotiating andsigning several free trade agreements




(FTAs) with countries like Australia,the UK, Israel, and the EU. While theeconomic benefits of these FTAs havebeen studied, there is very littlediscussion on the lack of parliamentaryscrutiny of these treaties.

This gives rise to arguments ofdemocratic deficit in India’s treaty-making process.

Concerns over the lack ofparliamentary oversight were alsoflagged by the National Commissionto Review the Working of theConstitution, set up by the Vajpayeegovernment more than two decadesago.

So, should Parliament exercise somecontrol over the executive’s power tosign international treaties?Parliament legislate on internationaltreaties:

In the Constitution, entry 14 of theUnion list contains the following item— “entering into treaties andagreements with foreign countries andimplementing of treaties, agreementsand conventions with foreigncountries”.

According to Article 246, Parliamenthas the legislative competence on allmatters given in the Union list.

Thus, Parliament has the power tolegislate on treaties.

The power includes:

Deciding how India will ratify treatiesand thus assume international lawobligations.

Parliament’s competence to give effectto treaties within the domestic legalregime by enacting laws.

Article 253 elucidates that the powerof Parliament to implement treaties byenacting domestic laws also extends totopics that are part of the state list.

The present situation:. The Parliament exercises control over

the executive’s treaty-making power at

the stage of transforming a treaty intothe domestic legal regime. However,this is a scenario of ex-postparliamentary control over theexecutive.

Parliament only deliberates how theinternational law obligations, alreadyaccepted by the executive, should beimplemented domestically. Even ifParliament does not amend or makedomestic laws to transform the treaty,the treaty will continue to be bindingon India.

No specific law laying down theprocesses: Parliament is yet to enact alaw laying down the processes thatIndia needs to follow before assuminginternational treaty obligations.

Given this legislative void, and underArticle 73 (the powers of the Unionexecutive are co-terminus withParliament), the Centre has beennegotiating, signing & also ratifyinginternational treaties and assuminginternational law obligations withoutmuch parliamentary oversight.

The global practice:

In the US, important treaties signed bythe President have to be approved bythe Senate.

In Australia, the executive is requiredto table a “national interest analysis”of the treaty it wishes to sign inparliament, and then this is examinedby a joint standing committee ontreaties – a body composed ofAustralian parliamentarians. In thisway, the Australian parliamentsupervises the treaty-making processand acts as a check on the executive’spower.

In Canada, too, the executive tables thetreaties in parliament.

Way forward

Effective parliamentary supervisionwill increase the domestic acceptanceand legitimacy of international treaties,




especially economic agreements,which are often critiqued for imposingundue restraints on India’s economicsovereignty.Mains point:Parliamentarysupervision of international treaties.

23. Why vaccine mandates are essential.Context:Recently, the Supreme Courthas given its verdict on thegovernment’s ongoing vaccinationpolicy. The court held that restrictionsimposed by States and UnionTerritories on unvaccinatedindividuals cannot be said to beproportionate.Background:

The governments have imposed partialor full vaccination of individuals as aprecondition for accessing publicspaces, services, or using publictransportation, among others.Past trends of safeguard communityinterest:

In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court inJacobson v. Massachusetts, upheld thepunishment of citizens who rejectedsmallpox vaccinations. Such a standwas taken in various judgments in thewestern world.

In India, the Supreme Court in AshaRanjan v. State of Bihar (2017), echoedthe prioritisation of communityinterest over individual interests. Thecourt had observed that the communityinterest cannot be sacrificed at the altarof individual interests especially in asituation where a fear of psychosis isrunning through the community.

The Supreme Court’s observations:

The government’s policy seeks toinvade an individual’s bodily integrityand personal autonomy under Article21 of the Constitution.

The proportionality test was used tocheck on the infringement of bodilyintegrity, personal autonomy, and

privacy of an individual by the state.The test requires satisfaction of thefollowing conditions:

the state action should be sanctionedby law;

the proposed action should have alegitimate state aim; and

the extent of interference by theproposed state action should beproportionate to the need for suchinterference. It means less restrictivemeasures are absent.

In particularly this case

The State is empowered under Entry 6of the State List of Schedule VII of theConstitution, the DisasterManagement Act of 2005 and theEpidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to takeeffective measures (including legislate)on issues concerning ‘public health’.

The state’s aim is legitimate. Forexample, the Indian Council of MedicalResearch said that 92% of COVID-19deaths in India in 2021 occurred inunvaccinated individuals.

The extent of the state’s interferencewith the privacy and bodily autonomyof an individual, like the vaccinationis the essential precondition foravailing certain services, is notdisproportionate when the state facesthe challenge of preventing thetransmission of COVID-19 and thenumber of deaths. However, such astate’s interference is disproportionateuntil the time infection rates remainlow.

At present, the infection rates are low.Therefore, the court held that the state’sinterference are violative of anindividual’s bodily integrity andpersonal autonomy under Article 21 ofthe Constitution.Argument against the SupremeCourt’s decision:

The decision will impact India’s abilityto equip itself and its citizens for




further mutations of the virus, if any,in the times to come.

The vaccines have proved to bemedically essential to prevent severeillness and reduce deaths amonginfected persons. Should the virusmutate further, the presence of a classof unvaccinated persons would havewide-ranging ramifications for analready overburdened healthcaresystem.

India is a signatory to the InternationalCovenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights. Thus, India is boundto take all possible measures toprogressively realise the enjoyment of“highest attainable standard ofphysical and mental health” of itscitizens under Article 12. Therefore, thestate should expedite inoculations ata time when infection rates arerelatively low.

The vaccination will alleviate theburden on the healthcare systemduring more difficult times. It will alsoensure that the state’s healthcarepolicies are proactive and not merelyreactionary.

The state should first safeguard the lifeand health of its citizens beforeindividuals’ decisional autonomies.Mains point: Fundamental Rights –individual’s bodily integrity andpersonal autonomy under Article 21 ofthe Constitution

24. Gyanvapi: Court must follow the law,not faith.Context: The Supreme Court hasadmitted petitions on the Gyanvapimosque.

At present, a controversy is raging overthe Gyanvapi Mosque, which is alegacy of the Mughal emperorAurangzeb (1618-1707).

Nature of Indian Polity:

India’s Constitution guarantees theprinciple of religious equality andprotection of minority rights. As perB.R. Ambedkar, these principles willcome to safeguard the interests ofminorities in case India becomes aHindu-majority independent India.

In India, the parliamentary system hasbeen adopted. The popular will isrepresented by the legislature.However, the Constitution alsoprovides some checks on the power oflegislatures and the executives.

The Judiciary has an important role forsafeguarding the Constitution. Ifelections give way to majoritarianpassions, and can’t protect theminorities, the courts, following theConstitution, will.Argument Against ongoingdevelopments in the GyanvapiMosque Case:

The atrocities of Aurangzeb were notlimited to destruction of the Hindutemples. He also targeted Sikh gurus,destroyed mosques built byadversaries, killed his own brotherDara Shikoh and incarcerated his fatherShahjehan.

Should Aurangzeb’s 17th centurymisdeeds be avenged by inflictingharm on India’s Muslims today.

At present, the attempts to reclaim themosque for Hindu religious purposescontradicts the Constitution.




The challenges at present:

At present, we live in a moderndemocracy that is based on the keyfoundations of popular will andconstitutional settlement.

At present, India’s elections or popularwill has been increasingly legitimatingHindu nationalism. For example,India’s parliament has enactedmajoritarian laws such as theabrogation of Article 370 and theCitizenship Amendment Act (CAA);multiple state-level laws and/orexecutive decrees are banning beef-eating and inter-faith marriage, amongvarious other measures.

The Indian Judiciary has also not beensuccessful in implementing itsconstitution-protecting role.

For example, it has not scheduledhearings of Hindu nationalist policiesor legislation like Article 370 and theCAA; and It has even approvedconversion of a contested site inAyodhya into a Hindu temple.

Way Forward:

The Places of Worship Act, 1991, madein accordance with the Constitution,clearly says that the status of areligious place cannot be alteredbeyond what it was at Independence.

The religious equality and minorityprotections, two of the fundamentalprinciples of the Indian Constitutionshould be safeguarded. Therefore,Judicial interpretation must follow thelaw, not faith.Mains point: Fundamental Rights:-Right to religious equality andminority rights.

25. Inadequacies of the Civil RegistrationSystem.Context:The World HealthOrganization (WHO)’s estimatedexcess deaths due to COVID-19 inIndia which has triggered severalresponses.

The government’s response againstWHO estimates:

Various State Health Ministersslammed the WHO estimates. Theyasserted that India has a “robust, legaland transparent system for datacollection and COVID mortalitysurveillance”, referred to as the CivilRegistration System (CRS).

System for registration in India:

The Registration of Births and Deaths(RBD) Act, 1969 mandates theregistration of births and deaths.

The State governments are responsiblefor the establishment and managementof the registration system.

The Registrar General of India (RGI)coordinates and unifies the activities ofregistration.

The Sample Registration System(SRS) is used for further analysis of thebirth and death registration in India.

A birth/death should be registeredwithin 21 days. After 21 days, birth/death can be registered under the RBDAct with an order of a First-ClassMagistrate issued after verifying thefacts about the birth or death.

The issues with India’s registration system:

The SRS figures are not available forthe year 2020 in which Covid-19 hitIndia.

Further, Past studies on the SRSindicate that the vital rates areunderestimated by 2-3%.

Further, 2020 annual reports haveshown that the number of births anddeaths registered one year afteroccurrence is quite high. For example,more than 15% of the births registeredhad occurred in earlier years inUttarakhand, Jharkhand, Rajasthan andAssam. However, such a proportion ofdelayed registration was lower in caseof deaths.




Many deaths like female deaths andchild deaths have low level ofregistration because the family maynot require the death certificates forsettling inheritance, insurance claims,etc. For example, Female deathsformed only 39.8% of the totalregistered deaths in 2020.

Only about 20% of the deaths have aMedically Certified Cause of Death(MCCD) that conforms to the WHOstandard. The State governments havenot issued statutory notifications toincrease the coverage of MCCD.

Impact of COVID-19 on registration:

The Covid-19 lockdowns significantlyaffected the efficiency of the CRS in thefollowing manner.

One, the registrars could not workduring lockdowns in many areas.

Two, people could not travel to theregistrar’s office to report the births/deaths that had occurred at homewithin the prescribed time.

Three, in case of a delay in reporting,the procedure of getting an affidavit ora Magistrate’s order as required underSection 13 of the RBD Act is a verycumbersome process.

Four, the functionaries handlingregistration were deployed onCOVID-19-related duties and couldnot register the events.

It means a large number of births anddeaths that had occurred in 2020would have been reported forregistration in 2021 or even later.

Way Forward:

A robust system should be institutedto ensure the registration of almostevery birth and death within a shorttime after its occurrence.

COVID-19 may act as an eye-opener onthe importance of the CRS. The CRS hasseveral shortcomings. India does nothave a robust system of registeringbirths and deaths.

While the law and a registration systemare in place. The State governmentsshould put in more effort to ensure thatall births and deaths are registered andmore deaths have medically certifiedcauses. This would requirecoordinated action by several statedepartments.

The data should be published in atimely manner so that it can aid in theformulation of evidence-based policiesand programs.Mains point:Public data, CivilRegistration System (CRS), SampleRegistration System (SRS).

26. A new road for India’s fiscalfederalism.Context:The Supreme Court of Indiadelivered its verdict in the Union ofIndia vs Mohit Minerals case, where italso made several observations on theGST Council recommendations

About GST Regime

The GST regime was introducedthrough the 101st constitutionalAmendment in July 2017 which aimedfor unification of tax administration inIndia – ‘One Nation, One Tax’.

GST Council: The Amendment Actintroduced Article 279A whichmandated creation of a GST Council.

GST Council Composition: This bodycomprises the Union Finance Minister,the Union Minister of State for Finance,and Ministers of Finance from everyState government.

Functions: The act led to deletion andamendment of many entries in the Statelist of Schedule VII of the Constitution.It enabled the state government tolegislate on GST through a newlyintroduced Article 246A. The Stategovernments could not legislate onsale or purchase of goods (barring afew exceptions, such as petroleum andliquor).




The Council was empowered to makerecommendations to the Union andStates on various matters. The mattersincluded goods and services that maybe subjected to or exempted from GSTand the rates at which tax is to belevied.

Voting share: The Union governmentwas granted a virtual veto in the GSTCouncil’s voting structure and systemConfusions between advisory andbinding nature of GST Council’srecommendations:

The use of the word“recommendations” suggested thatthe GST decisions would be advisory,at best.

The mandate of establishment of amechanism under Article 279A toadjudicate disputes betweengovernments on decisions taken by theCouncil suggested that advicerendered were binding in nature.Impact of making recommendationsbinding in nature:

It could lead to dissolution anddestruction of the well-laid plans of theConstituent Assembly, which carefullydivided Fiscal responsibilitiesbetween the Union and the States.The Supreme Court’s observations inthe Union of India vs Mohit Minerals:

The Court proceeded on a technicalreading of the provisions of the CentralGoods and Services Tax Act.

The Article 246A providesconcomitant power both to the Unionand to the State governments tolegislate on GST. It does notdiscriminate between the two in termsof its allocation of authority.

The concomitant powers allocated inArticle 246A cannot be limited byArticle 279A, which establishes a GSTCouncil, and which treats the Council’sdecisions as “recommendations”.

Both Parliament and the Statelegislatures enjoy equal power tolegislate on Goods and Services Tax(GST). The Goods and Services TaxCouncil’s recommendations are justadvisory that could never be bindingon a legislative body.

According to the Court, the Statelegislatures can deviate from anyadvice rendered by the GST Counciland to make their own laws byasserting, in the process, their role asequal partners in India’s federalarchitecture.

If the GST Council was intended to bea decision-making authority havingbinding recommendations. Such aqualification would have beenincluded in Articles 246A or 279A.

Way Forward:

The legislatures can give binding effectto the Council’s recommendationthrough statutory law. But, accordingto the SC, a constitutional power cannever be limited through statute.

Indian federalism is a dialoguebetween cooperative anduncooperative federalism. The federalunits are at liberty to use differentmeans of persuasion ranging fromcollaboration to contestation.

GST was conceived as a product ofwhat some described as “pooledsovereignty” where our nation can takea genuine turn towards a more“cooperative federalism”.Mains point:Fiscal Federalism, GSTCouncil.

27. MoHUA launches SwachhSurvekshan 2023 under SwachhBharat Mission Urban 2.0, with thetheme of ‘Waste to Wealth’ for GarbageFree Cities.Context:The government has launchedthe eighth edition of Swachh




Survekshan -2023 (SS 2023) underSwachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0.

The Swachh Survekshan 2023:

Theme: The survey is designed withthe theme of ‘Waste to Wealth’ as itsdriving philosophy.

SS 2023 is curated towards achievingcircularity in waste management. Thesurvey would give priority to theprinciple of 3Rs – Reduce, Recycle andReuse.The Swachh Survekshan: SwachhSurvekshan was introduced in 2016 asa competitive framework to encouragecities to improve the status of urbansanitation while encouraging largescale citizen participation.

It was launched as part of the SwachhBharat Abhiyan, which aimed to makeIndia clean and free of open defecationby 2nd October 2019. The first surveywas undertaken in 2016.

Conducted by: Ministry of Housingand Urban Affairs (MoHUA) withQuality Council of India (QCI) as itsimplementation partner.

Parameters: The cities have beenranked based on three broadparameters — service level progress,citizen’s voice and certification.

The new additions to SS2023:

There is an enhanced level ofcleanliness activities undertaken bythe cities during the months the surveyis conducted. Therefore, in SS 2023, theevaluation will be conducted in 4phases, instead of 3 phases in earliereditions.

To align with the theme of SS2023,additional weightage has been givento source segregation of waste,enhancement of waste processingcapacity of cities to match the wastegeneration and reduction of wastegoing to the dumpsites.

Indicators have been introducedemphasising the need for a phasedreduction of plastic, plastic wasteprocessing, encouraging waste towonderful parks and zero wasteevents.

Ranking of Wards within the cities isalso being promoted through SwachhSurvekshan 2023.

The cities would also be assessed ondedicated indicators on the issues of‘open urination’ (Yellow Spots) and‘open spitting’ (Red Spots).

The significance of Swachh Survekshan:

Swachh Survekshan has emerged asthe largest Urban sanitation survey inthe world.

The survey which started with only 73cities in 2016 has now grown to 4355cities in SS 2022, including 62Cantonment Boards. It has led tohealthy competition among cities toimprove their performance onsanitation parameters therebyimproving sanitation services deliveryto the citizens.Mains point:Swachh Survekshan 2023

28. Supreme Court recognises sex work asa ‘profession.Context:After invoking special powersunder Article 142 of the Constitution,the Supreme Court has recognised sexwork as a “profession”. Thus, thepractitioners are entitled to dignity andequal protection under the law.

The key highlights of the Supreme Court’sdirection:




Every individual in this country has aright to a dignified life under Article21 of the Constitution. This alsoincludes sex workers.

Directions to Police: “Sex workers areentitled to equal protection of the law.Criminal law must apply equally in allcases, on the basis of ‘age’ and‘consent’.”

If the sex worker is an adult and isparticipating with consent, the policemust refrain from interfering or takingany criminal action.

Held brotherly unlawful: But the courtalso observed that “voluntary sex workis not illegal and only running thebrothel is unlawful.

Protection for sex worker’s child:A child of a sex worker should not beseparated from the mother merely onthe ground that she is in the sex trade.

The court also observed, “Basicprotection of human decency anddignity extends to sex workers andtheir children.”

Further, if a minor is found living in abrothel or with sex workers, it shouldnot be presumed that the child wastrafficked. In such cases, if the sexworker claims that he/she is her son/daughter, tests can be done todetermine if the claim is correct and ifso, the minor should not be forciblyseparated.Legal protection to sex workers againstabuse: The court ordered the police tonot discriminate against sex workerswho lodge a criminal complaint,

especially if the offence committedagainst them is of a sexual nature.

The court held that the Sex workerswho are victims of sexual assaultshould be provided with every facilityincluding immediate medico-legalcare.Directions to media: The media shouldnot to reveal the identities of sexworkers, during arrest, raid and rescueoperations, whether as victims oraccused. Similarly, they should notpublish or telecast any photos thatwould result in disclosure of suchidentities.The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Actneeds to be reformed:

One, the Act represents the archaic andregressive view that sex work ismorally wrong and that the peopleinvolved in it, especially women, neverconsent to it voluntarily. However, itfails to take account of the rights of‘consenting adult sex workers.

Two, it has led to the stigmatization ofsex workers making them more proneto violence, discrimination andharassment.

Third, The Act denies an individualtheir right over their bodies. Further,it imposes the will of the state overadults in making their life choices.

Fourth, the act has subjected the sexworkers to harassment by the stateofficials due to a lack of independentagencies.

29. India slides 8 places to 150 in 2022Press Freedom IndexContext:The World Press FreedomIndex 2022 has been released. Thisreport is released by Reporters WithoutBorders(RSF).

The aim of this report is to assess thestate of journalism in 180 countries andterritories.




The index ranks countries based on fiveindicators: the political context, legalframework, economic context,sociocultural context and security.Press Freedom Index:Press freedom isdefined by the index as the ability ofjournalists, both individually andcollectively, to select, produce, andtransmit news and information.Especially in the public interest,without political, economic, legal, orsocial intervention, and withoutjeopardising their bodily or mentalwell-being.

key findings of the index

Norway (1st), Denmark (2nd), Sweden(3rd), Estonia (4th), and Finland (5th)ranked first, second, and third,respectively, in the index, while NorthKorea ranked worst.

The index discovered a two-foldincrease in “polarisation” fueled byinformation chaos, that is, mediapolarisation fueling domesticdifferences as well as foreignpolarisation.

India’s ranking in the Index hasdropped to 150th place in 2022, downfrom 142nd place in 2021. India’s scorehas dropped as a result of growingviolence against journalists andpolitically politicised media, resultingin a “crisis” in India’s press freedom.

Prelims Point : Press Freedom Index

30. National Assessment Survey lays outpost-Covid challenges. Teacher- andstudent-centred approaches areneeded.Context:The National AssessmentSurvey (NAS), a study commissionedby the Centre, exposes the scope of thelearning crisis across the countryduring the epidemic.

The NAS, which was conducted inNovember 2021 among students fromover one lakh schools in 720 districts,

showed a significant drop in studentperformance in practically all coursesduring the epidemic years.

The statistics from the NationalAssessment of Educational Progress(NAS) will aid states in conductingshort- and long-term corrective actions,according to the Union educationministry.

The nature of the learning problemduring pandemic:

One of the world’s longest schoolclosures occurred in India.

Teachers have laboured for the betterpart of two years to cope with thepedagogical problems brought by theshift to online education.

For a vast number of impoverishedstudents, the country’s digital gapproved to be a barrier.

According to field reports from privateorganisations and state governmententities, the interruption resulted in analarming regression in children’s coreskills, such as reading, writing, andsimple math.

According to the NAS 2021 report, evenstates that have historically performedwell on educational measures wereharmed by the breakdown. The averagemath results of Delhi’s Class Vchildren, for example, weresignificantly lower than the nationalaverage.Some of the obstacles that must beovercome:

The pandemic appears to have pushedthe execution of the NEP’s schooleducation reforms to the back burner.

In the current budget, funds for teachertraining have been cut by nearly half.

The budget for the Mid-Day MealScheme, which has been shown to havea good influence on school enrolment,student retention, and child nutrition,has been cut by over 10%.




Instead, it appears that e-learning isbeing overused. However, as the NASdemonstrates, these technologiescannot replace classroom interactions.

Steps to be taken:

The first step should be to realise thatchildren are returning to school withweakened skills, as well as the fact thatcertain students may have had moresetbacks than others.

Planners and school administratorsshould provide instructors theopportunity to use innovative methodsto transform classrooms into safespaces where kids can let go of theirfears from the previous two years andreclaim their skills at their own speed.

This would necessitate a rethinkingof instructional practises and a shiftaway from syllabus-centricapproaches in favour of learner-centricapproaches. This requirement isrecognised in the New EducationPolicy 2020, which was announced inthe first year of the pandemic.

A path forward:

Several studies, including the annualASER reports, have found that themajority of the country’s educationalsystem’s flaws stem from a disconnectbetween most students’ livedexperiences and what they are taughtin classrooms.

The pandemic-caused crisis providesa chance for corrective action. Failureto do so will jeopardise an entiregeneration’s academic destiny.Mains point:Issues related todevelopment of education.

31. Digitisation will ensure speedy,efficient delivery of justice.Context: In 2021, the Gujarat HCbecame the first court in the country to

livestream its proceedings. Its examplewas followed by other HCs likeKarnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradeshand Patna.

Use of technology in the India’sJudicial System:

In India, e-governance in the field ofadministration of justice began in thelate 1990s. However, the e-governanceaccelerated after the enactment of theInformation and Technology Act, 2000.

Since then, the focus has been ondigitising the court’s records andestablishing e- courts across thecountry. For example, e-courts werelaunched as a part of the National e-Governance Plan (NEGP) in the year of2006.

The e-Committee of the SupremeCourt has issued directions to ensurethat e-filing of cases/petitions by stategovernments in all matters be mademandatory from January 1, 2022.

The Supreme Court has approved thehearing of a number of matrimonialcases through video-conferencing in anumber of cases. For example, inKrishna Veni Nagam v Harish NagamCase (2017), and in Anjali BrahmawarChauhan vs Navin Chauhan Case.

In 2018, the Supreme Court allowed thelive-streaming of cases ofconstitutional and national importanceon the basis of the judgment inSwapnil Tripathi.




The benefits of digitisation:

Digitisation prevents the requirementof a large space needed to store somany files and the decades-olddocuments.

Ensures that these files are traceableelectronically as and when required.This prevents the consequences ofmissing court records.

For example, the SC in State of UttarPradesh v. Abhay Raj Singh Caseheld that the courts are bound to setaside the conviction, if court recordsgo missing and re-construction is notpossible. Thus, convicts can go free forwant of court records.

The time consumed in summoningrecords from the lower courts to theappellate courts cause a lot of delayin cases. It will take much less time totransmit the records as and whencalled for after digitisation.

The cases are adjourned simplybecause affidavits filed several yearsago were not restored with the recordor were not traceable. The digitisationwill not let the cases adjourned by thecourts on this account.

The lawyer or a litigant can check thestatus of the filing, the status ofapplications and affidavits, date of thenext hearing, orders passed by thecourts etc. Thus, the lawyers or theirstaff are not required to visit thereporting sections or other sections ofthe court to know about the status oftheir cases.

Before the pandemic, virtual hearingswere used only in a limited manner;for example, in criminal cases where itwas not possible to produce theaccused physically before the court.

The live-streaming of cases of nationalimportance would lead to ensuringtransparency and openness.

The issues:

There are Internet connectivity issues.In addition, it requires a well-equipped space where lawyers canconduct their cases.

Judges, court staff and lawyers are notwell-versed with digital technologyand its benefits.

Way Forward

Political will and the support of judgesand lawyers are necessary. Theyshould be made aware of the technicalknow-how and its advantages. Theyshould also be given adequate trainingin the technologies.

The digital technology can be used interms of digitisation of court records,e-filing of cases and their virtualhearing, live streaming of courtproceedings.

Virtual hearings cannot be a substitutefor physical court hearings in all cases.Cases related to matrimonial issues anddomestic violence, bounced cheques,motor accident compensation referredto mediation centres and lok adalatscould be included in the list of casesfit for disposal through the virtualhearing.Mains point: Digitisation in IndianJudiciary.

32. Reservation in public employment.Context:The jurisprudence ofreservation relies on the symbioticcoexistence of constitutionallyguaranteed equality of opportunity inpublic employment under Article 16 (1)and classifications thereunder variousclauses of the same article, especiallyArticle 16(4) and Article 16 (4 A).




These are facilitating provisions, vesta discretion on the government toconsider providing reservations for thesocially and educationally backwardsections of the society and to providereservation in promotion to SCs andSTs, respectively.

Reservation is not a fundamental right:

Mukesh Kumar and Another vs Stateof Uttarakhand & Ors. 2020: It is asettled law, time and again reiteratedby the Supreme Court, that there is nofundamental right to reservation orpromotion under Article 16(4) orArticle 16(4 A) of the Constitution,rather they are enabling provisions forproviding reservation, if thecircumstances so warrant.

However, these pronouncements in noway understate the constitutionaldirective under Article 46.

Article 46 mandates that the state shallpromote with special care theeducational and economic interests ofthe weaker sections of the people, andin particular Scheduled Castes andScheduled Tribes.

Reservation in employment:

Reservation in employment which wasotherwise confined to ScheduledCastes and Scheduled Tribes gotextended to OBCs as well on the basisof the recommendations of the 2ndBackward Class Commission asconstituted, headed by B.P. Mandal.

The recommendation of MandalCommission (1980) to provide 27%reservation to OBCs in central servicesand PSUs, over and above the existing22.5% reservation for Scheduled Castesand Scheduled Tribes, was sought tobe implemented by the V.P. SinghGovernment in 1990.Some important judgements andstatutes regarding the issue ofreservation:

Indira Sawhney judgement (1992): Inthe judgment, a nine-judge benchupheld the constitutionality of the 27%reservation but put a ceiling of 50%unless exceptional circumstanceswarranting the breach, so that theconstitutionally guaranteed right toequality under Article 14 wouldremain secured.

The Court declared that Article 16(4) isnot an exception to article 16(1), ratheran illustration of classification implicitin article 16(1). While Article 16(1) is afundamental right, Article 16(4) is anenabling provision.

. Further, the Court directed theexclusion of creamy layer by way ofhorizontal division of every otherbackward class into creamy layer andnon-creamy layer.The Constitution (Seventy-seventhAmendment) Act, 1995:

. In Indra Sawhney Case, the SupremeCourt had held that Article 16(4) of theConstitution of India does notauthorize reservation in the matter ofpromotions. However, the judgmentwas not to affect the promotionsalready made.

By the Constitution (Seventy-seventhAmendment) Act, 1995, Article 16(4-A),was inserted to provide that “nothingin this article shall prevent the Statefrom making any provision forreservation in matters of promotion toany class or classes of posts in theservices under the State in favour of theScheduled Castes and the ScheduledTribes which, in the opinion of the State,are not adequately represented in theservices under the State”.

Later, two more amendments werebrought, one to ensure consequentialseniority [Article 16(4 A)] and anotherto secure carry forward of unfilledvacancies of a year [Article 16(4 B)]

The Constitution Bench Judgment in M.Nagaraj (2006):




A five-judge bench of Supreme Courtdeclared the 1995 amendment as notvocative of basic structure of theConstitution.

The Court in M Nagaraj versus Unionof India upheld the constitutionality ofthe provision concerning promotionssubject to the qualification of the statefeeling the need to provide the quota.

This stands in addition to the court’sdecision that Article 16(4) has to beread along with Article 335 of theConstitution, the effect of which is thatthe state should provide reservationson grounds of inadequaterepresentation if such reservations donot adversely affect the maintenance ofefficiency of administration.Arnail Singh & Ors vs. LacchmiNarain Gupta & Ors:

In 2018, the Supreme Court deliveredits verdict in the Reservation inPromotion case. A five-judge Bench ofthe Supreme Court unanimously heldthat the judgment delivered in Nagarajin 2006, relating to reservations inpromotions for SC/ST persons, doesnot need reconsideration by a largerseven-judge Bench. The Bench alsostruck the demonstration of furtherbackwardness criterion from Nagaraj.

On one hand the Court struck down thefurther backwardness criterion, whileon the other hand introduced theprinciple of creamy layer exclusion. Itheld that creamy layer exclusionextends to SC/STs and, hence the Statecannot grant reservations in promotionto SC/ST individuals who belong tothe creamy layer of their community.The Constitution (103rd Amendment)Act, 2019:

The 10% reservation for EconomicallyWeaker Sections (EWS), otherScheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribesand backward classes for governmentjobs and admission in educational

institutions is currently underchallenge before the Supreme Courtwhich has referred the same to aconstitution bench.

The verdict in this regard can turn outto be a critical milestone in thejurisprudence of reservation astraditional understanding ofbackwardness is broadened tospecifically include economicbackwardness without socialbackwardness as is traditionally seen.Dr. Jaishri Laxmanrao Patil vs ChiefMinister (2021):

Despite the Indra Sawhney ruling,there have been attempts on the partof many States to breach the rule byway of expanding the reservationcoverage.

The Maharashtra Socially andEducationally Backward Classes Act2018, (Maratha reservation law) cameunder challenge before the SupremeCourt which referred the same to abench of five judges and one questionwas whether the 1992 judgment needsa relook.

Interestingly, the Supreme Court notonly affirmed the Indra Sawhneydecision, but also struck down Section4(1)(a) and Section 4(1)(b) of the Actwhich provided 12% reservation forMarathas in educational institutionsand 13% reservation in publicemployment respectively, citing thebreach of ceiling.

Mains point:Reservation and related issues

33. Doses of statecraft to meet India’sInternal security challenges.Context: Recently, the Russia-UkraineWar and the political turmoil in SouthAsia dominated the newspaperheadlines. These developments havepushed the debate on India’s many




internal security problems on thebackburner.

Internal Security problems in India:Case Studies of limitations of securitysolution

Upheaval in Kashmir: The J&K hascontinued to see extreme violencefollowed by spells of near normalcysince 1947. The situation has becomemore volatile since the revocation ofArticle 370 of the Constitution.

Now, terrorists have started targetedkillings of police officers, outsiders,mainly Kashmiri Pandits. There werewarnings that this year’s AmarnathYatra could be one of the targets of themilitants.

No proper solution has emerged to along-standing problem. The doctrine ofcontainment is not having the desiredeffect. There is an absence of an all-in-one grand strategy to deal with thesituation.The continuing problem involvingMaoists.:

Maoists or Naxalites having strongideological underpinnings havecontinued to exist since the late 1960swhen Charu Mazumdar talked of a‘Spring Thunder over India’ andcreated inspiration.

The Maoists have combinedideological ideation and brutal killingsto pose challenges to the police,intelligence and securityestablishments of the States and theCentre.

It represents the biggest challenge tothe idea of India. Despite negotiations,Maoists have seldom displayed acommitment to peaceful ways.

Maoists find an echo amongintellectuals in the cities and the‘poorest of the poor’ in the rural areasPro-Khalistan movement: there is aresurgence of militancy in the Punjab.For example, ‘sleeper cells’ have been

discovered in Punjab, the recent attackon the HQ of Punjab Police Intelligencewing in Mohali.

The movement has the backing ofPakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.It indicates that Punjab militancy hasnot been permanently extinguished.

Insurgency in North-East: In Assam,the United Liberation Front of Asom–Independent (ULFA-I), whichoperates from Myanmar is trying torevive its activities after a long spell ofhibernation. In Nagaland, the NationalSocialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) hasinitiated a fresh push for a solution ofthe ‘Naga political issue’A threat in the South: There are signsof a possible revival of LTTE-sponsored militancy in Sri Lanka dueto recent economic crises anduncertainty there. This Is likely torevive LTTE-sponsored activities inTamil Nadu

The limitations of a security vigil:

The security agencies, which do asecurity vigil, can only deal with theimmediate threat. They are atemporary solution and will notamount to problem-solving.

The forces threatening the state haveadopted new technologies and modesof warfare.

Statecraft involve:

It involves fine-grainedcomprehension of inherent problems

an ability to quickly respond topolitical challenges.

strengthening the ability to exploitopportunities as they arise. It involvesa degree of political nimbleness ratherthan leaving everything to the securityagencies.

In addition to faith in the securityestablishment, it requires puttingequal emphasis on implementation ofpolicies and programmes, formulating




strategies that favour politicaldeftness, strength and agility.

Way Forward

Long-term solutions require the use ofstatecraft. In many countries, both theauthorities and security agencies arebeginning to acknowledge theimportance of resorting to statecraft.

A deft statecraft is needed to prevent aresurgence of the past. It is critical infinding lasting solutions to a host ofproblems that continue to afflict India.

The grand strategy, grandsimplifications or resort to higher dosesof security cannot solve the securityproblems.

A properly structured set of policies,having liberal doses of statecraft inaddition to a proper set of securitymeasures, is the best answer to India’sneeds, now and in the future.

Mains point:Security-based interventionsand Statecraft




1. Why Berlin Is A Key Partner For NewDelhi.Context:The Indian Prime Minister isattending the yearly Intergov-ernmental Consultations in Berlin.During the Ukraine crisis, Germanyinitiated the IGC invitation,emphasising India’s importance as aglobal partner. This comes after thePrime Minister of the UnitedKingdom and the President of theEuropean Commission paid separatevisits to India. Following that will bethe Nordic Summit.

Indo-German partnership

The cooperation focuses on climatechange and sustainability. Traditionalstrategic aspects such as space,nuclear, and defence cooperation areabsent. Nonetheless, there is astrategic aspect to the partnership’sresurrection during the Ukraine crisisand the reorganisation it entails.

Globalisation is supported byGermany and India. Germany is theEuropean country most hesitant toimpose unilateral restrictions onRussia or limit engagement. Thedecline in Russian energy sources willcause great anguish.

With respect to Russia, Germany andIndia believe that Russia cannot beisolated and that it must remain activewhile adhering to the rules. Berlin andNew Delhi share the goal of

maintaining a discussion, which mightserve as the foundation for a feasiblepolitical agreement.

On China: With Russia’s strategy inshambles, Germany’s China-warycoalition partners seek to deal withBeijing as a systemic opponent. Indiadoes not want Russia’s actions inUkraine to draw attention away fromChinese violations. Another facet of theIndo-German strategic understandingis a shared view on China’s danger tothe international order.

On green financing, the Indo-Germancollaboration has stepped up itsclimate-friendly initiatives. Germanycommits more than €1 billion each yearto numerous green initiatives,including solar electricity, electrictransportation, smart cities, andNamami Gange. The Indo-Germanstrategic alliance will be built on astronger partnership on climate, greeninfrastructure, sustainability, anddevelopment over the next decade.

Steps ahead

Given the success of the Indo-Germanenvironmental and energyrelationship, India and Germanyshould replicate this model in otherdeveloping countries. Germany andIndia both have devoted Africanpolicy as well as an interest in LatinAmerica, as seen by the Compact forAfrica and the India-Africa ForumSummit.

Replicating Indian developmentprojects in Africa and Latin America –perhaps with German assistance –might be a major goal. Green energy,training, women’s empowerment, andthe attainment of SDGs might allbenefit from this.

International Issues




There is potential for collaborativevaccine production, for whichGermany has pledged funds for Africa,India’s primary market forpharmaceuticals and vaccines.

India and Germany may adopt theapproach of “Achieving SDGsTogether” in the future. Germany mustimprove its trade and businessrelations with India. The recent visit ofGermany’s state secretary for economiccooperation, as well as the improvedchances for the India-EUFTA andinvestment agreements, are positivesigns.

German businesses are shifting fromindividualised production to supplychain production lines. They can takeadvantage of India’s FTA with ASEANand access to Africa by creatingregional or global manufacturing hubsin the country.This could be a version of the China+1 strategy. It will be a strategic boostto the Indo-German cooperation if thiscan be ingrained in German thinkingand used to gradually wean Germanyaway from China.

2. India must make the most of thediplomatic attention it’s receiving.Context:In wake of the RaisinaDialogue, where representatives fromEurope and the West spoke with theirIndian counterparts, India has seen aflurry of diplomatic activity in recentdays.India’s Quad partners, the UnitedStates, Japan, and Australia, as well asits European partners and severalASEAN countries, consider India as astabilising force.

They are invested in India’s rise toprominence as a global player and areeager to help. This is an opportunitythat should be taken advantage of as

part of a larger strategy to improveIndia’s long-term prospects.

The current state of India-Russia relations:

As numerous European countries havehad to do, there are valid historicalreasons for keeping friendly relationswith Russia.

The current relationship between Indiaand Russia is not a continuation of theold Indo-Soviet relationship. With theend of the Cold War and the collapseof the Soviet Union, that strategicrelationship that enabled India dealwith the Chinese and Pakistanichallenges came to an end.

Moscow no longer sees Beijing as itsprimary security threat, but China hasbecome a greater threat to India.

The economic and trade relationshipbetween India and Russia hasdeteriorated.

Prospects for a new energy relationshipfizzled out, as China emerged as amore accessible and appealing powerfor Russia.

Even the defence hardware connectionhas deteriorated as India has attemptedto diversify its supply sources.India’s Russia policy has to bereconsidered:

One of India’s fundamentalassumptions in its Russia policy hasbeen that as a great state, Russia willhelp India.

A junior collaboration with China isunlikely to be accepted by Moscow;

And that China is expanding itspresence and influence in Central Asiaand Eastern Europe, which Russiaregards as its “near neighbourhood”and security perimeter.

Russian and Chinese interests areunlikely to match in the long run, thusIndia should maintain a tightconnection with Moscow.




This was also why India advocatedwith the United States and otherwestern allies that they needed to bemore accommodating of Russianinterests in order to separatethemselves from Beijing.

Even if the Ukraine conflict had notarisen, the Sino-Russian JointDeclaration of February 4 should havecaused India to doubt the veracity ofthese assumptions.India’s foreign policy engagement beshaped:

In a changing geopolitical landscape,it is in India’s best interests to maintainrelations with Russia and China asworld powers. Such interaction isnecessary to determine how majorpowers are adapting to changinggeopolitical equations around theworld.

In a European order, Russia is alreadya severely weakened state, and it willbe unable to prevent Finland andSweden from joining NATO.

The United States’ political politics areunpredictable, which necessitatesprudence.

Europe will most certainly emerge asa more united and cohesive body,based in German dominance andplaying a role that has previously beenmore independent of the US. All themore reason for India to strengthen itsoverall relationship with Europe,create a shared vision of a changinggeopolitical landscape, and encourageEurope to play a bigger role in theIndo-Pacific.

Next steps:

The attention devoted to India does notrepresent who India is. instead of whatIndia may become as a fundamentalarchitect of a new international order.

It is past time to consider India’sstrategic role in a globe undergoing ahistoric shift.

Mains point:India’s foreign policy

3. Europe is looming larger than ever inIndia’s strategic calculus.Context:The head of the EuropeanCommission recently paid a visit toIndia. In addition, India’s PrimeMinister will travel to Berlin,Copenhagen, and Paris in Europe. Hewill attend the India-Nordic Summit forthe second time. These trips hint atIndia’s post-Russian strategic potentialin Europe.

The motivating factors:

Russia has been subjected to Westernsanctions. As a result, Russia isstrengthening its ties with China.

India is also working to strengthenbilateral ties with Germany andFrance, two significant Europeancountries.

Germany-India Relations:

Both countries have been confrontedwith a variety of issues as a result ofChina’s assertive foreign policy.

Ï Germany is attempting to limit itsmarket exposure to Russia and China.As a result, India is an appealing newinvestment location for German capital.The commercial relationship’s fullpotential has yet to be realised.

In reality, Germany has a strongerrelationship with Russia than India.Germany’s annual commerce withRussia is around $60 billion,compared to $10 billion for India. Inaddition, Germany is largely reliant onRussian natural gas. As a result, bothIndia and Germany have been underpressure to break their ties with Russia.Indeed, both are unhappy withWestern pressures to cut ties withRussia.Relations between India and theNordic countries:

Delhi has learned in recent years thatthe Nordic Five — Denmark, Finland,




Iceland, Norway, and Sweden — canmake important contributions toIndia’s development. They have a totalGDP that is higher than Russia’s.

The First India-Nordic Summit of 2017established a foundation for a boldbilateral agenda focused on technicalinnovation and long-termdevelopment. It suggests that India hasrecognised the Nordic region as one ofthe significant sub-regions of Europefor Indians.

The India-France Partnership:

In 2018, both countries set thegroundwork for a robust strategicalliance. Both are concerned about theIndo-Pacific repercussions of the war.The strategic alliance between the twocountries is about to enter the nextlevel.

France is widely seen as India’s “newRussia,” or its most crucial strategicpartner in the future years. Forexample,

France protected India’s interests inthe United Nations Security Council,

the two countries are partners in theIndo-Pacific theatre, and

France is a significant supplier ofadvanced weapons to India.

The challenges for India: India’s stance on the Ukraine conflict

and its strategic links to Moscow maycast a pall over India’s relations withthe rest of Europe.

Both on land and in the Arctic oceans,the Nordic world shares borders withRussia. As a result, aside from theoriginal members of NATO, Denmark,Iceland, and Norway, the other twoNordic five members, Sweden andFinland, are hurrying to change theirlong-standing neutral status and joinNATO.

Next Steps:

India-Europe:The Indian PrimeMinister’s visit to Europe may provide

India with a better understanding of thechanging atmosphere in Europe as aresult of Russian aggressiveness.

The European Union established theIndia-Europe Trade and TechnologyCouncil. After the United States, the EUnow has its own council. It defines theEU’s strategic cooperation with Indiain new ways.

The Prime Minister might investigatenew opportunities for strongercooperation with key Europeancountries.

In India’s diplomatic and securitypolicies, Western Europe has becomeincreasingly prominent. The Ukrainecrisis has heightened the need for Indiaand its European partners to worktogether more strategically. This is dueto the fact that the crisis has disruptedEurope’s 1991 regional order.

India-France:

France has created a politicalfoundation for Russia’s peacefulassimilation into the European order.Both India and France have thepotential to increase their defencecooperation. France is crucial indeveloping India’s domestic weaponproduction. It has the potential toincrease private and internationalcapital engagement.

India-Nordic:

Interactions between Indian PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and Nordicleaders may help Delhi understand thedeep-seated anxieties of Russia amongMoscow’s smaller neighbours. Indiaaims to build on the two countries’unique green strategic alliance.

Mains point:India-Europe Relations.

4. A defining moment for Indo-Germanties.Context:In Berlin, India’s PrimeMinister will attend the sixth Indo-German Inter-Governmental




Consultations (IGC). The IGC isIndia’s sole such format with any othercountry.At the IGC, significant initiatives weretaken:

Both have signed a Joint Declarationof Intent to form the Green andSustainable Development Partnership(JDI). It would fund green projects inIndia through public, private, andpublic-private partnerships.

Both have signed the Joint Declarationof Intent (JDI) on TriangularDevelopment Cooperation for third-country initiatives. This will open upopportunities for collaboration in theIndo-Pacific, Africa, and beyond.

During this IGC, the JDI on migrationand mobility was a significant strideforward. This will make it easier for abigger number of Indian students andprofessionals to travel to Germany.This will result in increased servicetrade and support efforts for digitalcollaborations.

On the UN, Afghanistan, and terrorism,the joint statement demonstrates agreat deal of agreement.

The two countries share common interests:

India and Germany are both hesitantparticipants in the anti-Russianmovement. Both are looking forstrategic independence.

Both India and Germany value theIndo-Pacific region strategically andeconomically. As a result, as part of itsembryonic Indo-Pacific policy,Germany wishes to engage with India.

Germans are cautious about China’sinfluence in international issues. There

are hints that it is leaving China. Thishas the potential to increase corporateparticipation in India.

The epidemic and Russian sanctionsare wreaking havoc on Germany’seconomy. As a result, new trade andinvestment markets are required. Dueto its ongoing economic growth andmarket size, India is an essentialpartner in this respect.

Trade, investment, technology,functional collaboration, talentdevelopment, and sustainability areall elements of India and Germany’sgreen alliance. For example, the Indo-German energy forum, the Indo-German environmental forum, andthe Indo-German partnership onurban transportation.

Interests coming together:

In 2016, Germany launched the Indo-German Education Partnership. Thisopened up a new route to India. It hasgiven Indian students in Germanychances. New IITs, such as IIT-Indore,have partnered with numerousGerman technical universities toprovide collaborative programmes.The Indo-German Science andTechnology Centre has contributedsignificantly.

The difficulties in bilateral relations:

Germany and India do not havehistoric strategic partnership relations.So far, nothing has been established.

Next Steps:

The Indo-German Inter-GovernmentalConsultations are introducing abiennial ministerial forum (IGC). Itwill offer the Partnership with “high-level coordination and politicaldirection.” It will serve as a cohesiveinstitutional system.

The EU and India have agreed toresume talks on a free trade agreement(FTA) and an investment deal.




At the IGC, India should focus onleveraging both countries’entrepreneurship and private sector toadvance climate-friendly SDGaccomplishment.

The Green Hydrogen Task Force wasformed as part of the energycollaboration. A Green HydrogenRoadmap will be created. This willaim to commercialise research anddevelopment.

In light of crises such as the pandemic,the economic downturn, and nowUkraine, a new period is reflecting newobjectives.

Mains point: Indo-Germany Relations

5. India and France: A deepeningfriendship.Context: India’s Prime Minister willtravel to France to congratulate Macronon his re-election victory. The visit isessential for India because it allows itto examine the international strategiclandscape and assess bilateral ties.

The India-France relationship:

On key dimensions of internationalrelations, India and France havestrategic alignment. Both believe in amultipolar world and the concept ofstrategic autonomy.

Both countries have developed theirstrategic alliance since 1998. France, forexample, backed India’s nuclear test in1998.

In the Indo-Pacific, India sees Franceas a favoured partner.

In 2018, the two countries signed a JointStrategic Vision for collaboration in theIndian Ocean Region.

In the IOR, both are concerned aboutmaritime security, ensuring that allstates observe international law,freedom of navigation and overflight,combating organised crime, andmitigating climate change.

In the Indian Ocean, both haveperformed “joint patrols” and Varuna(joint naval exercises). In the IndianOcean region, both are working to raisemarine domain awareness.

In the field of space, India and Francehave a strategic collaboration. In 2018,they signed a Joint Vision for SpaceCooperation. Situational awareness inspace, for example, and collaborationin satellite navigation and associatedtechnologies are examples.

In Jaitapur, Maharashtra, India andFrance are working together to buildthe world’s largest nuclear powerplant.

Connectivity, climate change, cyber-security, and research and technologyare some of the newest areas ofcooperation (S&T).

The difficulties in bilateral relations:

Bilateral defence ties: France hasmainly followed through on itspromise to deliver Rafale fighter jetsto India. The problem of transitioningfrom a buyer-seller relationship to aninvestor-investee relationship entailsmanufacturing defence equipment inIndia and technology transfer.

The nuclear power plant in Jaitapur hasbeen put on hold. It is confronted withnumerous domestic roadblocks.

The Indian government measurements:

India’s Prime Minister has elevated thecountry’s diplomacy to the level of“personalised diplomacy.” He hasmade a difference in inter-state




relations by investing in humanrelationships. Since 2017, the PM hashad a tight relationship with FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macron.

Both the Indian Prime Minister and theFrench President have good relationswith Russian President VladimirPutin. As a result, they may worktogether to put a stop to Europe’sawful war.

Next Steps:

With the EU, India is negotiating a FreeTrade Agreement (FTA) and anInvestment Agreement. As a result, PMModi can persuade French PresidentEmmanuel Macron to back India at thebargaining table.

India should be aware of France’s viewon the Sino-Russian axis as well as theEU’s own relations with China. Indiashould also inform the counterpartabout its appraisal of the situation inLadakh and the nature of Sino-Indianrelations.

Mains point: Indo-France Relationship

6. Embroiling Transnistria in the Russia-Ukraine War.Context: Transnistria is becomingincreasingly concerned about beingdrawn into Russia’s war againstUkraine.

Transnistria, also known as thePridnestrovian Moldavian Republic,is a sliver of land that lies betweenMoldova and western Ukraine.

It is an unrecognised breakaway statethat broke away from Moldova after theSoviet Union collapsed in 1990.

Although the Transnistriangovernment has de factoindependence, it is recognised as partof Moldova by other countries and theUnited Nations.

Transnistria is not recognised byRussia as an independent country.However, Transnistria’s independenceis largely due to military assistancefrom the Russian army stationed inTransnistrian territory.

Russia has strong links withTransnistria. The majority of thepopulation speaks Russian, and thegovernment is ruled by pro-Russianseparatists.

Russia also gives free natural gas toTransnistria and pays pensionenhancements to the region’s elderly.

The significance of Transnistria for Russia:

Russia has long wanted to keepMoldova, which was once part of theSoviet Union, under its political control.




Moldova is situated between Romaniaand southwestern Ukraine, borderingthe European Union. Russian troops inTransnistria provide Russia with ameans of intimidating Moldova andlimiting its Western ambitions.

Moldova applied to join the EuropeanUnion in March 2022. However,Moldova is unable to fully manage itsown borders due to the presence ofRussian forces in Transnistria.Moldova cannot join the EU withoutborder and territorial control. This isone of the requirements for joining theEU.

7. The importance of emigrants and thenew Indian Emigration Bill in 2021.Context:The Indian government justintroduced a new Emigration Bill for2021. The bill will give a complete dataset for managing Indian immigrationeffectively. It attempts to streamlinethe welfare of Indian emigrantemployees by integrating emigrationmanagement.

The Emigration Bill’s provisions:

The bill proposes to change theEmigration Check Required (ECR)system for workers applying tomigrate to one of the 18 notifiedcountries.

The bill requires all types of workersto register before travelling to anyplace in the world in order to ensurebetter protection, support, and safetyin the event of a vulnerability.

The law proposes to create theEmigration Management Authority,which would serve as a policy-makingbody.

It strives to increase protectivemeasures by registering all emigrants,upgrading and training skills, andproviding pre-departure orientation.Skills training for migrant workers, forexample, or foreign language training,can be extremely beneficial to workers.

In addition to workers, the Bill willprotect students (about 0.5 million)who relocate for education.

Indian Emigrants’ Situation:

Every year, around 2.5 million Indianlabourers go to different areas of theworld on work visas.

NRIs number around 13.4 millionworldwide, according to the Ministryof External Affairs. Around 64 percentof NRIs live in GCC countries, with theUAE having the greatest percentage,followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.Nearly 90% of Indian migrants in theGulf Cooperation Council (GCC) arelow- and semi-skilled workers.

The United States, the UnitedKingdom, Australia, and Canada areamong popular destinations forIndians living abroad.The Indian Diaspora’s Importance forthe Host Countries:

Indian migrants, both skilled and semi-skilled, contribute to the nation-building of their destination nations.Several Indian-origin executives, forexample, have become CEOs of majorAmerican corporations. Thisemphasises the importance of Indianintellect to the American economy.

Furthermore, Indian semi-skilledmigrant workers have made significantcontributions to the world economy.The Indian Diaspora’s Importance forIndia:

High remittances: According to aWorld Bank Group research from 2021,India receives the world’s greatestannual remittances ($87 billion),




followed by China ($53 billion), andothers. In India, remittances have beensignificantly higher than even foreigndirect investment (FDI).

Socioeconomic development:According to a National StatisticalOffice research, remittance-receivingurban and rural households have a 23percent higher financial capability thannon-remittance-receiving households.

NRIs might act as a hedge againstunpredictable hazards. Following the2015 earthquake in Nepal, for example,Nepalese living abroad raised theirremittances. After a shock, this offeredcritical assistance to the domesticeconomy.

Next Steps:

The government could considerexpanding remittances to 10% of GDPand emulating the Philippines’ labourmobility model.

The cost of hiring such individuals andsending remittances back to Indiashould both decrease.

The Indian government shouldprioritise reducing informal/undocumented migration, formalisingall remittances, and ensuring the safetyand well-being of migrant workers. Itcan be accomplished by usinginformation technology to regulaterecruitment agencies.

The Union government created‘Madad,’ an integrated grievanceredressal portal, in 2015.

Mains point: Indian diaspora

8. A war that is shrinking India’sgeopolitical options.Context:The conflict between Russiaand Ukraine is still raging, with no endin sight and unknown long-termconsequences.

The implications for India:

The early diplomatic frenzy in Indiahas come to an end. As the fightcontinues on, its geopolitical optionsare dwindling.

Options are dwindling:

Previously, India’s balancing actcatapulted it to the forefront ofinternational attention. As a result,India has witnessed a number of high-profile visitors. India had a variety ofgeopolitical alternatives available to it.However, for at least three reasons, thenumber of alternatives appears to belimited:

Russia, which is India’s most importantstrategic partner, is no longer availablefor balancing purposes. Moscow is nowmore reliant on India than the otherway around.

At the end of the war, Asia’s regionalpower balance will have altered inBeijing’s favour. As a result, India’smanagement of China will becomemore difficult. The conflict in Ukrainehas exacerbated India’s China dilemma.

The United States and its westernallies have switched their attentionfrom China and the Indo-Pacific to theUkraine theatre. Furthermore, due topreoccupations with the Europeantheatre, the war will further erodeAmerican influence in the SouthernAsian region.




Longer term, a war-weary andweakened Russia will become China’ssubordinate partner.

Instead of figuring out how to appeaseboth sides in this fight, the mainquestion for New Delhi now is how tocontrol China, which is quicklycementing its power in the region.

In the medium to long term, India’simmediate to medium-terminvolvement with Russia may haveunintended consequences.

India’s northwestern continentalstrategy toward Afghanistan andCentral Asia is being influenced bythe war. Due to the Taliban’s return,India had previously departed fromAfghanistan. As a result, India’sstrategic interests in Afghanistan havedwindled. As a result of the war,China’s position in the region willgrow, and India’s footprint in CentralAsia will shrink.

India’s countermeasures:

The visit of China’s Foreign Ministerto India indicates that Beijing islikewise attempting to soothe tensionsalong the LAC.

During the visit of the Chinese ForeignMinister, Indian leaders made it plainthat normalisation of diplomatic andpolitical ties between India and Chinacan only occur once soldiers from theIndian side of the Line of ActualControl have been disengaged (LAC).

The Indian Prime Minister will travelto China for the BRICS Summit. Itshould take advantage of the top.

India can benefit from therelationship between China andRussia. At the moment, Moscow hasthe ability to persuade Beijing to haltits actions along the LAC. If Chinacontinues to heat up the LAC, Indiawill be forced to seek political,diplomatic, and intelligence assistance

from the West and the United States,which is not in Russia’s best interests.

It is critical that two of China’s Asianallies, India and China, do not conflict,at least while the war continues.

India’s Challenges:

If China stabilises the LAC at Russia’surging, it can expect India to take itstime in the Indo-Pacific.

Due to the Ukraine conflict, India iscurrently unable to take advantage ofthe many underlying difficultiesbetween Moscow and Beijing.

Moscow should recognise that theUkraine conflict will bolster Beijing’sefforts to gain control of its backyardthrough economic means, much likeNATO has done to Russia throughmilitary ones.

Mains point: Global and Asian Geopolitics,India-China Relations, India-Russiarelations.

9. Modi in Lumbini: Buddhismprovides India a cultural inroad inNepal – it may not be enough tocounter China.Context:PM Modi visited Lumbini inNepal on Buddha Poornima, makinghim the first Indian Prime Minister todo so. He prayed at the Mayadevitemple, which is thought to be thebirthplace of the Buddha, before layingthe groundwork for the InternationalBuddhist Conference and MeditationCentre. The trip comes one month afterNepal’s Prime Minister visited India.The Prime Minister’s visit to Nepal sosignificant:




The trip is being billed as a “culturaltour,” but many observers see it asIndia’s long-awaited diplomaticawakening.

A late awakening, because Delhi hasbeen unconcerned about China’ssubstantial inroads into Nepal.

Furthermore, little has been done toimprove Indo-Nepal bilateralrelations, which have deterioratedsignificantly between 2016 and 2021.India not only refused to recogniseNepal’s new constitution, which wasadopted in September 2015, but alsoimposed a 134-day economic embargoon the country.

As a result, Prime Minister Modi hasmade an effective endeavour torebuild bilateral ties by befriendingDeuba.

Deuba, who is also the chairman ofthe Nepali Congress, recentlywelcomed Modi’s request to createfraternal connections between his partyand the BJP, a move that the ChineseCommunist Party attempted with theunified Communist Party of Nepal.

India and Nepal agreed:

India and Nepal agreed to create aBuddhist circuit that would connectsites in both countries, with Lumbiniat the centre.

India also agreed to establish the Dr.B R Ambedkar Chair at LumbiniUniversity, which will have roughly1,000 students enrolled, includingsome from China.

China’s efforts in Nepal to create a foothold:

Under the auspices of its non-governmental organisation, AsiaPacific Exchange and Foundation,China first offered to spend $3 billionto develop Lumbini as the worldpeace city, with Maoist leaderPrachanda as its vice chairman.

China has also constructed a monasteryin the Lumbini Development Project’score area. China’s offer to develop it asa World Peace Centre and build arailway connection connecting Tibetand Kathmandu is now on hold, butnot entirely abandoned.The Lumbini become the focal pointin Nepal:

The United States and the EuropeanUnion, as well as India, havestrengthened their involvement andinfluence in Nepal’s domestic affairs,particularly since the 2005-06 politicalchanges.

China replied by increasing itsmilitary presence and makingeconomic investments. This hasinfluenced Nepal’s internal politicsand policymaking. But, unlike itscompetitors, China’s vision wascomprehensive and consideredvarious factors.

Lumbini has become a microcosm ofthe contending international powersin the country, thanks largely to China.

On November 8, 2011, India reacted toChina’s presence in Lumbini for thefirst time, following the Chinese’spassionate promotion of the WorldCity programme.

A path forward:

India may gain a foothold and culturalspace as a result of Modi’s visit toLumbini and the laying of themonastery’s foundation.

However, there is no assurance that itwill be able to outperform itsopponents, which include the West andChina, both of whom are already well-established in Nepal.

Mains point: Indo-Nepal bilateral relations




10. The neighbourhood in turmoil,lessons for India.Context:From 2016 to the present,India’s foreign policy towardneighbouring countries in the SouthAsia region has shifted.

Rather than utilising every meansnecessary to defeat a difficultneighbour, India has turned its focusto soft power diplomacy, ultimatelyimproving relations with each of theSouth Asian countries.

It has, on the other hand, mostlyoverlooked the political developmentsin Pakistan.The recent changes in India’s foreignpolicy:Pre-2016 foreign policy:

With its uncooperative South Asianneighbour, India’s governmentpursued a “muscular foreign policy.”In the case of terror strikes, India hasissued a warning to Pakistan. It alsocancelled negotiations with Pakistan atthe level of the Foreign Secretary.Furthermore, India is accused ofinterfering in domestic politics in SriLanka and Nepal.

Post-2016 Foreign Policy:

India’s uniformly muscular “one sizefits all” approach to the region has beenabandoned. The government hassettled on a much more cooperativeand conciliatory stance in theneighbourhood at the moment.

For example, India has not been heldaccountable in any of its neighbouringnations that have experienced electoralchanges, including Myanmar, Nepal,Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

High-level visits, development aidand lines of credit, and a flurry of softpower diplomacy have all helpedIndia improve its ties with everycountry in South Asia (exceptPakistan).

India is more concerned with thepeople in its immediate vicinity thanwith those in positions of authority. InAfghanistan, for example, Indiaengaged with Pakistani officials toensure that it could provide foodgrains to Afghans.

On domestic concerns in theneighbourhood, India has toned downits rhetoric. For example, in 2021, theIndian government’s public responseto violence against Bangladesh’sHindu minority during Durga Pooja.

Next Steps:

In its relations with South Asiancountries, India cannot remain mute or“neutral.” This is not in India’s bestinterests.

For example, India is directly affectedby practically every issue in SouthAsia, such as refugee influxes andeconomic crises. As a result, they mustbe closely monitored.

India should learn that populism,hyper-nationalism, religiousmajoritarianism, and a militant anti-elitism do not pay off in the long run.

For example, a popular leader maygain power, but his or her popularitymay drop suddenly and unexpectedly.In Sri Lanka, for example, the collapseof K.P. Oli, Imran Khan, and MahindraRajapaksa. This implies that nothinglasts forever, particularly in ademocracy. Above all, the economy isimportant.

For example, in Pakistan, Nepal, andSri Lanka, populists were defeated byslowing growth, job losses, and risinginflation, rather than by oppositionparties. Changes in the neighbourhoodhave resulted from economicmismanagement.

India must assess the impact ofemerging vulnerabilities on smallerneighbours, as these vulnerabilities




could be exploited by global powerssuch as China.

Innovative Delhi needs to come upwith new ways to invigorate regionalgroups like the Bay of Bengal Initiativefor Multi-Sectoral Technical andEconomic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)and the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,Nepal (BBIN) Initiative.

Finally, the Indian government mustrecognise that a lack of politicalagreement has let down popularleaders in neighbouring countries.

For instance, Rajapaksa, Oli, and Khanbranded their opponents as “enemies”and shut down the media and non-governmental organisations.Mains point: India’s Foreign policy todeal with countries in our immediateneighbourhood.

11. Putin’s Made India The Swing StateIn Geopolitics.Context:The war between Russia andUkraine is still going on. And India’sPrime Minister will attend the QuadSummit in Tokyo next week.

The status of the Russia-Ukraine war:Despite the fact that Ukraine may neverjoin NATO, the Western countriesardently support it.

Sweden and Finland have submittedformal applications to join NATO.Russia will be enraged by this. Thenature of European security will beforever altered.

The consequences of recent events:Russian Concerns:In terms of globalpolitical and economic isolation,Russia may end up at the bottom of theheap.

Russia’s imports from technologicallysophisticated countries, according toreports, are declining at an exponentialrate. Russia’s ability to manufacture

complicated weapons and systems willbe harmed as a result of this.

Because Europe is unwilling to pay forRussia’s mistakes, the war has forcedWestern countries to seize Russiangovernment and oligarch assets abroadand use them to rebuild Ukraine.Concerns in Europe:The United Stateshas been accused of shifting its warobjectives from Ukraine to Russia. Itplaces Europe at the centre of it all.

The conflict has reached a point thatneither Russia nor Europe anticipated.

The challenges does India face:

Due to India’s longstanding reliance onRussia, the Indian leadership faced thedifficult problem of justifying India’sRussia policy while also focusing oncooperating with Europe in clean,green, tech-powered development.

Energy expenses, fertiliser costs, andgeneral inflation have all risen as aresult of the war, posing a problem forIndia’s post-pandemic recovery.

India’s aim to transition to a lower-carbon future has been hampered bythe war. As a result, the conflict isincreasingly becoming India’s conflict.

Next Steps: India’s leadership has informed his

European colleagues that the countryis rapidly diversifying away fromRussian military hardware.

The Indian government mustcommunicate with its internationalpartners about India’s interests andstrategies to address the current crisis.

India must confront the threat posed bya rising and assertive China. Indiashould form a clean, green, digital, andnon-China cooperation with Europe.

In many ways, India is operating as aswing state in the new strategic setting.It is, however, in its best interests for itto shift its course to the west. There is




room for India to expand. The UnitedStates and Europe want to engageIndia on a more fundamental level. Asa result, India should collaborate withthe United States on Indo-Pacific andglobal security issues.

Mains point: India as a Swing State;India’s position in the global andregional geopolitics.

12. Lessons from Russia for India.Context:Russia’s invasion of Ukraineis ongoing. Strategic failures andsuccess of Russia is providing lessonsfor the Indian military as well.The key lessons from Russianinvasion for Indian miliary:

It has revealed the level ofeffectiveness of Russian tanks.American-built Javelin or AdvancedAnti-Tank Weapon System haveresulted into destruction of several ofRussian T-90 tanks.

However, Germans used these tankseffectively during ring World War 2,but they were used along with theinfantry. Russia has not used its tanksalong with infantry, which is the mainreason behind heavy destruction of itstanks.

Drones and anti-tank missiles havecaused a great devastation amongRussian forces.

Emerging technologies like cyber anddigital technology, ArtificialIntelligence, and UAVs should beused along with the legacy platformssuch as fighter planes, warships, andartillery weapons. It will provide thebest performance. Emerging tech canprovide precision, whereas legacyplatforms can launch firepower.

It is well known that Suppression ofEnemy Air Defenses should be theforemost requirement for any invadingforce. However, Russia failed to

neutralize Ukrainian air defenses,leading to Russia’s revision of its planby confining its military operations toDonbas and the Black Sea coast.

Russia stretched its military lines thin.It resulted in long lines ofcommunications and military columnsthat could not be supplied andreinforced.All these strategic failures led to lowmorale among Russian forces:

Thus, India should start investing morein sensors, electronic warfare, greaterdigitization, satellite communications,and unmanned systems. It should benot just for reconnaissance andsurveillance, but also for attackmissions.

India should also develop greatermissile forces to enhance its offensivecapabilities.

13. The new Indo-Pacific bloc.Context:Recently, the Indo-PacificEconomic Framework was launched byUnited States President with 12 othercountries, including India, as amember. The aim was to reclaim US’seconomic leadership in East Asia andthe ASEAN region without losing themto China.

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework:

Set the rules of the road for the digitaleconomy,




Ensure secure and resilient supplychains,

Make major investments necessary inclean energy infrastructure and theclean energy transition,

Raise standards for transparency, fairtaxation, and anti-corruption, etc.The Issue of data localisation betweenIndia and the US:

India has fought with the US over thelast two or three years regarding datalocalisation. In 2019, the governmenthas introduced a Bill in Lok Sabha thatenvisages a framework for localisingIndian data and the establishment of aData Protection Authority.

But the US, in its National TradeEstimate Report, said that the datalocalisation “will serve as significantbarriers to digital trade” between thetwo countries, and will act as “marketaccess barriers, especially for smallerfirms”.

The issues surrounding IPEF: Lack of clarity: The U.S. said that it is

not a free trade agreement; nor will itdiscuss tariff reductions or increasingmarket access, raising questions aboutits utility. But the US did not explainwhat is the focus area of IPEF.

Question on common ground: The 13countries are part of very differenteconomic arrangements. This raises thequestion of whether there is enoughcommon ground among the membersor not.

Trade relations with members of IPEFand China: Each of the IPEF countrieshas considerable trade interests inChina, with most having large tradedeficits.

Credibility of US initiative: The U.S.’sprevious initiatives (the Blue DotNetwork and the Build Back BetterInitiative) have made littleimprovements in changing the region’s

infrastructural needs. Hence, the IPEFalso faces a credibility challenge.Mains point:To understand thechallenges surrounding Indo-PacificEconomic Framework.

14. Quad pledges $50 billion packagewith ‘tangible benefits’ to checkChina.Context:The second in-person andfourth meeting of Quad havehappened recently. The leaderscommitted $50 billion for sustainableand demand-driven infrastructure inthe Indo-Pacific and announced aMaritime Domain Awarenesssurveillance initiative to combat illegalfishing by the Chinese.

The key outcomes of Quad Summit:

Regarding terrorism: Quad leadersdenounced the use of terrorist proxiesand emphasised the importance ofdenying any logistical, financial ormilitary support to terrorist groupswhich could be used to launch or planterror attacks, including “cross-borderattacks.

Infrastructure funding: The Quad willseek to extend more than $50 billion ofinfrastructure assistance andinvestment in the Indo-Pacific, over thenext five years.




This fund will be used for demand-driven infrastructure and not lead toany “unsustainable bouquet ofprojects”.

Launched Quad Climate ChangeAdaptation and Mitigation Package(Q-CHAMP): Q-CHAMP includes :

a) ongoing activities under the QuadClimate Working Group such as, greenshipping and ports, clean energycooperation in clean hydrogen andmethane emissions, etc

b) New cooperation in clean fuel ammonia,CCUS/Carbon Recycling, cooperationand capacity-building support toadvance high integrity carbon marketsunder Article 6 of the Paris Agreement,etc.

To make Q-CHAMP tangible, Quadleaders committed to expandingprograms, in support of climate actionsbetween four countries as well as in theIndo-Pacific region.

Indo-Pacific Partnership for MaritimeDomain Awareness (IPMDA)initiative: This initiative is designed towork with regional partners to respondto humanitarian and natural disasters,and combat illegal fishing.

IMPDA will support and work inconsultation with Indo-Pacific nationsand regional information fusioncenters in the Indian Ocean, SoutheastAsia, and the Pacific Islands.

Established Quad Partnership onHumanitarian Assistance and DisasterRelief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific:This Partnership will furtherstrengthen the collaboration toeffectively respond to disasters in theregion.

Promote debt sustainability: China’sBelt and Road Initiative (BRI) facesinternational scrutiny for irresponsiblelending. Hence, the Quad willstrengthen the capacities of thecountries in need to cope with debt

issues under the G20 CommonFramework and by promoting debtsustainability and transparency.

This is achieved through the ‘QuadDebt Management Resource Portal’.The portal consists of multiple bilateraland multilateral capacity-buildingassistance.

On cyber security: The Quad partnerswill initiate the first-ever QuadCybersecurity Day to help individualinternet users across our nations, theIndo-Pacific region, and beyond tobetter protect themselves from cyberthreats.

15. China’s ‘inevitable’ global dominance.Context:A recent book titled “HowChina Sees India and the World.”explained how China is movingtowards their global dominance.

The development of India-China relations:

Deng Xiaoping declared that therecould not be an Asian Century withoutIndia and China growing together andplaying a resurgent role.

During the visit of the Indian PrimeMinister in 2003, a few importantdecisions were taken.a) The two countries agreed to seek

an early political solution to theIndia–China border dispute,

b) Regular negotiations at the level ofSpecial Representatives of theirrespective leaders, and

c) China recognized Sikkim as theState of India. (Earlier Chinacontinued to depict it [Sikkim] asan independent country).

In 2005, Chinese Premier’s visit toIndia, China arrived at a consensus onthe following issues to balance India’scivil nuclear cooperation agreementwith the U.S. These include,a) Accepted China was not a threat to

India and India was not a threat toChina,




b) There is enough space forsimultaneous growth of bothIndia and China in Asia, and c)Agreed India was an economicopportunity for China and viceversa. Thus, India-China relationshave acquired a global andstrategic dimension.

The growth trajectory of China and India:

Till 2000s: India and China wereroughly at the same economic level in1978, with similar GDP and per capitaincome. Though China began to growmuch faster thereafter, the gap betweenthe two countries was not verysignificant even a decade later.

The 1991 Economic reforms andliberalisation policies in Indiaexpanded India’s political andeconomic profile.

After the 2000s: In the period 2003–2007, India’s growth rate acceleratedwhile China’s began to slow down.This was the brief period when India’sdiplomatic options multiplied.

In this period, India was able toleverage the advance of its relationswith one major power to promote itsrelations with other major powers,thereby expanding its strategic space.

After the 2008 financial crisis: Theasymmetry between the U.S. and Chinabegan to shrink but the asymmetrybetween India and China began toexpand.

China has maintained the same rate ofgrowth as India, but on a much largerbase than India. This created anasymmetry of power between Indiaand China.The potential impacts of growthasymmetry between India and China:

China showing less sensitivity toIndia’s interests,

Increased economic and politicalpenetration of the Chinese economy inIndia’s peripheral countries,

lower threshold of tolerance to closerrelations between India and the U.S.,For instance, China mentions the Quadas a constraining factor of China in theIndo-Pacific,

Indirectly pointing India should accepta diminished ranking compare toChina. For instance, Chinese scholarsoften mentioning China’s economywas five times the size of India.

Overall, China at present considers thatthe U.S. is a declining power with itscredibility being eroded. Moreimportantly, the U.S.’s power toimplement decisions has alsodiminished. Therefore, asserts theallies and partners of the U.S. cannotcount on U.S. power to deter China.

Mains point:To understand China’sstandpoint on India.

16. Building peace and prosperity withstrong BRICS.Context:Recently, the BRICS ForeignMinisters issued a joint statement at avirtual meeting. And the first dialogueof Foreign Ministers between BRICSand emerging markets and developingcountries was held.

The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meetingindicated that BRICS countries willstrengthen solidarity and cooperationin the face of challenges with firmconviction, and take real actions topromote peace and development, anduphold fairness and justice.The BRICS countries should aim forin the future:




Universal security: BRICS countriesshould be builders of universalsecurity. Cold-war mentality and blocconfrontation pose grave threats toworld peace and security. Seekingone’s own security at the expense ofothers’ will only create new tensionsand risks.

It is importanta) to respect and guarantee the

security of every country,b) replace confrontation and alliance

with dialogue and partnership,and

c) promote the building of abalanced, effective and sustainableregional security architecture.

Strengthen mutual trust: BRICScountries need to strengthen politicalmutual trust and security cooperation,maintain communication andcoordination on major internationaland regional issues, respect eachother’s sovereignty, security anddevelopment interests, opposehegemonism and power politics, andwork together to build a globalcommunity of security for all.

BRICS countries should enhancemutually-beneficial cooperation insupply chains, energy, food andfinancial resilience, foster an openworld economy and create afavourable environment for commondevelopment.

Cooperation in health: BRICScountries should be pioneers ofcooperation in COVID-19 pandemicmanagement. India’s vision of ‘OneEarth, One Health’ also contributes tomultilateral cooperation on publichealth.BRICS countries should fullyleverage their respective strengths,and jointly promote the developmentof global health governance in a

direction in favour of developingcountries.

Following measures need to be taken:a) BRICS Vaccine Research and

Development Center should beput to good use,

b) establish a BRICS early warningmechanism for preventing large-scale infectious diseases, and

c) provide high-quality public goodsfor global health governancecooperation.

Leadership in global governance:BRICS countries should be leaders ofglobal governance. Global challengescan be resolved by coordinating globalactions.BRICS countries should firmlyembrace a global governancephilosophy centered around extensiveconsultation, joint contribution andshared benefits, enhanced unity andcooperation with emerging marketsand developing countries.

BRICS plus cooperation model: Allparties to the Foreign Ministersdialogue support and advocate the‘BRICS plus’ cooperation model,which is a platform born forcooperation and thrives ondevelopment. ‘BRICS plus’cooperation need to be explored atmore levels, in more areas and in awider scope

Mains point:BRICS and related issues.

17. Deepening strategic commitment:TheQuadContext:The Quad (the U.S., India,Japan and Australia) held its second in-person leaders’ summit in Tokyo onMay 24.

It has emerged stronger and clearer inits strategy and goals for the securityand prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.




The efforts by the Quad countriesshould be viewed not only from theprism of the summits, but also from thewider context of internationaldevelopments and the continuingprocess of consolidation of thebilateral relations within, especiallyU.S.-India ties.

Russia-Ukraine war impaction on the Indo-Pacific region:

Some experts feared that India’s stanceon Russia might impact the Indo-Pacific regional dynamics, particularlyIndo-US ties, but it hasn’t. It seems thatU.S. has understood India’s nuancedposition on Ukraine and has chosen torefocus on China’s strategic game in theregion.

India and the U.S. agreed to disagreeon Ukraine, but showed full readinessto further strengthen the Quad andtheir bilateral cooperation, which, U.S.President Joe Biden said, he was“committed to making…among theclosest we have on Earth.”

With China, the US President hasmoved beyond the traditional U.S.stance of ‘strategic ambiguity’ andreferred to Ukraine to stress thatChina’s armed action against Taiwanwould be unacceptable and attract amilitary response.

China critical to QUAD:

The central driving force of the Quadis to counter China’s growingexpansionism and belligerence.

The grouping has defined the mostimportant reason for its existencewithout ever using the word ‘China’.

This was best reflected in the ‘QuadJoint Leaders’ Statement’ which reads,“We reaffirm our resolve to uphold theinternational rules-based order wherecountries are free from all forms ofmilitary, economic and politicalcoercion.”

Thus, China is not only the glue thatholds the Quad together; it is also thefuel that may, through Beijing’s badbehaviour in the future, drive thegrouping’s inner consolidation, asshown by an expanding agenda.

Major points of QUAD agenda:

The Quad agenda now covers ninesectors:1) vaccine partnership and health

security,2) climate action,3) critical and emerging technologies4) cooperation on infrastructure,5) cybersecurity,6) space cooperation,7) education and people-to-people

ties,8) maritime domain awareness, and9) humanitarian assistance and

disaster relief. The Quad claims to have established

“a positive and practical agenda” inyear one; in year two, it will focus on“delivery.”The commitments made at the QUAD’sTokyo summit:

The promise of making available atleast one billion COVID-19 vaccinedoses to Indo-Pacific countries hasfallen short.

Excluding what the Quad countriescontributed to COVAX, just 25% havebeen delivered to the region so far. Thisneeds to be expanded rapidly.

On infrastructure – A newcommitment was made at Tokyo forthe Quad to extend over $50 billion ininvestment and assistance to the Indo-Pacific countries over the next fiveyears. While the focus is on the ASEANcountries and the Pacific Island States,a part of this funding should perhapsreach the Indian Ocean region too, withits touch points in Africa.




The Common Statement of Principleson Critical Technology SupplyChains is significant, as it concernscooperation on semiconductors.

Ambitious IPEF: Indo-PacificEconomic Framework for Prosperity(IPEF) was launched a day earlier. Theplan is to prepare their economies forthe future by conducting negotiationson the pillars of trade; supply chains;tax and anti-corruption and cleanenergy; decarbonisation andinfrastructure.

India is asserting its strategic autonomy:

India’s constructive participation inthe Tokyo summit and agreement tojoin IPEF demonstrated commitmentto strengthening its strategicpartnerships in order to push backChina’s dominance.

At the same time, New Delhi hasagreed to the expansion of BRICSmembership. This simultaneousengagement with the Quad and BRICSreflects New Delhi’s strategicautonomy.

Way forward

India’s presidency of the G20 in 2023and the likelihood of India hosting theQuad summit in 2024 will ensure thatit follows a calibrated policy and stayson track, as every major step willattract international attention.

Mains point:QUAD and related issues,Indo-Pacific security and prosperity.

18. India needs a forward-lookingstrategy on Pakistan.

Context: India’s approach is very differentfrom the framework that emerged at thedawn of the 1990s. Since the early1990s, the regional and internationalcontext has also altered in many ways.The balance of power between Indiaand Pakistan has been changing. Now,it is essentially in India’s favour.

The changes in India’s foreign policywith respect to Pakistan:

For nearly three decades, it wasPakistan that had the political initiative.However, in the last eight years, underthe leadership of PM Modi, India hasbegun to reset the terms of theengagement agenda.

Early Period: After the Cold War, Indiawas under pressure and a difficultsituation. There was turmoil inKashmir, the international focus onnuclear proliferation, and therelentless external pressure for asustained dialogue with Pakistan.

Pakistan used a three-prongedstrategy:(1) violent destabilisation of Kashmir

while raising human rightsconcerns in global forums,

(2) reopen the Kashmir question thatIndia believed was settled after the1971 war, and (3) leverage globalnuclear concerns to force Indianconcessions on Kashmir.

Therefore, Islamabad often setspreconditions for talks with India, likeIndia should improve its human rightsrecord in Kashmir, bring militantgroups on the negotiating table, insiston Pakistan’s leadership or officers’meetings with the Hurriyat leaders etc.

India’s military response againstPakistan’s provocative terror attackscould invite the fear of nuclearescalation and the great powersintervention.

At Present: The US-India relations have

transformed, the resolution of Delhi’sdispute with the global nuclear order,etc. have improved India’s diplomaticposition.

The Indian governments had laid thefoundations for robust economicgrowth. Instead Pakistan has




persistently neglected its economicchallenges in context of its obsessionto expand its strategic depth intoAfghanistan and redefine the nature ofits relations with India. This hasweakened its position in relation toIndia.

India Three-Pronged Strategy At present

First, the present regime will not becompelled by difficult conditions andpressure. It will talk on his own terms.

Second, Delhi has been unafraid ofPakistan’s threat of nuclear escalationwhile responding to Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism. India’s cross-borderraids on the sources of terror haveenhanced India’s deterrence. India’scampaign has also resulted in greaterinternational scrutiny of Pakistan’ssupport for terrorism.

Third, the present regime has reducedthe scope of India’s future negotiationswith Pakistan on Kashmir by changingthe constitutional status of Kashmir in2019.

Ongoing developments:

In 2021, India has negotiated a ceasefireagreement with Pakistan. It agreed toreopen talks on Kashmir.However, Pakistan is divided on itsnegotiating strategy. It is insisting onIndia to reverse all the 2019constitutional changes in Kashmir.There will be no engagement withIndia if India does not “reverse” the2019 constitutional changes inKashmir.

Way Forward:

Pakistan’s economy is in a poor state.Its diplomatic position has weakened.This might encourage Pakistan torethink its India policies.

India should take a fresh look at itsPakistan strategy. There are issues inthe effectiveness of the three-prongedpolicy. India should take a forward-

looking strategy. India can afford tomake a move.

Pakistan’s army and its political classshould be more practical in engagingIndia. India can take bold steps likePakistan PM Nawaz Sharif was invitedto attend his inauguration in 2014.

India’s new initiatives can reinforce thepositive evolution of Indian foreignpolicy. It can also expand the space forIndian diplomacy in the region andbeyond.Mains point:India-Pakistan BilateralRelations




1. Union Home Minister paid homageto Shri Basavanna on the occasion ofBasava Jayanti.

Context: The Union Minister for Home andCooperation paid homage to ShriBasavanna on the occasion of BasavaJayanti.

Basava Jayanti:. Basava Jayanti is a Hindu festival

celebrated by Lingayats in Karnataka.The day marks the birth anniversaryof Lord Basavanna.

Shri Basavanna:. He was a 12th-century poet and

philosopher and was the founder ofLingayatism. He was a Hindu Shaivitesocial reformer.

. Not only that, but he served as a chiefminister during the reign of theKalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I.

. The Lingayats (Followers ofLingayatism) are a Hindu sect with awide following in southern India thatworships Shiva as the only deity.

Contributions of Basavanna:. Believed in a society free of the caste

system, with equal opportunity for all.. Preached about manual hard work.. Introduced new public institutions

such as the Anubhava Mantapa (or,the “hall of spiritual experience”),which welcomed men and womenfrom all socio-economic backgrounds

Culture and Historyto discuss spiritual and mundanequestions of life, in the open.

. Used poetry, known as Vachanaas, tospread social awareness and bringequality to 12th-century society.

2. India embarks on the World’s largestfilm restoration project under NationalFilm Heritage Mission: I&B Minister.Context:The Union Minister ofInformation & Broadcasting hasannounced the World’s largest filmrestoration project under National FilmHeritage Mission(NFHM).The National Film HeritageMission(NFHM):

. Launched in: 2016 by the Ministry ofInformation & Broadcasting

. Aim: To preserve, restore and digitizeIndia’s cinematic heritage.

. Objectives of the mission:1) Condition assessment of film reels

to ascertain the remaining life ofthe film,

2) 2K/4K picture and soundrestoration of landmark films ofIndian and recording of newpicture and sound inter-negativesof each film,

3) Digitization of films,4) Construction of archival and

preservation facilities calledvaults,

5) Training and workshops for in-house capacity building and 6)Web-based end to end IT solution.




. Implementing Agency: National FilmArchives of India (NFAI).

. Significance: It is one of the world’slargest film preservation missions.

The National Film Archive of India(NFAI):. Setup in: 1964 as a media unit of the

Ministry of Information &Broadcasting.

. Aim: To acquire and preserve Indiancinematic heritage. This includes thepreservation of film and non-filmmaterial including but not limited tocelluloid, stills, glass slides, posters,lobby cards, scripts and song booklets.

. Headquarters: Pune, Maharashtra.

3. What new finds at Harappan sitecould mean,,Context:The Archaeological Survey ofIndia(ASI) has made significantdiscoveries at the Rakhigarhi site.

Harappan Civilization:. Archaeologically, the span of the

Harappan Civilisation is subdividedinto three periods — early (3300 BC to2600 BC), mature (2600 BC to 1900 BC),and late (1900 BC to 1700 BC).

. Five urban sites — Mohenjo-Daro,Harappa, Ganweriwala (now inPakistan) and Rakhigarhi andDholavira (India) — have beenidentified as centres of the Civilisation.

Rakhigarhi:. Rakhigarhi is a village and an

archaeological site belonging to theIndus Valley Civilisation in the HisarDistrict of Haryana.

. It was part of the mature phase of theIndus Valley Civilisation, dating to2600-1900 BCE. The site is located inthe Ghaggar-Hakra River plain.The significant discoveries made atRakhigarhi:

. Skeletal Remains: The skeletons oftwo women were found at Mound No.7 believed to be nearly 5,000 years old.Pots and other artefacts were foundburied next to the remains, part offunerary rituals back. DNA samplesmight provide clues about the ancestryand food habits of people who livedin the region thousands of years ago.

. Signs of Settlement: This is the firsttime excavations have been done onMound No. 3 which has revealed whatappears to be “an aristocraticsettlement”;

. Note: In all Harappan sites excavatedso far, there have been similar signs ofthree tiers of habitation — ‘commonsettlements’ with mud-brick walls,‘elite settlement’ with burnt brick wallsalongside mud-brick walls, andpossible ‘middle-rung settlements’.

. Jewellery Unit: A large number ofsteatite beads, beads of semi-preciousstones, shells, and objects made ofagate and carnelian have beenrecovered. This discovery signifies thattrading was also done from the city.




. Other noteworthy finds includesteatite seals, terracotta bangles,terracotta unbaked sealing with reliefof elephants and the Harappan script.The team also recovered someHarappan sealings (impression of aseal on a surface) indicating that sealswere used to mark objects belongingto a set of people or community as theyare today.

4. Puja event at ASI-protected MartandTemple in Kashmir stokescontroversy.Context:The Jammu and KashmirLieutenant Governor participated in areligious ceremony held in the ruinsof the 8th century Martand Suntemple, a protected monument underthe Archaeological Survey of India.This temple has been recognised as a“Site of national importance”.

The Martand Sun Temple:

. The Martand Sun Temple also knownas Pandou Laidan is located five milesfrom Anantnag in the Union Territoryof Jammu and Kashmir.

. It is a Hindu temple dedicated toSurya (the chief solar deity inHinduism) and built during the 8thcentury CE. Martand is anotherSanskrit synonym for Surya.

. It was built during the 8th century CEby the third ruler of the KarkotaDynasty, Lalitaditya Muktapida.

. It is now in ruins, as it was destroyedby the orders of Muslim ruler SikandarShah Miri.

. From the ruins and relatedarchaeological findings, it can be said

it was an excellent specimen ofKashmiri architecture, which hadblended the Gandharan, Gupta andChinese forms of architecture.

. The temple also appears in the list ofcentrally protected monuments asKartanda (Sun Temple).

Lalitaditya:

. Lalitaditya alias Muktapida(724 CE–760 CE) was a powerful ruler of theKarkota dynasty of the Kashmirregion in the Indian subcontinent.

. He commissioned a number of shrinesin Kashmir, including the now-ruinedMartand Sun Temple.

. He also established several towns,including a new capital at Parihasapuraalthough he

. also maintained the dynasty’straditional capital at Srinagara.

. The main source of information aboutLalitaditya is Rajatarangini, achronicle of the rulers of Kashmir, bythe 12th century Kashmiri writerKalhana.

. Lalitaditya also finds a brief mentionin the New Book of Tang (Xin Tangshu), a record of the Tang dynasty ofChina.

. The 11th-century Persian chronicler Al-Biruni mentions a Kashmiri kingcalled Muttai who was most probablyLalitaditya.

5. Iron in Tamil Nadu 4,200 years ago: anew dating and its significance.Context:Carbon dating of excavatedfinds in Tamil Nadu pushes evidence




of iron being used in India back to 4,200years ago.

The researchers conduct excavations:

. Researchers conducted excavations atthe Mayiladumparai site nearKrishnagiri in Tamil Nadu.

. Mayiladumparai is an important sitewith cultural material dating backbetween the Microlithic (30,000 BCE)and Early Historic (600 BCE) ages. Thissite was discovered by Prof Rajan inthe 1990s.

The researchers find at this site:. Researchers recovered Iron Items from

this site. The carbon dating of theseiron items pushes evidence of ironbeing used in India back to 4,200 yearsago.

. Before this, the earliest evidence ofiron use was from 1900-2000 BCE forthe country and from 1500 BCE forTamil Nadu. The latest evidence datesthe findings from Tamil Nadu to 2172BCE.

. Iron is not known to have been usedin the Indus Valley, from where theuse of copper in India is said to haveoriginated (1500 BCE).

The use of Iron started:. In 1979, the use of iron was traced to

1300 BCE at Ahar in Rajasthan.. Later, samples at Bukkasagara in

Karnataka indicated iron productiondated back to 1530 BCE.

. The date was subsequently pushedback to 1700-1800 BCE withexcavations finding evidence of ironsmelting at Raipura in the Mid-Gangavalley and then to 1900-2000 BCE basedon investigations in sites at Malharnear Varanasi and Brahmagiri in NorthKarnataka.

. A series of dating results on finds fromvarious parts of India have shownevidence of iron-ore technology before1800 BCE.

The significance of these findings:. With the latest evidence tracing India’s

Iron Age to 2000 BCE from 1500 BC,one can assume that Tamil’s culturalseeds were laid in 2000 BCE.

. And the benefit of these socio-economicchanges and massive productiontriggered by the iron technology gaveits first fruit around 600 BCE — theTamil Brahmi scripts.

6. The importance of Lumbini.

Context: For the first time in decades,the Prime Minister of India paid a visitto Lumbini, Nepal.

The significance of Indian Prime Minister’svisit to Lumbini.




. The visit reaffirmed the Buddha’smessage of peace, compassion,nonviolence, tolerance, dialogue anddebate, reconciliation, consensus, andthe middle path formed (preached) inIndian society, which is beset by strife,upheaval, rage, and hatred.

. In terms of politics, the Indian PrimeMinister’s visit has put an end to thepointless dispute over whether theBuddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal,which is a sensitive topic in Nepal.

. The visit was strategically timed tocounter China’s expanding presencein Lumbini, which is near to the Indianborder. It has, for example, constructedLumbini’s largest monastery,sponsored international Buddhistconferences, organised enormousBuddhist festival celebrations,promoted Chinese tourism toLumbini, and encouraged Chineseinvestment in the region. It suggestsChina is utilising Buddhism’s softpower potential in Nepal.

India’s soft potential:. Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar,

Shravasti, Nalanda, and Rajgir, toname a few, are among the mostrevered Buddhist places in India.

. Lumbini and Bodh Gaya’sMahabodhi Temple are bothUNESCO World Heritage Sites. Theyare to Buddhists what Mecca or Kashiare to Muslims and Hindus,respectively.

The difficulties of Indian side:. In Lumbini, India has not fully used

its soft power potential. However, inthe late 1990s, India aided in theconstruction of a tiny museum inLumbini. In addition, in the gardensof the Maya Devi temple, whereGautama Buddha was born in 2014,an India Ambassador planted a sampleof the sacred Bodhi tree.

. Beautiful monasteries from severalcountries can be found in Lumbini.However, there is no monastery atLumbini, India.

. There have been discussions aboutcreating a Buddhist circuit connectingNepal’s and India’s key pilgrimagesites. However, words have not yetconverted into action.

. The border infrastructure, as well asimmigration and other institutions inthe area, are in terrible condition. Theroad system is inadequate. Forexample, crossing the Sunauli-Bhairahawa India-Nepal checkpoint,which is meant for tourists, is anightmare.

. The connection between foreigncountry monasteries and the localcommunities in Bodh Gaya is tense.

The way forward:. India can support the worldwide

Lumbini Development Committeeand Nepal in implementing the masterplan for Lumbini development, whichhas been in the works for decades.

. The basic infrastructure between Indiaand Nepal, such as the road network,should be updated. KushinagarAirport in India and BhairahawaAirport in Nepal, for example, shouldbe built as soon as possible.Furthermore, the integrated check postmay be constructed quickly. Tourismand the local economy would benefitfrom the initiative.

. India should create a master plan forBodh Gaya, similar to the one forLumbini, in order to develop it as asacred pilgrimage site for both Hindusand Buddhists.

. To encourage coordination amongstinternational monasteries, India mightestablish a high-level coordinationcouncil comprised of officials fromstate governments, central




governments, and overseasmonasteries.

. L u m b i n i - B o d h G a y a - S a r n a t h -Kushinagar, the Buddhist circuit,should be recognised a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, including masterplans for each part of the circuit.

. As a collaborative initiative, India andNepal might host an internationalconference on the growth of theBuddhist circuit.

. In Bodh Gaya, India might alsoestablish an international museum ofBuddhist traditions, with all Buddhistcountries invited to contribute.Mains point: India and Nepal Culturalrelations.

7. Inauguration of amenities at KanheriCaves.Context:The Union Minister forTourism, Culture and Development ofthe North Eastern Region (DoNER) hasinaugurated the Kanheri Caves on theoccasion of Buddha Purnima.

Kanheri Caves:

. The Kanheri Caves are a group of cavesand rock-cut monuments located onthe western outskirts of Mumbai. Thecaves are located within the forests ofthe Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

. Origin of the word: The name Kanheriis derived from ‘Kanhagiri’ in Prakritand occurs in the Nasik inscription ofthe Satavahana ruler VasisthiputraPulumavi.

. Style: Kanheri consists of excavationsprimarily undertaken during theHinayana phase but also has severalexamples of the Mahayana stylisticarchitecture as well as a few printingsof the Vajrayana order.

. Patronaged by: Kanheri flourishedunder the patronage of Satavahana,Traikutakas, Vakatakas and Silaharasand through donations made by thewealthy merchants of the region.

. Excavations: The Kanheri cavescomprise more than 110 different rock-cut monolithic excavations and are oneof the largest single excavations in thecountry. Moreover, the scale and extentof excavations with its numerous watercisterns, epigraphs, one of the oldestdams, a stupa burial gallery andexcellent rainwater harvesting systemindicate its popularity as a monasticand pilgrim centre.

. Foreign Travellers: Kanheri wasmentioned in the travelogues of foreigntravellers. The earliest reference ofKanheri is ascribed to Fa-Hein whovisited India during 399-411 CE andlater by several other travellers.

. Significance: Kanheri cavesimportance is heightened by the factthat it is the only centre where acontinuous progression of Buddhistfaith and architecture is observed asan unbroken legacy right from 2ndcentury CE (cave no. 2 stupa) to 9thcentury CE are observed here.

8. Remembering Raja Ram MohanRoy’s legacy on his 250th birthday.Context:Ram Mohan Roy, one of themost significant social and religiousreformers of the 19th century, wasborn on May 22, 1772 in Radhanagar,Hooghly district, in what was then theBengal Presidency.

. Roy’s work in the areas of women’semancipation, modernisingeducation, and advocating




modifications to religious orthodoxyfinds additional relevance in this timeas India grapples with changing socialand religious situations.

Early years:. Roy was born into an affluent upper-

caste Brahmin family and grew up inthe typical caste norms of the time:child marriage, polygamy, and dowrywere common among the higher castes,and he himself had been marriedmultiple times during his childhood.

. Because of his family’s wealth, he hadaccess to the greatest educationavailable.

. Roy was a polyglot who spoke Bengali,Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and,eventually, English. His exposure toeach of these languages’ literature andculture instilled in him a scepticism ofreligious dogmas and socialrestrictions. Practices such as Sati, forexample.

. He spent a lot of time studying theVedas and Upanishads, as well asIslamic and Christian religious books.He was particularly drawn to theUnitarian branch of Christianity, and tothe monotheistic doctrines that hebelieved were at the heart of allreligious teachings.

. According to historian Amiya P Sen,Rabindranath Tagore dubbed him a‘Bharatpathik,’ which meant thatRammohun “embodied theunderlying ethos of Indic civilization,

its attitude of plurality, tolerance, anda cosmic regard for all forms of life.”

Roy was the pioneer among liberals:. Roy was one of India’s early liberals,

confident in his heritage and open toabsorbing what he saw as beneficialpractises from other civilizations.

. Mughal emperor Akbar II bestowedthe title of Raja upon him.

. He didn’t study things in the abstractor in isolation in academia, but with thepractical goal of ensuring humanhappiness and freedom. As a result, hebecame a modern man.

. He founded the Atmiya Sabha(Society of Friends) in 1814 to fosterphilosophical debates on Vedanta’sconcept of monotheism and to fightidolatry, casteism, child marriage, andother social problems.

. In 1828, the Atmiya Sabha gave wayto the Brahmo Sabha, which wasfounded by Debendranath Tagore,Rabindranath Tagore’s father.

. Brahmo Sabha ushered in enormoussocial reforms and gave birth to theBrahmo religion, a reformed spiritualHinduism that believes in monotheismand the uniformity of all men,regardless of caste, class, or faith,during the Bengal Renaissance.

Education:Roy rose to prominence as apublic intellectual in Kolkata (formerlyCalcutta) over the course of a 15-yearspan. He advocated for educationalreform, particularly the introduction ofa Western curriculum, and establisheda number of educational institutions inthe city.

. In 1817, he co-founded the HinduCollege with Scottish donor DavidHare (now, Presidency University).

. In 1822, he founded the Anglo-HinduSchool, and in 1830, he helpedAlexander Duff build the GeneralAssembly’s Institution, whichultimately became Scottish ChurchCollege.




. Sati was abolished in 1829 under thegovernor generalship of WilliamBentinck, thanks to his tirelesslobbying with contemporaries likeIshwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Royfought for women’s property rightsand petitioned the British for pressfreedom (in 1829 and 1830).

He was criticised for his views:. For his radical ideas, he was one of the

first Indians to acquire attention in theUnited Kingdom and America.However, he was frequently criticisedby both his own countrymen who feltintimidated by his reforming agendaand British reformers and functionarieswho held opposing viewpoints.

9. Qutub Minar not a place of worship:ASIContext:Archaeological Survey ofIndia has submitted a report in a Delhicourt stating the Qutub Minar complexis not a place of worship and itscharacter cannot be changed now.

The case:

. A plea has been filed in court claimingthat 27 temples were demolished tobuild the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque atthe Qutub Minar complex. The pleaseeks “restoration” of Hindu and Jaintemples on the Qutub premises. Butthe plea has been dismissed under theprovisions of the Places of Worship(Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

. This is because the Qutub Minarcomplex comes under the purview ofthe Ancient Monuments and

Archaeological Sites and Remains(AMASR) Act of 1958. The ASI,submitted that the Qutub Minarcomplex was not a place of worshipwhen it was first notified as a protectedmonument in 1914.

. Further, the ASI said remains of 27temples were procured for the mosqueby spending 2,00,000 Deliwals (coins)on each. The ASI added that nowherein the records does it mention thatthese remains were retrieved bydemolishing temples.

The character of a monument get decided:. The character of a monument is decided

on the date when it comes underprotection. Following this, objectionsfrom the public are invited for twomonths. This is how several placeswhere religious practices were beingconducted came to be protected underthe AMASR Act.

The Qutub Minar complex:. Belong to: These are monuments and

buildings from the Delhi Sultanate. Located in: Mehrauli in Delhi.. Phases of construction: The

Construction of the Qutub Minar“victory tower” in the complex wasbegun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. He laterbecame the first Sultan of Delhi of theMamluk dynasty.

. It was continued by his successorIltutmish, and finally completed muchlater by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a Sultanof Delhi from the Tughlaq dynasty(1320-1412) in 1368 AD.

. Named after: Religious figure SufiSaint Khwaja Qutbuddin BakhtiarKaki

Famous structures within Qutub Minarcomplex: Qutb Minar, the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza gate, theAlai Minar and the Iron pillar.

. Note: The iron pillar of Delhi wasconstructed by Chandragupta II. It isfamous for the rust-resistant




composition of the metals used in itsconstruction.

. Tombs present in the complex:Iltutmish, Alauddin Khalji and ImamZamin.

10. Who was Prithviraj Chauhan, thefearless hero of folk legend?Context:There is controversy around anew film called ‘Prithviraj’. As both theGujjar and Rajput communities ofRajasthan laying claim over the 12th-century king.

The Prithviraj Chauhan:

. He belonged to the Chauhan orChahamana dynasty of Ajmer whichemerged after the decline of thePratihara empire in the 11th centuryAD.

. He ascended the throne in 1177 or 1178,and very quickly expanded hiskingdom, defeating many of thesmaller Rajput states.

. He struggled against the Chalukyas ofGujarat and was forced to looktowards the Ganga valley instead.

. Literary works about Prithviraj:Prithviraj was depicted in ‘PrithvirajRaso’, a poem in Brajbhasha attributedto Chand Bardai, which is thought tohave been composed in the 16thcentury.

. Note: The description of Prithviraj as“the last Hindu emperor” can be tracedto the British colonial official JamesTod’s ‘Annals and Antiquities ofRajasthan’ (1829).

Prithviraj Chauhan and the Battle of Tarain:. First Battle of Tarain (1191AD):

Prithviraj’s army was able to decisivelydefeat the invading Ghurids in the FirstBattle.

. Second Battle of Tarain (1192AD): Hewas defeated in the Second Battle.

. Significance: The battle marked awatershed moment in the history ofmedieval India, paving the way for theestablishment of the Delhi Sultanateand the beginning of Muslim rule.

11. The cultural roots and significance ofPM Modi’s gifts for his Quadcolleagues.Context:The India Prime Ministertravelled to Tokyo to attend the QuadSummit, he carried with him gifts forleaders of the US, Australia and Japanshowcasing India’s rich culturalheritage and art forms.

The gifts and their cultural roots:. Sanjhi art panel for US President Joe

Biden. The intricate sanjhi panel that the PM

gave to US President Joe Biden is basedon the theme of Thakurani Ghat,which is one of the most famous ghatson the banks of the holy river ofYamuna in Gokul.

. The traditional art form, that originatedout of the cult of Krishna, involvescreating stencils based on incidentsfrom the life of the deity and then hand-cutting these on thin sheets of paperusing scissors.




. Radha, according to Hindumythology, used to paint sanjhipatterns on the walls for her belovedKrishna and later the gopis ofVrindavan followed suit.

. Later, the form was used to makeceremonial rangolis in templesdedicated to Lord Krishna. In fact, theterm ‘sanjhi’ is derived from ‘sanjh’ ordusk and is related to the practice ofmaking rangolis in temples at dusk.

. In the form of painting, sanjhi waspopularised in the 15th and 16thcenturies by the Vaishnava templesand was practiced by Brahmin priests.

. During the Mughal period,contemporary themes were added andseveral families have continued topractice the form to this day. Duringthe 2010 Commonwealth Games, thepictograms were inspired bytraditional Sanjhi art.Gond art painting for Australian PMAnthony Albanese:

. The art in its visual form is often tracedto Jangarh Shyam, who in the 1970sand ’80s began drawing the largely oralmyths and legends of the tribe onto thewalls of homes in the village ofPatangarh.

. The art form told the tale of their godsand goddesses and as well as the floraand fauna of the deep forests inMadhya Pradesh.

. As the form received globalrecognition, several Gond artists havegained prominence and recognition.The prominent names include Bhajju

Shyam, Venkat Shyam, DurgabaiVyam, Ram Singh Urveti andSubhash Vyam, among others.Wooden hand-carved box with aRogan painting for Japanese PMFumio Kishida:

. PM Modi gifted PM Kishida a hand-carved deep brown wooden box witha gold and white Rogan painting on agreen cloth as its central motif.

. Rogan is a form of cloth painting thatis considered to be more than fourcenturies old and is primarily practisedin Kutch district of Gujarat.

. The word ‘rogan’ comes from Persian,meaning varnish or oil.

. The craft uses paint made from boiledoil and vegetable dyes, where castorseeds are hand-pounded to extract theoil and turned into a paste by boiling.

. Usually, only half the fabric is painted,and it is folded to create a mirror image.While originally only men used topractice the art form, now severalwomen in Gujarat also pursue it.

. PM Modi had also gifted a Roganpainting to the Queen of Denmark,Margrethe II, during his three-dayvisit to Europe earlier this month.Mains point:Significance of the giftsgiven to QUAD members by the IndianPM.

12. PM to launch Buddhist Centre workContext.The Prime Minister travelledto Lumbini in Nepal to participate in aceremony to lay the foundation stone




for an “India International Center forBuddhist Culture & Heritage”.

India International Center forBuddhist Culture & Heritage”.

. India International Center for BuddhistCulture & Heritage was located inLumbini, Nepal.This heritage centre isConstructed by International BuddhistConfederation (IBC) with the financialsupport of the Ministry of Culture,Government of India

. This Buddhist Centre will be the first‘Net Zero Emission’ building in Nepal.

Importance of Lumbini. Lumbini, in Nepal, is a Buddhist

pilgrimage place. According toBuddhist legend, it was here thatQueen Mahamaya Devi gave birth toSiddhartha Gautama in the year 563BCE.

. In 1997, UNESCO designated Lumbinias a World Heritage Site. Siddharthaattained enlightenment in Bodhgaya inBihar and came to be known asBuddha, preached his first sermon atSarnath and attained Nirvana inKushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.

The International BuddhistConfederation (IBC)

. It was formed in 2013 as aninternational Buddhist umbrella bodyto serve as a common platform forBuddhists worldwide. It isheadquartered in New Delhi




Social Issues1. The school dress is in the cross hairs.

Context:The Karnataka governmentrecently issued an order requiringstudents to wear school uniforms inboth the classroom and theexamination hall.

. In fact, the Karnataka order has beenimplemented in Kendriya Vidyalayas(central schools) that are not governedby the provincial government.

A history of the school uniform:. The stringent regulation of the school

uniform was common in colonialeducational systems.

. With urbanisation, prosperity, andprivatisation, the idea of a schooluniform has spread. Throughoutreality, in the early years of theAmerican Revolution, rural and small-town schools rarely required studentsto wear a daily uniform.

. Uniforms provided chances forschools, local fabric merchants, tailors,and shoe stores to do business. As aresult, the uniform industryflourished, and private schools beganto insist on wearing the requireduniform every day. Local monopolieswere also created.

The significance of school uniforms:. A school uniform ensures that students

are clothed consistently. It aids in thediscipline of children.

Objections to Karnataka’s decision:. There is no evidence that wearing a

school uniform affects learning in thelong history of education.

. In his book “The Ideal of HumanUnity,” Sri Aurobindo emphasisedhow variation tempts homogeneity.Uniformity, on the other hand, does notadd to a sense of belonging or unity.

. The mandatory school uniform couldlimit principals’ and teachers’ alreadylimited authority.

. Other education reforms should havebeen prioritised by the Karnatakagovernment. Since the 1960s, policyimprovements have been in the works.In Karnataka, pre-university or juniorcolleges are the norm. Other states, onthe other hand, have followed theKothari Commission’s 10+2 model,which was proposed nearly 60 yearsago.The key difference between a uniformand a dress code is that1) a uniform is not the same as a dress

code. A uniform has stricterguidelines than a dress code.

2) On the other hand, a uniform maygo as far as prescribing not only thecolour but also the material andthe design or cut.

Next Steps:. A considerable reorganisation of the

educational administrative structure isrequired. In defining the rules thatgovern institutional life, schoolprincipals and teachers should beallowed more influence andindependence.

. The Kothari report proposed that thecommunity have a more active role inschool life and that bureaucraticauthority be reduced, allowing formore school autonomy.

. Instead of proposing a specificuniform, the government should haveadvised a dress code. The uniforms, ifelaborated, should be employed insocieties where inequality iswidespread.

. Government debates should be madepublic. All stakeholders, particularlyteachers, should be given the




opportunity to participate. They aremore accessible to pupils. They aremore aware of what makes classroomlife more pleasant for everyone.

. The Kothari Commission’srecommendation should be followed.The goal of the suggestion was to makeclassroom instruction lessstereotypical, more vibrant, and child-centred.

2. Cowed down: On the need for strictanti-lynching lawContext:Two tribal males wererecently beaten to death in Seoni,Madhya Pradesh, on suspicion ofslaughtering cows.

The mob lynchings:. Communities like Dalits, Muslims,

and tribals have been stigmatised asa result of these regulations because oftheir eating patterns and dependenceon cow products for a living. As aresult, Muslims, Dalits, and Tribalshave borne the brunt of the mobviolence. For example, the murder ofPehlu Khan in Rajasthan in April 2017.

. The law enforcement authorities’priorities are ludicrous. One of theslain guys, for example, was allegedlyinvolved in a “cow slaughter” in thiscase, according to the policedepartment.

. The police fail to try to bring peopleimplicated in lynch mobs to justicewhile enforcing the livestockslaughter regulations.

. The cattle slaughter restrictions appearto have been introduced to please

majoritarian tendencies in order to gainpolitical support rather than to protectanimals.A judicial decision on anti-cattleslaughter legislation:

. The Supreme Court upheld theabsolute ban on cattle slaughter in2005. The court interpreted Articles 48,48A, and 51(A) of the Constitution’sdirective principles of state policy,which aim to conserve agricultural andanimal husbandry breeds while alsoencouraging compassion for animals.

. The 1958 ruling only applied to“useful” animals that were still usedin agriculture and husbandry. As aresult, strict rules against cowslaughter were implemented.

Next Steps:. The police should take measures

against those who are suspected ofbeing involved.

. Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal,and Manipur have all approved anti-lynching legislation. Because lynchingis not a crime under the Indian PenalCode, these laws are in varying stagesof adoption with the Uniongovernment (IPC).

. Such violent deeds should not gounpunished, and society should returnto the rule of law.

. It’s time for the law on cattle slaughterto be re-examined by the courts.

Mains point:The mob lynchings

3. Fertility falls, obesity goes up in India, says National Family Health SurveyContext:The National Family HealthSurvey(NFHS-5) Report hashighlighted the recent trends inFertility and Obesity




The key findings of NFHS-5:

. Total Fertility Rate(TFR): The TotalFertility Rate(TFR), the averagenumber of children per woman, hasdeclined from 2.2 to 2.0 at the nationallevel between NFHS 4 and 5.

. There are only five states in Indiawhich are above the replacement levelof fertility of 2.1 — Bihar (2.98),Meghalaya (2.91), Uttar Pradesh (2.35),Jharkhand (2.26) and Manipur (2.17).

. Median Age at First Birth: There is a1% decline in women aged 15-19 whohave begun childbearing from theprevious NFHS. Now the median ageat first birth among women is 25-49years.

. Obesity: India is rapidly becoming theland of the obese. Compared withNFHS-4, the prevalence of overweightor obesity has increased in mostStates/UTs in NFHS-5. At the nationallevel, it increased from 21% to 24%among women and 19% to 23% amongmen. Further, one in every four Indiansis now obese.

. The percentage of obese population ismore in urban (33%) than in rural areas(20%).

. There is also a steady increase in theproportion of overweight or obese menand women as household wealthincreases.

. Puducherry (46%), Chandigarh (44%),Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab (41%each) have the highest proportion ofobese women. In comparison,Jharkhand and Bihar followed byGujarat have the highest proportion ofthin women.

. On the other hand, Andaman andNicobar Islands have the highestproportion of overweight men (45%),followed by Puducherry (43%) andLakshadweep (41%). Bihar, MadhyaPradesh and Gujarat have the highestshare of thin men.

. Note: Obesity is the leading cause ofseveral non-communicable andprogressive diseases such ashypertension, diabetes and thoserelated to liver and increased risks ofstroke.

. The National Family Health Survey(NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-roundsurvey conducted based on therepresentative samples collected fromhouseholds throughout India.




. The NFHS survey provides state andnational information for India onvarious health parameters such asfertility, infant and child mortality, thepractice of family planning, maternaland child health, reproductive health,nutrition, anaemia, utilisation andquality of health and family planningservices.

The National Family Health Survey:. NFHS is released by the Ministry of

Health and Family Welfare(MOHFW).

. But the MOHFW designated theInternational Institute for PopulationSciences (IIPS), Mumbai, as the nodalagency. The IIPS is responsible forproviding coordination and technicalguidance for the survey.

. Technical assistance for the NFHS wasprovided mainly by ORC Macro(USA) but various other organisationsassist with specific issues.The fund for National Family HealthSurvey (NFHS):The Survey of this size cannot becarried out with government fundsalone. Many international agenciesprovide funds to carry out the NFHS.They are,

. United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID)

. The Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation

. Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID)

. United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF)

. United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA)

. MOHFW, Government of IndiaThe Goal of National Family HealthSurvey (NFHS):Every National Family Health Survey(NFHS) has two specific goals to fulfil.They are

1. to provide essential data neededby the Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare and other agenciesfor informed decision making andpolicy and programmeintervention purposes.

2. to provide insight regardingimportant emerging health andfamily welfare issues

Apart from these two specificobjectives, NFHS also helps to monitorthe progress of various SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) especiallySDG-3 (Good Health and Well-Being).There are 5 rounds of National FamilyHealth Surveys (NFHS) conducted sofar in India. They are,1. First Round of NFHS conducted in

1992-93 (NFHS-1)2. Second Round of NFHS conducted

in 1998-99 (NFHS-2)3. Third Round of NFHS conducted

in 2005-06 (NFHS-3)4. Fourth Round of NFHS conducted

in 2015-16 (NFHS-4)5. Fifth Round of NFHS conducted in

2019-20 (NFHS-5). The NFHS-1, NFHS-2, NFHS-3 didn’t

cover UTs except for Delhi because theobjective of the survey then was toprovide State-level estimates.Since NFHS-4, the survey introduceddistrict-level estimates for manyimportant indicators and also includedother UTs to provide holisticinformation.5th round of National Family HealthSurvey (NFHS-5):

. The MOHFW recently released Phase– I of NFHS-5 comprising data for 22states/UTs. The Survey was earlierexpected to release in July but due tothe Covid-19 pandemic the release ofthe survey got delayed and it wasfinally released on 12th December2020.




. The fieldwork in the remaining 14(Phase-II) States/UTs is currently inprogress and expected to be availablein May 2021.

. The national-level indicators includingmost of the SDG health indicators areexpected to be available by June/July2021.

Important points regarding NFHS-5:. The state fact sheet released includes

information on 131 key indicators.. The district-level fact sheet includes

information on 104 key indicators.. NFHS-5 uses the majority of NFHS-4

key indicators so that it would becomparable with NFHS-4 without anyloss of information.The new things in the 5th round ofNFHS (NFHS-5):

. The NFHS-5 also included district-level estimates which were introducedduring the NFHS-4. Apart from thatNFHS-5 also included some new topicssuch as

. Preschool education,

. Disability,

. Access to a toilet facility,

. Death registration,

. Bathing practices during menstruation(menstrual hygiene),

. Methods and reasons for abortion.

. components of micro-nutrients tochildren,

. frequency of alcohol and tobacco use,

. additional components of non-communicable diseases (NCDs),

. expanded age ranges for measuringhypertension and diabetes among allaged 15 years and above etc.

4. India is empowering women throughpolicy.Context:The union administration hasmade the principle of sarvajana hitaya,sarvajana sukhaya (for the good of all,

for the happiness of all) a reality,particularly in the context of women.

The government’s actions:

. To inform policy practice, the presentgovernment has embraced a system-wide gendered perspective.

. The administration has sought toimprove women’s social status. Underthe NFSA 2013, women are recognisedas the head of the family on rationcards and are eligible for benefitsunder the Pradhan Mantri AwasYojana (PMAY) and Pradhan MantriUjjwala Yojana (PMUY).

. The Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (PM-JAY) makes a householdwithout any adult male memberseligible for the scheme, eliminates thefive-beneficiary limit that previouslypenalised women in larger families,and expands a significant number ofwomen-centric health benefit packages.

. By putting assets like houses and LPGsin the hands of women, thegovernment is challenging the unjuststatus quo and cultivating nari shakti.

The government steps:. The government has been working to

close gender data gaps. The nation’sstatistics infrastructure has been rebuiltto count women. In India, new gender




sensitive statistics gave gendersensitive contributions to the policydebate. This gives a framework forpolicymakers to allocate resources.

. According to the first nationwideTime Use Survey (TUS) 2019, womencommit 7.2 hours each day tocaregiving and domestic services,compared to 2.8 hours for the averageIndian guy.

. The National Family Health Survey(NFHS) has been completelyredesigned from the ground up. Inaddition, the NFHS-4 and 5 suppliedcritical data on nutrition, fertility,family planning, reproductive,maternal, and child health, as well asmortality indicators.

. The government has begun conductingthe yearly Periodic Labour ForceSurvey (PLFS). This includes gender-disaggregated labour force statisticssuch as the Female Worker PopulationRatio, Female Labor ForceParticipation Rate, and FemaleUnemployment Rate, among otherthings.

. In 2014, the National Crime RecordsBureau (NCRB) gathered informationon female foeticide. Following that, thegovernment started the campaign BetiBachao, Beti Padhao.

Next Steps:. A step toward resolution and

rectification is quantification. Thegovernment should continue to collectgender-disaggregated information.This information can be obtainedthrough implementation-related dataor surveys. They’d be utilised toeducate or modify policies.

. Audits and third-party analyses ofsuch data should be conducted bypersons and groups in academia,research, and evaluation consultancies.Mains point:Gender justice andgender egalitarianism

5. 89% children between 6-23 monthsdon’t get adequate diet: NFHSContext:The National Family HealthSurvey(NFHS-5) has released data onthe gap in Child Nutrition.

The NFHS say about Child Nutrition:

. Minimum Acceptable Diet: Around89% of children between the formativeages of 6-23 months do not receive a“minimum acceptable diet’’. This isonly marginally better than the 90.4%recorded in NFHS-4.

. The minimum acceptable diet is acomposite of two main things:1) breastfeeding and its frequency up

to two years and2) dietary diversity.

. In dietary diversity, WHO has definedten essential food groups — cereals andmillets, pulses, milk and milkproducts, roots and tubers, green leafyvegetables, other vegetables, fruits, fator oil, fish, egg and other meats andsugar — out of which 4-5 every day arerequired for a child to preventmalnutrition.

. States where Children received anadequate diet: The proportion ofchildren who received a minimumacceptable diet was highest inMeghalaya (28.5%) and the lowest inUP and Gujarat (5.9% each).

. Access to the minimum acceptable dietin children was higher in urban areas(12.1%) than in rural areas (10.7%).

. Reasons for Deficient Diet: There area number of reasons for a deficient diet— poverty, lack of access to nutrition(cereals, fruits, vegetables, eggs, etc),




lack of awareness and low educationamong others.

. Impact of Deficient Diet: Deficiency inthe diet in a child’s formative years hasa direct bearing on malnutrition, withIndia having one of the highestmalnutrition burdens in the world.

6. On marital rape: The importance ofconsent.

Context: A split verdict in the DelhiHigh Court on the question ofcriminalising marital rape hasreignited the controversy over legalprotection for disregard of consent forsex within marriage.

. Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who headed theDelhi HC Bench, struck down asunconstitutional the exception toSection 375 of the IPC, which says thatintercourse by a man with his wifeaged 18 or above is not rape even if itis without her consent

. But, Justice C. Hari Shankar rejectedthe plea to criminalise marital rapepointing out that any change in the lawhas to be carried out by the legislaturesince it requires consideration ofsocial, cultural and legal aspects.

The judges differ points:Difference of opinion of the judgeswas on key points such as

. Difficulty in getting evidence

. The importance of consent

. Whether the state’s concerns aboutsafeguarding the institution ofmarriage were valid, and

. if other laws against sexual violenceprotected married women, the issues

involved may have to be ultimatelyadjudicated with the help of a thirdjudge or a larger Bench of the HighCourt or the Supreme Court.

The stance of the Central Govt on the issue:. The Union government has been

opposing the removal of the maritalrape exception.

. In 2016, it had rejected the concept ofmarital rape, saying it “cannot beapplied to the Indian context” due tovarious reasons, not least because ofthe “mindset of society to treatmarriage as a sacrament”.

. However, in the final hearing, theUnion government did not take a standon the issue.

The opinions of the Delhi HC Bench:Justice Shakdher’s opinion. He says what is defined as rape in law

should be labelled as such, irrespectiveof whether it occurs within or outsidemarriage.

. He finds that the marital exceptionviolates equality before law, as well asdeprives women of the right to triggera prosecution for non-consensual sex.Besides, it also discriminates amongwomen based on their marital statusand robs them of sexual agency andautonomy.

Justice Hari Shankar’s opinion. In contrast, Justice Hari Shankar’s

opinion, somewhat disconcertingly,de-emphasises the element of consentand highlights the importance ofpreserving the institution of marriageto such an extent that he holds that anylegislation that keeps rape out of amarital relationship “is immune tointerference”.

Way forward. If marriage is regarded as a partnership

between equals, an exception in a 162-year-old law should have had no place.

. While there are other laws governingcivil relationships that legitimise




conjugal expectations, these cannot beseen as giving a free pass for violencewithin marriage, which is essentiallywhat sex without consent is.

. Whether the legislative route is moreappropriate in making marital rape acriminal offence is a matter of detail.

. What is important is that sexualviolence has no place in society, andthe institution of marriage is noexception.

Mains point:Regarding marital rape

7. Focusing on public healthengineering.Context: According to Startup India,one in five children die before their fifthbirthday because of poor sanitationand hygiene conditions.

The environmental degradation problems:. Global :According to the United

Nations, Globally, around 80% ofwastewater flows back into theecosystem without being treated orreused which pose a significantenvironmental and health threat.

. India:According to the World Bank,about 70% of sewage is dischargeduntreated into India’s water bodies.This contaminated water led to astaggering 21% of diseases in India,

The issues:. Both as professions and as practice,

engineering and public health havebeen traditionally understood asdifferent fields in India.

. In India, public health engineering isexecuted by the PWD or by healthofficials. This differs from internationaltrends. For example, Europe hasspecialized candidates in wastewaterengineering.

. There is the issue of populationgrowth, diminishing resources andrisky exploitation of natural resources.

. Currently, the civil engineers don’thave adequate skills to address public

health problems. And public healthprofessionals do not have adequateengineering skills. Both fail tounderstand the nexus betweenwastewater and solid wastemanagement and public health issuesclearly.

. Majority of diseases are water-relatedlike transmitted through consumptionof contaminated water, vectorsbreeding in stagnated water, etc.

The forward steps:. It is essential to find and implement

innovative ways of treatingwastewater to achieve sustainabledevelopment goals of clean water andsanitation.

. Innovative solutions are also neededto address the growing demands forwater consumption and preservationof both surface water bodies andgroundwater resources.

. There is a need to expand the scope ofpublic health/environmentalengineering science.

. Both engineering and public healthfield, together can work in differentfields like wastewater treatmentsystems, for understanding complexquality and monitoring processes,designing and managing septic tanksystems, supplying good quality waterin adequate quantities, etc.

. The Government should launch publichealth engineering as a two-yearstructured master’s degree programmeor through diploma. It should bedeveloped as an interdisciplinary field.Public health professionals can begroomed through in-service training.

. The health and engineering institutesshould provide knowledge in areas ofenvironment science in the refreshercourse.

. On one side, public healthprofessionals can contribute toengineering through well-researched




understanding of health issues, etc.Similarly, engineers can contribute topublic health through their problem-solving approach. Thus, combinationof engineering and public health skillscan lead to development of publichealth engineering.

. The decentralised and onsitewastewater management systemsshould be designed based on hydro-geological data and observations ofclimate patterns.

. Public health engineering can helppolicymakers to understandprocesses, trends, and the latesttechnology in water and wastewaterquality monitoring, treatment, andmanagement.

. There is a need to hire environmentalengineers to address public healthproblems.

. Institutions like the Indian Institute ofTechnology, Madras (IIT-M) areconsidering initiating public healthengineering as a separate discipline.

. In wake of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission,India needs a cadre of public healthengineers, who can help inidentification of sustainable sources ofwater, monitoring the quantity andquality of supply, among other things.Mains point:Public healthengineering.

8. The technical higher education marketdissected.Context:The number of highereducation technical institutions andtheir intake capacity have decreasedby 18.3 percent and 6.01 percent,respectively, over the last two years.Background:Technical highereducation

. After 1991, when the All-India Councilfor Technical Education (AICTE)became operational, there was a

significant increase in technical highereducation.

. The number of technical highereducation institutes expanded fivefold(from 53 to 277) and enrollmentclimbed sixfold between 1961 and 1991.The government has accounted for themajority of this expansion.

. Between 1991 and 2020, the number ofinstitutions increased by 40 times,while the intake capacity increased by15 times to 32.85 lakh. The privatesector has accounted for the majorityof this expansion.

The problems:. The total demand for technical higher

education looks to be greater than theoverall available seats (based on thenumber of students appearing inNEET, JEE, and other entrance exams).As a result, several technical institutesare unable to fill their approved seats.Their capacity utilisation is decreasing,and in 2020-21, it will be 53.53 percent.

. The AICTE recommends a certainstudent-teacher ratio (STR) of 7.5 to 20students per teacher. The majority ofinstitutions, however, are unable toaccept pupils. As a result of insufficientadmissions, their STR has droppedfrom 5.5 in 2012-13 to 3.0 in 2020-21.

. These institutions are endangered bya lack of economic viability as a resultof decreased STR. This impedes thedevelopment of high-qualityinfrastructure and human resources.

. Institutions demand that the qualifyingstandards for admissions be relaxed inorder to increase admissions. Forexample, a reduction in the minimumpercentage of marks required by theschool board, the requirement thatscience and mathematics be studied atthe intermediate level in schools, andso on.

. Technical higher educationinstitutions are very hierarchical and




differentiated. The IIT, NIT, IIIT, andother prestigious institutes are amongthe most sought after.

. Private institutions of high quality usean exploitative pricing policy. Theycharge a lot of money. After all, theVeblen Effect (what is expensive isviewed as outstanding) also exists inhigher education.

Next Steps:. The AICTE should establish a wide

framework and rules for calculatingthe maximum amount of fees that canbe charged. Then the fee fixationcommittees at the state level should getto work. This would be in keeping withthe spirit of federalism, which calls forstates to be active participants in theprocess.

. The AICTE Act directs it to “take allnecessary actions to avoid thecommercialization of technicaleducation.”

. The AICTE shall take all necessarysteps to ensure that standards aredeveloped and maintained in acoordinated and integrated manner.Mains point:Higher TechnicalEducation Reforms.

9. Report flags risk of fortified rice forsome.Context: activists have said that thedistribution of iron-fortified ricethrough government schemes to curbanaemia must be stopped in States likeJharkhand.

The fortified rice:

. One kilogram each of iron powder,vitamin B12 and folic acid are addedto a quintal of powdered rice,reconstituted into small rice-grainshaped pellets and distributed throughdifferent food schemes. This is whatconstitutes fortified rice.

The Fortification of Rice Programme:. A Pilot Project on Fortification of Rice

and its Distribution under the PublicDistribution System was implementedfor a period of 3 years beginning from2019-20 in fifteen states.

. A team of the Right to Food Campaignvisited some of the targeted districts inJharkhand.

. After finding several issues with theprogramme, it has asked the Jharkhandgovernment to halt the distribution offortified rice immediately.




The distribution of fortified ricestopped in Jharkhand:

. The team discovered that among thebeneficiaries who received fortifiedrice in the State were also patientsdiagnosed with thalassemia, sickle celldisease, and tuberculosis.

. Thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia andmalaria are conditions where there isalready excess iron in the bodywhereas TB patients are unable toabsorb iron.

. Hence, consumption of iron-fortifiedfoods among patients with thesediseases can reduce immunity andreduce the functionality of organs.

. Jharkhand is an endemic zone ofsickle cell disorder and thalassemiawith a prevalence of 8%-10%, which istwice the national average. Jharkhandis also an endemic zone for malaria —in 2020, the State ranked third in thecountry in malaria deaths.

The recommendations:. Firstly, it suggested that the

government promote diet diversity byexpanding its food security basket byincluding millets, pulses, eggs,cooking oil and milk in the foodschemes.

. Secondly, nutrition gardens should bescaled up along with support toextensive livestock systems thatprovide nutrition as well as supportlivelihoods

Mains pont:The Fortification of RiceProgramme.

10. The State of Inequality in IndiaReport released.Context:The State of Inequality in IndiaReport has been released.

The State of Inequality in India Report:

. Released by: Economic AdvisoryCouncil to the Prime Minister(EAC-PM) and written by the Institute forCompetitiveness.

. Purpose: The report presents a holisticanalysis of the depth and nature ofinequality in India. It compilesinformation on inequities acrosssectors of health, education, householdcharacteristics and the labour market.

. Focus Areas: The report looks at fivekey areas that influence the nature andexperience of inequality. These are1) income distribution2) labour market dynamics,3) health,4) education and5) household characteristics.

. Source of Data: The report is based onthe data derived from various roundsof the Periodic Labour Force Survey(PLFS), National Family and HealthSurvey (NFHS) and UDISE+.

The key findings of the report:. Income Inequality: The share of the top

1% accounts for 6-7% of the totalincomes earned while the top 10%accounts for one-third of all incomesearned. For instance, the salary of Rs25,000 is already amongst the top 10%of total incomes earned.

. Employment Categories: In 2019-20,among different employmentcategories, the highest percentage wasself-employed workers followed byregular salaried workers and casualworkers. The share of self-employedworkers also happens to be the highestin the lowest income categories.

. Unemployment Rate: The country’sunemployment rate is 4.8% (2019-20),and the worker population ratio is46.8%.

. Education Infrastructure: Till 2019-20,95% of schools have functional toiletfacilities on the school premises and




80.16% of schools have functionalelectricity connections.

. Health Infrastructure: There has beena considerable improvement inincreasing the health Infrastructuralcapacity with a targeted focus on ruralareas.

. For instance, the results of NFHS-4(2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21) haveshown that 58.6% of women receivedantenatal check-ups in the firsttrimester in 2015-16, which increasedto 70% by 2019-21.

. The Gross Enrolment Ratio hasincreased between 2018-19 and 2019-20 at the primary, upper primary,secondary and higher secondary.

Household Conditions: According toNFHS-5 (2019-21), 97% of householdshave electricity access, 70% haveimproved access to sanitation, and 96%have access to safe drinking water.

The recommendations given by the report:. Government should come out with a

guaranteed employment scheme tocreate jobs for the urban unemployed.

. A universal basic income should beintroduced.

. Higher funds should be allocatedtowards the social sector to reduceinequality in India.

11. India has the world’s highest numberof children with severe acutemalnutrition: UNICEF.

Context: UNICEF has released a report titled“Severe wasting: An overlooked childsurvival emergency”.

The Severe Wasting:

. Wasting is defined as low weight-for-height. It is the most visible and lethaltype of malnutrition. It affects over 45million children under age 5.

. Severe wasting is also known as severeacute malnutrition is its most deadlyform. It is caused by a lack of nutritiousfood and repeated bouts of diseasessuch as diarrhoea, measles andmalaria, which compromise a child’simmunity.

. Severe wasting in a child can increasethe risk of dying by pneumonia by 11times and essentially makes otherwisecommon diseases fatal.

The key findings of the report:. Severe Wasting: Globally, 1 in 5 deaths

among children under age 5 isattributed to severe wasting making itone of the top threats to child survival.

. Region-wise: South Asia remains thehub of severe wasting with figuresworse than sub-Saharan Africa. At least7.7 million children in the region areaffected.

. Country-wise: India has 5,772,472children below five years affected bysevere wasting — the most in theworld. Indonesia ranked second with812,564 children suffering from severewasting.

. Ready-to-use therapeutic food(RUTF)saved some five million children’s livesin 2020, but 10 million severely wastedchildren went without it.




Note: RUTF is considered the ‘gold standardfor wasting treatment. It consists of apaste of peanuts, sugar, oil and milkpowder. It can be consumed directlyfrom the sachets it is packed in with orwithout mixing with milk to lower thechances of contamination

12. Bridging the health policy toexecution chasm.Context:For assuring excellent healthcare in government facilities, the Uniongovernment has produced a guidancedocument on the establishment of a‘public health and management cadre’(PHMC) as well as new editions of theIndian Public Health Standards (IPHS).Background:

. In recent decades, the health sector hasfaced numerous obstacles in dealingwith epidemics and pandemics, suchas avian flu in 2005-06, the Swine flupandemic in 2009-10, and so on. Therehave been new virus and diseaseoutbreaks and re-emergences (Zika,Ebola, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagicfever, Nipah viruses, etc.)

. In India, the ‘public health andmanagement cadre’ was advocated inthe National Health Policy of 2017.

The problems ofIndia’s health-care system:. Medical care or attention to the sick

has traditionally been the emphasis ofpublic health services.

. Most Indian states now have a teachingcadre working as faculty at medicalinstitutions, as well as a specialtycadre of doctors working in clinics andhospitals.

. Similar career growth prospects arelimited to two teaching cadres and aspecialist’s cadre under the aforesaidarrangement.

. As a result, health-care professionalsare hesitant to pursue public health asa career option.

. India’s public health workforce andinfrastructure are always in shortsupply. Due to the lack, India isexpected to move toward amedicalized health-care system.

. Despite the fact that the IPHS wasinitially published 15 years ago, onlyabout 15% to 20% of governmenthealth-care facilities meet the IndianPublic Health requirements (IPHS).

. In India, public health services andworkforce have received littleattention. In India, policymakers havepaid little attention to the need for apublic health cadre and services.

The new guideline document importance:. The updated IPHS, as well as public

health and management cadres, canassist India in achieving the NHP goal.

. The suggested public health and healthmanagement cadres have the ability toremedy our health-care system’s flaws.

. India’s pandemic response washampered by a scarcity of skilledpublic health experts at policy anddecision-making levels. The function ofepidemiologists and public healthspecialists, who are better equipped todeal with a pathogen and its behaviour,cannot be filled by doctors/cliniciansor bureaucrats.

. The updated version emphasisesexpanding access and subsequentlyassuring high-quality health carethrough public health facilities.

The upcoming challenges:. The earlier versions of the guideline

materials had not been implementedproperly. In the previous 15 years, forexample, the IPHS has not been fullyimplemented. As a result, predictingthe outcome of the PHMC guidancedocument is challenging.

. This has been prevented due toinadequacy in the two most importantaspects in successful implementation:




(1) insufficient cash allocations and (2)insufficiently skilled staff.

Next Steps:. The redesigned IPHS is a significant

step forward, but it is not a goal in andof itself. An independent evaluation ofhow the IPHS has enhanced the qualityof health services should be conducted.

. The new assured sources of funding forpublic health services include theFifteenth Finance Commission grantfor the five-year period 2021-2026 andthe Pradhan Mantri Ayushman BharatHealth Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) allocations. They have thepotential to improve public healthcare.

. Every state should select a centre ofexcellence to oversee the execution ofpublic health and management cadres.Appropriate incentives should beused to persuade reluctant states.

. The government can map and analysethe human resources available forpublic health recruitment. They needto be well-educated. The establishmentof these two new cadres should beviewed as a chance to strengthen andstandardise training in public healthfacilities.

. To avoid it becoming a low priority,PHMC implementation should beginwithin the next few months.

. At government health facilities, theavailable health staff should bedispersed evenly among all othergroups. Furthermore, vacant positionsin the health care field should bereplaced quickly.Mains point:Public HealthProfessionals or Public HealthManagement Cadre, Indian PublicHealth Standards

13. Meeting family planning goals.Context:India’s family planningprogramme has enhanced

contraception availability. Accordingto the National Family Health Survey,the Total Fertility Rate has decreasedfrom 3.4 in 1990-92 to 2.0 in 2019-21.(NFHS).

. However, India now needs toconcentrate on expanding access tofamily planning services for both adultsand the younger population.India now need to focus on increasingyouth access to family planningservices:

. First, according to NFHS-5 and the UNPopulation Fund’s 2022 study,adolescent pregnancy is on the rise insome states, such as Tripura andMeghalaya.

. Second, COVID-19 has had asignificant impact on economicresources and educational access,influencing women’s and youth’ssexual and reproductive healthdecisions.

. As a result, in order to reach the SDGof Family Planning by 2030, Indiamust now focus on increasing accessto family planning services for bothadults and youth.

India’s Parivar vikas Mission:

. Frontline health workers in India havemade a substantial contribution to theimplementation of Mission ParivarVikas.

. It aims to raise the contemporaryContraceptive Prevalence Rate




(mCPR), particularly among femalenon-users from vulnerablepopulations, by accelerating access tohigh-quality family planning options.

. They’ve done so by bringingcontraceptives to people’s homes andproviding a greater range of options,such as injectable contraceptives.

Measurements to be taken:. Strengthen health workers’ ability to

use the Family Planning LogisticsManagement Information System toguarantee that contraceptives areavailable and accessible tomarginalised communities.

. Family Planning LogisticsManagement Information System:This software is dedicated to ensuringthe smooth forecasting, procurement,and distribution of family planningcommodities at all levels of healthfacilities.

. Family planning programmes must betailored to the health needs anddemographics of the people whowould benefit from them. The youthdo not constitute a homogeneousgroup.

. The sexual reproductive health needsof adolescents with various profiles,such as males and females in school,out of school, married, unmarried, andso on, must be addressed. To have thebest impact, the data must be brokendown by essential criteria in order toreach certain groups of people.

. Furthermore, when working withyounger people, comprehensivehealth awareness programmes on theappropriate age for marriage, safesexual behaviour, contraception,reproductive health, and nutritiondiversity are essential.

. Men’s participation in familyplanning: Men’s participation infamily planning must be given equalweight. In a variety of settings, gender

transformational techniques haveyielded encouraging results.

. The PRACHAR project in Bihar, theYaari Dosti programme in Mumbai,and the GEMS initiative in Goa are allexamples of incorporating males in thefamily planning conversation.

. Using the private sector: Many publichealth programmes have begun tomake use of the private sector’s skillsto improve service delivery. Theprivate sector can provide new familyplanning solutions, hence increasingcommunity access to services.

A path forward. More than one-fifth of the population

in the adolescent age group iscurrently entering the reproductive agegroup in numerous districts. Inaddition, several districts in India stillhave low mCPR, with a major part ofthe population being young.

. As a result, we can only assureequitable family planning services forboth adults and young people byworking holistically on overall healthgoals and tackling social factors.Mains point: Improving familyplanning access to younger population

14. ASHA: A successful public healthexperiment rooted in the villagecommunity.Context: The World HealthOrganisation (WHO) has recognizedthe contribution of India’s 1 millionAccredited Social Health Activists(ASHAs) during the Covid-19pandemic

. ASHA workers have received theGlobal Health Leaders Award-2022 inthe backdrop of the on-going 75thWorld Health Assembly.

Genesis of the ASHA worker programme:. The ASHA programme was based on

Chhattisgarh’s successful Mitanin




programme, in which a CommunityWorker looks after 50 households. TheASHA was to be a local resident,looking after 200 households.

. The programme had a very robustthrust on the stage-wise developmentof capacity in selected areas of publichealth.

. Many states tried to incrementallydevelop the ASHA from aCommunity Worker to a CommunityHealth Worker, and even to anAuxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM)/General Nurse and Midwife (GNM),or a Public Health Nurse.

. In many states, ASHAs are involved innational health programmes, and in theresponse to a range of communicableand non-communicable diseases. Theyget performance-based payments, nota fixed salary like governmentservants.

. The idea behind this was to make hera part of the village community ratherthan a government employee, i.e. toprevent governmentalisation andpromote communitisation.

. Over 98% ASHAs belong to the villagewhere they reside, and know everyhousehold. Their selection involvedthe community and key resourcepersons. Educational qualification wasa consideration.

. With newly acquired skills in healthcare and the ability to connecthouseholds to health facilities, she wasable to secure benefits for households.She was like a demand-sidefunctionary, reaching patients to

facilities, providing health servicesnearer home.

. In a way, it became a programme thatallowed a local woman to develop intoa skilled health worker.

. The ASHAs brought basic healthservices to the doorstep of households.

The challenges faced by ASHA workers:. The ASHAs faced a range of

challenges: Where to stay in a hospital?How to manage mobility? How totackle safety issues?

. The solutions were found in apartnership among frontline workers,panchayat functionaries, andcommunity workers.

. The Community Worker added valueto this process. Incentives forinstitutional deliveries and the settingup of emergency ambulance serviceslike 108, 102, etc. across most statesbuilt pressure on public institutionsand improved the mobility of ASHAs.

. There have been challenges withregard to performance-basedcompensation. In many states, thepayout is low, and often delayed.ASHA worker programme impact onpublic policy:

. The need to incrementally develop alocal worker keeping accountabilitywith the community,

. Make performance-based payments,and

. Provide a demand-side push withsimultaneous augmentation of servicesin public systems. The system cansustain and grow only if thecompensation is adequate, and theASHA continues to enjoy theconfidence of the community.

The way forward:. There is a strong argument to grant

permanence to some of these positionswith a reasonable compensation assustaining motivation.\




. The incremental development of alocal resident woman is an importantfactor in human resource engagementin community-linked sectors. Thisshould apply to other fieldfunctionaries such as ANMs, GNMs,Public Health Nurses as well.

. It is equally important to ensure thatcompensation for performance istimely and adequate.

. Ideally, an ASHA should be able tomake more than the salary of agovernment employee, withopportunities for moving up the skillladder in the formal primary healthcare system as an ANM/ GNM or aPublic Health Nurse.

. Upgrading skill sets and providingeasy access to credit and finance willensure a sustainable opportunity toearn a respectable living while servingthe community.

. Strengthening access to healthinsurance, credit for consumption andlivelihood needs at reasonable rates,and coverage under pro-poor publicwelfare programmes will contribute toASHAs emerging as even strongeragents of change.Mains point:ASHA workerprogramme.

15. A Harvard branch in India, prospectsand challenges.Context:”World-class foreignuniversities and institutes would beallowed in the planned business zonein Gujarat’s GIFT City,” the FinanceMinister declared in Budget 2022.These institutions would be exemptfrom domestic regulations, makinghigh-end human resources moreaccessible.

. During his visit to India, the BritishPrime Minister expressed his desire tostrengthen academic cooperationbetween the UK and India.

Background:. The National Education Policy (NEP)

2020 promises higher educationreforms in a variety of sectors,including internationalisation.

. Foreign universities listed in the “top100” category should be allowed tooperate in India, according to the NEP2020.Arguments in favour of foreignbranch creation in India:

. India is becoming a major player inhigher education. It has the world’ssecond largest higher education systemand is the world’s second largest“exporter” of students. Countries andcolleges from around the world will beeager to build a “beachhead” in India.

. India’s partnership with othercountries in higher education willbolster India’s soft power by bringingfresh ideas and institutions fromabroad and demonstrating “bestpractice” in India.

. International branch campuses couldbe a structurally distinct version ofIndia’s private university sector. Theywould primarily promote competitionamong existing private universitiesand foreign branch colleges.

. The branches have the potential tointroduce new ideas to Indian highereducation in terms of curriculum,pedagogy, and governance.The problems with India’sinternational collaborations in highereducation:On the Indian side:Internationalacademic alliances, which include thedevelopment of international branchcampuses, face numerous regulatorydifficulties. Prior to NEP 2020, Indiadid not allow foreign university branchcampuses to enter or operate.

. The FM’s budget address deviatedfrom the NEP 2020 recommendations,which stipulated that only the “top




100” categories be allowed to operatein India.

. In March, the Minister of State forEducation gave a Lok Sabha reply thatdeviated from the NEP 2020recommendations. Two non-university institutions from Franceand Italy, for example, have expressedinterest in establishing campuses inIndia.

. The University Grants Commission(UGC) has established a committee towrite regulations allowinginternational universities in the “top500” category to open campuses inIndia.The Foreigner’s Perspective:There areconcerns about the feasibility of thesituation. Overseas universities areunlikely to make big upfrontinvestments.

. The global branches would be gearedat generating revenue for thesponsoring university, which wouldbe detrimental to India.

. Collaborations on a global scale havefailed. For example, the Yale-NUSCollege relationship between YaleUniversity and the National Universityof Singapore recently ended.

Next Steps:. Top universities that are already active

in other countries would requireincentives to establish themselves inIndia. Building facilities andsupplying necessary infrastructure, forexample.

. Outside of the ‘top 500,’ there aresmaller but well-regarded universitiesthat might be more interested.

. Universities around the world thatspecialise in India or have NRIs in highmanagement positions, for example,may be easier to recruit for India.

. Profit-seekers should not be allowedto enter the Indian market. Foreigninstitutions with unique educational

ideas and a long-term commitment, onthe other hand, should be welcomed.

. To achieve success in luring branchcampuses, bureaucratic barriersshould be considerably reduced.

. Prioritise a new accrediting structure,flexible visa rules for internationalstudents and professors, and financialincentives to offer programmes.Mains point:Higher EducationReforms, Internationalisation of India’sHigher Education Sector.

16. India must shift the discourse onabortion rights.Context:Recently, two women publichealth practitioners who have studiedand worked in India and the UnitedStates have voiced their solidarity withwomen in both countries for theirabortion rights.

Global:According to the WHO, 6 outof 10 of all unintended pregnanciesend in an induced abortion. Around45% of all abortions are unsafe, andaround 97% take place in developingcountries.India:According to the NationalFamily Health Survey 2019-2021, 3%of all pregnancies in India result inabortion.

. More than half of abortions in India areperformed in the private sector,whereas only 20% are performed in thepublic sector because public facilitiesoften lack abortion services.

. Around 27% of abortions areperformed by the woman herself at




home. Around 73% of these weremedication abortions. Another 5% ofall abortions done outside of healthfacilities were done with methods otherthan medication abortion. Most ofthese abortions were illegal as per theMTP Act.

. A recent study found that sex-selectiveabortions in India could lead to 6.8million fewer girls being born between2017 to 2030.

Obstacles:. The MTP Act 1971 and then amended

in 2021 makes ‘medical termination ofpregnancy’ legal in India underspecific conditions. The Act primarilyprotects medical practitioners as“induced miscarriage” is a criminaloffence under the Indian Penal Code(IPC).

The issues:The acceptance of abortion inIndian society is situated in the contextof population control and familyplanning.

. Many women face a lack of access,systemic barriers, social norms andcultural preferences, and even criminalliability. Therefore, many womencontinue to die due to unsafeabortions. As per a 2014 study,abortions account for 10% of maternaldeaths in India.

. After more than 50 years of the MTPAct, women and transgender personsface major obstacles in accessing safeabortion care because

. First, most of them are not even awarethat abortion is legal or know whereto obtain one safely;

. Second, the MTP Act does notrecognise abortion as a choice. Thereis a lack of choice and bodilyautonomy of women. The decision ofabortion is solely decided by theapproval of medical professionals evenin the first few weeks of the pregnancy;

. Third, The Act mentions only‘pregnant woman’. It fails to recognisethat transgender persons and others canalso become pregnant.

. Fourth, unmarried and transgenderpeople continue to face stigma and canbe turned away from health facilities,forcing them to resort to unsafe care;

. Fifth, mandatory reportingrequirements under the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences Bill(POCSO), 2011 against child sexualoffences, impact privacy and hinderaccess of adolescents to safe abortionservices;

. Sixth, many are still coerced intoagreeing to a permanent or long-termcontraceptive method as a prerequisitefor getting abortion services;

. Seventh, health-care providers mayimpose their own morality. They mayinsist on ‘husbands’ or ‘parental’consent for abortion.

. Eighth, despite laws prohibiting sexdetermination, the illegal practicepersists. The unregulated ultrasoundclinics have mushroomed in India.They continues to facilitate the illegalpractice of sex determination, resultingin unsafe abortions and femalefoeticide.

Way Forward:. There is an urgent need for a

perspective from an abortion for thepurpose of a family planning andmaternal health to an abortion whichis done on the basis of a sexual healthand reproductive rights.

. India must amend the law and raisethe bar on reproductive justice. Inaddition, the health systems should beimproved to provide good quality andrespectful abortion care.

. Reproductive injustice anywhere is athreat to the lives of peopleeverywhere.




Mains point:Medical Termination ofPregnancy Act 2021 and ReproductiveRights in India

17. Joblessness on the rise in IndiaContext:There has been a massiveincrease in joblessness of at least 10million due to COVID-19 on top of the30 million already unemployed in2019. After many years of refusing torecognise there is a jobs crisis in India,the government of India, faced withrelentless data to the contrary, has nowresorted to misinformation.

The highlights. Less number of Non-Farm Jobs

Generated.According to the PeriodicLabor Force Survey(PLFS), the numberof new non-farm jobs generatedbetween 2013-2019 was only 2.9million, when at least 5 million werejoining the labour force annually.

. The agricultural output may haveperformed well during COVID andfree rations may have alleviated acutedistress.

. But this completely ignores thatbetween 2019 and 2020, the absolutenumber of workers in agricultureincreased from 200 million to 232million, depressing rural wages — (areversal of the absolute fall in farmemployment of 37 million between2005-2012, when non-farm jobs weregrowing 7.5 million annually).

. According to PLFS, manufacturingemployment increased between 2017-18 and 2019-20 by 1.8 million. But whatthis ignores is that between 2011-12 and2017-18, manufacturing employmentfell in absolute terms by 3 million, sorecovery is hardly any consolation.

. Further, manufacturing as a share ofGDP also fell from 17% in 2016 to 15%,then 13% in 2020, despite ‘Make inIndia’.

MSMEs have not recovered to Pre-Covid Levels

. It is being said that GDP in FY22 couldnot have returned to the pre-COVIDFY20 level without workers returningto work and MSMEs recovering.However, this is not true.

. This is because the Consortium ofIndian Association(CIA) conducted asurvey of over 81,000 micro-businessesacross India in June 2021 two monthsafter the second wave was over.

. According to the survey, 59% of theseMSMEs reduced their staff comparedto pre-COVID levels; 88% ofrespondents had not availed of anygovernment stimulus packages; 28%reported they were unable to getpayment dues from their customersfrom private or government; 64%reported banks were not giving loans.Mains Point: Joblessness is a serioussocial problem, critically examined.

18. This is what keeps educated womenout of the workforceContext: Deloitte produced a study onan international survey. According tothe findings of the poll, women’sworkforce engagement in economicactivities is on the decline.Furthermore, throughout the epidemicyears, the trend has accelerated.

The obstacles that women face inparticipating in economic activities

. To begin with, non working women’schoices are influenced by a range offactors. Second, they have the ability toinfluence both supply and demand.Listed below are a handful of them:

. There is a societal setting in which boysare supposed to be breadwinners andgirls are expected to fulfil care andreproductive tasks. There are strictemployment obligations, a lack ofconsistent family/social support, and




personal responsibility to guide andprotect children. This is due to a lackof high-quality daycare, counselling,and mentoring services.

What impact do these elements haveon women’s lives?

. The circumstances foster a socialsetting for girls, who attend school andcollege while waiting to marry.Working women have to deal withperiods of intense work interspersedwith intervals of inactivity.

. Working women are forced to leavetheir jobs due to domesticcircumstances such as concerns aboutthe safety of their school-aged childrenand important occasions such as “kidsbeing at the end of school and collegeentry.”

. Women’s choices are influenced bytheir circumstances. Women are beingpushed out of full-time positions in theworkplace. They change to volunteeror paid (often sporadic) activities suchas teaching, home-based marketing,consulting, tutoring, and so on.

Steps ahead. It is necessary to provide greater

supportive infrastructures to women inorder for them to work continuouslyduring pandemics and otheremergencies.

. Enough recognition of women labourin domestic space.

19. The workers hit the hardestContext:The Consumer PyramidsHousehold Survey was just issued bythe Centre for Monitoring IndianEconomy (CMIE). According to thesurvey, India’s workforce shrank from408.9 million in 2019-20 to 387.2 millionin 2020-21, before rebounding to 401.8million in 2021-22.

Trends of employment in India

. Before the pandemic, employment wasdropping at a pace of around 0.31percent each year. In the pre-pandemicyear of 2019-20, this resulted in a lossof 7 million (1.7 percent) jobs.

. Second, during the pandemic, thedownward trend continued. Many jobswere lost. When the limits on mobilitywere eased, however, the majority ofthe employment lost during thelockdowns returned. Despite therecovery, 4.5 million jobs were lost inthe long run as a result of thepandemic’s shock.

. As a result, in 2021-22, the number ofunemployed people actively lookingfor work but unable to find any wasexpected to be 33 million. This washigher than before the pandemic.Category-wise employment trends inIndia since the pandemic

Women. During economic downturns and

pandemics, women weredisproportionately affected by joblosses. Women, for example,accounted for less than 1% of alloccupations in 2019-20, but they madeup roughly half of the 7 million jobless.It was more common in India’s cities.The daily wage employees and smalltraders/vendors

. During a crisis, they might easily enterand depart the labour market. Duringthe first shutdown, for example, 79million small traders and daily wageworkers lost their jobs. However, afterthe first lockdown ended, the majorityof them returned to work.

Entrepreneurs. The epidemic has halted an upward

trend in entrepreneurship. Incomparison to the 13 percent annualgrowth in entrepreneurs prior to thepandemic, there was a drop of around1%.

Employees that are paid a salary




. They saw the greatest drop inemployment relative to the rest of thecountry (6.8 percent ). Unlike dailywage workers, small traders, andentrepreneurs, they are unable toreturn to employment. Finding a newpaying job is challenging, with theexception of a few high-skill jobs.The hurdles for women in terms ofworking from home (WFH)

. It was difficult for women to work fromhome while the rest of their familyremained at home. It made theirsituation much more difficult.

. Small traders/vendors and daily wagelabourers who must go out to work fora living are not helped by the WFH.Their capacity to reach markets andtrade their goods or services for dailyprofits determines their earnings. Infact, they employ the greatest numberof people in India.

The challenges. The 7 million jobs lost over the two

years since the COVID-19 outbreak isunevenly distributed. It would bedifficult to recover all of them anytimesoon.

. Employing women and providingsalaried jobs are the two big challengesthat will be difficult to tackle soon.

. In addition to generating jobs for thosewho have lost jobs during thepandemic, more job creations will beneeded to employ those people whowill enter the labour force in thecoming year.

Way ahead. It is expected that entrepreneurship

can rise again principally because of alack of salaried jobs. If the Indianeconomy expands by about 7.5% in2022-23, 6 million jobs can come back.

. However, despite this, more jobs needto be created to employ new entrantsin the working age population and thelabour force.

20. Sighting the finishing line in measles-rubella elimination.Context:The COVID-19 pandemic stoletwo years from the MR Eliminationprogramme. The MR eliminationtarget has been reset to 2023.

Measles-rubella (MR) Program:. It is a program for providing

immunisation to children from 5 to 15years. It is being implemented as aschool-based vaccination programmeand is being conducted in all States.

. Furthermore, it will lead tovaccination-induced immunityagainst both Measles and Rubelladiseases.

. To cover immunity gaps after one doseof measles vaccine, a second dose wasnecessary.

MR Elimination important:. MR elimination is defined as zero

transmission of measles and rubellaviruses. It should have evidence of zeroclinical disease, sustained over threeyears.

. It can be achieved through twomethods:(a) surveillance: identify places where

either virus is still in transmission,and

(b) vaccination: two doses of the MRvaccine — the first dose betweennine and 11 months and seconddose ideally in the second year oflife

. The MR vaccine is a combined productwhich targets two diseases in one shot.This is because fever and rashsurveillance cover both diseases

The program implementation:. The district was chosen as the ideal

population-cum-administrative unitfor efficiently implementing allactivities.




. For epidemiological reasons, rubellavaccination had to cover children upto 15 years. School registration andattendance are high in all States and asa programme, therefore children wereto be vaccinated in schools.

Measles should be eliminated:. In the pre-vaccination era, while polio

paralysed about 1% of all childrenbefore the age of five, measles actuallykilled 1% of all under-five children.During measles outbreaks, the case-fatality rate may range from 10%- to15%.

. It leads to loss of weight as well ascognitive development and scholasticperformance.

. Measles affects the immune systemrendering the child vulnerable to otherinfectious diseases.

Rubella should be eliminated:. The rubella virus is a slower

transmitter. The risk of rubella extendsfrom childhood through adolescenceinto the reproductive age range.

. It can show no symptoms, or with ashort fever and a skin rash that is lesspronounced than that of measles.

. In case of an infected pregnantwoman, the virus has a tendency tocross the placenta. Affected babies areborn with severe birth defects such ascataracts, deafness, heart defects anddevelopmental delay which is called‘congenital rubella syndrome’ (CRS).This is preventable with vaccination ifgiven prior to pregnancy.The issues in the implementation ofthe MR Elimination program:

. The stakeholders such as schoolmanagements, teachers, childrenthemselves and parents were notproperly informed about the basis andfeatures of the new programme.

. Due to a lack of information, therewas antipathy towards the programme,

in the minds of parents and schoolauthorities.

. Lack of information has led to shiftingof goal posts. For example, theGovernment first missed target of 2015,and second missed target of 2020

Way Forward:. In order to achieve the MR

Elimination in all 773 districts, theImmunisation Division of the UnionMinistry of Health and Family Welfareshould support the state governments,and all the states should galvanise thedistrict administration to carry outactivities.

. The District Magistrate should activatethe Task Force mechanism overseeingthe Universal Immunisation Program(UIP) that is managed by the DistrictImmunisation Officer.

. Clinical and laboratory surveillanceand vaccination have to be sustained.Measles virus, could be imported fromoutside.

. There are 19 months available toachieve the target before the finishingline by July-August 2023.

. The cooperation of parents, health-carepersonnel at all levels, opinion leaders,influencers, the media, non-governmental organisations such asthe Rotary and Lions, can play a rolein making this district-by-districtprogramme a story of success.Mains point:Universal ImmunisationProgram, Measles-Rubella (MR)Vaccination Program.

21. Supreme Court directions on sexworkers: history of the case, and whereit stands now.Context:Sex workers’ long-standingdesire for decriminalisation has beenpartially met, with the Supreme Courtruling that adult sex workers areentitled to dignity and equal protectionunder the law.




. Because the Trafficking of Persons(Prevention, Protection, andRehabilitation) Bill has yet to bepassed, the Court has used its Article142 powers to issue guidance until thelegislation is passed.

The conclusions has the court reached:. The court ordered the police to respect

the rights of consenting sex workers,noting that Article 21 of theConstitution guarantees everyone theright to a dignified existence,regardless of their vocation.

. It reaffirmed the Court’s ruling inBudhadev Karmaskar (2011) that sexworkers have a right to a “life ofdignity.”

. Police should treat all sex workers withrespect and not verbally or physicallyabuse them, subject them to violence,or force them to engage in any sexualactivity.

The Budhadev Karmaskar decision:. In 2011, the Supreme Court convened

a commission to investigate and offer“appropriate recommendations” on“prevention of human trafficking andrehabilitation of sex workers who seekto leave the industry.”

. Findings of the panel: According to thepanel’s final report, which wassubmitted on September 14, 2016,

. Because they lacked proof of domicile,sex workers found it difficult to getforms of identity such as ration cardsor voter cards.

. District officials were unaware of theidentities of sex workers and their

children, and sex workers were deniedaccess to rehabilitation programmes.

. They were also unable to takeadvantage of state-sponsored financingsince they lacked the necessarydocumentation to open bank accounts.The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act,1956, should be amended, accordingto the committee:

. On May 19, a Bench led by Justice LNageswara Rao highlighted that theCentre had yet to bring a law on thematter, despite its commitments. As aresult, the court invoked Article 142’sexceptional powers (which allow it toissue orders necessary to “completejustice” in a pending case) and orderedthat some of the suggestions beadopted by states and UTs.

. The panel’s ten recommendations werementioned in the May 19 order, and sixof them were to be executed.

These are some of them:a) Any sex worker who is sexually

assaulted is entitled to emergencymedical attention;

b) a directive to states to conduct asurvey of all Immoral Trafficking(Prevention) Act Protective Homesin order to assess and processcases of adult women imprisonedagainst their will in a timelymanner;

c) raising awareness of the rights ofsex workers among police andother law enforcementorganisations, and ensuring thatofficers treat them with dignity anddo not abuse them verbally orphysically, or pressure them intosexual activity;

d) request that the Press Council ofIndia establish suitable rules to themedia to ensure that the identityof sex workers are not revealed;and




g) instruction that health and safetyprecautions used by sex workers(condoms, etc.) must not beconstrued as crimes or used asevidence of criminal activity.

The Centre’s response:. The Centre expressed “some

misgivings” about four of the panel’srecommendations.

These are the following:a) There will be no criminal action

taken against an adult sex workerwho is participating with theirconsent;

b) During raids on brothels, only thebrothel owner was arrested, notthe sex workers;

c) the role of sex workers in decision-making processes, such as policyformulation, design, andimplementation;

d) a suggestion about the children ofsex workers.

The Supreme Court has given theCentre six weeks to respond to thepanel’s suggestions.

A path forward:. The Court’s overall observations

should help police, the media, andsociety become more aware of sexworkers, who have previously beenmarginalised and silent.

. The onus is on the government todraught proper legislation to removestigma from consenting sex workersand offer them worker’s rights. TheCourt also recommended that theCentre and States collaborate with sexworkers or their representatives toamend regulations.Mains point:Sex workers in India andrelated issues.

22. 89% of children between 6-23 monthsdon’t get an adequate diet: NFHS

Context: Data on the Child Nutrition Gaphas been issued by the National FamilyHealth Survey (NFHS-5).

NFHS say about Child Nutrition:

. Minimum Acceptable Diet:Approximately 89 percent of childrenaged 6 to 23 months do not obtain a“minimum acceptable diet.” This isonly a smidgeon better than the NFHS-4 figure of 90.4 percent.

. In terms of dietary diversity, the WorldHealth Organization has identified tenessential food groups: cereals andmillets, pulses, milk and milkproducts, roots and tubers, green leafyvegetables, other vegetables, fruits, fator oil, fish, egg and other meats, andsugar, of which a child needs 4-5 perday to avoid malnutrition.

. States where Children Received anAdequate Diet: Meghalaya had thegreatest proportion of childrenreceiving a minimum acceptable diet(28.5%), while Uttar Pradesh andGujarat had the lowest (5.9 percenteach).

. Children in urban regions (12.1percent) had more access to theminimum tolerable diet than those inrural areas (10.7 percent ).

. Dietary deficiencies can be caused bya variety of factors. Poverty, lack ofaccess to nutrients (cereals, fruits,vegetables, eggs, etc. ), lack ofawareness, and low education are allfactors that contribute to a poor diet.

. Impact of a Poor Food: A child’s dietthroughout his or her formative years




has a direct impact on malnutrition,with India having one of the world’shighest malnutrition rates.

23. NFHS-5 data shows literacy anddelivery of services, not religion,influences fertilityContext: The Total Fertility Rate (TFR)in India has been published by theNational Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) in India. TFR (Total Fertility Rate):The total fertility rate (TFR) in India hasfallen from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 2.0 in 2019-21.

. The TFR is a figure that represents theaverage number of children a womanwill have over her lifetime. Thereplacement level fertility rate (TFR) of2.1 is thought to be the threshold atwhich population stability is reached.

. TFR Variations by Area: TFR varieswidely by region, with five states(Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.91), UttarPradesh (2.35), Jharkhand (2.26), andManipur (2.17) still falling short of the2.1 replacement threshold.

. TFR in terms of religion: Fertility hasdeclined in all religious groupings.However, the drop in the Muslimcommunity has been the mostdramatic, from 4.4 in NFHS 1 (1992-93)to 2.3 in NFHS 5. (2019-2021).

. The Muslim community’s TFR,however, remains the highest amongall religious communities, with theHindu community’s TFR of 1.94, theChristian community’s TFR of 1.88, theSikh community’s TFR of 1.61, the Jaincommunity’s TFR of 1.6, and theBuddhist and neo-Buddhistcommunity’s TFR of 1.39.

. The Fertility Difference BetweenGroups is Shrinking for a Reason: Thefertility gap between communities isnarrowing. However, non-religiousfactors such as literacy, work, income,and access to health services are themain causes of high fertility. On these

measures, Muslims are the mostdisadvantaged.

. Education’s Importance in TFR: Thenumber of children per womandecreased as women’s educationlevels increased. Women without ahigh school diploma have 2.8 childrenon average, compared to 1.8 for womenwith a high school diploma.

. Family Planning: The male attitudetoward family planning was addressedin the poll. They frequently place theburden of birth control on women. Forexample, up to 35% of males feel thatcontraception is solely the duty ofwomen. They overlook the fact that amale vasectomy is far less invasivethan a female tubectomy.

Prelims point:The total fertility rate (TFR)in India has fallen from 2.2 in 2015-16to 2.0 in 2019-21.

24. Still a long way for termination as anunconditional rightContext: The Medical Termination ofPregnancy Act, notwithstandingmodifications, does not prioritise thewoman’s freedom to choose.Recently,the issue of abortion was in the newsinternationally. This brings into picturethe legal status of abortions in India.

Abortion in India -legal View point. Voluntarily causing a woman to

miscarry (if not done in good faith) is acrime punishable by up to three yearsin prison, a fine, or both under theIndian Penal Code (IPC).

. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy(MTP) Act of 1971 was passed to makeabortion lawful in certain situations. Itincluded exceptions to the IPC’s rules.

. In other cases, the judiciary was askedto provide authorization to terminatethe pregnancy. In a number of cases,courts have held that a pregnantwoman’s ability to choose whether or




not to continue her pregnancy is a partof her right to health and life. As aresult, doing what is right isunavoidable.

. In addition, in 2021, the MedicalTermination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act1971 was revised. It broadened thelaw’s scope. Circumstances underwhich a medical abortion will bepermitted after the 2021 amendment

Grounds of termination of Pregnancya) If the continuance of the pregnancy

puts the pregnant woman’sphysical, mental, or life injeopardy.

b) If the pregnancy was caused byrape or the failure of acontraceptive device intended tolimit the number of children. Thecontinuance of such a pregnancycan be extremely harmful to thepregnant woman’s mental health.

c) If continuing the pregnancy posesa significant risk to the infant child,such as major physical or mentalabnormalities.

Various Situations. The pregnancy can be terminated for

any of the reasons listed above, takinginto account the gestational age of thebaby. In addition, the medical opinionof a registered medical practitionerunder the MTP Act is required.

. (a) Opinion of a single certified medicalpractitioner up to 20 weeks ofpregnancy.

. (b) From 20 to 24 weeks, two licensedmedical practitioners’ opinions arerequired. This includes women whohave experienced sexual assault/rapeor incest, minors, women withsubstantial physical disabilities,mentally ill women, foetalmalformations that are life-threatening,and changes in marital status during a

pregnancy, such as widowhood ordivorce.

. (c) After 24 weeks, the opinion of aMedical Board, as established by lawin each state, is required. Abortion canonly be done if there are problems inthe foetus.

. (d) With the exception of what isindicated above, a single certifiedmedical practitioner can terminate apregnancy at any moment if it isrequired to save the pregnant woman’slife.

Related issues. The law does not recognise a pregnant

woman’s right to choose whether or notto terminate her pregnancy.

. Following the right to privacy ruling,it has been claimed that a pregnantwoman’s freedom to choose whether ornot to continue her pregnancy shouldbe included in the right to privacy andthe right to life. This ruling is notreflected in the modified law.

. Other central legislation, such as thoseon persons with disabilities, mentalhealth, and transgender people, aresimilarly out of sync with the modifiedlaw.

. The modifications did not eliminateambiguity between the MTP Act andother statutes such as the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offenses(POCSO) Act and the Drugs andCosmetics Act, to name a few.Main point: Discuss the legal rights ofwomen involved in abortion




1. Reforming fuel taxes.Context: Prime Minister NarendraModi recently told state chief ministersthat the Union government haddecreased petrol excise duty lastNovember, but that certain states hadnot followed suit.

. States objected to his speech in anumber of ways. They pointed out thatin recent years, the Union governmenthad reaped windfall profits from fuelproduction and taxation. Furthermore,fuel taxes were lower in several of thestates cited by the PM even without aVAT drop.The issues associated with thetaxation of fuel

. Fuel was not included in the goods andservices tax (GST) regime. Becausegasoline and diesel aren’t covered bythe GST, consumers don’t have thebenefit of being able to deduct theircosts as input credits.

. Furthermore, the tax system is notuniform. Because the GST has apredetermined sharing formula builtin, there will be no moredisagreements regarding relative taxrates.

Best way ahead. Bringing fuel under the GST will need

a reduction in overall taxes on gasolineand diesel to correspond to the GSTslabs. However, if current receipts arelarger than they would be under thelower GST rates, an additional fee canbe applied to ensure revenueneutrality.

. This extra charge could be a particularexcise duty. In accordance withinternational standards, it can also bereferred to as a carbon tax. This will

Economy

also allow India to make a betterinternational case for meeting itsclimate change commitments.

. This isn’t the ideal solution, but it’ssurely preferable to the currentscenario. Carbon tax money shouldideally be put toward decarbonizationor sustainability programmes, andshared with the states for this purpose.As a result, a significant issue ofconflict between the federalgovernment and the states would beresolved.

2. Inflation control needs another modelContext: The Monetary PolicyCommittee has declared that inflation,or “inflation targeting,” will be itsmajor focus. The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has increased the policy repo rateto guarantee price stability, taking intoaccount the significant inflationarypressure.

Inflation in India. For almost a year, wholesale price

inflation has been in the double digits.The consumer price index (CPI) hassurpassed the Reserve Bank of India’s(RBI) 6-percentage-point upper target.

. Inflation targeting is predicated on thepremise that inflation is caused by theeconomy “overheating.” It denotes anoverabundance of output compared toits ‘normal’ level.As a result, the centralbank boosted the interest rate, oftenknown as the “repo rate,” in order tokeep inflation under control.

. The rate at which the central bank lendsto commercial banks is known as therepo rate. It encourages businesses topostpone their investment plans in




order to focus on inventory reductionand production reduction.

. This assures that the outputcontraction returns to its natural level(i.e., optimal level). Inflation may fallas a result of this. It guarantees fullemployment and a free-flowing labourmarket.Issues associated with inflationtargeting in India

. The official inflation control model inIndia is built on a nonscientificfoundation. The Indian model is builton the concept of achieving “naturaloutput levels.” It is, nevertheless, atheoretical and inexplicablephenomenon. This model’s empiricalvalidity was not included in the RBIreport from 2014.

. India’s approach is founded on thenotion that agricultural commodityprices cause inflation. As a result,agricultural items output and supplyshould be boosted. The Indianeconomy would expand withoutinflation as a result of this. When thereis an excess of agricultural production,however, the government buys foodgrains at the highest possible price.Inflation is the result of this.

. With rising per capita wealth, India’stypical consumption basket haschanged toward foods high inminerals, such as fruits and vegetables,and protein, such as milk and meat.

. However, the increase in supply ofthese items has lagged behind theincrease in demand. As a result, theRBI’s current policy of raising the reporate is ineffective in combatingagricultural price-driven inflation.

Steps ahead. Inflation can be controlled by limiting

the expansion of non-agriculturaloutput. As a result, the growth ofdemand for agricultural goods wouldbe slowed. Inflation will slow as

demand for agricultural goodsdeclines.

. The provision of foods other than riceand wheat, such as fruits, vegetables,milk, and meat, should be prioritised.The government should make aconcerted effort to boost agriculturalproductivity, which will increaseagricultural production and supply.

3. India must seize the trade opportunityopening nowContext:Despite the pandemic, trade in2021 was at an all-time high. In the twodecades leading up to the globalfinancial crisis, worldwidemerchandise trade volume increasedat twice the rate of global GDP atmarket exchange rates.According to the World TradeOrganization, global merchandisetrade volume is predicted to increaseby 3% in 2022 and 3.4 percent in 2023.

India’s exports. In accordance with global trends, India

has had a successful export run. India’scommodities exports hit a new high of$419 billion, while services exports hit$250 billion.

. Exporters (including Indians) arelooking for innovative ways to exportagricultural commodities. Ukraine andSri Lanka, both important agriculturalexporters, have a limited presence ininternational trade.

. The additional opportunities will boostoverall exports while also aiding therural economy’s recovery by increasingrealisations.

. Wheat shipments from Russia andUkraine are critical to Europe andAfrica’s food security. As a result, Indianow has fresh wheat export potentialin these new markets, and supply hasbeen disrupted.




. Sri Lanka, the world’s largest teaproducer, is a prominent player in theglobal market. Exports account forover 98 percent of the company’sannual output. Sri Lanka is a majorexporter of textiles. However, theisland nation’s production and exportcapabilities will be harmed byprotracted power outages.

. Tea and textile exports are twopotential export opportunities forIndia. In addition, large global clothinglabels such as Zara and H&M are saidto be eyeing India. Due to a Covidspike, Chinese manufacturers areclosed, and Asian exporters such asBangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodialack the capacity to fill the hole. As aresult, India can take advantage of thischance.

The challenges for India. Due to weaker global growth, an

unstable geopolitical environment, theshadow of repeated pandemic waves,and prolonged supply chainchallenges, the ratio between trade andGDP growth could decrease to 1.1:1 in2022 and 2023.

. One, the government shouldendeavour to eliminate non-tariffbarriers to agricultural trade, with aparticular emphasis on harmonisingsanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules.The government should take sector-specific steps and improve the supplychain traceability mechanism.

. Two, in order to boost tea exports,traditional tea boards should begranted more power and autonomy inthe sector’s growth, promotion, andresearch. The Tea Promotion andDevelopment Act, as drafted, shouldbe enacted.

. Three, India has to become moreintegrated into global supply chains.A plethora of trade agreements, as wellas a new pro-trade strategy, shouldhelp in this regard.

. Four, India’s tariff rates on intermediateinputs should be decreased to eithernil or negligible. It will make India adesirable destination for gatherings.

. Five, India should establish an enablingenvironment that realigns itsspecialisation patterns toward labour-intensive processes and product lines.Reforms to the labour market must beimplemented.

. Sixth, an ongoing and proactive FDIpolicy is essential. Local enterprisescan join global manufacturing networksthanks to foreign financing andtechnology transfer. Local businessesserve as subcontractors and suppliersof intermediate inputs to multinationalcorporations.

. Seventh, the government shouldaddress the issue of logisticalimpediments. Low levels of serviceconnection costs (costs related totransportation, communication, and soon) are required to strengthen theirparticipation in GVCs, according to theEconomic Survey 2019.Mains point: Comment critically onIndia export potential.

4. Let’s make GST a good and simpletax.Context: Existing GST rate structureneeds to be rationalised.

. The introduction of GST might be themost important tax reform. It was aunique experiment in cooperativefederalism, where both the Union andthe state governments gave up their taxautonomy in favour of harmonisingdomestic trade taxes. However, somenegative features have been insertedinto the tax to make it acceptable.

The single rate structure of GST :. The single rate structure has been more

acceptable and beneficial globally,because,

. It simplifies the tax structure.




. It prevents misclassifications andlitigations due to multiple rates.

. It avoids an inverted duty structure oftaxes on inputs. India has this structureon items like electrical transformers,railway wagons, some textile products,plastic bags, and solar modules.(Aninverted duty structure comes up in asituation where import duties on inputgoods are higher than on finishedgoods).

. The main argument in favor of ratedifferentiation is equity. However, it isan inefficient way of targeting benefitsfor the poor. Poor consume moreexempted and low-rated items.Furthermore, the ideal way oftargeting the benefits to the poor is onthe expenditure side, through targetedcash transfers.

. It will end the lobbying bymanufacturers for placing theirproducts in the low tax rate category.

The present tax collections:. GST revenues have increased

significantly, with collections of overRs 1 lakh crore in the last 10 monthsand touching a record of Rs 1.68 lakhcrore in April 2022.

. However, economic recovery or taxstructure is not the reason. The GSTNhas been able to stabilise thetechnology platform. Making e-invoicing mandatory for all businessesabove Rs 100 crore has made thedetection of fake invoices easy thatwere used to claim the input tax credit.

. This has helped to improve taxcompliance and has also enabled betterenforcement.

Steps to be taken:. It would be desirable to have a single

rate of tax, besides exemptions onunprocessed food items, in the longrun. However, in the short run, 12percent and 18 percent categoriesshould be merged into a 15-16 percent

slab. the 28 percent category should beremoved altogether.Mains point: Gst and tax collection.

5. Taxing digital companies: UN taxpanel working on new set of rulesContext: The UN’s tax committee isworking on a set of regulations fortaxing digital services that are distinctfrom global tax agreements for hugecorporations like Google, Facebook,Netflix, and Microsoft. India is also apart of this UN Tax committee.

UN working on tax digital services.. The UN Tax Committee has accepted

a final draft to amend the UN ModelTax Convention’s Article 12B to includethe taxation of “automated digitalservices (ADS).”

. Article 12B does not impose anyspecific threshold for taxation incomefrom automated digital services, suchas a permanent establishment, a fixedbase, or a minimum time of presencein a contracting state.

. It enables market jurisdictions toimpose a withholding tax on the grossamount of digital services revenue.This means that countries where anautomated digital service provider’sconsumers are located get additionaltaxing rights.

. It contains articles that 1) prohibitcertain forms of tax discrimination, 2)provide for the exchange of taxinformation and assistance in taxcollection between treaty partners, 3)allow treaty partners to consulttogether through the MutualAgreement Procedure, 4) resolvedisputes or clarify doubts about thetreaty, and 5) prohibit certain types oftreaty abuse.




6. Equating states’ off-budgetborrowings with their debt will clarifyextent of indebtednessContext:The Union governmentcommunicates to state governmentshow much they are allowed to borrow(their net borrowing ceiling).Normally, this is a routine affair. Buthereafter from this year This year, off-budget borrowings by the states willbe equated with the states’ own debt.

Off-budget borrowings. Loans taken by state government

agencies, special purpose vehicles,and other off-budget borrowings arereferred to as off-budget borrowings.Instead of the borrowing entity’srevenues, these loans are servicedthrough the state government’s ownbudget.

. States are essentially violating theceiling imposed by the Centre by usingoff-budget borrowings, according tothe Department of Expenditure. As aresult, states are exceeding the fiscaldeficit ceilings established by stateFiscal Responsibility and BudgetManagement Acts.

The changes planned. Loans taken by state government

agencies, special purpose vehicles,and other off-budget borrowings arereferred to as off-budget borrowings.Instead of the borrowing entity’srevenues, these loans are servicedthrough the state government’s ownbudget.

. States are essentially violating theceiling imposed by the Centre by usingoff-budget borrowings, according tothe Department of Expenditure. As aresult, states are exceeding the fiscaldeficit ceilings established by stateFiscal Responsibility and BudgetManagement Acts.

. It will result in significant reductionsin the effective borrowing room ofseveral states.In a sector that has been

shrouded in secrecy, it will bring much-needed budgetary openness. Stateswill have a difficult time paying fortheir expenditures.Mains Point: Comment on the newproposals by the centre and its impacton state borrowing.

7. Explained: Making sense of exchangerateContext:Indian rupee hit an all-timelow exchange rate of 77.6 against theUS dollar.The previous lowest was76.9. There has been a sharp fall in amatter of days: The rupee was at 76 toa dollar on May 5, when the US FederalReserve raised interest rates.

Exchange rate. The exchange rate indicates how much

of one currency (for example, therupee) is needed to buy one unit ofanother currency (e.g. Dollar). If therupee’s currency rate “declines,” forexample, purchasing American goodswill become more expensive.

. The supply and demand for currencies,such as rupees and dollars, determinethe exchange rate in a free market. Forexample, if Indians demand moredollars than Americans demandrupees, the value of the rupee will fall.

. Apart from market forces, central banks(in the case of India, the Reserve Bankof India) play a role in deciding theexchange rate.The factors that influence currencysupply and demand

. The Balance of Payments decides howmuch rupees the rest of the worldwants and how much foreign currencyIndians want. Current, capital, andfinancial accounts make up the BoP.

. The current account is used to track theflow of commodities and services intoand out of a country.All overseascapital transfers in assets are noted inthe capital account.




. International monetary flowsconnected to business, real estate,bonds, and equities are tracked in thefinancial account.

. The following two circumstances willexplain the changes in the Rupee’sexchange rate.To begin with, Indiaimports 80% of its oil. In the event thatoil demand or price rises, India willrequire more money to purchase crudeoil on the international market.

. The demand for Indian rupees, on theother hand, has remained unchanged.As a result of the growing trade deficit,the Indian Rupee will depreciate.

. Second, if the Federal Reserve of theUnited States raises interest rates,global investors will begin to invest inthe United States rather than India. Therupee would depreciate once more.The Capital Account would be used todocument such a transaction.

Role of RBI in determining exchange rate.. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is a

key player in determining exchangerates. It is in charge of regulating thesharp variations in the Rupee’sexchange rate. RBI can take a varietyof steps to achieve this:

. In the event of a sharp depreciation ofthe rupee, the RBI sells dollars from itsforeign exchange reserves. This is whythe RBI’s foreign reserves haveplummeted since the conflict inUkraine began in February.

. In the event of a sharp increase in thevalue of the rupee, the RBI purchasesextra dollars (by paying rupees in themarket) and adds them to its foreignreserves.

Mains: Critically engage in understandingthe exchange rate of rupee with respectto Dollar.

8. India’s biggest policy challengeContext:The Periodic Labour ForceSurvey’s (PLFS)latest quarterly bulletin

recently released bringing variouspolicy paralysis challenges.

Key findings of PLFS. In metropolitan areas, the

unemployment rate for workers aged15 and up fell from 10.3 percent inOctober-December 2020 to 8.7 percentin October-December 2021.

. In addition, the labour forceparticipation rate (LFPR) climbedslightly from 46.9% in July–September2020 to 47.3 percent in July–September2021.Despite the fact that theunemployment rate fell during thequarter under review, it remains high.

Causes. During the aforementioned period, the

second wave of Covid-19 faded, thethird wave’s impact was modest, andeconomic activity reboundedsignificantly. This aided in the creationof jobs in the fourth quarter of 2021.

. The majority of prohibitions, includingthose in contact-intensive industries,have now been eliminated.

Pressing policy challenges in front ofthe Indian policymakers

. The global economic picture hasdeteriorated as well. Because of risinginflation, central banks are raisinginterest rates. As a result, the Indianeconomy will be impacted by thetightening of global financialconditions and slower growth.

. India has been experiencingsubstantial inflationary pressure in thefirst half of the current fiscal year,according to the Reserve Bank of India(RBI).

. Furthermore, India’s economic growthwill drop to roughly 4% in the secondhalf of Fiscal Year 2021-22. Due topresent prospects of high inflation andsluggish economic development, thegeneral employment situation is




anticipated to remain problematic inthe foreseeable future.

. In 2021, India’s labour forceparticipation rate (approximately 47.3percent) is lower than that of othercountries such as the United States (61percent) and China (68 percent).Furthermore, the female LFPR isaround 20%, which is even moreconcerning.

. This means that a large number ofpeople in India are unable to enter thelabour market due to a lack ofopportunities. The lack of a largemanufacturing base in India is one ofthe causes for decreased labourparticipation. Currently, the policiesfavour a small number of largecorporations. These major corporationsare unlikely to provide the necessarynumber of jobs on a significant scale.

Steps ahead. To combat inflationary pressures, the

RBI has begun raising the policy rate.This could have an impact on economicactivity. India also has a structuralissue to address, which couldexacerbate with slower growth.

. The amount of growth and expansionin economic activity has a considerableimpact on the creation of jobs. To dealwith concerns ranging from labour lawsto tariffs, India requires a morecomprehensive policy strategy.

. To overcome the job problem, Indiahas to build a big manufacturing base.Mains Point: Policy challenges andreformation

9. The repo rate in India.Context:Reserve Bank of India hasannounced that the RBI’s MonetaryPolicy Committee(MPC) had held an‘off-cycle’ meeting at which it haddecided unanimously to raise the

policy repo rate by 40 basis points to4.40% with immediate effect.

Repo Rate:. The Repo Rate is one of several direct

and indirect instruments that are usedby the RBI for implementing monetarypolicy.

. RBI defines the repo rate as the fixedinterest rate at which it providesovernight liquidity to banks against thecollateral of government and otherapproved securities under the liquidityadjustment facility(LAF).

. In other words, when banks have short-term requirements for funds, they canplace government securities that theyhold with the central bank and borrowmoney against these securities at therepo rate.

The importance of Repo Rate:. It serves as a key benchmark for the

lenders to in turn price the loans theyoffer to their borrowers.

. It allows central banks to control themoney supply within economies byincreasing or decreasing theavailability of funds.

Repo Rate function as a monetary tool:. Repo Rate functions as a monetary tool

by helping to regulate the availabilityof liquidity or funds in the bankingsystem.

. For instance, when the repo rate isdecreased, banks may find an incentiveto sell securities back to thegovernment in return for cash.Thisincreases the money supply availableto the general economy.

. Conversely, when the repo rate isincreased, lenders would end upthinking twice before borrowing fromthe central bank at the repo windowthus, reducing the availability ofmoney supply in the economy.

Repo Rate impact on inflation:. Inflation can broadly be demand-

driven price gains or a result of supply-




side factors that in turn push up thecosts of inputs used by producers ofgoods and providers of services, thusspurring inflation.

. Changes to the repo rate to influenceinterest rates and the availability ofmoney supply. It primarily works onlyon the demand side by making creditmore expensive and savings moreattractive and therefore dissuadingconsumption.

. However, they do little to address thesupply side factors, be it the high priceof commodities such as crude oil ormetals or imported food items such asedible oils.

Prelims point: Repo rate.

10. How to tackle the inflation spiral.Context: The World EconomicOutlook, published by the IMF inApril, expects global growth to beslower than the forecast made inJanuary, with inflation on the rise.

. The global macroeconomic situationis showing signs of macro instability.The global debt has increased sharplyduring the pandemic, inflation is onthe rise, and macroeconomicuncertainties have increased due to theongoing war between Russia and/Ukraine.

The causes:. Inflation has been caused due to war;

and fiscal and monetary expansion thathappened during the pandemic. Thiswas witnessed in both the G20emerging markets and developingcountries like Brazil, Turkey, India andIndonesia.

. As per the IMF’s Fiscal AffairsDepartment, there has been revenueforegone and additional expenditureduring Covid.

. The problem of rising debt andinflation is going to compound macro

challenges for the low-incomedeveloping countries.

. Globally, the total support comprisingrevenue foregone, expenditurestimulus and liquidity support wasestimated to be $17,000 billion. Out ofthis, the government guarantees wereone-fourth of the total. In case ofdefault, it can weaken the fiscal balancesheet in the medium term for items thatare below the line at the moment.

. There has been an increase in moneysupply during the last two years tosupport governments to deal withCovid..

. There has been an increase in moneysupply due to the governmentoperation and the central bank’ssupport to the government duringCovid. In the year 2020, this supportincreased to 9%. In addition, the growthof the US central bank’s support to thegovernment had increasedimmediately after the global financialcrisis in 2010.

. According to the IMF internationaldebt statistics for 2022, both domesticand external debt stock increasedsharply during the pandemic. Theexternal debt stock to the export ratio,export to debt service ratio and theshare of public sector external debt intotal external debt has shown increasefor low-and middle-income countriesduring this period.

Way Forward. The central banks in many countries

including India have raised interestrates for inflation management.

. Reduction of debt takes time, butmanagement of inflation can’t wait.

. The global economy needs coordinatedpolicy for monetary tightening andfiscal sustainability.

. There is a need to start fiscalnormalisation without creating adversedistributional consequences. For this,




every country needs to chart out afiscal normalisation plan which aresequenced in a proper manner to bringback global economy on track,

. There is a need to enhances fiscalresources for the government forpublic investment in the social andeconomic sector

. The government should also create aframework for sector-specificdifferentiated responses for a fullrecovery.

. There is a need for a quick andefficient resolution of the challengesarising due to the elevated debt levelsof low-income countries.

. There should be greater internationalcooperation to ensure more resourceflow to the poorer regions of the World.This will lead to an equitable, fair andsustained recovery during post-Covid.

Mains point:Macroeconomic Situation.

11. An economic response plan for agreen transition shock.Context:India is facing severe heatwaves in many parts of the country.This is a reminder that the risks fromclimate change are rising.The issues involved in transitiontowards a green economy:

. Around a fifth of Indian householdshave access to either air-conditionersor coolers in their home. Nearly halfof the Indian labour force worksoutdoors in the sun during heat wavesmonth.

. This excess heat will have an impacton India’s wheat crop. This can lead toother supply shocks in the comingyears

. The existing capital stock in severalsectors such as energy or mobility willbecome prematurely obsolete becauseof the government’s tax policy orregulations that seek to reduce carbonemissions to mitigate climate events.

. The debate on how the costs (based ondiscount rate) should be borne to tackleclimate change should be spread overtime

. If a lower discount rate is imposed. Itmeans today’s generation bears abigger burden of the costs.

. If a higher discount rate is imposed, Itmeans that the costs of mitigation canbe pushed further into the future forcoming generations to pay.

. The ‘green interest rate’ refers to howthe welfare of future generations is tobe treated while decisions are madetoday.

. Frank Ramsey developed amathematical framework for aproportion a nation should optimallysave from its income. His insights havebeen used for a range of otherapplications, including climate changecomputations. He insisted that thewell-being of future people should begiven the same weight as that ofpresent people.

The challenges:. The climate scientists have shown that

the window available for serious actionis closing by the year.

. A green transition can only beachieved over time. Any sudden actionwill almost certainly lead to economiccollapse.

. The costs of the transition will bespread over multiple generations, asmost commitments to reach carbonneutrality are between 2050 and 2070.The challenges are how to distributethe costs (discount rate) over time, orwho will bear than burden, i.e., presentor future generation?

. There is a different viewpoint ondiscount rates. For example, NicholasStern argued for a discount rate of1.4%. William Nordhaus (the NobelPrize Winner for economics in 2018),has argued for 4.3% in his model. Heargued that the discount rate should be




based on actual observed behaviour,and especially real interest rates infinancial markets. On the contrary,Stern used a discount rate which wasderived broadly on ethicalconsiderations.

. The green transition will involve asupply shock that will reducepotential growth.

. Over the next decade, the fiscal policywill be constrained because the publicdebt across the world had bloatedbecause of government spendingduring the pandemic. Therefore, thegreen investments will be a politicaland economic challenge.

Way Forward. The green transition will open up

opportunities in new technologies,better infrastructure and the redesignof cities.

. In the coming future, there should besignificant reallocation of both capitalas well as labour, assuming factormarkets are flexible.

. In addition to fiscal policy, the centralbanks will have a dilemma aboutwhether they should add climatechange mitigation to the policy targetsto address inflation, growth andfinancial stability.

. The fiscal authorities as well as centralbanks should maintain low interestrates to help new investments in agreen economy. It will effectively makeit easier for enterprises with oldertechnologies to survive. The higherinterest rates will kill pollutingenterprises and make investments innew technologies more expensive.

. The central banks can also choose oneinterest rate for green activities andanother one for brown activities. Thiswill lead to credit planning.

. Much depends on how a society eithervalues or should value benefits thatwill be available only many yearsdown the line.

Mains point:Green Transition .

12. Lessons for today from India’s 2006wheat crisis.Context:India faced a wheat crisis in2006. The present article lists out thereasons that caused it and lessons thatcan be learnt.The situation in 2006 and the reasonsbehind it:

. Centre decides to liquidate its excessstock: The central pool had beencarrying large stocks and there waswide criticism that these were beingheld for no good reason and costing thetaxpayer huge sums of money. Thegovernment had, after dueconsideration, decided to liquidatesome stocks with the FCI for export.

. Procurement begins to go down:Coincidentally, procurement hadstarted going down from a high of 20.6MMT to 15.8 MMT in 2003-04, to 14.8MMT in 2005-06. This trend and theresultant depletion of stocks went“unnoticed”.

. Procurement in 2006-07 (April-March)at 9.23 MMT was far below therequirement.

. The buffer stocks were drawn downby 2 MMT.

. Hence, the stock position at the end ofa poor procurement season had put thegovernment in a tight spot.

The reasons behind the 2006 food crisis:. The thought that India has a food

surplus and can feed its people and“the world” resulted in theunintended depletion of publicstocks.

. The reduction in public stocks withoutreviewing the production and stockposition every quarter was ill-planned.

. Overlooking the drop in productionalmost every alternate year,




particularly in 2000-01, 02-03, and 04-05 followed by 05-06 proved costly.

. Not estimating the impact of climatechange (high temperatures) onproduction — grain formation andgrain size/weight — turned out to becritical.

. The Department of Food,overconfident about procuring largequantities, believing that the crop sizeestimated by the Ministry ofAgriculture is above 75 MMT, wentabout disposing of old stocks. By thetime the third advance estimates cameby end of May (there were no dronesor satellite imagery in those days), thedamage was done.

. No data about private stocks: Thegovernment depended on onlyproduction and public stock data totake policy decisions, ignoring theimportance of private stocks in themarket.

India to avoid such errors:. Set up systems to get reliable and

timely estimates of crops. The secondadvance estimates come in mid-February and the third in mid/ lateMay. Food management requires abetter picture by early March (same forkharif).

. The National Crop Forecasting systemincluding “FASAL soft” will have tobe reset.

. The much-hyped Drone-ArtificialIntelligence- Blockchain technologiesshould be deployed to do a simplething: Prepare a correct estimate of thecrop well in time, for the governmentto plan and act ahead of any crisis.

. Reliable price data has always been amissing link in policy planning.Mandatory reporting of price (not justthe APMC price data) of all large (limitscan be defined) transactions are a must.Price movement is an importantindicator of the supply-demandmismatch.

. The government should be aware ofthe quantum of private stocks,preferably in anonymised, aggregatedformats. This needs legal backing. Aprovision to mandate the submissionof anonymised stock data from allwarehouses should be put in place.

. The futures market remains grosslyunder-utilised. A vibrant futuresmarket can help plan better. A futuresmarket should be allowed to functionwithout knee-jerk interventions fromthe government.

. A robust system (drones, satellites,ground data) to monitor weatherconditions like temperature, moisturestress, etc needs to be put in placeimmediately with a focus on key cropsand major growing regions.

. With the expertise available in thecountry today, algorithms can be builtto assess the impact of weather and pestevents on crop size and quality. Thegovernment needs this informationmore than anyone else.

Mains point:Wheat shortage in India.

13. Central banks and the rule of law.Context: Two recent developments in India

underline the need to inspire the ruleof law in the functioning of centralbanks (CBs).

The recent developments :. The Monetary Policy Committee

(MPC) normally makes policyannouncements in line with apredictable schedule. But on May 4, itwent off the schedule and increased thepolicy rate by 40 basis points. Marketswere surprised by this and the 10-yeargovernment bond yield jumped. Theinflationary outlook had not changedbetween the last MPC meeting of April8 and the off-schedule announcementof May 4. So, why the RBI did this?

. One possibility relates to the exchangerate. Over the last year, the US dollar




has appreciated by 8%. Holding otherthings constant, this means the normalrupee depreciation should be about8%.

. The RBI seems to be countering this byselling reserves, and by responding tothe large hike by the US Fed that wascoming a few hours after the RBI’ssurprise announcement.

The public statement of the co-founder and chief executive officer ofa NASDAQ-listed crypto exchangethat his company disabled the UnifiedPayments Interface (UPI) system fromits platform due to informal pressurefrom the RBI. The company had earlierannounced that they would buildsystems in India whereby investorscould receive/send money using UPI.

. The National Payments Corporation ofIndia (NPCI) came out with a negativepress release, and all Indian banksrefused to do business with theexchange. Such ostracisation by banks,with or without the involvement of theRBI, is tantamount to violating theSupreme Court order striking down theRBI ban on cryptocurrency.The recommendations of FSLRC wrtintegrating rule of law in andindependence of financial agencies:Financial Sector Legislative ReformsCommission (FSLRC) recommendedthree pillars:Pillar one- Regulation-makingfunction of all SRAs, which is relevantin India as the RBI has been given therole of financial regulation for thepayments and banking industries (andsome other components). There is aproblem of democratic legitimacywhen unelected officials write law.

. The solution lies in technical expertisethat is displayed, in consultation andcontrol of all regulation-makingprocess by an expert board whereprivate persons have a majority. All

these elements address the problem of“the administrative state”, the rule ofofficials, and generate legitimacy in thewriting of law by the agency.Pillar two – Executive functions ofinvestigations, prosecutions andpunishments. There is a case forpolitical independence here. It shouldnot be possible for the political mastersto trigger punishments for theirenemies.

. This requires processes, encoded inparliamentary law, which enshrineseparation of powers, define and limitthe powers of investigation, requiredue process in prosecutorial decisions,hygiene in how hearings take place, etc.Pillar three: Monetary Policy is definedas the control of the short interest rateof the economy. There is a role forpolitical independence here.

. It should not be possible for thepolitical masters to trigger a rate cutprior to a tough election. Most of thedeveloped world has gravitatedtowards an independent expert MPCstructure for the discharge of thisfunction.Some other issues with thefunctioning of RBI:

. The mandate of RBI at present has animprobable combination of functions,ranging from running an exchange toinvestment banking for the Uniongovernment and state governments.

. The sheer scope of this mandateinduces innumerable conflicts and ruleof law concerns.Mains point: Functioning of RBI.

14. Objection milords: SC’s GST Councilruling is an overreach and can behugely disruptive. GoI should filereview petition.Context: A Supreme Court Bench in ajudgment has said that therecommendations of the Goods and




Services Tax (GST) Council were notbinding on the Central and stategovernments.

. In the five years since GST has beenrolled out, the GST Council has beenthe decision-making body on all keymatters such as tax rates. Decisions ofthe Council are put to vote and seen tobe binding on both GoI and states.

The case:. The origin of this verdict goes back to

a decision handed by a division benchof the Gujarat high court in January2020.

. Companies that import coal fordomestic industries challenged a taxlevied by GoI under two statutory lawsthat are a part of the GST architecture.

. Gujarat HC ruled against GoI, whichsubsequently brought the matter to theapex court.

. In the apex court, GoI did categoricallystate that GST Council’s decisions arebinding on both legislature and theexecutive. This argument was rejectedby the apex court, thereby overturningthe well-established hierarchy ofdecision-making in GST.

The Supreme Court judgement:. Apart from stating that the Council’s

decision is merely recommendatory,the court further noted Parliament andthe state legislatures had the powersto legislate on issues related to GST.

The significance of SC’s judgement:. It marks a tectonic shift, unsettling

India’s indirect tax architecture.. To now regard the GST Council’s

decisions as just recommendatory innature will undermine the currentfiscal order which was painstakinglycreated across governments.

. For economic agents, including firmsand individuals, it introduces a levelof uncertainty which is bound toundermine confidence. This, in turn,will act as a drag on economic activity.

. If the GST Council’s decisions are notbinding it opens the door to statescherry picking. That will defeat thewhole purpose of transitioning to GSTthat aimed to create a common marketin India by dismantling fiscal barriersbetween states.

. States voluntarily subsumed theirunilateral powers over indirecttaxation to usher in GST. For sure, therehave been disagreements within theGST Council but the binding nature ofits decisions have never been inquestion.

The constitutional position:. It is worth noting here that what the

court has done is to reiterate theconstitutional position.

. Article 279A says the GST Council“shall make recommendations to theUnion and the States …” regardingvarious aspects of the tax. But it alsosays that the Council will be “guidedby the need for a harmonised structureof goods and services tax and for thedevelopment of a harmonised nationalmarket for goods and services”.

. Moreover, Article 246A empowers thelegislature of every state to make lawsin the context of goods and services.

. Notably, the Constitution also givespowers to the Council to determine theprocedure in the performance of itsfunctions. If gaps emerge in thefunctioning of GST, the Council is in aposition to plug them.

. Therefore, the judgment per se has notincreased uncertainty in the GSTsystem

Way forward:




. This verdict is clearly one of judicialoverreach and intrudes into thedomain of the legislature. GoI shouldfile a review petition right away.

. Perhaps the biggest challenge theCouncil needs to address now is theaugmentation of revenue. With thecompletion of five years ofimplementation, the states from July 1will not be eligible for compensationagainst revenue shortfall.

. The judgment nonetheless underlinesthe need for increased cooperation.The Centre must make sure that theconcerns of all states are addressed.

. It also shows that levies and provisionscan be successfully challenged. TheUnion government and the Councilmust make sure that taxes are imposedstrictly in accordance with the law.Mains point:Goods and Services Tax(GST) related issues.

15. Three development models that canguide Indian state economies.Context:: At present, India’s economicpolicymakers are trying to look afterpotential stagflation.Possible long-term strategies for high,employment-intensive growth

. Three broad groups of states areidentifiable, each with a distinctdevelopment model.

Bihar model:. Coverage: The model is generally

found in a group of the least developedstates which includes Uttar Pradesh,Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and all thenorth-eastern states, among others.

. Features: In this model, the states aregrowing at rates comparable to thenational average. They have very lowper capita incomes, the share ofindustry in the state’s gross domesticproduct (GSDP) is below the nationalaverage.

. Further, there is a lack of modernindustrial hubs, few existing largeindustrial units are often state-owned,there is a weak backward or forwardlinkage with the local economy.

. These states have low levels of humanor social development andinfrastructure development.

. The workforce depends uponagriculture, the non-agriculturalworkforce is mainly engaged in low-productivity, and low-wage jobs inthousands of micro, small and mediumenterprises (MSMEs).

Problems :. These states have a large size of

government relative to GSDP: 26%compared to the 17% national average.

. Government expenditure is heavilydependent on central transfers ratherthan the state’s own resources: over59% as compared to the nationalaverage of just over 36%.

Solution:. Cooperative federalism is important in

accelerating inclusive development inthese states.

. If the government expenditure isstrategically deployed, then it cansignificantly impact the developmenttrajectory of the state.

Gujarat model:. Coverage: It includes a group of fast-

growing state like Gujarat, Haryanaand Telangana.

. Features: They have a high per capitaincome, nearly 6 times that of Bihar. Alarge share of its workforce is stilldependent on agriculture. The share ofindustry in GSDP is at 44% (way abovethe national average).

. The state’s growth is driven bytraditional industries like agro-processing, modern industries likepharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, ITservices and modern financial services.




. In fact, infrastructure is highlydeveloped.

Problems:. These state’s lag behind the country’s

leading states in social development,such as education and healthoutcomes. This challenges the qualityof human resources which determinescompetitiveness.

Causes of problem:. The deficit in education and health

outcomes is due to the relatively smallsize of government expenditure (only11% of GSDP). Further, much of thespending goes to physicalinfrastructure.

Tamil Nadu Model. Coverage: This includes industrialized

states/UTs like Tamil Nadu, Delhi,and Maharashtra. Kerala too

. Features: These are prosperous stateswith high per capita income. These areIndia’s most industrialized states. Inaddition, the Industrials sectoraccounts for over 34% share in GSDP.

. Unlike Gujarat, the share of itsworkforce in agriculture is not above30%. There is high social developmentindicated by high life expectancy.

. The state’s dependence on centraltransfers is also quite low, in fact lowerthan Gujarat’s.

. Much of the achievements have beendespite Tamil Nadu government’sexpenditure well below the nationalaverage.

Solutions :. The Tamil Nadu model of

development is thus the mostsuccessful model under Indianconditions.

. The states should improve their powersituation and leverages on science andtechnology research institutions toemerge as a knowledge economy hub.

Way Forward :

. The three development modelsdescribed above spell out a roadmapfor long-term development in differentstates.

. States following the Tamil Nadu modelshould stay the course and do more ofthe same.

. States that follow the Gujarat modelshould course correct, prioritizingeducation and health services

. States that have followed the Biharmodel should switch to the TamilNadu model. They need strong centralgovernment support to do so.

. Further, the labour migration fromBihar model states to Gujarat modelstates and especially Tamil Nadumodel states will serve as the market-based adjustment within the country.Mains point:Issues and challenges inthe growth and development of India.

16. Jobs scheme will not offer a long-termsolution to urban unemployment.Safety nets need to better conceived.Context: A few days ago, the EconomicAdvisory Council to the Prime Ministerreleased a report on the state ofinequality in India. The report,prepared by the Institute ofCompetitiveness, provides a detailedexamination of the existing disparitiesin society.

. Some of the suggestions to tackle risinginequality in India included putting inplace an urban equivalent ofMGNREGA and introducing auniversal basic income.

The key findings of the report:




An urban employment guarantee scheme:. The proposal to introduce an urban

employment guarantee scheme comesin the backdrop of the pandemic,exposing the critical position ofworkers, especially those employed inthe informal sector in urban areas.

. It’s also argued that not only wouldthis provide employment during timesof distress, but this would also serveas a channel to push funds throughquickly in periods of stress.

. Several states have in fact beenexperimenting with this concept.Recently, the Rajasthan governmentannounced a scheme for urban areas— the Indira Gandhi Shahri RozgarGuarantee Yojana — on the lines ofMGNREGA.The problems associated with the ideaof an urban employment guaranteescheme:

. Such a scheme may simply encouragemigration, which without the creationof the attending infrastructure, willonly exert further pressure on thecrumbling facilities of these cities.

. Demand for work under MGNREGAtends to move in line with theagricultural cycle. As such, it isseasonal in nature. However, in urbanareas, there is no such seasonality ineither work demanded orunemployment, complicating thedesign of such a scheme. Andmoreover, many of the migrantworkers are unlikely to have therequisite skills needed for regular jobsin cities.

. It is also debatable whether theeducated but unemployed workerswill take up these jobs.

. There are capacity constraints with theurban local bodies, which are likely tobe the implementing agencies.

. There is also the question of financingsuch a scheme at the national level.

Way forward:. The proposal seeks to address the

continuing employment andinequality crisis that plagues India.However, India’s job challenge isstructural in nature, owing in part tothe absence of a labour-intensivemanufacturing sector.

. A more prudent approach would be foreconomic policy to focus on boostinggrowth, lowering inequalities inopportunities, improving access toeducation and health, and providingpathways for upward mobility.

Mains point:Tackling the risinginequality in India.

17. Governments must understand thatresources are held in trust. They’re notto be frittered away.




Context: Recently, the Rajasthangovernment has announced that it willrestart the old civil servant pensionscheme.

. Further, the Punjab government hasannounced its measures on providingelectricity in Punjab. These decisionsare based on the foundation of awelfare state to make a more egalitariansociety.Types of State as per Nobel LaureateJames Buchanan:

There are three versions of a state:. The protective state (police, rule of law,

defence, courts),. The productive state (common goods

like roads, power, health, education,etc.), and

. The redistributive state.The problems in India in terms of state:. Most of the state governments accept

the status quo in the first two types ofstate. But they always “innovate” tofulfill their redistributive role.

. The populist decisions lead tounsustainable borrowing burden in thefuture. For example, Europe is facingan unsustainable situation. It has 8%of the world’s population,25% of itsGDP, and 50% of its social spending.

. If Indian state governments couldlimitlessly print or borrow money. Itwould lead India to reach an economiccrisis that Sri Lanka is going through.

. The populist schemes confiscate futurespending on interest payments, itcrowds out other expenditure, andcrowds out capex.

The government’s attention:. India has the problem of

unemployment. This is found infarming, informal wage employment,and self-employment.

Way Forward:. It’s high time that all the state

governments shift the usage of theirresources from fulfilling their role of

redistributive state to fulfilling theirother two roles of protective andproductive state.The state government should workupon five structural interventions inorder to create higher-wage jobs:

. Reduce regulatory cholesterol:Around 80% of India’s employers’compliance comes under the stategovernment. Therefore, the stategovernments should rationalise,decriminalise, and digitise theircompliance ecosystem. This will helpin the achievement of lower corruptionand higher formality.

. Fix government schools: The mostpowerful tool for social mobility andemployability is free and qualityschool education. The governmentworks towards ensuring fulfilment ofsmaller class sizes, teacher salaries,teacher qualifications, and toilets. Thegovernments must overhaul schoolperformance management andgovernance. This will help in thecreations of human capital.

. Converge education andemployability: The partition betweendegrees and skills is meaningless forthe new world of work, organisations,and education. States should set upskill universities. The government canpromote degree apprentices whichinnovate at the intersection ofemployment, employability andeducation.

. Devolve money and power: Cities arethe engine of growth, job creation andsocial justice. For example, New YorkCity’s GDP is higher than Russia’s.Therefore, the state governmentsshould devolve money and power tothe Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) toavoid the curse of megacities.

. Civil services reform: The state’speople need better governmentschools, primary healthcare, policing,infrastructure, selling off of loss-




making public sector units, and greaterCapital Expenditure (CAPEX). Thestate government needs a new humancapital regime for civil servants viaseven interventions; structure, staffing,training, performance management,compensation, culture, and HRcapabilities.Mains point:Issues and Challenges inplanning, mobilization of resources,growth and development.

18. Food security does not need this‘surgical strike”Context: Recently, the Government ofIndia announced a sudden ban onexport of wheat when the governmentwas looking out for ways foraugmenting India’ wheat exports.Two schools of thought for ensuringfood security in India:

. One school of thought argues that foodsecurity has to be ensured throughdomestic production.

. Other school of thought suggested thatfood stocks be run down in India andthat needs of food security be metthrough world trade and the Chicagofutures market as part of theliberalisation policy.

Indian Public Procurement System:. Since the mid-1960s, India’s public

procurement system has been thebackbone of food policy in India toensure food security

. In summer 2022, procurement of wheatby the Food Corporation of India (FCI)has been very low.

The low wheat procurement in India:. The wheat production this year has

been lower than estimated on accountof high heat and other factors.

The issues with increasing India’s export:. Those western countries which have

asked India to meet the shortfall, arealready much larger exporters ofwheat. They have themselves not

increased their exports in the currentcontext.

. The stock of wheat in the central poolhas been much lower than last year.Although, it is comfortably higher thanbuffer stock norms. But lowerprocurement in year can lead to foodsecurity in problems.

Other challenges:. Over the last two years, costs of

production have risen sharply. Theimportant causes are the spirallingprice of fuel, higher input costs andyield losses.

. The flip-flop on export of wheat is oneexample that this government lacks acoherent policy of food security.

The Way Forward:. During the two COVID-19 years, the

Public Distribution System (PDS)played a stellar role. It kept people outof starvation during the COVID-19pandemic. Therefore, it should not bedismantled.

. The PDS and open market operationscan be used to cool down food priceinflation. At present, most States havehigh inflation rates and States withbetter PDS, such as Kerala and TamilNadu, have low inflation rates.

. The government ensures adequatedistribution through the foodrationing network. Further, the openmarket operations should beundertaken to ensure stable prices. Ifneeded, rice can be distributed in lieuof wheat.

. Food security is both an immediateand long-term concern. A well-functioning PDS can control prices andoffer relief to consumers.

. The government should overcome theshortfall in public procurement byincreasing the procurement price andbuying more. The government shouldprovide remunerative prices tofarmers to promote production. The




National Commission on Farmers hashighlighted the issues of inadequatelyannounced minimum support price(MSP) for wheat.Mains point:Wheat Export, FoodSecurity, and Public DistributionSystem (PDS)

19. Can Agri-exports be made moresustainable.Context:: In the fiscal year 2021-22(FY22), agri-exports scaled an all-timehigh of $50.3 billion with registering agrowth of 20% over the preceding year.For example, India’s exportsconstituted 41% of a global rice marketof 51.3 MMT.

The driving forces:. This was made possible largely by

rising global commodity prices. Inaddition, there were other drivingforces like favourable and aggressiveexport policy of the Ministry ofCommerce and its various exportpromotion agencies like APEDA,MPEDA, and commodity boards.

The composition of India’s Agri-exports:. Among the several agri-commodities

exported in FY22, rice ranks first,followed by marine products, sugar,spices and bovine (buffalo) meat.

Sustainable growth in agri-exports:. Given India’s resource endowments

and the country’s domestic needs, thegovernment has already bannedwheat exports.

. Of the Agri-export commodities, twocommodities, rice and sugar, are waterguzzlers. This issue poses a challengeto their global competitiveness as wellas their environmental sustainability.

The case of rice:. When most of the other commodity

prices were surging in global markets,the price of rice collapsed by about13%, largely due to India’s massiveexports. This means that India had to

export a greater quantity of rice to getthe same amount of dollars. This is notin India’s economic interest.

. Another concern is that a substantialpart of its global competitivenesscomes from highly subsidised water,power and fertilisers that go into itsproduction.

. The rice export led to a virtual exportof India’s water because rice crop isanother water guzzler crop.

The Case of Sugar:. The sugar export led to a virtual export

of India’s water because Sugar crop isanother water guzzler crop.

. The sugar industry receives a numberof subsidies (including exportsubsidy). These subsidies have crossedthe 10% limit mandated by the WTO.Therefore, India lost the sugar case inthe WTO.

Others:. The non-basmati rice was exported at

a price which was lower than the MSPof rice. This might have been the resultof leakages and divergence in the PDSand PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana(PMGKAY).

. India exported at least 62 billion cubicmeters of virtual water. Much of thiswater is extracted from groundwater inPunjab and Haryana belt (for rice), andin Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh forsugar. This can lead to a water disaster.

. The rice production systems contributeto 17.5% of GHG emissions generatedfrom agriculture (2021). This is amongthe most important sources ofanthropogenic methane emissions,

Way Forward:. In accordance with trade theory, the

optimal export tax of 5 to 1% must belevied. Further, India should optimallynot go beyond 12 to 15 MMT of riceexports, else the marginal revenue fromexports will keep falling.




. The upcoming environmental disastercan be tackled if farmers are supportedsmartly. They should be givenaggregate input subsidy support on aper hectare basis and the input pricesof fertilisers and power should beallowed to be determined by marketforces and their costs of production.

. Innovative farming practices such asalternate wetting drying (AWD),direct seeded rice (DSR), and micro-irrigation should be promoted. Theycan save up water and reduce thecrop’s carbon footprint.

. The farmers should be incentivised toswitch some of the area under rice andsugar cultivation to other less water-guzzling crops. For example, Haryanahas launched Mera Pani, Meri Virasatfor incentive farmers to switch frompaddy to alternate crops and KhetiKhaali, Fir Bhi Khushali Scheme togive money to farmers if they do notgrow any crop during the kharif season.

. It is high time that the government canintroduce the option of direct cashtransfers in lieu of almost free grainsunder the PDS and PMGKAY. Thiswill help plug leakages as well as savecosts. The savings can be used forbetter diversification of our foodsystems, better use of scarce water andother practices that lower GHGemissions, and saving on burgeoningfood and fertiliser subsidies.Mains point: External Sector, India’sAgri-Export in wake of present crisis,Subsidies etc.

20. Crude Economics – Macro-Economicimpacts of oil price rise.Context: The level of crude oil pricesoften changes the macroeconomicoutlook in India.The oil prices impact India’s economicoutlook:

. India’s macroeconomic outlookimproves when oil prices are low andstable.

. Whereas, a rise in oil prices means ahigher Current Account Deficit andpressure on the currency. It also resultsin inflation and pressure ongovernment finances.

. High oil prices also lead to the reversalof the price decontrol reforms. Forexample, Oil Marketing Companieshave stopped changing retail oil priceslately.

. As a result, the system of under-recovery for OMCs is back. Under-recovery for petrol is over Rs. 13 perliter and Rs 24 for diesel.

. It is putting private retailers in a weakand harmful position. They don’t haveany pricing power, thus their businessis becoming unsustainable. At present,they are looking to scale down theiroperations to cut losses. However, ifthe situation prevails, they may haveto shut down their business.

. It will discourage any privateinvestment in this sector in the future.It will also become more difficult forthe government to find investors forBharat Petroleum Corporation.

Steps to be taken:. Government must reduce its

dependency on tax revenue from thepetroleum sector. For instance, thecontribution of the sector to the centralexchequer was over Rs 4.55 trillion in2020-21, which was 2.6 times more thanin 2014-15.

. Rationalization of taxes will make iteasy to put them under the GST system.It will enable taxpayers to claim inputcredit and the government to impose aseparate carbon tax.

. A review of both direct and indirect taxsystems is required, which could pushup the tax-to-GDP ratio.




. Government should avoid interferingin pricing and implement pricedecontrol effectively.Main s point:Macro-Economic impactsof oil price rise.

21. For India, economic entropy presentsboth an opportunity and bigchallenge.Context: Entropy, or the disorder in asystem, is a concept not usually usedto understand economic trends, but itbest describes the disorder andrandomness at work today.Some negative economic trends sincethe start of 2022:

. Energy costs rising, the trade balanceturns more negative, the fiscal balancedeteriorating, portfolio capital flowingout, the rupee drops, companiesgetting more cautious, marketsturning nervous, and consumersfeeling the inflation pinch.The elements of the increasedeconomic entropy today:

. Several elements go into the complexmolecules of increased economicentropy.

. The disproportionate weight ofglobalisation on weak shoulders, inboth rich and poor countries,simultaneously with the rise of nationaland global elites commandingpreviously unimaginable wealth.

. The more dramatic manifestations ofsudden wealth have grown out of theideological triumph of financialcapitalism (one of the causes of the2008 financial crisis), followed now bythe rise to prominence of venturecapitalism, and in a third but paralleldevelopment the rise to power andinfluence of Big Tech.

. The rise of winner-take-all (or platform)businesses and their start-upwannabes, the replacement of securejobs with the uncertainties of the gig

economy, and disruptivedisintermediation.

. The forced entry into the rich countries(with under a sixth of the world’spopulation) of large numbers ofimmigrants from poorer ones.

. There is the power shift caused by therise of China (and some smallereconomies, like India’s), shaking upold power balances but the churn notsettling into new ones.

. Biology-driven havoc of a successionof epidemics/pandemics — the madcow disease, SARS, bird flu, Covid-19,and for all one knows monkeypox —caused by, among others, dangerousresearch work in secret labs and theindustrial farming of animals and birds.

. The technological changes beingforce-fed by global warming, makingnot just specific industries but entiresectors (energy, transportation,manufacturing) confront suddendiscontinuity.

. The economic consequences of thesemultiple, random elements of disorderhave been disorienting, like thefinancial crisis of 2008.

. Political-economy responses mirrorthe disorientation, from the rise ofpolitical nativism and economicnationalism to the spread of alternativetruths, pace Brexit and Donald Trump.

Way forward:. The cycle of events could even end the

Chinese super-growth story. WhileIndia could benefit from that, it mustrecognise that entropy is the largerreality to be reckoned with.Mains point:Economic eventssignalling disorder and randomness

22. Power for growth: Coal Shortage.Context: The coal shortage couldworsen the power crisis in the comingmonths in India. According to newsreports, an internal assessment of the




power ministry shows the shortagecould increase in the Septemberquarter, which can lead to widespreadoutages.

. The domestic production of coal isunable to keep pace with rising powerdemand.

The negative impacts of coal shortage:. Small businesses are suffering because

of the non-availability of reliablepower. Power shortage is the last thingIndian businesses, recovering from thepandemic-induced disruption, need. Acontinued shortage will delay therecovery and may push smaller unitsout of business.

The major issues faced by the power sector:. The trouble in the power sector is not

limited to the production of power.. Poor state of the distribution

companies (discoms): The state of statedistribution companies, or discoms, isperhaps a bigger worry for thesustainability of the sector.

. The inability of discoms to clear theirdues compels the Union governmentto announce one package after anotherto bail out the sector, but nothingchanges on the ground.

The government initiatives:. On the coal crisis:After pushing

producers to import coal, thegovernment has now reportedlydecided that Coal India will buy fromoverseas and distribute it to powerproducers.

. On poor state of discoms:Thegovernment has, once again, come outwith another relief package. The latestscheme, notified recently, will allowdiscoms to pay their dues in 48installments. Further, the late paymentsurcharge will not be imposed.

. Distribution companies owe about Rs1 trillion to generation companies. Thecumulative late payment surcharge isin excess of Rs 6,800 crore.

The relief package for discoms might fail:. The government hopes that deferring

payment without imposing anadditional late payment penalty wouldhelp the discoms bring their financesin order. However, given the trackrecord of the discoms, it is safe to arguethat the scheme will not change much.

. It’s worth recalling the government hadannounced a special liquidity schemeworth Rs 90,000 crore for discoms tohelp clear dues in 2020. But the duesstarted rising again in a few months.Even in the latest scheme, it is not clearhow deferring payments will help.

. If discoms are not able to clear theircurrent payment, how will they paypast dues in addition?

Main issue with the discoms:. The basic problem is that state-run

discoms are unable to cover costs,which makes the business unviable.

. No liquidity support or deferment ofpayment will help if discoms areunable to recover costs year after year.

. This happens largely because stategovernments do not allow discoms toregularly increase power tariffs forpolitical reasons.

. Inefficiency in discoms adds to theproblem.

Way forward. Higher coal prices would push up

generation cost and if it is not passedon to the end consumers, it willincrease risks for the entire value chain.

. Therefore, in the absence of urgentsystemic reforms, the power sectorcould become a drag on economicgrowth.Mains point:Coal shortage in India andrelated issues.

23.India’s aversion to Chinese investmentsand how geopolitics impacts




PLI(Production Linked IncentiveScheme)Context: Many countries are competingfor the share in investments coming outof China. India is facing heavychallenges from other countries.Countries have been trying to attractcompanies leaving China for variousreasons:

. Apple has started leaving China andother companies may follow. ManySouth-East countries such as Vietnam,Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand arein the race of attracting companies suchas Apple, moving out of China.

. Vietnam has successfully attractedSamsung to shift its mobile businessfrom China. It now accounts for half ofthe smart phone outputs of Samsung.

. Similarly, it has urged Apple CEO TimCook to step up business in theircountry.

. Apple produced around $1.67 billionworth of phones in 2021 in India. Indiaaccounted for 3.1 per cent of Apple’sglobal manufacturing base in 2021, upfrom 1.3 per cent in 2020.

. However, issues like Covid-19-relatedlockdowns are prompting Apple topush its suppliers to look elsewhereto expand production.

The challenges India is facing in attractinginvestments:

. Unlike other countries India has anadvantage, as factories of bigTaiwanese vendors of Apple Inc —Foxconn, Wistron and now Pegatron— are already running in India.

. Now, to take advantage of the PLIscheme, these factories are looking atthreefold increase over the previousyear. However they are facingchallenges in expanding their capacityin India.

. First, Companies require a substantialecosystem of suppliers within thecountry to reduce the cost, then only

they prepare to expand their capacity.This case doesn’t look possible asChinese suppliers dominate themobile device supply chain globallyfor both mobile devices, laptops andtablets.

. It is only possible if Chinese suppliessetup their shops in India, bringingalong their technology. However, dueto changes in India’s Foreign DirectInvestment policy after the India-Chinaborder clashes in 2020, Chinesecompanies have been excluded fromautomatic clearance route.

. China based suppliers are alsolooking for diversification due toincreasing labor cost in China andlockdown based restrictions. A largenumber of Chinese companies havesetup their base in Vietnam, due tolesser restrictions, similar culture andlow cost.

. Second, Taiwan can be an alternativeof China for technology and suppliers.However they are conservative, taketime in technology-sharing or transferand are more expensive.

. Third, “Atmanirbhar” drive is also notsuccessful in challenging dominance ofChinese players in all critical supplychain.

. Fourth, Building a domestic supplybase is the long-term solution, but itwill take time.Mains point: FDI and Investments.

24. How the Northeast has beentransformed in the last eight yearsContext: There is an upcomingworkshop of chief ministers and chiefsecretaries of Northeastern states alongwith Union ministers and secretaries ondevelopmental issues of the Northeast.

. Since the last eight years, there hasbeen a magical transformation of theeight Northeastern states, shooting N-E to prominence as the Ashtalakshmiof the nation.




North-East states Development So Far:. The eight states of the Northeast have

not been given the attention theydeserved.

. The states have been facing theproblems of insurgency, difficultterrain, cultural distinctiveness andpolitical apathy.

Potential of N-E:. Prime Minister Modi has called the

Northeast region as “India’s naturaleconomic zone”. The region has beengiven a priority. Now, the region iscalled as “new growth engine ofIndia”.

. It is endowed with extraordinarynatural wealth, a strategic advantageas the gateway to Southeast Asia andunrivalled economic potentialThe developments in the N-E Regionin the last eight years:

. Militancy incidents have reduced by74 per cent, civilian deaths have comedown by 84 per cent, more than an 800per cent increase in surrenders byextremists, and AFSPA has been liftedfrom some districts for the first time indecades.

. The budgetary support to theNortheast has risen from Rs 36,108crore in 2014 to Rs 76,040 crore in 2022(110 per cent).

. The government has launchedprogrammes to increase mobility andconnectivity in the North—Easternregion(N-E).(a) In 2014, Arunachal Pradesh and

Meghalaya were put up on therailway map for the first time;

(b) Arunachal’s Itanagar, Tripura’sAgartala and Manipur have beenconnected and in the remainingfive capitals connectivity projectsare nearing completion.

(c) The Government of India has beenfocusing on road connectivity. Forexample, over 38,000 kms of rural

roads have been completed since2014

(d) The number of airports hasincreased from just six in 2014 to15. The N-E region have been givenpriority under the UDAN scheme.There are 46 operational routes inthe region.

. The tele-density (number of phonesper 100 people), especially rural tele-density has significantly improved inthe Northeast states.

. BSNL has recently commissioned 20Gbps international bandwidth for theNortheast through Cox’s Bazar inBangladesh. This will address theissues of latency and networkcongestion in the N-E. Theimprovement in internet connectivitywill open for the establishment ofsoftware parks and high-speed datacentres in the BPO and IT industry, inN-E Region.

. The inherent strengths of the regionare being leveraged in sectors likeagriculture, tourism, textiles,handicrafts. For example, the NorthEastern Regional AgriculturalMarketing Corporation has beenrevived; and the National Mission forEdible Oil (for palm oil) aims toleverage the region’s potential.

. The welfare schemes viz. PradhanMantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana(PM-GKAY) and the National FoodSecurity Act (NFSA) are beingimplemented.

Way Forward:. Prime Minister Modi has articulated

solutions ingrained in the governancephilosophy of sewa, sushasan andgareeb kalyaan.

. A joint agri task force should be formedwhich would provide strategicdirection to the initiatives. It will alsoensure speedy resolution andimplementation of various agri andallied sector schemes.




. The union and state governmentshould work with the spirit ofcooperative federalism. There shouldbe collective responsibility for thedevelopment of the region.

. There is an ambition of making theNortheast the hub of sports in theworld, a leading exporter of exotichorticultural products, a hotbed ofstartups and the most attractive touristdestination in India.Mains point:North-Eastern Region,Balanced Regional Growth andDevelopment




1.India must use markets to decarboniseContext: Conference of Parties (CoP-26) of the UNFCCC held at Glasgowin November 2021 several partnercountries were committed to concreteaction plans to contain global warmingunder the threshold of 1.5 degreesCelsius./

. Climate change will undoubtedlyhave an influence on people’s livesand the global economy. In the nearfuture, this will be done on anextremely large scale.

. India is the third-largest carbondioxide emitter after China and theUnited States. As a result, it is animportant actor in the reduction ofemissions.

. India’s energy system is heavilyreliant on fossil fuels, such as coal, oil,and bioenergy, according to the IEA’sIndia Energy Outlook 2021 Report. Asa result, India’s energy ecosystem iscarbon-intensive.

. India is a developing economy, whichwould necessitate increased energyuse over time. According to theInternational Energy Agency’s 2017World Energy Outlook Report, Indiawill account for approximately aquarter of global energy demand by2040. As a result, India’s economicgrowth should be long-term. Itnecessitates carbon dioxide emissions.

Further Steps Required. Market failure is a problem that must

be addressed. In a variety of ways,government involvement is essential.

. (A) The government could use acommand-and-control approach. Thisincludes laws for decreasingemissions, such as establishingemission levels and establishing

emission limits. However, it wouldonly be useful in the early stages of amitigation approach.

. Furthermore, the country’s NationallyDetermined Contribution objectives oremission levels should not beestablished incorrectly under the ParisAgreement. It may result in inefficientoutcomes.

. (B) The carbon tax is a superioralternative. I’d be ideal for regulatingpre-determined emission levels. Thischoice will produce results that areclose to being efficient. When acompany cuts its emissions, themarginal cost of abatement increases.

. However, when the cost of abatementexceeds the rate of tax, the companywill stop lowering emissions and optto pay the tax. The government mayimplement a carbon trading schemebased on auctions. It will encouragegreater efficiency.

. The price of certificates will bedetermined by a free marketcompetition between companies withlow and high abatement costs. It willdetermine the most effective and cost-effective ways to reduce emissions.

. Firms will be able to choose betweenmitigating and trading. Companieswith minimal abatement costs willcontinue to reduce emissions since theywill earn from trading certificates.Green technology, renewable energy,electrification, and energy efficiencywill all be implemented.

. India has to develop an effective policyframework for reducing emissions.Itneeds to consider the factors behindmarket failure.

. The most efficient tools for thetransition to a green energy economyare market-based mechanisms.

Environmental Issues




. The government should ensure thateveryone has equal access to electricity.It should direct the proceeds fromcarbon pricing to families andbusinesses affected by carbon tradingand taxation.

2. Global Annual to Decadal ClimateUpdate Report – WMO report: Belownormal mercury in India from 2022 to2026Context: The Global Annual to DecadalClimate Update Report has beenproduced by the World MeteorologicalOrganization (WMO).

Findings of the Globally. Temperature exceeding 1.5°C: For at

least one of the next five years, there isa 50:50 possibility that the annualaverage global temperature willexceed 1.5°C above pre-industriallevels. When the Paris Agreement wassigned in 2015, the likelihood ofexceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius was nearto zero, but it has progressivelyincreased since then, reaching 50%currently.

. Year with the highest averagetemperature: Between 2022 and 2026,there’s a 93 percent chance that at leastone year will be the warmest on record,displacing 2016 from the top spot.

. Back-to-back La Ninas Globaltemperatures were cooled by La Niaepisodes at the beginning and end of2021, although this was only brief anddid not alter the long-term warmingtrend. Furthermore, any formation ofan El Nio event will instantly fueltemperatures, as it did in 2016, thewarmest year on record up to thispoint.

Findings Related to India. In India, Alaska, and Canada, the year

2022 will be cooler (relative to theaverage from 1991 to 2020)

. The possibility of increased rainfallactivity in this decade is one of the key

factors for the dropping oftemperatures over India starting nextyear.

3. Corals and sea anemones turnsunscreen into toxins – understandinghow could help save coral reefsContext: Researchers have discovereda mechanism by which oxybenzone, aubiquitous sunscreen ingredient, mayexpedite the extinction of coral reefs.

Oxybenzone:. Many sun creams contain the UV-

blocking ingredient oxybenzone.Because of its chemical makeup, itabsorbs UV radiation, reducing skincell damage.

. However, it has sparked debate inrecent years after research revealed thatit can harm coral reefs. As a result ofthese concerns, some beaches inHawaii, Palau, and the US VirginIslands have banned the use ofoxybenzone-containing sunscreens.

. However, the mechanisms by whichoxybenzone harms corals are largelyunknown, making it difficult to knowwhether sunscreen componentsrecommended as substitutes aregenuinely safer.

Findings of researchers:. Sea anemones and mushroom corals

were utilised as models, and they weretreated to oxybenzone in a tank filledwith simulated saltwater.

. This therapy was paired withsimulated sunlight in one experiment,resulting in the death of all anemonesin just 17 days. The organismsremained viable in a secondexperiment that did not includesunlight.

. This is the exact opposite of whatscientists predicted from oxybenzone,which is designed to absorb lightenergy and dissipate it as heat in orderto avoid sunburn.




. As a result of these findings, it appearsthat sunscreen pollution and climatechange may pose a bigger harm tocoral reefs and other marineenvironments when combined.

4. Faster, cheaper and cleaner powerContext: Despite the fact that solar andwind power plants are faster, cheaper,and cleaner, the state-owned NTPCplans to start building a new coalpower station.Why should India make the switch tosolar and wind energy

. India has set a new low for renewableenergy pricing, with solar electricitycosting Rs 1.99 (2.6 US cents) perkilowatt-hour and wind power costingRs 2.43 per kilowatt-hour. Whencompared to the tariffs for electricitygenerated from non-renewable sourcesor new hydropower projects, these arerelatively favourable.

. Solar generation is at its peak duringthe summer months when India’spower demand is at its maximum.

. The sun’s energy could also assist fulfilIndia’s growing noon demand as thecountry’s use of air conditioning grows.

. Solar facilities, unlike coal-fired powerplants, also provide a long-termsolution for bridging the gap betweendemand and supply.

. India’s power supply is dominated bycoal, with hydropower coming insecond. Last year, solar electricityovertook wind power as the third-largest source.What is the reason behind the rise incoal consumptionThe globe is currently using a lot morecoal for the following reasons:

. A supply shock as a result of theUkraine conflict, and

. The world is reacting more quickly tothe energy crisis.

The $8.5 billion commitment made byFrance, Germany, the UnitedKingdom, the United States, and theEuropean Union for a “Just EnergyTransition Partnership” in SouthAfrica, aimed at speeding up thetransition away from coal, could serveas an example for other countries.If companies can reduce costs, DirectAir Capture (DAC) might account for asignificant portion of investment in thebroader carbon capture and storagesector.

6. Paradise polluted: Can we saveKashmir’s lakesContext: After the turbulencegenerated by the repeal of Article 370of the Constitution, normalcy is slowlyreturning to Jammu and Kashmir.Tourism is rapidly expanding.

Issues that the locals are dealing:Almost every Kashmir lake, includingDal Lake, Nigeen, Khushal Sar, Gilsar,and Anchar, has been degraded.The locals rely on these waters for theirlivelihood. Tourism employs 500,000people in Kashmir, both directly andindirectly. However, these lakes havebeen contaminated (For example, DalLake). They’re covered with weeds,plastic bags, and empty bottles. Theecology of the lake has been damaged.The sight of dead birds floating in thewater has become commonplace.What elements contribute toenvironmental degradation

. Water quality has been degraded byhuman actions, notablyencroachments. Lakes are dwindling.

. Weeds and ferns such as Azolla pollutethe lakes, resulting in increased silt andencroachments of various kinds.

. According to UT’s pollution controlboard, Srinagar generates roughly 201million litres of sewage daily, but itssewage treatment plants can only




manage 53.8 million litres. Theremainder is discharged into Dal Lakeand adjacent lakes, as well as theJhelum River.

. The discharge of effluents fromhouseboats also contributes topollution. In 1982, new houseboatregistration was outlawed. The Jammuand Kashmir High Court alsoprohibited the repair andrefurbishment of registeredhouseboats in 2009.

So Far, Rehabilitation Efforts(1) The efforts of the government. The 1971 Srinagar Master Plan has

never been taken seriously. The ‘SaveDal’ project was initiated by theMinistry of Environment and Forestsin 1997.

. The Indian Army launched a 21-day‘clean Dal’ effort in 2018, whichinvolved uprooting weeds and clearingplastic and other debris.

. The Union Home Minister unveiled aprogramme for the protection of DalLake in 2019. As part of the SwachhBharat Abhiyan, a ‘SwachhaPakhwada’ initiative for the lake wasinitiated in 2002. Even today, though,there is little sign of all of this work.

. The Lake Conservation andManagement Authority (LCMA) ofJ&K initiated a project in 2007 torelocate residents living near Dal Laketo Bemina, 12 kilometres away.However, the endeavour was a failure.The land acquisition process is stillongoing, and many who have beenrelocated have complained aboutjoblessness and a lack of basicamenities.

(2) The Judiciary’s Efforts. Despite public money being pushed in

by the government, the authoritieshave proven useless and unable toeffectively secure some meaningfuloutcome,” the Jammu & Kashmir HighCourt observed.

. Following a public interest lawsuitalleging apparent violations of theSrinagar Master Plan, the court tookover monitoring of the Dal Lake’s waterquality and ordered its rapid cleanupin 2002. Following subsequentdecisions, all encroachments within 200metres of the lake were ordered to beremoved.

(3) Citizens’ Initiative. Following the repeal of Article 370 and

the dissolution of the assembly andcivil society in the spring of 2021, asocial activist named ManzoorWangnoo announced a plan to cleanup Khushal Sar (one of the smallerlakes).

. A door-to-door campaign in thecatchment area was initiated topromote awareness of the lake’s socio-economic value as an incomegenerator.

. The situation necessitates acollaborative approach to the lakes’restoration.

. The houseboats are a popular touristattraction, and their disappearancewould have an impact on tourismrevenue. As a result, starting in 2021,the government will promotesustainable houseboats through ahouseboat strategy.

. On the lakes, a new houseboat couldbe erected if it is equipped with a bio-digester–a mechanised toilet system.

. Repairs to damaged houseboats wouldalso be permitted on a case-by-casebasis.

. Aside from sustainable houseboats, thegovernment should look on Kashmir’sunsustainable urbanisation, rapidincrease in visitor inflow during the1960s and 1970s, clogged canals, anddeforestation along streams, which hasresulted in more silt entering the lake.




7. In rising heat, the cry of the wiltingoutdoor workerContext: Heatwave intensity andfrequency have increased across SouthAsia, and they are expected to worsenin the next few years. Because a thirdof South Asia’s population relies onoutdoor work, the ramifications forhealth and livelihoods are dire.

. To strengthen the resilience of outdoorworkers in India, safety nets — acombination of targeted transfers andinsurance programmes — must beimplemented.

What is the current state of affairs inIndia and around the world when itcomes to excessive heat

India’s situationExtreme heat has affected large swathsof India, not just in the northern statesof Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat,and New Delhi, but also in the south.Delhi had its second warmest April in72 years this month, with temperaturesaveraging 40.2°C, and Gurgaon inHaryana broke the 45°C barrier for thefirst time.

The situation on the planetGlobal temperatures have risen by1.5°C in the last century, and mightreach 4°C by 2100 if current trendscontinue.So far this year, 2022 has ranked fifthamong the warmest years on record.

What are the causes of India’s severe heat?The warming of India is due to acombination of local and globalinfluences.Anthropogenic GHG emissions are toblame for the current extreme weathersituation.

What are the different effects of heatwavesEurope’s deadliest climate calamity isproving to be heatwaves. In South Asia,India is the country with the mostsevere heat-related effects.

Mortalities: According to one study,severe weather claimed the lives of1,41,308 people in India between 1971and 2019, with persistent heataccounting for 17,362 (12%).Economic loss: According to oneestimate, global economic losses couldreach US$1.6 trillion (1.6 lakh crore) peryear if global warming hits 2°C. India,China, Pakistan, and Indonesia areamong the most susceptible countries,with big numbers of citizens workingoutside. India’s outdoor workers are onthe frontlines of climate disaster,suffering from everyday temperaturesof more than 40°C.

The most effective strategy to overcomeAdaptation is necessary: Climatemitigation or decarbonization ofeconomies, particularly those of largepolluters such as the United States, theEuropean Union, China, and India,remains critical. However, based onthe damage already done by emissions,temperatures are set to rise regardlessof mitigation. As a result, climateadaptation is just as important asmitigation.

Improved environmental protection:Better environmental care, which cancontribute to cooling, is an importantpart of adaptation. Agriculture, forexample, is water-intensive and doesnot thrive in locations prone toheatwaves. One option is to encouragemore water-efficient farmingtechniques and to encourageafforestation, which has a coolingimpact.

Keeping outdoor workers safe. Climate adaptation can be connected

to the contemporary suffering ofoutdoor labourers.

. Financial transfers might be targeted toassist farmers in planting trees and




purchasing equipment that is moreresistant to extreme weather. Supportfor drip irrigation, for example, canhelp to reduce water consumption.

. Keeping slash and burn at bayAgriculture and stubble burning areimportant not only for reducingpollutants but also for loweringtemperatures.

. Street trees, urban forests, and greenroofs can all contribute to keep citiescool.

. During an episode, workers in citiesand villages can benefit from earlywarning systems, better preparedness,and community outreach programmes.

. Workers’ insurance: Natural disasterinsurance is scarce, not only in Indiabut generally in Asia, with less than10% of losses typically covered.Governments and insurers must worktogether to provide more coverage forlosses caused by extreme weatherevents, especially heat-relateddisasters.

. For improved efficiency, transfers andinsurance payments can be linked tolocal investments in resilience, such asrestoring the cooling impact of theurban environment.

. The Aravali Wildlife Park in Delhi is ashining example of how a barren areamay be turned into forest communitiesthat safeguard greenery andbiodiversity.

. Transfers could potentially be relatedto heatwave mapping across differentareas. The most seriously damagedcommunities are also likely to be thepoorest, necessitating strongerinsurance packages that include croploss guarantees.

. Annual fluctuations in the severity ofthe hazard could likewise be factoredinto incentive programmes.

. The IMD’s estimates can be used togenerate future scenarios that thefederal government can utilise to

develop subsidies and insuranceschemes related to state and district-level initiatives for climate changeresilience.

8. Union Minister releases Breed-WiseReport of Livestock and Poultry Basedon 20th Livestock Census

Context:The Union Minister of Fisheries,Animal Husbandry and Dairying havereleased the Breed-Wise Report OfLivestock And Poultry based on the20th Livestock Census.

Breed-Wise Report. During the year 2019, the Breed-Wise

Report Of Livestock And Poultry wascompleted in conjunction with the 20thLivestock Census.

. For the first time in the country, breed-specific data was collected utilisingtablet computers rather than paper,which is a truly unique effort.

. Exotic and crossbred cattle account forabout 26.5 percent of the overall cowpopulation, while Indigenous andnon-descript cattle account for 73.5percent.

. Indigenous Cattle: Since 2012, the totalnumber of indigenous cattle hasdecreased by 6%. During this time,their share of the entire cattlepopulation declined from 79 percent to73 percent.

. – The Gir, Lakhimi, and Sahiwal breedsprovide significant contributions to thetotal Indigenous Cattle population.

. Exotic/Crossbred cattle: Exotic/Crossbred cattle increased in numberfrom 3.9 crores in 2012 to 5 crores in2019. “Exotic” cattle, according to theCensus, are “animals with origins inother nations.”

. – Crossbred Jersey cattle account for49.3 percent of all Exotic/Crossbredcattle.

. Buffalo: The Murrah breed, which iscommon in Uttar Pradesh and




Rajasthan, contributes 42.8 percent ofthe total.

. Goats: The country is home to 28indigenous goat breeds.

. With 18.6 percent, the Black Bengalbreed provides the most.

. Horses and ponies: The Marwari breedcontributes the most, accounting for9.8% of the total.

. Donkeys: The Spiti breed contributesthe most, accounting for 8.3 percent ofthe total.

. Camel: The Bikaneri breed suppliedthe most, accounting for 29.6% of thetotal.

. The NBAGR has recorded 184recognised indigenous/exotic &crossbred breeds of 19 differentspecies in this report (National Bureauof Animal Genetic Resources).

9. PM addresses inaugural session offourth edition of the InternationalConference on Disaster ResilientInfrastructureContext:The Prime Minister, ShriNarendra Modi addressed theinaugural session of the fourth editionof the International Conference onDisaster ResilientInfrastructure(ICDRI). via videomessage today. The session was alsoaddressed by the Hon. Scott MorrisonMP, Prime Minister of Australia, H.E.Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,President of Ghana, Hon. FumioKishida, Prime Minister of Japan andH..E. Andry Nirina Rajoelina,President of Madagascar.

ICDRI,International Conference onDisaster Resilient Infrastructure

. In collaboration with the US Agency forInternational Development, theCoalition for Disaster ResilientInfrastructure (CDRI) hosted the event(USAID). To look into ways to make

transitioning infrastructure systemsmore resilient, with a focus on human-centred approaches.

. CDRI is a worldwide multi-stakeholder cooperation involvingnational governments, UN agenciesand programmes, multilateraldevelopment banks, the commercialsector, and academic and researchorganisations. In September 2019, theIndian Prime Minister addressed the2019 United Nations Climate ActionSummit.

. National governments lead andoversee the CDRI, which generates andexchanges knowledge on various areasof infrastructure catastrophe resilience.New Delhi, India, is where the CDRI’ssecretariat is located. CDRI now has 29members, including 22 nationalgovernments and 7 organisations, as ofMarch 2021.

. The CDRI is India’s second significantcoalition outside of the United Nations,following the International SolarAlliance. Both are considered asattempts by India to gain a globalleadership role in climate changeissues.Prelims point: InternationalConference on Disaster ResilientInfrastructure

10. Global Report on Food Crises 2022: 40million more pushed into acutehunger last year: United NationsContext:The number of people facingacute food insecurity and requiringurgent life-saving food assistance andlivelihood support continues to growat an alarming rate. This makes it moreurgent than ever to tackle the rootcauses of food crises rather than justresponding after they occur. TheGlobal Report on Food Crises 2022 hasbeen released.




The Global Report on Food Crises.. The number of people experiencing

acute food insecurity and in need oflife-saving food and livelihood helpcontinues to rise at an alarming rate.As a result, it is more important thanever to address the core causes of foodcrises rather than simply reacting whenthey occur.

. In 2021, an estimated 193 millionpeople in 53 countries and territorieshad extreme food insecurity that waseither in crisis or worse. In comparisonto the already record numbers of 2020,this is an almost 40 million increase.

. The Democratic Republic of Congo,Ethiopia, Yemen, and Afghanistan areamong the 53 countries afflicted by theproblem. Conflict, climatic extremes,and economic shocks were the mainfactors of increased acute foodinsecurity in 2021.

. Acute food insecurity,” according tothe United Nations, occurs when aperson’s failure to consume enoughfood puts their life or livelihood injeopardy. The war in Ukraine is notaddressed in the study. Experts havewarned, however, that Russia’s war inUkraine could result in hunger.

Mains Point:.Global Report on Food Crises2022: 40 million more pushed into acutehunger last year: United Nations

11. State of the World’s Forests 2022: 10%of total forest area on Earth lost in 30yearsContext:The United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) hasreleased the State of the World’s Forests2022 (SOFO 2022).

Important point os the report. Forest Deforestation: Forests represent

31% of the Earth’s land surface (4.06billion ha), however the area isdeclining, with 420 million ha of forestlost between 1990 and 2020 due to

deforestation. Although the rate ofdeforestation is decreasing, it was still10 million hectares per year from 2015to 2020.

. Infectious diseases connected toforests: Forests have been linked to15% of 250 new infectious diseases.Furthermore, deforestation and land-use change are responsible for 30% ofnew diseases documented since 1960.

. Increased Poverty: Following Covid-19, approximately 124 million morepeople fell into extreme poverty, whichcould have long-term implications forwood-based fuel (such as firewood andcharcoal) due to increased wood-basedfuel use in various countriesthroughout the pandemic.

. Forests are essential for climate changemitigation: Trees and forests areimportant tools for preventing climatechange. Forests have 662 billion tonnesof carbon, accounting for more thanhalf of the global carbon storage in soilsand vegetation. Due to replanting,improved forest management, andother factors, forests absorbed morecarbon than they emitted in 2011–2020,despite a continuous loss in area.

. Natural Resource Consumption: By2050, the world’s population isexpected to reach 9.7 billion people.Due to population growth andprosperity, annual worldwideconsumption of all natural resourcescombined is anticipated to more thandouble from 92 billion tonnes in 2017to 190 billion tonnes in 2060.

. Forest Dependence: More than half ofthe world’s gross domestic product(USD 84.4 trillion in 2020) is predictedto be moderately (USD 31 trillion peryear) or heavily (USD 13 trillion peryear) dependent on ecosystem services,including those provided by forests.

Recommendations of the report




. Forests and trees can help assisteconomic and environmental recoverythrough three interconnectedapproaches. These include (1)preventing deforestation andpreserving forests; (2) recoveringdegraded areas and extendingagroforestry; and (3) exploiting forestssustainably and developing greenvalue chains.

. Amount of money raised: A largeincrease in funding will be required by2030, specifically a three-fold increase.By 2050, it is estimated thatestablishing and preserving forestswill cost USD 203 billion per year.

. Small communities and Indigenousgroups will be able to continuemanaging their woods sustainably iflocal producer organisations aresupported and land tenure rights areprotected.Mains point: Importance of worldforest cover in environmentalconservation.

12. The grim forewarnings of a globalstudy on birdsContext: The annual study of naturalresources, The State of the World’sBirds, has indicated that thepopulation of 48 percent of the 10,994remaining bird species is dropping.

. The Manchester MetropolitanUniversity-led report provides anoverview of changes in ourunderstanding of bird biodiversity andthe extent to which it is threatened.Key findings of the The ManchesterMetropolitan University study report

. Population decreases are known orsuspected in 5,245 bird species aroundthe world, or nearly 48% of all birdspecies. While 4,295 species (or 39%)have steady population patterns,roughly 7% (or 778 species) havegrowing population trends. The 37species’ trend was unclear.

. 1,481 species, or 13.5 percent, arecurrently threatened with extinction ona global scale. There are 798 vulnerablespecies, 460 endangered species, 223highly endangered species, and 52species for which there is insufficientdata.The importance of birds to ecosystemsand culture

. Birds contribute to a variety ofenvironmental services that helpmankind directly or indirectly.Provisioning, regulating, cultural, andsupporting services are among them.

. Pollinators, seed-dispersers,ecosystem engineers, scavengers, andcarnivores all play important roles inecosystems, facilitating theaccumulation and maintenance ofbiodiversity.

. It also aids in the reproduction of otheranimals and promotes humanendeavours like as sustainableagriculture through insectmanagement. In the Chagosarchipelago, for example, coral reef fishoutput has been found to rise asseabird populations reboundfollowing rat removal.

. Food from wild birds and itemsgenerated from them is also importanteconomically (meat, eggs). Peopleemploy about 45 percent of all existingbird species in some capacity, largelyas pets (37 percent) and food (14percent ).

. According to the study, birds’ culturalcontribution is perhaps more essentialthan that of any other taxonomicgroup. Birdwatching is a globalpastime practised by millions ofpeople, in addition to its symbolic andartistic significance.

Indian Scenario. In India, where current annual trends

for 146 species have been assessed, the




trend toward decreased bird diversityis almost as worrying. Nearly 80% ofthem are in decline, with nearly half ofthem dropping precipitously.

. Only about 6% of the speciesinvestigated had stable populations,while 14% have growing populationpatterns. Endangered species includedendemic species, birds of prey, andspecies that live in forests andgrasslands.

Reasons for Bird Species Decline. Human-induced factors such as habitat

loss or degradation, changes in landuse, overexploitation, and climatechange are causing populationdeclines in about half of all birdspecies worldwide.The report’s recommendations are asfollows:

. Obtaining accurate populationabundance and change estimations.Demand reduction for over harvestedwild birds requires novel and moreeffective solutions that can beimplemented at scale.

. Monitoring green energy transitionsthat may have an impact on birds ifperformed incorrectly. eradication ofinvading alien species populations.Changing human societies’ growthpaths to be more economically viable.

13. Shallow and deep ecologismContext:India is still suffering from anintense heat wave. Heat waves, on theother hand, have been known to occurfor hundreds of years. However, inrecent years, more extreme, frequent,and long-lasting heat waves haveexposed the long-term effects ofclimate change, which have intensifiedthem.

Ecologism. In the 1970s, Norwegian philosopher

Arne Naess sought to solveenvironmental degradation by looking

beyond his milieu’s popular pollutionand conservation movements.

. He constructed a master-slavedynamic in his study by viewingnature and themselves as twocontending entities. There are twoschools of environmental philosophythat reimagine human-natureinteraction.

Two styles of ecologismShallow ecologism: Weak ecologism, also

known as weak ecologism, is anideology that maintains currentlifestyles while making specificchanges to reduce environmentaldamage. He used the phrase “shallowecologism” or “environalism” todescribe the forceful and trendycampaign against pollution andresource depletion. For example(CFCs),Using less polluting vehicles orair conditioners that do not emitchlorofluorocarbons

Deep ecologism: It is a philosophy in whichproponents believe that humansshould have a fundamentally differentconnection with nature. It rejectsshallow ecologism because it putspeople before nature. Its goal is toprotect the environment once it hasbeen destroyed.The wealthier countries, for example,are responsible for the majority ofcarbon emissions. For example, theUnited States has a population of only5% of the world’s population butconsumes 17% of the world’s energy.Furthermore,

Main Objectives of deep ecologism. It strives to preserve nature by enacting

large-scale lifestyle changes. Limitingcommercial farming, minimisinganimal artificial fattening, andchanging transportation infrastructureare just a few examples.




. Furthermore, it turns the focus awayfrom pollution and conservationnarratives and onto effective policycreation and execution.Environmentally responsible technicalskills and inventions must be includedin the policies.

. Deep ecologism also pushes for arethinking of the survival of the ‘fittest’idea. It argues that doctrine should beviewed from the standpoint ofcollaboration and coexistence withnature, rather than rivalry,exploitation, or dominance.

. Deep ecologists prefer a notion knownas the “live and let live” mentality to a“either you or me” approach.

Shallow ecologism and issues associated.. It is futile to focus just on pollution and

conservation movements. Forexample, programmes done solely toaddress pollution may result in thecreation of new ills, such as theinstallation of pollution controlequipment, which may raise the costof living and hence exacerbate classdisparity.

. When choices are heavily affected bymajority rule without taking localinterests into account, the environmentbecomes more vulnerable.

Steps ahead. We should practise ethically

responsible ecology that benefitspeople of all economic classes.Decentralisation of decision-makingshould be implemented. This can beaccomplished through enhancing localautonomy.

. To overcome the environmental crisis,a holistic strategy is required. Itnecessitates avoiding a “broad, global”attitude. It should take into accountgeographical variances as well as thediscrepancies betweenunderdeveloped and developedcountries.

. Policymakers, as well as scientists andecologists, share responsibility forresolving the climate catastrophe. As aresult, individuals in positions ofpower, including the political elite,should be held accountable.

Mains Point : Ecological conservatism andnew strategies.

14. Drought In Numbers, 2022:Desertification: ‘Droughts reducedIndia’s GDP by up to 5% in 20 years’Context: To commemorate WorldDrought Day, the United NationsConvention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD) has produced the Drought InNumbers, 2022 Report.

The key findings of the reportGlobal findings. Droughts account for 15% of natural

disasters, but they killed the mostpeople, with about 650,000 deathsbetween 1970 and 2019. Droughts haveincreased by 29% in number and lengthsince 2000.

. Weather, climate, and water hazardsaccounted for 50% of disasters and 45percent of disaster-related deathsbetween 1970 and 2019, largely indeveloping nations.

. Droughts cost the world economyaround USD 124 billion from 1998 to2017. Drought might force 700 millionpeople to flee their homes by 2030, orwithin the next eight years.

Report on India. India was identified as one of the

countries most severely affected by thedrought in the report. During the years2020-2022, about two-thirds of thecountry experienced drought.

. Over the 20 years from 1998 to 2017,severe droughts were expected to havelowered India’s gross domestic outputby 2-5 percent.

The recommendations given by the report




. Techniques for growing more food onless area and with less water that areboth sustainable and efficient.

. Changes in interactions with food,fodder, and fibre, as well as a shifttoward plant-based diets and thereduction or elimination of animalintake.

. Integrated drought action plans arebeing developed and implemented.Set up cross-border early-warningsystems that are effective.

. New technologies, such as satellitesurveillance and artificial intelligence,are being deployed to help guidedecisions more precisely. Improvedrought resilience at the local levelthrough mobilising long-termfinancing.Other reports say about India’sdrought situation

. According to a study by Down ToEarth, India’s drought-prone territoryhas grown by 57% since 1997. Over thelast decade, one-third of India’sdistricts have experienced more thanfour droughts, affecting 50 millionpeople per year.

. According to India’s Desertificationand Land Degradation Atlas, territorydegradation occurred on 97.85 millionhectares, or roughly 30% of thecountry’s land, in 2018-19.

Mains Point : India’s Drought and itssolution.

15. Punjab promoting green manure bigtime: what are the benefits,productivityContext:Green manure cultivation iscurrently being promoted by thePunjab government. It is subsidisingthe seed at the rate of Rs 2,000 perquintal.

Green Manure. Green manure crops are crops that are

grown for the purpose of maintaining

soil fertility and structure. They areusually returned to the soil, eitherimmediately or after being removedand composted.

. Dhaincha, Cowpea, and Sunhemp arethe three most common types of greenmanure. Green manure is alsoproduced by several crops, such assummer moong, mash pulses, andguar. Green manure varieties areincorporated into the soil when thecrop is 42-56 days old..

The benefits of Green Manurea) It aids in the increase of organic

matter in the soil.b) It addresses micronutrient

deficiencies.c) Consumption of inorganic

fertilisers is reduced.d) It is a viable substitute for organic

manure.e) It conserves nutrients, provides

nitrogen, and improves soilstructure stability.

f) It decomposes quickly, releasinghuge amounts of carbon dioxideand weak acids that act oninsoluble soil minerals, releasingnutrients for plant growth.

Importance of Green Manure in Punjab. Punjab has one of the highest fertiliser

usage rates in the country, at roughly244 kg per hectare, and is also higherthan the national average.

. Green manure can reduce this usage byas much as 25% to 30%, saving farmersa lot of money in the process.

. Furthermore, in certain sections ofPunjab, the PH level of the soil variesbetween 8.5 and 9%. Green manureaids in its upkeep.




16. Most pollution-related workplacedeaths in countries with highest GDP:Lancet reportContext:The majority of pollution-related occupational deaths, accordingto a Lancet analysis, occur in countrieswith the highest GDP.Relation between Workplace andpollution related deaths

. The majority of the ten countries withthe highest gross domestic product(GDP) have the largest number offatalities caused by pollution at work.

. In contrast, most of these countrieshave a low proportion of pollution-related mortality in their overallpopulation: low- and middle-incomecountries account for 90% of pollution-related deaths.This emphasises thecontrast in how these places deal withpollution both within and beyond thefour walls of their offices.Countries with Highest PollutionRelated Workplaces Deaths

. Among the top-10 GDP countries, theUnited Kingdom (UK) has the highestrate of work-related prematurefatalities attributable to pollution(Though overall the UK occupied thefourth-worst position among nearly200 countries).

. The United States, the world’s largesteconomy, came in 18th overall and 12thamong countries with populationsmore than 10 million.

Findings related to India by lancet. With 12.15 pollution-related

occupational deaths per 100,000workers, India, the world’s sixth largesteconomy, ranked 21st on the list.Overall, India was ranked 40th in theworld.

. India placed 13th in the world in termsof pollution-related deaths per 100,000people, with 169.5 deaths per 100,000people.

Significance of the report. The difference in pollution-related

workplace deaths compared to theentire population indicates thatworkers in these so-called developedcountries are just as vulnerable asworkers in developing countries suchas India and Bangladesh.

. This also implies that, in order tomaximise profit, industry owners oftenmake compromises on environmentalissues.

Mains point: Pollution-related workplacedeaths

17. Of lungs, trees and sin stocksContext:The World Health Organization

(WHO) established ‘World NoTobacco Day’ in 1987 to raiseawareness of tobacco’s harmful effects.

. This year’s theme is ‘Poisoning ourPlanet,’ in an effort to raise awarenessabout the negative impacts of tobaccoon the environment. Meanwhile, hugecorporations are attempting to lessenthe harm caused by cigarette smoking.

Prevalence of tobacco consumption in India. In 2016-2017, the second Global Adult

Tobacco Survey found that 28.6% of alladults in India used tobacco, secondonly to China.

. According to the survey, 42.4 percentof males and 14.2 percent of womenused tobacco in some form, includingchewing tobacco and cigarettes and‘bidis.’

The ill-effects of tobaccoOn health. In 2021, approximately 8 million

individuals will have died as a resultof smoking. Tobacco, however, is morethan just a health hazard. According toone estimate, tobacco productionaccounts for barely 1% of GDP, butdirect health spending on tobacco-




related disorders amounts for 5.3percent of total health spending inIndia each year (WHO).

On environment. The WHO claims that- To create

cigarettes, 600 million trees are cutdown each year; 84 million tonnes ofCO2 are discharged into theatmosphere; and 22 billion litres ofwater are utilised.

. Cigarette butts, packaging, plasticpouches of smokeless tobacco, andelectronics and batteries involved withe-cigarettes all contaminate ourenvironment, in addition to theenvironmental costs of manufacture.India produces over 800 million kg oftobacco per year, making it theworld’s second-largest producer.

Obstacles to combating the tobaccoepidemic

. Need to do more: Most efforts tocounter the tobacco epidemic havebeen directed at creating awarenessabout the ill-effects of tobacco. Thesehave borne fruit. Over 90% of adultsin India, across strata, identify tobaccoas being harmful. Additional gains inovercoming the ill-effects of tobaccoare therefore unlikely to come frommore awareness campaigns alone.

. Source of livelihood: About 6 millionfarmers and 20 million farm labourerswork in tobacco farming across 15States (Central Tobacco ResearchInstitute). Farming of tobacco cannotbe stopped without serious economicconsequences and/or socialdisruption.

Efforts made by companies. Carbon credits: The forestry

community has proposed ideas andinstruments to incentivize the use ofcarbon credits to reduce deforestation.Companies are placing pressure on

their supply chains to switch tosustainable practices and minimisedeforestation as the worldwidecommodity sector makes new zero-carbon pledges.

. Carbon sinks are places where carbonis absorbed. Unilever, Amazon, Nestlé,Alibaba, and Mahindra Group have allpledged to reduce emissions and areplanning to invest $50 billion in nature-based solutions like carbon sinks.

. This has sparked renewed interest insourcing from environmentallyfriendly landscapes and purchasinghigh-quality forest carbon credits. Theprofits from this are many timesgreater than those from selling tobaccoleaves.

. The cigarette industry appears to beevolving. One of the world’s leadingcigarette businesses said in 2016 that itwill begin moving its clients away fromtobacco and toward smoke-freeproducts.

. Cigarette businesses are potentiallylowering the chance of their customersdying from cancer by shifting to safernicotine delivery technologies andmoving away from tobacco.Environmental, social, and governance(ESG) managers are on the rise.

Steps ahead. While there are issues in the tobacco

and cigarette industries, there are alsooptions, answers, and globalmovements being pursued by theworld’s top corporations.

. Educating potential tobacco users,assisting smokers in quitting, andincentivizing the tobacco industry toaid consumers and the environmentwill safeguard not only our lungs, butalso the air we breathe.

18. Explained: What are community forestrights, why do they matter?




Context:The tribals of Gudiyapadar, ahamlet inside the Kanger GhatiNational Park in Bastar, have had theirCommunity Forest Resource (CFR)rights recognised by the Chhattisgarhgovernment.

. Chhattisgarh is now only the secondstate in the country to recognise avillage’s CFR rights within a nationalpark.

Community Forest Resource(CFR). The Community Forest Resource Area

is common forest land that hastraditionally been safeguarded andmanaged for the long-term benefit of aspecific community.

. It is used by the community to accessresources inside the village’straditional and customary boundaries,as well as for seasonal landscape usein pastoralist groups.

Rights of Community ForestResources (CFR)

. Section 3(1)(i) of the Scheduled Tribesand Other Traditional Forest Dwellers(Recognition of Forest Rights) Actrecognises certain rights (commonlyreferred to as the Forest Rights Act orthe FRA).

. They acknowledge the right to “guard,regenerate, conserve, and manage” thecommunity forest resource. Theserights enable the community toestablish rules for its own and others’forest use, allowing it to fulfil itsobligations under Section 5 of the FRA.

. CFR rights, in combination withCommunity Rights (CRs), such as nistarrights and rights over non-timber forestproducts, assure the community’slong-term viability.

. Within the community forest resourceboundaries, these rights allow theGram Sabha the authority toimplement local customary forest

conservation and managementmethods.

. These rights also highlight the criticalrole that forest inhabitants play inensuring the long-term viability offorests and biodiversity protection.Mains Point: Community forestResource and associated rights of thepeople

19. Sela macaque: New Arunachalmonkey named after mountain passContext:A new species of old worldmonkey (Sela macaque) recorded fromArunachal Pradesh has been namedafter a strategic Sela mountain pass.

About Sela macaqueSela macaque belongs to the sinicaspecies group of Macaca. But it differsfrom all other members of this groupthrough attributes such as brown collarhair and muzzle, and the absence ofchin whiskers.

Habitat: The Phylogenetic analysis revealedthat the Sela macaque wasgeographically separated from theArunachal macaque (Macaca munzala)by Sela mountain pass.




This mountain pass acted as a barrierby restricting the migration ofindividuals of these two species forapproximately two million years.Note: Phylogenetics relates to theevolutionary development anddiversification of a species or group oforganisms.

. Genetically, the Sela macaque is moreclosely related to the Arunachalmacaque. Physically, the two have a lotin common, such as a comparablebuild and long dorsal body hair.

. The Sela macaque, on the other hand,has some distinguishing physicalcharacteristics. The Sela macaque, forexample, has a light brown coat and apale face, but the Arunachal macaquehas a dark brown coat and a darkbrown face.

. The Tibetan macaque, Assamesemacaque, Arunachal macaque, andwhite-cheeked macaque all havelonger tails than the Sela macaque,however the bonnet macaque andtoque macaque have shorter tails.

. Threats: Sela macaques are a majorcause of agricultural damage inArunachal Pradesh’s West Kamengarea. As a result, it is threatened byman-wildlife conflict.Prelims Point:Sela macaque-man-wildlife conflict.

20. Money spider, ant-mimicking spiderdiscovered at Wayanad WildlifeSanctuary.Context:Money spiders, which areprevalent in European meadows, havebeen discovered in the Muthangarange of the Wayanad WildlifeSanctuary for the first time in India.Researchers have also identifiedspiders that look like ants.

Money spidersMoney Spider belongs to the family ofdwarf spiders ( Linyphiidae) under thegenus Prosoponoides. It has beengiven the name Prosoponoidesbiflectogynus.

Features: Money spiders are approximately3 mm and 4 mm long in males andfemales, respectively.Males prefer tohide beneath dry leaves, while femalescreate triangular webs in between drytree twigs and feed on small insects. Asingle female spider’s web may containtwo or more male spiders.The elliptical abdomen of both sexesis dark brown with irregular silverpatches and black dots.On their olive green legs, there areseveral fine black spines. In two rows,there are eight dark eyes.Significance of the discovery: Thediscovery is significant because just sixspecies of spiders belonging to thisgenus have been identified so far fromthroughout the world.It’s the first time this genus has beendiscovered in India. As a result, similardiscoveries may be made in the future.




What are Ant-mimicking Spiders?

These spiders are from theMananthavady area and belong to thejumping spider family. They aremembers of the Salticidae family. Onlythree species of this genus have beenfound in India, with this being the firstfrom the Western Ghats.Feature:They completely imitate antsby elevating their front pair of legswhile walking as a defence measureagainst prospective predators. Theantler-like forward-projecting fangshave a distinct form.This species’ male and female spidersgrow to be 4 mm and 6 mm long,respectively.Females are distinguished from otherspiders in this group by a pair of whitestripes on their dark brown abdomen.A brown cephalic region and a blackthorax with white hairs distinguish themale of the species. On the bottom ofeach leg, there are long spines.

21. Green hydrogen: Fuel of the future?Context: India announced at the WorldEconomic Forum in Davos,Switzerland, that it will become the

global leader in green hydrogen bycapitalising on the current globalenergy crisis.Oil India Limited (OIL) hasinaugurated India’s first 99.99 percentpure green hydrogen factory in Jorhat,Assam.Green Hydrogen is the clean hydrogengenerated by using renewable energysuch as solar and wind energy insteadof fossil fuels. The electricity producedthrough solar/wind energy is used toundertake electrolysis of water (inelectrolysers) to produce hydrogen.The carbon footprint of green hydrogenis negligible compared to othermethods of production.een HydrogenRationale of India pursuing greenhydrogen

. India has promised to lower itsgreenhouse gas emissions by 33-35percent from 2005 levels under theParis Agreement. India reaffirmed itscommitment to transitioning from afossil-fuel and import-dependenteconomy to a net-zero economy by2070 at the 2021 Conference of Partiesin Glasgow.

. In 2021, India established the NationalHydrogen Mission to fulfil theirpledges. The mission’s goal is toreduce carbon emissions whileincreasing the usage of renewableenergy sources.

. India has only recently startedproducing green hydrogen, with thegoal of reaching 500 gigawatts of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030. Ineastern Assam’s Jorhat unit, India’s first99.99 percent pure green hydrogenplant has an installed capacity of 10kilogramme of hydrogen per day andcan scale up to 30 kg per day.

Advantages of hydrogen as a fuel. Green hydrogen can be stored for long

periods of time, and it can also beutilised to generate power using fuel




cells. Hydrogen gas combines withoxygen in a fuel cell to produce energyand water vapour.

. As a result, hydrogen can serve as anenergy storage device while alsocontributing to grid stability.

. The oxygen produced as a by-product(8 kg of oxygen per 1 kilogramme ofhydrogen) can be monetised by usingit in industrial and medicalapplications, as well as forenvironmental enrichment.Prelims and Mains point: GreenHydrogen its benefits

22. Share of non-CO2 pollutantscontributing to global warmingalmost as much as carbon dioxide:Study

Context:According to a study published inthe journal, non-CO2 pollutantscontribute nearly as much to globalwarming as carbon dioxide.

. According to IPCC Working Groupreports, CO2 and non-CO2 greenhousegases contributed 52-57 percent and 43-48 percent, respectively, to globalwarming.

. Some aerosols released by fossil fuelsources are known to warm theplanets, while others are known to coolthem. Sulphates, nitrates, and organiccarbon are the most common coolingaerosols.

. Despite the fact that decarbonisationinitiatives will reduce CO2 levels, thewarming produced will not bereduced in the next 25 years. As aresult, if only decarbonisation effortsare focused on, global temperatureswould likely exceed 1.5 degreesCelsius over pre-industrial levels by2035 and 2 degrees Celsius by 2050.Global policy decisions on non-CO2pollutants

. The government’s only focus on CO2:The negative consequences of non-CO2

equivalents are well-known. Thegovernment’s climate mitigationinitiatives, on the other hand, arelimited to CO2 emissions.

. International Agencies’ Ignorance: TheIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) Working Group IIIreport on climate change mitigationconcentrates on CO2 and a few othergreenhouse gases, but excludes othernon-CO2 pollutants.

. As a result, urgent action is requiredto bend the emission curves ofmethane, HFCs, black carbon, and a fewother precursor gases that contribute toozone depletion in the loweratmosphere.

Non-CO2 pollutants Countering strategy. Governments must develop plans to

combat CO2 and non-CO2 pollutantssuch as methane, black carbon,hydrofluorocarbons (HFC),tropospheric ozone, and nitrous oxideat the same time.

. By combining decarbonisationmeasures with targets, we can achievenet cooling by 2030, reduce the rate ofwarming by nearly half from 2030 to2050, and stay below 2 degrees Celsius.

. Methane levels should be reduced inoil and gas-consuming countries, coal-consuming countries, and rice-producing countries.

Prelims point: Non Co2 pollutants.

23. Explained: Discovery of a primitiveforest at the bottom of a giant sinkholein China

Context: A cave exploration team hasdiscovered an ancient forest at thebottom of a giant karst sinkhole in LeyeCounty in Guangxi ZhuangAutonomous Region, China.

. The sinkhole’s volume is estimated tobe in excess of 5 million cubic metres.The sinkhole might be classified as ahuge sinkhole based on its dimensions.




. Giant sinkholes are known inMandarin as Tiankeng, which means“heavenly pit.” Three large caves canbe seen in the sinkhole’s walls, and atits bottom is a well-preserved primitiveforest with trees reaching about 40metres in height.

Sinkholes. Sinkholes arise when layers of the

Earth’s surface collapse into caverns,forming depressions in the earth.

. They can happen quickly and withoutnotice since the land beneath theEarth’s surface can remain intact for along time until the voids become toolarge.Sinkholes can arise as a result ofnatural processes or human activities.

. Natural process: Sinkholes typicallyarise in “karst” terrains, where the rockbeneath the Earth’s surface is easilydissolved by groundwater. This is aslow and progressive process that cantake hundreds or thousands of yearsto complete.

. Human activities: This can occur as aresult of faulty land drains, watermains and sewerage pipes, and surfacewater diversion, among other things.

. Karst terrain is formed by thebreakdown of soluble rocks, primarilylimestone and dolomite, according tothe United States Geological Survey(USGS). They are also distinguished byunique landforms such as caves,sinkholes, and springs.

Few prominent sinkholes around the world:. About 20 percent of the US is made up

of karst landscapes. The largestsinkhole in the US is called the “GollyHole”, which collapsed suddenly in1972 and is over 325 ft long, 300 ft wideand 120 ft deep.

. As per NASA, karst geology coversabout 13 percent of eastern andsoutheastern Asia. Other sinkhole-

prone areas around the world includeMexico, parts of Italy and Russia.

Prelims point: Sinkholes,Tiankeng

24. Nature has the answersContext:On May 22, 2022, theInternational Day of Biodiversity wasobserved. It was carried out in themidst of the pandemic, as well as recentheat storms in northern India andfloods in Meghalaya. The ongoingdeterioration of lands and biodiversity,rising malnutrition and hunger, anddisparities and environmental injusticeare all adding to the uncertainties.

. The day provided us an opportunityto appreciate the wonder ofbiodiversity, renew our commitment tonurture and protect all the many formsof life with which we share our planet.

Man-Environment Relationship. Humans, as a species, are an important

and crucial part of biodiversity. Ourbodies contain living microbiomes ofmicroscopic creatures without whichwe would perish.

. Our cultures influence the biodiversitythat surrounds us, and biodiversityinfluences our cultures and future onour planet.

. The ethnic, cultural, and linguisticvariety of India has been shaped by thedistinctive characteristics of ourcountry, climate, and geography, aswell as migratory and evolutionfactors. These pressures have resultedin a plethora of plant, animal, and otherbiological species thriving on ourcontinent.India’s biodiversity is under assault.For example, our natural landscapesand waterscapes have seen decline anddegradation.

Next constructive steps ahead required. Solutions based on nature:

Biodiversity can help us find solutionsto some of our most serious




sustainability issues. The best road tosustainability is to use biodiversityand natural world processes. These canbe carried out as follows:

. Climate change can be mitigated byrestoring biodiversity across broadswaths of deforested and otherdegraded lands. The United NationsFramework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC) Glasgow Summitrecognised the direct link betweenbiodiversity and climate change.Restoration also has the ability toprovide millions of employment bydiversifying farming systems andlivelihoods centred on agriculture. Itcould also assist India in meeting itsstated goal to combat climate change.

. Biotechnology and healthcarecompanies can tap into the untappedpotential of our vast medical history,which includes thousands oftherapeutic plant species.

. Nature can contribute to our financialand physical well-being, as well as ourmental and spiritual well-being. It willassist India in achieving the UnitedNations’ Sustainable DevelopmentGoals.

. A National Mission on Biodiversityand Human Well-Being has beenestablished by the government. Themissions’ main characteristics are:Agriculture, health, bioeconomy,ecosystem services, and climate changemitigation will all benefit from themission’s efforts to promotebiodiversity in developmentprogrammes.

. The mission is to increase publicparticipation, which is critical forbiodiversity protection. The mission’sgoal is to create a system for assessingand monitoring biodiversity, as well asrestoring and strengthening it.

. The Mission can assist with a numberof concerns, including the spread ofinfectious diseases, insufficient food

and nutrition security, ruralunemployment, and climate change.

25. Explained: What are urban heatislands, and why are they worseningduring summers?

Context: Several sections of India areexperiencing extreme heat. Cities, inparticular, are significantly hotter thanrural places. The reason for this is aphenomenon known as an “urban heatisland.”

Urban Heat Islands. An urban heat island is a local and

temporary phenomenon experiencedwhen certain pockets within a cityexperience a higher heat load thansurrounding or neighbouring areas onthe same day.

. For example, a greener locality likePashan in Pune often records coolertemperatures than urban areas likeShivajinagar, Chinchwad orMagarpatta.

. The variations are mainly due to heatremaining trapped within locationsthat often resemble concrete jungles

Cities hotter than rural areas- Reasons

. Plants, grass, trees, and crops arecommon in rural settings. Plantsabsorb water from the ground andrelease it as vapour into the air in a




process known as transpiration, whichworks as nature’s air conditioner.Evaporation from bodies of water alsoaids in the cooling of these locations.

. Urban areas, on the other hand, lacksufficient green cover or gardens andare frequently developed with highrisestructures, highways, parking places,pavements, and public transportationroutes. As a result, heat regulation iseither non-existent or artificial.

Cities absorb more heat. Black or any dark-colored object

absorbs all wavelengths of light andturns them to heat, whereas whitereflects them.

. Buildings in cities are typically madeof dark-colored materials such as glass,bricks, cement, and concrete, all ofwhich attract and absorb more heat.This creates temporary islands withincities, trapping the heat.

Urban heat islands - Solutions to reduceheat

. The most effective technique to reduceheat load in cities is to increase greencover, which is achieved by plantingtrees and plants in open places.

. Other measures to reduce heat are touse appropriate construction materials,promote terrace and kitchen gardens,and paint terraces white or light coloursto reflect heat where possible.

Prelims point: urban heat islands

26. Lancet Planetary Health Report: ‘At 2.4million in 2019, India led world inpollution deaths’Context:The Lancet Commission onPollution and Health has published“The Lancet Planetary Health Report”.

The key highlights from the reportGlobal findings. In 2015, pollution was responsible for

9 million premature deaths, making itthe world’s leading environmentalcause of disease and death.

. Air pollution was responsible for over75% of all deaths, with China havingthe largest number of fatalities at 1.8million.

. The number of deaths attributed to thetypes of pollution linked with extremepoverty has decreased.

. However, the decreases in deaths dueto household air and water pollutionare counterbalanced by an increase indeaths due to ambient air pollution andhazardous chemical pollution.

. Pollution-related mortality accountsfor more than 90% of deaths in low- andmiddle-income nations.

Findings of the Indian report. In 2019, pollution caused

approximately 2.3 million (23 lakh)premature deaths in India, accountingfor nearly a quarter of the nine millionsuch deaths globally.

. Modern forms of pollution, such asambient air pollution and harmfulchemicals, currently account for at least1% of the country’s GDP.

. In 2019, India surpassed China as thecountry with the most estimatedpollution-related deaths.

. In India alone, ambient air pollutionmay have resulted in roughly 1.7million fatalities in 2019. However,compared to 2000, the number ofdeaths related to traditional sources ofpollution – indoor air and water — hasdecreased by more than half.

Prelims Point :2.4 million in 2019, India ledworld in pollution deaths’

27. Global Food Policy Report 2022: 9Crore Indians At Risk Of Hunger By2030 Due To Climate Change: ReportContext:International Food PolicyResearch Institute’s(IFPRI) has releasedthe Global Food Policy Report 2022titled ‘Climate change and foodsystems’.




key findings of the Global Food PolicyReport 2022

. By 2050, global food production willhave increased by around 60% from2010 levels. However, due togeographical disparities in foodaccess, approximately 50 crore peoplewould still be at risk of going hungry.

. If it hadn’t been for climate change,seven crores of this 50 crores would nothave been at risk.

Findings related to India. Starvation: Due to climate change,

India’s food production could drop by16 percent, while the number of peopleat danger of hunger could rise by 23percent by 2030.

. By 2030, 7.39 crore Indians would havegone hungry owing to climate change.However, researchers discovered thatif climate change is taken into account,9.06 crore persons (22.69 percent more)will face starvation.

. Temperature: By 2100, the averagetemperature in India would climbbetween 2.4 and 4.4 degrees Celsius,with summer heat waves expected toquadruple.

The recommendations given by the report1) R&D for climate-resilient,

resource-efficient, and sustainableinnovations in food systems,

2) Holistic, inclusive governance andmanagement of water, land,forests, and energy resources,

3) Promoting healthy diets andincreased sustainability of foodproduction,

4) Improving value chain efficiency,facilitating trade, and reducingfood loss,

5) Inclusion and social protection and6) Reorienting financial flows and

attracting new finance.Prelims point:Global Food Policy Report

2022




Miscellaneous

1. Sir David Attenborough earnsprestigious UN ‘Champion of theEarth’ awardContext:United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP) has named SirDavid Attenborough, English naturalhistory broadcaster and naturalist, asthe recipient of the Champions of theEarth Award 2021.

. The 95-year-old broadcaster is just thefifth person to receive the honour.

. The much-loved British broadcaster SirDavid Attenborough has beenofficially recognized as a “Championof the Earth” by the United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP).

. The natural history icon is just the fifthperson to receive the award forlifetime achievement.

. For decades, Attenborough hasnarrated jaw-dropping, inspiring andeye-opening nature documentariesusing his signature soothing tones.Some of his most famousdocumentaries include Planet Earth,Blue Planet, Life on Earth and OurPlanet. He has also become a leadingadvocate for protecting the naturalworld and has strongly condemnedworld leaders for their inaction onclimate change.

. “Sir David Attenborough has devotedhis life to documenting the love storybetween humans and nature, andbroadcasting it to the world,”

. Attenborough’s career in TV spansalmost 70 years and myriadtechnological and societal changes. Heis the only person to receive BritishAcademy of Film and Television Arts(BAFTA) awards in the TV categoriesblack and white, color, high-definition,3D and 4K. And despite being nearly

96 years old, he has kept up anastonishing pace of work.

. Attenborough is considered to be amajor influence for many scientists andconservationists, and in 2016 the BritishAntarctic Survey named its new state-of-the-art research vessel in his honour

2. India’s First “Amrit Sarovar”:Patwai(UP)Context:Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, UnionMinister for Minority Affairs, andSwatantra Dev Singh, Uttar Pradesh JalShakti Minister, launched India’s first“Amrit Sarovar” on May 13, 2022 inPatwai, Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.The significance of the Patwai AmritSarovar:

. Patwai’s freshly opened “Amrit Sarovar‘’ will aid in water conservation andenvironmental protection. It will alsoserve as a tourist attraction for thosewho live in the surrounding districts.Boating and other forms of recreationare also accessible in this “AmritSarovar.”The Amrit Sarovar mission:

. PM Modi inaugurated Mission AmritSarovar on April 24, 2022, with thebroad goal of long-term waterconservation. The Mission will becompleted on August 15, 2023.

The goal of Amrit Sarovar Mission:. As part of the Azadi ka Amrit

Mahotsav celebration, the mission’sgoal is to create and restore 75 watersources in each district of India. Thisproject will result in the creation of50,000 water bodies, each of which willbe an acre or larger in size. Each AmritSarovar will have a water storagecapacity of 10,000 cubic metres.




The ministries and departments areinvolved in Mission Amrit Sarovar:

. Land Resources Department

. Rural Development Department

. Water Resources Department

. Drinking Water and SanitationDepartment

. The Ministry of Forests, Environment,and Climate Changes is in charge offorest management, environmentalprotection, and

. Panchayati Raj MinistryThe mission’s technical partner:. The technical partner for Mission Amrit

Sarovar is the BhaskaracharyaNational Institute for SpaceApplication and Geo-informatics(BISAG-N).

The procedure for carrying out mission:. This mission will work via a number

of Districts and States, refocusingnumerous other schemes such as

. Grants from the XV FinanceCommission

. NREGA Mahatma GandhiOther PMKSY sub-schemes, such as the

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana(PMKSY), will be refocused as well.

. Har Khet Ko Pani

. Component of WatershedDevelopment,

. State-sponsored schemesThis mission also supports themobilisation of a variety of non-government and citizen resources tosupplement the mission’s activities.

3. How Sikkim became a part of IndiaContext:It was on May 16, 1975 thatSikkim became the 22nd State of theUnion of India. Let’s understand howSikkim became a part of India.The Sikkim Rulers before the adventof Europeans:

. In 1642, Sikkim came under the ruleof the Chogyal (or kings) of theNamgyal dynasty of Tibetan descentwho ruled the kingdom for close to 333years.

. Back then, the kingdom of Sikkimspread from Chumbi Valley, now inChina, to Darjeeling, now in WestBengal, and beyond.

. After 1706, there were a series ofconflicts between the powers of theregion, which included Sikkim, Nepal,Bhutan, and Tibet, resulting in ashrinking of Sikkim’s territorialboundaries,

The arrival of the East India Company:. When the British arrived, their

expansion plans in the Indiansubcontinent included controlling theHimalayan states.

. Meanwhile, the kingdom of Nepalcontinued with its attempts to expandits territory. This resulted in the Anglo-Nepalese war (1814 to 1816) alsoknown as the Gorkha war which wasfought between the Gorkhali army andthe East India Company.

. In 1814, Sikkim allied with the EastIndia Company in the latter’s campaignagainst Nepal. The Company won andrestored to Sikkim some of theterritories that Nepal had wrested fromit in 1780.

Administrative Control of British:. A turning point in the history of

Sikkim involves the appointment ofJohn Claude White as Political Officerof Sikkim.

. Sikkim by then was a BritishProtectorate under the Treaty ofTumlong signed in March 1861.

The scenario of Sikkim after 1947:. In 1950, Sikkim became a protectorate

of India through a treaty. A clause inthe treaty read: “Sikkim shall continueto be a Protectorate of India and,subject to the provisions of this Treaty,




shall enjoy autonomy in regard to itsinternal affairs.”

Public discontent against monarchy: Theperiod between the 1950s and the 1970smarked growing discontent in Sikkim.

. Anti-monarchy protests grew in 1973.Indian troops arrived after the monarchwas left with no choice but to ask NewDelhi to send assistance.

. Finally, a tripartite agreement wassigned between the chogyal, theIndian government and three majorpolitical parties, so that major politicalreforms could be introduced.

Attempts for constitutional development: In1974, elections were held, where theSikkim State Congress won defeatingpro-independence parties. That year,a new constitution was adopted, whichrestricted the role of the monarch.

. In the same year, India upgradedSikkim’s status from protectorate to“associated state”, allotting it one seateach in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Accession into India;. A referendum was held in 1975 where

an overwhelming majority voted infavor of abolishing the monarchy andjoining India.

. Sikkim’s new parliament proposed abill for Sikkim to become an Indianstate which was accepted by the Indiangovernment.

4. Davos is so 1990s: The jamboree haslost shine, thanks to social media.Context:The World Economic Forumhas lost its relevance.

The decline of the World Economic Forum:. Communications revolution: WEF

used to be a special place and a specialgathering of global influencers andpolicymakers to catalyze dialogue anddisagreement. However, the rise ofsocial media has changed that now onetweet, from an influential personality

like Elon Musk, can make or break themarkets. For example, the recent caseof cryptocurrencies.

. Decline of Transatlantic economies:G7 accounts for 31% of global GDP in2022, compared to 44% in 2000.Whereas, non-G7 members of G20accounted for 42. 2% of global output.The share of G7 countries will furtherreduce to less than 29% by 2026 as perforecasts.

. Furthermore, China is closing the gapwith the US in terms of no. of Unicornsin the world out of a total of 900Unicorns. India has 100 unicorns.

. Failure of global capitalism: globalcapitalism has failed to avert majorcrises in the past like the globalfinancial crisis of 2007-09 or the eurocrisis thereafter, Brexit, or ClimateChange.

. WEF has failed to instil theresponsibility for global warmingamong industrialized nations, instead,the platform has been used forpreaching lower emissions to countrieslike India and Africa.Mains point:Important InternationalInstitutions

5. Road accidents in India — 2020: Roadaccidents parameters register asignificant decline in 2020 , Totalaccidents decrease on an average by18.46 per cent, number of personskilled decrease by 12.84 per cent.

Context:As per the Road accidents inIndia — 2020 report, the number ofroad accidents has been on a declinesince 2016 except for a marginalincrease of 0.46 per cent in 2018.

The Road accidents in India — 2020 report:. The 2020 edition of the report provides

information on various facets of roadaccidents in the country during thecalendar year 2020. It has ten sections




and covers information relating to roadaccidents in the context of road lengthand vehicular population.

. Prepared by: Transport ResearchWing (TRW) of the Ministry of RoadTransport and Highways (MoRTH).

. Data sourced from Police departmentsof States/Union Territories wascollected on a calendar year basis. Thedata were used in standardisedformats as provided by the UnitedNations Economic and SocialCommission for Asia and the Pacific(UNESCAP) under the Asia PacificRoad Accident Data (APRAD) baseproject.The findings of the Road accidents inIndia — 2020 report:

. Road accident parameters registered asignificant decline in 2020 compared to2019.

. Total accidents decreased on anaverage by 18.46%, the number ofpersons killed decreased by 12.84%and the number of injuries decreasedby 22.84% over the previous year’saverage.

. Fatalities and Injuries: About 3.6 lakhroad accidents have been reported byStates and Union Territories (UTs)during the calendar year 2020, whichclaimed more than 1.31 lakh lives andcaused 3.48 lakh injuries.

. Young people faced more accidents:For the third consecutive year in 2020,the fatal road accident victims largelyconstitute young people in theproductive age groups.

. Young adults in the age group of 18 –45 years accounted for 69% of victimsin 2020. People in the working-agegroup of 18 – 60 years share 87.4% oftotal road accident fatalities.

6. SC is loud and clear on noisepollutionContext: The Supreme Court decisionsgoverning the use of loudspeakers

were enacted to prevent residents frombecoming “forced audiences” for noise.

Supreme Court’s judgments – keyobservations

. Article 21 guarantees freedom fromnoise pollution. The legal notion thatfreedom from noise pollution is a partof the Right to Life under Article 21 ofthe Constitution was used to regulatethe use of loudspeakers and schedules.

. Nobody from any religion can claim aright to create noise even on his ownpremises which would travel beyondhis boundaries and cause a nuisanceto neighbours or others.

. In its ruling on the use of loudspeakersin religious ceremonies, the SupremeCourt quoted a newspaper column thatstated that the goal of any religion isnot to force anyone to listen to itsmanifestations of faith. As a result, itwas persuaded by the rationale thatloudspeakers are not required tospread religious devotion.

7. Puja event at ASI-protected MartandTemple in Kashmir stokescontroversyContext :The Lieutenant Governor ofJammu and Kashmir took part in areligious ceremony held at the ruins ofthe 8th century Martand Sun temple,which is safeguarded by theArchaeological Survey of India. Thistemple has been designated as a“National Historic Site.”

Martand Sun Temple. The Martand Sun Temple, also known

as Pandou Laidan, is five miles fromAnantnag in Jammu and Kashmir’sUnion Territory.

. It is a Hindu temple devoted to Surya(Hinduism’s principal solar deity) thatwas constructed in the eighth century




CE. Surya is also known as Martand inSanskrit.

. Lalitaditya Muktapida, the thirdemperor of the Karkota Dynasty,erected it in the eighth century CE.Itwas demolished on the instructions ofMuslim monarch Sikandar Shah Miri,and is now in ruins.

. It was an excellent instance of Kashmiriarchitecture, which had integrated theGandharan, Gupta, and Chinese formsof building, according to the ruins andrelated archaeological findings. Thetemple is also known as Kartanda onthe list of centrally protectedmonuments (Sun Temple).

Lalitaditya. Lalitaditya alias Muktapida(724 CE–

760 CE) was a powerful ruler of theKarkota dynasty of the Kashmir regionin the Indian subcontinent. Hecommissioned a number of shrines inKashmir, including the now-ruinedMartand Sun Temple.

. He also established several towns,including a new capital atParihasapura although he alsomaintained the dynasty’s traditionalcapital at Srinagara.

. The main source of information aboutLalitaditya is Rajatarangini, a chronicleof the rulers of Kashmir, by the 12thcentury Kashmiri writer Kalhana.

. Lalitaditya also finds a brief mentionin the New Book of Tang (Xin Tangshu), a record of the Tang dynasty ofChina.The 11th-century Persianchronicler Al-Biruni mentions aKashmiri king called Muttai who wasmost probably Lalitaditya.

indian polity, governance , and internal security - csb ias academy

Documents