| Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Provisions in the National Education Policy

Mains level: Paper 2- National Education Policy

National Education Policy, while comprehensive in its approach misses out on some crucial issues. These issues are discussed here.

Following are the issues with the National Education Policy-

1) Implications for SEDGs

Implications of the policy for SEDGs-Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups-needs to be considered.
The term “caste” is absent from the document apart from a fleeting reference to Scheduled Castes.
Also absent is any mention of reservation in academic institutions, whether for students, teachers, or other employees.
Reservation is the bare minimum required in terms of affirmative action in the highly differentiated socio-economic milieu in which we exist.

2) Education in tribal areas

There is the passing reference to educational institutions in tribal areas, designated as ashramshalas.
While there are sections of the document that describe ways in which SEDGs are supposed to gain access to higher education institutions, there is no time-frame that is specified.
In a situation of growing privatisation how these policies will be implemented is a matter of concern.

3) Multi-disciplinarity misses some disciplines

Multi-disciplinarity is an attractive and flexible proposition, allowing learners to experiment with a variety of options.
While the list of the disciplines in which multi-disciplinary approach is allowed is unexceptionable, it is worth flagging what is missed out.
Fields of studies such as Women’s Studies or Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Dalit Studies, Studies of Discrimination and Exclusion, Environmental Studies and Development Studies are missing.
Many of these have engaged with multi-disciplinarity/inter-disciplinarity in exciting and disturbing ways, bringing to the fore issues of diversity, difference and identity.

4) Problem of autonomy

While the documents mention autonomy and choice in the document, but there are limits.
For instance, the selection of vocational subjects in middle school is described as a fun choice.
At the same time, it is to be exercised “as decided by States and local communities and as mapped by local skilling needs”.
National Testing Agency, will be a centralised agency to conduct exams will be against the autonomy proposed in the policy.
HEIs will now be run by a Board of Governors backed by legislative changes where required.
Further centralisation is envisaged through the setting up of “the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA).

5) Depriving the HEI democratic functioning

Several universities and HEIs have evolved and sustained democratic mechanisms, including academic and executive councils.
What has made them vibrant institutions is the presence of faculty and students, elected, as well as on the basis of seniority and rotation.
Abandoning them will deprive members of HEIs of an opportunity to engage with the challenges of democratic functioning.

6) No mention of Fundamental Rights

Several values are identified as constitutional and there is an occasional mention of fundamental duties.
But there is no mention of fundamental rights.

Consider the question “Examine the provision for governance of education in the National Education Policy. Also, examine the issues with the policy.”

Conclusion

The Education Policy has many novel ideas with the potential to transform the education system in the country, however, the issues discussed here highlights the need to revisit it, before it is actually implemented.

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Higher Education – RUSA, NIRF, HEFA, etc.

Overview of National Education Policy

op-ed snap | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Education Policy 2020

Mains level: Paper 2- Proposals in Education Policy 2020

The Education Policy 2020 comes with many changes in education in the country. Key aspects of the policy are discussed in the article.

Context

National Education Policy 2020 is the fourth major policy initiative in education since Independence.
The last one was undertaken a good 34 years ago and modified in 1992.
NEP 2020 seeks to address the entire gamut of education from preschool to doctoral studies.

Challenges India faces in education

Lack of resources and capacity.
Dozens of mother tongues, a link language that despite being the global language of choice is alien to most.
A persistent mismatch between the knowledge and skills imparted and the jobs available.

Follwing are the key aspects of the policy-

1) 5+3+3+4 Model

A 5+3+3+4 model recognises the primacy of the formative years from ages 3 to 8 in shaping the child’s future.
It also recognises the importance of learning in the child’s mother tongue till at least Class 5.
As picking up languages is easy between ages 3 and 8, children will learn English and mother tongue together.
Multilingual felicity could become the USP of the educated Indian.
The policy envisages 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030.

2) Flexibility in choosing subjects and vocational education

Another key aspect of new policy is the breaking of the compartments of arts, commerce and science streams in high school.
Policy also aims at introducing vocational courses with internship.
The ‘blue-collarisation’ of vocations in our society is also a hurdle to be overcome.
NEP 2020 proposes a multi-disciplinary higher education framework with portable credits.
An ambitious GER of 50% in higher education is envisaged by 2035.
At the apex will be Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities, where research will be supported by a new National Research Foundation.

3) Question of regualtion

NEP 2020 aims to free our schools, colleges and universities from periodic “inspections” and place them on the path of self-assessment and voluntary declaration.
Transparency, maintaining quality standards and a favourable public perception will become a goal for the institutions.
This will lead to all-round improvement in their standard.
A single, lean body with four verticals for standards-setting, funding, accreditation and regulation is proposed to provide “light but tight” oversight.

4) Addressing deprivation

Inequality and challenges faced by the disadvantaged and disabled have been considered in NEP.
The NEP lays particular emphasis on providing adequate support to ensure that no child is deprived of education, and every challenged child is provided the special support she needs.

5) Ancient knowledge

The long-neglected ancient Indian languages and Indic knowledge systems are also identified for immediate attention.

Resource challenge

An ambitious target of public spending on education at 6% of GDP has been set.
This is certainly a tall order, given the current tax-to-GDP ratio and competing claims on the national exchequer by other key sectors.
If public and political will can be mustered, resources will find their way from both public and private sources.

Consider the question “What are the measures proposed in the Education Policy 2020 for higher education.”

Conclusion

Resources are never the main roadblock to success in education. NEP 2020 provides the ingredients and the right recipe. What we make of it depends entirely on us.

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Higher Education – RUSA, NIRF, HEFA, etc.

[pib] Highlights of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020

PIB | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: National Education Policy

Mains level: Need for imbibing competitiveness in Indian education system

The Union Cabinet has approved the National Education Policy 2020, making way for large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors.

Practice question for mains:

Q.What are the key features of the National Education Policy, 2020? Discuss how it will facilitate the universalization of education in India.

School Education

New Policy aims for universalization of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 % Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030.
NEP 2020 will bring 2 crores out of school children back into the mainstream through the open schooling system.
The current 10+2 system to be replaced by a new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.
This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under the school curriculum, which has been recognized globally as the crucial stage for the development of mental faculties of a child.
The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling.
Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in schools; Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships
Teaching up to at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language. No language will be imposed on any student.
Assessment reforms with 360-degree Holistic Progress Card, tracking Student Progress for achieving Learning Outcomes
A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT.
By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree.

Higher Education

Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education to be raised to 50 % by 2035; 3.5 crore seats to be added in higher education.
The policy envisages broad-based, multi-disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate Program with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entries and exit points with appropriate certification.
Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits
Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs), at par with IITs, IIMs, to be set up as models of best multidisciplinary education of global standards in the country.
The National Research Foundation will be created as an apex body for fostering a strong research culture and building research capacity across higher education.
Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. HECI to have four independent verticals – National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation, General Education Council (GEC ) for standard-setting, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding, and National Accreditation Council( NAC) for accreditation.
Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards.
Affiliation of colleges is to be phased out in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges.
Over a period of time, it is envisaged that every college would develop into either an Autonomous degree-granting College or a constituent college of a university.

Others

An autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), will be created to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration.
NEP 2020 emphasizes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund, Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups
New Policy promotes Multilingualism in both schools and higher education. National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up
The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.

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Coronavirus – Health and Governance Issues

Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance: A strong EC Act is still needed

Bills/Act/Laws | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: EC Act

Mains level: Regulation of essential commodities

As the Union government announced massive reforms as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. All attention went to three agriculture sector ordinances related to farmers’ trade, contract farming and amendments in the Essential Commodities Act.

Try this question for mains:

Q.Discuss how Essential Commodities Act works to maintain fair prices of commodities for consumers.

Recent amendment to the EC Act

Recently, the Centre notified an Amendment Ordinance to the EC Act.
A new sub-section 1A in Section 3 of the act stipulated control orders — with respect to the supply of certain foodstuffs was added.
It would be issued only under extraordinary circumstances that may include war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity of grave nature.

An order for regulating stock limit of any agricultural produce may be issued only if there is:

A full increase in the retail price of horticultural produce, or
A 50 per cent increase in the retail price of non-perishable agricultural food items over the price prevailing immediately preceding a year or the average retail price in the past five years, whichever is lower

The Essential Commodities Act

The EC Act, 1955 was enacted at a time when the country faced an acute shortage of several commodities, especially food items.
Under the act, an ‘essential commodity’ is a commodity specified under the schedule of the Act.
The Union government is empowered to amend the schedule to add or remove a commodity to said schedule in the public interest and in consultation with state governments.
The schedule was amended recently in March 2020, when the Centre declared face masks and hand sanitisers as essential commodities and fixed their prices.

Issues over the amendment ordinance:

1. Ordinance route and federalism

Though agriculture is a state subject, the concurrent list empowers the Centre to legislate on production and trade and supply of foodstuffs.
By taking the ordinance route, a clear attempt was made to bypass the parliamentary process.
When a proposed amendment is introduced in Parliament, it is open to debate, scrutiny, comments and valuable inputs from stakeholders before being passed.

2. Surpassing concerns

Critical legislation like this should certainly have been put before Parliament.
The Sarkaria Commission report on Centre-state relations pointed out that the Centre disproportionately empower itself in the sphere of agriculture.
The power of the Centre in agriculture management has certainly increased through this ordinance.
States like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have repeatedly called for transfer such entities from the Concurrent to the State list.

3. Constitutional validity and Ninth Schedule

The constitutional validity of price fixation under the act was in question before the Supreme Court in the Prag Ice and Oil Mills case, 1978.
It was observed that the dominant purpose of price fixation was to ensure availability of essential commodities to consumers at a fair price.
It was also held that availability of an essential commodity to the common man, at a fair price, must rank higher than any other consideration.
The Essential Commodities Act is enlisted under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. This does not, however, mean it is outside the scope of judicial review.

4. EC Act is no exception

The Ninth Schedule came under scrutiny after the landmark IR Coelho, 2007 judgement.
The Supreme Court said the laws inserted in it after April 24, 1973 — the day the Kesavananda Bharti verdict was pronounced — are also open to judicial review if they are violative of the basic structure of the Constitution.
Farmers may approach the Supreme Court if they feel laws such as the Essential Commodities Act violate their fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19, 21 or 32.

5. Questions over the amendment

The ordinance does not expressly define ‘extraordinary circumstances’, which ‘may’ include war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamities of a grave nature.
Even in extraordinary circumstances, the government only ‘may’ choose to exercise regulation.
Such legislative ambiguity makes one question the entire exercise of introducing this particular provision.

6. Farmers stake are still at risk

Drastic changes such as the removal of stock limits and exemption to exporters, traders and value chain participants may not help farmers directly.
Big corporates and MNC may prefer to stock up their quota at the time of harvest when prices are low and, thus, would not need to buy from farmers when prices rise.
If farmers decide to retain produce for later, prices may not go up or the private sector may not enter the market to purchase.

Conclusion

India no longer faces food shortage problems, according to the Economic Survey, 2020.
What is seemingly ignored, however, is the population of India increased to 1.3 billion in 2020 from 360 million in 1951.
There are more mouths to feed and the responsibility of ensuring food security to the masses cannot be shunned.
Sights of migrants scraping for morsels of food during the COVID-19 crisis continue to haunt.
Our policies, thus, must ensure sustainable farm growth taking into consideration factors like climate change, land holdings, consumer capacity and farmers’ interests.

Original article:

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/essential-commodities-amendment-ordinance-a-strong-ec-act-is-still-needed-72540

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Forest Conservation Efforts – NFP, Western Ghats, etc.

How aerial seeding is helping plantation in hard-to-access Aravalli regions?

States | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Aravalli Range

Mains level: Various afforestation measures

The Haryana Forest Department has started aerial seeding across the state on a pilot basis with special focus on the Aravalli region.

Do you know?

The Aravalli range is considered the “lungs” of the polluted National Capital Region.

What is Aerial Seeding?

Aerial seeding is a technique of plantation wherein seed balls – seeds covered with a mixture of clay, compost, char and other components.
They are sprayed on the ground using aerial devices, including planes, helicopters or drones.

How does this technique work?

Seeds balls or seed pellets are dispersed in a targeted area by the low-flying drones, falling to the ground with the help of the coating of clay, compost, char and other material.
Coating provides the required weight for seeds to drop on a predetermined location rather than disperse in the wind.
These pellets will then sprout when there is enough rain, with the nutrients present within them helping in the initial growth.

Why Aravallis?

Aravallis these days is severely inundated due to heavy mining and has undergone rapid development and construction activities.

What are the advantages of this technique?

Areas that are inaccessible, have steep slopes, are fragmented or disconnected with no forest routes, making conventional plantation difficult, can be targeted with aerial seeding.
Furthermore, the process of the seed’s germination and growth is such that it requires no attention after it is dispersed – the reason why seed pellets are known as the “fire and forget” way of the plantation.
They eliminate the need for ploughing and digging holes in the soil and the seeds do not need to be planted, since they are already surrounded by soil, nutrients, and microorganisms.
The clay shell of these pellets along with the other items in the mixture also protects them from birds, ants and rats.

What kind of species can be dispersed using aerial seeding?

The species selected have to be native to the area and hardy, with seeds that are of an appropriate size for preparing seedballs and have to have a higher survival percentage.
It is critical that the timing of the seeding be correct in order for the plantation to be successful.

Can this replace conventional plantation methods?

Seeding should be done only on a pilot basis to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology and the dispersal mechanism.
Conventional methods of afforestation cannot be replaced but supplemented with areal seeding.
In this case, the technique will allow plantation in sections of the Aravallis that are either difficult to access or inaccessible altogether.

Back2Basics: Aravalli Range

The Aravalli Range is a mountain range running approximately 692 km in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Gujarat.
The highest peak is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 metres (5,650 ft).
The Aravalli Range, an eroded stub of ancient mountains, is the oldest range of Fold Mountains in India.
The natural history of the Aravalli Range dates back to times when the Indian Plate was separated from the Eurasian Plate by an ocean.
Aravalli, being the old fold mountains, have stopped growing higher due to the cessation of upward thrust caused by the stopping of movement of the tectonic plates in the Earth’s crust below them.
In ancient times, Aravalli was extremely high but since have worn down almost completely by millions of years of weathering, whereas the Himalayas being young fold mountains are still continuously rising.

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Human Rights Issues

Protesting is a fundamental right: UN

IOCR | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Indian Constitution - historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: UNCAT, ICCPR, Art. 21

Mains level: Right to peaceful assembly

As authorities worldwide grapple with demonstrations over issues like political rights and racial justice, a UN committee has reaffirmed that protesting peacefully, online or in person, is a fundamental human right.

Practice question for mains:

Q.There is an urgent need for reforming the criminal justice system in India in light of rising cases of custodial torture and killings. Comment.

What is the news?

The independent experts on the Human Rights Committee published a fresh interpretation of the right of peaceful assembly.
It offered comprehensive legal guidance about where and how it applies and also outlining governments’ obligations.
The committee is tasked with monitoring how countries implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which under Article 21 guarantees the right to peaceful assembly.

About ICCPR

The ICCPR is a multilateral treaty adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution on 16 December 1966, and in force from 23 March 1976.
The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.
As of September 2019, the Covenant has 173 parties and six more signatories without ratification.
It is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
It is monitored by the UN Human Rights Committee (a separate body to the UN Human Rights Council).

Back2Basics: Article 21

Article 21 is the protection of life and personal liberty No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law.
The Article prohibits the deprivation of the above rights except according to a procedure established by law.
Article 21 applies to natural persons. The right is available to every person, citizen or alien. Thus, even a foreigner can claim this right.
It, however, does not entitle a foreigner the right to reside and settle in India, as mentioned in Article 19 (1) (e).

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Indian Air Force Updates

Dassault Rafale Fighter Jets

Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Various Security Forces, Agencies & Their Mandates

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Rafale, Hammer

Mains level: India's arsenal

The five Rafale fighter jets that landed in Ambala will resurrect the Number 17 Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Try this PYQ from CSP 2018:

Q.What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)”, sometimes seen in the news?

(a) An Israeli radar system

(b) India’s indigenous anti-missile programme

(c) An American anti-missile system

(d) A defence collaboration between Japan and South Korea

Dassault Rafale

(Refer image for specifications)

The state-of-the-art 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach.
With its multi-role capabilities, including electronic warfare, air defence, ground support and in-depth strikes, the Rafale lends air superiority to the Indian Air Force.

Armed with modern arms

Each aircraft has 14 storage stations for weapons. The jets come with one of the most advanced Meteor air-to-air missiles.
The 190-kg missile has a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of over 100 km, travelling at a top speed of Mach 4.
The Rafale jets also come with SCALP, the air-to-ground cruise missile with a range over 300 km. It is a long-range deep strike missile.
The MICA air-to-air missile on Rafale is for both, close-quarter dogfights, and for BVR.
IAF has also asked for HAMMER (Highly Agile and Manoeuvrable Munition Extended Range), which is an air-to-ground precision-guided missile that can be used against bunker-type hardened targets within the range of 70 km.

What is so special about Rafale fighter jet?

India in September 2016 inked a direct deal with the French government to purchase 36 new Rafale fighter jets in a 7.87 billion euro deal that is likely to bring major work to the Indian private sector in terms of offsets under the make in India policy.
The Rafale deal for 36 jets includes over 3 billion euros of work for the Indian industry over the next 7-8 years.This has a huge potential to develop direct and indirect employment opportunities.
High-end technology like engine know-how, major structural assembly is also likely in India, besides a chunk of avionics work.
India will also get latest weapons like the Meteor and Scalp missiles as part of the contract, besides a 5 year support package that assures high availability of the fighter.
India will pay a 15 % advance and deliveries are to start in three years.

India Specific enhancements

The Rafale deal caters to specific Indian air force needs. The fighter jet will be modified by France to meet the following:

Helmet mounted sights and targeting system to give the pilots lightening quick ability to shoot off weapons.
Ability to taken off from high altitude airbases like Leh on a ‘cold start’ – for quick reaction deployment
radar warning receiver to identify hostile tracking systems
A towed decoy system to thwart incoming missile attacks
French industrial support for fighter for 50 years

VITAL Stats

7.87 billion Euro: Deal cost. This includes weapon systems, five year support, training, infrastructure and warranties. 15% to be paid in advance.
91.7 million euros: as per contract, if other costs like weapons, training etc not counted, per unit price of single seat Rafale is 91.7 million euros
75 % availability: French side will ensure that at any given point, at least 75 percent of the fleet is combat worthy. Failing which, heavy penalities to be invoked.
67 months delivery: All aircraft ordered to be delivered within 67 months with first one coming in by 36 months
50% offsets: Indian industry to get major boost as French side will invest half of deal value in Make in India products or technology transfer. Indian Partners to be firmed up within a year.
328 million Euros: Saved by negotiation efforts by the Indian side on the Rafale deal, according to defence ministry sources.
28/8: according to deal, India to get 28 single seater jets and 8 twin seaters for training.

For an edge over China

While China’s J20 Chengdu jets are called fifth-generation combat jets, compared to 4.5 generation Rafale, the J20 have no actual combat experience.
Whereas the Rafale is combat proven, having been used by the French Air Force for its missions in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali.
It has also been used for missions in Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria. Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than the J20.

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Banking Sector Reforms

Will capping the bank CEO tenure make difference

op-ed snap | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Bank CEO tenure and appointement

Mains level: Paper 3- Governance of the banks

The article examines the utility of the proposed limit on the banks CEO tenure.

Context

Last month, the Reserve Bank of India released a discussion paper on governance in commercial banks in India.
It has a proposal to cap the tenure of bank CEOs.

Details of the proposed limit and rationale

The paper proposes to cap the maximum tenure of a promoter/major shareholder of a bank as a CEO or a Whole Time Director (WTD) at 10 years.
This move aims to separate ownership from management.
The rationale offered is that 10 years is an adequate period for a promoter/major shareholder of a bank as CEO/WTD to stabilise its operations and to transition the managerial leadership to professional management.
The corresponding limit for a CEO who is not a promoter/major shareholder is 15 consecutive years. T
Thereafter, that individual is eligible for re-appointment as CEO or WTD only after the expiration of three years.

Why banks are different from other companies: 3 Reasons

Ordinary corporate governance norms exhort managers to run a company in the interest of shareholders but it may not be suitable approach for all types of banks.
1) Banks are highly leveraged, creating powerful incentives for shareholders to engage in risky strategies at great risk to creditors, including retail depositors.
2) Bank failure could involve systemic risk, which could result in a government bail-out.
This moral hazard creates even more high-powered incentives for shareholders to engage in risky strategies.
3) Financial assets held by a bank are hard to monitor and measure.
Consequently, external scrutiny of a bank by depositors and creditors is difficult.
These unique factors are likely to encourage bank managers to take excessive risks to maximise shareholder value.

Purpose of Bank governance

Bank governance seeks to curb such excessive risk-taking discussed above.
It encourages prudent risk-taking such that shareholders’ interests are secondary to depositors’ interests.
This is the main logic as suggested in the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision guidelines and the Financial Stability Board principles respectively.

Will capping the CEO tenure help

It is unclear whether imposing a maximum cap on CEO tenure would encourage prudent risk-taking by the management.
For Indian banks, the limited empirical evidence seems to suggest that bank performance improves with increasing CEO tenure.
A paper published in International Journal of Financial Studies finds that an increase in CEO tenure is associated with significant improvements in asset quality and performance of the bank.
The effect of CEO tenure increases rapidly with the year of CEO tenure.
Concerning public sector banks (PSBs), the P J Nayak Committee report had identified shorter tenure of chairmen and executive directors as a key reason for weaker empowerment of their boards.
These findings seem to be at odds with RBI’s suggestion to cap CEO tenure.

Consider the question “Examine the factors that justify the application of stricter governance principle for the banks. What would be the impacts of the RBI’s proposed limit on the CEO term of the banks on governance?

Conclusion

It may be prudent for the RBI to publish an empirical study on the impact of CEO tenure on bank performance before translating this proposal into an enforceable regulation.

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Higher Education – RUSA, NIRF, HEFA, etc.

HRD Ministry to be renamed as ‘Education Ministry’

Explained | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: HRD Ministry revamp, National Education Policy 2020

Mains level: National Education Policy 2020

The Union Cabinet has approved the renaming of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) to the Ministry of Education to more clearly define its work and focus.

Before reading this newscard, try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

Q.The Ninth Schedule was introduced in the Constitution of India during the Prime Ministership of:

(a) Jawaharlal Nehru

(b) Lal Bahadur Shastri

(c) Indira Gandhi

(d) Morarji Desai

A flip-back

With the renaming, the Ministry got back the name that it had started out with after Independence, but which was changed 35 years ago when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister.

Who were some of India’s early Education Ministers?

The Ministry which was focussed on education from the primary classes to the level of the university was headed by some of the stalwarts of Indian politics in its early years.
For more than a decade after Independence, the Ministry was led by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
He was followed by Kalulal Shrimali and the eminent jurist M C Chagla, with the poet-educationist Humayun Kabir holding the portfolio for a short while in between.
Later Education Ministers of India included Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, who went on to become President.
The last Education Minister of India was KC Pant, who served in the post in 1984-85, after which the name of the Ministry was changed.

Under what circumstances did the Ministry of Education become HRD?

Upon becoming PM in 1984, Rajiv Gandhi, who had surrounded himself with a new crop of advisers, showed restlessness for change and innovation in a number of areas.
He accepted a suggestion that all departments related to education should be brought under one roof.
There was some opposition from academic circles who complained that the country no longer had a Department with ‘education’ in its name. Some newspapers wrote editorials criticizing the change of name.
But the decision had been made, and subsequently, in 1986, the government cleared a new education policy – the second in the country’s history, and one that was to survive until now.

Under HRD roof

On September 26, 1985, the Ministry of Education was renamed as the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and P V Narasimha Rao was appointed Minister.
Related Departments such as those of Culture and Youth & Sports were brought under the Ministry of HRD, and Ministers of State were appointed.
Even the Department of Women and Child Development – which became a separate Ministry with effect from January 30, 2006 – was a Department under the Union HRD Ministry.

Were changes made in the Ministry even afterwards?

Yes, changes were made from time to time. After Atal Bihari Vajpayee became PM in 1998, the government decided to separate the Department of Culture from the Ministry of HRD.
In October 1999, a new Ministry of Culture came into being, with the late Ananth Kumar in charge.
The Department of Youth too was separated from the Ministry of HRD, and Ananth Kumar was given charge of this new Ministry as well.
With these decisions of the Vajpayee government, the HRD Ministry remained ‘HRD’ only in name – for all practical purposes, it was back to being a ministry for education.

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Digital India Initiatives

Digital divide in India

| Governance | Mains Paper 2: Government Scheme/Policies

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not Much

Mains level: Digital divide in India

The COVID-19 induced lockdown highlights India’s great digital divide.

Practice question for mains:

Q.What are the various facets of Digital Divide in India? Discuss how the Digital India initiative has impacted ruling out India’s digital divide?

What is Digital divide?

A digital divide is any uneven distribution in the access to, use of, or impact of information and communications technologies between any number of distinct groups, which can be defined based on social, geographical, or geopolitical criteria, or otherwise

What are the implications of the digital divide?

Political

In the age of social media, political empowerment and mobilization are difficult without digital connectivity.

Governance

Transparency and accountability are dependent on digital connectivity. The digital divide affects e-governance initiatives negatively.

Social

Internet penetration is associated with greater social progress of a nation. Thus digital divide in a way hinders the social progress of a country.

Rural India is suffering from information poverty due to the digital divide. It only strengthens the vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, and backwardness.

Economic

The digital divide causes economic inequality between those who can afford the technology and those who don’t.

Educational

The digital divide is also impacting the capacity of children to learn and develop.
Without Internet access, students can not build the required tech skills.

Facets of the great Digital Divide in India

Education is just one area that has highlighted the digital divide between India’s rural and urban areas during the lockdown.
The trend is evident everywhere — telemedicine, banking, e-commerce, e-governance, all of which became accessible only via the internet during the lockdown.
The divide exists despite the rise in the number of wireless subscribers in India over the past few years.

1) Telecom facility, not digital progression

According to a report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on June this year, the country had over 1,160 million wireless subscribers in February 2020, up from 1,010 million in February 2016.
This is a rise of 150 million subscribers in five years or 30 million per year.
The growth has been evenly distributed in urban and rural areas, with the number of urban subscribers increasing by 74 million (from 579 million to 643 million) and rural subscribers by 86 million (from 431 million to 517 million).
But this growth only indicates the rise in basic telecommunication facility.

2) The Urban-Rural Divide

Services such as online classrooms, financial transactions and e-governance require access to the internet as well as the ability to operate internet-enabled devices like phones, tablets and computers.
Here the urban-rural distinction is quite stark.
According to the NSSO conducted between July 2017 and June 2018, just 4.4 rural households have a computer, against 14.4 per cent in an urban area.
It had just 14.9 per cent rural households having access to the internet against 42 per cent households in urban areas.
Similarly, only 13 per cent people of over five years of age in rural areas have the ability to use the internet against 37 per cent in urban areas.

3) Regional Divide

States too greatly differ in terms of people that have access to computers or in the know-how to use the internet.
Himachal Pradesh leads the country in access to the internet in both, rural and urban areas.
Uttarakhand has the most number of computers in urban areas, while Kerala has the most number of computers in rural areas.
Overall, Kerala is the state where the difference between rural and urban areas is the least.

4) Digital Gender Divide

India has among the world’s highest gender gap in access to technology.
Only 21 per cent of women in India are mobile internet users, according to GSMA’s 2020 mobile gender gap report, while 42 per cent of men have access. The report says that while 79 per cent of men own a mobile phone in the country, the number for women is 63 per cent.
While there do economic barriers to girls’ own a mobile phone or laptop, cultural and social norms also play a major part.
The male-female gap in mobile use often exacerbates other inequalities for women, including access to information, economic opportunities, and networking.

5) Others

The earning member of the family has to carry the phone while going out to work.
Access to phones and the internet is not just an economic factor but also social and cultural.
If one family has just one phone, there is a good chance that the wife or the daughter will be the last one to use it.

Programmes for Addressing the Challenges in Bridging the Digital Divide:

India taking significant steps towards acquiring competence in information and technology, the country is increasingly getting divided between people who have access to technology and those who do not.

- The Indian government has passed Information Technology Act, 2000 to make to e- commerce and e-governance a success story in India along with national e-governance plan.
- Optical Fibre Network (NOF-N), a project aimed to ensure broadband connectivity to over two lakh (200,000) gram panchayats of India by 2016.
- Digital Mobile Library: In order to bridge the digital divide in a larger way the government of India, in collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Computing (C–DAC) based in Pune.
- Unnati, is a project of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) which strives to bridge the digital divide in schools by giving the rural students with poor economic and social background access to computer education.
- E-pathshala: to avail study materials for every rural and urban student.
- Common Service Centres: which enabled the digital reach to unreachable areas.

Initiatives of State Government:

Sourkaryan and E–Seva: Project of the government of Andhra Pradesh to provides the facility for a citizen to pay property taxes online.
The Gyandoot Project: It is the first ever project in India for a rural information network in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh which has the highest percentage of tribes and dense forest. The project was designed to extend the benefits of information technology to people in rural areas by directly linking the government and villagers through information kiosks

Way forward

1.Infrastructure

The promotion of indigenous ICT development under Atmanirbhar Abhiyan can play a significant role. The promotion of budget mobile phones is the key.
The creation of market competition between service providers may make services cheaper.
Efficient spectrum allocation in large contiguous blocks should be
explored.
We should also explore migration to new technologies like 5G. It would resolve some of the bandwidth challenges.

2.Digital literacy

Digital literacy needs special attention at the school / college level.
The National Digital Literacy Mission should focus on introducing digital literacy at the primary school level in all government schools for basic content and in higher classes and colleges for advanced content.
When these students will educate their family members, it will create multiplier effects. Higher digital literacy will also increase the adoption of computer hardware across the country.

3.Language

State governments should pay particular attention to content creation in the Indian regional languages, particularly those related to government services.
Natural language processing ( NLP) in Indian languages needs to be promoted.

4.Role of regulators

Regulators should minimize entry barriers by reforming licensing, taxation, spectrum allocation norms.
TRAI should consider putting in place a credible system. This system will track call drops, weak signals, and outages. It ensures the quality and reliability of telecom services.

5.Cybersecurity

MeitY will need to evolve a comprehensive cybersecurity framework for data security, safe digital transactions, and complaint redressal.

Telecom ombudsman

The government should also set up telecom ombudsman for the redress of grievances.

Conclusion

The Standing Committee on Information Technology in January 2019 concluded that the digital literacy efforts of the government are far from satisfactory.
Clearly, internet penetration is not deep enough. At one level, we all recognise that the internet has become indispensable.
On another level, it still doesn’t have adequate attention of the decision-makers.
The most crucial need of the hour is to ensure uninterrupted internet services.

Back2Basics: Digital India Initiatives

Over the past decade, governments have been trying to improve internet access in the country.
In 2011, the BharatNet project was launched to connect 0.25 million panchayats through an optical fibre (100 MBPS) and connect India’s villages. Its implementation began only in 2014.
In 2014, the government launched the National Digital Literacy Mission and the Digital Saksharta Abhiyan.
In 2015, the government launched several schemes under its Digital India campaign to connect the entire country.
This includes the PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, launched in 2017, to usher in digital literacy in rural India by covering 60 million households.

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Electronic System Design and Manufacturing Sector – M-SIPS, National Policy on Electronics, etc.

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for electronics manufacturers

Explained Schemes | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI)

Mains level: Electronic manufacturing promotion under Make in India

Global electronics giants are set to expand their presence in India under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for making mobile phones and certain other specified electronic components.

Try this question for mains:

Q. What is the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme? Describe its various features and benefits.

What is the PLI scheme?

As a part of the National Policy on Electronics, the IT ministry had notified the PLI scheme on April 1 this year.
The scheme will, on one hand, attract big foreign investment in the sector, while also encouraging domestic mobile phone makers to expand their units and presence in India.
It would give incentives of 4-6 per cent to electronics companies which manufacture mobile phones and other electronic components.
A/c to the scheme, companies that make mobile phones which sell for Rs 15,000 or more will get an incentive of up to 6 per cent on incremental sales of all such mobile phones made in India.
In the same category, companies which are owned by Indian nationals and make such mobile phones, the incentive has been kept at Rs 200 crore for the next four years.

Tenure of the scheme

The PLI scheme will be active for five years with financial year (FY) 2019-20 considered as the base year for calculation of incentives.
This means that all investments and incremental sales registered after FY20 shall be taken into account while computing the incentive to be given to each company.

Which companies and what kind of investments will be considered?

All electronic manufacturing companies which are either Indian or have a registered unit in India will be eligible to apply for the scheme.
These companies can either create a new unit or seek incentives for their existing units from one or more locations in India.
Any additional expenditure incurred on the plant, machinery, equipment, research and development and transfer of technology for the manufacture of mobile phones and related electronic items will be eligible for the incentive.
However, all investment done by companies on land and buildings for the project will not be considered for any incentives or determine the eligibility of the scheme.

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Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

What is the Gandhi-King Initiative?

| | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in India's freedom struggle

Mains level: World History: American Civil Rights Movement

A Bill to promote Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr’s legacies has been passed in American Senate.

Practice question for mains:

Q. Discuss how the civil rights movement in America is paralleled by India’s freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi-King Initiative

The initiative is an exchange program between India and the U.S. to study the work and legacies of Gandhiji and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
It will establish annual scholar and student exchange programs for Indians and Americans to study the leaders’ legacies and visit historic sites in India and the U.S.
The visits will be relevant to India’s freedom struggle and the U.S.’s civil rights movement.

Gandhi-King Global Academy

The bill also seeks to establish the Gandhi-King Global Academy, a conflict resolution initiative based on the principles of nonviolence.
It proposes the establishment of the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the GoI, organized under Indian law.
The Foundation, which has a proposed budget authorized of up to $ 30 million per year for five years through 2025.
It is tasked with administering grants to NGOs that work in health, pollution and climate change, education and empowerment of women.

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Social Media: Prospect and Challenges

Turkey enacts Social Media Law

| Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Social Media Networks & Internal Security

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NA

Mains level: Need for social media regulation

Turkey’s parliament approved a law that gives authorities greater power to regulate social media despite concerns of growing censorship.

Unregulated social media promotes misinformation, hate speech, defamation, and threats to public order, terrorist incitement, bullying, and anti-national activities.

Turkey: The forerunner of cyber policing

Turkey leads the world in removal requests to Twitter, with more than 6,000 demands in the first half of 2019.
More than 408,000 websites are blocked in Turkey, according to The Freedom of Expression Association.
Online encyclopedia Wikipedia was blocked for nearly three years before Turkey’s top court ruled that the ban violated the right to freedom of expression and ordered it unblocked.
The country also has one of the world’s highest rates of imprisoned journalists, many of whom were arrested in a crackdown following a failed coup in 2016.

Features of the Law:

1) Appointing representatives:

The law requires major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to keep representative offices in Turkey to deal with complaints against content on their platforms.
If the social media company refuses to designate an official representative, the legislation mandates steep fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions.

2) Bandwidth reductions

Bandwidth reductions mean social media networks would be too slow to use.
With a court ruling, bandwidth would be reduced by 50% and then by 50% to 90%.

3) Privacy protection

The representative will be tasked with responding to individual requests to take down content violating privacy and personal rights within 48 hours or to provide grounds for rejection.
The company would be held liable for damages if the content is not removed or blocked within 24 hours.

4) Data storage

A most alarming feature of the new legislation is that SM companies would require social media providers to store user data in Turkey.
The government says the legislation was needed to combat cybercrime and protect users.
This would be used to remove posts that contain cyberbullying and insults against women.

Turkey seems to have given an attempt to regulate social media amidst the chaos. It lags on various fronts, making it realizable for India not to go hastily for such a regulation.

Concerns over the law

Hundreds of people have been investigated and some arrested over social media posts.
The opposition is pointing that the law would further limit freedom of expression in a country where the media is already under tight government control and dozens of journalists are in jail.

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Innovation Ecosystem in India

[pib] Atal Innovation Mission launches ‘AIM-iCREST’

PIB | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: AIM-iCREST

Mains level: Innovation ecosystem in India

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), has launched AIM iCREST – an Incubator Capabilities enhancement program for a Robust Ecosystem, focused on creating high performing Startups.

Note the following things about AIM-iCREST

1) Meaning of the acronym as it gives the central idea of the initiative

2) Aims and objective

3) Technological partners

AIM-iCREST

AIM iCREST, as the name suggests, has been designed to enable the incubation ecosystem and act as a growth hack for AIM’s Atal and Established incubators across the country.
Under the initiative, the AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy that will help them to significantly enhance their performance.
This will be complemented by providing training to entrepreneurs, through technology-driven processes and platforms.
The program aims at going beyond incubator capacity building. This is a first of its kind initiative for advancing innovation at scale in India.

Various partners

AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wadhwani Foundation – organizations that can lend credible support and expertise in the entrepreneurship and innovation space.
These partnerships will provide global expertise and showcase proven best practices to the AIM’s incubator network.

An initiative for incubators

India needs world-class incubators fostering world-class startups leveraging the tremendous innovation talent of our country.
For the first time in the Government, the Incubator capacity development program is being extended to the entire portfolio of supported Atal incubators.
This programme is unique also in its design – it is a combination of interactive practices in the field of incubation; enabling the incubators to support sustainable and successful startups.

Back2Basics: Atal Innovation Mission

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India
AIM has been established to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in a holistic manner through various initiatives at school, university and industry levels
The Atal Innovation Mission has thus two core functions:

Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.
Entrepreneurship promotion: Wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs at Incubation Centres.

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Foreign Policy Watch: India-Middle East

The South Asian-Gulf Migrant Crisis

| International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Indian Diaspora

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not much

Mains level: Paper 2- Indian diaspora in the Gulf countries

The pandemic has exacerbated the plight of the migrant workers in the Gulf countries. This article examines the issue and suggests the ways to deal with it.

Context

The Covid-19 exposed the precarious conditions of migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Employers have used the crisis as an opportunity to retrench masses of migrant labourers without paying them wages or allowances.

Impact of Covid-19

The South Asia-Gulf migration corridor is among the largest in the world.
The South Asian labour force forms the backbone of the Gulf economies.
The pandemic, the shutdown of companies, the tightening of borders, and the exploitative nature of the Kafala sponsorship system have all aggravated the miseries of South Asian migrant workers.
They have no safety net, social security protection, welfare mechanisms, or labour rights.
Now, thousands have returned home empty-handed from the host countries.
Indians constitute the largest segment of the South Asian workforce.
Gulf migration is predominantly a male-driven phenomenon.
A majority of the migrants are single men living in congested labour camps.
The COVID-19 spike in these labour camps has mainly been due to overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions.

Nationalisation of labour in Gulf

Now, the movement for nationalisation of labour and the anti-migrant sentiment has peaked in Gulf countries.
Countries like Oman and Saudi Arabia have provided subsidies to private companies to prevent native lay-offs.
However, the nationalisation process is not going to be smooth given the stigma attached to certain jobs and the influence of ‘royal sheikh culture’.

Challenges and solutions

The countries of origin are now faced with the challenge of rehabilitating, reintegrating, and resettling these migrant workers.
The Indian government has announced ‘SWADES’ for skill mapping of citizens returning from abroad.
But implementation seems uncertain.
Kerala, the largest beneficiary of international migration, has announced ‘Dream Kerala’ to utilise the multifaceted resources of the migrants.
Countries that are sending migrant workers abroad are caught between the promotion of migration, on the one hand, and the protection of migrant rights in increasingly hostile countries receiving migrants, on the other.

Way forward

The need of the hour is a comprehensive migration management system for countries that send workers as well as those that receive them.
No South Asian country except Sri Lanka has an adequate migration policy.

Conclusion

The pandemic has given us an opportunity to voice the rights of South Asian migrants and to bring the South Asia-Gulf migration corridor within the ambit of SAARC, the ILO, and UN conventions.

Original article:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-south-asian-gulf-migrant-crisis/article32215146.ece

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Foreign Policy Watch: India-China

Russia-India-China: A triangle that is still relevant

op-ed snap | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: SCO

Mains level: Paper 2-India's relations with Russia and China

RIC engagement started on the promising note but the geopolitical changes over the last two decades have set the three countries on diverging paths. It is against this backdrop, the article articulates why RIC is still relevant.

Background of RIC

The RIC dialogue commenced in the early 2000s.
At that time the three countries were positioning themselves for a transition from a unipolar to a multipolar world order.
It was not an anti-U.S. construct though.
The initial years of the RIC dialogue coincided with an upswing in India’s relations with Russia and China.
The 2003 decision to bring a political approach to India-China boundary dispute and to develop other cooperation, encouraged a multi-sectoral surge in relations.
An agreement in 2005, identifying political parameters applicable in an eventual border settlement, implicitly recognised India’s interests in Arunachal Pradesh.

Growing India-U.S. relations

During the same period in which RIC dialogues took place, India’s relations with the U.S. surged.
This involved trade and investment, a landmark civil nuclear deal and a burgeoning defence relationship.
This rising relations with the U.S. met India’s objective of diversifying military acquisitions away from a near-total dependence on Russia.
The U.S. saw value in partnering with a democratic India in Asia as China was rapidly emerging as a challenger.

How India-U.S. relations affected RIC

China went back on the 2005 agreement.
It launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and worked to undermine India’s influence in its neighbourhood.
And expanded its military and economic presence in the Indian Ocean.
As U.S.-Russia relations imploded in 2014 after the annexation/accession of Crimea.
Russia’s pushback against the U.S. included cultivating the Taliban in Afghanistan and enlisting Pakistan’s support for it.
The western campaign to isolate Russia drove it into a much closer embrace of China.

Thus, the RIC claim of overlapping or similar approaches to key international issues, sounds hollow today. But it is still holds significance.

Why RIC is still significant for India

1) SCO

Central Asia is strategically located, bordering our turbulent neighbourhood.
Pakistan’s membership of SCO and the potential admission of Iran and Afghanistan heighten the significance of the SCO for India.
It is important for India to shape the Russia-China dynamics in this region, to the extent possible.
The Central Asian countries have signalled they would welcome such a dilution of the Russia-China duopoly.
The ongoing India-Iran-Russia is an important initiative for achieving an effective Indian presence in Central Asia, alongside Russia and China.

2) Significant bilateral relations

India’s defence and energy pillars of partnership with Russia remain strong.
Access to Russia’s abundant natural resources can enhance our materials security.
With China too, while the recent developments should accelerate our efforts to bridge the bilateral asymmetries, disengagement is not an option.

3) The Indo-Pacific issue

For India, it is a geographic space of economic and security importance, in which a cooperative order should prevent the dominance of any external power.
China sees our Indo-Pacific initiatives as part of a U.S.-led policy of containing China.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry sees the Indo-Pacific as an American ploy to draw India and Japan into a military alliance against China and Russia.
India should focus on economic links with the Russian Far East and the activation of a Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor.
This may help persuade Russia that its interests in the Pacific are compatible with our interest in diluting Chinese dominance in the Indo-Pacific.

4) Strategic autonomy of India

The current India-China stand-off has intensified calls for India to fast-track partnership with the U.S.
National security cannot be fully outsourced.
India’s quest for autonomy of action is based on its geographical realities, historical legacies and global ambitions.

Consider the question “The changing geopolitical landscape should not dampen the importance of India’s engagement in the RIC (Russia-India-China) triangle. Comment.”

Conclusion

India should continue its engagement in the RIC while keeping and protecting its interests.

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Important Judgements In News

The issue of powers of Speaker and Court

op-ed snap | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Executive & Judiciary

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: 10th Schedule

Mains level: Paper 2- Power of the Speaker/Chairman, Kohito Hollohan case

The article examines the larger issue of powers of the Speaker under 10th Schedule and the current interim order of the Rajasthan High Court.

Context

The Rajasthan High Court had admitted the petition by the Congress faction group challenging the notice of the Speaker.
In the interim order, the High Court had ordered to maintain the status quo.

Why Kihoto Hollohan Case matters

The Kihoto Hollohan decision of the Supreme Court delivered in 1992 forms the basis in such decisions.
The Constitution Bench which heard it was split 3:2.
The majority on the bench upheld the constitutionality of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The High Court is not empowered to unsettle Kihota Hollohan and must apply its ratio that the Chairman/Speaker is the final arbiter on the disqualification of a member.
Rajasthan High Court has raised the issue about whether disqualification under Tenth Schedule is applicable in the case of “intra-party dissent”.
Para 2(1) a of 10th Schedule deals with disqualification of a member of a House belonging to any party “if he has voluntarily given up his membership of such political party”.

Let’s look at what the Supreme Court said in Kihoto Hollohan case:

“paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution is valid. Its provisions do not suffer from the vice of subverting democratic rights of elected members of Parliament and the legislatures of the States. It does not violate their freedom of speech, freedom of vote and conscience as contended”.

Consider the question “Examine the issue of powers of Speaker/Chairman in the matters of disqualification of the member against the powers of the Courts in such matters. What are the reasons for frequent frictions between the two authorities on this matter?”

Conclusion

The high courts and the Supreme Court routinely refuse to interfere in matters where the concerned authority has merely issued a show-cause notice or granted an opportunity of being heard. So, it must fix the issue raised by the Rajasthan High Court interim order.

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Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

What are Pre-packs under the present insolvency regime?

Explained | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Pre-Pack

Mains level: Asset reconstructions process under IBC

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has set up a committee to look into the possibility of including what is called “pre-packs” under the current insolvency regime to offer faster insolvency resolution.

Practice question for mains:

Q.What are the key features of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code? Discuss how operationalization of IBC is hindered by the slower resolutions of insolvency cases. Suggest measures for faster resolution.

What is Pre-pack?

A pre-pack is an agreement for the resolution of the debt of a distressed company through an agreement between secured creditors and investors instead of a public bidding process.
This system of insolvency proceedings has become an increasingly popular mechanism for insolvency resolution in the UK and Europe over the past decade.

Why need Pre-packs?

Slow progress in the resolution of distressed companies has been one of the key issues raised by creditors regarding the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) under the IBC.
Under the IBC, stakeholders are required to complete the CIRP within 330 days of the initiation of insolvency proceedings.

A case for India

In India’s case, such a system would likely require that financial creditors agree on terms with potential investors and seek approval of the resolution plan from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
This process would likely be completed much faster than the traditional CIRP which requires that the creditors of the distressed company allow for an open auction for qualified investors to bid for the distressed company.
The process needs to be completed within 90 days so that all stakeholders retain faith in the system and cases that take more than this time should be taken through the normal CIRP.

What are the other key benefits of a pre-pack?

Pre-packs would mostly be used for businesses that are running; the investors would likely need to maintain good relations with operational creditors.
In the case of pre-packs, the incumbent management retains control of the company until a final agreement is reached.
The transfer of control from the incumbent management to an insolvency professional as is the case in the CIRP leads to disruptions in the business and loss of some high-quality human resources and asset value.

Some limitations

The key drawback of a pre-packaged insolvency resolution is the reduced transparency compared to the CIRP.
Financial creditors would reach an agreement with a potential investor privately and not through an open bidding process.
This could lead to stakeholders such as operational creditors raising issues of fair treatment when financial creditors reach agreements to reduce the liabilities of the distressed company.

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Agricultural Sector and Marketing Reforms – eNAM, Model APMC Act, Eco Survey Reco, etc.

What is Green-Ag Project?

Schemes | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Major Crops & Cropping Patterns

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Green-Ag Project

Mains level: Sustainable agriculture and its significance

The Union government has launched the Green-Ag Project in Mizoram, to reduce emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.

Note the following things about Green-Ag Project:

1)Core objective

2)Implementing agencies

3)Regions of Implementation

Green-Ag Project

The Green-Ag project is designed to achieve multiple global environmental benefits in at least 1.8 million hectares (ha) of land in five landscapes, with mixed land-use systems.
It aims to bring at least 104,070 ha of farms under sustainable land and water management.
The project will also ensure 49 million Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.

Implementing agencies

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, while the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW) is the national executing agency.
Other key players involved in its implementation are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Environment Ministry (MoEF&CC).

Regions of implementation

The project has been launched in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States namely

Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape
Mizoram: Dampa Landscape
Odisha: Similipal Landscape
Rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape
Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape

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Water Management – Institutional Reforms, Conservation Efforts, etc.

Ammonia Pollution in Yamuna River

| Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Nitrogen pollution

Mains level: Preventing river pollution

For the second time in a week, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had to reduce water production capacity by 25 per cent after high levels of ammonia were detected in the Yamuna River.

Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

Q. Consider the following statements:

Agricultural soils release nitrogen oxides into the environment.

Cattle release ammonia into the environment.

Poultry industry releases reactive nitrogen compounds into the environment.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

What is Ammonia and what are its effects?

Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilizers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and other products.
Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents or through contamination by sewage.
If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes.
In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs.

A cause of concern

The level of ammonia in raw Yamuna water was 1.8 parts per million (ppm).
The acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water, as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, is 0.5 ppm.

Where does Ammonia come from?

Ammonia is produced for commercial fertilizers and other industrial applications.
Natural sources of ammonia include the decomposition or breakdown of organic waste matter, gas exchange with the atmosphere, forest fires, animal and human waste, and nitrogen fixation processes.

How is it treated?

The DJB at present does not have any specific technology to treat ammonia.
The only solution it adapts is to reduce production at its water treatment plants.
In addition to this, the board mixes raw water that carries a high concentration of ammonia with a fresh supply.
The amount of chlorine added to disinfect raw water is also increased when high levels of ammonia are detected.

What is the long-term solution to the problem?

Stringent implementation of guidelines against dumping harmful waste into the river, and making sure untreated sewage does not enter the water are two things pollution control bodies are expected to do.
But, a more organic method agreed upon by environmentalists and experts is to maintain a sustainable minimum flow, called the ecological flow.
This is the minimum amount of water that should flow throughout the river at all times to sustain underwater and estuarine ecosystems and human livelihoods, and for self-regulation.
The lack of a minimum ecological flow also means an accumulation of other pollutants.

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