Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Containment Zones
Mains level: Lockdown restrictions for COVID containment
In the current pandemic, all interventions are primarily geared towards reducing people-to-people contact, and thus breaking the chain of transmission to the extent possible. The demarcation of containment zones, which works at a more micro level, is likely to remain as long as the disease is spreading.
Practice question for mains:
Q.Discuss how the preemptive lockdowns imposed during earlier phases of coronavirus pandemic has led to reduced casualties in India.
What are Containment Zones?
- The lockdown, implemented in five phases, worked at the national level, while the classification of red, orange and green districts operated at the state and inter-district levels.
- Demarcation of containment zones is done within a town, village, or municipal or panchayat area.
- Neighbourhoods, colonies, or housing societies where infected people live are sealed, and access is restricted.
- Containment zones are where the restrictions on movement and interaction are the most severe.
- In many cities, the entire demarcated area is barricaded and the entry and exit points closed. Only the very basic supplies and services are allowed inside.
Who defines the containment zones?
- It is the district, town or panchayat authorities that decide which areas have to be marked as containment zones, how large they would be, and what kind of restrictions would apply.
- The rules for the national lockdown, for example, were set by the central government, while the state governments decided what restrictions to impose on districts.
- The district administration, Municipal Corporation or panchayat bodies exercise a great deal of discretion in the demarcation of containment zones.
- The definition and time period vary and are continuously reviewed and updated.
How are they demarcated?
- The parameters used are similar, but the exact criteria applied to vary, and usually depends on local conditions. These have also evolved with time, and are under constant review.
- In general, containment zones are getting smaller with time as the number of cases is increasing — from entire localities to colonies or neighbourhood, to streets and lanes, to particular buildings, and now just particular floors.
- As of now, in Delhi, a containment zone is declared if three or more infections are detected.
- The perimeter of the containment zone is also different in different cities.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Difference between Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves
Mains level: Wildlife conservation and various policy efforts
The Maharashtra state forest department on declared 29.53 sq. km area of Dodamarg forest range in Sindhudurg district as ‘Tillari Conservation Reserve’.
Note the differences between Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves. Their shuffled meanings can be asked directly in statements based MCQs.
Tillari Conservation Reserve
- This area is known to serve as a corridor and even as a habitat for the population of tigers and elephants moving between the three states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
- The 38-km-long Dodamarg wildlife corridor that connects Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka frequently witnesses elephant and tiger movement.
- Tillari will be the seventh corridor in the state to be declared as a ‘conservation reserve’.
What are Conservation Reserves?
- They denote protected areas which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests.
- Such areas are designated if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities if part of the lands is privately owned.
- Administration of such reserves would be through local people and local agencies like the gram panchayat, as in the case of communal forests.
What are Community Reserves?
- They are the first instances of private land being accorded protection under the legislature.
- It opens up the possibility of communally owned for-profit wildlife resorts, and also causes privately held areas under non-profit organizations like land trusts to be given protection.
- These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 − the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
- These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Timbuktu
Mains level: NA
Timbuktu is a western African city whose name is a metaphor for a place too exotic and remote to even imagine, now is in the grasp of Covid-19.
Try this question from CSP 2018:
Q.Very recently, in which of the following countries have lakhs of people either suffered from severe famine/acute malnutrition or died due to starvation caused by war/ethnic conflicts?
(a) Angola and Zambia
(b) Morocco and Tunisia
(c) Venezuela and Colombia
(d) Yemen and South Sudan
Timbuktu
- Timbuktu is a city in Mali, situated 20 km north of the Niger River.
- The mystique of Timbuktu owes a lot to its inaccessibility, which continues even today.
- It is located on the southern tip of the Sahara desert where there is nothing but thousands of miles of barren desert to its north.
- It was a regional trade centre in medieval times, where caravans met to exchange salt from the Sahara Desert for gold, ivory, and slaves from the Sahel, which could be reached via the nearby Niger River.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Issue of custodial death
Judiciary has played a significant role in tackling the problems of police violence. Yet, we come across some incident of violence intermittently. So, what went wrong? And what needs to be done? These issues are addressed in this article.
Role played by judiciary
- Supreme Court’s interventioned against police violence came through in cases such as Joginder Kumar v. State of UP [1994] and D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal [1997].
- In these cases, guidelines to secure 2 rights – a right to life and a right to know – in the context of any state action were issued.
- Through these guidelines, the Court sought to curb the power of arrest.
- It also ensured that an accused person is made aware of all critical information regarding the arrest.
- Information of arrest also has to be conveyed to friends and family immediately in the event of being taken in custody.
- It took a decade, and in the form of amendments, as the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act, 2008 to give statutory backing to these judicial guidelines.
- It remains part of the law today.
Significance of Prakash Singh Case
- The Supreme Court went even further in the case, Prakash Singh v. Union of India [2006].
- In this case, it pushed through new legislation for governing police forces to be passed by States across India.
- A key component of the new legislation was a robust setup for accountability that contemplated a grievance redress mechanism.
- However, several States are yet to legislate on the matter and remain in contempt of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
Scientific investigation
- Judiciary has supported techniques such as narcoanalysis, ensuring video recording of investigations, passing orders for installing closed-circuit television cameras inside police stations.
- Through technology, one can hope to reduce the need for interacting with the body as a source of evidence.
- But how often police employ physicality to obtain evidence will remain the deciding factor.
Impeding issues
- Despite all this, there are reports suggesting that across India there are as many as five custodial deaths a day.
- Presence of continued institutional apathy towards the issue of police reform.
- Judiciary’s approach of simply passing directions and guidelines, has proven to be a failure.
- It is the ordinary magistrate, and not the constitutional court, who is the judicial actor wielding real power to realise substantial change in police practices. Hence, poor change.
- There is a gap between the highest court and the lowly police officer in India.
- Studies show despite criminal laws being struck down as unconstitutional, they continue to be enforced in various parts of the country by local police.
What can be done?
- Constitutional courts could reorient their guidelines to try and change the practices of magistrates.
- It is the local magistrate before whom all arrested and detained persons must be produced within 24 hours.
- Thus, magistrate becomes the point of first contact for a citizen with the constitutional rule of law.
- The overworked magistrate, struggling with an ever-exploding docket, is very often in a rush to get done with the remand case.
- This need to change with more involvement of Constitutional courts.
Consider the question “Custodial torture is an anathema to democracy. Examine the issues related to custodial torture and how is it against the basic fundamental rights? What steps should be taken to prevent such acts by the police functionaries?”
Conclusion
The repeated instances of custodial deaths and tortures point to the inadequacies of the legal framework and lack of implementation. So, there is an urgent need for plugging the loopholes and some changes in approach.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Paris agreement
Mains level: Paper 2- Challenges the global order face
The corona crisis has laid bare the fissures in the global order. This article examines the four issues that are principal global challenges. Pandemic has accentuated these challenges.
Principal global challenges
- 1) Geopolitical tensions 2) Climate crisis. 3) Global mistrust. 4) The dark side of the digital world — are four issues which U.N. Secretary-General Guterres listed as primary threats.
- The four challenges have, for now, been overshadowed by the corona pandemic crisis.
1.Climate change challenge
- The drop in emissions in 2020 is projected to be about 8 per cent down on last year.
- This drop will just put us on track to where we should be if we are to reach the Paris agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 C.
- The threat of climate change, although raising its head again, has been constrained.
2.Digital space and its dark side
- Cyberspace has been a digital saviour during the corona crisis.
- Virtual communications enhanced through various services, new apps, expanded coverage has been key to enhanced virtual lives for millions by increase of the avenues for working from home, video chat connectivity and online delivery of goods.
- Companies that have deftly used cyberspace have prospered the most: Amazons net capital gain has been over $400 billion in 2020.
- However, a surge in cybercrime and cyber fraud is anticipated, if not there already.
- The logic being that cyberspace use has expanded without commensurate growth in security features.
- Thee are dire projections of an impending “cyber Pearl Harbour”.
3.Geopolitical tensions
- Accentuation of geopolitical tensions during the corona crisis is well-documented.
- The US-China relationship was already deteriorating, the blame game over the virus has exacerbated it.
- The brazen behaviour of China in matters relating to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, South China Sea and the India-China border has added to the inflammable state of geopolitics.
- Rarely has the world seen such paucity of international cooperation since World War II.
- The unravelling of the international institutions and partnerships that have been built since World War II is stark.
4.Trust deficit among states
- Trust amongst states has plummeted to its worst since World War II.
- When faced with corona crisis shortages, almost all EU states responded at the national level.
- Globally, at one time, more than 70 per cent of the world’s ports of entry — air, sea and land — restricted travel.
- According to a Global Trade Alert study, nearly 90 governments blocked the export of medical supplies while 29 restricted food exports.
Efficiency to self-sufficiency
- Lack of trust is also impacting diversified supply chains.
- The corona crisis is driving a shift from efficiency to self-sufficiency.
- Japan is paying companies to relocate factories from China.
- President Emmanuel Macron has pledged “full independence” for France in crucial medical supplies by year-end.
- Prime Minister Modi has called for self-reliance and being vocal for local in India.
- In the US, support for “Buy American” benchmarks for government health spending has growing bipartisan support.
India’s role
- Challenges that transcend borders are of cardinal importance to India’s well being.
- It is, therefore, time to conceptualise, in concrete terms, pathways to address them.
- This will need to include our envisaging the new order and India’s own role in it as well as who our partners in this venture are to be.
- Others are already working on their game plans.
Consider the question “The cracks in the global order were apparent but the pandemic has accentuated the challenges to the global order. In light of this, examine the challenges to global order is facing the role that India should play.”
Conclusion
If India wants to be “rule shapers” rather than being “rule takers”, then we need to start working in partnership at blueprints for change. It is never too early to plan for the future
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Data privacy
Mains level: Paper 3- Importance of digital services for Indian economy
Pandemic has been ravaging the economies across the globe but digital services have escaped the onslaught and are thriving. For India, this could be an opportunity. This article highlights the importance of the sector and how some proposed measures could have an adverse impact on the sector.
Emerging trends in economies
- Economic growth has dropped, and the competition for foreign investment is intensifying.
- There are national campaigns to shift supply chains and the urgent necessity to reverse recessionary trends.
- The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development just released its latest World Investment Report.
- The report projected that FDI to developing Asian economies could drop by as much as 45%.
Why digital services would beat this trend
- Digital services have become critical to every 21st century economy.
- Digital services are filling gaps when national or global emergencies interrupt more traditional modes of commerce.
- It enables access to and delivery of a wide array of products across multiple sectors.
How it matters for India
- India offers undeniable potential for innovative homegrown start-ups.
- India has a huge and increasingly digitised population.
- Indian government policies will be key determinants in how quickly and at what level the economy attracts new investment.
- Fostering innovation, and expanding its exporting prowess will also matter.
Three pending measure
- Three pending reform measures under consideration are-
- 1) Personal Data Protection Bill (PDPB).
- 2) The e-commerce policy.
- 3) The Information Technology Act Amendments.
Issues with these measures
- These regulatory reforms seem to emphasise a focus on protecting the domestic market for domestic companies.
- It also prioritises government access to data.
- It may be difficult to reconcile these approaches with India’s strong interest in i) promoting data privacy ii) protecting its democratic institutions iii) encouraging FDI and India’s position as a global leader in information technology.
India-US trade relationship issue
- The India-U.S. trade relationship is uncertain.
- The bilateral relationship is an important factor for greater trade and investment in digital services.
- India and the U.S. are yet to conclude negotiation on a bilateral trade agreement that could address some digital services issues.
- The U.S. just initiated a “Section 301” review.
- The review seeks whether digital services taxes in 10 countries constitute “unfair” trade measures, including India’s equalisation levy.
Consider the question “Digital services have become critical to every 21st-century economy and more so for Indian economy. In light, highlight the salience of digital services for the Indian economy and what are the issues that could affect the growth trajectory of the sector in India?”
Conclusion
Post-COVID-19 international cooperation and approaches to good governance in the digital sphere will be top-priority initiatives. The steps India takes now could well establish itself as a true global leader.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: West Bank and its location
Mains level: Israeli claims over West Bank and Gaza
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli leader’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would not start on the original target date as the British PM made an extraordinary appeal to Israel to call off the plan.
The strategic location of Gaza strip, West Bank, Dead Sea etc. creates a hotspot for a possible map based prelims question.
Consider this PYQ from 2015 CSP:
Q. The area known as ‘Golan Heights’ sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events related to:
a) Central Asia
b) Middle East
c) South-East Asia
d) Central Africa
Must read:
[Burning Issue] West Asia Peace Plan
Where is West Bank Located?
- The West Bank is located to the west of the Jordan River.
- It is a patch of land about one and a half times the size of Goa, was captured by Jordan after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
- Israel snatched it back during the Six-Day War of 1967 and has occupied it ever since.
- It is a landlocked territory, bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel to the south, west, and north.
- Following the Oslo Accords between the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) during the 1990s, part of the West Bank came under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
- With varying levels of autonomy, the Palestinian Authority controls close to 40 per cent of West Bank today, while the rest is controlled by Israel.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT)
Mains level: Police reforms in India
The alleged torture and custodial killing of TN father and son by police last week pointed towards a broken criminal justice system and highlighted the need for police reforms and the ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT).
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.
United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT)
- The UNCAT is an international human rights treaty, under the review of the UN and was adopted in 1984.
- It aims to prevent torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment around the world.
- The convention requires states to take effective measures to prevent torture in any territory under their jurisdiction and forbids states to transport people to any country where there is reason to believe they will be tortured.
- Since the convention’s entry into force, the absolute prohibition against torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment has become accepted as a principle of customary international law.
The Committee against Torture (CAT)
- It is a body of human rights experts that monitors implementation of the Convention by State parties.
- The Committee is one of eight UN-linked human rights treaty bodies.
- All state parties are obliged under the Convention to submit regular reports to the CAT on how rights are being implemented.
- Upon ratifying the Convention, states must submit a report within one year, after which they are obliged to report every four years.
- The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “concluding observations.”
- Under certain circumstances, the CAT may consider complaints or communications from individuals claiming that their rights under the Convention have been violated.
Optional Protocol to CAT
- The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) was adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2002.
- It provides for the establishment of a system of regular visits undertaken by independent international and national bodies to places where people are deprived of their liberty, in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
India needs to ratify UNCAT
- India signed the convention in 1997 but it remains among a handful of countries including Pakistan and China which are yet to ratify the convention.
- India is in the company of 25 other nations which have not ratified.
- The National Human Rights Commission had said custodial violence and torture are already “rampant” in the country.
- About 1,731 people had died in custody in 2019 a/c to NHRC report.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ‘Accelerate Vigyan’ Scheme
Mains level: Research facilitation schemes in India
To provide a single platform for research internships, capacity building programs and workshops across the country, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched a new scheme called ‘Accelerate Vigyan’ (AV).
Note the following things about the ‘Accelerate Vigyan’ Scheme:
1) Implementing agency/ Nodal Ministry
2) Primary objective
3) Target beneficiaries
4) Its components
‘Accelerate Vigyan’ Scheme
- Accelerate Vigyan (AV) strives to provide a big push to high-end scientific research and prepare scientific manpower which can venture into research careers and knowledge-based economy.
- The primary objective of this scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.
- AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and hands-on workshop on a national scale.
- The aim is to expand the research base in the country, with three broad goals – consolidation / aggregation of all scientific training programs, initiating High-end Orientation Workshops and creating opportunities for Research Internships.
Components of AV
1) ABHYAAS
- It is an attempt to boost research and development in the country by enabling and grooming potential PG/PhD students by means of developing their research skills in selected areas across different disciplines or fields.
- It has two components: High-End Workshops (‘KARYASHALA’) and Research Internships (‘VRITIKA’).
- This is especially important for those researchers who have limited opportunities to access such learning capacities/facilities/infrastructure.
2) SAMOOHAN
- Mission ‘SAMOOHAN’ marks the beginning of Accelerate Vigyan.
- It aims to encourage, aggregate and consolidate all scientific interactions in the country under one common roof.
- It has been sub-divided into ‘SAYONJIKA’ and ‘SANGOSHTI’.
- SAYONJIKA is an open-ended program to catalogue the capacity building activities in science and technology supported by all government funding agencies in the country.
- SANGOSHTI is a pre-existing program of SERB.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
Mains level: NA
The Environment Ministry has reconstituted the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to include an expert from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and a molecular biologist.
Note following things about CZA:
1)Its constitution under any Act
2)Composition
3)Roles and functions
About CZA
- The CZA is the body of the government responsible for oversight of zoos constituted under the section 38A of Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972.
- The main objective of the authority is to complement the national effort in the conservation of wildlife.
- Standards and norms for housing, upkeep, health care and overall management of animals in zoos have been laid down under the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 1992.
Roles & Functions
- The Authority’s role is more of a facilitator than a regulator.
- It, therefore, provides technical and financial assistance to such zoos which have the potential to attain the desired standard in animal management.
- Primary function– grant of recognition and release of financial assistance.
- It also regulates the exchange of animals of endangered category Listed under Schedule-I and II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act among zoos.
- Exchange of animals between Indian and foreign zoos is also approved by the Authority before the requisite clearances under EXIM Policy and the CITES permits are issued by the competent authority.
- The Authority also coordinates and implements programmes on capacity building of zoo personnel, planned breeding programmes and ex-situ research including biotechnological intervention for the conservation of species for complementing in-situ conservation efforts in the country.
Composition
- Apart from the chairman, it consists of 10 members and a member-secretary.
- Almost all of them are officials in the Environment Ministry and NGO experts are those who are wildlife conservationists or retired forest officers.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Bahuda Yatra, Puri Temple Architecture
Mains level: Temple Architecture of India
The Bahuda Yatra, the return journey of the deities to the Puri Jagannath temple after the annual Rath Yatra, was recently concluded amid permitted restrictions.
Bahuda Yatra
- A/c to folk stories Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Goddess Shubhadra and Lord Balabhadra, returns from their aunt’s place at Gundicha Temple to Jagannath Temple.
- This journey is known as Bahuda Yatra.
- Nine days after the Rath Yatra, the yatra or the return journey takes place.
About Jagannath Rath Yatra
- Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of India.
- It involves a public procession with a chariot with deities Jagannath (Vishnu avatar), BalaBhadra (his brother), Subhadra (his sister) and Sudarshana Chakra (his weapon) on a ratha, a wooden deula-shaped chariot.
- The huge, colourfully decorated chariots, are drawn by hundreds and thousands of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha temple, some two miles away to the North.
- It attracts over a million Hindu pilgrims who join the procession each year.
Back2Basics: Puri Temple Architecture
- Jagannath Temple is a very big temple and covers an area of 37000m2. The height of the outer wall is 6.1m.
- It is surrounded by a high fortified wall 6.1 m high is known as Meghanada Pacheri.
- The main portion of the temple is also surrounded by a wall known as Kurma Bheda.
- The temple is built in Rekha Deula style and has four distinct sectional structures, namely –
- Deula, Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls)
- Mukhashala (Frontal porch)
- Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
- Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall)
Try this question from CSP 2019:
Q.Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of-
(a) Chalukya (b) Chandela (c) Rashtrakuta (d) Vijayanagara
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SAARC and BIMSTEC
Mains level: Paper 2- Indian-SAARC relations
To counter a hegemon, showing a united front helps. Drawing on this maxim, India has to work on improving its standing in the region. And reviving SAARC could be a right step in this direction. So, why SAARC is in hibernation in the first place? Where India could start? Read to know…
China challenging India’s interests in the region
- China, as part of its global expansionism, is chipping away at India’s interests in South Asia.
- China’s proximity to Pakistan is well known.
- Nepal is moving closer to China for ideational and material reasons.
- China is wooing Bangladesh by offering tariff exemption to 97% of Bangladeshi products.
- China has intensified its ties with Sri Lanka through massive investments.
- According to a Brookings India study, most South Asian nations are now largely dependent on China for imports despite geographical proximity to India.
SAARC-Caught in India-Pakistan rivalry
- India’s strategic dealing with China has to begin with South Asia.
- In this regard, it is important to reinvigorate SAARC, which has been in the doldrums since 2014.
- In the last few years, due to increasing animosity with Pakistan, India’s political interest in SAARC dipped significantly.
- India has been trying hard to isolate Pakistan internationally for its role in promoting terrorism in India.
BIMSTEC cannot be an alternative to SAARC
- India started investing in other regional instruments, such as BIMSTEC, as an alternative to SAARC.
- However, BIMSTEC cannot replace SAARC for reasons such as lack of a common identity and history among all BIMSTEC members.
- BIMSTEC’s focus is on the Bay of Bengal region, thus making it an inappropriate forum to engage all South Asian nations.
Economic integration-way to revive SAARC
- One way to infuse life in SAARC is to revive the process of South Asian economic integration.
- South Asia is one of the least integrated regions in the world.
- Intra-regional trade is at barely 5% of total South Asian trade
- Intra-regional trade is 25% of intra-regional trade in the ASEAN region.
- The lack of political will and trust deficit has prevented any meaningful movement.
- According to the World Bank, trade in South Asia stands at $23 billion of an estimated value of $67 billion.
- India should take the lead and work with its neighbours to slash the tariff and non-tariff barriers.
- There’s a need to resuscitate the negotiations on a SAARC investment treaty, pending since 2007.
- According to the UNCTAD intra-ASEAN investments constitute around 19% of the total investments in the region.
- The SAARC region can likewise benefit from higher intra-SAARC investment flows.
- Deeper regional economic integration will create greater interdependence with India acquiring the central role.
- Which, in turn, would serve India’s strategic interests too.
Two domestic challenges
- 1) There has been an unrelenting top-dressing of anti-Pakistan rhetoric and Islamophobia on the Indian soil.
- There’s also a recurrent use of the ‘Bangladeshi migrant’ rhetoric.
- It dents India’s soft power of being a liberal and secular democracy, which gives moral legitimacy to India’s leadership in the region.
- This divisive domestic politics fuels an anti-India sentiment in India’s neighbourhood.
- 2) The economic vision of the government remains convoluted.
- It’s unclear what the slogans of atma nirbharta (self-reliance) and ‘vocal for local’ mean.
- If this marks sliding back to protectionism, one is unsure if India will be interested in deepening South Asian economic integration.
Consider the question “Examine the issues that hinder the SAARC from realising its full potential as a regional grouping.”
Conclusion
Prime Minister did well by reaching out to SAARC leaders earlier this year, but such flash in the pan moments won’t help without sustained engagement.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much.
Mains level: Paper 2- Issue of custodial deaths
This article enumerates the existing legal framework to avoid custodial torture and deaths. Judiciary played a major role in the evolution of these procedures. Yet, incidents of custodial deaths happen. This points to the lack of implementation of established guidelines and procedures.
Understanding the background of problem
- In wake of custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu, the debate on Roman dilemma: “Who will guard the guardians” rises again.
- Torture is anathema to democracy and cannot be tolerated in a civilized society.
- Answer to prevention of torture can be found in multiple sources like Royal Commissions in the UK, Law Commission report and Police Commission reports in India and also Supreme Court’s progressive case law, like Joginder Kumar (1994) and Nilabati Behera (1993).
- However, the basic loophole which exists even today is that most torture is done before the arrest is recorded by the police.
- Safeguards obviously kick in only after the arrest is shown. This is a perennial, insoluble dilemma and all devious police forces globally use it.
Supreme Court judgement in DK Basu case
- The DK Basu judgment since 1987 is crucial in dealing with issue of custodial deaths.
- The judgement has origin from a letter complaint in 1986, which was converted into PIL.
- 4 crucial and comprehensive judgments — in 1996, twice in 2001 and in 2015 — lay down over 20 commandments, forming the complete structure of this judgement.
Details of judgment:
First 11 commandments in 1996, focused on vital processual safeguards:
- All officials must carry name tags and full identification, arrest memo must be prepared, containing all details regarding time and place of arrest, attested by one family member or respectable member of the locality.
- The location of arrest must be intimated to one family or next friend, details notified to the nearest legal aid organisation and arrestee must be made known of DK Basu judgement.
- All such compliances must be recorded in the police register, arrestee must get periodical medical examination, inspection memo must be signed by arrestee also and all such information must be centralised in a central police control room.
- Breach to be culpable with severe departmental action and additionally contempt also, and this would all be in addition to, not substitution of, any existing remedy.
- All of the above preventive and punitive measures could go with, and were not alternatives to, full civil monetary damage claims for constitutional tort.
8 other intermediate orders till 2015:
- Precise detailed compliance reports of above orders to be submitted by all states and UT and any delayed responses to be looked into by special sub-committees appointed by state human rights body.
- Also where no SHRC existed, the chief justice of the high courts to monitor it administratively.
- It emphasised that existing powers for magisterial inquiries under the CrPC were lackadaisical and must be completed in four months, unless sessions court judges recorded reasons for extension.
- It also directed SHRCs to be set up expeditiously in each part of India.
The third and last phase of judgment ended in 2015:
- Stern directions were given to set up SHRCs and also fill up large vacancies in existing bodies.
- The power of setting up human rights courts under Section 30 of the NHRC Act was directed to be operationalised.
- All prisons had to have CCTVs within one year.
- Non-official visitors would do surprise checks on prisons and police stations.
- Prosecutions and departmental action to be made unhesitatingly mandated.
Where do we lack?
- In operationalising the spirit of DK Basu judgment, in punitive measures, in last mile implementation, in breaking intra-departmental solidarity with errant policemen and in ensuring swift, efficacious departmental coercive action plus criminal prosecution.
- A 1985 Law Commission report directing enactment of section 114-B into our Evidence Act, raising a rebuttable presumption of culpability against the police if anyone in their custody dies or is found with torture, has still not become law, despite a bill introduced as late as 2017.
- We still have abysmally deplorable rates of even initiating prosecutions against accused police officers. Actual convictions are virtually non-existent.
Consider the question “Custodial torture is an anathema to democracy. Examine the issues related to custodial torture and how is it against the basic fundamental rights? What steps should be taken to prevent such acts by the police functionaries?”
Conclusion
Monitoring and implementation of DK Basu by independent and balanced civil society individuals at each level, under court supervision, is sufficient to minimise this scourge. It is high time we take actions in this direction.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: India's foreign exchange reserves
Mains level: Paper 3-India's foreign exchange reserves.
India’s foreign exchange reserves touched an unprecedented level. Being reserves, the reserves also represent the lost opportunity. This article examines the reasons for and utility of maintaining huge reserves.
Reasons for surge in the forex reserves
- The recent forex reserves surge was a result of two things:
- 1) Foreign institutional investors reinvested in the Indian market in May-June after they exited their positions in panic in March.
- 2) A global fall in fuel prices has reduced India’s oil import bill, allowing it to save up forex reserves.
But why does India keeps huge forex reserves- 3 possibilities
- Sufficiency of forex reserves is sometimes measured on how many months’ worth of imports a country can afford.
- While six months is considered sufficient.
- The RBI in December 2019 said it had enough to sustain for 10 months, the forex reserves were then $0.4 trillion.
- Today, the cover is 12 months!
- This is despite having a sufficient credit line from the IMF, should there be a credit shock.
- So, there are 3 possibilities for why government maintains such huge reserves.
- 1) Excess forex reserves are likely the government’s contingency fund, in case the economy suddenly topples.
- The pandemic has increased the government’s insecurity.
- 2) Another possibility is that the government is accumulating these reserves as “Plan-B” savings should its strategic disinvestment plans fail.
- 3) Forex reserves are also likely a way for India now to maintain its global rating.
- The fundamental use of India’s foreign exchange should be to ensure the Rupee (INR) stability.
Stability of Rupee
- Despite steadily rising reserves, INR fluctuated between 77 and 75 against the US dollar in the last two months.
- INR has become one of Asia’s worst currencies.
- The RBI may allow it to devalue further to support its balance sheet,
- Devaluation would enable it to transfer a big chunk of its realised profits as dividend to the starving government.
Lost opportunity
- It is understandable for oil-rich countries to maintain high forex reserves.
- A single oil trade hiccup can derail their economy.
- Economists have theorised that holding high forex reserves is unnecessary.
- In fact, not using them to finance mega infrastructure projects are lost opportunities.
- And yet the Indian government has held these reserves in liquid, possibly for its feared D-day.
Perils of using forex reserves as emergency funds
- Over-reliance on these floating funds to stimulate the economy might be poorly informed.
- The potential of these funds to switch direction [i.e. they could exit as fast] should not be underestimated.
- In March alone, foreign institutional investments in India fell by Rs 65,000 crore.
- India’s foreign exchange reserves registered this impact.
- Reversing the dip, investments went up in May and now in June with some big corporate deals.
- If the government intends to use forex reserves as an emergency fund, it should ensure that they do not shrink just when they are most needed.
Consider the question “India’s foreign exchange reserves touched new height recently. This also giver rise to the argument of lost opportunity. In light of this discuss the utility of maintaining foreign exchange reserves and issue of optimum level of foreign exchange reserves.”
Conclusion
Maintaining high foreign exchange reserves definitely entails cost. The cost-benefit analysis and the lost opportunity must be the basis for deciding the level of the reserves.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UNFPA
Mains level: Preventing violence and abuse against women
The UNFPA has released the State of the World Population Report 2020.
Highlights of the WPR
I) Global prospects
- According to estimates averaged over a five year period (2013-17), annually, there were 1.2 million missing female births, at a global level.
- The same study shows that in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan excess female mortality of girls below 5 years of age was under 3 per cent.
- These skewed numbers translate into long-term shifts in the proportions of women and men in the population of some countries, the report points out.
- In many countries, this results in a “marriage squeeze” as prospective grooms far outnumber prospective brides, which further results in human trafficking for marriage as well as child marriages.
II) Data on India
- India had about 4,60,000 girls ‘missing’ at birth each year.
- The figure shows that the number of missing women has more than doubled over the past 50 years, who were at 61 million in 1970.
- The report examines the issue of missing women by studying sex ratio imbalances at birth as a result of gender-biased sex selection as well as excess female mortality due to deliberate neglect of girls because of a culture of son preference.
- Excess female mortality is the difference between observed and expected mortality of the girl child or avoidable death of girls during childhood.
- The report cites a 2014 study to state that India has the highest rate of excess female deaths at 13.5 per 1,000 female births or one in nine deaths of females below the age of 5 due to postnatal sex selection.
About UNFPA
- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN organization.
- It is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
- Their work involves the improvement of reproductive health; including the creation of national strategies and protocols, and birth control by providing supplies and services.
- The organization has recently been known for its worldwide campaign against child marriage, obstetric fistula and female genital mutilation.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Marsupial theory, MJO , MISO, El-Nino, La-Nina
Mains level: Tropical Cyclones
Tropical cyclones remain the deadliest natural climate hazard that causes an unacceptably high loss of life, property and infrastructure. Global warming has already resulted in a detectable increase in the number of higher intensity cyclones as well as their intensification.
Also read:
[Burning Issue] Tropical Cyclones and India
Try this question:
Q. The Marsupial Theory often seen in news is related to which of the climatic phenomena?
a) Heatwaves b) Monsoon Variability c) Formation of Cyclones d) Thunderstorms
What is Rapid Intensification of Cyclones?
- RI is defined as an increase in maximum sustained winds by at least 55 km/hour in a 24-hour period.
- Such acceleration can only come with a rapid drop in the pressure in the eye of the cyclone.
- Rapid intensification (RI) is making cyclone forecasts harder and intense cyclones with RI are expected to grow in number.
- The lack of understanding of the transition from a seedling of a cyclone, like a low-pressure system to a tropical storm, limits extending the forecast lead times.
Factors causing RI
The most important environmental factors for cyclone genesis are-
- the rotation or vorticity of a low-pressure system at the surface;
- sea surface temperatures or the volume of warm water available;
- the vertical motion of air in this low-pressure system;
- the amount of humidity available in the middle atmosphere and
- the vertical shear or the change in winds from the surface to the upper atmosphere.
MJO and Cyclones
- Madden-Julian Oscillations as they are known, dominate the tropics during October-April by propagating from the western Indian Ocean into the eastern Indian Ocean, across the Indonesian seas into the Pacific Ocean.
- Referred to as MJOs, these Madden-Julian Oscillations throw seeds of rotational low-pressure systems over the Indian and the Pacific Oceans.
- And thus, MJOs show a strong association with cyclogenesis, especially for the post-monsoon season.
Impacts of MISO
- Monsoon Intraseasonal Oscillations (MISO) are alternating periods of heavy and minimal rainfall, each lasting for about a month or so and tending to follow a cyclical, northward shifting pattern from the equator to southern Asia.
- While the strong vertical shear suppresses cyclones during the monsoon season, MISOs influence cyclone genesis during the pre-monsoon season.
Other factors
- At longer timescales, phenomena like the El Niño and La Niña influence not only the number of cyclone seeds but also the location and the expanse of warm water.
- For example, during the pre-monsoon season of La Niña year, the region of warm water over the Bay of Bengal increases. This leads cyclones to travel longer and grow stronger than during an El Niño year.
- Over the Pacific Ocean, on the other hand, it is the El Niño that provides a larger swath of warm water and more intense cyclones.
- West Africa produces waves called easterly waves that propagate west from land onto the tropical Atlantic Ocean and sow the seeds for most hurricanes.
- Extensive analysis has produced theories that are evocatively called the Marsupial Theory — a wave pouch that allows cyclones to grow, or waves interacting to produce a Kelvin cat’s eye, which is a ‘sweet-spot’ for the birth of a cyclone.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Santhal Rebellion
Mains level: Tribal uprisings in colonial India
Covid-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of annual public observance of Hul in Jharkhand.
Try this question from CSP 2018:
Q.After the Santhal uprising subsided, what was/ were the measure/measures taken by the colonial government?
- The territories called ‘Santhal Paraganas’ were created.
- It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non Santhal.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Hul Divas
- Hul Divas is observed annually on June 30 in memory of tribals — Sidho and Kanhu Murmu — who led the Santhal Hul (rebellion) on June 30, 1855, at Bhognadih in Sahebganj district.
About Santhal Rebellion
- The Santhals of Rajmahal Hills resented the oppression by revenue officials, police, money-lenders, and landlords—in general, by the “outsiders’ (whom they called diku).
- The Santhals under Sido and Kanhu rose up against their oppressors, declared the end of the Company’s rule and asserted themselves independent in 1854.
- It was only in 1856 after extensive military operations that the situation was brought under control. Sido died in 1855, while Kanhu was arrested in 1866.
- A separate district of Santhal Parganas was created by the Government to pacify the Santhals.
Must read:
Tribal Issues | Part 2 | Pre Independence Tribal Revolts
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mutual Funds, Stamp Duty
Mains level: Regulation of capital market in India
The Amendments in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 has been brought through Finance Act 2019 for Rationalized Collection Mechanism of Stamp Duty across India with respect to Securities Market Instruments.
Up till now, we knew that stamp duties are levied on property transactions, registrations etc. With the Finance Act 2019, the stamp duties are also levied on Mutual Funds.
What is Stamp Duty?
- Stamp duty is a legal tax payable in full and acts as evidence for any sale or purchase of a property. It is payable under Section 3 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899.
- The levy of stamp duty is a state subject and thus the rates of stamp duty vary from state to state.
- The Centre levies stamp duty on specified instruments and also fixes the rates for these instruments.
- It is usually paid by the buyer with regardless of agreement and in case of property exchange, both seller and the buyer has to share the stamp duty equally.
- A stamp duty paid instrument/document is considered a proper and legal instrument/document and has evidentiary value and is admitted as evidence in courts.
What is the move?
- Beginning July 1, all shares and mutual fund purchases will attract a stamp duty of 0.005 per cent and any transfer of security will attract a stamp duty of 0.015 per cent.
- The government had introduced changes to the Stamp duty Act last year by introducing a uniform rate of stamp duty on the trading of shares and commodities.
- All categories of mutual funds (except for ETFs) will attract stamp duty for the first time.
- Shares purchased by individuals at stock exchanges were charged stamp duty at different rates by respective states.
Where all will it be applicable?
- The stamp duty will be applicable on all transactions, including shares, debt instruments, commodities and all categories of mutual fund schemes.
- As for mutual funds, it will be applicable on all fresh purchases, including the fresh monthly purchases in previously registered Systematic Investment Plans.
- It will also be applicable if investors switch from one scheme to another and also in case of dividend reinvestment transactions.
- Transfers of units from one Demat account to another, including market/off-market transfers, will also attract stamp duty.
How does it impact the investor?
- The impact on long-term investments by a retail investor is nominal.
- Since the stamp duty will be charged a one-time charge, if an investor invests Rs 1 lakh in a mutual fund scheme or in stock and holds it for two years, he will have to pay a duty of only Rs 5.
- In fact, it will be marginally lower as the stamp duty is applicable on the net investment value i.e gross investment amount less than any other deduction like transaction charge.
- There is no duty at the time of redemption.
What about big investors?
- The impact is higher for investors with short-term investment horizons such as banks and corporates who invest in liquid and overnight schemes of mutual funds.
How much revenue can it generate for the government?
- In the financial year 2019-20, the mutual fund industry mobilized aggregate funds of over Rs 188 lakh crore.
- A high portion of that was in overnight funds or liquid funds.
- A 0.005 per cent stamp duty on this amount works out to Rs 940 crore.
- If the industry continues to mobilise funds to the tune of Rs 190 lakh crore or higher, it will generate revenues of nearly Rs 1,000 crore for the government from mutual fund transactions itself.
Back2Basics: Mutual Funds
- MF is a trust that collects money from a number of investors who share a common investment objective.
- Then, it invests the money in equities, bonds, money market instruments and/or other securities.
- Each investor owns units, which represent a portion of the holdings of the fund.
- The income/gains generated from this collective investment are distributed proportionately amongst the investors after deducting certain expenses, by calculating a scheme’s “Net Asset Value or NAV.
- It is one of the most viable investment options for the common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at a relatively low cost.
- All funds carry some level of risk. With mutual funds, one may lose some or all of the money invested because the securities held by a fund can go down in value.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Zealandia
Mains level: Zealandia and its features
A new map has revealed the lost continent of Zealandia.
The ocean relief can be divided into various parts such as Continental Shelf, Continental Slope, Continental Rise or Foot, Deep Ocean basins, Abyssal plains & Abyssal Hills, Oceanic Trenches, Seamounts and Guyots.
Revise these ocean bottom relief features from your basic references.
Also revise India’s Deep Ocean Mission.
About Zealandia
- Zealandia — or Te Riu-a-Māui, as it’s referred to in the indigenous Māori language — is a 2 million-square-mile (5 million square kilometres) continent east of Australia, beneath modern-day New Zealand.
- Scientists discovered the sprawling underwater mass in the 1990s, then gave it formal continent status in 2017.
- Still, the “lost continent” remains largely unknown and poorly studied due to its Atlantean geography.
Its formation
- It is a group of submerged pieces of crust that separated from the ancient supercontinent Gondwana about 85 million years ago.
- Gondwana was formed when Earth’s ancient supercontinent, Pangea, split into two fragments.
- Laurasia was transformed into North America, Asia, and Europe, while Gondwana became Africa, South America, Australia, and Antarctica.
- But land masses continued to be rearranged afterwards, with Zealandia breaking off Gondwana.
Data revealed by the new map
- The new maps reveal Zealandia’s bathymetry (the shape of the ocean floor) as well as its tectonic history, showing how volcanism and tectonic motion have shaped the continent over millions of years.
- Data for the bathymetric map was provided by the Seabed2030 project — a global effort to map the entire ocean floor by 2030.
Why call it a continent?
- Zealandia was classified as a “microcontinent,” as the island of Madagascar, until 2017.
- But according to Mortimer, it has all the requirements to be classified as a continent.
- It has defined boundaries; it occupies an area of over one million square kilometres and is elected above the ocean crust.
Also read: https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/seabed-2030-project/
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: G4 Flu
Mains level: Rise in zoonotic diseases and their possible causes
In new research, scientists from China – which has the largest population of pigs in the world – have identified a “recently emerged” strain of influenza virus that is infecting Chinese pigs and that has the potential of triggering a pandemic.
Practice question for mains:
Q.What are zoonotic diseases? Why China has emerged as the epicentre of global outbreaks of zoonotic disease?
G4 Flu
- Named G4, the swine flu strain has genes similar to those in the virus that caused the 2009 flu pandemic.
- The scientists identified the virus through surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs that they carried out from 2011 to 2018 in ten provinces of China.
- They also found that the G4 strain has the capability of binding to human-type receptors (like, the SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to ACE2 receptors in humans).
- The virus was able to copy itself in human airway epithelial cells, and it showed effective infectivity and aerosol transmission.
Swine industry is the new hotspot for zoonoses
- The scientists report that the new strain (G4) has descended from the H1N1 strain that was responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic.
- Pigs are intermediate hosts for the generation of pandemic influenza virus.
- Thus, systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs is a key measure for pre-warning the emergence of the next pandemic influenza.
Back2Basics: 2009 swine flu pandemic
- The WHO declared the outbreak of type A H1N1 influenza virus a pandemic in 2009 when there were around 30,000 cases globally.
- It was caused by a strain of the swine flu called the H1N1 virus, which was transmitted from human to human.
- Influenza viruses that commonly circulate in swine are called “swine influenza viruses” or “swine flu viruses”.
- Like human influenza viruses, there are different subtypes and strains of swine influenza viruses. Essentially, swine flu is a virus that pigs can get infected by.
- The symptoms of swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue.
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