Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Issues with punitive response to sexual violence
Harsher punishment for sexual violence
- Recently, the Maharashtra cabinet approved the Shakti Bill, enlarging the scope of harsher and mandatory sentences — including the death penalty — for non-homicidal rape.
- The Shakti Bill comes amid the recent legislative trend to invoke the death penalty for sexual offences.
- In 2020, the Andhra Pradesh government passed the Disha Bill, pending presidential assent, that provides the death penalty for the rape of adult women.
Issues with the Bills
1) Focus on reporting of police complaint
- The most severe gaps in the justice delivery system are related to reporting a police complaint.
- The focus of the criminal justice system needs to shift from sentencing and punishment to the stages of reporting, investigation and victim-support mechanisms.
- The bill does not address these concerns.
2) Impact on rate of conviction
- Harsh penalties often have the consequence of reducing the rate of conviction for the offence.
- A study published in the Indian Law Review based on rape judgments in Delhi shows a lower rate of conviction after the removal of judicial discretion in 2013.
- Introducing harsher penalties does not remove systemic prejudices from the minds of judges and the police.
3) Harsher punishment would deter complainants
- Studies on child sexual abuse have shown that in the few cases of convictions, the minimum sentence was the norm and the award of the maximum punishment was an exception.
- Crime data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that in 93.6 per cent of these cases, the perpetrators were known to the victims.
- Introducing capital punishment would deter complainants from registering complaints.
- The Shakti Bill ignores crucial empirical evidence on these cases.
4) Moving away from standard of affirmative consent
- An affirmative standard of consent is rooted in unequivocal voluntary agreement by women through words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication.
- In a sharp departure, the bill stipulates that valid consent can be presumed from the “conduct of the parties” and the “circumstances surrounding it”.
- The vaguely worded explanation in the bill holds dangerous possibilities of expecting survivors to respond only in a certain manner, thus creating the stereotype of an “ideal” victim.
- It also overlooks the fact that perpetrators are known to the survivors in nearly 94 per cent of rapes, which often do not involve any brutal violence.
Conclusion
Punitive responses to sexual violence need serious rethinking, given the multitude of perverse consequences and their negligible role in addressing the actual needs of rape survivors.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC)
Mains level: Paper 3- Increasing maritime domain awareness
The article analyses India’s efforts in increasing the maritime domain awareness while increasing the cooperation with the neighbourhood and other countries.
Indian Navy improving domain awareness
- The enemy at sea is often unrecognisable — a terrorist, a pirate, a criminal or a sea robber.
- Of late, the Indian Navy has been on a drive to improve domain awareness in the Indian Ocean.
- The Indian Navy’s efforts seem focused primarily on monitoring Chinese activity in the Eastern Indian Ocean, particularly in the seas around the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
- The Navy is seeking to expand India’s surveillance footprint by setting up radar stations in the Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
- Mauritius, the Seychelles and Sri Lanka have already integrated into the wider coastal radar chain network.
Increasing international cooperation
- Seven Indian Ocean countries — Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius and the Seychelles — will soon post Liaison Officers at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram.
- France already has an officer at the IFC.
- Four other Indo-Pacific navies — Australia, Japan, the U.K and the U.S. — have also agreed to position officers at the centre.
- As a result of such cooperation, IFC is fast emerging as the most prominent information hub in the Eastern Indian Ocean.
- India is increasing engagement in the Western Indian Ocean by positioning a Liaison Officer at the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar.
- India has also posted an officer at the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) in Abu Dhabi to assist in the monitoring of maritime activity.
Stronger partnership with France
- Delhi’s moves in the Western and South-Western littorals have been facilitated by France.
- Two countries have signed a logistics agreement in 2019.
- France is keen for a stronger partnership in the maritime commons.
- France has been instrumental in securing ‘observer’ status for India at the Indian Ocean Commission and is pushing for greater Indian participation in security initiatives in the Western Indian Ocean.
- However, the Indian Navy’s priority remains South Asia, where the naval leadership remains focused on underwater domain awareness in the Eastern Indian Ocean.
Concerns over increasing Chines presence
- There is concern that the Chines navy may be poised to develop a generation of quieter submarines that would be hard to detect.
- As a result, India has moved to expand its underwater detection capabilities in the Eastern chokepoints.
- India might also partner Japan in installing an array of undersea sensors near the Andaman Islands to help detect Chinese submarines.
India as a security provider: Manifestation of SAGAR
- India’s initiatives in the maritime domain are motivated by more than just strategic considerations.
- Shipping agreements with 21 countries in the Indian Ocean have enabled a comprehensive picture of maritime traffic.
- Efforts are under way to help smaller island states build capacity to combat regional threats.
- India’s military satellite (GSAT-7A) may soon facilitate a real-time sharing of maritime information with partners.
- These endeavours are a manifestation of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) that advances the idea of India as a ‘security provider’ and ‘preferred partner’ in the Indo-Pacific region.
Challenges
- Indian initiatives, however, are yet to bring about an alignment of objectives and strategies of regional littoral states.
- While cooperative information sharing allows for a joint evaluation of threats, countries do not always share vital information timeously.
Conclusion
To bring real change, India must ensure seamless information flow, generating operational synergy with partners, and aim to expand collaborative endeavours in shared spaces.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Reservations policy and need for is revision
The Supreme Court last month clarified the position of law on the interplay of vertical and horizontal reservations.
This newscard is useful for GS paper 1 as well as aspirants with sociology optional. Let us know in the comment box if you want to get a deeper insight.
It perfectly highlights the heart of the debate on “merit versus reservation”, where reservation is sometimes projected as being anti-merit.
What are vertical and horizontal reservations?
- Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes is referred to as vertical reservation.
- It applies separately for each of the groups specified under the law.
- Horizontal reservation refers to the equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries such as women, veterans, the transgender community, and individuals with disabilities, cutting through the vertical categories.
How are the two categories of quotas applied together?
- The horizontal quota is applied separately to each vertical category, and not across the board.
- For example, if women have 50% horizontal quota, then half of the selected candidates will have to necessarily be women in each vertical quota category.
- This means half of all selected SC candidates will have to be women, half of the unreserved or general category will have to be women, and so on.
- The interlocking of the two types of reservation throws up a host of questions on how certain groups are to be identified.
- For example, would an SC woman be put in the category of women or SC? Since quotas are fixed in percentages, what percentage of quota would be attributed to each?
What was the Saurav Yadav case about?
- The case was on the technicalities that form a substantial question of law.
- It was this: Two aspirants had secured 276.5949 and 233.1908 marks respectively.
- They had applied under the categories of OBC-Female and SC-Female respectively. OBC and SC are vertical reservation categories, while Female is a horizontal reservation category.
- The two candidates did not qualify in their categories.
- However, in the General-Female (unreserved-female) category, the last qualifying candidate had secured 274.8298 marks, a score that was lower than the two backwards.
- The question before the court was that if the underlying criterion for making selections is “merit”.
What did the court decide?
- The court ruled against the UP government.
- It observed if a person belonging to an intersection of the vertical-horizontal reserved category had secured scores high enough to qualify without the vertical reservation.
- It held that the person would be counted as qualifying without the vertical reservation, and cannot be excluded from the horizontal quota in the general category.
- If a person in the SC category secures a higher score than the cut-off for the general category, the person would be counted as having qualified under the general category instead of the SC quota.
What was the government’s argument?
- The government’s policy was to restrict and contain reserved category candidates to their categories, even when they had secured higher grades.
- The court said this was tantamount to ensuring that the general category was ‘reserved’ for upper castes.
What was the court’s reasoning?
- The court did the math by examining a number of hypothetical scenarios.
- It concluded that if both vertical and horizontal quotas were to be applied together — and consequently, a high-scoring candidate who would otherwise qualify without any reservation.
- On the other hand, if a high-scoring candidate is allowed to drop one category, the court found that the overall selection would reflect more high-scoring candidates.
- In other words, the “meritorious” candidates would be selected.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Trade Policy Review (TPR)
Mains level: WTO and India
India’s seventh Trade Policy Review (TPR) has begun at the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
Q.In the wake of the global economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, discuss the challenges ahead of WTO.
Trade Policy Review (TPR)
- The TPR is an important mechanism under the WTO’s monitoring function and involves a comprehensive peer-review of the Member’s national trade policies.
- India’s last TPR took place in 2015.
Why need a TPR?
- To increase the transparency and understanding of countries’ trade policies and practices, through regular monitoring
- To improve the quality of public and intergovernmental debate on the issues
- To enable a multilateral assessment of the effects of policies on the world trading system
India’s progress
- Since previous TPR, India has worked diligently to reform and transform the entire economic eco-system to meet the socio-economic aspirations of a billion-plus Indians.
- The introduction of the GST, the IBC, labour sector reforms, an enabling and investor-friendly FDI Policy, and various national programmes like Make in India, Digital India, Startup India and Skill were the path-breakers.
- The improvement in the economic and business environment, on account of the wide-ranging reforms, has enabled India to better its position in the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking from 142 in 2015 to 63 in 2019.
- This improvement is also endorsed by investors who continue to view India as a desirable investment destination even during the testing time of the pandemic.
- In 2019-20, India received highest ever FDI inflow of USD 74.39 billion.
A note of caution
- India’s trade policy remained largely unchanged since the previous review.
- India continues to rely on trade policy instruments such as the tariff, export taxes, minimum import prices, import and export restrictions, and licensing, WTO said.
- These are used to manage domestic demand and supply requirements, protect the economy from wide domestic price fluctuations, and ensure conservation and proper utilization of natural resources.
- As a result, frequent changes are made to tariff rates and other trade policy instruments, which create uncertainty for traders.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Data Protection Authority
Mains level: Paper 2- Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 and issues with it
The Personal Data Protection Bill (2019) has several provisions which could have implications for the privacy of an individual. The article examines such provisions and highlights the need for further debate on the Bill.
Evolution of privacy as a fundamental right
- The Supreme Court in MP Sharma v. Satish Chandra (1954) and Kharak Singh v. Uttar Pradesh (1962) had declared that while in certain circumstances the privacy of individuals was to be protected, there was no constitutional right to privacy in and of itself.
- However, in Puttuswamy v India (2017) the Supreme Court accepted privacy as a fundamental right.
- This was an important development.
Rising importance of data
- The rising importance of data has pushed over 80 countries to pass national laws protecting the collection and use of their citizens’ data by companies and the government.
- The DPB will have huge commercial and political consequences for India.
- In India, the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 (DPB) is currently under consideration by a parliamentary committee.
- According to Ernst and Young, emerging technologies in India will create $1 trillion in economic value by 2025.
- Much of this value will be founded on the creation, use, and sale of data, and the DPB will have immense implications as firms scramble to meet new privacy regulations.
Conditions for access to data and issues
- The bill establishes a number of conditions for companies to follow.
- For one, it would require digital firms to obtain permission from users before collecting their data.
- It also declares that users who provide data are, in effect, the owners of their own data.
- So that the users will be able to control the data their online selves produce, and may request firms to delete it, just as European internet-users’ “right to be forgotten”.
- But the bill stipulates that critical or sensitive personal data, related to information such as religion, or to matters of national security, must be accessible to the government if needed to protect national interest.
- Critics have suggested that such open-ended access could lead to misuse.
- Even B N Srikrishna, who chaired the committee that drafted the original bill has also expressed concerns about this provision.
- Other major concern is about Data Protection Authority (DPA).
Concerns about Data Protection Authority
- The bill outlines the establishment of a Data Protection Authority (DPA).
- The DPA will be charged with managing data collected by the Aadhaar programme.
- It will be led by a chairperson and six committee members, appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a selection committee.
- But this selection committee will be composed of senior civil servants, raising questions about the board’s independence.
- The government’s power to appoint and remove members at its discretion also stokes fears about its ability to influence this independent agency.
- Unlike similar institutions, such as the Reserve Bank of India or the Securities and Exchange Board, the DPA will not have an independent expert or member of the judiciary on its governing committee.
Consider the question “Discuss the various provision of Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 for the protection of individual’s privacy. What are the concerns over the various provisions of the Bill?”
Conclusion
The DPB is a unique opportunity for India, a country with some 740 million internet users, to forge a pathbreaking agenda that will act as a standard-setter in the still-developing field of national data protection legislation.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: STIP 2020
Mains level: india's endeavours in STI
The Department of Science and Technology has published the draft National Science Technology and Innovation Policy and has invited suggestions from the public.
Q.The STIP, 2020 contains radical and progressive proposals that could be game-changers for not just the scientific research community, but also for the way ordinary Indians interact with Science. Discuss.
STIP, 2020
Aim: To identify and address the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian STI ecosystem to catalyse socio-economic development of the country and also make the Indian STI ecosystem globally competitive.
The philosophy behind
- Unlike previous STI policies which were largely top-driven in the formulation, this policy follows core principles of being decentralized, evidence-informed, bottom-up, experts-driven, and inclusive.
- It aims to be dynamic, with a robust policy governance mechanism that includes periodic review, evaluation, feedback, adaptation and, most importantly, a timely exit strategy for policy instruments.
- The STIP will be guided by the vision of positioning India among the top three scientific superpowers in the decade to come; to attract, nurture, strengthen, and retain critical human capital through a people-centric STI ecosystem
The Open Science Framework
Open Science fosters more equitable participation in science through-
- Increased access to research output;
- Greater transparency and accountability in research; inclusiveness;
- Better resource utilization through minimal restrictions on reuse of research output and infrastructure and
- Ensuring a constant exchange of knowledge between the producers and users of knowledge
Inclusion principles
- The STIP proposes that at least 30 per cent representation be ensured for women in all decision-making bodies, as well as “spousal benefits” are provided to partners of scientists belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.
- Among the proposals in the policy is the removal of bars on married couples being employed in the same department or laboratory.
- As of now, married couples are not posted in the same department, leading to cases of loss of employment or forced transfers when colleagues decide to get married.
- The policy says that for age-related cut-offs in matters relating to the selection, promotion, awards or grants, the “academic age” and not the biological age would be considered.
Funding improvements
- At 0.6% of GDP, India’s gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) is quite low compared to other major economies that have a GERD-to-GDP ratio of 1.5% to 3%.
- This can be attributed to inadequate private sector investment (less than 40%) in R&D activities in India; in technologically advanced countries, the private sector contributes close to 70% of GERD.
- STIP has made some major recommendations in this regard, such as the expansion of the STI funding landscape at the central and state levels.
- It has enhanced incentivisation mechanisms for leveraging the private sector’s R&D participation through boosting financial support and fiscal incentives for industry.
Other key Proposals
- STIP will lead to the establishment of a National STI Observatory that will act as a central repository for all kinds of data related to and generated from the STI ecosystem.
- The “One nation, one subscription” policy to establish a system whereby all researchers in India can access research published in top international journals for no cost.
- All data used in and generated from public-funded research will be available to everyone (larger scientific community and public) under FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) terms.
- Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs) will be established, that bring together industries, MSMEs, startups, R&D institutions and HEIs with the government.
- Industry clusters will be encouraged and incentivized wherever necessary, to engage in collaborative R&D.
- Opportunities for foreign MNCs to invest in the country’s STI landscape will be strengthened and made more accessible.
- It proposes lateral entry of scientists up to 25 per cent of scientists in related ministries.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kalyana Chalukya Style of Architecture
Mains level: Temple Architecture of India
Karnataka CM has laid the foundation stone for the ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’ in Basavakalyan, the place where 12th-century poet-philosopher Basaveshwara lived for most of his life.
Vaishnavism and Shaivism are the two most profound strands of Bhakti Movement in Indian history. Enlist all the Bhakti Saints and their theistic philosophy and teachings. Try to spot the minute differences between them.
Who was Basaveshwara?
- Basaveshwara or Basavanna was an Indian 12th-century statesman, philosopher, a poet and Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focussed Bhakti movement and a social reformer in Karnataka.
- He lived during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.
- He was active during the rule of both dynasties but reached his peak of influence during the rule of King Bijjala II in Karnataka, India.
Founder of Lingayat cult
- The traditional legends and hagiographic texts state Basava to be the founder of the Lingayats.
- However, modern scholarship relying on historical evidence such as the Kalachuri inscriptions state that Basava was the poet-philosopher who revived, refined and energized an already existing tradition.
His Philosophy
- Basava’s Lingayat theology was a form of qualified nondualism, wherein the individual Atman (soul) is the body of God, and that there is no difference between Shiva and Atman (self, soul).
- Basava’s views find places in Vedanta school, in a form closer to the 11th-century Vishishtadvaita philosopher Ramanuja.
Famous works
- Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas.
- Basavanna rejected gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals but introduced Ishtalinga necklace, with an image of the Shiva Liṅga to every person regardless of his or her birth.
- As the chief minister of his kingdom, he introduced new public institutions such as the Anubhava Mantapa (or, the “hall of spiritual experience”) which welcomed men and women from all socio-economic backgrounds.
The New Anubhava Mantapa
- The New Anubhava Mantapa, as envisaged now, will be a six-floor structure in the midst of the 7.5-acre plot and represent various principles of Basaveshwara
- It will showcase the 12th Century Anubhava Mantapa (often referred to as the “first Parliament of the world”) established by him in Basavakalyan where philosophers and social reformers held debates.
- The building will adopt the Kalyana Chalukya style of architecture.
- The grand structure supported by 770 pillars will have an auditorium with a seating capacity of 770 people.
- It is believed that 770 Sharanas (followers of Basaveshwara) led the Vachana reformist movement in the 12th Century.
- The basement is designed for a Dasoha Bhavana (dining hall) where around 1,500 people eat together. On its top, the structure would have a Linga placed on a large pedestal.
- The project also envisages a state-of-the-art robotic system, open-air theatre, modern water conservation system, terrace garden, library, research centre, prayer hall, yoga centre and so on.
Back2Basics: Kalyana Chalukya Style of Architecture
- It is the distinctive style of ornamented architecture that evolved during the rule of the Western Chalukya Empire in the Tungabhadra region of modern central Karnataka.
- These monuments, regional variants of pre-existing Dravida (South Indian) temples, form a climax to the wider regional temple architecture tradition called Vesara or Karnata Dravida.
- They are either Ekakuta (one mandapa of one shrine) or Dvikuta (a common hall attached to two shrines).
- The style has characters of both the Northern as well as Dravidian temple architecture.
- This combination of both of these styles is known as Vesara Style, also Central Indian Style, which is represented by the Hoysala Temples.
- Most of the temples of the Western Chalukyas are dedicated to Shiva, some of them dedicated to Vishnu and Jain Tirthankars also.
Examples: Truketshwara Temple, Gadag; Kasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Dmitri Mendeleev, Periodic table
Mains level: NA
Mendeleev was a Russian chemist and inventor who formulated the Periodic Law and the Periodic Table of Elements.
Chemistry can, no wonder, find their place in exam if core Biology could do in 2020 CSP.
Q.Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the general difference between plant cells and animal cells?
- Plant cells have cellulose cell walls whilst animal cells do not.
- Plant cells do not have plasma membrane unlike animals cells which do
- Mature plant cell has one large vacuole whilst animal cell has many small vacuoles
Select the correct answer using the given code below-
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Dmitri Mendeleev
- Mendeleev was born in the Siberian town of Tobolsk.
- In 1861, Mendeleev published a textbook named Organic Chemistry, which won him the Demidov Prize of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
- While explaining the chemical and physical properties of elements, he discovered similarities in the progression of atomic weights.
- He found that the order of atomic weights could be used to arrange the elements within each group and the groups themselves.
- Thus, Mendeleev formulated the periodic law. His Osnovy khimii (The Principles of Chemistry) became a classic, running through many editions and many translations.
The Periodic Law
- Using the Periodic Law, Mendeleev developed a systematic table of all the 63 elements then known.
- He even predicted the locations of unknown elements together with their properties within the periodic table.
- When these predicted elements, notably gallium ( 1875), scandium (1879), and germanium (1886) were discovered, Mendeleev Periodic Table began to gain wide acceptance.
- Incidentally, in 1870, German chemist Julius Lothar Meyer also published a paper describing the same organisation of elements as Mendeleev’s. But the latter is given credit for the table.
- In all, Mendeleev predicted 10 new elements, of which all but two turned out to exist. Element 101 is named Mendelevium in his honour.
Also read:
Mendeleev and his periodic table of elements
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI)
Mains level: India's age-old population
The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare has released INDIA REPORT on Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) Wave-1.
Discuss various issues pertaining to old-age care in India.
Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI)
- LASI is a full–scale national survey of scientific investigation of the health, economic, and social determinants and consequences of population ageing in India.
- The LASI, Wave 1 covered a baseline sample of 72,250 individuals aged 45 and above till the oldest-old persons aged 75 and above from all States and UTs of India (excluding Sikkim).
- It is India’s first and the world’s largest ever survey that provides a longitudinal database for designing policies and programmes for the older population in the broad domains of social, health, and economic well-being.
- The evidence from LASI will be used to further strengthen and broaden the scope of National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly.
- It would also help in establishing a range of preventive and health care programmes for older population and most vulnerable among them.
Why need such survey?
- In 2011 census, the 60+ population accounted for 8.6% of India’s population, accounting for 103 million elderly people.
- Growing at around 3% annually, the number of elderly age population will rise to 319 million in 2050.
- 75% of the elderly people suffer from one or the other chronic disease.
- 40% of the elderly people have one or the other disability and 20% have issues related to mental health.
- This report will provide base for national and state level programmes and policies for elderly population.
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