Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ShaGun platform
Mains level: Paper 2- Technology based learning in India
The article suggests a policy formulation for future of the learning with the adoption of technology.
Learning crisis facing and finding solutions through technology
- India was facing a learning crisis, even before the Covid-19 pandemic, with one in two children lacking basic reading proficiency at the age of 10.
- The pandemic worsened it with the physical closure of 15.5 lakh schools that has affected more than 248 million students for over a year.
- With the Fourth Industrial Revolution — the imperative now is to reimagine education and align it with the unprecedented technological transformation.
- The pandemic offers a critical, yet stark reminder of the impending need to weave technology into education.
Is India prepared for integrating technology in learning?
- India’s new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020envisions the establishment of an autonomous body, the National Education Technology Forum (NETF).
- The NETF will spearhead efforts towards providing a strategic thrust to the deployment and use of technology.
- India is well-poised to take this leap forward with increasing access to tech-based infrastructure, electricity, and affordable internet connectivity.
- Flagship programmes such as Digital India and the Ministry of Education’s initiatives, including the Digital Infrastructure for School Education (DIKSHA), open-source learning platform and UDISE+ will help in this direction.
- However, we must remember that technology cannot substitute schools or replace teachers.
- It’s not “teachers versus technology”; the solution is in “teachers and technology”.
- In fact, tech solutions are impactful only when embraced and effectively leveraged by teachers.
Four key elements for ed-tech policy architecture
- A comprehensive ed-tech policy architecture must focus on four key elements:
- Access: Providing access to learning, especially to disadvantaged groups.
- Enable: Enabling processes of teaching, learning, and evaluation.
- Teacher training: Facilitating teacher training and continuous professional development.
- Governance: Improving governance systems including planning, management, and monitoring processes.
Ed-tech ecosystem in India
- With over 4,500 start-ups and a current valuation of around $700 million, the ed-tech market is geared for exponential growth.
- There are, in fact, several examples of grassroots innovation.
- The Hamara Vidhyalaya in Namsai district, Arunachal Pradesh, is fostering tech-based performance assessments.
- Assam’s online career guidance portal is strengthening school-to-work and higher-education transition for students in grades 9 to 12.
- Samarth in Gujarat is facilitating the online professional development of lakhs of teachers in collaboration with IIM-Ahmedabad.
- Jharkhand’s DigiSATH is spearheading behaviour change by establishing stronger parent-teacher-student linkages.
- Himachal Pradesh’s HarGhar Pathshala is providing digital education for children with special needs.
Way forward
1) Short term policy formulation
- In the immediate term, there must be a mechanism to thoroughly map the ed-tech landscape, especially their scale, reach, and impact.
- The policy formulation and planning process must strive to:
- 1) Enable convergence across schemes– education, skills, digital governance, and finance.
- 2) Foster integration of solutions through public-private partnerships, factor in voices of all stakeholders.
- 3) Bolster cooperative federalism across all levels of government.
- Special attention must be paid to address the digital divide at two levels: access and skills.
- Thematic areas of the policy should feature infrastructure and connectivity; high-quality software and content; and global standards for outcome-based evaluation, real-time assessments, and systems monitoring.
2) Long-term policy measures
- In the longer term, as policy translates to practice at local levels a repository of the best-in-class technology solutions, good practices and lessons from successful implementation must be curated.
- The NITI Aayog’s India Knowledge Hub and the Ministry of Education’s DIKSHA and ShaGun platforms can facilitate and amplify such learning.
Conclusion
With NEP 2020 having set the ball rolling, a transformative ed-tech policy architecture is the need of the hour to effectively maximise student learning.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UAPA
Mains level: Paper 2- Misuse of anti-terror laws
The recent Delhi High Court order granting bail to the student activists charged with the UAPA has brought into focus the issue of misuse of anti-terror laws by the policy. The article deals with this issue.
Misuse of anti-terror laws
- In the period 2015-2019, as many as 7,840 persons were arrested under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) 1967 but only 155 were convicted by the trial courts.
- Under TADA, till 1994, though 67,000 people were detained, just 725 were convicted in spite of confessions made to police officers being made admissible.
- In Kartar Singh (1994), the Supreme Court of India had observed that in many cases, the prosecution had unjustifiably invoked provisions of TADA.
- It added that such an invocation of TADA was ‘nothing but the sheer misuse and abuse of the Act by the police’.
The definition of terrorism
- There is no universal definition of the term ‘terrorism’ either in India or at the international level.
- Accordingly, neither TADA nor UAPA has a definition of the crucial terms ‘terror’ and ‘terrorism’.
- Section 15 of UAPA merely defines a terrorist act in extremely wide and vague words: ‘as any act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security, or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people….’.
- In Yaqoob Abdul Razzak Memon (2013), the Supreme Court said that terrorist acts can range from threats to actual assassinations, kidnappings, airline hijacking, car bombs, explosions, mailing of dangerous materials, use of chemical, biological, nuclear weapons etc.
- In Hitendra Vishnu Thakur (1994), the Supreme Court had defined terrorism as the ‘use of violence when its most important result is not merely the physical and mental damage of the victim but the prolonged psychological effect it produces … on the society as a whole’.
- In Kartar Singh (1994), the Supreme Court held that a mere disturbance of public order that disturbs even the tempo of the life of community of any particular locality is not a terrorist act.
- By this interpretation, the CAA protests in a few localities of Delhi cannot be termed as terrorist activity.
- In the PUCL judgment (2003), the Supreme Court included within its meaning amongst other things the ‘razing of constitutional principles that we hold dear’, ‘tearing apart of the secular fabric’ and ‘promotion of prejudice and bigotry.
- Accordingly, in the CAA protest case the Delhi High Court concluded that since the definition of a ‘terrorist act’ in UAPA is wide and somewhat vague, it cannot be casually applied to ordinary conventional crimes.
- The Delhi High Court said that the act of the accused must reflect the essential character of terrorism.
Distinction between ‘law and order’, ‘public order’ and ‘security of state’
- In Ram Manohar Lohia (1966), the Supreme Court explained the distinction between the above three terms.
- Law and order represents the largest circle within which is the next circle representing ‘public order’, and the smallest circle represents the ‘security of state’.
- Accordingly, an act may affect ‘law and order’ but not ‘public order’.
- Similarly, an act may adversely affect ‘public order’ but not the ‘security of state.’
- In most UAPA cases, the police have failed to understand these distinctions and unnecessarily clamped UAPA charges for simple violations of law and order.
Conclusion
Radicalisation generally succeeds only with those who have been subjected to real or perceived injustices. Let us remove injustice to combat terrorism. The creation of a truly just, egalitarian and non-oppressive society would be far more effective in combating terrorism.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Testing the constitutionality of section 124A
The article highlights the issues with section 124A of the Indian Penal Code and suggests a review of its constitutionality in Kedar Nath judgement by a larger bench.
About section 124A of IPC
- Section 124A of the IPC contains the law of sedition.
- This law was enacted by the British colonial government in 1870 with the sole object of suppressing all voices of Indians critical of the government.
- The gist of the offence is: bringing or attempting to bring the government into contempt or hatred, or exciting or attempting to excite disaffection towards the government.
- It categorises four ways sources of seditious acts: spoken words, written words, signs or visible representations.
- There are three explanations attached to this section.
- The first explanation says that ‘disaffection’ includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity.
- The second and third explanations say that one can comment on the measures of the government without bringing or attempting to bring it into contempt or hatred or exciting or attempting to excite disaffection towards the government.
What did Supreme Court say in Kedar Nath case (1962)
- In the ultimate analysis, the judgment in Kedar Nath which read down Section 124A and held that without incitement to violence or rebellion there is no sedition.
- It says that ‘only when the words written or spoken etc. which have the pernicious tendency or intention of creating public disorder’ the law steps in.
- So if a policeman thinks that a cartoon has the pernicious tendency to create public disorder, he will arrest that cartoonist.
- The Kedar Nath judgment makes it possible for the law enforcement machinery to easily take away the fundamental right of citizens.
Violation of Article 19
- Sedition, as defined in Section 124A of the IPC, clearly violates Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution which confers the Fundamental Right of freedom of speech and expression.
- Further, this section does not get protection under Article 19(2) on the ground of reasonable restriction.
- However, the Supreme Court invoked the words ‘in the interest … of public order’ used in Article 19(2) and held that the offence of sedition arises when seditious utterances can lead to disorder or violence.
- This act of reading down Section 124A brought it clearly under Article 19(2) and saved the law of sedition from being declared unconstitutional.
Consider the question “What are the issues with section 124A of Indian Penal Code? Examine the interplay between Article 19 and section 124 of IPC.”
Conclusion
People will display disaffection towards a government which has failed them. The law of sedition which penalises them for hating a government which does not serve them cannot exist because it violates Article 19(1)(a) and is not protected by Article 19(2). Therefore, an urgent review of the Kedar Nath judgement by a larger Bench has become necessary.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ONORC
Mains level: Benefits of ONORC for Migrants
The Supreme Court directed all states and UTs to implement the One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) system, which allows for inter-and intra-state portability, by July 31.
ONORC Scheme
- The ONORC scheme is aimed at enabling migrant workers and their family members to buy subsidized ration from any fair price shop anywhere in the country under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
- For instance, a migrant worker from will be able to access PDS benefits elsewhere in India, where he or she may have gone in search of work.
- While the person can buy food grains as per his or her entitlement under the NFSA at the place where he or she is based, members of his or her family can still go to their ration dealer back home.
- To promote this reform in the archaic Public Distribution System (PDS), the government has provided incentives to states.
How does ONORC work?
- ONORC is based on technology that involves details of beneficiaries’ ration card, Aadhaar number, and electronic Points of Sale (ePoS).
- The system identifies a beneficiary through biometric authentication on ePoS devices at fair price shops.
- The system runs with the support of two portals —Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) (impds.nic.in) and Annavitran (annavitran.nic.in), which host all the relevant data.
- When a ration card holder goes to a fair price shop, he or she identifies himself or herself through biometric authentication on ePoS, which is matched real time with details on the Annavitaran portal.
- Once the ration card details are verified, the dealer hands out the beneficiary’s entitlements.
- While the Annavitaran portal maintains a record of intra-state transactions — inter-district and intra-district — the IM-PDS portal records the inter-state transactions.
How many people will it benefit?
- Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, about 81 crore people are entitled to buy subsidised foodgrains — rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg, and coarse grains at Re 1/kg – from designated fair price shops.
- As on 28 June 2021, there are about 5.46 lakh fair price shops and 23.63 crore ration cardholders across the country.
- Each NFSA ration cardholder is assigned to a fair price shop near the place where his ration card is registered.
What factors led to the launch of ONORC?
- Earlier, NFSA beneficiaries were not able to access their PDS benefits outside the jurisdiction of the specific fair price shop to which they have been assigned.
- The government envisioned the ONORC to give them access to benefits from any fair price shop.
- The idea was to reform the PDS, which has been historically marred by inefficiency and leakages.
- ONORC was initially launched as an inter-state pilot.
- When the Covid-19 pandemic forced thousands of migrant workers to return to their villages last year, a need was felt to expedite the rollout.
What has been the coverage so far?
- Till date, 32 states and Union Territories have joined the ONORC, covering about 69 crore NFSA beneficiaries.
- About 1.35 crore portability transactions every month are being recorded under ONORC on an average.
- While inter-state ration card portability is available in 32 states, the number of such transactions is much lower than that of intra-district and inter-district transactions.
States not joining
- Four states are yet to join the scheme — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and West Bengal. There are various reasons.
- For instance, Delhi is yet to start the use of ePoS in fair price shops, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of ONORC.
- In the case of West Bengal, the state government has demanded that the non-NFSA ration cardholders — ration cards issued by the state government — should also be covered under the ONORC.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: India's healthcare system and its limitations
NITI Aayog has released a comprehensive study on the not-for-profit hospital model in the country, in a step towards closing the information gap on such institutions and facilitating robust policymaking in this area.
‘Not-for-Profit’ hospitals
- The “Not-for-Profit” Hospital Sector has the reputation of providing affordable and accessible healthcare for many years.
- This sector provides not only curative healthcare, but also preventive healthcare, and links healthcare with social reform, community engagement, and education.
- They utilize the resources and grants provided to them by the Government to provide cost-effective healthcare to the population without being overly concerned about profits.
- However, this sector remains largely understudied, with a lack of awareness about its services in the public domain.
Significance for India
- As per the NITI Aayog’s report, the not-for-profit hospitals account for only 1.1% of treated ailments as of June 2018.
- The report further revealed that for-profit hospitals account for 55.3% of in-patients, while not-for-profit hospitals account for only 2.7% of in-patients in the country.
- The cumulative cost of care at not-for-profit hospitals is lesser than for-profit hospitals by about one-fourth in the in-patient department.
- This is reckoned by the package component of cost, which is approximately 20% lower, the doctor’s or surgeon’s charges, which are approximately 36% lower and the major aspect being the bed charges, which are approximately 44% lower than the for-profit hospitals.
NITI Aayog’s approach
- Categorization of the prominent not-for-profit hospitals based on the premise of services and their ownership
- Understanding the business model of the hospitals i.e. the financial viability, and their dependence on donations and grants
- Understanding the challenges faced by these hospitals
- Formulation of recommendations for policy interventions to promote the sector
Categories of such hospitals
Using the above-mentioned approach and secondary research, the following four categories were defined for the not-for-profit hospitals:
- Faith-based Hospitals
- Community-based Hospitals
- Cooperative Hospitals
- Private Trust Hospitals
Why need such hospitals?
- There has been relatively low investment in the expansion of the health sector in the private domain.
- The not-for-profit hospital sector provides not only curative but also preventive healthcare.
- It links healthcare with social reform, community engagement, and education.
- It uses government resources and grants to provide cost-effective healthcare to people without being concerned about profits.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Glacial Lake Atlas
Mains level: Not Much
The Ministry of Jal Shakti has released the Glacial Lake Atlas of Ganga Basin.
Glacial Lake Atlas
- The atlas is based on the inventoried glacial lakes in part of the Ganga River basin from its origin to the foothills of the Himalayas covering a catchment area of 2,47,109 sq. km.
- The study portion of the Ganga River basin covers part of India and the transboundary region.
- The Atlas is available on National Hydrology Project or NHP-Bhuvan Portal.
- It can be used by water resources professionals, researchers, disaster management authorities and other stakeholders for managing the glacial lakes as well as to mitigate the possible adverse impacts of GLOF and climate change.
Expected utility of the atlas is:
- The atlas provides a comprehensive and systematic glacial lake database for Ganga River basin with size > 0.25 ha
- In the context of climate change impact analysis, the atlas can be used as reference data for carrying out change analysis, both with respect to historical and future time periods
- The atlas also provides authentic database for regular or periodic monitoring changes in spatial extent (expansion/shrinkage), and formation of new lakes
- The atlas can also be used in conjunction with glacier information for their retreat and climate impact studies.
- The information on glacial lakes like their type, hydrological, topographical, and associated glaciers are useful in identifying the potential critical glacial lakes and consequent GLOF risk.
- Central and State Disaster Management Authorities can make use of the atlas for disaster mitigation planning and related program.
Answer this PYQ in the comment box:
Q.Consider the following Pairs :
Glacier: River
- Bandarpunch : Yamuna
- Bara Shigri : Chenab
- Milam : Mandakini
- Siachen : Nubra
- Zemu : Manas
Which of the following pairs given above are correctly matched? (CSP 2019)
(a) 1,2 and 4
(b) 1,3 and 4
(c) 2 and 5
(d) 3 and 5
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NATRAX
Mains level: Auto sector updates
Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises has inaugurated the 11.3 km NATRAX- the High-Speed Track (HST) in Indore which is the longest such track in Asia.
NATRAX
- NATRAX, developed in an area of 1000 acres of land is a one-stop solution for all sorts of high-speed performance tests for the widest categories of vehicles from 2 wheelers to heavy tractor-trailers.
- It has multiple test capabilities like measurements of maximum speed, acceleration, constant speed fuel consumption.
- It can conduct emission tests through real road driving simulation, high-speed handling and stability evaluation during manoeuvred such as lane change, high-speed durability testing, etc.
- Also, it is a Centre of excellence for Vehicle Dynamics.
Features of the HST
- The vehicle can achieve a max speed of 375 Kmph on curves with steering control and it has less banking on ovals making it also one of the safest test tracks globally.
- It is the one-stop solution for all sorts of high-speed performance tests, being one of the largest in the world.
- It can cater to the widest category of vehicles; say from two-wheelers to the heaviest tractor trailers
Its significance
- HST is used for measuring the maximum speed capability of high-end cars like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Tesla and so forth which cannot be measured on any of the Indian test tracks.
- Being centrally located in Madhya Pradesh, it is accessible to most of the major OEMs.
- Foreign OEMs will be looking at NATRAX HST for the development of prototype cars for Indian conditions.
- At present, foreign OEMs go to their respective high-speed track abroad for high-speed test requirements.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PMFME Scheme
Mains level: Not Much
The centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan marks the completion of its one year.
PMFME Scheme
- The PMFME Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry.
- It aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and promote formalization of the sector,
- It further aims to promote formalization of the sector and provide support to Farmer Producer Organizations, Self Help Groups, and Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain.
- The scheme envisions to directly assist the 2,00,000 micro food processing units for providing financial, technical, and business support for upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises.
Major component of the scheme
One District One Product
- Under the One District One Product (ODOP) component of the PMFME Scheme, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries approved ODOP for 137 unique products.
- The GIS ODOP digital map of India has been launched to provide details of ODOP products of all the States and UTs.
- The digital map also has indicators for Tribal, SC, ST, and aspirational districts.
- It will enable stakeholders to make concerted efforts for its value chain development.
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Doubts are often raised on the ability of CAPF whenever it suffers a setback. It is also suggested that ex-servicemen from the Army should be inducted into the CAPF. The article argues against such suggestions.
Experience of CAPF
- The allegations that CAPF personnel are not well-trained falls flat when we look into the history of these paramilitary forces.
- Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were in the battlefront in the 1971 India-Pakistan war and won medals.
- As part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, CRPF personnel fought the militants there.
- In 1965, at Sardar Post in the Raan of Kutch, a small contingent of CRPF repulsed a Brigade strength attack of the Pakistan Army.
- In Punjab, it was the CRPF alongside the Punjab Police that brought the situation under control.
- Credit for peace and tranquillity in the north-eastern States goes in large measure to the CAPF personnel.
Will appointing Army officials as advisers help?
- The Army has never fought against the Maoists.
- It is absurd to appoint Army officials as advisers for anti-Maoist operations in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- What sort of advice can they be expected to render to the experts of the CAPFs in the field who have spent a major part of their lives combating insurgents and extremists?
Versatile force
- The Greyhounds, a specialised commando outfit of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, was able to inflict heavy casualties on Maoists forcing them to migrate to neighbouring States.
- The elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) has played a stellar role in killing some top Maoist leaders and continue to be dreaded by the Maoists.
- The CAPFs have well-established training centres across the country with instructors of high calibre.
Conclusion
The fact that they are able to tackle terrorism in Kashmir, fight the Maoists in left wing extremism-affected States, combat insurgency in the Northeast, ensure smooth conduct of elections and control riots across the country speaks volumes about their versatility .
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Privatisation of PSUs
The article suggests the privatisation of public sector enterprises by analysing their performance and devising strategy for privatisation accordingingly.
Three categories of public sector enterprises
1) Sick for long time and beyond redemption
- There is the category of enterprises which have been sick for a long time.
- Their technology, plants and machinery are obsolete.
- They should be closed, and assets sold.
- The labour in these enterprises have had a political constituency which has prevented closure.
What should be done with these enterprises?
- The Government should close these in a time-bound manner with a generous handshake for labour.
- After selling machinery as scrap, there would be valuable land left.
- Prudent disposal of these plots of lands in small amounts would yield large incomes in the coming years.
- All this would need the creation of dedicated efficient capacity as the task is huge and challenging.
- These enterprises may be taken away from their parent line Ministries and brought under one holding company.
- This holding company should have the sole mandate of speedy liquidation and asset sale.
2) Financially troubled but can be turned around
- Private management through privatisation or induction of a strategic partner is the best way to restore value of these enterprises.
- Air India and the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) hotels are good examples.
What should be done with these enterprises?
- Air India should ideally be made debt free and a new management should have freedom permitted under the law in personnel management to get investor interest.
- As valuation rises, the Government could reduce its stake further and get more money.
- If well handled, significant revenues would flow to the Government.
3) Profitable enterprises
- Pragmatism instead of ideology should guide thinking about them.
- The Chinese chose to nurture their good state-owned enterprises as well as their private ones to succeed in the domestic and global markets by increasing their competitiveness in cost, quality, and technology.
- The Chinese chose to promote both their public as well as their private sector enterprises to rise.
- Both have made China the economic superpower that it is today.
What should be done with profitable enterprises?
- The Government can continue to reduce its shareholding by offloading shares and even reducing its stake to less than 51% while remaining the promoter and being in control.
- Calibrated divestment to get maximum value should be the goal instead of being target driven to get a lower fiscal deficit number to please rating agencies.
- In parallel, managements may be given longer and stabler tenures, greater flexibility to achieve outcomes, and more confidence to take well-considered commercial risks.
Challenges
- First, the number of Indian private firms which can buy out public sector firms are very few.
- Their limited financial and managerial resources would be better utilised in taking over the large number of private firms up for sale through the bankruptcy process.
- Then, these successful large corporates need to be encouraged to invest and grow both in brownfield and greenfield modes in the domestic as well as international markets.
- Sale at fair or lower than fair valuations to foreign entities, firms as well as funds, has adverse implications from the perspective of being ‘Atma Nirbhar’.
- Again, greenfield foreign investment is what India needs and not takeovers.
- Public sector enterprises provide for reservations in recruitment.
- With privatisation, this would end and unnecessarily generate social unrest.
Conclusion
Would it be in India’s interest to lose the strategic capacity that its ownership of public enterprises including financial ones provide it? It would be better to think carefully now.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Project Seabird
Mains level: Need for a naval base
Defence Minister has recently visited the Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka to inspect infrastructure development under Phase II of “Project Seabird”.
Project Seabird
- The largest naval infrastructure project for India, Project Seabird involves the creation of a naval base at Karwar on the west coast of India.
- INS Kadamba is an Indian Navy base located near Karwar in Karnataka.
- The first phase of construction of the base was code-named Project Seabird and was completed in 2005.
- INS Kadamba is currently the third-largest Indian naval base and is expected to become the largest naval base in the eastern hemisphere after the completion of expansion Phase IIB.
Why need such a base?
- During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, the Indian Navy faced security challenges for its Western Fleet in Mumbai Harbour due to congestion in the shipping lanes from commercial shipping traffic, fishing boats and tourists.
- At the end of the war, various options were considered on addressing these concerns
- Upon completion, it will provide the Indian Navy with its largest naval base on the west coast and also the largest naval base east of the Suez Canal.
- The Navy’s lone aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is based at Karwar.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Agni Missiles
Mains level: India's missile arsenal
A new generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-P (Prime) was successfully test-fired by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
Agni-Prime Missile
- Agni-P is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
- It is a canisterised missile with a range capability between 1,000 and 2,000 km.
- Many advanced technologies including composites, propulsion systems, innovative guidance and control mechanisms and state-of-the-art navigation systems have been introduced.
- The missile strengthens India’s credible deterrence capabilities.
What is the upgrade?
- Agni-P has improved parameters including manoeuvring and accuracy.
- Canisterisation of missiles reduces the time required to launch the missile while improving its storage and mobility.
What are Agni Missiles?
- Agni class of missiles are the mainstay of India’s nuclear launch capability which also includes the Prithvi short-range ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.
- The longest of the Agni series, Agni-V, an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of over 5,000 km, has already been tested several times and validated for induction.
An arsenal for peace
- In the last few years, India has also operationalized its submarine-based nuclear launch capability, completing the nuclear triad.
- This is especially important given India’s No-First-Use policy while reserving the right of massive retaliation if struck with nuclear weapons first.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Fertilizers
Mains level: Fertilizer subsidies in India
The Department of Fertilisers is ready with an Action Plan to make India Aatmanirbhar in Rock Phosphate, the key raw material of DAP and NPK Fertilizers.
What are Phosphatic Fertilizers?
- Phosphorus is the eleventh most abundant element on the earth. Commercial phosphate fertilizers are manufactured using phosphate rock.
- Approximately two-thirds of the world’s phosphate resources are derived from sedimentary and marine phosphate rock deposits.
- Ground rock phosphate has been used as a source of phosphorous for soils in the past.
- However, due to the low concentration of phosphorous in this native material, high transportation costs, and small crop responses, the usage of rock phosphate has reduced considerably in agriculture.
- On the other hand, the usage of phosphorous based fertilizers has grown significantly.
Which are the most common Ph fertilizers?
- The most commonly used phosphatic fertilizers are Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP), NPKs, and SSP.
- DAP is the world’s most widely used phosphorus fertilizer. It is popular due to its relatively high nutrient content and its excellent physical properties.
- DAP is an excellent source of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) for plant nutrition.
- It provides the correct proportion of phosphorous and nitrogen for the farming of grains such as wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables.
- NPKs, also called compound fertilizers, are fertilizers that contain all three nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in different proportions.
Also read
[pib] Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) for Phosphatic & Potassic (P&K) Fertilizers
Why need Phosphorus?
- Phosphorus is an essential nutrient required for plant growth. It helps in root development, plant maturation, and seed development.
- If soils are deficient in phosphorus, food production becomes restricted, unless the nutrient is added in the form of fertilizers.
- Hence, to increase food production, an adequate amount of phosphorus is required.
- Along with nitrogen and potassium, phosphorus is one of the most important elements for plant life.
- Soil gets depleted of phosphorus due to several reasons including being washed away by rain. Therefore, modern farming is reliant on the use of phosphorus-based fertilizers.
Consumption in India
- Rock Phosphate is the key raw material for DAP and NPK fertilisers and India is 90% dependent on imports.
- Volatility in international prices affects the domestic prices of fertilisers and hinders the progress and development of the agriculture sector in the country.
Answer this PYQ in the comment box:
Q.What are the advantages of fertigation in agriculture? (CSP 2020)
1.Controlling the alkalinity of irrigation water is possible.
2. Efficient application of Rock Phosphate and all other phosphatic fertilizers is possible.
3. Increased availability of nutrients to plants is possible.
4. Reduction in the leaching of chemical nutrients is possible.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1,2 and 4 only
(c) 1,3 and 4 only
(d) 2, 3 and 4 only
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Mains level: Literary movements during freedom struggle
The Prime Minister has paid homage to Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay on his birth anniversary.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1894)
- Chattopadhyay was a revolutionary novelist, poet and journalist.
- He was the composer of Vande Mataram, originally in Sanskrit, personifying India as a mother goddess and inspiring activists during the Indian Independence Movement.
- Chattopadhyay wrote fourteen novels and many serious, serio-comic, satirical, scientific and critical treatises in Bengali.
- He is known as Sahitya Samrat (Emperor of Literature) in Bengali.
His literary work
- Anandamath is a political novel that depicts a Sannyasi (Hindu ascetic) army fighting a British force. The book calls for the rise of Indian nationalism.
- The novel was also the source of the song Vande Mataram which, set to music by Rabindranath Tagore, was taken up by many Indian nationalists and is now the National Song of India.
- The plot of the novel is loosely set on the Sannyasi Rebellion.
- He imagined untrained Sannyasi soldiers fighting and defeated the highly experienced British Army; ultimately, however, he accepted that the British could not be defeated.
- The novel first appeared in serial form in Bangadarshan, the literary magazine that Chattopadhyay founded in 1872.
- Vande Mataram became prominent during the Swadeshi movement, which was sparked by Lord Curzon’s attempt to partition Bengal.
- Drawing from the Shakti tradition of Bengali Hindus, Chattopadhyay personified India as a Mother Goddess known as Bharat Mata, which gave the song a Hindu undertone.
Answer this PYQ in the comment box:
Which among the following event happened earliest? (CSP 2018)
(a) Swami Dayanand established Arya Samaj
(b) Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan
(c) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandmath
(d) Satyendranath Tagore became the first India to succeed in the Indian Civil Services Examination
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Fukuoka Prize
Mains level: Not Much
Noted journalist P. Sainath has been selected as one of the three recipients of the Fukuoka Prize for 2021.
Fukuoka Prize
- The Fukuoka Prize is given annually to distinguished people to foster and increase awareness of Asian cultures, and to create a broad framework of exchange and mutual learning among the Asian people.
- The Prize was established in 1990 by the city of Fukuoka in Japan and the Fukuoka City International Foundation.
- The Grand Prize has earlier been awarded to Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh, historian Romila Thapar, and sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan. Eleven Indians have received the Fukuoka Prize so far.
- 115 people from 28 countries and areas have received the Prize in the past 30 years.
Citation for the award
- In a statement issued Mr. Sainath was described as a “very deserving recipient of the Grand Prize of Fukuoka Prize”.
- The Secretariat noted his work for creating a new form of knowledge through his writings and commentaries on rural India and for “promoting civil cooperation”.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SDGs
Mains level: Paper 3- Climate change and its implications for hunger
The article suggests pathways to achieve SDG-2 by the adoption of climate-friendly agriculture practices.
Food and SDG
- Food is a common thread linking all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and critical to achieving overall goals within the timeframe.
- NITI Aayog recently released the SDG India Index 2020-21, highlighting the national and states’ progress on SDGs.
- The report states that 34.7% children aged under five in India are stunted.
- 40.5% of children between 6-59 months are anaemic.
- 50.3% of pregnant women between 15-49 years are anaemic.
- India shares a quarter of the global hunger burden.
- Four out of 10 children in India are not meeting their full human potential because of chronic undernutrition or stunting.
- NFHS-5 shows many states have not fared well on nutrition indicators.
- In addition to the malnutrition challenges, India’s food system faces negative consequences of the Green Revolution technologies.
Pathways to follow in meeting the targets under SDG-2 (Zero Hunger)
- Crop diversification especially in those areas where the existing practices are ecologically unsustainable should be promoted.
- While Indian agriculture is a significant contributor to GHG emissions.
- As per third Biennial Update Report submitted by Government of India to UNFCCC, agriculture sector contributes 14% of the total emissions.
- Some of the climate-smart interventions like conservation agriculture, organic farming and agro-ecological approaches can effectively address the environmental concerns while ensuring food security and nutrition.
- Crop-residue burning has become a huge problem in parts of the country.
- This is mainly propelled by monoculture and a package of subsidies.
- Conservation agriculture offers solutions to such problems with good agronomy and soil management such as zero-tillage or no-till farming, crop rotation, in-situ crop harvest residue management/mulching, etc, and industrial uses like baling and bio-fuel production.
- Use of botanical pesticides, green-manuring, biological pest control, etc. are nature-friendly and such practices lead to eco-conservation.
- The organic movement, fortunately, is catching up in Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and a few other states.
- Modifying consumer behaviour forms an essential ingredient to transform Indian food systems and correlate positively with crop and diet diversity.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan, India’s national nutrition mission, can play an effective role in addressing the issues of persistent malnutrition.
- According to FAO estimates, 40% of the food produced in India is either lost or wasted in every stage of supply chain.
- Winning the fight against food loss and waste can save India $61 billion in 2050 through increased industry profitability and reduced food insecurity, as well as reduced GHG emissions, water usage, and environmental degradation.
- Shifting towards a circular economy can enable India progress towards the SDGs including halving food waste by 2030 and improving resource efficiency.
Conclusion
India’s success is essential to achieve the planetary goal of Zero Hunger. There is a need for transformation towards sustainable, nutritious and resilient food systems to achieve the goal of zero hunger.
Source:-
https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/fighting-hunger-needs-fighting-climate-change/2279369/
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: India-Africa Forum Summit
Mains level: Paper 2- India's policy for African countries
The article deals with India’s strategy to deepen the ties with African nations and suggest a critical review of the implementation of India’s strategy.
Need for review of India’s foreign policy for Africa
- Africa is considered a foreign policy priority by India.
- Even as the COVID-19 era began in March 2020, New Delhi took new initiatives to assist Africa through prompt despatch of medicines and later vaccines.
- But now the policy implementation needs a critical review.
Four factors that explain need for a review of policy implementation
1) Declining trade
- Declining trade: Bilateral trade valued at $55.9 billion in 2020-21, fell by $10.8 billion compared to 2019-20, and $15.5 billion compared to the peak year of 2014-15.
- Decline in investment: India’s investments in Africa too saw a decrease from $3.2 billion in 2019-20 to $2.9 billion in 2020-21.
- The composition of the India-Africa trade has not changed much over the two decades.
- Mineral fuels and oils, (essentially crude oil) and pearls, precious or semi-precious stones are the top two imports accounting for over 77% of our imports from Africa.
- India’s top five markets today are South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and Togo.
- The countries from which India imports the most are South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Angola and Guinea.
2) Covid impact
- COVID-19 has brought misery to Africa.
- As on June 24, 2021, Africa registered 5.2 million infections and 1,37,855 deaths.
- A recent World Health Organization survey revealed that 41 African countries had fewer than 2,000 working ventilators among them.
- Despite these shortcomings, Africa has not done so badly.
- Sadly though, with much of the world caught up in coping with the novel coronavirus pandemic’s ill effects, flows of assistance and investment to Africa have decreased.
- While China has successfully used the pandemic to expand its footprint by increasing the outflow of its vaccines.
- Unfortunately India’s ‘vax diplomacy’ has suffered a setback.
3) Global competition for influence
- Africa experienced a sharpened international competition, known as ‘the third scramble’, in the first two decades of the 21st century.
- A dozen nations from the Americas, Europe and Asia have striven to assist Africa in resolving the continent’s political and social challenge.
- These nations, in turn, stand to benefit from Africa’s markets, minerals, hydrocarbons and oceanic resources, and thereby to expand their geopolitical influence.
4) Geopolitical tensions in Asia
- Geopolitical tensions in Asia and the imperative to consolidate its position in the Indo-Pacific region have compelled New Delhi to concentrate on its ties with the United Kingdom, the EU, and the Quad powers, particularly the U.S.
- Consequently, the attention normally paid to Africa lost out.
- This must now change.
Way forward for India-Africa relation
- For mutual benefit, Africa and India should remain optimally engaged.
- The third India-Africa Forum Summit was held in 2015.
- The fourth summit, pending since last year, should be held as soon as possible, even if in a virtual format.
- Fresh financial resources for grants and concessional loans to Africa must be allocated, as previous allocations stand almost fully exhausted.
- The promotion of economic relations demands a higher priority.
- Industry representatives should be consulted about their grievances and challenges in the COVID-19 era.
- To impart a 21st-century complexion to the partnership, developing and deepening collaborations in health, space and digital technologies is essential.
- India should continue its role in peacekeeping in Africa, in lending support to African counter-terrorism operations, and contributing to African institutions through training and capacity-enhancing assistance.
- To overcome the China challenge in Africa, increased cooperation between India and its international allies, rates priority.
- The recent India-EU Summit has identified Africa as a region where a partnership-based approach will be followed.
- When the first in-person summit of the Quad powers is held in Washington, a robust partnership plan for Africa should be announced.
Conclusion
India should review the policy implementation and make changes in line with the changing geopolitical realities.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Article 15
Mains level: Paper 2- Rights of sexual minority
The article highlights the plight of sexual minorities despite the landmark judgments by the Supreme Court.
Role played by the judiciary
- The Delhi High Court’s verdict in Naz Foundation vs Government of NCT of Delhi (2009) was a landmark in the law of sexuality and equality jurisprudence in India.
- The court held that Section 377 offended the guarantee of equality enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution, because it creates an unreasonable classification and targets homosexuals as a class.
- In a retrograde step, the Supreme Court, in Suresh Kumar Koushal vs Naz Foundation (2013), reinstated Section 377 to the IPC.
- However, the Supreme Court in Navtej Singh Johar & Ors. vs Union of India (2018) declared that the application of Section 377 IPC to consensual homosexual behaviour was “unconstitutional”.
- This Supreme Court judgment has been a great victory to the Indian individual in his quest for identity and dignity.
- It also underscored the doctrine of progressive realisation of rights.
No legal sanction to same-sex marriage
- Despite the judgments of the Supreme Court, there is still a lot of discrimination against sexual minorities in matters of employment, health and personal relationship.
- The Union of India has recently opposed any move to accord legal sanction to same-sex marriages in India.
- The Union of India stated that the decriminalisation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code does not automatically translate into a fundamental right for same sex couples to marry.
- The U.S. Supreme Court, in Obergefell vs Hodges (2015) underscored the emotional and social value of the institution of marriage and asserted that the universal human right of marriage should not be denied to a same-sex couple.
- Indian society and the state should synchronise themselves with changing trends.
Need to amend Article 15 to prohibit discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation
- Article 15 secures the citizens from every sort of discrimination by the state, on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth or any of them.
- The grounds of non-discrimination should be expanded by including gender and sexual orientation.
- In May 1996, South Africa became the first country to constitutionally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
- The United Kingdom passed the “Alan Turing law” in 2017 which ‘granted amnesty and pardon to the men who were cautioned or convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts’.
Way forward
- Justice Rohinton F. Nariman had directed in Navtej Singh Johar & Ors., the Government to sensitise the general public and officials, to reduce and finally eliminate the stigma associated with LGBTQ+ community through the mass media and the official channels.
- School and university students too should be sensitised about the diversity of sexuality to deconstruct the myth of heteronormativity.
- Heteronormativity is the root cause of hetero-sexism and homophobia.
Conclusion
It is time for change, but the burden should not be left to the powers that be. The onus remains with the civil society, the citizenry concerned and the LGBTQ+ community itself.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Vaccine hesitancy
In rural India, concerns about COVID-19 vaccines are now increasingly commonplace.
Vaccination dilemma these days
- People voice their concern about what will happen to them if they get vaccinated and have doubts that the government is sending inferior quality vaccines to them.
- Vaccination sessions in local health centers often see very few or no takers.
- In contrast, urban vaccination sites face increased demand, especially in the 18-45 age group, and vaccine shortage is a major issue.
- From a public health and equity perspective, this is a cause for worry.
Why this failure?
- The fear of vaccines and rural communities not only resisting but also outright rejecting vaccination is a reality.
- Efforts by local health authorities to create awareness and convince people are of little avail.
- There are contrasting dimensions to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout: one where people are enthusiastically accepting it and the other of resistance.
- There are many diverse factors at play in this, which may go beyond the health concerns and have more to do with socio-anthropological aspects of health-seeking behavior.
Vaccine hesitancy
- Vaccine hesitancy refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services.
- It is complex and context-specific varying across time, place, and vaccines.
- It is influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience, and confidence.
Its scope
- Vaccine hesitancy is not a recent phenomenon. It is neither limited to a particular community or country nor have we seen it only in the context of COVID-19.
- We have also seen vaccine hesitancy among the urban and the more educated or ‘aware’ populations, with pockets of populations of socio-economically well-off communities refusing to get their kids vaccinated.
- While vaccine hesitancy can lead to a firm rejection of vaccines, there’s also a possibility of people changing their perceptions over time.
Socio-cultural context behind
- Most of our fears and apprehensions stem from a deep impact of something adverse or unfavorable that we have personally experienced or our social circles have experienced.
- Over time these become our beliefs, our innate guards.
- In the context of the concerns described at the beginning of this article, we must look at vaccine hesitancy from a distinct lens of fear and not necessarily skepticism for new vaccines.
- Rather, they seem to indicate deep-seated fears and belief in conspiracies, the fear of perhaps being discriminated and deceived, and of being omitted (from societal benefits).
Building trust
- Communities might not see the impact of a vaccine instantly, as it’s usually preventive in nature rather than curative.
- People are used to taking medications or intravenous fluids when they are unwell or in pain, and they may feel better almost immediately, but that’s not the case with vaccines.
- On the contrary, vaccines administered to a healthy person may lead to occasional side effects like fever, body aches, etc.
- Add to those rumors about deaths post-vaccination, and it may not be so easy for people to get convinced about the vaccines.
Way ahead
- Addressing vaccine hesitancy in rural India would first of all require health systems to be honest and transparent.
- Create awareness, let people know how vaccines work, how they help prevent disease, what are the probable side effects and how they can be managed.
- Health authorities need to be comfortable about people raising questions while providing the answers as best as possible.
- Being cognizant of local cultural sensitivities and working with trusted intermediaries is important in this effort.
- Sustained and meaningful efforts need to be made to build trust, gain the confidence of communities and meet their expectations.
- Even more crucial is to engage communities in planning, execution, and monitoring of health care services at all levels.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Mains level: GoI-Twitter row
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology was locked out of his Twitter account for an hour allegedly over a notice received for violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Why such a move by Twitter?
- The DMCA oversees the implementation of two 1996 treaties signed by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) member nations.
What is the DMCA?
- The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, is a 1998 law passed in the US and is among the world’s first laws recognizing intellectual property on the internet.
- The law oversees the implementation of the two treaties signed and agreed upon by member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1996.
- WIPO members had then agreed upon two treaties, namely the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
- The said protection, accorded by each member state, must not be any less in any way than the one being given to a domestic copyright holder.
- Further, it also obligates those signatories to the treaty to ensure ways to prevent circumvention of the technical measures used to protect copyrighted work.
- It also provides the necessary international legal protection to digital content.
What is WIPO and how does it ensure the protection of content on the internet?
- The rapid commercialization of the internet in the late 1990s started with static advertisement panels being displayed on the internet.
- It became important for website owners to get the user to spend more time on their webpage.
- For this, fresh content was generated by creators and shared over the Internet.
- The problem started when the content would be copied by unscrupulous websites or users, who did not generate content on their own.
- Further, as the Internet expanded worldwide, websites from countries other than the one where the content originated, also started to copy the unique content generated by the websites.
- To avoid this and bring to task the unauthorized copiers, the members of WIPO, which was established in 1967, also agreed to extend the copyright and intellectual property protection to digital content.
- As of date, 193 nations across the world, including India, are members of WIPO.
Who can generate a DMCA notice and how are they sent to companies or websites?
- Any content creator of any form, who believes that their original content has been copied by the user or a website without authorization can file an application citing their intellectual property has been stolen or violated.
- Users can either approach the website on which the content has been hosted, or third-party service providers like DMCA.com, which utilize a team of experts to help take down the stolen content for a small fee.
- In the case of social media intermediaries like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, content creators can directly approach the platform with proof of them being original creators.
- Since these companies operate in nations that are signatories to the WIPO treaty, they are obligated to remove the said content if they receive a valid and legal DMCA takedown notice.
- Platforms, however, also give the other users against whom allegations of content cheating have been made, a chance to reply to the DMCA notice by filing a counter-notice.
- The platform shall then decide which party is telling the truth and shall accordingly, either restore the content or keep it hidden.
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