Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CERT-In
Mains level: Paper 3- Critical information infrastructure protection
The article underscores the threat of cyberattacks on the critical infrastructure and also suggests the steps to be taken to secure these infrastructures.
Cyberattack on the power grid
- On October 12 last year, Mumbai plunged into darkness as the electric grid supply to the city failed.
- Recently, a study by Massachusetts-based Recorded Future, said that the Mumbai power outage could have been a cyberattack aimed at critical infrastructure.
- It was carried out by the state-sponsored group Red Echo.
- As recently as in February, the Centre’s nodal agency National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) had reported concerted attempts by Red Echo to hack the critical grid network.
- CERT-In, is reported to have detected the ShadowPad malware in one of the largest supply chain attacks a month after the Mumbai outage.
- Many of the suspected IP addresses identified by NCIIPC and CERT-In were the same and most have been blocked in time.
- The Chinese focus in the past was stealing information and not projecting power, but the situation with India might be different.
Why critical infrastructures are so vulnerable
- As many of these critical infrastructures were never designed keeping security in mind and always focused on productivity and reliability, their vulnerability is more evident today.
- With devices getting more interconnected and dependent on the internet facilitating remote access during a pandemic, the security of cyber-physical systems has, indeed, become a major challenge for utility companies.
Critical information infrastructure protection
- For more than a decade, there have been concerns about critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP).
- In January 2014, the NCIIPC was notified to be the national nodal agency for CIIP and over these years has been working closely with the various agencies.
- In January 2019, the government also announced a National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), with a budget of Rs 3,660 crore for the next five years, to strengthen the sector.
Way forward
- Most ministries and departments need better budget allocations for cybersecurity as well as a more robust infrastructure, processes and audit system.
- The Industrial Cybersecurity Standards (IEC62443) launched by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), has to be adopted soon.
- For the power sector, a strong regulation on the lines of the North American Electric Reliability Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC) policy could serve as a guide.
Consider the question “Discuss the importance of critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP)? Also mention the steps taken by the government in this regard.”
Conclusion
Clearly, the incident is a wake-up call for better preparedness in terms of a more robust cyber security ecosystem in place. The new cyber security policy awaiting imminent announcement will hopefully cater to that.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Regulatory constraints faced by the farmers
Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) 2019, published by the World Bank highlights the constraints faced by farmers. The article highlights the key findings of the publication.
Constraints in carrying out farming activity
- Debates around the farm laws have brought to light the issue of developing a sound regulatory framework to promote India’s agricultural growth.
- The fact remains that farmers, mainly smallholders, across India continue to face various constraints.
- They include constraints in accessing agricultural inputs, markets, finance, human resources, and information, which are critical for increasing farmers’ competitiveness.
- A recent publication by the World Bank titled Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) 2019 measures the extent to which government regulatory systems in 101 countries worldwide make it easier for their farmers to operate agricultural activities.
- These indicators measure the strength of a country’s agricultural regulatory environment pertaining to market integration and entrepreneurship in agriculture.
- Among 101 countries covered, India ranked 49 on the EBA aggregate score.
Key takeaways from EBA for India
- India lags behind its close competitors in world agriculture, namely China, Brazil, and Russia.
- Compared to these three countries, India has the weakest performance on five out of eight indicators.
- They are registering fertilizer and machinery, securing water, sustaining livestock, and protecting plant health indicators.
- Registering fertilizer and machinery indicators measure domestic laws and regulations that provide farmers access to fertilizer and agricultural machinery.
- The regulatory processes that help farmers make appropriate decisions regarding the level of investment in irrigation are measured by securing water indicator.
- Sustaining livestock indicator captures the quality of regulations affecting farmers’ access to livestock farming inputs.
- The quality of legislation on phytosanitary standards (SPS) is captured through the protecting plant health indicator.
Need to develop a suitable regulatory system
- Governments can play a critical role in this regard by enacting laws and regulations.
- Such laws and regulations can influence farmers’ access to agricultural inputs, cost of production, agricultural markets and value chains, the competitiveness of farmers, and private investment in the farming sector.
- The regulatory system that governs irrigation management is essential for reducing the variability of farm output, prices, and incomes, minimising vulnerability to natural shocks, and incentivising the production of riskier and high returns crops.
- Gaining access to the global agricultural value chain requires a sound regulatory framework on SPS.
India’s strong areas
- The comparative score of India on supplying seed, trading food, and accessing finance indicators is high.
- Supplying seed indicator evaluates laws and regulations that ensure timely release of seed to farmers.
- The trading food indicator assesses laws and regulations that facilitate exporting of farm products by farmers.
- The regulatory framework on the use of warehouse receipts is assessed using accessing finance indicator.
- A robust warehouse receipts system enables the farmers to obtain the credit needed to invest in agriculture.
Opportunity for India
- The future of world agriculture and food production is expected to increasingly depend on middle-income countries such as China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia.
- To make the best use of this great opportunity, India needs to put in place an agricultural regulatory system that would make it easier for its farmers to conduct agricultural activities.
Consider the question “Farmers, mainly smallholders, across India continue to face various constraints in carrying out farming activities. What are the implications of such constraints? What role government can play in removing these constraints?”
Conclusion
The EBA project results reveal that, compared to its close competitors, the strength of India’s agricultural regulatory environment is weak on the whole and with respect to key performance indicators.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Quad
Mains level: Paper 2- Relevance of the Quad
As India deepens its engagement with the Quad, it must consider several aspects related to such engagement. The article deals with this issue.
Background of India’s engagement with Quad
- India’s engagement with the Quad goes back to China’s expanding footprint in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region over the last few years.
- China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative rang alarm bells in India as the projects were viewed as encroachments into India’s strategic space.
- The U.S.’s focus on the west Pacific due to aggressive Chinese maritime activity gradually pulled India into the ambit of the Indo-Pacific that views the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean as an integrated geopolitical space.
- Besides the U.S. navy, India expanded its maritime ties with other regional states, the most high-profile of the interactions being the Quad.
Core structural problems with Quad
- The Quad has a core structural problem as well in that it pivots around the U.S.
- The Quad riles China as a hostile grouping, but hardly serves the security interests of its members.
- The U.S. views China’s rise as a threat to the world order it has led since the Second World War.
- Despite rhetoric relating to the promotion of a ‘rules-based’ world order, the Quad neither shares a strategic vision nor is it animated by a shared agenda.
- This is obvious not only from its inability to deter China in the west Pacific, but also by its members’ anxiety to maintain close ties with China.
Implications for India
- By affiliating with the U.S.-led maritime coalition, India ignored the principal areas of its security concerns which is an undemarcated 3,500-km land border with China.
- From April 2020, Indian and Chinese forces had their latest border face-off in Ladakh, abruptly ending a long period of productive relations.
- In retrospect, this confrontation appears to be China’s sharp response to the steady shift in India’s regional posture in favour of an alignment with the U.S. and its allies against China.
- The stand-off at Ladakh has been a bitter experience for India: it has affirmed the limits of India-U.S. security ties, the folly of Indian involvement in the Quad.
- The stand-off has also underscored need to focus national attention and resources in areas of abiding interest for India — the border, the neighbours and the Indian Ocean.
Lessons for India
- Ladakh also offers some valuable lessons for India.
- One, the rebuilding of ties with China will have to be a priority concern.
- India need to dilute its focus on the Indo-Pacific and the Quad and accept that the borders and the Indian Ocean are where its crucial interests lie.
- Two, the Ladakh experience has highlighted certain deficiencies at home:
- It hardly needs reiteration that India’s capacities can only be built by a united people committed to the national cause.
- Finally, foreign policy cannot be a part-time concern of the national leadership; in terms of priority and attention, it should be on a par with domestic affairs.
Consider the question “Examine the factors that India should consider as it seeks to deepen its engagement in the Quad.”
Conclusion
As the global scenario gets more complex and India’s ambitions increase, a cohesive strategic vision would give substance and drive to India’s pursuit of its interests over the long term.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NSAP
Mains level: Various pension schemes in India
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has slammed the Centre’s meagre pension allocations under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).
What did the new report flag?
- The panel slammed the government’s laxity in raising the amount, pointing out the recommendations to increase the sums.
- It observed the meagre amount of assistance ranging from ₹200 to ₹500 per month under the different components of this Scheme.
- The panel also flagged delays and statewide disparities in the payment of wages and unemployment allowances under the flagship MGNREGA scheme.
NSAP
- NSAP is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the GoI that provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities in the form of social pensions.
- It was launched on 15th August 1995.
- The scheme represents a significant step towards the fulfilment of the Directive Principles in Article 41.
- Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement.
- For getting benefits under NSAP the applicant must belong to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family.
Check this PYQ from CSP 2012:
Q. Who among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)?
(a) Resident Indian citizens only
(b) Persons of age from 21 to 55 only
(c) All-State Government employees joining the services after the date of notification by the respective State Governments
(d) All Central Governments Employees including those of Armed Forces joining the services on or after 1st April 2004
Components of NSAP
- The NSAP at its inception in 1995 had three components namely
- National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS,
- National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and
- National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS).
- The NMBS was subsequently transferred on 1st April 2001 from the Ministry of Rural Development to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- On 1st April 2000, a new Scheme known as Annapurna Scheme was launched.
- In February 2009, two new Schemes are known as Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) were introduced.
Presently NSAP comprises of five schemes, namely –
- Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
- Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)
- Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS)
- National Family Benefit Scheme NFBS) and
- Annapurna
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NASA-ISRO SAR
Mains level: Read the attached story
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has completed the development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).
Note the key features of the Mission. Every statement has a unique information.
NASA-ISRO SAR
- NISAR is a joint collaboration for a dual-frequency L and S-band SAR for earth observation.
- NASA and Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO signed a partnership on September 30, 2014, to collaborate on and launch NISAR.
- The mission is targeted to launch in early 2022 from ISRO’s Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, about 100km north of Chennai.
- It is capable of producing extremely high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with NASA.
- It will be the first satellite mission to use two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface less than a centimetre across.
Objectives of the NISAR
- NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every six days for a baseline three-year mission.
- It will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces and ice masses, providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea-level rise and groundwater, and will support a host of other applications.
- It would also provide data on natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.
What are L and S Bands?
- L band waves are used for GPS units because they are able to penetrate clouds, fog, rain, storms, and vegetation.
- The S-band is used by airport surveillance radar for air traffic control, weather radar, surface ship radar, and some communications satellites, especially those used by NASA to communicate with the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.
- NISAR uses a sophisticated information-processing technique known as SAR to produce extremely high-resolution images.
- Radar penetrates clouds and darkness, enabling NISAR to collect data day and night in any weather.
What is collaboration?
- NASA is providing the mission’s L-band SAR, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem.
- ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services for the mission, whose goal is to make global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Revolution of Earth and other planets around the Sun
Mains level: NA
For us, 365 days make up a year because Earth takes as many days to complete one orbit of the Sun. But have you ever wondered how many days make up a year on other planets?
What determines the length of a year?
- The length of a year on any planet depends on where the planet is orbiting.
- Planets that are closer to the Sun than Earth will have fewer days in a year, while those rotating farther away will take many more days to make up a year.
- This is because of two reasons – planets that are closer to the Sun will take a shorter time to orbit it than those farther away, and the closer a planet orbits the Sun, the Sun’s gravity can pull on the planet, making the planet orbit faster.
Why should we care?
- To send a spacecraft to another planet, we need to know where the planet is in orbit.
- This will help us plan and manoeuvre the spacecraft accordingly.
How long each planet takes to orbit the Sun (in Earth days):
- Mercury: 88 days
- Venus: 225 days
- Earth: 365 days
- Mars: 687 days
- Jupiter: 4,333 days
- Saturn: 10,759 days
- Uranus: 30,687 days
- Neptune: 60,190 days
It’s a mean task to consider this PYQ from 2013, Huh!
Q.Which planet was downgraded to dwarf planet status?
(a) Pluto
(b) Mars
(c) Earth
(d) Venus
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Dandi March
Mains level: Civil Disobedience Movement
PM will flag off a commemorative ‘Dandi March’ on March 12 to launch the celebrations of the 75th year of Independence.
Dandi March
- The Dandi March was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi.
- The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March 1930 to 5 April 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly.
- Another reason for this march was that the Civil Disobedience Movement needed a strong inauguration that would inspire more people to follow Gandhi’s example.
- Growing numbers joined them along the way.
- When Gandhi broke the British Raj salt laws at 6:30 am on 6 April 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience against the salt laws by millions of Indians.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Who of the following organized a March on the Tanjore coast to break the Salt Law in April 1930?
(a) V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
(b) C. Rajagopalachari
(c) K. Kamaraj
(d) Annie Besant
Followed by Dharasana Satyagraha
- After making the salt at Dandi, Gandhi continued southward along the coast, making salt and addressing meetings on the way.
- The INC planned to stage a satyagraha at the Dharasana Salt Works, 40 km south of Dandi.
- However, Gandhi was arrested on the midnight of 4–5 May 1930, just days before the planned action at Dharasana.
- The Dandi March and the ensuing Dharasana Satyagraha drew worldwide attention to the Indian independence movement through extensive newspaper and newsreel coverage.
- The satyagraha against the salt tax continued for almost a year, ending with Gandhi’s release from jail and negotiations with Viceroy Lord Irwin at the Second Round Table Conference.
Its aftermath
- The March to Dandi had a significant influence on American activists Martin Luther King Jr., James Bevel, and others during the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans in the 1960s.
- The march was the most significant organised challenge to British authority since the Non-cooperation movement of 1920–22.
- It directly followed the Purna Swaraj declaration of sovereignty and self-rule by the Indian National Congress on 26 January 1930.
- It gained worldwide attention which gave impetus to the Indian independence movement and started the nationwide Civil Disobedience.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indigenious varities of rice mentioned
Mains level: Not Much
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has provided some useful information about some indigenous varieties of rice.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2018:
Q.With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India, consider the following statements:
- GM mustard has the genes of a soil bacterium that give the plant the property of pest-resistance to a wide variety of pests.
- GM mustard has the genes that allow the plant cross-pollination and hybridization.
- GM mustard has been developed jointly by the IARI and Punjab Agricultural University.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Indigenous varieties of rice
- Indigenous varieties of rice are being promoted through varieties of programmes.
- 574 indigenous varieties of rice have been propagated and tested at more than 10,000 farmers’ fields.
- Nutritional profiling of 300 selected rice varieties has been done for market linkage and better price to the farmers.
- Farmers are also being trained on conservation, improvement and use of traditional/ indigenous varieties through participatory variety selection.
- Further, for access to seeds of these indigenous varieties, community seed banks have been established.
Key varieties
- Lalat and Improved Lalat (GI value: 54) as Low GI
- Swarna, Sambha Mahsuri and Shaktiman (GI value <60) as intermediate GI have been identified
There is no certification for GI (Glycemic Index) in rice in India.
What is Glycemic Index (GI)?
- GI is a number from 0 to 100 assigned to food, with pure glucose arbitrarily given the value of 100, which represents the relative rise in the blood glucose level two hours after consuming that food.
- The GI of a specific food depends primarily on the quantity and type of carbohydrate it contains.
- But it is also affected by the amount of entrapment of the carbohydrate molecules within the food, the fat and protein content of the food, the number of organic acids (or their salts) in the food, and whether it is cooked and, if so, how it is cooked.
- A food is considered to have a low GI if it is 55 or less; high GI if 70 or more, and mid-range GI if 56 to 69.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: KUSUM Scheme
Mains level: Not Much
An Agri-voltaic system of 105 KW capacity has been developed by ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur.
Try this PYQ:
With reference to technologies for solar power production, consider the following statements:
- ‘Photovoltaics’ is a technology that generates electricity by direct conversion of light into electricity, while ‘Solar Thermal’ is a technology that utilizes the Sun’s rays to generate heat which is further used in electricity generation process.
- Photovoltaics generate Alternating Current (AC), while Solar Thermal generates Direct Current (DC).
- India has manufacturing base for Solar Thermal technology, but not for Photovoltaics.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None
Agriculture Voltage Technology
- This technology can increase the income of farmers by the generation of electricity and growing cash crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.
- Under component-I of the KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme, there is a provision for installation of the agri-voltaic system in farmers’ fields with a capacity ranging from 500 KW to 2 MW.
- Moreover, the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) has also documented 13 operational agri-voltaic systems in the country managed by different solar PV functionaries and public Institutes.
About KUSUM Scheme
- The scheme aims to provide extra income to farmers, by giving them an option to sell additional power to the grid through solar power projects set up on their barren lands.
- It was announced in the Union Budget 2018-19.
Component of KUSUM Scheme
The proposed scheme consists of three components:
Component-A
- Renewable power plants of capacity 500 KW to 2 MW will be set up by individual farmers/ cooperatives/panchayats /farmer producer organisations (FPO) on their barren or cultivable lands.
- The power generated will be purchased by the DISCOMs at Feed-in tariffs determined by respective SERC.
Component-B
- Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps.
- Individual farmers will be supported to install standalone solar pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP. Solar PV capacity in kW equal to the pump capacity in HP is allowed under the scheme.
Component-C
- Solarization of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps is included in this component,
- Individual farmers will be supported to solarise pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP.
- Solar PV capacity up to two times of pump capacity in kW is allowed under the scheme.
- The excess available energy will be sold to DISCOM.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SGG India Index
Mains level: Sustainable Development Goals
The third rendition of India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index will be launched by NITI Aayog today.
First launched in December 2018, the index has become the primary tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs in the country and has simultaneously fostered competition among the States and UTs.
SDG India Index
- The index measures the progress at the national and sub-national level in the country’s journey towards meeting the Global Goals and targets.
- It has been successful as an advocacy tool to propagate the messages of sustainability, resilience, and partnerships, as well.
- From covering 13 Goals, 39 targets, and 62 indicators in the first edition in 2018-19 to 17 Goals, 54 targets and 100 indicators in the second; this third edition of the index covers 17 Goals, 70 targets, and 115 indicators.
Aims and objectives
- The construction of the index and the ensuing methodology embodies the central objectives of measuring the performance of States and UTs on the SDGs and ranking them.
- It aims at supporting States and UTs in identifying areas which require more attention; and promoting healthy competition among them.
Methodology and Process
- The index estimation is based on data on indicators for the first 16 goals, with a qualitative assessment for Goal 17.
- The technical process of target setting and normalization of scores follow the globally established methodology.
- While target setting enables the measurement of the distance from the target for each indicator, the process of normalization of positive and negative indicators allows for comparability and estimation of goal wise scores.
- The composite score of a State is derived by assigning each goal the same weight, keeping in mind the indivisible nature of the 2030 Agenda.
- The selection of indicators is preceded by a consultative process undertaken in close coordination with MoSPI, Union Ministries and stakeholders from States and UTs.
Highlights of the 2021 Report
*The launch has been postponed due to model code of conduct by the Election Commission.
Its significance
- The index represents the articulation of the comprehensive nature of the Global Goals under the 2030 Agenda while being attuned to the national priorities.
- The modular nature of the index has become a policy tool and a ready reckoner for gauging the progress of States and UTs on the nature of goals including health, education, gender, economic growth and climate change and the environment.
Back2Basics: Sustainable Development Goals
- The UN General Assembly in its 70thSession considered and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the next 15 years.
- The 17 SDGs came into force with effect from 1st January 2016.
- Though not legally binding, the SDGs have become de facto international obligations and have potential to reorient domestic spending priorities of the countries during the next fifteen years.
- Countries are expected to take ownership and establish a national framework for achieving these Goals.
- Implementation and success will rely on countries’ own sustainable development policies, plans and programmes.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- India-US relations
The India-US ties have advanced by leaps and bounds. Yet, there is a persistent underestimation of India’s capacity to rework its great power relations. The article deals with this issue.
Expanding partnership
- India-US relations have been on a steady upward trajectory over the last three decades.
- This partnership withstood significant political transitions in both countries and managed to overcome many difficult barriers.
- The US is now India’s most comprehensive partner.
- The Russia relationship is long on defence but short on commerce.
- India’s commercial ties with China are large, but tilted heavily in Beijing’s favour.
- Collective Europe is big on commerce but small on security cooperation.
- The US has a sizeable presence in both economic and security dimensions and the political common ground with India has steadily expanded.
So, why persistent doubt in India about the US partnership
- One part of it is the ingrained ideological bias in the dominant foreign policy elite.
- Delhi’s stilted debate on the US is, unfortunately, reinforced by the sad absence of investment in institutional capabilities to study American politics, economics and international relations.
Issues with our assessment of relations with India
- There is an enduring reluctance of India’s foreign policy community to either acknowledge or accept the unfolding transformation of India’s ties with the US.
- There is also continuing underestimation of India’s capacity to rework its great power relations to meet India’s changing interests and circumstances.
- It was widely held that the Indo-Pacific and the Quad will become footnotes in Biden’s foreign policy.
- This in turn was based on the bet that Biden is likely to embrace China rather than confront it in the manner that Trump did.
- All these assumptions turned out to be inaccurate.
- Concern for democracy and human rights has always been part of US foreign policy ideology.
- But no state, not even a revolutionary one, can run its foreign policy on a single-point agenda.
Underestimating India’s agency to shape the partnership
- Even as it continuously misjudged the US, the Indian foreign policy elite has not appreciated India’s agency to shape the relationship with America.
- The conviction that Delhi is perennially under US pressure to accept policies harmful for itself further distorts the discourse in the media and among the chattering classes.
- The evidence from the 1990s — one of India’s most vulnerable moments after Independence — should have corrected this misperception.
- The traditional discourse finds it hard to come to terms with the twin factors shaping India’s new approach.
- One is the significant increase in India’s material capabilities.
- India’s aggregate GDP increased ten-fold between 1990 ($270 billion) and 2020 (about $2,700 billion).
- Equally important is the new political will in Delhi.
Consider the question “There is a continuing underestimation of Delhi’s capacity to rework its great power relations with the US to meet India’s changing interests and circumstances. Critically examine.”
Conclusion
The new India no longer wrings its hands in dealing with the US; it relishes the large room for strategic bargaining with America. Even more important, Delhi is no longer a reluctant partner to Washington.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3-Privatisation of banks in India and debate around it
The article highlights the different aspects that need to be considered while contemplating the idea of privatisation of public banks.
Opposite trends in India and the US
- While the United States epitomises the private banking model, a nationwide public banking movement is coming into vogue.
- In contrast, India seems to be quickly warming to the idea of bank privatisation.
Public or the private?
- The development view sees government presence in the banking sector as a means to overcome market failures in the early stages of economic development.
- The government-owned banks can improve welfare by allocating scarce capital to socially productive uses.
- The stellar success of Indian PSBs in implementing the PMJDY while missing the mark on creating high-quality credit highlights a critical divide between the asset and the liability side of a bank.
- Banks provide two functions at a fundamental level: Payments and deposit-taking on the liability side and credit creation on the asset side.
- The payment services function, a hallmark of financial inclusion, is similar to a utility business — banks can provide this service, a public good, at a low cost universally.
- The lending side, in contrast, is all about the optimal allocation of resources through better credit evaluation and monitoring of borrowers.
- Private banks are more likely to have the right set of incentives and expertise in doing so.
- It comes as no surprise that the PSBs in India are better at providing the public good functions, whereas private banks seem better suited for credit allocation.
- However, the political view argues that vested interests can influence the lending apparatus to achieve political goals.
- This results in distortion of credit allocation and reduce allocative efficiency in government-owned banking systems.
Reasons for privatisation of banks
- Evidences shows that government ownership in the banking sector leads to lower levels of financial development and growth
- This led to waves of banking sector privatisations that swept emerging markets in the 1990s.
- Cross-country evidence suggests that bank privatisations improved both bank efficiency and profitability.
How public banks performed in India
- Public sector Banks (PSBs) dominate Indian banking, controlling over 60 per cent of banking assets.
- The private-credit to GDP ratio, a key measure of credit flow, stands at 50 per cent, much lower than international benchmarks — in China it is150 and in South Korea it is 150 per cent.
- India’s Gross NPA ratio was 8.2 per cent in March 2020, with striking differences across PSBs (10.3 per cent) and private banks (5.5 per cent).
- The end result is much lower PSB profitability compared to private banks.
- The rationale for privatisation stems from these considerations.
Way forward
- The optimal mix of the banking system across public and private boils down to what you need out of your banking system.
- When the wedge between social and private benefits is large, as with financial inclusion, there is a strong case for public banks.
- At this stage, inefficiency in capital allocation seems to be a bigger issue for the Indian banking sector, whereas, in the US, the debate is centred around the public goods aspects of banking.
Consider the question “What are the factors India needs to consider as it reverses the course of history by privatising the public banks?”
Conclusion
At this stage, inefficiency in capital allocation seems to be a bigger issue for the Indian banking sector, whereas, in the US, the debate is centred around the public goods aspects of banking.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various judgments and commissions
Mains level: 50% quota debate
The Supreme Court sought responses from all states on whether the 50% ceiling limit on reservation needs to be reconsidered.
Debate: The 50% Cap
- The ceiling was imposed by a nine-judge Constitution Bench in the Indira Sawhney case in 1992, wherein the court strictly held that reservation cannot exceed 50%.
- However, the bench did indicate that in exceptional circumstances, reservation could be extended.
A case for Maratha Reservation
- The court is set to examine whether the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission had made up a case of “extraordinary circumstances” of deprivation suffered by the Maratha community.
- In fact, the Bombay High Court had, in June 2019, reduced the quantum of reservation for Marathas from the 16% recommended by the Gaikwad Commission to 12% in education and 13% in employment.
- The ruling was challenged before a Supreme Court Bench, which referred it to a larger Constitution Bench.
Challenges to the Maratha quota
There are two main constitutional questions for the court to consider in the challenge to the Martha quota law.
- The first is whether states can declare a particular caste to be a socially and educationally backward class.
- The second is whether states can breach the 50% ceiling for “vertical quotas” set by the Supreme Court.
What is the Indra Sawhney Case?
- In 1979, the Second Backward Classes Commission (Mandal Commission) was set up to determine the criteria for defining the socially and educationally backward classes.
- The Mandal report identified 52% of the population at that time as “Socially and Economically Backward Classes” (SEBCs) and recommended 27% reservation for SEBCs in addition to the previously existing 22.5% reservation for SC/STs.
- In 1990, when the V P Singh led-government set out to implement the Mandal report, it was challenged in court amidst widespread protests against the move.
- The case came up before a nine-judge Bench and a 6:3 verdict was delivered in 1992.
What did the verdict say?
- The court upheld the office memorandums that essentially implemented the Mandal report.
- The majority opinion said the executive orders mandating 27% reservation for backward castes were valid.
- It held that the reservation was made not just on the basis of caste, even if it appears so, but on the basis of objective evaluation of social and educational backwardness of classes.
- The inclusion in the list of Backward Classes is very much warranted by Article 15(4).
Precedents set by the judgment
The landmark Indra Sawhney ruling set two important precedents.
- The court said that the criteria for a group to qualify for reservation are “social and educational backwardness”.
- It also reiterated the 50% limit to vertical quotas it had set out earlier. The court said this 50% limit will apply — unless in “exceptional circumstances”.
How does the Maratha reservation relate to the Indra Sawhney case?
- Based on the 102nd Amendment to the Constitution, which gives the President powers to notify backward classes, the court will have to look into whether states have similar powers.
- Also, since this power flows from the Constitution, whether the President is still required to comply with the criteria set by the Supreme Court in the Mandal case.
- The relevance of the Indra Sawhney criteria is also under question in another case in which the validity of the 103rd Amendment has been challenged.
- The 103rd Amendment, passed in 2019, provides for 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the economically weaker section in the unreserved category.
- Since the Indra Sawhney verdict gives a pass to a breach of the 50% quota rule only in exceptional circumstances, the court will have to test if the Maharashtra law qualifies to be an exception.
Rising aspirations for backwardness!
Similar to the Maratha issue are the cases of Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Haryana, and Kapus in Andhra Pradesh.
Have any other states breached the 50% ceiling before?
- States have breached the 50% ceiling before and intend to bring more reservation. A notable example is in Tamil Nadu.
- Its Act of 1993, reserves 69% of the seats in colleges and jobs in the state government.
- However, this was done by amending the Constitution, to place the law in the Ninth Schedule after the Indra Sawhney judgment.
How does the Ninth Schedule come to the picture?
- The Ninth Schedule provides the law with a “safe harbour” from judicial review under Article 31B of the Constitution.
- Laws placed in the Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged for reasons of violating any fundamental right protected under the Constitution.
- However, when the Tamil Nadu law was challenged in 2007 (I R Coelho v State of Tamil Nadu), the Supreme Court ruled that while laws placed under Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged on the grounds of violation of fundamental rights.
- However, they can be challenged on the ground that it violates the basic structure of the Constitution.
- A later Bench was to decide whether the Tamil Nadu law itself (breaching the 50% ceiling) violates basic structure, based on the I R Coelho verdict. The Bench has not yet been set up.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: United Bengal Plan, Partition of Bengal
Mains level: Two nation theory
In a recent election rally, a politician spoke about the contributions of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in the making of West Bengal immediately after independence.
This newscard contains some archaic statements and thoughts (that may seem like polarized opinions) which are directly reproduced from the newspaper.
The 1947 independence era circumstances are discussed with context to the United Bengal Plan and its subsequent partition.
The United Bengal plan
- A most striking aspect of the Partition of Bengal was the fact that the same people, who had vociferously opposed the 1905 partition of the region by Lord Curzon, were the ones who demanded the division of the province on communal lines.
- One way to understand this is by noting the fact that the communal skirmishes that had started in 1905, reached its peak by 1947.
- But there was also the fact that Bengal politics changed dramatically in 1932 with the introduction of the Communal Award.
- It gave more seats in the Legislative Council to Muslims than Hindus. It also provided separate electorates for the Dalits.
- Consequently, Bengali Hindus ceased to be as significant and visible in provincial politics as they were before.
- What further aggravated the situation was the communal violence in Calcutta in August 1946 and those in Noakhali just seven weeks later.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2013:
Q.The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until
(a) The First World War when Indian troops were needed by the British and the partition was ended.
(b) King George V abrogated Curzon’s Act at the Royal Darbar in Delhi in 1911
(c) Gandhiji launched his Civil Disobedience Movement
(d) The Partition of India, in 1947 when East Bengal became East Pakistan
Mukherjee and the Plan
- Mukherjee, who was president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha between 1943 and 1946, is known to have been the man behind the Partition of Bengal in 1947.
- Calcutta riots (1947) led the Hindu Mahasabha under Mukherjee to put forward the demand for dividing Bengal on religious grounds.
- He was one of the strongest voices to have opposed the united Bengal plan of the Bengal provincial League leader and PM Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.
- As per the plan, Bengal would be a separate nation, independent from both India and Pakistan.
Debate over partition
- In the meantime Suhrawardy along with few other top Bengal politicians like Sarat Bose and K.S. Roy came up with an alternative for the Partition.
- They argued for a united Bengal, independent from India and Pakistan.
- Suhrawardy had realized that the Partition of Bengal would mean economic disaster for East Bengal since all jute mills, coal mines and industrial plants would go to the western part of the state.
- Suhrawardy argued strongly for a united Bengal because Bengal was indivisible in view of its ‘economic integrity, mutual reliance and the necessity of creating a strong workable state.
Why did Mukherjee oppose the united Bengal plan?
- The Hindu Mahasabha under Mukherjee spearheaded a fierce attack against the united Bengal scheme, which he thought would force Hindus to live under Muslim domination.
- He further defended the Partition to the Viceroy by drawing upon Jinnah’s two-nation theory.
- Finally, for Mukherjee, the idea of a united Bengal was not appealing because he believed that a ‘sovereign undivided Bengal would be a virtual Pakistan’.
- Eventually, the idea of a united Bengal failed to garner sufficient support from among the Muslim League and the Congress.
- It also did not find sufficient support from the grassroots as most Hindus favoured the Partition of Bengal.
Back2Basics: Partition of Bengal
- The first Partition of Bengal (1905) was a territorial reorganization of the Bengal Presidency implemented by the authorities of the British Raj.
- The reorganization separated the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas. Announced on 19 July 1905 by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India.
- It was implemented on 16 October 1905, it was undone a mere six years later.
- Hindus were outraged at what they saw as a “divide and rule” policy, even though Curzon stressed it would produce administrative efficiency.
- The partition animated the Muslims to form their own national organization along communal lines.
- To appease Bengali sentiment, Bengal was reunited by Lord Hardinge in 1911, in response to the Swadeshi movement’s riots in protest against the policy.
- In 1947, Bengal was partitioned for the second time, solely on religious grounds, as part of the Partition of India following the formation of the nations India and Pakistan.
- In 1955, East Bengal became East Pakistan, and in 1971 became the independent state of Bangladesh.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Quasars
Mains level: Black holes and gravitation waves
An international team of astronomers have discovered the most distant ‘radio-loud’ quasar with the help of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT).
Ever found this on YouTube? Take time to watch this amazing video. It will literally blow up your mind and curiosity!
TIMELAPSE OF THE FUTURE: A Journey to the End of Time (4K)
This video will make up your perceptions and conceptions of how a galaxy dies after the sun runs out of fuel and what a black hole actually is!
What are Quasars?
- A quasar known as a quasi-stellar object is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN), in which a supermassive black hole with mass ranging from millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun is surrounded by a gaseous accretion disk.
- As gas in the disk falls towards the black hole, energy is released in the form of electromagnetic radiation, which can be observed across the electromagnetic spectrum.
- The power radiated by quasars is enormous; the most powerful quasars have luminosities thousands of times greater than a galaxy such as the Milky Way.
- Most active galaxies have a supermassive black hole at the centre which sucks in surrounding objects.
- Quasars are formed by the energy emitted by materials spiralling around a black hole right before being sucked into it.
What makes this event special?
- 90 per cent of quasars do not emit strong radio waves, making this newly-discovered one special.
- It took 13 billion years for the quasar’s light to reach earth.
- Named P172+18, the quasar emitted wavelengths had a redshift of 6.8.
- Only three other ‘radio-loud’ sources with a redshift greater than six have been discovered so far and the most distant one had a redshift of 6.18.
- The higher the redshift of the radio wavelength, the farther away is the source.
As an object moves away from us, the sound or light waves emitted by the object are stretched out, which makes them have a lower pitch and moves them towards the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum, where light has a longer wavelength. In the case of light waves, this is called redshift.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SATAT Scheme, CBG
Mains level: SATAT scheme
Oil and Gas Marketing Companies (OGMCs) are inviting potential entrepreneur to procure Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) under the SATAT scheme.
Try this MCQ:
Q.SATAT is an initiative of the Government of India, aims at:
(a) Promoting Self Help Groups in rural areas
(b) Providing financial and technical assistance to young start-up entrepreneurs
(c) Promoting affordable transportation
(d) Providing affordable and quality education to the citizens for free
SATAT Scheme
- SATAT stands for Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation.
- It is an initiative aimed at setting up Compressed Bio-Gas production plants and makes them available in the market for use in automotive fuels by inviting Expression of Interest from potential entrepreneurs.
- The initiative was launched in October 2018 by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in association with the PSUs- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.
Its implementation
- CBG plants are proposed to be set up mainly through independent entrepreneurs.
- CBG produced at these plants will be transported through cascades of cylinders to the fuel station networks of OMCs for marketing as a green transport fuel alternative.
- The 1,500-strong CNG stations network in the country currently serves about 32 lakh gas-based vehicles.
- The entrepreneurs would be able to separately market the other by-products from these plants, including bio-manure, carbon-dioxide, etc., to enhance returns on investment.
- So far 9 CBG plants have been commissioned and started supply of CBG under the scheme.
- These plants are located in Andhra Pradesh (1No.), Gujarat (3 No.), Haryana (1 No.), Maharashtra (3 No.) and Tamil Nadu (1No.).
Benefits of the programme
There are multiple benefits from converting agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste into CBG on a commercial scale:
- Responsible waste management, reduction in carbon emissions and pollution
- Additional revenue source for farmers
- Boost to entrepreneurship, rural economy and employment
- Support to national commitments in achieving climate change goals
- Reduction in import of natural gas and crude oil
- Buffer against crude oil/gas price fluctuations
Back2Basics: Compressed Bio Gas (CBG)
- Biogas is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste / bio-mass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste, etc.
- After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has a pure methane content of over 95%.
- CBG is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential.
- With calorific value (~52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties similar to CNG, CBG can be used as an alternative, renewable automotive fuel.
- Given the abundance of biomass in the country, CBG has the potential to replace CNG in automotive, industrial and commercial uses in the coming years.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Stand-Up India Scheme
Mains level: Not Much
The Ministry of Finance has informed that more than 81% of account holders are Women under Stand Up India Scheme.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2016:
Q.With reference to ‘stand up India scheme’, which of the following statement is/are correct?
- Its purpose is to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.
- It provides for refinance through SIDBI.
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
Stand-Up India Scheme
- Stand Up India Scheme was launched on 5 April 2016 to promote entrepreneurship at the grass-root level of economic empowerment and job creation.
- This scheme seeks to leverage the institutional credit structure to reach out to the underserved sector of people such as SCs, STs and Women Entrepreneurs.
- The objective of this scheme is to facilitate bank loans between Rs.10 lakh and Rs.1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a Greenfield enterprise.
- The offices of SIDBI and NABARD shall be designated Stand-Up Connect Centres (SUCC)
- It is similar to but distinct from Startup India.
Back2Basics: Start-Up India Scheme
- Startup India Scheme is an initiative of the Indian government, the primary objective of which is the promotion of startups, generation of employment, and wealth creation.
- It was launched on the 16th of January, 2016.
- A startup defined as an entity that is headquartered in India, which was opened less than 10 years ago and has an annual turnover of fewer than ₹100 crores (US$14 million).
- The action plan for this initiative is based on the following three pillars:
- Simplification and Handholding
- Funding Support and Incentives
- Industry-Academia Partnership and Incubation
- An additional area of focus is to discard restrictive States Government policies within this domain, such as License Raj, Land Permissions, Foreign Investment Proposals, and Environmental Clearances.
- It was organized by The Department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPI&IT).
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: World heritage sites in India
Mains level: Not Much
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has provided some useful information about the World Heritage Sites By UNESCO in India.
We regret for the distorted view of this newscard on the app. Pls refer to the webpage link.
[pib] Declaration of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
World Heritage Sites in India
- At present, India has 38 World Heritage Properties. All the sites under the Ministry are conserved as per ASI’s Conservation Policy and are in good shape.
- ‘Dholavira: A Harappan City’ has been submitted for the nomination of World Heritage Site in 2019-2020.
- Nomination dossiers of ‘Santiniketan, India’ and ‘Sacred Ensemble of Hoysalas’ have been submitted to UNESCO for the year 2021-22 cycle.
WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA (38)
CULTURAL SITES:
Under Protection of Archaeological Survey of India (22)
| S.No. |
Name of Site |
State |
| 1 |
Agra Fort (1983) |
Uttar Pradesh |
| 2 |
Ajanta Caves (1983) |
Maharashtra |
| 3 |
Ellora Caves (1983) |
Maharashtra |
| 4 |
Taj Mahal (1983) |
Uttar Pradesh |
| 5 |
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984) |
Tamil Nadu |
| 6 |
Sun Temple, Konark (1984) |
Odisha |
| 7 |
Churches and Convents of Goa (1986) |
Goa |
| 8 |
FatehpurSikri (1986) |
Uttar Pradesh |
| 9 |
Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986) |
Karnataka |
| 10 |
Khajuraho, Group of Temples (1986) |
Madhya Pradesh |
| 11 |
Elephanta Caves ( 1987) |
Maharashtra |
| 12 |
Great Living Chola Temples at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram (1987 & 2004) |
Tamil Nadu |
| 13 |
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987) |
Karnataka |
| 14 |
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989) |
Madhya Pradesh |
| 15 |
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi (1993) |
Delhi |
| 16 |
Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (1993) |
Delhi |
| 17 |
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003) |
Madhya Pradesh |
| 18 |
Champaner-Pavagarh Archaeological Park (2004) |
Gujarat |
| 19 |
Red Fort Complex, Delhi (2007) |
Delhi |
| 20 |
Hill Forts of Rajasthan
- Kumbhalgarh, Jaisalmer and Ranthambhore, Amber and Gagron Forts) (2013)
(Amber and Gagron Forts are under protection of Rajasthan State Archaeology and Museums) |
Rajasthan |
| 21 |
Rani-ki-Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan (2014) |
Gujarat |
| 22 |
Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda (2016) |
Bihar |
Under Protection of Ministry of Railways (2)
| 23. |
Mountain Railways of India Darjeeling,(1999), Nilgiri (2005), Kalka-Shimla (2008) |
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh |
| 24. |
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004) |
Maharashtra |
Under Protection of Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (1)
| 25 |
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, (2002) |
Bihar |
Under Protection of Rajasthan State Archaeology and Museums (1)
| 26. |
The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (2010) |
Rajasthan |
Under Protection of Chandigarh Administration (1)
| 27. |
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (2016) |
Chandigarh |
Under Protection of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (1)
| 28. |
Historic City of Ahmedabad (2017) |
Gujarat |
Under Protection of Bombay Municipal Corporation (1)
| 29. |
Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (2018) |
Govt of Maharashtra |
Under Protection of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (1)
| 30. |
Jaipur City, Rajasthan (2019) |
Govt of Rajasthan |
NATURAL SITES: (7)
Under Protection of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Changes
| 31. |
Kaziranga National Park (1985) |
Assam |
| 32. |
Keoladeo National Park (1985) |
Rajasthan |
| 33. |
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985) |
Assam |
| 34. |
Sunderbans National Park (1987) |
West Bengal |
| 35. |
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988, 2005) |
Uttarakhand |
| 36. |
Western Ghats (2012) |
Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,Tamil Nadu |
| 37 |
Great Himalayan National Park (2014) |
Himachal Pradesh |
MIXED SITE: (1)
Under Protection of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Changes
| 38. |
Khangchendzonga National Park (2016) |
Sikkim |
Back2Basics: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area, selected by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance, which is legally protected by international treaties.
- The sites are judged to be important for the collective and preservative interests of humanity.
- To be selected, a WHS must be an already-classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, mountain, or wilderness area).
- It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
- The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence.
- The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 “states parties” that are elected by their General Assembly.
UNESCO World Heritage Committee
- The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
- It monitors the state of conservation of the World Heritage properties, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
- It is composed of 21 states parties that are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a four-year term.
- India is NOT a member of this Committee.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Exercise Dustlik-II
Mains level: NA
The Second Edition of Joint Exercise Dustlik is scheduled from tomorrow.
Must read:
[Prelims Spotlight] Various Defence Exercises in News
Exercise Dustlik-II
- It is a bilateral defence exercise held between the Indian Army And Uzbekistan Army.
- It is named after Dustlik, a town in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan.
- The first edition of the exercise, Dustlik-I was held in Uzbekistan, near Tashkent, from November 3-13, 2019.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had flagged off the exercise along with his Uzbek counterpart, Major General Bakhodir Kurbanov in 2019 for the first time.
- The joint exercise focused on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in urban settings.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ujjwala Yojana
Mains level: Paper 2- Impact of increasing prices of subsidised LPG on PMUY
Price increase of subsidised LPG
- Subsidised LPG prices have increased by a massive 50% in this financial year alone.
- This would have a significant impact on the government’s flagship scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
- Since 2016, PMUY has provided LPG connections to 80 million poor households to reduce women’s drudgery and indoor air pollution.
- Providing an upfront connection subsidy of ₹1,600, PMUY helped expand LPG coverage to more than 85% of households.
Challenges
- Large-scale primary surveys by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) suggest that, on average, recent PMUY beneficiaries consumed only about half the LPG compared to long-standing regular consumers.
- Limited uptake of LPG among poor households has two main reasons.
- First, the effective price of LPG is not affordable for such households, despite the subsidy.
- Second, many rural consumers have access to freely available biomass, making it difficult for LPG to displace it.
- Beyond causing indoor air pollution, biomass use for cooking contributes up to 30% to the ambient PM2.5 at the national level, more than the contribution of transport, crop residue or coal burning.
Impact of price rise
- The recent increases in the subsidised LPG price have made it more difficult for the poor to sustain LPG use.
- As the pandemic set in, the LPG subsidised price began to rise, even when global LPG prices plummeted.
- Now with LPG prices rising globally, a 50% reduction in the LPG subsidy budget for FY22 (versus FY21) does not bode well.
- The information about LPG price build-up and subsidy has become more difficult to obtain in recent years.
Way forward
- The central government tread should balance between LPG subsidies and sustained clean fuel consumption in poorer households by better targeting of subsidy.
- One approach for such targeting is to rely on the existing LPG consumption patterns of consumers.
- Provide households exhibiting low consumption or a decline in LPG consumption over time with greater subsidy per cylinder to sustain health gains.
- Further, the subsidy levels could be dynamic with different slabs reflecting the previous year’s consumption.
- Alongside, the de-duplication efforts must continue to avoid subsidy leakages.
Consider the question “What is the social impact of the Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)? What are the challenges in its success.”
Conclusion
In the post-pandemic rebuilding, the continued support to the economically poor for sustaining LPG use is not merely a fiscal subsidy but also a social investment to free-up women’s productive time and reduce India’s public health burden.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now