Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Population dividend
Context
The UN report, World Population Prospects 2022, forecasts that the world’s population will touch eight billion this year and rise to 9.8 billion in 2050. What is of immediate interest to India is that its population will surpass China’s by 2023 and continue to surge.
India’s potential workforce and growth as projected by consulting firms
- Deloitte’s Deloitte Insights (September 2017) expects “India’s potential workforce to rise from 885 million to “1.08 billion people over the next two decades from today”, and “remain above a billion people for half a century,” betting that “these new workers will be much better trained and educated,” than their existing counterparts.
- McKinsey & Company’s report, ‘India at Turning Point’ (August 2020), believes the “trends such as digitisation and automation, shifting supply chains, urbanisation, rising incomes and demographic shifts, and a greater focus on sustainability, health, and safety are accelerating” to “create $2.5 trillion of economic value in 2030 and support 112 million jobs, or about 30% of the non-farm workforce in 2030.”
- Four pillarsIn its May 14, 2022 issue, The Economist had this to say about India, “As the pandemic recedes, four pillars are clearly visible that will support growth in the next decade. The four pillars are:
- 1) The forging of a single national market.
- 2) An expansion of industry owing to the renewable-energy shift and a move in supply chains away from China,
- 3) Continued pre-eminence in IT.
- 4) High-tech welfare safety-net for the hundreds of millions left behind by all this.
- The Financial Times in an article, ‘Demographics: Indian workers are not ready to seize the baton’, believes that India’s bad infrastructure and poorly skilled workforce will impede its growth.
Comparing India’s preparedness with China’s in 1970s
- China is enduring an ongoing population implosion, which by 2050, will leave it with only 1.3 billion people, of whom 500 million will be past the age of 60.
- India’s population, by contrast, would have peaked at 1.7 billion, of whom only 330 million will be 60 years or older.
- Simply put, India is getting a demographic dividend that will last nearly 30 years.
- There is so much going on for India today compared to China, the only country it can be reasonably compared to.
- It is still a young country and in a much better position to transform itself compared to China of the 1970s.
- It is still an open society where mass protest matters and produces results.
- Indians have not been traumatised as Chinese were at the time of Mao Zedong’s death.
- IT backbone: The IT technologies now available in India, and most importantly the Internet they run on have matured exponentially.
- Many things right from video conferencing to instantaneous payments and satellite imaging are getting better and cheaper by the day.
- Better administrative system: Creaky and inadequate as they are, India’s administrative systems manage to deliver and its infrastructure is in far better shape today than it was for China at the start of its reforms.
- No rural urban divide: India does not have a Hukou system which in China tethers rural folk to rural parts creating a deep divide between a small and prosperous urban China and a much larger, very deprived rural China.
Way forward for India
- To wring the best out of its demographic dividend, India needs to invest massively in quality school and higher education as well as healthcare across India on an unprecedented scale, literally in trillions of rupees between now and 2050 when it would have reached the apogee of its population growth.
Conclusion
India must seize the moment and not be incremental in its approach. Given the will it can initiate and see through a transformation that will stun the world, even more than China’s has so far.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Issues with Personal Data Protection Bill
The government has withdrawn the Personal Data Protection Bill from Parliament after several amendments were proposed by the Joint-Parliamentary Committee.
What is Personal Data?
- Data can be broadly classified into two types: personal and non-personal data.
- Personal data pertains to characteristics, traits or attributes of identity, which can be used to identify an individual.
- Non-personal data includes aggregated data through which individuals cannot be identified.
- For example, while an individual’s own location would constitute personal data; information derived from multiple drivers’ location, which is often used to analyse traffic flow, is non-personal data.
What is Data Protection?
- Data protection refers to policies and procedures seeking to minimise intrusion into the privacy of an individual caused by collection and usage of their personal data.
Why was a bill brought for Personal Data Protection?
- In August 2017, the Supreme Court had held that Privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.
- The Court also observed that privacy of personal data and facts is an essential aspect of the right to privacy.
- In July 2017, a Committee of Experts, chaired by Justice BN Srikrishna, was set up to examine various issues related to data protection in India.
- The committee submitted its report, along with a Draft Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018 to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in July 2018.
How is personal data regulated currently?
- Currently, the usage and transfer of personal data of citizens is regulated by the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2011, under the IT Act, 2000.
- The rules hold the companies using the data liable for compensating the individual, in case of any negligence in maintaining security standards while dealing with the data.
Issues with IT Rules, 2011
- The IT rules were a novel attempt at data protection at the time they were introduced but the pace of development of digital economy has shown its shortcomings.
- For instance, (i) the definition of sensitive personal data under the rules is narrow, and (ii) some of the provisions can be overridden by a contract.
- Further, the IT Act applies only to companies, not to the government.
What the Personal Data Protection Bill sought to provide?
- Collection and storage: The bill regulate personal data related to individuals, and the processing, collection and storage of such data.
- Data Principal: Under the bill, a data principal is an individual whose personal data is being processed.
- Data fiduciary: The entity or individual who decides the means and purposes of data processing is known as data fiduciary.
- Data processing: The Bill governs the processing of personal data by both government and companies incorporated in India.
- Data localization: It also governs foreign companies, if they deal with personal data of individuals in India.
- General consent: The Bill provides the data principal with certain rights with respect to their personal data. Any processing of personal data can be done only on the basis of consent given by data principal.
- Data Protection Authority: To ensure compliance with the provisions of the Bill, and provide for further regulations with respect to processing of personal data of individuals, the Bill sets up a DPA.
Issues with the PDP Bill
- Exemptions to the govt: Section 35 of the bill permits the Central Government to exempt any agency of the Government from the provisions of the law.
- No reasonable exemptions: There is no sufficient reason for government agencies to be exempted from basic provisions of the Bill.
- Easy breach: Though this would be subject to procedures, safeguards, and oversight mechanisms to be prescribed by the Government.
- Executive hegemony: There is no scope for oversight over the executive’s decision to issue such an order.
- Arbitrary and intrusive: As demonstrated by the Pegasus case, the current frameworks for protecting citizens from arbitrary and intrusive State action lack robustness.
Why is the state given exemption?
- Biggest needy of Data: The State is one of the biggest processors of data, and has a unique ability to impact the lives of individuals.
- Welfare objectives: It has a monopoly over coercive powers as well have the obligation to provide welfare and services.
Issues with Exemption to State
- Grounds of expediency: the use of this provision on grounds of expediency is an extremely low bar for the Government to meet.
- Non requirement for exemption order: There is no requirement for an exemption order to be proportionate to meeting a particular State function.
- No oversight on executive actions: There is no scope for oversight over the executive’s decision to issue such an order or any safeguards prescribed for this process.
- State surveillance: Section 36(a) of the Bill provides for an exception where personal data is being processed against criminal investigation. This provision could therefore encourage vigilantism or enable privatized surveillance.
Best practices followed across the world
- The European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is commonly seen as the pinnacle of data protection regulation worldwide.
- The EU law has in place a separate law that deals with the processing of personal data by law enforcement agencies.
- UK’s Data Protection Act dedicates Part 3 that liberalises certain obligations while at the same time ensuring that data protection rights are also protected.
Way forward
- Balancing privacy interests with those of public needs (such as that of State security) is a difficult task.
- This should undergo rigorous consultations in Parliament taking into confidence all stakeholders.
- Once debated in Parliament, one can only hope that adequate time and attention is given to finding a better balance between competing interests.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Cost of election freebies
The Supreme Court has said that Parliament may not be able to effectively debate the issue of doing away with “irrational freebies” offered to voters during elections, saying the “reality” is that not a single political party wants to take away freebies.
Why in news?
- The freebies were paving the way for an “economic disaster” besides “distorting the informed decision of voters”, CJI said.
What did the CJI say?
Ans. Compose a non-partisan panel
- The court suggested setting up a specialized body composed of persons who can “dispassionately” examine the problem.
- The court directed the parties to make “suggestions for the composition of a body”.
- It proposed that this body could examine ways to resolve the issue of freebies and file a report before the Centre or the Election Commission of India (ECI).
- The court said once the parties come up with suggestions on the composition of such a body in a week, it would pass orders.
What is Freebie?
- The term Freebies is not new; rather it is a prevalent culture in Indian politics (in the name of socialism).
- The political parties are always trying to outdo each other in luring the Indian voters with assorted freebies.
- From free water to free smartphones the Indian politicians promise everything to attract prospective voters in favour.
- This trend has gained more momentum in the recent times with the political parties being innovative in their offerings as the ‘traditional free water and electricity’ is no longer sufficient as election goodies.
Examples of freebies
- Promise of Rs 15 lakh in our bank accounts
- Free TV, Laptops
- Free electricity
- Loan waivers
- Offering free public transport ride to all women in Delhi
Why are such policies popular among the public?
- Failure of economic policies: The answer lies in the utter failure of our economic policies to create decent livelihood for a vast majority of Indians.
- Quest for decent livelihood: The already low income had to be reoriented towards spending a disproportionately higher amount on education and health, from which, the state increasingly withdrew.
- Prevailing unemployment: Employment surveys have shown that employment growth initially slowed down from the 1990s, and then has turned negative over the past few years.
- Increased cost of living: Real income growth of the marginal sections has actually slowed down since 1991 reforms.
- Increased consumerism: The poor today also spend on things that appear to be luxuries; cellphones and data-packs are two such examples which are shown as signs of India’s increased affluence.
- Necessity: For migrant workers, the mobile phone helps them keep in touch with their families back home, or do a quick video-call to see how their infant is learning to sit up or crawl.
Can Freebies be compared with Welfare Politics?
- These freebies are not bad. It is a part of social welfare.
- Using freebies to lure voters is not good.
- Voter’s greediness may lead to a problem in choosing a good leader.
- When we don’t have a good leader then democracy will be a mockery.
Impact of such policies
- Never ending trail: The continuity of freebies is another major disadvantage as parties keep on coming up with lucrative offers to lure more number of votes to minimize the risk of losing in the elections.
- Burden on exchequer: People forget that such benefits are been given at the cost of exchequer and from the tax paid.
- Ultimate loss of poors: The politicians and middlemen wipe away the benefits and the poor have to suffer as they are deprived from their share of benefits which was to be achieved out of the money.
- Inflationary practice: Such distribution freebie commodity largely disrupts demand-supply dynamics.
- Lethargy in population: Freebies actually have the tendency to turn the nation’s population into: Lethargy and devoid of entrepreneurship.
- Money becomes only remedy: Everyone at the slightest sign of distress starts demanding some kind of freebies from the Govt.
- Popular politics: This is psychology driving sections of the population expecting and the government promptly responds with immediate monetary relief or compensation.
What cannot be accounted to a freebie?
- MGNREGA scheme (rural employment guarantee scheme)
- Right to Education (RTE)
- Food Security through fair price shops ( under National Food Security Act)
- Prime Minister Kisan Samman Yojana (PM-KISAN)
Arguments in favour
- Social investment: Aid to the poor is seen as a wasteful expenditure. But low interest rates for corporates to get cheap loans or the ‘sop’ of cutting corporate taxes are never criticized.
- Socialistic policy: This attitude comes from decades of operating within the dominant discourse of market capitalism.
- Election manifesto: Proponents of such policies would argue that poll promises are essential for voters to know what the party would do if it comes to power and have the chance to weigh options.
- Welfare: Economists opine that as long as any State has the capacity and ability to finance freebies then its fine; if not then freebies are the burden on economy.
- Other wasteful expenditure: When the Centre gives incentives like free land to big companies and announce multi-year tax holidays, questions are not asked as to where the money will come from.
A rational analysis of freebies
- Winning election and good governance are two different things. The role of freebies to avail good governance is definitely questionable.
- The social, political and economic consequences of freebies are very short-lived in nature.
- There are many freebies and subsidies schemes available in many States but we still find starvation deaths, lack of electricity, poor education and health service.
- Hence the sorrow of the masses of India cannot be solved by freebies or by incentives.
So are not freebies meant only to attract voters and swing voters by concentrating on a preferential group or community?
Way forward
- It can be agreed that democracy requires popular support for its rule to continue. The sops and freebies to the poor buy it the requisite votes.
- But the democratic process of election and election promises should be clear. It should not control voters thought.
- What some people term as ‘populism’ actually constitutes what real economics should be.
- If you deprive people of what they really need, you will have to throw allurements at them.
- This can only be stopped if political masters try to follow what economist EA Schumacher had conveyed through his seminal work Small is beautiful – “Treat economics as if people matter.”
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NDCs
Mains level: Read the attached story
India ratified pledges made by Prime Minister in Glasgow to accelerate the country’s reliance on renewable energy to power the economy and be effectively free from use of fossil fuels by 2070.
Why discuss them?
- The approved pledges were fewer than those PM committed to.
What is NDC (Nationally Determined Commitments)?
- NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of these long-term goals.
- They embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
- The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive NDCs that it intends to achieve.
- Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving the objectives of such contributions.
- The agreement requests each country to outline and communicate their post-2020 climate actions, known as their NDCs.
India’s NDC
- India’s NDC, or nationally determined commitments, have been updated with these two promises, both of which are enhancements of existing targets, and would be submitted to the UN climate body.
- The 2015 Paris Agreement requires every country to set self-determined climate targets which have to be progressively updated with more ambitious goals every few years.
- India’s first NDC was submitted in 2015, just before the Paris Agreement was finalised.
India’s original NDC contained three main targets for 2030:
- A 33 to 35 per cent reduction in emissions intensity (or emissions per unit of GDP) from 2005 levels
- At least 40 per cent of total electricity generation to come from non-fossil renewable sources
- An increase in forest cover to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
Commitment made at Glasgow
- At the Glasgow meeting last year, Modi promised to strengthen India’s climate commitments.
- He made five promises, and called it the ‘Panchamrit’, the nectar that Indians prepare using five ingredients.
- Two of these were upward revision of existing targets, the ones that have been made official and put in the updated NDC. Accordingly,
- India will now reduce its emission intensity by at least 45 per cent, instead of just 33 to 35 per cent, from 2005 levels by 2030.
- Also, it would now ensure that at least 50 per cent of its total electricity generation, not just 40 per cent, would come from renewable sources by 2030.
- The forestry target has not been touched.
India’s climate targets: Existing and New
- PM had said that at least 500 GW of India’s installed electricity generation capacity in 2030 would be based on non-fossil fuel sources.
- Also, he had promised that the country would ensure avoided emissions of at least one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent between now and 2030.
- These two promises have not been converted into official targets.
- But these are closely linked with others, and any progress on official targets would get reflected in these goals as well.
What about Net Zero?
- Modi had also announced a net zero target for India for the year 2070.
- Net zero is a situation in which a country’s greenhouse gas emissions are offset entirely, either by absorption of carbon dioxide.
- This may be done through natural processes like photosynthesis in plants, or through physical removal of greenhouse gases using futuristic technologies.
- But net zero is a long-term target and does not qualify to be included in the NDC which seeks five to 10 year climate targets from countries.
India’s progress
- The upward revision of the two climate targets — those relating to reductions in emissions intensity and proportion of non-fossil sources in electricity generation — do not come as a surprise.
- India is on way to achieve its existing targets well ahead of the 2030 timeline.
- India’s emissions intensity was 24 per cent lower than the 2005 levels in the year 2016 itself, the last year for which official numbers are available.
- It is very likely that the 33 to 35 per cent reduction target has already been achieved, or is very close to being achieved.
- A further reduction of 10-12 per cent from here, to meet the new target, does not appear too challenging, even though these reductions get progressively tougher to achieve.
- The other target — having at least 40 per cent of electricity coming from non-fossil fuels — has officially been reached.
Tricky Glasgow promises
Two promises that Modi had made in Glasgow have not been converted into official targets:
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Appointment of CJI
Mains level: Read the attached story
Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana has received a communication from the Union Law Minister seeking his recommendation on the appointment of the next top judge.
What is the news?
- Chief Justice Ramana is retiring this month.
- It is now left to CJI to give the Law Minister his recommendation on his successor.
How is CJI selected?
- Justice U.U. Lalit is the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court now.
- He is in line to be appointed the 49th CJI as per the seniority norm.
- The ‘Memorandum of Procedure of Appointment of Supreme Court Judges’ says “appointment to the office of the CJI should be of the seniormost Judge of the SC considered fit to hold the office”.
- The process begins with the Union Law Minister seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI about the next appointment.
What is the time frame?
- The Minister has to seek the CJI’s recommendation at the “appropriate time”.
- The Memorandum does NOT elaborate or specify a timeline.
Making final appointment
The Memorandum says:
- Receipt of the recommendation of the CJI
- The Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs will put up the recommendation to the PM
- PM will advise the President in the matter of appointment
- President of India appoints the CJI
Chief Justice of India: A brief background
- The CJI is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India as well as the highest-ranking officer of the Indian federal judiciary.
Appointment
- The Constitution of India grants power to the President to nominate, and with the advice and consent of the Parliament, appoint a chief justice, who serves until they reach the age of 65 or until removed by impeachment.
- Earlier, it was a convention to appoint seniormost judges.
- However, this has been broken twice. In 1973, Justice A. N. Ray was appointed superseding 3 senior judges.
- Also, in 1977 Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg was appointed as the chief justice superseding Justice Hans Raj Khanna.
Qualifications
The Indian Constitution says in Article 124 (3) that in order to be appointed as a judge in the Supreme Court of India, the person has to fit in the following criteria:
- He/She is a citizen of India and
- has been for at least five years a Judge of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession; or
- has been for at least ten years an advocate of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession; or
- is, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist
Functions
- As head of the Supreme Court, the CJI is responsible for the allocation of cases and appointment of constitutional benches which deal with important matters of law.
- In accordance with Article 145 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court Rules of Procedure of 1966, the chief justice allocates all work to the other judges.
On the administrative side, the CJI carries out the following functions:
- maintenance of the roster; appointment of court officials and general and miscellaneous matters relating to the supervision and functioning of the Supreme Court
Removal
- Article 124(4) of the Constitution lays down the procedure for removal of a judge of the Supreme Court which is applicable to chief justices as well.
- Once appointed, the chief justice remains in the office until the age of 65 years. He can be removed only through a process of removal by Parliament as follows:
- He/She can be removed by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present.
- The voting has been presented to the President in the same session for such removal on the ground of proven misbehavior or incapacity.
Try this PYQ:
- Who/Which of the following is the custodian of the Constitution of India?
(a) The President of India
(b) The Prime Minister of India
(c) The Lok Sabha Secretariat
(d) The Supreme Court of India
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UN-CTC
Mains level: Counter-terrorism initiatives by the UN
In a first, India will host diplomats and officials from all 15 countries of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), including China, Russia and the US, for a special meeting on terrorism, in Delhi and Mumbai in October.
Key determinants of the meet
The special meeting will specifically focus on three significant areas:
- Internet and social media
- Terrorism financing
- Unmanned aerial systems
What is Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC)?
- The CTC is a subsidiary body of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
- The 15-member CTC was established at the same time to monitor the implementation of the resolution.
- In the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, the UNSC unanimously adopted resolution 1373.
- This among its provisions obliges all States
- To criminalize assistance for terrorist activities,
- Deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists and
- Share information about groups planning terrorist attacks
Its executive body
- Seeking to revitalize the Committee’s work, in 2004 the Security Council adopted Resolution 1535.
- It created the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) to provide the CTC with expert advice on all areas covered by resolution 1373.
- It was established also with the aim of facilitating technical assistance to countries, as well as promoting closer cooperation and coordination both within the UN.
Its working
- While the CTC is not a direct capacity provider it does act as a broker between those states or groups that have the relevant capacities and those in the need of assistance.
- While the ultimate aim of the Committee is to increase the ability of States to fight terrorism, it is not a sanctions body nor does it maintain a list of terrorist groups or individuals.
Significance of the event
- India has been pushing for the UN members to adopt a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (first proposed in 1996), which is likely to be raised during the meeting.
- The event will showcase India’s role as a victim of terrorism as well as a country at the forefront of global counter-terrorism efforts.
- CTC meeting in India could also pave the way for a possible visit to New York by PM Narendra Modi in December, when India will be the President of the UNSC for the entire month.
Way ahead: Hitting the nerve
- While terror financing was now recognised by FATF, it was necessary to build templates and “codes of conduct” for newer threats.
- Today terror financing now includes financing through cryptocurrency and the use of drones for terror attacks.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FRP
Mains level: Issues with Sugarcane Pricing
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October – September) at ₹305 per quintal.
What is FRP?
- FRP is fixed under a sugarcane control order, 1966.
- It is the minimum price that sugar mills are supposed to pay to the farmers.
- However, states determine their own State Agreed Price (SAP) which is generally higher than the FRP.
Factors considered for FRP:
- The amended provisions of the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 provides for fixation of FRP of sugarcane having regard to the following factors:
- a) cost of production of sugarcane;
- b) return to the growers from alternative crops and the general trend of prices of agricultural commodities;
- c) availability of sugar to consumers at a fair price;
- d) price at which sugar produced from sugarcane is sold by sugar producers;
- e) recovery of sugar from sugarcane;
- f) the realization made from the sale of by-products viz. molasses, bagasse, and press mud or their imputed value;
- g) reasonable margins for the growers of sugarcane on account of risk and profits.
Who determines Sugarcane prices?
Sugarcane prices are determined by the Centre as well as States.
- The Centre announces Fair and Remunerative Prices which are determined on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and are announced by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which is chaired by Prime Minister.
- The State Advised Prices (SAP) are announced by key sugarcane producing states which are generally higher than FRP.
Minimum Selling Price (MSP) for Sugar
- The price of sugar is market-driven & depends on the demand & supply of sugar.
- However, with a view to protecting the interests of farmers, the concept of MSP of sugar has been introduced since 2018.
- MSP of sugar has been fixed taking into account the components of Fair & Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane and minimum conversion cost of the most efficient mills.
Basis of price determination
- With the amendment of the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966, the concept of Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) of sugarcane was replaced with the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP)’ of sugarcane in 2009-10.
- The cane price announced by the Central Government is decided on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
- This is done in consultation with the State Governments and after taking feedback from associations of the sugar industry.
Try this PYQ:
Q.The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane is approved by the:
(a) Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(b) Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
(c) Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Ministry of Agriculture
(d) Agricultural Produce Market Committee
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IDF-WDS
Mains level: India's dairy sector
At a time when several milk-producing centers are battling Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), India will host the International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit 2022 in Greater Noida.
World Dairy Summit
- The World Dairy Summit is an annual meeting of the global dairy sector, bringing together approximately 1500 participants from all over the world.
- The participant profile includes CEOs and employees of dairy processing companies, dairy farmers, suppliers to the dairy industry, academicians, government representatives, etc.
- The summit is composed of a series of scientific and technical conferences and social events including a welcome reception, farmers’ dinner, gala dinner as well as technical and social tours.
- The last World Dairy Summit was organised in 1974 in New Delhi.
Significance of the event
- It is a prestigious event for us as India is now the largest milk producer in the world and we have the highest number of cattle.
- The last time this event was held, India was import-dependent and now we are self-sufficient.
Back2Basics: India’s dairy sector
- Initiated in 1970, Operation Floodtransformed India into one of the largest milk producers.
- The per capita availability of milk in 2018-19 was 394 grams per day as against the world average of 302 grams.
- Today with an annual production of 187.75 million tonnes India accounts for about 22% of the world’s milk production.
- However, India is yet to join the ranks of major milk exporting nations, as much of what we produce is directed towards meeting domestic demands.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Taiwan issue
Context
The US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan evoking strong protest from China.
Brief history of China-Taiwan Tensions
- Taiwan is an island about 160 km off the coast of southeastern China, opposite the Chinese cities of Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen.
- It was administered by the imperial Qing dynasty, but its control passed to the Japanese in 1895.
- After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the island passed back into Chinese hands.
- After the communists led by Mao Zedong won the civil war in mainland China, Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the nationalist Kuomintang party, fled to Taiwan in 1949.
- Chiang Kai-shek set up the government of the Republic of China on the island, and remained President until 1975.
- Beijing has never recognised the existence of Taiwan as an independent political entity, arguing that it was always a Chinese province.
The US and One-China Principle
- With the shifting geopolitics of the Cold War, the PRC and the U.S. were forced to come together in the 1970s to counter the growing influence of the USSR.
- This led to the US-China rapprochement demonstrated by the historic visit of then US President Richard Nixon to PRC in 1972.
- The same year, the PRC displaced ROC as the official representative of the Chinese nation at the UN.
- Diplomatic relations with the PRC became possible only if countries abided by its “One China Principle” — recognizing PRC and not the ROC as China.
Why does China have a problem with Pelosi visiting Taiwan?
- For China, the presence of a senior American figure in Taiwan would indicate some kind of US support for Taiwan’s independence.
- This move severely undermined China’s perception of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
China’s reaction
- Increased military exercises around Taiwa : Military exercises around Taiwan have been expanded, with Chinese aircraft intruding more frequently across the informal median line which defines the zone of operations on each side.
- Increased naval presence: Chinese naval ships are cruising within the Taiwan Straits and around the island itself.
- Economic sanctions have been announced, prohibiting imports of a whole range of foodstuffs from Taiwan.
- One item which will be left out is semi-conductors, a critical import for a range of Chinese high-tech industries.
- Taiwanese firms like the Taiwan Semi-Conductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are world leaders in the most sophisticated brands of chips imported by a large number of countries.
- The main target of China’s escalating response will be Taiwan.
- Taiwan is indeed caught in the crossfire between China and the US and being a proxy in a fight between giants.
Implications for East Asia and South East Asia
- Forced into making a choice: Just as Taiwan is caught in a crossfire between the US and China, so are the East Asian and South East Asian countries.
- Prefer US military presence: They feel reassured by the considerable US military presence deployed in the region and tacitly support its Indo-Pacific strategy.
- Strong economic ties with China: However, their economic and commercial interests are bound ever tighter with the large and growing Chinese economy.
- This having it both ways strategy is beginning to fray at the edges with the escalating tensions between the US and China.
- Most do not wish to be forced into making a choice.
What should be India’s approach?
- Advantageous for India: In one sense, China’s preoccupation with its eastern ocean flank of the Yellow Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea is good for India.
- It diminishes Chinese attention toward the Indian Ocean, India’s primary security theatre.
- Adhere to One China Policy: Prudence demands that India hew closely to its consistent one China policy even while maintaining and even expanding non-official relations with Taiwan.
- For the US, Japan and Australia, members of the Quad, Taiwan is a key component of the Indo-Pacific strategy.
- It is not for India.
Conclusion
One should use the opportunity to expand India’s naval capabilities and maritime profile in this theatre before the Chinese begin to look to our extended neighbourhood with renewed interest and energy.
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