From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Decriminalization of Politics
The Supreme Court has said that it would consider a plea seeking a lifetime ban on people convicted of offenses from contesting elections and becoming MPs and MLAs.
Why such petition?
The petition has made a very logical argument that even a constable can lose his job after conviction for corruption.
The Centre maintained affirmation on the existing (namesake) bar of disqualification was enough for legislators.
The disqualification under the Representation of the People Act of 1951 is the period of prison sentence and six years thereafter.
What did the Centre argue against lifetime ban?
In 2017, the ECI endorsed the call for a life ban in the top court. This was a boost for the cause of decriminalisation of politics.
In Dec 2020, the Centre rejected the idea of a lifetime ban on convicted persons contesting elections or forming or becoming an office-bearer of a political party.
It had reasoned that MPs and MLAs were not bound by specific “service conditions”.
They are bound by their oath to serve citizens and country along with propriety, good conscience and interest of the nation.
Criminalization of politics: Indian Case
The criminalization of politics has become a headache for the Indian democracy and it is a harsh reality now.
Criminalization of politics in India includes political control of the police, state money, corruption, weak laws, lack of ethics, values, vote bank politics and loopholes in the function of the election commission.
Deep down, it’s a large nexus of police, money, corrupt bureaucracy, casteism, religion and the drawbacks of functioning in the election commission.
Why are tainted candidates inducted by political parties?
Innocent until proven guilty maxim: The other reason offered by political parties is summarised by the maxim of Indian law, which is that any accused is innocent until proven guilty.
Popularity: Such candidates with serious records seem to do well despite their public image, largely due to their ability to finance their own elections and bring substantive resources to their respective parties.
Prospected victory: The logic of a candidate with criminal charges doing better for the cause of people of is another flawed argument.
Destabilizing other electors: Others do not seek to punish these candidates in instances where they are in contest with other candidates with similar records.
Vested interests: Some voters tend to view such candidates through a narrow prism: of being able to represent their interests by hook or by crook.
A harsh reality of Political Asylum
The NN Vohra committee’s report on the criminalization of politics discussed how criminal gangs flourish under the care and protection of politicians.
Many times the candidates themselves are the gang leaders.
This protection is paid back to them during elections through capital investment in election spending and voter support.
Issues with Criminals in Politics
Morality of the process: It is extremely important that the people who enter the field of politics have a clear image and high moral character.
No rule of law: A leader with criminal character undoubtedly tends to undermine the rule of law.
Violation of right to equality: There were 4.78 lakh prisoners (as of December 2019) of whom 3.30 lakh were under trial, i.e. not yet proven guilty.
Problem of undertrial: An “innocent” undertrial cannot vote, but a man chargesheeted for murder can even contest election from jail.
Supreme Courts guidelines in this regard
The Supreme Court earlier in Feb 2020 had ordered political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Reasons for nomination: It has also asked for the reasons that goaded them to field suspected criminals over decent people.
Publication of records: The information should be published in a local as well as a national newspaper as well as the parties’ social media handles.
48hr time frame: It should mandatorily be published either within 48 hours of the selection of candidates or less than two weeks before the first date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier.
Contempt for non-compliance: It also ordered political parties to submit compliance reports with the Election Commission of India within 72 hours or risk contempt of court action.
No escape: The judgment is applicable to parties both at Central and State levels.
Immediate Reason for Judicial Action
The immediate provocation is the finding that 46% of MPs have criminal records.
The number might be inflated as many politicians tend to be charged with relatively minor offences —“unlawful assembly” and “defamation”.
The real worry is that the current cohort of Lok Sabha MPs has the highest (29%) proportion of those with serious declared criminal cases compared to its recent predecessors.
Way forward
(1) ECI suggestion on vendetta politics
The ECI has suggested some safeguards against vendetta politics.
First, only offences that carry an imprisonment of at least 5 years are to be considered.
The case against the candidate should have been filed at least six months before the scheduled elections for it to be considered.
And finally, a competent court must have framed the charges.
(2) Speedy trials
An alternative solution would be to try cases against political candidates in fast-track courts.
The SC had sent a directive in 2014, directing that cases against political candidates must be completed within a year, failing which the matter should be reported to the CJs.
(3) Legislative reforms
We must have a law which debars persons with serious criminal cases from entering the assemblies and the Parliament.
There must be stringent criteria in Representation of Peoples Act as well.
(4) Revamping Criminal Justice System
The criminal justice system must be revamped as recommended by the Malimath Committee.
An institution comprising representatives of the police/CBI/NIA, IB, IT department, Revenue Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate should be set up to monitor the activities of the mafia and criminal syndicates in the country.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PMAY-U
Mains level: Urban housing
The Union Cabinet approved an extension to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban up to December 31, 2024 so that the houses sanctioned under the scheme can be completed.
PMAY-Urban scheme
The PMAY-U, a flagship Mission of GoI being implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), was launched on 25th June 2015.
The Mission addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including the slum dwellers by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022.
It adopts a demand-driven approach wherein the Housing shortage is decided based on demand assessment by States/Union Territories.
State Level Nodal Agencies (SLNAs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ Implementing Agencies (IAs), Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) and Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs) are main stakeholders.
Coverage area
The Mission covers the entire urban area consisting of:
Statutory Towns
Notified Planning Areas
Development Authorities
Special Area Development Authorities
Industrial Development Authorities or
Any such authority under State legislation which is entrusted with the functions of urban planning & regulations
Key features of PMAY (U)
All houses under PMAY (U) have basic amenities like toilet, water supply, electricity and kitchen.
The Mission promotes women empowerment by providing the ownership in name of female member or in joint name.
Here, preference is given to differently abled persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, OBCs, Minority, single women, transgender and other weaker & vulnerable sections of the society.
Categorization within the scheme
PMAY (U) adopts a cafeteria approach to suit the needs of individuals based on the geographical conditions, topography, economic conditions, availability of land, infrastructure etc.
The scheme has hence been divided into four verticals as given:
In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR): Central Assistance of Rs. 1 lakh per house is admissible for all houses built for eligible slum dwellers under the component of ISSR using land as Resource with participation of private developers.
Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS): Beneficiaries of Economically Weaker Section (EWS)/Low Income Group (LIG), Middle Income Group (MIG)-I and Middle Income Group (MIG)-II seeking housing loans from Banks, Housing Finance Companies and other such institutions for acquiring, new construction or enhancement* of houses are eligible for an interest subsidy of 6.5%, 4% and 3% on loan amount upto Rs. 6 Lakh, Rs. 9 Lakh and Rs. 12 Lakh respectively.
Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP): Under AHP, Central Assistance of Rs. 1.5 Lakh per EWS house is provided by the Government of India. An affordable housing project can be a mix of houses for different categories but it will be eligible for Central Assistance, if at least 35% of the houses in the project are for EWS category.
Beneficiary-led Individual House Construction/ Enhancement (BLC-N/ BLC-E): Central Assistance upto Rs. 1.5 lakh per EWS house is provided to eligible families belonging to EWS categories for individual house construction/ enhancement. The Urban Local Bodies validate the information and building plan submitted by the beneficiary.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Transgenders' rights
In a big win for an aspiring pilot and the entire transgender community, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has for the first time framed new medical guidelines that allow transgender persons who have completed gender transition therapy or surgery to be declared fit to fly.
What did DGCA allow?
The DGCA guidelines for aeromedical evaluation of transgender persons for obtaining medical clearance for all categories of pilot’s licence — private pilot’s licence, student pilot licence and commercial pilot licence.
An ongoing hormone therapy will also not be a ground for disqualification.
It says that candidates who have completed their hormone therapy and gender affirmation surgery more than five years ago will be declared medically fit.
They should clear screening for mental health in accordance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
Some limitations
However, transgender pilots “may” have some limitations imposed such as being allowed to only fly as first officers (junior pilots).
When they are flying as pilot-in-command their co-pilot has to have 250 hours of flying on that particular type of aircraft or the co-pilot has to be a senior captain who is a trainer.
Why such modification?
An Indian citizen, is the first transgender trainee pilot with a private pilot licence from South Africa.
He/she was unable to complete his training in India after the DGCA in April 2020 rejected his medical clearance needed to obtain a student’s pilot licence.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment intervened and wrote to the DGCA.
It called the rules “discriminatory” and in violation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2019 and demanded “guidelines for licensing” for transgender persons.
Conclusion
Because of the fear of backlash from society, family and friends, coming out as a transgender is itself a very challenging move for those who hide their identity.
Major issue lies with societal acceptance of transgender and recognition. Such steps create awareness among people with example.
Society should be made sensitive enough to realize it is none of the concerned person’s fault.
Back2Basics: Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019: Key Features
Defining Transperson
The act defines a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth.
It includes trans-men and trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra.
Prohibition against discrimination
It prohibits the discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment in relation to education, employment, healthcare, access to, or enjoyment of goods, facilities, opportunities available to the public.
Every transgender person shall have a right to reside and be included in his household.
No government or private entity can discriminate against a transgender person in employment matters, including recruitment, and promotion.
HRD measures
A transgender person may make an application to the District Magistrate for a certificate of identity, indicating the gender as ‘transgender’.
Educational institutions funded or recognised by the relevant government shall provide inclusive facilities for transgender persons, without discrimination.
The government must provide health facilities to transgender persons including separate HIV surveillance centres, and sex reassignment surgeries.
Grievances redressal
The National Council for Transgender persons (NCT) chaired by Union Minister for Social Justice, will advise the central government as well as monitor the impact of policies with respect to transgender persons.
It will also redress the grievances of transgender persons.
Legal Protection
The Bill imposes penalties for the offences against transgender persons like bonded labour, denial of use of public places, removal from household & village and physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic abuse.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Commission of Global Notables
Mains level: NA
Mexican President has proposed the setting up of a commission called ‘Commission of Global Notables’ comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Commission of Global Notables
Apart from Mr. Modi, the proposed “commission of global notables” includes Pope Francis and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
This is yet a proposal in writing presented to the UN
It is understood that the list will find mention during the annual session of the UN General Assembly that will convene in September.
PM Modi and other leaders of the Member States are expected to participate in the session when the global body will discuss the crises in Ukraine, Gaza Strip and the regional tension over Taiwan.
Significance for India
This shows significance of India under the present regime under PM Modi. We have to admit that India’s soft power is ever increasing.
PM Modi has also received high honours from the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan and several other countries since since the beginning of his first stint in May 2014.
That apart, he has also received awards from international non-government organisations.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Famous slogans in news
Mains level: Not Much
Inspiring and controversial, this article explains the history of slogans that have endured in India’s politics.
(1) ‘Jai Hind’ by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose popularised ‘Jai Hind’ as a salutation for soldiers of his Indian National Army (INA), which fought alongside Netaji’s ally Japan in the Second World War.
But according to some accounts, Netaji did not actually coin the slogan.
A book says the term was coined by Zain-ul Abideen Hasan, the son of a collector from Hyderabad, who had gone to Germany to study.
There, he met Bose and eventually left his studies to join the INA.
Khan was tasked by Bose to look for a military greeting or salutation for the INA’s soldiers, a slogan which was not caste or community-specific, given the all-India basis of the INA.
The idea for ‘Jai Hind’ came to Hasan when he was at the Konigsbruck camp in Germany.
(2) ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazadi doonga’ by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
This slogan had origins in a speech Netaji made in Myanmar, then called Burma, on July 4, 1944.
Underlining his core philosophy of violence being necessary to achieve independence, he said, “Friends! My comrades in the War of Liberation! Today I demand of you one thing, above all.
He ended the speech saying “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazadi doonga” (Give me blood and I promise you freedom).
(3) ‘Vande Mataram’ by Bankim Chandra Chatterji
The term refers to a sense of respect expressed to the motherland.
In 1870, Bengali novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote a song which would go on to assume a national stature, but would also be seen as communally divisive by some.
Written in Bengali, the song titled ‘Vande Mataram’ was not introduced into the public sphere until the publishing of the novel Anandamath in 1882, of which the song is a part.
Vande Mataram soon became the forefront of sentiments expressed during the freedom movement.
The novel, set in the early 1770s came against the backdrop of the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion against the British in Bengal.
(4) ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ by Maulana Hasrat Mohani
‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long live the revolution) was first used by Maulana Hasrat Mohani in 1921.
Hasrat was his pen name (takhallus) as a revolutionary Urdu poet, which also became his identity as a political leader.
Hasrat Mohani was a labour leader, scholar, poet and also one of the founders of the Communist Party of India in 1925.
Along with Swami Kumaranand — also involved in the Indian Communist movement — Mohani first raised the demand for complete independence or ‘Poorna Swaraj’, at the Ahmedabad session of the Congress in 1921.
His stress on Inquilab was inspired by his urge to fight against social and economic inequality, along with colonialism.
Before Mohani coined this slogan, the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia made the idea of revolution symbolic of the struggle for oppressed nationalities globally.
It was from the mid-1920s that this slogan became a war cry of Bhagat Singh and his Naujawan Bharat Sabha, as well as his Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
(5) ‘Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna’ by Bismil Azimabadi
This is the first line of a poem written by Bismil Azimabadi (and NOT Ramprasad Bismil), a freedom fighter and poet from Bihar, after the Jallianwalah Bagh Massacre of 1921 in Amritsar, Punjab.
The lines were popularised by Ram Prasad Bismil, another revolutionary.
He was a part of the Kakori train robbery, a successful and ambitious operation in which a train filled with British goods and money was robbed for Indian fighters to purchase arms.
(6) ‘Do or Die’ by Gandhi Ji
In 1942, the Second World War commencing and the failure of Stafford Cripps Missions – which only promised India a ‘dominion status’ where it would still have to bear allegiance to the King of England .
This made Gandhi Ji realise that the movement for freedom needed to be intensified.
On August 8, 1942, the All-India Congress Committee met in Gowalia Tank Maidan (August Kranti Maidan) in Bombay.
Gandhi addressed thousands after the meeting to spell out the way forward.
(7) ‘Quit India’ by Yusuf Meherally
While Gandhi gave the clarion call of ‘Quit India’, the slogan was coined by Yusuf Meherally, a socialist and trade unionist who also served as Mayor of Mumbai.
A few years ago, in 1928, Meherally had also coined the slogan “Simon Go Back” to protest the Simon Commission – that although was meant to work on Indian constitutional reform, but lacked any Indians.
Meherally was a Congress Socialist Party member who was actively involved in anti-government protests.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: India-Australia relations
The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of an Audio Visual Co-production Treaty between India and Australia, which is aimed at facilitating joint production of films between the two countries.
India – Australia Relations
Both the countries share the ethos and values of pluralism, liberal democracy, steadfast commitment to rule of law, Commonwealth traditions, international peace, development and security.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between them dates back to the Pre-independence era. It started with the opening of the Consulate General of India as a Trade Office in Sydney in 1941.
Since then the ties have blossomed and currently, they enjoy a multi-faceted cooperation spanning areas of political interactions, economic collaboration, scientific research, strategic convergence, friendly people-to-people ties especially diaspora links and sporting ties of hockey and cricket.
Areas of cooperation
1.Political Dimension
Both the countries are members of G-20, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association), Asia Pacific Partnership on Climate and Clean Development, East Asia Summit and the Commonwealth. Australia has been extremely supportive of India’s quest for membership of the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation).
Australia whole-heartedly welcomed India s joining of the MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime).
2. Economic Dimension
In recent years, the India-Australia economic engagement has magnified significantly. Australia has been very appreciative of economic reforms undertaken by India and its improving ease of doing business rankings because of the reforms was undertaken by the current government. India has welcomed Australia to participate in its Make in India, Smart Cities, AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation), Clean Ganga Project etc. initiatives.
India and Australia are partners in the trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) arrangement along with Japan which seeks to enhance the resilience of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Recently, India signed a historic trade agreement with Australia, the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind- Aus ECTA).
It is the first Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that India has signed with a major developed country in over a decade. Credit: Business Standard
The current government has invited Australia s private sector participation in Indian economy. It says red tape in India has been replaced by red carpet and has welcomed private investors.
3.Trade and Economic
The establishment of India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in 1989 encouraged dialogue at a government and business level on multiple issues of trade and investment.
India-Australia CEO Forum is a significant mechanism through which business leaders from both nations engage in mutually fruitful dialogue to enhance bilateral trade and investment relationship. The Forum consists of heads of Indian and Australian business from multiple sectors like energy and resources, agri-business, financial sector, telecommunications, IT, education and pharmaceuticals. The last meeting of the Forum was held in New Delhi on 29th August 2017.
The city of Canberra, Australia hosted the seventh India-Australia Economic Policy Dialogue during 16-18 July 2017.
India’s main exports to Australia are Refined Petroleum, medicaments, while our major imports are Coal, copper ores & concentrates, Gold, and education related services.
India s major imports from Australia are coal, non-monetary gold, copper, wool, fertilizers, wheat, vegetables and education-related services.
India and Australia have been each other’s important trading partners.
Australia is the 17th largest trading partner of India and India is Australia’s 9th largest trading partner.
India-Australia bilateral trade for both merchandise and services is valued at USD 27.5 billion in 2021.
India’s merchandise exports to Australia grew 135% between 2019 and 2021. India’s exports consist primarily of a broad-based basket largely of finished products and were USD 6.9 billion in 2021.
India’s merchandise imports from Australia were USD 15.1 billion in 2021, consisting largely of raw materials, minerals and intermediate goods.
4.Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
A Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement between the two countries was signed in September 2014 during the visit of the Australian Prime Minister to India. The agreement came into force from 13 November 2015.
The Australian Parliament passed the “Civil Nuclear Transfer to India Bill 2016” on 01 December, 2016 which ensures that Uranium mining companies in Australia may fulfil contracts to supply Australian uranium to India for civil use with confidence that exports would not be hindered by domestic legal action challenging the consistency of the safeguards applied by the IAEA in India and Australia’s international non-proliferation obligations.
It also ensures that any future bilateral trade in other nuclear-related material or items for civil use will also be protected.
5.Defence Cooperation
The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement has been signed during the summit that should enhance defence cooperation and ease the conduct of large-scale joint military exercises.
There is a technical Agreement on White Shipping Information Exchange.
Recently Australia and India conducted AUSINDEX,their largest bilateral naval exercise, and there are further developments on the anvil, including Australia’s permanent inclusion in the Malabar exercise with Japan.
In 2018, Indian Air Force participated for the first time in the Exercise Pitch Blackin Australia. The third edition of AUSTRAHIND(Special Forces of Army Exercise) was held in September 2018.
A broader maritime cooperation agreement with a focus on Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is also in the works and Australia has agreed to post a Liaison Officer at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram.
6.Education
Under the New-Colombo Plan of Australian government, 900 Australian undergraduates have studied and completed internships in India during the period 2015-16
7.Diaspora
The Indian community in Australia has the population of nearly half a million (2.1 % of the population), and another over 1,50,000 persons of Indian descent immigrated from other countries (Fiji, Malaysia, Kenya and South Africa).
India is one of the top sources of skilled immigrants to Australia.
8.Energy Cooperation
A Joint Working Group on Energy and Minerals was established in 1999 to expand bilateral relationship in the energy and resources sector. The 8th JWG meeting held in New Delhi in June 2013.
As energy is one of the central pillars of economic cooperation, both sides agreed during the visit of our Prime Minister to Australia in November 2014 to cooperate on transfer of clean coal technology and welcomed Australia’s desire to upgrade the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad.
9. International cooperation
India and 62 other countries have backed a draft resolution led by Australia and the EU to ‘identify the zoonotic source’ of Covid-19 and its ‘route of introduction’ to humans.
Australia supports India’s candidature in an expanded UN Security Council.
Both India and Australia are members of the Commonwealth, IORA, ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia Pacific Partnership on Climate and Clean Development, and have participated in the East Asia Summits.
Australia is an important player in APEC and supports India’s membership of the organisation. In 2008, Australia became an Observer in SAARC.
Both countries have also been cooperating as members of the Five Interested Parties (FIP) in the WTO context.
An India Economic Strategy to 2035
In 2018, Australia’s Prime Minister has announced implementation of “An India Economic Strategy to 2035”, a vision document that will shape India-Australia bilateral ties.
It is based on three-pillar strategy- Economic ties, Geostrategic Engagement and Rethinking Culture-thrust on soft power diplomacy.
The focus of this report is on building a sustainable long-term India economic strategy.
The report identifies 10 sectors and 10 states in an evolving Indian market where Australia has competitive advantages, and where it should focus its efforts. These are divided into a flagship sector (education), three lead sectors (agribusiness, resources, and tourism) and six promising sectors (energy, health, financial services, infrastructure, sport, science and innovation).
Significance of the Relations
Australia is one of the few countries that has managed to combat COVID-19 so far through “controlled adaptation” by which the coronavirus has been suppressed to very low levels. Two of the leaders of this great Australia-wide effort are Indian-born scientists.
From farming practices through food processing, supply and distribution to consumers, the Australian agribusiness sector has the research and development (R&D) capacity, experience and technical knowledge to help India’s food industry improve supply chain productivity and sustainability and meet the challenges of shifting consumption patterns.
Australia is the 13th largest economy in the world, following closely behind Russia which stands at $1.6 trillion.
Australia is rich in natural resources that India’s growing economy needs.
It also has huge reservoirs of strength in higher education, scientific and technological research.
The dominance of Indo-Pacific countries in India’s trade profile: Fostering deeper integration between India and Australia will provide the necessary impetus to the immense growth potential of the trade blocs in this region.
The two countries also have increasingly common military platforms as India’s defence purchases from the U.S. continue to grow.
Australia has deep economic, political and security connections with the ASEAN and a strategic partnership with one of the leading non-aligned nations, Indonesia. Both nations can leverage their equation with ASEAN to contain China.
The Indo-Pacific region has the potential to facilitate connectivity and trade between India and Australia.
Being geographically more proximate than the US or Japan, India and Australia can emerge as leading forces for the Quad.
Associated Issues
Trade deficit: India’s trade deficit with Australia has been increasing since 2001-02 due to India-Australia Free Trade Agreement. It is also a contentious issue in the ongoing RCEP negotiations which India left.
India’s desire for visa reforms in Australia, which would permit more Indian workers to seek employment in Australia, remains unmet. India wants greater free movement and relaxed visa norms for its IT professionals, on which Australia is reluctant. Australia and India are yet to nurture a common bilateral ground to figure out the basis of their cooperation.
The formation of the Japan–America–India (JAI) partnership at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in 2018 is cause for Australian concern. India’s unwillingness to invite Australia to participate in the Malabar naval exercise, despite Australian lobbying, has sparked speculation over the fate of the Quadrilateral Consultative Dialogue (the ‘Quad) involving India, Australia, Japan and the United States.
Building consensus on non-nuclear proliferation and disarmament has been a major hurdle given India’s status as a nuclear power. Trade and maritime security on the other hand seem the most viable points of collaboration. Although a defence agreement was signed in 2014, the defence relationship has yet to develop fully.
Although security has received a lot of significance in the relationship, in practice Australia-India defence cooperation remains relatively undeveloped. There are a considerable number of defence and security dialogues between the two countries, but none has been translated into more substantive cooperation.
Increasing Racist attacks on Indians in Australia has been a major issue. The relationship was further strained over the attacks on Indian students studying in Melbourne, and the resulting media coverage caused serious damage to Australia’s standing in India.
Need of the Hour
Upgradation of 2+2 talks. In addition, it may be prudent too for New Delhi and Canberra to elevate the ‘two plus two’ format for talks from the Secretary level to the level of Foreign and Defence Ministers.
Utilising current innovations in digital trade; such digitisation of economic activities has changed the landscape of trade, enhancing associations between economies and, in particular, South-South flows.
Removal of trade barriers would lead to an increase in the exports of these commodities, although the increasing number of disputes at the WTO with regard to the Australian sector can act as a serious impediment.
India and Australia have a strong track record of collaborating in research and innovation. The $84 million Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) is Australia’s largest. The Australian Government’s $1.1 billion National Innovation and Science Agenda presents new opportunities to engage with India. The agenda resonates well with India’s ‘Start-up India’ and ‘Make in India’ campaign.
It is evident in policy areas such as maritime security, climate change, energy security, law enforcement, governance and the politics of security institutions.
Engaging Indonesia, Japan, France and Britain for securing Indo-Pacific
An ‘engage and balance’ China strategy is the best alternative to the dead end of containment. The role of the US is of particular importance as it has recently been a driver of efforts towards bringing similarly aligned states in counterbalancing China.
Conclusion
Their ties are extremely important for the Indo-Pacific region which is in flux. They stand out for their solemn commitment towards democratic values, international peace, rule of law, development and multiculturalism.a
