Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: composition of fly ash
Mains level: environmental pollution
Context
- India depends heavily on coal for power generation. This creates the problem of fly-ash generation and its proper disposal, usage.
- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) noted September 19, 2022 that there was an urgent need to augment the utilisation and disposal of fly ash in Chhattisgarh.
What is fly ash?
- Fly ash is a by-product of coal combustion. It contains Aluminium Silicate, SiO2, CaO, oxides of iron, magnesium and toxic metals like lead, arsenic, cobalt, and copper.
- It can travel to far places. India is growing to double its power generation in the next decade and with coal being the biggest source of fuel for power generation, the problem of fly ash is going to increase too.
Environmental Problems with fly ash
- A large quantity of fly ash dumped into poorly designed and maintained ash ponds. About a billion tonnes of this toxic ash lie dumped in these ponds, polluting land, air, and water.
- All the heavy metals found in fly ash—nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, lead, etc—are toxic in nature. They leech into the surrounding soil and can enter food-chains.
- Fly ash gets easily ingested through respiration, which causes many diseases such as asthma, neurological disorders.
- Suspended fly ash in the air acts as a global warming agent and heats the earth’s surface.
- Fly ash settles on leaves and crops and reduces crop productivity.
- It pollutes the groundwater.
- There is a reduction in recharging of groundwater due to fly ash filled mine voids.
- Reduces visibility by creating dense fog in the winter season.
Issues with fly ash management
- The government mandates that all coal power plants (CPPs) reach 100% utilization of fly ash.
- Along with it, CPPs should give a certain amount of fly ash free of cost for MSMEs to manufacture bricks, tiles and rest of the fly ash should be sold to other industries.
- CPPs will have to maintain fly ash ponds to reduce its suspension in air.
- But all these steps for utilization areas are problematic as they do little to mitigate these risks.
- The pricing of fly ash is increasingly becoming a contentious issue that is hampering its gainful utilization.
- The current approaches to evaluating risks with fly ash disposal are very limited, and they may underestimate the true risks
- In spite of initiatives taken by the government, several nongovernmental and research and development organizations for fly ash utilization, the level of fly ash utilization in the country is quite low at only 38% which is less than the global standards.
- Hence, rather than being utilized, fly ash is being stored despite warnings from regulators.
- Deposition in storage places has negative influences on water and soil because of their mineral composition as well as morphology and filtration properties.
- Ash-handling units are the biggest consumers of water in CPPs. The government advocates the designed ash-to-water ratios as approximately 1:5 for fly ash, but the observed ratios have been around 1:20.
- Certain states have discouraged the use of blended cement and fly ash bricks in public works.
The above issues can be addressed by
- Greater regulatory oversight and price control,
- Revision of cement blending standards,
- Research in improving fly ash quality,
- Reducing the cost of transportation,
- Provisions for overcoming information asymmetries,
- Incentivising use in brick kilns for producing fly ash bricks,
- Overall sensitization of key decision-makers on the matter.
- Instead of dumping it on ash ponds, can be used for construction due to its reuse as pozzolan, and replacement of portland cement by hydraulic cement
- Due to its grain size distribution, enhanced strength permeability, it can be used to construct embankments at road construction, concrete dams like GHATGHAR DAM
- Strong penalties for those production units who do not use proper filtration devices
- Moving to renewable energy production away from coal-based thermal production.
Conclusion
- Utilization of Fly Ash is not only possible but also essential. In this context “Fly Ash Mission of Government of India” is a slow but steady start, the pace of which needs to be ramped up. An honest effort is required by the concerned stakeholders to improve the perceptions of fly ash-based cement or concrete; increase its use, particularly for government works; and impart scientific knowledge about fly ash, its uses, and possible impacts.
Mains question
Q. What is fly ash? Discuss the environmental challenges it poses. Suggest how to address the situation.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: women empowerment
Context
- Due to prevalence of patriarchy women have been discriminated not only in India but in most parts of the world. According to The United Nations, one out of every three women experience domestic violence. The same UN report suggests that the most dangerous place for women is their home. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for the development and well-being of families, communities and nations.
How UN women defines Violence against women and girls
- Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
Why Women are the victim?
- Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of violence experienced by women globally.
- Women are usually the victim of domestic violence that derives from unequal power relationships between men and women.
Why there is recent spike in violence against women?
- According to UN, Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations, taking place every day, many times over, in every corner of the world.
- Conditions created by the pandemic – including lockdowns, reduced mobility, heightened isolation, stress and economic uncertainty have led to an alarming spike in domestic violence and have further exposed women and girls to other forms of violence, from child marriage to sexual harassment online.
What is Domestic violence?
- Domestic violence is any pattern of behavior that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. It encompasses all physical, sexual, emotional, economic and psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person.
- Domestic violence can include the following.
- Psychological violence: Psychological violence involves causing fear, threatening physical harm or forcing isolation from friends, family, school or work.
- Economic violence: Making or attempting to make a person financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources.
- Emotional violence: Undermining a person’s sense of self-worth through constant criticism; belittling one’s abilities; verbal abuse.
- Physical violence: Use of Physical force or hurting or trying to hurt a partner .it also includes denying medical care.
- Sexual violence: Forcing a partner to take part in a sex act when the partner does not consent
What is the current Status in India?
- Nearly one-third of women in India have experienced physical or sexual violence
- The most common type of spousal violence is physical violence (28%), followed by emotional violence and sexual violence
- While domestic violence against women has declined from 31.2% to 29.3% in the country, 30% women between the age of 18 and 49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 years, while 6% have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime,.
- Only 14% of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence by anyone have brought the issue up.
- 32% of married women (18-49 years) have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence.
Recent findings from National Family health Survey Report-5
- Status: Domestic violence against women is highest in Karnataka at 48%, followed by Bihar, Telangana, Manipur and Tamil Nadu. Lakshawdeep has the least domestic violence at 2.1%.
- Rural–urban difference: Physical violence is more common among women in rural areas (32%) as compared to their urban areas (24%).
- Impact of schooling and education: 40% women with no schooling are subject to physical violence compared to 18% who completed their schooling.
- Impact of employment and wealth: The experience of physical violence ranges between 39% among women in the lowest wealth quintile and 17% in the highest wealth quintile.
Why women left behind as compared to men in India?
- Patriarchal structure: Patriarchal structures and ideologies and the mindset lead to women subordination and gender inequalities
- Low sex ratio: Sex ratios for women in India Is not good comparatively. It was even bad at the time of independence.
- Life expectancy: Women’s life expectancy, health, nutritional levels are significantly lower than that of men.
- Education: low investment on girl education, Girl children are kept out of schools, or made drop out of school at early age, girl is considered as burden on family in many societies.
- Employment: even if they are educated they are not allowed to work by their families Discrimination at the workplaces, lower wages for the work of equal value.
- Decision making: The have little say in the families, socio economic, legal and political rules and policy formulations. Very limited or no decision making power.
- Political participation: The participation of women in political and social decision making power is abysmally low. Their number in parliament has never exceeded more than 10%.
- Recognition: Recognition of women as productive, vital agents of family and environment should be a precondition for addressing their social needs. We need to change the way they are perceived.
- Treatment: They must not be only treated only as objects of welfare but needed to be treated as those who are contributing to the economy.
- Health: To provide quality and affordable healthcare and must be easily accessible.
- Education: Education of women is the most important component for women’s empowerment.
- Safe and secure environment: providing safety and security is the precondition for empowerment and social justice.
- Economic Independence: Helping women to stand on their legs, become independent and also to earn for their family is necessary to empowering women and to raise their hand in decision making process of family, society and nation
Woman as the foundation stone of every family, society and nation
- India has an ancient woman worship tradition.
- In India we see woman as a mother goddess. There are no of evidences to support this idea
- For instance the Sanskrit text “Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata”which means where women are honored, there gods resides.
- Which means there is a overall development if the women of the family is happy.
Conclusion
- Domestic violence against women is major obstacle on progress on achieving development targets. Without addressing it, anybody have little chance of meeting millennium development. Recognition of women as productive, vital agents of family and environment should be a precondition for addressing their social needs. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for the development and well-being of families, communities and nations.
Mains Question
Q. Empowering women on every front is the pre-condition for the overall development of the nation. Discuss.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: border security
Context
- According to the consensus reached in the 16th round of India China Corps Commander Level Meeting, the Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hotsprings (PP-15) have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way. With disengagement at PP 15 India China border, forces of the two countries have disengaged at all friction points in the region which included the North and South banks of the Pangong Tso, PP 14, PP 15 and PP 17A.
Why the India-China Border situation is still risky?
The tentative conciliatory steps between two nuclear-armed rivals are important; but they also carry risks, especially for India. The risks are as follows:
- Uneasy peace: Despite the latest round of disengagement, the LAC remains deeply unsettled. Observers have pointed out that the buffer zones produced by the crisis inhibit India’s ability to patrol its own territory.
- Un-resolve areas: India and China have tacitly agreed to postpone settlement at two other confrontation sites, particularly tactically valuable area known as Depsangand Charding Nala regions.
- Persisting threat: The reinforcements that each side deployed since 2020 have not returned to garrison. Even if future rounds of talks continue “disengagement and de-escalation,” and reduce those forces, returning to the status quo ante is now impossible.
- Border infrastructure: Both sides on India China border are racing towards building permanent military infrastructure near the border, to help them surge forces to the border. Unsurprisingly, China seems to have outpaced India in building these roads, helipads, and communications nodes.
- Possibility of conflict: The increasing capabilities and mobility on both sides of the border means that a crisis can more quickly escalate to a large military stand-off anywhere on the LAC, and possibly even trigger a conflict
- Changing priorities: India has reassigned one of three originally Pakistan-facing Strike Corps to the China front. It has deployed its newest artillery, jets, and drones to the China border.
- Unattended Indian Ocean: India has not yet improved its capabilities or posture in the Indian Ocean region significantly.
- Diversion from real threat: With the border crisis, China seems to have successfully fixed India’s gaze to the land border, at the expense of that more consequential competition over the Indian Ocean.
- Loss of grazing: Ladakh’s elected representatives said the disengagement has caused loss of huge grazing land as it would now be converted into no man’s land.
Steps taken by India
- Increasing capability: from cruise missile-equipped fighter jets and U.S.-origin naval helicopters to a brand-new indigenously-built aircraft carrier.
- Atmanirbhar Bharat: India undertook several structural economic reforms for strengthening domestic capability and reducing the economic parity between two nations. Defence ministry has decided to increase CAB (capital acquisition budget), around 64% of modernization fund around 70000 cr. has been allocated for purchasing from domestic market. Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India mission will also include Defence sector, we can see the local or private companies can also participate in procurement of defence equipment
- Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC): Started by the defence ministry and over 1200 MSMEs participated in the fourth edition of the DISC in 2020. The government has prepared a negative list, it include light combat helicopters, artillery guns; these items will not be imported by anyone thus encouraging self-reliant India.
- The SRIJAN portal: Launched to facilitate the two initiatives, Atmanirbhar Bharat and make in India
- Sagarmala project: The sagarmala project has been started to revamp port Infrastructure which is a welcome step in modernization.
Conclusion
- For china Deception is diplomacy. Time and again China tries a deception strategy from its Confucius doctrine to defeat its enemy. From 1962 to 2022 India has made a lot of progress in military and economic sphere but China is way ahead than us. Strategic competition between two Asian giants will continue foreseeable future. So as long as India doesn’t gain domestic capabilities it would be prudent step to undertake strategic balancing.
Mains Question
Q. India has decided to maintain a strategic balance with china rather than being subsidiary to china. Discuss.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Live streaming of courts proceedings
From September 27 onward, all proceedings of Supreme Court Constitution Benches will be live-streamed, a full court meeting of the top court has decided.
Background of the move
- History was made on August 26 (2022) when the proceedings from the Chief Justice’s Court in the Supreme Court (SC) were live streamed.
- In the ‘Swapnil Tripathi’ judgment, in September 2018, the SC had cleared the deck for live streaming of cases of national and constitutional importance.
Immediate triggers for live streaming
- They had agreed to hear a public interest litigation seeking live streaming of judicial proceedings on matters of constitutional and national importance.
- Prime considerations cited are:
- De-congestion of courts and
- Improving physical access to courts for litigants who have to otherwise travel long distances
Recommended by A-G
- The Supreme Court approved a set of guidelines suggested by the A-G, which included allowing transcripts and archiving the proceedings.
- However, the A-G suggested that the court must retain the power to withhold broadcasting, and to also NOT permit it in cases involving:
- Matrimonial matters,
- Matters involving interests of juveniles or the protection and safety of the private life of the young offenders,
- Matters of National security,
- To ensure that victims, witnesses or defendants can depose truthfully and without any fear.
- To protect confidential or sensitive information, including all matters relating to sexual assault and rape,
- Matters where publicity would be antithetical to the administration of justice, and
- Cases which may provoke sentiments and arouse passion and provoke enmity among communities.
Live streaming in HCs
- Following the SC’s decision, Gujarat High Court began live streaming its proceedings in July 2021.
- Currently, the Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Patna High Courts live stream their proceedings.
- Allahabad High Court is learnt to be considering doing the same.
Global examples of live streaming
- United States of America: While the US Supreme Court has rejected pleas for broadcast of its proceedings, it has since 1955 allowed audio recording and transcripts of oral arguments.
- United Kingdom: In 2005, the law was amended to remove contempt of court charges for recording proceedings of the Supreme Court.
Why need live streaming of court?
- Improved accountability: Live-streaming of court proceedings would serve as an instrument for greater accountability and formed part of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
- Living up the expectation of Constitution: Live Streaming of Court proceedings is manifested in public interest. Public interest has always been preserved through the Constitution article 19 and 21
- Empowering the masses: It will enable the legal system to deliver on its promise of empowering the masses.
- More transparency: It will encourage the principle of open court and reduce dependence on second-hand views. It will effectuate the public’s right to know.
- This would inspire confidence in the functioning of the judiciary as an institution and help maintain the respect that it deserved as a co-equal organ of the state.
- Academic help: Live streaming may also be a help for academic purposes.
Concerns around live streaming
- Contempt of court: Video clips of proceedings from Indian courts are already on YouTube and other social media platforms with sensational titles and little context, such as “HIGH COURT super angry on army officer”.
- Disinformation and sensationalism: There are fears that irresponsible or motivated use of content could spread disinformation among the public.
- Unnecessary activism: With the advent of social media, every citizen became a potential journalist. Study shows that justices behave like politicians when given free television time, they act to maximize their individual exposure.
Issues to judicial functioning
- Decency of questions: During hearings judges may not ask questions or make comments that could be perceived as unpopular.
- Triggers for oral observations: There is an increasing trend of oral observations of the court, which are not binding on parties replacing reasoned judgment and orders that are consequential.
- Dignity of court may be compromised: Similarly, lawyers, aware of their new audience, may choose to grandstand and play to the gallery, especially in a case they expect to lose.
Way forward
- Selective broadcast: The solution may lie in carefully determining how the live streaming proceeds.
- Careful selection of cases: Not uploading archived stream on the SC website until it is legally/technologically possible to ensure that such videos cannot be spliced.
- Understanding public perception and sentiments: Other similar measures that reflect an understanding of how the public consumes (dis)information will ensure that live streaming enriches constitutionalism across the country.
Conclusion
- A hasty and wholesale introduction on the other hand is likely to land the SC right in the middle of the majoritarian and toxic information swamp that prevails in the country.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Read the attached story
On September 19, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the rules governing The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022. The Act was passed in March by the Parliament.
Why in news?
- Until rules are notified, an Act cannot be implemented or come into force.
- The legislation would enable police and central investigating agencies to collect, store and analyse physical and biological samples including retina and iris scan of arrested persons.
What is the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022?
Ans. It is about critical measurements of Criminals.
- This act provides legal sanction to law enforcement agencies for taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation of criminal matters.
- The Minister of Home Affairs has observed that with advancements in forensics, there was a need to recognise more kinds of “measurements” that can be used by law enforcement agencies for investigation.
What is the use of identification details in criminal trials?
- Measurements and photographs for identification have three main purposes:
- To establish the identity of the culprit against the person being arrested
- To identify suspected repetition of similar offences by the same person and third
- To establish a previous conviction
What was the previous Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 about?
- Even though the police has powers of arrest, mere arrest does not give Police the right to search a person.
- The police requires legal sanction to search the person and collect evidence.
- These legal sanctions are designed so as to maintain a balance between the rights of an individual and the interests of society in prosecution and prevention of offences.
- The Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 became a necessity when the recording of newer forms of evidence such as fingerprints, footprints and measurements started becoming more accurate and reliable.
What was the need to replace this Act?
Ans. Changing nature of Crime
- Over the years, the need to amend/update the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 has been voiced several times.
- In 1980, the 87th Report of the Law Commission of India undertook a review of this legislation and recommended several amendments.
- This was done in the backdrop of the State of UP vs. Ram Babu Misra case, where the Supreme Court had highlighted the need for amending this law.
- The first set of recommendations laid out the need to amend the Act to expand the scope of measurements to include “palm impressions”, “specimen of signature or writing” and “specimen of voice”.
- The second set of recommendations raised the need of allowing measurements to be taken for proceedings other than those under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
What are the main highlights and differences in both the legislations?
- Both provide legal sanction: Like the 1920 Law, the new Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 provides for legal sanction to law enforcement agencies for the collection of measurements.
- Creating usable database of evidences: The purpose is to create a useable database of these measurements.
- Notifying designated state agencies: At the State level, each State is required to notify an appropriate agency to collect and preserve this database of measurements.
- NCRB at centre stage: At the national level, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is the designated agency to manage, process, share and disseminate the records collected at the State level.
What are some of the concerns with the present legislation?
- Striking a balance: The new legislation has raised some concerns related to the protection of fundamental rights.
- Unresolved right to Privacy debate: The legislation comes in the backdrop of the right to privacy being recognised as a fundamental right.
- Notion of physical privacy: A fundamental facet of the right to privacy is protection from the invasion of one’s physical privacy.
- Justifying necessity: As per the Puttaswamy judgment, there is a need for the measure to be taken in pursuance of a legitimate aim of the state, be backed by the law and be “necessary and proportionate” to the aim being sought to be achieved.
(1) Various tests behind
- In this case, while the first two tests are satisfied, as:
- “prevention and investigation of crime” is a legitimate aim of the state
- “measurements” are being taken under a valid legislation,
- Satisfaction of the third test of “necessity and proportionality” has been challenged on multiple counts.
(2) A probable police state in making
- Analysis and measurement of behavioural attributes have raised concerns that data processing may go beyond recording of core “measurements”.
- That is some of these measurements could be processed for predictive policing.
(3) Includes petty offences
- The current law allows for “measurements” to be taken if a person has been convicted/arrested for any offence, including petty offences.
- The necessity of taking measurements of such persons for investigation of offences is unclear, and such discretion is likely to result in abuse of the law at lower levels.
- This would definitely overburden the systems used for collection and storage of these measurements.
(4) Period of storage of data
- Given that these records will be stored for 75 years from the time of collection, the law has been criticised as being disproportionate.
(5) Surveillance state
- Such collection can also result in mass surveillance, with the database under this law being combined with other databases such as those of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS).
(6) Promotes self-incrimination
- Concerns are being raised that the present law violates the right against self-incrimination enshrined in Article 20(3) of the Constitution of India.
- However, this argument is nebulous since the Supreme Court has already settled this point.
- In the State of Bombay vs Kathi Kalu Oghad, the Supreme Court had conclusively held that “non-communicative” evidence i.e. evidence which does not convey information within the personal knowledge of the accused cannot be understood to be leading to self-incrimination.
- Therefore, no challenge lies to the law on this ground.
Way forward
- Extensive pre-legislative consultation is must for any sensitive law as such.
- Privacy and data protection-related concerns must be addressed in the Rules formulated under the legislation and through model Prison Manuals that States can refer to.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PM CARES
Mains level: Issues with PM CARES
The Union government has appointed veteran industrialist Ratan Tata, former Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas, and former Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda as trustees of the PM CARES Fund.
PM CARES Fund
- The PM CARES Fund was created on 28 March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
- The fund will be used for combat, containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic like situations in the future.
- The PM is the chairman of the trust. Members will include the defence, home and finance ministers.
- The fund will also enable micro-donations. The minimum donation accepted is ₹10 (14¢ US).
Some intriguing facts about PM-CARES fund
- PM CARES has been created not by law, not by notification, but by the mere creation of a webpage, and set up last year in March to raise funds for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The page lists its structure, functions and duties in an arbitrary manner.
- The official appeals for funds are made under the national emblem.
- The most significant lie of this sworn statement is that the Government has no control over the Fund.
The other funds
(1) National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)
- The statutorily constituted NDRF was established under the Disaster Management (DM) Act of 2005.
- The NDRF is mandated to be accountable, and answerable under the RTI Act, being a public authority, and auditable by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
(2) Disaster Response Fund
- The DM Act also provided for a Disaster Response Fund — state and district level funds (besides the national level).
- It also collects and uses the donations at the local level, with mandatory transparency and audit provisions.
(3) Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund
- There is the PMNRF operative since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru. It was established with public contributions to assist displaced persons from Pakistan.
- The resources are now utilised primarily to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities and to the victims of the major accidents and riots.
- However, it has the President of India and the Leader of Opposition also as trustees.
Issues over PM-CARES Fund
- No defined purpose: It is deliberately ignored while a new, controversial, unanswerable, and ‘non-accountable vehicle is created; its character is not spelt out till today.
- Non-accountable: The government seems to consider statutory provisions for enquiry and information seeking to be embarrassing obstacles.
- Centralization of donations: It centralises the collection of donations and its utility, which is not only against the federal character but also practically inconvenient. The issue is seeming, the trusteeship of the fund.
Questions and gaps
- Law/statute: The PM CARES Fund was neither created by the Constitution of India nor by any statute.
- Authority: If that is the case, under what authority does it use the designation of the Prime Minister, designated symbols of the nation, the tricolour and the official (gov.in) website of the PMO, and grant tax concessions through an ordinance.
- Collection and dispensation: The amount received by the Fund does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India. If it goes to the CFI, it could have been audited by the CAG.
- Uncontrolled: The This Trust is neither intended to be or is in fact owned, controlled or substantially financed by any instrumentality of the any govt even being chaired by the PM.
Issue over tax benefits
- Income tax: An ordinance was promulgated to amend Income Tax Act, 1961 and declare that the donations to the PM CARES Fund “would qualify for 80G benefits for 100% exemption”.
- CSR Funds: It will also qualify to be counted as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure under the Companies Act, 2013.
- Foreign donations: It has also got exemption under the FCRA [Foreign Contribution Regulation Act] and a separate account for receiving foreign donations has been opened.
What can be inferred from all these?
- The Centre now considers it as another obstacle and has created a new trust with the Prime Minister and his Ministers only.
- The manner in which the PM CARES Fund was set up — with its acronym created to publicise the point that the PM cares for people — shows a bypassing of the statutory obligations of a public authority.
Query and response: Again ironical
- After initial denials, the Government has conceded it to be a public charitable trust, but still maintains that it is not a ‘public authority’.
- The point is that the PMO operates the Fund, but says it cannot supply any information about the PM CARES Fund because it is not a public authority.
Severe interpretations: Is it an Office of Profit?
- If the PM CARES Fund is unconnected with the Government, then the Fund could become an office of profit.
Conclusion
- In order to uphold transparency, the PM CARES Fund should be declared as a Public Authority under the RTI Act, and all RTI queries answered truthfully.
- The fund should be designated as a “public authority” under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem
Mains level: Read the attached story
The Union Cabinet has approved a uniform incentive of 50% of the project cost for setting up semiconductor, display and compound semiconductor fabrication units.
Why in news?
- Maharashtra is witnessing a political firestorm.
- The Vedanta Limited shifted its decision to set up a $20 billion Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor manufacturing facility in neighbouring Gujarat, despite finalising its location near Pune (Mh).
- Foxconn is a major chip supplier to Apple. It has suspended its operations in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen and is now shifting to India.
- Bigger companies, such as Intel, TSMC, Samsung, etc., have announced such plans.
Spats between states over the location of critical industries display the grim picture of competitive bidding in India. This portrays India’s negative image as against ease of doing business.
About the Incentive Scheme
- The scheme has been named the “Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem.”
- Previously, the three schemes had an incentive range of 30-50%.
- While incentives for setting up semiconductor fabrication were based on the size of the chip, for display fabrication and compound semiconductor fabs, the incentives were largely 30% of the total cost of the project.
- This scheme aims to project India’s position as global hub for electronics manufacturing with semiconductors as the foundational building block.
Why need such an incentive?
- Huge Investments involved: Semiconductor Fabrication facility requires many expensive devices to function. Complex tools and equipment are required to test quality and move silicon from location to location within the ultra-clean confines of the plant.
- Economy of scale: In semiconductor fabrication, a high volume production is required to be maintain so as to meet the increasing demand of the marketplace, at the same time, a strong financial backing as Indian market is very much uncertain about financial fluctuations.
- Requirement highly skilled labour: Semiconductor fabrication is a multiple-step sequence of photolithographic and chemical processing steps during which electronic circuits are gradually created on a wafer made of pure semiconducting material. This actually requires high skills.
- Scarcity of raw materials: From a value-chain perspective, it needs silicon, Germanium & Gallium arsenide and Silicon carbide which are not available in India and needs to be imported.
- Uncertain Indian market: A semiconductor fabrication facility in India cannot independently rely on Indian customers for their entire sales structure. They have to maintain overseas customer base to balance inflections from Indian market due to market trends, government policies etc.
- Disposal of hazardous waste: Many toxic materials are used in the fabrication process such as arsenic, antimony, and phosphorus. Hazardous impact on the environment by the industry may act as an impediment to India’s commitment to mitigate climate change.
Other supportive initiatives in India
- India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): It was announced with the aim to attract large-scale investments for manufacturing facilities in the midst of a global chip crisis.
- Make in India: This aims to transform India into a global hub for Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM).
- PLI scheme: In December 2021 the Centre sanctioned ₹76,000 crore under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage the manufacturing of various semiconductor goods within India.
- DLI scheme: It offers financial incentives, design infrastructure support across various stages of development and deployment of semiconductor design for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoCs), Systems & IP Cores and semiconductor linked design.
- Digital RISC-V (DIR-V) program: It intends to enable the production of microprocessors in India in the upcoming days achieving industry-grade silicon and design wins by December 2023.
- India Semiconductor Mission (ISM): The vision is to build a vibrant semiconductor and display design and innovation ecosystem to enable India’s emergence as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design
Way forward
- Policy framework: As foundry setup is highly Capital intensive, it must be supported with a solid long term plan and financial backing. This backing is required from the entrepreneur & the government both.
- Fiscal sustenance: In text of Indian Government as tax holiday, subsidy, zero duty, financial investment etc. will play an important role in promoting the Fab along with the semiconductor industry in India; this will put further pressure on already large Fiscal Deficit.
- Support Infrastructure: World class, sustainable infrastructure, as required by a modern Fab be provided, with swift transportation, large quantity of pure water, uninterrupted electricity, communication, pollutant free environment etc.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Dharavi
Mains level: Slum rehabilitation
The Maharashtra government gave the go-ahead for fresh tenders in the Dharavi redevelopment project, almost two decades after it was first proposed.
About Dharavi
- Dharavi, infamous as one of the world’s largest slums, is located in the heart of India’s financial capital – Mumbai.
- A city within a city, it is one unending stretch of narrow dirty lanes, open sewers and cramped huts.
- While the land (area of 535 acres) is owned by the government, the houses are maintained by individuals.
- The Dharavi slum came into being in 1884. It was originally inhibited by fisherfolk when the area was still creeks, swamps.
- It became attractive to migrant workers from South Mumbai and others when the swamp began to fill in due to natural and artificial causes.
- The area grew as poor rural Indians migrated to urban Mumbai.
- Today, an estimated 600,000 to 1 million people live crammed in Dharavi.
Economic significance of Dharavi
- Dharavi stands near to India’s richest business district, the Bandra-Kurla Complex, where commercial office premiums are among the highest in the country.
- The slum sprawl, spread over 2.8 sq.km. is home to an informal leather and pottery industry which employs over a lakh people.
What is the Dharavi Redevelopment Project all about?
- The state had envisaged this sprawl be transformed into a cluster of high-rises with improved urban infrastructure.
- It entailed resettling 68,000 people, including slum dwellers and those with commercial establishments.
- The state was to provide 300-sqft houses for free to residents with proof that their slum structure was in existence before January 1, 2000.
- The project was initially mooted in 2004, but never got off the ground due to various reasons.
When redevelopment was first proposed?
- In 1999, the government first proposed to redevelop Dharavi.
- Thereafter, the government of Maharashtra in the year 2003-04 decided to redevelop Dharavi as an integrated planned township.
- An action plan for redevelopment was approved by issuing a government resolution.
- It was decided to develop Dharavi by using land as a resource to cross-subsidie the cost of development through a sale component on the basis of the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme.
- The government also decided to notify the whole of Dharavi as an undeveloped area and to appoint a Special Planning Authority for its development.
- In 2011, the government cancelled all tenders and drew up a master plan.
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What are the Strategic implications?