Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Strategic Reserves
Mains level: Coal crisis in India
The Centre has stressed the need to build strategic reserves of imported coal and gas as was being done for petroleum products.
Why need strategic reserves for Coal and Gas?
- Many countries have started keeping strategic reserves, because when it comes to a crunch, every country will meet its needs first.
- Russia has curtailed gas supply to Europe because they want more gas to be consumed within their country.
- There is a surge in power demand combined with a fall in imports due to high global coal prices have led to supply disruptions.
Do you know?
In 1998, the AB Vajpayee administration proposed building petroleum reserves as a long-term solution to managing the oil market.
What are Strategic Reserves?
- Indian refiners maintain 64.5 days of crude storage, so India has overall reserve oil storage of 74 days
- Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) is an Indian company responsible for maintaining the country’s strategic petroleum reserves.
- ISPRL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB), which functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- It maintains an emergency fuel store of total 5.870 million cubic meters of strategic crude oil enough to provide 9.5 days of consumption.
SPRs in India
| S. No. |
Location |
Capacity |
| 1 |
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh |
1.33 million tonnes |
| 2 |
Mangalore, Karnataka |
1.5 million tonnes |
| 3 |
Padur, Karnataka |
2.5 million tonnes and an additional 2.5 million tonnes under construction |
| 4 |
Chandikhol, Odisha |
4 million tonnes (under construction) |
Why were SPRs created?
- Gulf War, 1990: It caused a sharp rise in oil prices and a massive increase to India’s imports.
- Forex fluctuations: During the subsequent 1991 Indian economic crisis, foreign exchange reserves could barely finance three weeks’ worth of imports while the government came close to defaulting on its financial obligations.
- Price volatility: India was able to resolve the crisis through policies that liberalized the economy. However, India continued to be impacted by the volatility of oil prices.
How are they constructed?
- The crude oil storages are constructed in underground rock caverns and are located on the East and West coasts of India.
- Crude oil from these caverns can be supplied to the Indian Refineries either through pipelines or through a combination of pipelines and coastal movement.
- Underground rock caverns are considered the safest means of storing hydrocarbons.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Non-Transgenic Gene Editing
Mains level: Hazards of using GMO crops
The Centre is yet to decide on a research proposal from scientists which would allow plants to be genetically modified without the need for conventional transgenic technology.
What is Genome Editing?
- Genome editing (also called gene editing) is a group of technologies that give scientists the ability to change an organism’s DNA.
- These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular locations in the genome.
- Several approaches to genome editing have been developed.
Techs for Genome Editing
The core technologies now most commonly used to facilitate genome editing are
- Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)- associated protein 9 (Cas9)
- Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs)
- Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs)
- Homing endonucleases or meganucleases
Newer technologies
- The Institute has now moved to newer technologies such as Site-Directed Nuclease (SDN) 1 and 2.
- They aim to bring precision and efficiency into the breeding process using gene-editing tools such as CRISPR, whose developers won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2020.
About CRISPR
- CRISPR-Cas9 was adapted from a naturally occurring genome editing system in bacteria.
- The bacteria capture snippets of DNA from invading viruses and use them to create DNA segments known as CRISPR arrays.
- The CRISPR arrays allow the bacteria to “remember” the viruses (or closely related ones).
- If the viruses attack again, the bacteria produce RNA segments from the CRISPR arrays to target the viruses’ DNA.
- The bacteria then use Cas9 or a similar enzyme to cut the virus DNA apart, which disables the virus.
- This method is faster, cheaper, more accurate, and more efficient than other existing genome editing methods.
What is Non-Transgenic Gene Editing?
- Unlike the older GM technology which involves the introduction of foreign DNA, the new proposal involves the use of gene editing tools to directly tweak the plant’s own genes instead.
- It does not involve inserting any foreign DNA.
Use in India
- Scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) are in the process of developing resilient and high-yield rice varieties using such gene editing techniques.
- However, this proposal has been pending with the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) for almost two years.
Why need such technique?
- Similar to natural mutation: But in this case, this protein is right there in the plant, and is being changed a little bit, just as nature does through mutation.
- Faster and cheaper: It is much faster and far more precise than natural mutation or conventional breeding methods which involve trial and error and multiple breeding cycles.
- Safe for consumption: When a protein comes from an outside organism, then you need to test for safety.
- Pathbreaking: It is potentially a new Green Revolution.
No approval issues
- The SDN 1 and SDN 2 categories of genome-edited plants do not contain any foreign DNA when they are taken to the open field trials.
- The US, Canada, Australia and Japan are among the countries which have already approved the SDN 1 and 2 technologies as not akin to GM.
- So, such varieties of rice can be exported without any problem.
- The European Food Safety Authority has also submitted its opinion that these technologies do not need the same level of safety assessment as conventional GM.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FATF
Mains level: Globar terror financing
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) kept Pakistan on the grey list yet again since 2018. The FATF also announced the ‘greylisting’ of Jordan, Mali and Turkey.
What is the FATF?
- FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.
- The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris.
- It holds three Plenary meetings in the course of each of its 12-month rotating presidencies.
- As of 2019, FATF consisted of 37 member jurisdictions.
India and FATF
- India became an Observer at FATF in 2006. Since then, it had been working towards full-fledged membership.
- On June 25, 2010, India was taken in as the 34th country member of FATF.
- The EAG (Eurasian Group) is a regional body comprising nine countries: India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
What is the role of FATF?
- Watchdog on terror financing: The rise of the global economy and international trade has given rise to financial crimes such as money laundering.
- Recommendation against financial crimes: The FATF makes recommendations for combating financial crime, reviews members’ policies and procedures, and seeks to increase acceptance of anti-money laundering regulations across the globe.
What is the Black List and the Grey List?
- Black List: The blacklist, now called the “Call for action” was the common shorthand description for the FATF list of “Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories” (NCCTs).
- Grey List: Countries that are considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.
Consequences of being in the FATF grey list:
- Economic sanctions from IMF, World Bank, ADB
- Problem in getting loans from IMF, World Bank, ADB and other countries
- Trade sanctions: Reduction in international trade
- International boycott
Pakistan and FATF
- Pakistan, which continues to remain on the “grey list” of FATF, had earlier been given the deadline till June to ensure compliance with the 27-point action plan against terror funding networks.
- It has been under the FATF’s scanner since June 2018, when it was put on the Grey List for terror financing and money laundering risks.
- FATF and its partners such as the Asia Pacific Group (APG) are reviewing Pakistan’s processes, systems, and weaknesses on the basis of a standard matrix for anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) regime.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: India Development Initiative (IDI)
Mains level: Paper 2- India’s development cooperation
Context
Enhancing the efficacy of India’s development cooperation endeavours has been a challenging issue for the past several decades. The country, therefore, needs to expedite work on a specialised agency for proficient delivery of outcomes.
Development assistance and lack of institutional foundation
- In the last couple of years, India’s assistance to other developing countries has multiplied several times.
- India’s development cooperation has converged to an all-encompassing integrated framework, a development compact that has five modalities — capacity building, concessional finance, technology sharing, grant and trade wherein duty-free and quota-free access to the Indian market is provided.
- India’s benevolent image does yield tremendous goodwill globally, but quality project delivery is yet to become the country’s USP.
- On average, India provides development assistance of $6.48 billion and receives assistance of $6.09 billion annually from key partners as Official Development Assistance (ODA).
- Under Indian Cooperation Mission (ICM) — India partners for development cooperation and does not give aid like OECD members.
- India has been supporting the developmental endeavours of several partner countries in Africa and Asia, even before Independence.
- However, this process lacks a firm institutional foundation.
Efforts to form an institutional framework
- The first effort by India to shape a framework was in 2003 with the announcement of the India Development Initiative (IDI).
- Subsequently, the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) was launched in 2005 for managing credit lines.
- The IDI was suspended in 2007 and the announcement about the setting up of the India International Development Cooperation Agency (IIDCA), which never took off.
- Meanwhile, in 2018, China founded its international development cooperation agency.
Changes in concessional financing
- At this point, concessional financing in India’s development cooperation portfolio is close to 70 per cent.
- So any major change would require alterations in the way LOCs (Line of Credit) have been working.
- In 2015, the government made efforts to bring in operational changes in the way credit lines work.
- As of now, the EXIM Bank raises global resources and the Government of India absorbs the interest differential.
Way forward
- Countries have sovereign and non-sovereign windows for promoting infrastructure financing abroad — both have their own place.
- A non-sovereign window would provide greater flexibility and bandwidth.
- To become a leading strategic investor in commercially viable and financially attractive public-private partnership infrastructure projects, the fund may build an investment ecosystem in Africa with support from leading Indian firms.
- The proposed new entity may also provide handholding to select performing Indian social enterprises to operate in other countries as well.
- Besides making an immediate economic impact, these enterprises can facilitate development partnerships between India and other countries.
- Post-pandemic, countries worldwide are exploring ways to reinvigorate their development cooperation efforts.
- India’s own development experience is also evolving with programmes like the JAM trinity, Ayushman Bharat and other initiatives like Gati Shakti — the learnings from which should be absorbed in the portfolio to be shared with fellow developing countries.
Conclusion
It is high time India restructures its development finance apparatus for deeper and effective engagement and to address the rapidly evolving newer competitive development financing landscape.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Places associated with Buddhism
Mains level: Not Much
The Prime Minister has inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, which will help connect key Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
About Kushinagar
- Kushinagar is a town in the Kushinagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
- It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautam Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana after his death.
- It is an international Buddhist pilgrimage centre.
- It is also at the centre of a Buddhist tourist circuit, which includes Lumbini (Nepal), Sarnath and Bodhgaya.
- Other Buddhist destinations nearby include Nalanda, Sravasti and Kapilavastu.
History of Kushinagar
The present Kushinagar is identified with Kusavati (in the pre-Buddha period) and Kushinara (in the post-Buddha period).
[A] Ancient
- Kushinara was the capital of Mallas which was one of the sixteen mahajanpada of the 6th century BCE.
- Since then, it remained an integral part of the erstwhile empires of Maurya, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, Harsha, and Pala dynasties.
[B] Medieval
- In the medieval period, Kushinagar had passed under the suzerainty of Kultury Kings.
- Kushinara continued to be a living city till the 12th century CE and was thereafter lost into oblivion.
- It was believed to be ruled over by a Rajput adventurer, Madan Singh, in the 15th century CE.
[C] Modern
- Kushinagar came into prominence in the 19th century with archaeological excavations carried out by Alexander Cunningham, the first Archaeological Surveyor of India.
- It was later followed by C.L. Carlleyle who exposed the main stupa and also discovered a 10 meters long statue of reclining Buddha in 1876.
- Excavations continued till 1907 under J. Ph. Vogel, uncovering a wealth of Buddhist materials.
- Chandra Swami, a Burmese monk, came to India in 1903 and made Mahaparinirvana Temple into a living shrine.
What is the Buddhist Tourist Circuit?
- In 2016, the Ministry of Tourism announced the Buddhist Circuit as the country’s first transnational tourism circuit, covering sites in Nepal and Sri Lanka alongside those in India.
- The map of the Buddhist Circuit includes Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, and Rajgir in Bihar, Kushinagar, Sarnath, and Shravasti in UP, and Lumbini in Nepal.
Significance of these places
- The Buddha was born as the prince Siddhartha Gautama in c. 563 BC in Lumbini, and he lived until the age of 29 with his parents in the Shakya capital of Kapilavastu.
- He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, and gave his first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi.
- He taught in the area around Rajgir, where he was built a forest monastery by king Bimbisara of Magadha, and he lived the largest part of his life as the Buddha in Shravasti.
- He delivered his last sermon in Vaishali and got parinirvana at Kushinagar.
Significance of this Circuit
Ans. Cultural Diplomacy
- Look East: There is an awareness in the government that the absence of tourist infrastructure is a major reason why India loses out to Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia and Thailand.
- Employment through Tourism: The hope is that world-class facilities will be able to attract Buddhist tourists to India, and boost revenues and employment generation.
- Gaining soft power: The push is intended to assert and consolidate India’s position as the original centre of Buddhism, against the claims from China.
Questions based on either Buddhism or Jainism, are all-time favourite of UPSC and are equally invincible.
They no more seem to be based on NCERT or other standard references available in market.
Stay connected if you expect us to resolve this issue. Do let us know in the comment box.
Meantime, try this PYQ:
Which of the following kingdoms were associated with the life of the Buddha?
- Avanti
- Gandhara
- Kosala
- Magadha
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4
(d) 3 and 4 only
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Speaker and Dy Speaker of Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies
Mains level: Issues related to their elections
There is an ongoing row in Uttar Pradesh Assembly over the election of Dy Speaker, the post which was lying vacant for two years.
Read each and every bit of this newscard. It can source you many MCQs.
Constitutional mandate for Deputy Speaker
- Article 93 talks about the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker for Lok Sabha and the case for their vacancies.
- Article 178 contains the corresponding position for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of a state.
Is it mandatory under the Constitution to have a Deputy Speaker?
- Constitutional experts point out that both Articles 93 and 178 use the words “shall” and “as soon as may be”.
- This indicates that not only is the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker mandatory, it must be held at the earliest.
- All that the Constitution says is the election must be held as soon as possible.
Time-frame and rules for their Election
- Generally speaking, the practice in both Lok Sabha and the state Legislative Assemblies has been to elect the Speaker during the first session of the new House.
- This usually falls on the third day after oath-taking and affirmations take place over the first two days.
- The election of the Deputy Speaker usually takes place in the second session, even though there is no bar on having this election too in the first session.
- However, the election of Deputy Speaker is generally not delayed beyond the second session without genuine and unavoidable constraints.
Rules for the elections
- In Lok Sabha, the election of Deputy Speaker is governed by the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
- According to the Rule, the election “shall be held on such date as the Speaker may fix”, and the Deputy Speaker is elected once a motion proposing his name is carried.
- There are similar provisions in the State Legislative Assembly Rules.
Their tenure
- Once elected, the Deputy Speaker usually continues in office until the dissolution of the House.
- Under Article 94 (Article 179 for state legislatures), the Speaker or Dy Speaker “shall vacate his office if (S)he ceases to be a member of the House”.
- They may also resign (to each other), or “may be removed by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then members of the House”.
Do the powers of the Speaker extend to the Deputy Speaker as well?
- Article 95(1) says: While the office of Speaker is vacant, the duties of the office shall be performed by the Deputy Speaker.
- After the first Speaker, G V Mavalankar died, M Ananth Ayyangar officiated as Acting Speaker for the remaining tenure of the House and was then elected Speaker of the second Lok Sabha.
- There is another such incident.
- In general, the Deputy Speaker has the same powers as the Speaker when presiding over a sitting of the House.
- All references to the Speaker in the Rules are deemed to be references to the Deputy Speaker when he presides.
- It has been repeatedly held that no appeal lies to the Speaker against a ruling given by the Deputy Speaker or any person presiding over a sitting of the House in the absence of the Speaker.
Note: UPSC has now gone person-specific in these matters. Kindly refer this PYQ:
Consider the following statements:
- In India, there is no law restricting the candidates from contesting in one Lok Sabha election from three constituencies.
- In 1991 Lok Sabha Election, Shri Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies.
- As per the existing rules, if a candidate contests in one Lok Sabha election from many constituencies, his/her party should bear the cost of bye-elections to the constituencies vacated by him/her in the event of him/her winning in all the constituencies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (CSP 2021)
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 3
Post your answers here.
Does being Deputy Speaker protect an MP or MLA from the law of disqualification?
Ans. No- with one specific exemption.
- The Tenth Schedule says that a person who has been elected Speaker/ Deputy Speaker shall NOT be disqualified if he voluntarily gives up the membership of the political party to which he belonged.
- This exemption applies to the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, Chairman/ Deputy Chairman of a state Legislative Council, and Speaker/ Deputy Speaker of a state Legislative Assembly as well.
Can courts intervene in cases of a delay in electing the Deputy Speaker?
- In general, the courts do not intervene in the procedural conduct of Parliament.
- Article 122(1) says: The validity of any proceedings in Parliament shall not be called in question on the ground of any alleged irregularity of procedure.
- A petition before the Delhi High Court has argued that the delay in the election of the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker violates Article 93 of the Constitution.
- There is no precedent of a court forcing the legislature to elect the Deputy Speaker.
- However, the courts do have jurisdiction to at least enquire why there has been no election to the post of Deputy Speaker since the Constitution does envisage an election “as soon as maybe”.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: BSF
Mains level: Paper 3- Issue of extending BSF's jurisdiction
Context
The Union home ministry’s order to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Forces (BSF) has caused furore.
Justification for the order
- Increased threats: The Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan has revived serious threats of cross-border infiltration from Pakistan, while China, our other tense neighbour, has been increasingly aggressive over the past year.
- Change in the jurisdiction: The BSF’s powers have not altered, only its jurisdiction has changed from 15 to 50 kilometres and that is for the purposes of uniformity.
Issues raised by the order
- Lack of clarity: That India is facing heightened security threats is undeniable.
- What is unclear is how the BSF’s extended jurisdiction helps counter these threats.
- The recent drug seizures in Gujarat’s Adani port were successfully conducted by the customs department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence — not by the BSF, despite their jurisdiction depth of 80 kilometres in the state.
- No need for uniformity: In the security context, arguments about uniformity are patently absurd.
- There is no uniformity between coastal smuggling in Gujarat, cross-border infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir, smuggling and drone drops in Punjab.
- Risk of civilian resentment: The order raises the risk of civilian resentment, even clashes, given that the BSF is not trained to operate in residential and/or market areas, it will also undermine the state police forces’ morale even further.
- Overstretching BSF: The BSF is likely to be overstretched by its new tasks.
- Once again, that could weaken rather than strengthen the BSF’s security capabilities.
Tackling illegal migration
- Curbing illegal migration requires coordinated action between India and its neighbours, first at the political and then at the security level.
- The administration’s migration policies — the Citizenship Amendment Act, deporting Myanmar refugees even when they were locally welcomed, cancelling Afghan visas have made cooperation more difficult and impacting negatively on border security.
- To think that the BSF can plug what is a government-to-government policy gap is prone to failure.
Way forward
- Coordination: The underlying issue when it comes to tackling both smuggling and infiltration threats is coordination between our security agencies.
- Police reform: The state police forces have weakened, therefore, the solution lies in putting police reforms on an emergency footing, not in extending the BSF’s jurisdiction.
- That we have a grave policing problem across India is undeniable.
- But the answer is not to write them off; it is to insulate them from political misuse while holding them accountable for rule of law lapses.
- Moreover, to strengthen police capabilities it is vital that other security forces cooperate with local police forces, not bypass them.
- The BSF has had a relatively good record of local police cooperation thus far.
- When it comes to cross-border infiltration, intelligence is the key.
Conclusion
Strengthening police capabilities, improving coordination between security agencies and cooperation with state law enforcement are needed to address these issues.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Bio-Enzymes
Mains level: Not Much
Some farmers in Punjab, especially in the Kinnow belt, have started making Bio-Enzymes (BEs) from this waste fruit — peel and ‘D’ grade, very small kinnows.
What is a Kinnow?
- The ‘Kinnow’ is a high yield citrus fruit cultivated extensively in the wider Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
- It is a year-long duration crop and the main harvesting period is from November-end to March.
- It looks similar to orange but is smaller in size.
Agricultural significance of Kinnows
- Fallen fruit is a major challenge for kinnow farmers in the state as one needs to dig up small pits to bury them, otherwise the fallen fruit rot and invite a fly attack on the healthy fruit still on the plants.
- But now, some farmers are using this waste kinnow to improve the pH level and soil fertility of their land by making BEs from this waste fruit.
What are Bio-Enzymes?
- Chemically, the Bio Enzymes are a mixture of complex organic substances such as proteins, salts and other materials that are by-products of the bacteria/yeast.
- They produced through fermentation of organic waste including various fruits, vegetable peels and flowers, by mixing in sugar, jaggery/molasses and water.
- BE’s also have a lot of usage in our daily lives. They can be used as natural cleansers.
Benefits offered by BEs
- BEs have a lot of good microbes and one of the major methods which helps overall improvement of our ecology.
- It helps in mitigating the imbalance occurred due to overuse of chemicals, in our soil, air and water.
- In a state like Punjab where water table is depleting fast and water contamination is also major issue, BEs can bring the soil back to life.
- It helps in better water recharging and also stops the contamination of water by improving the health of soil.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Lagrange Points, Lucy Mission
Mains level: Not Much
The NASA has launched Lucy, the spacecraft on a 12-year cruise to look back into the origins of the solar system through Trojans.
Lucy Mission
- Lucy will fly by eight Jupiter asteroids—seven Trojans and one main-belt asteroid — over the next 12 years.
- It is NASA’s first single spacecraft mission in history to explore so many different asteroids.
- Lucy will run on solar power out to 850 million kilometers away from the Sun.
- This makes it the farthest-flung solar powered spacecraft ever, according to NASA.
What is Jupiter Trojan Asteroids?
- Simply known as Trojans, they are a large group of asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun.
- Thousands of such asteroids exist in a gravitationally stable space.
- The swarms lead and follow the planet Jupiter along its orbit around the Sun.
What exactly are Trojans?
- Lucy’s Trojan destinations are trapped near Jupiter’s Lagrange (L) points, which are gravitationally stable locations — it is where the gravity from the Sun and from Jupiter cancel each other out.
- This means their orbits are stable and the Trojans are trapped in the space between.
- This also means that asteroids are as far away from Jupiter as they are from the Sun.
- Jupiter’s leading and trailing Lagrangian points (L4 and L5) have been stable over the age of the solar system.
- This means that their orbits have accumulated many, many asteroids.
- It makes sense to call a Trojan a co-orbital object, which moves around one of the two stable Lagrangian points.
When and how were they discovered?
- It took many a scientist to understand Trojans, and subsequently, name them so.
- A German astro-photographer in 1906 made an important discovery: An asteroid with a particularly unusual orbit. As Jupiter moved, this asteroid remained ahead of Jupiter.
- It was observed that the asteroid was nearly 60 degrees in front of Jupiter.
Students with engineering background would better understand who Lagrange was. Rest need not care.
Lagrange’s propositions
- This specific position of a peculiar behaviour was predicted by the Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange over 100 years earlier.
- Lagrange had argued that if a small celestial body is placed at one of two stable points in a planet’s orbit around the Sun (the L4 and L5), the asteroid would remain stationary from the planet’s perspective.
- This is due to the combined gravitational forces of the planet and the Sun.
- Thus, Lagrange’s prediction acquired credibility. More such asteroids were discovered over subsequent months in Jupiter’s Lagrange point L5.
Behind the name: Lucy
- It is the fossil of a hominin that lived 3.2 million years ago.
- She is known to be one of the most famous pre-human fossil in history.
- Nearly 40 per cent of the fossilised skeleton of this hominin was discovered in 1974 by a team of paleoanthropologists led by Donald Johanson.
- The name was inspired from the famous Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” which Johanson’s team listened to at camp the night of their discovery.
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Back2Basics: Lagrange Points
- Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put.
- They are named after Italian-French mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange.
- At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.
- These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce the fuel consumption needed to remain in position.
- There are five special points where a small mass can orbit in a constant pattern with two larger masses.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mawsmai Cave
Mains level: Not Much
A micro snail species named Georissa mawsmaiensis has recently been discovered from Mawsmai, a limestone cave in Meghalaya, 170 years after the last such discovery was made.
Georissa mawsmaiensis
- Georissa is found in soil or subterranean habitats in lowland tropical forest as well as high altitude evergreen forests or on rock surfaces rich in calcium.
- The members of the Georissa genus are widely distributed across and reported from Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
- However, they are confined to microhabitats consisting of limestone caves or karst landscapes formed by the dissolution of limestone.
About Mawsmai Cave
- The Mawsmai cave is situated in the small village of Mawsmai, around four kilometres from Cherrapunjee (Sohra) in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.
- It is located at an altitude of 1,195 metres above sea level and is indirectly influenced by the streams of the Kynshi river originating from the East Khasi Hills.
- The term ‘Mawsmai’ means ‘Oath Stone’ in the Khasi language. The Khasi people use the local term ‘Krem’ for the cave.
- It is famous for its fossils, some which can be spotted looking at the walls and formations inside.
- The longest is Krem Liat Prah in the Jaintia Hills, which is 30,957 m (31 km approx.)
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Dimensions of national security policy in 21st century
Context
National security concepts have, in the two decades of the 21st century, undergone fundamental changes. Cyberwarfare has vastly reduced the deterrent value of conventional deterrents.
Emergence of cyberwarfare
- In the 21st century, after cybertechnology enters as an important variable in nations’ defence policies.
- Geographical land size or GDP size will be irrelevant in war-making capacity or deterrence.
- These fundamental changes are entirely due to the earlier 20th century innovations in cybertechnology and software developments.
- Drones, robots, satellites and advanced computers as weapons are already in use.
- Some examples of further innovations are artificial intelligence and nanotechnology.
- Tracking those cyber warfare threat will need a new national security policy.
- By credible accounts, China, recently, publicly cautioned Indians to sit up and take notice by using cybertechnology to shut down Mumbai’s electric supply in populated areas of the city, for a few hours.
Four dimensions of national security policy
- Objectives: the objective of the National Security Policy in the 21st century is to define what assets are required to be defended, the identity of opponents.
- Although the novel coronavirus is perhaps accidental, it has completely destabilised peoples globally and their governments in all nations of the world over.
- This is a preview of the kinds of threats that await us in the coming decades which a national security policy will have to address by choosing a nation’s priorities.
- Priorities: National security priorities will require new departments for supporting several frontiers of innovation and technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, desalination of seawater, thorium for nuclear technology, anti-computer viruses, and new immunity-creating medicines.
- This focus on a new priority will require compulsory science and mathematics education, especially in applications for analytical subjects.
- Strategy: The strategy required for this new national security policy will be to anticipate our enemies in many dimensions and by demonstrative but limited pre-emptive strikes by developing a strategy of deterrence of the enemy.
- For India, it will be the China cyber capability factor which is the new threat for which it has to devise a new strategy.
- Resource mobilisation: The macroeconomics of resource mobilisation depends on whether a nation has ‘demand’ as an economic deficit or not.
- If demand for a commodity or service is in deficit to clear the market of the available supply of the same, then liberal printing of currency and placing it in the hands of consumers is recommended for the economy to recover the demand-supply parity.
- A way to increase demand is by lowering the interest rate on bank loans or raising the rates in fixed deposits which will enable banks to obtain liquidity and lend liberally for enhancing investment for production.
- If it is ‘supply’ that is short or in deficit compared to demand, then special measures are required to incentivise to encourage an increase in supply.
Conclusion
National security at its root in the 21st century will depend on mind-boggling skills in the four dimensions mentioned above.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AUKUS
Mains level: Paper 2- Changing course of India foreign policy
Context
India plans to host an international conference on Afghanistan in the second week of November.
Is the Indian foreign policy changing course?
- All signs point towards a major calibration of the foreign-policy compass in recent weeks since the tumultuous events in Kabul two months ago culminated in the formation of an interim government by the Taliban.
- As regards the way forward in Afghanistan, India has opted to align with the Anglo-American camp in the international line-up arrayed against the Eurasian axis of Russia, China and Iran.
- While the US has an attitude of “You’re either with us, or against us”, vis-a-vis the Taliban, Russia, China, Iran and other neighbouring states give primacy to stability and security of Afghanistan.
- Being a discontented party, unsurprisingly, India would have more in common with the revisionist powers — the US and the UK.
- While the stated purpose of the participating countries is marking Afghanistan, it is the future that matters, being an epochal one that would transform the geopolitics of the region.
- Thus, Delhi has moved up to the centrestage of the Quad.
- In turn, the US accepts that the Quad ought to be “inclusive”. Global Britain is knocking at the door.
- On its part, Delhi has displayed its comfort level with the AUKUS.
- The historical Western experience of the EU and NATO moving in tandem to weaken a common enemy is being replicated with Asian characteristics.
- A dual containment strategy is unfolding against China and Russia.
- Thus, its short-lived dalliance with Iran is losing its gravitas and India has swung to the other extreme to identify with a new quadrilateral platform in West Asia, with Israel, UAE and the US.
- India shrugs its shoulders as its “time-tested” friend, Moscow, bemoans the Quad and AUKUS.
- This astonishing zigzagging in India’s regional policy takes the breath away.
Challenges for India
- India lives in its region and the Quad and AUKUS are of no help when it comes to Afghanistan.
- Pakistan and China are riding high in the Hindu Kush; Moscow and Beijing have moved close in Central Asia which Washington is having a hard time in dealing with.
- India’s much-touted “influence” in Kabul has turned out to be delusional.
- Its own capacity to shape future events is virtually nil. These are the hard realities.
Conclusion
With the conference where India hopes to create an equivalent of the vajrayudha of the ancient Vedas which would allow India to reclaim its rightful place in the Afghan pantheon of gods and demi-gods.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Types of technologies in PV cells
Mains level: Paper 3- Adoption of new technologies in solar power sector
Context
Large-scale solar projects in Tamil Nadu have seen rapid growth in recent years. By embracing advances in solar technologies, India can continue to lead in this sector.
Factors driving growth
- In the past five years, the cumulative installed capacity witnessed a four-fold increase in Tamil Nadu to 4.4 GW, as of March 2021.
- High insolation level: Aiding this capacity addition is the State’s reasonably high insolation levels and matching solar potential, estimated at 279GW.
- Decline in price: The sharp decline in the prices for solar and resulting cost competitiveness is another factor.
- National target: Additionally, in response to the ambitious national targets and to spur sector specific development, Tamil Nadu released the Solar Policy of 2019, aiming for 9GW of solar installations by 2023.
Type of technology use for solar panel
- 1) Mono-crystalline Vs multi-crystalline panels: ‘First-generation’ solar cells use mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline silicon wafers.
- The efficiency of mono-crystalline panels is about 24%, while for multi-crystalline panels it is about 20%.
- Mono-crystalline cells are dominant today.
- Although mono-crystalline panels are priced higher than multi-crystalline ones, the difference is diminishing and will soon attain parity.
- This would result in mono panels being preferred over multi due to their higher efficiency, greater energy yield and lower cost of energy.
- 2) Bifacial solar cells: Newer technologies incorporating crystalline silicon focus on bifacial solar cells, capable of harvesting energy from both sides of the panel.
- Bifacials can augment the power output by 10-20%.
- Within this, the Passive Emitter and Rear Contact technology is predicted to gain popularity. However, it is yet to achieve price parity for large-scale deployment.
- 3) Thin-film technologies: It is classified as the ‘second generation of solar PVs.
- In addition to being used in solar farms and rooftops, thin films with their low thickness, light weight and flexibility are also placed on electronic devices and vehicles, power streetlights and traffic signals.
- Mainstream thin films utilise semiconductor chemistries like Cadmium Telluride with module efficiencies of around 19%.
- Other technologies include Amorphous Silicon and Copper Indium Gallium Di-Selenide.
- Nanocrystal and dye-sensitised solar cells are variants of the thin film technology. These are in early stages for large-scale commercial deployment
- However, the efficiency of thin films is lower than that of crystalline silicon.
- 4) Perovskite: These are grouped as ‘third generation’ and contain technologies such as perovskite, nanocrystal and dye-sensitised solar cells.
- Perovskites have seen rapid advances in recent years, achieving cell efficiency of 18%.
- They have the highest potential to replace silicon and disrupt the solar PV market, due to factors such as ease of manufacture, low production costs and potential for higher efficiencies.
- 5) Use of Graphene Quantum-dots: Graphene is made of a single layer of carbon atoms bonded together as hexagons.
- Solar cells made of graphene are of interest due to high theoretical efficiency of 60% and its super capacitating nature.
- Quantum-dot PVs use semiconductor nanocrystals exhibiting quantum mechanical properties capable of high efficiency of about 66%.
- However, both these are in the early stages of research.
Technologies to better integrate solar PVs into the grid
- These technologies include weather forecasting and power output prediction systems; operation monitoring and control systems; and scheduling and optimisation systems.
- Additionally, automatic systems have been developed for the smooth resolution of output fluctuations.
Way forward
- A portion of the budget for renewable energy targets should be set aside exclusively for new technologies.
- Grants and subsidies can also be provided for their adoption.
- Efforts must be taken to address gaps in research, development, and manufacturing capabilities in the solar sector through sector-specific investment and incentives.
- There must also be greater industry-academia collaborations and funding opportunities for startups.
- A comprehensive sector-specific skilling programme is also required for workers.
Conclusion
All these efforts would help the country become a global player in the solar power sector.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: EU
Mains level: Paper 2- EU Indo-Pacific strategy
Context
Last month, the EU released it “EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific”. This document is very rich and needs to be analysed in the context of the rapprochement between the EU and India, which culminated in the June EU-India summit, a “turning point” according to some analysts.
Important takeaways from EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy
- The EU strategy in the Indo-Pacific appears to be over-determined by China’s expansionism.
- “The display of force and increasing tensions in regional hotspots such as in the South and East China Sea and in the Taiwan Strait may have a direct impact on European security and prosperity,” the document says.
- If security interests are highlighted in the beginning, they are rather low in the list of the objectives of the EU Indo-Pacific strategy, which are listed as: “Sustainable and inclusive prosperity; green transition; ocean governance; digital governance and partnerships; connectivity; security and defence; human security”.
- Many paragraphs of the document are dedicated to values, including human rights.
India does not figure prominently in the policy document
- In terms of partnerships, India does not figure very prominently.
- By contrast, ASEAN is presented as “an increasingly important partner for the EU”.
- However, India appears in the list of the countries which already have an Indo-Pacific strategy and with which the EU is interested in a deeper “engagement”, a list made of ASEAN, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the UK and US.
- However, the document does not mention the role India could play in value-chain diversification, a top priority of the EU since the Covid-19 pandemic in particular.
- Yet, India is mentioned few pages later in a similar perspective when it is said that the EU will help “low and middle-income Indo-Pacific partners to secure access to the Covid-19 vaccine through the Covax facility and through other means”.
- What the French see as India’s main asset, its strategic dimension, is not central in the EU document.
- India is listed as the EU’s first partner only in one area: “under the project Enhancing Security Cooperation in and with Asia (ESIWA), which covers counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, maritime security and crisis management.
- The pilot partners are India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, with EU military experts already operating in Indonesia and in Vietnam.”
Understanding the German influence on the policy document
- Thus, the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is more in tune with the German vision of the Indo-Pacific than with the French one.
- The fact that the German approach prevails in the EU document is a reflection of the influence of Berlin’s weltanschauung (worldview) in Europe — something Brexit has accentuated, Great Britain’s Indo-Pacific strategy being similar to France’s.
- But China’s attitude may force Germany — and the EU — to change their mind in the near future.
Conclusion
By and large, the Indo-Pacific strategy of the EU remains driven by economic considerations and India, whose main asset is geopolitical and even geostrategic, does not figure prominently in it.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NPAs and related terms
Mains level: NPA Crisis
Gross Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) of banks are expected to rise to 8-9% this fiscal from 7.5% as on March 31, 2021 but they would still remain below the peak of 11.2% seen at the end of fiscal 2018.
What are Non-Performing Assets?
- For a bank, the loans given by the bank is considered as its assets.
- Any asset which stops giving returns to its investors for a specified period of time is known as Non-Performing Asset (NPA).
- So, if the principle or the interest or both the components of a loan is not being serviced to the lender (bank), then it would be considered as NPA.
Classification of NPAs in India
- According to the RBI, a NPA is a loan or advance for which the principal or interest payment remained overdue for a period of 90 days.
- Banks are required to classify NPAs further into Substandard, Doubtful and Loss assets.
- Substandard Assets: Assets which has remained NPA for a period less than or equal to 12 months.
- Doubtful Assets: An asset would be classified as doubtful if it has remained in the substandard category for a period of 12 months.
- Loss Assets: As per RBI, loss asset is considered uncollectible and of such little value that its continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted, although there may be some salvage or recovery value.
NPAs of Agriculture Loans
In terms of Agriculture/Farm Loans, the NPA is defined as under:
- For short duration crop such as paddy, Jowar, Bajra etc. if the loan (instalment/interest) is not paid for 2 crop seasons, it would be termed as an NPA.
- For Long Duration Crops, the above would be 1 Crop season from the due date
Reasons for NPAs in India
Impact of NPA on Economy
- Depositors’ loss: Depositors do not get rightful returns and many times may lose uninsured deposits.
- High interest on lending: Banks may begin charging higher interest rates on some products to compensate NPA loan losses.
- Trust issues: Bad loans imply redirecting of funds from good projects to bad ones. Hence, the economy suffers due to loss of good projects and failure of bad investments
Steps taken to curb NPA
(A) By the Govt
- Mission Indradhanush:to make the working of public sector bank more transparent and professional in order to curb the menace of NPA in future.
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code: To make it easier for banks to recover the loans from the debtors.
- Stringent NPA recovery rules: The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act or SARFESI Act of 2002 was amended in 2016.
(B) By RBI
RBI introduced number of measures in last few years which include:
- Corporate Debt Restructuring (CDR) mechanism,
- Setting up a Joint Lenders’ Forum, providing banks to disclose the real picture of bad loans, asking them to increase provisioning for stressed assets,
Other terms related to NPAs
Write-off effect
- A loan write-off is a tool used by banks to clean up their balance-sheets.
- If a loan turns bad on the account of the repayment defaults for at least three consecutive quarters, the exposure (loan) can be written off.
- A loan write-off sets free the money parked by the banks for the provisioning of any loan.
Twin Balance Sheet
- It deals with two balance sheet problems. One with Indian companies and the other with Indian Banks.
- Debt accumulation on companies is very high and thus they are unable to pay interest payments on loans.
Four Balance Sheet Challenge
- In his paper named ‘India’s Great Slowdown’, Arvind Subramanian (former Chief Economic Advisor) mentions the new ‘Four balance sheet challenge’.
- It includes the original two sectors – infrastructure companies and banks, plus NBFCs and real estate companies.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: World Economic Outlook (WEO), IMF
Mains level: Impact of COVID on employment and economic growth
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has unveiled its 2nd World Economic Outlook (WEO) Report.
About WEO Report
- The WEO is a report by the IMF that analyzes key parts of the IMF’s surveillance of economic developments and policies in its member countries.
- It also projects developments in the global financial markets and economic systems.
- The report comes out twice every year — April and October.
- It is based on a wide set of assumptions about a host of parameters — such as the international price of crude oil — and set the benchmark for all economies to compare one another with.
Key takeaways from the October 2021 WEO
- The central message was that the global economic recovery momentum had weakened due to the pandemic-induced supply disruptions.
- It is the increasing inequality among nations that IMF was most concerned about.
- The dangerous divergence in economic prospects across countries remains a major concern.
Reasons for the slowdown
There are two key reasons:
- Large disparities in vaccine access
- Differences in policy support
What about Employment?
Ans. There is a lag.
- Employment around the world remains below its pre-pandemic levels.
- This reflects a mix of negative output gaps, worker fears of on-the-job infection in contact-intensive occupations, childcare constraints, labour demand changes due to automation etc.
- The main concern is the gap between recovery in output and employment which is likely to be larger in emerging markets and developing economies than in advanced economies.
- Further, young and low-skilled workers are likely to be worse off than prime-age and high-skilled workers, respectively.
Implications for India
Ans. Reduce India’s growth momentum
- IMF has suggested that India’s economic recovery is gaining ground.
- Some sectors such as the IT-services sectors have been practically unaffected by Covid, while the e-commerce industry is doing brilliantly.
- However, the recovery in unemployment is lagging the recovery in output (or GDP).
- This matters immensely for India as it reflects jobless growth.
- India was already facing a deep employment crisis before the Covid crisis, and it became much worse after it.
- Lack of adequate employment levels would again drag down overall demand and affect the growth momentum.
Threats to growth momentum
- Usual unemployment: Even before the pandemic, India already had a massive unemployment crisis.
- Sector-wise recovery: India is witnessing a K-shaped recovery. That means different sectors are recovering at significantly different rates.
- Unorganized sector: A weak recovery for the informal/unorganized sectors implies a drag on the economy’s ability to create new jobs or revive old ones.
- Contact-based services: Such services which can create many more jobs, are not seeing a similar bounce-back.
How informal is India’s economy?
- A NSO report titled ‘Measuring Informal Economy in India’ gives a detailed account of informal Indian economy.
- It shows the share of different sectors of the economy in the overall Gross Value Added and the share of the unorganised sector therein.
- The share of informal/unorganised sector GVA is more than 50% at the all-India level, and is even higher in certain sectors.
- It creates a lot of low-skilled jobs such as construction and trade, repair, accommodation, and food services.
This is why India is more vulnerable.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GM crops in India
Mains level: Issues with GM crops
The European Union has recalled some packaged food items which were made up of Indian GMO.
GM crops in India
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under Environment Ministry oversees the approval of GM Crops in India.
- Bt cotton: It is the only GM crop that has been approved for commercial cultivation in 2002.
- Bt Brinjal: Resistant to brinjal shoot fly, it was approved by GEAC in 2009. However due to 10 years moratorium imposed on GM crops by the Technical Expert Committee (TEC) appointed by the Supreme Court of India, its commercialization has stalled.
- GM Dhara Mustard Hybrid 11: DMH 11 developed by Delhi University is pending for commercial release as GEAC has advised to generate complete safety assessment.
However, unauthorized HtBt Cotton and Bt Brinjal are being grown commercially, with hundreds of growers blatantly defying the governmental ban.
What about GM Rice?
- GM rice is not grown commercially in India.
- However, multiple GM rice varieties have been approved for confined field trials.
- There seems a possibility of cross-contamination from such field trials directly or through seed leakages.
India’s rice exports
- India’s annual rice exports amount to 18 million tonnes worth ₹65,000 crore, and reach more than 75 countries.
What is the EU move?
- A European candy has recalled several batches of its product from the market due to the use of rice flour with genetically modified (GM) contamination that allegedly originated in India.
- The EU notification has identified the product as ‘Unauthorised genetically modified (p35S and tNos) rice flour from India’.
Impact of the EU move
- This has led to the loss of reputation of India and its agricultural market.
- With such a move by the EU, it is Indian farmers and exporters who have much to lose.
Threats posed by GM crops
- It is believed that consumption of genetically engineered foods can cause the development of diseases which are immune to antibiotics.
- Besides, as these foods are new inventions, not much is known about their long term effects on human beings.
- Genetically modified rice may potentially cause serious public health and environmental problems.
- Two major issues about GM rice are their tendencies to provoke allergic reactions and the uncertainty of gene transfers.
What can be done to reverse this?
- Ban on field trials of GM crops
- Slapping liability for illegal release of GMOs into the environment on developers
- Probe to identify the source of the GM rice contamination
Try answering this PYQ:
With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India, consider the following statements:
- GM mustard has the genes of a soil bacterium that give the plant the property of pest-resistance to a wide variety of pests.
- GM mustard has the genes that allow the plant cross-pollination and hybridization.
- GM mustard has been developed jointly by the IARI and Punjab Agricultural University.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Post your answers here.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mount Manipur
Mains level: Not Much
The Union government has rechristened Mount Harriet, a historical tourist spot in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as ‘Mount Manipur’ to commemorate the1891 Anglo-Manipur war.
Manipur’s connection to Mount Harriet
- After the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, several Manipuris who had fought the British in the war, including Maharaja Kulachandra Dhwaja Singh, were exiled to the British penal colony in the Andaman Islands.
- Since the cellular jail (Kalapani) was yet to be built, Kulachandra and the prisoners were kept on Mount Harriet, a hillock in what is now the Ferragunj tehsil of South Andaman district.
- 23 men, including King Kulachandra and his brothers, were “transported for life” to the Andamans.
- While some died there, Kulachandra was released and shifted elsewhere before his death.
This is why Mount Harriet is an important symbol of the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891.
About Anglo-Manipur War of 1891
- Considered an epoch in the history of Manipur, the Anglo-Manipur War was fought between the kingdom of Manipur and the British over a month in 1891.
- The battle was triggered by a coup in the palace of Manipur, which had been marked by internal factionalism in the years leading up 1891.
- The British government took advantage of the internal dissension among the princes of the royal family.
Battle for throne
- In 1886, when Surchandra inherited the throne from his father Chandrakirti Singh, the kingdom of Manipur was not under the British rule but had links with the crown through different treaties.
- However, Surchandra ascension to the throne was controversial and his younger brothers — Kulachadra, Tikendrajit — revolted against him.
- The1890 coup by the rebel faction deposed Surchandra, and proclaimed Kulachandra, the next oldest brother, the king.
- Surchandra fled to Calcutta seeking British help to reinstate him.
- Instead, the British dispatched James Quinton, the Chief Commissioner of Assam, with an army to Manipur.
- His mission was to recognise Kulachandra as the king under the condition that they be allowed to arrest the coup leader Crown Prince Tikendrajit and deport him from Manipur.
This aggressive imposition of British law in a sovereign state was rejected by the king, precipitating the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891.
Its aftermath
- In the first phase of the war, the British surrendered and their officers — including Quinton — were executed in public.
- In the second phase, the British attacked Manipur from three sides, and finally capture the Kangla Fort in Imphal.
- Prince Tikendrajit and four others were hanged by the British, while Kulachandra, along with 22 others, were banished to the Andaman Islands.
Significance of the war
- Many say the war was described as a blow to British prestige.
- In India, it was viewed as being part of the general uprising against British rule in the country, soon after after the Revolt of 1857.
- The war led to Manipur officially becoming a princely state under the indirect rule of the British crown.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Coal shortage issue
Context
Normally, the power-generating companies maintain around 30 days of inventory of coal, but, currently, this has come down to three days.
Factors responsible for the crisis
- Supply side issue: On the supply side, because of low investment, coal cannot be mined more than the capacity which exists today. Hence, the increase in supplies will be gradual.
- High global prices: The global coal crisis has led to higher prices.
- Here, too, a sudden resurgence in demand after the pandemic has exposed the supply limitations.
- The international price has gone up by almost 40 per cent in the last month.
- China factor: China – a major producer and consumer – has also faced this problem as it has tried to save coal for the future and imposed restrictions on mining to go green.
- Emphasis on lowering the dependence on import: In India, coal imports have been traditionally high.
- Under its atmanirbharta drive, the government has voiced concerns on this issue and asked generators to be more self-reliant.
- Coal dependency came down over time, which also coincided with a lower phase of economic growth.
- The same has happened in China where the government has taken the greening concept seriously and asked coal producers to control production and power generators and move over to other greener fuels.
- This has made coal producers less willing to increase investment.
Why power companies are reluctant to import coal?
- Ideally, power companies should import coal.
- But that increases the cost of power production and power tariffs cannot be revised easily, like in the case of crops.
- The power sector, however, already has its woes.
- Distribution companies have been running losses due to their inability to cut down on transmission losses or increase tariffs.
- As their losses mount, the amount overdue to the generators increases.
- Therefore, the producers are not willing to increase their costs.
How it would impact the economy?
- The economy has been showing signs of recovering and the October-December period is crucial because there are expectations of pent-up demand helping to accelerate growth.
- Any disruption in the power supply can push back this process.
- The challenge is that today all the three sectors, agriculture, industry and households, are equally important.
- A lot of business is being conducted from home after the pandemic, and power disruptions will come in the way of work.
- If power companies start revising their tariffs, inflation will shoot up.
Conclusion
The coal shortage problem is very serious as it affects power supply, which is the backbone of all economic activity. All stakeholders – the Centre, states, miners and power generators – must work together and plan the strategy going ahead.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Alternative foreign policy
Context
A document has emerged from the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) in the nature of an alternative to the present foreign and defence policies named ‘India’s Path to Power: Strategy in a world adrift’. It is authored by eight well-known strategists and thinkers.
Background of the document
- In 2012, many of the same authors had produced another document, ‘Non-alignment 2.0’, in the light of the global changes at that time, as a contribution to policymaking, without criticising the policies of the government.
- The present document, however, is in the nature of an alternative to the foreign and defence policies of the government, as some of its tenets are not considered conducive to finding a path to power for India in the post-pandemic world.
Change in foreign policy
- The first term of the Modi government was remarkable for its innovative, bold and assertive foreign policy, which received general approbation.
- After his unconventional peace initiatives with Pakistan failed, he took a firm stand and gained popularity at home.
- His wish to have close relations with the other neighbours did not materialise, but his helpful attitude to them even in difficult situations averted any crisis.
- He brought a new symphony into India-U.S. relations and engaged China continuously to find a new equation with it. India’s relations with Israel and the Arab countries became productive.
- In its second term, the government dealt with some of the sensitive matters, which were essentially of a domestic nature such as Article 370, citizenship issues and farming regulation.
- The external dimensions of these matters led to a challenge to the government’s foreign policy.
Suggestions in the Centre for Policy Research report
- Impact of domestic issues on foreign policy: The finding of the report is that domestic issues have impacted foreign policy and, therefore, India should set its house in order to stem the tide of international reaction.
- This assertion at the beginning of the report is the heart of the report and it is repeated in different forms.
- Importance of globalisation: The report rightly points out that “it would be incorrect and counterproductive for India to turn its back on globalisation…”
- Revival of SAARC: The report also suggests that SAARC should be revived and that India should rejoin the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and continue its long-standing quest for membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
- Strategic autonomy: The report also stresses the importance of strategic autonomy in today’s world where change is the only certainty.
- Relations with the US and China: As for the India-U.S.- China triangle, the report makes the unusual suggestion that India should have better relations individually with both the U.S. and China than they have with each other.
- The report concludes that since China will influence India’s external environment politically, economically and infrastructurally, there is no feasible alternative to a combination of engagement and competition with China.
- Pakistan policy: The report asserts, “as long as our objectives of policy towards Pakistan are modest, resumption of dialogue and a gradual revival of trade, transport and other links are worth pursuing.”
Conclusion
The significance of the report is that it reveals the end of the era of consensus foreign policy and presents a shadow foreign policy for the first time in India. It remains to be seen whether any of the opposition parties will adopt it and fight the next election on the platform provided by the report.
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