Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- National Education Policy
The article contrasts the targets set in the National Education Polity with the present state of education in the country.
Key recommendations
- Redesigning the school curriculum to accommodate early childhood care and education.
- Ensuring universal access to education.
- Increasing gross enrolment in higher education to 50% by 2035.
- Improving research in higher education institutes by setting up a Research Foundation.
Let’s take stock of the current situation on the above-suggested parameters.
1) Universal Access to Education
- Despite the Right to Education Act-2009 retaining children remains a challenge for the schooling system.
- As of 2015-16, Gross Enrolment Ratio was 56.2% at senior secondary level as compared to 99.2% at primary level.
- Data for all groups indicates a decline in GER as we move from primary to senior secondary for all groups.
- This decline is particularly high in case of Scheduled Tribes.
NEP 2020 recommendations
- The NEP recommends strengthening of existing schemes and policies which are targeted for such socio-economically disadvantaged groups.
- Further, it recommends setting up special education zones in areas with a significant proportion of such disadvantaged groups.
- A gender inclusion fund should also be setup to assist female and transgender students in getting access to education.
2) GER to 50% in higher education
- The NEP aims to increase the GER in higher education to 50% by 2035.
- As of 2018-19, the GER in higher education in the country stood at 26.3%.
- The annual growth rate of GER in higher education in the last few years has been around 2%.
NEP 2020 recommendations
- The NEP recommends increasing capacity of existing higher education institutes by restructuring and expanding existing institutes.
- It recommends that all institutes should aim to be large multidisciplinary institutes, and there should be one such institution in or near every district by 2030.
- Further, institutions should have the option to run open distance learning and online programmes to improve access to higher education.
3) Restructuring of Higher Education Institutes
- The NEP notes that the higher education ecosystem in the country is severely fragmented.
- At present, there is complex nomenclature of higher education institutes (HEIs) in the country such as ‘deemed to be university’, ‘affiliating university’, ‘affiliating technical university’, ‘unitary university’.
- These shall be replaced simply by ‘university’.
NEP 2020 recommendations
- The NEP recommends that all HEIs should be restructured into three categories:
- 1) research universities focusing equally on research and teaching.
- 2) teaching universities focusing primarily on teaching.
- 3) degree-granting colleges primarily focused on undergraduate teaching.
- All such institutions will gradually move towards full autonomy – academic, administrative, and financial.
4) National research foundation to boost research
- The NEP states that investment on research and innovation in India, at only 0.69% of GDP, lags behind several other countries.
- The total investment on R&D in India as a proportion of GDP has been stagnant at around 0.7% of GDP.
- Of which 58% of expenditure was by government, and the remaining 42% was by private industry.
NEP 2020 recommendation
- To boost research, the NEP recommends setting up an independent National Research Foundation (NRF).
- The Foundation will act as a liaison between researchers and relevant branches of government as well as industry.
- Specialised institutions which currently fund research, such as the Department of Science and Technology, and the Indian Council of Medical Research, will continue to fund independent projects.
- The Foundation will collaborate with such agencies to avoid duplication.
5) Digital Education
- The NEP states that alternative modes of quality education should be developed when in-person education is not possible.
- But let’s look into the accessibility of such mode.
- As of 2017-18, only 4.4% of rural households have access to a computer (excludes smartphones).
- Nearly 15% have access to internet facility. Amongst urban households, 42% have access to the internet.
NEP 2020 recommendations
- Several interventions are recommended-
- (i) developing two-way audio and video interfaces for holding online classes.
- (ii) use of other channels such as television, radio, mass media in multiple languages to ensure the reach of digital content where digital infrastructure is lacking.
6) Increasing public spending on education to 6% of GDP
- Public spending of 6% of GDP was first made by the National Policy on Education 1968 and reiterated by the 1986 Policy.
- NEP 2020 reaffirms the recommendation of increasing public spending on education to 6% of GDP.
- In 2017-18, the public spending on education-includes spending by centre and states-was budgeted at 4.43% of GDP.
- In 2020-21, states in India have allocated 15.7% of their budgeted expenditure towards education.
- States such as Delhi, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra have allocated more than 18% of their expenditure on Education for the year 2020-21.
- On the other hand, Telangana (7.4%), Andhra Pradesh (12.1%) and Punjab (12.3%) lack in spending on education, as compared to the average of states.
Consider the question “Examine the provision with regard to increasing research in the country in the National Education Policy 2020.”
Conclusion
The National Education Policy is an ambitious document with the potential to transform. What is required is the zeal to implement and assess the progress by analysing the outcomes.
Source-
https://www.prsindia.org/theprsblog/national-education-policy-recommendations-and-current-scenario
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3-Self reliance in defence manufacturing.
India is one of the largest importers of defence equipment. This should have naturally made India a manufacturing hub of the defence equipment. But this is not the case. This article deals with this issue.
Context
Following China’s stance of open belligerence towards India, making war preparedness a top priority. It is against this backdrop, the Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 was unveiled.
Key features
- It aims for domestic output worth ₹1.75 trillion of aerospace and defence goods and services by 2025.
- Of which exports is aimed at ₹35,000 crore.
- It has various strategic initiatives that would aid the indigenous development of modern weaponry from hypersonic missiles and ace sensors to stealth submarines and fly-by-wire fighter jets.
Why India lacks indigenous capacity
- If India’s dependence on foreign suppliers of armaments was not for lack of trying.
- Our Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) exists for this very purpose.
- DRDO scientists claim success in several projects, including the Tejas design.
- But decisions on procurements for our armed forces are made through a complex process—involving service chiefs, technocrats and politicians—that ends up favouring foreign purchases.
- This is this convenient, as off-the-shelf wares are readily available abroad.
- The finer details of defence deals are usually confidential, after all, and the payments huge.
- By one estimate, India was the world’s third largest military spender in 2019, with a bill of over $71 billion, after the US and China.
Issues and Challenges in partnership with private players
- So far, efforts to get our private sector into the act have not fared too well, despite all our schemes to attract them.
- Long-drawn out acquisition processes may partly be to blame for this.
- Companies are apprehensive of investment without an assurance of a ready market.
- But by the time their prototypes are tested and approved for induction by our forces, they risk being outmoded by advances made abroad.
- In the US, spin-offs from defence research have been behind many technological innovations of everyday utility.
- So, the knowledge acquired in defence research has the potential to benefit the other sectors as well.
Consider the question “Being one of the top importers of defence equipment India is well placed to enhance its domestic manufacturing capacity of defence equipment. Yet, India lacks it after repeated attempts to achieve it. Examine the reasons for this and suggest measures to overcome this anomaly.”
Conclusion
If a big push for “made in India” defence systems calls an entire ecosystem of experiments, ideas and technical wizardry into being, it could help our economy leap ahead too.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Adoption of PPP model by the Indian Railways and related issues
Adoption of the PPP model by the Indian Railways will help it get rid of the many issues it suffers from. This article analyses the two initiative by the railways in this regard and spells out their advantages and challenges.
Significance of railways
- Its route spans about 68000 km.
- It employs over 1.2 mn people and generates approximately Rs 2 lakh cr annually.
- So, a major contributor to jobs, GDP, and mobility.
- Efficient and optimal use of the railways could further add up to 1% to GDP.
Adopting PPP model
- The time has come to modernise the Indian Railways, make it world-class, and a key driver of the country’s growth.
- To do so, India must involve the best resources via PPP to bring in the latest technology, leading practices, and efficiencies.
- PPP has been actively deployed as a mechanism in Europe and Japan.
Two initiatives of Indian Railways involving PPP model
1. Operation of trains on selected route
- Indian Railways’ proposal features a list of 109 pairs of routes through 151 trains to private operators.
- Proposed routes include Delhi–Mumbai, Delhi–Chennai, Mumbai–Chennai, and others.
- PPP operators are expected to finance, procure, operate, and maintain the allocated trains.
- The concession period will be for 35 years.
Advantages
- The initiative will bring in cutting-edge, technologically advanced rolling stock, shorter journey times, enhanced job growth, better safety, and best-in-class service standards.
- It will bridge the demand-and-supply deficit for passengers.
- The PPP investment is expected to be in the range of Rs 30,000 cr—in a Make in India–led growth strategy.
- Encouraging domestic manufacturing of rolling stock, these projects will also create direct and indirect employment.
2. Redevelopment of railway stations
- Initially, 50 stations will be bid out and funded through land monetisation as well as user charges.
- The modernisation and redevelopment of stations will be conducted primarily through Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited, Rail Land Development Authority and other central government entities.
- The PPP basis is under the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer model.
- It entails utilising the potential of real estate for excess land and air space in and around the stations for development through PPP.
- The 50 big stations have been planned to be bid out through the PPP route aimed at bringing in investments exceeding Rs 50,000–60,000 crores.
Challenges involved in the adoption of PPP model
- One of the primary challenges will be independence of adjudication in disputes.
- Other issues will be the pricing strategy to remain competitive yet stay profitable, given the competition through air, road, and to some extent, water transport.
- An independent regulator could go a long way towards allaying concerns of equitable treatment of PPP operators and ought to be considered strongly.
Consider the question “Examine the opportunities and challenges in the adoption PPP model by the Indian Railways.”
Conclusion
The introduction of PPP in Railways is a welcome step and can lead to the kind of reforms that can help transform India and make it a global leader.
Source
https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/reforms-driven-agenda-why-its-time-to-modernise-the-indian-railways-make-it-world-class/2044774/
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FATF
Mains level: Money laundering and terror financing
Ahead of the crucial FATF meetings in October, Indian agencies plan to highlight its inaction in the Pulwama, 26/11 Mumbai attack and Daniel Pearl murder cases.
Practice question for mains:
Q.What is FATF? Discuss its role in combating global financial crimes and terror financing.
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.
Why is Pakistan under its scanner?
- Pakistan 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.
- In June 2018, Pakistan gave a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to strengthen its AML/CFT regime, and to address its strategic counter-terrorism financing-related deficiencies.
- Pakistan and the FATF then agreed on the monitoring of 27 indicators under a 10-point action plan, with specific deadlines.
- The understanding was that the successful implementation of the action plan, and its physical verification by the APG, would lead the FATF to move Pakistan out of the Grey List.
- However, Islamabad managed to satisfy the global watchdog over just five of them.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Pyrolysis
Mains level: Not Much
Plastic from used personal protective equipment (PPE) can be transformed into renewable liquid fuels using chemical a process called pyrolysis, says a new study.
Try this PYQ:
Q.In the context of which one of the following are the terms ‘pyrolysis and plasma gasification’ mentioned? (CSP 2019)
(a) Extraction of rare earth elements
(b) Natural gas extraction technologies
(c) Hydrogen fuel-based automobiles
(d) Waste-to-energy technologies
What is Pyrolysis?
- Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere.
- It involves a change in chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements pyro “fire” and lysis “separating”.
- It is most commonly used in the treatment of organic materials. It is one of the processes involved in charring wood.
- It is considered as the first step in the processes of gasification or combustion.
How does it work?
- In general, pyrolysis of organic substances produces volatile products and leaves a solid residue enriched in carbon, char.
- Extreme pyrolysis, which leaves mostly carbon as the residue, is called carbonization.
- The process is used heavily in the chemical industry, for example, to produce ethylene, many forms of carbon, and other chemicals from petroleum, coal, and even wood, to produce coke from coal.
Applications
- Aspirational applications of pyrolysis would convert biomass into syngas and biochar, waste plastics back into usable oil, or waste into safely disposable substances.
Limitations and Concerns
- The technology requires drying of soil prior to treatment.
- Limited performance data are available for systems treating hazardous wastes containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and other organics.
- There is concern that systems that destroy chlorinated organic molecules by heat have the potential to create products of incomplete combustion, including dioxins and furans.
- These compounds are extremely toxic in the parts per trillion range.
- The molten salt is usually recycled in the reactor chamber. However, depending on the waste treated (especially inorganics) and the amount of ash, spent molten salt may be hazardous and require special care in disposal.
- Pyrolysis is not effective in either destroying or physically separating inorganics from the contaminated medium.
- Volatile metals may be removed as a result of the higher temperatures associated with the process, but they are not destroyed.
- When the off-gases are cooled, liquids condense, producing an oil/tar residue and contaminated water.
- These oils and tars may be hazardous wastes, requiring proper treatment, storage, and disposal.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: HEFA
Mains level: Higher education infra development
The JNU has got approval for a fund from the Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) for the construction of new infrastructure.
Try this PYQ:
What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’? (CSP 2017)
(a) Achieving 100% literacy by promoting collaboration between voluntary organizations and government’s education system and local communities.
(b) Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies.
(c) Strengthening India’s scientific research institutions in order to make India a scientific and technological power.
(d) Developing human capital by allocating special funds for health care and education of rural and urban poor, and organizing skill development programmes and vocational training for them.
About HEFA
- HEFA is a joint venture company of Canara Bank and Ministry of Human Resource Development.
- It provides financial assistance for the creation of educational infrastructure and R&D in India’s premier educational institutions.
- All the Centrally Funded Higher Educational Institutions will be eligible to join as members of the HEFA.
- For joining as members, the educational institution must agree to escrow a specific amount from their internal accruals for a period of 10 years to the HEFA.
Funding pattern of HEFA
- HEFA will have an authorized capital of 2,000 crore rupees and the government equity would be 1,000 crore
- It also mobilizes CSR funds from Corporates/PSUs which will, in turn, be released for promoting research and innovation in these institutions on a grant basis.
- The principal portion of the loan will be repaid through the ‘internal accruals’ of the institutions earned through the fee receipts, research earnings etc.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indian Peafowl
Mains level: Wildlife conservation and various policy efforts
This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the D2E.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India? (CSP 2015)
(a) Saltwater crocodile
(b) Olive ridley turtle
(c) Gangetic dolphin
(d) Gharial
Indian Peafowl
- The Indian peafowl is a native of India and some parts of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- The Arakan hills prevented their spread further east while the Himalayas and the Karakoram did so northwards.
- As our national bird, the peacock has the utmost level of legal protection.
Peacock vs. Peafowl
- Only the males of the species are peacocks.
- The females are properly called peahens, while young birds less than a year old are known as peachicks.
- Collectively they are known as peafowl, regardless of age or gender.
- Peacocks are male Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) belonging to the Phasianidae family
Various protections
- It comes under Section 51 (1-A) of Schedule I of the Wild (Life) (Protection) Act, 1972, with imprisonment that may be extended up to seven years, along with a fine that shall not be less than Rs 10,000.
- Since 2014, Indian Peafowl has been protected under Appendix III of the CITES.
- They are listed under the ‘Least Concern’ (LC) category of the IUCN Red Data List.
Threats
- Despite this, these birds experienced dwindling populations for many decades due to habitat loss, poaching and contamination of their food sources.
- In 1991, the peafowl population census conducted by the WWF revealed that 50 per cent of the species had declined, compared to their number at the time of independence.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Swadesh Darshan Scheme
Mains level: Various initiaitves tourism promotion
Union Minister for Culture & Tourism has inaugurated the “Thenzawl Golf Resort” Project at Aizawl, Mizoram.
Try this question for mains:
Q. Swadesh Darshan Scheme is one of the most ambitious schemes to transform the tourism industry in India. Comment.
Thenzawl Golf Resort Project
- The Project is sanctioned under the Integrated Development of New Eco-Tourism under Swadesh Darshan- North East Circuit.
- It is designed by Graham Cooke and Associates, one of top-ranked Canada based Golf Course architectural firm.
- It is designed to have facilities of international standards.
- The competitive advantage of Thenzawl Golf Course is that it will provide quality golfing experience and international facilities at a fair price.
Back2Basics: Swadesh Darshan Scheme
- Swadesh Darshan Scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Tourism, for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritized manner.
- The scheme was launched in 2014 -15 as a Central Sector Scheme.
- It aims for integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits in the country.
- Under the scheme, the identified thematic circuits for development are: North-East Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Sufi Circuit, and Tirthankara Circuit.
- “Development of North East Circuit: Imphal & Khongjom” is the first project implemented under the Scheme.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Finance commission and related constitutional provisions
Mains level: Implication in federal relation; scope for reforms
The Financial Stability Report (FSR) released by RBI recently has once again underlined the vulnerability of the Indian public sector banks (PSBs). They have been under a severe balance sheet crisis even before the pandemic, and the crisis created by the pandemic, and the moratorium offered, will explode when the chickens come to roost.
Current banking scenario in India
According to the FSR
- The gross non-performing assets would go up from 11.3% in March 2020 to 15.2% in March 2021, and to 16.3% under a very severe stress scenario.
- The CRAR is estimated to deteriorate from 14.6% in March to 13.3% in the baseline scenario, and to 11.8% under a very severe stress scenario.
- The volume of recapitalisation required is humongous.
What is a Non-Performing Asset (NPA)?
- You may note that for a bank, the loans given by the bank is considered as its assets. 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 a Non-Performing Asset (NPA).
- Any asset which stops giving returns to its investors for a specified period of time is known as Non-Performing Asset (NPA).
- Generally, that specified period of time is 90 days in most of the countries and across the various lending institutions. However, it is not a thumb rule and it may vary with the terms and conditions agreed upon by the financial institution and the borrower.
Reasons for rise in NPA in India
- Historical factors -Between early 2000’s and 2008 Indian economy were in the boom phase. During this period Banks especially Public sector banks lent extensively to corporate. However, the profits of most of the corporate dwindled due to slowdown in the global economy, the ban in mining projects, and delay in environmental related permits affecting power, iron and steel sector, volatility in prices of raw material and the shortage in availability of. This has affected their ability to pay back loans and is the most important reason behind increase in NPA of public sector banks.
- Relaxed lending norms : One of the main reasons of rising NPA is the relaxed lending norms especially for corporate honchos when their financial status and credit rating is not analyzed properly. Also, to face competition banks are hugely selling unsecured loans which attributes to the level of NPAs.
- Lack of contigency planning: Banks did not conducted adequate contingency planning, especially for mitigating project risk. They did not factor eventualities like failure of gas projects to ensure supply of gas or failure of land acquisition process for highways.
- Restructuring of loan facility was extended to companies that were facing larger problems of over-leverage& inadequate profitability. This problem was more in the Public sector banks.
- Unforseen economic shocks like Demonetization and Covid 19
What is the impact of NPAs?
- Lenders suffer a lowering of profit margins.
- Stress in banking sector causes less money available to fund other projects, therefore, negative impact on the larger national economy.
- Higher interest rates by the banks to maintain the profit margin.
- Redirecting funds from the good projects to the bad ones.
- As investments got stuck, it may result in it may result in unemployment.
- In the case of public sector banks, the bad health of banks means a bad return for a shareholder which means that the government of India gets less money as a dividend. Therefore it may impact easy deployment of money for social and infrastructure development and results in social and political cost.
- Investors do not get rightful returns.
- Balance sheet syndrome of Indian characteristics that is both the banks and the corporate sector have stressed balance sheet and causes halting of the investment-led development process.
- NPAs related cases add more pressure to already pending cases with the judiciary.
What are the various steps taken to tackle NPAs?
1.Corporate Debt Restructuring – 2005
It is for reducing the burden of the debts on the company by decreasing the rates paid and increasing the time the company has to pay the obligation back.
2.5:25 rule – 2014
- Also known as, Flexible Structuring of Long Term Project Loans to Infrastructure and Core Industries.
- It was proposed to maintain the cash flow of such companies since the project timeline is long and they do not get the money back into their books for a long time, therefore, the requirement of loans at every 5-7 years and thus refinancing for long term projects.
3.Joint Lenders Forum – 2014
- It was created by the inclusion of all PSBs whose loans have become stressed. It is present so as to avoid loans to the same individual or company from different banks.
- It is formulated to prevent instances where one person takes a loan from one bank to give a loan of the other bank.
4.Mission Indradhanush – 2015
The Indradhanush framework for transforming the PSBs represents the most comprehensive reform effort undertaken since banking nationalization in the year 1970 to revamp the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and improve their overall performance by ABCDEFG.
- A-Appointments: Based upon global best practices and as per the guidelines in the companies act, separate post of Chairman and Managing Director and the CEO will get the designation of MD & CEO and there would be another person who would be appointed as non-Executive Chairman of PSBs.
- B-Bank Board Bureau: The BBB will be a body of eminent professionals and officials, which will replace the Appointments Board for the appointment of Whole-time Directors as well as non-Executive Chairman of PSBs
- C-Capitalization: As per finance ministry, the capital requirement of extra capital for the next four years up to FY 2019 is likely to be about Rs.1,80,000 crore out of which 70000 crores will be provided by the GOI and the rest PSBs will have to raise from the market.
| Financial Year |
Total Amount |
| FY15-16 |
25,000 Crore |
| FY16-17 |
25,000 Crore |
| FY17-18 |
10,000 Crore |
| FY18-19 |
10,000 Crore |
| Total |
70,000 Crore |
- D-DEstressing: PSBs and strengthening risk control measures and NPAs disclosure.
- E-Employment: GOI has said there will be no interference from Government and Banks are encouraged to take independent decisions keeping in mind the commercial the organizational interests.
- F-Framework of Accountability: New KPI(key performance indicators) which would be linked with performance and also the consideration of ESOPs for top management PSBs.
- G-Governance Reforms: For Example, Gyan Sangam, a conclave of PSBs and financial institutions. Bank board Bureau for transparent and meritorious appointments in PSBs.
5.Strategic debt restructuring (SDR) – 2015
- Under this scheme banks who have given loans to a corporate borrower gets the right to convert the complete or part of their loans into equity shares in the loan taken company. Its basic purpose is to ensure that more stake of promoters in reviving stressed accounts and providing banks with enhanced capabilities for initiating a change of ownership in appropriate cases.
6.Asset Quality Review – 2015
- Classify stressed assets and provision for them so as to secure the future of the banks and further early identification of the assets and prevent them from becoming stressed by appropriate action.
7.Sustainable structuring of stressed assets (S4A) – 2016
- It has been formulated as an optional framework for the resolution of largely stressed accounts.
- It involves the determination of sustainable debt level for a stressed borrower and bifurcation of the outstanding debt into sustainable debt and equity/quasi-equity instruments which are expected to provide upside to the lenders when the borrower turns around.
8.Insolvency and Bankruptcy code Act-2016
- It has been formulated to tackle the Chakravyuha Challenge (Economic Survey) of the exit problem in India.
- The aim of this law is to promote entrepreneurship, availability of credit, and balance the interests of all stakeholders by consolidating and amending the laws relating to reorganization and insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time-bound manner and for maximization of value of assets of such persons and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
9.Pubic ARC vs. Private ARC – 2017
- This debate is recently in the news which is about the idea of a Public Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARC) fully funded and administered by the government as mooted by this year’s Economic Survey Vs. the private ARC as advocated by the deputy governor of RBI Mr. Viral Acharya.
- Economic survey calls it as PARA (Public Asset Rehabilitation Agency) and the recommendation is based on a similar agency being used during the East Asian crisis of 1997 which was a success.
10.Bad Banks – 2017
- Economic survey 16-17, also talks about the formation of a bad bank which will take all the stressed loans and it will tackle it according to flexible rules and mechanism. It will ease the balance sheet of PSBs giving them the space to fund new projects and continue the funding of development projects.
11.Prompt corrective action
- PCA is a framework under which banks with weak financial metrics are put under watch by the RBI.
- The RBI introduced the PCA framework in 2002 as a structured early-intervention mechanism for banks that become undercapitalised due to poor asset quality, or vulnerable due to loss of profitability.
- It aims to check the problem of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in the Indian banking sector.
12.RBI’s revised stressed asset resolution norms
- The RBI in June 2019 released a revised set of norms on stressed asset resolution which are substantially less stringent from the previous one.
About the February 2018 RBI circular
- Through a notification issued on Feb 12, 2018 the RBI laid down a revised framework for the resolution of stressed assets, which replaced all its earlier instructions on the subject.
- Banks were required to immediately start working on a resolution plan for accounts over Rs 2,000 crore, which was to be finalised within 180 days.
- In the case of non-implementation, lenders were required to file an insolvency application.
- RBI termed it necessary to substitute the existing guidelines with a harmonized and simplified generic framework for resolution of stressed assets.
- Also, banks have to recognise loans as non-performing even if the repayment was delayed by just one day.
- Not adhering to the timelines in the circular would attract stringent supervisory and enforcement actions.
What did the revised framework replace?
- The circular went into effect on the same day that it was issued, and all existing schemes for stressed asset resolution were withdrawn with immediate effect.
- The circular was ostensibly intended to stop the “evergreening” of bad loans the practice of banks providing fresh loans to enable timely repayment by borrowers on existing loans.
- The RBI warned banks that not adhering to the timelines laid down in the circular, or attempting to evergreen stressed accounts, would attract stringent supervisory and enforcement actions.
New circular of the RBI
- The new framework gives lenders a breather from the one-day default rule whereby they had to draw up a resolution plan (RP) for implementation within 180 days of the first default.
- It gives lenders (scheduled commercial banks, all-India financial institutions and small finance banks) 30 days to review the borrower account on default.
- During this review period, lenders may decide on the resolution strategy, including the nature of the RP and the approach for its implementation.
- Lenders may also choose to initiate legal proceedings for insolvency or recovery.
- The new circular is also applicable to small finance banks and systemically important non-deposit taking non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and deposit-taking NBFCs.
- In cases where the RP is to be implemented, all lenders have to enter into an intercreditor agreement (ICA)for the resolution of stressed assets during the review period to provide for ground rules for finalisation and implementation of the RP in respect of borrowers with credit facilities from more than one lender.
- Under the ICA, any decision agreed to by the lenders representing 75 per cent of total outstanding credit facilities by value and 60 per cent by number will be binding upon all the lenders. In particular, the RPs will provide for payment which will not be less than the liquidation value due to the dissenting lenders.
- In cases where the aggregate exposure of a borrower to lenders (scheduled commercial banks, all-India financial institutions and small finance banks) is ₹2,000 crore and above, the RP has to be implemented within 180 days from the end of the review period, and the reference date has been set as June 7, 2019.
- In the case of borrowers in the ₹1,500 crore and above but less than ₹2,000 crore category, January 1, 2020 has been set as the reference date for implementing the RP. In the less than ₹1,500 crore category, the RBI will announce the reference date in due course.
What if the Resolution Plan is delayed?
- There is a disincentive for banks if they delay implementing a viable resolution plan.
- In case the plan is not implemented within 180 days from the end of the review period, banks have to make additional provision of 20% and another 15% if the plan is not implemented within 365 days from the start of the review period.
- The additional provisions would be reversed if resolution is pursued under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
Further reforms needed
- Banks have to accept losses on loans (or ‘haircuts’).
- They should be able to do so without any fear of harassment by the investigative agencies.
- The Indian Banks’ Association has set up a six-member panel to oversee resolution plans of lead lenders. To expedite resolution, more such panels may be required.
- An alternative is to set up a Loan Resolution Authority, if necessary through an Act of Parliament.
- Also, the government must infuse at one go whatever additional capital is needed to recapitalise banks — providing such capital in multiple instalments is not helpful
- The quality of lending by PSB must be improved in future so that the same problem does not arise again.
- To provide Public sector banks with greater autonomy the shareholding of the government can be reduced to less than 50 percent or 33 percent.
- A second requirement is that public sector banks should become board-managed institutions, with the board responsible for all appointments, including that of the chief executive officer (CEO). If the shares of the government are actually transferred to a holding company, then decisions regarding appointments could be taken by the board of the new company on the recommendation of the board of the bank.
- The objective of creating a genuinely commercial environment in which public sector banks can function and managements are made accountable can only be achieved if the government is willing to step back from exercising direct control.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Issues around JK; Federalism in India
The articles talk about various myths that have been building around the issues of Jammu and Kashmir. Not only does these myths affect the political outlook towards the state but is also responsible for people’s perspective on this whole story. Go on and read to understand further..
The myths
Kashmir has been a favourite site of our national mythmaking; myths that have over the years assumed larger-than-life manifestations in our collective psyche.
#Myth1
- Article 370 is considered as the root cause of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
- But there is a little material basis to it — neither Article 370 can be considered as responsible for terrorism in the Valley nor has its removal ensured a reduction in terrorism.
#Myth2
- Article 370 is also held responsible for ruining J&K, stalling its development, preventing proper health care and blocking industries. Once again, these arguments also lack merit and evidence.
- J&K, as a matter of fact, has been doing much better than most other Indian States and one of the reasons for this was the land reforms carried out in the State in the early 1950s which was possible precisely because of the presence of Article 370.
- Also, private investors do not set up shop in Kashmir due to militancy which is a product of an existing conflict; not because of Articles 370 or 35A.
#Myth3
- If J&K is doing better than the other Indian States, it is because of the massive amounts of funds provided by New Delhi.
- The real argument here is not whether Kashmir received funding from New Delhi but massive funding as it is often made out to be.
- Funds from the center can be divided as:
- Funds to take care of J&K government’s revenue deficit: J&K, for historical reasons, has had a bloated bureaucracy in comparison to other States and their salaries and pensions have been financed by the central government. But these funds do little for the State’s economy or the general population.
- Then there are routine transfers of funds from the Centre to J&K just as transfers take place from New Delhi to other States.
- Finally, J&K also received funds due to its special category State status which again is a case with several other Indian States.
- Put differently, J&K’s better performance in comparison to most other Indian States is at least partly because of Article 370, and its well-being is not necessarily a result of New Delhi’s economic packages.
#Myth4
- Development can defeat militancy and insurgency.
- The reality is that development may not lead to the pacification of the conflict in Kashmir.
- The Kashmir conflict is a function of complex historical grievances, politico-ethnic demands, increasing religious radicalisation, and Pakistan’s unrelenting interference in the Kashmir Valley.
- It would be simplistic to imagine that such a multi-layered and complex conflict can be resolved by development alone.
The deep impact of mythmaking
- Changed the way how common people understand and treat Kashmir and Kashmiris.
- Ideas like “Kashmir needs to be reunited with the rest of India” have become a powerful claim made by such representations and political articulations.
- Yet another popular perception about ‘Kashmiris as troublemakers and sympathisers of terror’ has led to a noticeable increase in the mistreatment of Kashmiri Muslims in the rest of the country.
Conclusion
The way forward here is not in celebrating the scrapping of Article 370. It lies in critically examining various outcomes of this process. It is essential that New Delhi work the local people and leaders to reduce the trust and legitimacy deficit that we see today.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FAME
Mains level: Electric vehicles regulation in India
This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the D2E. It focuses on India for not having adequate legislations that can prevent illegal dumping of spent lithium batteries ahead of the FAME-I and II scheme.
Practice question for mains:
Q.What are the different phases of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) Scheme? Discuss various challenges in adopting EV technology in India.
Background
- Electric vehicles (EV) are a part of the new normal as the global transportation sector undergoes a paradigm shift, with a clear preference towards cleaner and greener vehicles.
- Like its western counterparts and China, India has pushed the mandate for EVs as well, through schemes such as Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) I and FAME II.
- EV sales in the country are expected to grow annually at a compound annual growth rate of 35 per cent till 2026, according to a market survey by news daily Economic Times.
Powering the EVs
- Initially, EVs were powered with lead-acid batteries. Lithium-ion batteries that include other chemical moieties like cobalt, graphite and nickel now form the heart of an EV.
- At the end of the battery lifespan, what remains is battery waste, comprising enormous amounts of chemicals such as cobalt, electrolytes, lithium, manganese oxide and nickel.
Latent threats to India
- India, at present, is underprepared for the sheer volume of EV battery waste expected in the coming decade.
- Most of our e-waste is dumped in landfills.
- Further, we do not have adequate legislation that can prevent illegal dumping of spent lithium batteries.
- This sets a dangerous precedent, as India can potentially become a lithium waste dumpsite for not just waste from domestic EVs, but also from import of spent batteries.
There is a legal loophole
- The most recent legislations — the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016 and E-waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018 — evolved considerably in terms of the range of materials.
- They do not, however, include a cohesive set of rules for the safe disposal of EV batteries.
- Li-ion batteries, thus, find no mention, in any framework for end-of-life treatment or recycling.
Threats posed by un-recycled batteries
- The batteries constitute substances that — if not recycled or treated in a proper fashion — can cause harm to both the environment and humans.
- Further, lithium itself spontaneously reacts with moisture and can lead to major landfill explosions.
Global precedence over batteries regulation:
Several nations are ahead of the curve and have mandated legislations that deal with battery recycling and treatment:
(1) EU Batteries Directive
- The Batteries Directive was issued by the European Union to minimise the negative impact of batteries and accumulators on the environment.
- The Batteries Directive broke down the different stages of the process of collection and recycling of waste batteries and issued directions on how each of these must be performed.
(2) Germany
- Germany puts a legal obligation on producers to collect their products from the consumer and deposit them in containers managed by the GRS Batterien Foundation.
- It is set up by leading battery manufactures and the German Electrical and Electronics Industry Association in 1998.
- It ensures collected waste is segregated and sorted according to electrochemical composition — leading to efficient extraction of materials that can be recovered and recycled.
(3) Japan
- The Japan Battery Recycling Centre (JBRC), established in 2004, is a producer-responsibility organisation that helps keep the process of recycling waste batteries going.
- Consumers and offices — that utilise technology running on batteries — discharge delivery to collection sites placed with retailers who register with the JBRC as co-operation shops for recycling.
- The collection sites facilitate segregation of the batteries by providing four different types of labels for four different types of batteries.
Where does India stand among these?
- The Indian e-waste legal regime underwent a tremendous change over time and has only recently embraced EPR and collection of e-waste.
- A lack of clear scientific guidelines and regulations tailor-made for li-ion batteries, however, leads to poor return of investments in setting up recycling units, as it is a capital-intensive initiative.
- In October 2019, the framing of a much-awaited recycling policy was proposed by the Union government.
- It is, however, still awaited. The first step to creating a circular economy for EV batteries is to expand our laws to include li-ion battery chemistries.
We are late but not the last
- Large quantities of EV battery waste presented a unique opportunity to nurture a domestic recycling industry, which is currently in its infancy.
- The process of recycling can help recover up to half the valuable metals, including aluminium, cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and nickel, which can then be used for secondary applications.
- Tata Chemicals Ltd, for example, commissioned a li-ion battery recycling plant in Maharashtra in 2019.
Way forward
- Governments must take a proactive stance when it comes to the development of batteries that cause less harm to the environment.
- There must be an extended producer responsibility (EPR) mechanism that ensured manufacturers of batteries to bear a legal obligation of their products being safely recycled and disposed of.
Back2Basics: Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles
FAME I
- In this phase, market creation through demand incentives was aimed at incentivizing all vehicle segments i.e. 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers Auto, Passenger 4-Wheeler vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles and Buses.
- The demand incentive was available to buyers of EV in the form of an upfront reduced purchase price to enable wider adoption.
FAME II
- This phase will mainly focus on supporting electrification of public & shared transportation, and aims to support through subsidies 7000 e-Buses, 5 lakh e-3 Wheelers, 55000 e-4 Wheeler Passenger Cars and 10 lakh e-2 Wheelers.
- The scheme will be applicable mainly to vehicles used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-4W and e-bus segments.
- However, privately-owned registered-2W will also be covered under the scheme as a mass segment.
- In addition, the creation of charging infrastructure will be supported in selected cities and along major highways to address range anxiety among users of electric vehicles.
Original article:
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/pollution/electric-vehicle-battery-recycling-in-india-an-opportunity-for-change-72621
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MGNREGA, Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan
Mains level: MGNREGA, Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan
- One-third of the way through the financial year, government data shows that the MGNREGA scheme has used up almost half its allocated funds.
- Its spending has been more than ₹48,500 crores out of the expanded ₹1 lakh crore allocations announced following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Try this question for mains:
Q.Discuss how the MGNREG Scheme has been providing a minimum basic income since the Covid pandemic. Also discuss how it can prove to be a game-changer if coupled with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
About MGNREGA
- The MGNREGA stands for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005.
- This is labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘Right to Work’.
- The act was first proposed in 1991 by P.V. Narasimha Rao.
Its objectives
- To enhance the livelihood security of the rural poor by generating wage employment opportunities.
- To create a rural asset base which would enhance productive ways of employment, augment and sustain a rural household income.
Features of the Scheme
- MGNREGA is unique in not only ensuring at least 100 days of employment to the willing unskilled workers, but also in ensuring an enforceable commitment on the implementing machinery i.e., the State Governments, and providing a bargaining power to the labourers.
- The failure of provision for employment within 15 days of the receipt of job application from a prospective household will result in the payment of unemployment allowance to the job seekers.
- Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant’s residence, and minimum wages are to be paid.
- Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.
Also read:
[Burning Issue] Reorienting MGNREGA in times of COVID
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Demo 2 Mission
Mains level: Commercial space flights
Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to finish an unprecedented test flight.
We can get a match the pair type question in prelims asking various space missions and their purposes. Make note of similar space missions from here.
Crew Dragon
- Crew Dragon is a part of the Dragon 2, a class of reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX.
- It is the fifth class of US spacecraft to take human beings into orbit, after the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.
- The rocket, named Falcon 9, which carried the spaceship into the orbit, was also built by SpaceX.
- It is done under the Demo-2 Mission of NASA and SpaceX.
Demo-2: What is the mission?
- The Demo-2 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program with the aim of developing reliable and cost-effective access to and from the ISS.
- Essentially, the lift-off is a flight test to certify if SpaceX’s crew transportation system can be used to ferry crew to and from the space station regularly.
What makes it a special event?
- It was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit.
- The last time NASA astronauts returned from space to water was on July 24, 1975, in the Pacific to end a joint U.S.-Soviet mission known as Apollo-Soyuz.
- The return clears the way for possible tourist flights in the near future.
Back2Basics: SpaceX
- Space Exploration Technologies Corp., trading as SpaceX, is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation Services Company headquartered in Hawthorne, California.
- It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars.
- It has developed several launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Time capsules
Mains level: NA
Ahead of the laying of the foundation stone for a temple, claims and denials have emerged about plans to put in a time capsule, or ‘Kaal Patra’.
Do you know?
A rubidium standard or rubidium atomic clock is the most inexpensive, compact, and widely produced atomic clock, used to control the frequency of television stations, cell phone base stations, in test equipment, and global navigation satellite systems like GPS.
What is a Time Capsule?
- It is a container of any size or shape, which accommodates documents, photos and artefacts typical of the current era and is buried underground, for future generations to unearth.
- The time capsule requires special engineering so that the contents don’t decay, even if pulled out after a century.
- Material such as aluminium and stainless steel are used for the encasing, and documents are often reproduced on acid-free paper.
- While the term “time capsule” was coined in the 20th century, among the earliest examples of one dates back to 1777, found by historians inside the statue of Jesus Christ in Spain during its restoration.
There’s a global society:
International Time Capsule Society
- The International Time Capsule Society (ITCS), based in the US and formed in 1990, is now defunct but continues estimating the number of time capsules in the world.
- As per its database, there are “10,000-15,000 times capsules worldwide”.
Are there any time capsules in India?
- There have been a number of prominent examples.
- One time capsule, outside the Red Fort and placed underground in 1972 by then PM Indira Gandhi, was dug out by the subsequent government.
- Other time capsules are at a school in Mumbai, IIT-Kanpur, LPU in Jalandhar, and Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
- The Red Fort time capsule was supposed to be dug out after 1,000 years.
Significance of time capsules
- Historians often criticize the idea of being motivated.
- This exercise is inevitably a subjective exercise, geared towards glorification not to construct the real picture.
- All historians look at this time capsule exercise with suspicion.
- It’s not a valid historical method — who decides what matter, what artefacts, written documents are going into it?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NTPS
Mains level: Regulation of forest produce in India
Environment Minister has launched piloting of the National Transit Pass System for seamless movement of forest produce.
Try this MCQ:
Q.The National Transit Pass System (NTPS) recently seen in news is related to:
(a) Transport of Forest Produces
(b) Transport through National Waterways
(c) Inter-state transport during restrictions
(d) None of these
About National Transit Pass System
- The NTPS is an online system for issuing transit permits for timber, bamboo and other forest produce.
- This system helps in monitoring and keeping records of transit permits for inter-state and intra-state transportation of timber and bamboo from private lands/government/private depot and other minor forest produce.
- E-pass will be issued for transit through the desktop-based web portal as well as a mobile application.
- It will bring ease of business and expedite the issuance of transit permits for timber, bamboo and other minor forest produce without physically going to forest offices.
- It will be functional in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana for now on a pilot basis.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: eVIN
Mains level: Vaccination programme in India
The eVIN has reached 32 States and Union Territories (UTs) and will soon be rolled out in the remaining States and UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Ladakh and Sikkim.
Try this question from CSP 2016:
Q.‘Mission Indradhanush’ launched by the Government of India pertains to:
(a) Immunization of children and pregnant women
(b) Construction of smart cities across the country
(c) India’s own search for the Earth-like planets in outer space
(d) New Educational Policy
About eVIN
- The eVIN is an innovative technological solution aimed at strengthening immunization supply chain systems across the country.
- This is being implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- It aims to provide real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in the country.
- This system has been used during the COVID pandemic for ensuring the continuation of the essential immunization services and protecting our children and pregnant mothers against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Components of eVIN
- eVIN combines state-of-the-art technology, a strong IT infrastructure and trained human resource to enable real-time monitoring of stock and storage temperature of the vaccines kept in multiple locations across the country.
- At present, 23,507 cold chain points across 585 districts of 22 States and 2 UTs routinely use the eVIN technology for efficient vaccine logistics management.
Benefits of eVIN
- It has helped create a big data architecture that generates actionable analytics encouraging data-driven decision-making and consumption-based planning.
- It helps in maintaining optimum stocks of vaccines leading to cost savings. Vaccine availability at all times has increased to 99% in most health centres in India.
- While instances of stock-outs have reduced by 80%, the time taken to replenish stocks has also decreased by more than half, on an average.
- This has ensured that every child who reaches the immunization session site is immunized, and not turned back due to unavailability of vaccines.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Contempt of Court
Mains level: Contempt of Court and associated issues
Contempt of court, as a concept is back in the news after the proceeding by the Supreme Court of India, on its own motion, against a senior Delhi-based advocate-activist.
Try this question for mains:
Q.What is Contempt of Court? Discuss, how free speech can lead to the contempt of courts?
What is Contempt of Court?
- It seeks to protect judicial institutions from motivated attacks and unwarranted criticism, and as a legal mechanism to punish those who lower its authority.
How did the concept of contempt come into being?
- The concept of contempt of court is several centuries old.
- In England, it is a common law principle that seeks to protect the judicial power of the king, initially exercised by him, and later by a panel of judges who acted in his name.
- Violation of the judges’ orders was considered an affront to the king himself.
- Over time, any kind of disobedience to judges, or obstruction of the implementation of their directives, or comments and actions that showed disrespect towards them came to be punishable.
What is the statutory basis for contempt of court?
- There were pre-Independence laws of contempt in India. Besides the early High Courts, the courts of some princely states also had such laws.
- When the Constitution was adopted, contempt of court was made one of the restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.
- Separately, Article 129 of the Constitution conferred on the Supreme Court the power to punish contempt of itself.
- Article 215 conferred a corresponding power on the High Courts.
- The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, gives statutory backing to the idea.
What are the kinds of contempt of court?
The law codifying contempt classifies it as civil and criminal.
- Civil contempt is fairly simple. It is committed when someone willfully disobeys a court order or wilfully breaches an undertaking given to the court. However, Criminal contempt is more complex.
- It consists of three forms: (a) words, written or spoken, signs and actions that “scandalise” or “tend to scandalise” or “lower” or “tends to lower” the authority of any court (b) prejudices or interferes with any judicial proceeding and (c) interferes with or obstructs the administration of justice.
- The rationale for this provision is that courts must be protected from tendentious attacks that lower its authority, defame its public image and make the public lose faith in its impartiality.
- The punishment for contempt of court is simple imprisonment for a term up to six months and/or a fine of up to ₹. 2,000.
What does not account to contempt?
- Fair and accurate reporting of judicial proceedings will not amount to contempt of court.
- Nor is any fair criticism on the merits of a judicial order after a case is heard and disposed of.
Is truth a defence against a contempt charge?
- For many years, the truth was seldom considered a defence against a charge of contempt.
- There was an impression that the judiciary tended to hide any misconduct among its individual members in the name of protecting the image of the institution.
- The Act was amended in 2006 to introduce truth as a valid defence if it was in the public interest and was invoked in a bonafide
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Asiatic Society William Jones
Mains level: Linguistic study of ancient India
This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the Indian Express.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2016:
Q.Who of the following had first deciphered the edicts of Emperor Ashoka?
(a) Georg Buhier
(b) James Prinsep
(c) Max Muller
(d) William Jones
William Jones
- William Jones was appointed as a judge on the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal,
- In the next couple of years, Jones established himself as an authority on ancient Indian language and culture, a field of study that was hitherto untouched.
- He is particularly known for his proposition of the existence of a relationship among European and Indo-Aryan languages, which he coined as Indo-European.
- He is also credited for establishing the Asiatic Society of Bengal in the year 1784.
His linguistic studies
- Jones’ was the first to suggest that Sanskrit, Greek and Latin languages had a common root and that indeed they may all be further related, in turn, to Gothic and the Celtic languages, as well as to Persian.
- He also suggested that Sanskrit ‘was introduced to India by conquerors from other kingdoms in some very remote age’ displacing ‘the pure Hindi’ of north India
- His claim rested on the evidence of several Sanskrit words that had similarities with Greek and Latin.
Some examples of his propositions
- As he studied the languages further, it became clearer that apart from Greek and Latin, Sanskrit words could be found in most other European languages.
- For instance, the Sanskrit word for ‘three’, that is ‘trayas’, is similar to the Latin ‘tres’ and the Greek ‘treis’. Similarly, the Sanskrit for ‘snake’, is ‘sarpa’, which shares a phonetic link with ‘serpens’ in Latin.
- For instance, ‘mata’ or mother in Sanskrit, is ‘mutter’ in German. ‘Dan’ or ‘to give’ in Sanskrit is ‘donor’ in Spanish.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Galapagos Islands
Mains level: Not Much
Chinese ships are frequently entering Ecuador’s waters for commercial fishing near the Galapagos Islands.
Try this question from CSP 2018:
Q.Which one of the following can one comes across if one travels through the Strait of Malacca?
(a) Bali
(b) Brunei
(c) Java
(d) Singapore
The Galapagos Islands
- Renowned worldwide for its unique species, the islands host a wide array of aquatic wildlife, including marine iguanas, fur seals, and waved albatrosses.
- The giant tortoises found here – ‘Galápagos’ in old Spanish– give the islands its name.
- Ecuador made a part of the Galapagos a wildlife sanctuary in 1935, and the sanctuary became the Galapagos National Park in 1959.
- In 1978, the islands became UNESCO’s first World Heritage Site.
- It was here that the British naturalist Charles Darwin made key observations in 1835 that shaped his theory of evolution. Darwin described the islands as a “world in itself”.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Dhole and thier significance
Mains level: Wildlife conservation and various policy efforts
Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh rank high in the conservation of dhole in India, according to a new study.
Dhole
- The dhole is a canid native to Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
- India perhaps supports the largest number of dholes, with key populations found in three landscapes — Western Ghats, Central India and Northeast India.
- It is a highly social animal, living in large clans without rigid dominance hierarchies and containing multiple breeding females.
- It is listed as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN as populations are decreasing and are estimated at fewer than 2,500 adults.
- Factors contributing to this decline include habitat loss, loss of prey, competition with other species, persecution due to livestock predation and disease transfer from domestic dogs.
Their significance
- Dholes play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems.
- Besides the tiger, the dhole is the only large carnivore in India that is under IUCN’s ‘endangered’ category.
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