From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AarogyaSetu App
Mains level: Privacy concerns with AarogyaSetu App
Amid concerns over privacy of data being collected by its COVID-19 contact tracing app, the union government has open-sourced the Aarogya Setu app.
Right to Privacy is an important topic for GS. The Aarogya Setu app which has a lot more to offer is under the radar due to the underlying vacuum of Privacy Law in India. To tackle this, the government has launched a bug bounty programme (a sort of hackathon).
About AarogyaSetu App
The App enables people to assess themselves the risk of their catching the Corona Virus infection.
It is designed to keep track of other AarogyaSetu users that a person came in contact with and alert him or her if any of the contacts tests positive for COVID-19.
It achieves this using the phone’s Bluetooth and GPS capabilities.
Once installed in a smartphone through an easy and user-friendly process, the app detects other devices with AarogyaSetu installed that come in the proximity of that phone.
The app can then calculate the risk of infection based on sophisticated parameters if any of these contacts have tested positive.
The personal data collected by the App is encrypted using state-of-the-art technology and stays secure on the phone until it is needed for facilitating medical intervention.
Issues with the app
The AarogyaSetu app faces the same issue as every other contact tracing technology that has come up during the pandemic period — it is people dependent.
It needs widespread usage and self-reporting to be effective.
Given that any number of total users will be a subset of smartphone owners in India, and there are bound to be variations in the levels of self-reporting, the efficacy is not bulletproof.
The terms of use of the app also say as much, distancing the government from any failure on the part of the app incorrectly identifying COVID-19 patients.
1) Privacy concerns
First of all, the app exists in the privacy law vacuum that is India.
With no legislation that spells out in detail how the online privacy of Indians is to be protected, AarogyaSetu users have little choice but to accept the privacy policy provided by the government.
The policy goes into some detail on where and how long the data will be retained, but it leaves the language around who will have access to it vague.
As per the policy persons carrying out medical and administrative interventions necessary in relation to COVID-19” will have access to the data.
This suggests interdepartmental exchanges of people’s personal information and is more excessive than countries like Singapore and even Israel.
2) Technical issue
Beyond the legal loopholes, there are technical loopholes as well.
The unique digital identity in AarogyaSetu is a static number, which increases the probability of identity breaches.
The abundance of data collected is also potentially problematic.
AarogyaSetu uses both Bluetooth as well as GPS reference points, which could be seen as overkill whereas other apps such as TraceTogether make do with Bluetooth.
3) Other issues
Experts emphasise that automated contact tracing is not a panacea.
They caution against an over-reliance on technology where a competent human-in-the-loop system with sufficient capacity exists.
Back2Basics: What is Open Source?
The term open source refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.
The term originated in the context of software development to designate a specific approach to creating computer programs.
Today, however, “open source” designates a broader set of values—what we call “the open source way.”
Open source projects, products, or initiatives embrace and celebrate principles of open exchange, collaborative participation, rapid prototyping, transparency, meritocracy, and community-oriented development.
The source code
“Source code” is the part of the software that most computer users don’t ever see; it’s the code computer programmers can manipulate to change how a piece of software—a “program” or “application”—works.
Programmers who have access to a computer program’s source code can improve that program by adding features to it or fixing parts that don’t always work correctly.
What is Open Source Software?
At the simplest level, open-source programming is merely writing code that other people can freely use and modify.
Open source is a term that originally referred to open source software (OSS).
OSS is a code that is designed to be publicly accessible—anyone can see, modify, and distribute the code as they see fit.
An open-source development model is a process used by an open-source community project to develop open-source software.
The software is then released under an open-source license, so anyone can view or modify the source code.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Cicadas
Mains level: NA
A brood of periodical cicadas, noisy insects that breed underground for as long as 13-17 years are expected to emerge into some states of the US this year.
A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time may find their way into the prelims. Make special note here.
What are Cicadas?
Cicadas are insects that spend most of their lives underground and emerge from the soil mainly to mate.
Once out of the ground, their life span is fairly short, somewhere between two-four weeks.
At present, there are about 15 active broods of these cicadas as some have gone extinct.
The insects are found in America’s as well as New Zealand and Australia.
The name 13 and 17 year refers to the number of years that cicada nymphs take to reach adulthood.
It is not clear why their development period is so long, researchers suspect that it may be linked to avoiding predators above the soil.
How are the fed?
During this time underground the nymphs feed on sap from plant roots.
After this developmental period, the cicada nymphs construct a “cicada hut” and burrow their way out from the soil and climb onto any nearby tree or vegetation.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kheer Bhawani Mela
Mains level: NA
In the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, the Annual Kheer Bhawani Mela in Tulmulla village of Ganderbal district has been cancelled by its religious trust.
Match the pair based question can be asked from festivals as such. Recently, the following festivals were in the news: Ambubachi Mela, Thrisoor Puram, Meru Jatara, Nagoba Jatara etc.
Try this:
Q. Consider the following pairs:
TraditionsCommunities
1. Chaliha Sahib Festival — Sindhis
2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra — Gonds
3. Wari-Warkari — Santhals
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ? (CSP 2017)
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) None of the above
Kheer Bhawani Mela
The festival witnesses lakhs of Hindu pilgrims from across the country largely the Kashmiri Pandit Community, who throngs the famous Ragyna Devi Temple which is popularly known as “Mata Kheer Bhawani”.
The festival falls on the auspicious day of “Zeshta Ashtami”.
The term kheer refers to rice pudding that is offered in the spring to propitiate the Goddess, which became part of the name of the temple.
The devotees have been asked to cooperate with the authorities and perform the worship of the Goddess at their homes only.
However, the holy rituals and Aarti of the Deity will be conducted as per the tradition which will be shared with the devotees via social media.
Significance
Kheer Bhawani Mela is one of the biggest religious functions of Kashmiri Pandit Community.
It is believed and rather has been seen that the colour of the water in the spring around the Kheer Bhawani Temple changes its colour with the change in the circumstances of the Kashmir valley.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Char Dham Project
Mains level: Not Much
The Chamba Tunnel constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under Chardham Project was recently inaugurated.
Make a note of all projects and circuits under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD Scheme.
What is the Char Dham Project?
The Char Dham project consists of widening and repairing 889-kilometres of national highways leading to revered shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
It is a proposed two-lane expresses National Highway with a minimum width of 10 metres in the state of Uttarakhand.
The project includes 900 km national highways will connect whole of Uttarakhand state.
Chamba Tunnel
The Chamba tunnel is 440 m long and is a Horseshoe type tunnel with 10-metre carriageway width and 5.5m vertical clearance.
The BRO achieved this major milestone by digging up a 440 m long Tunnel below the busy Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road Highway (NH 94).
Back2Basics: Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
The BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighbouring countries and functions under the Ministry of Defence.
It is entrusted for construction of Roads, Bridges, Tunnels, Causeways, Helipads and Airfields along the borders.
Officers from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the Border Roads Organisation.
It is also staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers on extra regimental employment.
The BRO operates and maintains over 32,885 kilometres of roads and about 12,200 meters of permanent bridges in the country.
Mains level: Paper 3- Way out to restart the economy,
Whether to focus on demand side or supply side is the dilemma policymakers dealing with the financial crises have always faced. If we look closely, the focus of the package announced by the government is on the supply side and pushing liquidity in the economy. This article examines the various measure announced in the package and elaborated why such measures are likely to fail.
Focus on credit and liquidity in the package
The government has relied heavily on measures aimed at pushing credit to banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and businesses big and small.
These are expected to use borrowed funds to lend to others, make payments falling due, compensate employees even while under lockdown, and otherwise spend even while not earning.
The thrust is to get the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other public financial institutions to infuse liquidity and increase lending by the financial system.
RBI offered the financial institution capital for longer periods at a repo or policy interest rate that has been cut by more than a percentage point to 4%.
Let’s understand liquidity and its role in crisis
The Prime Minister in his speech calling for a “self-reliant India” identified, besides land, labour and laws, “liquidity” as among the areas of focus of the package.
What is liquidity: In economic and business parlance, liquidity refers to ease of access to cash.
A liquid asset is one that can be easily sold for or replaced with cash.
And a liquid firm or agent is a holder of cash, a line providing access to cash, or assets that can be easily and quickly converted to cash without significant loss of value.
In periods of crisis, individuals, small businesses, firms, financial institutions and even governments tend to experience a liquidity crunch.
Relaxing that crunch is a focus of the government’s crisis-response package.
So, the government has given a much larger role to enhancing liquidity than it does either to direct transfers.
So, let’s look at steps taken by the government to ensure liquidity
1. LTRO and issues with it
Among the first steps taken by the RBI was the launch of special and ‘targeted’ long term repo operations (TLTROs).
LTROs allowed banks to access liquidity at the repo rate to lend to specified clients.
One round of such operations, which was relatively more successful, called for investment of the cheaper capital in higher quality investment grade corporate bonds, commercial paper, and non-convertible debentures.
What went wrong? That funding allowed big business, varying from Reliance and L&T to financial major HDFC, to access cheap capital to substitute for past high-cost debt or finance ongoing projects.
There is little evidence that this is triggering new investment decisions.
2. Focus on saving NBFCs and why it failed to give the desired result?
The second round was geared to saving NBFCs, whose balance sheets were under severe stress even before the COVID-19 strike.
NBFCs were finding it difficult to roll over the short-term debt they had incurred to finance longer-term projects.
Banks were wary about lending to these NBFCs.
Banks feared that their clients could default in amounts that would bring the viability of these institutions into question.
Those fears were confirmed when Franklin Templeton announced that it was shutting down six of its funds.
Franklin Templeton set off redemption requests across the NBFC sector, as investors rushed to take back their money.
This happened at a time when the ability of these institutions to mobilise funds to meet these demands had been impaired.
Not surprisingly, banks were unwilling to respond when liquidity was infused to target lending to the NBFCs.
3. More intermediaries and credit guarantee by the government
Building on these initial liquidity infusion efforts, the COVID-19 package identified more intermediaries.
These intermediaries include the Small Industries Development Bank of India, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, and the National Housing Bank.
The intermediaries were expected to refinance lending by the banks to different sections.
To persuade the banks and other intermediaries to take up these offers when the clients they must lend to MSME, street vendors, marginal farmers, etc. are themselves stressed, in some instances the government offered them partial or full credit guarantees in case their clients defaulted.
The government also sought to persuade the RBI to lend directly to NBFCs against their paper.
Why the above 3 measure won’t succeed?
These measures, which are only marginally effective even in the best of times, will not work during this crisis.
Consider a bank or NBFC lending to small business.
With economic activity either at a complete stop or at a fraction of the normal, those who can access credit would either not borrow or only do so to protect themselves and not use the funds either to pay their workers or buy and stock inputs.
Even after the lockdown is lifted, the compression of demand resulting from the loss of employment and incomes would be considerable.
It would be aggravated by the fact that spending by a fiscally conservative government would fall sharply because of a collapse in revenue collections.
Faced with sluggish demand, firms are unlikely to meet past and current payments commitments and help the revival effort, just because they have access to credit.
This would mean that credit flow would actually not revive.
This danger is even greater because the government has been measly with its guarantees.
The government doesn’t want to accumulate even contingent liabilities that do not immediately affect the fiscal deficit.
Increasing the disposable income
Another component of the “liquidity” push is the measures that temporarily increase the disposable income of different sections.
Such measures include advance access to savings like provident fund contributions, lower tax deduction at source, reduced provident fund contributions and moratoriums on debt service payments for a few months.
These measures are expected to provide access to cash inflows and reduce cash outflows, to induce agents to meet overdue payments or just spend to enhance the incomes of others.
These are marginal in scope, if relevant at all.
They have been combined with non-measures like adding on pending payments such as income tax refunds to spike “liquidity provision”.
Way forward
What is needed now is government support in the form of new and additional transfers to people in cash and kind, and measures such as wage subsidies, equity support and spending on employment programmes.
That, as many have acknowledged, would require debt financed spending by the government, with borrowing at low-interest rates from the central bank or a “monetisation” of the deficit.
Unfortunately, obsessed as it is with fiscal conservatism and tax forbearance, the government is unwilling to take that route.
Consider the question “Every stimulus package provokes a debate for its emphasis on either supply-side or the demand side. Examine the provision in the stimulus package announced by the government which focuses on the supply side. What are the issues with supply-side focus in the package?”
Conclusion
Overall, the “transmission” of the supply side push from these monetary policy initiatives for relief and revival is bound to be weak. Given the circumstances, the liquidity push, even if partially successful, would only culminate in eventual default, as borrowers use the debt to just stay afloat in the absence of new revenues.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various location mentioned in the article.
Mains level: Paper 2- Implications of dispute for India China relation
The article gives an in-depth analysis of the current border dispute between India and China in Ladakh. But the present dispute follows the pattern. China has been encroaching and gaining control over the disputed territory since the 1980s. And this dispute also fits into that pattern.
China acting strategically in Ladakh
While India has pursued its core national interests in J&K, China’s response was strategic — a shift that may have a lasting imprint on geopolitics.
We have been harping on the “differing perception” theory of the LAC for decades.
But in reality China has been gaining control over a massive “disputed territory” in Eastern Ladakh since the 1980s.
Major Chinese encroachment events
The Chinese first made encroachments into the 45-km long Skakjung pastureland in Demchok-Kuyul sector.
This resulted in local Changpas of Chushul, Tsaga, Nidar, Nyoma, Mud, Dungti, Kuyul, Loma villages gradually losing their winter grazing.
Ladakh’s earlier border lay at Kegu Naro — a day-long march from Dumchele.
Starting from the loss of Nagtsang in 1984, followed by Nakung (1991) and Lungma-Serding (1992), the last bit of Skakjung was lost in 2008.
The PLA followed the nomadic Rebo routes for patrolling in contrast to Indian authorities restricting Rebo movements that led to the massive shrinking of pastureland and border defence.
By the 2000s, the PLA’s focus shifted to desolate, inhospitable Chip Chap which remains inaccessible until end-March.
After mid-May, water streams impede vehicles moving across Shyok, Galwan, and Chang-Chenmo rivers leaving only a month and a half for effective patrolling by the Indian side.
No human beings inhabit here, a 1962 war site, an entry point into Ladakh for the Uyghurs and Tibetans.
Local Ladakhi personnel manned the posts here, but patrolling in the 972 sq km Trig Height area has been lax.
Easier accessibility allowed the PLA to intrude into Chip Chap with impunity during July-August — its regulars usually spent a few hours before crossing back.
But, during the 21-day Depsang stand-off in 2013, when Burtse became a flashpoint, the PLA set up remote camps 18-19 km inside Indian territory.
Chinese soldiers virtually prevented Indian troops from getting access to Rakinala near Daulat Beg-Olde (DBO) where the IAF reactivated the world’s highest landing strips in 2008.
2008 Daulat Beg Oldi Stand-off
This plus the reopening of Fukche and Nyoma airbases perhaps provoked the PLA’s intrusion in Depsang.
So, what is the current stand-off about?
Despite topographical challenges, the BRO has lately fast-tracked the 260 km long Shayok-DBO road construction.
That road construction probably triggered the PLA intrusion in early May sparking the current Galwan stand-off.
Towards the south at Pangong Tso, forces had physical scuffles over area-denial for patrolling at Sirijap on May 5-6 and on May 11.
The situation remains tense at Sirijap’s cliff spurs and also at the Tso, where troops are chasing each other in high-speed patrol boats.
Clearly, intrusions are part of China’s never-ending effort to push Indian troops westward of the Indus and Shyok rivers and reach the 1960 claimed line.
Details of the disputed border in Ladakh
Out of the 857 sq km long border in Ladakh only 368 sq km is the International Border, and the rest of the 489 sq km is the LAC.
The two traditional disputed points included Trig Heights and Demchok.
At eight points, the two sides have differing perceptions.
But lately, China has raised two fresh dispute points at Pangong Tso 83 sq km and at Chumur where it claims 80 sq km.
The old dispute sites were at the end point of Pangong Tso and at Chushul — the 1962 battle-site.
Three-pronged strategy
1) The Sirijap range on the northern bank of the lake remains most contested, from which several cliff spurs jut out — the “finger series” 1 to 8.
India’s LAC claim line is at Finger-8, but the actual position is only up to Finger-4.
The Chinese are asserting further west to claim 83 sq km here.
The PLA has built a 4.5 km long road to prevent patrolling by Indian troops.
The PLA’s road network from here extends to Huangyangtan base located near National Highway G219.
2) Further south in Demchok, China claims some 150 sq km.
The PLA has built massive infrastructure on its side, moved armoured troops into Charding Nalla since 2009.
Tibetan nomads pitch tents on Hemis Monastery’s land throughout 2018-2019.
3)In Chumur, China claims 80 sq km and probably wants a straight border from PT-4925 to PT-5318 to bring Tible Mane (stupa) area under its control.
For India, holding of Chumur is critical for the safety of the Manali-Leh route.
PLA demanded removal of India’s fortified positions in Burtse (2013) and Demchok and Chumur (2014) for its retreat.
What could be the implications for India?
Overall, the pattern shows the PLA’s desperate design to snatch the lake at Lukung through a three-pronged strategy of attacking from Sirijap in the north, Chuchul in the south and through the lake water from middle.
This is the key chokepoint from where the Chinese can cut off Indian access to the entire flank of Chip Chap plains, Aksai Chin in the east and Shayok Valley to the north.
Which means that Indian control is pushed to the west of the Shyok river and south of the Indus river, forcing India to accept both rivers as natural boundaries.
And once China gets control of the southern side of the Karakoram it can easily approach Siachen Glacier from the Depsang corridor.
And meet at Tashkurgan junction from where the CPEC crosses into Gilgit-Baltistan.
That would be disastrous for Indian defence, leaving the strategic Nubra vulnerable, possibly impacting even India’s hold over Siachen.
China’s access to Changla-pass through Lukung and Tangtse would threaten the entire Indus Valley.
It is quite possible that China is eyeing the waters of the Shyok, Galwan and Chang-Chenmo rivers, to divert them to the arid Aksai Chin and its Ali region.
Consider the question “What could be the strategic and security implications of China’s claim in Pangong Tso region for India?”
Conclusion
India should resist the Chinese design which could have disastrous consequences for India’s defence and strategic interests. This should involve diplomatic channels rather than skirmishes on the borders.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Regions of Afghanistan
Mains level: Paper 2- Implications of the return of Taliban for India.
The US-Taliban peace deal signals growing heft of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pashtuns constitute nearly 42 per cent population of Afghanistan and the Taliban is essentially a Pashtun formation. Also, remember Pakistan: just like the kid who is always up to something. The ethnic fragmentation and Pakistan’s meddling is a recipe for perpetual conflict zone in the region.
The question of India’s engagement with Taliban
Taliban’s effective control of territory in Afghanistan expanded in recent years.
This led to the question of India’s direct dialogue with the Taliban gain some relevance.
It has acquired some immediacy after the US announced plans for a significant draw down of its forces from Afghanistan and signed a peace deal with the Taliban earlier this year.
Also, recently the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, called on India to open a political conversation with the Taliban.
The interest was further amplified by a signal from the Taliban that it is eager for a productive relationship with India.
So, what should India do?
Those calling for direct engagement with the Taliban say that Delhi can’t ignore such an important force in Afghan politics.
Opponents say there is no reason for Delhi to join the international stampede to embrace the Taliban.
If and when the Taliban becomes a peaceful entity and joins the quest for a political settlement with Kabul, they argue, Delhi should have no objection to direct talks.
So, opening a dialogue with the Taliban is a tactical issue focused on when, how and on what terms.
Pashtun question and India’s enduring interest in Afghanistan
The Taliban remains an important sub-set of the larger and more strategic Pashtun question.
The Pashtun question holds the key to India’s enduring interest in Afghanistan: Promoting a peaceful, independent and a sovereign Afghanistan that is not a subaltern to the Pakistan army.
2 Basic issues that will define the Pashtun question
1. Forming unity among multiple ethnic groups
First is the problem of reconciling the interests of multiple ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
The Pashtuns constitute nearly 42 per cent of the population.
The sizeable Afghan minorities include 27 per cent Tajiks, 9 per cent each of Hazaras and Uzbeks.
Irrespective of the nature of the regimes in Kabul over the last four decades— constructing a stable internal balance has been hard.
That problem will acquire a new intensity as the Taliban stakes claim for a dominant role in Kabul.
But has the Taliban learnt to live in peace with the minorities?
The Taliban, an essentially Pashtun formation, had brutally crushed the minorities during its brief rule in the late 1990s.
There are some indications that the Taliban is now reaching out to the minorities but it is some distance away from winning their trust.
2. Pakistan’s meddling in Afghanistan
The problem of constructing internal balance in Afghanistan has been complicated by Pakistan’s meddling.
Pakistan would like to have the kind of hegemony that the British Raj exercised over Afghanistan.
Neither can Pakistan replicate that dominance nor are the Afghans willing concede it to the Pakistan army.
What about the Pashtun minority in Pakistan?
There are more than twice as many Pashtuns living in Pakistan than in Afghanistan.
The Pashtun population is estimated to be around 15 million in Afghanistan and 35 million in Pakistan.
And as mentioned above, the Taliban is essentially Pashtun formation.
Although Pashtun separatism has long ceased to be a force in Pakistan, Islamabad finds the Pashtun question re-emerge in a different form.
Pakistan can’t really bet that the Taliban will not put Pashtun nationalism above the interests of the Pakistani state.
The Taliban, for example, has never endorsed the Durand Line as the legitimate border with Pakistan.
It is by no means clear if Pakistan’s construction of the Taliban as a conservative religious force has obliterated the group’s ethnic character.
Sufferings of Pakistani Pashtun People: Islamabad’s quest for control over Afghanistan over the last four decades has heaped extraordinary suffering on the Pashtun people on Pakistan’s side of the Durand Line.
As the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement seeks a peaceful redressal of its demands for basic human rights, Pakistan has unleashed massive repression.
India’s importance in Afghanistan
That the Taliban wants to talk to India and Pakistan brands Pashtun leaders as Indian agents only underlines Delhi’s enduring salience in Afghanistan.
Consider the question “After the US-Taliban peace deal, India is forced with a difficult prospect of opening the dialogue with the Taliban. Examine the implications of the return of Taliban in Afghanistan for India. What is your opinion on India starting the dialogue with Afghanistan?”
Conclusion
Pakistan’s expansive military and political investments in Afghanistan have not really resolved Islamabad’s security challenges on its western frontier. If an Afghan triumph eludes Pakistan, Delhi can’t escape the complex geopolitics of the Pashtun lands.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CoAST India
Mains level: Not Much
India Observatory has come up with a GIS-enabled dashboard called CoAST India to monitor migrants in India.
Here, UPSC may create an illusion on:
India Observatory – open-source database (misleading name): It may be asked in relation to some ISRO project.
CoAST India – COVID related info (again misleading): UPSC may ask it in context to Cyclone Warning Systems.
CoAST India
The platform is a map reflecting the movement of migrants in real-time on their long journeys, often on foot, along with facilities and relief organisations on their routes.
It is a collaboration with Anand-based Forest Ecological Security (FES) as its main nodal point.
It draws information from 55 organisations on the ground, mostly in villages, and aims to make such data available so that it would enable governments and small local civil society groups to be of assistance.
The map matches time and spatial data, on administrative facilities in the area, transportation and healthcare facilities of an area and summaries, on the fly, in real-time of people passing by.
Features of the portal
Four elements are sought to be brought together in this portal:
Location of migrants and vulnerable people, their specific needs,
Location of key infrastructure on the way which can double up as a rest-centre, or
Quarantine space and location of relief and
Rehabilitation providing NGOs and civil society organisations
About India Observatory
The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), an NGO working on conserving natural resources at the grassroots, has brought together a unique ecosystem of tools – open data platform India Observatory – to help understand the status of local-level resources and facilitate the action plans for conserving them.
The data made available on India Observatory platform has been pooled from various sources and dates as far back as the 1960s.
India Observatory was set up in December 2019, with FES focused on ecological issues about forests, water bodies, conservation, etc. that needed “a bird’s eye view or a satellite’s vision”.
It is a research unit at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Purandara Dasa
Mains level: Bhakti Saints of South India
The Department of Archaeology, Karnataka has commenced field research work regarding the birthplace of Purandara Dasa who is held as the father figure of Carnatic music.
Recently there was a news on Lord Basaveshwara. Now comes the other popular saint.
Vaishnavism and Shaivism are the two most profound strands of Bhakti Movement in Indian history. Enlist all the Bhakti Saints and their theistic philosophy and teachings. Try to spot the minute differences between them.
Purandara Dasa
Purandara Dasa (1484 –1565) was a Haridasa, a renowned composer of Carnatic music, a great devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna, a Vaishnava poet, a saint and a social reformer.
He was a disciple of the Dvaita philosopher-saint Vyasatirtha, and a contemporary of yet another Haridasa, Kanakadasa.
He was a composer, singer and one of the chief founding-proponents of South Indian classical music (Carnatic music).
In honour of his significant contributions to Carnatic music, he is widely referred to as the Pitamaha (lit. “father” or “grandfather”) of Carnatic music.
He is respected as an Avatara (incarnation) of the great sage Narada (a celestial being who is also a singer).
Confusions over his birthplace
As ‘Purandara Vithala’ was the pen name of his compositions, it was widely believed that the mystic poet was born in Purandar (near Pune), Maharashtra.
However, many in Malnad claimed that he hailed from this region.
According to historians, Araga in Malnad was a buzzing commercial centre during the Vijayanagar rule, the period to which the poet belonged to.
Prior to his initiation to Haridasa tradition, Purandara Dasa was a rich merchant and was called as Srinivasa Nayaka.
Back2Basics: Bhakti Movement
The Bhakti movement refers to the theistic devotional trend that emerged in medieval Hinduism.
It originated in eighth-century south India and spread northwards.
It swept over east and north India from the 15th century onwards, reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th century CE.
It has traditionally been considered as an influential social reformation in Hinduism and provided an individual-focused alternative path to spirituality regardless of one’s birth or gender
The salvation which was previously considered attainable only by men of Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya castes, became available to everyone.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Rail adukku pathiram
Mains level: NA
The rail adukku pathiram a traditional set of kitchen utensils in Tamil Nadu has become the gathered attention of all over the past few days.
The traditional ‘rail adukku pathiram’ set of utensils are very unique in itself. However, one must note that it does NOT carry any GI tag and is completely out of use. Still, there is a possibility of it being asked in match the pair type questions asking – Q) Which among the following artefacts from Tamil Nadu carries a GI Tag?
Rail adukku pathiram
The rail adukku pathiram consists of 14 vessels of different sizes, neatly placed in a compact manner inside the largest container.
The vessels were earlier used by families to carry groceries and cook food during train journeys.
These vessels were used to cook food for a mini-wedding. The interesting aspect is the compact size and easy to carry.
It has two vessels to cook vegetables, a sippal plate to boil rice, a frying pan, a sombu, a bronze pot to carry water and vessels of varying sizes to cook food.
Many in Tamil Nadu had forgotten about the existence of these multi-layered vessels until a video surfaced online recently.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Puntius Sanctus
Mains level: NA
Velankanni in Tamil Nadu has thrown up a new species of small freshwater fish.
Last year one species from our newscard: Species in news: Hump-backed Mahseer made it into the CSP 2019. The ‘Puntius Sanctus’ fish in the newscard creates such a vibe yet again.
A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time (and that too from Southern India) find their way into the prelims. Make special note here.
Q. Consider the following pairs
Wildlife
Naturally found in
1.
Blue-finned Mahseer
Cauvery River
2.
Irrawaddy Dolphin
Chambal River
3.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Eastern Ghats
Which of the pairs given correctly matched? (CSP 2019)
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Puntius Sanctus
The silver-hued fish has been named Puntius Sanctus — ‘Sanctus’ is Latin for holy — after the popular pilgrim town.
Encountered in a small waterbody in Venlankanni, Puntius Sanctus is small, it grows to a length of 7 cm.
It found to use both as food and as an aquarium draw.
“The Puntius species are known locally as ‘Paral’ in Kerala and ‘Kende’ in Tamil Nadu.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ramkinkar Baij and his artworks
Mains level: Modern artforms in India
Ministry of Culture’s has organised virtual tour titled “Ramkinkar Baij | Journey through silent transformation and expressions” to commemorate his 115th Birth Anniversary.
We can expect a description based question in prelims like-
Q. “In 1925, he made his way to Kala Bhavana, the art school at Santiniketan and was under the guidance of Nandalal Bose. Encouraged by the liberating, intellectual environment of (Tagore’s) Santiniketan, his artistic skills and intellectual horizons blossomed, thus acquiring greater depth and complexity. One of the earliest modernists in Indian art, he assimilated the idioms of the European modern visual language and yet was rooted in his own Indian ethos.”
Who is the imminent personality discussed?
Who was Ramkinkar Baij?
Ramkinkar Baij (1906-1980), one of the most seminal artists of modern India, was an iconic sculptor, painter and graphic artist.
He was born in Bankura, West Bengal, into a family of little economic and social standing and grew by his sheer determination into one of the most distinguished early modernists of Indian art.
In 1925, he made his way to Kala Bhavana, the art school at Santiniketan and was under the guidance of Nandalal Bose.
Encouraged by the liberating, intellectual environment of (Tagore’s) Santiniketan, his artistic skills and intellectual horizons blossomed, thus acquiring greater depth and complexity.
His works
One of the earliest modernists in Indian art, he assimilated the idioms of the European modern visual language and yet was rooted in his own Indian ethos.
His themes were steeped in a deep sense of humanism and an instinctive understanding of the symbiotic relationship between man and nature.
Both in his paintings and sculptures, he pushed the limits of experimentation and ventured into the use of new materials.
For instance, his use of unconventional material, for the time, such as cement concrete for his monumental public sculptures set a new precedent for art practices.
The use of cement, laterite and mortar to model the figures, and the use of a personal style in which modern western and Indian pre-classical sculptural values were brought together was equally radical.
Popular recognition
Although his work was passed over for quite a while, gradually it began to get both national and international attention.
He was invited to participate in the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles in 1950 and in the Salon de Mai in 1951.
In the national honours began to come his way one after the other.
In 1970, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan for his irrefutable contribution to Indian art.
In 1976 he was made a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi.
In 1976, he was conferred the honorary Doctoral Degree of ‘Desikottama’ by Visva Bharati, and in 1979 an honorary D. Litt by Rabindra Bharati University.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much.
Mains level: Paper 2- Role of NGO and Civil Society amid pandemic.
Social capital is what civil societies are known as. The article highlights the valuable role played by the civil society, and NGO in the pandemic. They constitute the backbone of the collective expression of citizen interest in a democracy. So, read about the ways in which they can contribute in dealing with destruction due to pandemic.
Partnership with 3 key stakeholders: NGO, Private Sector, international development organisation
The nature and scale of the crisis which the COVID-19 pandemic has led to is unparalleled.
In such a scenario, solutions are unlikely to come from past experiences or best practices.
The biggest source of strength now is the partnerships we have built over the years.
The situation at hand calls for stakeholders to come together, work side by side and support each other.
The fight against COVID-19 needed as many hands as were available.
The job was too big for the government to handle alone.
The strategy was to leverage vertical and horizontal partnerships:Vertical partnerships, which the stakeholders have built within their organisations and horizontal partnerships, which the government has institutionalised with stakeholders.
This is precisely what one of the Empowered Groups created by the government has been doing since it was formed.
Significance of NGOs
The NGOs, given their deep connect with spatial and sectoral issues, were a natural partner in this endeavour.
There is nobody better placed than the NGOs to understand the pulse at the grassroots and engage closely with communities.
Around 92,000 organisations were urged to partner with district administrations and contribute to the response efforts.
How the NGOs helped?
Chief Secretaries of all states were requested to engage NGOs in relief and response efforts and designate state and district nodal officers to coordinate with them.
The approach was to leverage the strength and reach of the local NGOs in identifying priority areas for action and avoid duplicity of efforts.
NGOs have been actively setting up community kitchens, creating awareness about prevention, and physical distancing, providing shelter to the homeless, the daily wage workers, supporting government efforts in setting up health camps and in deputing volunteers to deliver services to the elderly, persons with disabilities, children, and others.
An outstanding contribution of NGOs was in developing communication strategies in different vernaculars which went a long way in taking awareness measures to the community level.
Akshaya Patra, Rama Krishna Mission, Tata Trusts, Piramal Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Action Aid, International Red Cross Society, Prayas, Help-age India, SEWA, Sulabh International, Charities Aid Foundation of India, Gaudia Math, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the Salvation Army, and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India are some partners who have embodied the whole-of-society approach in COVID-19 response management.
Important role played by startups
The crisis has brought out the best in the start-up space.
Many of them have risen to the occasion and accelerated the development of low cost, scalable, and quick solutions.
The results have been promising.
AgVa accelerated the development of ventilators which are low-cost, mobile, low on power consumption and require minimal training for operators.
Biodesign has developed a robotic product called ResperAid, which enables mechanised use of manual ventilators.
Kaaenaat has developed highly portable ventilators which can be used to serve two patients simultaneously and has a built-in battery, oxygen concentrator, and steriliser cabinet.
The products of a few non-ventilator start-ups too came to the aid of the COVID-19 fighting machinery.
The AI-enabled analysis of chest X-Rays developed by Qure.ai enables large-scale screening to identify potential cases.
GIS and geo-fencing technologies by Dronamaps enabled information cluster strategies for hotspots.
AI-powered online doctor consultation and telemedicine platform by Mfine connects diagnostics labs and pharmacies with doctors and patients.
The AI-enabled thermal imaging camera developed by Staqu facilitated large-scale screening at low cost.
These developments strengthen the argument that low-cost and scalable solutions designed and developed domestically must drive our country’s transformation.
How the stakeholders operated through partnership?
The manner in which stakeholders have responded to the pandemic reinforces the power of partnerships.
In fact, they have operated through partnerships.
The NGO leaderships created momentum throughout their networks and delivered the much needed response.
They also brought to the attention of the group the problems from the grassroots.
Multiple agencies of international development organisations designed and executed joint response initiatives, leveraging their presence across the country.
The coalitions which industry organisations such as CII, FICCI, and NASSCOM have built over the years brought people and resources together, identified problems at multiple levels, channelised ideas and solutions and facilitated innovations.
The role played by the government has been facilitative in nature.
This role was based on the institutional and informal partnerships built with the three groups of stakeholders over the years.
Adaptiveness of Indian Industry
Until three months ago, not a single N95 mask or personal protective equipment (PPE) was manufactured in India.
Today, we have 104 domestic firms making PPEs and four manufacturing N95 masks.
Over 2.6 lakh PPEs and two lakh N95 masks are being manufactured in India, daily.
Domestic manufacturing of ventilators has strengthened manifold — orders for more than 59,000 units have been placed with nine manufacturers.
While this shows the adaptiveness of Indian industry, the shift to domestic production must happen on a larger scale for a wider set of sectors in the long run, as envisioned by Make in India.
Consider the question-“As facilitators, mediators, and advocates of collective articulation of citizen interest in a democracy, Civil Society and NGOs have put people before everything else during this crisis. In light of this, examine the role played by them in unparalleled crisis brought in by Covid-19 pandemic.”
Conclusion
Civil society, and voluntary and non-government organisations constitute the backbone of the collective articulation of citizen interest in a democracy. Surely, they can prove to be an asset in our fight against corona pandemic.
Back2Basics: NGO
The World Bank defines NGOs as private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development.
NGOs are legally constituted organizations which operate independently from Government and are generally considered to be nonstate, nonprofit oriented groups who pursue purposes of public interest.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MSP and income support schemes of various state governments
Mains level: Paper 3-Issues with the income support schemes for farmers.
Both States and Center have income support schemes for the farmers. Coincidentally, they both suffer from common problems such as the exclusion of tiller from the benefit and identifying the landless labourers. This article floats the idea of merging all the support schemes in favour of an umbrella scheme. So, what are the solutions and how will an umbrella scheme be more beneficial? Read to know…
Not much ‘new cash’ in the relief package
On May 12, the PM announced that his government’s relief-cum-stimulus package would be Rs 20 lakh crore, almost 10 per cent of India’s GDP.
But when Finance Minister unveiled the package, sector by sector, many wondered where the “new cash” was?
So, it became clear that additional relief and stimulus in the system is just about 1 per cent of the GDP — not 10 per cent.
Much of the rest is directed towards increasing liquidity and deferring some loan payments, but not much additional cash.
Cash-transfer schemes by the state governments: Chhatisgarh and other states
In this context, the Chhattisgarh government deserves compliments for launching the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana (RGKNY).
RGKNY is an income transfer scheme at Rs 10,000/acre for paddy farmers and Rs 13,000/acre for sugarcane farmers.
The state’s chief minister has said that the scheme will be extended to farmers of other crops — in fact, to landless labourers as well.
On the face of it, RGKNY will help put money directly into the hands of farmers and poor agricultural labourers.
In kharif 2018-19, Telangana announced a cash transfer scheme of Rs 4,000/acre, per season — this was raised to Rs 5,000/acre per season in kharif 2019-20.
There is a live portal that gives the details of the scheme and its progress.
In the rabi season of 2018-19, the Odisha government launched the KALIA scheme-Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation- on a somewhat similar pattern.
West Bengal’s Krishak Bandhu and Jharkhand’s Mukhya Mantri Krishi Aashirwad Yojana are the other income support schemes worth mentioning.
2 Issues with income support policies and solutions
1. The beneficiary is not always tiller of the land
Ideally, the money of the policies should go to the real tiller.
But in large parts of the country, there is no record of tenancy.
The government data shows only 10 per cent tenancy in the country.
While several micro-level studies indicate that it could be anywhere between 25-30 per cent.
In fact, in many regions like the Godavari belt, it could be even more than 50 per cent.
It does not make much sense to put money into the accounts of absentee landlords.
So, what is the solution to this problem?
1) The best way would be to change the tenancy laws.
Open up land lease markets, ensuring that the owner of the land has full rights to take his land back after the expiry of the lease period.
The current law, favouring “land to the tiller”, is loaded against the owner.
As a result, much of tenancy in the country remains oral.
2) In the absence of such legal changes in land lease laws, the only way forward is to fully inform the tiller that the owner has got income support.
And then appeal to the owner to pass on this benefit to the tiller — or adjust the land rent accordingly.
Information and persuasion campaigns in radio and newspapers would increase the chances of the benefits being passed on to the real tillers.
2. Identifying the landless labourers working on the farms
The other issue is identifying the landless labourers working on farms.
Majority of them are temporary and seasonal workers.
And leaving the task of identification to panchayats and patwaris can open doors for large leakages and corruption.
What is the solution to this problem?
There have been talks in the past for synchronising MGNREGA with farm operations.
The synchronising will have two benefits-
1)It will contain the cost of farming.
2) It will ensure that those engaged in this employment guarantee scheme do useful and productive work.
The legal framework of the MGNREGA scheme does allow this on farms owned by people of SC/ST communities, and on the lands of marginal farmers.
Merging Income Support Schemes: The way forward
The time has come to think seriously about merging income support schemes.
The merger will include the PM KISAN and state-level schemes, with the MGNREGA and price-subsidy schemes — food and fertiliser subsidies given by Centre and power subsidies given by state government.
These schemes amount to Rs 5 lakh crore — that’s a good sum of money to start a basic income cover for poor households.
Markets could then be left to operate freely.
This approach can cover landless labourers, farmers, and poor consumers — these categories overlap.
Let there be an expert group to look closely into the functioning of each one of these schemes and create an umbrella scheme to take care of the poor and the needy.
Consider the question-“Examine the issues with the income support schemes for farmers by the States as well as the Central government. Do you think that an umbrella scheme after merging all the support schemes will be helpful in overcoming such issues?”
Conclusion
Though income support schemes by the state government and the Centre are a welcome move, however, when one looks at the issues with these schemes an umbrella scheme after merging all the present schemes will go a long way in solving the problems which almost all these schemes face today.
Back2Basics: PM- KISAN
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India.
It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare.
Under the scheme, the Centre transfers an amount of Rs 6,000 per year, in three equal instalments, directly into the bank accounts of the all landholdingfarmers irrespective of the size of their land holdings.
It intends to supplement the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end of each crop cycle.
The entire responsibility of identification of beneficiary farmer families rests with the State / UT Governments.
Mains level: Parallel Universe and the validity of such concepts
Twitter and other social media platforms are abuzz with the so-called ‘parallel universe’ that NASA has discovered. According to the claims, NASA has detected a parallel universe in Antarctica, where time runs backwards.
ANITA experiment is significant for prelims. It can be asked in prelims in such match the pair questions-
Q. Consider the following pairs :
Terms sometimes seen in news Context / Topic
1. Belle 2 experiment – Artificial Intelligence
2. Blockchain technology – Digital Cryptocurrency
3. CRISPR – Cas9 – Particle Physics
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? (CSP 2018)
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
What is a Parallel Universe?
In quantum mechanics, a parallel universe is theorized as existing alongside our own, although undetectable.
The recent reports claiming that there is evidence of a parallel universe appear to be based on ANITA findings that are at least a couple of years old.
A science magazine had published a feature, discussing some anomalous results coming from neutrino detection experiments in Antarctica.
It discussed a speculative cosmological model that posits there’s an antimatter universe extending backwards from the BigBang.
This theorem was also proposed by famous scientist Stephens Hawking.
What were the anomalous detections in Antarctica?
The ANITA experiment
Four years ago an experiment had spotted a handful of instances of what seemed to be highly energetic neutrinos coming through the Earth.
It was named Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment — a high-altitude helium balloon with an array of radio antennas, partially funded by NASA.
The telescope could spot these neutrinos coming from the space and hitting the ice sheet in Antarctica.
ANITA detected these particles, but instead of coming from the space, the neutrinos were found to be coming from the Earth’s surface without any source.
These detections happened in 2016, then again in 2018, but there was no credible explanation.
Physicists have been working to figure out if these results can be explained with our current models of physics or have something to do with the experimental set-up itself, or if something like the parallel universe does exist.
Back2Basics: Neutrinos
A neutrino is a subatomic particle very similar to an electron.
But it has no electrical charge and a very small mass, which might even be zero.
Neutrinos are one of the most abundant particles in the universe.
Because they have very little interaction with matter, they are incredibly difficult to detect.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Pangong Tso Lake
Mains level: India-China border skirmishes and their impacts on bilateral relations
(Note: No higher resolution is available for the image)
The recent incidents at the Pangong Tso lake area between Indian and Chinese soldiers on the LAC involve a picturesque lake, mountains, helicopters, fighter jets, boats, eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, fisticuffs and injuries.
Apart from the geo-physical significance of the Pangong Tso for prelims, other general information should be necessarily known to aspirants, particularly for Personality Tests.
The Pangong Tso Lake
Pangong Tso Lake in eastern Ladakh has often been in the news, most famously during the Doklam standoff, when a video of the scuffle between Indian and Chinese soldiers.
In the Ladakhi language, Pangong means extensive concavity, and Tso is a lake in Tibetan.
Pangong Tso is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft in the Ladakh Himalayas.
The western end of Tso lies 54 km to the southeast of Leh. The 135 km-long lake sprawls over 604 sq km in the shape of a boomerang and is 6 km wide at its broadest point.
The brackish water lake freezes over in winter and becomes ideal for ice skating and polo.
The legendary 19th century Dogra general Zorawar Singh is said to have trained his soldiers and horses on the frozen Pangong lake before invading Tibet.
Tactical significance of the lake
By itself, the lake does not have major tactical significance.
But it lies in the path of the Chushul approach, one of the main approaches that China can use for an offensive into Indian Territory.
Indian assessments show that a major Chinese offensive if it comes, will flow across both the north and south of the lake.
During the 1962 war, this was where China launched its main offensive — the Indian Army fought heroically at Rezang La, the mountain pass on the southeastern approach to Chushul valley, where the Ahir Company of 13 Kumaon led by Maj. Shaitan Singh made its last stand.
Not far away, to the north of the lake, is the Army’s Dhan Singh Thapa post, named after Major Dhan Singh Thapa who was awarded the country’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra.
Major Thapa and his platoon were manning Sirijap-1 outpost which was essential for the defence of Chushul airfield.
Connectivity in the region
Over the years, the Chinese have built motorable roads along their banks of the Pangong Tso.
At the People’s Liberation Army’s Huangyangtan base at Minningzhen, southwest of Yinchuan, the capital of China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, stands a massive to-scale model of this disputed area in Aksai Chin.
It points to the importance accorded by the Chinese to the area.
Even during peacetime, the difference in perception over where the LAC lies on the northern bank of the lake makes this contested terrain.
In 1999, when the Army unit from the area was moved to Kargil for Operation Vijay, China took the opportunity to build 5 km of a road inside Indian Territory along the lake’s bank.
From one of these roads, Chinese positions physically overlook Indian positions on the northern tip of the Pangong Tso Lake.
Fingers in the lake
The barren mountains on the lake’s northern bank, called the Chang Chenmo, jut forward in major spurs, which the Army calls “fingers”.
India claims that the LAC is coterminous with Finger 8, but it physically controls area only up to Finger 4.
Chinese border posts are at Finger 8, while it believes that the LAC passes through Finger 2.
Around six years ago, the Chinese had attempted a permanent construction at Finger 4 which was demolished after Indians strongly objected to it.
Chinese use light vehicles on the road to patrol up to Finger 2, which has a turning point for their vehicles.
If they are confronted and stopped by an Indian patrol in between, asking them to return, it leads to confusion, as the vehicles can’t turn back.
The Chinese have now stopped the Indian soldiers moving beyond Finger 2. This is an eyeball-to-eyeball situation which is still developing.
Confrontation on the water
On the water, the Chinese had a major advantage until a few years ago — their superior boats could literally run circles around the Indian boats.
But India purchased better Tampa boats some eight years ago, leading to a quicker and more aggressive response.
Although there are well-established drills for disengagement of patrol boats of both sides, the confrontations on the waters have led to tense situations in the past few years.
The Chinese have moved in more boats — called the LX series — in the lake after the tensions which rose in the area from last month.
The drill for the boats is agreed upon by the two sides, as per the Standard Operating Procedure.
Out of bounds for tourists
Indian tourists are only allowed up to Spangmik village, around 7 km into the lake. This is where a famous movie climax was shot.
In fact, tourists were not allowed at all at Pangong Tso until 1999, and even today, you need to obtain an Inner Line Permit from the office of the Deputy Commissioner at Leh.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Nile River, GERD
Mains level: Not Much
Africa’s longest river, the Nile, has been at the centre of a decade-long complex dispute involving several countries in the continent who are dependent on the river’s waters. At the forefront of this dispute, however, are Ethiopia and Egypt.
Note: You never know when UPSC might switch map based questions away from the Middle East and SE Asia.
Considering this news, the UPSC may ask a prelim question based on the countries swept by River Nile/ various dams constructed/ landlocked countries in the African continent etc.
Grand Ethiopian Rennaissance Dam (GERD)
GERD is a gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia that has been under construction since 2011.
At 6.45 gigawatts, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed, as well as the seventh-largest in the world.
Once completed, the reservoir could take anywhere between 5 and 15 years to fill with water, depending on hydrologic conditions during the filling period and agreements reached between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt.
Issues with the Dam
While the main waterways of the Nile run through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt, its drainage basin runs through other countries in East Africa, including Ethiopia.
Egypt has objected to the construction of this dam and in Sudan has found itself caught in the midst of this conflict.
Due to the importance of the Nile as a necessary water source in the region, observers are concerned that this dispute may evolve into a full-fledged conflict between the two nations.
The US has stepped in to mediate.
How can this lead to conflict?
The mega project may just allow the country to control the river’s waters, and this is essentially what concerns Egypt because it lies downstream.
Egypt has objected to these plans and has proposed a longer timeline for the project because it does not want the water level of the Nile to dramatically drop as the reservoir fills with water in the initial stages.
For the past four years, triparty talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been unable to reach agreements. Egypt isn’t alone in its concerns.
Sudan is hardly a passive observer caught in the conflict just because of its location.
It too believes Ethiopia having control over the river through the dam may affect its own water supplies.
Why does Ethiopia want this dam?
Ethiopia believes this dam will generate approximately 6,000 megawatts of electricity when it is done.
65% of Ethiopia’s population suffers due to lack of access to electricity.
This dam will reduce those shortages and help the country’s manufacturing industry.
The country may also be able to supply electricity to neighbouring nations and earn some revenue in exchange.
Neighbouring countries like Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea and South Sudan also suffer from electricity shortages.
If Ethiopia sells electricity to these nations, they may also reap benefits.
What is happening now?
In the latest developments on this front, Egypt announced that it is willing to resume negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan concerning the dam.
Ethiopia has however proceeded with the first stage of filling the dam saying that it does not need Egypt’s permission to fill the dam.
In the letter to the UNSC, Egypt also implied that the dam would cause armed conflict between the two countries.
Back2Basics: River Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa.
It is the longest river in Africa and the disputed longest river in the world as the Brazilian government says that the Amazon River is longer than the Nile.
The Nile is about 6,650 km long and its drainage basin covers eleven countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Republic of Sudan, and Egypt.
In particular, the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt and Sudan.
The Nile has two major tributaries – the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile is considered to be the headwaters and primary stream of the Nile itself.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kangra Tea
Mains level: Not Much
The chemicals in Kangra tea are found to be effective in boosting immunity as they can block coronavirus activity better than anti-HIV drugs.
It would be no surprise to expect a question based on worldwide tea production:
Q. Among the following, which one is the largest exporter of rice in the world in the last five years? (CSP 2019)
(a) China
(b) India
(c) Myanmar
(d) Vietnam
Kangra Tea
Kangra tea is a tea from the Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, India.
Both black tea and green tea have been produced in the Kangra Valley since the mid-19th century.
After a feasibility survey in 1848 showed the area of being suitable for tea plantation, a Chinese variety of Camellia sinensis was planted across the region.
Kangra tea is known for its unique colour and flavour.
The unique characteristics of the tea are attributed to the geographical properties of the region.
Kangra tea was given the Geographical Indication status in 2005. Tea was first grown in the Kangra region in the mid-19th century.
Benefits of Kangra Tea
Using computer-based models, the scientists screened 65 bioactive chemicals or polyphenols that could bind to a specific viral protein more efficiently than commercially available anti-HIV drugs approved for treating COVID-19 patients.
These chemicals might block the activity of the viral protein that helps the virus to thrive inside human cells.
Back2Basics: Lopinavir/ Ritonavir
Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r), sold under the brand name Kaletra among others, is a fixed-dose combination medication for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
It combines lopinavir with a low dose of ritonavir.
It is generally recommended for use with other antiretrovirals.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: APMC Act
Mains level: Paper 3- The issues with APMC reforms
Reforms in agri-marketing has been long overdue. So, the government recently announced three reforms in this regard. This article examines the problems of agri-marketing. And it concludes that the said reforms are far from being the silver bullet for these problems. So, why these reforms are not going to be effective? Does demand play any role in the problems agriculture is facing currently? Read to know about these issues.
Announcement of reforms regarding agricultural marketing
The announcement of reforms in agricultural marketing by Finance Minister in May, has been hailed by some as the “1991” moment for agriculture.
The three reforms regarding agricultural marketing were the reforms in the 1) Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, 2) the Essential Commodities Act, 3) Contract farming.
All of these have been in discussion for almost two decades, with the APMC Act having already seen substantial reforms in many States.
The first comprehensive model act on APMC was proposed during 2003, and since then, similar efforts to push for more reforms have been proposed in 2007, 2013, and as late as 2017 by the present government.
So, let’s a look at provisions of APMC Act and issues with it
What is the main argument against APMC Act?
Two main arguments against the APMC Act are-
1) It creates barriers to the entry and exit of traders.
2) Makes the sale and purchase of agricultural produce compulsory for farmers as well as traders.
Different steps taken by the state governments to address the issues
So, as many as 17 State governments have amended the APMC Act to make it more liberal.
In fact, the regulations and the functioning of mandis vary a great deal across States.
Kerala does not have an APMC Act.
Bihar repealed it in 2006.
But several others such as Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh deregulated fruits and vegetables trade, allowed private markets, introduced a unified trading licence and have introduced a single-point levy of market fee.
Tamil Nadu has already reformed its APMC with no market fee.
Several others such as Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Rajasthan have undertaken one or more of these reforms.
Many States have introduced direct marketing of farm produce, examples being the Uzhavar Sandhai (Tamil Nadu), the Rythu Bazaar (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), the Raitha Santhe (Karnataka), the Apni Mandi (Punjab) and the Krushak Bazaar – (Odisha).
So, why the mandis are still blamed for farmers’ problems?
Despite the above-stated reforms, APMC mandis continue to be vilified for-1) all the ills plaguing marketing infrastructure 2) the low prices received by the farmers for their produce.
What is the problem? The problem with mandis is not the regulation per se and the structure of mandis but the political interference in the functioning of the markets.
These are more obvious in case of large mandis specialising in commercial crops and fruits and vegetables, where production is regionally concentrated.
But even with these deficiencies, APMC mandis continue to play an important role in providing access to the market for farmers.
What the Bihar example teaches us?
Bihar repealed the APMC Act in 2006.
The general argument in favour of reforms is that 1) it will allow private investment in marketing infrastructure and 2) provide more choices to farmers, leading to better prices received by farmers.
But in the case of Bihar, no investment came in building market infrastructure.
The loss of revenue due to the repeal of the APMC also led to deterioration of existing infrastructure in the State.
The revenue collected from the APMC earlier was used not only for the modernisation of these market yards but also for the laying of roads and construction of other infrastructure to provide farmers better access to markets.
But after the repeal, there have been no takers for these market yards, with no investment in creating private mandis.
On the other hand, it has led to proliferation of private unregulated markets which charge a market fee from traders as well as farmers, and without any infrastructure for weighing, sorting, grading and storage.
Even in other States where there is deregulation to allow private traders, there is hardly any investment to create market spaces let alone provide other facilities.
There is also no evidence that farmers have received better prices in private mandis outside the APMC.
While there have been instances of collusion and corruption in the running of the APMC, they continue to provide essential services to farmers.
Inadequacies of the regulated market
As against the recommendation that a regulated market should be available to farmers within a radius of 5 km currently regulated markets is in the radius of 12 km.
There are more than 7,000 regulated markets and 20,000 rural markets when the need is at least twice these figures.
Most of the existing ones require investment in upgradation of infrastructure.
Price received is more a function of demand than access to market
The argument that the only bottleneck for farmers not receiving remunerative prices is due to the APMC Act is flawed.
More than 80% of farmers, most of whom are small and marginal farmers, do not sell their produce in the APMC mandis.
For a majority of farmers, prices received are more a function of the demand for agricultural commodities than access to markets.
So, let’s come to decline in demand for agriculture produce
For much of the period during the last two years, terms of trade have moved against agriculture.
Agricultural commodity price inflation had been negative for a large part of the last two years.
With underlying weakness in demand and obsession with inflation targeting through fiscal and monetary policies, most agricultural commodities have seen a sharp decline in demand and, consequently, prices received by farmers.
The argument for choice of markets is only valid as long as there are buyers with purchasing power in the market.
No amount of marketing reforms will lead to higher price realisation for farmers if the underlying macroeconomic conditions are unfavourable to agriculture and farmers.
What is solution to decline in demand?
The primary task of the government should have been to increase fiscal spending to revive demand in the economy.
This has become even more necessary after the sharp decline in incomes, job losses and decline in demand following the lockdown and expected contraction in economic activity for the year ahead.
With international prices also showing declining trend, the urgency is to protect the farmers from the decline in commodity prices.
Consider the question “Though the APMC Act has often been blamed for the woes of the farmers in price realisation, the act is not the sole reason for price realisation problems faced by the farmers. Critically examine.
Conclusion
The announced reforms are less likely to be effective if carried out without consulting the states. And on the demand side, government needs to increase fiscal spending to create demand in the economy. These two steps will go a long way in ensuring higher incomes to farmers.
Back2Basics: Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Regulation (APMC) Act.
All wholesale markets for agricultural produce in states that have adopted the Agricultural Produce Market Regulation Act (APMRA) are termed as “regulated markets”.
With the exception of Kerala, J & K, and Manipur, all other states have enacted the APMC Act.
It mandates that the sale/purchase of agricultural commodities notified under it are to be carried out in specified market areas, yards or sub-yards. These markets are required to have the proper infrastructure for the sale of farmers’ produce.
Prices in them are to be determined by open auction, conducted in a transparent manner in the presence of an official of the market committee.
Market charges for various agencies, such as commissions for commission agents (arhtiyas); statutory charges, such as market fees and taxes; and produce-handling charges, such as for cleaning of produce, and loading and unloading, are clearly defined, and no other deduction can be made from the sale proceeds of farmers.
Market charges, costs, and taxes vary across states and commodities.
Essential Commodities Act 1955
The ECA is an act which was established to ensure the delivery of certain commodities or products, the supply of which if obstructed owing to hoarding or black-marketing would affect the normal life of the people.
The ECA was enacted in 1955. This includes foodstuff, drugs, fuel (petroleum products) etc.
It has since been used by the Government to regulate the production, supply and distribution of a whole host of commodities it declares ‘essential’ in order to make them available to consumers at fair prices.
Additionally, the government can also fix the maximum retail price (MRP) of any packaged product that it declares an “essential commodity”.
The list of items under the Act includes drugs, fertilizers, pulses and edible oils, and petroleum and petroleum products.
The Centre can include new commodities as and when the need arises, and takes them off the list once the situation improves.
How ECA works?
If the Centre finds that a certain commodity is in short supply and its price is spiking, it can notify stock-holding limits on it for a specified period.
The States act on this notification to specify limits and take steps to ensure that these are adhered to.
Anybody trading or dealing in the commodity, be it wholesalers, retailers or even importers are prevented from stockpiling it beyond a certain quantity.
A State can, however, choose not to impose any restrictions. But once it does, traders have to immediately sell into the market any stocks held beyond the mandated quantity.
This improves supplies and brings down prices. As not all shopkeepers and traders comply, State agencies conduct raids to get everyone to toe the line and the errant are punished.
The excess stocks are auctioned or sold through fair price shops.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: BS norms
Mains level: Vehicular pollution and PM 2.5
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification regarding the emission norms for L7 (Quadricycle) category for BS-VI.
Practice question for Mains:
Q. What are Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES)? Discuss how the early implementation of BS-VI norms will help curb vehicular pollution in India.
What is Quadricycle Vehicle verification?
The quadricycle is a European Union vehicle category for four-wheeled microcars, which allows these vehicles to be designed to less stringent requirements when compared to regular cars.
Quadricycles are defined by limitations in terms of weight, engine power and speed.
There are two categories of quadricycles: light quadricycles (L6e) and heavy quadricycles (L7e)
What are the new notified norms?
These norms are applicable from the date of notification.
This notification completes the process of BS-VI for all L, M and N category vehicles in India.
The emission norms are in line with EU with WMTC cycle.
The procedure for testing is laid down in Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 137-Part 9.
What is the WMTC cycle?
The World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC) is a system of driving cycles used to measure fuel consumption and emissions in motorcycles.
The methods are stipulated as part of the Global Technical Regulation established under the UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, also known as WP.29.
Back2Basics: Bharat Stage Norms
Standard
Reference
Date of Implementation
Bharat Stage II
Euro 2
1 April 2005
Bharat Stage III
Euro 3
1 April 2010
Bharat Stage IV
Euro 4
1 April 2017
Bharat Stage VI
Euro 6
April 2020 with a mandate (proposed)
Minutes of BS-VI
Carmakers would have to put three pieces of equipment — a DPF (diesel particulate filter), an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system, and an LNT (Lean NOx trap) — to meet stringent BS-VI norms, all at the same time.
This is vital to curb both PM (particulate matter) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions as mandated under the BS-VI norms.
How is BS-VI Different from BS-IV?
The major difference between the existing BS-IV and forthcoming BS-VI norms is the presence of sulphur in the fuel.
While the BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, the BS-VI grade fuel only has 10 ppm sulphur content.
Also, the harmful NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars can be brought down by nearly 70%.
In the petrol cars, they can be reduced by 25%.
However, when we talk about air pollution, particulate matter like PM 2.5 and PM 10 are the most harmful components and the BS-VI will bring the cancer-causing particulate matter in diesel cars by a phenomenal 80%.
