May 2019 2

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part ONE 16
Current Affairs Analysis CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II (Main)
02 S.C. IN-HOUSE PROCEDURE QUESTIONED
#Judiciary #Governance #Ethics 19
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
OPINION POLL & EXIT POLL
#Election 22
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTUERS, OHCHR & UNHRC
ELECTION PETITION
#United Nations 02
#Election 25
UNSC 1267 SANCTIONS COMMITTEE
SUB-CATEGORISATION OF OBC COMMISSION
#United Nations 03
#Committee #Reservation 27
MOVING BEYOND THE LISTING OF MASOOD AZHAR
KARNATAKA SC/ST PROMOTION QUOTA UPHELD
#Global Treaties #Security #S&T 05
#Reservation #Judgment 28
CHRISTCHURCH CALL TO ACTION
REDACTIVE PRICING BY C&AG
#Pledge #India and the World 06
#Audit 30
IBSA SHERPA’S MEET
QUALITY CONTROL ORDERS for MEDICAL DEVICES
#Grouping #India and the World 07
#Regulatory Bodies 33
INDIA – VIETNAM RELATIONSHIP
MAHARASHTRA: CLOUD STORAGE OF DATA
#Bilateral Relations 08
#E-governance #cloud computing 34
CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO
LOTTERY IN ELECTIONS 36
#Territorial dispute 11
CASUAL VACANCY 36
2ND BELT & ROAD FORUM
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE 37
#International Affairs 12
SC JUDGES 37
COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY ORGANISATION
VACATION BENCH 38
#Global Treaty 13
MARATHI QUOTA FOR ADMISSIONS 38
WHAT IS INDIA’S IDEA OF NEW WORLD ORDER? 15
INSTEX & STFI 16
INDIA – BOLIVIA MOU ON LITHIUM 16 40

BATTICALOA & SAINTHAMARUTH, SRI LANKA 17
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ARCTIC COUNCIL 17
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)
PPVFR ACT, 2001: PepsiCo vs. Farmers’ Rights

#Government Policies (Lead coverage) 40
NEED FOR MANUFACURING POLICY

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#Government Policies 43 ‘RESPECT’ WOMEN

CONTROVERSY RELATED TO GDP ESTIMATES # Women Empowerment (Lead coverage) 70
# Health of Economy 45 WOMEN UNDER-REPRESENTED IN FIELD OF R&D
WTO REFORMS # Education #Empowerment 72
# International Trade 47 UNDER 5 MORTALITY RATE
CONTROVERSY RELATED TO I.T. AGREEMENT (ITA) # Health 72
# WTO 49 TRANS-FAT
SPECIAL 301 REPORT # Health #Nutrition 73
# IPR Issues 50 ROAD ACCIDENTS
PAYMENT SYSTEM VISION- 2021 # Health # Safety 75
# Banking and Finance 52 SWAYAM-SIDDHA INITIATIVE 76
UDAY SCHEME
SHORTAGE OF HEALTH WORKERS 76
# Govt. schemes and initiatives 53
KOLAM TRIBE 77
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
# Corporate Affairs 55 BETTER TB DIAGNOSIS 77
PROFIT BOOKING AND VIX INDEX TEENAGE PREGNANCIES AND MALNUTRITION 77
# Share Market #Index 55
WORLD ECONOMIC SITUATION AND PROSPECTS REPORT
# Report 56
79
DEDICATED SUPERVISORY CADRE WITHIN RBI 57
STRI 58 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

FOREX RESERVES 58 # GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)
ECONOMIC CENSUS 59 PROJECT ARTEMIS 79
JAN DHAN YOJANA 60 ULTIMA THULE 79
NAB-VENTURES 61 CHANDRA-YAAN 2 80
TRENDS IN GST COLLECTION 62 RISAT-2B 81
DOUBLING INDIA’S EXPORTS 63 MANAV 81
NATURAL GAS GRID 64 ARTIFICIAL LIFE? 82
PROPOSALS FOR REVIVAL OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS 64 INS VELA 82
HAIRCUTS IN THE BANKING SYSTEM 65 KILOGRAM 83
SLOWDOWN IN INDIAN ECONOMY 66
CRUDE OIL IMPORTS 67

84
IMF’S BAILOUT PACKAGE FOR PAKISTAN 68
INDEX OF EIGHT CORE INDUSTRIES 69

GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, BIODIVERSITY &
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & III(Main)
70
UNEP: REPORT ON SAND MINING
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE #Resource depletion #Sustainable development 84
# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main)

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CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY DECLARATION ISHWARCHANDRA VIDYASAGAR

#Climate change #Environmental Governance 85 # Modern India # Personality 106
COASTAL REGULATION ZONE RULES JAMSHETJEE JEJEEBHOY
#Coastal management #Environmental Governance 87 # Modern India # Personality 108
STEERING AWAY FROM DIESEL KHASI KINGDOM
# Pollution # BS Norms 89 # Modern India 109
NOISE POLLUTION HIMROO AND MASHRU TEXTILES
# Pollution #Environmental Governance 91 #Art and Culture 110
CYCLONE FANI JAGANNATH PURI TEMPLE 111
# Tropical Cyclone# Disaster Management 92 THRISSUR POORAM FESTIVAL 112
HERBIVORE CENSUS IN GIR FOREST CHANDAN-OTSAVAM FESTIVAL 112
# Fauna # Biodiversity 93
KHEL-CHAWA FESTIVAL 113
PURPLE FROG 94
WANCHUWA FESTIVAL 113
PIT VIPER 94
GANGAMMA JATRA 113
BARN OWLS 95
KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA 114
GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL 96
MINARET OF JAM 115
BASEL CONVENTION 96
PARTICULATE MATTER 96
WATER HYACINTH 98
116
DNA DATABASE OF INDIAN RHINO 99 SECURITY
WATER AUDIT 99 # GS Paper III (Main)
WAYANAD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY 100 NAVAL EXERCISE IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
SESHACHALAM BIOSPHERE RESERVE 100 # Maritime Security #Defence relations 116
GREEN HIGHWAY POLICY 100 VIGRAHA 117
ITERATIVE EVOLUTION 101 COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT FIRING 118
HORNBILLS 102
119
103
MISCELLANEOUS
HISTORY, HERITAGE & CULTURE CRICKET WORLD CUP 2019
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper I (Main) # Cricket #Global Tournament 119
SANAULI: A HARAPPAN SITE? INDIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
# Ancient India 103 # Books and Authors 120
GOLCONDA FORT RAFAEL NADAL: DID IT FOR THE 12th TIME
# Medieval India # Art and Architecture 104 # Tennis #Global Tournament 120
MODI SCRIPT
# Medieval India 105

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122 WASH TRADE

# Economy 132
ETHICS, INTEGRITY & APTITUDE SCRAMBLE COMPETITION
# GS Paper IV (Main) # Ecology 132
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
#Ethics #Environment 122
JUNE 5TH IS THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY:

ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT?
Part TWO
122
CONTRIBUTORS ZONE
TUSSLE: ECONOMIC GROWTH VS. ECOLOGICAL
SUSTAINABILITY 125
EMERGENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS 126

134
GLOBAL COLLECTIVE ACTION: Paris Climate Talks 127
INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS 127 LEAD ARTICLES

COMMUNITY ACTIONS 128 FARMER PRODUCER COMPANIES (FPCS) :
THOUGHTS FOR UNDERSTANDING GAME CHANGER TO ALLEVIATE AGRARIAN DISTRESS
(#Thinkers) 128 #Economy, BASAVA UPPIN
EDITORIAL TEAM & EDUCATOR DAILY NEWS SIMPLIFIED
134
130 HEAT WAVE
#Environment
GLOSSARY
MAYURI KHANNA, EDITORIAL TEAM & EDUCATOR DAILY
# Terms
NEWS SIMPLIFIED 137
WARSAW CONVENTION
PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) AND JUDICIAL
# Law 130 ACTIVISM # Polity & Constitution
BANDWAGON EFFECT RITESH KUMAR SINGH, GS: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
# Psychology 130 AND ESSAY, AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR 140
DOLLARISATION
# Economy 130
143
FREE FLOAT
# Economy 130 LEAD ESSAYS
WEIGHTLESS ECONOMY GDP ALONG WITH GDH (GROSS DOMESTIC HAPPINESS)
# Economy 131 WOULD BE THE RIGHT INDICES FOR JUDGING THE
CREDIT CRUNCH WELL-BEING OF A COUNTRY, ABHAY RAWAT, EX-
STUDENT (RAU’S IAS STUDY CIRCLE) 143
# Economy 131
LATE CONVERGER STALL

# Economy 131
COBWEB CYCLE
# Economy 131

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Part Three 177

practiCe ZONE CASE STUDIES
for Mains GS Paper IV: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
148
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQS)
for Prelims GS Paper – I
156
ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS
for Mains GS Papers – I, II & III

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Part ONE
Current
affairs
analysis
logical . simple . targeted
analysis & explanation
of all relevant news of the month

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
gave its first ever report on Jammu & Kashmir in June, 2018 on the ‘Situation of
Human Rights in Kashmir’. However, India rejected the report and accused the
UN SPECIAL then High Commissioner of Human Rights of bias against India, lacking in
RAPPORTUERS, proper research methods and biased approach to highlight specific perspective
of Pakistan & Kashmiri separatists.
OHCHR & Three special UN Rapporteurs have written to India asking for details on steps
UNHRC taken to punish or provide justice to ‘alleged’ victims in cases of torture and
arbitrary killing in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990.
#United Nations India has said that it does not intend to engage further with these Special
Rapporteurs.
On this note, let us understand OHCHR and UNHRC.
WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND TO UN BODIES RELATED TO HUMAN RIGHTS?
• Special Rapporteurs are independent Human Rights experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) with the mandate to monitor, advise and publicly report on human rights situations in
specific countries (country mandates) and on human rights violations worldwide (thematic mandates).
• The OHCHR at the United Nations provides the Special Rapporteurs with the personnel and logistical
Special
assistance necessary for them to carry out their mandates outlined in specific U.N. resolutions.
Rapporteurs
• However, they serve in their personal capacity, and do not receive salaries or any other financial
retribution for their work from the UN.
• The SRs submit their report to the Human Rights Council, presenting their findings, conclusions and
recommendations. Their recommendations are not binding upon the UNHRC.
• The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the UN official with principal responsibility for promoting
and protecting human rights.
• OHCHR is part of the UN Secretariat and supports the High Commissioner in the implementation of
his/her mandate. OHCHR has lead responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights, and
for implementing the human rights programme within the UN.
OHCHR • The OHCHR serves as the secretariat of both Charter-based bodies such as the Human Rights Council,
and treaty-based bodies – i.e. the bodies established under the various international human rights
conventions.
• The Human Rights Council is a completely distinct entity from OHCHR. The Human Rights Council was
established in 2006 by the General Assembly and reports directly to it. It is the key United Nations
intergovernmental body responsible for human rights.
FOCUS | JUNE 2019 | RAU’S IAS 2

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International Relations
UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
• The UN Human Rights Council is the principle intergovernmental body within the United Nations
responsible for:
Objective
 Strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe
 Addressing and taking action on human rights violations around the globe
• The Human Rights Council started working in 2006 wherein all countries at the UN take part in the work of
Working the Human Rights Council.
Committee • However, only some countries make decisions, with 47 countries elected by all UN members making
decisions in the Human Rights Council.
• The functions of UNHRC includes:

 Responding to human rights emergencies
 Making recommendations on how to better implement human rights
 Discuss all thematic human rights issues and country-specific situations that require its attention
Functions
 Establish international commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions investigating and responding to
human rights violations
 Reviews the human rights records of all UN members under Universal Periodic Review, which includes
feedback from the respective country also
• India was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council in October, 2018 for a period of three
years beginning January 1, 2019. India had previously been elected to the UN Human Rights Council for
the 2011-2014 and 2014-2017 terms.
• The advantages for India with election to UNHRC are:
India &
UNHRC  Strengthens India’s ability to lead reform in the United Nations
 Provides India ability to control negative & false citations of Human rights violations in J&K
 Augments India’s position as a joint custodian of human rights in global politics
 Highlight human rights violations through acts of terrorism by Pakistan in J&K and in Afghanistan.
In 2009, India moved a proposal by itself and in 2016 & 2017, India moved the
UNSC 1267 proposal with the P3 - the United States, the United Kingdom and France in the UN's
1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar. Similarly, after the Pulwama attack in 2019,
SANCTIONS the P-3 had co-sponsored a listing request at the UNSC 1267 sanctions Committee.
COMMITTEE However, on all occasions China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security
Council, blocked India's proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee.
#United Nations The UN in May, 2019 designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood
Azhar as a "global terrorist" after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist him.
WHAT IS UNSC SANCTIONS COMMITTEE?
UNSC • The Security Council can take action to maintain or restore international peace and security, and for which
Sanctions the SC may establish subsidiary bodies as needed for the performance of its functions.

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Committee • The UNSC Sanctions Committee is thus such subsidiary body which is mandated to oversee sanction
regimes imposed by UNSC.
• Each regime is administered by a sanctions committee chaired by a non-permanent member of the
Security Council.
• The sanctions measures provided to Sanctions Committee are:

 Assets Freeze whereby all states are required to freeze the funds & financial assets
 Travel ban whereby all states are required to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories by
Measures by designated individuals
Sanctions  Arms Embargo whereby all states are required to prevent the supply, sale & transfer from their territories or
Committee by their nationals of arms & of assistance related to military activities.
• These sanction regimes encompass enforcement options that do not involve the use of armed force &
mainly focus on supporting political settlement of conflicts, nuclear non-proliferation & counter-
terrorism.
• UNSC resolution 1267 (1999) led to the formation of a Sanctions Committee that overlooked the sanctions
imposed upon the Taliban.
• However, 1989 (2011) resolution was adopted whereby the purview of the Committee formed under
ISIL & Al-
resolution 1267 was changed to oversee sanctions imposed upon Al-Qaeda & a separate Committee was
Qaeda
formed for the Taliban under resolution 1988.
Sanctions
• The Security Council further adopted resolution 2253 (2015) which decided to expand the listing criteria
Committee
under Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee to include the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
• Thereafter, it is known as the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267
(1999) 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015).
UNSC DESIGNATION OF ‘GLOBAL TERRORIST’
• The reasons for designating Azhar as a terrorist included:
Cause of  Support for the JeM since its founding

Sanction  Being associated with the al-Qaeda by recruiting for them
Listing  Participating in the financing, planning & perpetrating of activities for Al-Qaeda
• The JeM itself was sanctioned by the 1267 Committee in 2001.
• China had opposed the earlier UNSC designation of Masood Azhar primarily on the reason that the evidence
linking Masood Azhar and Al-Qaeda was weak and therefore does not warrant a listing under the ISIL
(Da’esh) & Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
Chinese
• The P-3 had co-sponsored a listing request at the UNSC 1267 Committee in February, 2019 after the
Policy
Pulwama attack. However, China placed a hold on the request. Soon afterwards, U.S. circulated a draft
Change
resolution to sanction Azhar among the UNSC members outside the 1267 Committee.
• This would have put pressure on China into either supporting the listing or having to take a stand in open
proceedings and risk being seen as supporting terror. China withdrew its opposition to listing.
►Note: On the basis of above, let us see Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA’s) analysis as given hereunder:

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MOVING BEYOND THE LISTING OF MASOOD AZHAR

#Global Treaties #Security #S&T
The key factors that were responsible for the change in China’s position to agree for the listing of Masood Azhar
were:
1. The first is China’s realisation that any extreme support for Pakistan on the question of a single individual
would only serve to push India closer to the US in seeking to address its key security concerns.
2. The second factor is the US bid to escalate the matter by circulating a draft resolution directly in the UNSC to
blacklist Masood Azhar, which would have compelled China to publicly provide reasons for sticking to its
position on its technical hold.
Change in
3. Thirdly, China has also blocked India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, but this blockage has
Chinese
not caused a major anti-China sentiment among Indian public. However after the Pulwama attack, the
Policy
continuous blockage of listing of Masood Azhar by China would have caused a major rise in anti-China
sentiment, which would have made it difficult for Indian government to cooperate with China on
international issues. A position which China intended to avoid.
4. Fourthly, China would also expect that its accommodation to Indian interest of listing Masood Azhar might
eventually soften India’s opposition on the Belt and Road Initiative.
5. Fifthly, China has an isolated stand in the 1267 Sanctions Committee and this would have allowed other
powers such as the U.S. to casts doubts on Chinese commitment to the global war on terror.
• Hafiz Saeed of Lashkar-e-Taiba had already been blacklisted in 2009, but Pakistan has taken no concrete
action to bring him to justice. Similarly, Pakistan has been backing Masood Azhar and his organisation & his
listing would not pressurise Pakistan to curb his functioning.
• The Chinese removal of its blockage to listing does not portray any weakness in China – Pakistan ties.
Pakistani
Pakistan has been able to control terrorist organisation with the Af-Pak region such as Al-Qaeda and ensured
Response
that they do not target China based on its atrocities against Uighur Muslims in Xianjing.
• Financial Action Task Force had stated that Pakistan has not done enough to check the finances of terror
groups like the JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). If Pakistan did not complete its 27-point action plan to control
terror finances within the two scheduled timelines of May and October 2019, Pakistan could be blacklisted.
• The recent support of US, UK and France in ensuring listing of Masood Azhar has further strengthened the
India and the stance within India for further security cooperation with US & its allies, especially within Indo-Pacific region.
West • India is also taking the help of US & its allies to ensure that FATF blacklists Pakistan in its upcoming review for
its continued support to terrorism.

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CHRISTCHURCH Christchurch in New Zealand was site of a terrorist attack on a Mosque and an
Islamic centre by a White Supremist, in March, 2019.
CALL TO Several countries and companies have now put forward a pledge - Christchurch Call
ACTION to Action To Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online. It includes three
sets of commitment: one to be undertaken by Government, second by Online
#Pledge #India and the Service Providers & thirdly joint commitments of both together.
India has said that it sign the pledge, however US has denied signing the pledge.
World
COMMITMENT BY GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT BY ONLINE SERVICE PROVIDERS
• Counter the drivers of terrorism and violent extremism by • Take transparent, specific measures seeking to prevent
strengthening the resilience and inclusiveness of our the upload of terrorist and violent extremist content
societies through education & building media literacy to and to prevent its dissemination on social media.
help counter distorted terrorist and extremist narratives. • Provide greater transparency in the setting of
• Ensure effective enforcement of applicable laws that community standards and terms of service & ensure
prohibit the production or dissemination of terrorist and their effective enforcement by online service providers.
violent extremist content, in a manner consistent with the • Implement immediate, effective measures to mitigate the
rule of law and international human rights law, including risk when terrorist and extremist content is disseminated
freedom of expression. through live streaming.
• Encourage media outlets to apply ethical standards • Review the operation of algorithms and other processes
when depicting terrorist events online without prejudice that may drive users towards and/or amplify terrorist and
to responsible coverage & to avoid amplifying such content. violent extremist content.
• Support frameworks, such as industry standards to • Collaborate with civil society groups & academia to
prevent the use of online services to disseminate terrorist form industry standards that remove terrorist and
and extremist content, including through collaborative extremist content without compromising with freedom of
actions. expression & responsible media coverage.
OTHER GLOBAL INITIATIVES
Global Internet
In 2017, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube formed the GIFCT, with the aim to prevent terrorists
Forum to Counter
from exploiting their platforms.
Terrorism (GIFCT)
It was launched in 2011 as an informal, a-political, multilateral counterterrorism platform with main to
Global
support and catalyse implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Counterterrorism
UN is a close partner of and participant in the GCTF and its activities and India, China, Pakistan, US and
Forum
several other countries are its members.
It is a project launched and supported by the United Nations Counter Terrorism Committee Executive
Tech Against
Directorate (UN CTED) and implemented by QuantSpark Foundation. Its mission is to help the global
Terrorism
tech industry protect itself from terrorist exploitation.
Jordan has launched the Aqaba process to promote de-radicalisation from radical Islamic ideology in
Aqaba Process
which India is an active participant.

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The UNESCO Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting held in Paris in 2018 gave the declaration of the
Paris Call ‘Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace’, was given developing common principles for securing
cyberspace. More than 190 signatures were obtained on the Paris Call, including private sector & nations.
The IBSA (India, Brazil & South Africa) Sherpas’ Meeting was held in Cochin in May,
IBSA 2019.
The 1st IBSA Sherpas’ meeting was held in Chennai, India in April, 2018 to
SHERPA’S commemorate IBSA’s 15th Anniversary in 2018-19.
MEET A Sherpa is the personal representative of a government who prepares and

coordinates in international summit or meeting.
#Grouping #India IBSA Sherpas are supposed to take forward the observations and decisions taken by
and the World IBSA Head of State meetings and IBSA Ministerial meetings.
Let us understand about IBSA.
WHAT IS IBSA?
• The India-Brazil-South Africa forum was established in 2003 by the Brasilia Declaration and intends for
South-South cooperation.
• IBSA brings together India, Brazil and South Africa, three large democracies and major developing economies
Background from three continents.
• It is a forum for consultation and coordination on global and regional political issues and collaborates on
international projects.
• IBSA countries would assist other developing countries by taking up projects in the latter through IBSA Fund.
• IBSA is bound together by a shared conviction in:

 Universal values of democracy
 Plurality, diversity human rights
Guiding
 Rule of law
Principles
 Commitment to sustainable development
 Inclusivity of all communities and gender
 Respect for international law
• The IBSA Facility Fund for Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger (IBSA Fund) was created in 2004 and became
operational in 2006.
• It aims to support projects in developing countries in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and
IBSA Fund
Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) countries.
• The IBSA Fund is managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), which
lends its professional expertise to multiple stakeholders in promoting the development of the Global South.
• IBSA Fellowship Programme at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India,
Future
which was launched at India’s initiative in 2017. Brazil & South Africa are also working towards starting a
Growth
similar initiative to form a common intellectual community.

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• IBSA has been overshadowed by BRICS, whereby the geopolitical & geo-economic weight of China has
provided BRICS with greater outreach and potential. However, IBSA has the potential to form an alternative
to both western style neoliberal policies and the Chinese style authoritarian development.
• The economies of Brazil & South Africa have seen a slowdown in recent past & the Intra-IBSA trade is quite
small, less than 3% of global trade. It is necessary for each country to find a complimentary trade basket with
each other to improve their trade potential.
• IBSA has asserted for forming Forums for Parliamentarians, academic community, business community, etc.
The three countries should undertake the formation of such forums immediately to improve the political
profile of IBSA.
IBSA ON SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION (SSC) & OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA)
IBSA’s 2007 Tshwane Declaration, 2008 Delhi Declaration and 2010 Brasilia Declaration affirm that South-
Guiding
South Cooperation as a common endeavour of the Global South guided by equality, non-conditionality, non-
Principles
interference in domestic affairs, and mutual benefit.
• The Brasilia Declaration of 2010 states that SSC is not an aid and developing countries engaged in SSC are
not donors and recipients but developing partners and have been incorporated in IBSA funded projects.
SSC & ODA • Official development assistance (ODA) is a term coined by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) to measure aid such as in form of soft loan, etc. for economic development for
recipient country.
ODA SSC
ODA is obligatory in nature for developed countries SSC is voluntary in nature
ODA is a supply driven process whereby it is the donor SSC is a demand driven process whereby it is the partner countries
country that determine the projects to fund that determine the priorities in IBSA projects
ODA creates ‘new dependencies’ between donor and SSC rests primarily in creating inter-dependence with recipient
recipient country country initiate, organise and manage activities on projects
ODA mainly implements projects with economic and SSC relies on economic and political non-conditionality
political conditionalities on recipient countries
Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu undertook an official visit to Vietnam in

May, 2019.
INDIA – Vice President met Vietnamese beneficiaries of the Jaipur Foot Artificial Limb
Fitment Camp organized in Vietnam under the ‘India for Humanity’ initiative,
VIETNAM launched to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
RELATIONSHIP The visit coincided with the celebration of UN Day of Vesak. Vesak is a sacred
day to Buddhists whereby it was on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha was born,
#Bilateral Relations also attained enlightenment, and also passed away.
The UN General Assembly in 1999 recognized the Day of Vesak to acknowledge
the contribution that Buddhism to the world.

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Inter national Relations

R
PRINCIIPLES OF EN
NGAGEMENT
T
• India & Vietn

nam relations in recent p
past are base
ed on the esttablishment of
o the Strate
egic Partnersship in 2007
7, and its
elevation to Comprehens
C sive Strategicc Partnership
p in 2016.
• Both countries base the trajectories off the relationsship on the co
ontinued effe
ective implementation of th
he Plan of Ac
ction for
the Impleme
entation of the
t Compreh
hensive Strategic Partnership for the period
p of 201
17 – 2020.
D
DEFENCE AN
ND SECURIT
TY COOPERA
ATION
• India and Vietnam en

ngage in severral security ba
ased dialogue
e mechanism, which are:
 The Firs
st Security D ialogue was held in 2018
8 between Ind
dian National Security Cou
uncil & its Viettnamese
Dia
alogue counterpart
Me
echanisms  Annual Deputy Miinisterial De
efence Polic
cy Dialogue between Indian Ministryy of Defencce & its
Vietnam
mese counterp
part.
 Both cou
untries would
d hold the firsst Maritime Security
S Dialo
ogue in 2019 between theeir respective Navies.
• India an
nd Vietnam b
base their defence cooperration on the
e effective implementation
n of the Joint Vision
Stateme
ent on Vietna
am – India D
Defence Cooperation for the period of 2015-2020.
Defence
• Both countries would
d expedite th
he implementtation of the US$100 million Line of C
Credit that In
ndia has
Eng
gagement
provided
d to Vietnam for the building of high-speed patrol vesssels for the Vietnamese
V B
Border Guardss.
• Moreove
er, India has o
offered US$50
00 million Lin
ne of Credit to
t the Vietna
amese defencce industry.
• India an
nd Vietnam condemned terrorism in all its forms and maniffestations, in cluding crosss-border
terrorism
m.
Aga
ainst
• Both countries unde rscored that there is no justification whatsoever
w for act of terro
orism and reccognised
Terrrorism
that terrrorism canno
ot be and sho
ould not be associated with any religion
n, nationality,, civilization o
or ethnic
groups.
F OCUS | J UNE 20199 | RAU’SS IAS 9

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• They called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, which should
include countering radicalisation, recruitment, training and movement of terrorists including Foreign
Terrorist Fighters, blocking sources of financing terrorism including through organized crimes, money-
laundering, smuggling of weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking and other criminal activities,
dismantling terrorist bases, safe havens and countering misuse of the internet, cyberspace, including social
media.
ECONOMIC COOPERATION
• India and Vietnam had signed a MOU on Economic and Trade Cooperation in 2018 and both countries
would expedite its effective implementation to promote bilateral trade and take measures for trade
Trade
promotion.
Promotion
• Both countries would take measures for the reduction of trade barriers including non-tariff and technical
barriers.
• India and Vietnam would continue the cooperation projects between PetroVietnam (PVN) and ONGC in oil
and gas exploration on land, continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Vietnam.
Oil
• India had earlier begun oil and gas exploration in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Vietnam in South China
Exploration
Sea. This was opposed by China as it considered that particular area as being EEZ of China, however India
and Vietnam continued with the exploration process despite protests by China.
• Indian has agreed to facilitate conditions for Vietnamese businesses for investing in India, particularly in
agriculture, agro-processing, marine products and wood products under the earlier Plan of Action on
Agriculture 2018 – 2020.
Investment • Vietnam has also agreed to create facilitating conditions for Indian companies to invest into new thermal
Facilitation energy and renewable energy projects in Vietnam.
• India would expedite projects in Vietnam under India’s initiative: CLMV Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) for
rural connectivity in the CLMV countries to create digital villages. CLMV stands for Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar and Vietnam.
India & Vietnam would ensure continuous and close cooperation for the early operation of the Project for the
Space
construction of the Satellite Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility under the ASEAN –
Technology
India cooperation framework in Vietnam.
GLOBAL CONVERGENCES
• India & Vietnam reiterated the importance of the building of a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,
on the basis of:
Indo-Pacific  Respect for national sovereignty and international law

Region  Freedom of navigation & over flight
 Freedom of unimpeded economic activities
 Open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture
• India and Vietnam reaffirmed mutual support for their respective candidatures as non-permanent members
of the United Nations Security Council – Vietnam for the term of 2020 – 2021 and India for the term of 2021 -
United
2022.
Nations
• Vietnam also reiterated its consistent support for permanent membership of India in an expanded United
Nations Security Council.

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R
• India & Vietnam stre essed the neccessity of fulll and effectiv
ve implemen
ntation of thee Declaration
n on the
Conductt of Parties in
n the South C
China Sea (DO OC).
• Both couuntries intend
d for the earlyy conclusion of a substanttive, effective and binding Code of Con
nduct of
Sou
uth China Parties in the South China Sea (C COC).
Sea
a • Both countries emph hasized the importance of peaceful settlement of disputes, in complian nce with
internatio
onal law, partticularly the U
United Nations
s Convention on the Law of the Sea 19882 (UNCLOS).
• Both cou
untries reitera
ated that the
e parties conc
cerned should
d continue ex
xercising self-
f-restraint and
d refrain
from the threat or use
e of force.
NEW
WS in trransitioon
CHA
AGOS Maauritius’s priior to indepe
endence hadd agreed in the 1965 agreeement with h UK for
se paration of the Chagos archipelago o, because it feared thatt if it did not do so,
ARC CHIPELA AGO ind
dependence e would not beb granted.
Th
hereafter, UK K had leased Diego Garrcia to the United Statees and the US had
#Teerritorial dispute
d forrmed its Indian Ocean military
m base..
MAURITIUS
M E
EFFORTS TO
O RECLAIM
C
CHAGOS
• Mauritius ha
ad moved a resolution
r in
UN General Assembly in
n 2017 and
was adopte
ed by the UNGA. The
resolution had assked the
International Court of Jusstice to give
its advisory opinion on whether or
not the UK was
w violating international
law by carrving Chagoss out from
Mauritius at the time of
independencce and eva
acuating its
residents.
• International Court of Justice (ICJ) in
an advisory opinion ha
as said that
Britain has an obligation
n to end its
administratio
on of th
he Chagos
archipelago & complete the process
of decolonisa
ation of Maurritius.
• ICJ has also
o said that the original
agreement between UK and
Mauritius ha
ad not allowe
ed for third-
party involv
vement in th
he territory,
thereby raissing concern
ns with US
base in Diego
o Garcia.

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• However, this is an advisory opinion of ICJ and is not a judgment. Therefore, it is not binding on the UK to act upon it.
Based on the verdict of ICJ, UN General Assembly voted in favour of a non-binding resolution in May, 2019
Recent
that urged Britain to withdraw its colonial administration and cede the Chagos Island to Mauritius within six
Scenario
months.
• India voted in favour of the resolution in UNGA both in 2017 and in 2019. India is in the process of
attempting to convince Mauritius to publicly offer a long-term lease to the US for Diego Garcia, if Mauritian
Indian
sovereignty was restored.
Position
• India intends for continued presence of US in the Indian Ocean region to balance the growing presence of
China in the region.
2nd BELT & ROAD The 2nd Belt & Road Forum was held in April, 2019, and this
section should be seen as a continued coverage of Belt & Road
FORUM #International Affairs Forum, initially explained in previous MAY edition of FOCUS.
HITS AND MISSES

nd nd
SHORTFALL OF 2 BRF SUCCESS OF 2 BRF
1. Projects are selected as per Chinese priorities & not of 1. The summit had representation from 150 countries &
the recipient country thereby developmental priorities of several international organisations such as UN & IMF. A
recipient country is not taken into account. major success of the BRF was the majority representation
2. Terms of project engagement are non-transparent from countries of Central & East Europe, Central Asia & East
whereby it was seen China was mis-using loopholes in the Africa.
contracts of earlier projects such as in labour contracts 2. Japan which was earlier opposed to BRI had changed its
whereby China used majority Chinese labour & dis- stance & stated that BRI has great potential.
regarded local labour. 3. Italy became the first member of G7 to participate in the
3. Contracts continue to go to Chinese companies with BRI. This broke the common opposition of Western
raw materials, services and products being sourced from countries towards BRI.
China 4. China during the recent BRF has promised a total
4. Most projects are over-valued by China in the initial & makeover of the BRI. They declared that it will be guided
then continue in the implementation stage. This then by extensive consultation with recipient country,
becomes economically unviable for recipient country & transparency in financing, zero tolerance for corruption,
eventually becomes a debt trap. This was seen in the selection of project based on priority of host country,
Hambantota port in Sri Lanka whereby Sri Lanka had to implementation international standards to regulations. &
hand over the port to a Chinese company since it was debt sustainability.
unable to pay the loan for the port that it took back to 5. China had announced in 2017 that it would enhance digital
China. However, recently in Malaysia, a rail project was re- connectivity through the “digital silk road”. Digital
negotiated at a lower price with China as it became connectivity infrastructure is to be built in tandem with
economically unsustainable for Malaysia. Now most physical connectivity & due to recent successes of China in
countries are willing to re-negotiate with China on Big data, 5G technology, Artificial intelligence, BeiDou
financing to avoid debt traps of projects under BRI. Satellite Navigation system, among other. It can therefore
5. Chinese projects are willing to indulge in corrupt practices, take lead over US & Europe in forming the Digital ecosystem
overlooking international environmental & labour in Eurasian & African region.
practices to ensure success of BRI projects, in invariably 6. Groups of countries that are participating in BRI have also

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ends up damaging the recipient country. launched cooperation mechanisms for ports administration,
6. BRI exhibits China’s geo-strategic ambition for accounting standards, tax administration, banking,
economic dominance and political hegemony which is the intellectual property, dispute settlement, among others.
cause of reluctance by several major powers such as India Some of these mechanisms were facilitated by UN agencies
& US. & other international organisations. This showcases the
potential of BRF to evolve into G-150 that can reshape global
7. South Asia & South East Asia had weak participation in
governance under the leadership of China.
BRF, with many countries from the region such as
Vietnam, Maldives, among others showcased their 7. The Piraeus port in Greece became part of the Chinese Silk
hesitation to BRI while India & Bhutan boycotted the Road in 2016 & in 2018 Greece formally signed MoU
event. under BRI with China. Greece has now joined the China
and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC)
8. China has not resolved the reason of India boycotting
cooperation mechanism & thereby now making it a 17+1
BRF, which is the violation of Indian sovereignty by CPEC
CEEC. It now allows for the Greek Piraeus port to be
project trespassing through PoK region. Similarly, it has
connected with BRI corridor in Central & Eastern Europe.
also not tried to resolve the Bhutanese concerns with
regards to the Doklam crisis. 8. BRI has evolved into a signature foreign initiative associated
with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which has created new
9. An objective for BRI was to allow for exporting China’s
standards and institutions that can challenge U.S.
surplus industrial capacity and cash reserves
leadership. This allows China under Xi Jinging to aim for non-
overseas, & then re-route it back to fuel China’s industrial
Western leadership, once reflected by China under Mao
output. However, the decline in China economic growth
Zedong.
rate has raised concerns over fulfilment of such goal.
COMPREHENSIVE The executive secretary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization
(CTBTO) has invited India to be an observer in the CTBT, and the observer
TEST BAN status is not tied to India’s ratifying the CTBT.
Rakesh Sood who is India’s former Permanent Representative to the
TREATY Conference on Disarmament at the UN has said that the CTBT is flawed &
ORGANISATION India should not give it any legitimacy by considering this.

Let us wait and see as to what be the official response of India to this
#Global Treaty invitation.
• The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was adopted by the UN General Assembly and opened for
signature in 1996. It bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere: on the Earth's surface, in the
atmosphere, underwater and underground.
• The CTBT will enter into force when all 44 Annex 2 States have ratified the treaty. These “Annex 2”
countries were compiled based on information from IAEA on countries that possessed nuclear research
CTBT
and/or power reactors in 1996.
• China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the US are the remaining Annex 2 countries to
either sign and/or ratify the treaty.
• France, UK & Russia have ratified the CTBT, while China & US have signed the CTBT but both have yet to
ratify it. India has not signed the treaty.
• The CTBTO Preparatory Commission was established in 1996 with main purpose to make the necessary
CTBTO
preparations so that the CTBT can be effectively implemented once the Treaty enters into force & CTBTO is

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established.
• It will establish the global Verification Regime so that it will be fully operational once the Treaty enters
into force. CTBTO will then ensure international verification of compliance with the CTBT and to provide a
forum for consultation and cooperation among States Parties.
• The CTBTO is an independent international organization & has a cooperative mechanism with the United
Nations.
OTHER NUCLEAR RELATED INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
• The Partial test ban Treaty, 1963 marked the first time the world witnessed real progress on a nuclear test
ban. It banned nuclear testing in the atmosphere, underwater, territorial waters, high seas and in space.
PTBT • PTBT did not prohibit nuclear testing underground & subsequent nuclear testing including by India was
then conducted underground. CTBT does prohibit all nuclear explosions on Earth, including in the
underground.
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, 1968 intends to inhibit the spread of nuclear weapons.
• The NPT is built upon three pillars: nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and the peaceful use of
nuclear energy.
• It defined nuclear weapon States as those five countries that tested nuclear weapons before 1968:
that is, China, France, USSR, UK & US & defined all others as non-nuclear weapon States. South Sudan, India,
NPT
Israel, and Pakistan are only remaining outside the treaty
• The NPT and the CTBT are complementary when it comes to the control of nuclear activities. With the NPT
as its legal basis, the IAEA monitors the “upstream” dimension of nuclear weapons development i.e.
uranium enrichment, plutonium reprocessing and fuel fabrication, while the CTBT is meant to monitor the
“downstream” final proof of a State’s intention to develop nuclear weapons, the nuclear test explosion.
INDIA AND CTBT
CONCERNS BY INDIA ADVANTAGES FOR INDIA
• NPT, 1968 recognises only five nuclear weapon States who • Being an observer would give India access to data from the
all conducted nuclear tests before 1968. India has called International Monitoring System — a network which
the 1968 cut off as discriminatory since it provides no when complete will consist of 321 monitoring stations and
justification as to why only these 5 countries have the right 16 radionuclide labs located in more than 85 countries. IMS
to possess nuclear weapons & India does not. can detect even small nuclear explosions using seismology,
• PTBT & NPT are based upon a ‘grand bargain, meaning hydro-acoustics, and infrasound and radionuclide
that that the non-nuclear weapon states agreed not to technology. This quality of data necessary for earthquake
develop nuclear weapons, and in return the nuclear- monitoring and following the radioisotope dispersion.
weapon states agreed to disarm their nuclear weapons. • China has also started sending data to International
The Grand Bargain was a false promise since the Cold War Monitoring System & will set up five IMS stations in China.
led to increased production & compiling of Nuclear Observor status would allow India to access data from China
Weapons by Nuclear Weapon States & it also does not also.
promote nuclear disarmament. • Pakistan which is also opposed to the CTBT, has an observer
• PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Head of State to status with CTBTO. Therefore, being an observer does not
call for a “standstill agreement” to halt nuclear testing in change India‘s status & concerns with respect to the CTBT.
1954. India still continues to support for verifiable • IMS data also provides ability to detect underwater

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complete nuclear disarmament & opposed to earthquake, tsunami warning, volcanic activities,
discriminatory regimes such as CTBT & NPT that allow few information on climate change, and many other issues.
to maintain nuclear weapons.
NEWS FROM IDSA

#IDSA 4 CSE
WHAT IS INDIA’S IDEA OF NEW WORLD ORDER?
• The term ‘New World Order’ first came into prominence after World War I, when US President
Woodrow Wilson used its variant (“new order of the world”) while proposing the formation of the first global
political organisation, the League of Nations, in order to “end all wars” and consolidate the victories of his
European allies in the name of collective security and democracy.
• Adolf Hitler titled his second book New World Order (1928) and championed a fascist ‘New Order of Europe’
Historical that eventually triggered World War II.
Usage • Post World War II, political experts have since used the term with reference to the birth of several U.S. & its
allies led international institutions & mechanism in the mid-20th CE such as the UN, World Bank, IMF, GATT,
etc.
• The term ‘New World Order’ has been used by many triumphant powers in history to enforce their
hegemonic writ on the world through political, ideological, militaristic, economic, legislative and diplomatic
means.
• The term in recent time has been associated with the US-led neoliberal order of free-trade globalisation
which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. The term was by US President George H. W. Bush on the eve
Recent
of the First Gulf War & after the Cold War and that US uni-polarity is about to herald a “new world order”.
Usage
• The US led Western globalised order is today facing a serious competition with the rise of China and India,
other countries and regions.
• India’s idea of a future world order has a polycentric construct or multipolarity, in which multiple actors
with different political systems, cultural traditions and economic interests forge interdependent relations, in
the absence of hegemonic polarities.
• India is therefore aligning with China in Climate Change negotiations against the US & other countries, while
aligning with US to contain China in Indo-Pacific region.
Indian View • India has called for reforms of global institutions such as the UN, World Bank and IMF in order to make them
reflective of 21st CE political and economic realities. Moreover, India has also played a key role in raising
non-Western institutional alternatives, such as the New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank.
• India is also in forging de-hyphenated relations among rival countries and strategic groupings, such as
between Israel and Palestine or between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

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R
NEWS SSnippetts
• UK, France and Germanyy had registe
ered a new Special Purpo
ose Vehicle ccalled Instrum
ment In
Support off Trade Exch
hanges (INST
TEX) in France in 2019. It is intended to allow EU entities
conduct non
n-dollar trade with Iran & thereby circumvent US sanctions on
n Iran.
• Iran has now
w also set up its counterpa
art body to INSTEX, the Spe
ecial Trade an
nd Finance Institute
(STFI) in Aprril, 2019.
IN
NSTEX & STFI • INSTEX & ST
TFI were con
nceived as a mean
m to mattch trade of Iranian
I oil an
nd gas exports to EU
against purcchases of EU goods by Ira
an. However, EU expects it
i be used on
nly for smalle
er barter
trade in non
n-sanctionable
e humanitaria
an products, medicines,
m me
edical equipm
ment & food.
• Several otheer countries including Ind
dia & China have shown interest in IN
NSTEX, but h
have not
moved forw
ward in forma
al discussion due
d to curren
nt non-operab
bility of INSTEEX & non-inclusion of
oil & gas currrently as products of trade
e.
• Khanij B
Bidesh India
a Limited, a joint
venture off three mining
g public secto
or units-
NALCO, M
MECL & HCL has the obje
ective to
seek strattegic minerals overseas and to
facilitate the process of acq
quisition,
developme
ent and proce
essing the same. It is
under the
e Ministry of Mines. KABIL
L intends
to create concrete ccollaboration in this
lithium min
ning with counterparts in Bolivia.
B
• Both coun tries have alsso agreed to facilitate
IN
NDIA – mechanism
ms for the ccommercializa
ation of
Lithium C
Carbonate & Potassium Chloride
C
BO
OLIVIA MoU
M produced in Bolivia.
on
n LITHIUM • The Natio
onal Mission on Transfo
ormative
Mobility an
nd Battery Storage of India is also
taking forw
ward the coo
operation in the
t area
of battery sstorage solutions.
• Bolivia is known to have one-fo
ourth of
the world
d's lithium rreserves, one
e of the
major provvider of metal for India's e--mobility
and e-stora
age needs.
• India impo
orts 100% of itts lithium ion batteries and
d related prod
ducts. Howevver, to form In
ndia as a
manufactu
uring hub for mobile phon
nes, batteries for electric cars, solar mo
odules, India requires
lithium.

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WORLDD GEOGRRAPHY IN
CONTEEXT # Poolitical Geograp hy
 BATTIC
CALOA & SAINTHAMARUT
TH, SRI LANKA
L
• All seven of the suicide bombers in tthe Easter da
ay attack were Sri Lankan
n citizens asssociated with
h National Th
howheeth
Jama'ath, a lo
ocal militant Islamist group
p with ties to IISIS.
• ISIS considerred it as retaliation for the
e Christ Churcch shooting against
a Muslim
ms in a Mosque in
New Zealand
d. More than 10
1 citizens of India were also killed in the bombing.
• The Easter Day Bombings were conduccted in Colom
mbo, Negomb
bo and Battica
aloa.
• Sainthamaruthu - Suicid
de bombers li nked to Easte
er bombings were killed in
n an encounter by
Sri Lankan fo
orces after the
e Easter bomb
bings.
• Colombo and Negombo which lie on the Western
n coast of Srri Lanka are Buddhist majjority
region, while
e Batticaloa & Sainthama ruthu lie on Eastern coast of Sri Lanka and are Tamil
T
majority region. Saintham
maruthu is also
o among the vvery few Muslim majority towns in Sri La
anka.
 A
ARCTIC COUNCIL
C L
• The Arctic Council is an intergovernm
i mental forum
m
promoting co
ooperation among the Arcctic States an
nd
other countrries, with HQ in Tromso, No
orway.
• It also has Permanent

P Participant o
organization
ns
with repre
esentation from
f Arcticc indigenou
us
communitiess.
• The Arctic Council was establish

hed in 199
96
through the
e Ottawa declaration by Canada
a,
Denmark, Finland, Iceland
d, Norway, R
Russia, Swede
en
and the U.S.
• The establishment of the Arctic Council wa

as
preceded by
y the Arctic Environment
E tal Protectio
on
Strategy in 1991, a decla
aration on the
e protection o
of
the Arctic env
vironment.
• India was re
e-elected as an observerr to the Arctiic
Council in May,
M 2019. Arrctic Council h
has more tha
an
thirty Observer states an
nd organizati ons, includin
ng
India.
• India has accepted the UNCLOS

U as tthe governin
ng
instrument for the Arctic
A which implies tha
at
sovereign claims of EEZ
Z can be u
undertaken b
by

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R
neighbouring
g countries to
o Arctic Ocean
n and of intern
national shipp
ping passage by all countries.
• The Arctic Council does not

n prohibit the commerrcial exploita
ation of resou
urces in the Arctic.
A It only sseeks to ensu
ure that it
is done in a sustainable
e manner witthout harmin
ng the intere
ests of local populations and in confo
ormity with tthe local
environmentt.
• India intendss to cooperatte with Russia

a and other ccountries for commercial
c expansion
e into
o Arctic regio
on, for minera
al and oil
and gas exploration.
• The Himadrri research sttation is loca

ated in Svalbard in Norway within the Arctic region
n. The Goa-ba
ased Nationa
al Centre
for Antarctic and Ocean Research (N
NCOAR) is the nodal organisation coordinating the ressearch activitiies at this station.

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CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Allegations of sexual harassment on Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi
S.C. IN-HOUSE led to an in-house investigation by a committee of three judges appointed by

the Supreme Court. The constitution of an in-house committee by Supreme
PROCEDURE Court has also raised concerns with respect to non-interference by an outside
investigative agency in such critical matters involving higher judiciary.
QUESTIONED In this analysis, let us understand the different issues which emerged in this
case including allegations of violation of principles of natural justice by the
#Judiciary
Chief Justice of India himself, the legality of in-house committee constituted to
#Governance #Ethics probe into the allegations of misconduct by CJI as well as the secretive manner
in which the committee functioned.
ALLEGATIONS
• A former employee of Supreme Court who served as a junior court assistant in Justice Gogoi’s court for two years (from
October, 2016 to October, 2018) in an affidavit addressed to all judges of Supreme Court alleged sexual harassment against
the Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
• She further claimed victimization in the affidavit undergone by herself, her husband and family members. The lady was then
arrested in a case of bribery and is currently out on bail. The Supreme Court Secretary General dismissed the charge as false
and baseless.
SUPREME COURT’S RESPONSE
• Supreme Court convened an urgent hearing by a Bench comprising of CJI himself along with two other senior judges of
Supreme Court, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
• The hearing of the matter by CJI himself raised concerns on violation of principles of natural justice as no person shall be
a judge in his own cause.
Principle of Natural Justice
The natural justice mainly focuses on the following:
1. Nemo judex in causa sua – No one should be made a judge in his own case, or the rule against bias.
2. Audi alteram partem – Hear the other side/party or an opportunity for fair hearing must be given to both sides before
passing any order.
Article 14 and 21 of Indian Constitution is the embodiment of natural justice in Indian law
• During the proceedings, the CJI denied the allegations and termed them as an attempt to deactivate the judiciary. The
Attorney General and Solicitor General concurred with the view of CJI as it involved a serious allegation against a top most
judge.
• This allegation was viewed by certain section of legal and judicial fraternity as an attempt to malign the reputation and
independent functioning o judiciary.

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Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• After the session, three Judge Bench of Supreme Court passed an order and advised the media to exercise “restraint” in its
coverage of the case.
►Note: This judgment however, was not signed by CJI himself but by other two judges and this indicated that the CJI had recused
himself (opted out) from the case.
REACTIONS ON VERDICT
• Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association and Supreme Court Bar Association passed a resolution which
condemned the process adopted by SC involving CJI to deal with the matter considering that the entire allegation was against
CJI and the Court violated principles of natural justice.
• However, another body namely the Supreme Court Employees Welfare Association passed a resolution where they
supported the Chief Justice and termed the allegations against him as baseless.
Thus, these are the two narratives emerged from the entire issue and has moulded public opinion accordingly one against CJI
and the other in his favour.
• Further, Utsav Singh Bains, a Delhi based lawyer posted on Facebook that allegations against CJI was a part of larger
conspiracy by various stakeholders who have meticulously planned the conspiracy to force the CJI to resign.
• Further Bains filed an affidavit in the SC stating that he was offered Rs. 1.5 crores to frame allegations against CJI by nexus of
bench fixers and corporates having vested interest.
On the basis of above, two parallel proceedings were initiated in the Supreme Court:
1. With respect to the petition filed by Utsav Bains on allegations of conspiracy against CJI, the case has been taken up by a
special bench.
2. Chief Justice constituted an In-House Panel of Justices SA Bobde, NV Ramana and Indira Banerjee to probe into the
allegations against the CJI.
• On the petition of conspiracy against the CJI, special bench of SC appointed Justice A K Patnaik to probe into the matter. The
Court even directed Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), Delhi Police and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to give necessary
assistance to Justice Patnaik. However, Justice Patnaik informed the Court that he will await the result of in-house probe
against CJI Gogoi before starting the investigation of conspiracy allegations.
Replacing • The complainant woman in a letter addressed to Justice Bobde expressed concerns on procedures followed
Justice by the panel. She said that the panel will be biased as it only included members from higher judiciary and
Ramana also objected to the inclusion of Justice Ramana on the grounds of being close friend of CJI Justice Ranjan
with Justice Gogoi.
Indu • Justice Ramana recused himself from the panel after apprehensions over his biasness was raised by the
Malhotra woman complainant. Justice Indu Malhotra was appointed in his place.
• The in-house panel gave clean chit to CJI Ranjan Gogoi in the above matter. However, this report will not be
Report of made public.
the • The way in which the report was made has also been ridiculed as it is said that Vishakha guidelines were not
Committee followed with respect to constituting a formal Internal Inquiry Committee and hence doubts have been
raised on the veracity of probe conducted by the members of in-house committee.
►NOTE: Earlier, in May, 2018, Supreme Court had asked Chief Justices of High Courts to set up committees for anti-sexual
harassment at workplace in High Courts and District Courts within 2 months. As per the Chief Justice of India, committees shall
be constituted as per Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013 and
the Vishaka case guidelines.

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Governance
Sexual Harassment: As per the Act, Sexual Harassment includes any one or more of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour
either directly or by implication:
• Physical contact and advances
• A demand or request for sexual favours
• Making sexually coloured remarks
• Showing pornography
• Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature
Further, the following circumstances can also amount to sexual harassment at workplace if there is -
• Explicit or implied promise of preferential treatment in her employment
• Explicit or implied threat of detrimental treatment in her employment
• Explicit or implied threat about her present or future employment status
• Interference with her work or creating a hostile or an intimidating work environment for her
• Humiliating treatment which may affect her health or safety
Internal Complaints Committee: The Act provides for the constitution of Internal Complaints Committee and Local Complaints
Committee to look into cases of sexual harassment of women at workplace.
• The presiding officer of the committee must be a woman employed at a senior level.
• There must be not less than two members from amongst employees preferably committed to the cause of women or who
have had experience in social work or have legal knowledge;
• One member must be from non-governmental organisations or associations committed to the cause of women or a person
familiar with the issues relating to sexual harassment;
• At least one-half of the total Members so nominated shall be women.
CONSTITUTION OF IN-HOUSE COMMITTEE BY SUPREME COURT: ISSUE OF LEGALITY
Various questions have been raised on the following issues:

1. Violation of legal provisions, procedures as well as principles of natural justice by CJI as he placed himself along with two
other judges in the Bench constituted to hear a case against himself.
2. The discreet way in which in house committee was constituted
3. Not allowing the woman complainant to be represented by a lawyer of her choice
4. Non-publication of the report of in house committee
• CJI is the Master of the Roster and hence it was his prerogative to decide the allocation of Bench. So, legally, the CJI was
entitled to allocate judges to the bench including placing himself on the same bench where a case against him was to be
decided. However, on ethical, moral and on principles of natural justice, he should not have included himself in the same
Bench.
• In-House Committee - Another issue raised is that constituting the in house committee by Supreme Court was illegal and
arbitrary. However, this is not true as the procedure followed to constitute an in-house committee in this particular case
was as per ‘Report of the Committee on in-house Procedure’ drawn up by a meeting of full Court of Supreme Court held
on 15th December, 1999.
PROCEDURE FOR JUDGE OF HC & SC PROCEDURE TO ENQUIRE AGAINST CJI
• A committee based on 1999 Report was • The procedure specifically states that even in the case of an inquiry into a
constituted to devise an in-house complaint received against a judge of the Supreme Court including CJI, the

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procedure for taking suitable remedial committee shall hold an inquiry on the same pattern as the committee
action against Judges in case of any constituted to examine a complaint against a judge of the High Court.
allegations against them with respect to • If the case is found to hold merit, then a three-member committee shall
discharge of their judicial functions as well be constituted comprising of SC Judges and shall hold inquiry into the
as on conduct and behaviour of judges allegations. Such an inquiry shall be in the nature of ‘fact finding inquiry’
outside Court premises. where the Judge concerned will be entitled to appear and have his/her say.
• The procedure mentions that allegations • Such an enquiry will not be a judicial enquiry involving examination and
against any High Court Judge, Chief cross-examination of witnesses and representation by lawyers. The
Justice of High Court or Judge of committee can devise their own rules and procedures consistent with
Supreme Court shall be examined by principles of natural justice.
his/her peers and not by an outside
• Based on the inquiry, the Committee can file three kinds of reports:
agency in order to maintain independence
1. There is no substance in the allegations filed by complainant.
of judiciary.
2. There is sufficient substance in the allegation of misconduct and such
• It is important to note that any special
substance is so serious as to initiate proceedings for removal of Judge.
procedure with respect to CJI has not
been provided. So the same procedure 3. The substance in the allegation but the misconduct disclosed is not of
applicable to Judge of SC shall also be such a serious nature as to initiate removal proceedings.
applicable on CJI.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS ON CJI CASE
• There was no violation of any legal procedure as available in such cases of allegations of misconduct against Judge of SC
including CJI.
• The complainant did appear before the committee thrice and also asked for permission to be represented by a lawyer, but
was denied as per the rules of the procedure. Further, she herself decided to stay away from the remaining procedure at her
own discretion.
• Principles of natural justice were observed as there were two women Judges to hear her version of complaint. Three-
member committee comprised of Justice SA Bobde, Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Indu Malhotra.
• The inquiry report submitted did not find the allegations against CJI to be true. However, copy of the inquiry report was
denied as per the law laid down in Indira Jaisingh v. Supreme Court of India and another (2003). The judgment stated that
report of a committee constituted as part of the in-house procedure was confidential and discreet and could not be made
public. So again in denying the inquiry report, no laws or procedure were violated.
• Thus, any allegations of violation of principles of natural justice or deviation from adhering any law or legal procedure does
not hold ground as the In-House Committee followed every procedure as laid down by the Supreme Court.
The last phase of voting for the General Election 2019 concluded on May
OPINION POLL & 19th. Just after final closure of voting at 6:30 pm in the evening, different
agencies conducting exit poll published their survey where they predicted
EXIT POLL another term for incumbent NDA government. The results on 23rd May
proved them right as BJP led NDA alliance in a landslide victory won about
#Election 353 seats in the Lok Sabha. However, in this news analysis, let us
understand about the opinion polls and exit polls.

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THINGS TO UNDERSTAND
• Opinion poll is a method for collecting information about the views or beliefs of a given group prior to
the voting process. Information from an opinion poll can shed light on and potentially allow inferences to
be drawn about certain attributes of a larger population.
• Opinion polls involve a sample of respondents drawn to represent a larger population who are asked a
Opinion Poll
standardized series of questions in a fixed form. The results are analyzed for the entire respondent sample
that represents different groups in the population.
• Opinion polls help in enhancing awareness among citizens and encourage public debate on performance of
the government in different sectors.
• Exit poll is a survey which is conducted just after a voter walks out after casting his or her vote. In an
exit poll, agencies conducting it ask the voters for whom they have actually voted just after the poll.
• Such polls aim at predicting the actual result on the basis of the information collected from voters who have
casted their vote.
• Exit polls are conducted by the method of sampling where agencies select different constituencies across
Exit Poll
different parts of the country based on select demography and caste so as to get an idea across sections of
populations about voting pattern.
• As per RPA, 1951 - "Exit Poll" means an opinion survey respecting how electors have voted at an election or
respecting how all the electors have performed with regard to the identification of a political party or
candidate in an election.
►Difference: Thus we can say that an opinion poll is a kind of voter behaviour survey conducted to gauge the public opinion before
voting takes place, while an exit poll happens right after voting.
Election surveys and later exit polls became popular in mid-1980s. In the initial years, exit polls were limited to magazines.
However, proliferation of television in the 1990s and the political uncertainty in those times popularised exit polls as it created
curiosity in the political circles and the citizens alike.
With the advent of time and technology, samples were taken more scientifically by different agencies involved in the process.
This led to an increase in number of opinion polls which was then accompanied by attempts at their regulation by the
government.
EARLY ATTEMPTS AT REGULATION (1988)
The earliest attempt to regulate opinion polls was made in 1998 when the Election Commission of India (ECI) took an overall view
of the situation and issued “Guidelines for Publication and Dissemination of Results of Opinion Polls/Exit Polls” in January
1988. The EC was of the view that publication of such exit/opinion polls during election when the polling is still in process had
the potential to influence decision making of voters. However, the Election Commission was also aware of the freedom of press
in a democratic country and could not have put a complete ban on such process.
So, keeping in mind both these aspects EC issued the following guidelines:
• The organisations or agencies conducting Opinion Polls shall be free to publish and disseminate such polls with an
exception.
Exception issued in 1988: “No result of any opinion poll conducted at any time shall be published, publicised or disseminated by
any print or electronic media, after 5 pm on April 9, 1988 (April 11, 1988 being the first day of poll) and till after the closing of poll in
all States and Union territories, i.e. till 5 pm on the last day of poll.

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• Any organisations or agencies conducting any Opinion Poll or Exit Poll, while publishing, publicising or disseminating the
result of any such poll, must indicate the sample size of the electorate covered by such polls and geographic spread of
survey so conducted.
• The organisations must invariably give the details of methodology followed, including likely percentage of errors, the
professional background and experience of the organisation or organisations and the key professionals involved in the
conduct and analysis of the poll.
• 'Dissemination’ includes publication in any newspaper, magazine or periodical, or display on electronic media, or circulation
by means of any pamphlet, poster, placard, handbill or any other document.
►Punishment - Contravention of the above prohibition is a penal offence punishable with imprisonment upto 2 years or with fine or
with both.
CHALLENGE TO REGULATION (1998 & 1999)
• The guidelines issued by ECI were challenged by media and publication houses on the ground that it violated their
fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression and also their right of information under Article 19(1)(a).
►R Rajagopal v. Union of India, the guidelines of the EC were formally challenged before the Supreme Court. These guidelines
were also challenged in Delhi and Rajasthan High Court. Supreme Court allowed the guidelines which is why they were duly
observed by all electronic and print media at the time of the general elections in February-March 1998.
• Further, validity of guidelines of EC again came into question during the General Election of 1999. The Times of India Group
of Newspapers, as well as certain other newspapers refused to observe the guidelines issued by the ECI. Consequently, ECI
approached the Supreme Court of India for a direction against the Times of India Group to abide by the Commission’s
guidelines.
• Owing to the important constitutional issues involved in this matter, the Supreme Court referred this matter to a Constitution
bench. The Constitution Bench observed serious doubts about the EC guidelines on their being issued without statutory
sanction and also infringing the fundamental rights of the media houses. Consequently, EC withdrew the guidelines on 14th
September 1999.
►Note: Such withdrawal meant that there were no restrictions on the conduct of opinion polls and exit polls or on the
dissemination of results of these polls during the general elections to the House of the People and certain legislative assemblies held in
September-October 1999.
• The vacuum with regard to guidelines on the publication and dissemination of results of opinion polls persisted till 2004.
• Election Commission in order to solve such vacuum convened a meeting of all parties in early April, 2004 to deliberate on the
issue of opinion polls and exit polls. Majority of political parties agreed not to conduct and publish results of opinion poll
from the date of issue of statutory notification calling the election till the completion of the poll.
• It was further agreed that in a multi-phased election where poll is taken on different dates, such prohibition in conducting
and publishing the results of opinion polls should be for the entire period starting from the date of notification of the first
phase of election and until the completion of the poll in the last phase. Similar view emerged with respect to Exit Polls.
• On the matter of Exit Poll, the EC then asked the Ministry of Law and Justice to add a specific provision in RPA, 1951
prohibiting publication and dissemination of the results of exit polls and opinion polls during the last 48 hours.
• This proposal of EC was accepted by Parliament in 2009 and Section 126A was added in RPA, 1951.

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SECTION 126A – REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE ACT, 1951
Section 126A - Restriction on publication and dissemination of result of exit polls, etc.
(1) No person shall conduct any exit poll and publish or publicise by means of the print or electronic media or disseminate in any
other manner, whatsoever, the result of any exit poll during such period, as may be notified by the Election Commission in
this regard. The Election Commission shall, by a general order, notify the date and time having due regard to the following,
namely: —
(a) in case of a general election, the period may commence from the beginning of the hours fixed for poll on the first day of poll
and continue till half an hour after closing of the poll in all the States and Union territories;
(b) in case of a bye-election or a number of bye-election held together, the period may commence from the beginning of the
hours fixed for poll on and from the first day of poll and continue till half an hour after closing of the poll.
Now conduct of voting process starts at 7 am in the morning and ends at 6 pm in the evening. That is why exit polls were
th
announced after 6:30 pm on 19 May.
However, in 2009 when section 126A was incorporated, it did not specifically ban the publishing of Opinion poll in the last 48
hours.
• In September 2013, the ECI held fresh consultations with recognised political parties on the issue of banning opinion polls.
• The dominant view that came across from the views put forth by various political parties was that opinion polls should not be
published or disseminated during the period starting from the date of notification till the completion of elections.
• Regulation of Opinion Poll was also considered by Law Commission in its 255th Report titled “Electoral Reforms” where it
mentioned that ban under Section 126(1)(b) of RPA, 1951 was only on electronic medium and not on print medium. Thereby it
recommended to add print media as well under section 126(1)(b).
• The Commission recommended to add Section 126C on Disclosures relating to Opinion Polls and Section 126D on
offences against companies on disclosures relating to opinion polls in RPA, 1951.
►Punishment - Any person who contravenes the provisions of this section shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which
may extend to two years or with fine or with both.
An Election petition is a process to inquire into the validity of the election results of
different kinds of elections conducted by the Election Commission. It is a means under
ELECTION law to challenge the election of a candidate in a Parliamentary, Assembly or local
election. Election petitions are filed in the High Court of the particular state in which the
PETITION election was conducted. Therefore, only the High Courts have the original jurisdiction
on deciding on election petitions. In India, Representation of People Act, 1951 provides
#Election
for the manner in which election petition can be filed. Let us go through important
provisions of the 1951 to know more about election petition and its causes and impact.
DISPUTES REGARDING ELECTIONS HAS BEEN DEALT IN PART VI OF REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE ACT (RPA),
1951
• As per Section 80 of RPA 1951, any issue with respect to an election must be presented through an election petition.
• Section 80A – High Court of a particular constituency (where such disputes have arisen) shall have the jurisdiction to try such
election petition. Election petition can be submitted by any candidate or elector within 45 days of declaration of results.

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• "Elector" in relation to a constituency means a person whose name is entered in the electoral roll of that constituency for the
time being in force and who is not subject to any of the disqualifications mentioned in section 16 of the Representation of
the People Act, 1950.
• An election petition must consist of concise statement of the material facts stating the claim of the petitioner, particulars of
corrupt practice alleged by the petitioner including date and place of commission of such offence. Such a petition must be
accompanied by an affidavit as per Form 25.
AN ELECTION PETITION CALLING IN QUESTION ANY ELECTION CAN BE PRESENTED ON ONE OR MORE OF THE
FOLLOWING GROUNDS:
A. that on the date of the election a returned candidate (a candidate who has been declared elected) was not qualified;
Section 16 (RPA, 1950) - Disqualifications for registration in an electoral roll
• A person shall be disqualified for registration in an electoral roll if he/she
 is not a citizen of India
 is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court
 is for the time being disqualified from voting under the provisions of any law relating to corrupt practices and other offences
in connection with elections
B. that some corrupt practice was committed by a returned candidate or his election agent;
Section 123 of RPA, 1951 describes the following as corrupt practice:
 Bribery
 Undue influence
 Direct or indirect interference or attempt to interfere on the part of the candidate or his agent or by any other person with
the consent of the candidate.
 Appeal by a candidate on the ground of his religion, race, caste, community or language.
 Use of, or appeal to religious symbols or the use of, or appeal to national symbols, such as the national flag or the
national emblem to enhance the prospects of the election of that candidate or to affect the election prospect of any rival
candidate.
 The promotion of, or attempt to promote, feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India
on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language, by a candidate or his agent or any other person.
 The propagation of the practice or the commission of sati or its glorification for election prospects.
 Publication of any false statements about rival candidates – including their personal character and conduct.
 Getting any assistance from any gazetted officer to enhance election prospects.
Punishment: Any person who in connection with an election under this Act promotes or attempts to promote on grounds of religion,
race, caste, community or language, feelings of enmity or hatred, between different classes of the citizens of India shall be punishable
with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both.
C. that nomination of any candidate has been improperly rejected by the returning officer;
D. if the result of the election, in so far as it concerns a returned candidate, has been materially affected.

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SECTION 100 (2) – GROUNDS WHERE HIGH COURT MAY DECLARE ELECTION OF THE RETURNED CANDIDATE AS
NOT VOID
• If High Court is satisfied that corrupt practice was not committed at an election by the candidate or his election agent, and
every such corrupt practice was committed contrary to the orders, and without the consent, of the candidate or his election
agent.
• If High Court is satisfied that the candidate and his election agent took all reasonable means for preventing the commission
of corrupt practices at the election.
• If High Court is satisfied that in all other respects the election was free from any corrupt practice on the part of the candidate
or any of his agents.
AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE TRIAL OF AN ELECTION PETITION, THE HIGH COURT CAN MAKE THE FOLLOWING
ORDERS
• Can dismiss the election petition

• Can declare the election of all or any of the returned candidates to be void. (Returned candidates are those who have been
declared elected)
• Can decide whether the petitioner or the returned candidate has been elected in case of disputes on election result of the
returned candidate.
Five-year data on OBC quota implementation in central jobs and higher

educational institutions showed that a very small section among
SUB- members of OBC have taken majority of benefits of reservation. The
government in order to quantify the flow of benefits among different
CATEGORISATION communities among OBC so as to reduce the current imbalance had
OF OBC appointed a five-member panel under the Chairmanship of Retired
Justice G. Rohini in 2017. The commission was to examine the sub-
COMMISSION categorisation of Central List of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
However, due to certain delay on collection and analysis of data
#Committee #Reservation
necessary for presentation of report, the President of India has extended
the tenure of the Commission by two months till 31st July, 2019.
 ABOUT THE COMMISSION ON SUB-CATEGORISATION OF OBC
• The President in exercise of the powers conferred under Article 340 of the India Constitution, appointed a Commission under
the Chairmanship of Retired Justice G. Rohini to examine the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes.
• This was done in order to achieve greater social justice and inclusion for all, and specifically members of the Other
Backward Classes.
• Sub categorization of the OBCs will ensure that the more backward among the OBC communities can also access the benefits
of reservation for educational institutions and government jobs.
 TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) OF THE COMMISSION
• To examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the castes or communities included in
the broad category of Other Backward Classes with reference to such classes included in the Central List.

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• To work out the mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters in a scientific approach for sub-categorisation within such
Other Backward Classes.
• To take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes or communities or sub-castes or synonyms in the Central
List of Other Backward Classes and classifying them into their respective sub-categories.
 REASONS FOR DELAY
• The Central list of OBCs comprises more than 2,600 castes and most of them are small in number and are spread across
different locations geographically. This is why it is necessary to have a large sample covering every sub-district of all states
and Union Territories.
• The Commission has asked for an all-India survey in the absence of official caste wise population data post-independence.
• The Commission wanted to increase the sample size to more than 10 lakh households in order to provide statistically sound
information for its report.
OTHER REPORTS ON SUB-CATEGORISATION
Sub-categorisation of OBCs as recommended by a few Commissions and implemented by some states have all used indicators
of social backwardness as the criteria.
• The First Backward Class Commission report of 1955, also known as the Kalekar Report, had proposed sub-categorisation
of OBCs into backward and extremely backward communities.
• In the Mandal Commission report of 1979, a dissent note by member L R Naik proposed sub-categorisation in intermediate
and depressed backward classes.
• In 2015, former National Commission for Other Backward Classes under Justice (Retd) Eswaraiah asked for sub-
categorisation within OBCs into Extremely Backward Classes (Group A), More Backward Classes (Group B) and Backward
Classes (Group C).
• Presently, ten states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal,
Maharashtra, and Jammu, have sub-categorised OBCs using varying criteria, including the ascribed status such as de-notified,
nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes, the religion of a community, caste status before conversion to Christianity or Islam, and
perceived status socially or traditional occupation.
The Supreme Court has upheld validity of the Karnataka Extension of

Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the Basis
KARNATAKA SC/ST of Reservation (to the Posts in the Civil Services of the State) Act, 2018.
PROMOTION This law grants reservation in promotion and consequential seniority to

the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government services in
QUOTA UPHELD the state of Karnataka.
This judgment is significant as Karnataka has become the first state to
#Reservation #Judgment benefit from the 2018 Constitution Bench judgment in the case of
Jarnail Singh vs Lachhmi Narain Gupta.
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION SAYS?
Article 16 (4) - Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any provision for the reservation of appointments or
posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services
under the State.

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Article 16 (4A) (Added by Constitution 77th Amendment) - Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any
provision for reservation in matters of promotion, with consequential seniority, to any class or classes of posts in the services
under the State in favour of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes which, in the opinion of the State, are not adequately
represented in the services under the State.
IMPORTANT JUDGEMENTS
INDRA SAWHNEY M. NAGRAJ JARNAIL SINGH VS LACHHMI NARAIN GUPTA
• Supreme Court in Indra • In M. Nagraj, the constitutional validity • There is no need to revisit the judgment of M.
Sawhney Case (1992) held of 77th Amendment was challenged Nagaraj by a 7-judge Constitutional Bench.
that reservations under which provided for reservation in • States no longer need to collect
Article 16(4) could only be promotion along with other quantifiable data on the backwardness of
provided at the time of amendments on backlog vacancies in SCs and STs in granting quota in promotions.
entry into government reservation.
• However, the states will have to back
service but not in matters • The Supreme Court upheld the reservation in promotion with data to show
of promotion. constitutional validity of 77
th
their inadequate representation in the
• Thus, Indra Sawhney Amendment and said these were mere cadre. The Court said that the principle of
judgment categorically enabling provisions. creamy layer can be extended to members of
held that there shall be • The Court held that if a state SC/ST for promotions in government jobs.
no reservation in government wishes to make provisions • The whole object of reservation is to see that
promotions and the for reservation to SC/STs in promotion, backward classes of citizens move forward so
reservation should be the state has to collect quantifiable that they may march hand in hand with other
confined to initial data showing backwardness of the citizens of India on an equal basis.
appointments only as class and inadequacy of
• This will not be possible if only the creamy
reservations exist to create representation of that class and
layer within that class bag all the coveted jobs
a level-playing field and to maintenance of efficiency.
in the public sector and perpetuate
remedy unequal starting
• The Court allowed reservations in themselves, leaving the rest of the class as
positions.
promotion for members of SC/ST backward as they always were.
• Parliament in 1995 subject to proving three conditions:
• When a Court applies the creamy layer
adopted the 77th
 Backwardness of class – so there is a need principle to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
amendment by which
for quantifiable data to prove Tribes, it does not in any manner tinker with
clause (4A) was inserted
backwardness the Presidential List under Articles 341
into Article 16 to enable
 Inadequacy of representation (Scheduled Castes) or 342 (Scheduled
reservation to be made
 Administrative Efficiency – Article 335 Tribes) of the Constitution of India.
in promotion for SCs and
STs. Article 335 - The claims of the members of • The Court excluded the creamy layer from
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled such groups or sub-groups (including
• As per Article 16(4A) -
Tribes shall be taken into consideration, members of SC/ST) when applying the
State can make any
consistently with the maintenance of principles of equality under Articles 14 and 16
provision for reservation
efficiency of administration, in the making of of the Constitution of India.
in matters of promotion
if SC/STs are not adequately appointments to services and posts in
represented in the services in connection with the affairs of the Union or of
the state. a State.

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JUDGEMENT ON KARNATAKA (2019)
• Karnataka constituted the Ratna Prabha Committee (2017) & based on the report, it enacted the Karnataka Promotion on
Basis of Reservation Act, 2018.
• Supreme Court in its 2019 judgment has upheld the validity of the reservation law of Karnataka grants reservation in
promotion and consequential seniority to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government services in the state
of Karnataka.
OBSERVATIONS BY SC
• A ‘meritorious’ candidate is not merely one who is ‘talented ‘or ‘successful’ but also one whose appointment fulfils the
constitutional goals of uplifting members of the SCs and STs and ensuring a diverse and representative administration.
• The Court held that quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is “not at odds with the principle of meritocracy” and
is “true fulfillment of effective and substantive equality by accounting for the structural conditions into which people are
born”.
• SC upheld the view in R K Sabharwal Case (1995) that it is open to the State to make reservation in promotion for SCs and
STs proportionate to their representation in the general population.
• SC has said that Article 335 recognises that special measures need to be adopted for considering the claims of SCs and STs
for access to opportunity & it is within authority of the Union and the States to adopt special measures for claims to
appointment in services and posts under the Union and the States.
• Efficiency of administration in the affairs of the Union or of a State must be defined in an inclusive sense, where diverse
segments of society find representation.
• The Court held that the Karnataka law does not amount to a usurpation of judicial power by the state legislature & it is
a valid exercise of the enabling power conferred by Article 16 (4A) of the Constitution. Administrative efficiency is an
outcome of the actions taken by officials after they are appointed or promoted. It is not tied to the selection method itself.
• Thus, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Karnataka law and held that backwardness of the SCs and
STs need not be demonstrated by state in order to grant reservation in promotions to members of SCs/STs.
Comptroller and Auditor General of India is the Supreme Audit

Institution of India (SAI). As a constitutional body, C&AG has been
entrusted with the responsibility to audit the accounts and related
activities of the government and its institutions. However, in recent
REDACTIVE PRICING Supreme Court litigations, the issue of redacted pricing of the fighter
BY C&AG jet deal and subsequent controversy about the stolen files and
photocopies have highlighted the role of the Supreme Audit
#Audit Institution of India in public discourse.
Let us understand about the constitutional duties of C&AG and also
about the impact of redactive pricing of Rafale jets done by C&AG in
its report submitted to the President of India.
CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL MANDATE OF C&AG
• Article 148 of the Indian Constitution mandates the appointment of Comptroller and Auditor General of India by the
President of India by warrant under his hand and seal and shall only be removed from office in like manner and on the like
grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

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• The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall perform such duties and exercise such powers in relation to the accounts of the
Union and of the States and of any other authority or body as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Parliament.
• Thus, the Parliament accordingly enacted the CAG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971. It specifies the
CAG’s duties and powers pertaining to government accounts, audit of receipts and expenditures of three tiers of the
governments at the union, states and urban and rural local bodies.
• As per Article 151, the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India relating to the accounts of the Union shall be
submitted to the President, who shall cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament. The reports of the C&AG of
India relating to the accounts of a State shall be submitted to the Governor of the State, who shall cause them to be laid
before the Legislature of the State.
• Duties of C&AG includes audit of public companies, autonomous bodies, regulatory bodies and other public entities,
where there is a specific legislative provision to make CAG audit mandatory in the acts by which these bodies were
created.
AUDITS DONE BY CAG CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO
Compliance Audit Financial Audit Performance Audit
Compliance audit is sometimes called Under Financial Audit, audit Performance Audits seek to establish at what
transaction audit in which some reports prepared by various cost and to what degree the policies,
selected transactions of an entity for a departments, statutory programmes and projects are working.
particular financial year are chosen for corporations, government Performance audit, apart from asking whether
audit scrutiny. It is seen whether companies and other autonomous things are being done in the right way, goes a
transactions done as per rules and bodies and authorities are checked step further and analyses whether the right
regulations, with proper sanctions and for their veracity and truthfulness things are being done. In addition to all the
whether it adheres to principles of and whether financial statements financial audit checks, the Performance Audit
financial propriety. are presented with adequate seeks to assess whether a programme, scheme
disclosures. or activity deploys sound means to achieve its
intended socio-economic objectives.
 CURRENT SCENARIO: REDACTIVE PRICING BY CAG
• In an audit report submitted by Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) to the President under Article 151 of the Indian
Constitution on pricing of Rafale jets, the CAG used the concept of “redactive pricing”.
• C&AG used redactive pricing on the recommendations of Ministry of Defence as according to the Ministry, sensitive
information on the pricing could not have been revealed on national security concerns.
Note: Redaction is the selection or adaption by removing sensitive information from a document before publication. Under
redactive pricing method, CAG withheld full commercial details and blackened the figures on the procurement deal on
security concerns cited by Ministry of Defence.
EMERGING QUESTIONS
Q. Whether C&AG is right in accepting ministry’s concerns and thereby acting on such concerns by withholding important information in
the audit report on Rafale submitted to the President under Article 151?
Q. Did C&AG violated constitutional norms by accepting ministry’s concerns?

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FOR ANSWERING ABOVE, THINGS TO KNOW
• Pricing is an important part of any procurement decision of the government as it helps in ascertaining
qualitative and quantitative specifications, comparative merits and demerits of any deal. Thus, pricing is an
integral part of the procurement decision-making process of any equipment, product, goods or service.
Importance • Pricing of any commodity also helps in knowing the conditions of sale-purchase agreement, its strategic
of pricing advantage over other products or services, terms of deal, installments, after-service conditions, discounts,
commissions and other related aspects of the deal.
Therefore, price integrity and comparative competitiveness are at the heart of any procurement decision
making process in any government deal.
Article 151 (1) - The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India relating to the accounts of the Union shall
be submitted to the President, who shall cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament.
• So, the CAG is constitutionally bound to submit reports relating to the account of the Union to the President.
Impact of
However, if CAG does not submit the complete report, then such part of the withheld information will never be
withholding
available for legislative scrutiny for the members of Parliament.
information
• Complete, accurate and reliable information on the deal cannot be obtained by Parliament, Parliamentary
committees, the media and other stakeholders because of submission of redactive pricing audit of Rafale deal
by CAG.
• Pricing decisions must be subjected to detailed analysis, without resorting to redactive pricing. The CAG’s
audit is expected to highlight value for money in any purchase decisions of the government.
• CAG is mandated to get into the nitty-gritty of procurement terms, procedures, comparative advantages and
disadvantages without fear and favour to form an objective, independent and judicious audit opinion.
• An audit by CAG is expected to analyse the facts and comparative pricing charts to highlight the financial
Ideal role of
propriety and prudence of the procurement decision.
CAG
• Parliament is constitutionally privileged to know the details of any procurement deal made by the executive
including the conditions and circumstances of such procurement.
• Thus, any decision with respect to procurement by the executive needs to be audited independently by CAG
including non-compliance of essential procurement procedures, conditions and pricing errors which may have
a negative financial impact and cause potential damage to the country’s interests.
• It is only a thorough audit on pricing can bring out the credibility and integrity of a purchase decision of the
government thereby achieving an SAI’s constitutionally mandated responsibilities.
Way
• Redaction of any details must be avoided by the audit institution as it makes the entire transaction
Forward
opaque and cannot be subject to legislative scrutiny. Such practices are against the norms of transparency and
give a wrong precedent for successive governments to follow.
 RELATED INFORMATION: THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTIONS
• The International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) operates as an umbrella organisation for the external
government audit community.
• It provides an institutionalised framework for supreme audit institutions to promote development and transfer of knowledge,
improve government auditing worldwide and enhance professional capacities, standing and influence of member SAIs in their
respective countries.
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India is Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of India.

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Governance
• INTOSAI is an autonomous, independent and non-political organisation. It is a non-governmental organisation with special
consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
• INTOSAI was founded in 1953 at the initiative of Emilio Fernandez Camus, then President of the SAI of Cuba. At that time, 34
SAIs met for the 1st INTOSAI Congress in Cuba. At present INTOSAI has 194 Full Members, 5 Associate Members and 1
Affiliate Member.
QUALITY CONTROL The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), through the Department of
ORDERS for Pharmaceuticals is in the process of finalizing a quality-control

mechanism for medical devices. For this purpose, BIS has issued a
MEDICAL DEVICES Draft Quality Control Orders (QCO) for six categories of devices,
including blood glucose monitoring system, surgical blades and gloves.
#Regulatory Bodies
ROAD MAP PREPARED BY CDSCO
• Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has started the process to regulate all medical devices under the Drugs
& Cosmetic Act and under Medical Device Rules 2017 in a phased manner.
• CDSCO has proposed a regulatory road map which aims at bringing all categories of medical devices under regulation over a
span of 4-5 years.
• As per the roadmap, all devices need to be registered with CDSCO in the first phase of 12-18 months and then detailed due
diligence of the devices will be carried out in the next 2-3 years.
• The proposal has already been approved by the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) which is the highest statutory
decision-making body on technical matters related to Drugs in the country.
• Drugs & Cosmetic Act 1940 regulates the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs and cosmetics.
ISSUES RAISED BY MITAI
• The Medical Technology Association of India (MTAI), which represents research-based medical technology companies has
expressed certain reservations with respect to draft QCO on medical devices.
• As per MTAI, proposed QCO has a limited scope as it does not adequately address all aspects of quality, safety and
performance and only covers the product safety standard of medical devices.
• As per MTAI, conforming to the order would increase compliance cost for the companies which are already complying with
checklist requirements of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and other standards necessary to export
such pharmaceuticals for the global market.
• CDSCO and QCO attempts to do the same thing and it will lead to multiplicity of authorities. This may further increase
corruption in the medical industry. In this aspect, MTAI has suggested that CDSCO must take the lead in regulating as it has
expertise and experience in governing the medical device industry.
 RELATED INFORMATION: DRUGS TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD, CENTRAL DRUGS LABORATORY, DRUGS
CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE & CENTRAL DRUGS STANDARD CONTROL ORGANIZATION
Central • The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) functions under Directorate General of Health
Drugs Services under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

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Governance
Standard • CDSCO is responsible for approval of drugs, conduct of clinical trials, laying down the standards for drugs,
Control control over the quality of imported drugs in the country and coordination of the activities of State Drug
Organization Control Organizations by providing expert advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the enforcement
of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
• CDSCO along with state regulators is jointly responsible for grant of licenses of certain specialized categories
of critical Drugs.
• Drugs & Cosmetic Act 1940 provides for the constitution of Drugs Technical Advisory Board to advise the
Drugs Central Government and the State Governments on technical matters.
Technical • The Director General of Health Services, ex officio, who shall be the Chairman of the Board.
Advisory
• DTAB shall consists of elected and nominated members. The nominated and elected members of the Board
Board
shall hold office for three years, but shall be eligible for re-nomination and re-election.
• Drugs & Cosmetic Act 1940 provides for the constitution of Central Drugs Laboratory. The functions of the
laboratory includes:
 Analytical quality control of majority of imported drugs available in Indian market.
 Analytical quality control of drugs and cosmetics manufactured within the country on behalf of Central and
State drugs controller authorities.
 Collection, storage and distribution of International Standard International Reference Preparations of Drug
Central
and Pharmaceutical Substances.
Drugs
 To advise the Central Drug Control Administration in respect of quality and toxicity of drug awaiting license.
Laboratory
 Central Drug Laboratory also actively collaborates with the World Health Organisation in the preparation of
International Standards and Specifications for International Pharmacopoeia. It also undertakes collaborative
study on behalf of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Committee. (Pharmacopoeia is an official publication containing a
list of medicinal drugs with their effects and directions for their use.)
 It acts as an appellate authority in matters of dispute relating to quality of drug.
 Central Drugs Laboratory is located in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Kasauli.
• The Drugs Consultative Committee is an advisory committee constituted by the central government to
advise the Central Government, the State Governments and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board on any
Drugs
matter. The Committee advises for uniformity of regulation of laws applicable throughout the territory of
Consultative
India.
Committee
• The Drugs Consultative Committee shall consist of representatives from Central government and each state
government concerned.
State Government of Maharashtra had unveiled in 2018 a public

MAHARASHTRA: cloud policy where it had asked its departments to shift their data
storage onto the cloud. As of now, various departments under
CLOUD STORAGE OF Maharashtra Government have transferred about 20% of their
DATA data on the data warehouses maintained by cloud service

providers. Let us understand about cloud storage, Maharashtra’s
#E-governance #cloud computing public cloud policy and National Data Sharing and Accessibility
Policy, 2012.

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Governance
CLOUD STORAGE & PUBLIC CLOUD POLICY
• Cloud storage involves storing data on hardware in a remote physical location, which can be accessed from
any device via the internet. Clients send files to a data server maintained by a cloud provider instead
of storing it on their own hard drives.
• Cloud storage systems generally encompass hundreds of data servers linked together by a master control
Cloud
server.
Storage
• Cloud computing also involves clients connecting to remote computing infrastructure via a network, but the
infrastructure includes shared processing power, software and other resources. This frees users from having
to constantly update and maintain their software and systems, while at the same time allowing them to
harness the processing power of a vast network.
• Recently, the Maharashtra became first state in country to unveil Public Cloud Policy that mandates state
government departments to shift their data storage onto cloud.
• All government organisations were instructed to use cloud infrastructure services instead of using
government owned data centres or data centres owned by organisations. State government organisations
th
were told that all their applications must be migrated to cloud on or before 30 October 2018.
• Such a policy is in compliance with the Union Government's National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy,
Public Cloud
2012, which mandates facilitation of access to government-owned shareable data in human readable and
Policy
machine-readable forms.
• As part of its Public Cloud policy, the Maharashtra Government has selected five cloud service providers such
as Amazon, Microsoft etc. to store about 1.25 lakh documents and files of the various state government
departments.
• Such a public cloud policy would accelerate adoption of e-governance and promote transparency and
accountability of the government.
NATIONAL DATA SHARING AND ACCESSIBILITY POLICY, 2012
• The Union Government had approved the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy in February 2012.
• The NDSAP policy is designed to promote data sharing and enable access for citizens to Government of
India owned data for national planning and development.
About
• The National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy will apply to all data and information created,
NDSAP
generated, collected and achieved using public funds provided by Government of India directly or through
authorised agencies by various Ministries / Departments/ Organisations/ Agencies and Autonomous bodies.
• Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology is the nodal Ministry to implement the policy.
• Providing data in public domain helps in engaging citizens in governance reforms and also strengthens the
Right to Information Act, 2005 as it empowers the citizens to secure access to information under the control
of public authority leading to the transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority.
Need & • The National Policy will increase the accessibility and easier sharing of non-sensitive data amongst the
Benefits of registered users and their availability for scientific, economic and social developmental purposes.
NDSAP • Sharing of government data with public will improve access to government data and will also encourage more
extensive use of a valuable public resource for the benefit of the community.
• By adopting common standards for the collection and transfer of data more integration of individual
databases will be possible.

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Governance
NEWS Snippets
CONCEPT: Lottery in Elections takes place when two candidates in a constituency gets the same
number of votes. Section 102 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 mentions about the
procedure to be followed in case of equality of votes. Section 102 of RPA, 1951 provides for two
scenarios in such a case:
LOTTERY IN 1. In such a case of equality of votes, the Returning Officer shall decide the manner which will
ascertain who will get majority of votes. In past incidents, it has been decided through toss of a
ELECTIONS
coin. During the panchayat election in Assam, candidates in six places were declared winners after
tossing a coin. In all these six seats the results were a tie.
2. Section 102 says that if the issue is not decided by the decision taken by Returning Officer, then
the High Court shall decide the issue by lot. The candidate who wins the lottery wins the election.
CONCEPT: When the seat of any member of Parliament or State Assembly becomes vacant or when
election of any member is declared void, then casual vacancy is said to have occurred. If the vacancy
in a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes have occurred, then the person to fill that
seat must also belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
• Representation of People Act, 1951 provides for casual vacancies to be filled up in the Council of
States, House of People, State Legislative Assemblies and State Legislative Councils.
• When such a vacancy occurs in any seat of Council of States, House of People, State Legislative
CASUAL Assembly or State Legislative Council, then the Election Commission shall notify the date of by-
VACANCY election to fill such vacancy.
• A bye-election to fill any vacancy referred to in any of the said sections shall be held within
a period of six months from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy.
• However, by-election in case of vacancy shall not take place if:
(a) Remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is less than one year,
(b) Election Commission in consultation with the Central Government certifies that it is difficult to
hold the by-election within the said period of six months.
CONCEPT: An independent candidate is someone who contests polls independently, without being
affiliated /associated to any political party. Often candidates decide to contest elections alone since
they do not find any political party aligned to their political beliefs.
 Eligibility criteria
INDEPENDENT • The eligibility criteria for independent candidates are same as that of other members from any
political party who wish to contest elections either in Lok Sabha or in State Legislative Assembly.
CANDIDATE Thus, for Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly, the independent candidate must be a citizen
of India and should not be less than 25 years of age.
• The nomination paper of an independent candidate must be subscribed by ten proposers who
are also electors of the constituency. Under the Representation of the People Act 1951, this is
mandatory for independent candidates and those candidates who belong to unrecognized

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Governance
political parties.
• The law is little stricter for the independent candidates as candidates fielded by recognised
political parties need to have only one proposer for their nomination.
• The candidate contesting as independent is allowed to choose three free symbols listed by the
Election Commission. Following which, they have to name them in order of preference and
mention it in their nomination papers.
• Preferences indicated in the nomination papers are taken into account and it’s the Returning
officer who finally assesses whether there is any other contender for the same symbol and then
takes the call based on the rules declared in Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order,
1968.
Under anti defection law: If a member has been elected as “Independent”, then he / she would be
disqualified if they join any political party after their election.
Views of Election Commission & Law Commission on independent candidates contesting polls
• The Election Commission has recommended in the past that only those independent candidates
who have a previous record of winning local election should be allowed to contest for
Parliamentary or Assembly elections.
• The commission had also recommended doubling the security deposits for independent
candidates to put a check on their proliferation and prevent malpractices in the election process
because of their influx.
• The Commission also had clearly advocated for barring independent candidates from contesting
elections for a minimum of 6 years if they fail to secure at least five percent of the total number of
votes cast in their constituencies.
• It was also suggested that the independent candidate who loses election three times
consecutively should be “permanently debarred” from contesting election.
• On other hand law commission has recommended completely barring the independent
candidates from contesting elections as they are either not serious or contest just to confuse
electors.
IN NEWS: The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi has
recommended the names of four judges to the Supreme Court.
The four judges are Justice Aniruddha Bose (Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court), Justice A.S.
Bopanna (Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court), Justice B.R. Gavai (Judge of Bombay High Court),
Justice Surya Kant (Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court).
As per the collegium, Justice Gavai and Justice Kant provides “due representation”, as far as possible,
to all High Courts as well as to all sections, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes,
SC JUDGES Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (SC/ST/OBC) categories, women and minorities.
 Objections Raised
• Union Government had asked the Collegium to reconsider its earlier recommendation to elevate
Jharkhand High Court and Guwahati High Court Chief Justices Aniruddha Bose and A.S. Bopanna
to the Supreme Court.
• Despite the objections raised by the central government, the Collegium said that nothing adverse
was found in the two judges’ conduct, competence or integrity and hence has recommended

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Governance
names of all four judges for elevation to the Union Government.
• The Union Government is now bound by the decision of the Collegium to appoint them as Judge
of Supreme Court.
• If the four Judges are appointed without delay, the Supreme Court would reach the full sanctioned
judicial strength of 31 judges.
 Strength of Supreme Court
Originally, the strength of Supreme Court was fixed at eight. At present, the Supreme Court consists
of 31 Judges. The Parliament is empowered to increase the strength of Supreme Court Judges
through a simple amendment to the constitution. However, such an amendment is not deemed to
be a constitutional amendment under Article 368.
IN NEWS: As per official calendar of the Supreme Court, it is on summer vacation from 13th May till
30th June 2019 and the Court will re-open from 1st July, 2019. During the vacation period, the Chief
Justice of India constitutes the Vacation Bench to list all matters for urgent hearing under Rule 6
of Order II of the Supreme Court rules, 2013. CJI Ranjan Gogoi himself will be heading the Vacation
Bench from May 25 to May 30.
• A Vacation Bench of the Supreme Court is a special bench constituted by the Chief Justice of
India. The court takes two long vacations each year, the summer and winter breaks, but is
technically not fully closed during these periods.
• Litigants approach the Supreme Court and, if the court decides that the plea is an “urgent matter”,
the Vacation Bench hears the case on its merits.
• During vacations, the court generally admits writs related to habeas corpus, certiorari,
prohibition and quo warranto matters for enforcement of any fundamental right.
 Karnataka Assembly – Midnight Drama
VACATION • Last year in 2018, an important decision was taken by Vacation Bench of Supreme Court with
respect to newly elected Karnataka Assembly.
BENCH
• The then CJI Justice Deepak Misra constituted a three Judge Bench Comprising of Justices AK Sikri,
SA Bobde and Ashok Bhushan after knocking of Supreme Court in the early hours (around 2 am)
of May 17th by Indian National Congress and its coalition partner Janta Dal Secular - JD(S).
• The Three Judge Bench sought the production of the communication between BS Yeddyurappa
and the Karnataka Governor on May 17th.
• On May 18, 2018 the Bench ordered a floor test (as per the rules laid down in S.R. Bommai) to be
th
held the very next day i.e. on May 19 .
• Thus, the two-week window which the Governor of Karnataka had provided BJP to prove its
majority in the legislative assembly was reduced to just a day by the Supreme Court.
• Yeddyurappa could not gather the requisite numbers needed when the floor test was held the
next day, and the Congress-JD(S) coalition proceeded to form the government.
• Thus, the midnight Vacation Bench of the Supreme Court effectively decided which party came to
power in Karnataka.
IN NEWS: Maharashtra Cabinet has given its approval to promulgate an ordinance to amend the
MARATHI

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Consttituti0n, P olity and
Governannce
Socially and E ducationally Backward Cla
asses (SEBC) Reservation Act,
A 2018 to p
provide reserrvation to
QUOTA FO
OR
Maratha
M stude
ents in post-g
graduate med
dical courses. The cabinet also
a gave its aapproval to rreimburse
AD
DMISSIO
ONS th
he fees to th
he candidatess from generral category who
w will be affected
a afterr the promullgation of
ordinance
o whi ch allows 16%
% reservation to SEBC.
• The Nagpu
ur Bench of B
Bombay High Court had diisallowed granting of 16% reservation quota for
admissionss to postgrad
duate medica
al courses on
n the ground
ds that the “rreservation cannot be
applicable with retrospe
ective effect”.
• The state g
government a
appealed in th
he Supreme Court
C against the
t decision o
of Bombay Hiigh Court.
However, Supreme Cou
urt concurred
d with the de
ecision of Na
agpur Bench and also disapproved
governmen
nt’s decision to interfere in the admiission by pro
oviding regio
onal quota to
o Marathi
students.
• Despite ju
udgment of S
Supreme Cou
urt, state gov
vernment of Maharashtra has promullgated an
ordinance which has been duly signed by the
e Governor. The ordinan
nce provides for 16%
reservation
n for socially and educationally backward classes in educational i nstitutions from 2019-
20.
• The ordina
ance will provvide relief to those
t students who were admitted und
der Marathi q
quota but
were impa cted by the decision of Bombay High Co
ourt and Suprreme Court off India.
• Providing 1
16% quota for Maratha stu
udents for hass increased th
he quota limitt to 68% in the state of
Maharashttra.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PPVFR ACT, 2001: PepsiCo vs. Farmers’ Rights

#Government Policies
(Lead coverage)
Recently, PepsiCo filed a case against the potato farmers in Gujarat for allegedly growing its registered potato variety
"FC5" which is used to make ‘Lays’ chips. The Company sought a compensation of around Rs 1 crore from the farmers
for the violation of its rights under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act,2001. (PPVFR Act,2001)
However, the farmers argued that they had not violated the rights of the PepsiCo since the PPVFR Act, 2001 enables
them to grow and sell even the registered varieties.
This case was considered to be quite unprecedented since it involved the Rights of the companies Vs. Rights of the
Farmers. Further, it was for the first time that a company tried to sue a group of farmers for the violation of
Intellectual property rights. However, due to growing backlash, the PepsiCo finally agreed to withdraw cases against
the farmers.
In this regard, let us understand various facets related to this particular issue.
WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND TO THE ADOPTION TO PPVFR ACT,2001?
• The Trade related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement came into being in 1995 and provides for
protection of intellectual property in the form of patents, copyrights etc. so as to promote innovation.
• On similar lines, there is a need to promote invention of new seeds which can lead to better and high yielding plant varieties.
However, the agriculture in the poor and developing countries is dominated by poor farmers and hence patenting of seeds by
the companies may go against the interests of such farmers.
• In this regard, the Article 27(3) (b) under the TRIPS agreement provides for a flexibility mechanism to the countries wherein
that new plant variety can be protected either by issuing patents or an effective "sui generis" system or a combination of the
two. The "sui generis" system means that the country may adopt its own law in order to meet its special needs.
• Further, TRIPS agreement provides that Union for protection of Plant Varieties (UPOV) may be used as the basis for "sui
generis" system i.e. provisions of the UPOV may be incorporated in their domestic laws to protect plant varieties.
• So, the choice before India was to either enact a domestic law or issue patents for the protection of plant varieties. Further,
India also had the option of becoming the member of UPOV and incorporate the provisions of the UPOV in its domestic law.
• India decided to enact domestic law in the form of PPVFR Act, 2001 without becoming a member of UPOV. This was
specifically done in order to protect the interest of the farmers since the UPOV denies the farmers the freedom to re-use farm
saved seeds and to exchange them with their neighbours.
WHAT IS UPOV?
• The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is an intergovernmental
Details organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.
• UPOV was established by the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. The

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Economic Development
Convention was adopted in Paris in 1961 and revised in 1972, 1978 and 1991.
• The mission of UPOV is to provide and promote an effective system of plant variety protection, with
the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society.
• Most countries which have introduced a plant variety protection (PVP) system have chosen to base their
system on the UPOV Convention in order to provide an effective, internationally recognized system. As of
February 14, 2019, UPOV has 75 members.
• India is not a member country of UPOV. However, it is an observer country.

• India believes that the UPOV Convention is against the interests of the farming community and promotes
the interests of the MNCs.
Why has India
• For instance, UPOV does not allow the farmers to re-sow, exchange, share or sell the registered variety.
not joined
Further, the farmers need to pay compensation to the breeders if they wish to use farm-saved seeds of
UPOV?
the registered variety.
If India becomes the member of the UPOV, then it would be required to ensure compliance of PPVFRA with
the provisions of UPOV Convention and this would go against the interests of the farmers.
WHAT IS PPVFR ACT, 2001?
• The PPVFR Act, 2001 was enacted to grant intellectual property rights to plant breeders, researchers and farmers who have
developed any new or extant plant varieties.
• It seeks to balance the interests of the breeders with the farmers wherein it promotes research in the development of new
plant varieties without adversely affecting the interests of the farmers.
WHAT KIND OF VARIETIES CAN BE REGISTERED UNDER THE ACT?
• A new variety if it conforms to the criteria of novelty, distinctiveness, uniformity and stability.
• An extant variety if it conforms to criteria of distinctiveness, uniformity and stability
►Note: An “Extant Variety” means a variety, which is (i) notified under section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966; or (ii) a farmers’ variety; or (iii) a
variety about which there is common knowledge; or (iv) any other variety which is in the public domain.
RIGHTS UNDER THE ACT
Breeders’
Breeders have exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the protected variety.
Rights
Researchers’
Researcher can use any of the registered variety under the Act for conducting experiment or research.
Rights
• A farmer who has evolved or developed a new variety is entitled for registration and protection in like
manner as a breeder of a variety;
• Farmers can claim for compensation if the registered variety fails to provide expected performance under
given conditions.
Farmers' Rights • Farmers engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of land races and wild relatives of economic
plants and their improvement through selection and preservation are recognised and rewarded
• A farmer can save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety
protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001 in the same manner as he was entitled before the coming into
force of this Act. However, the farmer is not allowed to sell branded seed of a variety protected under the

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PPV&FR Act, 2001; (Article 39(1) (iv))

Note: Branded seed means any seed put in a package or any other container and labelled in a manner which gives
indication that such seed is of a variety protected under this Act
DURATION OF PROTECTION OF A REGISTERED PLANT VARIETY
The duration of protection of registered varieties is different for different type of crops which are as below:
1. Trees and vines - 18 years.
2. For other crops - 15 years
3. For extant varieties notified - 15 years from the date of notification under section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966.
WHAT’S THE RECENT CONTROVERSY?
• PepsiCo India applied for the registration of hybrid potato variety FL 2027 in February 2011 under PPVFRA. Consequently, this
variety was registered in February 2016 for a period of 15 years. PepsiCo marketed this variety under the trademark FC-5 and
presently, it is used to make the popular "Lays" potato chips in India.
• The potato variety is grown by approximately 12,000 farmers who are a part of the company’s collaborative farming
programme, wherein the company sells seeds to farmers and has an exclusive contract to buy back their produce.
• The company found out that some of the farmers in Gujarat, who were not part of its collaborative farming programme, were
also growing and selling potatoes of this variety. On the account of this, the company decided to file a case against the
farmers for the infringement of its rights and accordingly, sought a compensation of around Rs 1 crore.
PEPSICO'S ARGUMENT FARMERS' ARGUMENT
• PepsiCo's case was on the basis of Section 64 of the • The argument of the farmers was based upon Section 39 of
PPVFRA which deals with infringements of the registered the Act. As stated before, this act enables the farmers to
breeder’s rights and subsequent penalties. “save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell their farm
• The company believes that its collaborative farming produce including seed of a variety protected under this Act”.
programme and registered variety rights are under threat. • The farmers had argued that they had not resorted to selling
• The company argued that some of the big farmers are of branded seeds of the registered variety, which is
misusing its registered FC-5 variety wherein the farmers prohibited under the act. Hence, accordingly, they argued
are growing and selling this variety to regional potato that they had not violated the rights of the breeder (PepsiCo
chips manufacturers, which is in turn adversely affecting India) under the act.
the market share of its popular "Lays" potato chips
CONTENTIOUS POINT OF LAW
• FC-5 has been registered as an “Extant Variety”, which is also a “Variety of Common Knowledge”.
• This, in other words, implies that the said variety of potato was already available in the country before it was registered and
that there was “common knowledge” about this variety in the country. It may, therefore, be assumed that PepsiCo’s variety
would surely have been produced in the country before it was registered.
• Registration of extant varieties was allowed in the PPVFRA despite opposition from several experts, and the justification used
was that farmers’ varieties can be registered under this provision. The benefits that the farmers are deriving are not clear, but
what can easily be understood is that companies like PepsiCo that got the opportunity to register their older varieties can
now sue the farmers for using known plant varieties.

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WAY FORWARD
• PepsiCo has now decided to withdraw the cases based upon an assurance from the government for a long term amicable
settlement.
• This case has already become an example of how MNCs exploit the laws to realise their objectives. The authorities need to
ensure that the laws of the land are implemented in the true spirit in which they were enacted.
• Further, there is a need to ensure that future certificates of registration of plant varieties issued to the companies should
explicitly mention that the rights of the farmers should be given precedence over the rights of the breeders.
Prelims: Provisions of PPVFRA ; Rights of the Farmers and Breeders under PPVFRA; UPOV
Mains: Q. In view of the recent PepsiCo controversy, there is a need to streamline the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights
Act, 2010 in order to protect the interest of farmers. Discuss
Inspite of having all the necessary ingredients, the manufacturing sector has
failed to take-off in India. The share of manufacturing sector has remained
stagnant at 16% of GDP since 1991 LPG reforms. On the other hand, the
IT/ITES has shown remarkable growth since 1991. We need to realise that no
major country has managed to reduce poverty or sustain economic growth
NEED FOR without a robust manufacturing sector.
Further, manufacturing is an engine of economic growth because it offers
MANUFACURING economies of scale, provides employment opportunities, and generates
forward and backward linkages that create positive spill-over effects in the
POLICY economy.
#Government Policies Thus, we need to replicate our success of IT sector in the manufacturing sector
and also learn lessons from East Asian neighbours such as Singapore and
Malaysia. Such an outcome would be feasible through the adoption of new
Manufacturing Policy.
In this regard, let us understand as to what should be the broad contours of
new Manufacturing policy in India.
THINGS TO KNOW
• The East Asian Economies such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand etc. have been able to grow at a
Growth of
phenomenal rate in the past and pull out a large number of people out of poverty.
Manufacturing
• The growth model of these countries emphasized on promotion of manufacturing sector and boosting of
Sector in East
exports. In the recent times, even China has been able to sustain high growth momentum because of
Asia
export-led manufacturing sector and has now emerged as "Global Manufacturing Hub".
• Unlike Manufacturing, the services sector has been able to growth at much higher rate since 1991 and
presently accounts for around 60% of GDP.
• Among the services sector, IT/ITES has been able to sustain the high growth rates in India.
Growth of • One of the widely-held myths about the extraordinary growth achieved by the IT sector in India has been
IT/ITES in India that this was possible as the sector remained outside the government's intervention. However, in reality, it
is to be noted that the IT sector prospered due to positive government intervention and support in the
initial stages.
• Drawing lessons from this experience is essential when trying for comparable success in manufacturing.

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• The government spent public money in creating high-speed internet connectivity of global standards with
the US for the IT software parks. This was done years ahead of telecom modernization in India. This
enabled seamless integration of the Indian IT industry into the US market.
• The government then brought trade in services into the regulatory framework of imports and exports. It
allowed the IT industry to import duty-free both hardware and software and also gave it all the incentives
Positive that were being provided to exporters of goods.
Government
• This enabled the nascent IT industry to get integrated in the dynamic US market without any disadvantage,
Interventions
especially in terms of hardware and software costs.
in IT/ITES
• In addition, the IT industry was able to function under the Shops and Establishment Act. It was,
therefore, not subject to the over 40 laws relating to labour and the onerous regulatory burden.
• Further, the IT sector had the benefit of low-cost high-value human capital created by the investments
made a generation earlier in higher scientific and technical education. Without all these, the IT success
story would not have occurred.
WHAT SHOULD BE THE BROAD CONTOURS OF NEW INDUSTRIAL POLICY?
• Unlike the IT sector, the private sector needs huge amount of land and investment in case of
Manufacturing. The Government cannot expect the entire funding to be borne solely by the private sector
Facilitative for the large scale projects.
Investment by • The Government needs to play facilitative role and provide for complementary financing of such large
Government scale financially viable projects. In this regard, the Centre in partnership with the States should take the
lead in assembling land and investing adequately so as to promote private sector investment in the
manufacturing.
• As discussed before, the IT sector had the benefit of low-cost high-value human capital. However, the
manufacturing sector is facing shortage of skilled and semi-skilled workers.
Subsidies for
• In this regard, there is a need to provide higher government subsidies on industrial training to various
Skilling
training institutes and colleges.
Workers
• The East Asian Economies were able to attract huge amount of FDI into manufacturing sector through
sustained investment in human capital formation and India needs to replicate this strategy.
• China has been able to nurture and promote its domestic firms through various incentives such as tax
Nurturing breaks and reduced compliance burden. On account of such sustained government support, these
Industry companies have now grown into global conglomerates (Haier, Lenovo, Huawei etc.)
Leaders • India needs to learn from the Chinese model and promote domestic firms which could become Industry
leaders in future.
• The Industrial policy should also try to avoid high amount of competing investments by the private entities
Avoid in a single sector/activity. This is because, as seen in the Telecom and Aviation sectors in India, high
competing amount of competing investments could trigger price wars and adversely affect the profit margins of
Private Sector private sector.
Investment • Thus, there is a need to ensure that the private sector investments should complement each other so as to
ensure overall growth and development of manufacturing sector.
Address the • The manufacturing sector in India has been characterised by the problem of "Missing Middle". It
problem of essentially means that the manufacturing sector is dominated by large number of small scale enterprises

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Econnomic Deveelopment
“Missing and a fe
ew large scale
e firms, but ha
as disproporttionately few middle
m sized enterprises.
e
Mid
ddle” • In term
ms of distributtion, it is seen
n to be expre
essed in terms of a U-shap ped curve wh
hereby small a and very
large en
nterprises woould dominate e over medium
m-sized enterrprises in term
ms of numberr of factories, number
of workkers, or share of output.
 Main Reas
son for Missiing Middle
• Multiple
e labour lawss and regulattions related to labour pro
otection that restrict the aability of firmss to hire
and fire
e at will.
• For exa ample, underr the Industrial disputes s Act (IDA), a firm employing more than 100 wo orkers is
requireed to seek the
e permission o
of the government to fire the employeess. This reducees the flexibility of the
big firm
ms to manage its employeees efficiently.
• Thus, in
n order to re
emain outsidee the purvieww of IDA, firm
ms typically hire
h less than
n 100 employyees and
remain smaller rathe
er than underrgoing transition to middle sized firm.
• Apart from
f this provvision, the sm
mall scale entterprises rece
eive lot of incentives in forrm of tax bre
eaks and
reducedd compliance
e burden whicch are normally not applicable to middle e sized firms.
• Thus, itt is being said
d that incentivvisation to sta
ay smaller is much
m higher than
t the inceentives to grow
w bigger
leading
g to the "Misssing Middle P Problem". The e Industrial po
olicy needs to
o address the various factors which
lead to this problem .
Preelims: Problem
m of Missing Middle;
M Industrrial disputes Act; Shops and Establishmentt Act
Mains:
a Q. Indiia needs to drraw lessons froom the growtth of the IT sector so as to ensure
e compa
arable successs in the Manuffacturing
secctor. Discuss
The Nation nal Sample Su urvey Office’’s (NSSO) rec

cent study in nvolving sam mples
CO
ONTROV VERSY from the MMCA-21 datab base has put the whole GDPG computaation methodology
RELAT TED TO under fire. The critics have
h argued that
shell companies in the MCA-21 data
t the presence of thee large numb
abase is leadding to over-eestimation o
ber of
of GDP.
GDDP ESTIM MATES However, the Ministry of o Finance has come up withw a clarifiication statin
ng that
presence of shell comp panies is not impacting th he GDP Estim mation.
# Health off Economy In this rega
ard, let us un
nderstand the various fac cets of this ccontroversy.

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BACKGROUND
In 2015, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) made 3 main changes to the GDP Estimates. These changes were:
1. Replacement of the base year from 2004-05 from 2011-12.
2. Estimates of the GDP at factor cost replaced with the Estimates at GDP at Market Prices.
3. Change in the database used for GDP Estimates
• In the earlier 2004-05 series, the Private Corporate Sector was covered using the RBI Study on Company Finances, wherein
GDP estimates were compiled on the basis of financial results of around 2500 companies.
• In the new series, the CSO is using the MCA-21 database maintained by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to estimate the
contribution of Private corporate sector to the GDP.
WHAT'S THE RECENT CONTROVERSY?
• Recently, the NSSO came out with a new report titled as "Technical Report of Services Sector Enterprises in India". This
report has highlighted a major lacuna in the MCA-21 database which is presently used for GDP estimation. It has highlighted
that almost 38% of the firms in the MCA-21 database were either out-of-coverage companies (21%), closed or non-traceable
(17%).
• It is being stated that most of these out-of-coverage, closed or non-traceable companies could be Shell Companies. The Shell
companies do not involve in the production of goods and services, rather they are mainly set up for tax evasion and money
laundering.
• Hence, ideally, the shell companies should not be taken into account for GDP Estimation in India. On account of this,
concerns were raised that the presence of such shell companies in the MCA-21 database was actually inflating the GDP
Estimates in India.
• Though it may not be possible to show how much difference it would make to the GDP level and growth rate, but it can clearly
be argued that the GDP estimates in India may be inflated.
WHAT ARE SHELL COMPANIES?
• The Companies Act, 2013 has not defined what a ‘shell company’ is and as to what kind of activities would lead to a company
being termed a ‘shell’.
• Shell companies are typically corporate entities which do not have any active business operations or significant assets in their
possession. These companies remain legally registered (but merely on paper), without actually producing goods and services.
• They are mainly set up for the purposes of tax evasion and money laundering.
• In India, there is no exclusive law relating to “shell companies”. However, some of the laws that can indirectly be used to
target shell companies are - Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2016; The Prevention of Money Laundering Act
2002 and The Companies Act, 2013.
• In September 2017, the Central Government had initiated action against more than two lakh shell companies as part of
Operation Clean Money.
Government's Counter Government’s clarification

Argument
• The Government has • The basic objective behind NSSO's "Technical Report of Services Sector Enterprises in India"
counter argued that was to generate estimates of various operational and economic characteristics of services sector
the presence of out- enterprises and hence it was required to take into account only the service sector enterprises in
of-coverage, closed its report.

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or non-traceable • In this regard, NSSO utilized a sample of around 35000 service sector enterprises from the MCA-
companies in the 21 database. The NSSO found out that almost 21% of the firms are out-of-coverage firms. The
MCA-21 database is out-of-coverage enterprises are simply those enterprises that are not engaged in service
not leading to over- sector. However, these enterprises are engaged in some economic activity, possibly in the
estimation of GDP. manufacturing sector for instance.
The Government has • Hence, accordingly, these enterprises were categorised as out-of-coverage enterprises for
also hinted that, carrying out the survey of service sector enterprises.
even though these
• However, since these firms are engaged in some or other economic activity (other than services
companies may
sector), they need to be taken into account for estimating the GDP of the country. In other words,
have led to over-
the GDP estimates must take into account these out-of-coverage firms. However, the critics
estimation of GDP,
have argued that if such firms are involved in other economic activities, why they have
however such an
been categorised under Services Sector in the MCA-21 database.
over-estimation is
• Further, the government has stated that the remaining 17% of the firms are either closed or non-
quite marginal.
traceable enterprises. However, with continuous evolution of the MCA database, the proportion of
• In this regard, the
closed and non-traceable enterprises has been falling. Thus the extent of overestimation of GDP
Ministry of Finance
in all likelihood is marginal.
has come out with
• Lastly, the government has argued that present MCA-21 database is much wider and
detailed clarification.
comprehensive as compared to the earlier database of the RBI used for GDP estimation. Because
of this, the government has claimed that the new GDP better captures the economy’s value
addition, especially of smaller enterprises and services activities.
Prelims: Revision in the GDP Estimates; Concept of Shell Companies; MCA-21 Database
India has recently hosted the second mini-ministerial meet of the World Trade
Organisation (WTO). It was a kind of preparatory meeting to set a common agenda at the
WTO 12th Ministerial Conference, scheduled for June 2020 at Astana, Kazakhstan.
REFORMS The 11th Ministerial Conference (Buenos Aires, December 2017) collapsed despite efforts
by 164 WTO members to evolve a consensus on several issues. In this regard, this mini-
# International
ministerial meet in New Delhi assumed significance since it enabled members to
Trade negotiate all such issues in a convergent manner.
In this regard, let us briefly understand about various issues before the WTO.
BASIC CONCEPTS TO KNOW
• The AoA came into being in 1995 at the end of Uruguay Round of General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT). This agreement basically aims to facilitate international trade in agricultural goods by
putting a cap on the agricultural subsidies given by the member countries.
Agreement on
Agriculture (AoA)  Limit on Subsidies
• Developing countries: 10% of the domestic agricultural value production in 1986-88.
• Developed countries: 5% of the domestic agricultural value production in 1986-88.
Special and • The WTO agreements contain special provisions which give developing countries special rights and
Differential allow other members to treat them more favourably. These are “special and differential treatment
Treatment provisions”.

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• The special provisions include longer time periods for implementing agreements and
commitments, support to help developing countries to build the infrastructure to undertake
WTO work etc.
• Further, it also enables the developing countries to provide higher subsidies as compared to developed
countries as seen under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA)
 Multilateral Agreement
• It is an agreement under the WTO which is adopted through consensus among all the member
countries. The provisions of the multilateral agreements are applicable to all the member countries.
• Further, such agreements may decide to incorporate special and differential treatment for the
benefit of poor and developing economies. Most of the WTO agreements such as AoA, GATS, TRIPS etc.
Plurilateral and are multilateral agreements which the member countries are obliged to follow.
Multilateral  Plurilateral agreement
Agreement • It is an agreement between limited number of WTO member countries wherein the countries would be
given the choice to agree to new rules on a voluntary basis. In other words, the provisions of plurilateral
agreement would not be applicable to all the member countries.
• Examples of Plurilateral agreements under WTO include Trade in civil aircraft; Government
Procurement; Bovine meat; Dairy products.
►Note: The bovine meat and dairy agreements were terminated in 1997.
WHAT ARE THE ISSUES UNDER THE WTO NEGOTIATIONS?
• Since the multilateral agreements are consensus driven, normally the trade negotiations under
multilateral framework tend to be slow paced and lead to unnecessary delay. However, the good aspect
about the multilateral agreements is that they take into account the special needs and interests of poor
and developing countries.
Plurilateral Vs.
• In this regard, the debate has arisen between the developed and developing countries with respect to
Multilateral
the nature of trade negotiations under the WTO.
Agreements
• The developed countries have put forward four plurilateral agreements in the areas of e-commerce,
investment facilitation, MSME and gender. However, developing countries led by India have staunchly
opposed the plurilateral agreement and instead pushed forward for the continuation of multilateral
framework under WTO.
• The WTO member countries are presently negotiating a multilateral treaty of Fishery Subsidies. This
agreement seeks to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and
overfishing.
Agreement on
• Some of the developed countries such as USA have been insisting that larger developing countries like
Fishery Subsidies
India and China should not continue to get special and differential treatment.
• However, India has argued that special and differential treatment should be built into the fisheries
subsidies agreement.
• The developed countries led by USA have been pushing forward for a comprehensive agreement on E-
Agreement on E- Commerce under the ambit of WTO.
Commerce • As part of this agreement, the developed countries have put forward a number of proposals which
include tackling barriers that prevent cross-border sales; addressing forced data localization

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requirements and permanently banning customs duties on electronic transmissions, among others.
• India has clearly stated that it is against any binding rules in e-commerce.
• India has been demanding a permanent solution on Public stockholding in order to implement
National Food Security Act. At the Bali ministerial conference in December 2013, India secured a
Permanent
“peace clause".
Solution to Public
• Under it, if India breaches the 10% limit on subsidy under AoA, other member countries will not take
Stock holding
legal action under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism. Further, in 2014, India forced developed
countries to clarify that the peace clause will continue indefinitely until a permanent solution is found.
Prelims: Agreement on Agriculture (AoA); Special and Differential Treatment; Plurilateral and Multilateral agreement
Mains: Q. Examine the various contentious issues between the developing and developed economies in the WTO negotiations.
The European Union, China, and Thailand have recently expressed interest to
CONTROVERSY join consultations in a case filed by Japan at the WTO against India's import
duties on certain information and communication technology products. These
RELATED TO I.T. countries have claimed that they have a substantial interest in the trade of
AGREEMENT information and communication technology (ICT) goods and in joining the
consultation process.
(ITA) In this regard, let us understand about the India's obligations under the
Information Technology agreement of the WTO and why it has led to the
# WTO present controversy.
WHAT IS ITA?
• The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) is a plurilateral agreement under the WTO which came
into force in 1997. Initially, it was signed by 29 countries including India and now it presently covers 81
WTO member countries which account for approximately 97 per cent of world trade in information
technology products.
Information • The aim of the treaty is to eliminate all taxes and tariffs on information technology products. Unlike
Technology other WTO agreements, the coverage of the IT products under this agreement is fixed.
Agreement • Every member country signing this agreement is required to eliminate tariffs on IT products listed in the
(ITA-1) Annex A and Annex B of the IT Agreement. Some of the IT products covered in this agreement include
computers laptops, mobile phones, set up boxes, semiconductors, telecommunication equipment and
parts etc.
• India is a signatory to ITA-1 and hence it has eliminated customs duties on 217 IT products over a
period of time.
• In 2015, some of the member countries agreed to expand the products covered by the Information
Technology Agreement by eliminating tariffs on an additional list of 201 products. This was done on
Information
account of new advances in the field of information technology.
Technology
• The new accord covers new generation semi-conductors, semi-conductor manufacturing equipment,
Agreement
optical lenses, GPS navigation equipment, and medical equipment such as magnetic resonance imaging
(ITA-2)
products and ultra-sonic scanning apparatus.
• However, it is to be noted that India has not signed ITA-2 since it would have an adverse impact on

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domestic manufacturing due to cheaper imports.
WHAT IS THE PRESENT CONTROVERSY?
• The elimination of customs duties on IT products under the ITA-1 has adversely affected the domestic
manufacturing of IT components in India.
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has stated that the ratio of locally manufactured
Impact of ITA-1 components used in electronic equipment has gone down from 50% in 1996-97 to about 20% due to
on India inverted duty structure.
• The inverted duty structure refers to the tariff structure wherein the customs duty on finished goods is
lower than the customs duty on raw materials. The inverted duty structure promotes import of cheaper
finished goods and discourages domestic manufacturing.
• In order to boost domestic manufacturing of IT products, India levied customs duty on mobile phones
and other IT items at 10 per cent for the first time in July 2017 and later increased it to 15 per cent that
Steps taken by
year.
India
• Despite protests from a number of WTO members, customs duties on mobiles were further increased to
20 per cent in 2018-19 Budget.
• The WTO member countries have raised concerns with respect to imposition of customs duty on IT
products by India. These countries have alleged that duties imposed on IT products were against India’s
View Points of
obligations under ITA-1 of keeping them at zero per cent.
WTO Member
• In this regard, Japan had filed case before the WTO against India's violation of ITA-1 agreement.
Countries
Subsequently, other countries such as USA, European Union, China, Thailand etc. have also expressed
their interest to join consultations on this case.
• India has stated that the IT goods in question do not fall under the ITA-1. It has argued that IT and
telecom technologies have evolved with new applications and equipment which were neither existent
India’s counter
nor even conceived at the time of signing the ITA-I in December 1996
arguments
• Therefore, the new IT products including the latest Apple phones and other IT products do not strictly fall
under the scope of ITA-I agreement.
Prelims: Information Technology Agreement (ITA); ITA-1; ITA-2

UPSC Mains 2014 (GS Paper 2): The aim of Information Technology Agreements (ITAs) is to lower all taxes and tariffs on
Information technology products by signatories to zero. What impact would such agreements have on India’s interests?
In its latest Special 301 report released by the United States Trade Representative
SPECIAL 301 (USTR), India has been placed on the “priority watch list" for its alleged poor
REPORT enforcement of intellectual property (IP) regulations.
In this regard, let us understand about the Special 301 Report and concerns raised in
# IPR Issues this report with respect to India's IPR policy.
WHAT IS SPECIAL 301 REPORT?
• Section 301 of the US Trade Act 1974 provides for identification of those countries whose policies result in the denial of
adequate and effective intellectual property rights (IPRs) protection to the US based companies.

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• Countries that are identified as falling short with respect to protection, enforcement, and market access for IP-intensive
industries are listed in the Special 301 Report in one of three ways.
• Priority Foreign Countries (PFC): Countries that have the greatest adverse impact on U.S. companies and products are listed
Priority Foreign Countries (“PFC”). PFCs are subject to investigation and potential trade sanctions such as tariffs, quotas, or
other measures.
• Priority Watch List: Countries whose policies do not warrant PFC designation may instead be placed on USTR’s Priority
Watch List. USTR develops action plans and engages in bilateral discussions with these countries to resolve the problems
identified (with the threat of designation as a PFC if the issues are not resolved).
• Watch List: These are the countries with significant but less serious IP protection and enforcement problems.
►Note: USTR included 36 trading partners in its 2019 Special 301 Report, but did not identify any Priority Foreign Country. India has
been placed in the Priority watch list along with other countries such as China and Saudi Arabia.
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS RAISED WITH RESPECT TO INDIA'S IPR POLICY?
The report has highlighted that India remains one of the world’s most challenging major economies with respect to protection
and enforcement of IP. Some of the concerns raised in the report include:
 Section 3(d) of Patents Act 1970

• This section does not allow patent to be granted to inventions involving new forms of a known substance
unless it differs significantly in properties with regard to efficacy. Thus, the Indian Patent Act does not
allow ever greening of patents. This is a cause of concern to the US Pharma companies.
• Note: Ever greening of Patents refers to the practice followed by global Pharma companies in order to
Pharmaceutical extend the duration of patent beyond 20 years. As part of this strategy, the Pharma companies add
Sector minor modifications to the existing patented drug just before its expiry and then apply for the extension
of patent.
• The constitutional validity of Section 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act 1970 was challenged by global MNC,
Novartis when its application for extending the patent of GLIVEC cancer drug was rejected.
• However, the Madras high court upheld the constitutional validity of section 3(d) and stated that this
section was important in order to distinguish between real innovations and trivial tweaks.
• Compulsory licenses are authorizations given to a third-party by the Government to make, use or sell a
particular patented product without the need of the permission of the patent owner. The provisions
regarding compulsory licenses are given in the Indian Patents Act, 1970 and in the TRIPS (Trade-Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.
Compulsory • There are certain pre-requisite conditions which need to be fulfilled if the Government wants to grant a
Licensing compulsory license.
• India has exercised the Compulsory licensing option in 2013 for Bayer’s Nexavar, a patented kidney
cancer drug. It authorised Natco Pharma to manufacture and sell Nexavar in India. Subsequently, the
price of the Nexavar drug got reduced to 4% of its original price.
• The USA believes that the compulsory licensing goes against the interest of its pharma companies.
• A trademark (popularly known as brand name) in layman’s language is a visual symbol used by a
Trademark company on its goods and services to distinguish them from other similar goods or services originating
violation from another company. The trademarks are protected under Trademark Act, 1999 and TRIPS Agreement.
• The report has raised concerns with respect to excessive delays in obtaining trademarks as well as high

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levels of trademark counterfeiting in India.
High Customs The report has highlighted that India maintains extremely high customs duties on IP-intensive products such
duties on IP as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, information communications technology (ICT) products, solar energy
intensive equipment and capital goods.
products
• The report has highlighted that India is a key producer and exporter of counterfeit foodstuffs,
pharmaceuticals, perfumes and cosmetics, textiles, footwear and electronics and electrical equipment.
Poor
Around 55 percent of global seizures of counterfeit pharmaceuticals originated in India—making it by far
Enforcement of
the largest producer of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
IP
• Further, the report has also raised concerns with respect to judicial delays in disputes related to IPR
infringement.
Prelims: Special 301 Report; Ever greening of Patents; Compulsory licensing
PAYMENT Payment and settlement systems are the backbone of any economy. The last decade has
SYSTEM witnessed substantial developments in this area of activity across the country.
To give further fillip, the RBI has recently unveiled "Payment and Settlement Systems in
VISION- India: Vision 2019-2021". The core theme of this vision is ‘Empowering Exceptional
(E)payment Experience’ aims at empowering every Indian with access to a bouquet of e-
2021 payment options that is safe, secure, convenient, quick and affordable.
# Banking and In this regard, let us understand various aspects of the RBI's Vision on Payment and
Settlement system.
Finance
THINGS TO KNOW
• The Payment and settlement system refers to the system which facilitates the transfer of money from a
payer to the beneficiary. It includes both paper based payments (Cheques, Drafts) as well as electronic
What is
payments such as Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT),
Payment and
Immediate payment Service (IMPS), UPI etc.
Settlement
• Further, over a period of time, a large number of Fintech companies such as Amazon Paypal, PayU,
System?
MasterCard, Visa, Mobikwik, Oxigen Services etc. have made a foray into payments sector in India by
providing platform for the transfer of money.
• The Payment and Settlement System Act, 2007 (PSSA) was enacted to regulate and supervise the
Regulation of payment systems in India. This Act authorized the RBI to constitute a Committee from its Central Board
Payment and known as the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS) as
Settlement highest policy making body on payment systems in the country.
Systems • The BPSS is empowered for authorizing, prescribing policies and setting standards for regulating and
supervising all the payment and settlement systems in the country.
PAYMENT • The current Vision document outlines the road map for the three-year period spanning from 2019 to
SYSTEMS 2021.
VISION – 2021 • The vision concentrates on a two-pronged approach of, (a) exceptional customer experience; and (b)

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enabling an eco-system which will result in this customer experience.

• It envisages four goal-(4 Cs) – Competition, Cost, Convenience and Confidence. It seeks to authorize new
payment system operators so as to promote competition and reduce the cost for the customers.
• The freer access of the customers to multiple payment system options would increase their
convenience. The payment systems would address the security vulnerabilities so as to enhance
consumer confidence.
• It proposes to establish Self-regulatory Organisation (SRO) for the payment system operators so as
to foster best practices on important aspects like security, customer protection, pricing, etc. The SRO
would serve as a two-way communication channel between the players and the Board for Regulation and
Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS).
• To encourage competition in existing payment systems, new payment system operators would be
authorised by the RBI.
• The rapid growth of smart phones with supported apps for payments has led to increase in the
payments. However, the digital payments have failed to take into account the feature phones. (Feature
Important
phones incorporate features such as the ability to access the Internet and store and play music but lack
highlights of
the advanced functionality of a smartphone). In this regard, there is a need to innovate payment services
the Vision
for feature phones to provide the necessary thrust towards enhanced adoption of digital payments.
• Banks are required to have different settlement accounts for settling card transactions with different card
networks. To bring in more efficiency in the system and making the process more graceful, the Reserve
Bank shall examine the feasibility of having a single national settlement account for all authorised card
networks
• The RBI would examine the possibility of extending availability of National Electronics Funds Transfer
(NEFT) round the clock on all the seven days of the week- 24x7 basis. Presently, NEFT is not allowed
on Sundays, second and fourth Saturday of the month and declared bank holidays.
Prelims: Payment and settlement system; Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and settlement Systems (BPSS)
The Financial health of the DISCOMs is in poor condition wherein they have accumulated
UDAY NPAs worth Rs 40,000 crores. This has not only affected the banking sector, it has also
affected the power sector in India.
SCHEME
Hence, in order to improve the financial viability of the DISCOMs, the government had
# Govt. introduced Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) in 2015. The Credit Rating Agency,
schemes and CRISIL has recently published a report which highlights the poor performance of the Ujwal
initiatives DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY), launched by the Government in the year 2015.
In this regard, let us understand the problems raised with respect to UDAY Scheme.
THINGS TO KNOW
• The State DISCOMs have been suffering from poor financial viability due to number of reasons. These
discoms have been supplying electricity at tariffs that are far below their operating cost mainly due to
Background political intervention. Inefficiencies in power distribution such as large transmission and distribution
losses on power have further strained the finances of the discoms.
• These DISCOMs have borrowed heavily from banks to meet their operational expenses. Due to their poor

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financial viability, the loss making DISCOMs have failed to fulfil their debt obligations leading to increase
in the NPAs of the Banks.
• The Scheme envisages financial turnaround of the DISCOMs so as to improve their financial viability
through operational improvement.
Objective of
• The idea is to reduce the debt burden of the DISCOMs wherein the states would take over some
UDAY Scheme
percentage of their Debt obligations of the DISCOMs. In return, the DISCOMs are required to implement
structural reforms in order to improve their financial viability.
• States should take over 75% of the DISCOM debt - 50% in 2015-16 and 25% in 2016-17. The governments
will then issue ‘UDAY bonds’ to banks and other financial institutions to raise money to pay off the banks.
• The remaining 25 per cent of the discom debt will be dealt within one of the two ways
ο Conversion into lower interest rate loans by the lending banks
ο Funded by money raised through discom bonds backed by State guarantee.
Salient features
of the Scheme • In return for the bailout, the discoms have been given target dates (2017 to 2019) by which they will have
to meet efficiency parameters such as reduction in power lost through transmission, theft and faulty
metering, installing smart meters etc.
NOTE: The UDAY Bonds cannot be included as G-Secs under the mandatory SLR requirements. Further, the
Borrowings of the state through the issuance of UDAY Bonds would not be considered as part of Fiscal Deficit of the
state.
• As per the MoU signed under the UDAY Scheme, the discoms were required to initiate structural reforms
by reducing Aggregate Technical and Commercial Losses (AT&C) from 26% in 2015 to 15% in 2019. They
were also required to implement regular tariff hikes of 5-6% per annum. However, the DISCOMs have
failed to initiate structural reforms due to which they are unable to meet the targets set under the UDAY
Scheme.
• For instance, AT&C losses has reduced by only 4% by December 2018 from pre-UDAY levels and the
average tariff increase was hardly around 3% per annum.
• On account of this, the Aggregate external debt of DISCOMs is set to increase to pre-Ujwal Discom
Problems with
Assurance Yojana (UDAY) levels of Rs 2.6 lakh crore by the end of this financial year.
the Scheme
• Other problems of the DISCOMs are as highlighted below:
ο Lack of Metering of electricity connections.
ο Increase in the power theft cases.
ο Loss due to electricity subsidies to agriculture.
ο Fall in the cost of renewable energy generation has put pressure on DISCOMs, which traditionally
depend upon sourcing major part of their power requirements from coal-fired thermal power
stations.
Prelims: Details about UDAY Scheme

Mains: Q. The Ujjwal discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) has failed to address the problems of the Power distribution companies in
India. Analyse

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CLASS ACTION
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has recently notified the thresholds for filing
LAWSUIT Class Action Lawsuit.
# Corporate Affairs
THINGS TO KNOW
• The Class Action Lawsuit has been introduced under Section 245 of the Companies Act, 2013 in order
to provide for redressal mechanism for small and minority investors in a company.
• Under this, investors can file a case before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in case they feel
What is Class
that the management or conduct of the affairs of a company are against the interests of the company or
Action Lawsuit?
its shareholders.
• It also gives the option to claim damages or compensation or demand any other suitable action against
the company or its directors for any fraudulent, unlawful or wrongful act.
• The Class Action Lawsuit is a well-established principle in foreign jurisdictions, especially in the U.S. In
these countries, the minority shareholders can claim compensation or damages if the company presents
false accounts to their investors in order to hide the losses and inflate the share prices.
Need for Class
• However, in the Satyam Scandal, the Indian investors were not able to claim compensation inspite of
Action Lawsuit
false accounts being presented by the company.
• Subsequently, India decided to introduce Class Action Lawsuit under the Companies Act, 2013 for the
benefit of shareholders..
• An application for class action can be filed by a member or members representing five per cent of the
Threshold for
total members of a company.
Filing Class
• It can also be done by 100 members of a company, whichever is less. The same criteria will also be
Action Lawsuit
applicable for depositors of deposit-taking companies.
►Note: The Deposit taking companies here basically corresponds to Deposit taking NBFCs such as Chit Fund Companies, Nidhi
Companies etc. It is to be noted that the section 245 of the Companies Act, 2013 which deals with Class Action Lawsuit does not extend to
banking Companies i.e. a depositor cannot file class action lawsuit against the Banks such as SBI.
Recently, the stock market indices SENSEX and NIFTY registered the largest increase in
PROFIT the percentage terms in a single day since 2013. The sudden increase in the stock market
BOOKING indices is attributed to the publication of Exit poll results, which show that the present
incumbent government will come back to form a stable and strong government.
AND VIX The positive investor sentiment about the new government providing policy thrusts for
the growth of Indian economy led to higher demand for the shares leading to increase in
INDEX their prices.
# Share Consequently, it was expected that the indices would continue to rise further, however,
there was drop in the indices due to profit booking.
Market #Index In this regard, let us understand the various facets.
THINGS TO KNOW
What is Profit • Profit Booking refers to the sale of the shares in order to realise the appreciation in their value. For
Booking? example, let’s say a person has bought a share of a company “X” at Rs 10. Subsequently, due to greater

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demand for the shares of the company “X”, its value has increased to Rs 15.
• As a result, the person would probably want to sell the share and realise the profit of Rs 5. This is referred
to as "Profit Booking".
• If all the individuals who have bought the shares of the company X want to sell their shares, then its prices
would reduce. Hence, profit booking by multiple investors at same time may lead to decline in the value of
shares.
• In case of India, there was sudden appreciation in the prices of the shares which led to increase in the stock
market indices. Subsequently, the investors resorted to profit booking in order to realise their profits and
hence, there was drop in the stock market indices.
• This volatility in the stock market indices is evident in the fact that there has been increase in the VIX Index
value.
• VIX Index stands for the India Volatility Index which is published by the National Stock Exchange (NSE). It
measures the degree of volatility or fluctuations in the Nifty over the next 30 days.
• A higher value of VIX Index indicates higher volatility expectations, i.e. a significant change in Nifty and a
lower value of India VIX indicates lower volatility expectations, i.e. a minimal change.
VIX Index
• Further, VIX Index also has a strong negative correlation with Nifty. Every time VIX Index falls, Nifty rises and
when VIX Index rises, Nifty is bound to fall.
• This is because the investors would typically want to invest when the market is stable and devoid of large
scale fluctuations.
►Note: Both SENSEX and NIFTY are considered to be barometers for Indian Capital Market. Sensex comprises of 30 largest and most
actively-traded stocks on the BSE. While, the NIFTY tracks the performance of top 50 companies listed on the National Stock Exchange
(NSE).
Increase in the indices would mean that there is a positive investor investment, increase in the share prices and hence "Bullish" market.
On the other hand, decrease in the indices indicates negative investor investment, decline in the share prices and hence "Bearish"
market.
According to UN's World Economic Situation and Prospects Mid-year update

WORLD 2019, the Indian Economy would grow at a slower pace due to overall
ECONOMIC slowdown in the global economy.

The report is a joint product of the United Nations Department of Economic
SITUATION AND and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) and the five United Nations regional commissions.
PROSPECTS The report offers timely warnings about a range of macroeconomic challenges
facing policymakers as they aim to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
REPORT # Report Development.
THINGS TO KNOW
• In Jan 2019, the report had estimated that Indian economy would grow at 7.4% in the financial year 2019-20.
The mid-year update has now revised the growth estimates downward to 7.1% on account of global
Highlights of economic slowdown.
the report • Some of the risks to the global economy include unresolved trade tensions, expansionary monetary policies
and the accelerating effects of climate change.
• Trade War: The report warns that additional tariffs and retaliations could have significant spill overs on the

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developing countries, particularly those with a high export exposure to the impacted economies. A more
prolonged period of weak international trade activity could also harm investment prospects and adversely
affect productivity growth in the medium term.
• Monetary Policies: Most of the developed economies are following expansionary monetary policy to inject
liquidity into the economy through the reduction in the policy rates. The report cautions that the prolonged
periods of such policies could lead to debt accumulation and pose risk to financial stability in future.
• Climate Change: The increase in frequency and intensity of natural disasters highlight the rising threats
from climate change, particularly for the most vulnerable economies. The report calls for a stronger and
more coordinated multilateral approach to global climate policy, which includes the use of carbon pricing
mechanisms.
• The report highlights that the Global Economic Slowdown casts a shadow over efforts to implement the
Concerns due
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has set universal goals for eliminating poverty, promoting
to Global
prosperity and social well-being while protecting the environment.
Economic
• Weaker economic growth puts at risk essential investments in areas such as education, health, climate
Slowdown
change adaptation and sustainable infrastructure.
NEWS Snippets
IN NEWS: The Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to create a specialised
supervisory and regulatory cadre within the RBI in order to strengthen the supervision and regulation
of banks in India.
 Details
• The RBI is planning to set up a new institute, to be known as the College of Supervisors, in
Mumbai to train and build up a cadre for supervisory roles in the financial system. The institute will
provide a one-year specialised training programme to strengthen the supervision and regulation
of banks in India.
• The officials undergoing training at the institute will be required to go for re-certification every five
DEDICATED years in a bid to adapt to any change in technology and circumstances.
SUPERVISORY  Need for a dedicated Cadre
CADRE • There have been complaints that the RBI was lax in the supervisory functions, especially in timely
detection of frauds and poor governance in the banking sector.
WITHIN RBI • The Standing Committee on Finance had last year questioned the RBI for failing to take pre-emptive
action in checking bad loans in the banking system prior to the Asset Quality Review undertaken in
December 2015.
• Further, the RBI’s decision to create a specialised supervisory and regulatory cadre is pertinent in
light of increasing complexity of the regulated entities such as banks and non-banking financial
companies (NBFCs).
• Cases of recent large frauds at banks and defaults by NBFCs require specialized supervision to
ensure that the financial sector remains in good health.

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 Present Supervision mechanism of the RBI

• The RBI currently has a Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) which has been entrusted with the
responsibility of supervision of the Banks and NBFCs. It is headed by the RBI Governor and has four
Directors from the Central Board as members.
• Since 2013, the RBI has been following a risk-based supervision system, known as the Supervisory
Program for Assessment of Risk and Capital (SPARC).
• Under SPARC, the RBI does a comprehensive evaluation of both present and future risks,
identification of incipient issues, determination of a supervisory stance based on the evaluation and
facilitating timely intervention and corrective action.
IN NEWS: The Government of India has recently expressed dissatisfaction with respect to the Services
Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) computed by the OECD.
• financial sector remains in good health.
 What is Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI)?
• The Service Sector is a major constituent of the global economy contributing to around more than
70% of the global GDP. Over a period of time, advances in the field of communication technology
have led to integration of services into the global trade regime.
• However, even today, a number of countries have imposed barriers to international trade in
services. For example, countries have prohibited entry of FDI in some of the service based sectors
such as Banking, Insurance, Aviation, legal services etc.
• In this regard, the OECD publishes the Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) to provide
information on barriers to trade in services. It asses the negative impact of restrictive trade policies
on the economy of the countries and provides policy inputs to adopt best international practices so
as to promote international trade in policies. The Index covers 45 countries including India.
STRI
• The index value ranges between 0 to 1 wherein 0 denotes "Least restrictive" while 1 denotes" Most
restrictive".
India's concerns with respect to STRI
• India has found problems in the current methodology used by OECD to calculate the STRI Index.
India believes that the STRI is biased and hence does not correctly gauge the trade restriction in the
services. For instance, the STRI has indicated that India is most restrictive in terms of allowing the
entry of FDI in service based sectors.
• India has counter argued by stating that, it is the services sector, which has been able to attract the
highest FDI since the economic liberalization in 1991.
• Further, India has progressively liberalised the FDI norms. For example, the Indian Government has
increased the FDI limit in insurance sector from 26% to 49%.The Government also allows 74% FDI in
private sector banks and up to 100% FDI in aviation sector.
• Inspite of these measures undertaken by the government, the STRI continues to view India as
"most restrictive".
IN NEWS: According to the latest data released by the RBI, the forex reserves have increased to one-
FOREX year high of $420 bn. by end of April 2019.

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Components of Forex Reserves

RESERVES
The Forex reserves in India comprise of Foreign Currency assets (FCAs), Special Drawing Rights
(SDRs), Gold and Reserve position in IMF.
Foreign Currency Assets (FCAs)
• This is the largest component of the Forex Reserves consisting of US dollar and other major global
currencies such as Euro, Pound, yen etc.
• Additionally, it also comprises investments in US Treasury bonds, bonds of other selected
governments, deposits with foreign central and commercial banks. Even though, Foreign Currency
Assets (FCA) is maintained in major currencies, the foreign exchange reserves are denominated and
expressed in US dollar terms.
Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)
• The SDRs was created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as an international reserve asset in
the year 1969 to supplement its member countries' official reserves. The SDR is a basket of 5
currencies- Dollar, Euro, Pound, Yen and Yuan.
• The SDR is neither a currency nor a claim on the IMF. Rather, it is a potential claim on the freely
usable currencies of IMF members. SDRs can be exchanged for these currencies. The SDR value in
terms of the U.S. dollar is determined daily by the IMF.
Reasons for increase in the Forex Reserves
• The strong inflow of funds by Foreign Portfolio Investors and RBI’s decision to conduct $10 billion
dollar-rupee buy-sell swap auction have mainly contributed to the increase in the forex reserves.
• It is to be noted that under the foreign exchange buy-sell swap, the RBI has bought US dollars from
the banks and simultaneously agreed to sell the same amount of US dollars at the end of the swap
period of 3 years and hence it has led to increase in the forex reserves.
How the increase in the forex reserves would benefit India?
• An important indicator of the stability of a currency is import cover. It measures the number of
months of imports that can be covered with foreign exchange reserves available with the central
Bank.
• In its latest Monthly Economic Report for March 2019, Finance ministry has stated that rising forex
reserves have led to an improvement in India’s import cover to around 11 months.
• Foreign Exchange Reserves in terms of months of import cover has fallen from 14 months from
April 2016 to 9 months in October 2018; however, the import cover has been increasing since then.
IN NEWS: The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) has recently conducted the
National Training Workshop in order to undertake the 7th Edition of Economic Census. In this regard,
let us understand about various aspects of Economic Census.
What is Economic Census?
ECONOMIC • The Economic Census is known to be one of the most complex and massive administrative
CENSUS exercises in which all establishments in both organised and unorganised sector are enumerated. It
is carried out by Central Statistical Office (CSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
implementation.
• It seeks to provide up-to-date information on operational and other characteristics such as number
of establishments; number of persons employed; source of finance; type of ownership, according

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to their industrial activity including their distribution at all-India, State, district, village/ward levels
for comprehensive analysis of the structure of the economy.
• This data is used for micro level/ decentralized planning and also for undertaking detailed follow up
sample surveys to assess contribution of various sectors of the economy in the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP).
Previous Economic Censuses
Six Economic Censuses (EC) have been conducted till date. The first Economic Census was undertaken
in 1977 while the Sixth edition of Economic Census was conducted in 2013.
Important Surveys/Indices published by CSO
• GDP Growth Estimates
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) - Rural, Urban and Combined.
• Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
• Annual Survey of Industries (ASI)
►Note: CPI for Industrial Workers (IW), CPI for Agricultural Labourers (AL) and CPI for Rural Labourers (RL) are published by the Labour
Bureau in the Ministry of Labour.
IN NEWS: According to RBI data on deposits and the credit of scheduled commercial banks, there has
been increase in the quantum of deposits with the banks due to increase in the number of Jan Dhan
Accounts post demonetisation.
About Jan Dhan Yojana
• It is the biggest financial inclusion programme of the Government which aims to provide universal
access to banking services with at least one basic banking account for every household.
• Life Insurance coverage is also available under PMJDY. Only one person in the family will be
covered and in case of the person having multiple cards/accounts, the benefit will be allowed only
under one card i.e. one person per family will get a single cover of Rs 30,000.
• The overdraft limit for account holders has now been doubled to Rs. 10000.
• The free accident insurance cover has been doubled to Rs 2 lakh.
• No conditions attached for over-draft of up to Rs 2,000.
JAN DHAN
Performance of Jan Dhan Yojana
YOJANA • Over the last 3 years, the number of Jan Dhan beneficiaries has increased by almost 60% from 22
crores to 35 crores.
• On similar lines, the total quantum of deposits has increased by almost 2.5 times from Rs 36,000
crores in April 2016 to Rs 98,500 crores in April 2019.
How it will benefit the Banks?
• Even though, the Jan Dhan Accounts make up less than 1 per cent of banks’ deposit base, their
sustained growth has helped shore up banks’ CASA (Current Account Savings Accounts) balances.
• The average balance in these accounts is over Rs 2,000, and hence servicing costs are no longer a
big worry for the Banks.
• The banks could maximize their returns by lending Jan Dhan Depositors’ money to the borrowers.
How it has improved financial Inclusion?
• In the last 4 years, even though, the number of Jan Dhan account holders has increased by only 3

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times, the deposits have expanded by ten times. This shows that the existing customers are
regularly using their Jan Dhan accounts.
• Since the Jan Dhan Accounts also provide for insurance cover, the increase in the number of
beneficiaries has led to improvement in the insurance cover.
• The Rupay debit cards linked to Jan Dhan accounts would be able to provide fillip to digital
transactions in the medium to long term.
IN NEWS: Nabventures, a subsidiary of NABARD has recently launched a new venture capital fund in
order to provide funding support to agri-related enterprises.
Details about Nabventures
Recognising the need for early-stage support for agriculture and rural enterprises and the lack of
adequate institutional support, NABARD (the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development)
had set up NABVENTURES Limited in Jan 2019. The Nabventures has been set up in order to support
start-ups in the field of the agriculture by providing them necessary financial support.
About the New Venture Capital Fund
• The Venture Capital refers to the capital support provided to the new start-up companies. The
Nabventures has now announced its maiden fund of Rs 700 crores to back agriculture and rural
enterprises. NABARD has been contributing to other funds till now and this is the first time that
NABARD has launched a fund of its own.
• The fund will have a high impact as it will provide a boost to investment ecosystem in the core
areas of agriculture, food and improvement of rural livelihoods.
About NABARD
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an apex development financial
NAB- institution which has been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring credit for the development
of agriculture and rural areas.
VENTURES
• It was established in 1982 on the basis of recommendations of B.Sivaraman Committee through
an act of the Parliament.
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has divested its entire stakes in National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and consequently, NABARD is 100% owned by the
Government presently.
Important functions of NABARD
• Providing refinance support to building rural infrastructure;
• Preparing district level credit plans
• supervising Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and help them develop sound
banking practices
• Training handicraft artisans to providing them a marketing platform for selling these articles.
• SHG Bank Linkage Project was launched by NABARD in 1992 to encourage the Banks to lend
money to Self-help Groups (SHGs).
Important funds under NABARD
Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)
• The Scheduled Commercial Banks are required to provide a minimum of 40% of loans to the

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priority secctors. In case

e of shortfall, the deficiit money may be transfferred to th
he Rural
Infrastructurre developme
ent Fund (RIDF).
• The main o
objective of tthe Fund is to
t provide lo
oans to State
e Governmen
nts and State
e-owned
corporationss to enable th
hem to complete on-going rural infrastru
ucture projectts.
Long
g Term Irrigation Fund
It was
w announce
ed in the Unio
on Budget 201
16-17 for fund
ding and fast tracking the iimplementation of
inccomplete maj or and mediu
um irrigation projects.
p
IN NEWS: The GST inflows o

of Rs.1.13 lak
kh crore in Ap
pril 2019 is considered to
o be the high
hest GST
collection in a siingle month ssince the intro
oduction of GS
ST in July 2017.
Trends in GST Collection
C
Sin
nce the intro duction of G
GST, the tax collected
c by the
t Governm
ment has fluct
ctuated everyy month.
Ho
owever, as sho
own below, th
he average GS
ST Collectionss has consistently improved
d year-on-yea
ar:
TR
RENDS IN
N
GS
ST
CO
OLLECTIO
ON
Finan
ncial Year Total GST Collecttion Averrage Monthly
Colle
ection
2017
7-18 Rs 7.4 lakh crores Rs 90
0,000 crores
2018
8-19 Rs 11
1.7 lakh crores Rs 98
8,000 crores
2019
9-20 (Targeted
d) Rs 13
3.7 lakh crores Rs 1.14 lakh crorees
No
ote: The mon
nthly GST Collections have crossed 1 lak
kh crores at leeast 5 times since its intro
oduction.
Furrther, among different com
mponents of GST,
G it is the integrated
i GST
T which contrributes the higghest tax
colllection followeed by State GSST, Central GST
T and GST Cesss (in the descen
nding order).
Reasons for the
R t increase in the GST Co
ollection
• Increase in tthe tax compliance as evident in the factt that there has been increease in the nu
umber of
GST returns in March 2019.

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• The recent cuts in the GST tax rates by the GST council may have led to higher expenditure on the
purchase of goods and services leading to increase in tax collection.
• Strict Enforcement action by the tax authorities to collect more revenue from registered taxpayers
who have not been filing returns.
IN NEWS: A 12-member Government appointed advisory group led by Economist Surjit Bhalla has
recently submitted recommendations to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The advisory group
has proposed a roadmap for doubling India's export of goods and services to over $1000bn by 2025.
In this regard, let us look at some of the important recommendations of this group.
Elephant Bonds
• It has suggested an amnesty scheme for the people with black money. Under this scheme, the
people can invest a minimum of 50% of their undisclosed income
• In the "Elephant Bonds", to be created by the Government and escape prosecution by the
Government. The Elephant bonds would have a maturity period of 25 years and would be utilized
for financing infrastructure projects.
Note: Details about Elephant Bonds is not known as the report is not in the public domain.
Tax Rates
• India has the second highest corporate tax rate in the world. Taxes paid by corporates as a
proportion of their profits are 24% in India as compared to 15-16% in large economies around the
world.
• In this regard, the committee has recommended lowering effective corporate tax rate, bringing
down cost of capital and simplifying regulatory and tax framework for foreign investment funds.
DOUBLING EXIM Bank
INDIA’S • The Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM) is a specialized financial institution which has been set up
in 1982 for financing, facilitating and promoting foreign trade of India. It extends Lines of Credit
EXPORTS
(LOCs) to overseas financial institutions, regional development banks, sovereign governments and
other entities overseas, to enable buyers in those countries to import goods and services from
India.
• The advisory group has recommended increasing the capital base of the EXIM Bank by another Rs
20,000 crores by 2022.
Caution before signing Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
• The advisory group has cautioned that signing FTAs could have adverse impact on the economy in
terms of cheaper imports and hurt domestic manufacturing. In this regard, there is a need for an
in-depth assessment of the existing agreements and their impact on the competitiveness of the
Indian industry.
• Further, the government must seek inputs from industry and MSMEs before signing free trade
agreements (FTAs) and sensitize them of its benefits.
Industry specific measures to boost exports
• Textiles and Garments sector: Modification in labour laws (like the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947)
to remove limitation on firm size and allow manufacturing firms to grow.
• Agricultural Exports: Abolishing Essential commodities act and reforms in the agricultural
marketing such as APMC reforms

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IN NEWS: The Government of India is presently developing National Gas Grid comprising of Gas
Pipelines, R-LNG terminals and City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks.
 Details about National Gas Grid
• At present about 16,788 Km natural gas pipeline is operational and about 14,239 Km gas pipelines
are being developed to increase the availability of natural gas across the country.
• These pipelines have been authorized by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
(PNGRB) and are at various stages of execution
 Aims and Objectives of the National Gas Grid
• To remove regional imbalance within the country with regard to access of natural gas and provide
clean and green fuel throughout the country.
• To connect gas sources to major demand centres and ensure availability of gas to consumers in
various sectors.
• Development of City Gas Distribution Networks in various cities for supply of CNG and PNG.
 Significance of National Gas Grid
NATURAL GAS • India's energy mix is dominated by coal and oil which account for 86% of the electricity
generation. The share of cleaner fuel, Natural Gas is quite lower at 6%. In this regard, the
GRID
Government has been promoting Gas Based economy to increase the share of gas in the energy
mix to 15% by 2025.
• Presently, most of the Gas Pipelines are spread across the Western and Northern parts of India.
This has not only caused regional imbalances in terms of access to Natural Gas Infrastructure but
also led to underutilisation of existing pipelines wherein presently, only 45% of the existing
capacity of pipelines is utilised making them economically unviable. Hence, setting up of National
Gas Grid would lead to balanced distribution of natural gas infrastructure and optimum utilisation
of existing pipelines.
• Increase in the use of CNG and LNG in the household and transportation sector leading to
reduction in emissions.
• Complement the development of Cross National Pipelines such as TAPI Pipeline.
• Create new demand centres along the pipelines and facilitate industrial growth and employment
creation.
• Achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable and
sustainable energy for all.
IN NEWS: Recently, some of the leading economists such as Raghuram Rajan, Gita Gopinath etc. have
PROPOSALS published a new book titled "What the Economy Needs now".
FOR REVIVAL This book basically argues for bringing about urgent reforms in the governance of Public Sector Banks
so as to address the problem of NPAs. In this regard, let us understand some of the important
OF PUBLIC highlights of the book.
SECTOR  Should we go for Privatisation of Public Sector Banks?
BANKS • Recently, proposals have been put forward to privatise Public sector banks with an assumption
that it would reduce the political interference and automatically improve the governance of the

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Public Sector Banks in India.

• However, it is to be realised that privatisation of the banks cannot be considered as a panacea for
the ills afflicting the public sector banks.
• More importantly, some of the private sector banks are also poorly governed. Thus, ownership of
the banks is just one among the multiple factors that contribute to good governance and
management of the banks in India.
 What's the solution then?
• There is a need to urgently implement the recommendations of the P.J. Nayak Committee to
improve the governance of the Public Sector Banks. For example, it had recommended that the
government's shareholding in the PSBs should be transferred to a holding company to be called as
"Bank Investment Company (BIC)".
• The BIC will come to own the majority shares of the PSBs and it would have complete functional
autonomy with respect to appointment of Board of Directors and to ensure that the banks are
governed in an efficient manner. Further, the Government and BIC should sign an agreement
which assures BIC of its autonomy and sets its objective in terms of financial returns from the
banks it controls.
• Some of the mid-sized PSBs should be privatised as a test case in order to understand the
challenges and implications of privatisation of PSBs.
 Other important proposals
• Merger of Banks: Merge poorly managed banks with good banks (Example: Merger of SBI and its
subsidiaries, Merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank)
• De-stressing: Revival of the projects through restructuring of loans to reduce the NPAs of the
Banks.
• De-Risking: Development of the capital market (Shares, Bonds) and Non-Banking Financial
Companies (NBFCs) so as to reduce the over reliance of the Indian Economy on the Banking
System.
• De-Regulation: There is a need to reduce the government's obligations on the Banking system so
as to give them more financial and functional autonomy. These obligations have been laid down
by the Government in order to fulfil its priorities. However, such obligations go against the
financial interests of the Banks. Some of the examples of such obligations are - Mandatory holding
of G-SECs as part of SLR, Lending Targets, Compulsory loan waivers etc.
IN NEWS: Recently, the National Company law appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has highlighted that
"haircuts" are one of the best methods to reduce the NPAs of the Banks. In this regard, let us
understand the concept of Haircut in terms of Banking.
HAIRCUTS IN  What are haircuts in the Indian banking system?

• Haircut refers to the difference between the loan amount and actual amount recovered by the
THE BANKING
Bank from their defaulting customer.
SYSTEM • Various steel, power, infrastructure, aviation companies etc. have defaulted on their loan
repayment leading to increase in the NPAs of banking Sector.
• Under such circumstances, the Banks usually arrive at a compromise formula where the borrower
offers to pay part of loan amount as a one-time settlement. The ‘haircut’ here is the loss made by

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Bank since t he amount pa

aid by the deffaulting customer is lower than the actu
ual loan amou
unt.
 Why is it imp
portant?
• Under the R BI's provision
ning norms, th
he banks are required
r to se
et aside certaiin percentage
e of their
profits in ord
der to cover rrisk arising fro
om NPAs. It iss referred to as
a "Provision
ning Coverag
ge ratio"
(PCR). It is d efined in term
ms of percentage of loan am
mount and de
epends upon the asset qua
ality.
• As the assett quality deterriorates, the PCR
P increases. The PCR for different cateegories of asssets is as
shown below
w:
ο Standard Asssets (No Defa
ault) : 0.40%
ο Sub-standarrd Assets (> 90
0 days and les
ss than 1 yearr) : 15%
ο Doubtful Asssets (greater tthan 1 year): 25%-40%
ο Loss Assets (Identified byy Bank or RBI) : 100%
• As seen, as the recoveryy of the bad loan gets dela
ayed, the ban
nk would be required to sset aside
higher perce
entage of theiir profits as PCR. Hence, stretching the repayment
r peeriod would adversely
affect the ba
anks in two ways: -
• Firstly, it lea
ads to increasse in PCR and hence reduce
es the availab
bility of money
ey to the bank
ks to give
loans.
• Secondly, fu
urther delays may lead to complete
c defa
ault on the repayment on l oans.
• Thus, the ba
anks would fin
nd it ideal to go
g for compromise since itt would be ab
ble to recoverr at least
some amou nt of loan am
mount and also
o reduce its lia
ability on the PCR.
• Even though
h, the haircuts may have an
a adverse im
mpact on the finances
f of th
he banks in the short
run, howeve
er, they can im
mprove the fin
nancial condition of the Ban
nking sector i n the long terrm.
IN NEWS: The Indian Econo

omy is showin
ng signs of eco
onomic slowd
down as evideent in variouss macro-
eco
onomic param
meters such as GDP Estim
mates, Index of Industrial production (IIP) data etcc. In this
reg
gard, let us un
nderstand the
e main reason
n for the econ
nomic slowdow
wn.
 Signs of Economiic Slowdown
As shown in the
e chart below
w, the GDP gro
owth rates ha
as consistently
y declined in the last 4-5 q
quarters.
The IIP for the month of Ma
arch 2019 ha
as contracted to -0.1% for the first timee since 2013.Further,
acccording to the
e Society of In
ndian Automo
obile Manufaccturers (SIAM)), there has beeen decline o
of almost
16% in sales of a
automobiles in April 2019.
SL
LOWDOW
WN
IN
N INDIAN
N
EC
CONOMY
Y

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According to the GDP calculation under Expenditure method, the GDP is as calculated below:
GDP= C + I + G + (X – M)
Where:-
 C denotes Consumption expenditure of the households and Individuals on various goods and
services.
 I denotes Investment expenditure of the private sector
 G denotes the sum of government expenditures on final goods and services.
 X denotes gross exports.
 M denotes gross imports.
 Reasons for the slowdown in the Indian Economy
• The consumption expenditure is the leading contributor to India's GDP accounting for
almost 60%. One of the main reasons for the decline in the GDP growth rates can be attributed to
the decline in the consumption expenditure in India.
• The consumption expenditure is dependent on number of factors such as availability of money,
rate of interest on loans, employment creation etc.
• Hence, accordingly, the reasons for the decline in the consumption expenditure can be highlighted
as below:
 Agrarian Distress: The agrarian distress in the rural areas has reduced the disposable income of
the people which in turn has adversely affected the demand in the economy.
 Liquidity Crunch: Presently, the Indian Economy is facing liquidity crunch as evident in the IL&FS
Crisis. The banks are also saddled with higher NPAs. Both these factors have led to lower credit
creation and hence reduced consumption expenditure.
 Decline in the Job Creation: Even though, Indian Economy has been growing at a rapid pace, it
has failed to create sufficient employment opportunities showing characteristics of "Jobless
Growth". For instance, the employment elasticity in India is hardly around 0.2%.
Note: The employment elasticity is a numerical measure of how employment varies with economic
output. In other words, it refers to percentage change in employment with 1% change in the GDP growth
rate.
IN NEWS: According to report published by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and
Statistics, Iraq has become India’s top crude oil supplier for the second year in a row.
 Details
• According to the recent report, the top crude oil suppliers to India are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran,
UAE and Venezuela.
CRUDE OIL • Saudi Arabia has traditionally been India’s top oil source, but it was for the first time dethroned by
Iraq in 2017-18 financial year. Presently, Iraq meets more than 20% of our crude oil requirements.
IMPORTS
• Iran was India’s second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11, but western
sanctions have now relegated it to the third position in subsequent years.
• The report also highlights that USA, which began selling crude oil to India in 2017, is fast becoming
a major source. Supplies from the US jumped more than four-fold in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
 Impact of Iranian Sanctions on Indian Economy

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The temporary exemption granted to India and seven other countries from US sanctions on purchase
of Iranian oil recently ended. Such a move by USA could have an adverse impact on India since Iran
has been a major source of crude oil accounting for around 10% of India's requirements.
 Increase in the import Bill
• India meets around 80% of its crude oil requirements through imports. The recent move by USA
may lead to spike in the global crude oil prices leading to an adverse impact on Trade deficit and
Current Account Deficit (CAD).
• It is to be noted that every dollar increase in the price of oil raises the import bill by
around ₹10,700 crores on an annual basis. Further, in the long run, the higher crude oil prices may
lead to higher rate of inflation and affect macro-economic stability.
 Loss of favourable terms of trade with Iran
• India used to buy the crude oil from Iran with discounts on shipping, insurance, and freight and
longer credit period. India may no longer be able to avail such favourable terms.
• As discussed above, there has been drastic increase in the import of crude oil from USA in the last
2 years. In this regard, India has been asking USA to sell oil at cheaper prices to compensate for
Iranian oil. However, India's request has been put down by USA.
IN NEWS: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed in principle to support Pakistan with a
loan of $6 billion in order to avert economic crisis. It is the 13th bailout extended by IMF to Pakistan in
the last 3 decades.
 Problems with Pakistan Economy
• Pakistan is presently staring at balance-of-payments (BoP) crisis triggered by high fiscal and
current-account deficits and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
• The forex reserves in Pakistan have got reduced to $8 bn. which can be used to finance only 2
months of imports.
• Pakistan is also staring at twin deficit problem, with both its fiscal and current account deficits
quite high. Further, it is facing a higher rate of inflation of more than 8%.
IMF’S  What has Pakistan done so far to avert economic crisis?
BAILOUT • The Pakistani rupee has been devalued multiple times since December 2017 in order to boost the
exports and increase the forex reserves.
PACKAGE FOR • Pakistan has reached out to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and China for help.
PAKISTAN Accordingly, these countries have extended loans and grants worth $10bn to supplement forex
reserves.
• But it has failed to address the problems and hence, Pakistan approached the IMF for the bailout
package for the 13th time.
 What are the broad contours of the Bail-out package?
• As part of this package, the IMF would extend loans worth $ 6bn in a phased manner. In return,
Pakistan has promised to implement structural reforms to put the economy on a sustained growth
path.
• Some of the promised structural reforms include expansion of tax base, reduction in the deficits,
cutting down expenses, disinvestment etc.
 Would the Bail-out package work?

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• Past experiences reveal that Pakistan’s record in complying with the IMF's conditionalities is not
encouraging.
• It has often failed to meet conditions imposed in the bailout package.
IN NEWS: The growth in eight core industries has increased to 5-month high in March 2019.This is
attributed to recovery in sectors such as cement, refinery products, steel and coal.
 Details about Index of Eight Core Industries
• In India there are eight core sectors comprising of coal, crude oil, natural gas, petroleum
refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity.
INDEX OF • The eight core industries constitute 40.27% of the total index of industrial production (IIP).
• This index is prepared by Office of the Economic Advisor, Ministry of commerce and Industry
EIGHT CORE and is published monthly with the base year as 2011-12.
INDUSTRIES • Weightage of different sectors in the Index
ο Highest Weightage: Petroleum Refinery production.
ο Lowest Weightage: Fertilizers production.
Note: It is noted that Index of Industrial production (IIP) is published by CSO, Ministry of Statistics and
Programme implementation while Index of Eight core Industries is published by Office of Economic Advisor,
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

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SOOCIETTY ANND SOOCIAL JUSTTICE

# GS Papper I & GS P aper III (Maain)
‘RE
ESPECT’’ WOME EN Recently, WHO has come out with
againsst women. In
w global estimates
n a report, tittled RESPECT
e rellating to violence
T women: Prereventing vio olence
# Women Empowerme
E ent againsst women, WHO
W has prov vided startlin
ng figures an
nd have com me out
(Lead covera
age) with a framework to prevent such
s a violen
nce.
STATS
• Nearly 1 in 3 (35%) wom

men worldwiide have exp
perienced
physical and
d/or sexual violence
v by a
an intimate partner or
sexual violen
nce, not including sexuall harassmentt, by any
perpetrator ( non-partner sexual violen
nce) in their liifetime.
• Globally, 30%
% of women have experie
enced physica
al and/or
sexual violen
nce by an intim
mate partner in their lifetim
me
• Globally, as many as 38% of murd
ders of wom
men are
committed by
b a male intim
mate partner.
• It is highest for women in
n South-East A
Asia region a
at 37.7%
• The majority
y (55-95%) off women surrvivors of vio
olence do
not disclose or seek any ty
ype of service
es.
WHAT
W ARE THE
T COMMO
ON REASON S FOR VIOLENCE?
• Men are mo
ore likely to pe
erpetrate viollence if they have low
education, a history of child maltre
eatment, exp
posure to
domestic vio
olence againsst their moth
hers, harmfu
ul use of
alcohol, un
nequal gend
der norms, including attitudes
accepting off violence, and
a a sense of entitlement over
women.
• Women are
e more likely
y to experie nce intimate
e partner
violence if th
hey have low
w education, exposure to mothers
being abuse
ed by a parttner, abuse during childhood, and attitudes
a acce
epting violen
nce, male prrivilege and women’s
subordinate status.
• Factors spe
ecifically asso
ociated with intimate pa
artner violence include: past history of violence, marital disccord and
dissatisfaction
n, difficulties in
n communicatting between p
partners, male controlling be
ehaviours towa
ards their parttners.
• Factors speccifically associiated with sexxual violence perpetration include: belieffs in family ho
onour and sexuual purity, ideologies of
male sexual entitlement
e ,weeak legal sancttions for sexua
al violence.
IMPACT OF VIO
OLENCE
1. Violence against women, particularly in
ntimate partn
ner violence and
a sexual vio
olence is a ma
ajor public h
health proble
em and a
violation of women’s human rights.

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Societty and Soc ial Justicee
2. Violence can
n negatively affect women’’s physical, m
mental, sexual, and repro
oductive hea
alth, and mayy increase the risk of
acquiring HIIV in some settings.
3. Sexual violen
nce, particularly during chiildhood, can llead to increa
ased smokin
ng, drug and alcohol misu
use, and risk
ky sexual
behaviours in later life. It is also asssociated with perpetration of violence (for males) and
a being a vvictim of viole
ence (for
females).
4. Impact on children:
c Children who g
grow up in fa
amilies where
e there is vio
olence may suffer
s a rangee of behavio
oural and
emotional disturbances. These
T can also
o be associate
ed with perpe
etrating or exp
periencing vio
olence later in
n life.
5. Intimate parttner violence has also been
n associated w
with higher rates of infan
nt and child mortality
m and
d morbidity ((through,
for example diarrhoeal dissease or maln
nutrition).
6. Social and economic
e cos
sts : The socia
al and econom
mic costs of intimate partn
ner and sexua
al violence aree enormous a
and have
ripple effectss throughout society. Wom
men may suffe
er isolation, in
nability to work, loss of wages, lack of p
participation in regular
activities and
d limited abilitty to care for tthemselves and their children.
WHAT IS RESPECT FRAMEWORK OF WHO?

W
WH
HO together with
w UN Women and otherr partners hass developed a framework for
f prevention
n of violence against women called
Resspect which ca
an be used by
y governmentts to counter this menace. It stands for:
1. R–elationship skills sttrengthened:: refers to
o
strategies aim
med at individ
duals or grou
ups of women
n,
men or couples to imprrove skills in interpersona
al
communication, conflict managementt and shared
d
decision-mak
king
2. E–mpowerm
ment of women:
w refe
ers to both
h
economic a
and social empowerme
ent including
g
inheritance and
a asset ow
wnership, micrrofinance plus
gender and empowerme
ent training interventionss,
collective acttion, creating safe spaces a
and mentoring
g
to build s
skills in se
elf-efficacy, assertivenesss,
negotiation, and self-confidence.
3. S–ervices en
nsured: refers to a rang
ge of services
including po
olice, legal, health,
h and ssocial services
provided to survivors.
s
4. P–overty reduced: refers to strategie
es targeted to
o
women or th
he household
d whose prim
mary aim is to
o
alleviate po
overty rangin
ng from ca
ash transferss,
savings, m
microfinance loans, la
abour force
interventionss.
5. E–nvironme
ents made safe:
s refers to efforts to
o
create safe schools, public
p space
es and work
environmentts, among oth
hers.
6. C–hild and adolescent abuse prev
vented: refers to establishing nurturring family relationships, prohibiting corporal
punishment, and impleme
enting parentting programm
mes
7. T–ransforme
ed attitudes, beliefs, and
d norms : reffers to strategies that challenge harmfu
ul gender atttitudes, belieffs, norms
and stereoty
ypes that upho
old male priviilege and fem
male subordina
ation, that jusstify violence against
a womeen and that sttigmatize
survivors. Th
hese may rang
ge from publicc campaigns, group educattion to community mobiliza
ation efforts.

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Society and Social Justice
A report by UNESCO titled “Cracking the code: Girls and Women

WOMEN UNDER- Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)’
REPRESENTED IN has highlighted that women remain considerably under-represented in
the field of STEM wherein they comprise only 29% of the people involved
FIELD OF R&D in the scientific research and development.
In case of India, their representation in the field of STEM is much lower at
# Education #Empowerment less than 4000. Barely 14 among 100 scientists in the India are women.
WHAT ARE THE FACTORS LEADING TO UNDER-REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN STEM?
Gender stereotypes that communicate the idea that STEM studies and careers are male domains can
Psychological
negatively affect girls’ interest, engagement and achievement in STEM and discourage them from pursuing
factors
STEM careers.
• Parents, including their beliefs and expectations, play an important role in shaping girls’ attitudes towards,
and interest in, STEM studies.
Family factors
• Parents with traditional beliefs about gender roles and who treat girls and boys unequally can reinforce
negative stereotypes about gender and ability in STEM.
• Qualified teachers with specialization in science and mathematics can positively influence girls’
performance and engagement with STEM education and their interest in pursuing STEM careers. Female
School related STEM teachers appear to have stronger benefits for girls, possibly by acting as role models.
factors • Curricula and learning materials play an important role in promoting girls’ interest and engagement in
STEM subjects.
• Lack of female STEM teachers is a hindrance in promoting STEM education among girl child.
• The degree of gender equality in wider society influences girls’ participation and performance in STEM.
Societal • In countries with greater gender equality, girls tend to have more positive attitudes and confidence about
factors mathematics and the gender gap in achievement in the subject is smaller.
• Larger the gender inequality, more the chances of neglecting STEM education for girls.
WHY FOCUS ON GIRLS’ AND WOMEN’S EDUCATION IN STEM?
• Ensuring girls and women have equal access to STEM education because STEM careers are imperative from the human rights,
scientific, and development perspectives.
• From a human rights perspective, all people are equal and should have equal opportunities, including to study and work in
the field of their choice.
• From a scientific perspective, the inclusion of women promotes scientific excellence and boosts the quality of STEM
outcomes. For instance, Women have already contributed to advancements in the prevention of cholera and cancer.
• From a development perspective, Gender equality in STEM will ensure that men and women will be able to acquire skills
and opportunities to contribute to and benefit equally from the benefits and assets associated with STEM.
UNDER 5 MORTALITY As per a recent report published by Lancet Global Health, India had
RATE the largest number of under-5 deaths of all countries in 2015, with
substantial regional disparities.
# Health

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UNDE
ER 5 MORTA
ALITY RATE
• The under-5 mortality rate is the prob

bability (exprressed as a ra
ate per 1,000
0 live births) for a child tto die before reaching
the age of fiv
ve, if subject to
t current age
e-specific mortality rates.
• The neonata
al (<28 days) and infant (<
<1 year) morttality rates are
e important su
ubcomponents within und
der-5 mortalitiies.
• Sustainable Developmen
nt Goal Targe
et 3 aims to e
end preventab
ble deaths of newborns an
nd children un
nder 5 years o
of age by
2030, with all
a countries aiming to red
duce neonata
al mortality to
t at least ass low as 12 per 1,000 livve births and under-5
mortalities to
o at least as lo
ow as 25 per 1
1,000 live birtths.
FIND
DINGS OF TH
HE REPORT
• An estimated
d 1·2 million deaths occu rred in childrren younger than
t 5 years in India in 20
015—the larggest numberr of such
deaths amo
ong all countrries.
• Though this number has come down from 2·5 milllion in 2000, yet
y despite th
his progress, India did nott meet targett 4 of the
Millennium Development
D Goals of a tw
wo-thirds redu
uction in unde
er-5 mortality rate between
n 1990 and 20015.
• The UN Mille
ennium Development Goalls (MDG) set in 2000 was to
o reduce the under-five mo
ortality rate in
n 2015 to one
e-third of
the 1990 figu
ure. For India, that would h
have meant re
educing the under-five morrtality rate to 39 deaths peer 1,000 live births. But
India’s Underr 5 mortality rate
r stood at 47.81 deathss per 1000 liv
ve births in 2015.
• Further, during this period
d, there were substantial geographica
al disparities and socioeco
onomic inequ alities in child
d survival
within India.
• The highest under-5
u mortality rates in tthe northeasst region (63·8
8 deaths per 1000 livebirth
hs) and centra
al region (60··6 deaths
per 1000 live
ebirths), both more than tw
wice that of the south regio
on (29·7 death
hs per 1000 livebirths).
• States with the highest bu
urden (numbe
ers) of under--5 deaths werre mostly tho
ose clustered in the
central and east regionss, with half of all under--5 deaths oc
ccurring in th
hree states: Uttar
Pradesh, Bih
har, and Mad
dhya Pradesh
h.
• Highest rate
es: Assam (7
73·1 per 1000
0 livebirths), M
Madhya Prad
desh (67·1 pe
er 1000 livebirths),
Odisha (64·1 per 1000 live
ebirths),
• Lowest rate
es: Goa (9·7 per
p 1000 liveb
births), Kerala (12·5 per 1000 livebirthss) and Tamil Nadu
(21·7 per 100
00 livebirths)
REASONS
S
Nattionally, the le
eading causess of under-5 d
deaths in 2015
5 were -
• preterm birth
h complications,
• pneumonia, and
• intrapartum (child birth)-related eventss
No
ote: India can accelerate its reduction of u
under-five morrtality rates by
y scaling up va
accine coverag
ge and
imp
proving childbirth and neona
atal care, espeecially in statess where morta
ality rates rema
ain high
TRANS-F
T FAT The WHO and th he Internatio
han ds to elimina
onal Food and Beverage Alliance
ate industria
ally produced
A (IFB
BA) have joined
d trans-fat frrom global fo
ood supply bby 2023.
# Heealth #Nutrrition To a
achieve this g
goal, they ha
ave come outt with the REEPLACE strattegy.

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WH
HAT IS TRAN
NS-FAT?
• Fats contain long hydroca

arbon chains w
which can be either unsaturated (having double bo
onds) or satu
urated (havin
ng single
bond).
• Trans fat, also
a called tra
ans-unsaturatted fatty acid
ds or trans fattty
acids, is a type of unsatu
urated fat.
• There are tw
wo broad types of Trans fatts found in foo
ods: Naturallly-
occurring an
nd Artificial trans
t fats.
• Naturally-oc
ccurring Tran
ns fats are prroduced in th
he gut of som
me
animals. Even foods made
e from these animals (e.g.,, milk and me
eat
products) ma
ay contain sm
mall quantitiess of trans fats..
• Artificial tra
ans fats (or trans fatty a
acids) are ccreated in an
a
industrial prrocess that ad
dds hydrogen
n to liquid ve
egetable oils to
make them more
m solid (h
hydrogenatio
on).
• This is done
e for following
g reasons -it increases shelf-life of the
food made of
o plant fat; it improves
i tex
xture of the ffood.
• However, the
e saturation of
o vegetable fa
fats creates trrans fats, due to the positio
on taken by th
he newly addeed hydrogen atoms in
the molecule
e.
• Trans fats in
ncrease levells of LDL (“ba
ad”) cholesterrol and decre
ease HDL (“good”) cholestterol, narrowiing blood vesssel walls
and increasin
ng the risk of heart disease
e and strokes..
• According to WHO, trans fat
f intake lead
ds to more than 500,000 de
eaths globally
y from cardiov
vascular diseaase.
• Further even
n in India, FSSA
AI has set a t arget of eliminating trans
s- fat in India by
b 2022. It pla
ans to lower tthe limits off trans fat
in food supply from the present 5% to 2%.
• FSSAI also re
ecently launch
hed a media c ampaign calle
ed ‘Heart Attack Rewind’ to increase aw
wareness abo
out the health
h hazards
of consuming
g transfat.
RE
EPLACE STR
RATEGY
• Members of WHO and IFBA decided t hat the amou unt of industtrial trans-fat (iTFA) in fo
ood products should not e
exceed 2
grams per 100 grams fat//oil/ globally b
by 2023.
• WHO has ask ked governme
ents to use th
he REPLACE acction package
e to eliminate industrially-p
produced tran
ns-fatty acids from the
food supply.
• REPLACE pro ovides six stra
ategic action
ns to ensure tthe prompt, complete,
c and
d sustained elimination off industrially-p
produced
trans fats fro
om the food supply.
 Review dieta
ary sources off industrially-p
produced tran
ns fats.
 Promote alte
ernate healthiier fats and oiils.
 Legislations for
f regulatory
y actions to elliminate iTFAss
 Assess iTFA in the food su
upply and con
nsumption patttern in the po
opulation.
 Create aware
eness among policy makerrs, producers, suppliers, an
nd the public.
 Enforce compliance.
 RELA
ATED INFORMATION: IFBA
• The Internattional Food and

a Beverage
e Alliance (IFB
BA), is a bod
dy representin
ng 12 major food and no
on-alcoholic b
beverage
companies, and
a was founded in 2008.

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• It was primarrily formed to

o empower co
onsumers to e
eat balanced diets
d and live healthier lives.
• It supports WHO’s
W global public health
h efforts by co
ommitting to various strate
egies of WHO
O including Gl obal Strategyy on Diet,
Physical Activ
vity and Healtth, 2004 of WH
HO, 2011 UN Declaration on
o the Prevention and Control of NCDs eetc.
RO
OAD ACCIDENT TS According to a World Health Orrganisation (W
Status Report on Ro
oad Safety 2018, road ac
WHO) reportt titled Globa al
ccidents are tthe leading ccause
# Heaalth # Safetty of deatth among people in the 5-29
5 age-grou
up worldwid e.
AB
BOUT THE REPORT
R
• As per the re
eport, approx
ximately 1.35
5 million peo
ople lose their
lives every year
y due to ro
oad fatalities
• As per the re
eport, India since 2008 is b eing ranked a
as number on
ne
in road crash
h deaths.
• Though, as per
p the data released
r by th
he Indian govvernment, roa
ad
crashes kill close
c to 1,50,0
000 people ea
ach year. How
wever, the WHO
global statuss report on ro
oad safety ha
ad challenged
d the numbers
and stated th
hat India mig
ght be losing over 2,99,00
00 people eac
ch
year.
• Further, Indiia being a sig
gnatory to th
he Brasilia D
Declaration on
o
road safety,, 2005 has ple
edged to brin
ng down its number of roa
ad
fatalities to half
h by the yea
ar 2020.
• This goal is even
e in line with
w the SDG T
Target 3.6, w
which speaks of
o
reducing road traffic fataliities.
CAUSES
 Rapid urbaniization,
 Poor design and road infrastructure,
 Lack of road safety,
 Lack of enforrcement,
 Distracted drrivers,
 Influence of drugs
d or alcohol, speeding
g, and
 Failure to we
ear seat-belts and helmets..
WAY FORW
WARD
 Formulation of Comprehe
ensive Road Sa
afety Laws
 Strict enforce
ement of Road Safety Norm
ms
 Meeting Safe
e Vehicle standards
 Efficient postt-crash care
 Enhanced aw
wareness on usage
u of seat belts and Hellmets.

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NEWS Snippets
IN NEWS: After the devastating cyclone Fani, district officials in Ganjam district of Odisha has
planned to come with a project named Swayamsidhha where women of SHG will be trained in
rescue and rehabilitation process.
• Under this special project, women will be trained in evacuation, rescue, restoration and
rehabilitation during natural calamities, especially cyclones.
• For this purpose, Members of Women Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) in the age group of 18 to 35 of
this cyclone-prone region will be involved.
SWAYAM-
• The project has been conceived keeping in mind the vulnerability of the state to cyclones in the
SIDDHA past like Phailin, Hudhud and Titli.
• These cyclones also gave the administration some experience and this will help these volunteers
INITIATIVE to train themselves for future relief and rehabilitation work post such devastating cyclones.
• Under this project selected members from each WSHG will undergo a special training by
personnel of police, fire services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and other key
departments of the administration.
• The members will also be trained in basic rescue measures, first aid and proper documentation
of losses. Through this training they will be ready to face floods, cyclones and earthquakes and
help people of their locality.
• A control room of ‘Swayamsiddha’ will operate at district headquarters Chatrapur to coordinate
and manage these trained volunteers of WSHGs of Ganjam.
IN NEWS: As per the WHO database, India continues to face critical shortage of health professionals
• Despite the health sector employing five million workers, India continues to have low density of
health professionals with figures for the country being lower than those of Sri Lanka, China,
Thailand, United Kingdom and Brazil.
• This workforce statistic has put the country into the “critical shortage of healthcare
providers” category.
• Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the worst hit states, while Delhi, Kerala,
SHORTAGE OF Punjab and Gujarat performed favorably.
HEALTH • The problem faced by India is both of acute shortages of health workers and the inequitable
distributions of skilled health workers.
WORKERS
• India needs to design courses for different categories of non-physician care providers.
Competencies (and not qualification alone) should be valued and reform must be brought in
regulatory structures to provide flexibility for innovations.
• The health workforce in India comprises broadly eight categories, namely: doctors (allopathic,
alternative medicine); nursing and midwifery professionals; public health professionals (medical, non-
medical); pharmacists; dentists; paramedical workers (allied health professionals); grass-root workers
(frontline workers); and support staff.

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IN NEWS: Death of three children of Kolam tribe in Maharashtra has found the tribe unrested.
• Kolam are categorized as scheduled tribe in four states – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh
(including Telangana), Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
• They are further classified as particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) in the states of
KOLAM TRIBE Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) and Maharashtra
• They are predominantly a primitive agricultural community though members of the tribe have
started to take up menial laborer jobs.
• They speak their native Kolami language, though they are fluent in Telugu and Marathi as well.
IN NEWS: Tweaking the Universal Access to the TB Care programme (UATBC) model has led to
increased detection and diagnosis of the TB cases in India.
• UATBC programme aims to engage the effective partnership of private sector in controlling
TB, by offering ICT support to laboratories, pharmacists, private practitioners etc.
• Under the earlier model, testing for TB was only done after completing doctor consultation. This
meant that patients had to pay doctor consultation fee before being tested for TB, which led to
fewer people consulting a doctor.
• Besides consultation fee that people had to pay, there was no incentive for pharmacies to send
symptomatic TB patients to doctors.
BETTER TB
• Patients too wanted immediate resolution and there was fear and stigma of TB among people.
DIAGNOSIS All these led to fewer people consulting a doctor and getting diagnosed.
• To increase pharmacy referrals, the researchers tweaked the model whereby instead of directly
referring patients to doctors, pharmacies were asked to first refer symptomatic TB patients
for an X-ray followed by doctor consultation.
• Pharmacies received Rs.100 as incentive if a referred person completes chest X-ray and
another Rs.200 if the referred person is diagnosed with TB.
• Result: The pilot project was a success with 86% of 1,529 patients referred by a pharmacy underwent
a chest X-ray and 96% of 809 patients referred to a doctor completed the consultation. Overall the TB
diagnosis has increased 25 times than in the previous model.
IN NEWS: As per a study by the International food Policy Research Institute, children born to
teenage mothers are more prone to stunting and are 10 per cent more likely to be malnourished
than those born to adults
TEENAGE • The study cites poor maternal health as one of the major reasons for stunted growth in
children.
PREGNANCIES
• Pregnant teenagers are relatively more anaemic and receive less antenatal and postnatal
AND care compared to older women.
MALNUTRITION • They are also exposed to poor sanitation facilities.

• Even institutional deliveries are relatively low in teenage pregnancy (women fear stigma as
many of them are unwanted pregnancy, hence they do not visit doctor or have an institutional
delivery)

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• Highest nu
umber of teen
nage mothers
s – east and north
n east In
ndia.
• Even figu res from NFHS 4 (2015-1
16), show the
e same story
y- the % of tteenagers wh
ho were
pregnant w
were highest in Tripura followed closely
y by west Ben
ngal, Assam , B
Bihar , Jharkh
hand and
Andhra Prradesh.
• The studyy shines the sspotlight on the social challenges faced by schemes such as the Centre’s
Beti Bach ao, Beti Padhao, the Delhi government’s Ladli and the West B
Bengal goverrnment’s
Kanyashre
ee

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NEWS Snippets
IN NEWS: NASA's mission to put people back on the moon is named Artemis. In Greek mythology, the
goddess Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, after whom the original moon landing missions were
named.
• ARTEMIS is abbreviation for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of
Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.
• Objective: It consists of a spacecraft to measure what happens when Sun’s radiation hits our rocky
moon, where there is no magnetic field to protect it.
• Significance-After a successful Artemis mission, NASA will be able to establish a sustainable human
presence on Moon by 2028 which will further help it to uncover new scientific discoveries,
PROJECT demonstrate new technological advancements, and lay foundation for private companies to build a
lunar economy.
ARTEMIS
• This would provide new opportunities in deep space for exploration.
• It’s also a stop-over for missions to Mars.
 Next steps
• The next mission will be Artemis 2. It will fly a different path than the first test flight, and will take a
crew around the Moon for the first time in fifty years in 2022.
• This will be followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the
first woman.
• All the three will be launched into space by the Boeing-led Space Launch System (SLS), the biggest
rocket of all time.
IN NEWS: NASA has found evidence of a unique mixture of methanol, water ice, and organic molecules
on Ultima Thule's surface.
 Things to know
• Ultima Thule is a trans-Neptunian object located in the Kuiper belt. It is the farthest world ever
ULTIMA explored by mankind.
• The Kuiper belt occasionally called the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt, is a circumstellar disc in the outer
THULE Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune (at 30 Astronomical Units-AU) to approximately
50 AU from the Sun.
• It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger. Like the asteroid belt, it consists mainly of small
bodies or remnants from when the Solar System formed. While many asteroids are composed
primarily of rock and metal, most Kuiper belt objects are composed largely of frozen volatiles

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Scieence & Techhnology
(termed "icess"), such as m

methane, amm
monia and watter.
• The Kuiper b
belt is home to
o three officia
ally recognized dwarf plane
ets: Pluto, Haaumea and Ma
akemake.
Some of the
e Solar Syste
em's moons, such as Nep
ptune's Triton
n and Saturn
n's Phoebe, m
may have
originated in the region.
IN NEWS: Chand
drayaan-2 is India's second lunar explo
oration missio
on after Chan
ndrayaan-1. D
Developed
by the
t Indian Sp
pace Research
h Organisation
n. It is likely to
o be launched soon.
 About the mission
m
CH
HANDRA
A-
YA
AAN 2
• It is a fully-iindigenous m
mission that comprises th
hree moduless — an Orbiiter, a Lande
er named
‘Vikram’, an d a Rover na
amed ‘Pragya
an’ — and will be launched
d on board a GSLV-MkIII rocket. It
weighs aroun
nd 3,290 kg.
• GSLV-MkIII iis a three-sta
age heavy lift launch vehiccle that has been
b designeed to carry fo
our-tonne
class satellite
es into Geosyn
nchronous Trransfer Orbit (GTO).
(
• Chandrayaan
n 2 would orb
bit around the
e moon and ca
arry out remo
ote sensing off the moon.
• The payload
ds will collecct scientific information on lunar to
opography, m
mineralogy, e
elemental
abundance, llunar exosphe
ere and signatures of hydroxyl and wate
er-ice.
• Rover will rolll out for carryying out scien
ntific experime
ents on the lu
unar surface.
• Instruments are also mou
unted on Land
der and Orbite
er for carrying
g out scientificc experiments.
• In October 2
2008, the spa
ace organisattion had laun
nched its orb
biter mission Chandrayaan
n-1 on its
PSLV boosterr.

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Scieence & Techhnology
IN NEWS: PSLV-C
C46 successfu
ully launches RISAT-2B.
• It is a rada
ar imaging e
earth observ
vation satellite
weighing abo
out 615 kg.
• The satellite is intended to provide services in the
field of Agriculture, Forestry and Disasster
Managementt.
• The radar im
maging satellitte can observe and image the
earth from a bout 500 km.
• It is an impro
ovement overr the remote sensing
s satellites
in natural ressources obserrvation and management.
m
RIISAT-2B
• It has a senssor called the ‘Synthetic Aperture
A Radar’,
which takes h
high-quality ra
adar images.
• The syntheti c aperture ra
adar can also
o provide add
ded
details such as size of o
objects on earth, structurres,
movement a
and change, w
which comple
ements the data
d
that is bein
ng gathered through the normal opttical
remote-sens ing satellites.
• Also, ground
d imageries ccan be collectted during ra
ains
and despite dust, cloudss or darkness
s and during all
seasons.
IN NEWS: With the twin obje

ective of crea
ating a curate
ed research database on
n human bio
ology and
introducing you
ung Indian b
brains to the world of biological sciences, MANAV: A human atla
as project
wass launched byy Departmentt of Biotechno
ology (DBT).
 What is MA
ANAV?
• The name M
MANAV derive
es from a Sa
anskrit word which meanss “Man”. Thiss one-of-a-kin
nd mega-
project aims to create a u
unified human atlas by ma
apping the molecular detaails of every ccell, tissue
and organ in the human b
body by curating all the ava
ailable inform
mation presen
nt in scientific literature
and public da
atabases.
• MANAV is fun
nded by DBT and co-funde
ed by the tech
hnology comp
pany Persiste
ent Systems.. It will be
executed by two of India’s major rese
earch Institute
es, Indian Ins
stitute of Sccience Educa
ation and
MANAV Research (IIISER), Pune, and National Center fo
or Cell Scien
nces (NCCS), Pune, with technical
support from
m Persistent Systems.
 Who can participate
e in this proje
ect?
• The project can be signe
ed up by students who are in their fiinal year gra
aduation and above.
Students fro m the fields o
of biochemistry, biotechnolo
ogy, microbiollogy, botany, zzoology, bioinfformatics,
health sciencees, systems biiologists, pharrmacologists and data scien
nces can assocciate with this project.
Even particip
pants having a science background
b but
b not necesssarily involvved in active scientific
research can
n be part of th
his network.
• The MANAV team has en
ncouraged collleges and un
niversities to register as teeams and wo
ork in this
project. Initia
ally, DBT will accommoda
ate colleges that
t operate the DBT Sta
ar College sc
cheme to
register for t his Human Atlas programme. There is no restriction
n on the time period set fo
or student

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Science & Technology
participation.
 How has the project been designed?
• Once registered, the student groups will be assigned research papers or literature to be read in a
time-bound manner. They will be given training to perform annotation and curation activities using
the specialised tools developed for this project. Student groups, led by either by the head of the
department or any senior researcher at the colleges, will be evaluated from time to time and their
annotations will be reviewed by the trainer scientists, hailing from either NCCS, IISER and other
senior scientists from the team.
• Presently, there are workshops organised to impart training to the teacher community who can then
lead the student groups for this project. Students will be issued certificates for their contributions
based on the levels of expertise attained in annotation and for their acquired skills. Initially, the
project will focus on curating information revolving skin tissues.
IN NEWS: Scientists have created a living organism whose DNA is entirely human-made.
• For this, the scientists have rewritten the DNA of the bacteria Escherichia coli, and thus
fashioning a synthetic genome four times larger and far more complex than any previously
created.
ARTIFICIAL • Scientist are calling it as Syn61.
LIFE? • The bacteria are alive, though unusually shaped and reproducing slowly. But their cells operate
according to a new set of biological rules, producing familiar proteins with a reconstructed
genetic code.
• It's been done in a manner that will pave the way for designer bacteria that could
manufacture new catalysts, drugs, proteins and materials.
IN NEWS: INS Vela is the fourth in the series of the six Scorpene class submarines being constructed at
the Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai.
• It a part of PROJECT 75 India. It envisages the construction of six conventional submarines with
better sensors and weapons and the Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP).
• Under it, MDL will manufacture six Scorpene class submarines (which are next generation diesel
submarines) for Indian Navy under technology transfer from Naval Group of France (contract signed
in 2005). The induction of all submarines is expected to be completed by 2020.
The P75I project is part of a 30-year submarine building plan that ends in 2030. As part of this
INS VELA •
plan, India was to build 24 submarines — 18 conventional submarines and six nuclear-powered
submarines (SSNs) — as an effective deterrent against China and Pakistan..
• The Scorpene class submarines which have the capability to be operational in any theatre also
have the capability of undertaking different types of missions, which include anti-surface warfare,
anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance. They have top end
stealth features which includes advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels,
hydro-dynamically optimised shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using
precision-guided weapons.

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Science & Technology
IN NEWS: The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), custodian of the fundamental units of measurement,
has sent recommendations to the NCERT, the All India Council for Technical Education, the IITs, the
NITs, and other institutions to incorporate changes in definition of kilogram.
 Things to know
• In November,2018 following a vote at International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM),
representatives of 60 countries agreed that the kilogram should be defined in terms of the Planck
constant.
• The Planck constant is a quantity that relates a light particle’s energy to its frequency.
• Using a machine called a Kibble balance, in which the weight of a test mass is offset by an
electromagnetic force, the value of the Planck constant was fixed, the kilogram was redefined.
• Before this change, since 1889, the kilogram has been defined as the mass of cylinder of platinum-
iridium called Le Grand K, or International Prototype Kilogram (IPK). According to this, mass
measured as 1 kg would have meant 1 kg, plus or minus 15-20 micrograms.
But by using the new definition, a mass measured as 1 kg will mean “1 kg, plus or minus 1 or 2
KILOGRAM •
nanograms”
• The new definition for kilogram fits in with the modern definitions for the units of time (second) and
distance (metre).
• The change in the kilogram’s definition will be better for technology, retail and health.
 BIPM
• It is an intergovernmental organisation established by the metre convention, which was signed in
1875 through which member states act together on matters related to measurement standards.
• India is a member of the organisation since 1957.
 Aims and objective
• To represent the worldwide measurement community.
• To be a centre for scientific and technical collaboration between member states providing
capabilities for international measurement comparisons.
• To be a coordinator of the world-wide measurement system.

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GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, BIODIVERSITY &

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & III (Main)
Sand and gravels play an important role from construction to electronics to

UNEP: REPORT cosmetics. The demand for sand resources is rising. Shifting consumption
patterns, growing populations, increasing urbanization and infrastructure
ON SAND development have increased demand three-fold over the last two decades. The
problem is that we have been exceeding easily available sand resources at a
MINING growing rate for decades. Further, sand is being produced through
#Resource depletion environmentally damaging extractive practices in sensitive terrestrial, riverine
and ocean ecosystems.
#Sustainable Hence, discussing the potential solutions for mitigating mineral sands and
development aggregates extraction impacts and generating adequate support for
responsible consumption pathways.
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF ILLEGAL SAND MINING?
Legal and illegal operations are increasingly reported adjacent to and inside established biodiversity
Biodiversity
reserves and protected areas. On site impacts on habitats for marine and freshwater fisheries and birdlife,
degradation
and threatened species like turtles and freshwater dolphins have been reported in some cases.
Safety of Direct safety risks for those working in the sector and living in the communities where this takes place
workers include drowning (of workers removing sand from river beds), subsidence and landslides in extraction areas.
In-stream mining lowers the stream bottom, which may lead to bank erosion. Depletion of sand in the
Stream
streambed and along coastal areas causes the deepening of rivers and estuaries, and the enlargement of
Degradation
river mouths and coastal inlets. It may also lead to saline-water intrusion from the nearby sea.
Aggregate extraction in rivers has led to pollution and changes in pH levels, instability of river banks
leading to increased flood frequency and intensity, lowering of water aquifers exacerbating drought
occurrence and severity. Damming and extraction have reduced sediment delivery from rivers to many
Pollution
coastal areas, leading to reduced deposits in river deltas and accelerated beach erosion. This adds to effects
of direct extraction in onshore sand extraction in coastal dune systems and nearshore marine dredging of
aggregates, which may locally lead to long-term erosion impacts.
Tourism is affected by loss of key species and beach erosion, while both freshwater and marine fishing
Tourism — both traditional and commercial — has been shown to be affected through destruction of benthic fauna
that accompanies dredging activities.
Sand mining transforms the riverbeds into large and deep pits; as a result, the groundwater table drops
Water depletion
leaving the drinking water wells on the embankments of these rivers dry.

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Geography, Environment, Biodiversity
& Disaster Management
WHAT ARE THE HINDRANCES IN EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE OF SAND MINING?
• Sand extraction and use is defined by its local geography and governance context and does not have the same rules,
practices and ethics worldwide. Sand extraction and use value chains are predominately governed at national and regional
levels given the construction sector aims to reduce high transport costs by minimising distance between where material
inputs are produced and used.
• Sand industry is fragmented and significantly informal in some parts of the world. It can be a complex value chain as
artisanal and small-scale operations are legion in the sector – particularly in emerging economies
• Sand extraction is fast becoming a transboundary issue due to sand extraction bans, international sourcing of sand for land
reclamation projects and impacts of uncontrolled sand extraction beyond national borders.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Preventing or reducing damage to river, beach and marine ecosystems and social risks to workers and communities in sand
extraction sites can be achieved through some already existing solutions:
1. Reducing consumption by reducing over-building and over-design. Society can make more efficient use of sourced
aggregates through alterations to infrastructure and building designs so that sand and gravel demand and extraction is
reduced to responsible levels.
2. Using recycled and alternative materials to sand in the construction sector. Society can make more efficient use of sourced
aggregates through using substitutes to natural sand where feasible so that extraction is reduced to responsible levels.
3. Reducing impacts through implementing existing standards and best practices. Society can implement existing legal and
voluntary standards and best practices in the extractives, environmental and other related sectors while analysing of sourced
aggregates through use of substitutes to natural sand so that extraction is reduced to responsible levels.
4. The sand value chain needs to be better understood – including all stakeholders – to implement avoidance and reduction
strategies well.
Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl has been organizing awareness among

school children, and Extinction Rebellion has been organising “die-ins” in many
parts of Europe and now in Asia. Their non-violent civil disobedience is inspiring
CLIMATE people to fight for climate change mitigation. In March 2019, three members of
the Norwegian parliament nominated Thunberg for the Nobel Peace Prize.
CHANGE On May 1, the British parliament became the world's first to declare a climate
EMERGENCY emergency: something that's considered a largely symbolic move. The
declaration came after 11 days of street protests in London by environmental
DECLARATION campaign group Extinction Rebellion. The group aims to bring global greenhouse
gas emissions down to zero by 2025, and to end biodiversity loss--which the
#Climate change British government aims to achieve by 2050.
#Environmental In Scotland also climate change emergency had been declared - and targets are
being set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2045. Ireland has
Governance also declared climate change emergency.
But the steps are still far behind. Hereby discussing the reasons for such
indifference attitude towards the issue of Climate change.
Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of
time (i.e., decades to millions of years). Climate change may refer to a change in average weather conditions, or in the time
variation of weather within the context of longer-term average conditions.

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WHAT VARIOUS REPORTS INDICATE?
It shows that global warming during the past half century has contributed to a differential change in
Paper: “Proceedings
income across countries. Already wealthy countries have become wealthier and developing countries
of the National
have been made poorer in relative terms during this time. India’s GDP growth penalty between 1961
Academy of Sciences
and 2010 is in the order of 31% for the period, whereas Norway gained about 34% on a per capita
of the U.S.A.
basis.
Intergovernmental
Science-Policy It has reported that, worldwide, the abundance of species has reduced by at least one-fifth, about
Platform on a million species are under threat of extinction in the next few decades and 85% of wetlands have
Biodiversity and been lost.
Ecosystem Services
It traces the impact of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global
greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat
Special report titled
of climate change, sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty.
‘Global Warming of
The special report states that the world is completely off track from achieving its climate goal and is
1.5°C’
instead heading towards an increase of 3 degree Celsius. It highly emphasises on limiting global
temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial level to reduce the impact.
SOME EXAMPLES OF COLLUSION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
The International Monetary Fund estimates in a recent working paper that fossil fuel subsidies were
Fossil fuel subsidies
$4.7 trillion in 2015 and estimated to be $5.2 trillion in 2017. It goes on to say that efficient fossil fuel
increasing
pricing would have reduced global carbon emissions by 28%.
The Arctic is melting rapidly. The increasing glacier melt is responsible for opening up shipping in the
Melting of Arctic for
area, superpowers are angling to access wealth from the oil, gas, uranium and precious metals in the
resources
region.
Draft Indian Forest It enhances the political and police power of the forest department and curtails the rights of millions
Act of 2019 of forest dwellers.
SOME CASE STUDIES
Mozambique recently had two successive intense cyclones, Idai and Kenneth, with widespread devastation. The
reason for devastation can be traced to how big oil and energy companies have been eager to tap into
Mozambique’s liquid natural gas, with large banks from many countries involved in the financing.
Mozambique In 2013, bank loans for $2 billion were guaranteed by the Mozambican government. When the government
defaulted on its loans and the currency plummeted, it left behind a trail of woes. The story in Mozambique is of
how “corrupt local elites collude with plundering foreign elites” and enrich themselves and their partners, while
the people are left to bear the burden of debt.
In Morocco, half of the sand – 10 million cubic metres a year – comes from illegal coastal sand extraction.
Sand smugglers have transformed a large beach into a rocky landscape between Safi and Essouira. Sand is often
Morocco removed from beaches to build hotels, roads and other tourism-related infrastructure.
In some locations, continued construction is likely to lead to an unsustainable situation and destruction of the
main natural attraction for visitors — beaches themselves. Asilah, in Northern Morocco, has suffered severe

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erosion of its beaches, due to regulatory issues, and pressures relating to tourism. Many of the structures near
the coast are now in danger from the erosion that created them.
Hindrance: The above examples shows that these networks often involve governments actively or quiescently colluding
with fossil fuel companies, agro-industrial elites, financial elites and other big businesses that are ignoring climate change and
making a fast buck often even from the growing disasters. It is the poorest and those without access to power who become
victims of the fallout from these situations.
 RELATED INFORMATION: EXTINCTION REBELLION
Extinction Rebellion is a socio-political movement which uses nonviolent resistance to protest against climate breakdown,
biodiversity loss, and the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse.
Extinction Rebellion's aims at:
• The Government must tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency, reverse inconsistent policies and work
alongside the media to communicate with citizens.
• The Government must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce
consumption levels.
• A national Citizens' assembly to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose."
The Supreme Court has recently ordered the demolition of five apartment
complexes in Maradu municipality in Ernakulam, Kerala, for violating Coastal
COASTAL Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. The order came on a special leave petition (SLP)
filed by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA).
REGULATION While the CRZ Rules are made by the Union Environment Ministry,
ZONE RULES implementation is supposed to be done by state governments through their
Coastal Zone Management Authorities. The states are also supposed to frame
#Coastal management
their own coastal zone management plans in accordance with the central
#Environmental Rules. But there has been a parity between development and environmental
Governance conservation.
Hereby discussing the Coastal Regulation Zone Rules and lacunas in its
implementation.
WHAT ARE COASTAL REGULATION ZONE?
• Areas that are ecologically sensitive and important, such as national parks/marine parks, sanctuaries,
reserve forests, wildlife habitats, mangroves, corals/coral reefs.
• Areas likely to be inundated due to rise in sea level consequent upon global warming and such other
Category I /CRZ I
areas as may be declared by the Central Government or the concerned authorities at the State/Union
Territory level from time to time.
• Also the areas that lie between Low tide line and High tide line.
Category-II (CRZ- The areas that have already been developed upto or close to the shoreline.
II)
Category-III (CRZ- Areas that are relatively undisturbed and those which do not belong to either Category-I or
III) These will include coastal zone in the rural areas (developed and undeveloped) and also areas within

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Municipal limits or in other legally designated urban areas which are not substantially built up.
Category-IV (CRZ- Coastal stretches in the Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and small islands, except those designated as
IV): CRZ-I, CRZ-II or CRZ-III.
EVOLUTION OF COASTAL REGULATION ZONE RULES
First CRZ Rule was mandated under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, framed in 1991. They
sought to restrict certain kinds of activities, like large constructions, setting up of new industries, storage
or disposal of hazardous material, mining, or reclamation and bunding, within a certain distance from
CRZ Rules, 1991
the coastline.
Lacunas: The Rules would not allow simple things like building decent homes for people living close to the
coast, and carrying out basic developmental works. Created hurdles for industrial and infrastructure projects.
The 2011 notification tried to address (in how much ever limited manner) this lacuna by creating the
District Level Coastal Committees (DLCC), a space for coastal communities to participate in some
CRZ Rules, 2011 aspects of regulatory decision-making on the coasts. While the exact role of these committees was not
specified, and in many states the committees were not fully functional.
Lacunas: There was mismatch between economic development and coastal ecosystem conservation.
The Environment Ministry in 2014 set up a six-member committee under then Earth Sciences Secretary
Shailesh Nayak to give suggestions for a new set of CRZ Rules.
The proposed CRZ 2018 rules will lead to enhanced activities in the coastal regions thereby promoting
CRZ Rules, 2018
economic growth while also respecting the conservation principles of coastal regions. It will not only
result in significant employment generation but also to a better life and add value to the economy of
India.
SALIENT FEATURES OF CRZ RULES, 2018
1. Allowing FSI as per current norms in CRZ areas: As per CRZ, 2011 Notification, for CRZ-II (Urban) areas, Floor Space Index
(FSI) or the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) had been frozen as per 1991 Development Control Regulation (DCR) levels. In the CRZ, 2018
Notification, it has been decided to de-freeze the same and permit FSI for construction projects, as prevailing on the date of
the new Notification. This will enable redevelopment of these areas to meet the emerging needs.
2. Densely populated rural areas to be afforded greater opportunity for development: For CRZ-III (Rural) areas, two
separate categories have now been stipulated as below:
• CRZ-III A - These are densely populated rural areas with a population density of 2161 per square kilometre as per 2011
Census. Such areas shall have a No Development Zone (NDZ) of 50 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL) as against 200
meters from the High Tide Line stipulated in the CRZ Notification, 2011 since such areas have similar characteristics as urban
areas.
• CRZ-III B - Rural areas with population density of below 2161 per square kilometre as per 2011 Census. Such areas shall
continue to have an NDZ of 200 meters from the HTL.
3. Tourism infrastructure for basic amenities to be promoted: Temporary tourism facilities such as shacks, toilet blocks,
change rooms, drinking water facilities etc. have now been permitted in Beaches. Such temporary tourism facilities are also
now permissible in the "No Development Zone" (NDZ) of the CRZ-III areas as per the Notification. However, a minimum
distance of 10 m from HTL should be maintained for setting up of such facilities.
4. CRZ Clearances streamlined: The procedure for CRZ clearances has been streamlined. Only such projects/activities, which
are located in the CRZ-I (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) and CRZ IV (area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 Nautical Miles

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Ge ography, EEnvironmeent, Biodiv ersity
& Dis aster Mannagement
seaward) sha
all be dealt with
w for CRZ cclearance by tthe Ministry of
o Environment, Forest and Climate Ch
hange. The po
owers for
clearances with
w respect to
o CRZ-II and II I have been d
delegated at th
he State level with necessa
ary guidance.
5. A No Develo
opment Zone
e (NDZ) of 20 meters has b
been stipulate
ed for all Islan
nds: For island
ds close to thee main land ccoast and
for all Backw
water Islands in the main land, in wak
ke of space limitations an
nd unique geo
ography of ssuch regions, bringing
uniformity in
n treatment off such regionss, NDZ of 20 m has been sttipulated.
6. All Ecologica
ally Sensitive
e Areas have
e been accord
ded special importance: Specific guide
elines related
d to their consservation
and management plans have been draw
wn up as a pa
art of the CRZ
Z Notification.
7. Pollution ab
batement ha
as been acco rded special focus: In ord
der to addresss pollution in
n Coastal areeas treatmentt facilities
have been made
m permissible activities in CRZ-I B are
ea subject to necessary
n safe
eguards.
DIFFERNCE BE
ETWEEN CRZ
RULES, 2011 AND CRZ
R
RULES, 2018
CRITICISM
• The decision to allow con

nstruction and
d tourist facilities closer to
o the coast may boost emp
ployment and
d grow local b
business,
but without strong envirronmental sa
afeguards, th
hese could da
amage fragile
e ecosystems.
• It allows “con
nstruction of memorials/m
monuments an
nd allied facilities by the co
oncerned Statte Governmeent in CRZ-IV ((A) areas,
in exceptiona
al cases”. CRZ
Z-IV A is the ““water area and the seabed area betwe
een the Low Tide
T Line up tto twelve (12)) nautical
miles on the seaward side
e”.
• Regulated lim
mestone mining is propossed to be permitted, subject to strict environmenta
e al safeguardss, in areas ad
dequately
above the he
eight of HTL, based
b on reco
ommendation
ns of reputed national instittutes in the mining
m field.
STE
EERING AWAY FROM F DIESEL
D
# Poollution # BS
B Norms
Maruti
M Suzukii has recently announced
d to eliminatte diesel models from 1s
st April, 2020
0 on the backkdrop of upccoming
Bhara
at Stage VI E mission norm
ms to be made applicablle from 1st April,
A 2020.
The decision of the
e leading auttomobile com
mpany has crreated many
y questions:
• Is this th
he sign of end of diesel cars?
• W
Will this move
e help in improving the air quality?
• Will tthis move in
ncrease resea
arch in altern
native fuels??

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WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF DIESEL VEHICLES ON AIR QUALITY?
• Ambient air quality has deteriorated in India that 15 Indian cities led by Gurugram are among the 20 most polluted cities
globally as per the ‘World Air Quality Report’ for 2018, based on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that penetrates the lungs
and bloodstream.
• Transport emissions, particularly from diesel, are a major contributor.
• Heating air in an engine produces nitrogen oxides (NO2) which include the toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2), greenhouse gas
nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO), which reacts with oxygen to form NO2. In a petrol car, these can be cleaned up by a
three-way catalytic converter so that it emits on average around 30% less NO2 than a diesel car, without after-treatment.
• Long-term exposure to nitric oxide can significantly increase the risk of respiratory problems. The fine particulate matter (PM)
that diesel engines produce also causes cancer and can have acute respiratory effects.
• Diesel emissions of nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of ground level ozone.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BS IV AND BS VI
• The main difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.
BS-VI fuel will bring down sulphur by 5 times from the current BS-IV levels which is equivalent to 80% reduction of
sulphur, from 50 parts per million (ppm) to 10 ppm.
• 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%.
• The particulate matter like PM 2.5 and PM 10 are the most harmful components of air pollution and the BS VI will bring the
cancer causing particulate matter in diesel cars by a phenomenal 80%.
RATIONALE OF SUZUKI’S DECISION
• The enhanced emission standards related to BS VI norms would make diesel engines costlier by up to Rs.1.5 lakh, and the
acquisition cost of diesel vehicles for consumers would be markedly higher than petrol equivalents. It would not be feasible
for the companies to invest in developing new diesel engines to meet the norms.
• Under the new norms diesel cars needs to be fitted with equipments to reduce pollutants such as Nitrous Oxides and
particulate matters. So, manufacturers are pulling the plug on production of diesel cars.
• Narrowing prices between diesel and petrol over years has resulted in decline in sale of diesel cars prompting consumers
to shift towards cleaner fuels like petrol and CNG which are also cheap as compared to their diesel counterparts.
• Environmentally, diesel is a heavy polluter and is losing ground in leading passenger vehicle markets such as the European
Union. The rigging of emissions data by Volkswagen to show lower levels of nitrogen oxides accelerated the move away from
diesel. Even in Germany, which is a leading maker of diesel cars, cities want to ban them.
 RELATED INFORMATION: AUTO FUEL VISION AND POLICY 2025
• The Auto Fuel Vision and Policy 2025 published by the erstwhile Planning Commission, which laid out the road map for a
transition to less polluting fuels, pointed out that sulphur in diesel is a contributor to particulate matter both in the vehicular
exhaust and in the atmosphere.
• Sulphur is found in petrol too, but for comparison, it was 2,000 parts per million (ppm) in petrol before introduction of
standards in 2000, but in diesel it was 10,000 parts per million (ppm) in 1996. Sulphur content was reduced with each phase
of upgradation of emission standards to touch 50 ppm under BS IV.
• Sulphur plays a key role since higher concentrations have an impact on technologies for control of other pollutants in the
emissions, such as carbon monoxide, particulates, oxides of nitrogen and hydrocarbons.

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The National Green Tribunal has directed the Airports Authority of India
NOISE POLLUTION and the Delhi International Airport Limited to furnish a report on the
steps taken to curb noise pollution in the area around the Indira Gandhi
# Pollution #Environmental International Airport.
Governance Hereby discussing the basics related to noise pollution and different
rules associated with it in India.
ABOUT NOISE POLLUTION
• Noise pollution or noise disturbance is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or
animal life. Noise pollution or noise disturbance is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of
human or animal life.
• The sound pressure is expressed in microbars. The sound level is the logarithm of ratio of the ambient intensity to
reference intensity. Reference intensity in human is known as the threshold of human hearing (i.e. softest audible
sound), which is 0.0002 microbars.
• The unit of sound level is decibel (dB), a name that was chosen to recognize the work of Alexander Graham Bell.
• Noise pollution can be caused by several phenomenon including:
 Use of loud speakers, loud music system and television at public places
 Means of transport i.e. automobiles, railways, aircrafts, etc.
 Heavy machines in industries fireworks
• Noise has harmful effects on human body. Noise of 70-80 db causes annoyance and irritation. Above this level, breathing rate
may be affected, blood vessels may constrict, movement of digestive canal are disturbed. Long exposure to high noise levels
can impair hearing.
STATUTORY CONTROL OF NOISE POLLUTION
Article 21: It ensures life and individual freedom to all people.
It empowers magistrate to interfere and remove a public nuances in the first instance with a
Section 133, Code of conditional order and then with a permanent one the provision can be utilized in case of nuance of
Criminal Procedure environment nature. In Law of Torts noise pollution is considered as a civil wrong. Under Law of Torts a
civil suit can be filed claiming damages for the nuisance.
Section-2 (A) of the

Includes noise in the definition of “Air Pollution” – This section states Air pollution means any solid,
Air (prevention and
liquid or gaseous substance including noise present in the atmosphere. Such concentration as may be
control of pollution)
or tend to injuries to human being or other living creatures or plants or property or environment.
Act, 1981
Defines environmental pollution to mean the presence in the environment of any environmental
pollutant. In a landmark judgement given by apex court in Mulan Mufti Syed and others V. State of
Section-2 (C) of the
West Bengal AIR 1999, the court held imposition of restriction on the use of microphone and
Environment
loudspeaker by the state govt. between 9 pm to 7 am which inter alia include restriction of azan on
Protection Act, 1986
microphone in early hours, before 7 am is not violative of Article 25 of Constitution of India guarantying
of freedom of religion.
Noise Pollution In order to curb the growing problem of noise pollution, the government of India has enacted the noise
Control Rule 2000 pollution rules 2000 that includes the following main provisions:-

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under Environment • The state government may categories the areas in the industrial or commercial or residential.
Protection Act 1996 • The ambient air quality standards in respect of noise for different areas have been specified.
• State government shall take measure for abatement of noise including noise emanating from
vehicular movement and ensure that the existing noise levels do not exceed the ambient air quality
standards specified under these rules.
• An area not less than 100 m around hospitals educations institutions and court may be declare as
silence are for the purpose of these rules.
• A loud speaker or a public address system shall not be used except after obtaining written
permission from the authority and the same shall not be used at night. Between 10 pm to 6 am.
• A person found violating the provisions as to the maximum noise permissible in any particular area
shall be liable to be punished for it as per the provision of these rules and any other law in force.
Further, government has initiated Green Muffler Scheme. Green Muffler is a technique of reducing noise pollution by planting 4-6
rows around the populated areas or noisy places. Under this scheme, Ashoka and Neem plants are planted near the house or
resident localities to reduce noise pollution.
Cyclone Fani, one of the biggest storms slammed the city of Puri in Odisha with
winds raging up to 200 kmph. Though, in terms of maximum wind-speed, Fani
CYCLONE FANI is only the seventh highest among cyclones to have originated from the
# Tropical Cyclone# Northern Indian Ocean since the 2000s, very rarely do such cyclones which
were formed in the month of April over the Bay of Bengal go on to make
Disaster Management landfall in India. This makes Fani a unique case of a cyclone that originated in
April.
Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the
coastal areas bringing about large scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm
surges.
Conditions Favourable for Tropical Cyclone Formation:
Conditions for
formation of • Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C,
Tropical Cyclone • Presence of the Coriolis force enough to create a cyclonic vortex,
• Small variations in the vertical wind speed,
• A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation,
• Upper divergence above the sea level system..
• Prime Season for Cyclones on the eastern coast - months of April and May just before the start of the
monsoon, and then October to December immediately after the end of the monsoon
Why is cyclone • Fani is different not because of the timing but on account of its strength, and the route it has taken.
Fani different • The in situ cyclonic systems in the Bay of Bengal usually originate around latitude 10°, in line with
from other Chennai or Thiruvananthapuram.
cyclones? • Fani, on the other hand, originated quite close to the Equator, around latitude 2°, well below the Sri
Lankan landmass.
• It has traversed a long way on the sea, thus gaining strength that is unusual for cyclones originating in

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the Bay of Bengal in this season.
• It was initially headed northwestwards, towards the Tamil Nadu coast, but changed course midway, and
swerved northeast away from the coastline to reach Odisha. That has given it even more time on the
sea.
• Cyclones emerging in April-May usually are much weaker than those during October-December
• Fani is not just a severe cyclone but an “extremely severe cyclone”.
• The extremely severe cyclone, Fani, has created four new mouths in Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish
water lake. Opening of mouth may make the water more saline.
 The immediate impact could be that there would be migration of fish.
 There were some weeds which were not decaying due to less salinity, but now there are chances those
weeds will start decaying as the salinity of the water will increase.
Impact of Chilika  There may be a decline in fresh water fish. The marine life will improve, as fish migration can now take
Lake place from both sides.
• Chilika Lagoon lies in the districts of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam of Odisha State along the eastern coast
of India. It is the largest coastal lagoon in India.
• On account of its rich bio-diversity and ecological significance, Chilika was designated as the 1st
“Ramsar Site” of India.
• The Nalaban Island within the lagoon is notified as a Bird Sanctuary under Wildlife (Protection) Act..
HERBIVORE
The Forest Department of Gujarat conducted a Herbivore Census in Gir forest.
CENSUS IN GIR Every year, the forest department of Gujarat conducts a census of herbivores
in Gir forest and other protected areas, the last abode in the world of Asiatic
FOREST lions.
# Fauna # Biodiversity
GIR FORESTS
• It was established in 1965, with a total area of 1,412 km2 (545 sq mi), of which 258 km2 (100 sq mi) is fully protected as
national park and 1,153 km2 (445 sq mi) as wildlife sanctuary.
• It has Dry deciduous forests.
• Gir Forests has a topography made up of successive rugged ridges, isolated hills, plateaus and valleys.
• It is the last abode of Asiatic lions. Gir has about 400 lions and 300 leopards, making it as one of the major 'big cat'
concentrations in India. Deer such Sambar & Chital, Antelopes such as Blue Bull, Four-horned antelope, Indian gazelle and
Wild Boar are in abundance in Gir. Jackal, Striped Hyena, Jungle and Rusty-spotted cat, Langur, Porcupine, Black-naped Hare
are among the other mammals of Gir.
• Gir has a large population of marsh crocodile, which is among the 40 species of reptiles and amphibians recorded in the
sanctuary.
• The park checklist has over 250 species of birds. Rare species such as Lesser Florican and the Sarus Crane are recorded in
the grasslands along the periphery of the sanctuary.

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ABOUT THE CENSUS
The census covers wild ungulates like spotted deer, blue bulls (nilgais), sambars, Indian gazelles
Species include (chinkaras), four-horned antelopes (choshinga) and wild boars. Additionally, the forest department also
counts Indian langurs as well as peafowl.
During summer, foliage is reduced to its minimum levels in dry and deciduous tropical forests like Gir. Such
a forest affords the best visibility and by extension, opportunities to spot maximum number of wild
animals in the forest.
Why Census done
During this time of the year, availability of surface water in Gir goes down significantly. Consequently, wild
in summers?
animals concentrate around water points, more than 450 of them artificial, and filled up by the forest
department. These water points are mainly located along forest tracks and thus makes it easy for forest
staff to access areas with a higher concentration of wild animals.
A count provides a sense of the available of the prey base for lions as well as other predators like leopards,
Significance of
hyenas and wolves. A strong prey base can reduce depredation of livestock by lions and can reduce man-
the Census
animal conflict.
NEWS Snippets
IN NEWS: Purple frog, believed to have co-existed with dinosaurs, set to be crowned as Kerala’s
state amphibian. Also known as pignose frog, was first discovered in October 2003 in the Idukki
district of Kerala.
THINGS TO KNOW
• It is endemic to the Western Ghats.

• Most closely related to a family of tiny frogs only found on the Seychelles.
• It has a bloated body with short stout limbs and is dark purple to greyish in colour. Unlike other
PURPLE frogs, it has very short hind legs, which does not allow it to leap from one spot to another.
FROG • It depends more on its sense of smell to hunt out soil termites underground.
• It remains underground most of the year except for 2-3 weeks during the monsoon when it
comes out to mate.
• Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List.
• Threats: deforestation from expanding cultivation, in addition to consumption and harvesting by
local communities.
• It has been recorded within protected areas including Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Periyar Tiger
Reserve and Silent Valley national Park.
IN NEWS: In Arunachal Pradesh, a new species of reddish-brownish pit viper is found in Itanagar.
PIT VIPER This was discovered from a forest in West Kameng district of Arunachal. The new species also makes
Arunachal Pradesh the only Indian state to have a pit viper named after it.

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THINGS TO KNOW
• It is a venomous snake with a unique heat-sensing system.

• India currently has four species of Pit viper – Malabar, Horseshoe, hump-nosed and Himalayan
and this new fifth one have been named as Arunachal pit viper, making Arunachal the only
state to have a pit viper named after it.
• This snake belongs to a species not described before, hence not much is known about its history,
food habits or habitat.
• The snake discovered is the only male found so far of this species, making it one of the rarest pit
viper in the world.
• Hence, the specimen was donated to the museum of the State Forest Research Institute in
Itanagar.
IN NEWS: Lakshadweep ‘recruited’ three pairs of barn owls from Kerala under the Rodent
Management Programme.
THINGS TO KNOW
• The barn owl is a medium-sized, pale-coloured owl with long wings and a short, squarish
tail.
• They play an important role in the ecological cycle of life as they scavenge and dispose of
carrion, control rodent populations, and eat various pests that are harmful to crops
and thus benefit humans.
• Are widely distributed in open habitat and low light medium to suit the ecological role as
hunters of small mammals.
• Threats: changes in land use pattern, urbanization and infrastructural development.
• Status: protected under Schedule IV species under the Wildlife protection act, 1972; listed under
Appendix II of CITES; IUCN as least concern.
BARN OWLS Usage of Barn Owls in Rodent Management Programme in Lakshadweep
• Increasing rat population is adversely impacting coconut yield in Lakshadweep
• Barn owls have been brought to the island from Kerala which is a natural Enemy of the rats.
• They will gradually be released into the coconut plantations under a closely monitored
breeding and rodent management programme in the form of bio-control.
What is Bio – Control?
• It involves introduction of such organisms or animals which are natural enemies of the
invasive species. For example - Rats have natural enemies like - cats and snakes. Merits of
Bio-Control are:
 The biological control agents are environmentally friendly and cause no side effects.
 Less cost compared to other Agrochemicals – pesticides and insecticides.
 Easily available, easy to use and is effective throughout the season.
 Helps in reducing the use of chemicals and other pesticides.

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IN NEWS: Over 300 nests of grizzled giant squirrel spotted in Tamil Nadu. The grizzled giant squirrel
has earlier been spotted in Tiruvannamalai Forest Division (Tamil Nadu) in 2014, which was the only
recorded sighting from this region in the Eastern Ghats.
THINGS TO KNOW
GRIZZLED • The grizzled giant squirrel is usually known to nest in the Western Ghats in Southern India
ranging from Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Palani
GIANT hills in Tamil Nadu.
SQUIRREL • Habitat loss coupled with hunting for its fur and bush meat by the locals are said to be the major
threats to this species.
• Status: Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – Schedule I; Schedule II – CITES; IUCN as Near Threatened
• Apart from grizzled giant squirrel, team also found several diverse and endangered species in
the Pakkamalai Reserve Forests: Golden Gecko, Bamboo Pit Viper and Mouse Deer
IN NEWS: The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the Basel Convention on
the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal took place in
Geneva, Switzerland. A proposal by India to prevent developed countries from dumping their
electronic and plastic waste onto developing countries, was defeated in the meeting
THINGS TO KNOW
• The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes

and their Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in
Basel, Switzerland.
• It regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous and other wastes applying the
“Prior Informed Consent” procedure (shipments made without consent are illegal). Shipments to
and from non-Parties are illegal unless there is a special agreement. Each Party is required to
introduce appropriate national or domestic legislation to prevent and punish illegal traffic in
BASEL hazardous and other wastes. Illegal traffic is criminal.
It obliges its Parties to ensure that hazardous and other wastes are managed and disposed of
CONVENTION •
in an environmentally sound manner (ESM). To this end, Parties are expected to minimize the
quantities that are moved across borders, to treat and dispose of wastes as close as possible to
their place of generation and to prevent or minimize the generation of wastes at source. Strong
controls have to be *applied from the moment of generation of a hazardous waste to its
storage, transport, treatment, reuse, recycling, recovery and final disposal.
• The Convention is also intended to:
 Minimise the amount and toxicity of wastes generated,
 To ensure their environmentally sound management as closely as possible to the source of
generation,
 To assist Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in environmentally sound management of the
hazardous and other wastes they generate.
 It does not address the movement of radioactive waste.
IN NEWS: The average annual PM10 level between 2010 and 2017 in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand
PARTICULATE and Bihar crossed the danger mark. Kerala, parts of the Northeast, and Lakshadweep recorded low

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le
evels of polluttion.
MATTER
THINGS TO KNOW
K
• Particulate
e matter is the sum of all solid
s and liquiid particles su
uspended in aair many of w
which are
hazardouss. This comple
ex mixture includes
both orga nic and inorg
ganic particles
s, such
as dust, p
pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid
droplets. These particles vary grea
atly in
size, comp
position, and origin. PM po
ollution
is a mix off primary and secondary so
ources.
• Primary p
pollution is a direct em
mission
source an d forms a sig
gnificant porttion of
the PM po
ollution, in the
e form of soo
ot from
the coal an
nd diesel burning, also kno
own as
black carb
bon. A good
d portion of these
emissions is also calle
ed organic carbon.
Besides tthe carbon, the primarry PM
emissions also include
e metals in various
v
forms. Fo r example, tthe metals in
n coal,
after com
mbustion get vented thro
ough a
chimney, a
along with a multitude off other
pollutants . Other p
primary polllutants
include su
ulfur dioxide
e, nitrogen oxides,
o
volatile h ydrocarbons,, methane, carbon
monoxide,, and carbon dioxide.
• The secon
ndary pollutiion is due to
o chemical trransformatio
on of the prrimary emisssions. In
case of PM
M, the second
dary compone
ents include sulfates
s from sulfur dioxid
de emissions, nitrates
from nitro
ogen oxide em
missions, and organic aero
osols from hydrocarbon em
missions. Mosst of the
secondaryy pollutants, sulfates, nitrattes, and secon
ndary organic aerosols, forrm part of the
e fine PM
(PM2.5). O
Other seconda
ary pollutants include ozone.
• Based on size, particula
ate matter is often divided into two main groups:
 The coars e fraction co
ontains the larger particles with a size ra
anging from 22.5 to 10 μm (PM10 -
PM2.5).
 The fine ffraction conta
ains the smaller ones with
h a size up to
o 2.5 μm (PM
M2.5). The particles in
the fine fra
action which a
are smaller th
han 0.1 μm arre called ultrrafine particlles.
 Impact
I of PM
M particles
• PM polluti on can cause
e lung irritatiion, which lea
ads to increased permeabillity in lung tisssue.
• PM aggravvates the seve
erity of chron
nic lung disea
ases, causing
g rapid loss off airway functiion.
• PM causess inflammatio
on of lung tis
ssue, resulting in the release of chemiicals that can
n impact
heart funcction.
• PM causess changes in b
blood chemisttry that can re
esult in clots that may lead
d to heart atttacks.
• PM can i ncrease suscceptibility to viral and bacterial pathogens leadin
ng to pneum
monia in
vulnerable
e persons who
o are unable to
t clear these infections.
• The smalle
er-sized partiicles - those 2.5 micrometters or less in diameter, ccalled PM2.5 - are of

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greatest health concern because they can pass through the nose and throat and be absorbed
deep inside the lungs. PM 2.5 are sometimes called "fine" particles, and they are about 1/28th
the diameter of a human hair or smaller.
IN NEWS: Water hyacinth is one of the most noxious weeds that has affected agriculture, fishing and
livelihoods. Recently, Mula river in Pune covered completely with dense water hyacinth.
THINGS TO KNOW
• It grows and spread rapidly in freshwater. It can withstand extremes of nutrient supply, pH level,
temperature, and can even grow in toxic water. It grows well in still or slow-moving water.
• Water hyacinth invasion is facilitated by water bodies that are enriched by agricultural chemicals,
sediments from catchment erosion, domestic effluents and plant nutrients. Water hyacinth is
widely considered to be the world's worst water weed.
 Negatives
• It clogs waterways preventing river travel, blocks irrigation canals, destroys paddy rice fields
and ruins fishing grounds.
• By shading the water, these plants can deprive native freshwater plants of sunlight and
animals of oxygenated water.
• As the mats decay, there is a sharp increase in nutrient levels in the water, which spark off
algal growths that further reduces oxygen levels.
• It affects hydro-electricity production as its vast mats clog the turbines of downstream
hydropower installations.
• It also increases water loss from a water body with its evapotranspiration far exceeding that
WATER of open pan evaporation.
HYACINTH • It also provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, insects and disease pathogens.
These are Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and the IUCN considers their impact as immense, insidious
and usually irreversible. The only way to control the weed is to utilise it by making value-added
products such as hydroponics/floating agriculture, mushroom cultivation, briquetting, pulp-based
value-added products, vermin-composting, biofuels, animal feed, etc.
 Alternative usage
• Animal Feed: The water hyacinth may be a promising possibility for solving needs of animal
feed. It contains most of the essential nutrients for animal growth, can be converted into silage.
Such silage has been shown to be highly palatable to sheep and other animals. Chinese cultivate
the water hyacinth in fish ponds as pig fodder.
• Food: Water hyacinth is also used as a carotene-rich table vegetable in Formosa.
• Biogas: Biogas or methane production from the microbial anaerobic decomposition of water
hyacinth has been investigated. It has been calculated that one hectare of water hyacinth can
produce enough biomass each day to generate between 90 and 180 mt of methane gas and at
the same time 0.5 tonne of residue as fertilizer.
• Manure: The plant is also good for mulching and effective in conserving soil moisture. Wilted
water hyacinth, mixed with earth, cow dung and wood ashes in the Chinese compost fashion can
yield useful compost.
• Aquaculture: Water hyacinth at low density can increase fish catches due to its provision of

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niches for invertebrates that act as fish food
IN NEWS: The environment ministry has embarked on a project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos
in the country. Indian rhinoceros, (Rhinoceros unicornis), also called greater one-horned
rhinoceros, the largest of the three Asian rhinoceroses.
There are about 2,600 rhinos in India, with more than 90% of the population concentrated in
Assam’s Kaziranga National Park.
THINGS TO KNOW
• The Indian rhino could be the first wild animal species in India to have all its members DNA-
DNA sequenced.
DATABASE OF • The project’s proponents, including the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) and
the Centre-funded Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
INDIAN • It will be completed by 2021.
RHINO • The method uses genetic (DNA) sequences known as short tandem repeats (STRs) to create a
fingerprint or barcode that is unique to each animal. Included in this barcode are a gender
marker and a species marker. The technique uses a tiny amount of DNA (less than 20mg of
horn is needed).
• The large database of rhinoceros DNA is successfully being used to prosecute poachers and
those trading rhino horns.
• It will help in understanding the genetic status of existing rhino populations across habitats and
long-term conservation.
CONCEPT: Water audit is an effective management tool for minimizing losses, optimizing various
uses and thus enabling considerable conservation of water not in irrigation sector alone but in other
sectors of water use such as domestic, power and industrial as well.
A water audit determines the amount of water lost from a water supply system and the cost of this
loss to the utility.
It will quantify Unaccounted for Water (UFW) and Non- Revenue Water (NRW). Water audits balance
the amount produced with the amount billed and account for the remaining water (loss).
 Benefits of Water Audit
Water audit improves the knowledge and documentation of the distribution system, problem and
risk areas and a better understanding of what is happening to the water after it leaves the source
WATER AUDIT
point. Leak detection programs help in minimizing leakages and tackling small problems before they
become major ones. These programs lead to:
(a) reduced water losses,
(b) improved financial performance,
(c) improved reliability of supply system,
(d) enhanced knowledge of the distribution system,
(e) efficient use of existing supplies,
(f) better safeguard to public health and property,
(g) improved public relations,

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(h) reduced legal liability, and
(i) reduced disruption, thereby improving level of service to customers.
THINGS TO KNOW
• Wayanad wildlife sanctuary is contiguous to the protected areas of Nagarhole and Bandipur
of Karnataka on the north-east and Mudumalai of Tamilnadu on the south –east. Rich in
biodiversity, the sanctuary is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
WAYANAD • Year of formation: Declared Sanctuary during 1973.

• Climate: Temperature varies from 13ºC to 32ºC
WILDLIFE
• Topography: Altitude ranging from 650 to 1150m. The highest peak is Karottimala (1158m)
SANCTUARY • Rainfall: Average annual rainfall is 2000mm.
• Drainage: Cherupuzha, Bavali puzha, Kabani river, Kannaram puzha, Kurichiat puzha,
Chedalathu puzha etc.
• Forest Types: The forest types include South Indian Moist Deciduous forests, West coast semi-
evergreen forests and plantations of teak, eucalyptus and Grewelia.
THINGS TO KNOW
• The hill ranges spread in parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh have been
designated as Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in Andhra Pradesh.
SESHACHALA • The ranges were formed during the Precambrian era (3.8 billion to 540 million years ago).
M BIOSPHERE • It comprises seven peaks, representing the seven hoods of Adisesha, thus earning the name
Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri,
RESERVE Narayanadri and Venkatadri.
• The Seshachalam bio-reserve, among other areas, also includes Sri Venkateswara National
Park of which the famous hill temple town of Lord Venkateswara too forms a division, besides
Sri Venkateswara wild life sanctuary and the Idupulapaya.
IN NEWS: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has informed the National Green
Tribunal that around 1 crore trees have been planted across the country along highways in the past
three years to maintain ecology and environmental balance under Green Highway Policy.
However, a Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel was not satisfied with the
report furnished and directed senior the NHAI officials to be present before the Tribunal.
GREEN  Green Highway (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy 2015
HIGHWAY • Aims to help environment, help local communities, and generate employment
First year target to cover 6000Km
POLICY •
• Green Highways Fund: 1% of total cost of highway projects
• The objectives of the policy include developing a policy framework for the plantation of trees
along highways, reducing the impact of air pollution and dust, providing shade on glaring hot
roads during summer, reducing the impact of noise pollution and soil erosion, preventing the
glare from the headlights of incoming vehicles, and generating employment

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• There will be a strong monitoring mechanism in place by using ISRO’s Bhuvan and GAGAN
satellite systems. Every planted tree will be counted and auditing will be done. The agencies
performing well will receive annual awards.
 Implementation
• Green Highways Fund to be transferred to the National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) would be used exclusively for plantation and maintenance on all NH stretches being
developed on the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) and Build Operate Transfer (BOT)
mode.
• The NHAI will act as Fund Manager for maintaining the account and for release of the
payments made by the Regional Officer or Project Director based on the recommendation of the
monitoring agency-Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL).
• Initially, at least one NH corridor in each State would be taken up for model plantation,
which would be replicated in other stretches subsequently. The plantation and maintenance
would be done through empanelled agencies of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
(MoRTH) through competitive bidding.
• The Green Highways (Plantation and Maintenance) Policy, 2015 will be effective for all the new
NH projects to be sanctioned.
IN NEWS: The research has found that on two occasions, separated by tens of thousands of
years, a rail bird species was able to successfully colonise an isolated atoll called Aldabra and
subsequently became flightless on both occasions. The last surviving colony of flightless rails is still
found on the island today.
This is the first time that iterative evolution has been seen in rails and one of the most significant
in bird records. Iterative evolution is the repeated evolution of similar or parallel structures in the
development of the same main line. There are many examples of iterative evolution in the fossil
record, spanning a wide range of groups.
 Case of Rail Bird as observed by researchers
• The white-throated rail is a chicken-sized bird, indigenous to Madagascar in the south-western
Indian Ocean. They are persistent colonisers of isolated islands, who would have frequent
ITERATIVE population explosions and migrate in great numbers from Madagascar.
• Many of those that went north or south drowned in the expanse of ocean and those that went
EVOLUTION west landed in Africa, where predators ate them. Of those that went east, some landed on the
many ocean islands such as Mauritius, Reunion and Aldabra, the last-named is a ring-shaped
coral atoll that formed around 400,000 years ago.
• With the absence of predators on the atoll, the rails evolved so that they lost the ability to fly.
• However, Aldabra disappeared when it was completely covered by the sea during a major
inundation event around 136,000 years ago, wiping out all fauna and flora including the flightless
rail.
• Now, the researchers studied fossil evidence from 100,000 years ago when the sea-levels fell
during the subsequent ice age and the atoll was recolonised by flightless rails. The researchers
compared the bones of a fossilised rail from before the inundation event with bones from a rail
after the inundation event. They found that the wing bone showed an advanced state of
flightlessness and the ankle bones showed distinct properties that it was evolving toward

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flightlessne
ess.
• This mean s that one sp
pecies from Madagascar
M ga
ave rise to two
o different sp
pecies of flightless rail
on Aldabra
a in the space of a few thou
usand years.
THINGS TO KNOW
K
• Hornbills a
are among the
e largest birds
s found in the
e tropical fore
ests of Asia a
and Africa.
• India has n
nine hornbill species, of which four are
a found in the Western
n Ghats: Indian Grey
Hornbill (e
endemic to India), the Mala
abar Grey Hornbill (endem
mic to the Wesstern Ghats), Malabar
Pied Hornb
bill (endemic to India and Sri Lanka) and the widely distributed b
but endangere
ed Great
Hornbill.
• India also has one sp
pecies that has
h one of the smalles
st ranges o
of any hornbill: the
HORNBIL
H LLS Narconda m Hornbill, ffound only on
n the island off Narcondam.
• Hornbills a
are the 'farmers of the fo
orest' as they
y disperse the
e seeds of maany tropical trrees and
keep the fforest alive. Itt plays a critical role as seed dispersers, enabling rregeneration of their
important food plants a
and helping maintain
m the diversity in trop
pical forests.
• Status: IU
UCN as Vulnera
able; Appendix
x I of CITES.
• To conserv
rve it, the Ho
ornbill Nest Adoption Program
P is a relatively ssuccessful model for
communityy-based conservation, which was adoptted in 2011 to
o protect breeeding popula
ations of
hornbills th
hat occur outside Pakke Tig
ger Reserve, Arunachal
A Pra
adesh.

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Hisstoryy, HEERITAAGE & Cultture

# GS Papeer (Prelimss) & GS Pap er I (Main)
Archaeological Survey of India (AS SI) has been conducting excavationss in the
Baghpat district of U..P. Recently, it has unearrthed undergground “sacrred
SANAULI: A chambers”, decorated “legged cofffins” as well as rice and dal in pots a and
animal bo ones buried with the bod dies as a parrt of the ongo
oing excavattion of
HA
ARAPPAAN SITE?? 4,000-yeaar-old burial sites in Sana auli, Baghpatt.
# Ancient Indiaa Sanauli iss located on the left bank k of the Rive
er Yamuna, 668 km north--east of
Delhi. In tthis respect, let us take a look at the
ese excavatio ons and their
relevance e.
T
THINGS TO KNOW
K
• Three chariots, so
ome coffins, shields,
swords
s and he
elmets had
d been
unearth
hed.
• The exccavators have
e also found rice and
urad dal in pots, ca
attle bones, wild pig
and mongoose
m b
buried alon
ng with
bodies.. These may have been o
offered to
the dep
parted souls.
Key
y
Arc
chaeological • Also found sacred chambers b
below the
Fin
ndings ground wherein afte
er the processsion, the
people may have pu t the body in the chamber for some trea
atment or ritu
uals.
• In one of the burial pits, the exca
avators found
d a wooden legged coffin that was deccorated with steatite
inlays with
w a femal e skeleton.
• The pit also containe
ed an armlett of semiprec
cious stones, pottery and
d an antenn
na sword placced near
the hea
ad.
• Another area of the
e site included
d remains of four furnace
es with thre
ee working le
evels and the
e overall
ceramicc assemblage
e has late Harrappan chara
acters.
• Excavattions are impo

ortant to understand the culture
c pattern of the Upper Ganga-Ya
amuna doab
b.
• The rem
mains of helm
mets, shields and swords point
p towardss the existencce of a “warriior class in tthe area
around
d 2,000 BCE”.
Im
mplications
• ASI has brought to liight the large
est necropolis of the late Harappan pe
eriod datablee to around early part
of the findings
of second millennium
m BCE.
• This sta
atement sugg
gests that this site may ha
ave been a part
p of the Ha
arappan cultture howeve
er some
excava
ators have otther opinionss on it.

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History, Heritage & Culture
GOLCONDA
Recently, the National Monuments Authority has given permission of
FORT # Medieval construction in the regulated zone of Golconda Fort. This action could hamper its
heritage and may become a hurdle in achieving the World heritage tag. In this
India # Art and respect, let us understand these new developments.
Architecture
GOLCONDA FORT
• Golconda Fort is situated in Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

• Built by the Kakatiya dynasty in the 13th century. Later, the fort came into the possession of the Bahmani dynasty.
• It was then acquired by the Qutub Shahi dynasty who then made Golconda their capital. In this respect, Golconda fort owes
much of its present grandeur to Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah.
• By the 17th century, Golconda was famous as a diamond market. It gave the world some of the best-known diamonds,
including the 'Kohinoor'.
• Structures in the fort range from military and defensive structures, mortuary baths, silos, mosques, gardens, residential
quarters, pavilions and royal courts, showcasing the entire range of structures that catered to life in a medieval fortified town
in India.
• The magnificent architecture of the fort is evident from the colossal gate at the entrance studded with long iron spikes, to
deter invading armies from battering it down.
• The gate leads to the portico known as the Balahisar gate, magnificent as the gate itself. It includes the modern acoustic
system, which was so designed that a handclap sounded at the Balahisar gate of the fort could be heard right up in the
citadel.
 RELATED INFORMATION: NATIONAL MONUMENTS AUTHORITY (NMA)
• NMA under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India has been setup as per provisions of The Ancient
Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains AMASR (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010 which
was enacted in March, 2010.
• Several functions have been assigned to the NMA for the protection and preservation of monuments and
sites through management of the prohibited and regulated area around the centrally protected
Key
monuments.
Information
• One amongst these responsibilities of NMA is also to consider grant of permissions to applicants for
construction related activity in the prohibited and regulated area.
• The NMA and the Competent Authorities (CA) were setup and now all applications for construction related
work in the prohibited and regulated area are to be submitted to the CA and then to NMA for consideration
of the application.
• Statutory provision for the ‘prohibited’ and regulated areas.

• Complete ban on construction (including public projects) in the prohibited area.
• Providing statutory procedures for applications seeking permission for construction/repair/renovation.
Functions
• The authority shall make necessary scrutiny of the Heritage bye laws and accord approval after inviting
objections/suggestions from the public
• Grading and classification of monuments.

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Historyy, Heritag e & Culturre
 GOLCONDA
A FORT: RECENT DEVELO
OPMENTS
• The National Monum ents Authoritty (NMA) has given the go

o-ahead for development o
of 54 row ho
ouses in
the regu
ulated zone o
of the 500-yea
ar-old Golcond
da Fort and Qutub
Q Shahi To
ombs Compleex in the city.
• The location is 101 m
metres beyon
nd the wall near Patanche
eru Darwaza
a and in the line of sight of both
monume
ents.
• The consstruction will b
block the visual continuitty that has ex
xisted for centturies betweeen the two loccations.
NM
MA’S
• Work is progressing
p att a rapid pace
e on the site threatening th
he authenticity
y of the monu
ument.
Perrmit and
its Impact • The ancie
ent aqueductt that broughtt water from Durgam
D Cherruvu to the Golconda
G fort has been turrned into
a wall by a builder.
• Other archaeologicallyy important sspots like the medieval we
eir that used to
t flood the m
moat might b
be under
threat.
• A 2003 satellite
s map shows five sm
mall water bo
odies between
n the fort wall and the ou
ut enclosure o
of tombs
which are
e now filled w
with rubble an
nd flattened.
His
storical • The Patancheru Darw
waza (gate) wa
as an important passage in
n the old road
d from the Inn
ner Fort to th
he site of
Sig
gnificance Old Golco
onda.
of the
t • The gate was the link to Golconda
a’s origins.
Pattancheru • The site of ‘Old Golco
onda’ went fa
ar beyond this, and may have
h extende
ed into this aarea of poten
ntial new
darrwaza construction between the fort and the tombs.
To secure ‘W
World Heritag
ge Site’ statuss for Golcond
da and other Qutb Shahi Tombs
T which were nomin
nated in
Wa
ay ahead
2014, it is im
mperative thatt the pedestria
an linkage is restored
r along
g the original route used b
by the Qutb Sh
hahis.
The e general no orm entails thhe idea of ‘onne language,, one script’, but there w
was a
MO
ODI SCR RIPT tim
me when two
Devvanagari and
o scripts weree in circulatio
d its variant, Modi which
on with resp
pect to Maratthi. These w
h coexisted inn harmony. H
were
However, Mo odi
# Medievall India scrript is not in use in contemporary tim mes. In this re
espect, let uss understandd some
keyy features pe ertaining to the
t Modi scrript.
 M
MARATHI: MO
ODI SCRIPT
• The Mod
di script was fformerly used
d to write Marrathi in additio
on to Devanagari.
• It emerg
ged in the 140
00s as a shortthand
variant of the Dev
vanagari used by
scribes, since Devvanagari cha
aracter
forms were
w awkwarrd to reprodu
uce in
rapid wrriting.
His
storical
• Modi lite
erally means ‘broken (scriipt),’ a
bac
ckground
referencce to its flow
wing form, w
with its
rounded
d, looping sttrokes, all features
that lentt themselves well to the sccript’s swift reproduction by
y scribes on paper.
p
• Modi’s history
h is intim
mately linked
d to the sprea
ad of paper as
a a medium of writing ass it was the p
preferred
script fo
or scribes.
• This pa
aper-based M
Marathi scribal tradition first flourish
hed under the
t sultanattes of Bijap
pur and

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Ahmednagar, both of which widely employed Marathi-speaking Brahmins as scribes.

• Land records, for example, were written in Marathi in both polities.
• The founding of the Maratha empire, took this tradition to new heights, since, in contrast to the earlier
sultanates, the Marathas actively cultivated Marathi as a language of power and culture.
• Modi’s usage received a massive boost from the empire’s rulers and nobles, who used the script in
personal correspondence and administration.
• If paper helped bring Modi to life, mass printing marked the beginning of its demise.
• The script’s looping, squiggly glyphs proved challenging to typeset.
• Thus, Devanagari which was preferred for literature, was chosen instead for printing.
Reasons for • As linguistic nationalism grew as a potent political force in India, literary traditions conformed to its ideals
decline wherein a language increasingly could only be tied to one script.
• Debates over Marathi’s script raged in Maharashtra and Modi’s place in society was questioned.
• Things finally came to a head in 1964, when the newly formed state of Maharashtra, its borders drawn up
along linguistic lines, declared Devanagari Marathi’s sole official script.
• Efforts are being taken up to revive Modi in modern times.

Modern • The task is to ensure that the script — and by extension the vast corpus of manuscripts and documents
developments Marathi scribal tradition nurtured — will remain part of the collective heritage of Marathi’s literate
community.
 MARATHI: DEVANAGARI SCRIPT
• In the decades since independence, Devanagari has gone from being one of Marathi’s two scripts to being its sole script,
displacing Modi completely.
• Devanagari is older than Modi and has been used in inscriptions (both stone and copperplate) from the very beginning of
the language’s written history.
• With its block like forms and straight lines, it was more suited for engraving on stone and copper.
• Plus, given the longer tradition of usage of Sanskrit, Devanagari carried more cachet and prestige, and was preferred for
manuscripts and literature, especially in Sanskritised forms of writing where exact pronunciation was important.
ISHWARCHANDRA Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar was a prominent 19th century social reformer

in India. He made immense contributions towards the upliftment of
VIDYASAGAR women. But recently, his bust was vandalized in Bengal and this was
# Modern India # criticised by the people and media. In this respect, let us understand some
key events of his lifetime.
Personality
 ISHWARCHANDRA VIDYASAGAR: A BRIEF PROFILE
• Ishwarchandra Bandopadhyay was born on September 26, 1820, in Birsingha village of Midnapore
district in a poor Brahmin family.
Early life
• After his elementary education, Ishwarchandra moved to Calcutta, where he studied Sanskrit grammar,
literature, Vedanta philosophy, logic, astronomy, and Hindu law.

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• He received the title of Vidyasagar — Ocean of Learning — at age 21.

• Privately, he studied English literature and philosophy.
• When he was barely 30, Vidyasagar was appointed principal of Calcutta’s Sanskrit College.
• Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the 19th century pioneer of Bengali drama, describes Ishwarchandra as having
“the genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali
mother”.
• Vidyasagar’s Bengali primer, Borno Porichoy, still remains, more than 125 years after his death in 1891 i.e.
the introduction to the alphabet for nearly all Bengali children.
• Vidyasagar’s most enduring contributions were as an educationist and reformer of traditional upper caste
Hindu society.
• The focus of his reform was women.
• He spent his life’s energies trying to ensure an end to the practice of child marriage and to initiate
widow marriage.
• The humanist reformism of Raja Rammohan Roy (1772-1833), Akshay Kumar Dutt (1820-86) and
Vidyasagar was shot through with a powerful rationalism that rejected the decadence of contemporary
Hindu society, and questioned the bases of the faith in which it claimed to have its roots.
• Roy founded the Brahmo Sabha. Vidyasagar and Dutt were agnostics who refused to discuss the
supernatural.
• In a paper written in 1850, Vidyasagar launched a powerful attack on the practice of marrying off girls
aged 10 or even younger, pointing to social, ethical, and hygiene issues, and rejecting the validity of the
Literary and
Dharma Shastras that advocated it.
Social
• In 1855, he wrote his two famous tracts on the Marriage of Hindu Widows, grounding his argument in
Contributions
reason and logic, showing that there was no prohibition on widows remarrying in the entire body of ‘Smriti’
literature (the Sutras and the Sastras).
• Alongside the campaign for widow remarriage, Vidyasagar campaigned against polygamy.
• In 1857, a petition for the prohibition of polygamy among Kulin Brahmins was presented to the government
with 25,000 signatures.
• The revolt of the sepoys resulted in postponement of action on this petition, but in 1866, Vidyasagar
inspired another petition, this time with 21,000 signatures.
• In the 1870s, Vidyasagar wrote two brilliant critiques of polygamy, arguing to the government that since
polygamy was not sanctioned by the sacred texts, there could be no objection to suppressing it by
legislation.
• Two thousand copies of Vidyasagar’s first pamphlets on widow remarriage were sold out in a week, and a
reprint of another 3,000 was sold out as well. These were unprecedented sales figures for that time.
• On October 14, 1855, Vidyasagar petitioned the Government of India asking that it “take into early
British
consideration the propriety of passing a law (as annexed) to remove all obstacles to the marriage of Hindu
Government
widows and to declare the issue of all such marriages to be legitimate”.
response
• Finally, on July 16, 1856, The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, known as Act XV, was passed.

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JAMSHETJEE
Recently, India witnessed the 160th death anniversary of Jamshetjee Jejeebhoy. He
JEJEEBHOY was a Parsi Indian merchant and philanthropist and is historically notable for
making a huge fortune in cotton and opium trade to China. In this respect, let us
# Modern India understand some key information about this personality and his contributions.
# Personality
 JEJEEBHOY: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS
• Jejeebhoy’s family belonged to a Parsi priestly community but his father worked as a weaver.
• After his family passed away, Jejeebhoy began working for his maternal uncle, buying and selling empty
liquor bottles.
• He earned the nickname ‘Batliwalla’ or bottle-seller and seemed to revel in it, often signing letters with
the moniker as if it actually was his last name.
• At 20, he married his maternal uncle’s daughter, Avabai, who was around 10 years old at the time and
Early life
through his family, he began to trade, making five trips to China.
• On his fourth trip to China, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy was captured by the French.
• The passengers, mostly merchants like Jejeebhoy, were taken hostage to South Africa.
• After his release ,it took Jejeebhoy 4 months to get home and in between he had made friends with
the Brunswick’s young doctor, William Jardine (doctor for East India Company).
• Jardine had plans to set up a trading house in Canton, now known as Guangzhou.
• Jamsetjee began his trading firm, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy & Co, with three other partners, each from a different
community.
• There was Motichund Amichund, who was Jain and had close ties to the opium producers in Malwa.
Jejeebhoy’s • There was Mohammed Ali Rogay, a Konkani Muslim, who was a ‘Nakhuda’ or ship-owner/ captain.
entry in the • They were joined by the Goan Catholic Rogério de Faria, who had connections with the Portuguese
opium trade authorities that controlled the port at Daman.
• At its height, almost one-third of the entire trade was going to one firm, Jardine’s trading house in Canton.
• Jejeebhoy who enabled this trade from India was becoming stunningly wealthy. By the time he was 40,
Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy had allegedly made more than ₹2 crore, in the 1820s.
• Opium wasn’t just another trade good for the British Empire. It was the necessary corollary to another
commodity which was tea.
• Tea was in heavy demand in England which was obtained from China.
• With respect to tea trade almost all of the Empire’s physical currency was disappearing into China and the
Significance
British were running a huge trade deficit.
of opium
• They needed something that the Chinese wanted as much as they wanted tea and thus Opium was the
answer.
• The opium came from the East India Company’s nearby colony, India. It was grown in Malwa and
shipped from Bombay.
Jejeebhoy’s • When his son Cursetjee was old enough, Jejeebhoy began to step back from the business to focus on civic
contributions life. His donations in this sense were prolific.
in • By 1855, his commercial empire was mostly complete and he had devoted himself entirely to philanthropy

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development and public life.

of Bombay • In his biography, historian J.R.P. Mody calculates that Jejeebhoy would have donated £2,450,00 over the
and Pune course of his life. In current terms, that would be around £10 million or Rs. 100 crore.
• This astronomical charity left its mark on Bombay and Pune.
• He paid two-thirds of the entire cost of the Pune waterworks, with the remainder coming from the
government.
• His wife, Avabai, single-handedly paid for the entire construction of the Mahim causeway that connects
the island of Mahim to Bandra and ensured that the government wouldn’t charge citizens a toll.
• He founded the Sir JJ School of Art, where John Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard Kipling, would be
dean in the 1860s.
• Probably the most notable of all his contributions was the founding of JJ Hospital, to which he eventually
donated both land and a large sum of money.
• With his philanthropy, Jejeebhoy’s reputation among the British was growing.
• In 1834, he became one of the first Indians appointed as Justice of the Peace, which was a position in
the Court of Petty Sessions, the de facto municipal authority.
• In 1842, he became the first Indian to be knighted, officially receiving a Sir prepended to his name.
• Thomas Williamson Ramsay, former revenue commissioner of Bombay, wrote a glowing account of his
numerous good deeds and with the help of many well-wishers, this account was widely distributed among
Titles and
the Lords of England, even reaching the hands of Prince Albert himself.
awards
• In 1856, a profile of Jejeebhoy was published in The Illustrated London News. The campaign was
eventually successful.
• In 1857, Queen Victoria named him the first Baronet of Bombay.
• To secure the baronetcy, Jejeebhoy had to place a property (officially referred to as Mazagaon Castle) and a
sum of Rs. 25 lakh in trust.
• A special postage stamp was issued in April 1959 to commemorate Jejeebhoy’s death anniversary.
KHASI A federation of 25 Himas or Khasi kingdoms that have a cosmetic existence today, plan
to revisit the 1948 agreements that made present-day Meghalaya a part of India. In this
KINGDOM respect, let us understand the aim behind this move and some aspects of the 1948
# Modern India agreement.
1948 AGREEMENT
• The move is to strengthen the Federation of Khasi States that was ruled by a Syiem (king-like head of a
Hima).
Reasons to • This revisiting in consultation with legal experts and academicians is aimed at safeguarding tribal customs
look back and traditions from Central laws in force or could be enacted, such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
• The Citizenship bill for instance would grant citizenship to non-domicile of north east which then in turn will
bring assimilation, that could diminish the cultural value of the tribal areas.
Key aspects • The 25 Khasi states had signed the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement with the Dominion
of the of India between December 15, 1947, and March 19, 1948.

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agrreement • This cond

ditional treatyy was signed o
on August 17
7, 1948 underr the supervission of the th en Governor General
C. Rajago
opalachari.
• The Khasii states did no
ot sign the Insstrument of Merger
M unlike most other sttates in India..
• During th
he British rule
e, the Khasi d
domain was divided into the
t Khasi states and Britissh territories. At that
time, the British goverrnment had no territorial right on the Kh
hasi states an
nd they had to
o approach th
he chiefs
of these states
s if they n
needed land ffor any purpo
ose.
• After inde
ependence, th
he British terrritories becam
me part of th
he Indian dom
minion but thee Khasi states had to
sign docu
uments beginn
ning with the Standstill Agrreement that provided a fe
ew rights to th
he states.
• The Constitution has p
provided self--rule to a con
nsiderable ex
xtent throug
gh tribal coun
ncils, there h
has been
an increasing demand for giving mo
ore autonomy
y to the Khasi states.
 RELATE
ED INFORMATION: CITIZENSHIP AM
MENDMENT BILL
• The Citizenship Amendment Bill seekss to allow ille

egal migrantts belonging to the Hind
du, Sikh, Bud
ddhist, Jain, Parsi or
Christian religious comm
munities com
ming from Afg
ghanistan, Ba
angladesh or Pakistan to not be impriisoned or dep
ported.
• It also appea
als for the min
nimum years of residency in India to ap
pply for citizen
nship to be lessened from at least eleve
en to six
years for succh migrants.
• The Bill, how
wever, does no
ot extend to il legal Muslim migrants.
• It also does not
n talk aboutt other minor ity communitties in the thre
ee neighbouring countries,, such as Jewss, Bahais etc.
• The Citizensh
hip Amendme
ent Bill has n
not been sittin
ng well with the
t Assamese
e as it contra
adicts the Asssam Accord of 1985,
which clearly
y states that illegal migrantts heading in ffrom Banglad
desh after Marrch 25, 1971, would
w be dep
ported.
HIMRROO AN ND Suraiy
ya Hasan Bos se is a textile
e revivalist who
w is crediteed for single-
handeedly reviving himroo (a Persian broca ade weave) aand mashru (a silk
MA
ASHRU TEXTILE ES and cootton weave)). In this resp
pect, let us understand
u ssome key feaatures
#Art and Cultuure of these forgotten textiles.
 HIIMROO: KEY
Y FEATURES
• Himroo is a fabric
f made of
o cotton and
d silk using a sspecial loom.
• The district of Aurangabad is popu
ular because of these fine
fabrics.
• The original form is mad
de of silver a
and gold, and
d the threads of
silver and go
old were so fine
f that the final cloth iss appeared like
gold cloth.
• According to historians this art origina
ated in Persia
a, though it has
not been pro
oved.
• This textile is associated with the tim es of Muham
mmad Tughla
aq
who ruled in the 14th centtury.
• When Muha
ammad Tugh
hlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to
Daulatabad many
m weavers came and se
ettled here.
• It is said thatt Marco Polo has been giftted a fabric wo
oven in silk an
nd gold threads.

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• Earlier, Himrroo weaving was

w done on the double-ssided loom (lo
ocally called as
a the Pagar loom) whereein a minimum
m of two
weavers were required, ass a weaver an
nd another to assist for inte
erlacing the warp
w with the weft
w yarn.
• Cotton threads are used for
f warps and those of silk for weft, mak
king it a satin weave,
w giving
g it a soft and puffy texture.
• Himroo is reg
garded as a second-class brocade whicch is uniquely
y designed witth bold colou
urs and patte
erns.
 MASHRU: KEY
Y FEATURES
• The Mashru fabric is a vibrant,
v hand
dwoven mix
x of Silk and
d Cotton
textiles.
• The word ‘Ma
ashru’ means ‘permitted ’ in Arabic and its Sanskrit variation
‘Misru’ means ‘mixed.
• The Mashru textile was woven for M
Muslim comm
munities, who believed
that silk shou
uld not touch a person’s skkin.
• Crafting a so
olution, weav
vers mixed siilk and cotton
n threads to create a
textile that was
w simple cottton on one s ide and rich ssilk on the oth
her.
• The weaving
g of Mashru
u fabric was practiced across the co
ountry in
different form
ms; from Dec
ccan to Luckn
now to Benga
al.
• Nowadays, only
o weavers from
f towns off Gujarat, ma
ainly Patan and
a Mandvi practice
p this craft.
• Mashru fabrrics are effecctively teamed
d with embro
oidered cotto
on textiles to
o create the festive
f apparrel of the Ra
abaris of
Kachchh.
• The port tow
wn of Mandvi is at the centtre of Mashro
oo legacy in Kachchh, historically creatin
ng luxurious b
bolts of the fa
abric that
Muslims and
d Hindus enjoy
yed.
• In the regions of Saurashttra and Kach
hchh, women stitch mashr
roo kanjari (b
backless blou
uses), skirts, and cholis.
• The Ahir Pattels (farmers
s) produced ccotton, which was hand spun and then gave
g it to the weavers to p roduce mashru.
• Rabari and Ahir
A women did embroid
dery and mirrror work to create even more distinctive
e versions of mashru.
• Mashru was also popular as a coveted item of men’ss clothing in Turkey
T and th
he Middle East and was th
hus exported..
NEWS Snippetts
IN
N NEWS: Partss of the 12th
h century Shrree Jagannath
h temple in Pu
uri were receently damaged
d due to
the disastrous Cyclone Fani that hit the town.
t The dev
vastation wass visible from the Lion’s Ga
ate or as
‘Jay-Vijay Dwar’ which servess as the main entrance of th
he temple.
Th
he idol of Jay has been bro
oken, whereas
s that the idol of Vijay is inttact.
Th
he Kalpa Batta which is a huge banyan tree revere
ed as a wish fulfilment treee within the
e temple
JA
AGANNAT
TH prremises was a
also broken.
PU
URI TEMPLE • The Jaganna
ath Temple w
was built in th
he city of Purii by King Ana
atavarman C
Chodaganga Deva of
the Eastern
n Ganga Dyna
asty in the 12
2th century.
• He has also built the Sun
n temple of Konark.
K
• Both these ttemples are lo
ocated on the
e eastern coa
ast, at Puri, Odisha.
O
• There are th
hree main deiities in the tem
mple i.e. Lord
d Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhad
dra.

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• The temple is a part of Char Dham (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram) pilgrimages that
a Hindu is expected to make in one’s lifetime.
• When most of the deities in the temples of India are made of stone or metal, the idol of
Jagannatha is made of wood which is ceremoniously replaced in every twelve or nineteen years
by using sacred trees.
• The Jagannath Temple is famously called the White Pagoda by the Europeans.
• The temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra or Chariot festival.
IN NEWS: The annual Thrissur Pooram has been recently celebrated in Kerala.
• Thrissur Pooram is an annual Hindu festival held in Kerala, India. It has a tradition which dates
back more than 200 years.
• This spectacular event was the brainchild of Raja Rama Varma, famously known as Sakthan
Thampuran, the Maharaja of Cochin (1790–1805).
• It is a seven-day festival which is celebrated on the day when the star sign” Pooram” occurs in
the Malayalam month of” medam”.
THRISSUR • A grand display of the fifteen elephants is one of the most anticipated aspects of this festival.
POORAM The fifteen elephants are decorated in stunning, gold-threaded work and finery.
FESTIVAL • Fireworks are also an integral part of the Thrissur Pooram and it is referred to as” the mother of
all” firework and temple celebrations.
• As a part of the festivities, the main temples in Thrissur such as the Paramekkavu Devi temple
and the Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna temple pay their obeisance to Lord Shiva, the presiding
deity of the famed Vadakunnathan temple.
• The two aforementioned temples oppose each other during the celebrations with their” elephant
teams” who compete with one another on the sixth day through the elephant procession,
fireworks and overall cultural representation.
IN NEWS: Recently, heavy security was deployed for the annual ‘Chandanotsavam’ festival of Lord
Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam.
• Chandanotsavam (sandalwood festival), also known as Chandan Yatra or the Nijaroopa
Darshanam Day, is an annual festival celebrated in the Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy
temple, Andhra Pradesh.
• It is during this festival, that the sandal paste is removed and the idol is seen by the pilgrims.
CHANDAN- • It is on the Chandanotsavam day that the Lord's Sandalwood paste is removed and is covered
OTSAVAM with a fresh layer of Sandalwood paste brought from Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
• The ceremonial process would take some time and during the process of removal of the sandal
FESTIVAL paste, the sanctum sanctorum doors will be closed.
• Abhishekam and special pujas will be performed after the deity is fully uncovered.
• It is celebrated on the festival day of Akshaya Tritiya (April – May)
• The Shri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Simhachalam is a Hindu temple situated on the
Simhachalam hill, in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
th
• It is believed to be an 11 century temple dedicated to the incarnation of Vishnu known as

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Narasimha.
• It is also known as “Simhagiri” or “Lion’s Hill”.
• Simhachalam temple is known as the second richest temple (after Tirupati) for earning a
revenue.
• The temple architecture represents a combination of Orissa and Dravidian style.
IN NEWS: Recently, the Tiwa tribesmen had taken part in a dance during the Khelchawa festival in
Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
• This festival is celebrated every five years after the harvest season is over.
• The festival is celebrated for a period of 4 days by the Tiwa tribesmen of Karbi Anglong
district, Assam.
• It is a male-oriented festival which celebrates the efforts of young boys becoming an adult.
• During this festival, young boys of aged between 10-14 years will enrol themselves for the festival.
For the next five years, they become the main leads in religious or cultural events in the villages.
• It is also closely related to agriculture. After the harvesting season is over Tiwa community
KHEL- celebrates Khelchawa festival for a good harvest.
CHAWA • The period of 4 days is celebrated with full vigour and charm where young boys now adults are
dressed in traditional Tiwa costume.
FESTIVAL • They perform traditional dances like bamboo dance to popular folk songs of the Tiwas.
• Pigs are sacrificed as a mark of respect for their local deities collectively known as 'Lampha
Raja'.
• Tiwa tribesmen are recognized as a Scheduled tribe within the State of Assam. They belong to
the Magro clan.
• They are also found in the states of Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Tiwas speak Tibeto- Burman language. They are divided into two sub-groups namely Hill Tiwas
and Plain Tiwas.
• They practice Jhum or shifting cultivation for their living in the hills.
IN NEWS: The Wanchuwa festival was recently celebrated in Assam by the Tiwa tribe.
• Wanchuwa festival is one of the most important festivals in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
WANCHUWA
• It is linked with agriculture, the mainstay of their economy.
FESTIVAL • Tiwas pray for a bountiful harvest and crop protection from natural calamities and pests.
• Pigs’ skulls and bones are used as deities and are preserved through many generations.
IN NEWS: Recently, Tirupati celebrated the folk festival ‘Ganga Jatara’, at Thathayagunta
Gangamma temple located in the heart of the city.
GANGAMMA
• Gangamma jatra' (folk festival) is celebrated at the Thathayagunta Gangamma temple in Tirupati
JATRA annually during the month of May.
• During the festivities, devotees offer Pongal to be blessed with good health and wealth. This is

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a week-long festival with many peculiar rituals.

• The festival starts with the tying of ‘Vadibalu’ to the ‘Viswaroopa Sthoopam’ at the main
entrance of the temple.
• A set of gifts such as ‘Pasupu Kunkuma’ and silk clothes is brought to the temple from the
house of Mullapudi Subbarami Reddy in Avilala village, located south of Tirupati, as is the age-old
practice.
• Members of the Kaikala lineage perform the ‘Chatimpu’ about the start of the festival by
midnight, following which the residents are barred from leaving the town.
• The folk goddess Gangamma is revered as the younger sister of Lord Venkateswara and as
such the festival is considered on a par with Tirumala Brahmotsavam by the locals.
• According to the folklore, Gangamma is on a mission during this festival period to find out the
‘palegadu’ (local chieftain) who goes into hiding after outraging her modesty.
• She roams in the town in different costumes, hurling abuses at the public to enrage and lure him
out of hiding.
• On the last day, she finds him out and slays him in public, which goes to prove the ‘good prevails
over bad’.
• Gangamma going to town in different costumes is simulated even today by the native residents.
• They follow the age-old practice during the festival days by smearing red, black and white colours
on the body during the festival days.
IN NEWS: The Ministry of External Affairs has recently made changes in the software that selects
applicants for the Kailash Mansarovar yatra.
• Preference to fresh applicants or route choice of senior citizens has been incorporated into the
software for the first time, which selects applicants for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra under the
Ministry of External Affairs.
• The selection is a fair computer-generated, random gender-balanced selection process.
• The Yatra involves trekking at high altitudes under inhospitable conditions, including extreme
weather, and rugged terrain.
KAILASH • The MEA organises this Yatra during June to September annually through two different routes
MANSAROVAR — Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim.
• Known for its religious value and cultural significance, this yatra is undertaken by hundreds of
YATRA people every year.
• Lake Manasarovar or Mapam Yumtso is the highest body of freshwater lake in the world, fed by
the Kailash Glacier
• It is present near Mount Kailash in Tibet Autonomous Region.
• The lake is revered a sacred place for four religions which are Bön, Buddhism, Jainism and
Hinduism.
• Lake Manasarovar has long been viewed by the pilgrims as being nearby to the sources of four
great rivers of Asia, namely the Brahmaputra, Ghaghara, Sindhu and Sutlej.

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IN
N NEWS: Rece
ently, the dea
adly floods sweeping Afg
ghanistan hav
ve put the ceelebrated min
naret of
Jam — one of tthe country’s most revered
d cultural, arcchitectural and historical trreasures — at risk of
co
ollapse.
• The recent rainfall has th
hreatened the minaret of Jam which is more than 8800-year-old, Islamic
religious to
ower and a UNESCO World
d Heritage Site located in central Ghorr province.
• The Minarett of Jam rises within a rugg
ged valley alon
ng the Hari-ru
ud River at itss junction.
• The minarett is located in a remote are
ea that is now
w largely unde
er Taliban con
ntrol.
It was built iin 1194 by th
he great Ghur
rid Sultan Gh
hiyas-od-din (1153-1203).
(
MINARET OF •
• Its emplace ment probab
bly marks the site of the an
ncient city off Firuzkuh, b
believed to ha
ave been
JA
AM the summerr capital of the Ghurid dynasty.
• Its surround
ding remainss include a grroup of stone
es with Hebre
ew inscriptio
ons from the
e 11th to
12th centurries on the Ku
ushkak hill, an
nd vestiges of castles and towers of thee Ghurid setttlements
on the bankks of the Hari River as well as to the eastt of the Minaret.
• With its heig
ght rising to 6
65m from a 9m diameter octagonal
o basse, its four sup
perimposed, tapering
cylindrical shafts are co
onstructed fro
om fired brick
ks.
• The Minare t is complete
ely covered with
w geometriic decoration
n in relief en
nhanced with
h a Kufic
inscription in turquoise
e tiles.

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SECURRITY
# GGS Paper III (Main)
NAVAL EXERCIS
N E SE Indian Navy ships INS Kolkata and Shakti carried
c out G
Group Sail w
with the
IN
N SOUTH H CHINA naval sships of Japa
an, the Philip
ppines and the
t U.S. in th
he South Ch
hina Sea
(SCS). In
ndian Navy ships
s were on
o return passsage from ttheir deploym
ment to
SE
EA the Sou
uth and the
e East China Seas as pa
art of the an
nnual Easterrn Fleet
# Marittime Securitty oversea
as deployme
ent during which
w they vissited Vietnam
m, China and South
Korea.
#Defennce relations
 KNOW
W MORE: SOUTH CHINA SEA
• The South China

C Sea, one of the worrld’s busiest w
waterways, is subject to se
everal overlap
pping territorrial disputes involving
China, Vietna
am, the Philippines, Taiwan
n, Malaysia an
nd Brunei.
• The conflict has
h remained
d unresolved ffor decades b
but has emerg
ged as a flashpoint in Chin
na-US relatio
ons in Asia.
• China claims more than 80 per cent, while Vietna
am claims sov
vereignty ove
er the Paracell Islands and thhe Spratly Isla
ands.
• The Philippines asserts ownership off the Spratly archipelago and
a the Scarbo
orough Shoal, while Brune
ei and Malay
ysia have
ereignty over southern partts of the sea a
claimed sove and some of Spratly
S Islandss.

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Security
• China‘s “nine-dash line” is a geographical marker used to assert its claim. It stretches as far as 2,000km from the Chinese
mainland, reaching waters close to Indonesia and Malaysia.
• In July 2016, a ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague determined China had no “historic rights” over the sea and
ruled that rocky outcrops claimed by several countries could not legally be used as the basis for territorial claims. Beijing
rejected the ruling and described it has having “no binding force”.
• To resolve the dispute, ASEAN has been working with China on an official code of conduct to avoid clashes in the disputed
waters. A binding agreement has been discussed for years to little avail.
WHAT ROLE DOES THE US PLAY IN THE DISPUTE?
• The US has wide-ranging security commitments in East Asia, and is allied with several of the countries bordering the South
China Sea, such as the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
• Furthermore, the South China Sea is a vital trade route in the global supply chain, used by American companies who produce
goods in the region.
• Although the US does not officially align with any of the claimants, it has conducted Freedom of Navigation operations,
designed to challenge what U.S. considers excessive claims and grant the free passage of commercial ships in its waters.
INDIA AND SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE
• India's Involvement in South China Sea dispute has to be seen in the context of ‘Offensive-Defence Strategy’ in foreign
policy that is covertly being pursued by India.
• It serves national interest because India has legitimate security concerns with China in several areas; be it land boundary
disputes, maritime time issues, trade and commerce, strategic perceptions, Chinese offensive postures has menacingly
threatened India’s national interests.
• While China has been pursuing such ‘offensive- defensive’ strategy against India for a long time through its policies like; 'string
of pearls', one belt one road, developing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, increasing presence in Indian Ocean region, India
so far has been reluctant to counter such challenges.
• It is only recently that India has decided to act as a ‘game changer’ and adopted an ‘offensive defensive’ strategy and to
counter China has got involved in the South China Sea dispute.
NEWS Snippets
IN NEWS: After 29 glorious years of service from 1990 to 2019, Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS)
Vigraha, a frontline offshore patrol vessel was decommissioned.
• ICGS Vigraha was the seventh offshore patrol vessel built by the Mazagaon Dock Limited,
Mumbai. The ship was later based at Visakhapatnam and has been instrumental in protecting
VIGRAHA the east coast in general and Andhra Pradesh coast in particular.
• The ship has participated in major coast guard operations involving search and rescue, anti-
poaching, pollution response, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, repatriation and joint
exercises among others.

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Securitty
IN NEWS: T he Indian Na
avy achieved a significantt milestone in enhancing its Anti Air Warfare
Capability wiith the maide
en cooperativ
ve engageme
ent firing of the Medium Range Surfacce to Air
Missile (MRSA
AM).
• The firing was undertaken on the Western
W Seabo
oard by India
an Naval Shipss Kochi and C
Chennai
wherein tthe missiles o
of both ships
s were contro
olled by one ship to inte rcept different aerial
targets att extended ra
anges. The firing trial wass carried out by the India
an Navy, DR
RDO and
Israel Aerrospace Indu
ustries.
CO
OOPERATIVE • The succe
essful conducct of the test has been the
e result of susstained effortts by all stake
eholders
EN
NGAGEM
MENT over the yyears. DRDL H
Hyderabad, a DRDO Lab, ha
as jointly deve
eloped this m
missile in collaboration
with Israe
el Aerospace Industries. Th
he MRSAM has been man
nufactured b
by Bharat Dy
ynamics
FIRING Limited, IIndia.
• These Surrface to Air M
Missiles are fittted onboard the
t Kolkata Class Destroyeers and would
d also be
fitted on a
all future majo
or warships of
o the Indian Navy.
N
• With the successful p
proving of this cooperative
e mode of engagement, the Indian N
Navy has
become a part of a sselect group
p of Navies that
t have this niche capaability. This capability
significanttly enhancess the combatt effectivenesss of the Indian Navy th
hereby proviiding an
operation
nal edge over potential adversaries..

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Misccellaaneouus
CRIC
CKET W WORLD C CUP 201 19
# Cricket #GGlobal Tournament
A big sportin
ng bonanza is now on tthe horizon with the com
mmencing of
o Cricket
World
W Cup 20
019 in the month
m of Jun
ne and July. This year, itt is hosted by
b England
an
nd Wales. It is the fifth time
t that th
he Cricket W
World Cup is being held in England
and Wales,
W follow
wing the 19 75, 1979, 19
983 and 1999
9 World Cup
ps.
The format for the tournament is a single group of 10 tea
ams, with ea
ach team
playing the
e other nine
e once, and tthe top fourr at the end of the group phase
progressing
g to the sem
mi-finals.

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M
Miscellan eous
No
ote: Remain connected
c fo
or the final ou
utcome of the
e World Cup,, and further coverage in the FOCUS.
IND
DIAN EN
NVIRONMENTA
AL LAW
# BBOOKS AND AUTHORS
A
Genre: Non-Fiction, Env
vironment
Article 48A
A of our Constitution re
equires the state
s to makke an endeavour “to
protect and
d improve th
he environme
ent and to safeguard thee forests and
d wildlife
of the coun
ntry.”
Article 21 of the Constitution, which

h guaranteess a right to liffe, an implicitt right to
live in a healthy and cle
ean environm
ment.
It’s only ovver the last th
hree and a half decades that
t India haas seen a burrgeoning
of environmental law. And to a larg
ge extent this growth haas been a product of
what manyy have described as “judicial activism
m,” as a prod
duct of publicc interest
litigation th
hat began to swell during the mid 1980s.
But these iinterventions
s have unque
estionably sp
prung out of a relinquishment by
the state of its basic duty to protect the environm
ment
Flow of th
he book: The
e book covers a wide range of significcant issues, ffrom the
judiciary’s iimagination of substantiv
ve environme
ental rights, tto guarantee
es rooted
in procedu
ure, and to the quadrant of principles that arre central to
o India’s
environme
ental jurisprudence.
That is, th
he idea of su
ustainable development,
d , the princip
ple that the polluter
always payys, the dictu
um demandiing that the
e state take active meassures to
prevent en
nvironmentall damage, an
nd the basic proposition of public trust, that
the state holds India’s natural
n resou
urces in the capacity of a ttrustee.
In one off the rarest sustained feats,

f Rafaell Nadal has conquered French
RA
AFAEL NADAL:
N : Open men’s singles he 12th time
s title for th e. No otherr men’s play
yer has
dominated a partiicular court so consiistently as Nadal, wh
ho has
D IT FOR THE
DID E doggedly
y dominated
d clay court of the Fre g it 12th
ench open by winning
th
12
2 TIME E time sincce 2005.
# Tennnis #Globall He is a sy
ymbol of sh
heer perseve
erance, and will to win.. He now sta
ands at
Tournamentt 18 Grand
d Slam title just
j 2 behin
nd his great rival friend,, Roger Fede
erer. By
this feat,, he has stak
ked his claim
m for Greate
est of All Tim
mes (GOAT) title.

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M
Miscellan eous
MA
AJOR RESUL
LTS 2019
Runner Up:
U Dominic Thiem
T (Austria)
Me
en’s Final Winne
er: Rafael Na
adal (Spain)
This is sec
cond year in row when Th
hiem remaineed Runner up.
Wo
omen’s Finall Winne
er: A. Barty (R
Romania) Runner Up:
U M. Vondroušová (Czecch Republic)
FRENC
CH OPEN AL
LSO KNOWN
N AS ROLAN
ND GARROS
Founded 1891
1
Surface Is cu
urrently the o
only Grand Slam event he
eld on clay.
Host City
y Paris
Unique
U featu
ures No tie-breaker
t in
n the final sett.
The event is wid
dely considered to be th
he most physsically demanding tenniss tournamen
nt in the
world.
Most
M titles (M
Men) Rafa
ael Nadal (12 ) of Spain
Most Title
es Chriis Evert (7) off U.S.
(Women))

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ETHICS, INTEGRITY & APTITUDE

# GS Paper IV (Main)
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
#Ethics #Environment
TH
► JUNE 5 IS THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY:
ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT?
WHAT UPSC ASKED?
• What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one
environmental issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics. (2015)

G.S. Paper- IV
• There is enough on this earth for every one’s need but for no one’s greed. Mahatma Gandhi.
(2013)
Essay We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. (2017)
COMMON NEWS HEADLINES QUESTIONING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Global headlines National headlines
One million species at risk of extinction : Increasing frequency of urban floods in
UN India
Mass migration due to land degradation Desertification’ of Marathwada’
Pacific garbage patch is far larger than Himalayas are becoming highly prone to
feared landslides
Plastic waste is climbing up the marine River misery: Plight of Yamuna
food chain. Looming water crisis
Microfibre pollution becoming a menace

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Ethics,, Integrityy & Aptitudde
COMMON
C V
VISIBLE PATT
TERN OF ENVIRONMEN
NT DEGRADA
ATION
►QUESSTIONS FOR
R OURSELVES
1) Is it important for us to preserve

p natu
ure for the futture generatio
on? If so, are we
w even makiing an effort tto do that?
2) Is the huma
an race alone
e important on
n the face of tthis earth? If not,
n then aren
n't our actionss proving otheerwise?
3) What would happen if animals,
a plantts, and other species are destroyed
d or there are mo
ore and moree endangered species?
Would we be
b affected orr would we ca
are?
4) Are our future generatio
ons entitled to
o a clean and green environ
nment? Do they even have a right?
5) Should we be procreatin
ng and adding
g to the popullation growth?
6) Is it right fo
or us to be ressponsible for the extinction
n of certain sp
pecies only for the sake of our
o consump
ption and gree
ed?
7) Is it our mo
oral right to be
e clearing rain
n forests for tthe sake of hu
uman consum
mption?
8) In spite of knowing that gasoline ru
un vehicles lead to the destruction of natural
n resou
urces, is it rigght for us to continue
manufacturing and using them?
9) Are the guidelines which
h are drawn to
o protect the environment and nature any effective? What is causiing their failurre?
10)) Is there a need
n to reform
m the way in w
which we deal with protecttion laws and clauses?
11)) What is env
vironmental pollution
p and pollution of the air, soil and water doing
g to the world
d?

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Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
Environmental ethics is thus like the questioning post, it chooses to question the human race about certain key factors that are
associated with environmental issues. They hope to make the human race aware that they are not the only ones who inhabit the
planet and that there are other species as well that need to be looked after and taken into consideration before mindlessly
hogging the entire planet for themselves.
THINGS TO UNDERSTAND
Definition of
Environmental ethics is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the
Environmental
value and moral status of, the environment and its nonhuman contents.
Ethics
Rabindranath Tagore gave a definition on ‘Education’ which coincided with Environmental ethics. The
Coincides with
definition is given here under:
the definition
“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all
of education
existence”.
• The definition of environmental ethics rests on the principle that there is an ethical relationship between
human beings and the natural environment.
• Human beings are a part of the environment and so are the other living beings.
• When we talk about the philosophical principle that guides our life, we often ignore the fact that even
Elaboration plants and animals are a part of our lives.
• They are an integral part of the environment and hence cannot be denied their right to live.
• Since they are an inseparable part of nature and closely associated with our living, the guiding principles of
our life and our ethical values should include them. They need to be considered as entities with the right to
co-exist with human beings.
• The emerging concept of environmental ethics brings out the fact that all the life forms on Earth have the
right to live. By destroying nature, we are denying the life forms this right. This act is unjust and unethical.
• The food web clearly indicates that human beings, plants, animals, and other natural resources are closely
Emerging
linked with each other. All of us are creations of nature and we depend on one another and the
concept
environment.
• Respecting the existence of not just other humans but also the non-human entities, and recognizing their
right to live is our primary duty. With environmental ethics, morality extends to the non-human world
ACTIONS CONTRADICTORY TO ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Our natural environment is not a storehouse to rob resources from. It is a reserve of resources that are
Voracious
crucial to the existence of life. Their unscrupulous depletion is detrimental to our well-being. We are cutting
consumption
down forests for making our homes. Our excessive consumption of natural resources continues. The undue
of Natural
use of resources is resulting in their depletion, risking the life of our future generations.
Resources
Is this ethical? This is an environmental ethics issue.
When industrial processes lead to destruction of resources, is it not the industry's responsibility to restore the
Destruction of
depleted resources?
Forests
Moreover, can a restored environment make up for the original one?
Mining processes disrupt the ecological balance in certain areas. They harm the plant and animal life in those

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regions.
Slash-and-burn techniq ues are used for clearing land, that leads to the desstruction of fo
orests and wo
oodland.
The land iss used for agr iculture, but iis the loss of so many trees compensa
ated for?
Many hum
man activitiess lead to envvironmental pollution. Th
he rising hum
man populati on is increassing the
demand fo
or nature's ressources. As th
he population
n is exceeding
g the carrying capacity of o ur planet, aniimal and
plant habitats are bein
ng destroyed to make spa
ace for huma
an habitation
n. Huge consstructions (roads and
Env
vironmental buildings for residentiall and industrial use) are be
eing made at the
t cost of th
he environmen
nt. To allow sspace for
deg
gradation these consstructions, so many trees h
have to lose their
t lives. The animals tha
at thrive in th
hem lose theirr natural
habitats an
nd eventually their lives.
However, the cutting d
down of tree
es is seldom even
e conside
ered as loss of
o lives. Isn't tthis unethica
al?
Poor solid waste manag
gement, plastiics and polyth
hene pile ups,, clogging of drains
d and waater bodies, im
mpacting
even remo
ote oceanic isl ands.
Due to hab
bitat loss, anim
mals may entter human settlements, thus posing a th
hreat to the p
people living tthere. In
some case
es, these anim
mals are killed
d. Secondly, animals serve as food sourcces of human
ns, for which they are
Harm to killed. Also
o, animal stud
dies cause harm to animals and even their deathss. This destru
uction has led
d to the
Animals extinction of many anim
mal species. Th
he reduction in the populations of severral other anim
mal species co
ontinues.
How can we
w deny the an
nimals their rright to live? How
H are we rig
ght in depriving them of th
heir habitat an
nd food?
Who gave us the right to
o harm them for our conve
enience? Thesse are some of
o the ethical environmental issues
that need to
t be addresssed.
►T
TUSSLE: ECO
ONOMIC GR
ROWTH VS. ECOLOGICA
AL SUSTAINA
ABILITY
• It describes that as countries devellop initially, pollution inc

creases.
But later, as the economy achieves further devvelopment, p
pollution
decrease
es.
• Empirical studies show
w that usually
y environmen
ntal factors lik
ke water,
air etc. shows
s this path for seve
eral countriess. Following diagram
shows tha
at relationship between ecconomic deveelopment and
d level of
economic
c degradation.
• The curve
e is known after
a econom
mist Simon Ku
uznets who made a
well-know
wn study abo
out the relattionship betw
ween inequa
ality and
economic
c developmen
nt.
• The environ
nmental Kuznets curve (EK C), shows
• In that study also, the relation
nship betwe
een inequality and
the relation
nship betwee
en economic progress
economic developme
ent gives an inverted U shape; show
wing an
and envirronmental degradation
d through
increase in inequalitty first with economic
e devvelopment an
nd then,
time as an economy
e prog
gresses.
inequality
y decreases with further developmeent and perr capita
income.
Qu
uestion: Should we keep on
n polluting tilll all the counttries in the wo
orld achieve sttandardised development?
d ? Will it not be
e too late
for the planet an
nd the entire existence?
e

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►EMERGENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
• The Earth Day celebration of 1970 was one of the factors which led to the development of environmental
ethics as a separate field of study.
• This field received impetus when it was first discussed in the academic journals in North America and
Emergence of Canada. Scientists like Rachel Carson and environmentalists who led philosophers to consider the
Environmental philosophical aspect of environmental problems, pioneered in the development of environmental ethics as
Ethics a branch of environmental philosophy.
• Today, environmental ethics is a widely discussed topic. It covers aspects such as ethical principles that
guide our use of natural resources, our duty to take efforts towards environmental protection, and our
moral responsibility towards animals.
THOUGHT PROCESSES
Instrumental Value Intrinsic Value

“Anthropocentric point of view” “Eco-centrism”
• An important point that the field of • A key figure in modern environmental ethics was Aldo Leopold, an
environmental ethics is concerned with, is American author, scientist, environmentalist, ecologist, forester, and
whether non-human beings only have an conservationist, who focused on Eco-centrism.
instrumental value or whether they also • Eco-centrism deems the whole ecosystem as important as opposed to
have an intrinsic value. Aristotle said that anthropocentrism that believes humans to be the most important in the
"nature has made all things specifically for universe.
the sake of man", which means non-human
• According to eco-centrism, there are no existential differences between
beings only have an instrumental value; they
the human and non-human entities in nature, which means humans are
are meant to serve as 'instruments' for
not more valuable than any other component of the environment.
human beings.
Humans as well as plants, animals, and other constituents of nature have
• From an anthropocentric point of view an inherent value.
(which lays emphasis on human beings), the
• Theologian and environmental philosopher Holmes Rolston III says that
use of other living elements in nature by
protection of species is our moral responsibility as they have an intrinsic
humans is only right. Causing them harm or
value. In his view, the loss of a species spells disrespect to nature's
destroying them is wrong only because it
process of speciation. According to him, biological processes deserve
eventually affects human life.
respect. Thus, any action that translates into disregard for the
• With this view, cruelty to animals is wrong environment is unethical.
because it develops insensitivity, and not
• The concept of plant rights is worth discussing in this context. Philosopher
because animals should not be harmed. Or
Paul Taylor is of the view that plants have intrinsic value and that they are
the felling of trees is wrong because it
entitled to respect but not rights. In his 1972 paper "Should Trees Have
eventually causes loss of food sources for
Standing?", Christopher D. Stone said that if corporations can be assigned
humans, and not because it is simply
rights, so should trees.
unethical.
• Is it not our duty to leave a good environment for future generations to live in?
Collective
• We need to strike a balance between our needs and the availability of resources, so that the forthcoming
responsibility
generations are also able to benefit from their use.
is the key
• So our collective responsibilities are waste management, non-pollution, growing trees, eradicating

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poachin
ng/hunting/de
eforestation, water conse
ervation, non
n-dumping off wastes into
o the sea, rrecycling,
stoppin
ng the escape of harmful ch
hemicals, and
d gases into th
he air... the list is endless.
►GLOB
BAL COLLEC
CTIVE ACTION: PARIS CLIMATE TALKS
► IN
NDIVIDUAL ACTIONS
# BEC
COME BEAT PO
OLLUTION GUR
RU
W
Which of these actions ar
re you willing
g to take?
1) Never t hrow rubbish

h, chemicals or solvents in drains
d and sewers.
2) Stop ussing disposablle shopping bags and other single-use plastic
p
3) Never burn w
waste and min
nimise burnin
ng of wood.
4) Let my ele
ectronics be u
used longer, then
t dispose of
o them respo
onsibly.
5) Compost an
nd recycle
6)) Use publicc transport, ca
arpool, cycle or
o walk.
7) Eatt less meat an
nd more organic and unpacckaged foods.
8
8) Refuse to
o buy cosmetics with micro
obeads.
9) Ch
hoose natural cleaning prod
ducts and lead-free paints..
10) Use
U pesticidess and fertilisers more efficiently and cho
oose natural alternatives.
a

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11) Use clean technologies to light and power home

12) Collect and use rain water.
Finally, take a pledge to teach a younger person to protect the environment

There's an old saying: "If you give someone a fish, he can eat for a day. If you teach someone to fish, he can eat for a lifetime."
The same is true when it comes to protecting the planet — we need to ensure that future generations are given the tools to
sustain themselves. Share the good information you get at work or school with a younger person. Invite experts to speak at your
church or community groups. And don't forget to teach by example.
► COMMUNITY ACTIONS
# REVIVING THE SPIRIT OF ‘CHIPKO MOVEMENT’
The movement's biggest triumph was opening the eyes of people to their rights to forests, and how grass roots activism can
influence policy-making regarding shared natural resources.
In 1973, villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Chamoli district (now Uttarakhand) took to hugging trees to prevent their felling at the hands
of contractors and to protect trees from the deforestation that accompanied rapid industrialisation in the years following
independence.
The word 'chipko', which means to hug, soon became the name of the eponymous movement, and the catchphrase for
environmentalists the world over. However, the practice of embracing trees, both literally and figuratively, predate the Chipko
movement. The Bishnoi community in Rajasthan were the pioneers in protecting forest resources.
The first Chipko movement in independent India took place in April 1973 in the upper Alakananda valley, where the government
of Uttar Pradesh had allotted a plot of land inside forest territory to a manufacturer of sports goods. With aid from a non-
governmental organisation, DGSS (Dasoli Gram Swarajya Sangh), the women of the village united under Chanda Prasad Bhatt
and adopted the strategy of hugging trees to protect them from the men contracted to clear the forest. By putting their bodies
on the line, many trees were saved by the heroics of the women who formed human chains around them. They ensured that the
forest would remain inviolable unless the men resorted to bloodletting. Since the leaders and proponents of the Chipko
movement were mainly rural women, it came to be identified with eco-feminism.
This instance of successful grassroots activism soon spilled over into other parts of the country, and became a means of in
influencing natural resource policy. Other notable green warriors include Sunderlal Bahuguna, a Gandhian activist and
philosopher, who was instrumental in garnering the support of Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, in enacting a law to
ban the felling of trees in ecologically sensitive forest lands. He also coined the Chipko slogan: 'ecology is permanent economy'.
THOUGHTS FOR
UNDERSTANDING (#Thinkers)
THINKERS THOUGHTS
Ban Ki Moon Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth….these are
(Ex- Secretary General, one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity,
U.N.) energy shortages, global health, food security and women’s empowerment. Solution to one

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problem mu
ust be solutio
ons for all.
Bob Brown
The future w
will either be
e green or no
ot at all.
(En
nvironmentaliist)
Leo
o Tolstoy One of the ffirst conditio
ons of happin
ness is that the link betw
ween man an
nd nature sha
all not
(Wrriter) be broken.
All the though

hts mention
ned above a re potential topics for Essay Paper and for frraming quesstions for GS Paper
IV.

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Glossary
# Terms
Enrich Your Concepts

• Refers to an international agreement that defines the rules and regulations that govern civil
aviation.
Warsaw
• It defines the potential liability that an international carrier faces with regards to the air
Convention transport of people and luggage of various kinds.
(# Law) • Provides framework for dispute resolution related with civil aviation worldwide.
• For e.g. organisation like International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
• Refers to the tendency among people to do something simply because others are doing it.
• It causes people to ignore their own beliefs and independent thought process, and instead
Bandwagon leading them to find comfort in the wisdom of the crowd.
effect • It has been seen as the root cause behind prevalence of irrational beliefs and practices among
masses.
(# Psychology)
• This impacts almost everything for e.g. elections, communal riots, investments, rituals and
customs, traffic violations etc.
• Refers to economic phenomenon wherein people turn to the U.S. dollar as an alternative to
their own local currency.
• It happens mainly because of the widespread belief that the value of the U.S. dollar is more
Dollarisation stable than other currencies.
• Sometimes, country’s government may choose to link the supply of its own currency to the
(# Economy)
dollar in-order to boost confidence among people in its long-term value. It is usually countries
that have suffered from hyperinflation, meant to regain economic confidence.
• For e.g. Ecuador, Cambodia, Uruguay, Zimbabwe etc.
• It is also known as ‘Public Float’, and this refers to the portion of the total outstanding shares
of a company that is in the hands of the public and hence available to be freely traded on
Free float the market.
• The shares of companies with sufficient free float, owing to their availability to buyers, usually
(# Economy)
exhibit lesser price volatility than companies whose shares are mostly held by a close group
of promoters.

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Glossary
• For e.g. Public issue of shares for the public to buy and invest. More the shareholders, more
the faith and trust.
• This refers to those sectors of the economy which produce stuff that weigh lighter than
other sectors that manufacture traditional goods and services.
• The term is used to emphasise the changing nature of economies as they increasingly
Weightless concentrate on producing stuff that is intangible but also of much more valuable to
consumers.
economy
• Economic growth in the previous centuries depended largely on increasing the total quantity of
(# Economy) physical inputs that went into production. Now, producing things of higher value requires the
use of intellectual capital more than physical capital, which explains the rapid increase in the
size of the weightless economy.
• Example: Internet, Telecommunication, IT, ITES, Artificial Intelligence etc.
• It is also known as a credit squeeze.
• This refers to an economic situation where banks and other financial institutions become
extremely reluctant to provide loans to businesses.
This could be the result of banks suffering huge losses on their portfolio, which makes them
Credit crunch •
adopt a cautious approach to protect their equity.
(# Economy) • It could also happen when banks begin to doubt the repayment capability of their
customers amidst a general gloom in the overall economy.
• Example: Rising NPAs and banks’ reluctance to offer easy loans; Decline in real estate and
banks doubt about the repayment capability.
• This refers to the phenomenon wherein a low-income country that hopes to grow into a
middle- or high-income country, after witnessing a period of high economic growth, fails to
achieve its goal.
Late converger • Instead, it gets trapped in its lower income status due to various reasons. Rapid growth
stall witnessed by such countries turns out to be the result of favourable economic conditions and
hides the structural weaknesses in those economies.
(# Economy) • Resource-rich economies generally witness high growth during periods of increasing
commodity prices, which in turn leads to hopes of sustained economic growth. Such hopes
come crashing down after commodity prices fall.
• This refers to a phenomenon where the prices of certain goods witness fluctuations that
are cyclical in nature. It happens due to faulty producer expectations.
Cobweb cycle
• The producers of agricultural goods, for instance, might decide to increase their output one
(# Economy) year because their product commanded a very high price the previous year. This, however,
might lead to overproduction and cause prices to slump that year, thus leading to losses.

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Glossary
• Such cyclical price fluctuations are more severe in markets where speculators are banned from
hoarding goods to sell them later at a higher price. The idea was proposed by Hungarian
economist Nicholas Kaldor.
• Example: Alternate rise and fall in prices of Tomatoes, Onion and Potatoes (TOP).
• This refers to a form of market manipulation wherein a trader simultaneously buys and sells a
stock, or any other financial security, in the market.
• A wash trading scheme helps to create the impression that a security is being actively traded in
the market and is thus in strong demand among market participants in general.
Wash trade • This, in turn, can mislead other investors into buying the security and boosting its price.
Brokers might also cooperate with traders engaging in wash trades simply because they can
(# Economy)
earn huge commissions in the process. Tax considerations at the end of a financial year may
also push many regular investors to engage in wash trades.
• Some exchanges now have protections built in, sometimes mandatory for participants, such as
STPF (Self-Trade Prevention Functionality) on the Intercontinental Exchange.
• This refers to a form of ecological competition wherein a number of species compete for a
resource that is limited in supply, which in turn lowers the survival chances of all the
competing species.
Scramble • Since there is no limit placed on the exploitation of the resource, it may be used up
aggressively by all the species that have free access to it. This, in turn, might cause most, or
competition even all, species in need of the resource to go without enough of it to sustain themselves.
(# Ecology) • Scramble competition can lead to mass extinction even when the competition for a resource is
limited exclusively to the members of only a particular species.
• Eg. This is going to happen with water due to irrational use, water contamination, over
exploitation, pollution in rivers etc.

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Part TWO
CONTRIBUTORS
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articles .opinions .essays .notes
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lEAD ARTICLES
Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) :

Game Changer to Alleviate Agrarian
Distress
#Economy
BASAVA UPPIN
The Indian Agriculture is basically dominated by small and in turn is preventing us from realising the optimum potential of
marginal farmers. Around 85% of the agricultural landholdings FPOs.
are smaller than 2 hectares which points towards lower Hence, in this regard, let us understand about the FPOs, how they
economies of scale and hence lower productivity. The small and can address the present agrarian distress, challenges faced by
marginal farmers are extremely vulnerable to agrarian distress FPOs and how these challenges can be overcome
as evident in number of suicides among such farmers.
A variety of approaches have emerged in response to the

problems faced by the small and marginal farmers such as
What is FPO?
Contract farming, Promotion of Agricultural Cooperatives etc. A Producer Organisation (PO) is a legal entity formed by
However, these approaches have failed to provide desired primary producers such as farmers, milk producers,
success. For instance, contract farming arrangements tend to fishermen, weavers, rural artisans, craftsmen etc. It can be in
exclude small producers. Similarly, the cooperatives are facing the form of Producer Company, a cooperative society or any
problems such as Political Interference, Corruption, Elite capture other legal form which provides for sharing of
etc. and hence lost their vibrancy. profits/benefits among the members. It is to be noted that
PO is a generic name for an organization of producers of any
In this regard, collectivization of these small and marginal
produce, for example, agricultural, non-farm products,
farmers into producer organisations could emerge as one of the
artisan products, etc.
most effective ways to alleviate the present agrarian distress.
These farmer producer organisations (FPOs) can address the On the other hand, FPO is a type of PO where the members
multifaceted challenges of Indian agriculture by providing the are farmers. The FPOs can be registered as Cooperatives
farmers with improved access to investments, technology, inputs (under Cooperative Societies Act of the respective State),
and markets. The FPOs can act as the most appropriate Farmer Producer Company (Under Companies Act, 2013) or
institution to mobilize farmers and build their capacity to Societies (under Society Registration Act, 1860).
collectively leverage their production and marketing strength.
However, these FPOs have been facing multiple challenges which

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Let us understand some of the essential features of Farmer Third, the FPCs allow registered and non-registered groups
Producer Organisations (FPOs). such as self-help groups (SHGs) to become members in a FPC.
This enabling provision is a distinct improvement over the
First, it is formed by a group of farmers who act as
cooperatives, which allows only individual producers to be
shareholders in the organisation.
members.
Second, it is a registered legal entity in the form of
Fourth, the FPCs allow only those people who are engaged in
Cooperatives, Famer Producer companies (FPCs) or Societies.
an activity connected with or related to primary produce to
Third, it works for the benefit of the farmers and deals with be enrolled as members of FPC. This ensures that outsiders
various business activities related to agriculture such as do not capture the control of the company.
procurement of agricultural inputs, marketing of agricultural
Fifth, the FPCs can appoint professionals to its Board of
commodities etc.
Directors. This enables the small and marginal farmers to
Fourth, a certain part of the profits of the organisation is avail professional management inputs and at the same time
shared among the farmers and rest of the funds is used for retain control of the FPC.
business expansion of the organisation.
Finally, unlike the cooperatives, FPCs have stronger regulation
HOW ARE FARMER PRODUCER COMPANIES which demands regular disclosure and reporting. This
empowers the farmers to demand operational and fiscal
(FPCS) DIFFERENT FROM COOPERATIVES?
discipline and thus promote greater accountability of the
Any organisation that seeks to promote the interests of the FPCs.
small and marginal farmers should lay down main emphasis
on the welfare of its members. It should be professionally HOW FPCS BENEFIT SMALL AND MARGINAL
managed, adopt best practices and free from political FARMERS?
interference. In this regard, the farmer producer companies
It is being said that the FPCs can act as game-changer by
(FPCs) are considered to be much better than farmer
benefitting the small and marginal farmers who comprise the
cooperatives.
majority of the farming community in India. This becomes
Some of the salient features that provide the FPCs a even more pertinent since the agricultural sector is presently
competitive edge are: facing distress.
First, the FPC is a hybrid between a cooperative and a private The main aim of FPC is to ensure better income for the
limited company. It combines cooperative values of mutual producers through an organization of their own. Small and
benefit and a professional style of functioning. It is seen as marginal farmers do not have the volume individually (both
the most appropriate organizational form to address the inputs and produce) to get the benefit of economies of scale.
issues of market linkages and small land holdings. It breaks Besides, in agricultural marketing, there is a long chain of
the FPCs free of the welfare-oriented, inefficient, and intermediaries/middlemen leading to the situation where the
corruption-ridden image of cooperatives. producer receives only a small part of the value that the
Second, the cooperatives are registered under the ultimate consumer pays.
Cooperative Societies Act and hence Registrar of Through collectivisation of small and marginal farmers and
Cooperatives and the Government hold veto power over the aggregation of their produce, the FPCs can avail the benefit of
decisions of the cooperative society. This gives scope for economies of scale. They will also have better bargaining
political interference by the Government leading to power with respect to the bulk buyers of produce and bulk
bureaucratic delays and inefficiencies. On the other hand, the suppliers of inputs.
FPCs are registered under the Companies Act and only those
Further, FPCs enable sharing of services such as knowledge
members having transactions with the company can vote.
input, production supervision, storage, transportation, etc
Thus, the FPCs rule out political interference and it leads to
and hence reduce the transaction costs for the small and
efficient management of the company.
marginal farmers. They also create opportunities for farmers

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to get more involved in value addition activities such as input equity grant up to Rs. 10 lakh to double the share capital of
supply, credit, processing, marketing and distribution. FPCs.
Thus, the FPCs create an interface between the farmer and NABARD also provides financial support to the FPOs through
global market, provide access to capital for farmers, manage two dedicated funds. It has created “Producers Organization
risk for farmers through diversification and thus promote Development Fund (PODF)” in 2011, to support the FPOs
economic democracy at the grass root level. through credit facilitation, capacity building and market
linkage support. Further, the Government of India has set up
GENESIS OF FPCS IN INDIA PRODUCE Fund (Producers’ Organization Development and
The co-operative movement in India got fillip through the Upliftment Corpus) under the NABARD in 2014-15 for
Anand model or AMUL. However, subsequently, the building of 2000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the
cooperatives across India failed to live up to the expectation country. The aim of the PRODUCE Fund is to promote new
due to multiple challenges such as political interference, FPOs and support their initial financial requirements, to make
exclusion of small and marginal farmers, growing them credit worthy, commercially vibrant and sustainable
bureaucratisation etc. Accordingly, the Indian Government business enterprise of farmers.
constituted a High Powered Committee under the leadership
CHALLENGES AND ISSUES IN BUILDING
of Yogendra Alagh. On the basis of recommendations of this
committee, the government amended the Companies Act, ROBUST FPCS
1956 in 2012-13 to provide for "Producer Companies" in
The FPCs have so far played a positive role in the Indian
India.
agriculture in terms of increasing the income of the farmers
Presently, around 5000 FPOs (including FPCs) are in existence through informed decision making, improved access to
in the country, which were formed under various initiatives of inputs and agro-services, institutional credit, marketing
the Govt. of India, State Governments, NABARD and other facilities and enhanced efficiency in the farming operations.
organizations over the last 8-10 years. Of these, around 3200 However, there are certain challenges and policy gaps in
FPOs are registered as Producer Companies and the building and nurturing FPCs.
remaining as Cooperatives or Societies.
Lack of Professional Management of FPCs: As discussed
Majority of these FPOs are in the nascent stage of their before, the FPCs have been allowed to appoint professional
operations with shareholder membership ranging from 100 experts to the Board of directors in order to efficiently
to over 1000 farmers and require not only technical manage their operations. However, such trained manpower
handholding support but also adequate capital and is presently not available in the rural areas to manage FPO
infrastructure facilities including market linkages for business professionally.
sustaining their business operations. In this regard, the
Poor Financial Resources: FPCs are mostly owned by Small
Government has announced various initiatives for the
and Marginal Farmers with poor resource base and hence
promotion of FPCs in India. Let us have a look at some of the
they are not financially strong enough to support the
important initiatives.
members. This reduces the ability of the FPCs to cater to the
needs of the farmers such as access to inputs and market.
INITIATIVES FOR THE PROMOTION OF FPOS
IN INDIA Inadequate Access to credit: Lack of access to affordable
credit is one of the major constraints of the FPCs. It has been
The SFAC is the nodal agency at the national level for the observed that banks and financial institutions tend to refuse
creation of FPOs. The SFAC operates a Credit Guarantee Fund to lend to FPCs due to disaggregated land holdings and lack
to mitigate credit risks of financial institutions which lend to of collateral. Small and marginal farmers, who may not hold
the FPCs without collateral. This helps the FPCs to access formal land titles, are unable to access institutionalised
credit from financial institutions for establishing and credit.
operating businesses. Further, SFAC also provides matching

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Further, the credit guarantee cover being offered by SFAC for addition etc. In this regard, the Government must provide for
collateral free lending is available only to Producer sustained and continuous support until the time the FPCs
Companies having minimum 500 shareholders. Hence, the become financially viable and independent.
small sized FPCs are unable to access this benefit. Due to this,
The overall development of FPCs is inextricably linked to
a large number of small sized FPCs have failed to take off.
reforms in the agricultural marketing. In this regard, states
Inadequate Access to Infrastructure: The FPCs have must be encouraged to reform their APMC acts so as to
inadequate access to basic infrastructure required for create a single, unified domestic market for the agricultural
aggregation like transport facilities, storage, value addition produce. The FPCs should be given direct market access by
(cleaning, grading, sorting, etc.) and processing, brand establishing a platform to link all the FPCs with the e-NAM.
building and marketing. Further, in order to give further boost to FPCs, the
government must provide for appropriate provision in the
Lack of technical Skills/ Awareness: Presently, there is lack
food grain procurement policy requiring procurement of
of awareness among the farmers about the potential benefits
agricultural commodities directly through FPCs under MSP
of joining FPCs. Further, most of the farmers are not aware
scheme.
about the legal and technical knowledge about various acts
and regulations related to formation of FPCs. In order to improve the governance of FPCs, Agricultural
Universities should introduce special courses on FPO
Way Forward promotion and agribusiness management, with focus on

rural youths including women.
Thus, as discussed, the FPCs can indeed emerge as game Thus, as discussed, the FPCs hold immense potential to
changer in order to alleviate the present agrarian distress. alleviate the agrarian distress and pull out a large number of
However, the Government and all the stakeholders need to small and marginal farmers out of poverty. The FPCs can also
create a right ecosystem in order to nurture and develop the build social capital and promote economic democracy at the
FPCs. grassroots level. The success of FPCs may in turn lead to
The promotion of FPCs should not to be seen as a one-time “Second Green Revolution” in the Indian Agriculture and bring
exercise. Though there is sufficient focus on providing about rural transformation.
financial assistance to FPCs, there is limited hand-holding
subsequent to their formation. After mobilisation of farmers
into FPC, there is very little support in marketing, value
Heat Wave
#Environment
MAYURI KHANNA
A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions
more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause
during the summer season in the North-Western parts of physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death.
India. Heat Waves typically occur between March and June,
and in some rare cases even extend till July. The extreme

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The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has given the • Weakening of Jet stream: Another important factor in
following criteria for Heat Waves: the formation of heat waves is the location of the jet
streams. Jet streams are narrow, fast flowing air currents
• Heat Wave need not be considered till maximum
near the tropopause formed by the earth’s rotation and
temperature of a station reaches atleast 40°C for Plains
atmospheric heating. During a heat wave, a jet stream
and atleast 30°C for Hilly regions
lies above an affected area disallowing transported polar
• When normal maximum temperature of a station is less air mass to cool the area. Heat wave are also seasonally
than or equal to 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal bound because of a slower, meandering jet stream
is 5°C to 6°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is during summertime. Jet streams are formed by change in
7°C or more. temperature between colliding Arctic and tropical air
• When normal maximum temperature of a station is more masses, which are weaker during summer causing it to
than 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal is 4°C to slow down. A slower jet stream causes less change in
5°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 6°C or weather patterns, therefore increasing stationary
more weather conditions explaining why heat waves occur
during summer.
• When actual maximum temperature remains 45°C or
more irrespective of normal maximum temperature, heat • Weakening of monsoon: The heat waves intensities are
waves should be declared. linked to sparser pre-monsoon season rain showers in

many areas, as there has been much less moisture than
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) identifies a heat normal of that area, leaving large parts of India arid and
wave ‘when the daily maximum temperature of more than five dry. The sudden end of pre-monsoon rain showers, thus
consecutive days exceeds the average maximum temperature by contribute to the heat waves. This weather pattern,
50°C, the normal period being 1961-90. coupled with the El Niño effect, which often increases
temperatures in the Asia, combined to create the record
DATA ON HEAT WAVE
high temperatures.
Among the five warmest years in India since 1901, 2016
• Urban heat Island: Landscapes with surfaces that hold
(+0.72 degrees Celsius) recorded the highest average
heat can amplify the effect of a heat wave. Building
temperatures, followed by 2009 (+0.56 degrees Celsius),
materials are usually very good at insulating, or holding in
2017 (+0.55 degrees Celsius), 2010 (+0.54 degrees Celcius)
heat. This insulation makes the areas around buildings
and 2015 (+0.42 degrees Celsius).
warmer. Displacing trees and vegetation minimizes the
Eleven of the warmest years in India since 1901 were natural cooling effects of shading and evaporation of
between 2004 and 2018. India has experienced a manifold water from soil and leaves (evapotranspiration). Tall
increase in the human deaths during various heat waves of buildings and narrow streets can heat air trapped
years like 1971, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2013 & 2015. between them and reduce air flow. Waste heat from
vehicles, factories, and air conditioners may add warmth
CAUSES OF HEAT WAVES
to their surroundings, further exacerbating the heat
• High Atmospheric pressure: A heat wave occurs when a island effect. This exacerbate the impact of heat waves.
system of high atmospheric pressure moves into an area.
• Global Warming: Global warming boosts the probability
In such a high-pressure system, air from upper levels of
of extreme weather events, like heat waves.
our atmosphere is compressed. This high concentration
of pressure makes it difficult for other weather systems IMPACT OF HEAT WAVES
to move into the area, which is why a heat wave can last
On Human Health
for several days or weeks. The high-pressure inhibits
winds, also prevents clouds from entering the region, • Direct health impacts include cardiac arrest, heat stroke
which in turn lead to heating up the area even more. and dehydration, while secondary impacts can include

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gastroenteritis and organ damage as a result of assemblages, extinction of the most vulnerable species
dehydration. and increased forest fuel levels – with the latter being a
risk factor in bushfires.
• Human bodies operate at a core temperature of 37°C. As
human beings produce heat during daily activities, the STEPS TAKEN
heat is released through sweating to maintain a steady
core body temperature. If core body temperature rises to There are two prerequisites to address the rise in
38°C for several hours, heat exhaustion occurs, and temperatures and resultant casualties
mental and physical capacity becomes impaired or may • First, limit the global temperature rise to less than 1.5
lead to death. degrees Celsius, as advocated by the Paris Agreement of
• Heatwaves also cause specific heat-related illnesses such 2015.
as heat cramps, heat rash, heat oedema (swelling, usually • Developing early-warning systems to anticipate and
in the ankles), heat syncope (dizziness and fainting due to respond to such extreme weather events at national and
dehydration), and heat exhaustion which can lead to local levels.
potentially fatal heatstroke.
In 2013, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation launched a
On Economy Heat Action Plan for Ahmedabad, which the National
• Increased heat and extreme heatwaves can impact on the Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) advised all states to
performance of infrastructure. For example, due to use as a template for their own plans. Key components
heatwave: included an extended seven-day forecast during the summer
months, a colour-coded warning system for citizens, and a
o transport fail, particularly trains, partly because of
massive public awareness campaign. From 2015, the Indian
buckling of rail lines
Meteorological Department (IMD) started providing five-day
o air-conditioning system may fail city-specific summer forecasts in 100 cities.
o Critical infrastructures such as drinking water and By 2017, 11 states--Odisha, Telangana, Bihar, Maharashtra,
electricity systems may fail under high demand, with Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Haryana,
power cuts greatly magnifying the number of people at Delhi and Uttar Pradesh--and 17 cities had adopted or were
risk. developing heat action plans.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) KEY STRATEGIES NEEDED

records in its 5th Assessment Report that the work
• Establish Early Warning System and Inter-Agency
output of the global economy would fall by as much as
Coordination
20% by the end of the century in the event of a 4 degrees
Celsius warming of the planet, with the most damaging • Capacity building / training programme for health care
impact being felt in the tropics, especially South Asia. professionals at local level to recognize and respond to
heat-related illnesses.
• Crop loss is encountered due to flower drop and higher
mortality in new plantations. Kharif crops are more • Disseminating public awareness messages on how to
impactes. Within Kharif, particularly rice production is protect against the extreme heat-wave through print,
significantly affected with decreased grain yield. electronic and social media.
On plants and animals • Collaboration with non-governmental organizations and

civil society organizations to improve bus stands, building
• Heat-related mass mortality in individual animal species
temporary shelters, wherever necessary, improved water
(e.g. flying foxes) has been recorded
delivery systems in public areas and other innovative
• Plants can die following extreme heat events, with some measures to tackle Heat wave conditions.
species more vulnerable than others. The long term
outcomes of such events include changes in species

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Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and

Judicial Activism
# Polity & Constitution
RITESH KUMAR SINGH
GS: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND ESSAY, AND
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
“The dead cannot cry for justice. It is the duty of the living to Under PIL, courts take up cases that concern not the rights of
do so for them.”- Lois Bujold (American novelist) the petitioner but of the public at large. The concept of
Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is in consonance with the
Public Interest Litigation principles enshrined in Article 39A of the Constitution of

India to protect and deliver prompt social justice with the help of
law.
The Emergency of 1976 marked not just a political
watershed in our country, but a judicial one as well. In the
euphoria of the return to democracy and in an attempt to Factors that gave rise to PIL
refurbish its image that had been tarnished by some
Emergency decisions, the Supreme Court of India opened the Among the numerous factors that have contributed to the
floodgates to Public Interest Litigation (PIL). Justice P. N. growth of PIL in this country, the following deserve special
Bhagwati and Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer were among the first mention:
judges to admit PILs in court. Character of the Indian Constitution: Unlike Britain, India
has a written constitution which through Part III (Fundamental
The term "Public Interest" means the larger interests of the
Rights) and Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy) provides
public, general welfare and interest of the masses, and the
a framework for regulating relations between the state and
word “Litigation” means "a legal action including all
its citizens and between citizens inter-se.
proceedings therein, initiated in a court of law with the
purpose of enforcing a right or seeking a remedy." Thus, the India has some of the most progressive social legislation to
expression `Public Interest Litigation' means "any litigation be found anywhere in the world whether it be relating to
conducted for the benefit of public or for removal of some bonded labor, minimum wages, land ceiling, environmental
public grievance." protection, etc. This has made it easier for the courts to haul
up the executive when it is not performing its duties in
WHO CAN MOVE IT? ensuring the rights of the poor as per the law of the land.
In simple words, public interest litigation means any public The liberal interpretation of *locus standi (In law, locus standi
spirited citizen can move/approach the court for the public means the right to bring an action, to be heard in court, or to
cause (or public interest or public welfare) by filing a petition address the Court on a matter before it. Locus standi is the
in the (a) Supreme Court under Art. 32 of the Constitution or ability of a party to demonstrate to the court sufficient
(b) in the High Court under Art. 226 of the Constitution or (c) connection to and harm from the law or action) where any
before the Court of Magistrate under Sec. 133 of the Code person can apply to the court on behalf of those who are
of Criminal Procedure, 1973. economically or physically unable to come before it has
helped.

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Judges themselves have in some cases initiated *suo moto other hand, in case of absence of laws on a particular issue,
(Suo moto is a Latin term meaning "on its own motion". It is judiciary issues guidelines and directions for the Legislature
used in situations where a government or court official acts of its to follow.
own initiative) action based on newspaper articles or letters
The executive also encroaches upon judicial power, while
received.
appointing the judges of Supreme Court and High Courts.
Although social and economic rights given in the Indian Similarly the Judiciary, by its review power examines the law
Constitution under Part IV are not legally enforceable, courts passed by legislature and the legislature on the other hand
have creatively read these into fundamental rights thereby intervenes in respect of impeachment of the President of
making them judicially enforceable. For instance, the "Right India, who is a part of the Union Executive.
to Life" in Article 21 has been expanded to include right to
free legal aid, right to live with dignity, right to education,
right to work, freedom from torture, and hand cuffing in
Relationship between PIL and
prisons, etc.
Sensitive judges have constantly innovated on the side of the

Judicial Activism
poor. For instance, in the Bandhua Mukti Morcha case in The opening up of access to courts to the poor, indigent and
1983, the Supreme Court put the burden of proof on the disadvantaged sections of the nation through Public Interest
respondent stating it would treat every case of forced labor Litigation is unexceptionable judicial activism. Judicial
as a case of bonded labor unless proven otherwise by the Activism in India can be witnessed with reference to the
employer. review power of the Supreme Court and High Courts under
In PIL cases where the petitioner is not in a position to Article 32 and Article 226 of the Constitution.
provide all the necessary evidence, either because it is Under these articles, the higher Courts exercised wide
voluminous or because the parties are weak socially or powers given to them. Thus the sort of remedies sought
economically, courts have appointed commissions to collect from the courts in the public interest litigation goes beyond
information on facts and present it before the bench. award of remedies to the affected individuals and groups. In
suitable cases, the courts have also given guidelines and
Judicial Activism directions. The courts have monitored implementation of

legislation and even formulated guidelines in absence of
The expression `Judicial Activism' signifies the anxiety of legislation. If the cases of the decades of 70s and 80s are
courts to find out appropriate remedy to the aggrieved by analyzed, most of the public interest litigation cases which
formulating a new rule to settle the conflicting questions in were entertained by the courts are pertaining to
the event of lawlessness or uncertain laws. The judicial enforcement of fundamental rights of marginalized and
activism is use of judicial power to articulate and enforce deprived sections of the society.
what is beneficial for the society in general and people at For example in 1979, Supreme Court advocate Kapila
large. Hingorani drew the Court’s attention to a series of articles in
a newspaper exposing the plight of Bihar undertrials
Judicial Activism in India: The doctrine of separation of
prisoners, most of whom had served pre-trial detention
powers was propounded by the French Jurist Montesquieu.
more than the period they could have been imprisoned if
It has been adopted in India as well since the executive
convicted. Sunil Batra, a prisoner, wrote a letter to Justice
powers are vested in the President, Legislative powers in the
Krishna Iyer of the Supreme Court drawing his attention to
Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies and the judicial
torture by prison authorities and the miserable conditions of
powers in the Supreme Court and subordinate courts.
prisoners in jails. This was taken up as a petition and the
However, the adoption of this principle in India is partial and Court passed orders for humane conditions in jails.
not total. This is because even though Legislature and the
In 1980, two professors of law wrote a letter to the editor of
Judiciary are independent yet Judiciary is entrusted with
a newspaper describing the barbaric conditions of detention
implementation of the laws made by the legislature. On the

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in the Agra Protective House for Women which was made the would be appropriate for each High Court to properly
basis of a writ petition in the Supreme Court. The formulate rules for encouraging the genuine PIL and
exploitation of workmen at construction sites in violation of discouraging the PIL filed with oblique motives.
labour laws was brought to the attention of the Supreme • The courts should prima facie verify the credentials of the
Court by a letter. The slave-like condition of bonded petitioner before entertaining a PIL.
labourers in quarries was brought to the attention of the
• The court should be prima facie satisfied regarding the
Court by a social activist organisation. A journalist moved the
correctness of the contents of the petition before
court against the evictions of pavement dwellers of Bombay.
entertaining a PIL.
Several cases of this type followed. In dealing with such
cases, the Court evolved a new regime of rights of citizens • The court should be fully satisfied that substantial public
and obligations of the State and devised new methods for its interest is involved before entertaining the petition.
accountability. • The court should ensure that the petition which involves
However, over the years, there are allegations that the social larger public interest, gravity and urgency must be given
action dimension of PIL has been diluted and eclipsed by priority over other petitions.
another type of “public cause litigation” in courts. In this type • The courts before entertaining the PIL should ensure that
of litigation, the court’s intervention is not sought for the PIL is aimed at redressal of genuine public harm or
enforcing the rights of the disadvantaged or poor sections of public injury. The court should also ensure that there is
the society but simply for correcting the actions or omissions no personal gain, private motive or oblique motive
of the executive or public officials or departments of behind filing the public interest litigation.
government or public bodies.
• The court should also ensure that the petitions filed by
In view of the above allegations and to prevent ‘Judicial busybodies for extraneous and ulterior motives must be
Activism’ being converted into ‘Judicial Overreach’, the discouraged by imposing exemplary costs or by adopting
Supreme Court cautioned by observing that: similar novel methods to curb frivolous petitions and the
"Public interest litigation is a weapon which has to be used petitions filed for extraneous considerations.
with great care and circumspection and the judiciary has In a nutshell, despite all the brouhaha about PIL and related
to be extremely careful to see that behind the beautiful judicial activism by some, Higher Courts within their
veil of public interest an ugly private malice, vested constitutional limitations have come up with flying colors as
interest and/or publicity seeking is not lurking. champions of justice in the true sense of the word. The
It is to be used as an effective weapon in the armoury of judicial activism has touched almost every aspect of life in
law for delivering social justice to the citizens. The India to do positive justice and in the process has gone
attractive brand name of public interest litigation should beyond, what is prescribed by law or written in black and
not be used for suspicious products of mischief. It should white. Only thing the judiciary must keep in mind is that
be aimed at redressal of genuine public wrong or public while going overboard to do justice to common man must
injury and not publicity oriented or founded on personal not overstep the limitations prescribed by sacrosanct i.e. The
vendetta”. Constitution of India.
Further, in order to preserve the purity and sanctity of the Finally, PIL is not in the nature of adversary litigation but it
PIL, the following directions were issued:- is a challenge and an opportunity to the government and
• The courts must encourage genuine and bona fide PIL its officers to make basic human rights meaningful to the
and effectively discourage and curb the PIL filed for deprived and vulnerable sections of the community and to
extraneous considerations. assure them social and economic justice which is the
wisdom of our Constitution.
• Instead of every individual judge devising his own
procedure for dealing with the public interest litigation, it

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lEAD ESSAYS
GDP along with GDH (gross domestic

happiness) would be the right indices for
judging the well-being of a country
ABHAY RAWAT
EX-STUDENT (RAU’S IAS STUDY CIRCLE)
"Happiness: Towards a Holistic approach to development Economic well-being of a country does not guarantee
was the title of Bhutan sponsored resolution approved by social well-being of a country. A country with high
the United Nations on 19 July 2011. The resolution economic rise but without fundamental facilities such as
declared that "happiness is Fundamental human good sanitation, drinking water, education, health, security
and universal aspiration, that GDP by nature does not cannot be called a perfect place to live. Money is worthless
reflect the good, that unsustainable pattern of production in an atmosphere of anxiety, grief and agony.
and consumption impede sustainable development, and This is the reason that some economists started thinking
that a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach is about the 'Happiness' aspect of the development. The
needed to promote sustainability, eradicate poverty and term 'Gross Domestic Happiness' came to be first used in
enhance well-being and profound happiness. Bhutan; a small royal kingdom in the south Asia. In the
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the total value of goods year 1972, Bhutan fourth dragon king, Jigme Singye
and services produced in a nation in a given year. Since Wangchuk, started the age of modernization of Bhutan.
1930s at the time of great depression, the GDP has been a He used the phrase for the first time to indicate that he
valuable tool for measuring how well or poorly an was committed to build an economy that would serve
economy is doing at a certain point of time. GDP has Bhutan's unique culture based on Buddhism. The
remained a reliable indicator of economic health of a Buddhist ideology suggests that human society can
country. However, it measures only one thing and that is benefit from develop¬ment only when material and
money. Some people believe that money is all important spiritual development occur side by side to compliment
as it determines the health of an economy. But some think and reinforce each other. Promotion of sustainable
that there is much more to be considered such as development, preservation and promotion of cultural
happiness. values, conservation of natural environment and
A country is considered prosperous when it has strong establishment of good governance are the four pillars of
consolidated economy. However having a strong economy development. This has been further elaborated into eight
is just a necessary condition but not a sufficient condition. contributors of happiness i.e. Education, living standards,
physical, mental and spiritual health, time balance, social

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and community vitality, cultural vitality, good governance is the only country among the top 20 happiest country
and ecological vitality. having such a low GDP. There is no proper quantitative
Growing GDP in lack of sustainable development cannot definition of GDH but it has elements which facilitate its
help a country in long term, because GDP is measured quantifying measurement. If we take an example of
without taking into account the destruction it causes to mortality rate in a country, we can directly co-relate it with
the 'natural environment', which is the common the quantitative aspect of happiness. A society with low
property of human beings. It is a source of subsistence mortality rate would mean that the quantitative aspect of
for millions of people. The main problem is the happiness is high. GDH acts just like a genuine progress
inefficiency of governments which has failed in delivering indicator which indicates quantitative measurement of
the goods and services to its people. If GDP is the sum happiness and well-being. Its supporters think that the
total of all the goods and services produced within a concept of GDH is motivated by the notion that happiness
country, it should not be the final yardstick for measuring and well-being are more important and relevant than the
the wellbeing of people of a country. As per the latest data concept of income and consumption. It cannot be
with the World Bank, India is the world's tenth largest measured directly but through the elements which
economy in terms of GDP and the third largest in terms of facilitate its measurement.
purchasing Power Party. But it is an irony that 33 percent For measuring GDP some metric can be used. Economic
of Indian people fall below poverty line. India is a home wellness is one of the important metric proposed,
for nearly one third of world's poors. In perspective of Economic metrics such as consumer price index ratio and
GDP, India has no precedents in this world but when we income distribution are some of the metrics which can be
see the poor, India is the dweller of largest poor in the used. Direct survey and statistics measurements can be
world. conducted to measure it.
Discrimination based on caste, honour killing, injustice The next very important metric is Environmental
and delay in justice, mob lynching, corruption, nepotism, wellness of a country. We can conducts survey for
crisis in rule of law are the general features of a growing checking pollution levels, noise, traffic etc. These are
India which affects all the common citizens. These are the hindrances in the way of leading a healthy and peaceful
ingredients that make the lives of commoners life. Cities must be well planned and environmental
cumbersome and clumsy. If we can overcome these root friendly. Then only people dwell there and lead a healthy
causes of crisis then only can we get the right indices to life.
judge the well-being of the people in a society. One the major metric is physical wellness of the people.
How can GDP measure development in a country like If people are suffering from severe illnesses and diseases
India which has one of the world's dismal records in despite having high GDP, we can't say that they are happy.
Human Development? How astonishing it becomes when Mental wellness is as important as physical wellness. If
we come to know that even Bangladesh and many third Surveys and statistic surveys indicate that if people are
world countries score better than India in infant mortality? mentally sounds, are not suffering from any psychological
The levels of malnutrition among children are highest in disorders, they are happy. Consuming too much anti
India. The learning achievements of primary schools in depression pills indicate Psychological illness. An A
India are no better than Ghana. In fact in India, the mentally ill person cannot be said to be happy. If persons
malnutrition among children is fifty percent whereas in are physically and mentally well, but they do not have a
sub-Sahara Africa it is 30 percent. In India nearly one third suitable and affordable environment at their place of
of newborns are underweight in comparison to one-sixth work, they cannot enjoy their work. So workplace wellness
in Sub-Sahara Africa. is as important as other two wellnesses i.e. physical and
Bhutan is a tiny country in the north of India. It has a very mental. If there is unemployment, fob less claims,
low GDP. But it is the eighth happiest place in the world. It

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workplace complaints and lawsuits, working feels like happiness has to own limitations. Different people have
help. different perceptions and opinions about love and
Wellness at social front is very important Discrimination, happiness.
safety; divorce rates, domestic violence, family lawsuits, At present, Gross Domestic Product has been a measure
crime rates etc. indicate the state of social wellness of a used to evaluate the economy in India. Due to the flaws in
country wellness. The quality of local democracy, the GDP, the government agencies have been trying hard
governance, individual freedom, conflicts etc. indicate at to device techniques to strengthen GDP so that it can be
the health of political wellness of a nation. made a comprehensive indicator. GDP indicate the
GDP was intended to be a yardstick to measure economic economic health of a country. It represents a sum of a
growth of a country. The theory of GDP makes the country's production which consists of all purchases of
statement that economic growth enhances social well- goods and services produced by a country and services
being. This may be true in many cases but researches used by individuals firms, foreigners etc. GDP is
have shown that GDP has been an imperfect measure at it considered important because it guides governments by
does not include environmental and social degradation indicating how much planning is needed and which
that accompany economic growth. policies are to be made.
All this led to an overwhelming support to GDH across the India has made a phenomenal growth when we look at
world from all quarters of the society. The reason for this the growth in GDP. In terms of GDP, the economy has
overwhelming support and encouragement is that people reached un-precedents heights. But does GDP reflect true
all over the world are dissatisfied with the way societies picture of India. If we look more closely we come to see
are progressing. They are concerned with the degradation that the benefit of growth has reached to a small part of
of overall quality of life where GDP is the only yardstick to society. If the number of billionaires has increased in
measure social and economic well-being of a country. India, so has the number of poor. In India the gap
People have started demanding more sustainable and between poor and the rich has been growing wide. Money
complete approach to development. They want has been restricted into a few hands. They are reaping the
dimensions such as social, environment and culture to be benefits of growing economy. They are the persons who
taken into account while making policy framework. GDH are enjoying the luxuries of life. Poor are not able to fulfil
has evolved as a serious challenge to GDP which is a one even the bare necessities of life. Then there is a middle
sided measure of social and economic progress. Its class which has now more money at their disposal but
supporters argue that GDP is simply a measure of rising inflation in the prices of food and general items is
currency that changes hands and doesn't take care of leaving little money in their hands. They are not able to
growing social problems. Its only focus is on economy. It save for their future. The new mall culture and lust for
does not consider the factors such as natural disasters luxuries of life along with changed lifestyle has corrupted
which can contribute to the GDP growth as it encourages our middle class.
economic activities such as reconstruction. In measuring There is one more question. Is the benefit of growing
GDP there is a fear of statistic errors and the pollution economy reaching our farmers? Agriculture is the most
factors are overlooked. GDP fails to measure quality important profession in India. More than two thirds of its
development as it only measures the price as value. population is dependent on agriculture. Globalization and
Gross Domestic Happiness aims to evaluate sustainability, other trends which are associated with a developed
wellbeing and quality of life. It measures total household economy have little benefitted our peasants. They are still
income, the level of education, value of voluntary work under the burden of debt. So what type of development
and unpaid work of wives at home, natural capital such as does GDP indicate when majority of people are deprived
energy, air water, sustainable transportation, levels of of the fruits of development. Same is the case with the
health, crime, pollution etc. But measuring love and condition of unemployment in the country. With so many

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persons dependent on agriculture, it is a form of hidden treatment. Nearby dispensaries do not have adequate
unemployment. They appear employed but in reality they staff, and medicines. Private health care is very expensive.
are not gainfully employed. They are not contributing Only rich can afford such costly medical treatment.
towards the increase in agriculture production. Since land Transportation system is not up to the mark. Roads are
is a limit resource and its productivity is also limited to an not properly maintained in rural areas. In urban areas also
extent, the surplus persons employed in agriculture are we witness roads which are a clear invitation to accidents.
hiding the facts about employment. The idea of measuring a country's performance through
The real cause of unemployment is our faulty education GDH is brilliant but a nation cannot afford to focus only on
system. The rise in GDP does not say anything about the one aspect. It works in fairly small countries such as
state of education in the country. Moreover education is Bhutan but when it comes to larger countries such as
not within the reach of everyone. The dropout rate in India, china, U.S.A., Germany etc. we feel difficulty in
India is very high. It is true that the government has been relying totally on GDH. However, focusing of only GDP
trying hard to bring reforms in education but there is a lot leads to stress, overworking suicides and unhappiness.
needed to be done. Education must enable a person to Therefore, there must be a mixture of GDP and GDH while
become gainfully employed. Vocational education must be measuring a countries progress. It will surely cover all
incorporated into general education. The dismal picture of aspects of human development.
education sector does not match with the picture being
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this essay
depicted through growing GDP. Health sector in India is
are those of the writer.
also very backward. Treatment is beyond common
people's reach. There is lack of proper infrastructure in
health services people have to long distance to get proper

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Part Three
practiCe
ZONE
mcqs . descriptive questions .
questions based on editorials

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Here are given 50 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

for self-practice. These questions have been framed
Multiple Choice Questions from this issue itself. So, a reader is expected to
attempt the questions, and also refer to the Answer
(MCQs) for prelims gs paper i Key given after the MCQs. These are helpful for General
Studies- Paper I (Preliminary Examination).
Q1. UN Vesak Day is associated with which of the 1. Greece

following religions? 2. Italy
(a) Buddhism 3. Russia
(b) Judaism Select the correct answer form the codes given below:
(c) Shintoism (a) 1 only
(d) Islam (b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only
Q2. Which of the following are correctly matched? (d) 1 and 2
Leading Country/
Global Initiative
Organisation Q5. Consider the following statements:
1. Christchurch Call to : United States 1. Partial test ban Treaty prohibited underground nuclear
Action testing while Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
extended the prohibition to all spheres.
2. Aqaba Process : Jordan
2. International Monitoring System under the CTBTO
3. Paris Call : UNESCO Internet
Preparatory Commission provides information on
Governance Forum
underwater earthquake, tsunami warning and volcanic
4. Global Internet Forum : Financial Action Task activities
to Counter Terrorism Force 3. Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty provides for the
Select the correct answer from the codes given below: distinction between Nuclear weapon States and non-
(a) 1 and 2 Nuclear weapon States.
(b) 1, 2 and 4 Which of the statements given above are correct?
(c) 2 and 3 (a) 1 and 2
(d) 2, 3 and 4 (b) 2 and 3

(c) 1 and 3
Q3. INSTEX of the European Union was recently in the (d) 1, 2 and 3
news, in context of
(a) Iranian Nuclear Deal Q6. Which of the following is/are correctly matched?
(b) Brexit Town in news Country
(c) Venezuela Oil Crisis 1. Batticaloa Bangladesh
(d) Syrian Refugee Crisis 2. Sainthamaruthu Sri Lanka
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Q4. Which of the following countries are participants in (a) 1 only
the China and Central and Eastern European (b) 2 only
Countries (CEEC) grouping? (c) Both 1 and 2

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(d) Neither 1 nor 2 3. United Kingdom

Select the correct answer form the codes given below:
Q7. With reference to UN Special Rapporteurs, consider (a) 1 and 2
the following statements: (b) 2 and 3
1. They are appointed by the UN Security Council as (c) 1 and 3
employees of the U.N. Human Rights Council (d) 1, 2 and 3
2. They submit their report directly to the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights
11. Which of the following is the negative impact of
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect? illegal sand mining?
(a) 1 only 1. Receding of deltas.
(b) 2 only 2. Shrinking of river banks
(c) Both 1 and 2 3. Decrement in groundwater level
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 4. Make area more prone to flooding
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Q8. Which of the following correctly explains Official (a) 1 and 2 only
Developmental Assistance?
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(a) It is a term coined by Organisation for Economic Co-
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
operation and Development to measure aid such as in
(d) All of the above
form of soft loan, etc. for economic development for
recipient country
(b) It is a term used by World Economic Forum to denote 12. Which of the following nations have declared
financial assistance in which the recipient country Climate Change emergency?
initiate, organise and manage activities on projects 1. United Kingdom
(c) A term used by BRICS for support to projects in 2. Ireland

developing countries in particular Least Developed 3. Denmark
Countries and Post Conflict Reconstruction and 4. Netherland
Development countries. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(d) Humanitarian aid provided by International (a) 1 and 2 only
organisations and countries to countries and regions
(b) 1 only
facing natural and man-made disasters
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) All of the above
Q9. Which of the following countries are included in
the ‘Lithium Triangle’?
13. Coastal Zone does not include:
(a) China, Mongolia and Russia
(a) Wetland ecosystems
(b) Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia
(b) Mudflat ecosystems
(c) Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand
(c) Benthic ecosystems
(d) Chile, Bolivia and Argentina
(d) Seaweed ecosystems
Q10. Which of the following are members of Arctic

Council? 14. Which of the following pollutants are mainly
emitted from diesel engine vehicles?
1. Russia
1. Carbon monoxide
2. United States
2. Nitrogen oxides

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3. Methane 18. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a

4. Persistent Organic Pollutants statutory organization, entrusted with the powers
Select the correct answer using the codes given below: and functions under which of the following Acts?
(a) 1 and 2 only 1. Water (Prevention and Control of pollution) Act, 1974
(b) 1 only 2. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only 3. Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
(d) All of the above 4. Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
15. Which of the following is/are the reasons for (a) 1 and 3 only
formation of Urban Heat Islands? (b) 1, 2 and 3 only

1. Asphalt and concrete absorb huge amounts of heat (c) 1, 3 and 4 only
increasing the mean surface temperatures of urban (d) All of the above
areas.
2. Increased evapotranspiration from plants. 19. Which of the following is/are the statutory
3. Skyscrapers block the circulation of wind. provisions for control of noise pollution?
Select the correct answer using the codes given below: 1. Article 21
(a) 1 and 2 only 2. Code of Criminal Procedure
(b) 1 and 3 only 3. Air (prevention and control of pollution) Act
(c) 2 only Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(d) All of the above (a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 only
16. Eco-Sensitive Zones are declared under which of (c) 2 and 3 only
the following Acts? (d) All of the above
(a) Environment Protection Act, 1986
(b) Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 20. “Prior Informed Consent” procedure is applicable in
(c) Biodiversity Act, 2002 which of the following conventions?
(d) Indian Forest Act, 1988 (a) Stockholm Convention
(b) Basel Convention
17. Which of the following is/are the objectives of (c) Bonn Convention
Nagar Van Udyan Yojana? (d) RAMSAR Convention
1. It aims at creating a minimum of 25 hectares of forests
in each city. 21. Consider the following statements related to
2. It aims at increasing the forest/ tree cover by 5 million International Union for the Protection of New
hectare as well as, increasing the quality of the existing Varieties of Plants (UPOV):
forest cover in another 5 million hectare. 1. It allows the farmers to re-sow, exchange, share or sell
Select the correct answer using the codes given below: the registered variety of seeds.
(a) 1 only 2. India is a founder member of UPOV.
(b) 2 only Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(c) Both 1 and 2 (a) 1 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2

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(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (c) RBI’s Economic Capital Framework

(d) Regulation of NBFCs
22. Consider the following statements related to
protection of registered plant varieties in India: 26. In the context of Indian Banking, What does the
1. The plant varieties are protected under Patents Act, term “Haircut” means?
1970. (a) Difference between the collateral value and loan
2. The duration of protection of registered plant varieties amount
is 20 years, which is same as patents. (b) Difference between the deposits and loans of the
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Banks
(a) 1 only (c) Difference between the loan amount and actual
(b) 2 only amount recovered
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Rationalisation of Bank’s workforce
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

27. Which among the following countries is the top
23. Which among the following factors have led to the supplier of Crude oil to India?
problem of “Missing Middle” in the manufacturing (a) Saudi Arabia
sector in India? (b) Iran
1. Complex Labour Laws (c) Iraq
2. Lack of incentives to MSMEs (d) Venezuela
3. Lack of access to raw materials
Select the correct answer using the code given below: 28. Consider the following statements related to Index
(a) 1 only of Eight Core Industries:
(b) 1 and 2 only 1. It is published by Office of the Economic Advisor,
(c) 2 and 3 only Ministry of commerce and Industry.
(d) 1, 2 and 3 2. The Eight core industries constitute more than 50% of
the total Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
24. Consider the following statements related to
Payment and Settlement system in India: (a) 1 only
1. The Payment and Settlement system includes both the (b) 2 only
paper based payments and electronic payments. (c) Both 1 and 2
2. The Payment and Settlement system is regulated by (d) Neither 1 nor 2

National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 29. Which among the following agencies manages the
(a) 1 only Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)?
(b) 2 only (a) Reserve Bank of India
(c) Both 1 and 2 (b) National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (NABARD)

(c) Union Ministry of Agriculture
25. With which among the following does the P J Nayak (d) NITI Aayog
Committee deals with?

(a) Merger of Banks 30. Which among the following are the components of
(b) Reforms in the Governance of Public sector Banks Forex Reserves in India?

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1. Foreign Currency Assets

2. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) 34. Consider the following statements about Election
3. Gold Petition:
Select the correct answer using the code given below: 1. Election petitions are filed in the District Court of a
(a) 1 only particular constituency.
(b) 1 and 2 only 2. Representation of People Act, 1951 provides for the
manner in which election petition can be filed.
(c) 1 and 3 only
3. An election petition calling in question an election shall
(d) 1, 2 and 3
be filed within the time period of forty-five days from
the date of declaration of results.
31. With reference to road fatalities, consider the following
statements:
(a) 1 and 2 only
1. Reducing road fatalities has been mentioned as a
(b) 2 only
specific target under Sustainable development goals.
(c) 2 and 3 only
2. India is a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration on road
safety, 2005 (d) None of the above
Select the correct answer using the code given below –

a. 1 only 35. Which of the following can be said to be corrupt
practices under Representation of People Act,
b. 2 only
1951?
c. Both 1 and 2
1. Bribery
d. Neither 1 nor 2
2. undue influence
3. appeal to religious symbols
32. As per WHO’S new strategy to eliminate industrially
4. publication of false documents about rival candidate
produced trans-fat by 2023 , consider the following
statements: Select the correct answer using the code given below:
1. It has been decided that industrially produced trans-fat (a) 2 and 3 only
should not exceed 5 grams per 100 grams fat/oil/ (b) 1, 2 and 4 only
globally by 2023. (c) 1, 2, 3 and 4
2. Transfat is a type of unsaturated fat. (d) None of the above
3. Transfat do not occur naturally and are produced
artificially only through the process of hydrogenation 36. Non-Functional Upgradation can be associated
Select the correct answer using the code given below with which of the following?
a. 1 and 2 only (a) Civil Aviation
b. 2 only (b) Nuclear Reactors
c. 2 and 3 only (c) Indian Railways
d. 1, 2 and 3 (d) Promotion of Officers
33. Which among the following states has the highest 37. Consider the following statements about The
under 5 mortality rates ? International Organisation of Supreme Audit
a. Assam Institutions (INTOSAI):
b. Uttar Pradesh 1. It operates as an umbrella organisation for the
c. Haryana external government audit community.
d. none of the above

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2. It provides an institutionalised framework for supreme 2. Vacation Bench decides urgent matter of litigants.
audit institutions to promote development and Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
transfer of knowledge, improve government auditing (a) 1 only
worldwide and enhance professional capacities.
(b) 2 only
3. Comptroller and Auditor General of India is Supreme
(c) 1 and 2 only
Audit Institution of India.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 and 2 only
41. Consider the following statements:
(b) 2 only
1. A total of 20 Khasi states signed the Instrument of
(c) 2 and 3 only
Accession in 1948 with the Dominion of India.
(d) 1, 2 and 3
2. The citizenship amendment bill of 2016 does not
extend to Muslim migrants.
38. Consider the following statements: Which of the above statements is/are correct?
1. Exit poll is a survey which is conducted just after a (a) 1 only
voter walks out after casting their vote.
(b) 2 only
2. Opinion poll is a method for collecting information
(c) Both 1 and 2
about the views or beliefs of a given group after the
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
voting process.
42. Consider the following artefacts:
(a) 1 only
1. Copper shields
(b) 2 only
2. Bows and Arrows
(c) 1 and 2 only
3. Wooden Coffin
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Which of the above have been recently excavated by ASI in
the ancient site of Sangauli?
39. Consider the following statements about Rohini
(a) 1 only
Commission:
(b) 1 and 2
1. It aims to quantify the flow of benefits among different
communities among OBC so as to reduce the current (c) 1 and 3
imbalance. (d) 3 only
2. It aims to examine the sub-categorisation of Other

Backward Classes, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled 43. Consider the following statements:
Tribes. 1. Jejeebhoy became the first Baronet of Bombay in 1857.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 2. He founded the JJ School of Art and JJ Hospital in
(a) 1 only Bombay.
(b) 2 only Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(c) 1 and 2 only (a) 1 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
40. Consider the following statements about Vacation (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Bench:
1. Vacation Bench of the Supreme Court is a special 44. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
bench constituted by the Prime Minister. 1. Himroo is a popular textile produced in Aurangabad.

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2. It is associated with the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin (b) 2 and 3

Khilji. (c) 1 and 3
Select the correct answer using the code below: (d) 1, 2 and 3
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only 48. Which of the following tribes is associated with the
(c) Both 1 and 2 Wanchuwa festival?
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (a) Bodos
(b) Man
45. Consider the following statements: (c) Karbis
1. The idol of Vijay located on the main entrance of (d) Tiwas
Jagannath Puri temple was destroyed during the
cyclone Fani. 49. Consider the following statements:
2. Jagannath Puri temple is also known as the White 1. Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar was against the practice of
Pagoda. polygamy.
Which of the above statements is/are correct? 2. He was contemporary to Raja Rammohun Roy
(a) 1 only Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(b) 2 only (a) 1 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (b) 2 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
46. The Chandanotsavam festival is dedicated to which
of the following deities?
50. Consider the following statements:
(a) Varaha avatar of Vishnu
1. Golkonda fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
(b) Matsya avatar of Vishnu
2. National Monuments Authority has recently given a
(c) Vamana avatar of Vishnu permit for construction in its regulated zone.
(d) Narasimha avatar of Vishnu Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
47. Consider the following states: (b) 2 only
1. Tripura (c) Both 1 and 2
2. Assam (d) Neither 1 nor 2
3. Manipur
In which of the above states is the Tiwa tribe found?
(a) 1 and 2

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1. Answer (a) 13. Answer (c) 25. Answer (b) 37. Answer (d)
2. Answer (c) 14. Answer (a) 26. Answer (c) 38. Answer (a)
3. Answer (a) 15. Answer (b) 27. Answer (c) 39. Answer (a)
4. Answer (a) 16. Answer (a) 28. Answer (a) 40. Answer (b)
5. Answer (c) 17. Answer (a) 29. Answer (b) 41. Answer (b)
6. Answer (b) 18. Answer (b) 30. Answer (d) 42. Answer (c)
7. Answer (c) 19. Answer (d) 31. Answer (c) 43. Answer (c)
8. Answer (a) 20. Answer (b) 32. Answer (b) 44. Answer (a)
9. Answer (d) 21. Answer (d) 33. Answer (a) 45. Answer (b)
10. Answer (a) 22. Answer (d) 34. Answer (d) 46. Answer (d)
11. Answer (d) 23. Answer (a) 35. Answer (c) 47. Answer (b)
12. Answer (a) 24. Answer (a) 36. Answer (d) 48. Answer (d)
49. Answer (c)
50. Answer (b)

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Here, we are sharing Essay Type Questions for self-

practice. These questions have been framed on
important issues covered in editorials drawn from
Essay Type Questions leading newspapers. A reader is expected to read the
editorals, understand & analyse them, and practice
for mains gs papers I, II & III the question given above each editorial in 200 words
to command on issues relevant for General Studies
Papers- I, II, III & Essay.
Q1. Discuss various factors driving the catastrophic erosion of ecosystems. How do they further lead to adverse impact
on the ecosystem services? Comment.
Circle of life The Hindu | Environment
The overwhelming message from the global assessment report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is that human beings have so rapaciously exploited nature, and that species
belonging to a quarter of all studied animal and plant groups on earth are gravely threatened. If the world continues to pursue
the current model of economic growth without factoring in environmental costs, one million species could go extinct, many in a
matter of decades. Catastrophic erosion of ecosystems is being driven by unsustainable use of land and water, direct harvesting
of species, climate change, pollution and release of alien plants and animals in new habitats. While ecosystem losses have
accelerated over the past five decades universally, there is particular worry over the devastation occurring in tropical areas,
which are endowed with greater biodiversity than others; only a quarter of the land worldwide now retains its ecological and
evolutionary integrity, largely spared of human impact. Nature provides ecosystem services, but these are often not included in
productivity estimates: they are vital for food production, for clean air and water, provision of fuel for millions, absorption of
carbon in the atmosphere, and climate moderation. The result of such skewed policies, as the IPBES estimates, is that the global
rate of species extinction is at least tens to hundreds of times higher today than the average rate over the past 10 million years,
and it is accelerating alarmingly.
Ecological economists have for years pointed to the extreme harm that humanity as a whole is courting by modifying terrestrial,
marine and freshwater ecosystems to suit immediate needs, such as raising agricultural and food output and extracting
materials that aid ever-increasing consumption. Expanding agriculture by cutting down forests has raised food volumes, and
mining feeds many industries, but these have severely affected other functions such as water availability, pollination,
maintenance of wild variants of domesticated plants and climate regulation. Losses from pollution are usually not factored into
claims of economic progress made by countries, but as the IPBES assessment points out, marine plastic pollution has increased
tenfold since 1980, affecting at least 267 species, including 86% of marine turtles, 44% of seabirds and 43% of marine mammals.
At the same time, about 9% of 6,190 domesticated breeds of mammals used for food and agriculture had gone extinct by 2016,
and another 1,000 may disappear permanently. Viewed against a shrinking base of wild varieties of farmed plants and animals,
all countries have cause for alarm. They are rapidly emptying their genetic resource kit. Reversing course is a dire necessity to
stave off disaster. This can be done by incorporating biodiversity impacts into all economic activity, recognizing that irreparably
breaking the web of life will impoverish and endanger people everywhere.
Keywords: 1. Global assessment report 2. Threatened 3. Ecosystem services
Q2. The new definition of kilogram has been adopted recently. Give reasons. Also explain how does the new system
work?

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Full Circle The Hindu | Science & Technology
As of May 20, the kilogram joined a bunch of other units — second, metre, ampere, kelvin, mole and candela — that will no
longer be compared with physical objects as standards of reference. The change comes after nearly 130 years: in 1889 a
platinum-iridium cylinder was used to define how much mass one kilogram represented. Now, a more abstract definition of the
kilogram has been adopted in terms of fundamental constants, namely, the Planck’s constant h, and the metre and second
which already have been defined in terms of universal constants such as the speed of light. With this redefinition, the range of
universality of the measurement has been extended in an unprecedented way. Earlier, if a mass had to be verified to match with
a standard kilogram, it would be placed on one of the pans of a common balance, while the prototype would have to be placed in
the other pan — and mass would be measured against mass. Now, by using a Kibble balance, which balances mass against
electromagnetic force, to measure the mass of an unknown piece, the very methodology of verification has been altered. The
constants involved are known precisely and are universal numbers. Hence, whether the mass is measured on earth or, say, on
the moon, it can be determined with precision.
This is the culmination of a series of historical changes, which are also described by Richard S. Davis et al in their 2016 article in
the journal Metrologia. Originally the definition of mass was in terms of what was then thought of as a universal physical
constant. In 1791, 1 kg was defined as the mass of one litre of distilled water at its melting point. Thus, the density of water was
the physical constant on which this definition hinged. In 1799, the kilogram came to be defined using a cylinder of platinum – the
first time an artefact was used for this purpose. But it was also defined as equivalent to the mass of one litre of distilled water at
atmospheric pressure and at about 4 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which water has the maximum density. This was done
away with in 1889 when the community adopted the International Prototype of the Kilogram — a cylinder made of an alloy that’s
90% platinum and 10% iridium. The reference to the ‘physical constant’, i.e. mass of one litre of water, was abandoned. Now, as a
culmination of this historical process, we come back full circle and find that the kilogram is defined again in terms of a
fundamental physical constant — the Planck’s constant. Planck’s constant is a robust number to match. Not until the art of
travelling at relativistic speeds, close to the speed of light, is mastered, will we have to redefine these abstract definitions. Until
then, it looks like metrologists are on a stable berth.
Keywords: 1. kilogram 2. Planck’s constant 3. Kibble balance
Q3. Examine the impact of marine pollution on marine ecology. Also discuss various methods to control it.
Low Blow Indian Express| Environment
Earlier this month, Victor Vescovo, a retired naval officer, journeyed to the deepest depths of the earth’s abyss — the frightening
Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. In what has now become the deepest dive ever made by a human inside a submarine,
Vescovo descended approximately 35,853 ft inside the intimidating aquatic pit. He came across sea creatures, including four new
species — prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods. However, in that dark abyss, what also stared back at him: A plastic bag and
candy wrappers.
More people have walked the surface of the moon than the Mariana, and plastic making its way to such a space is a sobering
reminder of how deep the rot has spread. The relentless pursuit of plastic, driven by multiple industries worldwide, typically
looking for cheaper, more durable alternatives to costly materials, is squeezing the life out of nature. Earlier this year, there were
reports of a British research team which captured amphipods that scavenge on seabeds from six of the world’s deepest ocean
trenches. When they eventually sampled them in a laboratory, more than 80 per cent of the creatures were found to have plastic
in their guts. Reports routinely talk of sea animals, especially whales, getting beached which have plastic in them.
Arguably, one of the first synthetic polymers — plastic is one such — was invented in 1869 by John Hyatt (in the form of
celluloid). He was trying to find a substitute for natural ivory that was in demand owing to a spike in popularity of billiards gear.
Hyatt’s discovery was seen as a lifeline for elephants that had to be slaughtered for ivory. Nature and its resources, it was

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reported, had to be preserved, and hence the significance of plastic. Vescovo was witness to the irony of how plastic — aided by
unaccountable human activities — now poses the gravest danger, instead, to any preservation.
Keywords: 1. Mariana Trench 2. Amphipods 3. John Hyatt
Q4. What do you understand by Anthropocene epoch? Discuss why various voices are advocating the identification of
Plasticene as a subsidiary of the Anthropocene.
Next, Plasticene Indian Express| Environment
Just when the human race seems ready to annihilate itself and enter the fossil record for keeps, the Anthropocene Working
Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy is propelling it into the Anthropocene Age — the era in which the
imprint of this industrial and agricultural species becomes visible planetwide. Of course, stratigraphers work with geological
slowness. The process of defining the Anthropocene was initiated in 2016 and, while the working group has voted
overwhelmingly for the motion, it will be formally proposed only two years later to the commission.
Humans have also left their mark on the Holocene, the era which began about 11,650 years ago, when the glaciers retreated.
Ruined cities like Petra and Ur are stirring tourist attractions. Further back in time are the odds and ends of material culture —
Acheulian hand-axes, Jomon pottery — and much further back are fossils like Lucy, and fossilised human footprints on the sands
of time. Signs of the Anthropocene are less poetic — traces of pollution in tree rings, layers of soot in the substrata of industrial
towns, massive deforestation and erosion, millions of acres of concrete, space junk in orbit.
However, there is time yet, until 2021. Time to define a subsidiary age of the Anthropocene, in recognition of a human stain that
is far more pervasive than all these vile signs — plastic. Undegraded plastic is everywhere, from landfills to kitchens and the
innards of cows. Rivers of plastic flow down to the sea, where it breaks down into microscopic particles that are now found in
maritime life forms. Plastic is the most enduring sign of the human race. It is significant enough to be eponymous, identifying a
subsidiary of the Anthropocene. It must be named Plasticene.
Keywords: 1. Anthropocene Working Group 2. the International Commission on Stratigraphy 3. Holocene 4. Plasticene
Q5. Discuss the significance of recent developments by ISRO. Also discuss their application across various domains.
Eye in the sky The Hindu | Science & Technology
With the successful pre-dawn launch of RISAT-2B satellite on May 22, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has added
another feather to its cap. The satellite will enhance India’s capability in crop monitoring during the monsoon season, forestry
mapping for forest fires and deforestation, and flood mapping as part of the national disaster management programme. Given
that overcast skies are a constant during the monsoon season and during times of flood, the ability to penetrate the cloud cover
is essential. While optical remote sensing that relies on visible light for imaging gets obstructed by clouds, RISAT-2B will not. Much
like the RISAT-1 satellite that was launched by ISRO in April 2012, RISAT-2B will also use microwave radiation. Unlike visible light,
microwaves have longer wavelength and so will not be susceptible to atmospheric scattering. Microwave radiation can thus easily
pass through the cloud cover, haze and dust, and image the ground. Hence, RISAT-2B satellite will be able to image under almost
all weather and environmental conditions. Since it does not rely on visible light for imaging, it will be able to image the ground
during both day and night. The satellite does not have passive microwave sensors that detect the radiation naturally emitted by
the atmosphere or reflected by objects on the ground. Instead, RISAT-2B will be transmitting hundreds of microwave pulses each
second towards the ground and receiving the signals reflected by the objects using radar. The moisture and texture of the object
will determine the strength of the microwave signal that gets reflected. While the strength of the reflected signal will help

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determine different targets, the time between the transmitted and reflected signals will help determine the distance to the
object.
The RISAT-2B satellite uses X-band synthetic aperture radar for the first time; the synthetic aperture radar was developed
indigenously. Unlike the C-band that was used by RISAT-1, the shorter wavelength of the X-band allows for higher resolution
imagery for target identification and discrimination. Since it has high resolution, the satellite will be able to detect objects with
dimensions of as little as a metre. This capacity to study small objects and also movement could be useful for surveillance. As K.
Sivan, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, had said last month, the satellite could be used for civil and strategic
purposes. RISAT-2B will have an inclined orbit of 37 degrees, which will allow more frequent observations over the Indian
subcontinent. With ISRO planning to launch four more such radar imaging satellites in a year, its ability to monitor crops and
floods as well as engage in military surveillance will be greatly enhanced.
Keywords: 1. RISAT-2B. 2. Crop monitoring 3. Forestry mapping 4. Flood mapping 5. microwave radiation 6. X-band synthetic aperture
radar
Q6. Discuss the utility of model code of conduct during elections? Does Election Commission have adequate powers to
enforce it? Discuss.
Posers on the code: on EC clearing PM Modi’s speeches The Hindu| Polity & Governance
In an election that lasts seven weeks, it is not only the task of conducting the polls that is humongous; policing the conduct of
political parties and candidates can be equally demanding. The Opposition has been complaining frequently about what it
believes is the Election Commission’s leniency towards the ruling BJP, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The focus is now on
the manner in which the EC is dealing with complaints against Mr. Modi for some of his controversial campaign speeches. While
complaints against other leaders were promptly dealt with, there was an obvious delay in taking up those against Mr. Modi. Few
would have failed to notice that he has been running an abrasive campaign. He has stoked fears over India’s security, claimed
credit for the performance of the armed forces and implicitly underscored that his party stands for the religious majority. It was
only after the matter reached the Supreme Court that the three-member EC began to dispose of the complaints. It has found
nothing wrong in most of the remarks about which complaints were made for possible violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
What is disconcerting is the EC’s finding that none of his remarks touching on the role of the armed forces under his rule violates
the directive against the use of the armed forces for political propaganda. That some of these decisions were not unanimous, but
marked by dissent from one of the Election Commissioners, points to the seriousness of the credibility crisis the institution is
facing.
For instance, a remark Mr. Modi made in Wardha on April 1 — that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was contesting from a
constituency “where the majority community is in a minority” — was deemed innocent, and it took four weeks for the EC to give
this clean chit. The second one, for a speech at Latur on April 9, was even more astounding. There, the Prime Minister made a
direct appeal to first-time voters that they should dedicate their votes to the Air Force team that struck at Balakot, and the
martyrs of Pulwama. The technicality the EC used to absolve Mr. Modi was that he did not directly appeal for votes in the name of
the armed forces. So far the EC has rejected six complaints. The prohibition against the use of the armed forces in election
propaganda is to underscore their apolitical nature and to deny ruling parties the opportunity to project their performance as
their own achievements. Yet, the EC has decided that none of the references to air strikes, the nuclear option and dealing with
Pakistan attracted the bar under the MCC. It is difficult not to speculate that had the same remarks been made by other
candidates, they may have attracted a ban on campaigning for a period. The EC has so far retained its well-founded reputation,
although there have been occasional complaints in the past that questioned its impartiality. It is unfortunate that this reputation
for independence and even-handedness is starkly under question in this election.
Key words: 1. Election Commission 2. Supreme Court 3. Model Code of Conduct

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Q7. Discuss the role of collegium in the process of selection of Supreme Court judges in India. How can the process be
made more systemic?
For a full bench: on recommendations for judicial appointments The Hindu| Polity & Governance
The government and the Supreme Court collegium seem to disagree on recommendations for judicial appointments quite
frequently these days. It has become routine to hear that some recommendations for High Court appointments, as well as
elevation to the Supreme Court, have met with disapproval from the government. In such instances, it requires reiteration by the
collegium for the names to be cleared. This need not always be a cause for concern if it is a sign of some serious consultation on
the suitability of those recommended. However, it acquires the character of a controversy if the government’s objections suggest
an oblique motive to thwart or delay the appointment of particular nominees. The latest development concerns Jharkhand High
Court Chief Justice Aniruddha Bose and Gauhati High Court Chief Justice A.S. Bopanna, who were on April 12 recommended for
elevation to the Supreme Court. The government had sought a reconsideration of the two names. The collegium has now
repeated its recommendations, emphasising that there is nothing adverse against the two judges in terms of their “conduct,
competence and integrity” and that there is no reason to agree with the government. Under the present procedure, the
government is now bound to accept the recommendation. The Supreme Court is keen to fill up the current vacancies. It has also
recommended two more judges, Justice B.R. Gavai of the Bombay High Court and Chief Justice Surya Kant of the Himachal
Pradesh High Court, for appointment to the apex court. If all these four recommendations go through, the court will have its full
complement of 31 judges.
While this will be welcome, some issues persist. In systemic terms, the advisability of retaining the collegium system of
appointments is a major concern; and in terms of process, the huge number of vacancies in the various High Courts and lower
courts is another. The process of filling up vacancies depends on the relative speed with which the collegium initiates proposals
for appointments and makes its recommendations after internal deliberations, and the time the government takes to process
the names. As on May 1, the total number of vacancies in all the High Courts is 396. It is true that the filling up of vacancies is a
continuous and collaborative process involving the executive and the judiciary, and there cannot be a time frame for it. However,
it is time to think of a permanent, independent body to institutionalise the process. The known inadequacies of the collegium
system and the mystery over whether a new memorandum of procedure is in the offing are reasons why the proposal for a
constitutionally empowered council to make judicial appointments ought to be revived — of course, with adequate safeguards to
preserve the judiciary’s independence. The time may have come for a systemic and processual overhaul.
Key words: 1. Supreme Court collegium 2. judicial appointments 3. the judiciary’s independence
Q8. Analyze various dimensions related to the reservations in promotions of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
candidates in public sector jobs in India.
Substantive equality: on SC/ST govt. staff promotions The Hindu| Polity & Governance
The Supreme Court verdict upholding a Karnataka law to preserve the consequential seniority of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled
Tribe candidates promoted on the basis of reservation is notable for being the first instance of quantifiable data being used to
justify reservation. After a similar 2002 law was struck down on the ground that there was no data, as required by the judgment
in Nagaraj (2006), the Karnataka government appointed a committee to collect data on the “backwardness” of SC/ST
communities, the inadequacy of their representation in the services and the overall impact of reservation on the efficiency of
the administration — parameters laid down in the 2006 verdict as constitutional limitations on the power to extend reservation
in employment. Based on the report, the State enacted a fresh law, which has now been upheld on the ground that it is
compliant with the Nagaraj formulation, as well as the clarification found in Jarnail Singh (2018). A key principle in this decision
is that where reservation for SC/ST candidates is concerned, there is no need to demonstrate the ‘backwardness’ of the

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community. The other pre-requisites of a valid system — quantifiable data on the ‘inadequacy of representation’ for classes of
people identified for reservation, and an assessment of the impact of such quota on the “efficiency of administration” — remain
valid. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s judgment applies the rule emerging from Jarnail Singh, which decided that Nagaraj did not
require reconsideration. At the same time, it held that Nagaraj was not right in insisting on data to justify the ‘backwardness’ of
SC/ST communities, as it contradicted a nine-judge Bench decision in Indra Sawhney (1992).
The judgment places in perspective the historical and social justification for according reservation, rejecting the argument those
quotas, by themselves, affect administrative “efficiency”. It says merit lies not only in performance but also in achieving goals
such as promotion of equality, and that India’s transformative Constitution envisages not just a formal equality of opportunity
but the achievement of substantive equality. It accepts the subjective satisfaction of the government in deciding the adequacy
of representation, subject to the norm that there should be relevant material before it. One must also recognize the constant
tension between legislative intent and judicial interpretation. Most judgments on affirmative action indicate that the courts are
laying down constitutional limitations, lest the equality norm, a basic feature of the Constitution, be given the go-by. It is welcome
that the backwardness of the SCs and STs no more needs to be demonstrated. Policy-makers should heed the appeal contained
in the judgment: there is no antithesis between the concept of efficiency and the inclusion of diverse sections of society in the
administration. While data on representation may be a requirement, the idea that reservation has an adverse effect on
administration must be rejected.
Key words: 1 consequential seniority 2. Nagaraj (2006), 3. in Jarnail Singh (2018). 4. administrative “efficiency 5. substantive equality 6.
equality of opportunity
Q9. Despite the striking down of draconian Section 66A of the IT Act by the Supreme court of India, police in various
states is still invoking it in FIRs. Discuss various steps to curb this practice.
Morphed freedoms The Hindu| Polity & Governance
The case of a BJP Yuva Morcha functionary being arrested in West Bengal for sharing a morphed image of Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee demonstrates how wrong and needlessly oppressive legal processes can turn out to be. The police in Howrah
registered a case and arrested Priyanka Sharma under irrelevant and non-existent provisions, a magistrate showed little
application of mind while remanding her to judicial custody, and even the Supreme Court, while ordering her immediate
release, did not recognise sufficiently the perverse manner in which the law was being used. It is a matter of some consolation
that the apex court observed a day later that the arrest was arbitrary and pulled up the West Bengal government for delaying Ms.
Sharma’s release for technical reasons. The police, apparently realising that there was no offence in the first place, has filed a
closure report terming the complaint a ‘mistake of fact’. It is a reflection of the level of acrimony between the ruling Trinamool
Congress and the BJP in the midst of a violence-marred, multi-phase election that the police entertained a complaint from a
Trinamool Congress activist and booked Ms. Sharma for criminal defamation and offences under the provisions of the
Information Technology Act. It is possible that some considered the morphed image — in which Ms. Banerjee’s face was
appended to an actor’s photograph at a museum event in New York — defamatory. But it is unclear how the police could arrest
someone for defamation based on a third party’s complaint.
A cyber-crime police station handled the case, apparently because it involved Section 66-A of the IT Act, a provision declared
unconstitutional in 2015, and Section 67-A, which can be used only when sexually explicit material is transmitted in electronic
form. Thus, what was at best a case of defamation, a non-cognisable and bailable offence, was projected as a cyber-crime with
the sole aim of getting the accused remanded. While magistrates are often known to act mechanically — although that is no
excuse for remanding the accused in this case — it is disconcerting that a Bench of the Supreme Court ventured to advise her to
apologise for sharing the image on Facebook. The court included a gratuitous sentence in its order that “the detenu shall,

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however, at the time of release, tender an apology in writing”. The inclusion of an apology requirement gives the impression that
the court was more concerned about cooling frayed tempers than about the blatant misuse of the law. Another disconcerting
aspect is that the police continue to invoke Section 66-A. In January, the apex court sought the Centre’s response on a petition
that claimed that police officials were unaware that the section is no more on the statute book. As the main issue of freedom of
expression thrown up by this case is going to be heard in detail later, it is hoped the aberrant developments so far will give way
to a reasoned verdict.
Keywords: 1. judicial custody 2. Cyber-crime 3. Section 66-A 4. Section 67-A
Q10. Why is the government of India merging India’s statistical bodies? Discuss various Concerns related to merger. How
can these be effectively addressed?
Shadow over data Indian Express| Polity & Governance
On May 23, while the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha election was underway, the NDA government passed an order to merge
the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) with the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The order, which cleared the formation of
an overarching body — National Statistical Office (NSO) — skipped any mention of the National Statistical Commission
(NSC). This is unfortunate. As the NSC is an independent body which oversees technical aspects of the NSSO’s statistical work,
the worry is that this move will impinge on the autonomy enjoyed by the NSSO so far. Coming at a time when data put out by the
Indian statistical system is already under a cloud of suspicion, this is likely to raise further questions over the independence of
the statistical system.
Events over the past year have suggested that all is not well in the Indian statistical system. At the centre of it all, was the NSC. It
all began when a report, prepared by a committee appointed by the NSC, showed that under the new GDP series, the economy
had grown at a much faster pace under the UPA, than previously estimated. With the NDA government quick to disown it, the
matter acquired a political dimension. A few months later, P C Mohanan, acting chairman of the NSC, and J V Meenakshi,
Professor at the Delhi School of Economics, resigned from the NSC, protesting against the decision to not publish the NSSO’s
employment survey. The results of the survey showed that unemployment in India had surged under the NDA. Then, a few weeks
ago, another report by the NSSO showed that a large number of companies in the MCA21 database — which is integral to
estimating GDP under the new series — either couldn’t be traced or had closed down or were operating in different sectors. This
warrants a relook at the manner in which the MCA21 database is used for estimating GDP.
This series of events, followed by the government’s latest order, is likely to increase scepticism of official data. But, while the
more immediate concern is that of the role of the NSC, the larger concern is the decline of what was once a famed statistical
system. For a government that should have begun its new term by re-building the credibility of the system, this is not a good
start.
Keywords: 1. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), 2. Central Statistics Office (CSO), 3. National Statistical Office (NSO), 4. National
Statistical Commission (NSC).
Q11. The higher level of unemployment in India can be attributed to rising educational status and aspirations among
the youth. In this regard, the government must focus on creating well-paid formal sector jobs. Analyse
The Sum and substance of the Jobs data The Hindu| Economy
The report from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is finally out, garnering a lot of attention based on selective reading of
tables and spurring partisan debates. In particular, the staggering increase in the unemployment rate, from 1.7% in 2011-12 to
5.8% in 2017-18 for rural men and from 3.0% to 7.1% for urban men, has generated wide ranging hand-wringing. However, a

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more nuanced picture emerges if we are to look beyond the partisan debates to policy implications of the data on employment
and unemployment. Three takeaway points from these data are of particular policy relevance.
Three pointers
First, while the unemployment rate is a frequently used measure of poor performance of the economy, under conditions of rising
school and college enrolment, it paints an inaccurate picture. Second, the reported unemployment rate is dominated by the
experience of younger Indians who face higher employment challenges and exhibit greater willingness to wait for the right job
than their older peers. Third, the unemployment challenge is greatest for people with secondary or higher education, and rising
education levels inflate unemployment challenges. These three conditions, taken together, suggest that part of India’s
unemployment challenge lies in its success in expanding education while not expanding formal sector jobs.
Comparison of male employment and unemployment data from the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) 68th round
Employment survey conducted in 2011-12 and the new PLFS of 2017-18 illustrates each of these points. The unemployment rate
is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed by the number in the labour forces, that is, the sum of employed and
unemployed. This statistic ignores people who are out of the labour force — students, homemakers and the disabled.
Unemployment rate data
As long as the proportion of the population out of the labour force is more or less stable, the unemployment rate is a good
indicator of the changes in the employment situation. However, India has seen massive changes in proportion of individuals
enrolled in an educational institution over the past decade. For 15-19-year-old rural men, the proportion primarily engaged in
studying increased from 64% to 72% between 2011-12 and 2017-18. As a result, while the proportion of the population aged 15-
19 that is unemployed doubled from 3% to 6.9%, the unemployment rate tripled from 9% to 27%. Leaving the numerator
(proportion of population unemployed) same while the denominator changes by removing students from the labour force can
overstate job losses.
The proportion of the population that is unemployed has increased only slightly for population aged 30 and above but increased
substantially for younger men. For rural men (30-34), the proportion of unemployed increased from 1% to 2.3% while that for
men (20-24) increased from 4.6% to 16.1%. Much of the increase in male unemployment is located among ages 15-29. It is
important to recognise that in a country dominated by informal sector work, remaining unemployed is possible only for
individuals whose families can survive without their immediate contributions. While a 25-year-old may spend his time diligently
applying for a formal sector and be supported by his parents during this period, a 30-year-old with a wife and children may have
no option but to take any work available to him, even if it pays poorly and offers little job security.
Finally, the unemployment rate has been traditionally high for men with secondary or higher level of education and this is the
segment in which most of the increase in unemployment is located. The unemployment rate for illiterate rural men increased
from 0.5 to 1.7 between 2011-12 and 2017-18 but the absolute increase was substantially larger, from 3.8 to 10.5 for rural men
with at least secondary education. Similar trends are evident for urban men.
This increase in unemployment for educated youth comes at a time when education has expanded substantially. Among rural
men (15-29 years), the population with secondary or higher education increased from 43% to 53% between 2011-12 and 2017-18;
in urban areas there was a five percentage point increase, from 61% to 66%.
These three observations taken together suggest that the roots of India’s present day unemployment challenges lie in its very
success. Educational expansion affects the unemployment debate by skewing the unemployment statistics and by creating
greater competition for well-paid jobs among a rising population of educated youth. Rising prosperity allows young graduates to
wait for well-paying jobs, creating an army of educated unemployed, before being forced to accept any work, frequently
returning to family farms or starting small shops.
Recognition of rising unemployment as a function of rising education forces us to grapple with different issues than a simple
focus on unemployment statistics. If public policies such as demonetisation are responsible for rising unemployment, we would

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see across-the-board increase in unemployment for all age groups. That this phenomenon is located mainly among the young
and well educated reflects a challenge that goes well beyond the temporary slowdown facing India post-demonetisation.
Meeting aspirations
Modern India is an aspirational society. After decades of economic stagnation, the 21st century has seen massive growth in
aspirations. Parents invest their hearts and souls along with their rising incomes in educating their children. Children hope to
make rapid economic progress well beyond the modest gains achieved by their parents’ generation. The unemployment statistics
based on PLFS data document the challenges these young people are likely to face.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has returned to power with a mandate that allows it the freedom to
focus on key challenges facing modern India. Creating jobs for an increasingly educated workforce and ensuring that the new
workers are well equipped to enter the labour force are twin challenges that deserve greatest priority. One hopes that leaders of
the present government who made their political debut during the student movement in the 1970s will meet this challenge head-
on.
Key words: 1. PLFS Report 2.Rising Educational Levels 3. Calculation of Unemployment rate
Q12: In the wake of growing water stress faced in India, there is a need to set up water regulator to ensure equitable
and quality access of water to different sectors in the economy. Discuss
High time States set up water regulators Businessline|Economy
The water sector in India is in a pathetic state. Unlike in the electricity and telecom sectors, the concept of an independent
regulator for water was accepted rather late by policymakers.
The National Water Policy (NWP) 1987 and the NWP 2002 did not touch upon this subject. It was only the National Water
Policy 2012 that envisaged the need for a regulator. It says that ‘equitable access to water for all and its fair pricing for drinking
and other uses such as sanitation, agricultural and industrial sectors should be arrived at through an independent statutory
water regulatory authority set up by each State, after wide ranging consultation with all stakeholders’. The policy outlines a
limited role for the water regulator (price setting being one), and does not elaborate on its functions.
Since there are many players in the water sector (transmission companies, distribution utilities, private operators, and
consumers), the independent regulator should ensure a level-playing field and also adjudicate disputes between stakeholders on
issues such as quality of water service.
In India, there are many institutions which set the minimum standards for water quality. In the UK, the environmental agency
does this task, but the water regulator (called Ofwat) takes into account these quality standards to determine the water tariff. The
regulator should have an advisory role as well, for guiding the government on water use. And, most importantly, it must regulate
water tariff.
The tariff policy framed by a water regulator should be based on consultative approach and the consumers may be charged only
the operation and maintenance costs in the initial stages and the capital costs later. Also, there is a need to protect the
vulnerable sections through targeted subsidy.
Maharashtra is the only State that has a functional water regulator since 2005. Although UP enacted a statute to create a water
regulator in 2008, it is not yet functional. Kerala introduced a bill in 2012, but the water regulator is yet to come into existence.
States such as Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Arunachal Pradesh have enacted statutes for the creation of
water regulators, but they are yet to position them.
Even the regulatory authority in Maharashtra does not conform to the contours of sound regulation as seen in other
infrastructure sectors. For example, it has the power to regulate water tariff only in the irrigation sector, but not in the industrial

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and domestic sectors; it does not regulate quality of water services; has no adjudicatory powers for dispute resolution, and does
not promote competition in water sector. Its main role is to regulate equitable distribution of water at basin level, determine the
distribution of entitlements for various categories of use (‘entitlement’ means authorisation by any River Basin Agency to use
water), and establish a tariff system for water charges at sub basin and river basins.
The regulator is accountable to the State legislature. The government can issue directions to the regulator in public interest and
the latter is bound to follow them.
Uniform principles
Realizing that water is a State subject as per the Constitution, the Centre proposed the formulation of a National Water
Framework Bill 2016 for establishing and implementing uniform principles for water management by the States. This Bill enjoins
upon all States to ‘establish an independent Water Regulatory Authority for ensuring equitable access to water for all and its fair
pricing’.
This is at the consultation stage with States. Parliamentary approval of this Bill, by invoking Article 252(1) of the Constitution,
should be undertaken for ensuring better management of water resources in the country.
Past experience shows that there is reluctance to position regulatory authorities in States due to various reasons. These include
rigid mindset of policymakers and water professionals, predominance of engineering-centred water organisations, politicizing
water management, reluctance to part with power vastly enjoyed by the policymakers to a separate agency called water
regulator, and absence of a catalyst to trigger the introduction of reforms in the water sector.
th
The 13 Finance Commission’s initiative to introduce an incentive scheme of providing grant of ₹5,000 crore for positioning water
regulators in States and recovery of water charges is a welcome step. The positioning of an independent water regulator is an
important step in managing water in the 21st century. The water institutions created in the 20th century in States are unlikely to
deliver positive results unless these are restructured and comprehensive reforms are initiated in the water sector.
Key words: 1.National Water Policy 2. National Water Framework Bill 2016
Q13. Despite the success of Green Revolution, India continues to face the problem of hunger and malnutrition. In this
regard, highlight various steps to be taken by Government in order to ensure food Security in India.
The Paradox of India’s Green Revolution Businessline | Economy
More than five decades after India launched the Green Revolution, its war on hunger is far from won.
The impetus for the Green Revolution came from harvest failures and famine conditions in the mid-1960s. But its main goal was
to ensure India’s national food security, more precisely its self-reliance in foodgrain production.
We can see now that the policies adopted then, and left largely unchanged since, have not only failed to eliminate hunger but
also made more intractable the challenge of providing adequate and appropriate nutrition for all of India’s people.
These policies have included subsidies for fertiliser and groundwater extraction, minimum support prices for foodgrains
(especially rice and wheat), and procurement and public distribution of grains (also mostly rice and wheat).
Today, India has achieved self-reliance in foodgrain production. It has become the world’s second largest producer of both wheat
and rice and the largest exporter of rice.
Despite the large increases in total production, per capita availability of all foodgrains has increased only modestly as the
population has more than tripled since the mid-1960s.
Per capita net availability jumped from 144 kg per year in 1951 to 171 kg in 1971 largely due to greater availability of wheat, but
over the last 50 years has fluctuated between 170 and 180 kg.

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What has changed markedly is that wheat and rice have largely displaced more nutritious pulses and other cereals such as
millets in consumption.
Through the Public Distribution Scheme of 5,00,000 Fair Price Shops around the country, wheat, rice, and sugar are supplied to
the poor at highly subsidised prices. While the scheme and its successor programmes have clearly provided a vital nutritional
floor for India’s poor, especially its urban poor, they have been widely criticized for large leakages to the non-poor and incentives
to consume calories and exclude more nutritious foods.
India’s increases in total food production have, unfortunately, not translated into proportionate decreases in malnutrition. While
over the last two or three decades, higher rates of economic growth, declining poverty and availability of staples have led to
reductions in the number of undernourished to around 15 per cent of the population, malnutrition remains stubbornly high.
As a result, India ranks 103rd out of 119 countries on the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) 2018 Global
Hunger Index (GHI) and is home to the largest number of malnourished people in the world, about one quarter of the global
total.
Malnutrition in India today is concentrated among children under five. While the rates of child malnutrition have diminished over
the last decade or two, child wasting and stunting are still widespread. According to the 2018 Global Nutrition Report, in 2015
about 21 per cent of all children under five were wasted and 38 per cent stunted.
Problem of over-nutrition
India is also experiencing rapid increases in over-nutrition, largely due to over-consumption of calories.
This trend is evident in the rising incidence of overweight and obesity especially among adolescents and adults, but also among
children 5-19 years old.
It is leading to higher rates of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. Already today, mortality due to diet-related
diseases is rising more rapidly in India than in many other emerging economies. Clearly, one cause of persistent child
malnutrition in India is still high rural poverty — 25 per cent nationally and higher in poorer States, as compared to 14 per cent in
urban areas.
Today, agricultural households account for 50 per cent of extreme poverty in India. Major reasons include the government’s
failure to change the terms of trade between agricultural producers and consumers and invest adequately in the agricultural
sector. A recent study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Indian Council for
Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) found that over the last 18 years, India has implicitly taxed agriculture at
the rate of over 14 per cent, largely by keeping food prices low for urban consumers.
From 1981-2014, the growth of public (Central and States) investment in agriculture and irrigation averaged 4.6 per cent and 4.0
per cent respectively, well below China’s investment rates at a comparable level of development.
Not surprisingly then, the incidence of malnutrition, especially stunting, is higher in both rural and lower income households,
primarily farm households. A second cause of persistent child malnutrition is the inefficiencies and distortions of the Green
Revolution agriculture and food policies.
Programmes focused on child nutrition such as the Integrated Child Development Scheme, launched in 1975, and the Mid-Day
Meals Scheme, introduced in 1995, have not corrected the Public Distribution Scheme’s bias toward calories. Subsidies continued
the reliance on rice and wheat and did not include more varied and nutritious foods.
Poor sanitation
A third cause of persistently high child malnutrition in India has been impure drinking water and poor sanitation. India has made
significant strides in improving safer drinking water availability, but according to the 2018 Global Nutrition Report, the prevalence
of open defecation, a well-known cause of disease, especially in children, was still about 40 per cent in 2015.

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A comparison with Africa is instructive. While the poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa is nearly three times higher than in India,
and the rates of undernourishment in the two regions are nearly equal, open defecation is more prevalent in India, and so also
are child wasting and stunting rates. To Prime Minister NarendraModi’s credit, he has launched a major effort to improve
sanitation, the Swachh Bharat initiative, that is clearly showing signs of success. Looking ahead, poverty and malnutrition in rural
India will be exacerbated by increasingly frequent droughts, other weather extremes, and long-term climate change impacts.
Successive droughts in 2014-15 and 2015-16 affected much of the country. The IFPRI’s 2018 Global Food Policy Report projects
that 93 million Indians will be at risk of hunger by 2030 and 45 million by 2050, if the expected effects of climate change are
considered.
Today, India faces an urgent crisis of child malnutrition and a looming crisis of over-nutrition with long-term consequences for
public health. The responses required include:
(i) Reforming the Green Revolution policies of price supports, input subsidies, procurement, and public distribution to shift
their focus from wheat and rice to more nutritious grains, pulses, vegetables, and fruits.
(ii) Moving swiftly to increase bio fortification of a wider range of foods than is so far included in India’s plans.
(iii) Improving sanitary facilities, especially in the rural areas where poverty and child malnutrition are concentrated.
In the 1960s, India showed itself and the world it could move dramatically to relieve hunger and feed itself.
Today it is at another critical juncture in the search for overall food security. As Prime Minister Modi readies for a historic second
term in office, he has the opportunity over the next five years to declare India’s final victory over hunger and malnutrition.
Key words: 1. Green Revolution, 2.Public Distribution System, 3. Global Hunger Index
Q14: There is a need to have innovative policies and institutional mechanisms in order to address the present agrarian
distress and ensure welfare of the farmers. Discuss
Farm distress: Three big ideas to revitalize agriculture Businessline| Economy
The national elections are over. It’s time to return to governance. If there’s one sector that demands action from the new
government from day one, it is agriculture. Here are three big ideas that can unleash a multi-year cycle of growth and prosperity
in this sector.
Millions of tiny and unviable plots are at the heart of the distress in agriculture. In fact, 65% of all holdings are marginal (less than
one hectare of land, i.e. two-and-a-half acres), while another 21% are small (up to two hectares, or five acres). With 86% small and
marginal landholdings, investments in productivity-enhancing technologies and economies of scale cannot be deployed.
Thus, incentives for voluntary aggregation or pooling of land should be created. This can be achieved by the central government
laying out a legal framework, whereby farmers pooling a minimum of 100-500 acres of land are allowed to legally lease out the
combined land parcel to anyone (including private companies, farmer producer organisations, cooperatives, self-help groups,
individuals, etc) under a registered deed for 10/20/30 years.
The Negotiable Instruments Act, a central legislation, can be suitably amended by the government of India to achieve this
outcome. In one stroke, the option of leveraging their basic asset—i.e. land—will become available to the farmers across the
country, bypassing the maze of restrictive state-level land laws that prevent voluntary pooling of agricultural land.
The pooled land parcel should be limited only for agriculture-related activities (including horticulture, dairy, livestock, poultry,
fisheries or agroforestry), as well as for setting up solar power plants by private developers. As a matter of fact, technology
demonstrations in different parts of the world have shown that solar power generation and agricultural operations can take
place on the same plot of land in a complementary manner.

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The lease should be a negotiable instrument, enabling capital to be raised against for investment in the land. The original title
holders need to be guaranteed payment of the agreed lease amount and restoration of land at the end of the lease period by a
government entity (every state can have a dedicated authority for this purpose).
The pooled parcels of land could form the nucleus for integrated value chains for a range of agricultural produce (cereals, pulses,
oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, livestock, dairy, poultry, agroforestry, and fisheries) for domestic as well as export markets. It
would incentivise mechanisation, technology infusion, as well as modern infrastructure at the farm gate for production as well as
post-harvest operations. Most importantly, the investments and higher output of value-added food products will create huge
employment opportunities for rural youth.
Central and state governments should kick-start this initiative by offering large unutilised land parcels (for example, the barren
Chambal ravines in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) and other wastelands and government farms. This will create comfort
amongst ordinary farmers to adopt the same approach.
The second big idea relates to marketing. Every effort to persuade, cajole, incentivise and arm-twist the states into liberalising
agricultural markets has failed in the past 20 years.
It’s time to abandon hope for APMC-mandi reforms and create an alternate mechanism for farmers to realise a better price for
their produce. Give farmers a practical option to store at least a part of their output immediately after harvest in a warehouse
against a negotiable receipt, and offer 80% of the market value of the produce as a loan.
The key is make the cost of the loan bearable and if there’s a subsidy required on the loan (subject to a reasonable limit of
produce that can be stored), then it’s highly justified.
If the farmers can hold back even a third of their marketable surplus in a nearby warehouse and avail of an affordable loan, they
have a chance to participate in some of the upside on prices in the following 3-6 months. All warehouses (public as well as
private) that register for this facility should compulsorily display farmers’ stored stocks on e-NAM (the online agriculture
marketing portal launched by the government).
This will make the produce stored even in remote warehouses visible to pan-India buyers and facilitate interstate trades. In any
case, it will substantially reduce the power of local trader cartels, which dominate APMC-mandis, to drive down prices during the
post-harvest flush and force them to compete with a wider cohort of buyers.
The third big idea is to legislate a Farmers’ Bill of Rights. The farmer brought India from a food-deficit to a food-surplus nation.
However, current terms of trade are mostly against agriculture. Policies towards factor markets in land, labour, capital,
technology and output are highly restrictive and work against the farmer’s interests.
It is utopian to expect that the maze of laws, regulations, institutional arrangements and other hurdles that hinder ‘ease of doing
business’ in agriculture (largely in the domain of the states) can be somehow harmonised in a coordinated manner in the
farmer’s favour in a reasonable time frame.
The answer lies in a constitutional amendment to include a Farmers’ Bill of Rights, which lays down all the entitlements of a
farmer, from choosing what to grow, where and to whom to sell, his rights over his land, water, knowledge, etc. Only when these
rights are embedded in the Constitution can the various vested interests, which have captured various aspects of the agri supply
chain and squeezed farmers, be challenged and pushed back.
To underline the importance of agriculture and to enable coordinated action by the Centre and states on all issues pertaining to
agriculture, a National Agriculture Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, with all chief ministers as members, must be
mandated in the Farmers’ Bill of Rights. Only such a constitutionally-mandated body can be tasked with supervising the
comprehensive set of steps that will be required to transform agriculture.
Key words:1.National Agriculture Council, 2. Farmers’ Bill of Rights 3. Negotiable Instruments Act 4. E-NAM

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Q15. No major country managed to reduce poverty or sustain growth over long periods of time without the
manufacturing sector driving economic growth. In this regard, discuss the need for an integrated trade-and-industrial
policy to boost manufacturing sector.
New industrial policy needed, aligned to trade policy Businessline| Economy
Although India’s GDP growth rate since Independence has consistently increased, industry accounts for only 25% of GDP (in 1950,
it was 8%). Manufacturing contributed in 2017 only about 16% to GDP, stagnating since the economic reforms began in 1991.
By contrast, in east Asia, the industry’s share has exceeded 30-40% while that of manufacturing is 20-30%. Malaysia roughly
tripled its share of manufacturing value-added in GDP from 1960 to 2014 to about 24%, while Thailand’s share increased from
13% to 33% over the same period; Vietnam, too, has seen a sharp recent increase. In India, manufacturing has never been the
leading sector other than during the second and third Plan periods, and certainly not since 1991.
No major country managed to reduce poverty or sustain growth over long periods of time without the manufacturing sector
driving economic growth. This is because productivity levels in industry (and manufacturing) are much higher than in either
agriculture or services, and it is the source of productivity gains across primary and tertiary sectors, through the spread effects of
technological change.
The 1991 reforms reduced barriers to entry for private industry (ending industrial licensing), reduced the sectors reserved for the
‘public sector’ from 17 to eight (apart from the beginning of disinvestment in public enterprises), and significantly reduced import
duties. It was the thrust of policies over two decades.
By the late noughties—the decade from 2000 to 2009—the need for a real industrial policy was being felt. Hence, in 2011, the
National Manufacturing Policy was announced. However, by this time, the rapid reduction in tariffs had led to Chinese and other
imports flooding India with capital goods, intermediates as well as consumer goods.
While the most severe effects of open-economy policies on India’s manufacturing were felt from the early 2000s onwards, those
effects had begun in the 1990s. In manufacturing, the simple average tariff fell from 126% in 1990-91 to 36% in 1997-98, and then
to 12.1% in 2014-15. Tariffs were reduced to well below the upper-bound of rates permissible under WTO rules.
Meanwhile, GDP growth in India was led by the services sector, led by communications, software and air transportation since the
early 2000s. Services growth was accompanied by a sharp rise in import demand for manufactures—computer hardware,
telecom equipment, and aircraft. So, economic liberalisation, while contributing to growth in the services part of the GDP, had the
reverse effect on manufacturing.
This situation from 2001 onwards was not helped by the spate of free trade agreements (FTAs) signed by India, which led to an
inverted import duty structure (IDS)—it means higher duty on intermediate goods compared to final/finished goods, with the
latter often enjoying concessional customs duty under some schemes. Due to such a duty structure, domestic manufacturing
units end up importing finished goods from China, Europe and East Asian countries. As a result, the trade deficit in
manufacturing on account of import competition was 44% of manufacturing GDP during 2008-09 to 2010-11.
One sector that did not face IDS and prospered is automobiles. In this sector, most final goods are under the negative list of
imports; components are not. MFN tariff rates have been also quite high for importing vehicles in completely built-up form.
However, duties are quite low for the completely knocked down version of the vehicle, which is expected to promote local vehicle
assembly. Hence, prima facie, the duty structure is in line with promoting domestic production in automobiles. Not surprisingly,
India has become, in the last 15 years, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars and trucks.
Second, since 1991, the import-intensity of manufacturing production has dramatically increased. For India, an upward trend in
import intensity since 2003 explains capital intensity, to some extent. The implication is that manufacturing would be
characterised by ‘jobless growth’, while numbers of youth joining the labour force was rising.

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According to economist DaniRodrik, it will not be possible for next-generation industrialising countries to move 25% or more of
their workforce into manufacturing, unlike the East Asians. However, this shouldn’t mean that India cannot increase
manufacturing share in GDP, or the share of employment above the current 12%, relying both on domestic and export markets.
We are making the case for an integrated trade-and-industrial policy, which means that the ministry of commerce and industry,
the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, and the ministry of finance (which takes a final view on taxes) will need to work
together on such an integrated trade-and-industrial policy. However, there is no constituency for manufacturing in any ministry,
especially ministry of finance.
IDS constitutes negative protection of India’s merchandise industries. If the effective rate of protection (ERP) is positive in the
presence of IDS, then the latter may not affect domestic industries. A 2017 study of ERP in Indian manufacturing, with a view to
examining the effect of IDS, shows that inverted duty structure exists in paper and paper products, chemical and chemical
products, pharmaceuticals, computer, electronics and optical products, machinery and equipment, other transport equipment
for the majority of the years under consideration. Another study by Hoda and Rai (2014) had also reported IDS in electronic
products such as refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, etc. Tariff Commission studies have
demonstrated the same.
Action too little, too late
In the Budget for 2014-15, the government had, with a view to boost domestic manufacturing and also to address IDS, reduced
the basic customs duty (BCD) on various inputs (for example, for the chemicals and petrochemicals sector). This initiative was
carried forward in the Budget 2015-16 (for example, BCD was reduced on 22 key inputs/components).
However, the existing FTAs contain long-term contractual obligations, which cannot simply be modified. Although the
government can consider invoking the WTO’s ‘safeguard clause’ (embedded in most FTAs to sanction the adoption of
countermeasures to guard a domestic industry facing ‘threat of serious injury’ from imports), maintaining a symmetry between
applying safeguard measures and the objective of trade liberalisation is always a challenge.
The goods and services tax (GST) does deal with IDS in a specific clause. The law provides for refund of unutilised input tax credit
(ITC) where credit accumulation is on account of IDS, subject to certain riders. However, this action is insufficient to counteract
IDS. All that the GST has managed to do is neutralise the negative protection, and possibly level the playing field—but levelling
the playing field for the potential domestic manufacturer cannot lead to a manufacturing sector investment boom. A new
government will need to take rapid action with a new Industrial Policy aligned to Trade Policy.
Key words: 1.Contribution of Manufacturing sector 2. Inverted Duty Structure
Q16. Assess the importance of Taiwan in India’s engagement with East Asia.
Modi’s Taiwan opportunity Indian Express | Bilateral Relationship
Suggesting that the new government in Delhi should put Taiwan on its diplomatic priority list might look a rather small-bore
recommendation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has come back with a huge domestic mandate that vastly enhances his
international standing. Some in Delhi, however, would say that Modi’s focus on Taiwan is too big and risky an idea. They worry it
might offend Chinese political sensitivities. But productive engagement with Taiwan is not about abandoning India’s “One-China”
policy or playing some kind of a “card”. India has been rather scrupulous in respecting China’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity.When the NDA government assumed office in 2014, the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj vented the frustration
that Beijing does not reciprocate with a “One-India policy”. Given the stakes in a sensible relationship with China, the NDA
government rightly chose to stay the course on the “One-China policy”. But it is by no means sensible for Delhi to deny itself the
benefits of engaging Taiwan within the framework of its One-China policy.

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Most major nations have significant cooperation with Taiwan without extending it diplomatic recognition. India, however, has too
many self-imposed constraints on its Taiwan policy. It is now time to lift many of them. Even more important, is the need to end
Delhi’s traditional political neglect of the Taiwan relationship. Lack of interest at the high political level means there is no
bureaucratic ownership in South Block.To be sure, since the establishment of formal channels of contact in the mid-1990s, there
has been steady progress in the relationship. Annual bilateral trade has reached $7 billion last year and the hope is to raise it to
$20 billion in the next few years. There has been a rise in Taiwan’s investments in India and a steady growth in exchanges
between the two societies.During the last five years, the NDA government has taken steps to enhance the relationship. These
include the upgradation of the bilateral investment agreement, promotion of major Taiwanese investments, expanding
parliamentary exchanges and facilitating track-two dialogues on regional issues.
There are at least three reasons why Delhi should take a fresh look at Taiwan and replace its current incrementalism with a more
ambitious policy.The first is geopolitical. The delicate three-way political compromise between US, China and Taiwan crafted in
the 1970s appears to be breaking down, thanks to rising China’s regional assertiveness, the renewed threat of forceful
reunification of Taiwan and Beijing’s relentless pressure tactics against Taipei.Meanwhile in Washington, as part of the belated
push-back against China under the Trump Administration, the “deep state” is determined to strengthen ties with Taiwan. In
reinforcing its security commitment to Taiwan, the Trump Administration has begun to send its naval ships through the Taiwan
Straits more frequently than before. Meanwhile, divisions within Taiwan on the future ties with Beijing have deepened.
The relative quiet in the triangular relations between the US, China and Taiwan over the last four decades tends to mask the
strategic significance of Taiwan that straddles the sea lines of communication in the Western Pacific and is a stone’s throw from
China’s mainland.If there is one piece of real estate that holds the key to the geopolitics of East Asia, it is Taiwan. The unfolding
dynamic around Taiwan will have significant consequences for India’s Act East Policy and its emerging role in the Indo-Pacific
Region.Second is geo-economic. The unfolding trade war between the US and China is compelling Taiwan to accelerate its plans
to move its large manufacturing bases away from China to Southeast Asia and India. Well before the US-China trade conflict
intensified, Taiwan announced the “New Southbound Policy” in 2016. The objective is to strengthen ties with the 10 countries of
the ASEAN as well as Australia, New Zealand and India.
As the structure of industrial production in East Asia undergoes a profound transformation, amidst the prospect of an economic
decoupling between the US and China, India has once-in-a-generation opportunity to boost its own manufacturing sector. For
Modi’s agenda of promoting industrial production and creating jobs in India, the Taiwan connection with its impressive small and
medium enterprises is more than opportune.The third is talent and technology. Few issues have animated Modi than the
promotion of global access to India’s professional talent. As it turns out, Taiwan has embarked on a big mission to attract skilled
workers. With a declining birth rate and growing emigration, Taiwan’s industry, education, and technology development could do
with Indian engineers and scientists. At present, there are barely 2,000 Indians working in Taiwan.There is no shortage of ideas
for the transformation of India’s relations with Taiwan. An agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation is one of those.
The synergy in human resources provides the basis for massive collaborations between the universities, research institutions and
technology enclaves in the two countries.
What the bilateral relationship now needs is high-level political attention in Delhi to make things happen and quickly. Expanding
the engagement with Taiwan can’t be a tactical game; it should be an important part of Delhi’s effort to come to terms with all
corners of Greater China that looms so large over India’s future.Those who think Taiwan is small beer in the wider scheme of
Indian grand strategy should ponder over two facts. Taiwan’s GDP is about $600 billion and twice the size of Pakistan’s economy.
And few entities in the international system are today as eager and capable of boosting Modi’s domestic economic agenda.
Keywords: 1. One China policy, 2. Act East Policy, 3. Indo-Pacific region, 4. Economic Cooperation
Q17. “China and India compete for foreign military bases is not merely an extension of their very familiar rivalry but a
definitive moment in their overall political evolution as modern states”. Comment.

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The quest for a military footprint Indian Express | Bilateral Relationship
In the annual report to the US Congress on Chinese military power released last week, the US Defence Department has pointed
to China’s vigorous quest for foreign military bases, including in Pakistan. This should not surprise Delhi, which closely tracks the
expansion of China’s military footprint in the Subcontinent and beyond in the Indian Ocean.India’s response so far has
developed along three axes. One is to counter potential threats from China’s military bases in its immediate neighbourhood.
Second, to strengthen military partnerships with its friends and partners to balance China. The third is to emulate Beijing’s quest
for foreign military presence.That China and India compete for foreign military bases is not merely an extension of their very
familiar rivalry but a definitive moment in their overall political evolution as modern states. Few nations have been so vehement
in their opposition to foreign military bases. Few nations, now, appear under as much compulsion as China and India to seek
them. While Beijing is racing ahead in the search for foreign military presence, Delhi has some catching up to do.
Demanding that the Western powers withdraw from their military bases in Asia and the Indian Ocean was very much part of the
anti-colonial and anti-imperial framework of Chinese and Indian foreign policies. Soon enough, they began to adapt to the
realities of international life. They began to see the question of foreign military bases not through the lens of ideology but of
security interests.As it fought with fellow communists in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s, Mao’s China turned to the US
for regional balance and stopped making a big deal of American military bases in Asia. Beijing began to justify American forward
military presence necessary to counter the “Soviet social imperialism” and constrain the potential for “Japanese militarism”.India,
which vigorously objected to US military alliances in Asia and Pakistan’s participation in them, eventually built an alliance-like
relationship with the Soviet Union. The objective was to balance the US and Chinese alliances with Pakistan. Today, China is
already a great power and India is rising, slowly but certainly. One of the big changes in their strategic outlooks has been the
quiet change in their attitudes towards foreign military bases.
As China’s economic interests begin to span the entire globe, it was inevitable that Beijing would try and secure them eventually
through its own military means. That is what all great powers do. As the world’s second-largest economy (aggregate GDP of $13
trillion) and the second-largest annual defence budget ($250 billion), China has both the motivation and the means to acquire
foreign military bases. China’s transition follows the familiar dictum that flag follows trade. As the Pentagon’s annual report put it:
“China’s advancement of projects such as the ‘One Belt, One Road’ Initiative (OBOR) will probably drive military overseas basing
through a perceived need to provide security for OBOR projects”Over the last decade, Chinese media outlets associated with the
People’s Liberation Army have openly debated the need for foreign military bases as well as the potential challenges in seeking
and sustaining them. That debate was settled with China establishing its first military base in Djibouti in 2017. There will be more.
The Pentagon report argues that “China will seek to establish additional military bases in countries with which it has a
longstanding friendly relationship and similar strategic interests”. No surprise that Pakistan fits the bill perfectly. The Pentagon
notes, Pakistan has the precedent of hosting foreign military bases. Pakistan is undoubtedly China’s closest political and military
partner. While there is no formal “base”, the integration of Pakistan into China’s military strategy and operations has steadily
advanced.The Pakistan army’s determination to limit India’s power means there is little political opposition to hosting Chinese
bases and facilities. The depth of the anti-India alliance between the two “iron brothers” means Delhi can’t prevent Beijing
developing bases and strategic military facilities — that perform a number of functions ranging from hosting PLA Navy warships
to China’s satellite tracking.What it can’t stop, Delhi must deal with. That Chinese warships and submarines might soon be based
on a permanent basis in Karachi or Gwadar is surely part of India’s military planning for the future. In other places where it has
some political influence — say Sri Lanka and Maldives — India has indeed sought to contest and limit the nature and scope of
Chinese military activities.
Unlike in the past, when India operated as a lone ranger in the Indian Ocean, Delhi is now making its armed forces interoperable
with its friends and partners. After prolonged reluctance, India has signed agreements with the US and France for mutual
peacetime use of military bases. It is a matter of time before it signs such agreements with other powers like Japan and
Australia.In the third leg of India’s strategy, Delhi is seeking access to military facilities in a number of countries. The logic of
Delhi’s quest for foreign military bases is very similar to that of China. India’s growing and globalised economy is now close to $3

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trillion and Delhi’s political ambition is to raise it to $5 trillion in the next five years. Delhi’s security imperatives are no longer
limited to its borders and it needs to secure its widely dispersed interests with forward military presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Where Delhi lags behind Beijing is in the structuring of a purposeful policy on foreign military bases and the creation of
organisational structures to implement it.
Keywords: 1. Indian Ocean, 2. OBOR, 3. Indo-Pacific
Q18. Critically analyse the contemporary framework of Indian diplomacy for South Asian region. Highlight the potential
of informal engagement for India in South Asia.
Case for informal regional diplomacy Indian Express | South Asia
The purpose of having an open-house for leaders from the neighbourhood at the launch of a new government in Delhi is about
informal diplomacy — of establishing or renewing personal contact, building mutual trust and generating the political will for
resolving the multitude of problems that exist between neighbours. Others in our neighbourhood too seem to like the idea.
When he was sworn in as president of Maldives last November, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih invited the Indian PM to be present.
Modi readily accepted and traveled down to Male for a few hours to be at the ceremony. Earlier in August 2018, when Imran
Khan was taking charge as Pakistan’s Prime Minister, he toyed with the idea of emulating Modi by inviting foreign leaders for his
swearing in ceremony. But the proposal did not fly and Imran limited himself to inviting friends from India.
If Modi used the invitation in 2014 to signal his commitment to South Asian regionalism, he was also quick to see the limitations
of SAARC (the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) at the Kathmandu summit in 2014. The summit had failed to sign
off on the connectivity agreements that were painfully negotiated by senior officials, because Pakistan chose to pull out at the
last stage. Apparently Rawalpindi was not ready for trade and economic cooperation with India.At Kathmandu, Modi recognised
that South Asian regionalism can’t be allowed to become a hostage to Pakistan. To be sure, Islamabad had the sovereign right to
decide on the need, nature and pace of its integration with the rest of the subcontinent. The only sensible course, then, is for the
rest of the SAARC to move forward wherever they can and let Pakistan join the process whenever it feels comfortable.
Since then Delhi has emphasised other multilateral mechanisms — including sub-regional cooperation between Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India and Nepal and trans-regional cooperation in the east — the littoral of the Bay of Bengal including Burma and
Thailand. Modi also revived the bilateral engagement with countries like Sri Lanka that were constrained in the UPA years —
thanks to Tamil Nadu’s veto over the engagement with Colombo.Regular official visits to the neighbouring capitals have become
the norm at all levels. Early on in his tenure, Modi chose to travel to most neighbouring countries as well as Mauritius and
Seychelles. It has become the convention for any new foreign secretary to travel first to all the neighbouring capitals.
Beyond the formal visits, Modi found opportunities to drop by in the neighbourhood — to pray at the Pashupatinath temple in
Kathmandu during 2014 and visiting Nawaz Sharif at his home outside Lahore on the occasion of his birthday at the end of 2015.
There is also the tradition of South Asian leaders making unofficial visits to temples and dargahs in India.The Subcontinent can
do with more of this kind of engagement — leaders seeing each other on short notice for informal consultations or just watch a
cricket match or join a social or spiritual occasion. Informal diplomacy in South Asia will make it easier for India to sustain high-
level engagement with the neighbourhood, given the increasingly crowded formal diplomatic calendar of the PM. These include
pre-set multilateral summits — from BRICS and SCO to the ASEAN, G-20 and the UN — as well as annual meetings with friendly
nations through the year.
Meanwhile, some of these multilateral summits could throw up the possibilities of a meeting with the Pakistani leadership. There
is no rule which says an Indian PM can’t meet his Pakistani counterpart without it involving a negotiation of differences. If
meetings with Pakistan’s leadership become routine and informal, Delhi will be able to prevent each encounter seem like a
gladiatorial contest that must address all issues and produce joint statements, every word of which is analysed to death.While
Pakistan is a special case, informal high level diplomacy could also help liberate the region from the stuffy and unproductive

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formalism of the SAARC. Rather than pray for the success of SAARC, the new government in Delhi should double down on
informal diplomacy that could help pave the way for more purposeful regional cooperation — both bilateral and multilateral.
Keywords: 1. SAARC, 2. BRICS, 3. SCO, 4. G-20,
Q19. India’s future global trajectory requires a pragmatic reorientation of India’s trade strategy and the reformation of
its negotiating structures. Comment.
Diplomacy amid disruption Indian Express | Global Trade War
The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 had liberated India from the multiple constraints of the
Cold War. This left India free to salvage ties with Russia from the debris of Soviet Union, and expand ties with the US and its allies
in Europe and Asia, and normalise the relationship with China.While the rhetoric of Non-Alignment endured in the discourse in
Indian foreign policy, it was replaced, in practice, by a multi-directional engagement of all major powers. India was happy to be
best friends forever with all powers. That will be hard to sustain as great powers begin to squabble among themselves.
Until recently, you could buy advanced military aircraft from America and air-defence missiles from Russia. Now the purchase of
S-400 missiles from Moscow invites sanctions from Washington. This is just the beginning. If the US-Russia relations deteriorate
further, the problem of navigating between them will get more demanding.The scope and consequences of US-Russia rivalry
pales in comparison to the gathering conflict between America and China. Few countries watched the normalisation of US-China
relations in the 1970s and the expansion of economic and political ties over the last four decades between Washington and
Beijing with greater anxiety than India.
A section of the Indian foreign policy elite in Delhi could never stop griping about America’s strategic preference for Beijing
during the last decades of the 20th century. As the US looked to India to balance China in Asia and the Indo-Pacific in the 21st
century, the UPA government seemed reluctant to cash in India’s new geopolitical leverage. Modi has certainly ended a lot of that
timidity by opening up to a stronger partnership with the US. The US, in turn, has been more responsive to India’s concerns
about cross-border terrorism and its aspirations for a larger regional role and the quest for a seat at the global high table.
While Modi’s Delhi may be well positioned to cope with the current geopolitical disruption and is open to coalition building with
the US in the Indo-Pacific, it appears utterly unprepared to deal with the turbulence on the geo-economic front, generated by
President Donald Trump and his challenge to the global trading order. At the turn of the 1990s, India opened up its economy and
began to adapt, kicking and screaming, to the prevailing “Washington Consensus” on economic globalisation. But central to
Trump’s worldview is the proposition that the “Washington Consensus” has been bad for American people and other nations
have taken unfair advantage of America’s open markets. Over the last two years, he has sought to undermine the WTO,
restructure the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada and walked out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
To top it all, he has now embarked on a full-blown trade war with China — the world’s second-largest economy. He has not
spared the most important US allies — including Germany and Japan — from his confrontationist trade policies.
India is very much at the top of Trump’s list of trade targets; it is no secret that Trump has been waiting for the new government
to take charge. For the traditionalists in India, the answers lie in affirming the mantra about “multilateralism” and mobilising the
mythical G-77 to counter the US “unilateralism”.Realists in Delhi would see the world is at a new juncture on trade. They would
recognise that India’s dharma is not about defending the WTO to death. With its annual trade in goods and services now at more
than one trillion dollars, Delhi’s duty is about protecting India’s trade equities that are now so critical for the economic wellbeing
of its population. Modi needs to take a strategic view of India’s foreign trade, purposefully explore the possibilities for give and
take with the US, and seize on the rearrangement of global production chains in the wake of the US-China trade war. No other
set of issues will shape India’s future global trajectory more than a pragmatic reorientation of India’s trade strategy and the
reformation of its negotiating structures.
Keywords: 1. US Sanctions, 2. Washington Consensus, 3. Multilateralism vs. Unilateralism, 4. US-China trade war

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Q20. Analyse the impact on India from the Great power politics that exists among US, Russia and China.
Managing the great power flux Indian Express | International Politics
The first is between the world’s leading economic powers — the United States and China — that contribute nearly 40 per cent of
global GDP. The second is between the world’s top military powers— the US and Russia.If last week saw the collapse of US talks
on trade with China, Washington’s focus this week is on resuming a productive engagement with Russia. As great power relations
enter a period of flux, the first task of the next government in Delhi will be to cope with the volatility in the relations between
America, China and Russia. The deep economic interdependence between the US and China, according to the prevailing
conventional wisdom, puts a limit on the conflict between Washington and Beijing. Equally powerful has been the proposition
that the congealed anti-Russian mood in Washington and Moscow’s anti-Western truculence together prevent even a minimal
understanding between the two powers.US President Donald Trump is testing both the theses.As US-China trade talks teetered
on the brink, Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports. Trump has also threatened to impose new tariffs on
all imports from China, worth $540 billion in 2018, if a deal is not done in the next few weeks. Trump’s confident escalation on
trade appears to be driven by two factors. One is the belief that the US can better absorb the pain from the trade war than China.
The other is the asymmetric nature of the interdependence between the two nations. China imports a lot less ($121 billion in
2018) than it exports. That significantly presents China a smaller target on which to impose retaliatory tariffs.
For the US, the problem is no longer just about a massive trade deficit with China. There is a growing sense in Washington that
the threat from Beijing is “systemic” and America must respond appropriately. Washington is accusing China of stealing
intellectual property from the US. It is lobbying friends and allies against letting Huawei develop the 5G telecom networks.
Washington is pushing back against China’s assertive policies in the South China Sea and renewing a measure of strategic
support to Taiwan.In a major speech two weeks ago, Kiron Skinner, the chief of policy planning in the US State Department,
insisted that the threat from China was civilisational. “In China we have an economic competitor, we have an ideological
competitor, one that really does seek a kind of global reach that many of us didn’t expect a couple of decades ago. And I think it’s
also really striking that it’s the first time that we’ll have a great power competitor that is not Caucasian.”
Although, her racial metaphor got rebuke from across the US, Skinner’s idea that China is different and not amenable to mutual
accommodation appears to have deep roots in the Trump Administration. In pitching China as an implacable adversary, Skinner
also said something about Russia that Delhi must take note of.The Cold War contestation with the Soviet Union, according to
Skinner, “was a fight within the Western family. Karl Marx was a German Jew who developed a philosophy that was within the
larger body of political thought”. While there was room for at least limited cooperation with the Soviet Union, Skinner said, “that’s
not really possible with China. This is a fight with a really different civilisation and a different ideology, and the United States
hasn’t had that before.”
There has been persistent view within the Trump Administration that Russia is very much part of the West and must be treated
differently than Beijing. The biggest champion of a positive relationship with Russia is none other than Trump. But the president’s
views have had little resonance with the so-called deep state in Washington. And the allegations of Russian intervention in favour
of Trump during the 2016 Presidential elections had put Trump in an awkward position.With the official investigation deciding
not to charge Trump campaign of any collusion with Russia, Trump has been liberated to renew his outreach to President
Vladimir Putin. After a long call with Putin a few days ago, Trump has sent his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Russia for first
substantive consultations this week. The talks are expected to cover a range of issues — from Venezuela to Syria and arms
control to North Korea.
If breaking with China is hard for America, making up with Russia might be harder. Any Russian deal — small or big — will meet
fierce political resistance in Washington. Few in Moscow are ready to believe that Trump has the political space to move forward
with Russia. But then, Trump could well surprise the world on Russia much in the manner that he has on China and on so many
other issues. Whichever way the great power dynamic moves, there will be consequences — some bad and others good — for

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India. Whether Trump cuts a deal or escalates the economic war with China, Delhi can’t continue with its trade policy lassitude.
On the other hand, the rejigging of the political relations between America, China and Russia might present Delhi with fleeting
strategic opportunities that need to be seized quickly.
Keywords: 1. Economic interdependence, 2. Retaliatory tariffs, 3. Trade deficit

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Here, we are sharing case studies for self- practice. These

Case Studies case studies are drawn from various aspects of professional
and personal experiences, and are helpful for General
For mains Gs paper-IV Studies- Paper IV.
Do practice them!
CASE 1: You are working as an Executive Engineer in the construction cell of a Municipal Corporation and are presently in-charge
of the construction of a flyover. There are two Junior Engineers under you who have the responsibility of day-to-day inspection of
the site and are reporting to you, while you are finally reporting to the Chief Engineer who heads the cell. While the construction
is heading towards completion, the Junior Engineers have been regularly reporting that all construction is taking place as per
design specifications. However, in one of your surprise inspections, you have noticed some serious deviations and lacunae which,
in your opinion, are likely to affect the safety of the flyover. Rectification of these lacunae at this stage would require a substantial
amount of demolition and rework which will cause a tangible loss to the contractor and will also delay completion. There is a lot
of public pressure on the Corporation to get this construction completed because of heavy traffic congestion in the area. When
you brought this matter to the notice of the Chief Engineer, he advised you that in his opinion it is not a very serious lapse and
may be ignored. He advised for further expediting the project for completion in time. However, you are convinced that this was a
serious matter which might affect public safety and should not be left unaddressed.
What will you do in such a situation? Some of the options are given below. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of these
options and finally suggest what course of action you would like to take, giving reasons.
1. Follow the advice of the Chief Engineer and go ahead.
2. Make an exhaustive report of the situation bringing out all facts and analysis along with your own viewpoints stated clearly
and seek for written orders from the chief Engineer.
3. Call for explanation from the Junior Engineers and issue orders to the contractor for necessary correction within targeted
time.
4. Highlight the issue so that it reaches superiors above the Chief Engineer.
5. Considering the rigid attitude of the Chief Engineer, seek transfer from the project or report sick.
CASE 2: Rameshwar successfully cleared the prestigious civil services examination and was excited about the opportunity that he
would get through the civil services to serve the country. However, soon after joining the services, he realized that things are not
as rosy as he had imagined.
He found a number of malpractices prevailing in the department assigned to him. For example, funds under various schemes
and grants were being misappropriated. The official facilities were frequently being used for personal needs by the officers and
staff. After some time, he noticed that the process of recruiting the staff was also not up to the mark. Prospective candidates
were required to write an examination in which a lot of cheating was going on. Some candidates were provided external help in

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the
e examination
n. Rameshwarr brought thesse incidents to the notice of
o his seniors. However, he
e was advised to keep his e
eyes, ears
and
d mouth shutt and ignore all
a these thing s which were taking place with the conn
nivance of the
e higher-ups. R
Rameshwar ffelt highly
disillusioned and
d uncomforta
able. He come
es to you seek
king your advice.
Ind
dicate variouss options thatt you think arre available in this situatio
on. How would you help him
h to evaluaate these opttions and
cho
oose the mostt appropriate path to be ad
dopted?
CASE 3: A privatte company is

i known for its efficiency, transparenc
cy and emplo
oyee welfare. The companyy though owned by a
priv
vate individua
al has a coop
perative chara
acter where e
employees fe
eel a sense off ownership. The companyy employs ne
early 700
perrsonnel and they have volu

untarily decide
ed not to form
m union.
One day sudden

nly in the morrning, about 4
40 men belon
nging to politic
cal party gate
e crashed into
o the factory d
demanding jo
obs in the
factory. They thrreatened the managementt and employyees, and also

o used foul lan
nguage. The employees
e feeel demoralize
ed. It was
clea
ar that those people wh
ho gate crasshed wanted to be on the
t payroll of
o the comp
pany as well as continue
e as the
volunteers/mem
mbers of the party.
p
The
e company maintains
m high
h standards i n integrity an
nd does not extend
e favours to civil adm
ministration tthat also includes law
enfforcement agency. Such inccident occurss in public sector also.
a) Assume you
y are the CE
EO of the com
mpany. What would you do
o to diffuse th
he volatile situ
uation on thee date of gate crashing
with the violent

v mob sitting inside th
he company p
premises?
b) What can be the long term solution to the issue d

discussed in th
he case?
c) Every solu
ution/action that you sugg
gest will have a negative an
nd a positive impact on you as (CEO), th
he employeess and the
performance of the em
mployees. Ana
alyse the conssequences of each of your suggested
s acttions.


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Join Telegram for More Update : - https://t.

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INSTEX & STFI 16

INDIA – BOLIVIA MOU ON LITHIUM 16 40

PPVFR ACT, 2001: PepsiCo vs. Farmers’ Rights

NEED FOR MANUFACURING POLICY

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#Government Policies 43 ‘RESPECT’ WOMEN

STRI 58 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ECONOMIC CENSUS 59 PROJECT ARTEMIS 79

JAN DHAN YOJANA 60 ULTIMA THULE 79

TRENDS IN GST COLLECTION 62 RISAT-2B 81

DOUBLING INDIA’S EXPORTS 63 MANAV 81

NATURAL GAS GRID 64 ARTIFICIAL LIFE? 82

PROPOSALS FOR REVIVAL OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS 64 INS VELA 82

HAIRCUTS IN THE BANKING SYSTEM 65 KILOGRAM 83

SLOWDOWN IN INDIAN ECONOMY 66

CRUDE OIL IMPORTS 67

INDEX OF EIGHT CORE INDUSTRIES 69

# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main)

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CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY DECLARATION ISHWARCHANDRA VIDYASAGAR

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122 WASH TRADE

# GS Paper IV (Main) # Ecology 132

JUNE 5TH IS THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY:

EMERGENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS 126

INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS 127 LEAD ARTICLES

LATE CONVERGER STALL

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Part Three 177

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WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND TO UN BODIES RELATED TO HUMAN RIGHTS?

FOCUS | JUNE 2019 | RAU’S IAS 2

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

• The functions of UNHRC includes:

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• The sanctions measures provided to Sanctions Committee are:

UNSC DESIGNATION OF ‘GLOBAL TERRORIST’

• The reasons for designating Azhar as a terrorist included:

Cause of  Support for the JeM since its founding

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MOVING BEYOND THE LISTING OF MASOOD AZHAR

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COMMITMENT BY GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT BY ONLINE SERVICE PROVIDERS

OTHER GLOBAL INITIATIVES

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MEET A Sherpa is the personal representative of a government who prepares and

• IBSA is bound together by a shared conviction in:

FOCUS | JUNE 2019 | RAU’S IAS 7

IBSA ON SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION (SSC) & OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA)

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Inter national Relations