CONTENTS

PRACTICE QUESTIONS 22
Part One
Current Affairs Analysis 23
01 CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
# G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I ( Ma i n )
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
NATIONAL VOTERS DAY
# G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I ( Ma i n )
#Election #Democracy 23
BREXIT
PARLIAMENT WORKED ONLY FOR 33 DAYS
# International Issue 02
#Parliament #Reform 26
CHINA’S GREAT AMBITION
# International Issue 04 CENTRAL VISTA PROJECTS

QATAR-SAUDI AGREEMENT #Parliament #Public Buildings 28

#Middle East 06 MERGER & DEFECTION UNDER TENTH SCHEDULE

LIBERAL WORLD ORDER #Parliament 30
#Geopolitics 07
LIBERTY & FREEDOM
INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY: REFRAMING PRIORITIES
#Judiciary #Liberty #Freedom 33
#Foreign policy 09
GRANTING BAIL IS GENERALLY THE RULE
INDIA AS A COUNTERBALANCE TO CHINA?
#Judiciary #Rights Issues 35
#Geopolitics 11
MERCY PETITION
SAARC
#India & its neighbourhood 12 #Liberty #President 39

INDIA AT UNSC ADEQUATE TIME FOR INVESTIGATION

#International organisations 14 #Governance #Rights Issues 41

FOREIGN MINISTER’S VIEW ON INDIA-CHINA TENSIONS S.C. STAYS THREE CENTRAL FARM LAWS
#India & its neighbourhood 16
#Judiciary #Legislation 42
INDIA AND NEPAL
SPICE+ LAUNCHED BY MCA
#India & its neighbourhood 17
#Corporate Governance #Reform 43
US AND CHINA
INDIA INNOVATION INDEX 2020
#Geopolitics 17
#Governance #Innovation Index 44
OPEN SKIES TREATY
#Geopolitics 19 SEC NOTIFIES LOCAL ELECTIONS IN ANDHRA

CHINESE CONSTRUCTION ALONG LAC #Elections #Local Bodies 47

#India & its neighbourhood 20 PRACTICE QUESTIONS 49

CHINA’S SOUTH ASIA MULTILATERAL MEET
#India & its neighbourhood 21

i
 NATIONAL COMMON MOBILITY CARD (NCMC) 75
50
OFFSHORE DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS (ODIs) 75

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECTS REPORT 2019 75

# G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I I ( Ma i n ) TRIFOOD SCHEME 76

STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MINERALS PRACTICE QUESTIONS 77

#Government Policies 50

INCLUSIVE AGRICULTURAL CREDIT

#Agriculture 53 78
5 YEARS OF PMFBY
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
#Agriculture 54
# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main)
INDIAN AGRICULTURE: SUBSIDIES Vs PUBLIC INVESTMENT
MIGRANT INTEGRATION POLICY INDEX
#Agriculture 56
#Migrant Welfare #Social Justice 78
RBI'S FINANCIAL STABILITY REPORT
TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY
#Finance 57 #Termination of Pregnancy #Right of Foetus #Social Justice
BANK INVESTMENT COMPANY 79

#Finance 60 PRISON STATISTICS INDIA – 2019 REPORT

#Governance #Reform #Prison 80
SOVEREIGN GOLD BOND
#Finance 62 SELF-HELP GROUPS AND ONLINE MARKETING
#SHG #Social cohesion #Human Capital 84
SECURED OVERNIGHT FINANCING RATE (SOFR)
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
#Finance 63
#Social Interaction #Social Cohesion #Civic engagement 85
D-SIBS
CASTE AND THE CENSUS
#Finance 64 #Caste based census #Social Justice 86
CHALLENGES IN MONETARY POLICY FORMULATION GLOBAL URBANIZATION
#Finance 64 #Globalisation #Urbanisation 88

RBI'S DIGITAL PAYMENTS INDEX DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNITY FOREST, HABITAT
#Finance 65 RIGHTS
#Habitat Rights #Social Justice 91
AOA: CONTROVERSY OVER PUBLIC STOCKHOLDING
ELECTED PANCHAYATS AND MGNREGS WOMEN
# WTO 66
#MGNREGS & Gender Empowerment #Panchayat and
SWISS CHALLENGE METHOD female leadership 92
#PPP 68 GLOBAL RISK REPORT 2021
CCEA NOD FOR 3 INFRA PROJECTS # Risks of widening inequalities #Risk of infectious disease
93
#Infrastructure 69
PMAY FOR RAPID URBANISATION
COMMODITY TRANSACTION TAX (CTT)
#Housing for All #Low Cost housing 94
#Taxation 70
VACCINE HESITANCY
NEW IR CODE #Vaccine Hesitancy #Benefits of vaccine #Health & Disease
#Labour Reforms 72 96

INTERCONNECT USAGE CHARGE (IUC) INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION 2020

#Telecom 73 #International Migration #Migrants welfare #Social Justice
97
GUCCHI MUSHROOM
ILO CONVENTION ON HOMEWORK
#Govt. Policies 74
# Convention on Homework # Home-based workers 97

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 NHRC ON MANUAL SCAVENGING FLY ASH UTILIZATION
#Eradication of manual scavenging #Social Justice 98 #Pollution #Conservation 114
OXFAM’ S REPORT ON INEQUALITY, 2021 SUNDARBANS NATIONAL PARK
#Oxfam report on inequality #Increase in inequality during
#Conservation #Tiger 116
COVID 98
ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION VS TRIBAL POPULATION
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 100
#Conservation 117

DEEPOR BEEL

101 #Conservation 118

GEOBACTER BACTERIA
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY #Pollution #Bioremediation 119
# G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I I ( Ma i n ) HARIKE WETLAND
AVIAN INFLUENZA FLU #Conservation 121
#Health 101
BIOMEDICAL WASTE
TRANS FATS #Waste Management 123
#Health 102
DROUGHTS
COVID VACCINES #Disaster #climate Change 127
#Health 104
U.S. & CLIMATE ACTION
NANOTECHNOLOGY IN CANCER TREATMENT #Climate Change 113
#Nanotechnology 105
DZUKOU VALLEY 131
TIFAC
HOUBARA BUSTARD
#Important Organisations #Government Policies 106
#Conservation 132
5G TECHNOLOGIES
ELEPHANT CORRIDORS
#IT 107
#Conservation 133
PROXIMA CENTAURI
RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK
#Space 108
#conservation 134
3D PRINTING
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 134
#Technology 108

2DEG
#Technology 109 136
QUANTUM RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR (QRNG)
#Quantum Technologies 110
History, HERITAGE & Culture
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper I (Main)
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 111
KALARIPAYATTU
#Art & Culture 136

112 KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES

#Culture 138
GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, BIODIVERSITY & NETAJI SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT #Personality # Modern India 139

# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & VINAYAK DAMODAR SAVARKAR

III(Main) #Personality # Modern India 139
JAL JEEVAN MISSION
#Water # Conservation 112

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 CASE STUDIES for Practice
141 MAINS GS PAPER IV 158

SECURITY
# GS Paper III (Main)
NATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTIVE
Part Three
#Governance #Security 142
Essays of the month
PRIVACY POLICY UPDATES – WHATSAPP
#Privacy #Rights #Security 143
160
AUTOMATED FACIAL RECOGNITION SYSTEM
GENERAL INPUTS ON ESSAY WRITING 161
#Privacy #Rights #Security 146
ESSAY 1: I MEASURE THE PROGRESS OF A COMMUNITY BY
THE DEGREE OF PROGRESS WHICH WOMEN HAVE
ACHIEVED # Social Issues 164
Part TWO ESSAY 2: DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALISATION IS THE

Ethics, Integrity and CORNERSTONE OF PEOPLES’ EMPOWERMENT

# Governance 166

Aptitude ESSAY 3: ONE NATION, ONE POLL: CAN THIS BE A

FEASIBLE OPTION FOR INDIA?

150 # Electoral Democracy 169

ENJOYABLE SOURCES FOR UNDERSTANDING ETHICS

#Ethics #Integrity #Aptitude 151

iv
 Part ONE

Current
affairs
analysis
logical .simple .targeted
analysis & explanation
of all relevant news of the month
 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II (Main)

GEOPOLITICS

BREXIT
provides India with regards to its trade relations with UK
and the European Union.

# International Issue WHAT IS BREXIT?

• Brexit - British exit - refers to the UK leaving the EU.

• The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016 and officially left

IN NEWS the trading bloc - it's nearest and biggest trading
st
partner - on 31 January 2020.
The UK and European Union finally agreed upon a deal
that will define their future relationship, which has come • Both sides agreed to keep many things the same until
into effect from January 2021. In this backdrop, let us try 31 December 2020, to allow enough time to agree to
and understand the details of this deal and also the terms of a new trade deal.
understand the challenges and opportunities that it
WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN UNION?

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 International Relations
• The EU is an economic and political union involving 28
European countries. It allows free trade and free
movement of people to live and work in whichever
country they choose.
• The UK joined EU in 1973 (when it was known as the
European Economic Community).
• UK is the first member state to withdraw from the EU.
UK-EU TRADE AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT
• The deal contains new rules for how the UK and EU
will live, work and trade together.
• It retains the ‘zero tariffs’ and quotas trade regime of
the past on all imports of goods.
• Under the terms of the deal both sides had to agree to
some shared rules and standards on workers' rights,
as well as many social and environmental regulations.
TRADE
• There will be no taxes on goods (tariffs) or limits on
the amount that can be traded (quotas) between the
UK and the EU from 1 January
• Some new checks will be introduced at borders, such
as safety checks and customs declarations.
SERVICES AND QUALIFICATIONS
• Businesses offering services, such as banking,
architecture and accounting, will lose their automatic
right of access to EU markets and will face some
restrictions.
• There will no longer be automatic recognition of
professional qualifications for people such as doctors,
chefs and architects.
EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE AND OTHER
DISPUTES
• There will be no role in the UK for the European Court
of Justice (ECJ), which is the highest court in the EU.
• Disputes that cannot be resolved between the UK and
the EU will be referred to an independent tribunal
instead.
WHAT CHANGES AFTER JANUARY 1 2021?
• Freedom to work and live between the UK and the EU
also comes to an end, and in 2021, UK nationals will
need a visa if they want to stay in the EU more than
90 days in a 180-day period.
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• The UK is free to set its own trade policy and can
negotiate deals with other countries.
• Talks are being held with the US, Australia and New
Zealand - countries that currently don't have free
trade deals with the EU.
• Disruption at borders - There may not be new taxes to
pay at the border, but there will be new paperwork,
and the potential for it to cause delays is a serious
concern.
What all is not finalized? Decisions are still to be made
on data sharing and on financial services, and the
agreement on fishing only lasts five years.
INDIA – UK RELATIONS
• One and a half million persons of Indian origin reside
in Britain, 15 Indian origin persons are Members of
Parliament, three in Cabinet and two holding high
office as Finance and Home Ministers.
• Before COVID-19, there were half a million tourists
from India to Britain annually and twice that figure in
the reverse direction.
• Around 30,000 Indians study in Britain despite
restrictive opportunities for post-graduation
employment.
• Britain is among the top investors in India and India is
the second-biggest investor and a major job creator in
Britain.
• India has a trade deficit in a total trade of $16 billion,
but the level is below India’s trade with Switzerland,
Germany or Belgium.
POST BREXIT CHALLENGES IN INDIA - UK
RELATIONS
• BREXIT requires the UK to improve its relations with
the Asian economies which are witnessing high
growth rates.
• India has been trying to finalize the BTIA - (Broad
Based Trade and Investment Agreement) with EU.
However, these negotiations were mainly being stalled
because of the UK.
• The EU wanted duty reductions on automobiles, wines
and spirits and wanted India to open financial sectors
such as banking and insurance, postal, legal,
accountancy, maritime and security and retail.
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• India, as always, sought free movement for service o Indian exports to UK will suffer due to collapse of
professionals. Pound.

• The same obstacles with post-Brexit Britain will arise, • Likely Positive Impact: But there are also positive
because the export profile of both countries is impacts of the Brexit on India. Post Brexit, UK would
predominantly services oriented. actively look for trade partners and following points

• In response to free movement for professionals, will work in India’s favour:

Britain will refer to its new points-based system for o India’s traditionally strong ties with Britain.
immigrants. o India’s emerging economy with large market.
• After withdrawing from the Regional Comprehensive o UK would be freed from strict rule based trading
Economic Partnership, India is cautious about regime of EU and hence will make it easier for
negotiating any new trade agreement, and will place negotiating an FTA.
greater stress on aspects related to country of origin
o Also the compulsions of arriving at consensus among
and percentage of value addition in exports.
various countries will be relieved, hence providing
• So, India and UK might finalize a trade agreement greater independence to UK.
which cover limited items covering pharmaceuticals,
o Freedom of movement shall be curtailed post Brexit
financial technology, chemicals, defense production,
and hence UK will have to look for other countries like
petroleum and food products.
India for Human resource.
LIKELY NEGATIVE IMPACT

CHINA’S GREAT
• Since the existence of EU single market, UK had been
the bridge through which Indian companies used to
enter into EU. Now Post Brexit, the Indian companies
would have to strive separately for these two different
AMBITION
markets. # International Issue
o For Example: Brexit will increase overhead cost and
setting up of new headquarters perhaps, in both EU
IN NEWS
and UK separately.
China recently amended its defence law to align it with its
o Another example: SO far, Jaguar, which is owned by
ambition of becoming a great power. In this background,
TATA had enjoyed 0 customs duty in EU market. But
it has been said that if China wants to become a Great
post Brexit, they may face higher logistic costs and Power or a Global Power it can't just rely on the economic
customs duties and other regulation, which will make and the Military power. It will have to do more to achieve
these cars uncompetitive. this ambition. Further the qualities that made US the
Global Power and if China wants to achieve that status in
• Possibility of Exchange rate uncertainty: Due to
the near future, it will have to move beyond its narrow
Brexit, Pound may collapse rapidly leading wider
vision of dominating the world through economic and
ramifications on Indian rupee. This shall have Impact
military might. So let us understand the new
on: amendments to the Chinese defense law and what are the
o Worsening CAD as dollar will be strengthened. issues with the Chinese approach of becoming a great
power.
o The bonds raised by Indian firms will see rise in
servicing costs.

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 International Relations
CHINESE DEFENSE LAW AMENDMENT
• China has amended its National Defence Law to
mobilise military and civilian resources in defence of
the ‘national interest’ at home and abroad.
• It has given the Central Military Commission
(CMC), which is headed by the President, greater
power in mobilising resources to protect a new
and broader definition of what constitutes the
national interest.
• The revised regulations on military equipment, focus
on “war preparedness and combat capabilities”,
define the basic tasks, contents and management
mechanisms for military equipment work under the
new situation and system.
• The document follows - the general principle of the
CMC exercising overall leadership, theatre
commands responsible for military operations and
the services focusing on developing capabilities.
• It states that - when China’s sovereignty, unity,
territorial integrity, and security and development
interests are under threat, the country can conduct
nationwide or local defence mobilisation”.
• The phrase “development interests” was also added
to the law, it includes the protection of China’s
economic activities and assets overseas, such as those
under the Belt and Road Initiative, as a reason for
defence mobilisation.
• The Amendment says - China will participate in global
security governance, join multilateral security talks
and push for and set up a set of international rules
that is widely accepted, fair and reasonable
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GOALS OR AIMS OF CHINA
• It aims at increasing the control exercised by the CMC
and transferring some decision-making previously
exercised by the State Council, or Cabinet, that runs
the government, to the CMC.
• The broader goal is to speed up the modernisation
plans for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
• The change comes amid a push for closer civil-military
fusion, with a target to make the PLA a “world class”
military, or on par with the United States military, by
2049, when the People’s Republic of China turns 100.
WHAT IS CHINA DOING TO ACHIEVE GREAT
POWER STATUS?
• China is closely following the US Model to achieve the
Great Power status.
• It aims at mastering emerging technologies,
modernizing the armed forces, and setting up a
network of allies.
• It has worked hard to achieve supremacy in 5G,
artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and new
materials, including forced transfer and stealing of
technologies.
• It has borrowed the US concept of restructuring the
armed forces and, particularly, introducing joint
theatre commands.
• It has commenced a rapid military build-up that is
unprecedented in peacetime in recent history.
• It is aimed at rivaling the U.S.’s military capability in a
few years.
• China has the biggest navy in the world.
• The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced in
2013 to seek new markets and allies for political,
economic and strategic use.
• New ports for civilian and military use are being
sought at Gwadar (Pakistan), Jask (Iran), Djibouti,
Hambantota (Sri Lanka), Sihanoukville (Cambodia) and
other places, to project power overseas.
ISSUES WITH THE CHINESE APPROACH -
• State domination of the economy with increasing
reliance on the public sector, slowing down of market
reforms, accumulation of high debt, unproductive
expenditures, lack of reforms in education and health,
erosion of human freedoms, and increasing isolation
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of China due to aggressive policies are the biggest
roadblocks in its ambition.
• It does not have the advantage of cheap labour and
favorable international environment that it had in the
last few decades.
• Little attention has been paid to improve the quality of
education in science, technologies and mathematics,
which underpins the West’s success in its advances in
technology.
• The capability of high technology equipment like the
fifth-generation fighter aircraft, aircraft carriers and
long-range bombers remains inferior in China as the
country is unable to procure or indigenize advanced
technologies.
• China is scaling back its BRI projects as many have
become financially unviable.
• Concerned about the growth of corruption and its
impact on the control of the party, Mr. Xi has slowed
down market reforms, which were the backbone of
China’s prosperity in the last three decades.
• China has very few allies and friends (Except Pakistan
and North Korea)
• China has failed to deliver global public goods.
• The U.S.’s status as a global leader was based not only
on its wealth and military power but also the lure of its
governance model, ability to coordinate responses to
international crises, and provision of global public
goods such as freedom of ideas, quality education,
foreign aid, encouragement of free trade, security of
international shipping lanes and fight against
terrorism.
QATAR-SAUDI
AGREEMENT
#Middle East
IN NEWS
Saudi led coalition of four Arab countries (United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) had recently announced the
restoration of ties with Qatar. In 2017, Saudi Arabia led
an Arab transport blockade against Qatar, in order to
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
punish Doha for its ties with radical Islamist groups. So,
let us understand the importance of Qatar for the Middle
East and what are the stakes for India as far as this crisis
is concerned.
ABOUT QATAR
• Qatar has gone from being one of the poorest Gulf
states to one of the wealthiest.
• This has mainly been because of the presence of
large gas reserves which have contributed
significantly in helping it to become an influential
player in the region’s politics.
• Qatar shares a huge gas field with Iran (South
Pars/North Dome Gas-Condensate field), which is
an incentive for it to retain good relations with the
Shiite regime in Tehran.
• This is a strong irritant for Sunni Saudi Arabia, which
seeks to control the geopolitics of the Middle East.
QATAR - MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
• Saudi led coalition of four Arab countries (United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) had recently announced
the restoration of ties with Qatar.
• In 2017, Saudi Arabia led an Arab transport blockade
against Qatar, in order to punish Doha for its ties with
radical Islamist groups.
• The bigger motivation of coalition was to pressure
Qatar into reducing diplomatic and economic
relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s great rival in the
region.
• Coalition countries put 13 demands as conditions to
resume relations, including shutting news
organisations such as Al Jazeera, closing a Turkish
military base in the country, and downgrading ties
with Tehran.
BREAKTHROUGH IN THE CRISIS
• US under Donald trump had initially called Qatar a
"Funder of terror".
• However due to the mediation of Kuwait, which is
also a member of Gulf Cooperation council (GCC), US
made a U-turn in its policy towards Qatar.
• It was due to this mediation that finally the crisis has
come to an end.
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Gulf Cooperation council: The Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) was established by an agreement concluded on 25
May 1981 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia among Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE in view of
their special relations, geographic proximity, similar
political systems based on Islamic beliefs, joint destiny
and common objectives.
INDIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
• Initially India had called the crisis as an internal
matter of the GCC.
• India has welcomed the reconciliation
rapprochement between countries in the region.
• Recently, India's External affairs minister visited Qatar.
• West Asia especially GCC countries are pivotal to
India’s energy security and Diaspora welfare.
• The GCC states are home to about eight million
Indian expatriates, with a majority based in Saudi
Arabia and the UAE.
• Accordingly, India has prioritised its relations with the
West Asian countries through its Look West policy.
• Qatar is the per capita richest country and is the
largest supplier of gas to India.
• Seven lakh Indians live and work in Qatar and
many of them send big amounts of remittances back
to India.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• Qatar recently introduced labour reforms which have
been adopted for the welfare of the workers.
• These measures which include the settlement of
labour issues; safe movement and the
institutionalisation of rights of workers have been
welcomed by India.
• The Gulf country is also the host of the intra-Afghan
talks and Taliban delegation with Afghanistan.
LIBERAL WORLD ORDER
#GeopoliticS
IN NEWS
Liberal world order which was led by USA during the Cold
War has undergone various changes since its inception.
Further USA post world war has played a key role in the
international relations. So let us understand the evolution
of Liberal world order and how it has changed shaped
under Donald trump.
AMERICAN POLICY OF ISOLATIONISM
• America played decisive role in the outcome of the
and First War. However, in the Inter war period it adopted
the policy of isolating itself from getting involved in
the international conflicts.
• But this policy saw a reversal after it was attacked by
Japan at the Pearl Harbor during the Second World
War.
• Before the war, the U.S., an emerging economic and
military power, was largely an isolated country that
was focused on its own rise and expansion.
• The economic catastrophe caused by the Great
Depression and the losses it suffered in the First
World War prompted the American isolationists,
including progressives and conservatives, to push for
a policy of non-involvement in European and Asian
conflicts
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Liberal International order: After Second World War,
the World was divided into two camps -
1. Capitalist Camp led by the USA
2. Communist camp led by the erstwhile USSR
• When the world was divided between the capitalist
and communist blocs and when the communist and
socialist parties (under the patronage of the Soviet
Union) started making advances into Asian and
European countries, the U.S. turned to liberal
globalism and took up the leadership of the western
world.
• The liberal international order is also called the US-
led liberal international order, describes the notion
that contemporary international relations
organized around principles of International
cooperation through multilateral institutions like
the United Nations and World Trade
Organization, open markets, security cooperation,
promotion of liberal democracy, and leadership by
the United States and its allies.
• The order was established in the aftermath of World
War II, led in large part by the United States.
• liberal internationalism embodied the transborder
cooperation of western democracies and their
allies in their fight against the socialist
internationalism of the rival bloc.
POST-COLD WAR
• When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it was seen
as a triumphant moment for liberal internationalism.
Some predicted it to be “the end of history”. They
believed that Liberal International order is the only
way forward and there is no challenge to it.
• The U.S. stepped up its leadership role: It started wars
to protect human rights, export democracy and defeat
jihadists.
LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL ORDER LOSING ITS
SHEEN
• With the rise of religious terrorism, even liberal
democratic governments started arming themselves
with more powers that often clashed with civil
liberties.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• The liberal promise of ‘minimum government’ stayed
confined to the economic realm, while the security
state kept expanding its powers.
FAILED US MILITARY ADVENTURES -
• The U.S. effected a regime change in Yugoslavia in
1999, but the campaign eventually led to the
disintegration of the country.
• In Iraq, the U.S. never won a conclusive victory.
• In Afghanistan, after 19 years of war, the U.S. has
struck a deal with the Taliban and is badly looking for
an exit.
• In Libya, the country “liberated by NATO”, there are
two governments and two armies and many militias
are
backed by rival regional powers.
• When it comes to Iran and North Korea, the U.S. is not
as confident as it was with Iraq and Afghanistan on
using force.
• This inability to win wars and prolonged military
campaigns turned foreign interventions unpopular
again.
CHALLENGES FROM WITHIN
• 2008 crisis of Capitalism that came out due to Global
Recession has weakened the U.S. and Western Europe
economically, and unleashed political changes.
• The focus shifted away from human rights and civil
liberties to fighting terrorism and stopping
immigration in many of these countries. Illiberal, far
right and anti-immigrant Islamophobic parties started
rising.
• And the countries that once stood for a Liberal world
order are themselves looking inwards and we can see
a rise in the protectionist policies and the Nationalistic
tendencies in the western world.
TRUMP PHASE
• Trump broke with the Washington consensus on what
western policymakers and strategists call the liberal
internationalist order.
• He put his ‘America First’ doctrine in the driving seat of
his foreign policy wagon.
• He decried the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(NATO), the bedrock of the trans-Atlantic military
cooperation, pulled the United States out of
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international organisations and multilateral treaties,
and launched tariff wars with both friends and foes
alike.
INDIA’S FOREIGN
POLICY: REFRAMING
PRIORITIES
#Foreign policy
IN NEWS
Former National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan
highlights that China seems to have positioned itself after
an important agreement with United Nations and Iran
whereas India seems to be more isolated due to the
certain international events and also due to excessive tilt
towards United States as part of India’s foreign policy. So,
let us go through the significant developments in major
parts of the world and shift in India’s foreign policy
objectives from past.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS AROUND THE
WORLD
POWER SHIFT IN UNITED STATES – US-EUROPE
RELATIONS
• Leadership change in the United States is unlikely to
bring about a major power shift in the international
arena.
• Despite Biden’s promise to invigorate the U.S.-Europe
axis, Europe has turned its back on the U.S. and
revived its China links, by ‘concluding in principle the
negotiations for an EU-China Comprehensive
Agreement on Investment (CAI).
ABOUT CAI
✔ It will replace the 25 bilateral investment treaties that
individual EU members signed with China before
2009.
✔ The CAI will ensure that EU investors achieve better
access to a fast growing 1.4 billion consumer market,
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
and that they compete on a better level playing
field in China.
✔ The CAI goes beyond market access and investment
protection to include provisions on environment and
labour rights protection.
• On EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on
Investment (CAI), it is being said that any hope of
United States or India to isolate China has been
shattered by Europe through this deal.
• Now U.S. and India seems to be isolated rather than
China and this is more problematic for India
considering border tensions with China on the eastern
Ladakh region.
STRONGER CHINA – (PROBLEM FOR INDIA)
• The year 2021 begins on a triumphal note for China
and China’s Supreme Leader, Xi Jinping. China is about
the only major country which had a positive rate of
growth at the end of 2020, and its economy is poised
to grow even faster in 2021.
• Militarily, China has further strengthened itself, and
now seeks to dominate the Indo-Pacific Ocean with
its announcement of the launch of its third aircraft
carrier in 2021. Simultaneously, China is seeking to
strengthen its military coordination with Russia.
• All these developments increase China’s intransigence
(refusal to change one’s view) on its domestic (Hong
Kong and Uighur) and international issues (Chinese
aggression in Ladakh) and China will be ready to apply
heavy-handed approach for such matters.
• News emanating from China is that President Xi will
further cement his position, both as Party leader and
as President during 2021.
• China is, hence, unlikely to concede any ground to its
opponents across the world in 2021, a fact that India
will need to reckon with. India cannot expect any
Chinese concessions in Eastern Ladakh.
ECONOMY FIRST FOR EUROPE
• 2021 will be dominated by strong authoritarian
leaders like Xi Jinping in China, Vladimir Putin in
Russia, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey.
International politics may not be very different from
that in 2020, but it is unlikely that the Compact of
Democracy would emerge stronger.
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 International Relations
• Europe, minus Britain following Brexit, and the
retirement of Germany’s Angela Merkel, could become
even less relevant in world affairs.
• The China-EU Investment Treaty which saw Europe
capitulating to China’s blandishments is an indication
that Europe values its economy more than its politics.
CHANGES IN EURASIA
• Major changes are afoot in Eurasia and West Asia
which could lead to significant shifts.
• Russia is beginning to display greater interest in the
affairs of countries on its periphery and, together with
strengthening ties with China and reaching an entente
with Turkey.
• This means reduced interest for countries like India by
Russia. This may jeopardise India-Russia relations
based on growing Russia-China relations and India-US
relations.
• However, there is certain hope for India due to
Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership which is
Russia's foreign policy to counter China's BRI.
• Greater Eurasian Partnership’s main objective is to
connect Russia and the EAEU to China’s Belt and Road
Initiative & to move beyond China and connect the
Eurasian Economic Union Countries with Iran, India,
and Southeast Asia.
• India can use this opportunity to improve its ties with
Russia and balance China by integrating at an
economic level at EAEU, RIC Trilateral & SCO.
CHANGES IN WEST ASIA
• In West Asia, the Abraham Accords, leading to a
realignment of forces in the Arab world, have
sharpened the division between the Saudi Bloc and
Iran-Turkey.
• Despite the hype surrounding the Abraham Accords
(agreement to normalize diplomatic relations of Israel
with UAE & Bahrain), risk of confrontation between
Iran and Israel has not reduced.
• This does pose problems for India, since both Iran
and Israel have cordial relations with India.
Meanwhile, China demonstrates a willingness to play a
much larger role in the region, including
contemplating a 25-year strategic cooperation
agreement with Iran.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• This signals that China is willing to play a much larger
role in West Asian politics by using the theatre to its
economic advantage.
• Saudi Arabia could find the going difficult in 2021,
with a Biden Administration taking charge in
Washington. The healing of wounds among the Sunni
Arab states in the region should be viewed as a
pyrrhic victory (victory which inflicts devastating toll on
the victor that tantamount to defeat) at best for Saudi
Arabia.
• The Abraham Accord could further sharpen
hostilities between Sunni and Shia states and this
flux might be used by Iran to sharpen and increase its
sphere of influence by enhancing its nuclear
capabilities.
• Iran may be confident that United States may not
be in a position to challenge its nuclear armament
at this juncture due to internal problems of United
States caused due to Donald Trump’s unwillingness
for change in administration despite his defeat in US
Presidential elections.
PROBLEMS FOR AN ISOLATED INDIA
• No breakthrough in Sino-Indian relations has, or is
likely to occur, and the confrontation between Indian
and Chinese armed forces is expected to continue.
India currently plays no significant role in West Asia.
• India-Iran relations today lack warmth. In Afghanistan,
India has been marginalised as far as the peace
process is concerned.
• While India’s charges against Pakistan of sponsoring
terror have had some impact globally, it has further
aggravated tensions between the two neighbours.
This has overall helped Pakistan to cement its
relations with China.
• While hostility between India and Nepal appears to
have reduced lately, relations continue to be strained.
• Through a series of diplomatic visits, India has made
valiant efforts to improve relations with some of its
neighbours such as Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri
Lanka, but as of now worthwhile results is not
evident.
• In case conflict between India and China increase,
India’s neighbours may not shy away from picking up
a side mainly due to economic ties which China has
inculcated with India’s neighbours over a period of
years.
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 International Relations
Shift in India’s foreign policy objectives from Past:
India’s foreign policy objectives are to widen its sphere of
influence, enhance its role across nations, and make its
presence felt as an emerging power in an increasingly
disruptive global system and ensure its strategic
autonomy. It is a moot point though whether any of
these objectives has been achieved. Today, India’s voice
and counsel are seldom sought, or listened to and this is
a far cry from what used to happen previously.
PROBLEMS WITH INDIA’S DIPLOMATIC
RELATIONS
• Currently, India remains isolated from two important
supranational bodies of which it used to be a founding
member, viz., the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
and the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC).
• Efforts to whip up enthusiasm for newer institutions
such as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC), have hardly been successful.
• India has opted out of the Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP) (a majority of Asian
countries are members), and failed to take advantage
of the RIC, or the Russia, India and China grouping,
even as relations with Russia and China have
deteriorated.
• On the other hand, India’s foreign policy imperatives,
across Asia and South Asia in particular, today seem to
be a mixture of misplaced confidence, sometimes
verging on hubris (as in the case of Nepal), a lack of
understanding of the sensitivities of neighbours such
as Bangladesh and long-time friends (such as Vietnam
and Iran), and according excessive importance to the
policy needs and pressures of nations such as the U.S.
• There is possibly a misplaced perception in much of
Asia that the India of today is not unwilling to sacrifice
its strategic autonomy under U.S. pressure.
WAY FORWARD FOR INDIAN DIPLOMACY
What is needed for India is to adopt workable and
prudent policies without sacrificing strategic autonomy,
pursuit of realistically achievable objectives, and above
all, demonstration of continuity of policy, irrespective of
changes in the nature of the Administration. These may
be time consuming, but are a surer recipe for success in
attaining foreign policy objectives.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
INDIA AS A
COUNTERBALANCE TO
CHINA?
#Geopolitics
IN NEWS
US administration has declassified a document on the U.S.
strategic framework for the Indo-Pacific’ from 2018. It
outlines objectives and strategies with regard to China,
North Korea, India and other countries in the Indo-Pacific
region. So let us have a look at the key revelations that
have been made by this document which has been
declassified just two years after its inception.
U.S. STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE INDO-
PACIFIC’
• Maintaining “U.S. strategic primacy” in the region
and promoting a “liberal economic order” while
stopping China from establishing “illiberal spheres of
influence” is the U.S.’s first national security challenge.
• The other two challenges are ensuring that North
Korea does not threaten the U.S. and advancing U.S.
economic leadership globally.
• With regard to India, one of the ‘desired end states’ of
the U.S.’s strategy is for the U.S. to be India’s
preferred partner on security issues and for the
two countries to “cooperate to preserve maritime
security and counter Chinese influence” in South
Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions of “mutual
concern”.
• The U.S. aims to help India become a net security
provider in the region, solidify a lasting strategic
partnership with India “underpinned by a strong
Indian military able to effectively collaborate with”
the U.S and its regional partners.
• These objectives it plans to achieve via enhanced
defence cooperation and interoperability; working
with India “toward domestic economic reform” and
greater leadership roles for India in the East Asia
Summit and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus.
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 International Relations
• Support to India via military, diplomatic
intelligence channels “to help address continental
challenges such as the border dispute with China
and access to water, including the Brahmaputra and
other rivers facing diversion by China.”
COMMON PRINCIPLES
• The peaceful resolution of disputes and
transparent infrastructure-debt practices (a reference
to alternatives to financing by China’s Belt Road
Initiative, which has led to untenable debt positions
in borrowing countries), as per the strategy.
• The U.S. aims to support India’s “Act East” policy and
“its aspiration to be a leading global
highlighting its compatibility with the U.S., Japanese
and Australian vision” of the Indo-Pacific.
• A strong India, in cooperation with like-minded
countries, would act as a counterbalance to China,”
is one of the underlying assumptions of the strategy,
which expects Chinese military, economic
diplomatic influence will continue to increase in the
short term.
• China aims to dissolve U.S. alliances and partnerships
across the region. China will exploit vacuums and
opportunities created by these diminished bonds.
• On Russia, it says the country will “remain a marginal
player” in the region relative to the U.S., China and
India.
• On North Korea, a stated U.S. objective is to,
“Convince the Kim regime that the only path to its
survival is to relinquish its nuclear weapons.”
SAARC
#India & its neighbourhood
IN NEWS
After a lull of 6 years the leaders of SAARC nations met to
deal with the COVID 19 Pandemic. Due to this debate
about the relevance of SAARC have started. SAARC has
mainly been dysfunctional because of India’s position on
cross-border terrorism from Pakistan that led India to
refuse to attend the SAARC summit in 2016 in Islamabad
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
and which is still in place. In this background, let us
understand the issues faced by SAARC.
ABOUT SAARC
• The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) was established on 8 December 1985
celebrates another charter day today.
the • "Promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in the
region", this was the first line of the SAARC charter.
The last 32 years has not seen much progress along
these lines.
• The SAARC includes the eight South Asian countries
viz. India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan,
power, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
• It has a permanent secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The organization was started to promote economic
and cultural ties amongst its member states.
• With just about 2.5% of the world's land surface area,
the South Asian region has 17% of the world's
and
population.
• It is also one of the poorest regions of the world,
ranking just second to the Sub Saharan region in
Africa.
• It constitutes about 4.21% (US$3.67 trillion) of the
global economy, as of 2019.
• Even with the presence of five of the world's 20
megacities, it is the least urbanized region in the world
with an urban population of just about 27%.
CHALLENGES FACED BY SAARC
• India-Pakistan issues have impacted meetings of
SAARC as well, making it easier for member countries,
as well as international agencies to deal with South
Asia as a fragmented group rather than a collective,
working with each country in separate silos or in
smaller configurations.
• India’s has problems with Pakistan on terrorism,
territorial claims and on its role in blocking SAARC
initiatives on connectivity and trade.
• India’s refusal to allow Pakistan to host the SAARC
summit because of those problems is akin to giving
Pakistan a ‘veto’ over the entire SAARC process.
• India’s refusal to participate in SAARC is particularly
puzzling given that Prime Minister and his cabinet
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 International Relations
ministers continued to attend Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) meetings along with their Pakistani
counterparts, including the SCO Heads of Government
meeting in November where India even invited
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
• Further, China’s incursions in Ladakh and the Galwan
killings did not discourage India to attend meetings
with the Chinese leadership at the SCO, the Russia-
India-China trilateral, the G-20 and others.
• India did not abstain from engaging with Nepal even
after territorial claims by Nepal in the Kalapani region.
• However, the events of 2020, particularly the novel
coronavirus pandemic and China’s aggressions at the
Line of Actual Control (LAC) shone a new spotlight on
this mechanism, and should make the
government review its position and reverse that trend.
CHINA, ASEAN AND SAARC
• China wanted to be a member of SAARC was
prevented by India in becoming a member. Therefore,
China never wanted SAARC to be a strong
organization. Also, China is trying to establish relations
with the member states of SAARC excluding India. For
e.g., China has started CPEC with Pakistan, Hambatota
project with Sri Lanka, FTA with Maldives and railroad
pact with Nepal.
• Whereas organizations like ASEAN record a trade of
20%, SAARC's trade figures are a dismal low at about
3%, hence, explaining the poor economic growth of
the region and the ever increasing poverty and
disparity amongst its people.
• SAARC had proposed South Asia free trade agreement
(SAFTA), for boosting intra-regional trade but that is
still on paper and is not functional.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• On the front of Science and Technology, India
launched the SAARC satellite, but the other member
states were not much interested in a technological
cooperation with India.
WHY SAARC IS IMPORTANT FOR SOUTH
ASIA?
1. Pandemic-caused challenges
• Reviving SAARC is crucial to countering the common
challenges brought about by the pandemic..
• Studies have shown that South Asia’s experience of
the pandemic has been unique from other regions of
the world, and this needs to be studied further in a
comprehensive manner in order to counter future
Indian pandemics.
2. Impact on Economy
• The pandemic’s impact on South Asian economies is
another area that calls for coordination.
• Apart from the overall GDP slowdown, global job cuts
which will lead to an estimated 22% fall in revenue for
migrant labour and expatriates from South Asian
countries, there is an expected loss of about 10.77
million jobs and US$52.32 billion in GDP in the
tourism sector alone from the impact of COVID-19
• World Bank reports that have estimated the losses
have all suggested that South Asian countries work as
a collective to set standards for labour from the
region, and also to promoting a more intra-regional,
transnational approach towards tourism, citing
successful examples including the ‘East Africa Single
Joint Visa’ system, or similar joint tourism initiatives
like in the Mekong region or the Caribbean islands.
3. Regional initiatives are the need of the hour
• In the longer term, there will be a shift in priorities
towards health security, food security, and job
security.
• The impact of COVID-19 is likely to make countries
skeptical about ‘globalisation’ of trade, travel and
migration which was seen as being responsible for the
spread of pandemic from China.
• In such a scenario regional grouping are likely to play
a key role in the economic relations between nations.
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 International Relations

• The world is already witnessing regional WAY FORWARD

arrangements such as new United States-Mexico-
• Despite the despondency, the rationale for its
Canada Agreement, or USMCA (North America), the
existence remains intact: while history and political
Southern Common Market, or MERCOSUR for its
grievances may be perceived differently, geography is
Spanish initials (South America), the European Union
reality.
(Europe), the African Continental Free Trade Area, or
• Seen through China’s prism, India’s SAARC
AfCFTA (Africa), the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC
neighbourhood may be a means to contain India,
(Gulf) and Regional Comprehensive Economic
with the People’s Liberation Army strategies against
Partnership, or RCEP (South East Asia and Australasia
India over the LAC at present, or in conjunction with
including China),
Pakistan or Nepal at other disputed fronts in the
• India’s only regional trading agreement at present is
future.
the South Asian Free Trade Area, or SAFTA (with
• India must find its own prism with which to view its
SAARC countries).
South Asian neighbourhood as it should be: a unit
4. The China challenge
that has a common future, and as a force-multiplier
• In dealing with the challenge from China too, both at for India’s ambitions on the global stage.
India’s borders and in its neighbourhood, a unified
South Asian platform remains India’s most potent
countermeasure. INDIA AT UNSC
• India’s tensions with Pakistan and Nepal amplify the
threat perception from China, while other SAARC
#International organisations
members (minus Bhutan), all of whom are Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI) partners of China will try to
balance their interests between India and China. IN NEWS
• From 2005-14, China wanted to join SAARC. India’s term as the non-permanent member of UNSC is
th
• China has continued to push its way into South Asia, starting in 2021. (It will be 8 term for India as member of
as several statistical indicators for investment, trade, UNSC as non-permanent member) In this context, India’s
tourism and South Asian student preferences for two-year non-permanent stint at the UNSC is a once-in-a-
universities. decade opportunity to clearly identify and pursue its
national interests regionally and globally, rather than only
• Further China has used the opportunities presented
chasing illusionary goals such as a permanent
by the pandemic to push its influence in the South
membership of UNSC. So, while seated at UNSC, India
Asia.
should play the game to its advantage, mainly to pursue
• Experts suggest that it is only a matter of time before India’s National Interest and increase India’s role in
China holds a meeting of all SAARC countries (minus shaping the emerging geo-politics.
India and Bhutan), for they are all part of the BRI, and
even that they will be invited to join RCEP, which India OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIA
declined.
TIMING OF MEMBERSHIP
5. India’s approach in the South Asia
• India finds itself at the table of UNSC especially at a
• India stepped up its health and economic diplomacy time where
in the region, but apart from one SAARC meeting
 where a new world order seems to be emerging;
convened by India, these have been bilateral
initiatives, not a combined effort for South Asia.  world order marked by systemic uncertainty;

• This made the leaders of the SAARC to make a call for  little care for Global Commons (Global
revival of SAARC. commons have been traditionally defined as those

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 14

 International Relations
parts of the planet that fall outside national
jurisdictions and to which all nations have access.
International law identifies four global commons,
namely the High Seas, the Atmosphere, the Antarctica
and the Outer Space.)
 division of world into rival blocks;
 disagreements leading to violence;
 Absence of global leadership;
 Putting narrow national interests ahead of other
pursuits;
 Newly inaugurated Biden administration tries to
reverse policies of his predecessor (Donald Trump) –
such as Paris Climate Agreement, Pursuing Iran
Nuclear Deal etc.
• India, must find a way to balance its geo-political
interest especially while engaging with allies and
adversaries together. US-Iran nuclear deal, Iran-Israel
conflict, Saudi-Yemen conflict, US-Russia conflict etc.
Must be vigorously and strategically pursued by India
keeping its National Interest in mind.
• Thus, India has to go for tough geo-balancing Act to
ensure that India’s rivals (mainly China) through
various deals (one with Iran and EU) should not
dampen India’s futuristic agenda at the world table.
• Change in India’s mindset to pursue its international
policy from being satisfied on the margins to desiring
to be at the centre stage reflects a confident and
resolute India which wants to be a participant in
shaping geo-politics.
THE CHINA FACTOR:
• India’s tenure at the UNSC comes in the wake of its
growing military rivalry with Beijing. China’s opposition
to having India chair the Counter-Terrorism
Committee (CTC) in 2022 reflects growing problems
with China.
• India has to wait for Biden Administration’s strategy
towards China and if Biden wishes to pursue the
policies of Trump especially for the Indo-Pacific, then
India should ally with US in the Indo-Pacific region to
counter China. The initial steps have been taken
through QUAD and Malabar Exercise which was done
jointly by QUAD members.
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• India’s seat at the UNSC is also significant vis-à-vis
China because the next two years will be a key to
ensure checking further Chinese incursions along
the Line of Actual Control and building up enough
infrastructure and mobilising sufficient forces
along the borders.
• India must also engage with Russia vigorously to
counter China in the Indo-Pacific. The best way
forward for India is to become a strategic and key
partner in Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership.
• The Greater Eurasian Partnership has two broad
economic goals. First, it aims to connect Russia and
the EAEU to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Its
second, lesser goal is to move beyond China and
connect the EAEU with Iran, India, and Southeast Asia.
In other words, it is Russia’s strategy to keep China in
check.
FOCUS ON TERROR
• The issue of terrorism has been a major theme in the
country’s national security and foreign policy
discourse. India recently assumed the chair of the
Taliban Sanctions Committee which assumes
significance given the fast-moving developments in
Afghanistan and India’s new-found desire to engage
with the Taliban.
• External Affairs Minister statement at the UNSC
Ministerial Meeting on the 20th Anniversary of
Security Council Resolution 1373 (unequivocal
condemnation of the terrorist attacks which took place in
New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania on 11
September 2001) and the establishment of the Counter
Terrorism Committee has set the stage for New Delhi’s
approach on the issue: “Terrorists are terrorists; there
are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this
distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for
them are just as culpable”.
• UN Security Council Resolution 1373 requires all
Member States of the United Nations to implement a
number of measures intended to enhance their legal
and institutional ability to prevent and counter
terrorist activities at home, in their regions, and
around the world.
• India must, however, formulate its policy towards
terrorism with far more diplomatic finesse and
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 International Relations
political nuance especially while chairing Taliban
Sanctions Committee as US and Taliban under
Trump Administration left no room for India. India
needs to pursue similar policies even domestically
against any kind of terrorism as India will be judges at
the international forum.
Coalitions among like-minded states: India while at
UNSC must forge coalitions with the likeminded states
and engage with others along with its coalition partners
to set out its priorities for the next decade - from climate
change to non-proliferation and other agendas in India’s
National Interest.
WAY FORWARD
India, rather than dwelling on the ideal, should go for the
pragmatic strategy and must ascertain what it can
achieve in the real world in the next two years rather
than only pursuing its agenda of a permanent
membership.
FOREIGN MINISTER’S
VIEW ON INDIA-CHINA
TENSIONS
#India & its neighbourhood
IN NEWS
According to external affairs minister S Jaishankar, prior
to 2020, despite all the differences and disagreements on
the boundary, the border areas still remained
fundamentally peaceful. However, China’s actions last
year “not only signalled a disregard for commitments
about minimising troop levels” but also “showed a
willingness to breach the peace and tranquillity”. In this
context let us understand views of External affairs
minister.
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIA-CHINA TENSIONS:
• Clash in the Galwan Valley, triggered by
transgressions by China across the Line of Actual
Control (LAC) and massing of troops.
• There was increasing construction of border
infrastructure, especially on the Chinese side.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• Even before the events of 2020, the relationship had
reflected “a duality of cooperation and
competition”. Both sides had made a common cause
on development and economic issues and common
membership of plurilateral groups was a meeting
point. But there were divergences when it came to
interests and aspirations, reflected in following events:
o China’s issuing of stapled visas to Indian citizens from
Jammu and Kashmir in 2010.
o Reluctance from China to deal with some of India’s
military commands (Beijing had also refused to host
the Northern Army Commander),
o China’s opposition to India’s membership of the
Nuclear Suppliers Group and the UN Security Council
as a permanent member,
o The blocking of UN listings of Pakistani terrorists, and
o The China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship
project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, violating
India’s sovereignty in J&K.
The External Affairs Minister suggested “three mutual”
and “eight broad propositions” as a way forward for the
relationship.
THREE MUTUAL
Mutual respect; Mutual sensitivity; Mutual interests.
PROPOSITIONS
1. The first proposition, he said, was that agreements
already reached must be adhered to in their entirety,
both in letter and spirit.
2. Both sides needed to strictly observe and respect the
LAC, and any attempt to unilaterally change the status
quo was completely unacceptable.
3. Peace and tranquillity in border areas was the basis
for the development of the relationship in other
domains. If that was disturbed, the rest of the
relationship would be too.
4. The fourth proposition was that while both remain
committed to a multipolar world, they should
recognise that a multipolar Asia was one of its
essential constituents.
5. While each state had its interests, concerns and
priorities, sensitivities to them could not be one-sided
and relations were reciprocal in nature.
6. As rising powers, neither should ignore the other’s set
of aspirations.
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 International Relations

7. While there “will always be divergence and Chitwan and the establishment of a new pipeline on
differences”, their management is essential to tie. the eastern side connecting Siliguri to Jhapa in Nepal.

TO SUM UP • Cross Border Railway connectivity - India & Nepal -

The India-China relationship, in words of the External Both sides welcomed the completion of the work on
Affairs Minister, “is today truly at a crossroads” and first passenger railway line between India and Nepal
“choices that are made will have profound repercussions, from Jaynagar to Kurtha via Janakpur, and noted that
not just for the two nations but for the entire world.” operating procedures for commencement of train
services were being finalized. Other cross-border rail
connectivity projects, including a possible Raxaul-
INDIA AND NEPAL Kathmandu broad gauge railway line, were also
discussed.
#India & its neighbourhood • Facilitating Cross Border Movement of People &
Goods - It was noted that the recently inaugurated
Integrated Check Posts at Birgunj and Biratnagar have
IN NEWS helped in seamless movement of people and trade
Amidst strained Nepal-India relations and ongoing between the two countries. Both sides welcomed the
political crisis in Nepal, both countries conducted Sixth commencement of construction of third ICP at
India-Nepal Joint Commission Meeting. The sixth meeting Nepalgunj.

of the India-Nepal Joint Commission was co-chaired by the • Expediting hydro-projects - Discussions were held
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Minister on expediting joint hydropower projects, including the
of Foreign Affairs of Nepal H.E. Mr. Pradeep Kumar proposed Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, which
Gyawali in New Delhi. have numerous benefits for the people of both
countries.
KEY HIGHLIGHT OF THE MEETING:
• Cultural Heritage Projects - India conveyed that it
• Strengthen ties - Both countries explored ways
would undertake two more cultural heritage projects
to further strengthen the traditionally close and
in Nepal, namely, the Pashupatinath Riverfront
friendly ties.
Development and the Bhandarkhal Garden
• Focused on key areas of development - Both sides
Restoration in Patan Durbar, with grant assistance.
discussed several areas of cooperation including in
• International Forum - Both sides also exchanged
the areas of connectivity, economy and trade, power,
views on international, regional and sub-regional
oil and gas, water resources, political and security
cooperation. Nepal expressed support for India’s
issues, border management, development
permanent membership of an expanded UN Security
partnership, tourism, culture, education and capacity
Council to reflect the changed balance of power.
building.

• COVID-19 - The close cooperation between the two

sides in combating Covid-19 pandemic in the region
was noted. Nepal congratulated India on the
US AND CHINA
remarkable success in production of Covishield and #Geopolitics
Covaxin vaccines in India and requested for early
provision of vaccines to Nepal.

• Extension of establishing new Petroleum Pipeline - IN NEWS

Noting the milestone achieved by the Motihari-
The U.S. government has blacklisted Chinese smartphone
Amlekhganj petroleum products pipeline, the two
maker Xiaomi Corp. and China’s third-largest national oil
sides discussed the expansion of the pipeline to
company for alleged military links. This is being done in

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 17

 International Relations
order to counter the global rise of China. USA has been
imposing tariffs on the Chinese imports which is being
seen as a trade war that is going on between USA and
China. In this context, let us understand the pros and cons
of a trade war and what is its impact on India.
US-CHINA TRADE WAR: The US administration had
imposed 15% tariffs on imports valued at $300 billion.
Technology Theft: US has targeted China primarily for
what it perceived to be violations by the latter of IPRs of
American companies. US argued that China was forcing
these companies to transfer their proprietary
technologies.
CURRENCY WARS: US invoked the Omnibus Trade and
Competitiveness Act which authorises the treasury
Secretary to examine whether the US’s trade partners
are manipulating the rate of exchange for purposes of
preventing effective balance of payments adjustments or
gaining unfair competitive advantage in international
trade.
Chinese Reply: China announced additional tariffs on
more than 5,000 products imported from the US valued
at $75 billion. The sensitive sectors of agriculture and
forestry were targeted. Tariffs were also hiked for the
first time on crude oil.
China initiated a dispute in the World Trade Organisation
against US’s unilateral tariff increases.
Impact: Global slowdown. Spirit of multilateralism and
trust in them eroding in solving global economic
disputes.
WTO
• The USA’s pursuit of unilateral policies is hurting the
spirit of multilateralism which was the bedrock of
global economic architecture since World War II.
• USA has repeatedly blocked WTO members to
conduct negotiations on the rules to respond to the
needs of the members, especially the Least developed
countries.
• USA by blocking the appointments of new members
on the Appellate body of WTO’s dispute resolution
mechanism has made it non- functional. (Appellate
body should have seven members but new members
have not been appointed in place of retiring
members).
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
Pros of trade war:
1) Protects domestic companies from unfair competition
2) Increases demand for domestic goods
3) Promotes local job growth
4) Improves trade deficit
5) Punishes nation with unethical trade policies
Cons of trade war:
1) Increases costs and induces inflation
2) Causes marketplace shortages, reduces choice
3) Discourages trade
4) Slows economic growth
5) Hurts diplomatic relations, cultural exchange
INDIA AND TRADE WAR
• India can sense an opportunity in the US-China trade
war and can emerge as a supplier of these products to
US as its competitiveness will increase.
• India has argued for multilateral forums to settle
trade dispute in this regard India has argued for
empowering of Trade dispute resolution mechanism
at WTO and IMF to be allowed to develop a
multilateral mechanism to address currency
manipulations.
• Trade tensions (US-China) and developments around
Brexit create an environment for uncertainty. This
uncertainty has serious drag on capital expenditures.
• Developing countries face the risk of sudden stops
and reversals of capital flows.
• Consequently external financing gaps and currency
depreciations could undermine the outlook for growth
and macroeconomic stability.
• Management of global spillovers: We live in a world of
mobile capital flows where consequences of their
arrivals, sudden stops and reversals are to be borne
nationally. Against this backdrop, a truly global
financial safety net remains elusive.
WAY FORWARD FOR INDIA
• India can harness the trade war as an opportunity as it
is currently not a major exporting nation. Also, India
has been removed from the list of currency
manipulators by US administration.
18
 International Relations
• Infrastructure development particularly export
infrastructure such as access to electricity, ports etc to
boost exports.
• Development of coastal economic zones.
• Integrating more closely with global value chains.
• Continuously demanding the strengthening of global
institutions such as dispute resolution mechanism of
WTO, well capitalised IMF and giving powers to
regulate currency manipulation to US.
• Strengthening of RBI to act in response to capital flight
and spread of global spillovers.
• Promoting ease of doing business.
India already has close ties with the US and has closer
ties with ASEAN, China, EU and Russia. Thus, India can be
a voice of sanity in this environment of uncertainty.
OPEN SKIES TREATY
#Geopolitics
IN NEWS
Russia has withdrawn from the Open Skies Treaty after
the US withdrew from the agreement earlier.
Open Skies Treaty The treaty is designed to enhance
mutual understanding and confidence by giving access to
aerial surveillance over the entire territory of the
country. The treaty was signed in 1992 in Helsinki. It
entered into force in 2002.
Current Membership: Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark (including Greenland), Estonia, Finland, France,
Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and
the United Kingdom.
IMPORTANT PROVISIONS OF THE TREATY
• Entire territory accessible to aerial observation;
• Observation flights to be conducted by unarmed fixed
wing aircraft’
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• Aircraft may be equipped with video cameras and
panoramic and framing cameras for daylight
photography; infra-red line scanning systems, which
can operate by day and night; and synthetic aperture
radar, which can operate day and night in any
weather;
• Each State Party in Open Skies has agreed to a quota
of observation flights which it is willing to accept
annually from other States Parties;
• Imagery collected from Open Skies missions is
available to any state party upon request for the cost
of reproduction;
• As a result, the data available to each state party is
much greater than that which it can collect itself under
the treaty quota system.
RUSSIA’S REASONS FOR WITHDRAWING FROM
THE TREATY
1. Earlier the US has withdrawn from the treaty.
2. However, Russia believed US can continue to have
access of information under the treaty as many of its
military alliance partners are still party to the treaty.
Russia has proposed changes in the treaty by which
members would not have been able to share
information gathered under the treaty to non-
member countries. However, since these changes
were not accepted, Russia decided to withdraw from
the treaty.
OTHER TREATIES FROM WHICH THE TWO
COUNTRIES HAVE WITHDRAWN
INF Treaty: US and Russia have withdrawn from the INF
treaty which banned the two countries from developing
missiles with range between 500 km to 5500 km. USA
withdrew from the treaty citing Chinese military buildup.
NEW START TREATY
• This was a nuclear arms reduction treaty between USA
and Russia.
• The treaty called the two countries to limit their
nuclear arsenal. It also limits the number of nuclear
launchers the two countries can deploy. It also
provides for an inspection and verification mechanism
to verify that promises under the treaty are kept.
19
 International Relations
• The treaty was signed in 2010 and entered into force
in 2011. The treaty was to last for a duration of 10
years. However, both the countries have failed to
arrive at an agreement to extend the period of the
treaty.
• USA wants China to join the treaty, which China has
not shown interest for.
CHINESE
CONSTRUCTION ALONG
LAC
#India & its neighbourhood
IN NEWS
China has recently stated that its construction of a village
across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal
Pradesh was “beyond reproach” because it had “never
recognised” Arunachal.
HOW IS THE CONSTRUCTION POSSIBLE ?
• Indian officials said this area has been under Chinese
control since 1959.
• There are close to two dozen spots along the entire
length of the LAC in all sectors where India and China
do not agree on its alignment.
• Indian officials said China had earlier built a
permanent construction of military barracks in this
area.
• That is in large part because China has refused to
exchange maps showing its LAC perception in the
eastern sector, leaving unclear the extent of its claims
on what is under its control.
• The construction of the village has been seen by
analysts as a move to bolster China’s claim to the area,
and part of a broader recent push by China to build
civilian settlements in disputed frontier areas, which it
has also done with Bhutan.
• The site of the village is close to where China had
attacked an Assam Rifles post in 1959, in what is
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
known as the Longju incident, said south India-based
Tibet scholar Claude Arpi. He said it is at least 2 km
south of the McMahon Line, which China doesn’t
recognise. After the 1962 war, India stopped patrolling
the area.
INDIAN GOVERNMENT
• India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it was aware of
the construction “along the LAC”.
• This followed a report showing satellite images of the
village, built between November 2019 and November
2020 and located a couple of kilometres across the
LAC, beyond what India sees as the border separating
Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet, on the banks of the
Tsari Chu river in Upper Subansiri district in
Arunachal.
CHINESE GOVERNMENT POSITION
• The Chinese consider AP as “Zangnan [or South
Tibet]”.
• They have never recognised the Arunachal Pradesh.
• And hence according to China, development and
construction activities within our own territory is
normal. This is beyond reproach as it is in our
territory.”
• China and India haven’t demarcated the border line of
this area yet. So they cannot accuse China of building
a village on the Indian side.
HAVE THE CHINESE MADE AN EARLIER ATTEMPTS
AS WELL?
• The new village in Arunachal is around 30 km from
another well-known border village called Yumai, which
made headlines in China in 2017 when President Xi
Jinping sent a letter to its residents saying he hoped
20
 International Relations
they “will motivate more herders to set down roots in
the border area like galsang flowers, and become
guardians of Chinese territory”.
• In 2015, the Chinese National Geography magazine
reported that “the Tibetan family’s residence there
had helped China maintain control of the territory”,
said a report in the South China Morning Post. “Yumai
would be occupied by India already if the family had
decided to leave,” the village’s head was quoted as
saying.
• Another village built last year, called Pangda, was built
2-3 km inside what Bhutan sees as its territory, in
another disputed area.
So what could be the motivation?
• The construction appears to be part of a programme
by China to build what it calls “poverty alleviation”
villages.
• While the government calls them poverty alleviation
villages, some of the villages in border areas are very
remote with little economic activity there, so they
appear to have a strategic purpose.
CHINA’S SOUTH ASIA
MULTILATERAL MEET
#India & its neighbourhood
IN NEWS
China recently held its third multilateral dialogue with
countries from South Asia to take forward closer
cooperation on fighting COVID-19 and coordinating their
economic agendas, reflecting a new approach in Beijing’s
outreach to the South Asian region.
ABOUT THE MEET
• It brought together every country in the region barring
India, Bhutan and the Maldives, and according to
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
China it was aimed at “anti-epidemic cooperation and
poverty reduction cooperation”.
• The past dialogues have been attended by Pakistan
and Nepal, which are emerging as two lynchpins in
China’s regional strategy.
• The first such meeting was convened by China in July,
and was attended by Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan.
This was followed by a grouping in November
attended by China, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh.
• The latest meeting was attended by all five countries
that have taken part in these dialogues — Pakistan,
Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — and
was a follow-up to the two earlier meetings.
AGENDA OF THE MEET
• Dealing with the impact of the pandemic;
• Resuming economic and trade cooperation;
• Dealing with non-traditional security challenges;
• Advancing sustainable development, and reached an
initial consensus.
CPEC EXTENSION
• Although convened with an aim of handling Pandemic,
the move is being seen as Chinese effort of increasing
its influence in the South Asia.
• This is because the countries discussed how to work
more closely together under China’s Belt and Road
Initiative to boost their post-COVID-19 economic
recovery and agreed that countries linked by land
ports should establish joint response mechanisms in
border areas, apart from committing to greater
information sharing and international cooperation.
• At the last July quadrilateral dialogue with Afghanistan,
Nepal and Pakistan, proposed extending the China-
Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, as
well as taking forward an economic corridor plan with
Nepal, called the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional
Connectivity Network.
21
 International Relations

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Which of the following states is/are Correct Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
about the Open Skies Treaty? a) 1 only b) 1 and 2 only
1. It permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, c) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3
unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the others'
entire territories to collect data on military forces
Q4. Which of the following countries is/are
and activities
members of the SAARC?
2. USA and Russia have withdrawn from this treaty.
1. Pakistan 2. Afghanistan
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
3. Maldives
a) 1 only b) 2 only
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
a) 1 only b) 1 and 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3
Q2. Qatar Shares its boundary with which of the
following?
Q5. New start treaty is related to which of the
a) Gulf of Aden b) Red Sea
following?
c) Persian Gulf d) Gulf of Oman
a) Climate Change
b) COVID – 19 Vaccination
Q3. Which of the following countries are part of the
c) Desertification
Gulf Cooperation council?
d) Nuclear Arms reduction
1. Iran 2. Qatar
3. Saudi Arabia

descriptive Questions
Q1. What are the challenges faced by SAARC in being an effective regional organisation? Highlight its importance for

the South Asian region.

Q2. Highlight the post BREXIT challenges in India-UK relations. What are the challenges and opportunities for India with

regards to its external trade in the backdrop of BREXIT?

Answers to above MCQs: 1 (c), 2 (c), 3 (c), 4(d), 5(d)

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 22

 CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND
GOVERNANCE
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II (Main)

NATIONAL VOTERS DAY

#Election #Democracy
IN NEWS
On the eve of 11th National Voters Day (NVD) on 25th
January, 2021, Election Commission announced number of
measures as future vision for Indian voters. The theme for
this year’s NVD is ‘Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant,
Safe and Informed’, envisages active and participative
voters during elections. It also focuses
commitment towards conducting elections safely during
the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us go through the important
measures taken by Election Commission for voter’s
empowerment and also understand the importance of
elections in a democracy.
LINK BETWEEN DEMOCRACY & ELECTIONS
• Democracy is a form of government in which the
rulers are elected by the people.
• In a democracy the final decision making power must
rest with those elected by the people.
• In a democracy, there must be free and fair electoral
competition.
• A democracy must be based on a free and fair election
where those currently in power have a fair chance of
losing.
• In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote
and each vote must have one value.
• A democratic government rules within limits set by
constitutional law and citizens’ rights.
• Thus, periodic and fair elections play a very important
role for any thriving democracy. In a democracy role
of every voter becomes valuable and the quality of
democracy is enhanced when the voter becomes
aware about his/her political social and economic
rights.
• Thus, voter awareness and greater participation of
voters during elections are signs of a healthy and
vibrant democracy. It also signals that the citizens of a
country believe or have faith in the democratic set up
and also the fair elections conducted by a neutral
Election Commission.
on ECI’s
• This belief through greater voter participation further
enhances the credibility of both the election process
and the democracy as citizens realise the importance
of voting rights bestowed to them through the
Constitution of India.
• Overall, we can say that democracy is a form of
government in which:
 Rulers elected by the people take all the major
decisions.
 Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the
people to change the current rulers.
 This choice and opportunity is available to all the
people on an equal basis, and
 The exercise of this choice leads to a government
limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizens’
rights.
WHY IS NATIONAL VOTERS DAY CELEBRATED ON
25TH JANUARY EVERY YEAR?
• The National Voters’ Day has been celebrated on
January 25 every year since 2011, all across the

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 23

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
country to mark the foundation day of Election • National Awards was also given to important
Commission of India, i.e. 25th January 1950. stakeholders like national icons, Civil Society

• The main purpose to celebrate National Voters Day Organisations and media groups for their valuable

celebration is to encourage, facilitate and maximize contribution towards voters’ awareness.

enrolment, especially for the new voters. ECI’S WEB RADIO - ‘HELLO VOTERS’
• Dedicated to the voters of the country, the day is • EC’s online digital radio service will stream voter
utilized to spread awareness among voters and for awareness programmes. It will be accessible through
promoting informed participation in the electoral a link on the Election Commission of India website.
process.
• The programming style of Radio Hello Voters has been
• New voters are felicitated and handed over their envisaged to match that of popular FM radio services.
Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) in
• It will provide information and education on electoral
the NVD functions.
processes through songs, drama, discussions, spots,
PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS AT THE EVENT stories of elections etc. in Hindi, English and regional

• In his address, President Sh. Ram Nath Kovind said languages from all over the country.

that we should always respect the valuable right to TRIAL ON REMOTE VOTING PROJECT UNDERWAY
vote.
• CEC said the trials of the Election Commission’s
• The right to vote is not a simple right as people remote voting project would be carried out soon.
around the world have struggled a lot to achieve the
• With the idea of further digitizing electoral
right.
infrastructure in India, Election Commission of India
• Since independence, our Constitution has given equal (ECI) held an online conference in collaboration with
voting rights to all citizens without any discrimination the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency and IIT-Madras
on the basis of merit, religion, race, caste. For this, we to explore the possibility of using blockchain
are indebted to the makers of the Constitution. technology for the purpose of enabling remote
• Article 326 highlights that elections to the House of elections.
the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every • The system being developed by the IIT-M uses
State shall be on the basis of adult suffrage; that is to blockchain technology for two-way remote voting at
say, every person who is a citizen of India and who is designated centres.
not less than 18 years of age on the date fixed by law
GRANTING POSTAL BALLOT TO OVERSEAS
shall be eligible to vote.
VOTERS
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Another significant change is regarding grant of postal
• During the event, the Honourable President of India ballot facility to overseas electors and the proposal is
conferred the National Awards for the year 2020- under “active consideration” of the Ministry of Law
21 and launched ECI’s Web Radio:‘ Hello Voters’. and Justice.
• On this occasion, the President virtually conferred • ECI has approached the Ministry of Law and Justice to
the National Awards for the Best Electoral permit NRIs to vote via postal ballots similar to a
Practices to State and District level officers for their system that is already used by service voters (the
outstanding performance in the conduct of elections Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System, or
in different spheres such as IT initiatives, Security ETPBS.
Management, Election Management during COVID-19,
• The ETPBS method allowed for greater turnout among
Accessible Election and contribution in the field of
service voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
voter awareness and outreach.

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 24

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
DOWNLOAD e-EPIC CARD
• In another development, electors will be able to
download electronic versions of the elector photo ID
card, or e-EPIC.
• This will make the process of distribution of EPIC
hassle free for voters as they do not have to wait for
their turn at election offices of their area to get their
EPIC. This will further help in improving voting
percentage at successive elections.
RELEASE OF THREE PUBLICATIONS
1. Conducting Election During Pandemic- A Photo
Journey
2. SVEEP Endeavours: Awareness initiatives during
Lok Sabha Election, 2019
3. Chalo Karen Matdaan: It is a comic book which aims
at voter education in a fun and thought-provoking
way.
ONE WAY ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED
POSTAL BALLOT SYSTEM (ETPBS)
• One Way Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot
System (ETPBS) was introduced by Law Ministry after
amending election rules allowing service voters to get
their postal ballots electronically.
• Under ETPBS, the ballot is sent electronically. Service
voters then cast their votes and post the ballots back
using normal postal services. This is what is referred
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
as One Way Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot
System (ETPBS).
• Use of one-way electronic voting system during 2019
Lok Sabha Elections for service voters helped to save
processing time, resources and avoid human errors.
• Service voter are those who have service
qualification. They include member of Armed Forces
of the Union of India, members of Armed Police forces
of the States serving outside that state and persons
employed under Government of India on posts
outside India.
• As per existing arrangements, members of India Army,
Navy and Air force, Border Road Organisation, BSF,
ITBP, Assam Rifles, NSG, CRPF, CISF and SSB are
eligible to be registered as service voters.
TWO-WAY ELECTRONIC VOTING
• Under two-way electronic voting, receiving of ballot
and casting of vote will be done electronically on both
sides and postal services to send the ballot will not be
used.
• Two-way electronic transmission of vote envisages
that - a registered voter from any location in India,
once his identity is proved, will be able to cast his vote
electronically through a secure encrypted system and
the same will reach the designated returning officer
for counting.
25
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
ELECTION REGISTRATION OFFICER NETWORK session of Parliament. Indian Parliament need to make up
(ERO NET) for the lost time in coming times as impact of COVID
wanes. However, Parliamentarians needs to change their
• ERO-NET is a Centralized Software for Electoral Roll
outlook and perspectives amid continuous lower sittings
Management and Form Processing. The ERONET has
as it directly impacts quantity and quality of legislations
been designed and developed keeping in mind the
through discussions and debate.
need of Centralized Form Processing and monitoring
the work of all the Officials involved in Form
Processing.

• For this purpose, Single Unified Database was created

and all the existing Electoral Rolls data were migrated
to the single data base from State-Specific databases.
This created Unified National Photo Electoral Roll
(UNPER).

• ERO-Net application is available across India, to all

citizens of India for enrollment/ corrections/migration
from Electoral Roll.

• Citizens can fill up various online forms on National

Voters’ Service Portal or by using voter helpline mobile
application. The form is processed thereafter in
ERONET. The applicant also gets periodical alerts and
notifications on each activity performed at ERONET.

• ERO-Net also facilitates easy migration from one

constituency to another by facilitating seamless
communication between the EROs of two
constituencies. It also helps in preventing De- INDIAN PARLIAMENT & NEED FOR REFORMS
duplication while including entries in the E-Roll.
• Article 79 of the Indian Constitution states that there
• It was launched in January 2018. shall be a Parliament for the Union which shall consist of
the President and two Houses to be known respectively as

PARLIAMENT WORKED
the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the
People (Lok Sabha).

ONLY FOR 33 DAYS • Parliament is thus the pivotal institution of our

representative parliamentary democracy. In
#Parliament #Reform parliamentary democracy, just as government is
responsible to the Parliament, Parliament is also
responsible to the people who are the supreme
sovereign.

• However, like all living institutions, functioning of

IN NEWS Parliament must reflect the contemporary realities

According to PRS Legislative Research, the Parliament had and must imbibe necessary changes in its functioning

only 33 sittings in 2020, including 23 in the budget session and procedures.

and 10 in the monsoon session. This has been Indian • Increased disruptions of Parliament and State
Parliament’s lowest-ever tally of sitting due to COVID and Legislative Assemblies (SLA) has impacted legislature’s
also because government refused to call the winter core functioning of law making through discussions.

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 26

 Constituti0n, Polity and
• Thus, Parliamentary Reforms becomes essential to
reflect a vibrant and dynamic democracy always ready
to change according to the will of the people and time.
• Based on these understandings and need
Parliamentary reforms considering decline in quality
and quantum of debates, Vice-President of India has
suggested a 15-point Reform Charter
functioning of the Parliament. He also mentioned
about Parliamentary Democracy and value of Public
Opinion, Supremacy of Parliament, Functioning of
Legislatures and Role of Parliament.
• Even the National Commission to Review the
Working of the Constitution (NCRWC) in its
extensive Report has suggested certain important
Parliamentary Reforms.
• Increased disruptions of Parliament
Legislative Assemblies (SLA) has impacted legislature’s
core functioning of law making through discussions.
• Following set of reforms as suggested by Vice-
President of India if adopted will improve functioning
of Legislatures in India.
SUMMARY OF BROAD FRAMEWORK OF
PARLIAMENTARY REFORMS SUGGESTED BY VICE-
PRESIDENT OF INDIA
1. Both pre and post Legislative Impact Assessment
to be ensured for quality and informed law making
for creating wider awareness about the targeted
outcomes by bringing out social,
environmental and administrative impacts besides
the involvement of all stakeholders in law making;
2. Ensuring effective functioning of the Department
Related Standing Committees of
through longer tenures instead of reconstitution
every year as at present besides
specialisation by nomination on the committees
based on academic backgrounds and their re-
nomination on the same committees for longer
period. I would like to discuss this issue with the
Speaker, Lok Sabha for further action.
3. Women Reservation - Taking forward the legislation
in the Parliament for reservation of women in
legislatures whose representation is at present only
about 13%.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
Governance
4. Number of Sittings - A minimum number of sittings
for both the Parliament and State Legislatures per
year to be appropriately prescribed and compliance
for ensured.
5. Enforceable Code of Conduct - Law makers should
abide by the Rules of the House and political parties
for the to take responsibility in this regard by evolving and
enforcing a code of conduct.
6. Rules on Interruptions of Proceedings - Making
rules that automatically take effect against erring
Members in case of interruptions and disruptions;
7. Roster System - Political parties to evolve roster
system for ensuring attendance of at least 50% of
their members in the legislatures all through the
proceedings of the House every day to address the
and State issue of lack of quorum.
8. Publication of Reports - Secretariats of legislatures
to publish regular reports on the attendance of
members inside during the proceedings and the
extent of their participation in the form of questions
raised, debates participated in etc.;
9. Opportunities for New Entrants - Legislature
parties to ensure that the new entrants and back
benchers are given adequate opportunities to
participate in the debates instead of fielding only a
select and established few.
10. Prevent Criminalisation of Politics - To evolve a
new political consciousness under which tickets to
economic,
contest elections will not be given merely on the
criteria of winnability by political parties to address
the problem of rising number of legislators with
criminal backgrounds;
Parliament
11. Review Anti-Defection Law - To review the
functioning of the Anti-Defection Law to address grey
promoting
areas like incentivising members to resort to activities
that invite expulsion from the parties besides
stipulating specific time frame for deciding on
defection matters by the Presiding Officers of
Legislatures.
12. Review Whip System - To review the functioning of
‘Whip System’ which is being alleged to be stifling
even reasonable dissent from the party position even
on non-consequential matters and rationalise the
norms for issuing Whip to enable some degree of
27
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
freedom of expression without adversely affecting Prime Minister's Residence and Prime Minister's Office,
stability of the Government; and a new Vice-President Enclave.

13. Tribunals for MPs - Setting up special

courts/tribunals for time bound adjudication on
criminal complaints against legislators and election
related matters;

14. Action against Non-Ethical Conduct - Timely and

effective action against legislators for non-ethical
conduct; and

15. Governments to be responsive to the views and

concerns of the Opposition - and the Opposition to
be responsible and constructive while resorting to the
available parliamentary instruments like
Adjournment Motions and during participation in the
debates and both sides to avoid cynical and
adversarial position just for the sake of it.

16. Simultaneous Elections - Consensus to be built on

the proposal for simultaneous elections so that
governance is not adversely impacted on account of
staggered and continuous polls across the country
and also to address the problem of rising money
power in elections.

These reforms will improve functioning of Parliament,

quality of law making thereby increasing trust of citizens
in parliamentary democracy.

CENTRAL VISTA
PROJECTS
#Parliament #Public Buildings
IN NEWS: Central Vista Project of the Indian Government
is to build a New Parliament by redeveloping 86 acres of
land close to existing Indian Parliament. The new
Parliament building will have a triangular shape and is
expected to be completed by the 75th anniversary of
India's independence in 2022. Besides the new Parliament
building, the redevelopment of the Central Vista envisages
a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km
Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new
The new building will house larger Lok Sabha and Rajya
Sabha halls with capacities of 888 seats and 384 seats to
accommodate an expanded Parliament after the freeze on
its expansion lifts in 2026. The Lok Sabha Hall will also
have an additional capacity, up to 1,272 seats, to host
joint sessions. However, the construction work on the
coveted structure was halted as a petition was filed in the
Supreme Court of India.
WHY WAS A PETITION FILED?
• For the Central Vista Project, government had
approved change in land use of the area in Lutyen’s
Delhi. So, primarily the change in land use and the
manner and procedure adopted for making the
changes in the Central Vista precincts were challenged
in the Supreme Court.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• The petitioners argued that there were irregularities in the Master Plan of Delhi. He held that the change in
the process that involved approval of design, land use must be struck down on both procedural and
clearance on monetary allocations and the tendering substantial grounds.
processes, and other regulatory clearances on • On procedure, the judge noted that it was initiated
environment and from local municipal bodies. without a consultation process. According to Justice
GROUNDS OF CHALLENGE Khanna, mere uploading of the gazette notification
giving the present and the proposed land use with
1. No Objection by Central Vigilance Commission -The
plot numbers was not sufficient compliance, but
petitioners had challenged the composition of the
rather an exercise violating the express as well as
Central Vista Committee and therefore all the
implied stipulations, that is, necessity and
approvals granted by the body. They argued that the
requirement to make adequate and intelligible
CVC was set up to rush the approvals and that the
disclosure.
officials who were proponents of the central vista
project were also entrusted with the CVC and there • Justice Khanna held that the central government did
was an apparent conflict of interest. not give adequate thought to the concerns of the
public and not enough time for those who raised
2. Approval by Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) -
objections to make their case. He said that the
The petitioners had argued that the consultation with
permissions given by the CVC appear pre-determined.
DUAC had to be completed at the plan conception
also disagreed with the majority view that the
stage itself. They argued that in the absence of a
modification was substantial and not a “minor
comprehensive consultation, the approvals were
change”.
granted without proper application of mind.

3. Heritage Approval - The petitioners argued that the

MAJOR ISSUES IN CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC
government failed to consult Heritage Conservation BUILDINGS
Committee, which is an expert body in matters 1. Accountability factor
involving heritage structures and ought to have been
• As political scientists have explained, most
consulted from the stage of conception of the project,
governments ensure that whimsical agendas do not
even before the design is agreed upon.
drive public projects by institutionalising ‘horizontal’
4. Environmental Clearance - The petitioners had and ‘vertical’ accountabilities.
argued that the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) had
• ‘Horizontal accountability’ is about creating
no mandate to grant clearances because the Central
interrelated state organisations such as heritage
Vista project was multi-sectoral and that the body had
committees and environmental regulators to keep a
no expertise to deal with such a project since the
check.
sectoral impact was not presented to the EAC.
• ‘Vertical accountability’ concerns citizen oversight,
SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT which currently is limited to elections. The
• Majority Opinion - The Supreme Court in its 2:1 government often argues that horizontal
verdict held that there is no infirmity in the grant of accountability is in place and works well.
“no objection” by the Central Vista Committee (CVC) • However, for citizens, who are unconvinced have
and “approval” by the Delhi Urban Art Commission often argued for better and expanded vertical
(DUAC) and “prior approval” by the Heritage accountability such as an improved participatory
Conservation Committee (HCC) to the Central Vista process.
Project, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid
2. Choosing the designer
the foundation stone on 10 December, 2020.
• A regulatory change is required for choosing
• Minority Opinion However, Justice Sanjeev Khanna
designers for public projects.
gave a dissenting judgment where he did not agree
with the majority on the issue of change in land use in

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• Design is a complex service that requires a high level
of creativity to meet functional, artistic and aesthetic
needs.
• It has a significant bearing on creating public assets
and judicious use of taxpayer’s money.
• Poor choices disastrously impact downstream
construction activities, building use, city functioning
and value for money.
• Though the majority and dissenting judgments in the
Central Vista project did not find any fault in the
manner architecture consultants were appointed,
some of the issues raised remind us that the
processes of procuring designs services could be
improved.
Case of Close Procurement
• Barring a few instances of open competition, which is
an ideal way to choose from a larger pool of solutions,
the state follows the alternative method of closed
procurement.
• Here, select architects who meet a set of prerequisites
are invited and choices made from the designs they
have provided.
• To execute this, the government, from the methods
recommended by the Ministry of Finance, adopts the
Quality- and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS).
• The method allows for stipulating prerequisites for
consultants, placing higher weightage on their
technical competency and relatively lower weightage
on financial proposals. This is meant to prioritise
quality and not low price.
• However, two sets of issues undermine its professed
advantage.
o First set of problems arise from the range of
weightage allowed between technical and financial
proposals. It is observed that unless weightage on
technical qualification exceeds 80%, firms that quote
lower fees can outdo better design firms.
o The second and a more critical set of issues are
related to steep prerequisites and a lack of clarity in
evaluative criteria and standards for design
assessors.
3. Restricting the Entry Barrier
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• Many public projects insist on steep turnover
conditions for architecture firms to qualify. The
assumption is that the more considerable the
turnover, the better it is in terms of expertise. Steep
entry requirements eliminate medium and small size
firms and enable only a handful of large firms to
qualify. This detrimentally reduces the pool of choice.
• Where open competitions are not possible, the next
best alternative is to mandate a method that reduces
the entry barrier.
4. State capacity
• Whenever a case for adopting better practices is
made, policymakers argue that developing countries
such as India have a relatively low state capacity.
• Hence, higher standards set in the matured economy
and sustained by governments with higher capacity
cannot be hastily implanted.
MERGER & DEFECTION
UNDER TENTH
SCHEDULE
#Parliament
IN NEWS
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the
Rajasthan Assembly Speaker and others on two separate
petitions against the merger of six BSP MLAs into the
ruling Congress party in the State in September, 2019. In
another judgment, the Supreme Court has asked the
Centre and the Election Commission of India (EC) to
respond to a plea to debar legislators, disqualified under
the Tenth Schedule, from contesting by-elections during
the rest of the tenure of the House. The petition
highlighted that once a member of the House incurs
disqualification under the Tenth Schedule, he cannot be
permitted to contest again during the term for which he
was elected. Article 172 makes a membership of a House
co terminus with the term of five years of the House
except in circumstances mentioned therein. Article 172
mentions about duration of State Assemblies. Based on
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
these two judgments, let us understand about defection,
merger and split as provided under Tenth Schedule of the
Indian Constitution.
Defection: Defection means floor-crossing or switching
sides by a member of one political party to another
party. To control increasing instances of political
defection in India, government through Constitution
52nd Amendment, added Tenth Schedule in the Indian
Constitution.
IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHTS OF TENTH SCHEDULE
• Salient Feature - The statement of objects and
nd
reasons of Constitution 52 Amendment highlights
that it is necessary to combat the evil of political
defection as it is likely to undermine the very
foundations of our democracy and the principles
which sustain it.
• Disqualification of Elected & Nominated Members
– As per Tenth Schedule, both Elected and Nominated
members of Parliament would be disqualified on the
ground of defection if
 She/he voluntarily relinquishes his membership of
such political party or
 votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary
to any direction of such party or is expelled from such
party.
Para 4 - Splits & Merger – Tenth Schedule provides for
splits in and mergers of, political parties. A member of a
House shall not be disqualified where his original
political party merges with another political party or
becomes part of new political party so created by
merger.
Not Less Than Two-Thirds - The merger of the original
political party of a member of a House shall be allowed
only if, not less than two-thirds of the members of the
legislature party concerned have agreed to such merger.
Para 5 - Exemption - A special provision has been
included in the 52
nd
Constitution Amendment to enable a
person who has been elected as the presiding officer of a
House to sever his connections with his political party.
As per Paragraph 5 of Tenth Schedule - A person who
has been elected to the office of the Speaker or the
Deputy Speaker of the House of the People or the
Deputy Chairman of the Council of States or the
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
Chairman or the Deputy Chairman of the Legislative
Council of a State or the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker
of the Legislative Assembly of a State, shall not be
disqualified under this Schedule –
(a) if he, by reason of his election to such office,
voluntarily gives up the membership of the political party
to which he belonged immediately before such election
and does not, so long as he continues to hold such
office thereafter, rejoin that political party or become
a member of another political party; or
(b) if he, having given up by reason of his election to such
office his membership of the political party to which
he belonged immediately before such election,
rejoins such political party after he ceases to hold
such office.
Paragraph 6 - The question as to whether a member of
a House of Parliament or State Legislature has become
subject to the proposed disqualification will be
determined by the Presiding Officer of the House.
However, where the question is with reference to the
presiding officer himself, it will be decided by a member
of the House elected by the House in that behalf.
Based on the Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment)
Act, 1985, some provisions of the Constitution were
amended and suitable provisions were added to include
defection as ground of disqualification for members of
Parliament and State Legislatures along with the entire
Tenth Schedule.
EARLIER – SPLIT OF 1/3 OF MEMBERS OF
POLITICAL PARTY WAS ALLOWED
st rd
• Prior to Constitution 91 Amendment, split of 1/3 of
members of political party was allowed. So, in case a
group comprising minimum one-third of the members
of political party separated as a result of split from the
original party, then it would not have resulted in
disqualification of such members.
• This provision in a sense enabled defection as it was
easy to cobble up one third members who could split
from the original party on the basis of which they had
won elections. This also amounted to electoral
betrayal.
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHTS OF KIHOTO Decision of disqualification under tenth schedule on
HOLLOHAN V ZACHILHU AND OTHERS grounds of infirmities based on violations of
constitutional mandates, mala fides, non-compliance
• The majority judgment (3:2) held that the
with Rules of Natural Justice and perversity.
Speakers/Chairmen hold a pivotal position in the
scheme of Parliamentary democracy and are • Speaker/Chairman Quasi-Judicial Authority -
guardians of the rights and privileges of the House. Speaker or the Chairman, acting under Paragraph 6(1)
of the Tenth Schedule is a Tribunal. Speaker is a quasi-
• Clothing of power to adjudicate questions under the
judicial authority who is required to take a decision
Tenth Schedule in them should not be considered
within a reasonable time.
exceptionable.
• Judicial Power of Speaker/Chairman - The power to
• The Court further held that that the Schedule’s
resolve such disputes vested in the Speaker or
provisions were remedial and intended to strengthen
Chairman is a judicial power.
the fabric of Indian Parliamentary democracy by
curbing unprincipled and unethical political • Speaker to decide the case in reasonable time –
defections. Supreme Court quoted Kihoto Hollohan where it held
that Speaker while deciding case of anti-defection
• The Court ruled that Speaker/Chairman while deciding
must decide within reasonable time and should not
cases of anti-defection acts as a Tribunal and
take more than three months. The Court said that
accordingly the decision of Speaker/Chairman is
period of 3 months has been kept in mind considering
subject to judicial review.
life of Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies
• However, judicial review would not cover any stage which is 5 years.
prior to the making of decision by Speaker or
• Observation in Rajendra Singh Rana case - The
Chairman.
person who has incurred disqualification does not
IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JUDGMENT - deserve to be MPs/MLAs even for a single day.
KEISHAM MEGHACHANDRA SINGH V. UNION OF
IMPACT OF DEFECTION POLITICS ON INDIAN
INDIA
DEMOCRACY
• Decision on Anti-defection operates independently
• Undermines Electoral Democracy - The politics of
- The decision of Speaker under Paragraph 6 (1) of
defection has long undermined electoral democracy
Tenth Schedule is not the decision of the House, nor is
as members who are chosen by people belonging to a
it subject to the approval by the House and the
particular party tend to shift allegiance for better
decision operates independently from the functioning
political prospects.
of the House.
• Promotes Horse Trading - With help of defectors, any
• Immunity only from parliamentary procedure -
majority government can be converted into minority
The term “proceedings in Parliament” attracts
government or toppled. This hampers stability of
immunity from mere irregularities of procedures and
government.
not on the final decision of Speaker or Chairman.
• Defectors Betray Electoral Mandate – Continuous
Thus, decision of Speaker on anti-defection can be
Defections at Union and State level acts as an
judicially reviewed and only the procedure followed
impediment in a vibrant and functioning democracy.
cannot be judicially reviewed.
Defection by members of legislatures for personal
• Judicial Review - Judicial Review cannot be available
greed is not only undemocratic but also betrays
at a stage prior to the making of a decision by the
electoral mandate.
Speaker/Chairman as per Kihoto Hollohan
• Greed overtakes Morality – In instances of crisis of
judgment.
faith for member of political party, ideally they should
• Grounds of Judicial Review - Judicial Review to High
Court and Supreme Court is allowed on Speaker’s

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
leave their political party and seat and seek fresh
election. However, these principled actions are rare.
LIBERTY & FREEDOM
#Judiciary #Liberty #Freedom
IN NEWS
Role of judiciary in granting bail to a TV journalist whereas
denying bail to the rest has been under scanner as the
judiciary has been perceived to be discriminatory in its
decisions. The larger issue of concern is regarding
treatment of liberty unequally. Supreme Court while
hearing the bail petition of a TV journalist held,
“deprivation of liberty for even one day is a day too
many”. This cherished principle of Liberty must be applied
equally in all cases without discrimination. Based on this
idea, let us understand about Freedom and Liberty.
UNDERSTANDING FREEDOM & IMPORTANCE OF
FREE SOCIETY
• Absence of Constraints - A simple answer to the
question ‘what is freedom’ is absence of constraints.
Freedom is said to exist when external constraints on
the individual are absent.
• Lack of External Control - In terms of this definition,
an individual could be considered free if he/she is not
subject to external controls or coercion and is able to
make independent decisions and act in
autonomous way.
• Freedom is Multi-dimensional - Absence
constraints is only one dimension of freedom.
Freedom is also about expanding the ability of people
to freely express themselves and develop their
potential.
• Positive Aspect - Freedom in this sense is the
condition in which people can develop their creativity
and capabilities.
• Need for Both Aspects of freedom is important -
namely the absence of external constraints as well as
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
the existence of conditions in which people can
develop their talent is essential.
• A free society would be one which enables all its
members to develop their potential with the minimum
of social constraints.
EVERY SOCIETY NEEDS CONSTRAINTS
• Prevent from Chaos - We need some constraints or
else society would descend into chaos. So, every
society needs some mechanisms to control violence
and settle disputes.
• Respecting diverse Views - So long as we are able to
respect each other’s views and do not attempt to
impose our views on others we may be able to live
freely and with minimum constraints.
• Constraints in a society means that citizens of the
society are willing to respect differences of views,
opinions and beliefs. This constraint can be imposed
by the state or implicit in a country’s constitution to
ensure law and order in the society.
• Role of State in Imposing Constraint - It is here
where the role of state becomes important to decide
the kind of constraints it wants to impose on its
citizens for their overall welfare. This aspect has been
explained by John Stuart Mill through his “Harm
Principle”. So, first of all let us understand about ideas
of freedom and liberty as expounded by J.S. Mill.
JOHN STUART MILL ON FREEDOM & LIBERTY
• Freedom of speech is the bulwark of democratic
an
government. This freedom is essential for the proper
functioning of the democratic process.
of
• Freedom of speech and expression is regarded as the
first condition on liberty. It occupies a preferred
position in the hierarchy of liberties giving protection
to all other liberties.
• John Stuart Mill in his Essay, On Liberty has
expounded the idea of his concept of individual
freedom within the context of his ideas on history and
the state.
• Idea of Liberty Grows with Society - Mill has stated
that liberty depends on the idea that society
progresses from lower to higher stages and that this
33
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
progress culminates in the emergence of a system of
representative democracy. It is within the context of
this form of government that Mill envisions the growth
and development of liberty.
• Historical View on Liberty - Mill undertakes a
historical review of the concept of liberty. In the past,
liberty meant primarily protection from tyranny. Over
time, the meaning of liberty changed along with the
role of rulers, who came to be seen as servants of the
people rather than masters.
• Tyranny of Majority - This evolution brought about a
new problem: the tyranny of the majority, in which a
democratic majority forces its will on the minority.
This state of affairs can exercise a tyrannical power
even outside the political realm, when forces such as
public opinion stifle individuality and rebellion. Here,
society itself becomes the tyrant by seeking to inflict
its will and values on others.
• Three Types of Liberty - Mill observes that liberty can
be divided into three types, each of which must be
recognized and respected by any free society.
1. First, there is the liberty of thought and opinion.
2. The second type is the liberty of tastes and
pursuits, or the freedom to plan our own lives.
3. Third, there is the liberty to join other like-minded
individuals for a common purpose that does not hurt
anyone. Each of these freedoms negates society’s
propensity to compel compliance.
LIBERTY IN CASE OF INDIA - CONSTITUTION
• This idea of Mill also holds true for India. We, as a
nation are moving constantly on the path of
development but the culture of majority has started
asserting its influence on our daily lives and has
started affecting our right to choice.
• Right to choice may not be explicitly provided in the
Constitution but flows from Article 19(1) and Article
21. State cannot regulate a citizen’s right to choice or
of dissent to a particular opinion.
• Constitution of India provides for six fundamental
rights – Right to Equality, Right to Freedom, Right
against Exploitation, Right to Freedom of Religion,
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Cultural and Educational Rights and Right to
Constitutional Remedies.
• Constitution of India has provided both positive
and negative aspects within Right to Freedom as it
contains five important fundamental rights namely –
 A – 19 - Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of
speech, etc.
 A – 20 - Protection in respect of conviction for offences
 A – 21 - Protection of life and personal liberty
 A – 21A - Right to education
 A – 22 - Protection against arrest and detention in certain
cases
• Constitutionally speaking, right to life and personal
liberty has been provided within the fundamental
right to freedom.
CONCEPT OF LIBERTY EXPANDED BY SC IN
MANEKA GANDHI JUDGMENT
• In the case of Gopalan, Supreme Court had delinked
Article 19 from Article 21 and 22.
• However, in the landmark judgment of Maneka
Gandhi v Union of India, Supreme Court held that
Article 14, 19 and 21 are not mutually exclusive. This
means that a law prescribing a procedure for
depriving a person of personal liberty has to meet the
requirement of Article 19. Also the procedure
established by law in Article 21 must confirm with the
requirements of Article 14 as well.
• According to Justice Krishna Aiyer, “no Article in the
Constitution pertaining to a Fundamental Right is an
island in itself. Just as a man is not dissectible into
separate limbs, cardinal rights in an organic constitution
have a synthesis.”
• SC in Maneka Gandhi gave an expansive
interpretation to the expression “personal liberty” in
Article 21. The Court emphasised that the expression
“personal liberty” is of the widest amplitude covering
a variety of rights “which go to constitute the personal
liberty of a man”. Some of these attributes have been
raised to the status of distinct fundamental rights and
given additional protection under Article 19.
34
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• The Court also held that the expression “personal CONCLUSION
liberty” ought not to be read in a narrow and
• Freedom is at the core of human society, is so crucial
restricted sense so as to exclude those attributes of
for a dignified human life, it should only be
personal liberty which are specifically dealt with in
constrained in special circumstances.
Article 19.
• The ‘harm caused’ must be ‘serious’. For minor harm,
HARM PRINCIPLE – J.S. MILL Mill recommends only social disapproval and not the
• Mill introduces here an important distinction where he force of law.
distinguishes between ‘self-regarding’ actions, i.e., • Thus, these principles of liberty must be followed by
those actions that have consequences only for the the government and the judiciary to ensure that
individual actor and nobody else, and ‘other citizens are not unnecessarily restricted or
regarding’ actions, i.e., those actions that also have constrained or illegally detained for minor harms
consequences for others. Example – taking up a which does not need the full might or iron fist of the
profession, marrying someone of one’s choice etc. state.
• Mill argues that with respect to actions or choices that
affect only one’s self, self-regarding actions, the state
(or any other external authority) has no business to GRANTING BAIL IS
interfere.

• In contrast, with respect to actions that have

GENERALLY THE RULE
consequences for others, actions which may cause #Judiciary #Rights Issues
harm to them, there is some case for external
interference. In this case, it is the state which can
constrain a person from acting in a way that causes IN NEWS
harm to someone else.
Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer said, “The doctrine of police power
• It is here where reasonable restrictions imposed by
constitutionally validates punitive processes for the
state under Article 19(2) come into effect.
maintenance of public order, security of the state,
UNDERLYING CHANGE NOTICEABLE IN INDIA national integrity and the interest of public generally.
• Applying Harm Principle in the present times in India, Even so, having regard to the solemn issue involved,
it can be witnessed that state is slowly trying to enter deprivation of personal freedom, ephemeral or enduring,
into “self-regarding actions.” Examples can be anti- must be founded on the most serious considerations
conversion laws, ban on certain eating habits etc. This
relevant to the welfare objectives of society, specified in
interference may suggest over regulation by state into
the Constitution.” In this backdrop, let us understand
personal or private affairs of a person.
about the aspect of presumption of innocence as a basic
• Supreme Court has observed in Maneka Gandhi v.
cardinal of criminal jurisprudence and also about the
Union of India, “Democracy is based essentially on free
well-known doctrine - “Bail is the Rule and Jail is an
debate and open discussions, for that is the only
exception”.
corrective of government action in a democratic set up. If
democracy means government of the people by the PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE
people, it is obvious that every citizen must be entitled
• Presumption of innocence and the duty of the
to participate in the democratic process and in order
prosecution to prove the guilt of the person accused
to enable him to intelligently exercise his right of
of an offence is the golden thread in criminal law
making a choice, free and general discussion of
jurisprudence.
public matters is absolutely essential.”

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• Every individual charged with a crime has a right to be
presumed innocent until proven guilty.
• The guideline that bail be the general rule and jail an
exception, is the “logical and consistent adaptation of
the principle of presumption of innocence to the pre-trial
stage”.
• The principle is enshrined in Article 11 (1) of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 (UDHR),
Article 6 (2) of the European Convention on Human
Rights (ECHR), Article 48 (1) of the Charter of
Fundamental Rights of The European Union (EU
Charter) and Rule 111 of the United Nations Standard
Minimum Rules for The Treatment of Prisoners also
known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
• Siddharam Satlingappa v. State of Maharashtra -
Supreme Court of India has opined that
presumption of innocence would be effective by
favoring bail.
IDEAL – BAIL IS THE RULE, JAIL IS THE EXCEPTION
• ‘Bail is a rule jail is an exception’ is a legal doctrine that
was approved by the Supreme Court of India in a
landmark judgment of State of Rajasthan vs.
Balchand.
• Recently, Supreme Court while granting bail to an
accused held that that bail should not be granted or
rejected in a mechanical manner as it concerns the
liberty of a person.
• The legal doctrine, in this case, was laid down by
Justice V. Krishna Aiyer, who based it on fundamental
Rights guaranteed by the constitution of India namely
right to life and personal liberty.
• The primary purpose of bail is to ensure the accused
person’s compliance with investigation
subsequent presence at the trial if they are released
after arrest.
• The refusal to grant bail deprives individuals of liberty
by confining them in jails without trial and conviction.
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GRANTING BAIL IS THE DISCRETION OF THE
JUDGE
• According to former Justice H.S. Bedi, law relating to
Bail should not be read in isolation but must be read
with the constitutional goals and mandates.
• Despite these ideals, granting bail has always been at
the discretion of the Judges before whom the case is
presented. It has been witnessed that off late denying
bail has become a routine affair.
th
• 268 Law Commission highlights that present system
of bail is heavily influenced by economic status and
discriminates against the impoverished and the
illiterate. Our judicial system seems to have evolved
two approaches to bail – Bail as a right for the
financially able; and for rest, bail is dependent on the
the judicial discretion.
DENYING BAIL ROUTINELY LEAD TO MANY
PROBLEMS FOR THE ACCUSED
• At present, the power to grant bail is exercised
sparingly by the lower Courts. This results in several
problems such as:
ο It compounds problems for the accused as they are
required to approach the High Court or Supreme
Court against lower Court orders.
ο This results in delay in the case and forces the accused
to remain incarcerated as undertrials for extended
periods of time.
ο Increase case backlogs in the judicial system.
• According to prison statistics, two-thirds of India’s
prison population comprise undertrials from Dalit,
Adivasi and Other Backward Classes communities,
often accused of minor offences.
and
• According to Prison Statistics India 2019 Report
released by NCRB, during the year 2019, 31.6%
convicts were released on bail.
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• The pendency of bail applications has particularly
increased during the pandemic due to:
ο shutting down of Courts and
ο Increasing instances of arrests for minor offences by
the police.
• Despite the Supreme Court’s orders to decongest
prisons, arrests for minor offences has continued
unabated according to a study of pandemic policing in
Madhya Pradesh by the Criminal Justice and Police
Accountability Project (CPA Project).
CPA PROJECT – MADHYA PRADESH
• CPA Project is an intervention focused on the
criminalisation of certain communities by the Police
and the criminal justice system and on decarceration.
• CPA project is a grassroots litigation-research
based intervention based in Bhopal, working with
particular communities across the State of Madhya
Pradesh. These communities include those previously
officially criminalised under colonial laws,
classified as Denotified Tribal (DNT) Communities as
well as other communities that are similarly
persecuted by and stigmatized the criminal justice
system.
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• The objective of the intervention is to hold the
criminal justice system accountable and press for
the transformation of its aspects, including lawyering
practices, Police and administrative practices, and
challenging unjust laws that persecute and stigmatize
members of DNT and other targeted communities.
HOW DOES THE BAIL MECHANISM WORKS?
• Bail commonly means release on one’s own bond,
with or without sureties.
• A surety is a person who comes to court and
promises to a judge to supervise an accused person
while they are out on bail. A surety also pledges or
promises an amount of money to the court by signing
bail bond.
• Every person standing surety to an accused person for
his release on bail shall make a declaration before the
Court as to the number of persons to whom he has
stood surety including the accused, giving therein all
the relevant particulars.
now
• The effect of granting bail is not to set the accused
free, but to release him from custody and to entrust
him to his own bond and to the custody of his sureties
who are bound to produce him to appear at his trial at
a specified time and place in the Court.
37
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• Thus, Bail is security obtained from a person arrested
regarding an offence for the purpose of securing his
presence during the course of a trial.
SOME IMPORTANT TERMS
• Non-Bailable Offence - When a person is accused of
non-bailable offence, then in such case, bail can only
be granted by the Court and not by an officer.
Application for bail has to be made in Court in such
cases of non-bailable offence.
• Cognizable Offence means an offence for which a
police officer may arrest without warrant,
accordance with the First Schedule of CR.PC or under
any other law.
• Non-Cognizable Offence means an offence for
which, and “non-cognizable case” means a case in
which, a police officer has no authority to arrest
without warrant
GROUNDS ON WHICH BAIL CAN BE REJECTED
• When any person accused of any non-bailable
offence is arrested or detained without warrant by an
officer in charge of a police station or is brought
before a Court other than the High Court or Court of
session, he may be released on bail, but
(i) Such person shall not be released, if there appear
reasonable grounds for believing that he has been
guilty of an offence punishable with death or
imprisonment for life.
(ii) Such person shall not be released if such offence is a
cognizable offence and he had been previously
convicted of an offence punishable with
o death, imprisonment for life or
o imprisonment for 7 years or more, or
o previously convicted on two or more occasions of a
cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment for
3 years or more but not less than 7 years.
PROBLEMS IN GETTING BAIL
• It becomes difficult to arrange money for bail bond
especially by the vulnerable and marginalised
sections.
• The system of bail typically requires sureties to furnish
a bond for some property valued at the amount
determined by the concerned judge.
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• The bail amount in subordinate courts, even for petty
offences punishable by less than three years, is a
minimum of Rs. 10,000.
• In cases of bail before the High Courts and the
Supreme Court, this amount usually exceeds Rs.
30,000. But these amounts are rarely followed as law.
• For instance, a 14-year-old minor’s surety for four
cases of theft and house breaking was set at Rs. 2 lakh
by the Sessions Court in Bhopal. This can be said to be
a form of injustice when a majority of citizens are
landless with meager incomes.
in
• Without monetary assets, it becomes difficult for a
sizeable population to arrange the bail amount for
release.
• Therefore, those without assets, even when granted
bail, end up languishing in jails or incur heavy debt
which they have to repay back to ensure their
freedom.
• Further, grant of bail on a personal bond without
sureties i.e., release on one’s own guarantee without
any monetary amounts, although permissible in law, is
rare.
SECURING MONEY FOR BAIL IS A SOCIO-
ECONOMIC PROBLEM
• In the 1978 Supreme Court case of Moti Ram v. State
of Madhya Pradesh, Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer identified
the issue of unreasonably high sureties as a human
rights problem.
• The court then suggested that surety amounts be
determined by considering relevant variables such as
the socio-economic location of the accused person.
• During lockdown, it was observed that bizarre
conditions were imposed on accused as part of bail
bond such as installing a non-Chinese LED TV at the
District Hospital, registration as a “voluntary COVID-19
warrior” and donating money for COVID-19 relief.
CONCLUSION
• Bail indiscretions by judges of lower courts and High
Courts have passed by with little accountability or
oversight by the higher courts.
38
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• Bail conditions can transgress personal liberty and are
often inconsiderate of the socio-economic background
of the accused.
• Courts introspect little about standards of liberty,
reasonableness and proportionality while deciding
bail matters.
• A report by the Centre for Law and Policy Research
recommends the creation of checklists to address
individual discretion while deciding bail applications.
Yet, the reflection of our society’s inherent caste and
class biases in judicial decisions is likely to persist even
with checklists.
MERCY PETITION
#Liberty #President
IN NEWS
Supreme Court has given 14 days extension to the
government to take final decision on mercy petition filed
by Balwant Singh Rajoana. The whole issue is delay in
deciding mercy petition by the President. In this regard, let
us understand about the judicial power granted to the
President.
MERCY PETITION
• If the Supreme Court turns down the appeal against
capital punishment, a condemned prisoner can
submit a mercy petition to the President of India and
the Governor of the State.
• Under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution, the
President and Governors, respectively have the power
“to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of
punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the
sentence of any person convicted of any offence.
• The power to be exercised under Article 72 & 161
respectively by President and Governors need to be
exercised in conformity with the aid and advice of the
Council of Ministers under Articles 74 and 163.
• Clemency powers, while exercisable for a wide range
of considerations and on protean occasions, also
function as the final safeguard against possibility of
judicial error or miscarriage of justice.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• This casts a heavy responsibility on those wielding this
power and necessitates a full application of mind,
scrutiny of judicial records, and wide ranging inquiries
in adjudicating a clemency petition, especially one
from a prisoner under a judicially confirmed death
sentence who is on the very verge of execution.
MEANING OF PARDON, REPRIEVE, RESPITE,
COMMUTATION & REMISSION
• In Pardon, it affects both the punishment prescribed
for the offence and guilt of the offender. A full pardon
may blot out the guilt itself.
• ‘Reprieve’ means a temporary suspension of the
punishment awarded by a court of law.
• 'Respite’ means postponement of the sentence of
punishment.
• Commutation means changing the punishment from
one category to another, such as changing of death
sentence to life imprisonment.
• Remission is the reduction of the amount of a
sentence without changing its character.
IS JUDICIAL REVIEW AVAILABLE ON CLEMENCY
POWERS?
• The Court can interfere if it finds that the decision has
been taken by President without application of mind
or the decision has been taken on extraneous or
irrelevant considerations or due mala fides (decision
taken in bad faith) or if the decision suffers from
arbitrariness.
• In the case of Epuru Sudhakar v. Government of
Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court laid down that
judicial review under Articles 72 and 161 is available
on the following grounds:-
a) That the order has been passed without application of
mind;
b) That the order is mala fide;
c) That the order has been passed on extraneous or
wholly irrelevant considerations;
d) That the order suffers from arbitrariness.
• The Court also emphasized that for effective exercise
of judicial review reasons for the exercise of power
under these articles must also be provided. Besides, it
held that pardon obtained on the basis of manifest
39
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
mistake or fraud can also be rescinded or
cancelled.
• The Court further elaborated that if power under
Article 72 is exercised on irrational, irrelevant,
discriminatory grounds or in bad faith, then in such
cases Court can examine the case and intervene if
necessary.
DOES THE PRESIDENT ENJOY DISCRETION WHILE
GRANTING PARDON?
• Power to pardon vested in the President shall not be
exercised independently without the aid and advice of
Home minister.
• In the case of Maru Ram v. Union of India, Supreme
Court held that under Article 72, the President cannot
take an independent decision or direct release or
refuse release on his own choice.
• This has been done to avoid any decision made on
arbitrary grounds or on some partial grounds of
religion, caste, colour or political loyalty.
SUPREME COURT ON VALIDATING CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT
• Article 21 of the Indian Constitution ensures the
Fundamental Right to life and liberty for all persons. It
adds no person shall be deprived of his life or
personal liberty except according to procedure
established by law.
• This has been legally construed to mean if there is a
procedure, which is fair and valid, then the state by
framing a law can deprive a person of his life. While
the central government has consistently maintained it
would keep the death penalty in the statute books to
act as a deterrent, and for those who are a threat to
society, the Supreme Court too has upheld the
constitutional validity of capital punishment in “rarest
of rare” cases.
• In Jagmohan Singh vs State of Uttar Pradesh (1973), then
in Rajendra Prasad vs State of Uttar Pradesh (1979), and
finally in Bachan Singh vs State of Punjab (1980), the
Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional validity of
the death penalty. SC held that if capital punishment is
provided in the law and the procedure is a fair, just
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
and reasonable one, the death sentence can be
awarded to a convict.
• This will, however, only be in the “rarest of rare”
cases, and the courts should render “special reasons”
while sending a person to the gallows.
EXPLORING TIME LIMIT ON CLEMENCY PETITION
• Recently, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice
SA Bobde said it was keen to explore the possibility of
setting a time limit for the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), the nodal Ministry dealing with clemency
appeals, to give its recommendation to the President.
• Six years after the Supreme Court ruled that
inordinate delay in deciding upon mercy petitions will
result in commutation of death sentence.
• SC has sought the Centre’s reply on a plea seeking
direction to the government to frame specific
procedure, rules and guidelines for timely disposal of
mercy petitions. The Court clarified that this exercise
will be limited to the role played by Government and
not the action of the President in disposing of the
mercy pleas.
• A similar exercise was undertaken by the Supreme
Court in 2014 in the case of Shatrughan Chauhan v
Union of India. It became a landmark case as the Court
released 15 death row convicts after noting
“inordinate delay” in disposal of their mercy petitions.
• Back then, the Court was asked to lay down guidelines
for the timely disposal of mercy petitions filed before
the President under Article 72 and before the
Governor under Article 161, but it refused to do so.
IMPORTANT FACT FOR PRELIMS
• The President has power with respect to pardon in
cases where punishment has been provided through
Court Martial. The Governor does not have any power
with respect to cases under Court Martial.
• Governor cannot pardon death sentence. However,
the governor can suspend, remit or commute a death
sentence. Whereas pardoning power of President
extend even to cases of death penalty.
40
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
ADEQUATE TIME FOR
INVESTIGATION
#Governance #Rights Issues
IN NEWS
Taking a cue from the Andhra Pradesh’s Disha Bill of 2019,
the Maharashtra government recently announced that it
would enact a law to deal sternly with the cases of sexual
assault on women. The proposed Maharashtra Shakti Act
of 2020 will have stern punishment for offences of sexual
assault and a provision to complete investigation within
15 days. Completing an investigation within 15 days even
though reasonable, but may not be sufficient in extreme
cases. Further, filing investigation report is
dependent on different factors some of which may not be
foreseen as every crime is different and facts vary. Thus,
investigation should not be rushed as missing any vital
link may lead to undesirable results and may hamper the
course of justice.
IMPORTANT FEATURE OF PROPOSED
MAHARASHTRA SHAKTI BILLS ON CRIMES
AGAINST WOMEN & CHILDREN
• The Maharashtra government has introduced the
‘Shakti bills’ as a potential landmark legislation to curb
sexual offences against women and children.
• The proposed ‘Shakti law’ involves two bills
1. The Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law (Maharashtra
Amendment) Act, 2020, and
2. The Special Court and Machinery for Implementation
of Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020.
• The draft legislation seeks amendments to the Indian
Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.PC)
and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act to include new offences, increase
punishments and speedier investigations and trials.
• The bill proposes punishments for crimes that were
not specifically covered under the laws for crimes
against women and children earlier. These include
 Threatening women and defaming them on social media.
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 Uploading morphed videos of women or threatening
them with uploading of photos, videos which could
defame, cause disrepute to them or violate their privacy.
 Non-cooperation of social media platforms and public
representatives in such investigations and
 Allowing restrictions to protect the identity of victims in
molestation cases and acid attacks, just like in rape
cases.
 Making false complaints about rape and acid attacks
• Shakti bill also proposes introducing the death
penalty as punishment for rape, acid attacks and
sexual offences against children. It also seeks a
general increase in the quantum of punishment for
crimes against women and children.
• Heinous Crimes - The perpetrators will be punished
with imprisonment for life for not less than 10 years
also
but may extend to the remainder of natural life or
with death in ‘heinous’ cases.
• Cases of Acid Attacks - a sum of Rs 10 lakh will be
given to the victim for plastic surgery and facial
reconstruction and the amount will be collected as
fine from the accused.
• In cases of acid attacks, the penalty levied on the
accused will be made available to the survivor for
medical expenses as well as getting plastic surgery.
• The Shakti bill proposes to add a new section to the
Cr.PC to deal with harassment of women through any
mode of communication. As per the amendment, any
“offensive communication through telephone, email,
social media platforms or through any other electronic or
digital mode that “creates distress, alarm or is
lascivious or lewd in nature” will be punishable under
the Act.
• Special police teams and Separate Courts will be set
up for investigation and trial of cases against women
and children under the new legislation. As many as 36
special courts, each having a special public prosecutor
have been proposed to be set up.
• Investigation - It provides for completing
investigation in a case within 15 days and trial within
30 days. Therefore, there is a stipulated time frame
for completing the investigation and trial.
41
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• In-camera Trial - Some cases will be tried in-camera
for the recording of evidence of victims and witnesses
who are vulnerable.
• The bill also proposes to set up “Women and
Children Offenders Registry” linked to the National
Registry of Sexual Offenders with details of persons
convicted of specified offences of sexual violence
against women and children.
THINGS TO UNDERSTAND
CR.PC ON FILING CHARGESHEET
• The Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC) provides that
investigation relating to offences punishable with
imprisonment up to 10 years must be completed within
60 days and for offences with higher punishment
(including rape), within 90 days of detaining the
accused, else he or she shall be released on bail.
• To speed up the process, the Cr.PC was amended in
2018 and the period of investigation was reduced from
90 to 60 days for all cases of rape.
• Though every investigation has to be completed
without unnecessary delay, every investigation is
guided by its own set of facts and circumstances.
WHAT ASPECTS MUST BE CONSIDERED IN
PROVIDING TIME TO POLICE TO FILE ITS REPORT?
• The time of investigation depends on the severity of
the crime, the number of accused persons and
agencies involved.
• Investigation in a crime includes
 examination of the scene of crime by the investigating
officer (IO) and forensic expert;
 recording the statement of the victim (by the IO and
the judicial magistrate) and witnesses;
 medical examination of the victim (at a place where a
female doctor is available) and accused persons;
 collecting documents relating to age from parents,
local bodies and school (in case of child victim and
delinquents);
 DNA findings of the forensic science lab (FSL);
 test identification parade of accused persons (if
initially not named);
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
 seizing weapons of offence; the arrest of accused
persons; etc.
• In many cases of rape, the victim remains under trauma
for some time and is not able to narrate the incident
in detail.
• The speed and quality of investigation also depends on
whether a police station has separate units of
investigation and law and order, remoteness of
location of crime scene from Forensic Labs or police
stations etc.
• Number of Investigating Officers working in a given
case, availability of women police officers in special
and sensitive cases etc.
CONCLUSION
• Investigation of sensitive offences should be done
expeditiously. However, setting narrow timelines for
investigation creates scope for procedural loopholes
which may be exploited during trial.
• Therefore, instead of fixing unrealistic timelines, the
police should be given additional resources so that
they can deliver efficiently.
S.C. STAYS THREE
CENTRAL FARM LAWS
#Judiciary #Legislation
IN NEWS
In the backdrop of farmers protest against farm laws,
Supreme Court has stayed the three legislations passed by
the centre. So, let us understand about powers of
Supreme Court to stay any legislation passed by the
Parliament.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF JUDICIARY STAYING
LEGISLATION?
• Staying legislation by judiciary means suspending the
operation of a law passed by the Parliament.
• Under the broad framework of judicial review under
the Constitution, the Supreme Court and High Courts
have the power to declare any law unconstitutional,
42
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance

SPICE+ LAUNCHED BY
either because it is ultra vires i.e. contrary to any
provision of the Constitution or it violates any of the
fundamental rights, or invalid because it is repugnant
to a central law on the same subject or has been
MCA
enacted without legislative jurisdiction.
#Corporate Governance #Reform
• However, interim orders staying or suspending laws
enacted by the legislature are frowned upon by
constitutional courts and legal scholars. IN NEWS
• The general argument is that unless there are As part of Government of India’s Ease of Doing Business
compelling reasons such as flagrant lack of
(EODB) initiatives, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has
constitutional validity, or absence of legislative
notified a new Web Form christened ‘SPICe+’ replacing the
competence (that is, the legislative body concerned
existing SPICe form.
lacks the jurisdiction to enact the law in question), a
law should not to be stayed. ABOUT SPICE+
WHY IS IT CONSIDERED UNUSUAL FOR A COURT • SPICe+ would offer 10 services by 3 Central Govt.
TO SUSPEND A LAW OR ITS OPERATION? Ministries & Departments (Ministry of Corporate
• The main principle is that suspending a law made by Affairs, Ministry of Labour & Department of Revenue
the legislature goes against the concept of separation in the Ministry of Finance) and One State Government
of powers. Courts are expected to defer to the
(Maharashtra), thereby saving as many procedures,
legislature’s wisdom at the threshold of a legal
time and cost for Starting a Business in India and
challenge to the validity of a law.
would be applicable for all new company
• The validity of a law ought to be considered normally
incorporations.
only at the time of final adjudication, and not at the
initial stage. • SPICe+ Web form is a post-login service and existing
registered users would need to login into their
• The second principle is that there is a presumption
that every law enacted by any legislature is account using their credentials. New users are
constitutional and valid. The onus is on those required to create a login account first before using
challenging it to prove that it is not. the service.
• Therefore, Courts are circumspect when hearing • SPICe+ would have two parts:
petitions seeking suspension of a law pending a
1. Part A - for Name reservation for new companies.
detailed adjudication.

Article 142: Enforcement of decrees and orders of 2. Part B offering a bouquet of services

Supreme Court and orders as to discovery, etc. - The (i) Incorporation (ii) DIN allotment (iii) Mandatory
Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass issue of PAN (iv) Mandatory issue of TAN (v)
such decree or make such order as is necessary for
Mandatory issue of EPFO registration (vi) Mandatory
doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending
issue of ESIC registration (vii) Mandatory issue of
before it, and any decree so passed or order so made shall
Profession Tax registration(Maharashtra) (viii)
be enforceable throughout the territory of India in such
manner as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Mandatory Opening of Bank Account for the

Parliament and, until provision in that behalf is so made, in Company and (ix) Allotment of GSTIN (if so applied
such manner as the President may by order prescribe. for)

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 43

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance

INDIA INNOVATION
INDEX 2020
#Governance #Innovation Index
IN NEWS
NITI Aayog, along with the Institute for Competitiveness
has released the second edition of the India Innovation
Index 2020. The report examines the innovation
capabilities and performance of the states and union
territories. The first edition of the index was launched in
October 2019. Karanatka has bagged top position in 2019
and 2020.
PURPOSE OF INDIA INNOVATION INDEX
• Innovation is the creation, development and
implementation of a new product, process or service,
with the aim of improving efficiency, effectiveness or
competitive advantage.
• Based on this understanding, the 2020 edition of the
Index builds on previous year’s methodology by
introducing more metrics to provide a more holistic
outlook of the Indian economy. The framework is
updated to include globally considered parameters for
measuring innovation, such as the percentage of GDP
spent on research and development, while keeping
them specific to the Indian economy.
• Through this index, the goal is to identify the strengths
and weaknesses of the Indian innovation landscape
that could provide an impetus to different
stakeholders to encapsulate these insights into
decision-making.
INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM
• Innovation is not only a process limited to particular
firms or industry, but is rather a multi-sectoral process
involving various actors, institutions and organizations
from the realm of the state, market and society. This
large framework, dubbed as an “innovation
ecosystem”, works with the larger goal of driving and
enabling an environment that is conducive for
innovation and technological advancement.
• The innovation ecosystem runs on both material
capital, such as funds, equipment, facilities, as well as
human capital, which makes up the various
institutional actors and entities participating in the
ecosystem.
• Interestingly, the innovation ecosystem is run by two
parallel economies, commercial economy and the
research economy. While fundamental research is the
key driver of research economy, commercial economy
is primarily driven by the marketplace.
• This changes the manner in which innovation is
understood, pursued and even incentivized by
different actors in the innovation ecosystem. While a
firm pursues innovation to expand its market
presence, the state has to imbibe innovation with the
larger goals of economic growth and development in
mind, and invest accordingly.
OBJECTIVE OF INDIA INNOVATION INDEX
• The objective of the India Innovation Index is to
scrutinize the innovation capacities and performance
of Indian states. The index provides an extensive
framework for the constant evaluation of the
innovation ecosystem of the 28 Indian states and 9
Union Territories. The index intends to accomplish the
following three functions:
 Rank all states and union territories based on their
index score;
 Identify opportunities and challenges;
 Assist in modifying governmental policies to foster
innovation.
• The framework has been shaped post discussions
with experts in the domain of index creation and
innovation. The consensus was to include input and
output as the main dimensions for the index. Further,
five inputs and two output pillars were created
consisting of indicators that enable and epitomize
innovation in India.

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 44

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
Five Enablers pillars capture elements of the state
economy that act as inputs for the innovation
environment.
Safety and Legal Business
Environment Environment
• Information Technology/ • Ease of doing
Intellectual Property related business ranking
acts • Online services
• Cybercrime police stations transactions
• Pendency of court cases • Internet subscribers
• Incubator centres
Two Performance pillars depict the performance • Common facility
centres
Importance of Inputs & Outputs: There is a difference
between the inputs and outputs while gauging • Cluster Strength
innovation in an economy. Inputs are variables that
enable an economy to stimulate innovation while
outputs are the outcomes of innovative activities within
the economy. The India Innovation Index considers both
Enablers (inputs) and Performance (outputs) as they are Knowledge Workers
intricately related, and one drives the other. • Knowledge-intensive employment
State’s Categorisation: States have been categorised as: • NGOs involved in knowledge intensive areas

1. Major States – 18 States • Private R&D units

2. North East & Hill States – 10 States • State funded R&D units

3. UT & City States – 9 UT & City

PERFORMANCE
ENABLERS

Knowledge Output Knowledge Diffusion

Human Capital Investment
• Grassroot innovations • CT exports
• Enrolment in PhD. • Expenditure on
• Patent applications filed • High and medium hi-
• Enrolment in engineering higher and technical
• Trademark applications tech manufacturing
and technology education
filed entities
• Colleges connected through • Expenditure on
• Presence of start-ups • Geographical Indications
NMEICT research and
(GI)registered
development (state • Industrial design
• Higher education institutions
government) appkabons filed • Citations
with NAAC grade A and above
• Expenditure on • New businesses
• Pupil teacher ratio – Higher
science, technology registered
education
and environment • Publications
• Schools with ICT labs
• FDI inflow
• National Achievement
Survey (NAS) Scores (Class X) • Venture capital deals

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 45

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
SCORES • The NE and Hill states achieve an average innovation
score of 17.89, with Himachal Pradesh as the best
• Indian states have achieved an average score of 23.4
performer with a score of 25, followed by Manipur
in the Innovation Index that ranges from a scale of 0
(22.77) and Sikkim (22.28), respectively.
(worst-case scenario) to 100 (best-case scenario). The
score shows that India has immense scope for • The innovation score of UT and City States
improvement in the space of innovation, but it needs averages at 26.01. Delhi, the best performer among all
to be put into perspective by analysing the factors groups, naturally tops the ranking in the group of
making up the score. union territories as well. Chandigarh follows second
with a score of 38.57, whereas Lakshadweep and
• The Innovation score of 23.4 is an aggregation of the
Jammu and Kashmir occupy the last two positions in
Enablers score of 29 and the Performance score of
the group respectively.
17.9.
Innovation:
• A score of 29 on the Enablers dimension shows the
level of India’s innovation capabilities, which are Rank Major States Score
measured by the five pillars of Human Capital, 1. KARNATAKA 42.50
Investment, Knowledge Workers, Business Environment, 2. MAHARASHTRA 38.03
and Safety and Legal Environment. 3. TAMIL NADU 37.91
• Delving deeper shows that the country’s innovative 4. TELANGANA 3323
capabilities are mostly carried by its Safety and Legal 5. KERALA 30.58
Environment (60.3) and Human Capital (score of 42.3), 6. HARYANA 25.81
while Investment scores the lowest at 10.9. 7. ANDHRA PRADESH 24.19
STATE LEVEL ANALYSIS – MAJOR STATES – NE & 8. GUJARAT 23.63
HILL STATES – UT & CITY STATES 9. UTTAR PRADESH 22.85
• The Indian states display a wide range of scores on 10. PUNJAB 22.54
the index. Delhi scores the highest at 46.6 while 11. WEST BENGAL 21.69
Lakshadweep finishes last with a score of 11.7, leading 12. RAJASTHAN 20.83
to a score range of 34.89. 13. MADHYA PRADESH 20.82
• To ensure a fair comparison, states have been 14. ODISHA 18.94
categorised under three segments, viz. NE and Hill 15. JHARKHAND 17.12
States, UT and City States, and Major States. 16. CHHATTISGARH 15.77
• The first two categories are segregated from the rest 17. BIHAR 14.48
of the Indian states (or Major States) due to their
geographical categories, varied sizes and
RANK NE AND HILL STATES SCORE
administrative capabilities.

• Amongst the Major States, the average innovation 1. HIMACHAL PRADESH 25.06
score is 25.35. Karnataka tops at 42.5, which is 2. UTTARAKHAND 23.50
attributable to its strong number of venture capital
3. MANIPUR 2278
deals, registered GIs and ICT exports. Karnataka’s high
FDI inflow has also enhanced the innovation 4. SIKKIM 2028
capabilities of the state. Maharashtra follows second 5. MIZORAM 16.93
at 38, while Bihar finishes last at 14.5.
6. ASSAM 16.38
• The case for the southern states as the top
performers has also become stronger as four of them 7. ARUNACHAL PRADESH 14.90
occupy the top-five spots within the Major States.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
8. NAGALAND 14.11 • Another petition was filed by Andhra Government in
Supreme Court challenging Andhra High Court
9. TRIPURA 12.84
Judgment. Even the Supreme Court has ruled in
10. MEGHALAYA 12.15 favour of conducting elections. Supreme Court said
that courts cannot interfere in the job of the Election
Commission after a notification had been issued.
RANK UT AND CITY STATES SCORE
• In the wake of the judgment of the high court, Kumar
1. DELHI 46.60 had issued the notification for the four-phase
2. CHANDIGARH 38.57 elections to village panchayats.

3. DAMAN fit DIU 26.76 STATE ELECTION COMMISSION (SEC)

4. PUDUCHERRY 25.23 • SEC has been constituted under Article 243K and
Article 243ZA of the Constitution of India and has
5. GOA 24.92
been entrusted with the function of conducting free,
6. DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 22.74 fair and impartial elections to the local bodies in the
state.
7. ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 18.89
• Article 243K & 243ZA provide that the
8. JAMMU& KASHMIR 18.62
superintendence, direction and control of the
9. LAKSHADWEEP 11.71 preparation of electoral rolls for, and the Conduct of
all elections to the Panchayats and Municipalities shall
vest in the State Election Commission consisting of the
SEC NOTIFIES LOCAL State Election Commissioner.

ELECTIONS IN ANDHRA
• The State Election Commissioner has the status, salary
and allowance of a Judge of a High Court and cannot
be removed from office except in like manner and on
#Elections #Local Bodies the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court.

• State Election Commissioner also participates in the

IN NEWS
The State Election Commission (SEC) has opted to hold
panchayat elections in Andhra Pradesh after “weighing
the pros and cons”. The Commission has decided to
conduct the polls, wherever necessary, for local bodies in
four phases in February. SEC said that elections are
notified in accordance with the decision of Division Bench
of Andhra High Court. In this backdrop, let us learn about
State Election Commissioner and salient features of
rd th
Constitution 73 and 74 Amendment.
DECISION OF ANDHRA HIGH COURT FAVOURED
BY SC
• The division bench of Andhra High Court dismissed
the petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh government
and has ordered the State Election Commission to
conduct local elections.
delimitation exercise conducted for their respective
area.
ARTICLE 243K - ELECTIONS TO THE PANCHAYATS
(1) The superintendence, direction and control of the
preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all
elections to the Panchayats shall be vested in a State
Election Commission consisting of a State Election
Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor.
(2) Subject to the provisions of any law made by the
Legislature of a State, the conditions of service and
tenure of office of the State Election Commissioner shall
be such as the Governor may by rule determine:
Provided that the State Election Commissioner shall not
be removed from his office except in like manner and on
the like grounds as a Judge of a High Court and the
conditions of service of the State Election Commissioner
shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 47

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
appointment. IXA titled “The Municipalities” (added by
74th Amendment).
Article 243ZA - Elections to the Municipalities
• Basic units of Democratic System-Gram Sabhas
(1) The superintendence, direction and control of the
preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all (villages) and Ward Committees (Municipalities)
comprising all the adult members registered as voters.
elections to the Municipalities shall be vested in the State
Election Commission referred to in Article 243K. • Three-tier system of panchayats at village,
intermediate block/taluk/mandal and district levels
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the
Legislature of a State may, by law, make provision with except where the population is below 20 lakhs
(Article 243B).
respect to all matters relating to, or in connection with,
elections to the Municipalities. • Seats at all levels to be filled by direct elections from
territorial constituencies in the Panchayat area -
• Article 243K ensures independence of State
Article 243C (2).
Election Commissioner
• Seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and
o Removal Procedure: Though the SEC is appointed by
Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the chairpersons of the
the Governor of the respective state, he/she can be
Panchayats at all levels also shall be reserved for SCs
removed by the President only in the manner a Judge
and STs in proportion to their population.
of a High court is removed which is constitutionally
• Seats shall be reserved for SC and ST, out of which
prescribed under Article 217(1)(b). rd
1/3 seat shall be reserved for women. (Article 243D)
o Conditions of service cannot be varied: Though the
• The offices of the Chairpersons in the Panchayats at
conditions of service are determined by the Governor
the village or any other level shall be reserved for the
with aid and advice of political executive, it cannot be
Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and women.
varied or changed arbitrarily by the state to the
(Article 243D(4))
disadvantage of state election commissioner after his
appointment. • Uniform five-year term and elections to constitute
new bodies to be completed before the expiry of the
Removal of Judge of High Court & Supreme Court term.
Article 217(1)(b) - A Judge may be removed from his
• In the event of dissolution, elections compulsorily
office by the President in the manner provided in clause
within six months (Article 243E).
(4) of article 124 for the removal of a Judge of the
• Independent Election Commission in each State for
Supreme Court.
superintendence, direction and control of the electoral
Article 124(4) - A Judge of the Supreme Court shall not
rolls (Article 243K).
be removed from his office except by an order of the
• Panchayats to prepare plans for economic
President passed after an address by each House of
development and social justice in respect of
Parliament supported by a majority of the total
subjects as devolved by law to the various levels of
membership of that House and by a majority of not less
Panchayats including the subjects as illustrated in
than two-thirds of the members of that House present
Eleventh Schedule (Article 243G).
and voting has been presented to the President in the
same session for such removal on the ground of proved • 74th Amendment provides for a District Planning
misbehaviour or incapacity. Committee to consolidate the plans prepared by
Panchayats and Municipalities (Article 243ZD).
SALIENT FEATURES OF THE CONSTITUTION
RD TH
• Budgetary allocation from State Governments, share
73 AND 74 AMENDMENTS
of revenue of certain taxes, collection and retention of
• These amendments added two new parts to the the revenue it raises, Central Government
Constitution, namely, added Part IX titled “The programmes and grants, Union Finance Commission
Panchayats” (added by 73rd Amendment) and Part grants (Article 243H).

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 48

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• Establish a Finance Commission in each State to • The Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution places as
determine the principles on the basis of which many as 29 functions within the purview of the
adequate financial resources would be ensured for Panchayati Raj bodies.
panchayats and municipalities (Article 243I).

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. National Voters Day is celebrated on the
occasion of Q4. Fundamental “Right to Freedom” does not
(a) First General Election Conducted in India include which of the following?
th
(b) India becoming a Republic on 26 January, 1950 (a) Right to life and personal liberty
(c) Foundation of Election Commission in 1950 (b) Protection against arrest and detention
(d) Election of First President of India (c) Right to Education
(d) Equality before law
Q2. Part IX & IX A of the Indian Constitution Q5. Consider the following statements:
relates to 1. ERO-NET is a Centralized Software for Electoral
(a) Panchayat and Municipalities Roll Management and Form Processing.
(b) Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties 2. AFRS will be integrated with centrally maintained
(c) Centre and States databases such as the Crime and Criminal

(d) None of the Above Tracking Network and Systems, Inter-operable

Criminal Justice System and National Automated
Fingerprint Identification System.
Q3. Elections for local bodies is/are announced by
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1. Election Commission (Article 326)
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
2. State Election Commission
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Descriptive Questions
Q1. What are the functions of Election Commission and State Election Commission? How does fair election enhance
credibility of Indian democracy? (250 Words)

Q2. Highlight important areas of intervention for strengthening parliamentary democracy in India. (150 Words)

Answers: 1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d, 5-c

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 49

 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)

Lead Article
STRATEGIC AND
• According to a report published by Council on Energy,
Environment and Water (CEEW), 12 critical minerals

CRITICAL MINERALS could play an important role in the success of ‘Make in

India’ programme.
#Government Policies • These critical minerals such as Beryllium, Rhenium,
Rare Earths, Germanium, Lithium, Cobalt, Tantalum,

IN NEWS Chromium, Strontium etc. find specialized use in a

The Strategic and critical minerals play a very important range of industries and modern applications, such as

role in promoting development and ensuring security of a Electric Vehicles, aerospace, defence, laptops, medical

country. The shortage of strategic minerals in India is a imaging, nuclear energy and smartphones.

serious concern. • These critical minerals would play a role in nurturing

In this regard, 3 recent developments have taken place in the domestic manufacturing capacity to support the

the field of Strategic and critical minerals. government’s low-carbon plans, such as the 100GW
(giga watt) solar target, faster adoption and
Firstly, recently, KABIL signed an agreement with an
manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles and the
Argentine firm for the joint prospecting and exploration of
national domestic efficient lighting programme.
Lithium in Argentina.
PRESENT STATUS OF CRITICAL MINERALS IN
Secondly, preliminary surveys by Atomic Minerals
INDIA
directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) has shown
presence of 1,600 tonnes of lithium in Mandya District of • India is totally import-dependent for seven out of 12
Karnataka. identified minerals and does not have any declared
resources for them, except light rare earth (found
Thirdly, Geological Survey of India has recently found
along with monazite sands) and beryllium
reserves of Vanadium in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Presently, India is heavily dependent upon the imports
IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL
of these minerals from countries such as China. China
MINERALS FOR INDIA
is currently a leading global supplier for 6 out of the
• The strategic minerals include all mineral raw 12 mineral resources identified as critical for India by
materials which are required for industrial sufficiency 2030.
and preparedness for defence besides their
indispensable use in combat ammunitions.

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 Economic Development

CHALLENGES IN ENSURING MINERAL SECURITY FOR INDIA

• Low Resource Base in India: Almost 100% strategic minerals such as gallium, germanium,
dependency for rhenium, germanium, strontium, and indium, selenium, tellurium, etc., in ore deposits are
rare earth. Moreover, the concentrations of some too low.

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 51

 Economic Development

• Inequal Distribution of Resources: More than 50% mining and processing of strategic minerals overseas for
of World's production is contributed by only 4-5 commercial use and help us in meeting country’s
countries such as China, Democratic Republic of the requirement of these minerals.
Congo, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile etc. Lithium triangle
• Increased Demand for Strategic Minerals: Strategic
minerals are crucial in the production of a range of
high-tech and clean energy technologies. For example,
India's push for Electric Mobility is critically dependent
upon availability of Lithium and Cobalt.

• Geopolitical/ Geo-Economic Constraints: The

concentration of Strategic minerals in specific
countries such as China could lead to supply side
disruption. For example, 97% of the rare earth
supplies are controlled by China globally. In the recent
past, it has decided to put export restrictions on rare
earth minerals.

• Enhanced Competition over Strategic Minerals could

lead to exponential increase in their prices.

STRATEGIES TO ENSURE MINERAL SECURITY IN

INDIA • Latin America’s famous lithium triangle that
• Focus on Advanced Exploration and mining methods encompasses lithium deposits in northwest Argentina,
to explore and mine strategic minerals. For example, northern Chile and southwest Bolivia holds about 80%
advanced beneficiation techniques of removing of the explored lithium of the world.
impurities can enable India to extract strategic • Lithium is used in rechargeable batteries that are used
minerals from low-grade ores. in Electric vehicles, laptops, mobile phones etc.
• Focus on recycling of waste and scrap to extract Argentina is the third largest producer of Lithium
strategic minerals, which then can be reused. across the world and hence signing of an agreement
between KABIL and Argentine firm is in the right
• Focus on R&D to develop new materials which can
direction.
substitute strategic minerals.

• Obtain a secure supply of strategic minerals from the
friendly nations.
• Bilateral agreements with other countries to acquire
overseas mines.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
1. Signing of Agreement between KABIL and
Argentine Firm
Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL)
Three PSUs- National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO),
Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL) and Mineral Exploration
Company Ltd. (MECL) have come together in 2019 to set
up joint venture company KABIL. The KABIL would carry
out identification, acquisition, exploration, development,
2. Lithium Deposits in Karnataka
The Preliminary surveys by the Atomic Minerals
Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), an arm
of the Department of Atomic Energy, have shown the
presence of 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources in the
igneous rocks of the Marlagalla-Allapatna region of
Karnataka’s Mandya district. However, the lithium
discovery in Mandya is limited compared to other
countries. For instance, lithium deposit in Chile is 8.6
million tonnes, 2.8 million tonnes in Australia, 1.7 million
tonnes in Argentina and 60,000 tonnes in Portugal.
Other potential sites:
• Major mica belts in Rajasthan, Bihar, and Andhra
Pradesh.

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 Economic Development
• Pegmatite (igneous rocks) belts in Odisha and
Chhattisgarh.
• Brines of Sambhar and Pachpadra in Rajasthan,
and Rann of Kachchh in Gujarat.
3. Vanadium Deposits in Arunachal Pradesh
About Vanadium: Vanadium is a rare element even
though its concentration in earth's crust is more than
those of some common metals. It occurs in association
with titaniferous magnetite and recovered as a by-
product during iron and steel manufacture. Vanadium is
also concentrated in many end products of organic
material including coal and oil. It is basically used in
strengthening steel and titanium.
Vanadium Reserves in India: According to the Indian
Bureau of Mines (2018 database), the total estimated
Agriculture Sector
INCLUSIVE
AGRICULTURAL CREDIT
#Agriculture
IN NEWS
The Agricultural Credit plays an important role in enabling
the poor farmers to meet their investment needs and thus
boost overall income levels. In the last 10 years, the
agricultural credit has consistently registered an annual
growth rate of around 20%.
Unfortunately, while the volume of credit has improved
over the decades, its quality and impact on agriculture
has only deteriorated. Agricultural credit has become less
efficient in delivering agricultural growth.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
reserves of vanadium ore is 24.63 million tonnes. Out of
these, Karnataka (79%) has highest reserves followed
by Odisha (19%) and Maharashtra (2%).
New Deposits in Arunachal Pradesh: Concentrations of
vanadium have been found in
the Paleoproterozoic (era) carbonaceous phyllite rocks in
the Depo and Tamang areas of Papum Pare district in
Arunachal Pradesh.
Significance: India is a significant consumer of vanadium
accounting for 4% of the global production in 2017.
China is the largest producer of Vanadium in the world
followed by Russia and South Africa. India was so far
dependent upon import of Vanadium from other
countries and hence the recent discovery would provide
fillip to India's mineral security.
UPSC Mains 2014
“In the villages itself no form of credit organization
will be suitable except the cooperative society.” – All
Indian rural credit survey. Discuss this statement in
the background of agriculture finance in India. What
constrains and challenges do financial institutions
supplying agricultural finances face? How can
technology be used to better reach and serve rural
clients?
Importance of Agricultural Credit: Meet the Credit
needs of poor marginal farmers; Prevents Debt Trap;
Improves access to agricultural inputs; Enhances
Investment in agriculture; Enhances productivity through
adoption of new technologies/ mechanisation etc;
Roughly every 1 per cent increase in agricultural credit
produces 0.3 per cent increase in agricultural GDP.
53
 Economic Development
Present Status: Percentage of farmer households
indebted: 52%; Average loan amount: Rs 47,000; Share of
Institutional Credit: 60%.
PROBLEMS IN AGRICULTURAL CREDIT:
• Lower Share of Long-term Credit: Long term
Investment loans (35%) and Short-term crop loans
(65%). While crop loans meet the seasonal production
credit demand of the farmer, investment loans
contribute to capital formation in agriculture and
sustain production in the long run. The higher share
of crop loans is on account of two reasons- (a) interest
subvention available only on short term crop loans (b)
Inability of farmers to provide collateral for long term
high value investment loans.
• Share of Small and Marginal Farmers: only 60% of
the loans due to poor land records and fragmented
land holdings.
• Regional imbalances: Higher share of southern
region; Poor penetration of agricultural credit in
eastern and North-Eastern India.
• Rising NPAs of the Banks: Low Credit creation
• Coercive action for repayment leading to increase in
farmer suicide cases.
• Problems with the Priority sector lending: The
Banks are required to provide at least 40% of their
loans to the sectors categorized as Priority Sectors.
Out of which, 18% has to be provided to Agriculture
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
sector (10% has to be earmarked for the Small and
Marginal Farmers). The RBI's definition of what
constitutes lending to Agriculture sector as priority
sector is quite loose and broad-based. For example,
even the loans given to small sized food-processing
Industries in the Urban areas is treated as Priority
sector lending. This in turn has led to higher share of
agricultural loans in urban areas. Apart from that,
most of the loans are concentrated in the months of
Jan-March, which clearly highlights the "March Rush"
of the Banks to fulfill the targets.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF DALWAI PANEL TO
IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL CREDIT
• Set up Credit Guarantee fund trust on the lines of
fund set up for MSMEs. This fund should guarantee
repayment of the loans taken by farmers for long
term Investment loans.
• Strict adherence to PSL guidelines: Out of 18% loans
earmarked for agriculture, 10% of the loans should
be given to small and marginal farmers according to
RBI. A sub-limit for loans to tenant and landless
farmers needs to be introduced.
• Digitization of land records to make it easier for
farmers to access institutional credit.
• Saturation drives for KCC Scheme.
• Mobilization of farmers into FPOs.
• Special focus on unbanked regions to correct regional
disparity.
• Improve the management of Cooperative banks.
• Regional imbalances - Special focus on eastern,
central, hilly and north eastern states needed.
5 YEARS OF PMFBY
#Agriculture
IN NEWS
The Government had launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana (PMFBY), 5 years ago in January 2016. The
scheme aims to provide a comprehensive risk solution
across the country for farmers. In this regard, let us have
a look at the performance of the scheme over the last 5
54
 Economic Development
years, particularly in terms of its benefits and underlying
challenges.
Prelims 2016
With reference to ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’,
consider the following statements:
1. Under this scheme, farmers will have to pay a
uniform premium of two percent for any crop they
cultivate in any season of the year.
2. This scheme covers post-harvest losses arising out
of cyclones and unseasonal rains.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Mains 2016
Given the vulnerability of Indian agriculture to
vagaries of nature, discuss the need for crop insurance
and bring out the salient features of the Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
DETAILS ABOUT PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA
YOJANA (PMFBY)
• What it does? It provides insurance coverage to the
farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified
crop as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.
• Coverage of Risks- Prevented Sowing/Planting, Yield
losses due to non-preventable risks, such as Drought,
Dry spell, Flood, Inundation, widespread Pests and
Disease attack, Post-harvest losses, localised
calamities etc.
• Note: States may consider providing add-on coverage
for crop loss due to attack by wild animals.
• Risks not covered: Losses arising out of war and
nuclear risks, malicious damage and other
preventable risks shall be excluded.
• Premium: The Premium to be paid by Farmers: Kharif
Crops: 2%, Rabi Crops: 1.5%, Commercial and
Horticultural Crops: 5%. The balance premium is paid
equally by Centre and States.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• Coverage: Loanee farmers, non-loanee farmers,
sharecroppers and tenant farmers (those who farm
on rented land).
Performance of Scheme over the last 5 years: The
Scheme covers over 5.5 crore farmer applications year
on year. Till date, claims worth Rs 90,000 crores have
already been paid out. Some notable examples include
prevented sowing claims in Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka, localized calamity claims in Haryana during
2018 hailstorm, claims in Rajasthan during locust attack,
and claims in Maharashtra during 2019 unseasonal
rainfall.
IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES IN PMFBY
• Negligible coverage of sharecropper and tenant
farmers due to lack of legal recognition of Land
leasing.
• Mixed cropping and crop diversification
discouraged: A limited number of crops are notified
by states under PMFBY. Only these crops can avail of
insurance.
• Poor awareness about PMFBY: Only 30% of the
farmers are aware about PMFBY and its benefits.
• Inadequate and delayed claim payment to
farmers: Only 5-10% of the claims made for crop
losses have been paid on time; Many insurance
companies cited delay in receiving the state and
Central government subsidies as the main reason for
delay in reimbursing claims.
• Very high actuarial premium rates: Insurance
companies have charged much higher actuarial
premium rates in some states and regions.
• Loopholes in assessment of crop loss: PMFBY
encourages the use of satellite, remote sensing
technology and drones to improve the speed and
reliability of the Cost Cutting Experiments (CCEs); most
of the states have been unable to carry out the crop
cutting experiments in a reliable and fool proof
manner.
RECENT CHANGES INTRODUCED IN MARCH 2020
• Limit on the Centre's Premium: The Centre would
contribute its share of the premium amount, provided
the premium is up to 30% for unirrigated areas/crops
and 25% for irrigated areas/crops. If the premium is
above the threshold, then the centre would not
provide the additional premium amount. So, in that
55
 Economic Development

case, the additional premium amount would be borne

by the respective state government.
• Voluntary enrolment of farmers: Earlier, the
scheme was mandatory for the loanee farmers and
optional for non-loanee farmers. The recent changes
have made the enrolment under the scheme
voluntary even for the loanee farmers.
• Higher share of centre's contribution in North-
Eastern States to 90:10 (earlier 50:50)
• Timely payment of Insurance premium by States:
States would not to be allowed to implement the
scheme in subsequent seasons in case of
considerable delay in payment of premium in
previous season.
UPSC Prelims 2020
In India, which of the following can be considered as
public investment in agriculture?
1. Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural
produce of all crops
2. Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit
Societies
3. Social Capital development
4. Free electricity supply to farmers
5. Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system
6. Setting up of cold storage facilities by the
governments

IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW CHANGES Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Higher Subsidy burden on the States due to limit on (a) 1, 2 and 5 only
capping on premium contribution by Centre.
(b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only
Increase in the insurance premium: The move to done
(c) 2, 3 and 6 only
away with the compulsory enrolment of loanee farmers
would lead to decrease in the area as well as the number (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
of farmers covered under the scheme. This is expected UPSC Mains 2013
to lead to increase in the insurance premium under the
What are the different types of agriculture subsidies
scheme.
given to farmers at the national and state levels?
Critically analyze the agriculture subsidy regime with

INDIAN AGRICULTURE: the reference to the distortions created by it.

GROSS CAPITAL FORMATION IN INDIAN

SUBSIDIES Vs PUBLIC AGRICULTURE

INVESTMENT Public Investment in agriculture refers to long term

investment in agriculture that benefits all farmers
#Agriculture (inclusive), environmentally sustainable, address the
structural problems of agriculture and enhances income
of farmers. Examples include expansion of irrigation,

IN NEWS investment in marketing infrastructure, Cold chain

infrastructure, R&D for improved Seed varieties,
The recent protests over the farm acts have reignited the
technologies etc., Financial support to SHGs, Promotion
debate about agricultural subsidies provided to farmers.
of mechanization etc.
We must understand that the structural problems faced
by Indian agriculture can be solved only by enhancing GCF of
GCF of GVA of
agriculture &
Public Investment. Rather than enhancing Public agriculture agriculture
allied sector
Investment, the Government has focussed more on Year & allied & allied
as percentage
providing agricultural subsidies. This has adversely sector (Rs. sector (Rs.
of GVA (in
affected the Indian agriculture leading to lower price in Crore) in Crore)
percentage)
realisation for the farmers. 2012-13 2,51,094 15,24,288 16.5
2013-14 2,84,424 16,09,198 17.7

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 56

 Economic Development

2014-15 2,72,663 16,05,715 17.0 waivers etc. is as high as 8.2% of Agri-GDP. However,
2015-16* 2,37,648 16,16,146 14.7 government's investment in agriculture is hardly
2016-17# 2,67,836 17,17,467 15.6 around 2.2% of Agri-GDP.

2017-18@ 2,73,755 18,03,039 15.2 • These subsidies are not inclusive (Mainly benefit rich
farmers), not environmentally sustainable (Excessive
IMPORTANT OBSERVATIONS:
water consumption, imbalanced fertilizer
• The GCF in agriculture and allied sectors relative to consumption, soil degradation etc.), create distortions
GVA in this sector has been showing a fluctuating (Free power- Huge loss to DISCOMs; MSP- artificial
trend from 16.5 per cent in 2012-13 to 15 per cent in scarcity of food grains, higher focus on cultivation of
2017-18 water-intensive crops, lack of diversification etc.) and
• The GCF as percent of agricultural GDP (15.2%) is do not address the structural problems of Indian
much lower than the GCF of Indian Economy (around agriculture.
30% of India's GDP). What should be done?
• Further, out of total GCF of 15.2%, the private sector Rationalize the Agricultural subsidies; Targeting of
alone accounts for 13% and public sector accounts for subsidies through DBT; Money saved through the
remaining 2.2%. rationalization of subsidies should be diverted through
CHALLENGES IN PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN INDIAN enhancing Public Investment in Indian Agriculture.
AGRICULTURE
• The Government expenditure on agricultural
subsidies such as MSP, water, power, fertilizers, loan

Banking and finance

RBI'S FINANCIAL
• Sub-Standard Assets: > 90 days and less than 1 year.
• Doubtful Assets: greater than 1 year.

STABILITY REPORT • Lost Assets: loss has been identified by the bank or
RBI, but the amount has not been written off wholly.
#Finance SPECIAL MENTION ACCOUNTS (SMA)
Special Mention Account (SMA) Category has been
introduced by the RBI in order to identify the incipient
IN NEWS
stress in the assets of the banks and NBFCs. These are
The RBI has recently released Financial Stability Report
the accounts that have not-yet turned NPAs (default on
(FSR). This report discusses some of the recent
the loan for more than 90 days), but rather these
developments that have an impact on the financial
accounts can potentially become NPAs in future if no
stability of India.
suitable action is action.

BASIC TERMS TO UNDERSTAND • SMA-0: Principal or interest payment not overdue for
more than 30 days but account showing signs of
NON-PERFORMING ASSET (NPA) incipient stress.
A loan is categorized as NPA if it is due for a period of
• SMA-1: Principal or interest payment overdue
more than 90 days. Depending upon the due period, the between 31-60 days.
NPAs are categorized as under:

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 57

 Economic Development
• SMA-2: Principal or interest payment overdue
between 61-90 days.
Note: If the Principal or interest payment is overdue for
more than 90 days, then the loan is categorized as NPA.
PROVISIONING COVERAGE RATIO (PCR)
Under the RBI's provisioning norms, the banks are
required to set aside certain percentage of their profits in
order to cover risk arising from NPAs. It is referred to as
"Provisioning Coverage ratio" (PCR). It is defined in terms
of percentage of loan amount and depends upon the
asset quality. As the asset quality deteriorates, the PCR
increases. The PCR for different categories of assets is as
shown below:
• Standard Assets (No Default): 0.40%
• Sub-standard Assets (> 90 days and less than 1 year):
15%
• Doubtful Assets (greater than 1 year): 25%-40%
• Loss Assets (Identified by Bank or RBI): 100%
Gross and Net NPA: Gross NPA refers to the total NPAs
of the banks. The Net NPA is calculated as Gross NPA -
Provisioning Amount.
CAPITAL ADEQUACY RATIO (CAR)
• The CAR has been laid down by the BASEL committee
on banking supervision under Bank of International
Settlement located in Basel, Switzerland.
• It has been laid down to ensure financial stability and
to prevent failure of banks. So far, 3 BASEL Norms
have been laid down: Basel I (1998), Basel II (2004),
Basel III (2009).
• CAR is the ratio of a bank's capital to its risk. It is also
known as the Capital to Risk (Weighted)
Assets Ratio (CRAR).
• CAR= (Tier-1 Capital + Tier-2 Capital)/ RWAs * 100.
• The Banks in India are required to maintain CAR of 9%
(Tier-1 capital: 7% + Tier-2 Capital: 2%) along with
Capital Conservation buffer (CCB) of 2.5%.
• Hence, unlike the BASEL III norms, which stipulate
capital adequacy of 10.5% (8%-CAR + 2.5% CCB), the
RBI has mandated to maintain capital adequacy of
11.5% (9%-CAR + 2.5%-CCB).
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LIQUIDITY COVERAGE RATIO (LCR)
• A failure to adequately monitor and control liquidity
risk led to the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. To
improve the banks' short-term resilience to liquidity
shocks, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
(BCBS) introduced the LCR as part of the Basel III post-
crisis reforms. The LCR is designed to ensure that
banks hold a sufficient reserve of high-quality liquid
assets (HQLA) to allow them to survive a period of
significant liquidity stress lasting 30 calendar days.
• HQLA are cash or assets that can be converted into
cash quickly through sales (or by being pledged as
collateral) with no significant loss of value. The LCR
requires banks to hold a stock of HQLA at least as
large as expected total net cash outflows over the
stress period of 30 days.
Stock of HQLA
≥ 100%
Total net cash outflows over the
next 30 calender days
Total net cash outflows are defined as the total expected
cash outflows minus the total expected cash inflows
arising in the stress scenario.
LEVERAGE RATIO (LR)
• The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS)
introduced Leverage ratio (LR) in the 2010 Basel III
package of reforms. The Formula for the Leverage
Ratio is (Tier 1 Capital/ Total Consolidated Assets)
×100 where Tier 1 capital represents a bank's equity.
• It is to be noted that the Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio
(CAR) is the ratio of a bank’s core tier 1 capital to its
total risk-weighted assets. On the other hand, leverage
ratio is a measure of the bank's core capital to its total
assets.
• Thus, the Leverage ratio uses tier 1 capital to judge
how leveraged a bank is in relation to its consolidated
assets whereas the tier 1 capital adequacy ratio
measures the bank's core capital against its risk-
weighted assets.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
• Decrease in GNPA and NNPA: The gross non-
performing assets (GNPA) and net NPA (NNPA) ratios
continued to decline and stood at 7.5 per cent and 2.1
per cent, respectively, in September 2020.
58
 Economic Development

• Improvement in Provision Coverage Ratio BANKING STABILITY INDICATOR

(PCR): The provision coverage ratio (PCR) of all Banks

taken together improved across all bank groups and

rose from 66 per cent in March 2020 to 72per cent in

September 2020.

• Rationale behind Banking Stability Index

• Improvement in capital to risk-weighted assets
ratio (CRAR):
The concentration of bad assets in a handful of sectors
increases the risk for the banking system as default in
one sector can put significant pressure on the balance
sheet of several banks. Further, since the banking and
the financial system is highly interconnected, the failure
of one bank, or some banks, is likely to affect the stability
of other banks. This interdependence is measured by the
Banking Stability Index.

Definition: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) defines

Banking Stability Index (BSI) as “the expected number of
banks that could become distressed given that at least
one bank has become distressed”. Hence, as the BSI
increases, it means that more banks are expected to

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 Economic Development

become distressed if one bank in the system is WHY ARE PSBS LESS EFFICIENT AS COMPARED TO
distressed. NEW PRIVATE BANKS (NPBS)?

The BSI takes into account the following parameters:

 Efficiency of the Banks;

 Profitability;

 Soundness;

 Liquidity;

 Asset Quality.

Updates on BSI: By September 2020, the banking

stability indicator (BSI) has showed improvement in all its
five dimensions (i.e. asset quality; profitability; liquidity;
efficiency; and soundness) that are considered for
assessing the changes in underlying financial conditions.

BANK INVESTMENT There is huge amount of Political interference in the

functioning of PSBs which in turn leads to lower
COMPANY profitability and efficiency. There are several external
constraints imposed upon public sector banks which are
#Finance inapplicable to their private sector competitors.

• PSBs face dual regulation from both RBI and Finance

Ministry. The Finance Ministry's directives could be
IN NEWS
both explicit (through the issue of guidelines) and
The Government is likely to set up Bank Investment through undocumented suasion in the form of
pressuring PSBs to give loans to loss-making PSUs.
Company in line with the recommendations of P.J. Nayak
• Government exercises significant control over all
Committee. This is one of the long pending reforms that
aspects of PSBs operations ranging from policies on
will provide necessary impetus to reforms in the recruitment and pay to investments and financing and
Governance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs). In this regard, bank governance including board and top
management appointments.
let us understand in detail about the Proposal of Bank
• Appointments to the Board of Directors made based
Investment Company (BIC) and its benefits.
upon political considerations rather than merit.

Prelims 2019 • Short average tenures of Chairmen and Executive

Directors.
The Chairman of public sector banks are selected by
the • PSB officers are subjected to extra scrutiny by the
Central Vigilance Commission and CAG. Officers are
(a) Banks Board Bureau
wary of taking risks in lending or in renegotiating bad
(b) Reserve Bank of India debt, due to fears of harassment under the veil of
(c) Union Ministry of Finance vigilance investigations.
(d) Management of concerned bank • High operating costs.

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 Economic Development
• Recruitment processes of PSBs hinder them from
PROPOSAL OF BANK INVESTMENT COMPANY (BIC)
• According to P.J. Nayak Committee, Bank Investment
company (BIC) should be set up as holding company
to hold the Government's shares in PSBs. The
Government should set up BIC as a company under
the Companies Act. The Government's shares in PSBs
should be transferred to BIC. This transfer of shares
should be accompanied by an agreement under which
the role of the Government would only be to lay down
the broad targets to be met by BIC (for example,
financial returns expected from PSBs).
Government would no longer issue direct instructions
to PSBs.
• On the other hand, the BIC would have complete
autonomy in the management of PSBs, including
making appointments to the Board of Directors. It will
be professionally managed by experts and would be
responsible to meet the targets set by
Government.
Idea of Banks Board Bureau (BBB)
Some of the acts such as Bank Nationalisation Acts of
1970 and 1980, State Bank of India Act,1955 etc.
mandate that the Government should continue to hold
more than 51% shares in the PSBs. Hence, in order to
transfer the Government's shareholding to the proposed
BIC, these laws have to be amended. The Parliament can
deliberate on this issue and amend the laws. Hence, P.J.
Nayak committee recommended that meanwhile, until
the BIC is set up, the Government should set up Banks
Board Bureau (BBB). Accordingly, the Government has
already set up BBB.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
campus hiring.
Mandate: Recommend for selection of heads of Public
Sector Banks and Financial Institutions. Please note that
the role of BBB is limited to recommendation of names.
The appointment is finally approved by the Cabinet
Committee on Appointments.
Composition: 7 Members (All the Members including the
Chairman are part time members)
• Chairperson
The • 3 Ex-officio persons: Secretary, Department Financial
Services + Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises
+ Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
• 3 Expert Members
Functions:
• Recommend the selection and appointment of
wholetime Directors (WTDs) and non-executive
the
Chairmen (NEC).
• Develop an appropriate methodology to enable the
search and selection of high calibre whole-time
Directors of PSBs.
• Advise the Central Government on the formulation
and enforcement of a code of conduct and ethics.
• Build a data bank containing data relating to the
performance of PSBs and share the same with Central
Government.
• Help the banks in terms of developing business
strategies and capital raising plan.
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 Economic Development
SOVEREIGN GOLD BOND
#Finance
IN NEWS
On behalf of the Central Government, the RBI recently
issued the Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs). In this regard, let
us look at important aspects of Sovereign Gold Bonds
(SGBs).
UPSC Mains Question 2015
Craze for gold in Indian has led to surge in import of
gold in recent years and put pressure on balance of
payments and external value of rupee. In view of this,
examine the merits of Gold Monetization scheme.
UPSC Prelims 2016
What is/are the purpose/purposes of Government's
'Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme' and 'Gold Monetization
Scheme'?
1. To bring the idle gold lying with Indian households
into the economy
2. To promote FDI in the gold and jewellery sector
3. To reduce India's dependence on gold imports
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
DETAILS OF SOVEREIGN GOLD BONDS (SGBS)
• What are Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs)? :
Government securities denominated in grams of gold.
They are substitutes for holding physical gold.
Investors have to pay the issue price in cash and the
bonds will be redeemed in cash on maturity. The
Bond is issued by Reserve Bank on behalf of
Government of India.
• Features: The Bonds are issued in denominations of
one gram of gold and in multiples thereof. Minimum
investment in the Bond shall be one gram with a
maximum limit of subscription of 4 kg for individuals.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
The Bonds bear interest at the rate of 2.50 per cent
(fixed rate) per annum on the amount of initial
investment. Interest will be credited semi-annually to
the bank account of the investor and the last interest
will be payable on maturity along with the principal.
• How it works?: As an Investor, you can buy sovereign
Gold Bond of a denomination ranging from 1 gm to 4
kg. On buying this bond, you would be entitled to an
annual rate of interest of 2.5%. Upon the maturity
period (i.e. after 8 years), you can redeem the bond
and get cash which is equivalent to the current market
value of the Gold.
• For example, if u had bought SGB with face value of 1
gm of Gold (Say, at Rs 3000) initially. Later, after 8
years, the price of the Gold in the market could have
increased to Rs 5000. So, you would be entitled to Rs
5,000 upon redemption of this Gold Bond. This in
addition to annual rate of Interest of 2.5%.
Benefits for the Investors:
• Superior alternative to holding gold in physical form.
• Option to sell the SGB in the stock exchanges
(Applicable only after minimum 5 years).
• Risks and costs of storage are eliminated.
• Investors are assured of the market value of gold at
the time of maturity and periodical interest.
• SGB is free from issues like making charges and purity
in the case of gold in jewellery form.
Challenges with Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) Scheme
Inspite of various benefits, the SGB scheme is not as
successful as it is required to be. Some of the challenges
include:
• Cultural Affinity towards Physical Gold.
• Physical Gold used as a Status Symbol in Indian
Society.
• Poor Awareness among the retail Investors.
• Need for the Demat account to invest in SGB can act
as major hindrance.
• Lock-in period of 5 years wherein the Investor cannot
sell the SGB for an initial period of 5 years.
62
 Economic Development

SECURED OVERNIGHT
• MIBID is the rate at which banks would like to borrow
from other banks and MIBOR is the rate at which

FINANCING RATE (SOFR)

banks are willing to lend to other banks.

• The MIBOR and MIBID are calculated on a daily basis

#Finance by National Stock Exchange of India Limited. They are
considered to be Indian counterpart of LIBOR.

• Importance of LIBOR: Some of the global banks

IN NEWS
Recently, State Bank of India (SBI) has executed inter-bank
short term money market deals with rates of Interest
linked to SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate). SOFR is
a replacement for London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
which was used earlier.
The LIBOR scandal in 2011 had raised concerns on the
future of LIBOR . Accordingly, some of the countries have
decided to adopt alternatives to LIBOR by the end of 2021.
What is LIBOR?: The LIBOR is a benchmark interest rate
at which the banks lend money to each other for short
term i.e., it indicates the borrowing costs between the
banks. The rate is calculated and published each day by
the Intercontinental exchange (ICX).
How is LIBOR calculated?: It is based on five currencies
including the US dollar, Euro, British pound, the Japanese
across the world use LIBOR as a base rate for setting
interest rates on consumer and corporate loans.
Further, the interest rates on floating rate
Government and corporate bonds is also linked to
LIBOR. In case of India, the interest rates on Foreign
Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) deposits have been
linked to LIBOR by RBI.
LIBOR Scandal: For the calculation of LIBOR, the banks
are supposed to submit the actual interest rates they are
paying, or would expect to pay, for borrowing from other
banks. However, in 2012, it was found out that banks
were falsely inflating or deflating their rates in order to
manipulate the market and earn more profits. This led to
major financial scam with respect to LIBOR.
TRANSITION AWAY FROM LIBOR
Characteristics LIBOR SOFR

yen, and the Swiss franc, and serves seven different Intercontinental Federal Reserve
Who Publishes?
maturities—overnight, one week, and one, two, three, exchange (ICX) bank of New York
six, and 12 months. The combination of five currencies Based upon Based upon the
Method of
and seven maturities leads to a total of 35 different submission of the transactions in the
Calculation
LIBOR rates calculated and reported each business day. banks US Treasuries

At the start of every day, ICE asks major global banks Backward looking.
Forward looking.
how much they would charge other banks for short-term Based upon the
Based upon the
loans. The ICE takes out the highest and lowest figures, Nature actual Repo
expectations of the
then calculates the average from the remaining transactions in US
bank
numbers. Treasuries.

What are equivalents of LIBOR?
• Europe- European Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR)
• Japan- Tokyo Interbank Offered Rate (TIBOR)
• India- Mumbai Interbank Offered Rate (MIBOR) and
Mumbai Inter-Bank Bid Rate (MIBID)
• Mumbai Inter-Bank Offer Rate (MIBOR) and Mumbai
Inter-Bank Bid Rate (MIBID) are the benchmark rates
at which Indian banks lend and borrow money from
each other.
The countries across the world have planned to move
away from LIBOR and adopt other alternatives by the
end of 2021.
Some of the alternatives to LIBOR are:
• UK: Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA)
• USA: Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)
• Switzerland: Swiss Average Rate Overnight (SARON)
• Japan: Tokyo Overnight Average Rate (TONAR)
• European Union: Euro Short-Term Rate (ESTER)

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 63

 Economic Development

D-SIBS
the other banks. Banks that have scores above a
threshold score are classified as D-SIBs.

#Finance Note: Presently, the SBI, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank
have been identified as Domestic Systemically Important
Banks (D-SIBs).
IN NEWS
Higher Capital Requirement for D-SIBs
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently stated that
The D-SIBs are placed under different buckets
State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank will
(categories) depending upon their importance. According
continue to be identified as Domestic Systemically
to the bucket in which they are placed, the bank would
Important Banks (D-SIBs).
be required to maintain higher Tier-I capital under the
Background: It was observed during the 2008 global
BASEL Norms as shown below:
financial crisis that failure of large and highly
interconnected financial institutions would negatively
Additional
Additional
Common
impact the economy. In the event of failure of such Common Equity
Equity Tier 1
financial institutions, the government would be required Tier 1
requirement
to bail-out these institutions. Hence, such institutions requirement
Bucket Banks as a
may be considered as "Too big to fail". applicable from
percentage of
April 1, 2019 (as
SYSTEMICALLY IMPORTANT BANKS (SIBS) Risk Weighted
per phase-In
Assets (RWAs)
• The SIBs are perceived as banks that are ‘Too Big to arrangement)
for FY 2018-19
Fail (TBTF)’. There is a need for stronger regulatory 5 - 0.75% 1%
environment for the SIBs. In this regard, the Basel
4 - 0.60% 0.80%
Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) came out
3 State Bank 0.45% 0.60%
with a framework in 2011 for identifying the Global
of India
Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs).
2 - 0.30% 0.40%
• Similarly, the RBI has been mandated to identify the
1 ICICI Bank, 0.15% 0.20%
Domestic Systemically Important banks (D-SIBs) and
HDFC Bank
lay down suitable regulatory requirements to prevent
their failure.

HOW ARE (D-SIBS) IDENTIFIED?

In order to identify the D-SIBs, the RBI takes into
CHALLENGES IN
account only those banks whose size is equal to or more MONETARY POLICY
than 2% of GDP. Further, these banks are categorized as
D-SIBs only when they fulfill the below mentioned FORMULATION
criteria:
 Size.
#Finance
 Interconnectedness.

 Lack of readily available substitutes and IN NEWS

 Complexity.
The systemic importance of a bank is computed as
weighted average scores of all 4 indicators highlighted
above. Thus, the systemic importance score of a bank
would represent its relative importance with respect to
The twin shocks of Demand and Supply caused due to
CoVID-19 has led to unprecedented contraction in India's
GDP. The GDP growth rate in the first quarter of the
Financial year 2020-21 was around -24%.

FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS 64

 Economic Development
In response, the RBI had adopted the expansionary
monetary policy to reduce the policy rates and kickstart
investment and consumption expenditure. On account of
this, the Indian Economy is showing signs of economy
recovery.
CHALLENGES BEFORE THE RBI
DILEMMA OF INFLATION VS ECONOMIC
GROWTH:
• Presently, the rate of Inflation in the Indian Economy
is above the targeted range of 6%. The CPI rate of
Inflation in the month of November 2020 was around
6.9%. In order to bring the inflation under control, the
RBI would be required to increase the policy rates.
However, if the RBI increases the policy rates, it will
lead to increase in the rate of interest on the loans
and thus hamper the revival of Indian Economy.
• On the other hand, if the RBI continues to maintain
lower rates of interest, this will lead to increase in the
money supply in the long-run and thus increase the
CPI rate of inflation even further. Thus, clearly, the RBI
is in a fix.
DILEMMA OF FINANCIAL STABILITY VS
ECONOMIC GROWTH:
• As part of expansionary monetary policy, the RBI has
injected huge amount of money to revive the
Investment and consumption expenditure. However,
poor investor and consumer investment due to
economic slowdown has led to decrease in credit
creation. Apart from that, the Banks are apprehensive
in giving loans due to the fear of possible increase in
the NPAs. Instead of giving loans, the Banks are
parking their surplus liquidity with the RBI under the
Reverse Repo route.
• Surplus liquidity in the economy may prompt the
investors to invest in poorly rated companies. For
example, the investors may invest in poorly rated
corporate Bonds or shares, which in the long run
could threaten the financial stability.
• However, if the RBI starts to suck out excess liquidity
from the economy, it could lead to increase in the rate
of interest on loans and thus hamper the economic
revival.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
DILEMMA OF EXCHANGE RATE MANAGEMENT VS
INFLATION
• The ultra-low Interest rates in the developed
economies has led to surge in foreign inflows in the
form of FPI and FDI into India. This in turn was leading
to large scale appreciation in the Indian Rupee and
hence affected our export competitiveness. Thus, the
RBI has been intervening in the forex market to buy
dollars, check large scale Rupee Appreciation and
build up Forex Reserves.
• However, the purchase of dollars accompanied by
equivalent injection of Rupees has been leading to
increase in the Rupee supply in the Indian Economy.
In the long run, this could further aggravate the CPI
rate of Inflation and have an adverse impact on
macro-economic stability.
• So, on one hand the RBI needs to attract foreign
inflows and maintain stable exchange rate. But on the
other hand, if it does so, this could lead to increase in
the rate of inflation.
RBI'S DIGITAL
PAYMENTS INDEX
#Finance
IN NEWS
The RBI has recently unveiled composite Digital Payments
Index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitisation of
payments across the country.
Details: The Index comprises of 5 broad parameters that
enable measurement of penetration of digital payments
in the country over different time periods. These
parameters are –
• Payment Enablers (weight 25%)
• Payment Infrastructure – Demand-side factors (10%)
• Payment Infrastructure – Supply-side factors (15%)
• Payment Performance (45%) and
• Consumer Centricity (5%).
65
 Economic Development
Each of these parameters have sub-parameters which, in
EXTERNAL SECTOR
AOA: CONTROVERSY
OVER PUBLIC
STOCKHOLDING
# WTO
IN NEWS
India has recently urged the members of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) to find a permanent solution to the
issue of Public Stock holding under the Agreement on
Agriculture (AoA).
In this regard, let us understand in detail the WTO
Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) and the controversy over
the Public Stockholding of food grains.
UPSC Prelims 2015
The terms 'Agreement on Agriculture', 'SPS Agreement
and 'Peace Clause' are in the context of affairs of the
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
turn, consist of various measurable indicators.
(a) Food and Agriculture Organization
(b) UN Framework Conference on Climate Change
(c ) World Trade Organization
(d) United Nations Environment Programme
AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE (AoA)
The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) basically aims to
facilitate international trade in agricultural goods by
putting a cap on the agricultural subsidies given by the
member countries. This agreement stands on 3 pillars
viz. Domestic Support, Market Access, and Export
Subsidies.
DOMESTIC SUPPORT
• Green Box Subsidies: It includes subsidies such as
R&D; Expansion of Irrigation Facilities; Income support
to the Farmers (which is not product specific) etc.
These subsidies are considered to be non-
distortionary in terms of International trade. In order
to qualify, green box subsidies must not distort trade,
or at most cause minimal distortion. They have to be
66

government-funded and must not involve price
support. There is no limit on Green Box Subsidies.
• Blue Box Subsidies: Blue box supports are subsidies
that are tied to programmes that limit production.
Hence it is an exception to the general rule related to
agricultural support. The Blue box subsidies aim to
limit production by imposing production quotas or
requiring farmers to set aside part of their land.
Currently only few countries like Norway and Iceland
provide such subsidies. There is no limit on Blue Box
Subsidies.
• Amber Box Subsidies: Nearly all domestic support
measures which distort production as
International trade. These include subsidies such as
Electricity, Fertilisers, Seeds, Water, MSP etc.
• Limit on Amber Box Subsidies
o Developing countries: 10% of the
agricultural value production in 1986-88.
o Developed countries: 5% of the domestic agricultural
value production in 1986-88
Development Box: Developmental measures (Special
and Differential Treatment for Developing Countries)
Article 6 of the Agreement excludes from the reduction
commitment some support measures that fit into the
developmental category and are designed to encourage
agricultural and rural development in the developing and
poor countries. They include:
• investment subsidies which are generally available to
agriculture in developing countries.
• agricultural input subsidies generally available to low-
income producers in developing countries; and
• domestic support to producers in
countries to encourage diversification from growing
illicit narcotic crops.
CURRENT ISSUES WITH THE AoA
• Stockholding is a kind of policy instrument used by a
Government to procure, stock and distribute the food.
Minimum Support Price (MSP) is one
instruments of Public Stockholding.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
Economic Development
• In order to implement National Food Security Act
(NFSA), the Government is required to procure more
food grains by announcing MSP. On account of this,
Government would be required to declare subsidies
over and above the limit specified under AoA. This was
being challenged by the developed countries such as
USA, which wanted India to stick to subsidy limit
imposed under AoA.
• At the Bali ministerial conference in December 2013,
India secured a “peace clause". Under it, if India
breaches the 10% limit on subsidy under AoA, other
member countries will not take legal action under the
well as 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.
Presently, India has been demanding a permanent
domestic
solution on Public stockholding in order to implement
National Food Security Act.
INDIA'S ARGUMENT AGAINST SUBSIDIES UNDER
AoA
• The percentage limit on the Subsidies is quite
deceptive. In terms of absolute value, the developed
economies have been providing subsidies far higher
than India.
• The limit on the subsidy does not factor in the
Inflation. It is calculated as the value of production in
1986-88. Since then, the prices of agricultural
commodities have increased.
• Under the Green Box Subsidies, direct income support
to the farmers (not linked to specific product) is
allowed. This has been misused by countries such as
developing USA. The direct cash transfers to the farmers in USA
account for almost 50% of its agricultural value
production.
• Procurement of the Commodities under MSP regime
is not for boosting agricultural exports, rather it is for
meeting food security needs of Indian Citizens. Hence,
of the procurement of commodities for ensuring food
security should not be included in the Amber Box,
rather it should be included in the Green Box.
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 Economic Development
INFRASTRUCTURE
SWISS CHALLENGE
METHOD
#PPP
IN NEWS
Recently, the NITI Aayog has put forward a proposal to the
Centre to adopt a National Policy framework for awarding
PPP projects through the Swiss Challenge Method (SCM). A
number of state governments have been awarding PPP
projects through the SCM. However, there is large-scale
variation in the policies followed by the state Government
leading to lack of uniformity.
Hence, in order to provide more clarity on SCM, the NITI
Aayog has recommended the centre to adopt National
Policy Framework.
Conventional Method for Awarding PPP Projects:
Government--> Identifies a PPP Project--> Specifies the
detailed Criteria--> Calls for Bidding from Private Sector--
> Lowest Bidder wins the contract
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WHAT IS SWISS CHALLENGE METHOD (SCM)?
• Under SCM, a developer makes an unsolicited
proposal to a government for the development of an
infrastructure project. Based on the details of the
project proposal, the government may then invite
third party bidders seeking better alternatives to the
project proponent’s proposal. The government then
compares the challenging proposals against the
project proponent’s proposal to determine if any of
them provide a better alternative (based on an
evaluation of various factors such as innovativeness,
efficient utilisation of resources, financial feasibility
etc).
• The project proponent in most cases is granted the
“right to first refusal”. If the project proponent agrees
to match its offer to the challenging proposal, the
project is awarded to the project proponent, else it is
awarded to the challenging bidder. If it is awarded to
the challenging bidder, the project proponent is
compensated for the costs incurred for its expenses
by the government.
• In 2015, the Centre had approved a proposal to
redevelop 400 railway stations using the SCM.
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 Economic Development

PROS AND CONS OF SWISS CHALLENGE METHOD the same time, in order to ensure transparency and
accountability, the SC called upon the state Governments
Pros:
to provide a policy and regulatory framework to
• Provides Innovative solutions as projects are identified implement SCM in a standardized manner.
by the Private sector on their own.
Accordingly, a number of state Governments have come
• Ensure certainty of success as it was willing partner
up with own policies to standardise SCM framework.
right from the start. Apart from that, feasibility studies
Some of these states include Karnataka, Maharashtra,
and detailed financial analysis by the private sector
Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan etc.
also ensure the success.
• Reduce Time and cost as pre-project studies are
conducted in advance. CCEA NOD FOR 3 INFRA
• Ensures greater cooperation between Government
and private sector. At the same time, fosters greater
competition between various private sector entities.
PROJECTS
• Enables the Government to choose the best #Infrastructure
alternative to implement the PPP project after
analyzing various options.
• Enables the Government to implement technologically
IN NEWS
advanced PPP projects such as Hyperloop
Transportation system The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has recently
approved proposals of Department of Promotion of
• It will have a ripple effect as award of contracts to one
Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) for setting up greenfield
private player will encourage the others to take the
industrial cities with connectivity to major transportation
initiative for other projects.
corridors such as the eastern and western dedicated
• It reduces burden on the government to the extent of
freight corridors, expressways and National highways.
identifying new projects and inviting bids.
New greenfield Industrial Cities
Cons:
• Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh
• Lack of legal and regulatory framework for awarding
projects under the Swiss Challenge Method. • Tumkuru Industrial Area in Karnataka

• Promote favoritism and crony capitalism.
• The first mover advantage and right of first refusal
gives a head start to the proponent and the
competitive bidding process becomes a mere
procedure with the other participants lacking an
effective chance to win the contract.
• Lack of Transparency in awarding projects due to
subjectivity involved in deciding as to what is the best
proposal.
• There may be instances where the challengers’
proposal specifications are different from the original
proponents’ and SCM may not have a mechanism to
deal with such situations.
Supreme Court Judgement on Swiss Challenge
Method (SCM): The SC in Ravi Development v. Shree
Krishna Prathisthan and Others provided legitimacy to
Swiss Challenge Method in awarding PPP projects. But at
• Multi Modal Logistics Hub (MMLH) and Multi Modal
Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida.
Details about Industrial Corridor Projects: The
Government is developing various Industrial Corridor
Projects as part of National Industrial Corridor
programme. This programme is aimed at development
of futuristic industrial cities in India which can compete
with the best manufacturing and investment destinations
in the world. It will lead to creation of employment
opportunities leading to overall socio-economic
development.
11 Industrial Corridors Projects are being taken up for
development with 30 Projects to be developed in 04
phases up to 2024-25:
• Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC);
• Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC);
• Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC);

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 Economic Development

• East Coast Industrial Corridor (ECIC) with Vizag • Hyderabad Warangal Industrial Corridor (HWIC)
Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) • Hyderabad Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (HBIC)
• Bengaluru Mumbai Industrial Corridor (BMIC) • Odisha Economic Corridor (OEC)
• Hyderabad Nagpur Industrial Corridor (HNIC) • Delhi Nagpur Industrial Corridor (DNIC)

While developing the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Major Benefits of the new initiative
(DMIC) project, Western DFC has been considered as the • Boost Employment Creation
transportation backbone while Eastern DFC has been
• Attract Investment into Manufacturing Sector
considered as the backbone for Amritsar Kolkata
• Reduce logistics cost and improve operational
Industrial Corridor (AKIC) project. For other industrial
efficiency
corridor projects like Chennai Bengaluru Industrial
Corridor (CBIC) and Bengaluru Mumbai Industrial • Seamless connectivity across Rail and Road
Corridor (BMIC), NH-4 has been considered as the • Boost Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India
backbone.

Taxation
COMMODITY #Taxation

TRANSACTION TAX IN NEWS

(CTT) Recently, the Commodity Participants Association of India
(CPAI) has put forward a budget proposal before the

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 Economic Development
Finance Ministry. The CPAI has requested the finance
Minister to reduce the Commodity Transaction Tax from
the current level of 0.01% to 0.005%. The CPAI believes
that reduction in the tax rate would be a win-win situation
for the government and private sector.
BASICS OF COMMODITY DERIVATIVE
CONTRACTS
What are Commodity Derivative Contracts?
Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is
based upon the value of an underlying asset like equities,
currency or other financial assets or commodities. Most
common types of derivative instruments are Futures and
options.
In case of Equity Derivatives Contract, the underlying
asset is the share of a company. In case of commodity
derivative contract, the underlying asset is a commodity.
TYPES OF CONTRACTS IN COMMODITY
DERIVATIVES MARKET
• Forward Contract: Contract for supply of goods
between two parties (say, between farmer and Food
Processing Industry). The supply of goods takes place
at a specific future date at a predetermined price.
Forward contracts are transacted over the counter
and are not traded on a Stock Exchange.
• Futures Contract: Similar to Forward contracts but
are traded on the stock exchange.
• Options: Options are similar to futures, but provide
an additional option to either the buyer or the seller
on executing the transaction at a future date.
• Call option gives the right to the buyer to purchase
the commodity, however there is no obligation on the
buyer to purchase. The buyer may decide not to
purchase the commodity at a future date.
• Similarly, put option gives the seller the right to sell
the commodity, however, there is no obligation on the
seller. The seller may decide not to sell the commodity
at a future date.
What are the types of commodities traded in the
commodity derivatives market?
4 Categories:
• Agricultural Commodities:
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• Bullion and Gems like gold, silver and diamond.
• Energy commodities: Crude oil, natural gas etc.
• Metal commodities: Copper, brass, iron, steel, etc.
Who regulates the commodity derivatives market in
India? Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
regulates the commodity derivatives market in India
since 2015. Prior to 2015, it was regulated by erstwhile
Forward Markets Commission (FMC).
Note: The Spot Commodity market is regulated by
respective state Governments.
• Important Exchanges for Commodity Derivate
Trading: In India, five exchanges are currently
authorized to offer commodity derivative
contracts. These exchanges are:
1) National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE)
2) Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
3) Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX)
4) National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange
Limited (NCDEX)
5) Indian Commodity Exchange Limited (ICX).
Note: NSE and BSE offer derivative contracts in both
equity and commodity segments whereas the other
three offer derivative contracts in commodity segment
only.
DETAILS ABOUT COMMODITY
TRANSACTION TAX (CTT)
What is Commodity Transaction tax? The Commodity
transaction tax was introduced during the Union Budget
2013-14. It is a tax imposed on the exchange traded non-
agricultural commodity derivates in India. Whenever, any
non-agricultural commodity derivatives (such as futures
and options in Gold, Crude oil, Iron etc) are traded on the
stock exchanges, CTT is required to be paid.
The CTT is presently imposed at 0.01% of the price at
which the commodity derivative is being traded.
Rationale for Introducing the Tax
• Level Playing field between Equity Derivatives and
Commodity derivatives: The transactions in the
Equity derivatives (Futures and options in shares) are
taxed in the form of Security Transaction Tax (STT).
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 Economic Development

However, there was no tax imposed on the • Mobilise Revenue through CTT.
transactions in the commodity derivatives. Hence, CTT • Check excessive speculation in Commodity Derivative
was brought in to create a level playing field. trading market.
WHY THERE HAS BEEN A CALL FOR REDUCING THE TAX RATE?
Change in average daily turnover from pre-CTT days
Aluminum Copper Crude oil Gold Silver Combined
Average daily turnover in 2011 (Rs. crore) 256.32 4,116.86 6.978.04 9,435.35 12,321.79 33.108.35
Average daily turnover in 2017 (Rs. crore) 372.35 1,323.19 3,990.27 2,425.39 1,725.91 9337.11
% change in daily turnover in current prices 45.27 -67.86 -42.82 -74.29 -85.99 -70.29

According to number of experts, imposition of CTT on
the stock exchanges has discouraged the growth of
commodity derivative market in India. As seen in the
figure above, the volume of commodity derivative
contracts traded on the stock exchange has dropped by
almost 70% since 2013-14. This in a way has led to loss of
price discovery for the market participants.
The reduction in the tax rates would boost trading in the
commodity derivative market leading to better price
discovery and higher revenue to the Government.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES/
INITIATIVES
NEW IR CODE
#LabourReforms
IN NEWS
The Indian Parliament has recently passed The Industrial
Relations Code, 2020 (IR code). On one hand, the
Government and Industry believes that IR Code could
emerge as a game changer in boosting manufacturing
sector in India. On the other hand, the trade unions have
billed the code as “anti-worker” since it contains specific
provisions that are considered against workers’ interests.
In this regard, let us understand as to what extent the IR
code could be able to provide fillip to Labour reforms in
India.
DETAILS ABOUT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS CODE,
2020 (IR CODE)
The Code provides for the recognition of trade unions,
notice periods for strikes and lockouts, standing orders,
and resolution of industrial disputes. It subsumes and
replaces three labour laws: The Industrial Disputes Act,
1947; the Trade Unions Act, 1926; and the Industrial
Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.
IMPORTANT FEATURES
• Provision of Fixed-Term Employment (FTE) (Discussed
in January 2021 Edition of Focus Magazine)
• Applicability of Standing Orders: All industrial
establishment with 300 workers or more must
prepare standing orders on the matters related to: (i)
classification of workers, (ii) manner of informing
workers about work hours, holidays, paydays, and
wage rates, (iii) termination of employment, and (iv)
grievance redressal mechanisms for workers. Earlier,
the threshold for the application of Standing orders
was 100 workers or more.
• Closure and Lay-off: Earlier, an establishment having
at least 100 workers was required to seek prior
permission of the government before closure, lay-off,
or retrenchment. Now, this threshold has been
increased to 300 workers or more. Hence,
establishments employing less than 300 workers

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 Economic Development
would no longer be required to take prior permission
from the Government from hiring and firing its
workers.
WILL HIRE AND FIRE POLICY ADOPTED UNDER IR
CODE EMERGE AS GAME CHANGER?
Arguments in Favour: Earlier, under the Industrial
Disputes Act (IDA), the Industries employing more than
100 workers were required to take prior permission from
the Government to lay-off its workers. This provision was
against the requirement of the Industries since it did not
provide them with sufficient flexibility in managing its
human resources. This provision hampered the growth
of Industrial sector in the following ways:
• Higher Share of Dwarf Firms in MSME Sector. These
Firms are more than 10 years old but continue to
employ less than 100 people. These firms are
reluctant to employ more than 100 workers since they
would have come under the ambit of Industrial
Disputes Act (IDA).
• Employing workers through contract rather than
employing the workers on permanent basis. This has
in turn has led to increase in share of informal
contractual workforce in organised manufacturing.
• Lack of Operational flexibility in managing Human
resources and hence poor investment in
Manufacturing.
Hence, it is being argued that increase in threshold from
100 to 300 workers for prior permission from the
Government to lay-off the workers would enable the
small-sized dwarf firms to grow bigger, employ more
workers and thus boost job creation.
Arguments against: An analysis of the Annual Survey of
Industries, 2017-18 shows that raising the size of
threshold for government permission will not have a far-
reaching impact on workers and industry. The reason is
that roughly 65 per cent of factory workers are employed
in factories with an employment size of above 300. These
workers would continue to enjoy protection from hire
and fire policies of the Industries. These Industries would
not gain any significant advantage in managing their
human resources post the passage of IR Code.
Hence, it is being said that easing the norms of ‘hire and
fire’ for firms will not change things significantly for
both workers and industry. According to OECD, India is
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the only country in the emerging group of 20 countries
that require employers to obtain prior government
permission for workforce reductions. This makes India’s
labour law unusual compared with global practice.
INTERCONNECT USAGE
CHARGE (IUC)
#Telecom
IN NEWS
According to recent notification issued by Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Interconnect
Usage Charge regime has been done away with from 1st
January 2021.
In the past, the Interconnect Usage Charge regime had
created a lot of controversy in the Telecom Industry.
Hence, doing away with this regime is set to benefit both
the customers and Telecom operators.
WHAT IS THE INTERCONNECT USAGE CHARGE
(IUC)?
• IUC is the cost that a mobile operator pays to another
operator for carrying through/ terminating a call. If a
customer of Mobile Operator A calls a customer of
Mobile Operator B and the call is completed, then A
pays an IUC charge to B for carrying/ facilitating the
call. Essentially, it is the originating network
compensating the receiving network for cost of
carrying the call. In India IUC is set by the TRAI.
• In September 2017, TRAI had ordered a reduction in
IUC to 6 paise per minute from 14 paise earlier. Now,
the TRAI has decided to do away with the regime
completely.
Controversy in the recent past: Jio had claimed that
because of the price difference between free voice on Jio
network and high tariffs on Airtel and Vodafone-Idea
networks, customers of the other networks are relying
on giving missed calls to Jio customers. It has claimed
that the Jio network receives 25 to 30 crores missed calls
on a daily basis, presumably because people want their
friends or family on Jio to call them back. These call backs
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 Economic Development

by the Jio Customers to the customers on the other
networks is leading to payment of higher Interconnect
Usage charges by the Reliance Jio Company.
Accordingly, Reliance Jio was in favor of doing away with
IUC. However, it was opposed by other Telecom
Operators such as Airtel, Vodafone etc. which were net
beneficiaries of IUC regime.
ABOUT GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION (GI) TAG
• A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a
manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial
goods) originating from a definite geographical
territory. Such a name conveys an assurance of quality
and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to
its origin in that defined geographical locality.

• GI tag is covered under WTO’s Agreement on Trade-

GUCCHI MUSHROOM Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

• India has enacted the Geographical Indications of

#Govt. Policies Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 to
promote and protect GI tags in India.

Examples: Darjeeling tea; Kanchipuram Silk saree; Agra

IN NEWS Petha; Kolhapuri Chappal; Tirupati Laddus etc
Recently, Jammu and Kashmir’s Department of Agriculture Benefits
has filed an application to get Geographical Indication (GI)
• Right to use the indication to prevent its use by a third
Tag for Gucchi, which is considered to be one of the
party.
costliest mushrooms in the world.
• It provides legal protection to Indian Geographical
Prelims 2015 Indications which in turn boost exports.
Which of the following has/have been accorded • It promotes economic prosperity of producers of
‘Geographical Indication’ status? goods produced in a geographical territory.
1. Banaras Brocades and Sarees Application for the registration of a geographical
2. Rajasthani Daal-Bati-Churma indication: Any association of persons, producers,
organisation or authority established by or under the law
3. Tirupati Laddu
can apply for registration of GI Tag. The applicant must
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
represent the interest of the producers
(a) 1 only
Validity: Valid for a period of 10 years. However, it can
(b) 2 and 3 only be renewed from time to time for further period of 10
(c) 1 only 3 only years each.

(d) 1, 2 and 3 HOW IS GI TAG DIFFERENT FROM A TRADEMARK?

GI Tag: Originating from a particular place; Trademark:
About Gucchi Mushroom: The Gucchi Mushrooms, also
Originating from particular company
known as Morel, are one of the most sought-after edible
mushrooms. The mushrooms cannot be cultivated GI tag: Linked to specific place; Trademark: Not linked to
commercially and grow in conifer forests across specific place; Can be registered by anyone
temperature regions. They normally grow in the foothills
of Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and
Who issues GI tags in India? The Controller-General of
Jammu and Kashmir. It usually takes months for villagers
Patents, Designs and Trade Marks issues the GI tags. The
to collect these mushrooms, dry them and bring them to
Geographical Indications registry maintain the registry of
the market. These mushrooms are quite rich in vitamins
all GI tags issued in India.
and antioxidants.

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 Economic Development
PRELIMS SNIPPETS
NATIONAL COMMON
MOBILITY CARD (NCMC)
National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) - One Nation,
One Card for transport mobility is an initiative of the
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to enable
seamless travel by different metros and other transport
systems across the country besides retail shopping and
purchases.
ABOUT NCMC?
These are bank issued Debit/Credit/Prepaid cards and
the customer may use this single card for payments
across all segments including metro, bus, suburban
railways, toll, parking etc. The stored value on card
supports offline transaction across all travel needs with
minimal financial risk to involved stakeholders.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF NCMC?
• Interoperability for passenger between bus, train,
metro, parking etc. in the urban area.
• Single e-purse with access to multiple products.
OFFSHORE DERIVATIVE
INSTRUMENTS (ODIs)
The Investment through P-Notes in Indian Stock market
has increased to 31-month high of around $ 11.6 bn.
Offshore Derivative Instruments (ODIs), also known as
Participatory notes (p-notes) are instruments used by the
foreign investors to invest in India’s securities markets
without getting registered with the SEBI. Participatory
notes are issued by FPIs registered with SEBI to overseas/
foreign investors. These FPIs make investments on
behalf of the overseas investors.
WHY DO INVESTORS PREFER TO INVEST
THROUGH P-NOTES?
• Ease of Trading since they are not required to be
registered with SEBI.
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• It gives the Investors the necessary level of anonymity.
• Used by some of the Investors as a strategy of Tax
Avoidance.
• Preferred route for hawala operators wherein money
initially goes out of the country through Hawala route
and then enters back through P-Notes.
What are the concerns? Increase in P-Notes may
possibly lead to increase in the inflow of unaccounted
money wherein Capital Market Regulator, SEBI may not
be aware of the ownership of these Funds.
GLOBAL ECONOMIC
PROSPECTS REPORT
2019
Recently, the World Bank has published Global Economic
Prospects Report, 2019. This report documents various
risks and challenges to the global economic growth.
DETAILS
• Although global economic output is recovering from
the collapse triggered by COVID-19, it will remain
below pre-pandemic trends for a prolonged
period. The Global GDP growth rate is expected to be
around 4 percent in 2021. It is below the 5% growth
rate which was registered prior to COVID-19.
• The Report has recommended that the Governments
must step up investment to lay the foundations for a
durable, equitable, and sustainable global economy.
TRENDS IN STEEL PRODUCTION IN INDIA
According to World Steel Association, India registered a
growth of 3.5 per cent in crude steel production at 9.245
million tonne (MT) in November.
STEEL PRODUCTION IN INDIA
• Top Crude Steel Producers in World: China, India,
Japan, USA and Russia. It is the largest producer of
Sponge Iron.
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 Economic Development

• Import and Export of Steel from India: India was a • Share of Steel Production: Public Sector (20%);
net importer of total finished steel in 2018-19. Private Sector (80%).
However, India emerged as a net exporter in 2019-20.

Table: Production in Last five Years and in April-December, 2019.

Total Finished Steel (alloy + non-alloy) (in Million Tonnes)

Year
Gross Production Import Export Consumption
2014-15 104.58 9.32 5.59 76.99

2015-16 106.60 11.71 4.08 81.52

2016-17 120.14 7.23 8.24 84.04

2017-18 126.86 7.48 9.62 90.71

2018-19 101.29# 7.83 6.36 98.71

April-December, 2019-2020* 76.33# 5.51 6.52 75.05

TRIFOOD SCHEME
TRIFOOD Scheme is a joint initiative of Ministry of Food
Processing Industry, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED.
It seeks to promote value addition to Minor Forest
Produce (MFP) procured under Van Dhan Yojana.
These parks procure raw materials from the Van Dhan
Kendras and process them so they can be sold across
the country through the outlets of Tribes India. The units
are envisaged to be professionally operated by reputed
food processors. It also promotes local employment
opportunities for the tribal communities and provide
entrepreneurial opportunities in terms of raw material
linkages to the units.
DETAILS ABOUT THE MSP FOR MINOR FOREST
PRODUCE (MFP)
• Declaration of MSP: Declared by the Ministry of
Tribal Affairs. It is done based upon
recommendations of Pricing Cell set up within TRIFED.
• Coverage: Initially, the scheme included 10 MFPs in 9
PESA States. Subsequently, it has been expanded to
cover all the states and 50 MFPs.
• Nodal Agency: TRIFED
• Procurement by: State Level designated agencies
PRADHAN MANTRI VAN DHAN YOJANA
• Retail marketing led value addition plan for Minor
Forest Produce (MFP), meant for forest-based tribes.
• The tribals are organised into SHGs. These SHGs are in
turn linked to district level Van Dhan Kendras.
• These centres cater to 10 Self Help Groups of and
each group consists of thirty tribal gathers. They are
trained and provided with working capital to add value
to the MFPs. These SHGs can then market their
products within and outside the States through a
retail network.
• Training and technical support is provided by TRIFED.
the

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 Economic Development

MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements related to Q3. Which among the following types of Risks can
Domestic Systemically important Banks (D- be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal
SIBs) in India: Bima Yojana (PMFBY)?

1. The Domestic Systemically important Banks (D- 1. Drought and Floods

SIBs) are those banks whose size is equal to or 2. Crop Loss due to attack by Wild Animals
more than 0.5% of GDP. 3. Losses arising out of war
2. Presently, only the State Bank of India has been Select the correct answer using the code given below:
identified as Domestic-Systemically Important (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only
Bank (D-SIB).
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Q4. In which among the following states Vanadium
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Deposits have been found recently?
(a) Karnataka (b) Gujarat
Q2. With reference to Gross Capital Formation (c) Arunachal Pradesh (d) Manipur
(GCF) in Indian Agriculture, consider the
following statements:
Q5. With reference to present status of Steel
1. The GCF in Indian Agriculture has consistently
sector in India, consider the following
increased in the last 5 years.
statements:
2. The share of Private sector in the GCF is much
1. India is the world's largest producer of Crude
higher than that of Public Sector.
Steel.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
2. India is a net exporter of steel.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

descriptive Questions
Q1. The provision of institutional credit to the small and marginal farmers faces multifaceted challenges. In the light
of this statement, discuss various strategies to make the agricultural credit more inclusive.

Q2. What is the Swiss Challenge method used in awarding PPP projects? In what way is this model better as compared
to conventional model?

Answers: 1-d, 2-b, 3-b, 4-c, 5-b

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 SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main)

MIGRANT INTEGRATION
• The study looked at India’s approach to migrants on
eight parameters:

POLICY INDEX 1. Labour market mobility

#Migrant Welfare #Social Justice 2. Family reunification

3. Education

4. Health
IN NEWS
5. Political participation
The Migrant Integration Policy Index 2020 (MIPEX),
6. Permanent residence
published by the Migration Policy Group, Brussels, and the
Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, has ranked 7. Access to nationality and

India the lowest among 52 countries in terms of inclusivity 8. Anti-discrimination.

for migrants.
India fared poorly on six of these parameters.
• India scored 24, the least on the MIPEX scale. The Immigrants face many obstacles in nearly all areas of life
average score of countries is 50. in India with the exception of family reunification and

• The policy index measures policy measures that permanent residence policies.

countries take to integrate migrants from five • Immigrants with the legal right to work face major
continents. obstacles to access the labour market, with no general

• The policy index termed India’s approach to migrants and targeted support to improve their professional

as “immigration without integration”. It says while skills or opportunities.

immigrants are able to settle down on a long-term • India does little to encourage them to access the
basis in India, they are denied basic rights and equal education system or support diversity at school,
opportunities to participate in society. although basic targeted support is available.

• India’s current policies encourage the public to see • Legal migrants and asylum seekers face additional
immigrants as subordinates and foreigners, according requirements to access the Indian health system and
to the study. enjoy little information or support targeted to meet

• According to the study, India’s approach to integration their specific health needs.

is important because the government’s policies
influence whether or not integration works as a two-
way process, influencing how well immigrants and the
public interact and think of each other.
• The path to permanent residence for newcomers in
India is mainly linked to their ability to fulfil economic
requirements, but even permanent residents are
denied equal treatment with Indian nationals in key
areas of life such as social security and assistance.

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 Society and Social Justice
TERMINATION OF
PREGNANCY
#Termination of Pregnancy #Right of Foetus
#Social Justice
IN NEWS
The Delhi High Court recently granted permission to a
woman to terminate her 28-week pregnancy after AIIMS
medical board said her foetus can be aborted as it
suffered from anencephaly, a condition where the skull
bone is not formed.
CURRENT LAWS CURRENTLY GOVERNING
TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY
Before 1971, abortion was criminalized under Section
312 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, describing it as
intentionally 'causing miscarriage'.
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971
allows for aborting the pregnancy by medical doctors
(with specified specialisation) on certain grounds.
• A pregnancy maybe be terminated up to 12 weeks
based on the opinion of one doctor, and up to 20
weeks based on the opinion of two doctors.
• Termination is permitted only when continuance of
the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the
pregnant woman, cause grave injury to her mental or
physical health (including rape and failure of birth
control measures), or in the case of
abnormalities.
• Termination is also allowed at any point during the
pregnancy if there is an immediate necessity to save
the woman’s life.
Abortion laws and facts
Abortion laws vary across the world. It is learnt that
around 60 countries prescribe gestational limits.
• 52 % including France, the UK, Austria, Ethiopia, Italy,
Spain, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland
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and even Nepal, allow for termination beyond 20
weeks on the diagnosis of foetal abnormalities.
• Some countries go beyond even these limits with laws
in 23 countries-Canada, Germany, Vietnam, Denmark,
Ghana, and Zambia-allowing for abortion at any time
during the pregnancy on the request of the mother.
• Despite a sustained government push over
years, contraceptive use in India is not very popular.
According to a 2018 study by the Guttmacher
Institute, 50% of pregnancies in six of the larger
Indian states — Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh — are
unintended.
• Data from the National Family Health Survey
4 show that just 8% of couples in the country use
modern contraceptive methods; only 53% use any
method at all.
• There is an abortion rate of 47 per 1,000 women
aged 15-49.
• A number of foetus abnormalities are detected after
the 20th week. Usually, the foetal anomaly scan is
done during the 20th-21st week of pregnancy. If there
is a delay in doing this scan, and it reveals a lethal
anomaly in the foetus, 20 weeks period is limiting.
THE MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY
(AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020 WAS INTRODUCED IN
LOK SABHA ON MARCH 2, 2020 AND PASSED ON
MARCH 17, 2020
• It amends the Act to increase the upper limit for
termination from 20 to 24 weeks for certain categories
of women, removes this limit in the case of substantial
foetal abnormalities, and constitutes Medical Boards
foetal at the state-level.
• The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill
states that several cases have been filed before the
Supreme Court and various High Courts seeking
permission for aborting pregnancies at stages beyond
the 20-weeks limit under the Act, on the grounds of
foetal abnormalities or pregnancies due to rape faced
by women.
• It also states that with the advancement of medical
technology, there is a scope to increase the upper
limit for terminating pregnancies especially for
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 Society and Social Justice

vulnerable women, and in cases of severe foetal leaves it to be prescribed through Rules. It may be
abnormality. argued that such matters should be specified by
Parliament and not delegated to the government.
Time since Requirement for terminating
conception pregnancy • The Act (and the Bill) require abortion to be
performed only by doctors with specialisation in
MTP (Amendment) gynaecology or obstetrics. As there is a 75% shortage
MTP Act , 1971
Bill, 2020
of such doctors in community health centers in rural

Advice of one areas, pregnant women may continue to find it

Up to 12 weeks Advice of one doctor
doctor difficult to access facilities for safe abortions.

• Though Medical Termination of Pregnancy

Advice of two
12 to 20 weeks Advice of one doctor (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is a step in the right direction,
doctors
the government needs to ensure that all norms and
Two doctors for standardised protocols in clinical practice to facilitate
20 to 24 weeks Not allowed some categories of abortions are followed in health care institutions
pregnant women across the country.

Medical Board in
More than 24
weeks
Not allowed case of substantial
foetal abnormality
PRISON STATISTICS
Any time during One doctor, if immediately necessary INDIA – 2019 REPORT
the pregnancy to save pregnant woman's life
#Governance #Reform #Prison
KEY ISSUES AND ANALYSIS
• There are differing opinions with regard to allowing
abortions. One opinion is that terminating a ISSUE
pregnancy is the choice of the pregnant woman, and a Indian prisons face three long-standing structural
part of her reproductive rights. The other is that the constraints: overcrowding, understaffing and
state has an obligation to protect life, and hence underfunding. The inevitable outcome is subhuman living

should provide for the protection of the foetus.
Across the world, countries set varying conditions and
time limits for allowing abortions, based on foetal
health, and risk to the pregnant woman.
• Several Writ Petitions have been filed by women
seeking permission to abort pregnancies beyond 20-
weeks due to foetal abnormalities or rape. The Bill
allows abortion after 24 weeks only in cases where a
Medical Board diagnoses substantial
abnormalities. This implies that for a case requiring
abortion due to rape, that exceeds 24-weeks, the only
recourse remains through a Writ Petition.
• The Bill does not specify the categories of women who
may terminate pregnancies between 20-24 weeks and
conditions, poor hygiene, and violent clashes etc.
According to National Prisons Information Portal, as of
now there are 5,01,495 prisoners in Indian jail. State of
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar accounts for the maximum
number of prisoners in jail. According to Prison Statistics
India – 2019 Report (published by NCRB), the actual
capacity for prisoners in Indian jail by the end of 2019 was
only 4,03,79 whereas number of prisoners at the end of
2019 languishing in jail were 4,78,600. So, clearly the case
foetal for overcrowding can be witnessed through these
statistics. So, based on these understandings, let us go
through the reasons for overcrowding of Indian prisons,
need for prison reforms and important highlights of
Prison Statistics India – 2019 Report.

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 Society and Social Justice

ISSUES PLAGUING INDIAN PRISONS: • 61,359 undertrial prisoners were released based on
acquittal on first instance and 21,895 undertrial
1. Overcrowded Jails:
prisoners were released subsequent to the acquittal
on appeal. 14 undertrial prisoners were extradited to
foreign countries.

• And a total 635 undertrial prisoners were released

under Section 436A of CrPC during 2019.

• Section 436A was added through 2005 amendment

and provides for maximum period for which an
undertrial can be detained which is one-half of the
maximum period of imprisonment specified for that
offence under that law (except for capital
punishment).

3. Increase in the number of unnatural deaths:

• Occupancy Rate means number of inmates staying in
jails against the authorized capacity for 100 inmates.
• The overall occupancy rate of Indian prisons has
decreased from 140% in 2007 to 118.5% in 2019.
However, inspite of such a decline, even today the
Indian prisons are overcrowded.
• The average occupancy rate of 118.5% does not reveal
the true picture. Close to 21 states and UT have an
occupancy rate of more than 100% out of which there
are 9 states & UT whose occupancy rates hover above
120%.
The number of “unnatural” deaths in prisons has
doubled between 2015 and 2016, from 115 to 231.The
rate of suicide among prisoners also increased by 28%,
from 77 suicides in 2015 to 102 in 2016. The very fact
that the prisoners are more vulnerable to committing
suicides raises grave concerns related to the mental
health of the prisoners in India.
4. Understaffing of the Prisons:
• As per Prison Statistics 2019 Report, sanctioned
strength of jail-staff was 87,599 while the actual
strength was 60,787 as on 31st December, 2019.

Data as per Prison Statistics India – 2019 Report • So, there is a need to fill up the vacancies for prison
staffs in India.
State/UT Occupancy Rate
5. Judicial Backlogs
Delhi 174.9
• As per National Judicial Data Grid, District and
UP 167.9 Subordinate Courts (D&S courts) account for 87.54 per
cent of pending cases. So, there is a need to reduce
Uttarakhand 159 Disposal Time for Cases and also Need to better
Case Clearance Rate (CCR).
Meghalaya 157.4
• Disposal time is measured as the time span between
MP 155.3
the date of filing and the date when the decision is

Maharashtra 152.7 passed.

• CCR is the ratio of the number of cases disposed of in

Chhattisgarh 150.1
a given year to the number of cases instituted in that

2. Prisons Dominated by the Undertrials year, expressed as a percentage. It is mainly used to

understand the efficiency of the system in proportion
• At the end of 2019, 3.28 lakh prison inmates were
to the inflow of cases.
undergoing trial, while 1.42 lakh were convicted.

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 Society and Social Justice
• Both Disposal Time and CCR can be bettered by
appointing more Judges in District & Subordinate
Courts, High Courts and Supreme Court.
6. Systemic Discrimination: There is rampant
corruption in the prison system and those who can
afford to bribe, often enjoy luxuries in prison. On the
other hand, socio-economically disadvantaged prisoners
are deprived of basic human dignity.
7. Poor physical and mental Health: In prison the
problem of the overcrowding, poor sanitary facilities, lack
of physical and mental activities, lack of decent health
care, increase the likelihood of health problems. Further,
mental health care has negligible focus in Indian prisons.
8. Lack of reformative approach: Absence of
reformative approach in the Indian prison system has
not only resulted in ineffective integration with society
but also has failed to provide productive engagement
opportunities for prisoners after their release
STEPS NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS OF
PRISON
1. Follow New Prison Manual 2016:
• Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the New Prison
Manual 2016, which aims at uniformity in laws, rules
and regulations governing the administration of
prisons and the management of prisoners across
India.
• Approval of Prison Manual is based on Article 39A of
the Constitution which calls for free legal aid to the
poor and weaker sections of society and seeks to
ensure justice for all.
• Guidelines to be followed as per Prison Manual
2016 includes:
 Under Trial Review Committee to be set up in each
district;
 Earliest release of under trials as per the provision of
law,;
 Empanelling competent lawyers for the under trials
and appointment of jail visiting advocates;
 Setting up of a legal aid clinic in every prison;
 Improvement in the living conditions of jails specially
for women;
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 Management Information System to be in place in all
jails;
 Legal literacy classes in prisons;
 Annual review of the implementation of the Model
Prison Manual 2016.
2. Modernization of Prisons scheme
The scheme for modernization of prisons was launched
in 2002-03 with the objective of improving the condition
of prisons, prisoners and prison personnel. Various
components included construction of new jails, repair
and renovation of existing jails, improvement in
sanitation and water supply etc.
3. Implement E-Prisons Project:
• Prison is a State subject and modernization of prisons
is undertaken by respective State Governments.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs supports the States/UTs
in implementing the E-Prisons project that aims to
introduce efficiency in prison management through
digitization.
• The E-prisons project supplements the Prisoner
Information Management system (PIMS), developed
by National Informatics Centre, which provides a
centralized approach for recording and managing
prisoner information and generating different kinds of
reports.
• The PIMS records Prisoner’s Basic Details, Family
Details, Biometrics (fingerprint), Photograph, Medical
Details, Prisoner Case History, Prisoner Movements,
Punishment details etc.
• The availability of these details on an electronic
platform will be useful to track the status of prisoners
and smooth functioning of the prison system.
• The National Legal Services Authority had also
launched a web application in 2017 to facilitate the
under trial prisoners for providing them free legal
services. The objective is to make the legal services
system more transparent and useful for all authorities
to monitor the provision of legal aid to prison inmates
to ensure that no prisoner goes unrepresented right
from the first day of his production in the Court.
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 Society and Social Justice
4. Under trials should be released on Bail:
th
• In 2017, 268 the Law Commission of India had
recommended that under trials who have completed
a third of their maximum sentence for offences
attracting up to seven years of imprisonment be
released on bail.
5. Legal Aid Facility to Undertrial Prisoners
• The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an advisory to
all States and UTs informing them about the Legal aid
facility available to under-trial prison inmates. Besides
this, Model Prison Manual 2016, which has a
dedicated chapter on Legal Aid, provides detailed
information about the legal services available to
prison inmates and also free legal services available to
them.
• The Manual was circulated to all States and UTs for
their guidance in May 2016. The information/
guidance provided to the States/ UTs in the form of
advisories and Model Prison Manual is intended to
provide assistance to under trial prison inmates.
6. Special courts
• Special fast-track courts should be set up to deal
exclusively with petty offences which have been
pending for more than five years.
• Such fast track Courts can hear petty offences where
imprisonment for an offence does not exceed 3 years.
7. Capacity building of prison staff: It is of
paramount importance that the prison staff is trained in
how to treat and deal with inmates. The Supreme Court,
in September 2017, has directed that there should be
proper training manuals for senior staff.
8. Post-release financial security for prisoners:
Wages that are paid to prisoners who are serving
sentences should be increased and should be on par
with global benchmarks. This will encourage the
prisoners to work hard and improve their savings for
their life outside prison.
9. Skill development of the prisoners
• The major role prisons should play is of reformation
and making sure that, once out, inmates are properly
integrated into society. That is possible when more
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skill development programs are introduced in the jails
to enhance their chances of earning.
• Skill Development will empower the prisoners
financially and will encourage them to lead a social life
when released. Such step helps in reforming the
behaviour and mindset of prisoners to learn to lead a
normal life.
10. Open prisons should be encouraged : Open
jails are special Jails that exclusively confines only
convicted prisoners. Convict Prisoners with good
behaviour, satisfying certain norms prescribed in the
prison rules are lodged in open prisons. Minimum
security is kept in such prisons and prisoners are
engaged in agricultural activities.
11. Implement important recommendations of
All India Jail Reforms Committee - Mulla
committee.
• National Prison Commission to oversee the
modernization of the prisons in India
• Putting a ban on clubbing together juvenile offenders
with the hardened criminals in prison and enacting a
comprehensive and protective legislation for the
security and protective care of delinquent juveniles.
12. Using Information and Communication
Technology – trials through video conferencing should
be encouraged especially during COVID times.
CONCLUSION
Prison administration is an important component of
criminal justice system. Prison institutions are known by
different names in different countries like ‘Correctional
Facilities’, ‘Detention Centre’, ‘Jails’, ‘Remand Centre’ etc.
There is a paradigm shift in social view point towards
prisoners in last century. Earlier system of prison with
punitive attitude where in inmates were forcibly confined
and deprived a variety of freedom as a form of
punishment has changed with a change in social
perception towards prison and prisoners. It is now
treated as correction or improvement facility which itself
indicates that there is more emphasis on reformation of
prisoners than to punish them. Thus, more steps should
be taken by prison administration to improve the
conditions of prisons in India and also to work towards
behavioural change of convicts and undertrials.
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 Society and Social Justice
SELF-HELP GROUPS AND
ONLINE MARKETING
#SHG #Social cohesion #Human Capital
IN NEWS
As part of the strategy for economic empowerment of
women self-help groups (SHGs), three departments of the
Rajasthan government have come together for branding
and competitive marketing of their products through
online platforms. Self-help groups are informal groups of
people who come together to address their common
problems.
• A new web portal will be shortly launched here for
helping out the SHGs. A retail counter of the Rajasthan
Grameen Ajeevika Vikas Parishad was also set up at
the government-run Rajasthali Emporium, popular
among tourists for promoting the sale of handicraft
items manufactured by women artisans.
• The Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, the Women
& Child Development and the Local Self Government
Departments have jointly formulated a plan to
empower the SHGs with focus on quality, branding
and marketing of their products.
• A common web portal for SHGs would incorporate
different aspects of value assessment, marketing,
innovations, training and online applications.
• The strategies are expected to make a significant
value addition to the production by SHGs.
IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL
• The term ‘Social Capital’ was first used by L. J. Hanifan,
a State Supervisor for Rural Schools in Virginia in 1916.
He used it in the context of the community’s
involvement in the successful running of schools. As a
concept, it received entry in social science literature in
the 1980s.
• Soon, it assumed an economic connotation and came
to be accepted as a factor of production in the
development theory. It refers to those institutions,
relationships, and norms that shape the quality and
quantity of a society’s interaction.
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• It consists of trust, mutual understanding, shared
values and behaviour that bind together the members
of a community and make cooperative action possible.
• The basic premise is that such interaction enables
people to build communities, to commit themselves to
each other, and to knit the social fabric.
• A sense of belonging and the concrete experience of
social networking (and the relationships of trust and
tolerance that evolve) can bring great benefits to
people.
SOCIAL CAPITAL ORGANISATIONS ARE
SUPPOSED TO PLAY FOUR CRUCIAL ROLES IN
SOCIETY
1. The Service Role: It encourages people to cope with
a public problem at the primary level. People tend to
let non-profit organisations lead the way in
responding to critical public needs. The non-profit
sector thus functions as a first line of defense, a
flexible mechanism through which people concerned
about a social or economic problem can begin to
respond, without having to convince a majority of
their fellow citizens that the problem deserves a
more general, government response. Non-profit
organisations are also available to sub-groups of the
population who desire a range of public goods that
exceeds what the government or society is willing to
support. Non-profit organisations have a readymade
role in planning hospitals, universities, social service
agencies and civil organisations.
2. The Value Guardian Role: The role of the non-profit
sector is to function as a “value guardian” in society,
as exemplar and as embodiment of a fundamental
value emphasizing individual initiative for the public
good just as private economic enterprises serve as
vehicles for promoting individual initiative for the
private good. In the process, non-profit bodies foster
pluralism, diversity and freedom. These values go
much beyond purposes such as improving health or
enhancing school enrolment. They are important as
expressions of what has come to be regarded as a
central feature of modern society – a sphere of
private action through which individuals can take
initiative, express their individuality, and exercise
freedom of expression and action.
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 Society and Social Justice
3. The Advocacy/Social Safety-Valve Role: Non-profit
organisations also play a vital role in mobilizing public
attention to societal problems and needs. They are
the principal vehicle through which communities can
give voice to their concerns. In fact, most of the social
movements that have animated western society over
the past century – the movement for women’s
suffrage, protection of civil rights and the initiative to
protect environment, all took shape within the non-
profit sector. By highlighting social and political
concerns, by giving voice to under-represented
people and by integrating these perspectives into
social and political life, these organisations function
as a kind of safety-valve that helps to preserve
democracy and maintain a degree of peace in the
contemporary polity and society.
4. The Community Building Role: Finally, non-profit
organisations play a vital role in creating and
sustaining social cohesiveness through bonds of trust
and reciprocity that seem to be pivotal for a
democratic society and a market economy to function
effectively.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
#Social Interaction #Social Cohesion #Civic
engagement
IN NEWS
Of the many victims of the COVID-19 pandemic are
social interactions, which leads to tolerance and
understanding between the majority and the
minority. A year of being homebound has deepened
divisions in a society already fraught with prejudices.
The propagation of stereotypes and the resulting
prejudices allow for, and even normalise, violence
against the minority.
HOW DO YOU MITIGATE A PREJUDICE IF IT IS SO
PERVASIVE AND INTENSE?
• In 1954, Gordon Allport published The Nature of
Prejudice, which contained, among other analyses of
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inter-group behaviour, a theory on prejudice.
Specifically, it contained a hypothesis on how to
reduce prejudice among majority and minority
groups, popularly called the ‘Contact Hypothesis’.
• The idea was simple: contact (with some caveats)
reduces prejudice. Subsequently, decades of social
psychology research arrived at a far simpler idea:
friendship reduces prejudice.
• Multiple studies have noted that frequent interactions
between members of different religious groups vastly
reduce negative perceptions and anxiety towards ‘the
other’. For instance, a youth study in 2017, conducted
by Lokniti-CSDS and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, found
that 83% of majority community members who had a
minority friend were comfortable having a non-
majority neighbour, compared to 70% of those who
did not have a non-majority community friend.
CLOSE INTERACTION WILL HAVE MINIMAL
EFFECT IF
• The attitudes of suspicion and negativity towards the
minorities are deeply entrenched in the Indian society.
• There is ghettoization of minorities. That ensures that
most instances of social interactions are effectively
denied, thereby limiting the building of lasting
friendships at workplaces and schools.
• If majority community members hold great respect
and affection for minority community friends, and not
hold the same view about the community as a whole
as they consider a their friend to be an ‘exception to
the rule’. As a result, whilst interactions do take place
and reduce prejudice, they do not cross a threshold
already laid down by generations of socialisation and
stereotypes.
• Prejudice is a peculiar phenomenon. It is sustained
through time, remains unaffected by even positive
interpersonal relations, and provides the ammunition
for communalism.
• Ashutosh Varshney explains in his book Ethnic
Conflict and Civic Life, that for peace and social
cohesion between majority and minority community
that must be civic engagement and redefining the
‘us’.
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 Society and Social Justice

• Ties need to be forged not just between individuals,
but also across larger communities such that the
relationships breach the confines of
identities and encompass a multitude of identities. Be
it local neighbourhood associations, professional
unions or linguistic associations, membership of this
civil society creates a new ‘us’. It allows society to
maintain open lines of communication, even during a
pandemic.
• It is not merely a data collection exercise as data
collected is used by all stake holders and users
religious including Ministries, Departments, State
Governments, research organisations etc.
• Data is shared even with the lowest administrative
unit i.e. Village/Ward level so that it can be used for
governance.
• Census data is a powerful tool for public policy when
combined with other administrative or survey data.

• Census data is used for the purpose of delimitation of

CASTE AND THE CENSUS constituencies as it is done based on population of a
given area.
#Caste based census #Social Justice
ARGUMENTS PROPOSED AGAINST USEFULNESS
OF DATA COLLECTED THROUGH CENSUS
• The synchronous decennial Census going back to the
CONTEXT
colonial exercise of 1881 has evolved over time and
Many have raised concern regarding Census exercise while has been used by the government, policy makers,
highlighting the need to use census data for overall academics, and others to capture the Indian
benefits of the society including mapping social and population, its access to resources, and to map social
financial inequalities, using census data to other large change.
datasets such as the National Sample Surveys or the
• However, as early as the 1940s, W.W.M. Yeatts, Census
National Family Health Surveys that cover issues that the
Commissioner for India for the 1941 Census had
Census exercises do not, such as maternal health.
pointed out that, “the census is a large, immensely
It important for the exam to understand the benefits and powerful, but blunt instrument unsuited for specialised
concerns on conducting decennial exercise of Census enquiry”.
along with understanding about Caste Census.
• This point has also surfaced in later critiques offered
ABOUT CENSUS by scholars who consider the Census as both a data
collection effort and a technique of governance, but
• The responsibility of conducting the decennial Census
not quite useful enough for a detailed and
rests with the Office of the Registrar General and
comprehensive understanding of a complex society.
Census Commissioner, India under Ministry of Home
Affairs. CONCERNS ON CASTE DATA
• Conduct of census in India is guided by the Census • The other concern is whether an institution such as
Act, 1948. caste can even be captured completely by the Census.
• Census is conducted every 10 years. • So the questions remain as to whether the Socio
Economic and Caste Census (SECC) is able to cover the
BENEFITS
effects of caste as an aspect of Indian social structure
• The census provides authentic information on
in everyday life, or at least to illuminate our
demography, economic activity, literacy and
understanding of its impact at varying scales — from
education, housing and household amenities,
the local, to the regional and to the national scale.
urbanisation, fertility and mortality, scheduled castes
• Since the Census falls under the Census Act of 1948,
and scheduled tribes, language, religion, migration,
all data are considered confidential, whereas
disability and many other socio-cultural and
according to the SECC website, “all the personal
demographic data.
information given in the Socio Economic Caste Census

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 Society and Social Justice
(SECC) is open for use by Government departments to
grant and/or restrict benefits to households”.
• The Census thus provides a portrait of the Indian
population, while the SECC is a tool to identify
beneficiaries of state support. This difference is
significant since it influences not only the methods of
collection but also the use and potential for misuse of
data.
DELAY IN RELEASE OF CENSUS DATA
• Another argument raised against census exercise is
the time lag between each Census, and delay in the
release of data.
• Delay in release of data has important repercussions
to understanding social change since data may remain
un-released or released only in parts. For example,
nearly a decade after the SECC, a sizeable amount of
data remains unreleased.
SOCIO ECONOMIC AND CASTE CENSUS (SECC)
2011
• The Ministry of Rural Development commenced the
Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, in June
2011 through a comprehensive door to door
enumeration across the country.
• However, because of the lack of reliability of the data
collected, or its political and electoral sensitivity, the
caste portion of the SECC has not been disclosed so
far.
• The State government could possibly seek access to
this data pertaining to Tamil Nadu as part of its
exercise.
THE SECC, 2011 HAD THE FOLLOWING
OBJECTIVES
• To enable households to be ranked based on their
Socio- Economic status.
• Identify below poverty line persons for government
benefit schemes in urban and rural areas.
• To make available authentic information to enable
caste-wise population enumeration of the country.
• To make available authentic information regarding the
socio economic condition, and education status of
various castes and sections of the population.
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RECOMMENDATIONS OF EXPERT GROUP ON
SECC 2011
In 2017, government constituted an Expert Group under
the Chairmanship of former Finance Secretary Shri Sumit
Bose for: Studying the objective criteria for allocation of
resources to; and Identification and prioritization of
beneficiaries under various programme using Socio
Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data.
• The SECC has the potential to move from being only a
census-like socio-economic database to becoming the
core of a functioning Social Registry Information
System (SRIS).
• SRIS would result in several advantages in
implementation of social sector schemes.
• It has the potential to:
o streamline programme administration,
o reduce duplication of benefit and fraud,
o saving on time and costs for both programme
applicants and services providers,
o monitoring the living standards of beneficiaries over
time,
o better targeting of vulnerable and marginalized
sections of the society and
o enable expansion of the coverage of the programmes.
• The use of SECC data would lead to better budgetary
planning and allocation of resources for various
programmes.
Further,
• It will present the correct picture of socio-economic
status of various castes in any particular state.
• Such data will help the state governments to ensure
how much reservation is actually necessary for any
given caste.
• Comprehensive caste based data will help to figure
out the economic status of various castes in different
states.
• State can plan accordingly their welfare schemes for
the most backward castes based on their need and
socio-economic conditions.
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• It will satisfy demand of various groups/ castes/ tribes/
communities and will overall reduce agitation over
caste based reservations.
NEED FOR CASTE BASED ENUMERATION
• Land fragmentation and decades of agricultural
stagnation have turned many upper caste landowners
into marginal farmers. Whereas rising rural wage has
benefitted some of the backward classes including
dalits.
• Caste based mobilization along political lines have
increased over a period of years. This has also led to
increase in demand for reservation in jobs.
• The real challenge lies in recognising the need for a
caste based census to find a possible solution for the
growing demands of reservation for different castes
and communities across India.
• Thus, a caste census in 2021 will reveal the changed
circumstances of rural and urban landscape of India
including their economic condition.
• Such a detailed data will further help in rationalizing
reservation policy as per need of a specific caste or
community.
WAY FORWARD
• While the Census authorities present documents on
methodology as part of a policy of transparency, there
needs to be a closer and continuous engagement
between functionaries of the Census and SECC, along
with academics and other stakeholders concerned,
since the Census and the SECC are projects of
governance as well as of academic interest.
• Before another SECC is conducted, a stocktaking of
the previous exercise, of what has been learnt from it,
and what changes are necessary, beyond changing
exclusionary criteria for beneficiaries of state support,
are crucial to enable the Census to facilitate effective
policy work and academic reflection.
• Concerns about methodology, relevance, rigour,
dissemination, transparency and privacy need to be
taken seriously to achieve the purpose of Census
exercise in India.
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GLOBAL URBANIZATION
#Globalisation #Urbanisation
CONCEPT
Global urbanization is the outcome of three main
demographic trends:
• Natural increase. The outcome of more births than
deaths in urban areas, a direct function of the fertility
rate as well as the quality of healthcare systems (lower
mortality rates, particularly for infants). Phases in the
demographic transition are commonly linked with
urbanization rates, with peak growth years
corresponding to large differences between birth and
death rates. Although natural increase played an
essential role in the past, it is of much lesser
importance today as fertility rates in many developed
economies have dropped significantly. In some cases
like Western Europe, Japan, and South Korea, fertility
is below the replacement rate.
• Rural to urban migrations. This has been a strong
urbanization factor, particularly in the developing
world, where migration accounted for between 40 and
60% of urban growth. Migration endured since the
beginning of the industrial revolution in the 19th
century. It first took place massively in the developed
world in the first half of the 20th century and then in
the developing world since the second half of the 20th
century. The factors behind rural to urban migrations
may involve the expectation to find employment,
improved agricultural productivity, which frees rural
labor or even political and environmental problems
where populations are constrained to leave the
countryside. The industrialization of coastal China and
its integration into the global trade system since the
1980s has led to the largest rural to urban migration
in history. According to the United Nations Population
Fund, about 18 million people migrate from rural
areas to cities each year in China alone.
• International migration. The growth in international
migration has been an important factor in the
urbanization of major gateway cities, such as Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, London, and Paris. This
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process tends to occur in the largest cities, but there is
a trickle-down to cities of smaller size.
Urbanization is occurring in accordance with the
development of urban transport systems, particularly
in terms of their capacity and efficiency.
o Historically, movements within cities tended to be
restricted to walking, which made urban mobility
rather inefficient and time-consuming. Thus, activity
nodes tended to be agglomerated, and urban
forms compact with mixed uses.
o Many modern cities have inherited an urban form
created under such circumstances, even though they
are no longer prevailing. The dense urban cores of
many European and East Asian cities, for example,
enable residents to make between one third and two-
thirds of all trips by walking and cycling.
o At the other end of the spectrum, the dispersed urban
forms of most Australian, Canadian, and American
cities, which were built more recently, encourages
automobile dependency and are linked with high
levels of mobility.
o Still, Chinese cities have experienced a high level of
motorization, implying the potential of convergence
towards more uniform urban forms.
o Many cities are also port cities with trade playing an
enduring role not only for the economic vitality but
also in the urban spatial structure, with the port
district being an important node.
o Airports terminals have also been playing a growing
role in the urban spatial structure as they can be
considered as cities within cities.
o The evolution of transportation has generally led
to changes in urban form. The more radical the
changes in transport technology, the more the
alterations on the urban form.
Among the most fundamental changes in the urban form
is the emergence of new clusters in peripheral areas
expressing new urban activities and new relationships
between elements of the urban system. Many cities are
assuming a polycentric form a change that is associated
with new mobility patterns. The central business
district (CBD), once the primary destination of
commuters and serviced by public transportation, has
been transformed by new manufacturing, retailing, and
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management practices. Whereas traditional
manufacturing depended on centralized workplaces and
transportation, technological and transportation
developments rendered modern industry more flexible.
In many cases, manufacturing relocated in a suburban
setting, if not altogether, to entirely new low-cost
locations offshore. Retail and office activities are also
suburbanizing, producing changes in the urban form.
Concomitantly, many important transport terminals,
namely port facilities, and railyards, have emerged in
suburban areas following new requirements in modern
freight distribution brought in part by containerization.
The urban spatial structure shifted from a nodal to a
multi-nodal character, implying new forms of urban
development and new connections to regional and
global economic processes.
Initially, suburban growth mainly took place adjacent to
major road corridors, leaving plots of vacant or farmland
in between. Later, intermediate spaces were gradually
filled up, more or less coherently. Highways and ring
roads, which circled and radiated from cities, favoured
the development of suburbs and the emergence
of important sub-centres that compete with the central
business district for the attraction of economic activities.
As a result, many new job opportunities have shifted to
the suburbs, and the activity system of cities has been
considerably modified. Depending on the economic
sector they specialize in, cities and even different parts of
a metropolitan area can be experiencing development at
entirely different rates (or even decline), leading to a
highly heterogeneous urban landscape. These changes
have occurred according to a variety of geographical and
economic contexts, notably in North America and
Europe, as each subsequent phase of urban
transportation developments led to different spatial
structures. Sometimes, particularly when new modern
urban road infrastructures are built, the subsequent
changes in the urban form can be significant.
Two processes had a substantial impact on
contemporary urban forms:
• Urban sprawl has been dominant in North America
since the end of World War II, where land is abundant,
transportation costs were low, and where the
economy became dominated by tertiary and
quaternary activities. Under such circumstances, a
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 Society and Social Justice

strong negative relationship between urban density suburb-to-suburb commuting. As a result, suburban
and automobile use emerged. In the context of cities highways are often as congested as urban highways.
with high automobile dependency, their built-up areas
have grown at a faster rate than their populations,
resulting in declining densities. In addition,
commuting became relatively inexpensive compared
with land costs, so households had an incentive to buy
lower-priced housing at the urban periphery.
Wherever there is motorization, a pattern of sprawl
takes shape.

• The decentralization of activities resulted in two

opposite effects. First, commuting time has remained
relatively stable in duration. Second, commuting
increasingly tends to be longer in terms of distance
and made by using the automobile rather than by
public transit. Most transit and road systems were
developed to facilitate suburb-to-city, rather than

POSSIBLE URBAN MOBILITY PATTERNS

URBAN TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT PATHS
• Although transportation systems and travel patterns
have changed considerably over time, one enduring
feature remains that most people are willing to travel
associated with different travel speeds and capacity.
As a result, cities that rely primarily on non-motorized
transport tend to be more compact than automobile-
dependent cities.

between 30-40 minutes in one direction, which is
known as Marchetti’s constant. Globally, people are
spending about 1.2 hours per day commuting,
wherever this takes place in a low or a high mobility
setting. Different transport technologies, however, are
• Transport technology thus plays a significant role in
defining urban form and the spatial pattern of various
activities. Still, the evolution of the urban form is path-
dependent, implying that the current spatial structure
is the outcome of past developments, but that those

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 Society and Social Justice
developments were strongly related to local
conditions involving the setting, physical constraints,
and investments in transportation infrastructures. It
takes substantial effort and long-term commitment to
change the spatial structure of a city in a noticeable
manner.
DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR
COMMUNITY FOREST,
HABITAT RIGHTS
#Habitat Rights #Social Justice
IN NEWS
Gram Sabhas will have more power in the management of
community forest rights (CFR) and habitat rights,
according to new guidelines drafted by the Union Ministry
of Tribal Affairs (MoTA). An increased representation of
various user groups such as the graziers, minor forest
produce collectors, women and other groups dependent
on forest including hamlets also find mention in the two
drafts.
The drafts were prepared by the two committees formed
by MoTA. The committee to manage CFR was headed by
former civil servant and member of the Planning
Commission NC Saxena; the one to look into habitat rights
was by headed by former secretary of MoTA Hrusikesh
Panda. They have submitted the drafts to the Union tribal
ministry for review.
The guidelines for CFR are aimed at creating community
forests resource management committee (CFRMC) as an
executive arm of the Gram Sabha in managing CFR areas.
POWER GIVEN TO GRAM SABHA IN THE DRAFT
The Gram Sabha will:
• Integrate the committees that had traditional rights
with for protection of wildlife, forest and biodiversity,
catchment areas, water sources and other ecological
sensitive areas.
• Be empowered to carry out the powers and authority
as laid down under section 5 of FRA.
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• File complaint before the state level monitoring
committee (SLMC) under section 7 and 8 of the Act in
case of any violation.
• Make rules and issue appropriate directions for
governance and conservation of CFR, including
functions of CFRMC; conflict / dispute resolution;
benefit sharing; issuance of transit permit; fund
management and etc., regulating powers, functions
and activities of the CFRMC.
• Make rules or issue directions for management of
fund generated from various sources.
• Approve CFR conservation and management plan /
strategies / actions prepared / suggested by the
CFRMC. If required, the Gram Sabha can modify
suggested plans / actions / strategies including CFR
conservation and management plans.
• Appoint any person or hire any institution for
extending support to the Gram Sabha for preparation
of CFR conservation and management plan, financial
management system or activities coming under the
purview of the Gram Sabha.
• Resolve any conflict or dispute related to the CFR
governance and management.
The guidelines also propose financial independence of
the Gram Sabha through a fund, which would get the
money from the sale of forest produce, development
grant from the government and non-profits as well as
compensatory afforestation funds.
Under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act [FRA] 2006,
Gram Sabhas can claim collective ownership over a patch
of forest traditionally owned and used by the village in
the form of CFR. The provision grants them the right to
manage and conserve their CFR area.
HABITAT RIGHTS
• Habitat rights under the FRA are granted to the
particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG).
• Since the PVTGs are pre-agriculture communities,
these rights are given over a fairly large area.
However, the FRA isn’t clear on the nature of the right.
• Section 3(1)(e) of the Act says that these rights “include
community tenures of habitat and habitation for
primitive tribal groups and pre-agricultural
communities.”
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 Society and Social Justice
• In the first habitat right granted to Madhya Pradesh’s
Baiga community in 2015, a tiger was used as an
example to explain the community’s habitat. Tigers
roam a large area in a forest when they hunt, and
national parks as a whole become the habitat of the
tiger, not just its dwelling, which could be a cave.
• There are 75 PVTG communities across India and yet,
only a few habit rights titles have been given so far.
MoTA, therefore, constituted an expert committee in
February, 2020 to improve recognition and vesting
process of community rights under FRA with special
focus on habitat rights of PVTG.
The draft created by the committee observes that FRA
doesn’t define habitat, but merely hints at its
importance. It also defines habitat as places where tribal
and other traditional forest dwellers have ancient
connections in spiritual, cultural, social (burial grounds,
birth places, temples, deities, lands perceived as abodes
of deities including ancestors, sacred lands and plants,
and areas used for festivals and processions) and
livelihood matters (areas used for forest produce
collection, fishing sources, seasonal cultivation areas,
and collection of medicinal plants.
The draft said: “Habitat rights can be defined as a bundle of
rights comprising of these connections with the landscape:
livelihood, social, and cultural practices embedded in the
territory that forms their habitat. Many of these rights are
not necessarily exclusive to one community and are often
shared with other communities living in the habitat area
based on traditions of mutuality and reciprocity.”
It also draws a distinction between habitat rights and CFR
saying that the latter are more important for fulfilling the
material needs of the communities, such as livelihood
generation, and may not include the entirety of the
spiritual connection or belonging that a community feels
with the landscape.
The following are included in habitat rights:
• Right to perform all customary religious or cultural
ceremonies in the landscape related to their clans;
• Right to protect and conserve the natural entities and
sacred sites recognised under habitat rights;
• Right to protect and conserve places important for
religious and spiritual purposes such as sacred groves;
the right of passage to abodes of deities in forests, hill
tops, origin of rivers and other remote parts of
forests;
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• Right to practice traditional cultivation systems and
other livelihood generating activities including
seasonal resource use;
• Habitat rights exclude any traditional right of hunting
or trapping or extracting a part of the body of any
species of wild animal.
ELECTED PANCHAYATS
AND MGNREGS WOMEN
#MGNREGS & Gender Empowerment #Panchayat
and female leadership
IN NEWS
According to official data from the MGNREGS State
Mission, of the 15,961 recently elected village panchayats
members, 2,007 are MGNREGS workers. This is probably
the largest representation of NREGS workers in panchayat
bodies.
Considering women make up around 90 per cent of NREGS
workers in Kerala, it’s no surprise that 1,863 of the 2,007
NREGS winners at the village-level are women.
Besides, 147 NREGS workers — 140 of them women —
have been elected to various block panchayats (there are
2,081 members in all at the block panchayat level).
• According to MGNREGS State Mission officials, these
figures are a sign of grassroot-level empowerment. It’s
a sign of the strength of our democracy and
Panchayati Raj System.
• Each group of MGNREGS workers has a mate, who
manages the workers, prepares muster rollers and
interacts directly with panchayat officials and people’s
representatives. This experience helps them acquire
leadership qualities and management skills. The
recent victories also go to show that MGNREGS has
created grassroot-level leaders — one of the key
impacts of the scheme on society.
• Many of the women MGNREGS workers are also part
of the Kudumbashree Mission, Kerala’s flagship
poverty alleviation and women empowerment
scheme.
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• In the wake of the Covid-19 induced economic crisis, IN NEWS

the demand for NREGS has gone up sharply in the
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released the 16th
state, with several workers, cutting across age and
edition of the Global Risk Report, 2021. Report findings
gender, enrolling for the scheme.
are based on the Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS).
GRPS was undertaken by more than 650 members of

GLOBAL RISK REPORT leadership communities of WEF.

The aim of Global Risk Report, 2021, is to highlight the

2021 risks and consequences of widening inequalities and
increasing societal fragmentation, due to the COVID-19
# Risks of widening inequalities #Risk of pandemic, in 2021 and over the next decade.
infectious disease

KEY TAKEAWAYS OF THE REPORT

TOP RISK BY IMPACT • As of January 20, over 94 million people were infected
and 2.06 million people died due to COVID-
The risk posed by infectious diseases has been ranked
19, according to the WHO.
as no. 1 on the list of risks, while in 2020 was listed
at 10th place.

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 Society and Social Justice

• While it has been the worst-ever health crisis faced by o Improving risk communications and combating
the world, it held back the economic development in misinformation.
some of the poorest parts of the world. As a result, o Exploring new forms of public-private
the existing economic gap between the rich and poor partnership on risk preparedness.
in the world has widened.

• The human and economic costs of COVID-19 are

severe and hence, infectious diseases
immediate threat faced by the world at least for the
next two years, cautioned the report.
• At the same time, all the countries diverted their
resources from other health challenges. For example,
vaccination programmes across the world were
disrupted and postponed.
• Even before the pandemic, more than 13 million
children were left out of all
programmes and at least 20 million children below
the age of one did not receive recommended doses
against common preventable diseases, according to
UNICEF.
12 NEW RISKS
th
The 16 edition of the WEF annual report added 12 new
risks to the previous list. These include:
• The collapse of systemically important industries;
• Social security systems or multilateral institutions;
• Deteriorating mental health;
• Mass youth disillusion;
• Prolonged economic stagnation;
• Fracturing international relations,
• A ‘pervasive backlash’ against science;
• Digital inequality and the failure of technology
governance.
are an PMAY FOR RAPID
URBANISATION
#Housing for All #Low Cost housing
IN NEWS
The Union Government has said that more than one crore
immunisation
houses have been approved under the Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana PMAY(U) (Urban) till date. The construction of
more than 70 lakh houses is in various stages and more
than 41 lakh houses have been completed.
The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said, the
construction of 1,68,606 new houses have been approved
in the 52nd Meeting of the Central Sanctioning and
Monitoring Committee under the scheme. The Ministry
said, 14 States and Union Territories participated in this
meeting.
Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
urged the States and UTs to strategize the expeditious
implementation of PMAY (U) projects.
LIGHT HOUSE PROJECTS
• Recently foundation stone of six Light House
Projects in six cities as part of the Global Housing
Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) initiative
was laid.

RECOMMENDATIONS • The aim of the programme is to build around 1,000

houses each in Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot
According to the report, response to COVID-19 offers
(Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand),
four governance opportunities to strengthen the overall
Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) over a
resilience of countries, businesses, and the international
period of 12 months.
community:
• India is undergoing rapid urbanization. While 31% of
o Formulating analytical frameworks that take a
India’s population lived in urban areas as per Census
holistic and systems-based view of risk impacts.
2011, this number is expected to grow to 40% by 2030
o Investing in high-profile risk champions to with a contribution of 75% of India’s Gross Domestic
encourage national leadership and international Product (GDP). Large sections of the society are
cooperation. migrating to urban areas for better job opportunities

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 Society and Social Justice
and quality of life from rural areas. These Cities need
to provide a receptive, innovative and productive
environment, which can promote faster
sustainable growth ensuring a better quality of living.
Hence it is imperative to have a comprehensive
strategy to fulfil the rising demand in the housing
sector.
GLOBAL HOUSING TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE
• Aim
o to identify and mainstream a basket of innovative
construction technologies from across the globe for
housing construction sector that are sustainable, eco-
friendly and disaster-resilient.
o to develop an eco-system to deliver on
technological challenges of the housing construction
sector in a holistic manner.
• The GHTC - India will also converge with other existing
centrally sponsored schemes and Missions such as
Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation
and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Swachh Bharat
(U), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY -U),
National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM), Ujjwalla,
Ujala, Make in India, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM),
Skill India Mission amongst others.
• The cooperation extended by the States has been
strengthening cooperative federalism.
IMPORTANCE OF THE ADOPTION OF NEW AND
INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
• Higher speed and quality of work under PMAY (U)
would help fulfil the vision of ‘Housing for All’ by 2022.
• Cost effective and speedier while enabling the quality
construction of houses, meeting diverse geoclimatic
conditions and desired functional needs.
• Typically conventional construction systems (such as
the use of brick and mortar) are slow paced, energy
intensive, dependent on natural resources and
have a large carbon footprint.
• Contribute towards achieving the ‘Sustainable
Development Goals’ (SDGs) as laid out by the United
Nations (UN), the ‘New Urban Agenda’ and the ‘Paris
Climate Accord’ to which India is a signatory and
other such international commitments. Such
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technology transition aligns well with the vision of
‘New India 2022’.
and • Foster an environment of research and
development in the country.
• LHPs will serve as live laboratories for facilitating
transfer of technology to the field and its further
replication.
• Deliver on the technological challenges of the housing
construction sector in a holistic manner.
• Growth of ancillary industries and provide the
required skill set in the innovative and alternative
construction regime.
• Labourers will gain from being trained and skill
the enabled for employment in modernized construction
industry that is envisaged by MoHUA, thereby
accessing higher paying jobs.
• Improved living conditions and environment with a
sense of dignity.
MoHUA has, therefore, conceptualized a Global Housing
Technology Challenge-India (GHTC- India) to enable a
paradigm shift in the construction sector. A concerted
effort is required to create mass awareness to accept a
technology transition from conventional to new
technologies through lighthouse projects, expositions
and other outreach methods that will mainstream its use
MODERN CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES
• The LHP at Ranchi is being constructed using the
technology ‘3 D Volumetric Precast Concrete
Construction System’ that originated from Germany.
• Indore will showcase ‘Prefabricated Sandwich Panel
System’ that originated in China.
• Rajkot will be ‘Monolithic Concrete Construction
using Tunnel Formwork’, a technology that comes
from France.
• ‘Precast Concrete Construction System’ technology
will be used at Chennai, that has come from Finland
and the US.
• ‘Structural Steel Frame with Light Gauge Steel
Infill Panels’ system from New Zealand will be used at
Agartala.
• The LHP at Lucknow will have a technology from
a
Canada called ‘PVC Stay In Place Formwork System’.
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SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE PRECAST CONCRETE REASONS FOR VACCINE HESITANCY

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM • The main issue with Vaccine hesitancy
• About 90% of the building work including finishing is is misinformation. Social media is used in stirring
complete in plant/casting yard leading to significant fear in people by falsely blaming vaccines for
reduction in construction & occupancy time. unrelated diseases.

• The controlled factory environment brings resource
optimization, and improved quality, precision & finish
• The concrete can use industrial by-products such as
Fly Ash, Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS),
Micro silica etc. resulting in improved workability &
durability, while also conserving natural resources.
• Eliminates use of plaster.
• The monolithic casting of walls & floor of a building
module reduces the chances of leakage
• Propaganda that the vaccine may contain microbes,
chemicals and animal-derived products which is
forbidden by religious laws.
o For example, recently some sections in India are
refraining from the polio vaccine. This is due to the
misconception that the polio vaccine caused illness,
infertility and was ineffective.
• Inconvenience in accessing vaccines is also the
leading cause of Vaccine hesitancy.

• The system has minimal material wastage (saving in WAY FORWARD

material cost), helps in keeping neat & clean Practical tips for addressing Vaccine hesitancy in
construction site and dust free environment. primary care include

• Optimum use of water through recycling. • Vaccination as the default approach:

• All weather construction & better site organization o France has made vaccination with 11 vaccines

As part of ‘Construction Technology Year’, besides mandatory for children—unvaccinated children

LHPs, a Certificate Course on Innovative Construction cannot be enrolled at nurseries or schools.

Technologies namely NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, o In Australia, parents of children who are not
Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian vaccinated are denied the universal Family
Housing) and a Compendium of 54 innovative housing Allowance welfare payments.
construction technologies has been identified through • Transparency: Vaccine manufacturer can provide
GHTC-India. honest information about side effects and
reassurance on a robust vaccine safety system. They

VACCINE HESITANCY
can also provide vaccination-related FAQ's, answering
questions on benefits, safety, and immunologic
#Vaccine Hesitancy #Benefits of vaccine aspects of vaccines and links to a number of online
resources for physicians and parents.
#Health & Disease • Persuasion: People with credibility should come
forward to dispel the myths leading to Vaccine
hesitancy.

IN NEWS Vaccine hesitancy is threatening the historical

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) in a achievements made in reducing the burden of infectious

report held that Vaccine hesitancy is among the top 10 diseases, which have plagued humanity for centuries. A

threats to global health in 2019. collaborative effort between paediatricians, family

doctors, parents, public health officials, governments, the
WHO defines Vaccine hesitancy as a delay in acceptance
technology sector, and civil society will allow myths and
or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of
misinformation around vaccination to be dispelled.
vaccination services. Vaccine hesitancy has been
reported in more than 90% of countries in the world.

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 Society and Social Justice

INTERNATIONAL # Convention on Homework # Home-based

workers
MIGRATION 2020
#International Migration #Migrants welfare
#Social Justice ISSUE
Post COVID-19, ILO calls for national-level policy on
those working from home. There is a need to develop
effective policies for home-based workers and ensure
KEY FINDING
their proper implementation even as the practice
• Currently, international migrants represent about had increased since the novel coronavirus disease
3.6% of the world's population. (COVID-19) pandemic, the International Labour
• COVID-19 has curbed the number of international Organization (ILO) said in a new report.
migrants and reduced remittance flows.
OBSERVATIONS BY ILO
• As of 2020, 65% of all international migrants
• Just 10 countries had ratified the Convention on
worldwide, lived in high-income countries. Majority of
Homework nearly 25 years since it was adopted by the
international migrants originate from middle-income
International Labour Conference June 20, 1996.
countries.
Convention aims to promote and protect the rights of
• Europe has largest number of international migrants
those who work at home creating products for an
in2020 followed by Northern America.
employer.
• In 2020, Women and girls comprise 48% of all
• Despite contributing significantly to the economy,
international migrants.
home-based working had remained “invisible”.
• Most of the world's refugees are hosted by low- and
• It also noted that the propensity of women to work
middle-income countries
from home — 11.5 per cent — was much higher than
• In recent years, a growing number of countries have
that of men (5.6 per cent).
focused on providing options for safe, orderly and
regular migration. • The report of ILO talked about three main types of
home-based workers:
FINDINGS RELATED TO INDIA
o Industrial home-based workers, who are involved in
• Indian diaspora is the largest in the world, with
the production of goods including artisanal
18million people living outside their homeland in
production, such as making of handicrafts, rolling of
2020. UAE, US and Saudi Arabia host the largest
beedis, making of laces, etc.
numbers of migrants from India.
o Teleworkers, who use information and
• Migration from India is largely motivated by labour
communication technologies to perform their work
and family reasons, forced displacement is a much
remotely.
smaller category (about 10%) in the total.
• Indian diaspora is comprised predominantly of people o Home-based digital platform workers, who are ‘crowd
who are working, but also students and people who workers’ that perform service-sector tasks as specified
moved for family reasons. by employers or intermediaries

ILO’S RECOMMENDATIONS

ILO CONVENTION ON • Governments need to play a major role to protect

home-workers. They need to adopt a national policy

HOMEWORK on home-based work.

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• It called upon governments to develop and implement
a gender-responsive legal and policy framework that
provided equal treatment for all categories of home-
based workers in relation to other wage earners.
• This included facilitating the transition of informal
workers to formal employment.
• The report also said home-based workers needed to
be counted better to record their earnings, hours
worked and other conditions of employment.
• The labour registries needed to be revised to
incorporate “place of work” and count those home-
based workers who went missing due to poor labour
registries. Few countries had labour inspection
schemes adapted for home-based work, the report
noted.
• The report called for better compliance,
protection, occupational safety and social security for
industrial home-based workers.
• Linking rehabilitation process to schemes under which
they can immediately start earning like MNREGA.
• Increase one-time cash assistance for rehabilitation
from 40,000 to 1 lakh and it should be paid directly.
• Specify Nationalized Bank for each State for extending
loans to Manual Scavengers and their dependents to
take up business Activity.
• Facilitate shift to use of technology and training
workers in operating technology.
• Fixing accountability on concerned authorities for
incorrectly reporting number of manual scavengers.
Manual Scavenging is defined as removal of human
excrement from public streets and dry latrines, cleaning
septic tanks, gutters and sewers. Official records show
that manual scavenging has led to 376 deaths over past
legal five years.

• It said teleworkers were at the risk of working OXFAM’ S REPORT ON

overtime and hence recommended the “right to
disconnect” on their behalf.
NHRC ON MANUAL
SCAVENGING
#Eradication of manual scavenging #Social
Justice
IN NEWS
Taking cognizance of false claims of zero manual
scavenging made by many States, NHRC has made
following recommendations to the Centre to eradicate
INEQUALITY, 2021
#Oxfam report on inequality #Increase in
inequality during COVID
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
• Easy consolidation for Billionaires - It took just nine
months for the fortunes of the top 1,000 billionaires to
return to their pre-pandemic highs, while for the
world’s poorest, recovery could take more than a
decade.
• The increase in the wealth of the 10 richest
billionaires since the crisis began is more than

manual scavenging: enough to prevent anyone on Earth from falling into

poverty because of the virus and to pay for a COVID-
• Expand definition of manual scavenging to cover other
types of hazardous cleaning or enactment of a new 19 vaccine for all. 87% global economists think that

law for hazardous cleaning. coronavirus will lead to an increase or a major

increase in income inequality in their country.
• Penal actions to prevent discrimination and
harassment faced by children of manual scavengers • Unequal Distribution of workforce between Men &
and women manual scavengers. Women - 112 million fewer women would be at high
risk of losing their incomes or jobs if women and men

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 Society and Social Justice
were equally represented in sectors negatively
affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
• Working women severely hit during COVID-19 -
56% respondents think that coronavirus will likely or
very likely lead to an increase in gender inequality in
their country. Globally, women are overrepresented in
the sectors of the economy that are hardest hit by the
pandemic.
• Racial Inequality - In Brazil, people of Afro-descent
have been 40% more likely to die of COVID-19 than
White people. 9 If their death rate had been the same
as White Brazilians’, then as of June 2020, over 9,200
Afro-descendants would have still been alive. In the
US, Latinx and Black people are more likely to die of
COVID-19 than White people.
• Wealth Inequality - 78% of respondents think that
coronavirus will lead to an increase or a major
increase in wealth inequality in their country.
• Lack of Plan to tackle Inequality - 67% of
respondents think that their government does not
have a plan in place to mitigate the increase in
inequality likely because of coronavirus.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
The crisis has exposed our collective frailty and the
inability of our deeply unequal economy to work for all.
Yet it has also shown us the vital importance of
government action to protect our health and livelihoods.
Accordingly, Oxfam has identified five steps toward a
better world.
1. Moving Beyond GDP to actual development that
matters - The government must set concrete, time-
bound targets to reduce inequality. We must move
beyond the focus from GDP to important social
indicators of development such as health, education,
job security and standard of living. Governments must
move beyond a focus on Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) and start to value what really matters. Fighting
inequality must be at the heart of economic rescue
and recovery efforts. This must include gender and
racial equality. Countries like South Korea, Sierra
Leone and New Zealand have committed to reducing
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inequality as a national priority, showing what can be
done.
2. Invest in free universal healthcare, education, and
other public services - Universal public services are
the foundation of free and fair societies and have
unparalleled power to reduce inequality, including
gender and caste inequality. An immediate step could
be delivering a free ‘people’s vaccine’ to all citizens to
tackle the pandemic.
3. Greater Job Security with benefits - Covid has
shown us that guaranteed income security is essential
and for this to happen citizens need not just living
wages but also far greater job security, with labour
rights, sick pay, paid parental leave and
unemployment benefits if people lose their jobs. All
these aspects of labour reforms must be taken
immediately.
4. Reintroduce wealth taxes and ensure financial
transaction taxes while putting an end to tax dodging.
Progressive taxation is the cornerstone of any
equitable recovery, as it will enable investment in a
green, equitable future. Argentina showed the way by
adopting a temporary solidarity wealth tax on the
extremely wealthy that could generate over $3 billion.
5. Invest in a green economy that prevents further
degradation of our planet and preserves it for our
children. Climate breakdown is the biggest threat ever
to human existence. It is already destroying the
livelihoods and taking the lives of the poorest,
economically excluded and historically oppressed
communities. Women in these communities are
among the most affected. To prevent this, we need to
build a green economy that prevents further
degradation of our planet and preserves it for our
children. We need an end to all subsidies for fossil
fuels, and an end to fossil fuel corporations and their
rich shareholders making profits from government
bailouts. The fight against inequality and the fight for
climate justice are no different and is essentially the
same fight.
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 Society and Social Justice

CONCLUSION has incredible talent, huge wealth and infinite

imagination. We must put these assets to work to build a
The pandemic has shown us that massive action by
more equal human economy that benefits everyone, not
governments is possible in the face of a crisis. Humanity
just the privileged few.

practice questions
descriptive Questions
Q1. In the last few decades, Women’s self-help groups in rural India have pushed past obstacles and boosted

household incomes. Comment

Q2. Can MGNREGA be a tool for post-COVID-19 rural recovery? Discuss.

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 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)

AVIAN INFLUENZA FLU

viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds
worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird

#Health and animal species. Avian flu viruses do not normally

ISSUE
Avian influenza refers to the disease caused by infection
with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses. These
infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with
avian flu viruses have occurred.
The links below offer more information about avian
influenza.

WHAT ARE THESE DIFFERENT SUBTYPES • Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes on the

DENOTED WITH H AND N ? basis of two proteins on the surface of the virus:
hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA).

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 Science & Technology
• There are 18 known HA subtypes and 11 known NA
subtypes. Many different combinations of HA and NA
proteins are possible.
• For example, an “H7N2 virus” designates an influenza
A virus subtype that has an HA 7 protein and an NA 2
protein. Similarly, an “H5N1” virus has an HA 5 protein
and an NA 1 protein.
HOW DO DOMESTICATED BIRDS BECOME
INFECTED?
Domesticated birds (chickens, turkeys, etc.) may become
infected with avian influenza A viruses through direct
contact with infected waterfowl or other infected
poultry, or through contact with surfaces that have been
contaminated with the viruses.
DOES IT SPREAD EASILY TO HUMANS?
• No, it does not. Generally, people coming in close
contact with infected alive or dead birds have
contracted the H5N1 bird flu, and it does not usually
spread from person to person, as per the WHO.
• There is also no evidence, the WHO says, that the
disease can be spread to people through properly
prepared and cooked poultry food. The virus is
sensitive to heat, and dies in cooking temperatures.
THEN WHY THE SCARE?
• H5N1 is severe and deadly – around 6 out of 10
confirmed cases in humans have led to deaths.
• If the virus mutates and becomes easily transmissible
from person to person, say by altering its shape to
grab human cells much more effectively, it can
potentially cause a pandemic.
• Also, flu viruses are more prone to mutation because
they have a segmented genome. All known strains of
flu – including the seasonal flu and the pandemic flu –
have jumped from birds to humans in this way.
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TRANS FATS
#Health
IN NEWS
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils
and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the
current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to
the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and
Restriction on Sales) Regulations.
• While the present regulation comes into effect
immediately, industry players were made to take a
pledge back in 2018 that they would comply with the
WHO’s call for action to reduce TFA by 3% by 2021
allowing them three years to comply with the latest
norm.
• The revised regulation applies to edible refined oils,
vanaspati (partially hydrogenated oils),
margarine, bakery shortenings and other
mediums of cooking such as vegetable fat spreads
and mixed fat spreads.
• It has been suggested that the regulation must not be
restricted to oils and fats, but must apply to all foods.
It is hoped that the FSSAI will address this to eliminate
chemical trans fatty acids from the Indian platter.
• It was in 2011 that India first passed a regulation that
set a TFA limit of 10% in oils and fats, which was
further reduced to 5% in 2015.
TYPES OF TRANS FATS:
• Naturally-occurring Trans fats are produced in the
gut of some animals and foods made from these
animals (e.g., milk and meat products) may contain
small quantities of these fats.
• Artificial Trans fats are created in an industrial
process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to
make them more solid. Since they are easy to use,
inexpensive to produce and last a long time, and give
foods a desirable taste and texture, they are still
widely used despite their harmful effects being well-
known.
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 Science & Technology
ASSOCIATED RISK OF TRANS FATTY ACIDS (TFA)
• TFAs pose a higher risk of heart disease than
saturated fats. While saturated fats raise total
cholesterol levels, TFAs not only raise total cholesterol
levels but also reduce the good cholesterol which
protects us against heart diseases. Trans fats
consumption increases the risk of developing heart
disease and stroke.
• It can lead to compromised foetal development
causing harm to the yet to be born baby.
• Some studies have found that trans fats consumption
is related to risk of cancers in individuals.
• Trans fats are metabolised differently by the liver
than other fats and interfere with normal liver
functions.
• The risk of type 2 diabetes increases with trans fat
consumption. A study has found diabetes risk
associated with trans fats and other factors such as
total fat intake and BMI.
• Trans fat may increase weight gain and abdominal fat,
despite a similar caloric intake. TFAs enhance
deposition of fat even in the absence of caloric
excess.
• Trans fats are found to be associated with insulin
resistance that pose a great risk to already diabetic
patients.
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• Trans fats as opposed to that from carbohydrates,
lead to greater risk of infertility in women.
• Those who ate the most trans fats are at higher risk of
depression than those who do not eat trans fats.
• Consumption of trans fats has been linked to
behavioural irritability and increased general
aggression.
Replacing industrially produced TFA with healthier oils
and fats is feasible without changing the taste of food or
its cost to the consumer.
STEPS TAKEN BY FSSAI
• Heart Attack Rewind -the 30 second public service
announcement that will help support FSSAI’s global
target of eliminating trans-fat in India by the year
2022, a year ahead of the global target by the World
Health Organization (WHO) for complete elimination
of trans fat. It is a follow-up to an earlier campaign
called “Eat Right”.
• Eat Right Campaign - launched in July, 2018. Edible
oil industries took a pledge to reduce the levels
of salt, sugar, saturated fat and trans-fat content by
2% by 2022.
• Swasth Bharat Yatra, an initiative started under the
“Eat Right” campaign is a Pan-India cyclothon to
engage citizens on issues of food safety, combating
food adulteration and healthy diets.
• FSSAI has stated that the food establishments which
use trans-fat free fats/oils and do not have
industrial trans-fat more than 0.2 gms per 100 gm of
the food can display ‘Trans Fat Free’ logo in their
outlets and on their food products.
In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO)
launched the REPLACE action package to support
governments to eliminate industrially produced TFA
from the global food supply by 2023. According to the
World Health Organization, approximately 5.4 lakh
deaths take place each year globally because of the
intake of industrially produced trans fatty acids. The
WHO has called for the global elimination of transfats by
2023.
As part of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals,
the global community has committed to reducing
premature death from non-communicable diseases by
one-third by 2030. Global elimination of industrially-
produced trans fats can help achieve this goal.
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COVID VACCINES
#Health
IN NEWS
The biggest vaccine rollout has started with the Drugs
Controller General of India formally approving two
vaccines for restricted use under emergency conditions:
Covishield by the Serum Institute of India (SII), and
Covaxin by Bharat Biotech.
Covaxin Vaccine: It has been developed by the
company Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) in collaboration
with ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV).
MECHANISM OF THIS VACCINE
• It is an “inactivated” vaccine — one made by using
particles of the Covid-19 virus that were killed, making
them unable to infect or replicate.
• Injecting particular doses of these particles serves to
build immunity by helping the body create antibodies
against the dead virus, according to BBIL.
OXFORD-ASTROZENECA COVISHIELD VACCINE
• When someone is infected with the Covid-19 virus
(SARS-CoV-2), the reason it spreads in the body easily
MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF CDSCO
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is because of the spikes on its surface. These spikes,
known as the ‘spike protein’, allow the virus to
penetrate cells and, thereafter, multiply.
• The vaccine developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca,
which belongs to a category called non-replicating
viral vector vaccines, tries to build the body’s
immunity against this spike protein. The idea is to
create antibodies to fight this spiked surface so that
the virus does not even have the chance to penetrate
the cells.
• The vaccine uses a different virus — in this case, a
weakened version of a common cold virus
(adenovirus) that infects chimpanzees — to carry just
the code to make the spike protein, like a Trojan
horse. The adenovirus, genetically modified so that it
cannot replicate in humans, will enter the cell and
release the code to make only the spike protein. The
body’s immune system is expected to recognise the
spike protein as a potentially harmful foreign
substance, and starts building antibodies against it.
Central Drugs Standard Control Organization
(CDSCO): It is the Central Drug Authority for discharging
functions assigned to the Central Government under the
Drugs and Cosmetics Act. CDSCO has six zonal offices,
four sub-zonal offices, 13 port offices and seven
laboratories under its control.
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 Science & Technology
• Regulatory control over the import of drugs, approval
of new drugs and clinical trials, meetings of Drugs
Consultative Committee (DCC) and Drugs Technical
Advisory Board (DTAB), approval of certain licenses as
Central License Approving Authority is exercised by
the CDSCO headquarters.
• Under the Drug and Cosmetics Act, the regulation of
manufacture, sale and distribution of Drugs is
primarily the concern of the State authorities while
the Central Authorities are responsible for approval of
New Drugs, Clinical Trials in the country, laying down
the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of
imported Drugs, coordination of the activities of State
Drug Control Organisations and providing expert
advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the
enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
• Drug Controller General of India is responsible for
approval of licenses of specified categories of Drugs
such as blood and blood products, I. V. Fluids, Vaccine
and Sera.
• CDSCO functions under the Directorate General of
Health Services.
NANOTECHNOLOGY IN
CANCER TREATMENT
#Nanotechnology
IN NEWS
With the advance in nanotechnology, researchers across
the globe have been exploring how to use nanoparticles
for efficient drug delivery.
Nanomicelles are extremely small structures and have
been noted as an emerging platform in targeted therapy.
Nanomicelles are globe-like structures with a hydrophilic
outer shell and a hydrophobic interior. This dual property
makes them a perfect carrier for delivering drug molecules.
DRUG DELIVERY IN CANCER TREATMENT
• The ideal goal for cancer therapy is destroying the
cancer cells without harming healthy cells of the body,
and chemotherapeutics approved for treatment of
cancer are highly toxic.
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• The currently used docetaxel is a highly hydrophobic
drug, and is dissolved in a chemical mixture
(polysorbate-80 and alcohol). This aggravates its toxic
effects on liver, blood cells, and lungs. So, there was
an urgent and unmet need to develop effective drug
delivery vehicles for docetaxel without these side
effects.
• Now a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional team has
created a nanomicelle that can be used to deliver a
drug named docetaxel, which is commonly used to
treat various cancers including breast, colon and lung
cancer.
ABOUT NANOMICELLES
• The nanomicelles are less than 100nm in size and are
stable at room temperature.
• Once injected intravenously these nanomicelles can
easily escape the circulation and enter the solid
tumours where the blood vessels are found to be
leaky. These leaky blood vessels are absent in the
healthy organs.
• Chemical conjugation would render the phospholipid-
docetaxel prodrug to be silent in the circulation and
healthy organs. But once it enters the cancer cells, the
enzymes will cleave the bond to activate the drug, and
kill the cancer cells.
WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?
It is the branch of technology that deals with dimensions
and tolerances of less than 100 nanometres, especially
the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.
 Nanotechnology in daily use:
 Nano-sized TiO2 and ZnO – sunscreens
 Silver nanoparticles – antibacterial properties (soaps,
toothpastes, deodorants, lip products, make-up
instruments, hair brushes, curling tongs, foils for
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 Science & Technology
electric razors, foot massagers, tooth brushes,
rubber gloves, hair dryers, facial ionic steamers).
 Usage of nanotechnology in textiles provide Stain
resistant, waterproof, wrinkle resistant, antibacterial,
radiation absorbency properties, waterproof,
windproof, ultraviolet protection, breathable, grime
resistant fabrics.
OTHER APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
 Medicine
• It involves employing nanoparticles to deliver drugs,
heat, light or other substances to specific types of
cells, such as cancer cells.
• Particles are engineered so that they are attracted to
diseased cells, which allow direct treatment of those
cells.
 Electronics
• It helps in improving display screens on electronics
devices and increasing the density of memory chips.
• Nanotechnology can also reduce the
transistors used in integrated circuits.
 Energy
• Nanotechnology is improving the efficiency of fuel
production from raw petroleum materials through
better catalysis. It is also enabling reduced fuel
consumption in vehicles and power plants through
higher-efficiency combustion and decreased friction.
• Nanotechnology can be incorporated into solar
panels to convert sunlight to electricity
efficiently, promising inexpensive solar power in the
future.
 Environment remediation
• Nanoparticles are being developed to clean industrial
water pollutants in ground water through chemical
reactions that render the pollutants harmless. This
process would cost less than methods that require
pumping the water out of the ground for treatment.
• Generating less pollution during the manufacture of
materials. Researchers have demonstrated that the
use of silver nanoclusters as catalyses
significantly reduce the polluting by-products
generated in the process used to manufacture
propylene oxide. Propylene oxide is used to produce
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common materials such as plastics, paint, detergents
and brake fluid.
 Sporting goods
• Increasing the strength of tennis racquets by adding
nanotubes to the frames which increases control and
power when you hit the ball.
• Filling any imperfections in golf club shaft materials
with nanoparticles; this improves the uniformity of
the material that makes up the shaft and thereby
improving your swing.
• Reducing the rate at which air leaks from tennis balls
so they keep their bounce longer.
TIFAC
#Important Organisations
#Government Policies
size of
IN NEWS
The Minister of Science& Technology, Earth Sciences and
Health & Family Welfare has released the report “Action
Agenda for an AtmaNirbhar Bharat (AAAN)”. It has been
prepared by Technology Information, Forecasting and
Assessment Council (TIFAC).
ABOUT TIFAC
• TIFAC is an autonomous organization set up in 1988
under the Department of Science & Technology to
more look ahead in technology domain, assess the
technology trajectories, and support innovation by
networked actions in select areas of national
importance.
• TIFAC continues to strive for technology development
in the country by leveraging technology innovation
through sustained and concerted programmes in
close association with industry and academia.
• It has been conferred Rani Lakshmibai Award for its
scheme KIRAN-IPR that is empowering women in
R&D through training on Intellectual Property Rights
(IPR).
can
• TIFAC has also brought a report titled ‘Active
Pharmaceutical Ingredients- Status, Issues,
Technology Readiness, and Challenges’.
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 Science & Technology
• TIFAC’s initiatives:
 White paper
 AAAN document
 SAKSHAM
 Program on Telemedicine
 SRIJAN Basic
 ATMA
 Sea weed mission
 Design of vaccine distribution model
ACTION AGENDA FOR AN ATMANIRBHAR
BHARAT(AAAN)
• TIFAC’s White Paper on Focused Interventions for
‘Make in India’: post COVID -19 has highlighted five
thrust sectors namely, Healthcare, Machinery, ICT,
Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Electronics that
would be critical for India’s economic growth using
technology stimulus and captured sector-specific
strengths, market trends and opportunities.
• Post-release of the White Paper, as a consequential
follow-up, and in order to maximize the impact of the
White paper on economic resilience, TIFAC followed a
consultative approach and organised a series of
brainstorming workshops involving key players of
each sector covering Industry, Academia, R&D
Institutes and Policy makers. The detailed
deliberations and specific recommendations have
been presented in this comprehensive report titled
“AAAN” as an Action Agenda for an AtmaNirbhar
Bharat.
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• This comprehensive action plan (AAAN) has been
structured with reference to timeline, highlighting
short/medium and long term interventions in various
identified sectors. The document also specifically
defines overarching policy recommendations with
reference to technological inputs, focusing towards
Local to Global thereby reviving Indian economy, in
identified domains of Innovation and Technology
development, Technology Adoption/Diffusion,
Boosting up Manufacturing and Productivity, Trade
and Globalization, Internet Policy and Data
Management & Education and Training, AI among
others.
5G TECHNOLOGIES
#IT
IN NEWS
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought
inputs from telcos and other industry experts on the sale
and use of radio frequency spectrum over the next 10
years, including the 5G bands.
What is 5G technology and how is it different? 5G or
fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term
evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks. 5G mainly
works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high frequency
spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as
limitations.
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 Science & Technology
• While the low band spectrum has shown great
promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet
and data exchange, the maximum speed is limited to
100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
• The mid-band spectrum, on the other hand, offers
higher speeds compared to the low band, but has
limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration
of signals. Telcos and companies, which have taken
the lead on 5G, have indicated that this band may be
used by industries and specialised factory units for
building captive networks that can be moulded into
the needs of that particular industry.
• The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed of
all the three bands, but has extremely limited
coverage and signal penetration strength. Internet
speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G has been
tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (giga bits per second),
while, in most cases, the maximum internet data
speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.
Where does India stand in the 5G technology race?
On par with the global players, India had, in 2018,
planned to start 5G services as soon as possible, with an
aim to capitalise on the better network speeds and
strength that the technology promised.
Reliance Jio plans to launch an indigenously built 5G
network for the country as early as the second half of
this year. The company is said to have a complete end-
to-end 5G solution prepared by the company itself that
is ready for deployment once the networks are in place.
GLOBAL PROGRESS ON 5G:
• More than governments, global telecom companies
have started building 5G networks and rolling it out to
their customers on a trial basis. In countries like the
US, companies such as AT&T, T-mobile, and Verizon
have taken the lead when it comes to rolling out
commercial 5G for their users.
• In China, some of the telcos such as China Unicom
had started 5G trials as early as 2018, and have since
rolled out the commercial services for users.
• South Korean company Samsung, had started
researching on 5G technology way back in 2011, has,
on the other hand, taken the lead when it comes to
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building the hardware for 5G networks for several
companies.
PROXIMA CENTAURI
#Space
IN NEWS
Astronomers running the world’s largest initiative to look
for alien life have recently picked up an “intriguing” radio
wave emission from the direction of Proxima Centauri,
the closest star to our Sun.
ABOUT PROXIMA CENTAURI
• Proxima Centauri is small, low-mass star which is 4.2
light-years away from the Sun – considered a close
distance in cosmic terms. Its mass is about an eighth
of the Sun’s, and it is too dim to be seen with the
naked eye from Earth.
• It was discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes and is the
nearest-known star to the Sun.
• Proxima b is one of the two planets that revolve
around the star. It is sized 1.2 times larger than Earth,
and orbiting its star every 11 days. Proxima b lies in
Proxima Centauri’s “Goldilocks zone”.
• Goldilocks zone means the area around a star where
it is not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to
exist on the surface of surrounding planets. To give
an example, the Earth is in the Sun’s Goldilocks zone.
3D PRINTING
#Technology
• 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of
making three dimensional solid objects from a digital
file.
• The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using
additive processes. In an additive process, an object
is created by laying down successive layers of
material until the object is created.
• Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced
horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.
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 Science & Technology

2DEG
• 3D printing enables you to produce complex
(functional) shapes using less material than traditional
manufacturing methods.
#Technology
• It can be used to produce robotic prosthetic limbs
(human capability-enhancers) that can be controlled
by the brain and provide sensory feedback. IN NEWS

• The use of 3D printing in manufacturing is picking up
as it improves sustainability. The technology uses less
energy and produces less waste than traditional
methods. It also allows manufacturing to be done on
demand, so less space is needed to store inventory.
• The issues with 3D printing are:
 High taxes on 3D printing technology come in the way
of its acquisition.
 Printers used in the technology are usually imported
from abroad, which adds international shipping costs
and customs duties.
 Only a limited range of materials can be processed in
3D printing.
Scientists at Institute of Nano Science and Technology
(INST), Mohali (Punjab), an autonomous institution of
Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government
of India, have produced an ultra-high mobility 2d-electron
gas (2DEG) at the interface of two insulating oxide layers.
• The need for attaining new functionalities in modern
electronic devices has led to the manipulation of
property of an electron called spin degree of freedom
along with its charge. This has given rise to an
altogether new field of spin-electronics or
‘spintronics’.
• It has been realized that a phenomenon called the
‘Rashba effect’, which consists of splitting of spin-
bands in an electronic system, might play a key role in
spintronic devices.

KEY ADVANTAGES OF ULTRA-HIGH MOBILITY  Ultra-high mobility electron gas can increase
ELECTRON GAS information transfer speed &data storage density
in quantum devices.

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 Science & Technology

 Due to the high mobility of the electron gas,

#Quantum Technologies
electrons do not collide inside the medium for a long
distance and hence do not lose the memory and
information. Hence, such a system can easily IN NEWS
remember and transfer its memory for a long time
DRDO Young Scientist Laboratory for Quantum
and distance.
Technologies (DYSL-QT) has developed a Quantum
 In addition, since they collide less during their flow, Random Number Generator (QRNG) which detects
their resistance is very low, and hence they don’t random quantum events and converts those into a
dissipate energy as heat. So, such devices do not stream of binary digits.
heat up easily and need less input energy to
• The Laboratory has developed a fiber-optic branch
operate.
path based QRNG. Branch path based QRNG is based
According to the INST team, realization of large Rashba- on the principle that if a single photon is incident on a
effect at such oxide interfaces containing highly mobile balanced beam splitter, it will take either of the beam-
electron gas may open up a new field of device physics, splitter output paths randomly. As the path chosen by
especially in the field of quantum technology applicable photon is random, the randomness is translated to
for next-generation data storage media and quantum sequence of bits.
computers.
• QRNG system developed by the laboratory has
passed the global randomness testing standards viz.

QUANTUM RANDOM NIST and Die-harder Statistical Test Suites at the

speed of ~150 kbps after post-processing. The

NUMBER GENERATOR generated random numbers are also evaluated and

verified using DRDO’s indigenously developed

(QRNG) Randomness Testing Statistical Test Suite of SAG.

APPLICATIONS OF RANDOM NUMBERS • The generation of genuine randomness is generally

considered impossible with classical means.
• Random numbers have essential roles in many fields,
such as Quantum Communication, cryptography (key • Quantum Mechanics has the inherent potential of
generation, key wrapping, authentication etc.), providing true random numbers and thus has
scientific simulations, lotteries and fundamental become the preferred option for the scientific
physics experiments. applications requiring randomness.

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 Science & Technology

• With this development India enters the club of generation of random numbers based on the
countries who have the technology to achieve the Quantum Phenomenon.

practice questions

MCQs
Q.1) Consider the following statements: 2. Trans fats are found to be associated with insulin
1. Covaxin Vaccine is an “inactivated” vaccine. resistance.

2. It is developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII). 3. Trans fats are metabolised differently by the liver
than other fats and interfere with normal liver
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
functions.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Q.2) Which of the following organisations is
responsible for approval of licenses of specified
categories of Drugs such as blood and blood Q.4) Avian influenza Flu is caused by which of the
products? following?

(a) Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (a) Virus (b) Bacteria

(b) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (c) Protozoan (d) Fungi

(c) WHO
(d) None of the above Q.5) Proxima Centauri is a
(a) Star (b) Planet

Q.3) Consider the following statements: (c) Satellite (d) Asteroid

1. Naturally-occurring Trans fats are produced in the

gut of some animals.

descriptive Questions
Q1. What do you understand by 3D Printing technology? What are the applications of 3D technology? Also, discuss the
issues associated with 3D printing.

Q2. India has a long way to go in the race of 5G technologies. How far do you agree? Give your arguments.

Answers: 1-a, 2-a, 3-d, 4-a, 5-a

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 Geography, Environment,
Biodiversity & Disaster
Management
# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & III (Main)

Lead Article
JAL JEEVAN MISSION
#Water # Conservation
IN NEWS
Since its launch in August 2019, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
has achieved 32.3% coverage of tap connections in rural
India.
ABOUT THE JAL JEEVAN MISSION (JJM)
• In partnership with the States, the scheme seeks to
ensure that every rural household of the country gets
assured drinking water supply by 2024.
• As of now, 6.15 crore (32.3%) households of the
country are getting tap water supply into their homes.
Almost 1 lakh new connections are getting added on
daily basis.
• The government is almost replicating the
implementation of its flagship scheme of building
toilets in the first term in providing tap water
connections to every rural household in the country in
its second term. In its first term from 2014 to 2019,
the Centre reportedly built over 11 crore toilets in the
country.
• The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and
states is 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern
States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union
Territories.
• To ensure its implementation without any funding
crunch, in 2020-21, a sum of Rs. 23,500 crore has been
allocated for the implementation of the JJM. Besides
this, in 2020-21, 50% of 15th Finance Commission
Grants to Rural Local Bodies, that is, Rs. 30,375 crore
as a tied grant, will be utilised for water supply and
sanitation.
• The Mission is set to be based on various water
conservation efforts like point recharge, desilting of
minor irrigation tanks, use of greywater for agriculture
and source sustainability.
• Mission will converge with other Central and State
Government Schemes to achieve its objectives of

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
sustainable water supply management across the
country.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MISSION:
• India has 16% of the world population, but only 4% of
freshwater resources. Depleting groundwater level,
overexploitation and deteriorating water quality,
climate change, etc. are major challenges to provide
potable drinking water.
• This can generate employment to the currently
unemployed force, especially in the context of reverse
migration.
• It will increase ‘ease of living’ in rural areas.
CHALLENGES IN TAKING WATER TO EVERY
RURAL HOUSEHOLD
• Out of a total of 731 districts, 256 districts and 1,592
blocks have been classified as water-stressed or
drought prone.
• The State government and local bodies (panchayats)
will also have to protect the source of water to be
supplied to the households. The government has
emphasised protecting local water bodies to be used
as a source for supply.
• In rural drinking water service delivery, there is
inadequate attention given to taking measures to
sustain the source of the water, in most cases
groundwater is a challenge.
• This proposed mission will make source sustainability
measures mandatory prior to pumping and
distributing water to households.
• Another issue with the traditional approach to service
delivery was that the provision of drinking water was
viewed primarily as an engineering solution, with
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schemes being planned and executed by the public
health and engineering departments.
• However, water is an ideal sector for the applicability
of the principle of subsidiarity, performing only those
tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more
immediate or local level.
JAL JEEVAN MISSION – A SOLUTION
• With adequate capacity building and training, water
can be most efficiently managed at the lowest
appropriate level.
• Adopting this principle, the Jal Jeevan Mission’s first
preference will be to have community-managed
single village ground water-based schemes,
wherever sufficient quantity and good quality of
groundwater exists.
• Wherever adequate quantity of safe groundwater is
not present, or where it may be technically not
feasible to have single-village schemes, surface
water-based multi-village schemes will be
promoted.
• Further, in some remote regions, where it may not be
techno-economically feasible to have household water
supply schemes, local innovations, such as solar-
based schemes will be encouraged.
• It is not commonly known that household waste water
from HWS amounts to about 75% of the amount of
water supplied.
• With the rural households to get HWS under the
proposed mission, huge quantities of household
waste water will be generated across the country,
therefore making its effective management critical.
• There is a plan to include a mandatory provision
under the mission for the effective channelling and
treatment of household waste water, through
appropriate and low cost drainage and treatment
systems.
• Once appropriately treated, this waste water can be
used for both recharge of groundwater as well as for
irrigation purposes.
WAY FORWARD
• An extensive information, education and
communication will be needed to create a people’s
movement for water management.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

• The ongoing Jal Shakti Abhiyan will help in creating
awareness about the importance of integrating source
sustainability and water reuse.
• This integrated approach to decentralised, community
managed, and sustainable water management is the
backbone of the government’s plan to ensure that
every household gets the benefits of water supply.
gases. Let us understand some terms related to Fly
Ash:
• Bottom Ash: Ash that falls to the bottom of the
boiler's combustion chamber is called bottom ash.
• Ash Capture: Fly ash is generally captured by
electrostatic precipitators or other particle filtration
equipment before the flue gases reach the chimneys.

• Coal Ash: Together with bottom ash removed from

FLY ASH UTILIZATION the bottom of the boiler, it is known as coal ash.

• Composition: Depending upon the source and

#Pollution #Conservation
composition of the coal being burned, the
components of fly ash vary considerably, but all fly ash
WHAT IS FLY ASH? includes substantial amounts of –
o Silicon dioxide (SiO2)

o Aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and

o Calcium oxide (CaO), the main mineral compounds in

coal-bearing rock strata.

The minor constituents of fly ash depend upon the

specific coal bed composition but may include one or
more of the following elements or compounds found in
trace concentrations - arsenic, beryllium, boron,
cadmium, chromium, hexavalent chromium, cobalt, lead,
manganese, mercury, molybdenum, selenium, strontium,
Fly ash is a coal combustion product that is composed of thallium, and vanadium, along with very small
the particulates (fine particles of burned fuel) that are concentrations of dioxins and PAH compounds.
driven out of coal-fired boilers together with the flue

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
ENVIRONMENTAL HARM CAUSED BY FLY ASH
• Fly ash is a major source of PM 2.5 and black carbon.
It becomes air borne, and gets transported to a radius
of 10 to 20 kms.
• It can settle on water and other surfaces. It will
contaminate water and soil systems.
• Fly ash contains heavy metals from coal. The wet
disposal of Fly ash results in leaching of toxic heavy
metals in ground water system.
• The destruction of mangroves, drastic reduction in crop
yields, and the pollution of groundwater in the Rann of
Kutch from the ash sludge of adjoining Coal power plants
has been well documented.
USES OF FLY ASH
• Fly ash can be used as a replacement for some of
the Portland cement contents of concrete
o Indian fly ash is primarily of the calcareous variety,
implying that it possesses not only pozzolanic, but
also hydraulic (self-cementing) properties. In
contrast, European fly ash is of a silicious or class F
variety, implying an absence of hydraulic properties.
o Fly ash chemically reacts with the by-product calcium
hydroxide released by the chemical reaction between
cement and water to form additional cementitious
products that improve many desirable properties of
concrete. Compared to cement and water, the
chemical reaction between fly ash and calcium
hydroxide typically is slower resulting in delayed
hardening of the concrete. The initial compressive
strength is low but as days pass, fly ash concrete gains
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more strength and eventually has a lot more strength
as compared to normal Portland cement.
• Fly-ash pellets can replace normal aggregate in
concrete mixture.
o In view of its alkalinity and water absorption capacity,
may be used in combination with other alkaline
materials to transform sewage sludge into organic
fertilizer or biofuel
o Embankments and other structural fills.
o Stabilization of soft soils.
o Road subbase construction.
o As aggregate substitute material (e.g. for brick
production).
o Agricultural uses: Fly ash is used as an agent for acidic
soils, as soil conditioner. It improve some important
physicochemical properties of the soil such as
hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, porosity, water
holding capacity, etc.
Fly Ash Management: We cannot stop thermal power
plants and hence production of fly ash. At the same time
Climate change aggravates poverty, health issues,
inequality etc. Frequency and intensity of Disaster is
increasing. IPCC report has said that this is the last
chance for fight against climate change. Hence there is
need of management of toxic materials. Also, Indian
coal has much more ash content than other
countries. Diverse approaches must be needed for fly
ash management.
• It includes washing coal at its place of origin will
prevent ash from coming to power plant.
• Promoting R&D for increasing efficiency of power
plants will also help in reducing ash generation.
• 100% utilisation of fly ash.
FLY ASH USAGE AND DISPOSAL NORMS BY
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND
CLIMATE CHANGE (MOEFCC)
• Mandatory for power plants to give fly ash free of cost
to users within 300-kilometre-radius. It will effectively
address the utilisation of fly ash. According to
MoEFCC, the fly ash utilisation in the country was
57.63 per cent in 2014 as against 13.51 per cent in
1999.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

• Mandatory for cement industries, within radius of 300 LOCATION

kilometres of a coal or lignite based thermal power
plant, to use fly ash for manufacture of the cement as
per the specifications of Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS). The cost of transportation of fly ash is to be
borne collectively by the thermal power plant and the
industry concerned.

• Construction agency engaged in construction of roads

within a radius of 300 kilometers from a coal or lignite
based thermal power plant would be bound to use fly
ash in accordance with the guidelines or specifications
issued by the Indian Road Congress.

• Mandatory for use of fly ash bricks in construction

activities happening 500 km around thermal power
• Sundarban is the largest delta and mangrove forest in
plants.
the world. The Indian Sundarban is bound on the west
• Fly ash will be used to make bricks, blocks, tiles, wall by River Muriganga and on the east by rivers
panels, cement and other construction materials. Harinbhahga and Rai Mangrove . Other major rivers
flowing through this eco-system are Saptamukhi,
RECENT MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT
Thakuran, Matla and Goasaba.
• The pricing of fly ash is increasingly becoming a
• Sundarban has extremely rich diversity of aquatic and
contentious issue that is hampering its gainful
terrestrial flora and fauna. In fact, Sundarban's highly
utilisation. GST rates on fly ash and its products have
productive ecosystem acts as a natural fish nursery.
been reduced to 5%.
• Although the region is situated south of the Tropic of
• To facilitate 100% ash utilization by all coal based
Cancer, the temperature is equable due to its
thermal power plants, a web portal for monitoring of
proximity to the sea. Average annual maximum
fly ash generation and utilization data of Thermal
temperature is around 35 degree C . Average annual
Power Plants and a mobile based application titled
rainfall is 1920 mm.
“ASHTRACK” has been launched by the Government
that will help to establish a link between fly ash users The Biogeography of Sundarban is unique and the region
and power plants executives for obtaining fly ash for harbours a rich diversity in terms of species content,
its use in various areas. ecosystem and habitat types.

• This deltaic ecosystem, which is the single largest

continuous area in the world for threatened Bengal
SUNDARBANS Tiger and largest contiguous mangrove-patch on
globe (along with Bangladesh), is very productive and
NATIONAL PARK well known for its greater degree or specialization.

• This biosphere reserve is located in the vast Delta of

#Conservation #Tiger
the Ganges, south of Calcutta and bordering
Bangladesh in the east.
IN NEWS • It represents the largest Mangrove diversity in the
The Indian Sundarbans, which is part of the largest world with 81 Mangrove plant species and it provides
mangrove forest in the world, is home to 428 species of habitat for the threatened Royal Bengal tiger
birds, a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of (Panthera tigris tigris).
India (ZSI) states.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
• The core area (Sundarban National Park) has been
designated as a World Heritage site. The entire
Eastern India is dependent on the fishery resources
from Sundarban.
More than 40 species of mammals, 163 species of birds,
56 species of reptiles, 165 species of fish, 23 species of
molluscs, 15 species of prawns, 67 species of crabs have
so far been reported in SBR, such as the hawk eagle
(Nisaetus Sps.) and the south-water crocodile
(Crocodylus porosus).
HABITATION
• Some three million people live in the biosphere
reserve (2001). They depend directly on forest and
forest-based resources since agriculture is
productive enough due to saline water.
• Sales of timber, fuel wood, thatching leaves, honey
and wax are the main sources of income. Due to
demographic pressures, the Sundarban is under great
stress and therefore an eco-development programme
is envisaged based on a highly participative approach
of the local communities.
• Emphasis is given to schemes that generate additional
income and economic security to people, such as
mangrove forest management, animal husbandry,
popularisation of energy alternatives, habitat
improvement, aquaculture, honey and wax culture,
development of crafts and education.
ENVIRONMENT
CONSERVATION VS
TRIBAL POPULATION
#Conservation
CONTEXT
Since the time the Ministry of Environment and Forests
began identifying the potential heritage sites, there has
been unrest among the indigenous people. When the
exercise began, they feared for their existence in lands
that they had inhabited for decades. The restrictions on
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movement following the declaration of these territories as
ecologically sensitive areas aggrieved them further.
So there is a belief among the people that India has
traditionally given preference to Environment
conservation over the rights of tribals.
And that is also true to some extent. Let us understand
the genesis of laws (very quickly) to understand how
Indian tribals have been deprived of their land, forests
and traditional rights.
1856: We know that Railways were first introduced to
India in the year 1853 from Mumbai to Thane.
Increasing difficulty of obtaining adequate supplies
of timber (needed for the great extension of railway
not lines then being undertaken) necessitated the need to
have controls over forests. Apart from this, The Indian
teak, suitable for ship building, saved England during the
war with Napoleon.
1865: The Indian Forests Act of 1865 extended the
British Colonial claims over forests in India
1878: The Forest Act of 1878 was introduced and it
truncated the centuries-old traditional use by
communities of their forests and secured the
colonial governments control over the forestry.
The provision of this Act established a virtual State
monopoly over the forests in a legal sense on one hand,
and attempted to establish, on the other, that the
customary use of the forests by the villagers was not
a ‘right’, but a ‘privilege’ that could be withdrawn at will.
1927: The Indian Forest Act, 1927
In continuance with the forest use policy of 1878, this
landmark law – India’s main forest law, had nothing to
do with conservation.
It was created to serve the British need for timber.
It sought to override customary rights and forest
management systems by declaring forests state
property and exploiting their timber.
1980: Forest Conservation Act, 1980 was passed to
check further deforestation and conserve forests. 4
major objectives of this act were –
1. Restricting the use of forest land for non-forest
purposes.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
2. Preventing the de-reservation of forests that have
been reserved under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
3. Restrict leasing of forest land to private individuals,
authority, corporations not owned by the Government
4. To prevent clear felling of naturally grown trees.
RECENT
• In 2012, 39 areas covering national parks, wildlife
sanctuaries, and reserved forests in the Western
Ghats were declared a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO.
• These sites are crucial for their biodiversity value. Ten
of them are in Karnataka.
• Since the time the Ministry of Environment and
Forests began identifying the potential heritage sites,
there has been unrest among the indigenous people.
When the exercise began, they feared for their
existence in lands that they had inhabited for
decades. The restrictions on movement following the
declaration of these territories as ecologically sensitive
areas aggrieved them further.
Ultimately The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional
Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006,
was enacted to protect the marginalised socio-economic
class of citizens and balance the right to environment
with their right to life and livelihood.
But still, the award of entitlements have been very
dismal.
THIS IS WRONG APPROACH
• Assuming that denying tribals or other traditional
forest dwellers their rights in the forest would serve
the purpose of conservation is far from the truth.
• Invariably, an approach adopted to isolate the
indigenous people from their natural habitats to
protect biodiversity is the root cause of conflict
between them and conservationists.
• The Global Environment Outlook Report 5 mentions
that there is decreased biodiversity across the globe
even as ‘protected areas’ have been expanding.
People living in nature’s surroundings are integral to
conservation as they relate with it in a more
integrated and spiritual way.
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Maldhari: Tribals as a part of Conservation
• The Maldhari community is a tribe of herdsmen in the
border state of Gujarat. The name Maldhari means
owner of goods - in this case, goods referring to cattle.
The Maldharis have lived in the Gir National Park, in
the Banni Grasslands Reserve area, for the past
thousand years.
• They have co-existed with the lions, which the Gir
National Park was created to preserve, for these
thousand years. The lions have been periodically
hunting the Maldhari cattle for food, but the Maldharis
understand the cycle of life. They consider the taken
cows an offering to the lions, whose territory they
share
Declaration of the Western Ghats as a World Heritage
Site is as important in preserving the rich biodiversity of
the region as the recognition of the rights of the people
who depend on the forests. As confirmed internationally,
preserving biodiversity requires the legal empowerment
of the people living in those areas.
The Forest Rights Act is an ideal instrument to push
forward the objective. To realise it on the ground, the
government must make an effort to build trust between
its agencies in the area and the people who depend on
these forests by treating them as equal citizens like
everyone else in the country.
DEEPOR BEEL
#Conservation
IN NEWS
The Kamrup (Metropolitan) district administration has
prohibited community fishing at Deepor Beel, a wetland
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
on the south-western edge of Guwahati and Assam’s only
Ramsar site.
It is a permanent freshwater lake in a former channel of
the Brahmaputra river, of great biological importance
and also essential as the only major storm water storage
basin for the city of Guwahati. The beel is a staging site
on migratory flyways and some of the largest
concentrations of aquatic birds in Assam can be seen,
especially in winter.
BIODIVERSITY
• Some globally threatened birds are supported,
including Spot billed Pelican (Pelicanus philippensis),
Lesser and Greater Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos
javanicus and dubius), and Baer's Pochard (Aythya
baeri).
• The 50 fish species present provide livelihoods for a
number of surrounding villages, and nymphaea nuts
and flowers, as well as ornamental fish, medicinal
plants, and seeds of the Giant water lily Euryale ferox
provide major revenue sources in local markets;
orchids of commercial value are found in the
neighbouring forest.
THREATS
• Potential threats include over-fishing and hunting
pressure upon waterbirds, pollution from pesticides
and fertilizers, and infestation by water hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes.
• A proposal to create a sewage canal from the city
directly to the beel is considered to be disastrous in its
potential effects.
GEOBACTER BACTERIA
#Pollution #Bioremediation
CONTEXT
Bacteria can live in extreme conditions and are capable of
doing incredible things beneficial to humanity and the
planet. Scientists have been uncovering fascinating
abilities of bacteria. There are those that have the ability
to generate biofuels, to purify water, to break down
plastic, transform CO2 into proteins suitable for human
consumption and those that can ‘eat’ CO2 and thereby
reduce greenhouse gas effects.
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Now, scientists have shown how Geobacter bacteria
could not only survive exposure to toxic cobalt but also
coat themselves with the metal - like the Iron Man
putting on the suit. Scientists believe that this
superpower could open the door for Geobacter’s
application in environmental remediation, especially
by removing toxic pollutants from the environment. In
fact, Geobacter bacteria are capable of much more. Read
on to know them..
WHAT ARE GEOBACTER?
• Geobacter are a group of gram-negative bacteria.
They are rod-shaped and possess flagella and pili.
Pili is a hair-like appendage found on the surface of
many bacteria and archaea.
• They live in low-oxygen environments such as muddy
soil, seabeds or along the banks of rivers.
• Consequently, many species of Geobacter bacteria
were discovered, with each having interesting
properties. All Geobacter consume organic waste and
give out electrons, generating electric current in the
process.
• Geobacter bacteria were the first organisms found to
oxidise organic compounds to carbon dioxide. They
can convert the organic compounds in oil spills into
carbon dioxide, or turn soluble radioactive metals
such as plutonium and uranium into insoluble forms
that are less likely to contaminate groundwater. This
property makes these bacteria useful for cleaning up
water and soil that are polluted with oil or clean-up
sites that are contaminated with radioactive metals.
• In a recent study, researchers made Geobacter
sulfurreducens interact with cobalt, a valuable metal
used in batteries for electric vehicles and alloys for
spacecraft. But cobalt is highly toxic to livings things,
including humans and most bacteria. The metal could
penetrate the cells of living being and ultimately kill
them. But Geobacter was able to escape that fate, and
how!
• When exposed to cobalt, microscope images showed,
the bugs shrouding themselves in the metal and
continuing to thrive. The Geobacter bacteria coat
themselves with the metal, without letting it penetrate
their cells. They formed cobalt nanoparticles on their
surface. They metallize themselves and it's like a
shield that protects them.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
• The researchers concluded that the bacteria could
eventually be put to work extracting cobalt from
discarded lithium-ion batteries for reuse, or to soak it
up in the environment. The next steps in the research
are to investigate if Geobacter could also soak up
other toxic metals, in particular, cadmium
THE MECHANISM
• All creatures on Earth use electrons (yes, the
negatively-charged particles) in a complex chain of
chemical reactions to harness energy. Humans (and
most other organisms) get the electrons from sugar in
the food we eat and pass them onto the oxygen we
breathe through our lungs. That flow of electrons is
what powers our bodies. This chemical reaction may
vary between organisms but they all have to find a
source of electrons, and a place to dump them to
complete the circuit.
• Bacteria do not have lungs, nor do they ‘breathe’.
Geobacter bacteria get their electrons from organic
matter. They pass these electrons to metals or
minerals (instead of oxygen) in the environment, using
protruding hair-like wires. For instance, Geobacter
metallireducens, which has been studied extensively,
get their electrons from organic compounds and pass
them onto iron oxides. They also produce a small
amount of electricity in the process using their
nanowires.
• Nanowires are special hair-like electrically conductive
appendages that protrude from the cell's surface. The
nanowires conduct electricity and could potentially be
used as a sustainable electronic material. In fact,
scientists see a future of recycled energy, in which
such microbes can be used to power devices such as
smartphones using waste as their only food source.
FACTORS FOR EFFECTIVE MICROBIAL
BIOREMEDIATION
• Microbial Population: Suitable kinds of
microorganisms that can biodegrade all types of
contaminants.
• Oxygen: Oxygen should be enough to support aerobic
biodegradation (about 2% oxygen in the gas phase or
0.4 mg/liter in the soil or water).
• Water: Soil moisture should be from 50–70% of the
water holding capacity of the soil (if bioremediation of
contaminated soil is taken as an example).
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• Nutrients: Nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, and other
nutrients to support good microbial growth.
• Temperature: Appropriate temperatures for
microbial growth, something between 0–40˚C.
• pH: The Best range of pH should be around 6.5 to 7.5
to ensure good microbial growth and timely
biodegradation.
ADVANTAGES OF BIOREMEDIATION
• Bioremediation is a Natural Process:
o Bioremediation is a natural process and accepted by
the public as a waste treatment process for
contaminated material such as soil. Microbes degrade
the contaminant, increase in numbers and release
harmless products. The residues for the treatment are
usually harmless products such as carbon dioxide,
water, and cell biomass.
• Complete Destruction:
o Bioremediation is useful for the complete destruction
of a wide variety of contaminants. Many hazardous
compounds can be transformed into harmless
products. This reduces the chance of future liability
associated with the treatment and disposal of
contaminated material.
• On-Site Treatment:
o Bioremediation can be carried out on the site of
contamination itself, without causing a major
disruption of normal activities. This removes the need
to transport huge quantities of waste off-site and thus
reduce potential harm to human health and the
environment that can arise during transportation.
• Cost-Effective Process:
o Bioremediation is less expensive compared to other
methods that are used for the removal of hazardous
waste.
LIMITATION OF BIOREMEDIATION
• Limited up to biodegradable compounds-
o Bioremediation is limited to those compounds that
are biodegradable. This method is susceptible to rapid
and complete degradation. Products of bio-
degradation may be more persistent or toxic than the
parent compound.
• Specificity:
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

o Biological processes are highly specific. Important site • It lies on the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej and
factors required for success include the presence of the main water body (reservoir) came into existence
metabolically capable microbial populations, suitable when a barrage was constructed across the
environmental growth conditions, and appropriate confluence of the two rivers in 1952.
levels of nutrients and contaminants. • The grand Indira Gandhi Canal in Rajasthan is fed
• Technological Advancement: from Harike lake.
o Research is needed to develop and engineer
bioremediation technologies that are suitable for sites
with complex mixtures of contaminants that are not
evenly distributed in the environment. It may be
present as solids, liquids, and gases.
• Time Taking Process:
o Bioremediation takes a longer time to compare to
other treatment options, such as excavation and
removal of contaminants from the site.
• Regulatory Uncertainty:
o We are not certain to say that remediation is 100%
completed, as there is no accepted definition of clean.
o Due to this, the performance evaluation of
bioremediation is difficult, and there is no acceptable
endpoint for bioremediation treatments.
CENTRAL ASIAN FLYWAY

HARIKE WETLAND
#Conservation

IN NEWS
Winter migratory water birds using the Central Asian
flyway reached Punjab’s Harike wetland, offering a delight
for bird lovers.
Birds such as the Eurasian coot, greylag goose, bar-headed
goose, gadwall and the northern shoveler are the prominent
ones that could be sighted at Harike. Among others species,
common pochard, spot-billed duck, little cormorant, pied • The Central Asian Flyway covers a large continental
avocet, great cormorant, ferruginous pochard and common area of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian
teal have been spotted. Oceans and the associated island chains.
But the number of some species, including northern lapwing,
• The CAF comprises several important migration routes
Pacific golden plover, black-bellied tern and cotton pygmy
of waterbirds, most of which extend from the
goose, has dwindled.
northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the
HARIKE WETLAND southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds in
• It is the largest wetland in northern India in the state West Asia, India, the Maldives and the British Indian
of the Punjab. Ocean Territory.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
• India has a strategic role in the flyway, as it provides
critical stopover sites to over 90% of the bird species
known to use this migratory route.
WETLAND CONSERVATION
BENEFITS OF WETLANDS
1. Wetlands act as “nature’s kidneys” by removing
polluting nutrients and sediments from surface and
groundwater. By protecting water quality, wetlands
keep our lakes, streams, and groundwater healthy
and are important to the integrity of aquatic
ecosystems.
2. Wetlands replenish groundwater supplies and their
filtering capacity also helps to protect groundwater
quality.
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There has been changes made in the Wetlands
(Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. Now the
Wetlands Authority within a state is the nodal authority
for all wetland-specific authorities in a state/UT for the
enforcement of the rules. (Previously it was centrally
done).
3. Provides habitat for wildlife and fisheries including
threatened habitats. It also provides recreational
opportunities for birds, amphibians and mammals.
4. Acts like a sponge and helps in flood control by
soaking extra water from the surroundings
5. Wetlands make the surroundings fertile for growth of
crops. It also provide ample opportunity for fishing
and other commercial activities.
6. Wetlands acts as a Carbon Sink as soils around
wetlands can store carbon for many years and thus
also helps in fighting climate change.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

7. Wetlands also provides ample opportunities for o Work towards the wise use of all their wetlands.
tourism and research. o Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of
PRESERVING WETLANDS HELPS IN COMBATING International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and
CLIMATE CHANGE ensure their effective management.

• Proper use and restoration of wetlands is essential to o Cooperate internationally on transboundary

protect stored carbon and reduce avoidable carbon wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared
emissions. species.

• It can enhance climate adaptation and resilience from • India has 27 Ramsar Sites which are the Wetlands of
extreme weathers. International importance.

• Plays vital role in retaining water on the landscape, MONTREUX RECORD

maintaining local climate, water cycles and reducing
temperature extremes.
• It provides ecological, cultural and socio-economic
benefits to the society.
• Wetlands contribute to human wellbeing through
provision of food, energy and clean water, support to
livelihoods and biodiversity.
• It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.
• Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the
List of Wetlands of International Importance where
changes in ecological character have occurred, are
occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of
technological developments, pollution or other human
interference.

Thus, protecting and restoring wetlands for climate
mitigation and adaptation reflects a key tenet of
Ramsar’s Strategic Plan and represents progress towards
meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and the
Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
• Two wetlands of India are in Montreux Record:
Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake
(Manipur). Chilka lake (Odisha) was placed in the
record but was later removed from it.

CONSERVATION EFFORTS
BIOMEDICAL WASTE
RAMSAR CONVENTION
#Waste Management
• The Convention came in to force in 1975.

• The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and

wise use of all wetlands through local and national IN NEWS
actions and international cooperation, as a The Central Government in 2018, has made the Bio-
contribution towards achieving sustainable Medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules,
development throughout the world”. 2018 to amend the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules,
• Three pillars of the Convention are: 2016 in the following manner:

Rule No. Original provision Amended provision

It shall be the duty of every occupier to pre- It shall be the duty of every occupier to pre-treat the
treat the laboratory waste, microbiological laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples and
waste, blood samples and blood bags blood bags through disinfection or sterilisation on-site in
through disinfection or sterilisation on-site the manner as prescribed by the World Health
Rule 4(c)
in the manner as prescribed by the World Organisation (WHO) guidelines on Safe management of
Health Organisation (WHO) or National AIDs wastes from health care activities and WHO Blue Book,
Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines and 2014 and then sent to the Common bio-medical waste
then sent to the common bio-medical waste treatment facility for final disposal.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

treatment facility for final disposal.

It shall be the duty of every occupier to

It shall be the duty of every occupier to phase out use of
phase out use of chlorinated plastic bags,
Rule 4(d) chlorinated plastic bags (excluding blood bags) and
gloves and blood bags within two years from
gloves by the 27th March, 2019.
the date of notification of these rules.

It shall be the duty of every occupier to It shall be the duty of every occupier to establish a Bar-
establish a Bar- Code System for bags or Code System for bags or containers containing bio-medical
containers containing bio-medical waste to waste to be sent out of the premises or for the further
Rule 4(i)
be sent out of the premises or place for any treatment and disposal in accordance with the
purpose within one year from the date of guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control
the notification of these rules. Board by 27th March, 2019.

It shall be the duty of every occupier to It shall be the duty of all the health care facilities (any
make available the annual report on its web- number of beds) shall make available the annual report
Rule 4(p) site and all the health care facilities shall on its web-site within a period of two years from the
make own website within two years from date of publication of Bio-Medical Waste Management
the date of notification of these rules. (Amendment) Rules, 2018.

It shall be the duty of every operator of a common bio-

It shall be the duty of every operator of a
medical waste treatment and disposal facility to establish
common bio-medical waste treatment and
bar coding and global positioning system for handling of
Rule 5(c) disposal facility to establish bar coding and
bio- medical waste in accordance with the guidelines
global positioning system for handling of
issued by the Central Pollution Control Board by 27th
bio- medical waste within one year
March, 2019.

Every occupier shall phase out use of non-

chlorinated plastic bags within two years
from the date of publication of these rules Every occupier shall phase out use of chlorinated plastic
and after two years from such publication of bags within two years from the date of publication of these
these rules, the chlorinated plastic bags rules and after two years from such publication of these
shall not be used for storing and rules, the chlorinated plastic bags shall not be used for
transporting of bio-medical waste and the storing and transporting of bio-medical waste and the
occupier or operator of a common bio- occupier or operator of a common bio-medical waste
Rule 7(8)
medical waste treatment facility shall not treatment facility shall not dispose of such plastics by
dispose of such plastics by incineration and incineration and the bags used for storing and transporting
the bags used for storing and transporting biomedical waste shall be in compliance with the Bureau of
biomedical waste shall be in compliance Indian Standards.
with the Bureau of Indian Standards. Till the Standards are published, the carry bags shall be as
Till the Standards are published, the carry per the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
bags shall be as per the Plastic Waste
Management Rules, 2011.

The prescribed authority shall compile, The prescribed authority shall compile, review and analyse
Rule 13(2)
review and analyse the information received the information received and send this information to

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

and send this information to the Central the Central Pollution Control Board in Form IVA
Pollution Control Board on or before the before the 31st July of every year.
31st July of every year.

Along with the changes in the Rules, amendments have • Form IV Annual Report
also been made to Schedule I, II and III and the format • Form IVA Annual Report By SPCB Or AFMS ToCPBB
for submission of the annual report information on bio- • Form V Appeal
medical waste management has been inserted as Form
IVA. The Amendment Rules have come into force from
KEY FEATURES BMW
March 16, 2018.

BIOMEDICAL WASTE RULES APPLY TO

• Hospitals, blood bank • Clinical establishments
• Nursing homes • Research or educational
• Dispensaries, institution

• Veterinary institutions • Health camps.

• Animal houses, • Medical or surgical

• Pathological camps,

laboratories • Vaccination camps,

(irrespective of the • Blood donation camps,
size) • First aid rooms of
schools,
• Forensic and research
labs.
• Ayush hospitals,

OBJECTIVES
• To reduce the infectious /hazardous nature of waste
• To reduce volume of waste
• To prevent misuse or abuse of waste
• To ensure occupational safety and health
• To recycle the waste

RULES COMPRISE OF
• 18 Rules, 4 Schedules, And 5 Forms
• Schedule I BMW Color Coding, Collection, Treatment
And Disposal
• Schedule II Standards For Treatment And Disposal
• Schedule III Prescribed Authorities and responsibilities
• Schedule IV Labels For BMW Containers And Bags
• Form I Accident Reporting
• Form II And III Application And Authorization
Document

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

SCHEDULE I : (SEE RULE 5)

CATEGORIES OF BIO-MEDICAL WASTE
Waste
Waste Category [Type] Treatment ad Disposal [Option+]
Category No.
Category No. 1 Human Anatomical Waste (human tissues, organs, body pails) incineration @/ burial*
Animal Waste
(animal tissues, organs, body parts carcasses, bleeding parts,
Category No. 2 fluid blood and experimental animals used in research, waste incineration@/deep burial*
generated by veterinary hospitals colleges, discharge from
hospitals, animal houses)
Local autoclaving/micro-
Category No. 3 Microbiology & Biotechnology Waste
waving/incineration
Waste sharps Disinfection (chemical
Category No. 4 (needles, syringes, scalpels, blades, glass, etc. that may cause treatment@01/auto calving/micro-
puncture and cuts. This includes both used and unused sharps) waving and mutilation/ shredding"
Discarded Medicines and Cytotoxic drugs
Incineration @/destruction and drugs
Category No. 5 (wastes comprising of outdated, Contaminated and discarded
disposal in secured landfills
medicines)
Solid Waste
(Items contaminated with blood, and body fluids including
incineration@
Category No 6 cotton, dressings, soiled plaster casts, lines, beddings, other
autoclaving/microwaving
material
contaminated with blood)
Solid Waste Disinfection by chemical treatment
Category No. 7 (wastes generated from disposable items other than the autoclaving/ micro waving and
waste [sharps] such as tubing's, catheters, intravenous sets etc). mutilation/ shredding
Liquid Waste
Disinfection by chemical treatment
Category No. 8 (waste generated from laboratory and washing, cleaning, house-
@@ discharge
keeping and disinfecting activities)
Incineration Ash
Category No. 9 Disposal in municipal landfill
(ash from incineration of any bio-medical waste)
Chemical Waste Chemical treatment and discharge
Category No.
(chemicals used in production of biological, chemicals used in into drains for liquids and secured
10
disinfection, as insecticides, etc.) landfill for solids.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
DROUGHTS
#Disaster #climate Change
WHAT ARE DROUGHTS?
A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a
given region, resulting in prolonged shortages in its
water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or
ground water.
• Drought is a recurrent feature of climate and occurs in
all climatic regimes.
• Drought is a temporary aberration unlike aridity,
which is a permanent feature of climate.
What are Flash droughts? Flash droughts are those that
occur very quickly, with soil moisture depleting rapidly.
Normally, developing drought conditions take months,
but these happen within a week or in two weeks’ time.
Several factors including atmospheric anomalies,
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions play an
important role.
Types of droughts: The National Commission on
Agriculture in India classified three types of drought:
meteorological, agricultural and hydrological.
Types of Drought
Meteorological Drought is simple absence/deficit of
rainfall from the normal. It is the least severe form of
drought and is often identified by sunny days and hot
weather.
Hydrological Drought leads to reduction of natural
stream flows or ground water levels, plus stored water
supplies. Main impact is on water resource systems.
Agricultural drought occurs when moisture level is soil
is insufficient to maintain average crop yields. Initial
consequences are in the reduced seasonal output of
crops and other related production. An extreme
agriculture drought can lead to a famine, which is a
prolonged shortage of food in a restricted region causing
widespread disease and death from starvation.
• State Government is the final authority when it
comes to declaring a region as drought affected.
• Indicators:
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 Rainfall deviation and dry spell
 Agriculture
 Vegetation indices based on remote sensing,
 Soil moisture, and
 Hydrology
TABLE: VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS USING MULTIPLE
CRITERIA
Variables
Meteorological - rainfall, temperature etc
Soils - depth, type, available water content etc
Surface water use - percent irrigated area, surface
water supplies
Ground water - ground water availability/ utilization
Crop - cropping pattern changes, geospatial land use,
crop condition, anomalies of crop condition etc.
Socio-economic - population of weaker sections, size
class of farm holdings
MAJOR CAUSES OF DRAUGHTS IN INDIA
• Failure of Monsoon
o The South-west monsoon accounts for 70 to 80 per
cent of the annual rainfall over major parts of India. Its
timely occurrence in normal quantity and uniform
distribution over all regions determine the prospects
of agricultural production and allied activities every
year. However failure of rains from south west
monsoon results in occurrence of drought in the
Indian region.
o 43% of the droughts that occurred during the Indian
summer monsoon season in the past century may
have been driven by atmospheric disturbances from
the North Atlantic region.
o Sudden and steep drop in rainfall in late August that
was linked to an atmospheric disturbance in the mid-
latitude region over the North Atlantic Ocean, creating
a pattern of atmospheric currents that move over the
Indian subcontinent and “derail” the monsoon.
• El-Nino Southern Oscillation
o Also there seems to be a clear association between El
Nino and La Nina events and weak monsoons.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
DROUGHT AND DESERTIFICATION
• Desertification, as defined in Agenda 21 and in the
International Convention on Desertification, is the
degradation of the land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-
humid areas resulting from various factors, including
climatic variations and human activities. It
accompanied by a reduction in the natural potential of
the land and a decrease in surface and ground water
resources.
• While drought is a natural phenomenon, whose
impacts can be exacerbated by human activities that
are not adapted to the local climate, land degradation
is the process of turning fertile land into less or non-
productive land.
• Although the cycles of drought and climatic
disturbances can contribute to the development of
desertification, it is mainly caused by overgrazing, land
clearance, over-exploitation of cultivated and natural
lands, and by generally using land in a way that is
inappropriate to local conditions.
• Droughts occur frequently in the areas affected by
desertification.
• Land degradation can hasten the effects of drought by
reducing the chances of local people to face difficult,
dry periods.
THE PROBLEMS RELATED TO DROUGHTS
AND LACK OF POLICIES AND MECHANISMS
OF DROUGHT PROOFING
• Centre-state non-cooperation:
o Earlier, the states could approach the Centre for
drought relief without restrictions of the category of
drought, and ask for monetary help under the
Calamity Relief Fund and the National Calamity
Contingency Fund.
o However new “Manual for Drought Management”
says that the states can ask for Centre’s help only if
the drought is “severe”. Also the parameters that
make a drought “severe” are extremely stringent.
• Water intensive crops:
o Government policies such as subsidies for particularly
water-intensive crops as well as heavy irrigation
methods for having contributed to the problem.
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There is a political reluctance to control water-hungry
crops in low-rainfall regions, such as sugarcane in
Maharashtra and paddy in Punjab.
• Lack of investment in Rural Infra
o Successive Indian governments have for many
is decades failed to invest in rural infrastructure,
particularly water storage and irrigation
infrastructure, which has been a major contributor to
the drought problems of India.
• Resource Exploitation
o The policy approach to agriculture since the 90s has
been to secure increased production by subsidising
inputs such as power, water and fertiliser; and by
increasing the minimum support price, rather than by
building new capital assets in surface irrigation,
rainwater harvesting, improving credit for
smallholders and evolving new drought-resistant
technologies.
o Exploitation of groundwater: Policies have resulted in
excessive use of capital on farms, such as too many
tube wells in water-scarce regions. Groundwater, as
opposed to surface and sub-soil water, has become
the main source of irrigation, leading to more than
30% of the blocks in the country getting classified as
semi-critical, critical or overexploited.
• Despite the fact that MGNREGA mandates that 80% of
work must be related to local water conservation and
drought-proofing, the sustainability and productivity
of assets created is never monitored.
• Chronic lack of investment in storage systems, greater
urbanization, consequent large-scale deforestation
and levelling of water bodies like large ponds and
lakes for legal or illegal constructions have added to
the water problems.
IMPACT OF DROUGHT
Drought produces wide-ranging impacts the
reverberations of which are felt by the society and
economy much beyond the areas actually experiencing
the onslaughts of physical drought agricultural
production and water resources are integral to our ability
to produce goods and services. The greatest impact of
drought is on weaker sections of society. These include
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

landless labourers, small and marginal farmers as well as • Malnutrition and starvation.
artisans like weavers etc. • Loss of social status among the most vulnerable
ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF sections.
DROUGHTS • Situation of scarcity in some cases may exacerbate
• Adverse effect on recharge of ground water, soil social tensions and lead to erosion of social capital.
moisture and surface runoff . • Ill health and spread of diseases like diarrhoea,
• Rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs tend to dry up, wells dysentery, cholera and opthalmia caused by
and tube wells are rendered unserviceable due to malnutrition, hunger and starvation.
lowering of the ground water. • Low morale of people.
• Loss of forest cover, migration of wildlife and • Growth of fatalism and belief in supernatural powers
sharpening of man-animal conflicts and general stress and superstitions.
on biodiversity. Drought Management: Mahatma Gandhi National
• Reduced stream flow and loss of wetlands may affect Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has
levels of salinity. helped create, on an average, 21 water bodies in every
• Reduced groundwater recharge may damage aquifers village. Some 12.3 million water harvesting structures
and adversely affect the quality of water (eg Salt have been built. Since the inception of MGNREGA, almost
concentration, acidity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity) 51 per cent are works are related to water (water
which may lead to a permanent loss of biological conservation, flood control, irrigation, drought proofing,
productivity of soils. renovation of traditional water bodies and micro-
irrigation). India has a better monsoon forecasting
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DROUGHT
system than India had before and crisis response
• Since Indian agriculture is largely dependent on management has improved.
monsoon and about two-thirds of arable land lacks
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
irrigation facilities and is termed as rainfed. This leads
to production losses in agriculture and allied sectors
ON MANAGEMENT OF DROUGHT
especially animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, Rainwater harvesting Suitable crops/varieties
horticulture and fisheries. There is decline in and Efficient use cropping system
cultivated area. i. Rainwater harvesting i. Seed bank
• All industries dependent upon the primary sector for structures ii. Seed treatment
raw materials suffer on account of reduced supplies ii. Farm ponds iii. Intercropping systems
and hardening prices. iii. Percolation tanks etc.
iv. Micro irrigation system iv. Agro-forestry
• Decline of purchasing power
etc
• Fall in employment
Farm Mechanization Water Saving
• Distress sale of cattle and loss of cattle life i. Suitable implements Technologies:
• Distress sale and mortgage of land, jewellery and ii. Labour sharing a. Drip and Sprinkler
personal property mechanization Irrigation Systems
• Generation of hydroelectricity is adversely impacted iii. Custom hiring centers b. Practices such as use
by drought of organic manure with
the gradual reduction
SOCIAL IMPACTS
of chemical fertilizers,
• Disruption in rural society on account of stress vermin-culture and
migration. agronomic practices,
• Rise in school dropout rates. such as mulching, crop
• Greater economic impoverishment and indebtedness. rotation and the use of
biopest control
• Decline in livestock assets.
measures.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
• Establishment of functional Drought Management
Centre at the State Headquarters
• Preparation of agriculture contingency plans for
districts and sub district levels, especially in vulnerable
districts
• Monitoring of seasonal forecasts of IMD and other
national/international agencies
U.S. & CLIMATE ACTION
#Climate Change
IN NEWS
In June, 2017, United States President Donald Trump
announced that the U.S. would cease all participation in
the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation,
and begin negotiations to re-enter the agreement "on
terms that are fair to the United States, its businesses, its
workers, its people, its taxpayers,". Trump stated that the
withdrawal would be in accordance with his America
First policy.
In accordance with Article 28 of the Paris Agreement, a
country cannot give notice of withdrawal from the
agreement before three years of its start date in the
relevant country, which was on November 4, 2016 in the
case of the United States. On November 4, 2019, the
administration gave a formal notice of intention to
withdraw, which takes 12 months to take effect.
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WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF U.S.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN RE-JOINING THE PARIS
CLIMATE AGREEMENT?
• Joe Biden assumed office as President of the United
States on January 20, 2021, and among the first orders
he signed was one to restore America’s participation
in the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate
change.
• Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. played an
active role in climate negotiations, although the
Copenhagen UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) conference in 2009 failed to
produce a consensus, and member-countries only
acknowledged the science, without committing
themselves to greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions-
reduction targets.
• By 2015, the negotiations progressed with the Obama
administration engaging in diplomacy, resulting in the
Paris Agreement premised on voluntary targets for
national emissions cuts. On the long road to Paris, the
U.S., under George W. Bush, had pulled out of the
previous pact, the Kyoto Protocol, in 2001.
IMPLICATION OF U.S WITHDRAWAL
• The U.S. accounts for 15% of global GHG emissions,
but it is the biggest legacy contributor of atmosphere-
warming gases. Significantly, 10% of U.S. emissions
are methane, which has a greater warming effect than
CO2, and 81% is carbon dioxide. The rest is made up
of nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
• It impacted other countries due to reduction in U.S
financial aid to the Green Climate fund and IPCC
reports.
Green Climate Fund
• The GCF was set up in 2010 under the UNFCCC’s
financial mechanism to channel funding from
developed countries to developing countries to allow
them to mitigate climate change and also adapt to
disruptions arising from a changing climate.
• The UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris
Agreement call for financial assistance from countries
with more financial resources to those that are less
endowed and more vulnerable. It is in accordance
with the principle of “common but differentiated
responsibility and respective capabilities”.
• Through the Cancun Agreements in 2010 developed
countries committed to a goal of mobilizing jointly
USD 100 billion per year by 2020 to address the needs
of developing countries. The Green Climate Fund
(GCF) was established in Cancun Agreement and
designated it as an operating entity of the financial
mechanism.
• The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest
dedicated fund helping developing countries reduce
their greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their
ability to respond to climate change. It was set up by
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) in 2010. GCF has a crucial role in
serving the Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of
keeping average global temperature rise well below 2
degrees C. It does this by channelling climate finance
to developing countries, which have joined other
nations in committing to climate action.
• Responding to the climate challenge requires
collective action from all countries, including by both
public and private sectors. Among these concerted
efforts, advanced economies have agreed to jointly
mobilize significant financial resources. Coming from a
variety of sources, these resources address the
pressing mitigation and adaptation needs
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
developing countries.
• GCF launched its initial resource mobilisation in 2014,
and rapidly gathered pledges worth USD 10.3 billion.
These funds come mainly from developed countries,
but also from some developing countries, regions, and
one city.
• GCF’s activities are aligned with the priorities of
developing countries through the principle of country
ownership, and the Fund has established a direct
access modality so that national and sub-national
organisations can receive funding directly, rather than
only via international intermediaries.
• The Fund pays particular attention to the needs of
societies that are highly vulnerable to the effects of
climate change, in particular Least Developed
Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States
(SIDS), and African States.
• GCF aims to catalyse a flow of climate finance to invest
in low-emission and climate-resilient development,
driving a paradigm shift in the global response to
climate change.
While U.S has pulled out of the Paris Agreement, it
remains part of the UNFCCC, the mother agreement that
was finalised in 1994. In his Plan for Climate Change and
Environmental Justice released before the election, Mr.
Biden says America will strongly support multilateralism
again, but also call for accountability from other
countries, including the top emitter, China, on GHG
emissions. Nations that default could face carbon
adjustment fees or quotas.
This year’s UN climate conference in Glasgow will see the
new administration engaging UNFCCC member-nations
to raise global ambition.
DZUKOU VALLEY
IN NEWS
The wildfire at Dzukou Valley straddling the Manipur-
Nagaland border has been doused.
of
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

ABOUT
• The Dzüko Valley is a valley located at the borders of
the states of Nagaland and Manipur in Northeast
India. This valley is well known for its natural
environment, seasonal flowers and flora & fauna.
• The Asian Highway 1 and also the NH-2 passes
through its foothills. The nearest airport is Dimapur
Airport at Dimapur near the Assam border about 96
kilometres (60 miles) away from Viswema while the Bir
Tikendrajit International Airport is located about 120
kilometres (75 miles) south of Viswema.
HOUBARA BUSTARD
#Conservation
IN NEWS
Members of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) royal family
arrived in Pakistan’s Panjgur district in Balochistan to
hunt the internationally protected and highly vulnerable
houbara bustard under a license issued by Pakistan’s
foreign ministry. But this is not the first time royals from
the Gulf and their wealthy friends have descended on the
deserts of Pakistan to hunt the rare bird species. These
secretive and controversial private hunting expeditions
date back over four decades and have continued even
after Pakistan’s Supreme Court imposed a blanket ban on
the killing of the houbara bustard in 2015. The order was
later reversed.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
WHAT IS THE HOUBARA BUSTARD?
o The houbara bustard is a large terrestrial bird found in
parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The North
African houbara (Chlamydotis undulata) and the Asian
houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii) are separate
species. The Asian houbara is related to the critically
endangered great Indian bustard native to India.
o After breeding in Central Asia during the spring, Asian
houbara bustards migrate south to spend the winter
in Pakistan, the Arabian Peninsula and nearby
Southwest Asia. Some Asian houbara bustards live
and breed in the southern part of their ranges
including parts of Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
o According to the International Fund for Houbara
Conservation (IFHC), roughly 42,000 Asian houbara
bustards and over 22,000 of the North African
houbara bustards remain today. The main reasons for
the decline in the species’ population are poaching,
unregulated hunting and the degradation of its
natural habitat, the IFHC website states.
ELEPHANT CORRIDORS
#Conservation
IN NEWS
Two months after the Union Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change asked Uttarakhand
government to consider avoiding sensitive areas of the
Shivalik Elephant Reserve while exploring land suitable for
expansion of Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport, the state
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
government, in its response, has stated that there is no
viable alternative for the proposed activity.
Elephant in Indian conservation scheme: The species
is included in the list of protected species according to
the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972 and in the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES).
WHAT IS PROJECT ELEPHANT?
• Project Elephant is a Central Government sponsored
scheme launched in February 1992.
• Through the Project Elephant scheme, the
government helps in the protection and
management of elephants to the states having wild
elephants in a free-ranging population.
• It ensures the protection of elephant corridors and
elephant habitat for the survival of the elephant
population in the wild.
• Obligations of the central govt:
o The union government provides technical and
financial help to these states to carry out and achieve
the goals of project elephant. Not just that, assistance
for the purpose of the census, training of field officials
is also provided to ensure the mitigation and
prevention of man-elephant conflict.
o Central agencies along with state officials coordinate
to prevent illegal trade of ivory and ensure elephant
protection from hunters and poachers.
Elephant – The National Heritage Animal: The
government of India in the year 2010 declared Elephant
as the national heritage animal of the country on the
recommendations of the standing committee of the
national board for wildlife.
Elephant Reserves In India: As notified by the
government, there are around 32 elephant Reserves in
India. The very first elephant reserve or elephant
sanctuary was the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve of
Jharkhand.
MIKE PROGRAMME (CITES PROGRAM)
• MIKE the abbreviation of the Monitoring of Illegal
Killing of Elephants program was started in South Asia
in 2003 after the conference of parties a resolution of
CITES.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

• The aim of MIKE was to provide information required IN NEWS

by the elephant range countries for proper
A six-year old tiger was translocated from the buffer zone
management and long-term protection of their
of Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve in
elephant populations.
Uttarakhand.
• The objectives of the MIKE program is as follows:
• Rajaji National Park is an Indian national park and
o To measure the levels and trends in the illegal tiger reserve that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the
poaching and ensure changes in the trends for foothills of the Himalayas. It is spread over 820 km2.,
elephant protection. and three districts of Uttarakhand: Haridwar,
o To determine the factors responsible for such Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal. In 1983, three wildlife
changes, and to assess the impact of decisions by the sanctuaries in the area namely, Chilla, Motichur and
conference of parties to CITES. Rajaji sanctuaries were merged into one.

• Rajaji National Park has been named after C.

Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), a prominent leader of the
RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK Freedom Struggle, the second and last Governor-
General of independent India and one of the first
#conservation recipients of India's highest civilian award Bharat
Ratna (in 1954).

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding (b) Compared to cement and water, the chemical
Jal Jeevan Mission: reaction between fly ash and calcium hydroxide
1. It seeks to ensure that every rural household of typically is faster.
the country gets assured drinking water supply by (c) European fly ash is of a silicious or class.
2024. (d) The initial compressive strength is low but as days
2. The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and pass, fly ash concrete gains more strength and
states is 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern eventually has a lot more strength as compared to
States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union normal Portland cement.
Territories.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Q3. Consider the following statements:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 1. The Ganges river dolphin can live in both
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2 freshwater as well as saline water.
2. They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which
Q2. Which of the following statements is/are bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them
incorrect regarding Fly Ash: to “see” an image in their mind.

(a) Indian fly ash is primarily of the calcareous variety. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2 (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding Q5. Consider the following statements in reference
Green Climate Fund: to MIKE program:
1. It was set up by the United Nations Framework 1. To measure the levels and trends in the illegal
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010. poaching and ensure changes in the trends for
2. The Fund pays particular attention to the needs of elephant protection.
societies that are highly vulnerable to the effects 2. To determine the factors responsible for such
of climate change, in particular Least Developed changes, and to assess the impact of decisions by
Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States the conference of parties to CITES.
(SIDS), and African States. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2

Answers: 1-c, 2-b, 3-b, 4-c, 5-c

descriptive Questions
Q1. Demonstrate the environment challenges posed by the Fly Ash. How we can utilize it to minimize its negative
consequences? (250 Words)

Q2. Throw some light on anthropogenic causes of Droughts. What are some long term measures which can be
adopted to resolve this hazard. (250 words)

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 History, HERITAGE & Culture
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper I (Main)

KALARIPAYATTU
• Kalaripayattu is a martial art designed for the ancient
battlefield (the word "Kalari" meaning "battlefield"),

#Art & Culture with weapons and combative techniques that are
unique to India.
IN NEWS
• Legend traces the art form to Sage Parasurama- the
State government of Kerala intends to revive
master of all martial art forms.
Kalaripayattu by setting up a Kalaripayattu Academy at
Vellar Craft Village under Department of Tourism of WHAT IT INCLUDES?
Kerala. • Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling,

ABOUT KALARIPAYATTU preset forms, weaponry and healing methods.

• Practioners of Kalaripayattu possess intricate

knowledge of pressure points on the human body
and healing techniques that incorporate the
knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga.

ANCIENT EVIDENCES

• Kalaripayattu originated in ancient South India.

• Kung- fu, popularized by the monks of the Shoaling

Temple traces its ancestry to Bodhi Dharma - an

• Kalaripayattu is considered the oldest surviving Indian Buddhist monk and Kalaripayattu master.

martial art of the country, with a legacy of more • The primary source of Indian martial arts is in Sangam
than 3,000 years, is set to see a surge in popularity literature. The Akananuru and Purananuru describe
with the establishment of an academy in the use of spears, swords, shields, bows and
Thiruvananthapuram. silambam in the Sangam era. Akananuru and

• Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art and fighting Purananuru are two of the Eight Anthologies in the

system that originated in modern-day Kerala. Sangam literature.

Kalaripayattu, also known as 'Kalari', is known for its • There is also mention of a form of Kalaripayattu called
long-standing history within Indian martial arts culture TulunadanKalari in the Northern ballads of the
and is believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in Chekavar in the Malabar region.
the world.

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 History, Heritage & Culture

RELATED INFORMATION

Name of the
Martial Art What is it? State it belongs to
form

• Silambam is a weapon-based martial art originating in South

SILAMBAM India. Tamil Nadu
• This style is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature circa 400 BCE.

• Gatka is the name of an martial art associated with the Sikhs of

the Punjab who practice an early variant of the martial art.

• It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to

GATKA Punjab
simulate swords.

• The Punjabi name gatka properly refers to the wooden stick

used.

• The term quite literally means fist fighting (‘musti’ meaning fist It is an unarmed martial
and ‘yuddha’ meaning fight or battle) in Sanskrit. art from Varanasi
(Benares) in the northern
• The technique used is mainly restricted to punches and elbow
MUSTI YUDHA part of India which has a
strikes with minimal use of kicks and knee strikes.
history of boxing
• Tracing back to ancient India, this form of combat has been traditions dating back 350
referenced in both the Rig Veda and the Ramayana. years.

• Manipuri martial art is called Thang-Ta (sword and spear). It is

dedicated to fighting skill and worship.
THNAG-TA Manipur
• THANG TA is popular term for the ancient Manipuri Martial Art
known as HUYEN LALLONG.

• It is a traditional Bengali martial art – a kind of stick fighting

LATHI KHELA practised in India and Bangladesh. West Bengal
• A practitioner is known as a lathial.

• It is an armed martial art from Maharashtra.

MARDANI KHEL • It is particularly known for its use of the uniquely Indian patta Maharashtra
(sword) and vita (corded lance).

• Pari-khandaa style of sword and shield fighting from Bihar. This

PARI KHANDA art is created by the Rajputs. Bihar
• Pari-khanda steps and techniques are also used in Chau dance.

• Kathi Samu is an ancient and historical martial art which

originated in Andhra Pradesh.
KATHI SAMU • Kathi basically means sword and Kathi Samu is a martial art Andhra Pradesh
which is fighting with swords.

• Kathi Samu is an ancient skill which was mastered by the royal

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 History, Heritage & Culture

armies of Andhra.

• Thoda is known as a form of a martial art form that is commonly

seen in Himachal Pradesh, especially in the valleys of Kullu and
Manali.

THODA • This sport needs excellence in archery, where the main weapons Himachal Pradesh
are bows and arrows.

• This game has two groups and the main target is the opponent’s
legs below knees.

• Pehlwani, also known as kushti, is a form of wrestling contested

in the Indian subcontinent. It was developed from native Indian
malla-yuddha.

• The words pehlwani and kushti derive from the Persian terms
pahlavani and koshti respectively, meaning Heroic wrestling.
PEHALWANI/
• It is likely that the word derives from the Iranian word "Pehalavi" Indian Sub-continent
KUSHTI
denoting to people of Iranian descent.

• Akhara are also used as sites where the pehlwani or wrestlers

train and practice their wrestling in the mud arenas called kushti,
which literally translates to mean ‘wrestling ground with
hallowed earth.’

KHELO INDIA YOUTH

• Under the Scheme, talented players identified in
priority sports disciplines at various levels are

GAMES provided annual financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakhs per

annum for 8 years.

#Culture FOUR MARTIAL ARTS

IN NEWS
In a recent move, the Sports Ministry inducted four
indigenous martial art forms — Kalaripayattu of Kerala,
Mallakhamb of Central India, Gatka of Punjab and Thang-
ta of Manipur — into the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG)
2021.
ABOUT KHELO INDIA
1. Thang-Ta is a Manipur marital art. The primary
weapons of huyen langlon are the thang (sword) and
ta (spear). Other weapons include the shield and the
axe. In the Meitei language, huyen means war while
langlon or langlong can mean net, knowledge or art.
2. Kalaripayattu has its origin from Kerala and has
practitioners all over the world.

• KIYG is a part of the revamped national programme 3. Gatka originates from the State of Punjab. This
for development of sports ‘Khelo India’ which was traditional fighting style of the Nihang Sikh Warriors is
approved by the Union Cabinet in 2017. used both as self-defense and as a sport.

• The Khelo India Scheme aims to encourage sports all 4. Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from
over the country, thus allowing the population to the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast
harness the power of sports. performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and
wrestling grips with a vertical stationary or hanging

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 History, Heritage & Culture
wooden pole, cane, or rope. The name Mallakhamb
derives from the terms malla, meaning wrestler, and
khamb, which means a pole. Literally meaning
"wrestling pole", the term refers to a traditional
training implement used by wrestlers. Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra have been the hotspots
of this sport.
NETAJI SUBHASH
CHANDRA BOSE
#Personality # Modern India
IN NEWS
rd
The government has announced that January 23 , birth
anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, would be celebrated
as “Parakram Divas”, day of courage, every year.
ABOUT NETAJI
• Born on 23rd January, 1897 at Cuttack town to a
pleader father Subhash Chandra. He was selected
into the Indian Civil Service after a brilliant academic
career. He left the job in 1921.
• After leaving the service Subhash joined the Non-
Cooperation Movement but was not satisfied with
the principle of non-violence of Gandhiji and
supported Motilal and C.R. Das in the venture of
organising the Swarajist party.
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
• Subhash Chandra Bose was twice elected President
of the Indian National Congress, (1938-Haripur and
1939-Tripuri).
• He resigned from the Congress Presidentship in
1939 and organised the All India Forward Bloc a
faction within the Congress in Bengal.
• During Second World War he was put under house
arrest in his ancestral house in Elgin Road (Calcutta)
but escaped and reached Japan.
• He had announced the establishment of the
provisional government of Azad Hind in occupied
Singapore. It was Known as Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad
Hind, it was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial
Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic, and
their allies.
• Subhash became the President of the Indian
National Army as well as the President of Indian
Independence League.
• In 1942, he earned the title ‘Netaji’, in Germany by
the Indian soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj.
• Bose is credited with the famous slogan, “Give me
blood, and I shall give you freedom!” as well as “Jai
Hind”.
• He is also credited to be the first man to call
Mahatma Gandhi “Father of the Nation”, in his
address from Singapore.
VINAYAK DAMODAR
SAVARKAR
#Personality # Modern India
IN NEWS
A member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative council has
demanded that the portrait of Hindu Mahasabha leader
139
 History, Heritage & Culture
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar be removed from the picture
gallery of the State Legislative Council.
ABOUT SAVARKAR
• He is also known as Swatantryaveer Savarkar.
• Championed atheism and rationality and disapproved
orthodox Hindu beliefs. In fact, he even dismissed cow
worship as superstitious.
• Savarkar was a radical and his Hindutva too was a
radical break in the Hindu thought: anti-caste,
reformist, modernist and futurist.
• In Pune, Savarkar founded the “Abhinav Bharat
Society”.
• Once in London, he united and inflamed the Indian
students in England against British rule in India. He
founded the Free India Society. The Society celebrated
important dates on the Indian calendar including
festivals, freedom movement landmarks, and was
dedicated to furthering discussion about Indian
freedom.
• In London, Veer Savarkar inspired his fellow Indian
students and formed an organisation ‘Free India
Society’ to fight against Britishers for freedom.
• He believed and advocated the use of arms to free
India from the British and created a network of
Indians in England, equipped with weapons.
• He was also involved in the Swadeshi movement and
later joined Tilak’s Swaraj Party. His instigating
patriotic speeches and activities incensed the British
Government. As a result, the British Government
withdrew his B.A. degree.
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• He was against foreign goods and propagated the
idea of Swadeshi. In 1905, he burnt all the foreign
goods in a bonfire on Dussehra.
• Provided legal defence to Madan Lal Dhingra, who
was accused in a murder case of a British Indian
army officer named Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie.
• Veer Savarkar also founded the two-nation theory
in his book ‘Hindutva’ calling Hindus and Muslims
two separate nations. In 1937, Hindu Mahasabha
passed it as a resolution. In 1937, he also became the
president of ‘Hindu Mahasabha’.
• A fierce critic of the Indian National Congress (INC)
and Mahatma Gandhi; opposed the ‘Quit India
Movement’ and later objected to INC’s acceptance of
Indian partition. He proposed the co-existence of two
nations in one country.
• Savarkar wrote a book titled ‘The History of the War
of Indian Independence’ in which he wrote about the
guerrilla warfare tricks used in 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.
• The British government immediately enforced a ban
on the publication in both Britain and India. Later, it
was published by Madame Bhikaiji Cama in
Holland, and was smuggled into India to reach
revolutionaries working across the country against
British rule.
• In Ratnagiri jail, Savarkar wrote the book ‘Hindutva:
who is Hindu?’
• Vinayak Savarkar was a president of Hindu
Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943. When congress
ministries offered resignation on 22nd Oct. 1939,
Hindu Mahasabha under his leadership cooperated
with Muslim league to form government in provinces
like Sindh, Bengal and NWFP.
• Arrested in 1910 for his connections with the
revolutionary group India House.
• One of the charges on Savarkar was abetment to
murder of Nashik Collector Jackson and the second
was waging a conspiracy under Indian penal code
121-A against the King emperor.
• Savarkar was convicted and sentenced to 50-years
imprisonment also known as Kala Pani and
transported in 1911 to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.
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 History, Heritage & Culture

• He was not considered by the British government • After several mercy petitions, he was released in
as a political prisoner. 1924.

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Which of the following statements is/are 1. He is also known as Swatantryaveer Savarkar.
correct regarding Subhash Chandra Bose? 2. He founded the “Abhinav Bharat Society”.
1. His birth anniversary would be celebrated as 3. He supported the ‘Quit India Movement’.
“Parakram Divas”. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
2. He joined the Non-Cooperation Movement. (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
3. He became President of the Indian National Army (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
as well as the President of Indian Independence
League.
Q4. Consider the following statements:
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
1. Kalaripayattu is a martial art and fighting system
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only
that originated in modern-day Kerala.
(c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
2. Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling and
healing methods.
Q2. Consider the following pairs: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Name of the Martial Art Form State (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
1. Silambam - Tamil Nadu (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. Lathi Khela - West Bengal
3. Kathi Samu - Andhra Pradesh Q5. Consider the following statements:
Which of the pairs given above is/are incorrectly 1. The provisional government of Azad Hind was
matched? formed in Singapore.
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only 2. The provisional government of Azad Hind was
(c) 1, 2 and 3 only (d) None of the above supported by Allied Powers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Q3. With reference to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
consider the following statements: (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answers: 1-d, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c, 5-a

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 SECURITY
# GS Paper III (Main)
NATIONAL SECURITY
DIRECTIVE
#Governance #Security
IN NEWS
In order to strengthen the security of the communications
network in India, the Cabinet Committee on Security
announced the National Security Directive on
Telecommunication Sector, which will mandate service
providers to purchase equipment from trusted sources.
Recently, there was a meeting between Government and
Telecom Operators to discuss about the implementation
of National Security Directive. Now, the telecom operators
have asked the government to clarify about the entity that
will be held liable in the event of a security breach in the
network post implementation of the National Security
Directive (NSD).
THREAT FROM TELECOM PRODUCTS – NATIONAL
SECURITY
• It is a known fact that in the modern age, telecom
equipment and networks used for provisioning of
telecom services are prone to spyware/malwares etc.
emanating from the equipment itself or embedded
software contained in it. In particular, concerns have
been raised over the Telecom Equipment provided by
Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE.
• Countries such as USA have highlighted that these
Chinese companies may be extracting sensitive
information from the telecom infrastructure through
Backdoor or trapdoor vulnerabilities.
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• A backdoor or a trap door is a bug installed in the
telecom hardware that allows companies to listen in
or collect data being shared on the network. Chinese
vendors Huawei and ZTE have been under global
scrutiny for allegedly installing backdoor
vulnerabilities and spying for the Chinese government
and have been banned by several countries.
• Considering the need to ensure India's national
security, the Cabinet Committee on Security has
accorded approval for the National Security Directive
on Telecommunication Sector.
NATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTIVE (NSD)
• The idea behind this directive is to ensure that Indian
telecom operators should compulsorily purchase
Telecom equipment only from trusted and certified
sources.
• This move on National Security Directive came after
the Centre asked all telecom operators to undertake
an ‘Information Security Audit’ of their networks.
• The objective was to specifically check for any
‘backdoor’ or ‘trapdoor’ vulnerabilities in the telecom
sector.
MAIN PROVISIONS: NSD
• It aims to classify telecom products and their sources
under Trusted and Non-Trusted Categories.
• Decision would be based on approval of the National
Security Committee on Telecom. The Committee is
headed by the Deputy National Security
Advisor (NSA).
142

• The National Cyber Security Coordinator will be
the designated authority and will devise
methodology to designate trusted products.
• The telecom service providers would be allowed to
purchase equipment only from trusted sources.
PRIVACY POLICY
UPDATES – WHATSAPP
#Privacy #Rights #Security
IN NEWS
Following a severe backlash over the latest update to its
privacy policy, Facebook-owned WhatsApp said that it has
pushed back the policy rollout by three months to May 15
th
from an earlier date of 8 February, 2021. The
Confederation of All India Traders has moved the Supreme
Court seeking a direction to the government to stop online
instant messaging platform WhatsApp from sharing user
data with “any entity”, including Facebook or its other
“family companies”, in furtherance of its new and
controversial privacy policy. The petition pointed out that
Ministers, Members of Parliament, judges, senior
bureaucrats, defence personnel and crores of traders and
well-known businessmen use WhatsApp for sharing
confidential and personal information. Even Government
of India has written a letter to WhatsApp and highlighted
its concerns on privacy rights of Indian citizens.
WHICH DATA IS BEING SHARED BY WHATSAPP?
• According to WhatsApp, it will not share personal
chats as personal chats of friends and families
remains end-to-end encrypted (coded) and hence
cannot be decoded by third party.
• However, WhatsApp shares the following information
with Facebook and its other companies:
o account registration information - phone number,
o transaction data (WhatsApp now has payments in
India),
o service-related information,
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o information on how one interacts with others
the (including businesses),
o mobile device information and
o Internet Protocol (IP) address.
o It is also collecting more information at a device
hardware level now.
DOES WHATSAPP STORES MESSAGES?
• According to WhatsApp, it does not store messages.
According to its privacy policy, once a message is
delivered, it is deleted from the company’s servers.
• WhatsApp stores a message only when it cannot be
delivered immediately. The message can then stay on
its servers “for up to 30 days” in an encrypted form as
WhatsApp continues to try to deliver it. If undelivered
even after 30 days, the message is deleted from the
servers.
• WhatsApp claims that it cannot see a location anyone
shares with a friend as that too is protected by end-to-
end encryption.
BUSINESS ACCOUNTS - POTENTIAL
MONETISATION MODEL FOR WHATSAPP
• The new policy explains how businesses get data
when a user interacts with them on the platform. So,
content shared with a business on WhatsApp will be
visible to “several people in that business”. This is
important because WhatsApp now has over 50 million
Business Accounts. For WhatsApp, this is a potential
monetisation model.
• The policy says that some businesses may be working
with third-party service providers (which may include
Facebook) to help manage their communications with
their customers. To understand how the business is
handling the information one shares with them,
WhatsApp recommends that users read the “business’
privacy policy or contact the business directly”.
CLARIFICATION BY WHATSAPP – DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN PRIVATE & BUSINESS MESSAGES
• WhatsApp has clarified the difference between Private
Messages and Business Messages.
• WhatsApp has over 50 million Business Accounts
which is used as a monetisation model by WhatsApp.
143

• So, according to WhatsApp, the privacy policy updates
are for the Business Accounts on WhatsApp and not
for Private messages which are end-to-end encrypted
messages shared between family and friends.
CHATS OF BUSINESS ACCOUNTS USED FOR
TARGETED ADVERTISING
• Chats on Business Accounts may not be that safe.
WhatsApp has clarified that some large businesses
might need to use secure hosting services from
Facebook to manage WhatsApp chats with their
customers, answer questions, and send helpful
information like purchase receipts.
• For Business Accounts, whether one communicates
with a business by phone, email, or WhatsApp, it can
see what one is saying and WhatsApp may use the
information for its own marketing purposes, which
may include advertising on Facebook.
• So, regarding transparency, WhatsApp says that it will
clearly label the conversations with businesses that
are choosing to use hosting services from Facebook.
• These labels are already visible when one is
communicating with any business accounts. So, users
need to decide whether they want to be in a
conversation, the details of which could be used to
show them targeted advertisements.
• Thus, business messaging, which WhatsApp has been
gradually activating across many markets,
ultimately results in advertisements based
preferences you have shown to the business.
WHATSAPP ROLLED BACK ITS PRIVACY POLICY
DESPITE CLARIFICATIONS
• WhatsApp’s updated its privacy policy on January 4,
th
2021 and it was to come into effect on 8 February,
2021. The updated privacy policy essentially takes
away user’s choice of sharing their data.
• So far, users enjoy the choice or the right of sharing or
not sharing their data with other Facebook-owned and
third-party apps.
• According to the privacy policy, if users did not agree
with the updated privacy policy of the messaging
platform, they would have to quit WhatsApp by 8
February - when the new terms of service were set to
come into effect.
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• WhatsApp clarified that the changes were necessary
to help businesses through WhatsApp Business
(Business Accounts), which was launched by the
company in 2018 to facilitate communication between
businesses and customers.
• This change in privacy policy has raised concerns
among users and has also prompted many to shift to
other messaging apps like Signal and Telegram.
• Seeing the backlash, WhatsApp has extended the
deadline to agree for its privacy terms and conditions
th
to 15 May, 2021.
CHANGE IN WHATSAPP POLICIES OVER YEARS
• When WhatsApp was launched back in 2009, it had
made commitments that it will not sell user data to
any third party.
• This changed after Facebook’s acquisition of the
platform in 2014 and in 2017, it started sharing data
with its parent company - but users were given a
choice to not opt for this.
• Now, this has changed into a ‘take it or leave it’
policy. This tantamount to changing the conditions of
service midway without providing sufficient
alternatives or redressal mechanism.
LETTER ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
• Government of India has issued a directive to
WhatsApp and has asked the company to withdraw its
will
controversial privacy update and respect Indian
on
citizens’ informational privacy and data security.
• The government has also sought details of the
difference between WhatsApp’s privacy policies in
India and other countries along with details of its data
security, information security, cyber-security, privacy,
and encryption policies.
• The government has raised strong objections against
the differential treatment by WhatsApp to its users in
India and in the European Union (due to EUGDPR). It
added this has triggered serious criticism and shows
lack of respect for the rights and interests of Indian
citizens, who form one of the largest user bases for
WhatsApp.
th
• Indian government underlined that such treatment is
prejudicial to the interests of Indian users and is
viewed with serious concern. In this context,
144

government of India reminded WhatsApp that it owes
a sovereign responsibility to its citizens to ensure that
their interests are not compromised and therefore it
calls upon WhatsApp to respond to concerns raised.
HOW EUGDPR PROTECTS DATA PRIVACY?
• Data sharing of WhatsApp with Facebook also takes
place in the European Union but such transfers are
protected by European Union General
Protection Regulation (EUGDPR).
• In Google v. Spain, the European Court of Justice (ECJ)
ruled that the European citizens have a right to
request that commercial search firms, such as Google,
that gather personal information for profit should
remove links to private information when asked,
provided the information is no longer relevant. The
Court did not say newspapers should remove articles.
The Court found that the fundamental right to privacy
is greater than the economic interest of
commercial firm and, in some circumstances, the
public interest in access to Information.
• The judgment led to including the aspect of Right to
be forgotten” within EUGDPR.
KEY CHANGES BROUGHT BY EUGDPR
The aim of the GDPR is to protect all EU citizens from
privacy and data breaches in the present data-driven
world. In the new EUGDPR, many new changes have
been proposed to the regulatory policies which are –
INCREASED TERRITORIAL SCOPE
• GDPR now applies to all companies processing the
personal data of data subjects residing in the
European Union, regardless of the company’s
location. Previously, territorial applicability of the
directive was ambiguous leading to disputes and
excessive litigations.
• GDPR clearly applies to the processing of personal
data by controllers and processors in the EU,
regardless of whether the processing takes place in
the EU or not.
• The GDPR also applies to the processing of
personal data of data subjects in the EU by a
controller or processor not established in the EU.
Activities of personal data relate to -
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 offering goods or services to EU citizens (irrespective
of whether payment is required); and
 the monitoring of behaviour that takes place within
the EU.
• Non-EU businesses processing the data of EU citizens
also have to appoint a representative in the EU.
PENALTIES
Data
• Fine - Organizations in breach of GDPR can be fined
up to 4% of annual global turnover or €20 Million
(whichever is greater). This is the maximum fine that
can be imposed for the most serious infringements
i.e. not having sufficient customer consent to process
data or violating the core of privacy by design
concepts.
• Tiered Approach to Fines e.g. a company can be
fined 2% for not having their records in order (article
28), not notifying the supervising authority and data
the
subject about a breach or not conducting impact
assessment.
• Clouds not Exempted - These rules apply to both
controllers and processors. It means that ‘clouds’ are
not exempt from GDPR enforcement.
CONSENT
• The conditions for consent have been
strengthened and companies cannot use ambiguous
terms and conditions for consent which are self-
contradictory.
• The request for consent must be given in an
intelligible and easily accessible form with the
purpose for data processing attached to that consent.
• Consent must be clear and distinguishable from
other matters and provided in an easily accessible
form, using clear and plain language. It must be as
easy to withdraw consent as it is to give it.
DATA SUBJECT RIGHTS
• Right to Access–It is right of data subjects to obtain
confirmation from the data controller about
processing of their personal data. The data controller
has to tell their data subjects about the jurisdiction
and purpose of data process.
• Breach Notification - Under the GDPR, breach
notifications are now mandatory in all member states
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where a data breach is likely to “result in a risk for the
rights and freedoms of individuals”. Data processors
are also required to notify their customers, the
controllers, “without undue delay” after first becoming
aware of a data breach.
• Right to be Forgotten–It entitles the data subject to
have the data controller erase their personal data, cease
further dissemination of their data and have third parties
halt processing of their data.
• Conditions for removal of data are – 1. Data is no
longer relevant to original purposes for processing or
2. Data subject withdrawing their consent. Right to be
forgotten also requires data controllers to compare
the subjects’ rights to “the public interest in the
availability of the data” when considering such
requests for data removal.
• Data Portability - GDPR introduces data portability –
the right for a data subject to receive the personal
data concerning them – which they have previously
provided in a ‘commonly used and machine readable
format’ and have the right to transmit that data to
another controller.
Privacy by Design–The term “Privacy by Design” means
data protection through technology design and takes the
human aspects of privacy during the designing process
of any technology. At its core, privacy by design calls for
the inclusion of data protection from the onset of the
designing of systems, rather than an addition. Privacy by
design as a concept has existed for years, but has
become part of the legal requirement with the GDPR.
CONCLUSION
Government of India apart from securing citizen’s online
privacy, must ensure that robust data protection
legislation is enacted on the lines of EUGDPR where
consumers rights and choice is legally protected and
where right to be forgotten becomes a statutory right.
AUTOMATED FACIAL
RECOGNITION SYSTEM
#Privacy #Rights #Security
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
IN NEWS
There are currently 16 different facial recognition tracking
(FRT) systems in active utilisation by various Central and
State governments across India for surveillance, security
or authentication of identity. Another 17 are in the
process of being installed by different government
departments.
While the FRT system has seen rapid deployment by
multiple government departments in recent times, there
are no specific laws or guidelines to regulate the use of
this potentially invasive technology. Thus, rapid
deployment of facial recognition system by the
government without any law in place poses threat to
privacy rights and freedom of speech and expression.
ABOUT AFRS
• The AFRS is a centralised web application, and is
expected to be the foundation for “a national level
searchable platform of facial images”.
• The surveillance tool will be integrated with centrally
maintained databases such as the Crime and Criminal
Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), the Inter-
operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS), and the
National Automated Fingerprint Identification
System (NAFIS).
ABOUT CCTNS, ICJS & NAFIS
• Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems
(CCTNS) is a Mission Mode Project under the National
e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of Govt. of India. CCTNS
aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated
system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness
of policing through adopting of principle of e-
Governance and creation of a nationwide networking
infrastructure for evolution of IT-enabled-state-of-the-
art tracking system around 'Investigation of crime and
detection of criminals'.
CCTNS provide citizen centric police services through
a web portal; establishes State and National Database
of Crime and Criminal records, provides crime and
criminal reports at state and centre, computerizations
of police process & interlinks police stations, state
and national data centres through a data network.
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• Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) is a • Law enforcement’s software is meant to work in
common platform for information exchange and various light conditions, detect make-up, plastic
analytics of all the pillars of the criminal justice system surgery or ageing and work against sketches of
comprising of Police, Forensics, Prosecution, Courts & subjects.
Prisons. Invested under the CCTNS project of the
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT DATABASES WHICH
MHA, the ICJS enables a nationwide search on police,
AFRS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO?
prisons & courts databases across all States/ UTs in
the country. • As per NCRB, AFRS will have access to various
government databases such as Passports, Aadhaar,
• National Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS)
Immigration, Visa and Foreigners’ Registration
- is being setup by NCRB which is a network based pan
Tracking database, Ministry of Women and Child
India system for recording and sharing of fingerprints
development’s Khoya-Paya and the National
of criminals in various crimes.
Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
Implementation of NAFIS will help Police in solving
• It can match a photo against many and compare one
crime cases quickly but will also enhance skilled
photo with another. The more the data, the better is
human resources in State Fingerprint Bureaus.
the output.
APPROVAL FOR AFRS
• A centralized web application will be hosted in the
• Approval has been accorded for implementation of crime record bureau’s data centre in Delhi which will
Automatic Facial Recognition System (AFRS) by be made available to all police stations in India.
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
FACTORS IMPORTANT IN FACIAL RECOGNITION
• AFRS will use police records and will be accessible only
• Unlike fingerprints and DNA, which do not change
to Law Enforcement Agencies.
during a person’s life, facial recognition has to take
• This will facilitate better identification of criminals, into account different factors, such as:
unidentified dead bodies and missing/found children
 Ageing
and persons.
 Plastic surgery
• AFRS is a software that recognizes, records and matches
faces against various government databases from photos  Cosmetics

and videos taken from public and private sources.  Effects of drug abuse or smoking

• Its purpose is to find missing children who may be  Pose of the subject
recorded on CCTV and to track criminals across the • Working with good quality images is also crucial. Low
country. or medium quality images may be not searchable in
HOW DOES THE SOFTWARE WORK? the IFRS system. Even if they are searched, the
accuracy of the search and the results themselves can
• The police’s AFRS is different from the facial
be significantly affected.
recognition systems used on smartphones which are
based on the ISO 19794-5 Standard meant for NO ACTIVE GUIDELINES FOR FACIAL
consumer biometrics. RECOGNITION TRACKING (AFRT) SYSTEM
• Whereas AFRS as per National Crime Records Bureau • While the FRT system has seen rapid deployment by
(NCRB) measures facial features and uses the multiple government departments in recent times,
measurements to create a “template" to be matched there are no specific laws or guidelines to regulate the
against other records. use of this potentially invasive technology.

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 Security

• FRT system without appropriate guidelines pose that requires employees to sign-in or sign-out of the
threat to fundamental rights to privacy and freedom workplace. The purpose of the security system is to
of speech and expression because it does not satisfy prevent unauthorized access to a particular
the threshold set by Supreme Court in its landmark workplace. However, organizations may end up using
privacy judgment (Justice K.S. Puttaswamy Vs Union this information about individual employees to track
of India’). employee attendance.

• So far, the government has not framed any guidelines, • As per report of the Hindu Newspaper, Delhi police
policies, rules or standard operating procedure to with the help of automated facial recognition system
regulate use of facial recognition technology in India. (AFRS), was comparing the details of people involved

• This technology can be used to target select in violence during the anti-Citizenship Act protests in

individuals belonging to any group, organisation, Jamia Millia Islamia with a data bank of more than two

religion, caste etc. especially in protests, rallies etc. lakh ‘anti-social elements’.

from raising voices against government’s policies. • This raises the doubt about the usage of AFRS and its
This may tantamount to violation of Article 19(1) as it regulation including violation of rights of individuals.
allows citizens the fundamental right to freedom of
CHALLENGES OF UNREGULATED USE OF AFRS
speech and expression.
• Violation of fundamental right to privacy.
• In the context of Article 21, an invasion of privacy
• Increases illegal mass surveillance without proper
must be justified on the basis of a law which stipulates
regulations or need.
a procedure which is fair, just and reasonable.
• Leads to profiling of citizens based on different
• An invasion of life or personal liberty must meet the
criteria.
three-fold requirement of
• Automates discriminatory policing – inculcates a habit
1. Legality, which postulates the existence of law;
of discrimination among police based on religious or
2. Need, defined in terms of a legitimate state aim; and
other grounds.
3. Proportionality which ensures a rational nexus
• Targeting peaceful protestors raising voice against
between the objects and the means adopted to
government policies or laws.
achieve them
• Impacts fundamental right to life and liberty &
• Positive Aspects of Privacy - imposes an obligation
freedom of speech & expression.
on the state to take all necessary measures to protect
• Problem of FALSE POSITIVE - Inaccurate result can
the privacy of the individual.
lead to falsely implicating someone else.
• Negative Aspects of Privacy - restrains the state
• Problem of FALSE NEGATIVE – system does not
from committing an intrusion upon the life and
recognise the person at all.
personal liberty of a citizen.
• False Negative can lead to exclusion of people from
USES OF AFRS OR FRT
government schemes or policies.
• According to some experts, police in Delhi are using
EVEN COMPANIES HAVE PUT A MORATORIUM
the technology for wider security and surveillance and
investigation purpose, which is a function creep. ON SALE OF SUCH TECHNOLOGIES

• Function creep occurs when information is used for a • Many cities and states in the United States have either

purpose that is not the original specified purpose. For completely banned the usage or have imposed

example, a workplace may install a security system

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 Security

moratorium on the usage of facial recognition CONCLUSION & WAY FORWARD

technology.
• India is facing a facial recognition pandemic, one
• Companies like IBM, Microsoft have decided not to sell without any safeguards or remedies for the harms of
these technologies to law enforcement at all. Even exclusion, profiling and surveillance.
Amazon has imposed a moratorium.
• Without urgent action, such systems of mass
• Facial recognition technology has not only been surveillance will erode democratic liberties and
invasive, inaccurate and unregulated but has also threaten the rights of lakhs of Indians.
been unapologetically weaponised by law
• Thus, government must provide specific guidelines on
enforcement against people from different race or
the use and against misuse of AFRS. Government
religion.
must lay down specific guidelines in the upcoming
Data Protection Law against misuse of AFRS.

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 Part TWO

Ethics, Integrity
& Aptitude
Coverage from varied sources
 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

ENJOYABLE SOURCES FOR UNDERSTANDING

ETHICS
#Ethics #Integrity #Aptitude

Note: Most of the questions asked by UPSC in GS Paper-IV test familiarity of a student with his/her surroundings,

experiential learning, observations, power of deduction, and rational decision making. In this regard, through this section

of FOCUS, we try to represent different ways of understanding and answering various UPSC questions by developing basic

comprehension from various sources.

With respect to above, we are presenting in this section a summary of such hints/sources to the students which can be

utilised beyond texts for more enriched understanding. Students are requested to peruse them.

Read, enjoy, ponder and practice !

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

► SOURCE 1: HISTORY

Hint: UPSC ESSAY 2018 “Past is the permanent dimension of

human consciousness and values”

On the basis of above, let us see how it can be applied as

hinted below:

DHAMMA: ON ETHICS FOR ALL

In brief: It is a non-aggressive, moral and philosophical

system expounded by the Buddha, which demands no

Noble Eightfold path: Ethical conduct is built on the vast
blind faith from its adherents, expounds no dogmatic conception of universal love and compassion for all living
creeds, encourages no superstitious rites and beings, on which the Buddha’s teaching is based.

ceremonies, but advocates a golden mean that guides a According to Buddhism, for a man to be perfect there are

disciple through pure living and pure thinking to the gain two qualities that he should develop equally:
compassion (karuna) on one side, and wisdom (panna)
of supreme wisdom and deliverance from all evil. The
on the other.
teachings of Dhamma are summarised in Noble
 Compassion represents love, charity, kindness,
Eightfold path. tolerance, and such noble qualities on the emotional
side, or qualities of the heart.

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
 Wisdom stand for the intellectual side or the qualities
of the mind.
 Emotional intelligence: If one develops only the
emotional, neglecting the intellectual, one may
become a good-hearted fool; while to develop only
the intellectual side neglecting the emotional may
turn one into a hard-hearted intellect without feeling
for others.
Therefore to be perfect, one has to develop both equally.
That is the aim of the Buddhist way of life: in it wisdom
and compassion are inseparably linked together and
these are very important traits for an effective
governance.
Hence, Dhamma can be applied everywhere i.e. political,
legal, economic, social and cultural spheres.
► SOURCE 2: CONSTITUTION
Hint: UPSC ESSAY 2015 “Education without values, as useful
as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil.”
On the basis of above………What are these values which are
required to be imparted through values based education?
These values are properly laid down in our Constitution and
few hints are mentioned below:
PREAMBLE
In Preamble itself, the Constitution lays down four universal
values:
 JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
 LIBERTY of thoughts, expression, belief, faith and
worship;
 EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote
among them all;
 FRATERNITY, assuring the dignity of the individual and
the unity and integrity of the nation.
Note: All of the above are required to be taught and
transferred through values based education for creating
a democratic and egalitarian society.
FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES
The Constitution has explicitly laid down Fundamental
Duties of its citizens in Article 51A, emphasizing that every
Indian citizen would:
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 ‘promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood,
transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectoral
diversities;
 renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
 value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite
culture;
 protect and improve the natural environment;
 develop the scientific temper;
 abjure violence and
 strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and
collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to
higher levels of endeavour and achievement’.
► SOURCE 3: NEWSPAPER
On the basis of news covered on daily basis, various ethical
flaws are revealed in all aspects-political, legal, economic.
social and cultural and these can easily be identified when
compared with the ideals of the Constitution. A hint is
provided below on the basis of an excerpt:
An excerpt from The Hindustan Times : Highlighting
gaps in governance and paralysis of implementation
……a man is carrying his dead wife on his shoulder as
though she is a log. He is somewhere in the Kalahandi
district of Odisha, on his way to his village on top of a hill,
about 50 kilometres away. He is walking because he does
not have the money to hire a vehicle. Hours before the
picture was taken, his wife, who was in her thirties, had
died of tuberculosis in a government hospital. The
hospital asked him to quickly take her away because a
bed is precious in these parts. According to the man, the
hospital refused to help him with an ambulance or a
hearse even though, by law, he has a right to the free
facility. The girl who is walking beside him is his youngest
daughter, who is 12.
The corpse is swaddled in at least two pieces of cloth. It
is a neat, tight wrap. The man must have done it himself.
It is hard to get ambulance drivers in villages to transport
the dead. They are either too drunk or they ask for
bribes.
How is it that so much of Odisha’s treasures have been
mined away without its masses receiving their share?
The poverty of the man then is an inheritance. They
would say it is also a result of corrupt politics that is
preoccupied with enriching large corporations. If there
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

was industrialisation in or in the proximity of this district gambled away anyway. And he would have joined the
the chances are he would have been tricked into selling millions of landless poor who live in inhuman conditions
his land for almost nothing, which he would have in the mega cities……
Hint: Ethical ways of governance

► SOURCE 4: OPEN PAGE, THE HINDU
Open Page is an important and interesting source where
people share their experiential stories indicating ethical gaps
in day to day lives. A hint is provided below on the basis of
one such story:
Punctuality as a basic human value
(Most of the time, it is not given heed, and with respect to
Indians it is mostly a paradox)
my French teacher, let me in and I considered myself
fortunate to be able to attend the class despite not
keeping time.
The only rule inside the class was that you always speak
in French, but mistakes were allowed. Somehow I ended
up describing to my teacher Lord Ganesh, the caste
system and arranged marriages in India. In complete
disbelief, she said, Tout est bizarre! (Everything is weird).
However, a moment later her facial expression became

An experience shared by an Indian in Paris
I continued to ring the doorbell at intervals of 10
minutes, only to find the door automatically opening at
19:00 hours. A lady, most likely in her sixties, greeted me
with a word of caution, “Bonjour monsieur. You were
supposed to be here at seven o’clock, not at seven
normal and she said she would believe me because she
has observed another weird Indian behaviour. As a
teacher she joined the institute about a decade ago and
not one Indian student kept the appointed time. Some
came in as late as half an hour.
While she was narrating her experience, I recalled a

fifteen!” I was standing, with a farrago of expressions on conversation I had with Mohsin, a Pakistani taxi-driver, at

my ace, at the entrance to a coaching centre in Paris to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Etoile Airport on my very first day

attend my first ‘Advanced Level French’ class. The lady, in the French capital. He said he had deliberately come

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
15 minutes late to receive me! For, unlike his American
customers who are quite punctual, his customers from
the Indian subcontinent hardly arrived on
According to him that’s the reason our countries are still
far behind the western countries.
Now, let me inform you that I was late because of a glitch
in the aerobridge facility at the airport; it wasn’t my fault
at all.
After wandering through the airport, my thoughts
returned to the class. My teacher was still describing her
experiences with Indian students. I thought
frustration was more because all of her students were
professionals working in multinational companies; she
expected all of them to respect time as she does.
I told her there are many successful Indians,
businessmen, sportsmen and film stars, who, I thought,
must be quite punctual. She replied they don’t constitute
the majority. Moreover, Indian film stars do not come to
the sets on time, her Indian student Rahul had told her
earlier. Finally she closed the topic with an English
sentence: “I think the Punctual Indian is a paradox in
terms!”
The next day I narrated the experience to my colleagues
who work with French, German and Indian people. One
of them said my teacher was being very strict; not all
French were as strict as she was. She added that many
French people are punctual, some try but fail to be
punctual and the remaining few do not care about time,
and she would agree with the ‘paradox’ remark. Another
colleague, Marc, came up with an interesting response, “I
think many French, most Germans and few Indians
respect time.”
Moral: Punctuality is a trait of the human value system. It
not only shows our commitment towards others but first of
all it symbolises commitment towards oneself.
Punctuality in a person reflects self-discipline and thus it is
the building bloc in shaping the entire personality on basic
human values.
A punctual person is an achiever in all dimensions, be it
becoming a better human being or achieving success and
glory in life.
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► SOURCE 5: EMINENT AND ETHICAL PERSONALITIES
Hint: “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the
time.
attribute of strong.” Discuss.
Personalities and their life lessons are great teachers and
many things can be learnt and adopted from them. In this
regard, let us understand a life lesson from Nelson
Mandela. A hint is provided below on the basis of how he
dealt with his adversaries after he became President of
South Africa in 1994.
Percy Yutar
her
Percy Yutar was the state prosecutor at the 1963 treason
trial at which Mandela was convicted of sabotage and
sentenced to hard labour for life. Yutar demanded the
death penalty for Mandela.
But in 1995, Mandela invited Yutar to dinner. Mandela
said that Yutar had only been doing his job.
Christo Brand
Mandela spend 20 years of his incarceration on the
Robben Island prison.
Christo Brand was a jailer responsible for guarding
Nelson Mandela at Robben Island. Mandela invited him
to a dinner for marking the 20th anniversary of his
release from prison.
Speaking about the relationship which developed
between the two men, Mandela said it "reinforced my
belief in the essential humanity of even those who had
kept me behind bars."
Paul Gregory
On becoming the president of South Africa in 1994, he
invited Prisoner warder Paul Gregory to the inauguration
ceremony.
The Mandela acknowledged that he shared a strong
bond with his warder. He inspired Mandela to remain
focused to fight against apartheid.
Springbok rugby team
During the apartheid era, one of the few symbols that
summed up oppression for Mandela and his African
National Congress (ANC) colleagues was the hatred
towards green Springbok jersey.
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
The all white Springbok team was highly racist, arrogant,
and was hated by the native blacks. Such was the
disconnect that in home matches, the black South
Africans cheered for the opposition team.
The 1995 World Cup Rugby tournament in South Africa
was boycotted by the ANC. But Mandela made a huge
statement by wearing a green jersey at the World Cup
final in 1995.
He presented the trophy to South African captian
Francois Pienaar, sending out a strong message to his
ANC colleagues that it was time to put aside enmity and
become a united country.
Food for thought: If a man tortured and imprisoned for
nearly three decades could find forgiveness within himself
then what lessons might we take from him on how to
respond to acts of aggression and cruelty in our ordinary
lives?
-----------------------------------------------
Let us understand another life lesson from Lal Bahadur
Shastri, a politician with ethics.
Repaying of car loan
In 1965, Lal Bahadur Shastri (when he was the PM of our
country) bought a Fiat car after taking a loan of Rs 5,000
from Punjab National Bank. When his loan was approved
early, Shastri told the bank, "The common man should
have the same privilege". This is how he used to think
about the nation!
He died at Tashkent in 1966 before he could repay the
loan. The Bank wrote to his widow Lalita Shastri for
repayment of the loan of Rs 5,000 which her husband
owed.
The lady promised to pay back in instalments from her
family pension. She repaid every Rupee of the Rs 5,000.
We can’t even think of it happening in the 21st Century!
Moral responsibility and resignation
In 1956, Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned from his post,
following a train accident that killed around 150
passengers near Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu.
Thinking and working for the people and nation
To overcome the acute food shortage, Shastri asked the
experts to devise a long-term strategy. This was the
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
beginning of famous "Green Revolution" to make India
food grain self-sufficient.
Apart from the Green Revolution, he was also
instrumental in promoting the White Revolution. The
National Dairy Development Board was formed in 1965
during Shastri’s stint as Prime Minister.
Food for thought: This means that politics and ethics can
go together.
Now the question is “Is politics devoid of ethics or the type of
people entering politics lack ethics?”
► SOURCE 6: MORAL SCIENCE STORIES
Moral Science books in schools and stories of Panchtantra
are other interesting sources which can be utilised in
understanding basic values. In this regard, let us understand
this on the basis of two stories give below:
Moral story: Controlling anger
UPSC question: Anger is a harmful negative emotion. It is
injurious to both personal life and work life. (a) Discuss how
it leads to negative emotions and undesirable behaviours.
(b) How can it be managed and controlled?
There was once a young boy who had problem
controlling his temper. When he became angry, he would
just say anything that came to his mind and hurt people.
So his father gave him a bag of nails and a hammer and
said, “Every time you get angry, hammer one nail into the
fence in our backyard”.
The first few days the boy hammered so many nails that
he emptied half the bag. Over the weeks, the number of
nails he hammered to the fence reduced and gradually,
his temper was much in control. Then came a day when
he didn’t lose his temper at all. His father asked him to
remove one nail each day that he manages not to lose
his temper.
Finally, on the day the child was removing the last nail,
his father says, “You have done well, boy. But do you see
the holes in the wall? The fence is never going to be the
same, even after repainting. Likewise, when you say
mean things in anger, you will leave a scar in the person’s
mind, as the nails did to the fence”.
Moral: Anger is a dangerous weapon like a knife. When
you put a knife in a man and draw it out, the wound
heals but the scar remains.
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
Moral story: A Wise Old Owl
UPSC question: What is ’emotional intelligence’ and how
can it be developed in people?
How does it help an individual in taking ethical decisions?
There was an old owl that lived in an oak. Every day he
saw incidents happening around him. Yesterday, he saw
a boy helping an old man to carry a heavy basket. Today,
he saw a girl shouting at her mother. The more he saw
the less he spoke.
As he spoke less, he heard more. He heard people
talking and telling stories. He heard a woman saying that
an elephant jumped over a fence. He also heard a man
saying that he had never made a mistake.
The old owl had seen and heard about what happened
to people. Some became better and some became
worse. But the old owl had become wiser each and every
day.
Moral: You should be observant, talk less but listen
more. This will make you a wise person.
► SOURCE 7: BOOKS ON LIFE LESSONS
There are various inspiring books giving life lessons which
can be utilised by avid reader to build better understanding
of personal and collective values. In this regard, let us
understand this on the basis of a book mentioned below:
Small excerpt from the book: Who will cry when you
die?
Discover yourself
The greatest purpose of life is to live a life of purpose.
For this, you need to discover your calling because life
should not be lived on a default mode but in a properly
planned manner.
Life has a habit of acting on you as it overpowers a
person, and as a result, days become weeks, weeks
become months, and months slip into years. This
scenario leaves behind a regret over a life half-lived.
So after a life half-lived, a question naturally
emerges….”What would you do if you could live your life
over again?” Naturally, you will not like to repeat similar
mistakes.
Maintain your focus
Is it difficult to maintain focus? Are you overpowered by
your thoughts, inertia and problems?
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
Try to question yourself now….”Are the problems you
have experienced or the challenges you might currently
be facing really as serious as you have made them out to
be?”
Our lives are just a blip in the realm of time so have your
focus and develop wisdom to enjoy the journey and
savour the process.
Develop self-discipline
The golden thread of a highly successful and meaningful
life is self-discipline.
A good sportsperson is highly self-disciplined so as to
improve on daily process.
For a student, self-discipline is to learn new things on
daily basis, and the cumulative effect of daily sustained
learning will naturally be seen in the examination.
Self-discipline basically requires toughness with oneself
so as to overcome deviations and desires.
This tough love with yourself is actually the greatest gift
to yourself because it is due to self-discipline only that
you can make your life meaningful and rewarding.
Have a positive start
A positive start to a day is half the work done.
Silent contemplation is required for atleast 15 minutes
on how the day is going to be unfolded for reaping
positive dividends.
For next 15 minutes, read and focus on a positive story,
or a piece of literature so that early morning infuses and
enlightens every remaining hour of the day.
So start your day well and this is the beginning of right
self-discipline.
► SOURCE 8: DOHAS
Dohas and sayings by Sufi and Bhakti reformers. In this
regard, let us understand this on the basis of dohas of Kabir:
Lesson on Self-realisation
"Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye, Jo
Mann Khoja Aapna, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye."
Meaning: “I searched for the crooked man, but failed to
find one. But when I searched within myself, I realised
there was none more crooked than me!"
Lesson on Self-discipline
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

"Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ab, Pal Mein Pralaya
Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge Kab.”
Meaning: "Instead of doing tomorrow's work on the
morrow, do it today, and do today's work, right now! If
the moment is lost, can you get it back any way?"
Lesson on Politeness
"Aisee Vani Boliye, Mann Ka Aapa Khoye, Apna Tan
Sheetal Kare, Auran Ko Sukh Hoye."
Meaning: "Speak such words, without the ego's
manipulative ways, that not only your own body remains
composed, you also give your listeners joy through your
words."
Lesson on Contentment
"Saayi Itna Deejiye, Ja Mein Kutumb Samaye, Main Bhi
Bhookha Na Rahoon, Sadhu Na Bhookha Jaye."
Meaning: "Give me only so much, O God, that it suffices
to fulfil the needs of my clan, I should not suffer cravings,
nor should my visitor go unfed."
"Bada Hua To Kya Hua, Jaise Ped Khajoor Panthi Ko
Chaya Nahin, Phal Laage Atidoor."
Meaning: "Of what use is eminence, to be like a tall date
tree? It neither offers shade to travellers, not is its fruit
easy to reach!"
► SOURCE 9: ISSUE BASED MOVIES, DOCUMENTARIES
AND SONGS
Each one of us loves to watch movies and the movie libraries
are filled with gems created by geniuses who have
beautifully observed the world, and displayed it with
brilliance and exuberance. These can be very important
source of case studies reflecting problems and prospects for
our society, for e.g.
Movies on reforming education system: 3 Idiots, Taree
Zameen Per, I am Kalam etc.
Movies on caste system: Article 15
Dealing with plastic menace: BBC Documentary: Plastic
World

Lesson on Politeness

► SOURCE 10: CARTOON STRIPS FROM COMICS AND NEWSPAPERS

For e.g. Look at the cartoon below:

What is the unethical flaw depicted in the cartoon? Your thoughts on making it ethical.

Finally: On the basis of all of the above, it is clear that there are multiple sources of knowledge and understanding and all
these can be channelised by observant students effectively for learning life lessons, personal development and also writing
effective and persuasive answers in the examination.

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

CASE STUDIES for Practice

MAINS GS PAPER IV
Case 1: There has been an incident of demolition of a
part of unauthorised construction of a building by
municipality in a state. The building belonged to an
actress. Expensive artefacts were also destroyed
during the demolition. There are many other
unauthorised construction on which no action has
been taken. The actress has alleged political
vendetta behind the demolition. One MLA from the
ruling party has also passed an uncalled for
comment on her. The actress is very vocal on social
media, sometimes creating controversies. She is very
critical of the concerned state government. Some
alleges that she is biased against the ruling coalition.
The counter allegation is that her criticism has
earned her government’s ire. However it is also true
that the part of the building demolished was
unauthorised.
Wearing John Rawl’s ‘veil of ignorance’ do ethical
analysis of the situation. What steps are required to
be taken by various stakeholders to develop a better
socio-political ambience?
John Rawls through “Veil of Ignorance” suggested that
those who make decisions should not be known and
their personal circumstances should not be in public
domain. Decision makers should be objective in their
decision making. Two principles of veil of ignorance are:
• There are more illegally constructed buildings but the
building of the critic of the government is being
targeted at (Neutrality).
• People in government are openly speaking against
the actress and that should have been avoided
(anonymity).
The actress
• There is illegal construction in the actress’ building
and it is the job of the government machinery to
correct the wrong.
• The opposition of the government should be on the
basis of sound logic and not due to bias that you may
have.
Following steps can be suggested
• Those make the decisions should have maintained
anonymity.
• Those making decisions should not publicly comment
and maintain neutrality.
• Decision makers should treat everyone equally and
not target anyone.
• People should be given an opportunity to present
their case.
• Any action that the government takes should be
judicious and should overall betterment in society.

a) Liberty Principle: Everyone enjoys the maximum • Government should inform the public about
liberty possible without intruding upon the freedom regulations clearly.
of others. Conclusion
b) Difference Principle: Ensure that everyone has an The objective of the government is to treat everyone
equal opportunity to prosper. equally and provide an atmosphere through which all
Ethical analysis of the case: can enjoy their freedom to achieve their true potential.

In the above case, there are two stake holders.

The municipality Case 2: Information is crucial for growth and

• The government body seems to have taken a development of our society. It is also a matter of
selective action against the actress (Equality). rights for individuals. Real autonomy in decision
making can come only with authentic information at
hand. However with the rise of fake news,

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

inaccurate depiction of facts in media and • Establish regulatory mechanism for social media
phenomenon like 'Deepfakes', common man has platforms
been left confused and sometimes misguided. Rising • Ensure that right to privacy and right to information is
incidence of violence on misinformation has already not compromised.
set the alarm bell ringing. There lies ahead a great
For Social Media Platforms:
danger for our civilisation.
• Establish system to check the veracity of news and
a) Identify the potential damaging effects of rise of
make them readily available to consumers.
misinformation and poor potential of common
man to identify them. • Reduce financial incentives or penalize those who
profit from disinformation,
b) What steps are required to minimise the damage?
• Improve online accountability

• Take responsibility of social harmony and not focus

a) As an individual, we accept the words which are
only on business
printed (as we see in social media post) or something
which is said by an authority of that field, we tend to For Individuals:
accept that as true. This problem is further worsened by • Improve scientific temper
the fact that most of us cannot verify the truth as
• Take responsibility of checking things before
presented on various platforms. Due to this, social media
accepting or spreading.
has emerged as a double-edged sword for people. Social
media gives information to the people and its reach but, A society can flourish only when there is peace, harmony

with the rise of fake news, deep-fakes and other tools of and tolerance in the individuals. Social media platforms

misinformation, society at large has paid a huge cost for have to understand that they can flourish only when the

this. society at large is peaceful and hence, should take lead

to curb this menace.
o Damaging effects of rise of misinformation;

o Lack of trust in the society;

o Spread of rumours;

o Bullying and trolling;

o Riots and lynching;

o Communal or hateful violence;

o Manipulation of people and their opinion.

Since the individual cannot decipher between right and

wrong and hence, it is the responsibility of social media
platforms to install mechanism to stop their misuse.

b) Fake news and sophisticated disinformation

campaigns are especially problematic for societies. In
order to maintain an open, transparent and trustworthy
system, it is important that government, business, and
consumers work together to solve these problems.

Following steps can be taken to minimize the

damage

For government:

• promote news literacy and strong professional

journalism

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 Part Three

Essays
of

the month
Selected essays from Rau’s GSI students
 GENERAL INPUTS ON ESSAY WRITING
The essay is a literary device for saying almost
everything about almost anything. The Concise
Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘essay’ as a literary
composition (usually prose and short) on any subject.
In simple words, an essay is a written composition giving
a clear and concise expression to one’s own personal
ideas or opinions on some given topic.
In UPSC, the Essay paper poses serious challenge for the
candidates appearing in the mains examination but it is
also highly crucial in determining the candidates’
personalities by the UPSC examiner, as their essays
completely reflect the thought process going on in their
minds. The essay paper is used to judge the mastery
and comprehension over the material. Students are
asked to explain, comment on, or assess a topic of study
in the form of an essay.
From the selection point of view, the essay paper of 250
marks consists of enough weightage to determine the
final outcome/selection and ranking of the candidates.
The significance of the essay paper for the civil services
aspirants can be gauged from the fact that it has been
assigned compulsory status by the UPSC and
designated as Paper I. In order to score effectively in
essay paper and write a masterpiece the candidates are
not only required to have a reservoir of information and
knowledge but also the way of expression should be
logical, effective and composed in a lucid language,
which in turn reflects the personality of the candidate.
Further, Essay is comprehensive knowledge and it
requires understanding of broad issues. There is no
single source to master it. The task of the student is to
connect the dots of knowledge from multiple sources
and that can be school textbooks, newspapers,
guidelines and practice provided by the mentors, audio
and visual media, movies, documentaries etc.
On this note, let us answer common queries about the
Essay Paper.
►QUESTION: How does an essay impact students’ overall
performance in UPSC examination?
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Answer: Essay does not have a defined syllabus so this
means that everything is a syllabus for writing a decent
essay. It is basically a benchmark of UPSC preparedness.
The day, a student is able to write an effective essay on
any given topic, means that the student is now a UPSC fit
candidate.
The essay paper provides an opportunity to a student to
explore in-depth, plan and present himself/herself as a
well organised, knowledgeable job-fit candidate.
Most students score a standard level of marks in four
General Studies papers but it is primarily the 250 marks
Essay paper that catapults a student towards high score
in Mains examination with a potential to get high rank,
that can easily be converted to top 100 post interview.
►QUESTION: Which are the preferred thematic areas on
which essays are asked in UPSC?
Answer: In the form of topics, UPSC presents a set of
problems from different thematic areas to aspirants.
The purpose is to identify an aware citizen who knows
about the existence of the problem, reasons for its
prevalence and also the possible solution for improving
the situation.
Overall our desire is to create a productive, progressive
and safe society. Hence on such consideration, the
thematic areas on which the topics are asked are given
hereunder:
Frequently asked: Broad thematic areas which are
frequently asked in Essay paper are: Democracy and
Governance Reforms; Economic issues for an inclusive
economy; Social justice issues for a just society and
philosophical & ethical topics.
Occasionally asked: Other areas which are occasionally
asked can be: Environment conservation; Security issues;
International issues etc.
►QUESTION: How to choose a suitable topic?
Answer: This is the first major decision that a candidate
faces in the essay paper. This challenge of choice ranges
from easy to extremely difficult. The choice is easy if the
candidate has excellent command, background and
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factual recollections on one topic vis à-vis the remaining
options. But it becomes trickier and more daunting if no
single topic appears favourable from the outset. Then
the candidate has to make estimations of her knowledge
base for different segments and viewpoints of the essay
topics in question and finally undertake a judicious
comparison between the topics to select the one he or
she feels most strongly in command of.
As a rule of thumb, regular and non-controversial
topics should be preferred over the more opinionated
topics as a safer bet, but only if the candidate has a
sufficiently vast and diverse factual base to support his
or her points. Correct choice of topic can also be made
by using the principle of three M’s: Motive, Method
and Message. These not only define the essay but also
help in achieving the communication goals in the
appropriate language and writing style.
In case of opinionated statement based essays for e.g.
Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life, the
most important aspect is decoding the most apt
meaning of the topic, convert the statement into applied
writing by choosing most apt examples from the current
society to explain it further. More the suitable examples,
the better the impact on the reader. The examples for
these essays are mainly drawn from the similar realm of
thematic areas, such as Polity, Social, Economy, IR,
History etc.
But in case of any doubt in decoding the meaning of
such essays then skip them and move towards more
regular and non- controversial topics.
►QUESTION: What are the key requisites of a good essay?
What should be the structure of the essay?
Answer: The structure comprises of Introduction, Main
body and Conclusion. For 1200 words essay, the
introduction should be on 100-120 words, main body in
1000 words and conclusion in remaining in 100-120
words.
A good essay is one which induces the reader to get
immersed and engrossed in reading the entire text. For
right inducement, attractive (Introduction) of the essay
is extremely important. It should be like an attractive
movie trailer which gives a hint/glimpse on the things to
explore while reading further. So, the best way of
introduction is picking a (live example) related with the
FOCUS| FEBRUARY 2 021 | RAU’S IAS
topic asked. This helps in connecting with the topic
instantly and the examiner also knows that the student
understands the topic, and also knows what is
happening currently with respect to the topic.
The (main body) should be comprising of analysing the
factors impacting the topic. The factors can be:-
Historical/cultural, Political/Legal, Economic,
Geographical/Environmental, Psychological, Behavioural
etc. So it is expected to decode right factors, analysing
the gaps resulting from these factors and then
suggesting logical solutions, and the opinions should be
backed by authentic sources.
Conclusion should always be optimistic, providing a
silver lining and benefiting the entire society.
►QUESTION: How much time should a student allocate in
the exam towards essay writing? How can the student get
started in writing an effective essay?
Answer: In Essay paper, 3 hours are allotted for writing
two essays. The equation is 1 Essay in 90 minutes. So, it
boils down to effective time management, because
students have got a tendency to write on the topic in
which they are most comfortable and they lose their
time track and breach the limit of 90 minutes and thus
they fail to do justice with the second topic, and
resultantly they lose marks.
Outcome: Even the examiner now knows that the
aspirant is not a good time manager and thus lacks a
key element of job fitness i.e. effective time
management.
Further, it will easily reflect that student had more
inclination towards safer topic only from the comfort
zone. This will again bring negative impression as it
would portray that the student wants to confine herself
in the comfort zone and play safe and if moves outside
the zone then she is found wanting and perplexed.
To get started: There is a difference between reply and
response. Reply is instinctive which is mostly not
balanced but response is properly planned balanced
reply. So, UPSC checks planned response of a student.
To do this, first 10 minutes out of 90 minutes should be
utilised in collecting random points with respect to topic,
note them on the rough space, and then arrange them
in the serial order in the manner they should be aligned
162
in the write up. This will show coherent flow and reflect
that the writer believes in proper planning and then
responding.
►QUESTION: What is the significance of language in essay
writing? If a student is weak in English, what kind of reading
should he/she do to improve his/her language proficiency?
Answer: The language should be simple but effective.
Xth standard English is more than sufficient to put
thoughts effectively. Queen’s English is not required.
This is not an English test but it is a communication test.
Whatever the student is writing should be understood
by any reader, and this is a work place requirement. For
e.g. everything moves on files in govt. and whatever is
noted on file should be understood by subordinates,
peers, seniors etc.
To increase effectiveness in writing, easy and interesting
texts should be read such as school story books, English
versions of comics and easy to comprehend newspapers
like ToI.
►QUESTION: What are the features of a good essay?
Answer: Foremost, the candidate should keep in his/her
mind that the essay will lead the examiner through
his/her organized thoughts on a single topic. The
essentials of essay writing would be the format
(framework, structure), information (content,
substance), language (expression, presentation), and
logic (analysis and information).
An essay must materialize itself as topic-centred, all
pervasive and unified, developing one theme with a
definite purpose.
come to a definite conclusion. Before writing an essay
on any subject, it is a primary necessity to plan out a
coherent line of thought on all relevant aspects of the
subject.
Brevity and compactness is the beauty of an essay.
The whole exercise of essay writing should be to lay,
treat and expound your ideas or opinion on the given
subject concisely, clearly and well within the set time
limit.
The language and the construction of sentences should
be simple, direct, natural and interactive. Clear
thinking is a natural prerequisite for clear writing. Clear
understanding of the subject under treatment springs
out relevant thoughts which automatically transform
themselves to words on paper before you.
The essay must bear your personal touch. It should
reflect your personal feelings and opinions on the
subject. It should have your individuality in it. As already
discussed above, an essay is a written composition
giving expression to one’s personal ideas or opinions on
the subject concerned. So, never be afraid to express
your views in your essay and at the same time do not go
on repeating the ideas and opinions of others therein.
►QUESTION: What is remarkable about the essays written
by UPSC toppers?
Answer: Planned response; easy targeted, reader
friendly written communication; usage of lively
examples; logical analysis supported from authentic
sources; reflecting the desire to deal with problems;
always ending with silver lining benefitting all.

The composition of an essay should be treated in an

orderly manner. It should follow a certain ordered line
of thought pertaining to the topic under treatment and

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 ESSAY 1: I MEASURE THE PROGRESS OF A
COMMUNITY BY THE DEGREE OF PROGRESS
WHICH WOMEN HAVE ACHIEVED
# Social Issues
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar used the degree of
progress achieved by women as a yardstick
to measure the overall progress made by
the society. One of the most prominent
reasons why the American and European societies are
developed economically, technologically, socially and
politically is the freedom and liberty enjoyed by the
women of their societies.
Renaissance <13th century> and enlightened <15th
century> were major events which changed the course of
history. American Revolution for the first time displayed
to the whole world the strength of democracy. The
French Revolution gave room for novel ideas such as
liberty, equality and fraternity. All these liberal ideas,
brought with them a new age for women. An age where
women were independent to take their decisions, an age
where the role of women was not just confined within
the four walls of the house; an age where they enjoyed
greater political freedom; an age where they worked
shoulder to shoulder with men to take their countries to
newer heights of success and glory.
However, the case with India has been diagonally
opposite. In the Rig Vedic Age <3rd century BC>, women
did enjoy equal rights with that of the men.
Archaeological evidence and scriptures depict that
women did participate in the Sabhas and Samitis
<political assemblies> of those times. Howsoever, with
the onset of the later Vedic Age, the position of women
got degraded in the society. Slowly, but steadily they
started losing their rights and freedom. Religious
scriptures and manuscripts written in those times further
propounded the image of a women to that of a puppet
whose strings were held by the men of the society. Her
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role in the society was just to maintain the household
chores and reproduce so that the generation continues.
For instance, Manusmriti projected women as a source
of misery. Thus, it was one of the reasons why Dr.
Ambedkar, publicly burnt the book.
Patriarchy was thus manifested in the order of Indian
society. Further, till the British invasion of India, the
people of India were not exposed to the liberal ideas of
equality and freedom. Hence, Indian society was
backward, orthodox and male dominated. But, with the
British Raj also came the western education and the idea
of equality and freedom. Many Indian intellectuals were
thoroughly influenced by these ideas and the degree to
which the European society had progressed. Orthodoxy
and belief in superstitious ideas were attributed to as the
main reasons for the poor state of Indian society.
Patriarchy was at its helm as was evident from the evil
practices of Sati and Child marriage. Raja Ram Mohan
Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar rose to the occasion
to fight off these evils. Further, education was something
from which the women of the Indian society were kept
aloof. The basic perception, which was manifested by
scriptures was that a girl is someone else’s wealth; and
therefore they were married off early. Jyotirao Phule and
Savitribai Phule were two pioneers who worked for the
cause of women education and tried to bring about a
social change in the society. Furthermore, movements
such as the Prarthana Sabha were stated to provide
support to widows. Therefore, it can be said that, with
the onset of British Raj, some social reforms took place
to alleviate the position of women. However, these
reforms were not successful in altogether overthrowing
patriarchy and establish a society which provided an
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equal states to men and women. Hence, in post-
independent India, the fathers of our constitution
safeguarded Right to Equality as the fundamental right.
Thus was to ensure that women progress and come on
an equal footing to that of men.
This ideal message of the Constitution has time and
again being reinforced by the Parliament by enforcement
of several legislations which ought to improve the status
of women. Initiatives such as “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”
emphasized on eradicating female infanticide as a social
evil and educating girl child to help her achieve her
targets; Pradhan Mantri Matra Vandana Yojana is a noble
initiative to aid and help the pregnant and lactating
mothers; POSHAN Abhiyan <National Nutrition Mission>
aims at providing proper nutrition; Vishakha Guideline,
1997 and Prevention of Sexual Harassment at workplace
Act have ensured that women are safe at places of work;
POCSO <Prevention of children from sexual offences>
Act makes sure that children are not sexually harassed.
All the measures taken by the government have indeed
proved to be noble initiatives in ensuring equality and
social, economic and political justice for women.
However, patriarchy, even today seems to be dominant
character of the Indian society. Further, new focus of
crimes against women have started raising their heads.
According to the National Crimes Record Bureau
<NCRB>, there has been a surge in the amount of rapes
in the country. It is estimated that a women gets raped in
India in every two hours. Such cases and estimates raise
some serious questions on our security apparatus and
the mindset of the country.
Marital rapes, is another crime against women which
often goes unnoticed and unquestioned. Acid attacks
and hate crimes are other examples which demonstrate
that even in the 21st century, we have not been able to
provide a safe and secure environment to women as
envisaged by our Constitution. Moreover, female
infanticide, dowry and child marriage continue to be
practiced in some rural pockets Rajasthan, Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh. On the economic front, there have been
various factors which have resisted women from
achieving newer heights. The Glass-Ceiling effect
experienced by women often does not let her realize her
own potential. On the political front, poor representation
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of women in parliament and State Legislative assemblies
has been an issue which must be dealt with security.
Health indicators for women have been poor. Women
have been suffering through malnourishment and
anaemia. Such a state during pregnancies also impacts
the child. A malnourished women gives birth to a child
which is not only physically weak but also does not
possess the required learning capabilities. Thus, it leads
to poor human capital formation for the country.
Further, there has also been an increasing trend towards
“feminization of poverty”. With an increase in the rate of
rural-urban migration, women are left alone to feed the
family. Also, there has been an increase in the trend of
feminization of agriculture. However, as the land is not
registered in the name of the women, she is unable to
reap the benefits of any financial services. In the urban
areas, majority of the women are employed in the
informal sector. This deprives them of any financial
security such as pensions or provident fund.
In the light of the above problems faced by women
today, there is a need to bring about social change which
shall help in addressing the problems and elevating the
status of women. Women Education must be insured, as
teaching a women makes the entire generation
educated. Further, according to the Comprehensive
Report on Nutritional Security, it was found out that
education of women and nourishment of children were
directly linked. Educating a women can also help in
effectively addressing the issue of malnourishment.
Further, laws for protecting women against heinous
crimes must be made more stringent. Also, there is a
need to speeden up the justice to women. Pro-active
policing is the need of the hour to upgrade women
security in the country. Further, there is a need to bring
about a behavioural change in the society. This change
can be brought about by shunning commodification of
women. All this will ensure that a social change is
brought in, which makes the society safe and just for
women. Such a safe and just society will be progressive
as envisaged by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Hence, what is
required today is not a new bill, but political will and
administrative skill and then unitedly go for the kill of the
social evils.
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
ESSAY 2: DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALISATION
IS THE CORNERSTONE OF PEOPLES’
EMPOWERMENT
# Governance
The essence of democracy is
decentralisation of power and allowing
governance to reach to the grass root level
for welfare of people. Local Government
elected by the people thus imbibes democratic
functioning of the society involving residents of the area.
The concept of local government has been in India ever
since the dawn of civilization in various forms including
that of Sabhas and Samitis at the village level. It was in
the year 1882 when Lord Ripon issued a resolution on
Local Self Government. Objections were raised by the
bureaucracy of those days against any extension of the
powers of local bodies and giving them a democratic
character. It was a comprehensive resolution which dealt
with administrative areas, the constitution of local
bodies, their functions, finances and powers. This was an
important landmark in the evolution of local self-
government in India. This led to the strengthening of
local institution over a period of time leading to its
incorporation in PART IV of the Indian Constitution.
Article 40 of the Constitution provides for organisation
of village panchayats and also endows them with such
powers and authority to enable them to function as units
of self-government. But Article 40 being part of Directive
Principles of State Policy could not be judicially imposed.
Consequently, government of India constituted various
committees for the proper functioning and devolution
power at the ground level. Government accepted the
recommendations of Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
which proposed to set up a three tier structure of
panchayats in India having gram panchayats at the
village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level and Zilla
Parishad at the district level. It was also considered that
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there is an imperative need to enshrine in the
Constitution certain basic and essential features of
Panchayati Raj Institutions to impart strength, certainty
and continuity to it. Thus, accordingly the Constitution
(Seventy-Third Amendment) Act, 1992 and Constitution
(Seventy-Fourth Amendment) Act, 1992 were enacted by
the government.
PART IX and IXA was added to the constitution after the
amendment to the constitution. It provides for
constitution of Panchayat at the village, intermediate and
district level; Gram Sabha at the village level consisting of
persons registered in the electoral rolls of the village;
Reservation of seats for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled
Tribes, women; constitution of Finance Commission to
review financial position of Panchayats and make
suitable recommendations for devolution of funds to
panchayats; elections to be conducted for panchayats by
State Election Commission. PART IXA provides for the
constitution and composition of Municipalities; ward
committees; power to impose tax by municipalities;
Finance Commission to review financial position of
municipalities and allocate taxes; election to
municipalities; District Planning Committee and
Metropolitan planning Committee.
On the basis of above, the Panchayati Raj Institutions
have been in existence for a long time, the participation
of people at the grass root level have become more of a
bureaucratic and mechanical exercise. There have been
various instances in the past where approval from gram
Sabha has been either forced or forged for acquisition of
land for various commercial purposes including mining.
Even the local bureaucracy has not helped much in
nurturing the institution to grow and sustain at ground
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level. Merely by making panchayats a part of constitution
will not solve the case of grass root democracy unless its
limbs are empowered. Thus, the core issues of local self-
governance involve the principle of subsidiarity which
means that what can best be done at the lower levels of
government should not be centralised at higher levels; a
clear delineation of functions entrusted to the local
bodies; effective devolution of financial powers and
functions and convergence of services for the citizens as
well as citizens centric governance structures. The
Second Administrative Reform Commission (2nd ARC) on
Local Governance has suggested various measures to
address these core issues. Let us understand each of
those issues and probable solutions suggested by 2nd
ARC.
Constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities
aimed at a fundamental shift in the nature of
governance. However, experience of the past suggests
that creating structures of elected local governments and
ensuring regular elections do not necessarily guarantee
effective local empowerment. While
Nagarpalikas and Municipalities have
existence and elections are being held, this has not
always translated into real decentralisation of power
because the Constitution left the issue of degree of
empowerment and devolution to the State Legislature.
State Governments and its bureaucracy are not always in
favour to effectively empower local
because they view it as diminishing of their power and
hold. Even mandatory provisions like the constitution of
District Planning Committees and Metropolitan Planning
Committees have been ignored in many States. Thus,
compulsory empowerment of panchayats
municipalities by the state having
bureaucracy at ground level is necessary for effective
local empowerment.
Under Article 243G, while framing laws on Panchayats,
State Legislatures should endow these institutions ‘with
such power and authority as may be necessary to enable
them to function as institutions of self-government’.
Thus, Panchayats are ‘governments at their own level’
and have autonomous jurisdiction of
However, the problem arises when we find government
functioning at various levels thereby creating overlapping
jurisdiction and autonomy. In such a case, autonomy of
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Essays OF THE MONTH
one may rub against autonomy of another in similar
jurisdictions. Thus, providing autonomy to panchayats
will also mean withdrawal of certain activities or
functions from the State Government and transferring
them to local bodies. This will give panchayats a true
independent and autonomous identity independent
from the state government to perform their power and
functions.
Powers to panchayats and municipalities have been
provided to enable them to function as institutions of
self- governance under Article 243 (G) and 243(W)
respectively. For this, they may also be empowered to
prepare local plans for economic development and social
justice and to implement schemes and perform functions
including those listed in the Eleventh and Twelfth
Schedules. However, the past experience suggests that
progress of devolution of powers and responsibilities to
local governments at various levels have been poor and
uneven. The implementation space at local levels is thus
occupied by a multiplicity of governmental agencies
Panchayats, leading to confusion, unnecessary duplication and
come into wastage of funds. Thus, there should be clear delineation
of functions for each level of local government. It has to
be done continuously by restructuring organisations and
framing subject-matter laws so as to avoid overlapping of
functions. 2nd ARC has suggested adding subjects on
education, public health including community health
governments centres/area hospitals, traffic management and civic
policing activities, urban environment management and
heritage and land management including registration in
the 12th Schedule.
The local bodies rely heavily on their respective state
and
governments for financial inflows. The major sources of
a dedicated
income for local governments like property tax are not
properly collected due to lack of a proper mechanism of
levying and collection of such tax. This makes the coffers
of local bodies extremely inadequate to meet their
operational needs. Responsibility to provide civic
amenities falls short of expectation due to inadequacy of
funds. Thus, the local governments have to stay at the
mercy of their state government for allocation of funds
their own. through grants to meet their needs including salary of
the staff. In this respect, Article 243H and 243X makes it
obligatory for the State Government to authorise the
local bodies by law to impose taxes, duties etc. and
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 Essays OF THE MONTH

assign to the local bodies such taxes/duties levied and It enables them to improve their performance and that
collected by the State Government. of their organisation. State government should
encourage holistic training programmes involving
State Finance Commission (SFC) under Article 243I
expertise in different fields. This can be best achieved by
and 243Y recommends principles for distribution of
‘networking’ of institutions concerned with various
funds between the urban local bodies and different
subjects such as financial management, rural
panchayats. Thus, the role of State Finance Commission
development, disaster management and general
becomes important regarding devolution of financial
management etc.
resources for panchayats and municipalities. However,
devolution of finance to local bodies depends upon the Empowering local bodies at ground level is very
revenue generated by each state which is never same. important as it involves people at local level which helps
While some States have followed the concept of pooling in strengthening democratic decentralisation. However,
of all revenues and then sharing, others follow different for the local bodies to function efficiently, they must be
percentages of devolution for different taxes. Thus, apart provided autonomy in their functioning. Local bodies
from principles of devolution of taxes, even fiscal having administrative, legislative and financial autonomy
administration of every state needs to be improved as it with a dedicated bureaucracy at the lower level will help
involves levy and collection of taxes at local level. State in realizing the dream of Mahatma Gandhi.
governments generally take a long time to implement
“In this structure composed of innumerable villages,
the report of SFCs which further delay the process of
there will be ever widening, never ascending, circles. Life
devolution of funds.
will not be a pyramid with the apex sustained by the
The crucial issue of capacity building in urban and rural bottom. But, it will be an oceanic circle, whose centre will
local bodies remains a largely neglected area in be the individual, always ready to perish for the village,
decentralised self-governance. Lack of training of the latter ready to perish for the circle of the villages, till
personnel has resulted in capacity deficit within the at last the whole becomes one life composed of
Panchayat and Municipal Institutions. Thus, a proper individuals, never aggressive in their arrogance, but ever
exercise needs to be taken for capacity building which humble, sharing the majesty of the oceanic circle of
includes individual development along with which they are integrated units. Therefore, the
organisational development through various schemes. outermost circumference will not wield power to crush
Individual development involves the development of the inner circle, but will give strength to all within and will
human resources including enhancement of an derive its own strength from it.” – Mahatma Gandhi
individual’s knowledge, skills and access to information.

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 Essays OF THE MONTH

ESSAY 3: ONE NATION, ONE POLL: CAN THIS

BE A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR INDIA?
# Electoral Democracy

The call for holding simultaneous elections have grown On this, let us now understand the feasibility of
recently and the incumbent government has advocated conducting simultaneous polls in present times where
holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and State multi-party democracy, centre-state relations and use of
Assemblies to utilise maximum time for governance technology through social media have assumed greater
which is otherwise lost due to political campaigns and importance as compared to our distant past.
rallies.
The Constitution of India establishes a two-tier
India got independence on 15th August, 1947, adopted government system with the Union Government at the
its Constitution on 26th January, 1950 and held its first Centre and respective State governments at the
general election between October 1951 and March 1952 provinces. The Constitution has demarcated each level of
under the guidance of Sukumar Sen who was the first government by devising an elaborate scheme of
Chief Election Commissioner of India. It was a distribution of legislative, administrative and financial
stupendous and colossal task of gigantic proportion to powers between the Centre and the States. In this
conduct election for around 4500 seats including the respect, Article 246 of the Constitution clearly
Parliament and State Assemblies for the first time in enumerates the Federal character of the Indian
India. This process of simultaneous elections continued Constitution. It empowers Parliament to make law under
till the year 1967. One thing to remember here is that Union List, States to make law under State List and both
Congress governed both at the Centre and in majority of the Parliament and States to make law under Concurrent
the states and it became easy to conduct such List. Thus, the Constitution through its Articles has
simultaneous elections till Congress enjoyed stupendous created a separate existence for the state government
majority. However, with time, clout of Congress as a independent from the existence of the Centre. Thus,
political party reduced giving rise to political instability elections are conducted every five years in different
both at the centre and in the states. This instability and states as per their constitutional existence. Over the
rising local demands also led to the emergence of many period of years, stability of the various governments at
regional parties across India. This led to instability of state level has been lost. Coalition politics have emerged
many state governments and slowly this process of slowly over a period of years and now we are witnessing
simultaneous elections came to a pause due to the coalition government in various states. Compulsion of
constitutional need of having a majority in the state coalition politics have often resulted in premature
assemblies. Even Lok Sabha got prematurely dissolved in dissolution of both Central and respective state
1970 and this disrupted the chain of holding governments. This has led to different election years for
simultaneous elections completely. different states. On this note, let us understand the
merits and demerits of conducting simultaneous

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 Essays OF THE MONTH
elections of such gargantuan level in a culturally and
topographically diverse country.
Possible Merits: Simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha
and all State Assemblies will provide continuity,
consistency and stability in governance throughout the
country. The entire country after the completion of
election process can focus on governance for an
uninterrupted period of five years. It will reduce the
massive expenditure done during elections throughout
the year. Every year some states witness assembly
elections and even the political party in power at the
Union gets involved during the election process. This
diverts much of Central Government’s time from
important national and domestic concerns and it
consumes energy and resources to ensure victory in
such state assemblies. Elections in states lead to the
imposition of Model Code of Conduct which effectively
restricts introduction of new development programmes
and schemes in the state. Irregular elections at different
time of the year affect productivity and have an adverse
impact on the economy of the nation as a whole.
If all elections to state assemblies and Lok Sabha are
held at one time, it will give a stable five-year term to the
political parties in power to focus towards implementing
their political manifestos and government schemes. This
will prove beneficial both for the government and the
public. Finally, simultaneous election would reduce the
type of manpower and resource deployment necessary
for the conduct of elections. This will also help in
controlling corruption to a large extent as use of
unaccounted money through illegal sources such as
hawala is very common. Even though Election
Commission with the help of other administrative and
regulatory bodies keeps a tight vigil, yet to do so
continuously through the year becomes burdensome. It
also deviates much of the resources and manpower into
such regulations which in general course of event can be
utilised for their regular work.
Demerits: India has a federal structure and a multi-party
democracy where elections are held for State Assemblies
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and the Lok Sabha separately. The voters are better
placed to express their voting choices keeping in mind
the two different governments which they would be
electing by exercising their franchise. This distinction
gets blurred somewhat when voters are made to
vote for electing two types of government at the
same time, at the same polling booth, and on the same
day. When state assembly elections will be held along
with Lok Sabha, then the local issues concerning the
state may get swept by emotive issues of national
importance. Voters in such a scenario in the past have
always went for the same party whenever simultaneous
elections were held. Assembly elections are fought on
local state issues and, in the true spirit of federalism,
parties and leaders are judged in the context of their
work done in the state.
Clubbing them with the general election could lead to a
situation where the national narrative submerges the
regional problems and issues. In case of simultaneous
polls, bigger political parties who are better funded
have advantage over smaller regional parties. Even the
corporates would favour a uniform government
throughout India for their benefit hence could pour
their entire fund in one or two strong national political
parties. This may act as a huge disadvantage for the
smaller political parties thereby distorting the very idea
of federalism in India. There are other situations which
may arise and cannot be pre-empted currently due to
lack of practical experience. One such instance that can
happen is that due to constitutional failure in a state,
the state assembly has to be dissolved. Then, will the
state be allowed to carry on or President’s rule under
Article 356 will be imposed? Similarly, if Union
government dissolves prematurely due to coalition
politics or passing of no-confidence motion or some
other reasons, then will this amount to dissolution of
all state governments? Thus these are certain practical
constraints in having simultaneous elections. There will
be other practical difficulties in terms of logistics and
movement of personnels involved in the election
process.
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
Recommendations of various Reports: Law
Commission of India has suggested that election of
Legislation Assemblies where term is ending six months
after the General election to Lok Sabha can be clubbed
with it but election result can be declared at the end of
their tenure. This can be possible with the cooperation of
political parties.
The Standing Committee on Personnel, Public
Grievances, Law and Justice noted that the
Representation of People Act, 1951 permits the Election
Commission to notify general elections six months
prior to the end of the terms of Lok Sabha and state
assemblies. The Committee recommended that elections
could be held in two phases. It stated that elections to
some Legislative Assemblies could be held during the
midterm of Lok Sabha. Elections to the remaining
legislative assemblies could be held with the end of
term of Lok Sabha.
The NITI Aayog in its Three Year’s Action Agenda has
suggested that all elections in India should happen in a
free, fair and synchronised manner so as to cause
minimum campaign mode disruption to governance. In
this direction, NITI Aayog has suggested to move towards
switching to a synchronised two-phase election to the
Lok Sabha. This would require a maximum one-time
curtailment or extension of some state assemblies. To
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implement this in the national interest, a focused group
of stakeholders comprising constitution and subject
matter experts, think tanks, government officials and
representatives of various political parties should be
formed to work out appropriate implementation related
details. This may include drafting appropriate
constitution and statutory amendments, agreeing on a
workable framework to facilitate transition to
simultaneous elections, developing a stakeholder
communication plan and various operational details.
Any proposal to strengthen the roots of democracy is
always a welcome step and all stakeholders must be
willing and accommodative to explore options for the
same. In this respect, the proposal to introduce
simultaneous elections in India both to Lok Sabha and
State Assemblies is a bold reform and must be carried
forward with the consensus of all state assemblies.
Simultaneous elections if at all possible should be
complied within the constitutional constraints and
without disturbing the federal structure of India as it is
also a Basic Structure of the Indian Constitution.
However, if any state is unwilling to come to the terms of
simultaneous elections then, the Central Government
shall patiently listen to their concerns. If the concerns are
genuine, then effective steps and alternatives must be
suggested so as to bring all stakeholders at one common
platform.
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