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August 2021: MONTHLY EDITORIAL PDF

Long overdue

Central theme:
● OBC reservation in All India Quota medical seats puts an end to a discriminatory
policy.

Introduction
● Recently, the Centre decided to extend its 27% reservation for ‘other backward
classes’ to all seats under the All India Quota (AIQ) Scheme is a welcome
development.
● The Union government has also decided to provide 10% of the AIQ seats to those
from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

Evolution of AIQ Scheme:

● The AIQ is a category created by the Supreme Court to free up some seats from
residential or domicile requirements in some States for admissions to their
medical colleges.
● Introduced in 1986, the AIQ comprised 15% of undergraduate medical and dental
seats and 50% of post-graduate seats surrendered by the States for admission
through a central pool.
● There was no reservation in the AIQ. But later, the Supreme Court directed the
Centre to implement Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes quota in the category.
● In 2007, the Supreme Court allowed 15% Scheduled Caste reservation and a
7.5% Scheduled Tribe quota under the AIQ.
● Meanwhile, based on a central law favouring Backward Class reservation in
educational institutions, the Union’s 27% OBC quota was introduced in central
educational institutions. There was no move to implement OBC reservation in the
AIQ category.

About the recent decision to provide reservation:

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● In the courts, the Medical Council of India has argued against OBC reservation,
but the Union government said it was not averse to the reservation, subject to an
overall 50% limit. This is because,
● The omission of OBC reservation in the AIQ seats was discriminatory. There were
OBC seats in medical institutions run by the Centre, as well as State-specific
quotas in those run by the States.
● The Madras High Court, in July 2020, held that there was no legal impediment to
OBC reservation, but, given that the policy varied from State to State, it left it to
the Centre to decide the modalities for quotas from this academic year.

The benefits of breastfeeding

central theme :
● The promotion of breastfeeding should be a continuous process, not an event
restricted to a week.

Introduction:
● UNICEF states that “breastfeeding is among the most effective ways to protect
maternal and child health and promote healthy growth and optimal development in
early childhood.”

About breastfeeding globally:

● During the Renaissance period, breastfeeding came to be seen as unfashionable.
Feeding bottles and formula milk were aggressively advertised leading to a
reduction in breastfeeding between the 17th and 19th centuries.
● However, during the late 19th century, an increase in infant mortality rate and a
rise in non-communicable diseases during adulthood were attributed to bottle
feeding.
● This prompted experts and leaders everywhere to push for breastfeeding across
the world.
● The advantages of breast milk are evidence-based, yet globally only 25%-40% of
babies are breastfed.
● The National Family Health Survey-5 data show that there has been a decline in
early breastfeeding in as many as 12 of the 22 surveyed States and Union
Territories while the share of institutional births has increased.

Advantages of breastfeeding:
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● Breastfeeding provides greater immunity for children against infection, allergies,

cancers and obesity; and improves brain maturation.
● It is also beneficial for the mother: it promotes faster weight loss after birth,
reduces postpartum bleeding, and protects her against breast cancer, ovarian
cancer, and osteoporosis.
● Data from The Lancet show that more investment in breastfeeding could add $300
billion to the global economy and prevent about 8,20,000 child deaths every year.
● Initiatives to promote breastfeeding
● The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) was established in 1991 to
create awareness about the importance of breastfeeding.
● In 1992, WABA in coordination with UNICEF introduced World Breastfeeding
Week during the first week of August every year.
● India enacted the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods Act in
1992 with stringent regulations.

Steps to improve breastfeeding in India:

● Governments must allocate specific funds, rigorously implement the law, invest in
educating parents and health workers and involve civil society organisations and
the media in spreading awareness.
● The government can establish breast milk banks in various parts of the country.
● The government can provide lactating mothers with subsidised breast milk pump
equipment, and setting up exclusive facilities to breastfeed will prove to be
beneficial for breastfeeding.
● Both the mother and newborn are vulnerable for the first 12 weeks. Therefore,
assistance from the partner is indispensable during this time. However, Indian law
only allows for 15 days of paternity leave. It is imperative to extend this to 12-16
weeks.

Walking NEP talk

central theme :
● A year later, the national education policy remains a guide to the future, but there
are challenges.

Introduction:
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● It’s been a year since the National Education Policy 2020 laid out a map for a
long-overdue re-imagination of Indian education. But, the Covid-19 pandemic has
slowed down the implementation of the policy.

Challenges with the National Education Policy:

● The government will need to put in significant resources and work to create a
knowledge ecosystem for engineering courses in the regional languages.
● When the government is calling for greater autonomy, several universities
continue to function without vice-chancellors. For instance, 10 central universities,
including Delhi University and JNU, remain without full-time heads.
● The NEP asks for the highest priority to literacy and numeracy, but the
government has slashed the school education budget by almost Rs 5,000 crore;
higher education has suffered a Rs 1,000 crore cut.
● The cancellation of the Class XII board examinations and subsequent challenges
for institutes of higher education also needs attention.

Onus on states to implement Supreme Court order quashing Section 66A

central theme :
● The centre has given its reply to a petition filed by PUCL pertaining to misuse of
Section 66A by the state police. The Centre said that the onus lies with the states
to implement the apex court’s 2015 judgment.

Background:
● The Union government informed the Supreme Court (SC) that the onus lies with
the states to implement the apex court’s 2015 judgment.
● The court had quashed the ‘draconian’ section 66A of the Information and
Technology Act in 2015 Shreya Singhal Case.
● The Union government also clarified that it has repeatedly advised the states to
drop all cases registered under the provision.

Need for such clarification:

● On July 5, the SC had expressed shock and dismay over police continuing to
register cases under section 66A despite it being quashed six years ago.
● NGO ‘People’s Union for Civil Liberties’ (PUCL) had pointed out that states have
registered thousands of cases post the 2015 judgment.
● Maharashtra registered 381 more FIRs, invoking Section 66A post-judgment.
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● Uttar Pradesh had registered just 22 cases before 2015, but its police went on to
file 245 more cases after the judgment.
● Similarly, Jharkhand had just 43 FIRs prior to the judgment but went on to register
291 FIRs after the SC verdict.
● The NGO demanded that the Centre government should step in for immediate
withdrawal of such cases.

Way forward :
● A series of directions is required for implementation of the SC judgment in letter
and spirit by the states.
● The state governments must be directed to collect and collate all information
about cases lodged and pending under 66A and order their immediate withdrawal.
● This could be achieved by giving a direction to the DGPs to take necessary steps
and to the HCs to issue suitable advisory to the district judges for closure of cases
in the courts within their jurisdictions.

What Pegasus says about cyber power and our national security?

central theme :
● The Pegasus issue has crucial national security and geopolitical dimensions that
must enter the national debate.

Conflict b/w liberty & national security

● Information governance (the way in which information is used and managed) in
liberal democracies has two key goals:
● First, to protect the fundamental rights (privacy included) of citizens; and
● second, to defend the national information sphere from hostile state and non-state
enemies.

Implications of the Pegasus issue:

● Governance framework for surveillance: Pegasus shows that any country that can
afford a few thousand dollars can hack the smartphones of heads of government.
Hence, the need for a governance framework covering surveillance and
information operations is necessary for national security
● Weakness of India’s cyberwarfare capacity: Beyond national security, the Pegasus
revelations highlight a disturbing weakness in India’s cyber warfare capacity. If it is
indeed true that Indian government agencies had to purchase a foreign
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commercial cyber-weapon for their needs, then we have advertised a strategic

vulnerability that is bound to be exploited unless rectified quickly.
● Misuse of data insights: Another vulnerability arises from the fact that vendors of
commercial cyber-weapons can get insights as to how their product is being used.
This information can be misused by making it available to their governments. It is
also vulnerable to other governments with superior cyber capabilities. The maker
of Pegasus has a very good idea of what its customers are up to. It can turn it off
at will. Even the political costs of being exposed could be used as leverage
against the buyer.

Suggestions:
● Data encryption must not be weakened: Citizens need to be empowered with a
strong encryption. At least until a robust governance framework is put in place, the
government must not weaken data encryption.
● Intelligence reform: India needs intelligence reform. The Shah Commission and
the LP Singh Committee recommendations need to be looked into.
● In the meantime, the surveillance review process needs to be bolstered. It should
be mandatory for the requesting agency to deposit a refundable financial
guarantee along with the application.

Why a shrinking population is terrible for a modern economy

Central theme:
● A shrinking population is a bigger worry than a heavy welfare burden

Introduction:
● The US population was shrinking. From the fertility rate of 3.2 in 1956, the fertility
rate reached 1.6 in 2020. But the shrinking population has many challenges
associated with it.
● For instance, the domestic business investment in the US also followed this
decreasing trend.

Challenges with the shrinking population:

● The problem of ageing: There will be ever fewer workers to pay the benefits of an
ever-larger pool of retirees.
● Impact on the economy: The economy will face many issues with the shrinking
population. Such as,
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● The economy will not have a growing supply of new workers

● New private investment has a harder time generating consistent positive real
returns
● The real return on ordinary physical investment fall so does the interest rate
necessary to keep the economy humming.

A shrinking population and the example of Japan:

● Japan faced all the economic hurdles of a shrinking population. Japan had no
post-war baby boom.
● Despite a technologically advanced and export-oriented economy, the Bank of
Japan’s major policy rate fell steadily from 6% in 1991 to just 0.5% in 1995.
● Japan also experienced an enormous property bubble in the late 1980s. This is
because when businesses cannot generate enough profitable investment to
match the savings rate of an older population. This resulted in huge investments
in land.
● Japan experienced an infamous ‘lost decade’, during which neither huge
government spending nor persistently low-interest rates could fully revive the
economy.

Challenges:
● An increased government spending on child care and other support for young
families would offer only a modest boost in population growth.
● Meanwhile, the ideas that offer the greatest potential for population growth, such
as comprehensive immigration reform, are the least politically feasible.

Making a case for Indo-Abrahamic accord

central theme :
● The Turkish president’s excessive ambitions, alienation of Israel and moderate
Arabs, growing conflict with Greece and alignment with Pakistan presents India
with an opportunity to widen outreach to the west of the Subcontinent.

Emerging geo-political situation in West Asia:

● The reshaping of West Asia’s geo-political situation is marked by an alienation of
Turkey and is driven by the following events:

Turkey and Pakistan’s cooperation:

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● The Turkish president is making assertive claims for the leadership of the Islamic
world. Also, Erdogan’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which seeks to
overthrow the current political order in the region, has deeply angered the
governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Thus, fighting the Brotherhood
and balancing Turkey have become existential challenges for them.
● Hostility towards India: Efforts since the end of the Cold War at normalising
relations between Delhi and Ankara have also broken down, thanks to Erdogan’s
hostility towards India.
● Erdogan has been supporting Pakistan’s case on Kashmir after India changed the
territorial status quo of the state in August 2019.
● At Pakistan’s behest, Erdogan is also blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear
Suppliers Group.
● Pakistan’s alienation
● Pakistan’s alignment with Turkey is growing resulting in its alienation from its
traditionally strong supporters in the Arab Gulf — the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Greece and UAE closer now:

● The discovery of new hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean, the
renewed territorial disputes between Turkey and Greece, and the Turkish quest
for regional dominance has drawn Greece and the UAE closer.

Increased coop b/w India & Greece:

● Greece is looking towards India to enhance bilateral security cooperation. India’s
external affairs minister was in Athens at the end of June and the two sides have
begun defence exchanges.

French counter to Turkey:

● Greece’s European partners like France, which have a big stake in the
Mediterranean as well as the Arab Gulf, have taken an active interest in
countering Turkey’s regional ambitions.

Indo-Abrahamic accord:
● Amidst the reshaping of geo-political order in West Asia, India’s relations with the
UAE and Israel have gained a political depth and strategic character under the
present Indian government. This trilateral relationship can be the launchpad for a
wider regional coalition.
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● So, can this growing convergence of interest between India, UAE and Israel be
formalized under an official coalition i.e. an Indo-Abrahamic accord?

Areas of cooperation:
● There are many areas like defence, aerospace and digital innovation where the
three countries can pool their resources and coordinate development policies.
● Coordination with Saudi Arabia will certainly remain a high priority for the three
nations.
● Meanwhile, others like Greece are eager for greater cooperation with the coalition.

Why is Egypt's support critical?

● For India to play a greater role in West Asia and to formalize the emerging
trilateral partnership will require Egypt’s support. India’s engagement with West
Asia in the 1950s was centered on a close partnership with Egypt.
● The Nasser & Nehru relationship: The legendary special relationship between
Jawaharlal Nehru and Gamal Abdel Nasser was instrumental in promoting
Afro-Asian unity and founding the Non-Aligned Movement.
● Nehru and Nasser visualised a strategic partnership and sought to build a joint
fighter aircraft and develop a jet engine.

‘Improve social security for workers’

central theme :
● The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour highlighted many issues and
provided suggestions for improving employment.

Details :
Key findings of the Committee:
● The panel noted that like in most countries, in India too, the pandemic had made
matters worse for women, the young, self-employed, migrants, and workers with
low and medium skills.
● The pandemic has devastated the labour market, denting the employment
scenario and threatening the survival of millions of workers and their families.
● The committee noted that the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data for years
prior to the pandemic were available, and the real impact of COVID-19 would only
be seen when the PLFS for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 are available.
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● Citing the PLFS, the report said 90% of workers were in the informal sector, which
is 419 million of the 465 million workers.
● The report mentioned that although no survey data is available yet on the impact
of the second wave, it has undisputedly been more severe than the first.
● The panel mentioned that offering another round of income support to the poor to
compensate for loss of jobs/employment, would go a long way in mitigating their
woes.

Issues :
● The panel flagged the issue of lack of a study by the Labour Ministry to gauge the
impact of its advisories on employers’ recruitment and termination policies.
● The committee pulled up the Ministry for the delay in developing a national
database of unorganised workers.

Way forward:
● In the backdrop of pre-existing high and rising unemployment, a comprehensive
plan and roadmap are required to address the deteriorating condition of
employment, much aggravated by the pandemic.
● The panel recommended the strengthening of social security measures and the
possibility of transferring money in the bank accounts of the informal workers
during adverse conditions like COVID-19.
● The report suggested that the government should strive to support a recovery that
is robust, broad-based and women-centric and based on social dialogues with all
the stakeholders concerned.
● The panel said universal healthcare should be made a legal obligation of the
government and the budgetary allocation for MGNREGA should be increased.
● The panel also recommended an urban job guarantee scheme on the lines of the
MGNREGA.

Skills mission underperforms on training, placement goals

central theme :
● Given India’s young population and vast labour force, Skills India Mission was
expected to give huge dividends. However, as per the recent data, the mission
seems to be underperforming.

About the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana(PMKVY):

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● The scheme has 2 components,

● Short term training STT – Focused on training, certification and placement
● Recognition of prior learning RPL – Orientation and certification based on existing
talents.
● It is implemented through skills partners affiliated with National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC).

Performance :
● PMKVY trained 6.59 Mn against the target of 7.62 Mn of these only 5.25 Mn were
certified and 2.32 Mn were placed.
● Against a target of 70%, only 35% were placed.
● In Karnataka, 222378 people were trained and only 72881 were placed. This
reflected poor performance at the state level also.

Monitoring mechanism of the Scheme :

● The training process of the candidates, assessment, certification and placement is
monitored in real-time.
● Training centres are put through processes like self-audit reporting, call
validations and surprise visits.

Poverty in India is on rise again

central theme :
● During the 2000’s there was decline in poverty as was indicated by the
Government data. However, now multiple data point to a rise in poverty and
unemployment.

Details :
● Consumption expenditure survey (CES) is conducted and released every 5 years
by NSO
● 2017-2018 data was not released, and the next set will be released in 2022.
● But based on the recent NSO’s PLFS (periodic labour force survey), the
unemployment rate has reached a 45-year high and also the poverty levels.

Measurement of Poverty :
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● Prior to 2011, PLFS (periodic labour force survey) data was also used to estimate
poverty.
● Household monthly per capita expenditure data was also collected based on
Mixed Recall Period methodology.
● In 2011, the government decided to raise the poverty line as per the
recommendations of the Tendulkar committee.

Rise in poverty figures :

● In absence of CES data, PLFS data can be used to estimate poverty.
● NSO’s CES data 2017 (leaked) showed that rural consumption had fallen by 8%
and since over 65% of the population is rural, poverty is estimated to have
increased.
● The absolute number of poor had risen from 217 Mn(2012) to 270 Mn(2019). (first
time since history of CES)

Reasons for increased poverty :

● Demonetization and GST reforms struck a heavy blow to the unorganized sector
& MSME.
● Household savings declined, Private investment fell from 31% to 28%
● Public expenditure was constrained by fiscal consolidation
● Exports fell, in absolute terms
● There was a rise in unemployment and real wages did not increase.

Poultry industry seeks extension of loans, import of GM soybean

central theme :
● The poultry industry is demanding that the Central government permit the import
of crushed genetically modified (GM) soy seeds for captive consumption of
farmers.

What is a GM Crop?
● Genetically Modified(GM) Crop involves the editing of genes of a crop in such a
way that it incorporates beneficial traits from another crop or organism.
● This could mean changing the way the plant grows, or making it resistant to a
particular disease.

GM Crops in India:
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● Bt cotton is the only GM crop that is allowed in India. It has two alien genes from
the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a
protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm.
● Ht Bt Cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil
bacterium, which allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate.
● In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer.
● In DMH-11 mustard, developed by Deepak Pental and colleagues in the South
Campus of the University of Delhi, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in
a crop that self-pollinates in nature.

Legal Position on GM Crops in India:

● In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body
that allows for the commercial release of GM crops.
● Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and a fine of
Rs 1 lakh under the Environmental Protection Act, 1989.

Benefits of GM Crop:
● Genetic engineering can improve crop protection. Crops with better resistance to
pests and diseases can be created.
● Farmers can achieve high yield and thereby get more income.
● Nutritional content can be improved.
● Shelf life of foods can be extended.
● Food with better taste and texture can be achieved.
● Crops can be engineered to withstand extreme weather.

Reasons for Opposition to GM Crops:

● Some GM crops have been engineered to create their own toxins against pests.
This may harm non-targets such as farm animals that ingest them.
● GM crops are modified to include antibiotics to kill germs and pests. And when
people eat them, these antibiotic markers will persist in the human body and will
render actual antibiotic medications less effective over a period of time, leading to
superbug threats.
● Concerns about multinational agribusiness companies taking over farming from
the hands of small farmers. Farmers are also reluctant because they will have
limited rights to retain and reuse seeds.
● People in general are wary of GM crops as they are engineered in a lab and do
not occur in Nature.
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Over the borderline: On Centre’s role in resolving Assam-Mizoram row

Central theme :
● A people-oriented approach facilitated by the Centre can help resolve
Assam-Mizoram row

Background
● The violent clashes on the Assam-Mizoram border in Lailapur on July 26th
culminated in the death of five policemen and a civilian from Assam. FIRs were
also filed.
● But, the situation now seems to be calming down at least at the leadership level
after governments announced withdrawal of FIRs against the Chief Minister of
Assam and a Rajya Sabha MP from Mizoram.

suggestions :
● Role of Central paramilitary forces: The governments have already taken the right
decision to withdraw their police forces from a four-kilometre “disputed stretch”
and let it be manned by central paramilitary forces till a permanent solution is
found on the border question.
● Lifting the blockade: Locals in the Barak Valley in Assam had imposed a blockade,
disallowing trucks with essential goods from entering Mizoram. Assam
government must compel residents to avoid continuing the blockade.
● Inquiry into the clashes: An impartial inquiry into the sequence of events that led
to the firing incident and the deaths must also be held so that such a situation
does not recur.
● Settling the border dispute peacefully: Instead of a purely juridicial approach
involving settling sovereign claims via historical claims, a people-oriented
approach by the respective authorities with the facilitation of the Centre can help
resolve the issue.

Several trade-offs impede the Zero Hunger goal. A UN report explains why, and how

central theme:
● According to the UN, Achieving SDG2 or achieving ‘Zero Hunger’ will require new
investments, smoothly functioning trade, and changes in consumption patterns.
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Details :
● The United Nations recently released a report ahead of the Food Systems Summit
in September 2021.
● In this, it mentioned that Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 of achieving
‘Zero Hunger’ has been negatively affected, in the wake of the novel coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Relation of SDG 2 (Zero-Hunger) with other SDGs:

● The report mentions that the zero hunger goal works in tandem with many others:
Poverty elimination (SDG1); good health and well-being (SDG3); and the need for
clean drinking water (SDG6).
● The relation between SDG 2 and SDG 1 (poverty elimination) is highly synergetic.
Food security does not only rely on food availability, but also on food access, the
report said.
● Nutrition is key to good health, so the relation between SDG 2 and SDG 3 (good
health and well-being) is also synergetic.

Challenges in achieving zero hunger

● The UN report said that one of the most widely studied adverse environmental
impacts of the food system is its contribution to climate change. The food system
contributes 34 percent of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
● Overconsumption of water resources is another critical challenge faced by
agriculture. Irrigation represents about 70 percent of global water withdrawals, and
this demand is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades. This also
impacts the global food system and access to water.

Way forward :
● The report mentions that the success of achieving SDG2 will require new
investments, smoothly functioning trade, and effective markets.
● Investment, research, and innovation for sustainable agriculture.
● Reducing food waste and losses.
● Changing our consumption patterns to leverage considerable benefits on SDG
outcomes by relieving pressure on natural resources and fostering the health
benefits.

A language ladder for an education roadblock

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central theme :
● Learning in the mother tongue has to be promoted in India.

Details :
● Recently, 14 engineering colleges across eight States decided to offer courses in
regional languages in select branches from the new academic year.
● Similarly, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) also decided to
permit B. Tech programmes in 11 native languages in tune with the New
Education Policy (NEP).

Why does India need to promote learning in the Mother tongue?

● Multiple studies have proved that children who learn in their mother tongue in their
early, formative years, perform better than those taught in an alien language.
● UNESCO and other organisations have been laying emphasis on the fact that
learning in the mother tongue is germane to building self-esteem and self-identity,
as also the overall development of the child.
● Even though our educational system has seen phenomenal growth. Over the
years, English remained an academic roadblock and also let India’s own
languages languish.

Learning in the mother tongue – Global practices:

● Among the G20, most countries have state-of-the-art universities, with teaching
being imparted in the dominant language of their people. For instance,
● France went to the extent of having a strict ‘French-only’ policy as the medium of
instruction in schools.
● In Germany, the language of instruction in schools is predominantly German.
● In South Korea, nearly 70% of the universities teach in Korean, even as they
aspire to play a role on the international stage.
● This trend is also observed in other countries like China, Japan, and Canada (in
the majority French-speaking Quebec Province).

Learning in the mother tongue – In India:

● The NEP put emphasis on the mother tongue as the medium of instruction to
instill confidence in students from poor, rural, and tribal backgrounds.
● The NEP also outlines the road map, demonstrating the means to protect our
languages while improving the access and quality of our education.
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● AICTE and IIT Madras recently collaborated to translate SWAYAM’s courses into
eight regional languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, etc. This will be a major
boost for engineering students.

challenges :
● Unfortunately, some educators and parents still accord unquestioned primacy to
English, and resultantly, the child’s mother tongue ends up as their ‘second/third
language’ in schools.
● One of the biggest bottlenecks for students to take up higher education in their
native languages is the lack of high-quality textbooks, especially in technical
courses.
● Content in the digital learning ecosystem, still a nascent domain in our country, is
greatly skewed towards English.

suggestions :
● India must begin with imparting primary education (at least until Class 5) in the
student’s mother tongue, gradually scaling it up.
● For professional courses, while the initiative of the 14 engineering colleges is
commendable, we need more such efforts all across the country. Private
universities must join hands and offer a few bilingual courses.
● The government has to address the work on high-quality textbooks, creation of
digital content in regional languages at war footing.
● Like AICTE's collaboration with IIT Madras, India needs more such tech-led
initiatives to democratise higher education.

Why are government schools not the first choice?

central theme :
● Improving the infrastructure of government schools will make them more
attractive.

Details :
● Recently, The Patna High Court has recently asked for data on how many IAS and
IPS officers have enrolled their wards in government schools.

Advantages of government schools:

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● Children can get a chance to study with children from different socio-economic
backgrounds. But in private schools, that’s not the case.
● The midday meal in a school also contributes to building a healthy school
environment.

Challenges with the Government schools:

● People feel there are not enough teachers in these schools, or the schools may
not be functioning regularly.
● India has different kinds of education systems in different States. Each has
different types of challenges.
● Barely 15% of the schools can be called compliant with the RTE.
● Section 29 of the RTE explains what kind of education every child has a right to.
There is no government school that is complying with that, including elite schools.
● The secondary and higher secondary level government schools do not have
adequate capacities, so the net enrolment falls, especially girls, sharply beyond
the primary level.

Problems associated with government school teachers:

● Teachers’ professional development is a very weak area in government schools.
● Almost half the regular teacher vacancies are filled by guest or ad hoc teachers.
● Nearly, 95% of teacher education is in private hands and most of it is substandard.

way forward :
● The government (State and Union) has to improve pedagogy, teacher
development, the level of community participation, the parent committees, etc.
● India should also look at the basic safety, well-being and hygiene factors in
government schools. Such as, well functioning toilets, drinking water and proper
compound walls.
● India can create better professional networks for teachers, this will help teachers
to continuously learn from each other.
● Developing a micro plan for every school, and a larger plan for schools at the
district level, and then at the State level.
● Decentralisation: Local bodies can take ownership of government schools, and
school development committees can be linked with elected local bodies, so they
can support the needs of schools.
● Create a comprehensive curriculum review like Kerala and synchronise it at a
national level to facilitate the incorporation of inter-state migrated children.
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India’s indigenous aircraft carrier setting sail for sea trials is a historic moment

central theme :
● The onset of sea trials of INS Vikrant marks a historic moment for the Indian Navy,
which till now had aircraft carriers, but none built at home.
● The brand-new INS Vikrant is 75% indigenous and is the first big-ticket example of
Atmanirbhar India.

Details :
● August 4, 2021, marked a milestone in India’s ambition to become self-reliant in
defence production.
● The first indigenous aircraft carrier began its sea trials. It’s expected to be
commissioned in a year as INS Vikrant.
● It makes India only the seventh nation to develop the capacity to indigenous
design and build a carrier. The other six include the US, UK, Spain, Russia,
France, and China.

Analysing the degree of Self Reliance in Defence Production:

● A pathway to realize this goal was a policy transition in May 2001 to open up the
defence industry to 100% private participation. Post this, 333 private companies
have got industrial licences.

Success:
● In 2020-21, about 63% of the Rs 1.39 lakh crore procurement budget went to
domestic manufacturers.
● In relative terms, procurement from domestic sources has increased. HAL, for
example, supplies 61% of the airborne fleet in use by defense services.

Concerns:
● During the period 2001-20, the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute’s database showed that India was the world’s largest importer of arms, at
an aggregate value of $52.8 billion.
● The huge import is a result of a shortage in capabilities for designing and
developing major platforms. For instance, we ordered the Medium Multi-Role
Combat Aircraft from France and the S-400 Air Defense System from Russia.
 20

● Further, there is a lack of financial support to boost indigenous production. For

instance, in 2020-21, By 2020-21, 61% of the defense budget was allocated for
salaries and pensions and 19% towards buying arms.

An opportunity for India to pitch for holistic maritime security

central theme :
● India has an opportunity to ensure that the global debate on maritime peace and
security is approached more holistically, rather than focussing just on the security
aspect of it.

Details :
● In a departure from normal practice, the Indian PM will preside (in virtual mode)
over an open debate at the UN Security Council, on Aug 9 when India holds the
President’s chair for one month.
● This will mark a diplomatic first for an Indian PM: This role has been performed in
the past by a minister or a senior diplomat.

Threats to maritime peace & security:

Geopolitical:
● Tension in South China Sea (SCS): South China Sea has been marred by
tensions over freedom of navigation (FON) rights in international waters and
China’s claims to “territoriality” based on artificial structures (not natural islands).
● The US doesn’t accept it and has exercised transit rights in these waters.
● Many ASEAN nations and Quad members such as Japan, Australia and India
subscribe to the principle of FON and do not buy the Chinese interpretation of the
“nine-dash-line”.

Environmental:
● Maritime pollution: Accidents onboard large crude carriers and cargo vessels in
the IOR have added to the anxiety about marine pollution and its downstream
consequences for the health of the oceans.
● Over the last few decades, global warming and carbon emissions have changed
the chemistry of the oceans, and as per a UN report they have become more
acidic as seawater absorbs more carbon dioxide and furthermore, the upper
layers of the open ocean have lost between 0.5% and 3.3% of their oxygen since
1970 as temperatures have risen.
 21

● In a worst-case scenario, the report cautions that left unchecked, greenhouse

gases could result in sea levels rising at a relentless pace for hundreds of years,
potentially by 17 feet or more by 2300, and submergence of many islands and
low-lying coastal areas along the global littoral.
● Littoral means a region lying along the shore.

Technological:
● Drone attacks on ships: Safety of merchant ships has been a concern lately.
Recently, an Israeli-controlled tanker in the north Arabian Sea off Oman came
under a suspected drone attack that killed two crew members.

Traditional:
● Piracy and non-traditional challenges at sea such as gun-running and smuggling

India’s school children need their childhood back

central theme:
● India needs to stop asking whether schools are safe and start acknowledging that
in-person school is essential.

Details :
● In-person school education teaches children to share, wait for their turn, negotiate,
and compromise. Depriving these will affect societal learning and development.
● For children from economically weak backgrounds, schools are a key source of
nutrition (Mid-day meal scheme).
● For some, schools serve as safe spaces from the chaos of their homes.
● Many children do not have educated parents or cannot afford home tutors, for
them, the denial of education results in learning losses.
● Further, the researchers agree that children are at a low risk of developing severe
COVID-19 compared to adults.
● Results of Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) Fourth National
Sero-Prevalence Survey.
● More than 80 percent of children from both urban and rural areas had antibodies.
This means they were already infected and developed antibodies.

ICMR recommendation to open schools:

● It will be wise to open primary schools first and then secondary schools.
 22

● Vaccinate all support staff and teachers before opening the schools.

Suggestions to reopen schools:

● There are a host of recommendations on how to open schools safely, including by
the World Bank, the Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force etc. The
government can follow them.
● Start schools in areas where the community level of infection is low.
● Declare school staff and teachers as frontline workers
● Public campaigns to make school staff and parents aware of the low risk of
transmission in schools and low severity in children
● Upgrade school infrastructure to facilitate a hybrid system of learning so that if
parents are not willing, they can continue with online learning
● Formulate and issue guidance on COVID-19 protocols to be adopted by schools
● Greater investment in healthcare facilities and implementation of systems to track
the local levels of infections.

Standing with Kabul – India’s Afghan policy

central theme :
● A lack of consensus on Afghanistan amongst the permanent members of UNSC
means India will have to build international opinion around this topic gradually.
Also, it should put pressure on Pakistan and the Taliban to make peace with
Kabul.

Details :
● Recently, a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Afghanistan
convened under India’s presidency. It failed to bring a new international
consensus on controlling the Taliban’s military offensive with the full support of the
Pakistan army.

No consensus on Afghanistan:
● In Afghanistan, there is no unanimity amongst the five permanent members, which
is critical for any consequential decisions by the UN Security Council (UNSC).
● China: An ambitious China is seeking to extend its regional footprint
● Russia: An opportunistic Russia is tagging behind Beijing. Both China and Russia
seem to support Pakistan’s game plan to reinstall the Taliban in Kabul.
 23

● UK: Given its special ties with the Pakistan army, London tends to be unstable on
the Taliban.
● US: The US has ceded much ground by deciding to withdraw all its troops in
Afghanistan by the end of this month.
● France: In Europe too (represented by France which has a permanent seat in the
UNSC), there is a decline in political support for continued Western military
intervention in Afghanistan.

Addressing the quality deficit in India’s technical education

central theme :
● The problems surrounding Engineering education needs immediate attention.

Introduction:
● Engineering is an applied science. But private entrepreneurs without subject
knowledge took the lead to meet the country’s growing demand for technical
education in the mid-Eighties. This resulted in the following challenges.

Challenges facing Engineering colleges:

● The engineering curriculum took a hit as the management’s agenda entered
academic bodies of various universities.
● Subjects like materials, applied physics, and thermodynamics became
dispensable. Several universities merrily revised their curriculum at the expense of
these courses.
● The regulatory gaps, poor infrastructure, lack of qualified faculty, and the
non-existent industry linkage contributed to the abysmal employability of
graduates.
● The private colleges also failed to make a considerable investment to adapt to the
dynamic environment of the job market.

Other challenges:
● Not a single industry body, be it CII, FICCI or ASSOCHAM has managed to
effectively inform the education planners on the growth in different employment
sectors.
● The government also failed to take any tangible steps to set up an independent
body to advise AICTE on this vital aspect.
 24

Suggestions:
● Rather than being reactive, institutions must proactively define the practising
elements of education.
● The corrective measures for these shortfalls are technology-intensive, are
experiential, and need investments in teaching.
● The need of the hour is to create a truly autonomous quality assurance body at an
arm's-length from the government, manned by eminent persons both from the
industry and academia.

A caste census will serve no clear worthy purpose

central theme :
● There are proposals to revive the caste-based census in the National Census of
2021. But introducing them is not easy, and the caste census has certain
challenges.

Introduction:
● With the census fast approaching, some sections argue the need to include caste
in the Census questionnaire. While there are merits to this argument, the state
should be extremely cautious of this move.

Data :
● It will help identify inequities suffered by backward classes.
● It will help in better targeting of Government welfare schemes.
● Since job and education quotas are based on caste, this will help in
evidence-based policymaking. The current policies are based on the last caste
census, which was conducted in 1931.
● SECC which was conducted to overcome this did not release its findings.

Challenges :
● Such a move requires detailed deliberation, for which the time is less.
● Any such last-minute move to change the questionnaire could delay the census.
● As India seeks to eliminate and weaken the notion of caste, such a caste-based
census would only strengthen it.

Pegasus scandal points to the making of a surveillance state in India

 25

central theme :
● There seems to be a concerted effort to create a surveillance state, monitor free
flow of information and use technology to control instead of empowering citizens.
Increasing rate of surveillance in India and measures that must be taken to
counter it.

Details :
● Facial recognition: On March 11, the Indian government announced the adoption
of facial recognition technology enabled surveillance. Using photographic and
other information from government “databases”, 1,100 individual participants in
the Delhi riots had been identified. When other advanced democracies, including
the European Union and several states in the US, have been slowing down or
stopping use of facial recognition in the public sphere altogether, here in India, we
seem to be traveling at top speed in the other direction.
● CMS, NATGRID and NETRA: There are at least three other projects that are
building a 360-degree surveillance mechanism by the government. These
projects, namely CMS (Central Monitoring System Project), NATGRID and
NETRA, operate under complete secrecy without any publicly available
information.
● NATGRID was built with an intent to enable government agencies to get
information such as bank account details and transaction details, in violation of the
principles which were laid down in the Supreme Court’s Puttaswamy judgment.

Measures :
● Pressure must be kept on the government to take suitable action.
● An independent inquiry commission must be set up. This commission should not
be headed by one or two Supreme Court judges, but by a panel consisting of
members of judiciary, civil society and technical experts. Matter should not go to
the CBI.
● In the absence of an independent judicial inquiry ordered by the Supreme Court,
states should order the kind of investigations the state of West Bengal has
ordered.
● All the victims should approach courts, police and ask for their rights to be
enforced. Courts should stop buying the argument of national security every time,
and should not allow governments to use the market to create an infrastructure of
surveillance.
 26

● Government’s right to have continuous access to our data, without adequate

safeguards, should also be held a violation of constitutional human rights.
● Information about the three surveillance projects, namely CMS, NATGRID and
NETRA, should be publicly available and they must be subject to the principles
laid down in the Puttaswamy case.
● Parliament should be persuaded to frame a law containing a strong personal
privacy charter protecting the right to be free from collection and mass data
analysis that are demonstrably harmful. Such an Act should not have any
exceptions. It should subject all government surveillance and government use of
private surveillance technologies — to the rule of law.

Prime Minister declares 14th August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day

central theme :
● In a fitting tribute to all those who lost their lives due to the partition of the nation
and were displaced from their roots, the Government has decided to observe 14th
August as the day to commemorate their sacrifice.

Background:
● The country celebrated 75th Independence Day on 15th August 2021.
Nonetheless, the pain and violence of partition remains deeply entrenched in the
nation’s memory.
● Realizing this, the government has declared that 14th August would be observed
as Partition Horror’s Remembrance Day.

Rationale behind declaring a Partition Horrors Remembrance Day:

● It is a way of saluting those sons and daughters of our beloved motherland who
had to sacrifice their lives in the frenzy of violence.
● It would remind present and future generations of Indians of the pain and suffering
faced by the people during the partition.
● Furthermore, it will keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social
divisions and disharmony.
● For instance, the two-nation theory which was the basis of partition failed
miserably with the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
● It will encourage the masses to strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony,
and human empowerment.
 27

Way Forward:
● Given that the trauma was felt not just in India but in three countries, an attempt to
mark the day across the subcontinent might have been more inclusive.
● It is necessary too, to remember not just the violence of 1947 but also the colonial
hand that caused the Partition.
● Steps must be taken to hold the British Empire to account for and educate
successive generations on the perils of imperialism, arbitrary map-making, and
inhuman policy of divide and rule.

Social Media regulations: Slanting posts

central theme :
● Social media platforms should have the same standards for the government and
the Opposition

Introduction
● Several Twitter handles, associated with the Congress and its leaders, including
its former president Rahul Gandhi, were blocked by Twitter in the last few days,
for violating its user policy and the law of the land.
● Twitter has revealed that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
(NCPCR) brought the violation to its notice. A petition in the Delhi HC seeking
legal action against Mr. Gandhi has pointed out that his post was in violation of
Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Section 23(2) of the POSCO Act
2012.
● Both the sections mandate that any material that might reveal (directly or
indirectly) the identity of a child victim of a crime shall not be published.

Issues :
● The Centre claims that only a police investigation could establish whether the
content was altered or not.
● Social media companies on the other hand claim a right to unilaterally decide their
user policy.
● This is the core conflict between the state and private companies over controlling
the information flow in a democratic society.
● Both the state and the companies invoke public order and interest to justify their
control over information.
 28

Suggestions :
● State agencies must exercise control over speech only in the rarest instances,
and that too in the most transparent manner.
● Private companies must be more transparent in enforcing their guidelines and
reassure users that their standards for those in power and those in the Opposition
are one.

As Taliban makes a rapid military advance through Afghanistan, India too must brace
itself for the consequences

Central theme :
● The Taliban have seized Kabul. Now, India should be a first responder in the
current crisis for humanitarian and longer-term political reasons.

Introduction:
● The Taliban first stormed to power in 1996, with an open demonstration of
medieval cruelty and a barbaric transition to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
● Now, two decades later, they are capturing one strategic city after another. Now,
they have returned to Kabul also.

Taliban rise to power again:

● According to the latest reports, the militants control two-thirds of the Afghan
landmass.
● The Doha Agreement, from which the US excluded the Afghan government in
order to keep the Taliban happy, now does not matter.
● The Taliban stepped up attacks soon after the Doha Agreement concluded,
carefully avoiding any engagement with existing foreign forces.
● A UN report has already pointed to the continuing contacts between the Taliban
and al-Qaeda. Similarly, the influence of Pakistan is also present. The current
Taliban cadres, instructed by half-educated teachers in Pakistani madrassas and
training camps
● The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has estimated that nearly
4,00,000 Afghan civilians have been forced to flee their homes, due to fighting this
year.
● There have been reprisal killings already, and reports say 90 Afghan media outlets
have shut down.
 29

Why did the US mission fail?

● The US has never really considered Afghanistan of strategic importance. For all
its $1 trillion investment in Afghanistan and its awareness of Afghanistan’s mineral
wealth, the US never really invested in the Afghan economy or attempted to
integrate it into its economic sphere of influence (including India).
● But the US did that after its interventions after World War II in Europe, East Asia,
and later in the oil economies of the Gulf.
Similarly, the US did not invest in Afghan democracy.

Outcomes of the Taliban rise:

● The immediate challenge is a massive humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of
thousands are internally displaced, who have left war zones and taken shelter on
pavements and parks in Kabul.
● The panic and rush for passports and visas can be seen among those, who fear
for their lives from the Taliban or their sponsors.

Suggestions :
● The Taliban have announced that there will be no witch hunt, and it will respect a
transitional process. So, India should keep an open mind, wait and watch what
they actually do during and after the transitional process, assess how inclusive
they are.
● India should also facilitate emergency visas and evacuation of those close to
India, who will be under threat.
● India recently received an invitation to the “Troika Plus” talks in Doha. It should
actively engage in that.

PM pledges to make India energy independent by 2047, cites fuel bill

central theme :
● The Prime Minister of India has announced new goals during his Independence
Day Speech.

What are the Goals announced by the Prime Minister:

● Energy Independent India by 2047: The Prime Minister has announced a target of
making India an ‘Energy Independent’ nation by the time the country reaches 100
years of India’s independence, in 2047.
 30

Present Energy Situation:

● India at present spends more than Rs 12 trillion annually on energy import.
● India announced a goal in 2015 to make a 10% cut in crude oil import
dependence by 2022.
● This target is far from being achieved and the county’s import reliance has only
risen. Instead of cutting imports by 10 percent, its proportion has continued to rise
from 2015.
● Annual domestic crude oil output has fallen to below 30 million tonnes (mt) in
2020-21 from 35.5mt in 2015-16. Due to this, the total crude oil import has risen to
226 mt.

How India is moving towards Energy independence?

● The Indian Government plans to make India energy independent by 2047 through
various schemes such as 20% Ethanol blending and providing an impetus to
electric mobility among others.
● Net Zero Railway Emission by 2030: Indian Railways has set a target of becoming
Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030.
● The Indian Railways plans to achieve its Net Zero Carbon emitter target through a
mix of electrification, improving energy efficiency of locomotives and trains.
Further railways also planned a green certification for installations and stations,
fitting bio toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy.

What has been achieved so far in railways?

● Around 71% of the total Broad-Gauge (BG) network of Indian Railways has been
electrified by March 31, 2021.
● The Central Organisation for Railway Electrification plans to electrify all BG routes
of the Indian Railway by December 2023.

Global Green Energy Hub in India:

● The Government of India has announced the National Hydrogen Mission to make
India a Global Green Energy Hub.
● Green Hydrogen is pure hydrogen generated by using renewable energy such as
solar power and wind energy. The by-products are water and water vapour.

Learning from China (On economic growth & development)

central theme :
 31

● The focus of India’s economic policy has to be on quality education, skill

development, and agriculture reforms. Lessons from China.

Introduction :
● Post independence we have achieved several milestones like, reducing poverty,
improving literacy, increasing life expectancy etc. The Green revolution also
played an important role in achieving food security.
● But, it is equally important to look after the failures as well. This can be done by
evaluating how other nations have performed, especially those which started with
a similar base or even worse conditions than us. If some countries have done
better than us, we should not hesitate to learn from them.

Comparison with neighbours:

● Pakistan – independent India has done better than Pakistan if measured on a per
capita income basis.
● Bangladesh – its per capita income is marginally higher than India
● China – Though started at a similar position, China is much ahead of India both in
terms of GDP and per capita income.

Reason behind China’s progress:

● China started changing track to more market-oriented policies, beginning with
agriculture, from 1977.
● It introduced the Household Responsibility System and liberation of agri-markets
which led to an annual average agri-GDP growth of 7.1% during 1978-1984. This
led to an increase in farmer’s real income, giving scope for introduction of more
agricultural reforms.
● It also created a huge demand for manufactured products, triggering a
manufacturing revolution in China’s town and village enterprises.

Suggestions for India:

● Liberating agri-markets– China’s reforms started with agriculture, and India till
date had been avoiding agriculture reforms.
● Increasing purchasing power of people: For manufacturing to grow on a
sustainable basis, we have to increase the purchasing power of people in rural
areas by raising their productivity and not by distributing freebies.
● It requires investments in education, skills, health and physical infrastructure both
by the government as well as by the private sector
 32

● Population control- China adopted the one-child norm from 1979-2015. As a

result, its per capita income grew much faster.
● India’s attempts to control its population succeeded only partially and very slowly.
Poor education, especially that of the girl child, is at the core of this failure.

India’s water crisis: It is most acute for women

central theme :
● Water crisis affects women disproportionately compared to men.

Details :
● India has 16% of the world’s population, but possesses only 4% of the world’s
freshwater resources. India is water-stressed due to changing weather patterns
and repeated droughts. And the worst sufferers of this crisis are mostly women.

Extent of water stress in India:

● According to data from Central Ground Water Board, as many as 256 of 700
districts in India have reported ‘critical’ or ‘over-exploited’ groundwater levels,
which means the water table has significantly dropped in these districts
● India has become the world’s largest extractor of groundwater, accounting for 25%
of the total.
● 70% of our water sources are contaminated, and our major rivers are dying
because of pollution.
● Water crisis and women
● This crisis of water puts women at a higher risk of vulnerability, since fetching
water in India has been perceived as a woman’s job for centuries. They need to
walk miles to collect water from the nearest source.

Water crisis impacts women in the following ways:

● Affecting their participation in education, occupation and labor force, since they
need to spend more time on water collection.
● Increasing marginalization since the water crisis affects their access to toilets,
leading to indignity and insecurity.
● Affects their labour force participation.
● Promoting polygamy– there are increasing instances of polygamy in drought
prone regions which is termed as ‘water wives’.
● Reduces access to clean sanitation, better physical and mental health of women.
 33

● Leads to social oppression as it creates social issues like a lower level of literacy
in women since many girls drop out of school to collect water.

The big opportunity

central theme :
● A rising youth population in India can provide many benefits to India.

Details :
● According to various international studies, the median age in India would be 28
years by 2022-23, in contrast to 37 in China and 45 in Western Europe. This is an
enormous growth opportunity as India will have the highest number of people in
the workforce.

Challenges due to Covid-19:

● As per an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
study, the equivalent of five years or more of per capita income is likely to be lost
by the end of 2021 due to Covid-19.
● The World Bank mentioned that the world would witness deep global recessions
fuelled by lowered investments, displacement of human capital, and disintegration
of global trade and supply chains.
● The effects of increased use of plastics and the generation of bio-medical wastes
during the pandemic will cost fisheries, tourism, and maritime transport industries
an additional $40 billion, according to a UN Environment Program report.

Advantages of rising young population:

● India’s non-working population would be outnumbered by the working population,
leading to a favourable demographic dividend. This will accelerate urbanisation
and the growth of industries.
● The purchasing power of the populace will increase. It will open up a bigger
domestic market, thus attracting more investment and increasing opportunities.
● The younger population will be more climate-conscious. This can simply be
explained by younger generations seeing the real-time impact of climate change.
Further, they will be more inclined to act towards a greener tomorrow.
● This is also clear by a UN report on climate change. The report mentions that
close to half a million youth around the world have taken (or are taking) action
 34

against climate change through initiatives at their homes, schools, and

communities.
● This is the reason the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), 2021, puts only
two G20 (or Group of Twenty) countries — India and U.K. — in the top 10.

Challenges with rising young population:

● COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns have deepened the Inequality in India.
● The dominance of the informal economy makes the government subsidies and
employment schemes a difficult one for all benefactors to reap the benefits.

Way forward :
● The need of the hour is for public-private partnership (PPP) models to bridge the
skill gap.
● Education and skilling are also key components in enhancing the capabilities of
the growing young population
● Labour-intensive sectors need to be better supported for further job creation.
● Government policies must ensure that they comprehensively cover all aspects
aimed at increasing human development and standards of living.

Supreme Court remarks on tribunal law is latest flashpoint between legislature, judiciary

Central theme :
● Friction between Judiciary & government over interference in each other domain

Details :
Tribunal Reforms Act 2021:
● It sought the abolishment of at least seven appellate tribunals under various
statutes.
● The bill also revived provisions of tenures, age criteria, and search cum selection
committee for tribunal appointments.
● These provisions were earlier struck down by SC judgement in Madras Bar
Association vs Union of India as it interferes with the independence of the
Judiciary.

Reasons for dissent:

 35

● Under the amendment, there is a minimum age criteria of 50 years/ 4year tenure
for the appointment of advocates as members of tribunals. The Supreme
Court(SC) found this capping as arbitrary
● Government, on the other hand, says it will bring a specialized talent pool of
advocates to pick from.
● The judiciary feels its powers are being curtailed, and Parliament wonders
whether the judiciary should interfere to this extent.

Other cases relate to Tribunals:

● Roger Mathew vs Union of India: SC struck down an amendment to the 2017

Finance Act, passed as a money Bill. The amendment altered the structure and
functioning of various tribunals. In it, the bench directed the government to
formulate fresh norms on the appointment of tribunal members.
● Madras Bar Association in 2010 & 2015: Both the cases challenged various
provisions relating to the establishment of the National Company Law Tribunal. In
these judgements, SC had interpreted provisions relating to the appointment of
members to align with the independence of the judiciary.

Nutrition Security should be part of our covid response

central theme :
● The nutrition scenario is not looking good in India. The pandemic has further
worsened it. There is an urgent need for policymakers to focus on nutrition.

Details :
● One in every three children in India is stunted.
● More than 50% of adolescent girls and pregnant women are anaemic.
● Almost 80% of mothers do not receive full antenatal care during their pregnancy
● This was the situation when all government-run health and nutrition programmes
were fully functional and easily accessible. Now, the situation has worsened
during the corona times. Pandemic has had a negative impact on people:
● There is a decline in uptake of health services like antenatal checkups,
counselling, consumption of micronutrient supplements among pregnant women
● There is a decrease in dietary diversity due to food insecurity led to adverse
consequences on maternal and child nutrition
● There is a reduction in food intake among 90% of the households
 36

● Disruption in the supply of Mid-Day Meals because of the closing of schools.

● Loss of jobs has made the houses more vulnerable as now they struggle for basic
food.

Way forward :
1.Food and Nutrition Security: It is crucial to address the “hidden hunger” problem,
especially among vulnerable communities like pregnant & lactating women,
children’s etc while making policies of food security programmes in accordance
with current needs.
Pandemic emphasized the need for local nutritious food & community-based
initiatives to tackle the problem of food and nutrition insecurity. Poshan Matka
Initiative in MP and promotion of Nutrition Gardens in UP is a step in this direction
Micro Nutrient supplementation: Various initiatives have been done by many state
governments like

2.distribution of iron and folic acid, calcium tablets to pregnant & adolescent girls,
Vitamin A supplementation to children to address the nutritional requirements &
immunity problems.

3.Food Fortification: It is the process of deliberately increasing the content of

essential micronutrients to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply.
Various states like MP, Kerala, and Odisha have introduced fortified staples & rice
in their social safety net programmes. The centre should also adopt fortified
staples nationwide in their safety net programmes

Keeping an eye on China’s expanding nuclear stack

central theme :
● The scope and prospective size of China’s nuclear capabilities is not known
clearly. India should closely watch this build-up and work towards enhancing its
own capabilities. An analysis of China’s expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

Details :
● Satellite images from Xinjiang province in the west of the country suggest it is
building a nuclear missile silo field, a recent report from the Federation of
American Scientists (FAS) says. The site is believed to host 110 silos.
 37

● This development comes against the backdrop of evidence that China had already
built a site with 120 silos in the arid region of Yumen, in the Gansu province.
● These events indicate that China is fielding a larger nuclear force based on fixed
land-based capabilities.

Facts :
● It is a vertical cylindrical structure constructed underground, for the storage and
launching of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The structures typically have the
missile some distance below ground, protected by a large “blast door” on top.
They are usually connected, physically and/or electronically, to a missile launch
control center.

China’s nuclear arsenal:

● Chinese nuclear forces stand at roughly anywhere between 250 to 350 nuclear
warheads according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI) as well as the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
● China’s nuclear tipped ballistic missiles forces, whether land-based or sea-based,
have certainly improved in quantity and quality.
● It’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capabilities and Intermediate Range
Ballistic Missile (IRBM) capabilities in the form of the Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) and
the DF-26, respectively, are its most potent land-based missile systems.

Reasons behind current expansion by China:

● Increase the survivability of its arsenal against a first strike from their nuclear
adversaries, most prominently the United States. Washington, which possesses a
larger arsenal, stands at 3,800 warheads, and paired with its growing missile
defence capabilities poses a threat to Chinese retaliatory nuclear forces.
● However, other countries too figure in China’s nuclear expansion such as Russia
and India, even if Russia is not an overriding concern presently.
● To mislead enemies: The current silo-based missile expansion being undertaken
by China can also be to mislead and deceive enemies by hiding the actual
number of nuclear tipped warheads.
● A credible nuclear deterrent: Land-based nuclear capabilities, like silos, also mean
that for its enemies China will be a country with a huge number of targets to strike.
The larger the target list for any potential opponent, the greater the chances of
China’s arsenal surviving a first strike, thereby boosting the credibility of China’s
nuclear deterrent. In all probability, China is expanding its nuclear forces to
 38

withstand a first strike and then execute a retaliatory attack that would defeat its
enemy’s missile defences.

What women bring to the 21st century workplace

central theme :
● There is a need to see more women in positions of power, and that can only
happen if they are recognized and enabled for their strengths and not for acting
‘like men’

Details :
● Women comprise 48% of the population, but yet a fraction of them are the active
drivers of India’s economic growth.

Perception against women:

● Today the world is chasing skills like AI and computing. Many reports, including
the World Economic Forum, highlighted the role of emotional intelligence, creative
problem-solving and critical thinking. All these skills happen to be innate to
women.
● Though traits like empathy, compassion & sensitivity that women are gifted with
are considered weak, they are actually strong. Leaders should equip themselves
with these traits to solve problems in today’s work world.

Present Education system:

● Our education system mainly trains us in technical knowledge & academic skills.
But in contrast, most of the companies give less importance to degrees and are
looking for “smart generalists”.

Employment scenario:
● Employability is becoming a socio-economic and humanitarian crisis. The
causative factor is inequality. Youth and women from elite institutions are more
likely to get jobs as they are equipped with soft skills demanded by the market.
● So, there is a need to create a mechanism that enables seekers from a less
privileged background to develop soft skills.

The Abrahan Accord as India’s West Asia bridge

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central theme :
● The signing of the Abraham Accord has helped India to remove strategic
obstacles & aided defence cooperation

Introduction :
● India welcomed the Abraham Accord as it will bring peace and stability to the
region. This accord is beneficial for India as it removed the long strategic obstacle
for India: to maintain the balance between the Arab world & Israel.

About Abraham Accords:

● These are a joint statement made between Israel, the United States and the
United Arab Emirates on August 13, 2020. It also refers to the agreement reached
between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE to normalise relations between them.

How is India, strengthening the relationship with West Asian Region:

● India conducted “Zayed Talwar” naval exercise with the UAE. This will further help
to deepen the fast-developing strategic cooperation between both countries
● Visit of Indian Army Chief in Dec 2020 to the UAE & Saudi Arabia, becomes the
first chief of the Indian army to do so Indian Navy Chief’s visit to the UAE & Oman.
During the visit, the chief signed a deal with Oman for access to Duqm Port,
including a dry dock to be used by the Indian Navy.

Relationship with West Asia:

● Maintaining energy security is vital for India, given India meets 80% of its oil
requirements via imports.
● India has increased strategic defence relations with West Asian countries. This
included the IAF visit to Saudi Arabia in 2015 to host the Iranian navy in 2018.
● As tensions between Iran, Israel & the USA escalated, the Indian Navy carried out
operation Sankalp which escorted 16 Indian-flagged vessels a day.
● The Abraham accord may pave the way for greater defense relations with West
Asian countries.
● Right from NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) days, West Asia has been the focus of
India’s foreign policy and will remain so in the near future.

Relationship with Iran:

Iran, as a part of West Asia, plays a significant role:
 40

● India used Iranian airspace & facilities to evacuate its diplomatic staff from
Kandahar. This shows a level of strategic interest and commonality at play on
certain issues in the region
● Projects like the Chabahar port & Chahbahar-Zahedan rail project plays a critical
role in India- Iran relations.
● Recent visits by various ministers on both sides highlights strategic cooperation
between both countries despite the sanctions by the USA or Iran conflict with
other West Asian countries.

Faith and Marriage

Central theme :
● Dubious legislations cannot be allowed to criminalise interfaith marriages

Introduction:
● Gujarat HC has recently struck down certain provisions of the ‘Freedom of
Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021’ which are contrary to the fundamental rights of
the citizen.
● Many states like UP, MP, Himachal and Gujarat have brought laws against forced
conversion like “Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment Act) 2021.

Details :
● They have created ‘conversion by marriage’ as one of the illegal forms of
conversion. However, the vagueness of the provisions gives police the power to
hold police inquiries.
● The law also allows an aggrieved person, anyone related by blood to lodge an
FIR.
● This often subjects the couple or bride/groom to criminal proceedings.

What do the courts say?

● Gujarat HC has stalled some provisions of the Act and has stopped initiation of
criminal proceedings against such couples unless they have found there were any
of the illegal elements involved.
● This is also in line with Supreme Court (SC) rulings that states cannot police
private lives and personal choices guaranteed under Article 21 of the constitution.
● In the Shafin Jahan Vs Ashokan case, the SC made it clear that the right to marry
is an integral part of a person’s choice.
 41

Focusing on diseases sidelined by Covid 19

Central theme :
● Given the increasing menace of NCD there is an urgent need for a
multi-stakeholder approach to handle the impending crisis.

Introduction:
● The world is struggling with Non-Communicable diseases (NCD). Nearly 71% of
all deaths worldwide occur due to NCD such as hypertension, diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, cancer etc

The top contributors to NCD:

● At the Global level: Top contributors of global deaths are cardiovascular
diseases(CVD) such as stroke, heart attack, coronary artery disease. 1/4 of
deaths occur because of this, especially among young patients.
● Indian subcontinent: There is a rapid progression of these diseases with a high
mortality rate
● In India, there are high cases of premature loss of life due to NCD in the 30-69
year age group

About government initiatives:

● To address the growing burden of NCD, National Health Mission (NHM), in 2010,
launched the National Programme for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The focus of this programme is to strengthen
infrastructure, promote good health, human resource development, early
diagnosis, and management & referral services.

How Covid disrupts the NCD services:

● Because of the rapid spread of Covid, there were disruptions in the management
of NCD. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) survey in May 2020, it
was found that:
● Low-income countries are the worst affected because of Covid disruption.
● More than 53% of countries have partially or completely disrupted services for
hypertension treatment, 49% for diabetes & related complications, 42% for cancer
treatment & 31% for cardiovascular emergencies
 42

Reasons for discontinuing the services:

● Staff reassigned to support Covid patients
● Postponement of public screening programmes
● Shortage of medicines, technologies etc
● Decreased availability of public transport

On India’s population, let the data speak

central theme :
● Focusing on the education and empowerment of women can help states to
achieve desired fertility rates.

Introduction:
● The recently released empirical data from the National Family Health Survey
2019-20 (NFHS-5) for 22 states and Union territories provides that except for
three states — Bihar, Manipur and Meghalaya —the fertility rates have gone
below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

Key findings of the NFHS-5 data:

● In all the seven Northeastern states, the fertility rates range from 1.1 in Sikkim to
1.9 in Assam, except Manipur (2.2) and Meghalaya (2.9).
● The TFR in the Union territories of Lakshwadeep and Jammu & Kashmir, which
have sizeable Muslim populations, have gone substantially below the replacement
level with 1.4 children per woman.

Among populous states:

● The TFR has gone down to 1.6 children in West Bengal.
● It is only 1.7 each in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra
Pradesh.
● Even in Bihar, where the TFR is 3, there is a relative decline in fertility from 3.4 in
NFHS-4 (2015-16).

About NFHS – 4:
● In NFHS-4 itself, as many as 23 states and Union Territories, including all the
states in the south region, showed fertility below the replacement level.
● In Uttar Pradesh, too, there is a declining trend in TFR from 3.8 in NFHS-3
(2005-06) to 2.7 in NFHS-4 (2015-16).
 43

● The NFHS-4 (2015-16) shows interesting linkages of fertility with education and
economic well-being.
● For example, women with no schooling have an average of 3.1 children,
compared with 1.7 children for women with 12 or more years of schooling.

The dangers of India’s palm oil push

central theme :
● The recent push by the Government of India to promote production of palm oil in
Northeast and Andaman Nicobar islands has raised various concerns. A brief
look.

Context:
● On August 15th, 2021, PM announced a support of Rs 11,000 crore to incentivize
oil palm production.
● The government intends to bring an additional 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm
cultivation and aims to reduce the country’s dependence on palm oil imports,
especially from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Background:
● The Yellow Revolution of the 1990s led to a rise in oilseeds production.
● Most of these oilseeds are grown in rain-fed agriculture areas of Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar
Pradesh.
● Though there has been a continuous increase in the production of diverse
oilseeds — groundnut, rapeseed and mustard, soybean — that has not matched
the increasing demand.
● The recent push comes from the “success stories” of the two Southeast Asian
countries, Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia has emerged as a significant palm
oil hub in the last decade and has overtaken Malaysia. The two countries produce
80% of global oil palm. Indonesia exports more than 80% of its production.

Impact on Malaysia & Indonesia":

● Declining biodiversity– Studies on agrarian change in Southeast Asia have shown
that increasing oil palm plantations is a major reason for the region’s declining
biodiversity.
 44

● Loss of forest cover– for example Indonesia has seen a loss of 1,15,495 million
hectares of forest cover in 2020, mainly to oil palm plantation
● Increasing water pollution– in the region due to area expansion for oil palm
cultivation
● Increasing carbon emissions– The decreasing forest cover has significant
implications with respect to increasing carbon emission levels and contributing to
climate change
● Affects customary land rights of Forest dwellers– Legislation allowing the clearing
of tree cover and cutting forests for growing palm trees has led to increasing
land-related tussles between government officials, locals and agribusiness groups
in Malaysia and Indonesia
● Against the notion of community self-reliance– The initial state support for such a
crop results in a major and quick shift in the existing cropping pattern that are not
always in sync with the agro-ecological conditions and food requirements of the
region
● Increased vulnerability of farmers– Palm oil cultivation has had a positive impact
on poverty eradication in Malaysia by increasing income levels of small and
marginal farmers, but in case of variations in global palm oil prices, households
dependent on palm oil cultivation still face vulnerabilities from external factors.

It’s time for Industry 4.0

central theme :
● MSMEs are significant to India. India can leverage multiple benefits by integrating
‘Industry 4.0’ features in Indian MSMEs.

What is ‘Industry 4.0’?

● The term ‘Industry 4.0’ was coined by the German government in 2011. Additive
manufacturing, Internet of Things, Cyber Physical Systems, Augmented
Reality/Virtual Reality and data analytics are some technologies associated with
Industry 4.0.
● With the help of these technologies, the manufacturing industry will be able to
make data-driven decisions. The reduced costs of electronics like sensors,
transmitters, and cloud have allowed us to capture the data produced during
operational activities.
● With the availability of advanced algorithms, this captured data can be analysed
for decision-making in real time.
 45

Significance of MSMEs to India:

● MSMEs form more than 95% of the industries in India, produce more than 45% of
the total manufacturing output and employ more than 40% of the workforce.
● According to the Economic Survey 2020-21, over 6 crore MSMEs employ more
than 11 crore people and contribute roughly 30% to the GDP and half of the
country’s exports.
● MSMEs are also ancillaries to larger enterprises, leading to a seamless supply
chain integration. As a result, making MSMEs more efficient will be advantageous
for the whole economy.

Challenges :
● 1.Lack of awareness: First, they lack awareness regarding Industry 4.0 and its
benefits. They consider such technologies disruptive and have the potential to
demolish their existing system. However, Industry 4.0 improves the existing
system. Sensors and WiFi networks being integrated with old machines like lathes
and mills will improve their performance.
● 2.Major financial investments: Second, MSMEs will need to make major financial
investments to adopt Industry 4.0. Investing in the right set of technologies will
need experts and consultants as well.
● 3.Lack of assistance: Thirdly, the framework and steps that can assist MSMEs in
adopting Industry 4.0 technologies have been missing. In this regard, MSMEs
need to understand the data they are producing from all their operational
activities. Based on such data, their readiness can be evaluated.
● 4.Lack of vision: Finally, MSMEs should develop their own vision of Industry 4.0
technologies that they want to adopt and identify the relevant tools and practices
they need for such a tailored vision.

Benefits to MSMEs:
● The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies by MSMEs will make them more
competitive as they will be able to offer world-class quality products to customers.
● Additionally, delivery timings and the flexibility to meet different needs will
improve.

Making sure that girls don’t drop out of school

central theme :
 46

● Addressing gender bias in education requires providing social, financial and

emotional support to the girl child.

Details :
● In the recently held Olympics, Indian women showed their excellent performance.
They can also excel in other fields like education.
● Women can contribute not just to the economy of the nation, but can also be the
agents of social transformation.
● This is evident from the World Bank review, which pointed out that the global
average for the private rate of return (the increase in an individual’s earnings) with
just one extra year of schooling is about 9 percent.
● While the social returns of an extra year of school are even higher — above 10
percent at the secondary and higher education levels.
● Impact of Corona on girls globally: It is estimated that over 2.4 crore girls globally
are on the verge of dropping out of schools because of the corona pandemic. The
main reasons behind that are pandemic-induced school closure & economic
hardship.

Initiatives of government:
● National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE)
● Supernumerary seats in all IITs
● PRAGATI Scholarship scheme for girls in technical education

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) has great potential in government applications

central theme :
● India announced a policy to encourage open source in 2015. However, the true
potential of this policy is yet to be realized, largely due to constraints in public
procurement processes. A look at the misconceptions about FOSS and a
roadmap for its optimum utilization.

FOSS :
● Free and Open Source (FOSS) is a software that is licensed to be free to use,
modify, and distribute. FOSS today presents an alternative model to build digital
technologies for population scale. Unlike proprietary software, everyone has the
freedom to edit, modify and reuse open-source code.
 47

Benefits of FOSS:
FOSS offers many advantages:
● Reduced costs
● No vendor lock-in
● The ability to customize for local context
● Greater innovation through wider collaboration

Usage of FOSS in India :

● Recognising its potential, in 2015, the Indian government announced a policy to
encourage open source instead of proprietary technology for government
applications. We have seen some great examples of public services being
delivered through systems that use FOSS building blocks, including Aadhaar,
GSTN, and the DigiLocker.
● Many other solutions launched by the government including Digilocker, Diksha,
Aarogya Setu, the Covid-19 vaccination platform CoWIN have also been built on
top of open-source digital platforms.

Misconceptions about FOSS:

● Lack of trust: “Free” in FOSS is perceived to be “free of cost” and hence many
think that the solutions based on FOSS are not good enough. For example, FOSS
is often mistaken to be less trustworthy and more vulnerable, whereas FOSS can
actually create more trust between the government and citizens.
● Absence of one clear owner: Another important issue is that it can feel easier to
deal with a proprietary software vendor who builds customized software and can
be held accountable for any failures. In the case of FOSS, there appears to be an
absence of one clear “owner”, which makes it harder to identify who is
responsible.

Suggestions/measures:
● Incentivize uptake of FOSS in government: The government’s policy on the
adoption of open-source software requires all tech suppliers to submit bids with
open source options. Suppliers also need to justify in case they do not offer an
open-source option, and sourcing departments are asked to weigh the lifetime
costs and benefits of both alternatives before making a decision. The present
policy can go a step further by formally giving greater weightage to FOSS-specific
metrics in the evaluation criteria in RFPs, and offering recognition to departments
 48

that deploy FOSS initiatives, such as, a special category under the Digital India
Awards.
● A repository of “GovTech ready” building blocks: Off-the-shelf FOSS software is
often not ready for direct deployment by government. Creating a repository of
ready-to-use “GovTech-ised” building blocks, can help departments quickly
identify and deploy FOSS solutions in their applications.
● FOSS innovations can be encouraged through “GovTech hackathons and
challenges”, bringing together the open-source community to design solutions for
specific problem statements identified by government departments. The best
innovations emerging from these challenges can be listed on government
procurement platforms such as GeM.
● One such challenge — a #FOSS4Gov Innovation Challenge — was recently
launched to accelerate the adoption of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in
government by harnessing innovation from the FOSS ecosystem.
● A national “FOSS Centre of Excellence”: Finally, a credible institutional anchor is
needed to be a home for FOSS led innovation in India. Such an institution can
bring together FOSS champions and communities that are scattered across India
around a shared agenda for collective impact. Kerala’s International Centre for
Free & Open Source Software (ICFOSS) is a great example of such an institution
that led to Kerala being a pioneering state in the adoption of FOSS. A national
“FOSS Centre of Excellence” can create the much-needed momentum to build
world-class “made in India” FOSS products.

The vaccine’s last mile problem

Central theme:
● In vaccination programmes, which have complex delivery requirements, the last
mile means to make or break.

Issues :
● Logistical Issues: There is a need to address logistical challenges like cold chain
delivery requirements, supply chains etc.
● Infrastructure: There is a need to provide proper transport infrastructure, electricity
availability to store vaccines.
● Health system: For the successful rollout of vaccines, there is a need to upgrade
the health infrastructure with proper training to vaccinators to full availability of
health staff.
 49

● Communication: Communities should be fully aware of the purpose of the

vaccination drive.
● Sustainability: There is a need to ensure sustainable methods to dispose of
medical waste generated from the vaccination drives.

Benefits :
● The extensive vaccination drive may also provide certain long term benefits. Such
as:
● It provides the opportunity to build resilient health systems.
● If the infrastructure was created in a sustainable way at present, then it will serve
the communities after the pandemic also. For instance, the solar water heaters,
cold chain facilities, medical waste incinerators, etc can be used by the local
community for the long term.