CONTENTS

DISQUALIFICATION AND DEFAMATION

Part One #Disqualification 21

JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
Current Affairs Analysis #Judiciary 24

BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

02 #Judiciary 27

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESERVATION

#Equality #Social Justice 30
#GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)
MONEY BILL 32
MILLETS
#Agriculture 02 HOW TO TACKLE CORRUPTION
#Governance 34
STOCK MARKET REGULATION IN INDIA
#FinancialMarkets 04 CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION
#Governance 39
BANKING CRISES IN WEST & IMPACT ON INDIAN BANKING
SECTOR #MonetaryPolicy 06 DELIMITATION COMMISSION

SUGAR EXPORTS FROM INDIA #Elections 40

#Agriculture 09 GUILLOTINE IN THE CONTEXT OF INDIAN LEGISLATURE 41

CRASH IN ONION PRICES BY-POLLS

#Agriculture 11 #Elections 42

MSME COMPETITIVE LEAN SCHEME BAR COUNCIL ALLOWS RESTRICTED ENTRY OF FOREIGN
#Industry #Schemes 13 LAWYERS
#Bar Council of India #Advocates #Foreign Law Firms 43
BIO & ORGANIC FERTILISERS
#Agriculture 14 DATA GOVERNANCE ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA
#Data Governance #NITI Aayog #DEPA #India Stack 46
LIBERALISED REMITTANCE SCHEME
#ExternalSector 17 AUDIT ONLINE APPLICATION FOR PANCHAYATS
#Local Bodies #Governance 50
ADDITIONAL SURVEILLANCE MEASURES (ASM)
#FinancialMarkets 18 PRACTICE QUESTIONS 51

AGRICULTURAL MARKET INFORMATION SYSTEM

#Agriculture 18 53
WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT
#InclusiveGrowth 19
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & Security
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 19
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II & III (Main)
COMMISSION FOR CONTROL OF INTERPOL’S
#InternationalOrganisations #CCF 53
21 MULTILATERALISM
#Multiculturalism 54
CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
SAUDI-IRAN DEAL
#GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II (Main)
#RegionalGroupings #Effectofpoliciesofdevelopingcountries 56
 SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION
#RegionalOrganisations #MiddleEastRegion 59
GEOPOLITICS OF STRAIT OF MALACCA
#AsiaPacificRegion 60
INDIA’S PERFORMANCE AS NON-PERMANENT MEMBER OF
UNSC #InternationalOrganisations 61
AUKUS
#AsiaPacificRegion#RegionalGrouping 62
INDIA AND JAPAN
#Bilateral Relations of India 64
INDIA – AUSTRALIA
#BilateralRelationsofIndia 67
DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL
#SecurityForces#SecurityLegislations 70
PUNJAB CRISIS
#ConsolidationofIndia #External&Non-StateActors&Security
71
UNITE AWARE 72
WAGNER GROUP 72
MQ-9 REAPER 73
INDIA-BANGLADESH FRIENDSHIP PIPELINE (IBFP) 73
GLOBAL TERRORISM INDEX 73
COLOMBO SECURITY CONCLAVE 74
CHINA+1 STARTEGY 74
NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK 74
UNSCR RESOLUTION 2396 74
BIMSTEC ENEGRY CENTRE 75
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 75
77
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main)
PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS
#Women Issues #Vulnberable Sections
#Welfare mechanism 77
OBC CENSUS
#Population issues #Caste issues
#Welfare mechanism 78
MULTIPLE INDICATOR SURVEY (MIS) - NSS 78TH ROUND
REPORT [2020-21]
#Sustainable development goals #Human development 78
PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TRIBAL GROUPS (PVTG)
#Vulnerable Sections #PVTG 79
RIGHT TO HEALTH
#Health #UHC 80
PM SHRI SCHEME
#Education 81
EWS RESERVATION
#Welfare Mechanism 82
INSTITUTIONS OF EMINENCE (IOE) SCHEME
#Higher Education 82
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 83
84
Geography, Environment, Biodiversity &
Disaster Management
# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & III (Main)
WINTER HAZE
#haze #airpollution #smog #mist #fog 84
INDIAN WOLVES
#indianwolves #biodiversity 85
NET ZERO WASTE FROM BUILDINGS
#netzerowaste #greenbuilding 86
ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE REGULATIONS
#ESG #csr #companiesact 87
CLIMATE INSURANCE
#ESG #Climatechange 88
SHESHA & RAPID COMPOSTING
#wastemanagement #shesha 89
PLASTIC ROCKS ON ISLAND OFF BRAZIL 90
GREEN, SELF-POWERED DESALINATION PLANT IN
LAKSHADWEEP #desalination #otec #lttd 91
WHY IS INDIA’S CAMPA AT ODDS WITH NEW IPCC REPORT?
#Environment #Campaact 92
GRAVITY BATTERIES
#GeneralstudiesIII #Environment #scienceandtech
#Prelimsnuggets 94
INDIA’S SOLAR PV WASTE PROBLEM
#GeneralstudiesIII #Environment #Mainsexhaustive 95
OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLE IN ANDHRA PRADESH
#GeneralstudiesIII #Environment #Prelimsnuggets 96
MIMEUSEMIA CEYLONICA
#Fauna 97
 TETRACYCLINE
#Fauna 98
LANDSLIDE ATLAS OF INDIA
#Landslide Atlas of India #Landslides #Landslide Disaster
Management 99
NATIONAL PLATFORM FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
(NPDRR) #Disaster Risk Reduction 101
6TH SYNTHESIS REPORT OF IPCC
#Climate Change 102
GREEN NATIONAL HIGHWAY CORRIDORS PROJECT
#SustainableDevelopment 103
HIGH SEAS TREATY
#Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
#Marine Protected Areas 104
ILLEGAL SAND MINING IN CHAMBAL SANCTUARY
#Conservation #Chambal River 105
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS
#ForestResources 106
14 GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT
MITIGATION
#Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation 106
NAMDAPHA NATIONAL PARK
#Conservation #National Park #Tiger Reserve #Namdapha
National Park 107
50 YEARS OF PROJECT TIGER
#Conservation # Project Tiger 107
ARUNACHAL FARMERS’ REJECTS HYDROPOWER PLAN ON
SIANG RIVER
#Geography #Adi Tribes #Siang River 108
NALCO-BARC RELEASES INDIA’S 1ST BAUXITE CRM
#Indian Geography #Mineral Resources # BARC B1201 109
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 109
111
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)
IFFCO’S NANO DAP FERTILIZER
#Nanotechnology 111
ORGAN CHIPS
#Biology & Biotechnology 113
BRAIN ORGANOIDS & BIO-COMPUTERS
#Biology & Biotechnology 113
H3N2 INFLUENZA VIRUS
#Health 115
ISRO PUTS 36 SATELLITES INTO ORBIT
#Astronomy and Space Technology 115
CONTROLLED RE-ENTRY OF SATELLITE BY ISRO
#Astronomy and Space Technology 116
CHANDRAYAAN 3
#Astronomy and Space Technology 117
INTERNATIONAL LIQUID MIRROR TELESCOPE AT DEVASTHAL
#Astronomy & Space Technology 119
ARE NEUTRINOS THEIR OWN ANTI-PARTICLES?
#Astronomy and Space Technology 120
NEW MATERIAL OFFERS LOSSLESS ENERGY POSSIBILITY
#New Emerging Technologies #Physics 120
BACKGROUND RADIATION IS HIGHER IN KERALA
#Miscellaneous 121
HOW DO COUGH SYRUPS GET POISONED?
#Health 121
VACCINATION AGAINST FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE
#Health 122
SCRUB TYPHUS
#Health 123
PROTON BEAM THERAPY
#Biology & Biotechnology #Health 123
FUNGI-BASED ENZYME FOR INDUSTRIAL DYE EFFLUENTS
#Biology & Biotechnology 124
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 124
126
HISTORY, HERITAGE & CULTURE
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper I (Main)
NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS IN ODISHA
#architecture #buddhism #ancientindia 126
CLASSICAL MUSIC IN INDIA
#artandculture #music 127
SANT SEVALAL MAHARAJ
#Indianheritageandculture#reformers#personalities 128
MOHINIYATTAM
#artandculture #classicaldances 129
ANGKOR WAT TEMPLE
#artandculture #templearchitecture 130
 MARTAND TEMPLE CASE STUDIES for Practice
#artandculture #templearchitecture 131 MAINS GS PAPER IV 141

MATUA MAHA SABHA

#modernindia #bhaktimovement 131

LORD BASAVESHWARA & NADAPRABHU KEMPEGOWDA Part Three

#medievalindia #personality 132

HUNDRED YEARS OF VAIKOM SATYAGRAHA

Essays of the month
#medievalindia #personality 134

PRACTICE QUESTIONS 136

144
POVERTY IS RELATIVELY CHEAPER TO ADDRESS BUT
INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE TO IGNORE #Economy & Social
Part TWO Development
SUBMITTED BY: SHASHANK 145
Ethics, Integrity and WASTE ISN'T A WASTE, UNTIL WE WASTE IT
# Science & Technology #Sustainable Development
Aptitude SUBMITTED BY: SHASHANK 147

IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT.

137 #PHILOSOPHICAL SUBMITTED BY: NANDINI KUMAR 150

IS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ETHICAL OR UNETHICAL?

#Ethics #Integrity #Aptitude 138
 Part ONE

Current
affairs
analysis
logical .simple .targeted
analysis & explanation
of all relevant news of the month
 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)

MILLETS India 138 (20%) 173 (20%)

World 718 863
#Agriculture
 India produces more than 170 lakh tonnes of millet,
which is 80 percent of Asia’s and 20 percent of global
production.
 India produces all the nine commonly known millets
The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International and is the largest producer and fifth-largest
Year of Millets, and the Union Finance Minister has singled exporter of millets in the world.
them out as the "best among grains." With rising demand for
 India recorded 27 percent growth in millet production
sustainable agriculture, India is looking to market millet as a
in 2021-22 as compared to millet production in the
global panacea.
previous year was 15.92 MMT.
ABOUT MILLETS
 Pearl millet (60%) followed by Sorghum (27%), and
 Millets, a group of small-grained cereal crops, are Finger millet (11%) are the major millets produced in
highly resilient to extreme weather conditions and can India (as per the 4th Advance estimate 2021- 22).
be grown with minimal chemical inputs such as
 The major millet producing states in India are
fertilisers and pesticides.
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya
 Millets are a versatile and healthy grain alternative, as Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
they are both gluten-free and non-allergenic. Pradesh, and Telangana.
 They are nutri-cereals which are highly nutritious and  India exported millet products worth USD 34.32
are known to have high nutrient content which includes million during 2021-22. In 2020- 21, India exported
protein, essential fatty acids, dietary fibre, B-Vitamins, millets worth USD 26.97 million against USD 28.5
minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, and million in 2019-20.
magnesium.
TYPES OF MILLETS
STATUS OF MILLETS PRODUCTION IN INDIA
Major Millets:
Area (lakh Production  Sorghum (Jowar)
Regions
hectare) (lakh tonne)
o Rich in potassium, phosphorus, calcium with enough
Africa 489 (68%) 423 (49%) iron, zinc, and sodium.
Americas 53 (7%) 193 (23%)  Pearl Millet (Bajra)
Asia 162 (23%) 215(25%) o Contains a considerably high proportion of proteins
Europe 8 (1%) 20 (-2%) as well as lipids.

Australia & 6 (-1%) 12 (-1%) o It is also rich in calcium and unsaturated fats.
New Zealand  Finger Millet (Ragi)

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 Economic Development
o Richest source of calcium & it has highest mineral
content.
o It has high antioxidant activity.
Minor Millets:
 Foxtail Millet (Kakum)
o Rich in carbohydrates and has double the quantity
of protein content compared to rice.
o It contains minerals such as copper and iron.
 Kodo Millet (Kodon)
o It has high protein content, low fat, and very high
fibre content.
o It contains high amounts of lecithin and is excellent
for strengthening the nervous system.
 Barnyard Millet (Sanwa)
o It is the richest source of crude fibre and iron.
 Little Millet (Kutki/Shavan)
o It is high in iron content.
o It has high antioxidant properties.
 Proso Millet (Chenna/Barri)
o It contains the highest amount of protein.
o It is a cheaper source of manganese as compared to
other conventional source like spices and nuts.
Pseudo Millets: Two prominent pseudo-millets are:
 Amaranth (Ramdana/Rajgira)
o High protein & fibre content
o A rich dietary source of phytosterols,
cholesterol lowering properties.
 Buckwheat (Kuttu) Amaranth (Ramdana/Rajgira)
o It is rich in carbohydrates (mainly starch).
o Contains Vitamin B1, C and E.
SIGNIFICANCE & BENEFITS OF MILLETS
 Economic Benefits: Millet requires low investment for
production. They have a short growing season of about
60-65 days and can keep well for 2 years and beyond.
Additionally, they have a high demand in export
markets.
 Nutritionally rich: Millet grains are an excellent choice
for meeting your nutritional needs due to their
abundance of nutrients such as carbohydrates,
protein, dietary fibre, and good-quality fat. They also
possess a variety of phytochemicals, known for their
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therapeutic properties, which can offer anti-
inflammatory and anti-oxidative benefits.
 Health benefits: They contain high amounts of
antioxidants which are known to effectively reduce
both LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and total cholesterol
levels while promoting healthy blood vessels,
ultimately lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Furthermore, millets are beneficial in managing health
concerns such as obesity, diabetes, etc.
 Climate Resilient: Millets are an essential component
of dry land agriculture, serving as hardy and resilient
crops with minimal carbon and water footprint. These
"miracle grains" or "crops of the future" possess the
ability to endure high temperatures and grow in poor
soil conditions, requiring minimal external inputs.
 Ecologically Sustainable: Millet production is not
dependent on the use of chemical fertilisers. These
crops do not attract pests, and most of the millets are
not affected by storage pests.
CHALLENGES IN MILLETS PRODUCTION
 Emphasis on rice and wheat: In 1950-51, millet
constituted almost a third of total foodgrains in the
country, which had fallen to about 14% by 2018-19.
Also, the area under millet cultivation has declined
around 2.5 times in the same duration.
 Changes in dietary habits have resulted in doubling
the average annual per capita wheat consumption of
an urban Indian from 27 kgs to 52 kgs. Whereas
with consumption of millet has fallen almost eight times.
 Low awareness of its health benefits among the
public. As a result, it is looked down upon as part of a
poor person’s diet.
 Post-harvest treatment: Millets require more
processing than other crops. This has led to limited
availability of ready-to-eat millet-based products in the
market.
 Low Productivity as most millets is grown as a rain-fed
crop in arid and semi-arid regions with limited
irrigation coverage.
 Near absence of production support such as input
supply, subsidy for seeds and nutrients, irrigation
support, marketing infrastructure and technological
support.
3
 Economic Development
EFFORTS TO PROMOTE MILLETS BY INDIA
 India celebrated 2018 as “The National Year of
Millets” to promote the production and consumption
of millets in the country.
 Recognizing the importance of millets and creating a
domestic and global demand along with providing
nutritious food to the people, the Government of India,
spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) resolution for declaring the year 2023 as
International Year of Millets.
 The Government, under the Sub Mission on National
Food Security Mission (NFSM) -Nutri-cereals, is
creating awareness among farmers for Nutri Cereals
(Millets) such as ragi, sorghum, bajra and small millets
through demonstration and training.
 Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad will be
promoted as centre of excellence for millets.
 The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA) and Agriculture
Ministry participated in a trade show in Belgium (in
January 2023) wherein a multi-stakeholder delegation
showcased the diversity of Indian millets.
CONCLUSION
The UN General Assembly's declaration of 2023 as 'The
International Year of Millets' has paved the way for a
global increase in the cultivation of millet. India, being the
world's largest producer of millet, is taking
comprehensive measures to capitalise on this
opportunity. However, the success of this movement
depends on striking a balance between promoting the
advantages of millets, supporting the livelihoods of all
farmers, and ensuring food security for all.
STOCK MARKET
REGULATION IN INDIA
#FinancialMarkets
The Supreme Court asked the Securities and Exchange Board
of India (SEBI) and the Government to produce the existing
regulatory framework in place to protect investors from share
market volatility.
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ABOUT STOCK MARKETS
 It is a place where shares of public listed companies are
traded.
 The primary market is where companies float shares to
the public in an initial public offering (IPO) to raise
capital.
 Once new securities have been sold in the primary
market, they are traded in the secondary market -
where one investor buys shares from another investor
at the prevailing market price or at whatever price both
the buyer and seller agree upon. The secondary market
or the stock exchanges are regulated by the regulatory
authority.
 In India, the secondary and primary markets are
governed by the Security and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI).
 A stock exchange facilitates stockbrokers to trade
company stocks and other securities. A stock may be
bought or sold only if it is listed on an exchange. Thus,
it is the meeting place of the stock buyers and sellers.
India's premier stock exchanges are the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
LAWS GOVERNING THE MARKET
 The securities market in India is regulated by four key
laws:
o The Companies Act, 2013
o The Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992
(SEBI Act)
o The Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956
(SCRA)
o Depositories Act, 1996.
 The framing of these laws reflects the evolution and
development of the capital market in India.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA (SEBI)
 Structure:
o Sebi is run by its board of members. The board
consists of a Chairman and several other whole time
and part time members.
o The chairman is nominated by the union
government.
o The others include two members from the finance
ministry, one member from Reserve Bank of India
and five other members are also nominated by the
Centre.
4
 Economic Development

o The headquarters of Sebi is situated in Mumbai and
the regional offices are in Ahmedabad, Kolkata,
Chennai and Delhi.
 The SEBI Act empowers SEBI to protect the interests of
investors and to regulate and promote the
development of the capital/securities market.
o SEBI was given the power to register intermediaries
like stockbrokers, merchant bankers, portfolio
managers and regulate their functioning by
prescribing eligibility criteria, conditions to carry on
activities and periodic inspections.
o It also has the power to impose penalties such as
monetary penalties, including suspending or
cancelling the registration.
 The SCRA empowers SEBI to recognise (and
derecognise) stock exchanges, prescribe rules and bye
laws for their functioning, and regulate trading, clearing
and settlement on stock exchanges.
 As part of the development of the securities market,
Parliament passed the Depositories Act and SEBI made
regulations to enforce the provisions.
 Using these powers, SEBI can direct stock
exchanges to stop trading, totally or selectively.
 It can also prohibit entities or persons from
buying, selling or dealing in securities, from
raising funds from the market and being
associated with intermediaries or listed
companies.
 Monitor Fund-raising:
o The Companies Act, which regulates companies
incorporated/registered in India, has delegated the
authority to enforce some of its provisions to SEBI,
including the regulation of raising capital, corporate
governance norms such as periodic disclosures,
board composition, oversight management and
resolution of investor grievances.
o Specific regulations are enacted by SEBI from time to
time to:
 Regulate fund-raising activities
 Ensure that listed companies followed corporate
governance norms

o This Act introduced and legitimised the concept of  Regulation of entities involved in fund-raising
dematerialised securities being held in an electronic through issues of capital such as merchant
form. Today almost all the listed securities are held bankers.
in dematerialised (DEMAT) form. SEBI set up the  Regulate Stock Exchanges:
infrastructure for doing this by registering
o The SCRA has empowered SEBI to recognise and
depositories and depository participants.
regulate stock exchanges and later commodity
o The depository regulations empower SEBI to exchanges in India. Powers of SEBI in this regard
regulate functioning of depositories and depository
concerns with:
participants by prescribing eligibility conditions,
 Declare an instrument as a security.
periodic inspections and powers to impose penalties
including suspending or cancelling the registration  Regulate listing of securities like equity shares,
as well as monetary penalties. the functioning of stock exchanges including
 Appeals against orders of SEBI and the stock exchanges control over their management and
can be made to the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) administration.
comprising a presiding officer and two other members.  Powers to determine the way a settlement is done
Appeals from the SAT can be made to the Supreme on stock exchanges and recognising and
Court. regulating clearing corporations.
FUNCTIONS OF SEBI  Provision for arbitrating disputes that arise
 Curbing Market Volatility: between stockbrokers who trade on stock
o While SEBI does not interfere to prevent market exchanges and investors who are clients of such
volatility, exchanges have circuit filters — upper and stockbrokers.
lower — to prevent excessive volatility.  Protect the interests of investors by creating an
o However, SEBI can issue directions to those who are Investor Protection Fund for each stock
associated with the market and has powers to exchange.
regulate trading and settlement on stock exchanges.

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 Economic Development

 Safeguards Against Fraud:  Limited and selective prior consultation with the
o Fraud undermines regulation and prevents a market market.
from being fair and transparent.  Securities offering documents are extraordinarily
o SEBI has been given the powers of a civil court to bulky with little to no substantive disclosures of high
summon persons, seize documents and records, quality.
attach bank accounts and property, and to carry out  Obsolete Regulations: as regulations on merger and
investigations. acquisition are nearly six years old.
o SEBI notified Regulations to: WAY FORWARD
o Prevent the two key forms of fraud, market
 SEBI needs to strengthen its surveillance and
manipulation, and insider trading.
enforcement functions.it needs to ensure that
o Ensures protection of investors’ interests by violations do not go unnoticed whether small or large.
regulating the listing and trading of equity shares
 It also needs to increase its human resource in both
and other securities, and by registering and
quality and quantity. It needs to significantly improve
regulating institutions handling public funds.
its market intelligence, technology and talent pool to
CHALLENGES IN STOCK MARKET REGULATIONS
improve its performance.
 Enforcement process: SEBI has made various
 SEBI should work deeper participation in equity by
regulations and issued orders as a civil court but only
pension, superannuation and gratuity funds,
making regulations and giving orders is not enough if it
developing a vibrant retail debt segment and reducing
is not able to enforce the same.
the cost of transaction.
 Dearth of human resources: SEBI unable to attract
 The regulator needs to develop a vibrant corporate
smart bright talent inside SEBI. In 2012 SEBI had 643
debt market and securitization market but these
employees whereas the US security and exchange
largely remain part of the over-the-counter market.
commission alone had 1000 people.
 Like its peers (regulators of US and UK) it needs to
 Deepening capital market: The total number of
establish self-regulatory organisations. They can focus
DEMAT accounts increased by 37% in the last year,
on routine decisions and SEBI can work on more
however monthly active users have declined. SEBI has
important issues.
done a lot to encourage people to participate in the
 It is very important to make the recruitment process
capital market such as abolishing entry load on mutual
fair and transparent.
funds, simplifying KYC norms but it needs to take some
stronger steps to deepen participation in the capital
market. BANKING CRISES IN WEST
 Corporate debt and securitization market: Despite
numerous attempts the debt market volume has & IMPACT ON INDIAN
increased but it has failed to attract sufficient liquidity.
BANKING SECTOR
 Matching up to global standard: Capital markets are
growing and the size of SEBI as compared to the #MonetaryPolicy
security market is not sufficient to properly regulate the
capital market.
The failure of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank in the US
 Non-transparent recruitment process: SEBI’s
has brought attention to the health of the Banking sector in
appointment process has always been criticised.
India.
Allegations of corruption by SEBI staff are frequently
heard. The accountability mechanisms that envelope EFFECTS OF BANK FAILURES ON ECONOMY IN GENERAL
SEBI are quite poor.  The failure of a large bank anywhere can have a
 Wide legislative and discretionary powers with SEBI contagion effect around the world.

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 Economic Development
o The failure of a bank will likely cause greater damage
to the domestic real economy if its activities
constitute a significantly large share of domestic
banking activities.
o It is also likely to damage confidence in the banking
system.
 Indicators that show vulnerability:
o Size: As a measure of systemic importance, size is
more important than any other indicator.
o Interconnectedness: The failure of one bank could
potentially increase the probability of failure of
other banks if there is a high degree of
interconnectedness (contractual obligations)
between them.
o Complexity: Towards the funding side as well as the
asset side. The larger the number of linkages and
size of individual exposures, the greater is the
potential for the systemic risk getting magnified,
which can lead to nervousness in the financial
sector.
o Substitutability: The greater the role of a bank as a
service provider in underlying market infrastructure
like payment systems, the larger is the disruption it
is likely to cause in terms of availability and range of
services and infrastructure liquidity in case of failure.
 Also, the costs for customers of a failed bank for the
same service at another bank would be much higher if
the failed bank had a greater market share in providing
that service, the central bank says.
REGULATION OF BANKING SECTOR IN INDIA
 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central bank,
issues various guidelines, notifications and policies
from time to time to regulate the banking sector.
 In addition to issuing regulations and guidelines for
banking operations, it also administers the provisions
of the RBI Act, the BR Act and FEMA. It has wide
discretionary powers and is authorised to inspect and
investigate the affairs of banks and to impose penalties
in the event of non-compliance.
KEY STATUTES AND REGULATIONS THAT GOVERN THE
BANKING INDUSTRY IN INDIA
 Reserve Bank of India Act 1934 (RBI Act): was
enacted to establish and set out functions of the RBI. It
grants the RBI powers to regulate the monetary policy
of India and lays down the constitution, incorporation,
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
capital, management, business and functions of the
RBI.
 Banking Regulation Act 1949 (BR Act): provides a
framework for supervision and regulation of all banks.
It also gives the RBI the power to grant licences to banks
and regulate their business operation.
 Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 (FEMA): is
the primary exchange control legislation in India. FEMA
and the rules made thereunder regulate cross-border
activities of banks. These are administered by the RBI
 Other key statutes:
o The Negotiable Instruments Act 1881.
o The Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial
Institutions Act 1993.
o The Bankers Books Evidence Act 1891.
o The Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007.
o The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial
Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act
2002; and
o The Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006.
 Public sector banks are regulated by the BR Act and
the statute pursuant to which they have been
nationalised and constituted. These include:
o Banks constituted under the Banking Companies
(Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act 1970
or the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer
of Undertaking Act) 1980; and
o The State Bank of India and subsidiaries and
affiliates of the State Bank of India constituted and
regulated by the State Bank of India Act 1955 and the
State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959
respectively.
o While the GOI has not made any moves for further
nationalisation of banks, the BR Act gives the GOI the
power to acquire undertakings of an Indian bank in
certain situations, such as breach of banking policy
by the bank.
 Deposit insurance: The deposits placed with various
banks are insured by the Deposits Insurance and Credit
Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), which is a subsidiary
of the RBI and is governed by the Deposits Insurance
and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act 1961. The DICGC
insures all deposits such as savings, fixed, current,
recurring, etc, except the following:
o deposits of foreign governments.
7
 Economic Development
o deposits of central and state governments.
o inter-bank deposits.
o deposits of the state land development banks with
state cooperative banks.
o any amount due on account of any deposit received
outside India; and
o any amount that is specifically exempted with prior
RBI approval.
MEASURES TAKEN TO IMPROVE REGULATION OF
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
 Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR):
o The CAR has been laid down by the BASEL
Committee on Banking Supervision under the Bank
of International Settlement located in Basel,
Switzerland. It has been laid down to ensure
financial stability and to prevent failure of banks.
o So far, 3 BASEL Norms have been laid down: Basel I
(1998), Basel II (2004), Basel III (2009).
o 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).
o Banks’ regulatory capital is divided into Tier 1 and
Tier 2, while Tier 1 is subdivided into Common Equity
Tier-1 (CET-1) and Additional Tier-1 (AT-1) capital.
o CAR= (Tier-1 Capital + Tier-2 Capital)/ RWAs * 100.
o The Banks in India are required to maintain a CAR of
9% (Tier-1 capital: 7% + Tier-2 Capital: 2%) along with
a Capital Conservation buffer (CCB) of 2.5%.
o 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)
 Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs):
RBI has classified SBI, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank as D-
SIBs.
o Under the D-SIB framework, the RBI is required to
disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs,
and to place them in appropriate buckets depending
upon their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs).
o Depending on the bucket in which a D-SIB is placed,
an additional common equity requirement is
applicable to it. The additional CET1 requirement
was in addition to the capital conservation buffer. It
means that these banks must earmark additional
capital and provisions to safeguard their operations.
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 Deposit insurance: With a view to providing a greater
measure of protection to depositors in banks, DICGC
raised the limit of insurance cover for depositors in
insured banks from the earlier level of ₹1 lakh to ₹5
lakh per depositor.
o Accordingly, the number of fully protected accounts
at end-March 2022 constituted 97.9% of the total
number of accounts. In terms of amount, the total
insured deposits as at end- March 2022 stood at
₹81,10,431 crore and constituted 49.0% of
assessable deposits (₹1,65,49,630 crore).
o This is higher than the guidance of the International
Association for Deposit Insurance (IADI) which
recommends coverage of the number of accounts
up to 80% and 20-30% in value terms.
 Banking Regulations Act - Amendment (2020) for
Cooperative Banking:
o Issuance of shares and securities by cooperative
banks to increase capital base.
o Supersession of Board of Directors to address
management issues.
o Allowed RBI to initiate a scheme for reconstruction
or amalgamation of a bank without placing it under
moratorium - boost public confidence.
 Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) Framework:
o The PCA norm is a supervisory tool and is imposed
when a bank breach certain regulatory threshold.
Capital, Asset Quality and Leverage are 3
parameters which will be the key areas for
monitoring in the revised framework and there are
three risk thresholds, from 1 to 3, in the increasing
order of severity. The revised framework has
removed return on assets as an indicator.
o Applicability: PCA Framework would apply to all
banks operating in India including foreign banks
operating through branches or subsidiaries based
on breach of risk thresholds of identified indicators.
However, payments banks & SFBs have been
removed from the list of lenders where PCA can be
initiated.
o Withdrawal of Restrictions under PCA: If no
breaches in risk thresholds in any of the parameters
are observed in four continuous quarterly financial
statements based on Supervisory comfort of the RBI.
This also includes an assessment on sustainability of
profitability of the bank.
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 Economic Development

 Consumer Protection Measures: place has provided the Indian banking ecosystem a
o Banks in India are subject to consumer protection firm foundation to deal with ongoing crises in the West.
laws. It acts as an alternative and speedy remedy to
approaching courts, a process that can be expensive SUGAR EXPORTS FROM
and time-consuming.
o The Consumer Protection Act 1986: The INDIA
relationship between a bank and its customer is
#Agriculture
regarded as that of a consumer and service
provider, therefore bringing them under the ambit
of the Consumer Protection Act. By pivoting to raw sugar exports, India has gone from being
o Banking Ombudsman Scheme: for the purpose of a marginal player five years ago to No. 2 with its shipments
adjudication of disputes between a bank and its of 110.58 lakh tonnes (lt) in 2021-22 next only to Brazil
customers. (255.40 lt) and way ahead of Thailand (79.86 lt) and Australia
(25.67 lt). Specific advantages of Indian raw sugar have
 The scheme provides for a grievance redressal
helped Indian exports.
mechanism enabling speedy resolution of
customer complaints in relation to services ABOUT SUGARCANE
rendered by banks.  Sugarcane is a crop of tropical areas. Under rainfed
conditions, it is cultivated in sub-humid and humid
 The banking ombudsman is a quasi-judicial
climates. But it is largely an irrigated crop in India.
authority appointed by the RBI to deal with
banking customer complaints relating to  In the Indo-Gangetic plain, its cultivation is largely
deficiency of services by a bank and facilitate concentrated in Uttar Pradesh.
resolution through mediation or passing an
award.
 A complaint under the scheme has to be filed
within one year of the cause of action having
arisen.
CONCLUSION
 Household savings constitute a major part of bank
deposits in India and hence are not withdrawn in such
bulk quantities. — this is different from the US, where
a large portion of bank deposits are from corporations.
 A large chunk of Indian deposits is with public sector
banks, and most of the rest is with very strong private
sector lenders.
 Customers need not worry about their savings because
the government has always stepped in when banks
have faced difficulties. In India, the approach of the
regulator has generally been that depositors’ money
should be protected at any cost. The best example is
the rescue of Yes Bank where a lot of liquidity support
was provided.
 Relatively cleaner balance sheets of banks, in addition  Sugarcane growing area in western India is spread over
to strong regulatory and supervisory mechanisms in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

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 Economic Development

 In southern India, it is cultivated in irrigated tracts of to 2022-23. Till 2017-18, India hardly exported any raw
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra sugar.
Pradesh.
 Uttar Pradesh produces about two-fifths of sugarcane
of the country. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
and Andhra Pradesh are other leading producers of
this crop where the yield level of sugarcane is high. Its
yield is low in northern India.
WHAT ARE RAW AND WHITE SUGAR?
 ICUMSA (short for the International Commission for
Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis), is a measure of  The efforts to push exports of raws got a further boost
the purity of sugar based on colour. The lower the when Indonesia, in December 2019, agreed to tweak its
value, the more the whiteness. ICUMSA norms to enable imports from India. The
Southeast Asian nation previously imported only raw
 Raw Sugar is what mills produce after the first
sugar of 1,200 ICUMSA or more, largely from Thailand.
crystallisation of juice obtained from crushing of cane.
Those levels were brought down to 600-1,200 to allow
This sugar is rough and brownish in colour, with an
its refiners to process higher purity raws from India.
ICUMSA value of 600-1,200 or higher.
 Out of India’s total 110 lt sugar exports in 2021-22, raws
 Raw sugar is processed in refineries for removal of
alone accounted for 56.29 lt. The biggest importers of
impurities and decolourisation. The product is refined
Indian raw sugar were Indonesia (16.73 lt), Bangladesh
White Sugar having a standard ICUMSA value of 45.
(12.10 lt), Saudi Arabia (6.83 lt), Iraq (4.78 lt) and
The sugar used by industries such as pharmaceuticals
Malaysia (4.15 lt).
has ICUMSA of less than 20.
 The country also exported 53.71 lt of white/ refined
FACTS ABOUT SUGAR EXPORTS FROM INDIA
sugar, the leading destinations for which included
 Till 2017-18, India mainly shipped plantation white
Afghanistan (7.54 lt), Somalia (5.17 lt), Djibouti (4.90 lt),
sugar with 100-150 ICUMSA value. This was referred to
Sri Lanka (4.27 lt), China (2.58 lt), and Sudan (1.08 lt).
as low-quality whites (LQW) in international markets.
WHY ARE RAW SUGAR EXPORTS PREFERABLE?
 Between 2017-18 and 2021-22, sugar exports have
 Ease of Transport and Distribution: Much of the
soared from $810.9 million to $4.6 billion, and could
world sugar trade is in ‘raws’ that are transported
cross $5.5 billion - or Rs 45,000 crore - in the fiscal year
vessels of 40,000-70,000 tonnes capacity as it requires
2022-23.
no bagging or containerisation and can be loaded in
 The increase is even more significant in quantity terms.
bulk. The buyer of raw sugar is the refiner. Whereas
During the 2016-17 and 2017-18 sugar years (Oct-Sept), ‘Whites’ are usually packed in 50-kg polypropylene bags
India’s shipments were a mere 0.46 lakh tonnes (lt) and
and shipped in 12,500-27,000-tonne container cargoes
6.2 lt respectively, which zoomed to 110 lt by 2021-22. over shorter distances. The buyer of white sugar is the
 Chart below shows the value of sugar exports from end-consumer.
India in US Dollars and Rupees (2017-18 to 2022-23),
 Time Window: The refineries in countries such as
increasing year-on-year except in the 2021-22 period Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, China and
Bangladesh imported raws from Brazil. Brazilian mills
operate from April to November, whereas our crushing
is from October to April. We told them that they could
source our raws during Brazil’s off-season.
 Freight Cost Savings: The voyage time from Kandla,
Mundra or JNPT to Ciwandan Port of Indonesia is 13-15
 India’s exports of both raw and white sugar. Chart days, compared to 43-45 days from Brazil’s Port of
below shows the quantity in lakh tonnes from 2016-17 Santos.

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 Economic Development
 Specific advantages of Indian raw sugar:
o Dextran free raw sugar: Dextran is a bacterial
compound formed when sugarcane stays in the sun
for too long after harvesting. Indian raw is produced
from fresh cane crushed within 12-24 hours of
harvesting. The cut-to-crush time is 48 hours or
more in Brazil.
o Supply of raw sugar with a very high polarisation
of 98.5-99.5%: Polarisation is the percentage of
sucrose present in a raw sugar mass. The more the
polarisation — it is only 96-98.5% in raws from Brazil,
Thailand and Australia — the easier and cheaper it is
to refine.
o Enhanced awareness about the quality of Indian
raw sugar enables our raws today fetch a 4%
premium over the global benchmark (New York No.
11 futures contract) price. This contrasts with white
sugar as our LQW sells at a $40/tonne discount to
the world price (London No. 5 futures).
CHALLENGES
 Dwindling availability for domestic market: Year-
end stocks of sugar with Indian mills peaked at 143 lt in
2018-19. The concerted export drive, coupled with
diversion of sugarcane juice to produce ethanol for
blending with petrol, helped bring down closing stocks
to about 70 lt by 2021-22 which was enough for just
over 3 months of domestic consumption. This
contrasts with 2017-18, where closing stocks of sugar
at 105 lt enabled stocks accumulation to 5 months of
domestic consumption.
 Caps on Exports: Lower stocks and production dipping
to an estimated 334 lt (from 359.25 lt in 2021-22) has
led the government to cap India’s exports in the current
sugar year to 61 lt. Out of that, over 50 lt have already
been dispatched.
 Reduced price realisation of sugar farmers: Mills in
Maharashtra are now realising around Rs 32 for every
kg of sugar sold in the domestic market. As against this,
London white sugar prices are ruling at $585 per tonne.
Even after factoring in the $40/tonne LQW discount and
deducting Rs 2,500-3,000/tonne of internal transport
and port expenses, the ex-mill realisations from
exports work out much higher, at Rs 42-42.5/kg.
 Issue with dual pricing: Fair and Remunerative Price
& State Administered Price has pushed average cost of
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
production up. This makes the production cost of sugar
high when compared to international levels.
 Export restrictions prevent better price discovery and
reduce farmers’ income from it.
 Compulsory sugar packing in jute not only increases
the cost by about 40 paise per kg, but also adversely
impacts quality.
 Reduced demand for sugars due to availability of
alternatives like artificial sweeteners.
CONCLUSION
 The government may be concerned about domestic
availability and food inflation. But overseas markets
lost aren’t easy to regain.
 Building export markets takes effort. Overseas buyers
need to be convinced about the price competitiveness,
product quality, and reliability of supplies from the
exporting country.
CRASH IN ONION PRICES
#Agriculture
Farmers were forced to suspend trading at Lasalgaon, India’s
largest wholesale market for onions located in Maharashtra’s
Nashik district, following a crash in prices. They have fallen
from the levels of Rs. 1,000-1,100 per quintal to Rs. 500-550
levels within a span of one month.
BACKGROUND
 Farmers grow three crops in the bulk:
o Kharif (transplanted in June-July and harvested in
September-October)
o Late-kharif (transplanted in September-October and
harvested in January-February)
o Rabi (transplanted in December-January and
harvested in March-April).
 The harvested crop is not marketed in one go; farmers
usually sell in tranches, ensuring no price collapse from
a bunching of arrivals.
 The kharif onions are marketed right up to February
and the late-kharif till May-June. Both kharif and late-
kharif onions contain high moisture, which allows them
to be stored for a maximum of four months.
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 Economic Development
 Whereas the rabi onions, which, grown during the
winter-spring months, have low moisture content and
can be stored for at least six months. It is the rabi crop
that feeds the market through the summer and
monsoon months, till October.
 Maharashtra accounts for about 40% of India’s annual
onion production of 25-26 million tonnes (mt), out of
which 1.5-1.6 mt tonnes is exported. Besides
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh (16-17% share)
Karnataka (9-10%), Gujarat (6-7%), Rajasthan and Bihar
(5-6% each) are major producers.
REASONS FOR FLUCTUATION IN ONION PRICES
 Supply-Demand Mismatch: The current price collapse
has primarily to do with a sudden rise in temperatures
from around the second week of February.
o Onions containing high moisture are prone to
quality deterioration from heat shock, with the
abrupt drying-up leading to shrivelling of the bulbs.
o Normally, farmers would have been selling only the
kharif crop now. But the extreme heat this time has
forced them to offload even the late-kharif onions,
which can no longer be stored. Since both kharif and
late-kharif onions are arriving at the same time,
prices have fallen.
 Improved water availability in other states from
good monsoon rains this time has induced farmers MP,
Rajasthan, Karnataka and Gujarat to plant onions over
a larger area. The influx of the bulb from all these
states, together with the forced offloading of the late-
kharif crop, triggered the price collapse.
 Cobweb phenomenon: When prices of a commodity
increase during a season of scarcity, more of it is
cultivated leading to a problem of plenty. Hence, the
production responds to prices with a lag which triggers
price cyclicality.
 Price forecasting of agriculture is inadequate which
has led to suboptimal production.
 Global trade has enabled transmission of
international price volatility into the domestic
market.
 Cascading effect: Multiple intermediaries in marketing
of horticultural produce incurs various levy of charges.
This adds to the final cost paid by the consumer.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 Inadequate infrastructure has resulted in high
transportation costs, lack of sufficient cold storage
facilities and limited food processing.
GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS IN THE PAST
 Export restrictions to enhance the availability of
produce in the domestic market.
 Stock limits on traders under Essential Commodities
Act, 1955 & Prevention of Black Marketing and
Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act
1980.
 Distribution through organised channels such as
Mother Dairy & Safal outlets
 Raids on onion traders to prevent hoarding or
discourage profiteering.
 Importing onions from international markets.
 Price Stabilization Fund to regulate the price volatility
of horticultural commodities.
 Operation Greens which aim to enhance production
and reduce volatility. It also promotes Farmer Producer
Organisations (FPOs), agri-logistics and development of
processing facilities.
 Price monitoring of Onion and 21 other food
commodities by the Consumer Affairs Department to
make effective intervention.
WAY FORWARD
 Maharashtra State Onion Growers’ Association has
demanded that the government fix a floor price of Rs
1,000/quintal and not allow any purchase to happen
below that rate.
 Further, there is a need to rationalise the price
stabilisation system. NAFED should procure at least
2-3L tonnes of onion at rabi harvest time which can be
used to alter supply-demand dynamics in case there is
a shortfall in the open market.
 Price Deficiency Payment System should be
implemented on pan-India basis to enable private
players for procurement of agricultural produce.
 Technology driven price forecasting will ensure that
the market signals are transmitted to the growers at an
opportune moment that will help croppers in their
cropping decisions.
 Food processing to promote use of dehydrated onion,
tomatoes.
12
 Economic Development
 Additionally, the Shanta Kumar Committee has
suggested enhancing investments in storage
infrastructure & agri-logistics which will have a
multiplier effect on the agriculture sector.
MSME COMPETITIVE LEAN
SCHEME
#Industry #Schemes
ABOUT LEAN MANUFACTURING
 Lean Manufacturing or Lean Production, which is often
known simply as LEAN, is a production practice that
considers the expenditure of resources for any goal,
other than the creation of value for the end customer,
to be wasteful, and thus, a target for elimination.
 Lean manufacturing includes a set of principles that
lean thinkers use to achieve improvements in
productivity, quality, and lead-time by eliminating
waste through kaizen.
 Kaizen is a Japanese word that essentially means
"change for the better" or "good change." The goal is to
provide the customer with a defect free product or
service when it is needed and, in the quantity, it is
needed.
WHY THE NEED FOR SUCH A SCHEME?
 MSMEs form an integral part of almost every value
chain and there is a symbiotic relationship between the
large corporations and relatively small sized suppliers.
 As domestic & global competitiveness becomes
intensive, there is a need for MSMEs to transition to a
new business environment especially with the
disruption in the global supply chains and convergence
of multiple sourcing as a methodology in vendor
development.
 Recognizing the importance of overall economic
growth of a country and the need for enhancing its
productivity, competitiveness and employment
generation besides resource optimization, many
countries have initiated institutional mechanisms for a
national approach on improving the quality of
manufacturing & services.
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OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME
The objective of the scheme is to enhance the Domestic
and Global Competitiveness of MSMEs through the
application of various Lean Techniques that inter-alia
includes:
 Reduction: in rejected rates, product and raw material
movements, product cost.
 Optimization: of space utilisation, Resources like
water, energy, natural resources etc.
 Enhancement: quality in process and product,
production & export capabilities, workplace safety,
knowledge & skills sets, innovative work culture, social
& environmental accountability, profitability,
introduction & awareness to industry 4.0, digital
empowerment.
SCHEME COMPONENTS
 Industry Awareness Programmes/ Workshop:
MSMEs will be made aware of the Scheme through
Nation-wide awareness programmes (online and/or
face-to-face, as appropriate) with the assistance of
stakeholders like Industry Associations, Implementing
Agencies, MSME-DFOs, District Industries Centres
(DICs), Large Enterprises/OEMs.
 Training Programmes: Stakeholders like the MSME
Officers, Assessors and Consultants will be trained on
the MSME Competitiveness (Lean) Scheme to enable an
effective implementation by Implementing Agencies
like QCI, NPC.
 Handholding: MSMEs will be provided handholding
towards the implementation of Lean Tools and
Techniques at three different levels – Basic,
Intermediate, and Advanced. Completion of each stage
is verifiable end term assessment or assessment by
Implementation Agency along MSME -DFOs.
 Benefits/Incentives: Graded incentives will be
announced by the Ministry of MSME for MSMEs for
encouraging MSME units’ participation under the
scheme. Implementation of Lean (Generation of Lean
ID) Lean Pledge & Undertaking (Generation of Lean
Pledge Level) Implementation of Lean (Basic,
Intermediate, Advanced).
 PR campaign, Advertising & Brand Promotion: For
popularising the Lean Scheme, a Nation-wide publicity
will be done.
13
 Economic Development
 Digital Platform: Lean Scheme process will be e-
enabled through a single window digital platform which
will be utilised for the implementation of the scheme.
COVERAGE AND ELIGIBILITY
 All MSMEs registered with the UDYAM registration
portal (of the MoMSME) will be eligible to participate in
MSME Competitive (Lean) Scheme and avail related
benefits/incentives.
 Scheme is also open to Common Facilities Centres
(CFCs) under SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration
of Traditional Industries) and Micro & Small Enterprises
- Cluster Development Program (MSE-CDP) Schemes.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR MSME UNITS
 To support MSMEs, the government will contribute 90%
of implementation cost for handholding and
consultancy fees. There will be an additional
contribution of 5% for the MSMEs which are part of
SFURTI clusters, owned by women/SC/ST and located in
NER.
 In addition to the above, there will be an additional
contribution of 5% for MSMEs registering through
Industry Associations/Overall Equipment
Manufacturing (OEM) organisations after completing
all levels.
 There is a unique feature to encourage Industry
Associations and OEMs to motivate their supply chain
vendors to participate in this scheme.
SCHEME LEVELS
 MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme can be attained in
THREE Levels after registering and taking the Lean
Pledge:
BIO & ORGANIC
FERTILISERS
#Agriculture
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
NITI Aayog has released a report on the promotion of Bio and
Organic Fertilisers.
ORGANIC FERTILISERS
 Organic fertilisers are substances made up of one or
more unprocessed materials of a biological nature
(plant/animal) and may include unprocessed mineral
materials that have been altered through the
microbiological decomposition process.
 Organic fertilisers are composted/fermented products
made from organic wastes (city waste, agro-waste, crop
residue, livestock waste, food processing industry
waste etc.)
 Organic fertilisers specified under Fertiliser (Inorganic,
Organic or Mixed) (Control) Order, 1985 (FCO) are
classified into the following categories:
o City compost
o Vermicompost
o Phosphate-rich organic manure
o Organic manure
o Bio-enriched organic manure
o Bone meal (raw/steamed)
o Potash derived from rhodophytes
o Fermented organic manure
o Liquid-fermented organic manure
BIOFERTILIZERS
 Biofertilizers are different from organic fertilisers.
Biofertilizers are defined as a product containing
carrier-based (solid or liquid) living microorganisms
which are agriculturally useful in terms of nitrogen
fixation, phosphorus solubilisation or nutrient
mobilisation, to increase the productivity of soil and/or
crop (FCO 1985).
 Upon application to seed or soil, these microbial
preparations multiply rapidly around emerging crop
roots and fix/mobilise nutrients from air and soil, from
unavailable form to available form.
 Nutrient solubilizers (Phosphorous, Potassium or Zinc
solubilizers) transform insoluble nutrients present in
the soil to soluble form for easy uptake by crop plants.
 Average dose of mixed biofertilizers application is 6
litre/hectare for liquid formulations and 12 kg/hectare
14
 Economic Development
for solid carrier-based for solid carrier-based, for
fixation/solubilisation of 20-25 kg nutrients/hectare.
 Biofertilizers are available in four different forms:
o Nitrogen fixers (Rhizobium, Azotobacter,
Azospirillum, Gluconacetobacter)
o Phosphorus solubilizers (Wide range of bacteria,
fungi and Mycorrhiza)
o Potassium solubilizers (Bacillus mucilaginous,
Bacillus edaphicus, Bacillus circulanscan,
Frateuriaaurentia)
o Zinc and other micronutrient solubilizers.
REGULATION OF ORGANIC & BIOFERTILIZERS
 Organic & Biofertilizers are regulated by the Fertiliser
(Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control) Order (FCO,
1985) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers’ Welfare.
 Currently, 11 bio fertilisers & 10 organic fertilisers are
approved under FCO for use in India as of now.
NEED FOR PROMOTING ORGANIC AND
BIOFERTILIZERS
 Sustainable Agriculture: Organic and chemical-free
agriculture can reverse environmental ill effects like
groundwater depletion and loss of biodiversity etc
primarily caused due to overuse of chemical fertilisers
and pesticides after the green revolution.
o Nutrient run-off from farms laced with chemical
fertilisers adversely affects land ecosystems.
o Ammonia emissions from agricultural activities can
combine with vehicle exhausts to create dangerous
particulates in the air and exacerbate respiratory
diseases.
o Chemical fertiliser production and use also lead to
significant greenhouse gas emissions.
 Promoting Soil Health: India’s soil is getting depleted
of organic matter. Nutritional quality of food produced
from soil poor in organic matter is also poor. Organic
and biofertilizers conserve the micro-fauna of soil and
act as a natural surface purifier. Dung manure contains
basic elements critical to plant health i.e., nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and several
micronutrients. Also, humus in dung manure acts as a
soil amender and preserves moisture in the soil.
Application of organic and biofertilizers will lead to the
sustainability of agriculture.
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 Incomes for farmers and gaushalas: Promoting the
use of cow dung manure will improve the economy of
gaushalas, support natural farming and improve
sustainability of agriculture.
 Address the problem of stray cattle: Promoting use
of cow and animal waste-based organic and
biofertilizers will address the issue of stray cattle which
has led to a big menace in rural areas.
 Waste management: Production of bio and organic
fertilisers from animal waste, cow dung etc. will help to
sustainably address the issue of waste management in
rural areas.
 Less input cost of agriculture: Increasing the use of
bio and organic fertilisers will reduce the input cost of
farming and is expected to increase the incomes of
farmers over the long term.
 Reduced expenditure on fertiliser subsidy:
Fertilisers subsidy alone accounts for more than Rs
1,50,000 lakh crores per year. This increases the fiscal
deficit of the government. This can be reduced if we
promote the use of bio and organic fertilisers.
 Fertiliser security: Most chemical fertilisers must be
imported into India as India lacks domestic sources of
phosphorus, potassium and urea. This dependence on
imports exposes Indian agriculture to supply chain
constraints. Thus, promoting bio and organic fertilisers
will make the fertiliser supply more assured.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES FOR PROMOTING
ORGANIC AND BIOFERTILIZERS
 Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
 Mission Organic Value Chain Development for
Northeastern Region
 Namami Ganga Program
 National Program for Organic Production
 Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme (CISS)
 Soil Health Management Scheme
 Policy on Promotion of City Compost
 New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme
(NNBOMP)
 Government has set a target to bring additional 10 lakh
hectares under organic farming in the next 3 years.
15
 Economic Development
CHALLENGES
 Heavy subsidies on chemical fertilisers especially urea
discourage the use and uptake of organic fertilisers and
biofertilizers, which do not get any subsidy.
 Limited R&D in the field of organic & bio fertilisers.
 Lack of regional resource centres for the supply of
authentic and efficient microbial strains; Lack of
awareness of biofertilizers for proper preservation,
sub-culturing, storage, and procurement of authentic
strains suitable for local environmental conditions.
 Lack of availability of options for enriched organic
fertilisers with essential nutrients for agricultural use.
 Absence of economically viable mass production
systems could lower the selling cost of biofertilizers.
 Inadequate funds are spent on the promotion of bio
and organic fertilisers despite various schemes for
their promotion of them.
 Lack of suitable infrastructure: Infrastructure
support funds provided under schemes like the Capital
Investment Subsidy Scheme and Soil Health
Management have not seen much uptake in states and
remain underutilised. Gaushalas and farmers cannot
market compost and other organic fertiliser produced
by them and there is no organised market and buyer
for their produce.
 Lack of extension and awareness on the use and
benefits of organic and biofertilizers amongst farming
communities.
 Issues of regulation: (i) FCO does not list some bio &
organic fertilisers prepared from livestock waste such
as Panchagavya, Dasagavya, Sheep & Goat Manure,
Poultry Manure, Sanjivak, Gokripa Amrut, Amrit Pani,
Fermented curd water, Ghanjivamrut, Crystallised cow
urine. (ii) Lack of testing facilities and personnel and
certification for organic and biofertilizers in states
which have slowed market prospects for
manufacturers of organic fertilisers, especially PROM.
(iii) Currently, the regulatory process for Bio and
Organic fertilisers differs between states.
WAY FORWARD
 Digitisation of the whole process of manufacturing,
licence to sale authorisation to a dealer, stock records
and maintenance, timely sampling by an inspector as
per FCO with time-bound consultation with States.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 Parity between inorganic and bio and organic
fertilisers: There is a need for some parity in support
for organic & bio fertilisers vis-a-vis organic,
biofertilizers and other animal waste-based compost,
manures, jivamrit etc. This will also help cow farmers
and cow shed owners earn extra income.
 Marketing of bio & organic fertiliser: (i) Public sector
fertiliser distribution agencies like IFFCO, KRIBHCO and
such state-level agencies should be mandated to
market standardised bio and organic fertilisers. (ii) A
mechanism should be established to mandate fertiliser
selling and manufacturing agencies to sell inorganic
and organic fertiliser. (iii) Policy support to encourage
commercial production, packaging, marketing &
distribution of cow dung-based organic fertilisers
including brand development. (iv) Gram panchayats
should be involved in the production of organic and
biofertilizers at cow sheds.
 Expanding the scope of FCO, 1985: (i) FCO, 1985
should be amended to include livestock waste
fertilisers such as Panchagavya etc. (ii) Adequate testing
facilities should be created for manufacturers of
organic and biofertilizers. (iii) Quality certification of bio
and organic fertilisers should be undertaken which
would help farmers to identify safe and certified
products. (iv) There is a need for uniformity in the
regulatory process accommodating state specificities
across India for registration and marketing of bio and
organic fertilisers.
 Incentives to encourage production and
consumption of bio & organic fertilisers: (i)
Extension of subsidy/market development assistance
for biofertilizer in line with city compost Rs 1500/ton. (ii)
Mandatory 10-20% off-take of bio and organic fertiliser
by fertiliser companies. (iii) Via gap funding to be
provided to capital assistance and marketing of cow
dung and cow-urine-based formulations for application
in agriculture. (iv) Attracting the private sector to invest
in mass-scale production of organic and biofertilizers,
bio pesticides, soil-enriching products and stimulants
for use in agriculture.
 Research & Development: (i) Improvement of
efficiency of different formulations of organic and
biofertilizer. (ii) ICAR and other institutions should be
encouraged to research organic & biofertilizers. (iii)
These institutions should be encouraged to carry
16
 Economic Development

extension among farmers to take over bio and organic o Emigration

fertilisers. o Maintenance of close relatives abroad

o Travel for business, or attending a conference or

LIBERALISED REMITTANCE specialised training or for meeting expenses for

meeting medical expenses, or check-up abroad, or
SCHEME for accompanying as attendant to a patient going
abroad for medical treatment/ check-up
#ExternalSector
o Expenses in connection with medical treatment
abroad
As per the Union budget declarations this year, the union o Studies abroad
government is going to impose a 20 per cent tax at source on o Any other current account transaction which is not
foreign remittances. For this, the Reserve Bank of India is covered under the definition of current account in
going to monitor credit card usage for foreign travel FEMA 1999.
purposes.
 The remittance facility under the Scheme is not
ABOUT LIBERALISED REMITTANCE SCHEME (LRS)
available for the following:
 As per Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999
o Remittance for any purpose specifically prohibited
(FEMA), persons resident in India are free to buy or sell under Schedule-I (like purchase of lottery
foreign exchange for any current account transaction tickets/sweepstakes, proscribed magazines, etc.) or
except for those transactions for which drawal of any item restricted under Schedule II of Foreign
foreign exchange has been prohibited by the Central Exchange Management (Current Account
Government. Transactions) Rules, 2000.

 Under Liberalised Remittance Scheme, all resident o Remittance from India for margins or margin calls to

individuals, including minors, are allowed to freely overseas exchanges / overseas counterparty.
remit up to USD 2,50,000 per financial year (April – o Remittances for purchase of FCCBs issued by Indian
March) for any permissible current or capital account companies in the overseas secondary market.
transaction or a combination of both. o Remittance for trading in foreign exchange abroad.

 The Scheme was introduced on February 4, 2004, with o Capital account remittances, directly or indirectly, to
a limit of USD 25,000. The LRS limit has been revised in countries identified by the Financial Action Task
stages consistent with prevailing macro and micro Force (FATF) as “non- cooperative countries and
economic conditions. territories”, from time to time.

 In case of remitter being a minor, the LRS declaration o Remittances directly or indirectly to those
individuals and entities identified as posing
form must be countersigned by the minor’s natural
significant risk of committing acts of terrorism as
guardian. The Scheme is not available to corporates,
advised separately by the Reserve Bank to the
partnership firms, HUF, Trusts etc.
banks.
 Further, individuals can avail of foreign exchange
 Remittances under the LRS facility can be consolidated
facility for the following purposes within the LRS
(clubbed together) in respect of close family members
limit of USD 2,50,000 on financial year basis:
subject to the individual family members complying
o Private visits to any country (except Nepal and with the terms and conditions of the Scheme.
Bhutan)  There are no restrictions on the number of transactions
o Gift or donation but the cumulative amount should not exceed USD

o Going abroad for employment

2,50,000.

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 17

 Economic Development
 The remittances can be made in any freely convertible
foreign currency (apart from dollars).
 Only certain capital account transactions are allowed
under LRS rules such as opening a bank account
abroad i.e., a Foreign Currency Account, purchasing
real estate property overseas, for making investments
overseas which includes investing in shares, mutual
funds, and debt instruments amongst others.
 The Scheme is not available to corporates, partnership
firms, HUF, Trusts etc.
ADDITIONAL
SURVEILLANCE MEASURES
(ASM)
#FinancialMarkets
 To enhance market integrity and safeguard interest of
investors, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
and Exchanges have been introducing various
enhanced pre-emptive surveillance measures such as
reduction in price band, periodic call auction and
transfer of securities to Trade for Trade segment from
time to time.
 In continuation to various surveillance measures
already implemented, SEBI and Exchanges have
decided that along with the aforesaid measures there
shall be Additional Surveillance Measures (ASM) on
securities with surveillance concerns based on
objective parameters viz. Price / Volume variation,
Volatility etc.
 There are two types of ASMs:
o Short-term additional surveillance measures .
o Long-term surveillance measures.
 Stocks that are moved to ASM can’t be pledged. If in
case a stock that you have pledged is moved under
ASM then you can’t receive collateral margins for it. This
is because according to ASM, 100% of the margin must
be levied. The collateral value will decrease by the value
of collateral obtained against that stock. Investors have
the option of unplugging the stock or keep it pledged
without collateral till it is removed from ASM.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 Please note that corporate actions are not affected if a
stock is under ASM. The shareholders are still eligible
for all corporate benefits like bonus, dividend, stock
split, etc. even when the stock is under ASM.
AGRICULTURAL MARKET
INFORMATION SYSTEM
#Agriculture
ABOUT AGRICULTURAL MARKET INFORMATION
SYSTEM (AMIS)
 AMIS is an inter-agency platform to enhance food
market transparency and policy response for food
security launched in 2011 by G20 Ministers of
Agriculture following global food price hikes in 2007/08
and 2010.
 By enhancing transparency and policy coordination in
international commodity markets, AMIS has helped to
prevent unexpected price hikes and strengthened
global food security.
 It brings together principal trading countries of
agricultural commodities, it assesses global food
supplies (focusing on wheat, maize, rice & soybeans)
and provides a platform for constructive dialogue.
 Membership: Composed of G20 members plus Spain
and 7 additional major exporting & importing countries
of AMIS crops, representing a large share of global food
markets.
STRUCTURE OF AMIS
AMIS consists of three main bodies:
 Global Food Market Information Group: Composed of
technical representatives from AMIS participants to
collect market & policy information.
 Rapid Response Forum (RRF): Assembles policymakers
to promote early discussion about critical market
conditions and ways to address them. In the event of
market instability, RRF of AMIS coordinates appropriate
policy measures.
 Multiagency Secretariat: Currently, includes 11
international organisations and entities, produces
short-term market outlooks, assessment and analyses,
and supports all functions of the Information Group
and the Rapid Response Forum.
18
 Economic Development

OUTPUTS OF AMIS state of happiness in the world today and shows how
 Market Monitor: Assessing global market situation and the science of happiness explains personal and
outlook for AMIS crops. national variations in happiness.

 Indicator Portal: Featuring key measures to identify
critical market conditions that might require policy
action.
 Market Database: Providing latest forecasts
production, consumption, trade and stocks.
 Policy Database: Compiling information on policies that
might impact global food markets.
WORLD HAPPINESS
REPORT
#InclusiveGrowth
 The report is published by the UN Sustainable
Development Solutions Network.
 The World Happiness Report reflects a worldwide
demand for more attention to happiness and well-
being as criteria for government policy. It reviews the
 It is released on International Day of Happiness,
observed on March 20, the report ranks global
happiness-based survey data from people in over 150
countries.
on
 It ranks countries on happiness which is based on three
preceding years’ data of their average life evaluations.
 The ranking uses six key factors to measure happiness
— social support, income, health, freedom, generosity,
and absence of corruption.
 The report once again lists many of the same Nordic
countries in the top spots. For the sixth year in a row,
Finland has been crowned as the happiest nation.
While Denmark is at number two, followed by Iceland
at number three.
 According to the report, India ranks at 125th position
out of 136 countries, making it one of the least happy
countries in the world. It even lags its neighbouring
nations like Nepal, China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
 At the very bottom of the list is Afghanistan.

Practice questions
MCQs
Q1. With reference to ‘MSME Competitive LEAN Q2. Regarding ‘Liberalised Remittance Scheme,’
Scheme,’ which of the following statements which of the following statements is/are
is/are correct? correct?

1. To support MSMEs, the government will contribute 1. Under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, all
resident individuals, including minors, are allowed
80% of implementation cost for handholding and
to freely remit up to USD 2,50,000 per financial
consultancy fees.
year.
2. There will be an additional contribution of 5% for
2. Remittance for trading in foreign exchange abroad
the MSMEs which are part of SFURTI clusters,
is not available under the scheme.
owned by women/SC/ST and located in NER.
3. The Scheme is available to corporates, partnership
Select the correct answer using the code given below. firms, HUF, Trusts etc.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither1 nor 2 (a) 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 19

 Economic Development

Q3. With reference to fertilisers, which of the 1. Uttar Pradesh produces about two-fifths of
following statements is/are correct ? sugarcane of the country.
1. Organic Fertilisers are defined as a product 2. Yield levels of sugarcane are high in northern India.
containing carrier-based (solid or liquid) living 3. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra
microorganisms which are agriculturally useful in Pradesh are other leading producers of this crop.
terms of nitrogen fixation, phosphorus Which of the statements given below is/are correct?
solubilisation or nutrient mobilisation, to increase (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
the productivity of soil and/or crop. (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
2. Biofertilizers are substances made up of one or
more unprocessed materials of a biological nature
Q5. With reference to the Prompt Corrective Action
(plant/animal) and may include unprocessed
(PCA), consider the following statements :
mineral materials that have been altered through
1. Capital, Asset Quality, Return on Assets and
the microbiological decomposition process.
Leverage are 4 parameters which will be the key
Which of the above statements are correct?
areas for monitoring in the PCA framework.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
2. PCA framework is not applicable on Payments
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Banks & Small Finance Banks.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Q4. With reference to the sugarcane cultivation in (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
India, consider the following statements:
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Descriptive Questions
Q1. Indian Banks are better placed than before to deal with Banking Crises emanating from the West. Discuss.
Q2. What are the significance and present challenges associated with exports of sugar from India? How will measures
undertaken by the Government help in mitigating these challenges?

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

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 20

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

 Similarly, if an elected representative violates

DISQUALIFICATION AND certain rules or engages in behaviour that is
deemed unethical or illegal, they can be disqualified
DEFAMATION from their position.

#Disqualification  For example, under the Representation of the People

Act, an elected representative can be disqualified for
offenses such as corrupt practices, electoral
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and sentencing in malpractices, or holding an office of profit.
a 2019 defamation case by a court in Gujarat has put a
 The disqualification procedure is important because it
question mark over his continuation as a Lok Sabha MP.
ensures that those who are elected to public office
Experts have differing views on whether the conviction and
are held to high standards of conduct and
sentencing means immediate disqualification or the Wayanad
behaviour. It also helps to prevent individuals who are
MP gets time if he appeals.
ineligible or have engaged in unethical or illegal
So, this development raises two issues which are extremely
activities from holding elected office and making
pertinent in Indian context:
important decisions on behalf of the people.
 Disqualification of elected members of the houses.
 Overall, the disqualification procedure in India plays a
 Criminal Defamation and its utility in democratic India.
crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the electoral
DISQUALIFICATION AND ITS IMPORTANCE process and ensuring that elected representatives are
 The disqualification procedure in India is an important held accountable for their actions.
mechanism for maintaining the integrity of the DISQUALIFICATIONS SPECIFIED IN CONSTITUTION
electoral process and ensuring that elected OF INDIA FOR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
representatives meet certain standards of conduct and 102. Disqualifications for membership. — (1) A
eligibility. person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for
 Under the Constitution of India, certain criteria have being, a member of either House of Parliament—
l[(a)if he holds any office of profit under the
been laid down (See below) for the eligibility of
Government of India or the Government of any State,
candidates contesting elections to the Lok Sabha
other than an office declared by Parliament by law not
(lower house of parliament) and the state
to disqualify its holder;]
legislative assemblies. These criteria include age,
(b) if he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a
citizenship, and lack of criminal convictions, among
competent court.
others. If a person is found to be ineligible based on
(c) if he is an undischarged insolvent.
these criteria, they can be disqualified from holding
(d) if he is not a citizen of India or has voluntarily
elected office. acquired the citizenship of a foreign State or is under

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 21

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
any acknowledgment of allegiance or adherence to a
foreign State.
(e) if he is so disqualified by or under any law made by
Parliament. 2[Explanation. —For the purposes of this
clause] a person shall not be
deemed to hold an office of profit under the
Government of India or the Government of any State by
reason only that he is a Minister either for the Union or
for such State.
3 [(2) A person shall be disqualified for being a member
of either House of Parliament if he is so disqualified
under the Tenth Schedule.]
l[(a)if he holds any office of profit under the
Government of India or the Government of any State
specified in the First Schedule, other than an office
declared by the Legislature of the State by law not to
disqualify its holder;]
(b) if he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a
competent court.
(c) if he is an undischarged insolvent.
(d) if he is not a citizen of India or has voluntarily
acquired the citizenship of a foreign State or is under
any acknowledgment of allegiance or adherence to a
foreign State.
(e) if he is so disqualified by or under any law made by
Parliament.
2[Explanation.
—For the purposes of this clause], a
person shall not be deemed to hold an office of profit
under the Government of India, or the Government of
any State specified in the First Schedule by reason only
that he is a Minister either for the Union or for such
State.
3 lawmakers a three-month period for filing appeal to the
[(2) A person shall be disqualified for being a member
of the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council of a
State if he is so disqualified under the Tenth Schedule.]
DISQUALIFICATIONS SPECIFIED IN THE
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA FOR MEMBERS OF
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
191. Disqualifications for membership. — (1) A
person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for
being, a member of the Legislative Assembly or
Legislative Council of a State—
l[(a) if he holds any office of profit under the
Government of India or the Government of any State
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
specified in the First Schedule, other than an office
declared by the Legislature of the State by law not to
disqualify its holder;]
(b) if he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a
competent court.
(c) if he is an undischarged insolvent.
(d) if he is not a citizen of India or has voluntarily
acquired the citizenship of a foreign State or is under
any acknowledgment of allegiance or adherence to a
foreign State.
(e) if he is so disqualified by or under any law made by
Parliament.
2
[Explanation. —For the purposes of this clause], a
person shall not be deemed to hold an office of profit
under the Government of India, or the Government of
any State specified in the First Schedule by reason only
that he is a Minister either for the Union or for such
State.
3
[(2) A person shall be disqualified for being a member
of the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council of a
State if he is so disqualified under the Tenth Schedule.]
(LILY THOMAS CASE 2013) IMMEDIATE
DISQUALIFICATION OF CONVICTED MPS AND MLAS:
 In 2013, the Supreme Court held that charge
sheeted Members of Parliament and MLAs, on
conviction for offences, will be immediately
disqualified from holding membership of the House
without being given three months’ time for appeal, as
was the case before.
 The concerned Bench of the Court struck down as
unconstitutional Section 8 (4) of the Representation
of the People Act (1951) that allows convicted
higher court and to get a stay of the conviction and
sentence. The Bench, however, made it clear that the
ruling will be prospective and those who had already
filed appeals in various High Courts or the Supreme
Court against their convictions would be exempt from
it.
 The Bench said: “A reading of the two provisions in
Articles 102 and 191 of the Constitution would make
it abundantly clear that Parliament is to make one
law for a person to be disqualified for being chosen
as, and for being, a member of either House of
Parliament or Legislative Assembly or Legislative
Council of the State. Parliament thus does not have
22
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
the power under Articles 102 and 191 of the
Constitution to make different laws for a person to be
disqualified for being chosen as a member and for a
person to be disqualified for continuing as a Member of
Parliament or the State Legislature.”
 The Bench said: “Section 8 (4) of the Act which carves
out a saving in the case of sitting members of
Parliament or State Legislature from the
disqualifications under the Act or which defers the date
on which the disqualification will take effect in the case
of a sitting member of Parliament or a State Legislature
is beyond the powers conferred on Parliament by the
Constitution.”
 The Bench held: “Looking at the affirmative terms of
Articles 102 and 191 of the Constitution, we hold that
Parliament has been vested with the powers to
make law laying down the same disqualifications
for person to be chosen as a member of Parliament
or a State Legislature and for a sitting member of a
House of Parliament or a House of a State
Legislature. We also hold that the provisions of Article
101 and 190 of the Constitution expressly prohibit
Parliament to defer the date from which the
disqualification will come into effect in case of a sitting
member of Parliament or a State Legislature.
Parliament, therefore, has exceeded its powers
conferred by the Constitution in enacting sub-section
(4) of Section 8 of the Act and accordingly sub-section
(4) of Section 8 of the Act is ultra vires the Constitution.”
To nullify the above ruling of the Supreme Court, the
Representation of the People (Second Amendment and
Validation) Bill, 2013 was introduced in the Parliament.
However, the Bill was later withdrawn by the
Government.
BASED ON HIGH COURT AND SUPREME COURT’S
ORDER
When Disqualification When Disqualification
Continues Ends
If the Higher Court on Disqualification will be
appeal stays the suspended where the
operation of only the Higher Court stays both
execution of sentence of the conviction and the
imprisonment passed by operation of sentence.
the trial Court >>> then
such stay on the execution
of sentence given by the
Higher Courts will not
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
have any effect on the
person’s disqualification --
- So, the disqualification
continues.
DEFAMATION
What is defamation?
 Defamation is the general term for a legal claim
involving injury to one's reputation caused by a false
statement of fact and includes both libel (defamation in
written or fixed form) and slander (spoken defamation).
The crux of a defamation claim is falsity. Truthful
statements that harm another's reputation will not
create liability for defamation (although they may open
you up to other forms of liability if the information you
publish is of a personal or highly private nature).
 Defamation refers to the act of publication of
defamatory content that lowers the reputation of an
individual or an entity when observed through the
perspective of an ordinary man. If defamation occurs in
spoken words or gestures (or other such transitory
form) then it is termed as slander and the same if in
written or printed form is libel. Defamation in India is
both a civil and a criminal offence.
Defamation is an exception to the Right to Freedom of
Speech
 Article 19 of the Constitution grants various freedoms
to its citizens. However, Article 19(2) has imposed
reasonable exemption to freedom of speech and
expression granted under Article 19(1) (a). Contempt of
court, defamation and incitement to an offence are
some exceptions.
Legal Provisions related to Defamation
 Sections 499 and 500 OF IPC
 Sections 499 and 500 in the IPC deal with criminal
defamation. While the former defines the offence of
defamation, the latter defines the punishment for it.
 Section 499:
 Whoever, by words either spoken or intended to
be read, or by signs or by visible representations,
makes or publishes any imputation concerning
any person intending to harm, or knowing or
having reason to believe that such imputation will
harm, the reputation of such person, is said,
except in the cases hereinafter expected, to
defame that person.
 Section 500:
23
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
 Whoever defames another shall be punished with
simple imprisonment for a term which may
extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
Why is defamation a crime?
 Reputation is an asset to everyone. Any damage to such
asset can be legally dealt with. Defamation laws have
been enacted to prevent person maliciously using their
right to freedom of speech and expression. The Indian
law has rightly not made any distinction between libel
and slander. Otherwise, there could have been chances
for committing slander and escaping from the laws that
there is no written publication of matter.
WHY SHOULD DEFAMATION REMAIN A CRIMINAL
OFFENCE?
Arguments ‘In favour’:
 Income inequality
 Defamation should remain a penal offence in India
as the defamer may be too poor to compensate the
victim in some cases.
 Anonymity provided by Internet
 Since there is no mechanism to censor the Internet
from within, online defamation could only be
adequately countered by retaining defamation as a
criminal offence.
 Article 21
 Also, criminalization of defamation is part of the
state’s “compelling interest” to protect the right to
dignity and good reputation of its citizens.
 Changes have been made from time to time
 Sections 499 and 500 have 10 exceptions.
 These exceptions clearly exclude from its ambit any
speech that is truthful, made in good faith and/or is
for public good.
Arguments ‘Against’:
 Against the global trend
 Many countries worldwide are in favour of treating
defamation as a civil wrong, not as a criminal offence.
 Also, in 2011, the Human Rights Committee of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
called upon states to abolish criminal defamation,
noting that it intimidates citizens and makes them
shy away from exposing wrongdoing.
 Misuse by “Influential”
 The misuse of law as an instrument of harassment is
also pervasive in India.
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 Often, the prosecutor’s complaint is taken at face
value by courts, which send out routine notices for
the appearance of defendants without any
preliminary examination whether the offending
comments or reports come under one of the
exceptions spelt out in Section 499.
 Thus, the process itself becomes the punishment.
 Criminal defamation has a pernicious effect on
society: for instance, the state uses it to coerce the
media and political opponents into adopting self-
censorship and unwarranted self-restraint.
 The law can also be used by groups or sections
claiming to have been hurt or insulted and abuse
the process by initiating multiple proceedings in
different places.
 Public order concerns taken care by other sections
 Defamatory acts that may harm public order are
covered by Sections 124, 153 and 153A, and so
criminal defamation does not serve any overarching
public interest. Even though Section 499 provides
safeguards by means of exceptions, the threat of
criminal prosecution is unreasonable and excessive.
In conclusion, the debate over criminal defamation in India
is a complex one with valid arguments on both sides. While
those in favor of criminalization argue that it is necessary
to protect the right to dignity and good reputation of
citizens, those against contend that it can be misused and
has a pernicious effect on society. Ultimately, it will be up
to lawmakers and the judiciary to strike a balance between
protecting individual rights and maintaining freedom of
expression.
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
#Judiciary
According to some, Supreme Court of India through its
judgment dated March 2, 2023, adopted the mantle of the
Constituent Assembly, and effectively re-wrote certain
provisions of the Constitution. The Court ordered that new
rule be followed pertaining to the appointment of the Election
Commissioner.
Supreme Court has laid down the rules regarding the
appointment of Election Commissioners. As per these
rules, the Election Commissioner is to be appointed
upon the advice of a committee consisting of the Prime
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
Minister, the Leader of Opposition, and the Chief Justice
of India. Justifying the same, the Court stated that such
rules are required to tackle the “lacuna” in regulations
pertaining to this subject.
Role of constitutional courts in shaping the social, cultural
and traditional values of a society has become a subject of
intense debate in recent years. Public interest litigants and
civil society groups often approach courts seeking their
intervention when the legislature or executive fail to
address issues related to tradition, culture and society.
However, courts must be careful to consider whether such
a role falls within their constitutional mandate, given the
principle of separation of powers. This article explores
the limits of the judiciary's role as societal arbiters and
the importance of respecting the institutional
independence and competence of the legislature and
executive.
Constitutional courts have been thrust into the
spotlight in recent years as the line between judicial
and legislative roles has become blurred. While the
judiciary has the power of review over the other two
organs, it must exercise this power with restraint,
respecting the separation of powers and the institutional
independence and competence of the legislature and
executive. This article examines the fundamental
principles of constitutional morality that guide the exercise
of judicial review and emphasizes the importance of
preserving the sanctity of the doctrine of separation of
powers to ensure participative democracy in letter and
spirit.
Indian judiciary has played a pivotal role in shaping
the country's legal landscape, especially in the context
of judicial activism and judicial overreach. These two
concepts are highly debated in India and are an essential
topic for the UPSC aspirants to understand. If we look at
the General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity,
Social Justice and International relation: Structure,
organization and functioning of the Executive and the
Judiciary.
Judicial activism refers to the proactive role played by the
judiciary in protecting fundamental rights and promoting
social justice, whereas judicial overreach occurs when
the judiciary goes beyond its constitutional mandate and
encroaches upon the authority of the legislative or
executive branches of government.
In this article, we will discuss examples of judicial
activism and instances of judicial overreach in India,
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examine the causes behind these two concepts, and
explore the concerns over judicial overreach.
Understanding the nuances of these issues is crucial for
the UPSC aspirants to navigate India's legal and
constitutional landscape and to uphold the principles of
justice and the rule of law.
Judicial activism refers to a judge's willingness to use
their power to shape or even create law, rather than
simply interpreting existing laws. This approach can
involve using constitutional provisions to strike down laws
that the judge believes are unconstitutional, or
interpreting laws in a broad or expansive way to achieve a
particular outcome. Proponents of judicial activism argue
that it can be an important tool for protecting individual
rights and promoting social justice.
EXAMPLES OF JUDICIAL ACTIVISM IN INDIA INCLUDE
 Vishaka case: In 1997, the Supreme Court of India laid
down guidelines to prevent sexual harassment of
women in the workplace, even though there was no
specific law in place to address the issue.
 Delhi Vehicular Pollution case: In 1998, the Supreme
Court banned the use of old and polluting vehicles in
Delhi to control air pollution, even though the
government had not taken adequate measures to
address the problem.
 Narmada Bachao Andolan case: In 2000, the Supreme
Court ordered a halt to construction of the Sardar
Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River until rehabilitation
measures for displaced villagers were completed.
 Right to Information case: In 2005, the Supreme Court
ruled that the right to information is a fundamental
right under the Constitution and directed all public
authorities to disclose information to citizens under
certain conditions.
 Section 377 case: In 2018, the Supreme Court struck
down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which
criminalized homosexuality, on the grounds that it
violated the fundamental rights of individuals.
These are just a few examples of judicial activism in India.
The judiciary has played a vital role in shaping and
protecting the rights of citizens in the country.
Judicial overreach refers to situations where a judge goes
beyond the bounds of their authority or role in the legal
system. This can happen when a judge makes decisions
that are not supported by the law, or when they exceed
their constitutional authority. Critics of judicial overreach
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
argue that it can undermine the rule of law and the
separation of powers between the different branches of
government.
INSTANCES OF JUDICIAL OVERREACH IN INDIA
 National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)
case: In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down the NJAC
Act, which aimed to replace the collegium system of
appointment of judges with a new commission. The
court ruled that the NJAC Act was unconstitutional as it
violated the independence of the judiciary. However,
some legal experts criticized the court for going beyond
its jurisdiction and interfering with the legislative
process.
 Sabarimala Temple case: In 2018, the Supreme Court
allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala
Temple, which had previously banned women of
menstruating age from entering the temple. The court's
decision was based on the principles of gender equality
and non-discrimination. However, the decision was
controversial as it was seen as interfering with the
religious practices of the temple.
 Aadhaar case: In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the
constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme, which
required citizens to link their biometric data with their
government identification numbers. However, the
court struck down some provisions of the scheme, such
as the mandatory linking of bank accounts and mobile
phone numbers with Aadhaar. Some experts criticized
the court for interfering with the policy decisions of the
executive branch.
 Delhi Government vs. Lieutenant Governor case: In
2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the Lieutenant
Governor of Delhi does not have absolute powers and
must work with the elected government of Delhi. The
court's decision was seen as interfering with the power
dynamics between the executive and legislative
branches of the government.
While the judiciary has a vital role to play in protecting the
rights of citizens and upholding the Constitution, it is
important to ensure that the judiciary does not exceed its
constitutional mandate and interfere with the functioning
of democracy.
In summary, while both judicial activism and judicial
overreach involve judges taking an active role in shaping
the law, the key difference between the two is that
judicial activism is seen by some as a legitimate and
necessary part of the judicial process, while judicial
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overreach is viewed as a violation of the proper limits
of judicial authority. Contrary to the requirement of
judicial activism, the intention of judicial overreach is not
genuine. Overreach impedes the functioning of a healthy
democracy’s institutions.
Judicial overreach occurs when the judiciary exceeds its
constitutional mandate and interferes with the functions
of the executive and legislative branches of the
government. While judicial activism can be seen as a
positive development, judicial overreach can have
negative consequences for the functioning of democracy
and the separation of powers.
CAUSES OF JUDICIAL ACTIVISM AND JUDICIAL
OVERREACH
 Asymmetry of power: Supreme Court is the most
powerful branch of governance. It’s every judgment is
binding on the other two branches (legislature and
executive) and it can strike down their actions as well as
their laws.
 Public Interest Litigation (PIL): PIL permitted any
member of the society to file a case for appropriate
directions against any injustice. Consequently, the
expectations of the public went high for judicial
intervention to improve the administration.
 Lackadaisical approach of other organs: Lax
functioning of the legislature and executive may result
in corruption, delay, non-responsiveness, or inefficiency
in the governance. These things create a vacuum in
governance. Most of the time such vacuums are filled
by the judiciary.
 Other factors: Growing consciousness of people for
their rights, globalization, active media and civil society
organizations, concerns for the environment among
others are also considered important reasons for
judicial activism and judicial overreach.
CONCERNS OVER JUDICIAL OVERREACH
Through, judicial activism the Supreme Court has done a
tremendous amount of good. However, in many cases, the
judiciary has used excess powers which can never be
treated as judicial adjudication and even within the normal
bounds of judicial activism. Such judicial overreach has
given rise to the following concerns:
 Undermining the doctrine of the separation of
power: The power vested in the Supreme Court
through Article 142 of the Constitution is extraordinary.
Frequent use of this power, to issue judicial decrees, is
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
considered as a violation of the doctrine of the
separation of power.
 Negligence of the challenges faced by legislature
and Executive: Sometimes the judiciary passes the
order without keeping in mind Fund, function,
framework, and functionary (4 F) that limit the work of
Legislature and executive. For example, cancelling of
coal blocks allocations and spectrum allocations led to
the poor health of the financial institutions of the
country.
 Lack of accountability towards people: Judiciary as
an institution is not accountable to the people in the
same way as the legislature and the executive. Further,
the judiciary also has the power to punish for ‘Contempt
of court.’ This way the judiciary may evade public
criticism for many of its actions.
Threat to the credibility of the judiciary: Entry into the
legislative domain and inability to uphold the law may
diminish the image of the judiciary.
CONCLUSION
 The power of judicial review must not be interpreted as
judicial supervision or superintendence over the
legislature or executive. This position is especially
applicable in matters of policy where domain expertise
is called for, and in matters of societal experimentation
where the festival of democracy must play itself out
through the process of interaction and consultation
between the electorate and the elected.
 The power of judicial review is not meant to be wielded
in such a way that judicial wisdom replaces the will of
the majority by infantilising it since the Constitution
does not envisage replacing democracy with judicial
paternalism. On the contrary, the Constitution
recognises that sometimes a good policy decision may
be unconstitutional, and an otherwise bad policy
decision may be constitutional. Only an instance of
unconstitutionality warrants the intervention of the
judiciary as the watchdog of the Constitution, if sought
by the aggrieved parties.
BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE
INDIAN CONSTITUTION
#Judiciary
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This April will be 50 years since the Supreme Court of India
delivered its verdict in Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala.
The judgment is widely recognised as a milestone in India’s
history. In holding that Parliament’s power to amend the
Constitution was not plenary, that any change that damages
the document’s basic structure would be declared void, the
Court, it was understood, had helped preserve the essence of
our republic.
But in order to understand the Basic Structure
concept, we will have to move sequentially from
understanding the: amendment procedure, genesis of
the doctrine through various supreme court judgments,
the current ambit of the term, merits and demerits of the
Basic Structure.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
 Like any other written Constitution, the Constitution
of India also provides for its amendment to adjust
itself to the changing conditions and needs.
However, the procedure laid down for its amendment
is neither as easy as in Britain nor as difficult as in USA.
In other words, the Indian Constitution is neither
flexible nor rigid but a synthesis of both. Article 368 in
Part XX of the Constitution deals with the powers of
Parliament to amend the Constitution and its
procedure.
 It states that the Parliament may, in exercise of its
constituent power, amend by way of addition, variation
or repeal any provision of the Constitution in
accordance with the procedure laid down for the
purpose. However, the Parliament cannot amend those
provisions which form the ‘basic structure’ of the
Constitution. This was ruled by the Supreme Court in
the Kesavananda Bharati case1 (1973).
PROCEDURE FOR AMENDMENT
The procedure for the amendment of the Constitution
as laid down in Article 368 is as follows:
 An amendment of the Constitution can be initiated
only by the introduction of a bill for the purpose in
either House of Parliament or not in the state
legislatures.
 The bill can be introduced either by a minister or by
a private member and does not require prior
permission of the president.
 The bill must be passed in each House by a special
majority, that is, most of the total membership of
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
the House and most two-thirds of the members of
the House present and voting.
 Each House must pass the bill separately. In case
of a disagreement between the two Houses, there is
no provision for holding a joint sitting of the two
Houses for the purpose of deliberation and passage
of the bill.
 If the bill seeks to amend the federal provisions of
the Constitution, it must also be ratified by the
legislatures of half of the states by a simple
majority, that is, a majority of the members of the
House present and voting.
 After duly passed by both the Houses of Parliament
and ratified by the state legislatures, where
necessary, the bill is presented to the president for
assent.
 The president must give his assent to the bill. He
can neither withhold his assent to the bill nor return
the bill for reconsideration of the Parliament.
 After the president’s assent, the bill becomes an Act
(i.e., a constitutional amendment act) and the
Constitution stands amended in accordance with the
terms of the Act.
EMERGENCE OF THE BASIC STRUCTURE
The question whether Fundamental Rights can be
amended by the Parliament under Article 368 came for
consideration of the Supreme Court within a year of the
Constitution coming into force. In the Shankari Prasad
case (1951), the constitutional validity of the First
Amendment Act (1951), which curtailed the right to
property, was challenged. The Supreme Court ruled that
the power of the Parliament to amend the Constitution
under Article 368 also includes the power to amend
Fundamental Rights. The word ‘law’ in Article 13
includes only ordinary laws and not the constitutional
amendment acts (constituent laws). Therefore, the
Parliament can abridge or take away any of the
Fundamental Rights by enacting a constitutional
amendment act and such a law will not be void under
Article 13.
But in the Golak Nath case (1967), the Supreme Court
reversed its earlier stand. In that case, the constitutional
validity of the Seventeenth Amendment Act (1964), which
inserted certain state acts in the Ninth Schedule, was
challenged. The Supreme Court ruled that the
Fundamental Rights are given a ‘transcendental and
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immutable’ position and hence, the Parliament cannot
abridge or take away any of these rights. A constitutional
amendment act is also a law within the meaning of Article
13 and hence, would be void for violating any of the
Fundamental Rights.
The Parliament reacted to the Supreme Court’s judgement
in the Golak Nath case (1967) by enacting the 24th
Amendment Act (1971). This Act amended Articles 13 and
368.
However, in the Kesavananda Bharati case3 (1973), the
Supreme Court overruled its judgement in the Golak Nath
case (1967). It upheld the validity of the 24th Amendment
Act (1971) and stated that Parliament is empowered to
abridge or take away any of the Fundamental Rights. At the
same time, it laid down a new doctrine of the ‘basic
structure’ (or ‘basic features’) of Constitution. It ruled
that the constituent power of Parliament under Article 368
does not enable it to alter the ‘basic structure’ of the
Constitution. This means that the Parliament cannot
abridge or take away a Fundamental Right that forms a
part of the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.
The doctrine of basic structure of the constitution was
reaffirmed and applied by the Supreme Court in the
Indira Nehru Gandhi case (1975). In this case, the
Supreme Court invalidated a provision of the 39th
Amendment Act (1975) which kept the election disputes
involving the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Lok Sabha
outside the jurisdiction of all courts. The court said that
this provision was beyond the amending power of
Parliament as it affected the basic structure of the
constitution.
Again, the Parliament reacted to this judicially innovated
doctrine of ‘basic structure’ by enacting the 42nd
Amendment Act (1976). This Act amended Article 368 and
declared that there is no limitation on the constituent
power of Parliament and no amendment can be
questioned in any court on any ground including that of
the contravention of any of the Fundamental Rights.
However, Supreme Court in the Minerva Mills case
(1980) invalidated this provision as it excluded judicial
review which is a ‘basic feature’ of the Constitution.
Applying the doctrine of ‘basic structure’ with respect to
Article 368, the court held that: “Since the Constitution had
conferred a limited amending power on the Parliament,
the Parliament cannot under the exercise of that limited
power enlarge that very power into an absolute power.
Indeed, a limited amending power is one of the basic
28
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
features of the Constitution and, therefore, the
limitations on that power cannot be destroyed. In
other words, Parliament cannot, under article 368, expand
its amending power to acquire for itself the right to repeal
or abrogate the Constitution or to destroy its basic
features. The donee of a limited power cannot by the
exercise of that power convert the limited power into an
unlimited one”.
ELEMENTS OF THE BASIC STRUCTURE
The present position is that the Parliament under
Article 368 can amend any part of the Constitution
including the Fundamental Rights but without
affecting the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.
However, the Supreme Court is yet to define or clarify as
to what constitutes the ‘basic structure’ of the
Constitution. From the various judgements, the following
have emerged as ‘basic features’ of the Constitution or
elements of the ‘basic structure’ of the constitution:
1. Supremacy of the Constitution.
2. Sovereign, democratic and republican nature of the
Indian polity
3. Secular character of the Constitution
4. Separation of powers between the legislature, the
executive and the judiciary
5. Federal character of the Constitution
6. Unity and integrity of the nation
7. Welfare state (socio-economic justice)
8. Judicial review
9. Freedom and dignity of the individual
10. Parliamentary system
11. Rule of law
12. Harmony and balance between Fundamental Rights
and Directive Principles
13. Principle of equality
14. Free and fair elections
15. Independence of Judiciary
CRITICISM OF THE DOCTRINE OF BASIC STRUCTURE
 Legitimacy of the judgement can be questioned as the
verdict was given by a very thin margin (7-6).
 Judiciary is "overlooking the letters of the constitution"
and "inventing its soul".
 Its metaphysical approach "Basic Structure" disturbs
the separation of power and establishes judicial
sovereignty.
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 Judiciary is least representative and most elitist, least
accountable hence assuming the role of super
legislature is unsuitable for democracy.
 Since entire spectrum of BS is undefined, it creates
uncertainty and discretion affecting the working of
executive.
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR:
 The fundamental structure concept serves as evidence
for the constitutionalist thesis that majority rule by
force cannot destroy the core of the COI.
 “Parliament too is a creature of the Constitution”.
Therefore, it can only have such powers that are
expressly vested on it. If those powers are seen as
unlimited, Parliament, the Court found, “would cease
to be an authority under the Constitution”; it would
instead “become supreme over it, because it would
have power to alter the entire Constitution including
its basic structure”. In other words, the principle that
Parliament is proscribed from changing the
Constitution’s essential features is rooted in the
knowledge that the Constitution, as originally
adopted, was built on an intelligible moral
foundation.
 Because it serves as a check on constituent power, the
fundamental concept preserved Indian democracy;
otherwise, unchecked parliamentary power may
have turned India into a totalitarian state.
 Retaining the fundamental principles of our
constitution, which our founding fathers so
painstakingly crafted, is beneficial.
 It gave citizens fundamental rights that no state organ
can alter by restricting the legislative branch's ability to
amend laws.
 Being dynamic in nature, it is more progressive and
open to changes in time unlike the rigid nature of earlier
judgements.
The doctrine of basic structure is a crucial part of the
Indian Constitution, protecting its core principles and
values. While it has its advantages, such as preserving
constitutional democracy, it also has its drawbacks, such
as creating a power imbalance between the judiciary and
the legislature. Ultimately, the doctrine is essential in
maintaining the integrity and stability of the Indian
Constitution, and its significance cannot be overstated.
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
RESERVATION
#Equality #Social Justice
Days after scrapping the 2B Category for Muslims under the
OBC quota and on the eve of the announcement of the
Assembly elections, the Karnataka government notified the
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category to provide 10%
reservation in education and employment.
 Muslims have been included under this category as per
the Cabinet decision taken last week. The order issued
on March 28, the day before the model code of conduct
came into force, stated that those castes that do not
enjoy reservation status provided to the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes and are not in the list of
backward classes and communities transferred to the
EWS reservation from the backward classes will be
eligible for 10% reservation. The five communities of
Brahmins, Arya Vaisyas, Mudaliars, Jains, and
Nagarathas have been identified to benefit from the
EWS reservation in Karnataka. Muslims are the new
addition.
Disclaimer: To understand the topic as controversial as
reservation, we must wear the veil of ignorance.
The veil of ignorance is a thought experiment
proposed by philosopher John Rawls to help
individuals think about justice and fairness in society. It
asks individuals to imagine that they are behind a veil of
ignorance, where they do not know their social
status, class, race, gender, or other personal
characteristics.
In the case of reservations, the veil of ignorance
could help individuals consider the issue from a
neutral standpoint, without being influenced by their
own personal experiences or biases. By doing so,
individuals can think about the issue of reservations
solely based on principles of justice and fairness, rather
than their own interests or identities.
Wearing the veil of ignorance can help individuals
understand the perspectives of both supporters and
opponents of reservations and can help promote a
more rational and balanced discussion around the
issue.
WHY DO WE NEED TO COVER THIS?
 The debate around reservation is centered on the
practice of providing preferential treatment to
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individuals or groups who have historically faced
social, economic, and educational disadvantages. In
many countries, including India, the United States,
and South Africa, reservations are implemented in
education, employment, and political representation.
 On one hand, supporters of reservations argue that
they are necessary to correct historical injustices and
provide opportunities for marginalized communities.
They argue that without affirmative action programs,
members of disadvantaged groups would continue to
be excluded from positions of power and influence.
 On the other hand, opponents of reservations argue
that they are discriminatory and violate the
principle of meritocracy. They argue that reservations
create a system where people are chosen based on
their identity rather than their abilities, leading to
inefficiencies and lowering the overall quality of
institutions.
 Additionally, there are debates around the efficacy of
reservations in achieving their intended goals. Some
argue that while reservations may provide temporary
relief, they do not address the root causes of social and
economic inequality and may even perpetuate the
marginalization of certain groups.
Overall, the debate around reservation is complex and
multifaceted, with both supporters and opponents
presenting valid arguments.
WHAT IS RESERVATION?
It is a form of affirmative action whereby a percentage of
seats are reserved in the government service and
educational institutions for the socially and educationally
backward communities and the Scheduled Castes and
Tribes who are inadequately represented in these services
and institutions.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS REGARDING
RESERVATION
 Article 15 (4) allows the State to make any special
provision for the advancement of any socially and
educationally backward classes of citizens or for the
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. This
provision was extended to admission in educational
institutions by 93rd Amendment Act, 2006 (except
minority educational institutions)
 Article 16 (4) allows State to make any provision for the
reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any
backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
State, is not adequately represented in the services
under the State.
 Article 16(4A) empowers state to make provisions for
reservation in matters of promotion to SC/ST
employees.
 Article 46 states that the State shall promote with
special care the educational and economic interests of
the weaker sections of the people, and of the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect
them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.
 Article 243D provides reservation of seats for SCs and
STs in every Panchayat.
 Article 243T provides reservation of seats for SCs and
STs in every Municipality.
 Article 330 states that seats shall be reserved in the Lok
Sabha for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes.
 Article 332 of the Constitution of India provides for
reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assemblies of the
States.
Reservation in India is a complex and controversial issue.
While it was introduced as a measure to address historical
and structural inequalities, it has also been criticized for
creating new forms of inequality and perpetuating caste-
based divisions.
WHAT ARE THE RECENT DEBATES REGARDING
RESERVATION?
 Sub categorization of OBC: The idea is to create sub-
categories within the larger group of OBCs for the
purpose of reservation. OBCs are granted 27%
reservation in jobs and education under the central
government. This has been a legal debate for other
reservation categories too: in September last year, a
Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court reopened the
debate on sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes for reservations.
 Dominant castes demanding reservation: Marathas,
Patels, Jats, Kapus and others are asking for
reservations today, preferably through their
recognition as Other Backward Classes. This demand
reflects the challenges they are facing on the job
market.
 Reservation to Muslims and Christians: Currently,
the constitutional right to reservations in jobs and
education as a member of the SC community is
extended only to people from Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist
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faiths, in accordance with the Constitution (Scheduled
Castes) Order, 1950.
 Local reservation in private sector: Haryana State
Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 was passed
reserving 75% of private sector jobs for people of the
state.
ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH RESERVATION IN INDIA
1. Debate around meritocracy: One of the main
arguments against reservation is that it goes against the
principle of meritocracy, which is the idea that
individuals should be rewarded based on their abilities
and hard work, rather than their social background.
Critics argue that reservation policies favour candidates
from certain castes or communities, regardless of their
abilities or qualifications, and therefore undermine the
concept of meritocracy.
2. Limited impact: While reservation has been in place
for several decades, it has not been able to fully address
the issue of caste-based discrimination and inequality.
Many argue that it has only benefited a small section of
the population, leaving most Dalits and other
marginalized groups outside its purview.
3. Backlash from dominant castes: Reservation has
often been met with resistance from dominant castes,
who see it as a threat to their own interests and
privileges. This has led to tensions and conflicts
between different caste groups, and in some cases,
even violence.
4. Political manipulation: Reservation policies have been
used by political parties as a tool to gain votes and
maintain power. This has led to the creation of new
caste-based political alliances and the use of
reservation quotas as a bargaining chip in electoral
politics.
5. Inadequate implementation: Despite the existence of
reservation policies, many institutions and
organizations continue to discriminate against
marginalized groups. The implementation of
reservation policies has been uneven and often marred
by corruption and inefficiency, which has limited their
impact.
WAY FORWARD
Improving the reservation system in India requires a multi-
pronged approach that addresses its various
shortcomings. Here are some ways in which the
reservation system in India could be improved:
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
1. Ensure effective implementation: One of the biggest
challenges with the reservation system in India is the
lack of effective implementation. There is a need to
ensure that reservation policies are implemented in a
transparent and efficient manner, and that benefits
reach the intended beneficiaries.
2. Expand the scope of reservation: Reservation policies
could be expanded to include other marginalized
groups such as economically weaker sections,
transgender individuals, and people with disabilities,
who face discrimination and exclusion.
3. Address the issue of creamy layer: The creamy layer
refers to the affluent sections within reserved
categories who benefit from reservation policies and
may not necessarily require them. There is a need to
exclude the creamy layer from reservation benefits to
ensure that the benefits reach the most disadvantaged
sections.
4. Encourage merit-based affirmative action:
Reservation policies could be supplemented by other
measures that promote merit-based affirmative action.
For example, institutions could adopt diversity targets,
scholarships, and mentorship programs to support
underprivileged students.
5. Focus on quality education: Improving the quality of
education in marginalized communities is critical to
reducing the dependence on reservation policies.
Investment in quality education infrastructure, teacher
training, and curriculum development could go a long
way in promoting equality and social mobility.
6. Promote social awareness and dialogue: Creating a
social awareness and dialogue around the issues of
caste and reservation is important to promote greater
understanding and acceptance of the need for
affirmative action policies. This could be done through
public education campaigns, media outreach, and
community engagement programs.
Overall, reservation in India is a complex issue that needs
to be approached with nuance and sensitivity. While it has
helped to address some forms of inequality, it has also
created new challenges that need to be addressed.
MONEY BILL
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
Government on Monday completed its budgetary exercise for
2023­24, with both Houses of Parliament approving the
Finance Bill, 2023, along with a fresh amendment introduced
by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to rectify an
error in the Securities Transaction Tax rates on option
contracts in the earlier version of the Bill.
Money bills and Finance bills are interrelated. A
financial bill (I) is a bill that contains not only any or all the
matters mentioned in Article 110, but also other matters
of general legislation. So, if we understand the Money Bill,
we can understand the Finance Bill. Hence, Article 110 and
Article 111 (Which contain the provisions related to Money
Bill) is of utmost importance for comprehending the
provisions related to Budget.
PYQ:
Q. Regarding Money Bill, which of the following
statements is not correct? (2018)
(a) A bill shall be deemed to be a Money Bill if it
contains only provisions relating to imposition,
abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of
any tax.
(b) A Money Bill has provisions for the custody of
the Consolidated Fund of India or the
Contingency Fund of India.
(c) A Money Bill is concerned with the
appropriation of moneys out of the
Contingency Fund of India.
(d) A Money Bill deals with the regulation of
borrowing of money or giving of any guarantee
by the Government of India.
Answer: A
WHAT IS A MONEY BILLS?
Article 110 of the Constitution deals with the definition of
money bills. It states that a bill is deemed to be a money
bill if it contains ‘only’ provisions dealing with all or any of
the following matters:
1. The imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or
regulation of any tax.
2. The regulation of the borrowing of money by the Union
government.
3. The custody of the Consolidated Fund of India or the
contingency fund of India, the payment of moneys into
or the withdrawal of money from any such fund.
4. The appropriation of money out of the Consolidated
Fund of India.
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
5. Declaration of any expenditure charged on the  If the Rajya Sabha does not return the bill to the Lok
Consolidated Fund of India or increasing the amount of Sabha within 14 days, the bill is deemed to have been
any such expenditure. passed by both the Houses in the form originally passed
6. The receipt of money on account of the Consolidated by the Lok Sabha. Thus, the Lok Sabha has more powers
Fund of India or the public account of India or the than Rajya Sabha regarding a money bill. On the other
custody or issue of such money, or the audit of the hand, both the Houses have equal powers regarding an
accounts of the Union or of a state; or ordinary bill.

7. Any matter incidental to any of the matters specified Finally, when a money bill is presented to the president, he
above. may either give his assent to the bill or withhold his assent
to the bill but cannot return the bill for reconsideration of
HOWEVER, A BILL IS NOT TO BE DEEMED TO BE A
the Houses. Normally, the president gives his assent to a
MONEY BILL BY REASON ONLY THAT IT PROVIDES FOR
money bill as it is introduced in the Parliament with his
1. Imposition of fines or other pecuniary penalties, or prior permission.
2. Demand or payment of fees for licenses or fees for
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MONEY BILL AND ORDINARY
services rendered; or BILL
3. Imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or
S.N. MONEY BILL ORDINARY BILL
regulation of any tax by any local authority or body for
local purposes. It can be introduced in the It can be introduced in
If any question arises whether a bill is a money bill or not, 1. Lok Sabha only not in the either house
the decision of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is final. Rajya Sabha of parliament.
His decision in this regard cannot be questioned in any It can be intruded in the It can be introduced
court of law or in the either House of Parliament or even 2. Lok Sabha only by a either by a minister or by
the president. When a money bill is transmitted to the minister. a private member
Rajya Sabha for recommendation and presented to the
It can be introduced only Recommendation of
president for assent, the Speaker endorses it as a money
3. of the recommendation of president is not
bill.
the president. required.
What is the procedure for passing of money bill in
parliament? It can’t be amended or
 The Constitution lays down a special procedure for the rejected by the Rajya
passing of money bills in the Parliament. A money bill Sabha. The Rajya Sabha
can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha and that should return the bill with It can be amended or
too on the recommendation of the president. Every 4. or without rejected by the Rajya
such bill is a government bill and can be introduced only recommendations, which Sabha.
by a minister. may be rejected or
 It cannot reject or amend a money bill. It can only make accepted by the Lok
the recommendations. It must return the bill to the Lok Sabha.
Sabha within 14 days, whether with or without It can be detained by the Rajya Sabha can detain it
recommendations. The Lok Sabha can either accept or 5. Rajya Sabha for a for a maximum of 6
reject all or any of the recommendations of the Rajya maximum of 14 days only. months.
Sabha.
If it is originated in the
 If the Lok Sabha accepts any recommendation, the bill It requires the
Lok Sabha, it does not
is then deemed to have been passed by both the certification of Lok Sabha
require approval of
Houses in the modified form. If the Lok Sabha does not 6. speaker when
speaker when
accept any recommendation, the bill is then deemed to transmitted to Rajya
transmitted to Rajya
have passed by both the Houses in the form originally Sabha.
Sabha.
passed by the Lok Sabha without any change.

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 33

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
It is sent to the president sitting of the two Houses to resolve the deadlock.
It is sent for approval of When the bill is presented to the President, he can
only when it is passed by
president even if it either give his assent to the bill or withhold his assent
both houses of
approved by the Lok to the bill or return the bill for reconsideration of the
parliament. In case of
7. Sabha only. There is no Houses.
deadlock between two
provision of joint sitting of
houses, a joint sitting of Financial Bills (II)
both houses in this
both the houses can be  A financial bill (II) contains provisions involving
regard.
called by the president. expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India but
does not include any of the matters mentioned in
Its defeat in the Lok
Article 110.
If this bill is defeated in Sabha may lead to the
 It is treated as an ordinary bill and in all respects, it
the Lok Sabha, then the resignation of the
8. is governed by the same legislative procedure which is
entire council of ministers government if it is
applicable to an ordinary bill.
has to resign. introduced by a
member.  The only special feature of this bill is that it cannot be
passed by either House of Parliament unless the
It can be rejected or President has recommended to that House the
accepted but can’t be consideration of the bill. Hence, financial bill (II) can be
It can be rejected,
returned for introduced in either House of Parliament or
accepted or returned for
9. reconsideration by the recommendation of the President is not necessary for
reconsideration by
president (because earlier its introduction. In other words, the recommendation of
the president.
permission is taken from the President is not required at the introduction stage
him). but is required at the consideration stage.
FINANCE BILLS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT OR  It can be either rejected or amended by either
SIMILAR FROM MONEY BILLS? House of Parliament. In case of a disagreement
Financial Bills (I) between the two Houses over such a bill, the President
can summon a joint sitting of the two Houses to resolve
 A financial bill (I) is a bill that contains not only any
the deadlock. When the bill is presented to the
or all the matters mentioned in Article 110, but also
President, he can either give his assent to the bill or
other matters of general legislation.
withhold his assent to the bill or return the bill for
 For instance, a bill that contains a borrowing clause,
reconsideration of the Houses.
but does not exclusively deal with borrowing.
 Similarities: In two respects, a financial bill (I) is like
a money bill– HOW TO TACKLE
 Both can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha and
not in the Rajya Sabha, and
CORRUPTION
 Both can be introduced only on the recommendation #Governance
of the president. In all other respects, a financial bill
(I) is governed by the same legislative procedure
"Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it's set a
applicable to an ordinary bill.
rolling it must increase."
 Hence, it can be either rejected or amended by the
Corruption is a persistent problem that has plagued
Rajya Sabha (except that an amendment other than for
societies for centuries. It hampers economic growth,
reduction or abolition of a tax cannot be moved in
undermines the rule of law, and erodes public trust in
either House without the recommendation of the
institutions. As one of the biggest challenges faced by
president i.e., the recommendation of president is not
nations across the world, it is critical to understand the
required for moving an amendment making provision
causes and impacts of corruption. In this article, we will
for the reduction or abolition of a tax).
delve into the origins of corruption, examine the factors
 In case of a disagreement between the two Houses
that drive it, and explore the devastating consequences of
over such a bill, the president can summon a joint
corruption on a global scale.

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 34

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
Although corruption may not be mentioned directly in the
exam syllabus of GS paper II, it is closely linked to several
key topics, including transparency, accountability, e-
governance, and citizens charters.
There are two ways in which corruption as a topic can
be covered. One is the general understanding of
corruption, its causes and the initiatives which can
effectively check corruption while the other is related to
Corruption in India. We believe that it is difficult to
understand the later without the prior. Hence this
discussion is going to delve into corruption, major causes
of corruption, major impacts of corruption, measures
which can act against corruption.
WHAT CORRUPTION IS?
Corruption refers to the abuse of power or position for
personal gain, typically involving bribery or dishonest
behaviour. It involves the use of one's public or private
office for personal benefit or the benefit of a group to
which one belongs, rather than for the public interest or
common good. Corruption can take many forms, including
accepting or offering bribes, embezzlement, nepotism,
fraud, and other illegal or unethical activities. Corruption
undermines democratic processes, weakens the rule of
law, and harms economic and social development.
Much evidence indicates that corruption has been around
for thousands of years, but in recent years it has attracted
increasing attention. Does the attention reflect an
increasing awareness or an increasing scope of the
problem? Probably, corruption has increased in recent
decades. Actions can be taken to reduce corruption, but
the fight against it cannot be seen independently from the
need to reform the role of the state. The reason is that a
certain role of the state almost inevitably creates a fertile
ground for corruption.
DEFINING CORRUPTION
 Corruption is a term of many meanings, but at the
broadest level, corruption is the misuse of office for
unofficial ends. Office is a position of duty or should
be the officeholder is supposed to put the interests of
the institution and the people first.
 Corruption can go beyond bribery to include
nepotism, neglect of duty and favouritism. Corrupt acts
can involve third parties outside the organisation (in
transactions with clients and citizens, such as extortion
and bribery) or be internal to an organisation (theft,
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
embezzlement, some types of fraud). Corruption can
occur in government, business, civil society
organisations and international agencies. Each of these
varieties has the dimension of scale, from episodic to
systemic.
V.S. Naipaul, the Trinidad-born Nobel Prize winner,
once noted that underdevelopment is characterised by
a duplicitous emphasis on honorific titles and
simultaneously the abuse of those titles: judges who
love to be called “your honour” even as they accept
bribes, civil servants who are uncivil and serve
themselves.
CATEGORIES OF CORRUPTION
 Bribery The act of dishonestly persuading someone
to act in one’s favour by a payment or other
inducement. Inducements can take the form of gifts,
loans, fees, rewards or other advantages (taxes,
services, donations, etc.). The use of bribes can lead
to collusion (e.g., inspectors under-reporting
offences in exchange for bribes) and/or extortion
(e.g., bribes extracted against the threat of over-
reporting).
 Embezzlement To steal, misdirect or
misappropriate funds or assets placed in one’s trust
or under one’s control. From a legal point of view,
embezzlement need not necessarily be or involve
corruption. Facilitation payment A small payment,
also called a “speed” or “grease” payment, made to
secure or expedite the performance of a routine or
necessary action to which the payer has legal or
other entitlement.
 Fraud The act of intentionally and dishonestly
deceiving someone to gain an unfair or illegal
advantage (financial, political or otherwise).
 Collusion An arrangement between two or more
parties designed to achieve an improper purpose,
including influencing improperly the actions of
another party.
 Extortion The act of impairing or harming, or
threatening to impair or harm, directly or indirectly,
any party or the property of the party to influence
improperly the actions of a party.
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
 Patronage, clientelism and nepotism Patronage at its manipulate markets as a means of generating
core means the support given by a patron. In profits through non-competitive mechanisms.
government, it refers to the practice of appointing  They use such mechanisms not only to enrich
people directly. themselves but also to build a basis of patronage and
MAJOR CAUSES OF CORRUPTION political support.

Corruption is a phenomenon with many faces. It is Weak institutions

characterised by a range of economic, political,  Weak governance is one of the fundamental causes of
administrative, social and cultural factors, both domestic corruption. The political and economic opportunities
and international in nature. Corruption is not an innate available in different political systems, as well as the
form of behaviour, but rather a symptom of wider strength and effectiveness of state, social and
dynamics. It results from interactions, opportunities, economic, shape the conditions in which corruption can
strengths and weaknesses in socio-political systems. It thrive.
opens and closes spaces for individuals, groups,  In particular, the centralisation of power in the
organisations and institutions that populate civil society, executive and in accountability mechanisms that are
the state, the public sector and the private sector. It is, deficient gives actors (especially elites) too much
above all, the result of dynamic relationships between discretion.
multiple actors.
Much of the literature on institutions and corruption
Principal-agent
argues that corruption tends to be especially
 A principal-agent problem exists when one party to a prevalent in so-called (neo-)patrimonial systems,
relationship (the principal) requires a service of where:
another party (the agent) but the principal lacks the  There is weak separation of the public and private
necessary information to monitor the agent’s spheres, which results in the widespread private
performance in an effective way. appropriation of public resources.
 The “information asymmetry” that arises because the  Vertical (e.g., patron–client) and identity-based (e.g.,
agent has more or better information than the principal
kinship, ethnicity, religion) relationships have primacy
creates a power imbalance between the two and makes over horizontal and rights-based relationships.
it difficult for the principal to ensure the agent’s
 Politics are organised around personalism or “big
compliance.
man” syndrome, reflected in the high centralisation of
 So, for instance, public servants or elected officials power and patron–client relations replicated
(who in this case would both be the agents) may be throughout society.
able to abuse their public office to secure private
rents in exchange for public services because Neopatrimonialism is a system of social hierarchy

members of the public (the “principals” in this case) where patrons use state resources to secure the loyalty

cannot hold them to account. of clients in the general population. It is an informal

patron–client relationship that can reach from very high
States and markets
up in state structures down to individuals in small
 Economic systems where the state is heavily
villages.
interventionist (India before 1991) are also more
prone to corruption. More generally, it is countries undergoing processes of
political and economic transition (because of struggles
 The logic is that large involvement of the state in the
over sources of accumulation, distribution of access, cost
economy, especially where checks and balances and
of buying legitimacy, etc.) that are particularly
wider accountability mechanisms are lacking, allows
susceptible to corruption.
individual politicians and bureaucrats to

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
CORRUPTION AND DEMOCRACY/ELECTORAL
COMPETITION IN PLURALITY SYSTEMS
 Overall plurality systems (Like in India) are more
candidate-centred, which tends to provide greater
incentives for politics based on the allocation of
patronage, especially if the systems encourage internal
(i.e., within-party) competition among candidates.
 Are less likely to produce desirable public goods.
This is because so-called “pork barrel politics” (or the
appropriation of government spending for localised
projects secured to benefit a narrow group of citizens
often in the politician’s home district) are more
prevalent where the electoral system is based on
candidate-centred electoral competition and
candidates need to differentiate themselves from other
candidates.
 Are more prone to electoral malpractice. This is
because, by contrast, parties operating in PR systems
parties have a greater incentive to enforce
compliance with electoral rules to protect party
reputation than in plurality systems, which gives
individual candidates greater leeway to manipulate the
rules.
 In addition, under plurality, in a close contest only a
small number of votes needs to be manipulated to
alter electoral outcomes, whereas a far greater
number of votes would need to be altered in PR
systems to achieve the same result.
Corruption and natural wealth: the resource curse
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 Ample evidence from across the developing world
shows countries rich in natural resources also tend to
be highly corrupt and poorly governed, in part because
of the dynamics and incentives extractive resources
tend to generate for the ruling elites.
Corruption as embedded in social relations
 First, there is evidence that the public sector in some
Sub-Saharan African countries is undergoing a process
of “informal privatisation”. Rather than signifying an
absence of rules, this process is characterised by an
excess of complex de facto norms that are at odds with
formal rules and blur the boundaries between licit and
illicit practices.
 Second, the boundaries between corrupt practices and
other behaviour or actions are often difficult to define
because corruption is situated within wider everyday
practices that are not corrupt but often facilitate and
legitimise corruption.
What are the major impacts of corruption?
 Macroeconomic costs of corruption
 Corruption need not have deleterious effects on
growth, with countries that vary considerably in
terms of their governance environments equally able
to achieve high levels of sustained growth over time.
 As governance quality increases, corruption
becomes more damaging to economic growth.
 Improved governance quality may be able to
mitigate the effects of corruption
37
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
 Microeconomic costs of corruption: firms, efficiency
and domestic investments
 There is a substantial body of evidence assessing the
impact of corruption on firm profitability, and on the
commercial behaviour and choices of individuals and
businesses. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests
corruption has negative impacts on productivity, on
investment and, overall, on profitability and growth.
 Corruption, trade and foreign direct investment
 Just as domestic investors are likely to make
decisions about production and investment affected
by corrupt business environments, so importers,
exporters and foreign investors are likely to amend
their commercial calculations based on such factors.
 Typically, they will have to weigh up the costs of
engaging in corrupt activities against the
benefits of short-term efficiency and/or longer-
term profitability.
 Corruption and inequality
 Lower income households and businesses pay a
higher proportion of their income in bribes than do
middle- or upper-income households: as such,
bribes are like a regressive tax, since they must
allocate a greater amount of their income than the
rich to bribes.
 Corruption and public services
 Perceptions of a government as corrupt may reduce
tax revenues, in turn affecting the delivery of public
services.
 Corruption reduces not just the total level of public
investment but also the quality of services procured.
 The effects of corruption in public service delivery
may have gender-specific effects: where women are
unable to generate income, they are particularly
vulnerable to shortfalls in public service provision.
 Corruption, trust and legitimacy
 Trust in public institutions
 There is a large and statistically significant
negative correlation between corruption and
levels of confidence in public institutions.
 Corruption drives down levels of confidence in
public institutions; others suggest lower public
confidence increases corrupt practices
 Corruption and social trust
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 Increased levels of corruption undermine social
trust
 Corruption, fragility and conflict
 Corruption and political instability are positively
correlated.
 Corruption “has doubly pernicious impacts on the
risks of violence, by fuelling grievances and by
undermining the effectiveness of national
institutions and social norms”.
 Deeper analysis explores some of the
circumstances in which corruption May 1) mitigate
for or 2) exacerbate conflict
 Corruption and the environment
 Corruption leads to worsened environmental
outcomes, such as increased polluting emissions,
higher rates of deforestation, increased depletion of
natural resources and trafficking in illegal or highly
regulated environmental products like wildlife and
wood.
What are the measures which can act against
corruption?
 Public financial management
 Public expenditure tracking: Budget tracking
reduces leakage (a proxy indicator for corruption).
 Procurement: reforms can be effective at reducing
corruption.
 Central budget planning and management has
positive effects on reducing corruption.
 Supreme audit institutions (SAIs)
 SAIs carries out audits on government accounts to
ensure the proper and effective use of public funds,
the proper execution of administrative activities, the
development of sound financial management and
the satisfactory sharing of information with public
authorities and the public.
 SAIs is more effective at reducing corruption
compared with other anti-corruption institutions,
such as anti-corruption authorities (ACAs).
 Direct anti-corruption interventions
 Anti-corruption authorities (ACAs): are ineffective
in curbing corruption, but these are often
constrained by a poor data foundation and lack of a
systematic approach to evaluating performance.
38
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
 National anti-corruption strategies: Design and
implementation are critical to the success of NACSs
and warns against a one-size fits-all approach. There
is currently no evidence to suggest a NACS adds
value above and beyond the constituent reforms and
initiatives it aims to pull together and coordinate.
 Social accountability
 Social accountability mechanisms are intended to
enable citizens to hold public institutions
accountable in ways other than the traditional
vertical channels (e.g., elections) and horizontal
channels (e.g., legislatures, courts and institutional
checks and balances) of formal political
accountability.
 It includes a broad range of mechanisms:
participatory budgeting; public expenditure tracking
(PETS); citizen monitoring of service delivery;
information dissemination; and public complaints
mechanisms, among others.
 Transparency, and, linked to this, Access to
Information, is generally expected to have a positive
impact on corruption control.
 Freedom of the press can reduce corruption and
that the media plays a role in the effectiveness of
other social accountability mechanisms.
 Mobilisation and involvement of civil society
organisations (CSOs) helps constrain corruption,
although the impact is not always direct and is highly
dependent on the conditions within which they
operate.
 Civil service reform
 Factors accentuating corruption include proliferation
of opportunities for corruption linked to economic
growth; lack of focus on integrity in recruiting,
training, appraising and promoting civil servants;
failure to establish a merit-based civil service; and
macro-level factors such as general accountability
and transparency in the public service.
 E-government initiatives may help reduce corruption
and increase accountability in the civil service.
Overall, the evidence on the conditions under which
different types of anti-corruption interventions help
effectively reduce corrupt practices (or fail to do so) is
mixed, and causal effects are hard to prove. The evidence
on contextual factors influencing the effectiveness of anti-
corruption reforms is still sparse, although its importance
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
is increasingly being recognised, for social accountability
mechanisms. The difficulty of separating contextual
factors from reforms, and the complexity of identifying the
direction of causality, remains a challenge to clearly
identifying contextual factors and their effects on reforms.
"Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it's set a
rolling it must increase.
The quote by Charles Caleb Colton suggests that
corruption can be a self-perpetuating phenomenon,
much like a snowball that grows as it rolls downhill.
Once corruption starts, it can be difficult to stop or
reverse, and it may even become more widespread
over time.
This analogy highlights the potential danger of
corruption and emphasizes the importance of
preventing it from taking root in the first place. By
addressing the root causes of corruption and taking
steps to promote transparency and accountability,
individuals and institutions can help prevent corruption
from gaining momentum and becoming a more
significant problem.
CENTRAL INFORMATION
COMMISSION
#Governance
It is constituted under the provision of Section-12 of RTI
Act 2005. The Central Information Commission shall
consist of the Chief Information Commissioner
(CIC) and such number of Central Information
Commissioners not exceeding 10 as may be deemed
necessary. The jurisdiction of the Commission extends
over all Central Public Authorities.
APPOINTMENT
Chief information Commissioner and other
commissioners are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of a committee for which Section 12(3)
of the RTI Act 2005 provides as follows :
(i) The Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairperson of
the committee.
(ii) The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha ; and
(iii) A Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the
Prime Minister.
39
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
ELIGIBILITY b) Who has been refused access to any information
 The Chief Information Commissioner and Information requested under this Act
Commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public c) Who has not been given a response to a request
life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science for information or access to information within the
and technology, social service, management, time limit specified under this Act
journalism, mass media or administration and d) Who has been required to pay an amount of fee
governance. which he or she considers unreasonable
 The Chief Information Commissioner or an Information e) Who believes that he or she has been given
Commissioner shall not be a Member of Parliament or incomplete, misleading or false
Member of the Legislature of any State or Union information under this Act
Territory as the case may be or hold any other office of
f) In respect of any other matter relating to
profit or connected with any political party or carrying
requesting or obtaining access to records under
on any business or pursuing any profession.
this Act.
TERM OF OFFICE
2. Where the Central Information Commission or State
 The Chief Information Commissioner shall hold office Information Commission is satisfied that there
for such term as may be prescribed by the Central are reasonable grounds to inquire into the matter,
Government and shall not be eligible for it may initiate an inquiry in respect thereof. (i.e., Suo
reappointment moto power)
 No Chief Information Commissioner shall hold office as 3. The Central Information Commission or State
such after he has attained the age of sixty-five years. Information Commission shall, while inquiring into any
 Every Information Commissioner shall hold office for matter under this section, have the same powers as
are vested in a civil court.
such term as may be prescribed by the Central
Government or till he attains the age of sixty-five
years, whichever is earlier, and shall not be eligible for DELIMITATION
reappointment as such Information Commissioner.
 However, Information commissioners are eligible for
COMMISSION
appointment as the Chief Information Commissioner. #Elections
REMOVAL
 The Chief Information Commissioner or any Various political parties in Assam had submitted to Election
Information Commissioner shall be removed from his commission of India (ECI) to hold the delimitation exercise, till
office only by order of the President on the ground of the conclusion of National Register of Citizen (NRC) process. In
proved misbehaviour or incapacity. response to this chief election commissioner said that
delimitation and NRC are “different issues” and there is no
 Removal can be done only after the inquiry report of
legal bar on carrying them out separately.
the Supreme Court ,on a reference made to it by the
The Delimitation Commission is established by Parliament
President.
under Article 82 to determine allocation of seats in the
POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF INFORMATION
House of the People to the States based on 1971
COMMISSIONS Census and divide states into territorial
1. As per the RTI Act 2005, it shall be the duty of the constituencies based 2001 Census.
Central Information Commission or State Information Delimitation means the act or process of fixing limits
Commission to receive and inquire into a complaint or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country
from any person, or a province having a legislative body. In India, the job of
a) Who has been unable to submit a request to a delimitation has been assigned to a high-power body
Central Public Information Officer or State known as Delimitation Commission or Boundary
Public Information Officer Commission.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
Four Delimitation Commission have been
constituted since independence
1952 – under Delimitation Commission Act, 1952
1963 – under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962
1973 – under Delimitation Commission Act, 1972
2002 – under Delimitation Commission Act, 2002
Orders of Delimitation Commission cannot be called
in question before any Court of law.
The copies of its orders are laid before the House of
People and the State Legislative Assembly concerned,
but no modifications are permissible therein by them.
The Central Government shall constitute a Commission
to be called the Delimitation Commission which shall
consist of three members as follows:
a) one member, who shall be a person who is or has been
a Judge of the Supreme Court, to be appointed by the
Central Government who shall be the Chairperson of
the Commission.
b) the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election
Commissioner nominated by the Chief Election
Commissioner, ex officio:
c) the State Election Commissioner of concerned State, ex
officio.
The Commission shall determine its own
procedure and shall, in the performance of its functions,
have all the powers of a civil court under the Code of
Civil Procedure.
Role played by delimitation commission
 Balance of representation to achieve the ideals of ‘One
Vote One Value’
 Ensure adequate representation to vulnerable
sections including SC/ST.
 Fair division of geographical areas for adequate
representation of diverse communities.
CHALLENGES
 Delimitation exercise is restricted by Constitution 84th
and 87th Amendment.
 This has frozen the seats in Lok Sabha and State
Assemblies till 2026.
 Seats reserved for SC and ST population also remains
frozen and increasing population of vulnerable section
is not accounted for.
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Thus, the need of the hour is to develop a National
consensus exercise for undertaking delimitation along
with 2031 census to ensure adequate representation of
states and vulnerable sections of India.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF POPULATION (NRC)
 The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is the register
containing names of Indian citizens. The only time that
a National Register of Citizens (NRC) was prepared was
in 1951 when after conduct of the Census of 1951, the
NRC was prepared by recording particulars of all the
persons enumerated during that Census.
 It was only done by the state of Assam , though it was
mandated for all the states. However, recently Home
Ministry has expressed, that it is planning to do this
process for entire country.
 Citizenship being a subject of the Union List, policy
decisions, guidelines and funds for NRC updation are
provided by the Central Government but its
implementation is done through the State Government
machinery under the guidance of the Registrar General
of India who functions as the Registrar General of
Citizen Registration under Rule 15 of Citizenship Rules,
2003 as amended in 2009 and 2010.
 The provisions governing NRC updation are The
Citizenship Act, 1955, and The Citizenship
(Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity
cards) Rules, 2003 (prepared under The Citizenship Act,
1955).
GUILLOTINE IN THE
CONTEXT OF INDIAN
LEGISLATURE
Lok Sabha passed the Demands for Grants for Budget 2023-
24 and the Appropriation Bill by a voice vote without any
discussion. Speaker applied guillotine and put demands for
grants of all ministries to vote.
 Discussion on a matter of public importance can take
place only when motion made with the consent of the
presiding officer.
 Guillotine is a type of motion which falls under the
category of closure motion.
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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
CLOSURE MOTION
It is a motion moved by a member to cut short the debate
on a matter before the House. If the motion is approved
by the House, debate is stopped forthwith and the matter
is put to vote.
Types of closure motions
(a) Simple Closure: It is one when a member moves that
the ‘matter having been sufficiently discussed be now
put to vote’.
(b) Closure by Compartments: In this case, the clauses of
a bill or a lengthy resolution are grouped into parts
before the commencement of the debate. The debate
covers the part as a whole and the entire part is put to
vote.
(c) Kangaroo Closure: Under this type, only important
clauses are taken up for debate and voting and the
intervening clauses are skipped over and taken as
passed.
(d) Guillotine Closure: It is one when the undiscussed
clauses of a bill or a resolution are also put to vote
along with the discussed ones due to want of time (as
the time allotted for the discussion is over).
(e) In legislative parlance, to “guillotine” means to bunch
together and fast-track the passage of financial
business. It is a common procedural exercise in Lok
Sabha during the Budget Session.
PROCEDURE
 Parliament goes into recess of three weeks after the
presentation of the budget. This recess allows Standing
committees of the house to examine the demands for
grants and presenting its report for the same.
 After the reassembly of the Parliament , Business
Advisory committee (BAC) prepares a schedule for the
discussion on demands for grant , but due to paucity of
time BAC picks up few selected ministries for the
discussion.
 Once the House is done with these debates,
the Speaker applies the “guillotine”, and all outstanding
demands for grants are put to vote at once. This usually
happens on the last day earmarked for the discussion
on the Budget. The intention is to ensure timely
passage of the Finance Bill, marking the completion of
the legislative exercise about the Budget.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
BY-POLLS
#Elections
Election Commission of India has announced by polls for one
Lok Sabha seat and four Assembly constituencies, to be held
on May 10, with results on May 13.
BY POLL OR BYE ELECTION
 In India, a by-election (also known as a by poll or bye-
election) is an election held to fill a vacancy in the Lok
Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) or a
state legislative assembly.
 These vacancies can occur due to various reasons such
as the death, resignation or disqualification of a sitting
member of parliament or the state assembly.
 By-elections are conducted by the Election Commission
of India, which is an independent body responsible for
organizing and overseeing elections at various levels of
government in India.
 By-elections are usually held within six months of the
vacancy occurring, although this can vary depending on
the specific circumstances.
 Candidates from various political parties can contest
the by-election, and the winner is elected to fill the
vacant seat until the next general election.
 By-elections are important as they provide an
opportunity for citizens to exercise their right to vote
and elect a representative to fill a vacant seat in the
legislative assembly or parliament.
 They also have the potential to impact the balance of
power in parliament or the state assembly, as a single
seat can sometimes make a significant difference in the
overall composition of the house.
ABOUT REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE ACT, 1951
The provisions for the actual conduct of elections to the
Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the
Legislature of each State, the qualifications and
disqualifications for the membership of these Houses, the
corrupt practices and other election offences, and the
decision of election disputes were all left to be made in a
subsequent measure. To provide for these provisions, the
Representation of the People Act, 1951 was enacted.
BROADLY SPEAKING, THIS ACT CONTAINS PROVISIONS
RELATING TO THE FOLLOWING ELECTORAL MATTERS:
42
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
1. Qualifications and disqualifications for membership of
Parliament and State Legislatures.
2. Administrative machinery for the conduct of elections
3. Registration of political parties
4. Conduct of elections
5. Corrupt practices and electoral offences
6. Bye-elections and time limit for filling vacancies
7. Barring the jurisdiction of civil courts
BAR COUNCIL ALLOWS
RESTRICTED ENTRY OF
FOREIGN LAWYERS
#Bar Council of India #Advocates #Foreign
Law Firms
Bar Council of India (BCI) has decided to permit foreign
lawyers and law firms to practice law in India on reciprocity
basis along with certain restrictions including prohibitions on
appearance in Indian Courts. BCI has released The Bar
Council of India Rules for Registration and Regulation of
Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms in India, 2022, to
facilitate the registration and practice of international lawyers
in India. The Advocates Act, 1961 provides for constituting
Bar Council of India and respective State Bar Councils.
Registration and enrolment with respective State Bar Council
as an advocate is a must for every law graduate to appear
before various Courts in India.
ABOUT BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA
 It is a statutory body constituted under the Advocates
Act, 1961.
 It performs regulatory function by prescribing
standards of professional conduct and etiquette and by
exercising disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar.
 It also sets standards for legal education and grants
recognition to universities whose degree in law will
serve as qualification for enrolment as an advocate.
 In addition, it performs certain representative functions
by protecting the rights, privileges and interests of
advocates and through the creation of funds for
providing financial assistance to organise welfare
schemes for them.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
COMPOSITION OF BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA
 There shall be a Bar Council for the territories to which
this Act extends to be known as the Bar Council of India
which shall consist of the following members, namely:
(a) The Attorney-General of India, ex officio.
(b) The Solicitor-General of India, ex officio.
(c) One member elected by each State Bar Council
from amongst its members.
 No person shall be eligible for being elected as a
member of the Bar Council of India unless he/she
possesses the following qualifications: persons who
have for at least ten years been advocates on a State
roll.
FUNCTIONS ALLOCATED TO BAR COUNCIL UNDER THE
ADVOCATES ACT
 To lay down standards of professional conduct and
etiquette for advocates.
 To lay down procedure to be followed by its disciplinary
committee and the disciplinary committees of each
State Bar Council.
 To safeguard the rights, privileges and interests of
advocates.
 To promote and support law reform.
 To deal with and dispose of any matter which may be
referred to it by a State Bar Council.
 To promote legal education and to lay down standards
of legal education. This is done in consultation with the
Universities in India imparting legal education and the
State Bar Councils.
 To recognise Universities whose degree in law shall be
a qualification for enrolment as an advocate - The Bar
Council of India visits and inspects Universities or
directs the State Bar Councils to visit and inspect
Universities for this purpose.
 To conduct seminars and talks on legal topics by
eminent jurists and publish journals and papers of legal
interest.
 To organise legal aid to the poor.
 To recognise on a reciprocal basis, the foreign
qualifications in law obtained outside India for the
purpose of admission as an advocate in India.
 To manage and invest the funds of the Bar Council.
 To provide for the election of its members who shall run
the Bar Councils.
43
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
The Bar Council of India can also constitute funds for
the following purposes:
1. Giving financial assistance to organise welfare schemes
for poor, disabled or other advocates,
2. Giving legal aid, and
3. Establishing law libraries.
The Bar Council of India can also receive grants,
donations, and gifts for any of these purposes.
LEGAL CHALLENGE FOR FOREIGN LAW FIRMS
ENTERING INDIAN LEGAL MARKET
 With the advent of opening of market, legal and other
service areas also saw relaxation and branches of
foreign law firms started operating in India by providing
back-end support to lawyers abroad. This proved cost-
effective business for such firms as legal service is
expensive abroad.
 The matter came up before the Bombay High Court for
the first time in 2009 in the case of Lawyers Collective v
Union of India.
 The Bombay High Court interpreted Section 29 of the
Advocates Act, which states that only advocates
enrolled with BCI can practise law. The HC also held that
‘practice’ would include both litigious and non-litigious
practice. So foreign firms can neither advise their clients
in India nor appear in court.
 In 2012, the same matter came up before the Madras
High Court in A.K. Balaji v Union of India.
ADVOCATES ACT, 1961
Section 29 - Advocates to be the only recognised
class of persons entitled to practise law ― Subject to
the provisions of this Act and any rules made
thereunder, there shall, as from the appointed day, be
only one class of persons entitled to practise the
profession of law, namely, advocates.
Section 30 - Right of advocates to practise ― Subject
to the provisions of this Act, every advocate whose
name is entered in the State roll shall be entitled as of
right to practise throughout the territories to which this
Act extends,―
(i) in all courts including the Supreme Court.
(ii) before any tribunal or person legally authorised to
take evidence; and
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
(iii) before any other authority or person before whom
such advocate is by or under any law for the time
being in force entitled to practise.
MADRAS HIGH COURT JUDGMENT –A.K. BALAJI V
UNION OF INDIA
 Foreign law firms or foreign lawyers cannot practice
the profession of law in India either on the litigation or
non-litigation side, unless they fulfil the requirement of
the Advocates Act, 1961 and the Bar Council of India
Rules.
 However, there is no bar either in the Act or the Rules
for the foreign law firms or foreign lawyers to visit
India for a temporary period on a "fly in and fly out"
basis, for the purpose of giving legal advice to their
clients in India regarding foreign law or their own
system of law and on diverse international legal issues.
 Moreover, having regard to the aim and object of the
International Commercial Arbitration introduced in
the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, foreign
lawyers cannot be debarred to come to India and
conduct arbitration proceedings in respect of disputes
arising out of a contract relating to international
commercial arbitration.
SUPREME COURT’S DECISION IN BAR COUNCIL OF
INDIA VS. AK BALAJI & ORS - 2018
 Both the Madras and Bombay High Court judgments
were challenged by the BCI and Lawyer’s Collective
respectively before the Apex Court.
 Supreme Court upheld both the High Court judgments
and states that foreign law firms/companies or foreign
lawyers cannot practice profession of law in India -
litigation or in non-litigation side.
 Supreme Court however held that there was no bar
for the foreign law firms or foreign lawyers to visit
India for a temporary period on a “fly in and fly out”
basis for the purpose of giving legal advice to their
clients in India regarding foreign law or their own
system of law and on diverse international legal issues.
 The expression “fly in and fly out” will only cover a
casual visit not amounting to “practice” and the Bar
Council of India can further regulate this aspect of
practice by foreign lawyers.
 If the Rules of Institutional Arbitration apply or the
matter is covered by the provisions of the Arbitration
Act, foreign lawyers may not be debarred from
conducting arbitration proceedings arising out of
44
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
international commercial arbitration in view of Sections transactional or registration with the
32 and 33 of the Advocates Act. corporate work such as BCI.
 Supreme Court also held that the Bar Council of India is joint ventures, mergers  Foreign lawyers or
free to frame rules to govern practices of foreign and acquisitions, foreign law firms shall
lawyers and foreign law firms in India. intellectual property not be permitted to
matters, appearing in appear before any
WHY BCI IS NOW ALLOWING FOREIGN LAWYERS AND
international courts, tribunals or
FOREIGN LAW FIRMS TO PRACTICE IN INDIA?
arbitration cases, other statutory or
 Bar Council of India has now framed Rules to govern
drafting of contracts regulatory authorities.
practices of foreign lawyers and foreign law firms in
and other related
India based on the Supreme Court decision in Bar  They shall not be
matters on reciprocal
Council of India vs. AK Balaji & Others. involved or permitted
basis.
to do any work
 According to the Bar Council of India, opening of law
 They are also allowed pertaining to the
practice in India to foreign lawyers in the field of
to provide legal conveyancing of
practice of foreign law; diverse international legal issues
expertise/advise and property, Title
in non-litigious matters and in international arbitration
appearing as a lawyer investigation or other
cases would go a long way in helping legal
for a person, firm, similar works.
profession/domain grow in India to the benefit of
company, corporation,
lawyers in India too.  Indian Lawyer enrolled
trust, society etc.
with any State Bar
 Standards of Indian lawyers in proficiency in law is who/which is having an
Council in India working
comparable with the international standards and the address or principal
with foreign law firms
legal fraternity in India is not likely to suffer any office or head office in
as Partner or Associate
disadvantage in case law practice in India is opened to a foreign country in any
registered in India.
foreign lawyers in a restricted and well controlled and international
regulated manner on the principle of reciprocity. o can take up only the
arbitration case which
is conducted in India non-litigious matters
 Such reciprocity would be mutually beneficial for
and in such arbitration and
lawyers from India and abroad and the Rules framed by
BCI are an attempt in this direction. case “foreign law may o can advise on issues
or may not be involved. relating to countries
 These rules will also help to address the concerns
 Exception Created for other than the Indian
expressed about flow of Foreign Direct Investment in
Laws only.
the country and making India a hub of International Foreign Firms
Commercial Arbitration. Operating on Fly in and o Such Lawyer shall
Fly Out Basis. have no advantage
 If foreign lawyers are not allowed to work in India now,
or right of his being
legal fraternity of India may be left behind in providing  Registration with BCI
is not mandatory for an Advocate enrolled
legal/professional expertise in accordance with the rule
such foreign lawyers or in India and cannot
of law in a manner consistent with the best interests of
appear before
this fast-growing class of clients in India. foreign law firms who
operate on a ‘fly in and Courts in India
What is Allowed and What Prohibited for Foreign  BCI may also refuse to
fly out basis’ for the
Lawyers & Foreign Law Firms under register any foreign
purpose of giving legal
The BCI Rules, 2022
advice to the client in lawyer or law firm if
ALLOWED PROHIBITED India regarding foreign “in the opinion of the
law and on diverse Council, the number of
 They shall be allowed  Foreign lawyer or law
international legal Foreign Lawyers or
to practice in non- firm shall not be
issues. Foreign Law Firms of
litigation matters entitled to practice law
 Such foreign lawyer or any particular Foreign
(where arguing before in India without
foreign law firm who country registered in
court is not needed) on

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 45

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
operate on‘fly in and India is likely to become
fly out basis’ do not disproportionate to the DATA GOVERNANCE
maintain an office in
India for the purpose of
number of Indian
Lawyers or Indian Law
ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA
such practice and such Firms registered or #Data Governance #NITI Aayog #DEPA
practice in India for one allowed to practice law #India Stack
or more periods does in the corresponding
not, in aggregate, foreign country.
exceed 60 days in any
period of 12 months. India is making strides in the digital arena and this has also
OTHER IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BCI RULES, improved economic pace and improved life of citizens.
Development in the field of digital technologies and its
2022
increasing usage among public has resulted in explosion of
 A foreign lawyer or foreign law firm may apply for data which can be used as a future resource. As the country
registration under these rules along with registration evolves digitally, there is also a need to evolve inclusive,
fee and guarantee amount either in person or through transparent, secure and sustainable strategies for data
registered Post. governance for the future. On this note, let us go through the
different strategies suggested by the government towards
 The registration by the foreign lawyers or foreign law
data governance architecture along with their concerns.
firms shall be valid for a period of 5 years only and the
DRAFT NATIONAL DATA GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
foreign lawyer and/or Law Firm would be required to
POLICY
renew it by filing an application for renewal within 6
 Non-personal Data and Anonymized Data from
months before the date on which such validity expires. Government and Private entities are safely accessible
 The registered foreign lawyer or foreign Law Firm shall by Research and Innovation eco-system.
be entitled to do the following things in connection with  Provide an institutional framework for
the practice of law in India: data/datasets/metadata rules, standards, guidelines
and protocols for sharing of non-personal data sets
 Open law office or offices in India for carrying on law
while ensuring privacy, security and trust.
practice in India. Bar Council of India shall be kept
 Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
informed of the particulars of such office/offices viz.
has initiated a National Program on Artificial
postal address, name of the owner/lessee of the
Intelligence (AI) and one of the components of the
property in which the office/offices are located and program is setting up the "India Data Management
related documents. Office (IDMO)".
 Engage and procure legal expertise/advise of one or  The proposed IDMO aims to improve access, quality,
more Indian Advocates Registered as foreign and use of public sector data to catalyse data-driven
lawyers. governance, decision-making and create an
ecosystem for data-based Innovation and research.
 Procure the legal expertise/advise of any Advocate
 The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
enrolled with any State Bar Council in India on any
has released the Draft National Data Governance
subject relating to Indian Laws. But such registered Framework Policy in May 2022 for public consultation.
foreign lawyer or foreign Law Firm shall not be
THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES ENVISIONED FOR IDMO ARE
entitled to appear before any Indian Court, Tribunal THE FOLLOWING
or any other statutory forum.  Data Governance:
 Enter Partnership with one or more Foreign Lawyers  Designing data standards, data quality metrics, and
or Foreign Law Firm registered in India under these associated tools and frameworks to leverage data for
rules. innovation

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
 Institute mechanisms for data sharing and access
that can enable an ecosystem of data-driven
governance, research, and innovation.
 It will enable and build the India Datasets Platform
that will process requests and provide access to non-
personal and anonymized datasets to Indian / India-
based AI- and Data-led researchers and Startups.
 Building Data Capacity: To build and augment the
capacity of data functionaries within government
entities working on data consolidation, management,
and sharing activities through sensitization and
training.
BENEFITS OF PROPOSED INDIA DATA MANAGEMENT
OFFICE (IDMO)
 Ensure Mechanism for Data Sharing and Data
Governance - by coordinate closely with line Ministries,
State Governments, and other schematic programs to
standardize data management by building up capacity
and capabilities in each Ministry.
 Accelerate inclusion of non-personal datasets
housed within ministries and private companies into
the India Datasets program.
 Promote data sovereignty (data converted and stored
in India are subject to national laws) by coordinating
India’s digital strategies and data governance
framework and to ensure they are aligned with national
values and priorities.
 IDMO will Promote Open-Source Solutions – considering the rapid change in data technology.
promotion, development and implementation of open-
source solutions (which can be modified and shared
and is publicly accessible) will ensure data architectures
as social public good which can become accessible and
affordable for all.
 Opportunity to develop solutions that can be
adopted and adapted in other countries - Open
source and open innovation models can be important
alternatives to proprietary solutions that are governed
by big tech companies.
INDIA STACK & ITS OBJECTIVES
 India Stack is a set of Application Programming
Interface (APIs) that allows governments, businesses,
startups and developers to utilise a unique digital
Infrastructure to solve India’s hard problems towards
presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.
 India Stack aim to unlock the economic primitives of
identity, data, and payments at population scale.
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 Foundations of the India Stack includes
 Identity Layer – Giving every resident a unique
(Aadhaar, e-KYC, e-Sign)
 Payments Layer – Allowing anyone to pay everyone
(UPI, Aadhaar Payments Bridge, Aadhaar Enabled
Payment Service)
 Data Empowerment – Enable Secure sharing of Data
(Consent Artefact, DigiLocker, Account Aggregator)
DATA EMPOWERMENT & PROTECTION ARCHITECTURE
NITI Aayog has released “Draft Document on Data
Empowerment and Protection Architecture” which aims to
promote greater user control on data sharing.
NEED FOR SUCH AN ARCHITECTURE
 According to NITI Aayog, millions of Indians are creating
electronic transaction histories and becoming ‘data-
rich’ at historic rates, even before becoming
economically rich or even financially stable.
 Personal data helps people inform and build trust with
key institutions providing life-altering services, such as
hospitals, banks, or future employers.
 Thus, based on these examples, government believes
that individuals themselves are the best judges of
correct uses of their personal data, rather than
competing institutional interests.
 DEPA accordingly has been designed as an evolvable
and agile framework for good data governance
Accordingly, DEPA seeks to provide a foundation of
three key building blocks:
1. Enabling Regulations
2. Cutting Edge Technology Standards
3. New types of public and private organisations with
incentives closely aligned to those of individuals
 In a nutshell, DEPA aims to empower people to access
their data and share it with third party institutions
for their own benefit seamlessly and securely.
CONSENT INFRASTRUCTURE
DEPA’s technology architecture is a first of its kind
interoperable, secure, and privacy preserving digital
framework for data sharing through the following:
1. The Consent Artefact - is a technology Standard for
programmable consent to replace the all-permissive
terms and conditions forms. The consent individuals
provide is designed on principles acronymed ORGANS:
47
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
 Open standards (ensuring all institutions use the
same approach interoperably)
 Revocable (by individuals)
 Granular (provided for each time you share data,
stipulates how long data can be accessed, etc.)
 Auditable (in machine readable logs of consent
provided)
 Provide Notice to all parties, and Secure by design
PROPOSED USAGE OF DEPA FRAMEWORK
PROPOSED BENEFITS OF DEPA
 Solve Credit Crunch faced by MSMEs - Sharing of past
financial data like past turnover, GST Bills etc. (with the
consent of owner) will especially help people in the
MSME Sector to get credit without submitting any
collateral. Thus, as per NITI Aayog, DEPA will prove
useful to solve 20-25 trillion Rupees credit gap faced by
MSMEs.
 Better Financial Management - Using DEPA,
individuals and small businesses can use their digital
footprints to access not just affordable loans, but also
insurance, savings, and better financial management
products.
 Building Trust based on previous Digital History -
Digital transaction used by small shop owners, farmers,
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2. Open Application Programming Interface (APIs) for
Data Sharing - allow many new Consent Managers to
‘plug in’ to a common sharing system rather than
having to build bilateral relationships with information
providers to access data. API is a software
intermediary that allows two applications to talk to
each other.
3. Financial Information Standards - allow a data
recipient to quickly interpret and understand
information from a new institution.
traders, MSME entrepreneurs, rural Self Help Groups
and gig economy workers are increasingly generating a
digital transaction history that could be used to inform
and build trust with financial institutions.
 Solve the problem of Data Access – Different type of
data are stored across sectors and in different formats
which makes access to data very difficult. Thus, in India
there is an issue of Data Fragmentation as Data are not
inter-connected or linked with each other on any given
platform. So, DEPA will not only help in solving the issue
of inaccessibility of one’s own data but will also help to
link scattered data lying across sectors in different
formats in an organised way.
 Need to harmonise regulations on Data Sharing -
There is also a lack of harmonisation around the
48
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
regulations for data sharing of citizens within and
across sectors. Thus, DEPA will ensure that data of
citizens are not misused without individuals’ knowledge
and consent. This organisation of data of individuals will
help such citizens who urgently require such data to
access better services.
 Need for evolvable, interoperable and secure data
sharing framework - There is a need to have an
evolvable, interoperable and secure data sharing
framework to use newly generated data by Indians.
 Benefit for citizens through Data Management –
Personal data management will help individuals and
small businesses with the practical means to access,
control, and selectively share personal data that they
have stored across multiple institutional datasets. This
will also help to maximise the benefits of data sharing
for individual empowerment whilst minimising privacy
risks and data misuse. Thus, overall, Personal data
management will help to transform the current
organisation-centric data sharing system to an
individual centric approach that promotes user control
on data sharing for empowerment or access to various
financial, health or educational services.
 Create New Institutions – Account Aggregators &
Consent Managers - DEPA’s Institutional Architecture
will involve the creation of new market players whose
incentives align more closely with individuals - user
Consent Managers. These Consent Managers in the
financial sector will be known as Account Aggregators.
A non-profit collective or alliance of these players will be
created called the DigiSahamati Foundation.
 Benefits in Health & Agriculture Sectors - The use of
digital technologies can enhance access to health-care
services, particularly in rural and remote areas, while in
agriculture they can empower farmers and enhance
their incomes.
CONCERNS – DEPA
 Privacy Risk on Sharing Information in Important
Sectors – Sharing of personal data can cause security
or privacy risk particularly regarding sensitive
information.
 Health Sector - there is a risk that sensitive medical
information could be misused or exploited for
commercial purposes,
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 Agriculture - there is a risk that market information
could be manipulated for the benefit of certain
enterprises.
 Ownership and Governance of data generated and
collected in health and agriculture.
 Misuse or Misappropriation - If the consent
management tool is not properly implemented or
managed, there is a risk that personal information
could be misused or misappropriated.
 Inconsistent Implementation across Sectors -
implementation of DEPA may be inconsistent across
different sectors and jurisdictions, which could
undermine its effectiveness and create confusion
among citizens.
 To implement DEPA tool in a transparent,
consistent and secure manner, what is needed is a
close collaboration between the government, private
sector, civil society, and other stakeholders and the
development of clear and effective regulations and
standards.
 Whether Digital Inclusion in Health and Agriculture
will be successfully implemented like Financial
Sector Not Certain.
 Concerns on infrastructure, connectivity and the
availability of a skilled human workforce to achieve
the goal of digital governance.
NEED TO FIND BALANCE
 While devising a strategy for data framework and
governance, India needs to balance:
 Between data sovereignty and limitless data flow
 interests of all stakeholders - including governments,
businesses, and citizens for the goal of sustainable
development
 Between developing clear, transparent and
accountable data governance policies & regulations
and investment in the necessary digital
infrastructure and skills to ensure that data is
collected, stored, and used in a responsible, secure
and accountable manner
WAY FORWARD – The challenges of digital infrastructure,
privacy protection, data security, and responsible data
governance must be addressed before the advancements
made in digital governance can be fully realised in other
sectors. Further, India Stack must be designed and
developed coordinated with India’s broader development
strategies. This will allow data governance to be aligned
49
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
with the India’s core values and priorities which will
ultimately promotes development of a secure, more
egalitarian, and trustworthy digital future for all.
AUDIT ONLINE
APPLICATION FOR
PANCHAYATS
#Local Bodies #Governance
AuditOnline is an application developed by the Ministry of
Panchayati Raj to ensure accountability in the utilisation of
grants provided by the Finance Commission to the Panchayats
at the ground level.
WHY IS AUDIT ONLINE IN NEWS?
 The Ministry of Panchayati Raj along with National
Informatics Centre (NIC), functioning as technology
partner of the Government, has been recognized for its
AuditOnline software programme at the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2023 in
Geneva for conducting online audit of all Panchayati Raj
Institutions (PRIs).
 AuditOnline has been awarded the WSIS Prizes Award
2023 under the Action Line category ICT Applications: e-
Government based on the most voted project in the
category.
ABOUT WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION
SOCIETY (WSIS)
 WSIS is an annual award event coordinated by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), affiliated
with the United Nations (UN), in collaboration with
UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD to promote ICTs for
achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.
 This event is intended for ICT development initiatives
that support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 Theme of WSIS Forum - ‘WSIS Action Lines for Building
Back Better and Accelerating the Achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.
 The annual awards provide an opportunity for
information exchange, knowledge creation and sharing
of best practices, while identifying emerging trends and
fostering partnerships, considering the evolving
Information and Knowledge Societies.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
WHY REGULAR MONITORING OF FUNDS AT LOCAL
LEVEL IS NECESSARY?
 Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) play a vital role in the
delivery of various services and basic amenities to the
citizens residing in vast rural landscape of the country.
 Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) receive funds from
Central Government (Central Finance Commission
grants, Scheme funds), State Government (State finance
commission grants, scheme funds, other grants-in-aid,
assigned revenue). They also generate their own
revenues. Thus, auditing of the funds becomes an
important part of financial administration.
 It is necessary that the Panchayats are well equipped
with the necessary infrastructure and have adequately
trained manpower.
 To deliver various services rendered by PRIs, Central
Finance Commissions mandated Grants are
continuously granted by the Central Government to the
PRIs including Traditional Local Bodies (TLBs) across the
country.
 Fifteenth Finance Commission in its report has
reiterated that timely availability of audited accounts
separately at the local body level and jointly at the State
and all-India level continued to be a problem despite
the emphasis laid by previous Commissions.
 Panchayati Raj Institutions Accounting Software
(PRIASoft) is a Centralized Accounting Software
intended for maintenance of accounts by all the
three levels of Panchayats viz., District, Block and
Village Panchayat.
 PRIASoft aims to keep track of all the receipts and
expenditure of PRIs and will overall act as a good
financial management tool. Thus, PRIASoft will not
only improve transparency and accountability in
managing large funds but also enhance credibility of
PRIs which would further induce greater devolution
of funds at local level.
 PRIASoft is one of the applications developed as part
of Panchayat Enterprise Suite (PES) under e-
panchayat Mission Mode Project.
 The 15th Finance Commission recommended that the
upgraded PRIASoft software needs to be integrated
with the Integrated Financial Management
Information System (IFMIS/IFMS) of the State
Governments (wherever it exists) and the Public
Financial Management System (PFMS) of the
50
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in the Union
Government in order to generate online accounts by
each rural local body, enable online auditing of such
accounts and their consolidation at the State and all-
India levels.
 Thus, to address this critical gap, Ministry of Panchayati
Raj has launched the AuditOnline application in April
2020, for carrying out online audits of accounts. This
has further strengthened the financial management
and transparency of the Panchayats.
 Hence, it becomes necessary that the performances of
PRIs are continuously monitored to ensure
transparency in utilization of public money for
developmental activities in rural areas and to ensure
accountability in their overall functioning.
FEATURES OF AUDIT ONLINE
 Part of e-panchayat Mission Mode Project -
AuditOnline is one of the generic and open-source
applications developed as a part of Panchayat
practice questions
MCQs
Q.1) With reference to disqualification under
Representation of People Act, 1951; consider
the following statements:
1. A person convicted of offences mentioned in the
Act and sentenced to imprisonment for not less
than three years shall be disqualified.
2. A person shall continue to be disqualified for a
further period of five years since his or her
release.
3. In the event of the appellate Court staying the
conviction and sentence, the membership of the
disqualified person gets restored.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
Enterprise Suite (PES) under e-panchayat Mission Mode
Project (MMP) initiated by the Ministry of Panchayati
Raj.
 Audit at all three levels - AuditOnline facilitates the
financial audit of accounts at all the three levels of
Panchayats viz. District, Block and Village Panchayats,
Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and Line department by
Auditors (State AG/LFA).
 AuditOnline facilitates recording details for both
Internal and External Audit - acts as a good financial
audit tool and improves transparency & accountability.
BENEFITS OF AUDITONLINE APPLICATION
 It will improve efficiency of financial audit at local level.
 Online audit will improve access to financial records on
fund utilisation for various projects.
 Uploading photos of work done and geo-tagging
projects will also allow for physical inspection.
 Online audit will expedite the audit process
Q.2) With reference to the Right to Information
(amendment) Act 2019, consider the following
statements:
1. The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and
Information Commissioners (ICs) will hold office
for a term of five years.
2. It brought the status of Chief Information
Commissioner at par with the Chief Election
Commissioner.
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
Q.3) Consider the following statements regarding
“Money Bill”:
1. Article 110 of the Constitution deals with the
definition of money bills.
2. A Bill containing provision related to the
imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or
51
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
regulation of any tax by any local authority or 3. The Attorney-General of India and the Solicitor-
body for local purposes automatically becomes a General of India are the ex officio members of the
Money bill. BCI.
3. Government is required to table a Money bill for 4. BCI has allowed foreign law firms and foreign
the appropriation of money out of the lawyers to register as an advocate under the
Contingency Fund of India. Advocates Act, 1961 to appear before the courts
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect? or tribunals in India.
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only Which of the statements given above are correct?
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 (a) 2, 3 and 4 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 4 only
Q.4) Consider the following statements with
reference to the Bar Council of India (BCI): Q.5) Consider the following statements about Basic
1. BCI is a statutory body constituted under the Structure Doctrine:
Advocates Act, 1961. 1. Basic Structure doctrine is explicitly provided in
2. BCI sets standards for legal education and grants the Constitution.
recognition to universities whose degree in law 2. Basic Structure doctrine can be used to overturn
will serve as qualification for enrolment as an constitutional amendments.
advocate. 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

Descriptive Questions
Q1. Assess the need for rationalising the grounds on which disqualification of MPs takes place in India.
Q2. The basic structure of India is the constitutional lynchpin of Indian democracy. Comment.
Answers: 1-c, 2-d, 3-c, 4-c, 5-b

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 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS &
Security
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II & III (Main)
COMMISSION FOR
CONTROL OF INTERPOL’S
#InternationalOrganisations #CCF
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said that
it had taken up, with the Commission for Control of Interpol’s
Files (CCF), the serious shortcomings and mistakes committed
in reaching the “unfounded and perfunctory” decision to
remove the Red Notice against fugitive Mehul Choksi. It has
initiated measures to get the Interpol notice restored.
ABOUT COMMISSION FOR CONTROL OF INTERPOL’S
The CCF is an independent body that ensures that all
personal data processed through INTERPOL’s channels
conforms to the rules of the Organization. It is not under
the control of the Interpol Secretariat.
ROLE OF THE CCF
The Commission has three functions, as defined in
Interpol’s Constitution
A supervisory role – under which it monitors the
application of the Organization’s data protection rules to
personal data processed by Interpol
An Advisory role – under it advises the Organization
about any operations or projects concerning the
processing of personal information
A Processing role – It processes requests for access and
deletion to files and applications for revision.
STRUCTURE
The CCF comprises seven members appointed for a five-
year term, renewable once for an additional term of three
years.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
Members are appointed because of their expertise, and in
such a way as to allow the CCF to carry out its mission
completely independently. They are generally lawyers
with experience and/or expertise in the following fields:
 Data-protection.
 International police matters, in particular international
police cooperation.
 International criminal law.
 Human rights.
 Senior judicial or prosecutorial role, preferably in
international judicial cooperation.
To perform its functions, the Commission directly consults
the INTERPOL General Secretariat, National Central
Bureaus and other relevant entities.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN PRINCIPLES IN INTERPOL’S RULES
THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO THE CCF?
The main principles set out in INTERPOL’s rules are the
following:
 Respect of fundamental human rights.
 Neutrality.
 National sovereignty.
 Respect of data protection principles – primarily
lawfulness and fairness, purpose, accuracy, access,
proportionality, security, supervision and sanction, and
non-discrimination.
ABOUT INTERPOL
Interpol stands for International Criminal Police
Organization, an inter-governmental organization. It has
194 member countries and helps police in all of them to
work together to make the world a safer place.
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 International Relations & Security
 In each country, an INTERPOL National Central Bureau
(NCB) provides a central point of contact for General
Secretariat and other NCBs. An NCB is run by national
police officials and usually sits in the government
ministry responsible for policing.
 Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is designated as
the National Central Bureau of India. INTERPOL Notices
are international requests for cooperation or alerts
allowing police in member countries to share critical
crime-related information.
 Notices are published by the General Secretariat at the
request of a National Central Bureau and are made
available to all our member countries.
 Headquarters – LYON, FRANCE
Decision Making: General Assembly takes decisions.
Each member country represented has one vote.
Decision-making process is made by either a simple or
two-thirds majority, depending on the subject matter.
Funding :
There are two main sources of income:
 Statutory contributions from our membership: Each of
our member countries pays a statutory contribution to
INTERPOL each year; it is an obligatory payment. This
contribution is based on economic weight.
 Voluntary funding for our activities: Most of the
voluntary funding comes from government agencies,
notably those responsible for policing, but there were
also smaller contributions from international and non-
governmental organizations, foundations and private
entities.
GLOBAL COMPLEX FOR INNOVATION
Based in Singapore since 2015, the INTERPOL Global
Complex for Innovation is the centre of our activities in
cybercrime, research and development, and capacity
building. It also provides an Asian base for the
Organization in several crime areas.
INTERPOL METAVERSE
Interpol has developed its own virtual reality space to help
users train and attend virtual meetings. This new virtual
reality space can be only accessed through secure
servers. It helps police officers to experience Metaverse,
offering them an idea of what crimes could take place and
how they could be handled in future.
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MULTILATERALISM
#Multiculturalism
WHAT IS MULTILATERALISM?
Multilateralism refers to the coming together of three or
more states, in formal or informal institutional settings, to
discuss issues of mutual interest and coordinate their
policies.
An example of multilateral institution is United Nations
(UN) since it has universal membership. All countries,
irrespective of their size and power, enjoy equal status in
the form of one-country, one vote.
If such a grouping is small, it is best referred to as a mini-
lateral or plurilateral forum.
One example of a plurilateral forum is BRICS, of which
India is a member along with Brazil, Russia, China and
South Africa. Another example is G20, a grouping of top
20 economies of the world based on their GDPs (at PPP).
Both these are cross-regional forums. Examples of
regional multilateral forums are South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), etc
DIFFERENCE FROM MULTI-ALIGNMENT
Multi-alignment, on the other hand, refers to the policy of
formation of several alliances, not necessarily military, to
fulfil national interests ranging from the more tangible
security and development related ones to the more
intangible ideational ones.
Multi-alignment conveys a sense of engagement and
participation and a strong pragmatic outlook aimed not
only at a better India but also a better world.
But multilateralism cannot be completely isolated from
power politics. The Bretton Woods institutions, for
instance, with their contribution-based quotas and
weighted voting are standing edifices of realpolitik.
Normatively, multilateralism is a counter to unilateralism.
CHALLENGES TO MULTILATERALISM
 Dominance of West: The postcolonial backlash
against the predominance of the West and the rising
tide of populism have been profoundly eroding the
liberal values underpinning the multilateral system
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 International Relations & Security

 Crisis in UN: The UN and its manifold agencies have makes the reform of older institutions and frameworks
been losing their lustre, criticised for their lack of more challenging.
efficiency, institutional sclerosis and ideological WHAT G20 AND INDIA CAN DO?
infighting.
 G-20 should first focus on setting proper narratives of
 Trade Talks: The WTO has failed to conclude the multilateral reform. G-20 may constitute an
negotiations of the Doha Agenda started in 2001, as engagement group dedicated to bring the narrative to
bilateralism and protectionism are resurging the forefront of global discourse. India should also urge
worldwide, and its dispute settlement system has the upcoming chairs of the grouping, Brazil and South
stalled Africa, to place multilateral reforms as their
 Climate: Multilateral efforts to address climate change presidential priorities
have made symbolic progress at best.  It should be acknowledged that limitations of
 Digital Space: The governance of the internet is multilateral cooperation. Competing interests and the
forfeiting its initial aspiration of a borderless dominance of powerful states are there to stay in
knowledge society as a few private companies are multilateral platforms. Therefore, while supporting
hoarding data exponentially and authoritarian states multilateral cooperation, G-20 should continue
are misusing it as a tool of surveillance and repression. encouraging mini lateral groupings as a new form of
 Rise of Nationalistic politics: Seen in global as well multilateralism and try to transform them into multi-
emerging powers. Example: BREXIT or withdrawal of stakeholder partnerships
UK from the EU marks a dent to the spirit of
 Creating networks of issue-based mini laterals,
multilateralism. The powerful nations are challenging
particularly in areas related to the governance of the
the multilateral world order.
global commons will be helpful in preventing
 Changing Geopolitics: Rise of China, concretization of competitive coalitions where other actors play the
Russia China axis, SCO etc. has made West conscious of same game to their advantage, leading to a more
preserving its hegemony. West sees China as a
fragmented world order.
challenger to US led world order and does not seem to
 The group needs to be more inclusive without
cooperate with China and Russia. At the same time,
China and Russia try to counter the west. This sacrificing efficiency. For example, including the African
competition has led to erosion of spirit of cooperation Union as a permanent member and the UN Secretary-
and collaboration, hurting multilateralism. General and General Assembly President as
permanent invitees would be helpful to enhance its
WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO REFORM?
legitimacy.
1. Multilateralism is deeply entrenched in global power
politics. As a result, any action in reforming multilateral  G-20 should put all its efforts into solving one or two
institutions and frameworks automatically transforms pressing global issues and showcase it as the model of
into a move that seeks changes in the current new multilateralism. Food, fuel and fertilizer security
distribution of power. can be one such issue. On the one hand, it falls under
the ‘low politics’ of world politics, so cooperation is
2. The status quo powers see multilateral reforms as a
zero-sum game. For instance, in the context of the more achievable.
Bretton Woods system, the U.S. and Europe believed INDIA’S STRATEGY OF REFORMING MULTILATERALISM
reform would reduce their influence and dominance. India’s strategy for reformed multilateralism rests on 5S
This makes decisions about reform in these pillars which includes
institutions, by consensus or voting, hard.
1. Samman (Respect)
3. Multilateralism appears at odds with the realities of
2. Samvad (Dialogue)
the emerging multiplex global order. The emerging
order seems more multipolar and multi-centred. Such 3. Sahyog (Cooperation)
a situation facilitates the formation of new clubs, 4. Shanti (Peace)
concerts and coalitions of the like-minded, which
5. Samriddhi (Prosperity)

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 International Relations & Security
 Moreover, India must engage with regional groupings
in stronger ways though China has a pre-eminent
position in the architecture of these organisations.
Interdependence in the economy cannot be
overlooked, especially for an emerging state like India.
 India must continue to pursue institutionalisation of
multilateral frameworks irrespective of regional
conflicts. On such occasions, one must look at the
possibility of strengthening neighbourhood
multilateral frameworks (such as SARRC
 India needs to build multilateral trade blocs/economic
groupings involving its South Asian neighbours along
with Indian Ocean neighbours, while rejuvenating
organisations such as BIMSTEC and IOR-ARC.
Thus, India should not allow a “recession for
multilateralism” in its diplomatic vision as it can be
concluded that the multilateral system is merely
undergoing a profound mutation and one that might even
end up making it more effective and better adapted to the
realities of the 21st century.
SAUDI-IRAN DEAL
#RegionalGroupings
#Effectofpoliciesofdevelopingcountries
Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to revive diplomatic
relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions.
The deal has been struck with the help of China.
MORE ABOUT THE NEWS
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 The two regional rivals are expected to reopen
embassies as they re-establish ties and a security
agreement after Beijing talks.
 Beijing maintains ties with both countries, and the
breakthrough highlights its growing political and
economic clout in the region which has long been
shaped by the influence of the US.
BACKGROUND OF IRAN-SAUDI ARABIA RELATIONS
Areas of Tensions:
 Tumultuous relationship between the two countries
dates to Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979.
 Tensions have been high between Iran and Saudi
Arabia. Saudi Arabia broke off ties with Iran in 2016
after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran.
 Shia-majority Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia
support rival sides in several conflict zones across the
Middle East– Yemen, where the Houthi rebels are
backed by Tehran and Riyadh leads a military
coalition supporting the government. Iran and Saudi
Arabia also are on rival sides in Lebanon and Syria.
Recent improvements in relations between the two
countries:
 Negotiations began in Baghdad in 2021 and have taken
five rounds so far.
 Some progress has been made, but the most important
or complex case is the Yemen war. Saudi Arabia has
declared a unilateral cease-fire, indicating that the
country is moving toward new strategies for engaging
with Iran.
 REGIONAL IMPACT: Renewed ties could scramble
geopolitics in West Asia and beyond by bringing
together Saudi, a close partner of the US, with Iran, a
long-time foe that US and allies consider a threat and
the rising role of China in the region.
WHY IS US WITHDRAWING?
 The US is also distancing itself from the region as it
is no longer dependent on energy imports from the
region.
 It has itself emerged as a significant exporter of both oil
and gas.
 America knows that its survival in the region is very
costly because it will remain under the strikes of
the Axis of Resistance, which has grown and gained
great influence in last decade, meaning that the
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 International Relations & Security
American presence is no longer without cost, but rather
the price will rise if US stays.
 The only reason US remains engaged because its major
allies are still dependent on energy supplies from the
region.
 US also has a stake in the security of Israel, which also
serves as its key regional ally.
AXIS OF RESISTANCE
The term Axis of Resistance (also Resistance and
Deterrence Axis) commonly refers to a Shiite anti-
Israel and anti-Western alliance between Iran, Syria, the
Lebanese Militant group Hezbollah and Hamas.
This Iran-led alliance aims to oppose Western, namely
United States and Israel, interests in the region.
Rising Role of China in the Region:
 China’s engagement in the region has for years been
rooted in delivering mutual economic benefits and
shunning Western ideals of liberalism that have
complicated Washington’s ability to expand
presence in the Gulf.
 China dipped its toes into Middle East diplomacy in
2013 by offering a four-point plan that rehashed old
ideas for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That
failed to achieve a breakthrough.
 China is seizing on waning American influence in the
region and presenting Chinese leadership as an
alternative to a Washington-led order
 China’s engagement with the region has been steadily
expanding. The GCC states provide 40 percent of
China’s oil imports, with Saudi Arabia alone exporting
17 percent.
 The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a major
factor in attracting China to the region. The Saudi-China
joint statement refers to the “harmonisation plan”
between BRI and the Saudi “Vision-2030” that was
signed during the visit.
 With increasing role of China, important initiatives have
been the five rounds of dialogue between Saudi Arabia
and Iran in 2021-22, Turkey’s outreach to Saudi Arabia,
the UAE and Egypt, and the Iraq-Jordan-Egypt
consortium set up in August 2021.
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INDIAN’S ROLE IN WEST ASIA
Areas of Cooperation:
 70 per cent of India’s imported energy needs come
from West Asia and 11 million Indians working in West
Asia.
 India is the largest recipient of foreign
remittances from West Asia.
 Close cooperation with West Asia is important to
prevent spread of terror outfits like Islamic State.
 West Asia provides gate way to energy rich Central
Asian region. Example: Chahbahar port in Iran.
 India has done well in recent years in forging much
closer relations with key Gulf states like Saudi Arabia,
the UAE and Oman.
 India has been able to do so even while forging a close
strategic partnership with Israel. The Abraham Accords
opened the door to the I2U2 initiative which brought
together India, Israel, the UAE and the US in a
quadrilateral regional framework, akin to the
its
Quadrilateral (Quad) in the Indo-Pacific.
 But the deal brokered by China highlights the growing
clout, following this if the multi-billion-dollar($400bn)
deal between Iran and China is materialized and
partnership with Saudi is strengthened it will put
brakes on ambitious targets set under I2U2.
Challenges:
 India’s deepening strategic relations with Israel has
been a concern for Iran. Iran, hence, plays its China and
Pakistan card. Iran has also supported Pakistan’s stand
on Kashmir, going against India’s interests.
 Iran is a part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road
initiative. India has been consistently opposing
China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
 ONGC ‘Videsh Limited’ played an important in
discovering the Farzad B gas fields in Iran. However,
Iran has not given the rights to develop the gas field to
India.
 India must work on to balance its ties with Iran on the
one hand with USA sanctions and Saudi Arabia and the
USA on the other.
 The two close partners of India like the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached a deal with Beijing’s
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 International Relations & Security
influence is disquieting, given India’s current tensions
with China.
 India’s focus on the I2U2 quadrilateral along with Israel,
U.S. and UAE, which may have taken the spotlight away
from its ties with Iran and Saudi Arabia.
 India must closely watch whether Beijing takes its new
role as peacemaker to other parts of the world,
including the Russia-Ukraine conflict regarding which
China has pitched a peace formula
 China has also sought to emphasize a plan called the
Global Security Initiative, that describes an effort to
apply “Chinese solutions and wisdom” to the world’s
biggest security challenge.
SILVER LINING AND WAY FORWARD
 I2U2 is the new ‘QUAD’: The I2U2 Group is a grouping
of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the
United States. India can play crucial role as far as the
region (West Asia) is concerned.
 India can provide large workforce and leverage on its
ties with UAE, the USA and Israel to balance China in
the region.
 India’s approach towards the conflicts in the region
should have more clear voice and perception. Clear
documents should be issued by the Indian side over
this conflict, for example, over Iran and Saudi Arabia
 Further American President Joe Biden has earlier
assured, the US is not leaving the Middle East and that
America “will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be
filled by China, Russia, or Iran”.
 Earlier US saw itself as the sole provider of regional
security, now this approach is changing with US effort
to craft a Middle East Air Defence coalition is an
example of this.
 US focus on national interest found an echo in the
Middle East. The region earlier focused
transcendental notions of “pan Arabism” and “pan
Islamism”. Arab leaders now are not willing to let that
come in the way of normalisation of relations with
Israel. Ex Abraham Accords
Thus, India must find ways to revive and expand its energy
partnership with Iran and fast-track the implementation
of the Chabahar port and the transport corridor that
would link it to Central Asia. India’s western flank is far too
important to be accorded second place to the Indo-Pacific.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
WHAT IS COLD PEACE?
 A cold peace is a state of relative peace between
two countries that is marked by the enforcement
of a peace treaty ending the state of war while
the government or populace of at least one of the
parties to the treaty continues to treat the treaty
with vocal disgust domestically.
 A cold peace is a mimetic cold war. In other words,
while a cold war accepts the logic of conflict in the
international system and between certain
protagonists in particular, a cold peace reproduces
the behavioural patterns of a cold war but
suppresses acceptance of the logic of
behaviour. Cold peace, while marked by similar
levels of mistrust and antagonistic domestic policy
between the two governments and populations, do
not result in proxy wars, formal incursions, or
similar conflicts.
 A cold peace is accompanied by a singular stress on
notions of victimhood for some and undigested
and bitter Victory for others. The perceived
victim status of one set of actors provides the
seedbed for renewed conflict, while the ‘victory of
the others cannot be consolidated in some sort of
relatively unchallenged post-conflict order.
Example:
Egypt and Israel:
 The Camp David Accords, the Egypt–Israel peace
treaty and the aftermath of relations between Israel
and Egypt are considered a modern example of cold
peace.
 After having engaged each other in five prior wars,
the populations had become weary of the loss of life,
on
and the negotiation of the accords and the treaty
were considered a high point of the Middle Eastern
peace process.
However, Egyptian popular support for the treaty
plummeted after the 1981 assassination of Anwar
Sadat and the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and
perception of the treaty has not recovered in the
Egyptian populace ever since.
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 International Relations & Security

 The relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia

SHANGHAI COOPERATION entered a fraught timeline since President Joe Biden
came into office
ORGANISATION  Joe Biden announced the end of combat assistance to
#RegionalOrganisations #MiddleEastRegion Riyadh as it led a military campaign in Yemen against
the Iran-aligned Ansar Allah, or Houthi, movement.
 With the Russia-Ukraine war and the energy prices
soared over the conflict and ensuing Western sanctions
Saudi Arabia has agreed to join the Shanghai Cooperation
against Moscow, Washington called on Riyadh to
Organisation (SCO) as a “dialogue partner”, the latest
increase production, only for the Kingdom to join with
indication of closer political ties with China.
Russia and other members of the extended
This is also seen as the step in the direction where Saudi Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Arabia can later become a full-time member of the (OPEC+) in cutting output.
organization.
 America knows that its survival in the region is very
THE SAUDI-CHINA BONHOMIE costly because it will remain under the strikes of
 By joining the SCO, Saudi Arabia’s security relationship the Axis of Resistance, which has grown and gained
with China is currently blossoming. But this great influence in last decade, meaning that the
relationship is nothing new and stems back decades American presence is no longer without cost, but rather
before. the price will rise if US stays.

 The ballistic missile sales from China to Saudi Arabia as  Now reports have emerged that Saudi Arabia has
far back as the 1980s, with reported sales in 1992, 2007 begun talks to restore ties with Syria, which has been
and 2014. In 2021, the kingdom imported sensitive suspended from the Arab League since civil war broke
missile technology from the Chinese military to out in 2011
manufacture its own ballistic missiles  Iran the long-time rival has joined SCO and has showed
 Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude supplier, and interest to join BRICS as well and this has prompted
China, the biggest energy consumer, met to discuss Saudi also, which has been aspiring for the same.
their ambitions for an initial agreement of $29.26 ABOUT SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION
billion.
It is a permanent intergovernmental international
 The United States was Riyadh’s largest trading partner organisation and was formed in 2001. It is a successor of
at $76 billion in 2012, but now China, India and Japan Shanghai five.
have surpassed the United States, with which trade was
SHANGHAI FIVE
only $29 billion in 2021
Shanghai Five, a political association based on the
 Saudi Aramco signed two deals to build a major refining
Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field in
and petrochemical complex in China valued in the
the Border Area and the Agreement on the Mutual
billions of dollars.
Reduction of Armed Forces Members: (SCO –
It can be concluded that Saudi Arabia is seemingly looking
UZBEKISTAN)
to diversify its global partnerships in the same way that it
Members
has been diversifying its economy into non-oil sectors and
reducing its dependence on one single source. NINE countries are currently SCO full members:
Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
REASONS BEHIND BLOSSOMING TIES
Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan became full members in
 The US is distancing itself from the region as it is no
2017 and IRAN in 2023.
longer dependent on energy imports from the region.
SCO decided to admit India & Pakistan at the Ufa summit
It has itself emerged as a significant exporter of both oil
of 2015.
and gas.

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 International Relations & Security
India participated for the first time as a full member at the
recently held 18th Qingdao Summit of SCO in China that
was held in 2018.
Working
 The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the highest
decision-making body in the SCO.
 The secretary general and executive director of RATS is
appointed by HSC for 3 Year term.
 The Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once
per year to discuss a strategy for multilateral
cooperation and priority directions within the
Organisation’s framework.
 Organisation has two permanent bodies — the
Secretariat in Beijing (China) and the Regional Anti-
Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.
 SCO RATS: Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of
SCO is a permanent body based in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan.
 The objective of RATS is based upon the Shanghai
Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and
Extremism. RATS possess information on terrorist
organisations and terrorists.
GEOPOLITICS OF STRAIT
OF MALACCA
#AsiaPacificRegion
The government of India has quietly begun to build a holistic
naval base on Great Nicobar Island, which stands squarely
overlooking the entrance to the Malacca Straits, and is barely
90 miles from the tip of Indonesia.
A naval base in Great Nicobar would be the central piece to
an oceanic strategy, to offer a counter punch to Chinese
aggression in the Himalayas.
China’s deep vulnerability in its dependence on imported oil,
China’s Indian Ocean lines of communications imports over
65 per cent of its oil dependency.
With a base in Great Nicobar, the entry to the Malacca Straits
would be a hundred miles away while the nearest Chinese
base in Sanya would be 1,500 miles away.
Further it was rumoured that the Chinese have awarded a
major dredging contract off Gwadar and that their intention
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
is to operate an aircraft carrier in support of Djibouti and
base it in Gwadar. With access to the Malacca Straits in Indian
hands, these deep-laid plans of China will get an effective
countercheck.
The current Indian strategy is in accordance with the
current revolution in military affairs, where the
prerequisite to victory is in formation dominance and
the denial of information to the enemy.
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF STRAIT OF MALACCA
 Strait of Malacca is the shortest transportation route
between the Far East and Indian Ocean.
 Approximately 60 percent of the world’s maritime
transport passes through the Strait of Malacca
 The Strait of Malacca is on the transport route of
approximately 25 percent of the oil transported
between the Middle East and Asia.
 With the increase in the population and wealth of China
and other regional powers, this ratio is increasing
steadily.
 The Strait of Malacca plays a key geographical role for
the entire Indo-Pacific region. For this reason, many
countries in the region, including China and even the
USA, are dependent on the Strait of Malacca
FOR INDIA
1. The main strategy regarding the Strait of Malacca
relates to the strait becoming a gateway to its “East
View Policy”.
2. In addition, India attaches importance to the Strait of
Malacca at the point of developing bilateral and
regional relations through various cooperation
mechanisms such as the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.
FOR CHINA
 China’s disadvantage in high seas becomes all the
graver in the South China Sea where China is fighting
six countries.
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 International Relations & Security
 Eighty per cent of China’s oil imports come through the
Malacca Strait. It is also the route for a considerable
amount of Chinese trade.
 According to an estimate, China’s shipping costs could
increase by more than $64 million if the Strait of
Malacca is closed for even a week, another estimate
says alternative routes could cost Beijing anywhere
between $84 to 220 billion a year.
 China knows the Indian navy eyes Chinese SLOCs [sea
lines of communication] through the Malacca Strait as
its ‘Achilles heel’.
 A detour through the Sunda or Lombok Straits will not
ensure complete security for China’s strategic
commodity trade because, ultimately, Chinese SLOCs
traverse near the Indian peninsula
WHY MIGHT STRATEGY OF BLOCKING NOT WORK FOR
INDIA?
1. The same lanes serve India’s friends and partners,
both from the West and the East, such as Japan. A
wholesale blockade of shipments from the Indian side
of the strait would create as many challenges for such
countries as it would for China. Tokyo, for instance, is
just as reliant on oil traveling through the Strait of
Malacca as China is. For Saudi Arabia, a country with
which India also enjoys good relations, shipments of oil
to China, Japan, and South Korea through the same
lanes constitute a large part of total crude exports.
2. China could temporarily block at least parts of its
exports to India (on which New Delhi relies much
more than Beijing relies on imports from India), by
simple administrative decisions, without resorting to
blocking cargo ships on waters with a navy.
3. The Chinese navy may build the capacity, , to an
India-bound ship in waters closer to Djibouti. The
same may one day be true for the Chinese presence in
Pakistan.
4. Fifty percent of India’s trade now goes through
the Malacca and Singapore Straits and complete
control over wider waters is usually not a dominion of
one power. India and China, “in their respective regions
cannot unilaterally acquire the sea control necessary to
secure sea lines of communication.
5. China is exploring is Northern Sea Route in the Arctic
which could create a ‘Polar Silk Road.’ The importance
of this is underlined by China’s 2018 Arctic Policy. It
asserts, “Geographically, China is a “Near-Arctic State”,
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
one of the continental States that are closest to the
Arctic Circle.”
WAYFORWARD
1. Focus on multilateral organisation and rules-based
order as promoted under UNCLOS and the UN charter.
2. Nurture new partnership with like-minded countries.
For example, with countries of South China sea which
have maritime disputes with China to promote free,
open and rules based maritime order.
3. To continue develop its own partnership (under
necklace of diamonds) for example on lines of Changi
naval base in Indonesia, Sabang base, Duqm port
access etc.
4. Expansion of partnership under QUAD to new level
with possible expansion through democratic countries
like UK and FRANCE who have large naval strength and
access to extra-territorial jurisdiction under them. (Ex.
Reunion Island and Diego Garcia).
INDIA’S PERFORMANCE AS
NON-PERMANENT
MEMBER OF UNSC
#InternationalOrganisations
India concluded its eighth stint in the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) at the end of December 2022. And, by any
yardstick, its two-year stint has been unprecedented.
India focused inter alia on maritime security, terrorism, UN
peacekeeping, reformed multilateralism and the Global
South. India was elected Chair of three important UNSC
Committees: the Taliban Sanctions Committee, Libyan
Sanctions Committee and Counter-terrorism Committee.
Following were the achievements of India at the end of
two-year tenure.
ON MARITIME SECURITY
As the head of UNSC meeting on maritime security the
presidential Statement issued was the first holistic
document on this issue which, for the first time, had a
direct reference to UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
as international law setting out the legal framework in the
context of maritime activities. The statement also called
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 International Relations & Security
for freedom of navigation, anti-piracy and combating
terror and transnational crime at sea.
ON MYANMAR
In Myanmar the military coup took place. The Permanent-
5 (P-5) were pulling in opposing directions while the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
counselled caution. India shares a nearly 1,700-kilometre-
long border with Myanmar and it was vital to stop
violence, bring in stability and ensure democratic
processes went forward. India ensured balanced and
comprehensive Council pronouncements, which finally
culminated in a resolution on Myanmar
ON AFGHANISTAN
In Afghanistan Taliban took over the control. India was
able to steer the negotiations which resulted in UNSC
Resolution 2593 laying down benchmarks: on stopping
cross-border terrorism from Afghan soil, including from
proscribed UN terrorist entities in Pakistan; protecting the
rights of women, minorities and children; ensuring an
inclusive government, and providing humanitarian
assistance.
ON TERRORISM
As Chair of the UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC),
India brought the CTC meeting to India in October 2022.
Though India’s attempt to list terrorists under UNSC
Resolution 1267 sanctions (along with the U.S.) was
thwarted, in a significant development, the proposal to list
Abdul Rehman Makki, Deputy Amir/Chief of the Lashkar-
e-Taiba was approved by the UNSC.
ON PEACEKEEPING
India launched the UNITE Aware technology platform to
strengthen real-time protection of peacekeepers.
India introduced UNSC resolution, calling for
accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.
India also gifted two lakh vaccines to all UN peacekeepers.
ON GLOBAL SOUTH
India thwarted a move by the West to wrest climate
change from the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change-led process and bring it under the ambit of the
UNSC, where the P-5 are also major historical polluters.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
The draft resolution was defeated in the Council when
India and Russia voted against. A change in the climate
change architecture would have shut out the voice of the
Global South, especially Small Island Developing States.
The conclusion under the India’s Presidency was the need
for immediate reform of the Council. India’s performance
over two years is testimony to why India needs to be at
the horseshoe table permanently.
AUKUS
#AsiaPacificRegion#RegionalGrouping
The AUKUS partnership for Canberra, London, and
Washington is about promoting deterrence and stability in
the Indo-Pacific. For China, AUKUS, along with the
Quadrilateral forum or the Quad, is one of the dangerous
“small cliques” that the US is building in Asia. China has
warned Canberra that Australia is making an “expensive
mistake” that will “plant a time bomb” in the region.
The future of this partnership will involve Canberra, London
and Washington to overcome several technical and policy
issues in implementing the AUKUS road map. The current
estimated cost of the project will be around $250 billion. It
will be nearly three decades before an Australian-built
nuclear submarine will enter service.
This multi-decadal plan will trigger multiple strategic
consequences:
1. AUKUS is in essence about transforming Australia’s
strategic capabilities and making it a powerful
factor in shaping the Indo-Pacific regional
security environment. AUKUS will see a deeper
partnership between the US, UK, and Australia
in developing a range of underwater
technologies to cope with the dramatic expansion of
Chinese naval capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.
 The UK is the lynchpin in the AUKUS, with its critical
role in designing and developing a new class of nuclear-
powered submarines by including cutting-edge US
technologies to Britain’s domestic nuclear capabilities
and the Australian demand. AUKUS will begin to
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 International Relations & Security

change that by reinforcing London’s renewed claim

for a long-term role in Indo-Pacific security.
 AUKUS has reinvigorated the idea of an
“Anglosphere” that speaks of the
enduring geopolitical bonds between the US, UK,
Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. India, which
had difficult ties with the Anglosphere in the past, is
now seeing a rapid expansion of its ties with the
English-speaking world.
FUNCTIONAL CHALLENGES THAT AUKUS WILL FACE BENEFITS OF AUKUS FOR INDIA

1. It is for the U.S. to build nuclear-powered attack 1. Strengthens India-Australia relations

submarines (SSNs) for Australia but the U.S.  Aims at improving defence capabilities of Australia
policymakers seem sceptical about the option. which is a strategic partner of India.

2. Even if Australia acquires a submarine the integration  India & Australia recently held their first round of 2+2

with the onboard combat system would be dialogue to deepen their defence & strategic ties.

difficult due to differences between the current
Australian and American fleets.
3. Canberra could announce a modified version or new
design i.e., a completely new AUKUS-class design to
be acquired by all three countries but again the biggest
of challenges which Australia must figure out how to
get around U.S. export controls. As the U.S.’s stringent
export control and protocol regime could jeopardise
the technology transfer agreement.
4. Nuclear technology is difficult under
international system. For Australia to operate
nuclear-powered submarines with high-enriched
uranium (HEU) fuelled reactors, it will have to exploit a
loophole that allows non-nuclear weapon countries to
withdraw the fissile material required for submarine
reactors from the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA)-monitored stockpile.
5. For India Acquiring nuclear propulsion technology is
likely to be complicated as India is not a party to the
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
ABOUT AUKUS USA, UK and Australia have formed a
security partnership in Indo–Pacific with an aim to counter
Chinese aggression. This group has been created in
addition to already existing collaborations like QUAD, 5
eyes alliance etc. In this backdrop let us understand the
various dimensions of AUKUS and its implications on the
geo-politics of Indo- Pacific.
 India can now see a dramatic upgradation of those
Australian capabilities in the coming years. This should
also open the door for greater S&T cooperation
between India and Australia which should eventually
expand to cover sensitive strategic areas.
2. Augments Quads capability
 Augment capacity of Quad of which both US
and Australia are members.
 This is a first of its kind defence initiative of the US in
the Indo – Pacific since Quad has not clearly outlined its
the
defence motives clearly.
 AUKUS is beneficial for India because it reflects
continued & intensifying US-Australian concerns about
China.
 Bolster both Australian and American ability to deter
China or to respond in the event of a crisis. Thus,
supplements Quad’s efforts.
3. Clarifies role of Big Powers in Indo – Pacific
 Indian policymakers have gone from worrying about
too much US presence and interest in Indian Ocean to
worrying about Washington paying too little attention
to this region. AUKUS could ease this concern.
 AUKUS conveys the U.K.’s seriousness about its tilt to
the Indo-Pacific and signals a change in UK’s
assessment of China.
 AUKUS rollout gives India an opportunity to boost
diplomatic, defence & trade ties, particularly with
France. France will probably double down on its efforts

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 International Relations & Security
to secure arms deals with India—for commercial and
political economic reasons and maybe even to get one
over on the U.S.
 France’s reaction to AUKUS could make it more willing
and able to help India attain nuclear-powered
submarines in addition to or in place of Russia.
Thus, it can be concluded that India has now a rare
opportunity to develop a unique set of arrangements of
its own with Washington and its allies that will strengthen
India’s comprehensive national power as well as enhance
its contribution to regional peace and security.
CHALLENGES FROM AUKUS FOR INDIA
1. Tussle between AUKUS nations & France discourages
consensus on larger issue of rise of China.
2. France’s discontent feeds China’s narrative about U.S.
unreliability.
3. Despite India’s increasing collaboration with US, India
did not get the offer that US has offered to Australia
under AUKUS.
4. Creation of AUKUS signals a dilution of USA’s interest in
India, in its Indo – Pacific strategy.
5. Shrinks potential space available for Quad, and India,
to play a serious role in region’s security architecture.
INDIA AND JAPAN
#Bilateral Relations of India
During the recent visit PM Kishida said that today’s Ukraine
could be tomorrow’s Asia,” and indicated Japan’s concerns
over China’s actions in the Senkaku Islands, South China Sea
and Taiwan Straits.
The issue of “shared responsibilities” on the rule of law
between India and Japan was discussed by the two leaders
during bilateral talks.
The Japanese Prime Minister went on to launch Japan’s New
Plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
The Japanese PM also highlighted the need for common
perspective for international order.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
The two leaders acknowledged that 2023 is a pivotal year for
both India and Japan as chairs of the two major international
groupings – India as the President of the G20 and Japan as
the Chair of G7. Our countries have the unique opportunity of
converging our priorities on issues of significance and drive
through that and in the process, the global agenda.
The two leaders spoke about the challenge that they face in
the region (China) and globally.
The two leaders further highlighted that i.e., India and Japan
and other like-minded countries can work together to address
those challenges.
ABOUT INDIA AND JAPAN
India and Japan celebrated 70 years of friendship in 2022.
Reflecting on how this relationship has developed from a
Global partnership to a “special strategic and global
partnership”.
However, we can see gaps in economic partnership and
people-to-people connect. While the economic
partnership was the pillar on which this relationship took
shape, the two leaders will unquestionably direct the
policymakers of both nations to scrutinize and reflect on
how to enhance this pillar.
Moreover, much-touted civilizational linkages have not
translated into robust people-to-people connections.
The two leaders are hence putting forth various schemes
to enable exchanges of people, namely youth, workforce,
and artists, along with a stronger emphasis on tourism.
AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S IN RECENT MEETING
1. The two leaders exchanged documents on the
financing of the 4th tranche of Japanese funding for a
loan of 300 billion Yen for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad
High Speed Rail (MAHSR) or “Bullet Train” project.
2. A MoU on Japanese language education for the MEA.
3. Japan further plans to mobilise a total of U.S. $75 billion
in public and private funds by 2030. Japanese leader
also mentioned about coordinating with India for
projects as a part of a “Bay of Bengal-Northeast India
industrial value chain”.
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 International Relations & Security
4. The two leaders also had discussions over co-
innovation, co-design, co-creation in defence field and
investment collaboration, investment partnership in
this space. Indian PM highlighted the openness of
Indian defence sector to Japanese private companies
and Japanese FDI.
5. Ministry of Environment of Japan and Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India,
signed an Aide Memoire essentially on the Joint
JAPAN’S NEW PLAN FOR FREE AND OPEN INDO PACIFIC
BASIC CONCEPTS AND PILLARS
Develop a free and open Indo-Pacific region as
“international public goods”, through ensuring the rule-
based international order, in a comprehensive, inclusive
and transparent manner, attaching importance to
ASEAN's centrality and unity, to bring stability and
prosperity for every country as well as secure peace and
prosperity in the region.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
Crediting Mechanism (JCM) that has been under
discussion for quite some time between the two
countries.
6. The two leaders announced 2023 as “India-Japan Year
of Tourism”. Indian PM expressed the desire to declare
the next year as the year of youth exchanges between
the two countries.
Japan will cooperate with any country that supports this
idea. Three pillars to realize free and open Indo-Pacific:
1. Promotion and establishment of the rule of law,
freedom of navigation, free trade, etc.
2. Pursuit of economic prosperity (improving
connectivity and strengthening economic partnership
including EPA/FTAs and investment treaties)
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 International Relations & Security
3. Commitment for peace and stability (capacity
building on maritime law enforcement, HA/DR
cooperation, etc.)
FOUNDING PILLARS OF INDIA – JAPAN RELATIONS
Strategic Collaboration between India and Japan
 Convergence on free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
 Defence and security and in the region. – Quad, AUKUS,
MALABAR.
 India and Japan signed a Reciprocal Provision of
Supplies and Services Agreement (RPSS).
 The inaugural 2+2 ministerial meeting was held in
November 2019.
 Act East Forum: A decision was taken in the 2017
Summit to establish the India-Japan Act East Forum.
The objective is to coordinate developmental projects
in North-East India in areas of connectivity, forest
management, disaster risk reduction and capacity
building.
 Northeast development – Upgradation of highways in
Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are underway. 20 km-
long bridge over the Brahmaputra River between
Assam and Meghalaya.
 Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) – The Trade and
Economy Ministers of India, Japan and Australia
launched the (SCRI) on 27 April 2021.
ECONOMIC COLLABORATION
 Investment Promotion Partnership 2014: Both have
achieved the target of 3.5 trillion Japanese Yen in public
and private investments in India.
 Industrial collaboration: 1,455 Japanese companies in
India. Eleven Japan Industrial Townships (JIT).
 FDI: Japan is 5th largest source of FDI, largest supplier
of ODA.
 Infrastructure projects are underway through Japanese
assistance including Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed
Rail, Dedicated Freight Corridor, metro projects, DMIC
etc.
 Digital Partnership 2018 Indian start-ups have raised
more than USD 10 billion from Japanese VCs. India and
Japan have also launched a private sector driven fund-
of-funds to invest in technology start-ups in India which
has raised USD 100 million.
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 Cooperation in ICT, in areas such as 5G, under-sea
cables, telecom and network security.
 Movement of skilled workers: Japan’s population has
peaked out its and working age population is reducing.
In this respect, India with its surplus labour force can
provide workers for Japan’s needs. India and Japan
signed MoU on Specified Skilled Workers to promote
movement of skilled workers and Japanese language
requirement from India to Japan for employment on a
contractual basis.
Three main challenges which have constrained the
Japan-India economic partnership:
 India’s complex regulations, red tape, ad hoc nature of
state-level interventions.
 Japanese companies face considerable logistics
challenges and non-availability of uninterrupted power
supply constrains their manufacturing plans in India.
 While India can emerge as a large market for Japanese
infrastructure system exports (one of the core
components of Abenomics), there have been incredible
delays in the commencement of the projects. While
there is the shining example of the Delhi Metro Rail, the
delays with DMIC, CBIC are disappointing.
COLLABORATION IN THE INDO – PACIFIC
 Collaboration in QUAD, SRI, MALABR Naval exercise
with US and other like-minded countries in the Indo–
Pacific.
 Countering the Chinese assertion – Along the LAC,
South China Sea and East China Sea.
 Japan’s Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)’ Strategy and India’s
‘Act East’ Policy converge in action in the northeast of
India—a bridge between South and Southeast Asia. Ex
– Act EAST Forum.
 Collaboration through infrastructure development in
third countries (in the Indo- Pacific) such as Sri Lanka,
Myanmar and Bangladesh.
 Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC)—a collaborative
effort to soft-balance China’s Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) project.
Collaboration on Global Issues
 Both believe in upholding freedom of navigation and
reinforcing rules-based international order.
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 Japan supported a waiver of Nuclear Suppliers Group’s with India and in the next decade Japan-India relations to
(NSG) embargo on nuclear trade with India and backed overtake Japan-US and Japan-China ties.
its application for membership of group.
 Joint military exercises have contributed to the image
of their rising regional power. JIMEX, MALABAR etc.
INDIA – AUSTRALIA
 Both works closely on global issues such as #BilateralRelationsofIndia
proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs),
terrorism, space and cyber security, and environment
(e.g., the International Solar Alliance).
 Permanent membership of the UNSC – Both are Australian PM Anthony Albanese made his first State Visit to
members of G4 club besides Brazil and Germany. India.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES Australia will host Exercise Malabar for the first time, and

 Neither of the two countries want to downgrade its India will, also for the first time, participate in Australia’s
own relations with China and neither is too eager to Talisman Sabre exercise
open alliance against China  Australian PM Anthony Albanese said that India is a
 Though two main political parties have top-tier security partner for Australia onboard India’s
positive disposition towards Japan their lies have indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in Mumbai. “His
shown negative attitude towards Japan due to its visit to India reflects Australia’s commitment to place
proximity with USA. India at the heart of Australia’s approach to the Indo-
 Japanese foreign policy is pre-eminence of Pacific and beyond
Japanese career bureaucrats in foreign ministry that  He further explained Indian Ocean is central to the
makes radical changes in policy difficult to accomplish security and prosperity of both countries, Mr. Albanese
 Weak political leadership and vertically said there had never been a point in both the country’s
divided administration as well as fragmented histories where “we have had such a strong strategic
domestic consensus will continue to adversely affect alignment”.
Japan’s foreign policy  During the visit Security cooperation was discussed as
 The trade and security bureaucratic establishment an important pillar of our Comprehensive Strategic
continue to have a rather negative opinion of India Partnership. The countries had a detailed discussion on
 Integration b/w Indian and Japanese economies maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region and
remain shallow, in services sector both the countries increasing mutual defence and security cooperation.
have different demands from each other for  Further to enhance contact and friendship among our
opening. For Japan these are maritime ,insurance, civil
young soldiers, the two countries have established the
aviation and banking while for India these include IT ,
General Rawat Officers Exchange Programme
BIO TECH and Medical
 The countries also signed a mechanism for mutual
 Infrastructure inadequacy, a complicated legal
recognition of educational qualifications, which will be
and taxation system and insufficient regulation
useful for our student community. We are also moving
for interstate-transaction
forward on the Mobility Agreement.
CONCLUSION
TRACING THE RELATIONSHIP
Thus, there is a need to enhance the relationship between
Historical perspective
the two countries in order that India-Japan relations are
elevated to a new dimension. The India-Australia bilateral relationship has been
As the Ex Japanese PM SHINZO ABE talked about underpinned by the shared values of pluralistic,
a ‘broader Asia’ wherein he talked about advancing Westminster-style democracies, Commonwealth
Japan’s national interest by strengthening its ties traditions, expanding economic engagement, and
increasing high-level interaction.

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 International Relations & Security

Several common traits, including strong, vibrant, secular, GEOSTRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT

and multicultural democracies, a free press, an Indo-pacific a global strategic region as high volume of
independent judicial system, and English language, serve trade tasing through strait of Malacca starts of Singapore
as the foundation for closer co-operation and and gulf of Hormuz the region has become competing
multifaceted interaction between the two countries. claims of power and power plays as India and Australia
The end of the Cold War and beginning of India’s has strategic position in Indo-pacific and are natural allies
economic reforms in 1991 provided the impetus for the in the region
development of closer ties between the two nations. THIRD PILLAR
The ever-increasing no. of Indian students travelling to
Culture with a thrust on soft diplomacy : Indian
Australia for higher education, and the growing tourism
diaspora in Australia now constitutes 700,000 strong and
and sporting links, have played a significant role in
the fastest growing large Diaspora in Australia. This
strengthening bilateral relations.
Diaspora can play a big role to enhance the partnership
With the passage of time, ties evolved in the direction of by creating personal links in business, arts , education ,
a strategic relationship, alongside the existing economic politics and civil society
engagement. In recent years, the relationship has charted
Later In June 2020, Modi and Prime Minister Scott
a new trajectory of transformational growth. With
Morrison elevated the bilateral relationship from the
greater convergence of views on issues such as
Strategic Partnership concluded in 2009 to a
international terrorism, and a shared commitment to a
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, the two
Prime Ministers Modi and Albanese met thrice last year.
democracies have taken their cooperation to plurilateral
There has been a series of high-level engagements and
formats, including the Quad (with the United States and
exchange of ministerial visits in 2022 and in 2023.
Japan).
AREAS OF COOPERATION
In September 2014, Australian PM TONY ABOTT visited
India and in November that year, Modi became the first Bilateral mechanisms include high level visits, Annual
Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Australia Meetings of Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers’
after Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. He also became the first Indian Framework Dialogue, Joint Trade & Commerce Ministerial
PM to address a joint sitting of the Parliament of Australia. Commission, India-Australia '2+2' Foreign Secretaries and
Defence Secretaries Dialogue
In 2018, Australia announced implementation of "An
India Economic Strategy to 2035” Australia's White Paper on Foreign Policy released in
November 2017 sees India in the front rank of Australia’s
A three-pillar strategy to build a sustainable long-
international partnerships. It says, “Beyond an
term India economic strategy. It includes 10 sectors and
increasingly important economic relationship, our
10 states in evolving Indian market where Australia has
security interests are congruent, particularly in relation to
competitive advantage
the stability and openness of the Indian Ocean. Both the
FIRST PILLAR TIES
countries have common interests in upholding
ECONOMIC TIES international law, especially in relation to freedom of
India-Australia economic ties are stuck on second tier navigation and maritime security”.
despite India enjoying tier 1 diplomatic relation with India and Australia co-operate in various multilateral fora.
Australia for more than 2 decades Australia supports India’s candidature in an expanded
India’s economic growth ,its appetite for resources , UN Security Council. Both India and Australia are
energy demand , skill development, technical knowledge members of the Commonwealth, IORA, ASEAN
and investments have made it an important trade partner Regional Forum, Asia Pacific Partnership on Climate
and export destination for Australia. and Clean Development, and have participated in the
The two countries finally signed ECTAA in Dec 2022 East Asia Summits.

SECOND PILLAR

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 International Relations & Security
Both countries have also been cooperating as members
of the Five Interested Parties (FIP) in the WTO context.
Australia is an important player in APEC and supports
India's membership of the organisation. In 2008,
Australia became an Observer in SAARC.
Economic cooperation:
In 2021, India was Australia's sixth-largest two-way
goods and services trading partner and fourth-largest
goods and services export market.
The Bilateral trade was US$ 27.5 billion in 2021; with
ECTA, there is potential for it to reach around US$ 50
billion in five years with the signing of The Economic
Cooperation Trade Agreement (ECTA) — the first free
trade agreement signed by India with a developed country
in a decade — entered into force in December 2022, and
has resulted in an immediate reduction of duty to zero on
96% of Indian exports to Australia in value (that is 98% of
the tariff lines) and zero duty on 85% of Australia’s exports
(in value) to India.
People-to-people ties: India is one of the top sources of
skilled immigrants to Australia. As per the 2021 Census,
around 9.76 lakh people in Australia reported their
ancestry as Indian origin, making them the second
largest group of overseas-born residents in Australia.
To celebrate India@75, the Australian government
illuminated more than 40 buildings across the country,
and Prime Minister Albanese issued a personal video
message.
Education: The Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of
Educational Qualifications (MREQ) was signed and
implemented. This will facilitate mobility of students
between India and Australia. Deakin University and
University of Wollongong are planning to open campuses
in India. More than 1 lakh Indian students are pursuing
higher education degrees in Australian universities,
making Indian students the second largest cohort of
foreign students in Australia.
Defence cooperation: The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
was held in September 2021, and the Deputy Prime
Minister and Defence Minister of Australia visited in June
2022. The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA)
was concluded during the Virtual Summit in June 2020,
and the two militaries held several joint exercises in 2022.
Australia will host military operations with India, Japan,
and the US in the “Malabar” exercises off the coast of
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Perth in August and has invited India to join the Talisman
Sabre exercises later this year.
China factor: Ties between Australia and China were
strained after Canberra in 2018 banned Chinese
telecom firm HUAWEI from the 5G network. Later, it
called for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, and
slammed China’s human rights record in Xinjiang and
Hong Kong.
China responded by imposing trade barriers on Australian
exports, and by cutting off all ministerial contact.
India has been facing an aggressive Chinese military
along the border. New Delhi and Canberra have been
assessing the Chinese challenge since 2013.
Both Australia and India support a rules-based
international order and are partners “in seeking to forge
regional institutions in the Indo-Pacific which are inclusive,
promote further economic integration. The countries’
participation in Quad is an example of their convergence
of interests, based on shared concerns.
Clean energy: The countries signed a Letter of Intent on
New and Renewable Energy in February 2022 which
provides for cooperation towards bringing down the cost
of renewable energy technologies, especially ultra-low-
cost solar and clean hydrogen.
During the Virtual Summit in March 2022, India
announced matching funds of AUD 10 million for Pacific
Island Countries under Infrastructure for Resilient Island
States (IRIS) and of AUD 10 million for Pacific Island
Countries under International Solar Alliance (ISA).
Civil Nuclear Cooperation: A Civil Nuclear Cooperation
Agreement between the two countries was signed in
September 2014 during the visit of the Australian Prime
Minister to India. The agreement came into force from 13
November 2015. The Australian Parliament passed the
“Civil Nuclear Transfer to India Bill 2016” on 01
December 2016 which ensures that Uranium mining
companies in Australia may fulfil contracts to supply
Australian uranium to India for civil use
Consular cooperation: The Mutual Legal Assistance
Treaty (MLAT) and the Extradition Treaty between India
and Australia, which were signed in June 2008, have been
ratified by both the Governments, and have entered into
force on 20 January 2011.
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India and Australia signed a Social Security Agreement
on the eve of our PM’s visit to Australia in November 2014.
The Agreement has been ratified by both countries and
came into force with effect from 1 January 2016.
WAY FORWARD
 India and Australia can play a significant role in creating
a strong and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The Quad
partnership must be leveraged and widened in its
relevance and influence, by enhancing security and
economic cooperation among the member nations
 India and Australia need to take a leadership role in
maritime security affairs in the two oceans and have
deeper engagements with the Pacific and Indian Ocean
Island countries.
 Joint defence manufacturing has a tremendous
potential to be explored, leveraging Aatmanirbhar
Bharat initiative. Furthermore, broader long-term
reciprocal access arrangements, like foundational
agreements with US, can be looked at to emphasise
real-time maritime domain awareness and information
sharing, besides interoperability and operational
coordination.
 Close cooperation in critical emerging technologies will
be a win-win for both countries, for example in fields of
Artificial Intelligence, semiconductors, drones, 6G,
blockchain, etc.
DEFENCE ACQUISITION
COUNCIL
#SecurityForces#SecurityLegislations
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday accorded Acceptance of
Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals estimated at
₹70,500 crore
 The AoN has been accorded for capital acquisitions
under ‘Buy Indian-IDDM’ (Indigenously Designed,
Developed and Manufactured)
 Out of the total proposals, Indian Navy proposals
constitute more than ₹56,000 crore, which largely
includes indigenous BrahMos cruise missiles, Shakti
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Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, Utility Helicopters-
Maritime among others.
 A Long-Range Stand-Off Weapon (LRSOW) for the
Indian Air Force (IAF) to be designed and developed
indigenously and integrated on SU-30 MKI fighters. The
indigenous 155mm/52-Calibre Advanced Towed
Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) along with High Mobility
Vehicles (HMVs) and Gun Towing Vehicles (GTVs) for the
Army.
Note: An Acceptance of Necessity is accorded by the
Defence Ministry for a particular weapon system or
equipment at the beginning of the procurement
process.
Buy Indian-IDDM’ (Indigenously Designed, Developed
and Manufactured)
It has been introduced in DPP-2016 (Defence
Procurement Policy) to promote indigenous design and
development of defence equipment. This category has
been accorded topmost priority for procurement of
capital equipment. Besides this, preference is being given
to ‘Buy (Indian)’ and ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ categories of
capital acquisition over ‘Buy (Global)’ & ‘Buy & Make
(Global)’ categories.
Buy (Indian-IDDM) ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ category refers to
the procurement of products from an Indian vendor
meeting one of the two conditions:
1. Products that have been indigenously designed,
developed and manufactured with a minimum of 40%
Indigenous Content (IC) on cost basis of the total
contract value
2. Products having 60% IC on cost basis of the total
contract value, which may not have been designed and
developed indigenously.
ABOUT DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL
It was formed after the recommendations were made by
Group of Ministers on Reforming the national Security
system in 2001, which was setup post Kargil war.
DEFENCE ACQUISITIONS COUNCIL (DAC)
A Defence Acquisitions Council has been created as an
overarching structure with the following composition:-
 Chairman: Defence Minister
 Members: Minister of state for defence
 Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
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 Chief of Army Staff (COAS)
 Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)
 Chief of Air Staff (CAS)
 Defence Secretary
 Secretary of Defence Production
 Secretary Defence R and D
 Director of General Acquisition
FUNCTIONS OF DAC
(a) Give ‘in principle’ approval to Capital acquisitions in
the Long-Term Perspective Plan (LTPP) covering a 15-
year time span at the beginning of a Five-Year Plan
period.
(b) Give ‘in principle’ acceptance of necessity to each
Capital acquisition project for incorporation in the
forthcoming Five-Year Plan
The approval will involve the identification of Either –
 ‘Buy’ Projects (outright purchase)
 ‘Buy and Make’ projects (purchase followed by licensed
production/ indigenous development)
 ‘Make’ Projects (indigenous production and R&D)
(c) Monitor the progress of major projects on feedback
from the Defence Procurement Board.
The approval in principle should be seen as first step in
the process of ‘acceptance of necessity’ by the concerned
Administrative Wing in Ministry of Defence.
PUNJAB CRISIS
#ConsolidationofIndia
#External&Non-StateActors&Security
After the Punjab police launched a coordinated crackdown
against the Dubai-returned radical preacher, Amritpal Singh,
and his associates on March 18, there is growing concern
about a revival of the Khalistan movement in Punjab.
Earlier thousands of Sikhs protested on Thursday for the
release of Lovepreet Toofan, a close associate of Sikh leader
Amritpal Singh. Later, the same peaceful protest turned
violent when police used force to disperse the protesters.
THE RESURGENCE OF KHALISTAN DEMAND
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The book Blood for Blood: Fifty Years of the Global
Khalistan Project, Canadian journalist Terry Milewski
wrote how the Khalistan movement in Canada, the United
Kingdom and India has been sustained for decades by
Pakistan. The demand has always had a fringe but it has
existed peacefully with the mainstream and performs a
function of democracy
RECENT ISSUES
 Punjab is an agrarian powerhouse, but its intense
wheat-paddy agriculture cycle has depleted the ground
water levels. Once the “breadbasket of the nation”,
Punjab is fast becoming a desert.
 Heavy use of chemicals has turned the State into a
cancer belt. Mafias dominate every revenue source,
from sand to gravel to transport.
 Punjab being a border State, the Centre has always
been reluctant to install big industry here. Small- and
medium-scale industry is dying out because of a huge
electricity crisis and the labour exodus.
 Education levels have dropped, health facilities are
dismal. Once the country’s number one State, Punjab
has now moved to a middling 16th position in GDP
ranking.
 The State’s loan burden is over Rs.3 lakh crore. The
average individual farmer loan exceeds Rs.2 lakh. In the
last two decades, about 20,000 farmers and labourers
have died by suicide
 A study conducted by the Post Graduate Institute of
Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), revealed
that in the state of 30 million people, 15% of the
population are consuming drugs.
 The 2021 economic survey reported that Punjab has an
unemployment rate of 7.4%, one of the highest in India.
Even though both drugs and unemployment have
consistently ranked high as issues in political polls,
politicians have yet to provide results.
 A maverick separatist leader like Amritpal Singh
becomes so quickly popular because rural Punjab is
desperately seeking a hero to deliver it from its present
penury.
 The growing influence of the Deras and conversions to
Christianity in Punjab and the thorny issue of Centre-
State relations.
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 Incidents of storming and the lack of action taken
against the mob will only “embolden radical elements“.
It equally raises questions about police Intelligence.
 Further as discussed, a section of the diaspora sitting
abroad as well as the ISI (Pakistan’s Inter-Services
Intelligence) have been continuing their nefarious
activities to create trouble in Punjab.
WAY FORWARD THAT CAN BE ADAPTED
1. There are certain elements who are trying to and have
been trying to indulge in various activities, and surface
time and again; but the people of Punjab, whatever the
community, whatever their affiliations might be,
everybody had suffered during the 1980s and none of
them are ready to go back to that time.
Prelims Pointer
UNITE AWARE
India, in collaboration with the UN, launched a technology
platform to ensure the safety and security of
peacekeepers who are operating in an increasingly
complex and risky environments across the world. For the
project India contributed USD 1.64 million.
 It is a situational awareness software programme that
will utilise modern surveillance technology for real time
threat assessments to peacekeepers and help them
enhance their security.
 This will access live video and satellite imagery, and in
very volatile circumstances can also deliver early
warnings to peacekeepers. It can also record data on
critical incidents and events and follow daily
operational activities.
 Using the platform, the entire peacekeeping operation
can be visualised, coordinated, and monitored on a real
time basis.
 India has developed the technology platform in
partnership with the UN Department of Peacekeeping
Operations and the Department of Operational
Support.
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2. There is need for political mobilisation. All political
parties, irrespective of whatever differences they may
have on other issues, must ensure that on this issue an
overwhelming part of the population, which is already
in the democratic mainstream, continues to remain in
that mainstream.
3. The police should have all kinds of intelligence set-ups,
they should ensure that they have prior information
and have the identification of the specific person.
(For detailed and historical coverage of Punjab crisis and
Khalistan issue visit
https://compass.rauias.com/current-affairs/the-punjab-
crisis/ )
INITIAL ROLL OUT
India has partnered with the UN to roll out the UNITE
Aware platform initially in four UN Peacekeeping
Missions: MINUSMA (Mali), UNMISS (South Sudan),
UNFICYP (Cyprus) and AMISOM (Somalia).
WAGNER GROUP
 The Wagner Group is described as a private military
company, but the full scope and breadth of its
operations is difficult to know. Wagner provides
everything from security training, political and military
advice, intelligence collection, influence operations,
and combat operations.
 It is a murky paramilitary network led by Russian
oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin
 The first whispers of the Wagner Group emerged in
2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and Russian-
directed separatists seized territory in parts of Donetsk
and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine. At the time, there
were reports of so-called LITTLE GREEN MEN— soldiers
in uniform, but without Russian insignia, who entered
both regions.
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 Reports also suggest Wagner Group forces have also
been deployed in Syria, Libya, Central African Republic,
Mali, Sudan and Mozambique.
MQ-9 REAPER
The Biden administration released a video of a Russian
fighter jet dumping fuel on a US Airforce surveillance drone as
the US sought to hold Russia responsible for the collision that
led to the drone’s crash into the Black Sea without escalating
already fraught tensions with the Kremlin.
WHAT IS THE MQ-9 REAPER?
The MQ-9 Reaper is a large, unmanned aircraft
manufactured by military contractor, General Atomics. It
is remotely operated by a two-person team, consisting of
a pilot and an aircrew member who operates sensors and
guides weapons.
The primary use is as “an intelligence-collection
asset”, while also highlighting its “unique capability to
perform” precision strikes against “high-value and time-
sensitive targets”
Which countries use Reaper drones?
The US is by far the largest purchaser of Reaper
drones. UK has accelerated its use of Reaper drones over
the last decade.
France, Italy, Spain, India, Japan and the
Netherlands all also operate Reaper drones.
INDIA-BANGLADESH
FRIENDSHIP PIPELINE (IBFP)
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of
Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the India-
Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) in virtual mode. The
foundation stone for the construction of this pipeline was
laid by both Prime Ministers in 2018.
 It is a 131.5-kilometre-long Pipeline from Siliguri in
North Bengal to Parbatipur in Bangladesh’s Dinajpur
province
 The pipeline stretches 125 km inside Bangladesh’s
territory and 5 km inside India. Previously Bangladesh
used railway carriages to import diesel from India.
 IBFP is the first cross border energy pipeline between
India and Bangladesh with a capacity to transport 1
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million Metric Ton Per Annum (MMTPA) of High-Speed
Diesel (HSD) to Bangladesh
 The pipeline, built with Rs 377 crore drawn from a line
of credit offered by India to Bangladesh, will carry one
million tonnes of high-speed diesel from Numaligarh
refinery in Assam to Bangladesh Petroleum
Corporation’s Parbatipur depot.
 Numaligarh Refinery Limited has been supplying
petroleum products to Bangladesh since 2015.
GLOBAL TERRORISM INDEX
 The GTI report is produced by the Institute for
Economics & Peace (IEP) using data from Terrorism
Tracker and other sources. Terrorism Tracker provides
event records on terrorist attacks since January 2007.
 In 2022, deaths from terrorism fell by nine per cent to
6,701 deaths and is now 38 per cent lower than at its
peak in 2015.
 Afghanistan remained the country most impacted by
terrorism for the fourth consecutive year, despite
attacks and deaths falling by 75 per cent and 58 per
cent respectively.
 The GTI does not include acts of state repression and
violence by state actors and, as such, acts committed
by the Taliban are no longer included in the scope of
the report since they took control of the government.
 The deadliest terrorist groups in the world in 2022 were
Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates, followed by al-
Shabaab, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and
Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM).
 The Sahel region in sub-Saharan Africa is now the
epicentre of terrorism, with the Sahel accounting for
more terrorism deaths in 2022 than both South Asia
and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
combined.
 India ranked 13th on the index, marking only a
marginal decrease from the previous year.
 South Asia remains the region with the worst average
GTI score. The region recorded 1,354 deaths from
terrorism in 2022, a decrease of 30 per cent when
compared to the previous year; however, if the
improvement in Afghanistan was excluded, then
terrorism deaths would have increased by 71 per cent.
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COLOMBO SECURITY
CONCLAVE
The fourth edition of the tabletop exercise of the Colombo
Security Conclave – with representation from six countries
took place in Kolkata
 Conducted by the Indian Coast Guard, the primary
objective of the exercise involved the formulation of
robust standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all the
authorities concerned.
 The SOPs aim at ensuring “coastal and marine security
and gradual response and handling (of) any threat
emanating” that falls under the purview of the
Conclave. The exercise also covers the response to
marine pollution and the search and rescue operations
at sea.
 The Colombo Security Conclave was formed in 2011 as
a trilateral maritime security grouping of India, Sri
Lanka and Maldives.
 The roadmap of activities was expanded in 2022 and
adopted by the member countries India, Sri Lanka,
Maldives and Mauritius . Bangladesh and Seychelles
participating as observer countries.
 The Conclave underlines regional cooperation and
shared security objectives concerning all littoral
nations in the Indian Ocean Region.
CHINA+1 STARTEGY
 China-Plus-One, or just Plus One refers to a strategy in
which companies avoid investing only in China and
diversify their businesses to alternative destinations.
 A grouping of 18 economies, including India, the US,
and the European Union, unveiled a roadmap for
establishing collective supply chains that would be
resilient in the long term.
 The roadmap also included steps to counter supply
chain dependencies and vulnerabilities.
 Beijing’s Zero-Covid policy, the resultant supply chain
disruptions, and high lead times from China ended up
giving a fillip to the China-Plus-One strategy for many
global firms.
 The US and Europe, with their sourcing dependence on
China, were forced to look at other locations for both
reliable supplies of components and materials and
production cost advantages.
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NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK
Egypt has become a full member of the BRICS grouping. It has
taken an equity position within the New Development Bank
(NDB)
Egypt will have a shareholding equity of 2.27%.
Earlier Egypt & Uruguay have been admitted as prospective
members of NDB. Prospective
members are admitted by NDB’s Board of Governance and
will officially become a member country once they deposit
their instrument of accession.
ABOUT NDB
 It is also known as BRICS bank
 During the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014), the
leaders signed the Fortaleza Agreement establishing
the New Development Bank (NDB).
 It is headquartered in Shanghai, China.
 Unlike the World Bank, which assigns votes based on
capital share, in New Development Bank each
participant country has assigned one vote and none of
the countries has veto power.
 Expansion of Membership: Earlier only BRICS
countries where members of NDB i.e., Brazil, Russia,
India, China & South Africa. However, the membership
of BRICS Bank is open to all members of UN, in
accordance with provisions of Articles of Agreement of
NDB. Membership is open to both borrowing and
nonborrowing members. Thus, Bangladesh & UAE have
become members of NDB in 2021.
 Shareholding: NDB’s initial authorised capital was
$100 billion divided equally into five initial members.
 Later when Bangladesh & UAE become members of
NDB, the shareholding of original members decreased.
 Presently, five BRICS countries each have equal
shareholding of 18.98% each, Bangladesh has 1.79%
and UAE has 1.06% shareholding.
UNSCR RESOLUTION 2396
The US BUREAU of Counterterrorism has published reports on
Terrorism 2021.
The report highlighted that India made significant progress to
detect, disrupt and degrade operations of terrorist
organisations.
It also noted that India has implemented UNSCR resolution
2396
74
 International Relations & Security

ABOUT RESOLUTION 2396
 It urges Member States to strengthen their efforts to
stem the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters
(FTFs) through measures on border control, criminal
justice and information-sharing and counter-
extremism.
HISTORY: The First BIMSTEC Energy Ministers Conference
held in 2005 where the members agreed to the setting up
of a BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) to share experience in
reforms, restructuring, regulation and best practice in the
energy sector. A Concept Note for the same was discussed
by representatives of BIMSTEC Member States in 2006.

 Further it calls on Member States to take appropriate AT THE MEET

action regarding suspected terrorists and their
accompanying family members who entered their
territories, including by considering appropriate
prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration
measures in compliance with domestic and
international law.
 It calls for action at the global, regional, and national
levels to raise the level of effective implementation of
the ICAO’s new Global Aviation Security Plan, which
seeks to enhance aviation security worldwide.
BIMSTEC ENEGRY CENTRE
India hosted the first meeting of the governing board of
BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC)
 India’s ‘Neighbourhood first’ and ‘Act East’ policies were
highlighted during the meeting and a snapshot of areas
where BIMSTEC countries can learn and adapt from
each other was also presented
 Further member discussed and highlighted the current
energy scenario in the BIMSTEC region and
recommended addition of the cyber security, green
hydrogen, and energy transition areas under the
specialised wings of BEC.
 The member countries appreciated India’s efforts for
organizing the first meeting of the Governing Board of
BIMSTEC Energy Centre.

practice questions
MCQS
Q1. Consider the following statements with respect 1. All three member countries of AUKUS are nuclear
to the ‘India-Australia’ relationship: weapons state under Nuclear Non-Proliferation
1. Exercise Talisman Sabre is a biennial military Treaty.
exercise led by Australia, the United States and India. 2. Under the AUKUS, the US and the UK will give new
2. India and Australia have recently signed a nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.
‘Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Qualifications’. (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
3. Under the ‘Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Qualifications’ the two countries will recognise the
degrees and professional registrations of Q3. With reference to UN Global Counter Terrorism
engineering, medicine and law pass-outs. Strategy, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect? 1. It was adopted by all the UN member states by
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only consensus in 2006 to counter terrorism.

(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 2. The General Assembly reviews the Strategy every
two years, making it a living document attuned to
Q2. Consider the following statements about AUKUS: Member States’ counter-terrorism priorities.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only

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 International Relations & Security

(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Q5. Consider the following statements regarding
SCO Interbank consortium:
Q4. Consider the following statement regarding
1. It provides funding and bank services for investment
UNITE AWARE:
projects to the governments of the SCO member
1. India and UN have launched technology platform to states.
ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers.
2. India is not a member of this consortium.
2. It will be rolled out at all the UN Peacekeeping
Which of the above statement is/are correct:
missions that are currently operational.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Which of the following statement 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 recent Saudi-Iran deal brokered by China highlights its growing clout on global stage. Comment. Also identify
the challenges it puts in front of India.
Q2. What do you understand by term “Multilateralism”. Identify the challenges the current multilateral order faces and
How India through its leadership of G20, can help reform it?

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

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

 Reservation at all Levels: Ensure at least 50%

PARTICIPATION OF
WOMEN IN POLITICS
#Women Issues #Vulnberable Sections
#Welfare mechanism
Nagaland got its first two women MLAs in the recently
held assembly elections. The dearth of women MLAs was
not just because they did not win elections, but even
among the candidates, representation was poor. This is a
surprising trend as Nagaland women are socially
empowered but underrepresented in politics. However,
this issue is not unique to Nagaland. Women participation
in politics in low across the states in India. In this context,
let us discuss reasons for low political participation of
women in India and possible remedies.
reservation of seats for women in Local bodies, State
Legislative Assemblies, Parliament, Ministerial levels
and all decision-making bodies of the government.
 Decriminalisation of politics: State needs to take
effective steps to combat criminalisation of politics.
 State funding of elections: State funding of elections
or subsidising election expenditure of women
candidates will encourage women participation in
elections.
 Gender sensitization of political parties: Where there
is nomination to any political body, the governing
criterion should not only be political loyalty but also
proven record in promotion of women’s rights.
 Mahila Gram Sabha: Mahila Gram Sabha’s provide
women with the playing field for garnering political
experience and would also help raise women’s issues.

Domestic Women reservation Bill demanding mandatory

reposnisbilities
reservation of 33% in legislative bodies didn’t garner
consensus among political parties. In this context,
Patriarchal
Instituional attidues following alternatives that can be considered:
barriers like regarding
 Make it mandatory for every recognized political
Education Reasons for the roles of
qualifications low political women in party to nominate women candidates for election in
participation Society at least one-third of the constituencies.
of women in
India  Make it mandatory for recognised political parties
to ensure putting of minimum agreed percentage
for women in State Assembly and Parliamentary
Criminalisation of Lack of financial elections to allow them to retain the recognition
politics empowerment with the Election Commission as political parties
 Increase strength of Legislatures by one-third of
MEASURES TO IMPROVE WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN
total number of existing seats and provide 1/3rd (i.e.,
POLITICS
to increase seats by 33% and make reservation)
seats to women.

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 Society and Social Justice

 Assess impact of Affirmative action: A socio economic

OBC CENSUS caste census would help in assessing how far the
#Population issues #Caste issues extension of reservations to OBCs benefited them.

#Welfare mechanism ROHINI COMMISSION

The Union Government on March 14 informed Lok Sabha
that the Justice G. Rohini Commission which is looking into
the sub-categorisation has been working without the data
from the last Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) conducted
in 2011.
NEED FOR CASTE-BASED CENSUS
 Estimate change in demography: Present reservations
and other welfare scheme entitlements to OBC are still
based on the population estimates of 1931.
 Bring about social justice: Help governments’ welfare
schemes reach the most backward and deprived
castes that have been marginalised till date.
 Help rationalize reservation policy as per need of a
specific caste or community: 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.
 Demand for Reservations: There has been demands to
expand OBC reservation (as the present 50% cap is
arbitrary) and inclusion of dominant castes like Jats,
Kapus, Patidars, Marathas etc. into OBC category.
Often these demands are not based on scientific
evidence. Hence, a Caste based socio-economic census
will bring out the real picture.
 OBC Sub-categorisation: OBC membership is large and
heterogeneous, with vast intra-caste differences in
socio-economic conditions. Some better-off groups
among OBC castes have cornered a disproportionately
large share of seats reserved for OBCs giving rise to
demand of sub-classification of various caste groups
among OBCs. Caste based socio economic census will
help in such classification.
This Commission was constituted under article 340 of
Constitution with mandate is to examine issues of
sub-categorization within Other Backward Classes in
Central List.
Findings/suggestions:
 It found that 97% of all jobs and educational seats
have gone to just 25% of all sub-castes classified.
And around 25% of these jobs and seats went to just
10 OBC communities.
 983 OBC communities, 1/3rd of the total, had almost
had zero representation in jobs and admissions in
educational institutions.
 Proposed to divide 27% reservation for the castes
on the Central list into four sub-categories.
MULTIPLE INDICATOR
SURVEY (MIS) - NSS 78TH
ROUND REPORT [2020-21]
#Sustainable development goals
#Human development
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) carried out the
Multiple Indicator Survey (MIS) covering the entire
country in its 78th round. The objectives of the MIS were:
 To collect information for developing estimates of
some important Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
indicators.
 To collect information Purchase/Construction of
house(s)/ flat(s) by the household for residential
purpose after 31.03.2014 and information on
Migration.

PERCENTAGE (ALL-INDIA)
SL NO ITEM DESCRIPTION
RURAL URBAN ALL*

1 Percentage of persons reported to have improved source of

95.0 97.2 95.7
drinking water

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 Society and Social Justice

2 Percentage of persons reported access to improved latrine,

97.5 99.0 98.0
among the persons who had reported access to latrine

3 Percentage of persons reported access to hand washing facility

77.4 92.7 81.9
with water and soap/detergent within the premises

4 Percentage of households using clean fuel as primary source of

49.8 92.0 63.1
energy for cooking

5 Percentage of persons of age 15-29 years were in formal and non-

formal education and training for the 12 months preceding the 33.0 39.4 34.9
survey

6 Percentage of persons of age 15-24 years not in education,

30.2 27.0 29.3
employment or training (NEET) as on date of survey

7 Percentage of persons of age 18 years and above who used mobile

telephone with active sim card during the three months 67.8 83.7 72.7
preceding the date of the survey

Percentage of households in rural areas reported availability of

8 92.5 - -
all-weather roads within 2 km from the place of living

Percentage of households reported purchase/ construction

9 11.2 7.2 9.9
of any new house/flat after 31.03.2014

Percentage of persons having current place of residence different

10 26.8 34.6 29.1
from the last usual place of residence (Migration)

 Low level of literacy

PARTICULARLY
VULNERABLE TRIBAL
GROUPS (PVTG)
#Vulnerable Sections #PVTG
Tribal communities are often identified by some specific signs
such as primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical
isolation, shyness to contact with the community at large and
backwardness. There are some tribes who are more
vulnerable because of their extreme backwardness and low
literacy. They are categorized as particularly vulnerable tribal
groups. In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive
Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, who are less
developed among the tribal groups. In 2006, the Government
of India renamed the PTGs as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
Groups (PVTGs).
CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFICATION OF PVTGs
 Pre-agricultural level of technology
 Economic backwardness
 A declining or stagnant population
Accordingly, 75 PTVGs have been identified across the
country, spread over 18 states and 1 Union territory
(Andaman & Nicobar). Among the 75 listed PVTG's the
highest number are found in Odisha (13), followed by
Andhra Pradesh (12).
CONCERNS RAISED BY STANDING COMMITTEE
 A massive budgetary allocation had been planned
when even the Ministry of Tribal Affairs does not have
data on PVTG populations.
 Baseline survey exercise is still under verification
process.
ISSUES FACED BY PVTGs
 Outdated list: Baseline survey has not been
conducted in States and UT’s – which is impacting the
implementation of welfare programmes designed for
PVTGs. Moreover, regular census does not
comprehensively capture data of PVTGs.

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 Society and Social Justice
 Land alienation: A mounting pressure from external
groups who seize their lands for various purposes such
as mining, industrialization, and other uses, leading to
the displacement and forfeiture of traditional
livelihoods for numerous PVTGs.
 Lack of access to basic services: Due to a dearth of
infrastructure and resources in their remote regions,
as well as discriminatory and neglectful treatment by
government officials, PVTGs frequently encounter
impediments to obtaining basic amenities such as
healthcare, education, and clean water.
 Exploitation: PVTGs are often subject to exploitation
and discrimination by more powerful groups, including
non-tribal populations and the government. They are
often denied their rights to resources, participation in
decision-making processes, and representation in
government bodies.
 Socio-cultural: PVTGs have a unique culture and way
of life, but they are increasingly under threat of
assimilation into mainstream society. This is due to
factors like education, urbanization, and migration,
which can erode traditional knowledge and practices.
 Impact of Climate change: PVTGs are particularly
vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which can
impact their livelihoods and access to natural
resources. This includes changes in rainfall patterns,
rising temperatures, and increased frequency of
natural disasters like floods and droughts.
WAY FORWARD
 Conducting a Baseline Survey: A comprehensive
survey should be conducted to identify PVTGs living in
different parts of the country to capture critical
information about PVTGs, such as their population
size, geographical location, economic conditions, social
and cultural practices, and access to basic amenities
like health care, education, and livelihood
opportunities.
 Developing a Vulnerability Index: A vulnerability
index should be developed for each PVTG based on
factors such as health, education, livelihood, and social
protection, among others. It will enable policymakers
to tailor interventions that are targeted and effective.
 Rights based approach: Suitable measures should be
taken for protection and promotion of their rights
(especially to their land rights and customary habitats).
Strict controls need to be imposed so that no
development can take place on PVTGs land and
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habitats without their free, prior, and informed
consent.
 Livelihood strategies: Development of livelihood
strategies for PVTGs should factor in their often-
nomadic lifestyle and their unique skills and
indigenous knowledge. Focus should be on
conservation and enhancement of their traditional
skills. E.g., Todas is dairy and horticulture.
 Governance: There is need to develop a
comprehensive framework to assist the PVTGs in a
manner that empowers them to determine their own
development path at their own pace.
 Service Delivery: Service providers need to be well
incentivized to perform their duties and remain
stationed in the areas where PVTGs reside. Residential
clusters should be created where government officials
of different categories and different departments can
be accommodated.
 Accountability Mechanism for officials: Ensure the
accountability of government officials working in the
areas of PVTGs.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES
 PM – PVTG Development Mission: In order to
improve socio-economic conditions of the particularly
vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs), the Pradhan Mantri
PVTG Development Mission is launched. It has been
initiated to saturate the PVTG families and habitations
with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking
water and sanitation, improved access to education
health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity
and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
 Scheme of development of PVTGs: It aims at
planning their socio-economic development in a
comprehensive manner while retaining the culture
and heritage of the community by adopting habitat
development approach and intervening in all spheres
of their social and economic life, so that a visible
impact is made in improvement of the quality of life of
PVTGs.
RIGHT TO HEALTH
#Health #UHC
Rajasthan passed Right to Heath bill recently and became the
first state to do so. The act gives every resident of the state
80
 Society and Social Justice

the right to avail free Out Patient Department (OPD) services of diagnostic and family welfare services and disease
and In Patient Department (IPD) services at all public health control programmes. However, we are far from achieving
facilities. Also, similar healthcare services will be provided the goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
free of cost at select private facilities.
KEY FEATURES Adequate Health
Financing
 Right to health: Every person in the state of Rajasthan
will have certain rights regarding health which include
Geriatric & Mental Robust Health
i. Avail free outdoor and indoor patient department Healthcare infratsructure
services, medicines, and diagnostics in public
health institutions.
Measures to
ii. Emergency treatment and care at all health care achieve UHC
providers, without any delay waiting for
Quality of
prepayment or police clearance Health services
Access to affordable
iii. Informed consent before specific tests or Medicines, implants
and Medical devices
treatments
iv. Confidentiality and privacy in treatments at all Adequate
health care establishments Healthcare
professionals
v. Referral transport
vi. Grievance redressal.
vii. Free transportation, treatment, and insurance PM SHRI SCHEME
coverage against road accidents at all healthcare
establishments. #Education
 Obligations of state government: The state
government will be required to:
The centre government has received around 9000
i. Formulate and prescribe a public health model applications for upgrade of schools from several states
ii. Make appropriate provisions in the state budget eligible to be consider under the PM Schools for Rising India
iii. Make available healthcare services with due or PM SHRI scheme.
consideration for distance, geographical area, or ABOUT PM SHRI
population density  It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a total project
iv. Lay down standards for quality and safety at all cost of Rs. 27360 crores for five years from 2022-23 to
levels, 2026-27.
v. Set up a coordinating mechanism to ensure  Aim: To develop more than 14500 schools across India
adequate supply of safe drinking water, as PM SHRI Schools by strengthening select existing
sanitation, and nutritionally sufficient safe food, schools being managed by Central Government/ State/
and UT Government/ local bodies.
vi. Institute measures to prevent, treat, and control KEY FEATURES
epidemics and public health emergencies.  PM SHRI Schools will showcase all components of
 Grievance redressal: The act provides a mechanism for the National Education Policy 2020, act as exemplar
resolving complaints against denial of services and schools and will offer mentorship to other schools in
infringements of rights in 30 days. their vicinity.
India has made considerable progress in public health  Pedagogy: More experiential, holistic, integrated,
since independence. significant improvements were play/toy-based, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented,
witnessed in key health indicators like institutional learner-centred, discussion-based, flexible and
deliveries out-patient cases, full immunization, availability enjoyable.

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 Society and Social Justice

 Focus: On achieving proficiency in learning outcomes
for every child in every grade.
 Assessment: At all levels based on conceptual
understanding and application of knowledge to real-
life situations and competency based.
rights and privileges to those communities who faced
historical injustice due to caste discrimination. However,
in the recent past, there has been growing demands for
such reservations from several dominant castes like
Marathas, jats, patels, kapus etc.

 Equipped with modern infrastructure including labs,

smart classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, art
room etc. which is inclusive and accessible. INSTITUTIONS OF
EMINENCE (IOE) SCHEME
EWS RESERVATION #Higher Education
#Welfare Mechanism
The Rajya Sabha Department-related Parliamentary
Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth
Recently Karnataka government notified 10% quota for
and Sports, has also recommended the government to speed
Economically Weaker Sections.
up the process of granting Institutions of Eminence (IoE)
The quota is exclusive for people from the general
status and to realigned the scheme with the National
category and excludes the Scheduled Castes (SCs),
Education Policy, 2020.
Scheduled Tribes (STs), and the socially and
educationally backward classes. It applies to all Institutions of Eminence (IoE) scheme has been launched
government jobs, private and state-funded educational in order to empower the Higher Educational Institutions
institutions. and to help them become world class teaching and
However, the EWS quota is opposed on many grounds: research institutions. Under this scheme, ten public and
 Economic criteria: The intent of reservation, when it ten private institutions are to be identified to emerge as
was introduced in 1950, was social justice for the world-class Teaching and Research Institutions. This will
oppressed and marginalised communities who faced enhance affordable access to high quality education for
historical injustice, and was based on the idea of ordinary Indians.
compensatory discrimination. So, it cannot be solely
CRITERIA
based on economic criteria.
The institutes are selected by the following criteria:
 Poverty or Social exclusion: Reservation is not a
poverty alleviation mechanism but a remedy to social  The institution should have figured in the top 500 of QS
exclusion of marginalised sections like lower castes. World University rankings or top 50 of National
Social exclusion is defined as a process that involves Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings.
denial of fair and equal opportunities to certain social  NIRF rankings are given based on the following criteria
groups on the basis of their group identity, resulting in
the inability of individuals from excluded groups to PARAMETER WEIGHTAGE (%)
'fully participate in the life of their communities.
Teaching, learning & 30%
 Discriminatory: Exclusion of SCs, STs, and socially and resources (TLR)
educationally backward classes is discriminatory.
Research & Professional 30%
Groups that are disproportionately poor are excluded
practice (RP)
from a quota that is, in principle, meant to target
economic deprivation regardless of caste. EWS quota Graduation outcomes (GO) 20%
is targeted towards castes that do not suffer any social
Outreach & Inclusivity (OI) 10%
discrimination.
Reservation in education and public employment is a Perception 10%
social measure provided by the government to secure the

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 Society and Social Justice

BENEFITS like freedom to have the flexibility of course structure,

 Funding: Government Institutions to get additional
funding upto 1000 Cr.
 Autonomy: The selected Institutions under IoE shall
have complete academic and administrative autonomy
fix and charge fees from foreign students, fixing of
curriculum and syllabus, offer online courses, recruit
faculty from outside India etc.

practice questions
MCQS
Q1. Consider the following statements about 2) The scheme covers both secondary and tertiary
Institutions of Eminence scheme: care procedures
1) Only top 20 institutions under NIRF rankings are Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
considered as Institutions of Eminence (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
2) Institutions with IoE status are given administrative (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
and financial autonomy
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Q4. Consider the following statements:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 1. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi is
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 sourced from the Proceeds of share of health in the
Health and Education Cess
Q2. Which of the following are criteria to identify a 2. Cash incentives under Pradhan Mantri Matru
tribe as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Vandana Yojana are paid through this fund
(PVTG) Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1) Low level of literacy (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
2) Economic backwardness (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
3) Declining population
Select the correct answer using the code given below: Q5. Consider the following statements:
a) 1 and 2 only b) 2 and 3 only 1. NIPUN Bharat programme was launched to achieve
c) 1 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3 100% GER in the country by 2026-27
2. NISHTHA is an initiative to build capacities of
Q3. Consider the following statements about teachers and school principals at the elementary
Pradhan Mantri Jana Arogya Yojana: stage
1) The benefits under the scheme cover only the post- Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
hospitalisation expenses (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Descriptive Questions
Q1. Reservation in panchayats is not a sufficient condition for political empowerment of Women at grassroot. In this
context, discuss the challenges faced by elected women representatives in panchayats
Q2. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. In this light discuss the need of declaring healthcare for all as a fundamental
right in India.

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

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 Geography, Environment,
Biodiversity & Disaster
Management
# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & III (Main)
WINTER HAZE
#haze #airpollution #smog #mist
#fog
New research published in Nature geoscience journal has
given some important inputs regarding the reasons behind
formation of haze in Delhi during winter seasons.
WHAT IS HAZE?
Haze is formed when a cocktail of various gaseous
pollutants is oxidized and forms particulate matter
diffusing sunlight. Hydroxyl radicals (OH) mainly mediate
this process. Haze consists of fine particulate matter
containing soot. It is formed when gaseous pollutants,
which are from industrial emissions, vehicle exhausts, and
other sources, are converted to condensable matter. This
condensation is remarkably accelerated under the action
of OH radicals.
Although haze is mostly a dry air phenomenon, some of its
particles tend to create condensation, subsequently giving
form to mist droplets. This phenomenon is known as wet
haze, or visibility-reducing aerosols of the wet type. The
process of aerosol creation occurs due to the chemical
reactions between the atmosphere and the sulphur
dioxide gas emissions, which create small droplets of
sulfuric acid. Sunlight, high humidity, and stagnant airflow
may enhance this process.
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WHAT CAUSES HAZE?
1. Volcanic activity: In the aftermath of major volcanic
eruptions, sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrochloric acid
(HCl), and ashes are distributed into the atmosphere.
2. Windy weather: Desert dust blown into the atmosphere
by the wind is another form of naturally occurring haze.
The minerals contained in the dust and dirt allow
sunlight to be absorbed, warming the area. Wind also
lifts water from the oceans, causing the salts to be
evaporated into the air — accounting for some
atmospheric haze. The sea salt acts as cloud
condensation nuclei, which accelerates cloud
formation.
3. Human practices: activities like forest burning, factory
emissions, automobile traffic pollution, and the burning
of coal and other fossil fuels are said to outweigh
natural sources in the production of hazes.
Note: During winters, stubble burning in nearby areas of
Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh increase
the particulate matter in the atmosphere. Atmospheric
stability keeps this pollutant stable over Delhi NCR for a
longer period. Further, burning of wood and waste to keep
oneself warm is also common in Northern India during
winters. All these factors contribute to sharp rise in haze
during winters.
RELATED BASIC CONCEPTS: The Difference Between
Mist, Fog, Smog, Haze And Vog:
84
 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
Mist and fog are caused by water droplets in the air, and
the only difference is how far you can see. Haze is the
reflection of sunlight off air pollution, while smog is what
happens when pollution causes low-lying ozone. And
vog only happens when a nearby volcano is releasing
sulfur dioxide into the air to react.
Fog is denser than mist. By international agreements Fog
is when you can see less than 1,000 metres away, and if
you can see further than 1,000 metres, call it mist.
However, in forecasts for the public, fog generally refers
to a situation when the visibility is less than 180 metres.
On the other hand, the term ‘mist’ is used when the
droplets do not reduce horizontal visibility to less than 1
kilometre. Because of this reason, the mist is considered
synonymous with ‘light fog.’
While mist and fog occur when water droplets hang in
the air, haze happens when the particles in the air are
dry pollutants. Most of the time, haze occurs in areas far
from the original source of the pollutants, which are
carried by wind currents to where they ultimately gather.
Haze forms when light reflects off airborne pollution
particles and interferes with visibility.
Smog is the stuff that will make you cough and burn your
eyes—that is because it has majorly made up of ozone.
When certain pollutants enter the air— like nitrogen
oxides—they react with the sunlight to form ozone. Most
of the smog that we see nowadays is called
photochemical smog. When sunlight reacts with
nitrogen oxides and at least one volatile organic
compound (VOC) in the atmosphere, smog occurs.
Nitrogen oxides originate from car exhaust, coal power
plants, and factory emissions, whereas, gasoline, paints,
and many cleaning solvents release the VOC. When
sunlight hits these chemicals, they form airborne
particles and ground-level ozone, or smog.
Vog is a specific type of air pollution that comes only
from volcanic activity. When a volcano erupts—or begins
to erupt—it releases sulfur dioxide which then reacts
with the other gases that are already in the air. When
lava reaches the sea, it also reacts with the water to
produce other chemicals like hydrogen sulphide. The
resulting “fog” is called vog.
INDIAN WOLVES
#indianwolves #biodiversity
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Wolves in north Gujarat and north Saurashtra will soon be
joined by their captive cousins from Junagadh once they finish
a basic course in surviving the wild. In a first, the Gujarat
Forest Department is set to shift 10 Indian grey wolves from a
conservation breeding centre at Junagadh’s Sakkarbaug
Zoological Park (SZP) to forested areas in north Gujarat and
north Saurashtra.
KEY FACTS RELATED TO INDIAN WOLVES
 The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in collaboration with
zoos in India has initiated a conservation breeding
program for threatened species in Indian zoos. Indian
wolf is one of the species identified under this initiative.
 The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is a subspecies of
grey wolf inhabiting semi-arid and arid areas.
 It has a wide distribution range that extends from the
Indian subcontinent to Israel.
 The IUCN Redlist considering the wide distribution
range of the subspecies has listed it as a species of least
concern (Mech and Boitani 2010); however, the Wildlife
(Protection) Act of 1972 in view of the threats faced by
the animal across its range in India places it in Schedule
I Part I.
 It is also in appendix 1 of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES).
 The highest concentration of wolves is currently in
Madhya Pradesh (772), followed by Rajasthan (532),
Gujarat (494), Maharashtra (396) and Chhattisgarh
(320).
 Main prey of wolves are blackbuck and livestock.
THREATS
Habitat loss is a primary threat to the survival of this
species. Wolves’ native habitat is barren wastelands that
are now actively prioritised for development activities. But
on the other hand, there is also no wildlife sanctuary
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dedicated to the preservation of Indian wolves. A recent
study shows that less than 5% of open natural ecosystems
in the country are protected. Wolves are under threat from
another unlikely source: dogs. Wolves and dogs have an
uneasy love-hate relationship. If a wolf is unable to find a
partner, then it may mate with a dog, resulting in wolf-dog
hybrids. This genetic dilution of wild genes may eventually
result in an evolutionary disadvantage for the wolf. It could
be robbed of its ability to hunt prey. In turn, dogs may also
pass on deadly diseases to wolves. Hunting by Maldhari
communities to protect their cattle is also one of the most
important reasons behind declining population of the
Indian wolves.
NET ZERO WASTE FROM
BUILDINGS
#netzerowaste #greenbuilding
HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE NET ZERO?
Step 1. Reducing: Efforts should be made to reduce the
waste generation to the maximum extent possible in all
the three stages of construction of buildings.
Step 2. Reusing: Various options for reusing the waste as
a resource within the building can be explored.
Step 3. Recycling: The remaining waste need to be
responsibly handled and handed over to authorized
recyclers for recycling or disposed in an environment
friendly manner.
KEY BENEFITS OF ADOPTING NET ZERO WASTE RATING
SYSTEM ARE AS BELOW
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All upcoming housing societies and commercial complexes in
the country will soon have to mandatorily ensure net¬ zero
waste and have their liquid discharge treated, as part of the
Union government’s push for reforming and modernising the
sewage disposal system.
WHAT IS THE CONCEPT OF NET ZERO WASTE?
 According to ICBC, a Net Zero Waste for Buildings & Built
Environment is one which eliminates the diversion of
waste being sent to landfills, by a multi-pronged
approach - nature-centric design, reducing debris
during construction, responsibly handling waste during
operation, reusing the waste as much as possible and
recycling the remaining waste.
 A building or a built environment must demonstrate
that the total quantity of waste generated during
construction and operation is equal to the quantity of
waste reused within the premises and the quantity of
waste recycled, so that the net quantity of waste sent to
the landfill is ‘Zero.’
 Increased use of green products & materials, thereby
improving resource efficiency and health benefits.
 Reduction in material consumption and thereby
reduction in cost of construction.
 Increase in reuse of waste resulting in reduction in
procurement of additional materials.
 Reduction in cost associated with waste handling and
disposal.
 Opportunity to convert waste to energy or other value-
added products.
 Brand image of being environmentally conscious
NAMASTE: National Action for Mechanised Sanitation
Ecosystem
 Namaste is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) as a joint
initiative of the MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
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 NAMASTE envisages safety and dignity of sanitation
workers in urban India by creating an enabling
ecosystem that recognizes sanitation workers as one of
the key contributors in operations and maintenance of
sanitation infrastructure thereby providing sustainable
livelihood and enhancing their occupational safety
through capacity building and improved access to safety
gear and machines.
 Five hundred cities (converging with AMRUT cities) will
be taken up under this phase of NAMASTE. For
providing a safety net to identified SSWs and their
families they will be covered under the Ayushman
Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
The premium for AB-PMJAY for those identified SSWs
families who are not covered earlier shall be borne
under NAMASTE.
NAMASTE aims to achieve the following outcomes:
 Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India
 All sanitation work is performed by skilled workers
 No sanitation workers come in direct contact with
human faecal matter
 Sanitation workers are collectivized into SHGs and are
empowered to run sanitation enterprises
 All Sewer and Septic tank sanitation workers (SSWs)
have access to alternative livelihoods
 Strengthened supervisory and monitoring systems at
national, state and ULB levels to ensure enforcement
and monitoring of safe sanitation work
 Increased awareness amongst sanitation services
seekers (individuals and institutions) to seek services
from registered and skilled sanitation workers
Note: In case the workers decide to adopt an alternate
livelihood of their choice, skilling support will be provided
to these workers. The workers may start a new livelihood
project as an individual or as a group interested in same
option. However, it will not be free and rate of interest will
be chargeable on self-employment projects including
sanitation related projects.
ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL
AND GOVERNANCE
REGULATIONS
#ESG #csr #companiesact
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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), responding
to the increase in ESG investing and the demand by investors
for information on ESG risks, substantially revised the annual
Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR)
required by the 1,000 largest listed companies in India.
E.S.G REGULATIONS
ESG regulation is any set of requirements on an
organization to publicly disclose information about their
performance in environmental, social, or governance
topics.
HOW ESG DIFFERS FROM CSR?
India has a robust corporate social responsibility (CSR)
policy that mandates that corporations engage in
initiatives that contribute to the welfare of society. This
mandate was codified into law with the passage of the
2014 and 2021 amendments to the Companies Act of
2013. The amendments require companies with a net
worth of ₹500 crore or a minimum turnover of ₹1,000
crore or a net profit of ₹5 crore in any given financial year
spend at least 2% of their net profit over the preceding
three years on CSR activities. The list of qualifying CSR
activities is intentionally broad, ranging from supporting
the protection of historically important sites to promoting
safe drinking water.
ESG regulations, on the other hand, differ in process and
impact. The U.K. Modern Slavery Act, for example, requires
companies with business in the U.K. and with annual sales
of more than £36 million to publish the efforts they have
taken to identify and analyse the risks of human trafficking,
child labour and debt bondage in their supply chain.
ESG DISCLOSURES ARE HIGHLY RELEVANT FOR ALL
STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN A BUSINESS PROCESS:
 Business: ESG disclosures allow companies to identify
potential transition risks, self-assess its ability to sustain
in the future, and undertake necessary steps to adapt
to the likely future changes. At the same time, ESG
disclosures help companies in identifying certain
opportunities for innovation that might yield high
results in the future. They also help companies in
reassuring their stakeholders about their values and
respect towards responsible business.
 Investors: ESG disclosures are highly consequential for
investors to include climate-related considerations in
asset valuation and finance allocation processes;
determine the environmental and social impact of a
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company’s business processes; and assess how climate
change could affect a company’s financial stability in the
future.
 Consumers: ESG disclosures aid consumers in
identifying responsible businesses.
EVOLUTION OF ESG DISCLOSURES IN INDIA
 The Companies Act, 2013 introduced one of the first
ESG disclosure requirements for companies. Section
134(m) mandates companies to include a report by their
Board of Directors on conservation of energy, along
with annual financial statement.
 This requirement is further detailed under Rule 8(3)(A)
of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, which
mandates the board to provide information regarding
conservation of energy.
 In 2017, SEBI issued a circular on ‘Disclosure
Requirements for Issuance and Listing of Green Debt
Securities’, to introduce the regulatory framework for
issuance of green debt securities in India and enhance
investor confidence. These additional disclosure
requirements have been prescribed to attract the
finance reserved for ESG-compliant projects, such as
renewable and sustainable energy, clean
transportation, sustainable water management, climate
change adaption, energy efficiency, sustainable waste
management, sustainable land use, and biodiversity
conservation.
 Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has also released the
National Voluntary Guidelines for Responsible
Financing, laying down broad and general principles
towards ‘integrating ESG risk management into
Financial Institution’s (FIs) business strategy, decision-
making process and operations.’
 In May 2021, SEBI introduced a new framework;
Business Responsibility and
Sustainability Report (BRSR): It is aligned with nine
principles of National Guidelines for Responsible
Business Conduct (“NGBRC”) and it will be mandatory
for the top 1,000 listed companies to annually disclose
ESG-related information from financial year 2022-23.
 Concludingly it can be said that India is gradually
moving towards developing regulations around ESG.
With the introduction of the BRSR framework, SEBI has
joined the group of countries and international
organization to have released comprehensive
sustainability reporting frameworks. Though the
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reporting mandate is presently restricted to the top
1,000 listed companies by market capitalization, the
experience with BRR only indicates that a wider range
of companies would soon be covered under the BRSR
framework.
CLIMATE INSURANCE
#ESG #Climatechange
Every year, an estimated 26 million people are pushed into
poverty by natural disasters which cause an average of $300
billion in economic losses.
Quick-disbursing financial protection instruments, such as
contingent credit and insurance, can reduce humanitarian
impacts and save money by enabling rapid crisis response and
relief efforts. In Ethiopia, for example, every $1 secured ahead
of time for early drought response can save up to $5 in future
costs.
Over the past 10 years, 26 countries in three regions—Africa,
the Pacific, and the Caribbean and Central America—have
joined sovereign catastrophe risk pools.
WHAT IS CLIMATE RISK INSURANCE?
Climate risk insurance is a type of insurance designed to
mitigate the financial and other risk associated with
climate change, especially phenomena like extreme
weather.
MERITS
 Insurance solutions can help bolster early action in the
face of a disaster and speed up recovery to restore
livelihoods and rebuild critical infrastructure so that
people, communities and economies can rebound.
 Climate risk insurance can help protect individuals,
small businesses or entire countries from permanent
damage caused by the impact of extreme weather
events.
 Allows countries which are affected by climate change
to become more independent; rather than waiting for
months, or even longer for international aid to arrive.
 High premiums in high-risk areas experiencing
increased climate threats, would discourage settlement
in those areas.
GLOBAL EXAMPLE
In 2015, for example, thanks to the insurance policy it
purchased through the Pacific Catastrophe Risk
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Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI), another
World Bank-supported risk finance instrument, Vanuatu
received $2 million to support recovery just seven days
after cyclone Pam devastated the country. While it may not
seem like much, the pay-out was eight times larger than
the government’s emergency budget
ISSUES
 Critics of the insurance, say that such insurance places
the bulk of the economic burden on communities
responsible for the least amount of carbon emissions.
 For low-income countries, these insurance programmes
can be expensive due to the high start-up costs and
infrastructure requirements for the data collection.
 A considerable problem on a micro-level is that
weather-related disasters usually affect whole regions
or communities at the same time, resulting in many
claims simultaneously.
WAY AHEAD?
 No one size fits all approach: Localized assessments
are imperative to understand the needs of vulnerable
communities and identify how they can be best
prepared in the event of a shock like a natural disaster.
 Climate risk insurance is no stand-alone solution: It
must also always be closely linked with preventive risk
management strategies, ensuring losses and damages
caused by a natural disaster are kept to a minimum.
 Affordability: To make insurance affordable, the
product can be partly – or fully – subsidized by
governments or other donors. Regional risk pools can
be created.
 Transparency about how money is paid out,
collaboration with organizations that have deep roots in
the communities, alongside ensuring the participation
and inclusion of women must be focussed.
SHESHA & RAPID
COMPOSTING
#wastemanagement #shesha
A Start-up Entrepreneurship Workshop was organized by
Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) – BARC, DAE Convention
Centre.
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 AIC-BARC is established under the ambit of Atal
Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog to create a start-
up eco-system based on spin-off technologies of
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
 AIC-BARC has been set up in line with the “Aatma
Nirbhar Bharat.”
 In the workshop, two technologies namely SHESHA (for
wet waste management) and Rapid Bio-composting (for
dry waste management) were introduced by BARC
scientific experts.
SHESHA TECHNOLOGY
 SHESHA is a novel, compact helical shaped waste
converter aimed to manage the biodegradable waste
generated in small housing societies, restaurants, etc.
in-situ, thus allowing decentralized processing of the
biodegradable waste.
 The system has tremendous potential to process the
waste as well as generation of good quality fuel and
manure required for soil applications.
 The name Shesha has been given on the basis of the
serpentine shape of the digester (its resemblance to the
snake Shesha) as well as Sanskrit name of waste.
ADVANTAGES
 Helical shaped digester made from low-cost PVC pipes.
 Saving major cost of construction and MS dome
required for conventional designs.
 Suitable for skid mounting on a vehicle or wheels
required for processing waste from smaller
societies/residential complexes.
 Have inbuilt suitability of biogas recycling for methane
enrichment.
 Suitable for online monitoring of process parameters.
RAPID COMPOSTING TECHNOLOGY
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

 ICAR -IISS (Indian Institute of Soil Science) developed sand, shells, wood and coral, resulting in a plastic-rock
this technique in collaboration with ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal hybrid.
and ICAR-NBAIM, Mau.  When the plastic melts, it cements rock fragments,
 It is based on cellulolytic fungi named Trichoderma sand, and shell debris together, or the plastic can flow
koningiopsis isolated from tree bark. into larger rocks and fill in cracks and bubbles.
 It is safe for the environment and for human handling.
 The formulation is capable of composting kitchen
waste, agricultural waste, garden waste (dry leaves
including coconut leaves) and temple waste.
 This method, being completely aerobic in nature, is
devoid of foul odour and hence has greater
acceptability in society.
STEPS FOR BIO COMPOSTING
 Collection of biowaste materials
 Segregation of non-biodegradable materials
 Waste materials mixed with fresh cowdung.
 Inoculation with consortium of organisms
 All materials mixed together and fed to rapo-compost
bioreactor.
 After one month the humified organic manure was  Researchers say the new material is likely to last a very
allowed for curing long time, possibly becoming a permanent marker in
 Sieved (4 mm sieves) and stored at 25% moisture Earth’s geologic record.
condition. ABOUT TRINDADE ISLANDS
 Location – It is located 1140 Km from Southeastern
state of Espirito Santo of Brazil in South Atlantic Ocean.

PLASTIC ROCKS ON ISLAND

OFF BRAZIL
Rocks made of plastic debris have been discovered on the
volcanic Trindade Island of Brazil.
WHAT ARE PLASTIC ROCKS?
 Technically they are called plastiglomerate.

 Ecological significance: Trindade Island is one of the

 It is formed when plastic trash melts and fuses together
with natural materials such as basaltic lava fragments,
world’s most important conservation spots for green
turtles, or Chelonia mydas, with thousands arriving each
year to lay their eggs. The only human inhabitants on
Trindade are members of the Brazilian navy, which
maintains a base on the island and protects the nesting
turtles.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

 Plastic threat: It mainly comes from fishing nets, which

is very common debris on Trinidade Island’s beaches.
The (nets) are dragged by the marine currents and
accumulate on the beach. When the temperature rises,
this plastic melt and becomes embedded with the
beach’s natural material.
WHAT IS PLASTISPHERE?
 The plastisphere consists of ecosystems that have
evolved to live in human-made plastic environments.
 The Plastisphere is a diverse microbial community living
on bits of plastic floating in the ocean. These
communities are distinct from the surrounding water,
suggesting that plastic serves as its own habitat in the
ocean.
 It’s like a biofilm—a sticky material that traps all sorts of
microorganisms, protozoa and fungi. They can multiply
and create a unique biome around the plastics.
WHAT IS MARINE SNOW?
 Marine snow is a term popularized by scientific explorer
and diver William Beebe in the 1930s.
 It’s made up of nutrient-rich, organic material that falls
like snow from the ocean’s surface to the sea floor.
Stepping up from its ongoing initiative of providing potable
water in six islands of Lakshadweep using Low Temperature
Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology, the Chennai-based
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is working at
making this process free of emissions.
WHAT IS LOW TEMPERATURE THERMAL DESALINATION
(LTTD) TECHNOLOGY?
 It is based on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
principle.
 It is one process that uses the availability of a
temperature gradient between two water bodies or
flows to evaporate the warmer water at low pressure
and condense the resultant vapour with the colder
water to obtain freshwater.
 While ocean, with its temperature variation across its
depth, presents one such scenario of two water bodies,
a coast based thermal power plant discharging huge
amounts of condenser reject water into the nearby
ocean represents an alternate scenario.
Note: Near Lakshadweep there is a difference of about 15
- 20 degree Celsius between sea surface water and deep-
sea water.

 The marine snow phenomenon explains why there’s life

at the bottom of the ocean.
 Also, how carbon can move from top to bottom in the
ocean can also be partly explained through marine
snow.

GREEN, SELF-POWERED
DESALINATION PLANT IN
LAKSHADWEEP
#desalination #otec #lttd

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
 Warm surface sea water is flash evaporated at low
pressure and the vapour is condensed with cold deep-
sea water.
 LTTD exploits the difference in temperature (nearly
15°C) in ocean water at the surface and at depths of
about 600 feet.
 This cold water condenses water at the surface, that is
warmer but whose pressure has been lowered using
vacuum pumps.
 The LTTD technology does not require any chemical pre-
and post-treatment of seawater and thus the pollution
problems are minimal and suitable for island territories.
 Since no effluent treatment is required, it gives less
operational maintenance problems compared to other
desalination processes.
 The LTTD technology is completely indigenous, robust
and environment friendly.
 The cost per litre of desalination would depend on the
technology used and cost of electricity which varies
from place to place.
EXISTING ISSUE
Currently the desalination plants, each of which provides
at least 100,000 litres of potable water every day, are
powered by diesel generator sets — there being no other
source of power in the islands.
However, the need for diesel power to reduce the water
pressure means that the process is not fossil-fuel free and
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 Such de-pressurized water can evaporate even at
ambient temperatures and this resulting vapour when
condensed is free of salts and contaminants and fit to
consume.
Note: Sea water is salty. When water evaporates, it leaves
the salts behind. Those vapours when get condensed, are
transformed into pure fresh water.
consumes diesel, a precious commodity in the islands that
must be shipped from the mainland critical for powering
the electric grid.
WHY IS INDIA’S CAMPA AT
ODDS WITH NEW IPCC
REPORT?
#Environment #Campaact
Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), a U.N. expert body, states that not degrading
existing ecosystems in the first place will do more to lower the
impact of the climate crisis than restoring ecosystems that
have been destroyed — a finding that speaks to an
increasingly contested policy in India that has allowed forests
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
in one part of the country to be cut down and ‘replaced’ with
those elsewhere.
Background - To compensate the loss of forest area and
to maintain the sustainability, the Government of India
came up with a well-defined Act, known as CAMPA
(Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and
Planning Authority).
KEY FEATURES OF THE CAMPA ACT
 To compensate the loss of forest area and to maintain
the sustainability, the Government of India came up
with a well-defined Act, known as CAMPA
(Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management
and Planning Authority).
 The law establishes the National Compensatory
Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of
India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund
under the Public Account of each state.
 These Funds will receive payments for: (i)
compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of
forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments.
 The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds,
and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
 According to the Act’s provision, a company diverting
forest land must provide alternative land to take up
compensatory afforestation.
 For afforestation, the company should pay to plant
new trees in the alternative land provided to the
state.
In 2002, the Supreme Court had observed that collected
funds for afforestation were under-utilised by the states
and it ordered for centrally pooling of funds under ad hoc
Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
The court had set up the ad hoc National Compensatory
Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority
(CAMPA) to manage the fund. In 2009, states had also set
up state CAMPAs that received 10 per cent of funds from
the national CAMPA to use for afforestation and forest
conservation.
NET PRESENT VALUE- ANALYSIS
Under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (FCA), developers
who use forest land for their projects are required to pay
a one-time monetary valuation, called Net Present Value
(NPV), to the government in lieu of cutting down forests. It
depends on factors such as the quality and type of forests.
Since 2009, the government has been charging between
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Rs. 438,000 and Rs. 1.04 million as the NPV for diverting
every hectare of forest.
According to a 2008 Supreme Court order, the NPV was
supposed to be revised by the Indian government in three
years. But it failed to do so despite recommendations from
several committees.
In January 2021, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change (MoEFCC) proposed to hike the NPV
by 1.51 times which was based on the Wholesale Price
Index (WPI). However, while doing so, it set aside the
recommendation of a four-time increase in the NPV by
another expert group the ministry had constituted earlier
in 2014.
EXISTING ISSUES
 Against Ecological principles – The act allows
afforestation activities to be taken place in some other
areas. New forests cannot replace the age-old natural
forests. For e.g., Creating single¬ species plantations in,
say, Haryana does not really come close to a natural sal
forest lost to a development project in, say, Central
Indian forests in terms of biodiversity, local livelihoods,
hydrological services, and sequestered carbon.
 Methodology – Experts feel that the NPV is
miscalculated and is undervalued as it does not take
ecosystem services into account while calculating the
value.
 Non-revision - According to a 2008 Supreme Court
order, the NPV was supposed to be revised by the
Indian government in three years. But it failed to do so
despite recommendations from several committees.
 Underutilization of funds - The FSI collected data on
total money allocated by the central government to the
state government and forest cover in India between
2009-10 and 2016-17Its analysis showed that funding by
the central government increased at a rate of 84.67 per
cent in the period, but the forest cover increased by only
2.42 per cent. So, increase in CAMPA funding by the
central government has clearly not resulted in
significant increase in forest cover.
 Misutilization of funds - Several state governments
are not utilising it properly. An amount of Rs 86 lakh
from CAMPA funds meant for afforestation was
reportedly spent on litigation work in Punjab.
 Lack of focus on species specific plantation - At
several places, the loss of natural species is
compensated with plantation of non-native species in
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the name of the artificial plantation. It serves as a threat
to even the existing ecosystem.
WAY AHEAD?
The central government should adopt the concept of
outcome budgeting for allocation of funds to the state
government in which funding will be done on instalment
basis by checking the outcome of previous funds. Then,
state governments should restore the existing forests
rather than creating new ones.
GRAVITY BATTERIES
#GeneralstudiesIII #Environment
#scienceandtech
#Prelimsnuggets
GRAVITY BATTERIES VS LITHIUM-ION
Gravity batteries are not the only way renewable energy
can be stored, lithium-ion batteries dominate the market
and some experts favour green hydrogen. But gravity is
free, clean and easily accessible, without the complications
of producing hydrogen or the environmental and human
rights concerns linked to some lithium mining.
STORING POWER IN MINESHAFTS
Full-scale energy stores in former mines can make good
use of existing infrastructure and create jobs in exactly
those areas where they’re most needed… The emotional
aspect of this is also important. Whole communities once
worked in the mines - and generally they’re very happy to
see them being used for storing renewable energy.”
Note - The World Economic Forum founded the Global
Battery Alliance (GBA) in 2017 to establish a sustainable
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
HOW DO GRAVITY BATTERIES WORK?
 When there is plenty of green energy, the batteries use
the power to lift a heavy weight either high into the air
or to the top of a deep shaft.
 Then when the renewables are limited, winches
gradually lower the weight, release the load, powering a
generator with the downward gravitational pull from
the movement of the cables.
 This would mean you could store power captured by a
solar farm during the day when the sun is shining, and
then release that electricity to the grid in the evening
when demand rises because people are at home using
electricity to watch TV, cook and heat their homes.
battery supply chain by 2030. The body of over 100 leading
international organizations, NGOs, industry actors,
academics and multiple governments became
independent in 2021 and its membership is collectively
working towards the goals set out in the GBA 2030 Vision.
The GBA 2030 Vision is to foster a circular, responsible and
just battery value chain.
The GBA hosts Action Partnerships to achieve its vision of
a sustainable battery value chain by 2030, including:
 The Battery Passport Action Partnership: to establish
global criteria, data and benchmarks for a sustainable
and transparent battery market.
 Critical Materials: to ensure critical materials are
sourced, processed, manufactured and recycled in a
manner that minimizes environmental impacts,
protects human rights and creates benefits for
stakeholders along the value chain.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
 Energy Access & Circularity: to ensure energy access
in emerging economies; reduce lead poisoning and
promote circularity.
INDIA’S SOLAR PV WASTE
PROBLEM
#GeneralstudiesIII #Environment
#Mainsexhaustive
There has in the last few years been a concerted push from
policymakers in India to transition to a circular economy and
to, among other things, enable effective waste management.
But waste management in the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector
still lacks clear directives.
WHAT IS PV WASTE?
 It is the electronic waste (e-waste) generated by
discarded solar panels and Photo-voltaic (PV)
devices.
 Photovoltaic (PV) devices contain semiconducting
materials that convert sunlight into electrical energy.
 A single PV device is known as a cell, and these cells are
connected in chains to form larger units known as
modules or panels.
 Although up to 90% of the components are recyclable,
many PV modules contain heavy metals such
as cadmium, copper, lead, antimony or selenium,
and when they are taken out of service or broken, they
may be classified as hazardous waste.
While photovoltaics generates only about 3 percent of
global electricity, they consume 40 percent of the world’s
tellurium, 15 percent of the world’s silver, a substantial
chunk of semiconductor-grade quartz and lesser amounts
of indium, zinc, tin and gallium. A report, prepared jointly
by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and
the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power
Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) highlights that recycling or
repurposing solar PV panels at the end of their roughly 30-
year lifetime can unlock an estimated stock of 78 million
tonnes of raw materials and other valuable components
globally by 2050. If fully injected back into the economy,
the value of the recovered material could exceed USD 15
billion by 2050.
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PRESENT STATUS OF SOLAR PV WASTE IN INDIA
 According to a report prepared by the National Solar
Energy Federation of India, India could generate over
34,600 tonnes of cumulative solar waste in India by
2030.
 India currently considers solar waste a part of electronic
waste and does not account for it separately. Moreover,
there is no commercial raw material recovery facility for
solar e-waste operational in India.
 A committee had been constituted under the
chairmanship of the Ministry’s Secretary to propose an
action plan to evolve a “circular economy” in solar panel,
through reuse/recycling of waste generated.
CHALLENGES IN INDIA
 Informal handling - Only about 20% of the waste is
recovered in general; the rest is treated informally. As a
result, the waste often accumulates at landfills, which
pollute the surroundings. Incinerating the encapsulant
also releases sulphur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, and
hydrogen cyanide into the atmosphere.
 No segregation – PV waste is clubbed with e-waste in
India generally.
 High cost of recycling - Recycling a solar panel cost
between $20 and $30, according to the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory; sending it to a landfill
costs $1-2.
 Lack of incentives - The market to repurpose or reuse
recycled PV waste is minuscule in India due to a lack of
suitable incentives and schemes in which businesses
can invest.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THEM?
 Promote recycling - According to a 2021 report,
approximately 50% of the total materials can be
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
recovered. The domestic development of PV waste
recycling technologies must be promoted through
appropriate infrastructure facilities and adequate
funding. New business models, incentives or issues of
green certificates to be provided to encourage the
recycling industry to participate more.
 Environmental disposal and recycling of solar waste
could be part of the power purchase agreement SECI /
DISCOMS / government signs with project developers.
 Dedicated Policy formulation - India should formulate
and implement provisions specific to PV waste
treatment within the ambit of the e-¬waste guidelines.
EPR for the manufacturer and developers to take
responsibility for end-of-life the solar panel.
 Ban on Landfills: Solar panel waste is harmful to the
environment as it contains toxic metals and minerals
that may seep in the ground.
 Central insurance or a regulatory body should be set
up to protect against financial losses incurred in waste
collection and treatment.
 Research and Development: Innovation in design may
have an impact on the type of waste they generate;
technology advancements will be significant in reducing
the impact of renewable energy waste. New panels, for
example, use less silicon and produce less waste during
the manufacturing process.
 Awareness drives - Pan¬ India sensitisation drives and
awareness programmes on PV waste management will
be beneficial.
GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES –
 Europe - EU imposes responsibility for the disposal of
waste on the manufacturers or distributors who
introduce or install such equipment for the first time.
 UK - PV producers will need to register and submit data
related to products used for the residential solar market
(B2C) and non-residential market.
 Australia - announced a $2 million grant as part of the
National Product Stewardship Investment Fund to
develop and implement an industry-led product
stewardship scheme for PV systems.
OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLE IN
ANDHRA PRADESH
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#GeneralstudiesIII #Environment
#Prelimsnuggets
Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings make their way into the Bay of
Bengal after being released by the Andhra Pradesh Forest
Department as part of the sea turtles community conservation
project at the R.K. Beach in Visakhapatnam.
OLIVE RIDLEY
 The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most
abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting
warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
 These turtles are carnivores and get their name from
their olive-coloured carapace.
 They are best known for their unique mass nesting
called Arribada, where thousands of females come
together on the same beach to lay eggs.
 The olive ridley turtles turn up in millions for mass
nesting along the Odisha coast every year namely at
three river mouths: Dhamara, Devi and Rushikulya.
 Gahirmatha beach off Bay of Bengal coast in
Kendrapara district is acclaimed as the world’s largest
nesting ground of these turtles.
 It extends from Dhamra River mouth in the north
to Brahmani river mouth in the south.
 The wetland is represented by 3 Protected Areas, the
Bhitarkanika National Park, the Bhitarkanika Wildlife
Sanctuary and the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
 The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List,
Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife
Protection Act, 1972.
 They are extensively poached for their meat, shell and
leather, and their eggs.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

 However, the most severe threat they face is All tortoises are in fact turtles—that is, they belong to the
the accidental killing through entanglement in trawl order Testudines or Chelonia, reptiles having bodies
nets and gill nets due to uncontrolled fishing during encased in a bony shell—but not all turtles are tortoises.
their mating season around nesting beaches. In recent
TURTLE TORTOISE
times, plastic pollution has also emerged as one of the
greatest threats to these creatures.
 To reduce accidental killing in India, the Odisha
government has made it mandatory for trawls to use
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), a net specially
designed with an exit cover which allows the turtles to
escape while retaining the catch.
BRAHMANI – BAITARNI DELTA
They are exclusively on
The basin consisting of Brahmani and Baitarni extends It is aquatic and marine form
land
over states of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh having
an area of 51,822 Sq.km. The basin is bounded by the
Comparatively smaller in size Larger
ChhotaNagpur Plateau on the north, by the ridge
separating it from Mahanadi basin on the west and the
They are herbivorous
south and by the Bay of Bengal on the east. The lower Some turtles are fish eaters and feed entirely on
reaches of this basin near the deltaic area are subject to vegetation
floods. Since Mahanadi, Brahmani and Baitarani are
interconnected near their delta, worst flood occurs when Their head is partially It can be completely
there are simultaneous heavy rains in all the three withdrawn into the shell withdrawn into the shell
catchments. Prolonged submergence and breaching of
embankments are common occurrences during floods. Turtles have thinner, more
Tortoises have more
Floods are also caused from cyclonic storms since the water-dynamic shells. Turtle
rounded and domed
coastal areas of the basin are cyclone prone. shells are more streamlined
shells
to aid in swimming.
Bhitarkanika national park is situated at the mouth of
Brahmani, Baitarni and Dhamra rivers which is famous for
Tortoises have club-like
saltwater crocodiles. Dense mangrove forests are found
forelegs and
here. There also lies Gahirmatha beach and Gahirmatha
'elephantine' hind legs.
wildlife sanctuary which is world’s largest ground for Olive Turtles will have more flipper
Because tortoise is often
Ridley Turtles. like legs, or webbed feet to
larger and heavier, their
make it easier to cruise
MARINE TURTLES elephantine hind legs
through the water.
Five species of sea turtles are known to inhabit Indian help them move around
coastal waters and islands. and carry the extra
weight
 Olive Ridley turtle
 Green turtle
 Hawksbill turtle MIMEUSEMIA CEYLONICA
 Loggerhead turtle
 Leatherback turtle
#Fauna
Except the Loggerhead, the remaining four species nest
along the Indian coast. Researchers from Tamil Nadu have spotted a rare moth
species ‘Mimeusemia ceylonica’, for the first time in India
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TORTOISE AND TURTLE
in the buffer zone of the Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
Reserve (KMTR) after it was last sighted 127 years ago — at
Trincomalee in Sri Lanka in 1893.
ABOUT MIMEUSEMIA CEYLONICA
 Itis a moth species belonging to the subfamily Agarist
inae and family Noctuidae.
 Interestingly, the researchers from Ashoka Trust for
Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and
Wetland Mission, are the first in the world to
photograph the moth species Mimeusemia ceylonica,
as only an illustration of the insect existed previously.
ABOUT KALAKKAD MUNDANTHURAI TIGER RESERVE
(KMTR)
 It is located in the Southwestern Ghats montane rain
forests in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari
district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
 It includes three sanctuaries, viz. Kalakad,
Mundanthurai and part of Kanyakumari Sanctuary,
with portions of Tirunelveli Forest division of the State.
 It was declared as the “First Tiger Reserve of Tamil
Nadu” and the 17th Tiger Reserve of the country.
 It is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu
after Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary in Erode
district.
 It is part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.
 The reserve is also known as the “River Sanctuary” with
as many as 14 rivers originating from this Tiger Reserve
like River Thamirabarani.
 This region has got vegetation types which gradually
changes from dry thorn forest to dry deciduous, moist
deciduous and a patch of West coast wet evergreen
forests on the higher reaches of the reserve.
 Other animals in the tiger reserve include leopards,
elephants, Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, wild boar, chithal,
sambar deer, leopard cat etc.
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TETRACYCLINE
#Fauna
Recently, Researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences
(CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have found that grazing
by livestock such as sheep and cattle leads to lower carbon
storage in soil compared to grazing by wild herbivores
such as the yak and ibex.
 In a previous study, researchers had shown how grazing
by herbivores plays a crucial role in stabilizing the
pool of soil carbon in the same region.
 In this, they found that the difference in carbon
sequestration appears to be due to the use of
veterinary antibiotics such as tetracycline on
livestock.
 Further, when it is released into the soil through dung
and urine, these antibiotics alter the microbial
communities in the soil in ways that are detrimental to
sequestering carbon.
 The study states that although soils from the wild and
livestock areas had many similarities, they differed in
one key parameter called carbon use efficiency (CUE),
which determines the ability of microbes to store
carbon in the soil.
 The soil in the livestock areas had 19% lower CUE.
Also, Antibiotics such as tetracycline are long live and
can linger in the soil for decades.
TETRACYCLINE
 It is an antibiotic that fights infection caused by
bacteria. It is used to treat many different bacterial
infections of the skin, intestines, respiratory tract and
other body systems.
 Recently, The Registration Committee (RC) under the
Central Insecticides Board and Registration
Committee (CIBRC) approved the recommendation
for phasing out the use of streptomycin and
tetracycline.
Carbon sequestration is the capturing, removal and
storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the earth’s
atmosphere. It’s recognised as a key method for
removing carbon from the earth’s atmosphere.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
LANDSLIDE ATLAS OF
INDIA
#Landslide Atlas of India #Landslides
#Landslide Disaster Management
With a steady rise in the number of extreme weather events,
especially heavy rainfall capable of triggering landslides and
floods, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
recently released the Landslide Atlas of India, a detailed
guide identifying landslide hotspots in the country.
In 2022, heavy rain, floods and landslides claimed 835
lives in the country, according to the Statement of
Climate of India 2022 released by the India
Meteorological Department.
WHAT ARE LANDSLIDES?
They are natural disasters occurring mainly in
mountainous terrains where there are conducive
conditions of soil, rock, geology and slope. A sudden
movement of rock, boulders, earth or debris down a slope
is termed as a landslide.
WHAT CAUSES LANDSLIDES?
 Geological causes: Weak, sensitive and weathered
material, presence of joints and fissures, variation in
physical properties such as permeability.
 Morphological causes: Tectonic or volcanic uplift,
erosion due to wind and water, higher deposition of
load on the slope or its crest, removal of vegetation.
 Physical causes: Intense rainfall, earthquake/volcanic
eruption, rapid snow melt/freeze
 Anthropogenic causes: Excavation of the slope or its
toe, deposition of load on the slope, drawdown of
reservoir, deforestation, mining, irrigation and artificial
vibration
MAIN FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE LANDSLIDES
 Lithology, geological structures like faults, hill slopes,
drainage, geomorphology, land use and land cover, soil
texture and depth, and weathering of rocks.
 All these are factored in when a landslide susceptibility
zone is earmarked for planning and making predictions.
TYPES OF LANDSLIDES
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 Falls: Abrupt movements of materials that become
detached from steep slopes or cliffs, moving by freefall,
bouncing, and rolling.
 Creep: Slow, steady downslope movement of soil or
rock
 Debris flow: Rapid mass movement in which loose
soils, rocks, and organic matter combine with water to
form slurry that then flows down slope. Usually
associated with steep gullies
 Mudflow: Rapidly flowing mass of wet material that
contains at least 50% sand-, silt-, and clay-sized particles
 Flows: General term including many types of mass
movement, such as creep, debris flow, mudflow etc.
IMPACTS OF LANDSLIDES
 Short run: Loss and damage to property, loss of lives,
Destruction to agricultural crops, Damages to
Vegetation, Obstruction of vehicular movement leading
to Traffic jam, temporary loss of livelihood for the poor
people etc.
 Long-run:
o Increase in the sediment load of the river which can
lead to floods.
o Reduce the effective life of hydroelectric and
multipurpose projects by adding an enormous
amount of silt load to the reservoirs.
o Loss of cultivable land and infrastructure.
o Environmental impact in terms of erosion and soil
loss
o Demographic impact in terms of relocation of
population towards other areas.
o Frequent disruption of transportation networks
leads to geographical isolation and hence
perpetuates under-development
CHALLENGES OF RESPONDING TO LANDSLIDE
DISASTERS
a) Majority of landslide prone habitations are in remote
locations in hinterlands of Himalayas, North-Eastern
and on Western and Eastern Ghats. Thus, it becomes a
difficult for district administration and NDRF and SDRF
teams to reach locations in short span.
b) Most landslides occur during rainy season when
weather conditions coupled with poor visibility makes
it difficult for relief operations to continue using
helicopters
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
HOW PRONE IS INDIA TO LANDSLIDES?
 India is considered among the top five landslide-prone
countries globally, where at least one death per 100
sq. km is reported in a year due to a landslide event.
 Rainfall variability pattern is the single biggest cause
for landslides in the country, with the Himalayas and
the Western Ghats remaining highly vulnerable.
WHAT DOES THE LANDSLIDE ATLAS SUGGEST?
 Uttarakhand, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir,
Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh
reported the highest number of landslides during 1998
– 2022.
 Mizoram topped the list, recording 12,385 landslide
events in the past 25 years, of which 8,926 were
recorded in 2017 alone.
 Uttarakhand’s fragility was recently exposed during
the land subsidence events reported from Joshi math
since January.
 The number of districts with the maximum landslide
exposure are in Arunachal Pradesh (16), Kerala (14),
Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir (13 each),
Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Maharashtra (11
each), Mizoram (8) and Nagaland (7).
 NRSC ranked Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand at the top
of 147 vulnerable districts. It has the highest landslide
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 Excluding snow covered areas, approximately 12.6 per
cent of the country’s geographical land area (0.42
million sq. km) is prone to landslides.
 As many as 66.5 per cent of the landslides are
reported from the North-western Himalayas, about
18.8 per cent from the North-eastern Himalayas,
and about 14.7 per cent from the Western Ghats.
density in the country, along with having the highest
exposure to total population and number of houses.
NDMA GUIDELINES FOR LANDSLIDE MANAGEMENT
 Landslide hazard, vulnerability & risk assessment:
Delineating areas susceptible to landslide hazards and
to assess the resources at risk.
 Early warning systems for landslides: Continuous
monitoring of movements, development of stresses
and the transmission of this data at regular time
intervals.
 Investigations for Landslide risk assessment:
multidisciplinary investigations of landslide risk
assessment leading to formulation of Standards to
mitigate impact of landslides.
LANDSLIDE RISK MITIGATION AND REMEDIATION
 Restricting development in landslide-prone areas
through land use planning.
 Laying down standards to be followed for excavation
and construction.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
 Protecting existing developments through restraining
walls and rock anchors.
 Slope Stabilization measures: Generally, include
works involving modification of the natural landslide
conditions such as topography, geology, ground water,
and other conditions that indirectly control portions of
the entire landslide movement.
o These include drainage improvement works,
soil/debris removal works etc.
 Landslide insurance and compensation for losses
Regulation & Enforcement: State
governments/SDMAs will adopt the model techno-legal
framework for ensuring compliance with land use
zoning and landslide safety issues in all development
activities and plans.
 Awareness and Preparedness: Comprehensive
awareness campaigns targeting different groups of
people living in landslide prone areas should be
conducted systematically.
 Capacity Development (Including Education,
Training and Documentation):
o Introduction of curriculum related to Disaster
Management, including Landslides in the Schools
o Training of the Administrators to plan, respond and
mitigate the impact of Landslides
o Technical institutes located in vulnerable areas
should develop adequate technical expertise on the
various subjects related to landslide management.
 Immediate Response: Put in place Standard Operating
Procedure (SoP) which should ensure coordinated and
sustained action from various agencies in the aftermath
of landslides
 R&D: Government should encourage, promote, and
support R&D activities to address current challenges,
offer solutions, and develop new investigation
techniques, with the application of the latest
developments in remote sensing, communications, and
instrumentation technologies.
NATIONAL PLATFORM FOR
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
(NPDRR)
#Disaster Risk Reduction
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Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for a
“proactive rather than reactive” approach to handle
natural disasters and minimise damage in the third session
of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
(NPDRR) in New Delhi.
During the programme, PM also felicitated awardees of
the Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar
for 2023 to Odisha State Disaster Management
Authority (OSDMA) and the Lunglei Fire Station,
Mizoram.
National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR)
Organization: It was established by the Indian
government in 2013 to bring together all segments of
the disaster risk community in India, including
government officials, parliamentarians, mayors, the
media, international agencies, non-governmental
organisations, representatives from local communities,
scientific and academic institutions, and corporate
businesses, among others.
The theme of this year’s session: “Building Local
Resilience in a Changing Climate”
COMPOSITION
 It is chaired by the union Home minister and the
Minister of State in-charge of Disaster Management in
the Ministry of Home Affairs.
 Vice-Chairman, National Disaster Management
Authority is the Vice-Chairperson of the NPDRR.
 Special Secretary/Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary
in-charge of Disaster Management Division in the
Ministry of Home Affairs will be the convener of NPDRR.
FUNCTIONS
 To advise on coordination between the Central and
State Governments/UT Administrations, local self-
governments and civil society organizations for Disaster
Risk Reduction.
 To advice suo-moto or on a reference made by the
Central Government or any other State Government or
a Union territory Administration on any question
pertaining to disaster management.
 To review the National Disaster Management Policy.
Prime Minister’s 10 Point Agenda on Disaster Risk
Reduction:
SI
NO.
AGENDA POINT
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
1. All development sectors must imbibe the
principles of disaster risk management ▼
2. Risk coverage must include all, starting from poor
households to SMEs to multi-national
corporations to nation states ▼
3. Women's leadership and greater involvement
should be central to disaster risk management ▼
4. Invest in risk mapping globally to improve global
understanding of Nature and disaster risks ▼
5. Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of
disaster risk management efforts ▼
6. Develop a network of universities to work on
disaster-related issues ▼
7. Utilise the opportunities provided by social media
and mobile technologies for disaster risk
reduction ▼
8. Build on local capacity and initiative to enhance
disaster risk reduction ▼
9. Make use of every opportunity to learn from
disasters and, to achieve that, there must be
studies on the lessons after every disaster ▼
10. Bring about greater cohesion in international
response to disasters ▼
Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar :
 The Government of India under the leadership of
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has instituted an
annual award to recognize and honour the
invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered
by individuals and organizations in India in the field
of disaster management.
 The award is announced every year on 23rd January,
the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose.
 The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 51 lakh and a
certificate in case of an institution and Rs. 5 lakh and
a certificate in case of an individual.
6TH SYNTHESIS REPORT OF
IPCC
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#Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is
meeting in Switzerland this week to finalise the last report of
its sixth assessment cycle, which is expected to set up the
tempo for a string of climate change-focused discussions over
the next fortnight.
ABOUT INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE
CHANGE (IPCC)
 It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological
Organisation (WMO) and the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP).
 It has a secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the
WMO, and is governed by 195 member states.
 Its main activity is to prepare Assessment Reports,
special reports, and methodology reports assessing
the state of knowledge of climate change.
 It is a scientific body whose periodic assessments of
climate science form the basis of global climate action,
is set to finalise what is known as the Synthesis Report,
incorporating the findings of the five reports that it
has released in the sixth assessment cycle since 2018.
 However, the IPCC does not itself engage in scientific
research.
 Instead, it asks scientists from around the world to go
through all the relevant scientific literature related to
climate change and draw up logical conclusions.
ABOUT ASSESSMENT REPORTS
 The IPCC’s Assessment Reports (ARs), form the basis
for government policies to tackle climate change, and
provide the scientific foundation for the international
climate change negotiations.
 Six Assessment Reports have been published so far,
the sixth report (AR6) coming in three parts — the
first in August 2021, the second in February 2022,
and the third to be finished in March 2023.
About Synthesis Report
 It is the last of the Sixth Assessment reports.
 It is supposed to be a relatively non-technical
summary of the previous reports, aimed largely at
policymakers around the world.
 It is meant to address a wide range of policy-relevant
scientific questions related to climate change, but, like
all IPCC reports, in a non-prescriptive manner.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
WHAT PREVIOUS REPORTS HAVE SAID
 The first Assessment Report (1990) formed the basis
for the negotiation of the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, known as the
Rio Summit.
 The second Assessment Report (1995) -AR2 was the
scientific underpinning for the Kyoto Protocol of 1997.
 The third Assessment Report (2001) presented new
and stronger evidence to show global warming was
mostly attributable to human activities.
 The fourth Assessment Report (2007) won the 2007
Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC. It was the scientific input
for the 2009 Copenhagen climate meeting.
 The fifth Assessment Report (2014) -AR5 formed the
scientific basis for negotiations of the Paris Agreement
in 2015.
GREEN NATIONAL
HIGHWAY CORRIDORS
PROJECT
#SustainableDevelopment
The Government of India and the World Bank have signed
an agreement for the construction of Green National Highway
Corridors Project (GNHCP) in an aggregate length of 781 km in
the states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
and Andhra Pradesh, with loan assistance of US $ 500 million
against total project cost of US $ 1288.24 million (Rs. 7,662.47
crore).
ABOUT GREEN NATIONAL HIGHWAY CORRIDORS
PROJECT (GNHCP)
 It is an initiative under the Green Highways
(Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification
Maintenance) Policy, 2015.
 The policy was launched in the year 2015 by the Union
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and shipping
(MoRTH).
 The aim of the policy is to promote greening of Highway
corridors with participation of the community, farmers,
private sector, NGOs, and government institutions.
OBJECTIVES OF GREEN NATIONAL HIGHWAY
CORRIDORS PROJECT (GNCHP)
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 To demonstrate safe and green highway keeping in
view climate resilience and use of green technologies
by incorporating the provisions of conservation of
natural resources.
 This would be achieved by using cement treated
subbase/reclaimed asphalt pavement, use of local/
marginal material such as lime, fly ash, waste plastic,
bio-engineering measures for slope protection such as
hydroseeding, coco/jute fibre etc., which will enhance
the ability of Ministry to bring Green technologies into
the mainstream.
THIS PROJECT HAS THREE COMPONENTS
 The first component includes upgradation and
maintenance for five years of selected stretches of
existing National Highways in the states of Rajasthan,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh
incorporating green technologies and demonstrating
resource efficiency, climate resilience, green and safety
aspects.
 The second component focuses on Institutional
Capacity Enhancement.
 The third component focuses on Road Safety.
SIGNIFICANCE
 The project will enhance the capacity of the MoRTH in
mainstreaming safety and green technologies.
 This project will also support analytics to map the
freight volume and movement pattern on the
national highway network, identify constraints, and
provide innovative logistics solutions.
 The project will support the ministry with an in-depth
analysis of gender-related issues in the transport
sector. It will also help in creating jobs for women by
training women-led micro enterprises and women
collectives to implement green technologies in the
&
highway corridors.
 The project will strengthen and widen existing
structures; construct new pavements, drainage
facilities and bypasses; improve junctions; and
introduce road safety features.
 The project will provide efficient transportation for
road users in the four states, connect people with
markets and services and promote efficient use of
construction materials.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
HIGH SEAS TREATY
#Conservation, environmental
pollution and degradation #Marine
Protected Areas
Two weeks ago, negotiators from almost every country in the
world finalised a new global treaty meant for the conservation
and sustainable use of biological resources in the high seas.
MORE ABOUT NEWS
 Once the treaty becomes international law after
ratification by member countries, it will regulate all
human activities in the high seas with the objective of
ensuring that ocean resources, including biodiversity,
are utilised in a sustainable manner, and their benefits
are shared equitably among countries.
ABOUT HIGH SEAS
 High seas are open ocean areas that are outside the
jurisdiction of any country — the reason why the treaty
is commonly known as the agreement on
“biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions(BBNJ)”.
 According to the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative
(DOSI), a network of global experts on oceans, high seas
comprise 64 per cent of the ocean surface, and about
43 per cent of the Earth.
Other legal framework to govern the activities in the
oceans
 United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea
(UNCLOS) a 1982 agreement defined the rights and
duties of countries in the oceans, the extent of ocean
areas over which countries could claim sovereignty, and
the legal status of marine resources.
 It also specified a set of general rules for a range of
activities in the oceans including navigation, scientific
research, and deep-sea mining.
ABOUT HIGH SEAS TREATY
 It will work as an implementation agreement under the
UNCLOS, much like the Paris Agreement works under
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC).
 The treaty established exclusive economic zones
(EEZ), ocean areas up to 200 nautical miles (370 km)
from the coastline, where a country would have
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exclusive rights overall economic resources such as fish,
oil, minerals, and gas.
 The high seas are the areas beyond the EEZ of any
country.
The High Seas Treaty has four main objectives:
 Demarcation of marine protected areas (MPAs),
rather like there are protected forests or wildlife areas
 Sustainable use of marine genetic resources and
equitable sharing of benefits arising from them
 Initiation of the practice of environmental impact
assessments for all major activities in the oceans
 Capacity building and technology transfer
Marine Protected Areas(MPAs): Activities in these areas
will be highly regulated, and conservation efforts like what
happens in forest or wildlife zones, will be undertaken.
ABOUT MARINE PROTECTED AREAS (MPAs)
 MPAs are where ocean systems, including
biodiversity, are under stress, either due to human
activities or climate change.
 These can be called the national parks or wildlife
reserves of the oceans.
 Only about 1.44 per cent of high seas are currently
protected, according to the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Marine Genetic Resources: Oceans host very diverse life
forms, many of which can be useful for human beings in
areas like drug development. Genetic information from
these organisms is already being extracted, and their
benefits are being investigated. The treaty seeks to ensure
that any benefits arising out of such efforts, including
monetary gains, are free from strong intellectual
property rights controls, and are equitably shared
amongst all. The knowledge generated from such
expeditions are also supposed to remain openly accessible
to all.
Environment Impact Assessments: Under the provisions
of the new treaty, commercial or other activities that can
have significant impact on the marine ecosystem, or can
cause large-scale pollution in the oceans, would require an
environmental impact assessment to be done, and the
results of this exercise must be shared with the
international community.
Capacity Building and Technology Transfer: The treaty
lays a lot of emphasis on this, mainly because many
countries, especially small island states and landlocked
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
nations, do not have the resources or the expertise to
meaningfully participate in the conservation efforts, or to
take benefits from the useful exploitation of marine
resources. At the same time, the obligations put on them
by the Treaty, to carry out environmental impact
assessments for example, can be an additional burden.
HOW WILL THE HIGH SEAS TREATY PROTECT MARINE
LIFE?
 The key measure is put the world's international
waters into protected areas (MPAs) - which will help
achieve the global goal of protecting 30% of the
world's oceans by 2030, which was agreed at the
2022 UN biodiversity conference.
 Activity can occur in these areas but only "provided it is
consistent with the conservation objectives" - meaning
it doesn't damage marine life. This could mean
limiting fishing activities, shipping routes and
exploration activities like deep-sea mining.
DRAW BACKS OF THE TREATY
 The treaty falls short of addressing some key threats
that affect ocean biodiversity, notably fishing and
industrial expansion, such as deep-seabed mining.
 Access- and benefit-sharing has always been a highly
negotiated principle within any treaty, and this treaty
requires fair and equitable sharing of genetic resources.
However, it stops short of discussing the sharing of any
other type of resource.
 The treaty failed to address is to identify a suitable
international enforcement agency that could monitor
and enforce the regulations laid out by the treaty. Such
an enforcement body would also require a financial
commitment – another issue that has not been
negotiated or included.
 The process of ratification is not expected to be
easy. It took UNCLOS 12 years to become international
law because the necessary number of ratifications was
not reached. The Kyoto Protocol, the precursor to the
Paris Agreement, also took eight years to come into
effect.
Clearly, the new ‘High Seas Treaty’ is just the beginning of
a long and tedious process of regulating various aspects of
human use in international oceans. Despite these
challenges, there is growing momentum behind the treaty.
WHEN WILL THE TREATY TAKE EFFECT?
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 Countries will need to meet again to formally adopt the
agreement and then have plenty of work to do before
the treaty can be implemented.
 It will only enter” into force" once 60 countries have
signed up and legally passed the legislation in their own
countries.
ILLEGAL SAND MINING IN
CHAMBAL SANCTUARY
#Conservation #Chambal River
Three States have commenced joint action to stop illegal sand
mining in National Chambal Sanctaury.
ABOUT NATIONAL CHAMBAL SANCTUARY
 National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National
Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary.
 It is located on the Chambal River near the tripoint of
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
 It was first declared in Madhya Pradesh in 1978, and
now constitutes a long narrow eco-reserve co-
administered by the three states.
 It is listed as an important bird area (IBA) and is a
proposed Ramsar site.
 Fauna: It is a protected area for the protection of the
Critically Endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof
turtle and the Endangered Ganges River dolphin.
Other large, threatened inhabitants of the sanctuary
include mugger crocodile, smooth-coated otter, striped
hyena and Indian wolf. Chambal supports 8 of the 26
rare turtle species found in India, including Indian
narrow-headed softshell turtle, three-striped roof turtle
and crowned river turtle.
 Flora: Common plants in the sanctuary include khair,
palash, Indian elm tree, Indian plum etc. It is part of
the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
ABOUT CHAMBAL RIVER
 It rises in the Vindhya Range just south of Mhow,
western Madhya Pradesh state.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
 It is a second biggest tributary of the Yamuna River
in Central and Northern India, and thus forms part of
the drainage system of the Ganges.
 The river flows through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Uttar Pradesh. It also forms part of the Rajasthan-
Madhya Pradesh boundary.
 The main tributaries of Chambal include the Banas and
Mej rivers on the left and the Parbati, Kali Sindh and
Shipra rivers on the right.
 The Chambal’s lower course is lined by belt of badland
gullies resulting from accelerated soil erosion.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF
FORESTS
#ForestResources
 The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21
March the International Day of Forests in 2012 to
celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all
types of forests.
 The organizers are the United Nations Forum on
Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with
Governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests
and other relevant organizations in the field.
 The theme for this year’s International Forest Day,
“Forests and Health”, highlights the ecosystem
services provided by forests like purification of water
and air, carbon capture to fight climate change, and
supply of life-saving medicines.
14 GUIDELINES FOR
HUMAN-WILDLIFE
CONFLICT MITIGATION
#Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation
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Recently, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate
Change released 14 guidelines to address Human-Wildlife
Conflict (HWC), which aim to facilitate a common
understanding among key stakeholders, on what constitutes
effective and efficient mitigation of HWC in India.
 The guidelines are advisory in nature and will facilitate
in further development of site-specific HWC mitigation
measures.
 These guidelines are developed under the Indo-
German cooperation project.
 A review of these guidelines is planned to take place
every five years from 2023 onwards.
The 14 guidelines released include
10 species-specific guidelines-
Guidelines for Mitigating Human -Elephant, -Gaur, -
Leopard, -Snake, -Crocodile, -Rhesus Macaque, -Wild Pig, -
Bear, -Blue Bull and -Blackbuck Conflict; and
4 GUIDELINES ON CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
 Guidelines for Cooperation between the Forest and
Media sector in India: Towards effective
communication on Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation
 Occupational Health and Safety in the Context of
Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation
 Crowd Management in Human-Wildlife Conflict
Related Situations
 Addressing Health Emergencies and Potential
Health Risks Arising Out of Human—Wildlife Conflict
Situations: Taking a One Health Approach.
MORE ABOUT GUIDELINES
 The development and intended implementation of
these guidelines is driven by a harmonious-
coexistence approach to ensure that both humans
and wild animals.
 These guidelines are strongly driven by field
experiences and take into consideration the existing
guidelines and advisories issued by various agencies
and state forest departments, as well as their good
practices, and build on them.
 The guidelines provide a framework to take a holistic
approach, viz., not only addressing the emergency
situations arising due to immediate HWC situations but
also addressing the drivers and pressures that lead to
HWC, guidance on establishing and managing
prevention methods, and reducing the impact of
conflict both on humans and wild animals.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
 The preparation of the guidelines followed a
participatory, inclusive, and integrated approach
involving key relevant stakeholders and sectors
including agriculture, veterinary, disaster management,
district administration, rural development and
Panchayati Raj Institutions, NGOs, and media.
 This set of guidelines is not a static document; rather,
it is a living document, where feedback from field
practitioners and other wildlife experts is planned to be
analysed to assess the specific elements and sections
that need to undergo changes.
NAMDAPHA NATIONAL
PARK
#Conservation #National Park #Tiger
Reserve #Namdapha National Park
A tiger spotted after an eight year could have helped uncover
timber ‘depots’ deep inside India’s easternmost tiger reserve
i.e., Namdapha National Park.
ABOUT NAMDAPHA NATIONAL PARK AND TIGER
RESERVE
 It lies in the international border between India and
Myanmar within Changlang District in Arunachal
Pradesh. It is the Eastern most Tiger reserve of India.
 Namdapha is in fact the name of a river which originates
from Daphabum and meets Noa-Dehing river. This
river flows right across in a North-South direction of the
National Park.
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 Namdapha was originally declared a Wildlife
Sanctuary in 1972, then a National Park in 1983 and
became a Tiger Reserve under the Project Tiger
scheme in the same year.
 Flora: The land cover changes with increasing elevation
from tropical evergreen forest to temperate broadleaf
and mixed forest. Blue Vanda, one of the rarest orchids
is found here.
 Fauna:
o The four Feline species of big cats are found: Tiger,
Leopard, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard.
o Several primate species are seen in the park, such as
Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, stump-
tailed macaque, Hoolock Gibbons.
o The Namdapha flying squirrel: It is endemic to the
park and critically endangered.
50 YEARS OF PROJECT
TIGER
#Conservation # Project Tiger
MORE ABOUT NEWS
 Project Tiger is in its 50th year since its launch in 1973,
in India.
 In its 50th year, India has signed an MOU with
Cambodia for reintroducing tigers (species: Panthera
tigris) there through translocation.
 In Cambodia the species have become extinct.
 So far, India has only translocated tigers within the
country, not internationally. This will be the first time
India will do so.
 In 2022, African Cheetahs were successfully
translocated from Namibia to India. It was the first
wild to wild intercontinental translocation.
ABOUT PROJECT TIGER
Background
 It was launched in 1973 from Jim Corbett National Park,
Uttarakhand to save the declining tigers population. It is
a major wildlife conservation project in India.
 At that time, Project Tiger included 9 tiger reserves
spread over 18,278 sq. km.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

 It is governed by the Wildlife Act of 1972. Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF), a peasants’

 The initiative is funded by the Union Govt. of India and organisation, and the Indigenous Rights Advocacy Dibang

administrated under the Ministry of Environment, (IRAD) have urged the state government to withdraw a pact for

Forests and Climate Change. executing the proposed 10,000 MW hydropower project on the
Siang River.
 National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is the
ABOUT SIANG RIVER
immediate supervising agency.
 Tsangpo – Yarlung Zangbo, as it is known in China –
Objectives
enters Arunachal Pradesh, where it is known as
 To identify factors causing a reduction in tiger habitats
the Dihang (or Siang) River.
and mitigate them through suitable management
 It turns towards the south and enters Assam, where it is
practices.
joined by two mountain streams, Lohit and Dibang,
 To maintain a viable tiger population for their economic,
and thereafter it is known as the Brahmaputra.
ecological, cultural, and aesthetic significance.
 It meanders through the heartland of Arunachal
Present Status
Pradesh, inhabited by the Adis.
 Currently, there are 53 tiger reserves covering more
than 75,000 sq. km (approximately 2.4% of the
country’s geographical area) across India.

 With the current population of about 3,000 tigers, India

harbours more than 70% of global wild tiger
population, which is increasing at an annual rate of
6%.

 India has the largest number of CAT-accredited tiger

reserves in the world at 17.

 Compensation for voluntary village relocation has also

been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh per family to Rs 15 lakh
WHO ARE THE ADI TRIBES?
to aid tiger conservation.
 It is one of the major tribes of Northeast India.
Conservation Status
 It consists of 14 sub-tribes, namely Ashing, Bori, Bokar,
 Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 - Schedule 1
Karko, Komkar, Minyong, Millang, Pasi, Padam, Panggi,
 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pailibo, Ramo, Shimong and Tangam.
Red List: Endangered.
 They are predominantly inhabited in sub-tropical
 Convention on International Trade in Endangered regions of the Siang belt and Dibang Valley of
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix I. Arunachal Pradesh.
 They have Mongoloid features patriarchal society

ARUNACHAL FARMERS’ and possess a strong base of traditional knowledge

about forest structure and ecosystem function.
REJECTS HYDROPOWER  They mostly follow the age-old tradition of Animism

PLAN ON SIANG RIVER known as “Donyi Polo”, and practice jhum for their
agriculture.
#Geography #Adi Tribes #Siang River  The Adi people speak a language also called Adi, which
is distantly related to Chinese and Tibetan languages.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

 It does not have a specific composition. It is a mixture

NALCO-BARC RELEASES of hydrous aluminium oxides, aluminium hydroxides,
clay minerals, and insoluble materials such
INDIA’S 1ST BAUXITE CRM as quartz, hematite, magnetite, siderite, and goethite.

#Indian Geography #Mineral How is bauxite formed? (Subheading)

 Bauxite is formed by the thorough weathering of many
Resources # BARC B1201 different rocks. Bauxite may grade into laterite or clay,
laterally or vertically.

National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has BAUXITE USED FOR ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION
successfully developed a Bauxite Certified Reference Material  The first step is to crush the bauxite and purify it using
(CRM) naming as BARC B1201 in collaboration with Bhabha the Bayer Process.
Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
 Bayer Process:
ABOUT BARC B1201
o In this the bauxite is washed in a hot solution of
 It is a bauxite-certified reference material (CRM). sodium hydroxide, which leaches aluminium from
 It is the first-of-its-kind CRM in India and the fifth in the bauxite.
the world. o The aluminium is precipitated out of solution in the
WHAT IS A CERTIFIED REFERENCE MATERIAL (CRM)? form of aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH)3.

 CRMs are blocks of metal that come with certificates
indicating the concentration of their various constituent
elements along with their uncertainty levels.
 Testing laboratories use CRMs to calibrate measuring
instruments, evaluate test procedures and for quality
control purposes.
ABOUT NATIONAL ALUMINIUM COMPANY LIMITED
(NALCO)
 It is a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprises CPSE,
under Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India.
 It is country’s leading manufacturer and exporter of
alumina and aluminium.
WHAT IS BAUXITE?
o The aluminium hydroxide is then calcined to form
alumina, Al2O3.
 Aluminium is smelted from the alumina using the Hall-
Heroult Process
 In the Hall-Heroult Process, the alumina is dissolved in
a molten bath of cryolite (Na3AlF6).
 Molten aluminium is removed from the solution by
electrolysis. This process uses an enormous amount
of electricity.
PRODUCTION AND RESERVES
 In India, Odisha alone accounts for 53% of the
country’s resources of bauxite, and it is also found in
the states of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya

 It is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high Pradesh and Maharashtra.

aluminium content.  Australia is the largest producer of bauxite, followed by

 Almost all the aluminium that has ever been produced Guinea and China.

has been extracted from bauxite.

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding 1. They are the smallest and most abundant of all sea
Olive ridley turtles: turtles found in the world.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

2. The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red Q4. Recently, researchers from Tamil Nadu have
List. spotted a ‘Mimeusemia ceylonica’, for the first
Which of the above statements is/are correct? time in Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only Which of the following best describes it?
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 (a) Butterfly (b) Moth
(c) Gecko (d) Shrew
Q2. Consider the following paragraph:
“This National Park saved the endangered Q5. With respect to “National Chambal Sanctuary”,
Barasingha deer from extinction. The forest is consider the following statements:
naturally divided into highland and low land. Banjar 1. It is located at the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya
and Halon are the two rivers that flow within the Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
park. It is also home to the endangered Dhole Indian 2. It is listed as an important Ramsar site.
species of wild dog. The forest depicted in the Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
famous novel by Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book is (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
based on jungles including this park. It is also the (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a
mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha”.
Q6. Consider the following statements:
The above lines are describing which of the
1. Gir National Park is the only natural abode of the
following National Parks?
last surviving population of the free ranging Asiatic
(a) Kanha National Park Lion.
(b) Bandhavgarh National Park 2. Asiatic lion is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN’s red
(c) Pench National Park list.
(d) Panna National Park Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Q3. Consider the following statements regarding (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
CAMPA Act:
1. It has established the National Compensatory Q7. With respect to “Namdapha National Park”,
Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of consider the following statements:
India.
1. It lies in the international border between India and
2. The national fund will receive 90% of the total funds Myanmar.
collected and then it will be distributed to the states
2. It is the Eastern most Tiger reserve of India.
as per their respective demands.
3. The endangered Namdapha flying squirrel is
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
endemic to the park
(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) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1 and 3 only

Descriptive Questions
Q1. According to a report prepared by the National Solar Energy Federation of India, India could generate over 34,600
tonnes of cumulative solar waste by 2030. How far do you think that India is ready to deal with this challenge?

(250 words)

Q2. ‘Climate insurance’ is an emerging tool to reduce the vulnerabilities associated with Climate change. Discuss its
usefulness. (150 words)

Answers: 1-c, 2-a, 3-a, 4-b, 5-a, 6-a, 7-b

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 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)
IFFCO’S NANO DAP
FERTILIZER
#Nanotechnology
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has approved
the launch of Nano DAP fertilizer in the market, introduced
by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO),
based on its encouraging results.
 Earlier, IIFCO had introduced nano-liquid urea. IFFCO
has been planning to launch nano Potash, nano Zinc
and nano Copper fertilisers.
ABOUT NANO DAP FERTILIZER
 Nano DAP is a unique liquid fertilizer product that
contains nanoparticles of Diammonium Phosphate
(DAP).
 It is a source of Nitrogen and Phosphorus – two key
primary nutrients essential for the growth of crops.
 Small size of Nano DAP (< 100 nm) and high surface
area drive the easy absorption by plant leaves.
 Novel nano-formulation helps in better crop growth
and yield, reduced environmental burden and
increased farmer profitability.
 Nano DAP is suitable for all crops including cereals,
fruits and vegetables, oil seeds, pulses, onion, cotton,
Sugarcane, etc.
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NANO FERTILIZERS
 Nano fertilizers are prepared by entrapping vital
nutrients into nano polymers capsules or nano clay
material and can be delivered directly to plants.
 Due to nano size and high surface area, Nano fertilizers
are taken up directly through stomata and cuticles
without loss, thus, there is no loss of nutrients as
compared to bulk soil-based application.
BENEFITS OF NANO FERTILIZERS OVER
CONVENTIONAL CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS
 Miniature size, high specific surface area and high
reactivity of nano fertilizers increase the
bioavailability of nutrients.
 Minimizes nutrient losses and increases nutrient
use efficiency due to the slow nutrient release rate.
 Reduces the cost of transportation and application
as Nanofertilizers are required in small amounts.
 Over accumulation of salt in soil can be minimized
as it is required in smaller amounts.
 Nanofertilizers can be synthesized according to the
nutrient requirements of planned crops. Biosensors
can be attached to a new innovative fertilizer that
controls the delivery of nutrients according to soil
nutrient status, the growth period of a crop or
environmental conditions.
 Providing balanced nutrition, Nanofertilizers
facilitate crop plants to fight various biotic and abiotic
stresses and enhance the growth and yield of crops.
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 Science & Technology
APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN
AGRICULTURE
 Nanosensors: Nanosensors can be used to monitor
soil moisture, nutrient levels, and other environmental
conditions. They can provide real-time data to farmers,
allowing them to optimize their irrigation and
fertilization practices.
 Nano-fertilizers: Nano-fertilizers are engineered to
deliver nutrients in a more targeted and efficient way.
They can improve crop yields while reducing the
amount of fertilizer needed.
 Nano-pesticides: Nano-pesticides are more effective
at controlling pests while minimizing the
environmental impact. They can also be designed to
LIMITATIONS
 Lack of standardisation in the formulation process of
nano-fertilizers and pesticides. This can lead to
different results for the same nanomaterial under
various soil and climatic conditions.
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target specific pests, reducing the need for broad-
spectrum pesticides.
 Nanocarriers: Nanocarriers can be used to deliver
nutrients, pesticides, and other substances directly to
plants. This can improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of these inputs.
 Smart packaging: Nanotechnology can be used to
create smart packaging materials that can monitor and
control the storage conditions of agricultural products
to reduce spoilage and increase shelf life.
 Nanotechnology-based animal feed: Nanoparticles
can be used in animal feed to improve nutrient
absorption and promote growth.
 Lack of comprehensive knowledge of risk
assessment factors and toxicity of nanoparticles
toward agroecosystem components viz. plant, soil, and
soil microbiomes after their release into the
environment. E.g., Risk of accumulation of
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nanomaterials in soil, edible parts of plants, food chain
etc.
 Slower adoption by farmers due to a lack of
awareness of potential benefits and necessary training
and education to use nanotechnology-based products.
 Lack of regulations and guidelines for the use of
nanotechnology in agriculture may lead to inconsistent
or inadequate risk assessments and could result in
unintended negative consequences.
 Collaborative research among institutes exploring
different uses of nanomaterials would be crucial to
develop efficient, multifunctional, stable, cost-effective
and environment-friendly nanomaterials.
ORGAN CHIPS
#Biology & Biotechnology
The US government has approved the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration Modernization Act 2.0 which has given the
green flag to computer-based and experimental alternatives
to animals to test new drugs. The move is expected to boost
the research and development of organ chips.
ABOUT ORGAN CHIPS
 Organ Chips are small devices containing human
cells used to mimic the environment in human organs,
including blood flow and breathing movements that
serve as synthetic environments to test new drugs. E.g.,
o First human organ-on-chip model was developed in
2010- a ‘lung on a chip’ that mimicked biochemical
aspects of the lung and its breathing motions.
o Presently, several different chips are modelled
including bone marrow, epithelial barrier, lung, gut,
kidney, and vagina.
NEED FOR ORGAN CHIPS
 Currently, fewer than 10% of new drugs, globally,
complete preclinical studies and fewer than 50% of
these eventually enter the market. Some researchers
believe that the use of animal models in preclinical
studies could be to blame for this enormous failure
rate.
o Animals (like mice) mimic some human diseases well
but not others. In cases where they cannot mimic a
condition, a new drug that seems promising in
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preclinical studies is almost certainly bound to fail
in human clinical trials.
 There is a need to include synthetic setups (like organ
chips) that mimic human diseases and can also provide
an alternative to using animals as drug testbeds, with
arguments rooted in science, commerce, and ethics.
BENEFITS
 Great tools to mimic human organs and their
diseases (more human-relevant than animal models)
as human cells are used in these organ-on-chip
models.
 Better at predicting the treatment outcomes than
conventional cell culture systems (where researchers
grow cells in plastic dishes in the lab) as organ chips
model different aspects of the human body, such as its
3D geometry or the flow of fluids like blood and lymph.
 Can be used to develop personalised therapies for
individual patients as the cells are isolated from
patients and used to create biomimetic tissues.
 Free from ethical issues associated with the use of
animal models, by offering an alternative to animal
testing.
CONCERNS
 Uptake of such technologies requires large-scale
interdisciplinary research and collaborations within
academia, medical institutions, engineers, and
pharmacologists and government support for funds
and easing regulations.
 Reluctance on the part of the industries for preclinical
research due to the lack of infrastructure and
experienced personnel.
BRAIN ORGANOIDS & BIO-
COMPUTERS
#Biology & Biotechnology
Scientists have outlined a plan for a new area of research
called “organoid intelligence”, which aims to create
“biocomputers”, where brain cultures grown in the lab are
coupled to real-world sensors and input/output devices.
 Scientists expect the technology to harness the
processing power of the brain and understand the
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biological basis of human cognition, learning, and
various neurological disorders.
BRAIN ORGANOIDS
 Brain organoids are 3-D cultures of brain-like tissue
grown in laboratories often from human stem cells.
These “mini brains” (with a size of up to 4 mm) are built
using human stem cells and capture many structural
and functional features of a developing human brain.
 Researchers are now using them to study human
brain development and test drugs to see how they
respond. Recently, scientists transplanted these
human brain organoid cultures into rat brains, where
they formed connections with the rat brain. When
given visual signals, the human neurons were activated
indicating that the human brain organoids were
functionally active.
LIMITATIONS
 Brain organoids developed in the lab are not
sophisticated enough as the human brain requires
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIO-COMPUTERS
 They can reveal the biological basis of human
cognition, learning, and memory by comparing the
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various sensory inputs (touch, smell, vision, etc.) to
develop into complex organs.
 The organoids currently do not have blood
circulation which limits how they can grow.
 Study of human brain diseases in the rat-brain
microenvironment could not be sufficiently
representative.
BIO-COMPUTERS
 Bio-computers would be designed and created by
combining brain organoids and modern computing
methods.
 Organoids would be grown inside flexible structures
affixed with various electrodes (like the ones used in
the case of Electroencephalogram (EEG) readings from
the brain).
 Such structures would be able to record and study
the firing patterns of neurons. They would also offer
electrical stimuli to mimic sensory stimuli. Machine
learning techniques would then be used to analyse
human behaviour and biology.
data on brain structure, connections, and signalling
between ‘healthy’ and ‘patient-derived’ organoids.
 They can help decode the pathology and drug
development for devastating neurodevelopmental
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and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease
and microcephaly.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
 Currently, brain organoids have a diameter of less than
1 mm and have fewer than 100,000 cells, which makes
it roughly three-millionth the size of an actual
human brain. So, scaling up the brain organoid is key
to improving its computing capacity.
 Researchers will also have to develop microfluidic
systems to transport oxygen and nutrients and
remove waste products. These hybrid systems will
generate very large amounts of data (i.e., of neural
recordings from each neuron and connection), which
researchers will need to store and analyse using ‘Big
Data’ infrastructure.
H3N2 INFLUENZA VIRUS
#Health
India has been witnessing rising cases of flu, the majority of
which are linked to the H3N2 influenza virus.
ABOUT H3N2 INFLUENZA
 Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious respiratory illness
caused by influenza viruses. H3N2 influenza, also
known as the "Hong Kong flu," is a type of influenza
virus that can cause respiratory illness in humans.
o Influenza viruses, which cause the infectious disease
known as flu, are of four different types: A, B, C
and D.
o H3N2 and H1N1 viruses are a subtype of the
Influenza A virus. Influenza A is usually associated
with more severe diseases and deaths.
 Symptoms: H3N2 patients display symptoms like
COVID-19: fever, cough, breathlessness, wheezing and
pneumonia.
 Spread: Transmitted from person to person through
droplets of cough, sneezing, and physical contact after
contacting a contaminated surface. Young children and
people with co-morbidities like asthma, diabetes, heart
disease, weakened immune systems and neurological
or neurodevelopmental conditions are at a higher risk.
 Prevention and cure: Self-hygiene, social distancing
and wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus.
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Oseltamivir, a drug used to treat H1N1 (swine flu), has
been recommended by the World Health Organization
for the treatment of H3N2 cases as well.
REASONS FOR THE SPIKE IN CASES
 India usually sees two flu peaks every year —
between January and March and, post-monsoon,
between August and October. The virus spreads as
the season changes.
 Large reservoir of people with lower immunity due
to fewer flu infections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Flu virus is prone to changing its structure, i.e., an
increase in flu cases can be seen usually every other
year.
 Huge population with co-morbidities like diabetes
and heart disease that are risk factors for influenza.
 Yearly flu shot is not readily available in government
set-ups, and its uptake is not high.
ISRO PUTS 36 SATELLITES
INTO ORBIT
#Astronomy and Space Technology
Indian Space Research Organisation's Launch Vehicle Mark-3
(LVM3) placed 36 OneWeb satellites in a low earth orbit
(LEO) following a successful launch from the Satish Dhawan
Space Centre at Sriharikota.
ONEWEB SATELLITES
 OneWeb is a United Kingdom-based company, backed
by the UK government and India’s Bharti Enterprises,
which is implementing a constellation of LEO
satellites. The global communication network plans to
enable connectivity for governments, businesses, and
communities.
 This is OneWeb’s 18th launch (second launch from
India) which completed the company’s constellation of
618 low earth orbit satellites. It would allow offering
high-speed, low-latency broadband internet services
from space in every corner of the world.
o The first set of 36 satellites was launched by the
LVM3/OneWeb India-1 mission by ISRO on October
23, 2022.
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SIGNIFICANCE
 OneWeb uses a constellation of LEO satellites to
provide broadband internet access instead of the
traditional method of using satellites placed in
geostationary orbits (GEO) 36,000 km above the
equator.
 LEO satellites placed in orbits ranging from 200 km to
1,500 km from earth – compared to GEO satellites --
significantly increase bandwidth and reduce
latency in space to around 50-70 milliseconds (ms).
o Latency refers to the time taken by a data packet to
be transmitted from a user to the internet service
provider through the satellite network.
o Latency for GEO satellite networks is in the range of
500-700 ms, which limits their use to 2G and 3G
communications.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE COMMERCIALISATION OF THE
SPACE SECTOR
 In June 2020, the Indian government opened the
space sector to allow the participation of private firms
in the entire gamut of space activities. As part of these
reforms, the government set up:
o New Space India Limited (NSIL) - the country's first
public sector undertaking in the space sector and
the commercial arm of ISRO. The main objective of
NSIL is to scale up private-sector participation in
Indian space programmes.
o Indian National Space Promotion and
Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) - It acts as an
interface between ISRO and Non-Governmental
Entities to promote and regulate space activities and
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assesses how to utilize India’s space resources
better.
 India’s journey into the commercial heavy lift-off
space was initiated after the launch of 36 OneWeb
satellites in the Low Earth Orbit in October 2022.
 Despite being one of the major space-faring nations,
India accounts for only about 2% of the commercial
market. With the space sector opened to private
players in 2020, this is likely to increase, with more
companies developing their own small satellite launch
capabilities.
CONTROLLED RE-ENTRY
OF SATELLITE BY ISRO
#Astronomy and Space Technology
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has brought down
a satellite in a controlled manner after the end of its life. This
was the first time that the space agency attempted such a
manoeuvre to clear out space debris.
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS
 The decommissioned weather satellite Megha
Tropiques-1 had enough fuel remaining to attempt a
controlled re-entry. After a series of 20 manoeuvres
over the past eight months, the orbit of the satellite
was lowered such that it re-entered the dense
atmosphere of Earth and burnt up over the Pacific
Ocean.
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 Objective: ISRO attempted the controlled re-entry to
demonstrate and understand the process of controlled
re-entry of satellites and to clear out the space debris.
RE-ENTRY OF SATELLITES INTO EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE
 When a satellite's mission is completed or it becomes
non-functional, it can either take a controlled re-entry
into the Earth's atmosphere or re-enter in an
uncontrolled manner.
o Controlled re-entry: It means that the satellite is
directed to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at a
specific location and time, to ensure that any
surviving debris will fall into a safe and remote area,
such as an ocean or uninhabited land.
o Uncontrolled re-entry: It occurs when a satellite re-
enters the Earth's atmosphere without any
intentional guidance or control.
 Usually, satellites are left in their orbit and because of
the gravitational pull of the earth, they come down to
the atmosphere over years and years. When the
satellites re-enter the atmosphere, the atmospheric
friction causes them to heat up to extremely high
temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius. Without
a heat shield, 99% of a satellite gets burnt up whether
in a controlled re-entry or an uncontrolled one.
CONTROLLED RE-ENTRY OF SATELLITES
 A controlled re-entry, like the one attempted by ISRO,
is possible only for satellites in the low-earth orbit – at
about 1,000 km over the surface of the earth. These
manoeuvres, however, are not usually attempted
because fuel reserves must be maintained in the
satellite after mission life is over.
 It is impossible for satellites placed in geo-stationary
or geosynchronous orbit (at altitudes of nearly 36,000
km) to perform a controlled re-entry. For attempting to
bring down a satellite from such as orbit, a huge fuel
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reserve would be needed, thus making the satellite
heavier and costlier at launch.
o Satellites in such higher orbits are usually moved to
graveyard orbits, which are like parking lots in
space where all old satellites are put.
o Sometimes a satellite might escape to deep space
when its velocity increases enough to get away from
the gravitational pull of the earth.
SPACE DEBRIS
 Space debris refers to human-made objects in space no
longer in use, such as discarded rocket stages, defunct
satellites etc. The debris can remain in orbit for years
or even decades, increasing the risk of collisions with
active spacecraft.
o Kessler Syndrome is a phenomenon in which the
density of objects in the Low Earth Orbit grows so
high that collisions between two objects could cause
a massive cascade of space junk and trigger further
collisions.
INITIATIVES BY ISRO
 ISRO has developed Safe and Sustainable Space
Operations Management (IS4OM) facility as part of
the space situational awareness programme for the
identification and monitoring of space debris.
 ISRO follows the guidelines of the United Nations and
the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination
Committee (IADC) that say satellites should be
deorbited after mission life:
o Through controlled entry over a safe impact zone.
o Or by bringing the satellite down to reduce the
orbital lifetime (the time it would take for a satellite
to drop from a particular orbit by itself) to less than
25 years.
CHANDRAYAAN 3
#Astronomy and Space Technology
As per Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the launch
of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, and the first
solar mission Aditya L1 will possibly happen by the middle of
2023.
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CHANDRAYAAN-3
 Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-
2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing
and roving on the lunar surface.
 It consists of Lander and Rover. It will be launched by
Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM 3) launch vehicle from
Sriharikota. The propulsion module will carry the
lander and rover configuration till the 100 km lunar
orbit.
OBJECTIVES
 To demonstrate a Safe and Soft Landing on a specified
lunar site
 To demonstrate Rover roving on the moon which will
carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface
during its mobility
 To conduct in-situ scientific experiments

SEVERAL ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES IN o Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density
CHANDRAYAAN and its variations.
 Propulsion module has Spectro-polarimetry of o Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA to understand
Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the the dynamics of Moon system.
spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from
o Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive
the lunar orbit.
ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA)
 Lander payloads:
 Rover payloads:
o Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment
o Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser
(ChaSTE) to measure the thermal conductivity and
Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for
temperature
deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of
o Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) for
the landing site.
measuring the seismicity around the landing site

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 Science & Technology
INTERNATIONAL LIQUID
MIRROR TELESCOPE AT
DEVASTHAL
#Astronomy & Space Technology
Asia’s largest 4-metre International Liquid Mirror Telescope
was inaugurated at Devasthal observatory in Uttarakhand.
ABOUT THE TELESCOPE
 ILMT employs a 4-metre-diameter rotating mirror
made up of a thin layer of liquid mercury, to collect
and focus light.
o Mercury has strong reflective power and stays in a
liquid form at room temperature. Also, it is much
cheaper than glass mirrors.
 It is the first liquid mirror telescope designed
exclusively for astronomical observations, the largest
SIGNIFICANCE
 ILMT is designed to survey the strip of the sky passing
overhead each night, allowing it to detect transient or
variable celestial objects such as supernovae,
gravitational lenses, space debris, and asteroids.
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aperture telescope available in India and the first
optical survey telescope in the country.
 It is located at an altitude of 2450 metres at the
Devasthal Observatory campus of Aryabhatta Research
Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES).
COMPOSITION
 There are primarily three components in a liquid
mirror telescope:
i) A bowl containing a reflecting liquid metal
(essentially mercury)
ii) An air bearing (or motor) on which the liquid mirror
sits
iii) drive system
 Liquid mirror telescopes take advantage of the fact that
the surface of a rotating liquid naturally takes on a
parabolic shape (under the influence of gravity and
centrifugal force), which is ideal for focusing light.
 The reflected light passes through a sophisticated
multi-lens optical corrector that produces sharp
images over a wide field of view.
 While scanning the strip of the sky every night, the
telescope will generate nearly 10-15 Gigabytes of
data. This ILMT-generated data will permit the
application of Big Data and Artificial
Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) algorithms that
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will be implemented for classifying the objects
observed with the ILMT.
 It enhances India’s capabilities to explore the mysteries
of the deep celestial sky and astronomy. The data
collected over an operational time of 5 years, will be
ideally suited to perform a deep photometric and
astrometric variability survey.
ARE NEUTRINOS THEIR
OWN ANTI-PARTICLES?
#Astronomy and Space Technology
Recently, an experiment in Japan reported that it failed to find
“strong evidence” that neutrinos are their own antiparticles.
NEUTRINOS
 Neutrinos are elementary subatomic particles with no
electric charge and very little mass (nearly massless).
 Since they are within the nucleus they are released
whenever there is a decay of the nucleus.
(radioactivity).
o Whenever a nucleus decays, it can give rise to three
kinds of radiations- alpha, beta and gamma.
o Neutrinos are released in beta decay, i.e., whenever
the nucleus of an atom decays with beta radiation,
there is an accompanying stream of neutrinos.
 Source: Stars, Supernovae, Galaxies, Nuclear reactors
 Being almost massless and chargeless they do not
interact with matter, unlike a photon or electron or
proton.
ANTI-PARTICLES
 Every elementary particle is associated with an
antiparticle with the same mass but with opposite
physical charges. If the two meet, they will destroy
(annihilate) each other in a flash of energy. E.g.,
o Electron’s anti-particle is Positron. (They can be
distinguished because they have opposite charges).
o Similarly, neutrinos have anti-neutrinos. However,
neither is electrically charged nor possesses any
other properties to really differentiate between
them.
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NEW MATERIAL OFFERS
LOSSLESS ENERGY
POSSIBILITY
#New Emerging Technologies #Physics
Researchers have been long toiling to find materials that
superconduct electricity in ambient conditions, i.e., at one or
a few atmospheres of pressure and at room temperature.
Recently, U.S. scientists have claimed to produce the first
commercially accessible material named "red matter", which
has superconducting properties at room temperature.
ABOUT REDMATTER
 Red matter is a mixture of Hydrogen, Nitrogen and a
rare-Earth material called Lutetium.
 It is claimed to become superconductive at a
temperature of just 21°C (69°F) and a pressure of 1
gigapascal. That is nearly 10,000 times the atmospheric
pressure on Earth’s surface, but still far lower pressure
than any previous superconducting material.
 The data reported shows a sharp drop in the
electrical resistance around room temperature, the
expulsion of magnetic fields, and a hump in the
heat capacity (the sample expels heat from itself when
cooled, as the electrons organise into the more-
ordered superconducting state). However, the validity
of scientific research is still being ascertained.
SUPERCONDUCTORS
 Superconductors are materials that do not resist the
flow of current or have zero resistance, below a fixed
temperature, which is the critical temperature. E.g.,
Aluminium, niobium, magnesium diboride etc.
o A portion of the electricity generated at every power
plant is lost during transmission because the wires
and cables that carry the current have electrical
resistance.
o Once an electric current passes over a
superconducting material, it can continue to flow
without receiving power from any source as none of
the energy involved is lost as heat.
 However, every superconductor made so far has
required extraordinarily high pressures (millions of
Pascals), and very low temperatures. E.g., Aluminium
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becomes superconducting at temperatures less than superconductors lose superconductivity and convert
(minus) –250° C. into conductors.
IMPORTANT PROPERTIES OF SUPERCONDUCTORS SIGNIFICANCE
 Infinite conductivity with Zero resistance: When the  Elimination of the loss of energy as electricity moves
temperature of the material is reduced below the along the wire would mean longer-lasting batteries,
critical temperature, its resistance suddenly reduces to more-efficient power grids and improved high-speed
zero and thus offers infinite conductivity. E.g., Mercury trains.
becomes a superconductor below 4 kelvins.  Potential applications include Magnetic-energy storage
 Complete expulsion of Magnetic field: systems, magnetic levitation trains, superconducting
Superconductors are diamagnetic i.e., oppose the magnetic refrigerators, etc.
magnetic field or do not allow the magnetic field lines  Huge potential for revolutionary technologies,
to penetrate it. (This phenomenon is called Meissner including efficient quantum computers, as
Effect) superconductors can exhibit truly quantum
 However, there is a certain value of the magnetic field phenomena.
(critical magnetic field) beyond which the

Prelims Snippets
o Artificial background radiation comes from
BACKGROUND RADIATION human activities, such as medical procedures (X-

IS HIGHER IN KERALA rays) and nuclear power plants.

#Miscellaneous
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has found high-level
of background radiation levels in parts of Kerala, especially in
the Kollam district due to the large presence of monazite
sands. Monazite sands are rich in Thorium- a radioactive
element.
BACKGROUND RADIATION
 While exposure to background radiation is generally
safe and poses no immediate health risk, prolonged
exposure to high levels of radiation can increase the
risk of cancer and other health problems.
 International Atomic Energy Agency specifies
maximum radiation exposure levels, and this has also
been adopted by India’s atomic energy establishment.
Public exposure should not exceed 1 milli-Sievert
every year, and those working in plants should not be
exposed to over 30 milli-Sievert every year.

 Background radiation (BR) refers to the constant

presence of radiation in our environment, without HOW DO COUGH SYRUPS
any intentional introduction of radiation sources. There
are two types of background radiation: natural and
GET POISONED?
artificial. #Health
o Natural background radiation comes from
sources such as cosmic rays from outer space,
India has directed drug manufacturers to stop using
radioactivity from naturally occurring radioactive
propylene glycol sourced from a Delhi-based firm due to
materials in soil, rocks, water (such as radon, safety concerns. This action was taken after reports linked the
radium, thorium etc.). use of propylene glycol to the deaths of children in
Uzbekistan.

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 Science & Technology
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
 Cough syrups combine active ingredients such as
paracetamol with a syrup made from glycerine or
propylene glycol that is safe and easy to swallow.
 The syrups can be contaminated with two highly toxic
substances: ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene
glycol (DEG), as both can be a by-product of making
propylene glycol.
o The substances have similar properties; while
propylene glycol is non-toxic, DEG and EG are
extremely harmful.
o Sometimes industrial-grade propylene glycol can be
adultered or substituted by DEG or EG by
suppliers/manufacturers as they are way cheaper.
 When ingested, they lead to kidney failure and
ultimately death without speedy treatment.
VACCINATION AGAINST
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE
NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE CONTROL PROGRAMME
 Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD)
launched the National Animal Disease Control
Programme (NADCP) in 2019, a part of the Livestock
Health & Disease Control Programme.
 The program aims to control Foot & Mouth Disease
(FMD) through vaccination leading to its eventual
eradication by 2030. Currently under this program
vaccination is carried out in all cattle and buffaloes.
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#Health
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has reached
a milestone by vaccinating around 24 crore cattle and
buffaloes in the country out of a targeted population of 25.8
crores; reaching a near-universal coverage of cattle (over
95%) which is well beyond the herd immunity level.
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious
viral vesicular disease of cloven-hoofed animals
such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs etc.
 Once contracted, it causes abscesses and ulcers to the
mouth and foot that prevent the animal from eating
and walking. It does not affect humans.
 FMD leads to reduction in milk yield, decreased growth
rate, infertility, reduced working capacity in bullocks,
and trade embargo in the international market.
 The program is 100% funded by the Government of
India which is centrally procuring vaccines against FMD
and supplying them to States.
 The livestock owners are sensitized and made aware
through various information, education and
communication measures to get their animals
vaccinated and requested to contact the nearest
livestock health workers/ veterinarians to avail of the
facility.
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 Significance: It will help in increasing the income of

livestock farmers/ keepers and boost India’s trade in
livestock products.
SCRUB TYPHUS
#Health
A clinical trial has shown that the combination therapy
using both doxycycline and azithromycin for the treatment
of scrub typhus is far more effective than monotherapies
using either drug by itself.
PROTON BEAM THERAPY
#Biology & Biotechnology #Health
Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is a radiation treatment that
precisely delivers a beam of protons to disrupt and destroy
tumour cells.
 Unlike radiations like X-rays can prove toxic to the
whole body, protons can destroy cancer cells
precisely by targeting tumours, thus saving adjoining
organs.
 It is considered a viable alternative to radiation for
treating solid tumours, especially for head and neck
cancers.

SCRUB TYPHUS
 Scrub typhus is a life-threatening infection caused by
Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria and is a major public
health threat in South and Southeast Asia.
o India is one of the hotspots with at least 25% of the
disease burden.
 The disease is spread to humans by the bite of tiny
mites infected with the bacteria that causes scrub
typhus fever. Scrub typhus fever is not spread from
person to person.
 Symptoms may develop after 6-7 days which include
fever, headache, sweating, blood-shot eyes, swollen
lymph nodes, rash, lung infection, vomiting, and
diarrhoea. CONCERNS

 There is a very high mortality rate in patients with  Setting up a PBT centre is fraught with infrastructural
severe scrub typhus despite diagnosis and treatment. and regulatory challenges as the PBT machine is
huge (up to three storeys tall) and costs nearly ₹500
crores.

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 Science & Technology

o Presently, in India, there is only one PBT machine in

AIIMS Delhi for 1.4 billion people, and the cost of
#Biology & Biotechnology
treatment is too high.
 Also, there are safety concerns, as hydrogen is a
 An enzyme called laccase, generated by a group of
highly volatile element and daily checks are required
fungi, has been found capable of degrading a variety of
to prevent leaks.
hazardous organic dye molecules that are regularly
drained into waterbodies after dying clothes in the

FUNGI-BASED ENZYME FOR textile industry.

 This observed characteristic which the scientists
INDUSTRIAL DYE termed substrate promiscuity can have deep
implications in designing enzyme-coated cassettes for
EFFLUENTS heavily treating dye-polluted water through a natural
solution to make the environment greener.

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. With reference to Bio-computers, consider the (c) Both 1 and 2
following statements: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. Bio-computers can potentially perform certain
types of computations more efficiently and Q3. Consider the following statements regarding
accurately than traditional computers. OneWeb’s constellation of satellites:
2. Bio-computers cannot be integrated with 1. OneWeb uses a constellation of satellites placed in
electronic systems. geostationary orbit satellites to provide
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? broadband internet access.
(a) 1 only 2. The final set of satellites was launched by Launch
(b) 2 only Vehicle Mark-3 rocket which is the heaviest rocket
(c) Both 1 and 2 in use by Indian Space Research Organisation.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
Q2. Consider the following statements with (b) 2 only
reference to H3N2 Influenza: (c) Both 1 and 2
1. H3N2 influenza is primarily spread in humans by (d) Neither 1 nor 2
direct contact with poultry.
2. Young children and people with co-morbidities are Q4. Consider the following statements with
at a higher risk of getting the infection. reference to Chandrayaan-3:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1. It aims to demonstrate end-to-end capability in
(a) 1 only safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
(b) 2 only

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 Science & Technology

2. It will be launched by Launch Vehicle Mark-3 Q5. Consider the following statements:
launch vehicle. 1. Liquid mirror telescope uses a thin layer of
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Mercury to form a parabolic reflecting surface.
(a) 1 only 2. The first optical survey telescope in India has been
(b) 2 only inaugurated in Hanle observatory Ladakh.
(c) Both 1 and 2 Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Descriptive Questions
Q1. Discuss the applications of Nanotechnology in Agriculture. Highlight the associated concerns and suggest a way
forward.
Q2. What are Organ Chips? Highlight the benefits of such chips and the related challenges.

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

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

the top represents the Buddha’s head. There may also

NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL
FINDINGS IN ODISHA
#architecture #buddhism #ancientindia
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stumbled upon a 1,300-
year-old stupa right in the middle of a mining site in Odisha’s
Jajpur district from where Khondalite stones were supplied for
the beautification project around the 12th century Shree
Jagannath Temple in Puri.
This finding is part of recent excavation activity
undertaken by ASI in the Parabhadi hill area of Jajpur
District in Odisha.
Khondalite is a foliated metamorphic rock. In India, it is
also called Bezwada Gneiss and Kailasa Gneiss. It was
named after the Khond tribe of Odisha and Andhra
Pradesh because well-formed examples of the rock were
found in the inhabited hills of these regions of eastern
India.
be a wooden pole within the stupa representing the
Buddha’s spine or central channel (avadhuti).
 When visiting a stupa, practitioners circumambulate it
clockwise as a meditation practice, focusing on the
endless cycle of rebirth (samsara) and the eightfold
path that leads to freedom from suffering.
THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF STUPAS:
 Relic stupa, containing the remains of the Buddha and
his disciples.
 Object stupa, containing objects that belonged to the
Buddha or his disciples.
 Commemorative stupa, marking an event in the
Buddha’s life.
 Symbolic stupa, representing aspects of Buddhist
teachings.
 Votive stupa, erected to make a dedication or to
accumulate merit.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

ABOUT THE FINDINGS  A hemispherical mound (anda): The anda’s domed

shape (green highlights) recalls a mound of dirt that
There were two 13th century stupas which were
was used to cover the Buddha’s remains. It has a solid
discovered; however, the smaller stupa is completely
core and cannot be entered.
ruined.
 Tabena: the relic chamber, buried deep inside the
WHAT IS A STUPA?
anda.
 A stupa is a dirt burial mound faced with stone, often
 A square railing (harmika): The harmika (red
containing relics or religious objects and used as a
highlights) is inspired by a square railing or fence that
place of meditation. The Great Stupa in Sanchi, India, is
surrounded the mound of dirt, marking it as a sacred
the earliest known stupa, dating back to the fourth
burial site.
century BCE. The largest stupa in the world is
Borobudur in Indonesia.  A central pillar supporting a triple-umbrella form
(chattra): The chattra, in turn, was derived from
 Its basic shape has come to represent the seated
umbrellas that were placed over the mound to protect
Buddha when he achieved enlightenment. The square
it from the elements (purple highlights). It represents
base represents the Buddha’s crossed legs as he sat on
the pivot of the universe, the axis mundi along which
the earth; the middle section, called the hemisphere or
the divine descends from heaven and becomes
mound, is the Buddha’s body; and the conical spire at
accessible to humanity. And the three circular

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 History, Heritage & Culture
umbrella-like disks represent the three Jewels, or
Triantha, of Buddhism, which are the keys to a true
understanding of the faith: (a) Buddha; (b) dharma
(Buddhist teachings or religious law); and (c) sangha
(monastic community).
 Enclosure wall with decorated gateways (toranas) at
the cardinal directions the wall — with its trademark
three horizontal stone bars (in the top image) —
surrounds the entire structure. The wall is marked in
light blue highlights and the toranas in yellow.
 A circular terrace (medhi): The terrace — surrounded
by a similar three-bar railing — supports the anda and
raises it off the ground (black highlights); it likely served
as a platform for ritual circumambulation.
Important historical stupas of India:
 Amravati stupa (Andhra Pradesh)
 Bharhut stupa (Madhya Pradesh)
 Bojjannakonda (Andhra Pradesh)
 Chaukhandi Stupa (Uttar Pradesh)
 Dhamek Stupa (Uttar Pradesh)
 Kesariya Stupa (Bihar)
 Nagarjunakonda Stupa (Andhra Pradesh)
 Sanchi Stupa (Madhya Pradesh)
 Soneri Stupa (Madhya Pradesh)
 Udaygiri Stupa (Odisha)
ABOUT PARABHADI HILL OF ODISHA
 Located close to Lalitgiri, Parabhadi hill houses a
structure which is believed to be a Buddhist stupa due
to its circular appearance and a rock cut sculpture of
meditating Buddha.
 The site was discovered between 1975 and 1985. “The
hill is of the same date as Lalitgiri (2nd century BC) and
a lot of Buddhist images were found in the Sukhuapada
village located on Parabhadi foothills.
CLASSICAL MUSIC IN INDIA
#artandculture #music
Noted Carnatic vocalist and teacher Neela Ramgopal, 86,
passed away recently.
Classical music of India and its various forms are important
from the perspective of UPSC prelims and mains
examinations.
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There are two systems of Indian Classical music:
Hindustani and Carnatic. Carnatic music is popular in
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerela. The
classical music of the rest of the country goes under the
name, Hindustani Classical music.
HINDUSTANI CLASSICAL MUSIC
 Important influence on music includes Rigveda,
Yajurvedic chants and Natya Shastra (gives information
on scales, melodic forms, tala and musical
instruments). Another major text is Matanga’s
Brihaddesi compiled between eight and ninth century
AD. An important text includes Sangeeta Ratankara
(13th century) written by Sarangadeva.
 A characteristic contribution of India to musical rhythm
is the Tala which is the cyclic arrangement of time units.
 Musical forms can be divided into two broad categories
anibadhha and nibaddha sangeeta.
 Anibaddha sangeeta is not restricted by meaningful
words and tala. Its finest form is the alap.
 Prabhandha is used as a generic term to indicate
nibaddha songs among which Jayadeva’s (12th century)
compositions are best known. His significant work was
Gita Govinda, and his songs are called ashtapadis.
 Another formal aspect in Nibaddha Sangeet is met
within the Dhrupad. Man Singh Tomar, the Maharaja of
Gwalior was responsible for the enormous vogue of
Dhrupad. The Bean and Pakhwaj were associated with
Dhrupad but do not find any patronage these days.
 Today the pride in classical Hindustani music is
occupied by the Khyal. It was given impetus in 13th
century by Amir Khusrau. It attained its maturity at the
hands of Niyamat Khan Sadarang and Adarang of the
18th century. Amir Khusrau encouraged the practice of
musical performance with instruments. He is believed
to have invented the sitar and the tabla and is said to
have introduced new ragas. Most Hindustani musicians
trace their descent to Tansen.
 There are Gharanas in Khyal which are schools of
singing founded or developed by various individuals or
patrons such as king or nobility.
 Important gharanas are Gwalior gharana (oldest), Agra
gharana (founded by Khuda Baksh) and Jaipur gharana
(directly took off from Dhrupad), Rampur Saheswan
gharana (Uttar Pradesh).
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 History, Heritage & Culture

 Thumri and Tappa are popular types of music heard in

Style Of Singing Gharana Style Vocal Style
concerts. Thumri is a love song whereas Tappa consists
of the song uttered in a fast note pattern. Words are
CARNATIC MUSIC Words usage in significant.
Formal depiction
 The ancient Tamils of south India developed a highly singing They express
nd
evolved system of music. Silappadhikaram (2 century their emotions.
AD) contains vivid descriptions of music of this period.
Restricted to a
Tolkapiyyam and Kalladam are other sources of
specific format. Fewer
musical history. Improvisation
Some degree of restrictions
 Carnatic came into vogue after the advent of Muslims, improvisation.
particularly during the reign of the Mughal Emperors of
6 ragas and 10 7 notes with
Delhi. It developed along its own original lines. Ragas
modes semi-tones
 Annamacharya was a 15th-century Hindu saint and is
the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs Slow tempo with
Fast tempo.
called sankirtanas in praise of the god Venkateshwara, long notes.
The tempo
a form of Vishnu. He is the first known composer in Tempo The notes increase
remains constant
Carnatic music. Other composers like Purandaradasa with increasing
with short notes.
came after him. The musical form of the keertana intensity
songs that he composed, have strongly influenced the
Tabla, Santoor, Jalatarangam,
structure of Carnatic music compositions.
Instruments Sitar, Sarangi, Veena, Mandolin,
 Purandaradasa (1484) termed as ‘Carnatic Sangeeta Clarinet Mridangam
Pitamaha ‘introduced the Malavagowla scale as the
basic scale for music instruction. Saw a blending
Mostly
Influence with Persian
 Venkatamahi introduced 72 Melakartas which were indegenous
musical influence.
used by Tyagaraja to invent many beautiful ragas.
 The birth of the musical trinity-Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Oscillation exists
Dikshitar and Syama Sastri at Tiruvarur between the between the
No ornamentation
years 1750 to 1850 is an era of dynamic development notes.
is used for
in Carnatic music. They were contemporaries of Ornamentation This creates
enhancing the
Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner and Haydn. intellectual and
emotions
more spiritual
 Some musical forms of Carnatic music are Gitam,
performances
Varnam, Jatiswaram, Kirtanam, Pada, Tillana, Pallavi
and Tanam.
 Regional Music: Musical instruments differ from that of SANT SEVALAL MAHARAJ
classical music. Cruder forms of table like dholak or nal
are used. Sitar is absent in folk music. Also, the #Indianheritageandculture#reformers#per
instruments of classical music are created by artisans, sonalities
but folk instruments are crafted by musicians
themselves.
For the first time ever, the year-long commemoration of birth
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HINDUSTANI & CARNATIC
anniversary of Sant Sevalal Maharaj, the spiritual & religious
MUSIC
leader of Banjara Community is being celebrated by the
Area Of Ministry of Culture, Government of India. (Starting from
Hindustani Music Carnatic Music
Differentiation February 26th). The yearlong commemoration is part of the
Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign to celebrate 75 years of
Origin North India South India India’s independence.

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 History, Heritage & Culture
ABOUT SANT SEVALAL MAHARAJ
 Santh Sevalal Maharaj was born on 15 February 1739
at Surgondankoppa in Shivamogga district of
Karnataka.
 He travelled across the country with his Ladeniya
Troup to serve especially the forest dwellers and
nomadic tribes.
 Due to his extraordinary knowledge, excellent skills and
spiritual background in Ayurveda and Naturopathy, he
was able to dispel and eradicate myths and
superstitions prevalent in the tribal communities
and brought about reforms in their way of life.
 Among such communities, the Banjara community
settled across the country with different names, have
permanently abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and
settled in their settlements called Tandas.
 The Samadhi Sthal of Saint Sevalal is situated in
Washim District of Maharashtra at Pohradevi which
is also known as Banjara Kashi.
ABOUT LAMBADIS/BANJARA
 The Banjara (also known as Lambadi, Gour Rajput,
Labana) are a historically nomadic trading tribe who
have origins in Rajasthan.
 They are now mainly distributed in Maharastra,
Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.
 They speak Gor Boli also called Lambadi which
belongs to the Indo-Aryan Group of Languages.
 Traditional dance forms: Fire dance and Chari.
 Traditional bards called Bhats recite the Lambadi epic
of Sevabhaya.
Note:
Social Status of the Banjara Community: The Banjara
community have been declared as ST in five States
(Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand),
Scheduled Caste in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, and
Other Backward Class (OBC) in Chhattisgarh, Daman and
Diu, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.
MOHINIYATTAM
#artandculture #classicaldances
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
Classical dance legend Kanak Rele passed away recently.
Mohiniyattam exponent was awarded first Guru Gopinath
National Puraskaram of the Government of Kerala.
ABOUT CLASSICAL DANCE OF MOHINIYATTAM
 Mohiniyattam (Mohiniattam) is a classical dance form
of Kerala in South India.
 The origin and popularity of this dance form is closely
tagged to the great Tamil dance master Vadivelu, one
of the Thanjavur quartets.
 One among the eight Indian classical dance forms,
Mohiniyattam is a graceful dance to watch and is a solo
recital by women.
 The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words mohini
meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and aattam
meaning graceful and sensuous body movements.
Thus, the word Mohiniyattam literally means - dance of
the enchantress.
 This dance form also has elements of other performing
art forms of Kerala viz. Koothu and Kutiyattam in it.
Besides, Mohiniyattam also came under the influence
of two other south Indian dance forms - Bharatanatyam
and Kathakali.
 Mohiniyattam in its early days went through ups and
downs, which eventually got steadied during the reign
of King Swathi Thirunal of the erstwhile Travancore
kingdom.
 Personalities associated: King Swathi Thirunal Rama
Varma, Malayalam poet Vallathol Narayana Menon
who is also the founder of Kerala Kalamandalam and
the noted Mohiniyattam teacher, Kalamandalam
Kalyanikutty Amma.
 The dance form Mohiniyattam has love and devotion to
God as its major themes, with usually Lord Vishnu or
his incarnation Lord Krishna as the lead character.
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 History, Heritage & Culture

 Mohiniyattam comprises about 40 different basic  Material used: grey sandstone.

movements called adavukal and its performance style  Since the fifteenth century, Buddhists have used the
is marked by the swaying of hips and the gentle temple and visitors today will see, among the
movements with straight body posture from side-to-
thousands of visitors, Buddhist monks and nuns who
side.
worship at the site.
 This dance like many other classical dance forms of
India follows the sign language (mudra) as described in
the ancient treatise on Hastha Lakshanadeepika to
convey the story. These mudras are expressed through
fingers and palms of the hands.
 The musical accompaniment of Mohiniyattam dance
involves what is known as chollu. The lyrics are in
Manipravalam, which is a mixture of Sanskrit and
Malayalam.
ABOUT THE KHMER DYNASTY
 The attire for Mohiniyattam consists of white sari,
 Also known as the Angkorian Empire or Khambuja.
bordered with broad golden brocade (called kasavu in
Malayalam).  Duration: 802-1431 CE

 Founder: King Jayavarman II

ANGKOR WAT TEMPLE  Angkor was their capital city.

#artandculture #templearchitecture  Important contribution: Angkor Wat, Angkor City and

Bayon Buddhist temples.

India is currently working on the restoration project of 12th

Century sites at the Angkor Temple in Cambodia.
ABOUT THE ANGKOR TEMPLE
 Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia is the largest
religious monument in the world.
 Literally means ‘City Temple’.
 Dedicated to Lord Vishnu (protector in Cambodia).
However, previous kings of the Khmer dynasty were
Shaivite.
 Patron of Angkor Wat was King Suryavarman II (Khmer
empire), whose name translates as the “protector of
the sun.
 Duration: 1116-1150 C.E.
 It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the
devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat more than 5
kilometres (3 mi) long and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres
(2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised
above the next.
 Carvings in the temple show eight different stories of Map shows the territorial empire of Khmer Dynasty
Hindu mythology (e.g., Amrit Manthan).

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 History, Heritage & Culture
MARTAND TEMPLE
#artandculture #templearchitecture
Archaeological survey of India is looking towards bringing
back artefacts belonging to the medieval History of Jammu
and Kashmir that were lost or stolen previously. Among these
includes the objects stolen from Martand Temple.
ABOUT MARTAND TEMPLE
 It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Sun God located near
Anantnag in Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir
(Union Territory), India.
 According to Kalhana in Rajatarangini, Martand Sun
Temple was commissioned by Lalitaditya Muktapida in
the eighth century AD. Lalitaditya belonged to the
Karkota dynasty.
 Dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity in Hinduism.
Surya is also known by the Sanskrit language synonym
Martand.
 The temple was destroyed by Sikandar Shah Miri in a
zeal to Islamise the society under the advice of Sufi
preacher Mir Muhammad Hamadani.
 Other Sun Temples in India: Sun Temple at Konark
(Odisha), Sun Temple at Modhera (Gujarat).
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE
 It blended the Gandharan, Gupta and Chinese forms of
architecture.
 Primary shrine in its centre and surrounded by 84
smaller shrines.
 Temple walls are depicted with the images of lord
Vishnu and river goddess such as Ganga and Yamuna.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 Material: Lime mortar was used with huge blocks of
grey limestones.
ABOUT KARKOTA DYNASTY
 Duration: 625 − 855 CE
 Region: Kashmir Valley
 Founder: Durlabhavardhana
 Succeeded by: Utpala dynasty (Avanti Varman was the
founder)
 Patronised both Hinduism (Vaishnavite) and Buddhism
(ruins of Stupa, Chaitya and Vihara could be found).
 Sources for the dynasty: Kalhana’s Rajatarangini,
Nilamata Purana, Vishnudharmottara Purana,
Chronicles of Xuanzang.
 Coins: based on the Kushan style (image of king
standing or Gods on obverse) with Sharada script.
Coins were always inscribed in the name of Kidara I on
the reverse. They were made using the mixed metals.
 Lalitaditya commissioned numerous gold and silver
images for temples and monasteries across faiths, and
his span is the zenith of Kashmiri sculpture
MATUA MAHA SABHA
#modernindia #bhaktimovement
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways visited the
auspicious “Matua Dharma Maha Mela” at the Shreedham
Thakurnagar, Thakurbari, in West Bengal.
THE REASON BEHIND THE EVENT
 Mela is being organised to celebrate the 212th Birth
Anniversary of Shri Harichand Thakur ji.
 Mela showcases the vibrant culture of Matua
Community. It is organised by the All India Matua
Mahasangha.
MATUA MAHASANGHA
 Matua Mahasangha is a religious reformation
movement that originated, around 1860 AD, in
modern-day Bangladesh, with a considerable number
of adherents both in Bangladesh and in West Bengal of
India.
 Matua is a sect of depressed class AVARNA Hindus who
are Namasudras, a Scheduled Caste group.
 The movement was launched as a reformation by the
followers of Harichand Thakur.
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 History, Heritage & Culture

HARICHAND THAKUR
 He worked among the untouchable people of Bengal
LORD BASAVESHWARA &
Presidency. He formed the Matua sect of Hindus. NADAPRABHU
 He belongs to a Namashudra (or avarna) peasant
family from Bangladesh. KEMPEGOWDA
 After experiencing atma darshan or self-revelation, he #medievalindia #personality
began to preach his own religious realization which is
only based on Bhakti. According to his doctrine, all
traditional rituals, except devotion to God, faith in The statues of two legendary figures from Karnataka,
mankind, and love for living beings, are meaningless Basavanna and Kempegowda, have been unveiled. The
and distortions from the real aim of attaining God. messages of social justice, democracy, sound governance,
 He organized downtrodden peoples of his own and progress shall be promoted.
community under the banner of his new religious LIFE HISTORY OF BASAVESHWARA [1105-1167]
doctrine (known as Matua religion) and established  Born in Bijapur district, Karnataka in 1105 CE.
Matua Mahasangha. They started considering him as
 He was an Indian statesman, poet in the Kannada
God (Param Brahma) Harichand and as an avatar
language, and social reformer who lived in Karnataka
(incarnation) of Vishnu or Krishna. Thus, he became
during the time of King Bijjala I of the Kalachuri
known as Sri Harichand Thakur.
dynasty.
 His newly founded Matua religion is based on only
three basic principles – Truth, Love, and Sanity.  As the Kalachuri kingdom’s chief minister, he
established new public institutions including the
He gave twelve instructions to his followers
Anubhava Mantapa, also known as the “hall of
These twelve instructions are:
spiritual experience,” which attracted people from all
1. Always speak the truth
socio-economic classes.
2. Treat the woman as your mother-being; Respect the
 He launched social reforms and a religious movement
woman
centred on resurrecting Shaivism using the public
3. Always respect your parents
treasury, recognising and promoting ascetics known
4. Treat your neighbours and all earthly living beings as Jangamas.
with love, pity, and kindness
 Basavarajadevara Ragale, written by the Kannada
5. Never discriminate on racial grounds
poet Harihara (about 1180), is the earliest account of
6. Bring all the six passions of the mind under your
the social reformer’s life. It is significant since
control. These six passions of mind are – Lust, Anger,
the author was a near contemporary of the
Greed, Infatuation, Pride, and Jealousy.
Basavanna.
7. Remain liberal to all other religions and creeds
 The Vachana Sahitya in Kannada is one of the literary
8. Become honest in mind and activities and avoid
works of the Basavanna.
saintly dress to adorn yourself with
 Basava is credited as the founder of Lingayats’ tradition
9. Perform your duties devotedly and utter the sacred
in hagiographic writings. However, modern scholars,
Haribol and pray to God simultaneously
based on Kalachuri inscriptions assert that Basava
10. Build a temple of pure thoughts in your heart and soul
revived and improved a previously existent tradition.
and a temple of Shree Hariparameshwar at your
dwelling place PHILOSOPHY

11. Pray daily to God with devotion and sanctity  He developed a new devotional movement
named Veerashaivism.
12. Sacrifice yourself to the cause of God.

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 History, Heritage & Culture

 In his poetry, Basava discussed about gender equality, accomplishment in the history of the social reform
community spirit and refraining from wars for any movement.
cause.  He stayed away from wearing the sacred
 He said that the true god is “one with himself, self- thread, which is a sign of caste superiority, to distance
born,” challenging rituals, dualism, and himself from his caste.
externalisation of God.
As compared to other Bhakti movements, the social
 Basava opposed rituals, but he supported icons and reform movement by Basava stands out as unique. The
symbols such as wearing an Istalinga (necklace movement had a political as well as a social impact on
with a personal linga) and applying Vibhuti (sacred society. He promoted the idea of political representation
ash on the forehead) as a constant reminder of one’s for the voiceless. The followers of Basavanna currently
devotion and religious principles.
identify as Lingayats and are one of the most powerful
 To eliminate the need for elite translation and castes in Karnataka.
interpretation of spiritual concepts and to ensure that
LINGAYATISM
everyone can grasp them, he advocated for the use
of the vernacular language, Kannada, in all spiritual  Lingayatism emphasizes qualified monism
conversations. (Vishishtadvaita), with philosophical foundations like
those of the 11th–12th-century South Indian
 His holy trinity included a guru (teacher), a linga (a
philosopher Ramanuja.
lingam that belonged to Shiva), and jangama
(constantly moving and learning).  Lingayatism rejects any form of social
 In the 12th century, Basava built the Anubhava discrimination including the caste system and
Mantapa, a place where anyone from either gender authority of Vedas and Puranas.
might assemble and debate spiritual concepts. Here,  According to a tradition which developed after Basava’s
ardent followers of Shiva would share their time, Lingayatism was transmitted by
accomplishments and spiritual poems written in the five Panchacharyas, namely Renukacharya,
vernacular language. Darukacharya, Ekorama, Panditharadhya, and
SOCIAL REFORMS Vishweswara.
 Basava believed that all people were created equal,  The scripture of Lingayatism Basava Purana was
regardless of caste, and that all manual effort had an completed in 1369 during the reign of Vijayanagara
equal value. According to the Basava, a true saint and ruler Bukka Raya I.
Shaiva bhakta was determined by behaviour rather
ABOUT NADAPRABHU KEMPEGOWDA
than by birth.
 He was 16th century chieftain of Vijayanagar
 Anti-caste movement: In the 12th century
Empire. He is credited to have built around 1000 lakes
A.D. Basaveshwara started one of the earliest known
throughout the city.
anti-caste campaigns in Karnataka.
 He belonged to dominant agriculture Vokkaliga
 To replace patriarchy, caste, and the brahmanic
community.
religion with an equitable system, they were carefully
scrutinised, painstakingly rejected, and replaced. Contribution Foundation of Bengaluru city:
 Saints from the untouchable caste like Channiah  In 1526, Kempe Gowda conquered
and Kakkaih, as well as famous figures like Sivaganga principality and later Domlur.
Akkamahadevi and Allama Prabhu, participated in  With imperial permission of the Vijayanagar
the collaborative effort known as the Anubhava Emperor Achyutharaya (an inscription
Mantapa.
at Dasarahalli records the decree date as 1532), he
 He organised an inter-caste marriage between an built Bangalore Fort and the town in 1537, and moved
untouchable groom and a Brahmin bride as one of his capital from Yelahanka to the new Bengaluru Pete,
his extreme actions. The inter-caste marriage the foundation of present-day Bangalore city.
arranged by Basavanna is still regarded as a notable

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 History, Heritage & Culture
HUNDRED YEARS OF
VAIKOM SATYAGRAHA
#medievalindia #personality
Vaikom Satyagraha has completed 100 years.
 Vaikom is a religious town located at 35 km from Kochi
inside Kingdom of Travancore. The town is famous for
Vaikom Shiva Temple. Hence, the city was known as
Varanasi of the South. The temple did not permit lower
castes to enter it and even the roads around the
Vaikom Shiva temple were closed to the polluting
castes.
 Untouchability was very deep rooted in Travancore
Kingdom and other parts of Kerala. Swami
Vivekananda referred to Travancore a ‘lunatic asylum’.
LAUNCH OF VAIKOM SATYAGRAHA
 In 1921, Social activist T K Madhavan met with
Mahatma Gandhi at Tirunelveli to seek his advice and
support for launching an agitation and suggested civil
disobedience and non-violent satyagraha.
 Gandhi’s involvement in the struggle proved crucial as
it mobilised the educated upper-caste Hindu opinion in
favour of temple entry.
 Madhavan joined the Congress and participated in the
party’s Kakinada session in 1923 where a resolution
was passed for the eradication of untouchability. The
resolution also stated that temple entry was the birth-
right of all Hindus and authorised the state Congress to
take charge of the struggle. Following which Kerala
Congress formed an untouchability eradication council
under the leadership of K Kelappan that arrived in
Vaikom in February 1924 to take out a procession
through the prohibited roads on March 1.
 On March 30, 1924, two untouchables along and an
upper caste Nair community person took the road
around Vaikom Shiva temple that closed to ‘polluting
castes’. They were arrested and sentenced to six
months’ imprisonment. Gandhi approved the agitation
and suggested civil disobedience and non-violent
satyagraha. However, the banning of the procession by
the local administration led to a change of strategy to
satyagraha.
 Ashram of Sree Narayan Guru functioned as the camp
for the satyagrahis. As volunteers and prominent
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leaders tried to walk through the prohibited roads, they
were arrested. The arrested leaders did not seek a bail.
 Cross religious support: Even Christians and Sikhs
supported the Vaikom Satyagraha. A group of 15 Akalis
led by Lala Lal Singh and Kripal Singh opened a
vegetarian mess for anyone who visited the Ashram
where Satyagrahis stayed.
 Contribution of Periyar: Social reformer and
President of Madras Congress Committee E V
Ramaswamy Naicker arrived at Vaikom when some
leaders of the Satyagraha leaders were jailed.
 Flood: Later in the year, Kerala experienced heavy
floods. The volunteers of Vaikom satyagraha stood
neck deep in water on the road leading to the temple
by taking turns of three hours for about two months till
the waters receded. The government later barricaded
the roads around the temple for satyagrahis not to
enter the prohibited roads. Then, Gandhi organised a
peaceful jatha of Hindus from Vaikom to
Thiruvananthapuram and back. This jatha helped raise
social consciousness against untouchability.
 Role of Gandhi: Gandhi arrived in Kerala in March 1925
and held discussions with all sides. He met the
maharani of Travancore, orthodox Hindus and local
Congress leaders and negotiated a settlement by which
the government agreed to revoke the prohibitory
orders and remove the barricades and Satyagrahis
agreed to not enter the prohibited roads.
 The Satyagraha continued for eight more months and
forced the government to give further grants. The
roads around the Vaikom temple except for two lanes
leading to eastern Gopuram were opened to all castes.
Following this, Vaikom Satyagraha was called off. Thus,
the Satyagrahis gained access to some roads around
the temple and no right to enter the temple.
 Long term impact: Despite limited success of the
Vaikom Satyagraha, it triggered similar movements in
region demanding entry inside temples and eventually
paved way for Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936 that
granted lower castes the right to worship in Hindu
temples.
ABOUT T. K. MADHAVAN (1885-1930)
 Madhavan was an Indian social reformer, journalist
and revolutionary. He was involved with the Sree
Narayan Dharma Paripalana (SNDP).
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 History, Heritage & Culture
 He led the struggle against untouchability in Kerala
known as Vaikom Satyagraha.
ABOUT E V RAMASWAMY NAICKER ‘PERIYAR’
 Considered to be the most distinguished leader of
Dravidian movement and anti-brahmin movement in
South India.
 His sharp speeches in Vaikom and other parts of
Vaikom against untouchability created a big impact.
Thus, he was conferred the title of ‘Hero of Vaikom’.
ABOUT K. KELAPPAN (1889-1971)
 He was a freedom fighter, educationist and journalist.
He was the lead figure the Congress during India’s
Independence Movement in Kerala was known
as ‘Kerala Gandhi’.
MAP FOR HISTORICAL LOCATIONS IN NEWS
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 Was the founding member & President of Nair Service
Society & Kerala Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti.
 He was an important figure in lower caste struggle
particularly Vaikom Satyagraha and Guruvayur Temple
Entry Movement.
 Kelappan led the Guruvayur Satyagraha which was an
effort for temple entry for untouchables into
Guruvayur Temple. Kelappan undertook a hunger
strike for 12 days when it was abandoned at the
request of Mahatma Gandhi.
 He led the Salt Satyagraha in Kerala. He led a batch of
Congress workers on foot from Kozhikode to the
beaches of Payyanur and broke the salt laws.
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 History, Heritage & Culture

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following pairs: Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
Architectural feature Explanation
of a stupa (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Anda Mound covering Buddha's Q3. With reference to the Cultural history of India,
remains consider the following statements:
1. Sant Sevalal was the social reformer of the Banjara
Medhi Square railing or fence that
community.
surround the mound
2. Pohradevi, Karnataka also known as ‘Banjara Kashi’
Toranas Gateways is an important pilgrimage centre for the Banjara
Tribe.
Chattra Relics chamber
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
How many pairs given above are correctly matched? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(a) Only one pair (b) Only two pairs (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(c) Only Three pairs (d) All the pairs
Q4. With reference to the Classical Dance of
Q2. With reference to the cultural aspects of Indian Mohiniyattam, consider the following
classical music, consider the following statements:
differences between Hindustani and Carnatic 1. It is a solo female dance form belonging to the state
Music: of Kerala.
1. Time theory is important in Carnatic music but not 2. The tradition of this dance form originates from the
in Hindustani music. cults worshipping lord Shiva.
2. Equal division is made between vocal and music in 3. Chollu, or rhythmic structure is an important part of
the Hindustani form while in Carnatic form vocals this dance form.
are more preferred. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
3. Improvisation is given more importance in (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
Hindustani music than Carnatic music. (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Descriptive Questions
Q1. The rise of bhakti movement in India in the 7th-9th centuries was the result of social evils of the time. Discuss.
Q2. Discuss the role of lord Basava in bringing about social revolution.

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

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 Part TWO

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

IS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ETHICAL OR UNETHICAL?

#Ethics #Integrity #Aptitude

Recently, the central government has told the Supreme
Court that living together as partners and having a sexual
relationship by same-sex individuals, which is
decriminalised now, is not comparable with the Indian
family unit -- a husband, a wife, and children born out of
the union -- while opposing pleas seeking recognition of
same-sex marriage.
ARGUMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT AGAINST SAME-
SEX MARRIAGE
Same-sex marriage is not in conformity with societal
morality and Indian ethos:
It stressed that same-sex marriage is not in conformity
with societal morality and Indian ethos. In an affidavit, the
central government said the notion of marriage itself
necessarily and inevitably presupposes a union between
two persons of the opposite sex. This definition is socially,
culturally, and legally ingrained into the very idea and
concept of marriage and ought not to be disturbed or
diluted by judicial interpretation, it added.
Children hunger for their biological parents:
The affidavit said the institution of marriage and the
family are important social institutions in India that
provide for the security, support and companionship of
the members of our society and bear an important role in
the rearing of children and their mental and psychological
upbringing also. While this opportunity will not be
available to the adopted children of homosexual couples.
Same-sex marriage is against societal morality:
The affidavit said that considerations of societal morality
are relevant in considering the validity of the legislature
and further, that it is for the legislature to judge and
enforce such societal morality and public acceptance
based upon Indian ethos.
Marriage in India is possible between a biological man
and a woman only:
The Centre said that marriage between a biological man
and a biological woman takes place either under personal
laws or codified laws namely, the Hindu Marriage Act, of
1955, the Christian Marriage Act, of 1872, the Parsi
Marriage and Divorce Act, of 1936 or the Special Marriage
Act, 1954 or the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969.
"It is submitted that the legislative understanding of
marriage in the Indian statutory and personal law regime
is very specific viz. marriage between a biological man and
a biological woman only," it said.
Marriage in India is a social institution rather than a
union of two individuals:
The parties entering marriage creates an institution
having its public significance as it is a social institution
from which several rights and liabilities flow, it added.
Same-sex marriage is against the religious sentiments
of the country:
The Centre said amongst Hindus, it is a sacrament, a holy
union for the performance of reciprocal duties between a
man and a woman and in Muslims, it is a contract but
again is envisaged only between a biological man and a
biological woman. It will, therefore, not be permissible to
pray for a writ of the apex court to change the entire
legislative policy of the country deeply embedded in
religious and societal norms, it added.
The Centre emphasized that in any society, the conduct of
the parties and their inter-relationship is always governed
and circumscribed by personal laws, codified laws or in
some cases even customary laws/religious laws. The
jurisprudence of any nation, be it by way of codified law

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
or otherwise, evolves based upon societal values, beliefs,
cultural history and other factors and in case of issues
concerning personal relationships like marriage, divorce,
adoption, maintenance, etc., either the codified law or the
personal law occupies the field, it added.
Same-sex marriage is against the personal laws:
"It is submitted that registration of marriage of same-sex
persons also results in violation of existing personal as
well as codified law provisions -- such as 'degrees of
prohibited relationship'; 'conditions of marriage';
'ceremonial and ritual requirements' under personal laws
governing the individuals," it said.
The affidavit said that any recognition over and above the
conventional relationship of marriage between a man and
woman would cause irreconcilable violence to the
language of the statute.
Defies the purpose of procreation:
Some people argue that same-sex marriage should not be
legalized because it defies the purpose of procreation.
The legislature, not the courts should decide how to
make profound social changes
It is argued that the legislature is the only proper place to
sort out people’s civil rights and morality of the society
because it represents the people’s will.
Same-sex marriage will disrupt the stability of society:
Marriage is to encourage stable relationships because
people in them are more likely to contribute to a stable
society.
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
No clear-cut definition of marriage
At the heart of the petition by the LGBTQIA community
seeking marriage rights lies the question- what is
marriage? This is a question that needs to be addressed
just by the LGBTQIA community. it may seem strange that
the law defines how to enter a marriage, and how to exit
a marriage, but does not define what is marriage. In such
a situation we are left to define the concept of marriage
ourselves, or rather, to live by it.
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Marriage is a voluntary union of equals where neither
loses their autonomy to the other nor their personality.
The parties to the marriage, regardless of their sexuality
or gender, agree to a mutual bond to provide emotional,
financial and sexual support to each other.
The state has no legitimate interests
There is a mutuality to the relationship of affection and
desire which could lead individuals into a marriage neither
affection nor desire can be mandated by the law and
hence neither choice of partner nor the gender of partner
nor the relationship between the two can be mandated by
the law. The law cannot mandate why you marry, when
you marry, or whom you marry.
The state can have no legitimate interest in this
decision-making since this is the most intimate decision
that a person can take.
Duty of state to protect same-sex couples
The state is duty-bound to respect, protect and fulfil the
rights of couples entering marriage irrespective of their
genders.
What the petition for same-sex marriage is demanding is
not the right to marry- since they have the freedom
already- but the legal recognition by the law of the
decision they have taken, to the same extent that a
heterosexual couple gets the recognition. Recognition
then becomes an act of the state. Can the state withhold
this recognition even when no legitimate state interest is
shown to exist?
Essential for equality:
Legalizing same-sex marriages is crucial in promoting
equality and non-discrimination. All individuals,
regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,
should have the right to marry and have their
relationships recognized under the law.
Ensuring the rights of the LGBTQIA community:
Legalizing same-sex marriage can provide benefits for
LGBTQIA members and society. It can help to reduce
discrimination and promote social acceptance of LGBT
individuals.
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
Promotion of the principle of secularism:
Sanctity means “the state or quality of being holy, sacred,
or saintly,” meaning that the word sanctity refers to
religion but in a secular society religion can’t dictate the
private life of individuals. So yes, same-sex marriage may
ruin the religious standard of marriage. However, the fact
of the matter is that homosexuals want marriage in the
purely legal form and religions do not have to approve of
this. Reasons are
Firstly, if marriage is a concept created by God why are
non-religious people allowed to marry?
Secondly, we are told that marriage is an ancient
institution, locked in stone. Does the husband still own the
wife? And why do we allow divorce?
Marriage is a legal act. Marriage is a religious act. The two
are not the same. Religions should be free to define and
sanction marriage as they deem proper for their
practitioners. But, marrying legally doesn’t require a
religious marriage. And in a nation built on the principles
of equal rights, it only makes sense that the legal right to
marry be available to all citizens.
Hence, legalizing same-sex marriage demonstrates
freedom from religious influence and thereby, the
promotion of and adherence to secularism.
No impact on others:
Legalizing same-sex marriage has no impact on others
and does not harm the institution of marriage or society.
Discrimination frays the human spirit:
Making committed human connections is good for the
human spirit. Discrimination against same-sex couples
can cause harm to their mental health and well-being.
Marriage is not a tool for procreation:
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Linking marriage with procreation means women who are
over childbearing age or infertile or elderly people should
not be allowed to marry. The utilitarian approach is based
on the pleasure-pain principle. And state and society
should refrain from intervening in the pleasure of
individuals if it is not harming others.
If the primary reason for marriage is to provide a safe and
stable structure for the raising of children, why are unable
to reproduce allowed to marry?
Why aren’t marriages that fail to generate offspring
cancelled after a set time?
The court can also lead the social change:
Courts and legislatures must work together. Same-sex
couples deserve a full range of marriage options. The
court must define the liberty of all, not mandate [its] own
moral code. The Supreme court of India has been defined
as a guarantor of the fundamental rights of all citizens.
And the right to marriage is a Fundamental right under
article 21 of the Indian constitution. Hence, if the
government fails or opposes this right then it is the first
and foremost duty of the courts to protect and promote
fundamental rights. Under social contract, theory state is
morally and legally obliged to protect and promote the
basic rights of subjects.
There is no direct link between heterosexual
marriages and stability:
In the US divorce rate is creeping near 50 per cent among
heterosexual couples. Hence, the strength of a marriage
is what it is, not who is in it.
Conclusion:
Hence based on the above discussion, we can say that it is
time to legalise same-sex marriage to ensure principles of
rationality, liberty, equality, modernity, and rule of law.
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
CASE STUDIES for Practice
MAINS GS PAPER IV
Case Study 1: Dhiran Patel the arrested conman is
accused of getting security coverage and VIP treatment
from the local administration by falsely presenting himself
as an additional secretary at the PMO. He was also given
official hospitality, a personal security officer (PSO), and a
room in a posh hotel. Since it is a matter of national
security a national TV channel asked you to collect
information about this conman as an investigative
journalist. When you started collecting facts about him
you got to know many shocking facts which include Dhiran
Patel was also jailed in the past in a case of fraud. He gave
away cheques worth 78 lakhs while he had only 113 Rs. In
his account. Dhiran Patel and his associate Parvesh Sheth
were arrested by the Rampura police of Vadodara. He was
accused of cheating a sub-contractor of Rs 1 crore at the
Kalantari Garba Mahotsav 2018 at Navlakha Garba
Ground. Dhiran Patel used to get his work done by
pretending that he knew big leaders and got VIP
treatment at the police station. But the list of frauds
committed by Dhiran Patel does not end here. Dhiran
Patel attempted fraud of lakhs of rupees by telling people
that he must give a car to the Vadtal Swaminarayan sect.
In 2019, Dhiran Patel and his brother Ashish Patel
approached retired DYSP NK Parmar in Naroda. Patel
duped the retired officer of lakhs of rupees as he schemed
him saying that he wants to give a car to the Vadtal
Swaminarayan temple. Both these brothers have cheated
the farmers in the past. Lakhs of rupees of poor farmers
were spent on the pretext of giving good returns by
investing money taken from these farmers in good
schemes. When the farmers demanded the money back,
the conman Dhiran Patel threatened them with an FIR by
senior police officers. During this time, he also made the
farmers talk to many big police officers. Dhiran Patel used
to cheat people by showing them his photos with various
big leaders. Sometimes he used to say that he works for
the then Union Home Minister and sometimes he would
say that he is the PA of SSS official Ajay Sakshi (national
social organisation attached to the party in power). When
you dig into his political links you came to know that he is
an active member of a national party. He is also a relative
of a minister in the union government. This report may be
a cause of shame for the party, govt and security agencies
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hence govt has asked the channel owner not to air this
investigation report. When you submitted the report to
your senior, he denied airing this report on the channel
because the owner of the channel has many big
infrastructural government contracts. The party high
command has warned the channel owner if his channel
publishes this investigative report then all the contracts
and projects will be snatched. You are a young and
dynamic journalist who recently got a job on this national
channel. You have a sister to be married to in the
upcoming month. you are the only breadwinner in your
family. Your younger brother is studying in the final year
of B. Tech in a reputed private college charging very high
fee. Your father is admitted to a private hospital. If you
lose your job your family may face many hardships at a
time. Your senior warned you if you will not drop the idea
of airing the report then you will be fired from the channel
and if you remain silent on the whole episode you will get
a promotion and an interest-free loan in return.
(a) What are the ethical issues involved in the case
(b) What are the options available to you
(c) Critically examine the options listed by you
(d) Which option you will choose and why
(250 words, 20 marks)
ANS. This case study involves the issue of fraud on the
part of Dhiran Patel and an unholy nexus between politics
and the corporate world.
a) Ethical issues involved in the case are:
Cheating of many people by a fraud man
Irresponsible behaviour of local administration
because they have provided high-level security
without proper scrutiny.
Denial of duty by Channel editor under undue
political pressure
Lack of corporate governance because there is unholy
nexus between channel owner and government
b) options available to me as a reporter
I. Pursuing the senior to air the report
II. Drop the idea of airing the report
141
 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

III. Publish the report on social media widespread nexus between administration, politicians
c) critical analysis of the options and sand mafias. Illegal sand mining is threatening the
flora and fauna in some parts of the sanctuary. To curb
OPTIONS MERIT DEMERIT
this menace of illegal sand mining committee
Upholding media Channel owners lose recommended joint action to stop illegal sand mining in
ethics by doing the government the National Chambal Sanctuary, situated at the
1st the duty of contracts and trijunction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
reporting the true subsequently channel Pradesh. Committee emphasised that the Forest and
stories may be shut down Mineral Departments as well as the police and district
administration in the three States would be required to
Securing personal
It will be a defeat to operate in close coordination to put a complete stop to
interests of
2nd the principles of illegal mining. Based on a recommendation, all three
promotion and
media ethics states constituted a team to deal with this menace and
loan
you are appointed as head of this team. You are a young
Securing the and dynamic officer belonging to the scheduled caste who
The reporter may lose
public interest joined the service recently. You are full of enthusiasm to
3rd his job and his whole
and creating role curb the corruption and crimes in your district to serve the
family may suffer
models for others people in the best possible manner. But your team
members are experienced and they are realistic in their
d) Being a journalist, I will choose 3rd option because
attitude. Coincidently all other members belong to the
it will ensure the greatest good to the greatest general category so they are uncomfortable working
numbers because this is the issue of national security under you because of their casteist attitude. Moreover,
along with financial fraud hence it is urgent to you are the only son of your parents and there are 4
highlight the issue at the national level so that such sisters to be married. Your mother is facing a critical
security lapses can be treated. illness. You got married recently and you have a baby girl
It will prevent a crisis of conscience your wife is a housewife so all the liabilities of the family
It may also ensure justice for the victims of fraud by rest upon you. You got calls from the sand mafia to leave
him other you will be killed. You got one more call from
Dhiran Patel
the minister of your state, he asked you to skip the mafias
Hence it can be concluded that a journalist should
and arrest the locals in return he offered you a whole sum
place his duty on top even at the cost of his interest
amount of money, a diamond neckless to your wife, free
so that national interests can be served.
treatment for your mother and a promotion post.

(a) What are the ethical issues involved in the case?

Case Study 2: There is widespread illegal sand mining in
the National Chambal Sanctuary which is at the juncture
of Uttar Pradesh Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. All three
states convened a joint meeting to discuss the issue. They
decided to constitute a committee to identify the reasons
behind the illegal mining and suggest measures to curb
this menace. While investigating the matter in detail
committee came to know that in the region of the national
Chambal sanctuary, there is widespread poverty because
of the lack of fertile soil, there are no major industries in
the region and policies like MGNREGS are unable to create
adequate employment hence local people are forced to
mine the sand of the Chambal illegally and sell it to sand
mafias in the market at lower prices for their livelihood.
Sand mafias are not functioning in isolation as there is
(b) What are the options available to you in the given
situation?
(c) Critically analyse each of the options listed by you
(d) Which option you will choose and why?
(250 words, 20 marks)
ANS. The given case put forward multiple issues like illegal
sand mining, unholy nexus between criminals and
administration etc.
A) Ethical issues involved in the case are
 Environmental degradation: illegal sand mining is
threatening the life of Endangered species of gharial.

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

 The practice of corruption in the form of nexus It will amount to a Culprits may not
between administration, politicians and sand 3rd
denial of the duty be punished
mafias.
D) I will choose 1st option because by doing so
 Lack of responsibility: The government failed to
 The principle of rule of law can be upheld.
employ its people in the region
 The menace of environmental degradation can be
 Issue of caste-based discrimination: team members
stopped so that sustainable development can be
are unwilling to cooperate with the team leader
promoted
because of his caste.
 I can create a role model for other civil servants
B) Option available with me as the team head:
 In last I can ensure the greatest good to greatest
I. Take strict action against culprits
number.
II. Accepting the demand of the minister and sand
Thus, it can be concluded that civil servants have a great
mafia
responsibility on their shoulders to ensure justice and the
III. Asking the government to remove me from the
rule of the law in society for this they should be ready to
team
act as role models.
C) Analysis of the options

Options Merit Demerit

It will ensure rule of It may harm my

1st
law interests

It is against the
It may serve my
2nd foundational values of
interests
civil services

FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS 143

 Part Three

Essays
of

the month
Selected essays from Rau’s GSI students
 Essays OF THE MONTH
Poverty is relatively cheaper to address but
incredibly expensive to ignore
#Economy & Social Development
SUBMITTED BY: SHASHANK
Disclaimer: The viewpoints in the topic are strictly
personal of the writer above. The role of Rau’s IAS Study
Circle is to present the write-up in its original form,
hence the study circle neither endorses nor rejects any
viewpoint in the submission. The purpose is only to
showcase the manner of writing.
Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the reader to
use his/her intellect to check the veracity of viewpoints.
QUOTES:
 Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t
commit – Eli khamarov
 Poverty is the worst form of violence – Mahatma
Gandhi
 Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime –
Aristotle
 Extreme poverty anywhere is it takes to human
security everywhere – Kofi Annan
ANECDOTE
Anganwadi scheme and Mid-Day Meal Scheme of India
since their inception have fed over a million
children of India and provided them with
nutritional security and enhanced
enrolment in schools, the majority of which
were from the poorest households of India. If the
schemes were not implemented, it would have cost the
country in terms of millions of chronically malnourished
children, a lower Human Development Index and literacy
rate. This is one example which reflects that poverty is
relatively cheaper to address, but incredibly expensive to
ignore.
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INTRODUCTION
Poverty refers to socially perceived deprivation in terms of
human basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, et
cetera. As per Amartya Sen, poverty is a failure to achieve
certain minimum capabilities and this lack of capabilities
is absolute. According to Nelson Mandela – “Poverty is not
natural, it is manmade”. There are various causes of
poverty but the most important is the rising population
and the burden on the resources. The other causes are-
lack of education, lack of employment, lack of
infrastructure, poor health, debt, inefficient service
delivery, corruption, political instability, war, natural
disasters etc.
IGNORING POVERTY IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE
Economic implications –
 Decreased demand: Poverty leads to a decrease in
demand which in turn leads to lower Economic growth.
Example: Private consumption as a share of nominal
gross GDP products slipped from 60.5% in 2019/20 to
57.5% in 2021/22.
 Demographic 'Bomb': The rich demographic dividend
of a country can be turned into a demographic liability
with prevailing poverty.
 Fiscal deficit would increase due to increased
subsidies, increased expenditure on food security etc.
Example: The revised estimate for the overall food
subsidy was hit by more than 17% in FY 2021-22.
 Increased Unemployment: Malnourishment due to
poverty would impact cognitive thinking and
innovativeness in individuals & would lead to an
increase in unemployment.
POOR SKILLS
 Non-affordability of quality education will increase
the unskilled labour force in India. Example: Just 5.4%
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
of the Indian workforce has formal skilling, pushing the
major population for low skills jobs like construction
labourers and informal jobs.
GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES
 Protests and Riots: Poor people are easy to target
participants in ill motivated protests. Example:
According to the National Crime Record Bureau on
unlawful assemblies, there was an unprecedented rise
in farmer mobilisation between 2014-2016.
 Decreased Political participation with poor
bargaining power and motivation to participate in
national affairs. According to the economic survey
2018-19, women's political participation in India is low.
 Manipulation of Social cleavages: Poor people are
targeted the most to cause communal disharmony. In
2020, a 95% rise was recorded in the number of cases
registered concerning communal clashes.
 Service delivery: It is impacted as Poverty brings many
other impacts like no access to technology, poor
awareness levels etc.
Social Consequences
 Illiteracy: Poverty will lead to an increase in illiteracy
due to the lack of access to education. This leads to
poor employment levels. According to the ASER report,
only 50% of students of class five can study the class 2
books.
 Malnutrition: Poverty leads to wasting, stunting and a
high mortality rate creating poor mental capabilities,
spending on health services etc. Example: According to
the national family health survey, in 2019-21, 35% of
children below five years were stunted and 32% were
underweight.
 Child Labour: This leads to low literacy initiating a
vicious cycle of low skill development and consequently
low income. According to the ILO and UNICEF, Child
labour rises to 160 million in India.
  Feminisation of Poverty: Poverty severely impacts
single mothers, separated women, etc. & aggravate the
vulnerability of women.
 Social Tensions: Drug abuse, mob lynching, and
robbery increase with the rise in poverty. Example:
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
According to the United Nations report, drug use
increased by 30% in India in the last decade.
 Rise in Inequality: Poverty trap will increase inequality
in the country, which in turn increases poverty again.
Example: Top 10% of the Indian population holds 77%
of the total national wealth.
WAY FORWARD
Hence, it is very clear that ignoring poverty is dangerous
to the country and addressing it is relatively cheaper.
SOCIAL REFORMS:
 A scheme can change urban poor life: The
government by extending the implementation of
MGNREGA like the scheme in urban areas can
safeguard the urban poor. Example: Under MGNREGA,
54% of women's conditions were improved.
 Strengthening health sector will reduce out-of-
pocket expenditure. Government should strengthen
the primary and community health centres with
infrastructures, personnel, etc.
 Collaboration with SHG will bring financial
inclusion: The government should enact a scheme to
increase the collaboration with self-help groups to
address the financial exclusion among women.
Example: SHG with bank credit linkage can be
increased to empower women and their participation.
 Adapting an initiative will change the society:
Kerala initiative of social and economic empowerment
of women, Kudumbashree must be followed by all the
governments.
 Skill training and entrepreneurship promotion: To
eradicate poverty, the government should focus on skill
training and entrepreneurship promotion in emerging
technology to increase job opportunities, to nourish
the entrepreneurship ecosystem for better job
creation.
POLITICAL REFORMS:
 Taxation reforms: The government can address the
poverty issue through the redistribution of resources.
According to the Vijay Kelkar committee, the
government should rationalise income tax slabs.
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
 By increasing social spending: By increasing
spending on health, education, et cetera. The
government can imbibe a sense of security.
 According to National Health Policy, the government
should spend 2.5% of GDP by 2025 on health.
 Increase the effectiveness in food availability and
accessibility: Better targeting under prevalence
schemes, promoting localisation of storage, household
gardens, etc. will help eradicate poverty.
 Decentralisation: Gram Sabha should be empowered
and made effective, especially in tribal areas and as per
FRA their consent should be made mandatory for
mining leases. This will address the issues of poverty.
ECONOMIC REFORMS:
 Increase agricultural productivity: The government
by promoting micro-irrigation practices, quality seeds,
better storage and logistics facility can increase the
productivity of agriculture.
 Financial inclusion: In the initiatives of PMJDY, DBT
which focuses on women-led financial inclusion can be
further developed.
Waste isn't a waste, until we waste it
# Science & Technology #Sustainable Development
SUBMITTED BY: SHASHANK
Disclaimer: The viewpoints in the topic are strictly
personal of the writer above. The role of Rau’s IAS Study
Circle is to present the write-up in its original form,
hence the study circle neither endorses nor rejects any
viewpoint in the submission. The purpose is only to
showcase the manner of writing.
Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the reader to
use his/her intellect to check the veracity of viewpoints.
Quotes:
 Take time for all things: great haste makes great
waste. – Benjamin Franklin
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 By promoting Digital literacy and internet
penetration: The government can bring better
alignment of the working population with industrial
demands.
 Increase employment: National apprentice program,
stand up, skill India led to a mere 18% growth in jobs.
Therefore, the government should promote Academia
and industrial collaboration.
 Social stock exchange: The government should
implement it as it provides new and cheaper sources of
financing for social welfare projects.
CONCLUSION
Poverty is like a punishment for a crime you didn’t
commit. If the government fails to address poverty, then
poverty will become the worst form of violence. There is a
need to strengthen efforts to eradicate poverty because,
in a well-governed country, poverty is something to be
ashamed of. To achieve SDG 1 i.e., to eliminate poverty by
2030, the governments should focus on framing a clear
definition of Poverty, examining the underlying causes of
Poverty and understanding that poverty is relatively
cheap to address.
 A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not
discovered the value of life. – Charles Darwin
INTRODUCTION
India's many places of worship generate
close to 20 lakh tonnes of flower waste
daily. PHOOL is a for-profit Indian
enterprise that employs women from
vulnerable Dalit families who upcycle floral waste into
high-quality products likes incense, organic composition,
and eco-friendly alternatives to Styrofoam. Used flowers
can be considered as waste, but social entrepreneurs are
helping underprivileged and making money out of the
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
waste. In 1972, Steve Jobs took a calligraphy class at Reed
College based on campus posters he saw after dropping
out. The poster fonts themselves were artistic enough to
catch his eye, and he audited this class, despite knowing
the class would earn him no credit towards a degree. It
wasn’t just the skill of calligraphy that Steve Jobs had
picked – it was a mindset to think creatively and give
something a unique touch. In 1984, Mac was born.
Macintosh (Mac) was the first computer with beautiful
fonts and typography. It was unlike anything else the
world had ever seen. When everyone thought Steve Jobs
will waste time after dropping out, he joined calligraphy
class and used that time. He made sure the application of
calligraphy will be appreciated by many.
Some of the dimensions here are:
 When everyone thought calligraphy class is of no use
Steve learnt that.
 He could have learnt and forget it.
 He proved no knowledge or skill set is waste.
BODY
What is waste and when it is considered as waste?
 Waste is a product/ substance/waste/ knowledge which
is no longer suited for its intended use.
 Waste is any substance which is discarded after
primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use.
Example: food waste, used plastic bottles, medical
waste, knowledge of building cathode ray tube in the
era of LED television.
Give philosophical approach to essay topic – example:
time, opportunities, valuing relationship, taking nature
for granted
 For a women’s career, maternity leave cannot be
considered as waste of time in her career growth. It
teaches women – Position of leader. Training newbie,
following instincts, decision making, and team
management. These skills can be applied in her job too.
 COVID times made many people to lock in their homes.
Few people utilized time- for making money, for making
online certification, spending quality time with family
etc.
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
 Wasting water resources injudiciously will take a toll on
human life and existence.
What are the various mechanisms available for utilizing
waste/ recycling waste?
 Type of waste - human waste, industrial waste,
biodegradable waste, non- biodegradable waste.
Mechanism for utilizing waste - waste plant, recycling,
jobs to many people, conserving biodiversity.
 Type of waste - spending lot of time in social media.
Mechanism for utilizing waste - using that time to
exercise, content creation and capitalizing the skill.
Why waste should be reused?
 It can be helpful to many: Hunger exists because of a
lack of logistics and lack of food. Copia, a US based
start-up brings logistics and partnership working to
address the issue of food waste. The startup works with
communities in two ways: To help businesses track and
manage their food waste and to donate edible excess
food to those in need.
 It can influence others: Oprah Winfrey joined the
media industry; she faced racism and brutal
humiliation and was fired seven months after joining.
Everyone though she is wasting her precious time in
humiliating environment. But she never gave up and
three years later she came up with The Oprah Winfrey
Show
 We should never think any step is waste - Failure is
another steppingstone to greatness: Colonel Sanders
was fired from a dozen jobs before he started KFC food
chain. Everyone thought he is wasting time and money.
At age 65, Colonel Harland Sanders began franchising
his chicken business using his $105 monthly Social
Security check.
 Global Warming: The aim is to achieve 0 greenhouse
gas emissions by the year 2050 to keep global warming
below 1.5 degrees Celsius until 2100.
 Restoring Biodiversity: Major focus on restoring
natural ecosystems and protecting species.
 Preserving The Oceans: Reducing the use of single-
use plastics.
How idea of reuse can be promoted?
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
 Mindset: Although the making of a sustainable brand
has a lot to do with resources, but it is most essential
to have a mindset or determination that goes a long
way in making one such brand.
 Value Chain: The employees should be asked to adopt
sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.
 Education: Enlighten the issues of environmental
sustainability and encourage people to adopt green
practices within the company.
What is sustainability and why it should be practiced?
 Sustainability is a societal goal with
dimensions: the environmental, economic and social
dimension. This concept can be used to guide decisions
at the global, national and at the individual consumer
level.
 Sustainability improves the quality of our lives, protects
our ecosystem and preserves natural resources for
future generations.
Examples:
 Optimizing supply chains to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
 Relying on renewable energy sources to power
facilities.
 Sponsoring education funds for youth in the local
community.
What is relationship between Sustainability
profitability?
 Sustainability can boost profitability in many ways.
The benefits include improved efficiency, a positive
reputation and futureproofing against regulation. Take
time to review your practices regularly and find the best
ways to implement change. Example: using electric
vehicles make you spend zero on petrol
 A circular economy reduces material use, redesigns
materials to be less resource intensive, and recaptures
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“waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials
and products.
 Refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, re-gift- Waste
has become a big challenge for the environment and
humans in modern times. Our water bodies, our
grasslands, our fields, our public spaces; all of them are
being affected by the waste we discard. It is important
to take steps for Refusing, Reducing, Reusing and
knowing about Recycling at a young age. It is important
to know what we need and what we just want.
ZERO WASTE CONCEPT
three
 The conservation of all resources by means of
responsible production, consumption, reuse, and
recovery of products, packaging, and materials without
burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air
that threaten the environment or human health.
 Ensuring careful and minimal use of natural
resources, in short, not exploiting water, energy, land,
soil, animals, plants, biodiversity, ecosystems, etc.
 Choosing renewable energy resources above natural
resources like wind, solar, etc at every possible stage.
 No knowledge can go waste: Effectiveness of
experiential learning with empowerment strategies
and social support from grandmothers will help their
children and grandchildren while raising them.
 No time is wasted if we judiciously use each minute
and in a qualitative way.
CONCLUSION
By reducing wastes, recycling also conserves natural
resources, protects natural ecosystems, and encourages
biological diversity, all of which enhance the long run
sustainability of the biosphere. Waste is simply energy
that has been transformed, but not used, in the process
of doing something useful.
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT.
#PHILOSOPHICAL
SUBMITTED BY: NANDINI KUMAR
Disclaimer: The viewpoints in the topic are strictly personal
of the writer above. The role of Rau’s IAS Study Circle is to
present the write-up in its original form, hence the study
circle neither endorses nor rejects any viewpoint in the
submission. The purpose is only to showcase the manner of
writing.
Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the reader to use
his/her intellect to check the veracity of viewpoints.
“A dream is not the vision you see in your
sleep; it is the thing that doesn’t let you
sleep.” These golden words of Dr. APJ Abdul
Kalam have inspired generation upon
generation. Dreams are the beautiful and heartening
wishes we harbor that inspires us to make reality just as
amazing and mesmerizing. To even wish for and dream of
wonderful things requires great creativity, hope and
intelligence. A person capable of dreaming is also a
person capable of turning dreams to reality, with their
unique vision and skills. Walt Disney rightly said, “If you
can dream it, you can do it.”
The difference between dreaming and doing lies in our
perception. Seeing our wishes as mere desires keeps
them in the realm of imagination seeing our wishes as
directives for a brighter future helps us realize them and
manifest them.
If one hopes and dreams for a moving cause with enough
intensity, he can find enough strength and intelligence
within himself to fulfill such a cause. Times old and new
show us through individuals and institutions alike how
great resolve, determination, dedication and achievable
targets can make all dreams come true.
DREAMING A GLORIOUS DREAM
A dream is not simply a hope filled thought one can think
and desire. Thoughts are impulses of the mind tempered
with reality and constrained by the limits of the world. On
the other hand, a dream is an impulse of the soul free
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
from the sounds of the “norm”, free to create a reality of
its own.
The plan to visit a neighbouring city is a thought. The plan
to fly to a city in a world without airplanes is a dream. A
dream is not what is moulded by reality. It is that which on
realization molds reality.
George Bernard Shaw rightly said, “The reasonable man
adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable man
transforms the world.” The Wright Brothers in 1903 made
an unrealistic dream reality with the first successful
airplane flight. On an institutional level, Savitribai and
Jyotiba Phule and their associates made history by
establishing a school for girls in India in 1848. Pushing the
boundaries of what is “acceptable, probable, realistic” is
the hallmark of a revolutionary dream. It is perhaps the
only dream that is ever realized fully. Without the
motivation to make the unthinkable happen, dreams can
be lost to compromise.
MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
Making dreams come true requires determination and
dedication. Painstaking efforts, relentless pursuit and
single–minded focus is key for such an achievement.
During the Covid–19 pandemic, everyone dreamt of a
miraculous invention to save humanity.
Only, a few turned that dream into reality. Since 2020,
leading pharmaceutical companies and their visionary
and enthusiastic scientists attempted to create a
lifesaving corona preventing vaccine. From March to
November 2020 leading companies like Pfizer
AstraZeneca, Moderna faced numerous difficulties in their
vaccine trials. However, after numerous failed trials, all
efforts came to fruition. The vaccines developed have an
efficacy rate of more than 90% and have indeed saved
million of lives and enabled the world to return to
normalcy.
On an individual level, we can learn from the inspiring
journey of genius inventor Thomas Edison. Edison had a
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
dream of living in an efficient, developed world powered
by electricity. He failed ten thousand times. Yet, he
counted each time as a unique lesson. The Culmination of
all those lessons was the lightbulb.
Turning a vision into a tangible reality requires us to be
skilled and knowledgeable about our intentions. As Wilbur
Wright said, “it is possible to fly without motors, but not
without knowledge and skill.” Dr. Vikram Sarabhai was the
one with a glorious vision of India’s indigenous space
program, for which he conceptualized the academic and
physical rigor befitting of India’s finest space scientists.
ISRO’s Academic centers and Research centers have
arisen out of this awareness of importance of skills and
clarity play in the realization of any dream.
Prioritization is the less spoken secret for realizing one’s
dreams. We must prize our objectives over distractions,
judgements and the price at which our objectives will be
realized. On the path to become world champion, boxer
Mary Kom had to make sacrifices, forego the comfort of
family and continuously practice. Sacrificing comfort, early
gratification, and our own fears are some examples.
During the freedom struggle, both Moderates and
Extremists were intensely devoted to the cause of India’s
freedom. So much so, that they decided to sacrifice their
affiliation with the Congress, to unfetteredly pursue their
dream for freedom.
DEFENDING OUR DREAMS
In a world, where many never experience the joy having a
dream, and many more lose hope of living such a dream,
disappointment runs rife. It is only natural that the
“dreamer doers” draws scorn and judgement of those
bereft of dreams.
Martin Luther King Jr. whose most famous speech is called
“I have a dream,” is a shining sample of someone who
fought to uphold his dreams until the very end. Despite
FOCUS | APRIL 2023 | RAU’S IAS
the racial segregation laws, racist attacks, and resistance
from his own family, King strove to work for his dream and
find more allies who shared his dream. Thus, it is essential
for the voices cheering us to drown out the voices
attacking us.
Our dreams can undergo can evolve while travelling from
our minds to our world. Therefore, it is essential for us to
have an open mind and see dreams as tangible yet
polymorphous. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had a dream of
serving his nation and crafting her destiny. For this, he
tried to join the Indian Airforce 7 times, and got rejected
each time. However, he knew that dreams could change
form while retaining their soul. He worked tirelessly and
became the Missile man of India, inspiring many more to
go after their dreams.
LIVING THE DREAM
All the difficulties, triumph and losses associated with
pursuing our dreams makes us value every effort to live
such a dream. Thus, when such a dream becomes a
reality. We fight tooth and nail to maintain and preserve
it. India, in its varied history, has been witness to many
uncomfortable events such as the loss of her freedom,
and the mistreatment of her people. For centuries, brave
men and women fought for India’s freedom. When it was
finally realized, we became even more aware of the
immense value of our dream. Today India is the world’s
largest thriving democracy and boasts of one of the
strongest armies of the world.
Living such a dream is only possible if we dare to see a
dream, plan for it meticulously, stay open to its many
possibilities and defend it with everything we have.
Realizing our dreams motivates us to dream higher
dreams with larger goals and gives us the confidence to
realize them.
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