Rau's Ias Focus June2023 Current Notes

CONTENTS
RISE IN RBI’S GOLD RESERVES

Part One #ExternalSector 20
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Current Affairs Analysis 21
02 23
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
#GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main) #GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II (Main)
INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY CODE ONE NATION-ONE LANGUAGE OR “HINDI IMPOSITION”
#Banking #Economy 02 #Federalism #Language 23
COMMITTEE TO DEFINE INFRASTRUCTURE CENSUS
#Infrastructure #Economy 04 #census #population 24
RBI DIVIDEND PAYMENTS TO GOVERNMENT MANIPUR ETHNIC FAULTLINE: DECLARATION OF
#Mobilization of resources #RBI 05 SCHEDULED TRIBES #SC/ST 27
GREEN FINANCE PRESS FREEDOM INDEX

#Mobilization of resources #Green financing 06 #Freedom of Speech and Expression 28
MERCHANT DISCOUNT RATE GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI V UNION OF INDIA

#Payment system #Banking 08 #Federalism 29
ANGEL TAX ORDINANCE

#Taxation #External sector 08 #legislation 32
VIRTUAL DIGITAL ASSETS SELF HELP GROUPS

#Money supply #Crypto currency 09 #Development Industry 33
LIBERALISED REMITTANCE SCHEME INDEPENDENCE OF HIGHER JUDICIARY

#External sector 10 #higher Judiciary 35
WTO PANEL RULE AGAINST INDIA’S TARIFFS ON IT NHRC TAKES NOTE OF HEALTH WORKERS’ WOES
PRODUCTS #External Sector 10 #NonConstitutionalBodies 37
INSURANCE SECTOR IN INDIA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCHEDULED CASTE
#InclusiveGrowth 11 #Commissions 40
DE-DOLLARISATION CENTRAL BURAU OF INVESTIGATION
#ExternalSector 13 #Polity 42
FARM EXPORTS - THE BIG PICTURE LAW COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS ON SEDITION
#Agriculture 16 #Polity #Fundament Rights 43
GIG ECONOMY PRACTICE QUESTIONS 46
#Employment 18
SANCHAR SAATHI PORTAL

#Infrastructure 20
MATERNAL HEALTH
48 #Women Issues #Health 71
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & Security
#Women Issues 73
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II & III (Main)
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE
COUNTERING CHINA’S RISE
#Women issues #Social Justice 73
#Neighbourhood 48
ISSUES OF MIGRANT POPULATION
INDIAN APPEAL AT WTO
#Vulnerable sections 75
#International Organisation 49
AISHE REPORT AND LOW MUSLIM PARTICIPATION IN
FIPIC (FORUM FOR INDIA PACIFIC ISLANDS COOPERATION) HIGHER EDUCATION
#Regionalorganizations 50 #Higher education #Vulnerable sections 76
INDIA-AUSTRALIA TIES PRACTICE QUESTIONS 77
#BilateralRelations 53
BRICS
#InternationalOrganizations 53 78
INTERNATIONAL NORTH SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR
#RegionalGrouping #MiddleEastRegion 54
Geography, Environment, Biodiversity &
THE G7 SUMMIT Disaster Management
#International Organizations 56 # GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & III (Main)
WEST ASIA COOLER SUMMER DELAYS CRUCIAL PATTERN FOR
#MiddleEastRegion #ExtendedNeighbourhood 57 MONSOON #climatology 78
BUDDHISM, INDIA’S SOFT POWER PROJECTION TOOL WHY THE RECENT RAIN IS NO RELIEF?
#MiscellaneoustopicsinIndia’sInternationalRelations 58 #Environment 80
PAKISTAN’S CRISIS AND RELATIONS WITH INDIA CYCLONE MOCHA OVER BAY OF BENGAL
#BilateralRelations 59 #Geography 81
MODERNISATION OF ARMED FORCES WHY LATE MONSOON ONSET IS NOT A WORRY

#Security Forces #SecurityLegislations 61 #Geography 82
DIMASA NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY 63 INDIA MAY JOIN OFFSHORE WIND ALLIANCE
ASEAN INDIA MARITIME EXERCISE 63 #environment #Prelimsnuggets 84
WASHINGTON DECLARATION 63 EU DEFORESTATION RULE SET TO AFFECT AGRI-EXPORTS

FROM INDIA #Forests 85
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) 64
GEOMAGNETIC STORMS AND MAGNETOSPHERE
SOUTH ASIA GAS ENTERPRISE (SAGE) 64
#Earth 85
OPERATION DHVAST 65
52% OF CULTIVATED LAND HAS ACCESS TO IRRIGATION FOR
MIGRATION MOBILITY PACT WITH AUSTRALIA (MMPA) 65
FIRST TIME: NITI AAYOG #Irrigation 88
INDUS – X 66
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 88
INDIA AND THE ARCTIC 66
90
71 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE MITOCHONDRIAL DONATION TREATMENT
# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main) #Biology and Biotechnology 90
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS REGULATION UTTARAMERUR MODEL OF DEMOCRACY
#Internet & Communication Technology 91 #artandculture #medievalindia 112
X-RAY POLARIMETER SATELLITE KUKI & MEITEI TRIBE OF MANIPUR

#Astronomy and Space Technology 93 #artandculture #tribalculture 114
ADVANCED NAVIGATION SATELLITE NVS-01 KHAN-E-KHANA TOMB & HUMAYUN’S TOMB

#Astronomy & Space Technology 95 #artandculture #medievalindia 115
SODIUM-ION BATTERY NEW IVC CEMETERY DISCOVERED AT KUTCH REGION OF

#Energy Technology 97 GUJARAT #artandculture #ancientindia 116
FOUCAULT PENDULUM SHRINE OF SAINT SHEIKH AHMED KARIM
#Miscellaneous topics 98 #artandculture #Sufism 118
ARSENIC EXPOSURE GURUDEV RABINDRANATH TAGORE JAYANTI
#Health 99 #modernindia #personalities 120
THALASSEMIA PRACTICE QUESTIONS 122
#Biology and Biotechnology #Health 100
PREPAREDNESS & RESILIENCE FOR EMERGING THREATS

INITIATIVE #Health 101 Part TWO
H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA
Ethics, Integrity and
MPOX NO LONGER A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY: WHO
Aptitude
TRIALS FOR FIRST INDIGENOUS DENGUE VACCINE
124
ETHICS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
WORLD’S 1ST ORAL ANTIVIRAL FOR COVID-19
#Ethics #Integrity #Aptitude 125
CASE STUDIES for Practice
WHO’S GUIDELINES ON NON-SUGAR SWEETENERS
MAINS GS PAPER IV 128
Part Three
106
Essays of the month
HISTORY, HERITAGE & CULTURE
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper I (Main) 131
SHILABHATTARIKA EDUCATING THE MIND WITHOUT EDUCATING OUR
#Artandculture #personalities 106 HEART IS NO EDUCATION AT ALL #PHILOSOPHICAL
THIRUNELLI TEMPLE IN KERALA SUBMITTED BY: ARUN PRADEEP 132
#artandculture #templearchitecture 107 “EVERYTHING WE HEAR IS AN OPINION, NOT A FACT.
TUGHALQABAD FORT EVERYTHING WE SEE IS A PERSPECTIVE, NOT THE TRUTH.”
#medievalindia #artandculture 109 #Philosophical SUBMITTED BY: ABHISHEK SINGH 134
TIBETAN BUDDHIST LAMA DANCE SILENCE OF GOOD IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN ACTION
OF EVIL. #Philosophical SUBMITTED BY: RACHIT JAIN 136
#art&culture #folkdances 111
KHOONI DARWAJA
#artandculture #medievalindia 111
Part ONE
Current
affairs
analysis
logical .simple .targeted
analysis & explanation
of all relevant news of the month
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
would provide a time-bound and cost-effective process

INSOLVENCY AND for resolving insolvency and bankruptcy.
BANKRUPTCY CODE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
#Banking #Economy IBBI (Insolvency & Bankruptcy Board of

India) as the regulating authority
National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted Go First's

voluntary insolvency plea under Section 10 of Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code (2016). This admission by NCLT gave IBBI (Insolvency &
Information utilities Bankruptcy Board of
temporary moratorium on any legal action by the debtors Instituional
(credit information India) as the regulating
Framework
against the airline company. storing units) authority
INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY CODE
Exit from business is as integral to ease of doing
business as is an entry. Earlier frameworks for
resolution, such as Debt Recovery Tribunals, Lok Adalats Adjudicatory mechanisms, to facilitate a
timebound insolvency resolution procedure
and even Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial and liquidation if necessary
Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest Act
(SARFAESI Act) of 2002, which sought to ease the process PROCESS
of resolution or liquidation failed to do the task The IBC seeks to achieve the stated objectives through a
effectively. It was in this context that the government well-defined process that includes various stages,
decided to frame and enact the Insolvency and including initiation of insolvency, appointment of an
Bankruptcy Code (IBC) of 2016. insolvency professional, resolution plan, and liquidation.
Objective: The IBC, which came into existence in 2016,
aimed to create a single, comprehensive framework that
Initiation Insolvency Resolution Process Liquidation
Minimum amount of  In case the application is admitted by the  If either the Resolution plan is
default: adjudicating authority, a moratorium is rejected by the CoC or failed to be
 ₹ 1000 (for Individual) declared on all the legal proceedings approved by it within 330 days, the
against the debtor until the completion process of liquidation kicks in
 ₹ 1cr (for Companies)
of the CIRP. automatically.
Initiators:
 A resolution professional is appointed by  The proceeds of liquidation are
 Debtor the NCLT who supersede the board of distributed among secured creditors,
 Secured & Unsecured directors of the debtor company and unsecured creditors, Govt dues,
Preferential shareholders etc. in the
FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 2

Economic Development
creditors supervises its assets. respective order of priority.

 Employees  Resolution Professional would help in
Adjudication Authority: chalking out a resolution plan and get it
approved by the committee of creditors
 DRT (for individuals)
(CoC) with a majority of 66%.
 NCLT (for companies)
PERFORMANCE OF INSOLVENCY & BANKRUPTCY CODE benches to the high number of cases are imbalanced.
The apprehension of losing the business to the Such delays, beyond the prescribed timelines further
resolution applicant in the event of a successful CIRP or leads decay of the value of assets.
the eventual liquidation has instilled a sense of fear in  Lack of infrastructure and trained professionals to
the minds of Corporate Debtors. manage the insolvency process. At present, there are
This has resulted in improvement in corporate less than 1000 registered insolvency professionals.
repayment culture of the bank loans and resultant  Time limit of 330 days to complete CRIP is proving
reduction in the nonperforming assets (NPAs) of the to be very difficult. For companies having many
banks in the recent years despite the adverse impact of creditors, will have hindrances in the smooth
COVID-19 pandemic on the trade and economy of the functioning of the creditor’s committee.
country.  No strict liability of directors for wilfully delaying
Successful examples: /concealing insolvency of company
 In Essar Steel resolution, the creditors managed to To address these challenges, the government has taken
recover 92.5% of ₹49,000 crore of debt outstanding. several measures, including increasing the number of
 In Bhushan Steel case, 64% of ₹56,022 crore NCLT benches, increasing the number of insolvency
outstanding was retrieved, whereas Binani Cements in professionals, and amending the IBC to address practical
whose case all the ₹6,469 crore outstanding was challenges.
recovered. WAY FORWARD
However,  Process of mediation be institutionalised and
 Out of the 4,376 cases for which Corporate Insolvency integrated in CIRP Regulations with adequate
Resolution Process (CIRP) had commenced till now, provision to exclude the time taken in the mediation
only 2,653 have been closed, with just 348 (or 13.1%) process within the stipulated timeframe of 180, 270,
of those closed being disposed after approval of a or 330 days.
debt resolution plan.  Setting up of additional benches of NCLT and
 If we consider the proportion of outstanding credit National Company Law Appellate Tribunal should be
recovered from defaulters through the resolution taken to bring down the pendency.
process, the figure stands at 39.26% even for the Despite certain challenges faced so far, it deserves to be
minority of cases resolved through the CIRP, which is recognised that the IBC has significantly contributed to
not very much higher than the 26% registered for consistent improvement in India’s ranking in the World
cases dealt with under the SARFAESI Act. The Bank’s erstwhile ‘Ease of Doing Business’ over the years.
argument that the IBC would be a game changer is yet Timely modifications of the existing legislation and
to be validated. expanding to new areas (group insolvency, pre-pack
CHALLENGES process for all assets, cross-border insolvency regime)
would facilitate overall improvement in the insolvency
 Backlog of cases in NCLT, which has led to delays in
resolution regime of the country.
the resolution process. The proportion of NCLT

have more than one firm competing to provide same

COMMITTEE TO DEFINE good or services.
INFRASTRUCTURE E.g., Electricity transmission lines, Gas pipelines.

2) High Sunk Costs: Sunk cost refers to the money that
#Infrastructure #Economy has already been spent and cannot be recovered
even when the firm goes out of business. Typically,
infrastructure projects incur high sunk costs.
Finance ministry has tasked a high-level committee under
3) Non-tradability of output: Non tradable outputs
Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to
are those which are produced and sold at the same
PM, to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the
location and cannot be transported to other
characteristics or parameters defining infrastructure and its
location. Generally, the infrastructure outputs are
financing framework.
consumed at the place they are produced and are
 Infrastructure refers to basic physical and structural
non-tradeable. E.g., Fly over.
facilities, which are essential for an economy to
4) Non-rivalness in consumption: non-rivalness
function.
implies that the cost of providing a good or service
 Infrastructure is also known as ‘social overhead
to an additional individual is zero. That means
capital’ and is a key enabler of socio-economic
consumption of an individual does not affect the
enhancement of a region or country.
consumption of others.
 Social Overhead Capital refers to certain basic services
5) Price exclusion: Price exclusion means that the
required in the production of virtually all commodities.
enjoyment of benefits is contingent on payment of
In its narrow sense, it includes transportation,
user charges.
communication and power facilities. However, in its
6) Externalities: The benefits of Infrastructure projects
broader sense, facilities such as education, health, law
go beyond the immediate provision of services for
& order etc.
which they are built, which are not directly
 There is no universally accepted definition of
measured.
infrastructure.
E.g., A gas pipeline contributes not only provides
 National Statistical Commission headed by C.
access to energy but also results in environmental
Rangarajan identified six characteristics of
and social benefits.
infrastructure sector.
Based on the above features, Harmonized Master List of
CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRASTRUCTURE
Infrastructure sub-sectors is updated from time to time.
1) Natural Monopoly: A natural monopoly typically The latest updated list is as follows.
has high fixed costs meaning that it is impractical to
HARMONIZED MASTER LIST OF INFRASTRUCTURE SUB-SECTORS

Category Infrastructure sub-sectors
 Roads and bridges

 Ports
 Shipyards
 Inland Waterways
Transport and
 Airport
Logistics
 Railway track including electrical & signalling system, tunnels, viaducts, bridges
 Railway rolling stock along with workshop and associated maintenance facilities
 Railway terminal infrastructure including stations and adjoining commercial infrastructure
 Urban Public Transport (except rolling stock in case of urban road transport)

 Logistics Infrastructure
 Bulk Material Transportation Pipelines
 Electricity Generation
 Electricity Transmission
Energy
 Electricity Distribution
 Oil/Gas/Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage facility
 Solid Waste Management

 Water treatment plants
Water &
 Sewage collection, treatment and disposal system
Sanitation
 Irrigation (dams, channels, embankments, etc.)
 Storm Water Drainage System
 Telecommunication (fixed network)

Communication  Telecommunication towers
 Telecommunication & Telecom Services
 Education Institutions (capital stock)

 Sports Infrastructure
 Hospitals (capital stock)
 Tourism infrastructure
 Common infrastructure for Industrial Parks
Social and
 Post-harvest storage infrastructure
commercial
 Terminal markets
infrastructure
 Soil-testing laboratories
 Cold Chain
 Affordable Housing
 Affordable Rental Housing Complex
 Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre
NEED TO REDEFINE INFRASTRUCTURE

1. Some critical sectors are missing: Some critical
Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
sectors like Electric Vehicle Charging infrastructure &
recently approved the transfer of ₹87,416 crore as surplus
Digital Public infrastructure are missing from the
to the Union government for the accounting year 2022-23,
current harmonised list.
almost thrice the ₹30,307 crore transferred for the previous
2. Inclusion of a sector in the infrastructure master list fiscal year. The RBI’s board also decided to raise the
leads to many benefits such as easier & cheaper Contingency Risk Buffer to 6% from 5.5% in the preceding
access to finance, land acquisition etc. year.
SOURCE OF EARNINGS FOR RBI
RBI DIVIDEND PAYMENTS  Interest on Government securities held

 Interests on loans and advances made
TO GOVERNMENT  Interest earned on Liquid Adjustment Facility
#Mobilization of resources #RBI operations

 Interest income from foreign currency assets held form of dividends. Surplus transfer from the Reserve
 Earnings from forex swaps Bank is an important component of non-tax revenues to
the central government. However, the quantum of
 Seigniorage
dividends shared with the central government depends
Composition of RBI’s balance sheet upon the amount of money provided for risk
provisioning, especially for contingency fund.
Liabilities Assets
There occurred a controversy regarding the excess
 Capital Reserves  Foreign Currency Assets capital reserves accumulated with the RBI and sharing of
 Revaluation Accounts  Gold dividend with the central government in 2018. To sort
 Deposits of Banks and  Investments in domestic out this controversy a committee (Bimal Jalan committee)
Government securities was appointed to review the Economic Capital
Framework. The Committee had prescribed a
 Currency notes in  Loans & Advances
Contingency Risk Buffer in the range of 5.5% to 6.5% of
circulation
its balance sheet.
 Capital reserves: Two important components are
o Contingency fund: The fund is set aside by RBI for
meeting unforeseen contingencies like risks arising GREEN FINANCE
out of monetary policy operations, exchange rate
#Mobilization of resources #Green
risks or systemic risks.
o Asset development fund: This fund is set aside for
financing
investments in subsidiaries and associate
institutions and to meet internal capital
expenditure.
These two funds are considered as Risk provisions With a view to fostering and developing green finance
of the RBI and provisioned from the earnings of ecosystem in the country, RBI has announced a framework
RBI. Such capital required to withstand risks is also for green deposits.
known as Economic Capital. Preliminary estimates conducted for Paris Agreement
 Revaluation Accounts: RBI maintains revaluation suggest that at least US$ 2.5 trillion (at 2014-15 prices)
accounts to insulate its assets (Gold, foreign currency, will be required for meeting its climate change actions
Investments in domestic and foreign securities) from between 2015 and 2030 (Government of India, 2015).
prevailing market trends. They include Currency and India’s ambition of generating 175 gigawatts of
Gold Revaluation Account (CGRA), Investment renewable energy by 2022 also entails massive funding.
Revaluation Account (IRA) and Foreign Exchange The financial sector can play a pivotal role in mobilizing
Forward Contracts Valuation Account (FCVA). resources and their allocation in green activities/projects.
 Deposits: In its traditional role as a banker to the Green finance is also progressively gaining traction in
government, RBI usually accepts government India. However, there are some challenges to green
deposits, which constitutes a liability for the central financing in India.
bank. The central bank also accepts deposits from CHALLENGES TO GREEN FINANCING:
other banks and other financial institutions.  Lack of clear definition: There is no clear-cut
 Currency notes in circulation is a liability of the definition for “Green Finance” in India. Various terms
central bank. such as Climate finance, sustainable finance is used
HOW SURPLUS IS SHARED WITH CENTRAL interchangeably with green finance. It led to
GOVERNMENT? misunderstanding among stakeholders and made it
problematic to keep track of capital invested in green
After meeting the risk provisions and other operational
sectors.
expenditures (salaries etc.) from the earnings of RBI, the
surplus is transferred to the central government in the  Green Washing: Greenwashing is the practice of
channelling proceeds from green finance towards

projects that have negligible environmental benefits to be the most common fixed-income ESG product in
and providing misleading information to the investors India earlier, and now products like green deposits are
and public about the environmental impacts of the gaining significance.
company. Such practises discourage green financing.  Corporates looking for inclusion of a sustainability
 Failure to internalize externalities: Infrastructure agenda into their treasury activities or those that have
investments in India didn’t efficiently internalise the limited opportunities for investment in
environmental externalities (Positive externalities are environmentally beneficial projects can invest in these
benefits arisen to third parties due to green green deposits.
investments and negative externalities are damages PURPOSE OF THE GREEN DEPOSIT FRAMEWORK
inflicted on third parties due to polluting investments).
To encourage banks to offer green deposits to
This resulted in insufficient capitalization of “green”
customers, protect interest of the depositors, aid
projects and excessive investment in “brown” projects.
customers to achieve their sustainability agenda, address
 Maturity mismatches: Generally green projects greenwashing concerns and help augment the flow of
require long-term financing with low returns in the credit to green activities/projects.
initial years. This results in mismatch between long-
Key Guidelines:
term green investment and relatively short-term
interests of investors.  Applicability: The provisions of these instructions
shall be applicable to Scheduled commercial banks
 Information asymmetry: Lack of information on
(excluding payment banks, RRBs), deposit taking
commercial viability of green technologies and
NBFCs and Housing finance companies (HFCs)
uncertain policies on green investments resulted in
risk aversion by investors in projects of renewable  The Banks shall issue green deposits as
energies. cumulative/non-cumulative deposits. On maturity, the
green deposits would be renewed or withdrawn at the
GOVERNMENT’S STEPS
option of the depositor. The green deposits shall be
 Sovereign green bonds: denominated in Indian Rupees only.
o Sovereign green bonds are fixed interest-bearing  The eligible banks shall put in place a comprehensive
financial instruments issued by any sovereign entity Board-approved policy on green deposits covering all
/ inter-governmental organisation /corporation. The aspects in detail for the issuance and allocation of
proceeds of these bonds are used only for green deposits.
environmentally conscious, climate-resilient
 Allocation of funds: The proceeds raised form the
projects.
green deposits shall be allocated to the following
o Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently auctioned its activities
maiden sovereign green bonds worth ₹8,000 crore
o Renewable energy
under its Sovereign green bond framework.
o Energy efficiency
o There is no cap on foreign investment in these
bonds because these instruments are considered o Clean transportation
as specified securities under the fully accessible o Climate change adaptation
route. o Pollution control
 Green deposits: With a view to fostering and o Sustainable management of natural resources and
developing green finance ecosystem in the country waste management
further, RBI has put in place a Framework for
Projects involving nuclear power generation, generating
acceptance of Green Deposits by the banks.
energy from biomass and hydropower plants larger than
WHAT ARE GREEN DEPOSITS? 25MW are excluded from eligible projects.
 A green deposit is a fixed-term deposit for investors The banks shall ensure that the funds raised through
looking to invest their surplus cash reserves in green deposits are allocated to the eligible green
environmentally friendly projects. Green bonds used activities/projects.

 Third party verification: Allocation of funds raised UPI and RuPay debit card transactions. To
through green deposits shall be subject to an compensate for this, the body has sought an incentive
independent Third-Party Verification/Assurance which of Rs 4,000 crore in its representations to the ministry.
shall be done on an annual basis. The third-party  Zero MDR is also seen as a hindrance in attracting
assessment would not absolve the bank of its more players to adopt these payment modes and
responsibility regarding the end-use of funds. invest more in the development of the tech
 A review report shall be published by the banks infrastructure to handle the huge volumes of
covering the details about amount raised under green transactions.
deposits, amount of funding to the eligible green
PRELIMS PYQ
projects and third-party verification report.
Q) Which one of the following best describes the
term "Merchant Discount Rate" sometimes seen
in news?
MERCHANT DISCOUNT
a) The incentive given by a bank to a merchant for
RATE accepting payments through debit cards pertaining to
that bank.
#Payment system #Banking b) The amount paid back by banks to their customers
when they use debit cards for financial transactions
for purchasing goods or services.
Payments Council of India (PCI), an industry body
representing payment fintech in the country, has requested c) The charge to a merchant by a bank for accepting
finance minister to restore Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) payments from his customers through the bank's
for RuPay debit cards, as payment aggregator fintechs debit cards.
continue to lose on revenue lines for processing payments d) The incentive given by the Government to merchants
through the card infrastructure. for promoting digital payments by their customers
MERCHANT DISCOUNT RATE through Point of Sale (PoS) machines and debit cards.
 MDR (Merchant Discount Rate) refers to a fee that a

merchant is charged by their issuing bank for
accepting payments from their customers via credit ANGEL TAX
and debit cards. It is also known as Transaction
Discount Rate (TDR). While the card-issuing bank gets
#Taxation #External sector
a share of it, the remaining amount is distributed
between the payment network and point-of-sale
In the latest budget, the government has expanded the
terminal providers.
scope of Angel tax to cover foreign funding. This proposal
Push for Digitalisation:
has created uncertainty among the entrepreneurs.
 The Government had mandated that large businesses
Angel tax: Angel tax refers to the income tax (30.6 %)
(With turnover greater than ₹50 crore) provide
imposed on any unlisted company (usually startup
customers with low-cost digital modes of payment
enterprises) in receipt of investment which is above the
and had asked banks to levy zero charges on the
fair market value. Such investment is treated as income
same.
from other sources for the tax purpose. This tax was
 The finance minister gave this initiative a further push introduced in 2012 in the form of Section 56 (2) of the
by mandating that no MDR charges will be applicable Income Tax Act to plug money laundering practices.
on digital transactions via the Rupay and UPI
Earlier, angel tax provisions were applicable only for
platforms.
investments received from resident investors. However,
Concerns of Fintechs: Finance Bill 2023 has extended its applicability to non-
 Payment aggregator fintechs are claiming that a loss resident investors as well.
of Rs 5,500 crore from no revenue being earned on

ISSUES WITH ANGEL TAX value or Unit of Account or Used for Financial
 Assessment of Fair market Value: Calculating a Transaction or Investment.
startup’s fair market value is subjective and based on  Non-fungible token.
negotiations between the startup and investor.  Any other digital asset as notified by Central
Whereas the tax authorities compute the market Government. Currencies such as Central Bank Digital
value based on Discounted cash flow method. The Currency or any other foreign currency is excluded
market value arrived under this method tend to be from this tax.
lower than the value agreed by the start-up and
 Centre government has power to exclude any digital
investor.
asset from the definition of Virtual Digital Asset.
 The proposed amendment may deter foreign
 E.g., Bitcoin and other similar Altcoins such as
investors from investing in India and lead some start-
Ethereum, Ripple, Dogecoin etc.
ups to consider restructuring their holdings overseas
to avoid pressure from concerned foreign investors. TAXATION OF VIRTUAL DIGITAL ASSETS
 Any income arising from transfer of virtual digital
Stringent tax laws like these may result in flipping of
start-ups. assets will attract tax on the capital gains at the rate of
30%. Additionally, a withholding tax at the rate of 1%
FLIPPING & REVERSE FLIPPING
will be applicable on the sale of virtual digital assets, if
Flipping refers to an Indian company transforming into a such sale consideration cumulatively exceeds INR
100% subsidiary of a foreign entity, after it has moved its 10,000 (approx. USD 130) in any financial year.
headquarters overseas, including a transfer of its
 Expenses associated with acquiring, holding or selling
intellectual property (IP) and others. The same process,
virtual digital assets are not deductible from the gains
but moving back to India, from another country is known
arising from their transfer when determining the tax
as “reverse flipping”.
incidence. E.g., Cost of crypto mining or any other cost
cannot be shown as expense to reduce the profit.
 Loss from transfer of virtual digital asset cannot be set
off against any capital gain made from any other
sources like Housing property/shares while paying
capital gains tax.
 Gifts of virtual digital assets would also be taxable.
VDA UNDER PMLA
 The government brought all the transactions involving
crypto assets under the Prevention of Money
VIRTUAL DIGITAL ASSETS Laundering Act.
#Money supply #Crypto currency  Nature of transactions to be covered under PMLA:
o Exchange of virtual digital assets (“VDAs”) with fiat
currencies or other VDAs.
Recently, the finance ministry placed all the transactions
o Transfer of VDAs.
involving virtual digital assets under the purview of
Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). o Provide safekeeping or administration of VDAs or
instruments that enable control over VDAs; and
DEFINITION OF VDA UNDER FINANCE ACT 2022
o Participate and provide financial services related to
 Any information / code / number / token generated
an issuer’s offer and sale of VDAs.
through cryptographic means providing a digital
representation of value exchanged with or without  All the individuals/institutions involved in the above
consideration. Virtual Digital Assets can be transactions are required to implement KYC
transferred, stored or traded electronically. They can procedure to verify identity of their clients.
have some inherent value or function as a store of

 They are also required to maintain a record of certain The rule requires them to 'Reinvest' the unused
transactions for at least 5 years from the date of each income earned from investments made under LRS
such transaction. from India in foreign securities, mutual funds,
 Indian crypto exchanges will have to report suspicious properties and other permitted assets.
activity to the Financial Intelligence Unit India (FIU-  The Union Budget 2023-24 hiked TCS rates to 20%,
IND). from 5% currently, on overseas tour packages and
funds remitted under LRS.
 RBI in the month of May 2023 notified that the
LIBERALISED REMITTANCE spending in foreign exchange through international
SCHEME credit cards will be covered under the RBI's liberalised

remittance scheme (LRS), under which a resident can
#External sector remit money abroad up to a maximum of $2.50 lakh
per annum without the authorisation of the Reserve
Bank.
Union Finance ministry has amended rules under the NEED FOR CHANGES
Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to bring
Along with change in LRS rules, Finance minister
international credit card spending under the Liberalised
increased tax collection at source for foreign remittances
Remittance Scheme (LRS). After receiving backlash from
to 20%. These measures were aimed to curb remittances
the public, the ministry has made some modifications to
outflows:
the amendments.
 LRS remittances by Indians saw a sharp uptick in the
LIBERALISED REMITTANCE SCHEME:
last few years, thanks to booming stock markets and
 Under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), all other lucrative investment opportunities including
resident individuals are allowed to freely remit up to cryptocurrencies.
USD 2,50,000 per financial year (April – March) for any
 In 2021-22, Indians sent $20 billion overseas via LRS,
permissible current or capital account transaction or a
up from $13 billion in FY21, RBI data showed. In the
combination of both.
period between October to December 2022, residents
 Individuals can avail forex facility under LRS for the sent $6 billion via LRS.
purposes like studies abroad, going abroad for
Such outward remittances add pressure to the forex
employment, medical treatment expenses abroad,
reserves of the country, especially when there is FPI
private visits to foreign countries, gifts/donations,
sell-off in Indian markets due to fed-tapering or
maintenance of close relatives abroad etc.
when global oil prices are already high.
 However, certain items like investment in FCCBs
issued by Indian companies in the overseas market,
Trading in foreign exchange abroad are prohibited WTO PANEL RULE AGAINST
under the scheme.
CHANGES TO LRS INDIA’S TARIFFS ON IT
 RBI has, in august 2022, notified changes to the
scheme: The investor who has remitted funds under
PRODUCTS
LRS can retain and reinvest the income earned from #External Sector
his investment made under the scheme. However, the
received/unused foreign exchange, unless reinvested,
shall be repatriated and surrendered to an authorised Recently, a WTO panel ruled against India in IT tariffs
person within a period of 180 days from the date of dispute with EU and other countries like Japan and Taiwan.
such realisation. In 2019, the EU challenged India’s introduction of import
duties of between 7.5% and 20% for a wide range of IT
 This new rule restrains the residents from keeping
products, such as mobile phones and components, as well
money beyond six months in offshore bank accounts.
as integrated circuits, saying they exceeded the maximum

rate committed by India under WTO Information Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
Technology Agreement. Japan and Taiwan filed similar (IRDAI) has set up a 24-member committee that will explore
complaints that same year. and recommend on how to bring about synergies in the
WTO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT (WTO working and operations of ‘Bima Vahak’, ‘Bima Vistaar’ and
ITA): the digital platform ‘Bima Sugam’.
 Information Technology Agreement (ITA), signed in BIMA VAHAK, BIMA VISTAAR AND BIMA SUGAM
December 1996, aims to eliminate all import duties  Bima Sugam is an online portal which is a one-stop
and other charges on information technology shop for all insurance related queries, policy purchase,
products. In 2015, it was expanded to cover over 200 claim settlement and insurance advice by the IRDAI.
more products. The ITA now covers 81 WTO members, Web aggregators, brokers, insurance agents, bank
which account for approximately 97% of world trade agents etc. would function as facilitators on this
in information technology products. platform for selling insurance policies. This portal
 The agreement covers many high technology would provide all such facilitators to policyholders
products, including computers, telecommunication having an e-insurance account. The platform would
equipment, semiconductors, semiconductor function as a centralised database that will assist
manufacturing and testing equipment, software, consumers with all insurance related queries. It will
scientific instruments, as well as most of the parts and also pave the way for a speedy acceptance of
accessories of these products. new/sandbox products. It will further function as a
window to view all policies, details and renewal
 The ITA requires each participant to eliminate and
details.
bind customs duties at zero for all products
specified in the Agreement. Every participating  Bima Vahak is an initiative by IRDAI which would help
member submitted to the other participants a draft reach the last mile. Each gram panchayat would have
schedule which spells out how the terms of the a ‘Bima Vahak’ who would be tasked to sell and service
agreement would be met. simple parametric bundled insurance products. Bima
Vahak intends to form a women-centric insurance
 Considering new technological developments, the
distribution channel. The initiative is likely to foster
participants agreed to expand the products covered
greater trust and build awareness about insurance
by the Information Technology Agreement by
products in rural areas of India. The Bima Vahak
eliminating tariffs on an additional list of 201 products
initiative would replicate the banking correspondents
in 2015. The new accord covers new generation semi-
present in rural banking and be a big push for the
conductors, semi-conductor manufacturing
insurance industry to reach the last mile.
equipment, optical lenses, GPS navigation equipment,
and medical equipment such as magnetic resonance  Bima Vistaar is a social safety net product targeting
imaging products and ultra-sonic scanning apparatus. the untapped geographies. It is soon going to be
launched on ‘Bima Sugam.’ It aims to provide an
 The agreement also contains a commitment to tackle
affordable, accessible and comprehensive cover for
non-tariff barriers in the IT sector, and to keep the list
rural populations in the event of natural disasters,
of products covered under review to determine
such as floods and earthquakes.
whether further expansion may be needed to reflect
future technological developments. INSURANCE INDUSTRY IN INDIA
 Indian Insurance Sector is divided into two categories
i.e., Life Insurance and Non-life Insurance.
INSURANCE SECTOR IN  Market Size: Indian insurance market is a huge
business opportunity as India currently accounts for
INDIA less than 1.5% of the world’s total insurance
#InclusiveGrowth premiums and about 2% of world’s life insurance
premiums despite being the second most populous
nation.

 Insurance Penetration: it is measured as a lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary
percentage of total premiums collected to the care hospitalisation.
country’s GDP. In 2021-22, insurance penetration in  Insurance cover for 44.6 crore persons under PM
India stood at 4.2%. This is quite low when compared Suraksha Bima and PM Jeevan Jyoti Yojana was
to other developed economies such as the US and provided during FY23.
Canada (11.4%).
 In 2021, the Parliament passed the General Insurance
 Insurance Density: insurance density is a key Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill. The bill
measure used to assess the level of development of a aims to allow privatisation of state-run general
country’s insurance sector. It is the ratio of premiums insurance companies.
collected by insurance companies to the country’s
 Union Budget 2021 increased FDI limit in insurance
population. It is typically expressed in dollar terms; it
from 49% to 74%. India's Insurance Regulatory and
represents per capita premium. India’s insurance
Development Authority (IRDAI) has announced the
density in 2021 was $91 ($69 for life insurance and
issuance, through Digilocker, of digital insurance
$22 for general) - which is well below the global
policies by insurance firms.
average of $874. Both in terms of life and general
insurance density, India is well behind developed  In 2022, the Indian government sold a 7% stake in LIC
for Rs. 50,000 crore (US$ 6.62 billion). This is the
economies.
largest initial public offering (IPO) in India.
ROLE OF INSURANCE
 In 2021, the Union Cabinet approved an investment of
 Provide financial support and reduce uncertainties
Rs. 6,000 crore (US$ 804.71 million) into entities,
in business and human life.
offering export insurance cover to facilitate additional
 Generates financial resources which are further exports worth Rs. 5.6 lakh crore (US$ 75.11 billion)
invested in government securities and stock. over the next five years.
 Provides capital into productive investments  In 2021, Finance Ministry announced to infuse Rs.
especially for long-term investment needs. 3,000 crore (US$ 413.13 million) into state-owned
 Enables mitigation of loss, financial stability and general insurance companies to improve the overall
promotes trade and commerce activities that financial health of companies.
results in economic growth and development. CHALLENGES IN INSURANCE SECTOR
 Spread of financial services in rural areas: IRDA  Low Awareness: A huge part of the Indian population
Regulations provide certain minimum business to be does not use health insurance to finance their medical
done in rural areas, in the socially weaker sections expenditures. A large majority of people in India
 Spreading of risk: Insurance facilitates spreading of believe that health insurance is not a worthy
risk from the insured to the insurer investment and therefore, avoid buying such
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES insurance products.
 The Union Budget 2023-24 has proposed to limit the  Poor Distribution: Distribution outside large cities is
income tax exemption on the proceeds of high value poor. There are large parts of the country where
life insurance policies. Mooted as part of an emphasis access to general insurance is limited. The reason
on better targeting of tax concessions and insurers and distributors do not build a presence in
exemptions, the proposal means that income from life small towns is that it is unviable.
insurance policies with an aggregate premium up to  Fewer product innovations: While many essential
Rs. 5 lakhs will be exempt from taxation. products to mitigate risk are available, there are gaps
 The government’s flagship initiative for crop in the insurance product portfolio that leaves large
insurance, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), risks uninsured.
has led to significant growth in the premium income  Pricing: Insurers have been focusing on growing sales
for crop insurance. even if that creates a distortion in pricing for
 Ayushman Bharat (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) individuals.
(AB PMJAY) aims at providing a health cover of Rs. 5

 Negative perception towards life insurance as the will lead to further changes in the way the industry
industry is portrayed in a negative manner. conducts its business and engages with its customers.
WAY FORWARD Schemes like these coupled with India’s demographic
factors such as a growing middle class, young insurable
 Need for Legislative Reboot: To ease capital
population and growing awareness of the need for
requirement norms and allow a slew of new players to
protection and retirement planning will support the
enter the market and serve the untapped needs of
growth of the Indian insurance sector.
niche and specialised segments.
 Need for Granular Strategies: The IRDAI’s move to
rope in State governments and set up bodies like DE-DOLLARISATION
State-level banking committees would help formulate
granular district-wise strategies for raising awareness #ExternalSector
and coverage levels.
 Increase Rural Penetration: Industry players also
need to look beyond the top cities and the ‘Bima
Though still the dominant global reserve currency, the US
Vistaar’ scheme could catalyse the volumes they need
dollar is losing its importance as countries increasingly look
to get out of their comfort zones.
at other alternatives.
 Reduce GST on Insurance Products: Most of all, the
Centre needs to rethink the 18% GST levy on health STATUS OF GLOBAL CURRENCIES
and life insurance premia. The notion that those who  According to the BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey
can afford to buy health cover can afford to pay so 2022, in terms of foreign exchange market turnover
much tax is untenable in a country where one health (daily averages), the dollar was the most dominant
calamity can push a household below the poverty line. currency accounting for 88% of the global forex
 Prevent Leadership Vacuum: Ensuring continuity of turnover in 2022, followed by the Euro (31 %),
leadership at IRDAI is equally critical — situations such Japanese Yen (17), and Pound Sterling (13); the rupee
as the nine-month vacuum at its helm before the accounted for a mere 2 percent of global currency
current chairperson’s tenure are simply unacceptable. market turnover.
 Multiple Channels of Distribution: Linking insurance  Similarly, as per IMF’s COFER data, the dollar’s share
with allied finance products like housing loan, mutual of global foreign exchange reserves during 2022 Q4
fund, banks credit cards etc are the new channels for stood at 58.4 percent, followed by Euro (20.5),
life insurance. The demographics and macro- Japanese Yen (5.5), Pound Sterling (5), Chinese
economic factors in India are diverse and insurance Renminbi (2.7), Canadian dollar (2.4), Australian dollar
systems must be aligned to other programmes to (2), and Swiss Franc (0.2); India’s share was negligible.
target every section. WHAT IS DE-DOLLARISATION?
 Better regulation: Regulatory policies can be made to  De-dollarisation refers to the replacement of the
ensure that insurance companies focus more on U.S. dollar by other currencies as the global
insurance targets than profitability. reserve currency.
 Use of Technology: Stakeholders will have to leverage  Attempts to de-dollarize have picked up pace in the
the internet and other technology options to provide aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
single window service to cross-sell and retain The U.S. imposed several sanctions that restricted the
customers. It will also be easier and cheaper for them use of the U.S. dollar to purchase oil and other goods
to process requests, claims settlement process, from Russia, and this has been seen by many
complaints and payments online countries as an attempt to weaponize the dollar.
CONCLUSION  Currently, the Chinese yuan is seen as the primary
The future looks promising for the life insurance industry alternative to the U.S. dollar owing to China’s rising
with several changes in the regulatory framework which economic power.

 This visible shift towards de-dollarisation represents a securities issued by the US government. The high level
critical transformation and reshaping of the world of trust that global investors have in the U.S. financial
order. It has implications for asset prices as well. markets, perhaps owing to the ‘rule of law’ in the U.S.,
ADVANTAGES OF RESERVE CURRENCY is a major reason investor prefer to invest in U.S.
assets. Also, the US boasts the world’s deepest and
 Held by Central Banks Around the World: A reserve
most liquid financial market, burnishing its credentials
currency refers to any currency that is widely used in
as the owner of the world’s reserve currency.
cross-border transactions and is commonly held as
reserves by central banks. The currencies of economic  Lack of Alternatives: (i) Chinese yuan has the
superpowers that have usually ended up being used economic might to back its claim as a global currency,
as the global reserve currency. but tight capital controls hamper its claim. (ii) Euro
offers easy convertibility of the dollar but is held back
 Discretionarily Enhance the Purchasing Power:
by the shaky economic and political ballast of the
When a country’s fiat currency enjoys reserve currency
European Union.
status, it gives the country the power to purchase
goods and other assets from the rest of the world by  Indian Rupee: Other currencies are not as popular as
simply creating fresh currency out of thin air. the greenback for conducting international
transactions. For example, a recent attempt by India
 Gives Geopolitical Clout: The global reserve currency
and Russia to conduct trade between the two
status of the US Dollar gives it unfair privileges over
countries in Indian rupees rather than in U.S. dollars
other countries, thus justifying de-dollarisation
has hit a roadblock because the value of India’s
attempts by many countries. Since international
imports from Russia far outweighs its exports to the
transactions conducted in the U.S. dollar are cleared
country. This left Russia with excess rupees in hand
by American banks, this gives the U.S. government
which it was unwilling to spend on Indian goods or
significant power to oversee and control these
assets and led to Russian demands for the settlement
transactions.
of bilateral trade in U.S. dollars.
POPULARITY OF US DOLLAR
 Chinese Yuan: China, for instance, which supplies the
 Historical Examples: Other currencies such as the
world with huge volumes of goods and runs a trade
British pound and the French franc have served as surplus, has been trying to make the yuan a reserve
international reserve currencies in the past. As the currency. However, restrictions placed by the Chinese
economic power of these countries waned, their
government on foreign access to China’s financial
currencies faced a similar downfall. This was the case, markets and doubts over ‘rule of law’ in China have
for example, with the British pound which was adversely affected global demand for the yuan.
gradually replaced by the U.S. dollar as Britain lost its
TRENDS THAT HIGHLIGHT DE-DOLLARISATION
status as a global economic superpower in the first
half of the 20th century.  Falling Market Share as a Component Forex
Reserve: The market share of the US Dollar in world’s
 Presently, the U.S. dollar is widely used in
forex reserves fell to nearly 58% in March 2022—the
international transactions because people prefer to
lowest since 1994. Its market share was around 71% in
use the American currency over others for various
2001 (peaked at 85.6% in 1971 before the Nixon
economic reasons.
shock, when dollar’s convertibility into gold was
 Reasons for US Dollar’s Global Acceptability: The suspended)
global acceptability of the U.S. dollar has primarily
 Preference to Gold over US Dollar: Global central
been attributed to the popularity of U.S. assets among
banks have been adding gold to their coffers, rather
investors. The U.S. has been running a persistent
than stocking up on the dollar. In 2022, central banks
trade deficit for decades now (the value of its imports
bought a whopping 1,126 tonnes of gold - the highest
has for a long time exceeded the value of its exports
since 1950. They have been buying gold at the fastest
to the rest of the world). The excess dollars that the
pace since 1987.
rest of the world accumulates due to the U.S’ trade
deficit has been invested in U.S. assets such as in debt  Use of Alternatives: Multiple countries have started
exploring settlement of cross-border trade and

investments in their own or alternate third-party  Argentina and Brazil have proposed a common
currencies, ditching the dollar as the intermediary. currency for trade.
REASONS FOR DE-DOLLARISATION  China and Brazil announced in March 2023 that they
 Expansionary Policy of US Federal Reserve: will conduct bilateral trade in local currencies,
Irresponsible expansion of the money supply can circumventing the dollar.
cause the debasement of the currency and eventually  India and Malaysia in April 2023 have agreed to settle
threaten its status as a reserve currency. trade in Indian Rupee. India already pays Iran in
Expansionary monetary policy adopted by the U.S. rupees for crude and compensates Russia in rubles
Federal Reserve over the decades to argue that this for crude and defence systems.
could threaten the U.S. dollar’s status as a global Multilateral Efforts:
reserve currency. The U.S. central bank usually
 In 2021, the People’s Bank of China submitted a
increases the supply of dollars through various means
“Global Sovereign Digital Currency Governance”
to tackle economic downturns and to fund the U.S.
proposal at the Bank for International Settlements to
government’s expenditures.
influence global financial rules via its digital currency,
 Trade Weaponization: The imposition of sanctions the e-Yuan.
and the exclusion from the SWIFT system hinder
 African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is
countries from engaging in trade. For example, Russia
promoting intra-African trade using local currencies.
faced sanctions following Ukraine war, while Iran
experienced them after the US withdrew from the  European Central Bank’s TARGET2 System (2007)
enables EU member countries to conduct trade and
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
financial transactions in euros.
 Emergence of New Economies: The ascent of Asia as
a formidable economic force has amplified the WAY FORWARD FOR INDIA: RUPEE INVOICING FOR
FOREIGN TRADE
significance of currencies such as the Indian rupee
and the Yuan.  RBI Circular: Rupee invoicing became a buzzword
 Diversification: By holding foreign currency reserves post the July 2022 RBI circular that allowed invoicing,
payment and settlement of trade (exports/imports) in
in multiple currencies, the pressure on external
sectors is alleviated. Indian rupee.
 Encouraging Local Currencies: Engaging in trade  Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 wants to thrust
exports on the wheels of rupee invoicing that
using local currencies enables exporters and
importers to mitigate risks, broaden investment proposes both trading partners raising their invoices
options, and attain greater certainty regarding and settling payments for their transactions on a
bilateral basis in rupees. The framework facilitates
revenues and sales.
invoicing of exports and imports in rupee, market-
 Negative Macro-Economic Impact on Others: The
determined exchange rates between currency pairs of
prevalence of the USD empowers the United States to
the trading partners, and trade settlement via Special
manipulate the global financial system in its own
Rupee Vostro Account (SRVA).
favour, often at the expense of others, particularly
 Benefits of Rupee Invoicing are manifold, especially
with regards to interest rates.
during geopolitical unrest and when economic
INITIATIVES FOR DE-DOLLARIZATION
sanctions are levied against India’s major trade
Bilateral Efforts: partners. Amongst the benefits, the prominent ones
 China and Saudi Arabia signed a new partnership are (i) lowering of transaction costs; (ii) a greater
agreement in December 2022 with future energy degree of price transparency; (iii) quick settlement
purchases to be paid in Yuan. time; (iv) promoting international trade; (v) reduction
 Russia and Iran in January 2023 agreed to connect in hedging expenses; (vi) reduced cost of holding
their interbank messaging systems and bypass the US foreign reserves by the RBI and (vii)
denominated SWIFT banking and communication and internationalisation of the rupee.
transfer system.

 Invoicing in rupee: More favourable with trade 2023. Provisional data from the Department of Commerce
partners such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and the shows total farm exports at $53.15 billion and imports at
UAE, where India is a large importer and potential $35.69 billion during 2022-23, surpassing their previous
exists for Indian exports as well. Some of the countries year’s records of $50.24 billion and $32.42 billion,
that hold potential for trade settlement in rupee are respectively.
shown in the Chart.
 Increasing Popularity on Indian Rupee: India’s BASIC DRIVER: GLOBAL PRICES

policy of facilitating trade in rupees has been gaining
 UN FAO’s Food Price Index (FPI) is a weighted average
momentum, with the total number of SRVAs reaching
of world prices of a basket of food commodities over a
60 in a span of seven months (Rajya Sabha question
base period value (2014-16=100)
on March 14). Eighteen countries have opened SRVAs
to facilitate overseas trade in rupee. Of these  The FPI had crashed from an average of 119.1 points
countries, India recorded a trade deficit with eight — in 2013-14 to 90 points in 2015-16. As a result, exports
Botswana, Germany, Guyana, Malaysia, Myanmar, sharply fell from $43.25 billion to $32.81 billion
Oman, Russia and Singapore — in FY22.
between 2013-14 and 2015-16. However, imports
CONCLUSION continued to rise, bringing down the farm trade
 The effectiveness of rupee trade, however, ultimately surplus from a peak of $27.72 billion in 2013-14
depends on whether India is running a net trade
($21.46 billion net of fertiliser imports) to a low of
deficit or surplus with the participating trading
$8.05 billion by 2016-17.
partners, as well as the extent of trading in rupees in
comparison to the total bilateral trade.  The FPI since then had recovered to 102.5 points by
2020-21, and further to 133 points in 2021-22 and
139.5 points in 2022-23, which made India’s agri-
FARM EXPORTS - THE BIG commodities more globally price competitive. This has
led to a rise in exports to $41.90 billion, $50.24 billion
PICTURE and $53.15 billion during these three years.
#Agriculture MAJOR EXPORT CONTRIBUTORS
 In recent times, India’s agri exports have been

Both agricultural exports from and imports into India have powered by three items, i.e., Marine products, rice and
scaled new highs in the fiscal year that ended March 31, sugar.

 Marine products: Exports have grown steadily from 2020-21. The jump was due to chilli, mint products,
$5.02 billion in 2013-14 to $8.08 billion in 2022-23. cumin, turmeric, ginger, coriander, fennel and other
 Rice: Exports have also gone up during this period, seed spices and not due to traditional plantation
from $7.79 billion to $11.14 billion. But it has been spices such as pepper and cardamom.
driven by non-basmati rice, with the value of  Buffalo meat shipments: Never regained their peak
premium-priced basmati shipments declining. of $4.78 billion reached in 2014-15.
Basmati exports are mainly to the Persian Gulf  Raw cotton, guar-gum and oil meals: Exports of the
countries and, to some extent, the US and UK. Non- three in 2022-23 were a pale shadow of their highs of
basmati shipments are more diversified, with the 2011-12 ($4.33 billion for cotton) and 2012-13 ($3.92
destinations spread across Asia (Bangladesh, China, billion for guar-gum and $3.04 billion for oil meals).
Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, UAE and Iraq) and Africa
 Cotton: Cultivation of genetically modified Bt cotton
(from Senegal, Ivory Coast and Benin to Somalia and
and high global prices has enabled India to become
Madagascar). It is non-basmati that has made India
the world’s top producer (ahead of China) and No. 2
the biggest rice exporter, ahead of Thailand.
exporter (after the US) of the natural fibre. But with
 Sugar: The boom in sugar exports has been more the yield gains from Bt cotton tapering off and the
recent – from a mere $810.90 million in 2017-18 to regulatory regime not permitting new gene
$5.77 billion in 2022-23. Indian mills have built technologies, the country has turned from a net
markets for both raw sugar (among refineries in exporter to an importer of cotton.
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and
 Guar-gum (a thickening agent used in extraction of
Iraq) and regular plantation whites (in African
shale oil and gas) and oil meal exports rode the global
countries, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and China). In the
commodity price boom from 2003-04 to 2013-14. They
process, the country has emerged as the world’s No. 2
have not shown the same buoyancy in the more
exporter after Brazil.
recent post-Covid boom, partly due to domestic crop
TRADITIONAL ITEMS THAT ARE LAGGING BEHIND shortages – especially in cotton and soybean – not
 Spices exports: have stagnated since it last jumped generating adequate surpluses for exports.
from $2.5 billion in 2013-14 to almost $4 billion in

MAJOR IMPORT CONTRIBUTORS  Unlike exports, India’s imports of farm produce are
dominated by a handful of items.
 Vegetable Oils: Imports have more than doubled in CONCLUSION

value terms, from $9.67 billion to $20.84 billion One can expect more curbs on exports – and a further
between 2019-20 and 2022-23. In quantity terms, liberalisation of imports – if the ensuing southwest
imports have risen from 13.18 million tonnes (mt) in monsoon season delivers subnormal rainfall.
the 2019-20 oil year (November-October) to 14.03 mt
in 2021-22. During November-March 2022-23, they
have grown further by 23.7% over the same period of GIG ECONOMY
the previous oil year. Imports meet roughly 60% of
India’s vegetable oil requirements.
#Employment
 Pulses: Import dependence is hardly 10% now in
pulses, with the value of imports also coming down Women have long dominated the gig workforces in areas
from $4.24 billion (6.7 mt) in 2016-17 to $1.94 billion like caregiving and home cleaning, but their rise in other
(2.5 mt) in 2022-23. facets of the gig economy is more recent. We see a surge in
 Spices, cashew and cotton: commodities where India the participation of women in the gig economy across
has traditionally been a net exporter – have shown a various demographics and age groups contributing to
rising imports trend. Spice imports going up reflect India’s large, informal, and thriving gig economy.
reduced-price competitiveness (vis-à-vis Vietnam in KEY FINDINGS OF NITI AAYOG REPORT
pepper and Guatemala in pepper), while an outcome
 There were an estimated 7.7mn workers in 2020-21,
of stagnant, if not falling, domestic production in
could grow to 23.5mn in the next 8 years.
cotton.
 Platformisation of Work: It has expanded to all
WHAT ARE RISKS TO AGRICULTURAL TRADE?
sectors with nearly 26.6 L gig workers in retail trade
 International prices: The latest FPI reading of 127.2 and sales, 13L in transportation, 6.2 L in
points for April 2023 is down from the 159.7 points manufacturing etc.
peak of March 2022 and the 2022-23 average of 139.5
 High potential industries for Gig Workers:
points. This reduction in FPI will reduce the
Construction, Manufacturing, Retail, and
competitiveness of Indian agricultural exports.
Transportation and Logistics
 Domestic inflation: The government had banned
 Skill Level of Gig Workforce: Presently, about 47% of
wheat exports last May, which was followed by a ban
the gig work is in medium skilled jobs, about 22% in
on broken rice exports and the slapping of a 20% duty
high skilled and about 31% in low skilled jobs
on all non-parboiled non-basmati shipments in
 Skill Polarisation: As the trend shows gradual decline
September. Exports of sugar have also stopped since
in concentration of workers in medium skills while
this month’s start.
that of the low skilled and high skilled is increasing

IMPORTANCE OF GIG ECONOMY FOR WOMEN reliant on technology and digital skills, then Indian
NITI Aayog’s report titled ‘India’s Booming Gig and women’s inadequate access to digital tools will start
Platform Economy’ estimates that women are more likely them off at a disadvantage.
to accept platform jobs after their education and HOW TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN PARTICIPATION?
marriage. Following suggestions are based on NITI Aayog report:
 Low entry barriers: For freshers and early career ‘India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy’
aspirants the gig economy works as a leaping board  Fiscal Incentives: To increase participation of women
for their careers. in the gig economy, the NITI Aayog has proposed fiscal
 Flexibility: It offers a viable option for women to re- incentives like tax breaks or startup grants for
enter the workforce in large and meaningful ways. It companies with about one-third of their workforce as
provides flexibility of work hours that enable women women and people with disabilities (PwDs).
workers to make house calls for clients, work four to  Encouraging leadership: Apart from incentivising
five hours a day via a company platform and earn a platforms that focus on recruiting women workers,
decent remuneration to supplement their family the report also recommended that businesses have a
income. higher share of women managers and supervisors in
 Diversified opportunities: The myriad opportunities the organisation to ensure that communication to
available today gives women the opportunity and workers does not perpetuate gender stereotypes.
access that was non-existent just a few years ago and  Information and Communication: To encourage
a sense of pride and financial independence, and the more women, platforms may develop better
limited hours mean she can spend more time at infrastructure and work design, enhance skill
home. development, asset ownership, access to digital skills
CHALLENGES and technology, undertake gender sensitisation and
 Urban phenomenon: While the gig economy offers accessibility awareness programmes for workers and
women choice of work and flexible work modalities to their families.
manage paid and unpaid work, it is largely an urban WAY FORWARD
phenomenon, leaving job aspirants in the rural Following suggestions are based on NITI Aayog report:
economy bereft of these growing opportunities. ‘India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy’
 Absence of social protection: Although the income-  Proper Estimation of Gig Workers: Have separate
generating potential of the gig economy for women is enumeration exercises during official enumerations
rising, most women workers encounter numerous (PLFS, NSS or otherwise)
challenges with regards to access to social protection,
 Catalysing Platformisation: by Simplification and
safety, upward mobility, and lack of effective
Handholding, Funding Support and Incentives, Skill
bargaining power.
Development, and Social Financial Inclusion. This will
 Non transparent algorithms of gig platforms: The help small enterprises and individuals to sell their
ubiquity of automated ratings and review mechanisms produce to wider markets in towns and cities, ferrying
is at times a deterrent compounded with the fact that of passengers for hire etc
some employers levy penalties for declining jobs. As a
 Accelerate Financial Inclusion: Enhance access to
result, research findings clearly indicate that often
institutional credit through financial products
women employees command much lower earnings
specifically designed for platform workers and those
and poorer conditions/contracts of employment
interested to set-up their own platforms. For this: (i)
compared to their male counterparts.
Leveraging FinTech and platform businesses and
 Low digital literacy: In the gig economy where the (ii) Special emphasis on access to formal credit for
value of labour may be manifested by the rate of women, PwDs, or platform businesses started in small
technological adoption, women’s reduced cities, towns, and villages in India.
participation can also be attributed to lesser digital
 Skill Development for Platform Jobs: Pursue ends-
literacy. Since employability is increasingly becoming
or outcome-based, platform-led models of skilling and

job creation development of youth and the workforce  The portal empowers citizens by allowing them to
to make them employable. know the mobile connections issued in their name, get
 Skills Mapping: Integrate employment and skill disconnected the connections not required by them,
development portals such as E-shram and National block/trace lost mobile phones and check
Career Services Portals or Udyam portal with ASEEM genuineness of devices while buying a new/old mobile
portal. phone.
 Enhancing Social Inclusion through gender MODULES OF SANCHAR SAATHI PORTAL

sensitization and accessibility awareness programmes  CEIR Module facilitates tracing of the lost/stolen
 Universalizing the Social Security Coverage: It will mobile devices. This also facilitates blocking of
help deal with both inclusion and exclusion errors. lost/stolen mobile devices in the network of all
telecom operators so that lost/stolen devices cannot
 Ascertain the future of Platform Economy:
be used in India. If anyone tries to use the blocked
Studying the key aspects of gig-platform economy
mobile phone, its traceability is generated. Once a
through survey of small platforms, women-run
mobile phone is found it may be unblocked on the
platforms, formalisation of employment, GDP
portal for its normal use by the citizens.
contribution etc. to identify enablers and barriers.
 TAFCOP Module facilitates a mobile subscriber to
CONCLUSION
check the number of mobile connections taken in
 It is important to understand that empowering his/her name. It also facilitates reporting of mobile
women is the key to social transformation in India. connection(s) which are either not required or not
Besides, the autonomy of women and the
taken by the subscriber.
improvement of their economic, social, health, and
 Keep Yourself Aware Facility provides latest updates
political status is an extremely significant end.
and awareness material on different aspects related
 Therefore, encouraging full participation of women in
to end user security, telecom and information
productive activities, and easing of care burden will security.
eventually contribute to their empowerment,
increased agency, and overall improved status of
women, in the family and in the society. RISE IN RBI’S GOLD
 In this context, the gig economy provides avenues for
women, which are not only economically empowering, RESERVES
but also change their relative position within the
#ExternalSector
family. The gig economy benefits employers,
employees, as well as the economy at large with gains
extending beyond the traditional notions of Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) gold reserves touched 794.64
convenience and on-demand availability and metric tonnes in fiscal year 2022-23, an increase of nearly
flexibility. 5% over fiscal 2022, when it held 760.42 metric tonnes of
gold.
SANCHAR SAATHI PORTAL HOW MUCH GOLD HAS RBI PURCHASED?

 Between the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, and fiscal
#Infrastructure
2023, the RBI’s gold reserves swelled by 228.41
tonnes.
 Sanchar Saathi portal is a citizen centric initiative of  As on March 31, 2023, the country’s total foreign
the Department of Telecommunications to empower exchange reserves stood at $578.449 billion, and gold
mobile subscribers, strengthen their security and reserves were pegged at $45.2 billion.
increase awareness about citizen centric initiatives of  In value terms (USD), the share of gold in the total
the Government. foreign exchange reserves increased from about 7% at

the end of March 2022 to about 7.81% at the end of  Long-term Potential: Gold offers long-term store of
March 2023. It was 7.06% as of end-September 2022. value and is a high performing asset during the times
REASONS FOR ACCUMULATION OF GOLD of crisis as this year was scarred by geopolitical
uncertainty and rampant inflation.
 Diversification: Gold is considered a more safe,
secure, and liquid asset. It also safeguards returns CONCLUSION
amid global uncertainty and a rising inflation scenario. As the Central bank buying gold remains robust, there is
 Driving factors: Negative interest rates in the past, little to indicate that this will change in the short term.
the weakening of the dollar and growing geopolitical
uncertainty.
Practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Which of the following is a most likely 2. Insurance penetration is the ratio of premiums
consequence of implementing the Open collected by insurance companies to the country’s
Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)? population
(a) ONDC will totally replace the existing e-commerce Which among the statements given above is/are correct?
platforms. (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(b) Act as an enabler for massive digital commerce (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
expansion.
(c) A central intermediary will regulate the e- Q4. With reference to US Dollars, which of the
commerce sector. following is/are can cause its de-dollarisation?
(d) Will act as a medium to digitise businesses. 1. Trade in US Dollars.
2. Expansionary monetary policy by the US Federal
Q2. Consider the following statements related to Reserve.
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: 3. Invoicing foreign trade in Indian currency.
1. The scheme is applicable to the companies which 4. Trust in the US financial markets.
cross the threshold for the investment and sales in Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a particular year. (a) 1 and 4 only (b) 2 and 3 only
2. The scheme provides for incentives in the form of (c) 2, 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 2 and 4 only
land and credit at subsidised prices.
Which among the statements given above is/are correct?
Q5. Consider the following statements with
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only reference to Sanchar Saathi Portal:
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 1. TAFCOP facilitates tracing of the lost/stolen mobile
devices.
Q3. Consider the following statements: 2. Keep Yourself Aware Facility provides latest
1. Insurance density is measured as a percentage of updates and awareness material on different
total premiums collected to the country’s GDP. aspects related to end user security
Which among the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 2. Only domestic investments are allowed to invest in
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 these Bonds
3. These bonds are issued at a premium and hence
Q. Which of the following statements about yields are higher
recently issued Sovereign Green Bonds is/are 4. Tax benefits are provided for investment in
correct? sovereign green bonds
1. Sovereign green bonds are fixed interest-bearing Select the correct answer using the code given below:
financial instruments (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 2 and 4 only
Descriptive Questions
Q1. Although the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has been significant in promoting Make in India,
implementation of the scheme faces certain challenges. Discuss.
Q2. Discuss the role of the gig economy in the process of women empowerment?
Answers: 1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-b, 5-b, 6-a

CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND
GOVERNANCE
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II (Main)
and hence the language is also known as the “Language

ONE NATION-ONE of Unity”.
Medium of instruction: As per Unified District
LANGUAGE OR “HINDI Information System for Education Plus (USIDE+), nearly
42% of children in country study in Hindi-medium
IMPOSITION” schools, followed by English (26%) and Bengali (6%)
#Federalism #Language DEBATES ON THE ISSUE OF ONE NATION ONE
LANGUAGE
Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent emphatic statement  Understanding the Relation Between Language
that Hindi be accepted as an alternative to English, and not and Identity: Language is intrinsically tied to identity,
to local languages, across the country has sparked fresh and this often includes the identity of a nation.
fears about attempts at linguistic hegemony.  Language and Nationalism: Language stands
Hindi belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-European alongside architecture, flags and literature as an
family of languages. It is a descendant of Sanskrit, which emblem of nationhood. The relationship between
is an ancient Indian language. In 1949, Constituent language and nation is a fundamental one, as
Assembly adopted Hindi, along with English, as Official language is often used in the very creation of nations.
Language of Union of India. In 1950, Constitution of India NEED OF ONE NATION AND ONE LANGUAGE
declared Hindi in Devanagari script as Official language of  Brotherhood spirit: Bring together Indian Diaspora
India under Article 343. In 1963, Official Languages Act living around the world and reduced the gap between
was passed, which if English ‘may’ still be used along with North and South India.
Hindi for official communication. At present, Eighth
 Administrative efficiency: One language can address
Schedule of Constitution specifies 22 languages including
the issue of language becoming a barrier to
Hindi.
understand people’s aspirations and needs.
Hindi: An option for ‘One nation, One language’
 Enhance Service delivery: For example, in healthcare,
Widely spoken: As per 2011 linguistic census, Hindi is
language barrier can lead to misdiagnosis; one
most widely spoken by 52.8 crore individuals, or 43.6% of
language can overcome such issue and ensure quality
population, followed by Bengali and Marathi. Also, Hindi
care and patient safety.
is 3rd most spoken language of the world in 2019 with
 Saves Money and time: Having one language saves
615 million speakers.
government money and time that would have been
National identity: Hindi was adopted by Indian leaders
spent translating various public documents as well as
as a symbol of national identity during the struggle for
offering translation services.
freedom. o Mahatma Gandhi used Hindi to unite India

Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
 Promotes cooperation: It promotes understanding Hindi, English and Regional language to bridge the
and economic cooperation and facilitates language gap.
communication of ideas, values and beliefs, which  India is a country of different languages and every
results in less misunderstandings among people of language has its own importance. Article 29 states that
different regions and cultures. any class of citizens who have their own specific
ISSUES WITH ONE NATION AND ONE LANGUAGE language, script and culture will have the right to
 Against diversity: According to census 2011, there are protect it.
19,569 mother tongues in India, thus imposing one  To preserve ancient philosophy, culture and memory
language is against the principle of diversity. of freedom struggle, it’s important to strengthen local
 Federal issue: As per 2011 Census, people in only 12 languages simultaneously without being biased
out of 36 states and UTs had chosen Hindi as first towards any one language.
choice for communication. Thus, imposing Hindi as
language is against idea of cooperative federalism.
 Pluralistic Society: Language represents a nation has
CENSUS
roots in colonialism and is not in tune with Indian #census #population
history, culture and civilization as India has always
been a multilingual society.
Despite demands from several communities to be counted as
 Secessionist tendency: Imposition of One language
a separate religion, the next Census will only count Hindu,
has historically led to division of a country. For
Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain as distinct religion
instance, imposition of Urdu on East Pakistan was
options. Nature-worshipping Adivasis in Jharkhand,
major reason behind creation of Bangladesh as a
Chhattisgarh, and Odisha have been campaigning to include
nation.
their Sarna faith as a separate religion, while Karnataka’s
 Economic Impact: One language idea will be Lingayat’s have been making a similar demand.
economically disastrous as it will slow down migration,
Also, an annual report by the UN Population Fund
reduce capital flow and increase regional imbalances.
revealed that India was all set to become the world’s
 Threat to minority language: For instance, in most populous country by the middle of this year. It
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, death of Boa, the last estimated that India’s population would be 1,428 million
speaker of Bo language has led to extinction of Bo (or 142.8 crore) by that time, slightly ahead of China’s
language with the history of 70000 years. population of 1,425 million.
The imposition of one language over others leads to India would have had a far more accurate number for its
hatred against the imposed language. population had the 2021 Census exercise been carried
 Sri Lanka declared Sinhalese as the sole official out. The 2021 Census had to be postponed because of
language with the exclusion of Tamil. It led to the the Covid pandemic, the first time in the 150-year history
eruption of the demand for a separate Tamil nation of India’s census operations that the exercise was not
completed on time. Curiously, the Census has been
 the Eastern Pakistan (later Bangladesh) partitioned
pending even after the end of the pandemic and the
from Western Pakistan because the latter was
restoration of normalcy.
imposing Urdu on the former. Urdu was being
imposed to unify them as Urdu will mediate between As of now, there is no clarity on the timeline. The
the two distinct cultural zones in which the former was enumeration work — the actual counting of people —
a Bengali speaking territory and the latter was a has traditionally been done in February of the Census
Punjabi speaking territory. year, and if the same practice is to be followed, the
earliest it can now be done is in February next year.
WAY FORWARD
TEN-YEAR CYCLE – A CONSTITUTIONAL OR JUST A
 It was first devised by central government in 1968 and LEGAL MANDATE?
incorporated in NEP. All State governments should
 A Census is Constitutionally mandated in India. There
adopt and implement three language formula i.e.,
are repeated references to the Census exercise in

Governance
the Constitution in the context of reorganisation of It is not the legal requirement but the utility of the
constituencies for Parliament and state Assemblies. Census that has made it a permanent regular
But the Constitution does not say when the Census exercise. The Census produces primary, authentic data
must be carried out, or what the frequency of this that becomes the backbone of every statistical enterprise,
exercise should be. The Census of India Act of 1948, informing all planning, administrative and economic
which provides the legal framework for carrying out decision-making processes. It is the basis on which every
the Census, also does not mention its timing or social, economic and other indicator is built. Lack of
periodicity. reliable data – 12-year-old data on a constantly changing
 There is, therefore, no Constitutional or legal metric is not reliable – has the potential to upset every
requirement that a Census must be done every 10 indicator on India and affect the efficacy and efficiency of
years. However, this exercise has been carried out in all kinds of developmental initiatives.
the first year of every decade, without fail, since 1881. Besides, a break in periodicity results in data that is not
Most other countries also follow the 10-year cycle for comparable in some respects to the earlier sets.
their Census. There are countries like Australia that do POPULATION CENSUSES ARE IMPORTANT FOR
it every five years. SEVERAL REASONS
CENSUS ACT, 1948  Planning and Policy: Census data provides vital
 Although the population Census of India is a major information for governments and policymakers to
administrative function, the Census Organisation was make informed decisions and develop effective plans.
set up on an ad-hoc basis for each Census till the It helps in determining the allocation of resources,
Census of 1951. such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and
social welfare programs, based on the population's
 The Census Act, enacted in 1948, then provided for the
needs. Census data assists in identifying demographic
permanent scheme of conducting population Census
trends, population distribution, and changes in
with duties and responsibilities of Census Officers.
population size over time, which guides policy
 The Act makes it obligatory on the part of every citizen formulation and implementation.
to answer the Census question truthfully and penalises
 Resource Allocation: Census data helps in the fair
for giving false information.
distribution of resources. It provides accurate
 One of the most important provisions of the Census population counts and demographic information,
Act 1948 is that it makes provisions for the which enable governments to allocate funds and
maintenance of secrecy of the information collected at services equitably across different regions and
the Census of everyone. All information collected communities. By understanding the population
under the Census is confidential and is not shared with characteristics, governments can identify areas with
any agency- Government or private. specific needs and allocate resources accordingly.
AUTHORITY INVOLVED  Infrastructure Development: Census data aids in
 The Government of India in May 1949 decided to infrastructure planning and development. It provides
initiate steps for developing the systematic collection insights into population density, migration patterns,
of statistics on the size of the population, its growth, and urbanization trends, which help in determining
etc. where new infrastructure, such as roads, schools,
 For this purpose, it established an organisation viz. hospitals, and utilities, should be built. It assists in
Office of the Registrar General and Census efficient urban planning and ensures that
Commissioner under Ministry of Home Affairs infrastructure projects are aligned with the
(which is responsible for conducting the decennial population's requirements.
Census).  Economic Analysis: Census data plays a crucial role in
 Later, this office was also entrusted with the economic analysis and decision-making. It provides
responsibility of implementation of Registration of information on employment, occupation, income
Births and Deaths Act, 1969 in the country. levels, and other socioeconomic indicators.
Governments, businesses, researchers, and

Governance
policymakers utilize this data to analyse market trends,  Poor infrastructural facilities in certain areas make
assess labour force needs, identify potential it very difficult to undertake an efficient population
investment opportunities, and develop economic census. Inaccessible or insufficient roads that connect
policies. various towns and villages create hurdles for
 Social Research and Demographic Studies: Census conducting the census exercise.
data serves as a valuable resource for social research  Census officers encounter serious challenges in
and demographic studies. Researchers and analysts underdeveloped parts of the world where traditional
utilize this data to study population dynamics, social and religious beliefs prevail. Traditional beliefs often
inequalities, migration patterns, family structures, and interfere with the counting process when officers
other demographic characteristics. It helps in reach these areas.
understanding societal changes, tracking population  Corruption adds another layer of complexity to the
trends, and formulating social policies. census process. When corruption occurs during
 Electoral Representation: Census data is utilized for census activities, it becomes difficult to achieve an
determining electoral boundaries and ensuring fair efficient and accurate population count.
political representation. It provides information on  Certain parts of the world suffer from a shortage
population distribution, allowing governments to of census experts. The insufficient number of
redraw electoral districts to ensure each district has professionals with the necessary knowledge and
roughly equal populations. This process helps experience of conducting a census poses a problem
maintain democratic principles by ensuring that each for conducting censuses in these regions.
citizen's vote carries equal weight.  The success of a census exercise heavily relies on an
 Monitoring Progress and Evaluating Policies: effective educational campaign. The level of
Census data provides a baseline for monitoring effectiveness of the campaign conducted prior to the
progress and evaluating the effectiveness of policies census determines the overall success of the census
and programs. By conducting periodic censuses, exercise.
governments can compare population data over time  Unreliable demographic maps make it challenging
and assess the impact of various interventions. It for authorities to identify and reach all remote areas,
enables policymakers to identify areas where policies especially very remote regions of the country, for
have been successful and areas that require further conducting the census exercise.
attention. In conclusion, the population census holds immense
Overall, population censuses are crucial for informed importance as a constitutional and administrative
decision-making, equitable resource allocation, policy function in India. Although not legally required to be
formulation, and monitoring societal changes. They conducted every ten years, the census has been
provide a comprehensive understanding of the consistently carried out since 1881, providing primary
population, facilitating better governance, planning, and and authentic data that serves as the foundation for
development for the benefit of society. various statistical endeavours. The census data plays a
vital role in planning, policymaking, resource allocation,
CHALLENGES FACED DURING CONDUCT OF CENSUS
infrastructure development, economic analysis, social
 Enormous financial costs of conducting the exercise
research, electoral representation, and monitoring
pose one of the biggest challenges associated with
progress and evaluating policies. By understanding
census in poor countries. Conducting a census is
demographic trends and population characteristics,
widely known to be extremely costly.
governments can make informed decisions and address
 Conducting censuses in countries with high illiteracy the needs of different regions and communities.
rates presents a significant obstacle. These nations However, the conduct of the census in India faces
struggle with large proportions of their populations significant challenges, including financial constraints, high
being illiterates, making the census process more illiteracy rates, inadequate infrastructure, traditional
challenging. beliefs, corruption, a shortage of experts, insufficient
educational campaigns, and unreliable demographic

Governance
maps. Overcoming these challenges is crucial to ensure the Meitei of discriminating against them.
accurate and reliable data, which forms the basis for
The term 'Scheduled Tribes' first appeared in the
effective governance, planning, and development for the
Constitution of India. Article 366 (25) defined scheduled
betterment of society.
tribes as "such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or
groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are
MANIPUR ETHNIC deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for the
purposes of this constitution". Article 342, which is
FAULTLINE: DECLARATION reproduced below, prescribes procedure to be followed
in the matter of specification of scheduled tribes.
OF SCHEDULED TRIBES ARTICLE 342
#SC/ST The President may, with respect to any State or Union
territory, and where it is a state, after consultation with
As Manipur and Central governments claimed the State is the Governor there of by public notification, specify the
returning to normalcy, Chief Justice of India D.Y. tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within
Chandrachud on Monday wondered aloud why a 23-year-old tribes or tribal communities which shall, for the purposes
Constitution Bench judgment which clearly held that no court of this constitution, is deemed to be scheduled tribes in
or State has power to “add, subtract or modify” with the relation to that state or Union Territory, as the case may
Scheduled Tribes List was not “shown” to the Manipur High be.
Court in the first place. Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the
From the perspective of Civil services examination, it is list of Scheduled tribes specified in a notification issued
very important that we understand the process of under clause(1) any tribe or tribal community or part of
declaration of a particular group of people into or group within any tribe or tribal community, but save as
Scheduled Tribe (or scheduled Caste) aforesaid, a notification issued under the said clause shall
not be varied by any subsequent notification.
The recent unrest in Manipur is a complex issue with a
long history. The root causes of the unrest can be traced Thus, the first specification of Scheduled Tribes in
back to the following factors: relation to a particular State/ Union Territory is by a
notified order of the President, after consultation with
 Ethnic and religious tensions: Manipur is a diverse
the State governments concerned. These orders can be
state with many ethnic and religious groups. These
modified subsequently only through an Act of
groups have often clashed over land, resources, and
Parliament. The above Article also provides for listing of
political power.
scheduled tribes State/Union Territory wise and not on
 Underdevelopment: Manipur is one of the most
an all-India basis.
underdeveloped states in India. This has led to high
The criterion followed for specification of a community,
levels of poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
as scheduled tribes are indications of primitive traits,
 Insurgency: Manipur has been plagued by insurgency
distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of
for decades. This has created an atmosphere of
contact with the community at large, and backwardness.
insecurity and fear in the state.
This criterion is not spelt out in the Constitution but
 Government neglect: The Manipuri government has has become well established. It subsumes the
been accused of neglect and corruption. This has definitions contained in 1931Census, the reports of first
further alienated the people of Manipur and Backward Classes Commission 1955, the Advisory
contributed to the unrest. Committee (Kalelkar), on Revision of SC/ST lists (Lokur
The unrest is rooted in a long-standing dispute between Committee), 1965 and the Joint Committee of Parliament
the two communities over land and resources. The Meitei on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes orders
are the majority community in Manipur, while the Kuki (Amendment) Bill 1967 (Chanda Committee), 1969.
are a minority group. The Meitei have accused the Kuki of In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause (1) of
encroaching on their land, while the Kuki have accused Article 342 of the Constitution of India, the President,

Governance
after Consultation with the State Governments concerned Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh).
have promulgated so far 9 orders specifying the More than two-third of the ST population is concentrated
Scheduled Tribes in relation to the state and union only in the seven States of the country, viz. Madhya
territories. Out of these, eight are in operation at present Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan,
in their original or amended form. One order namely the Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. There is no ST population in
Constitution (Goa, Daman & Diu) Scheduled Tribes order 3 States (Delhi NCR, Punjab and Haryana) and 2 UTs
1968 has become defunct on account of reorganization (Puducherry and Chandigarh), as no Scheduled Tribe is
of Goa, Daman & Diu in 1987. Under the Goa, Daman & notified.
Diu reorganization Act 1987 (18 of 1987) the list of
Scheduled Tribes of Goa has been transferred to part XIX
of the Schedule to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes)
Order, 1950 and that of Daman & Diu II of the Schedule
of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Union Territories)
Order, 1951.
No community has been specified as Scheduled Tribe in
relation to the State of Haryana and Punjab and Union
Territories of Chandigarh, Delhi and Puducherry.
Article 342 provides for specification of tribes or tribal
communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal
communities which are deemed to be for the purposes of
the Constitution the Scheduled Tribes in relation to that
State or Union Territory. In pursuance of these
provisions, the list of Scheduled Tribes is notified for each
State or Union Territory and are valid only within the
jurisdiction of that State or Union Territory and not
outside.
DISTRIBUTION OF TRIBES
The Scheduled Tribes are notified in 30 States/UTs and
the number of individual ethnic groups, etc. notified as
Scheduled Tribes is 705. The tribal population of the PRESS FREEDOM INDEX
country, as per 2011 census, is 10.43 crore, constituting
#Freedom of Speech and Expression
8.6% of the total population. 89.97% of them live in rural
areas and 10.03% in urban areas. The decadal population
growth of the tribal’s from Census 2001 to 2011 has been
In the 2023 edition of the World Press Freedom Index,
23.66% against the 17.69% of the entire population. The
released annually by the non-profit organisation Reporters
sex ratio for the overall population is 940 females per
Without Borders, India has slipped 11 places to the 161st
1000 males and that of Scheduled Tribes 990 females per
rank out of 180 countries – ranking below countries such as
thousand males.
Somalia (141), Pakistan (150), and Afghanistan (152).
Broadly the STs inhabit two distinct geographical area –
the Central India and the North- Eastern Area. More than REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS?
half of the Scheduled Tribe population is concentrated in Reporters Without Borders or Reporters Sans Frontiers
Central India, i.e., Madhya Pradesh (14.69%), Chhattisgarh (in French) is a global media watchdog headquartered in
(7.5%), Jharkhand (8.29%), Andhra Pradesh (5.7%), Paris, France, and it publishes a yearly report on press
Maharashtra (10.08%), Orissa (9.2%), Gujarat (8.55%) and freedom in countries across the world. “We are neither a
Rajasthan (8.86%). The other distinct area is the trade union nor a representative of media companies”, it
Northeast (Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, states on its website.

Governance
HOW DOES IT MEASURE PRESS FREEDOM?
 Reporters Sans Frontiers states, “Press freedom is
The status of Delhi as a Union Territory (UT) has been a
defined as the ability of journalists as individuals and
subject of constitutional and administrative debate. The 69th
collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in
Amendment of the Constitution in 1991 granted Delhi a
the public interest independent of political, economic,
unique status, providing for its own democratically elected
legal, and social interference and in the absence of
government and legislative assembly. However, the
threats to their physical and mental safety.”
governance structure and distribution of powers between the
 The index then compares levels of press freedom elected government and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) have
globally based on this definition. raised concerns and necessitated legal clarifications. This
article explores the present status of Delhi as a UT, the issues
surrounding its governance, and the need for a balanced
approach to ensure effective administration.
The Centre had argued that the phrase “in so far as any
such matter is applicable to Union Territories” in
Article 239AA (which deals with special provisions with
respect to Delhi) “must be read in a restrictive manner
to limit the legislative power of NCTD on certain
 This score is based on two indicators: subjects (in addition to already excluded subjects) in
List II”. The SC has disagreed and stated that “Article
o a tally of abuses against media and journalists in
239AA establishes a Legislative Assembly for NCTD. The
connection with their work, arrived at by monitoring
seats in the Assembly are filled by a direct election from
and analysing news stories on journalists being
the constituencies of NCTD. The Legislative Assembly of
imprisoned or killed.
NCTD embodies the constitutional principle of
o a qualitative analysis of the situation in each representative democracy like the Legislative Assembly of
country or territory based on the responses of the State. The members of the Legislative Assembly of
“press freedom specialists”, including journalists, NCTD are selected by the electorate of Delhi to
researchers, academics and human rights represent their interests. Article 239AA must be
defenders, to an RSF questionnaire available in 24 interpreted to further the principle of representative
languages. democracy.”
WHAT DOES THE 2023 REPORT SAY ABOUT PRESS Present Status of Delhi as UT
FREEDOM GLOBALLY?
 The 69th Amendment of the Constitution in 1991 gave
 The index states in 2023 that “the environment for the National Capital of Delhi special status with its own
journalism is ‘bad’ in seven out of ten countries, and democratically elected government and legislative
satisfactory in only three out of ten.” assembly.
 It also highlighted concerns of propaganda fake news,  Insertion of new Articles 239AA and 239AB after Article
further heightened given the rise of artificial 239A of the Constitution.
intelligence technology. Programmes like Midourney,
 The Legislative Assembly shall have power to
which can create lifelike images based on a simple text
enumerate anything in the State List or in the
prompt, were mentioned in this context.
Concurrent List in so far as any such matter is
applicable to Union territories.
GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF o Except matters with respect to Entries 1, 2 and 18 of

the State List and Entries 64, 65 and 66 of that List
in so far as they relate to the said Entries 1, 2 and
DELHI V UNION OF INDIA 18.
#Federalism  Provided that in the case of difference of opinion
between the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) and his

Governance
Ministers on any matter, the Lieutenant Governor shall primarily by the Government of Union Territories Act,
refer it to the President for decision and act according 1963, which does not confer the same level of
to the decision given thereon by the President. authority as in Delhi.
 Public order, Police and Land in the NCT of Delhi fall In summary, the LG of Delhi enjoys greater powers
within the domain of Union Government. than the LG of Puducherry. The LG of Delhi has specific
GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF executive functions related to public order, police, and
DELHI (AMENDMENT) ACT (GNCTD) 2021 land, which can be exercised in consultation with the
Chief Minister, as provided under orders issued by the
 The term “government” in any law made by the
President. Additionally, the LG of Delhi is guided by the
Legislative Assembly shall mean the L-G.
GNCTD (Amendment) Act 2021 and the Transaction of
 The L-G’s opinion shall be obtained before the
Business of the Government of National Capital Territory
government takes any executive action based on
of Delhi Rules, 1993. On the other hand, the LG of
decisions taken by the Cabinet or any individual
Puducherry operates under the Government of Union
ministers.
Territories Act, 1963, which outlines a more general
 The L-G will not assent to and pass on to the President framework for the governance of union territories.
for consideration any Bill which “incidentally covers
The current setup regarding the powers and functioning
any of the matters which falls outside the purview of
of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) in Delhi has faced several
the powers conferred on the Legislative Assembly”.
criticisms and issues. Here are some of the key issues
The powers of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) in Delhi associated with the current setup:
and Puducherry differ in terms of their scope and
 One of the primary issues is that the rules governing
authority. Here are the key differences between the
the proceedings of the legislative assembly are not
powers of the LG in Delhi and Puducherry:
within the control of the elected representatives. The
The LG of Delhi has "Executive Functions" that grant assembly does not have the privilege to frame its own
them powers in matters related to public order, rules, which undermines its autonomy and
police, and land. These powers can be exercised in independence.
consultation with the Chief Minister, as provided under
 There is a lack of accountability for the actions of
any order issued by the President under Article 239 of the
the LG. The assembly does not have the power to
Constitution. In contrast, the LG of Puducherry does not
conduct inquiries into administrative decisions, which
have such specific executive functions outlined.
hampers executive accountability. This undermines
The LG of Delhi is guided by the GNCTD (Amendment)
the essence of the parliamentary system of
Act 2021 and the Transaction of Business of the
government, which relies on the checks and balances
Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi
between the executive and legislative branches.
Rules, 1993. These legislative provisions define the
powers and functions of the LG in Delhi. On the other  The LG is not obligated to implement laws passed
hand, the LG of Puducherry is mostly guided by the by the assembly or follow its directions. As a result,
Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, which sets the elected government's authority can be
out the general framework for the governance of union undermined as the LG holds significant decision-
territories. making power without being accountable to the
assembly.
The constitutional provisions and the GNCTD
(Amendment) Act 2021 clearly establish that Delhi is a  The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi
Union Territory where the central government has a (GNCTD) Act designates the LG as the
more prominent role compared to Puducherry. While "government" in any law made by the Legislative
both LGs represent the President, the LG of Delhi Assembly. This concentration of power in the hands of
exercises executive powers in matters related to public the LG contradicts the principles of cooperative
order, police, and land, which gives the central federalism and reduces the role of the elected
government significant control and influence over these government in decision-making processes.
areas. In Puducherry, the LG's powers are governed

Governance
 Article 239AB allows for the imposition of President's  The executive power of NCTD is co-extensive with its
rule in Delhi if the administration cannot be carried legislative power, that is, it shall extend to all matters
out in accordance with the provisions of Article 239AA. with respect to which it has the power to legislate.
However, the report requesting President's rule is  The Union of India has executive power only over the
made by the LG, who is also the government. This three entries in List II over which NCTD does not have
raises concerns about the effectiveness and fairness of legislative competence.
such a provision.
 The executive power of NCTD with respect to
 The current setup not only goes against the entries in List II and List III shall be subject to the
principles of cooperative federalism but also executive power expressly conferred upon the
undermines the recent Supreme Court's judgment. Union by the Constitution or by a law enacted by
The judgment had emphasized the importance of Parliament.
cooperative federalism and the elected government's
 The phrase ‘insofar as any such matter is applicable to
role in the governance of Delhi.
Union Territories’ in Article 239- AA(3) cannot be read
 The issue of governance and control over the Services to further exclude the legislative power of NCTD over
department is a contentious matter. Since Delhi is not entries in the State List or Concurrent List, over and
a full state, the department falls under the authority of above those subjects which have been expressly
the LG. This creates conflicts and challenges regarding excluded
the functioning of the government and the delegation
 With reference to the phrase “Subject to the
of powers.
provisions of this Constitution” in Article 239- AA(3),
These issues highlight the need for a re-evaluation of the legislative power of NCTD is to be guided, and not
the powers and functioning of the LG in Delhi, aiming just limited, by the broader principles and provisions
to strike a balance between the roles of the elected of the Constitution.
government and the LG while upholding the principles of
 NCTD has legislative and executive power over
accountability, cooperative federalism, and effective
“Services”, that is, Entry 41 of List II of the Seventh
governance.
Schedule because the definition of State under Section
List II or the State List contains subjects on which the 3(58) of the General Clauses Act 1897 applies to the
state government can legislate. List III or the Concurrent term “State” in Part XIV of the Constitution. Thus, Part
List contains subjects on which Parliament and the state XIV is applicable to Union territories; and the exercise
legislature have shared responsibility of making laws. of rule-making power under the proviso to Article 309
does not oust the legislative power of the appropriate
SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT: (IMPORTANT
authority to make laws over Entry 41 of the State List.
HIGHLIGHTS)
WAY FORWARD
 There does not exist a homogeneous class of Union
Territories with similar governance structures.  Collaborative structure: The apex court had rightly
concluded that the scheme set out in the Constitution
 NCTD is not like other Union Territories. By virtue of
and the Government of National Capital Territory of
Article 239AA, NCTD is accorded a “sui generis” status,
Delhi Act, 1991, envisages a collaborative structure
setting it apart from other Union Territories.
that can be worked only through constitutional trust.
 The Legislative Assembly of NCTD has competence
 Adopting Fine mixed Balance: Considering special
over entries in List II and List III except for the
status of the Delhi and fundamental concerns as Delhi
expressly excluded entries of List II. In addition to
being the National Capital.
the Entries in List I, Parliament has legislative
competence over all matters in List II and List III in  Reducing politicization: Not politicizing issue as a
relation to NCTD, including the entries which have struggle for power between two political parties as it is
been kept out of the legislative domain of NCTD by ultimately an attack on the ideals of representative
virtue of Article 239AA(3)(a). governance.

Governance
 Clear interpretation: A clear interpretation of the ordinances that were kept alive for more than 10 years
existing laws, in the larger interest of representative and famously dubbed as ordinance raj.
democracy, would suffice, as has been established. So, instances like these clearly indicate the misuse of
legislative powers by the executive which were meant to
ORDINANCE be used only rarely and under limited circumstances. So,
in this regard we will understand the following:
#legislation Constitutional Provisions, why frequent resorting to
Ordinance Route? Issues, Important Cases related to
Ordinance
Just a few days after the Supreme Court's judgement holding
that the National Capital Territory of Delhi has legislative CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS
and executive power over administrative services in the  Article 123 and Article 213 confers power to
National Capital, excluding matters relating to public order, promulgate ordinance on the President and the
police and land, the Central Government has issued an Governor respectively.
ordinance to constitute ‘National Capital Civil Services  Under the Constitution, limitations exist about the
Authority’ in Delhi. As per the ordinance, the authority will Ordinance making power of the executive:
be headed by Delhi Chief Minister, and will comprise of Chief
o Legislature is not in session: The President can
Secretary and Home Secretary of the Delhi government. only promulgate an Ordinance when either of the
The authority is to now decide on the transfer and two Houses of Parliament is not in session.
posting of Group ‘A’ officers and DANICS officers serving
o Immediate action is required: The President
in Delhi government.
cannot promulgate an Ordinance unless he is
In India, the central and state legislatures are responsible satisfied that there are circumstances that require
for law making, the central and state governments are taking ‘immediate action’.
responsible for the implementation of laws and the
o Parliamentary approval during session:
judiciary (Supreme Court, High Courts and lower courts)
Ordinances must be approved by Parliament within
interprets these laws. However, there are several
six weeks of reassembling or they shall cease to
overlaps in the functions and powers of the three
operate. They will also cease to operate in case
institutions. For example, the President has certain
resolutions disapproving the Ordinance are passed
legislative and judicial functions and the legislature can
by both the Houses.
delegate some of its functions to the executive in the
form of subordinate legislation.
Ordinance making is one such provision which
diffuses the line between legislature and executive.
They enable the government to take immediate
legislative action in desperate times. Article 123 of the
Indian Constitution grants the President of India certain
Law-making powers i.e., to Promulgate Ordinances when
either of the two Houses of the Parliament is not in
session which makes it impossible for a single House to
pass and enact a law. Ordinances may relate to any
subject that the parliament has the power to make law
and would be having the same limitations.
But executive (Both central and state) have often misused
this power. Nothing epitomises the re-promulgation of
WHY FREQUENT RESORTING TO ORDINANCE ROUTE?
the ordinances better than the famous “Bihar case”.
 Reluctance to face the legislature on issues.
Which was about the promulgation of 256 ordinances
between 1967 and 1981 in Bihar. This included 11  Lack of majority in the Parliament.
 Repeated and wilful disruption by opposition parties.

Governance
ISSUES  In Nagraj Judgment, SC has observed “The power to
 The executive’s power to issue ordinances, goes issue an ordinance is not an executive power but it’s
against the Philosophy of Separation of powers the power of the executive to legislate on the grounds
between the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary provided for in article 123”.
 It bypasses the democratic requirements of argument

and deliberation.
SELF HELP GROUPS
 Re-promulgation defeats the constitutional scheme
under which a limited power to frame ordinances has #Development Industry
been conferred on the President and the Governors.
 It poses threat to the sovereignty of Parliament and SHGs, or Self-Help Groups, are small voluntary associations
the state legislatures which have been constituted as of individuals, predominantly women, who come together for
primary lawgivers under the Constitution. The a common purpose. In India, SHGs have gained significant
Constitution has provided for Separation of Power importance as a grassroots-level institution for poverty
where enacting laws is the function of the legislature. alleviation, women's empowerment, and community
The executive must show self-restraint and should use development. Here are some key characteristics and features
ordinance making power only as per the spirit of the of SHGs in India:
Constitution and not to evade legislative scrutiny and
 Composition: SHGs typically consist of 10 to 20
debates
individuals who belong to a common socio-economic
IMPORTANT CASES RELATED TO ORDINANCE background and reside in the same geographical area.
 RC Cooper vs. Union of India, 1970: SC held that the While women are the primary members, some SHGs
President’s decision could be challenged on the also include men or are exclusively composed of men.
grounds that ‘immediate action’ was not required; and  Voluntary Association: Participation in SHGs is based
the Ordinance had been passed primarily to by-pass on voluntary membership, where individuals join the
debate and discussion in the legislature. group willingly to address their socio-economic needs
 AK Roy vs. Union of India, 1982: SC argued that the and challenges collectively.
President’s Ordinance making power is not beyond  Savings and Credit Activities: One of the primary
the scope of judicial review. Later in case of Venkata functions of SHGs is to encourage members to save
Reddy v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1985) Supreme small amounts regularly. These savings are pooled
court overruled its own decision and held that the together and used to provide internal loans to group
Satisfaction of the President cannot be called in members. SHGs also facilitate access to formal
question. financial services and credit linkages from banks and
 DC Wadhwa vs. State of Bihar, 1987: SC said that the microfinance institutions.
legislative power of the executive to promulgate  Social and Emotional Support: SHGs provide a
Ordinances is to be used in exceptional circumstances platform for members to share experiences, seek
and not as a substitute for the law-making power. It advice, and provide social and emotional support to
was examining a case where a state government each other. They act as forums for discussing and
repromulgated a total of 259 Ordinances and some of addressing issues related to health, education, gender
them for as long as 14 years. equality, and other social concerns.
 Krishna Kumar Singh vs. State of Bihar, 2017:  Capacity Building: SHGs offer training and capacity-
Supreme Court held that the failure to place an building programs to members, focusing on various
ordinance before the legislature constitutes abuse aspects such as financial literacy, bookkeeping,
of power and a fraud on the Constitution. It makes entrepreneurship, skill development, and leadership.
mandatory for an ordinance to be tabled in the These initiatives aim to enhance members' knowledge
legislature for its approval. and skills, enabling them to effectively manage their
WAY FORWARD group activities and pursue livelihood opportunities.

Governance
 Collective Decision Making: SHGs operate learning and action’ showed 49 % reduction in
democratically, with members actively participating in maternal mortality and 33 % reduction in neonatal
decision-making processes. They engage in mortality.
discussions, develop internal rules and regulations, GENERAL ISSUES RELATED TO SHGs
and make collective decisions related to savings, loans,
 Agricultural Activities: Most of the SHGs work at local
and other group activities.
level and engaged in agricultural activities. SHGs in
 Income-Generating Activities: SHGs encourage rural areas should be introduced to non-agricultural
members to engage in income-generating activities to businesses too and should be provided with state-of-
improve their livelihoods. This may include activities the art machinery.
like handicrafts, agriculture, animal husbandry, small-
 Lack of Technology: Most of the SHGs work with
scale enterprises, and entrepreneurship. SHGs often
rudimentary or no technology.
provide support in terms of skill development, market
linkages, and access to credit for such activities.  Access of market: Also, the goods produced by SHGs
do not have access to larger marketplace.
 Federations and Linkages: SHGs often form
federations or larger networks at the village, district, or  Poor Infrastructure: Most of these SHGs are situated
state levels to amplify their collective voice, negotiate in rural and far reach areas that lack connectivity via
road or railways. Access to electricity remains an issue.
better deals, and access additional resources and
opportunities. These federations enable SHGs to  Lack of training and capacity building: Most of the
undertake larger-scale initiatives and represent their SHGs work on their own without outreach from the
collective interests. state for skill development and capacity building.
BENEFITS OF SHGs  Credit Mobilization: A study has shown that about
 Mobilizes women from rural areas: According to the 48% of the members had to borrow from local money
lenders, relatives and neighbours because they were
estimates, about 46 million rural poor women are
mobilized through SHGs architecture. These getting inadequate loan from groups. Also issues like
organizations have been an effective vehicle, especially hoarding of money was witnessed.
in providing financial intermediation solutions for  System of monitoring: The general reports on the
unbanked rural women. progress of SHGs show statistics of growth and spread
 Socio-economic benefits: It includes economic self- of SHGs without questioning the process and internal
health of the SHGs.
independence, participation in village affairs and
awareness about education. The government, through various initiatives and
 Special Focus: Under National Rural Livelihood programs, has recognized the potential of SHGs in
promoting socio-economic development, women's
Mission, special attention has been given to women
living below poverty line (BPL). The scheme has also empowerment, and poverty reduction. As a result, SHGs
have become an integral part of many government
focused on capacity building and institutionalization of
SHGs. It has also helped in social mobilization, schemes and interventions aimed at inclusive growth and
institution building, communization and creation of sustainable development in India.
human resource. The Indian government has implemented several steps to
 Improves the status of women in family and support and assist SHGs across the country. Here are
society: Regular process of group meetings helps some of the key measures taken:
women build social capital which raises their status in  National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM): The
the family and the society. It also leads to economic NRLM, launched in 2011, aims to promote and
empowerment which helps them take decision making strengthen SHGs in rural areas. It provides financial
role in the family. Thus, help them break shackles of assistance, capacity-building training, and livelihood
patriarchy. support to SHGs. The program also focuses on
 Improves health and standard of living: A research promoting federations of SHGs to enhance their
collective strength.
has also shown that Women practicing ‘participatory

Governance
 Financial Inclusion and Microfinance: The initiatives such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
government has encouraged financial inclusion by Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Swachh
facilitating access to formal financial services for SHGs. Bharat Abhiyan, and National Rural Drinking Water
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme Program, among others.
promotes opening bank accounts for every household These steps taken by the government are aimed at
and facilitates access to credit and insurance services. strengthening SHGs, providing them with financial
SHGs also receive microfinance support through support, enhancing their skills, and promoting their
schemes like the National Bank for Agriculture and overall development and empowerment.
Rural Development (NABARD) and Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
 Interest Subsidy and Credit Linkage: SHGs are INDEPENDENCE OF HIGHER
linked with various credit schemes to provide financial
support for income-generating activities. The
JUDICIARY
government provides interest rate subsidies to reduce #higher Judiciary
the burden on SHG members and enhance their
repayment capacity. The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana
- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) offers Retiring Supreme Court judge, Justice K.M. Joseph, said in his
capitalization support and interest subvention to farewell address on Friday that the independence of the
SHGs. Supreme Court is integral to the democratic way of life.
 Capacity Building and Skill Development: The “The independence of the Supreme Court is integral to
government focuses on capacity building and skill the maintenance of a democratic way of life and rule of
development of SHG members. They are provided with law. It is not very difficult for a nation which is a
training programs on financial literacy, democracy having a Constitution to slip into chaos, into
entrepreneurship, market linkages, and management just the opposite of democracy,” Justice Joseph said.
skills. The programs are designed to enhance their SYLLABUS
overall capacity to manage and sustain their
 General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution,
enterprises.
Polity, Social Justice and International relations:
 Market Linkages and Promoting Enterprises: Efforts
o Separation of powers between various organs
are made to connect SHGs with markets and value
dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
chains. The government supports market linkages for
SHG products through initiatives like the Rural Haat We are first going to understand:
Bazaars, Marketing Assistance Scheme, and  What is Rule of Law?
procurement programs by government agencies. SHGs
 Why the Judiciary needs to be Independent?
are encouraged to engage in various income-
 Independence of Indian Judiciary
generating activities such as handicrafts, agriculture,
dairy, and small-scale industries. RULE OF LAW AND INDEPENDENCE OF JUDICIARY
 Legal and Policy Support: The government has  It would be appropriate to discuss the views of Dicey,
implemented policies and legal provisions to facilitate as he is known to be the main exponent of the concept
the functioning and empowerment of SHGs. The of rule of law.
Companies Act, 2013, allows SHGs to register as  According to Dicey’s theory, rule of law has three
Producer Companies, enabling them to access markets pillars based on the concept that “a government
directly. The National Rural Livelihoods Promotion should be based on principles of law and not of men”,
Society (NRLPS) provides policy and technical support these are-
to promote SHGs. o Supremacy of Law.
 Government Schemes: SHGs are actively involved in o Equality before the Law; and
the implementation of various government schemes at
o Predominance of Legal spirit.
the grassroots level. They play a significant role in

Governance
 According to Dicey, for the prevalence of the rule constitutionality of any law if the Court arrives at the
of law there should be an enforcing authority conclusion that the law is inconsistent with the provisions
and that authority he found in the courts. He of the Constitution, such a law is declared as
believed that the courts are the enforcer of the unconstitutional and inapplicable. The term judicial
rule of law and hence it should be free from review is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution.
impartiality and external influence. However, the fact that India has a written constitution
 The rule of law provides two basic protections against and the Supreme Court can strike down a law that goes
arbitrary or discriminatory government action. against fundamental rights, implicitly gives the Supreme
Court the power of judicial review. Together, the writ
o It provides that the rule applied to a particular case
powers and the review power of the Court make judiciary
must be reasonably predictable.
very powerful. In particular, the review power means that
o And it provides that the rule must be predictable
the judiciary can interpret the Constitution and the laws
without regard for the identity of the parties. passed by the legislature. Many people think that this
Judicial independence ensures, in particular, that judges feature enables the judiciary to protect the Constitution
are free to conclude that actions taken, or decisions effectively and to protect the rights of citizens. The
made by the Government (or even by others) are in practice of entertaining PILs has further added to the
breach of the law, and that they are in particular in powers of the judiciary in protecting rights of citizens.
breach of individual's rights, including of course their Since the courts are entrusted the duty to uphold the
fundamental, or human, rights - and to decide on the constitution and the laws, it very often comes in
appropriate remedy.
conflict with the state when it tries to enforce orders.
WHY THE JUDICIARY NEEDS TO BE INDEPENDENT? Therefore, the need for an independent and impartial
Independence of Judiciary is sine qua non of democracy. Judiciary manned by persons of sterling quality and
In a democratic polity, the supreme power of state is character, underlying courage and determination and
shared among the three principal organs. The resolution impartiality and independence who would
constitutional task assigned to the Judiciary is no way less dispense Justice without fear or favor, ill will or affection,
than that of other functionaries, legislature and is the cordial creed of our constitution and a solemn
executive. Indeed, it is the role of the Judiciary to carry assurance of every Judge to the people of this great
out the constitutional message and it is its responsibility country. The Judiciary cannot remain a mere
to keep a vigilant watch over the functioning of bystander or spectator but it must become an active
democracy in accordance with the dictates, directives, participant in the judicial process ready to use law in
and imperative commands of the constitution by the service of social justice through a proactive goal-
checking excessive authority of other constitutional oriented approach. But this cannot be achieved unless
functionaries. Our Constitution does not strictly we have judicial cadres who share the fighting faith of the
adhere to the doctrine of separation of powers but it constitution and are imbued with constitutional values.
does provide for distribution of power to ensure that Judicial independence ensures, in particular, that
one organ of the government does not trench on the judges are free to conclude that actions taken, or
constitutional powers of other organs. decisions made by the Government (or even by others)
The concept of distribution of powers assumes the are in breach of the law, and that they are in particular in
existence of judicial system free from external as well breach of individual's rights, including of course their
as internal pressures. Under our constitution, the fundamental, or human, rights - and to decide on the
Judiciary has been assigned the onerous task of appropriate remedy.
safeguarding the fundamental rights of our citizens INDEPENDENCE OF INDIAN JUDICIARY
and upholding the Rule of Law. Perhaps the most
The constitution of India adopts diverse devices to ensure
important power of the Supreme Court is the power of the independence of the judiciary in keeping with both
judicial review. the doctrines of constitutional and Parliamentary
Judicial Review means the power of the Supreme sovereignty. Elaborated provisions are in place for
Court (or High Courts) to examine the

Governance
ensuring the independent position of the Judges of the observed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in S.P. Gupta
Supreme Court and the High Courts. v Union of India; AIR 1982.
 Firstly, the judges of the Supreme Court and the High The constitution provides for a judiciary, which is
Courts must take an oath before entering once that independent. Independence of judiciary is important for
they will faithfully perform their duties without the purpose of fair justice. There should be no
fear, favour, affection, ill-will, and defend the interference by the legislature or the executive in the
constitution of India and the laws. Recognition of the proceedings of the judiciary so that it may pass a
doctrine of constitutional sovereignty is implicit in this judgment that seems reasonably fair. In case of
oath. intervention, there may be an element of bias on the part
 Secondly, the process of appointment of judges also of the judges in taking a fair decision. It is difficult to
ensures the independence of judiciary in India. The suggest any other way to make the Indian courts more
judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts are self-reliant and keep them away from the influence of the
appointed by the President. The constitution of India other two organs.
has made it obligatory on the President to make the
appointments in consultation with the highest judicial NHRC TAKES NOTE OF
authorities. He, of course, takes advice of the Cabinet.
The constitution also prescribes necessary
HEALTH WORKERS’ WOES
qualifications for such appointments. The constitution #NonConstitutionalBodies
tries to make the appointments unbiased by political
considerations. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken
 Thirdly, the Constitution provides for the Security Suo motu cognisance of a media report that cited a 250-
of Tenure of Judges. The judges of the Supreme Court 300% increase in the circulation of child sexual abuse
material (CSAM) on social media in India. The NHRC said the
and the High Courts serve “during good behaviours”
content is of foreign origin, and Indian investigation agencies
and not during the pleasure of the President, as is the
have not come across any Indian-made child sexual abuse
case with other high Government officials. They cannot
material so far.
be arbitrarily removed by the President. They may be
WHY ARE WE COVERING IT?
removed from office only through impeachment. A
Judge can be removed on the ground of proved  Because UPSC main syllabus has this line
misbehaviour or incapacity on a report by both Houses
of the Parliament supported by a special majority.
 Fourthly, the salaries and allowances of judges are Since NHRC is an important statutory body, we
charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India. should cover it.
Further, the salaries and allowances of Judges of Also, it is always in news because of its functioning.
Supreme court and High courts cannot be reduced Often, we see it as an enervated organization unable
during their tenure, except during a financial to serve the primary objective: Protection of human
emergency under Article 360 of the Constitution. Rights.
 Fifthly, the activities of the Judges cannot be This can be substantiated by following instances:
discussed by the executive or the legislature,
 In June 2016, the current chair of the NHRC and former
except in case of their removal.
chief justice of India, HL Dattu, described this
 Sixth, the retirement age is 65 years for Supreme institution over which he presided as “a toothless
Court judges and 62 years for High court judges. tiger.
Such long tenure enables the judges to function
 In 2017, the Supreme Court of India seemed to
impartially and independently.
support Justice Dattu’s remarks while dealing with the
 Independence of judiciary and rule of law are the alleged extra-judicial killings of 1,528 persons in
basic features of the Constitution and cannot be Manipur by police and armed forces.
abrogated even by constitutional amendments as

Governance
So, it behoves us to prepare the Issues and challenges o The Chairperson of the National Commission for
plaguing NHRC (Mains perspective). As far as prelims Scheduled Tribe.
perspectives is concerned, that is straight forward  Appointment of the members
and you can find it in Prelims Pointer and/or PDF.
o On the recommendation of a committee, the
ABOUT THE ORGANISATION President of India appoints the chairperson and the
 The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of members of the National Human Rights
India was established on 12 October 1993. The statute Commission. The committee consists of the
under which it is established is the Protection of following members:
Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 as amended by the  Prime Minister of India [CHAIRPERSON]
Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.
 Home Minister of India
 It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted
 Speaker of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition [Lok
at the first international workshop on national
Sabha]
institutions for the promotion and protection of
 Leader of Opposition [Rajya Sabha]
human rights held in Paris in October 1991, and
endorsed by the General Assembly of the United  Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha
Nations by its Regulations 48/134 of 20 December The Commission shall, perform all or any of the
1993. following functions, namely:-
 The NHRC is an embodiment of India’s concern for  Inquire, on its own initiative or on a petition presented
the promotion and protection of human rights. to it by a victim or any person on his behalf, into
 Section 2(1)(d) of the PHRA defines Human Rights as complaint of-
the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of o violation of human rights or abetment or
the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or
o negligence in the prevention of such violation, by a
embodied in the International Covenants and public servant.
enforceable by courts in India.
 intervene in any proceeding involving any allegation of
COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION
violation of human rights pending before a court with
 The Commission consists of a Chairperson, five full- the approval of such court.
time Members and seven deemed Members. The
 visit, under intimation to the State Government, any
statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of
jail or any other institution under the control of the
the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. State Government, where persons are detained or
 There are four other members. These are: lodged for purposes of treatment, reformation or
o There should be one Member who is, or has been, a protection to study the living condition of the inmates
Judge of the Supreme Court. and make recommendations thereon.
o There should be one Member who is, or has been,  review the safeguards by or under the Constitution or
the Chief Justice of the High Court. any law for the time being in force for the protection of
o Two other members should be there who have the human rights and recommend measures for their
knowledge or practical experience in matters effective implementation.
related to human rights.  review the factors, including acts of terrorism that
 The ex officio members of the Commission can be: inhibit the enjoyment of human rights and
recommend appropriate remedial measures.
o The Chairpersons of the National Commission for
 study treaties and other international instruments on
Minorities,
human rights and make recommendations for their
o The Chairpersons of the National Commission for
effective implementation.
Women,
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES OF NHRC
o The Chairperson of the National Commission for
Scheduled Castes, and  Autonomy of the NHRC

Governance
o The Commission is supposed to be completely  On top of that, as human rights commissions
independent in its functioning, even though the primarily draw their staff from government
Protection of Human Rights Act, (PHRA), 1993 does departments – either on deputation or
not say so. reemployment after retirement – the internal
o In fact, there are provisions in the Act which atmosphere is usually just like any other
underscore the dependence of the Commission on government office.
the government.  Strict hierarchies are maintained, which often
 For example: makes it difficult for complainants to obtain
documents or information about the status of
 Section 11 of the Act makes it dependent on
their case.
the government for its manpower
requirements. o As non-judicial member positions are increasingly
being filled by ex-bureaucrats, credence is given to
 Section 32 of the Act makes it financially
the contention that the NHRC is more an extension
dependent on the central government:
of the government, rather than an independent
 Central govt. shall pay to the Commission agency exercising oversight.
by way of grants such sums of money as it
 Delay in disposal of cases
may consider fit.
o Expectations from the commission was to keep a
 Thus, in respect of the two most important
tight grip on its disposal, so that pendency was not
requirements i.e., human resources and money,
allowed to increase.
the Commission is not independent.
 Unfortunately, this did not happen and the
o Even the limited finds are not being used for
number of cases pending with the Commission
human rights related functions
has been increasing sharply every year.
 Large chunks of the budget of commissions go in
 Understaffed:
office expenses, leaving disproportionately small
amounts for other crucial areas such as research o Either the Commission needs to get its staff
and rights awareness programmes. strength increased or change methods of disposal
so that the backlog of accumulated undisposed
 Lacks enforcing powers
cases does not become heavy.
o NHRC does not have the backing of the Protection
 Low level of awareness about the Human rights in
of Human Rights Act to penalise authorities which
populace
do not implement its orders hence making it
impossible for NHRC’s recommendations do not o Among general populace
reach to the ground level.  An awareness of rights is not institutionalized in
o The Act does not categorically empower the NHRC our curriculum.
to act when human rights violations through private  It is limited both in geography and knowledge as
parties take place. far as the public is concerned.
 Lacks specialized persons who have dealt in o Among Law enforcers (Primary violators)
Human rights issues  Eighty per cent of the training of a policeman in
o The Act requires that three of the five members of a India is devoted to regimentation and a very little
human rights commission must be former judges time was left to develop forensic skills or human
but does not specify whether these judges should rights awareness.
have a proven record of human rights activism or o Knowledge of the laws and one’s interpretation are
expertise or qualifications in the area. limited to small groups of people who are educated
o Regarding the other two members, the Act is vague, and legally literate.
saying simply: “persons having knowledge and  Delay in publication of reports:
experience of human rights.
o Delay in publication of annual reports by two or
o Bureaucratic style of functioning of govt staff : three years has been a constant problem. Annual

Governance
reports for calendar years should be put online as Constitution. Article 338 of the Indian constitution deals
soon as possible and no later than March of the with National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
succeeding year. Institutions are often distinguished by whether they
o The hard copy of the report should also be perform a protective or a promotional role. The NCSC is
published at the same time. clearly more of a protective institution, though it does
 Constrained against armed forces monitor the progress of promotional policy initiatives
emanating from other state agencies. While its creation
o Since a very large number of complaints of human
was mandated by the Constitution, neither the
rights violations are directed against the members
responsibility of promoting the welfare of the scheduled
of the “armed forces”, the Act obviously weakens
castes nor that of protecting them against injustices has
the NHRC’s effectiveness in providing redress to the
been vested exclusively in this institution. Indeed, though
public in such cases.
it enjoys constitutional status, the recommendations of
o All that the Commission, under Section 19 of the Act the Commission are advisory rather than mandatory.
can do is to call for reports from the central
government in such cases and then make MAINS
recommendations to the government or not  2020. Which steps are required for
“proceed with the complaint” at all. Under the Act, constitutionalization of a commission? Do you think
the Commission has no power to enforce its imparting constitutionality to the National
decisions. The Act must be amended to make the Commission for Women would ensure greater
Commission a strong, and vibrant institution, gender justice and empowerment in India? Give
supporting democracy and good governance. reasons.
o Preventing the NHRC from independently  2018. Whether National Commission for Scheduled
investigating complaints against the military and Castes (NCSC) can enforce the implementation of
security forces not only compounds the problems constitutional reservation for the Schedules Castes
but also furthers impunity. in the religious minority institutions? Examine.
So, NHRC has to develop a strong image as a protector of So, we can see that coverage of constitutional bodies is
the poor, marginalised and vulnerable groups. But that important. From the perspective of Mains as well as
will not be possible without substantial changes in the Prelims. So, in this discussion we are going to cover the
legal framework itself. Main functions of the NCSC, Evaluation of the
performance of the commission, Way forward
NATIONAL COMMISSION The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) is

an Indian constitutional body established under Article
FOR SCHEDULED CASTE 338 of the Constitution of India. It was set up in 2004 to
investigate and monitor all matters relating to the
#Commissions
constitutional safeguards provided for the Scheduled
Castes (SCs) and to protect their rights.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) issued
The main functions of the NCSC are as follows:
a notice to Punjab government officials, seeking an action
1. To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the
taken report on the alleged sexual misconduct by Lal Chand
safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under
Kataruchak, a Minister in the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
the Constitution or under any other law for the time
government.
being in force.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes is an
2. To inquire into specific complaints with respect to the
Indian constitutional body established with a view to
deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Scheduled
provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled
Castes.
Castes and Anglo-Indian communities to promote and
protect their social, educational, economic and cultural 3. To participate and advise in the planning process of
interests, special provisions were made in the socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes.

Governance
4. To evaluate the progress of the development of the  By choosing to interpret its constitutional mandate
Scheduled Castes under the Union and any State. narrowly, the Commission has laid itself open to the
5. To make recommendations for the effective charge of elite bias. The fact that it is most effective in
implementation of safeguards for the Scheduled service-related safeguards speaks for itself.
Castes.  The Commission’s competence in settling service-
related grievances may be contrasted with its inability
FOUR AREAS OF FUNCTIONING
to reduce the incidence of atrocities and violence
Of the four core areas of the Commission’s functioning against Dalits, or to effectively fight the persistent
– viz., service safeguards, education, economic scourge of untouchability.
development and atrocities – the Services Safeguards
 A particular Commission seems to be only as good
Wing is the most active. These complaints relate mostly
as its members, and especially its chairperson, are.
to promotions, discrimination and harassment on
The lack of institutionalisation in the procedures of
various counts, institution of disciplinary proceedings
appointment to the Commission has meant that
on flimsy grounds, the conduct of departmental
competent and committed members are less likely to
enquires in an unfair manner, adverse entry in the
be appointed, especially in a political and policy
annual confidential reports, transfers to far off places
environment where membership of the Commission
or insignificant positions, delay in payment of
becomes a convenient sinecure for unemployable
retirement benefits, delay in the completion of
politicians or a temporary shelf for bureaucrats
departmental inquires, and so forth. It has also
belonging to these groups.
succeeded in institutionalizing the system of liaison
officers and special SC and ST cells in all central  The most significant handicap of the Commission is
ministries and public sector enterprises for the speedy the fact that its decisions are not binding, but
and effective resolution of the grievances of employees recommendatory. Though this is not explicitly stated
of these communities. in the Constitution (as amended), Article 338, with all
its sub-clauses, is deeply ambiguous on this issue. It
The NCSC also has the power of a civil court and can gives the Commission quasi-judicial powers of
summon witnesses, record evidence, and issue orders. It investigation but does not mention the form in which
submits annual reports to the President and the the Commission’s judgement of a particular issue
Parliament on its performance and recommendations. would be delivered and implemented.
The NCSC plays an important role in protecting the rights  The quality of reports in terms of the data they
and interests of the Scheduled Castes, which are one of contain, and the way the data is organized, has also
the most vulnerable and marginalized sections of the been declining over the years.
Indian society. It ensures that the constitutional
 The Commission is supposed to prepare an Annual
safeguards provided for them are effectively
Report for presentation to Parliament. Reports are
implemented and any violations are addressed promptly.
often tabled two or more years after they have
EVALUATION OF THE COMMISSION been submitted to the President.
 There are a variety of conflicts that characterise the  Even when Reports are tabled in Parliament, they are
functioning of the Commission. Firstly, there has frequently not discussed. There is no evidence in the
historically prevailed a conflict between the Lok Sabha debates of a discussion on any of the first
Commission and its nodal ministry, the Ministry of four reports. Of the four Special Reports, only one has
Social Welfare (now the Ministry of Social Justice and an all-India scope and this is about service safeguards.
Empowerment), which has often taken the form of
WAY FORWARD
conflict between the Minister and the Chairman of the
NCSCST. Conflict between the Chairperson and It is often argued that the Commission is a paper
members has also tended to characterise the tiger which needs to be armed with greater powers.
Commission, because of the politicised nature of This argument is premised on an inadequate
appointments to it. appreciation of the location of the Commission in the
existing constitutional setup. To give the Commission

Governance
additional powers, in the matter of criminal investigation  It is the main investigating agency of the Central
for instance, would require it to follow prevailing rules Government.
and procedures pertaining to evidence and prosecution.  It acts as the “National Central Bureau” of Interpol in
These may in fact retard the effectiveness of the India.
Commission by rendering it vulnerable to litigation in the
DIRECTOR OF CBI
form of appeals to higher judicial bodies, and thereby
nullifying its  The CBI is headed by a director.
operational effectiveness and diluting its moral stature.  The director of CBI has been provided security of two-
year tenure in office by CVC Act, 2003.
 An amendment is required either in Article 338 itself,
or in the rules by which the President may fix a period  Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 amended the Delhi
for the discussion of the Report in Parliament. Special Police Establishment Act 1946 and made
following changes: The Central Government shall
 It would be appropriate for the Commission to
appoint the Director of CBI on the recommendations
undertake qualitative studies, commission social
of a three-member committee consisting of Prime
anthropologists and other social scientists to
Minister, Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of
undertake such studies, and to institutionalize
India or Judge of Supreme Court nominated by him.
mechanisms by which contemporary changes and
FUNCTIONS OF CBI
transitions in the social structure can be mirrored,
recorded and acted upon.  Investigating cases of corruption, bribery and
 The process of appointment to the Commission should misconduct of Central government employees.
be made more autonomous of the government of the  Investigating cases relating to infringement of fiscal
day. and economic laws.
It would be desirable for the Commission to engage in an  Investigating serious crimes, having national and
internal evaluation of its priorities on an ongoing basis, international ramifications, committed by organized
and to redefine them in a substantively more egalitarian gangs of professional criminals.
way to accomplish its mandate in the spirit in which it  Coordinating the activities of anticorruption agencies
was intended. and various state police forces.
 It takes up investigation of conventional crimes like
CENTRAL BURAU OF murder, kidnapping, rape etc. on the reference from

the state governments or when directed by the
Supreme Court/High Courts.
INVESTIGATION The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is India's
#Polity premier investigative agency, responsible for conducting
probes into a wide range of crimes and offences.
However, the agency has faced several issues and
Parveen Sood, a 1986 batch officer, has been appointed controversies in recent years.
director of CBI for a period of two years.
 Its jurisdiction is limited to certain types of cases,
ABOUT CBI such as those related to corruption or economic
 It was setup in 1963 by resolution of the Ministry of offences. This has led to questions about the agency's
Home Affairs. ability to investigate other types of crimes, such as
 The establishment of the CBI was recommended by terrorism or organized crime.
Santhanam Committee.  The work of the agency has been further constrained
by the increasingly hostile relations between the
 It is a non-constitutional and non-statutory body.
Centre and the state governments. As many as nine
 It derives its powers from the Delhi Police
states have withdrawn general consent to the CBI.
Establishment Act, 1946. Most of these are Opposition-ruled states, which have

Governance
alleged that the CBI is being used by the Centre to led to two factions within the CBI. The conflict affected
target the Opposition. the CBI's credibility and raised concerns about
 CBI is often accused of being used as a tool by the independence.
ruling government to target political opponents WAY FORWARD
and shield their own leaders from corruption charges.  Greater Autonomy: The 2nd ARC has recommended
E.g., CBI's investigation into the alleged corruption in enactment of a comprehensive central legislation to
the Rafale deal was seen as politically motivated by the remove the deficiencies of not having a central
opposition parties. investigative agency having its own laws and charter of
 CBI is supposed to be an independent investigating duties and functions.
agency, but it often faces interference from the  Increase Jurisdiction: 24th Parliamentary Standing
government and its officials. In 2018, the CBI Committee even suggested CBI to take Suo moto
director Alok Verma was removed from his post and cognizance of crimes and to give CBI pan Indian
sent on leave by the government, which led to a jurisdiction including jurisdiction to investigate
controversy over the agency's autonomy. corruption charges against officers of All India Service.
 It is known for its slow pace of investigations, which  Enhanced Accountability: To ensure greater
often leads to delays in justice and allows the accountability, the CBI should be made answerable to
accused to go scot-free. For example, the a parliamentary committee rather than the executive.
investigation into the 2G spectrum scam took several This would help to prevent interference in the agency's
years to complete, which led to criticism from the functioning and improve transparency.
public and the media.
 Strengthening Coordination: The CBI should
 It is often criticized for its lack of transparency in its strengthen coordination with state police forces and
functioning and investigations. The agency's refusal other law enforcement agencies to enhance its
to disclose information under the Right to Information investigative capabilities. This would help to avoid
Act has been challenged in courts by activists and duplication of effort and ensure that cases are
journalists. E.g., In the 2017 Ryan International School investigated thoroughly and efficiently.
murder case, the CBI was criticized for not disclosing
key information about the investigation.
 CBI itself has been rocked by corruption scandals in LAW COMMISSION
the past, which have raised questions about its
credibility and impartiality. In 2018, the CBI arrested its RECOMMENDATIONS ON
own DSP Devender Kumar for allegedly falsifying
records in a case against the meat exporter Moin SEDITION
Qureshi.
#Polity
 Its resources are often stretched thin due to its heavy
workload, which leads to inefficiencies in its #Fundament Rights
functioning. The agency has a backlog of several
thousand cases, which has led to the demand for more
Law Commission of India has opined that Section 124A
resources and manpower.
criminalising sedition should be retained. However, with
 Its investigators are often accused of lacking the some procedural safeguards.
necessary expertise and skills to handle complex
S. G. VOMBATKERE CASE (SUPREME DEMANDS REVIEW
cases. For instance, the agency's investigation into the
OF SEDITION LAW)
murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh was criticized for
being shoddy and inadequate.  The opinion of Law Commission is significant as a
Supreme Court bench last year decided to put in
 The issue between former Director Alok Verma and his
abeyance all cases of Sedition and directed Centre &
deputy Rakesh Asthana, who accused each other of
State Governments not register any fresh FIR invoking
corruption and interference in ongoing investigations,
the offence. (S. G. Vombatkere Case)

Governance
 The Court also directed the Government for examining under Article 19(1)(a). SC in Kedar Nath Singh
the sedition law as it found the sedition law not in tune judgement held that sedition was a constitutional
with current times. restriction under the ambit reasonable restrictions to
REASONS FOR DEMAND OF REPEAL OF SEDITION LAW speech & expression.
 Sedition law has a chilling effect on free speech and  When two interpretations of a law are possible the one
expression. rendering it constitutional and the other making it
unconstitutional, the former interpretation should
 Alleged misuse of sedition law for curbing political
prevail.
dissent.
3. Existence of counter-terror legislations does not
 Vague definition of sedition law leading to erroneous
obviate the need for Section 124A:
interpretation
 Critics argue that counter terror laws like UAPA &
 Very easy to use this law and lack of checks &
National Security Act makes the sedition law irrelevant.
safeguards
However, these special laws & anti-terror legislations
 Overzealous application of this law to please political
dealing with national security seek to prevent or
masters (important particularly considering lack of punish the commission of offences targeted towards
police reforms) the state.
REASONS FOR RETAINING SEDITION AS A CRIME
 On the other hand, Sedition law seeks to prevent
1. For safeguarding the Unity & Integrity of India: violent, illegal & unconstitutional overthrow of a
 All organised societies have right to protect itself democratically elected government established by law.
against attempts to overthrow. It is the chief duty of Hence, the existence of counter terror laws does not
any government to safeguard State & its institutions imply all elements of the offence envisaged under
against external and internal attack. Sedition.
 Precondition of enjoying freedom is to ensure the 4. Sedition being a colonial legacy is not a valid
security of the State because without such guarantee ground for its repeal:
of stability the rest of the law will be ineffective.  Critics argue that sedition law is of a colonial legacy
 Section 124A provides a prompt and effective and was used against freedom fighters. However, if we
mechanism for suppression of disintegrating go by this logic then the entire legal system of India
tendencies and protects & preserves the integrity of should be overthrown as India's legal system is a
Indian State. It is a deterrent for persons who want to colonial legacy.
commit acts of incitement to violence & acts causing  The colonial government acted like a master and
disturbance of public order. treated Indians not a citizen but as its servant.
 Sedition law can check the proliferation of  However, in today's constitutional and democratic set
radicalisation against India, promotion of hatred up, Government is based on the will of the people,
against Government particularly on the social media. wherein the government is only a servant of the
2. Sedition is a Reasonable Restriction under Article people as it is elected by the people.
19(2)  Constitution provides ample space and liberty to
 Critics have argued that Sedition Law is violative of people to indulge in healthy & constructive criticism of
Right to speech and expression under Article 19(2) of their government in a democratic set up.
Constitution. But arguments against this position are:  However, there is a need to penalise pernicious
 Constituent Assembly substituted 'sedition' with 'which tendency to incite violence or cause public disorder in
undermines the security of, or tends to overthrow the the guise of right to freedom of speech & expression.
State', as the later phrase had a wider import and was 5. Realities differ in every jurisdiction:
more expansive in meaning.
 The argument that just because some countries have
 First Amendment of the Constitution incorporated repealed sedition from law books means India should
public order, friendly relations with foreign states and also repeal sedition means turning a blind eye to the
incitement to an offence as reasonable restrictions

Governance
glaring ground realities & security concerns existing in procedural safeguards to be undertaken prior to
India. registration of FIR with respect to commission of an
 Even the countries which have repealed sedition law, offence of Sedition.
mere cosmetic changes have been made in the law of  These procedural safeguards can be introduced by
sedition without taking away the core of law of issuance of guidelines by central government or an
sedition or merely merged their sedition law with amendment in Section 154 of CrPC (dealing with filing
counter terror laws. of FIR for cognizable offence).
RECOMMENDATIONS OF LAW COMMISSION ON  A FIR for an offence of Sedition can be filed only after a
SEDITION police officer not below the rank of inspector conducts
1. Incorporation of ratio of Kedar Nath Judgement of a preliminary inquiry. Based on this preliminary report,
Section 124A of IPC: Supreme Court laid down in the Central or State Government should grant
Kedar Nath Singh that unless the words used or permission for registering a FIR.
actions in question 3. Removal of Oddity in Punishment Prescribed for
 Do not tend to incite violence or Section 124A of IPC: Currently, the punishment
prescribed for sedition is either life imprisonment or
 Cause public disorder or
imprisonment for three years, but nothing in between.
 Cause disturbance to public peace
There is a need to reform the punishment prescribed
2. Procedural Guidelines for Preventing any Alleged for sedition under IPC to allow courts greater room to
Misuse of Section 124A of IPC award punishment for sedition in line with scale and
 To prevent any alleged misuse of Section 124A of IPC, gravity of act committed.
the Law Commission has suggested certain
Proposed
definition of Current Definition of Sedition Proposed Definition of Sedition
Sedition
By words, either spoken or written By words, either spoken or written
Medium of By signs By signs

Sedition By visible representation By visible representation
Otherwise Otherwise
Attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or

excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards
the Government established by law, with a
Attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or tendency to incite violence or cause public
excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards disorder (new addition).
What Qualifies
the Government established by law. Tendency means mere inclination to incite
as Sedition?
Expression of 'disaffection' includes disloyalty & all violence or cause public disorder rather than
feelings of enmity. proof of actual violence or imminent threat to
violence.
Expression of 'disaffection' includes disloyalty &
all feelings of enmity.
Comments expressing disapprobation of Comments expressing disapprobation of

What is not
measures of Government with a view to obtain measures of Government with a view to obtain
Sedition?
their alteration by lawful means, without exciting their alteration by lawful means, without exciting

Governance
or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or
disaffection. disaffection.
Comments expressing disapprobation of Comments expressing disapprobation of
administrative or other action of Government administrative or other action of Government
without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, without exciting or attempting to excite hatred,
contempt or disaffection. contempt or disaffection.
1. Life imprisonment to which fine may be added, 1. Life imprisonment to which fine may be added,
Punishment or or
for Sedition 2. Imprisonment which may extend to three, or 2. Imprisonment for a term which may extend to
with fine. seven years, or with fine.
practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding Q3. Which of the following statements regarding
Scheduled tribes in India: Census provisions in India is/are correct:
1. The first specification of Scheduled Tribes in 1. There is no Constitutional or legal requirement
relation to a particular State/ Union Territory is that a Census has to be done every 10 years.
by a notified order of the President. 2. The Census Act, enacted in 1948, provides for the
2. Ministry of Tribals may by law include in or permanent scheme of conducting population
exclude from the list of Scheduled tribes Census with duties and responsibilities of Census
specified in a notification. Officers.
3. Criterion for the declaration of a group of people 3. Office of the Registrar General and Census
as Scheduled Tribe is well specified under the Commissioner under Ministry of Home Affairs is
Indian constitution. responsible for conducting the decennial Census.
How many of the above statements are correct? How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 (a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) All three (d) None (c) All three (d) None
Q2. Consider the following statements: Q4. Consider the following statements regarding
1. Hindi belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo- Scheduled tribes in India:
European family of languages. It is a descendant 1. The first specification of Scheduled Tribes in
of Sanskrit, which is an ancient Indian language. relation to a particular State/ Union Territory is
2. In 1949, Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi, by a notified order of the President.
along with English, as Official Language of Union 2. Ministry of Tribals may by law include in or
of India. exclude from the list of Scheduled tribes
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? specified in a notification.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 3. Criterion for the declaration of a group of people
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2 as Scheduled Tribe is well specified under the
Indian constitution.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Governance
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 Q6. Consider the following statements regarding
(c) All three (d) None Ordinance making power of the central
executive in India:
Q5. Which one of the following statements 1. The President can only promulgate an Ordinance
regarding “Reporters without border” is when either of the two Houses of Parliament is
incorrect? not in session.
(a) It is a global media watchdog headquartered in 2. The President cannot promulgate an Ordinance
Paris, France. unless he is satisfied that there are
(b) It is a trade union and a representative of media circumstances that require taking ‘immediate
companies. action’.
(c) Press freedom index is published by this very 3. Ordinances must be approved by Parliament
organization. within six weeks of reassembling or they shall
(d) While calculating the Press Freedom Index, a tally cease to operate.
of abuses against media and journalists in How many of the above statements are correct?
connection with their work, arrived at by (a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
monitoring and analysing news stories on (c) All three (d) None
journalists being imprisoned or killed.
Q1. Discuss the role of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in poverty alleviation, women's empowerment, and community
development in India. (250 words)
Q2. "What measures are taken in the Indian Constitution to ensure the independence of the judiciary, and why is
judicial independence considered integral to the maintenance of a democratic way of life and the rule of law?"
Answers: 1-a, 2-c, 3-c, 4-a, 5-b, 6-c

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS &
Security
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper II & III (Main)
 Secondly the notion that “all growth was good

COUNTERING CHINA’S RISE growth”, led to the privileging of some sectors like
#Neighbourhood finance “while other essential sectors, like
semiconductors and infrastructure, atrophied”.
The intensifying head-to-head clash between the United  Thirdly, the old assumption “that economic
States and China has set alarm bells ringing. The beginning integration would make nations more responsible
was with a trade war in 2018, U.S. policy towards China has and open, and that the global order would be more
morphed into a draconian technology denial regime aimed peaceful and cooperative”, also led to distortion
at hobbling China’s rise. wherein Unites States referred to the premise
underlying China’s admission into the WTO in 2001
Further the USA is preventing any Chinese military venture to
wherein admitting countries into the rules-based
capture Taiwan, for which it has taken major steps across
order should have incentivised them to adhere to its
the Indo-Pacific to shore up its military edge. Both China and
rules”. However, the problems triggered by the
US are jostling for power and influence across the world.
integration of a “large non-market economy” like
It is to understand that “Extreme competition” over
China into the WTO.
technologies may have initiated the conflict, but their
It was realised that the America’s economic policy must
insecurities are increasingly bringing their military and
confront the urgent need for a “just and efficient
nuclear instruments to the fore.
transition” to green economic growth and the political
The United States today is seeking wider international
imperative of reducing economic inequality at home that
consensus on the new economic approach from its allies
has undermined American democracy. Thus, for this
and partners, including India. The Unites states is
purpose the United States has offered a five-fold policy
pushing its efforts to build a “New Washington
framework under the New Washington Consensus
Consensus” as the Washington Consensus has started
 The first is to return to industrial policy that was
showing fissures and the lacunas in the approach which
the hallmark of US economic development
are highlighted by the following reasons:
historically but dismissed by economic neoliberalism
 The conviction that the “markets know best”
in the last few decades. For this the US has restored
approach led to the hollowing out of the US
the role of the state in pumping investments into
industrial base. It was argued that in the name of
semiconductor production and promoting the
oversimplified market efficiency, entire supply chains
development and deployment of green technologies.
of strategic goods along with the industries and jobs
 Second, the United States under its new approach is
that made them moved overseas. It was realised that
not seeking autarky or promoting protectionism. The
deep trade liberalisation though helped America
US is not going alone and wants to develop a joint
export goods, but not jobs and capacity.
effort with US allies and partners, including India.

International Relations & Security
 Third, United States wants its friends and partners to high risk of miscalculation, war or a messy global
look beyond traditional trade policies. Wherein he economic breakdown.
highlighted the US-proposed Indo-Pacific Economic However, U.S. estrangement with China enhances India’s
Framework is not a free trade agreement. geopolitical value, something that India wants to
 Fourth, the US is trying to mobilise “trillions in capitalise on. But there is also a caution that while the
investment into emerging economies with Sino-American hostility may bring benefits to India, a
solutions that those countries are fashioning on their breakdown would be catastrophic, for not just India but
own, but with capital enabled by a different brand” of also the world.
US economic diplomacy. This primarily involves
offering an alternative to China’s Belt and Road
Initiative, addressing the global debt crisis, and INDIAN APPEAL AT WTO
reforming multilateral development banks. #International Organisation
 Lastly United States is also pushing the efforts to
develop a new set of export controls on sensitive
India has appealed against the ruling made by dispute
technology that will limit national security threats
settlement body of WTO against the Indian government
from China and other rivals.
decision of imposition of tariff on mobile phones and
However International Scholars believe that the new
electronic components.
Washington Consensus will face some of the critical
The case was filed against India by Japan highlighting that
challenges as it marred with variety of challenges like
India has violated global trading rules under the
 CURTAIL NOT CONTAIN: Experts believe that while
Information technology agreement (ITA)
export controls may slow China, it is impossible to
It is to understand that resolving trade disputes is one of
prevent it from developing its own technologies. The
the core activities of the WTO.
Russian experience shows too that sanctions are not
easy to work either. A dispute arises when a member government believes
another member government is violating an agreement
 UNEQUIVOCAL CHINESE STAND: China does not see
or a commitment that it has made in the WTO.
much difference between “de-risking” and
“containment”. Its immediate response to the G-7 was GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM UNDER WTO
to order its infrastructure companies to stop buying  Dispute settlement is a central pillar of Multilateral
from American companies. Trading System and essential for stability and rule of
 FISSURES WITHIN WEST: The United States will also law global economy.
face much challenge from its allies as the French  Dispute Settlement Body: Settling disputes is the
President Emmanuel Macron’s has refused to be a responsibility of Dispute Settlement Body, which
vassal state of the U.S., which represents a tip of the consists of all WTO members. Dispute Settlement
iceberg of the worries of its partners in Europe and Body has sole authority to establish 'Panels' of experts
allies such as South Korea. to consider the case and to accept or reject the panel's
 ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE: China made up roughly findings or results of an appeal. It monitors
one-third of the U.S. industry’s market and would be implementation of rulings and recommendations and
“impossible to replace as both a source of has power to authorize retaliation when a country
components and an end market for its product does not comply with a ruling.
 POLITICS OVER ECONOMICS: While the old  First Stage - Consultation: Before taking any other
Washington Consensus was largely in economics, the action, countries in dispute talk to each other to see if
new suffers from an overdose of geopolitics which is they can settle their differences by themselves.
also feeding into local U.S. politics as well. However, if talks fail, they can ask WTO Director-
General to mediate or try to help.
CONCLUSION
 Second Stage - Panel: If consultations fail,
United states and China seem to be involved in what the
complaining countries can ask for a panel to be
Americans call a game of “chicken” which comes with a

appointed. The country 'in the dock' can block the  WTO Appellate Body has been dysfunctional since
creation of a panel once, but when Dispute Settlement 2019 due to USA blockage of appointments of
Body meets for a second time, the panel must be members to the Appellate Body of WTO.
constituted unless there is a consensus against it. The
 Article 25 of Understanding on Rules and Procedures
Panel helps the Dispute Settlement Body makes
Governing the Settlement of Disputes allows for
rulings or recommendations. Since the panel's report
parties to resolve disputes in the implementation of
can only be rejected by consensus in the Dispute
WTO Rules by arbitration as an alternative to
Settlement Body, its conclusions are difficult to
adjudication by panels and the Appellate Body. Under
overturn. The final report of the panel is the ruling or
the Article, parties must agree on arbitration and
recommendation of Dispute Settlement Body unless a
consensus rejects it. Both sides can appeal the report. procedures to be followed.
 Appeals to Appellate Body: Appeals must be based  MPIA provides that the participating members will
on points of law such as legal interpretation. Each resolve disputes by using arbitrations, instead of
appeal is heard by three members of a permanent appealing to the non-functional Appellate Body, when
seven-member Appellate Body set up by the Dispute they are unable to accept the adoption of the panel
Settlement Body and broadly representing the range decisions.
of WTO membership. Members of Appellate Body  Countries participating: Currently, 52 countries and
have four-year terms. Members of Appellate Body are regions, including EU, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
individuals with recognised standing in law and Singapore, Japan & New Zealand are prominent
international trade, they are not affiliated with any countries participating in MPIA.
government. An appeal can uphold, modify or reverse
the panel's legal findings. Dispute Settlement Body
must accept or reject the appeals report and rejection
is possible only by consensus.
FIPIC (FORUM FOR INDIA
 Enforcement of decisions: Priority for enforcement PACIFIC ISLANDS
actions brings the policies of losing the country in line
with the final ruling of WTO Dispute Settlement Body COOPERATION)
(DSB) and in a reasonable time. If it fails to act within a
period of 30 days, the losing side must enter #Regionalorganizations
negotiations with the complaining country to
determine a mutually acceptable solution. However, if
after 20 days, no satisfactory compensation is agreed PM Modi during the recent FIPIC summit communicated that
upon, the winning side may ask DSB to retaliate. Small Island nations of the Pacific Ocean are in fact “large
Retaliation is a temporary measure, focused on ocean states”, highlighting the importance of the 14
encouraging the losing country to comply. Ex. Winning members of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation
side can block imports from the losing country. In (FIPIC). He also spoke in favour of free and open Indo-Pacific
principle, the retaliation should be in the same sector region and focused on India’s commitment to assist the
as the dispute. However, if this is not effective or development goals of the member-countries.
practical, it can be in a different sector of the same
 PM also highlighted the close cooperation by
agreement. However, in serious issues, actions can be
explaining Climate change, natural calamities, poverty
taken under another agreement also.
and famine already existed but now new challenges
MULTI-PARTY INTERIM APPEAL ARBITRATION are emerging as supply chains of food, fuel fertilizer
ARRANGEMENT (MPIA) and pharma are facing hurdles. Those we thought
 It is an interim, alternative mechanism for resolving were reliable, we came to know they were not
WTO disputes that are appealed by a Member by standing with us. In this time of difficulty, the old
arbitrations in the absence of a functioning and saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed has
staffed WTO Appellate Body. been proved. From vaccines to medicines, wheat and

sugar, India has supplied the countries that needed that are larger than the landmass and EEZ of India
the items taken together.
 He was also conferred the Grand Companion of the  Further India with its rising naval capabilities begins to
Order of Logohu (GCL), the highest civilian award of look beyond the east of Malacca, the PIC’s would
Papua New Guinea. become inevitably significant in India’s broader
 PM Modi further unveiled a comprehensive 12-step maritime strategy.
initiative aimed at advancing India's collaborations  However, India’s interaction with the PICs still largely
with the countries in the Pacific region which included revolves around its engagement with Fiji and PNG,
FIPIC SME Development Project, Solar project for mainly driven by the presence of sizeable Indian
Government buildings, provide desalination units for Diaspora
drinking water, Supply Sea ambulances, set up dialysis o Nearly 40 percent of Fiji’s population is of Indian
units, set up of 24x7 emergency helpline, set up of Jan origin and about 3000 Indians live in PNG.
Aushadi Kendras, Set up Yoga centres
o In terms of institutional engagements, India
 At the same time members of the FIPIC highlighted participates in the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) as one
that they are victims of global power play and they of the key dialogue partners of the Forum.
want India to advocate for them and sit in those
o The most important development in facilitating
meetings,”. They also urged India to serve as the voice
India’s interaction with the PICs in recent years has
of the Global South in the G-7 and the G-20.
been the formation of FIPIC.
 The recent visit of PM Modi to Papua New Guinea
o In 2019 PM Modi announced US$12 million grant
highlights the growing strategic significance of the
(US$ 1 million to each PSIDS) towards the
Pacific Island nations, which have also received
implementation of high impact developmental
attention from China, with the country having signed a
project in their choice
security agreement last year with the Solomon
o There was also announcement made for a
Islands.
concessional Line of Credit of US$150 million which
INDIA AND THE PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS
can be availed by these countries for undertaking
 Historically, India’s interaction with the region goes solar, renewable energy and climate-related
back to the colonial era, in the early 19th century when projects based on their requirements.
Indian workers were taken to the region, to work as
o An ‘India-Pacific Islands Sustainable Development
indentured plantation labourers, most of whom
Conference’ was also organized in Fiji 2017. The
settled there, particularly in Fiji and PNG. However, in
conference focused on discussing the issues
the post-colonial era until recently the region did not
including the blue economy, adaptation-mitigation
find much significance in India’s foreign policy.
practices for climate change, disaster preparedness
 In the recent times with the changing geopolitical and health
scenario and strategic and economic compulsions
o In 2017, India launched Climate Early Warning
have driven India to refresh and redesign its Pacific
Systems in seven PICs. India has regularly aided in
policy.
these counties to deal with consequences of
 India's involvement with these 14 nations aligns with frequent cyclones like the relief and rehabilitation
its Act East Policy, and the country has primarily grant was provided when Tropical Cyclone Hola hit
fostered its relationships with them through Vanuatu in 2018.
developmental aid as part of South-South
o India has also offered a Line of Credit set up a
Cooperation.
pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and the
 The PICs with their resource rich Exclusive Economic distribution centre in the Pacific Island region for
Zones (EEZs) can be attractive sources of natural and access to affordable drug and has
mineral resources like LNG and hydrocarbons to fuel
o Further, India has provided financial assistance for
India’s growing economy and can also provide new
the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector in
markets for its products. Some of the PICs have EEZs

these countries, helping many small-scale influence and about diminishing American and
entrepreneurs to develop their own business. Australian influence. It’s a zero-sum game. Australia
o At this moment, total annual trade of about $300 has a security cooperation agreement with Honiara
million between the Indian and Pacific Island and is a preferred security provider. Australia went
countries, whereas exports are around $200 million from being a “key security provider” to becoming “one
and imports are around $100 million. of the options” to seek out.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REGION o GREAT GAME IN PACIFIC: The US’ posture and
initiatives in Indo-Pacific are also worrying China.
 Located between the US, China and Australia, the
US’ Indo-Pacific strategy outlines that it is keen to
Pacific Island countries hold strategic importance for
focus on “every corner of the region including the
security and defence. The US has long maintained
Pacific Islands. Further the formation of Quad and
influence and a military presence in the Pacific region.
US’ Indo-Pacific strategy have worried China, so this
Over the last decade, China has focused on
game of influence will further intensify.
strengthening its ties in Pacific through increased aid
development, diplomacy and security cooperation.  REGIONAL ECONOMICS: The Pacific region is also an
important route to transport products and natural
 The area gained prominence when in 2022, Solomon
resources. Further the exports from Australia (as
Islands signed a security pact sparking international
Australia supplies critical minerals like that of iron ore,
concern over the possibility of Beijing building its first
coal, and raw cotton and exports to important allies
military base in the region.
like Australia and other countries like New Zealand
 China has also signed off on a variety of smaller pass through this sea area.
bilateral agreements during the same tour. To counter
 CLIMATE HAZARDS: Many Pacific Island nations are
the move, newly appointed Australian Foreign
worried of the impact of climate change and rising sea
Minister, immediately travelled to Fiji, Samoa and
levels, which pose an immediate existential threat. In
Tonga to shore up Australian diplomatic interests in
fact, the Fijian Defence Minister, in the recent Shangri-
Oceania
La Dialogues that the greatest threat to the region is
 ISOLATION OF TAIWAN: Strategist are of the opinion not a conflict between China and the U.S., but rather
that China would use the island countries to further the geopolitical effects of climate change.
isolate Taiwan from the diplomatic support it receives
CONCLUSION
from the region.
As two geopolitical superpowers start to compete for
o Several countries in Oceania (The Marshall Islands,
political dominance in the region, the region now risks
Nauru, Palau, and Tuvalu) recognize Taiwan as a
being dragged into conflicts, being used as pawns in
sovereign country. Chinese outreach and
broader global ambitions, and at the worst, could see
development manoeuvrings could therefore help
themselves as the site of an armed conflict
them reduce regional support for Taiwanese
independence. ABOUT FIPIFC
o As a testimony to this Honiara has recently cut ties  The Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation
with Taiwan and followed Beijing’s line on the “One (FIPIC) was launched in 2014.
China” policy. The “Inter-governmental Framework  FIPIC includes 14 of the island countries – Cook
Agreement on Security Cooperation” between Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
Beijing-Honiara is a culmination of these efforts. Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
 ISOLATION OF AUSTRALIA: Increased Chinese Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu
influence in the region could lead to more overseas Objectives
military bases being built, and could lead to Australia,
 Provide necessary information and facilitation
a vital Pacific ally for the United States, to be isolated,
regarding prospects of Trade and Investment
cutting them from supply lines from overseas.
 Facilitate meetings between the concerned
 THE ZERO-SUM GAME IN PACIFIC: China’s
businessmen from both sides
engagement with South Pacific is about increasing its

 Exchange of business delegations between India and Australian leader also expressed strong support to
Pacific Islands Countries India's G20 Presidency and initiatives.
 Online & Offline Match Making Services  Economic aspect of relations: Australia has many
 Organising Events / Trade Fairs expatriate Indians to contribute to its economy. Also,
it is a place where large number of Indian students go
for higher education and employment. In this respect,
INDIA-AUSTRALIA TIES the signing of India-Australia Migration & Mobility

Partnership Agreement will further facilitate mobility
#BilateralRelations of students, professionals, researchers, academics.
This will be done through a new skilled pathway
named MATES (Mobility Arrangement for Talented
Early Professionals Scheme) specifically created
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia. The visit, for India.
which was originally planned for a multilateral event, the o A Business Roundtable with CEOs of top
meeting of the Quad, it transformed into a purely bilateral Australian companies was also organised, and the
visit after the U.S. President pulled out over domestic business leaders were invited to invest in India
political constraints; Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in areas particularly including that of digital
followed suit, and a shortened Quad Summit was held in infrastructure, IT, fintech, telecom, semiconductors,
Hiroshima. As a result, PM visit to Australia was much more space, renewable energy including green hydrogen,
in the spotlight. education, pharma, healthcare including medical
It needs to be highlighted that that purpose of such visits is devices manufacturing, mining including critical
conducive to strengthening the common understanding minerals, textile, agriculture & food processing.
between both countries, or in the best interests of the “three  Partnership in emerging technologies: The two
D’s” i.e.— Democracy, Diaspora and Dosti [Friendship] as countries have also finalized Terms of Reference of
earlier reiterated by PM Modi. the India-Australia Hydrogen Task Force, to focus
During the recent visit the discussions focused in on deployment of clean hydrogen, fuel cells etc
multiple areas with areas covering like that of highlighting the cooperation in areas beyond
cooperation in defence and security, trade and traditional spheres of diplomacy.
investment, new and renewable energy, green hydrogen, However, despite of the increasing cooperation between
critical minerals, education, migration and mobility and the two countries there are still deep challenges that
people to people ties. exist between two countries
 Institutionalisation of India-Australia Summit: (Read in depth about India-Australia relations from
India & Australia has upgraded their relationship to April Focus Pg 67)
Annual bilateral summits at the highest political
level in 2023. A Consulate General of India in
Brisbane was also established highlighting the BRICS
growing trust, convergence of interests among the
two middle powers. #InternationalOrganizations
India & Australia have already raised their relationship
status to India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic The case of BRICS is truly remarkable. Despite several
Partnership level. achievements, it began to lose its sparkle. COVID-19, the
 Strategic aspect of relations: The leaders also Galwan clash, and the Ukraine conflict resulted in increased
reiterated their determination to ensure a peaceful, global economic stress, damaged India-China ties, and
prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, turned Russia into a diminishing power. The group may have
underpinned by a rules-based international order. lost its mojo, but numerous nations want to be admitted,
They also discussed reform of UN Security Council. thus showing the paradox of BRICS.

CHALLENGES FACED BY BRICS and challenge the domain of G7 by including

 Geographical separation: Members are fragmented members from G20.
along 4 different continents.  Second, the demand to join BRICS stems from FOMO
 Political heterogeneity: For a long-lasting strong or ‘fear of missing out’ on the membership of a club
group, there should be political homogeneity. (Ex: EU). that has some visibility.
But China and Russia have authoritative government  Third, many countries that are willing to join realize
and rest have democracy. that the doors of other groupings are closed to
 Dominance of China: The era of China’s dramatic them.
economic rise and, more importantly, military  Fourth is the churning in international order,
assertiveness. This disturbed the group’s inner heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and
balance. Further Chinese role in trade relations hardening of Western positions, are leading to making
makes the BRICS much more a China-with-partners of competitive plurilateral fora. This also comes at a
group than a union of equal members. China is time when multilateral organisations have proved
floating its own organizations like Belt and Road ineffective to resolve issues of global concern.
initiative , Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).  Finally, the clamour reflects prevailing anti-western
 Lack of Mutual trust and Interests: China- India sentiments and a pervasive desire to create a
rivalry (Territorial); Russia and Brazil rivalry (Mining). sizeable forum of the Global South.
So, although BRICS has all necessary conditions WAY FORWARD FOR EXPANSION
(political, military and economic influence) to act like a
There are three options that are available for the
global institution, but these conditions are not
expansion of BRICS
sufficient. The IBSA trio (Brazil, India and South Africa)
within the BRICS expected that China and Russia 1. A mega expansion that raises the membership from
five to 21, thus surpassing the G-20.
would fully back their bid to secure membership of
the UN Security Council but were disappointed. 2. A limited admission of 10 new members, two each
supported by an existing member
 Post Russia-Ukraine War: The post-Ukraine
consolidation of Russia-China cooperation, economic 3. Third is going for admission of only five new
malaise in South Africa that accelerates dependence members, one each supported by an existing
on China, and Brazil’s long fling with rightist policies member, with none of the other four using their veto.
followed by the return of a tired Lula da Silva as the India is in the favour of expansion if it is based on agreed
President, have generated new tensions. criteria and moves gradually rather than haphazard
Despite of the contradictions in recent times 19 countries expansion. International Scholars are of the opinion that
now stand in line, eager to join BRICS. The regional the third option of five new members being admitted
breakup is as follows: seems most rationale and consensus oriented.
Latin America (four) – Argentina, Nicaragua, Mexico and
Uruguay.
INTERNATIONAL NORTH
Africa (five) – Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal and
Morocco. SOUTH TRANSPORT
Asia (10) – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
Türkiye, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Thailand, CORRIDOR
Kazakhstan and Bangladesh. #RegionalGrouping #MiddleEastRegion
RATIONALE BEHIND EXPANSION
 First, China is pushing the expansion as a strategic
The project was first mooted in 2000 and despite its
device to extend its global influence. Further Russia
perceived potential and the keenness shown by key powers,
and China want to use current geopolitical
there was little progress on the project’s implementation for
environment as an opportune time to expand BRICS

years. One of the reasons was the western sanctions on Iran NSTC, which would open new routes for trade with India,
over its nuclear programme. Iran, Pakistan as well as Gulf countries. Recently, Mr. Putin
However, Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, after and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi virtually
which it was sanctioned by the West, seems to have brought participated in a ceremony where both countries signed an
Moscow and Tehran closer, giving a fresh impetus to the agreement to develop the 162-km Rasht-Astara railway, a
NSTC. critical link in the NSTC.
In February this year, President Vladimir Putin said in his

State of the Nation address that Russia was developing the
ABOUT INSCTC and Estonia have also expressed willingness to join

 INSTC is a 7,200 km-long multimodal the INSTC.
transportation network encompassing sea, road, The INSTC spirals across the following corridor:
and rail routes to offer the shortest route of  Central corridor: It begins from the Jawahar Lal
connectivity. Nehru port in India’s western state of Maharashtra (in
 It links the Indian Ocean to the Caspian Sea via the the Indian Ocean Region) and connects to the Bandar
Persian Gulf onwards into Russia and Northern Abbas port on the Strait of Hormuz. It then passes
Europe. It is aimed at reducing the carriage cost through the Iranian territory via Nowshahr, Amirabad,
between India and Russia by about 30 percent and and Bandar-e-Anzali, runs along the Caspian Sea to
bringing down the transit time by more than half. reach the Olya and Astrakhan Ports in Russia.
 It was launched in 2000 with India, Russia, and Iran  Western corridor: It connects the railway network of
as its founding members and work on actualizing Azerbaijan to that of Iran via the cross-border nodal
the corridor began in 2002. points of Astara (Azerbaijan) and Astara (Iran) and
 Since then, INSTC membership has expanded to further to Jawaharlal Nehru port in India via sea route.
include 10 more countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia,  Eastern corridor: It connects Russia to India through
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
Syria, Belarus, and Oman. Bulgaria has been included and Turkmenistan.
as an observer state. The Baltic countries like Latvia BENEFITS

 REDUCED COST: INSTC boasts of the shortest trade Scandinavian-Mediterranean (ScanMed) Corridor and
route connecting India with Russia. Reports indicate the planned Arctic Corridor in the future.
INSTC was 30 percent cheaper and 40 percent shorter CHALLENGES IN MATERIALIZATION
than the traditional Suez route, slashing the transit
1. Firstly, Iran wants to increase its role as a
time to an average of 23 days for Europe-bound
transcontinental transit country. Yet the problem is
shipments from the 45-60 days taken by the Suez
that the infrastructure which remains hampered by
Canal route.
US sanctions. There is also a major shortage of
 INCREASED ACCESS: Cheaper cost of transport will transit wagons and relatively poor road
lead to increased competitiveness of Indian exports, infrastructure which makes it difficult to sustain
opening access to unfulfilled markets. higher levels of traffic.
 LOGISTICS HUB: Under the agreement, Iran and 2. There are other practical problems such as the
Azerbaijan are expected to develop into transit hubs. lagging construction of 22 tunnels and the
In India, Nagpur and Bhiwandi from Maharashtra construction of 15 special bridges along the corridor in
state are identified as potential logistics hubs. Iran. At the same time, there is no single railway
 SUPPLY CHAINS: The creation of diverse supply gauge option adopted for the route. The Russian
chains across Eurasia might surely alter the stereotype standard of gauge of railways and that in Iran is
of East as the producer and West as the consumer. different. Obviously, this would make the operation of
 INCREASED TRADE VOLUME: India’s trade with Russia the INSTC less smooth.
and Central Asian countries highlights that he main 3. The financial situation in both countries remain
reason for low trade with the landlocked Central Asian heavily sanctioned. While the Ukraine conflict
countries is lack of connectivity, which has now been continues and Iran’s nuclear negotiations remain
taken care of with Iran’s Chabahar Port. The INSTC will stymied, Western restrictions are likely to remain in
not only enhance physical connectivity but will also place. In normal times Russia is arguably the only
improve knowledge and information sharing power which would be able to finance the remaining
mechanisms. Rasht-Astara railway section. With the sanctions the
 ENERGY AS A COMMODITY: As India is one of the prospects seem less promising.
largest consumers and is dependent on the area to 4. Further tensions are also persistent in Azerbaijan-
meets its energy demand. Russia relations. Amid the Ukraine conflict and
 Synchronization of INSTC with Ashgabat Azerbaijan’s increasingly coercive position toward
Agreement and Organization of the Black Sea Armenia, Baku’s push to have Russian peacekeeping
Economic Cooperation (BSEC): Linking INSTC to forces withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh by 2025
existing transport initiatives in the Central Asian becomes ever more evident.
region like BSEC (Europe-centric) and the Ashgabat 5. Iran is also suspicious about Russia’s strategic
Agreement (Central Asia-centric) will expand trade goals and interests in the South Caucasus and the
linkages and opportunities in the region. Middle East. Even on such issues as the provision of
 Potential materialization of free trade agreements Iranian military drones to Russia, Iranian politicians
(FTAs) in the region: There have been talks of signing appears deeply divided.
an FTA between India and the Eurasian Economic
Union (EAEU): It will provide the much-needed
impetus to the trade momentum between different THE G7 SUMMIT
countries in the region. Access to the EAEU nations #International Organizations
alone will open India to a market of 173 million
people.
 Possible synchronization with Baltic, Nordic, and  U.S. President Joe Biden at the Group of Seven (G-7)
Arctic corridors in the future: Alongside the North nations meet had agreed on a united approach to China
Sea-Baltic Corridor, INSTC may synchronize with the that called for diversifying supply chains to reduce
dependence on one country.

 The leaders explained that they are not looking to  G7 has no legal existence, permanent secretariat
decouple from China rather they are looking to de-risk or official members
and diversify our relationship with China  Leaders of G7 countries meets annually and discusses
 On the issue of tensions between China and Taiwan, there emerging global issues
was a clear understanding among most of the allies that  India has been a special invitee to the G-7 on
if China were to act unilaterally against the self-governed several occasions in past two decades- including 5
island Taiwan, there would be a response. consecutive years from 2005-
 Further at the summit on side-lines of the G7 meet Prime 2009 during global economic
Minister Narendra Modi met with Ukrainian President crisis. This year Indian PM was
Volodymyr Zelensky and ensured that India will do invited at summit.
“everything” necessary to resolve the war in Ukraine. 
FURTHER AT THE SUMMIT To read more about G7 and
 Launch the Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient India’s policy towards G7
Global Food Security with partner countries to address
needs today and into the future; and
 Deliver our goal of mobilizing $600 billion in financing
WEST ASIA
for quality infrastructure through the Partnership for #MiddleEastRegion
Global Infrastructure Investment (PGII)
#ExtendedNeighbourhood
 Member reiterated the importance of a free and open
Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive, prosperous, secure,
based on the rule of law, and that protects shared The weekend meeting in Riyadh between Saudi Crown Prince
principles including sovereignty, territorial integrity, Mohammed bin Salman and the national security advisers
peaceful resolution of disputes, and fundamental of the US, UAE, and India underlines the growing strategic
freedoms and human rights convergence between Delhi and Washington in the Gulf. It
 They also condemned in the strongest possible terms also highlights India’s new possibilities in the Arabian
the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, Peninsula.
which constitutes a serious violation of international NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST
law, including the UN Charter. The new India-US warmth on the Gulf is a major
 The G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear departure from the traditional approaches to Middle
Disarmament, we express our commitment to East in both India and the US.
achieving a world without nuclear weapons with  In India, one of the entrenched principles of the
undiminished security for all, through taking a Nehruvian foreign policy was the proposition that
realistic, pragmatic, and responsible approach. Delhi must either oppose Washington or keep its
ABOUT G7 distance from it in Middle East. This self-imposed
 The Grouping began as the Group of Six in 1975- ideological taboo was broken with the formation of
with a meeting of leaders of US, UK, West a four-nation grouping unveiled in 2021 called I2U2
that brought the US, India, Israel, and the UAE
Germany, Italy, France and Japan, because of the
together.
Oil crisis and global currency exchange issues that
decided to meet annually.  Joining hands with the US was not the only taboo that
current foreign policy dispensation discarded. It
 The Group of 7 (G7) is an informal group of seven
also rejected the notion that India can’t be visibly
countries — the United States, Canada, France,
friendly to Israel.
Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, the
heads of which hold an annual summit with European  The move has transformed India’s uneasy relations
Union and other invitees with the two Arabian kingdoms, Saudi Arabia and the
UAE, into solid strategic partnerships. As India is now
 Together the member countries represent 40% of
global GDP and 10% of the world’s population

doubling down with a new quadrilateral with the US, approach. Viewed from Delhi, two of them stand
UAE, and Saudi Arabia. out.
 Emerging Arabia opens enormous new possibilities o One was about building new partnerships,
for India’s economic growth and Delhi’s productive including with Delhi
involvement in promoting connectivity and security o Second was about the integration of the Arabian
within Arabia and between it and the abutting Peninsula into India and the world.
regions including Africa, the Middle East, Eastern
 It is also about the rising power of the Arabian
Mediterranean and the Subcontinent.
Peninsula, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The
 The engagement would also help India overcome the Gulf kingdoms have accumulated massive financial
dangerous forces of violent religious extremism capital and embarked on an ambitious economic
within the Subcontinent. The new opportunities in transformation that will reduce their dependence
Arabia and the emerging possibilities for partnership on oil over the long term.
with the US and the West position India to rapidly
o They have also begun to diversify their strategic
elevate its own standing in the region.
partnerships, develop nationalism rather than
 Further the US is not the only Western power that religion as the political foundation for their states,
India is beginning to work with in the Gulf. France has promote religious tolerance at home, and initiate
emerged as an important partner in the Gulf and social reform.
the Western Indian Ocean. India now has a trilateral
CONCLUSION
dialogue with Abu Dhabi and Paris
The momentous change in intra-regional and
 It is not only India that is shedding its “anti-Western”
international relations of the Arabian Peninsula, India
lens in the Middle East, BUT the US is ALSO leading
has inevitably become part of the new regional
the West to discard its pro-Pakistan bias in thinking
calculus. Seizing the new strategic opportunities for
about the relationship between the Subcontinent and
India in the Gulf would, however, involve the long
the Gulf. Under Nehruvian foreign policy India
overdue modernisation of Delhi’s strategic discourse
withdrew from its historic geopolitical role in the
on the Gulf and a conscious effort to change the
Middle East, Pakistan became the lynchpin of the
outdated popular narratives on the
Anglo-American strategy to secure the “wells of
Arabian Peninsula.
(oil) power” in the Gulf.

 However, Pakistan’s continuing strategic decline
makes it a lot less relevant to the changing geopolitics For further reading about the new
of the Gulf. Once viewed as a moderate Muslim proposed project, benefits and about
nation with prospects for economic growth, it has I2U2, visit
now locked itself into a self-made trap of violent
religious extremism and its political elite is utterly
unprepared to lift the nation economically.
BUDDHISM, INDIA’S SOFT
 Pakistan has drifted too close to China. As the US- POWER PROJECTION TOOL
China confrontation sharpens, Islamabad is
tempted to align with China and Russia in the
#MiscellaneoustopicsinIndia’sInternational
region and the scholars believe that the current Relations
government might prefer to boost its “all-weather
partnership” with Beijing.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING REGIONAL There is much significance to India having hosted a two-day
DYNAMICS global Buddhist summit in New Delhi, which was organised
by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the
 The US is not about to abandon the Middle East. But it
International Buddhist Confederation. The summit saw the
certainly is recalibrating its regional strategy.
participation of key figures from the global Buddhist
o US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan
community, including the Dalai Lama.
highlighted several elements of the new US

The summit was a significant opportunity for India to project become the guiding light of Indian
and connect with the Buddhist population around the world, diplomacy on the world stage.
thereby strengthening the country’s soft power. 
USE OF BUDDHISM AS A SOFT POWER TOOL To read more about soft power
With its strong historical and cultural ties to Buddhism,
India is well-positioned to play a leading role in shaping
the discourse around Buddhist issues on the global
PAKISTAN’S CRISIS AND
stage. RELATIONS WITH INDIA
 Indian government has been actively investing in its
#BilateralRelations
Buddhist diplomacy efforts, with a focus on
promoting tourism through the development of
“Buddhist tourist circuit”. Additionally, PM has made
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit to
it a point to visit Buddhist sites during his Southeast
India is bound to generate much media interest but will
and East Asian visits. By hosting such a high-profile
make little dent in the indifferent relations between the two
event, the Indian government hopes to demonstrate
countries. Any meaningful change in bilateral relations must
its commitment to preserving and promoting
necessarily wait until Pakistan has a domestic consensus on
Buddhist culture and heritage.
foreign policy. The vocal opposition in Islamabad to
 India’s efforts to position itself as a great power is Bilawal’s visit the first by its foreign minister to India in more
committed to cooperation rather than coercion and than a decade underlines Pakistan’s sharp internal divisions
are rooted in its deep historical and cultural ties to about its external relations at a critical juncture in world
the region. Current government’s guiding principles politics.
for foreign policy, Panchamrit principles include
DOMESTIC POLITICS AND PAKISTAN’S FOREIGN
“Sanskriti Evam Sabhyata” which means cultural and
POLICY
civilizational links, which were highlighted during the
Delhi summit.  The lack of agreement on India is only one part of
Pakistan’s foreign policy problem. The bigger tussle
 India hopes to reinforce its image as a responsible
has been on finding a sustainable approach to
global power committed to peaceful cooperation
Pakistan’s engagement with the major powers that are
and regional stability. By laying an emphasis on
at odds with each other—US, China, and Russia.
cultural and civilisational ties, India seeks to promote
greater understanding and cooperation between  Pakistan is also facing new challenges in Afghanistan
nations and to demonstrate the unique role it can play and is struggling to cope with the shifting geopolitical
dynamic in the Middle East.
in shaping the region’s future.
WHAT CAN BE DONE FURTHER?  Further there has been latest attacks on the former
chief, General Qamar Jawed Bajwa (Army- the second
 India needs to utilise the reach of Bollywood in
state). Media has accused Bajwa of making major
promoting its Buddhist heritage. China, with its
“compromises” with India on Kashmir; they also
influence over Hollywood, has dominated the
alleged that he was claiming that the Pakistan army is
narrative around Buddhism. In contrast, India is
in “no position to fight” India.
behind in this domain; there have not been any efforts
made through cinema.  Army in the past has made endless meddling in
domestic politics. Army helped install Imran Khan as
 India’s G-20 presidency this year could be used to
the PM in 2018 and chose to pull him down in 2022. It
promote Buddhist diplomacy on a bigger scale
also unseated Nawaz Sharif on flimsy grounds in 2017
through various cultural meetings, especially as
and allowed the Sharif family to come back into the
Buddhist teachings align with the motto of India’s G-20
mainstream in 2022.
presidency, ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’
 Though the impact of Army on domestic politics needs
As Buddha was the first diplomat of peace, his teachings
continuous evaluation, it did during the last regime
of peace and cooperation in these tough times can
tried to reorient Pakistan’s foreign policy and made a

major effort to improve ties with India. The testimony lack of willingness shown by the two countries to change
of this approach was announcement of a ceasefire their stands on the various existing issues.
agreement in February 2021 which came after While Pakistan has welcomed the reports of third-party
heightened tensions following the Pulwama terror mediation, India has maintained silence as it goes
attack and Balakot bombing by India’s Air Force and against its traditional position on diplomacy with
the Pakistani riposte in February 2019. Pakistan. India maintains officially that issues with
It has been highlighted that the ceasefire agreement was Pakistan are of a bilateral nature that has no space for
a product of back-channel talks between the Indian third party mediation or intervention.
national security adviser Ajit Doval and Bajwa. The WHAT IS BACK-CHANNEL DIPLOMACY?
ceasefire was to be followed by several confidence-
 Back-channel talks are used to talk to each other
building measures to relax tensions between the two
through non-official channels to discuss and resolve
countries.
the problems facing the countries.
 Army moves (under Bajwa) to reduce tensions with
 It is conducted through foreign diplomats or neutral
India were part of a broader effort to rejig Pakistan’s
Governments trusted by both sides desirous of
foreign policy. It was a recognition that current
change in status quo.
policies are accelerating Pakistan’s relative decline in
the region.  It is also a means of restoring the status quo ante in
case of difficulties.
 Army’s call to discard Pakistan’s obsession with
geopolitics and focus on national development,  It is also conducted by respected figures in public lives
who are known for integrity, accuracy, who are
geoeconomics, and good neighbourly relations
underlined the case for Pakistan’s urgent strategic capable of clarity, caution and patience and deep
course correction. knowledge of the issue.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SUCH A DIPLOMACY?
 At the same time Government (the first state) had an
anti-American posturing saw the deterioration of  It enables would-be dealmakers to test the waters—to
ties with Washington. The government enthusiasm determine whether the other party can negotiate in
to be seen in Moscow on the day Russian President good faith—before exploring real commitments.
Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine  They can be particularly appealing to high-level
outraged Europe and the US. Imran also sought to leaders who are fearful of a public failure if their
align with Turkey as it sought to wrest the leadership efforts to reach a deal collapse.
of the Islamic world from Saudi Arabia and picked
BACKCHANNEL DIPLOMACY IN THE PAST
quarrels with the United Arab Emirates. This in turn
 Such talks had been initiated by General Zia-ul-Haq
undermined the traditional goodwill for Pakistan in
and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi through Jordanian
the Arab Gulf
Crown Prince Hassan.
CONCLUSION
 During the Kargil War, Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Pakistan will need a lot of time and space to get its
Vajpayee chose an unorthodox back-channel
domestic act together and rebuild a foreign policy
interlocutor, R.K. Mishra.
consensus. The priority for India must be to sustain the
 In 2016, six former Pakistani High Commissioners also
valuable backchannel to the army leadership in
travelled to Delhi for a Track-II consultation with nine
Rawalpindi. Weakened though it is, the Pakistan Army
former Indian High Commissioners, where they met
remains the only credible interlocutor for India in the
NSA Doval and senior MEA officials
near term.
WHY BACKCHANNEL NOW?
ABOUT BACKCHANNEL DIPLOMACY
 Front door diplomacy is not possible because of a
BACKCHANNEL DIPLOMACY complex past.
India and Pakistan have engaged with each other via  Pakistan’s dire economic condition and the mounting
backchannel from December 2020 till April 2021. pressure from the Financial Action Task Force to shut
However, these talks are at a standstill because of the down all terrorist safe havens or face severe sanctions

is clearly one imperative for Islamabad’s willingness to  Such secret negotiations can facilitate early
engage via the backchannel even after India’s decision breakthrough agreements but yield diminishing
on J&K. returns when relied on too frequently.
 To avoid the possible two Front war. UAE’s
geostrategic role as a peace broker: In recent years, MODERNISATION OF
the UAE has shifted its attention away from military
projection to diplomacy, investment and other forms
ARMED FORCES
of soft power. #Security Forces #SecurityLegislations
 Abu Dhabi was prime mover in last year’s Abraham
Accords between Israel and several Arab states.
 UAE played a key role alongside their Saudi
Army formations at all levels — from the Commander on the
counterparts in mediating the 2018 peace deal
ground to the Corps level will soon have a real-time,
between Ethiopia & Eritrea.
common operating picture, with information and data from
 The UAE has reduced its footprint in Yemen and various sensors and inputs fused into one comprehensive
drawn down its forces in the Horn of Africa. It is image for quick decision-making.
looking to scale back in Libya, where it provided both
 A new Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS) under
air cover and material support for the rebel forces of
Project Sanjay is in the process of being deployed,
Khalifa Haftar; the Emiratis are now backing a political
after extensive validation carried out in the plains,
solution to the civil war.
deserts, and mountains.
 UAE has also sought to reduce tensions with Iran and
 Under BSS, the aim is to have surveillance centres for
is leading Arab efforts to reengage with the regime of
all field formations by December 2025. It will integrate
Bashar al-Assad in Syria, having concluded that the
thousands of sensors which will enable provision of
war there has effectively ended and that the only way
an integrated surveillance picture to commanders and
to advance Emirati interests is through political,
staff at all levels, besides completing the sensor-
diplomatic and commercial means.
shooter grid by integrating with the Artillery Combat
 UAE’s strong trade & commercial ties to India and Command and Control System (ACCCS)
Pakistan, and as it is home to millions of Indian and
 This is among a series of automation projects being
Pakistani expatriate workers makes it uniquely
rolled out which are expected to cumulatively improve
qualified to mediate between the two countries.
operational efficiency, enhance battlefield awareness
 UAE is hoping for restoration of trade links between for Commanders on the ground, and provide
two countries. functional efficiency for human resource
 More ambitious still, it is aiming to secure a viable management, logistics, inventory management,
understanding on Kashmir, which has been flashpoint medical services and other administrative functions.
for several wars since their 1947 partition upon INDIA’S DEFENCE MODERNISATION CHALLENGES
independence from British rule.
The pace of modernisation of the Indian Armed Forces
 South Asian initiative also plays into the UAE’s pursuit over the years has been rather slow and, technologically,
of other important foreign-policy objectives. It helps to they are not where they should have been. Indigenous
deepen the partnership with USA by paralleling development of modern defence hardware continues to
American efforts to resolve the conflict in remain a concern, and Indian policy aspiration for
neighbouring Afghanistan, where India and Pakistan defence self-sufficiency remains largely elusive.
have competing economic and security interests.
The Indian defence industry suffers from major policy,
WHAT ARE THE RISKS WITH SUCH AN APPROACH? structural, and cultural challenges that beset a military-
 Back-channel negotiating may foster costly delays and industrial complex that continues to struggle in terms of
perpetuate impasse they are designed to overcome. delivering modern defence hardware that could have
 They provide only temporary protection from deal added to the greater Indian defence indigenisation and
spoilers and public scrutiny. production.

 A Military Strategy to address National Security- o The Standing Committee on Defence (2018) had
National security is determined by the threats that a recommended that the Ministry of Defence should
nation faces. Military strategy is the ability to identity be allocated a fixed budget of about 3% of GDP to
and respond to a threat. In olden times armies fought ensure adequate preparedness of the armed
in battlefield. Today there are terrorist, insurgency forces. However, over the last decade, India’s
and cyber threats. The armed forces must modernise spending on defence has consistently been
to face such threats. lower than this recommended level. In 2023-24,
o The lack of military inputs in decision-making is allocation to the Ministry is estimated to be
the most significant lacuna. It is also observed that marginally lower than 2% of GDP
the national security strategy of India suffers from  Challenge within forces: The Indian Army has
flaws such as the absence of a National Security continued to expand, in manpower terms, in its quest
Doctrine and the absence of a long-term defence to build up capability to deal with potential threats
planning. and challenges. The problem was compounded by
o The decision making in India on national some faulty human resources (HR) policies of the
security and strategic matters have been however Army in recent years, which had incentivised holding
projected to be slow and complex because of the of more manpower by linking it to calculation of
hierarchical structure of the decision-making senior rank positions in the Army.
process. Further observers have questioned the o There is lack of expertise within the Army in the
efficacy of the established process of decision- field of weapon designs and technology, resulting
making in defence acquisition or during times of in lack of meaningful inputs for the indigenous
crises, which is managed by Cabinet Committee on defence industry.
Security (CCS). o The Army remains rooted to the outdated policies
 Economy - The country's economy is determined by of employing ‘generalists’ rather than
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The bigger the ‘specialists’ to man the weapon procurement
GDP the faster is the economic growth. Faster the functions at Army Headquarters. Unless serious
economic growth, quicker will be the modernisation of efforts are made to create a cadre of specialists to
the armed forces. man critical functions related to procurement of
o It is to be noted that capability building of the Army weapons and equipment, starting with the
Army is a continuing process, where budget, Apex level, the situation is not likely to improve
especially capital funds, are requested for  Research in Military Technology, Artificial
annually, based on the projected needs for Intelligence and Cyber Warfare - A portion of the
implementing a 15-year long term perspective defence budget is given to research and development.
plan. However, it has been the experience for A good research and development will make the
many years now that adequate capital funds for country self-sufficient in critical technology. For this
modernisation are not allotted, and consequently, we must modernise Defence Research and
there are major shortfalls in acquiring new Development Organisation (DRDO), and Defence
equipment and other war-fighting capability in a Public Sector units such as, Ordnance Factory Board
time bound manner. (OFB),
 Adequate Budget Allocation - Defence is allotted o These organisations are marred with inefficiency
budget every year as part of the country's yearly and apparent lack of accountability which are
budget. Modernisation requires a huge allocation responsible for indigenous design and manufacture
since modern arms and ammunition are purchased of weapons, equipment and ammunition for the
from other countries. This allocation of budget Army, namely the Defence Research and
depends upon the economic growth. India is now Development Organisation (DRDO), Ordnance
under 'Make in India' project and is hoping to reduce Factory Board (OFB) and Defence Public Sector
dependence on other countries and save money. Units (DPSUs)

o Further the indigenous defence industry, mostly  Launch of innovations for Defence Excellence
based on the public sector, is unable to provide (iDEX) scheme involving start-ups & Micro, Small and
items of desired quality in a timely manner. Most Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
procurement through this route is affected by huge  Launch of an indigenisation portal namely SRIJAN
cost overruns. to facilitate indigenisation by Indian industry including
RECENT STEPS TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT MSMEs.
 DRDO has established 05 DRDO Young Scientist  Opening of Defence Research & Development
Laboratories (DYSLs) to provide solutions in (R&D) for industry, start-ups and academia with
advanced technology areas viz artificial intelligence, 25% of defence R&D budget earmarked to promote
quantum technologies, cognitive technologies, development of defence technology in the country.
asymmetric technologies and smart materials to  Defence ministry is looking at implementing the
tackle emerging challenges in military warfare. ambitious Strategic Partnership model for defence
 Announcement of 18 major defence platforms for production, it could not firm up any major deal under
industry led Design & Development in March 2022. it. Under the policy, government had planned to rope
 Notification of three ‘Positive Indigenisation lists’ of in foreign defence majors to build key military
total 310 items of services and two Positive platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in
Indigenisation lists of total 2958 items of DPSUs for partnership with Indian companies.
which there would be an embargo on the import
beyond the timelines indicated against them.
Prelims Pointer
DIMASA NATIONAL
LIBERATION ARMY ASEAN INDIA MARITIME
Dimasa National Liberation Army signs a peace pact with EXERCISE
Centre, Assam govt. The inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023)
The Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) is an successfully culminated in the South China Sea on 08 May
armed organization operating in the northeastern 2023.
state of Assam, India. It is predominantly composed of  India has long recognized the significant value of
members from the Dimasa ethnic community, which is fostering strong bonds with the ASEAN region as a
a significant indigenous group in Assam. It is demanding crucial strategic partner. The joint maritime exercise
separate Dimasa nation. involved the active participation of not only the Indian
Location where Dimasa people are living. Navy but also the navies of Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and
Vietnam.
 INS Delhi, India's first indigenously built guided
missile destroyer and INS Satpura, (Shivalik-class)
an indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate
took part in AIME 2023.
WASHINGTON DECLARATION
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the U.S. on
April 25 marked the celebration of the 70th anniversary of

bilateral relations between the two countries. An important  Guided by the principles enshrined in the United
moment during the visit was the signing of the "Washington Nations Charter, the IOM places great importance on
Declaration," which outlined a nuclear deterrence strategy. upholding human rights for all individuals.
ABOUT WASHINGTON DECLARATION  The IOM operates within several core frameworks,
 The agreement focuses on cooperation towards such as the 12-point strategy adopted by its Council
deterrence measures. in 2007. This strategy outlines the organization's
primary objectives and provides a comprehensive
 An American nuclear ballistic submarine will be
overview of its work.
deployed in the Korean peninsula as part of the
agreement.  Additionally, in 2015, IOM Member States endorsed
the Migration Governance Framework (MiGOF),
 A nuclear consultative group will be formed to
which establishes overarching objectives and
establish joint response tactics.
principles that, when realized and implemented, form
 The declaration reaffirms the Non-Proliferation the foundation for an effective approach to migration
Treaty, indicating that South Korea will not develop its
governance.
own independent nuclear capabilities and will rely on
deterrence measures through an alliance-based
approach. SOUTH ASIA GAS ENTERPRISE
 The U.S. President is granted the sole authority to use (SAGE)
the U.S. nuclear arsenal in a nuclear confrontation. SAGE's groundbreaking project, the ‘Middle East to India
Deepwater Pipeline (MEIDP),’ ensures India's energy security
by connecting the gas-rich Gulf and Middle East regions to
INTERNATIONAL transport natural gas for India's energy needs.
ORGANIZATION FOR ABOUT THE PROJECT
MIGRATION (IOM)  South Asia Gas Enterprise (SAGE) introduced a

groundbreaking deep-water natural gas pipeline
The U.N. migration agency says Amy Pope of the United
project worth $4 billion. The proposal aims to bypass
States has been elected as its next director general. She will
Pakistan and establish a new route from the Middle
be the first woman to head the International
East to India.
Organization for Migration.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR  The proposed deep-water pipeline will follow a sea
route that lies outside Pakistan's exclusive economic
MIGRATION
zone (EEZ). It has the capacity to transport an
 The International Organization for Migration (IOM), or
impressive volume of up to 1.1 billion standard cubic
as it was first known, the Provisional
feet per day of gas.
Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of
 The pipeline will connect Chabahar in Iran and Ra's
Migrants from Europe (PICMME), was born out of the
al Jifan in Oman to Porbandar in Gujarat state, with
chaos and displacement of Western Europe following
a planned spur line to Mumbai in the future.
the Second World War.
 This ambitious project opens up new possibilities for
 Founded in 1951, the International Organization for
efficient and secure gas transportation in the region.
Migration (IOM) is a prominent intergovernmental
organization that specializes in the field of ABOUT SAGE
migration. India’s Siddho Mal Group, in collaboration with a UK-
 As a related organization within the United based Deepwater Technology Company, is spearheading
Nations system, the IOM plays a vital role in the promotion of SAGE (Strategic Advanced Gas Export)
supporting migrants worldwide, adapting its project. SAGE has formed a Global Consortium consisting
responses to the ever-changing dynamics of of esteemed companies specializing in Deepwater
migration. Pipelines.

government enacted the National Investigation

OPERATION DHVAST Agency Act in 2008. It functions under Ministry of
NIA, along with Haryana Police and Punjab Police,
Home Affairs.
conducted a joint crackdown across eight states on
 Its headquarters are located in New Delhi.
terrorist-gangster-drugs nexus case under the codename
'Operation Dhvast'.  It is functioning as the Central Counter Terrorism
Law Enforcement Agency in India and possesses the
ABOUT OPERATION DHVAST
authority to investigate crimes related to terrorism
 The primary focus of this operation was to address
across different states, without requiring specific
the interconnected activities of terrorists, gangsters,
permission from individual states.
and drug smugglers and to dismantle the intricate
terror network by disrupting their sources of funding
and support. MIGRATION MOBILITY PACT
 In addition, the operation aimed to apprehend
individuals involved in supplying weapons, financing
WITH AUSTRALIA (MMPA)
India and Australia signed a migration partnership
criminal activities, providing logistical support, and
agreement.
engaging in hawala transactions associated with these
criminal gangs. OBJECTIVES OF MMPA
ABOUT NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY (NIA)  Promote the exchange of students, graduates,
researchers and businesspeople, expand our people
 The establishment of the NIA was prompted by the
to people ties and enhance cooperation in preventing
alarming intelligence and operational gaps exposed by
people smuggling.
the devastating 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.
 Specifically created for India and will ‘promote the
 Recognizing the urgent need for a specialized body to
two-way mobility of students, graduates, academic
address terrorism within the country, the Indian
researchers, and businesspeople.’

 Facilitate the mobility provision professionals and India and USA to expand partnership in critical and
others, including through a new skilled pathway emerging technologies.
named MATES (Mobility Arrangement for Talented  The two most prominent aims of the iCET are to
Early Professionals Scheme) specifically created for elevate and expand strategic technology
India. partnerships and defence industrial cooperation
between India and the US.
INDUS – X  It envisages an ‘innovation bridge’ with India by joining

India and the U.S. launched INDUS-X under the iCET to six of India’s Technology Innovation Hubs to support
promote partnerships between the two countries’ defence at least 25 joint research projects in areas such as AI
innovation ecosystems. and data science and apply its gains to areas such as
agriculture, health, and climate.
ABOUT INDUS – X
It focuses on setting up a task force to “identify near-
It is a major initiative under iCET, and the focus is firmly
term opportunities and facilitate longer-term strategic
on advancing high-tech cooperation.
development [of a] complementary semiconductor
ABOUT iCET
ecosystem.
 The iCET was conceived as an initiative which will be
spearheaded by the National Security Councils of
Featured Article
deepening shared understanding of the Arctic through
INDIA AND THE ARCTIC observation, research, capacity building, as well in
BY ANKUR SHARMA, PSIR FACULTY
promoting sustainable development of the region
The activities of the Arctic Council are currently paused over
through international cooperation”.
the Ukrainian crisis. This has brought this body in news.
BACKGROUND TO ARCTIC COUNCIL
 Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum
promoting cooperation among Arctic States and other
countries, with headquarters in Tromso, Norway.
 It has Permanent Participant organizations with
representation from Arctic indigenous communities.
 Arctic Council was established in 1996 through the
Ottawa declaration by Canada, Denmark, Finland,
Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.
 Establishment of the Arctic Council was preceded by
the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy in 1991, a
declaration on the protection of the Arctic
environment.
INDIA & THE ARCTIC COUNCIL
 India is an Observer in the Arctic Council since 2013.
2023 is the 10th year of India’s observer status in the
Arctic Council.
 India’s contemporary stated policy for Arctic has been
CURRENT PAUSE IN ARCTIC COUNCIL
that “India would continue to play a positive role in

 There is a suspension of scientific exchanges in the will have to significantly scale down their Arctic research
Arctic as a protest against Russia’s ‘special military through the AC Working Groups and rely solely on
operations’ in Ukraine. This has severely impeded bilateral partnerships with the Arctic countries.
global climate change mitigation efforts.
 In protest against Russia's actions, on 3 March 2022,
seven (A7) of the eight members of the Arctic Council
(AC), announced a suspension of participation in all
activities of the council. This was an unprecedented
step taken for the first time since the formation of AC
Climate change and Third pole: The IPCC’s - "Special
in 1996. This also came at the time of Russia’s
Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in the Changing
presidency of the AC for the period 2021–2023. In May Climate” suggests that since the mid-20th century, the
2023, Norway is set to take over the reins of the Arctic shrinking cryosphere in the Arctic and high mountain
Council (AC) Presidency. areas has led to predominantly negative impacts on food
 Furthermore, the European Commission and Barents security, water resources, livelihoods, health,
Euro-Arctic Cooperation (BEAC) suspended infrastructure, transportation, tourism as well as culture
of human societies, particularly for Indigenous peoples.
cooperation with Russia in research, science, and
The Arctic region is warming 3-4 times faster than global
innovation. United States also decided to wind down
average, and this unprecedented atmospherics has
institutional, funding and research collaborations in
resulted into a new ocean, the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic
the fields of science and technology with Russian
meltdown is helping the Indian scientific community to
government-affiliated research institutions and better understand the glacial melt in the Himalayas,
individuals in Arctic Council. referred to as the ‘third pole’ and has the largest
 Much of the research and data sharing between freshwater reserves after North and South Poles. The
scientists has been put on hold due to restrictions study of the Arctic is therefore critical to Indian scientists
imposed by funding agencies in Europe and the US. and it is for this reason that India has a permanent
research station in the Arctic since 2008. In 2014 and
 Several field experiments originally planned for the
2016, India's first multi-sensor moored observatory in
region have shifted to the North American or Kongsfjorden and northernmost atmospheric laboratory
European Arctic. in Gruvebadet, Ny Alesund, were launched in the Arctic
 Although, cooperation between US Coast Guard and region. Until 2022, India has successfully conducted
Russian Border Guard on maritime safety on either thirteen expeditions to the Arctic.
side of Bering Strait and enforcement of treaty-based Arctic and Monsoon: The changes occurring in the
commitments such as the ban on fishing in the Arctic affect not only affect global weather, climate, and
Central Arctic Ocean and maritime search and rescue ecosystems, they also influence the monsoons in India.
Indian scientists at Himadri research station in Nye
in the Arctic still continues for cooperation between
Alesund on the Svalbard archipelago of Norway are
Russia and the West.
engaged in studying teleconnections between the Arctic
IMPACT ON INDIA OF PAUSE IN THE ARCTIC COUNCIL climate and Indian monsoon. Environmental
Current pause in AC: As an unintended consequence of transformations in Arctic bear direct implications to
the suspension of scientific cooperation in the Arctic, the Indian monsoons and observing these connections will
Arctic research of Observer countries including India be vital to India’s agricultural productivity.
stands affected. As per the rules for Observer States, India’s Arctic Policy: India’s Arctic Policy released in
their engagement in Arctic Council is primarily at the 2022 is based on six pillars of (i) strengthening India's
level of Working Groups and they can only propose scientific research and cooperation, (ii) climate and
environmental protection, (iii) economic and human
projects through an Arctic State or a Permanent
development, (iv) transportation and connectivity, (v)
Participant. With the freeze in AC affairs, these countries
governance and international cooperation, and (vi)

national capacity building in the Arctic region. These and the Russian Far East, a pool of skilled seafarers with
pillars are relevant for India to strive for the resumption expertise in polar operations and a trained workforce is
of scientific exchange in the Arctic. India’s focus on required. India currently provides 9.35% of global
cryosphere research has assisted in increasing the seafarers in the maritime industry and ranks third. By
understanding of the Arctic. India’s arctic research imparting training to its existing as well as a new
includes atmospheric, biological, marine, and generation of seafarers in polar waters, India can reap
glaciological studies. The document highlights India’s the benefits of the emerging shipping activities.
near and long-term national objectives for the Arctic. Arctic geopolitics: China has pledged to build a Polar
From a theoretical perspective, it can be argued that Silk Road (PSR) over the period 2021–2025. Initiatives
India’s Arctic Policy calls for advancing ‘science such as Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement
diplomacy’ through which it seeks to strengthen and (RELOS) and the proposed Navy-to-Navy MoU would
advance its existing cooperation with all the Arctic states. grant India access to Russian naval port facilities in the
India equally emphasises the application of international Arctic. This could enhance Indian Navy’s reach and
law for the peaceful resolution of existing territorial operational experience in Polar waters, thereby adding
disputes in the Arctic. an overall strategic edge. RELOS will benefit Russia in
terms of accessing Indian naval port facilities in the
Indian Ocean. Though there is a synergy between Russia
and China in the Arctic, India’s presence in the region will
act as a strategic counterweight to China’s strategic
posturing. Similarly with US LEMOA. India has also
accepted the UNCLOS as the governing instrument for
the Arctic which implies that sovereign claims of EEZ can
be undertaken by neighbouring countries to Arctic Ocean
and of international shipping passage by all countries.
Commercial potential: Climate Change induced

changes in the Arctic is warming Arctic leading to
increased availability and accessibility of resources. The
Arctic Council does not prohibit the commercial
exploitation of resources in the Arctic. It only seeks to
ensure that it is done in a sustainable manner without
harming the interests of local populations and in Polar Research Vessel: India has been trying to either
conformity with the local environment. The Arctic has the acquire or construct a Polar Research Vessel (PRV),
potential to secure India's energy and rare earth mineral commonly referred to as icebreaker ship. The main
deficiencies. India’s NITI Aayog also signed a MoU with challenge faced in the construction of a PRV is that the
Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East and Indian shipbuilding companies do not possess the
Arctic in 2019 to deepen India–Russia trade and required capabilities. The only viable options for India
economic cooperation in the Arctic region. Opening up of are therefore, to either directly purchase such a vessel or
Northern Sea Route (NSR) due to Arctic sea-ice melt is enter a joint venture. Presently, India’s polar research,
making the region an important hub for shipping for Antarctic, Arctic, Southern Ocean and Himalayas, is
between Europe and Asia. To undertake various energy budgeted under the umbrella Polar Science and
and mineral resources extraction projects in the Arctic

Cryosphere (PACER) program of Ministry of Earth  Finally, in terms of strategic context, PRV would
Sciences (MoES). Under PACER program, the Goa-based enhance the Indian Navy’s operational reach in polar
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) waters.
was tasked with acquiring a PRV. In 2014, the Cabinet CONCLUSION
Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had also allocated
India’s association with Arctic is over 100 years old,
around ¬1000cr crore and made NCPOR, an
having been one of the original High Contracting Parties
implementing agency, however, cost escalations, design
to the Svalbard (formerly Spitsbergen) Treaty in 1920.
changes and technicalities have significantly delayed
Even today, the Treaty provides the right of visa-free
India’s acquisition of the PRV. The advantages of PRV for
access and conduct of economic and commercial
India are several.
activities to the citizens of India in Svalbard. India’s Arctic
 First, the PRV will significantly reduce India’s Policy is the first step towards developing a whole-of-
dependency on foreign charter vessels for logistic government approach on India’s engagement with the
supplies and scientific needs. region. The Policy is likely to have a multiplier effect
 Second, the PRV would enhance the skills and towards a more synergised and focused scientific
technical expertise of Indian sailors and crew research including an enhanced understanding of
members in polar waters. linkages between monsoons and climate change in the
 Third, an independent PRV could make India’s polar Arctic, and between polar studies and the Himalayas.
missions independent and self-reliant amongst Indian India should invest in image building amongst the Arctic
scientists. states. For instance, to highlight India’s polar identity, the
notion of the Himalayas being the Third Pole should be
 Fourth, such a vessel would further enable year-round
promoted more actively within the Nordic states through
presence and movement of men and material at
informational programs. India’s engagement with Arctic
country’s polar bases.
is in sync with India’s civilisational ethos of Vasudhaiva
 Fifth, with the advent of emerging new technologies Kutumbakam—the world is but one family, in which India
(such as Unmanned Underwater Vehicles [UUVs], advances its increasing role of a responsible global
Submarine Cable networks, and deep-sea
leader and contribute to the global good.
submersibles) and their reach in polar waters,
acquisition of PRV for India would become a necessary
asset for undertaking country’s future deep-sea
research missions in polar waters.
practice questions
MCQS
Q.1. With reference to International Organization How many statements given above is/are correct?
for Migration (IOM), consider the following (a) Only one (b) Only two
statements: (c) Only three (d) None
1. It is an intergovernmental organization founded in
1951 which works in the field of migration. Q.2. Consider the following statements:
2. It is a related organization within United Nations 1. India has signed its first ever Migration Mobility
system. Pact with Australia (MMPA).
3. IOM Member States endorsed the Migration 2. Its objective is to promote the exchange of
Governance Framework (MiGOF), for an effective students, graduates, researchers and
approach to migration governance. businesspeople, expand our people to people ties

and enhance cooperation in preventing people 2. An American nuclear ballistic submarine will be
smuggling. deployed in the Korean peninsula as part of the
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? declaration.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 3. The declaration reaffirms the Non-Proliferation
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Treaty, indicating that South Korea will not develop
its own independent nuclear capabilities
Q.3. Which of the following is the best description How many of the statements given above is/are correct?
for ‘INDUS - X’? (a) Only one (b) Only two
(a) It is remote sensing satellite designed by India in (c) Only three (d) None
collaboration with Pakistan.
(b) It is an initiative launched by India and the U.S. to Q.5. ‘SAGE’, which is often seen in news, is
promote partnerships between the two countries’ (a) A public sector undertaking which focuses on
defence innovation ecosystems. developing nuclear capabilities in India.
(c) It is a nuclear-powered submarine launched by (b) It is an Indian private company formed in
India in collaboration with France. collaboration with United Kingdom which work
(d) A military exercise between India and Russia. towards developing underwater gas pipelines.
(c) It is a security initiative launched by United States of
Q.4. With reference to the ‘Washington America in the Indo Pacific region.
Declaration’, consider the following (d) A United Nations initiative for the sustainable
statements: development of Least Developed countries.
1. It was signed between United States of America
and South Korea to develop nuclear deterrence
strategy.
Q1. What do you understand by Soft-Power? What are the challenges that India faces in achieving full potential of this
element?
Q2. “The modernisation of armed forces is a herculean task”, Identify the challenges in modernisation and mention
the recent steps taken by government in this regard?
Answers : 1-c, 2-b, 3-b, 4-c, 5-b

SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main)
according to temperatures also impact Menstrual

MATERNAL HEALTH cycle.
#Women Issues #Health o Rapid climate changes globally have given rise to
climate-driven food insecurities which
disproportionately impact the nutritional health of
women in a patriarchal society.
In the month of May, a United Nations report showed that A special bulletin was released by Registrar General of
India was among the 10 countries that together accounted India on Maternal mortality ratio. Key findings of the
for 60% of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn report are:
deaths. India accounted for over 17% of such deaths in  Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in India has declined
2020. by 10 points. It has declined from 113 in 2016-18 to
REASONS FOR POOR MATERNAL HEALTH 103 in 2017-19, an 8.8% decline.
 Malnutrition: Undernourished girls have a greater  The country has been witnessing a progressive
likelihood of becoming undernourished mothers who reduction in the MMR from 130 in 2014-16, 122 in
in turn have a greater chance of giving birth to low- 2015-17 and 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19.
birth-weight babies, perpetuating an  With this persistent decline, India is on the verge of
intergenerational cycle of undernourishment. achieving the National Health Policy (NHP) target of
 Low literacy: According to the 2011 census, around 100 per lakh live births by 2020 and is certainly on
35% of female is illiterate in India. Lack of adequate the track to achieve the Sustainable Development
literacy deprives women of awareness about nutrient- Goal (SDG) target of 70 per lakh live births by 2030.
rich diets, good feeding practices and personal This improvement has been possible due to continued
hygiene which ultimately impacts their maternal efforts of the government of India like
health.  Janani Suraksha Yojana:
 Child Marriages: According to NFHS-5, about 25% of o Implemented by Ministry of Health and family
women aged 18-29 got married before reaching the welfare
minimum legal age of marriage. Increasing incidences
o It is a safe motherhood intervention under the
of teenage pregnancies due to child marriages and
National Health Mission. It is being implemented to
inadequate access to contraceptives impact maternal
reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by
health and are one of the leading causes of Maternal
promoting institutional delivery among poor
mortality in India.
pregnant women.
 Climate change:
o Cash incentives are given to beneficiaries for
o Studies show that soaring temperatures due to undergoing institutional deliveries.
heatwaves severely impact the maternal health of
o The scheme focuses on poor pregnant women with
pregnant women. Women suffer more from yeast
a special dispensation for states that have low
infections and UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) in hot
institutional delivery rates, namely, the states of
summers. Dietary habits that keep changing
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan,

Society and Social Justice
Orissa, and Jammu and Kashmir. While these states receive nutritious meals through a wide network of
have been named Low Performing States (LPS), the ICDS centres.
remaining states have been named High o Pregnant women and lactating mothers are further
Performing States (HPS). entitled to receive cash maternity benefits of not
 Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram: less than Rs. 6000 to partly complement the wage
o A scheme under MoH&FW loss during the period of pregnancy and to
supplement nutrition.
o It is an initiative to provide completely free and
cashless services to pregnant women including  Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
normal deliveries and caesarean operations. Scheme:
o Free entitlements to pregnant women under this o Under the Ministry of Women and Child
scheme are Development
 Free and cashless delivery o The scheme provides Supplementary nutrition,

immunizations and regular health check-ups of
 Free c-section
pregnant and lactating mothers.
 Free drugs and consumables
 PM Matru Vandana yojana:
 Free diagnostics
o Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is
 Free diet during stay in the health institutions
a Maternity Benefit Programme that is
 Free transport from home to health institutions implemented in all the districts of the country
 Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan under the provision of the National Food Security
(PMSMA): Act, 2013.
o launched by the Ministry of Health & Family o All eligible Pregnant & Lactating Mothers would
Welfare (MoHFW) receive a Cash incentive of Rs 5000 in three
o Under PMSMA, all pregnant women in the country instalments for the first childbirth. Conditions
are provided fixed days, free of cost-assured and attached to these instalments are
quality Antenatal Care.  Early registration of pregnancy at the
o As part of the campaign, a minimum package of Anganwadi Centre (AWC)
antenatal care services (including investigations  Receiving at least one ante-natal check-up (ANC)
and drugs) is being provided to the beneficiaries on
 Registration of childbirth and vaccination of first
the 9th day of every month.
cycle vaccines (BCG, OPV, DPT and Hepatitis-B).
o The Abhiyan also involves the Private sector’s
 Maternity Benefit Amendment Act:
health care providers as volunteers to provide
specialist care in Government facilities. o Duration of the maternity leave increased to 26
weeks from 12 weeks.
 LaQshya:
o Maternity leaves were extended to adopting and
Labour Room & Quality Improvement Initiative
commissioning mothers. A commissioning mother
(LaQshya) program will benefit every pregnant
is defined as a biological mother who uses her egg
woman and newborn delivering in public health
institutions. The program will improve the quality of to create an embryo implanted in another woman.
care for pregnant women in the labour room, o The act provided that the employer may permit a
maternity Operation Theatre and Obstetrics nursing woman (after 26 weeks of maternity leave)
Intensive Care Units (ICUs) & High Dependency Units to work from home if the nature of work permits.
(HDUs). o All organizations with 50 or more employees are
 National food security act: required to provide a Creche facility and during
o Special provisions have been made for pregnant working hours, the concerned female employee
women and lactating mothers by entitling them to must be allowed four visits to the crèche.

This illustrates how crucial reproductive rights are to

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS achieving gender equality.
#Women Issues  Maternity leave: Providing maternity leave
entitlements would ensure that young mothers’ ability
to participate in the workforce is not hindered
Reproductive rights of women have been in the news due to because of childbearing and child-rearing
various judgements by judiciary. responsibilities.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND POPULATION CONTROL  Access to Contraceptives: High fertility is both a cause
The right to reproductive choice means that women and symptom of poverty. Thus, the core causes of
have a right to choose whether to reproduce, including poverty would be addressed by making
the right to decide whether to carry or terminate an contraceptives and safe & legal abortion options
unwanted pregnancy and the right to choose their accessible.
preferred method of family planning and contraception.  Menstrual leave: Menstrual leave and access to basic
Women need some means to enforce these sanitation facilities for working women improve
Reproductive rights: health outcomes and remove the stigma associated
 Education: Education creates awareness among with the menstrual cycle in society.
women and encourages them to adopt healthy family
planning methods.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT
 Financial Independence: Financial independence
among women guarantees women agency over WORKPLACE
reproduction.
 Access to Contraceptives reduces unwanted
#Women issues #Social Justice
pregnancies
 Legal machinery: Strong laws to address the issues Supreme Court in a recent judgment, flagged serious lapses
like Child marriages and vesting agency over their and uncertainty in the implementation of the Protection of
reproductive choices. Women from Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, leaving many
o E.g., Prohibition of child marriages Act (2006), working women no choice but to leave their jobs.
Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
The above-mentioned means not only ensures women Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) is
enforce their Reproductive rights but also reduces Total framed to protect women in workplace against sexual
fertility rates and hence arrests population growth. Thus, harassment. The Act lays down rules for the prevention
guaranteeing reproductive rights to women is essential and redressal of sexual harassment complaints by
to control population growth. female workers.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND GENDER JUSTICE SALIENT FEATURES OF THE ACT
India placed 130 out of 155 nations in the Gender  The act defines sexual harassment in the workplace
Inequality Index (GII) 2020 released by the UNDP. One of and creates a mechanism for redressal of complaints.
the index's measurement pillars is "Reproductive Health It also provides safeguards against false or malicious
“. This implies that reproductive rights are important for charges.
ensuring overall gender equality.  Every employer is required to constitute an Internal
 Maternal Health: Access to antenatal and postpartum Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office with 10 or
care that is safe and of high quality will lower MMR. more employees. The District Officer is required to
 Agency over reproduction: "Unwanted daughters" constitute a Local Complaints Committee at each
emerged in India because of women's lack of agency district, and if required at the block level.
about reproductive choices and son-meta preference.  The Complaints Committees have the powers of civil
courts for gathering evidence.

o Summoning and requiring the attendance of any  Social challenges: Women are discouraged to report
person and interrogating him under oath. sexual harassment incidents because of fear of being
o Requirement to discover and produce documents. forced to withdraw from work by the family members.
 The Complaints Committees are required to provide  Digital divide: Women can also file complaints
for conciliation before initiating an inquiry if through Women and Child Development Ministry's
requested by the complainant. SHeBox, an online complaint platform for all women
 Non-compliance with the provisions of the Act shall workers. But most of India's women workers find it
be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 50,000. difficult to access these redressal methods, especially
Repeated violations may lead to higher penalties and SHeBox, given the low number of women who use the
cancellation of licences or registration to conduct internet in India is low.
business. WAY FORWARD
ISSUES WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACT  Empowering National Commission of Women with
 Legal shortcomings: power to summon people and carry out independent
o Powers of civil court have been given to Internal investigations, impose fines, and search and seizure
Complaints Committee without specifying if in matters of sexual harassment at workplace.
members need to have a legal background.  Awareness about the act should be increased among
o Very modest fine of Rs 50,000 for non-compliance females and added to school and college curriculums.
with the act is not enough deterrent. Discussions should be organised around these issues
o Employer nominates members to Internal in civil society.
Complaints Committee (Conflict of Interest).  Special attention should be given towards sectors
o Prior internal inquiry and mandate are misused to where women are most vulnerable to sexual
promote a culture of suppression of legitimate harassment. E.g., Garment sector, Domestic workers.
complaints to avoid the concerned establishment
 The law needs to be made gender neutral as sexual
falling into disrepute.
harassment challenges can be faced even by
o Provision of conciliation in the act treats a criminal transgenders and males.
act as a civil dispute.
 Nationwide audit of functioning of Internal
o Law provides a punishing a woman if she is found Complaints Committee and Local Complaints
to have filed a false or malicious complaint which is
Committee. Earmarking of budget for the functioning
completely abusive provision intended to nullify
of Local Complaints Committee.
the objective of law.
 Changes proposed in law:
 No data: Government maintains no centralised data
a) Removal of penalty for false complaints.
relating to cases of harassment of women at
workplaces and does not publicly compile and release b) Removal of a need for conciliation between
data on how many companies and districts comply complainant and respondent.
with guidelines and have committees, number of c) Formation of Local Complaints Committee should
complaints filed and outcome of these complaints. be at block or tehsil level and not district level.
 Local Complaints Committee dysfunctional: 95% of
d) Justice Verma committee noted that Internal
India's women workers are employed in the informal
Complaints Committee system should be replaced
sector, but Local Committees to be formed under
by Employment Tribunal, as dealing with such
POSH Act have either been not formed in most
complaints in-house could discourage women
districts or are not well publicised about leaving
from coming out.
women in the informal sector with no avenue to
report.

 Natural disasters and climatic conditions contribute

ISSUES OF MIGRANT to migration in search of livelihoods.
POPULATION  Uneven growth: The central, eastern and

northeastern parts of India have low levels of
#Vulnerable sections urbanization, forcing workers to migrate to the
southern and western regions, as they offer more
employment opportunities.
The Population Census of India estimates that there
were 450 million internal migrants in India in 2011. This  Social mobility: Migration helps workers to finance
had risen by 139 million from 315 million in 2001 Census expenses for marriage or to enhance their asset base,
2011 and 220 million in 1991, a doubling from 1991- by means such as improving housing or even buying
2011. India ‘s transformation away from agriculture into land
a rapidly growing economy based on competitive
manufacturing and services was facilitated by migration. CASTE AND MIGRATION
According to a UNESCO report, internal migrants
 According to NSS data, Scheduled Castes (SC) and
contribute to around 10% of GDP of India. Despite their
Scheduled Tribes (ST) are over-represented in short-
significant contribution, they face several challenges:
term migration streams and under-represented in
 Official Invisibility: The migrant workforce is almost long-term migration streams.
invisible in official data. This absence results in
 While a substantial portion of migration for all social
deprivation of social protection programmes offered
categories is because of marriage, a high share of
by the state.
both the SC and non-SC/ST categories report
 No Bargaining Power: Migrant Workforce is a highly migrating for employment.
diverse group. Hence, they lack any power to bargain
 Apart from economic reasons, Lower caste groups
collectively and are susceptible to exploitation.
also migrate from rural to urban areas to escape from
 Political Exclusion: political parties do not always the caste-based discrimination in their source
recognise migrants as a political constituency and regions.
respond to their concerns, since they most often don’t
 SC and ST migrants are largely confined to
exercise their voting rights in destination places.
construction sector and other informal jobs due to
 Exclusion from welfare schemes: Most of the welfare poor skills and lack of social networking.
schemes are linked to the place of origin of the
migrants. Lack of access to proper government STEPS TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT
documents (E.g., local address proof for voter id)  The One Nation One Ration card scheme along with
deprives them of accessing most govt schemes and the National Food Security Act will ensure food
policies. security for all migrant families
 Discontinuation of education: Seasonal migrants  Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for migrant labour or
often take their children along when they migrate for urban poor to provide ease of living at an affordable
work, which negatively impacts the regular and rent.
continued schooling of children.  PM Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi to provide
 Violence: Social exclusion and hostility against the collateral-free working capital to street vendors.
migrants owing to a rising sense of regionalism.  Rs 5000 crore released from Building & Other
DRIVERS OF MIGRATION Construction Workers Cess Fund to construction
workers, the sector which is estimated to employ
 Caste-based discrimination: Disadvantaged caste
maximum migrant workers.
groups embrace migration as an opportunity to
escape unfair practices in their villages, such as caste- To overcome these challenges, NITI Aayog prepared a
based discrimination in accessing employment, Draft policy on Migrant workers. Major
opting for other livelihood options. recommendations of the policy are:

 Rights-based approach: This approach towards who are enrolled in college. It was determined using
Migrant workers will lead to enhancing the agency data from the 2011 Census.
and capability of the community.  The Female enrolment has increased to 2.01 crore
 Political inclusion of migrant workers enhances the from 1.88 crore in 2019-20. There has been an
accountability of political leadership towards the increase of around 44 Lakh (28%) since 2014-15.
welfare of migrant workers of their respective states.  Female GER has overtaken Male GER since 2017-18.
 Amending Inter-State Migrant Workers Act, 1979 as Gender Parity Index (GPI), the ratio of female GER to
the existing law protects only labourers migrating male GER, has increased from 1 in 2017-18 to 1.05 in
2020-21.
through a contractor and left out independent
migrants.  There has been a noticeable increase in the
enrolment of students from Scheduled Caste (SC),
 Collecting credible data on migrants and Creation of
Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes
a central database to help employers fill the gap
(OBC) in higher education institutions between 2014–
between demand and supply and ensure maximum
15 and 2020–21. ST students have seen the largest
benefit of social welfare schemes.
growth, with a nearly 47% increase.
 Setting up inter-state coordination mechanisms and Government universities constitute contribute 73.1% of
adopting strategies to check distress migration. total enrolment of students. Whereas private
Addressing various challenges of Migrants is crucial for universities account for only 26.3% of the total
seamless migration of labourers across the country and enrolment.
economic unification of the country. DECLINING REPRESENTATION OF MUSLIM MINORITY
GROUPS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
One contrasting trend observed in the recent AISHE
AISHE REPORT AND LOW report is the declining representation of Muslims in
MUSLIM PARTICIPATION higher education. Enrollment of Muslim students

dropped by 8 per cent from 2019-20 – that is, by
IN HIGHER EDUCATION 1,79,147 students. This level of absolute decline has
never happened in the recent past for any group.
#Higher education #Vulnerable sections Possible reasons:
 Bias in labour markets: As per the Centre for
Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report,
Ministry of Education, Government of India has released the
unemployment rate of Muslims is comparably lower
All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021.
than other religious groups. This data is partly a
The Ministry has been conducting the All-India Survey on
reflection of some discrimination in the job market.
Higher Education (AISHE) since 2011, covering all higher
educational institutions located in Indian Territory and  Barriers to female education: Economic and social
imparting higher education in the country. The survey backwardness of the minority community and other
collects detailed information on different parameters such cultural barriers inhibited participation of Muslim
as student enrolment, teacher data, infrastructural women in higher education.
information, financial information etc.  Violence: Increased violence against Muslims has
KEY FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY restricted their spatial mobility and has forced them
to withdraw into their shells, a development evident
 The total enrollment in higher education has
from the ongoing process of ghettoization in almost
increased to nearly 4.14 crore in 2020-21 from 3.85
all Indian cities.
crore in 2019-20. Since 2014-15, there has been an
increase of around 72 Lakh in enrolment (21%). This increased marginalisation of Muslims in higher
education and public employment, which was also
 Higher education's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has
reflected in Sachar Committee and Ranganath Mishra
also surpassed 27.3%. The GER measures the
reports, calls for a need to extend affirmative action
proportion of adults between the ages of 18 and 23
policies to Muslims.

practice questions
MCQS
Q1. Which of the following statements is/are 2. Women can surrogate only once in their lifetime
correct about The Sexual Harassment of Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
and Redressal) Act? (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. Every employer is required to constitute an
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office Q4. Which of the following is correct about the
with 50 or more employees National Food Security Act 2011?
2. The Complaints Committees have certain powers 1. Upto 75% of the rural population and 50% of the
of civil courts urban population is entitled to receive food grains
Select the correct answer using the code given below under the act
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 2. Pregnant and lactating women are entitled to
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 receive cash maternity benefits under the act
Select the correct answer using the code given below
Q2. Regarding PM Matru Vandana Yojana, consider (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
the following: (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. It is an unconditional cash transfer scheme for
pregnant women and lactating mothers Q5. Consider the following statements about
2. Women who are in regular employment with the Janani Suraksha Yojana
Central Government or the State Governments are 1. It is a safe motherhood intervention of the State
not eligible for benefits under this scheme Health Departments.
3. A beneficiary is eligible to receive benefits under 2. Its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal
the scheme only once mortality among poor pregnant women.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 3. It aims to promote institutional delivery among
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only poor pregnant women.
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 4. Its objective includes providing public health
facilities to sick infants up to one year of age.
Q3. Consider the following statements about the How many of the statements given above are correct?
Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 (a) Only one (b) Only two
1. Only married infertile couples in India can avail the (c) Only three (d) All four
surrogate services
Q1. Examine the issues faced by the migrant labour in India and discuss the suitable measures to be taken to tackle
these issues. (250 words)
Q2. Securing Reproductive rights of women is key to ensuring Gender justice. Comment (150 words)
Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-c, 4-c, 5-b

Geography, Environment,
Biodiversity & Disaster
Management
# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & III (Main)
 Hence low temperatures over NW part will lower the

COOLER SUMMER DELAYS advance of monsoonal winds.
CRUCIAL PATTERN FOR HEAT LOW & ITS IMPACTS ON MONSOON

 During the northward march of sun in northern
MONSOON hemisphere, the continent surrounding the Arabian
Sea begin to receive large amounts of heat; not only in
#climatology the form of radiation from sun, but also flux of heat
from the earth’s surface into atmosphere.
The large parts of country have logged temperatures that are  As a result of this large input of power, trough of low-
up to 10°C lower than normal due to rains. An
pressure forms over this region.
uncharacteristically cooler start to the summer, which is
likely to persist for a few more weeks in several parts of the
country, may hurt the arrival of the crucial monsoon season,
weather scientists have said, at a time when the rainy season
is expected to anyway be sapped by the Pacific warming
phenomenon El Nino.
HOW LOWER TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO AFFECT
MONSOON?
 Relative thermal differences create pressure
differences which play very significant role in the onset
of monsoon.
 More heating over northwest India helps with the
onset of monsoon. When the ground heats up,
especially in heatwave prone parts of northwest India
(which includes Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi), it  Intense heat low acts as suction devise for moist air
creates an area of low pressure. There is something along the monsoon trough and to some extend related
called the heat low which forms over northwest India. to good monsoon over India.

Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
 During weak heat low monsoon rainfall over India is  When we say that the trough is in normal position, that
greatly affected and results in deficient or scanty means it passes through Ganganagar, Allahabad,
rainfall over vast area of country. Calcutta and Head Bay.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF MONSOON TROUGH?  This gives good rain to Central India.
 Monsoon Trough is an elongated low-pressure area  As an effect of low formation and its passage along the
which extends from heat low over Pakistan to Head trough, the strong wind currents form over the west
Bay of Bengal. coast.
 This is one of semi-permanent feature of monsoon  These currents are blocked by Sahyadri mountains
circulation. resulting in formation of offshore trough.
 Monsoon trough may be a characteristic of east west  Hence due to this offshore trough west of coast of
orientation of Himalayan ranges and north south India receives good rain.
orientation of Khasi-Jaintia Hills. 2. MONSOON TROUGH TO THE SOUTH OF NORMAL
 Generally eastern side of monsoon trough oscillates, POSITION
sometimes southwards and sometimes northwards.
 Southward migration results in active/vigorous
monsoon over major part of India.
 In contrast, the northward migration of this trough
leads to break monsoon condition over major part of
India and heavy rains along foothills of Himalayas and
sometimes floods in Brahmaputra River.
SHIFTING POSITIONS OF MONSOON TROUGH AND ITS
IMPACT
1. NORMAL POSITION OF THE MONSOON TROUGH
Impacts on distribution of rainfall across India

 When the trough shifts to the south of its normal
position, then the monsoon conditions are active
giving excessive rainfall in central India and over the
west coast of India due to offshore trough.
 This position is best for monsoon condition giving rain
to all over Peninsular India.
3. MONSOON TROUGH TO NORTH OF NORMAL
POSITION (FOOTHILLS OF HIMALAYAS)

Several reports, including carbon brief, have confirmed

that globally, the month of March this year was the
second warmest March ever since the beginning of
records in the mid-1800s. The year 2023 was shaping up
to become one of the top four warmest years on record,
citing the rapid development of the El Nino event, which
has an overall warming impact on the planet.
HOW GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE
AFFECTING INDIA?
Temperature and rainfall, both are getting impacted and
have regional variations:
CHANGES IN TEMPERATURES
 According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences average
annual mean temperatures in India had risen by about
0.7 degree Celsius from 1900 which is significantly less
than the global rise in temperatures, which has
exceeded 1 degree Celsius for several years now.
 India is likely to warm in the range of 2.4 to 4.4 degree
Celsius from the current levels by the end of the
scenario.
 Tropical Indian oceans: Sea surface temperatures
have risen by almost 1 degree Celsius between 1950
and 2015.
 When the trough shifts to north of normal position it
 The warming over India is not uniform across regions:
means that it shifts to foothills of Himalayas giving
good rain to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu o Himachal, Goa and Kerala: Temperatures have
and to all Northeast states of India. increased at the rate of more than 1 degree Celsius.
 This condition is known as “Break Monsoon” where o Northeastern states: Temperatures have climbed
rainfall activity over rest of India ceases. at the rate of more than 0.7 degree Celsius.
o Eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha:
have experienced the least warming.
WHY THE RECENT RAIN IS  Goa has seen the maximum increasing trend in annual
NO RELIEF? rainfall. Its rainfall has increased at the rate of 21 mm

over a 100-year period.
#Environment  Sikkim: The year 2022 was the warmest year.
 Karnataka and Telangana were cooler than normal in
The first two days of May have been unusually wet. Except 2022, though only marginally.
the northeastern states, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, the CHANGES IN RAINFALL
entire country has received plenty of rain, with some areas in  Monsoon rainfall in India has been surplus by around
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh 7% this year though with extreme inequity.
getting as much as 10 to 15 times the expected rainfall. This  Central and southern India saw a sharp surge in
exceptional spell of rainfall was the result of several relatively rainfall. Rains in Central India were surplus by 20% and
local weather phenomena over different parts of the country in southern India by 25%, with the last month seeing
coming together at the same time. several instances of flooding in Kerala, Karnataka and
Madhya Pradesh.

 On the other hand, large parts of U. P., Bihar, Odisha NAMING OF TROPICAL CYCLONES
have seen large deficits. In general, tropical cyclones are named according to the
 The east and northeast of India have reported a 17% rules at regional level.
shortfall. Northern Indian Ocean Names - Arabian Sea and the Bay
 The northwest part has seen 2% shortfall. of Bengal
 Overall monsoon has remained within the normal The WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones at its twenty-
range of long period average. seventh Session held in 2000 in Muscat, Sultanate of
Oman, agreed in principle to assign names to the tropical
Note: These data can be used by the students while cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. The
analysing the impact of climate change over India. naming of the tropical cyclones over north Indian Ocean
Analysis must be quantitative as well as qualitative. Here commenced from September 2004, with names provided
quantitative aspects have been provided. by eight Members. Since then, five countries have joined
the Panel.
 The Panel Member’s names are listed alphabetically
CYCLONE MOCHA OVER country wise.
 The names will be used sequentially column wise.
BAY OF BENGAL  The first name will start from the first row of column
#Geography one and continue sequentially to the last row in the
column thirteen.
 The names of tropical cyclones over the north Indian
A cyclone, which is most likely to swerve away from the
Ocean will not be repeated, once used it will cease to
Indian coast, is all set to develop over the southeast Bay of
be used again. The name should be new. It should not
Bengal by Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department
be there in the already existing list of any of the RSMCs
(IMD) said Tuesday.
worldwide including RSMC New Delhi.
KEY FACTS
 The name of a tropical cyclone from south China Sea
 Once intensified, it is to be identified as Cyclone Mocha
which crosses Thailand and emerge into the Bay of
(pronounced as Mokha), a name suggested by Yemen.
Bengal as a Tropical cyclone will not be changed.
 India has dual cyclone seasons – pre-monsoon (April-
The RSMC New Delhi Tropical Cyclone Center is
June) and post-monsoon (October-December). Of
responsible to name the tropical cyclones that have
these, the most cyclone-prone months are May and
formed over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea when
November.
they have reached the relevant intensity.
 In the IMD’s possible cyclone track released Monday,
the storm is expected to move north-north-westwards,
that is, away from India’s east coast.
The names to be used will be taken from the list below, starting with Nisarga, then Gati, Nivar, etc.
WMO/ESCAP Column 1 Column 2 Column-3 Column-4
Panel
Member Name Pron' Name Pron' Name Pron' Name Pron'
countries
Bangladesh Nisarga Nisarga Biparjoy Biporjoy Arnab Omab Upakul Upokul
India Gati Gati Tej Tej Murasu Murasu Aag Aag
Iran Nivar Nivar Hamoon Hamoon Akvan Akvan Sepand Sepand

Maldives Burevi Burevi Midhili Midhili Kaani Kaani Odi Odi
Myanmar Tauktae Tau’Te Michaung Migjaum Ngamann Ngaman Kyarthit Kjathi

Oman Yaas Yass Remal Re-Mal Sail Sail Naseem Naseem

Pakistan Gulab Gul-Aab Asna As-Na Sahab Sa-Hab Afshan Af-Shan
Qatar Shaheen Shaheen Oana Dana Lulu Lulu Mouj Mouj
Saudi Arabia Jawad Jowad Fengal Feinjal Ghazeer Razeer Asif Aasif
Sri Lanka Asani Asani Shakhti Shakhti Gigum Gigum Gagana Gagana
Thailand Sitrang Si-Trang Montha Mon-Tha Thianyot Thian-Yot Bulan Bu-Lan
United Arab
Mandous Man-Dous Senyar Sen-Yaar Afoor Aa-Foor Nahhaam Nah-Haam
Emirates
Yemen Mocha Mokha Ditwah Ditwah Diksam Diksam Sira Sira
What is a tropical cyclone and what are the such as a tropical wave or an area of low pressure.
conditions which favour its formation? These disturbances provide initial rotation and
organization needed for a tropical cyclone to form.
A tropical cyclone is a type of low-pressure weather
system that forms over tropical or subtropical waters.  Converging winds: Tropical cyclones form in areas
They are characterized by strong winds, heavy rainfall, where winds are converging and rising, this allows for
and a low-pressure centre. Tropical cyclones are known the development of thunderstorms and the low-
by different names depending on their location, such as pressure area that is the tropical cyclone.
hurricanes in the Atlantic and north-eastern Pacific, Willy-  Coriolis force: It helps the wind to rotate. This is the
willy in Northwest Australia, typhoons in the northwest reason that cyclones are not formed at Equator.
Pacific, and cyclones in the South Pacific and Indian All the above conditions must be met and be in the
Ocean. right balance, otherwise, it would lead to tropical
 Warm water: Tropical cyclones form over warm cyclone dissipating, or fail to form. Also, the storm
tropical or subtropical waters with a surface needs to be in an environment where it can maintain
temperature of at least 26.5°C. Warmth of water its strength and not be disrupted by other weather
provides energy needed to fuel the storm. systems or wind shear.
 Moist air: Tropical cyclones require moist air to form.
Moisture provides fuel for thunderstorms that make
up the storm. WHY LATE MONSOON
 Low wind shear: Wind shear is the change in wind
speed or direction with height. Low wind shear is ONSET IS NOT A WORRY
essential for development of a tropical cyclone #Geography
because it allows the storm to maintain its
organization and strength. (High wind shear removes
the heat and moisture they need from the area near While the IMD has predicted that the monsoon will be
their center. Shear also distorts the shape of a delayed this year, that’s not a cause for concern. Regional
hurricane by shearing it (blowing the top away from variations in rainfall, extreme rainfall events, and the
the lower portion), so that the vortex is tilted. A tilted developing El Nino are bigger worries.
vortex is usually a less efficient heat engine--the WHAT IS ONSET OF MONSOON?
delicate balance of inflowing low-level winds and The monsoon season in India typically lasts from June to
outflowing upper-level winds that ventilate the storm
September, although its timing and intensity can vary
gets disrupted.)
across different regions.
 A pre-existing weather disturbance: Tropical cyclones
typically form from pre-existing weather disturbances, The monsoon in India is primarily influenced by the
seasonal reversal of winds, known as the Indian Ocean

Dipole (IOD), and the movement of the Inter-Tropical o Deflection of SE trades after crossing the equator
Convergence Zone (ITCZ). towards Indian west coast.
 Pre-monsoon period (March to May): During this  Advancement of the monsoon (June to July): The
time, temperatures rise across the country due to the monsoon winds gradually advance across the country,
increasing solar radiation. As summer approaches, the starting from the southernmost state of Kerala and
landmass of the Indian subcontinent heats up faster progressing northwards. This northward progression is
than the surrounding oceans, causing a low-pressure known as the "monsoon onset line" and is closely
area to develop over the region. monitored by meteorological departments.
 Arrival of the southwest monsoon (end of May to  Onset over different regions: The onset of the
mid-June): The southwest monsoon is responsible for monsoon occurs at different times across various
most of the rainfall in India. It begins with the onset of regions of India. The western coast and north-eastern
the monsoon over the Andaman Sea and the Bay of states receive the monsoon rains first, followed by the
Bengal. Moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean central and northern parts of the country. The
are drawn towards the low-pressure area over the Himalayan region experiences the monsoon last.
Indian subcontinent, creating a monsoon trough.  Monsoon progression and rainfall: Once the
monsoon sets in, it brings heavy rainfall to different
parts of India. The amount and distribution of rainfall
vary from region to region. The western coast and
northeastern states generally receive more rainfall
compared to the arid regions in the northwest.
WHAT IS INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE?

IOD measures differences in sea surface temperatures
between the western and eastern parts of the Indian
Ocean. It is basically like the El Nino weather system that
develops in the Pacific Ocean. It is characterized by an
irregular oscillation of sea-surface temperatures in the
eastern and western Indian Ocean
Impact on weather patterns: IOD alters the wind,

temperature, and rainfall patterns in the Indian Ocean
 Factors affecting onset of monsoon: region.
o Intense heating of the Indian landmass and  Positive IOD event is known to bring floods to eastern
formation of intense low pressure. Africa and droughts and bushfires to eastern Asia and
Australia. Ex. 2020 Australian Bushfires.
o Shifting of ITCZ over Gangetic plain.
 Positive IOD is known to increase the intensity of
o Withdrawal of sub-tropical westerly Jetstream.
Monsoon in the Subcontinent and leads to above
normal rainfall. A simultaneous occurrence of Positive

 GWEC India – a single advocacy and research body

IOD and El Nino balances the negative impact of El
representing the entire value chain of India’s wind
Nino on the Indian Monsoon rainfall. Ex. above normal
industry, from IPPs to OEMs to end-users to service-
rainfall in India in 2019.
providers – will work closely with central and state
 In contrast, Negative IOD coupled with El - Nino leads
governments to improve the enabling environment for
to poor Monsoon rainfall. Ex. Deficient rainfall in 1992.
sector growth, creating the conditions for inward
investment in the tens of billions of dollars.
WHAT IS OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY?

INDIA MAY JOIN OFFSHORE
Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the
WIND ALLIANCE energy taken from the force of the winds out at sea,
transformed into electricity and supplied into the
#environment #Prelimsnuggets electricity network onshore.
It is the clean and renewable energy that is produced on
India is “very actively" considering joining the Global Offshore the high seas, where it reaches a higher and more
Wind Alliance to improve its energy transition standing, said constant speed than on land due to the absence of
Gauri Singh, deputy director general of the International barriers. To make the most of this resource, mega-
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which played a key role in structures are installed that are seated on the seabed and
forming the alliance. equipped with the latest technical innovations.
WHAT IS GLOBAL OFFSHORE WIND ALLIANCE (GOWA)? Benefits:
 The alliance was initiated by the International 1. Renewable, unlimited and non-polluting.
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Denmark and the 2. Reduces pressure on land resource.
Global Wind Energy Council.
3. Barrier free regions thus higher wind speed and
 It will bring together governments, the private sector, efficiency
international organisations and other stakeholders to
4. Visual and acoustic impact is small
accelerate the deployment of offshore wind power.
5. No issues of land acquisition.
 It has the aim of reaching global offshore wind capacity
6. The ease of maritime transport, which has few
of at least 380 GW by 2030.
limitations about cargo and dimensions in comparison
 Countries joining GOWA have agreed to work together
with land transportation, has made it possible for
to drive national, regional, and global ambitions and
offshore wind turbines to reach much larger unit
remove barriers to the deployment of offshore wind in
capacities and sizes than onshore wind turbines.
new and existing markets.
 Offshore wind can be deployed at large scale, in short
timeframes and at competitive cost. INDIA AND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY
WHAT IS GLOBAL WIND ENERGY COUNCIL (GWEC)? India is blessed with a coastline of about 7600 km
 The Global Wind Energy Council is the international surrounded by water on three sides and has good
trade association for the wind power industry. prospects of harnessing offshore wind energy.
 GWEC is a member-based organisation that represents Considering this, the Government had notified the
the entire wind energy sector. “National offshore wind energy policy” as per the Gazette
Notification dated 6th October 2015. As per the policy,
 The members of GWEC represent over 1,500
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will act as the
companies, organisations and institutions in more than
nodal Ministry for development of Offshore Wind Energy
80 countries, including manufacturers, developers,
in India and work in close coordination with other
component suppliers, research institutes, national
government entities for Development and Use of
wind and renewables associations, electricity
Maritime Space within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
providers, finance and insurance companies.

obligations and be subject to more checks. For

of the country and shall be responsible for overall
instance, EU Customs will check 9% of firms or
monitoring of offshore wind energy development in the
consignments from high-risk countries, 3% from
country. National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE),
standard-risk countries, and 1% from low-risk
Chennai will be the nodal agency to carryout resource
countries.
assessment; surveys and studies in EEZ demarcate blocks
and facilitate developers for setting up offshore wind ISSUES
energy farms.  The EU itself has extensively expanded agricultural
land by cutting down primary forests, which now
account for less than 0.7% of its total forest area,
compared to the global average of 33%.
EU DEFORESTATION RULE  Many other countries, facing the need to convert
SET TO AFFECT AGRI- primary forests into cultivable land to feed growing
populations will stand at loss.
EXPORTS FROM INDIA  Arbitrary categorization of countries violates both the
national treatment and most favoured national
#Forests
principles of the WTO
CONCLUSION EU Deforestation Regulation appears to
The European Union’s approval this week of new use real issues of deforestation to promote its selfish
deforestation regulations poses a threat to Indian exports of interests by prioritising its own farm sector and making
items like coffee, leather, paper and wooden furniture. imports difficult.
WHAT IS THE LAW?
 The EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) is the
new EU initiative to limit deforestation caused by
GEOMAGNETIC STORMS
forestry and agricultural activities all over the world.
 EU Deforestation-free regulation (EUDR) defines those
AND MAGNETOSPHERE
obliged as ‘operators’ and ‘traders’. Operators #Earth
(companies who first place products in the single
market) will be required to implement the due
diligence on their supply chains to ensure they are Researchers have traced a very significant increase in special
deforestation and forest-degradation-free, while continuous oscillations with pearl-type structures called
traders will be responsible for storing and sharing Geomagnetic Pc1 pearl oscillations on the surface of the
information on their supply chain to operators. Earth in the recovery phase of geomagnetic storms. This
 The legislation seeks to prohibit products such as palm study is significant for investigating of precipitation particles
oil, coffee, cattle, cocoa, rubber, soya, timber, printing during geomagnetic storms and can help us understand the
paper and derived products in the EU, that came from radiation hazard to satellites and astronauts.
land that was deforested after December 31, 2020. The WHAT ARE GEOMAGNETIC STORMS?
rules cover imports and domestic production.
 A geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth's
 Four levels of penalties have been planned for any magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very
violations of this norm, which include monetary fines efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into
up to 4% of a firm’s annual turnover in the EU, the space environment surrounding Earth.
confiscation of products, confiscation of revenues
 These storms result from variations in the solar wind
gained from a transaction and exclusion from public
that produces major changes in the currents, plasmas,
procurement processes.
and fields in Earth’s magnetosphere.
 To implement the regulation, the EU, within 18 months
 The solar wind conditions that are effective for creating
from now, will classify countries as low, standard, or
geomagnetic storms:
high-risk. High-risk countries must meet more

o Sustained (for several to many hours) periods of  The largest storms that result from these conditions
high-speed solar wind. are associated with solar coronal mass ejections
o Southward directed solar wind magnetic field (CMEs) where a billion tons or so of plasma from the
(opposite the direction of Earth’s field) at the sun arrives at Earth.
dayside of the magnetosphere. This condition is  Storms also result in intense currents in the
effective for transferring energy from the solar wind magnetosphere, changes in the radiation belts, and
into Earth’s magnetosphere. changes in the ionosphere, including heating the
o High-speed solar wind stream (HSS). ionosphere and upper atmosphere region called the
thermosphere.
HOW SOLAR FLARES ARE FORMED?
IMPACTS OF SUCH STORMS  Storms create beautiful aurora.

 Increase in the density in the upper atmosphere,  They also can disrupt navigation systems such as the
causing extra drag on satellites in low-earth orbit. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
 Horizontal variations in the in the ionospheric density  They can create harmful geomagnetic induced
that can modify the path of radio signals and create currents (GICs) in the power grid and pipelines.
errors in the positioning information provided by GPS.

WHAT IS MAGNETOSPHERE? ionosphere in much the same way that light is
 It is the region around a planet dominated by the reflected by a mirror. The ionosphere changes its
planet's magnetic field. Other planets in our solar position from day to night, rising in the night and
system have magnetospheres, but Earth has the lowering in the day. This is why radio signals from far
strongest one of all the rocky planets. off places can be detected at night, while only close by
transmissions are detectable during the day.
 Earth's magnetosphere is a vast, comet-shaped
bubble, which shields our home planet from solar and  The magnetosphere is Contained within the Earth's
cosmic particle radiation, as well as erosion of the thermosphere and is the region where the Earth’s
atmosphere by the solar wind - the constant flow of magnetic field interacts with the charged particles
charged particles streaming off the sun. coming from the Sun in the solar wind. These particles
become trapped in the magnetic field of the Earth and
 It is generated by the convective motion of charged,
circulate around the Earth following the Earth’s
molten iron, far below the surface in Earth's outer
magnetic field. Large bombardments of these charged
core.
particles cause the auroras in the ionosphere as they
follow the Earth’s magnetic field through the upper
atmosphere towards the magnetic poles.
WHAT ARE VAN ALLEN RADIATION BELTS?
 The Van Allen radiation belt is a zone of energetic

charged particles, most of which originate from the
solar wind. The particles are captured by and held
around a planet by that planet’s magnetic field. It
surrounds Earth, containing a nearly impenetrable
barrier that prevents the fastest, most energetic
electrons from reaching Earth.
 Constant bombardment by the solar wind compresses

the sun-facing side of our magnetic field. The sun-
facing side, or dayside, extends about six to 10 times
the radius of the Earth. The side of the magnetosphere
facing away from the sun - the nightside - stretches out
into an immense magnetotail, which fluctuates in
length and can measure hundreds of Earth radii, far
past the moon's orbit at 60 Earth radii.
WHAT IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IONOSPHERE AND

MAGNETOSPHERE?
 The outer belt is made up of billions of high-energy
 The ionosphere is a region within the upper
particles that originate from the Sun and become
mesosphere and thermosphere where solar radiation
trapped in Earth’s magnetic field, an area known as the
and particles in the "solar wind" strip electrons from
magnetosphere. The inner belt results from
atoms in the atmosphere and create an electrically
interactions of cosmic rays with Earth’s atmosphere.
charged zone of ions. It is used to communicate long
distances by radio. Radio waves bounce off the

RELATED CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS

52% OF CULTIVATED LAND  Net Area Sown: This represents the total area sown
HAS ACCESS TO with crops and orchards. Area sown more than once in
the same year is counted only once.
IRRIGATION FOR FIRST  Gross Cropped Area: This represents the total area
sown once and/or more than once in a particular year,
TIME: NITI AAYOG i.e., the area is counted as many times as there are
#Irrigation sowings in a year. This total area is also known as total
cropped area or total area sown.
 Area Sown more than once: This represents the
For the first time, more than half of India’s cultivated land
areas on which crops are cultivated more than once
now has access to assured irrigation led by an expansion in
during the agricultural year. This is obtained by
micro projects, which have higher water-use efficiency,
deducting Net Area Sown from Gross Cropped Area.
official data for 2022-23 show.
 Irrigated Area: The area is assumed to be irrigated for
IRRIGATION IN INDIA
cultivation through such sources as canals (Govt. &
 According to NITI Aayog, in 2022-23, of the 141 million Private), tanks, tube-wells, other wells and other
hectares of gross sown area in the country, nearly 73 sources. It is divided into two categories:
million hectares, or 52%, had irrigation access, up from
o Net Irrigated Area: It is the area irrigated through
41% in 2016.
any source once in a year for a particular crop.
 8 out of 73 million hectares have the micro irrigation
o Total Net Un-irrigated Area: It is the area arrived at
facility
by deducting the net irrigated area from net sown
 40% of the total irrigated area are watered through area.
canal networks, the remaining through groundwater.
o Total/Gross Irrigated Area: It is the total area under
 The total potential for micro-irrigation in the country is crops, irrigated once and/or more than once in a
estimated to be 60 million hectares. year. It is counted as many times as the number of
 Conventional surface irrigation provides only 60% times the areas are cropped and irrigated in a year.
efficiency but drip irrigation has nearly 90% efficiency. o Total/Gross Un-Irrigated Area: It is the area arrived
 The country can create irrigation potential in about at by deducting the gross irrigated area from the
60% of its arable land and 40% of the cultivable area gross sown area.
will remain dependent on rains because it is not o Cropping Intensity: It is the ratio of Net Area Sown
possible to create irrigation networks in certain regions to the Total Cropped Area.
due to hydrological and geographical reasons.
practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements: Which of the above statement(s) given is/are correct?
1. Net Area Sown represents the total area sown once (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
and/or more than once in a particular year. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. Gross Cropped Area represents the total area sown Q2. Consider the following statements regarding
with crops and orchards. Area sown more than offshore wind alliance:
once in the same year is counted only once.

1. The alliance was initiated by the International Q.4) Consider the following statements about
Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). European Union – Deforestation Regulation:
2. It has the aim of reaching global offshore wind 1. The regulation aims to limit products that come
capacity of at least 380 GW by 2025. from deforested land.
Which of the above statement(s) given is/are correct? 2. The regulations will only apply in products supplied
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only from European Union.
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Which of the above statement(s) given is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Q.3) Considering the following statements about (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
irrigation in India:
1. More than 50% of India’s total gross sown area is Q.5) Which of the following bodies is responsible for
under irrigation. naming cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean?
2. Drip irrigation has less irrigation efficiency as (a) World Meteorological Organisation Headquarters
compared to surface irrigation. (b) Indian Meteorological Department
Which of the above statement(s) given is/are correct? (c) Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (d) United Nations
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q1. What is Heat low? What is its significance for Indian Monsoon?
Q2. What are geomagnetic storms and what are their impacts?
Answers: 1-d, 2-a, 3-c, 4-b, 5-c

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MITOCHONDRIAL MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASE

DONATION TREATMENT  Mitochondria generate energy and thus are
responsible for cell function in the human body.
#Biology and Biotechnology
However, when the mitochondria are impaired, they
do not produce sufficient energy which affects how
A baby was born in the U.K. using three persons’ DNA organs function.
through a process called mitochondrial donation treatment.
 Faulty mitochondria can cause inherited conditions
The baby has three parents: genetic material (DNA) from
two biological parents and mitochondria from one donor such as fatal heart problems, liver failure, brain
parent (female donor). This technology was used to prevent disorders, blindness and muscular dystrophy. The
the child from inheriting the mother’s mitochondrial diseases that arise out of such mitochondrial
disease. mutations are called mitochondrial diseases.
ABOUT MITOCHONDRIA
o Mitochondrial diseases are only passed on by the
 Mitochondria are tiny organelles inside cells that are
mother.
often referred to as powerhouses of the cell.
 The symptoms get more pronounced as a child grows,
o Mitochondria occur in large numbers in most of our
cells, except for red blood cells. and there is no cure for mitochondrial DNA disease at
 It converts the energy molecules which we get from present.

food to usable energy molecules called ATP o Some estimates put the incidence of mitochondrial
(Adenosine triphosphate) through a process known as
diseases as one in 5,000 people.
cellular respiration.
MITOCHONDRIAL DONATION TREATMENT
 Mitochondrial donation involves replacing unhealthy

mitochondria in the mother with healthy
mitochondria from a donor during the in-vitro
fertilisation (IVF) process.
Mitochondria have their own DNA, distinct from that in a

cell's nucleus. It does not influence appearance,
personality or other human characteristics.

Science & Technology
The process:
 Through the IVF technique, the baby’s biological
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
father’s sperm is used to fertilise the eggs from the AND ITS REGULATION
biological mother (who has mitochondrial disease),
and a third female donor with clear mitochondria, #Internet & Communication
separately. Then, the nuclear genetic material from
the donor’s egg is removed and replaced with the
Technology
genetic material from the biological parents.
 The final product — the egg — which has the genetic The growth of AI technologies and their deployment has
material (DNA) from the parents, and the raised certain fears related to privacy and surveillance, job
mitochondria from the female donor, is implanted in automation leading to loss of employment, and the
the biological mother’s uterus and carried to full term possibility of a loss of control over AI resulting in existential
to yield a baby. This process is termed Mitochondrial risks for humanity.
Donation Treatment.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
o In this process, the final cytoplasm of the baby
 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ability of machines to
(which holds the genetic material and
perform cognitive tasks like thinking, perceiving,
mitochondria) has healthy mitochondria while the
learning, problem-solving and decision-making.
genetic material belongs to the biological
Generative AI models can create new data, such as
parents.
text, images, and code. E.g., ChatGPT, DALL-e, Bard.
 Side effects: While largely helpful, the procedure has
o An important difference between humans and AI
some minimal risks, as, sometimes a small amount
machines is the uniqueness and capability of the
of the maternal mitochondria with errors may get
human mind known as Artificial general
passed on during the procedure.
intelligence. This means humans can think about a

problem from scratch and try to solve it, which the Need to regulate AI:
AI machines are presently not capable of. Bad AI refers to the unethical and malicious use of AI
APPLICATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE technologies with the intent to deceive, manipulate,
Good AI refers to the responsible and ethical use of exploit, or cause harm. There is a need for regulating AI
artificial intelligence. It is designed to adhere to due to several concerns, which include:
principles of transparency, fairness, privacy, and human  Disinformation and Manipulation: One significant
dignity to maximize the positive impact of AI while concern is the ability of AI to generate falsified data,
minimizing potential risks and negative consequences. It making it increasingly difficult to differentiate between
involves utilizing AI models to address important authentic information and manipulate public
challenges, such as: narratives. E.g., deepfakes.
1. Education: Transform education by providing  Privacy Violations: AI applications can collect and
personalized learning experiences, intelligent tutoring analyse personal data without consent leading to
systems, and adaptive educational content. violations of privacy and copyright infringement. This
2. Healthcare: Improve diagnostics (AI-enabled medical includes surveillance systems that infringe upon
imaging), assist in medical research, development of individuals' privacy rights or AI-powered algorithms
personalized treatments and discover new antibiotics, that extract sensitive information without appropriate
and robots for surgical procedures. safeguards.
3. Agriculture: Crop yield prediction and forecast prices,  Bias and Discrimination: If AI algorithms are trained
AI-based sensors for spraying pesticides/herbicides, on biased data or developed with inherent biases,
autonomous robots for harvesting crops, monitoring they can perpetuate discrimination and reinforce
crop health for diagnosing pests/soil defects, nutrient societal inequalities. This can occur in areas such as
deficiencies in soil etc. hiring processes, loan approvals, or criminal justice
systems, where biased AI systems can result in unfair
4. Infrastructure: Aid in the development of smart
treatment or discriminatory outcomes.
cities, improve safety by enabling intelligent
infrastructure and optimising complex transportation  Lack of transparency: Algorithms of AI can be so
hubs. inordinately complex that even those who created the
algorithm cannot thoroughly explain how the
5. Data Analysis and Research: Analyse vast amounts
variables led to the resulting prediction. This opacity
of data, identify patterns, and aid in scientific
poses the risk of exclusion and discrimination by AI in
discoveries and data-driven decision-making.
decision-making.
6. Enhance National Security: E.g., Detecting and
 Loss of jobs: AI systems have the potential to
responding to cyber threats, identifying vulnerabilities,
automate tasks traditionally performed by humans,
and conducting cyber-attacks.
which could lead to job displacement and economic
7. Applications for basic sciences & space research:
disruption.
Enabling extended and flexible space exploration. E.g.,
 Cybersecurity Threats: AI can be used by malicious
development of autonomous spacecraft & smart
actors to enhance cyber-attacks, such as sophisticated
habitats.
phishing attempts, automated hacking tools, or AI-
8. Service delivery: AI-powered chatbots and virtual driven malware, causing significant financial, personal,
assistants can enhance customer experiences by or infrastructure damage.
providing quick and accurate responses to inquiries,
 Autonomous Weapons: The development of
automating routine tasks, and personalizing
autonomous weapons systems powered by AI raises
interactions.
concerns about the potential for these systems to act
9. Environmental sustainability: Optimising energy
independently and make lethal decisions without
consumption, facilitating smart grid management, and human control or oversight.
supporting conservation efforts by analysing large
 Ethical concerns: There is no legal accountability and
amounts of data to identify patterns and enable
responsibility arising out of the decisions made by AI.
better decision-making for resource management.

 Technological rivalry and regulations: In the and deployment of AI. These bodies can be
absence of regulations, intensifying rivalry between responsible for ensuring compliance with regulations
technological giants like the United States and China, and monitoring the impact of AI on society.
may risk misuse of AI for malicious purposes. Collaboration with academia, industry experts, and
WAY FORWARD international organizations can help India stay
Hence, AI should be regulated to ensure that the informed about emerging trends and risks.
technology’s development is guided by human-centric  Common International regulation of AI:
principles. The solutions include: Governments, together with other stakeholders, must
 Simple regulatory framework: Government can work together to design guardrails for private-sector
create a simple regulatory framework that defines the innovation and develop a common framework for
several capabilities of AI and identify the ones that are international regulation of AI.
more susceptible to misuse than the others to
 Reskilling of workers: Providing AI-related skill
promote the responsible use of AI.
training to workers to remain relevant in the job
 Open-Source AI Risk Profile: Indian government
market like expertise in programming, data analysis,
should proactively establish and maintain an open-
and algorithm development.
source AI risk profile. This initiative would encourage
India must strike a balance between innovation and
transparency, collaboration, and the sharing of best
regulation, ensuring that AI technologies are leveraged
practices in AI research and development.
for the betterment of society while safeguarding against
 Elimination of the black-box approach: India should
potential misuse or harm.
prioritise the development of explainable AI systems
which provide clear explanations for the decisions
made by AI models, allowing users and policymakers X-RAY POLARIMETER
to understand how a particular result was reached.
This will usher in transparency and review the data in
SATELLITE
each step to unearth biased results. #Astronomy and Space Technology
 Ensure privacy protection: There is a need for laws
to deploy AI-based systems to comply with Supreme
Court requirements under the right to privacy Indian Space Research Organisation is collaborating with
judgment for specific use cases. Businesses must the Raman Research Institute to build X-Ray Polarimeter
Satellite (XPoSat), scheduled to be launched later in 2023.
learn to access data while ensuring its privacy,
integrity and security. E.g., European Union has X-RAY POLARIMETER SATELLITE
implemented the General Data Protection Regulation  The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is ISRO-
to protect the privacy of individuals when their data is planned space observatory to study the polarization
used by AI systems. of cosmic X-rays.
 Sandboxed R&D Environments: Setting up  It is India’s first dedicated polarimetry mission to
sandboxed research and development environments study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray
sources under extreme conditions.
can facilitate the testing and evaluation of potentially
high-risk AI models. By creating controlled o NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)
environments, researchers can assess the impact and Mission is the first satellite mission dedicated to
the measure the polarization of X-Rays from
potential risks associated with these models before
different cosmic sources.
their widespread deployment.
o XPoSat is the world’s second polarimetry mission
 Creating oversight bodies: Governments can create
using X-Ray.
agencies or committees to oversee the development

PAYLOADS
 The spacecraft will carry two scientific payloads – an X-

Ray Polarimeter (POLIX) and X-ray SPECtroscopy and
Timing (XSPECT) in a low earth orbit.
o POLIX will measure the polarimetry parameters

(degree and angle of polarization) in the medium X-
POLARIMETRY
ray energy range of 8-30 keV photons of
 Polarimetry is a technique to measure the
astronomical origin. POLIX is expected to observe
polarization of light. Polarimetry allows astronomers
about 40 bright astronomical sources of different
to observe and measure characteristics of objects,
categories during the planned lifetime of the which include:
XPoSat mission of about 5 years. o Size, shape and orientation of dust particles, such
o XSPECT payload will give spectroscopic information as those surrounding comets or in planet-forming
discs around stars.
in the energy range of 0.8-15 keV. It would observe
several types of sources viz. X-ray pulsars, o Light from faint sources, such as exoplanets or
hidden galactic nuclei
blackhole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron stars
o Scattering properties of light-reflecting bodies (such
in Low-mass X-ray binaries, Active galactic nuclei
as planetary atmospheres and the surfaces of rocky
and Magnetars.
bodies)
POLARIZATION OF LIGHT o Three-dimensional shapes of objects, such as
 Light travels in the form of transverse supernovae
electromagnetic waves. The light emitted by sources o Magnetic fields around stars and other objects,
such as black holes.
like the sun, bulb, candle etc. has vibrations in
several planes (oscillates in all directions), and it is WHY X-RAYS?
called unpolarised light.  X-rays are high-frequency, and thus high-energy

electromagnetic radiation and have much shorter
 Polarization is the phenomenon of restricting the
wavelengths (ranging from 0.01 to 10 nanometres).
vibration of light waves to one specific direction/plane.
Since the physical temperature of an object
E.g., Polarized sunglasses have a special filter that
determines the wavelength of the radiation it emits,
allows only light with a specific polarization direction
so, the hotter the object, the shorter the
to pass through, which helps to reduce glare and
wavelength of peak emission.
improve visibility by blocking unwanted polarizations.
 X-rays come from objects that are millions of degrees
Celsius—such as pulsars, galactic supernovae

remnants, and the accretion disk of black holes. From WHAT IS NEW IN THE SECOND-GENERATION NavIC
space, X-ray telescopes collect photons from a given SATELLITE?
region of the sky. The photons are directed onto the
 NVS-01 is the first of the second-generation
detector where they are absorbed, and the energy,
navigation satellites designed to sustain and
time, and direction of individual photons are
augment the NavIC constellation with enhanced
recorded. Such measurements can provide clues
features. The 2232 kg satellite carries navigation
about the composition, temperature, and density of
payloads L1, L5, and S bands and an indigenously
distant celestial environments.
developed rubidium atomic clock to determine date
 Due to the high energy and penetrating nature of
and location.
X-rays, X-rays would not be reflected if they hit the
telescope mirror head-on. Hence, scientists use this  L1 frequency signals: The existing satellites in NavIC
data collected by X-ray detectors on satellites in orbit provide the L5 and S frequency signals. The second-
around the Earth to see and record the energy flows generation satellites will send signals in a third
within the celestial sources. frequency, L1, besides the L5 and S, increasing
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MISSION interoperability with other satellite-based navigation
 By measuring the polarization of X-rays, systems.
astronomers can better understand the geometry and o NavIC system operates in the L5 band, which is a
physical processes responsible for X-ray emission in a protected frequency specifically assigned to the
variety of astrophysical sources to gain insight into
Indian system. This dedicated frequency enhances
their inner dynamics (like emission processes).
the system's robustness and ensures minimal
o Astronomical sources, including black holes,
interference from other signals.
neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, and pulsar
o NVS-1 incorporates L1 band signals additionally
wind nebulae, present complex emission
to widen the services.
mechanisms that challenge their current
understanding.  The L1 frequency is among the most used in the
o By combining polarimetric observations along Global Positioning System (GPS) and will increase
with spectroscopic and timing measurements, the use of the regional navigation system in
researchers can overcome the limitations of the wearable devices and personal trackers that use
present understanding of astronomical emission low-power, single-frequency chips.
processes.
 Atomic Clock: The satellite will have a Rubidium
atomic clock onboard, indigenously developed by
ADVANCED NAVIGATION Space Application Centre-Ahmedabad. Satellite-based
SATELLITE NVS-01 positioning systems determine the location of objects

by accurately measuring the time it takes for a signal
#Astronomy & Space Technology to travel to and back from it using the atomic clocks
on board.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully  Longer mission life: The second-generation satellites
launched NVS-01 (a second-generation navigation satellite)
will also have a longer mission life of more than 12
on board the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle from the
years. The existing satellites have a mission life of 10
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
years.

ABOUT NavIC including transportation, disaster management,

 Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), earlier surveying, and agriculture.
known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, FEATURES
is a satellite navigation system developed by the  NavIC consists of a constellation of seven satellites
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). in geostationary and geosynchronous orbits around
OBJECTIVE the Earth, namely, IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1C,
 To provide independent satellite navigation IRNSS-1D, IRNSS-1E, IRNSS-1F, and IRNSS-1G.
services to the Indian region, reducing dependence o NVS-01 will replace IRNSS-1G.
on other global navigation systems like the Global  It is designed to provide positioning, navigation, and
Positioning System (GPS) or the Russian GLONASS. timing services to users across India and the region
 To enhance the accuracy and reliability of extending up to 1,500 km around the country, with
positioning and timing services in various sectors, position accuracy of better than 20 meters, and
timing accuracy of better than 50 nanoseconds.

NavIC OFFERS TWO TYPES OF SERVICES US to provide enemy locations, but this request was
1. Standard Positioning Service: Available to all users denied.
and provides positioning accuracy of around 20  NavIC signals come to India at a 90-degree angle,
meters throughout the Indian region and within the making it easier for them to reach devices located
primary service area. even in hard-to-reach areas like congested areas,
2. Restricted Service: Encrypted service primarily dense forests, or mountains. In contrast to this, the
intended for authorised users such as the military, GPS signals are received over India at an angle.
government agencies, and other security-sensitive FUTURE PLANS FOR NavIC
applications.  Indian government aims to develop NavIC as a global
Applications: satellite navigation system, on par with the US’s
 Terrestrial, aerial, and marine navigation GPS, Russia’s GLONASS, Europe’s Galileo and China’s
BeiDou, in the coming years.
 Location-based services in mobile devices and marine
fisheries  For navigation needs of Indian ships and airplanes
beyond the Indian territory, India will need satellites in
 Disaster management
the medium earth orbit (MEO). So, to make NavIC a
 Vehicle tracking and fleet management
global system, ISRO will have to place more satellites
 Precise timing in the MEO.
 Mapping and geodetic data capture o Currently, NavIC satellites orbit the Earth in a
 Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers geostationary or geosynchronous (GEO) orbit or
 Visual and voice navigation for drivers about 36,000 km from the Earth.
 Precision agriculture o MEO orbits occupy a space between GEO and low-
earth orbit (LEO), or about 250-2,000 km from the
SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEMS OF OTHER
Earth.
COUNTRIES
 To expand the reach of NavIC, the government has
 Presently, there are four global satellite-based
directed all mobile phone manufacturers such as
navigation systems.
Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, etc. to redesign the
o United States: Global Position System (GPS) hardware and software of their phones to make
o Russia: Global Navigation Satellite System their new devices compatible with NavIC from
(GLONASS) January 2023 (not a strict deadline).
o China: BeiDou
o European Union: Galileo
SODIUM-ION BATTERY
 Japan has a four-satellite regional navigation
system (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System). #Energy Technology
WHY NavIC OVER GLOBAL COMPETITORS?
 NavIC is an independent regional system over the Researchers are actively working on developing new cathode
Indian region and does not depend on other systems material and optimising the sodium-ion batteries design to
for providing a position service within the service develop them as a next-generation energy storage system
region. and an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
 GPS and GLONASS are operated by the defence SODIUM-ION BATTERY
agencies of the US and Russia, respectively. Thus,  Sodium-ion battery (SIB) is a type of rechargeable
there is a possibility that civilian service can be energy storage device similar in principle to the
degraded or denied at any given time. E.g., during the lithium-ion battery (LIB) but uses sodium ions (Na+) as
1999 Kargil War, the Indian government requested the the charge carriers, instead of lithium.

The basic components of a sodium-ion battery  Suitable for large-scale energy storage
include: applications, such as grid storage, where cost and
 A cathode (positive electrode): Commonly used availability are crucial factors.
materials include transition metal oxides, phosphates,  Reduced environmental impact as sodium
and polyanionic compounds. extraction methods are less carbon intensive.
 An anode (negative electrode): Typically made of CHALLENGES
carbon-based materials, such as hard carbon or  Low energy density of SIB (they can store less energy
graphite. per unit volume or weight) makes it difficult to make
 An electrolyte: Usually a sodium salt dissolved in an small batteries for use in electric vehicles.
organic solvent or a solid-state electrolyte. It serves as o Sodium ions are larger and heavier than lithium
the medium for sodium ions to move between the ions, which affects the mobility and energy density
cathode and the anode during charge and discharge of the battery.
cycles.
 Limited number of charge-discharge cycles can
result in a reduction in the overall performance and
lifespan of the battery.
 Limited manufacturing scalability, particularly in
India, impacts the commercial viability of SIB.
FOUCAULT PENDULUM
#Miscellaneous topics
NEED FOR ALTERNATE TO LIB The recently inaugurated Parliament building houses
Foucault’s pendulum, installed by the National Council of
 Lithium is a finite natural resource which is
Science Museums (NCSM).
exhaustible. In comparison, Sodium is the sixth most
abundant element on Earth. ABOUT FOUCAULT’S PENDULUM
 It is a spherical pendulum and an experimental
 Most Lithium batteries require Cobalt or other rare
scientific device that demonstrates the rotation of
elements for their cathode materials, which too are
the Earth. It was introduced in 1851, designed by
non-renewable.
French physicist Léon Foucault.
 Traditional lithium extraction and processing methods
 The device consists of a long and heavy pendulum
can contribute to significant carbon emissions.
suspended from a high roof above a circular area. As
ADVANTAGES OF SIB OVER LIB the pendulum swings, the Earth rotates beneath it,
 High natural abundance and low cost of sodium causing the pendulum's plane of oscillation to
would make commercial production of SIB less costly gradually change orientation relative to the Earth's
than LIB. surface.
 Improved safety of SIB over LIB as they are o The Earth rotates at a speed of nearly 1670
nonflammable and there is no thermal runaway kilometers per hour.
(uncontrolled increase in temperature within the o From an observer's perspective, it appears as
battery that can result in overheating, fire, and even though the plane of the pendulum's swing is
explosion). changing. In reality, the Earth is rotating, and the
 Offer better performance and operate at a wider pendulum remains in a fixed plane of swing while
temperature range (efficient in cold environments) the Earth moves beneath it.
as compared to LIBs.

FOUCAULT’S PENDULUM AND CORIOLIS EFFECT

 The direction in which Foucault pendulum swings is in
ARSENIC EXPOSURE
line with the Coriolis effect. Foucault pendulum #Health
rotates clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and
anticlockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
o Coriolis force is a phenomenon that appears to act Even low levels of Arsenic consumption may impact cognitive
on objects in motion in a rotating reference frame, function in children, adolescents, and young adults.
like the earth.
o In the Northern Hemisphere, Coriolis force causes
moving objects to be deflected to the right, while its
effect is the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere.
o With each swing, the bob of Foucault pendulum
moves a little to the right in the Northern
Hemisphere and vice versa in the South.
PERIOD OF ROTATION OF THE PENDULUM

 The period and direction of rotation of the ARSENIC CONTAMINATION OF WATER
pendulum depends on the latitude of the pendulum.
 Arsenic is a natural component of the earth’s crust
o At the North Pole and the South Pole, the
and is widely distributed throughout the environment
pendulum would complete one rotation in 24
hours. in the air, water and land. Highly toxic in its inorganic
o At the equator, there will be no observable form, it is introduced into soil and groundwater
rotation. during weathering of rocks and minerals followed
o At other latitudes, it would rotate at intermediate by subsequent leaching and runoff.

rates and directions.  People are also exposed to elevated levels of
This is because the earth rotates faster at the Equator inorganic Arsenic through:
than it does at the Poles because it is wider in the center
o Drinking or using contaminated water in food
and hence needs to cover more area in the same time
preparation and irrigation of food crops
period as compared to the North or South Pole.

o Industrial processes (Arsenic is used industrially as

an alloying agent, and in the processing of glass,
pigments, textiles, paper, metal adhesives, wood
preservatives and ammunition)
o Smoking tobacco (tobacco plants can take up

Arsenic naturally present in the soil).
IMPACTS
 Long-term exposure can lead to mortality due to

chronic Arsenic poisoning, multiple cancers (skin TYPES OF THALASSEMIA
lesions and skin cancer), lung disease, heart attacks, 1. Thalassemia Minor:
kidney failure and diseases of the skin (colour  The haemoglobin genes are inherited during
changes, and hard patches on palms and soles). conception, one from the mother and one from the
father.
 Exposure to Arsenic reduces grey matter (brain
 People with a Thalassemia trait in one gene are
tissue that is vital to cognitive functions) and has
known as carriers or are said to have thalassemia
negative impacts on cognitive development,
minor. Thalassemia minor is not a disease and they
intelligence and memory. have only mild anaemia.
 It has adverse pregnancy outcomes, infant mortality
and impacts on child health.
THALASSEMIA
#Biology and Biotechnology #Health
Union government have pledged to roll out a national

mission to eradicate thalassemia from the country over
2. Thalassemia Major:
the next 25 years, beginning with a country-wide screening
 This is the most severe form of Thalassemia which
exercise.
occurs when a child inherits two mutated genes,
THALASSEMIA one from each parent.
 Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorders  Patients (Children) with thalassemia major develop
characterised by abnormal haemoglobin the symptoms of severe Anaemia within the first
year of life.
production. The patient cannot make enough
haemoglobin which leads to Anaemia; thus, the
patients require blood transfusions every two to three
weeks to survive.
o Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that

carries oxygen throughout the body.
 Thalassemia results from a mutation in one or more

of the genes that make haemoglobin. It is passed
down from one or both parents through their genes.

PREVALENCE IN INDIA RESPIRATORY PATHOGENS PARTNERS ENGAGEMENT

 India has the largest number of children with FORUM (R-PEF)
Thalassemia major in the world (about 1 to 1.5  R-PEF is an informal coordination forum convened by
lakhs). The only cure available is bone marrow the WHO to strengthen networking for respiratory
transplantation (BMT), which is difficult and not pathogen preparedness planning.
affordable.  It enables WHO and partners to exchange information
 Hence, the mainstay of treatment is repeated blood on planned activities, lessons learnt, gaps and needs,
transfusions, followed by regular iron chelation reviews and other developments relating to pandemic
therapy to remove the excessive iron overload, preparedness for respiratory pathogens.
consequent to the multiple blood transfusions.  It will focus on elements common to respiratory
pathogen preparedness. It does not advise or provide
inputs for purposes of norms and standards setting to
PREPAREDNESS & WHO.
RESILIENCE FOR RESPIRATORY PATHOGENS PANDEMIC RESOURCE

PACK (R-PRP)
EMERGING THREATS  Updated resources for respiratory pathogens with
pandemic potential will be collectively housed in the
INITIATIVE R-PRP web portal.
#Health  Objective: To support a harmonised approach to

planning for future pandemics caused by respiratory
pathogens.
World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the  This resource pack will:
Preparedness & Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET)
o Incorporate lessons learned from respiratory
initiative to improve pandemic preparedness.
pathogen epidemics and pandemics such as
PRET INITIATIVE influenza, MERS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2.
 PRET Initiative is an innovative approach launched by o Provide a broader respiratory pathogen focus with
WHO for improving disease pandemic preparedness pathogen-specific elements where needed.
and prevention by providing guidance on integrated
o Leverage new modalities for partner engagement
planning.
and shared learning.
 Uses a mode of transmission approach to guide
o Capitalise on the current momentum to strengthen
countries in pandemic planning.
national functional capacities for preparedness and
 Aim: To strengthen existing systems and capacities response.
and fill gaps in existing systems.
SIGNIFICANCE OF PRET INITIATIVE
 PRET's first module will aim at boosting pandemic
 Integrate planning efforts: Given the COVID-19
preparedness for respiratory pathogens such as
pandemic and the possible threat of avian influenza,
influenza, coronaviruses or respiratory syncytial virus.
this module will enable countries to critically review,
The process of identifying the next group of
test and update their respiratory pandemic planning
pathogens like arboviruses is underway.
efforts to ensure they have functional capacities and
 Recognises three-tier of systems and capacities capabilities in place.
relevant to pandemic preparedness:
 One-Health Approach: PRET is based on the
1. Cross-cutting for all or multi-hazards philosophy of One Health which recognises that most
2. Relevant for groups of pathogens (respiratory new pathogens originate first in animals and that
arboviruses) preventing, preparing and responding to emerging
3. Specific to a pathogen threats requires multi-sector action.

 Focus on Mode of Transmission: PRET focuses on  Makes way for Pandemic Accord: PRET can also
the Mode of Transmission of pathogens to guide serve to operationalise the objectives and provisions
countries in pandemic planning, rather than a focus of the Pandemic Accord, which is currently being
on specific diseases. negotiated by Member States of WHO.
Prelims Snippets
H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA #Biology and Biotechnology #Health
World Health Organisation has announced that Monkeypox
is no longer a global health emergency.
India is at “risk and vulnerable” to the ongoing outbreaks
of avian influenza (H5N1) worldwide. H5N1 was detected by ABOUT MONKEYPOX (Mpox)
the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Disease,  It is a viral zoonotic disease caused by the mpox
Bhopal in the samples received from the Government virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus.
Poultry Farm at Bokaro, Jharkhand on February 17, 2023.
 Symptoms: Characterized by rash or skin lesions
ABOUT AVIAN INFLUENZA
that are usually concentrated on the face, palms of
 Avian influenza (H5N1) is a subtype of the Influenza A
the hands, and soles of the feet.
virus that primarily infects birds but can also infect
humans and other mammals. The virus is highly  Transmission: Mainly spread to people from
pathogenic i.e., it can cause severe disease in infected animals, primarily rodents and monkeys, and
individuals. human-to-human transmission can occur through
 Transmission: Mainly transmitted to humans contact with bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, or
through contact with infected poultry or contaminated objects.
contaminated surfaces, but it can also be
 Treatment: Currently, there is no specific treatment
transmitted from person to person.
for mpox, some antiviral drugs can be used. Also,
 Symptoms in humans: Fever, cough, sore throat, and
monkeypox is self-limiting, i.e., it can get better
difficulty breathing. In severe cases, the virus can lead
without treatment.
to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome,
and even death.
o The mortality rate for human cases of H5N1 is
relatively high, with over 50% of reported cases
resulting in death.
 Treatment: Antivirals can help reduce the severity of
the condition. Vaccines for H5N1 are under
development.
MPOX NO LONGER A
GLOBAL HEALTH
EMERGENCY: WHO

TRIALS FOR FIRST WORLD’S 1ST ORAL

INDIGENOUS DENGUE ANTIVIRAL FOR COVID-19
VACCINE #Biology and Biotechnology #Health
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the
world’s first oral antiviral Paxlovid for the treatment of mild
Serum Institute of India and Panacea Biotec are geared for
to moderate COVID-19 in adults.
collaborative Phase 3 clinical trials for indigenous dengue
vaccine candidate.
VACCINE TRIALS
 Phase 3 trial is being done for evaluation of efficacy,
along with safety and immunogenicity of tetravalent
dengue vaccine candidate developed by Indian
manufacturers.
 Desirable characteristics of a dengue vaccine include:
o Acceptable short- and long-term safety profile (no
antibody-dependent enhancement)
o Inducing protection against all four serotypes of
dengue (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4)
o Inducing a sustained immune response and PAXLOVID
effectiveness irrespective of the earlier serostatus  Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir tablets) is
and age of the individual. manufactured by US pharma major Pfizer.
Dengue:
 It is the fourth drug — and first oral antiviral pill —
 It is a viral illness caused by the dengue virus, approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 in adults.
transmitted to humans through the bite of infected
o So far, Paxlovid was being sold under emergency
Aedes mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti. Dengue
use authorisation (EUA) in the US.
cannot spread directly from person to person.
 Prevalence: Commonly found in tropical and  With the pandemic now in its endemic stage, oral
subtropical regions around the world, especially in treatments, or pills, are believed to be a potential
urban and semi-urban areas. game changer for mild to moderate infections.
 Symptoms: Flu-like symptoms, including high fever, SARS-COV-2 VIRUS
severe headache, joint and muscle pain, and rash. In  Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly
severe cases, dengue can lead to dengue hemorrhagic contagious viral illness caused by severe acute
fever (DHF) which can be life-threatening. respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
 Treatment: There is no specific antiviral treatment  SARS-CoV-2 is a novel beta coronavirus belonging to
for dengue fever. Early detection and access to proper the same subgenus as the severe acute respiratory
medical care greatly lower fatality rates. Prevention syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East
and control of dengue depend on vector control. Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
 Threat: In 2019, WHO identified dengue to be one of o It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan,
the top 10 global health threats. It causes significant China, and then caused a global pandemic leading
morbidity and mortality across the globe; India to the COVID-19 pandemic.
witnesses 2 to 2.5 lakh dengue cases annually.

 Coronaviruses are positive-stranded RNA viruses diabetes. They are widely used ingredients in
with a crown-like appearance due to the presence of beverages and pre-packed food.
spike glycoproteins on the envelope.  E.g., Acesulfame K, aspartame (popularly used to
 Like other RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2, while adapting to sweeten diet colas), advantame, cyclamates, neotame,
their new human hosts, is prone to genetic saccharin (sweeten tea or coffee), sucralose, stevia,
evolution with the development of mutations over and stevia derivatives.
time. This results in mutant variants that may have AS PER A TRIAL CONDUCTED BY WHO
different characteristics than its ancestral strains.
 Higher intake of NSS was associated with a 76%
 Origin: Although the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is currently increase in risk of obesity and a 0.14 kg/m2 increase in
unknown, it is widely postulated to have originated BMI (Body Mass Index).
from an animal, implicating a zoonotic transmission.
 Long-term use of NSS could lead to increased risk of
 Transmission: Exposure to respiratory droplets Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic
carrying the infectious virus from close contact or kidney disease and cancer.
droplet transmission from presymptomatic,
 Some low-certainty data linked their use to bladder
asymptomatic, or symptomatic individuals.
cancer and preterm birth when consumed by
pregnant women.
WHO’S GUIDELINES ON GUIDELINES BY WHO

 NSS should not be used as a means of achieving
NON-SUGAR SWEETENERS weight control or reducing the risk of diet-related non-
communicable diseases.
o In 2015, WHO issued a guideline that a high intake
of free sugars is linked to weight gain and obesity,
World Health Organisation has issued guidelines advising which lead consumers to turn to NSS as an
against the use of non-sugar sweeteners as a “healthy” alternative.
alternative to sugar.  The Ministry of Health will have to initiate
NON-SUGAR SWEETENERS (NSS) discussions among policymakers before it decides
to adopt this ‘conditional recommendation of WHO’ as
 NSS are marketed as low or no-calorie alternatives
a national policy.
to free sugars claimed to aid in weight loss, and in
controlling blood glucose in individuals with
practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements with (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
reference to Mitochondrial diseases:
1. Mitochondrial diseases are only passed on Q2. Consider the following statements with
through the mother. reference to X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite
2. Faulty mitochondria can cause conditions such as (XPoSat):
heart problems, liver failure, brain disorders and 1. XPoSat is the world’s first satellite mission
muscular dystrophy. dedicated to the measure the polarization of X-
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Rays from different cosmic sources.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only

2. The spacecraft will carry two scientific payloads in (c) 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
the geostationary earth orbit.
3. It is a mission to enhance the understanding of Q4. Consider the following statements with
emission mechanisms from various astronomical reference to Thalassemia:
sources. 1. Thalassemia is a rare disorder in which the blood
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins.
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only 2. It is a genetic disorder that results from a
(c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 mutation in one or more genes that make
haemoglobin.
Q3. Consider the following statements with Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
reference to Navigation with Indian (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Constellation (NavIC) system: (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. NavIC consists of a constellation of seven
satellites placed in the geostationary orbit. Q5. Consider the following statements with
2. It can provide accurate position information reference to the Monkey Pox:
service to users across India and the region 1. Monkey pox is an airborne viral infection.
extending up to 1500 km around the country. 2. It is a zoonotic disease with no cases of human-
3. It is designed to provide position accuracy of to-human transmission.
around 50 meters. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q1. Discuss concerns about the implications of Artificial Intelligence and the need to design regulations to prevent the
possible misuse of AI by individuals and governments.
Q2. What is a Sodium-ion battery and why it is seen as an alternative to Lithium-ion batteries?
Answers: 1-c, 2-c, 3-c, 4-b, 5-d

History, HERITAGE & Culture
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper I (Main)
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE PAST

SHILABHATTARIKA  Archaeologists, linguists, and orientalists employ
#Artandculture #personalities copper plates, which frequently have inscriptions of
hereditary grants made by kings, to recreate the
past.
Shilabhattarika, the celebrated Sanskrit poetess of Ancient  A copper-plate charter with five copper plates from
India, has recently been the subject of new research by the era of Vijayaditya, the Badami Chalukyan king
researchers at the Pune-based Bhandarkar Oriental (696-733 CE) has been deciphered.
Research Institute (BORI), which is home to the largest  A copper ring with a Varaha (boar) seal serves as
collection of manuscripts and rare books in South Asia. They the binding element of the charter. The Varaha seal
claim to have shed new light on her by identifying her as the served as the royal seal of Badami Chalukyas. A
daughter of the renowned Chalukyan Emperor Pulakeshin II Sanskrit text written in late-Brahmi script was included
of Badami (in modern Karnataka). in the charter.
FINDINGS FROM THE COPPER PLATES  According to a preliminary interpretation of the plates,
 Information about the literary past Vijayaditya gave the village of Sikkatteru to the
Vedic scholar Vishnusharma in the month of Magha,
 The copper plate gives critical details to the literary
Shaka year 638.
history of the Chalukyas, in addition to providing
information on the geography and politics.  The plates also revealed that Mahendravarma, son of
Shilabhattarika, the daughter of "Satyashraya," had
 Marked change in the Historiography of the Badami
asked Vijayaditya to make the grant. Pulakeshin II
Chalukyas was the only Badami Chalukyan ruler who was solely
o It had provided earliest concrete historical proof of known by the title "Satyashraya," which can be
Shila-Bhattarika's status as a poetess, who made a translated as "patron of truth."
name for herself in the historically male-dominated  Additionally, evidence points to Shilabhattarika's
field of classical Sanskrit literature. marriage to Dadiga, a prince from Talakkad's Ganga
o The new research has put Shilabhattarika's life in lineage.
the 7th century CE instead of the prevailing belief SHILA-BHATTARIKA
that placed her as the wife of the 8th-century  A Sanskrit poetess from the ninth century.
Rashtrakuta ruler, Dhruva.  In the accounts of Rajashekhara:
o Shilabhattarika was a Chalukyan princess who may o Shilabhattarika has been lauded for her delicate
have been Pulakeshin II's daughter. compositions by the Sanskrit poet-critic
o Pulakeshin II, who ruled from 610 to 642 CE, is Rajashekhara, court poet of the Gurjara-Pratiharas
known for having notably defeated Harshavardhan (9th–10th century CE).
of Kanauj in a battle that took place near the o Rajashekhara claims that the Panchali style (one
Narmada River in 618 CE. of the four primary literary styles, the other three

History, Heritage & Culture
are Vaidharbhi, Gaudi, and Lati) can be seen in the History

writings of Shilabhattarika and perhaps in a few of  There is documentary evidence that Thirunelly was an
the works of the poet Bana from the seventh important town and pilgrim centre in South India
century. during the reign of Chera monarch Bhaskara Ravi
o The 15th-century anthology Subhashitavali Varma I (962-1019 CE).
contains a lyric attributed to Rajashekhara that  Historian V. R. Parameswaran Pillai states in his
states that Panchali style preserves "a balance book 'Thirunelli Documents' that this temple was
between words and meaning." formerly an important component of Kerala's early
o In Sharngadhara-paddhati, a 14th-century recorded history.
anthology, she and three other female poets are  Architecture
lauded, in the following sentences: Poetesses like o This 3000-year-old temple is a fine example of
Shilabhattarika, Vijja, Marula, and Morika are well- Kerala temple architecture. The temple is an
known for their poetic brilliance and erudition. architectural marvel with around 30 granite
These women are proficient in all academic fields, columns and a granite paved floor. A cloister of
have engaged in disputes with other academics. cubical granite pillars runs along the temple's outer
o Subjects in her poetry: It is known that she wrote wall.
at least 46 poems, some of which deal with "love, o An open courtyard surrounds the Sanctorum,
morality, politics, nature, beauty, the seasons, which is encircled by a tile-roofed building.
insects, anger, indignation, codes of conduct, and
o The holy temple pond is called Panchatheertham.
the characteristic features of various kinds of
The temple lacks a temple well, which is a
heroines."
notable characteristic.
o The deciphering of the plates also sheds light on
o The main deity idol of the temple is in the form of
how, Shilabhattarika might have developed the
Chathurbhuja.
level of poetry-writing expertise that put her on
par with the most esteemed male poets of the  Religious Significance
day. o Temple is the only temple in the world where
o Durvinita, a well-known ruler of the Western worshippers can complete all of life's rituals, from
Gangas, was Shilabhattarika's grandfather-in- birth to death and life after death.
law. He was also an accomplished composer who o The ceremonies are carried out on the banks of
had patronised Bharavi, the author of the classical the Papanasini stream, which flows down from
epic Kiratarjuniya. Mount Brahmagiri.
o Lord Brahma is said to have performed Lord
THIRUNELLI Vishnu's prathishta here. The cave temple

Gunnika, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is located on the
TEMPLE IN KERALA temple's western side. As a result, Thirunelli is
blessed by the presence of all three parts of the
#artandculture #templearchitecture trinity.
o It is also known as ''Sahyamala Kshetram'' and
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage ''Southern Kashi''.
(INTACH) has urged the government to protect historically DISTINCTIVE KERALA STYLE OF TEMPLE
significant structures such as the 600-year-old ARCHITECTURE
'Vilakkumadom,' a magnificent granite edifice, at the Sree
Provincial variety of Dravidian style
Mahavishnu Temple at Thirunelly in Kerala's Wayanad
 The Dravidian style took a positive shape and became
district.
strengthened during the Pallavas of Kanchipuram.
THIRUNELLI TEMPLE

This style underwent gradual changes without losing  The Kuttambalam or the theater hall of the Keralite
its individuality. temple is located either as a part of the inner prakara
or as a separate hall outside the innermost prakaram.
 Kerala, on the west coast of South India, has a
provincial variation of this style. Basic temple  The Kuttambalam has a stage, raised from the rest of
construction and Brahmanical religion developed in the floor, and a backstage area. This is the site of the
Kerala in tandem and steadily under the performance of Kathakali or Chakkiyar
koothu recitals. Thus, the kuttambalam plays a
Kulasekharas of Mahodayapuram.
role in educating visitors on the rich legends of the
Local features in the Kerala temple architecture Indian cultural fabric.
Largely dictated by the geography of the region that  Materials Used and Decorative elements
abounds in forests blessed with the bounties of the
 A harmonic blend of stones, woodwork, stucco
monsoons, the structure of the temples in Kerala is work, and painting create a structure rich in regional
distinctive. traditions.
ROOF  The woodwork is quite important here, as it gives the
 Temple roof resembles those found in the Himalayan Kerala temple silhouette its vitality and character. The
regions and those in East Asia. temple's inner skeletal framework is made of wood,
but the foundation and upper construction are
 Steep and pointed roofs constructed with wood are
made of granite and laterite, respectively.
covered with copper sheets.
 Kerala temple walls are made of coursed laterite
 The shape of the roof is in accordance with the plan
stone masonry that has been plastered with mud
of the sanctum below. With a circular plan, one sees
and lime.
a conical roof, while with a square plan the roof is
 Murals can be found on some of these temple walls.
pyramidal.
Another distinguishing feature of Keralite temples is
 The roof protrudes at numerous levels to shelter the the use of Vilakku Maadam (multi-tiered brass
interior skeletal framework from the region's lamps) in front of temples.
violent monsoons.
ABOUT INTACH
SANCTUM
 The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural
 The Central sanctum of a Keralite temple is referred to Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable
as the Sree Kovil. organisation registered under the Societies
 It is surrounded by a cloistered Prakara, pierced at Registration Act, 1860.
one or more cardinal points with a Gopuradwara.  It achieved Special Consultative status with the
 The cloistered Prakaram has United Nations Economic and Social Council was
a Namaskara Mandapam located directly in front of awarded in 2007.
the sanctum. This Prakaram also houses subsidiary History
shrines.
 INTACH was established in 1984 in New Delhi with the
MANDAPAM goal of establishing a membership organisation to
 The Mukha Mandapam is integrated with the Gopura promote and lead heritage awareness and
entrance. conservation in India.
 The flagstaff or Dwaja Stambham is located outside  INTACH has been a leader in the conservation and
of the Dwajastambham. safeguarding of India's natural and cultural heritage
 The Balipitham may be in the Mukhamandapam or in since 1984.
the outer courtyard.  In 2007, INTACH signed a memorandum of
 The outer prakaram or courtyard houses other understanding with AusHeritage, Australia's well-
subshrines, and optionally a temple tank. known heritage network, to engage on regional
initiatives in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
HALL
Restoration

 Over the years, INTACH has taken up the restoration TUGHALQABAD FORT
and conservation of hundreds of monuments that fall  Tughluqabad fort is a ruined fort in Delhi, built
outside the purview of the Archaeological Survey by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq, the founder of
of India and other government organisations. the Tughlaq dynasty.
 After developing Raghurajpur, Odisha, India, as a  Tughlaqabad is the third extant city of Delhi, after Lal
heritage village known for its master 'Pattachitra' Kot (built in mid-eleventh century by the Tomars)
artists and 'Gotipua' dance troupes, it later used the and Siri (built by the second ruler of the Khalji
same pattern to develop Padmanabhpur village, Dynasty, Alauddin Khalji).
Ganjam district, Odisha, India, known for its weavers
and folk dancers, into another heritage destination.
Mission
 INTACH's mission to conserve heritage, is based on
the belief that living in harmony with heritage
enhances the quality of life, and it is the duty of
every citizen of India as laid down in the
Constitution of India.
 The objectives spelt out in the Memorandum of
Association constitute INTACH's Mandate and
ARCHITECTURE
Vision
 Fortification: Tughalqabad consists of massive stone
 Sensitise the public about the pluralistic cultural
fortifications surrounding the ground plan of the city.
legacy of India and instil a sense of social
The sloping rubble-filled city walls are a typical feature
responsibility towards preserving India's common
of monuments of the Tughluq dynasty.
heritage.
 Divided into three parts:
 Document unprotected buildings of archaeological,
o Wider city area with houses built along a
architectural, historic and aesthetic significance, as
well as the cultural resources, as this is the first step rectangular grid.
towards formulating conservation plans. o Citadel with a tower at its highest point known
 Develop heritage policies and regulations and make as ‘Bijai-Mandal’.

legal interventions to protect India's heritage when o Adjacent palace area containing the royal
necessary. residences.
 Provide expertise in the field of conservation,  Among the major architectures during the Tughlaq
restoration and preservation of specific works of art dynasty, the tomb of Ghiyasuddin is almost
and encourage capacity-building by developing skills perfectly preserved.
through training programmes.  The Ghiyas-ud-Din's tomb is in the form of a self-
 Undertake emergency response measures during contained fortress in miniature with the sloping walls
natural or man-made disasters and support the local of circular bastions. It may also have been intended
administration whenever heritage is threatened. as a fortified central tower.
 The tomb-building is constructed diagonally at its
widest part resembling it into the correct
TUGHALQABAD FORT orientation with Mecca.
#medievalindia #artandculture  The major portion of the tomb-building is made with

red sandstone, including the dome, made of white
marble.
Archaeological Survey of India has taken demolition drive at  The architecture of the tomb's exterior portion
Tughalaqabad fort. To protect it from future encroachments, resembles that of the structure of the Alai Darwaza
ASI plans to build a boundary wall.

constructed earlier. The similarity lies in the well as Hindu style has come to be known as the Indo-
treatment of the pointed arches also. Islamic style of architecture.
 Tudor arch: The horse-shoe shaped tomb has been  The buildings show stark simplicity and sobriety,
customized into a "Tudor" outline with a slight probably indicating fewer financial resources as well
decorative double curve at the crown. as puritanical tests.
 The typical style of combining of the arch and the  There was more emphasis on vastness in place of
beam in the tomb was used for the first time in the decoration of the buildings of the Khilji period.
architecture during the Tughlaq dynasty.  Dark appearance characterised the buildings.
 The tomb signifies the beginning of the phase of a  The constructions combined both arch and lintel
regal style of architecture. method of entrance design.
 Adilabad Fort: Situated southeast of Ghiyasuddin  Introduced a style of construction known as “batter”
Tomb. It was built by Muhammad Tughluq (1325– which was characterised by sloping walls to give more
1351) and shares the main characteristics of strength to the building.
construction with Tughlaqabad fort.
 During the reign of three important rulers, the
 Nai ka kot: Situated south-east of Adilabad. It is architecture of the dynasty flourished:
believed to have been built by Muhammad bin
o Founder of the dynasty, Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq
Tughlaq as a private residence before he built
(1320 to 1325)
Adilabad.
o Mohammed Shah Tughlaq (1325 to 1351)
TUGHLAQ DYNASTY
o Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351 to 1388)
 Third Dynasty of Delhi sultanate: The Tughlaq
DURING THE REIGN OF MOHAMMED BIN TUGHLAQ
dynasty took over from the Khaljis in 1320. Ghazi
Malik assumed the throne under the title  He had an important role in the development of
of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. architectures during Tughlaq dynasty.
 The Tughlaqs were able to maintain their rule for a  Major contributions: Fourth city of Delhi with
long time because they had strong allies such as fortified walls named Jahan-Pannah or the World
Turks, Afghans, and South Asian Muslim warriors. Refuge, a double storied bridge of seven spans
 The dynasty reached its pinnacle between 1330 and named Sath Pul, Bijai Mandal, the presumably part
1335 AD, during a military campaign led by of a "Palace of a Thousand Columns”.
Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.  The city was deserted and desolate during the year
 The dynasty ended in 1413. 1340 due to the unpredictable policy of Muhammad
Tughlaq to change the capital from Delhi to the city
GHIYAS-UD-DIN TUGHLAQ OR GHAZI MALIK (1320-
of Daulatabad.
1325 AD)
DURING THE REIGN OF FIROZ SHAH TUGHLAQ
 Fortified the North-Western frontiers to defend the
 Successor of Muhammad Tughlaq, he constructed
sultanate against Mongol invasions.
Delhi as the capital.
 Muhammad Jauna Khan, son of Ghiyas-ud-din
Tughlaq defeated Prataparudra-Deva II, the  Revived the Islamic style of architecture:
Kakatiya ruler of Warangal. o Architectural characters of this period were
different from its predecessors as it had the
 Established the city of Tughlaqabad.
reflection of the conditions that prevailed at the
 Ghiyasuddin Bahadur's rebellion in Bengal was
seat of the government.
suppressed during his rule.
o It represented the suppression of the indigenous
ARCHITECTURE DURING TUGHLAQS
impulse.
 Elements of Indo-Islamic style dominated the
o Major creations: Ferozshah Kotla, the fifth city
architectural developments during Tughlaq
of Delhi, and three other fortress cities named as
dynasty. The amalgamation of Islamic architecture as
Jaunpur, Fathabad, and Hissar.

Khirki Masjid at Jahanpanah: Khirki Masjid is a great Buddhist Festival at Trongsa Dzong, the largest dzong
example of Islamic architecture. It is a small quadrangle- fortress in Bhutan, located in Trongsa (formerly
shaped mosque and is covered entirely by a roof, Tongsa), in the centre of the country.
which is an unusual thing for building of mosques.  This five-day festival known as the Trongsa Tsechu is
The presence of several domes on the roof along with held in the courtyard of the temple every year in
the wonderful latticework or jali on the windows December or January. The festival celebrates the
represents the typical Islamic style of architecture. arrival of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) to Bhutan
in the 8th century, a mark of triumph of Buddhism
over evil.
TIBETAN BUDDHIST LAMA  By attending a Tsechu, visitors gain the Buddha’s
blessing or and experience spiritual release through
DANCE the tantric deities.
#art&culture #folkdances
KHOONI DARWAJA
A Cham Lama performance on the auspicious occasion of #artandculture #medievalindia
Buddha Jayanti at Tupchiling Gompa was observed in
Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh.
In the book 'Delhi': Unknown Tales of a City’ by Ronald Vivian
Smith, the description has been of Khooni Darwaja, which
was built by Sher Shah Sur.
 Khooni Darwaza, located near the Delhi Gate, was
constructed during Sher Shah Suri's reign in the
16th century (1540-45).
 Initially known as Lal Darwaza, it was later renamed
Khooni Darwaza due to a tragic event that took place
in 1857. Lieutenant Hodson shot and killed Bahadur
Shah Zafar's sons and grandson there, after the British
forces recaptured Delhi and the last Emperor sought
ABOUT THE CHAM LAMA DANCE shelter in Humayun's Tomb.
 A traditional Cham Lama dance is an event held by ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
Tibetan monasteries during special Buddhist festivals.
 The architectural design of Khooni Darwaza
 Monks in colourful costumes wear masks and they showcases a combination of Mughal and Afghan
dance to the music played from traditional influences. Constructed using quartzite stone, the
instruments (such as the ritual drum), also performed gate stands tall with three stories.
by monks. The longer it goes on, the more they seem
 It features three arched entrances, with the central
to get in a trance.
one being the largest.
 The dancers must be both well-trained and strong as
 The upper floors of the gate boast balconies known
the ritual dance must be performed very precisely and
as jharokhas, offering panoramic views of the
the masks are very heavy.
surrounding area.
 Cham was introduced in the eight Century by
 In the past, the gate's expansive courtyard served as a
Padmasambhava (who introduced Tantric Buddhism
gathering space for the public, as believed by
to Tibet), to subjugate the local demons that were
historians. Enclosed by a tall wall, the courtyard
obstructing the building of the first monastery in
encompasses various chambers and rooms.
Tibet, Samye.
 Additionally, on either side of the gate, there are
 Many of the figures performing the dance are animal
rectangular windows with decorative overhanging
characters. The pictures are made at the annual

edges known as chajjas, supported by intricately  In the past, the gate's expansive courtyard served as a
carved brackets. gathering space for the public, as believed by
KANGURA STRUCTURE historians. Enclosed by a tall wall, the courtyard
encompasses various chambers and rooms.
 The Kangura or Kungura battlement is an important
aspect of Indian monuments which serves both  Additionally, on either side of the gate, there are
military and aesthetic purposes. rectangular windows with decorative overhanging
edges known as chajjas, supported by intricately
 While the petal shaped roof boundary looks regal, it
carved brackets.
also served as a place for soldiers to guard and
defend the building. KANGURA STRUCTURE
DAMAAGA  The Kangura or Kungura battlement is an important

aspect of Indian monuments which serves both
 Below the Kangura battlement, there are three hole-
military and aesthetic purposes.
like openings. These are called damaaga.
 While the petal shaped roof boundary looks regal, it
 The damaagas were also structure built for defence
also served as a place for soldiers to guard and
and could be used to pour boiling oil on enemies
defend the building.
scaling the gate.
DAMAAGA
PISHTAQ
 Below the Kangura battlement, there are three hole-
 The main entrance has two wonderfully
like openings. These are called damaaga.
carved pishtaq, or niches.
 The damaagas were also structure built for defence
 These niches could be used to keep lamps to light up
and could be used to pour boiling oil on enemies
the entrance in the dark.
scaling the gate.
 The frames of the window are made from red
PISHTAQ
sandstone.
 The main entrance has two wonderfully
 It is a protected monument under the
carved pishtaq, or niches.
Archaeological Survey in India.
 These niches could be used to keep lamps to light up
KHOONI DARWAJA
the entrance in the dark.
 Khooni Darwaza, located near the Delhi Gate, was
 The frames of the window are made from red
constructed during Sher Shah Suri's reign in the
sandstone.
16th century (1540-45).
 It is a protected monument under the
 Initially known as Lal Darwaza, it was later renamed
Archaeological Survey in India.
Khooni Darwaza due to a tragic event that took place
in 1857. Lieutenant Hodson shot and killed Bahadur
Shah Zafar's sons and grandson there, after the British
forces recaptured Delhi and the last Emperor sought UTTARAMERUR MODEL OF
shelter in Humayun's Tomb.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
DEMOCRACY
 The architectural design of Khooni Darwaza #artandculture #medieval india
showcases a combination of Mughal and Afghan
influences. Constructed using quartzite stone, the
gate stands tall with three stories. The Prime Minister of India referred to the Uttaramerur
inscription located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu during a
 It features three arched entrances, with the central
discussion on India’s democratic history.
one being the largest.
UTTARAMERUR
 The upper floors of the gate boast balconies known
as jharokhas, offering panoramic views of the  Situated in present-day Kanchipuram district,
surrounding area. southeast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was established

during the reign of Nandivarman II, a Pallava king  Not submitting accounts while previously serving in a
who ruled around 750 A.D. committee,
 Over the years, Uttaramerur was successively  Committing any of the first four of the five 'great sins'
governed by the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, (killing a brahman, drinking alcohol, theft, and
Sambuvarayars, Vijayanagara Rayas, and Nayaks. adultery), associating with outcastes, and consuming
 Historical temples: The village boasts three 'forbidden' dishes.
significant temples: the Sundara Varadaraja ELECTION PROCESS
Perumal temple, the Subramanya temple, and the  The entire selection process, under the guidance of
Kailasanatha temple. priests was conducted through an elaborated
SIGNIFICANCE OF UTTARAMERUR INSCRIPTION (920 lottery draw in the inner hall of the assembly
A.D.) building (mandapa).
 Uttaramerur contains multiple inscriptions, with the  The names of qualified candidates from each ward
most important one dating back to the rule of were written on Palm leaf tickets and placed in a pot
Parantaka I (907-953 AD). (Kudavolai).
 This inscription on the walls of the village assembly  The oldest member of the assembly assigned a boy to
(mandapa), provides comprehensive information randomly select a slip.
about the functioning of the elected village RESPONSIBILITIES
assembly.
 There were several important committees within the
 According to scholars, village assemblies might have Sabha, each with its specific functions, which included:
existed before the time of Parantaka Chola, but it was
 Annual committee (an executive committee that
during his rule that the village administration
required prior experience and knowledge)
underwent significant refinement and became a well-
operating system through the implementation of  Committee for supervision of justice (overseeing
elections. appointments and addressing wrongdoings)
LOCAL ELECTIONS  Gold committee (responsible for the village temple's

gold)
A comprehensive account of the operations of the Sabha
 The assignments of the committees lasted for 360
(village assembly) is provided in the inscription The
days, after which the members retired.
Sabha consisted exclusively of brahmans and
comprised specialized committees responsible for  It was important for the member to maintain accurate
various tasks. It also outlines the process of selecting accounts, as any discrepancies could disqualify Sabha
members, qualifications, responsibilities and basis of members.
disqualifications. RIGHT TO RECALL
Constituting Sabha: There would be 30 wards, and  The villagers had the right to recall elected
individuals residing in these wards would gather to representatives who failed in their duties.
choose a representative for the village assembly.  The committee for Supervision of Justice was
QUALIFICATIONS responsible for this duty and with the assistance of
 Age group: Male, above 35 but below 75 an arbitrator, it conducted another selection following
the prescribed process.
 Possession of Land and a house
IMPERIAL CHOLAS (C. 850 – 1200 CE)
 Knowledge of mantras and Brahmanas from the Vedic
corpus.  According to the records, after the Sangam age, the
Cholas remained as the subordinates of the Pallavas
 Exception: If the person had learned at least one
in the Kaveri region.
Veda and four Bhashyas, exception was made
regarding land ownership.  Vijayalaya (850-871 CE), conquered the Kaveri delta
from the Muttariyar Dynasty. He founded the city
DISQUALIFICATIONS
of Thanjavur and established the Kingdom.

 The copper plate inscriptions of Vijayalaya’s o From the ninth to the thirteenth centuries, the
successors trace the Cholas’ lineage back to Chola dynasty held a position of paramount
Karikala (most renowned Chola ruler during the importance in South India.
Sangam age). o By the end of the twelfth century, local chiefs began
SUCCESSORS OF VIJAYALAYA to rise in power.
 Parantaka Chola was instrumental in territorial
expansion of the kingdom and is credited with
strengthening the governance of the Chola empire.
KUKI & MEITEI TRIBE OF
 As dominant kingdom: MANIPUR
o Rajaraja I (985–1014) (credited for Brihadeeswara
temple in Thanjavur) and his son Rajendra I (1012–
#artandculture #tribalculture
1044), conducted successful naval expeditions
reaching Sri Vijaya (in maritime Southeast Asia).
ABOUT THE KUKI TRIBE
o They solidified the achievements of their
predecessors and established Chola dominance  Kukis are known by different names to different
throughout peninsular India. communities.
CHOLA ADMINISTRATION  Some called them Lushai, some called them Kukis,
 Monarchy: The governance during that period was Darlongs, Rokhums and among the Burma border
led by a hereditary monarchy. they are known as Chins.
 Addressed with titles: Peruman or Perumagan (great  They called themselves Hare-ems. However, ‘Kuki’ has
man), Chakkaravarti (emperor) and Tiribhuvana been accepted as the generic name for the
Chakkaravarti (emperor of three worlds).
community.
 Legitimacy: The kings established their legitimacy by
 As per 2011 Census all together Kukis are 10,965
asserting that they were comrades of the gods
persons in Tripura. In the past they lived in hill tops
(thambiran thozhar).
and maintained their livelihood through jhum
 Patronised Brahmins: The rulers appointed
cultivation and by producing fruits.
Brahmins as spiritual mentors or rajagurus.
Patronizing Brahmins was seen to enhance their  Now-a-days they do plain land cultivation and rear
prestige and legitimacy. livestock.
 Land Grants: As a result, the Chola kings granted vast  Linguistically they speak a language which is closely
land estates to Brahmins known as brahmadeyams related to the Kuki-Chin linguistic family of Sino-
and chaturvedimangalams.
Tibetan race. The Kukis have many clans and
 Provinces: The Chola state had been experiencing a subclans.
continuous expansion of its territories since the reign
 Kukis are fond of music and dance. They work hard in
of Vijayalaya.
Jhum field, garden and enjoy dance and music at
 These regions were under the rule of local chiefs
community level.
commonly referred to as Feudatories.
 Rajaraja I undertook the integration of these  Normally they do not arrange any marriage alliance
territories and appointed Viceroys to govern these outside their community. Traditionally they were not
regions. Christian but animist and worship different deities and
 Examples: Chola-Lankeswara in Sri Lanka and spirits. But for the last 90(ninety) years most of them
Chola-Ganga in the Gangavadi region of southern have embraced Christianity as their religion.
Karnataka.  They have their own customary laws and village
THE END OF CHOLA RULE council.
 Weakened central authority:

 LAL is a term to denote village chief. This is the reason o He was a composer who created couplets about
for which Darlong uses Lal before their name. Lord Krishna since Akbar's wife, Jodha, revered Lord
 The village chief generally looks up all sorts of social Krishna.
and religious disputes Including disputes related to o Akbar bestowed the title Mirza Khan upon him.
marriage and divorce.
He used Persian, Hindi, and Sanskrit in his poetry.
 Presently Kukis are socio-economically advanced then
o Over the years, his 700-odd couplets have become
other tribes.
a significant feature of Hindi school textbooks.
ABOUT MEITEI TRIBE
o He was also a leading translator of his time, having
 It is a majority tribal group of Manipur (53% of the
population). They speak Meitei language (Manipuri translated Babur's autobiography from Turkish
language) which is a Tibeto-Burman language, also the to Persian.
official language of Manipur (written in Bengali
language).
 They are primarily settled in the Imphal Valley
region (of Manipur), Assam, Tripura, Nagaland,
Meghalaya, and Mizoram.
 They are divided into various clans and do not
intermarry.
 Majority of them follow Hinduism, while more than
8% are Muslims.
 Manipuri martial art Thang-ta is a combative sport
which had its origin from the Meitei knights during the
kings rule.
KHANE-E-KHANA
 Lai Haraoba is the important dance festival celebrated
 Rahim Khan is credited with funding the creation of
in this tribe.
attractive structures like as canals, tanks, and gardens.
The most impressive of his works is the tomb he made
KHAN-E-KHANA TOMB & for his wife, Mah Banu, in 1598. It was the first Mughal
tomb erected specifically for a woman.
HUMAYUN’S TOMB  Features:
#artandculture #medievalindia o Material used: The tomb is made of red
sandstone, buff sandstone and marble.
ABOUT RAHIM KHAN o Different architectural styles: It is an arch-
 Early Life: He was born in 1556 to Bairam Khan, shaped structure and is decorated using the
Akbar's uncle and tutor, and after Bairam Khan was structure of an inverted lotus. Other styles include-
assassinated, Akbar had the child brought to him and niches, bulbous domes, canopies and Charbagh
arranged for his upbringing. pattern.
 Career:
o Ornamentation: The tomb has been ornamented
o He was one of Akbar's Navratans and served in with diverse motifs including those seen in other
Jahangir's court. His political and military career mausoleums as well as those found in Hindu
began with Akbar's Gujarat campaign. architecture like the peacock and Swastika.
o Emperor Akbar nominated him as Governor of
Gujarat in 1575.

Bagh (Four Gardens), a quadrilateral garden layout

based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in The
Holy Quran.
 Hybrid of Persian and Indian Architectural styles
Topping off the mausoleum is the Persian double dome,
flanked by pillared kiosks, or chattris, which are a
distinct Indian architectural feature. This combination
of Persian and Indian architectural styles works
beautifully together and this makes Humayun’s Tomb a
great example of a hybrid of styles of two separate
cultures.
 Four distinct octagonal units separated by four
HUMAYUN’S TOMB recesses make up the mausoleum, with the entrance
 Significance of Tomb: located in the recess which is in the centre of the
o Built in 1570, it is of cultural significance as it was southern facade.
the first garden-tomb on the Indian  Contrast is one of the key elements: While the rest
subcontinent. of the building is made up of red sandstone, with
o The tomb has also been documented as the first white and black marble and yellow stone detailing, the
ever tomb built for a Mughal emperor. exterior dome is of purely white marble.
o The structure is an inspiration for the most well-  Dormitory of Mughals: A central domed chamber
known example of Mughal architecture, the Taj with the emperor’s tomb in the middle and four
Mahal. corner rooms comprise the first floor. The large
corner rooms as well as the numerous cells at the
Commissioning
plinth level are a clear indication that the structure
 Many scholars have argued that it was Haji Begam,
was originally designed to accommodate several
Humayun’s widow who had commissioned this
graves. Over 150 Mughal family members are buried
mausoleum.
there.
 However, according to Akbar Nama, written by  Significance: For the patron of this tomb, Akbar, there
Emperor Akbar’s official biographer Abu’l Fazl, Haji were two purposes behind building this great
Begam was on a pilgrimage to Mecca during much of
structure, to commemorate his father’s legacy and
the construction period of the tomb. This has been
to make a political statement.
confirmed by both Abu’l Fazl and Father Monserrate, a
Jesuit priest who resided in Emperor Akbar’s court
during the early 1580s. The monument was built by NEW IVC CEMETERY
Emperor Akbar.
 Abd al-Qadir Badauni mentioned it was designed DISCOVERED AT KUTCH
by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, an architect of Iranian
descent. REGION OF GUJARAT
 It was designated as a World Heritage Site by the #artandculture #ancientindia
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in 1993.
FEATURES A burial site has been discovered at Khatiya Village, in Kutch
 Persian Influence: region, Gujarat. It is the largest pre-urban Harappan
cemetery.
It was the first structure in which the slightly bulbous
and double dome, a feature borrowed from Persia ABOUT KHATIYA CEMETERY
and Samarkand, was introduced in India. Persian style Situated on the banks of the Gandi stream, which flows
is once again evident in this complex in the Char- into the Great Rann of Kutch. Researchers believe that

in prehistoric times, the Great Rann of Kutch was a  Early Harappan Phase from 3300 to 2600 BCE.
navigable area through which the Ghaggar-Harka-  Mature Harappan Phase from 2600 to 1900 BCE.
Nara River used to pass. However, the river eventually
 Late Harappan Phase from 1900 to 1300 BCE.
dried up, transforming Kutch into an arid region.
EARLY HARAPPAN PHASE
FINDINGS
 The early Harappan phase marked the transition
 The excavation at the cemetery has revealed 500
towards the mature Harappan period.
graves, out of which 197 have been excavated so far.
 During this phase, farmers from the highlands
 Relation to ‘pre-urban’ Harappan phase: The
gradually migrated between their mountain
Harappan civilisation, is said to have thrived along the
residences and the lowland river valleys.
banks of river Indus from around 5,000 BC to 1,000
 The earliest specimens of the Indus script date back
BC. It is divided into the pre-Urban phase (5,000 BC
to the third millennium BCE, and trade networks
to 2,600 BC); Urban phase or Mature phase (2,600
connected this civilization to other regional cultures
BC to 1,900 BC) and Post-Urban phase (1,900 BC to
and distant sources of raw materials.
1,000 BC).
 By this time, the villagers had successfully cultivated a
 Burial goods: Shell bangle, pottery shards, stone
diverse range of crops such as peas, sesame seeds,
blades and even human skeletal remains have been
dates, and cotton. Additionally, they also
found.
domesticated animals like the water buffalo.
 Pottery: Found as burial goods at the Khatiya site are
 By 2600 BCE, early Harappan villages had developed
mainly redware, buffware and greyware. It is
into major urban centres, signalling the beginning
comparable to the pre-urban Harappan pottery of
of the mature Harappan phase.
Sindh and Baluchistan and North Gujarat.
The following sites show how the Early Harappan
 With these findings, conclusion is drawn that the
phase originated and took shape:
cemetery is believed to be 5,000 years old, belonging
to the ‘pre-urban’ phase of the Harappan  Mehrgarh: The earliest evidence for this development
civilisation. comes from Mehrgarh, Baluchistan.
HARAPPAN CIVILISATION  First phase: People used stone tools but no potteries
are found.
 The Harappan civilization, also known as the Indus
Valley Civilization, is considered the beginning of  Second phase: Stone tools were refined and potteries
Indian history. It can be divided into three phases: were made.

 Third phase: Greater use of pottery and copper tools

were introduced. SHRINE OF SAINT SHEIKH
 Incipient Urbanism: Gradually, villages were getting
AHMED KARIM
larger and agriculture more developed. It was from
these settled agricultural communities, the early #artandculture #Sufism
phase of the Harappan civilization developed, marked
by beginning of cities.
 Ghaggar-Hakra-Indus Axis: In this region, the
civilisation developed fully. Around 40 Early Harappan
sites have been discovered.
 Amri: Located near the Indus River. It shows the
development of Indus pottery tradition from hard
made, monochrome potteries to nicely painted,
wheel-made potteries decorated with humped Indian
bull. The use of copper and bronze also increased.
SAINT SHEIKH AHMED KARIM (PEER KI GALI)
 Kot Diji: This was a very important Early Harappan
 Located on the Mughal Road in the Poonch district
site. It is located on the left bank of river Indus
of Jammu and Kashmir, this historic location holds
opposite Mohenjo-Daro. One important feature is
significance in connection with a revered religious
the diverse forms of wheel-made potteries decorated figure known as Alamdaar-e-Kashmir, Sheikh Noor-
with plain dark brown stripes. This kind of pottery has u-Din Noorani (RA) (1378 to 1441).
been named as the Kot-Dijian Pottery and was
 According to written accounts, the sacred site
widely spread in the Indus area.
acquired its name due to the presence of Sheikh
 The motifs such as horned bull, scaled fish and pipal Ahmed Karim, a Hindu saint who converted to
leaves, used in the Amri and Kot Diji potteries, have Islam.
been found extensively even during the mature  It is important to note that the site is not a Mazar or
Harappan period. the grave of a saint, but rather a place where Sheikh
 Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana: Ahmed Karim used to meditate. His actual grave is
 Harappa: The site reveals the existence of Early situated north of the grave of Bahuddin Ganj Bakash
in Kashmir.
Harappan phase. Kot Diji-type of potteries have been
found. Lapis lazuli, steatite and terracotta human HISTORICAL REFERENCE
figurines are reported from these levels.  Francoise Barnier, in the year 1665, visited this
 Kalibangan: Situated in north Rajasthan (on now location as part of the caravan accompanying the
dried-up Ghaggar bank). During its Early Harappan Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
period, people lived in houses made of mud bricks of  In his writings, Barnier states, "The saint had been
standard sizes. residing here since the time of Mughal emperor
Jahangir." Additionally, Barnier documented the
Copper axes, terracotta bangles shell, carnelian etc. have
been found. Evidence about the use of plough for  visits of both Aurangzeb and Shahjahan to this
agricultural purposes are found. place.
 Aliabad Sarai is another historical site situated
 Banawali: Located at the now dried-up course of
near the Shrine:
Ghaggar and Saraswati, Hissar district of Haryana.
Material objects found at the site comprise potteries, o According to historical records, it is indicated that
terracotta bangles, terracotta animal figurines, shell the Sarai at this location was initially constructed by
etc. At one place, a depiction of covered cart with the Mughal emperor Akbar.
spoked wheel have been found.

o He commissioned its construction to provide  Sama: One distinctive practice of the Sufis was the
lodging and amenities for travellers journeying musical recital, which aimed to induce a mystical
along this route. state of ecstasy. This practice faced opposition from
o Later, the Sarai was restored by emperor the religious scholars (ulema).
Shahjahan, who named it after his loyal governor,  Silsilahs:
Ali Mardan Khan. As a result, the Sarai became o The Sufis organized themselves into different
widely recognized as Aliabad Sarai. orders known as Silsilahs. For example:
CONCEPT OF PEER AND MURID IN SUFISM Suhrawardi, Qadiri, and Chishti.
 Peer: A distinguished title bestowed upon a Sufi o The activities of a Sufi order revolved around a
spiritual guide, also known as Sheikh. Within Sufism, hospice or khanqah, where the pir provided
the role of a Peer entails guiding and instructing spiritual training to the disciples.
disciples along the path of Sufism. o These khanqahs were sustained through
o This guidance is often provided through general endowments and charitable contributions.
teachings, referred to as Suhbas, as well as ADVENT OF THE SUFIS TO INDIA
individualized guidance.
 Before Delhi Sultanate:
 Murid: The journey of Sufism commences when a
o Even before the Delhi Sultanate was established,
student takes a solemn oath of allegiance, known as
early Sufi saints had already arrived in India. The
Baiat or Bayaah, where they pledge their loyalty and
subsequent development of Sufism in India was
repent for past transgressions before their Pir
primarily shaped by the Indian environment
(spiritual guide).
rather than non-Indian forms of Sufism.
SUFISM MOVEMENT AND ITS FEATURES
o Among the notable early Sufi saints who settled in
 During the medieval period, Sufism arose as a India was Al Hujwiri, also known as Data Ganj
departure from the established and rigid religious Baksh, who arrived in India around 1088 AD. He
doctrines of the time, emphasizing the importance of authored the renowned Sufi manual titled ‘Kashf-
religious experiences and direct perception of God ul-Mahjub.’
rather than strict adherence to formal practices
 During Delhi Sultanate:
alone.
o With the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate,
 While Sufis acknowledged the significance of the
various Sufi orders found a new home in India,
Shariat (Islamic law), they placed great emphasis on
attracting Sufis who had fled from other parts
cultivating personal religious experiences.
of the Islamic world as refugees.
 Sufism has been influenced by a variety of sources
o By the mid-14th century, the influence of Sufi
including Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, as
activities had spread throughout most parts of the
well as the Indian philosophical systems of Vedanta
Indian subcontinent.
and Yoga.
ORGANISATION OF SUFIS IN INDIA
 Sufi path:
The Sufis in India organized themselves into various
o The primary emphasis was on embarking upon the
orders. According to Abul Fazal, there were fourteen Sufi
Sufi path to establish direct communion with the
orders that arrived in India, but only two of them,
divine reality.
namely the Chishti and Suhravardi silsilahs,
o The path could only be undertaken under the strict established strong roots in the country.
guidance of a spiritual mentor known as a ‘pir’.
Chishti Silsilah
o The disciple, referred to as a ‘murid’, advanced
 Chishti silsilah originated in Ajmer and gradually
through these stages and states by engaging in
spread to other regions such as Rajasthan, Punjab,
spiritual exercises such as self-discipline and the
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Orissa, and the
recollection of God's name.
Deccan.

 Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti introduced the Chishti Government of India has been celebrating the birth
order in India. He arrived in India during the Ghori anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
conquest in 1190 and settled in Ajmer around ABOUT RABINDRANATH TAGORE
1206.
Title of Gurudeva was given by Mahatma Gandhi.
 His simple, devout, and dedicated life had a profound
Profession: Poet, writer, playwright, composer,
impact on those who encountered him, earning
respect from both Muslims and non-Muslims. philosopher, social reformer, painter
 He was known for his tolerant attitude towards non- CONTRIBUTIONS

Muslims and was not actively involved in conversion  Reshaped Bengali literature and music
efforts. Following his passing, his tomb in Ajmer  Introduced Contextual Modernism in late 19th and
became a renowned pilgrimage site. early 20th centuries
 Early Chishtis incorporated certain ethical values
 Author of Gitanjali, a collection of profoundly
from the nathpanthi yogis and their communal
sensitive, fresh, and beautiful poetry
way of life.
 First non-European and lyricist to win the Nobel Prize
SUHRAVARDI SILSILAH
in Literature (1913)
 Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya, introduced Suhravardi
 Known for his spiritual and mercurial poetic songs
silsilah in India (1182-1262). He aligned himself with
Iltutmish during the conquest of Multan against  Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society
Qubacha and received state patronage from the  Referred to as "the Bard of Bengal" and known by
Delhi Sultanate. sobriquets: Gurudeb, Kobiguru, Biswokobi
 Iltutmish bestowed upon him the title of Shaikh-ul BACKGROUND
Islam (Leader of Islam) and granted him an
 Bengali Brahmin from Calcutta with ancestral gentry
endowment.
roots in Burdwan district and Jessore
 The Suhravardi order-maintained connections with
 Started writing poetry at the age of eight.
the ruling establishment and actively participated
in political activities.  Initially published poems under the pseudonym
Bhānusiṃha, which were hailed as lost classics
 The Suhravardi silsilah was primarily concentrated in
Sindh, Multan, Punjab and Bengal.  Graduated to writing short stories and dramas under
 Unlike the Chistis, the Suhravardis did not advocate a his real name.
life of poverty, extreme austerity, and self-  Humanist, universalist, internationalist, and critic of
mortification. In fact, they actively engaged with the nationalism.
government and willingly accepted official positions.  Advocated for Indian independence from British Raj.
 Suhravardi silsilah was primarily associated with the  Prominent figure in the Bengal Renaissance.
upper echelons of Muslim society. Certain saints of
 Founded Visva-Bharati University.
the Suhravardi silsilah held rigid and
uncompromising views on various religious and ARTISTIC APPROACH
social matters.  Modernized Bengali art by rejecting rigid classical
forms and linguistic constraints
GURUDEV RABINDRANATH  Wrote novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and

essays on political and personal topics
TAGORE JAYANTI  Well-known works include Gitanjali, Gora, and Ghare-
#modernindia #personalities Baire
 Acclaimed for his lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism,
and contemplative style.

NATIONAL ANTHEMS  He was influenced by various artistic styles, including

 His compositions chosen as national anthems by India scrimshaw by the Malanggan people of northern New
("Jana Gana Mana") and Bangladesh ("Amar Shonar Ireland in Papua New Guinea, Haida carvings from the
Bangla") Pacific Northwest region of North America, and
woodcuts by the German artist Max Pechstein.
 Sri Lankan national anthem inspired by his work.
 Tagore's manuscripts showcased his artistic eye for
ARTISTIC WORK
handwriting, with simple artistic and rhythmic motifs
 At the age of sixty, Tagore began drawing and adorning the scribbles, cross-outs, and word layouts.
painting.
 Some of Tagore's lyrics resonated with specific
 His works had successful exhibitions in Europe, paintings in a synesthetic sense, creating a connection
starting with a debut appearance in Paris. between his music and visual art.
 Tagore was likely red-green colour blind, resulting in  His famous paintings included Dancing Woman, Lady
unique color schemes and unconventional aesthetics with flower, Woman’s Face, Head study etc.
in his artwork.

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements: 3. During the reign of Akbar, ‘Tudor arch’ was
1. The Purana Qila, located in Delhi was built entirely introduced in the construction of Mosques.
during the reign of Sher Shah Sur. 4. The use of white marble as a chief building
2. The architectural features that developed under material began during the reign of Shahjahan.
Sur dynasty was completely based in Afghan style. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 2 only
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 only (c) 1 and 3 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) 2 and 4 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q4. Consider the following pairs:
Q2. Consider the following statements: Early Harappan

S.NO. Associated River
1. During the reign of Parantaka Chola, elections site
were implemented in the village assemblies. 1. Banawali : Saraswati
2. The village assemblies had committees which
2. Khatiya burial site : Bhogava
functioned for six months, after which its
members retired. 3. Kalibangan : Ghaggar
3. The membership of village assemblies was open to 4. Amri : Luni

persons from all castes.
How many pairs given above is/are incorrectly matched?
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
(a) Only one pair
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) Only two pairs
(b) 2 only
(c) Only three pairs
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) All four pairs
(d) 3 only
Q5. With reference to Sufism in India, consider the

Q3. With reference to the Mughal architecture, following statements:
consider the following statements: 1. Sufi movement in India was started after the
1. The architecture of Agra fort indicates the free establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.
adoption of the Rajput planning and construction. 2. The Saints of Suhravardi order held rigid views on
2. Humayun’s tomb was built completely in the religious and social matters.
Persian style and shows no trace of Indian
architectural features.

3. The activities of Suhravardi order were (a) 1 only

concentrated in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the (b) 2 only
Deccan region.
(c) 1 and 2 only
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (d) 2 and 3 only
Q1. With examples from major Mughal monuments, discuss the unique characteristics of Mughal architecture and its
contribution to India's cultural and aesthetic heritage. (150 words, 10 marks)
Q2. Discuss the role of women in the development of the Indian constitution. (250 words)
Answers: 1-d, 2-c, 3-c, 4-b, 5-b

Part TWO
Ethics, Integrity
& Aptitude
Coverage from varied sources
Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
ETHICS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

#Ethics #Integrity #Aptitude
Recently, we saw that India helped Turkey during the state relations as it mainly bases the relations and
earthquake crisis. On the other hand, India did not interactions between countries and their shared
condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine or it denied understandings as the sources of conflicts or
giving shelter to Rohingya refugees. This shows that the cooperation. Constructivists view identity as the basis for
same country adopts and justifies its different actions interests, institutions, and relations between countries.
differently in pursuing international relations. ETHICAL ISSUES AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
Defining International Ethics Human Rights Violations: Political interventions
International ethics is a set of universal values that frequently lead to Human Rights violations. US
governs the actions and behaviours of nation-states. intervention in Afghanistan, Vietnam etc.
These include protection of human rights, prohibition of Refugee Issue: European nations are closing their
genocide, prohibition of attack on civilians during the war borders to refugees fleeing war-torn areas India refused
etc. to accept Rohingyas.
VARIOUS SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT ON INTERNATIONAL Climate Change
ETHICS
 International Equity Concerns: Countries that are
Liberalism emphasises that the broad ties among states least responsible for climate change and have the
have both made it difficult to define national interest and least economic capacity to fight the effects of climate
decreased the use of military power. Increasing change are the most affected. Example Small Islands
globalisation, the rapid rise in information technology Developing Countries like the Marshall Islands.
and the increase in international trade mean that states
 Issue of Common but Differentiated
can no longer rely on simple power politics to decide
Responsibilities: There are issues in defining and
matters.
differentiating the responsibilities between present
Idealism is the school of liberalism that stresses the and future generations as well as developed and
need for states to peruse moral goals and to act developing countries. Climate sceptics do not consider
ethically in the international arena. Example Ideal of climate change to be real.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
Disarmament: It is being promoted by those states,
Realism according to this theory’s assumption, a nation’s which have massive reserves of nuclear armaments,
primary goal ought to be self-preservation, and missiles etc. Countries like the USA impose economic and
increasing power must be a socioeconomic and political other sanctions on countries like Iran to prevent them
requisite. Realism can be Defensive or Offensive. In the from developing nuclear weapons. How is it ethical for a
case of defensive realism, a nation tries to protect its country to impose sanctions on others without
interests in a defensive mode like applying higher discarding its weapons?
custom duty on external goods to protect its domestic
IPRs: Developed countries are depriving the poor
industry.
countries of accessing new technologies (even life-saving
While in the case of offensive realism, a nation adopts drugs) by the restrictive clauses of IPRs. It is essential to
offensive tools to protect its interest like US military determine whether it is justifiable for a country to defend
operations in various countries. its IPRs on commercial grounds or should share
Constructivism believes that the structure of the technology for the greater interest of humanity.
international system cannot be uniformly applied to all

Global Commons: Global commons are defined as those developed countries. Various issues involved in
parts of the planet that fall outside national jurisdictions international funding are:
and to which all nations have access. International law  State vs Non-State Actors: Many times, nations
identifies four global commons, namely High Seas, donate to non-state actors which may be used against
Atmosphere, Antarctica and Outer Space. Some of the the interests of receiving nation like external support
issues concerning global commons are as follows to extremist groups.
 Zoonotic diseases like Covid-19  Conditions on Funds Most of the funds that
 Greenhouse gas emission Governance and developing nations receive have many unfavourable
 conservation of Arctic conditions attached to them.
o Overfishing  Proliferation of Monoculturalism: These programs

are often aimed at inculcating certain forms of culture
o Accumulation of plastic waste
and have low regard for Indigenous culture in the
o Accumulation of Space debris targeted nations.
Power Asymmetry at United Nations because Veto
 Dependency on foreign aid: The state starts to lose
power is given to 5 Permanent members only. The its independence and relies on foreign aid for socio-
organisation which is formed to protect democracy and economic policies.
led by the US and UK which call themselves the
defenders of Democracy in the world are heading the
institution in an undemocratic way. Limit of Sovereignty
Genocide: It is a crime against humanity and the world Important ethical concern in International Ethics includes
has signed the ‘UN Convention on Genocide to end this. what is the limit of Sovereignty. When large-scale Ethnic
Ethical aspects related to this include: cleansing & Genocide is taking place (e.g., in South Sudan
or Myanmar), can a country protect its actions in the
 Right, to Protect is vague. As a result, either
garb of sovereignty?
international community acts extremely late or does
not at all against the genocides conducted by the What is the limit of Non-Intervention by the
states. International Community?
 International community also faces a dilemma  For this, there is an initiative of the UN called
that whether it should intervene on its own or arm the ‘Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Initiative’.
group so that persecuted section can protect itself.  It states that Nations have sovereignty but are subject
 Narrow definition of Genocide: The definition of to Human Rights. If human rights are violated, then
‘Genocide’ excludes targeted political and social International Community can unilaterally act against
groups. It also excludes indirect acts against an that nation.
environment that sustains people and their cultural Wars and conflicts
distinctiveness. Countries and rebel groups use war and conflict to attain
Terrorism power and they may justify based on self-preservation
 Most countries of the world are affected by terrorism. but ultimately it includes not only loss of life but
economic, social and cultural loss as well.
 States differentiate between Good Terrorists and
Bad Terrorists based on their interests. Just War Theory
 This reveals a selective and self-serving approach What is a valid justification to start the war, if war has
toward the inhumane activity of terrorism. Example, started which type of actions are justified during the war
Pakistan differentiates between ‘Good Taliban’ and and what are the steps that the country should take after
‘Bad Taliban.’ the war?
Issues Associated with International Funding Components of Just War Theory
Foreign aid means the transfer of money, goods or  Jus ad Bellum (just recourse to war)
technical knowledge, from developed to under-  Jus in Bello (Just conduct in war)

 Post-war Rohingyas etc. It is being favoured on humanitarian

1. Principles of Jus ad Bellum (Just Recourse to War) grounds and there is a principle of non-refoulment (to
which many countries except India are signatories) that
 Last resort: All non-violent options must have been
states that no one should be returned to a country
exhausted
where they would face torture, cruelty or any other
 Just cause: The purpose of war is to redress a wrong
irreparable harm. Asylum is opposed based on loss of
 Legitimate authority: Lawfully constituted jobs, culture and the probability of the rise of extremism,
government of a sovereign state can declare war, PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
rather than a private individual or group.
United Nations Charter
 Right intention: War must be prosecuted on morally
It emphasizes international peace, security, cooperation,
acceptable aims rather than revenge.
refraining from the use of force, and assisting the UN to
 Reasonable prospect of success: War should not be
make a better world.
fought in a hopeless cause.
Role of India in Encouraging International Ethics
 Proportionality: Any response to an attack should be
Article 51 in the Constitution of India Promotion of
measured and proportionate.
international peace and security. The State shall
endeavour to
2. Principles of Jus in Bello (Just Conduct in War)
a) Promote international peace and security.
 Discrimination: Force must be directed at military b) Maintain just and honourable relations between
targets only because civilians or non-combatants are nations.
innocent.
c) foster respect for international law and treaty
 Proportionality: Force should be proportional. obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with
 Humanity: Force must not be directed ever against one another; and
enemy personnel if they are captured, wounded or
d) Encourage settlement of international disputes by
under control (prisoners of war). arbitration.
3. Post War Principle of Panchsheel
 Reconstruction: Post-war reconstruction should also
1. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known as
be done. the Panchsheel Treaty:
 Reconciliation: There should be efforts of 2. Mutual respect’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
reconciliation after the war is over.
Mutual non-aggression.
Just War theory is not intended to justify wars but to 3. Mutual non-interference in each other's internal
prevent them, by showing that going to war except in affairs.
certain limited circumstances is wrong, and thus
4. Equality and cooperation for mutual benefit.
motivate states to find other ways of resolving conflicts.
5. Peaceful co-existence.
Nuclear-Weapons
Panchamrit Strategy
 According to proponents of nuclear weapons, these
weapons create deterrence and stabilize the world 1. Samman: dignity and honour
order. 2. Samvad: greater engagement and dialogue
 Possibility that nuclear-armed states may go rogue, 3. Samriddhi: shared prosperity
collapse, or fail to prevent their arsenal from falling 4. Suraksha: regional and global security; and
into the hands of terrorists, cannot be ignored.
5. Sanskriti evam sabhyata: cultural and civilizational
Asylum linkages.
The response of countries to asylum seekers has been
xenophobic. Afghans, Tunisians, Libyans, Syrians,

CASE STUDIES for Practice

MAINS GS PAPER IV
Case Study 1: India is a secular country where people of c) Critically examine each option available with Rupesh
Kumar.
different faiths live together and respect the beliefs and
religious practices of each other. This culture of d) What will be the best option for Rupesh to opt to
respecting others’ faith is crucial for maintaining the ideal deal with such a critical situation?
of unity in diversity. Even the preamble of the Indian
(250 words, 20 marks)
constitution provides liberty of thought, expression,
belief, faith and worship, further guaranteed by ANS. The case deals with increasing intolerance in our
Fundamental rights under articles 19 and 29. Though society which is threatening the secular fabric.
communalism is not new to India, the country is A) Ethical issues involved in the case are
witnessing its re-emergence in recent years, especially  Increasing religious intolerance: opposing peaceful
against the largest minority community i.e., Muslims. religious activity in the permitted public place is a
Recently Slogan-shouting Right wing outfit members clearcut case of religious hatred.
disrupted a Friday namaz being held in the open in
 Environmental degradation: if the allegations are
sector 69 of a popular city, forcing a group of 100 people
true that the prayer ground is under the green belt of
offering prayers to leave the venue. Even though in 2021,
the city then it may pose a serious threat to the
the district administration designated six open sites for
greenery of the city.
offering namaz in the city. After receiving the
information, a police team reached the spot and found  Failure of the state to serve its subjects: people of
that the people from the Muslim community were minority communities are compelled to offer prayer in
leaving the place. The team asked the Right-wing outfit such public places because the state failed to provide
members to leave the place but they refused to do so better alternatives.
hence there is the situation of a tussle between the B) Options available with Rupesh Kumar
police and the members of a right-wing outfit. Amit, a
1. Using force to vacate the public place
member of the right-wing outfit, alleged that the
2. Use of persuasion to convince both parties
worshippers were encroaching on the green belt in the
area to pray. This site was allocated on a temporary basis 3. Leave the ground without solving the issue (let the
for offering prayers. He claimed that some people from people solve the matter on their own)
other districts and states are also coming here to offer C) Critical analysis of the options
namaz. He added that we will give a memorandum to the
Options Merit Demerit
deputy commissioner on Monday to stop prayer at this
site. Members of the Muslim community of the city say 1st: Using force It will leave a It may involve
they go to public places because of the lack of mosques to vacate the deterring effect loss of life and
in the areas where they work or live. Being head of the public place on others economic
police team Rupesh Kumar calculated that if they use resources.
force, there is the possibility of a loss of lives on both 2nd: Use of It will show the It may take time
sides and if they do not use the force, they may fail to persuasion to application of to solve the
perform their duty as an agent of a secular state. His
convince both wisdom which issue
failure may tarnish the image of India as a secular state
parties highest virtue as
at the global level.
per Socrates
a) What are the ethical issues involved in the case?
3rd: Leave the It may prevent It will be a
b) Enlist the options available with Rupesh Kumar in ground without provocation to denial of duty
the given situation

solving the issue right-wing outfit belonged to the Paharia community, a Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Group in Jharkhand, has travelled far
D) Rupesh should opt for 2nd option because
beyond Goda Pahad and created a shockwave in the
1. Persuasion is the most effective tool to solve
political arena. Communal parties are tagging it as a case
communal tensions because it involves all involved
of Love Jihad. Since the details of the murder have
parties and their concerns. become known, the communal parties have been
2. It will ensure the greatest good to the greatest attempting to put the administration on the back foot,
number as it has the potential to avoid conflicts holding protests and drawing parallels between
and maintain the long-lasting peace Menaka’s killing and that of Shraddha Walkar, the
3. It will also ensure the application of wisdom on the Mumbai girl killed allegedly by her partner. A 21-member
real ground Jharkhand communal party delegation led by state ST
Morcha in-charge Ram Saran calls on Menaka’s family.
4. It will foster the concept of participatory
Saran makes a small speech to those gathered around
governance.
the grieving Surja – on “love jihad” and how “these
Hence, people and administration should follow the
people should not be allowed in the village without
ideals of secularism to ensure unity in diversity. permission.” If the case I not solved promptly with
caution it may lead to communal riots in the region. You
are the same SHO who is leading the investigation in this
Case Study 2: Menaka, 22 years old, tribal was in a live- case. You belonged to the community of the accused.
in relationship with a fellow tribal – a common practice in You know there are new emerging tendencies to blame
these parts — but the couple parted ways after the birth the whole community just because of fewer incidents.
of a child and she came home to be with her parents. A You must serve both, your community as well as the
few years later, she met Jafar who was already married. country and constitution. There is huge pressure on you
Both fall in love with each other and decided to live from all sides to encounter the accused. You have also
together but their families were not in favour. Menaka’s received a threat call from a terrorist group that if you
father tried to persuade his daughter not to be with Jafar will not leave Jafar then you may be killed. You are a
because he was from a different community. On the young police officer who married recently. You are the
other hand, Jafar’s mother Mariam Nisha was not happy sole breadwinner of your family.
with Menaka being part of their family because she was a
Christian tribal while they were Muslims, and since a) What are the ethical issues involved in the given
Menaka had a child from an earlier relationship. When case?
Jafar insisted on being with Menaka, his mother Nisha b) Enlist the options available to you in the given
went to her brothers and asked them to get rid of the situation.
woman. She also paid Rs 20,000 to her brothers for the
c) Critically examine each of the options listed by you.
job. The couple asked for their safety from the police
administration in advance but the police paid no heed to d) Which option you will opt for and why?
their concerns. One day Revika was murdered by the
(250 words, 20 marks)
family members of Jafar. After killing Menaka, the killers
filed a missing person complaint with police. Police have ANS. The given case deals with the issue of religious
registered a case under various IPC Sections including for intolerance on the part of civilians and lack of good
murder and under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act governance on the part of police administration.
against 11 members, including Jafar, his mother Nisha A) Ethical issues involved in the case
and nine other family members, including two of his
1. Intolerance: The family of Jafar murdered Menaka
uncles who are suspected to have hacked Menaka’s body
just because she belonged to a different region it
into several pieces. Police started searching nearby areas
shows the increasing level of religious intolerance in
and found more body parts in different polythene bags.
our secular society.
Police have failed to arrest all accused even after many
days of murder. This murder of the 22-year-old, who 2. Lack of Good governance: As victim and her
husband informed the police regarding threat to their

safety in advance still police did not pay any heed to himself from person can which is against
their concern. the case solve the case the spirit to
B) Options available in the given situation efficiently service.
1. Skipping Jafar  It may lead to
2. Not skipping Jafar crisis of
conscience of in
3. request to remove himself from the case
future.
C) Critical analysis of the options
D) SHO should opt for the 2nd option because of their
Options Merit Demerit
following reasons
 Ensuring  Shows lack of  Moral and legal duty to deliver the justice to the
1st: Skipping personal courage and victim.
Jafar safety dedication to
 Uphold the integrity, he needs to act rationally without
duty
any fear.
 It will ensure  It may endanger  Ensure greatest good: If he skips any accused then
the justice to personal safety there is probability of resentment in the common
the victim of SHO which is people which may harm societal peace.
2nd: Not
 It is also as per against the  Thus, it can be concluded that there is need to spread
Skipping Jafar
categorical utilitarian the idea of secularism at ground level and making
imperative of principle of self- police administration more efficient to prevent such
Kant preservation. crimes.
3rd: Request  More  It will amount to
to remove experience denial of duty

Part Three
Essays
of
the month
Selected essays from Rau’s GSI students
Essays OF THE MONTH
EDUCATING THE MIND WITHOUT EDUCATING OUR

HEART IS NO EDUCATION AT ALL
#PHILOSOPHICAL
SUBMITTED BY: ARUN PRADEEP
Disclaimer: The viewpoints in the topic are strictly subjects that cannot be adequately reduced to a number
personal of the writer above. The role of Rau’s IAS on a report card.
Study Circle is to present the write-up in its original ‘Education’ is thus relegated to a transfer of information.
form, hence the study circle neither endorses nor Focus and emphasis has been purely on spoon-feeding
rejects any viewpoint in the submission. as much information as possible to build the aptitude of
The purpose is only to showcase the a student to become an eventual employee. Naturally,
manner of writing. this implies that topics like arts, sports, moral education,
and socially useful and productive work take a back seat.
Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of
the reader to use his/her intellect to check the veracity Not only does this tendency rob children of their natural
of viewpoints. development and turn them into automatons that
merely absorb and produce information, but also
“Education without values, as useful as it is rather distorts their own viewpoint of what an education
seeming to make a man a clever devil.” The above phrase implies. To them, it begins and ends in school, except for
of C S Lewis comes to mind when one thinks of what the few for whom it ends with a degree in college.
education as a process ought to achieve, and more
importantly what it ought to avoid. As a nation Einstein, one of the most learned men in the world in his
approaching a narrow window of “demographic time, famously remarked ‘once you stop learning, you
dividend” set to expire by mid-21st century, this concern start dying.’ When education is limited to information
becomes more crucial. The right kind of education will transfer, this ‘death’ is untimely and robs a citizen of his
surely allow us to capitalize on our budding population true potential and a nation, of its most valuable
of young men and women. But the wrong kind of resource.
education will just as surely turn our dividend into a Education as information thus improves a man’s aptitude
disaster. but does nothing to improve his attitude. This alone is no
Thus, it is with the interest of the world, our nation and education at all, for it is attitude and not aptitude that
society in mind that we must tackle the question of determines one’s altitude, and this altitude can be
“What is education?” and perhaps more importantly, improved, and attitude can be improved only by taking a
what is not education. more holistic view of education.
EDUCATION VS INFORMATION EDUCATING THE HEART
Education is often considered to be merely limited to The best definitions of education are those that
training students and providing them the information recognize education as a process of holistic human
necessary to eventually attain a job. This often manifests development that focusses on developing the character
as a competition among students and their parents to of a student. This view of education is in line with the
score higher marks in competitive subjects like ethical principles of Kantian Philosophy, that man must
mathematics or science with no consideration for be treated as an end in himself. A person is not merely
an instrument that must be taught to work.

Essays OF THE MONTH
This means that a good system of education must have factory with information as its raw material. Moral
both the heart and the mind. Moral and value education science and philosophy were relegated to the back seat.
is central to this thesis of holistic education. Education
Today, the British may have left, but their colonial system
must impart values to students in their formative years
of education remains. Schools today mostly serve as
when they are most receptive. These values eventually
information dispensers. Moral science is taught through
coalesce into beliefs and attitudes that eventually
textbooks and duly ignored by most students and even
manifest as socially and morally acceptable behavior.
teachers. While this system may have made us proficient
From education, thus springs an ultimately moral and
and technically adopt as a workforce, the resulting decay
productive society.
in the character of Indian society is clearly evident.
Proof of this can be gleaned from the Japanese system of
The rise of white-collar crime embodies this
education. In Japan, the first few years of schooling are
phenomenon perfectly. Ketan Parekh, the mastermind
spent purely on value education and inculcation of
who stole millions through the stock market was a
manners. Students learn to take care of the
brilliant, well-educated trader. Neerav Modi and Vijay
surroundings of their school and to respect their elders.
Mallya had no dearth of education but nevertheless did
What evolves from this is a population that is deeply
not hesitate to commit default on a massive scale.
driven by morality and a desire to excel, which drove a
National Security Agencies have highlighted the role of
resource-starved island nation into the economic
highly educated academics who serve as the overground
superpower it is today.
workers of brutal terror organizations.
Similarly, in Scandinavian countries, care is taken to
Looking at society at large, despite 70% of the nation
ensure that young students are taught in the open air
being literate, social strife is rampant. Parochial and
and do not bring plastic cover in their school lunch. Born
patriarchal tendencies remain unaddressed. NCRB data
from this educational experience is a population that is
shows that over 90 women in India fall victim to rape
deeply environmentally friendly. These countries are also
every day. Many more are subjected to harassment daily.
regularly among the happiest in the world, as a
This is very unlike an educated society. Also, damning is
testament to the strength of their social fabric.
the reducing female participation in labour force (Now
These systems provide a blueprint for India to create its declined to 22.9%) which reveals that the largest fall is
own system of education that focusses on holistic among relatively affluent and educated urban
education. population.
THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE Despite modern education, communal and caste

tensions are commonplace In India, making us question
The earliest system of Indian education fortunately
the quality of the education that our population receives
created great interest in moral and spiritual teachings.
and whether it truly improves their character as it ought
The ‘Gurukul System’ of education founded on the Guru-
to. The present system of education clearly leaves much
Shishyas Parampara laid a great deal of emphasis on the
to be desired, reflecting the sin described by Gandhiji as
development of the character of the ‘Shishyagana.’ It was
‘Knowledge without Character.’
this system that gave rise to the likes of Buddha,
Mahavira and Adi Shankaracharya who were masters of THE PATH AHEAD
both knowledge as well as character.
Recelebrating the education system in India is the most
In the medieval era as well, moral and philosophical quoted item in the ‘agenda’ of almost every past
education sought to build character and remained at the government.
forefront of pathshalas and madrassas. This great
Most significant effort in this direction at a national scale
tradition, however, met its end at the hands of our
has been the National Education Policy of 2020. The
British colonial masters. With the express objective to
newly drafted policy places much emphasis on hands on
create a mindless workforce of government clerks,
education was dismantled and crudely assembled into a

Essays OF THE MONTH
education that fosters the ability of students to think A revolution in our educational system along these lines
rather than simply absorb information. in necessary, not just to build the resilience of Indian
society, but also to advance the nation forward and
Schools in Delhi have adopted innovative curriculum like
propel it into the 21st century as a nation of well skilled
the “Happiness Curriculum” and systems like that of
and good-hearted people. Such a goal is central and
“patriotism curriculum which focuses on inculcating
instrumental in achieving the two key objectives of a
values in students to create more well-rounded Indians
nation – Internal harmony and international peace.
with moral character that matches their technical
aptitude. It is not without good reason that Rabindranath Tagore
famously wrote- “The highest education is that which
Further, the nation must also capitalize on the success of
does not merely give us information but makes our life in
its athletes. Inspirational athletes like Neeraj Chopra can
harmony with all existence.”
be cast as role models to propel sporting culture which is
central to creating a sense of camaraderie and
sportsmanship.
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.

Everything we see is a perspective, not the
truth.”
#PHILOSOPHICAL
SUBMITTED BY: ABHISHEK SINGH
Disclaimer: The viewpoints in the topic are strictly was like a pillar, fourth said it was like a rope and fifth
personal of the writer above. The role of Rau’s IAS said it was like a wall. This shows what the men felt was
Study Circle is to present the write-up in its original their perspective and what they said was their opinion. It
form, hence the study circle neither endorses nor was not the truth. This story is rooted in the philosophy
rejects any viewpoint in the submission. The purpose is of ‘Anekantavada’ i.e., people have different opinions
only to showcase the manner of writing. about truth, and which can differ from the truth. In
Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the reader to today’s world, labels of truth and facts are added to
use his/her intellect to check the veracity of viewpoints. opinion and perspective. This makes it difficult for
common masses to differentiate and understand.
Once in a village, there were five men who
were unaware about the animal, elephant. The marketing agencies have been producing ever new
One day an elephant came to their village. techniques to manipulate and ‘influence’ people. Most
The villagers decided to do an experiment. pan masala and alcohol companies run their
All five men were blindfolded and asked to feed the advertisement campaign through “eliche” or “music CDs.”
elephant with their hands. One person touched In the first look they are selling non-harmful products,
elephants’ tusk, second trunk, third legs, fourth tail and but they are actually selling sin goods.
fifth stomach.
Similar is the case of ‘fake news,’ which are intently
On observation first person said elephant was like a fabricated and manipulated opinions and perspectives
spear, second said it was like a tree trunk, third said it

Essays OF THE MONTH
presented to appear as facts. They tend to hit the Presence of Stereotypes: Any opinion that suits a
insecurities of people and can cause ‘societal unrest.’ stereotype is accepted as truth by the person holding a
Take examples of Pehle Khan and Palghar mob lynching stereotype. For example: If an Islamophobic person sees
episodes. In the former case, a person was lynched on a Muslim guy having multiple wives, he will declare that
fake news that he was carrying cow meat. In the second the entire Muslim community has multiple wives. He will
case, two saints were lynched on fake news that they are not judge the person individually.
kidnappers.
Power of social media has also been abused in
In cases of mob-violence or riots when people of one politicking, electoral manipulations, voter profiling and
community are killed by other community. We tend to targeting. For example, Cambridge Analytica and
draw a line that Hindus were killed, or Muslims were Facebook were accused of manipulating voters in the
killed. These are opinions, the truth is a human life is USA in favor of voting for Trump.
lost, as valuable citizens of our nation are lost. Hindu,
Importance of Separating Opinion and Facts
Muslim, Sikh, Christian etc. are variables, they can
change but the fact that we are humans is constant. Need for rationality and critical thinking: People should
take decisions on merits and facts not on opinions. It will
Why do people take opinions as facts and perspective
help in casting away societal prejudices. It solves caste,
as truth?
religious and other ethnic problems as it will make
High persistent Illiteracy in India. More than 25% of humans realize that they are human first.
people cannot read and write. This makes many among
Tolerance in society will increase as people will
us gullible to believe whatever they hear or see.
understand that different people have different opinions
Eco-Chamber effect of social media has now been deeply and perspectives. When people realize the fact that
rooted in society. The eco-chamber effects lead to social religions are different highways that lead to same
media connections and ring fences people of similar destination, and its personal choice that a person picks
ideologies who sometime reinforce falsehood and which highway, it will make them more tolerant and
propaganda. Opinions are reiterated many times to the open.
effect that people start believing it to be true. For
Scientific Temper in society will increase as people will
example: My parents started believing that Sai Temple
not uncritically believe in what they see or hear. They will
Trust refused donation for Ram Mandir as this message
question the authenticity of everything. They will
was there in some WhatsApp groups, to which they were
question the authenticity of everything. This will help in
members too. However, this was fake news. The
creating scientific temper in society.
phenomena of Algorithmic existence, social media and
analysis of user behaviour is used for targeted ads and Ethical ecosystem of society will improve as morals of
customers are coaxed to buy stuff they do not really people would be based on facts and truth. When people
need. internalize the fact that there is injustice, poverty and
misery, they tend to become empathetic, just and
Creation of Binary: People want to simplify things. They
philanthropic to end suffering.
think either someone is with them or against them. They
do not want to understand the complexities of truth. For Steps we can take to separate opinion and facts.
example: Savarkar was a freedom fighter. However, Firstly, questioning everything around posts in social
some see him as a hero and others see him as a villain media and developing a curious attitude. Secondly, fact
due to his ‘Hindutva’ politics. Savarkar cannot be check everything we see or hear on social media. Thirdly,
classified into binary, he is greater than that. interacting with people of diverse ideologies to create
Sensationalization of News: This has led to 24 × 7 tolerance and check rationality of one’s beliefs. Fourthly,
consumption of news and made people information spread awareness about different opinions and facts.
hungry. They consume and react to whatever they get as Fifthly, media house should clearly display on screen
truth.

Essays OF THE MONTH
when they display an opinion. And lastly, governments and hear. To do so we need to develop curiosity of
should act against people spreading fake news. questioning everything. This curious altitude of Buddha
helped him gain enlightenment, so it will surely help us in
In a post-truth world where opinions are taken as facts,
knowing what truth and facts are.
we need to be extra cautious in believing what we see
Silence of good is more dangerous than action

of evil.
#PHILOSOPHICAL
SUBMITTED BY: RACHIT JAIN
Disclaimer: The viewpoints in the topic are strictly or turn a blind eye to it. It requires courage and high
personal of the writer above. The role of Rau’s IAS Study moral standards to overcome such situations. Ideally,
Circle is to present the write-up in its original form, hence Rohan must gather courage and inform the Police,
the study circle neither endorses nor rejects any viewpoint fulfilling his duties as a citizen, a neighbor and a human.
in the submission. The purpose is only to showcase the
Remaining silent will not just make him an accomplice in
manner of writing.
the crime, but also have a bigger impact on the social
Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the reader to use
fabric of the Nation built on the ideals of justice, equality
his/her intellect to check the veracity of viewpoints.
and fraternity (Preamble).
Rohan was coming back from the public
Speaking truth to power!
park on a Sunday morning, when he
overheard screams and moaning coming Injustice caused to an individual is an injustice to the
from Sachin’s house. Sachin and Rohan entire society. If an oppressor, criminal or aggressor is
have been friends since their childhood, and Sachin was not but behind bars then he/she is a threat to society.
recently married to Ruhi. Rohan immediately understood Even though a witness is not a perpetuator of the crime,
that the screams were from Ruhi, who might be a victim remaining silent only makes him/her a ‘helper’ or
of domestic violence at the hands of Sachin. Rohan was accomplice in the crime.
shocked and immediately informed his wife, Rachna.
It is often seen that in such situations, witnesses often
Rohan wanted to call the police, but Rachna stopped him
get scared, wooed by money, or intimidated by power. At
saying that they should not get involved in this case as it
times there exists threat to life as well. However, if a
is their personal matter.
witness to the crime realizes the importance of breaking
What should Rohan do now, should he call the police or the silence, he/she would get the right moral direction to
stay a silent observer of a wrong being done? Even if the act.
evil is Sachin, will keeping silent right on Rohan’s part? If Speaking truth to power request unflinching integrity,
he remains a mute spectator, will Rohan be any less courage of conviction, and a sense of fraternity, to own
guilty than Sachin? It is said that the only condition that responsibility of doing the right thing for the society.
necessary for victory of evil, is for good men to do For instance, Edward Snowden became a whistleblower
nothing. against America’s CIA, just on the belief of doing the
justice to the people and protecting their rights. He knew
The above situation highlights many such instances in life
he had to leave his country (currently living in Moscow),
where a person has the choice to speak against injustice
but he found himself liable to inform his fellow citizens

Essays OF THE MONTH
about the extent of breach of privacy happening in the absconded from giving evidence, witnesses often do not
name of ‘State Security.’ He had the easier choice of turn up at the time of court hearings due to fear or greed
letting it go and living his individual life in peace. But he of money. This reflects that the Indian state has failed to
chose the difficult path just because he realized the need provide a protective environment for the innocent (yet
to speak up. very important) witnesses or whistle blowers, to come up
and speak truth to power.
Looking at the bigger picture!
Although, the whistleblowers (protection) act has been
The impact of keeping silent in the state of adversity has
passed, it has not yet been notified. It is high time now
impacts which are not limited just to an individual’s life
that the Government notifies it and implements it in
(Ruhi’s life in our anecdote), but it has wider and larger
letter and spirit.
impact on the society, state, and the world at large. For
instance, S. Manjunath blowed the whistle against the Indian Police as well as Judiciary must take measures to
corrupt practice of mixing lead in Petrol by some top provide safety to the witnesses in cases, where they are
officials of Indian Oil Corp. Although unfortunately, likely to face threats. This will ensure community
Manjunath had to lose his life, but his courage to speak policing, where the citizens can act as the eyes and ears
had a lasting impact – end of corruption by mixing lead of the Police. This will also fasten the judicial proceeding
as leaded Petrol was harmful for the environment, sense and reduce case-closure rates in lower judiciary.
of distrust among citizens, the state had to strengthen
India can also learn from innovative Global examples like
the regulatory framework, shareholders of the company
in Germany, where Police has installed emergency
lost confidence, and the image of a PSU got tarnished at
alarms in every street, which the citizens can push on
a global stage.
witnessing any crime being done to any person (known
Another line of argument in favor of calling out the or unknown).
wrongs, is related to the duty of citizens and doing your
In conclusion, it is a moral duty of every individual to
part even when doing it gets hard. Stress needs to be put
speak up against any injustice, because as Dante said,
on the fact that silence of a ‘good’ citizen affects the
“The darkest places in hell, are reserved for those who
entire society, when compared to the actions of an evil,
maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”
which affects an individual victim. For example, an active
citizenry can highlight the nexus of politicians with Not just at the Individual level, but also for the Nation, it
criminals and check the ever-increasing criminalization of is important to raise voice at international forums
politics. against the oppressed and suffering states. For ex.
India’s stand against violence in Myanmar after Military
In pursuit of creating a conducive environment for the
coup, or Human rights violations by Taliban in
people to come out and speak, without any fear of life or
Afghanistan.
property, the state must play a much bigger and more
active role. Hence, keeping silence is cowardice, and breaking the
silence is a moral act of integrity and displays courage of
State as an enabler!
conviction – acting as a strong force against evil.
There have been many cases in India’s since Manjunath’s
courageous story where hundreds of witnesses have

Rau&#39;s Ias Focus June2023 Current Notes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Rau&#39;s Ias Focus June2023 Current Notes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CONTENTS

RISE IN RBI’S GOLD RESERVES

GREEN FINANCE PRESS FREEDOM INDEX

MERCHANT DISCOUNT RATE GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI V UNION OF INDIA

ANGEL TAX ORDINANCE

VIRTUAL DIGITAL ASSETS SELF HELP GROUPS

LIBERALISED REMITTANCE SCHEME INDEPENDENCE OF HIGHER JUDICIARY

SANCHAR SAATHI PORTAL

MODERNISATION OF ARMED FORCES WHY LATE MONSOON ONSET IS NOT A WORRY

ASEAN INDIA MARITIME EXERCISE 63 #environment #Prelimsnuggets 84

WASHINGTON DECLARATION 63 EU DEFORESTATION RULE SET TO AFFECT AGRI-EXPORTS

X-RAY POLARIMETER SATELLITE KUKI & MEITEI TRIBE OF MANIPUR

ADVANCED NAVIGATION SATELLITE NVS-01 KHAN-E-KHANA TOMB & HUMAYUN’S TOMB

SODIUM-ION BATTERY NEW IVC CEMETERY DISCOVERED AT KUTCH REGION OF

FOUCAULT PENDULUM SHRINE OF SAINT SHEIKH AHMED KARIM

#Miscellaneous topics 98 #artandculture #Sufism 118

ARSENIC EXPOSURE GURUDEV RABINDRANATH TAGORE JAYANTI

#Health 99 #modernindia #personalities 120

THALASSEMIA PRACTICE QUESTIONS 122

#Biology and Biotechnology #Health 100

PREPAREDNESS & RESILIENCE FOR EMERGING THREATS

PRACTICE QUESTIONS 104

#medievalindia #artandculture 109 #Philosophical SUBMITTED BY: ABHISHEK SINGH 134

would provide a time-bound and cost-effective process

BANKRUPTCY CODE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

#Banking #Economy IBBI (Insolvency & Bankruptcy Board of

National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted Go First's

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 2

creditors supervises its assets. respective order of priority.

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 3

have more than one firm competing to provide same

INFRASTRUCTURE E.g., Electricity transmission lines, Gas pipelines.

HARMONIZED MASTER LIST OF INFRASTRUCTURE SUB-SECTORS

 Roads and bridges

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 4

 Solid Waste Management

 Telecommunication (fixed network)

 Education Institutions (capital stock)

NEED TO REDEFINE INFRASTRUCTURE

RBI DIVIDEND PAYMENTS  Interest on Government securities held

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 5

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 6

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 7

 MDR (Merchant Discount Rate) refers to a fee that a

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 8

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 9

SCHEME credit cards will be covered under the RBI's liberalised

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 10

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 11

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 12

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 13

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 14

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 15

 Increasing Popularity on Indian Rupee: India’s BASIC DRIVER: GLOBAL PRICES

 In recent times, India’s agri exports have been

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 16

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 17

 Vegetable Oils: Imports have more than doubled in CONCLUSION

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 18

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 19

 Enhancing Social Inclusion through gender MODULES OF SANCHAR SAATHI PORTAL

SANCHAR SAATHI PORTAL HOW MUCH GOLD HAS RBI PURCHASED?

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 20

FOCUS | JUNE 2023 | RAU’S IAS 21

Rau's Ias Focus June2023 Current Notes

Rau's Ias Focus June2023 Current Notes