INSIGHTSIAS

JUNE 2022
Table of Content:
GS1:
Culture:
1. Musings on ‘Indic civilisation’ and Indianness
GS2:
Polity:
1. The anti defection law — political facts, legal fiction
2. A case of the court straying into the legislative sphere
3. Control and Delete
4. Reservation in public employment
5. The challenge of reforming death penalty
6. Sex as work
7. Caution First

International Relations:
1. Modi’s two Summits: UAE trumps G7
2. The FATF and Pakistan’s Position
3. Understanding the Organization of Islamic Cooperation(OIC)
4. Ukraine war and global food crisis
5. Security in friendship
6. China growing footprint in the Pacific Islands
7. A ‘silver’ moment to propel a Bay of Bengal dream
8. The Fragile State Of Nuclear Disarmament
9. Gradual engagement
10. Ties Reset

Social justice:
1. Indian laws on Abortions
2. The Advent of ‘Appsolute’ chaos in NREGA and Recognising the ‘compulsory’
woman worker
3. Malnutrition in India is a worry in a modern scenario
4. The debates around the Surrogacy Act
5. Boost for Boosters
6. Disability and barriers to famine hygiene
7. Meeting family planning goals
8. Needed, education data that engages the poor parent
9. The influenza pandemic and ‘nations within a nation

GS3:
Economy:
1. Recovering Slowly
2. India’s changing goal posts over coal
3. The problems plaguing thermal power generators
4. The Reasons behind the crashing crypto Market
 5. India is not the fastest growing big economy
6. Inflation’s long Shadow
7. Of what good is a bad bank
8. Towards a single low tax regime

Science and Technology:

1. Green hydrogen: Fuel of the future?
2. Paying a price
3. The Digital India Transformation
4. The Indian Patent Regime and Its Clash with the US Norms
5. The status of eVTOL

GS-4
Ethics:
1. A new global standard for AI ethics

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Musings on ‘Indic civilisation’ and Indianness

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Indian culture, Angkor Wat temple, Ramayana and the Mahabharata,
qawwali etc
■ Mains GS Paper I: Salient features of art form and spread of Indian culture to
SE Asian countries.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Angkor Wat, the greatest Hindu temple ever built anywhere in the world in
Cambodia, not in India.
■ To walk past in Cambodia, exquisite sculptures recounting tales from the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata, tell us about the significance of the
symbols protecting the shrine — the naga,the simha, and the garuda.
■ Today’s navy, army, and air force —and to marvel at the epic scale of a Hindu
temple as impressive as the finest cathedral or mosque anywhere in the
 world, was also to marvel at the extraordinary reach of a major strand of our
culture beyond our own shores

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
INDIAN CULTURE:
● Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional
customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that
originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse Republic
of India.
● India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and other
religions. They are collectively known as Indian religions. Indian religions are
a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic religions.
● Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world’s third and fourth-largest
religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether, and possibly as
many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers.

Features of Indian Culture:

● Demography: India is still in the third stage of demographic transition with a
relatively young population cohort. This presents the situation of
demographic dividend.
● Caste System: Predominantly observed in Hindu Society but has affected
other religions as well. Such societal division is rooted in the varna system of
ancient times, but has gone transition resulting in numerous jatis and
subdivision today.
● Family and Kinship is a central social institution and generally governed by
patriarchal norms, exceptions exist like the matrilineal system in Kerala and
Meghalaya.
 ● Commerce has been closely linked with caste and community setup like
Baniyas, Banjaras.
● Cultural Diversity: Religion, Lingual, Racial, Tribal etc. have been ethos and
cherished values.

Indian Culture in SouthEast Asia:

● Indian culture had extended its mighty influence in the South East Asian
region consisting of the Malay Archipelago and Indo-China.
● Being fertile and rich in minerals, these lands attracted the attention of the
Indians.
● Moreover, the east coast of India is studded with numerous ports and Indians
undertook frequent voyages to these lands.
● The ancient traditions refer to traders’ voyages to Suvarnabhumi(the land of
gold) , a name generally given to all the countries of East Asia.
● Indians began to colonize East Asia in the Gupta period. It was further
encouraged by the Pallavas.
● The Indian colonists established great kingdoms and some of them lasted for
more than a thousand years.
● A number of dynasties with Indian names ruled in various parts. Till the
arrival of Islam in the fifteenth century, Indian culture dominated this region.

Spread of Indian culture to Cambodia:

● Cambodia was colonized by Indians in the first century A.D.
● They influenced the native people called the Khemers.
● Under the early rulers Saivism and Vaishnavism made steady progress.
● The Kamboja empire at its greatest extent included Laos, Siam, part of
Burma and the Malay peninsula.
● Numerous Sanskrit inscriptions give us a detailed history of its kings.
● A number of Hindu literary works like the Vedas, the Ramayana, the
Mahabharata, Panini’s grammar, Hindu philosophical treatises were all
known to the people of Cambodia.
● Like the Pallava kings, they were called Varmans. Yasovarman and
Suryavarman II were two well-known rulers.
● Temples were built in South Indian style. There are plenty of Sanskrit
inscriptions. The most famous of these temples was the temple (wat) of
Vishnu built by Suryavarman II in his capital city Angkor. It was popularly
called the Angkorwat Temple.
 ● The Kambhoja kingdom declined only in the fifteenth century.

Angkor Wat Temple:

● Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious
monuments in the world.
● It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu
for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple
towards the end of the 12th century.
● It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in
Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his
state temple and eventual mausoleum.
● The temple is constructed in the Dravidian style and the sculptures depict
episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Significance of Cambodia for India:

● India- Cambodia relations go back to the 1st century AD when Hindu and
Buddhist religious and cultural influences emanated out of India to various
parts of Southeast Asia.
● Cambodia is a representative of Indian cultural outreach to the Asian region
because of the biggest Hindu temples like Angkor Wat in Cambodia which has
recognition of UNESCO world heritage site.
● India is involved in the restoration and preservation of Angkor Wat which is
an honour for India. It is part of the joint cultural heritage of Cambodia and
India.
 ● The cultural ties with Cambodia and other ASEAN nations is a factor of
India’s soft power.
● This can be strengthened to further India’s foreign policy goal.
● From cultural diplomacy we need to move towards people to people contact,
commercial ties, scientific, digital, and defense cooperation.

China’s Influence in the Region:

● India is seeking to deepen bonds with Southeast Asia amid wariness over
China’s growing influence in the region.
● The Chinese have tried their best to continue their interest in the Indo-China
region especially with Cambodia and Vietnam. But these countries do not
want their hard won freedom to be bargained for with money from china.
● Not all ASEAN nations are on the same line when dealing with China.
● The Indian Ocean has so far been an ocean of peace, whereas in the Pacific
Ocean and South China Sea (SCS) we see a lot of conflicts.
● China’s building activities for bases and unilateral control over SCS islands
despite decisions taken by UNCLOS.

ASEAN’s Importance for China:

● ASEAN plays a key role in Chinese economic and strategic interests.
● The region straddles vital sea lanes of communication that represent China’s
access to the global market, including vital imports of Middle Eastern oil.
● Economically entwined with China, the relatively small nations of the region
also offer ample opportunities for China to advance its influence and weaken
what Chinese strategists perceive as a US (Presence of US) engineered chain
of encirclement around the Chinese mainland.

ASEAN and India:

● Traditionally the basis of India-ASEAN ties has been trade and people-to-
people ties due to shared historical and cultural roots, a more recent and
urgent area of convergence has been balancing China’s rise.
● Both India and ASEAN aim to establish a rules-based security architecture for
peaceful development in the region, in contrast to China’s aggressive policies.
● Like India, several ASEAN members such as Vietnam, the Philippines,
Malaysia, and Brunei have territorial disputes with China, the China factor
does form an important component of the relationship.
● India in 2014 reinvigorated the Look East policy into Act East, with a more
strategic outlook than its previous incarnation, focusing on engagement not
just with Southeast Asian countries but also those in the Pacific.
● The main focus of the Act East policy is on enhancing connectivity between
India and South East Asia.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN)

● It is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security

cooperation.
● It was established in August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of
the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the founding fathers of
ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
● Its chairmanship rotates annually, based on the alphabetical order of the
English names of Member States.
● ASEAN countries have a total population of 650 million people and a
combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 2.8 trillion. It is India’s 4th
largest trading partner with about USD 86.9 billion in trade.
● Members:
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Ramayana:
● Ramayana was written by Sage Valmiki, who was a contemporary of Lord
Rama.
● Ramayana was written in the Sanskrit Language.
● Ramayana was written in Treta Yuga.
● Ramayana is composed of seven chapters – Balakandam, Ayodhya Kandam,
Aranyakandam, Kishkinda kandam, Sundara kandam, Yuddha kandam and
Uttara kandam.
● Slokas format was used to write Ramayana.
● As per Ramayana, Lord Hanuman was a Human who belonged to the Vanara
Tribe.

Mahabharata:
● The Mahabharata is attributed to Maharishi Vyas and the tale known as
Bharta is a shorter version of 24,000 verses, while the Mahabharata
contains 1 Lakh verses and 1.8 million words which make it 10 times longer
than “Iliad and Odyssey combined” and 4 times of Ramayana.
● It is divided into a total 18 parvas (chapters) plus the Harivamsa
supplement.
● Bhagavad Gita is part of Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata.
● The largest chapter in Mahabharata is Shanti Parva.
Way Forward
■ Indian Hindus voted a few years ago, in a cynical and contrived competition
on the Internet, to select the ‘new seven wonders’ of the modern world,they
voted for the Taj Mahal constructed by a Mughal king, not forAngkor Wat, the
most magnificent architectural product of their religion which signifies
Indianness today composed of elements influenced by various civilisations
that have made their homes on Indian soil subsume the classical Indic
civilisation.
■ Civilisational heritage should be treated as a matter of pride, and not of
parochialism; as a heritage that unites,rather than divides one Indian from
another.
■ Indian diaspora is not just a part of India’s soft power, but a fully transferable
political vote bank as well. Many people of Indian origin hold top political
positions in many countries, in the US itself they are now a significant part of
Republicans and Democrats, as well as the government.
■ However, regionalism used to serve vested interests and threaten the
syncretic fabric of indian society, in the name of voicing regional concerns,
needs to be checked, as it undermines the unity and strength of nation in the
longer run, defying the constitutional and national spirit of ‘unity in diversity’.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India’s civilisational heritage must be treated as a matter of pride. Critically analyse.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The anti defection law — political facts, legal fiction

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Anti-defection law, floor test, Tenth schedule, powers of speaker etc
■ Mains GS Paper II: State legislature- functioning, role and conduct of business,
role of judiciary in checks and balances etc

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The practice of legislators from changing political parties during their term
continues unabated in the Indian legislature despite the Tenth Schedule
having been inserted into the Constitution in 1985.
■ It was meant to arrest the practice of legislators from changing political
affiliations during their term in office.
■ The political crisis in Maharashtra, and many others before it, are grim
reminders of what the Tenth Schedule can and cannot do.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Anti Defection Law:
● The anti-defection law punishes individual Members of Parliament
(MPs)/MLAs for leaving one party for another.
● Parliament added it to the Constitution as the Tenth Schedule in 1985.
● Its purpose was to bring stability to governments by discouraging legislators
from changing parties.
● The Tenth Schedule - popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act - was
included in the Constitution via the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985.
● It sets the provisions for disqualification of elected members on the grounds
of defection to another political party.
● It allows a group of MP/MLAs to join (i.e., merge with) another political party
without inviting the penalty for defection.
● And it does not penalize political parties for encouraging or accepting
defecting legislators.
● As per the 1985 Act, a 'defection' by one-third of the elected members of a
political party was considered a 'merger'.
● But the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, changed this and now at
least two-thirds of the members of a party must be in favour of a "merger"
for it to have validity in the eyes of the law.
● The members disqualified under the law can stand for elections from any
political party for a seat in the same House.
 ● The decision on questions as to disqualification on ground of defection are
referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, which is subject to
‘Judicial review’.
● However, the law does not provide a timeframe within which the presiding
officer has to decide a defection case.

Grounds of Disqualification:
● If an elected member voluntarily gives up his membership of a political party.
● If he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction
issued by his political party or anyone authorized to do so, without obtaining
prior permission.
● As a pre-condition for his disqualification, his abstention from voting should
not be condoned by his party or the authorized person within 15 days of such
incident.
● If any independently elected member joins any political party.
● If any nominated member joins any political party after the expiry of six
months.

Issues with Anti Defection Law:

● Ambiguity about Party: It does not clarify whether the original political
party refers to the party at the national level or the regional level, despite the
fact that this is how the Election Commission of India recognises political
parties.
● Claim about merger: It says that a merger can take place only when an
original party merges with another political party, and at least two thirds of
the members of the legislature party have agreed to this merger. It is only
when these two conditions are satisfied that a group of elected members can
claim exemption from disqualification on grounds of merger.
● Creating legal fiction : It seems to be creating a“legal fiction” so as to indicate
that merger of two third members of the legislature party can be deemed to
be a merger of political parties, even if there is no actual merger of the
original political party with another party.
● Undermining Representative & Parliamentary Democracy:
After enactment of the Anti-defection law, the MP or MLA has to follow the
party’s direction blindly and has no freedom to vote in their judgment.
○ Due to Anti-Defection law, the chain of accountability has been broken
by making legislators accountable primarily to the political party.
 ● Controversial Role of Speaker: There is no clarity in the law about the
timeframe for the action of the House Chairperson or Speaker in the anti-
defection cases.
○ Some cases take six months and some even three years. There are
cases that are disposed off after the term is over.
● No Recognition of Split: Due to the 91st amendment, the anti-defection law
created an exception for anti-defection rulings.
○ However, the amendment does not recognize a ‘split’ in a legislature
party and instead recognizes a ‘merger’.
● Subversion of Electoral Mandates: Defection is the subversion of electoral
mandates by legislators who get elected on the ticket of one party but then
find it convenient to shift to another, due to the lure of ministerial berths or
financial gains.
● Affects the Normal Functioning of Government: The infamous “Aaya Ram,
Gaya Ram” slogan was coined against the background of continuous
defections by the legislators in the 1960s.
○ The defection leads to instability in the government and affects the
administration.
● Promote Horse Trading: Defection also promotes horse-trading of
legislators which clearly go against the mandate of a democratic setup.
● Allows only Wholesale Defection:
It allows wholesale defection, but retail defection is not allowed. Amendments
are required to plug the loopholes.
○ The concern that if a politician is leaving a party, s/he may do so, but
they should not be given a post in the new party.

Different Suggestions related to the Anti-defection Law:

● The Election Commission has suggested it should be the deciding authority in
defection cases.
● Others have argued that the President and Governors should hear defection
petitions.
● The Supreme Court has suggested that Parliament should set up an
independent tribunal headed by a retired judge of the higher judiciary to
decide defection cases swiftly and impartially.
● Some commentators have said the law has failed and recommended its
removal.
 ● Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has suggested that it applies only to save
governments in no-confidence motions.
● The Law Commission in 1999 and the National Commission to Review the
Working of the Constitution((NCRWC) in 2002 recommended removing
Paragraph 4 from the Tenth schedule.

Paragraph 4 of Tenth Schedule:

● Sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 4 exempts an MLA/Member of Parliament
[MP] from disqualification in case the “original political party” to which he or
she belongs, ‘merges’ with “another political party”, and if such merger has
been accepted by the member and any other members of the original political
party.
● Under sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 4, it is for the “members of the
Legislature party” (and not the political party as a unit) to decide whether
there should be or should not be a merger of their political party with
“another political party”.

Issues with Paragraph 4 of Tenth Schedule:

● sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 4: It is agnostic to the prevailing political
reality since by legal fiction, it enables a merger of two national parties, who
are not only antagonistic to each other but also have completely disparate
ideologies.
● Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule legitimizes unethical party changes by
MLAs/MPs and consequently undermines the will of the people, reflected in
the votes they have cast in the election process.

Floor Test:
● It is a term used for the test of the majority. If there are doubts against the
Chief Minister (CM) of a State, he/she can be asked to prove the majority in
the House.
● In case of a coalition government, the CM may be asked to move a vote of
confidence and win a majority.
● In the absence of a clear majority, when there is more than one individual
stake to form the government, the Governor may call for a special session to
see who has the majority to form the government.
● Some legislators may be absent or choose not to vote.
 ● The numbers are then considered based only on those MLAs who were
present to vote.

Instruments of Checks & Balances

● Legislature Control
1. On Judiciary: Impeachment and the removal of the judges. Power to amend
laws declared ultra vires by the Court and revalidating it.
2. On Executive: Through a no-confidence vote it can dissolve the Government.
Power to assess works of the executive through the question hour and zero
hour. Impeachment of the President.
● Executive Control
1. On Judiciary: Making appointments to the office of Chief Justice and other
judges.
2. On Legislature: Powers under delegated legislation. Authority to make rules
for regulating their respective procedure and conduct of business subject to
the provisions of this Constitution.
● Judicial Control
1. On Executive: Judicial review i.e. the power to review executive action to
determine if it violates the Constitution.
2. On Legislature: Unamendability of the constitution under the basic structure
doctrine pronounced by the Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati Case
1973.

Way Forward
■ Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule must also be examined in the context of
paragraph 3 of the Tenth Schedule (deleted by the Constitution (Ninety First
Amendment) Act, 2003,
■ Law Commission of India, in its 170th Report on the Reform of the Electoral
Laws (May, 1999) had not only recommended deletion of paragraph 3, but
had also recommended deletion of paragraph 4 since it felt that the said
paragraph “is likely to lead to several complications and unnecessary
disputes.” The manner in which the Goa case played out shows that these
observations of the Law Commission were quite prescient.
■ In order to shield the detrimental effect of the anti-defection law on
representative democracy, the scope of the law can be restricted to only those
laws, where the defeat of government can lead to loss of confidence.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
The crisis in Maharashtra and even earlier instances are grim reminders of issues
with the Tenth Schedule. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
A case of the court straying into the legislative sphere

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance(Basic structure doctrine,
Supreme Court, High Court,Article 142 etc)
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of separation of power, role in judiciary in
checks and balances, law making power of Parliament.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Allahabad HighCourt, while allowing two criminal revisions pertaining to
a dowry case, took cognisance of the misuse of Section 498A of the Indian
Penal Code(IPC)
■ It proposed certain safeguards and directed the State authorities of Uttar
Pradesh to take the necessary steps for their implementation in a given time
period.
■ The High Court expressed its concern over the growing tendency of dowry
victims to rope in the husband and all his family members using general and
sweeping allegations.
■ The directions, inter alia, include constitution of a family welfare committee
in each district under the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), handing
over the first information report to such committee immediately after its
registration, and no arrest to be made by the police during this“cooling
period’ of two months.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Dowry:
● It is a social evil in society that has caused unimaginable tortures and crimes
towards women and polluted the Indian marital system.
● Dowry is payment made in cash or kind to a bride’s in-laws at the time of her
marriage.
● The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 was brought to not only to eradicate the
dowry system, but also to uplift the status of the girl child by bringing in
many schemes.
● However, owing to the social nature of this problem, the legislation has failed
to produce the desired results in our society.

Impact of Dowry System:

● Gender Discrimnation: Due to the dowry system, many a times it has been
seen that women are seen as a liability and are often subjected to subjugation
and are given second hand treatment may it be in education or other
amenities.
● Affecting Career of Women: The larger context for the practice of dowry is
the poor presence of women in the workforce, and their consequent lack of
financial independence.
● The Poorer sections of society who send their daughters out to work and earn
some money, to help them save up for her dowry.
 The regular middle and upper class backgrounds do send their daughters to
school, but don't emphasize career options.
● Many Women End Up Being Unmarried: An uncountable number of girls in
the country, despite being educated and professionally competent, remain
endlessly unmarried because their parents cannot fulfill the demand for pre-
marriage dowry.
● Objectification of Women: Contemporary dowry is more like an investment
by the bride's family for plugging into powerful connections and money
making opportunities. This renders women as merely articles of commerce.
● Crime Against Women: In some cases, the dowry system leads to crime
against women, ranging from emotional abuse and injury to even deaths.

Laws in India against Dowry:

● The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
1. Under this Act, dowry is illegal in India.
2. The Act also makes any act to take or give dowry punishable in India.
3. The negotiations for the dowry for a lesser deal from the groom’s side when
the bride’s side is unable to fulfill the actual demand/real deal’ and the act of
making the bride’s family fulfill demands as compensation for marrying their
daughter after the wedding are all punishable under the law.
4. The punishment for violating the anti-dowry law is imprisonment for up to 5
years and a fine of Rs. 15,000 or the value of dowry given, whichever is more.
● The Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections.
1. Section 304B deals with dowry death in India.
a. It states that if a woman dies within seven years of marriage by any
burns or bodily injury or it was revealed that before her marriage she
was exposed to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any other
relative of the husband in connection to demand dowry then the death
of the woman will be considered as dowry death.
2. Section 498A deals with cruelty. It states that if a husband or any relative of
him causes mental or physical harm to a woman then they will be held
punishable under this section.

Supreme Court Judgments on Dowry:

● Social Action Forum for Manav Adhikar vs Union of
India(2018):theSupreme Court overturned the judgment of its two judge
Bench and held constitution of committees and an embargo on arrest by the
 police for one month till the submission of report by the family welfare
committee, impermissible under the scheme of the Code of Criminal
Procedure(CrPC)
● Rajesh Sharma vs The State Of U.P., 2017: It also dealt with the growing
misuse of dowry provisions.
● Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan (1997): The Supreme Court issued directions
to enforce fundamental rights in the absence of law in certain cases of sexual
harassment at the workplace.

Role of Committee:
● The primary role of such committees remains the same, i.e., settling the
matrimonial dispute between the two parties.
● If a woman’s bone is fractured or permanent privation is caused to any eye or
ear or a joint by her husband during the course of a matrimonial fight, the
police shall not effect arrest, as the maximum imprisonment prescribed in
such cases of grievous hurt is seven years.

Possible solutions:
● The police must strictly enforce the Supreme Court’s directions issued in
Arnesh Kumar vs State of Bihar(2014) and ensure that there is sufficient
reason and credible material against the accused person to necessitate arrest.
● The investigating officers must be imparted rigorous training with regard to
the principles stated by the Court relating to arrest. At the same time,
wrongdoers need to be punished departmentally.
● The legislature may deliberate upon and make Section 498A IPC bailable.
● Similarly,though the High Court (using its inherent powers under Section482
CrPC) can quash a criminal proceeding which is not compoundable, after a
settlement is reached between the opposing parties).
● The legislature can amend and make the offense under Section 498A IPC
compoundable so that a compromise could be arrived at with or without the
permission of the competent court.

Judicial Overreach:
● When Judicial Activism goes overboard, and becomes Judicial Adventurism, it
is referred to as Judicial Overreach.
● In simpler terms, it is when the judiciary starts interfering with the proper
functioning of the legislative or executive organs of the government.
 ● Judicial Overreach is undesirable in a democracy as it breaches the principle
of separation of powers.
● In view of this criticism, the judiciary has argued that it has only stepped
when the legislature or the executive has failed in its own functions.

Cases of Judicial Overreach:

There have been several judgments of the Supreme Court wherein it has been
foraying into areas which had long been forbidden to the judiciary by reason of the
doctrine of ‘separation of powers’, which is part of the basic structure of the
Constitution.
Examples:
● The ban on the sale of alcohol along national and state highways.
● Imposition of Patriotism in National Anthem Case.
● Ban on Firecrackers.
● Order on sex workers

Basic Structure of Constitution:

● The concept of ‘basic structure’ came into existence in the landmark judgment
in Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala case (1973).
● The ‘basic structure’ doctrine has since been interpreted to include:
1. The supremacy of the Constitution
2. Rule of law
3. Independence of the judiciary
4. Secular fabric of country
5. Doctrine of separation of powers
6. Sovereign democratic republic
7. The parliamentary system of government
8. The principle of free and fair elections
9. Welfare state, etc.

Instruments of Checks & Balances

● Legislature Control
1. On Judiciary: Impeachment and the removal of the judges. Power to amend
laws declared ultra vires by the Court and revalidating it.
2. On Executive: Through a no-confidence vote it can dissolve the Government.
Power to assess works of the executive through the question hour and zero
hour. Impeachment of the President.
● Executive Control
1. On Judiciary: Making appointments to the office of Chief Justice and other
judges.
2. On Legislature: Powers under delegated legislation. Authority to make rules
for regulating their respective procedure and conduct of business subject to
the provisions of this Constitution.
● Judicial Control
1. On Executive: Judicial review i.e. the power to review executive action to
determine if it violates the Constitution.
2. On Legislature: Unamendability of the constitution under the basic structure
doctrine pronounced by the Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati Case
1973.
Supreme Court
● The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial court and the final court
of appeal under the Constitution of India, the highest constitutional court,
with the power of judicial review.
● India is a federal State and has a single and unified judicial system with
three tier structure, i.e. Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate
Courts.
● Articles 124 to 147 in Part V of the Constitution deal with the organization,
independence, jurisdiction, powers and procedures of the Supreme Court.
● The Indian constitution under Article 124(1) states that there shall be a
Supreme Court of India constituting of a Chief Justice of India (CJI) and,
until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number, of not more than seven
other Judges.
● The Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India can broadly be categorized
into original jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction and advisory
jurisdiction.
● At present, the Supreme Court consists of thirty-one judges (one chief
justice and thirty other judges). The Parliament is authorized to regulate
them.
● The judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President. The CJI
is appointed by the President after consultation with such judges of the
Supreme Court and high courts as he deems necessary.

High Court
● In the Indian scheme of judicial system, high court works below the
Supreme Court.
● The judiciary in the state consists of a high court and a hierarchy of
subordinate courts.
● The institution of the High Court originated in India in 1862 when the high
courts were set up at Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.
● The constitution of India provides a high court for each state, however, the
Parliament is authorized to declare a common high court for two or more
states.
● Parliament has been empowered to extend or curtail the jurisdiction of a
high court over a Union Territory.
 ● The number of judges in a high court, unlike the Supreme Court, is
decided by the President of India rather than the parliament.
● The judges of a high court are appointed by the President of India.
● The Chief justice of a high court is appointed after consultation with the CJI
and governor of the state concerned. If it is for a common high court, then
the governors of all the concerned state high courts are consulted.
● In case of appointment of other judges to high court, it was opined that CJI
should consult a collegium of two senior-most judges of the SC before
recommending a name to the President of India in the seminal third
judges case.

Article 142:
It provides discretionary power to the Supreme Court as it states that the
Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make
such order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter
pending before it.

Article 226:
● It empowers a high court to issue writs including habeas corpus,
mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto for the enforcement of
the fundamental rights of the citizens and for any other purpose.
● The phrase ‘for any other purpose’ refers to the enforcement of an ordinary
legal right.
● This implies that the writ jurisdiction of the high court is wider than that of
the SC.
● This is because the SC can issue writs only for the enforcement of
fundamental rights and not for any other purpose, that is, it does not extend
to a case where the breach of an ordinary legal right is alleged.
Way Forward
■ Till the Mediation Bill, 2021 is enacted, the institutional mediation
mechanism may help in settling the matrimonial disputes through the civil
route.
■ The law of the land needs to be enforced strictly by both the police and the
courts, without any dilution.
■ Any such directions which do not emanate from the provisions of law, are
likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court again.
■ The investigating officers must be imparted rigorous training with regard to
the principles stated by the Court relating to arrest. At the same time,
wrongdoers need to be punished departmentally.
■ Repeated interventions of one organ into another's functioning can diminish
the faith of the people in the integrity, quality, and efficiency of the other
organs, but too much accumulation of powers in organs of government
undermines the principle of check and balance.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

The Allahabad High Court’s directions in the context of marital discord, though
noble in intent, seems to be judicial intervention into legislature. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Control and Delete
Source: The Hindu
■ Prelims: Social media, IT rules 2021,
■ Mains GS Paper II: Digital India, Important aspects of governance(e
governance, accountability), IT rules 2021, Government policies and
interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their
design and implementation.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
 ■ The Government has planned to set up a panel that can overturn content
moderation decisions made by social media platforms is problematic in
many ways.
■ The proposed amendment to the controversial IT Rules, 2021 and to
constitute one or more appellate committees which will have the final word
on any content moderation issue facing a social media platform.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Social Media:
● Social media plays an integral role in our lives today and has a huge bearing
on society and individuals.
● Social media has revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on
the web.
● Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and others are proving to be a double-
edged sword in the functioning of democracies.
● It has democratized access to information but on the other hand, it has also
posed new challenges which are now directly impacting our democracies and
the people.
● India has approx 574 million active Internet users as of 2021.
● India is the second-largest online market, behind China.
● The majority of India’s internet users are mobile phone internet users.
● The overall data traffic in India increased by 47% in 2019 driven by
continued 4G consumption.
● 4G constituted 96% of the total data traffic consumed across the country
while 3G data traffic registered its highest-ever decline of 30%.
● The public opinion is amplified on social media, making democracy more
transparent and even stronger.
Benefits of Social Media:
● Democratization of Information:
1. Social media is allowing the democratization of knowledge and broader
communication.
2. People around the world now feel empowered to bypass traditional curators
of information.
3. They have also become creators and disseminators of content, not just
consumers of it.
● New Opportunities:
1. It provides voiceless people unprecedented opportunities to assert
themselves and experience a sense of belongingness.
2. The rise of several YouTubers as a medium of profession is a testimony of the
phenomenon.
● Wider and Heterogeneous Communities:
Online communities are, geographically, much wider and more
heterogeneous than physical communities.
● Cheap and Easy:
1. Creating content needs less investment than the brick and mortar or any
other Physical set up.
2. It is more often soft-skill driven.
3. With the assistance of technology, anyone can create competent, authentic,
effective and fresh online content.
● Countering The Hegemony:
1. Social Media has also evolved as a tool to counter the hegemony or narrative
of traditional players.
 2. It has provided an alternate source of Knowledge in a world where
mainstream media has come under severe public criticism for fake news and
propaganda.
● Closing The Distance/Globalization:
1. Social Media has also bridged the distance.
2. Friends and Family are now connected over WhatsApp and other Apps
despite being far away in distance.
● Direct Interaction With Government
1. Today Social Media has empowered common people to directly interact with
the government and avail government services directly.
2. Common people tagging Railway and other ministries and the agencies
responding to them is common news these days.

Challenges
● Hate speech and rumours
1. Hate speech and rumours in India have been responsible for acts of violence
and deaths in many of the cases for quite some time now.
2. The most recent being the case when two sadhus and their driver were
lynched in Gadchinchale village in Palghar, Maharashtra this year.
3. The incident was fuelled by WhatsApp rumours about thieves operating in
the area and the group of villagers had mistaken the three passengers as
thieves and killed them.
4. Several policemen who intervened were also attacked and injured.
5. Similarly Hate Speech on Social Media had a big role in the Delhi Riots of
2020.
● Fake News
1. A 2019 Microsoft study found that over 64% of Indians encounter fake news
online, the highest reported amongst the 22 countries surveyed.
2. There are a staggering number of edited images, manipulated videos and fake
text messages spreading through social media platforms and messaging
services like WhatsApp making it harder to distinguish between
misinformation and credible facts.
● Online Trolling
1. Trolling is the new bi product of Social Media.
2. Vigilantes take law in their own hand and start trolling and threatening those
who don’t agree with their views or narratives.
3. It has led to anonymous trolls who attack the reputation of an individual.
 ● Women Safety
Women face cyber rape and threats that affect their dignity severely.
Sometimes their pictures and videos are leaked and are forced to cyber
bullying.

Need for regulation:

● The persistent spread of fake news, abuse of these platforms to share
morphed images of women have been issues of concern.
● The guidelines present an oversight mechanism to deal with issues.
● Social Media Regulation is important to keep undesirables away: Social
media is the easiest way to slander or taint the image of publicly known
people or organizations. Therefore, social media censorship is the right tool
to handle such miscreants who can mislead and manipulate users and turn
their opinions negative.
● The regulation allows users to feel like they control their accounts and who
gets access to their private information.
● Respect the sensitivities: The provisions would ensure that the users are not
shown illicit or illegal content depicting sexual violence, child pornography or
content promoting hatred in the community.
● Again, the insertion of age filters will make the platforms better suited to
users of all ages, including children and they would not be exposed to
sensitive content.

Issues with Social Media regulations:

● Threat to Privacy: The rules allow the government to enforce a traceability
mechanism. This simply means a threat to the user’s privacy. It will hamper
the end-to-end encryption of platforms like WhatsApp.
● Threat to Free Speech: As the new rules curtail free speech on these
platforms, there will be a sense of fear among the users.
● Tussle between government and Social Media giants:
Non-compliance will further widen the relationship gap between social media
players and the Government. Further, it will also increase ongoing issues.
● Against landmark judgements:
In the case of Life Insurance Corpn. Of India vs Prof. Manubhai D. Shah
(1992), the SC had stated that ‘the freedom to circulate one’s views as the
lifeline of any democratic institution’.
 ● The Information Technology Rules, 2021 by making the Government the
ultimate adjudicator of objectionable speech online restricts the citizen’s right
to dissent against the government.
● No scope of fair recourse:
1. An intermediary is now supposed to take down content within 36 hours upon
receiving orders from the Government.
2. However, in the event of a disagreement with the Government’s order, the
Intermediary does not have an option for a fair recourse.

Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics

Code) Rules 2021:
● These new rules broadly deal with social media and over-the-top (OTT)
platforms.
● These rules have been framed in exercise of powers under section 87 (2) of
the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and in supersession of the
earlier Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2011.
● It mandates a grievance redressal system for over the top (OTT) and digital
portals in the country. This is necessary for the users of social media to raise
their grievance against the misuse of social media.
● Significant social media firms have to appoint a chief compliance officer and
have a nodal contact person who can be in touch with law enforcement
agencies 24/7.
● A grievance officer: Social media platforms will also have to name a
grievance officer who shall register the grievance within 24 hours and
dispose of it in 15 days.
● Removal of content: If there are complaints against the dignity of users,
particularly women – about exposed private parts of individuals or nudity or
sexual act or impersonation etc – social media platforms will be required to
remove that within 24 hours after a complaint is made.
● A monthly report: They also will have to publish a monthly report about the
number of complaints received and the status of redressal.
● There will be three levels of regulation for news publishers:
1. Self-regulation
2. A self-regulatory body, headed by a retired judge or an eminent person
3. Oversight from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, including codes
of practices and a grievance committee.
4G and 5G:
4G 5G

4G uses lower radio frequencies of 700 5G utilizes much higher radio

mhz to 2500 mh frequencies of 28 ghz.

4G speed is lesser with less data 5G transfers more data over the air at
transfer. faster speeds.

4G has higher latency as compared to 5G has lower latency i.e the delay before
5G. Latency for 4G is around 20-30 a transfer of data begins following an
milliseconds. instruction. Latency for 5G is predicted
to be below 10 milliseconds, and in
best cases around 1 millisecond.

4G supports a lesser number of devices 5G uses millimeter wave spectrum

of about 4,000 devices per square which enables more devices to be used
kilometer. within the same geographic area
supporting around one million per
square kilometer.
 4G has led to more congestion and 5G uses a new digital technology that
lesser coverage as compared to 5G. improves coverage, speed and capacity.

Way Forward
■ Fight Misinformation With Information:
1. This is the other way where alternative information alongside the content
with fake information is posted so that the users are exposed to the truth and
correct information.
2. It is implemented by YouTube, encourages users to click on the links with
verified and vetted information that would debunk the misguided claims
made in fake or hateful content.
3. E.g, If you search “Vaccines cause autism” on YouTube, while you still can
view the videos posted by anti-vaxxers, you will also be presented with a link
to the Wikipedia page of MMR vaccine that debunks such beliefs.
■ Public Awareness: A digitally literate country is the need of the hour.
Responsible social media use must be taught at every school and college in
the country and especially in the rural areas where people can be easily
manipulated.
■ As India is not a surveillance state, there must not be any illegal or
unconstitutional check on the right to privacy and freedom of speech and
expression which are the fundamental rights of every citizen.
■ There must be a balance as the Constitutions itself has provided several
limitations on one’s right to speech and expression.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Critically analyze Social media regulations along with IT rules 2021.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Reservation in public employment
Source: The Hindu
Prelims: Current events of national importance(Supreme Court, High Court,
reservation)
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of separation of power, role in judiciary in
checks and balances, law making power of Parliament, different judgments on
public employment.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Supreme Court said that there is no fundamental right to reservation on
promotion under Article 16(4) or Article 16(4A) of the Constitution, rather
they are enabling provisions for providing reservation, if the circumstances
so warrant(Mukesh Kumar and Another vs State ofUttarakhand & Ors.
2020).
■ They vest a discretion on the government to consider providing reservations
for the socially and educationally backward sections of the society and to
provide reservation in promotion to Scheduled Castes andScheduled Tribes,
respectively.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Constitutional Provisions Governing Reservation in India
● Part XVI deals with reservation of SC and ST in Central and State legislatures.
● Article 15(4) of the Constitution enabled the State and Central Governments
to reserve seats in government services for the members of the SC and ST.
● Article 16(4) of the Constitution provides: “Nothing in this article shall
prevent the State from making any provision for the reservation of
appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in
the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services under
the state.
● The Constitution was amended by the Constitution (77th Amendment) Act,
1995 and a new clause (4A) was inserted in Article 16 to enable the
government to provide reservation in promotion. Later, clause (4A) was
modified by the Constitution 85th Amendment Act, 2001 to provide
consequential seniority to SC and ST candidates promoted by giving
reservation.
● Article 330 and 332 provides for specific representation through reservation
of seats for SCs and STs in the Parliament and in the State Legislative
Assemblies respectively.
 ● Article 243D provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every
Panchayat.
● Article 233T provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every
Municipality.
● Article 335 of the constitution says that the claims of STs and STs shall be
taken into consideration constituently with the maintenance of efficacy of the
administration.

103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019:

● It introduced economic reservation by amending Articles 15 and 16.
● It inserted Article 15 (6) and Article 16 (6) in the Constitution to allow
reservation for the economically backward in the unreserved category.
● It was enacted to promote the welfare of the poor not covered by the 50%
reservation policy for SCs, STs and Socially and Educationally Backward
Classes (SEBC). This reservation is “in addition to the existing reservations
and subject to a maximum of 10% of the total seats in each category”.
● It enables both Centre and the states to provide reservation to the EWSs of
society.
● Since this is a central law on subjects (employment, education) in the
concurrent list (subjects on which states and the central government both
have jurisdiction), the state governments need to ratify it before adopting it
locally.

Judgements related to reservation:

Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) case:
● The court examined the scope and extent of Article 16(4).
● The Court has said that the creamy layer of OBCs should be excluded from the
list of beneficiaries of reservation, there should not be reservation in
promotions; and total reserved quota should not exceed 50%.
● The Court dwelled on the interrelationship between Articles 16(1) and16(4)
and declared that Article 16(4) is not an exception to article 16(1), rather an
illustration of classification implicit in article 16(1).

M.Nagaraj v. Union Of India 2006 case:

● The Supreme Court in M. Nagaraj v. Union Of India 2006 case while upholding
the constitutional validity of Art 16(4A) held that any such reservation policy
 in order to be constitutionally valid shall satisfy the following three
constitutional requirements:
1. The SC and ST community should be socially and educationally backward.
2. The SC and ST communities are not adequately represented in Public
employment.
3. Such a reservation policy shall not affect the overall efficiency in the
administration.
● The bench held that the creamy layer among Scheduled castes and tribes is to
be excluded from reservation.

Jarnail Singh vs Lachhmi Narain Gupta(2018):

● The Supreme Court holds that reservation in promotions does not require the
state to collect quantifiable data on the backwardness of the Scheduled Castes
and the Scheduled Tribes.
● The Court held that creamy layer exclusion extends to SC/STs and, hence the
State cannot grant reservations in promotion to SC/ST individuals who
belong to the creamy layer of their community.

Dr. Jaishri Laxmanrao Patil vs Chief Minister (2021) case:

● The Supreme Court affirmed the Indra Sawhney decision, and struck down
Section 4(1)(a) and Section 4(1)(b) of the Act which provided 12%
reservation for Marathas in educational institutions and 13% reservation
in public employment respectively.
● This judgment gave out a strong message that some State governments
blatantly disregard the stipulated ceiling on electoral gains rather than any
exceptional circumstances.

Mandal Commission:
● In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 340 of the Constitution, the
President appointed a backward class commission in December 1978 under
the chairmanship of B. P. Mandal.
● It was formed to determine the criteria for defining India’s “socially and
educationally backward classes” and to recommend steps to be taken for the
advancement of those classes.
● The Mandal Commission concluded that India’s population consisted of
approximately 52 percent OBCs, therefore 27% government jobs should be
reserved for them.
 ● The commission has developed eleven indicators of social, educational, and
economic backwardness.
● Apart from identifying backward classes among Hindus, the Commission has
also identified backward classes among non-Hindus (e.g., Muslims, Sikhs,
Christians, and Buddhists.

Need of reservation:
● It is to correct the historical injustice faced by backward castes in the country.
● It provides a level playing field for backward sections as they can not compete
with those who have had the access of resources and means for centuries.
● It ensures adequate representation of backward classes in the services under
the State.
● For the advancement of backward classes.
● It will ensure equality as the basis of meritocracy i.e all people must be
brought to the same level before judging them on the basis of merit.

Arguments Against Reservation:

● Reservation in state services leads to divisions and enmity among
government employees, vitiating the atmosphere at the workplace.
● The objective of the reservation policy was to eradicate, not perpetuation of
caste but Caste Based Reservation only perpetuated the notion of caste in
society.
● It was introduced to ensure that the historically underprivileged communities
were given equal access to resources but irrespective of the economic
progress they continue to remain socially disadvantaged.
Reservations goes against meritocracy which is the foundation of many
progressive countries.
● It has become a tool to meet narrow political ends through invoking class
loyalties and primordial identities.
● The dominant and elite class within the backward castes has appropriated the
benefits of reservation and the most marginalized within the backward castes
have remained marginalized.
● Reservation has become the mechanism of exclusion rather than inclusion as
many upper caste poors are also facing discrimination and injustice which
breeds frustration in the society.

Reasons Behind Increasing Demands of Reservation:

 ● It is seen as a remedy for the adverse effects of ill-thought out development
policies.
● In developed states like Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra, in spite of their
economies being relatively better, three things have been worrying the
people:
1. Acute agrarian distress,
2. Stagnation in employment growth
3. Distortions in the development trajectory.
● For governments, it is easier to talk of reservation than to make a course
correction.
● Increasing reservation demands among upper castes also arising from the
fear of losing privilege and the inability to cope with change
● Upper castes feeling disadvantaged especially in context of government jobs
as they don’t get similar advantages like backward classes.

Instruments of Checks & Balances:

● Legislature Control
1. On Judiciary: Impeachment and the removal of the judges. Power to amend
laws declared ultra vires by the Court and revalidating it.
2. On Executive: Through a no-confidence vote it can dissolve the Government.
Power to assess works of the executive through the question hour and zero
hour. Impeachment of the President.
● Executive Control
1. On Judiciary: Making appointments to the office of Chief Justice and other
judges.
2. On Legislature: Powers under delegated legislation. Authority to make rules
for regulating their respective procedure and conduct of business subject to
the provisions of this Constitution.
● Judicial Control
1. On Executive: Judicial review i.e. the power to review executive action to
determine if it violates the Constitution.
2. On Legislature: Unamendability of the constitution under the basic structure
doctrine pronounced by the Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati Case
1973.
Way Forward
■ There is a need for awareness generation because while the unreserved
segments keep on opposing the provision, the neediest sections from within
the reserved segments are hardly aware about how to benefit from the
provision or even whether such provisions exist.
■ The radical solutions like excluding the entire creamy layer among all castes
from reservation and developing their capabilities instead of offering them
reservation for admission to higher education or jobs on a platter.
■ Meritocracy should not be polluted by injecting relaxation of entry barriers,
rather than it should be encouraged by offering financial aid to the
underprivileged.
■ A strong political will is indispensable to find an equilibrium between justice
to the backwards, equity for the forwards and efficiency for the entire system.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

There has been a continuous rise in demand for reservation. Critically analyze the
basis for reservation along with recent judgments of the Supreme Court.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The challenge of reforming death penalty

Source: The Hindu

Prelims: Pardoning power of president, death penalty by different courts., article
21, Provisions for Death Penalty etc.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Death penalty and Arguments Related to It, Article 21.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Court’s recent judgment in Manoj and Ors. vsState of MP seeks to
address the long ignored yet critical aspect of death penalty sentencing.
 ■ This Specific attempt in Manoj must be seen with the Court’s apparent
discomfort over the last year with procedural unfairness in sentencing being
carried out by the lower courts.
■ Supreme Court has recognised Socioeconomic circumstances as a mitigating
factor by courts in various death penalty cases.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Death Penalty:
● Capital punishment or death penalty, is the execution of an offender
sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offence.
● It is the highest penalty awardable to an accused.
● Generally, it is awarded in extremely severe cases of murder, rapes, treason
etc.
● The death penalty is seen as the most suitable punishment and effective
deterrent for the worst crimes.
● Those who oppose it, however, see it as inhumane.
● Thus, the morality of the death penalty is debatable and many criminologists
and socialists all across the globe, have been long demanding abolition of the
death penalty.

Process of Death Penalty

● In trial court After the proceedings as specified by the Code of Criminal
Procedure, the judge pronounces the judgment.
● After the decision by the Session Court, a high court needs to confirm the
death sentence.
● The high court may confirm the death sentence or pass any other sentence or
annul the conviction.
● The High Court also has the power to withdraw a case pending before a
subordinate court and conduct the trial and may award the sentence of
death.
● Special leave petition: After the death sentence is confirmed by the High
Court, an appeal by Special Leave Petition under Article 136 of the
Constitution may be filed with the Supreme court.
● Under Article 136, the Supreme Court decides whether the special leave
petition deserves to be heard as an appeal or not.
 ● Curative petition: The Supreme Court may allow a curative petition to
reconsider its judgment or order if it is established that there was a violation
of principles of natural justice or suspicion of bias in the role of a judge.
● The curative petition would be circulated before the same bench which
decided on the review petition.
● Mercy Petition: Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution give power to the
President of India and the Governor to grant pardons and to suspend,
remit or commute sentences in certain cases.
● The president or the governor may consider the case of the convict and may
pardon the death sentence.
● Death warrant: In cases where the death sentence is awarded, the convict
should be allowed to use all the legal remedies available such as appeal,
review and mercy petitions.
● The Supreme Court guidelines are needed to be followed before issuing the
death warrant.
● Execution: Death sentence or death penalty is a punishment approved for
committing the offence. The act of carrying out a death sentence is known as
an execution.

Status of Death Penalty in the Indian Context:

● Prior to the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act (Cr PC) of 1955, the
death penalty was the rule and life imprisonment an exception in India.
● The courts were bound to give an explanation for awarding a lighter penalty
than death for capital offenses.
● After the amendment of 1955 courts were at liberty to grant either death or
life imprisonment.
● As per Section 354 (3) of the Cr PC, 1973 the courts are required to state
reasons in writing for awarding the maximum penalty.
● The situation has been reversed and a life sentence is the rule and death
penalty an exception in capital offences.
● Inspite of global moratorium against the death penalty by the United Nation,
India retains the death penalty.
● India is of view that allowing criminals guilty of having committed
intentional, cold-blooded, deliberate and brutal murders to escape with a
lesser punishment will deprive the law of its effectiveness and result in
travesty of justice.
 ● A proposal for the scrapping of the death penalty was rejected by the Law
Commission in its 35th report 1967.
● In India as per official statistics, 720 executions have taken place in India
after it became independent in the year 1947, which is a minuscule fraction
of the people who were awarded death penalty by the trial courts.
● In the majority of the cases, death was commuted to life imprisonment and
some were acquitted by the higher courts.

Arguments in Favour of the Death Penalty:

● Deterrence: Capital punishment is often justified with the argument that by
executing convicted murderers, we will deter murderers from killing people.
● Retribution: People should get what they deserve in proportion to the
severity of their crime. This argument states that real justice requires people
to suffer for their wrongdoing and to suffer in a way appropriate for the
crime.
● It is often argued that the death penalty provides closure for victims' families.

Arguments Against the Death Penalty:

● Deterrence Ineffective: The statistical evidence doesn’t confirm that
deterrence works. Some of those executed may not have been capable of
being deterred because of mental illness or defect.
● Death has been prescribed in rape cases since 2013 (Sec. 376A of IPC), still,
rapes continue to happen and in fact, the brutality of rapes has increased
manifold, which question death penalty as an effective deterrent.
● Execution of the Innocent: The most common argument against capital
punishment is that sooner or later, innocent people may get killed, because of
mistakes or flaws in the justice system.
● Amnesty International: As long as human justice remains fallible, the risk of
executing the innocent can never be eliminated.
● In most of the developed countries death has been abolished as a form of
punishment.
● No Rehabilitation: Capital punishment doesn't rehabilitate the prisoner and
return them to society.
● Chance to reverse his mistakes:Death penalty does not give another chance
to person to work on his mistakes.

Supreme Court’s rulings on the Death Penalty:

 ● Jagmohan Singh v. State of UP 1973 case:
1. SC held that according to Article 21 deprivation of life is constitutionally
permissible if that is done according to the procedure established by law.
2. Death sentence imposed after a trial in accordance with legally established
procedures under Cr.PC and the Indian Evidence Act 1872 is not
unconstitutional under Article 21.
● Rajendra Prasad v. State of UP 1979 case:
SC held that, if the murderous operation of a criminal jeopardizes social
security in a persistent, planned and perilous fashion then his enjoyment of
fundamental rights may be rightly annihilated.
● Bachan Singh v. the State of Punjab 1980 case:
SC propounded the ‘rarest of rare cases’ according to which death penalty is
not to be awarded except in the ‘rarest of rare cases’ when the alternative
option is unquestionably foreclosed.
● Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab 1983 case:
The Supreme Court laid down certain considerations for determining
whether a case falls under the category of rarest of rare cases or not.
● Manoj and Ors. vs State of MPs 2022 case:
1. The Supreme Court took important steps towards realizing an ‘individualized
sentencing enquiry as envisaged by the court in Bachan Singh.
2. Socioeconomic circumstances have been recognised as a mitigating factor by
courts in various death penalty cases.

Rarest of Rare Cases principle:

● When the murder is committed in an extremely brutal, ridiculous,
diabolical, revolting, or reprehensible manner so as to awaken
intense and extreme indignation of the community.
● When total depravity and cruelty are the motives behind a murder.

Way Forward
■ The Law Commission in 2015, headed by Justice A P Shah proposed to
abolish capital punishments. However, the commission had made the
proposal only to non-terrorism case.
■ The fundamental right to life and dignity enshrined under Article 21 of the
Constitution also means the right to die with dignity.
 ■ The principle laid down in cases like Bachan Singh or Machhi Singh has to
be strictly followed so that the person convicted for an offense of identical
nature is awarded a punishment of an identical degree.
■ There must be a very high degree of fairness in a system that is interested in
subjecting individuals to the experience of death row, and ultimately taking
lives through the instrumentality of law. With that as the starting point, the
criminal justice system needs to do all it can to ensure that systems are
created for procedural fairness.
■ Instead of merely enhancing punishment, tackling crimes against women and
children requires broader social reforms, sustained governance efforts and
strengthening investigative and reporting mechanisms.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

There has been an intense and persistent crisis in the fairness of administering the
death penalty in India. In the light of this statement critically analyze the death
sentence in India along with recent Supreme Court judgments regarding death
sentence.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Sex as work

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Functions and responsibilities of union and states, schemes for
vulnerable sections( fundamental rights, Article 21, Article 142 etc)
■ Mains GS Paper I and II: Role of women and women organizations, schemes for
vulnerable sections. Fundamental rights.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Supreme Court passed an order that adult sex workers are entitled to dignity
and equal protection under law.
■ It directed the police to respect the rights of consenting sex workers
■ the Court also observed that notwithstanding the profession, every
individual ...has a right to a dignified life under Article 21 of the Constitution”
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Sex Workers:
● Sex work is not recognised as “legitimate work.”
● They are not eligible to benefit from the government’s relief programmes.
● Sex workers in India have been asking for decriminalisation of sex work and a
guaranteed set of labour rights.
● COVID-19's impact has provided yet another reason to consider this long-
pending demand.

Highlights of the Supreme Court Judgment:

● Sex workers are entitled to equal protection of the law and criminal law must
apply equally in all cases, on the basis of ‘age’ and ‘consent’.
● Sex worker is an adult and is participating with consent, the police must
refrain from interfering or taking any criminal action.
● Sex workers should not be “arrested or penalised or harassed or victimised”
whenever there is a raid on any brothel, “since voluntary sex work is not
illegal and only running the brothel is unlawful”.

Right of Child of a Sex Worker:

● A child of a sex worker should not be separated from the mother merely on
the ground that she is in the sex trade.
● There should be basic protection of human decency and dignity extends to
sex workers and their children.
● If a minor is found living in a brothel or with sex workers, it should not be
presumed that the child was trafficked.
● If a sex worker claims that he/she is her son/daughter, tests can be done to
determine if the claim is correct and if so, the minor should not be forcibly
separated.

Related Constitutional Provisions:

Article 14:(Equality Before Law)

● No person shall be denied treatment of equality before the law or the equal
protection of the laws within the territory of India.
 ● The right is extended to all persons whether citizens or foreigners, statutory
corporations, companies, registered societies or any other type of legal
person.

Article 15:(Prohibition of Discrimination)

● It provides that no citizen shall be discriminated on grounds only of religion,
race, caste, sex or place of birth.

Article 17:(Abolition of Untouchability)

● It abolishes ‘untouchability’ and forbids its practice in any form.
● The enforcement of any disability arising out of untouchability shall be an
offense punishable in accordance with law.

Article 21: (Protection of Life and Personal Liberty)

● It declares that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty
except according to procedure established by law.
● This right is available to both citizens and non-citizens.

Article 23:(Prohibition of Human Trafficking Forced labour)

● It prohibits human trafficking and begar (forced labour without payment) to
protect the millions of underprivileged and deprived people of the country.
● The right is available to citizens of India as well as to non-citizens.
● The right provides against human trafficking in the form of:
Selling and buying of men, women and children.
Prostitution
Devadasis
Slavery.
● The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 has been enacted to deal with
violations of this fundamental right.

Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act(ITPA)1956:

● The ITPA is the primary law dealing with sex work in India.
● The act defines prostitution as the sexual exploitation or abuse of persons for
commercial purposes and brothel as any place which is used for purposes of
sexual exploitation or abuse for commercial purposes.
 ● The act does not criminalize prostitution or prostitutes per se, but mostly
punishes acts by third parties facilitating prostitution like brothel-keeping,
living off earnings, and procuring, even where sex work is not coerced.
Criticism of the Act:
● It is vague and the laws related to prostitution reflect duality as a whole.
● On one hand, the act makes it illegal to own and manage a brothel even
prescribing punishments and fine for the same but on the other hand, makes
it legal for a person to be a prostitute.

Challenges Faced by Sex Workers:

● Discrimination and Stigmatisation:
1. The rights of sex workers are non-existent, and those doing such work face
discrimination due to their criminalised status.
2. They are being looked down upon and have no place in society, and most
times are treated harshly by their landlords and even the law.
3. They have been fighting for the same human, health, and labour rights as
others, continuing as they are not deemed as falling under the same category
as other workers.
● Abuse and Exploitation:
1. Sex workers are exposed to a slew of abuses that range from physical to
mental attacks.
2. They face harassment from clients, their own family members, the
community, and even from police and other authorities who are supposed to
uphold the law.
● Health Benefits:
They are denied access to essential health services that include treatment for
HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.
● Safe working environment:
1. Most of them do not have access to clean and safe housing, as they are refused
outrightly by owners or the society.
2. With most entering the trade due to lack of money, they set up shop in slum
areas and at times what they earn is also taken away from them by the police
as a bribe or stolen from them.

Court Judgements:
Kajal Mukesh Singh vs State of Maharashtra (2021)
 ● The Bombay High Court said “Prostitution is not an offence, a woman has a
right to choose her vocation”.
In Manoj Shaw vs State of West Bengal (2003)
● Calcutta High Court observed that sex workers should be treated as victims of
crime rather than the accused.
In Budhadev Karmaskar vs State of West Bengal (2011)
● High Court observed that sex workers are also entitled to live a dignified life
as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Government’s Intervention Schemes/Measures:

● Ujjawala Scheme:
1. It was launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, to put an
end to the trafficking of children and women.
2. The objective of the scheme is to prevent, rescue, rehabilitate, reintegrate,
and repatriate victims trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation.
● In 2020, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recognised sex
workers as informal workers.

Article 142:
It provides discretionary power to the Supreme Court as it states that the Supreme
Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as
is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it.

Cases of Judicial Overreach:

There have been several judgments of the Supreme Court wherein it has been
foraying into areas which had long been forbidden to the judiciary by reason of the
doctrine of ‘separation of powers’, which is part of the basic structure of the
Constitution.
Examples:
● The ban on the sale of alcohol along national and state highways.
● Imposition of Patriotism in National Anthem Case.
● Ban on Firecrackers.
● Order on sex workers

Way Forward
■ It is time to recognise sex work as work and assign morality to their work.
Adult men, women and transgender persons in sex work have the right to
 earn through providing sexual services, live with dignity, and remain free
from violence, exploitation, stigma and discrimination.
■ Medical care:Sex workers who are victims of sexual assault should be
provided every facility including immediate medico-legal care.
■ Role of Media:Media should take “utmost care not to reveal the identities of
sex workers, during arrest, raid and rescue operations, whether as victims or
accused and not to publish or telecast any photos that would result in
disclosure of such identities.
■ Parliament must also take a re-look at the existing legislation and do away
with the ‘victim-rescue-rehabilitation’ narrative.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Under Article 142 judiciary has many times forayed into the areas of legislature. Do
you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with recent examples.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Caution First

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Governance(Adhar, UIDAI, KYC, article 21)
■ Mains GS Paper II: Important aspects of governance(e governance,
accountability), right to privacy etc.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Sunday withdrew
an advisory issued by the Aadhaar agency which cautioned people to not
share a photocopy of the document with entities such as hotels and cinema
halls owing to the possibility of “misuse”.
■ It said citizens should share their Aadhaar details only with entities that have
a “user license” from UIDAI. It did not specify how to verify this user license.
■ Later the ministry said that the UIDAI issued Aadhaar card holders are only
advised to exercise normal prudence in using and sharing their UIDAI
Aadhaar numbers.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Aadhar:
● It is a 12-digit random number issued by the Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI) to the residents of India after satisfying the
verification process laid down by the Authority.
● Any individual, irrespective of age and gender, who is a resident of India,
may voluntarily enroll to obtain an Aadhaar number.
● The person willing to enroll has to provide minimal demographic and
biometric information during the enrolment process which is totally free of
cost.
● An individual needs to form Aadhaar only once and after de-duplication only
one Aadhaar shall be generated, as the uniqueness is achieved through the
process of demographic and biometric de-duplication.
● Legal Framework: The Parliament has passed the Aadhaar and Other Laws
(Amendment) Act, 2019 which allows voluntary use of Aadhaar as proof of
identity.

Benefits of Aadhar:
● It promotes transparency and Good Governance:
1. Aadhaar number is verifiable in an online, cost-effective way.
2. It is unique and robust enough to eliminate duplicates and fake identities and
thus used as a basis/primary identifier to roll out several Government
welfare schemes thereby promoting transparency and good governance.
 ● Tool of identity:
1. Aadhaar has given identity to a large number of people who did not have any
identity earlier.
2. It has been used in a range of services and has helped in bringing financial
inclusion, broadband and telecom services, direct benefit transfers to the
bank account of citizens in a transparent manner.
● Neutrality of Aadhaar:
1. It is devoid of any intelligence and does not profile people based on caste,
religion, income, health and geography.
2. The Aadhaar number is a proof of identity, however, it does not confer any
right of citizenship or domicile in respect of an Aadhaar number holder.
● People-Centric Governance: Aadhaar is a strategic policy tool for social and
financial inclusion, public sector delivery reforms, managing fiscal
budgets, increasing convenience and promoting hassle-free people-
centric governance.
● Permanent Financial Address: It can be used as a permanent Financial
Address and it facilitates financial inclusion of the underprivileged and
weaker sections of the society and is a tool for distributive justice and
equality.

Issues with Aadhaar:

● Misuse of Aadhaar Data:
1. Many private entities in the country insist on an Aadhaar card, and users
often share the details.
2. There’s no clarity on how these entities keep these data private and secure.
3. The recent Covid-19 testing, many would have noticed that most labs insist
on Aadhaar card data, including a photocopy, as it is not mandatory to share
this for getting a Covid-19 test done.
● Fraud associated with Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS):
1. AePS is a facility that enables someone who has an Aadhaar-linked account to
withdraw money from it anywhere in India through biometric authentication
with a “business correspondent” – a kind of mini-ATM.
2. The cases of rampant abuses of this facility by corrupt business
correspondents.
● Use of excessive Imposition:
1. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that Aadhaar authentication can be made
mandatory only for benefits paid from the Consolidated Fund of India and
 that alternative means of identity verification must always be provided
when Aadhaar fails.
2. It exempted Children, but aadhaar continues to be routinely demanded from
children for basic rights such as anganwadi services or school enrolment.
● Arbitrary exclusions of people:
1. Central and state governments have made routine use of the “ultimatum
method” to enforce the linkage of welfare benefits with Aadhaar.
2. In such cases benefits are simply withdrawn or suspended if the recipients
fail to comply with the linkage instructions in good time, such as failing to link
their job card, ration card or bank account with Aadhaar.

Supreme Court Judgment on Aadhaar:

● The Court has held that the architecture of Aadhaar, as well as the provisions
of the Aadhaar Act, do not tend to create a surveillance state.
● The information collected remains in silos. The information is not accessible
in combined form.
● The Court ruled that the Aadhar Act passed the test laid down in the Privacy
judgment to determine the reasonableness of the invasion of privacy.
● The Court upheld the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision to recognize the Aadhar
Act as the Money Bill.
● The Court held that the main objective of the Aadhaar Act is to extend
benefits in the nature of aid, grant, or subsidy to the marginalized
sections of the society with the support of the Consolidated Fund of India.
● SC upheld the Aadhar for government services by using the Doctrine of
Proportionality(nature and extent of the State’s interference with the
exercise of a right must be proportional to the goal it seeks to achieve).
● The UIDAI has mandated the use of Registered Devices (RD) for all
authentication requests.
● The court struck down Section 33(2) of the Aadhar Act which allows
disclosure of information of a user in the interest of national security.
● SC struck down Regulation 26(c), Aadhaar Regulations which allowed UIDAI
to store metadata relating to Aadhar based authentications or authentication
history for private firms.
● SC upheld the Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, which mandates linking
of Aadhaar to PAN and providing Aadhaar while filing income-tax returns.
 ● The circular of the Department of Telecommunications, which mandated
Aadhaar-based re-verification of mobile numbers, has been held illegal and
unconstitutional.

Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI):

● It is a statutory authority established in 2016 by the Government of India
under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology, following the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016.
● The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID)
number (Aadhaar) to all the residents of India.
Role & Responsibilities of UIDAI:
Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is responsible for:
1. Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including operation and management
of all stages of Aadhaar life cycle, developing the policy, procedure, and
system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals and
2. Perform authentication and the security of identity information and
authentication records of individuals.
Composition of the Authority:
● It consists of two part-time Members and a Chief Executive Officer who
shall be the Member-Secretary of the Authority.
● The Chairman of the Authority is Vacant.

KYC(Know your Customer):

● It is a term used for the customer identification process.
● It involves making reasonable efforts to determine true identity and
beneficial ownership of accounts, source of funds, the nature of customer’s
business, reasonableness of operations in the account in relation to the
customer’s business, etc which in turn helps the banks to manage their risks
prudently.
● The objective of the KYC guidelines is to prevent banks being used,
intentionally or unintentionally by criminal elements for money laundering.
● KYC has got a legal backing. Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines to
banks under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and Prevention of Money-
Laundering Rules, 2005.
● KYC has two components – Identity and Address. While identity remains the
same, the address may change and hence the banks are required to
periodically update their records.
 Right to Privacy:
Right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal
liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of
the Constitution.

Way Forward
■ Stronger Safeguards Needed: The National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) must urgently put in place stronger safeguards against the
vulnerabilities of Aadhaar-enabled Payment Systems and better grievance
redressal facilities.
■ The government must abide by and enforce Supreme Court directions,
including restriction of mandatory Aadhaar to permissible purposes,
provision of an alternative whenever Aadhaar authentication fails,
unconditional exemption for children.
■ It has been used in a range of services and has helped in bringing financial
inclusion, broadband and telecom services, direct benefit transfers to the
bank account of citizens in a transparent manner. So balance between the
benefits and reducing privacy issues need to be taken into account.
■ Benefits should not be withdrawn even in extreme cases, rather issuing a
show cause notice to those concerned and giving them an opportunity (with
ample time) to respond or appeal.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

There needs to be a balance between benefits associated with Aadhaar and issues
related to privacy. Do you agree with the statement? Critically analyze the benefits
of Aadhaar.

(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

 EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Modi’s two Summits: UAE trumps G7

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance, India-UAE relations, G7
etc.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of UAE for India, Bilateral, regional and global
grouping and agreements involving India or affecting India’s interests.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Prime Minister of India is attending two summits this week – he is a
special invitee’ at the 48th G7 Summit at Schloss Elmou in Germany.
■ After the G7, he has a bilateral summit in Abu Dhabi with the UAE President.
■ According to Foreign Direct Investment data, the UAE invested more in India
in 2021 than Germany and France combined.
■ Unlike the UAE, none of the G7 countries has yet signed a bilateral
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Group of Seven (G7):
● It is an intergovernmental organization that was formed in 1975.
● The bloc meets annually to discuss issues of common interest like global
economic governance, international security and energy policy.
● The G7 countries are the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the
US.
● All the G7 countries and India are a part of G20.
● The G7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters.
● The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding.

Major purpose of the G-7:

● It is to discuss and deliberate on international economic issues.
● It sometimes acts in concert to help resolve other global problems, with a
special focus on economic issues.

India and G7:

● India is a natural ally for the G7 countries in defending the shared values from
a host of threats stemming from authoritarianism, terrorism and violent
extremism, disinformation and economic coercion.
● Expressed concerns that open societies are particularly vulnerable to
disinformation and cyber-attacks.
● It sought the support of the grouping to lift patent protections for Covid-19
vaccines in 47th Summit.
● Planet’s atmosphere, biodiversity and oceans cannot be protected by
countries acting in silos, and called for collective action on climate change.
● India is the only G-20 country on track to meet its Paris commitments.
● Developing countries need better access to climate finance, and called for a
holistic approach towards climate change that covers mitigation, adaptation,
technology transfer, climate financing, equity, climate justice and lifestyle
change.
● Highlighted the revolutionary impact of digital technologies on social
inclusion and empowerment in India through applications such as Aadhaar,
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar- Mobile)
trinity.

India and UAE:

● India and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1972.
● The greater push has been achieved in bilateral relations when the visit of
India’s Prime Minister to the UAE in August 2015 marked the beginning of a
new strategic partnership between the two countries.
● Further, during the visit of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to India in January
2017 as the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations, it was agreed
that bilateral relations were to be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic
partnership.
● This gave momentum to launching negotiations for an India-UAE
comprehensive economic partnership agreement.
India-UAE synergy:
● The current IndiaUAE synergy and amity are largely due to Prime Minister
Modi’s tending.
● This would be his fourth visit to Abu Dhabi and sixth summit with Sheikh
Mohammed over the past seven years.
● The visits have plenty to show — from Emirati investments in Jammu and
Kashmir to a CEPA.
●
● The Abu Dhabi summit would be a useful opportunity to recalibrate the
bilateral ties and open new vistas following the operationalisation of the
bilateral CEPA from May 1.

Changes since the pandemic:

● The bilateral trade grew by 68% in 2021-22 to $72.9 billion, a new record.
● While both exports and imports grew, the trade deficit reached $16.8
billion,also a new record.
● Due to CEPA, the robust economic revival, higher oil prices and larger Indian
imports, trade is likely to grow even higher in 2022-23.
● The corrective mechanism built into CEPA would, hopefully, prevent the
deficit from going out of hand.
● As the UAE collects petrodollars, India, the world's fastest growing major
economy, could be a lucrative market for investments in areas such as
petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, renewables, infrastructure,manufacturing,
logistics, startups, etc
● streamlining of the manpower sector, including skilling the young Indian
labour force to suit the Emirati requirements.
● The two sides can collaborate for the eventual reconstruction of the war
ravaged regional countries such as Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Libya and
Afghanistan.
● In the bilateral political domain, the two sides have cooperated efficiently on
security and anti-terrorism, but they need to do more to fight money
laundering and the flow of illicit narcotics.

Complexity in UAE’s position:

● The UAE has disrupted the long standing Arab Israeli stalemate by
normalizing relations with Israel in 2020.
● The two sides have recently signed a bilateral CEPA.
 ● After pursuing a muscular regional foreign policy against political Islam and
in regional hotspots such as Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and Somalia, Abu
Dhabi seems to have decided to stage a phased withdrawal and improve ties
with Syria,Qatar and Turkey.
● The ties with Saudi Arabia remain somewhat edgy, due to policy divergences
and economic competition.
● Similarly, Abu Dhabi has developed some ruction with the Biden presidency
in the U.S. and is diversifying its strategic options with Russia and China.
● It has conspicuously ignored the plea by the U.S. and other Western countries
to raise its oil production.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA):

● India-UAE CEPA was signed on 18th February 2022, during the India-UAE
Virtual Summit.
● The Agreement entered into force on 1st May 2022.
● CEPA provides for an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve
trade between the two countries.

Salient features of CEPA:

Way Forward
■ Manifold Benefits of India-UAE Trade Agreements: With India’s newfound
strength in exports, a trade agreement with an important country such as the
UAE would help sustain the growth momentum.
■ As we are witnessing a big turnaround in manufacturing, the UAE would be
an attractive export market for Indian electronics, automobiles, and other
engineering products.
■ As both the UAE and India are aggressively pursuing FTAs with several
important countries, not only companies from these two countries but also
MNCs from other geographies too would find the UAE and India an attractive
market to invest in.
■ In the bilateral political domain, the two sides have cooperated efficiently on
security and anti-terrorism, but they need to do more to fight money
laundering and the flow of illicit narcotics.
 ■ India, the UAE’s second largest trading partner, and largest source of tourists
and manpower, can be a useful ally.
■ The Abu Dhabi summit would be a useful opportunity to recalibrate the
bilateral ties and open new vistas following the operationalisation of the
bilateral CEPA.
■ The G7 countries are also important players in global trade. The US and
Germany in particular are major export nations. Both sold goods worth well
over a trillion US dollars abroad in 2021.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

The UAE was a bigger investor in India in 2021 than Germany and France combined.
In the light of this statement discuss the India-UAE trade relations.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The FATF and Pakistan’s Position

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance, Bilateral relations,
Important International Institutes, FATF(Grey list, black list)
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of Important International Institutes, India-
Pakistan relations.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Ahead of the plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force(FATF), the
global financial crime watchdog, Pakistan which continues to face an
economic crunch, is hoping for some respite in the form of its removal from
theFATF’s ‘grey list’ or the list of countries presenting a risk to the global
financial system.
■ In its last plenary meeting in March,the FATF had retained Pakistan’s
listing,asking it to expeditiously address the remaining deficiencies in its
financial system.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Financial Action Task Force(FATF)
● An inter-governmental body established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in
Paris.
● It assesses the strength of a country’s anti-money laundering and anti-
terror financing frameworks.
● It sets standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory
and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist
financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international
financial system.
● Its Secretariat is located at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
● The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organizations
- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.
 ● India is a member of the FATF.

Lists under FATF:

● Grey List:
1. The grey countries are designated as “jurisdictions under increased
monitoring”, working with the FATF to counter criminal financial activities.
2. For such countries, the watchdog does not tell other members to carry out
due diligence measures vis-a-vis the listed country but does tell them to
consider the risks such countries possess.
3. Countries considered as safe haven for supporting terror funding and money
laundering are put in the FATF grey list.
4. This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the
blacklist.
5. Currently, 23 countries including Pakistan are on the grey list.

● Black List:
1. It means countries designated as ‘high risk jurisdictions subject to call for
action’.
2. In this case, the countries have considerable deficiencies in their AML/CFT
(antimoney laundering and counter terrorist financing) regimens and the
body calls on members and non members to apply enhanced due diligence.
3. Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) countries are put in the
blacklist.
4. These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities.
5. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.
6. Iran and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are under High-
risk Jurisdiction or black list.
● The FATF Plenary is the decision making body of the FATF. It meets three
times per year.
● Being listed under the FATF’s list makes it hard for countries to get aid from
organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian
Development Bank (ADB), and the European Union.
● It may also affect capital inflows, foreign direct investments, and portfolio
flows.

Why is Pakistan on the grey list?

 ● Pakistan was retained on the grey list in March as it was yet to address
concerns on the front of terror financing investigations and prosecutions
targeting senior leaders and commanders of UN designated terrorist groups.
● The FATF had issued the 27-point action plan after placing Pakistan on the
‘Grey List’ in June 2018. The action plan pertains to curbing money
laundering and terror financing.

Concerns:
● Though steps had been taken in this direction such as the sentencing of terror
outfit chief Hafiz Saeed, prosecution of Masood Azhar, arrest of about 300
other designated terrorists, and the seizure of more than 1,100 properties
owned by terror groups. India meanwhile, member of FATF, suspects the
efficacy and permanence of Pakistani actions.
● FATF last time decided against existing Pakistan from the category despite
the country meeting 32 out of 34 action points.
● Pakistan was taken off the list in 2015 owing to its progress but was put back
on it in 2018.

Way Forward
■ Pakistan has taken steps in the direction such as the sentencing of terror
outfit chief Hafiz Saeed, prosecution of Masood Azhar, arrest of about 300
other designated terrorists, and the seizure of more than 1,100 properties
owned by terror groups. However, concerns by India need to be addressed.
■ In March,Pakistan informed FATF that it had completed 32 of the total 34
action items in the two plans but was retained on the list.
■ Pakistan had completed 26 of the 27 action items in its 2018 action plan of
the FATF and of the seven action items of the 2021 action plan of the FATF’s
Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG).
■ The FATF encouraged Pakistan to continue making progress to address, as
soon as possible, the one remaining item by continuing to demonstrate that
terror financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and
commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Ahead of the plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force(FATF), Pakistan is
hoping to get its name removed from the FATF’s ‘grey list’. Critically analyze.
 (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Understanding the Organization of Islamic Cooperation(OIC)

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance, Regional forums, OIC.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of Middle East for India, India and its
neighborhood relations.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ On June 5, the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) condemned and denounced” the comments on Prophet
Muhammed made by two erstwhile national spokespersons.
■ Referring to it as part of “growing spate of hatred and defamation of Islam in
India”, it sought that the perpetrators are bought to justice and held
accountable.
■ In Response, the Ministry of External Affairs, stated that India rejected the
OIC Secretariat’s“unwarranted” and “narrow minded”comments.
■ He said that the views expressed by the two individuals did not reflect the
views of the Indian government and the relevant authorities had already
initiated strong actions against them.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Organization of Islamic Cooperation(OIC):

● The OIC is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United
Nations with a membership of 57 states.
● It is the collective voice of the Muslim world.
● It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the
spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of
the world.
● The Organization of the Islamic Conference was established by the First
Islamic Summit Conference held in Morocco in September 1969, to marshal
the Islamic world after an act of arson at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by
a 28-year-old Australian in 1969.
● Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
● The OIC has consultative and cooperative relations with the UN and other
intergovernmental organizations to protect the interest of Muslims, and settle
 conflicts and disputes involving member states,among them being the
territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the status of
Jammu & Kashmir.
● The organization adheres to a charter that lays out its objectives, principles
and operating mechanism.
● The present charter was adopted in March 2008 at Dakar in Senegal. It
enshrines that all members be guided and inspired by the noble Islamic
teachings and values alongside committing themselves to the purposes and
principles of the UNcharter.
● OIC carves out a 10 year Programme of Action (PoA). Last instituted for the
decade ending 2025, the PoA calls for measures to combat all aspects of
terrorism globally.

Functioning of OIC:
● The Islamic Summit, composed of Kings and heads of state, is the supreme
authority of the organization.
● Convening every two years, it deliberates, takes policy decisions,provides
guidance on issues relevant to the organization and considers issues of
concern to the member states.
● The Council of Foreign Ministers is the chief decision making body and
meets annually to decide on how to implement the OIC general policies.
● In addition, this council also appoints, for a period of five years, the Secretary
General, who is the chief administrative officer of the grouping.
● The Secretary General follows up on implementation of the decisions, directs
attention to competent organs’ specific issues of concern, creates a channel
for coordination among the varied organs and submits annual reports on the
work undertaken.
● UN members with a Muslim majority can join the organisation.
● The membership is to be ratified with full consensus at the OIC’s Council of
Foreign Ministers. The same provisions apply for acquiring an observer
status.
● All decision making in the forum requires a quorum defined by the presence
of two thirds of the member states and complete consensus.
● In case a consensus cannot be reached, decisions shall be made by a two
thirds majority of members present and voting.
● The OIC is financed by the member states proportionate to their national
incomes.
 ● The OIC also has standing committees for cooperation on:
1. Information and cultural affairs
2. Economic and commercial matters
3. Scientific and technological initiatives
4. Jerusalem.

Nature of India's relationship with OIC:

● Even though the country has good relations with the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) and Saudi Arabia, its membership and engagement has been constantly
challenged by Pakistan.
● In 1969, Pakistan’s opposition to Indian Participation at the first OIC Plenary
resulted in the Indian delegation being turned back from the venue at the last
minute.
● About 50 years later, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed the
OIC Plenary of Foreign Ministers in Abu Dhabi as guest of honour.
● In 2018, Bangladesh had proposed India be given the observer status at the
OIC considering its sizeable Muslim population –a move which received
support from Turkey but was opposed by Pakistan.

Criticisms against the OIC grouping:

● OIC had become a premise for ‘window dressing’, more interested in the
rights of Muslim minorities in places such as Palestine or Myanmar than the
human rights violations of its member states(Brookings Institution analyst
Turan Kayaoglu).
● OIC lacks power and resources to investigate human rights violations or
enforce its decisions through signed treaties and declarations.
● Organization is largely restricted to arbitrating in conflicts where both parties
are Muslims. The according of observer status at the UN to the Palestine
Liberation Organization is considered among its major successes.
● OIC has failed to establish a cooperative venture among its members, who
were either capital rich and labour scarce countries or manpower rich and
capital scarce.
● The organization has not evolved to become a significant player either in
international politics or in the area of economic cooperation.

Significance of Prophet Mohammad in Islam:

 ● Islam believes that God sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach them
how to live accordingly to his law. Jesus, Moses and Abraham are respected as
prophets of God.
● Muslims believe that the final prophet was Muhammad.
● The emergence of Islam is dated from the time of the migration of
Muhammad.
● It is believed the word of God was revealed to Muhammad through the Angel
Gabriel.
● Muslims based their laws on their holy book, the Quran, and the Sunnah.
● The Sunnah is considered to be practical example of Prophet Muhammad.
● Some of the basic tenets of Islam are- belief in one God, belief in Muhammad
as the final prophet, and belief that the life on earth is a period of testing and
preparation for the life to come after the judgment day when everyone shall
be recompensed by God according to the actions performed.

Way Forward
■ Pakistan’s apprehension stems from the fear that India’s involvement in the
grouping could influence the opinion of other Muslim states not boding well
for its influence and will diminish the role of OIC platform for Pakistan in
Kashmir case.
■ After building close ties with powerful members such as UAE and Saudi
Arabia, India has been confident of riding over any statement by the grouping.
India has consistently underlined that J&K is an “integral part of India and is a
matter strictly internal to India”, and that the OIC has no locus standi on the
issue.
■ Elaborating on India’s vast Muslim community, Foreign Minister highlighted
about Muslim in India speak Tamil and Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi,
Bangla and Bhojpuri or any of the numerous languages of India.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India’s association with the OIC has not been easy, even though the country has
good relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, its membership and engagement has
been constantly challenged. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
 EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The Ukraine war and the global food crisis

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of National and International importance, food
inflation, Russia-Ukraine map.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Issues related to rising food crisis, impact of Russia-Ukraine
war, importance of Russia and Ukraine in global supply chain.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions on its economy
have sent global food prices soaring, threatening to push millions of people,
especially those in low income countries, into starvation.
■ Ukraine and its allies in the West have accused Russia of weaponizing food,
saying that its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports is the primary reason for
the rising prices.
■ Moscow has blamed Western sanctions for the crisis.
■ The United Nations and Turkey have initiated talks with the Russian
leadership to facilitate the exports of grains and fertilizers from Russia and
Ukraine.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Food Security:
● It means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic
access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food
preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life(United Nations’
Committee on World Food Security).
● It is the combination of the following three elements:
1. Food availability
Food must be available in sufficient quantities and on a consistent basis. It
considers stock and production in a given area and the capacity to bring in
food from elsewhere, through trade or aid.
2. Food access
People must be able to regularly acquire adequate quantities of food, through
purchase, home production, barter, gifts, borrowing or food aid.
3. Food utilization
 Consumed food must have a positive nutritional impact on people. It entails
cooking, storage and hygiene practices, individuals health, water and
sanitation, feeding and sharing practices within the household.
● Food security is closely related to household resources, disposable income
and socioeconomic status. It is also strongly interlinked with other issues,
such as food prices, global environment change, water, energy and agriculture
growth.

Importance of Food Security for a Nation:

● For boosting the agricultural sector.
● For having a control on food prices.
● For economic growth and job creation leading to poverty reduction
● For trade opportunities
● For increased global security and stability
● For improved health and healthcare

How serious is the present food crisis?

● Climate Shocks, conflicts and the COVID19 pandemic had disrupted supply
chains, pumping up prices of both commodities and crops. The war in Ukraine
has aggravated this situation.
● The Agricultural Price Index was 40% higher compared to January 2021,
according to the World Bank.
● Maize and wheat prices rose 42% and 60%,respectively, from the levels of
January 2021.
● Global food, fuel and fertilizer prices are projected to be sharply higher this
year and will remain elevated into 2024, the Bank Estimates.
● In the U.K., inflation numbers have already hit a 40 year high.
● Almost 90% of emerging markets and developing economies experienced
food price inflation greater than 5% this year.
● Low Income countries that are reliant on imports for basic food consumption
are the hardest hit.
● According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP),Ethiopia, Nigeria,
South Sudan and Yemen remain at ‘highest alert’ as hotspots
with“catastrophic conditions”, as Afghanistan and Somalia are added to this
category.

Importance are Russia and Ukraine for global food security:

 ● Russia and Ukraine together account for more than a quarter of the world's
wheat supplies.
● Russia’s share in the global exports of wheat, the world’s most widely grown
crop, is some 20%, while Ukraine accounts for 8%(U.S. Food and Drug
Administration’s Foreign Agricultural Service(FAS)).
● About 50 countries depend on Russia and Ukraine for more than 30% of their
wheat imports, according to the FAO.
● Ukraine is the world's eighth largest producer and fourth largest exporter
of corn, accounting for 16% of global exports.
● Ukraine, which produces up to 46% of sunflower seed and safflower oil is the
world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil.

Reasons for the food crisis:

● Exports from Ukraine have collapsed since the invasion as the Russian war
effort is entirely focused on Ukraine’s eastern and southern parts along the
Black Sea/Sea of Azov coast. Now, several Ukrainian port cities, including
Mariupol, Kherson and Berdyansk, are under Russian control.
● Although the southern cities of Nikolaev and Odessa,which is known as the
‘Pearl of the Black Sea’, are still with the Ukrainians, commercial ships
cannot dock at these ports because of two reasons:
1. Ukraine has mined the waters around these ports as a deterrent against
potential Russian attacks.
2. Russia has enforced a naval blockade in the waters of the Black Sea.
● Besides the blockade, the western sanctions on Russia are also contributing
to the crisis. Russia, besides being the world's top wheat exporter, is also a
leading exporter of fertilizer, an essential commodity for food production.
● The sanctions on its financial sector, which made payments difficult for
Russia, has complicated its exports, including foodgrains. Also, the targeted
sanctions on Russian oligarchs have choked finances for the agricultural
industry.
State of Food Insecurity in India:
● According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)
report, 2021 India, the country with the largest stock of grain in the world,
120 million tonnes (as of 1st July 2021) accounts for a quarter of the world’s
food-insecure population.
● Estimates show that, in 2020, over 237 crore people were grappling with food
insecurity globally, an increase of about 32 crores from 2019.
● South Asia alone accounts for 36% of global food insecurity.
Wheat:

● China is the top country by wheat production in the world.

● The top 5 countries (others are India, Russian Federation, the United States
of America, and Canada) account for 63.43% of it.
● The wheat in India is largely a soft/medium hard, medium protein, white
bread wheat, almost similar to U.S. hard white wheat.
● Wheat is a major cereal crop in India and is grown mainly in central and
western India is typically hard, with high protein and high gluten content.
● It is a Rabi Crop sown in October-December and harvested during April-
June.
● Temperature required: Between 23±3°C and for good tillering
temperature should range between 16-20°C.
● Better variety of wheat is produced in areas having cool, moist weather
during the major portion of the growing period followed by dry, warm
weather to enable the grain to ripen properly.
● Rainfall: 50 cm to 100 cm.
● Soil Type: Soils with a clay loam or loam texture, good structure and
moderate water holding capacity are ideal for wheat cultivation.
● Wheat producing states in India: Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat.

Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO):

 ● FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international
efforts to defeat hunger.
● World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16th October to mark the
anniversary of the founding of the FAO in 1945.
● It is one of the UN food aid organizations based in Rome (Italy).
● Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme and the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
● Initiatives Taken:
1. Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).
2. Monitors the Desert Locust situation throughout the world.
3. The Codex Alimentarius Commission or CAC is the body responsible for all
matters regarding the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food
Standards Programme.
4. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture.
● Flagship Publications:
○ The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).
○ The State of the World's Forests (SOFO).
○ The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
○ The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA).
○ The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO).
○ World Food Price Index.

Way Forward
■ Russia will have to step up exports of both grains and fertilizers. For this,
Ukraine and its allies may have to strike a deal with the Russian President.
■ The talks initiated by the United Nations and Turkey with the Russian
leadership to facilitate the exports of grains and fertilizers from Russia and
Ukraine can be an effective step to tackle the food crisis.
■ There is a need to have an integrated approach to prevention, anticipation,
and better targeting to sustainably address the root causes of food crises,
including structural rural poverty, marginalization, population growth and
fragile food systems.
 ■ Ukraine can transfer the grains over land to the Baltic states, either through
Poland or Belarus, and then ship them out from the Baltic Sea ports.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Many countries were facing growing food insecurity even before the Russia-Ukraine
war but war in Ukraine has aggravated this situation. Discuss.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Security in friendship

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance, Regional forums(QUAD,
NATO, East Asia Summit etc)
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, Indo-Pacific
Region,Free and open Indo-Pacific, International organizations.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The recent summit meeting of the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security
Dialogue(Quad), could not have come at a more critical juncture in world
politics.
■ The U.S.President and Japanese Prime Minister were blunt in their
condemnation of Russia's Belligerence, Indian Prime Minister Australian
Prime Minister avoided any direct reference to Moscow, as indeed did the
summit’s joint statement.
■ However on China, the four nations were on the same page, and the Quad
joint statement called for continued cooperation towards maintaining a free
and open Indo Pacific.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue(QUAD):
● It is the informal strategic dialogue between India, USA, Japan and Australia
with a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous”
Indo-Pacific region.
● In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-
pending "Quad" Coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea
routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence (especially China).
● In 2021, Quad countries issued a “Spirit of the Quad” joint statement
promoting a free, open rules-border, rooted in international law to advance
security and combat threats both in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
● Unlike NATO, the Quad does not include provisions for collective defense,
instead choosing to conduct joint military exercises as a show of unity and
diplomatic cohesion.
● Quad members have also indicated a willingness to expand the partnership
through a so-called Quad Plus that would include South Korea, New
Zealand, and Vietnam amongst others.
● cooperation identified during the QUAD summit in 2021, including climate
change, critical and emerging technologies, counter-terrorism,
infrastructure, Humanitarian-Assistance and Disaster-Relief (HADR) and
maritime domain awareness.
● The QUAD is pursuing work on 5G technology and vendor diversification to
maintain a diverse, open and interoperable telecommunication ecosystem
through collaboration with like-minded partners.
● 3C strategy of QUAD
Initiatives during 4th Quad Summit 2022:
● Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness
(IPMDA):Formation of the IPMDA will build a “faster, wider, and more
accurate maritime picture of near-real-time activities in partners’ waters.”
● Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP): It
will help green shipping and foster the idea of a “shared green corridor”with
“mitigation” and “adaptation” as its two pillars.
● Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
(HADR): To increase the humanitarian footprint in the region, the leaders
announced the establishment of the Quad Partnership on Humanitarian
Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific region.
● Quad decided to enhance sharing data as part of the “Quad Satellite Data
Portal” that will enhance cooperation among the satellites of the member
countries.
● The summit welcomed the progress made regarding the J&J vaccine
production at the Biological E labs in India under the Quad Vaccine
Partnership.
● The launch of the Quad Fellowship which will intensify people-to-people
contact and foster academic exchanges. Under the scheme, 100 students
 from the member countries will travel to the US each year to pursue
graduate studies in STEM fields.
Issues addressed in The Quad summit 2022
● China and the Solomon Islands
● China and Taiwan
● North Korea Missiles
● Ukraine and Russia

Challenges associated:
● China’s Territorial Claims: China claims that it has historical ownership over
nearly the entire region of South China Sea, which gives it the right to
manufacture islands. However, the International Court of Arbitration rejected
the claim in 2016.
● China’s Closeness to ASEAN: The ASEAN countries also have a well-knit
relationship with China. The Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership
(RCEP) is a recent example of China’s increasing influence over ASEAN
nations.
● Economic Power of China: Considering the economic might of China and the
dependence of Quad nations like Japan and Australia on China, the Quad
nations cannot afford to have strained relations with it.
 ● Convergence among Quad Nations: The nations in the Quad grouping have
different aspirations, aimed at balancing their own interest. Therefore,
coherence in the vision of Quad nation as a grouping is absent.

significance of Indo-Pacific region for India:

● Strategic significance: The Indo-Pacific is a multipolar region that accounts
for over half of global GDP and population.
● Mineral Resources: Maritime regions have also become important storage
areas for essential resources such as fish stocks, minerals, and offshore oil
and gas.
● Economic Growth: The Indo-Pacific area accounts for approximately 60% of
world GDP, making it the most important contributor to global growth.
● Commerce: Many of the world’s most important choke points for global trade
are located in this region, including the Straits of Malacca, which are crucial
for global economic growth.

Spirit of the Quad:

It includes the group’s primary objectives:
● Maritime security
● Combating the Covid-19 crisis, especially vis-à-vis vaccine diplomacy
● Addressing the risks of climate change
● Creating an ecosystem for investment in the region
● Boosting technological innovation.

Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA):

● It is a satellite-based maritime security system aiming for a “fundamental
requirement for peace, stability, and prosperity” in the Indo-Pacific region.
● It will integrate three critical regions of the Pacific Islands – Southeast Asia,
and the Indian Ocean region – and allow tracking of “dark shipping” and
other “tactical activities”.
● The maritime system will also improve the partners’ ability to respond to
climate and humanitarian events and protect their fisheries – a vital need
for many Indo-Pacific economies.

Dark ships
 ● They are vessels with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) – a
transponder system – switched off so as not to be detectable.
● The new maritime initiative by Quad will enable these countries to monitor
illegal fishing even when the boats have turned off the transponders which
are typically used to track vessels.

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)

● It was announced in 2021 to set regional standards for cooperation, and
includes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member
states.
● IPEF is created to encourage regional economies to “decouple” from the
Chinese market by leading them to alternative supply chains.
● The IPEF will not include market access commitments such as lowering
tariff barriers, as the agreement is “more of an Administrative
arrangement”.
● IPEF is viewed as reflecting the US’ ambitions to expand ties with key Indo-
Pacific economies by building a supply chain that excludes China.
● It has four “pillars” of work:
1. Fair and resilient trade.
2. Supply chain resilience.
3. Infrastructure, clean energy, and decarbonization.
4. Tax and anti-corruption.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

● Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
● It is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called
the Washington Treaty) of April, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and
several Western European nations to provide collective security against
the Soviet Union.
● There are currently 30 member states.
● NATO’s essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and
security of all its members by political and military means.
● NATO has an integrated military command structure but very few forces or
assets are exclusively its own.
● NATO participates in three alliances:
1. Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
 2. Mediterranean Dialogue
3. Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI)

Way Forward
■ Quad is in pole position to shape economic alliances and regional security
architecture towards a new world order based on national interest and
realpolitik.
■ Indo Pacific is a strategic space which offers a number of challenges and
opportunities for India and all other stakeholders.
■ Appropriate diplomatic maneuvering and economic and military assertion is
vital for the implementation of India’s interests in the region along with
leveraging the space as a building block for a multipolar world order.
■ It will also deepen USA its regional treaty alliances and work with groups
such as ASEAN, the European Union (EU) and NATO.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Indo Pacific has emerged as a vital space in the international arena. Discuss the
significance of Indo-Pacific for India along with recent initiatives to emerge as an
important player in the Indo Pacific region.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
China growing footprint in the Pacific Islands

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance(Pacific island countries,
Regional forums, EEZ etc
 ■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of Indo-Pacific for India, Indo-Pacific
Region,Free and open Indo-Pacific, International organizations.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Foreign Minister of China, is currently on visit to ten Pacific Island
Countries(PICs), and has co-hosted with Fiji the Second China Pacific Island
Countries.
■ During the Foreign Ministers meeting, China’s effort to push through a
comprehensive framework deal,the draft of which was leaked earlier, failed
to gain consensus among the PICs.
■ This has raised regional concerns about China’s growing footprint in the
Pacific Islands, it has also been seen as a demonstration of China’s limitations
in the region.
■ China signed a controversial security deal with the Solomon Islands,which
raised regional concerns.
■ Two draft documents prepared by the Chinese side were leaked, and gained
the attention of regional leaders in the Pacific as well as the larger
international community.
■ One of the documents is the “China Pacific Island Countries (PICs) Common
Development Vision”, and the other is “China Pacific Islands Five Year
Action Plan on Common Development (2022-2026)”.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Pacific Island Countries(PICs):
● They are a cluster of 14 states which are located largely in the tropical zone
of the Pacific Ocean between Asia, Australia and the Americas.
● They include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republicof Marshall Islands,
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New
Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands,Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
● The islands are divided on the basis of physical and human geography into
three distinct parts —Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
● The islands are very small in land area, and are spread wide across the vast
equatorial swathe of the Pacific Ocean.

Strategic Importance of PICs:

● Large EEZs translate into huge economic potential due to the possibility of
utilizing the wealth of fisheries, energy,minerals and other marine resources
present in such zones.
● These countries have played an important role in major power rivalry as
springboards for power projection and laboratories for developing and
demonstrating strategic capabilities.
● The Major powers of the colonial era competed with each other to gain
control over these strategic territories.
● The Pacific islands also acted as one of the major theaters of conflict during
the Second World War.
● Due to the remoteness of these islands from the Soviet Union and major
population centres of the world, some of the major nuclear weapon test sites
of the U.S, The U.K. and France were located here.
● The 14 PICs,are bound together by shared economic and security concerns,
account for as many votes in the United Nations, and act as a potential vote
bank for major powers to mobilize international opinion.

What China seeks to achieve from the PICs:

● The PICs are located geostrategically in what is referred to by China as its ‘Far
Seas’, the control of which will make China an effective Blue Water capable
Navy — an essential prerequisite for becoming a superpower.
● When the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue(QUAD) has emerged as a major
force in the Indo-Pacific vis-à-vis China, the need to influence the PICs has
become an even more pressing matter for China.
 ● The Taiwan factor plays a major role in China’s Pacific calculus. China,
considers Taiwan to be a breakaway territory, is preparing for what seems
like an inevitable military invasion. In this context, to break Western
Domination of island chains of the Pacific which could impede reunification.
● China has been successful in getting diplomatic recognition from 10 out of
the 14 PICs through its economic largesse.

Implications of China's Latest move:

● The secrecy surrounding the China Pacific Island Countries (PICs) Common
Development Vision” and“China Pacific Islands Five Year Action Plan on
Common Development (2022-2026)”draft, and the haste with which it was
discussed with the governments of the PICs during the meeting sent worrying
signals across the Pacific.
● The PICs as a collective did not agree to China’s extensive and ambitious
proposals and therefore China failed to get a consensus on the deal.
● The Prime Minister of FSM had sent a letter to all the PIC governments prior
to the meeting, to consider China’s proposals with caution, as they could have
negative implications for the sovereignty and unity of PICs and may drag
them into major power conflicts in the future.
● The intensification of China’s diplomacy towards the Pacific Islands have
made the powers who have traditionally controlled the regional dynamics
like the U.S. and Australia more cautious.
● The U.S. has started revisiting its diplomatic priority for the region ever since
the China-Solomon Islands deal.

significance of Indo-Pacific region for India:

● Strategic significance: The Indo-Pacific is a multipolar region that accounts
for over half of global GDP and population.
● Mineral Resources: Maritime regions have also become important storage
areas for essential resources such as fish stocks, minerals, and offshore oil
and gas.
● Economic Growth: The Indo-Pacific area accounts for approximately 60% of
world GDP, making it the most important contributor to global growth.
● Commerce: Many of the world’s most important choke points for global trade
are located in this region, including the Straits of Malacca, which are crucial
for global economic grow
Way Forward
■ Indo Pacific is a strategic space which offers a number of challenges and
opportunities for India and all other stakeholders.
■ Appropriate diplomatic maneuvering and economic and military assertion is
vital for the implementation of India’s interests in the region along with
leveraging the space as a building block for a multipolar world order.
■ India’s view is to work with other like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific
region to cooperatively manage a rules-based multipolar regional order and
prevent any single power from dominating the region or its waterways.
■ There needs to be support for Indo-Pacific governments, boost their capacity
to make independent political choices by helping partners root out
corruption, including through foreign-assistance and development policies.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

The PICs are located geostrategically in China's“Far Seas”, the control of which will
make China an effective Blue Water capable Navy. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
A ‘silver’ moment to propel a Bay of Bengal dream

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance(BIMSTEC, Bay of
Bengal,Regional forums etc
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of BIMSTEC, Indo-Pacific Region,Free and open
Indo-Pacific, International organizations.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ June 6 marked the completion of 25 years since the 1997 Bangkok
Declaration launched a modest grouping ( Bangladesh,India, Sri Lanka and
Thailand) called BISTEC.
 ■ Three countries (Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar) joined it later to make it the
Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
■ This unique set of five countries from South Asia and two from Southeast Asia
are parents to an institution with an unwieldy name but lofty ambitions.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic

Cooperation(BIMSTEC):
● BIMSTEC is a regional multilateral organization.
● Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal
constituting a contiguous regional unity.
● Out of the 7 members:
 1. Five are from South Asia:
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Nepal
Sri Lanka
2. Two are from Southeast Asia:
Myanmar
Thailand
● BIMSTEC not only connects South and Southeast Asia, but also the ecologies
of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.
● It mainly aims to create an enabling environment for rapid economic
development; accelerate social progress; and promote collaboration on
matters of common interest in the region.

Genesis of BIMSTEC:
● It came into being in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
● Initially, it was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’
(Bangladesh, India, Sri-Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
● It was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ in 1997, following the inclusion of Myanmar.
● With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan in 2004, the name of the grouping
was changed to ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC).

Principles of BIMSTEC:
● Sovereign Equality
● Territorial Integrity
● Political Independence
● No-interference in Internal Affairs
● Peaceful Co- existence
● Mutual Benefit
● Constitute an addition to and not be a substitute for bilateral, regional or
multilateral cooperation involving the Member States.

Areas of Cooperation:
● Trade and Investment
● Technology
 ● Energy
● Transportation and Communication
● Tourism
● Fisheries
● Agriculture
● Cultural Cooperation
● Environment and Disaster Management
● Public Health
● People-to-People Contact
● Poverty Alleviation
● Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime
● Climate Change

Key achievements of BIMSTEC:

● It has prioritized the sectors of cooperation, reducing them from the unwieldy
14 to the more manageable seven, with each member state serving as the
lead country for the assigned sector.
● Its survival through the turns and twists of internal tensions like Rohingya
influx into different countries within BIMSTEC.
● Unlike the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC),
BIMSTEC has continued to hold its summits and meetings of Foreign
Ministers.
● Unlike the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) which held only one summit
since its establishment in 1997, BIMSTEC has succeeded in holding five
summits so far; it has now resolved to hold regular summits once in two
years.
● The grouping has also registered progress in combating terrorism, forging
security cooperation, and creating mechanisms and practices for the better
management of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
● Agreements and legal instruments provided the foundation for developing
functional cooperation in select areas such as agriculture, trade, sustainable
development and connectivity.
● Institutions such as an Energy Centre and the Centre on Weather and
Climate are in place to push sectoral cooperation forward.

Fault lines in BIMSTEC:

 ● A major failure relates to the continuing inability to produce a comprehensive
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) 18 years after the signing of the Framework
Agreement.
● Connectivity — in infrastructure(roads, railways, air, river, and coastal
shipping links), energy, the digital and financial domain, and institutions that
bring people closer together for trade, tourism and cultural exchanges. Only
limited progress has been achieved so far,despite the adoption of the
MasterPlan for Connectivity supported by the Asian Development
Bank(ADB).
● The movement towards establishing the BIMSTEC Development Fund is
minimal.
● The grouping has talked about the Blue Economy but is yet to begin any work
on it.
● Business chambers and corporate leaders are yet to be engaged fully with the
activities of BIMSTEC.

Significance for India:

It allows India to pursue three core policies:
1. Neighborhood First - primacy to the country’s immediate periphery
2. Act East - connect India with Southeast Asia
3. Economic development of India’s northeastern states – by linking them to the
Bay of Bengal region via Bangladesh and Myanmar.
● Allows India to counter China’s creeping influence in countries around the
Bay of Bengal due to the spread of its Belt and Road Initiative.
● A new platform for India to engage with its neighbors with South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) becoming dysfunctional
because of differences between India and Pakistan.

Important Connectivity Projects:

● Kaladan Multimodal Project – links India and Myanmar.
● Asian Trilateral Highway - connecting India and Thailand through Myanmar.
● Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement - for
seamless flow of passenger and cargo traffic.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC):

● The SAARC was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in
Dhaka on 8 December 1985.
● Founding countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
● Afghanistan became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual
summit in 2005.
● The Headquarters and Secretariat of the Association are at Kathmandu,
Nepal.
● Cooperation within the framework of the SAARC is based on respect for the
principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political
independence, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States
and mutual benefit.
● Areas of Cooperation:
1. Human Resource Development and Tourism
2. Agriculture and Rural Development
3. Environment, Natural Disasters and Biotechnology
4. Economic, Trade and Finance
5. Social Affairs
 6. Information and Poverty Alleviation
7. Energy, Transport, Science and Technology
8. Education, Security and Culture and Others

Way Forward
■ BIMSTEC should accelerate the region’s economic development by
collaborating with the newly minted IndoPacific Economic Framework for
Prosperity (IPEF). New Synergy should be created between BIMSTEC and the
IPEF.
■ BIMSTEC Trio:
1. In BIMSTEC, three members have special responsibility: Bangladesh as the
host of the BIMSTEC Secretariat; Thailand as the representative of Southeast
Asia and India as the largest state in South Asia.
2. This trio must be the engine to pull the BIMSTEC train with imagination and
determination.
■ Business chambers and corporate leaders are yet to be engaged fully with the
activities of BIMSTEC. This leaves the grouping largely in the hands of officials
and experts. The involvement of the ‘Third Space’ needs to be expanded
significantly.
■ Appropriate diplomatic maneuvering and economic assertion is vital for the
implementation of India’s interests in the region along with leveraging the
space as a building block for a multipolar world order.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

BIMSTEC can act as a bridge between South and South East Asia and represents a
reinforcement of relations between India and these countries. Discuss.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
 The Fragile State Of Nuclear Disarmament

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance, Important International
Institutes, SIPRI’s annual report, Nuclear Disarmament agreements.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of Important International Institutes,
Significance of nuclear disarmament.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) released its
yearbook a few days back highlighting some worrying trends of the past year
in international security.
■ The Expected rise of the global nuclear arsenal was the chief cause of concern
among SIPRI experts.
■ The comprehensive report claims that while absolute numbers of nuclear
arsenal have reduced, they are expected to grow over the next decade.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Nuclear Disarmament
● Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons.
● It can also be the end state of a nuclear-weapons-free world
(NWFW), in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated.
● The United Nations sought to eliminate Nuclear weapons in the first
resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1946.
● The resolution established a Commission to deal with problems related to the
discovery of atomic energy among others and also decided that the
Commission should make proposals for “the elimination from national
armaments of atomic weapons and of all other major weapons adaptable to
mass destruction.”
What have been the trends in military spending?
● During 2012-2021, military spending as a percentage of gross domestic
product has largely been stable.
● Russia leads the charge in absolute numbers of nuclear inventory (5977
against the U.S’s 5428), however it is the U.S that has the largest number of
deployed warheads (1744 against Russia’s 1588).
● The U.K. has 225 nuclear weapons in its inventory, while France has 290,
● China has 350, India has 160, Pakistan has 165.
● Israel is estimated to have 90 and North Korea 20.

Global arms imports:

● ranging from the development of newer and more efficient nuclear
submarines, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, manned and unmanned aerial
vehicles to the growing spread of the use of missile defense systems which
may result in aggravating security concerns for other countries.
● The yearbook has highlighted India as being the top weapons importer
during the 2017-2021 period.
 ● Other countries to feature in the top five arms importers list include Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, China, and Australia.
● According to SIPRI, these five nation states account for 38% of total global
arms import.

Key developments/concerns flagged by the yearbook:

● The yearbook mentions low level border clashes between India and Pakistan,
the civil war in Afghanistan, and the armed conflict in Myanmar as some of
the worrying indicators of an unstable system.
● It highlighted three causes of concern:
1. Chinese American rivalry
2. Involvement of state and nonstate actors in multiple conflicts
3. Challenge that climatic and weather hazards pose.
● The marginal downsizing observed in the nuclear arsenal has come mostly
from the U.S. and Russia dismantling retired warheads.
● China’s recent activities surrounding construction of 300 new nuclear missile
silos have also been turning heads.
● India and Pakistan seem to be making gains over their nuclear arsenal (in
absolute numbers) while also looking at the development and procurement of
newer and more efficient forms of delivery systems.

Has Iran inflated its military expenditure?

● The SIPRI yearbook claims that while there were some advances over the
rollout of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran increased its
enrichment of Uranium-235 to 60% in 2021.
● It also reported that Iran’s military budget grew to $24.6 billion, growing for
the first time in four years.
● However, some analysts believe that SIPRI has, over the years, overstated
Iran’s military expenditure.

General attitude among countries about existing nuclear and arms related
treaties:
● The leaders of the P5 countries (China, France, Russia, the U.K.and the U.S.)
issued a joint statement affirming the belief that “a nuclear war cannot be
won and must never be fought.
● Nation states are making sure to remain well within the ambit of what the
treaties and agreements ask for.
 ● While the Ukrainian invasion saw the Russian military and political
establishment hype up its nuclear attack rhetoric against Ukraine, its primary
leadership (both civil and military) had been rather diplomatic and
‘relatively’ cordial in its treatment of the Finnish and Swedish NATO bids.
● The year 2021 also saw the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
2017coming into effect.
● The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control
Regimes (MTCR) held their annual meetings despite decision making being
limited due to the COVID19 pandemic.

India’s role in global nuclear disarmament:

● India has always been an ardent supporter of multilateral nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation efforts.
● In 1965, India was amongst the Non-Aligned Eight in the Eighteen Nation
Disarmament Committee (ENDC) that advocated for de-linking disarmament
and non-proliferation.
● India opposed to signing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT), which it views as discriminatory because of its grouping of
countries that divided the world into “nucleal haves” and “nuclear have-nots’.
● India proposed a comprehensive proposal for “complete and universal
nuclear disarmament” to the UN General Assembly Special Session on
Disarmament in 1988, which came to be
known as the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan.
● India has not signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) due to the
failure of the treaty to include a commitment by the nuclear-weapon States to
eliminate nuclear weapons within a time-bound framework.
● Through its Nuclear doctrine in 2003, India has asserted its continued
commitment to the goal of a nuclear weapon free world through global,
verifiable, and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament.
● India has also opposed the recent enforcement of Treaty on Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which India believes is not a comprehensive
instrument on disarmament as it excludes the verification of nuclear
armaments.

Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW):

 ● This treaty was officially adopted in 2017 due to efforts by the International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
● At present, 86 member-states have signed the Treaty, and 51 of them have
ratified it.
● The US, Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and
Israel (countries possessing nuclear weapons) and NATO alliance did not
support it.
● India believes that the treaty does not constitute or contribute to the
development of customary international law, nor does it set any new
standards or norms.
● The entry into force of the TPNW means that the treaty's provisions will be
legally binding for the states that have ratified or acceded to it.
● TPNW prohibits States Parties to:
1. Develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or
stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
2. Transfer to any recipient whatsoever nuclear weapons or other nuclear
explosive devices or control over such weapons or explosive devices
directly or indirectly.
3. Receive the transfer of or control over nuclear weapons or other nuclear
explosive devices directly or indirectly.
4. Use or threaten to use nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices
5. Assist, encourage or induce, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a
State Party under this Treaty.
6. Allow any stationing, installation or deployment of any nuclear weapons or
other nuclear explosive devices in its territory.

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN):

● ICAN is an international coalition of NGOs running the campaign to
advocate United Nations Weapon
● Ban treaty in about 100 countries.
● ICAN also received the 2017 Nobel peace prize due to its efforts.

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):

● The JCPOA was the result of prolonged negotiations from 2013 and 2015
between Iran and P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the
United States + Germany).
 ● Under the deal, Iran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges,
enriched uranium and heavy-water, all key components for nuclear
weapons.
● Iran also agreed to implement a protocol that would allow inspectors from
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access its nuclear sites to
ensure Iran would not be able to develop nuclear weapons in secret.
● While the West agreed to lift sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear
proliferation, other sanctions addressing alleged abuses of human rights
and Iran’s ballistic missile programme remained in place.
● The US committed to lifting sanctions on oil exports, but continued to
restrict financial transactions, which have deterred international trade with
Iran.
● After Trump abandoned the deal and reinstated banking and oil sanctions,
Iran ramped up its nuclear programme in earnest, returning to
approximately 97% of its pre-2015 nuclear capabilities.

Way Forward
■ A strong political opposition would be needed to help keep the ruling
dispensation in check.
■ Furthermore, the two largest nuclear weapons holding states need to take on
a more engaging role in the international arena.
■ SIPRI’s yearbook, while not being devoid of some challenges, forces us to look
critically at how the global disarmament project seems to be going.
■ Thus, the challenge for the international community will be to reconcile
states’ desire for energy independence with their desire to both reduce the
intrusiveness of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and
diminish the possibility of proliferation.
■ Rising energy demands have led to a growing number of countries pursuing
nuclear energy, and many countries wish to be energy-independent, in order
to ensure a sustainable and dependable domestic energy supply. As clean
energy, development, and peaceful coexistence are essential for every
country.
 ■ Further, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a step in the
right direction for nuclear disarmament.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Recent geopolitical events transpiring around the world in practically all regions
have made the global security climate more unstable. Do you agree with the
statement? Critically analyze the steps taken by India for nuclear disarmament.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Gradual Engagement

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance, Regional forums, India-
Afghanistan relations.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of Afghanistan for India, India and its
neighborhood relations
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ India’s decision to send a diplomatic delegation to Kabul to meet with Taliban
officials shows a marked difference from the policy India took in the1990s
when the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan.
■ In September, India’s Ambassador to Qatar, met a senior Taliban official, at
the Indian Embassy in Doha.
■ In October, Indian officials met the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister in
Moscow At a regional conference on Afghanistan.
■ India joined nine other countries in Moscow to recognise the “new reality” in
Afghanistan.
■ India sent humanitarian assistance, including wheat, COVID-19 vaccines and
winter clothes, to Afghanistan when the country was facing a near total
economic collapse.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
India Afghanistan relations:
● India has historically enjoyed good ties with Afghanistan, barring a brief
pause in the 1990s, which go back to the 1950 Treaty of Friendship.
● Indian interests and influence suffered when the Taliban, backed by Pakistan,
captured Kabul in 1996.
● But India was back in action as soon as the Taliban were ousted from power
after the US invasion in 2001.
● India has made huge investments and commitments ever since, which run
into over USD 3 billion, and cultivated strong economic and defense ties with
the Afghan government.
● US’s pullback has effectively changed the balance of power in Afghanistan
and the Taliban takeover causing uncertainty in relations.

India’s Options In Afghanistan:

● Talking with the Taliban:
1. It will allow India to seek security guarantees from the insurgents in return
for continued development assistance or other pledges as well as explore the
possibility of the Taliban’s autonomy from Pakistan.
2. India should not overlook the deep ties between Pakistan’s security
establishment and the Haqqani Network, a major faction within the Taliban.
● There is no guarantee that India’s quest for engagement with the Taliban
would produce a desirable outcome. So India should broad-base its options.
● While talking to the Taliban to protect its interests, India should also enhance
aid to Afghanistan and work with other regional powers for long-term
stability in the country.
● Regional solution: There is a convergence of interests between India and
three key regional players — China, Russia and Iran — in seeing a political
settlement in Afghanistan. Thus, there is a need for cooperation from like
minded countries on this front.
● Long Term Goals:
The long-term goal should be finding a political solution to the crisis. None of
this can be achieved unless it works together with the regional powers.
● Russian Support: Russia has cultivated links with the Taliban in recent years.
India would need Russia’s support in any form of direct engagement with the
Taliban.
● Significance of Iran:
 1. Iran shares a long border with Afghanistan and has close resemblance of
ethnic minorities.
2. The original objective of India’s Chabahar project in Iran was to create a
direct access to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.
3. This direct access is critical for India in all different scenarios — move
supplies to Afghanistan in larger quantities, retain its presence in Afghanistan
and carry out covert operations
● Bonhomie With China: India should talk with China, with the objective of
finding a political settlement and lasting stability in Afghanistan.

India’s Investment in Afghanistan:

Why do relations with Afghanistan matter?

● Geostrategic and geopolitical location:
 1. It is situated at the crossroads of the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian
subcontinent, it has been a transit and transport hub since the ancient Silk
route.
2. It has borders with six other nations including Iran, Pakistan, China,
Turkmenistan have made it a hot-bed for conflict and cooperation.
● Regional organization
1. It is also perhaps the only SAARC nation whose people have much affection
for India.
2. After a break between 1996 and 2001, when India joined the world in
shunning the previous Taliban regime, one way New Delhi re-established ties
with the country was to pour in development assistance.
● Historical background:
1. India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and
cultural links.
2. The relationship has its foundations in the historical contacts and exchanges
between the people.
3. In the recent past, India-Afghanistan relations have been further
strengthened by the Strategic Partnership Agreement, which was signed
between the two countries in October 2011.

Challenges For India:

● Issue of Indian Security:
1. The restoration of Taliban rule in Afghanistan presents some very serious
potential challenges for Indian security.
2. The challenges range from securing its development infrastructures to border
security.
● Spread of International Terrorism: The bigger challenge will be about the
Taliban’s renewed support for international terrorism and Pakistan’s re-
direction of terrorist groups that have allegedly fought with the Taliban
towards India.
● Religious Fundamentalism:
1. Like all radical groups, the Taliban will have trouble balancing its religious
ideology with the imperatives of state interests.
2. India faces a challenge to deradicalise the region for long lasting peace and
stability.
 ● New Regional Geopolitical Developments: There can be new regional
geopolitical alignments (such as China-Pakistan-Taliban) which may go
against the interests of India.
● No Contiguity With Taliban:
1. Unlike Pakistan, China and Iran, India has no contiguity with Afghanistan.
2. India has no such security responsibilities and no direct access to Central
Asia.
3. This may give reasons to the Taliban to hit back at India through Pakistan in
J&K, given that LeT and Jaish are operating in Afghanistan alongside the
Taliban.

Need of recent engagement with Taliban:

● It will prevent India from getting marginalized in a country that is vital to its
strategic interests in the region, and where the people’s affection for India is
legendary.
● The Taliban today is looking for regional and global partners for recognition
and legitimacy especially in the neighborhood. Also, to balance its neighbour
Pakistan, Taliban might be looking for India as its strategic partner.
● It makes neither strategic nor economic sense to withdraw from Afghanistan
after spending over $3 billion by India in developmental aid. Therefore, India
needs to engage with the Taliban to ensure security of its civilian assets.
● India needs to be proactive in Afghanistan, otherwise Russia, Iran, Pakistan
and China will emerge as the shapers of Afghanistan’s political and
geopolitical destiny, which for sure will be detrimental to Indian interests
there.
● Time for de-hyphenating the relationship: India has de-hyphenated the
Israel & Palestine relationships that is a pragmatic & the necessity in
globalized multi-polar world order. There is a growing view that it is time to
de-hyphenate Pakistan from the Taliban.
● Taliban in power are more divided than they were as a fighting force, and that
the situation provides room for a layered political and diplomatic engagement
with different actors.

Way Forward
 ■ To prevent rise of terrorism in Kashmir: India saw a sharp rise in violence
in Kashmir during the MujahideenTaliban reign of Afghanistan. India would
not like history to repeat itself and would want commitments from the
Taliban that they would not offer support for anti-India groups. So
engagement is a move in forward direction.
■ India should work with other regional and global players to push the Taliban
to adopt a more inclusive regime, while at the same time maintaining a policy
of gradual bilateral engagement rooted in realism.
■ India cannot pursue its economic and strategic interests if it does not engage
with the Taliban. But, at the same time, India should not hurry in to offer
diplomatic recognition to the Taliban’s predominantly Pashtun, men-only
regime, which has imposed harsh restrictions on women at home.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India should maintain a policy of gradual bilateral engagement rooted in realism
with Afghanistan. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Ties Reset

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of international importance, Regional forums, India-
Iran relations, Chabhar port, IAEA.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Significance of Iran for India, India and its neighborhood
relations.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Iranian Foreign Minister's first visit to India this week has many implications
for bilateral relations, but it is the multilateral context and timing that
standout.
■ This is the first visit by a member of the 57member Organisation for Islamic
Cooperation(OIC), which took offense to comments made in India on the
Prophet Mohammad.
 ■ India and Iran have “surveyed” the possibilities of settling trade
transactions in rupee or through barter system, along with discussing a
need to establish a banking mechanism.
■ India and Iran also agreed to “precipitate” investment in the Chabahar Port
which is being developed with the help of India,

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
India-Iran Relations:
● Bilateral relations between India and Iran span millennia marked by
meaningful interactions.
● Both countries shared borders until 1947 and share several common features
in their language, culture and traditions.
● The diplomatic links were established on 15th March 1950, when both
countries signed a Treaty of Friendship and Perpetual Peace.
● However, Iran’s joining of the Baghdad pact in 1954 and the Cold War
politics prevented both countries from having closer relations until the
1990s.
● Islamic Revolution of 1979, hostage of US diplomats, Iran-Iraq War and
Tehran’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas among others resulted in a range
of political and economic sanctions, leading to Iran being isolated at a global
level.
● In the 1990s, both countries’ interests converged around energy, Central Asia
and security, mostly around the Pakistan-Afghan region.
 ● This resulted in the signing of ‘The Delhi Declaration’, which provided the
vision of the countries’ defense and strategic partnership and “Tehran
Declaration”, which set forth the areas of possible cooperation.

Areas of Cooperation with Iran:

Energy
● India-Iran commercial ties have traditionally been dominated by Indian
imports of Iranian crude oil.
● Iran has been one of the top sources of crude oil for India. India can decrease
the dependence on Saudi for oil and Iran oil is comparatively cheap
● Indian firms are willing to invest in Iran’s energy sector and set up
petrochemical and fertilizer plants in the Chabahar Special Economic Zone.
● Iran has the world’s second-largest reserves of natural gas, yet it is not a
major exporter.
● The proposed Iran-Oman-India undersea gas pipeline can help India move
towards clean energy.

Connectivity
● Infrastructure projects like Chabahar Port, International North South
Transport Corridor will help India to bypass the overland route through
Pakistan and help in better trade relations with West and Central Asia.
Chabahar Port:
○ It lies in the Persian Gulf in Iran and will help India in expanding its
maritime commerce in the region.
○ It will allow India to bypass Pakistan to transport goods to Afghanistan
and Central Asia using a sea-land route.
International North South Corridor
● A ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran,
Europe and Central Asia
● It aims to provide the shortest multi-model transportation route linking the
Indian
● Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and St Petersburg.
● The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major
cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan.
Terrorism/Security
● India and Iran both face the threat of terrorism by outfits like Al-Qaeda amd
Islamic State.

Challenges:
● Iran’s Proximity to China
○ Iran is a part of China’s ambitious Belt And Road initiative.
○ This might come in conflict with India’s interests in Iran ,considering
the fact that India has been vociferously opposing China’s Belt and
Road Initiative.
● US Sanctions on Iran
○ With the US pulling out of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and
imposing sanctions on Iran , it was difficult for India to continue
importing Oil and Natural gas from Iran and also to operationalise the
Chabahar Port in a full fledged manner.
● Trustworthiness of Iran as a reliable partner
○ Iran, despite displaying warmth towards India, has been a
cantankerous partner,often acting against the interests of India.
 ○ Some such instances are:
■ On the issue of Kashmir, Iran has been a vocal supporter of
Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir
■ India’s ONGC Videsh Limited played a crucial role in discovering
the potential of Farzad B gas fields in Iran in 2008 .
■ Despite 10 years of discovery ,Iran has not given the rights to
develop the gas field to ONGC Videsh Limited.
■ Rather it has signed an initial pact with Russia’s Gazprom for
the purpose.

Significance of Iran:
● Iran shares a long border with Afghanistan and has close resemblance of
ethnic minorities.
● The original objective of India’s Chabahar project in Iran was to create a
direct access to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.
● This direct access is critical for India in all different scenarios — move
supplies to Afghanistan in larger quantities, retain its presence in Afghanistan
and carry out covert operations.
● Iran was the first country among the Organization for Islamic
Cooperation(OIC) to mention satisfaction over India’s action after remarks
on Prophet Mohammad.

Current controversy and its possible impact on India’s international relations:

● Relationships with these Arab countries might take a hit.
● India’s image as a religiously tolerant country.
● Impact on economic relations as calls for boycotting India and Indian
products in Gulf countries.
Farzad-B Gas Field
● It is located in the Persian Gulf (Iran) and the contract for exploration of the
field was signed in 2002 by an Indian consortium comprising Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) Videsh, Indian Oil Corporation and
Oil India.
● The contract expired in 2009 after declaration of commerciality of the field,
based on the gas discovery.
● The major dispute between India and Iran was over setting up of two
pipelines, and also over money to be quoted on the development plan.
● Around 75% of the deal was finalized by May 2018, when the USA
unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal and announced sanctions on
Iran.
● In January 2020, Iran clarified that it would develop the field on its own and
would not like to involve India appropriately at a later stage.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization
that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Though IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957
through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both
the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.
It is based in Vienna.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation(OIC)

● The OIC is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the

United Nations with a membership of 57 states.
● It is the collective voice of the Muslim world.
● It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in
the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various
people of the world.
● The Organization of the Islamic Conference was established by the First
Islamic Summit Conference held in Morocco in September 1969, to marshal
the Islamic world after an act of arson at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
by a 28-year-old Australian in 1969.
Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):
● The JCPOA was the result of prolonged negotiations from 2013 and 2015
between Iran and P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the
United States + Germany).
● Under the deal, Iran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges,
enriched uranium and heavy-water, all key components for nuclear
weapons.
● Iran also agreed to implement a protocol that would allow inspectors from
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access its nuclear sites to
ensure Iran would not be able to develop nuclear weapons in secret.
● While the West agreed to lift sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear
proliferation, other sanctions addressing alleged abuses of human rights
and Iran’s ballistic missile programme remained in place.
● The US committed to lifting sanctions on oil exports, but continued to
restrict financial transactions, which have deterred international trade with
Iran.
● After Trump abandoned the deal and reinstated banking and oil sanctions,
Iran ramped up its nuclear programme in earnest, returning to
approximately 97% of its pre-2015 nuclear capabilities.

Significance of Prophet Mohammad in Islam:

● Islam believes that God sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach
them how to live accordingly to his law. Jesus, Moses and Abraham are
respected as prophets of God.
● Muslims believe that the final prophet was Muhammad.
● The emergence of Islam is dated from the time of the migration of
Muhammad.
● It is believed the word of God was revealed to Muhammad through the
Angel Gabriel.
● Muslims based their laws on their holy book, the Quran, and the Sunnah.
● The Sunnah is considered to be practical example of Prophet Muhammad.
● Some of the basic tenets of Islam are- belief in one God, belief in Muhammad
as the final prophet, and belief that the life on earth is a period of testing
and preparation for the life to come after the judgment day when everyone
shall be recompensed by God according to the actions performed.
Way Forward
■ Alternate payment mode: Short term course can be developing alternate
mode of payment to Iran and promoting flexibility in investment mode.
■ India and Iran are looking to swiftly conclude a preferential trade agreement
and a bilateral investment treaty
■ Relaxed visa norms announced by Iran in addition to India’s proposal for
Indian businesses to invest in rupees in Iran are all moves in the right
direction.
■ India and Iran should work together with other regional players to push the
Taliban to adopt a more inclusive regime, while at the same time maintaining
a policy of gradual bilateral engagement rooted in realism.
■ India should give its full support for the effective implementation of the
JCPOA. Only successful implementation of the JCPOA over a period of time can
create the political space for additional negotiations.
■ India should continue its engagement with Iran while pressing for its
concerns at the same time in particular when it comes to Iran’s relations with
China endangering India’s interest.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India has a long dream of enrouting into central Asian countries. In the light of this
statement, discuss the significance of Iran in fulfilling the Connect Central Asia
Policy of India.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Indian laws on Abortions
Source: The Hindu
■ Prelims: Functions and responsibilities of union and states, schemes for
vulnerable sections( fundamental rights, abortion laws)
■ Mains GS Paper I and II: Role of women and women organizations, schemes for
vulnerable sections. Fundamental rights.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ In a significant step backwards for women’s rights in the U.S.,the Supreme
Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade judgement of 1973, which gave
women in America the right to have an abortion before the foetus is viable
outside the womb or before the 24-28 week mark.
■ Abortion rights, which have been available to women for over two
generations — will now be determined by individual States.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Abortion:
It is defined as the termination of pregnancy by various methods, including medical
surgery before the fetus is able to sustain independent life.
How did abortion laws come about in India?
● In the 1960s, in the wake of a high number of induced abortions taking place,
the Union government ordered the constitution of the Shantilal Shah
Committee to deliberate onthe legalisation of abortion in the country.
● The Medical Termination Of Pregnancy (MTP) Act was brought into force in
1971. This law is an exception to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provisions of
312 and 313 and sets out the rules of how andwhen a medical abortion can
be carried out.
● Under Section 312 of the IPC, a person who “voluntarily causes a woman with
child to miscarry” is liable for punishment,attracting a jail term of up to three
years or fine or both, unless it was done in good faith where the purpose was
to save the life of the pregnant woman.
● Section 313 of the IPC states that a person who causes the miscarriage
without the consent of the pregnant woman, whether or not she is the in the
advanced stages of her pregnancy, shall be punished with life imprisonment
or a jail term that could extend to 10 years, as well as a fine.

Evolution of MTP Act from 1971 to 2021:

● The latest amendment to the MTP Act was made in 2021.
● Before that new rules were introduced in 2003 to allow the use of the nnewly
discovered abortion medicine misoprostol, to medically terminate a
pregnancy up to seven weeks into it.
● Broader amendments to the original Act were introduced in 2020 and the
amended Act came into force in 2021.
● Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021,
abortion is permitted after medical opinion under stipulated
circumstances.
● The 2021 Act increased the upper limit of the gestation period to which a
woman can seek a medical abortion to 24 weeks from 20 weeks permitted in
the 1971 Act.
● MTP could not be accessed on the opinion of a single registered medical
practitioner up to 20 weeks of the gestational age.
● From 20 weeks up to 24 weeks, the opinion of two registered medical
practitioners is required.
 ● In the previous version of the Act, the opinion of one registered doctor was
required to access a medical abortion upto 12 weeks of pregnancy, while
two doctors were required to endorse the abortion upto 20 weeks.

MTP (Amendment) Act, 2021:

● Termination due to Failure of Contraceptive Method or Device: Under the
Act, a pregnancy may be terminated up to 20 weeks by a married woman in
the case of failure of contraceptive method or device.
● Unmarried women: It allows unmarried women to also terminate a
pregnancy for this reason.
● Opinion Needed for Termination of Pregnancy:
○ Opinion of one Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) for termination
of pregnancy up to 20 weeks of gestation.
○ Opinion of two RMPs for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of
gestation.
○ Opinion of the State-level medical board is essential for a pregnancy
to be terminated after 24 weeks in case of substantial foetal
abnormalities.
● Upper Gestation Limit for Special Categories: Increases the upper gestation
limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women, including
survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (differently
abled women, minors, among others).
 ● Confidentiality: The “name and other particulars of a woman whose
pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed”, except to a person
authorized in any law that is currently in force.

Significance:
● The new law will contribute towards ending preventable maternal mortality
to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3.1, 3.7 and 5.6
● SDG 3.1 pertains to reducing maternal mortality ratio whereas SDGs 3.7
and 5.6 pertain to universal access to sexual and reproductive health and
rights.
● Amendments will increase the ambit and access of women to safe abortion
services and will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for
women who need to terminate pregnancy.

Issues:
● Different opinions on Termination: One opinion is that terminating a
pregnancy is the choice of the pregnant woman and a part of her reproductive
rights while the other is that the state has an obligation to protect life, and
hence should provide for the protection of the foetus.
● Across the world, countries set varying conditions and time limits for
allowing abortions, based on foetal health, and risk to the pregnant woman.
● Not allowed beyond 24-weeks: The Act allows abortion after 24 weeks only
in cases where a Medical Board diagnoses substantial foetal abnormalities.
○ This implies that for a case requiring abortion due to rape, that exceeds
24-weeks, the only recourse remains through a Writ Petition.
● Abortion to be performed by doctors:
The Act require abortion to be performed only by doctors with
specialisation in gynaecology or obstetrics.
○ As there is a 75% shortage of such doctors in community health
centers in rural areas, pregnant women may continue to find it difficult
to access facilities for safe abortions.

Judicial interventionsin cases of abortions:

● Justice K.S.Puttaswamy v. Union of India and others: The Supreme Court
had held that the decision by a pregnant person on whether to continue a
pregnancy or not is part of such a person's right to privacy as well
 and,therefore, the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the
Constitution.
● Calcutta High Court: It allowed a 37 year old woman,who was 34 weeks into
her pregnancy, to get a medical abortion as the foetus was diagnosed with an
incurable spinal condition. This judgment allowed abortionfor the furthest
gestation in the country so far.

Roe v. Wade Judgment:

● In 1973, in the landmark Roe vs Wade judgment, the Supreme Court of the
United States made the right to abortion a constitutional right,
establishing a benchmark for abortion laws across the world.
● the US Supreme Court struck down laws that made abortion illegal in
several states and ruled that abortion would be allowed up to the point of
foetal viability, that is, the time after which a foetus can survive outside the
womb.
○ Foetal viability was around 28 weeks (7 months) at the time of the
Roe judgment; experts now agree that advances in medicine have
brought the threshold down to 23 or 24 weeks (6 months or a little
less).
● Foetal viability is often seen as the point at which the rights of the woman
can be separated from the rights of the unborn foetus.
● Abortion laws across the world rely on this metric but those opposing
abortions argue that this is an arbitrary timeframe that legislation and the
court in Roe adopted.

Way Forward
■ It is commendable that the Central Government has taken such a bold stand
while balancing the diverse cultures, traditions and schools of thought that
our country maintains, however the amendment still leaves women with
various conditionalities, which in many cases become an impediment in
access to safe abortion.
■ In Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) vs. the Union Of India And Others
(2017), the court recognized the constitutional right of women to make
reproductive choices, as a part of personal liberty under Article 21 of the
Indian Constitution, which, despite laying a robust jurisprudence on
 reproductive rights and the privacy of a woman, does not translate into a
fundamental shift in power from the doctor to the woman seeking an
abortion.
■ The government needs to ensure that all norms and standardised protocols in
clinical practice to facilitate abortions are followed in health care institutions
across the country.
■ Along with that, the question of abortion needs to be decided on the basis of
human rights, the principles of solid science, and in step with advancements
in technology.
■ Since it has now become an act, one can be assured that the country is on the
road to advancement, addressing women issues more fiercely than ever.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Critically analyze Medical Termination of Pregnancy(MTP) (Amendment) Act, 2021
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The Advent of ‘Appsolute’ chaos in NREGA

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service
Schemes,MGNREGA)
■ Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment, schemes for vulnerable sections,
development and management of social sectors/services.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) launched the National Mobile
Monitoring Software (NMMS) app,a new application meant for “improving
citizen oversight and increasing transparency” in National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) works.
■ It is to be deployed by NREGA Mates, local women at the panchayat level who
are selected and trained to monitor NREGA worksites.
■ The main feature of the app is the real time,photographed, geotagged
attendance of every worker to be taken once in each half of the day.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
MGNREGA:
● The scheme was introduced as a social measure that guarantees “the right to
work”.
● The key tenet of this social measure and labour law is that the local
government will have to legally provide at least 100 days of wage
employment in rural India to enhance their quality of life.
● Proactively ensuring social inclusion by strengthening the livelihood base of
rural poor.
● Creation of durable assets in rural areas such as wells, ponds, roads and
canals.
● Must be Citizen of India to seek NREGA benefits.
● Job seeker has completed 18 years of age at the time of application.
 ● The applicant must be part of a local household (i.e. application must be made
with local Gram Panchayat).
● Applicants must volunteer for unskilled labour.
● The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Govt of India is monitoring the
entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.
● Individual beneficiary oriented works can be taken up on the cards of
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, small or marginal farmers or
beneficiaries of land reforms or beneficiaries under the Indira Awaas Yojana
of the Government of India.
● Within 15 days of submitting the application or from the day work is
demanded, wage employment will be provided to the applicant.
● Right to get unemployment allowance in case employment is not provided
within fifteen days of submitting the application or from the date when work
is sought.
● Social Audit of MGNREGA works is mandatory, which lends to accountability
and transparency.
● The Gram Sabha is the principal forum for wage seekers to raise their
voices and make demands.
● It is the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat which approves the shelf of
works under MGNREGA and fix their priority.

National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS):

● The NMMS App permits taking real time attendance of workers at Mahatma
Gandhi NREGS worksites along with geotagged photographs, which will
increase citizen oversight of the programme besides potentially enabling
processing payments faster.
● Area Officer Monitoring App facilitates them to record their findings online
along with time stamped and go-coordinate tagged photographs for all the
schemes of Deptt of Rural Development- Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, PMAYG,
PMGSY.
● This would also enable not only better record keeping of inspections by field
and supervisory officials but also facilitate analysis of the findings for better
programme implementation.

Key issues with the application:

● The Ministry's order of manual attendance is in violation of the NREGA law
and also flagged a series of technical and sociological issues with the app.
 ● Section 15 – Schedule 1 that lays down rules about the muster rolls —
clearly says that the muster roll must be accessible to the workers on demand
all day during all working hours. If The muster roll is available only digitally,
access will be limited.
● A stable network is a must for real time monitoring; unfortunately, it remains
patchy in much of rural India. This could lead to workers not being able to
mark their attendance, and consequently lose a day of wages.
● With no physical attendance records signed by workers anymore, workers
have no proof of their attendance and work done.
● The app specifies that it is mandatory for workers to upload two timestamps
photos within a predetermined time window designed by the app. Section 3
of the Act states that workers are entitled to their wages on the basis of work
completed by them that is on a piece rate basis.
● The app discourages women from being mates which fundamentally
undermines the Ministry’s own repeated push towards encouraging women
workers as NREGA mates.
● Having a smartphone is now mandatory for mates to record attendance on
the NMMS. However, many women from poorer households don't have access
to smartphones.
● The app has been designed completely in English And there is no technical
help provided to redress problems.
● Officials and activists confirmed these implementation errors had been
evident throughout the pilot process. However, there is no information
available publicly about the errors found and measures taken to address
them.

The depth of distress related to women:

● The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MGNREGA)
sites are probably the best places to understand the compulsions of millions
of women to work.
○ For example, one particular project in Kalaburagi district focuses on
creating more than 200 percolation ponds,which are designed to
address the declining levels of groundwater and to help recharge wells.
Since Most of these women are unable to dig the land, they do not get
the piece rate of ₹309, they get only₹280 to ₹285.
● During the agricultural season, all the women worked on the lands of others,
earning around the same as the MGNREGA site. But the mechanization of
 agricultural operations has drastically decreased workdays to less than three
months a year.
● Many women therefore become part time construction workers. They
migrate to construction sites for a few months, with their families or with
other women from the village. Most of them do not get registered as
construction workers making them ineligible for any legal benefits accruing
to them from the Construction Workers’ Welfare Board.
● Many women make twig baskets and brooms. They walk from village to
village, often 25 km a day,to sell the baskets. It takes two days to make 10
baskets for which they make ₹10 per basket.
● The high prices of essential commodities have led to a huge cut in women’s
consumption of vegetables and pulses.
● The deprivation of nourishment that women face due to high prices and low
incomes is another dimension of the ‘compulsory’ woman workers life.
● With the deep penetration of capitalist processes in rural India, there is a
crisis of livelihood options.

Steps that need to be taken to increase Women Participation in workforce:

● Providing Skill Training: Skill training of women in job roles aligned to the
gig, platform and care sectors as well as other emerging sectors such as those
covered under the Production-Linked Incentive Scheme needs to be
encouraged.
● Online skill training can also be beneficial to women who face constraints in
physical mobility due to social norms, domestic responsibilities or concerns
over safety.
● More Investments: Greater investment in better health and care facilities
would not only improve the well-being of India’s people and hence their
economic productivity, but will also lead to more employment opportunities
for women.
● Enabling women to acquire both physical assets (through credit facilities,
revolving funds, etc.) and employable skills is crucial for them to take up
employment opportunities in new and emerging sectors.
● Providing Child Care Services: This initiative will significantly support
women in managing their care responsibilities, enabling them to devote
sufficient time to paid employment.
● The National Creche Scheme which lays out specific provisions for working
women has suffered diminished government funding. Revitalizing the
 provisions of the scheme and adding a network of public and workplace
crèches can be hugely beneficial.

What steps need to be taken to improve MGNREGS:

● Must Ensure Work is Provided: The government must ensure that work is
provided notwithstanding the demand.
○ The government should expand the scheme and focus on value
addition and multiply community asset works.
● Strengthening the Scheme: There is a need for better coordination between
various government departments and the mechanism to allot and measure
the work.
○ This is one of the best welfare schemes in recent years and it has
helped the rural poor.
○ However, government officials must take the initiative to implement
the scheme and must not block the work.
● Gender Wage Gap:
Some discrepancies in the payouts need to be addressed, too. Women in the
sector, on an average, earn 22.24% less than their male counterparts.

Way Forward
■ Instead of focusing on this app or introducing other complex technological
reforms, social audits must be strengthened.
■ Any application meant to improve citizen oversight and transparency should
be implemented with consultation and discussion with NREGA workers,
functionaries, or government field officials.
■ We need training programmes with well-defined outcomes for women’s
digital access and to mentor them to take up employment opportunities in
emerging sectors.
■ There should be a process to monitor and evaluate programmes and address
systemic and on the ground challenges.
■ Implementation of minimum wage in rural India is conceivable only with
strong movements of agricultural workers’ unions.
■ While rural labourers should also be entitled to a cash transfer, the schedule
of rates for women at MGNREGA projects based on impossibly high
productivity rates must be lowered and the work sites made more worker
friendly.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
The new National Mobile Monitoring Software(NMMS) application has problems
that are clearly eroding the right to work. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Recognising the ‘compulsory’ woman worker

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service
Schemes,MGNREGA)
■ Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment(women empowerment),
development and management of social sectors/services related to Health.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) reported that the labour
participation rate of rural women was 9.92% in March 2022 compared to
67.24% for men.
■ According to CMIE, millions who left the labour market stopped looking for
employment “possibly [because they were]too disappointed with their failure
to get a job and under the belief that there were no jobs available.
■ In countries like the U.S., Canada and Australia, such workers who are
willing to work but give up searching for work for various reasons are called
discouraged workers’ and they are included in the unemployed category.
■ The CMIE provides valuable inputs for urgently required government
intervention in rural India.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Scenario of Women’s Workforce Participation:
● In some places, the presence of women is appreciable, for instance, female
participation in projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme is about 50%.
● India also boasts of the highest share of female airline pilots at 15% while the
world average is barely 5%.
● Also, not too long ago, half of India’s banking assets were under institutions
headed by women.
● Despite this, the participation of women in the workforce in India has still
remained low. India’s female LFPR is now among the world’s lowest at
around 20%, on par with countries like Saudi Arabia.
● As per a report by the International Labour Organisation(ILO), India ranks
121 out of 131 countries on female LFPR.

Women in Informal Sector:

 ● According to a 2018 study by the ILO, more than 95% of India’s working
women are informal workers who work in labour-intensive, low-paying,
highly precarious jobs/conditions, and with no social protection.
● The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 more than doubled the
duration of paid maternity leave for women employees to 26 weeks,
proposing an option to work from home after this period, on mutual
agreement with the employer, and made crèche facilities mandatory for
establishments employing 50 or more women.
● However, these benefits are mostly enjoyed by formal sector women workers,
constituting less than 5% of the women workforce.
● The lack of affordable and quality childcare services and maternity benefits
increase the burden on informal women workers, aggravating gender and
class inequalities.

Share of Women in Different Sectors:

● According to United Nations Women (UN Women) estimates, women make
up a significant proportion of all healthcare workers and more than 80% of
nurses and midwives.
● Women also form a significant proportion of the workforce in the education
sector in India, especially in primary education and early childhood care.
● The care service sector, which includes health, education, and other personal
care services, is more labour-intensive than sectors such as manufacturing,
construction or other service sectors where the employment potential gets
affected due to factors such as the introduction of tools, technology and
increased mechanization.

POSHAN Abhiyaan:
● Also called National Nutrition Mission, was launched by the government on
the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 8th March, 2018.
● The Abhiyaan targets to reduce Stunting, undernutrition, Anemia (among
young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by
2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
● It also targets to bring down stunting among children in the age group 0-6
years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.
MGNREGA:
● The scheme was introduced as a social measure that guarantees “the right
to work”.
● The key tenet of this social measure and labour law is that the local
government will have to legally provide at least 100 days of wage
employment in rural India to enhance their quality of life.
● Proactively ensuring social inclusion by strengthening the livelihood base of
rural poor.
● Creation of durable assets in rural areas such as wells, ponds, roads and
canals.
● Must be Citizen of India to seek NREGA benefits.
● Job seeker has completed 18 years of age at the time of application.
● The applicant must be part of a local household (i.e. application must be
made with local Gram Panchayat).
● Applicants must volunteer for unskilled labour.
● The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Govt of India is monitoring
the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state
governments.
● Individual beneficiary oriented works can be taken up on the cards of
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, small or marginal farmers or
beneficiaries of land reforms or beneficiaries under the Indira Awaas
Yojana of the Government of India.
● Within 15 days of submitting the application or from the day work is
demanded, wage employment will be provided to the applicant.
● Right to get unemployment allowance in case employment is not provided
within fifteen days of submitting the application or from the date when
work is sought.
● Social Audit of MGNREGA works is mandatory, which lends to
accountability and transparency.
● The Gram Sabha is the principal forum for wage seekers to raise their
voices and make demands.
● It is the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat which approves the shelf of
works under MGNREGA and fix their priority.

Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE):

● CMIE is a leading business information company.
● It was established in 1976, primarily as an independent think tank.
● CMIE produces economic and business databases.
● It develops specialized analytical tools to deliver these to its customers for
decision making and for research.
● It analyses the data to decipher trends in the economy.
Way Forward
■ We need training programmes with well-defined outcomes for women’s
digital access and to mentor them to take up employment opportunities in
emerging sectors.
■ The ILO Report on Care work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work:
Key findings in Asia and the Pacific (2018) indicated that increasing
investment in the care economy has the potential to generate a total of 69
million jobs in India by 2030.
■ Investments to set up child care services through collaborative models in
office complexes and with industry associations in industrial corridors are
also important.
■ Public crèches can be operated at worksite clusters such as near industrial
areas, markets, dense low-income residential areas, and labour nakas.
■ There should be a process to monitor and evaluate programmes and address
systemic and on the ground challenges.
■ Implementation of minimum wage in rural India is conceivable only with
strong movements of agricultural workers’ unions.
■ While rural labourers should also be entitled to a cash transfer, the schedule
of rates for women at MGNREGA projects based on impossibly high
productivity rates must be lowered and the work sites mademore worker
friendly.
■ The invisibility of women's work can be addressed through time use surveys.
The village level time use surveys done by the Foundation for Agrarian
Studies, for instance, revealed the extent of women’s work.
■ The ‘compulsory’ woman worker must be recognised and protected by laws
and policies that address her issues.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

There is an urgent need for widespread surveys of poor rural women and how they
spend their time. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with proper
illustrations.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
 EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Malnutrition in India is a worry in a modern scenario

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service
Schemes, NFHS)
■ Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment, development and management of
social sectors/services related to Health.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ India’s greatest national treasure is its people especially women and children
but even after 75 years of independence, a majority of them do not get the
required diet to meet their nutritional needs.
■ A Child's nutritional status is directly linked to their mother. Poor nutrition
among pregnant women affects the nutritional status of the child and has a
greater chance to affect future generations.
■ Undernourished children are at risk of underperforming in studies and have
limited job prospects.
■ This vicious cycle restrains the development of the country, whose workforce,
affected mentally and physically, has reduced work capacity.
■ India’s family planning programme has improved access to contraceptives.
This has led to a reduction in the Total Fertility Rate from 3.4 in 1990-92 to
2.0 in 2019-21, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
■ According to NFHS-5 and the 2022 report by the United Nations Population
Fund, there is a rise in adolescent childbearing in some States such as
Tripura and Meghalaya.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
National Family Health Survey (NFHS)
● It is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample
of households throughout India.
● It comprises detailed information on key domains:
1. population
2. Health
 3.Family Welfare
● Associated domains:
1.Characteristics of the population
2.Fertility
3.Family planning
4.Infant and Child mortality
5.Maternal and Child health
6.Nutrition and Anemia
7.Morbidity and Healthcare
8.Women’s Empowerment etc.
● It also provides data by socio-economic and other background characteristics
which are useful for policy formulation and effective programme
implementation.
● The main objective of successive rounds of the NFHS has been due to its
reliable and comparable data relating to health and family welfare and other
socio-economic emerging areas in India.

NFHS-5 Report:
● The NFHS-5 National Report lists progress from NFHS-4 (2015-16) to NFHS-
5 (2019-21).
● The scope of NFHS-5 was expanded by adding new dimensions in the earlier
round of the survey (NFHS-4) such as:
1. Death registration
2. Pre-school education
3. Expanded domains of child immunization
4. Components of micro-nutrients to children
5. Menstrual hygiene
6. Frequency of alcohol and tobacco use
7. Additional components of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
8. Expanded age range for measuring hypertension
9. Diabetes among all aged 15 years and above.
● It provides information on important indicators which are helpful in tracking
the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.

● Key Highlights:
1. While there has been some progress in tackling malnutrition among children
and women over the past decade, the improvement has been modest at best.
2. While there was some reduction in stunting rates (35.5% from 38.4%in
NFHS-4) 13 States or Union Territories have seen an increase in stunted
children since NFHS-4;this includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and
Kerala.
3. India also has the highest prevalence of anemia in the world(Anemia is
defined as the condition in which the number of red blood cells or the
hemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal).
4. The NFHS-5 survey indicates that more than 57% of women (15-49 years)
and over 67% children (six-59 months) suffer from anemia.
5. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR), has further declined from 2.2 to 2.0 at the
national level between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5.
6. There are only five states in India which are above replacement level of
fertility of 2.1. These states are Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh,
Jharkhand and Manipur.
7. Bihar and Meghalaya have the highest fertility rates in the country, while
Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the lowest.
8. In rural areas, TFR has declined from 3.7 children per woman in 1992-93
to 2.1 children in 2019-21.
9. The corresponding decline among women in urban areas was from 2.7
children in 1992-93 to 1.6 children in 2019-21.
10. Muslims’ fertility rate has seen the sharpest decline among all religious
communities over the past two decades.
11. 23.3% of women surveyed got married before attaining the legal age of 18
years, down from 26.8% reported in NFHS-4.
The figure for underage marriage among men is 17.7% (NFHS-5) from
20.3%in NFHS-4.
12. 66.3% women who are employed use a modern contraceptive method,
compared with 53.4% women who are not employed.
13. NFHS-5 shows an overall improvement in Sustainable Development Goals
indicators in all States/Union Territories (UTs).
Reasons for prevalent malnutrition in India:
● Monoculture agricultural practices: While foodgrain production has
increased over five times since Independence, it has not sufficiently
addressed the issue of malnutrition.
● Poverty: Though poverty alone does not lead to malnutrition, it affects the
availability of adequate amounts of nutritious food for the most vulnerable
populations.
● Lack of sanitation and clean drinking water: Lack of potable water, poor
sanitation, and dangerous hygiene practices increase vulnerability to
infectious and water-borne diseases, which are direct causes of acute
malnutrition.
● Migration: Seasonal migrations have long been a livelihood strategy for the
poorest households in India, as a means to access food and money through
casual labour.
○ However, children and women are the most affected, suffering from
deprivation during migrations impacting their health condition.
● Gender injustice: There is a correlation between gender discrimination and
poor nutrition.
○ Malnourished girls become malnourished adolescents who marry early
and have children who become malnourished, and so the cycle
continues.
 ● Lacunae at policy level: There is a lack of real-time data that brings all these
factors together to show the extent of India’s malnutrition.
● Lax implementation: Providing nutritious food to the country’s children is
more a matter of political will and effective policy implementation at the
grassroots level.
○ For example, the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outbreak in
Bihar marked the failure of the Integrated Child Development Scheme
(ICDS) in the state.

What steps need to be taken:

● There is a greater need now to increase investment in women and children's
health and nutrition to ensure their sustainable development and improved
quality of life.
● While the Government’s focus has been on the consolidation of several
programmes to improve outcomes, there is a need for increased financial
commitment.
● Utilization of funds, 32% of funds released under POSHAN Abhiyaan to States
and Union Territories have not been utilized.
● India must adopt an outcome oriented approach on nutrition programmes.
● Parliamentarians should begin monitoring needs and interventions in their
constituencies and raise awareness on the issues, impact, and solutions to
address the challenges at the local level.
● There has to be direct engagement with nutritionally vulnerable groups (this
includes the elderly, pregnant women, those with special needs and young
children), and contribute toward ensuring last mile delivery of key nutrition
services and interventions.
● With basic education and general awareness, every individual is informed,
takes initiatives at the personal level and can become an agent of change.
● Various studies highlight a strong link between mother's' education and
improved access and compliance with nutrition interventions among
children.

Government Schemes to Tackle Malnutrition:

● Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme
● National Health Mission (NHM)
● Mid Day Meal Scheme
● MGNREGA
POSHAN Abhiyaan:
● Also called National Nutrition Mission, was launched by the government on
the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 8th March, 2018.
● The Abhiyaan targets to reduce Stunting, undernutrition, Anemia (among
young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by
2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
● It also targets to bring down stunting among children in the age group 0-6
years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.

Sustainable Development Goals:

● The United Nations (UN) launched the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
● There are 17 goals and 169 specific targets to be achieved by 2030.
● SDGs are not legally binding.
Total fertility rate (TFR)
● It is the average number of children born to a woman in her reproductive
years (15-49 years).
● It is released by the Union Health Ministry.
● The total fertility rate (TFR) is an important factor in determining the
population growth and demographic stability of a country.
● Total fertility rate (TFR) has declined from 2.2 (reported in 2015-16) to
2.0 at the all- India level, according to the latest National Family Health
Survey of India(NFHS- 5).
Replacement Level Fertility
● Replacement level fertility is the level of fertility at which a population
exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, i.e., the level of
fertility needed to keep the population the same from generation to
generation.
United Nations Population Fund(UNPF)
● It is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
● The organization was created in 1969, the same year the United Nations
General Assembly declared “parents have the exclusive right to determine
freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”
● UNFPA’s mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted,
every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
● The United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Flagship State of World
Population Report 2021 titled ‘My Body is My Own’ was launched.

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)

● ASHA is a trained female community health activist.
● Selected from the community itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be
trained to work as an interface between the community and the public
health system.
● The role of an ASHA is that of a community level care provider.
● This includes a mix of tasks like:
1. Facilitating access to healthcare services
2. Building awareness about health care entitlements especially amongst the
poor and marginalized
3. Promoting healthy behaviors and mobilizing for collective action for better
health outcomes
 4. Meeting curative care needs as appropriate to the organization of service
delivery in that area and compatible with her training and skills.

Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD)

● Copper containing IUCDs are a highly effective method for long term birth
spacing.
● Should not be used by women with uterine anomalies or women with active
PID or those who are at increased risk of STI/RTI (women with multiple
partners).
● The acceptor needs to return for follow-up visit after 1, 3 and 6 months of
IUCD insertion as the expulsion rate is highest in this duration.
● Two types:
1. Cu IUCD 380A (10 yrs)
2. Cu IUCD 375 (5 yrs)
Way Forward
■ We must ensure our young population has a competitive advantage; nutrition
and health are foundational to that outcome.
■ There should be a process to monitor and evaluate programmes and address
systemic and on the ground challenges.
■ Recommend that a new or existing committee or the relevant standing
committees meet and deliberate over effective policy decisions,monitor the
implementation of schemes, and review nutritional status across States.
■ Building capacity among health workers, addressing
intersectionality,engaging men in the discourse of family planning, and
drafting innovative solutions through effective public and private
partnerships can greatly improve access to family planning services and the
overall health of our younger population.
■ There is a need to strengthen the coordination of all its aspects, focusing on
planning, programmes, monitoring, training and procurement.
■ The quality of care in family planning must be a major focus area to ensure
the success of family planning programmes.
■ There is a need for greater male participation both as enablers and
beneficiaries and also address the sexual and reproductive needs of the
youth.
■ It is imperative for the government to ensure the prioritization of family
planning in the national development agenda.
■ Family planning is crucial for the achievement of the sustainable
development goals, and subsequent efforts need to be made to improve
access and strengthen the quality of family planning services.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

The country’s response to its burden of malnutrition and growing anemia has to be
practical and innovative. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
 EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The debates around the Surrogacy Act
Source: The Hindu
■ Prelims: Provisions of Surrogacy Act,
■ Mains GS Paper II: Management of social sector related to Health, Surrogacy
Act.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Petitioners in the Delhi High Court questioned why marital status,age, or
gender were the criteria for being allowed to commission or not commission
surrogacy in India.
■ But under the provisions of the Surrogacy Act, she was denied a chance at
commissioning surrogacy.
■ As per the Surrogacy Act, a married couple can opt for surrogacy only on
medical grounds.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

Surrogacy:
● It is a practice where a woman undertakes to give birth to a child for another
couple and agrees to hand over the child to them after birth.
● A surrogate, sometimes also called a gestational carrier, is a woman who
conceives, carries and gives birth to a child for another person or couple
(intended parent/s).
Altruistic surrogacy:
wherein only the medical expenses and insurance coverage is provided by the
couple to the surrogate mother during pregnancy. No other monetary consideration
will be permitted.
Commercial surrogacy:
It includes surrogacy or its related procedures undertaken for a monetary benefit or
reward (in cash or kind) exceeding the basic medical expenses and insurance
coverage.

Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021:

 ● A woman who is a widow or a divorcee between the age of 35 to 45 years or
a couple, defined as a legally married woman and man, can avail of surrogacy
if they have a medical condition necessitating this option.
● It bans commercial surrogacy, which is punishable with a jail term of 10
years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakhs.
● The law allows only altruistic surrogacy where no money exchanges hands
and where a surrogate mother is genetically related to those seeking a
child.

Who all are allowed to make use of the services of a surrogate mother?
● Any couple that has ‘proven infertility’ are candidates. The ‘intending couple’
as the Act calls them, will be eligible if they have a 'certificate of essentiality’
and a ‘certificate of eligibility’ issued by the appropriate authority.
● certificate of essentiality will be issued in three cases:
1. certificate of infertility of one or both from a district medical board
2. An order of parentage and custody of the surrogate child passed by a
Magistrate’s court
3. Insurance cover for the surrogate mother.
● Eligibility certificate mandates:
1. They Should be Indian citizens who have been married for at least five years
2. The female must be between 23 to 50 years and the male, 26 to 55 years
3. They cannot have any surviving children (biological, adopted or surrogate)

Need for a Surrogacy Act in India:

● India has emerged as a hub for infertility treatment, attracting people from
the world over with its state of the art technology and competitive prices to
treat infertility.
● Due to prevailing socio economic inequities, underprivileged women found
an option to ‘rent their wombs’ and thereby make money to take care of their
expenses.
● Middle men inveigled themselves into the scene and exploited these women.
Several instances began to emerge where women, in often desperate straits,
started lodging police complaints after they did not receive the promised sum
from the middle men.
● In 2008 a Japanese couple began the process with a surrogate mother in
Gujarat, but before the child was born they split with both of them refusing to
take the child.
Controversies behind the Act:
● It does not allow single women, or men, or gay couples to go in for surrogacy.
● Brokers Continue to operate, though with less temerity and more covertly,
sometimes with hospital authorities, to pull wool over the eyes of the
appropriate authority and law enforcement officials.
● Exploitation of the Surrogate and the Child:
The state must stop the exploitation of poor women under surrogacy and
protect the child’s right to be born. However, the current Act fails to balance
these two interests.
● Reinforces Patriarchal Norms:
It reinforces traditional patriarchal norms of our society that attributes no
economic value to women’s work and directly affects the fundamental rights
of the women to reproduce under Article 21 of the constitution.
● Denies Legitimate income to Surrogates:
Banning commercial surrogacy also denies a legitimate source of income of
the surrogates, further limiting the number of women willingly to surrogate.
● Emotional Complications:
In altruistic surrogacy, a friend or relative as a surrogate mother may lead to
emotional complications not only for the intended parents but also for the
surrogate child as there is great deal of risk to the relationship in the course
of surrogacy period and post birth.
● No Third-Party Involvement:
In an altruistic surrogacy, there is no third-party involvement.
A third-party involvement ensures that the intended couple will bear and
support the medical and other miscellaneous expenses during the surrogacy
process.

Assisted Reproductive Technology(ART):

● ART is used to treat infertility.
● It includes fertility treatments that handle both a woman's egg and a man's
sperm.
● It works by removing eggs from a woman's body and mixing them with
sperm to make embryos.
● The embryos are then put back in the woman's body.
 ● In Vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most common and effective type of ART.
● ART procedures sometimes use donor eggs, donor sperm, or previously
frozen embryos.
● It may also involve a surrogate carrier.

Way Forward
■ A Path of litigation is possibly the course ahead, and if a critical mass builds
up,amendments might have to be resorted to inorder to resolve the
grievances and ensure access for all categories of parents.
■ As India is one of the major hubs of these practices, the Act is certainly a step
in the right direction. There, however, needs to be a dynamic oversight to
ensure that the law keeps up with rapidly evolving technology, demands of
morality and societal changes.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India has emerged as a hub for infertility treatment, attracting people from the
world. In the light of this statement critically analyze the Surrogacy Act, 2021.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Boost for Boosters

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance, Government policies, Covid-19
vaccination, Covid-19, Disaster Management Act).
■ Mains GS Paper II: Government policies and interventions for development in
various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementations,
 Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, Significance of
Vaccine policy.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Indian drug regulator has green lightened Corbeaux as a booster dose for all
adults above 18 years who have received two doses of either Covishield or
Covaxin as part of primary vaccination, a heterologous booster shot has come
a step closer to being administered to people.
■ Though booster shots have been administered beginning with healthcare and
frontline workers, and people over 60 with comorbidities.
■ India has been using the same vaccine for both primary vaccination and
booster (homologous boosting).

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

Covid-19
● The novel coronavirus outbreak in 2019-2020 with the nickname
COVID-19 is a new strain of viruses which can cause fever, cough,
breathing difficulties, pneumonia and even death in humans.
● The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus
outbreak 2019–20 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
(PHEIC) initially, and later declared it as a pandemic.
● WHO declared COVID-19 infections as a public health emergency of
international concern and later called it a pandemic.
 ● Coronavirus consists of an RNA genome and is one of the largest in the
RNA family.
● Coronaviruses are enveloped and contain single-stranded positive-
sense RNA.

Corbevax - Protein Subunit Vaccine:

● Instead of the whole virus, it uses fragments of it to trigger an immune
response.
● In this case, the subunit vaccine contains a harmless Spike (S) protein.
● The S protein plays a crucial role in penetrating host cells and initiating
infection.
● Once the immune system recognises the protein, it produces antibodies
to fight a real infection when it happens.
Other Covid-19 Vaccines in India:
COVISHIELD:
● It is an Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine candidate which is
technically referred to as AZD1222 or ChAdOx 1 nCoV19.
● Serum Institute of India (SII) is the manufacturing partner in India.
● It is based on a weakened version of a common cold virus or the
adenovirus that is found in chimpanzees.
● The viral vector contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 spike
protein present on the outer surface of the virus that helps it bind with
the human cell.

COVAXIN:
● It is India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine.
● It was developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian
Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology, Pune
● It is an inactivated vaccine which is developed by killing the live
microorganisms that cause the disease.
● This destroys the ability of the pathogen to replicate, but keeps it intact
so that the immune system can still recognise it and produce an immune
response.
● It targets more than just the spike protein.
 ● It also develops an immune response to the nucleocapsid protein.

Sputnik V Vaccine:
● Developed by Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology
and Microbiology in Moscow.
● It uses two different viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus)
in humans. The adenoviruses are weakened so they cannot replicate in
humans and cannot cause disease.
● Sputnik uses a different vector for each of the two shots in a course of
vaccination providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines
using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.
● The Lancet, have found it has an efficacy of 91.6%.

Covavax - Recombinant Nanoparticle Vaccine:

● Manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII).
● It is a protein subunit vaccine, but uses Recombinant Nanoparticle
Technology (RNT). It has been developed by US-based Novavax.
● This technology teaches the body how to develop immunity against the
virus using spike protein.
● Copies of the spike protein are grown in insect cells; the protein is then
extracted and assembled into virus-like nanoparticles.
● The same technology is used in HPV and the Hepatitis B vaccine.

Booster Dose:
● A booster is a means of strengthening one’s immune system against a
particular pathogen.
● It may be exactly the same original vaccine, in which case its goal is to
increase the magnitude of protection by producing more antibodies.
● The aim is to protect people from a new variant, a version of the virus
that’s mutated significantly from the original version people were
vaccinated against.
● These shots are only for the fully-vaccinated.
Importance of Booster dose:
● Boosters will be particularly helpful for the elderly and
immunocompromised people whose bodies were unable to mount a
robust protection against the virus following the first two shots.
 ● Studies showing that a new variant can sneak past the antibodies
created by a specific vaccine, the need of a tweaked booster shot arises
then.

Concerns associated with booster dose:

● Booster shots are yet to get a nod from the World Health
Organization(WHO). WHO has expressed caution in encouraging third
doses.
● Such a recommendation is unnecessary and premature given the
paucity of data on booster shots and the fact that high-risk individuals in
much of the world still haven’t been fully vaccinated.

Arguments for making Vaccination Mandatory:

● Right to Life supersedes Right to Freedom: Right to bodily autonomy
or individual freedom are aspects of the right to privacy under article
21 which is inferior to the right of life of other people.
● Public Health: Vaccination can be made compulsory since those not
vaccinated are threats to others’ rights to life for larger public good.
● Falls within the Domain of Government: It is within the authority of
the Centre and states to make vaccination compulsory since the
Constitution arms them with the status of parens patriae (parents of
the nation).
● No incentives: There cannot be a bigger incentive than the government
giving vaccines free to citizens where their lives can be saved.

Arguments against making Vaccination Mandatory:

● Bodily integrity is protected under Article 21 of the Constitution and no
individual can be forced to be vaccinated.
● Personal autonomy of an individual, encompasses the right to refuse to
undergo any medical treatment in the sphere of individual health”.
Types of vaccines
Inactivated vaccines:
● Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease.
● Vaccines of this type are created by inactivating a pathogen, typically using
heat or chemicals such as formaldehyde or formalin.
● This destroys the pathogen’s ability to replicate, but keeps it “intact” so that
the immune system can still recognize it. (“Inactivated” is generally used
rather than “killed” to refer to viral vaccines of this type, as viruses are
generally not considered to be alive.)
● They usually don’t provide immunity (protection) that’s as strong as live
vaccines. So you may need several doses over time (booster shots) in order
to get ongoing immunity against diseases.
● They are Used to protect: Hepatitis A, Flu (shot only), Polio (shot only),
Rabies.

Live-attenuated Vaccines:
● Live vaccines use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes
a disease.
● Because these vaccines are so similar to the natural infection that they help
prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response.
● The limitation of this approach is that these vaccines usually cannot be
given to people with weakened immune systems.
● Live vaccines are used against: Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR combined
vaccine), Rotavirus, Smallpox among others.

Messenger (m) RNA Vaccines:

● mRNA vaccines make proteins in order to trigger an immune response.
● mRNA vaccines have several benefits compared to other types of vaccines,
including shorter manufacturing times and, because they do not contain a
live virus, no risk of causing disease in the person getting vaccinated.
● The vaccines are used to protect against: Covid-19.

Subunit, Recombinant, Polysaccharide, and Conjugate Vaccines:

● They use specific pieces of the germ - like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a
casing around the germ). They give a very strong immune response.
 ● They can also be used on people with weakened immune systems and long-
term health problems.
● These vaccines are used to protect against: Hib (Haemophilus influenzae
type b) disease, Hepatitis B, HPV (Human papillomavirus),
Pneumococcal disease among others.

Toxoid Vaccines:
● They use a toxin (harmful product) made by the germ that causes a disease.
● They create immunity to the parts of the germ that cause a disease instead
of the germ itself. That means the immune response is targeted to the toxin
instead of the whole germ.
● Toxoid vaccines are used to protect against: Diphtheria, Tetanus.

Viral Vector Vaccines:

● Viral vector vaccines use a modified version of a different virus as a vector
to deliver protection.
● Several different viruses have been used as vectors, including influenza,
vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), measles virus, and adenovirus, which
causes the common cold.
● Adenovirus is one of the viral vectors used in some Covid-19 vaccines being
studied in clinical trials.
● The vaccines are used to protect against Covid-19

Way Forward
■ Policymakers should take the decision on adult vaccination and empower
adult citizens to make informed choices about vaccines. There is a need to
focus on a universal immunization programme, which should include
everyone and all citizens of India.
■ Addressing the issues associated with the development and distribution of
vaccines will augment the effort to efficiently get vaccines to hundreds of
millions in the shortest period of time.
■ Booster dose Prioritization: The protective benefit from vaccination is much
lower if one has immunity from a prior infection. Hence, the allocation of the
 vaccine among the working-age population should be considered. It may be
prudent to screen people for Covid-19 antibodies and prioritize vaccination of
those without antibodies.
■ It is important to ensure fair, affordable, and equitable access to all tools for
combating Covid-19 pandemic and, therefore, the need to build a framework
for their allocation.
■ It becomes essential for the state to balance between safeguarding the life
and health of its citizens' and individual decisional autonomy.
■ Mandate of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI)
should be expanded to include adult vaccination. An NTAGI sub-group on
adult vaccination can be constituted.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Heterologous boosting produced higher immune responses when compared with
homologous boosting. Discuss the issues associated with booster dose.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Disability and barriers to famine hygiene

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service
Schemes, NFHS, Rights of persons with disabilities act.,2016)
■ Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment, development and management of
social sectors/services related to Health, menstrual health etc.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ A significant progress has been made in India by government and
nongovernmental actors with regard to menstrual health and hygiene
management (MHHM).
■ Increased Awareness about MHHM, enhanced access to female
friendly/gender appropriate sanitation facilities and availability of menstrual
products, in particular sanitary pads, are some of the visible outcomes of this
progress.
 ■ However, certain groups have been overlooked thus far, including girls and
women with disabilities, who face an exceptional burden on account of the
intersections between gender and disability.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Menstrual health:
● Menstruation is a natural and healthy biological process for women, in spite
of this, it is still considered a taboo in Indian society.
● Menstrual hygiene continues to be amongst the most challenging
developmental issues that women face today, especially in the developing
countries like India, the mindsets, customs and institutional biases prevent
women from getting the menstrual health care they need.
● The cultural and social influences on people create a major hurdle in ensuring
that the adolescent girls are educated about menstrual hygiene.

Reasons for taboo in the society and lack of menstrual hygiene:

● Menstruation being associated with the onset of puberty in girls and many
times, it brings with it rules, restrictions, isolation and changed expectations
from the girls by society.
● Women are prohibited from participating in day-to-day activities during
menstruation. For example prohibiting women from entering the kitchen or a
temple.
● Prevalence of hegemonic Patriarchy in Indian society perpetuates the
restrictions, which are often reflected in some religious texts or in the
restriction on entry of women from the menstruating age group in the
religious places like Sabarimala temple.
● Patriarchy normalises the discrimination against women and not only men,
even women become the agents to impose the notion of subjugation on other
women.
● The main reasons for this taboo still being relevant in the Indian society are
the high rate of illiteracy especially in girls, poverty and lack of awareness
about menstrual health and hygiene.
● This places the girl at increased risk for infection and has critical health
implications and most vulnerable being girls with disabilities.

Women with disabilities:

 ● Many women in general and those with disabilities in particular have to face
poverty, poor health conditions, little or no income, lower education levels
and isolation.
● With resources being scarce, women usually get the short end of the stick,
more so if they suffer from some form of disability.
● Issues faced during Pandemic times:
1. Access to essential items: Women with locomotor disabilities were not able
to visit stores to access food and the virus acted as an impediment to getting
delivery of essential services.
2. Access to sanitary pads: Women in general faced problems with reference to
access to purchase of sanitary pads, disabled women faced the most.
3. Access to Arogya Setu App: Many with sight disabilities were not able to
access the Aarogya Setu app as it does not factor in their requirements.
4. Access to Digital Payments: Many payment apps are not accessible to the
visually challenged and many online courses too are not tailored to their
needs.
5. Access to Support: Social distancing and fear of the virus has led to many of
them losing whatever little physical support they had in the form of
attendants. The pandemic has also curtailed the possibilities of many disabled
women being able to get physical and psychological support.
6. Vulnerable to Abuse: Trapped at home, they are also vulnerable to abuse and
face barriers in being able to register a complaint with the police or bring this
to the notice of a civil society organization.

Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016:

● Disability has been defined on the basis of evolving and dynamic concepts.
● The types of disabilities have been increased from 7 to 21.
● The act added mental illness, autism, spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy,
muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, speech and
language disability, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple
disabilities including deaf blindness, acid attack victims and Parkinson's
disease.
● Government has been authorized to notify any other category of specified
disability.
● It increases the quantum of reservation for people suffering from disabilities
from 3% to 4% in government jobs and from 3% to 5% in higher
education institutes.
 ● Every child with benchmark disability between the age group of 6 and 18
years shall have the right to free education.
● Government funded educational institutions as well as the government
recognized institutions will have to provide inclusive education.
● The Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and the State
Commissioners will act as regulatory bodies and Grievance Redressal
agencies, monitoring implementation of the Act.
● Separate National and State Fund created to provide financial support to the
persons with disabilities.
● Women and children are particularly vulnerable, and certain rights, such as
reproductive rights,may be even more neglected or disregarded as compared
to others.

Solutions:
● Accessible and adapted Information, education and communication on
menstrual health and hygiene for persons with disability based on their
differential needs and capacities, and an enabling socio cultural environment.
● For example, while the core messages related to menstruation and menstrual
hygiene are the same for all, Tactile models accompanied by audio
explanations can help people with visual impairment, whereas the same
models accompanied by materials with clear step by step visuals are useful
for people with hearing impairments.
● Appropriate and safe menstrual products and hygiene promotion. Fewer than
two thirds of girls and women with disabilities aged between 15 to 24 years
use hygienic menstrual protection methods (National FamilyHealth Survey
2019-20).
● Persons with intellectual impairments are highly sensitive to materials and
may require those that are soft to touch and cause less irritation.
● Persons with mobility restrictions require products that can be worn for
longer as changing them frequently poses a challenge.
● Responsive and inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities,
including disposal solutions in different settings.
● Caregivers, both from within the family and institutions are vital for disability
focused interventions and must be included as both participants and
partners.
WASH Strategy:
● The WHO vision for WASH is to substantially improve health through the safe
management of the water, sanitation and hygiene services in all settings.
● Principles:
1. Prioritize actions with the highest public health benefit in areas where WHO
has or can build comparative advantages.
2. Strengthen health sector capacities in promoting safe WASH and taking up its
public health oversight role in WASH, including effective outbreak response
systems.
3. Align with the SDGs, specifically targets relating to WASH, health, climate
change and nutrition, as well as human rights principles.
4. Employ the highest quality science including through collection, review and
use of evidence about WASH impacts on health and a full range of practical
experiences when developing norms and good practice procedures.
5. Promote a contextual, incremental improvement approach when supporting
countries to set national WASH standards and ambitious but achievable
national targets.
6. Capitalize on existing regional policy frameworks that promote WASH and
stipulate national target setting.
7. Stimulate sustainable change by strengthening government institutions and
systems charged with implementation, oversight and regulation of WASH
service delivery.
8. Engage with partners and positively influence partnerships to ensure health
issues are considered and addressed by the WASH sector and to also ensure
that WASH issues, notably in health care facilities.
Way Forward
■ Leveraging grassroots system: Government could use its robust grassroots
systems with its health workers to create awareness in families about the
need to not compromise on health and education for women with disabilities.
■ A one-size-fits-all approach is unhelpful for disabled persons. There needs to
be a shift from a charity-based approach to a rights-based approach.
■ Representation of persons with disabilities in all ministries, commissions and
committees to advise and ensure inclusion in all policies, programmes and
development.
■ Guidelines for Gender Issues in Sanitation (2017) have been evolved by the
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation(MDWS) to ensure gender equality
and empowerment of women and girls with respect to sanitation.
■ There is a need to incorporate a disability inclusive approach within the
menstrual health and hygiene work in the country and to implement specific
disability focused interventions to facilitate inclusion.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

There is a need to incorporate a disability inclusive approach within menstrual
health and hygiene. In the light of this statement, discuss the issues faced by women
with disabilities and give solutions.

(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Meeting family planning goals

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service
Schemes, NFHS)
■ Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment, development and management of
social sectors/services related to Health.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ India’s family planning programme has improved access to contraceptives.
This has led to a reduction in the Total Fertility Rate from 3.4 in 1990-92 to
2.0 in 2019-21, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
■ According to NFHS-5 and the 2022 report by the United Nations Population
Fund, there is a rise in adolescent childbearing in some States such as
Tripura and Meghalaya.
■ COVID19 has had a severe impact on economic resources and access to
education, thereby influencing the choices women and the youth make about
their sexual and reproductive health.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
National Family Health Survey (NFHS)
● It is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample
of households throughout India.
● It comprises detailed information on key domains:
1. population
2. Health
3. Family Welfare
● Associated domains:
 1.Characteristics of the population
2.Fertility
3.Family planning
4.Infant and Child mortality
5.Maternal and Child health
6.Nutrition and Anemia
7.Morbidity and Healthcare
8.Women’s Empowerment etc.
● It also provides data by socio-economic and other background characteristics
which are useful for policy formulation and effective programme
implementation.
● The main objective of successive rounds of the NFHS has been due to its
reliable and comparable data relating to health and family welfare and other
socio-economic emerging areas in India.

NFHS-5 Report:
● The NFHS-5 National Report lists progress from NFHS-4 (2015-16) to NFHS-
5 (2019-21).
● The scope of NFHS-5 was expanded by adding new dimensions in the earlier
round of the survey (NFHS-4) such as:
1. Death registration
2. Pre-school education
3. Expanded domains of child immunization
4. Components of micro-nutrients to children
5. Menstrual hygiene
6. Frequency of alcohol and tobacco use
7. Additional components of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
8. Expanded age range for measuring hypertension
9. Diabetes among all aged 15 years and above.
● It provides information on important indicators which are helpful in tracking
the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.

● Key Highlights of the report:

1. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR), has further declined from 2.2 to 2.0 at the
national level between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5.
 2. There are only five states in India which are above replacement level of
fertility of 2.1. These states are Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh,
Jharkhand and Manipur.
3. Bihar and Meghalaya have the highest fertility rates in the country, while
Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the lowest.
4. In rural areas, TFR has declined from 3.7 children per woman in 1992-93
to 2.1 children in 2019-21.
5. The corresponding decline among women in urban areas was from 2.7
children in 1992-93 to 1.6 children in 2019-21.
6. Muslims’ fertility rate has seen the sharpest decline among all religious
communities over the past two decades.
7. 23.3% of women surveyed got married before attaining the legal age of 18
years, down from 26.8% reported in NFHS-4.
The figure for underage marriage among men is 17.7% (NFHS-5) from
20.3%in NFHS-4.
8. 66.3% women who are employed use a modern contraceptive method,
compared with 53.4% women who are not employed.
9. NFHS-5 shows an overall improvement in Sustainable Development Goals
indicators in all States/Union Territories (UTs).

Sustainable Development Goals:

● The United Nations (UN) launched the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
● There are 17 goals and 169 specific targets to be achieved by 2030.
● SDGs are not legally binding.
Various schemes for Family Planning Programme:
● New Contraceptive Choices: The current basket of choice has been expanded
to include the new contraceptives viz. Injectable contraceptive,
Centchroman and Progesterone Only Pills (POP).
● Redesigned Contraceptive Packaging: The packaging for Condoms, OCPs
and ECPs has now been improved and redesigned so as to influence the
demand for these commodities.
● Enhanced Compensation Scheme for Sterilization- The sterilization
compensation scheme has been enhanced in 11 high focus states including
Assam, Gujarat, Haryana.
● Promotion of IUCDs as a short & long term spacing method for
example:Introduction of Cu IUCD-375 (5 years effectiveness) under the
Family Planning Programme.
● Scheme for ensuring drop back services to sterilization clients.
● Appointment of dedicated RMNCH+A counselors at high case load facilities.
● Scheme for Home delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs at the doorstep of
beneficiaries has been expanded to the entire country.
● Increasing male participation and promotion of ‘Non Scalpel Vasectomy’’.
● Unveiling of a New Family Planning Media Campaign: A 360 degree media
campaign has been launched to generate awareness about family planning
thereby increasing the demand for contraceptives.
● Mission Parivar Vikas:
1. The mission is being implemented in 146 high focus districts that house
44% of the country’s population, with the highest total fertility rates of 3 and
more in the country.
2. The high focus districts are in the seven states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Assam.
3. The main objective is to bring down the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.1,
which is when the population starts stabilizing, by the year 2025.
4. It will improve access to contraceptives through delivering assured services,
dovetailing with new promotional schemes.

● modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (mCPR):

1. It is the percentage of women of reproductive age who use (or whose
partners use) a contraceptive method at a given point in time.
2. Women 'of reproductive age' is usually defined as women aged 15 to 49, but
sexually active adolescents under 15 should be included.
3. Increase modern contraceptive prevalence rate from 31.7% to 45% by 2026
and 52% by 2030.
4. Increase male methods of contraception use from 10.8% to 15.1% by 2026
and 16.4% by 2030.
 ● PRACHAR project in Bihar
● Yaari Dosti programme in Mumbai
● GEMS project in Goa.

Contraceptive services under the National Family Welfare Programme:

● Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs)
● Condoms
● Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD)
● Female Sterilization(Minilap,Laparoscopic)
● Male Sterilization(Conventional,Non- Scalpel Vasectomy)
● Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP)
Total fertility rate (TFR)
● It is the average number of children born to a woman in her reproductive
years (15-49 years).
● It is released by the Union Health Ministry.
● The total fertility rate (TFR) is an important factor in determining the
population growth and demographic stability of a country.
● Total fertility rate (TFR) has declined from 2.2 (reported in 2015-16) to
2.0 at the all- India level, according to the latest National Family Health
Survey of India(NFHS- 5).
Replacement Level Fertility
● Replacement level fertility is the level of fertility at which a population
exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, i.e., the level of
fertility needed to keep the population the same from generation to
generation.
United Nations Population Fund(UNPF)
● It is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
● The organization was created in 1969, the same year the United Nations
General Assembly declared “parents have the exclusive right to determine
freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”
● UNFPA’s mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted,
every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
● The United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Flagship State of World
Population Report 2021 titled ‘My Body is My Own’ was launched.

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)

● ASHA is a trained female community health activist.
● Selected from the community itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be
trained to work as an interface between the community and the public
health system.
● The role of an ASHA is that of a community level care provider.
● This includes a mix of tasks like:
1. Facilitating access to healthcare services
2. Building awareness about health care entitlements especially amongst the
poor and marginalized
3. Promoting healthy behaviors and mobilizing for collective action for better
health outcomes
 4. Meeting curative care needs as appropriate to the organization of service
delivery in that area and compatible with her training and skills.

Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD)

● Copper containing IUCDs are a highly effective method for long term birth
spacing.
● Should not be used by women with uterine anomalies or women with active
PID or those who are at increased risk of STI/RTI (women with multiple
partners).
● The acceptor needs to return for follow-up visit after 1, 3 and 6 months of
IUCD insertion as the expulsion rate is highest in this duration.
● Two types:
1. Cu IUCD 380A (10 yrs)
2. Cu IUCD 375 (5 yrs)
Way Forward
■ Building capacity among health workers, addressing
intersectionality,engaging men in the discourse of family planning, and
drafting innovative solutions through effective public and private
partnerships can greatly improve access to family planning services and the
overall health of our younger population.
■ There is a need to strengthen the coordination of all its aspects, focusing on
planning, programmes, monitoring, training and procurement.
■ The quality of care in family planning must be a major focus area to ensure
the success of family planning programmes.
■ There is a need for greater male participation both as enablers and
beneficiaries and also address the sexual and reproductive needs of the
youth.
■ It is imperative for the government to ensure the prioritization of family
planning in the national development agenda.
■ Family planning is crucial for the achievement of the sustainable
development goals, and subsequent efforts need to be made to improve
access and strengthen the quality of family planning services.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

■ There has been a reduction in the Total Fertility Rate as per National Family
Health Survey(NFHS-5). Critically analyze India's family planning
programmes along with future courses of action.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Needed, education data that engages the poor parent

Source: The Hindu

 ■ Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service
Schemes, NEP, ASER report, NCERT)
■ Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment, development and management of
social sectors/services related to Education etc.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Media writings in recent years have variously highlighted the marked fall or
improvement in learning outcomes, depending on the dataset being referred
to the Annual Status of Education Report(ASER) which is led by the
nongovernmental organization(NGO) Pratham, or the National Achievement
Survey (NAS) which is led by the National Council of Educational Research
and Training (NCERT).
■ According to ASER 2019 data, Rajasthan was among the bottom five States
in learning levels, while in NAS 2017, Rajasthan was among the top
performers.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Annual Status of Education Report (ASER):
● The survey is facilitated by Pratham Education Foundation, and is the oldest
survey of its kind in the country.
● It is regarded for the range of insights it provides on levels of foundational
learning at the elementary level.
● It uses Census 2011 as the sampling frame and continues to be an important
national source of information about children’s foundational skills across the
country.
● ASER 2018 surveyed children in the age group of 3 to 16 years and included
almost all rural districts in India and generated estimates of foundational
reading and arithmetic abilities of children in the age group 5 to 16 years.
● ASER 2019 reported on the pre-schooling or schooling status of children in
the age group 4 to 8 years in 26 rural districts, it focused on the “early years”
and laid emphasis on “developing problem-solving faculties and building a
memory of children, and not content knowledge”.
● ASER 2020 is the first ever phone-based ASER survey and it was conducted
in September 2020, the sixth month of national school closures.

ASER 2021 report:

● Increasing Enrollment in Government School:
1. There was an unprecedented jump in government school students, and a 10-
year low in private school enrolments.
2. A clear shift from private to government schools — from 64.3% in 2018 to
65.8% in 2020, to 70.3% in 2021.
3. A fall in private school enrollment from 28.8% in 2020 to 24.4% in 2021.
● Tuition-dependent:
1. It has reported a growing dependency on private tuition classes.
2. Students from poor families are dependent more than ever on private tuition.
● Digital Divide:
1. There exists a stark digital divide, which carries the risk of severely affecting
the learning abilities of primary grade students.
2. Almost a third of all children in Classes I and II did not have a smartphone
available at home.
● Problems with New Entrants:
1. The pandemic has left the youngest entrants in India’s formal education
system particularly vulnerable.
2. 1 in 3 children in Classes I and II have never attended an in-person class.
● Learning Gap:
65.4% teachers flagged the problem of children being “unable to catch up” as
one of their biggest challenges.
● Positive Trend: The report captured a decline in the proportion of children
not currently enrolled in the 15-16 age group. This is one of the sections
which faces the highest risk of dropping out.
National Achievement Survey(NAS) 2021:
● It is a nationwide survey to assess the learning outcomes and health of the
education system.
● Undertaken by the Ministry of Education.
● The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted NAS 2021.
● The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
designed an assessment framework and tools for NAS-2021.
● It provides a system-level reflection on the effectiveness of school education.
● It collects information on relevant background variables such as school
environment, teaching processes, and student home and background
factors.
● It covers all the schools including Government schools (both State and
Central government), Government-aided schools, and Private schools
across India.
● It was conducted in 22 mediums of instruction that covered English,
Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Manipuri,
Mizo, Punjabi, Odia, Telugu, Tamil, Bodo, Urdu, Garo, Konkani, Khasi, Bhutia,
Nepali, and Lepcha.
 ● It was conducted in different subjects for different grades:
1. Grade 3 and 5: Language, EVS, and Mathematics
2. Grade 8: Language, Science, Mathematics, and Social Science
3. Grade 10: Language, Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and English.

ASER Survey NAS Survey

Conducted on households Conducted on schools

It is meant to be an analysis of basic It is a school-based, grade specific,

competencies in reading and country-wide assessment (covering
mathematics across rural India, both rural and urban) but limited to
conducted by community volunteers, in government and government aided
the child’s home schools

Quality of learning measured by Significant disparities across states

reading, writing and arithmetic has
either shown no improvement or
worsened actually

Increase in mid-day meals served in The rural-urban divide also seems to

government schools. Compared to last have been bridged with most of the
year’s 97.7 per cent, 99.50 per cent Indian states showing no significant
schools now serve meals. Kitchen sheds disparity between rural and urban
have also increased. students.

Solutions to remove discrepancies in Data:

● Data should be linked with a vision of school education which addresses the
anxieties and aspirations of parents, and is actionable at the level of
governance closest to them, i.e.the local administrative and political system.
● A national level policy is just as an inspiring education vision. Ideally, it
should encompass the essence of the vision of the people.
● Community based consultative bodies such as the school management
committees and parent teacher committees to facilitate plans like District
Primary Education Programme (DPEP) and Sarva ShikshaAbhiyan (SSA)
● Vision has to be by local political actors and become a central part of local
politics which involves both formal actors such as political party workers, and
nonformal ones such as community leaders.
Constitutional Provisions related to education:
● Part IV of Indian Constitution, Article 45 and Article 39 (f) of Directive
Principles of State Policy (DPSP), has a provision for state-funded as well as
equitable and accessible education.
● The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution in 1976 moved education from the
State to the Concurrent List.
● Article 21A: It provides free and compulsory education of all children in the
age group of six to fourteen years as a fundamental Right in such a manner
as the State may, by law, determine. The 86th Amendment in 2002 made
education an enforceable right under Article 21-A.
● Article 39(f): It provides that children are given opportunities and facilities
to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and
that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral
and material abandonment.
● Article 45: The State shall endeavor to provide, within a period of ten years
from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory
education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.
● ARTICLE 46: The State shall promote with special care the educational and
economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from
social injustice and all forms of exploitation.

Related Laws:
Right To Education (RTE) Act, 2009:
● It aims to provide primary education to all children aged 6 to 14 years and
enforces education as a Fundamental Right.
● It also mandates 25% reservation for disadvantaged sections of the
society.
● It states that sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the
Central and State Governments.
● It lays down the norms and standards related to:
1. Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs)
2. Buildings and infrastructure
3. School-working days
4. Teacher-working hours.
Government Initiatives:
● National Education Policy 2020.
● Samagra Shiksha (SS) 2.0
● NIPUN Bharat Mission
● PM Poshan Scheme
● Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE).
● Performance Grading Index

National Education Policy (NEP) 2020

● Announced by the Ministry of Education.
● Recognising Importance of Formative years: It adopted a 5+3+3+4 model
for school education starting at age 3, the policy recognises the primacy of
the formative years from ages 3 to 8 in shaping the child’s future.
● Departure from Silos Mentality: It breaks the strict division of arts,
commerce and science streams in high school.
● The Confluence of Education and Skills: Introduction of vocational courses
with an internship. This may nudge the vulnerable sections of society to send
their children to school.
● More Inclusive Education : The NEP proposes the extension of the Right to
Education (RTE) to all children up to the age of 18.
● Allowing Foreign Universities: The document states universities from
among the top 100 in the world will be able to set up campuses in India.
● Hindi vs English Debate: NEP, once and for all, ended Hindi versus English
language debate; instead, it emphasizes on making mother tongue, local
language or the regional language the medium of instruction at least till
Grade 5, which is considered the best medium of teaching.
Way Forward
■ When data is connected with a locally developed and politically owned vision
of school education that it will move beyond the administrator and the
activist. Social welfare is about people, and their participation has to be
simple, intuitive and energetic.
■ Ensure universal access and, in keeping with letter and spirit of the RTE Act,
provide good-quality free and compulsory education to all children in the age
group of 6 to 14 year.
■ Increase enrolments at higher levels of education and raise the Gross
Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the secondary level and Senior Secondary level.
■ Improve learning outcomes that are measured, monitored and reported
independently at all levels of school education with a special focus on
ensuring that all children master basic reading and numeracy skills by class 2
and skills of critical thinking, expression and problem solving by class 5.
■ Strive Towards Universalisation of Education: There is a need for the
creation of ‘inclusion funds’ to help socially and educationally disadvantaged
children pursue education.
 ■ Bridging Digital Divide: If technology is a force-multiplier, with unequal
access it can also expand the gap between the haves and have nots.
■ Need For Cooperative Federalism: Since education is a concurrent subject
(both the Centre and the state governments can make laws on it), the reforms
proposed can only be implemented collaboratively by the Centre and the
states.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Unequal access to education can expand the gap between rich and poor. Critically
analyze steps taken by the government to make education accessible to all.

(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The influenza pandemic and ‘nations within a nation

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance, Government policies, influenza
pandemic, influenza vaccine, Disaster Management Act).
■ Mains GS Paper II: Government policies and interventions for development in
various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementations,
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, Significance of
Vaccine policy.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Many governments around the world struggle to address the problem of
inequity in access to life saving products such as vaccines.
■ In developing economies, relatively muted demand for prophylactic
products(i.e products for which consumer pays now for some uncertain
benefits in future) due to lower disposable income and present bias serves as
a disincentive for domestic firms as they fear they may not sell enough
vaccines at a price sufficient to recover their costs.
■ In contrast, large foreign multinationals (henceforth MNEs) originating from
developed economies can still generate additional economic returns by
 selling their products in developing economies so long as they can recover the
variable costs of their products.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
H1N1 Virus(Swine flu):

● Swine flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease in pigs caused by

one of several swine influenza A viruses.
● Transmission of swine influenza viruses to humans is uncommon.
However, the swine influenza virus can be transmitted to humans via
contact with infected pigs or environments contaminated with swine
influenza viruses.
● Symptoms:cough, fever, sore throat , stuffy or runny nose, headache,
body ache etc.
● Sub-types are based on: The host of the origin, Geographical origin,
Strain in number, Year of isolation etc.

Spreading of Seasonal Influenza (H1N1):

 ● Seasonal influenza viruses circulate and cause disease in humans every
year.
● In tropical climates, disease tends to occur seasonally as well as regular
virus spreading from person-to-person through sneezing, coughing, or
touching contaminated surfaces.
● Seasonal influenza viruses evolve continuously, which means that
people can get infected multiple times throughout their lives.
Diagnosis and treatment:
● The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention recommend real-time
polymerase chain reaction as the method of choice for diagnosing H1N1.
● Antiviral drugs are the mainstay of clinical treatment of swine influenza
and can make the illness milder and enable the patient to feel better
faster.

Prevention of swine influenza has 3 components:

1. Prevention in swine
2. Prevention of transmission to humans
3. Prevention of its spread among humans.
● Because of limited treatment options, high risk for secondary infection,
and frequent need for intensive care of individuals with H1N1
pneumonia, environmental control, including vaccination of high-risk
populations and public education are critical to control of swine
influenza outbreaks

Outbreaks and impact:

● The sudden disease outbreaks can bring unanticipated changes in the
business environment that could give rise to within-country spatial
heterogeneity in business opportunities and challenges for MNEs and
domestic firms.
● Incumbent MNEs may be in a better position to leverage their global
scale and reinforce their market dominance across regions within a
nation than domestic firms.
● MNEs may face greater opportunity costs in serving the underdeveloped
regions under a condition when there is a spike in global demand.
Quadrivalent influenza vaccine:
● The quadrivalent vaccine(FluQuadri) has two A virus strains H1N1 and
H3N2 and two B virus strains.
● It is for active immunization of adults of age 18 to 64 years.
● While a trivalent influenza vaccine contains both A subtype viruses, it
has only one of the B subtype viruses.
● The quadrivalent vaccine offers greater breath of protection as it
includes both B subtype viruses.
● It is because of greater breadth of protection that a few other companies
too have shifted from a trivalent to a quadrivalent vaccine.
● The quadrivalent vaccine will contain four influenza virus strains (two
A subtypes and two B subtypes H1N1 and H3N2, and Victoria and
Yamagata respectively).
● The viruses used in the vaccine are killed and this eliminates the
possibility of the virus in the vaccine itself causing infection
● In 2018, the WHO has recommended the Michigan strain for the
southern hemisphere, including India.

Vaccine market:
● 2009-10 H1N1 influenza pandemic as a source of a sudden increase in
global demand for flu vaccines.
● Subnational heterogeneity in healthcare infrastructure and political
alignment between the federal/ central and regional governments in
India influence the market share and revenues of MNEs and domestic
firms in the influenza vaccine market relative to non influenza vaccine
markets.
● The market share of MNEs fell much more in region slow in per capita
public health expenditures and a lack of political alignment between
federal/regional governments.
● The Revenues of MNEs increased postpandemic, as one would expect
should happen in the wake of a pandemic induced sudden demand
increase.
 ● The market entry of de alio domestic firms (that were selling other
vaccines) was the core driver of the erosion of the market share of
MNEs following the pandemic.
● Unlike domestic firms, foreign firms did not enter the influenza vaccine
market or expand in underdeveloped regions.

The defining factors:

● Direct costs and opportunity costs are two defining features that can
lead to heterogeneity across regions within a nation in the choice sets of
foreign and domestic firms.
● Complex challenge of attracting foreign firms to supply vaccines while
also seeking self sufficiency in domestic vaccine production.
● Typically, transnational organizations use the country’s per capita
income as the cutoff line to determine a country’s eligibility to receive
vaccine donations.

Way Forward
■ To encourage the capability development of domestic firms in markets with
positive externalities(such as vaccines), policymakers can award advance
market commitments to reduce demand uncertainty for firms.
■ An underdeveloped region within a nation, made worse by the lack of health
infrastructure and the lack of political alignment between federal and
regional governments, may deserve additional attention during pandemics.
■ Given the subnational heterogeneity within large developing economies,
rather than classifying an entire nation as ineligible for vaccine donations,
recognising how different subnational regions may fare in health
infrastructure and political alignment may lead to a more equitable allocation
of supplies for managing the challenges stemming from competitive dynamics
in the wake of a pandemic.
■ Addressing the issues associated with the development and distribution of
vaccines will augment the effort to efficiently get vaccines to hundreds of
millions in the shortest period of time.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
Disease outbreaks can cause unanticipated and disruptive changes, affecting the
business environment and policy. Discuss.

(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Recovering Slowly

Source: The Indian Express

■ Prelims: Indian Economy(GDP, GVA etc)
■ Mains GS Paper III: Fiscal policy, Monetary policy, GDP, Issues related to
planning etc.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 8.7% in 2021-22 (or FY22)
according to the “provisional estimates” released by the Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation.
■ This growth comes at the back of a 6.6% contraction in GDP during 2020-21
when the pandemic led to massive disruptions and widespread lockdowns.
■ The GDP print for FY22 is significant as it shows growth in the recovery year
after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
■ The latest GDP growth estimate is lower than the second advance estimate of
8.9 per cent (released on February 28) and first advance estimate of 9.2 per
cent (released in January).
■ For 2022-23, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected India’s GDP
growth rate to be 7.2 per cent.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Gross Domestic product(GDP):
● GDP is a measure of economic activity in a country.
● It is the total value of a country’s annual output of goods and services.
● It gives the economic output from the consumers’ side.
Real and Nominal GDP:
● Nominal GDP is calculated as per the market prices for the year for which the
GDP is calculated.
● Real GDP is calculated as per the market prices in the base year.
● The Real GDP negates the inflation in goods and services.

New Method of Estimation of GDP:

● In the older system, IIP was used to measure manufacturing and trading
activity.In the newer methodology, we use the concept of Gross Value
Added(GVA), which measures the value addition done to the economy.
● GDP was first estimated by using the IIP data and then updated using the ASI
data (Annual Survey of Industries). Now the data from MCA 21 is used (MCA
21 is an e-governance initiative of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs,
launched in 2006, it allows the firms/companies to electronically file their
financial results. Under this data from more than 5,00,000 firms is collected).
● The new methodology has widened the scope for calculating value addition in
the agricultural sector.
● In the older system, very few mutual funds and NBFCs were considered for
financial activity. In the new methodology, the coverage has been expanded
by including stockbrokers, asset management funds, pension funds, stock
exchanges, etc
● In the older system, the trading income data was used from the NSSO’s 1999
establishment survey against this new series uses the 2011-12 survey.

Gross Value Added(GVA):

● GVA is the sum of a country’s GDP and net of subsidies and taxes in the
economy.
● GVA is defined as the value of output minus the value of intermediate
consumption and is a measure of the contribution to growth made by an
individual producer, industry or sector.
● It provides the rupee value for the number of goods and services produced in
an economy after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials that have
gone into the production of those goods and services.
● Gross Value Added = GDP + subsidies on products – taxes on products.
GDP GVA

It calculates National income by It calculates the national income from

adding up all expenditures in the the supply side by looking at the value
economy. added in each sector of the economy

GDP=GVA+ Taxes earned by the GVA=GDP+Subsidies-taxes on

government-subsidies products

GDP will be higher than GVA if the The absolute level of GVA will be
government earned more from taxes higher than GDP if government
than it spend on subsidies provides subsidies in excess of its tax
revenue

GDP provides demand side of the GVA provides the supply side of the
economy economy.

What does new GDP data shows:

● The money spent by people in their private capacity. It typically accounts for
56 percent of all GDP and is called “private final consumption
expenditure”(PFCE).
● Money spent by companies and government towards making investments
such as building a new office, building a new road etc. It accounts for 32
percent of total GDP and is called Gross Fixed Capital Formation(GFCF).
● Money spent by the government in its day to day expenses such as paying
salaries. It accounts for 11 percent and is called Government Final
Consumption Expenditure(GFCE).
● Money spent by Indians on foreign goods(imports) subtracted from the
money spent by foreigners on Indian goods(exports). As India imports more
than it exports, Net Export(NX) is small and negative.
GDP=PFCE+GFCF+GFCE+NX
Issues found in new data:
● Sectors like mining and construction either show a moderate increase
or deficit.
● Contact-intensive services like trade and hotel are still more than 11
percent below pre-coved levels.
● Though the Indian economy in aggregate has gone past pre covid
levels, recovery is neither uniform nor broad based.
● Though at the aggregate level both GDP and PFCE have crossed pre
covid levels, the average Indian has not yet recovered.The recovery is
only when compared to pre covid level not what would be pre covid
growth trajectory.
Benefits of the new methodology:
● The decline in bank credit growth can be explained by Increased capital
efficiency. Bank facilitating credit to the corporates through instruments such
as commercial papers, bonds, etc
● Inconsistency in investment, increased economic efficiency, Decreased ICOR
(Incremental Capital Output Ratio – measures higher/incremental amount of
capital needed to increase the production by a unit). There is no uniform
relationship between growth and investment. The cycle is revived through
consumption and then investment kicks in.
● The tax collections could also have been varied because of various other
factors such as higher compliance, changes in tax rates, etc.

Issues with new methodology:

● The revised data does not reflect the other macroeconomic parameters –
tax revenues, credit growth, trade performance, corporate sales, profits,
more importantly, the level of investment in the economy, etc.
● The Bank Credit Growth has averaged 20.3% between FY07 to FY12 and
12.3% between FY13 to FY18, during the same tenure the GDP growth rates
have averaged 6.7% and 6.9% respectively (against the older growth rates of
8% and 6.9% respectively).
● Tax collections between FY07 to FY12 have grown by 16.5% and then post
that by 13.8%. There is a close relation between GDP growth and tax
collection growth. With higher growth, tax collections increase.
● The inflation rate averaged 9.6% between FY07 to FY12 and 6.4% thereafter.
If the growth was driven by higher demand then, there should have been a
higher inflation rate in the second part.

Way Forward
■ The government should give a high priority to implementing measures to
bolster manufacturing output and kick-start an upturn in the investment
cycle.
■ Accelerated spending by the government is another way out but this action
would be opposite to the government’s fiscal deficit target of 3.3% of GDP.
 ■ Development of state government and urban local body bond markets by
leveraging the capabilities of this large development institution.
■ The new National Infrastructure Pipeline(NIP) can enable a forward outlook
on infrastructure projects which will create jobs, improve ease of living, and
provide equitable access to infrastructure for all, thereby making growth
more inclusive.
■ Building Domestic Demand: No matter how bleak the global demand
remains in the present times, a robust industrial architecture is crucial for a
country to become self-sufficient.
Thus, there is a need to build strong domestic demand, to sustain industrial
activity in India.
■ Addressing Structural Issues: All countries that promoted export-led growth
invested heavily in human capital and ensured very good infrastructure with
ports, roads, airports and railways

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Critically analyze the new method of GDP estimation and give solutions for broad-
based economic growth of India.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
India’s changing goal posts over coal

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance, Environmental pollution and
degradation(Coal, Paris Agreement)
■ Mains GS Paper III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation,
Coal.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Finance Minister said India’s transition away from coal as a fuel for
power would be hampered by the Russia-Ukraine war.
 ■ The transition(away from coal)will be enabled by natural gas, lowering
dependence on coal, and the speed with which we want to get out of it, will
now be challenged.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Coal:
● It originates from organic matter wood, when large tracts of forests are
buried under sediments, wood is burnt and decomposed due to heat from
below and pressure from above.
● This phenomenon makes coal but takes centuries to complete.
● Classification of Coal(on the basis of carbon content and time period):
Anthracite:
1. It is the best quality of coal with highest calorific value and carries 80
to 95% carbon content.
2. It ignites slowly with a blue flame and is found in small quantities in
Jammu and Kashmir.
Bituminous:
1. It has a low level of moisture content with 60 to 80% of carbon
content and has a high calorific value.
2. Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh have deposits of Bituminous.
Lignite:
1. It carries 40 to 55% carbon content and is often brown in colour with
high moisture content thus, gives smoke when burnt.
2. Rajasthan, Lakhimpur (Assam) and Tamil Nadu have deposits of
Lignite.
Peat:
It is the first stage of transformation from wood to coal with low calorific
value and less than 40% carbon content.
 ● Top 5 States in terms of total coal reserves in India are: Jharkhand > Odisha
> Chhattisgarh > West Bengal > Madhya Pradesh.
● The leading coal producers of the world include China, US, Australia,
Indonesia, India.

Move away from coal is important:

● The threat of global warming is looming over the planet, bringing
unprecedented natural calamities. An effective way to keep the danger at bay
is to cut the use of fossil fuels coal,natural gas and oil. About 80% of the
world's energy requirements are met by these three fuels.
● Coal emits nearly twice as much carbon dioxide as natural gas and about 60%
more than oil,on a kilogram kilogram comparison having a greater role in
global warming.
● Combusting coal also leaves behind partially burnt carbon particles that
feed pollution and trigger respiratory disorders.
● The power sector in India, which uses the majority of the coal, accounts for
49% of total carbon dioxide emissions, compared with the global average of
41%.
● Environmental issues associated with Coal Mining that is air pollution, water
pollution, soil pollution etc.
 ● Opencast mining and underground mining of coal affect the vegetation
pattern.
● Several occupational hazards are associated with coal mining:
Pneumoconiosis (by inhaling coal dust), allergies and asthma, noise
hazard etc.
● The freeway to coal will raise the local pollution in the country. The
government has notified new emission norms for coal-based thermal power
plants. But the implementation on the ground has been inadequate.
● Coal- and lignite-based thermal power plants on an annual basis emit 1.3
billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent/year, which is a third of the total
greenhouse gas emissions in the country.

Extent of India's Dependence on coal:

● The installed capacity for coal based power generation across the country
was 2.04 lakh megawatt (MW). This accounts for about 51.5% of power from
all sources.
● Coal based power stations are retired periodically which happens all the time.
But is not fast enough nor are new additions being halted.
● Coal is still most inexpensive compared with other present sources of energy.
● According to the IEA’s Coal Report 2021,India’s coal consumption will
increase at an average annual rate of 3.9% to 1.18billon tonnes in 2024.
Difficulty for India to move away from coal:
● The international cost of natural gas has increased in the recent past from a
level that was considered already too high to be financially viable.
● Of the 25,000 MW of gas based power plants, about 14,000 MW remains
stranded, or idle, because they are financially unviable.
 ● While renewable energy sources are cheaper than coal, their ability to
generate power consistently is subject to the whims of nature, the wind and
the Sun.
● Storage technologies are still not mature enough to help renewable energy
sources become reliable generators of power.

Reasons for increasing coal demand:

● Iron and steel production uses coal and there are not many technologies to
replace the fuel immediately.
● Continued expansion of India’s economy is expected during 2022-2024, with
annual average GDP growth of 7.4%, fuelled at least partially by coal.
● India’s push to domestic coal mining through both Coal India and auction of
coal blocks to private companies, coal usage in India will increase as it
plateaus in other parts of the world, including China.
● The central government has opened up coal mining for the private sector,
claiming it as one of its most ambitious coal sector reforms.
● The government anticipates that it will bring efficiency and competition in
coal production, attract investments and best-in-class technology, and help
create more jobs in the coal sector.

Initiatives by India to shift to renewable energy:

● National Solar Mission (NSM): The 100 GW solar ambition at the heart of the
world’s largest renewable energy expansion programme
● The Wind Energy Revolution: Leveraging India’s robust wind energy sector
to boost clean energy manufacturing and the rural economy
● National Biofuels Policy and SATAT: Building value chains to reduce fuel
imports, increase clean energy, manage waste, and create jobs
● Small Hydro Power (SHP): Harnessing the power of water to integrate
remote communities into the economic mainstream.
● National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHEM): Exploring the commercial
viability of a versatile clean fuel
● Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: Integrating India into the global
clean energy value chains
● National Biofuels Policy and SAYAY: Building value chains to reduce fuel
imports, increase clean energy, manage waste and create jobs.
Way Forward
■ India must enhance investments in the deployment of clean coal technologies
throughout the coal value chain. Government power utilities must show the
way by investing in the deployment of advanced clean coal technologies.
■ India should also be very cautious of adding new coal capacity beyond 2030
as it risks locking in resources.
■ With government’s efforts to push renewable energy due to international
conventions on climate change, increase in carbon cess and other initiatives
for lesser use of coal, there is a need for ‘Vision 2030 for the coal sector’,
which takes into account the environmental factors such as reduction of
carbon footprint, abatement of global warming.
■ Strategic Decommissioning of Old and Inefficient Power Plants: It may be
prudent to let old capacity fade away in due course and saving some of them
as they are efficient, while focusing on such detailed analysis and weeding out
the needless capacity in the pipeline, to derive long-term economic and
environmental benefits.
 ■ We need an energy transformation through which we would realize the co-
benefits of local and global emission reduction. We also need the right to
energy for all, as energy poverty and inequity is not acceptable.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

The demand for coal energy is going to increase over the next decade. Critically
analyze its impact on energy and environment.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The problems plaguing thermal power generators

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance, Environmental pollution and
degradation(Coal, Paris Agreement)
■ Mains GS Paper III: Conservation, Thermal energy demand, environmental
pollution and degradation, Coal.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ India’s power demand touched a record high of 211 MW even though the coal
shortage continued with coal stocks available only for eight days.
■ In the last two months, as temperatures soared and the economy recovered,
the power demand breached the 200 MW level on several occasions.
■ To bridge the gap between shortage in domestic supply and increasing
demand, power generating companies or ‘gencos’ were directed to use
imported coal for 10% of their requirement, failing which their domestic
supplies would be cut.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Coal:
 ● It originates from organic matter wood, when large tracts of forests are
buried under sediments, wood is burnt and decomposed due to heat from
below and pressure from above.
● This phenomenon makes coal but takes centuries to complete.
● Classification of Coal(on the basis of carbon content and time period):
Anthracite:
1. It is the best quality of coal with highest calorific value and carries 80
to 95% carbon content.
2. It ignites slowly with a blue flame and is found in small quantities in
Jammu and Kashmir.
Bituminous:
1. It has a low level of moisture content with 60 to 80% of carbon
content and has a high calorific value.
2. Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh have deposits of Bituminous.
Lignite:
1. It carries 40 to 55% carbon content and is often brown in colour with
high moisture content thus, gives smoke when burnt.
2. Rajasthan, Lakhimpur (Assam) and Tamil Nadu have deposits of
Lignite.
Peat:
It is the first stage of transformation from wood to coal with low calorific
value and less than 40% carbon content.

● Top 5 States in terms of total coal reserves in India are: Jharkhand > Odisha
> Chhattisgarh > West Bengal > Madhya Pradesh.
● The leading coal producers of the world include China, US, Australia,
Indonesia, India.

Reasons for increasing power demand and coal shortage:

 ● India is the second largest producer of coal, with reserves that could last up to
100 years.
● The domestic production of coal stagnated between FY18 andFY21, but
revived in FY22.
● The power demand too surged owing to economic recovery and hotter
weather conditions.
● Until FY20, domestic sources contributed to about 90% of the power sector’s
coal receipts; the remaining was filled by imports. But by FY22, the reliance
on imports dwindled to 3.8% which built pressure on domestic supplies.
● The coal imported by power plants declined to 27MT in FY22 from 66.06 MT
in FY17. Coal imported for blending purposes by power plants that run on
indigenous coal declined to 8 MT in the last financial year, from 19.7 MT in
FY17.
● Past data show that importing coal for blending has always seen few takers. A
bulk of imports was made by power plants designed for imported coal.
Notably, their share of imports saw a decline of 60% in FY22 since FY17.
● This dip in imports can be attributed to the skyrocketing prices of coal in the
international markets.
● The price of imported coal is nearly 5-6 times higher than domestic supply.

Perennial bottlenecks:
● The use of imported coal will also push up the price of power supply to the
power distribution companies or Discoms, often dubbed as the weakest link
in the power sector chain.
● Delays in payments by discoms create working capital crunch for generating
companies which in turn inhibits them from procuring an adequate quantity
of coal.
● According to the 2019-20 report by the Power Finance Corporation,
discoms had accumulated losses up to ₹5.07 lakh crore and were therefore
unable to pay generators on time.
● Discoms in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are the most financially
stressed.

Reasons for debt issues of Discoms:

● Discoms are bleeding because the revenue they generate is much lower than
their costs.
 ● This is evident from the gap between the average cost of supply and average
revenue realized.
● Tamil Nadu, Jammu andKashmir, and Rajasthan have the widest gap between
revenues and expenses of discoms.
● Apart from providing power at cheaper rates, some State governments do not
revise tariffs periodically.
● Delay in getting compensation from the government also compounds the
woes of cash strapped discoms.

Extent of India's Dependence on coal:

● The installed capacity for coal based power generation across the country
was 2.04 lakh megawatt (MW). This accounts for about 51.5% of power from
all sources.
● Coal based power stations are retired periodically which happens all the time.
But is not fast enough nor are new additions being halted.
● Coal is still most inexpensive compared with other present sources of energy.
● According to the IEA’s Coal Report 2021,India’s coal consumption will
increase at an average annual rate of 3.9% to 1.18billon tonnes in 2024.

Difficulty for India to move away from coal:

● The international cost of natural gas has increased in the recent past from a
level that was considered already too high to be financially viable.
● Of the 25,000 MW of gas based power plants, about 14,000 MW remains
stranded, or idle, because they are financially unviable.
● While renewable energy sources are cheaper than coal, their ability to
generate power consistently is subject to the whims of nature, the wind and
the Sun.
● Storage technologies are still not mature enough to help renewable energy
sources become reliable generators of power.

Reasons for increasing coal demand:

● Iron and steel production uses coal and there are not many technologies to
replace the fuel immediately.
● Continued expansion of India’s economy is expected during 2022-2024, with
annual average GDP growth of 7.4%, fuelled at least partially by coal.
 ● India’s push to domestic coal mining through both Coal India and auction of
coal blocks to private companies, coal usage in India will increase as it
plateaus in other parts of the world, including China.
● The central government has opened up coal mining for the private sector,
claiming it as one of its most ambitious coal sector reforms.
● The government anticipates that it will bring efficiency and competition in
coal production, attract investments and best-in-class technology, and help
create more jobs in the coal sector.

Initiatives by India to shift to renewable energy:

● National Solar Mission (NSM): The 100 GW solar ambition at the heart of the
world’s largest renewable energy expansion programme
● The Wind Energy Revolution: Leveraging India’s robust wind energy sector
to boost clean energy manufacturing and the rural economy
● National Biofuels Policy and SATAT: Building value chains to reduce fuel
imports, increase clean energy, manage waste, and create jobs
● Small Hydro Power (SHP): Harnessing the power of water to integrate
remote communities into the economic mainstream.
● National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHEM): Exploring the commercial
viability of a versatile clean fuel
● Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: Integrating India into the global
clean energy value chains
● National Biofuels Policy and SAYAY: Building value chains to reduce fuel
imports, increase clean energy, manage waste and create jobs.

Way Forward
■ India must enhance investments in the deployment of clean coal technologies
throughout the coal value chain. Government power utilities must show the
way by investing in the deployment of advanced clean coal technologies.
■ India should also be very cautious of adding new coal capacity beyond 2030
as it risks locking in resources.
■ With government’s efforts to push renewable energy due to international
conventions on climate change, increase in carbon cess and other initiatives
 for lesser use of coal, there is a need for ‘Vision 2030 for the coal sector’,
which takes into account the environmental factors such as reduction of
carbon footprint, abatement of global warming.
■ Strategic Decommissioning of Old and Inefficient Power Plants: It may be
prudent to let old capacity fade away in due course and saving some of them
as they are efficient, while focusing on such detailed analysis and weeding out
the needless capacity in the pipeline, to derive long-term economic and
environmental benefits.
■ We need an energy transformation through which we would realize the co-
benefits of local and global emission reduction. We also need the right to
energy for all, as energy poverty and inequity is not acceptable.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Discuss India’s dependence on coal and difficulties faced by India in moving away
from coal energy.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The Reasons behind the crashing crypto Market

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Indian Economy, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain
■ Mains GS Paper III: Fiscal policy, Monetary policy, Impact of crypto on fiat
currencies.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies have been crashing since they hit
an all time high late last year.
■ Bitcoin has lost more than two thirds of its value since it hit a peak of around
$69,000 in November last year and is currently trading at around the $22,000
mark.
■ Ethereum,another cryptocurrency popular among investors, has lost almost
80% from its peak.
 ■ The overall market capitalization of cryptocurrencies has dropped under
$1trillion for the first time since January 2021.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Cryptocurrency:
● Cryptocurrency, sometimes called crypto-currency or crypto, is any form of
currency that exists digitally or virtually and uses cryptography to secure
transactions.
● Cryptocurrencies don't have a central issuing or regulating authority, instead
use a decentralized system to record transactions and issue new units.
● It is supported by a decentralized peer-to-peer network called the blockchain.

Benefits Associated with Cryptocurrency:

● Fast and Cheap Transactions: Cryptocurrencies are way cheaper to use to
execute international transactions because the transactions don't have to be
handled by a series of intermediaries before they reach their destinations.
● Investment Destination:
1. There is a limited supply of cryptocurrency – partially like gold.
 2. Moreover, the last few years have seen the price of cryptocurrencies rising
faster than other financial instruments.
3. Due to this, cryptocurrencies can become a preferred investment destination.
● Anti-Inflationary Currency: Due to the high demand for cryptocurrency its
prices have largely remained on a growing trajectory. In this scenario, people
tend to hold more cryptocurrency than spending it. This will cause a
deflationary effect on the currency.

Drawbacks associated with Cryptocurrency:

● Extremely Volatile: Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile assets and have
acquired popularity for their unregulated nature and the risk of volatility has
established concerns over the potential impact on a country’s macroeconomic
stability, especially those with weak socio-economic fundamentals.
● Unregulated Nature: International Monetary Fund (IMF) had also urged El
Salvador to limit the scope of unregulated assets as there are large risks
associated with the use of Bitcoin on financial stability, financial integrity, and
consumer protection, as well as the associated fiscal contingent liabilities.
● Paying Taxes in Cryptocurrencies: For countries like CRA, risks associated
with paying taxes in cryptocurrencies would be exposed when taxes are paid
using crypto assets but expenditures remain in local currency.
● Not a Definite Mechanism: Unlike equities or currencies, cryptos are not
subject to a definite mechanism and are speculative assets, therefore, central
banks would not have any reference point to devise their interest rates in
accordance with their domestic requirements.
● Counterproductive Utility: Blockchains may help trace the transactions but
not the parties involved. Hence, it could potentially be used for money
laundering, terrorist financing, or other illegal activities.

How do governments view cryptocurrencies?

● Many Countries have taken several steps to discourage the widespread use of
cryptocurrencies.
● While countries such as China and Russia have opted to impose outright bans
on cryptocurrencies, India has tried to tax and regulate them heavily.
● In India, while the government has not imposed an outright ban on
cryptocurrencies, the Reserve Bank of India Has been quite vocal about the
need to ban them completely.
 ● Central banks are wary of private cryptocurrencies since they challenge the
monopoly that central banks currently enjoy over the money supply of an
economy.
● If Cryptocurrencies became widely acceptable,it would affect the control that
central banks possess over the economy’s money supply.
● It would also affect the ability of governments to fund their spending by
creating fresh money as citizens could then opt to switch to alternative
currencies.

Why are cryptocurrencies crashing?

● It is not possible to pinpoint the exact reasons why investors are fleeing
cryptocurrencies at the moment.
● Most Analysts believe that the fall in the price of cryptocurrencies is in line
with the fall in prices of stocks and other assets as central banks such as the
U.S’s Federal Reserve tightens monetary policy to fight price rise.
● Others believe that the crash could also mark the popping of the bubble that
has driven the prices of cryptocurrencies to stratospheric levels.

Will cryptocurrencies rise again?

● Cryptocurrency enthusiasts argue that Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have
always been subject to extreme price swings and that the current crash is a
good time to buy these virtual currencies at a tremendous bargain.
● Many crypto enthusiasts have been handsomely rewarded in the past when
they bought cryptocurrencies during times of panic selling.
● Skeptics, however, believe that the current crash could very well be the end of
the road for cryptocurrencies. Even if cryptocurrencies manage to recover
from the current crash, they may still not manage to hold on to their gains,
because cryptocurrencies possess no fundamental value as money.
● In fact, some have argued that the real value of cryptocurrencies is
somewhere close to zero. They point out that even the most popular
cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are still not used very much in the daily
purchase and sale of goods and services in the real economy.
● Crypto enthusiasts, however, argue that while cryptocurrencies may not be
widely accepted as a currency, they still represent an independent asset class
like gold that can help investors protect their wealth from central banks.
Bitcoin:
● Bitcoin is a type of digital currency that enables instant payments to
anyone.
● Bitcoin was introduced in 2009.
● Bitcoin is based on an open-source protocol and is not issued by any central
authority.
● Satoshi is the smallest fraction of a Bitcoin.

Ethereum:
● Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract
functionality.
● Ether is the native cryptocurrency of the platform.
● Among cryptocurrencies, Ether is second only to Bitcoin in market
capitalization.

Blockchain:
● It is a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording
transactions and tracking assets in a business network.
● An asset can be tangible (a house, car, cash, land) or intangible (intellectual
property, patents, copyrights, branding).
● Virtually anything of value can be tracked and traded on a blockchain
network, reducing risk and cutting costs for all involved.
● A simple analogy for understanding blockchain technology is a Google Doc.
● When one creates a document and shares it with a group of people, the
document is distributed instead of copied or transferred.
● This creates a decentralized distribution chain that gives everyone access to
the document at the same time.

Way Forward
■ Regulation is the Solution:
1. Regulation is needed to prevent serious problems, to ensure that
cryptocurrencies are not misused, and to protect unsuspecting investors from
excessive market volatility and possible scams.
2. The regulation needs to be clear, transparent, coherent and animated by a
vision of what it seeks to achieve.
 ■ Clarity on Crypto-currency definition: A legal and regulatory framework
must first define crypto-currencies as securities or other financial
instruments under the relevant national laws and identify the regulatory
authority in charge.
■ Strong KYC Norms: Instead of a complete prohibition on cryptocurrencies,
the government shall rather regulate the trading of cryptocurrencies by
including stringent KYC norms, reporting and taxability.
■ Ensuring Transparency: Record keeping, inspections, independent audits,
investor grievance redressal and dispute resolution may also be considered
to address concerns around transparency, information availability and
consumer protection.
■ The fact that precious metals are limited in supply definitely helped boost
their value.But limited supply alone cannot make cryptocurrencies like
Bitcoin a valuable asset like gold and silver.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Countries such as China and Russia have opted to impose outright bans on
cryptocurrencies, India has tried to tax and regulate them heavily. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
India is not the fastest growing big economy

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Indian Economy(GDP, GVA etc)
■ Mains GS Paper III: Fiscal policy, Monetary policy, GDP, Issues related to
planning etc.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Provisional Estimates of Annual National Income in 2021-22 just
released shows that GDP grew 8.7% in real terms and 19.5% in nominal
terms (including inflation).
■ The real economy is 1.51% larger than it was in 2019-20, just before the
novel coronavirus pandemic hit the world. In nominal terms it is higher by
17.9%.
 ■ These numbers imply that the rate of inflation was 10.8% in 2021-22 and
16.4% between the two years, 2019-20 and 2021-22.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
National income
● National income of a country means the sum total of incomes earned by the
citizens of that country during a given period, over a year.
● National income accounting refers to the set of methods and principles that
are used by the government for measuring production and income, or in
other words economic activity of a country in a given time period.
● The various measures of determining national income are:
1. GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
2. GNP (Gross National Product)
3. NNP (Net National Product)
4. Personal income
5. Disposable income.
● National income is not the sum of all incomes earned by all citizens, but only
those incomes which accrue due to participation in the production process.
● Individuals participate in the production process by supplying factors of
production which they possess.
● It is represented by the following equation:
Y = C + I + G + (X – M)
Y = National income
C = Personal consumption expenditure
I = Private investment
G = Government spending
X = Net exports
M = Imports

Gross Domestic product(GDP):

● GDP is a measure of economic activity in a country.
● It is the total value of a country’s annual output of goods and services.
● It gives the economic output from the consumers’ side.
Real and Nominal GDP:
● Nominal GDP is calculated as per the market prices for the year for which the
GDP is calculated.
● Real GDP is calculated as per the market prices in the base year.
● The Real GDP negates the inflation in goods and services.

Sub-components of GDP
GDP = C + I + G + NX:
● Consumption (C): The biggest engine (56% of all GDP) is consumption
demand from private individuals, technically known as Private Final
Consumption Expenditure (PFCE).
● Investment (I): The second-biggest engine (32%) is the investment demand
generated by private sector businesses, also known as Gross Fixed Capital
Formation (GFCF).
● Government (G): The third engine (11%) is the demand for goods and
services generated by the government (G) and is known as the Government
Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE).
● Net Exports (NX): This is calculated by subtracting the demand for foreign
goods by Indians (Indian imports) from the demand for Indian goods and
services by foreigners (Indian exports).

Gross Value Added(GVA):

● GVA is the sum of a country’s GDP and net of subsidies and taxes in the
economy.
● GVA is defined as the value of output minus the value of intermediate
consumption and is a measure of the contribution to growth made by an
individual producer, industry or sector.
● It provides the rupee value for the number of goods and services produced in
an economy after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials that have
gone into the production of those goods and services.
● Gross Value Added = GDP + subsidies on products – taxes on products.

Challenges:
● Recovery is neither uniform nor broad-based: It is a relief that India's
economy has surpassed pre-Covid levels (at least on aggregate measures).
This recovery, however, is neither uniform nor widespread.
 ● “K-shaped” recovery or growing inequality in the economy: Though both
GDP (national income) and PFCE (expenditure) have crossed the pre-Covid
level, the average Indian hasn’t yet recovered.
● Growing uncertainties: Geopolitical uncertainties, rising crude oil prices and
inflation, tightening of monetary conditions (higher interest rates) etc. are
likely to rein in growth prospects in the current (FY23) and the coming
(FY24) fiscals.
● Pre-Covid growth trajectory can’t be achieved soon: Returning to the pre-
Covid trajectory, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), will take India
until 2034-35, assuming an annual economic growth rate of 7.5%.

What does new GDP data shows:

● The money spent by people in their private capacity. It typically accounts for
56 percent of all GDP and is called “private final consumption
expenditure”(PFCE).
● Money spent by companies and government towards making investments
such as building a new office, building a new road etc. It accounts for 32
percent of total GDP and is called Gross Fixed Capital Formation(GFCF).
● Money spent by the government in its day to day expenses such as paying
salaries. It accounts for 11 percent and is called Government Final
Consumption Expenditure(GFCE).
● Money spent by Indians on foreign goods(imports) subtracted from the
money spent by foreigners on Indian goods(exports). As India imports more
than it exports, Net Export(NX) is small and negative.
GDP=PFCE+GFCF+GFCE+NX
Issues found in new data:
● Sectors like mining and construction either show a moderate increase
or deficit.
● Contact-intensive services like trade and hotel are still more than 11
percent below pre-coved levels.
● Though the Indian economy in aggregate has gone past pre covid
levels, recovery is neither uniform nor broad based.
● Though at the aggregate level both GDP and PFCE have crossed pre
covid levels, the average Indian has not yet recovered.The recovery is
only when compared to pre covid level not what would be pre covid
growth trajectory.
Faults in the recent data:
● If an economy drops sharply and then rises equally fast to reach its earlier
level, that cannot be taken as an indication of a rapidly growing economy.
● While the lockdown in China is over, the war related impact is likely to persist
since there is no end in sight. Thus, price rise and impact on production are
likely to persist. The rapid rise in prices will impact demand from the vast
majority of citizens who are losing out. That will reduce growth further.
● More worryingly is about correctness of data. The annual estimates given
now are provisional since complete data are not available for 2021-22.
● There is a greater problem with quarterly estimates since very limited data
are available for estimating it. So, the data for the fourth quarter of 2021-
22released now is even more problematic highlighted by following:
1. During 2020-21, due to the pandemic, full data could not be collected for Q1.
2. For agriculture, quarterly data assumes that the targets are achieved. But in
Q1, a lot of fruits,vegetables, flowers, milk and poultry products could not
come to the market, and rotted and wasted. Thus, the growth rate of
agriculture was certainly less than the official figure of 3%.
● Agriculture is a part of the unorganized sector. Very little data is available for
it but for agriculture —neither for the quarter nor for the year. It is simply
assumed that the limited data available for the organized sector can be used
to act as a proxy.
● Errors in the quarterly data are repeated in the annual data.
● If GDP data are incorrect, data on its components — private consumption and
investment must also be incorrect. Most often, ratios are applied to the GDP
to estimate them. But, if the GDP is in error, then the ratios will yield
erroneous results.
● Consumption and investment figures are over estimates and very likely
because the decline in the unorganized sectors has not been captured.

Way Forward
■ The data need to be actuated by involving data from the unorganized sector
particularly agriculture to yield correct and unquestionably results.
■ The government should give a high priority to implementing measures to
bolster manufacturing output and kick-start an upturn in the investment
cycle.
 ■ Accelerated spending by the government is another way out but this action
would be opposite to the government’s fiscal deficit target of 3.3% of GDP.
■ Development of state government and urban local body bond markets by
leveraging the capabilities of this large development institution.
■ The new National Infrastructure Pipeline(NIP) can enable a forward outlook
on infrastructure projects which will create jobs, improve ease of living, and
provide equitable access to infrastructure for all, thereby making growth
more inclusive.
■ Building Domestic Demand: No matter how bleak the global demand
remains in the present times, a robust industrial architecture is crucial for a
country to become self-sufficient.
Thus, there is a need to build strong domestic demand, to sustain industrial
activity in India.
■ Addressing Structural Issues: All countries that promoted export-led growth
invested heavily in human capital and ensured very good infrastructure with
ports, roads, airports and railways

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

A Closer look at recent data on GDP shows that the numbers are flawed and
recovery is incomplete. Do you agree with this statement? Justify your statement
with illustrations.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Inflation’s long Shadow

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national importance, RBI, Inflation, MPC.
■ Mains GS Paper III: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning,
Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment(Inflation,
Monetary policy).
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
 ■ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has pitched to ‘keep inflation and
inflationary expectations under check’ front and centre of its policy approach.
■ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased the repo rate by 50 basis points to
4.90%. The earlier repo rate was 4.40% after the rates were increased by 40
basis points at an off-cycle meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.
■ The Standing Deposit Facility and Marginal Standing Facility rates also
raised by 50 basis points. Standing Deposit Facility rate is now 4.65 per cent,
while Marginal Standing Facility rate is at 5.15 percent.
■ MPC now projects retail inflation to average 6.7% over the entire fiscal year
ending in March, a fullone percentage point increase from the 5.7% it forecast
in April.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Inflation:
● Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most goods and services of daily or
common use, such as food, clothing, housing, recreation, transport, consumer
staples, etc.
 ● Inflation measures the average price change in a basket of commodities and
services over time.
● The opposite and rare fall in the price index of this basket of items is called
‘deflation’.
● Inflation is indicative of the decrease in the purchasing power of a unit of a
country’s currency.
● RBI through its Monetary Policy Committee(MPC) Controls Inflation with its
tools to control Money supply in the market.
● Inflation is measured by a central government authority, which is in charge of
adopting measures to ensure the smooth running of the economy. In India,
the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation measures
inflation.
● Inflation is primarily measured by two main indices — WPI (Wholesale Price
Index) and CPI (Consumer Price Index), which measure wholesale and
retail-level price changes, respectively.

Two types of inflation:

● Demand Pull Inflation: Demand pull inflation arises when aggregate demand
in the economy becomes more than aggregate supply.
● Cost push inflation: when there is a decrease in aggregate supply of goods
and services results in an increase in cost of production.

Reasons for Increasing Inflation in India:

● Inflation in India cannot be described just as ‘cost-push’. Abundance of
liquidity has been an important factor. The April Monetary Policy statement
talked of a liquidity overhang of the order of ₹8.5 lakh crore.
● Rise in prices of crude petroleum and natural gas, mineral oils, basic metals,
etc. owing to disruption in the global supply chain caused by the Russia-
Ukraine conflict.
● Retail inflation rose mainly on account of rising prices of essential food items
like 'oils and fats', vegetables and protein-rich items such as 'meat and fish'.
● The sharp rise in commodity prices across the world is a major reason behind
the inflation spike in India. This is increasing the import cost for some of the
crucial consumables, pushing inflation higher.

Impact of Higher Inflation in India:

● It is expected to push up interest rates in the banking system.
 ● Equated Monthly Installments (EMIs) on home, vehicle and other personal
and corporate loans are likely to go up.
● Deposit rates, mainly fixed term rates, are also set to rise.
● Consumption and demand can be impacted by the Repo rate hike.
● The hike in CRR will suck out a large amount of money from the banking
system. The lendable resources of banks will come down accordingly.
● It also means the cost of funds will go up and banks’ net interest margins
could get adversely impacted.

Challenges in Tackling Increasing Inflation:

● The borrowing programme will increase, and additional liquidity support
may be required.
● For a rise in the interest rate to stick, appropriate actions must be taken to
contract liquidity. That is what the rise in CRR will do. In the absence of a rise
in CRR, liquidity will have to be sucked by open market operations.
● Liquidity conditions need to be modulated in line with the policy action and
stance to ensure their full and efficient transmission to the rest of the
economy.”

Steps taken by MPC:

● The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased the repo rate by 50 basis points to
4.90%. The earlier repo rate was 4.40% after the rates were increased by 40
basis points at an off-cycle meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.
● The RBI also revised the inflation projection for FY23 to 6.7 percent from 5.7
percent earlier.
● The RBI also left its FY23 GDP growth forecast unchanged at 7.2%.
● The Standing Deposit Facility and Marginal Standing Facility rates were
also raised by 50 basis points.
● Standing Deposit Facility rate is now 4.65 per cent, while Marginal
Standing Facility rate is at 5.15 percent.

Impact of Changing rates:

● The Repo rate hike will force banks and non-banking finance companies to
increase repo-linked lending rates and minimum cost of funds based
lending rates (MCLR) further. This is because the cost of funds of banks will
rise with the Repo rate hike.
 ● The net result will be a further rise in equated monthly installments (EMIs) of
existing borrowers. Moreover, new home, vehicle and personal loans will also
become costlier.
● Consumption and demand can be impacted by the Repo rate hike.
● Banks will also have to increase the deposit rates in the coming months.

Repo rate
It is the interest charged by the RBI when commercial banks borrow from them by
selling their securities to the central bank. Essentially it is the interest charged by
the RBI when banks borrow from them - much like commercial banks charge you
interest for a car loan or home loan.

Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)

commercial banks have to hold a certain minimum amount of deposit as reserves
with the central bank. The percentage of cash required to be kept in reserves as
against the bank's total deposits is called the Cash Reserve Ratio.

Marginal Standing Facility:

● MSF is a window for scheduled banks to borrow overnight from the RBI in
an emergency situation when interbank liquidity dries up completely.
● Under interbank lending, banks lend funds to one another for a specified
term.

Differences between Repo Rate and MSF:

● Repo rate is the rate at which RBI lends money to commercial banks, while
MSF is a rate at which RBI lends money to scheduled banks.
● The repo rate is given to banks that are looking to meet their short-term
financial needs. The MSF is meant for lending overnight to banks.
● Lending at repo rates involves a repurchase agreement of securities. While
it is not so in MSF.
● Under MSF, banks are also allowed to use the securities that come under
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) in the process of availing loans from RBI.
● Under SLR, commercial banks are mandated by RBI to maintain a stipulated
proportion of their deposits in the form of liquid assets like cash, gold and
unencumbered (free from debt) securities.
 Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)
● Under RBI Act, 1934, the central government is empowered to constitute a
six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).
● It shall determine the Policy Rate required to achieve the inflation target”.
● The decision of the Monetary Policy Committee shall be binding on the
Bank.
● Composition: consists of 6 members:
1. RBI Governor as its ex officio chairperson,
2. Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy,
3. An officer of the Bank to be nominated by the Central Board,
4. Three persons to be appointed by the central government.
● This category of appointments must be from “persons of ability, integrity
and standing, having knowledge and experience in the field of
economics or banking or finance or monetary policy”.

Way Forward
■ As the RBI Governor put it in his statement, “Liquidity conditions need to be
modulated in line with the policy action and stance to ensure their full and
efficient transmission to the rest of the economy.”
■ To contain inflation on food prices, crackdown on supply side if hoarding
happens and ease import limits on pulses, oil seed.
■ Prepare to use buffer stock if inflation spills over to cereals, 1% rise in WPI
primary food prices can go up CPI by 48 bps.
■ Press for faster growth, 10% higher industrial output can ease retail inflation
by 40 bps along with addressing supply bottlenecks.
■ Boost income generating capacity to reduce burden on low income
households

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

RBI keeps inflation and inflationary expectations under check, front and centre of its
policy approach. Discuss.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
 EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Of what good is a bad bank

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Monetary Policy, NARCL, RBI, NPA
■ Mains GS Paper III: Fiscal policy, Issues with NPA, Issues related to planning
etc.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Finance Minister announced that the National Asset Reconstruction
Company(NARCL) along with the Indian Debt Resolution Company (IDRCL)
will take over the first set of bad loans from banks and try to resolve them.
■ The decision to set up a bad bank was taken by the Union government during
the Budget presented last year in the aftermath of the nationwide lockdowns,
and the moratorium was subsequently extended to borrowers by the Reserve
Bank of India(RBI).
■ The health of the balance sheets of Indian banks has improved significantly
over the last few years with their gross non performing assets (GNPA) ratio
declining from a peak of 11.2% in FY18 to 6.9% in Q2FY22.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Bad Bank
● The bad bank is an ARC or an Asset Management Company (AMC) that takes
over the bad loans of commercial banks, manages them and finally recovers
the money over a period of time.
● The bad bank is not involved in lending and taking deposits, but helps
commercial banks clean up their balance sheets and resolve bad loans.
● The takeover of bad loans is normally below the book value of the loan and
the bad bank tries to recover as much as possible subsequently.

Effect of Bad Bank:

● Commercial Banks’ Perspective:
 1. Commercial banks are saddled with high NPA (Non-Performing Assets/loans)
levels, setting up of the Bad bank will help.
2. That’s because such a bank will get rid of all its toxic assets, which were
reducing its profits, in one quick move.
3. When the recovery money is paid back, it will further improve the bank’s
position. Meanwhile, it can start lending again.
● Government and Taxpayer Perspective:
1. Whether it is recapitalising PSBs laden with bad loans or giving guarantees
for security receipts, the money is coming from the taxpayers’ pocket.
2. While recapitalisation and such guarantees are often designated as “reforms”,
they are band aids at best.
3. The only sustainable solution is to improve the lending operation in PSBs.
● The plan of bailing out commercial banks will collapse if the bad bank is
unable to sell such impaired assets in the market. The burden indeed will fall
upon the taxpayer.

Pros and Cons of setting up a bad bank:

Pros:
● It can help consolidate all bad loans of banks under a single exclusive entity.
The idea of a bad bank has been tried out in countries such as the U.S.,
Germany, Japan and others in the past.
● The troubled asset relief program, also known as TARP, implemented by the
U.S.Treasury in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, was modeled
around the idea of a bad bank.
Cons:
● A bad bank backed by the government will merely shift bad assets from the
hands of public sector banks, which are owned by the government,to the
hands of a bad bank, which is again owned by the government.
● Analysts believe that unlike a bad bank set up by the private sector, a bad
bank backed by the government is likely to pay too much for stressed assets.
While this may be good news for public sector banks, which have been
reluctant to incur losses by selling off their bad loans at cheap prices, it is bad
news for taxpayers who will once again have to foot the bill for bailing out
troubled banks.

How will bad banks help credit flow in the economy?

 ● Some experts believe that by taking bad loans off the books of troubled banks,
a bad bank can help free capital of over ₹5 lakh crore that is locked in by
banks as provisions against these bad loans. This will give banks the freedom
to use the freed capital to extend more loans to their customers.
● It is important not to mistake banks' reserve requirements for their capital
position. This is because what may be stopping banks from lending more
aggressively may not be the lack of sufficient reserves which banks need to
maintain against their loans.

Demand of Indian Banks:

● Normally, a single entity to be held accountable as owner, and for recovery of
the assets, is the practice followed across geographies.
● Possibly a ‘Principal and Agent mechanism’ or similar arrangement may
evolve to resolve this issue.
● The Indian Banks’ Association is learnt to have wanted a dual structure, with
the AMC as a privately held entity, to be out of the purview of the regulatory
entities.

National Asset Reconstruction Company(NARCL):

● The NARCL has been set up and issued a license by the RBI to conduct
business as an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC).
1. NARCL will acquire stressed assets worth about Rs 2 lakh crore from
various commercial banks in different phases.
2. Public Sector Banks (PSBs) will maintain 51% ownership in NARCL.
India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL)
● It will provide management and resolution of assets and also help in the
operational aspects, relating to price discovery and aim at evolving the best
possible recovery and the resolution process.
● PSBs and Public Financial Institutes (FIs) will hold a maximum of 49% stake
in IDRCL. The remaining 51% stake will be with private-sector lenders.
● The NARCL is majorly owned by public sector banks with 51%
ownership but in the case of the IDRCL, 51% shares are in private hands.
Non-Performing Assets(NPAs):
 ● NPA refers to a classification for loans or advances that are in default or are
in arrears on scheduled payments of principal or interest.
● In most cases, debt is classified as non-performing, when the loan payments
have not been made for a minimum period of 90 days.
● Gross non-performing assets are the sum of all the loans that have been
defaulted by the individuals who have acquired loans from the financial
institution.
● Net non-performing assets are the amount that is realized after provision
amount has been deducted from the gross non-performing assets.

Way Forward
■ So long as Public Sector Banks’ managements remain beholden to politicians
and bureaucrats, their deficit in professionalism will remain and
subsequently, prudential norms in lending will continue to suffer.
■ Therefore, a bad bank is a good idea, but the main challenge lies with tackling
the underlying structural problems in the banking system and announcing
reforms accordingly.
■ Many public sector banks may be considered to be technically insolvent, as an
accurate recognition of the true scale of their bad loans would show their
liabilities to be far exceeding their assets.
■ A bad bank, inreality, could help improve bank lending not shoring up bank
reserves but by improving banks’ capital buffers

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

Bad banks can help consolidate all bad loans of banks under a single exclusive
entity. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Towards a single low tax regime
Source: The Hindu
■ Prelims: Indian Economy(Fiscal Policy, GST)
■ Mains GS Paper III: Fiscal policy, GST Council, Cooperative Federalism etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ In 2018, the late FinanceMinister, announced that the 28% GST slab, which he
called the “dying slab”, would be phased out, except for luxury items.
■ India, he said, would eventually have just two slabs: 5% and a standard rate
between 12% and 18% (apart from exempt items).

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Goods and Services Tax(GST)
● GST was introduced through the 101st Constitution Amendment Act, 2016.
● It is the biggest indirect tax reform in the country.
● It was introduced on the pretext of ‘One Nation One Tax’.
● It has subsumed indirect taxes like excise duty, Value Added Tax (VAT),
service tax, luxury tax etc.
● It is levied at the final consumption point and is essentially a consumption
tax.
● It has led to a common national market as it helped mitigate the double
taxation, cascading effect of taxes, multiplicity of taxes, classification issues
etc.
● The GST paid by a merchant to procure goods or services (i.e. on inputs) can
be set off later against the tax applicable on supply of final goods and services.
 ● The GST avoids the cascading effect or tax on tax which increases the tax
burden on the end consumer.

Tax Structure under GST:

● Central GST to cover Excise duty, Service tax etc
● State GST to cover VAT, luxury tax etc.
● Integrated GST (IGST) to cover inter-state trade. It is not a tax per se but a
system to coordinate state and union taxes.
● It has a 4-tier tax structure for all goods and services under the slabs- 5%,
12%, 18% and 28%.

Issues with GST:

● Imposing a high GST in some areas does not make sense.
○ ‘Sin’ taxes, for instance, are at cross purposes with the government’s
policy of generating growth and creating jobs under Make in India’.
○ The hotel generates indirect employment in ancillary areas: it buys bed
linen, furnishings, rugs and carpets, air conditioners, cutlery, electrical
fittings and furniture, and consumes enormous quantities of food
produce. All these generate jobs and income for farmers, construction
contractors,artisans and other manufacturers.
○ Five star hotels also generate foreign exchange by attracting rich
tourists and visitors. So, it’s unwise to tax these hotels to death.
● High taxes on air conditioners, air conditioned restaurants, chocolates and
luxury cars create an economic ripple effect downstream, in a complex web of
businesses that have symbiotic relationships. The effect finally reaches down
to the bottom of the employment pyramid.
 ● GST on bread is zero, but the vegetable sandwich is in the 5% tax slab, hitting
the vegetable grower directly.
● Taxes on wine, rum and beer, which generate large-scale employment and are
the backbone of grape and sugarcane farming and the cocoa industry.
● In the automobile sector, the GST on electric cars, tractors, cycles,bikes, low
end and luxury cars ranges anywhere from 5% to 50%. The Sale of
automobiles is the barometer of an economy.
● The confusion has given rise to several disputes. ID Fresh Food, for instance,
which makes ready to eat foods like chapatis, rotis, parotas and sells various
types of idli and dosa batter appealed against a GST ruling of the Authority for
Advance Rulings.
● There are items that are exempt from GST. Petrol, diesel, aviation turbine
fuel are not under the purview of GST, but come under Central excise and
State taxes.
○ Central excise duties and varying State Taxes contribute over 50% of
the retail price of petrol and diesel, probably the highest in the world
barring banana republics.
● There is distrust between the States and the Centre on revenue sharing. There
is also anger at the Centre for riding roughshod over the States’ autonomy
and disregarding the federal structure of the Constitution.

GST Compensation:
● In theory the GST should generate as much revenue as the previous tax
regime.
● The new tax regime is taxed on consumption and not manufacturing.
● The tax won’t be levied at the place of production which also means
manufacturing states would lose out and hence several states strongly
opposed the idea of GST.
● It was to assuage these states that the idea of compensation was mooted.
● The Center promised compensation to the States for any shortfall in tax
revenue due to GST implementation for a period of five years.
● This promise convinced a large number of reluctant States to sign on to the
new indirect tax regime.

Compensation Cess:
● Under the GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, the percentage of annual
revenue growth of a State has been projected to be 14%.
 ● If the annual revenue growth of a State is less than 14%, the State is entitled
to receive compensation under the statute.
● The compensation payable to a State shall be provisionally calculated and
released at the end of every two months period.
● States are guaranteed compensation for any revenue shortfall below 14%
growth (base year 2015-16) for the first five years ending 2022.
● All the taxpayers, except those who export specific notified goods and those
who have opted for GST composition scheme, are liable to collect and remit
the GST compensation cess to the central government.

GST Compensation Cess consists of:

● Cess levied on sin and luxury goods for five years.
● The entire cess collected during the year is required to be credited to a non-
lapsable Fund (the GST Compensation Cess Fund).
● The collected compensation cess flows into the CFI and is then transferred to
the Public Account of India, where the GST compensation cess fund has been
created.

Federalism:
● Federalism in essence is a dual government system including the Centre and a
number of States. Federalism is one of the pillars of the Basic Structure of the
Constitution.
● S.R. Bommai vs Union of India case, the States are not mere appendages of
the Union and the latter should ensure that the powers of the States are not
trampled with.
Supreme Court on Federalism:
● Federalism in India is “a dialogue in which the states and the Centre
constantly engage in conversations”.
● It is not imperative that one of the federal units (Centre or states) must
always possess a higher share of power over the other units.
● It said that recommendations of the GST Council “are the product of a
collaborative dialogue involving the Union and States”.
● It pointed out that Article 246A of the Constitution stipulates that both
Parliament and state legislatures have “simultaneous” power to legislate on
GST.
Cooperative Federalism:
 1. It is a horizontal relationship between centre and state, where they
“cooperate” in the larger public interest.
2. It enables states’ participation in the formulation and implementation of
national policies.
3. Both centre and State are constitutionally obliged to cooperate with each
other on the matters specified in Schedule VII of the constitution.
Competitive Federalism:
1. The relationship between the Central and state governments is vertical and
between state governments is horizontal.
2. The endowments of states in the free-market economy, available resource
base and their comparative advantages all foster a spirit of competition.
3. In Competitive federalism States compete among themselves and also with
the Centre for benefits.
4. It is not part of the basic structure of the Indian constitution. It is the
decision of the executives.
5. States compete with each other to attract funds and investment, which
facilitates efficiency in administration and enhances developmental activities.

KISS principle:
● It is an acronym for keep it simple, stupid, is a design principle noted by the
U.S. Navy in 1960.
● The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept
simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key
goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.
● The low cost airline model is successful because of the KISS principle. All
The frills such as food, freebies and assigned seats are dispensed with.

Article 246A: Parliament and the Legislature of every State, have power to make
laws with respect to goods and services tax imposed by the Union or by such State.

Article 279A:The President shall, within sixty days from the date of
commencement of the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act,
2016, by order, constitute a Council to be called the Goods and Services Tax
Council.
 Cascading effect of tax: when there is a tax levied on a product at every step of
sale. The tax is levied on a value that includes tax paid by previous buyers thus
making end consumer pay tax on already paid tax.

Way Forward
■ The directives to the bureaucracy is necessary from the ruling dispensation to
come up with just two categories: goods eligible for zero tax and goods that
will fall under a single rate, say 10% or 12%, everything except those
specifically exempt, is taxed.
■ The plan must be to figure out how to rev up the economy by making the rich
and upper middle class spend and move more people up the value chain in
order that more chocolates and ACs and automobiles are bought by them,
instead of designing a tax system that keeps these products out of the new
consumer class’s reach.
■ The government should do away with all the confusing tax slabs in one fell
swoop. It can usher in a truly single low tax regime along with a list of exempt
items. That will ensure compliance, widen the tax net, improve ease of doing
business, boost the economy, create jobs, increase tax collections and reduce
corruption as witnessed in many countries –a move that will be both populist
and well regarded by economists.
■ GST is a positive step towards shifting the Indian economy from the informal
to formal economy. It is important to utilize experiences from global
economies that have implemented GST before us,to overcome the impending
challenges.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India should follow a unified single tax regime as empirical data from across the
world on the benefits of a unified single tax is incontrovertible. Do you agree with
this statement? Justify your answer with proper arguments.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
 EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Green hydrogen: Fuel of the future?

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national and international importance,
Environmental pollution and degradation(Paris Agreement, WEF)
■ Mains GS Paper III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation,
WEF.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ At the World Economic Forum(WEF) in Davos, Switzerland,the Minister of
Petroleum and Natural Gas said India will emerge as the leader of green
hydrogen by taking advantage of the current energy crisis across the globe.
■ His assertion came almost a month after Oil India Limited (OIL)
commissioned India’s first 99.99% pure green hydrogen plant in eastern
Assam’s Jorhat.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Hydrogen
It is one of the most abundant elements on earth for a cleaner alternative fuel
option.
Type of hydrogen depend up on the process of its formation:
Green hydrogen:
1. It is produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy (like Solar,
Wind) and has a lower carbon footprint.
2. Electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.
3. By Products : Water, Water Vapour.
Brown hydrogen:
It is produced using coal where the emissions are released to the air.
Grey hydrogen:
1. It is produced from natural gas where the associated emissions are released
to the air.
2. It currently accounts for 95% of the total production in South Asia
Blue hydrogen:
It is produced from natural gas, where the emissions are captured using carbon
capture and storage.

Advantages of hydrogen as a fuel:

● The intermittent nature of renewable energy, especially wind, leads to grid
instability. Green hydrogen can be stored for long periods of time. The stored
hydrogen can be used to produce electricity using fuel cells.
● Experts say that oxygen, produced as a byproduct (8kg of oxygen is produced
per 1 kg of hydrogen), can also be monetised by using it for industrial and
medical applications or for enriching the environment.
● Green hydrogen can drive India’s transition to clean energy, combat climate
change.
● Under the Paris Climate Agreement, India pledged to reduce the emission
intensity of its economy by 33-35% from 2005 levels by 2030.
● It will reduce import dependency on fossil fuels.
● The localisation of electrolyser production and the development of green
hydrogen projects can create a new green technologies market in India worth
$18-20 billion and thousands of jobs.

Why is India pursuing green hydrogen?

 ● At the 2021 Conference of Parties In Glasgow, India reiterated its
commitment to move from a fossil and import dependent economy to a net
zero economy by 2070.
● Under the Paris Agreement (a legally binding international treaty on climate
change with the goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C compared to
pre industrial levels) of 2015, India is committed to reducing its greenhouse
gas emissions by 33-35% from the 2005 levels.
● India’s average annual energy import bill is more than $100billion and the
increased consumption of fossil fuel has made the country a high carbon
dioxide (CO2) emitter, accounting for nearly 7% of the global CO2 burden.
● In order to become energy independent by 2047, the government stressed
the need to introduce green hydrogen as an alternative fuel that can make
India the global hub and a major exporter of hydrogen.
● The National Hydrogen Mission was launched with a view to cutting down
carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable sources of energy.

Potential:
● India has a favourable geographic location and abundance of sunlight and
wind for the production of green hydrogen.
● Green hydrogen technologies are being promoted in sectors where direct
electrification isn't feasible(Heavy duty, long-range transport, some
industrial sectors and long-term storage in the power sector are some of
these sectors).
● The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) produced a draft
cabinet note to establish a hydrogen ecosystem in the country.
● India has just begun to generate green hydrogen with the objective of raising
non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
● public sector OIL, eastern Assam’s Duliajan, set up India's First 99.99% pure
green hydrogen pilot plant in keeping with the goal of “making the country
ready for the pilot scale production of hydrogen and its use in various
applications.
● Research and development efforts are ongoing for the reduction in the cost of
production,storage and the transportation” of hydrogen.

Challenges:
 ● Economic Sustainability: One of the biggest challenges faced by the industry
for using hydrogen commercially is the economic sustainability of extracting
green hydrogen.
● For transportation fuel cells, hydrogen must be cost-competitive with
conventional fuels and technologies on a per-mile basis.
● High Costs and Lack of Supporting Infrastructure: Fuel cells which convert
hydrogen fuel to usable energy for cars,are still expensive.
● The hydrogen station infrastructure needed to refuel hydrogen fuel cell cars
is still widely underdeveloped.

Steps taken by the government:

● The Union Budget for 2021-22 has announced a National Hydrogen Energy
Mission (NHM) that will draw up a road map for using hydrogen as an energy
source.
● Initiatives for Renewable Energy:
1. Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
2. International Solar Alliance.
3. PM- KUSUM.
4. National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy.
5. Rooftop Solar Scheme.

World Economic Forum(WEF)

● It is a Swiss nonprofit foundation established in 1971, based in Geneva,
Switzerland.
● It is an international institution for public-private cooperation.
● It is Committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business,
political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional,
and industry agendas.
● Major reports published by WEF are:
Energy Transition Index.
Global Competitiveness Report.
Global IT Report
WEF along with INSEAD, and Cornell University publishes this report.
Global Gender Gap Report.
 Global Risk Report.
Global Travel and Tourism Report.

National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHM):

● It focuses on the generation of hydrogen from green power resources.
● To link India’s growing renewable capacity with the hydrogen economy.
● India's ambitious goal of 175 GW by 2022 got an impetus in the 2021-22
budget which allocated Rs. 1500 crore for renewable energy development
and NHM.
● The usage of hydrogen will not only help India in achieving its emission
goals under the Paris Agreement, but will also reduce import dependency
on fossil fuels.

Paris Climate Agreement:

● It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change.
● It was adopted by 196 countries at Conference of the Parties COP 21 in
Paris in December 2015.
● To limit global warming to well below 2° Celsius, and preferably limit it to
1.5° Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
● Its objective is to achieve the long-term temperature goal. Countries aim to
reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to
achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century.

Way Forward
■ Set a national target for green hydrogen and electrolyser capacity: A
phased manufacturing programme should be used to build a vibrant
hydrogen products export industry in India such as green steel (commercial
hydrogen steel plant).
■ Implement complementary solutions that create virtuous cycles: For
example hydrogen infrastructure can be set up for refueling, heating and
generating electricity at airports.
 ■ Decentralized Production: Decentralized hydrogen production must be
promoted through open access of renewable power to an electrolyser (which
splits water to form H2 and O2 using electricity).
■ Providing Finance: Policymakers must facilitate investments in early-stage
piloting and the research and development needed to advance the technology
for use in India.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India has a favourable geographic location and abundance of sunlight and wind for
the production of green hydrogen. In the light of this statement discuss the
challenges faced and steps taken by the government for green hydrogen production.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
Paying a price

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Current events of national and international importance(WHO, WTO,
TRIPS, Monkeypox,Covid-19, vaccination policy).
■ Mains GS Paper II: Reforms in international organizations and laws, TRIPS,
vaccination policies)
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Monkeypox infection, the virus has spread to at least 21 countries and
infected 226 people, mainly in Europe and North America.
■ As per WHO, more cases can be expected as surveillance expands, scientists
believe the virus has been spreading under the radar for sometime
■ All the 21 countries that have reported at least one case are non endemic for
monkeypox, raising concerns about the fast spread of the virus,by far the
largest outbreak in humans outside Africa.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Monkeypox:
 ● Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical
rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to
other regions.
● Monkeypox virus infection has been detected in squirrels, Gambian poached
rats, dormice, and some species of monkeys.
● Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus
genus in the family Poxviridae.
● Monkeypox infection was first discovered in 1958 following two outbreaks of
a pox-like disease in colonies of monkeys kept for research — which led to
the name ‘monkeypox’.
● Symptoms:
1. Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph
nodes.
2. It causes the lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy), which smallpox does
not.
● Transmission: Monkeypox virus is mostly transmitted to people from wild
animals such as rodents and primates, but human-to-human transmission
also occurs.
● Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by contact
with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated
materials such as bedding.
● The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is
usually 7-14 days but can range from 5-21 days.
● Fatality Rate: Typically, up to a tenth of people ill with monkeypox may die,
with most deaths occurring in younger age groups.
● Treatment: The clinical presentation of monkeypox resembles that of
smallpox, a related orthopoxvirus infection which was declared eradicated
worldwide in 1980.
● A new third generation vaccinia vaccine has now been approved for
prevention of smallpox and monkeypox. Antiviral agents are also being
developed.

How is Monkeypox different from smallpox?

● The monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus, which is a genus of viruses that
also includes the variola virus, which causes smallpox, and vaccinia virus,
which was used in the smallpox vaccine.
● Monkeypox causes symptoms similar to smallpox, but they are less severe.
 ● Many symptoms of both the diseases vary like monkeypox causes lymph
nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy) while smallpox does not.
● While vaccination eradicated smallpox worldwide in 1980, monkeypox
continues to occur in countries in Central and West Africa, and has on
occasion showed up elsewhere.

Significance of vaccines:
● At the individual level, vaccines provide protection from disease and death,
and preferably also from mild disease and infection.
● From a public health point of view, vaccines decrease the burden of illness
and spread of infection.
● Besides these, for society, the ability to go back to productivity and social
interactions also matters.

What are Patents?

● It represents a powerful IP right and is an exclusive monopoly granted by a
government to an inventor for a limited, pre-specified time.
● It provides an enforceable legal right to prevent others from copying the
invention.
● Patents can be either process patents or product patents.
● A product patent ensures that the rights to the final product is protected and
anyone other than the patent holder is restrained from manufacturing it
during a specified period. This is applicable even in the cases if they were to
use a different process.
● A process patent enables any person other than the patent holder to
manufacture the patented product by modifying certain processes in the
manufacturing exercise.

Patents and India:

● India moved from product patenting to process patenting in the 1970s, which
enabled India to become a significant producer of generic drugs at global
scale.
● India later adopted process patenting rather than product patenting, and built
up a huge generic industry which allowed companies like Cipla to provide
Africa with anti-HIV drugs in the 1990s.
 ● Obligations arising out of the TRIPS Agreement, India had to amend the
Patents Act in 2005 and switch to a product patents regime across the
pharma, chemicals, and biotech sectors.

TRIPS Agreement:
● It was negotiated in 1995 at the WTO, it requires all its signatory countries to
enact domestic law.
● It guarantees minimum standards of IP protection.
● Such legal consistency enables innovators to monetise their intellectual
property in multiple countries.
● In 2001, the WTO signed the Doha Declaration, which clarified that in a
public health emergency, governments could compel companies to license
their patents to manufacturers, even if they did not think the offered price
was acceptable.
● This provision, commonly referred to as “compulsory licensing”, was already
built into the TRIPS Agreement and the Doha declaration only clarified its
usage.
● Under Section 92 of the 1970 Indian Patents Act, the central government
has the power to allow compulsory licenses to be issued at any time in case of
a national emergency or circumstances of extreme urgency.

Issues with TRIPS:

● The process of vaccine development and manufacturing has several steps,
and involves a complex intellectual property mechanism.
● Different types of IP rights apply to different steps and there is no one kind of
IP that could unlock the secret to manufacturing a vaccine.
● The expertise to manufacture it may be protected as a trade secret, and the
data from clinical trials to test vaccine safety and efficacy may be protected by
copyright.
● Manufacturing vaccines will need to design the process for manufacturing the
vaccines, source necessary raw materials, build production facilities, and
conduct clinical trials to get regulatory approvals.
● The manufacturing process itself has different steps, some of which may be
subcontracted to other parties.
● Thus, a patent waiver alone does not empower manufacturers to start vaccine
production immediately.
Suggestions by India during Covid Summit on vaccine policy:
● Access to therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics:
1. Any reform in WHO should not dilute the vaccine approval process already in
place as happened in case of Covaxin vaccination of India in which emergency
use listing (EUL) of Covaxin was intentionally delayed by the health agency,
2. The TRIPS flexibility provided for public health, under Doha Declaration,
may not be sufficient to deal with crises such as Covid-19 pandemic.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION(WHO):

● The World Health Organization came to be established in 1948.
● It became the first specialized agency of the United Nations to which every
member subscribed.
● The WHO is headed by its Director-General and is headquartered in Geneva.
Currently, the WHO has 194 member countries.
● Full membership of the WHO is only guaranteed with the ratifying of the
treaty known as the Constitution of the World Health Organization.
● The member states of the WHO appoint delegates to the World Health
Assembly, which is the supreme decision-making body.
● The World Health Assembly is attended by delegations from all Member
States and determines the policies of the Organization.
● On May 19, 2020, India was elected by the 73rd World Health Assembly to
the Executive Board of the World Health Organization for three years.
● The WHO celebrates World Health Day annually on its formation day (7
April). The theme for 2022 was “Our Planet, Our Health'.
● It acts as the directing and coordinating authority on international health
work.
● It establishes and maintains effective collaboration with the United Nations,
specialized agencies, governmental health administrations, professional
groups and such other organizations as may be deemed appropriate.
● It provides assistance to the Governments, upon request, in strengthening
health services.
● It promotes cooperation among scientific and professional groups which
contribute to the advancement of health.
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC):
It implies a situation which is:
● Serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected.
● Carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national
border.
● May require immediate international action.

International Health Regulations(IHR) 2005:

The International Health Regulations, or IHR (2005), represent an agreement
between 196 countries including all WHO Member States to work together for
global health security.

● Through IHR, countries have agreed to build their capacities to detect,

assess and report public health events.
● WHO plays the coordinating role in IHR and, together with its partners,
helps countries to build capacities.
● IHR also includes specific measures at ports, airports and ground crossings
to limit the spread of health risks to neighboring countries, and to prevent
unwarranted travel and trade restrictions so that traffic and trade
disruption is kept to a minimum.

Compulsory Licensing:
● It allows governments to license third parties (that is, parties other than
the patent holders) to produce and market a patented product or process
without the consent of patent owners.
● Any time after three years from date of sealing of a patent, application for
compulsory license can be made, provided:
1. Reasonable requirements of the public have not been satisfied.
2. Patented invention is not available to public at a reasonably affordable price
3. Patented inventions are not carried out in India.
● Compulsory Licencing is regulated under the Indian Patent Act, 1970.
● The TRIPS Agreement does not specifically list the reasons that might be
used to justify compulsory licensing.
● Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health confirms that countries are
free to determine the grounds for granting compulsory licenses, and to
determine what constitutes a national emergency.
Indian Patents Act, 1970:
● It replaced the Indian Patents and Designs Act 1911.
● The Act was amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005, wherein
product patent was extended to all fields of technology including food,
drugs, chemicals and microorganisms.
● After the amendment, the provisions relating to Exclusive Marketing
Rights (EMRs) have been repealed, and a provision for enabling grant of
compulsory license has been introduced.
● The provisions relating to pre-grant and post-grant opposition have also
been introduced.

World Trade Organization (WTO):

● It is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of
trade between nations.
● WTO has 164 members (including the European Union) and 23 observer
governments (like Iran, Iraq, Bhutan, Libya etc).
● WTO’s global system lowers trade barriers through negotiation and
operates under the principle of non-discrimination.
● The WTO’s system deals with these in two ways:
1. One is by talking: countries negotiate rules that are acceptable to all.
2. By settling disputes about whether countries are playing by those agreed
rules.
● Underlying the WTO’s trading system is the fact that more open trade can
boost economic growth and help countries develop.
● The WTO can encourage good governance. Transparency, shared
information and knowledge levels the playing field.

Smallpox:
● It is a contagious disease, caused by the Variola Virus (VARV).
● It transmits through the droplets released from coughing, sneezing, and face
to face contact with an infected person.
● One of the deadliest diseases known to mankind, it is also the only one to
have been eradicated by vaccination.
 ● In 1980, this was declared as completely eradicated after the global
immunization campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO) with
the help of the smallpox vaccine.
● Vaccine: The first effective vaccine was discovered by Edward Jenner in
1796.

Way Forward
■ Plugging Shortage of Vaccine: The richest countries have cornered about 80
percent of vaccine supplies so far. Thus, compulsory licensing can be used to
augment the supply of drugs and other therapeutics.
■ Nudging Voluntary Licensing: An assertive posture on compulsory licenses
would also have the advantage of forcing several pharmaceutical companies
to offer licenses voluntarily.
■ India has historically played a leading role in mainstreaming TRIPS
flexibilities like the compulsory license at the WTO. In this global and national
health emergency, the government should inexplicably make use of
compulsory licenses.
■ There is an urgent need for the global community to address this issue by
making bold efforts and ensuring vigilance and preparedness in our
healthcare systems.
■ The primary objective should be to improve capacity for global pandemic
prevention, preparedness, and response, and strengthen our ability to fight
back any such pandemic in future.
■ Creation of Global Framework for Management of Infectious Diseases &
Pandemics. There is a need to create a monitoring mechanism and support to
member states on International Health Regulations along with preparedness
of infrastructure, human resources and relevant health systems capacities
such as testing and surveillance systems.
■ It is important to ensure fair, affordable, and equitable access to all tools for
combating pandemics and, therefore, the need to build a framework for their
allocation.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

The increasing trend of rise in zoonotic diseases pose a threat to human existence.
In the light of this statement discuss the significance of vaccines and critically
analyze TRIPS agreement.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The Digital India Transformation

Source: The Indian Express

■ Prelims: 4G, 5G, Governance(Adhar, UIDAI, KYC,Bharatnet, CSCs, drones.
■ Mains GS Paper II: Digital India, Important aspects of governance(e
governance, accountability), Application of drones.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ Recently the Prime Minister said that Digital India is a transformative
programme to deliver that every Indian must have a smartphone in his hand
and every field must be covered by a drone”.
■ Digital technology must be low-cost, developmental, inclusive, and
substantially home-grown and it should bridge the digital divide and usher in
digital inclusion.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Digital India:
● It is an umbrella program to prepare India for a knowledge-based
transformation.
● It weaves together a large number of ideas and thoughts into a single
comprehensive vision so that each of them is seen as part of a larger goal.
● It has been launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (Meity).
● Vision of Digital India:
1. Digital infrastructure as Utility to Every Citizen
2. Governance and services on demand
3. Digital empowerment of citizens
Initiatives Under Digital India:
● MyGov:
1. It establishes a link between Government and Citizens towards meeting the
goal of good governance.
2. It encourages citizens as well as people abroad to participate in various
activities i.e. 'Do', 'Discuss', 'Poll', 'Talk', ‘Blog’, etc.
● DigiLocker:
It serves as a platform to enable citizens to securely store and share their
documents with service providers who can directly access them
electronically.
● e-Hospital-Online Registration Framework (ORF):
1. It is an initiative to facilitate the patients to take online OPD appointments
with government hospitals.
2. This framework also covers patient care, laboratory services and medical
record management.
● National Scholarships Portal (NSP):
It provides a centralized platform for application and disbursement of
scholarship to students under any scholarship scheme.
● DARPAN:
1. It is an online tool that can be used to monitor and analyze the
implementation of critical and high priority projects of the State.
 2. It facilitates presentation of real time data on Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) of selected schemes/projects to the senior functionaries of the State
Government as well as district administration.
● PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation):
1. It started a culture of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.
2. It is also a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability
with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.
● Common Services Centres 2.0 (CSC 2.0):
1. They are implemented to develop and provide support to the use of
information technology in rural areas of the country.
2. The CSCs are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled
kiosks with broadband connectivity to provide various Governments, private
and social services at the doorstep of the citizen.
● Mobile Seva:
It provides government services to the people through mobile phones and
tablets.
● BharatNet Project
1. BharatNet is a flagship mission implemented by Bharat Broadband Network
Ltd. (BBNL).
2. It is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up by the Government of India under
the Companies Act, 1956 with an authorized capital of Rs 1000 crore.
3. It is being implemented by the Department of Telecommunication under
the Ministry of Communications.
4. It aims to facilitate the delivery of e-governance, e-health, e-education, e-
banking, Internet and other services to rural India.
5. It aims to connect all the 2,50,000 Gram panchayats in the country and
provide 100 Mbps connectivity to all gram panchayats.

Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme:

● It has been visioned as an aid for simpler and faster flow of information and
funds to the beneficiaries and to reduce the fraud in the delivery system.
● Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS), the earlier version of the
Public Financial Management System (PFMS), of the Office of Controller
General of Accounts, was chosen to act as the common platform for routing of
the Direct Benefit Transfer.
● Components of DBT:
1. Beneficiary Account Validation System
 2. A robust payment and reconciliation platform integrated with RBI, NPCI,
Public & Private Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks
(core banking solutions of banks, settlement systems of RBI, Aadhaar
Payment Bridge of NPCI) etc.
● Schemes involving DBT:
1. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
2. National Food Security Mission
3. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana
4. PM KISAN
5. Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin
6. Atal Pension Yojana
7. National AYUSH Mission.etc

e-Governance(electronic governance):
● It can be defined as the application of information and communication
technology (ICT) for providing government services, exchange of information,
transactions, integration of previously existing services and information
portals.
● It includes the publishing of policy and program-related information to
transact with citizens.
● It extends beyond the provision of online services and covers the use of IT for
strategic planning and reaching the development goals of the government.

Benefits of e-governance:

Challenges to E-Governance:
4G and 5G:
4G 5G

4G uses lower radio frequencies of 700 5G utilizes much higher radio

mhz to 2500 mh frequencies of 28 ghz.

4G speed is lesser with less data 5G transfers more data over the air at
transfer. faster speeds.

4G has higher latency as compared to 5G has lower latency i.e the delay before
5G. Latency for 4G is around 20-30 a transfer of data begins following an
milliseconds. instruction. Latency for 5G is predicted
to be below 10 milliseconds, and in
best cases around 1 millisecond.

4G supports a lesser number of devices 5G uses millimeter wave spectrum

of about 4,000 devices per square which enables more devices to be used
kilometer. within the same geographic area
supporting around one million per
square kilometer.

4G has led to more congestion and 5G uses a new digital technology that
lesser coverage as compared to 5G. improves coverage, speed and capacity.

Jan-Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity:

● JAM, derived from Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile, combines bank accounts for
the poor.
● It eliminates leakage in the transfer of benefits and enabling the poor to have
bank accounts are worthy objectives of JAM.
● Aadhaar being the pivot here, allows the government to ensure that benefits
reach the poor and enables them to make payments through ordinary mobile
phones.
● JAM ensures seamless transfer of welfare payments and facilitates the making
payments in real time.
● It is believed that the JAM revolution can link all Indians into one common
financial, economic, and digital space.

Drones:
● It is a terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA).
● They were originally developed for the military and aerospace industries,
drones have found their way into the mainstream because of the enhanced
levels of safety and efficiency they bring.
● A drone’s autonomy level can range from remotely piloted (a human controls
its movements) to advanced autonomy, which means that it relies on a
system of sensors and LIDAR detectors to calculate its movement.
Application of Drones:
Application of Drones in Agriculture:

SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in

Village Areas) scheme:
● It is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State
Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of
India
 ● It aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.
● It is a scheme for mapping the land parcels in rural inhabited areas using
drone technology and Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS).
● The mapping will be done across the country in a phase-wise manner over a
period of four years from 2020 to 2024.
● The scheme will enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat
Development Plans (GPDPs), using the maps created under this programme.

National Policy on Electronics 2019:

● It aims to create an ecosystem for the globally competitive ESDM sector by
promoting domestic manufacturing and export in the entire electronics
system value-chain.
● Providing incentives and support for manufacturing of core electronic
components.
● Special package of incentives for mega projects which are extremely high-tech
and entail huge investments, such as semiconductor facilities display
fabrication, etc.
● Formulation of suitable schemes and incentive mechanisms to encourage new
units and expansion of existing units.
● Promotion of Industry-led R&D and innovation in all sub-sectors of
electronics, including grass root level innovations and early stage Startups in
emerging technology areas such as 5G, Internet of Things (IoT)/ Sensors,
Artificial Intelligence (Al), Machine Learning, Virtual Reality (VR), Drones,
Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Photonics, Nano-based devices, etc.
● Providing incentives and support for significantly enhancing availability of
skilled manpower, including re-skilling.
● It provides for special thrust on the Fabless Chip Design Industry, Medical
Electronic Devices Industry, Automotive Electronics Industry and Power
Electronics for Mobility and Strategic Electronics Industry.
● Creation of Sovereign Patent Fund (SPF) to promote the development and
acquisition of Intellectual Properties(IPs) in the ESDM sector.
● Promotion of trusted electronics value chain initiatives to improve national
cyber security profile.

Schemes for Electronic Manufacturing:

● The Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for large scale electronics
manufacturing.
 ● The scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and
Semiconductors (SPECS).
● The modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme.

Digital Divide:
● Huge gap between users and non-users of e-govt. services.
● The digital divide takes form in rich-poor, male-female, urban-rural etc
segments of the population.
● The gap needs to be narrowed down, then only the benefits of e-governance
would be utilized equally.
KYC(Know your Customer):
● It is a term used for the customer identification process.
● It involves making reasonable efforts to determine true identity and
beneficial ownership of accounts, source of funds, the nature of customer’s
business, reasonableness of operations in the account in relation to the
customer’s business, etc which in turn helps the banks to manage their risks
prudently.
● The objective of the KYC guidelines is to prevent banks being used,
intentionally or unintentionally by criminal elements for money laundering.
● KYC has got a legal backing. Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines to
banks under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and Prevention of Money-
Laundering Rules, 2005.
● KYC has two components – Identity and Address. While identity remains the
same, the address may change and hence the banks are required to
periodically update their records.

Aadhar:
● It is a 12-digit random number issued by the Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI) to the residents of India after satisfying the
verification process laid down by the Authority.
● Any individual, irrespective of age and gender, who is a resident of India,
may voluntarily enroll to obtain an Aadhaar number.
● The person willing to enroll has to provide minimal demographic and
biometric information during the enrolment process which is totally free
of cost.
● An individual needs to form Aadhaar only once and after de-duplication
only one Aadhaar shall be generated, as the uniqueness is achieved through
the process of demographic and biometric de-duplication.
● Legal Framework: The Parliament has passed the Aadhaar and Other
Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019 which allows voluntary use of Aadhaar as
proof of identity.

Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS):

● AePS is a bank led model which allows online interoperable financial
transactions at PoS (Point of Sale/Micro ATM) through the Business
Correspondent (BC)/Bank Mitra of any bank using the Aadhaar
authentication.
● This system adds another layer of security to financial transactions as bank
details would no longer be required to be furnished while carrying out
 these transactions.
● It was taken up by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) - a
joint initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’
Association (IBA).
Way Forward
■ There are many roadblocks in the way of its successful implementation like
digital illiteracy, poor infrastructure, low internet speed, lack of
coordination among various departments, issues pertaining to taxation
etc. These challenges need to be addressed in order to realize the full
potential of this programme.
■ Tech solutions empowered by Digital India that has built the infrastructure
for years together today serve as a basis for other emerging interventions in
the fields of start-ups, digital education, seamless banking and payment
solutions, agritech, health tech, smart cities, e-governance and retail
management.
■ The electronics sector has the potential to become one of the top exports of
India in the next 3-5 years. Electronics exports may account for significant
contributions to the Indian economy in terms of foreign exchange earnings
and employment generation.
■ The subsidized purchase of agriculture drones for CHCs/Hi-tech Hubs will
make the technology affordable, resulting in their widespread adoption. This
would make drones more accessible to the common man in India and will also
significantly encourage domestic drone production.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

There is a huge gap of digital divide between rural and urban India. In the light of
this statement discuss the initiatives by the government to promote digital India and
discuss the key features of National Electronic Policy 2019.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
Drones have found their way into the mainstream because of the enhanced levels of
safety and efficiency they bring. Discuss the application of drones in agriculture.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
 EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The Indian Patent Regime and Its Clash with the US Norms
Source: The Hindu
■ Prelims: Current events of national and international importance(Patents,
WTO, TRIPS,Covid-19,).
■ Mains GS Paper II: Reforms in international organizations and laws, Patent
laws, TRIPS,etc)
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The U.S. TradeRepresentative (USTR) said in a report released last month
that India was one of the most challenging major economies as far as IP
protection and enforcement is concerned.
■ It has decided to retain India on its Priority Watch List along with six other
countries—Argentina, Chile, China, Indonesia, Russiaand Venezuela.
■ Among the issues raised in the report are India’s inconsistencies regarding
patent protection,
■ India undertook an intellectual property review exercise last year, where a
ParliamentaryStanding Committee examined this subject.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
What are Patents?
● It represents a powerful IP right and is an exclusive monopoly granted by a
government to an inventor for a limited, pre-specified time.
● It provides an enforceable legal right to prevent others from copying the
invention.
● Patents can be either process patents or product patents.
● A product patent ensures that the rights to the final product is protected and
anyone other than the patent holder is restrained from manufacturing it
during a specified period. This is applicable even in the cases if they were to
use a different process.
● A process patent enables any person other than the patent holder to
manufacture the patented product by modifying certain processes in the
manufacturing exercise.

Patents and India:

● It became a party to the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights (TRIPS) Agreement following its membership to theWorld Trade
Organisation(WTO) on January 1, 1995.
● India is also a signatory to several IPR related conventions, all of which
govern various patent related matters.They include:
1. Berne Convention-which governs copyright.
2. The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of
Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure
3. The Paris Convention-for the Protection of Industrial Property,
4. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
● India moved from product patenting to process patenting in the 1970s, which
enabled India to become a significant producer of generic drugs at global
scale.
● India later adopted process patenting rather than product patenting, and built
up a huge generic industry which allowed companies like Cipla to provide
Africa with anti-HIV drugs in the 1990s.
● Obligations arising out of the TRIPS Agreement, India had to amend the
Patents Act in 2005 and switch to a product patents regime across the
pharma, chemicals, and biotech sectors.

Recent issues with the Indian patents:

 ● The U.S’s Special 301 report, its annual review highlighting the state of
intellectual property rights protection in different countries which are its
trading partners around the world.
● In its India section, the report highlighted following issues:
1. Copyright and piracy
2. Trademark counterfeiting and trade secrets
● It said that India “remained one of the world’s most challenging major
economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP.”
● It said patent issues continued “to be of particular concern in India,”
highlighting:;threat of patent revocations;lack of presumption of patent
validity and narrow patentability criteria as issues which “impact
companies across different sectors.”
● The USTR had also released a similar report in 2021, addressing much of the
same concerns.

Indian Patents Act, 1970:

● It replaced the Indian Patents and Designs Act 1911.
● The Act was amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005, wherein
product patent was extended to all fields of technology including food, drugs,
chemicals and microorganisms.
● After the amendment, the provisions relating to Exclusive Marketing Rights
(EMRs) have been repealed, and a provision for enabling grant of compulsory
license has been introduced.
● The provisions relating to pre-grant and post-grant opposition have also been
introduced.

Article 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act:

● One of the main points of contention between India and the U.S. has been
Article 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act.
● Section 3 deals with what does not qualify as an invention under the Act, and
Section 3(d) in particular excludes:
1. The rediscovery of a new form of a known substance which does not result in
the enhancement of the known efficacy of that substance.
2. Mere discovery of any new property
3. New use for a known substance of the mere use of a known process,machine
or apparatus unless such known process results in a new product or employs
at least one new reactant” from being eligible for protection under patent law.
 ● It prevents the mere discovery of any new property or new use for a known
substance from being patented as an invention unless it enhances the efficacy
of the substance repetitively . This prevents what is known as “evergreening”
of patents.

Issues addressed by Parliamentary Committee on Patents:

● Threat of patent revocations, lack of presumption of patent validity and
narrow patentability criteria as issues which “impact companies across
different sectors were extensively tackled by the Parliamentary Standing
Committee which undertook a ‘review of the intellectual property rights
regime in India.
● Parliamentary Standing Committee pointed out that the section 3(d) “acts as
a safeguard against frivolous inventions in accordance with the flexibility
provided in the TRIPS agreement.
● According to the Committee’s report, Section 3(d) allows for “generic
competition by patenting only novel and genuine inventions.”

TRIPS Agreement:
● It was negotiated in 1995 at the WTO, it requires all its signatory countries to
enact domestic law.
● It guarantees minimum standards of IP protection.
● Such legal consistency enables innovators to monetise their intellectual
property in multiple countries.
● In 2001, the WTO signed the Doha Declaration, which clarified that in a
public health emergency, governments could compel companies to license
their patents to manufacturers, even if they did not think the offered price
was acceptable.
● This provision, commonly referred to as “compulsory licensing”, was already
built into the TRIPS Agreement and the Doha declaration only clarified its
usage.
● Under Section 92 of the 1970 Indian Patents Act, the central government
has the power to allow compulsory licenses to be issued at any time in case of
a national emergency or circumstances of extreme urgency.

Issues with TRIPS:

● The process of vaccine development and manufacturing has several steps,
and involves a complex intellectual property mechanism.
 ● Different types of IP rights apply to different steps and there is no one kind of
IP that could unlock the secret to manufacturing a vaccine.
● The expertise to manufacture it may be protected as a trade secret, and the
data from clinical trials to test vaccine safety and efficacy may be protected by
copyright.
● Manufacturing vaccines will need to design the process for manufacturing the
vaccines, source necessary raw materials, build production facilities, and
conduct clinical trials to get regulatory approvals.
● The manufacturing process itself has different steps, some of which may be
subcontracted to other parties.
● Thus, a patent waiver alone does not empower manufacturers to start vaccine
production immediately.

Way Forward
■ General issues regarding IPR were extensively tackled by the Parliamentary
Standing Committee which undertook a ‘review of the intellectual property
rights regime in India.
■ Nudging Voluntary Licensing: An assertive posture on compulsory licenses
would also have the advantage of forcing several pharmaceutical companies
to offer licenses voluntarily.
■ India has historically played a leading role in mainstreaming TRIPS
flexibilities like the compulsory license at the WTO. In this global and national
health emergency, the government should inexplicably make use of
compulsory licenses.
■ Government’s effort to strengthen National IPR policy, IP appellate tribunal,
e-governance and commitment to abide by the TRIPS agreement of WTO in
letter and spirit will help in improving perception of India globally.
■ An efficient and equitable intellectual property system can help all countries
to realize intellectual property’s potential as a catalyst for economic
development and social & cultural well-being.
■ It is important to ensure fair, affordable, and equitable access to all tools for
combating pandemics and, therefore, the need to build a framework for their
allocation.
■ The report also highlighted some positive steps taken by India in the recent
past, such as the accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization
 (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty and WIPO Copyright
Treaty, collectively known as the WIPO Internet Treaties, in 2018 and the
Nice Agreement in 2019.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

India has gradually aligned itself with international regimes pertaining to
intellectual property rights(IPRs). Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
The status of eVTOL

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Science and technology, electric aircrafts(eVTOL)
■ Mains GS Paper III: Significance of technology for India, Electric aircrafts,
indigenisation of technology and development of new technology.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ The Union Civil Aviation Minister, has said that the Government of India is
exploring the possibility of inviting manufacturers of Electric Vertical Take
off and Landing(eVTOL) aircraft to set up a base in India.
■ Several eVTOL players are ‘keen on setting up production centres’ in the
country.
■ In late May, at “India@2047”, which was part of the seventh edition of the
India Ideas Conclave in Bengaluru, the Minister said that India is in
‘conversation’ with a number of eVTOL producers — the implication being a
futuristic vision for India.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context
Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft:
 ● eVTOL aircraft is one that uses electric power to hover, take off,and land
vertically.
● Most eVTOLs also use distributed electric propulsion technology which
means integrating a complex propulsion system with the airframe.
● There are multiple motors for various functions; to increase efficiency;and to
also ensure safety.
● This is technology that has grown on account of successes in electric
propulsion based on progress in motor, battery, fuel cell and electronic
controller technologies and also fuelled by the need for new vehicle
technology that ensures urban air mobility (UAM).
● Thus,eVTOL is one of the newer technologies and developments in the
aerospace industry.

Advantages of eVTOL:
● It has been called a “runway independent technological solution” for the
globe's transportation needs.
● It opens up new possibilities which aircraft with engines cannot carry out in
areas such as maneuverability, efficiency and even from the environmental
point of view.
● eVTOLs are noise free, have a zero carbon footprint and are more affordable.
● eVTOLs have been likened to “a third wave in an aerial revolution”.
● The roles eVTOLs adopt depends on battery technology and the limits of
onboard electric power. Power is required during the key phases of flight
such as take off, landing and flight (especially in high wind conditions).

Developments in eVTOLs:
● The roles eVTOLs adopt depends on battery technology and the limits of
onboard electric power.
● Power is required during the key phases of flight such as take off, landing and
flight (especially in high wind conditions).
● Weight is an important factor.
● BAE Systems, for example, is looking at formats using a variety of Lithium
batteries(BAE Systems is a British multinational arms, security, and
aerospace company based in London, England).
● Nano Diamond Batteries is looking at “Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV)
technology” using minute amounts of carbon-14 nuclear waste encased in
layered industrial diamonds to create self-charging batteries.
 ● The use of only batteries and looking at hybrid technologies such as
hydrogen cells and batteries depending on the flight mission has been
questioned by experts.
● There is even one that uses a gas-powered generator that powers a small
aircraft engine, in turn charging the battery system.

Challenges Associated with eVTOL:

● Crash Prevention Systems:
1. As the technology so far is a mix of unpiloted and piloted aircraft, the areas in
focus include “crash prevention systems”.
2. These use cameras, radar, GPS (Global Positioning System) and infrared
scanners.
● Ensuring Safety:
1. There are also issues such as ensuring safety in case of powerplant or rotor
failure.
2. Aircraft protection from cyberattacks is another area of focus.
● Navigation and Flight Safety:
Navigation and flight safety and the use of technology when operating in
difficult terrain, unsafe operating environments and also bad weather.

Certification for eVTOL:

● The Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) and the United Kingdom Civil
Aviation Authority announced being engaged in discussions focused on
“facilitating certification and validating new eVTOL aircraft, their production,
continued airworthiness, operations, and personnel licensing”.
● eVTOL technology is to use existing regulatory frameworks despite being in
the form of new and emerging technologies.
● The FAA has clarified that it plans to certify eVTOLs as powered lift aircraft
(an existing category) but in future,“develop additional powered lift
regulations” for innovation in operations and pilot training.
● It plans to use a “special class” process in 14 CFR 21.17(b) to oversee the
unique features of emerging powered lift models.
● It will use the performance based airworthiness standards found in Part 23 of
the FAA regulations.
How will it be in India?
● BetaTechnologies, which has a partnership with the Blade group (it has a
presence in India),to look at the Indian market.
● Blade is an urban air mobility company that aims to connect places that are
heavily congested and also not well connected by air services.
● The concept of ‘Advanced Air Mobility Comes in, i.e., connecting places
through vertical aircraft and thus skipping road travel.
● This is being done now by helicopters, but eVTOLs will step into this space.

Urban Air Mobility (UAM)

● It is the use of small highly automated aircraft to carry passengers or cargo
at lower altitudes in urban and suburban areas which have been developed
in response to traffic congestion .
● It usually refers to existing and emerging technologies such as traditional
helicopters, vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (VTOL), electrically
propelled, vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (eVTOL), and unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs).
● These aircraft are characterized by the use of multiple electric-powered
rotors or fans for lift and propulsion, along with fly-by-wire systems to
control them.

Way Forward
■ India should look at formulating regulations for pilotless vehicles,
airworthiness certificates, and the need for a pilot's license; implementing
efficient energy management systems, onboard sensors,collision detection
systems and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.
■ Create an infrastructural support such as takeoff and landing zones, parking
lots,charging stations and what are called vertiport; creating a robust air
traffic management system that is integrated with other modes of
transportation, and putting in place a database to ensure operational and
mechanical safety.
 ■ There needs to be a document that outlines compliance for eVTOLs and also
aligns frameworks to meet the standards adopted in commercial aviation,
especially when it comes to safety.
■ There is a need for a committee to spell out the guidelines for eVTOL
operations and speed up the process.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

eVTOL is a runway independent technological solution”for the globe’s
transportation needs. Critically analyze.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
A new global standard for AI ethics

Source: The Hindu

■ Prelims: Science and technology, Artificial intelligence(AI), UNESCO etc
■ Mains GS Paper III and IV: Significance of technology for India, AI,
indigenisation of technology and development of new technology.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
■ AI algorithms can also be partially credited for the rapidity with which
vaccines were developed to tackle COVID-19.
■ The algorithm scrunched up complex data from clinical trials being
undertaken in all corners of the world, creating global collabo-rations that
could not have been imagined even a decade ago.
■ National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence released by NITI Aayog in 2018
highlights the massive potential of AI in solving complex social challenges
faced by Indian citizens across areas such as agriculture, health, and edu-
cation
■ In addition to the significant economic returns that AI-related technologies
are already creating.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

Artificial intelligence(AI):
● It is a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent
behavior in computers.
● It describes the action of machines accomplishing tasks that have historically
required human intelligence.
● It includes technologies like machine learning, pattern recognition, big data,
neural networks, self algorithms etc.
● The origin of the concept can be traced back to Greek mythology, although it
is only during modern history when stored program electronic computers
were developed.
● E.g: Facebook’s facial recognition software which identifies faces in the
photos we post, the voice recognition software that translates commands we
give to Alexa, etc are some of the examples of AI already around us.

A Complex Technology:
● AI involves complex things such as feeding a particular data into the machine
and making it react as per the different situations.
● It is basically about creating self-learning patterns where the machine can
give answers to the never answered questions like a human would ever do.
How intelligent are AI’s?
● To test the intelligence of machines Alan Turning devised a practical solution.
Place a computer in a closed room and a human in another. If an interrogator
interacting with the machine and the human cannot discriminate between
them, then Turing said that the computer should be construed as ‘intelligent’.
● Counter View:
A baby learns a language from close interaction with caregivers and not by
acquiring a massive amount of language data. Moreover, whether intelligence
is the same as sentience is questionable.

Is technology dangerous?
● Unethical AI perpetuating historical bias and echoing hate speech may cause
real dangers to society.
● E.g: If AI is to select candidates for any supervisory role then Women and
marginalized communities hardly get in as AI would analyze centuries-old
data, which would exclude these sections as they were discriminated against
during that time.
Benefits of AI:
● In Policing: India still has conventional policing. AI based products open a
new window of opportunity to do predictive policing in India. With the help
of AI, one can predict the pattern of crime, analyze a lot of CCTV footage
which are available across the country to identify suspects.
● Government is digitizing all the records, especially the crime records, putting
it into one single place called CCTNS where all the data including the image,
biometrics, or the criminal history of a convict or suspect is available.
● In Agriculture: It has many uses, for example, it can help sense one how
much water the crop needs.
● For solving complex issues like efficient utilization of available resources.
● Analyzing the Data: The AI technology helps in analyzing data and thus can
improve the efficiency of the systems like power management in cars, mobile
devices, weather predictions, video and image analysis.

Issues with AI:

● AI often isn't representative of the diversity of our societies, producing
outcomes that can be said to be biased or discrimi-natory.
● There are problems emerging in facial recognition technologies,which are
used to access our phones,bank accounts and apartments, and are
increasingly employed by law enforcement authorities, in identifying women
and darker-skinned people.
● While India and China together constitute approximately a third of the
world’s population, Google Brain estimated that they form just 3% of images
used inImageNet, a widely used dataset.
● The right to privacy is under threat, obviously considering the possibility of
unauthorized access to one’s online activity data. But even in the case of an
offline user — somebody who has deliberately decided to stay
‘disconnected’ — the right to privacy is still under threat, like a disconnected
user moving through a ‘smart city’.
● Indeed, if the business model of how these technologies are developed does
not change to place human interests first, inequalities will grow.

Ethical Issues with AI:

Steps taken to resolve issues:
● India has made great strides in the development of responsible and ethical AI
governance, starting with NITIAayog’s #AIForAll campaign to the many
corporate strategies that have been adopted to ensure that AI is developed
with common, humanistic values at its core.
● 193 countries reached an agreement at UNESCO on how AI should be
designed and used by governments and tech companies:
○ It aims to fundamentally shift the balance of power between people,
and the businesses and governments developing AI.
 ○ Countries which are members of UNESCO have agreed to implement
this recommendation by enacting actions to regulate the entire AI
system life cycle, ranging from research, design and development to
deployment and use.
○ It establishes the need to keep control over data in the hands of users,
allowing them to access and delete information as needed.
○ It also calls on member states to ensure that appropriate safeguards
schemes are devised for the processing of sensitive data and effective
accountability, and redress mechanisms are provided in the event of
harm.
● In a number of countries, the principles of the recommendation are already
being used in AI regulation and policy, demonstrating their practical viability.
Finland provides an example of good practice in this regard,with its 2017 AI
Strategy.
● To accompany countries in the realization of the full potential of AI and with
the aim of building the institutional capacity of countries and all the relevant
stakeholders, UNESCO is in the process of developing tools to help them
assess their readiness in the implementation of the Recommendation and
identify, monitor and assess the benefits, concerns and risks of AI system.
● Additionally, the broader socio-cultural impacts of AI-related technologies are
also addressed, with the Recommendation taking a strong stance that AI
systems should not be used for:
○ Social scoring or mass surveillance purposes
○ Particular attention must be paid to the psycho-logical and cognitive
impact that these systems can have on children and young people
○ Member states should invest in and promote not only digital, media
and information literacy skills, but also socio-emotional and AI ethics
skills to strengthen critical thinking and competencies in the digital era.

India and AI:

● According to a Canada based company’s report, Global AI Report 2019, India
stood at the ninth position in terms of the number of AI specialists working in
the field.
● The US, China and the UK topped the list.
 ● India, on the contrary, lacks the opportunities in formal education in data
science but is slowly trying to encourage the adoption of AI in educational
institutes.
● Starting this year, the CBSE has AI as an elective subject for its ninth grade
classes.
● IIT Hyderabad has launched a full fledged Bachelor of Technology (B Tech)
program in AI becoming the first Indian educational institution to do so.
● It is also most likely the third educational institute in the world after Carnegie
Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to have a full
fledged B Tech program on AI.
● IIIT Hyderabad is another educational institute that introduced popular
executive programs on AI and machine learning and blockchain and
distributed ledger technologies.
● Defense forces of India are now venturing into the products and technologies
which will aid defense measures using the AI and technologies.
● In India, corporates have started collaborating with academia on AI. IBM’s
Blue project is an example.
● There are many startups in the country which are doing great work in image
analytics, data analytics, predictive intelligence etc.
● It is estimated that AI will add 957 billion dollars to India’s GDP by the year
2035 boosting India’s annual growth by 1.3% points.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

● It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). It seeks to build peace
through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.
● It is also a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group
(UNSDG), a coalition of UN agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
● UNESCO’s Headquarters are located in Paris and the Organization has more
than 50 field offices around the world.
● It has 193 Members and 11 Associate Members (As of April 2020) and is
governed by the General Conference and the Executive Board.
● Three UNESCO member states are not UN members: Cook Islands, Niue,
and Palestine.
● While three UN member states (Israel, Liechtenstein, United States) are
not UNESCO members.
Objectives:
● Attaining quality education for all and lifelong learning
● Mobilizing science knowledge and policy for sustainable development
● Addressing emerging social and ethical challenges
● Fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace
● Building inclusive knowledge societies through information and
communication
● Focuses on global priority areas - “Africa” and “Gender Equality”.

Way Forward
■ To ensure that the full potential of these technologies is reached, the right
incentives for ethical AI governance need to be established in national and
subnational policy.
■ The governments must use affirmative action to make sure that women and
minority groups are fairly represented on AI design teams. This could take
the form of quota systems that ensure that these teams are diverse or the
form of dedicated funds from their public budgets to support such inclusion
programmes.
■ With this agreement, confidence of putting AI to work where it can have the
most impact: hunger, environmental crises, inequalities and pandemics,
optimistic of having built the momentum for real change.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

UNESCO’s global agreement on the ethics of AI can guide governments and
companies to voluntarily develop and deploy AI technologies that conform with the
commonly agreed principles. Discuss.
(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)