editorial
note
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar: a revered reformer
On occasion of the death anniversary of Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar, it is apt to assess and reassess his thoughts
and ideology and their relevance in India and the world
today. Ambedkar was a philosopher who not only
interpreted the society and the world during his time but
also struggled to change them, fighting as a foot soldier.
Having a universal vision, he shaped and steered
struggles in which was forged his belief in secularism,
social justice and socialism. He believed that the
annihilation of caste and negation of capitalism are
imperatives for change and taking India and the world
forward.
Ambedkar also analysed nationalism in the context of
the demand of the Indian commercial community/class
that sought to replace Europeans in the field of trade
and commerce. They wanted to do so using the trope of
nationalism. They also wanted lower exchange rates and
higher profits in foreign trade by taking recourse to
nationalism. Ambedkar critically observed such
profit-seeking orientation of the commercial class and
disapproved of their predatory economic pursuits
under the garb of nationalism.
In the present context, nationalism is being invoked in a
coercive manner spreading fear and terror among
people. Ambedkar, the principal architect of our
Constitution, in his numerous writings reflected on
nationalism and gave valuable insights. He argued very
passionately for adequate representation of the
untouchables in the legislature, executive and public
service. Nationalism was used as a cover to negate such
demands. In fact, he categorically wrote that
nationalism became the core plank to take a stand
against the struggling humanity within the country and
thereby creating fertile conditions for the upsurge of
rank communalism. Indeed, what he wrote before
Independence has become a grim reality today.
It is well known that during the freedom struggle
untouchables demanded separate electorates. Such a
demand was described as anti-national in spirit.
Ambedkar rejected the description by stating that
separate electorates for Muslims, Sikhs and
Christians did not make them anti-nationals.
In his 'Annihilation of Caste' lecture, Ambedkar
described caste as anti-national and wanted to
address the scourge of caste discrimination and empower people and reclaim their dignity through the
exclusion through the instrumentality of law, which he spread of education and provision of livelihood
poetically described as “the greatest disinfectant emanating from an inclusive and non-alienating
against inequality”. In his speech in the Constituent economy as a right. This is the true meaning of
Assembly, while stating that India is an integral whole, Ambedkar 's nationalism, which is creative,
he cautioned, “The sooner we realise that we are not yet compassionate and emancipatory in the
a nation in the social and psychological sense of the universalistic sense.
word, the better for us. For then only we shall realise
the necessity of becoming a nation and seriously
think of ways and means of realising the goal.”
Therefore, he stressed on justice, not only political and
economic but also social justice. According to him, the
key components of social justice are liberty, equality
and fraternity.

He strongly felt that a society based on liberty, equality

and fraternity should be the only alternative to a caste
society, and that is why he attached greater importance
to the principle of “one man, one vote; one man, one
value”. To apply, it requires a concerted democratic
effort and high level of statesmanship and vision to
 focus
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and current affairs analysis. It is in fact a collective effort, by experienced
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CONTENTS
ASSAM-MIZORAM BORDER DISPUTE
Part One # Governance 15

Current Affairs Analysis HORIZONTAL RESERVATION

# Legislation #Representation 17

02 PUNJAB WITHDRAWS GENERAL CONSENT GIVEN TO CBI

# Governance #Centre and State 18

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS

# G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I ( Ma i n ) # Governance #Centre and State 19

INDIA AND US PUBLIC AFFAIRS INDEX 2020

#Bilateral Relations 02 # Governance #Index 20

VICTORY OF JOE BIDEN AND POSSIBILITIES FOR INDIA DEMAND FOR BAN ON OPINION POLLS

#Bilateral Relations 04 # Elections 22

SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION OTT PLATFORMS

#India and the World 05 # Governance 24

RCEP FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE – RIGHT TO MARRY – FORCED

#Trade bloc 07 CONVERSION # Rights 26

APEC NORMS ON TRP RATING

#Grouping 09 # Governance 28

TWO FRONT WAR PRODUCING VICTIMS & SUSPECT BEFORE MEDIA VIOLATES
THEIR RIGHTS # Rights 29
#India and its Neighbourhood 09
70TH CONSTITUTION DAY CELEBRATED ON 26TH
INDIA AND MALDIVES
NOVEMBER # Rights 29
#Bilateral Relations 10
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 30
ETHIOPIAN CONFLICT
#Geopolitics 11

PRACTICE QUESTIONS 13 31
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
14 # G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I I ( Ma i n )
CORPORATES AS BANKS: PROS, CONS AND WAY FORWARD
CONSTITUTION, POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
#Government Policies 31
# G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I ( Ma i n )
LESSONS FROM VIETNAM AND BANGLADESH
GOVERNMENT AMENDS FCRA 2011 RULES
#Export-Led Model 34
# Legislation 14
CAPITAL ACCOUNT CONVERTIBILITY
#External Sector 36

i
 PROPOSAL FOR WTO WAIVER FROM IPR PROTECTION FOR FOOD FORTIFICATION
COVID-19 VACCINES #WTO 38 #Health # Nutrition 62
AATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT: FLAWS IN INWARD ORIENTED INTER-FAITH MARRIAGES
STRATEGIES #Finance 39
#Right to Marry 62
DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE- PROSPECTS, CONSTRAINTS AND
PAID LEAVE DURING MENSTRUATION
WAY FORWARD #Digital Infrastructure 41
#Health 63
FAILURE OF LAXMI VILAS BANK (LVB)
CASTE BASED CENSUS
# Banking 43
#Society 65
HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL SAVINGS RISE: RBI REPORT
FOOD COALITION TO PREVENT COVID-19 FOOD CRISIS
# Finance 44
#Health #Nutrition 67
ANTI-PROFITEERING- MECHANISM AND CONSTRAINTS
IMPEX
# Public Finance 45
#Social Justice #Index 67
AATMANIRBHAR BHARAT 3.0
GST ON MOBILITY AIDS
#Govt. Policies 46
#Social Justice #Economy 67
SOCIAL INFRA PPPs
GLOBAL PREVENTION COALITION (GPC)
#PPP 49
#Health 68
CONCERNS OVER THE GDP ESTIMATION IN INDIA
SMALL FARMERS DEPRIVED OF CLIMATE FINANCE: IFAD
#Govt. Policies 49
REPORT #Social Justice 69
TIME USE SURVEYS IN INDIA
SAFAIMITRA SURAKSHA CHALLENGE
#Govt. Policies 51
#Program 69
TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR- PROSPECTS AND
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 70
CHALLENGES #Telecom Sector 52

KIWIs OF ZIRO VALLEY 53

KAPILA CAMPAIGN 53 71
PMBJP 54

PRICE-TO-BOOK RATIO 54
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
# G S P a p e r ( P r e l i m s ) & G S P a p e r I I I ( Ma i n )
FDI CAP IN DIGITAL MEDIA 55
EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE (EOS-01)
CONSTITUTIONAL VALIDITY OF GST ON LOTTERIES 55
# Space 71
BROADBAND DEFINITION IN INDIA 55
DEEP FAKE
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 56
# S&T 72

m-RNA VACCINE

57 # Biotechnology 74

D614G MUTATION

SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE # Health # Biotechnology 75

# GS Paper I & GS Paper II (Main) SPUTNIK-V VACCINE

POSHAN-PLUS STRATEGY # Biotechnology 76

# Nutrition #Health 57 ANTI-MICROBIAL RESISTANCE

PPP FOR HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE # Biotechnology # Health 77

#Health 60

ii
 SERB – POWER
# Scheme # Empowerment 78 97
PRACTICE QUESTIONS 79
SECURITY
# GS Paper III (Main)

81 BLUE WATER FORCE

# Maritime Security 97
GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, BIODIVERSITY & MODERNISATION OF DEFENCE INDUSTRY

DISASTER MANAGEMENT # Security 98

# GS Paper (Prelims) and GS Paper I & AUTOMATED FACIAL RECOGNITION SYSTEM

III(Main) # Technology 99

CYCLONE NIVAR CYBER FRAUDS

#Disaster 81 # Cyber Security 100

WESTERN DISTURBANCES ANDAMAN & NICOBAR: ISLANDS OF NEW POSSIBILITIES

#Weather 83 # India and the World 101

BIO-TERRORISM APPs BAN

#Security 84 # Security #India and its Neighbourhood 103

DIVESTMENT OF FOSSIL FUEL FIRMS QUAD

#Clean Energy 86 # Security #India and the World 105

NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL NAGA ISSUE

#Authority 86 #Internal Security 106

PRACTICE QUESTIONS 88 NON-PERSONAL DATA

#Data Security 107

ARMENIA–AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT
89 #Global conflict 108

HISTORY, HERITAGE & CULTURE

# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper I (Main)
Part TWO
BUDDHISM
#Ancient India 89 Ethics, Integrity and
JAINISM
#Ancient India 91 Aptitude
INDIAN PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLS
#Ancient India 92
111
TEMPLES AND ARCHITECTURE HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS AND VALUES
#Ancient India 93 #Ethics #Non-state actor 112

SIMON COMMISSION (NOVEMBER, 1927) 95 CASE STUDIES for Practice

THIRD ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE (NOVEMBER, 1932) 96 MAINS GS PAPER IV 121

iii
 Part Three
Essays of the month
122
ESSAY 1: CHARACTER OF AN INSTITUTION IS REFLECTED
IN ITs LEADER # Ethics
SUBMITTED BY: MUSKAN ARYA (STUDENT) 125

ESSAY 2: CUSTOMARY MORALITY CANNOT BE A GUIDE TO

MODERN LIFE # Ethics
SUBMITTED BY: RACHITA MALIK (STUDENT) 127

ESSAY 3: JOY IS THE SIMPLEST FORM OF GRATITUDE

# Ethics
SUBMITTED BY: MUSKAN ARYA (STUDENT) 129

ESSAY 4: DISCIPLINE MEANS SUCCESS, ANARCHY MEANS

RUIN #Ethics 130

iv
 Part ONE

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

Lead Article

INDIA AND US
ABOUT BECA
• The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement
#Bilateral Relations (BECA) is essentially an agreement proposed between
the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the US
department of defence and the defence ministry that

IN NEWS will allow India and the US to share military

information which includes maps, nautical and
With the signing of Basic Exchange and Cooperation
aeronautical charts, commercial and other
Agreement (BECA) India has signed all the foundational
unclassified imagery, geodetic, geophysical,
defence agreement with the United States of America. This
geomagnetic and gravity data.
has made India effectively a part of the US's Security
Architecture. India and US are coming closer because of • Most of the information that will be shared will be that

growing concern both share about the rise of China. In of the unclassified category but there is a provision of

this context, let us understand the foreign policy sharing classified information as well with proper

implications of India aligning with the US. safeguards in place to ensure that the information is
not shared with any third party.
INDIA US FOUNDATIONAL AGREEMENTS
WHAT WILL INDIA GAIN FROM THE AGREEMENT?
• India and the United States signed the Basic
Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), the • The agreement will allow US armed forces to provide

last of four so-called foundational agreements for advanced financial navigational aids and geospatial

sharing sensitive information, sales of advanced intelligence which will improve the military’s accuracy

military hardware and geospatial cooperation, during of automated hardware systems and weapons like

the 2+2 ministerial dialogue. cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones.

• With this India has signed all the four Foundational • BECA will also help India and US counter the growing

Defense agreements the Logistics Exchange Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region thereby

Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), the strengthening the Quad.

Communications Compatibility and Security • The agreement will also help India at a time of
Agreement (COMCASA) , the General Security of standoff with the Chinese army in Ladakh.
Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) and the
IMPORTANCE OF SIGNING BECA
the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement
• By signing BECA, India is in a position to specifically
(BECA).
receive sensitive geo-spatial intelligence.
• An extension to the GSOMIA, the Industrial Security
Annex (ISA), was signed at the last 2+2 dialogue.

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 2

 International Relations

• Together these foundational military pacts effectively • Rather than forging alliance against China, India
tie India to the wider U.S. strategic architecture in should focus on offsetting the loss of influence and
the region. momentum in its immediate neighbourhood (in South

• Previous governments had resisted attempts to get Asia), and in its extended neighbourhood (in West

India to sign these agreements on the ground that it Asia)

would compromise India’s security and independence • Further, both China and USA are enlarging their
in military matters. influence in India's neighbourhood which is

• The present dispensation argues that there are traditionally seen to be under India's sphere of

enough India-specific safeguards built into the pacts, influence.

and there is no reason for concern. • The Maldives has chosen to enter into a military pact
with the U.S. to counter Chinese expansionism in the
IMPLICATIONS OF INDIA ALIGNING WITH WIDER
Indian Ocean region.
U.S. STRATEGIC ARCHITECTURE
• India also needs to make sure that UAE-Israel linkage
• It has been argued that such alignment stands
does not adversely impact India’s interests in the
contrary to India's stated principle of exercising
region.
Strategic Autonomy.
• India also needs to devote greater attention to try and
• India will now be seen as part of a wider alliance that
restore India-Iran ties which have impacted because
stands to counter China.
of US sanctions.
• Although It is being argued that such a move has been
• Further, India's stand on Afghanistan has been
taken based on Pragmatic considerations, it seriously
wavering since US has decided on peace deal with
impacts the previous policy of neutrality, and of
Taliban.
maintaining its equi-distance from power blocs.
• India also needs to balance its membership of the
IMPACT ON INDIA – CHINA RELATIONS
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO in the light
• Initially India had distanced itself from the QUAD so as of its new relationship with USA.
to avoid being seen as a part of anti-China grouping.
• With China and Russia as the founding members of
• However now Quad has become more anti-China in its SCO it was conceived as an anti-NATO entity.
orientation. Further India has invited Australia to join
• India has also distanced itself from the African and the
the Malabar Naval Exercise which now has the same
Latin American countries owing to its distancing from
members as the Quad.
the NAM.
• At this point being seen as close to USA might not be
IMPACT ON INDIA RUSSIA RELATIONS
in the long-term interest of India.
• Finally, such closeness with US can adversely impact
• As far as China is concerned, in the past India has
India-Russia relations
pursued the Policy of avoidance of conflicts with
China. For Example, even After the Doklam Stand-off, • Russia has been an all-weather friend for India for the
India tried to mend ties with China through the past decades.
Wuhan and the Mamallapuram bonhomie. • India-Russia relations are also being impacted
• And now India's alignment with US would indicate that because of expanding Russia-China relations.
India made its choice which, can only exacerbate • Thus, India will need to handle its relations with Russia
already deteriorating China-India relations. with skill and dexterity, as it would be a tragedy if

IMPACT ON REGIONAL AND OTHER NATION TIES India-Russia relations were to deteriorate at a time
when the world is in a state of disorder.

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 3

 International Relations
VICTORY OF JOE BIDEN
AND POSSIBILITIES FOR
INDIA
#Bilateral RelationS
IN NEWS
With the term of Trump's presidency coming to an end
and new president elect entering the office let us try and
understand the way in which India – US relations will
proceed under the new president elect.
SIMILARITY IN BIDEN AND TRUMP'S APPROACH:
Biden under Obama administration had advised upon
Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. He had advised
a five-point agenda called “Counter-terrorism Plus”
which emphasised -
• A full focus on al-Qaeda.
• Exiting other counterinsurgency missions.
• Dropping the Bush era “nation-building” theme.
• Reducing U.S. bases to just two or three.
• Fighting the Taliban with a view to bringing them to
the table for reconciliation.
These recommendations were not accepted by the
Obama administration. However Trump had picked up
some of the recommendations provided by Joe Biden.
This was visible in -
• Large-scale pull-out of U.S. troops.
• Limited U.S. presence at bases and its mission in
Afghanistan.
• Starting a reconciliation process with the Taliban.
• Afghan peace deal with Taliban
Thus it is expected that in the international sphere there
will not be much difference in the approach of Mr Biden
and Trump.
CONTINUITY UNDER NEW PRESIDENT
Indo-Pacific: The Indo-Pacific focus embraced by the
Trump admin was started under the Obama
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
administration. Further Mr. Biden will build on the
military foundational agreements with India, strengthen
military cooperation and push the sale of U.S. military
hardware.
Economy: No major changes are expected on this front.
• But the new administration can restore the
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) status for
Indian exporters.
• He has already assured Indians on the VISA issue in
the election speeches.
China
• USA-China relationship is of greatest consequence for
the world. Relations with China are most critical from
India's point of view.
• Under Trump, USA adopted a combative policy
towards China. USA imposed trade sanctions on
China. Technology companies in USA were targeted. In
the strategic sphere, USA along with Australia, Japan
and China floated QUAD grouping.
• China perceives the QUAD to be a military-strategic
grouping constituted with the sole motive to contain
China. USA wants QUAD to be formalised in the
future. This will mean more members such as South
Korea and Taiwan becoming members of QUAD and
the group getting more institutionalised.
• Considering the power imbalance between China and
India, India needs external support to balance China.
Even Nehru (pioneer of non-alignment), asked for
support from USA during the 1962 war with China.
Thus, India went close to US and has joined QUAD.
CONCERNS WITH QUAD FOR INDIA:
1. QUAD grouping formed with containing China's
maritime aspirations in South China Sea and Pacific
Ocean. It will not have much bearing on India's China
conflict over a boundary dispute which is continental
in nature.
2. Satellite imagery will be provided to India by USA
according to BECA agreement for Geo-Spatial
Cooperation. However, there are chances that no
external power would come to India's aid in case
when there are major hostilities between India and
China over the boundary issue.
4
 International Relations
3. However, in the event of China's aggression in the
South China Sea, members of QUAD will expect India
to join them in fighting China, which is an area far
removed from India's boundaries.
4. Some strategic thinkers believe that have permanent
tension with China. However, it is not in India's
interests to have China permanently hostile to us as it
will absorb huge resources, money and muscle power.
5. If under Biden, USA adopts a more conciliatory
approach towards China, India might find itself in a
difficult situation. Countries including the USA,
formulate their foreign policy based on their national
interests, so if the USA is more accommodative
towards China going forward, India might be left alone
in its confrontation with China.
Iran
1. Under Trump’s Presidentship, USA negotiated a deal
to establish diplomatic relations between some Gulf
States and Israel. (Abraham Accords)
2. Trump supported Israel wholeheartedly.
3. Trump was against Iran. He moved out of the JCPOA
and imposed stringent economic sanctions on Iran.
• It will not be easy for Biden administration to reverse
Trump's Iran policy. Domestic compulsions will not
allow Biden to re-adopt JCPOA in its original form.
However, surely USA will re-engage Iran through
Oman or any other intermediary.
• It is expected that harsh unilateral sanctions imposed
on Iran will be reversed. This would allow India to
import oil and gas from Iran (Energy Security) and
export products such as pharma and other
commodities to Iran.
India can also be able to move forward on its
investments in Iran such as the:
 Expansion of Chabahar Port
 Railway project connecting the Chabahar port to
Afghanistan and further in Central Asia.
 Investments in Oil and Gas projects
AREAS OF FRICTION
Democratic Party has been vocal against some the issues
on which Trump administration had maintained silence.
These include - Jammu-Kashmir, the Citizenship
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
(Amendment) Act, communal and caste-based violence,
actions against non-governmental organisations and
media freedoms.
SOME AREAS TO WATCH
Major challenges that need to be addressed by the new
president include -
• Reverse the downward spiral of America.
• Repair relations with many countries, especially in the
trans-Atlantic region.
• Restoring America’s leadership in the UN bodies
would be another priority. In the last four years,
Trump had walked out of at least a dozen multilateral
bodies or threatened to do so. Some of them include -
World Health Organisation, UNESCO, Human Rights
Council, agreements such as the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action, the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris
Climate Accord and traditional trans-Atlantic and
trans-Pacific alliances - NATO and the TPP.
SHANGHAI
COOPERATION
ORGANISATION
#India and the World
IN NEWS
India made a strong pitch for better connectivity among
the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO), highlighting the need for respecting
each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and
countering terror, in a strong message to China.
ABOUT SHANGHAI COOPERATION
ORGANISATION
• SCO is an 8-member Eurasian economic and
security bloc led by China. It was founded in 2001
with China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan as its founding members.
• India and Pakistan became full time members in 2017
in the backdrop of Astana summit of SCO in
5
 International Relations
Kazakhstan. (Russia had been pushing for India’s
leadership since 2009)
• 2 permanent bodies of SCO include Secretariat in
Beijing and Executive Committee of RATS (Regional
Anti-Terrorist Structure) in Tashkent.
• SCO has 4 observers and 6 dialogue partners.
4 observer states include Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and
Mongolia. 6 dialogue partners include Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
SIGNIFICANCE OF SCO
• SCO is the largest inter-governmental organization
covering 40% of the global population and more than
the 22% of the world GDP.
• It is commonly seen as an eastern counter balance
to NATO.
• SCO is the culmination of the geopolitical centre of
gravity shifting to Asia and consequent need for an
alternate democratic world order.
• Most important objectives of SCO include:
Promoting regional security
o South and Central Asia faces common challenges of
terrorism, extremism, and separatism.
o In order to tackle the common challenge of terrorism,
the Regional Anti-Terror Structure was established as
a permanent organ in 2004.
o In the backdrop of Qingdao Summit 2018, India
floated the idea of ‘SECURE’ which stands for ‘S’ for
security for citizens, ‘E’ for economic development, ‘C’
for connectivity in the region, ‘U’ for unity, ‘R’ for
respect of sovereignty, ‘E’ for environmental
protection
o Under RATS, a number of joint military exercises have
been held including one in 2018 in Russia and ‘Sary-
Arka-Antiterror 2019' in Kazakhstan.
Resolving Border Issues
o SCO has been emphasizing on political and diplomatic
settlement of border disputes among the member-
states.
Promoting Connectivity
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
o In order to promote connectivity through people-to-
people contact, India has emphasized on promotion
of tourism.
o Accordingly SCO has declared 8 important sites as 8
wonders of SCO under which Statue of Unity on the
banks river Narmada was declared as one of the 8
wonders of SCO.
o The Eight Wonders of the SCO are:
1. India — the Statue of Unity
2. Kazakhstan — the Archaeological Landscape of
Tamgaly
3. China — The Daming imperial palace complex
4. Kyrgyzstan — Lake Issyk-Kul
5. Pakistan — The Great Mughals’ heritage at Lahore
6. Russia — The Golden Ring cities
7. Tajikistan — The Palace of Nowruz
8. Uzbekistan — the Poi Kalon complex
Economic Integration
o Given the size of the region which is home to 40% of
world population and more than 20% of world GDP,
SCO is seen as an alternative to current global
financial mechanisms.
o Accordingly a number of proposals, including the
creation of the Council for the Development of Digital
Economy and setting up of SCO Development Bank
(SDB) and SCO Development Fund (SDF) are being
floated by the members.
IMPORTANCE FOR INDIA
India’s security, geopolitical, strategic and economic
interests are closely intertwined with developments in
the Central Asian region.
Energy Security
o The Central Asian region is richly endowed with
energy resources which India is trying to gain access
to through the Chabahar port construction in Iran
and construction of the International North-South
Transport Corridor.
Security Cooperation
o RATS is increasingly viewed by India as a solution to
regional security cooperation.
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 International Relations
o SCO is increasingly being active in finding a solution to
Afghan problem which is important for security of the
sub-continent.
Gateway to Eurasia
o India’s membership in the SCO is an opportunity for
India to engage the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)
thereby Eurasian market.
Forum for bilateral cooperation
o The SCO membership offers a platform for India to
engage Pakistan in anti-terrorism cooperation and
provide a platform to resolve their differences.
o India has repeatedly opposed the Belt and Road
Initiative of China in the SCO forum citing sovereignty
issues arising out of CPEC.
RCEP
#Trade bloc
IN NEWS
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP), which is a mega trade bloc comprising 15
countries led by China recently came into existence. Last
year, the Indian Government decided to remain outside
the proposed RCEP trade agreement. India has officially
stated that the present form of the RCEP Agreement does
not fully reflect the basic spirit and the agreed guiding
principles of RCEP. India has also categorically stated it is
ready to join RCEP in future, provided its concerns are
addressed by other member countries.
So, let us understand some key aspects of the RCEP.
ABOUT RCEP AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE
RCEP is a free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten
member states of the ASEAN and the 5 Asia-Pacific states
with which ASEAN has existing FTAs. (Australia, China,
Japan, South Korea and New Zealand). RCEP covers trade
in goods, services, investment, economic and technical
cooperation, intellectual property, competition, dispute
settlement and other issues.
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
Note: India was also party to the RCEP negotiations.
However, India pulled out later since its concerns were
not addressed.
BENEFITS OF INDIA JOINING RCEP
• Effective utilisation of FTAs: RCEP provides an
avenue for India to complement India’s existing free
trade agreements with the ASEAN and some of its
member countries.
• Greater Regional Integration: Enable India to
strengthen its 'Act East" Policy; quite important
because India is not a party to two important regional
economic blocs - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• Harness Comparative Advantage in areas such as
ICT, Education and Healthcare.
• Attract Investment from RCEP member countries
• Opportunities for Integration into Global Value
Chains (GVCs).
CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS WITH INDIA'S
MEMBERSHIP OF RCEP
• Adverse Trade Deficit: India has around $104 billion
trade deficit with the RCEP member countries, which
is 65% of India’s total trade deficit. The RCEP
agreement forced India to eliminate tariffs on almost
90% of the imported goods over the next 15 years.
Hence, India was apprehensive that RCEP agreement
would lead to increase in its trade deficit, particularly
with countries such as China.
• Adverse impact of previous FTAs: The FTAs with
Japan and South Korea have led to substantial
increase in import of goods into the domestic market
leading to adverse impact on domestic manufacturing.
• Base Year for Eliminating Tariffs: The RCEP member
countries demanded that the base year should be
2013 while India demanded that the base year should
be 2019. It is to be noted that India has increased
import duties on several products between 2014 and
2019 and hence adoption of 2019 as the base year
would have led to lower reduction in the customs
duties and offered protection to the Indian Domestic
Industry.
• Ratchet Clause: Ratchet means a screw which turns
only in one direction, up or down and not both ways.
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This concept is proposed to be applied in RCEP which
will disallow the member country to increase the
import duties, once reduced. The Indian Government
wanted the RCEP member countries to adopt
safeguard mechanism which should enable the
countries to increase the tariffs on certain products
when there is a surge in imports. However, the RCEP
member countries wanted that once the tariffs on
products is raised, it should not be allowed to
reduced.
• Adoption of liberalized Rules of Origin would have
affected India's interests.
• Application of Investors to State Dispute
Settlement (ISDS) mechanism: Under multilateral
trade and investment agreements such as RCEP, a
third party forum is normally provided for to resolve
such disputes. This means that the relevant laws and
judiciary in India will no longer be able to intervene in
such disputes.
• Provisions against Data Localization in the e-
commerce chapter in the RCEP goes against India's
interests.
STRATEGIC DIMENSION OF RCEP
‘Act East’ policy : There is inconsistency of some of our
recent moves, with the ‘Act East’ policy –
• One, not joining RCEP.
• Two, at the latest East Asia Summit (EAS), only India
and the U.S. were not represented at a summit level
[India was represented by the External Affairs
Minister].
• In the preceding Foreign Ministers’ meeting, our
Minister of State was present, not the External Affairs
Minister.
Greater influence of China:
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• For China to be part and parcel of RCEP when it is not
part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] is a big
thing. What it does is it formalises its economic
network in this part of the world. When people are
talking about re-shoring and looking at alternative
supply chains, this ensures that will not have much
traction.
• If we are looking at the TPP and a Biden
administration in the U.S. perhaps coming back in
some way, this becomes all the more important. You
will have a symmetric situation, with China being part
of one trading arrangement with the U.S. out of it,
and the U.S. part of one arrangement with China out
of it.
• That will leave India out in the cold.
Other strategic advantages:-
• Port building in Philippine etc.
• Leverage at international forum like WTO.
• Cooperation in dealing with black money, terrorism,
extradition treaty etc.
WAY FORWARD
1. Firstly, India has already signed FTAs with almost 12
countries which are part of RCEP. This includes 10
ASEAN Countries, Japan and South Korea. Hence, in
the short-run, India can afford to remain outside RCEP
until its core interests and concerns are addressed.
2. Secondly, the Surjit Bhalla Committee has highlighted
that FTAs signed by India have been a mixed bag so
far. While there has been an overall increase in trade
with our partner countries after signing FTA, the
imports have increased at much faster pace as
compared to exports, leading to increase in Trade
Deficit. Hence, the committee has recommended that
India needs to undertake review of its FTAs so that its
interests and concerns are taken into account. The
same goes even with the RCEP trade negotiations.
India must continue to engage with the RCEP member
countries in order to ensure that its core concerns are
taken into account.
3. Thirdly, India has to realize that its track record of FTA
utilization is quite poor at only around 25%. Hence,
the Government must focus on enhancing its export
competitiveness by addressing the infrastructural
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bottlenecks, build manufacturing capabilities,
improving logistics supply chain, focus on R & D etc.
APEC
#Grouping
IN NEWS
Chinese President promised to keep the country’s “super-
sized” economy open and railed against protectionism in a
speech over video to economic leaders of the Asia pacific
Economic Cooperation.
ABOUT APEC
• The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a
regional economic forum established in 1989 to
leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-
Pacific.
• APEC's 21 members aim to create greater prosperity
for the people of the region by promoting balanced,
inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth
and by accelerating regional economic integration.
• India is not a member of APEC
• India has requested membership in APEC, and
received initial support from the United States, Japan,
Australia and Papua New Guinea.
• India does not border the Pacific Ocean, which all
current members do.
• APEC's 21 member economies are Australia; Brunei
Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of
China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic
of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New
Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; The Russian Federation;
Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of
America.
TWO FRONT WAR
#India and its Neighbourhood
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
IN NEWS
In the backdrop of clashes between India and China along
the LAC in the Ladakh region there has been speculation
that it might escalate into a full scale war. A bigger
concern for India is to fight a war on both the eastern and
the western fronts with China and Pakistan respectively
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES FOR INDIA VIS-À-
VIS CHINA
Strengths –
• Over the years, India has built extremely strong
defences along the border.
• These high altitude areas are not easy for the People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) to apply major force because of
logistical and terrain constraints.
• The Air Force has a geographical advantage over the
PLA Air Force and has also built a fairly strong
strategic airlift capability.
• Our Navy has a significant edge over the PLA Navy in
the Indian Ocean and there is pretty good maritime
domain awareness.
Weaknesses –
• China has a much greater military potential.
• The PLA also has a technology edge in some very
critical areas like ballistic missile, electronic warfare,
cyber, air defence, etc., which are going to play a
significant role in future warfare.
• And finally, despite all our efforts, there are shortfalls
in infrastructure along the northern borders.
Geopolitical Angle –
• Although China is a major geopolitical player, its image
has witnessed a setback in the backdrop of COVID.
This provides an opportunity for India.
• India is building relationships with countries, which
perhaps look at the world through a similar prism.
• That seems to be happening: Quad has been revived,
the Australians have been invited to Malabar, the U.S.-
India relationship has achieved a new dynamic with all
the foundation agreements now being signed.
• Further countries like Japan, Australia, USA and
Europe see China as a threat and hence are
collaborating against it in the Indo-Pacific region. So
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 International Relations

clearly, the Indo-Pacific seems to be becoming very • International cooperation

contested.
• These collaborations are likely to help India in
countering the threat in the near future.
o Like Japan America India forum and Quadrilateral
dialogue (QUAD)
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
• India was always conscious that at some stage China
will emerge as the greater military threat and that
moment seems to have sort of come now.

• We also must be conscious of the fact that the power

differential between India and China is only set to
grow in the future.

• At the strategic level, there needs to be greater

dialogue between the civil and military leaderships to
see how this can be bridged.

• Unfortunately, our state of civil-military relationship

POSSIBILITY OF TWO FRONT WAR
and the structures that are in place don’t really
• Strategic collusion between China and Pakistan - If encourage an open dialogue between the military
conflict escalates along the LOC China might direct leadership and the political leadership.
Pakistan to initiate war on the western front.
• That’s something the government needs to look at
• Pakistan Problem - Pakistan is already looking for an and see how it can be changed.
excuse to get into a conflict due to the Constitutional
• Even our strategic and doctrinal thinking of how we
Changes in the J&K.
are going to handle a two-front threat if it comes
• Pakistan's adventurism in the Past - Pakistan has requires very extensive debate between the political
jumped into conflicts with India in the past even when leadership and military leadership. The size of the
it was economically broke. Thus it will be wrong to defence budget is decreasing, which is also a
think that an economically broke Pakistan will not challenge.
jump into a war.
• Further to effectively counter the threat of a two front
INDIA'S PREPAREDNESS war, India needs to beef up its offensive capabilities
• Military Preparedness and at the same time change its war doctrines,
including its nuclear doctrine, to deter the enemies.
o Indian Army chief has held that India is ready for a
'two-and-a-half front war'.

o Raised new 17 Mountain Strike Corps.

INDIA AND MALDIVES
• Equipment and Weaponry

o Developed the Agni-V and Agni-IV nuclear-capable

#Bilateral Relations
ballistic missiles

o Ramped up its air force capacity with the S-400s, the

IN NEWS
Rafales etc.
Under Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih, bilateral
o Military exercises such as Gagan Shakti.
cooperation, especially on the economic front, has
• Infrastructure become a ‘model’ that New Delhi can adopt to make
o India has been ramping up infrastructure India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ a sustained success. Further
development along its borders. India has recently announced a $500 million package —
including a grant of $100 million — in addition to previous
o Darbuk Shyok Daulat DBO

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 International Relations

line of credit of $800 million. So, let us understand the key • India has invested hugely in infrastructure
aspects of India- Maldives relationship. development, Health services, Defence and
Connectivity.
INDIAN ASSISTANCE TO MALDIVES
• India has announced that it will fund GMCP project
• Operation cactus - In 1988, when armed mercenaries
which will include construction of a bridge-and-
attempted a coup against President Maumoon Abdul
causeway link spanning 6.7 km. This landmark project
Gayoom, India sent paratroopers and Navy vessels
will streamline connectivity between the four islands,
and restored the legitimate leadership under
thereby boosting economic activity, generating
Operation Cactus.
employment and promoting holistic urban
• 2004 Tsunami - India had provided assistance to development in the Male region
Maldives and had also supported it during the
drinking water crisis in 2014
• COVID -19 - India rushed $250 million aid in quick ETHIOPIAN CONFLICT
time.
• India has also rushed medical supplies to the #Geopolitics
Maldives, started a new cargo ferry.

CONCERNS IN INDIA – MALDIVES

RELATIONSHIP: ENHANCED CHINESE PRESENCE IN NEWS

• Maldives signed its first country-specific FTA with Ethiopian government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
China in 2017 and thereby becoming China’s 2nd FTA started a military operation against an insurgent group
in South Asia after Pakistan. Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) which militia cum
political party which dominates northern Tigray region of
• It raised concerns that it will deepen the debt trap to
Ethiopia.
China, wherein more than 70% of Maldives’ foreign
debt is owed to China. Ethiopian government wanted this to be a limited
• There has growing trend of Chinese companies and campaign. However, after two weeks have passed into the
individuals acquiring land in Maldives. The land grab is conflict, there is a risk of it snowballing into an ethnic civil
seen in excess of what East India Company had war with regional implications.
acquired during the colonial period in Maldives.
• This land grab has raised concern of Maldives being
increasingly falling into an economic neo-colonial
influence of China.
• The new government of President Solih has affirmed
that Maldives will scrap the FTA with China and
investigate the Chinese land grab in Maldives.

RECENT TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS

• Maldives government has shown its willingness and
commitment in strengthening and maintaining cordial
relations with India.
• According to the UNDP, the Maldives is amongst the
worst affected countries in Asia region and potentially
globally, due to the impact of Covid-19. During this
pandemic, India took early steps and helped this
ABOUT TIGRAY PEOPLE'S LIBERATION FRONT
tourism-based nation in every possible manner.
(TPLF)

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 International Relations
• Founded in 1975 as a resistance army of Tigrayan
people against military dictatorship, which was called
the Derg.
• The leftist Derg, which was established in 1974, later
changed its name in 1987 but remained in power till it
was ousted by armed rebels in 1991.
• TPLF played a crucial role in ousting the junta and they
were welcomed as national heroes in 1991.
• Leader of TLPF Meles Zenawi took over as interim
President in 1991 and became first elected Prime
Minister in 1995. Zenawi is seen as the architect of
Ethiopia's ethno-federal system and remained in
power till 2012.
• However, coalition government (EPRDF) led by Zenawi
was criticised of being authoritarian and there were
frequent protests against it.
• In 2018, Mr Abiy (current PM) (Oromo) was chosen as
the leader of the coalition (EPRDF) amid growing
protests and a political deadlock.
CRITICISM OF EPRDF GOVERNMENT:
• EPRDF coalition provided Ethiopia with a stable
government for 17 years and rapid economic growth.
However, the ethno-federal arrangement of the
country was criticised.
• Tigray people make 6%, Oromos 34% and Amharas
27% of Ethiopian population. While the TLPF
dominated political power through the EPRDF, the
Oromos alleged marginalisation.
• PM Abiy tried to curb the dominance of TPLF in the
government by removing TPLF functionaries from key
government posts, releasing political prisoners and
increasing media freedom.
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
• He reached out to Eritrea, which is sworn enemy of
TPLF, which shares a long border with the Tigray
region.
• Abiy is Ethiopia first Oromo leader has promised that
his actions are not driven by ethnic calculations but
aimed at democratising the Ethiopian society and
making peace with neighbours. But TPLF saw his
moves as hostile.
RISE OF TENSIONS:
• When Mr Abiy formed a new political coalition called
the Prosperity Party all constituents of EPRDF joined it
except TLPF. TPLF saw the formation as an attempt of
Mr Abiy to consolidate power and marginalise Tigrays.
• In August 2020, Mr Abiy postponed parliamentary
elections due to COVID, TPLF saw it as power grab.
TPLF held elections in the northern region in defiance
of federal government.
• Later the TPLF attacked the federal military command
in Tigray region and captured military hardware
prompting Mr Abiy to declare a military operation.
GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS:
• Abiy's outreach to Eritrea outraged TPLF which had
fought a long war with Eritrean government along the
Tigray region. Tigray rebels have fired rockets into
Eretria and Amhara region threatening a regional war.
• The short operation can spill out of control as Tigray
rebels have thousands of fighters in their command
who have experience in resisting Derg regime.
• Tigray region shares boundary with Sudan with which
it enjoys good relations. Sudan has a border dispute
with Ethiopia. If the new Sudanese regimes supports
TPLF then the struggle can continue for long.
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 International Relations

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Which of the following countries is/are the Select the correct answer using the code given below:
members of the Shanghai Cooperation a) 1 only b) 2 only
organization? c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. India
2. Turkmenistan Q4. Which of the following statements is/are
3. Uzbekistan correct about Ethiopia?
Select the correct answer using the code given below: 1. It shares border with the Red Sea and the Arabian
a) 1 only b) 1 and 3 only ocean.
c) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3 2. Mekele is located in Ethiopia.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Q2. Tigray region sometimes seen in news is a) 1 only b) 2 only
located in which of the following countries? c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
a) Ghana b) South Sudan
c) Ethiopia d) Libya Q5. Which of the following countries is/are part of
the Regional Comprehensive Economic
Q3. Which of the following statement(s) is/are partnership?
correct about the Asia-Pacific Economic 1. India 2. China
Cooperation (APEC)? 3. USA
1. India is the founding member of APEC. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
2. It is a regional economic forum established in 1989 a) 2 only b) 1 and 2 only
to leverage the growing interdependence of the c) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3
Asia-Pacific.

descriptive Questions
Q1. Highlight the current status of India-US relationship and what are the possibilities in coming future? (200 Words)

Q2. Is India facing the threat of a Two Front War on its Northern Border? Highlight India’s Preparedness for the

scenario. (200 Words)

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

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

Lead Article
GOVERNMENT AMENDS
• Any voluntary action group with objectives of a

political nature or which participates in political

FCRA 2011 RULES activities.

• Front or mass organisations like Students Unions,

# Legislation
Workers’ Unions, Youth Forums and Women’s wing of

a political party.
IN NEWS
• Organisation of farmers, workers, students, youth
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has relaxed norms for
based on caste, community, religion, language etc.
farmer, student, religious and other groups who are not
which is not directly aligned to any political party, but
directly aligned to any political party to receive foreign
whose objectives or activities include steps towards
funds if the groups are not involved in “active politics”.
advancement of political interests of such groups.
MHA has amended FCRA 2011 Rules based on recent

Supreme Court Judgment. • An organisation which habitually engages itself in or

employs common methods of political action like

Grounds for categorisation - Under Rule 3 of Foreign
‘bandh’ or ‘hartal’, ‘rasta roko’, ‘rail roko’ or ‘jail bharo’
Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011, Central
in support of public causes.
Government can specify any organisation as organisation

of political nature on one or more of the following AMENDMENT MADE BY MHA

grounds – • Organisations of farmers, workers, students, youths

• Organisation having political objectives in its based on caste, community, religion, language or

Memorandum of Association or its bye-laws. others will only be considered as a political group if

they participate in “active politics or party politics”.

• Any Trade Union whose objectives include activities

for promoting political goals. • Such groups or organisation can receive foreign funds

if not involved in active politics or party politics.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• Summary of the SC Judgment: Supreme Court has • Organisation having no connection with active

held that Central government cannot brand an politics can use foreign aid - Such voluntary

organisation as ‘political’ to deprive it from receiving organisations which have absolutely no connection

foreign funds under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) with either party politics or active politics cannot be

Act, 2010 for legitimate forms of dissent to aid a public denied access to foreign contributions.

cause. (unless proved that such activities are part of • Organisation channeling foreign funds for political
active politics or to aid political cause). parties - Court held that those organisations which

• Organisation supporting agitation without channel foreign funds for political parties are strictly

political cause cannot be penalised - Any prohibited to receive foreign funds under FCRA.

organisation which supports the cause of a group of

ASSAM-MIZORAM
citizens agitating for their rights without a political

goal or objective cannot be penalized by being

declared as an organisation of a political nature. BORDER DISPUTE

• Organisations supporting bandhs need not be for
# Governance
political cause - Organizations that support public

causes by resorting to legitimate means for dissent

IN NEWS
such as organizing bandhs, hartals, strikes etc. shall
The Assam government has accused Mizoram of occupying
not come within the ambit of the ban in terms of the
Assam’s land near the 164.6 km inter-State border and
FCRA.
this has resulted in economic blockade on Mizoram. The
• Need for Balance between objectives of FCRA &
boundary dispute between the two states has resulted in
Rights of Organisation - A balance has to be drawn
violence in the adjacent districts in Assam and Mizoram.
between the object that is sought to be achieved by
CLAIMS BY OFFICIALS OF ASSAM & MIZORAM
the legislation and the rights of the voluntary

organisations to have access to foreign funds. • So, as per agreement between the two states, status

quo was to be maintained in no man’s land in the

• Ensure values of a sovereign democratic republic
border area and no construction activity was allowed.
are protected - The purpose for which the law

prevents organisations of a political nature from • According to Mizoram officials, the land claimed by

receiving foreign funds is to ensure that the Assam is being cultivated for a long time by residents

administration is not influenced by foreign funds. of Mizoram.

Prohibition from receiving foreign aid, either directly • However, officials from Assam said that even though
or indirectly, by those who are involved in active the contested land was historically cultivated by
politics is to ensure that the values of a sovereign Mizoram residents, on paper it fell within the Singla
democratic republic are protected. Forest Reserve that is under Karimganj district’s

jurisdiction in Assam.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
BACKGROUND TO THE DISPUTE

• The boundary dispute between the two states has according to them the Mizo society was not
been simmering since the formation of Mizoram as a consulted.
separate state in the 1980s. • What adds to the problem is that Assam Government
• The boundary between present-day Assam and follows the demarcation made in 1933 which that
Mizoram, 165 km long today, dates back to the demarcates a boundary between Lushai Hills and
colonial era, when Mizoram was known as Lushai Hills, Manipur.
a district of Assam. About Mizoram
• The dispute stems from a notification of 1875 that • Mizoram is a mountainous region which became the
differentiated Lushai Hills from the plains of Cachar, rd
23 state of the Indian Union in February 1987. It was
and another of 1933 that demarcates a boundary one of the districts of Assam till 1972 when it became
between Lushai Hills and Manipur. a Union Territory.
• The notification of 1875 is derived from the Bengal • After being annexed by the British in 1891, for the first
Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. So, few years, Lushai Hills in the north remained under
based on this 1873 Act, Mizoram leaders have argued Assam while the southern half remained under
against the demarcation notified in 1933 because Bengal.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance

HORIZONTAL
• Both these parts were amalgamated in 1898 into one
district called Lushai Hills District under the Chief
Commissioner of Assam.
RESERVATION
• With the implementation of the North-Eastern
Reorganisation Act in 1972, Mizoram became a # Legislation #Representation
Union Territory.

• Mizoram was granted statehood on 20 February 1987 IN NEWS

as a sequel to the signing of the historic
The Tamil Nadu Governor gave his assent to a Bill that
memorandum of settlement between the
sought to reserve 7.5% seats in undergraduate medical
Government of India and the Mizo National Front
admissions for government-school students who qualified
in 1986.
NEET. The Horizontal Reservation will reduce the “de
ABOUT INNER LINE PERMIT & RECENT facto inequalities” between government-school students
DEVELOPMENTS and private-school students. The state believes that
students from government schools and rural areas would
The Inner Line Permit was established by the British
not be able to afford the coaching that would be essential
government under the Bengal Eastern Frontier
for the competitive test and accordingly are at
Regulations, 1873 to safeguard tribals of eastern part of
disadvantage.
Bengal. The 1873 regulation is also known as Inner Line
Regulation (ILR) or Inner Line Permit (ILP). 7.5% horizontal reservation in NEET will be provided to
those students of Tamil Nadu who have studied in
• The system requires outsiders to obtain a permit from
government schools from Class VI onwards, including
the government to enter the designated territory.
corporation schools, municipal schools, Adi Dravida and
• It can be issued for travel purposes solely. tribal welfare schools, Kallar reclamation schools, forest
• The main objective of the ILP system is to provide a department schools and those managed by government
special protection of the distinct identity and departments.
safeguard for the peaceful existence of the indigenous DECISION OF HORIZONTAL RESERVATION IS
people of the state where it is applicable. BASED ON JUSTICE KALAIYARASAN’S REPORT
• System of ILP is applicable in Arunachal Pradesh, • The commission’s role was to analyse the socio-
Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. State of Manipur economic background of students and submit
has been added recently in the Inner Line Permit recommendations to the state government on how to
System in December, 2019. increase the number of government school students
• Recently, the Meghalaya Assembly has adopted a securing MBBS seats in the state.
resolution for implementing the Inner Line Permit • The Commission, in its report, made the observation
(ILP) regime in the state, which will impose restrictions that students from government schools are placed at
on the entry and movement of ‘outsiders’ in the hill a disadvantage, compared to their counterparts in
state. private schools due to a cognitive gap created by

• In this regard, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya has socio-economic factors such as caste, wealth, parental

urged the Central Government to include Meghalaya occupation, parental education, gender, etc.

in the preamble of the Bengal Eastern Frontier • The Report mentioned that these psychological and
Regulations, 1873. socio-economic barriers cannot be bridged by a few
months of intensive coaching for NEET, even if
provided for free by the state.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
• The Committee recommended setting aside 10%
seats for government students earlier suggested by
the state.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF HORIZONTAL
RESERVATION?
• The concept of vertical and horizontal reservation was
explained by the Supreme Court in the famous Indra
Sawhney judgment.
• The Court held that all reservations are not of the
same nature. There are two types of reservations
which can be referred as 'vertical reservations' and
'horizontal reservations'.
• The reservations in favour of Scheduled Castes, the
Scheduled Tribes and the other backward classes
[under Article 16(4)] may be called
reservations.
• Whereas reservations in favour of
handicapped [under Clause (1) of Article 16] can be
referred to as horizontal reservations.
• So, we can say that horizontal reservations cut across
the vertical reservations - what is called inter-locking
reservations.
• Reservation allotted to horizontal category should be
adjusted against percentage of SC/ST/ OBC and
General categories in vertical reservation.
• So, even after providing for horizontal reservations,
the percentage of reservations in SC /ST and OBC
should remain the same and should not exceed the
limit prescribed for such categories.
• For students of Tamil Nadu, horizontal reservations
will be applied irrespective of the community a
student belongs to, just as in the case of quota for
persons with disability or wards of
personnel.
• The government also specified that if a government-
school student has scored high marks, she or he could
also opt to be allotted a seat based on their
community reservation.
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Governance
PUNJAB WITHDRAWS
GENERAL CONSENT
GIVEN TO CBI
# Governance #Centre and State
IN NEWS
The Punjab government has withdrawn general consent
given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for
investigating cases in the State. The order issued by the
State government states that it was revoking the general
consent for investigating cases by “members of the Delhi
Special Police Establishment”. With this, the CBI would
vertical
have to seek prior permission from the Punjab
government for conducting any investigation in the state.
physically
ESTABLISHMENT OF CBI AND ITS JURISDICTION
• The Central Bureau of Investigation traces its origin to
the Special Police Establishment (SPE) which was set
up in 1941 by the Government of India.
• The functions of the SPE then were to investigate
cases of bribery and corruption in transactions with
the War & Supply Department of India during World
War II.
• The government enacted The Delhi Special Police
Establishment Act, 1946 after the Second World War
which provided for the constitution of special force for
investigation of offences alleged to have been
committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act,
1988.
• CBI derives power to investigate from the Delhi
Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
• After promulgation of the Act, superintendence of SPE
ex-service was transferred to the Home Department and its
functions were enlarged to cover all departments of
the Government of India.
• The Headquarters of SPE was shifted to Delhi and the
organisation was put under the charge of Director,
Intelligence Bureau. However, in 1948, a post of
Inspector General of Police, SPE was created and the
organisation was placed under his charge.
18
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
PROVIDING AND WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT
GIVEN TO CBI BY STATE GOVERNMENT (SECTION
6)
• The issue of providing consent or even withdrawal of
consent to CBI to investigate any case specific to state
jurisdiction has arose in the past.
• This is done by state as per Section 6 of Delhi Special
Police Establishment Act, 1946. The general consent is
necessary for CBI as the jurisdiction of the CBI and
other agencies covered under Delhi Special Police
Establishment Act, 1946 is confined to Delhi and
Union Territories.
• Earlier, state government of Andhra Pradesh and West
Bengal had withdrawn the “general consent” given to
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate
cases of corruption in the state.
Section 6 - Consent of State Government to exercise
of powers and jurisdiction. — Nothing contained in
section 5 shall be deemed to enable any member of the
Delhi Special Police Establishment to exercise powers and
jurisdiction in any area in a State, not being a Union
SITUATION WORLD OVER
• According to the United Nations, “Journalism is one of
the most dangerous professions in the world”.
Between 2006 and 2019, over 1,200 journalists have
been killed the world over.
• On an average, it is estimated that one journalist is
killed every four days. Unfortunately, in just 1/10
cases, the killers get convicted, while the rest go free.
o Such attacks on journalists who dare to expose
corruption and misdeeds of anti-social elements
reflect the mindset of the government world over.
o Intimidation of journalists exposing sensitive cases
involving high ranking officials, politicians
corporates faces threat to life all over the world
including India.
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territory or railway area, without the consent of the
Government of that State.
ATTACKS ON
JOURNALISTS
# Governance #Centre and State
IN NEWS
Considering increased attacks on journalists in India
which is also reflected through India’s low rank in the
World Press Freedom Index, there is an urgent need to
enact laws that protect media persons and provide
accountability on lines of laws framed by Maharashtra
namely the Maharashtra Media Persons and Media
Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to
Property) Act, 2017. Cases of increased attacks on
journalists are also reflected through the 2020 World
Press Freedom Index Report, according to which 39
journalists have been killed globally in 2020.
INCREASING ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS IN
INDIA
• Number of journalists in India has been subject to
illegal detention, torture, attacked or even killed
because of their reporting or coverage on sensitive
issues or matters.
• Report of an NGO released in 2019 states that 40/198
journalists attacked in India between 2014 and 2019
died due to the attack. The killing of journalists is
more rampant in smaller towns, while the figures in
metro towns are quite low.
• Killing of Gauri Lankesh in 2017 in Bengaluru drew
or country wide agitation and compelled police to
investigate further.
19
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX REPORT 2020 ON • Make police officials responsible in case of dereliction
INDIA of their duties.

• Decreasing Press Freedom has also been highlighted
by World Press Freedom Index Report where rank of
India has continuously deteriorated from 138 in 2018,
140 in 2019 and 142 in 2020 out of 180 countries.
• World Press Freedom Index is compiled by Reporters
Without Borders (RSF).
• The Report for India highlights that despite no death
of journalists in 2019 in India, there have been
constant press freedom violations, including police
violence against journalists, ambushes by political
activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups
or corrupt local officials.
• Make investigation process more accountable and
efficient as it will be handled by senior officers.
• Provides compensation to media houses in case of
damage to their property by miscreants.
• Prevent misuse of wrong reporting as Accreditation
Cards of media persons may be revoked.
• Will help to prevent circulation of fake news or news
based on ideology or propaganda.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS INDEX

• According to the Report, India’s score in this year’s 2020

World Press Freedom Index is heavily affected by the
situation in Kashmir where, after rescinding the state’s
# Governance #Index
autonomy, central government shut down fixed line
and mobile Internet connections completely for IN NEWS
several months, making it virtually impossible for
Public Affairs Centre has developed Public Affairs Index
journalists to cover ground situation.
2020 as a unique statistical tool to evaluate the
DEMAND FOR NEW LEGISLATION TO PREVENT performance of governance in the States. Public Affairs
ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS Index 2020 developed by PAC is largely based on
• Considering increased attacks on journalists in India, secondary data and has been extracted from Union
the Chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI), Government Ministries and Departments.
Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad, has counselled ABOUT PUBLIC AFFAIRS CENTRE
the government “to enact a special law for protection of
• Public Affairs Centre (PAC) engages in action research
journalists and speedy trial of cases of attacks and
focusing on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in
assaults”.
the context of India.
• The PCI’s records indicate that 96% of the cases of
• PAC is a not for profit think tank established in 1994
attacks on journalists end up without conviction.
with a mandate to improve the quality of governance
• Maharashtra has become the first state to enact a law in India.
to prevent attack on journalists namely
• PAC also deploys innovative Social Accountability
The Maharashtra Media Persons and Media Institutions
Tools (SAT) to measure the quality and adequacy of
(Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property)
public services.
Act, 2017.
ABOUT PUBLIC AFFAIRS INDEX 2020
• Chhattisgarh also enacting a New Law to Protect
Journalists

HOW WILL SUCH LEGISLATION HELP MEDIA

PERSONS?
• It will ensure fair reporting of events.

• Increase safety for media persons including women.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• The Public Affairs Index is a data-based framework Government Effectiveness, 3. Rule of Law, 4.
that measures the quality of governance at the sub- Regulatory Quality and 5. Control of Corruption.
national level and ranks the states and Union • At the bottom of the pyramid, 50 component
Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI). indicators are mapped to 13 Sustainable
• The three pillars used to construct CI are 1. Equity, 2. Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the
Growth and 3. Sustainability. states and UTs. This forms the foundation of the

• The three pillars are circumscribed by five governance conceptual framework of PAI 2020.

praxis themes namely 1. Voice and Accountability, 2. • States are classified into two categories - large and
small using population as the criteria.

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 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
DEMAND FOR BAN ON
OPINION POLLS
# ElectionS
IN NEWS
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi observed
that opinion polls should be banned and also suggested
counting of votes from Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial
(VVPAT) slips instead of EVMs. He also flagged the problem
of criminalisation of politics as nearly 30 to 40 per cent of
members of any legislature have pending criminal cases
against them. He also emphasised that Election
Commission must have power to de-register political
parties and there should be a check on advertisements
that appear in the print media specially on the day of
polls. So, in this analysis, let us understand about the
historical development of Exit Polls and Opinion Polls.
EXIT POLLS
• As per Representation of People Act, 1951 - "Exit
Poll" means an opinion survey respecting how
electors have voted at an election or respecting how
all the electors have performed with regard to the
identification of a political party or candidate in an
election.
• Exit poll is a survey which is conducted just after a
voter walks out after casting his or her vote. In an exit
poll, agencies conducting it ask the voters for whom
they have actually voted just after the poll.
• Such polls aim at predicting the actual result on the
basis of the information collected from voters who
have casted their vote.
• Exit polls are conducted by the method of sampling
where agencies select different constituencies across
different parts of the country based on select
demography and caste so as to get an idea across
sections of populations about voting pattern.
OPINION POLLS
• On the other hand, opinion poll is a method for
collecting information about the views or beliefs of a
given group prior to the voting process. Information
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from an opinion poll can shed light on and potentially
allow inferences to be drawn about certain attributes
of a larger population.
• Opinion polls involve a sample of respondents drawn
to represent a larger population who are asked a
standardized series of questions in a fixed form. The
results are analyzed for the entire respondent sample
that represents different groups in the population.
• Opinion polls help in enhancing awareness among
citizens and encourage public debate on performance
of the government in different sectors.
ISSUES WITH THE OPINION POLLS
• Opinion polls are not scientific as they are based on
the opinions of a very small fraction of voters and
hence not the accurate prediction.
• Influences Voters - it is possible for psephologists
and the media to manipulate public opinion using
opinion polls.
• Opinion of voters might change during voting – so
it can be misleading.
• Opinion Polls can be rigged and misused by political
parties for vested interest
EARLY ATTEMPTS AT REGULATION
• The earliest attempt to regulate opinion polls was
made in 1998 when the Election Commission of India
(ECI) took an overall view of the situation and issued
“Guidelines for Publication and Dissemination of
Results of Opinion Polls/Exit Polls” in January 1988.
• The EC was of the view that publication of such
exit/opinion polls during election when the polling is
still in process had the potential to influence decision
making of voters. However, the Election Commission
was also aware of the freedom of press in a
democratic country and could not have put a
complete ban on such process.
• So, keeping in mind both these aspects EC issued the
following guidelines:
• The organisations or agencies conducting Opinion
Polls shall be free to publish and disseminate such
polls with an exception.
• Exception – Let us understand the exception through
present day example - “No result of any opinion poll
22
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
conducted at any time shall be published, publicised
or disseminated by any print or electronic media, after
5 pm on April 9, 2020 (April 11, 2020 being the first day
of poll) and till after the closing of poll in all States and
Union territories, i.e. till 5 pm on the last day of poll.
• Any organisations or agencies conducting any
Opinion Poll or Exit Poll, while publishing, publicising
or disseminating the result of any such poll, must
indicate the sample size of the electorate covered
by such polls and geographic spread of survey so
conducted.
• The organisations must invariably give the details of
methodology followed, including likely percentage of
errors, the professional background and experience of
the organisation or organisations and the key
professionals involved in the conduct and analysis of
the poll.
• 'Dissemination’ includes publication in any
newspaper, magazine or periodical, or display on
electronic media, or circulation by means of any
pamphlet, poster, placard, handbill or any other
document.
CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE
• The 1998 Guidelines issued by EC were challenged by
media and publication houses on the ground that it
violated their fundamental right of freedom of speech
and expression and also their right of information
under Article 19(1)(a).
• In R Rajagopal v. Union of India, Supreme Court
allowed the EC guidelines and accordingly were duly
observed by all electronic and print media at the time
of the general elections in February-March 1998.
• Validity of guidelines of EC again came into
question during the General Election of 1999. The
Times of India Group of Newspapers, as well as
certain other newspapers refused to observe the
guidelines issued by the EC. Consequently, EC
approached the Supreme Court for direction against
the Times of India Group to abide by the
Commission’s guidelines.
• Owing to the important constitutional issues involved
in this matter, Supreme Court referred the matter to a
Constitution bench.
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• The Constitution Bench observed serious doubts
about the EC guidelines on their being issued without
statutory sanction and also infringing the fundamental
rights of the media houses. Consequently, EC
withdrew the guidelines on 14th September 1999.
Such withdrawal meant that there were no restrictions
on the conduct of opinion polls and exit polls or on
the dissemination of results of these polls during the
general elections to the House of the People and certain
legislative assemblies held in September-October 1999.
SOLVING THE VACUUM AFTER 2004
• The vacuum with regard to guidelines on the
publication and dissemination of results of opinion
polls persisted till 2004.
• Election Commission in order to solve such vacuum
convened a meeting of all parties in early April, 2004
to deliberate on the issue of opinion polls and exit
polls. Majority of political parties agreed not to
conduct and publish results of opinion poll from the
date of issue of statutory notification calling the
election till the completion of the poll.
• It was further agreed that in a multi-phased election
where poll is taken on different dates, such
prohibition in conducting and publishing the
results of opinion polls should be for the entire
period starting from the date of notification of the
first phase of election and until the completion of
the poll in the last phase. Similar view emerged with
respect to Exit Polls.
• On the matter of Exit Poll, the EC then asked the
Ministry of Law and Justice to add a specific provision
in RPA, 1951 prohibiting publication and
dissemination of the results of exit polls and opinion
polls during the last 48 hours.
ADDING SECTION 126A TO REPRESENTATION OF
PEOPLE ACT, 1951
• ECI in its 2004 report suggested having statutory
restriction on publishing the results of opinion polls
and exit polls. This proposal of EC was accepted by
Parliament in 2009 and Section 126A was added in
RPA, 1951.
• Section 126A restricts publication and dissemination
of result of exit polls from the period between the
23
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
commencements of the poll until half an hour after • So, it means that now OTT Platforms will be regulated
the closing of the final phase of the poll. Section 126A under the aegis of Ministry of Information &
in RPA 1951 was added in 2009 on concerns that such Broadcasting.
polls influence voting results. o Government of India (Allocation of Business)
• Now conduct of voting process starts at 7 am in Rules, 1961 is made as per Article 77(3) and
the morning and ends at 6 pm in the evening. That allocates important functions or business to be
is why exit polls were announced after 6:30 pm. performed by various Ministries and Departments of

• Violation of Section 126A of RPA, 1951 shall be government of India.

punishable with imprisonment for a term which may o Article 77(3) allows the President to make rules for
extend to 2 years or with fine or with both. the more convenient transaction of the business of
the Government of India, and for the allocation
among Ministers of the said business.

OTT PLATFORMS WHAT IS AN OVER-THE-TOP PLATFORM (OTT)?

• OTTs are streaming media services that streams
# Governance content online. They stream content directly on
internet through some means such as applications.
IN NEWS • The term OTT is generally used to describe the video-

Supreme Court in a Public Interest Litigation had sought on-demand platforms like Netflix, Amazon prime, etc.

central government’s response on regulating “Over the but OTTs also include audio streaming, messaging,

Top” (OTT) platforms like video streaming service internet-based voice calling services.

providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime, digital news and • Initially OTT started out as content hosting and
current affairs content. Accordingly, Ministry of streaming platforms but soon branched out into
Information & Broadcasting (I&B) through a gazette production and release of movies, documentaries and
notification (approved by the President) has brought OTT web series.
platforms, digital news and current affairs content within • Most OTT Platforms offer some content for free and
its ambit. This means that such OTT platforms would have charge a subscription fee for premium content.
to apply to I&B Ministry for approval of the content they
• OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television
wish to stream. These platforms so far were under the
platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a
purview of Ministry of Electronics and Information
controller or distributor of such content.
Technology as the OTT platforms were considered as
intermediaries under Section 79 of Information OTT AS INTERMEDIARIES
Technology Act, 2000. • All such platforms come under the Information
THE AMENDMENT Technology Act, 2000 as they qualify to be called as
Intermediaries. Section 79 of the IT Act,
• In the Government of India (Allocation of Business)
intermediaries must exercise due diligence while
Rules, 1961, in the second schedule under the
streaming content. The Guidelines for due diligence
heading 'Ministry of Information and
have also been framed by the government in 2011.
Broadcasting' after entry 22, the following sub-
heading and entries is inserted: Films and audio-visual • OTT providers do not have to get involved in the
programmes made available by online content inception, transmission and reception of the content
providers; news and current affairs content on online which make them not liable for the content under
platforms. Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

• Section 79 of Information Technology Act, 2000 - It

exempts intermediaries from liability in certain instances.

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 24

 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
It states that intermediaries will not be liable for any third
party information, data or communication link made
available by them.
WHY THERE IS A NEED TO REGULATE OTT
PLATFORMS?
• Article 19(1)(a) provides right to freedom of speech &
expression but also comes with reasonable
restrictions of decency and public morality, public
order, defamation, incitement to offences, etc.
• The principle of fairness - The government is trying
to bring level playing field in different media.
Traditional media in India are regulated under specific
laws such as:
o Films are regulated under the Cinematograph Act of
1952—which provides for the certification
cinematograph films for public exhibition.
o The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act,
1995 —that applies to content appearing on cable
televisions.
• However, there is no such specific law for regulation
of content over OTT platforms.
Regulators of Media in India
• Press Council of India for print media
• Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for films.
• News Broadcasters Association (NBA) for TV news
channels
• Advertising Standards Council of India for advertising
• Increasing use OTT Platforms over DTH Services -
According to KPMG Report, India will have more than
500 million subscribers on all OTT platforms by 2023.
• Huge jump in subscription during lockdown -
During the pandemic lockdown, several OTT platforms
such as Netflix, Hotstar, Alt Balaji, Zee5 have
witnessed huge jump in their subscription.
• New Movie released on OTT Platforms as movie
halls are closed due to lockdown - several
production houses have released their movies directly
on OTT.
• Issue of Adjusted Gross Revenue
telecommunication sector and Media
Entertainment - Officials say that we cannot have two
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
different rates of AGR for telecom sector and M&E
sector for DTH providers. So, there is a need for
common regulation.
• Violation of Anti-Tobacco Rules as observed by
Ministry of Health and Planning - by these online
video streaming platforms.
• No consensus among all OTT Platforms on
following the self regulated code signed by few OTT
Platforms.
REGULATION OF OTT PLATFORMS SO FAR
• In India, OTT Platforms are relatively new as a
medium of entertainment and hence there is no
specific rules governing them. Unlike television, or
films, OTT platforms like social media had hardly any
of regulation. So streaming of content on such platforms
has been widely debated in terms of their regulation.
Internet and Mobile Association of India (), a
representative body of OTT platforms in India had
suggested a self-regulatory model.
• Step for Self-Regulation - 15 OTT platforms together
under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association
of India (IAMAI) in September to sign a code of self-
regulation, formulating a framework for age
classification, appropriate content description and
access control.
The code adopted by the OTTs in January prohibited
five types of content:
• Content which deliberately and maliciously
disrespects the national emblem or national flag.
• Anything visual or a storyline that promotes child
pornography.
• Any content that “maliciously” intends to outrage
religious sentiments.
• Content that “deliberately and maliciously” promotes
or encourages terrorism.
• Any content that has been banned for exhibition or
distribution by law or a Court
• The idea of self-regulation was not accepted by
I&B Ministry and rather suggested the OTT Platforms
for to IAMAI to look at other mechanisms which allow for
and an independent monitoring organisation like the
25
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
Digital Curated Content Complaints Council (DCCCC)
along with enumeration of prohibited content.
• DCCCC having two Tier Structure - Online Curated
Content Providers suggested setting up a Digital
Curated Content Complaints Council along with self-
regulatory mechanism as part of its two-tier structure
for regulation. However, this was also rejected by the
Ministry of I&B.
• Now, the Ministry through a gazette notification
has made itself the regulator of digital content
provided on such OTT Platforms.
FREEDOM OF
CONSCIENCE – RIGHT
TO MARRY – FORCED
CONVERSION
# Rights
IN NEWS
Allahabad High Court in Salamat Ansari verdict on forced
conversion has held that the freedom to live with a person
of one’s choice is intrinsic to the fundamental right to life
and personal liberty. The Court also invoked Puttaswamy
judgment of Right to Privacy and deliberated that freedom
of conscience and religion (Article 25) cannot be examined
by state as its sovereign function. This judgment becomes
important in the backdrop of state government of UP
passing an ordinance against forced conversions.
In this discussion, let us understand about Right to Privacy
and Right to freedom of conscience and religion and how
they help a citizen in enjoying right to life and personal
thereby allowing them to choose a life partner of their
choice.
RIGHT TO PRIVACY
Nine Judge Constitution Bench in K.S. Puttaswamy v
Union of India has ruled right to privacy as an integral
part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty as
guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
Some of the important highlights of the judgment were:
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
• Life and personal liberty are inalienable rights. These
are rights which are inseparable from a dignified
human existence.
• The dignity of the individual, equality between human
beings and the quest for liberty are the foundational
pillars of the Indian Constitution.
• Privacy is the constitutional core of human dignity.
• Privacy includes at its core the preservation of
personal intimacies, the sanctity of family life,
marriage, procreation, the home and sexual
orientation. (This allows an adult to make their own
decisions regarding their choice including marriage).
• Privacy also connotes a right to be left alone.
• Privacy safeguards individual autonomy
recognises the ability of the individual to control vital
and
aspects of his or her life.
• Personal choices governing a way of life are intrinsic
to privacy.
• Privacy protects heterogeneity and recognises the
plurality and diversity of our culture.
• While the legitimate expectation of privacy may vary
from the intimate zone to the private zone and from
the private to the public arenas, it is important to
underscore that privacy is not lost or surrendered
merely because the individual is in a public place.
• Privacy attaches to the person since it is an essential
facet of the dignity of the human being.
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT ON CONVERSION TO
DIFFERENT RELIGION
1. Allahabad HC overruled judgment of Noor Jahan v
State of U.P. (2014) and held that marriage is a matter
of choice and every adult woman has a
fundamental right to choose her own partner
even if such a decision results in other decisions
of the partner including the choice to convert to
religion of the spouse.
2. Such conversions by free will and choice must not be
subjected to state’s approval as it will be violative of
the Constitution if state interferes in such choices of
citizens.
26
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT ON FREEDOM OF
CONSCIENCE
• The HC in overruling the judgment in Noor Jahan
recognised the importance of Article 25 and observed
that it did not see “Priyanka Kharwar and Salamat as
Hindu and Muslim,” but rather saw them “as two
grown up individuals who out of their own free will
and choice are living together peacefully and
happily....”
• Article 25 of the Constitution expressly protects the
choices that individuals make. In addition to the right
freely to profess, practise and propagate religion, it
guarantees to every person the freedom of
conscience.
• Oxford Dictionary explains the term conscience as “a
person's moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as
acting as a guide to one's behaviour.”
• So, the idea of conscience of a person goes beyond
their religion and also involves ethical decision making
in their day to day life.
RESTRICTIONS UNDER ARTICLE 25
• Under Article 25(1) - all persons are equally entitled
to freedom of conscience and the right freely to
profess, practise and propagate religion. But state can
regulate such practice on grounds of public order,
morality and health.
• Further, under Article 25 (2)(a) - state can regulate
or restrict any economic, financial, political or other
secular activity which may be associated with religious
practice.
1977 SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT IN REV.
STAINISLAUS V. STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH
Two anti-conversion law made by the state of Madhya
Pradesh and Orissa were challenged
• The Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam,
1968 and
• The Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967
o These laws required that a District Magistrate be
informed each time a conversion was made and
prohibited any conversion that was obtained through
fraud or illegal inducement.
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o Supreme Court upheld two of the earliest anti-
conversion statutes in India on grounds of public
order.
o Supreme Court held that fundamental right to
propagate religion does not include right to convert a
person to other religion.
UTTAR PRADESH PROHIBITION OF UNLAWFUL
CONVERSION OF RELIGION ORDINANCE, 2020
• The legislation makes not only religious conversions
that are forcefully obtained an offence but that also
declares void any conversion found to be made solely
for marriage.
• Burden of proof as to whether a religious conversion
was effected through misrepresentation, force, undue
influence, coercion, allurement or by marriage, lies on
the person who has caused the conversion.
• Any aggrieved person, his/her parents, brother, sister,
or any other person who is related to him/her by
blood, marriage, or adoption may lodge an FIR against
such forced conversion.
• Reconversion to person’s previous religion will not be
illegal even if it is vitiated by fraud, force, allurement,
misrepresentation etc.
• Any person accused under the offence shall be
punishable with imprisonment from 1 to 5 years and
fine of upto Rs. 15, 000.
• If any person is involved in forceful conversion of
minor, women or person belonging to Scheduled
Caste or Scheduled Tribe shall attract a punishment of
imprisonment between 2 to 10 years and shall also be
liable to fine of upto Rs. 25,000.
• A person previously convicted for forceful conversion,
if found guilty for a second time, will be punishable
with the double the punishment prescribed.
• Such marriage resulted out of forceful conversion
shall be declared as void by the family Court.
• The offence is cognizable and non-bailable. It means
that a police officer can arrest an accused without a
warrant and bail can only be granted by the Court at
their discretion and not by an officer.
PROBLEMS WITH ANTI-CONVERSION LAW IN
INDIA
27
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
• State can interfere in citizens’ personal lives which
the state is prohibited on account of fundamental
right.
• Such anti-conversion laws would be violative of
Right to Privacy Judgment which made right to
privacy as an integral part of right to life and personal
liberty. Right to privacy also include sanctity of family
life, marriage, procreation, home and sexual
orientation.
• Results in violation of constitution every time
matters of intimate and personal choice are made
vulnerable to the paternal whims of the state.
• Freedom of conscience would mean nothing and
take a back seat if every act of religious conversion is
going to be presumed illegal unless proven otherwise.
• It reverses the criminal jurisprudence regarding
burden of proof - The burden of proof in criminal
cases is on the prosecution and the presumption is
that a person accused of committing an offence is
innocent until proven guilty.
• UP ordinance reverses the idea of burden of proof
as every religious conversion is presumed illegal
unless proven guilty. Thus, the burden is on the
person carrying out the conversion to prove that it is
by their will and not illegal.
WAY FORWARD
• In view of the recent ordinance on forced conversion,
it is time to revisit 1977 Supreme Court judgment in
Rev. Stainislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh
considering the decisions given by Nine Judge
Constitution Bench Judgment on Right to Privacy.
• Freedom of conscience would mean nothing if every
religious conversion related to marriage is presumed
illegal by the state.
NORMS ON TRP RATING
# Governance
IN NEWS
The Union Government has constituted a four-member
committee to study different aspects of the television
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
rating system and review the guidelines for television
rating. The Committee will be chaired by Prasar Bharati
CEO and the committee will submit its report to the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Television
Rating Points (TRP) Guidelines were issued in 2014 after
detailed deliberations by the Parliamentary Committee,
Committee on Television Rating Points (TRP) constituted
by the I&B Ministry and recommendations of the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE COMMITTEE
• The Committee shall carry out an appraisal of the
existing system
• Examine TRAI recommendations notified from time to
time.
• Consider overall industry scenario thereby addressing
the needs of the stakeholders
• Make recommendations for robust, transparent and
accountable rating by suggesting suitable changes in
the existing 2014 TRP Guidelines.
• Study past recommendations by various expert
groups on TRP Ratings.
• Review technological solutions which captures the
diversity and scale of television viewing in India.
• It will also review how misleading TRPs can not only
impact broadcasters and advertisers but also viewers.
• The committee would evolve its own methodology to
ensure widest possible consultation on the issue.
• It will also take into account the recommendations of
TRAI, the report of the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Information Technology, other judicial
pronouncements and international best practices to
arrive at its recommendations.
• The committee would examine whether an industry-
led body like Broadcasting Audience Research Council
(BARC), as recommended by TRAI, can be the most
appropriate mechanism to create TRPs without the
existing deficiencies.
• It will look into key issues like the viability of the TRP
system in portraying the demographic profile of the
viewership in the context of viewing habits and
sample size and coverage area, including the rural
segments and regions such as Jammu and Kashmir
and the north-east.
28
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
PRODUCING VICTIMS &
SUSPECT BEFORE MEDIA
VIOLATES THEIR RIGHTS
# Rights
IN NEWS
High Court of Madhya Pradesh in an important ruling has
held that production of victims and suspects before the
media, as well as disclosure of personal information of the
suspects to the media or display of their photographs in
newspapers or any digital platform is violative of Article
21 of the Indian Constitution. Even parading of suspects in
general public is violative of Article 21.
Backdrop to the Ruling: The High Court was examining
whether state government by issuing an executive
instruction can violate privacy rights of the accused by
publishing their uncovered faces in newspapers, media
or by parading them in society.
Argument of the State: State relied on 2014 circular
regarding sharing of information with media and the
uncovered faces of an accused subject to certain
restrictions.
JUDGMENT OF HC
• HC declared the 2014 circular as self-contradictory as
on one hand, it speaks about protecting the
fundamental rights of an accused, but on the other
hand, it gives liberty to the policemen to violate the
fundamental rights of the suspects/accused.
• The Court overall held that privacy/ reputation/
dignity of a citizen of India, are an integral part of
Article 21 of the Constitution of India and cannot be
infringed, unless and until a restriction is imposed by
or under the authority of law and such restriction
should be reasonable having nexus with the object
sought to be achieved.
• Aspect of Defamation - The Court observed that
publishing of a photograph of a criminal or parading
in the general public, even prior to his conviction, may
defame them in the society.
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
• Tarnishing the reputation of a person by the
police, on the basis of its own investigation, amounts
to prejudging the correctness of the allegations, which
is unknown to Indian Law, and a person is presumed
to be innocent, unless and until he is convicted.
• Thus, without there being any statutory provision
putting reasonable restrictions, the police cannot
violate the fundamental rights i.e.,
Privacy/dignity/reputation of a citizen of India, on
the basis of an executive instruction issued by the
Director-General of Police.
• Violates Article 21 & Encourages Media Trials - So,
by producing the victims and suspects before the
media, the police not only violates fundamental rights
of the suspect as enshrined under Article 21 of the
Constitution of India but also encourages the media
trials.
70TH CONSTITUTION
DAY CELEBRATED ON
26TH NOVEMBER
# Rights
IN NEWS
26th November, 2020 marks the 71st Anniversary of the
adoption of our Constitution. Since 1979, the legal
fraternity had been celebrating November 26 as ‘Law Day’
every year on a call by the Supreme Court Bar Association.
In 2015, commemorating Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 125th
birth anniversary, the Government decided to celebrate
November 26 as the Constitution Day. Constitution of
India was adopted on 26th November, 1949 and came into
effect on 26th January, 1950 – the day we celebrate our
Republic Day.
The President in his address highlighted the following
important aspects related to Indian Constitution:
• It is our founding document drafted by the great
visionary leaders of our freedom movement.
• Democracy at the heart of the Constitution and even
the Constituent Assembly was formed in a democratic
29
 Constituti0n, Polity and
Governance
manner having popular representation from across • Dr. Ambedkar, as chairman of the drafting committee,
the country. spoke eloquently about their significance in his

• It is a document truly of the people, by the people and concluding speech: “What does social democracy

for the people. mean? It means a way of life which recognizes liberty,
equality and fraternity as the principles of life. These
• To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, The President
principles of liberty, equality and fraternity are not to
highlighted that this document, a creation of Indian
be treated as separate items in a trinity. They form a
genius and ingenuity, too shall not perish from earth,
union of trinity in the sense that to divorce one from
as citizens continue to repose faith in it.
the other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy.”
• The spirit of the epic of our times is elegantly captured
• Improving access to justice is an important work in
in the Preamble. In mere eighty-five words, it spells
progress and in this regard, the Preamble speaks of
out the core values that propelled the Freedom
the resolve to secure for all its citizens social,
Struggle, the vision of our Founding Fathers, the
economic and political justice.
dreams and aspirations of every Indian.
• The President also highlighted the important role
• The Preamble has rightly been seen as the heart of
played by Supreme Court over the years in preserving
the Constitution, and at its core are certain values.
the rights of the citizens and state even in changing
They are justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. This is
socio-political realities.
the moral compass of our journey together to a
glorious future.

practice questions
Descriptive Questions
Q1. Anti-conversion law which is being introduced by various state governments runs contrary to the idea of freedom
of conscience, religion and right to privacy. Analyse. (15 Marks) (250 Words)

Q2. Highlight the advantages and disadvantages of enumeration of caste along with the Census exercise in India.

(10 Marks) (150 Words)

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 30

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

Lead Article
CORPORATES AS BANKS:
this recommendation would pave way for large corporates
such as Reliance, Tata etc. to set up private sector Banks.

PROS, CONS AND WAY

On one hand, the entry of these corporate houses into
Banking sector would enhance competition in the Banking

FORWARD sector, promote higher efficiency and lead to development

of large sized banks to support credit needs of $ 5 trillion
Economy. On the other hand, some of the experts such as
#Government Policies
Ex-RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan believes that such a
move would be a bad idea and would have an adverse
impact on the economy.

In this regard, we would focus on the following

IN NEWS dimensions:
In June 2020, the RBI had appointed Internal Working • Evolution in Banking Policy
Group (IMG) to review the ownership guidelines and
• Present Status of Banking Sector
corporate structure of the Indian Private Banks. One of
the most contentious recommendations submitted by this • Pros and Cons of allowing Corporate/ Industrial Houses
committee is to allow large corporate/Industrial houses to to set up Banks
be the promoters of the Indian Banks. The acceptance of • Way Forward

EVOLUTION IN BANKING POLICY

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 31

 Economic Development
• Phase of Nationalisation (1969-1991): India's public
sector banks (PSBs) were initially set up as Private
Banks and later on Nationalised in two waves in 1969
and 1980. After the 1980 nationalization, PSBs had a
91 per cent share in the national banking market with
the remaining 9 per cent held by “old private banks”
(OPBs) that were not nationalized.
• Entry of New Private Banks (NPBs) post 1991
Reforms: Based upon the recommendations of
Narasimhan committee, the RBI issued the policy
guidelines to facilitate the entry of new private Banks
(NPBs) on a large scale. Subsequently, it led to the
entry of large-sized Private Banks such as HDFC, ICICI,
Axis Bank etc.
• Guidelines for Licensing of Universal Banks in the
Private Sector: The minimum initial paid-up capital
for setting up new private Bank was set at Rs 500
crores. Resident individuals and professionals having
10 years of experience in banking and finance were
also eligible to promote universal banks. However,
Large corporate/industrial houses were not allowed to
set up Banks but were permitted to invest in the
banks up to 10 per cent
• Consolidation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs): Based
upon the recommendations of Narasimhan
Committee (1991) and P.J. Nayak Committee (2014),
the Government has focussed on the
consolidation/merger of the PSBs. The Associate
Banks of SBI and Bharatiya Mahila Bank got merged
into State of Bank of India. It was followed by the
merger of Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank and Bank of Baroda
in 2018. In the year 2019, 10 Public sector Banks were
merged into 4 large banks. After the mergers, there
are 12 public sector banks, including the SBI.
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
• Present Phase: Shift towards greater role of Private
Sector in the Banking.
• Public Sector Banks: The Government has proposed
new Public Sector Enterprise Policy wherein sectors
would be categorized into - Strategic and Non-
Strategic. In case of Strategic sector, the number of
PSUs would be limited to 4 and the remaining PSUs
would either be privatized or merged into larger PSUs.
In case of non-strategic sector, all the PSUs would be
privatized. The Government is likely to designate
Banking as Strategic sector, which would mean there
would be maximum 4 PSBs and the remaining PSBs
would be merged into larger PSBs or privatized.
• Private Sector Banks: The Internal Working Group
(IWG) has proposed to allow large corporate/Industrial
houses to open private sector Banks.
PRESENT STATUS OF BANKING SECTOR
1. Under-developed Banking Sector: The banking
sector has grown significantly over the years but the total
balance sheet of banks in India still constitutes less than
70 per cent of the GDP. This is much lower as compared
to global peers such as China (170%), Japan (110%) etc.
Further, the domestic credit provided by Indian banks
still remains low compared to other countries.
As highlighted by Economic Survey 2019-20, the Indian
Banking sector has remained dwarf in comparison to the
size of our economy. Take for instance, India's largest
Bank i.e., SBI is ranked at 55th position globally. The
growth of large-sized economies such as USA, China etc.
has been supported by large-sized global Banks. Hence,
in order to cater to the vision of $ 5trillion economy, we
need to have large sized Banks which would be able to
enhance competition and efficiency and meet the credit
needs of growing economy such as India.
32
 Economic Development

2. Government's Monopoly in Banking Sector: As of
March 2019, PSBs had Rs 80 lakh crore in deposits and
gave loans of Rs 58 lakh crore, accounting for almost 70%
of the market share in the Banking sector. However, the
performance of the Public Sector Banks has been quite
poor as compared to new private Banks (NPBs). The
PSBs account for 80% of the overall NPAs of the Banking
sector. The NPAs of the PSBs is around 12% and is much
higher as compared to NPBs. In 2019, the cumulative
loss of the PSBs due to bad loans accounted for around
Rs 66,000 crores.
3. Higher Efficiency of Private Sector Banks: According
to the Economic Survey 2019-20, every rupee of the
taxpayers' money which is invested in PSBs fetches a
market value of 71 paise. On the other hand, every rupee
invested in NPBs fetches a market value of Rs 3.70 i.e.,
more than five times as much value as that of a rupee
invested in PSBs. This shows that the taxpayers' money is
inefficiently deployed in the Public sector Banks which in
turn is leading to loss of both the Government as well as
the taxpayers.
SHOULD CORPORATE/ INDUSTRIAL HOUSES BE
ALLOWED TO SET UP BANKS?
o A large corporate/industrial/business house is
defined as a group having total assets of Rs 5000
crore or more wherein the non-financial business of
the group accounts for more than 40 per cent in
terms of total assets or gross income.

o The Committee has highlighted that the private sector

Banks must be set up as non-operative finance
holding company (NOFHC) structure. This would
provide for the separation of ownership and
management control over the Private sector Banks.

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR ARGUMENTS AGAINST

• Bring in Capital and necessary
expertise in Banking
• Improve the Credit-to-GDP ratio and
facilitate Investment driven Model.
• Reduce the Government's monopoly
in banking sector and reap benefits
(Example of Liberalisation of Telecom
and Aviation Sectors)
• Prone to Shocks: The Indian Economy remained less affected by Global
financial crisis 2017-18 due to the dominance of the Public Sector
Banks.
• Conflict of Interest: Corporate houses can involve in inter-connected
lending. They can easily turn banks into a source of funds for their own
businesses. They can also use banks to provide finance to customers
and suppliers of their businesses. Tracing inter-connected lending is a
challenge.

• Infuse competition in Banking Sector • Contagion Impact: Banks owned by corporate houses will be exposed
leading to higher efficiency. to the risks of the non-bank entities of the group.

• Lead to development of large-sized
banks to cater to credit needs of $ 5
trillion economy.
• Leverage the Private sector Banks for
the socio-economic development. (Ex:
• Poor Supervision and Regulatory oversight: The recent failure of Yes
Bank and Laxmi Vilas Bank has exposed the weakness in supervision of
PSBs. Failure of Banks promoted by large corporate houses would be
disastrous.
• Concentration of Political and Economic Power: Political biasedness

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 33

 Economic Development

Jan Dhan Yojana, DBT etc.)
• Many Countries across the world have
not explicitly prohibited entry of large
corporate/Industrial houses.
in giving licenses to certain corporate houses; Anti-competitive
practices; promotion of crony Capitalism.
• Misallocation of Credit: Possibility of diverting depositors' money only
towards certain sectors and hence may affect financial inclusion. Over-
Burden RBI leading to decrease in quality of Regulation.
• Moral Hazard: The Banks in India are rarely allowed to fail. They may
have to be rescued by the Government which poses moral hazard.

WAY FORWARD should be done in order to prevent Inter-connected

• As can be seen from the above discussion, the entry of
Corporate houses into the Banking sector would have
both benefits and challenges. In February 2013, the
RBI had issued guidelines that permitted corporate
and industrial houses to apply for a banking licence.
However, no corporate was ultimately given a bank
licence. Only two entities qualified for a licence, IDFC
and Bandhan Financial Services.
• This clearly shows that presently, the RBI is itself not
very comfortable with issuing licenses to the
corporate houses. Hence, we need to be extra-
cautious in issuing licenses to corporate houses.
• The issue of licences to the corporate houses should
be preceded by number of reforms:
o Strengthen Banking Regulation Act, 1949: The
Federal Reserve Act in USA prohibits financial
transactions of Banks with their affiliates. Hence,
amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949
lending.
o Consolidated Supervision: The RBI must be
empowered to carry out the consolidated supervision
of the Banks and their non-Banking entities to avoid
any conflict of Interest.
o Strengthen Supervisory Cadre: The RBI has set up
Specialised Supervisory and Regulatory Cadre (SSRC)
in November 2019 to strengthen and consolidate the
supervision functions, which were scattered across
different departments. The SSRC needs to be
strengthened and given proper training.
o Reforms in PSBs: The failure of Yes Bank and Laxmi
Vilas Bank (LVB) has highlighted that it is not the
ownership structure, rather the quality of corporate
governance which determines the efficiency of the
banks. Hence, the Government must also give due
amount of emphasis on reforming PSBs as highlighted
by P.J. Nayak Committee.

External Sector
LESSONS FROM
promote economic growth, create more employment
opportunities and lift millions of people above the poverty

VIETNAM AND
line. Bangladesh has become the second largest apparel
exporter after China. On the other hand, exports from

BANGLADESH Vietnam have increased by over 240% in the last 8 years.

In spite of having favourable advantages, India has failed

#Export-Led Model to pursue export-led model. In this regard, let us focus on
the following dimensions:

1. Need for Export-led Model in India

IN NEWS 2. Export-oriented Strategies adopted by Vietnam and
In the last decade, smaller economies such as Bangladesh Bangladesh
and Vietnam have pursued export-led model in order to

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 34

 Economic Development
3. Can India afford to follow these strategies?
4. Lessons for India
NEED FOR EXPORT-LED MODEL IN INDIA
• Empirical Evidence: Countries such as Japan, South
Korea, Singapore etc. have been able to sustain higher
economic growth by following export-led strategy. In
the recent times, such an export-led strategy has
benefitted both bigger economies such as China as
well as smaller economies such as Vietnam.
• Shift from Consumption-led to Investment and
Export driven Model: India’s growth drivers highlight
that its economic growth has been primarily propelled
by domestic demand which accounts for 60% of
India's GDP. However, exports account for only 12%
GDP. It should also be recognised that an economy
with only $2,000 per capita income will not be able to
expand simply based on domestic demand. Moreover,
too much focus on domestic demand might
strengthen imports faster than exports, which could
potentially lead to a widening deficit.
• Conducive environment in terms of decline in
exports from China on account of US-China Trade war,
rising Labour costs, growing anti-China sentiment etc.
• Boost Make in India and Assemble in India: By
integrating “Assemble in India for the world” into
Make in India, India can raise its export market share
to about 3.5 percent by 2025 and 6 per cent by 2030.
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
India would create about 4 crore well-paid jobs by
2025 and about 8 crores by 2030.
• Innovation and Efficiency: Exporters would be
required to innovate and adopt new technologies to
boost exports.
EXPORT-ORIENTED STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY
VIETNAM AND BANGLADESH
• Open-Trade Policy: Signing of FTAs with countries
such as US, EU, China, Japan etc. enable them to
export their commodities without attracting customs
duty in importing countries.
• Liberalised FDI Norms: These countries have opened
up various sectors such as electricity, real estate,
hospital, defence, railways projects etc. for the FDI.
This has incentivised the foreign companies to set up
their manufacturing bases in these countries. For
example, large brands such as Samsung, Foxconn,
H&M, Nike, Adidas, and IKEA have flocked to Vietnam
to manufacture their products.
• Cheaper labour Force: The rising Anti-China
sentiments, US-China Trade war and growing labour
costs in China has forced the foreign companies to
shift their bases out of China to other countries such
as Vietnam where labour costs are lower.
PROBLEMS WITH THE EXPORT-LED MODELS OF
BANGLADESH AND VIETNAM
• Lack of Diversification of Exports: While most of the
exports of Bangladesh are dominated by apparel,
exports from Vietnam are dominated by Mobile
phones, Textiles, Electronic Goods etc. The poor
diversification of exports from these countries is
evident in Economic Complexity Index (ECI), published
by Harvard growth Lab. This index ranks countries
based on how diversified and complex its
manufacturing export basket is. The ECI rank for China
is 32, India 43, Vietnam 79, and Bangladesh 127. Such
lack of diversification of exports hinders development
of other crucial sectors such as Agriculture, Defence,
Pharmaceuticals etc.
• Low Value Addition: One of the reasons for increase
in Exports from Vietnam is on account of its
integration with the Global Value Chains (GVCs).
However, the amount of value addition that takes
35
 Economic Development
place in Vietnam is quite lower. For example, most of
its exports of electronic goods is on account of final
assembly of Goods which are manufactured in other
countries.
LESSONS FOR INDIA
Both Bangladesh and Vietnam are much smaller
economies as compared to India. Obviously, being a
large economy, India cannot rely only on exports to
boost its GDP growth. Over-reliance on Exports could
make India more vulnerable to external shocks. For
example, the Export-to-GDP (EGR) ratio of Vietnam is
around 107%, which makes it highly vulnerable to
external crisis such as Global Financial crisis of 2008. In
comparison, India's EGR is around 18.7%, which makes
it less vulnerable.
Undoubtedly, boosting exports is need of the hour. But,
it should not be pursued at the expense of other sectors.
Rather than focussing entirely on boosting exports, India
needs to focus on boosting Manufacturing sector, attract
FDI and thus promote economic growth. In that case,
exports from India would automatically increase. So,
rather than treating Exports as means to promote
economic growth, the Government must perceive the
exports as ends of economic growth. Some of the policy
initiatives to be taken include:
• Signing of FTAs with countries such as ASEAN, Japan,
South Korea etc. has led to increase in India's trade
deficit. India must renegotiate these FTAs to its
advantage.
• Integration with Global Value Chains (GVCs) should
be accompanied by higher focus on diversification of
our exports and higher value addition.
• Attracting foreign Investment though Plug and
Play Model: Under the plug-and-play model, the
investors are provided with land at affordable cost
with all the necessary pre-clearances including
Environmental clearances. It would provide in-built
office spaces and all the basic facilities such as
Electricity, water etc. One of the biggest advantages of
such a model is that it kickstarts the production as
early as possible without any hurdles. Some of the
States such as Maharashtra, Haryana etc. have
decided to adopt such a model to boost foreign
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
Investment. This model needs to be replicated by the
other states as well.
• Business Environment: Focus on reduction in the
cost of establishing and running a business, Enabling
Trade across borders etc.
• Poor Logistics: Need to address poor logistics such as
Roads, Ports, railways etc; Focus on multi-modal
transport.
• Access to Finance: Need to provide export focussed
credit, especially for MSMEs, across most states in
India.
CAPITAL ACCOUNT
CONVERTIBILITY
#External Sector
IN NEWS
The RBI Governor has recently highlighted that India will
continue to approach capital account convertibility as a
process rather than an event. Full Rupee Convertibility on
Capital Account is a very sensitive subject as it deals with
liberalisation of capital transactions into and out of a
country. In this regard, let us look at various aspects of
Currency Convertibility.
PRELIMS 2015
Q. Convertibility of rupee implies:-
(a) being able to convert rupee notes into gold.
(b) allowing the value of rupee to be fixed by market
forces.
(c) freely permitting the conversion of rupee to other
currencies and vice versa.
(d) developing an international market for currencies in
India.
Currency Convertibility: Currency convertibility refers
to the freedom to convert the domestic currency into
other internationally accepted currencies and vice versa.
Convertibility in that sense is the easing of controls or
restrictions on currency transactions. The Convertibility
36
 Economic Development

of Currency can be in the form of either Current Account 3. External Commercial Borrowings: RBI sets annual
Transactions or Capital Account transactions. limits.

RUPEE CONVERTIBILITY IN INDIA PROS AND CONS OF FULL RUPEE

• Full Rupee Convertibility on Current Account: The CONVERTIBILITY ON CAPITAL ACCOUNT
Current Account under the Balance of Payment (BoP) TRANSACTIONS
includes various transactions such as Imports,
Pros Cons
Exports, Remittances, Gifts, Donations. On these
• Easier access to Foreign • Higher Volatility in the
transactions, India has adopted full Rupee
Capital and technology Exchange rate due to
Convertibility in 1993. That means, there are no
due to greater ease for sudden inflow and
unnecessary restrictions on these transactions. Rupee the foreign Investors. outflow of Foreign
can easily be converted into foreign Currencies and • Promote competition currencies. (1997 Asian
vice-versa on these transactions. between domestic Financial Crisis)

• Partial Rupee Convertibility on Capital Account: companies and MNCs • Higher Inflows of foreign
• Internationalisation of Capital could lead to
Capital Account Convertibility (CAC) is not just the
Rupee- Rupee can easily sudden appreciation in
currency convertibility, but it also involves the the value of Rupee and
be accepted in other
freedom to invest in financial assets of other countries. thus hurt Exports.
countries. The Committee on Capital Account
• Enable domestic • Greater chances of
Convertibility (1997) headed by Tarapore has given a Investors to invest in global risks affecting
working definition for the CAC - “CAC refers to the overseas market Indian Economy!
freedom to convert local financial assets into foreign • Promote Financial Example: 2007-08 Global
Discipline since the Financial Crisis)
financial assets and vice versa at market determined
rates of exchange. It is associated with changes of Government must keep • Higher Foreign Debt
ownership in foreign/domestic financial assets." in check Fiscal Deficit and • Outflow of Domestic
Public Debt to attract Savings to other
• So, it basically refers to easing of restrictions on foreign Capital Countries.
movement of capital (such as FDI, FPI etc) from one • Promote Employment • No empirical link
country to another. opportunities and GDP between Capital Account
growth. Convertibility and
• India has adopted Partial Rupee Convertibility on
Economic Growth.
Capital account. There are certain restrictions which
are imposed on the movement of Capital as shown IS INDIA READY FOR CAPITAL ACCOUNT
below: CONVERTIBILITY?
1. Restrictions on FDI: The Tarapore Committee has recommended that India
o There are certain sectors (such as Gambling/Lottery, should adopt Capital Account Convertibility in a phased
Chit Funds and Nidhi Companies, Manufacturing of and gradual manner. At the same time, it has laid down
Cigarettes etc.) where FDI is prohibited. some pre-conditions to be met for the introduction of
Capital Account convertibility:
o 100% FDI is not allowed in all the sectors. The
Government has imposed Sectoral Cap on FDI in 1. Eliminate Revenue Deficit and ensure Revenue surplus
different sectors. 2. Substantial part of Revenue surplus should be
o In some of the sectors such as Banking, Insurance etc., earmarked for meeting repayment obligations.
investment through FDI is allowed after the 3. Strengthen the Regulation of Financial sector,
Government's approval. including that of Banks. Reduce the NPAs of Banking
2. Restrictions on FPI: Individual and Aggregate FPI sector and focus on reforms in Public Sector Banks
Limit, FPI Limit in G-Secs and Corporate Bonds etc. (PSBs).

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 37

 Economic Development
4. To meet import and debt service payments, forex
reserves should be adequate enough.
5. The RBI should evolve policies to allow industrial
houses to have stakes in Indian banks or promote
new banks.
WHAT APPROACH SHOULD INDIA FOLLOW?
• Capital account liberalization should be regarded as a
process and not an event i.e., it should be introduced
in a phased and gradual manner.
• The degree and timing of capital account liberalization
need to be sequenced with other reforms, such as
strengthening of banking systems, fiscal consolidation,
trade liberalization and the changing domestic and
external economic environments.
• India has to focus more on liberalising inflows as
compared to outflows. Among the kinds of inflows,
FDI should be preferred for stability, while excessive
short-term external debt needs to be avoided.
• For outflows, the hierarchy for liberalization has to be
- Corporates first, followed by financial intermediaries,
and finally individuals.
PROPOSAL FOR WTO
WAIVER FROM IPR
PROTECTION FOR
COVID-19 VACCINES
#WTO
IN NEWS
In a landmark move, India and South Africa recently asked
the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow all countries
to choose to neither grant nor enforce patents and other
intellectual property (IP) related to COVID-19 drugs,
vaccines, diagnostics and other technologies. This would
provide countries with the policy space needed to
collaborate in research and development and
manufacturing, scaling up and supplying COVID-19 tools.
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Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(TRIPS) Agreement: The TRIPS Agreement is a
multilateral agreement under the WTO which came into
being in 1995. The agreement seeks to provide minimum
standards of protection to various Intellectual property
rights (IPRs) such as Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks,
Geographical Indication Tag, Industrial Designs, Layout
Design of Integrated Circuits, Trade secrets etc.
EXCEPTIONS UNDER THE TRIPS AGREEMENT
• Compulsory licensing: It is issued when the
government allows someone else to produce the
patented drug without the consent of the patent
owner. It can only be done under a number of
conditions aimed at protecting the legitimate interests
of the patent holder. For example: Normally, the
person or company applying for a licence must have
first attempted, unsuccessfully, to obtain a voluntary
licence from the right holder on reasonable
commercial terms. If a compulsory licence is issued,
adequate remuneration must still be paid to the
patent holder.
• India has exercised the Compulsory licensing option in
2013 for Bayer’s Nexavar, a patented kidney cancer
drug. It authorized NATCO Pharma to manufacture
and sell Nexavar in India. Subsequently, the price of
the Nexavar drug got reduced to 4% of its original
price.
• Parallel or Grey Imports: These are products
marketed by the patent owner in one country and
imported into another country without the approval of
the patent owner. For example, suppose company A
has a drug patented in the Country 'X' and Country 'Y'.
In Country 'Y', the drug may be sold at lower prices. In
this case, the Country 'X' may decide to import the
drug from Country 'Y'. It is referred to parallel or grey
import.
• Bolar Exception: Usually, the marketing approval for
new drugs takes substantial amount of time. Hence,
upon the expiry of patented drugs, the entry of
cheaper Generic medicines into market may get
delayed.
• Hence, Bolar Exception allows potential competitors
to use a patented invention during the patent term
without the consent of the patent owner for the
38
 Economic Development
purpose of obtaining marketing approval for a
prospective generic product.
What has been demand of India and South Africa
before WTO? India and South Africa submitted a joint
communication to the TRIPS Council at the WTO, titled
“Waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS agreement
for the prevention, containment and treatment of
COVID-19”. The proposal requests a waiver to be granted
to WTO members so that they do not have to implement,
apply or enforce certain obligations related to COVID-19
products and technologies.
Mechanism for Waivers under WTO Agreements:
Marrakesh Agreement which led to establishment of
WTO provides that a waiver under WTO treaties, such as
TRIPS, can be decided at the WTO Ministerial Conference.
The waiver needs to contain a justification based on the
exceptional circumstances. Waivers longer than one year
will be reviewed by the Ministerial Conference annually
until its termination.
AATMA NIRBHAR
BHARAT: FLAWS IN
INWARD ORIENTED
STRATEGIES
#Finance
IN NEWS
Recently, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has
highlighted the adverse impact of the Free Trade
Agreements (FTAs) on the Indian Economy. According to
him, the FTAs have led to surge in imports, adversely
affected domestic manufacturing, led to jobless growth
and thus in a nutshell led to De-Industrialisation of Indian
Economy.
Accordingly, the Government has adopted inward oriented
strategies to focus on bringing about growth and
development. However, the article highlights that such
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
inward oriented strategies would rather end up affecting
the Indian Economy.
PRESENT STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY
GOVERNMENT TO PROMOTE LOCAL GOODS
• Nationalistic Sentiments: Appeal to the Nationalistic
sentiments of the Indians to buy and Promote Indian
Goods as evident in "Vocal for Local" Campaign
• Withdrawing from FTAs: Decided to withdraw from
RCEP to protect its domestic Industry; Also called for
review of all existing FTAs to make them more India
friendly.
• Increasing Customs duty/ Safeguard Duty: Decided
to impose Safeguard Duty on some of the goods such
as Solar Panel Cells to promote domestic
Manufacturing.
• Higher Preference to Domestic Companies in Public
Procurement.
FLAWED ASSUMPTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT
The Government's strategy on adopting Inward Oriented
Strategies and focusing less on Trade Integration is
based upon number of assumptions. However, a recent
research paper published by Shoumitro Chatterjee and
Arvind Subramanian, ‘India’s Inward (Re)Turn: Is it
Warranted? Will it Work?’ has highlighted that these
flaws are actually flawed.
• Large Domestic Size: The Indian Government
believes that the demand in the Indian Domestic
Market is large enough to support higher Economic
Growth and hence there is no need to boost exports.
• However, the research paper has highlighted that
Indian Domestic Market is quite small and would
continue to remain small in the near and medium
term. Hence, India cannot rely on Domestic market
alone to boost economic growth, it has to rely even on
the exports as well. Hence, India cannot afford to
adopt inward oriented strategies, rather it requires to
adopt outward oriented strategies.
• Growth Driven by Demand, not by Exports: The
second myth is that India’s growth has been driven by
domestic demand, not by exports, and definitely not
39
 Economic Development

manufacturing exports. However, the research paper • Against Well-Established Theory: According to the
highlights that, for almost three decades a stellar theory of comparative advantage, countries must
export performance has played a critical role in India’s focus on production of those goods which can be
overall growth. manufactured cheaply in comparison to other

For example, between 1995 and 2018, India’s overall countries. Those goods which cannot be

export growth averaged 13.4% annually. This is the manufactured cheaply in comparison to other

third best performance in the world among the top 50 countries or if a country does not have competitive

exporters. It is nearly twice the world average growth advantage in production of a particular commodity,

and not far behind China’s growth of just over 15%. then it should import such goods from other
countries. Hence, theory of comparative advantage
• Decrease in Exports in Post-CoVID World: Some
states that bilateral trade benefits both the Countries
advocates of inward orientation argue that even if
since it enables them to import those goods which
India’s exports have done well in the past, the future is
otherwise, cannot be manufactured economically as
going to be different. In particular, export growth will
compared to its trading partner.
inevitably be slow in a post Covid world because of
protectionist policies followed by number of countries. • Hinders Innovation: Shield domestic companies from
foreign competition leading to complacency and
However, the research paper has highlighted that
decline in quality of Goods.
reports of globalisation’s demise have been greatly
exaggerated. It is true that world exports of goods • Historical Insights: Policy of import-substitution

have declined post COVID-19. However, the global which started in 2nd five-year plan has failed.

exports of services have continued to increase. In • International Experience: Countries such as China
other words, the globalization of services is continuing and smaller economies such as Vietnam, Malaysia etc.
and hence India needs to leverage this opportunity. have achieved higher GDP growth rates through free

It has also highlighted that in future, Indian Economy and open trade.

can account for the large share in the export of • Retaliatory Actions: As evident in US-China Trade
merchandise Goods. If Countries like Vietnam and war, protectionist policies invite retaliatory actions
Bangladesh can increase their share of exports, even from other countries and hence makes everyone
India could also do the same. worse-off.

PROBLEMS WITH INWARD ORIENTED • Discourage Foreign Investment: Higher preference

STRATEGIES to domestic companies leads to lack of level-playing

field.
These inward-oriented strategies highlight that the
Government sees trade as a problem and not as a • Set back to Export-led Growth: If India starts

solution to economic revival. imposing higher customs duty or following

• Set-Back to Make in India and Assemble in India:
Some of the Industries such as Pharma, Automobile,
Electronics etc. are heavily dependent on raw
protectionist policies, then other countries would also
take retaliatory action by increasing the customs duty.
Hence, Government must realize that path to self-

materials from countries such as China. The increase sufficiency is through export promotion and global

in customs duty due to protectionist policies would economic integration rather than through protectionism

lead to increase in raw materials costs for these and import-substitution.

Industries and hence could affect domestic

manufacturing.

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 Economic Development

Infrastructure
o Propelling India to Top 50 Nations in the ICT
DIGITAL Development Index of ITU from 134 in 2017.

INFRASTRUCTURE- o Enhancing India's contribution to Global Value Chains

o Ensuring Digital Sovereignty

PROSPECTS, • National Broadband Mission: Universal and

CONSTRAINTS AND
equitable access to broadband services across the
country, especially in rural and remote areas.

WAY FORWARD • Digital India Scheme: Areas of focus

broadband highways, providing universal access to
include

#Digital Infrastructure mobile connectivity, a public internet access program,

e-governance, electronic service delivery, access to
information, increasing electronics manufacturing,
providing information technology skills for jobs and
early harvest programs.
IN NEWS
• BharatNet: Providing high-speed broadband to all the
Recently, Prime Minister highlighted that after the launch
panchayats in the country
of Digital India Mission 5 years ago, Digital India has now
• National Information Infrastructure (NII): Ensure
become way of life. Digital connectivity facilitates the
the integration of the networks and cloud
communication and commerce that drives economic
infrastructure to provide high-speed connectivity to
growth. In this regard, let us look at various aspects of
various government departments up to the panchayat
Digital Infrastructure in India- Prospects, Constraints and
level.
Way Forward.
• Public Internet Access Programme: Make 2,50,000
Current Situation: According to the Internet Trends
common service centres (CSCs) operational at the
2017 report,27 per cent of India’s population (355 million
gram panchayat level to deliver government services
users) uses the internet. While this represents
online.
exponential growth compared to the 4 per cent
penetration in 2009, there is scope for improvement. • Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF): Fund is
Tele-density, or the number of telephone connections for raised through the imposition of 'Universal Access
every 100 individuals, is 83. In rural areas, the tele- Levy (UAL)', which is a percentage of the revenue
density is one-third that of urban areas. earned by the operators under various licenses. This
fund was established with the object of improving
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES
telecom services in the remote and rural areas of
• National Digital Communication Policy India.
o Broadband for all
CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES
o Creating 4 million additional jobs in Digital
1. Broadband connectivity
Communications sector
• Internet access is plagued by issues related to quality
o Enhancing contribution of the digital communication
and reliability, outages, call drops and weak signals.
sector to 8% of India's GDP from 6% in 2017.

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 Economic Development

• The current definition of broadband of 512 kbps
speed is inadequate and not in line with the expected
rise in demand in the future.
• Existing networks have been strained by limited
spectrum availability and usage, affecting
provision of quality services.
2. Digital access and literacy
• A significant portion of our population does not have
access to devices such as laptops, computers,
smartphones, etc.
o Attracting investments of $100 billion in the Digital
Communications Sector.
o Creation of Innovation led Start-ups in Digital
Communications Sector.
the o Accelerate transition to Industry 4.0
• Quality of Service: Adequate availability of spectrum
is critical to ensure service quality. Efficient spectrum
allocation in large continuous blocks should be
explored. We should explore migration to new
technologies which would resolve some of the

• Digital literacy in India is estimated to be less than 10 bandwidth challenges.

per cent of the population. • Access and digital literacy: The National Digital

3. Content in Indian languages: Currently, most digital Literacy Mission should focus on introducing digital

content is in English. However, “9 out of every 10 new literacy at the primary school level in all government

internet users in India over the next 5 years are likely to schools for basic content and in higher classes and

be Indian language users”. colleges for advanced content. Multiplier effects of

this mission will be realised when these students in
4. Availability of e-services:
turn educate their family members.
• A large number of e-services are not available on the
• Content in Indian Languages
digital platform.
o State governments should pay special attention to
• Wide variation across states in the availability of
creating content, particularly those relating to
citizen e-services.
government e-services, in Indian regional languages.
• Currently, citizens have to physically visit government
o Centre, States and researchers need focused
offices to access most government-to-citizen (G2C)
collaboration to promote Natural Language
services, as municipalities and other government
Processing for making all government's online
bodies have been slow to digitize their processes.
services available in all 22 official languages.
5. Cyber security: The regulatory framework for cyber
o Focus could be laid on the automatic translation of
security is inadequate. Hacking and denial-of-service
content into regional languages from Hindi or English.
attacks have led to disruption of services, both in the
o Case studies like those of the European Union, which
government and the private sector – banks and
governments increasingly face security breaches. had similar problems in making content available in
the languages of member countries, should be
STRATEGIES NEEDED TO IMPROVE DIGITAL
explored to identify models that can potentially be
INFRASTRUCTURE adopted.
• Improving Access: • Availability of e-services: Individual ministries and
o Provide Universal broadband connectivity at 50Mbps states have to play a pivotal role in ensuring that all
to every citizen. their services are available and easily accessible by

o Provide 1 Gbps connectivity to all Gram Panchayats of citizens over digital platforms. Boosting domestic
manufacturing of Electronics and other Digital
India by 2020 and 10 Gbps by 2022.
Components.
o Enable deployment of public Wi-Fi Hotspots; to reach
• Boost Electronics Manufacturing to reduce the
5 million by 2020 and 10 million by 2022.
import of electronic Goods and ensure digital
o Ensure connectivity to all uncovered areas
sovereignty.
• Innovation in Digital Sector
• Cyber Security

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 Economic Development
o Need to evolve a comprehensive cyber security
framework for data security, safe digital transactions
and complaint redressal.
o Promotion of Data Localisation and a comprehensive
data protection regime based on recommendations of
B N Srikrishna Committee should be implemented.
o Principles of Net neutrality should be upheld and
aligned with service requirements.
Banking and finance
FAILURE OF LAXMI
VILAS BANK (LVB)
# Banking
IN NEWS
Recently, on the basis of recommendations of RBI, the
Central Government decided to impose moratorium for a
period of 30 days on the Laxmi Vilas Bank (LVB). As part of
such a moratorium, depositors are not allowed to
withdraw more than Rs 25,000. The Board of Directors of
LVB has been superseded and a new administrator has
been appointed. The RBI has also put forward the scheme
of amalgamation of LVB with the DBS Bank.
This failure of LVB raises concerns since in the recent
years, a number of financial Institutions such as Yes Bank,
Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC), IL&FS,
DHFL etc. have failed.
WHAT DOES MORATORIUM MEAN?
A moratorium is essentially a temporary suspension of
an activity. Typically, they are lifted once the problems
that led to a moratorium have been resolved. In the
present scenario, the RBI has put Lakshmi Vilas Bank
under a moratorium and capped its deposits at Rs
25,000. This has been done to find a resolution for bank,
while protecting the interests of its depositors. There are
limits on withdrawals for now, but the deposits with the
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
o Security standards and testing for devices and
networks should be mandated and periodically
updated.
Way Forward: Digital Infrastructure is the bedrock on
which the vision of digitally empowered Digital India can
be realised. This needs to be given focussed attention for
a transparent, empowered and secure India of 21st
Century.
bank will continue to be protected under the proposed
resolution.
WHAT WAS THE ISSUE WITH LAXMI VILAS BANK?
The financial position of Lakshmi Vilas Bank had
undergone a steady decline with the bank incurring
continuous losses over the last three years. Its gross non-
performing assets (NPAs) stood 25.4% of its advances as
of June 2020. The bank was also not being able to raise
adequate capital to address these issues. It was
experiencing continuous withdrawal of deposits and low
levels of liquidity.
After taking into consideration these developments, the
RBI applied to the Central Government for imposing a
moratorium under section 45 of the Banking Regulation
Act, 1949.
Note: Under Section 45 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949,
the RBI can apply to the Central Government for
suspension of Business by a Bank and to prepare a
scheme for its revival. Based upon the
recommendations of RBI, the Central Government then
can issue notification.
WAY FORWARD
The Economic slowdown on account of COVID-19 has
worsened the financial position of Banks and financial
institutions. According to RBI's Financial stability report,
the gross NPA of the commercial Banks could increase to
14%. Hence, the RBI needs to be extra vigilant about the
growing NPAs and protect the health of the financial
sector.
43
 Economic Development

HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL
20. The increase in household financial savings has been
attributed to COVID-19.

SAVINGS RISE: RBI Details: The propensity of households to save more has
risen markedly during the pandemic on two counts.

REPORT First, the households would have been forced to save

more, being unable to consume up to their normal
# Finance levels. Second, they may have raised their precautionary
savings due to uncertainty about their future incomes
due to COVID-19.

IN NEWS Even Globally, across different countries, there has been

a tendency on the part of households to increase
According to a recent report published by RBI, household
precautionary savings/ forced savings.
financial savings increased to 21.4% of GDP in first
quarter of 2020-21 up from 10% in fourth quarter of 2019-

TRENDS IN GROSS SAVINGS corporate sector. The financial savings of the

households majorly includes the deposits of the
• The Gross savings is contributed by mainly 3 sectors-
households with the Banks and financial Institutions.
Public, Private Corporate and Household sector. As
The Physical savings include savings in the form of
shown below, the Household sector accounts for the
land, buildings, home etc.
highest share of Gross Savings followed by private
Table: Gross Savings as percentage of GDP
2011-12 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Gross Savings 34.6 32.2 31.1 30.3 30.5

Public 1.5 1.0 1.2 1.7 1.7

Private
9.5 11.7 11.9 11.5 11.6
corporates

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 44

 Economic Development

Household sector 23.6 19.6 18.0 17.1 17.2

Net financial
7.4 7.1 8.1 6.3 6.6
savings

Physical savings 16.3 12.5 9.9 10.8 10.6

Source: Central Statistics Office

• There has been consistent decline in Gross Savings durable goods such as transportation vehicles, livestock,
from 34.6% in 2011-12 to 30.5% in 2017-18. The agricultural machinery and non-farm business
decline in the Gross Savings is basically on account of equipment). This is in contrast to developed economies
decline in Gross savings of household sector. where households hold substantial portion of their
wealth in financial assets.
Note: In India, the average household holds major
chunk of its savings in physical assets (Real estate,

Taxation
ANTI-PROFITEERING-
• Section 171 of the CGST act deals with profiteering. It
empowers the central Government to constitute

MECHANISM AND
authority to check illegal profiteering. Accordingly, the
Union Cabinet has constituted National Anti-

CONSTRAINTS Profiteering Authority in 2017.

• The NAA is headed by a senior officer of the level of

# Public Finance Secretary to the Government of India and comprises
of four Technical Members from the Centre and the
States.
IN NEWS • The tenure of National Anti-Profiteering Authority
The National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) has (NAA) was due to end by 30 November 2019.
recently held the Procter & Gamble company guilty of ‘GST However, the GST Council has further extended its
profiteering’ of over Rs 240 crores. tenure by two years.

WHAT IS PROFITEERING? MECHANISM OF WORKING

Any reduction in rate of tax or the benefit of input tax
credit should be passed on to the consumer by way of
commensurate reduction in prices. However, it has been
seen that when the GST rates are cut, the firms do not
pass on this benefit to the consumers by reducing the
prices and instead continue to make higher profits. Thus,
there is a need for an institutional mechanism to ensure
that the firms do not earn such profits illegally and
benefits of the GST get passed on to the consumers.
When the NAA certify that there is anti-profiteering in a
specific case, it can order the concerned firm to reduce
its prices or return the undue benefit availed by it along
with interest to the recipient of the goods or services. If
the undue benefit cannot be passed on to the consumer,
it can be ordered to be deposited in the Consumer
Welfare Fund. In extreme cases, the NAA can impose a
penalty on the defaulting business entity and even order
the cancellation of its registration under GST.

ABOUT NATIONAL ANTI-PROFITEERING PROBLEMS WITH THE PRESENT ANTI-

AUTHORITY PROFITEERING FRAMEWORK

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 Economic Development
• Absence of Methodology to ascertain Profiteering:
Rule 126 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Rules,
2017, mandates that National Anti-Profiteering
Authority (NAA) must evolve a methodology to deal
with anti-profiteering issues. However, the NAA has
failed to prescribe the methodology leading to
arbitrariness and contradictions in Anti-Profiteering
Framework.
• Mode prescribed for passing on the Benefit:
Present, the companies are compulsorily required to
reduce the prices of their products whenever the GST
rates are reduced. If the companies use any other
method to pass on the benefit of reduced GST rates, it
still is considered as Profiteering. Now, for example,
Government Policies /
Initiatives
AATMANIRBHAR
BHARAT 3.0
#Govt. Policies
IN NEWS
The Finance Minister has recently announced key
measures, as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0. The fiscal
stimulus under Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 amounts to Rs
2.65 Lakh crore. Total stimulus announced by the
Government and Reserve Bank of India till date under the
3 packages of Aatmanirbhar Bharat works out to be
around Rs 30 lakh crore, which is 15% of India's GDP.
Hence, let us look at the various announcements made
under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package.
1. ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT ROZGAR YOJANA
A new scheme to incentivize job creation during COVID-
19 recovery has been launched. If EPFO-registered
establishments take in new employees without EPFO
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
the companies can decide to pass on the benefit in
the form of increased grammage i.e., providing higher
quantity of commodity at the same price.
• Other Factors not considered: In spite of reduction
in the GST rates, the cost of manufacturing of
commodities (Raw materials, Labour Cost etc) may
have been increased. However, these factors are not
taken into account to ascertain profiteering.
• Absence of Appellate Body: There is no appellate
mechanism or authority prescribed against the order
of National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA). Thus,
only remedy for a person dissatisfied with the NAA
order is to approach the High Court through Writ
Petition.
registration or those who lost jobs earlier, the Yojana will
benefit these employees. The scheme will be effective
from October 1, 2020 and operational till 30th June 2021.
Eligibility criteria for Employees:
• any new employee joining employment in EPFO
registered establishments on monthly wages less than
Rs. 15,000.
• EPF members drawing monthly wage of less than Rs.
15,000 who made exit from employment during
COVID Pandemic between 1st March 2020 to 30th
September 2020 and is employed on or after 1st
October 2020.
Eligibility criteria for Establishments: Establishments
registered with EPFO if they add new employees
compared to reference base of employees as in
September 2020 as under:
• Minimum of two new employees if reference base is
50 employees or less.
• Minimum of five new employees if reference base is
more than 50 employees.
46
 Economic Development

Benefits to be given by Centre 3. AATMANIRBHAR MANUFACTURING

• Central Govt. to provide subsidy for two years in PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVES (PLI) FOR
respect of new eligible employees engaged on or after 10 CHAMPION SECTORS
1st October 2020 at following scale: The Government has already approved PLI schemes for 3
o Establishments employing up to 1000 employees: sectors- Mobile Manufacturing and specified electronics
Employee’s contributions (12% of Wages) & components, Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients (APIs)
Employer’s contributions (12% of wages) totalling 24% and Manufacturing of Medical Devices.

of wages. • Now, the Government has decided to extend the PLI

o Establishments Scheme to 10 more champion sectors to boost the
employing more than 1000
competitiveness of domestic manufacturing. These
employees: Only Employee’s EPF contributions (12%
sectors include- Textile Products, Food Products,
of EPF wages).
Telecom & Networking Products, Pharmaceuticals
Note: The subsidy support to get credited upfront in Drugs, Automobiles & Auto Components,
Aadhaar seeded EPFO Account (UAN) of eligible new Electronic/Technology Products, Advance Cell
employee. Chemistry Battery, High Efficiency Solar PV Modules,
2. EMERGENCY CREDIT LINE GUARANTEE White Goods (ACs & LED) and Specialty Steel.

SCHEME 4. ADDITIONAL OUTLAY FOR PM AWAAS

In May 2020, as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat 1.0, the YOJANA (PMAY) –URBAN
Government had announced Emergency Credit Line A sum of Rs 18000 crores is being provided for PMAY-
Guarantee Scheme with the following features. Urban over and above Rs. 8000 Crore already allocated
this year. This will help ground 12 Lakh houses and
• Announcement: Banks and NBFCs to extend
complete 18 Lakh houses, create additional 78 Lakh jobs
collateral free loans worth Rs 3 lakh crores to the
and improve production and sale of steel and cement,
MSMEs, business enterprises, individual loans for
resulting in multiplier effect on economy.
business purposes and MUDRA borrowers
Details about PM Awaas Yojana (PMAY)-Urban
• Eligibility: Applicable to only standard loans (The
• Seeks to ensure housing for all in urban areas by
MSMEs who have been defaulted on their repayment
providing pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries by
of loans and their accounts are categorized as
2022. The Mission provides Central Assistance to
Standard Assets by Banks).
implementing agencies through States/Union
• Features of Loans: Loans to have 4-year tenor with Territories (UTs) and Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs)
moratorium of 12 months on the Principal for providing houses to all eligible families/
repayment. Interest rate to be capped. beneficiaries.
• Government's role: 100% Credit guarantee cover to • Mandatory provision for the female head of the family
banks and NBFCs on principal and Interest. to be the owner or co-owner of the house under this
• Benefits: 45 lakh MSMEs would get benefitted leading Mission.

to employment creation. • Implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban

Affairs.
New Announcement:

• The above scheme has been extended till 31st March

• Components:
2021. o “In-situ” Slum Redevelopment (ISSR): Central
Assistance of Rs.1 lakh per house is admissible for all
• A Credit guarantee support scheme ECLGS 2.0 is being
houses built for eligible slum dwellers. After
launched for Healthcare sector and 26 stressed
redevelopment, de-notification of slums by State/UT
sectors.

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 Economic Development
Government is recommended under the Mission
guidelines.
o Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS): Interest
Subsidy is admissible for Beneficiaries of Economically
Weaker Section (EWS)/Low Income Group (LIG), Middle
Income Group (MIG)-I- and Middle-Income Group
(MIG)-II seeking housing loans from Banks, Housing
Finance Companies etc.
o Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP): Central
Assistance of Rs.1.5 Lakh per EWS house is provided
by Government of India in projects where at least 35%
of the houses in the projects are for EWS category and
a single project has at least 250 houses.
o Beneficiary-led individual house
construction/enhancements (BLC): Central
Assistance of Rs.1.5 lakh is available to individual
eligible families belonging to EWS categories to either
construct new houses or enhance existing houses on
their own. Introduced to cover the beneficiaries who
are not able to take advantage of any other
component of the Mission.
5. EQUITY INFUSION IN NIIF DEBT PLATFORM
Proposal for equity infusion by Government of Rs 6000
crores in NIIF Debt Platform which is sponsored
by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
This is set to boost National Infrastructure pipeline (NIP)
which proposes to invest around Rs 102 lakh crore in
economic and social infrastructure over the next 5 years.
What is Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF)?
A Sovereign Wealth Fund is an investment fund set up by
some of the countries in order to invest in global market
in the form of shares, bonds, real estate projects etc.
This fund is mainly funded through the foreign exchange
reserves held by the countries. Further, the money is
invested globally so as to make optimum profits through
the SWF.
For example, Norway is operating the world's largest
SWF (Government Pension Fund) with a corpus of
around $ 1 trillion dollars. Similarly, China has also set up
Chinese Investment Corporation (CIC) in the form of SWF.
Further, oil exporting countries of west Asia such as
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar etc. have also set up
their own SWF.
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
What is NIIF?
• It is a quasi-SWF established by the Indian government
in 2015. Unlike the SWFs of other countries which are
100% owned by the Governments, the NIIF is 49%
owned by the Indian Government.
• The remaining 51% is to be owned by domestic and
foreign investors. In 2017, the Abu Dhabi Investment
Authority became the first international investor in
NIIF.
• What is the role of NIIF? It provides equity support to
those NBFCs and Financial Institutions (FIs) that are
engaged mainly in infrastructure financing. These
institutions will be able to leverage this equity support
and provide debt to the selected infrastructure
projects. Presently, NIIF manages three funds with
distinctive mandates:
1. Master Fund: Infrastructure fund primarily investing
in core infrastructure sectors such as roads, ports,
airports, power etc. It invests in mature businesses
with long-term track record, often operating in
regulated environments or under concession or long-
term agreements.
2. Fund of Funds focuses on social infrastructure
sectors services such as healthcare, education, digital
etc.
3. Strategic Opportunities Fund (SOF): Aimed at
investing in growth and development stage
investments in companies and sectors that are
strategically important to the Indian economy.
• NIIF Debt Platform: NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund
has set up a Debt Platform comprising of NIIF
Infrastructure Finance Limited (NIIF IFL) and Aseem
Infrastructure Finance Limited (AIFL).
o Ownership: NIIF has already invested nearly Rs 2000
cr. in equity of the Platform. The Government will
invest Rs 6000 cr. as equity. Rest of equity will be
raised from private investors.
o Government's Proposal: The NIIF AIFL and IFL will
raise Rs 95,000 crores debt from market, including
through project bonds. By 2025, they will be able to
provide infra project financing of Rs 1.10 lakh crores.
48
 Economic Development

6. SUPPORT FOR AGRICULTURE revenue streams to cater fully to capital costs. The
projects eligible under this category should have at
As fertilizer consumption is going up significantly, Rs
least 100% Operational Cost recovery. The Central
65,000 Crore is being provided to ensure increased
Government will provide maximum of 30% of Total
supply of fertilizers to farmers to enable timely
Project Cost (TPC) of the project as VGF and State
availability of fertilizers in the upcoming crop season.
Government/Sponsoring Central Ministry/Statutory
Entity may provide additional support up to 30% of

SOCIAL INFRA PPPs TPC.

• Sub scheme -2: This Sub scheme will support

#PPP demonstration/pilot social sectors projects. The
projects may be from Health and Education sectors
where there is at least 50% Operational Cost recovery.
IN NEWS The Central Government will provide a maximum of
40% of the TPC of the Project. In addition, it may
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved
provide a maximum of 25% of Operational Costs of
revamping of the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for
the project in first five years of commercial
the Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects. The
operations.
revamped Scheme is mainly related to introduction of
following two sub-schemes for mainstreaming private Impact: Revamping of the proposed VGF Scheme will
participation in social infrastructure. attract more PPP projects and facilitate the private
investment in the social sectors (Health, Education,
ABOUT VIABILITY GAP FUNDING (VGF) SCHEME
Wastewater, Solid Waste Management, Water Supply
• Aims at supporting infrastructure projects that are etc.). Creation of new hospitals, schools will create many
economically justified but may not be financially viable opportunities to boost employment generation.
(for example, Construction of Highway between two
cities with lower traffic volume).

• provides Viability Gap Funding in the form of Grant CONCERNS OVER THE
GDP ESTIMATION IN
(not in terms of loan) up to 20% of the Total Project
Cost (TPC).

• The State Government or Government entity that

owns the project may provide additional grants out of
INDIA
its budget up to further 20% of the TPC. #Govt. Policies
Reforms introduced under Aatma Nirbhar Package:
In order to boost Social Infrastructure, the Government
will enhance the quantum of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) IN NEWS
up to 30% each of Total Project Cost as VGF by the
The National Statistical Office (NSO) has recently
Centre and State/Statutory Bodies. For other sectors,
published the GDP estimates for the Second Quarter of the
VGF existing support of 20 % each from Government of
Financial year 2020-21. In the second quarter, India's GDP
India and States/Statutory Bodies shall continue.
has contracted by almost 7.5% in comparison to 24%
DECISION OF THE CABINET COMMITTEE ON contraction in the first quarter of financial year 2020-21. It
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS has raised expectations of a sharp economic recovery
after the novel coronavirus pandemic and the national
• Sub scheme -1: This would cater to Social Sectors
lockdown. But is this optimism justified?
such as Wastewater Treatment, Water Supply, Solid
Waste Management, Health and Education sectors etc. Some of the Economists have highlighted that presently
These projects face bankability issues and poor there is lack of corelation between high frequency

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 49

 Economic Development
indicators such as IIP and GDP Estimates in the second
quarter. For instance, the IIP has registered a growth rate
of -6.8%, but as per the GDP estimates, the manufacturing
GDP has registered a growth rate of positive 0.6%. This
seems to be too good to be true.
Hence, in a way, concerns have been raised over the
flawed methodology for the GDP estimation. In fact,
former Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian has
suggested that the annual GDP growth rates during the
last few years may have been overestimated by 0.36 to 2.5
percentage points.
UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) refers to the market
value of all final goods and services produced within an
economy. It can be calculated into two ways:
• Nominal GDP: It refers to the GDP at the current
market prices i.e., the GDP is calculated as per the
market prices for the year for which the GDP is
calculated.
• Real GDP: It refers to the GDP at base year prices i.e.,
the GDP is calculated as per the market prices in the
base year. Thus, the Real GDP negates the inflation in
goods and services.
In case of high rate of inflation, the nominal GDP would
be quite higher than the real GDP. However, in case of
deflation, the real GDP would be higher than the nominal
GDP.
The GDP in India is estimated by National Statistical
Office (NSO) which works under the Ministry of Statistics
and Programme implementation.
RECENT CHANGES IN THE GDP ESTIMATION
(2015)
• Change in the base year from 2004-05 to 2011-12.
Usually, the base years are revised at a frequency of 7-
10 years by taking into account the changing
economic landscape of the country.
• Change in the GDP estimation from the GDP at Factor
Cost to GDP at Market Prices
• Change in the database for capturing economic
activity from RBI's database to the MCA-21 database
of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. This database is
basically used for 2 purposes:
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
o Estimate the production of goods and services in the
organized sector based upon the tax returns.
o Extrapolate the production of goods and services in
the unorganized sector based upon the organized
sector activity.
FLAWS IN THE GDP ESTIMATION
• Flawed Database: Earlier in May 2019, the erstwhile
NSSO had released report titled as "Technical Report
of Services Sector Enterprises in India". This report
had highlighted that almost 38% of the firms in the
MCA-21 database were either out-of-coverage
companies (21%), closed or non-traceable (17%). The
economists had highlighted that these companies are
actually shell companies which are not engaged in the
any economic activity and hence they should not be
included in the GDP estimation. If we keep including
these companies for the GDP estimation, then we
would end up overestimating our GDP. The
economists have highlighted that it is difficult to
understand as to what extent our GDP figures are
over-estimated, but what is clear is that our GDP
figures are clearly over-estimated.
• Flawed Methodology: Presently, the GDP
methodology does not directly measure the economic
activity of the unorganized sector. The economic
activity of the unorganized sector is extrapolated on
the basis of economic activity in the organized sector.
This is done on the assumption that the economic
activity in the unorganized sector depends on the
organized sector. However, this assumption looks
extremely flawed. For instance, in the aftermath of the
twin shocks of Demonetization and GST, the ground
realities have clearly showed that it is the unorganized
sector which has got more adversely affected than the
organized sector. Hence, there was a general decline
in the economic activity in India during the
demonetization year 2016-17. However, according to
the government's estimates, the GDP growth rate for
the year 2016-17 was 8.2%, which is considered to be
highest growth rate in a decade.
• Problems with Estimation of State Domestic
Product (SDP): The flawed methodology and
database has not only affected the national level GDP
estimates, but it was affected even the states' GDP
estimates as well. This is primarily because the MCA-
50
 Economic Development
21 is used for estimating both the national level as
well as state level GDP estimates. Further, the MCA-21
database does not exactly pinpoint the location of
Industries rather it merely pinpoints the head office of
the company. Now, in order to correctly estimate the
GDP of the states, we need to have exact information
of the Industries in each and every state. In absence of
such a data, we would not be able to come up with
reliable estimates.
What has been the response of the Government? The
Government has so far denied the claim that the
underlying methodology is flawed and that there are
serious problems with the new database being used. The
official response throughout the debate has been that
the 2011-12 GDP series follows global best practices i.e. it
follows the latest United Nations System of National
Accounts guidelines and applies better methods using
much larger datasets; hence the official estimates are
fool-proof.
Even the Economic Survey 2019-20 has highlighted that
concerns of over-estimation of India’s GDP
unfounded.
TIME USE SURVEYS IN
INDIA
#Govt. Policies
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
• Higher Burden of Household work and domestic
chores on women: An average Indian woman spends
243 minutes on household work and domestic chores
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
IN NEWS
The National Statistical Office (NSO) has recently
conducted the first Time Use Survey for the period January
to December 2019. The primary objective of Time Use
Survey (TUS) is to measure participation of men and
women in paid and unpaid activities. TUS is an important
source of information on the time spent in unpaid
caregiving activities, volunteer work, unpaid domestic
service producing activities of the household members. It
also provides information on time spent on learning,
socializing, leisure activities, self-care activities, etc., by
the household members.
IMPORTANCE OF CONDUCTING TIME USE
SURVEY
• The Time Use Survey helps us in identification of
extent of burden on the women and girls in a country.
If the women spend substantial amount of their time
on household chores and unpaid services, it would
prevent them from engaging in other activities such as
employment, leisure etc. leading to gender inequality.
are
Hence, through the time use survey, we would get to
know the percentage of time spent by men and
women on different activities and accordingly enable
us to come out
empowerment of women.
with policies to promote
• Take for instance, SDG 5.4 focusses on Recognize and
value unpaid care and domestic work through the
provision of public services, infrastructure and social
protection policies and the promotion of shared
responsibility within the household and the family.
which is almost ten times the 25 minutes the average
man does.
• Engagement in unpaid domestic work: An average
Indian woman spends 19.5% of her time engaged in
51
 Economic Development

either unpaid domestic work or unpaid care-giving • Participation of women in different activities:
services. On the other hand, men spend only 2.5% of Rural women participate more on paid or unpaid
their day on these activities. work, whereas urban women participate more in
learning, socializing or leisure activities.

Industrial Policy
TELECOMMUNICATION
• Higher share of Private Sector: Since the 1991 LPG
reforms, the share of private sector has steadily

SECTOR- PROSPECTS
increased to 88%.

• Efficiency of Sector: India is now the global leader in

AND CHALLENGES monthly data consumption, with

consumption per subscriber per month increasing 146
average

#Telecom Sector times from 16 MB in 2014 to 9.06 GB in 2019.

CHALLENGES AFFECTING THE

TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR
• Higher Licensing Fee: Presently, the Telecom
IN NEWS
companies are required to pay higher share of their
The Telecommunication sector is considered as a powerful revenue in form of various fees such as Licensing Fee
tool of development and poverty reduction. It is one of the (3%), Spectrum Usage Charges (3%) and Universal
key enablers for meeting a number of Sustainable Service Obligation Fund (5%). This in turn affects their
Development Goals (SDGs). Mobile phones which were profit margin and reduces their ability to undertake
once considered as luxury have become necessity now. higher investments.
In this regard, the Government has placed considerable • Cut-throat Competition: The entry of new private
emphasis on growth of internet and broadband in the players such as Reliance Jio has undoubtedly
country as part its Digital India campaign. The success of benefitted the consumers in terms of reduced call and
these initiatives and our ability to promote inclusive growth data charges. However, the stiff competition has led to
depends upon the overall vibrancy and health of price wars among telecom operators. This had an
Telecommunications sector. However, in recent times, the overall negative impact on the telecommunication
revenues of the Telecom companies have come under sector in the form of reduced revenues and higher
immense pressure and reduced their ability to undertake debt (almost 8 lakh crores).
investment in new age technologies such as 5G.
• Higher NPAs of Telecom Companies: The poor
PRESENT STATUS OF TELECOMMUNICATION financial position of Telecom companies has had a
SECTOR contagion impact on Banking Sector. In a way, this has
• Size and Contribution: Currently, India is the world’s created a vicious cycle wherein the Banks have been
second-largest telecommunications market with a reluctant to lend loans to these loss-making Telecom
subscriber base of 1.16 billion. It contributes almost companies.
8.2% of India's GDP. • Broadband Connectivity: Fixed broadband
• Tele density: 88% (Urban- 156%, Rural -56%) penetration in India is among the lowest in the world
at only 6 per cent as compared with 55 per cent in
China, 70 per cent in Eurozone and 80 per cent in
Japan.

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 Economic Development
• Limited Spectrum Availability: Presently,
government has proposed to auction spectrum in
3300-3600 Mhz bands for the roll out of 5G services in
India. However, only about 175 units are available in
the 3300-3600 Mhz band. The rest is under the control
of ISRO and Ministry of Defence. 5G requires a
minimum of 100 MHz block. Anything less, will not be
attractive for Telecom operators.
• Poor Connectivity: Lack of Telecom Infrastructure in
Rural and Remote areas as evident in poor Tele
density of 56% as compared to Urban Tele density of
156%.
• Decline in revenue due to growth of Over the Top
(OTT) providers: OTT providers are the entities that
offer ICT services without owning or operating the
Prelims Snippets
KIWIs OF ZIRO VALLEY
Arunachal Pradesh has become the first State in India to
obtain Organic Certification for Kiwi under Mission
Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region
(MOVCD-NER). The Kiwis of Ziro Valley located in Lower
Subansiri district were certified as Organic following a
standard 3-year process.
Note: An agricultural practice/product is considered
organic when there are no chemical fertilisers or
pesticides involved in its cultivation process. Such
certifications in India can be obtained after strict
scientific assessment done by the regulatory body,
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA).
ABOUT “MISSION ORGANIC VALUE CHAIN
DEVELOPMENT FOR NORTH EASTERN REGION”
(MOVCDNER)
o Launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare
o Implemented in the States of Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Sikkim and Tripura
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
the network. The best examples include Skype, WhatsApp,
Snapchat, Google Talk, Netflix etc. Some of these apps
such as WhatsApp, Skype etc. provide options such as
Call, messaging etc. which are similar to services
offered by Telecom operators leading to decline in
their revenue.
• Recent Judgement of Supreme Court: Recently, in
2019, the SC ruled that the Adjusted Gross Revenue
(AGR) of the Telecom Operators would include both
Core and Non-Core revenue. This judgement of SC has
led to increase in the share of revenue which the
Telecom operators are required to pay to the
Government in form of various fees. The total burden
on all the telecom operators due to the SC judgement
is as high as around Rs 1.4 lakh crores.
o Aims at development of certified organic production in
a value chain mode to link growers with consumers
KAPILA CAMPAIGN
The Government has recently launched the 'KAPILA'
Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and
Awareness campaign on the 89th birth anniversary of
former President APJ Abdul Kalam.
INITIATIVES TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT TO
PROMOTE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
(IPRs)
• National IPR Policy 2016: Create a vibrant IP
ecosystem in the country. One of the key objectives of
this policy is to create IPR Awareness through
outreach and promotional activities.
• Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM):
CIPAM has set up under the Department for
promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for
enhancing awareness of the IPRs.
53
 Economic Development

• Iprism: Intellectual Property (IP) competition for the centres known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan
students of schools, colleges and universities. Aushadhi Kendra.
Conducted by CIPAM.
• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK)
Note: The laws governing different kinds of IPRs in India have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are
are Patents Act, 1970; Trade Marks Act, 1999; Designs available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality
Act, 2000; Geographical Indications of Goods and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.
(Registration and Protection) Act, 1999;Copyright Act,
• The scheme is implemented by Bureau of Pharma
1957; Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights
PSUs of India.
Act, 2001; Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-
Design Act, 2000 and Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Note: Generic drugs are the drugs that have the same
chemical composition as branded drugs. However, the
IPRs Administrative Ministry generic drugs are sold under the chemical names which
are not familiar with the general public. For example, for
Patents, Copyrights, Ministry of Commerce and popular branded drugs like Crocin and Calpol, their
Designs, TradeMarks and Industry generic name is Paracetamol. These drugs are usually
Geographical Indications manufactured by the Indian companies after the expiry
of 20 years of patent period of the drugs.
Protection of Plant Ministry of Agriculture
Varieties and Farmers’
Rights Act, 2001
PRICE-TO-BOOK RATIO
Semiconductor Integrated Ministry of Electronics and “Book value” is defined as the net asset value of a
Circuits Layout-Design Act, Information technology company and is calculated by adding up total assets and
2000 subtracting liabilities. Book value per share is arrived at
by dividing book value by the number of shares
Note: Copyrights were earlier administered by the
outstanding. This can be thought of as the amount that
Ministry of Human Resource Development. In 2016, it
shareholders would theoretically receive per share of
was transferred to Department for Promotion of Industry
stock held if the company went out of business and all
and Internal Trade under Ministry of Commerce and
Industry. the assets were liquidated.

• The “Price/Book Value” Ratio (P/BV) is calculated by

dividing the price of a share of stock by the book value
PMBJP per share. So, if a company has Rs100 in net assets
and 10 shares outstanding, then the book value for
According to the Government, PMBJP has achieved sales
that company is Rs 10 per share. If the price of the
of Rs 358 crores worth of pharma products through 6600
share stands at Rs 20, then the price to book value
Jan Aushadhi stores during first seven months of this
ratio is 2.0 (Rs 20 price divided by Rs10 book value).
year (up to Oct 31st) and is likely to surpass sales of Rs
600 crore for entire year. • A P/BVB ratio above 1 indicates that the market
believes that the Bank can grow and generate higher
DETAILS ABOUT THE SCHEME
Return on Equity (RoE). A P/BV below 1, on the other
• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a
hand, indicates that the market either does not
campaign launched by the Department of
believe the bank does not have a good deposit base,
Pharmaceuticals to provide quality medicines at
has bad cost discipline or a broken lending model.
affordable prices to the masses through special

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 Economic Development

FDI CAP IN DIGITAL

WHAT'S THE ISSUE WITH GST ON LOTTERIES?
The Lotteries are currently taxed on dual rate – while

MEDIA state-run lotteries are taxed at 12 per cent, private

lotteries authorized by state governments are taxed at
28 per cent. Further, under the present mechanism, if a
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has
state authorized lottery is sold in the same state then it is
recently issued a detailed notification calling upon the
taxed at 12%, however, if it is sold outside the state then
digital news portals to comply with the 26% cap on FDI.
it is taxed at 28%.
The notification reiterates the Cabinet decision
announced in August last year. For instance, If Arunachal Pradesh government is selling
its lotteries in Kerala then it is taxed at 28%. However, If
• FDI Policy for Uploading/ Streaming of News and
Arunachal Pradesh government sells its lotteries within
Current Affairs through Digital Media: Presently,
the state then it is taxed at 12%.
FDI is allowed in the Digital Media for
uploading/streaming of News and Current Affairs. Such dual GST rates on lotteries goes against the
However, the limit is 26% and it is allowed only principle of "One-Nation-One Tax". Even the private
through the Government Route. This is applicable to lottery operators have been arguing in favor of uniform
the following entities: GST rates so as to create a level playing field between
o Digital Media entity streaming/uploading news and State operated lotteries and private operated lotteries.

current affairs on websites, apps etc.

BROADBAND
o News agency which gathers, writes and distributes
news to digital media entities

o News aggregator- Aggregates news content from
various sources such as News Websites, blogs,
podcasts etc.
Note: FDI Cap in Print Media: 26%
DEFINITION IN INDIA
The prevailing definition of broadband in India was
notified by DoT. According to the current definition,
Broadband must be able to support the download speed
of 512 kbps.

CONSTITUTIONAL Under the existing rule, the operators can get away with
low-speed services as long as they maintain speeds of
VALIDITY OF GST ON just 512 kbps.

The National Digital Communications Policy 2018 has set

LOTTERIES
The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on the
constitutional validity of imposing Goods and Services
Tax (GST) on sale of lotteries across the country.
a target of providing universal broadband connectivity at
50 Mbps to every citizen. Recently, the TRAI had come
out with the consultation paper on the need to redefine
the current definition of Broadband and increase the
minimum speed limit. However, the same has been
opposed by the Telecom Companies.

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 Economic Development

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1. There is full Rupee convertibility on the Current (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Account Transactions in India. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. Rupee Convertibility on the Capital Account
transactions is not allowed. Q4. With reference to Gross Savings in India,
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? consider the following statements:

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 1. The Household sector accounts for the highest
share of Gross Savings.
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
2. The financial savings of the household is much
Q2. Which among the following exceptions is/are higher than their physical savings.
provided under the Trade Related Aspects of Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
Agreement? (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
1. Compulsory Licensing
2. Grey Imports Q5. With reference to Protection of Intellectual
3. Bolar Exception Property Rights (IPRs) in India, consider the
Select the correct answer using the code given below: following statements:

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only 1. The Ministry of Human Resources Development is
responsible for the protection of Copyrights in
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
India.

Q3. With reference to Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya
Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), consider the
following statements:
1. It seeks to provide quality generic medicines at
affordable prices through special centres.
2. The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management
(CIPAM) has set up under the Department for
promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
for enhancing awareness of the IPRs.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

2. The Scheme is implemented by Ministry of Science (a) 1 only (b) 2 only

and Technology. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

descriptive Questions
Q1. Under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, Trade should not be seen as part of problem, but it should be seen as solution.
Analyse this statement in the context of protectionist policies to ensure self-sufficient India.

Q2. Discuss the Pros and Cons of allowing large Corporate/ Industrial Houses to set up Private sector Banks in India.

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

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 56

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

POSHAN-PLUS
CONTEXT
NITI Aayog has released “Accelerating Progress On

STRATEGY Nutrition In India: What Will It Take”, the third progress

report on the National Nutrition Mission or the Poshan
# Nutrition #Health Abhiyaan. It takes stock of the roll-out status on the
ground and implementation challenges encountered at
various levels through large scale datasets of NFHS-4 and
Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS).

CONCERNS HIGHLIGHTED BY THE REPORT SUGGESTIONS OF THE REPORT

On stunting India's targets are conservative as • To improve complementary feeding using both
compared to the global target defined by behaviour change interventions and complimentary
the World Health Assembly (WHA), which is food supplements in the Integrated Child
a prevalence rate of 5% of stunting as Development Services (ICDS).
opposed to India’s goal of reducing stunting • To work towards investments in girls and women
levels to 13.3% by 2022. (education during childhood, reducing early marriage
and early pregnancy, improving care during and after
pregnancy) along with other social determinants.

• To improve water, sanitation, handwashing with soap

and hygienic disposal of children’s stools with other
effective interventions.

On wasting Additional preventive nutrition and health • To include interventions that go beyond the
sensitive strategies are required to achieve treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and
further reductions in wasting to meet WHA also address moderate wasting, have the potential to
target for India achieve larger declines in wasting.

• To scale-up to reach facility-based treatment of SAM

to all those needing in-patient care.

• To urgently release a full strategy for prevention and

integrated management of wasting nationally.

On anaemia The target of reducing prevalence levels of • To scale-up scenario that focuses only on health
anaemia among pregnant women from sector interventions which will achieve modest
50.3% in 2016 to 34.4% in 2022 and among improvements in anaemia among women of
adolescent girls from 52.9% in 2016 to reproductive age.
39.66%, is also considered to be
conservative as compared to the WHA's

FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS 57

 Society and Social Justice

target of halving prevalence levels.

building), also requires a renewed focus on other

• The report notes that the government must social determinants in addition to addressing the

implement interventions beyond the health sector governance challenges of the National Health Mission

and its focus on distribution of IFA tablets, and must (NHM) and ICDS delivery mechanisms.

include efforts to improve socio-economic conditions,  National nutrition mission or the Poshan
else India will “achieve modest improvements in Abhiyaan: It is world’s largest nutrition programme
anaemia” among women of reproductive age. to improve nutritional outcomes for children,

• There is a need to quickly graduate to a POSHAN-plus pregnant women and lactating mothers was launched

strategy which apart from continued strengthening in 2018.

the four pillars of the mission (Technology,

Convergence, Behavioral change and Capacity

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 Society and Social Justice

*Note – planning and closing of gaps in effective convergence

are needed.
Stunted - too short for their age but not necessarily thin
 Behavioral change - Efforts must be focused on
Wasted - too thin for their height but not necessarily
extending the reach of routine platforms, like home
short
visits, supported by community-based events and
Present situation - As per National Family Health mass media, since these have higher reach. -
Survey 4 released in 2016 Interpersonal counselling to support good nutrition
• More than a third of the children under five face practices must reach every family that has a child in
stunting and wasting the first two years of life, using existing frontline
worker platforms and all available platforms.
• 40% aged between one and four are anaemic
 Capacity building - Investment in the quality of
• Over 50% of pregnant and other women were found
capacity building.
to be anaemic
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRENGTHENING
REASON BEHIND SUCH A SITUATION
CORE DELIVERY PLATFORMS
• Household food insecurity – Poverty and hunger,
• ICDS platform - Key governance challenges related to
Inadequate care and unhealthy household
financing, supervision vacancies, infrastructure and
environment.
more, must be addressed. - Core interventions such
• Lack of health care service and timely interventions.
as home visits, growth monitoring need significant
Repeated attacks of diarrhoea and infections leads to
quality improvements. All of these are important to
weight loss and compromise a child’s nutritional
detect and support care and referrals for wasting and
status.
to prevent stunting.
• Lack of sanitation and clean drinking water are the
• NHM platform - Ongoing efforts should continue to
reasons high levels of malnutrition persists in India
focus both on the quality of nutrition interventions in
despite improvement in food availability. Good
health services into the existing health platforms, such
sanitation practices have helped curb malnutrition.
as Antenatal Care (ANC), Home Based Newborn Care
Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra is one such
(HBNC) and Home Based Young child Care (HBYC).
example.
• Further, recognizing and mobilizing to address the
• Gender inequality - Nutrition is an intergeneration
emerging and cross-cutting challenges of
issue and thus unhealthy mothers give rise to
urbanization and overweight/obesity.
unhealthy child.
 The challenge of overweight, obesity and non-
• Climate change is affecting the global food system in
communicable diseases must be confronted by
ways that increase the threats to those who currently
tackling the food and physical environments in homes,
already suffer from hunger and undernutrition.
workplaces and institutions.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRENGTHENING KEY  Connect the existing movements, like Eat Right and Fit
POSHAN ABHIYAAN PILLARS: India with the POSHAN Abhiyaan’s mission of
 Technology - Many States still need to accelerate the improving diets for all stakeholders.
procurement of phones and training of providers and
Note: The report was prepared before COVID-19 spread
managers. - Supportive efforts to scale-up technology
rapidly across the country. Experts thus warn that
– servers, network issues, capacity building, help desks
deepening poverty and hunger may delay achieving the
- need attention.
goals defined under the Nutrition Mission. COVID-19
 Convergence - The vision of effective household disruptions to health and nutrition services will call for
convergence needs translation from national to renewed efforts.
district-level stakeholders. New models for diagnosis,

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 Society and Social Justice

PPP FOR HEALTH Italy 41 59

India 3.4 3.2

INFRASTRUCTURE Poor Healthcare Infrastructure
#Health
Country No. of Hospital No. of ICU beds per 1
beds per 1 lakh lakh

IN NEWS China 420 3.6

The 15th Finance Commission has mooted a greater role
Italy 340 12.5
for public private partnerships to ramp up health
infrastructure and scale up public spending on health to India 70 2.3
2.5% of GDP by 2024. • Demographic Changes: India is set to undergo
PRESENT PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH demographic transition in the next 2 decades wherein
HEALTHCARE SECTOR the share of elderly population is set to increase from
8% (2011) to 16% (2041). This change in demography
• Lower Expenditure on Health: The Combined
accompanied by increase in the lifestyle diseases
expenditure of Centre and States on Health is around
would put additional burden on the existing
1.5% of India's GDP. It is much below the target of
healthcare infrastructure.
2.5% as set under the National Health Policy, 2017.
UNDERSTANDING PPP IN HEALTHCARE
• Higher Out-of-pocket Expenditure on Health: The
out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of total The Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) in the field of
healthcare expenditure is as high as 60% on account healthcare is a form of agreement between the
of expenses incurred on medicines, diagnostic tests, Government and Private sector for providing various
consultation fees etc. This is considered to be one of healthcare services to the people. It seeks to leverage the
the important reasons for pushing the families to private sector's strength of innovation and efficiency.
below the poverty line. Further, it redefines the role of the Government from

• Lack of Accessibility: Most of the secondary and
tertiary care hospitals are located in Tier-1 and Tier-2
Cities. Similarly, most of the doctors are unwilling to
practice in Rural areas.
• Lack of Affordability: The contribution of private
sector in healthcare expenditure in India is around 80
percent while the rest 20 percent is contributed by
Public Sector. The private sector also provides for 58
percent of the hospitals and 81 percent of the doctors
in India. However, since the private sector hospitals
work on the profit motive and charge high fees, the
private sector hospitals do not address the needs of
the poor patients.
• Shortage of Medical Personnel:
Country No. of Qualified No. of nurses per
doctors per 1000 1000 People
People
China 18 23
being a health service provider to being both provider
and financer of healthcare services. It may take different
forms depending upon the extent of participation of
private sector. For example, it may involve contracting
out the management of Primary Health Centre at
village level to private sector. It may be in the form of
Government providing the Healthcare Insurance on
secondary and tertiary treatment in the private
hospitals (PM Jan Arogya Abhiyaan).
POSSIBILITIES
• Improving the Efficiency of Hospital management:
Government could hand over the management of an
existing public hospital to a well-established private
partner under a partnership agreement with the
responsibility of investing in the hospital for its-up
gradation/expansion and management. The Interest
of poor could be protected through fixing the
maximum fees to be charged by private sector. The

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 Society and Social Justice
fees of such poor people may be in turn paid by the
Government.
• Enhancing Investment in Healthcare Facilities:
Government could invest in land and building of a
new hospital and private partners could bring in the
equipment and staff. The Private sector may be given
the exclusive management role with government
participating in the governing board. The maximum
fee in such hospitals could be fixed by Government.
Such a PPP would have multiple benefits such as
expansion of healthcare facilities, decrease
Government's burden, leveraging the private sector's
expertise in terms of human resources
equipment and protection of interests of poor and
weaker sections.
• Addressing the shortage of Medical Personnel: The
shortage of doctors within India can also be
addressed through PPP Mode. For example, in the
Union Budget 2020-21, the Finance Minister has
announced that new Medical Colleges would be set up
in PPP Mode. These Medical colleges would be linked
to existing district hospitals. The Government would
provide Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for setting up of
medical colleges.
• Reducing out-of-pocket Expenditure:
Government can act as healthcare financer wherein
the identified poor can get treatment in the private
hospitals and their treatment cost would be paid by
the Government leading to decrease in out-of-pocket
expenditure. This is presently done under the PM Jan
Arogya Abhiyan.
• Addressing Accessibility and Affordability: Some of
the states such as Odisha have contracted out the
management of the Primary Healthcare Centres
(PHCs) at the village level to the private sector entities
in order to improve the accessibility and efficiency of
healthcare services. At the same time, some of the
states have also entered into partnership in the
Private Sector Laboratories in order to provide round-
the-clock tests at the government hospitals.
• Ensuring Safe, Effective and Affordable Medicines:
The Government is presently implementing the
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana
(PMBJP) in order to provide cheaper generic medicines
through the network of Janaushadhi Kendras. Now,
this is a kind of PPP Mode for mainly two reasons.
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
Firstly, it involves procurement of bulk generic
medicines from the Private sector. Secondly, it
enables the non-governmental entities such as NGOs,
Private Sector hospitals etc. to set up Janaushadhi
Kendras.
• Investment in IT Infrastructure: The Srinath Reddy
Committee (2011) on Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
had recommended for creation of robust IT
infrastructure which could capture various aspects
related to healthcare infrastructure such as mortality
in rates, hospital admission rates, disease profiles,
hospital bed occupancy ratios etc. Such an IT
and infrastructure would greatly benefit us in fact based
and evidence-based policy making in the field of
health. The Private sector expertise can be leveraged
in PPP mode to set up such an IT infrastructure.
• Improving Preventive Care: The Civil society
organisations (CSOs) can contribute effectively to
community mobilisation, information dissemination,
community-based monitoring of health services and
capacity building of community-based organisations
and workers. Hence, the CSOs can be leveraged under
PPP mode to improve the health outcomes of the
Government schemes such as National Health Mission
The (NHM).
CONSTRAINTS
• Lack of Trust and Cooperation: The Government
believes that the Private sector is profit-oriented and
is mainly geared towards addressing the needs of the
richer sections. On the other hand, the private sector
believes that the Government unnecessarily creates
barriers in the form of restrictive regulations which
make it difficult for them to carry on with their
business. So, there is sense of mistrust and lack of
cooperation between Government and Private
hospitals. Many PPPs have failed due to lack of trust
between the Government and Private sector.
• Perceived division of responsibilities: Both the
Government and the Private sector have a flawed
perception that the Government has the responsibility
of primary care, while the Private sector has the
responsibility of secondary and tertiary care. Such a
flawed perception has to be done away with to ensure
the success of PPP models.
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 Society and Social Justice

FOOD FORTIFICATION
• Constraints before the Government: Some of the
constraints before the Government include lack of
political will, underdeveloped government capacity to
#Health # Nutrition
design, contract and manage PPPs, delays in
government payments, lack of an evidence-based
pricing mechanism for services etc.
• Constraints before the Private sector: There are IN NEWS
limited financial incentives for the private sector to The government announced its plans to expand supply of
engage. The Government has failed to provide for rice fortified with iron, vitamin B-12 and folic acid on a
appropriate incentives and reimbursements to the pilot basis from 15 districts to 15 States with the aim to
private sector. curb anaemia.
RELATED INFORMATION: RECENT INITIATIVES OF • Food fortification or enrichment is the process of
PPP adding micronutrients to food.
• Viability gap funding for Public Private • Anaemia is a condition in which the blood doesn't
Partnerships (PPPs) has been extended for have enough healthy red blood cells. This leads to
infrastructure projects to social sectors such as health, reduced oxygen flow to the body's organs.
education, water and waste treatment.
ο As many as 58.5% of children between the ages of 6
• Public-private partnerships and collaborations, for months and 59 months, and 53.1% of women
instance, the Defence Research and Development between the ages of 15 and 49 years, are anaemic in
Organisation (DRDO) has developed ventilators, the country. (NFHS -IV)
collaborated with industry to scale up production of
ο Treatment of anaemia depends on underlying cause.
ventilators.
Iron supplements can be used for iron deficiency.
• The government has made several interventions in Vitamin B supplements may be used for low vitamin
the health sector including National Medical levels.
Commission, National Digital Health
• Folic acid is a type of vitamin-B that helps our body
Mission, Ayushman Bharat, etc.
produce and maintain new cells, and also helps
 17 Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer.
projects have been started in India, with different
• Fortified rice can provide 30-50% of the recommended
government and private organisations.
dietary allowance of iron that adults need to consume
ο Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), set in
daily, based on average Indian consumption.
2014, builds on the WHO International Health
Regulations (IHR) that provide guidance for countries
to assess and manage serious health threats that have
the potential to spread beyond borders.
INTER-FAITH
ο Capacity-building of the healthcare workers for MARRIAGES
surveillance and outbreak investigation is a vital step
under workforce development of GHSA’s action
#Right to Marry
package.
ο One of the institutes responsible for workforce
development under GHSA is the National Institute of IN NEWS
Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), that has
UP has done and the other states like MP, Karnataka etc.
implemented the “Public Health Systems Capacity
are mulling about introducing legal provisions to ban
Building in India” project
conversion for the sole purpose of marriage.

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 Society and Social Justice

INTERFAITH MARRIAGES IN LNDIA ο Economic independence

• ln lndia, Interfaith marriage was facilitated by Special ο Erosion of stereotypes

Marriage Act, 1954 (SMA). ο Women emerged as more confident and
• Anyone irrespective of religion can lawfully marry any independent.
one of opposite gender, under this act. When a person Challenges to traditional institute of marriages:
solemnizes marriage under this law then the marriage Institution of marriage is getting shifted more to the
is not governed by persona! laws but by this law. need of individual rather than social and religious
• lt features on prior public notice being given and obligation.
objections being called from any quarter place a
question mark on the safety and privacy of those
intending to marry across religions. However this law PAID LEAVE DURING
places a question mark on the safety and privacy of
those intending to marry across religions. MENSTRUATION
ο ln lndia, marriages are typically governed by #Health
persona! laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act, the
lndian Christian Marriage Act, Muslim personal law
etc.
IN NEWS
THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE
Delhi Labour Union has filed a petition in Delhi High
• The changing pattern in intimate relationships in
Court demanding Plea for paid leave during
Indian society
menstruation. The court has told the Union and Delhi
ο Inter-caste/inter-faith marriage governments to take a decision on a petition seeking grant
ο Same sex marriage of paid leave to women employees during menstruation
by treating it as a representation.
ο Live-in-relationships
• The union sought grant of paid leave for four days a
ο Occupationally divided and distanced
month to all classes of women employees, including
ο Age gap daily wage, contractual and outsourced workers and
ο Singlehood/single parents to pay overtime allowance to menstruating women

ο High rate of divorce

employees if they opt to work during that period.

• Reasons behind new trends
 Cultural transmission – westernized lifestyle.
 Cultural transition – due to dissemination of idea of
freedom, liberty, equality.
 Right to privacy accorded fundamental right by
Supreme Court
 Progressive realization of rights –
ο Right to choose one’s life partner is intrinsic part of
meaningful existence (Supreme Court in Shafin Jahan
case)
ο Upholding interreligious marriages – Hadiya case
ο Decriminalizing homosexuality and adultery.
 Globalization and urbanization
• Not providing separate toilet facilities or breaks to
maintain hygiene, the authorities were depriving the
employees of their human dignity.
• There was very little consideration or even recognition
of the emotional, physical, hormonal and physiological
trauma that these employees underwent during their
menstrual cycle.
• Some private companies such as Zomato and Culture
Machine have introduced paid menstruation leave for
their employees.
MENSTRUATION
• Menstruation is a natural and healthy biological
process for women, in spite of this, it is still considered
a taboo in Indian society.

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 Society and Social Justice

• Menstruation is 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.
• During their menstruating days, women
prohibited from participating in day-to-day activities.
Prevalence of Hegemonic Patriarchy and gender bias
in Indian society perpetuates the restrictions. For
example prohibiting women to enter the kitchen or a
temple.
MENSTRUAL LEAVE AND THE IDEA OF
EQUALITY
Even today, menstruating women experience lack of a
are private place at workplace to change the menstrual
materials used, resting areas, the fear of staining and
smelling, lack of hygiene in toilets etc. Working in cities is
also characterised by jam-packed work and travel spaces
thus hindering the privacy and hygiene for changing and
disposing menstrual materials.

• The main reasons for this taboo still being relevant in Not providing separate toilet facilities or breaks to
the Indian society are the high rate of illiteracy maintain hygiene, the authorities were depriving the
especially in girls, poverty and lack of awareness employees of their human dignity. (Article 21)
about menstrual health and hygiene. This places the ARGUMENTS AGAINST MENSTRUAL LEAVE
girl at increased risk for infection and has critical
• Menstrual leave policies might discriminate against
health implications.
men. Periods are weakening only for some women.
• According to a UNICEF study conducted in 2011:
• Many women are capable of functioning at full
ο Only 13% of girls in India are aware of capacity even during their periods. In this regard
menstruation before menarche. Menstrual leave policies are also prone to misuse. (But
ο 60% of girls missed school on account of the numbers are not insignificant to avoid a policy
menstruation, decision).

ο 79% faces low confidence due to menstruation and • It would prejudice employers against hiring women
44% were embarrassed and humiliated over and lead to their alienation at work.
restrictions. • It is argued by some that the concept of menstrual
ο Thereby, Menstruation adversely impacts women's leave goes against the constitutional right to
education, equality, maternal and child health. equality.

This changed attitude towards girls such as restrictions • Sick leave can be used during Menstruation. (It is
on their self-expression, schooling, mobility and freedom inequitable to merge menstrual leaves with sickness
has far-reaching consequences on the mindset of leaves because menstruation is not an illness but an
women. inevitable biological process that is painful for most
women).
Menstruation is a perfectly natural biological process, not
a disease or a disability. Period pain may be so bad that ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF MENSTRUAL LEAVE
women nearly pass out from it. Doctors across the globe
• Article 15(3) empowers the state to make special
acknowledge that dysmenorrhoea or menstrual cramps
provisions for women and children which is an
can be as painful as heart attacks. However, it can range
exception to the general rule laid down in the Article
from a slightly discomforting to a severely debilitating
15(1). This protective discrimination is a necessity to
experience for women. Nearly 20% of women suffer
maintain social equality where there has been a
from uncomfortable symptoms. These may include
history of discrimination against women.
cramps, nausea, fever and weakness during their
• It has been held by the Supreme Court in
periods. These are debilitating enough to hamper their
Government of Andhra Pradesh versus P B
daily activities. Some women also experience reduced
Vijayakumar (1995) that “special provision for
emotional control and decreased concentration. Over 25
women” in Article 15(3) means the provisions which
million women suffer from endometriosis.
the state may make to improve women’s participation

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 Society and Social Justice
in all activities under the supervision and control of
the state, can be in the form of either affirmative
action or reservation’. Thus menstrual leave policies like
the other women’s rights legislations such as the
Maternity Benefit Act (1961), The Hindu Succession
(Amendment) Act ( 2005) etc, will not infringe the Article
15(1) of the Constitution of India.
• Article 42 of the Constitution envisages that the state
shall make provision for securing just and humane
conditions of work and maternity relief.
• Although the government has provided protective
measures especially to women workers under various
labour laws like the Factories Act, 1948, Maternity
Benefit Act, 1961 etc, wherein the aspects of health,
leave and working hours are provided, the idea of
menstrual leave finds no mention.
• It is also pertinent to note that maternity is a choice
while menstruation is an inescapable monthly
biological process that is painful.
• Menstrual leave is a critical as well as neglected
subject in India. Bihar is the only state in India which
has been providing two days of special leave every
month to its female employees since 1992.
• Countries like Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and
Taiwan provide menstrual leave to their female
employees every month. While Indonesia has granted
the first and second day of menstruation as paid
leaves under its Labour Act of 1948, Japan has offered
this benefit for women since 1947.
Related Information: Menstruation Benefits Bill was
tabled as a private member bill in the Parliament earlier
in the year. It is imperative to look at the significance of
the provisions, for a gender sensitive labour policy.
• It seeks to provide working women two days of paid
menstrual leave every month.
• It applies to women working in both public and private
sectors.
• The Bill also seeks to provide better facilities for rest at
the workplace during menstruation.
• It includes providing women the flexibility to take time
off, and with options like working from home.
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• The benefits are also extended to female students of
Class VIII and above in government recognised
schools.
WAY FORWARD
• Social awareness about such social issues can play an
instrumental role in bringing behavioural change in
society.
ο The film Pad Man played a pivotal role in spurring
conversations around periods and positioning
sanitary pads as the saviour.
ο Recently, the documentary: Period. End of
Sentence, that explores the stigma surrounding
menstruation in rural India, won the Oscar award.
• Efforts directed at awareness and education about
menstruation and menstrual hygiene, and access to
safe products, and responsive water, sanitation and
hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.
• The government must promote, small-scale sanitary
pad manufacturing units to make low-cost pads more
easily available, it will also help in generating income
for women.
• An informed choice is important in the context of
women’s reproductive and sexual health and is
applicable to menstrual hygiene as well.
• The government has launched Jan Aushadhi Suvidha
Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, that seeks to
provide biodegradable sanitary pads for only One
Rupee per pad, efforts should be made to increase its
accessibility and availability.
• However, menstrual health cannot be achieved only
through governmental efforts without addressing it as
a social issue, requiring interventions at societal,
community and familial level.
CASTE BASED CENSUS
#Society
IN NEWS
State government of Tamil Nadu has decided to set up a
commission to collect caste wise data of the population
65
 Society and Social Justice
and submit the report to the state. The decision to set up
a commission has been taken in the backdrop of pre-
election agitation organised by the Pattali Makkal Katchi
demanding 20% exclusive reservation in education and
government jobs for the Vanniyar community.
Violent agitation of Vanniyar Community in 187-88 in
Tamil Nadu led to the creation of a ‘most backward
classes’ category entitled to 20% reservation. However,
over a period of time, Vanniyar Community were
dissatisfied about being clubbed with over a hundred
other castes for reservation in education and government
jobs.
Even though the Supreme Court has held that reservation
cannot be demanded as fundamental right, still
communities feel that it is the only way for their upward
social and economic mobilisation.
SECC IN 2011
• The Ministry of Rural Development commenced the
Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, in June
2011 through a comprehensive door to door
enumeration across the country.
• However, because of the lack of reliability of the data
collected, or its political and electoral sensitivity, the
caste portion of the SECC has not been disclosed so
far.
• The State government could possibly seek access to
this data pertaining to Tamil Nadu as part of its
exercise.
SECC 2011- OBJECTIVES
• To enable households to be ranked based on their
Socio- Economic status.
• Identify below poverty line persons for government
benefit schemes in urban and rural areas.
• To make available authentic information to enable
caste-wise population enumeration of the country.
• To make available authentic information regarding the
socio economic condition, and education status of
various castes and sections of the population.
NEED OF CASTE BASED CENSUS
• Land fragmentation and decades of agricultural
stagnation have turned many upper caste landowners
into marginal farmers. Whereas rising rural wage has
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
benefitted some of the backward classes including
dalits.
• Caste based mobilization along political lines have
increased over a period of years. This has also led to
increase in demand for reservation in jobs.
• The real challenge lies in recognising the need for a
caste based census to find a possible solution for the
growing demands of reservation for different castes
and communities across India.
• Thus, a caste census in 2021 will reveal the changed
circumstances of rural and urban landscape of India
including their economic condition.
• Such a detailed data will further help in rationalizing
reservation policy as per need of a specific caste or
community.
POSSIBLE BENEFITS
• It will present the correct picture of socio-economic
status of various castes in any particular state.
• Such data will help the state government to ensure
how much reservation is actually necessary for any
given caste.
• Comprehensive caste based data will help to figure
out the economic status of various castes in different
states.
• State can plan accordingly their welfare schemes for
the most backward castes based on their need and
socio-economic conditions.
• It will satisfy demand of various groups/ castes/
tribes/communities and will overall reduce agitation
over caste based reservations.
WAY FORWARD
• The State government could possibly seek access to
this data pertaining to Tamil Nadu as part of its
exercise.
• Such data should not be used only for political
purpose and to quell the agitation. Rather, Tamil Nadu
government should seek to rationalise and deepen its
social justice policy with a true assessment of the
backwardness of various castes.
• Even the central government must collect caste wise
data along the 2021 census as it will help the central
government in finding out the true picture of overall
socio-economic development of different castes
66
 Society and Social Justice
across India in order to create a castles and equal
society for all.
• Thus, a casteless and equal society should be
government’s ultimate goal along with knowing the
true socio-economic status of each caste in India.
FOOD COALITION TO
PREVENT COVID-19
FOOD CRISIS
#Health #Nutrition
• lt is a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral alliance,
launched by Food and Agriculture Organization, a
specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that
leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• lt will support innovative COVID-19 initiatives to
ensure global food access, to increase the resilience
and transformation of agri-food systems in a more
sustainable manner.
• COVID-19 crisis could pose long-term effects on food
security and nutrition through multiple disruptions in
food systems that affect food production, health of
farmers, access to agricultural inputs, access to
markets, rural jobs and livelihoods etc.
ο At least 690 million people went hungry in 2019,
according to the State of Food Security and
Nutrition in the World report, 2020.
ο Now, the pandemic could tip over 130 million more
people into chronic hunger by the end of 2020.
• Food Coalition would work towards:
o Mobilising resources, expertise and innovation
o Advocating for a joint and coordinated COVID-19
response.
o Promoting dialogue and exchange of knowledge and
expertise among countries
o Working towards solution-oriented plans and
programmes
o Expanding international cooperation and partnership
for a longer-term impact
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IMPEX
#Social Justice #Index
IN NEWS
Interstate Migrant Policy Index (IMPEX) released by
India Migration Now (IMN)
• IMPEX ranks and compares all the states based on
their migrant integration polices. It examines policy
areas such as child rights, education, health and
sanitation, housing, political inclusion etc.
• More than 1/3rd of India’s population is internal
migrants, while 75% of the youth are migrants (Centre
for Policy research,2018).
ο IMN is a Mumbai-based research non-profit
organisation.
KEY FINDINGS
• Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan are the top three states
with migrant friendly policies.
• Kerala provides targeted schemes, social security,
labour protection and welfare for migrant workers.
Rajasthan does not have restrictions based on
domicile certificate.
• Goa has favourable policies like information to
migrants in their native language, contractors to bear
healthcare costs etc.
• States tend to frame discriminatory policies that
favour locals over interstate migrants. Domicile status
constitutes one of the starkest of these.
GST ON MOBILITY AIDS
#Social Justice #Economy
IN NEWS
Presently, the GST Council imposes a GST rate of 5% on
various mobility aids used by differently abled such as
Wheelchairs, tricycles, braille paper, Braille watches etc.
The imposition of GST on these essential items has led to
67
 Society and Social Justice
increase in their prices and hence made them
unaffordable for the poorer section among the differently
abled.
In this regard, recently a PIL was filed before the Supreme
Court on the constitutional validity of imposition of GST
on these mobility aids. In this PIL, the petitioner argued
that imposition of GST on these items was discriminatory
and violated fundamental rights of the differently abled
such as Right to Life (Art. 21).
However, the SC ruled that the decision of imposing tax
and determining its rate is the prerogative of the
Executive. The Judiciary cannot ordinarily interfere in such
matters. Accordingly, it asked the petitioner to file his
grievances before the GST Council.
GOVERNMENT’S VIEWPOINT
• Need for Imposition of GST on Mobility Aids: The
Government believes that imposition of GST on
mobility aids is a win-win situation for the domestic
manufacturers and differently abled.
• The GST provides for the Input tax credit mechanism
which enables the domestic manufacturers to claim
input tax credit on the payment of taxes on various
inputs. Such form of input tax credit incentives them
to undertake higher production leading to decrease in
the prices of mobility aids and thus benefits the
differently abled.
• Implications of GST Exemption on Mobility Aids: If
mobility aids are exempted from GST, the domestic
manufacturers would not be able to claim input tax
credits on the payment of taxes on various inputs.
This would disincentivise domestic manufacturing of
mobility aids. Hence, exemption of GST on mobility
aids would them unavailable and unaffordable for the
differently abled.
COUNTER VIEWPOINT
• Exemption on other products: The GST Council has
fixed 0% GST on number of goods which are essential
to human needs such as unbranded agricultural items
(Cereal grains, fish, fresh milk, Natural honey etc).
Hence, considering the fact that Mobility aids are
essential for the differently abled, these products
should be exempted from the GST.
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• Availability of alternatives to incentivise domestic
manufacturing: The Government has other options
available to incentivise domestic manufacturing of
mobility aids without affecting the interests of
differently abled. For example, the Government could
exempt the manufacturers from the payment of taxes
on their inputs.
Considering the importance of Mobility aids, the GST
council must learn from countries such as Canada and
Australia and grant a complete exemption on the GST.
Afterall, the purpose of taxation is not to generate
revenue but to ensure welfare of all.
GLOBAL PREVENTION
COALITION (GPC)
#Health
GPC, formed in 2017, is a coalition of United Nations
Member States, donors, civil society organizations and
implementers to support global efforts to accelerate HIV
prevention.
• lt seeks to ensure accountability for delivering
prevention services at scale in order to achieve the
targets of the 2016 Political Declaration on Ending
AIDS, including a 75% reduction in HIV infections by
2020, and to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
• lndia's HIV prevention model is centered on concept
of 'Social Contracting through which the Targeted
Interventions (Tl) programme is implemented.
• Tl are aimed at offering prevention and care services
to high risk populations (Female Sex Workers, Male
having Sex with Male and injecting Drug Users) by
providing them with the information, means and skills
they need to minimize HIV transmission and
improving their access to care, support and treatment
services.
KEY FINDINGS
• Revamped Tl programme to focus on hard-to-reach
populations.
• Under the Test and Treat Policy, people living with
HIV who were lost to follow-up were linked back to
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 Society and Social Justice

Anti-Retroviral Treatment services through 'Mission ο Subsidized loans based on implementation of

SAMPARK climate-smart agricultural practices and
• Community based Screening of HIV for improving technologies.
early diagnosis. ο Subsidies for weather insurance bundled with loans
(Similar to lndia's National Crop Insurance

SMALL FARMERS
Program). Transition of agribusinesses and finance
service providers towards low emission supply

DEPRIVED OF CLIMATE
chains.

FINANCE: IFAD REPORT SAFAIMITRA SURAKSHA

#Social Justice CHALLENGE
#Program
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is
an international financial institution and a specialized
agency of United Nations dedicated to eradicating • Under the challenge, all states/UTs pledged to make
poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing sewer-cleaning mechanised by April 2021, promote
countries. citizen awareness and prevent Hazardous Cleaning of
Sewers and Septic Tanks.
KEY FINDINGS
o 243 cities will be awarded under three sub-
• Small-scale farmers operating on less than 5 hectares
categories based on population: up to 3 lakh, 3-10
of land represent around 95% of world's farms and a
lakh and over 10 lakh.
cumulated area equivalent to 20% of the global
farmland. • Manual Scavenging is defined as removal of human
excrement from public streets and dry latrines,
• Barriers to small-scale agriculture finance
cleaning septic tanks, gutters and sewers.
includes:
o Official records show that manual scavenging has
ο Limited capacity of national governments to
led to 376 deaths over past five years.
comply with international climate funds'
procedures. o Sanitation being a State subject, people for cleaning
of sewers and septic tanks are employed by local
ο National governments' capacity to develop climate
bodies
adaptation and mitigation programs.
ο Financial markets are not providing services
GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS
adapted to farmers' needs. • Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction
ο As the agriculture sector is seen as risky there is
of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, banned
limited capital available for those involved in small- employment of people as manual scavengers.
scale agriculture. • Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and
• Recommendations to channel climate finance to their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 that bans manual
small- scale agriculture scavenging in all forms, provides for their survey and
rehabilitation within a time bound manner.
ο Enhance collaboration between public and private
sectors to mitigate risk associated with • Establishment of National Commission for Safai
investments in agricultural sector. Karamcharis to look into matters concerning the Safai
Karamcharis' welfare.

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 Society and Social Justice

practice questions

descriptive Questions
1. What are the targets under Poshan Abhiyaan? In the light of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data, do you

think the targets are achievable?

2. 15th finance commission has recommendated to use public-private partnerships (PPP) to ramp up health

infrastructure. What measures are required to effectively implement this recommendation?

3. What is food fortification? What role can it play in food and nutritional security?

4. Menstruation is a natural and healthy biological process for women, in spite of this, it is still considered a taboo in

Indian society. Why such gender biased views exist in our society? What is the remedy?

5. Our society cannot develop with continued high incidence of poverty with multiple deprivations on various levels.

Discuss.

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 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
# GS Paper (Prelims) & GS Paper III (Main)
EARTH OBSERVATION
SATELLITE (EOS-01)
# Space
IN NEWS
India successfully launched its latest Earth Observation
Satellite EOS-01 and nine customer satellites from the
United States, Lithuania and Luxembourg, on board Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C49). This is ISRO’s first
mission in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic induced
lockdown disturbed 10 missions planned by the agency.
All satellites were placed precisely into 575 km orbit.
With EOS-01, ISRO is moving to a new naming system for
its earth observation satellites which till now have been
named thematically, according to the purpose they are
meant for. For example, the Cartosat series of satellites
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were meant to provide data for land topography and
mapping, while the Oceansat satellites were meant for
observations over sea. Some INSAT-series, Resourcesat
series, GISAT, Scatsat, and some more are all earth
observation satellites, named differently for the specific
jobs they are assigned to do, or the different
instruments that they use to do their jobs.
EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE AND ORBITS
• Earth observation is the gathering of information
about Earth's physical, chemical and biological
systems. Earth observation satellites are the satellites
equipped with remote sensing technology. Most earth
observation satellites are in sun-synchronous orbit.
ο A polar orbit is one in which a satellite passes
above or nearly above both poles on each
revolution. It therefore has an inclination of (or
very close to) 90 degrees to the body's equator. A
satellite in a polar orbit will pass over the equator
at a different longitude on each of its orbits.
ο A Sun-synchronous orbit is a nearly polar orbit
around a planet, which combines altitude and
inclination in such a way that an object on that
orbit ascends or descends over any given Earth
latitude at the same local mean solar time. This
consistent lighting is a useful characteristic for
satellites that image the Earth’s surface in visible or
infrared wavelengths .Typical Sun-synchronous
orbits around Earth are about 600–800 km in
altitude, with periods in the 96–100-minute range,
and inclinations of around 98°.
ο To get (nearly) global coverage with a low orbit it
must be a polar orbit or nearly so. A low orbit will
have an orbital period of roughly 100 minutes and
the Earth will rotate around its polar axis with
about 25° between successive orbits, with the
result that the ground track is shifted towards west
with these 25° in longitude.
• Spacecraft carrying instruments for which an altitude
of 36000 km is suitable sometimes use a
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 Science & Technology
geostationary orbit. Such an orbit allows
uninterrupted coverage of more than 1/3 of the Earth.
Three geostationary spacecraft at longitudes
separated with 120° can cover the whole Earth except
the extreme polar regions. This type of orbit is mainly
used for meteorological satellites.
• Starting with IRS-1A in 1988, ISRO has launched many
operational remote sensing satellites. Today, India
has one of the largest constellations of remote
sensing satellites in operation.
o Currently, 13 operational satellites are in Sun-
synchronous orbit – RESOURCESAT-1, 2, 2A
CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A, 2B, RISAT-1 and 2, OCEANSAT-2,
Megha-Tropiques, SARAL and SCATSAT-1,
o 4 in Geostationary orbit - INSAT-3D, Kalpana &
INSAT 3A, INSAT -3DR.
• Land and forest mapping and monitoring, mapping
of resources like water or minerals or fishes, weather
and climate observations, soil assessment, geospatial
contour mapping are all done through earth-
observation satellites.
RISAT
• RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) is a series of Indian
radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by
ISRO.
• They provide all-weather surveillance using
synthetic aperture radars (SAR).
o Synthetic-aperture radar is a form of radar that is
used to create two-dimensional images or three-
dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as
landscapes.
o RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging System) is a
detection system that uses radio waves to determine
the range, angle, or velocity of objects. Sunlight,
clouds, and rain do not affect radio waves
observations.
• The RISAT series are the first all-weather Earth
observation satellites from ISRO.
• Previous Indian observation satellites relied primarily
on optical and spectral sensors which were hampered
by cloud cover.
• EOS-01 will have applications in agriculture, forestry
and disaster management support. EOS-01 is nothing
but another Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) that will
work together with RISAT-2B and RISAT-2BR1
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launched last year. EOS-01 was initially named RISAT-
2BR2, and was supposed to be the third of the three-
spacecraft constellation aimed at providing all-
weather round-the-clock service for high-resolution
images.
New Rocket: For the launch of EOS-01, ISRO used a new
variant of its PSLV rocket. This variant of PSLV does not
become waste after depositing its satellite in the orbit.
Instead, the last stage of the rocket, the one that
remains after the satellite is separated, can acquire its
own orbit and be used as an orbital platform for other
onboard instruments to perform experiments in space.
In effect, the fourth stage acts like another satellite, with
a life span of about six months.
RELATED INFORMATION
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
o India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is
the third generation launch vehicle.
o It is a four-staged launch vehicle with first and
third stage using solid rocket motors and second and
fourth stages using liquid rocket engines.
o PSLV is the first launch vehicle which is equipped
with liquid stages.
o PSLV’s first successful launch was in October 1994.
PSLV was used for two of the most important
missions. These are Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars
Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013.
o The PSLV has helped take payloads into almost all the
orbits in space including Geo-Stationary Transfer
Orbit (GTO), the Moon, Mars and would soon be
launching a mission to the Sun.
o Between 1994 and 2019, the PSLV launched 50 Indian
satellites and 222 foreign satellites for over 70
international customers from 20 countries.
DEEP FAKE
# S&T
WHAT ARE DEEPFAKES?
• These are fake videos or audio recordings that look
and sound just like the real thing.
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 Science & Technology
• While the act of faking content is not new, deepfakes
leverage powerful techniques from machine learning
and artificial intelligence to manipulate or generate
visual and audio content with a high potential to
deceive.
• The main machine learning methods used to create
deepfakes are based on deep learning and involve
training generative neural network architectures, such
as auto-encoders or generative adversarial networks
(GANs).
• Access to commodity cloud computing, algorithms,
and abundant data has created a perfect storm to
democratise media creation and manipulation.
Deepfakes are a new tool to spread computational
propaganda and disinformation at scale and with
speed.
DEMERITS
• Fabricate media
o swap faces, lip-syncing, and puppeteer — mostly
without consent and bring threat to psychology,
security, political stability, and business disruption.
• Use against women:
o The very first use case of malicious use of a deepfake
was seen in pornography, inflicting emotional,
reputational, and in some cases, violence towards the
individual.
o Pornographic deepfakes can threaten, intimidate, and
inflict psychological harm and reduce women to
sexual objects. Deepfake pornography exclusively
targets women.
• Threat to internal security
o A deepfake could act as a powerful tool by a nation-
state to undermine public safety and create
uncertainty and chaos in the target country.
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o It can be used by insurgent groups and terrorist
organisations, to represent their adversaries as
making inflammatory speeches or engaging in
provocative actions to stir up anti-state sentiments
among people.
• Undermining Democracy
o To undermine a discourse
 A deepfake can also aid in altering the democratic
discourse and undermine trust in institutions and
impair diplomacy. False information about
institutions, public policy, and politicians powered by
a deepfake can be exploited to spin the story and
manipulate belief.
o Sabotaging image
 A deepfake of a political candidate can sabotage their
image and reputation. A well-executed one, a few
days before polling, of a political candidate spewing
out racial epithets or indulging in an unethical act can
damage their campaign. There may not be enough
time to recover even after effective debunking. Voters
can be confused and elections can be disrupted. A
high-quality deepfake can inject compelling false
information that can cast a shadow of illegitimacy
over the voting process and election results.
SOLUTIONS
• Multi-stakeholder and multi-modal approach
o Collaborative actions and collective techniques across
legislative regulations, platform policies, technology
intervention, and media literacy can provide effective
and ethical countermeasures to mitigate the threat of
malicious deepfakes.
• Role of Media:
o Media literacy for consumers and journalists is the
most effective tool to combat disinformation and
deepfakes.
o Media literacy efforts must be enhanced to cultivate a
discerning public.
o As consumers of media, we must have the ability to
decipher, understand, translate, and use the
information we encounter.
o Even a short intervention with media understanding,
learning the motivations and context, can lessen the
damage. Improving media literacy is a precursor to
addressing the challenges presented by deepfakes.
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 Science & Technology
• Creating regulations:
o Meaningful regulations with a collaborative discussion
with the technology industry, civil society, and
policymakers can facilitate disincentivising the
creation and distribution of malicious deepfakes.
o We also need easy-to-use and accessible technology
solutions to detect deepfakes, authenticate media,
and amplify authoritative sources.
WAY FORWARD
• Deepfakes can create possibilities for all people
irrespective of their limitations by augmenting their
agency. However, as access to synthetic media
technology increases, so does the risk of exploitation.
Deepfakes can be used to damage reputations,
fabricate evidence, defraud the public, and
undermine trust in democratic institutions.
• To counter the menace of deepfakes, we all must take
the responsibility to be a critical consumer of media
on the Internet, think and pause before we share on
HOW DOES RNA VACCINES WORK?
• RNA vaccines use a different approach that takes
advantage of the process that cells use to make
proteins: cells use DNA as the template to make
messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, which are then
translated to build proteins.
• An RNA vaccine consists of an mRNA strand that
codes for a disease-specific antigen. Once the
mRNA strand in the vaccine is inside the body’s cells,
the cells use the genetic information to produce the
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social media, and be part of the solution to this
infodemic.
m-RNA VACCINE
# Biotechnology
IN NEWS
India’s very own m-RNA (messenger-RNA) vaccine could be
ready by March.
What are Conventional vaccines? They usually contain
inactivated disease-causing organisms or proteins made
by the pathogen (antigens), which work by mimicking the
infectious agent. They stimulate the body’s immune
response, so it is primed to respond more rapidly and
effectively if exposed to the infectious agent in the
future.
antigen. This antigen is then displayed on the cell
surface, where it is recognised by the immune
system.
• Unlike a normal vaccine, RNA vaccines work by
introducing an mRNA sequence (the molecule
which tells cells what to build) which is coded for
a disease specific antigen, once produced within the
body, the antigen is recognised by the immune
system, preparing it to fight the real thing.
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 Science & Technology
• RNA vaccines can be delivered using a number of
methods: via needle-syringe injections or needle-free
into the skin; via injection into the blood, muscle,
lymph node or directly into organs; or via a nasal
spray. The optimal route for vaccine delivery is not yet
known. The exact manufacturing and delivery process
of RNA vaccines can vary depending on the type.
HOW ARE THEY BENEFICIAL?
• RNA vaccines are faster and cheaper to produce than
traditional vaccines, and a RNA based vaccine is also
safer for the patient, as they are not produced using
infectious elements.
• A major advantage of RNA vaccines is that RNA can be
produced in the laboratory from a DNA template
using readily available materials, less expensively and
faster than conventional vaccine production, which
can require the use of chicken eggs or other
mammalian cells.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN FLOATING OUT
THIS VACCINE IN INDIA?
• There are still no commercially available m-RNA
based vaccines.
• They also reportedly need to be refrigerated to nearly
minus 70°C and India, with its limited cold chain
infrastructure, lacks efficient vaccine storage capacity.
WAY FORWARD
• Vaccination is one of the major success stories of
modern medicine, greatly reducing the incidence of
infectious diseases such as measles, and eradicating
others, such as smallpox.
• Conventional vaccine approaches have not been as
effective against rapidly evolving pathogens like
influenza or emerging disease threats such as the
Ebola or Zika viruses. RNA based vaccines could have
an impact in these areas due to their shorter
manufacturing times and greater effectiveness.
Beyond infectious diseases, RNA vaccines have
potential as novel therapeutic options for major
diseases such as cancer.
D614G MUTATION
# Health # Biotechnology
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
IN NEWS
While novel coronavirus is undergoing many mutations,
one particular mutation called D614G has become the
dominant variant in the global COVID-19 pandemic.
WHAT IS THE D614G MUTATION?
• When the virus enters an individual’s body, it aims at
creating copies of itself. When it makes an error in
this copying process, we get a mutation.
• In this case, the virus replaced the aspartic acid (D) in
the 614th position of the amino acid with glycine (G).
Hence the mutation is called the D614G.
• This mutated form of the virus was first identified in
China and then in Europe.
• Later it spread to other countries like the U.S. and
Canada and was eventually reported in India.
HOW IS THIS MUTATION DIFFERENT?
• The D614G mutation is situated in the spike protein
of the virus.
• You can think of the spike protein as a massive
‘trimer’ assembly with three protein chains. Each
protein chain has two sub-units (S1 and S2).
• The sub-unit S1 is the one that attaches to the host
cells — Human ACE2 receptor.
• The S2 sub-unit mediates the fusion of the viral and
human membranes.
• The D614G mutation is present in the sub-unit S1 of
the protein and is also close to the S2 sub-unit.
• Therefore, it has an impact on the human cell’s
interactions with both S1 and S2.
• In simple words, this particular mutation aids the
virus in attaching more efficiently with the ACE2
receptor in the human host, thereby making it more
successful in entering a human body than its
predecessors.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE MUTATION?
• Displayed greater ability at attaching itself to the cell
walls inside an individual’s nose and throat, increasing
the viral load.
• The patients seem to be exhibiting variable reactions
to it depending upon their genetic constitution, age,
exposure to other diseases etc. Researchers are still
pondering over the effects of this mutation.
HOW PREVALENT IS IT IN INDIA?
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 Science & Technology

• A study (a preprint posted on bioRxiv) — which IN NEWS

collected SARS-CoV-2-positive samples from the
Sputnik V is the world’s first registered vaccine based on a
various States like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
well-studied human adenoviral vector-based platform. It
and Uttar Pradesh among others — reveals that the
D614G was one of the most prevalent spike currently ranks among top-10 candidate vaccines
mutations even during the initial phase of the approaching the end of clinical trials and the start of
pandemic. mass production on the World Health Organization’s
• Since then, D614G mutation’s ‘relative abundance’ has (WHO) list.
increased over time to 70% and above, in most States. • Clinical trials of Sputnik V have been announced in
the UAE, India, Venezuela and Belarus.

SPUTNIK-V VACCINE • The vaccine is named after the first Soviet space
satellite. The launch of Sputnik-1 in 1957
# Biotechnology reinvigorated space research around the world,
creating a so called “Sputnik moment” for the global
community.

HOW ADENOVIRAL VECTOR-BASED VACCINES WORK?

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 Science & Technology
• “Vectors” are vehicles, which can induce a genetic
material from another virus into a cell. The gene from
adenovirus, which causes the infection, is removed
while a gene with the code of a protein from another
virus spike is inserted. This inserted element is safe
for the body but still helps the immune system to
react and produce antibodies, which protect us from
the infection.
• The technological platform of adenovirus-based
vectors makes it easier and faster to create new
vaccines through modifying the initial carrier vector
with genetic material from new emerging viruses that
helps to create new vaccines in relatively short time.
Such vaccines provoke a strong response from a
human immune system.
• Human adenoviruses are considered as some of the
easiest to engineer in this way and therefore they
have become very popular as vectors.
ANTI-MICROBIAL
RESISTANCE
# Biotechnology # Health
CONTEXT
Anti-microbial resistance is emerging as a major threat to
health since last two decades. The advent of antibiotics
ignited the hope of elimination of infectious diseases in
humans and animals. However, this did not happen
because of two reasons:
• Mutations:
• Most of the germs have acquired the capacity to resist
the action of affordable antibiotics. This phenomenon
is known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
• Irrational use of antibiotics in humans and
animals.
• The inability of antibiotics to treat patients and
animals is wreaking havoc on human health, nutrition
safety and economies. The long-term impact of AMR
is almost comparable to that of the COVID-19
pandemic. AMR is estimated to cause 10 million
deaths annually by 2050, unless concerted actions are
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initiated now. It will result in 7.5 % reduction in
livestock production and negatively impact the global
GDP by 3.5%.
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS TO THE AMR
MENACE?
• Discovery of new drugs, before the emergence of
resistance in germs
o It is an expensive and unpredictable process.
o Since 1984, no new class of antibiotics has been
developed. The estimated cost for developing a
new antibiotic exceeds $1 billion.
o With rapid development of resistance, the life of
new antibiotics becomes limited and the return on
investment on new molecules gets diminished.
o This discourages the pharmaceutical industry to
invest in these initiatives. The world is left with only
one option: to use the available antibiotics carefully
to ensure their efficacy for as long as possible.
• Prudent use of available antibiotics
o The rational use of antibiotics in humans, animals,
and agriculture warrants coordinated action in all
sectors.
o These multi-sectoral, multidisciplinary and
multi-institutional actions constitute the ‘One
Health’ approach.
WHAT IS ONE HEALTH APPROACH?
• One Health should not be construed as a standalone
or new programme.
• This endeavour utilises existing expertise and
infrastructure in various sectors with a focus on inter-
sectoral coordination, collaboration, and
communication.
• The purpose of One Health is to provide a formal
platform for experts to plan and work together
towards shared objectives.
• Implementation of One Health warrants a strong and
continuous national narrative on zoonoses.
• It advocates a multi-sectoral response to public health
problems, particularly pandemics, as also to address
issues related to AMR.
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 Science & Technology

• The approach supports focussed actions on the • There is a need to optimally utilise emerging
human-animal-environment interface for the technologies to improve human health and
prevention, detection and response to the public development. One Health has been acknowledged as
health events that influence global health and food the optimum approach to counter the impact of AMR
security. AMR is one of the biggest challenges to and future pandemics and must be adopted
human and animal health. expeditiously.

THE RELEVANCE OF ONE HEALTH: document to develop a workable road map for the
country to respond to other similar public health
• This has gained currency across the world as an
challenges.
efficient and cost-effective response to AMR and
several other challenges, especially endemic
zoonoses (diseases transmitted between animals and
humans) and pandemics.
SERB – POWER
• It is reinforced by the fact that all the epidemics in the # Scheme # Empowerment
current millennium (SARS, MERS, bird flu and COVID-
19) have originated from animals because of
IN NEWS
unwanted excursion of humans into animal domains.
A programme for Promoting Opportunities for Women in
• The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the urgency
Exploratory Research was launched to help bridge gap of
of implementing One Health. India’s National Action
gender disparity in the field of Science and Technology.
Plan on AMR is an excellent example of the One
This will include a fellowship called SERB – Power
Health approach and can be used as a guiding

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 Science & Technology

Fellowship and a SERB – Power Research Grants for SALIENT FEATURES

women scientists.
►SERB – Power Research Grants
• This is a great scheme that would help and encourage
• POWER Grants will empower women researchers by
women scientists to work in the field of science and
funding them under the following two categories:
technology along with several other programmes of
the Department of Science and Technology (DST) like o Level I (Applicants from IITs, IISERs, IISc, NITs, Central

Vigyan Jyoti and CURIE. Universities, and National Labs of Central

• The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a
Statutory body of the Department of Science and
Technology (DST), Government of India, has been
Government Institutions): The scale of funding up to
60 lakhs for three years.
o Level II (Applicants from State Universities / Colleges

contemplating to institute a scheme to mitigate and Private Academic): The scale of funding up to 30

gender disparity in science and engineering research lakhs for three years.

in various S&T programs in Indian academic • POWER Grant will be regulated through terms of
institutions and R&D laboratories. reference conforming to SERB-CRG guidelines.

SALIENT FEATURES • While a Search-cum-Selection Committee constituted

for the purpose will help in identifying the POWER
►SERB – Power Fellowship
Fellowship, the exiting Programme Advisory
• Target: Women researchers in 35-55 years of age. Committee (PAC) mechanism will be used to select
Up-to 25 Fellowships per year and not more than 75 the POWER Research Grants.
at any point in time.
• It is proposed to institute 25 POWER Fellowships
• Components of support: Fellowship of Rs. 15,000/- annually. A total of 50 Power Grants each will be
per month in addition to regular income; Research sanctioned in Level I & Level II per annum.
grant of Rs. 10 lakh per annum; and Overhead of Rs.
90,000/- per annum.

• Duration: Three years, without the possibility of

extension. Once in a career.

practice questions

MCQs
Q.1 Consider the following statements about SERB Q2. Consider the following statements:
– POWER: 1) Conventional vaccines usually contain inactivated
1. It is exclusively for women. disease-causing organisms or proteins made by
2. It is a DST initiative. the pathogen (antigens).

3. Its duration is of three years, without the 2) Cells use DNA as the template to make messenger
possibility of extension. RNA (mRNA) molecules, which are then translated
to build proteins.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the above statements are true ?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

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 Science & Technology

(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. They provide all-weather surveillance using
synthetic aperture radars (SAR).

Q.3 Sputnik V, recently in news, is related to which Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
of the following? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(a) Virus (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(b) Supercomputer
(c) COVID Vaccine Q5. Consider the following statements:
(d) Underwater submarine 1) One Health Approach can be beneficial in
countering Anti-Microbial Resistance.

Q.4 Consider the following statements about RISAT 2) One Health Approach advocates a multi-sectoral
(Radar Imaging Satellite): response to public health problems.

1. RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) is a series of Indian Which of the above statements are true ?
radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
SpaceX. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

descriptive Questions
Q1. What do you understand by m-RNA Vaccine? List out the advantages and the challenges in floating out this
vaccine in India. (150 words)

Q2. What is ‘One Health Approach’? Discuss its utility in curbing anti-microbial resistance. (150 words)

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

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

Lead Article
CYCLONE NIVAR
cyclone to land on India’s coast this year, besides Amphan
and Nisarga. April-June and October-December are India’s

#Disaster cyclone seasons. The arriving monsoon, as well as its

retreat, stir up the surrounding seas and generate
cyclones.

IN NEWS: Cyclone Nivar, that struck through Tamil Nadu

and brought plenty rain in its wake, was the third major

ABOUT CYCLONES

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
• Cyclones are rapid inward air circulation around a low
pressure area. The air circulates in an anticlockwise
direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in
the Southern hemisphere.
• Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms
and bad weather.
• There are two types of cyclones:
o Tropical cyclones;
o Extra Tropical cyclones
 (also called Temperate cyclones or middle latitude
cyclones or Frontal cyclones or Wave Cyclones).
CONDITIONS FOR FORMATION OF CYCLONES:
• Sufficient warm temperature at sea surface
• Atmospheric instability
• Impact area of Coriolis force so that low pressure can
be developed
• High humidity in the lower to middle levels of the
troposphere
• A pre-existing low-level focus or disturbance
• Low vertical wind shear.
THE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE OF TROPICAL
CYCLONES MAY BE DIVIDED INTO THREE STAGES:
1. Formation and Initial Development Stage
o A warm sea temperature in excess of 26 degrees
centigrade to a depth of 60 m, which provides
abundant water vapour in the air by evaporation.
o High relative humidity of the atmosphere to a height
of above 7,000 m facilitates condensation of water
vapour into water droplets and clouds, releases heat
energy thereby inducing a drop in pressure.
o Atmospheric instability encourages formation of
massive vertical cumulus cloud convection with
condensation of rising air over ocean.
o A location of at least 4-5 latitude degree from the
equator allows the influence of the forces due to the
earth’s rotation to take effect in reducing cyclonic wind
circulation around low-pressure centres.
2. Mature Stage
o As viewed by weather satellites and radar imagery, the
mean physical feature of a mature tropical cyclone is a
spiral pattern of highly turbulent giant cumulus
thunder cloud bands.
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o These bands spiral inwards and form a dense highly
active central cloud core which wraps around a
relatively calm and cloud free ‘eye’. The eye has a
diameter of from 20-60 km of light winds and looks
like a black hole or dot surrounded by white clouds.
o In contrast to the light wind conditions in the eye, the
turbulent cloud formation extending outwards from
the eye accompany winds of up to 250 kmph,
sufficient to destroy or severely damage most non-
engineered structures in the affected communities.
3. Modification and Decay
o A tropical cyclone begins to weaken in terms of its
central low pressure, internal warm core and
extremely high winds as soon as it’s source of warm
moist air being to ebb or are abruptly cut off. The
weakening of a cyclone does not mean the danger to
life and property is over. When the cyclone hits land,
especially over mountainous or hilly terrain, riverine
and flash flooding may last for weeks.
Why no cyclone near equator? The Coriolis force
compels the surface winds to spiral towards the low-
pressure system. As Coriolis force is negligible in the
equatorial belt between latitudes 5 degrees north and 5
degrees south, cyclonic systems do not develop in this
region.
NAMING OF A CYCLONE
• The naming of tropical cyclones is a recent
phenomenon. The process of naming cyclones
involves several countries in the region and is done
under the aegis of the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO).
• For the Indian Ocean region, a formula for naming
cyclones was agreed upon in 2004. Eight countries in
the region - Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar,
Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand - all
contributed a set of names which are assigned
sequentially whenever a cyclonic storm develops.
HOW ARE CYCLONES FORECAST?
• Over the years, India’s ability to track the formation of
cyclones has improved significantly.
• Doppler Weather Radars
o There is a network of 12 doppler weather radars
(DWR) along India’s coast if one were to begin
counting from Kolkata and trawl up to Mumbai —
there are 27 in all in the country.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

o Depending on where a storm is forming, these radars
send pulses of radio waves to gauge the size as well as
the speed at which water droplets are moving.
o The earlier generation of radars was unable to track
such progress in real time, but with DWRs, now the
base standard of weather radars, it is usually possible
to detect a potential storm at least four-five days in
advance.
• Collaboration
o The IMD also collaborates with similar international
networks, such as the Japan Meteorological Agency,
the U.S. National Hurricane Center, and the U.S.
Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and these bodies
constantly send warnings and
changes in the ocean weather.
forecasts about
o The near ubiquity of ocean-buoys that track changes
in ocean sea surface temperatures as well as
dedicated meteorological satellites improve the odds
of early detection.
evacuation of coastal residents. Sea pockets, where
cyclones form, are also places that drive schools of
fish and lure fisherfolk.
• While meteorological agencies give advisories on
where fish-catches are likely, they suspend such
advisories during storm formation to dissuade
fishermen from venturing out. The ubiquity of mobile
communication makes it much easier to quickly give
warnings. The IMD also issues flood forecast maps, in
collaboration with urban bodies that forecast which
pockets in a city are likely to be flooded and where
crop damage is likely to be maximum.
WESTERN
DISTURBANCES
#Weather

ARE CYCLONES FORMING IN ARABIAN SEA

DIFFICULT TO PREDICT? IN NEWS

• Though the Bay of Bengal is three times more likely to The Met Department said that under the influence of fresh
generate cyclones, the ones that originate in the western disturbance the wind speed went up to around 25
Arabian Sea are trickier, as the cyclone, while km per hour. An average of four to five western
ostensibly moving away from India’s western coast, disturbances form during the winter season.
can suddenly ‘recurve’ and move back in. In this context, let us understand this important topic
• There are also fewer radars along India’s west coast from the perspective of prelims as well as mains
than the eastern coast, and all these reasons make examination.
the Bay of Bengal cyclones more tractable.
WHAT ARE WESTERN DISTURBANCES?
• In this context, Nivar, because it conformed to a fairly
predictable trajectory and was not super cyclonic in
intensity, gave State administrations in Puducherry,
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh time to prepare, and
was far less damaging than Amphan. However, the
cyclone season is not yet over and more systems are
likely to form in the coming weeks, according to the
IMD.

HOW HAS DISASTER WARNING CHANGED?

• Forecasts, on their own, are important, but they
• A western disturbance is an extratropical storm
cannot override the importance of preparedness by
originating in the Mediterranean region that brings
State agencies. The formation of cyclones is preceded
sudden winter rain to the north western parts of the
by ‘depressions’, and they are often the first warnings.
Not all depressions become cyclones, but many Indian subcontinent. It is a non-monsoonal
coastal States — especially those with a history of precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies.
being battered — begin organising shelters and

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

• The moisture in these storms usually originates over • Over the Indo-Gangetic plains, they occasionally bring
the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea and the cold wave conditions and dense fog. These conditions
Black Sea. remain stable until disturbed by another western
disturbance.
HOW ARE THEY FORMED?
• When western disturbances move across northwest
• Western disturbances originate in the Mediterranean
India before the onset of monsoon, a temporary
region.
advancement of monsoon current appears over the
• A high-pressure area over Ukraine and
region.
neighbourhood consolidates, causing the intrusion of
cold air from polar regions towards an area of
relatively warmer air with high moisture.
BIO-TERRORISM
• This generates favourable conditions for cyclogenesis
in the upper atmosphere, which promotes the
#Security
formation of an eastward-moving extratropical
depression.
IN NEWS
• Traveling at speeds up to 12 m/s (43 km/h; 27 mph),
the disturbance moves towards the Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health has given a
subcontinent until the Himalayas inhibits its report, with the title “The Outbreak of Pandemic COVID-19
development, upon which the depression rapidly And its Management”, to the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The
weakens. report emphasised on formulating effective laws to
counter bio-terrorism which is one of the important
• The western disturbances are embedded in the mid-
lessons to be learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic.
latitude subtropical westerly jet stream.
Bioterrorism - It is the intentional release of viruses,
IMPACT OF WESTERN DISTURBANCES ON INDIAN
bacteria, or other germs that can sicken or kill people,
CLIMATE livestock or crops. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is
• Western disturbances are usually associated with the nodal ministry for Bioterrorism and partners with
cloudy sky, higher night temperatures and unusual Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its management.
rain. Biological Weapons – use microorganisms and natural
• Western disturbances, specifically the ones in winter, toxins to produce disease in humans, animals, or plants.
bring moderate to heavy rain in low-lying areas and • These agents can be deployed with a delivery
heavy snow to mountainous areas of the Indian system, such as a missile or airborne dispersion over a
Subcontinent. major population region.
• They are the cause of most winter and pre-monsoon • Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, is
season rainfall across northwest India. one of the most likely agents to be used in a biological
• Precipitation during the winter season has great attack.
importance in agriculture, particularly for the rabi • Pathogens or pests can be used as anti-crop agents to
crops. hamper the food security.
• Wheat among them is one of the most important • It is a substantial threat because small amounts of
crops, which helps to meet India’s food security. biotic agents can be effortlessly hidden, transported
ARE THERE ANY ILL-EFFECTS OF WESTERN and discharged into vulnerable populations.
DISTURBANCES? COMBATING BIOTERRORISM
• Excessive precipitation due to western disturbances 1. Strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons
can cause crop damage, landslides, floods and Convention: The Biological and Toxin Weapons
avalanches.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

Convention (BTWC) of 1972 prohibits signatory 2. Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical

nations to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise, interventions and biosafety/biosecurity measures
acquire or retain: – Tools must be developed to monitor the status of

o Microbial or other biological agents or toxins whatever available pharmaceutical interventions including

their origin or method of production, of types and in antibiotics, chemotherapeutics and anti-virals, and

quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, listing of essential drugs that may be required to

protective or other peaceful purposes. manage biological emergencies.

o Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed 3. Establishment of command, control and

to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in coordination functions – A well-orchestrated medical

armed conflict. response to biological disasters will only be possible

o However, there is no exact authentication method
that can ensure compliance with the BTWC. Therefore,
efforts must be made to strengthen the BTWC so that
by having a command and control function at the
district level with the district collector as commander.
4. Capacity development of human resource, training

it helps to uncover and successfully prevent biological and education, community, standardised

weapons programs. documentation procedures and R&D – The roles of

various health and non-health professionals at various
• India ratified and pledged to abide by its obligations in
levels in the management of a biological crisis must be
2015.
defined. Control rooms to support the field
2. Intelligence Sharing and Rapid Detection: Rapid responders should be set up. These professionals
detection and surveillance are important for an must be trained through refresher courses to fill the
efficient response to a bioterror strike. So Global prevailing gaps.
intelligence agencies should operate together and
5. Development of critical infrastructure for
share credible intelligence.
management of biological emergencies – The
3. Biodefense Systems development of a laboratory network including
o Upgrading and installing biodefense systems in major national/state level referral laboratories, and district
urban conglomerates to protect against deadly level diagnostic laboratories with medical colleges to
disease outbreaks initiated by bioterrorism. confirm diagnosis under a single integrated
framework. On a similar basis, a chain of public health
o Coaching first responders on how to deal with a
laboratories must also be developed and networked.
biological weapons attack.
The critical infrastructure must also be supported by
o Refining diagnostic laboratory capability and biomonitoring techniques based on advanced
epidemiological capabilities. molecular and biochemical techniques.
o Developing and stockpiling vaccines and antimicrobial 6. A properly functioning epidemiological mechanism
medicines that can be used to defend the people must be used to prepare an action plan for the
against infections triggered by biological weapons. management of avian flu, and similar incidences to
SUMMARY OF ACTION POINTS OF NDMA ON effectively combat the inherent risks. Various
BIOLOGICAL DISASTER international best practices must be tested and
incorporated in the DM plans by the nodal and line
1. Capacity development – Facilities and amenities
ministries to prevent the spread of biological disasters
must be developed to cover all issues of
across international boundaries.
environmental management like water supply,
personal hygiene, and vector control, burial/disposal 7. Preparedness for biological containment of
of the dead and the risk of occurrence of zoonotic microbial agents – SOPs for biosafety and biosecurity
disorders. must be developed by the respective laboratories in
accordance with the National Code of Practice for
Biosecurity and Biosafety.

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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
DIVESTMENT OF FOSSIL
FUEL FIRMS
#Clean Energy
IN NEWS
Highlights the important role that is being played by the
divestment movement in checking the funding of Fossil
fuel industry, which is responsible for carbon emissions. In
this background let us look at what is meant by the term
divestment and the status of investment in fossil fuel
industry.
WHAT IS DIVESTMENT?
• Divestment is the opposite of an investment – it
simply means getting rid of stocks, bonds, or
investment funds that are unethical or morally
ambiguous.
• The global movement for fossil fuel
divestment (sometimes also called disinvestment)
is asking institutions to move their money out of
oil, coal and gas companies for both moral and
financial reasons. These institutions
include universities, religious institutions, pension
funds, local authorities and charitable foundations.
• Previous divestment campaigns have targeted the
tobacco and gambling industries and companies
funding the violence in Darfur. Divestment is perhaps
most well-known for its role in the fight against
apartheid in South Africa.
ARGUMENTS FOR DIVESTMENT
• The moral argument - Scientific research shows that
in order to keep to international targets to limit global
warming rise to a 2 degree Centigrade and thus
prevent catastrophic levels of climate
change, between two-thirds and four-fifths of fossil
fuels need to remain in the ground.
• But fossil fuel companies are currently banking on
these targets not being met so are extracting these
reserves and selling them – and are actively
prospecting for more. In doing so they are setting the
human race on a route to irreversible climate change
that will cause rising seas, flooding, droughts, rising
disease, increased conflicts and refugee crises.
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• The financial argument - it rests on the premise that if
international agreements on climate change are met,
the investments will become worthless. Such
investments will then be treated as stranded assets
which could lead to another global economic crisis.
INDIA'S CASE
• Such divestment appeals have not been applied much
in India because of the its lesser contribution to the
carbon emissions.
• However India's needs to be aware of the falling
renewable energy prices and accordingly chart its own
path of divesting from the fossil fuel industry.
CURRENT STATUS OF DIVESTMENT
• As of 2019, it is estimated that more than $11 trillion
in assets has been committed to divestment from
fossil fuels.
• But Global banks have continued to finance the fossil
fuel industry with $2.7 trillion.
• Majority of the US banks, some of the EU banks as
well as Chinese banks are investing heavily in the
fossil fuel industry.
• A total of $975 billion was the bank financing for 100
key oil, gas, and coal companies between 2016 and
2019.
NATIONAL GREEN
TRIBUNAL
#Authority
The NGT was established in, 2010 under the National
Green Tribunal Act 2010, passed by the Central
Government. It was established as a specialized forum
for -
• effective and speedy disposal of cases pertaining to
environment protection and conservation of forests.
• seeking compensation for damages caused to
people or property due to violation of environmental
laws or conditions
86
 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management
STRUCTURE
• Principal Bench of the NGT has been established in
the National Capital – New Delhi.
• Regional benches in Pune (Western Zone Bench),
Bhopal (Central Zone Bench), Chennai (Southern
Bench) and Kolkata (Eastern Bench).
• Each Bench has a specified geographical jurisdiction
covering several States in a region.
MEMBERS
• The Chairperson of the NGT is a retired Judge of the
Supreme Court.
• The tribunal is to have at least 10 judicial and 10
technical members;
• Each bench of the NGT will comprise of at least one
Judicial Member (other than chairperson all other
Judicial members are retired Judges of High Courts)
and one Expert Member (should have a professional
qualification and a minimum of 15 years experience in
the field of environment/forest conservation and
related subjects.)
POWERS
• The NGT has the power to hear all civil cases relating
to environmental issues and questions that are linked
to the implementation of laws listed in Schedule I of
the NGT Act. These include the following:
1. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
1974;
2. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess
Act, 1977;
3. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980;
4. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981;
5. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986;
6. The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991;
7. The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
This means that any violations pertaining only to these
laws, or any order / decision taken by the Government
under these laws can be challenged before the NGT.
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PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE ADOPTED BY NGT
• The NGT is not bound by the procedure laid down
under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall
be guided by principles of natural justice.
• Further, NGT is also not bound by the rules of
evidence as enshrined in the Indian Evidence Act,
1872. Thus, it will be relatively easier (as opposed to
approaching a court) for conservation groups to
present facts and issues before the NGT, including
pointing out technical flaws in a project, or proposing
alternatives that could minimize environmental
damage but which have not been considered.
• While passing Orders/decisions/awards, the NGT
will apply the principles of sustainable
development, the precautionary principle and the
polluter pays principles.
Review and Appeal: Under Rule 22 of the NGT Rules,
there is a provision for seeking a Review of a decision or
Order of the NGT. If this fails, an NGT Order can be
challenged before the Supreme Court within ninety days.
MAJOR ISSUES FACING NGT
• Not competent to address all environmental
matters: Importantly, the NGT has not been vested
with powers to hear any matter relating to the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972, the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and
various laws enacted by States relating to forests, tree
preservation etc. Therefore, specific and substantial
issues related to these laws cannot be raised before
the NGT.
• Administrative issues - roadblocks, mostly relating to
the appointment of members which has led to a
subsequent lack of quorum to hear cases. While today
regular hearings take place in the Principal Bench of
the NGT at Delhi, there are still several posts vacant
across the four zonal benches.
• Dismissal of cases curbing the right to access
environmental justice – Currently it has been
declared that no notices would be issued, and only
cases which have an “important question relating to
environment and ecology” shall be dealt with by the
Tribunal. The method of dismissing cases in the first
instance without providing due reasons seems to be a
new stand taken by the NGT, curbing the right to
access environmental justice.
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 Geography, Environment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management

Way forward: NGT has done well so far but many secure the environment with better, faster enforcement
improvements are still required to make accessible, of NGT orders. The government should make it more
speedy and effective resolution of environmental autonomous and efficient in a view to the growing
disputes a practical reality. The Central and State concern regarding the environment and climate change.
government should work in collaboration with NGT to

practice questions
MCQs
Q1. Consider the following conditions: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1. High humidity in the lower to middle levels of the (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
troposphere. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2
2. A pre-existing low-level focus or disturbance.
3. Low vertical wind shear. Q4. Consider the following statements regarding
Which of the above is/are mandatory for a cyclone to western disturbances:
form? 1. A western disturbance is an extratropical storm
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only originating in the Mediterranean region that brings
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 sudden winter rain to the north western parts of the
Indian subcontinent.
Q2. Consider the following statements: 2. It is a monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the
1. The process of naming cyclones involves several westerlies.
countries in the region and is done under the aegis 3. The moisture in these storms usually originates over
of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea and the
2. For the Indian Ocean region, a formula for naming Black Sea.
cyclones was agreed upon in 2004 which involves Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
eight countries in the region. (a) 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (c) 1 and 2 only (d) 2 and 3 only
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2 Q5. Consider the following statements regarding
National Green Tribunal:
Q3. Consider the following statements: 1. The NGT was established in, 2010 under the National
1. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the nodal ministry Green Tribunal Act 2010, passed by the Central
for Bioterrorism and partners with Ministry of Health Government.
and Family Welfare in its management. 2. The Chairperson of the NGT is a retired Judge of the
2. The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Supreme Court.
(BTWC) of 1972 prohibits signatory nations to Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise, acquire or (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
retain. (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 Nor 2

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

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

GLIMPSES FROM ANCIENT INDIA

BUDDHISM
• Kushinagar (Mahaparinirvana)

CONTEMPORARY RULERS OF BUDDHA

#Ancient India Ruler Kingdom
• Gautama Buddha was born in the Lumbini village of
Ajatshatru Magadha
Kapilavastu, Nepal in 563 B.C, in the Shakya Kshatriya
clan.
Prasenjit Koshala
• His clan considered themselves to be the descendants
of Ikshvaku dynasty. Udayan Vatsa

• He died in 483 B.C near Kushinara/Kushinagar (Uttar Avanti putra Shurasena

Pradesh) and the event is known as
Mahaparinirvana. LATER RULERS WHO ADOPTED AND PREACHED
BUDDHISM
PLACES BUDDHA VISITED
• Ashoka
• After leaving his home in search of enlightenment
Buddha visited Vaishali (Bihar) and learnt Sankhya • Kanishka
darshan (an Indian Philosophy discussed later in this • Harshvardhan
module) from Alara Kalama.
• Pala rulers
• He then went to Rajgriha and learnt yoga.
RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS
• He later went to Uruvela (Bodhgaya) where he
• Buddhism is based upon triratnas i.e. Buddha,
attained enlightenment. This event is known as
Dhamma and Sangha.
Sambodhi.
• Buddha propagated Ashtangik marga also called
• He then went on to Sarnath where he delivered his
Madhya margra.
first sermon also called Dharmachakrapravartana.
• He was against caste system and opened the gates of
• Buddha delivered his maximum sermons from
Buddhism for all castes.
Sravasti and made Magadha his promotional centre.
• He gave women permission too to be admitted in
CHRONOLOGY OF THE PLACES (OF MAJOR
sangha. Gautami was the first woman to enter
EVENTS) BUDDHA VISITED Buddhist Sangha. Buddha suggested that if desires
• Kapilavastu (birth) are conquered, nirvana is attained that is, man is free
• Bodhgaya (Enlightenment) from cycle of birth and rebirth.

• Sarnath (First Sermon) • Buddhism does not recognize the existence of god
and soul.

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 History, Heritage & Culture

BUDDHIST COUNCILS

st
• Presided/Chaired by: Mahakasapa immediately after the death of Buddha.
1
Place: Rajgriha • Its purpose was to maintain the purity of the teachings of the Buddha.
Buddhist
Ruler: Ajatshatru • Accomplishment: Buddha’s teachings were compiled into Sutta Pitaka and
Council
Vinaya Pitaka.

nd Place: Vaishali • Presided/Chaired by Sabakami.

2
Ruler: Kalashoka • Accomplishment: Buddhist sangha was divided into schools i.e. Theravadi
Buddhist
(Shishunaga which is the oldest Buddhist school with its main centre in Kashmir and
Council
dynasty) Mahasanghik with Magadha as its main centre.

3
rd • Presided/Chaired by Moggaliputta Tissa
Place: Pataliputra
Buddhist • Accomplishment: Compilation of the third pitaka i.e. Abhidhamma Pitaka
Ruler: Ashoka
Council which explains the tenets of Dhamma

• Presided/Chaired by Vasumitra.

th • Asvagosha participated in this council.

4
Place: Kashmir • Accomplishment: Compilation of Vibhashashastra by Vasumitra, a
Buddhist
Ruler: Kanishka commentary in Sanskrit on the difficult aspects of Buddhist texts. Buddhists
Council
again broke into two schools i.e Theravadi became Hinayana and
Sarvastivadin or Mahasanghik became Mahayana schools.

SCHOOLS
• Hinayana School
o They saw Buddha as a great soul but not God.
o They were orthodox in nature.
o Hinayana followers believed in helping themselves
over others in order to attain salvation.
o They did not believe in Bhakti and idol worship. Their
scriptures are written in Sanskrit. It was later divided
into two sects i.e. Vaibhashik and Sautrantika.
Hinayana sect can be found in Sri Lanka, Burma and
to help others to its path. It was later divided into two
sects i.e. Shunyavaad and Vigyanvaad.
o In early medieval period a new form of Mahayana
called Mantrayana came up in which Bodhisattva
Avalokiteshwar began to be worshipped.
th
o In the 8 century A.D. Vajrayana School developed as
an offshoot of Mahayana school in which Tara is
considered as wife of Buddha.
IMPORTANT CHINESE TRAVELERS
• Fa Hien: He visited India during the reign of

Java. Chandragupta II. He is known for his visit to Lumbini.

• Mahayana School • Huan Tsang: He visited during the reign of Harsha

and lived in India for many years. He studied in
o It was started by Nagarjuna. Its prime centre is
Nalanda University. He is known as the Prince of
Andhra Pradesh. Its scriptures are written in Pali.
Pilgrims.
They see Buddha as incarnation of God and believe in
his idol worship. • I-tsing: He visited India in the late 7th century. He has
left behind an account of his travels to India.
o Mahayana attaches importance to the role of
Bodhisattvas who delay their own salvation in order

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 History, Heritage & Culture

• They believe in Triratnas i.e. Right Knowledge, Right

JAINISM faith and Right action.

#Ancient India • Jainism recognized the existence of the gods but

placed them lower than the Jina and did not condemn
• Jainism believes in the existence of total 24
tirthankaras. the Varna system as Buddhism did.

• The first tirthankara is considered to be Rishabhdeva • Jains texts condemn the sanctity of Vedas and were

who was born in Ayodhya. against animal sacrifices in yagyas.

• Mahavir Swami is considered to be the 24

th
and last • Jainism principally aims at the attainment of freedom
from worldly bonds.
tirthankara and the founder of Jainism.
• Most of the Jaina texts are written in Aradhamagadhi
• He was born in 599 B.C in Kundagrama, Vaishali and
passed away in 527 B.C in Pavapuri. language.

• He was related to Magadhan king Bimbasara by • Jain monks and nuns practiced Sallekhana i.e fasting

means of matrimonial alliances. He gave his first until death.

sermon from Vipulachal hill near Rajgriha. SCHOOLS AND LOCATIONS

CONTEMPORARY RULERS DURING MAHAVIR • Jains are divided into two sects i.e. Shvetambar and
SWAMI’S TIME Digambars. Shvetambars are associated with the
region of Magadha who rose under the guidance of
• Bimbisara and Ajatshatru of Magadha
Sthalabahu.
• Udyana of Vatsa
• The Digambars are associated with Shravanbelagola
• Pradyot of Avanti
(Karnataka) who rose under the guidance of
LATER RULERS WHO ADOPTED JAINISM Bhadrabahu. Digambars do not wear clothes.

• Chandragupta Maurya • In north India, Ujjain and Mathura were important

centres of Jainism. Kankali Tila of Mathura is
• Kharvela of Kalinga (Noted in Hathigumpha
associated with Jains.
inscription)
• The Chalukyan rulers of Gujarat gave shelter to
• Amogvarsha (Rashtrakuta king), also wrote
Jainism in early medieval period which led to its reach
Ratnamalika
in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Note: Chandana daughter of Champa king became the
• Dilwara Temple in Mt. Abu is famous for temples of
first woman to be admitted to Jaina sangha.
Adinath, Neminatha and other tirthankaras.
RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY

JAINA COUNCILS

st Place: Pataliputra • It was presided by Sthalabahu

1
Ruler: Chandragupta • Accomplishment: Acceptance of 12 angas by Shvetambaras,
Jaina Council
Maurya Division of Jains into Shvetambar and Digambaras

• It was presided by Devardhi Kshamashramana.

2nd
Place: Valabhi, Gujarat • Accomplishment: Compilation of main Jaina teachings into
Jaina Council
Agamas.

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 History, Heritage & Culture

INDIAN
• Nyaya or the school of analysis was developed as a
system of logic. According to it salvation can be

PHILOSOPHICAL
attained through acquisition of knowledge.

• The veracity of a proposition or a statement can be

SCHOOLS tested through inference, hearing and analogy.

• Its principal text is the Nyaya-sutras, ascribed to

#Ancient India Gautama.
SAMKHYA VAISHESHIKA
• Samkhya is one of the most prominent and the oldest • It gives importance to the discussion of material
of Indian philosophies. elements or dravya.
• Kapila is credited as one of the founders of the • This school propounded the atom theory and thus
Samkhya. marked the beginning of physics in India.
• According to the early Samkhya philosophy the • However, the scientific view was diluted with belief in
presence of the divine agency is not essential to the God and spiritualism, and this school put its faith in
creation of the world. The creation is more owed to both heaven and salvation.
Prakriti than to God. It emphasis on real knowledge.
• Kanada expounded its theories and is credited with
• It was a rational and scientific view. founding the school.
• Around the fourth century A.D. in addition to Prakriti, • Important later commentaries were written by
Purusha or spirit was introduced as an element in the Prashastapada, Udayanacharya, and Shridhara.
Samkhya system and the creation of the world was
MIMAMSA
attributed to both. Hence, it is dualistic. According to
the new view, Nature and the spiritual element • Mimamsa literally means the art of reasoning and
together create the world. interpretation.

• Thus, at the outset the Samkhya school of philosophy • According to it, the Vedas contain the eternal truth.
was materialistic, but later it tended to become • The principal object of this philosophy was to acquire
spiritualistic. heaven and salvation.

YOGA • In order to attain salvation, it strongly recommended

• Its foundation is based upon the Yoga Sutras of the performance of Vedic sacrifices which needed the
st
Patanjali date from the first half of the 1 millennium services of priests and legitimized the social distance

A.D. between various varnas.

• According to it, a person can attain salvation through • The earliest work of this school is the Mimamsa-sutra

meditation and physical application. of Jaimini. Kumarila is also related to this school.

• Practice and control over pleasure, senses and bodily VEDANTA

organs is central to this system. • Vedanta means the end of Veda. The Brahmasutra of
• Exercises include physical and breathing exercises Badarayana compiled in the second century B.C.
called asanas and pranayam. formed its basic text.

• There is a broad variety of Yoga schools, practices, and • Later famous commentaries were written on it, one by
goals in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Among the Shankara in the ninth century and the other by
most well-known types of yoga are Hatha yoga and Ramanuja in the twelfth.
Raja yoga. • Shankara considers brahma to be without any

NYAYA attributes but Ramanuja’s brahma had attributes.

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 History, Heritage & Culture

• Shankara considered Knowledge or jnana to be the HINDU TEMPLES

chief means of salvation, but Ramanuja’s road to
• Shikhara is a vital element of Hindu temples in both
salvation lay in practicing devotion/loving faith.
north and south India. They are miniature temple
• Vedanta philosophy is traced to the earlier towers placed one on top of the other.
Upanishads. According to it, Brahma is the reality and
• Major elements of Hindu temple architecture are:
everything else is unreal (maya). The self or atma is
coincides with Brahma. It is the innermost sanctum of a
Hindu temple where resides the
• It propounded the theory of karma and the theory Grabhagriha
of rebirth. murti (idol) of the primary deity of
the temple.
CHARVAKA AND MATERIALISTIC VIEW OF LIFE
It is pillared hall which lies in front of
• The schools of philosophy with emphasis on Mandapa
Garbhagriha.
materialism developed in the period of expanding
economy and society between 500 B.C. and 300 A.D. Ardhmandapa It lies next to mandapa.
It is outside the ambit of the six major philosophical
schools. Antarala It joins Garbhagriha and Mandapa.

• This view appeared in the doctrines of the Ajivikas, a Pradakshinapa It is a gallery which surrounds
heterodox sect in the time of Buddha. But Charvaka tha Garbhagriha meant for Parikrama.
was the main expounder of the materialistic
philosophy. It is a monumental gatehouse tower
Gopuram at the entrance of a Hindu temple,
• Charvaka’s philosophy came to be known as Lokayata
in the Dravidian architecture.
or the ideas derived from common people.

• Charvaka denies the operation of divine and • Earliest temple structure includes Lad Khan temple,
supernatural agencies and makes man the centre of Aihole which has a towering shikhara.
all activities. • There are three styles of Hindu temple architecture
i.e. Nagara (north), Dravida (south) and Vesara (mix of
Nagara and Dravida).

TEMPLES AND • An anomaly: Teli ka mandir situated in Madhya

Pradesh is made in Dravidian style with a Dravidian
ARCHITECTURE shikhara.

#Ancient India
STYLE FEATURES EXAMPLES

Nagara • Square Garbhagriha • Khajuraho temple complex (built by Chandellas)

• Tapering Shikharas • Jagannath temple in Puri

• Sun temple in Konark (built by Narsimha Deva I)

• Jain temple at Dilwara

• Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneshwara

Dravida • Square Garbhagriha • Brihadeshvara temple, Tanjavur (built by Rajaraja

• Octagonal and pyramidal shikharas Chola)

• Gopurams • Mahabalipuram temple, Tamil Nadu (built by Pallavas)

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 History, Heritage & Culture

• Mandapa

Vesara • Star shaped Vimana • Hoysaleshwar Temple, Halebid, (Karnataka)

• Many Hindu temples are made in the Panchayatana temple, to Lord Shiva.
style i.e. a temple that has a central shrine Bhubaneshwar
surrounded by four other shrines. Examples include:
Lingaraja Somavamsi and
Brahmeshvara temple (Orissa), Deogarh (Jhansi), and th It is dedicated
temple, Ganga rulers; 11
Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh). to Lord Shiva.
Bhubaneshwar century A.D.
• In Mahabalipuram rathas sculpture of Arjuna’s
penance and descent of Ganga are depicted. A panel NarasimhadevaI:
It is also
shows Varaha avatar surrounded by Surya, Sun temple, Eastern Ganga
th known as
Brahma, Rishis and Prithvi. A great masterpiece is Konark ruler; 13 century
Black Pagoda.
the carving showing goddess Durga engaged in a A.D.
fierce battle with the buffalo headed demon.
It is a mix of
• Significant Hindu Temples Krishna 1:
Kailasa temple, Pallava and
Rashtrakuta ruler;
TEMPLE RULER AND DATE KEY POINTS Ellora th Chalukyan
8 century A.D.
architecture.
Consists of
Rathas, Khajuraho, Consists of
Pallava rulers of Chandellas; 900-
Rock cut named after Madhya Hindu and
Kanchipuram : 1130 A.D.
temples at Pandavas, Pradesh Jaina temples.
Narasimhavarman
Mahabalipuram th Draupadi, It is dedicated
(7 century A.D.)
Dharamraja to Shiva and is
and Ganesha Virupaksha Vijayanagar ruler;
th an imitation of
temple, Hampi 7 century A.D.
Outside walls Kailashnath,
Narasimhavarman: Kanchipuram.
Shore temple at th consists of
Pallava Ruler (7
Mahabalipuram seated bull It is one of the
century A.D)
figurines oldest
Lad Khan Chalukyan rulers;
Consists of th temples and
Kailasanath Raja Simha: Pallava temple, Aihole 5 century A.D
Garbhagriha, dedicated to
th
temple at Ruler ; 8 century lord Shiva.
Mandapa and
Kanchipuram A.D.
ambulatory Contains a

Whole temple Udayagiri cave grand statue

Chandragupta:
is made of temple at of the Varaha
Gupta ruler;
granite and Vidisha avatar of

Brihadesvara consists of Vishnu

Rajaraja: Chola
temple, sculptures
ruler; 1010 A.D. BUDDHIST TEMPLES
Tanjavur and frescos
• Buddhist places of worship were known as Stupas
along with
which were made in two styles i.e. Indian and
temple
Gandhara style.
architecture.
• Indian style: Chronologically significant stupas
th
Raja Rani 11 century A.D. It is dedicated

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 History, Heritage & Culture

1. Piprahwa, Nepal (oldest stupa) 4. Karle, Maharashtra (built by Satvahanas in 1st century

2. Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh (built by Ashoka): We A.D; considered to be the best): It consists of dampati

find depiction of stories of Lord Buddha’s previous and mithuna figures.

birth on its Toranas (gateway). 5. Kanehri, Maharashtra

3. Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh (built by Ashoka and later
by Shungas): It is one of the biggest stupa in India.
nd
4. Amaravati, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh (2 century
nd
B.C- 2 century A.D. built by Satvahanas with use of
white marble): Its ancient name is Dhanyakataka.
• Chronologically significant Mahayana Chaitya
1. Ajanta: It is dateable from circa 2nd century B.C. to
6th century A.D. It consists of total 29 caves. Under it,
Cave no. 9, 10, 19 and 26 are Chaitya and rest are
Viharas. It was built under Satvahanas and later

5. Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh (2

nd rd
– 3 century Guptas and Chalukyas. They are primarily Buddhist

A.D. built by Ikshavakus) caves.

6. Dhamekh/Sarnath stupa (the great Mauryan King 2. Ellora: It consists of 34 caves. The caves are datable

Ashoka had commissioned a structure at the place from circa 6th - 7th century A.D. to 11th - 12th

(Dhamekh) and Dhamekha Stupa was built in Gupta century A.D. These caves dedicated to Hindu,

period to replace the same.) Buddhist and Jaina faith.

• Gandhara style: Chronologically significant stupas JAINA TEMPLES

1. Dharmarajika stupa, Takshila • Gomateshvar, Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, built

th
in 10 century A.D. is the largest statue of Jaina
2. Purushapur stupa, Peshawar (built by Kaniska)
tirthankara Bahubali.
o Vihara refers to the residence of monks. Example:
• Dilwara temple, Mt. Abu built by Chalukyan ruler of
Junnar viharas in Maharashtra.
Gujarat, Bhimadeva is one of the most significant.
o Chaitya refers to the place of worship for Buddhists.
• In Udayagiri-Khandagiri caves (Jaina caves), Odisha.
• Chronologically significant Hinayana Chaitya Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela is found
1. Bhaja (oldest), Maharashtra here.

2. Ajanta (some caves belong to Hinayana), Maharashtra • Khajuraho temple complex also consists of Jaina
th th
3. Nasik, Maharashtra temples dating from 10 and 11 century.
Parshwanath temple is a Jain temple.

• Ellora caves too consist of Jaina caves. Indrasabha

cave is famous.

MAJOR EVENTS IN NOVEMBER

IN THE INDIAN
NATIONAL MOVEMENT
SIMON COMMISSION
• Simon Commission was appointed in the
chairmanship of Sir John Simon by the British

(NOVEMBER,1927)
Conservative government to report on the working of

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 History, Heritage & Culture

the Indian constitution established by the • Third Round Table Conference was held in London on
Government of India Act of 1919. November 17, 1932. This was just a nominal

• All its seven members were Englishmen. As there was conference, Congress refused to attend it (not invited,

no Indian member in it therefore the Commission in fact) and in Britain, the Labor party also refused to

faced a lot of criticism. not to attend it.

• Lala Lajpat Rai was seriously injured in the police lathi • The key outcome of the Third Round Table conference

charge in a large anti-Simon Commission was the “White Paper” issued by the Government. On

demonstration on 30
th
October 1928 and he passed the basis of this paper, the Government of India Act

away after one month. 1935 was to be passed.

• In this conference, a college student Chaudhary

Rahmat Ali proposed the name of the new land
THIRD ROUND TABLE specially carved out from India for the Muslims. The
name of this “holy” land was – Pakistan. Muslim
CONFERENCE leaders who attended the conference were
Muhammad Ali, Agha Khan, Fazlul Haq, Jinnah.
(NOVEMBER, 1932)

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 SECURITY
# GS Paper III (Main)

REVISION FOR 2020 MAIN

EXAMINATION
(IMPORTANT ISSUES)

BLUE WATER FORCE

distinguishes a blue-water navy from a brown-water
force. It requires strong integral capacity, including

# Maritime Security logistics, surveillance, networked operations, etc., and

enabling capability, including equipment design,
training, doctrine and organisation.”
CONTEXT • As the Indian Navy has the capacity to carry distant
The Indian Navy is the Formidable Blue Water Force. operations “at or from the sea, up to considerable
distance from national shore bases”, it qualifies as a
Classification of Navy:
Blue Water Force.
The Navies are classified in terms of colours:
WHY DEVELOP ‘BLUE WATER’ CAPABILITIES?
• Brown Water Force is a navy whose operations are
restricted close to the shore; Almost unnoticed by the rest of the world, India has built
one of the largest and most powerful navies in the world.
• A navy that can go farther out is called a Green Water
However, there exist a number of drivers for further
Force; and
expanding its influence at sea.
• Blue Water Force is a Navy that can go into the vast,
• Beijing’s String of Pearls: It is perceived as
deep oceans of the world.
encirclement by China’s strategic alliances and
BLUE WATER FORCE building of maritime facilities in Sri Lanka, Pakistan,
• A Blue Water Navy is one that has the capacity to Bangladesh and Myanmar. With China developing its
project itself over a much bigger maritime area than own blue water navy, India aims to not only secure its
its maritime borders. own territory but also be able to project power farther
than its shores.
• It is able to carry out operations far from its borders,
without being required to return to its home port to • Strategic Edge: While most of its wars have been
refuel or re-stock. fought on land and air, a strong navy with nuclear
deployment capabilities gives India a much-needed
• Blue Water navies belong to the most powerful
strategic edge. Also, few economists argue that India’s
nations like USA etc., yet there is no one
naval advantage might allow it to impede oil traffic
internationally agreed upon definition.
heading for China through the Malacca Straits.
• However, according to the Indian Maritime Doctrine,
• Energy Security: India is expected to import 90
2015, “The ability to undertake distant operations
percent of its crude oil by 2030. India needs to be able

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 Security

to protect the energy routes to bring these resources • ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’ category of procurement
to its shores. under DPP-2016 provides for initial procurement of

• South China Sea: India might not be a primary player equipment in Fully Formed (FF) state in quantities as

in the disputed waters, but it would not want to be considered necessary from an Indian vendor engaged

excluded from exploring assets in the resource-rich in a tie-up with a foreign OEM, followed by indigenous

South China Sea, as witnessed during China claiming production in a phased manner involving Transfer of

control over the waters where an oil block was being Technology (ToT) of critical technologies.

explored by an Indian petroleum giant at Vietnam’s • ‘Buy & Make’ category of procurement under DPP-
invitation (2014). 2016 provides for initial procurement of equipment in

• Balance of power in Asia: As India juggles the dual Fully Formed (FF) state from a foreign vendor, in

imperative to simultaneously befriend and hedge quantities as considered necessary, followed by

against an economically and militarily rising China, the indigenous production through an Indian Production

outcome of its blue water force will influence the Agency (PA), in a phased manner involving Transfer of

balance of power in Asia for years to come. Technology (ToT) of critical technologies.

• A blue water navy would provide muscle for all these • Defence Investor Cell has been created in Feb-2018

strategic imperatives, enhance regional power in the Defence Ministry to provide all necessary

projection capabilities, more effectively protect India’s information including addressing queries related to

expanding energy and trade routes, and enable investment opportunities, procedures and regulatory

stronger defence and trade ties with other nations. requirements for investment in the sector.

• Defence Products list requiring Industrial Licenses

has been rationalised and manufacture of most of
MODERNISATION OF parts or components does not require Industrial
License. The initial validity of the Industrial License
DEFENCE INDUSTRY granted under the Industries (Development and
Regulation) Amendment Act has been increased from
# Security 03 years to 15 years with a provision to further extend
it by 03 years on a case-to-case basis.
The following steps have been taken by the government • During DefExpo-2020, all the above policies were
which would help in bringing in critical technologies and disseminated prominently through seminars/webinars
modernize the Defence Industry in the country: - and dedicated event “BHANDHAN” was organised for
• Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) has been signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
revised in 2016 wherein specific provisions have been • Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy has been
introduced such as ‘Buy Indian Designed Developed revised and under the revised policy, FDI is allowed
and Manufactured (IDDM)’ for stimulating growth of under automatic route up to 49% and beyond 49%
the domestic defence industry. through Government route wherever it is likely to
• Government has notified the ‘Strategic Partnership result in access to modern technology or for other
(SP)’ Model which envisages establishment of long- reasons to be recorded.
term strategic partnerships with Indian entities In addition to above, following initiatives and schemes
through a transparent and competitive process, have been initiated to contribute toward modernization
wherein they would tie up with global Original of Defence Industry: -
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to seek
• Mission Raksha Gyanshakti: It was launched in
technology transfers to set up domestic
2018-19, with the objective of creating greater
manufacturing infrastructure and supply chains.
Intellectual Property in Defence Production
Ecosystem.

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 Security

• Artificial Intelligence in Defence: Creation of • AFRS works by comparing the new image of an
Defence Artificial Intelligence Project Agency (DAIPA) unidentified person often taken from CCTV footage
was done in 2019 for greater thrust on Artificial with the existing database (AFRS maintains a database
Intelligence (AI) in Defence. with photos and videos of people’s faces) to find a
match and identify the person.
• Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX): The
objective of iDEX is bringing start-ups to innovate, • NCRB has proposed integrating automated facial
develop technology and solve problems related to recognition system with multiple existing
defence and aerospace. The initiative is being databases like:
implemented by Defence Innovation Organization o Crime and Criminal Tracking Network &
(DIO), a Section 8 company founded by Bharat Systems (CCTNS)
Electronics Limited (BEL) and Hindustan Aeronautics
o Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS)
Limited (HAL).
o State-specific database systems
NOTE: In May, 2001, the Defence Industry Sector, which
was hitherto reserved for the public sector, was opened o Immigration Visa Foreigner Registration Tracking
upto 100% for Indian private sector participation, with (IVFRT)
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 26% both subject to o Khoya Paya portal
Licensing. Further, Department for Promotion of Industry
CCTNS
and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry has
allowed FDI under automatic route upto 49% and above • It was conceived as a project under the National e-
49% through Government route wherever it is likely to Governance Plan (NeGP) of Govt. of India.
result in access to modern technology or for other • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) launched CCTNS
reasons to be recorded. in order to facilitate police in States/Union) with a
common platform for filing reports, collecting and
sharing information on crimes and criminals at
AUTOMATED FACIAL national level.

RECOGNITION SYSTEM ICJS

• ICJS was launched by the Supreme Court of India in
# Technology 2018.

• It is an ambitious project aiming to integrate the

IN NEWS Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and
Systems (CCTNS) project with the e-courts and e-
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) would like to
prisons databases, as well as with other pillars of the
use automated facial recognition to identify criminals,
criminal justice system such as Forensics, Prosecution,
missing people, and unidentified dead bodies, as well as
and Juvenile homes in a phased manner.
for “crime prevention”.
KHOYA PAYA PORTAL
AUTOMATED FACIAL RECOGNITION SYSTEM
• Khoya Paya portal is a citizen-based website to
(AFRS)
exchange information on missing and found children
• AFRS is a software that recognises, records and
developed by the Ministry of Women and Child
matches face against various databases from photos
Development and the Department of Electronics
and videos taken from public and private sources.
and Information Technology (DeitY).
• AFRS will be a mobile and web application hosted in
CONCERNS RELATED TO AFRS:
NCRB’s (which manages data for police) data centre in
Delhi but used by all police stations in the country. 1. A threat to privacy of the citizens in the absence of
data protection law.

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2. The accuracy of the technology is
questionable.
3. It makes data protection close to impossible as it is
predicated on collecting publicly available information.
4. The system can constrict the rights of particular
class of people.
5. In the absence of safeguards, law enforcement
agencies will have a high degree of discretion. The
Personal Data Protection Bill 2018 is yet to come into
force, and even if it does, the exceptions
contemplated for state agencies are extremely wide.
Way Forward: AI and facial recognition technology are
only growing and they can be powerful and helpful tools
when used correctly, but can also cause harm with
privacy and security issues. A deliberative approach will
benefit Indian law enforcement, as police departments
around the world are currently learning that the
technology is not as useful in practice as it seems in
theory. Police departments in London are under
pressure to put a complete end to use of facial
recognition systems following evidence of discrimination
and inefficiency. San Francisco recently implemented a
complete ban on police use of facial recognition.
CYBER FRAUDS
# Cyber Security
IN NEWS
The COVID-19 outbreak presents a global challenge not
just for the medical fraternity and society, but for law
enforcement agencies also. Cybercrime, like a pandemic,
knows no state borders. A few people are attempting
novel ways of defrauding innocents using information and
technology. Money is being siphoned off using fake
accounts and exploiting vulnerabilities of
applications.
Cases of Cyber frauds in recent times: The Delhi police
Cyber Crime, alerted citizens about a fake UPI (Unified
Payments Interface) ID of the PM CARES Fund. Cases of
fake Facebook accounts are being reported where
money has been fraudulently asked for the treatment of
alleged patients by hacking their accounts.
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Security
highly The popular video conferencing app Zoom, which can
add up to 100 participants in a call, has come across as
vulnerable. (‘Zoomraiding’ or ‘Zoombombing’ can be
started, in which hate speech, pornography or other
content is suddenly flashed by disrupting a video call on
Zoom.)
SAFEGUARDS AGAINST CYBER FRAUDS THAT CAN
BE FOLLOWED
Related to Payments
• Verifying the destination UPI ID from authentic
sources before making any transaction.
• If a mobile phone with a UPI-enabled app is stolen, it
must be blocked and the bank intimated before it
could be misused.
• Banks also must adhere to the KYC guidelines issued
by the RBI, so that the address of each customer is
checked physically.
Related to Social Media
• By keeping the privacy settings at ‘Only me’ or ‘Friends’
and not to share sensitive information on social
media.
• Privacy settings should be changed for every post and
photo.
Related to Video conferencing
• Staying cautious while using free apps for confidential
meetings.
• Using organisational infrastructure to ensure
authentication, access control and integrity of data
through VPN or other options.
INTERPOL’S ADVISORY
In guidelines for law-enforcement agencies, Interpol
warned about the emerging trend of false or misleading
advertisements about medical products, setting up of
fraudulent e-commerce platforms, phishing etc. during
various the pandemic. It has recommended to: -
• Avoid opening suspicious emails and clicking links in
unrecognised emails and attachments.
• Have back up files regularly.
• Use strong passwords.
• Keep software updated.
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• Manage social media settings and review • The Six Degree and Ten Degree Channels in the
privacy/security settings. Andaman Sea which lead to the Malacca Strait are vital
Cyber experts also recommend the use of ‘https’ protocol to the sea lanes of communication (SLOCs) along
for secure financial transactions. which flows global commerce, including energy trade,
between Asia, Africa and the Pacific.
A victim of cybercrime should report it to the police
immediately. Computer-related wrongs are covered • The A&N Islands are at the intersection of the Indian
under the Information Technology Act (IT Act), Ocean and the South China Sea, and further to the
2000 and wrongdoers are liable for penalty, Pacific Ocean, an important fulcrum of the strategic
compensation and criminal liability in appropriate cases. concept of the Indo-Pacific.

CHINA’S FORAYS IN INDIAN OCEAN

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR: • As China’s economic and strategic interests have

grown in the Indian Ocean, so has its natural
ISLANDS OF NEW imperative to secure those interests. The fact is that
the Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean is rather
POSSIBILITIES new and therefore quite logically seen as disruptive.
China has steadily expanded its maritime presence in
# India and the World
the Indian Ocean littoral through a continuous
deployment of its naval forces, arms sales, creating
IN NEWS bases and access facilities, ramping up military

In recent years, India has adopted a proactive policy diplomacy, cultivating special political relations with

aimed at transforming the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, littorals, and lavishly disbursing developmental

a tri-services command, as an economic hub and one of finance for strategic ends.

the key centres of its defence and security strategy. A • It has used the alibi of anti-piracy operations in the
focused development plan for the Islands is expected to Gulf of Aden to ramp up the scale and frequency of
greatly enhance the country’s geopolitical leverage in the its presence, without consideration for the threat
Indian Ocean Region. perceptions of India. An egregious example is the
deployment of a submarine which berthed in
STRATEGIC CONTEXT
Colombo in Sri Lanka in 2014, ostensibly on its way for
• A combination of economic and strategic factors has
so-called anti-piracy operations.
significantly enhanced the strategic salience of the Bay
• China has also steadily enhanced its Operational
of Bengal and its littorals. Strategically located, the
Turnaround (OTR) in the Indian Ocean and developed
A&N Islands, larger than several island countries in
new bases, including at Gwadar and Djibouti.
themselves, are an asset in India's defence and
strategic calculus. • This broad-based trend in the evolution of China’s
presence is also reflected in the Andaman Sea and the
• The Islands straddle Duncan’s Passage and the Ten
Bay of Bengal, where Chinese naval and survey vessels
Degree Channel. The Preparis Channel and Six
have been on the move and have occasionally
Degree Channel are located to the north and south of
entered India’s EEZ without prior intimation.
the Island chain, respectively. All these passages are
important trade routes for any shipping destined for • China’s economic and strategic engagement with
Southeast and East Asia. Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia in the
Bay of Bengal/Eastern Indian Ocean has been
• The 572 islands, out of which only 38 are inhabited,
noticeable in recent years.
comprise 30 per cent of India’s Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ).

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 Security

CHANGING OF APPROACH BY INDIA • While regional navies of Southeast Asian countries

have been making regular port calls to Port Blair,
• Until now, the balance between environmental
other major navies viz. the US, Australian, Japanese
preservation, tribal welfare, national security and
and French have shown interest in visiting the
economic development was skewed in favour of
Andaman Islands for port calls and exercises. There
isolating the Islands due to strategic considerations.
have been some suggestions for coordinated
• The economic potential of the A&N Islands had largely
surveillance of Malacca, Sunda, Lombok, and Ombai
remained untapped.
Wetar Straits through the collaborative use of the A&N
• As the Islands provide India a commanding Islands and Australia’s Keeling (Cocos) Islands.
geostrategic presence in the Bay of Bengal and access • Similarly, there have also been some
to South and Southeast Asia, a focused development
recommendations about collaborative anti-submarine
plan for the Islands is expected to greatly enhance the warfare (ASW) efforts in the Indian Ocean in which the
country’s geopolitical leverage in the Indian Ocean
A&N Islands could play a critical role.
Region (IOR).
CONCERNS
• In this regard, the GOI constituted the Island
Development Agency (IDA) on June 1, 2017 for the The broader arguments against opening the A&N Islands

development of islands. For the first time, under the to other major navies could have been based on

guidance of the IDA, an initiative has been taken for considerations such as:

sustainable development in the identified Islands. 1. If naval vessels and military aircraft of other major

• The A&N Islands have played a key role in enhancing navies become regular visitors to the A&N Islands it

India’s regional engagement with the Bay of Bengal could accentuate China’s ‘Malacca Dilemma’. Given

littorals. This policy brief recommends the opening up the complexity of India-China bilateral relations, these

of the A&N Islands to other navies such as the United strategic interactions at the A&N Islands may annoy

States (US), Japan, Australia, and France, among China and lead to further antagonism between the

others, in order to promote greater naval cooperation. two countries.

2. Enhancing interaction through visits by warships and

GROWING IMPORTANCE OF ANDAMAN AND
military aircraft could be a ‘slippery slope’ which could
NICOBAR COMMAND
progressively lead to more complex demands for
• The Tri-Services Andaman and Nicobar Command strategic collaboration through the joint deployment
(ANC) has progressively emerged as a lynchpin of of naval and military assets for other contingencies
India’s regional maritime engagement in the Bay of beyond the scope of India’s direct strategic interests.
Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
3. India may be seen as part of a collaborative
• Various multilateral and bilateral maritime framework against China in which other countries are
engagements viz. the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- already in a declared military alliance, for example,
Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation US-Australia, US-Japan, etc.
(BIMSTEC), the MILAN series of exercises, coordinated
4. In case, India takes a liberal approach towards visits
patrols, and bilateral exercises with littoral states in
by other major powers, there should be a substantive
the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea have
quid pro quo particularly in relation to the US and
contributed to this purpose.
Australia.
• As regional maritime forces have expanded their
ANALYSIS OF ABOVE CONCERNS
cooperation with the Indian Navy in recent years,
there is a new appreciation in Southeast Asia about The China-centric approach to India’s decision-making
India’s potential in offsetting China’s dominance of appears flawed for the following reasons:
littoral-Asia. 1. India has complete sovereignty, territorial control and
rights over its own territory. It is entirely for India to

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decide whether and which foreign navies can pay a
visit to the A&N Islands.
2. The Malacca Strait is an international waterway.
Hundreds of nations ply their naval and merchant
ships through those waters, including Japan, the
Republic of Korea (ROK) and others. It is not used
exclusively by China, nor does China have a lien on
defining its strategic importance.
3. Simply because it is a potential choke-point does not
mean that there is any intention on the part of India
or any foreign naval vessel that India permits to visit
the A&N Islands, to threaten China’s trade and energy
flows through that waterway.
4. In any case, foreign navies are regularly traversing the
Malacca Strait and the international waters off the
A&N Islands.
5. On its part, China does not show any concern for
India’s sensitivities in its deployments in the Indian
Ocean, not even when visiting its immediate vicinity.
6. Allowing foreign naval vessels to visit the A&N Islands
on a case-by-case basis does not tantamount to a
“slippery slope”. It is entirely up to India to assess any
future requests by foreign navies and decide whether
to accede to requests for a strategic collaboration –
including proposals for joint exercises – on a case-by-
case basis. India retains the right to decline any
activity that goes beyond its strategic interests or
areas of operation.
7. Ship visits are a normal and natural part of naval
cooperation between friendly nations.
8. If India allows the US Navy or any other navy to visit
the A&N Islands, indeed, there should be a well-
considered quid pro quo.
WAY FORWARD
The A&N Islands are a strategic asset for India to assert
its dominance on the major East-West maritime trade
route that passes through the Malacca Strait. It has often
been referred to as India’s ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ to
the East. As close to 80 per cent of China’s seaborne
trade passes through this region, the possibility of it
being throttled raises the spectre of the ‘Malacca
Dilemma’ for China. Yet, there is no reason to deny the
US, Japan, Australia, France or the UK access to the A&N
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Islands. Port visits can lead to further graded
cooperation in all its dimensions in the A&N Islands
between India and its key strategic partners.
APPs BAN
# Security #India and its
Neighbourhood
IN NEWS
The Government of India (GOI) has banned the usage of
Chinese apps in India. Though the decision came amid
heightened tensions between India and China in Ladakh,
the GOI had invoked security reasons to block the apps.
The interim order issued in this regard by the Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology cited section 69A
of the Information Technology Act, which gives the central
government the power to block public access to any
information online. The order stated that certain apps are
“prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence
of India, security of state and public order.” It also stated
that the ban will safeguard the interests of crores of
Indian mobile and internet users, and added that the
decision “is a targeted move to ensure safety and
sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.
EMERGING SCENARIOS
• On this, China has pointed to WTO rules violation in
India’s apps ban. However, with its muscular digital
protectionist policies, the possibility of Beijing taking
the issue to WTO is limited. But, what if China
approaches WTO?
• How should India respond to it? To answer these
questions, one needs to understand the basis for a
WTO case and to what extent international trade rules
apply in the case.
• The line between legitimate domestic regulation and
violation of international trade rules is often delicate.
• While India’s decision is defensible under both
domestic IT laws and international trade rules, it is
important that any ambiguity in the ban order that
can be challenged at WTO is effectively addressed.
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WILL CHINA APPROACH WTO?
• WTO has one of the most active international dispute
settlement mechanisms that operates through panels
and appellate bodies. If a member believes that
another member is violating an agreement or a
commitment made at WTO, then that member has the
right to approach the dispute settlement body.
• As stated, the prospect of China approaching WTO
against India’s apps ban appears minimal. Such a
move could prove to be counterproductive for China,
given the country’s stringent censorship laws. In fact,
China is known to be one of the most repressive
countries when it comes to regulating the internet and
other digital services. According to international trade
law experts, Beijing's internet censorship system,
popularly known as the ‘Great Firewall’, is a barrier to
free and fair trade.
• The 2019 USTR report on China’s WTO compliance
notes that Beijing often invokes ‘national security’ to
justify its secure and controllable ICT policies.
• China’s real intention of imposing severe restrictions
on a wide range of ICT products and services is to
support China’s technology localisation policies and
replacement of foreign products and services with
domestic ones.
• China’s data security law gives ample discretion to the
government over allowing and blocking internet
services. Beijing uses the phrase ‘internet
sovereignty’ as a broad framework for all of its
activities related to the internet. This digital
protectionism as per the WTO rules is discriminatory
since it helps Chinese companies in domestic markets
against international companies.
• China argues that its data security law is fully
compliant with the WTO rules. It cites general and
security exceptions under GATT and GATS to
substantiate its claim.
• Nonetheless, China’s extensive blocking of internet
access is arbitrary and disproportionate. China knows
that its policies represent a form of digital
protectionism and breach of current WTO rules. It is in
this context that the possibility of China approaching
WTO against the Indian decision to ban certain apps
appears limited.
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• On the other hand, even if China approaches WTO,
India has multiple options including security
exceptions to counter China. However, the complexity
of international trade rules would bring its own set of
challenges for India.
WTO AND INDIA’S APPS BAN
• The potential basis for a WTO complaint against
Indian apps ban could be that it discriminates against
foreign firms and hence hinders the legitimate flow of
goods and services.
• Non-discrimination is key to WTO law and policy.
The two principal anti-discrimination obligations in
both GATT and GATS are the Most-Favoured-Nation
(MFN) treatment and the National Treatment (NT).
While MFN treatment obligation prohibits a member
from discriminating between and among other
members, a national treatment obligation prohibits a
member from discriminating against other members.
• In addition to this general anti-discrimination
principles, GATS, which is more relevant in the context
of India’s apps ban, has some sector and mode-
specific obligations including obligations of market
access. Since the apps that India banned are via
internet media, the case would likely fall under
violation of trade in services. Therefore, if it comes to
it, India may invoke some provisions of both general
and security exceptions of GATS to defend the ban.
• Article XIV of GATS is the most relevant article when
looking at restrictions on data flows and their impact
on trade. For instance, Article XIV (ii) grants members
the power to enforce decisions that are contrary to
general rules of WTO in certain circumstances – to
protect public morals, maintain public order and to
protect the privacy of individuals.
• Moreover, Article XIV (security exceptions) states
that nothing in the agreement shall be construed “to
prevent any Member from taking any action which it
considers necessary for the protection of its essential
security interests taken in time of war or other
emergency in international relations.
• India has taken specific market access and national
commitments for telecommunication services like
voice mail, data and message transmission services,
online information and data processing, audio-visual,
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etc. However, India has no specific commitment to
market access in digital services and apps.
• Similarly, there is no bilateral agreement between
India and China concerning mobile applications.
The issue of intellectual property rights violation is
also not applicable in this geo-blocking. Therefore, the
ban decision will be free from scrutiny under these
provisions.
• However, due to the complexity of rules and
commitments, citing the general exceptions in GATT
and GATS will not be sufficient to explain whether
India’s decision violates the WTO rules. It instead
demands a more specific but comprehensive analysis
of India’s sectoral commitments and WTO exceptions.
For instance, it may seem that since India has invoked
security exceptions and the country has not taken any
separate commitment on digital services and apps,
the likelihood of challenging the ban in WTO is limited.
WAY FORWARD
While India’s decision to ban Chinese apps is legally
tenable in the framework of both domestic IT laws and
international trade rules, it is important that any
ambiguity in the ban order that can be challenged at
WTO is effectively addressed. The line between
legitimate domestic regulation and violation of
international trade rules is often very thin. For that
reason, India should be prepared to counter the Chinese
arguments pertaining to discrimination and online
protectionism.
QUAD
# Security #India and the World
IN NEWS
In recent years, India has developed close strategic
partnerships with the United States of America (USA),
Japan and Australia in the framework of the Quadrilateral
Security Dialogue, or the QUAD. It is instructive to review
how the QUAD partners stand on issues concerning India’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is of particular
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
significance at a time when India is facing an aggressive
China on its borders which has led to a military face-off.
QUAD
• The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is an informal
strategic forum between the United States, Japan,
Australia and India that is maintained by semi-regular
summits, information exchanges and military drills
between member countries.
• The forum was initiated as a dialogue in 2007 by
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with the support
of Vice President of the US, Prime Minister of Australia
and Prime Minister of India.
• The dialogue was paralleled by joint military exercises,
titled Exercise Malabar. The diplomatic and military
arrangement was widely viewed as a response to
increased Chinese economic and military power, and
the Chinese government responded to the Quad by
issuing formal diplomatic protests to its members.
USA
• US have emerged as India’s biggest defence partner in
terms of joint exercises and sale of defence
equipment.
• Today, the US and India enjoy a Comprehensive
Global Strategic Partnership with wide-ranging
cooperation in every conceivable field. India-US
defence ties are deep and expanding, with several key
agreements for the exchange of military information,
logistics support and communication.
• The recently concluded Industrial Security Annex
(ISA) is expected to spur cooperation for Make In India
in the defence sector.
AUSTRALIA
• India and Australia have also drawn increasingly closer
in recent years. Economic and strategic ties have been
strengthened as reflected in the outcome documents
of the virtual summit between Prime Ministers of both
the countries.
• Defence and security ties are a cornerstone of the
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
• Joint naval exercises such as AUSINDEX and KAKADU,
the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) participation in Australia’s
105

Pitch Black exercise, and the conclusion of a Mutual
Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) in particular,
will contribute to the strengthening of defence
cooperation.
• The Joint Declaration on a Shared Vision for
Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific will
provide a fillip to Maritime Domain Awareness
(MDA) activity involving submarines and P8 maritime
patrol aircraft of the two countries.
• The ‘two plus two’ dialogue, upgraded to the
ministerial level, augurs well for the future of ties.
• On the border tensions with China, the Australian
government has conveyed its condolences to the
families of Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the
clash at Galwan.
JAPAN
• Japan is today unquestionably one of India’s closest
friends with a robust Special Strategic and Global
Partnership that encompasses economic and defence
cooperation.
• One of India’s biggest investors, Japan is present in
virtually every large infrastructure and developmental
project in India.
• It is a permanent partner since 2015 in the tri-lateral
Malabar naval exercise, along with India and the US.
A military logistics agreement, known as
Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA),
is under discussion.
In short, the US, Japan and Australia are today among
India’s closest friends and partners, with growing
economic cooperation and deepening defence and
security ties.
NAGA ISSUE
#Internal Security
IN NEWS
The Naga insurgency has come a long way and the time
has come for finding a lasting solution.
HURDLES TO PEACE
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Security
• The Union government may find difficult to fulfil the
demands related to recognition of Naga sovereignty;
integration of all Naga-speaking areas into a Greater
Nagaland; Separate Constitution; and Separate Flag.
• The current demands of the NSCN (IM) have toned
down from complete sovereignty to greater
autonomous region within the Indian constitutional
framework with due regard to the uniqueness of Naga
history and traditions. However, negotiations with the
NSCN-IM have remained complicated, as Nagas are
demanding the integration of their ancestral
homelands, which include territories in Assam,
Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
• But, all three states have refused to cede territory to
the Nagas. Manipur has protested in a petition that
any compromise with Manipur’s territorial integrity
would not be tolerated. The other two States have
made it clear that they won’t compromise with their
territorial integrity.
• Another significant issue is how the weapons in the
NSCN-IM camps are going to be managed. As a
‘ceasefire’ group, its cadres are supposed to retain
their weapons inside the designated camps for self-
defence only, but more often than not, many
influential cadres are seen moving with weapons in
civilian localities, leading to many problems. It would
the be an uphill task for the Centre to ensure that all
weapons are surrendered at the time of the final
accord.
• In the early phase, the Naga insurgents were provided
with what has come to be known as ‘safe haven’ in
Myanmar. India’s adversaries (China and Pakistan)
also provided them with vital external support at one
point in time.
• The porous border and rugged terrain make it
different for the Security Forces as they cross borders
where they are sheltered and fed.
POSSIBILITIES FOR PEACE
1. The Centre must negotiate with all the factions and
groups of the Insurgents to have a long-lasting
peace. Privileging one insurgent group could
eventually distort the contours of the final peace
accord and thus the govt. subsequently enlarged the
peace process by roping in seven other Naga
106

insurgent groups under the umbrella of Naga National
Political Groups (NNPG). However, another important
group, the NSCN- Khaplang, whose cadres are
reported to be inside Myanmar, is still outside the
formal process.
2. Nagas are culturally heterogeneous groups
different communities/tribes having a different set of
problems from the mainstream population. In order
to achieve the long-lasting solution, their cultural,
historical and territorial extent must be taken into
consideration.
3. Another way of dealing with the issue can be
maximum decentralisation of powers to the tribal
heads and minimum centralisation at the apex level,
which should mainly work towards facilitating
governance and undertaking large development
projects.
4. For any peace framework to be effective, it should not
threaten the present territorial boundaries of the
states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. As
it will not be acceptable to these states.
5. Greater autonomy for the Naga inhabited areas in
these states can be provided which
encompass separate budget allocations for the
Naga inhabited areas with regard to their culture
and development issues.
6. A new body should be constituted that would look
after the rights of the Nagas in the other north-
eastern states besides Nagaland.
7. Moreover, the Centre must keep in mind that most of
the armed insurgencies across the world do not end in
either total victory or comprehensive defeat, but in a
grey zone called ‘compromise’. Hence, relaxation and
gradual withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers
Act (AFSPA) should alos be considered.
NON-PERSONAL DATA
#Data Security
IN NEWS
A government committee headed by Infosys co-founder
Kris Gopalakrishnan has suggested that non-personal
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Security
data generated in the country be allowed to be harnessed
by various domestic companies and entities.
ABOUT NON-PERSONAL DATA
• Non-personal data is any set of data which does not
contain personally identifiable information.
of
• This in essence means that no individual or living
person can be identified by looking at such data. For
example, while order details collected by a food
delivery service will have the name, age, gender, and
other contact information of an individual, it will
become non-personal data if the identifiers such as
name and contact information are taken out.
• The government committee, which submitted its
report has classified non-personal data into three
main categories, namely public non-personal data,
community non-personal data and private non-personal
data.
• Depending on the source of the data and whether it is
anonymised in a way that no individual can be re-
identified from the data set, the three categories have
been divided.
would WHAT ARE PUBLIC, COMMUNITY, AND PRIVATE
NON-PERSONAL DATA SETS?
• Public non-personal data: All the data collected by
government and its agencies such as census, data
collected by municipal corporations on the total tax
receipts in a particular period or any information
collected during execution of all publicly funded works
has been kept under the umbrella of public non-
personal data.
• community non-personal data: Any data identifiers
about a set of people who have either the same
geographic location, religion, job, or other common
social interests will form the community non-personal
data. For example, the metadata collected by ride-
hailing apps, telecom companies, electricity
distribution companies among others have been put
under the community non-personal data category by
the committee.
• Private non-personal data can be defined as those
which are produced by individuals which can be
derived from application of proprietary software or
knowledge.
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HOW SENSITIVE CAN NON-PERSONAL DATA BE?
• Unlike personal data, which contains explicit
information about a person’s name, age, gender,
sexual orientation, biometrics and other genetic
details, non-personal data is more likely to be in an
anonymised form.
• However, in certain categories such as data related to
national security or strategic interests such as
locations of government laboratories or research
facilities, even if provided in anonymised form can be
dangerous.
• Similarly, even if the data is about the health of a
community or a group of communities, though it may
be in anonymised form, it can still be dangerous, the
committee opined.
• Possibilities of such harm are obviously much higher if
the original personal data is of a sensitive nature.
Therefore, the non-personal data arising from such
sensitive personal data may be considered as
sensitive non-personal data.
REGULATION OF NON-PERSONAL DATA (NPD):
• For a country that does not have a personal data
protection bill, the setting up of a committee to
regulate non-personal data seems premature.
• However, there is global realisation that data should
be unlocked in public interest beyond the sole service
of commercial interests of a few large companies.
• There is also recognition that data, in many cases, are
not just a subject of individual decision-making but
that of communities, such as in the case of ecological
information.
• Therefore, it is critical that communities
empowered to exercise some control over how the
data are used.
GLOBAL STANDARDS ON NON-PERSONAL DATA:
• In May 2019, the European Union came out with a
regulation framework for the free flow of non-
personal data in the European Union, in which it
suggested that member states of the union would
cooperate with each other when it came to data
sharing.
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Security
• Such data, the EU had then ruled would be shared by
member states without any hindrances
ARMENIA–AZERBAIJAN
CONFLICT
#Global conflict
IN NEWS
Fighting erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two
former Soviet Union republics in the Caucasus region. At
the heart of the decades-old conflict is the Nagorno-
Karabakh region. It is recognised as part of Azerbaijan,
but it is controlled by ethnic Armenians. The countries
fought a bloody war over the region in the late 1980s and
early 1990s. Although they declared a ceasefire, they have
never managed to agree a peace treaty.
GENESIS OF THE ONGOING CONFLICT
• The dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh between
Armenia and Azerbaijan is one of the several “frozen
conflicts” in the post-Soviet Union space. The province
of Nagorno-Karabakh comprises a majority Armenian
Christian population, but belonged to Azerbaijan
during the Soviet times. This was a carefully crafted
policy by Soviet leader Josef Stalin to enmesh
populations in order to stymie ethnic aspirations.
• Nagorno-Karabakh was severed from Armenia and
allotted to Azerbaijan in the 1920s. A significant
Armenian population was subsequently pushed into
the region by Stalin, thereby turning it into a majority
are Armenian Christian region in an otherwise Muslim-
majority Azerbaijan.
• With the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in
1991, the binding glue that kept peace and harmony
in the region came off. This provided conditions for
the two newly independent countries to fight war
between 1991 and 1994 over this landlocked
mountainous region, resulting in thousands of
casualties. The war also led to about 20 per cent of the
Nagorno-Karabakh province of Azerbaijan coming
under Armenian control.
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• A “no war no peace” situation has prevailed between
the two countries since then, albeit interspersed with
periodic ceasefire violations.
REGIONAL GEOPOLITICS
• Azerbaijan is rich in oil and gas and is the region’s
largest economy. It is also a key ally of the West. It has
adopted a multi-vectored foreign policy that seeks to
build good ties with both Moscow and Washington. It
has neither joined the Russia-backed Collective
Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Eurasian
Economic Union (EAEU) nor the US-backed North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European
Union (EU).
• Armenia, on the other hand, shares close ties with
Russia which is also its principal security partner. It is a
member of the CSTO and this has significantly
increased Yerevan’s security deterrence.
• Russia: It considers the South Caucasus region as its
“sphere of influence” as it remains the dominant
power in many countries that were part of the former
Soviet Union.In this context, Russia’s role in the region
has been geared towards diplomatically “managing”
the conflict in South Caucasus. It appears that Russia
does not want to be seen taking sides between its two
former republics. It also does not want the warring
sides to gravitate the Ukraine way towards NATO. This
has seen Russia supply military hardware not only to
Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also to Turkey and Iran.
• Turkey: Turkey, a majority Sunni state, proclaims
cultural and linguistic affinity with Shia-majority
Azerbaijan. In fact, Turkey is Azerbaijan’s key military
and economic partner. This has seen Ankara refuse to
accord diplomatic recognition to Armenia. It has
imposed economic sanctions on Yerevan and shut
their common border.
• Israel: It supports Azerbaijan and supplies it with
military hardware even though it maintains diplomatic
relations with Armenia.
• Iran: Shia-majority Iran supports Armenia by proxy,
through Russia. Interestingly, Iran also supports
Azerbaijan due to its historical, cultural and religious
linkages. It also does not want Azerbaijan to be drawn
completely to the Turkish influence. This is especially
FOCUS| DECEMBER 202 0 | RAU’S IAS
so as Azeris constitute the largest ethnic minority
group in Iran.
ROLE OF ENERGY
• Energy is a crucial cog in the geopolitics of the region.
Turkey, a net importer of energy carries out significant
oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean. Turkey’s
energy pipelines from the Caspian Sea via Azerbaijan
not only supply it with energy but also allow it to be a
transit hub for export of energy to Europe. The several
strategic oil and gas pipelines, which are important for
Azerbaijan and Turkey as well as the US pass through
Azerbaijan.
• The South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) routed through
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Southern Europe is
aimed at delivering Azerbaijani gas to Europe by
connecting to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP)
and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
• The SCP will allow for a reduction in Europe’s
dependency on Russian gas as Russia will be
completely by passed for transporting natural gas to
Europe.
• A parallel pipeline—the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan
pipeline—crosses the region of Tovuz and Southern
Georgia to terminate on Turkey’s Mediterranean port
at Ceyhan. From here, the energy is exported to world
markets.
• The recent discovery of gas in the Black Sea is also
significant as it will provide Turkey an alternative to
the expensive gas it imports from Iran through the
Iran-Turkey pipeline.
• Interference with energy routes or supplies by rival
powers, either directly or through another party, can
lead to a potential confrontation in the region.
• If Azerbaijan, with the active support of Turkey,
emerges victorious in these conflicts it will thrust
Turkey to a leadership role in the energy geopolitics of
the region at the expense of Russia and Iran.
INDIA’S POSITION
• South Caucasus features lower down in the hierarchy
of India’s strategic outreach. India’s bilateral trade with
the region also remains low: annual trade with
Azerbaijan is little more than US $1 billion, while that
with Armenia is less than $65 million.
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 Security

• India signed a friendship and cooperation treaty with expressing concern while calling for restraint, and an
Armenia in 1995 and has received three head of states immediate cessation of hostilities and resolution of
from the country, but none from Azerbaijan. conflict through diplomatic negotiations.

• India recently won a US$ 40 million contract to supply CONCLUSION

four Swati Weapon Locating Radars to Armenia.
• The humanitarian ceasefire agreement, negotiated by
• Meanwhile, Indian companies such as Oil and Natural Russia appears frayed, and has been marked by
Gas Company (ONGC), ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), repeated violations. This is further aggravated by the
and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) have made geo-strategic interests of key regional and extra-
investments in oil and gas projects in Azerbaijan. Yet, regional actors.
India’s overall interest in the region remains
• Notably, the Organisation of Security and Cooperation
perfunctory.
in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group has not been
• Armenia has supported India over Kashmir whereas successful in mediating the conflict primarily because
Azerbaijan has supported the Turkey-Pakistan of the presence of a significant Armenian diaspora in
tandem. Russia, the US and France—the three core members
• Turkey’s attempts to build a block comprising of the group.
Pakistan, Malaysia and Iran as a counter to India’s • There appears to be a case for the UN to broker
influence has not gone well with India. sustained peace in the region and not let vested
• Iran’s renewed stance on the Chahbahar project has interests from exacerbating historical schisms through
also caused discomfiture in the country. India has, geopolitical machinations and energy politics.
therefore, taken a balanced and neutral stand

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 Part TWO

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

HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS AND VALUES

#Ethics #Non-state actor

All the questions given below are connected with different shades of consciousness and values, and the answers for
all these require deep insight about oneself, surroundings and their inter-relationship.
To answer these, this section is containing thoughts shared by people on human personality, consciousness and
values.
So, by reading them, try to figure out the answers.

Q. “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he (UPSC 2014)

thinks he becomes.” – M.K. Gandhi (UPSC 2019)
Q. “Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct
understanding. “ _ Mahatma Gandhi (UPSC 2018)
Q. One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to
be compromised. Explain with reference to a real life
example. (UPSC 2017)
Q. The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced
to a narrow perception of the good life. Discuss.
Q. The current society is plagued with widespread
trust-deficit. What are the consequences of this
situation for personal well-being and for societal well-
being? What can you do at the personal level to make
yourself trustworthy? (UPSC 2014)
Q. What do you understand by the following terms in
the context of public service?
a. Integrity

(UPSC 2017) b. Perseverance

Q. All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you c. Spirit of service

agree? What does happiness mean to you? Explain with d. Commitment
examples.
e. Courage of conviction (UPSC 2013)

ASSESSMENT TIME:
Let us start by reading, and pondering on the text given below.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. SHOULD WE CARE TO SHARE?
(# share)
Giving, not hoarding, is the only hope in an the road. Even though everything about his appearance
increasingly violent world…. spoke of his poverty, it became clear that his goal was

Contrasting approach
Many years ago, when we stopped at an isolated spot on
a highway running through Mandya in Karnataka, an old
farmer came to us carrying sugarcane. I was so used to
not to sell but to give his sugarcane to my children who
had stepped out of the car. He wanted nothing in
return.
I have forgotten many things, but not that unknown

being accosted by hawkers and sellers that I began to peasant who wanted to give something to a stranger and

wave him away politely as he approached. He smiled and sought nothing in return. Recently, another example

continued walking wearily up the slope from the fields to made me think about another philosophy of life.

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

Asha and her cousins triumphantly brought mangoes
and guavas to their grandmother. They were holidaying
at their village homestead and had lain in wait for the
children from the village who used to raid their family
orchard. The city children had pounced on village
children of the same age, challenged them, and
successfully retrieved all the “stolen goods.”
Contrasting thought process
Their grandmother looked at the fruits on the verandah
and was not impressed.
“What’s the matter with you children? Don’t you get to eat
sufficient mangoes and berries from what is stored indoors
for the family?”
“Yes, but this too belongs to the house.”
“It belongs to your compound, grandmother.”
“It belongs to us.”
“They have no right to it.”
The chorus of voices did not have an impact on their
grandmother.
“Listen to me. After we eat well, the rest is to be left on those
trees for those children to help themselves. It belongs to
them. It is their right to raid the tree which has so much to
give. Go and give all the fruits back to them and apologise
for your rudeness.”
and conflicts. That the collection and codification of
information is only the beginning of education seems to
have passed many peoples’ understanding. Education to
refine the mind, to help young people to accept and
give of themselves rather than hoard, is the
beginning of the only kind of wisdom that might one
day save the world. Humans have survived successfully
everywhere not because primitive societies fought each
other over resources but because we suppressed our
selfishness and learned to cooperate.
In the history of time, our industrialised age is as yet only
a blip. It is not too late to teach the values of mutual
progress and co-operation in order to look beyond the
self.
But we are also living in times when technology is
persuading people to become more and more self-
oriented. Sensitising large populations may never come
through; but if pockets of understanding and perception
are created, there might still be hope for an increasingly
violent world whose leaders have forgotten that sharing
— not possessing — is the foundation of our
existence.
What does sharing provides?
Ans. It gives us the right to live.

The city cousins were astounded at their grandmother’s

philosophy. It was contrary to everything they had
learnt so far about what they felt they owned. The
world was something to be understood in order to be
conquered. Marks were to be won; likewise, games and
quizzes. “My” lunch, “my” seat and desk and “my” toys
and books.

Many social philosophers feel that if children were raised

differently, there might be a real change in world politics

2. SHOULD WE ALWAYS BE TRUTHFUL?

(# Be truthful)
Why do we ruin our peace by not being truthful? Though taking a flight is now far more common than it

What is man but a fragment of the universe? Yet, we used to be 40 years ago, I’m unfailingly impressed by our

have pitted our puny selves against the infinite silence of technological triumph every time I’m strapped down in a

space and dared to disturb the Moon, Mars and Saturn. slender cigarillo of metal and glass as it roars down the

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

runaway before it lifts off, carrying hundreds of how seriously a lie (even a social fib meant to enhance
passengers and their luggage. our personal status) can affect one’s long-term health.

Consider our skills and deft manipulation of our A chart prepared by Ryan Morris and Shelley
external environment! Sperry for an article in National Geographic
Magazine shows a wide pattern of lies and how
not all lies are the same. These are:
Personal transgressions to cover up a mistake or misdeed
(22%)

For economic advantage and financial gain (16%)

We drill through mountains, make deserts bloom and get To avoid a tough situation or escape from people or to
drinking water from the sea. School texts beautifully evade them (14%)
illustrate our watery planet protected by small hands and Personal advantage for different sorts of benefits (15%)
fingers reminding children that we literally hold the
For our own self-image (8%)
planet in our hands. Is it not wondrous that the
To make people laugh (5%)
components that make up every single item that has
smoothed our lives — from a wooden cot to a tube of To help others (5%)
toothpaste to a pair of scissors — has emerged from the For the sake of politeness (2%)
great cornucopia that is Earth? From the humble grass
To hurt others (4%)
that feeds our cattle to the materials needed to carry out
intricate surgeries and help us communicate with people To disregard reality, to fantasize ( 2%)
thousands of miles away? One only needs to read a novel When the motives are unclear even to the one who lies (7%)
set in the 18th century or the logbook of a ship’s captain
Most psychologists say that the truth comes naturally
of that time to learn that not so long ago, it took six
to everyone and that it takes a clever and flexible mind
months to get a message across to another country or to
to lie consistently.
the origin of contact of a ship as it sailed the vast oceans.
What about the half-truth? “Yes, he did borrow from me.”
All these images crossed my mind as I thought of our
That the borrower returned what he took might be
complex relationship with the truth. Why would such
suppressed in the telling. The problem with this is that
a successful species want to hide behind falsehood?
the teller often forgets where he put the other half of the
Demonstration: Last year, in a class, the teacher truth.
pointed out the damage falsehood inflicts on one’s
When honesty is not only the best policy but also the
physical and emotional health. “They are incalculable,” he
best sleeping pill, why are we ruining our inner
said, drawing our attention to the lie-detector or
environment the way we have the external?
polygraph. The slightest resistance from the brain to the
truth/lie challenge sets the machine leaping. So think

3. SHOULD WE PRAISE AND REWARD?

(# Appreciate)
Does this sound familiar? Common trait

“I hope you won’t forget that you got this chance because Most people not only want to succeed but wish to take
of me. It was I who introduced you…I who recommended credit for someone else’s success.
you…if I hadn’t spotted this opening you may never have
made it…”

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

Vanity and self- partiality and meanness is a manifest part of life in

seeking attended a joint family of humans where some children are
even the first favoured above others. And so, the wheels of pride
recitation of and prejudice are held firmly in place by the spokes of
Kamban’s Ramayana vigilant shareholders in credit and benefit-sharing.
in the temple at
Srirangam. The poet
Contrast
had to satisfy various
conditions demanded The opposite view is taken by emotionally mature people
by the priests who or those who are more philosophical in their outlook.
asked for approval They do not expect to be singled out for praise or reward
from a wide spectrum of society. This included the for work undertaken because they see themselves as
learned and influential Jains in the village of part of a larger plan.
Tirunarunkontai, who wanted to know if they had been Do we know who really wrote the marvellous prayers and
mentioned in the book. Kamban quoted verse 2-27-56 to devotional poems we recite or teach our children to
satisfy them. memorise?
Even a great Chola-period poet could not ignore the They say that this king or that queen built this monument or
realities of social ambition for being given credit or bridge or fort. Really? What about the engineers and
acknowledgement. masons, the load-bearers and the artisans who did not even
Perhaps, it is a deep mammalian trait — this longing for have artificial light to do the work?
acknowledgement — which is synonymous with How many of us think of the electricians who manage the
insecurity and identity in a group. When a corporate lights and microphones at a complex performance of dance
group surges ahead and wins a portion of the market, or music? Without them, would the performances be as
everyone wants a share of its financial success. “We effective as they usually are? No.
thank all our employees for making this happen…”
Giving credit for the labour and time spent on team work
speeches are peppered with such sentiments but only a
is a ticklish thing. Years of grievance attend those who
few people are rewarded for the work of many. Those
come up with good ideas and projects, but whose work is
who study the behaviour of primates recognise a
cornered and absorbed without acknowledgement by
number of traits they share with human societies.
seniors or peers who dishonestly take the credit for
Chimps compete continuously with one another, even
those very ideas. Of course, with collaborative work it is
while they live together and survive as a group. When the
not always clear who did what; but an effort must be
mother of a young chimp is not around, other adult
made to reward, or at least openly praise, the one who
females even try to harm her baby — so envious are they
put it forward in the first place.
of any potential rival for food, space or attention. This

4. SHOULD WE SPEAK UP AGAINST WRONG DEEDS?

(# Speak against wrongs)

Life is everyone’s business. Standing up and Despite the risks, here are a few reasons why standing

expressing your feelings is best! up and expressing your feelings is best.

In schools, colleges, offices and at home, how often One, silence is often seen to be a sign of approval.

do we stay silent because, speaking up would cause You could be seen as collaborating with a situation.

an uproar? Two, it is selfish to take care of your own comfort and

Perhaps, a big factor is knowing when to assert yourself,

either on your own behalf or on behalf of someone else.

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

allow the wrong thing to happen. “Let’s wait and watch” is a hurting someone or a
poor response when you know something bad might be process — speak up!
averted if someone important heard the truth from you. You have a duty to

Three, honesty is a virtue which is in short supply. With it yourself and to your

goes trust, especially when combined with tact and friends, family and

sensitivity. It is crucial to demonstrate that you are not colleagues to right a

afraid to speak the truth. wrong by registering

your protest. It might
Four, sharing and communicating is a sign of confidence.
be loud music in the
No one else may know precisely what you do. So, your
neighbourhood which
contribution might make a small difference to adjusting the
disturbs everyone,
big picture to everyone’s benefit. Never withhold
particularly infants and
information.
the elderly. It might be
Lastly, when you speak up, it will almost certainly harassment of a
encourage others to do so too. Group silence, when domestic worker which you witness but hesitate to
everyone knows something wrong is being done, is as great challenge, believing it is none of your business. It might
an offence as a single person doing the wrong thing. be injustice or dishonesty which goes unchecked
The next time you are face-to-face with something that, because no one thought it was his or her business.
either through ignorance or lack of information, is Speak up! Life is everyone’s business.

5. SHOULD WE BE OPEN TO LEARNING FROM ANYONE?

(# open to learning )
Basking in a life of comfort and convenience, have Who decided what roots and leaves one might eat safely?
we forgotten the wisdom of the tribal communities Who found out which tubers and fruits are poisonous?
and the role they played in ensuring our survival?
Who spread the word about which animal’s flesh is suitable
In nearly every culture, there exists the notion that for humans and which ones should be avoided?
cultural refinement is city-based. Dwellers in the woods
Who discovered dyes, resins and gums that are
and forests are seen to be uncouth, undeveloped and far
commercially produced
from ‘civilized’. Organised economy, defence and
today?
learning are available only in cities which are considered
safer than forests. And so it follows that moving away It was the adivasis.
from ‘kaadu’ or the ‘van’ is a move in the right direction. They were our first
In some cultures, the forest is the equivalent of teachers. They shared
wilderness — again, undesirable, and the opposite of their knowledge by
security which assures pleasing gentility, polish and artful passing it on through
speech. Tribals are viewed with some degree of stories and songs. The
disdain, as peoples who were bypassed by civilization adivasis (original
and its benefits. inhabitants) were the earliest occupants of our country.
They spread across the Indian subcontinent; living in
Are we confusing comforts and convenience with progress?
forested hills far away from the plains and viewing their
How has the human race survived? forest homes as sacred.
How did India, for instance, evolve its food culture? Because Many years ago, when social worker Sudha Murthy
for thousands of years, we have eaten the right food. visited a tribal settlement in Karnataka, she spoke with
Who selected and developed the natural food Indians eat? an elder of the community. She could not help noticing

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
that he had beautiful teeth, his skin was barely wrinkled
and his hair was still black. Unable to contain her
curiosity, she asked about his youthful appearance. He
smiled and said that he ate only forest products and
never added salt to his food. He also pointed out that
there were several medicinal plants in the forest which
his forefathers had originally spotted. Many fruits now
grown on the plains were originally identified by the
tribals. The collection of wild honey for medicinal
purposes was also started by them. He told her that it
was the adivasis who found out that the fruit of the
tomato plant may be eaten, but not its leaves which are
toxic. Through trial and error, the adivasis cultivated
useful foods and rejected the harmful ones. Imagine
that! Our taste buds were honed by our tribal ancestors.
India has one of the largest tribal populations in the
world — 90 million. There are 624 Adivasi communities
who constitute 8 per cent of the population.
6. SHOULD WE BECOME PARTICIPANT IN IMPROVING GOVERNANCE?
(# become active non-state actor)
It is something which keeps the true essence of
democracy alive in a country
Supporting one’s country policies and decisions is one
part of keeping it on the path of prosperity and
development, while keeping track of government
activities, being vigilant about them and highlighting
loopholes in policies are also needed in a democracy.
In our country, we have people with different ideologies
— some criticise the government policies and some
support it, while others remain at the top of it
appreciating the good policies and highlighting the
drawbacks to improve governance. It’s common
nowadays to see society divided into segments
each with a different perspective about the
policies undertaken by their governments; it is
something which keeps the true essence of democracy
alive. There are many instances in the past of
governance and society improving because of the
positive criticism by some people or group of them.
These examples give democracies around the world a
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Other contributions of tribals:
Several Indian languages are a mix of mainstream
languages and tribal dialects. Many art forms also draw
inspiration from tribal art and crafts as they speak deeply
to the origins of our sense of aesthetics. Rich in a
vibrant tradition but impoverished and marginalised
due to prejudice against them, tribal society is
distinguished by the absence of two things: obesity
and the caste system. Tribals do not exploit other
people’s labour, they do not ignore their widows,
stigmatise raped women or leave their orphans to beg.
Nor do they destroy nature to build edifices to human
pride.
Therefore, not only should we respect the adivasis as we
are historically indebted to them, but also because we
have much to learn from them.
In short:
Sharing; being truthful; praising others; taking a stand
against wrongs; and learning from others inspire ethical
approach, promote integrity, and nurture right aptitude.
chance of improving the quality of governance and
hence create a better society.
In recent years in India, there has been a gradual change
in perspective of the people regarding their
governments. While some of them are a very good sign
of a progressive society, some of them are quite
worrying too. There is a common notion among some
citizens that if they speak something against the actions
of their government, then it’s probably against the nation
too.
This idea which is significant in numbers need to be
thoroughly assessed. Chances might be there that some
of the criticism may not be on the right note, but many of
it if considered by the governments can be helpful in the
real-time assessment of the needs and expectations of
the people from the government. Unfortunately, there is
a decline in these voices nowadays because of the type
of mandate which India got in the 2019 election. People
who voted for the current government think that it's
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
wrong to speak against the government which they
elected to power.
People should realise that it is not the driving force
of praise and overwhelming support which keeps
the wheels of a government moving but also the
steering force of people’s participation which keep a
check on government, and modify it, if the policies
fail to meet the expectations of society as a whole. If
people’s criticism reaches the government’s ear at an
appropriate time and in significant numbers, then a lot of
resources of the governmental machinery can be utilised
wisely for some other activities which are brought to
notice by the people itself.
Some experts believe that praise and support of people
are very crucial for maintaining efficient governance as it
keeps leaders and bureaucrats motivated to work more
7. SHOULD WE HAVE APATHY TOWARDS CLEANLINESS?
(# Contributing in cleanliness )
A culture of cleanliness and tidiness must be
inculcated from an early age
Those who have travelled overseas are struck by the
orderliness and cleanliness of public places in sharp
contrast to what is happening back home. No one tells a
child to keep the surroundings clean and not to litter. It is
the way a child is brought up that inspires a desire for
cleanliness.
That is the reason it is difficult to find even a scrap of
paper or plastics on the streets or outside homes in
many foreign countries. That applies to cleanliness on
board trains, buses and trams that are in public service.
No one throws anything outside a running train or bus as
it is considered taboo.
We adopt a dual standard. We tend to keep our house
and neighbourhood clean, but have no compunction in
throwing dirt and discarded objects outside. The logic is
someone is there to clean up and pick up the discard.
People in general hold rivers in respect but do not
hesitate to throw things in the river. That is the reason
our rivers, lakes and other waterbodies are far from
clean. Even the piped treated water that is supplied by
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to increase the overall output of governmental activities
on the ground. This is true in practice too but it should
be kept in mind that the power vested in the hands of
people in a democracy is not only utilised for blindly
praising the government but it should be used as an aid,
to advise and correct the government whenever required
so that the efficiency and quality of governance is
maintained.
Note: Above consideration on improving governance
through people’s participation is also asked in a question
by UPSC:-
UPSC Question: “Effectiveness of the government system at
various levels and people’s participation in the governance
system are inter-dependent.” Discuss their relationship with
each other in context of India.
municipal authorities is not fit for drinking. Most homes
have some sort of filter to clean the water before use.
Others may boil the water before use. In sharp contrast,
a few cities round the globe claim proudly that their city
water supply is fit for drinking straight from the tap.
I was away in a remote part of Japan waiting for a
connecting train at a small wayside station. A young girl
was also waiting for the train. I watched her taking out a
candy from her bag and eat it. Afterwards, she walked
briskly to a nearby waste bin provided on the platform to
deposit the wrapper. Such is the level of awareness to
keep surroundings clean from a young age. It is the
culture of cleanliness and tidiness which is inculcated
from an early age. It is not that our youngsters are not
aware of the need to keep surroundings clean. But for
most others, it is sheer apathy and carelessness that
makes them litter.
When a toilet is not available, what does a person do? He
uses any public place to ease himself. I observed a
person soiling a wall. I asked his companion why he was
doing so. “Maybe, he couldn’t have waited till he found a
toilet,” replied his friend. That person after finishing his
business came near me, “Sir, you are right. But I couldn’t
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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

help it. Please provide a toilet nearby.” I kept quiet as I

had no answer.

A few public toilets are maintained badly with poor

cleanliness. These go out of water soon leaving a stinking
mess. No wonder only a few persons patronise public
toilets. However, ‘pay and use’ toilets maintained by
attenders are better. While I was on a tour of Paris, I
found a men’s toilet was cleaned by a woman who used
to dart in and out when there was no person inside. She
was also in charge of the women’s toilet. “Unisex” toilets
are still not popular.

The Swachh Bharat programme was launched

throughout the country with big fanfare. After five years,
many toilets were built in villages and towns. Some of It is becoming clear that the cleanliness drive has to
them were substandard that kept patrons away. start with the people. The government and other
Unfortunately, open defecation, especially in villages, is agencies should act as facilitators to help plan and
still going on. A similar sad story applies to the execute the work. Consultation with the people
programme to clean the major rivers like Ganga and concerned goes a long way in the success of any
Yamuna. Thousands of crores of money are already cleanliness drive. A cleanliness plan should be
spent with poor results. The major issue remains leakage community based rather than as a diktat from the
of sewage water into the rivers. The priority should have government. “Start early in life,” is a good piece of
been first to build treatment plants and then lead the advice for creating awareness of cleanliness. It is the duty
clean water into the river. Such simple priorities are and responsibility of every citizen to take care of
being overlooked in the enthusiasm to achieve cleanliness.
something big. It has become more of publicity rather
than actual work.

8. SHOULD WE ADMIT OUR MISTAKES?

(# open to self-examination)

Admitting and learning from mistakes should be the USA Today — that were in the forefront of debates on
right way to go, and Indians need to learn that certain technical flaws in the software used in the aircraft

A few months ago, I visited a museum of history in Berlin that could have led to the accidents. An article in The

called the Topography of Terror. The exhibits in this New York Times (March 23, 2019) even said it was

indoors-and-outdoors museum portray heinous crimes Boeing’s relentless competition with its European rival

committed by the Nazis. Here, the thought that came to Airbus for orders from America’s own airlines that led to
me was of tolerance and conflicts of interest. security lapses. American airlines were considering

Topography of Terror is funded and managed by the placing orders for hundreds of jet aircraft with Boeing’s

German government — proof that Germans are European rival Airbus, which forced Boeing into a

fine with self-reflection and criticism. frenzied rush, and in record time it developed and
deployed the 737 MAX 8, even overlooking certain key
In many leading democracies, such introspection
safety features. Americans, like Germans, aren’t afraid of
and criticism are tolerated. Consider the recent Boeing
such self-criticism.
737 MAX aircraft crashes. It was the U.S. media —
including The New York Times, The Washington Post and

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

Can I even imagine a museum in Delhi portraying some
of the mistakes Indians have committed, in line with
Topography of Terror? A museum on sati, the caste
system, honour killings, mob lynching and so on?
Tolerance for criticism and dissent vary substantially
across time and space. Our own level of tolerance, while
far below that of the majority of developed countries, is
still higher than that of many West Asian countries,
China, and so on.
A few decades ago, our own tolerance level was arguably
higher than it is today. Consider, for example, how
Jawaharlal Nehru reacted to certain political caricatures
criticising him, done by cartoonist R.K. Laxman. One
morning, Laxman was surprised to receive a call from
Nehru. The Prime Minister told him he had so enjoyed
his cartoon that morning, and asked if he may have a
signed copy of it.
Tolerance for criticism, introspection, learning from
mistakes and feedback loops are indeed hallmarks of
logic and scientific methodology. If we don’t criticise
other people’s mistakes and our own past acts, and,
more important, learn from the mistakes, how can
we progress? If Germans can criticise their own past
actions and make remarkable progress in terms of
education, health and standard of living, why can’t we do
it too? Let’s accept that we have made mistakes in the
past (and make them in the present time, too), in order
to move forward by learning from the mistakes, to march
towards a better India.

ASSIGNMENT FOR SELF-PRACTICE

Q. Did you find answers to the UPSC questions given at the top? If yes, then try to answer them.
Q. Do you have a plan to inculcate and develop all the qualities mentioned above? If yes, then design
approach/approaches for yourself.
Q. Have you ever displayed the above qualities in demanding situations? If yes, then share those with apt examples.

GET STARTED !
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

CASE STUDIES for Practice

MAINS GS PAPER IV
Merits –
Case 1: One of the scientists working in the R & D
laboratory of a major pharmaceutical company 1. No extra financial burden on the company
discovers that one of the company’s bestselling
2. Utilization of CSR fund
veterinary drugs, B has the potential to cure a
currently incurable liver disease that in prevalent in 3. Company taking social responsibility.
tribal areas. However, developing a variant of the Demerits –Possibility of negative image of the company
drug suitable for human beings entailed a lot of as what should have been done naturally is being done
research and development having a huge through CSR fund.
expenditure to the extent of Rs. 50 crores. It was
b) Taking support of government
unlikely that the company would recover the costs as
the disease was rampant only in poverty-stricken Merits
area having very little market otherwise. (20 Marks)
1. It will solve the funding issue.
(250 Words)
2. Poor people will benefit. Justice will be done to them.
If you were the CEO, then
3. Government machinery can be utilized for better
(a) Identify the various actions that you could take; service delivery.

(b) Evaluate the pros and cons of each or your Demerits

actions.
1. It will put Subsidy burden on government.
The case involves ethical dilemma of choosing between –
2. Company’s ownership of product will be diluted
1. Profitability of the company Vs welfare of poverty-
c) Raising money through Equity market
stricken tribal population.
Merit
2. Economic values of efficiency Vs social value of
empathy and compassion. 1. It will solve the problem temporarily.

3. Loyalty and allegiance to the company Vs listening to 2. Poor people will benefit
one’s own conscience.
Demerits
I. The various actions which can be taken are: -
1. Investors may lose money in future.
a) Using the CSR fund of the company;
2. My company might come under severe financial
b) Taking support of the Government; stress.

c) Raising money through equity market; d) Collaborating with foreign company

d) Collaborating with foreign company; Merits

e) Appealing common people through media and NGO’s 1. Not just poor of India, but of whole world will benefit.
for collaboration and funds through sale of products.
2. The problem can be solved in holistic manner.
Evaluation of the options: -

a) Using the CSR fund of the company

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

Demerits The case presents an ethical dilemma as some group of

1. Issues of Intellectual property rights may hamper this
collaboration.
2. Foreign company may sell the drug at higher prices.
people will have to be rescued before others. As civil
services officer of the State I will use emotional
intelligence to manage my emotions so that I can be
objective in identifying vulnerability of different groups

e) Appealing common people through media and and carrying out the rescue operations. I will follow the

NGO’s for collaboration and funds through sale of following sequence for rescue operation.

products (i) Patients in Hospitals

Merits (a) They are highly vulnerable during disasters,

1. Pool for social activities will be created
2. Good publicity of company will be done.
3. Increase in sales and profits and hence the money
earned can be transferred to the project.
Demerits
1. May take a long time to collect necessary funds
Considering all the above three options, I will go for the
first option, of using CSR fund. Gandhiji said ‘business
without morality’ is a sin. Hence the issue cannot be
neglected. However fiscal prudence also must be taken
into account and balance of economic and social value
must be achieved.
because of their inability to take care of themselves.
So they should be rescued even before women and
children.
(b) Since their number is less and position known, it will
be easy to evacuate them with less effort.
(ii) Senior citizens: They are valuable members of
society, and cannot be left without help for too long.
They are also vulnerable because of their old age
and physical handicap. People have tendency to
leave behind the old, thus priority shall be given to
them.
(iii) Women and children
(a) Children are our future generation, and hence
they must be rescued first of all.

(b) Women and Children are highly vulnerable during

Case 2: There is a disaster-prone State having
disasters, not just physically but emotionally as
frequent landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts, flash
well.
floods and earthquakes, etc. Some of these are
seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude of (iv) Prisoners in jail
the disaster is always unanticipated. During one of
(a) Since they are in jail, so their mobility is highly
the seasons, a cloudburst caused devastating floods
restricted. This makes them vulnerable in disaster
and landslides leading to high causalities. There was
situation.
major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges
and power generating units. This led to more than (b) Even though they are prisoners, but still they are
100000 pilgrims, tourists and other locals trapped human beings. So, they must be rescued,
across different routes and locations. The people considering their vulnerability.
trapped in your area of responsibility included senior (v) Tourists
citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children,
(a) Next I will rescue tourists, because they lack any
hikers, tourists, ruling party’s regional president
means to tackle the disaster themselves. Also they
along with his family, additional chief secretary of
know very less about the local conditions.
the neighbouring State and prisoners in jail.
(b) But, since they are healthy, so they can wait till
As civil services officer of the State, what would be
other more vulnerable people are rescued.
the order in which you would rescue these people
and why? Give justifications. (vi) Ruling party’s regional president and his family

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 Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

(a) Since he has political linkages, he can make

temporary arrangements for safety of his family till
other vulnerable people are rescued.

(b) Once vulnerable people are rescued, he and his

family will be rescued.

(c) Since he has a family with him, which include

women and children, so I will rescue him before the
hikers and Chief Secretary.

(vii) Chief Secretary of the other state

(a) He has been well trained to handle such

situations. So he can wait till others are rescued.

(b) Instead, he can also help, in rescue operation since

he has experience in this regard. This is a part of his
duty.

(viii) Hikers

(a) I will rescue them at last, as they have both the

training as well as equipments with them, to deal
with challenging terrain.

(b) They can easily wait till others are rescued.

So, I will conduct the rescue operation according to

above mentioned priority list. However, in some cases,
simultaneous rescue mission can be launched for
different categories as they are not mutually exclusive.

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 Part Three

Essays
of

the month
Selected essays from Rau’s GSI students
ESSAY 1: CHARACTER OF AN INSTITUTION IS
REFLECTED IN ITs LEADER
# Ethics
SUBMITTED BY: MUSKAN ARYA (STUDENT)

Indian National Congress formed in 1885 is entrusted in the leader. He/She is vested with the
has been one of the longest surviving power to plan and take action.
political organization in the world. INC has
been responsible for much of organized
activities that happened in India’s freedom struggle.
Prominent leaders of the organization like Dadabhai
Naroji, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Motilal Nehru, Lala Lajpat
Rai, Subhash Chandra Bose, Gandhiji, Jawaharlal Nehru
to name a few made the organization the most vibrant
and inclusive political pressure group. These leaders
shaped not only the organization but future of Modern
Therefore, it is rightly said, Truth of your character is
India and the values that we resonate with. Similarly,
expressed in the choice of your actions.
Jamsetji Tata laid foundations of the group and turned it
into a trustworthy group leading India to an upward T. N. Seshan, former Indian Civil Servant and appointed
growth trajectory. Rajan Tata, his great grandson has as Election Commissioner of India in 1990 has been
been admired worldwide for his leadership skills, credited as a man who cleaned the Indian Electoral
humility and bold decisions. system. Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) were
introduced by him and a lot of emphasis was also laid on
On the other hand, we see large Indian News Agencies
the model code of conduct (MCC). This got discipline in
specially television claiming to be fact reporters being
the institution and also among the contestants and
caught on the wrong foot by monopolising their wide
political parties. Rukmini Devi, Arundale, a legendary
reach through TRP scams and manipulation. These
Bharatnatyam dancer and animal activist. She is known
institutions being a component of 4th pillar of democracy
for her grace, humility, strength of character and
have been much responsible for turning news into
compassion. She founded Kalashetra which has grown to
entertainment and misguiding viewers on issues. Indeed
be a renowned institute worldwide for performing arts.
the check and balancing system has gone awry.
She championed the cause of animal rights by
Why are institutions important? They are important establishing Animal Welfare board of India. She also
became of their organized structure and ability to reach created history by becoming the first nominated women
the target group. In a heterogeneous society, it is not candidate to Rajya Sabha. Indra Nooyi, an Indian born
possible for a single institution to reach and fulfill the American businesswoman and one of the longest serving
needs of all categories of citizens. Therefore, institutions CEO of Pepsico brought much needed diversity and
are created to work in the society as their very change in the company. She is also recognized for her
component while laying emphasis on distributive justice. work in pushing for healthy consumer goods by cutting
To fulfill the goals of an institution, intricate balancing of down on salt, sugar and fat. She continuously featured in
options and planning is needed and this important task and list of influential people thereby breaking the glass-

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 Essays OF THE MONTH
ceiling that woman cannot handle the top managerial
positions.
But the world is changing and thereby the institutions
are also required to change. However, we see a dismal
trend worldwide where handful of powerful nations
dominate the leadership position and are turning a deaf
ear to any demands of inclusion. This topic is all the
more relevant because of the toppling world order,
departure from truth and farmers, manipulate reporting
and selfish motives. Coronavirus pandemic not only
exposed the world for its deficit in environment
protection and inclusive healthcare but also put to test
the World Health Organisation. WHO has invited much
criticism for its biasness towards China and being lenient
in enforcing actions and giving timely inputs. Technology
giants like Google and Facebook have often being
questioned on their breach of privacy and harvesting of
consumer data. These have grown to much larger issues
like election rigging, spreading of false news and
communal violence through hate speech.
institutions have shielded themselves claiming Freedom
of Speech and expression but a thin line between
freedom to express and defame should
acknowledged.
Adding to the list are Institutions like UNSC, World Bank
and IMF that no longer present a visionary leader or
project the ethos of the current world. They have been
concentrated in hands of few nations
deteriorating their very existence. Cleary, the major
issues that are emerging are departure
multilateralism, nation first policies, disregard for fair
play, concentration of power, visionless
Institutions today no more rely on adjustments and give-
take relationship but instead on arm-twisting. To make
things worse national issues influence some concerning
policies worldwide which result in deadlock e.g. USA –
China, USA – Russia etc. The world leaders have failed to
lay down Rule 6 of Paris Climate Deal, thereby the
incomplete rulebook doesn’t have much enforcing
impact on climate change.
The solution lies in creating responsible leaders through
value based education. Also, paths should be cleared for
much younger voices for they have proved their mettle.
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Jacinda Ardein – New Zealand Prime Minister gave
Christchurch call to end violence, Greta Thundberg
championed environmental rights etc. Also required is
the policy of being accommodative, free and fair
reporting of facts without manipulation and lesser
nationalistic issues on international forum when dealing
with worldwide problems.
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 which
introduced the Panchayati System by giving it a
constitutional status wanted to make India’s democratic
institution strong. However, nearing three decades since
its initiation we have not achieved much. Part of it lies in
the economic constraints in functioning but largely
ineffective leadership has been responsible. Panch and
Sarpanch in villages are not aware of their rights and
powers. This can be overcome by 30 days training for
members of local government. This will plug in the
information gap and make institution more effective. The
main democratic institution of India – Parliament also
These needs a change in its orientation. This will come from the
leaders, political parties and people’s elected
representatives. It is said that the greatest test of a man’s
be character is his tongue. We often see our leaders
abusing, passing casteist remarks, enforcing patriarchal
notions and commenting against women. But as
electoral power, we the citizens have a choice to make.
For this, it is necessary that citizens’ pressure groups do
not succumb to pressure and monetary bribes offered to
thereby
vote for particular party.
from Beauty catches the attention but character catches the
heart. This is the reason why we still remember our great
leaders. leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhiji,
Subhash Bose, Rani Laxmibai, to name a few.
Responsible voting will lead to responsible government
in power and end to criminalization in politics.
Lastly, importance of institutions cannot be further
emphasized in achieving our goals. The UN SDG defines
Goal 16 as peace, justice and strong Institutions further
giving Goal 17 – partnership. Collectively, we can achieve
climate change (Goal 13), No poverty (goal 1), Zero
hunger (goal 2), Equality in education (Goal 4), Gender
equality (Goal 5). These challenges can be overcome by
visionary leaders chalking out a definite strategy.
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
ESSAY 2: CUSTOMARY MORALITY CANNOT
BE A GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE.
# Ethics
SUBMITTED BY: RACHITA MALIK (STUDENT)
In 1870, a bishop said, “Its impossible for man in the
future to fly like birds. Flying is reserved for
angels. Don’t mention that again lest you
be guilty of blasphemy.” This minister of
Church was Milton Wright, father of the
famous Wright brothers, Orveille and Wilber, who 33
years later proved him wrong.
Thus, to achieve anything in life one needs to question
the validity of everything, whether good or bad, moral or
immoral. If Wright brothers would have accepted the
customary morality, then today it difficult to imagine
humans flying in aeroplanes.
Thus, we should ponder upon the question that the
morals and values that our customs teach us, are they
universal? And, in this age of curiosity, where we try to
question the validity of everything, whether it be laws,
human rights or authority of God or State? In such a
scenario, governing one’s life on the basis of customary
morality, is it acceptable?
In this essay, further we’ll examine the contractions
customary laws poses in leading a good modern life.
Customary Morality: An overview
The moral values which our culture and community is
embedded with are often characterized as customary
morality. In simple terms, a way of behaving or a belief
that has been established for a long time is what is
meant by customs and something that is usual for life
becomes customary to follow.
These laws generally differ from cultures to cultures and
are not universal, though some values like – love,
compassion, truth, honesty holds universal relevance. If
we look at the customary laws in India, the north-eastern
societies in India practice matrilineal succession and
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post-marital residence, especially Garo tribe of
Meghalaya, whereas in Northern, Southern & Central
India, patrilineal marriages and property ownership is
prevalent.
Thus, different culture poses different traditions which
can be in conflict with each other at times.
Most of the societies emphasis that the customary laws
drive the authority from God, as the principles are mostly
derived out of religious scripts and thus, continue to
follow their authority. As it said, customs may not be as
wise as laws but they’re always more popular.
Two Parallels: Customary Laws & Modern Life
‘Unexamined Life is not worth living.’ - Socrates
The above statement is said to be given by Socrates and
he is known as the wisest man. Socrates is considered as
the wisest man because, he used to say “he know
nothing.” & thus, always leaving the space for reflection.
The modern life we live today is mainly guided by
rationality and reason, we live in a age of modernity and
modernity only comes by being the critique of our past. It
would be wrong to believe that customary laws are
totally flawed and there is no positive aspect of
customary morality. Many cults in India worship girls as
Goddesses thus, providing them with a sense of
empowerment. But, if we look at the micro-level,
customary morality and modern life are often in conflict.
Today, what we cherish as principle of modern life,
they’ve evolved every time by defying various customary
morality. While we might express our horror at most of
these things, they’ve had centuries of acceptance in
society. Owning slaves were fine, white man was
considered superior, dalits were regarded as
untouchables, confining women in four domestic walls
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
was fine. Today these ‘virtues’ are look down upon and
are considered as wrong.
Scientifically, customary laws and modern life never at
same page. As, customary morality prescribe to a set of
norms which are divine and unquestionable whereas,
science as a discipline only make progress through re-
examining beliefs. Thesis + Anti Thesis →synthesis.
Socially, much of the customary morality is oppressive
towards women and transgender. They’ve been treated
as second class citizens and for much of the time not
even a citizen. E.g. Sati practices in India, property
inheritances laws for women and triple Talaq. In West,
after a whole movement, women’s were granted voting
rights. In much of the middle-eastern and Asian
countries women, children and transgender are still
deprived of basic facilities like → Nutrition, Sanitation etc.
Many of the customary laws term women as ‘Impure’
during their menstrual cycle. But, all thanks to the pillars
of modern life, that things are evolving in a right
direction and now norms are evaluated on the scientific
basis.
Politically, customary morality & modern life Ideals are
always in contradiction. As the former one tries to assert
its superiority, wherein modern times where the concept
of nation-states has emerged, state is considered as the
ultimate sovereign. If we look at the case of India, many
times personal laws of various religions and
constitutional laws are in conflict and Judiciary has to
time to time intervene in order to maintain a harmonious
relationship. Thus, the political life and institutions
should be guided by the light of reason. E.g. Recently,
Supreme Court of India banned the practice of Triple
Talaq and abolished section 377, thus paving a way for
reexamining the beliefs of customary morality.
Internationally, we have seen a lot of instability in
various countries and the biggest reason is the conflict of
the orthodoxy customary morality and Ideals of modern
life or westernization. E.g. USA attacking Iran and
Afghanistan and Taliban forcefully throwing their way of
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life and traditions on the people of Afghanistan. Politics
of Syria is yet another example.
Recently, the globe has turned upside down due to the
disruption of Covid-19. In modern life we cherish the
democratic way of state and living where ‘transparency’
is prioritized. May be if China was accountable and
transparent enough about the coronavirus crisis, many
time could’ve been saved.
Now, looking at the different sides of the coin, let us
know that how we can achieve the balance.
Attaining the Golden Mean
The USA destroyed an entire country (Afghanistan)
without a second thought over a false piece of
information, or a building that was brought down, while
India showed the other cheek when four of its buildings
were attacked. Two sides of the same coin, but with
completely opposite morals.
Customary morality is a complex concept, people are
involved with it emotionally, mentally, physically. It is not
humanly possible to change a whole society and their
morality overnight. Growth is a process morals can be
buns or bangles. It simply depends on whether you want
to punch a hole in the dough or not.
Thus, the need of the hour is to avoid the extremism
inflicted by the customary morality and adapt the
positive ideals of customs which will complement the
modern way of life. In this era of Globalization &
Isolation, we need to strike a balance between the
communication ideals and rationality.
To quote Mahatma Gandhi here, “A ‘No’ uttered from the
deepest conviction is better than ‘yes’ merely uttered to
please or worse, to avoid the trouble.”
Thus, before blowing down to Norms and customary
morality, we should introspect about it rationality and
work towards bettering it and making own modern life
more liveable because unexamined life is not worth
living.
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
ESSAY 3: JOY IS THE SIMPLEST FORM OF
GRATITUDE
# Ethics
SUBMITTED BY: MUSKAN ARYA (STUDENT)
A child readily accepts a new toy and
expresses her happiness by clapping and
laughing. A farmer desperately waiting for
rainfall on his parched land, after a few
good showers looks up in the sky with tears in his eyes to
thank the almighty. A homeless person, accepts a
blanket on a chilly winter night and expresses his
gratitude by folding hands and a thankful smile.
Similarly, a dog drinks milk served to him and returns the
act of kindness by being loyal and protective for the
owner. He is happy to feel belonged and being cared for.
Gratitude is a state of being thankful for what has been
bestowed upon us while at the same time being willing
to return the act of kindness having given an opportunity
to do so. Like in above examples, an individual can be
grateful in a hundred ways but the simplest form will be
being joyful (happy) about being blessed. It is said that
happiness is contagious. A person being in a blissful
state of mind is bound to give happiness to others and
thereby, the vicious cycle of being grateful can be
churned. Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma
Gandhi, Gautam Buddha to name a few were the ones
who harness this power of gratitude.
Being grateful for what has been bestowed upon us were
reflected very evidently by early human civilizations.
People of Indus Valley Civilization, were thankful for the
abundance of resources at their disposal and therefore
the trend is so evident back then as a form of gratitude.
The civilization was peaceful and joyful thereby setting
example ever after centuries of their existence about
how egalitarian society leads to prosperity and longevity
for all. Similarly, Aryans were grateful for having
discovered fertile pastures after coming from Central
Asia, so were Babur and Akbar in India – a land of
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diversity, love and kindness. Even Buddhism has its
teaching reflecting the joy in acceptance when it says a
person should practice ‘Mudita’ (joy over others success);
‘Upeksha’ (mind at peace); Karuna (Compassion). Gautam
Buddha always taught his disciples to happily accept
what is being given to them.
But as our society progressed, simple things were
replaced by complex things, man grew to be more
greedy than his need. The definition of joy changed
drastically and humans became ungrateful for most of
the things. Today, everyone is competing for power be it
inside a country or around the world. Politicians inside
the country are often happy only after amassing wealth
and having great power at their dispersal; paying least
regard to the toppling social order inside the country.
The great geo-political game running in the world and
the race to become a super-power by eliminating and
threatening others is now giving joy to the world leaders.
Unmindful exploitation of resources specially natural
resources for economic gains without being grateful in
the first place for having them is pushing the entire
universe to extinction.
The society that we live in today has more jealousy than
joy. The millennium generation getting the advantage of
internet are now searching their happiness by measuring
the number of likes on a particular post on major social
media platforms. Similarly, an entrepreneur today is not
happy by influencing a number of lives or by giving hope
to the budding talents that dreams can be achieved
instead she runs behind the profits and materialistic
gains on the balance sheet. This negative competition
and the feeling of finding joy only after pushing the other
down is being ingrained in the society for too long. No
wonder, our colleges produce mere machines than
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
thinking individuals because they have been never
appreciated for their uniqueness but instead have been
exposed to comparisons. Nobody is given a moment to
pause and introspect how far they have come and to
express gratitude for the journey that made them today.
Such toxic environment where individuals are
perpetually unsatisfied breads unhappiness and leads to
mental health problems. Leaders of such country which
are themselves product of this environment, turn to
extremist methods and often their nationalism does
more harm than good. In such a society inequality leads
to deterioration of status of women increasing crimes
and domestic abuse. Such a country can never progress
in this world for they have forgotten to distinguish
between how much is too much.
However, it is not at all difficult to inculcate these
fundamental emotions to help citizens of a country to be
grateful for what they have. The leaders of the country
should take the first step in this direction by indulging in
less power games and working towards making society
more just. Sustainable development goals can be made
more applicable here. Goal 4 – Quality education by
teaching students about how small things are those that
ESSAY 4: DISCIPLINE MEANS SUCCESS,
ANARCHY MEANS RUIN
# Ethics
What is the aspect, which is common
amongst all the successful and renowned
personalities across the globe? Which
virtue do they share? Yes, they lead a very
disciplined and organized life. Discipline holds the secret
behind their success. In order to make the mind accept
the command and obey the orders of high authority,
discipline needs to be imparted within us. It is the symbol
of civilization, the mark of humanity. Discipline is what a
person imposes on himself taking it as his duty to god, to
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really matter. Japanese school inculcate value of
cleanliness right from the beginning in students.
Japanese citizens who went to watch football match
stunned the entire world when they cleaned the stands
after match. The players did the same when they left
their dressing room and accommodation while at the
same time leaving a note that they were grateful for the
hospitality. In India, Delhi schools are running happiness
curriculum to help children find peace and joy and
realize that they have been blessed. Goal 16 – Peace,
Justice and Strong Institutions can have a far reaching
effects on humanity. As they would provide the basic
framework for functioning. Goal 12 – Responsible
production and consumption would help us limit our
greed.
We the people of India, should be grateful for the
preamble that is as given to us by our forefathers. The
least we can do is to understand the intricate balance
between Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity to bring
about unity and live peacefully in this nation. Lastly, we
should not forget being happy to be part of World’s
largest democracy and the most vibrant too.
society or to some other institution. It maintains a strict
control over an individual's rights and privileges, which if
allowed going out of control might result in disorder and
chaos in social and political life of a country.
Our life should be punctuated with discipline. The day to
day chores, which are carried out by us, depict the level
of discipline which we follow. It is a lesson that we can
learn from the way the universe runs. Nature herself
presents before us this valuable lesson of discipline. The
seasons come and go in definite patterns. A slight
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 Essays OF THE MONTH
indiscipline will cause confusions in this well- planned
natural system. Similarly, in our society too, discipline is
the topmost priority, which should be preferred above all
other aspects of our personality. The word discipline
comes from the word disciple, which means a learner. So
discipline means learning to obey rules.
Discipline is the quality by which one learns to control
one's feelings, emotions and behaviour. It is the ability
for self-control and self-direction. Rules are everywhere.
There are rules of nature and rules for human beings.
The whole universe is led by rules. Nature cannot diverge
from them. The human society is also run by certain
rules, some are written while others are unwritten.
However, they all need to be followed and obeyed
decently. Discipline plays a significant part in our day
today life. Discipline enables us to think progressively,
act maturely and to take decisions responsibly. It is the
backbone of a character and it lays a foundation. It
makes us self-propelled, self- controlled and self-guiding
persons. It makes us responsible persons and principled
individuals ready to tackle critical situations encountered
in day to day life.
Discipline is one of the essential qualities required for
social living. Without it, life in society becomes chaotic
and miserable. Without discipline, there can be no law
and order. Without discipline society becomes a devil's
paradise, where, 'might determines what is right' and
power and riches determine who is right and who is not.
Today a quick look around us will show how our society
has come into the grips of chaos and confusions
everywhere. Lack of discipline in our lives is a primary
cause of all these. It is essential for the preservation of
social values. However, discipline should be inborn and
self-imposed rather than externally imposed. It should
be a tenor and mode of life based upon moral basis
rather than an external compulsion caused by an
unscrupulous and powered hungry authoritarian
government. It should be taught by education and
enlightenment.
Life without discipline is like a ship without a rudder. To
children and young peers the word discipline has an
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unpleasant sound. They think it means restraint on their
movements but they are wrong. Discipline means
learning to adapt oneself to the conditions of life. It
means Obedience to some rules or laws of the life. In the
other words, it means self-control to follow moral laws.
The highest form of discipline is self-discipline. No
person can have a truly great character unless she able
to discipline himself. It does not deprive a person of her
liberty, but controls her when she goes beyond her
limits. Every civilized society rests on the sound
foundation of discipline. Without it, life is irresponsible, u
cheap and meaningless. It costs nothing but gains
everything. It is the breath our life.
In the primitive society, every man did, as he liked. The
result was chaos and confusion. The civilized man
however disciplines his mind and habits in order to live
harmoniously in the society. Our mind, like our body
needs discipline so that it may not be swayed by
passions, prejudices and temptations. A disciplined
person disciple is a learner therefore, he acts according
to certain prescribed rules. The basis of discipline should
therefore be the desire to do one's share of work in
making life as easy as possible for the majority. Discipline
is an important for collective life as for the individual.
Our society is built upon the principles of mutual help
and trust. If every man refuses to subordinate his own
interests to the interests of others, the society will
tumble down like a house of cards. We need discipline in
all spheres of life. It must be enforced early in life so that
a child learn it as the fundamental basics of livelihood. A
child who is allowed to do, as he likes commits all sorts
of folly in later life. However, if he is taught discipline he
will a useful member of society. Without discipline, no
home can be happy and in peace. Discipline is equally
important for every school and college. In matters of
administration, discipline is equally important from the
head of the government a down to the lowest servant. All
persons have to carry out the rules and abide by the
orders of the supreme authority. Without discipline, a
government cannot function efficiently. Above all
discipline is indispensable in the army.
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Mahatma Gandhi led a life of discipline, so did Pandit
Nehru. The result was that they rose to the heights of
glory. Sardar Patel once said, "we do not need an
untrained mob, we need a disciplined army of young
men and women." We cite many examples of discipline.
Good citizenship is a matter of discipline. A disciplined
man is an asset for the country and thus turns out to be
to a good citizen whereas an undisciplined man is a
liability. A balanced man is disciplined in thoughts and
actions and possesses a peaceful and calm mind,
capable of making accurate decisions. A self-disciplined
person should have determination, self-confidence along
with faith in his own self. A self-disciplined person is able
to make right priorities at the right time handling the
situation efficiently and then acts upon them. Even the
great Buddha encouraged self-discipline amongst his
disciples motivating practice it in every aspect of life. He
mentioned it as the ability of man to make the right
strategy and achieve the desired goal through
determination and dedication. Life will be a burden for
us if our desires are uncontrolled. A decent social and
natural life will come to end if individuals go their own
way removing the common interest of the society. The
habit of discipline ensures happiness and mental peace.
Therefore, for the stability, strength and prosperity of a
nation discipline is of great importance. Let each one of
us practice discipline in all spheres of life. It makes life
worth living. Disciplined men and women alone prosper
in life. Great disciplined men are the noblest possessions
of a nation and are powerful forces in shaping of
national character. Their influences lives even after they
pass away and their mark can be seen in the coming
generations. They set an example for others and act as
an inspiration to others who follow them.
It is in the sense that national integrity can be stated as
the reliable and faithful performance of duties and
obligations by every section of the people. In a family,
members have to work as a solid team under the charge
of the head of the family that is the father or the main
source of income. Nevertheless, if the sense of discipline
is not inculcated into the mind of the members, each
going his own way in his own manner, it is difficult to
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tackle the situations of family life, in our social life we are
required to follow certain norms of behaviour and make
a balanced adjustment between our rights and duties.
Without this, our social life will become a mess and will
soon go out of order. Even a small day-to-day thing like
walking along the road, boarding a bus, buying a ticket
from the counter or getting a work done in government
office, citizens must show a sense of discipline.
Discipline is the backbone of political life of a nation. If a
political party is torn by internal disputes or. differences,
or if it suffers from indiscipline, it cannot commend any
prestige or following of a common person. If a leader is
himself undisciplined, he cannot even dream of
becoming a beloved leader of the people. Discipline and
democracy go hand in hand. Democracy requires a
balance between rights and duties, between 'self-
regarding actions' and 'other regarding actions'.
However, if in a democracy discipline is lacking, it will
function like a fast running automobile without brakes
often going out of control. It is bound to result in a chaos,
and be replaced by a dictatorship or some other mode of
unfair ride. Discipline is the pre-requisite for growth and
development in any form of economy. The astounding
Japanese growth and progress, after the second World
war, when their nation was reduced to ashes, has been
attributed to the strict discipline which the Japanese
people possessed and utilized. Every profession, every
service: politics, industry, economy, government, etc.,
need discipline. Discipline is often associated with 'men
in uniform. It is the hallmark of soldiers. Discipline in the
army calls for strict obedience and humble submission. It
calls for duty in the face of adversity and courage in the
face of odds.
Discipline is necessary for both a teacher and a student.
A teacher is a leader of his student; he must possess and
maintain an intellectual and moral discipline of a high
order. However, learned and scholarly a teacher may be
but if in his personal life he leads a undisciplined life, he
will never be able to win and command the long term
respect and obedience of his students. Similarly, only a
dedicated and disciplined student can carve out a
brilliant career for himself and serve the motherland
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with full dedication and efficiency. Disciplined students

are the pillars of a nation's strength and with their of
character they can lift a nation to the great height of
progress. We must realize that discipline can ensure all-
round progress and advancement of country.

For the last few years, India has been a helpless victim of
growing indiscipline in all walks of life. Certain political
parties and political leaders have been creating
indiscipline among the masses in order to gain their
ultimate motives by fishing in troubled waters.
Unemployment, economic disparities, culture erosion,
intellectual lethargy, crisis of character and erroneous
conception of liberty are am among the chief
contributing factors of indiscipline.

This is one lesson, which has to be in inculcated at a very

young age. The home' is the first institution where the
value of discipline can be learnt and the parents are their
first guides who shape them. Then it is the responsibility
of the teachers to inculcate in them the value of
discipline. Applied Moral education should be a
mandatory subject in primary and elementary schools in
order to teach the child the significance of discipline.
Today's students are tomorrow's leaders. Discipline will
teach them the virtues of self-control, obedience, the
capacity for self-sacrifice and single minded devotion to
duty. Even this would guide them on the path of
prosperity.

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