1. In the interest of the public: Compulsory vaccination is legal and does not violate anyone’s fundamental rights READ MORE
2. Let’s take time out to be a friend to others READ MORE
3. The politics and ethics of surveillance READ MORE

1. Equal Opportunity Commission READ MORE
2. One nation, one police is a reform that is long overdue READ MORE
3. Lok Sabha strength to be increased to 1,000 from 543? Here’s how it can be done READ MORE

1. Does India’s population need controlling? READ MORE
2. India urgently needs a caste census – so why isn’t the Modi government allowing one? READ MORE

1. Tiger conservation: India’s strides and challenges READ MORE
2. India’s leopard count jumps 63% in just 4 years READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelims and Mains

1. Scheme for promoting education in rural areas READ MORE
2. Cabinet Approves Amendment to DICGC Act READ MORE
3. India set for record steel consumption as economy begins to revive READ MORE
4. SAFAL for CBSE students, Vidya Pravesh for preschoolers: Modi launches schemes on 1 year of NEP READ MORE
5. Digital payments up 30.2% in FY21: RBI data READ MORE
6. Jaipur’s Amagarh Fort: history, and factors leading to current conflict READ MORE
7. Parliament Passes Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill To Strengthen Child Protection; Empower District Magistrates To Authorise Adoption Orders READ MORE

Main exam 

GS PAPER- 1

HISTORY

1. Indus Waters Treaty is worth preserving READ MORE

SOCIETY

1. Does India’s population need controlling? READ MORE

GS PAPER- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Equal Opportunity Commission READ MORE
2. One nation, one police is a reform that is long overdue READ MORE
3. Lok Sabha strength to be increased to 1,000 from 543? Here’s how it can be done READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. India urgently needs a caste census – so why isn’t the Modi government allowing one? READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Shared values: On India and the U.S. READ MORE
2. India-US tie-up: use Quad to the best READ MORE
3. Behind the smiles: Afghanistan’s shadow on Indo-US relations READ MORE
4. India’s integrated check posts are boosting regional connectivity but challenges remain READ MORE

GS PAPER- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The importance of UN Model tax negotiations READ MORE
2. Disinvestment delay may affect revenue inflow READ MORE
3. Make-in-India must ‘make for the world’ READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Tiger conservation: India’s strides and challenges READ MORE
2. India’s leopard count jumps 63% in just 4 years READ MORE

SECURITY

1. What a military takeover by the Taliban could mean for Afghanistan READ MORE

GS PAPER- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. In the interest of the public: Compulsory vaccination is legal and does not violate anyone’s fundamental rights READ MORE
2. Let’s take time out to be a friend to others READ MORE
3. The politics and ethics of surveillance READ MORE

Questions for MAIN exam

1. Cyber-weapons are becoming the weapon of choice not only during a conflict but even during peace-time. In this context, analyse the nature and cope of threats from cyber-weapons.
2. Do you think that the government should come up with compulsory vaccination policy for COVID-19 while keeping the larger public interest in the view? Give justification.
3. ‘Peace and stability in multi-ethnic and diverse societies can only be ensured through coexistence, consensus and inclusion’. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Cyber is often touted as the fifth dimension of warfare — in addition to land, sea, air and space.
• With the advent of cyber weapons such as Pegasus, technology which is perceived as a friend could well become a matter of despair.
• All advances in technology tend to be a double-edged sword
• With their use not only during a conflict but even during peacetime, matters have reached a tipping point.
• State governments have the authority to mandate vaccines under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, which allows them to prescribe regulations to prevent the spread of an epidemic disease.
• Several state governments have passed Police Acts that are against Supreme Court verdict on police reforms. Centre too has failed to legislate a model Act.
• India can play a pivotal role in ensuring fair and equitable distribution of taxing rights in bilateral treaties.
• While increased protection has encouraged tigers to breed, it has also led to migration from the safety of reserves.
• India and the US need to have tacit understandings on digital commerce, technology, taxation, tariffs, and tradein order to beable to steer the global trade discourse.
• Peace and stability in multi-ethnic and diverse societies can only be ensured through coexistence, consensus and inclusion.

50-WORD TALK

• Controversy over name-calling in a ‘non-meeting’ of the IT parliamentary committee is unfortunate. These committees were envisaged to scrutinise government’s policies and legislative proposals in a non-partisan way. By political grandstanding in meetings, law-makers are failing in their duty to ensure executive accountability. They must strengthen, not undermine, parliamentary democracy.
• The Supreme Court has acted correctly by proposing a new system of electronically transmitting bail orders directly to prisons to ensure those jailed are released the same day. This should end the abhorrent police tactic of delaying the release of prisoners by booking the person under another, sometimes dubious, charge.
• The government decision to extend Covid containment measures until 31 August is wise. Although India’s cases have fallen from the second wave peak, they’ve plateaued obstinately for 37 days, causing serious concern. With slow vaccination and opening up, infection data should be watched closely to avoid a possible third wave.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do a map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers etc. same applies for the national places.)
• For economy related news (banking, agriculture etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related with various economic aspects, for examples if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing prices rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates etc.
• For main exam related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occurs frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment in your writing.

The Context: In the wake of Covid-19, climate changes and other important global issues such as globalization, cold war, trade war, the world is facing several issues and the UN is nearly just seeming an audience in most of them. Hence, the demand is whether world needs a global parliament for dealing global issues. This article discusses this issue in detail.

What is World Parliament?

The world should establish parliament to resolve the global issue and making the rules for International issues such as the pandemics, stockpiles of nuclear weapons, deadly biological weapons, natural disasters, climate change, loss of control over artificial intelligence, terrorism, serious imbalances in international trade, influence, intelligence, greed for power and a host of other threats.

It is obvious that these threats cannot be tackled by any one country alone and a united action at local, regional and international levels alone can rid the world of these dangers.

The Issues faced by Mankind in Recent Time

• Amid ever-increasing threats facing humanity, it’s high time to initiate steps at the governance level to make the world a safer place for mankind.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has provided impetus to the idea of a global democratic government and underlined the necessity of a world organisation to tackle the dangers facing mankind in a more effective manner.
• These include — pandemics, stockpiles of nuclear weapons, deadly biological weapons, natural disasters, climate change, loss of control over Artificial Intelligence, terrorism and so on.

Need for the World Parliament

Transcending the Nation-State	• There is no body that represents the interest of the world community at large. Even if a treaty is concluded and ratified, a state can withdraw again. • The international order recognizes no higher authority for decision or enforcement.
Social disparities between citizen	• World is witnessing the emergence of global social strata that are giving rise to vertical social tensions. The dividing line will no longer be between rich and poor countries, but between the super-rich and the rest everywhere.
Immigrations emerged as a major issue	• The promise of the “global village” is only valid for the rich. But for the poor peoples and minor communities of many countries facing harassment and seeking asylum in neighbor countries. As there is no world policy to resolve these issue so that they are facing many issues.
Addressing environmental threats	• Humanity now shares a common destiny. • The dangers posed by nuclear war, global pandemics, environmental devastation, biodiversity loss or climate change affect everybody. • Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere knows no borders.
Global ruling in proper way	• The supply of important public goods like food security or the stability of the financial and economic system depends on how well global structures are working. • Regulating research and development in fields such as artificial intelligence, genetics, biotechnology or autonomous weapons must be on the global agenda. • Based on the collaboration of 193 nominally sovereign states, global regulation will never work well.

Why does World need World Parliament despite having United Nations?

Presently a world body already exists known as United Nations Organization (UNO). Formed after world war II in 1945 to prevent and eliminate recurrence of wars and to maintain peace all over the world, it was also mandated in broader terms to look after some aspects of areas like economic, social and cultural development.

PAST RECORD OF UN	• The Organisation has been beneficial to mankind in many ways, but looking back at its record during last over seventy-five years of its existence, there is not much to feel proud about. • Soon after its formation in 1945, it had to face cold war between the western Block and the Soviet Block headed by former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR) which lasted till collapse of Soviet Block in 1991. • It could not prevent local and regional wars in Korean peninsula, Asia, Africa and even in Europe and Latin America. • It could not stop Chinese aggression against India in 1962 and Cuban missile crisis between the then Soviet Union and USA. • Mostly because of cold war politics and its attitude, it failed to take bold united action. • Its response to natural disasters and epidemics at national or international level also fell far short of its expectations.
THE ISSUE OF REPRESENTATION	• Apart from cold war politics, other main causes responsible for its failure to meet expectations have been lack of its full representative character and its failure to reform itself. • Also,it has not restructured itself to keep up with needs of changing world. • Under these circumstances its attitude towards enormous problems and threats and deviant forces facing mankind has been almost inflexible. • Despite repeated calls by many countries it has more or less continued with its inequitable representative character. • A glaring example of this has been that India with over 1.38 billion population which constitutes about eighteen per cent of total world population has no permanent representation on its most important decision making organ UN Security Council. • While more basic structural changes in the Organisation will take years and years if not decades, it has to reform itself urgently to make itself fully representative to tackle the pressing problems. • Urgency of such a step can also be gauged by the fact that last year in June out of 192 votes cast in UN General Assembly,184 countries voted in favour of India for two-year non-permanent membership of UNSC which started from January this year. • The world body has also to change its responses so that threats facing the mankind are attended to promptly.
BIASED NATURE	• In a world full of diversities and ideological differences, such an institution will have to be free from biases and prejudices and will have to transcend the diversities and differences to acquire a truly representative and independent profile. • But it is evident in recent past and in past seventy-five years that UN is facing biasness issue. It took actions against small country but against powerful countries it peaceful appeal had no impacts.
AN OLD CONCEPT	• One of the key challenges of modern cultural evolution is the time lag between rapid technological development and slow political adaptation. • The United Nations that represents the best governance model humanity could come up with for the management of global affairs is now frozen in time. • Its underlying principle of national sovereignty goes back to 1648, a hundred years before the industrial revolution even started. • Today we live in the 21st century, the world population is approaching eight billion and technological development continues to accelerate. • The need for global governance to catch up with the accelerating pace of change is more urgent than ever before.

How the Global Parliament should work for better outcomes?

• In a world full of diversities and ideological differences, such an institution will have to be free from biases and prejudices and will have to transcend the diversities and differences to acquire a truly representative and independent profile.
• The parliament of the world body could be elected directly by proportional representation based on population of each member nation or nation state.
• The challenges facing mankind as also the matters of economic and financial governance can be dealt with in a far better way by a Global Parliament.
• Such an institution will strengthen democracy, justice and equity throughout the world and help in curbing fundamentalist and the radical ideologies.
• Proper attention to all threats facing mankind could ensure safety and survival of intelligent life on earth. But for realising it, the member countries will have to shed a few shades of their sovereignty which could democratically authorise and enable such a World Government to prevent deadly nuclear and biological wars at the local, regional or at international levels.
• At present, there are already scores of organisations in Africa, America, Europe and elsewhere, and some of these are popularly elected.

Way forward

• The idea regarding the deep structural changes to turn the UN into a democratic World Government, will take more time to come somewhat into shape.
• Moreover, in a world full of diversities and ideological differences, such an institution will have to be free from biases and prejudices and will have to transcend the diversities and differences to acquire a truly representative and independent character.
• Recently, with advancements in human civilisation and thought, the necessity for such a global institution has been felt immensely at various stages.
• After deeper restructuring of the existing world body, contours for a democratic World Government can be established and Parliament of the world body could be elected directly by proportional representation based on population of each member nation.

Conclusion: The experience of democratic regimes teaches us that no parliament can govern a country alone. A government is necessary. So the World Parliament must be seen as a crucial milestone on the way toward forming a democratic government endowed with the necessary powers to enforce the laws approved by the World Parliament.

Questions to Ponder

1. What are the issues faced by world in contemporary times? Discuss the need for a global parliament to address these issues.
2. How far do you agree with the view that despite having a global body like United Nations, the world need a global parliament to govern the global issues?

THE CONTEXT: Adding yet another feather to its cap, the cleanest city of the country has also become the only city to be selected from India for International Clean Air Catalyst Programme.

Analysis:

• Clean Air Catalyst is a new flagship programme launched by The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and a global consortium of organisations, led by World Resources Institute (WRI) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to accelerate clean air solutions in low and middle-income countries.
• In collaboration with USAID and other international organisations like EDF and WRI, Indore will implement City Clean Air Catalyst programme.
• In the programme, with the cooperation of Indore Municipal Corporation and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the project will be operated for 5 years for clean and pure air in the city.
• WRI is a global nonprofit organization that works with leaders in government, business and civil society to improve people’s lives and ensure nature can thrive
• Environmental Defense Fund or EDF (formerly known as Environmental Defense) is a United States-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group. Environmental Defense Fund’s mission is to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends.

THE CONTEXT: India has 501.83 million tonnes of gold ore reserves as of April 1, 2015, according to National Mineral Inventory data

Analysis:

• Out of these, 17.22 million tonnes were placed under reserves category and the rest under remaining resources category.
• The largest reserves of gold ores are located in Bihar (44 per cent), followed by Rajasthan (25 per cent), Karnataka (21 per cent), West Bengal (3 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (3 per cent), Jharkhand (2 per cent).
• The remaining 2 per cent reserves are in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
• Kolar Gold Field, Hutti Gold Field (Karnataka)and Ramgiri Gold Field are the most important gold fields in India.
• Karnataka is the largest producer followed by Andhra Pradesh.
• Ramagiri in Anantapur district is the most important gold field in AP.
• In Jharkhand, Sands of the Subarnarekha (gold streak) river have some alluvial gold
• In Kerala, the river terraces along the Punna Puzha and the Chabiyar Puzha have some alluvial gold.
• UP government’s Department of Geology and Mining claims of discovering about 3,000 tonnes of gold deposits in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district, has been rejected by centre recently saying the actual estimated reserve stands at 160 kg.

THE CONTEXT: To make the scheme more farmer friendly, Government has comprehensively revised and revamped the Operational Guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Analysis:

ABOUT PMFBY

• It provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crop thus helping in stabilising the income of the farmers.
• There will be a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops.
• In case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only 5%.
• The premium rates to be paid by farmers are very low and balance premium will be paid by the Government to provide full insured amount to the farmers against crop loss on account of natural calamities.
• There is no upper limit on Government subsidy. Even if balance premium is 90%, it will be borne by the Government.
• Earlier, there was a provision of capping the premium rate which resulted in low claims being paid to farmers.
• This capping was done to limit Government outgo on the premium subsidy. This capping has now been removed and farmers will get claim against full sum insured without any reduction.
• The use of technology will be encouraged to a great extent.
• Smart phones will be used to capture and upload data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim payment to farmers. Remote sensing will be used to reduce the number of crops cutting experiments.
• In order to ensure more efficient and effective implementation of the scheme, the central government had revamped PMFBY in the 2020 Kharif season.

• This overhauled PMFBY is often called PMFBY 2.0, it has the following features:
  • Completely voluntary Enrolment 100% voluntary for all farmers from 2020 Kharif.
  • Limit to Central Subsidy: The Cabinet has decided to cap the Centre’s premium subsidy under the scheme for premium rates up to 30% for unirrigated areas/crops and 25% for irrigated areas/crops.
  • More Flexibility to States:The government has given the flexibility to states/UTs to implement PMFBY and given them the option to select any number of additional risk covers/features.
  • Investing in ICE Activities: Insurance companies have to now spend 0.5% of the total premium collected on information, education and communication (IEC) activities.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is available for all States/UTs and farmers whether loanee, non-loanee, share cropper or tenant farmers on voluntary basis.
  • National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) has been developed for ensuring better administration, co-ordination, transparency, dissemination of information and delivery of services including direct online enrollment of farmers, etc.
  • Penalty provisions @12% per annum for late settlement of claims by insurance companies and late release of funds by State Governments have also been stipulated under the scheme.