[WpProQuiz 143]

1. Truth is the biggest immunity booster READ MORE
2. Increase your mental power READ MORE
3. ‘Ethical Concerns Over Rich Countries’ Access to Foreign Nurses During Omicron’ READ MORE

1. Is India’s forest cover growing? Yes, but if you count coffee estates and clumps of trees in cities READ MORE
2. A possible new way to track wildlife trafficking in the Himalayas READ MORE
3. Plantations, invasive species… what all India counts as ‘forest’ READ MORE

1. For a civic solidarity: On citizenship for the Chakma/Hajong people READ MORE
2. Adult marriage isn’t the govt’s business READ MORE
3. The devastating impact of school closure READ MORE

1. Why Republic Day is celebrated: India is a republic only when its laws result from free public discussion and pass open scrutiny READ MORE
2. IAS cadre issue: Enforce central deputation rules READ MORE
3. Make governance lean & mean: The State comprises vertical hierarchies that coordinate but rarely collaborate READ MORE
4. Election Laws (Amendment) Act Threatens Sanctity of Electoral Rolls READ MORE
5. Why the Supreme Court now thinks it was wrong to claim that reservations undermine the idea of merit READ MORE
6. The Defection Game READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Padma Awards 2022 announced READ MORE
2. Spot-billed pelicans dying en masse in Naupada swamp READ MORE
3. Decommissioned INS Khukri to be converted into museum READ MORE
4. Explained: The America COMPETES Act, and how it could increase opportunities for Indians in the US READ MORE
5. Explained: India’s bilateral trade with China in 2021 READ MORE
6. India to look at Brazil, Russia for sunflower oil as invasion threat looms over Ukraine READ MORE
7. Two species of fungi associated with basal stem rot found READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. For a civic solidarity: On citizenship for the Chakma/Hajong people READ MORE
2. Adult marriage isn’t the govt’s business READ MORE
3. Plantations, invasive species… what all India counts as ‘forest’ READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Why Republic Day is celebrated: India is a republic only when its laws result from free public discussion and pass open scrutiny READ MORE
2. IAS cadre issue: Enforce central deputation rules READ MORE
3. Make governance lean & mean: The State comprises vertical hierarchies that coordinate but rarely collaborate READ MORE
4. Election Laws (Amendment) Act Threatens Sanctity of Electoral Rolls READ MORE
5. Why the Supreme Court now thinks it was wrong to claim that reservations undermine the idea of merit READ MORE
6. The Defection Game READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The devastating impact of school closure READ MORE

 INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Keeping the faith: On people-to-people initiatives and India-Pakistan ties READ MORE
2. India-Central Asia summit is important. Here’s why READ MORE
3. Central Asia summit needs right outlook READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The credibility of govt accounting READ MORE
2. Indian govt can’t introduce quality reforms because it’s ignoring these three issues READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Is India’s forest cover growing? Yes, but if you count coffee estates and clumps of trees in cities READ MORE
2. A possible new way to track wildlife trafficking in the Himalayas READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Truth is the biggest immunity booster READ MORE
2. Increase your mental power READ MORE
3. ‘Ethical Concerns Over Rich Countries’ Access to Foreign Nurses During Omicron’ READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Apart from commerce, only a value-driven cultural policy can replace the currently rather ill-defined goals of rebuilding India-Central Asia bonds’. Comment.
2. Prolonged school closure in India during pandemics is unreasonable and unscientific. Critically analyse.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Bad governance is riskier than the woes of a civil war.
• People-to-people initiatives can help build goodwill between India and Pakistan.
• India is a republic only when its laws result from free public discussion and pass open scrutiny.
• By going beyond the mere counting of heads, the term ‘republic’ brings free public discussion to our democratic constitution. It gives depth to our democracy.
• Karma here means to do all that comes our way with all our capacities and as an offering to the Supreme, without looking at the results.
• The All India Services is in urgent need of reforms in several areas and at different levels. Deputation to the Centre is one such and must be enforced. The central government cannot be hamstrung for lack of cooperation from the states.
• Since the Central Asia region is a critical lynchpin to India’s security policy, the summit will have a waterfall impact to facilitate India’s multifaceted approach towards the region.
• Egalitarianism should aim at raising standards to the highest level achievable rather than seeking the lowest common denominator.
• Apart from commerce, only a value-driven cultural policy can replace the currently rather ill-defined goals of rebuilding India-Central Asia bonds.
• India must also maintain a proactive level of consistency in applying its Act East Policy. The lack of momentum in the past has allowed countries like China to monopolize influence over key Southeast Asian countries.
• While the government’s goal of digitising electoral rolls sounds laudable in principle, it should first address how the rights of the people would be protected and how it would control the Aadhaar database’s potential for fraud.
• Democracy demands accountability, and a move that could deprive citizens of their fundamental rights must be addressed to alleviate concerns.
• Defectors contend that anti-defection laws stifle their right to free speech, glossing over the fact that they are not individuals with a free will but representatives of an electorate that voted for them on the basis of certain assurances including that of party affiliation.
• The problem of political defections would persist till we have legislators who are of sterling character and electorates that are not well-disposed towards defectors.

50-WORD TALK

• Delhi first needs to get its big-picture of the region right. When others have drawn their perspectives: China from economic (BRI), Russia from strategic (CSTO), Turkey from ethnic (Turkic Council), and the Islamic world from the religious (OIC), it would be befitting for India to give a poignant cultural and historical perspective to the region through a summit-level annual meet.
• Although many of us may be uncertain about the joys of “veg chicken” and “vegan mutton”, the growth of Indian plant-protein products is good news. Indian people need much more protein. Plant-protein is environmentally sustainable, affordable, and a good option for vegetarians. With R&D support, Indian manufacturers could become world leaders.

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 map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price 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 occur 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 to your writing.

THE CONTEXT: The Indian Constitution provides for affirmative actions in respect of socially, educationally, and economically (EWS reservation) backward classes of society. However, there exists a notion that the reservations in public employments lower the standards of efficiency in administration. Many Supreme Court verdicts seem to imply this aspect. Thus, this article analyses the interplay between Art 16(4) and Art 335 in the light of Constitutional Assembly Debates to see whether the constitution makers intended to make the “efficiency” criterion for restricting the scope of reservation in public employment.

                                                                RESERVATION: CONCEPT AND MEANING

• Reservation is a tool for bringing the marginalized into the frontline of society. It enables the less privileged sections to grab the opportunities of life. Without positive interventions by the governments, these communities would find it impossible to make it into the mainstream. In India, the constitution itself provides for reservations in public employment, education, electoral democracy, etc.
• Although largely based on caste, the reservation is also given based on domicile, gender, age, disability, and even religion. The core of reservation is social mobility in a highly stratified Indian society. The linkage between caste and life chances and caste and human dignity is well established in India. These groups have faced historical injustices and continue to undergo various disabilities. Thus, reservation aims at social emancipation and social mobility of the less fortunate in India. It is not a poverty alleviation program in the economic sense but is one in a socio-political sense.
• Reservation focuses on the redistribution of social power in Indian society by opening up avenues and opportunities to hitherto excluded.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS FOR RESERVATIONS: PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT

• Article 16(3) provides that parliament can make laws to prescribe domicile qualifications for various public employments under the state and the local authority.
• Article 16(4), Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment: The state can make provisions for the reservation of appointments or posts in favor of any backward class of citizens which in the opinion of the state is not adequately represented in the services under the State.
• 16 (4A) was added through the 77^th Constitutional Amendment which provided reservation in promotion for SCs and STs. This article was later amended to provide “consequential seniority” on promotion to these communities.
• 16 (4B) was added through the 81^st Constitutional Amendment to “carry forward” the previous year’s vacancies for next year.
• A General provision under 15(4) also enables the state to take necessary steps for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes.
• Article 335 provides for “maintenance of efficiency of administration” while considering the claims of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the making of appointments to public services and posts. The proviso to 335 deals with reduced evaluation standards for SCs and STs in the promotion.
• Art 320(4): Inter alia, excludes consultation with UPSC in respect of SC and ST’s appointment to government positions.
• It must be noted that the Constitutional Provisions concerning reservations in public employment are only enabling and not mandatory provisions. It means that there is no “Fundamental Right” to the reservation and the state is under no compulsion to provide reservation.

THE RESERVATION VS. MERIT/EFFICIENCY DEBATE: AN ANALYSIS

RESERVATION LEADS TO INEFFICIENCY:

• Because the standards of qualification have been lowered for the” reserved”, they lack the required knowledge and skill needed for the performance of the job.
• Thus the persons recruited in the reserved category cannot perform satisfactorily.
• Hence, the administration becomes inefficient. So they argue for purely merit-based appointments for the sake of efficient administration.
• The Supreme Court of India has consistently referred to the notions of “efficiency” and “merit” while adjudicating the validity of various reservation policies.
• For instance, the Supreme Court has held in several judgments, including M Nagraj 2006 and Jar nail Singh 2018 that the reservation policies made under various provisions of Article 16 of the Constitution would be limited by Article 335.
• Another argument is that even if the reservation is provided, the open category must be filled by persons from the “General Category” only to accommodate merit to the extent possible.

MERIT IS NOT COMPROMISED:

• The constitution does not define the term efficiency in administration. Thus, using a subjective yardstick to measure an undefined criterion lacks validity.
• In BK Pavitra (II) v. Union of India, (2019) the SC  held that “efficiency of administration in the affairs of the Union or a State must be defined in an inclusive sense, where diverse segments of society find representation
•  The “efficiency” construct was used in the pre and colonial era to keep out the lower castes and “Indians” respectively.
• The disproportionate access to resources, socio-economic capital, and networking ties put the dominant classes in a better position to “acquire” merit. Thus, “merit” is not “ purely” competency” but is a product of “privileged existence”
•  An empirical study conducted by Wasserkopfs and Mishra in 2011 has punctured the arguments that “officers of the reserved category are less efficient”. Their study on the number of railway accidents in railway zones proved that zones headed by officers from the reserved category saw a lesser number than those headed by non-reserved officers.
• The Constitutional Assembly debates provided ample evidence that 16(4) and 335 are meant to be standalone articles.    (Read ahead)

INSIGHT INTO THE CA DEBATES: ORIGIN OF RESERVATION AND EFFICIENCY

• The Constituent Assembly, through a resolution on 24 January 1947, had appointed an Advisory Committee to assist the Assembly by drawing upon a “list of fundamental rights, clauses for protecting minorities among others.
• The Sub Committee on FRs drafted Article 10(3) which provided for “reservation in favor of any backward class of citizens, not adequately represented in public service as per the opinion of the state. This article later became 16(4).
• The Sub-committee on Minority Rights’ report covered the claims made by several minority groups: Anglo-Indians, Indian Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Scheduled Castes, etc. It provided under Art 296 that, “the claims of all the minorities shall be kept in view in making appointments to the public services consistently with the consideration of the efficiency of administration”.
• It was from here that the term “efficiency of administration” was brought in the text of the draft Constitution. The term, however, was not defined. This Article 296 later became Article 335.
• LokanathMisra, a Brahmin from Orissa, argued that the clause puts “a premium on backwardness and inefficiency” and also because it was “not a fundamental right of any citizen to claim a portion of State employment, which ought to go by merit alone”. Damodar Swarup Seth, a Vaishya from United Provinces, felt that reservation in services meant the “very negation of efficiency and good Government”. He argued, “The maintenance of efficiency of administration shall be the only consideration” concerning the public appointment.
• These two articles were drafted by two different committees working on two different subjects. Thus, it can be safely concluded that 16(4) and 335 cover separate “subject matter”
• The draft Articles 10(3) and 296 were discussed and adopted separately by the Constituent Assembly. Article 10(3) was included in the Chapter on justifiable Fundamental Rights and did not contain the term “efficiency of administration”.
• Article 296, adopted on a later date, and did not refer to Article 10(3) at all. Moreover, Article 10(3) explicitly provided for reservation in services for backward classes, while Article 296 made only an assurance that the claims of minorities would be taken into consideration.
• It did not explicitly guarantee the reservation for minorities in the services. It appears that the craftspersons of the Constitution had kept the scope of draft Article 10(3) on a higher pedestal in comparison to Article 296.

THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARTICLE 16(4) AND ARTICLE 335

The discussion in the Constituent Assembly shows that it was only Article 16(4) which mandated and empowered the State to make reservations for backward classes of citizens, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Article 335, as pointed out consistently by members – particularly by those opposed to the reservation, was being treated as a mere directive. The Constituent Assembly never made Article 16(4) subject to Article 335, rather, accepted it as a standalone and overriding provision, as can be understood by Kunzru’s analysis in the Assembly. Reservation, as provided under Article 16(4), was thus not subjected to the notion of efficiency mentioned in Article 335.

EFFICIENCY AND MERIT ARGUMENT: A MYTH?

CA DEBATES:

• BasuMatari, a member from Assam discarded the arguments about “efficiency of administration” as “just dodges to perpetuate class or territorial interests”.
• He observed that the upper castes benefited in the “jobs, the contacts, and the privileges” during the British regime and that they will ensure that their superiority is never threatened or endangered.
• V. I. Muniswami Pillai, a Scheduled Caste member of the Assembly, remarked that the majority communities must remove from their minds that “those who were chosen from these communities for high offices will not be efficient”. He wished that “the claims of the Scheduled Castes will not be forgotten” by the majority communities.
• J. Khandekar, a Scheduled Caste member from the Congress party, endorsed reservation provision in Article 10(3), as he narrated that the Scheduled Castes candidates “are not selected for the posts” because of the biases of the recruitment panelists.

AMBEDKAR’S VIEW:

• The proponents of the efficiency argument relied upon “educational merit” and “competitive examinations” as the “only test which can be taken to guarantee efficiency”. Ambedkar rejected this argument, stating that the undemocratic education system in India had left out the backward classes thereby the open competition actually became closed!
• He presented a case of “administrative utility” and a “moral case” for the backward classes to have a “favored treatment” for their inclusion in the public services. He argued for the inclusion of different communities in public service to address the class bias and aggrandizement which created more harm than good to the administration.
• The advantage of exclusive privileges of education, social power continued for upper castes even in the colonial era.  In his view, the argument of “efficiency” was a method by upper castes to protect their own interests and structural advantages even in the post-independence democratic polity.

SUPREME COURT:

• The apex court rejected the notion that promotes drawn from the SCs and STs are not efficient or that efficiency is reduced by appointing them. This is stereotypical because it masks deep-rooted social prejudice. The benchmark for the efficiency of administration is not some abstract ideal measured by the performance of a qualified open category candidate.
• Administrative efficiency is an outcome of the actions taken by officials after they have been appointed or promoted and is not tied to the selection method itself. The argument that one selection method produces officials capable of taking better actions than a second method must be empirically proven based on an evaluation of the outcomes produced by officials selected through both methods.
• The candidates who score beyond a particular “cutoff point” are considered “meritorious” and others are “non-meritorious”. This is a distorted understanding of the function “merit” plays in society.
• A “meritorious” candidate is not merely one who is “talented” or “successful” but also one whose appointment fulfills the constitutional goals of uplifting the members of the SCs and STs and ensuring a diverse and representative administration.

EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION VERSUS GOOD GOVERNANCE

• Ambedkar had consistently distinguished the colonial construct of “efficiency of administration” with that of “good administration”. He asserted that a good administration or government is truly representative. In one of the articles, he had noted: It was through an administration that the State came directly in contact with the masses. No administration could do any good unless it was sympathetic… A representative bureaucracy would imbibe the values, aspirations, and ideas of the diverse communities they come from.
• In colonial times also “Indianisation” of public services was based on the notions of representation and inclusiveness, and not on the exclusionary notion of “efficiency”. For instance, the 1858 act of “good government” aimed at increasing associations of Indians in administration. It was a fact that the European bureaucracy constituted the most efficient government possible. At the same time the European bureaucracy, efficient though it was, was condemned as it was found to be wanting in those qualities which make for human administration. In Modern times, Hitler’s bureau was held to be the most efficient, but hated for its evil actions.
• Giving due representation to various social forces would enhance efficiency. “Good Government” meant that efficiency would be measured by the test of representation and inclusion of underrepresented social groups. Providing representation to backward classes would act as a system of countercheck to protect political democracy from being subverted by particular privileged groups. The inputs and concerns of various sections of society need to be part of the policymaking process which requires a representative administration. Moreover, the notion of Good Governance as expounded by the World Bank and United Nations does not view it through the narrow prism of “efficiency” but conceptualizes it in terms of “democracy and equity “among others.

WAY FORWARD:

• Reservation in public employment for communities that are historically marginalized would ensure a representative administration that reflects their diverse interests and challenges.
• Going beyond reservation through quotas, a quota plus approach to ensuring equal opportunities for all by establishing an “Equal Opportunities Commission” can address the problem of discrimination faced by the backward classes.
• To operationalize the ideal of ” sabkasaathsabkavikas and sabkaviswas ” requires affirmative action programs for the less privileged sections of society which ideally should extend to the private sector.
• Through incentives, encouragement, persuasion, etc. The private sector can also be taken on board to open up opportunities for the backward sections. For instance, conceiving and publishing a” Diversity Index” can put moral pressure on private sector employers to employ the Dalits and other marginalized communities.

CONCLUSION:

In India, government employment is seen as a ladder to power and prestige. Given the conspicuous presence of the state in people’s lives, public employment is a much sought-after avocation. Of late the number of vacancies in various posts and services in the governments is shrinking thanks to the ideology of “minimum government and maximum governance”. The competition for the “shrinking pie” has been intense which is accentuated by poor growth in the economy. Thus, the efficiency, merit, and reservation debate must be seen in this background, although the caste hierarchy is also a decisive factor. As the CA debates and recent SC judgment in BK Pavitra II, 2019 have shown, merit and efficiency must be construed in a wider canvass. Efficiency in the administration is not simply a matter of administration per se, but it heavily depends on the larger political system, civil society activism, and political culture. As Kiran Aggarwal Committee on IAS training has observed “what the services need is not mere efficiency, but also ethos, ethics and equity” which are the prime mover of good governance.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SC VIEW IN BK PAVITRA II 2019 CASE?

BASIS FOR JUSTIFICATION: The Law and the Committee recommendation fulfill the three conditions laid down in the Nagraj Case.

EXPLANATION: The three conditions are:

1. Backwardness” of SC/ST communities,
2. The inadequacy of their representation in the services and
3. The overall impact of reservation on the efficiency of the administration

BASIS FOR JUSTIFICATION: Reservation vs. Merit

EXPLANATION: A ‘meritorious’ candidate is not merely one who is ‘talented ’or ‘successful’ but also one whose appointment fulfills the constitutional goals of uplifting members of the SCs and STs and ensuring a diverse and representative administration.

BASIS FOR JUSTIFICATION: Substantive versus formal equality

EXPLANATION: Reservations are thus not an exception to the rule of equality of opportunity. If Article 16(1) merely postulates the principle of formal equality of opportunity, then Article 16(4) (by enabling reservations due to existing inequalities) becomes an exception to the strict rule of formal equality in Article 16 (1).  SC-ST Reservations Are True Fulfillment Of Effective And Substantive Equality.

BASIS FOR JUSTIFICATION: Efficiency of Administration vs. SC-ST Reservation

EXPLANATION: The criteria of ‘efficiency’ in the administration [a term used in Article 335 of the constitution] of government should not only be a ‘merit-based approach and the need to maintain the efficiency of the administration cannot be construed as a fetter on adopting these special measures designed to uplift and protect the welfare of the SCs and STs. While interpreting Article 335, it is necessary to liberate the concept of efficiency from a one-sided approach that ignores the need for and the positive effects of the inclusion of diverse segments of society on the efficiency of administration of the Union or of a State. It said: “Centuries of discrimination and prejudice suffered by the SCs and STs in a feudal, caste-oriented societal structure pose real barriers of access to opportunity. The proviso contains a realistic recognition that unless special measures are adopted for the SCs and STs, the mandate of the Constitution for the consideration of their claim to appointment will remain illusory. The proviso, in other words, is the aid of fostering the real and substantive right to equality to the SCs and STs.

BASIS FOR JUSTIFICATION: Participatory governance

EXPLANATION: Establishing the position of the SCs and STs as worthy participants in the affairs of governance is intrinsic to equal citizenship. Equal citizenship recognizes governance, which is inclusive, but also ensures that those segments of our society which have suffered a history of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression have a real voice in governance. Inclusion is inseparable from a well-governed society.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. MARITAL RAPE: CENTRE SEEKS TIME IN HC

THE CONTEXT: The Centre told the Delhi High Court that the issue of criminalisation of marital rape involves “family issues” and the dignity of a woman and cannot be looked at from a “microscopic angle”.

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF MARITAL RAPE?

Marital rape refers to undesirable sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, which is achieved by unlawful force, the threat of force, or physical violence, or when she is incompetent to give her consent to such sexual intercourse. Marital rape is a non-consensual act of violence perversion by a husband against the wife where she is physically and sexually abused.

INDIAN LAW ON MARITAL RAPE:

• Section 375, the IPC section which deals with rape, states, “Sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, the wife not being under 15 (18 by SC 2017 judgement), is not rape.”
• Section 376 of IPC, which provides punishment for rape status, the rapist should be punished with imprisonment and fine “unless the raped woman his own wife”.
• Domestic Violence Act, 2005 provides a civil remedy to marital rape.
• Section 122 of the Indian Evidence Act prevents evidence of marital rape from being admissible in court unless it is a prosecution for battery or a physical and mental case.
• India is one of the 15 countries that have not criminalised marital rape.

Government Stand:

The concept of marital rape cannot be applied in the country since marriage was treated as a sacrament or sacred in the Indian society. The government’s stand came against the backdrop of the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women recommending to India to criminalise marital rape. According to United Nations Population Fund, 75% of the married women in India were subjected to marital rape and whether government had taken cognisance of the fact.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. AUSTRALIA’S ONLINE SAFETY BILL

THE CONTEXT: The Australian Parliament passed the Online Safety Bill 2021. The bill is to address the issue of cyber abuse and cyber bullying against Australian adults and to establish an enforcement mechanism through the eSafety Commissioner.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A report by the Australia Communications and Media Authority in 2019 found that 90 percent of Australians had access to the internet, with 63% of Australian adults using social networking to communicate in the previous six months (from 2020) (this increased to 99% and 72%, respectively, in ACMA’s 2020 report).
• According to the Australia Institute, 39% of adult Australian users experienced online harassment and reputational damage. Amnesty International found that three in ten women experienced online abuse, and a report by the eSafety Commissioner found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, as well as those who identify as LGBTQI, “are more than twice as likely to experience online hate speech.”
• The bill also seeks to address terrorist and extreme violent material online. The explanatory memorandum refers to the Christchurch terrorist attacks and emphasizes the gap in the regulatory framework at that time. While internet service providers complied with the government’s request to block footage of the attacks, the previous regulatory framework did not provide the government with the authority to order such actions.

Highlights of the Bill:

• The act allows adults to report cases of online bullying in Australia, to the eSafety Commissioner.
• With this act, the eSafety commissioner is empowered to order social media websites to take down content related to bullying against Australian adults.
• Content shall be removed within 24 hours. In case, they failed to do so, they will face fines up to USD 555,000.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. SUNDARBANS IS CYCLONE CAPITAL OF INDIA: IMD REPORT

THE CONTEXT: According to the report, the Climate hazards and vulnerability atlas of India by the Indian Meteorological Department, West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, within which the larger share of the Sundarbans is located, is impacted by cyclones the most frequently among Indian districts. The return period of cyclonic storms in the district was 1.67 years on a scale of 1.5 to 60 years.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In 2021, the Sunderbans saw two (Yaas and Jawad cyclones) out of the 10 cyclonic disturbances that swept the country.
• “The web atlas is depicted using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and provides districts maps on hazard events and vulnerability; and are prepared based on the climatological data, census data on population and housing density’.
• Around four per cent of the districts and seven per cent of the population in India are highly vulnerable for cyclones, the report stated. Most of the coastal districts of the east coast are highly vulnerable for cyclones.
• According to the study, around 25 districts in the east coast — 10 in Tamil Nadu, seven in Andhra Pradesh, six in Odisha and two in West Bengal — are vulnerable to cyclonic storms.

Value Addition:

About Sundarbans:

• The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest such forests in the world (140,000 ha), lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. It is adjacent to the border of India’s Sundarbans World Heritage site inscribed in 1987.
• The Indian Sundarbans constitutes over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area.
• The Muriganga River runs through the Indian Sunderbans on the west, and the Harinbhahga and Raimangal rivers run through it on the east.
• Saptamukhi, Thakura, Malta, and Goasaba are some of the other major rivers that flow through this ecosystem.
• In the year 1973, the Sundarbans were designated as a Tiger Reserve. In the year 1977, it was designated as a Wildlife Sanctuary.
• In the year 1984, the Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as a National Park.
• In 2001, UNESCO designated the Sunderbans as a Biosphere Reserve.
• In January 2019, the Ramsar Convention designated the Sundarban Wetland in India as a “Wetland of International Importance.”

 THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

4.‘INDIA CAN MAKE $300-BN ELECTRONICS BY 2026’

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) recently released a five-year roadmap and vision document for the Indian electronics sector.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The document, titled “$300 bn Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing & Exports by 2026”, is the second volume of a two-part report, the first of which, “Increasing India’s Electronics Exports and Share in GVCs”.
• This second volume provides year-wise break-up and production projections for several products that are expected to lead India’s transformation into a US$ 300 billion electronics manufacturing powerhouse, from the current US$ 75 billion. Mobile manufacturing, which could cross US$100 billion annual productions (up from the current US$30 billion), is expected to constitute nearly 40% of the growth.
• The domestic market is expected to increase from US$65 billion to US$180 billion over the next five years. This will make electronics amongst India’s top-ranking exports by 2026.
• The multi-billion target comes on the back of the government’s US$10 billion Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost the semiconductor and display ecosystem. The government has committed nearly US$17 billion over the next six years across four PLI schemes: semiconductor and design, smartphones, IT hardware, and components.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 25^TH JANUARY 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar:

1. The award is administered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
2. It is conferred by the Prime Minister of India in the week preceding Republic Day.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 24TH JAN 2022

Answer: d)

Explanation:

About Hogenakkal falls:

• Hogenakkal Falls is a waterfall in South India on the Kaveri river on the border
• between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• It is sometimes referred to as the "Niagara Falls of India”.
• The word Hogenakkal is formed of two Kannada words hoge and kal. When the water falls on the rocks it appears as if hoge (smoke) is emanating from the top of the kal (rock) because of the force of the water, hence Hogenakkal (smoking rocks).

1. True dharma begets peace, purity and prosperity READ MORE
2. Classrooms as sites of ahimsa: Compassionate mode of listening can encourage appreciation of plurality READ MORE

1. Why the Tonga Volcano Was So Violent, and What It Tells Us About Future Eruptions READ MORE
2. Sundarbans is cyclone capital of India: IMD report READ MORE
3. Middle East: Running Out of Water READ MORE

1. Tribals and their Religion READ MORE
2. Cover-up: A few Karnataka colleges are debating whether girl students should be allowed to wear hijab READ MORE
3. The devastating impact of school closure READ MORE

1. Rights-duties conundrum READ MORE
2. FSSAI GM regulation puts health in a soup READ MORE
3. Why a Gender Sensitisation Training is the need of the hour READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Houses of Parliament to work in shifts READ MORE
2. The US Fed’s Aggressive Monetary Policy Tightening and New Headwinds for Emerging Markets READ MORE
3. Sundarbans is cyclone capital of India: IMD report READ MORE
4. Explained: What Australia hopes to achieve with its unique Online Safety Bill READ MORE
5. What are subsidies and why countries need it? READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Tribals and their Religion READ MORE
2. Cover-up: A few Karnataka colleges are debating whether girl students should be allowed to wear hijab READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Rights-duties conundrum READ MORE
2. FSSAI GM regulation puts health in a soup READ MORE
3. Why a Gender Sensitisation Training is the need of the hour READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

4. The devastating impact of school closure READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. India’s challenge in European geopolitics READ MORE  
2. Testing time ahead for Indian diplomacy READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Dealing with the macroeconomic uncertainties: The Union Budget needs to maintain an accommodative fiscal stance to support the sustainability of economic growth READ MORE
2. Helping Indian economy down the road to recovery READ MORE
3. Wanted: A job guarantee scheme for cities READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Why the Tonga Volcano Was So Violent, and What It Tells Us About Future Eruptions READ MORE
2. Sundarbans is cyclone capital of India: IMD report READ MORE
3. Middle East: Running Out of Water READ MORE

SECURITY

1. India needs a national security document too. But don’t do a Pakistan READ MORE

TECHNOLOGY

1. Avoidable delay: India would have gained from an early 5G roll-out READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. True dharma begets peace, purity and prosperity READ MORE
2. Classrooms as sites of ahimsa: Compassionate mode of listening can encourage appreciation of plurality READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The right and the duty are meaningful only in conjunction. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your view.
2. Prolonged school closure in India during pandemic is unreasonable and unscientific. Critically analyse.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The good that violence seems to do is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
• Education is a constitutional right. By closing schools for this long and providing a poor substitute with online education, we have violated children’s right.
• Rising unemployment needs to be addressed through an urgent policy response that strengthens job guarantee programmes. The welfare models of the Government in providing food security to poor households and designing gender budgeting in energy infrastructure are also welcome.
• The Union Budget needs to maintain an accommodative fiscal stance to support the sustainability of economic growth.
• Greater engagement with Europe and dealing with its multiple contradictions must necessarily be important elements of India’s international relations today.
• Public investment in infrastructure is a major growth driver. Bringing down the fiscal deficit to threshold levels can be detrimental to the recovery.
• The Constitution allows the freedom to practice religion, but the law limits the protection to practices found essential and integral to religion.
• India’s soft power has not only been its ancient achievements such as yoga but also its modern democratic traditions which flow from the Indian renaissance. The country will pay an external cost too if these traditions are diluted.
• The government must use fiscal policy to the best of its ability to push growth & create jobs.

50-WORD TALK

• As Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue rises at India Gate, his rightful status as freedom movement icon must not devolve into idol-worship. Was his silence on Nazi and Japanese war-crimes justified? How important was his armed struggle to winning freedom? Enough time’s passed to discuss the truth, with all its greys.

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 map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price 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 occur 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 to your writing.

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission has released a draft of a population control Bill which promotes a two-child policy, violation of which would mean people will be debarred from contesting local body elections, applying to government jobs, or receiving any government subsidy. Earlier in 2016 and 2019, a few private member bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha (and are being planned in the coming monsoon session too) regarding population control. Further, according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs estimates, India’s population will reach 1.5 billion by 2030 and hit 1.64 billion in 2050 while China’s population will reach 1.46 billion by 2030. These developments have generated a debate on various facets of population growth and the need for controlling it. This article examines this issue in a comprehensive manner and thus enables the aspirants to formulate a clear perspective.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: VIEWS OF PROMINENT THINKERS ON POPULATION

Many of the ancient philosophers like Confucius, Kautilya, Plato, and modem thinkers like Adam Smith, David Ricardo and others have deliberated on population issues. For instance, Kautilya, had written in his Arthashastra that ‘a large population is a source of the political, economic and military strength of a nation. The Chinese philosopher, Confucius argued that a numerical balance be maintained between population and environment. Thus, he was not in favour of unchecked growth of population. In ancient Greece, Plato advocated an absolute limit of population. In the modern period, Malthus and Marx have written elaborately on the population dynamics but their views, however differed fundamentally.

MALTHUSIAN VIEWS:

• In his Essay on the Principle of Population (1798) Malthus argued that because of the strong attraction of the two sexes, the population could increase by multiples, doubling every twenty-five years.
• He contended that the population would eventually grow so large that food production would be insufficient.
• Malthus’s famous statement is ‘Population grows in a geometrical progression and subsis­tence increases only in an arithmetical progression.
• Malthus referred to two classes of checks which kept the population down
• Positive Checks: He spoke of famine, disease, war, pestilence, etc (Related to Mortality)
• Negative Checks: artificial means of birth control, late marriage, moral restraint, and chastity(Related to Fertility)
• He contended that without such restraints the world would face widespread hunger, poverty, and misery
• Malthus saw the tension between population and resources as a major cause of the misery of much of humanity.

MARXIAN VIEWS:

• According to Marx, the widespread poverty and misery of the working-class people were due to the misconceived organi­zation of society.
• He argued that starvation was caused by the unequal distribution of wealth and its accumulation by capitalists.
• It has nothing to do with the population.
• The population is dependent on economic and social organization.
• The problems of overpopulation and limits to resources are inherent and inevitable features associated capitalist system of production.
• If people experience an increase in their income, they are likely to reduce their fertility rate instead of increasing it, as they see that new opportunities are available to their children (for example going to school)
•  Marx believes the low wages of the capitalist system do not give workers this incentive to decrease their fertility and the population growth further increases the labor supply and depresses wages.
• Thus, according to Marx, overpopulation is a normal characteristic of capitalism.

CAUSES OF POPULATION GROWTH IN INDIA

The rapidly increasing population of India is a result of prevailing high birth rates and a large decline in the death rate in our country. According to the World Bank data, the Crude Death Rate (per 1000 people) in India is 7.265 as of the year 2019. While the Crude Birth Rate stands at 17.664. The census data 2011 put these as 7.2 and 22.1 respectively.

CAUSES FOR HIGH BIRTH RATE:

• In India, marriage is not only universal but takes place at an early age. About 80 percent of girls are married during the most fertile period of 15 to 20 yrs. of age
• Poverty means poor people have to spend little on the upbringing of their children. Besides, the children supplement the family income by engaging themselves in some odd jobs at an early age.
• Lack of conscious family planning had also kept the birth rate in India very high.
• In India, religion plays a major role in large size families. Abrahamic faith largely supports the large family size. Even after so many girls in the family, the desire for one son prompts parents to continue with their child-producing activity.
• The infant mortality rate is very high in India due to hunger, malnutrition, and poor living conditions. So the fear of the early death of their infants encourages the parents to have more children.

CAUSES FOR DECLINE IN DEATH RATE:

• Epidemics such as plague, smallpox, TB, and malaria which at one time used to cause a toll of heavy deaths, now have been effectively controlled.
• The percentage of the population living in towns and cities went up from 26% in 1991 and 31.16%in 2011. Better health, hygiene, and sanitation facilities in the town are expected to have lowered the death rate.
• Literacy among women is progressing rapidly. Educated women bring up their children with utmost care. Working women enjoy better economic status and as such, they are healthier.
• Besides the famine of 1943, no other serious famine has occurred in this century. Although famine-like conditions emerged in 1987 in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh yet these were effectively combated to cause any serious loss of life.
• Disaster Management has become part and parcel of the Indian governance process. Physical, Technological, and Human infrastructure have been created to prevent and mitigate the loss of lives from disaster.

CHALLENGES OF POPULATION GROWTH IN INDIA

1. The problem of Capital Formation: High birth rate and relatively high expectancy of life mean a large number of dependents in the total population. The burden of dependents reduces the capacity of the people to save. So the rate of capital formation falls.
2. Effect on Food Problem: Rapid rate of growth of population has been the root cause of food problem. Shortage of food grains obliges the under-developed countries to import food grains from abroad. So a large part of foreign exchange is spent on it.
3. The problem of Unemployment: Large size of population results in disguised unemployment in rural areas and open unemployment in urban areas
4. Poverty: Rising population increases poverty in India. People have to spend a large portion of their resources for bringing up their wards. Hence improvement in production technique becomes impossible. It means low productivity of labor.
5. Population and Social Problems: Population explosion gives rise to a number of social problems. It leads to the migration of people from rural areas to urban areas causing the growth of slum areas. People live in the most unhygienic and insanitary conditions.
6. More Pressure on Land: Due to rising population per capita availability of land goes on diminishing and the problem of sub-division and fragmentation of holdings goes on increasing
7. Impact on Maternity Welfare: In India, population explosion is the result of a high birth rate which reduces the health and welfare of women. Frequent pregnancy without having a gap is hazardous to the health of the mother and the child. This leads to a high death rate among women of reproductive age due to early marriage.

POPULATION CONTROL POLICIES IN INDIA: AN OVERVIEW

Population policy may be defined as deliberately constructed or modified institutional arrangements and/or specific programs through which governments seek to influence, directly or indirectly, demographic change. The population policy of the Government of India has passed through the following phases from time to time:

Pre-Independence Period: The British did not consider population growth as a problem. Their attitude towards birth control was one of indifference because they never wanted to interfere with the values, beliefs, customs, and traditions of Indians. That is why this phase is called the Period of Indifference.

The Period of Neutrality, 1947-51: The period following independence and before the beginning of the planning era was one of neutrality. The Government of India was busy with post-independence problems like rehabilitation of the people following the Partition, reorganization of the States, and Pakistan’s invasion of Kashmir.

The Period of Experimentation, 1951-61: During the first decade (1951-61) of planned economic development, family planning as a method of population control was started as a government program in India. The National Family Planning Programme was launched in 1952 with the objective of “reducing the birth rate to stabilize the population at a level consistent with the requirement of the national economy”.

The Beginning of the population Control Policy 1961 to 2000: With the rapid growth of population in the 1961 Census by 21.5 percent, the Extension Approach to family planning was adopted which emphasized the adoption of an educational approach to family planning through Panchayat Samitis, Village Development Committees and other groups. The National Population Policy was announced in 1976 to mount “a direct assault on the problem of numbers. In the post-emergency period, the Janata Government announced a New Population Policy in 1977.

National Population Policy, 2000: National Population Policy (NPP) 2000: The immediate objective is to address the unmet needs for contraception, health care infrastructure health personnel, etc. The medium-term objective is to bring the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to replacement level by 2010. The long-term objective is to achieve a stable population by 2045. The Central Government has set up a National Commission on Population (NCP) in 2000 to review, monitor, and guide NPP implementation. It is presided over by the Prime Minister with CMs of states and others as members.

IS POPULATION REALLY EXPLODING?

• During Independence, India was still one of the most populous countries with 350 million people. Since then, the country’s population has quadrupled, with 1.37 billion people in 2019.
• Population scientists have postulated a threshold to the number of births to keep the population under control. This is expressed as the total fertility rate (TFR), which is the average number of children a woman of childbearing age must-have. Population above TFR means growth, while that below TFR means decline. At TFR, the population is maintained.
• For humans, a 2.1 TFR would keep the country’s population stable. The number accounts for one child per mother, one per father, and an extra 0.1 for children who die in infancy and women who die before childbearing age.
• India is very close to this point now, as many states have, in fact, TFR below 2.1. This means India’s population is about to hit the replacement level. Or, there will be no effective population growth. India’s official data suggests this.
• The National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4, conducted in 2015-16, found India’s TFR had reached 2.2. Most Indian states had already achieved or were below 2.1 TFR. According to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS V 2020), the total fertility rate across most Indian states declined in the past half a decade. In 19 of the 22 surveyed states, TFRs were found to be ‘below-replacement’
• The highly populated states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh acted as outliers in otherwise steadily homogenizing fertility levels across states; they too, however, witnessed a decline from their 2005-06 levels.
• Bihar’s TFR decreased significantly (by 0.4) in the last five years, while information for Uttar Pradesh was not collected in the first phase of the latest round of the survey. Bihar’s TFR was 4 while that of Uttar Pradesh was 3.8 in 2005-06 (NFHS-3).
• Darrell Bricker, an author of the book Empty Planet that predicted an unprecedented global decline in fertility, also says: “India’s TFR has already reached replacement rate.”
• The Economic Survey 2018-19 tabled in Parliament and with a chapter on population, says, “India is set to witness a sharp slowdown in population growth in the next two decades.”
• According to it, the population in the 0-19 age bracket has already peaked due to a sharp decline in TFR across the country.
• The Economic Survey, in fact, suggested massive reorientation of public infrastructure like schools to prepare for less population.
• Estimates based on Census data predict that India will reach a TFR of 2.1 by 2021. When multiple data sources can agree that India’s population growth has shown a declining trend for quite some time now, demographers and sociologists argue that we need not worry about population explosion

WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND POPULATION CONTROL

There are many unintended consequences of India’s family planning policy and programs heavily impacting the rights of women. The various dynamics of this issue are outlined below.

PATRIARCHAL ATTITUDE: Gender norms in our patriarchal society dictate economic responsibilities to men and reproductive responsibilities to women. This is reflected in how family planning measures are used in India: heavily skewed towards female sterilization.

GENDER IMBALANCE: In 2015, of all married people in the reproductive age group, only 47.8% used any modern method of contraception (NFHS 4). Among the people who used contraception, 88% were women – 75% women underwent female sterilization – whereas, of the 12% male contraceptive users, only 0.6% underwent male sterilization.

MISSING MALE SEGMENT: The efforts for population control has mostly translated to controlling women’s, and not men’s, fertility. The program is designed to cater only to women and doesn’t actively engage with men to increase their participation in sharing the burden of family planning. The National Health Policy 2017, released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aims to increase the uptake of male sterilization to up to 30% but offers no roadmap to implement it nor to tackle gendered challenges that persist in the health system.

ADMINISTRATIVE/POLICY FLAW: According to the National Health Mission Financial Management Report 2016-17, the total expenditure on family planning in 2016-17 was Rs 577 crore, of which 85% was spent on female sterilization alone, and only 2.8% on male sterilization.

VIOLATION OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS: The incident in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, in November 2014 highlighted how women from lower socioeconomic groups were sterilized in a camp without proper infection control, leading to severe complications in many women and the death of 15. The Supreme Court of India has highlighted that 363 women, largely from rural and marginalized communities, died between 2010 and 2013 during or after surgery in sterilization camps, and ordered the government to shut these camps down.

CONDITIONS BASED ON POPULATION CONTROL NOT A GOOD IDEA?

• Empirical Study: A study by former Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Nirmala Buch on laws restricting the eligibility of people with more than two children in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan concluded that the two-child norm violates the democratic and reproductive rights of individuals. A high number of women (41 percent) among our respondents faced disqualification for violating the two-child norm. Among Dalit respondents, this proportion was even higher (50 percent),” Buch’s study finds.
• NHRC observations: The incentives/disincentives approach has been denounced in the past by the National Human Rights Commission after such measures were introduced by several States in the 1990s and 2000s, i.e., Haryana, undivided Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
• Wrong Policy Focus: India is on the path to stabilizing its population. Therefore, the stress on the introduction of punitive measures to ensure population control is misplaced. In fact, a few states that imposed restrictions in various forms to enforce the two-child norm are on the back foot now. Four of the 12 states which introduced the two-child norm have already revoked it
• Exclusion of the poor: Poverty is a major reason for the poorer sections having a larger number of children. By putting conditions like limiting government benefits and participation in electoral democracy to persons having not more than two children, the poor becomes both economically and politically excluded.
• International Experience: After China revised its two-child policy recently, the Population Foundation of India issued a statement saying that India must learn from China’s failed experience with enforcing coercive population policies. It said religion has little to do with fertility levels but what makes the difference is “education, employment opportunities and accessibility of contraceptives”.
• Population Momentum: Despite a decline in fertility, the population keeps growing. Demographers call this the “population momentum”. It is important to understand that even if all the couples in UP were to have two children from tomorrow, the population will continue to grow. This is because of the large number of young people in the state. Unlike in the past, the population is growing not because couples have more children, but because we have more young.

WHAT MUST BE DONE?

EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM STATES: Kerala and Punjab have 1.6 TFR, while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have 3.4 and 2.7 TFR respectively (NFHS 4). NFHS-4 data shows only 22.8 percent of women in Bihar attended school for 10 or more years in 2014-15. In neighboring Uttar Pradesh, the figure was 32.9 percent. In contrast, 72.2 percent of women in Kerala attended school for 10 or more years, while the figure was 55.1 percent in Punjab. So schooling plays a vital role In TFR. The proper implementation of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme can be a game-changer.

REDUCTION IN CHILD MARRIAGES: NFHS-4 data shows an increase in TFR in states with a high number of child marriages. So increasing the age of marriage can help reduce the TFR. Strict implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 along with social persuasion and influence can help in this regard.

AVAILABILITY OF CONTRACEPTIVES: From 1998-99 to 2005-06, TFR declined from 2.9 to 2.7. During this period, the country witnessed a change in social mindset. The use of contraceptives increased by 13.3 percent. Studies by the Population Foundation of India point out the lack of availability of contraceptives both for men and women. Thus reliable access to contraceptives through ASHA workers at the local level need to be ensured.

CHECK UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES: Devendra Kothari, former professor at the Indian Institute of Health Management Research University, Jaipurattributes India’s current population growth to unplanned pregnancies. Based on NFHS 1 to 4, it is estimated that 135 million out of 430 million births were the result of unplanned pregnancies. So proper planning and spacing pregnancies are required.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: According to the NFHS-4 data, the women in the lowest wealth quintile, and the least educated women, had on average one more child than those with more than 12 years of schooling and in the highest wealth quintile. Thus holistic women empowerment through instruments like “Gender Budgeting” and schemes like Stand Up India, Promotion of SHGs by National Livelihood Missions must be implemented earnestly.

ADHERENCE TO CAIRO CONSENSUS: The Cairo International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, of which India is a party (The Cairo Consensus)  has called for the promotion of reproductive rights, empowering women, universal education, maternal and infant health to untangle the knotty issue of poverty and high fertility.

THE WAY FORWARD

• China’s example of a distorted demography (age-sex composition of the population) is a warning against a counter-productive population control bill. Public health matters shouldn’t be coercive in nature.
• When reproduction is controlled or forced, there is a distortion in the working population and the elder dependent population, which can lead to possibly disastrous economic consequences.
• In the case of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh too, a decentralized implementation of family planning policy can bring about a gigantic change and a population control policy will do more harm than good.
• We need to invest heavily in human capital, health, and education for a healthy and productive population that can add to the national and global accomplishments of the country.

THE CONCLUSION: India is on course to achieve the TFR although state-wise disparity exists. Indira Gandhi has said that Development is the best contraceptive. Given the poor developmental and governance indicators of the Empowered Action Groups states (EAG), we can draw a clear causal relationship between high TFR and poor development. In the context of the current population debate, the Governments must not let “politics/elections decide the policies “but should frame them according to hard data. Population size or its growth per se is not the problem but the problem is the distribution of resources and opportunities equitably in the population. The focus should be on “family planning and resource equity” rather than on “population control and unequal wealth creation”.

[WpProQuiz 142]

“The “Rule of Law” is what we fought for; the “Rule by Law” is an instrument of colonial rule. In the face of a pandemic, it’s important to reflect on how the tension between the two defines the quality of justice.”

———- Chief Justice N.V. Ramana

THE CONTEXT: On June 30th, 2021, Chief Justice N.V. Ramana delivered the 17th Justice P.D. Desai Memorial Lecture on the “Rule of Law”. According to CJI, regular participation in polls was not a guarantee against the tyranny of the elected. In his speech, he underscored the pressure of social media on institutions. Identifying Covid-19 as “an unprecedented crisis”, CJI urged the governments to evaluate how they used the rule of law or failed to ensure protection to, and, the welfare of all of our people. This article provides insights into the lecture on the Rule of Law vs. the Rule by Law.

IMPORTANT EXCERPTS OF THE LECTURE

JOURNEY FROM RULE BY LAW TO RULE OF LAW:

• Our struggle for independence marked our journey towards the establishment of a state defined by the “Rule of Law”.
• There was a need to give a guarantee for the laws to be framed with a human face for the benefit of the masses. A framework was needed to ensure this. The framework that forms the binding link between law and justice in this country is what “We the people” gave to ourselves in the form of the Constitution.

CONSTITUTION AND RULE OF LAW:

• The framers envisaged the Constitution which not only took care of the prevailing conditions but would also continue and be relevant for all times to come. Therefore Constitution is conceived as a living document whose contents evolve over the years, as the Courts deal with new situations and question and interpret the Constitution in the light of the same.
• The Constitution embodies within itself the concept of Rule of Law and the same can be witnessed from our Preamble, the Fundamental Rights, the Directive Principles of State Policy, the Separation of Powers, etc.
• By situating the concept of Rule of Law at the confluence of three important values – human dignity, democracy, and justice, our founding fathers showed the path for the rest of the world too.

ADVICE TO JUDICIARY:

• For the judiciary to apply checks on governmental power and action, it has to have complete freedom. The judiciary cannot be controlled, directly or indirectly, by the legislature or the executive, or else the Rule of Law would become illusory.
• Judges should not be swayed by the emotional pitch of public opinion, which is getting amplified through social media platforms. Judges have to be mindful of the fact that the noise thus amplified is not necessarily reflective of what is right and what the majority believes in.
• Social media is incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong, good and bad, and the real and fake. Therefore, media trials cannot be a guiding factor in deciding cases. It is therefore extremely vital to function independently and withstand all external aids and pressures.
• The ultimate responsibility of a judge is to uphold the Constitution and the laws. Reason, reasonableness, and protection of human dignity are the values that will serve us well.

THE ROLE OF LAWYERS:

• The “Rule of Law” demands expertise, experience, and commitment. Lawyers should perform their duties with integrity and diligence. We need social virtue rather than economically self-interested behavior.
• Historically, lawyers have a rich tradition of social activism demonstrated by the number of lawyers who participated in the Indian freedom struggle.
• We need now to rebuild and recreate a tradition of civic professionalism. We need a professional ideology about social responsibility.
• Both young and senior counsels should extend a helping hand to those in need of justice. Extending ease of access to justice is no less a social justice.

THE ROLE OF SOCIETY:

• To advance the “Rule of Law” we primarily need to create a society where “Rule of Law” is respected and cherished.
• Only when the citizens believe that they have fair and equal access to justice, can we have sustainable, just, inclusive, and peaceful societies.
• Citizens can strengthen the “Rule of Law” by being knowledgeable about it and by applying it to their daily conduct and pushing for justice when needed.

4 CORE PRINCIPLES OF RULE OF LAW

PRINCIPLE: ‘LAWS MUST BE CLEAR AND ACCESSIBLE’

DETAILS: When laws are expected to be obeyed, the people at least ought to know what the laws are. Law should be worded in simple, unambiguous language.

ANALYSIS/PRESENT STATUS: In India, we are constantly striving to make legislations and judgments accessible to the general public by translating them into various Indian languages.

PRINCIPLE: “EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW”

DETAILS: An important aspect of “equality before the law” is having equal “access to justice”. Access to justice forms the bedrock of the “Rule of Law”.

ANALYSIS/PRESENT STATUS: This guarantee of equal justice will be rendered meaningless if the vulnerable sections are unable to enjoy their rights because of their poverty illiteracy or any other kind of weakness. There is a need for legal empowerment of women. It not only enables them to advocate for their rights and needs in society but also increases their visibility in the legal reform process.

PRINCIPLE: “RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CREATION AND REFINEMENT OF LAWS”

DETAILS: The very essence of a democracy is that its citizenry has a role to play, whether directly or indirectly, in the laws that govern them.

ANALYSIS/PRESENT STATUS: In the seventeen national general elections held so far, the people have changed the ruling party or combination of parties eight times, which accounts for nearly 50 percent of the number of general elections. Despite large-scale inequalities, illiteracy, backwardness, poverty, and alleged ignorance, the people of independent India have proved themselves to be intelligent and up to the task. The masses have performed their duties reasonably well.

PRINCIPLE: “STRONG INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY”

DETAILS: The judiciary is the primary organ that is tasked with ensuring that the laws which are enacted are in line with the Constitution. Judicial review is one of the main functions of the judiciary.

ANALYSIS/PRESENT STATUS: The Supreme Court has held this function to be a part of the basic structure of the Constitution, which means that the Parliament cannot curtail the same. But the responsibility of safeguarding constitutionalism lies not just on the Courts. All the three organs of the State, i.e., the executive, legislature, and the judiciary, are equal repositories of Constitutional trust. The role of the judiciary and scope of judicial action is limited, as it only pertains to facts placed before it. This limitation calls for other organs to assume responsibilities of upholding Constitutional values and ensuring justice in the first place, with the judiciary acting as an important check.

THE RULE OF LAW BY DICEY

• A detailed analysis of the concept of Rule of Law was done by Professor A.V. Dicey who in his book “Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution” published in the year 1885 tried developing the concept of Rule of Law.
• Dicey’s theory of Rule of Law consists of three basic principles:

1. The supremacy of law
2. Equality before law
3. The predominance of Legal Spirit

THE EVOLUTION OF THE RULE OF LAW

• The origins of the Rule of Law theory can be traced back to the Ancient Romans during the formation of the first republic.
• Plato has written that if rule of law is under the supervision of any law then it doesn’t have any value and the concept of state will get collapsed. Aristotle has written that law should be the final sovereign of the state.
• It has since been championed by several thinkers in Europe such as Hobbs, Locke, and Rousseau through the social contract theory.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RULE OF LAW AND RULE BY LAW

RULE OF LAW

DEFINITION: The term “rule of law” comes from the French phrase “la Principe de legality,” which translates to “government based on legal principles.” It is based on the Latin phrase “Lex is Rex,” which translates to “Law is King.”

ORIGIN: The Rule of Law was first originated by Sir Edward Coke, the Chief Justice in England at the time of King James I. Coke was the first person to criticize the maxims of Divine Concept. He strongly believed that the King should also be under the Rule of Law. According to him, “Rule of Law” means the absence of arbitrary power on the part of the Government.

THE CONCEPT: The state should act as per the “Rule of Law” which is the foundation of any constitution.

RULE BY LAW

DEFINITION: It is based on the Latin term ‘Rex is Lex’ which means ‘King is Law’.

ORIGIN: In his battle against the Church and common law judges, King James I of England triumphed, twisting the phrase ‘Lex is Rex’ to ‘Rex is Lex.’

THE CONCEPT: The state acts as per what it this as lawful rather than what the “Rule of Law” says like invoking section 144 without its necessity.

RULE OF LAW AND INDIAN CONSTITUTION

• In India, the concept of Rule of Law can be traced back to Upanishads. Its traces can also be found in the epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, Ten Commandments, Dharma Chakra, and other seminal documents.
• The Preamble to the Indian Constitution mentions Justice, Liberty, and Equality.
• Articles 13, 14, and 21 of the Indian Constitution promote equality although there are exceptions as well.
• Some Exceptions:
• Articles 15 and 16, Article 105 and Article 194.
• Criminal immunity to President and Governor as mentioned in Article 361.
• Diplomatic Immunity as per the Vienna Convention.

JUDICIAL PRONOUNCEMENTS ON RULE OF LAW

The judicial decisions have played an indispensable role to counter any arbitrariness on part of the state.

• In K. Kraipak V. Union of India the Apex Court held that ours being a welfare State, it is regulated and controlled by the Rule of Law.
• In Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, the court ensured that the exercise of power in an arbitrary manner by the government would not infringe the rights of the people.
• The Apex Court in Indira Nehru Gandhi Vs. Raj Narain (1975) held that the Rule of Law embodied in Article 14 of the Constitution is the “basic feature” of the Indian Constitution and hence it cannot be destroyed even by an amendment of the Constitution under Article 368 of the Constitution.
• In L Chandra Kumar v Union of India, the court declared the independence of the judiciary to be a part of the basic structure and further the court struck down the amendment to article 323A of the constitution.
• The Habeas Corpus Case (1976) held that article 21 is the sole repository of Rule of law in India.

The International Congress of Jurists declared that the rule of law “is a dynamic concept which must be employed to safeguard and advance the civil and political rights of an individual in a free society.”

ANALYSIS: PRESENT STATUS OF RULE OF LAW IN INDIA

In India, the Rule of Law is not followed in stricto sensu (“In the strict sense.”). There are several instances:

1. Several guidelines have been laid down by the court to curb the practice of honor killing but still, there have been numerous instances of honor killing reported. The decision on honor killing is taken by an extra-constitutional body by the nomenclature of Khap Panchayat which engages in feudalistic activities has no compunction to commit such crimes which are offenses under the Indian Penal Code, 1860. No heed is paid to the basic human right of “Right to life and liberty”.
2. The Sabarimala case verdict throws light upon the discretion of men in abiding by the directions given by the Supreme Court only to the point if they are analogous to the belief they hold. After the verdict massive protests were carried out, there were also occurrences of violence against women who tried to enter the temple. The women were denied their constitutional right to worship and the principles of equality were violated even after the practice was declared unconstitutional by the Apex Court.
3. Another evil practice pertinent in society is that of mob lynching. Supreme Court described it as horrendous acts of mobocracy and stated that “the law is the mightiest sovereign in a civilized society”.

In fact, the present debate has started due to an increase in the incidences of RULE BY LAW like

1. Internet shutdown in J&K for over one year
2. The arbitrary application of laws against media and journalists
3. The arbitrary application of UAPA, sedition law, and NSA against protesters, dissenters, activists, etc.
4. Gagging criticisms on the mishandling of covid second wave

Such developments give a feeling of an authoritarian state and not of a democratic state. The CJI in his lecture has also highlighted how the people have largely plaid their role through 17 general elections and have rejected the governments if they have failed to withstand the rule of law. No government is permanent. Hence, it is the duty cast upon the three organs to play their role in upholding the rule of law.

THE CONCLUSION: The work of ensuring complete justice can never be said to be completed. The mandate of our Constitution is to work tirelessly to surpass our expectations, to make India a country wherein rights are cherished, and which sets an example for other countries to follow.

“Desamamte Matti Kadoi, Desamamte ManushulOi”(“A nation is not merely a territory. A nation is essentially its people. Only when its people progress, the Nation progresses”)

                                                                                                             ———– Maha Kavi Gurajada Appa Rao,

WORLD JUSTICE PROJECT’S RULE OF LAW INDEX

• The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to create knowledge, build awareness, and stimulate action to advance the rule of law worldwide. Effective rule of law reduces corruption, combats poverty and disease, and protects people from injustices large and small. It is the foundation for communities of justice, opportunity, and peace—underpinning development, accountable government, and respect for fundamental rights.

• The scores and rankings of the WJP Rule of Law Index are organized around eight primary factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.
• The WJP Rule of Law Index 2020 shows that more countries declined than improved in overall rule of law performance for the third year in a row, continuing a negative slide toward weakening and stagnating rule of law around the world.
• Denmark, Norway, and Finland topped the WJP Rule of Law Index rankings in 2020. Venezuela, RB, Cambodia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo had the lowest overall rule of law scores.
• India is ranked 69th among   128 countries.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. PLASTIC PARK PROJECT GETS FINAL APPROVAL

THE CONTEXT: Union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, department of chemicals and petrochemicals, has given final approval for the setting up of a Plastic Park at Ganjimutt in Dakshin Kannada.

THE EXPLANATION:

According to the Ministry the park will be set up on 104 acres of Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) land at an estimated cost of ₹62.77 crore. In that, 50% of the project cost, that is ₹31.38 crore, will be borne by the Union Government and the remaining 50% by the KIADB.

About the Plastic Park:

• Plastic Park has state-of-the- art infrastructure with common facilities including plastic waste management system. Plastic Parks plays key role in growth of the plastic processing community material and machinery suppliers, plastic processing companies, plastic recycling companies.
• The park is to generate hundreds of employments for the local youths. A poly propylene unit is to be set up in the park. This unit will provide raw materials to the polymer and plastic units inside the park. Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer. It is mainly used in plastic packaging. The park will include admin building, export building, warehouse facility, etc.
• The plastic parks have so far been created in Tamont village in Madhya Pradesh, Billaua village in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Pradeep village near Jagatsinghpur in Odisha, Gellapukhuri in Assam, Devipur in Jharkhand, Voyallur in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.

Significance of the Plastic Park Scheme?

• The plastic parks aim to boost the value addition and competitiveness in the plastics processing industry. The scheme strives to achieve it though measures led by research and development.
• The plastic industry is classified into two broad categories in India.
• The first is polymer manufacturing that is called upstream category.
• The second category is industries involved in the conversion of processable polymers into useful end products. These industries are called downstream.
• India’s share in global plastic exports just 1%. The Indian plastic industry is big. However, it is highly fragmented. The plastic parks will help to consolidate the industry.

2. KERALA GETS ITS FIRST-EVER SCIENTIFIC BIRD ATLAS

THE CONTEXT: The Kerala Bird Atlas (KBA), the first-of-its-kind state-level bird atlas in India, has created solid baseline data about the distribution and abundance of various bird species across all major habitats giving an impetus for futuristic studies.

THE EXPLANATION:

• KBA is said to be Asia’s largest bird atlas in terms of geographical extent.
• KBA has been conducted as a citizen science-driven exercise with the participation of over 1,000 volunteers of the birdwatching community.
• KBA has created strong benchmark information about the distribution and abundance of bird species across all major habitats, giving momentum to futuristic studies.

The KBA accounts for nearly three lakh records of 361 species, that includes,

• 94 very rare species
• 103 rare species
• 110 common species
• 44 very common species
• 10 most abundant species

The KBA is considered to be a valuable resource for testing various ecological hypotheses and suggesting science-backed conservation measures.

Bird Atlas surveys shall be done twice a year.

1. July mid – September mid [60 days, 9 weekends]
2. January mid – March mid [60 days, 9 weekends]

3. PERU DECLARES ‘ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCY’

THE CONTEXT: The Peruvian government declared a 90-day “environmental emergency” in damaged coastal territories, after an oil spill that saw 6,000 barrels of crude oil pour into the sea.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The oil spill came out of a tanker belonging to the Spanish energy firm Repsol. The incident occurred at the La Pampilla refinery, some 30 kilometers (around 19 miles) north of the Peruvian capital of Lima in the Ventanilla district of the port city of Callao.
• According to the refinery, the spill was caused by freak waves, which resulted from the eruption of a volcano in Tonga. Currents spread the oil to distances more than 40 kilometers from the refinery, tarring some 21 beaches.

What damage has the spill caused?

The spill has caused the death of marine wildlife and raised concerns around the livelihood of local fishermen and the economic consequences from the loss of tourism.

International Efforts for curtailing Oil Pollution: 

• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL): Rolled out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1973. It recognized the need for international coherent efforts for curbing oil spill.
• International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation 1990: Nearly 90 countries came up after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, 1989 to prepare an emergency plan under IMO. Creates a special fund out of the contribution of shipping companies
• Double Hull Ruling, 1993 by IMO: As per these guidelines, By July 1993, all tankers must have double hulls for additional safety. All single-hulled ships must be phased out by 1995.

Note: TERI has developed Oil Zapper Bacteria which can degrade the oil quickly.

4. SPECIES OF FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH BASAL STEM ROT FOUND

THE CONTEXT: Researchers from Kerala have identified two new species of fungi from the genus Ganoderma that are associated with coconut stem rot. They have also genotyped the two fungi species, named Ganoderma keralense and G. pseudoapplanatum and identified genetic biomarkers.

THE EXPLANATION:

Basal stem rot

• The butt rot or basal stem rot of coconut is known by several names in different parts of India: Ganoderma wilt (Andhra Pradesh), Anaberoga (Karnataka) and Thanjavur wilt (Tamil Nadu).
• The infection begins at the roots, but symptoms include discolouration and rotting of stem and leaves. In the later stages, flowering and nut set decreases and finally the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) dies.
• A reddish brown oozing is seen. This oozing has been reported only in India. Once infected, recovery of the plants is not likely. Not surprising then, that this causes a huge loss: By some estimates made in 2017, in India, around 12 million people are said to depend on coconut farming.
• Another sign of infection is presence of shelf-like “basidiomata,” which are the fruiting or reproductive structures of the fungus, on the tree trunks. “Although microscopic, many fungi, produce macroscopic fruiting structures on the substrates where they grow [for example, Ganoderma]”.
• Since the fungus is microscopic, it is only detected after the symptoms start manifesting or when the reproductive structures are borne, which can be too late.

THE MISCELLANEOUS

5. AMAR JAWAN JYOTI MERGED WITH NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL FLAME

THE CONTEXT: The iconic Amar Jawan Jyoti (AJJ), which was inaugurated after the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, even as Prime Minister announced the construction of a statue of Subhas Chandra Bose, restructuring the symbolism around the India Gate.

Symbol of colonial past’

• India Gate was a “symbol of our colonial past” as it has only some of those who fought for the British in First World War 1 and the Anglo-Afghan War. It is designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was unveiled by Lord Irwin on February 12, 1931. It was built to honour the over 83,000 soldiers of British India who died from 1914 to 1921. It has 13,516 names inscribed all over the monument.
• The AJJ was set up to pay homage for the soldiers who laid down their lives in the 1971 war. The memorial of the unknown soldier, an inverted bayonet with a helmet structure, along with the AJJ was inaugurated under the arch of India Gate by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on January 26, 1972 to commemorate India’s victory in the 1971 war, in which 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war surrendered and saw the birth of Bangladesh.

About the National War Memorial:

The National War Memorial was inaugurated by Prime Minister on February 25, 2019 and ever since it was set up, political and military leaders of the country lay wreaths in remembrance at the new site rather than at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. It was built to commemorate all the soldiers who have laid down their lives in the various battles, wars, operations and conflicts of Independent India.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 24^TH JANUARY 2022

Q1. Hogenakkal Falls are located across which of the following river of India?

              a) River Krishna

b) River Godavari

c) River Sharavati

d) River Kaveri

ANSWER FOR 22^ND JAN 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

Highlights of Tiger Census 2018:

• India is home to almost 70% of the world tiger population.
• India has 2,967 tigers, a rise of 33% over the figure found in the previous census of 2014 (2,226).
• Madhya Pradesh (526) has the highest tiger population. Karnataka (524) has the second- highest tiger population. Uttarakhand (442) has the third-highest tiger population.
• Among the NE states, Assam (190) has the highest tiger population.
• Tiger population fell in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.
• There is no change in the tiger population in Odisha.
• In Buxa, Dampa and Palamau tiger reserves, tiger was not found.

Note: India has already fulfilled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers, made at the St. Petersburg Declaration in 2010, much before the target year of 2022.

1. A dirge for secularism in India READ MORE

1. Brrr…: La Nina is mainly responsible for the freezing dip in temperature across northern India READ MORE
2. A stellar fallacy: Assessment of environmental costs, benefits of projects should not be done in haste READ MORE
3. S.R Subramanian committee recommendations READ MORE
4. All-India environment service: More powers to existing agencies a better step READ MORE

1. Remove All Weaknesses READ MORE
2. An attempt to criminalise compassion READ MORE

1. False dichotomy: The top court’s view that quotas ensure equal opportunity is a blow for affirmative action READ MORE
2. Why police should be less creative to be more efficient READ MORE
3. Combative federalism: Proposed IAS rule change weakens Centre-state relations READ MORE
4. Who Should Control Where IAS Officers Serve? READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. PM interacts with DMs of various districts on the implementation of key government schemes READ MORE
2. Two species of fungi associated with basal stem rot found READ MORE
3. Kerala gets its first ever scientific bird atlas READ MORE
4. Peru declares environmental emergency following oil spill READ MORE
5. Fund ‘Statue of Equality’ gets final touches READ MORE
6. Explained: Why thousands of anganwadi workers are protesting in Haryana READ MORE
7. Plastic Park project gets final approval READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1. Brrr…: La Nina is mainly responsible for the freezing dip in temperature across northern India READ MORE
2. A dirge for secularism in India READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. False dichotomy: The top court’s view that quotas ensure equal opportunity is a blow for affirmative action READ MORE
2. Why police should be less creative to be more efficient READ MORE
3. Combative federalism: Proposed IAS rule change weakens Centre-state relations READ MORE
4. Who Should Control Where IAS Officers Serve? READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Under Biden, stability in ties READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Striking a balance between big data analytics and confidentiality READ MORE

 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. A stellar fallacy: Assessment of environmental costs, benefits of projects should not be done in haste READ MORE
2. S.R Subramanian committee recommendations READ MORE
3. All-India environment service: More powers to existing agencies a better step READ MORE

SECURITY

1. India needs a national security document too. But don’t do a Pakistan READ MORE

TECHNOLOGY

1. Avoidable delay: India would have gained from an early 5G roll-out READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Remove All Weaknesses READ MORE
2. An attempt to criminalise compassion READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Despite being a fundamental right, freedom of expression can’t be allowed for adverse impacts on society’. In the light of the statement, discuss whether the government should regulate social media platforms for the well-being of society? Argue your view.
2. How far do you agree with this view that banning Cryptocurrency is not a viable solution and there is need for the regulating them? Analyse your view.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.
• The competitive examination may be necessary for distribution of educational opportunities, but it does not enable equal opportunity for those competing without the aid of social and cultural capital, inherited skills and early access to quality schooling.
• Good performance in an examination does reflect hard work, but does not always reflect “merit” solely of one’s own making.
• Too much religion and religiosity would destroy our nation.
• It’s high time that our interpersonal and social conduct is regulated by a uniform system of rules and regulations.
• The objectives of using big data must be clearly spelt out, as also its cost of operation and maintenance.
• The progress of development works has raised the question of sustainability and minimising man-made disasters.
• Environmental issues may need an active approach which includes harnessing of resources, ensuring sustainability, creating awareness and an early warning system to minimise risks.
• Targeting NGOs that are providing humanitarian service to the most needy sections has more than financial implications and can have grievous consequences.
• While posting all-India service officers to the Centre, approval of the state government should not be done away with.

50-WORD TALK

• The impact of backwardness, the court has said, does not simply disappear because a candidate has a graduate qualification and does not create parity between advanced classes and backward classes. The latest judgment marks another notable addition to the body of affirmative action jurisprudence.
• Calculating the risks and the benefits of industrial projects vis-à-vis their environmental impact is understandably hard. The way forward is to take steps to increase trust in the system and ensure that all States have competent experts who can conduct appraisals without fear or favour. A list of empty rankings is the least advisable way to bring about this.

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 map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price 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 occur 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 to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 141]