THE CONTEXT: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide and subsequent investigation by NCB regarding wide-scale drug usage in Bollywood Industry and Sandlewood (Kannada Film Industry) Drug scandals have been in news for the last few months. This has brought the role of NCB to the forefront. In this article, we will look into the structure, functions, powers, and responsibilities of narcotic agencies in detail and critically analyze lacunae in their functioning and the reforms needed.

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS/LAWS/RULES/CONVENTIONS WITH RESPECT TO NARCOTICS

Article 47:

• It directs the State to endeavor to bring about prohibition of the consumption, except for medicinal purposes, of intoxicating drugs injurious to health.

International Conventions:

• Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol,
• The Conventions on Psychotropic Substances, 1971
• The United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988.

Laws:

• Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940,
• The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985,
• The Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988

THE NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ACT, 1985

• NDPS Act prohibits a person from the production/manufacturing/cultivation, possession, sale, purchasing, transport, storage, and/or consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.
• It came into effect on the 14th November 1985. The Act extends to the whole of India and it applies also to all Indian citizens outside India and to all persons on ships and aircraft registered in India.
• The Act is designed to fulfill India’s treaty obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
• It made an express provision for constituting a Central Authority for the purpose of exercising the powers and functions of the Central Government under the Act.

NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU

The government of India constituted the NCB on the 17th of March, 1986. The Bureau, subject to the supervision and control of the Central Government, is to exercise the powers and functions of the Central Government for taking measures with respect to:

• Coordination of actions by various offices, State Governments, and other authorities under the NDPS Act, Customs Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and any other law for the time being in force in connection with the enforcement provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.
• Implementation of the obligation in respect of countermeasures against illicit traffic under the various international conventions and protocols that are in force at present or which may be ratified or acceded to by India in the future.
• Assistance to concerned authorities in foreign countries and concerned international organizations to facilitate coordination and universal action for prevention and suppression of illicit traffic in these drugs and substances.
• Coordination of actions taken by the other concerned Ministries, Departments, and Organizations in respect of matters relating to drug abuse.

OTHER NARCOTICS AGENCIES

• Central Bureau of Narcotics (Supervision over lawful cultivation of opium poppy In India)
• Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (It is tasked with detecting and curbing smuggling of contraband, including drug trafficking)
• Customs Authorities
• Border guarding Forces like BSF etc
• State Police, state-level Narcotics agencies, and other law enforcement agencies
• All these agencies help in the control of narcotics drugs in India.

LACUNAE IN THEIR FUNCTIONING

Being used as a political tool:

• As seen in the biased functioning of NCB in various cases viz. SSR case etc
• NCB seems to have waged a war against a section of people from the industry, launching a smear campaign to make individuals look “guilty before proven innocent” through selective leaks to TV channels

Lack of expertise to deal with the latest modus operandi of drug traffickers:

• The global trend of purchasing drugs over the Internet, particularly on ‘darknet’ trading platforms using crypto-currencies has already spread in India.
• Also, poor drug detection training hampers the anti-narcotics operations in the country.

Lack of Human Resource:

• Currently, the anti-drug law enforcement agency (NCB) is working on 60 percent of its total strength of 889 personnel. It has a cadre strength of around 330 personnel, while the rest of its staff is on deputation.

Lack of narco-intelligence:

• Setting up a robust narco intelligence gathering mechanism in the NCB remains a distant dream

India becoming the hotbed of the illicit drug trade:

• India’s two regions such as northwest and northeast are primarily responsible for the spread of drugs in India due to their strategic location.
• International drug cartels are slowly making a base in India. It is apparent from the increase in the foreign nationals arrested for drug trafficking in the country. A total of 219 foreign nationals were arrested for drug trafficking in 2016, and the number jumped to 397 in 2017. Those arrested included nationals from Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
• NCB report in 2018 has also said that there was a total of 49,450 cases registered for drug seizure and 60,156 persons were arrested for drug trafficking.
• The size of seizures has also increased over the years.

The increasing threat of Narco-terrorism:

• An Intelligence Bureau (IB) dossier on narco-terrorism reveals that Pakistan’s drug industry has also risen in recent years, and its ISI is now pushing more narcotics into India.

Politically motivated Appointments to Top posts:

• Top appointments are politically motivated and expertise is not given preference.
• The Bureau is currently headed by IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, who is known for CBI-vs-CBI drama.

Lack of coordination among various agencies:

• This leads to failure to prevent drug trafficking and drug consumption in India

State-level agencies:

• Very few states have full-fledged narcotic agencies.

Corruption:

• Narcotic agencies are marred by huge corruption. State police have deep nexus with drug peddlers. Ex: recently Delhi Police Cops confiscated 160 Kg of marijuana but reported only 1 Kg.

WHAT ARE THE REFORMS NEEDED?

Independent functioning:

• There should not be any political interference in the functioning of NCB and other narcotic agencies.
• NCB should be guided by the mandate given under the NDPS Act.
• Appointments should be based on merit, not on political considerations.

Enhancing Expertise through training:

• Drug enforcement professionals’ skills need to be constantly upgraded. There is a need to strengthen training capacities and formulate training strategies as per the changing circumstances.

Personnel:

• NCB needs to have a cadre of its own personnel and it should not depend on the personnel(deputation) from other law enforcement agencies.

Co-ordination:

• Co-ordination among various central and state level narcotic agencies needs to be improved.
• Recently, Govt has constituted Narco Co-ordination Centre (NCORD) under Director-General NCB to provide a common platform for concerted actions by all the drug law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.

Increased cooperation with neighboring countries:

• There should be an exchange of information and investigative assistance and sharing real-time information and coordination operation with nodal agencies of neighboring countries
• India has signed bilateral agreements on drug-related matters with Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, and Afghanistan and agency-level talks are held regularly between the nodal drug law enforcement agencies of neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.

Strengthening State level anti-narcotic agencies:

• The Center should provide financial assistance to the eligible states for strengthening their anti-narcotics units.

Amendments required in NDPS Act:

• The present NDPS Act fails to differentiate between a casual drug user, a hard addict, a petty peddler, and a seasoned drug trafficker. There is much confusion on the issue of ‘ascertaining quantity’ and ‘purity versus total weight’ as different courts interpreted in different parameters.

Border Surveillance:

• Border Guarding Forces need to enhance their patrolling and surveillance using the latest technological tools and techniques to stop illicit drug trafficking at the borders.

CONCLUSION: Overall, it can be seen that there are various loopholes in the functioning of narcotic agencies in India. Drug menace is a very serious issue impacting the country’s security. Creating law & order issues and destroying the youths in our society. Time has come to carry out radical reforms in their functioning so that India escapes from becoming the “drug capital” of the world.

Narcotics vs. psychotropic substances (As per NDPS Act)

• The narcotic drug” means coca leaf, cannabis (hemp), opium, poppy straw, etc.
• “Psychotropic substance” means any substance, natural or synthetic, or any natural material or any salt or preparation of such substance or material included in the list of psychotropic substances specified in the Schedule.

Ex: LYSERGIDE (LSD), ETICYCLIDINE (PCE), MDMA, DIAZEPAM, etc.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. INDIA-ISRAEL TO WIDEN SCOPE OF INDUSTRIAL R&D &

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION FUND

THE CONTEXT: Experts from both countries (India-Israel) deliberated on widening the scope of the
India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) at its recently concluded
meeting.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The approval of three joint R&D projects totalling 5.4 million dollars. The projects were
  titled Centrally Monitored IoT Nano sensors for Molecular Diagnostics in Healthcare and
  Screening Applications, NoMoreMos- a mosquito control biological solution, and IoT
  enabled satellite communication for real-time agriculture and environment data collection
  across India.
• Also, unanimously agreed on a strategy for the new phase of I4F 2.0, which included
  broadening the fund’s scope by determining the technical feasibility and market
  acceptability of new products or technologies, co-developing products or technologies for
  commercialization, and co-testing products or technologies for commercialization in R&D
  and pilot areas.
• The members have also suggested the need to focus on Partnership Development Activities
  like more business activities with Indian and Israeli companies and startups through a series
  of online events, follow-up B2B meetings.

About India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund:

• India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) fund is a collaboration
  between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Israel Innovation
  Authority, to promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D projects between
  companies from India and Israel to address the challenges in the agreed ‘Focus Sectors’.
• The goal of I4F is to promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D, which would lead
  to the co-development and commercialization of innovative technologies that can benefit
  both nations. The Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA) is appointed to
  implement the I4F program in India, while Israel Innovation Authority is the implementing
  agency in Israel.

India-Israel Relations:

• India announced its recognition of Israel in 1950. Since the upgradation of relations in 1992,
  defence and agriculture formed the two main pillars of the bilateral engagement between
  both nations.
• In recent years, relations have seen rapid growth across a broad spectrum of areas and the future vision of cooperation, also bilateral trade has diversified into several sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT and telecom, and homeland security.

About Indo-Israeli Agriculture Project:

In the agricultural sector, both countries have jointly developed new crop varieties and share post-
harvest technologies following the success of the 10-year-old Indo-Israeli Agriculture Project (IIAP)
whose accomplishments include the successful growing of cherry tomatoes in Haryana,
rejuvenating mango orchards in Maharashtra, and demonstrating to Indian farmers the
effectiveness of state-of-the-art irrigation technologies.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

2. START-UPS RAISED A RECORD: STUDY

THE CONTEXT: According to a new study by NASSCOM and Zinnov start-ups raised a record $24.1
billion in 2021, a two-fold increase over pre-COVID-19 levels.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the study, ‘Indian Tech Start-up Ecosystem: Year of The Titans’, more that
  2,250 start-ups were added in 2021, over 600 more than what was added in the 2020.
• Start-ups raised USD 24.1 billion in 2021, a two-fold increase over pre-COVID levels. In
  comparison to 2020, there was a 3X increase in the number of high value deals (deals > USD
  100 million), demonstrating investor confidence with a pool of active angel investors of
  2400+ and a readiness to take significant risks.”
• “According to the study, the last decade, the ecosystem has played a key role in growing
  direct and indirect jobs, providing 6.6 lakh direct jobs and more than 34.1 lakh indirect
  jobs”. The industries that saw the most net new job creation were BFSI (banking, financial
  services and insurance), ed-tech, retail and retail tech, food-tech, supply chain
  management, and logistics and mobility.
• When compared to the U.K., U.S., Israel and China, 2021 has been an outstanding year for
  the Indian startup ecosystem, with the highest growth rate in terms of deals, both in seed
  stage and late-stage funding, and the number of startups.

Some Government Schemes For Start-ups:

• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
• Credit Guarantee Trust Fund for Micro & Small Enterprises (CGTSME).
• Standup India.
• Venture Capital
• 4E (End to End Energy Efficiency) by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

THE INTERNAL SECURITY

3. THE STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE OF BRIDGE CHINA IS BUILDING ON PANGONG TSO

THE CONTEXT: The ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh has led to construction of infrastructure on
both sides of the India-China border. One of the latest constructions is a bridge being built by China
on the Pangong Tso.

THE EXPLANATION:

• China is building the bridge, about 400 m long and 8 m wide, close to the friction points on
  the north bank of the Pangong Tso, and the Chushul sub-sector on the south bank. It will
  help China mobilise troops quicker, if needed.
• The bridge is around 20 km east (35 km by road) of Finger 8 on the north bank. In India’s
  perception, the Line of Actual Control lies at Finger 8. The site of the bridge is within India’s
  claim line, although the area has been under Chinese control since 1958.

Significance of the bridge for China

• Construction of the bridge is significant, as it bridge will facilitate quick induction since it will
  reduce the distance and time to reach the contested areas at the Pangong Lake.
• It will connect the two banks and thus allow Chinese forces easy access on either side to
  combat any threat.
• The bridge site is just east of Khurnak Fort in Rutog county where the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) has frontier bases. Historically a part of India, Khurnak Fort has been under Chinese control since 1958.
• From Khurnak Fort, the LAC is considerably west, with India claiming it at Finger 8 and China
  claiming it at Finger 4.

New Border Law

• On January 2021, China implemented its new border law. The new law calls to strengthen
  its border defence, infrastructure near the borders and development of villages.
• It also lays down conditions, under which emergency measures can be imposed across the
  border areas.

What are India’s concerns?

Ever since tensions started in Ladakh, in May 2021, China has enhanced its troop deployment of
about 50,000 in this sector. Apart from Ladakh, China has been making aggressive moves in Eastern
Sector bordering Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Recently, China also renamed 15 places in
Arunachal Pradesh on its map.

Why is China increasing deployment and construction at the LAC?

Possible Reasons are:

• India’s decision to strengthen its border infrastructure (eg- construction of Darbuk-Shyok-
  Daulat Beg Oldie road).
• India’s tilt towards United States (eg- Quad).
• China consider India’s assertions on Gilgit-Baltistan, as an attack on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project of China.
• China’s growing assertiveness in South China Sea.

Importance of The Pangong Tso Lake

• In the Ladakhi language, Pangong means extensive concavity, and Tso is a lake in Tibetan.
• Pangong Tso is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of
  more than 14,000 ft in the Ladakh Himalayas.
• The western end of Tso lies 54 km to the southeast of Leh. The 135 km-long lake sprawls
  over 604 sq km in the shape of a boomerang and is 6 km wide at its broadest point.
• The brackish water lake freezes over in winter and becomes ideal for ice skating and polo.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 22 ND JANUARY 2022

Q1. According to 2018 Tiger census, which of the following statements is incorrect:
a) Rise of 33% over the previous census of 2014.
b) Karnataka has the highest tiger population.
c) There was no tiger found in Buxa tiger reserve.
d) There is no change in the tiger population in Odisha.

ANSWER FOR 21 ST JANUARY 2022.

Answer: B)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: It is a supersonic cruise missile.
• Statement 2 is correct: It can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-
  based targets.

1. Wrong remedy: States have rightly raised questions about proposed rule changes on IAS, IPS deputation READ MORE
2. The ground rules of ‘the one land of many’: Today, some in positions of power in India seem to be questioning those rules — which makes it crucial to reaffirm them READ MORE
3. How to fix the anti-defection loophole READ MORE
4. The medium: To teach in English or in mother tongue? A multilingual approach is the answer READ MORE
5. Why the Supreme Court Said Reservation is Not at Odds With Merit READ MORE

1. Income and Livelihood Promotion through Individual Assets under MGNREGA READ MORE
2. Tagore and Development READ MORE

1. States have an important role to play as India sets sights on net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 READ MORE
2.  How the Quad can help climate action READ MORE

1. The way to be free from worldly pressures READ MORE
2. Tagore and Development READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Amar Jawan Jyoti now merged with National War Memorial flame, says Government READ MORE
2. Brent at 7-year high: how are economy, markets and investors impacted? READ MORE
3. Explained: The concern over 5G and flight safety READ MORE
4. Why India is unwilling to discuss forests at international fora READ MORE
5. India-Israel to widen scope of Industrial R&D & Technological Innovation Fund READ MORE
6. RBI holds special repo auction as GST outflow tightens liquidity READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Wrong remedy: States have rightly raised questions about proposed rule changes on IAS, IPS deputation READ MORE
2. The ground rules of ‘the one land of many’: Today, some in positions of power in India seem to be questioning those rules — which makes it crucial to reaffirm them READ MORE
3. How to fix the anti-defection loophole READ MORE
4. The medium: To teach in English or in mother tongue? A multilingual approach is the answer READ MORE
5. Why the Supreme Court Said Reservation is Not at Odds With Merit READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1.  How the Quad can help climate action READ MORE
2. How Ukraine standoff can impact India READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. FCRA, NGOs and the Question of Which Foreign Funding Is in National Interest READ MORE
2. The Gandhian path can help farmers and consumers READ MORE
3. Income and Livelihood Promotion through Individual Assets under MGNREGA READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. States have an important role to play as India sets sights on net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Why India needs a single agency to guard its borders READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The way to be free from worldly pressures READ MORE
2. Tagore and Development READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘If India polity wants to get rid of open corruption, it needs to take urgent steps to fix the Tenth Schedule’. In the light of the statement discuss how to fix the loopholes in anti-defection?
2. ‘Effectively confronting climate change as a shared responsibility of the Centre and the state as a collaborative effort within the federal system represents our best hope’. In the light of the statement, discuss how states can play an active role in achieving net-zero by 2070?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The Constitution cannot protect us unless we protect the Constitution.
• States have rightly raised questions about proposed rule changes on IAS, IPS deputation.
• The idea of India as a modern nation based on a certain conception of human rights and citizenship, vigorously backed by due process of law, and equality before law, is a gift of the Constitution.
• In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value.
• If our polity wants to get rid of open corruption, it needs to take urgent steps to fix the Tenth Schedule.
• The most commendable commitment is their focus on increasing the Indo-Pacific region’s resilience by improving critical climate information-sharing and disaster-resilient infrastructure.
• In a country where most children live their lives in two or three languages, multilingual teaching methods provide a level playing field for diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds while reconciling the desires of both parents and the NEP.
• If foreign funding promotes an agenda inimical to the national interest, what about foreign investment which the government has been welcoming.
• If merit is a social good that must be protected, we must first critically examine the content of merit.
• In response to the global and national discourse, climate change is increasingly becoming a priority for state governments.
• Effectively confronting climate change as a shared responsibility of the Centre and the state as a collaborative effort within the federal system represents our best hope.
• Despite the tremendous potential for livelihoods based on the creativity of villagers and particularly women in this work, this path has been steadily abandoned.

50-WORD TALK

• Supreme Court should be applauded for its landmark judgement separating quotas from merit. Its call to socially contextualise merit couldn’t have been more timely considering the new learning faultlines the pandemic has created. It also deflates all the hype about competitive exams. This should settle the reservation debate for now.
• Nitish Kumar government’s move to amend Bihar prohibition law to dilute irrational and draconian penalty provisions is overdue. Frequent hooch tragedies exposed the failure of this law while courts choking with bail applications underlined its arbitrariness. Kumar must cut his losses and stop investing political capital in a failed law.

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 recent farmer agitation has brought the issue of farmer distress front and center in the public consciousness. The time seems ripe to find new solutions to the structural challenges facing farmers. One of the solution is to support farmers by Direct Income Support (DIS) but in recent time several reports highlighted that such schemes are facing many challenges. In this article, we will discuss that what should be the way forward for the effective implementation of these scheme.

INCOME SUPPORT SCHEME IN INDIA FOR FARMERS

• In agriculture, there are two major types of government support measures. The first one is price support measure and the second is income support measures.
• Price support means the government is procuring the agricultural produce from farmers at a remunerative price. India’s Minimum Support Price based procurement is a classic example of price support scheme.

DIRECT INCOME SUPPORT

• The second type of support is DIRECT INCOME SUPPORT (DIS).In this scheme, government transfers direct payment to the poor farmers.
• Under the WTO terminology, it is called Direct payments to farmers or Decoupled Income Support. Decoupled means such an income transfer to farmers will not influence (or minimum influence) production and price of the respective crops.

PM KISAN SAMMAN SAMMAN NIDHI

• The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is the first universal basic income-type of scheme targeted towards landed farmers.
• It was introduced in December 2018 to manage agricultural stress.
• Initially, the scheme was targeted at small and medium landed farmers, but with the declining growth in gross value added of the agricultural sector, it was extended to all farmers in May 2019.
• This direct benefit transfer scheme was aimed at addressing the liquidity constraints of farmers in meeting their expenses for agricultural inputs and services.

Features of the scheme:

• Income support: The primary feature of this Yojana is the minimum income support it provides to farmers. Each eligible farmer family is entitled to receive Rs.6000 per annum across India. However, the amount is not disbursed at once. It’s divided into three equal instalments and meted out four months apart.
• Funding: PMKSNY is an Indian government-sponsored farmer support scheme. Therefore, the entirety of its funding comes from the Government of India.
• Identification responsibility: While the responsibility of funding lies with GOI, the identification of beneficiaries is not under its purview. Instead, it’s the responsibility of State and Union Territory governments.

BENEFITS OF DIRECT INCOME SUPPORT

Direct Income Supports’ ability to encourage farmers to raise production is less. At the same time, it has some positives:

• There is no leakage – income is transferred through DBT.
• There is protection for farmers against income loss and adverse terms of trade impact on agriculture.
• It is less distortionary and is WTO combatable; there is less influence on production and price.
• Farm income support is superior to price support as it is crop neutral. The farmer is getting reward for continuing with agriculture whatever may be the crop he is cultivating. On the other hand, India’s MSP historically, favored wheat and rice farmers as procurement was concentrated on these two crops.

PM KISAN AFTER TWO YEARS: A CRITICAL REVIEW

The PM KISAN scheme has completed two years (seven installments are released of the scheme) but facing several crises.  The scheme is a useful vehicle to provide support to farmers and it was included in the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package during lockdown but, was this a useful way of relieving distress during the lockdown?  A survey by NCAER National Data Innovation Centre in June 2020 provides some useful insights in this regard:

Findings of the survey:

• Lower level of economic distress among farmers than among other groups.
• While farmers faced some logistical challenges in transporting and selling their produce, 97 per cent of them continued to harvest Rabi crops and prepared for the Kharif season.
• Nearly 75 per cent of the cultivators who usually hire labourers for agricultural activities continued to do so.
• The farmers were relatively immune to the economic impact of the lockdown as nearly 32 per cent of them experienced a large income loss which is much lower compared to the proportion among casual wage workers and business households.
• The proportion of households that had to borrow to meet their day-to-day consumption needs during the lockdown was relatively low for the farmers.
• While 7 per cent of farm households suffered from occasional unavailability of food during the lockdown, this figure was much higher for casual workers and business households.

Performance of PM-KISAN during the Pandemic:

• Only 21 per cent households received cash transfers through PM-KISAN.
• Around two-thirds reported receiving Rs. 2,000 and about a fourth received Rs. 4,000, possibly because family members engaged in agricultural activities may be co-residing within a household.
• About 35 per cent of rural PM-KISAN recipients suffered income losses to a large exendin comparison to more than half of the non-recipients.
• A little more than a third of PM-KISAN recipients borrowed money during this period as against 48 per cent of non-recipients.

Lack of Data Base:

• The scheme was hurriedly announced right ahead of the 2018 elections and then the government did not have proper database of farmers.
• There are nearly 14.5 crore families in India but govt did not has proper database of these families. Many states like West Bengal, have delayed or did not submit the data related to farmers.

Difficulty in Identifying Beneficiary Farmers:

• According to agricultural census of 2015-16, number of landholdings in the country was projected at Rs 14.65 crore. But land holding do not determine the number of farmer families present in the country as there are multiple owners for a single land. In such scenario, all the farmer families which own the land are eligible for the scheme.
• Number of landholdings in Punjab according to agricultural census were 10.39 lakh but number of beneficiaries’ farmers in PM-kisan data base list were 17.52 lakh till October 23, 2019.
• It may happen that a single farmer holds multiple lands. The agricultural census may record multiple land holdings which PM-Kisan scheme would otherwise recognize as single farmer.

Census Issue: 

• Other problem includes the agricultural census that counts the number of operational landholdings. Which is the piece of land being used for cultivation without considering the title of land. Whereas PM-kisan scheme considers the farmer families recognized as land holders under the state or union territory.
• Further, around 14.3 crore landless farmers (census 2011) will not be able to avail this scheme. Mainly due to the fact they are not the land holders and are contract farmers.
• However, the government is trying to release fund to farmers by linking their account to Aadhaar card. Government extended the date to seed the Aadhaar account to November 30 2019.

Others:

1. Intended Farm Households are not covered: PM-KISAN is not reaching all farmer households as intended as most of the farmers in UP, Haryana and Rajasthan own land and should be receiving benefits but only 21 per cent of the cultivators interviewed reported receiving the benefit.
2. Not a pro-poor scheme: it is not pro-poor since recipients of PM-KISAN seemed to be better off than the general rural population even before the lockdown.
3. Lack of digitized land records: In many States, land records are not updated regularly and therefore, there could be instances where the cultivating farmers would have partitioned their holdings from other family members, but would not have the records-of-right to claim the benefit instantly.
4. Overlapping of with other schemes: Various state governments have launched schemes with similar benefits such as Rythu Bandu (Telangana), Annadatha Sukhibhava (Andhra Pradesh), KALIA Scheme (Odisha) and Bhavantar Bhugtaan Yojana (Madhya Pradesh).

WHAT SHOULD BE THE WAY FORWARD?

Proactive role of Banks:

• There are reports that after the loan waiver in Maharashtra or transfer of first instalment to the Bank accounts of farmers under KALIA scheme in Odisha, concerned bank branches adjusted the deposit money against past liabilities of few farmers.
• This kind of scenarios may lead to subversion of the objectives of the income support scheme, which is clearly intended to assist the farmers with some disposable cash for purchase of inputs.
• Banks involved in primary sector lending or disbursement of crop loans, etc. need to be sensitized properly on their critical role in implementation of PM-KISAN.

Strengthening IT backbone:

• Needless to say that States with robust computerized land records data base and a good IT infrastructure will be in a better position to implement PM-KISAN.
• With ICT usage and direct transfer of money to farmers’ bank accounts, pilferage would also be less.
• Farmers not having bank accounts should be encouraged to open ‘no-frills’ accounts under the Jan-Dhan Yojana. Linking Aadhaar data base will further strengthen the system and analytics later on from this big-data eco-system could assist decision making empirically.

Targeting benefits and updation of land records:

• In many States, land records are not updated regularly and therefore, there could be instances where the cultivating farmers would have partitioned their holdings from other family members, but would not have the records-of-right to claim the benefit instantly.
• These kind of genuine cases need to be redressed by revenue authorities so that eligible cases are not deprived.
• Similarly, fraudulent claims should also be avoided. Involving the Gram Panchayats, wherever possible in targeting of beneficiaries may be explored.

LESSON FROM STATES POLICIES

• Odisha’s KALIA scheme offers some important lessons for the effective implementation of the scheme.
• Odisha used a three-step framework to identify beneficiaries. These are:
• Unification: The first step involved unifying state databases with “green forms” which were essentially applications from farmers who wanted to opt in.
• Verification: The second step involved verification of information through databases like the Socio-Economic Caste Census, National Food Security Act and other databases; de-duplication through Aadhaar; and bank account verification through bank databases.
• Exclusion: The third step involved excluding ineligible applicants like government employees, tax payers, large farmers, and those that voluntarily opted out.
• The use of technology and non-farm databases meant that KALIA could include sharecroppers, tenant and landless farmers as beneficiaries, which is a significant step towards inclusive agricultural policy-making.
• KALIA has now laid the foundation for a state-wide farmer database with 100 per cent Aadhaar, mobile number and financial address seeding. This database can be leveraged for targeted scheme delivery beyond DIS, issuing customized agree-advisories and improving financial access.

CONCLUSION: PM- KISAN is India’s first direct support scheme, which should be surely successful. But for this, govt of India should learn some important lessons from other sources like the KALIA scheme and for that technology can play a vital role. The potential of technology to transform social welfare delivery is exciting. An approach that leverages data to maximize citizen benefits, while ensuring privacy, security and access, must be the way forward if we are to truly realize the power of digital to serve every Indian.

JUST ADD TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE

THE MSP AS A PRICE SUPPORT MEASURE:

• WTO calls these subsidies as amber box subsidies that distorts trade. Such subsidies should be reduced as they may make a high cost producer a big produce and the country may export its produce.
• According to the WTO, a support (subsidy) by the government that influences production and price is trade distorting and it should be reduced.

PM-KISAN (DIRECT INCOME SUPPORT):

• In this case; the government will be giving direct payment to the farmers for their low income from farming.
• Under the WTO terminology, it is called Direct payments to farmers or Decoupled Income Support.
• Decoupled means such an income transfer to farmers will not influence production and price of the respective crops.
• Under Agreement on Agriculture (WTO), the direct payment to farmers comes under the Green Box.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. THE RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CONFLICT

THE CONTEXT: The amid tension on the Russia-Ukraine border represents a major security crisis for the
region, with the potential to snowball into a broader conflict. According to Ukraine Government, Russia has
amassed around 90,000 troops at the border, and US intelligence reports that a Russian invasion of Ukraine
early 2022.

THE EXPLANATION:

Russia’s and the West’s interests in Ukraine:

• Ukraine and Russia share hundreds of years of cultural, linguistic and familial links. As part of the
  Soviet Union, Ukraine was the second-most powerful Soviet republic after Russia, and was crucial
  strategically, economically and culturally. Ever since Ukraine split from the Soviet Union, both Russia
  and the West have vied for greater influence in the country in order to keep the balance of power in
  the region in their favour.
• For the United States and the European Union, Ukraine is a crucial buffer between Russia and the
  West. As tensions with Russia rise, the US and the EU are increasingly determined to keep Ukraine
  away from Russian control.
• Efforts to induct Ukraine into NATO have been ongoing for many years and seems to have picked up
  pace recently. Russia has declared such a move a “red line”, with Moscow worried about the
  consequences of the US-led military alliances expanding right up to its doorstep.

What was Euromaidan and its aftermath?

• November 2013 saw the start of mass protests across Ukraine, but particularly in Kyiv’s Maidan, or
  central square. Protesters were angry at Ukraine’s then pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych’s
  decision to join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union instead of the EU.
• The protests, known as the Euromaidan movement, saw massive clashes between the protesters
  and security forces that reached its peak in February 2014, and led to the ouster of Yanukovych.

Current Scenario:

• Russia seeks assurances from the US that Ukraine will not be inducted into NATO. However, US has
  made it clear that he is not prepared to give any such assurance. This has left the countries in a
  stand-off, with tens of thousands of Russian troops ready to invade Ukraine.
• Russia is keeping the tensions high at the Ukraine border in order to get sanctions relief and other
  concessions from the West. Any kind of military action by the US or EU against Russia would
  precipitate a major crisis for the whole world and has so far not been mooted by any of the parties
  involved.

Value Addition:

MINSK I:

Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists agreed on a 12-point ceasefire deal in the capital of Belarus in
September 2014.
Its provisions included:

• prisoner exchanges,
• deliveries of humanitarian aid and
• the withdrawal of heavy weapons
• the agreement quickly broke down, with violations by both sides.

MINSK II:

• Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
  (OSCE) and the leaders of two pro-Russian separatist regions signed a 13-point agreement in
  February 2015 in Minsk.
• The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine gathered there at the same time and issued a
  declaration of support for the deal.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

2. RARE PRISTINE CORAL REEF FOUND OFF TAHITI COAST

THE CONTEXT: The Scientists have explored a rare stretch of pristine corals shaped like roses off the coast of
Tahiti. The reef is thought to be one of the largest found at such depths and seems untouched by climate
change or human activities.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Globally, coral reefs have been depleted from overfishing
  and pollution. Climate change is also harming delicate
  corals, including those in areas neighboring the newly
  discovered reef, with severe bleaching caused by warmer
  waters.
• According to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef
  Monitoring Project, between 2009 and 2018, 14 of the
  world’s corals were killed.
• The newfound reef stretching 2 miles 3 kilometers was studied late 2021 during a dive expedition
  supported by UNESCO. Unlike most of the world’s mapped corals, which are found in relatively
  shallow waters. This one was deeper, between 115 feet 35 meters to 230 feet 70 meters.

Importance of Corals:

What is coral bleaching?

When corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the
symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white.

THE INTERNAL SECURITY

3. INDIA SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRES BRAHMOS MISSILE

THE CONTEXT: The supersonic cruise missile BrahMos with increased indigenous content and improved
performance was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of
Odisha.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to DRDO, the missile was equipped with the advanced indigenous technologies and
  followed a modified optimal trajectory for enhanced efficiency and improved performance. The
  missile with the modified control system has been fine tuned to achieve an enhanced capability’.
• The flight test was monitored by all the sensors of the range instrumentation, including telemetry,
  radar and the electro-optical tracking systems deployed across the eastern coast and the down
  range ships.

About the Missile:

• BrahMos Missile is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile. It can be launched from land,
  aircraft, submarine or ships. It is one of the fastest supersonic cruise missiles worldwide. The missile
  is a joint venture between the Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India’s Defence Research and
  Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Both the organisation has together formed BrahMos Aerospace. It is based on Russian P-800 Oniks
  cruise missile. The name BrahMos has been taken from the names of two rivers, River Brahmaputra
  of India and River Moskva of Russia.

Characteristics of BrahMos

• BrahMos is the fastest anti-ship cruise missile of the world, currently in operation. Its land-launched
  and ship-launched versions are already there in service. In 2012, air-launched variant of BrahMos
  appeared and entered the service in 2019.
• Presently, a hypersonic version of the Missile called BrahMos-II, is under development. It has the
  speed of Mach 7–8. Missile is likely to be ready for testing by 2024.

4. THE GENETIC RISK FACTORS FOR HEART FAILURE: STUDY

THE CONTEXT: A team of scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB),
Hyderabad, have identified the genetic mutations that cause dilated cardiomyopathy, a common
cardiovascular disease that often results in heart failure.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Cardiomyopathy changes the integral structure of the heart muscle, and as a result, the heart is
  unable to pump blood efficiently. This increases the risk of heart failure leading to sudden cardiac
  death. There are many types of cardiomyopathies. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common
  form.
• A gene called β-MYH7 is one of the major genes implicated in cardiac diseases globally. However,
  not many genetic studies have been carried out on Indian cardiomyopathy patients.
• In the study, the CCMB researchers chose to fill the gap by sequencing the β-MYH7 gene from 137
  dilated cardiomyopathy patients along with 167 ethnically matched healthy controls to identify the
  mutation(s), if any, that are associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in Indian patients.
• The study revealed 27 variations, of which seven were novel and were detected exclusively in Indian
  dilated cardiomyopathy patients. These included four which were what are called missense
  mutations. They were predicted to be pathogenic by bioinformatics tools.
• Subsequent studies using homology models of β-MYH7 demonstrated how these mutations
  uniquely disrupt a critical network of non-bonding interactions at the molecular level and may
  contribute to the development of disease phenotype.
• Protein molecules are made up of amino acids and each of them has a specific set of amino acids.
  Various interactions between the amino acid residues drive the 3D structure of the protein, which
  determines its function. One amino acid change at a critical site can change a protein structure
  dramatically and lead to disease pathogenicity.
• According to the scientist, “this study can help in developing gene-editing methods that may rescue
  cardiac contractility of failing hearts among Indians with the novel mutations”. The mortality rate
  due to cardiovascular diseases is very high in India, compared to western countries.

What is Cardiomyopathy?

It (kahr-dee-o-my-OP-uh-thee) is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for your heart to
pump blood to the rest of your body. Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure. The main types of
cardiomyopathy include dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 20 TH JANUARY 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about Brahmos missile:

1. It is a ballistic missile.
2. It can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air.

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 19 TH JANUARY 2022.

Answer: C)
Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The eastern swamp deer is one of the three subspecies of swamp deer,
  commonly known as the barasingha.
• Statement 2 is correct: The eastern swamp deer is endemic to Kaziranga.

1. About Good Governance READ MORE
2. Has the pandemic fundamentally changed our ethics? READ MORE

1. Counting trees properly: How to read biennial forest surveys? The best way is decadal data produced by same methods READ MORE
2. India’s new National Water Policy: A paradigm shift READ MORE
3. Green go-ahead: Encouraging hasty eco clearance an unwise step READ MORE
4. New Draft NCR Regional Plan Dilutes Protection for Green Cover in the Aravalli READ MORE

1. Clubhouse and the Fantasy of Sexual Violence Against Muslim Women READ MORE
2. Explainer: Why is marital rape not a crime in India – and can the courts make it one? READ MORE

1. Explained: IAS officers and central posting READ MORE
2. Drop the IAS cadre rules amendments: States are right in perceiving the planned amendments to Rule 6(1) to be an infringement of their rights READ MORE
3. Court and compensation: On ex gratia to kin of COVID-19 victims READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Supreme Court upholds validity of OBC quota in NEET admissions READ MORE
2. Rare pristine coral reef found off Tahiti coast READ MORE
3. The study by Hyderabad scientists identifies genetic risk factors for heart failure READ MORE
4. India successfully test-fires Brahmos missile READ MORE
5. RBI: Digital payments up 39.6% in Sept 2021 READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Counting trees properly: How to read biennial forest surveys? The best way is decadal data produced by same methods READ MORE
2. Clubhouse and the Fantasy of Sexual Violence Against Muslim Women READ MORE
3. Explainer: Why is marital rape not a crime in India – and can the courts make it one? READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Explained: IAS officers and central posting READ MORE
2. Drop the IAS cadre rules amendments: States are right in perceiving the planned amendments to Rule 6(1) to be an infringement of their rights READ MORE
3. Court and compensation: On ex gratia to kin of COVID-19 victims READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Indian Ocean new Chinese sphere of influence READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The formal economy – and not just the informal sector – is in distress READ MORE
2. The centrality of data equity in tech policy and reform READ MORE
3. Govt equity in VodaIdea a poor solution READ MORE
4. Why it seems impossible to actually regulate cryptocurrency READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. India’s new National Water Policy: A paradigm shift READ MORE
2. Green go-ahead: Encouraging hasty eco clearance an unwise step READ MORE
3. New Draft NCR Regional Plan Dilutes Protection for Green Cover in the Aravalli READ MORE

SECURITY

1. India’s N-project going strong: Capable of meeting challenges faced by national security READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. About Good Governance READ MORE
2. Has the pandemic fundamentally changed our ethics? READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘In a federal setup, the differences and disputes between the Centre and the States should be resolved in the spirit of cooperative federalism and keeping the larger national interest in mind’. Comment on the statement in the light of recent conflicts between center and states.
2. ‘While examinations are a necessary and convenient method of distributing educational opportunities, marks may not always be the best gauge of individual merit’. Discuss the statement in the light of recent quota related debate.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace.
• States are right in perceiving the planned amendments to Rule 6(1) to be an infringement of their rights.
• States are right in perceiving the proposed amendments as a serious infringement of their rights to deploy IAS officers as they deem best, especially when the cutting edge of policy implementation is mostly at the State level.
• In a federal setup, it is inevitable that differences and disputes would arise between the Centre and the States. But all such quarrels should be resolved in the spirit of cooperative federalism and keeping the larger national interest in mind.
• Data equity focuses on ways in which data is collected, assembled, stored, scrutinised, evaluated, processed, and distributed.
• Only as the inner lives of citizens are transformed will the vision of an aatmanirbhar Bharat and the integrity of governmental and public institutions be safeguarded.
• The government cannot ignore that the treatment of telecom revenues has caused several debilitating disputes of the past.
• Virtual currencies need oversight. But with anonymous transactions spanning country borders and a volatile market, the challenges are significant.
• An open competitive exam only ensures formal equality and does not end widespread ingrained inequalities in the availability of, and access to, educational facilities to certain classes of people, including the OBC.
• The rhetoric surrounding merit obscures the way in which family, schooling, fortune and a gift of talents that the society currently values aids in one’s advancement. Thus, the exclusionary standard of merit serves to denigrate the dignity of those who face barriers in their advancement which are not of their own making.
• While examinations are a necessary and convenient method of distributing educational opportunities, marks may not always be the best gauge of individual merit. If a high-scoring candidate does not use their talent to perform good actions, it would be difficult to call them meritorious merely because they scored high marks

50-WORD TALK

• Giving full authorisation to Covishield and Covaxin but not allowing their sale in the retail market will make the former meaningless. India’s third wave graph is volatile and needs more people to get boosters, and faster. Insisting the process remain restricted seems like health bureaucrats are more interested in control.
• The disruption of global airline operations due to the introduction of 5G services in the US reflects poorly on American planning and foresight. Global travel has suffered enough due to Covid. The last thing it needed was battered airlines having to change altimeters and flyers having to face new uncertainty.

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 main points 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 Economic Survey rightly flagged the issue of a growing food subsidy bill, which, in the words of the government, “is becoming unmanageably large”.The reason is food subsidy, coupled with the drawal of food grains by States from the central pool under various schemes, has been on a perpetual growth trajectory. This article discusses the issues related to increasing food subsidies, the need to recast the system, and possible solutions.

PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

Basic information: 

PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through the distribution of foodgrains at affordable prices.

• The public distribution system (PDS) is an Indian food Security System established under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.
• PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments:
• The Central Government, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), has assumed the responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation, and bulk allocation of food grains to the State Governments.
• The operational responsibilities including allocation within the State, identification of eligible families, Issue of Ration Cards, and supervision of the functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs), etc., rest with the State Governments.

Evolution of the system:

• Before 1960-PDS was introduced during the time of World War II. It was before the year 1960 that the distribution through PDS was dependent on imports of food grains.
• 1960s-The Public Distribution System was then expanded in the 1960s to handle food shortages and take care of distribution.
• The Food Corporation of India and the Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices were also set up by the government of India to improve domestic procurement and storage of food grains.
• 1970s – It was during the 1970s when PDS evolved as a universal scheme for the distribution of food.
• 1992- The Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) was launched in 1992 with a view to strengthen and streamline the PDS as well as to improve its reach in the far-flung, hilly, remote, and inaccessible areas.
• 1997- the Government of India launched the Targeted Public distribution system (TPDS) with a focus on the poor.
• Beneficiaries under TPDS Divided into 2 categories – Households Below Poverty Line and Households Above Poverty Line.
• 2000- Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)launched in December 2000 was a step in the direction of making TPDS aim at reducing hunger among the poorest segments of the BPL population.

Functions:

• The center procures food grains from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) and sells them to states at central issue prices. It is responsible for transporting the grains to godowns in each state.
• States bear the responsibility of transporting food grains from these godowns to each fair price shop (ration shop), where the beneficiary buys the food grains at the lower central issue price.
• Many states further subsidize the price of food grains before selling them to beneficiaries.

FOOD SECURITY AND PDS SYSTEM

• With a network of more than 400,000 Fair Price Shops (FPS), the public distribution system (PDS) in India is perhaps the largest distribution machinery of its type in the world.
• PDS is said to distribute each year commodities worth more than Rs15,000 crore to about 16 crore families.
• This huge network can play a more meaningful role if only the system is able to translate into micro-level macro-level self-sufficiency by ensuring the availability of food grains for poor households.
• Food Security of beneficiaries is ensured by distributing food grains at subsidized prices through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). It protects them from price volatility due to inflation.
• Over the years, while the spending on food subsidies has increased, the ratio of people below the poverty line has decreased.

THE ISSUE

• During 2016-17 to 2019-20, the subsidy amount clubbed with loans taken by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) towards food subsidy, was in the range of ₹1.65-lakh crore to ₹2.2-lakh crore. In the future, the annual subsidy bill of the Centre is expected to be about ₹2.5-lakh crore.
• As the National Food Security Act (NFSA), which came into force in July 2013, enhanced entitlements (covering two-thirds of the country’s population), this naturally pushed up the States’ drawal.

(Based on an improved version of the targeted public distribution system (PDS), the law requires the authorities to provide to each beneficiary 5 kg of rice or wheat per month.)

• For this financial year (2020-21) which is an extraordinary year on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the revised estimate of the subsidy has been put at about ₹4.23-lakh crore, excluding the extra-budgetary resource allocation of ₹84,636 crores.

OTHER CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE FOOD SUBSIDY

• While MSP is declared for 23 crops, the biggest financial burden comes from wheat and rice.
• Overall procurement of rice and wheat has gone up to 52 million tonnes and 39 million tonnes, respectively. The requirement of PDS and welfare schemes is about 60 million tonnes.
• This leaves a surplus of about 30 million tonnes, in addition to the carry-over stock of about 42 million tonnes (current)—far above the buffer and strategic reserve norms.
• The cost of holding this stock works out to Rs 29,000 crore per year.

WILL INCREASING CIP REVAMP THE SYSTEM?

Foodgrains via ration shops are supplied at highly subsidized rates of ₹3 per kg for rice, ₹2 per kg for wheat, and ₹1 per kg for coarse grains through the Public Distribution System (PDS) as per the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

• The Economic Survey has hinted at an increase in the Central Issue Price (CIP), which has remained at ₹2 per kg for wheat and ₹3 per kg for rice for years, though the NFSA, even in 2013, envisaged a price revision after three years.
• One should ponder over the advisability of keeping so low the retail prices of food grains at fair price shops, even after the passage of nearly 50 years and achieving substantial poverty reduction in the country. As per the Rangarajan group’s estimate in 2014, the share of people living below the poverty line (BPL) in the 2011 population was 29.5% (about 36 crores).
• The Centre, by stating through the Survey that it is difficult to reduce “the economic cost of food management in view of rising commitment” towards food security, does not want the NFSA norms to be disturbed.

Political compulsions are perceived to be coming in the way of the Centre and the States increasing the prices.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Decreasing the quantum of coverage:

• It is time the Centre had a relook at the overall food subsidy system including the pricing mechanism. It should revisit NFSA norms and coverage.
• An official committee in January 2015 called for decreasing the quantum of coverage under the law, from the present 67% to around 40%.

“Give-up” option:

• For all ration cardholders drawing food grains, a “give-up” option, as done in the case of cooking gas cylinders, can be made available.
• Even though States have been allowed to frame criteria for the identification of PHH cardholders, the Centre can nudge them into pruning the number of such beneficiaries.

Slab system:

• As for the prices, the existing arrangement of flat rates should be replaced with a slab system. Barring the needy, other beneficiaries can be made to pay a little more for a higher quantum of food grains.
• The rates at which these beneficiaries have to be charged can be arrived at by the Centre and the States through consultations. These measures, if properly implemented, can have a salutary effect on retail prices in the open market.

CONCLUSION

• There are no two opinions about reforms implemented in the PDS through various steps, including end-to-end computerization of operations, digitization of data of ration cardholders, seeding of Aadhaar, and automation of fair price shops.
• Yet, diversion of food grains and other chronic problems do exist. It is nobody’s case that the PDS should be dismantled or the in-kind provision of food subsidy be discontinued.
• After all, the Centre itself did not see any great virtue in the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode at the time of giving additional food grains free of cost to the States during April-November last year (as part of relief measures during the pandemic).
• A revamped, need-based PDS is required not just for cutting down the subsidy bill but also for reducing the scope for leakages. Political will should not be found wanting.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. INDIA-CENTRAL ASIA DIALOGUE

THE CONTEXT: The 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held under the
chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister of India. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Republic of Uzbekistan took
part in the meeting.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES OF THE MEETING:

During Pandemic:

• The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the ongoing Central Asia-India cooperation in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic. The Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries
  appreciated India’s assistance in supply of vaccines and essential medicines during their
  early stage of fight against Covid-19.

INSTC Corridor:

• The Ministers emphasized on optimum usage of the International North-South Transport
  Corridor (INSTC) as well as Ashgabat Agreement on International Transport and Transit
  Corridor to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries. They stress
  that connectivity initiatives should be based on the principles of transparency, broad
  participation, local priorities, financial sustainability and respect for sovereignty and
  territorial integrity of all countries.
• They welcomed the proposal to include Chabahar Port within the framework of INSTC and
  expressed interest in cooperation on issues related to the development and strengthening
  of regional connectivity in Central and South Asia. In this regard, the Ministers noted the
  outcomes of the High-Level International Conference "Central and South Asia: Regional
  Connectivity; Challenges and Opportunities”.

INSTC CORRIDOR

Defence and Security:

• The Ministers emphasized that interaction in the fields of defence and security constitutes
  an important element of India- Central Asia cooperation. In this regard, they noted the
  importance of holding regular consultations among the National Security Councils of India
  and the Central Asian countries in the fight against terrorism and other emerging challenges
  in the region.
• The Ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that
  providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing,
  arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to
  spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and
  international relations. They stressed that perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors
  of terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with principle of "extradite or prosecute”. In this context, they called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. They called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards.

Afghan Crisis:

• The sides discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region. The
  Ministers reiterated
  strong support for a
  peaceful, secure
  and stable
  Afghanistan while
  emphasizing the
  respect for
  sovereignty, unity
  and territorial
  integrity and non-
  interference in its
  internal affairs. They
  also discussed the
  current
  humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian
  assistance to the Afghan people. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of UNSC
  Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for
  sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action
  against all terrorist groups.

Climate Change:

• The Ministers expressed appreciation for support to each other in the UN and other
  multilateral fora including SCO, CICA etc. India highlighted the role of "International Solar
  Alliance (ISA)” initiative in collective, rapid and massive deployment of solar energy for
  effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. India also underlined the role of
  "Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)” in promoting disaster resilient
  infrastructure for reducing economic losses and improving the well-being of communities in
  the face of calamities. India looked forward to Central Asian countries joining the ISA and CDRI.
• The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian countries reiterated support of their
  countries for permanent membership of India in an expanded and reformed UN Security
  Council. They welcomed the ongoing non-permanent tenure of India in the UNSC and its
  priorities.
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan informed about their proposal to convene the
  Second High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action "Water
  for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028 from 6-9 June 2022 in Dushanbe that will be part
  of the preparatory process for the UN Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review
  of the Implementation of the Objectives of the Water Decade in 2023 in New York.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

2. INDIA DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH AIR QUALITY MONITORS

THE CONTEXT: According to researchers, with its size, population and aggravating air pollution, India
needs 1,600 to 4,000 air quality monitors but has only 804 as of September 2021, most of which
are concentrated in urban areas.

THE EXPLANATION:

• India has nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, but with 200 particulate matter
  2.5 monitoring sites in operation during the 2010-2016 period, India’s air quality monitor
  density – about 0.14 monitors per million people – is below China (1.2), the United States of
  America (3.4), Japan (0.5) and Brazil (1.8), according to research from 2019.
• As a consequence, India does not accurately know the spread of pollutants, including
  sulphur dioxide, nitrous dioxide, respirable PM 10, the finer particulate matter or PM 2.5,
  lead, carbon monoxide and ammonia. Chronic exposure to these pollutants contributes to
  the risk of developing ailments such as cardiovascular, respiratory diseases, as well as of
  lung cancer, according to the World Health Organization.
• Further, since existing air quality monitors are concentrated in urban areas, health and
  environmental authorities cannot assess the extent of air pollution in rural areas due to
  biomass, fuelwood, stubble burning and spraying of pesticides.

Real-time monitoring

• Ambient air quality is monitored by observing pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
  dioxide, PM 10, PM 2.5, lead, carbon monoxide and ammonia, present in the air. Currently,
  the country’s clean air programme has set a tentative national target of 20%-30% reduction
  of air pollution in132 non-attainment cities by 2024, taking 2017 as the base year. The “non-
  attainment cities”, called so because they did not meet the national ambient air quality
  standards at the time, are required to formulate city-specific action plans in order to reduce air pollution. So, while the thrust is on the most-polluted cities, rural and semi-urban areas are not being fully monitored for want of monitors and protocols.
• In India, air quality has been traditionally monitored using manual readings. Data from 804 monitoring stations are used for monitoring ambient air quality. Even after the introduction of real-time monitors, the Central Pollution Control Board continues the practice of using data only from manual monitors to report compliance with air quality standards, according to a Centre for Science and Environment report from 2020.

There are 261 real-time monitors whose data are updated on the central database. This network is
technically part of the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme but its data are stored and
treated separately because Central Pollution Control Board has not established a method of
equivalence between the two monitoring techniques, the 2020 Centre for Science and
Environment report pointed out.

Monitoring stations needed

• The minimum number of stations to monitor suspended particulate matter where the
  area’s population is less than 1,00,000 is four. The minimum number is three for sulphur
  dioxide, four for nitrous dioxide, one for carbon monoxide, according to Central Pollution
  Control Board guidelines for ambient air quality monitoring released in 2003. The number of
  monitors required increases with the population.
• India’s six megacities (Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi) need at
  least 23 to 44 air quality monitoring stations each, while the existing number of stations
  range between nine and 12 [excluding Delhi], according to the Centre for Science and
  Environment report from 2020.

Measuring pollutants

• To address the data gaps in monitoring pollutants, India will require 1,600 monitors-4,000
  monitors (1.2 monitors-3 monitors per million people), the Elsevier paper said, and warned
  that even at these densities, only relatively basic information on common air pollutants
  would be available more frequently, and would cover a relatively limited area.
• India has set aside a budget of Rs 470 crore for control of pollution in the financial year
  2021-’22, which includes funding for its ambitious National Clean Air Programme.

Value Addition:
National Air Quality Index (AQI)

• The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells how clean or polluted the air is.
• The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health
  Concern.
• Research studies have attributed the key sources of PM2.5 in summer to be: dust and construction activities (35%), transport sector (20%) and industry (20%).
• Would measure

1. Particulate Matter 2.5
2. Ozone
3. Carbon monoxide
4. Ammonia
5. Lead
6. Nitrogen oxide
7. Sulpher dioxide
8. PM 10

Six AQI categories

AQI Good (0–50)

Associated Health Impacts Minimal Impact

AQI Satisfactory (51–100)
Associated Health Impacts May cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

AQI Moderately polluted (101–200)

Associated Health Impacts May cause breathing discomfort to people with lung disease such as asthma,
and discomfort to people with heart disease, children and older adults.

AQI Poor (201–300)

Associated Health Impacts May cause breathing discomfort to people on prolonged exposure, and
discomfort to people with heart disease

AQI Very Poor (301–400)

Associated Health Impacts May cause respiratory illness to the people on prolonged exposure. Effect
may be more pronounced in people with lung and heart diseases.

AQI Severe (401-500)

Associated Health Impacts May cause respiratory impact even on healthy people, and serious health
impacts on people with lung/heart disease. The health impacts may be
experienced even during light physical activity.

Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)

•  It was indigenously developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.
• It is run by India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• The objective is to provide Real-time air quality index on 24×7 basis with colour coding
  along with 72-hour advance weather forecast.
• Another goal is to issue health advisory to prepare citizens well in advance.

Government Measurements:

• Introduction of cleaner gaseous fuels like CNG, LPG etc and ethanol blending.
• Banning of burning of biomass.
• Promotion of public transport network.
• Pollution Under Control Certificate.
• Issuance of directions under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• Installation of on-line continuous (24×7) monitoring devices by 17 highly polluting industrial sectors.
• Regulating the bursting of pollution-emitting crackers.
• Notification of graded response action plan for Delhi identifying source wise actions for various levels of air pollution, etc.
• Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI standards for vehicles by 1st April 2020.

3. REINTRODUCTION OF GHARIALS

THE CONTEXT: After successfully reintroducing the critically endangered Gharial (Gavialis
Gangeticus) in the rivers of Punjab where it had become extinct half a century ago, the
State’s wildlife preservation wing is now keeping its fingers crossed, expecting the
breeding of the crocodilians to start in the new few years as the released gharials are
healthy and have adapted to the Beas Conservation Reserve as their home.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The gharial reintroduction in the Beas Conservation Reserve is an ambitious programme of
  the Punjab government. The reptiles were commonly sighted in the Beas River till the 1960s
  but later became extinct. The gharial can be found in north Indian rivers like the Ganga,
  Yamuna, Chambal and their tributaries.

• Since 2017, 94 gharials released in the Beas Conservation Reserve and there have been only two causalities. These gharials have been dispersed both upstream and downstream of the release sites in the reserve and they can be spotted any time depending on the water levels and season, indicating that the first step of their rehabilitation has been successful.

• According to Punjab wildlife officials, the next big challenge is their breeding. Once natural breeding of gharials starts it would then be a real success. Normally, expect the breeding to start after 10 years. The eldest of the reintroduced ghairals is seven years old now and we are hopeful that breeding could start in the coming three-four years. The habitat is conducive for egg-laying and hatching and we are taking all necessary steps to provide a safe environment predator.
• In the first phase of the reintroduction project, 47 gharials were released in 2017-2018 in the river in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts. Later, 23 gharials were released in February 2021 on an island near Saleempur and Tahli Forest in district Hoshiarpur. Most recently, in December 2021, another set of 24 gharials was released near the Kulla Fatta forests in the reserve in Hoshiarpur district.

Value Addition:

• Gharials (or gavials) are a type of Asian crocodilian distinguished by their long, thin snouts.
• Crocodilians are a group of reptiles that includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and more.
• India has three species of Crocodilians namely:

1. Gharial: IUCN Red List- Critically Endangered
2. Mugger crocodile: IUCN- Vulnerable.
3. Saltwater crocodile: IUCN- Least Concern.

• All the three are listed on Appendix I of CITES and Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• However, Saltwater Crocodile populations of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are included in Appendix II of CITES.
• Habitats include: Fresh waters of the northern India – Chambal river, Ghagra, Gandak river and the Sone river (Bihar).
• Population of Gharials is a good indicator of clean river water.

Habitat and Distribution

• Primary habitat Chambal river and its prefers to live in riverine habitats with deep, clear,
  fast-moving water and steep, sandy banks.
• Deep pools, formed at sharp river bends are another preferred spot.
• They use sandy banks (at river's edge or mid-river) and rocky outcrops for basking.

THE INTERNAL SECURITY

4. NEW GENERATION BALLISTIC MISSILE ‘AGNI P’ SUCCESSFULLY TESTED

THE CONTEXT: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested the
new generation nuclear capable ballistic missile ‘Agni P’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the
coast of Odisha.
THE EXPLANATION:

• The Agni P is a two-stage canisterised solid propellant ballistic missile with dual redundant
  navigation and guidance system. This second flight-test has proven the reliable performance
  of all the advanced technologies integrated into the system.
• Various telemetry, radar, electro-optical stations and down range ships positioned along the
  eastern coast tracked and monitored the missile trajectory and parameters. The missile
  followed text book trajectory meeting all mission objectives with high level of accuracy.

About Agni-V

• Agni-V is an Indian nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It has been developed
  by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Missile is having a range of around 5000
  to 8000 km. It is a three-stage, solid-fuelled and road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile. It is
  transported by a truck and launched using a canister.

Significance of Agni V

Agni V is used to enhance India’s nuclear deterrence against China. Earlier, the longest-range
missile in India was Agni-III, which had the range of 3000–3500 km. This range was not sufficient to
reach targets eastern and north-eastern region of China. Thus, DRDO was working on the upgraded
version of this missile called Agni-V.
What is Ballistic Missile?

• A ballistic missile follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver one or more warheads on a
  predetermined target.
• A ballistic trajectory is the path of an object that is launched but has no active propulsion
  during its actual flight (these weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods of
  flight).
• Consequently, the trajectory is fully determined by a given initial velocity, effects of gravity,
  air resistance, and motion of the earth (Coriolis Force).

Types of ballistic missiles based on the range

• Short-range (tactical) ballistic missile (SRBM): Range between 300 km and 1,000 km.
• Medium-range (theatre) ballistic missile (MRBM): 1,000 km to 3,500 km.
• Intermediate-range (Long-Range) ballistic missile (IRBM or LRBM): 3,500 km and 5,500 km.
• Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): 5,500 km +.

What is the difference between ballistic and cruise missiles

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 20 TH JANUARY 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about Eastern Swamp Deer:

1. It is one of the sun-species of barasingha.
2. Its major habitat is grasslands of Kaziranga National Park, Assam.

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 19 TH JANUARY 2022.

Answer: B)
Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: National Commission for Women set up in 1992 under the
  National Commission for Women Act, 1990. Therefore, it is a statutory body.
• Statement 2 is correct: It consists of one chairman and other five members.

1. Action without conflict READ MORE
2. Why a Karnataka college’s hijab ban is an assault on the fundamental right to religion READ MORE

1. Explained: What is the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’? READ MORE
2. Untimely January rain damages rabi crop, vegetables in Odisha’s Nuapada READ MORE
3. Ministry’s Draft Changes To Act Undermine How India Protects Its Wildlife READ MORE
4. Thaw of permafrost has vast impact on built environment READ MORE

1. States weigh options on IAS cadre rule changes READ MORE
2. Democratise and empower city governments: The general approach towards urban empowerment, including financial capabilities, has remained piecemeal in India READ MORE
3. The marital rape exception must go READ MORE
4. Devas imbroglio: SC order gives government hope of winning arbitration battle READ MORE
5. Food for thought: Starvation deaths remain a stark reality even in this time and age, and the Govt must not shut its eyes READ MORE
6. Revisiting the NJAC judgment for credibility READ MORE
7. NALSA was supposed to be India’s beacon for legal aid. But it’s stuck in a systemic rut READ MORE
8. Failing Collegium and a Weakening Judiciary Are Undermining the Administration of Justice READ MORE

1. NFHS data offers a reality check for claims of Swachh Bharat success READ MORE
2. Stats of the nation: Not just death counts or data on malnutrition, India’s statistics are poor across categories READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Dip in eastern swamp deer population in Kaziranga READ MORE
2. Miss Kerala not endangered: aquarists READ MORE
3. 59,000 metric tonnes of biomass co-fired in coal fired Thermal power plants READ MORE
4. Explained: What is the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’? READ MORE
5. Untimely January rain damages rabi crop, vegetables in Odisha’s Nuapada READ MORE
6. ‘Major discovery’ beneath Antarctic seas: A giant icefish breeding colony READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Abdul Ghaffar Khan: Freedom Fighter, Gandhian, Pacifist, Muslim and Pakhtun: Every aspect of the life of Abdul Ghaffar Khan struck a contrast to the pettiness that is overtaking public life in India and all of South Asia. READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. States weigh options on IAS cadre rule changes READ MORE
2. Democratise and empower city governments: The general approach towards urban empowerment, including financial capabilities, has remained piecemeal in India READ MORE
3. The marital rape exception must go READ MORE
4. Devas imbroglio: SC order gives government hope of winning arbitration battle READ MORE
5. Food for thought: Starvation deaths remain a stark reality even in this time and age, and the Govt must not shut its eyes READ MORE
6. Revisiting the NJAC judgment for credibility READ MORE
7. NALSA was supposed to be India’s beacon for legal aid. But it’s stuck in a systemic rut READ MORE
8. Failing Collegium and a Weakening Judiciary Are Undermining the Administration of Justice READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. NFHS data offers a reality check for claims of Swachh Bharat success READ MORE
2. Stats of the nation: Not just death counts or data on malnutrition, India’s statistics are poor across categories READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. How to avert a demographic disaster READ MORE
2. RBI’s cryptocurrency dilemma READ MORE
3. Inflation must not impact economy READ MORE
4. Area planning better alternative to guaranteeing MSP READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Ministry’s Draft Changes To Act Undermine How India Protects Its Wildlife READ MORE
2. Thaw of permafrost has vast impact on built environment READ MORE

SECURITY

1. India’s N-project going strong: Capable of meeting challenges faced by national security READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Action without conflict READ MORE
2. Why a Karnataka college’s hijab ban is an assault on the fundamental right to religion READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Though, cryptocurrency poses an intriguing ‘regulator’s dilemma’ against RBI but banning it is not a solution’. Analyse the statement and suggest measure for the effective regulation of digital currencies.
2. Discuss the recent ruling of WTO against the subsidies on sugar provided by India.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The general approach towards urban empowerment, including financial capabilities, has remained piecemeal in India.
• By dramatically expanding basic public services, the government can create the jobs that India’s youth desperately need.
• Sanitation practices are indeed the most influential in family health and collecting such data is vital to understanding the health behaviour of the people.
• The absence of relevant statistics is the primary problem. A related issue is the politicisation of release. Over decades, heated debates over interpreting data have often been political in nature.
• Cryptocurrency poses an intriguing ‘regulator’s dilemma’ – striking a balance between technological progress ushering financial innovation while remaining as sovereign authority.
• Such measures won’t achieve the best results unless the Devas tangle is sorted out at the earliest. The onus is on the government to resolve arbitration issues without loss of face so as to regain investors’ confidence.
• The cash transferred to the poor at present cannot sustain a family of four for a month. That is why the food policy must be rational. India today has surplus food grains.
• India’s experience with cropping patterns is overproduction of a commodity that causes an abrupt fall in prices and heavy losses to farmers.
• While the collegium system doesn’t find any backing in the Constitution, India is the only country where judges appoint themselves and also decide on their transfers and promotions.
• The law laid down by the Supreme Court binds the collegium as well. Yet, the appointment and transfer of judges to the high courts and Supreme Court have not been strictly in terms of that law.

50-WORD TALK

• Tuesday’s drone strike on UAE by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, and subsequent retaliation by Saudi Arabia, raises fears that the two countries’ proxy war could intensify. Escalation would cripple India’s fuel supplies, and harm the 60 lakh diaspora in UAE and Saudi. India must engage both countries to avert this outcome.

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: In a stunning development for Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on March 4 dramatically altering the compact between OCIs and the Indian state. It is saying that the notification is the end of India’s experiment with dual citizenship. The development has started a new debate. In this article, we will analyze the issue in detail.

NOTIFICATION BY THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

The new notification was issued under section 7(B) of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Under this notification, the rules and regulations for the OCIs have been rescheduled. This notification supersedes three earlier notifications that were issued in 2005, 2007, and 2009.

The OCI cardholder shall be required to obtain a special authorization/permit to visit India from the competent authority or the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (hereinafter referred to as “FRRO”) or the Foreigners Registration Officer (hereinafter referred as to “FRO”) if the Indian mission visit is for following purposes:

• To undertake research;
• To undertake any Missionary or Tabligh or Mountaineering
• or Journalistic activities;
• To undertake an internship in any foreign Diplomatic Missions or foreign Government organizations in India or to take up employment in any foreign Diplomatic Missions in India;
• To visit any place which falls within the Protected or Restricted or prohibited areas as notified by the Central Government or competent authority.

For any time period to stay in India and the exemption from registration with the FRRO or FRO, the OCI cardholders can also claim exemption from registration with the FRRO or FRO. Necessary to mention the OCI cardholders who are ordinarily resident in India shall intimate the FRRO or the FRO through email every time there is a change in permanent residential address and their occupation.

Parity with Indian nationals in the matter of

• Tariffs in airfares in domestic sectors in India; and
• Entry fees are to be charged for visiting national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, national monuments, historical sites, and museums in India.

Parity with non-resident Indians in the matter of

• Inter-country adoption of Indian children subject to the compliance of the procedure as laid down by the competent authority for such adoption;
• Appearing for the all-India entrance tests.
• Provided that the OCI cardholder shall not be eligible for admission against any seat reserved exclusively for Indian citizens;
• Purchase or sale of immovable properties other than agricultural land or farmhouse or plantation property
• Pursuing the following professions in India as per the provisions contained in the applicable relevant statutes or Acts as the case may be, namely:-

(a)      Doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists

(b)      Advocates

(c)       Architects

(d)      Chartered accountants.

Who are OCI citizens?

OCI citizens are of Indian origin; however, they are foreign passport holders and are not citizens of India. India does not allow dual citizenship but provides certain benefits under Section 7B (I) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 to the OCIs.

The ministry of home affairs defines a person as a oversees citizen of India who:

• Was a citizen of India on or After 26^th Jan 1950
• Was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26^th Jan 1950
• Is a child or grandchild of such a person

But a person is not eligible for OCI; if his parents or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh. This category was introduced by the government in 2005. The government of India via Citizenship (amendment) 2015 merged the person of Indian origin (PIO) category with the OCI category.

HOW NEW RULING IMPACTS THE OCIs CARDHOLDERS?

• Prohibits them from undertaking certain activities without prior permission of the Foreigners Regional Registration Officers (FRRO).
• Parity with Indian citizens in the matters of tariffs in airfares in domestic sectors in India and entry fees to be charged for visiting national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, the national monuments, historical sites, and museums in India.
• Special permission to undertake research work or take up employment in any foreign diplomatic missions in India will need permission.
• Prior permission will be needed if wants to visit any place that falls within the protected restricted or prohibited areas.
• This regulation will impact the government’s 2018 decision that made an OCI eligible for appointment as permanent teaching faculty in a premier educational institution. Such recruitments are governed by Section 7B 2(I) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• It restored the lifelong visa to OCIs that was temporarily suspended in March 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• An OCI cardholder to intimate the FRRO by email whenever there is a change in permanent residential address and in their occupation.
• Eligible for appearing in all-India entrance tests. This will only be against any NRI seat and shall not be eligible for admission against any seat reserved exclusively for Indian citizens.
• In a related case pending before the Karnataka High Court, the Centre had in March 2019 maintained the same stand. However, on 15 December 2020, the HC directed that students under the OCI category are to be considered citizens of India for admission to professional courses and not restrict their admissions only under the NRI quota.

OCI HOLDERS AT PAR WITH NRIS?

• The new notification is making OCI cardholders par with Non-Resident Indians in the matter of inter-country adoption of Indian children.
• Appearing in the all India entrance tests and purchase or sale of immovable properties other than agricultural land or farmhouse or plantation property.
• They can pursue the professions in India as per the provisions contained in the applicable relevant statutes which include doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists, advocates, architects, chartered accountants.

Under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, the following areas have been declared as `Restricted’ Areas – Andaman & Nicobar Islands – Entire Union Territory and Sikkim – Part of the State.

• The whole of Arunachal Pradesh
• Parts of Himachal Pradesh
• Parts of Jammu & Kashmir
• Whole of Manipur
• Whole of Mizoram
• Whole of Nagaland
• Parts of Uttarakhand

IS THE NEW NOTIFICATION AN END TO INDIA’S EXPERIMENT WITH DUAL CITIZENSHIP?

In 2006, in order to meet calls for dual citizenship, India introduced the OCI card for foreign nationals of Indian descent. The OCI card allows foreign citizens of Indian origin to visit, live and work in India as citizens would. But there were many key restrictions:

• OCI cardholders could not vote or participate in Indian politics
• Can’t occupy any positions in public service
• Can’t invest in agricultural land holdings

Moreover, it was hoped that in future India will provide dual citizens to OCIs cardholders and for that Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor introduced a bill in Parliament to amend the Indian Constitution and allow dual citizenship for Indians. But, the new notifications are being seen as a step backward from granting dual citizenship to people of Indian origin who are citizens of foreign countries.

WHAT IS DUAL CITIZENSHIP AND WHY DOES INDIA NEED IT?

Introducing dual citizenship means that foreign citizens would be allowed to hold Indian passports and exercise all rights of an Indian citizen including participating in politics, policy, and governance.

Why does India need Dual citizenship?

FOR INDIAN DIASPORA

• It would open the floodgates for a diversely skilled group of professionals to come back home, infusing India’s somewhat insular and protectionist policymaking apparatus with much-needed international expertise.
• Dual citizens will bring Indian policymaking the benefits of global perspectives and lessons from global best practices.
• The return of a diaspora with wide-ranging international experiences will go a long way in changing that; if dual citizens were to return to the government, they will help inform the domestic political discourse on the consequences that Indian businesses, students, and professionals face abroad – and, by extension, those that their families face back home. Dual citizens will further spread public awareness of international events.

TO EXPAND FOREIGN POLICY

For years, Indian foreign policy discourse has suffered from introversion and fence-sitting on matters of international politics and security. A large part of the domestic debate on foreign policy is restricted to the immediate neighborhood – and often just one country out of them all: Pakistan.

GLOBAL INFLUENCE

They will also be more invested in steering Indian foreign policy discourse towards a discussion on increasing India’s global influence, rather than on less meaningful populist chest-thumping: After all, many of them changed their passports in large part because of the consequences of India’s underwhelming global influence (the Indian passport is currently ranked 86 out of 109 positions on travel freedom – below Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone).

EASY CITIZENSHIP BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR DEVELOPMENT

• Many Indians abroad change their passports for very practical reasons seeking access to a higher quality of life, high-paying jobs in multilateral organizations where Indian citizens are over-represented, or merely for mobility and travel freedom.
• Between 2014 and 2017, 4.5 lakh Indians opted for citizenship in another country. As foreign countries offer easy citizenship in exchange for cash and investments, the trend is only set to grow.
• Despite their change in citizenship, India’s diaspora has remained strongly committed to Indian interests overseas and the spread of India’s global influence worldwide. Dual citizenship will more fully leverage the political influence of Indians abroad by giving them a more direct stake in India’s development – and more meaningful roles by which to contribute to it. If Indian dual citizens return home to be in politics or government, they are more likely to do so in order to fix many of the developmental challenges that forced their migration, rather than to serve any ‘grand designs’ of foreign sabotage in India.

OTHER COUNTRIES ARE OFFERING DUAL CITIZENSHIP

Eighty-five countries in the world offer dual citizenship. India needs to join this long list to avoid embarrassments such as an Indian winning the Nobel Prize but not being an Indian citizen.

But the new notification of the government of India is against the demand of modern times that makes OCIs cardholder as par Indian Citizens in some cases but restricted in some other cases and make them as par the NRIs. Although there are some criticisms of dual citizenship like:

• the threat of having foreign citizens in positions of policymaking and power.
• How can Indians trust folks who owe allegiance to a foreign power?

But the problem with these arguments is that this approach totally misunderstands the Indian diaspora spectacularly. Unlike several foreign citizens of Chinese or Russian descent, Indian-origin citizens in the West did not flee from their home country out of spite or suppression.

What are the options for India? Case studies from other countries

Many countries have found a way around the technical and security issues involved.

• Bangladesh requires its citizens to obtain a “dual nationality certificate” so that it can control who gets to take dual citizenship and under what circumstances.
• Brazilians can acquire another country’s passport but they must enter and exit Brazil only on the Brazilian passport.
• Canada actually encourages dual citizenship; the US discourages but allows it.
• If the concern is security, one can look at Pakistan, which allows its citizens to hold dual citizenship of only 16 other countries, doesn’t let dual citizens run for public office or join the military. Signing dual citizenship agreements with other countries helps prevent its misuse.

CONCLUSION: The introduction of dual citizenship is a great opportunity for India to expand its global influence and attract the world’s talent to aid its domestic growth. More importantly, it will reinstate India’s legacy as a civilization that is open rather than insular, global rather than protectionist, and confident rather than insecure. For India’s aspirations to be a global power, there are few attributes more pertinent than those.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCI CARD HOLDER, PIO, AND NRI

OVERSEAS CITIZEN OF INDIA: OCI is an immigration status given to a foreign citizen of Indian origin as an alternative for dual citizenship which is not allowed by the Indian Constitution.

NON-RESIDENTIAL INDIA: NRI is a residential status given to a citizen of India with an Indian Passport who resides in a foreign country for the purpose of work/business, or education.

PERSON OF INDIAN ORIGIN: PIO is an identification status given to whom or whose any of the ancestors was a permanent Indian resident/citizen and who is currently holding valid citizenship and passport of another country.