THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. THE 3RD WORLD NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES DAY

THE CONTEXT: Observing the 3rd World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day on 30^th January as a key moment to highlight the global community’s commitment to ending NTDs, India joined close to 40 other nations to illuminate the iconic New Delhi Railway Station in purple and orange hues, which is one of the busiest railway stations in the country in terms of train frequency and passenger movement.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Event organized by National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) to observe World NTD Day, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare highlighted that the aim of illuminating the iconic New Delhi Railway Station was to generate awareness about NTDs in the visiting public and showcase progress and achievements towards their elimination.

ABOUT WORLD NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES:

• Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of 20 conditions that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas, (developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas), where they mostly affect impoverished communities and disproportionately affect women and children.
• They are caused by a variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms. These diseases generally receive less funding for research and treatment than malaises like tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS and malaria.
• The NTDs include:

• According to WHO estimates that over 1.7 billion of the world’s population should be targeted by prevention and treatment activities for at least one of these diseases, every year.
• In addition to significant mortality and morbidity – approximately 200,000 deaths and 19 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost annually.

India’s Measures to tackle NTD’s:

• The Accelerated Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (APELF) was launched in 2018, as part of intensifying efforts towards the elimination of NTDs.
• A WHO-supported regional alliance established by the governments of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal in 2005 to expedite early diagnosis and treatment of the most vulnerable populations and improve disease surveillance and control of sandfly populations (Kala-azar).
• India has already eliminated several other NTDs, including guinea worm, trachoma, and yaws.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

2. INDIA’S FIRST GEO PARK TO COME UP IN MADHYA PRADESH

THE CONTEXT: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has approved the setting up of the country’s first geo park at Lamheta village on the banks of the Narmada River in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The GSI has sanctioned 1.30 crore to prepare a detailed project report of the geological rock formations in five acres in the Lamheta village, located 20 km away from the Jabalpur district.
• The site is already there in the UNESCO geo-heritage tentative list for the conservation of the natural heritage. Several dinosaur fossils had been found in the Narmada valley, particularly in the Bhedaghat-Lameta Ghat area of Jabalpur”.
• In 1828, the first dinosaur fossil was collected from the Lameta Bed by Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer William Sleeman.
• According to the GSI, the Science centre will come up at Bhedaghat, also in the Jabalpur district, known forwhite marble rock formations and a famous tourist hotspot, at the cost of ₹ 15.20 crore, to be shared by the Centre and the states. The centre would shed light on modern science, including scientific theories of various topics such as food, water and soil.m

What is a Geo Park?

A geo park is a nationally protected area covering a number of geological heritage sites of particular importance, rarity or aesthetic appeal. These can be promoted as ‘geotourism’ through conservation, education, and sustainable development.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

3. THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ECONOMIC SURVEY 2021-22

THE CONTEXT: The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, presented the Economic Survey 2021-22 in Parliament on 31 January 2022. The highlights of the Economic Survey are as follows:

STATE OF THE ECONOMY

• Indian economy estimated to grow by 9.2 percent in real terms in 2021-22 (as per first advanced estimates) subsequent to a contraction of 7.3 percent in 2020-21.
• GDP projected to grow by 8- 8.5 percent in real terms in 2022-23.
• The year ahead poised for a pickup in private sector investment with the financial system in good position to provide support for economy’s revival.
• Projection comparable with World Bank and Asian Development Bank’s latest forecasts of real GDP growth of 8.7 percent and 7.5 percent respectively for 2022-23.
• As per IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook projections, India’s real GDP projected to grow at 9 percent in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and at 7.1 percent in 2023-2024, which would make India the fastest growing major economy in the world for all 3years.
• Agriculture and allied sectors expected to grow by 3.9 percent; industry by 11.8 percent and services sector by 8.2 percent in 2021-22.
• On demand side, consumption estimated to grow by 7.0 percent, Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) by 15 percent, exports by 16.5 percent and imports by 29.4 percent in 2021-22.
• Macroeconomic stability indicators suggest that the Indian Economy is well placed to take on the challenges of 2022-23.
• Combination of high foreign exchange reserves sustained foreign direct investment, and rising export earnings will provide adequate buffer against possible global liquidity tapering in 2022-23.
• Economic impact of “second wave” was much smaller than that during the full lockdown phase in 2020-21, though health impact was more severe.
• Government of India’s unique response comprised of safety-nets to cushion the impact on vulnerable sections of society and the business sector, significant increase in capital expenditure to spur growth and supply side reforms for a sustained long-term expansion.
• Government’s flexible and multi-layered response is partly based on an “Agile” framework that uses feedback-loops, and the use of eighty High Frequency Indicators (HFIs) in an environment of extreme uncertainty.

 Fiscal Developments:

• The revenue receipts from the Central Government (April to November, 2021) have gone up by 67.2 percent (YoY) as against an expected growth of 9.6 percent in the 2021-22 Budget Estimates (over 2020-21 Provisional Actuals).
• Gross Tax Revenue registers a growth of over 50 percent during April to November, 2021 in YoY terms. This performance is strong compared to pre-pandemic levels of 2019-2020 also.
• During April-November 2021, Capex has grown by 13.5 percent (YoY) with focus on infrastructure-intensive sectors.
• Sustained revenue collection and a targeted expenditure policy has contained the fiscal deficit for April to November, 2021 at 46.2 percent of BE.
• With the enhanced borrowings on account of COVID-19, the Central Government debt has gone up from 49.1 percent of GDP in 2019-20 to 59.3 percent of GDP in 2020-21, but is expected to follow a declining trajectory with the recovery of the economy.

External Sectors:

• India’s merchandise exports and imports rebounded strongly and surpassed pre-COVID levels during the current financial year.
• There was significant pickup in net services with both receipts and payments crossing the pre-pandemic levels, despite weak tourism revenues.
• Net capital flows were higher at US$ 65.6 billion in the first half of 2021-22, on account of continued inflow of foreign investment, revival in net external commercial borrowings, higher banking capital and additional special drawing rights (SDR) allocation.
• India’s external debt rose to US $ 593.1 billion at end-September 2021, from US $ 556.8 billion a year earlier, reflecting additional SDR allocation by IMF, coupled with higher commercial borrowings.
• Foreign Exchange Reserves crossed US$ 600 billion in the first half of 2021-22 and touched US $ 633.6 billion as of December 31, 2021.
• As of end-November 2021, India was the fourth largest forex reserves holder in the world after China, Japan and Switzerland.

Monetary Management and Financial Intermediation:

• The liquidity in the system remained in surplus.
• Repo rate was maintained at 4 per cent in 2021-22.
• RBI undertook various measures such as G-Sec Acquisition Programme and Special Long-Term Repo Operations to provide further liquidity.
• The economic shock of the pandemic has been weathered well by the commercial banking system:
• YoY Bank credit growth accelerated gradually in 2021-22 from 5.3 per cent in April 2021 to 9.2 per cent as on 31st December 2021.
• The Gross Non-Performing Advances ratio of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) declined from 11.2 per cent at the end of 2017-18 to 6.9 per cent at the end of September, 2021.
• Net Non-Performing Advances ratio declined from 6 percent to 2.2 per cent during the same period.
• Capital to risk-weighted asset ratio of SCBs continued to increase from 13 per cent in 2013-14 to 16.54 per cent at the end of September 2021.
• The Return on Assets and Return on Equity for Public Sector Banks continued to be positive for the period ending September 2021.
• Exceptional year for the capital markets:
• 89,066 crore was raised via 75 Initial Public Offering (IPO) issues in April-November 2021, which is much higher than in any year in the last decade.
• Sensex and Nifty scaled up to touch peak at 61,766 and 18,477 on October 18, 2021.
• Among major emerging market economies, Indian markets outperformed peers in April-December 2021.

Prices and Inflation:

The average headline CPI-Combined inflation moderated to 5.2 per cent in 2021-22 (April-December) from 6.6 per cent in the corresponding period of 2020-21.

• The decline in retail inflation was led by easing of food inflation.
• Food inflation averaged at a low of 2.9 per cent in 2021-22 (April to December) as against 9.1 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
• Effective supply-side management kept prices of most essential commodities under control during the year.
• Proactive measures were taken to contain the price rise in pulses and edible oils.
• Reduction in central excise and subsequent cuts in Value Added Tax by most States helped ease petrol and diesel prices.

Wholesale inflation based on Wholesale Price Index (WPI) rose to 12.5 per cent during 2021-22 (April to December). This has been attributed to:

• Low base in the previous year,
• Pick-up in economic activity,
• Sharp increase in international prices of crude oil and other imported inputs, and
• High freight costs.

Divergence between CPI-C and WPI Inflation:

• The divergence peaked to 9.6 percentage points in May 2020.
• However, this year there was a reversal in divergence with retail inflation falling below wholesale inflation by 8.0 percentage points in December 2021.

This divergence can be explained by factors such as:

• Variations due to base effect,
• Difference in scope and coverage of the two indices,
• Price collections,
• Items covered,
• Difference in commodity weights, and
• WPI being more sensitive to cost-push inflation led by imported inputs.

With the gradual waning of base effect in WPI, the divergence in CPI-C and WPI is also expected to narrow down.

Sustainable Development and Climate Change:

• India’s overall score on the NITI Aayog SDG India Index and Dashboard improved to 66 in 2020-21 from 60 in 2019-20 and 57 in 2018-19.
• Number of Front Runners (scoring 65-99) increased to 22 States and UTs in 2020-21 from 10 in 2019-20.
• In North East India, 64 districts were Front Runners and 39 districts were Performers in the NITI Aayog North-Eastern Region District SDG Index 2021-22.
• India has the tenth largest forest area in the world.
• In 2020, India ranked third globally in increasing its forest area during 2010 to 2020.
• In 2020, the forests covered 24% of India’s total geographical, accounting for 2% of the world’s total forest area.
• In August 2021, the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, was notified which is aimed at phasing out single use plastic by 2022.
• Draft regulation on Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic packaging was notified.
• The Compliance status of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) located in the Ganga main stem and its tributaries improved from 39% in 2017 to 81% in 2020.
• The consequent reduction in effluent discharge has been from 349.13 millions of litres per day (MLD) in 2017 to 280.20 MLD in 2020.
• The Prime Minister, as a part of the national statement delivered at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow in November 2021, announced ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030 to enable further reduction in emissions.

The need to start the one-word movement ‘LIFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment) urging mindful and deliberate utilization instead of mindless and destructive consumption was underlined.

Agriculture and Food Management:

• The Agriculture sector experienced buoyant growth in past two years, accounting for a sizeable 18.8% (2021-22) in Gross Value Added (GVA) of the country registering a growth of 3.6% in 2020-21 and 3.9% in 2021-22.
• Minimum Support Price (MSP) policy is being used to promote crop diversification.
• Net receipts from crop production have increased by 22.6% in the latest Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) compared to SAS Report of 2014.
• Allied sectors including animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries are steadily emerging to be high growth sectors and major drivers of overall growth in agriculture sector.
• The Livestock sector has grown at a CAGR of 8.15% over the last five years ending 2019-20. It has been a stable source of income across groups of agricultural households accounting for about 15% of their average monthly income.
• Government facilitates food processing through various measures of infrastructure development, subsidized transportation and support for formalization of micro food enterprises.
• India runs one of the largest food management programmes in the world.
• Government has further extended the coverage of food security network through schemes like PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).

Industry and Infrastructure:

• Index of Industrial Production (IIP) grew at 17.4 percent (YoY) during April-November 2021 as compared to (-)15.3 percent in April-November 2020.
• Capital expenditure for the Indian railways has increased to Rs. 155,181 crores in 2020-21 from an average annual of Rs. 45,980 crores during 2009-14 and it has been budgeted to further increase to Rs. 215,058 crores in 2021-22 – a five times increase in comparison to the 2014 level.
• Extent of road construction per day increased substantially in 2020-21 to 36.5 Kms per day from 28 Kms per day in 2019-20 – a rise of 30.4 percent.
• Net profit to sales ratio of large corporates reached an all-time high of 10.6 percent in in July-September quarter of 2021-22 despite the pandemic (RBI Study).
• Introduction of Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, major boost provided to infrastructure-both physical as well as digital, along with measures to reduce transaction costs and improve ease of doing business, would support the pace of recovery.

Services:

• GVA of services crossed pre-pandemic level in July-September quarter of 2021-22; however, GVA of contact intensive sectors like trade, transport, etc. still remain below pre-pandemic level.
• Overall service Sector GVA is expected to grow by 8.2 percent in 2021-22.
• During April-December 2021, rail freight crossed its pre-pandemic level while air freight and port traffic almost reached their pre-pandemic levels, domestic air and rail passenger traffic are increasing gradually – shows impact of second wave was much more muted as compared to during first wave.
• During the first half of 2021-22, service sector received over US$ 16.7 billion FDI – accounting for almost 54 percent of total FDI inflows into India.
• IT-BPM services revenue reached US$ 194 billion in 2020-21, adding 1.38 lakh employees during the same period.
• Major government reforms include, removing telecom regulations in IT-BPO sector and opening up of space sector to private players.
• Services exports surpassed pre-pandemic level in January-March quarter of 2020-21 and grew by 21.6 percent in the first half of 2021-22 – strengthened by global demand for software and IT services exports.
• India has become 3rd largest start-up ecosystem in the world after US and China. Number of new recognized start-ups increased to over 14000 in 2021-22 from 733 in 2016-17.
• 44 Indian start-ups have achieved unicorn status in 2021 taking overall tally of unicorns to 83, most of which are in services sector.

Social Infrastructure and Employment:

• 94 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered as on 16th January 2022; 91.39 crore first dose and 66.05 crore second dose.
• With revival of economy, employment indicators bounced back to pre-pandemic levels during last quarter of 2020-21.
• As per the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PFLS) data up to March 2021, employment in urban sector affected by pandemic has recovered almost to the pre-pandemic level.
• According to Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) data, formalization of jobs continued during second COVID wave; adverse impact of COVID on formalization of jobs much lower than during the first COVID wave.
• Expenditure on social services (health, education and others) by Centre and States as a proportion of GDP increased from 6.2 % in 2014-15 to 8.6% in 2021-22 (BE)

As per the National Family Health Survey-5:

• Total Fertility Rate (TFR) came down to 2 in 2019-21 from 2.2 in 2015-16
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), under-five mortality rate and institutional births have improved in 2019-21 over year 2015-16
• Under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), 83 districts have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ districts.
• Increased allotment of funds to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) to provide buffer for unorganized labour in rural areas during the pandemic.

4. THE CROSS-BORDER INSOLVENCY FRAME WORK

THE CONTEXT: The Economic Survey 2021-22 has called for a standardised framework for Cross-Border insolvency as the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) at present does not have a standard instrument to restructure the firms involving cross border jurisdictions leading to several issues.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The proposal to frame a robust cross border insolvency framework has already been highlighted in the report of the Insolvency Law Committee (ILC) which had recommended the adoption of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) with certain modifications to make it suitable to the Indian context.
• UNCITRAL on Cross-Border Insolvency, 1997 has emerged as the most widely accepted legal framework to deal with cross-border insolvency issues”.
• It provides a legislative framework that can be adopted by countries with modifications to suit the domestic context of the enacting jurisdiction.
• It has been adopted by 49 countries until now, such as Singapore, the U.K., the U.S.,South Africa and Korea. This law addresses the core issues of cross border insolvency cases with the help of four main principles which includes access, recognition, cooperation, and coordination.
• It allows foreign professionals and creditors direct access to domestic courts and enables them to participate in and commence domestic insolvency proceedings against a debtor. It also allows recognition of foreign proceedings and enables courts to determine relief accordingly. Also, it provides a framework for cooperation between insolvency professionals and courts of countries and allows for coordination in the conduct of concurrent proceedings in different justifications.

What is the Need?

• Cross border insolvency signifies circumstances in which an insolvent debtor has assets and/or creditors in more than one country.Typically, domestic laws prescribe procedures, for identifying and locating the debtors’ assets; calling in the assets and converting them into a monetary form; making distributions to creditors in accordance with the appropriate priority etc. for domestic creditors/debtors.
• At present, the IBC provides for the domestic laws for the handling of an insolvent enterprise but not to restructure the firms involving cross border jurisdictions.

 About UNCITRAL:

• The UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly. Established by the UNGA in 1966. Headquartered at Vienna.
• Aim: It is responsible for helping to facilitate international trade and investment.
• Mandate: “To promote the progressive harmonization and unification of international trade law” through conventions, model laws, and other instruments that address key areas of commerce, from dispute resolution to the procurement and sale of goods.
• The Tribunal constituted in accordance with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules 1976 is seated at the Hague, Netherlands, and proceedings are administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY 1^ST FEBRUARY  2022

1. Consider the following statements about Theyyam:
2. It is a popular ritual form of dance worship in Kerala.
3. It is only performed by males.
4. There is no stage for the performance.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

a only

b 2 and 3 only

c 1 and 3 only

d All of them

ANSWER FOR 31^ST JAN 2022

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: It is kind of extra-tropical or mid-latitude cyclone.
• Statement 2 is correct: It occurs when a storm & central barometric pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
• Statement 3 is correct: It can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass.

1. Believe to Succeed READ MORE
2. But the Rules Sir, I Squeaked…. READ MORE

1. How surging oil prices threaten world’s climate goals READ MORE
2. How Auroville can teach us all a thing or two about offsetting carbon READ MORE

1. The case for vaccinating children against COVID-19: Protecting all children, especially those who have risk factors, should be a humanitarian priority for the Government READ MORE
2. Income inequalities: Tackle the root cause READ MORE
3. Dig deep into why people indulge in hate crimes READ MORE

1. The limits of the legislature’s power to suspend a member READ MORE
2. The supreme failure: By failing to decide key constitutional cases in a timely way, the apex court has not acted as the ‘sentinel on the qui vive’ READ MORE
3. The ordinary citizen’s idea of India READ MORE
4. Learning to grow: States should give school reopening priority READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ECONOMIC SURVEY 2021-22 READ MORE
2. 3rd World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day READ MORE
3. PM addresses 30th Foundation Day programme of National Commission for Women READ MORE
4. How Auroville can teach us all a thing or two about offsetting carbon READ MORE
5. India’s first geological park to come up at Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur READ MORE
6. Cross border insolvency: UN model allows automatic recognition of foreign rulings READ MORE
7. Aditya – L1 First Indian mission to study the Sun READ MORE

Main Exam  

GS Paper- 1

1. Dig deep into why people indulge in hate crimes READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The limits of the legislature’s power to suspend a member READ MORE
2. The supreme failure: By failing to decide key constitutional cases in a timely way, the apex court has not acted as the ‘sentinel on the qui vive’ READ MORE
3. The ordinary citizen’s idea of India READ MORE
4. Learning to grow: States should give school reopening priority READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The case for vaccinating children against COVID-19: Protecting all children, especially those who have risk factors, should be a humanitarian priority for the Government READ MORE
2. Income inequalities: Tackle the root cause READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. How India can adapt to global geoeconomic churn READ MORE
2. Why UNSC joint statement on nuclear weapons is important READ MORE
3. Playing a losing game: India should turn focus from Central Asia to South Asia or Indian Ocean Region READ MORE
4. Neutrality best option for India in Ukraine crisis READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. A hazy picture on employment in India: The trends in employment have not shown any clear and consistent patterns over the years READ MORE
2. Does inequality matter? READ MORE
3. What the Economic Survey says about outlook for India READ MORE
4. In spite of global inflation, Survey signals a strong growth momentum READ MORE
5. Reforms to drive industrial recovery and growth READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. How surging oil prices threaten world’s climate goals READ MORE
2. How Auroville can teach us all a thing or two about offsetting carbon READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Believe to Succeed READ MORE
2. But the Rules Sir, I Squeaked…. READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. “The Covid-19 pandemic has made the unequal in India more unequal” Critically analyse the statement in the light of the Inequality Kills report recently released by Oxfam.
2. “A combination of a distorted tax regime, declining social sector expenditure and unbridled privatisation policy have deepened inequality in India” Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.
• The trends in employment have not shown any clear and consistent patterns over the years.
• Protecting all children, especially those who have risk factors, should be a humanitarian priority for the Government.
• The power of judicial review that the Chief Justice of India calls as critical to democracy should be exercised assiduously. Or else, India’s hard-fought constitutional democracy would be in grave peril.
• Economic Survey shows that post-Covid recovery has stabilised and projects moderate growth. But some risks will need to be addressed.
• Until now, India had the luxury of treating its foreign, economic and strategic policies as separate domains. It needs to integrate its financial, trade, technological, security and foreign policies.
• India’s selective trade arrangements and the policies to promote domestic manufacturing have drawn much criticism at home as a dangerous return to economic protectionism and deglobalisation.
• UNSC joint statement reaffirms that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought and recommits to the principles of non-proliferation.
• India would be better off deploying its already scarce resources to shoring up its ties with countries in the South Asian or Indian Ocean Region.
• Given the long-term implications of serious learning losses, especially among the poor, states should accord priority to getting children back to school sooner rather than later. It would be no exaggeration to say India’s future depends on it.
• For India, imposition of further sanctions on Russia could be an added headache as Indian procurement of defence equipment and spares continue, apart from other economic activities. India currently has 65 per cent of its equipment of Russian origin.

50-WORD TALK

• It is imperative to shift the understanding of hate crimes to a more holistic approach which goes beyond legal definitions and uncovers fundamental causes of these crimes. The existing laws hardly prescribe any ways to preventing hate crimes and the State’s imagination is woefully limited in this regard. The absence of prevention programmes which mobilise communities speaks for itself. The laws also lack a victim-centric approach to hate crimes.
• The Economic Survey’s conservative growth forecast of 8%-8.5% for the next fiscal is sensible. The pandemic curve, imported inflation and reversal of monetary policies and central bank liquidity around the world are headwinds for the Indian economy. Modi government and RBI will have to remain agile to ensure macro-economic stability.
• Fresh claims about India buying Pegasus snooping technology make it incumbent on Modi government to come clean on this scandal. It cannot hide behind Supreme Court probe where it hasn’t been forthcoming either. The government will have only itself to blame if Parliament’s Budget session is lost to this controversy.

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 Covid-19 pandemic has affected the whole world and changed the shape of global politics. Global responses are needed to confront global diseases. With regards to vaccine access, some countries have been much more fortunate than others. Therefore, the concept of vaccine diplomacy has become a major foreign-policy talking point. The Indian government was one of the first nations to engage in vaccine diplomacy under the “Vaccine Maitri” initiative.

WHAT IS VACCINE DIPLOMACY?

• The coronavirus vaccine — one of the world’s most in-demand commodities — has become a new currency for international diplomacy.
• Vaccine diplomacy is a measure to assist countries that may not otherwise have access to vaccines. In many ways, it mimics other diplomatic channels.
• Countries that produce vaccines can set up bilateral supply agreements with countries that need vaccines, which become a tool of soft power, or outright diplomatic allegiance. They are using the vaccine to find favor or improve strained relations.
• There is a multilateral agreement, Covax, brokered by the WHO and other international organizations, to provide vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries. Then there are bilateral agreements between individual countries.
• The strategy is similar to the energy supply agreements that were sought internationally, including by the US, to face energy crises in the early 2000s.

INDIA’S VACCINE DIPLOMACY

• A global challenge of this magnitude requires a global solution, based on international health cooperation between public and private-sector stakeholders.
• And India recognized early on that it could play a unique role in that process. India is already known as the pharmacy of the world, manufacturing some 20% of all generic medicines and accounting for as much as 62% of global vaccine production, so it was quick off the mark when the pandemic struck.
• India began its Covid outreach even before the vaccines were in place. India sent out 446 million HQC tablets and 1.54 billion paracetamol tables to 133 countries. Besides hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, as well as diagnostic kits, ventilators, masks, gloves, and other medical supplies were also exported. Once India’s domestic vaccination campaign started, a wide range of countries began asking the country for vaccines.
• India’s vaccine sharing policy stands out given the alarming increase in ‘vaccine nationalism’. Its “Vaccine Maitri” campaign has shipped hundreds of thousands of Indian-made Covishield vaccines, to more than 90 countries.
• Indian vaccines have been flown to most of the country’s neighbors, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Nepal, and also farther afield, to Seychelles, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Pacific Island, Caribbean, and African countries. Indian vaccines are arriving even in richer countries like the United Kingdom and Canada
• Many of the recipient countries have signed so-called vaccine pacts with India on a government-to-government basis to finalize the number of doses and determine whether they will be provided under grant assistance or under commercial terms.
• India has tied with other nations like the Quad partners, who at their first virtual summit pledged to supply at least one billion doses of vaccines to Indo-Pacific nations by the end of next year.
• Additionally, India and South Africa have also urged the WTO’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Council (TRIPS Council) to temporarily suspend intellectual property rights related to COVID-19 so that the vaccines and other new diagnostic technologies are accessible to poor countries. Although WTO members have failed to reach a consensus on the proposal, several developing countries have rallied behind this effort.

India’s vaccine diplomacy in numbers

Total countries: 95

Vaccine Grant: 107.15 lakhs

Commercial: 357.92lakhs

Covax : 198.628lakhs

Total: 663.698lakhs

A NEW ARENA FOR INDIA-CHINA STRATEGIC COMPETITION

• India’s vaccine diplomacy puts it in direct competition with China—whose vaccine distribution is clubbed with its broader geopolitical ambitions.
• In fact, it has even explicitly included vaccine distribution in its broader Health Silk Road initiative, which aims to bolster China’s international soft power. China is providing vaccines to many countries involved in its Belt Road Initiative, essentially protecting its investments.
• While China is trying to rehabilitate its image on the world state given that it’s been tagged as the source for Covid-19, India is using the country’s capacity in the pharma sector subtly to advertise an alternative to China’s economic and geopolitical dominance.
• While China has been secretive in releasing data about its vaccines, leading to controversies over their efficacy of them, India organized trips for foreign ambassadors to visit pharmaceutical factories.
• China wanted to project its vaccines as effective and more suited for use in and around its immediate neighbors, yet there is a preference for Indian manufactured medicines amongst most Southeast and South Asian countries as the Indian brands continue to evoke feelings of trust and quality
• Not only has India overshadowed China as a provider of cheap and accessible vaccines to the Global South; it has been quicker and more effective. For example, Indian vaccines beat China’s into Myanmar, Cambodia, and Afghanistan.
• China had a long history of seeking political, commercial, or diplomatic gains for its various projects. India does not have a history of seeking special benefits from its health assistance; India has long been seen as a helpful partner in ensuring affordable drugs and vaccines to lower-income countries.
• Vaccine manufacture and distribution is one area where India has some comparative advantage over China, which usually overshadows India in military and economic might. Quad’s vaccine initiative comes as a direct response to China’s efforts to compete through vaccine diplomacy.

BENEFITS

Boost to soft power: India’s vaccine diplomacy is, of course, not purely altruistic. While there are commercial benefits, vaccine diplomacy is an extension of continued investment in promoting India’s soft power abroad. At a time when most rich countries are criticized for hoarding vaccine doses and “vaccine nationalism” is common, the vaccine Maitri program has raised India’s standing and generated great international goodwill.

Enhanced global standing: Delhi’s supplies make for a key diplomatic initiative in a year when India is at the UN Security Council and ahead of the G-20 it will host in 2023. India has supplied vaccines to at least 50% of the Least Developed (LDC) countries and one-third of the Small Island Developing (SID) countries. These are the two major small-country groupings that have an influential voice at the United Nations. The effort may one day help India secure recognition as a global power – with a permanent UN Security Council seat.

A new dimension to “Neighborhood First”: India is keen on mending its ties with Bangladesh. The COVID-19 vaccine can ease the tensions. Similarly, vaccine diplomacy provides an opportunity for India to resolve outstanding issues with Nepal. In Indian Ocean countries like the Maldives and Mauritius, India’s vaccine diplomacy can help foster stronger ties in the region, and offset China’s growing influence attributable to its financial investments and social development projects.

Countering China: In South Asia, where China’s presence has grown in recent years, India’s ‘vaccine diplomacy’ could help to even out the playing field. India has a longer track record of supplying medicines and vaccines to the rest of the world, especially to low- and middle-income countries. The key elements of India’s vaccine diplomacy have merged into the Quad vaccine initiative under which vaccines will go to countries in the Indo-Pacific region — the battleground of contestation between the Chinese and the Quad’s sphere of influence.

Human-Centric Globalization: Indian-made vaccines do not require storage and transport at very low temperatures. This makes them much more manageable for lower-income countries which lack significant cold chain infrastructure. For small countries, it is not just the ability to buy, but also the resources to access markets. The big debates around globalization are ‘equity’ and ‘fairness'”.Most of the developing countries wouldn’t have gotten their vaccines so early if India had not supplied them. This reinforces human-centric international cooperation and globalization.

Global public good: India’s initiatives to make vaccines widely available to developing countries, together with growing evidence of the benefits from making COVID-19 vaccines accessible, suggests that during a pandemic, medical products must be treated as global public goods. Several studies caution that low vaccine availability, especially for smaller countries, will prolong recovery and trigger significant increases in global inequalities. The equitable distribution of vaccines is in the economic interest of every country.

Economic Benefits: India’s manufacturing sector will attract more foreign direct investment. Greater cooperation over supply chains will help strengthen Indian pharma in the long term aim to ease dependence on imports of active pharmaceutical ingredients from China.

CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES

Citizens first: India has exported three times as many doses as it has administered to its own people. Citizens are increasingly demanding that the domestic population be served first to quell infection rates locally, prior to sending shipments abroad. Furthermore, even with vaccination efforts underway globally, new strains of coronavirus are emerging quickly, emphasizing that inoculation efforts must continue to move forward as quickly as possible.

Second wave: There has been questioning of India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative in some quarters as the crisis at home has unfolded in the past few weeks. India has vast populations of its own to inoculate. And that India, with its sharp spike in cases in this wave, poses a global health threat. It is in the interests of the world to ensure that Indians are vaccinated. Vaccine Maitri gave signals that India needs no help.

Vaccines nationalism: Vaccines are manufactured through long and complex global supply chains and bottlenecks have arisen from “Vaccine nationalism”. Many of the countries are restricting access to materials needed to build more supplies. For example, America invoked the Defense Production Act to safeguard supplies for its own manufacturers.

Failure to add capacity: Poor judgment on India’s domestic requirement and the failure to back up vaccine diplomacy ambitions with adequate manufacturing capacity has meant that both domestic and international vaccination efforts have been ruined leaving several neighboring nations high and dry. As India stopped exports of vaccines last month because of a fresh surge of the pandemic, Bangladesh is scrambling to get sufficient quantities of vaccines. Bangladesh will be looking towards China and Russia if India is not able to honour its commitment.

Other concerns: There are mounting concerns about rising case numbers, the emergence of COVID-19 variants that may not respond to existing vaccines, and an economy that has not yet fully recovered, which will intensify the challenge India confronts in fulfilling its obligations to developing countries while also meeting domestic demand.

ANALYSIS

With its advanced cutting-edge healthcare in the private sector and reputation as a health destination, it was natural that governments in the region would look to vaccines manufactured in India. By exporting doses of the COVID-19 vaccine under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India is fulfilling its role as a responsible nation. The smaller countries that have received Indian vaccine doses are indeed very grateful for our help. By sending vaccines to our neighbors and by supplying them to countries in the Indian Ocean Littoral countries, India has demonstrated both goodwill and capacity. India is using its soft power to assist developing countries, a role that it has increasingly been playing as a development partner.

Vaccine diplomacy has earned India a huge name. It has—or will— change the dynamics in the days ahead like few things have. The world is seeing India differently. Its generosity and infrastructure have come into the public eye. Like information technology, which put India on the world map, pharmaceuticals will do the same. It is good both for Brand India and Makes in India. The world’s top vaccine companies, like Russia’s Sputnik and Johnson & Johnson, will certainly want facilities in India.

There has been questioning of India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative in some quarters as the crisis at home has unfolded in the past few weeks. Reasonable questions can be asked about the need for India to supply vaccines and other products to the world at large when there was a crisis at home.

In some ways, the answer to this can be relatively simple: That this is rooted in India’s civilizational ethos. While it might be commonplace for some nations to suggest that it is in the interest of the wider world to focus exclusively on their citizens, it’s not a narrative that India can uphold at any level. At a time when the Indian situation looked stable, it was morally right for India to support other parts of the world that were in greater pain.

India’s ‘Vaccinemaitri’ approach was trying to ensure no one gets left behind. The virus knows no borders and equitable access to vaccines is critically important. The country’s ability to make vaccines is a result of international cooperation which is not a one-way transaction. It is important to recognize that global support for India is also a reciprocal appreciation of New Delhi’s efforts over the last few months.

Delhi’s decision to start sending vaccines to its neighbors in South Asia and other countries who have asked for it is the right step forward for India in its relations with its neighbors. It holds immense potential for a new kind of diplomacy in the region, one based on the common good and common interests of the South Asian people.

In diplomacy today, doing good is being smart, ‘vaccine Maitri’ reflects the larger outlook of ‘VaisudhaivaKutumbakam’ (the world is one family), health security is now integral to national security. Health security is emerging as a priority area for cooperation and India can play an important role in it.

WAY FORWARD

• Vaccine multiculturalism should be promoted through an international collaborative effort under the aegis of the unsubscribed sustainable development goals.
• India is one of the biggest producers of vaccines, but we need to ramp up production even more. Global vaccines that have Indian collaborations need to be given the license without the mandatory bridging trials.
• The government must ensure that its domestic vaccine requirements are being adequately met.

CONCLUSION: Vaccine diplomacy was a good move to boost India’s international image and spread goodwill by coming to the aid of humanity. India had come in for fulsome praise across the globe for its desire to help the world. The WHO had on several occasions commended India for its desire to act as a responsible global power. India’s vaccine diplomacy has been a boon to the country’s aspirations to be recognized as a global power. In combating the pandemic, it has gone well beyond the routine provision of health care or the supply of generics. To be sure, it is uncertain whether promoting soft power through healthcare exports significantly boosts a country’s position in the global order. But if and when the permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council are ever rearranged, grateful governments will know who has done the most.

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