Current Affairs-April 2016

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PREFACE
With the present shift in examination pattern of UPSC Civil Services Examination, General
Studies II and General Studies III can safely be replaced with Current Affairs. Moreover,
following the recent trend of UPSC, almost all the questions are issue-based rather than
news-based. Therefore, the right approach to preparation is to prepare issues, rather than
just reading news.
Taking this into account, our website www.iasbaba.com will cover current affairs focusing
more on issues on a daily basis. This will help you pick up relevant news items of the day
from various national dailies such as The Hindu, Indian Express, Business Standard, LiveMint,
Business Line and other important Online sources. Over time, some of these news items will
become important issues.
UPSC has the knack of picking such issues and asking general opinion based questions.
Answering such questions will require general awareness and an overall understanding of
the issue. Therefore, we intend to create the right understanding among aspirants How to
cover these issues?
This is the Eleventh edition of IASbabas Monthly Magazine. This edition covers all
important issues that were in news in the month of April 2016
Value adds from IASbaba- Must Read and Connecting the dots.
Must Read section, will give you important links to be read from exam perspective. This
will make sure that, you dont miss out on any important news/editorials from various
newspapers on daily basis.
Under each news article, Connecting the dots facilitates your thinking to connect and
ponder over various aspects of an issue. Basically, it helps you in understanding an issue
from multi-dimensional view-point. You will understand its importance while giving Mains
or Interview.
The best way to predict your future is to create it

Even if youre on the right track, youll get run over if you just sit there
(Abraham Lincoln)
All the Best
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INDEX
NATIONAL
(Pages 5-71)
Harking back to an interventionist era Article 356

The Elderlyas a resource
Towards restorative Criminal Justice
Indias new federal polity takes root - with special reference to 14th Finance
Commission
Are simultaneous elections to Panchayat, Assembly and LokSabha feasible?
TraffickingTime to put an end
Supreme Court: Not a court of everyday appeals
Discover, invent in India
Of liquor bans and the ballot box
When populism trumps public safety
The LPG reform -Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
DR. Babasaheb Ambedkar 125th Birth Anniversary
A case of public health in India
Issues with Urban Governance
Cities at Crossroads: Setting cities free
Manual Scavenging A question of dignity
Surge pricing Economics - A misguided ban in Delhi
Permanently fighting drought in India
Human-centric Laws - Maharashtra Protection of People from Social Boycott
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2016
Indias overburdened and understaffed Judiciary
Indian Culture: Apathy towards Antiquities
Diffusing the Judicial burden
The ironies of Small States
Anti-Defection Law- Liberate the Legislator
A crumbling idea of progressChild Labour
INTERNATIONAL
(Pages 72-92)
India, EU summit agrees on new agenda for strategic partnership

The panama papers explained
India- US relationship- a Strategic Imperative
Maritime India Summit 2016: Taking initiatives to push maritime trade
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The Obama Doctrine

G-20s warning on the global economy:
Chinas Water Hegemony in Asia
Indias challenge in Afghanistan
ECONOMICS
(Pages 93-118)
Indias Drug Industry

Indias Drug ControlApprovals & DPCO
Logistics sector in India: Removing the roadblocks in transportation
Time for a single world currency
Unified Payment Interface A step towards a cashless economy
India will struggle to cash in on its demographics
E-platform for trading farm produce to make agriculture remunerative
Analysing India's Demographic Dividend
Waging a minimum wage battle in the labour market
Need of the hour: Inclusive growth of small enterprises
Indias jobless growth
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(Pages 119-120)
Patents and Innovation
ENVIRONMENT
(Pages 121-123)
Clean Energy InvestorsWANTED
DEFENCE AND SECURITY
(Pages 124-130)
Nuclear Security Summit

Cyber-security trends for financial services industry
The way forward in Military command Indian Army, Navy, Air Force
MUST READ
(Pages 131-181)
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NATIONAL
TOPIC: General studies 2

Indian Constitution, significant provisions and basic structure.
Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and
institutions.
Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary
Harking back to an interventionist era Article 356
Article in part XVIII (Articles 352-360); among the Emergency provisions of the Indian
Constitution
During Presidents Rule
President administers the state through the governor and the Parliament makes laws
for the state
Maximum period: Three years
44th Amendment Act, 1978: Beyond one year, the Presidents rule can be extended
by six months at a time only when-
A proclamation of National Emergency should be in operation in the whole of

India, or in the whole or any part of the State
Election Commission must certify that the general elections to the legislative
assembly of the State cannot be held on account of some difficulties
Resolution: Should be passed by simple majority
Perfecting the art of capitalising on dissidence (BJP)

Exhibiting an egregious sign of degenerating political morality while transporting the
country to the period prior to the 1990s when the Centre, mostly when the Congress was in
power, used to invoke the Article cynically and whimsically to bring non-Congress regimes to
heel.
Creation of a new methodology to bring out regime change without having to dissolve the
Assembly or placing the relevant Presidential Proclamation before Parliament
The Uttarakhand example
A partisan decision that flouts the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in the
Bommai case of 1994
Justification for the resort to Article 356 of the Constitution:

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the supposed loss of majority of the Harish Rawat regime, as evidenced by the
Finance Bill being passed by voice vote, disregarding demands for a division;
the disqualification of nine members for alleged defection ahead of a confidence

vote set for March 28;
a sting video purportedly showing Mr.Rawat offering inducement to some of the

dissidents to return to his fold, thereby raising the possibility of horse-trading and
unethical means.
But
There was no ground for invoking Article 356 within the parameters laid down by the
Supreme Court or that a situation warranting Central intervention had not yet arisen
Whether the Appropriation Bill can be passed by voice vote- barred from judicial
scrutiny by Article 212 of the Constitution (which disallows courts from inquiring into
internal matters of the legislature)
Governors response
Refusal to have a division raised a presumption of loss of majority and therefore, asked the
Chief Minister to prove his strength through a trust vote because the manner in which a Bill
is passed by voice vote, show of hands or a division is normally well within the
province of the Speaker, and he cannot take the absence of division itself as proof of loss of
majority.
BJPs objection to the Appropriation Bill being passed by voice vote- Ionical because its own
partys Chief Minister in Maharashtra, DevendraFadnavis, won a confidence vote in the State
Assembly in 2014 through a voice vote
SC: The Proclamation of Presidents Rule as a pre-emptive measure against a possibly
manipulated vote is impermissible (Only in case of an extraordinary situation such as allpervasive violence)
Arunachal Pradesh:
An established pattern: A political pattern behind the crisis that led to the current situation;
The pattern involves dissidence within the ruling party, the opposition joining hands with
the rebels, confusion over the likelihood of a floor test, and the Governor intervening in a
partisan manner
Supreme Court declared in 1994, that the only place for determining whether a Chief
Minister has lost or retained majority is the floor of the House
Sad spectacle of partisan politics overshadowing constitutional propriety
BJP: Instead of finding ways to facilitate a floor test it has imposed Presidents Rule in the
midst of an ongoing hearing before a five-member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court
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Congress in the State Failed to address the dissidence in its camp against Chief Minister
NabamTuki and now, avoiding a floor test as it has not sought interim orders to that effect
from the court.
BUT- Six months had elapsed since the last time the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly met and
this itself became a valid ground for Central rule
Also, the past crisis has led us to seek a constitutional question of whether the Governor can
summon the legislature on his own and whether he can send a message to the Assembly on
what motion it should take up is now before the Supreme Court.
The K.R. Narayanan Minute
Sent by President K.R. Narayanan urging a reconsideration of the recommendation to

dismiss the Rabri Devi government in 1998; advising the Vajpayee government that a
case of breakdown of constitutional machinery would not be made out unless the
Centre had elicited explanations and sent out directives and warnings to the State
government concerned
The Vajpayee government saw the wisdom in the argument and did not reiterate its
advice. In 1999, the same President did sign a proclamation under Article 356 after a
Dalit massacre in Bihar, but the government revoked Central rule within three weeks
after realising that it may not receive the RajyaSabhas approval.
Since an Assembly cannot be dissolved prior to both Houses adopting resolutions

approving Presidents rule, one way of achieving some political objectives is to Dismiss
the State government first, and utilise the period in which the legislature is under
suspended animation to install a new regime consisting of defectors backed by the
Opposition serving the following purposes: Utilization of both the floor-test requirement
and the bar on premature dissolution of the Assembly
Hurdle posed by the anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule)

2003 amendment: A legislature party cant split into two- Legislators dissatisfied with their
party can only merge with another, but such members will have to constitute two-thirds of
the original strength for it to be a valid merger
At play the defectors privilege:
As only a formal act of voluntarily giving up membership of the party that set one up
as a candidate or voting in the House in violation of a whip will attract defection,
rebel MLAs now feel free to voice their criticism of their Chief Minister and join
hands with the Opposition in political activities.
If the Speaker takes note of their activities and disqualifies them, the plea that they
had been arbitrarily disqualified without adequate opportunity to explain their
position is often invoked to challenge the action.
Also, partisan Speakers use the disqualification provision to sustain a regimes lost
majority or gloss over the support bought over from Opposition members or
independents.
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Question: whether the Speaker is the right authority to adjudicate matters of defection
A view: Speakers tenure being dependent on the will of majority therein, likelihood of
suspicion of bias could not be ruled out.
Need: Changing the adjudicating authority in matters of disqualifying defectors
Connecting the Dots:
Discuss the possibility of short-term gains dictating priorities when the procedures
are clearly laid out for settling disputes over House Majority.
Critically examine the steps taken on the roadmap of Indias democratic principles in
order to uphold constitutional morality and democratic traditions.
TOPIC:
General studies 1:
Effects of globalization on Indian society.
General studies 2:
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States
and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies
constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections;
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector or Services
relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
The Elderlyas a resource
Statistics behind the increase in life expectancy at birth:
1950-55: Life expectancy at birth in India was 36.6 years, whereas the average in the world
was 46.8 years
2010-15: Life expectancy in India had almost caught up with the global average: 67.5 years
in India, compared with 70.5 years globally
Result of
Reduction in poverty
Improvement in healthcare and general social conditions
India will have 330 million elderly people (19.4% of the population) by 2050
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Problem of ageing populations

This profound shift in the share of older Indianstaking place in the context of changing
family relationships and severely limited old-age income supportbrings with it a variety of
social, economic, and health care policy challenges.
Issues
Modernization:
Becomes an obligation
Rural:
Work Status:
Agriculture + industries: Adversely affected the participation rate of the elderly + less
scope of financial assistance
Organized sector- Mandatory retirement
Women: Immense contribution but with no counted economic value
Gender Ageing
Early marriage + Prohibition on remarriage- Widowhood prevails (Double jeopardy)
Health & Disability
Low: Literacy level + present healthcare conditions

Transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases
Increased disability in female
Rise in suicide cases: Depression + destitution + Socio-economic factors
ActionHelp Age India: Comprehensive Plan + Program + Action
Kinship bonds
Social Security: Weakened + Declining

Decline in Joint Family
Decrease in interaction & expression of emotions Alienation
Ways of Inclusion
Liberate them from repetitive exclusion from all spheres of life: Social + Economic +
Political
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Rectify the negligence awarded by valuing their wisdom (fastest growing, but
underutilized resource available to humanity), insights and valuesInduction in
advisory groups (turning the problem of the elderly into a solution for other social
problems)
Creation of a sense of social identity of agedSocial Security cover; Evolving an
indigenous care module and an overall family & community care system
Increased interactions with the youth (Sense of value + Ways of imparting traditions)
More research needs to be employed in the healthcare dimension of the aged
population
The paradigm shift required in perspective

India: SEWA (the self-employed womens association), founded by Ela Bhatt, is one of the
best examples which organizes the women in self-help groups and improve the quality of
lives.
Vietnam Old Peoples Associations (OPAs) are improving the lives of the elderly
Out of 90 million people, as many as 8.5 million are members of OPAs in their village and
town communities which are democratically run by the elderly in the communities set
their own agendas, choose what community causes to apply themselves to, which
elderly persons need special assistance and assign responsibilities among themselves
They represent the needs of the community and the elderly to government agencies,
who also see them as a vital support for the governments outreach programmes into
communities.
Women constitute the majority in OPAs since they live longer than men
Youth volunteers support the OPAs, providing energy and expertise that the elders may
not have
Great benefit of inter-generational self-help groups (as the OPAs are called) is the
social capital they accumulate and the cohesion they enable within communities
AnubandhBhatt advocates the building of hundred-mile communities as a way to

improve the world for everyone; encourages us to follow the links of mutual
interconnectedness towards a sense of wholeness
IASbabas Views:
For sustainable and inclusive growth, local communities must be enabled to govern
themselves. Rather than isolating them and making them dependent on others charity
for their own survival, the integration of elders can help communities to survive and to
thrive.
Elders can act as a glue providing cohesion with tradition, and that brings together
conflicting movements for special causes.
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Investing a little to engage the elderly in communities can improve the health and wellbeing of the elderly as well as improve the health and well-being of communities.
India should lay the groundwork for increased economic productivity and ease the
process of caring for growing numbers of older Indians in the future. Discuss.
Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary;

Governance issues
Towards restorative Criminal Justice

Purpose of criminal justice: towards securing life and property
The Reality
Fails to deter criminals owing to

Delays and uncertainties involved in its processes
Ridiculously ineffective punishments imposed on those few who get convicted
Provides wide discretion to the police and the prosecution, rendering the system
vulnerable to corruption and manipulation and endangering basic rights of innocent
citizens
Ignores the real victim, often compelling him/her to find extra-legal methods of
getting justice
Puts heavy economic costs on the state for its maintenance without commensurate
benefits in return
With nearly 30 million criminal cases pending in the system (the annual capacity of which is
only half that number), and with another 10 million or more cases being added every year,
whatever is left of the system is bound to collapse completely unless some radical
alternatives are adopted urgently.
Global Learnings
U.S.: adopted plea bargaining and diversion to administrative and quasi-judicial institutionsless than a third of criminal cases are allowed to go for trial
U.K.: Diversion is followed; gave a central role to the victims to direct their cases in the
system
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Russia, Australia, etc.: the victim is brought centre stage through what is called restorative
justice to replace unproductive aspects of conventional criminal processes
Plea Bargaining & India India had adopted plea bargaining to take out from the system
cases punishable up to seven years of imprisonment for negotiated settlement without
trialremains a dead letter
Threefold strategy to arrest the drift
1. A new perspective and a fresh comprehensive look based on changes in society and
economy as well as priorities in governance
-Guiding principle in the reform process: Decriminalisation wherever possible and
diversion, reserving the criminal justice system mainly to deal with real hard
crimes
-Division of the Penal Code into four different codes (systems be accordingly
reorganised & made specialised, efficient and accountable)
Social Offences Code consisting of matters which are essentially of a civil
nature and can be settled or compounded through administrative processes
without police intervention and prison terms;
Correctional Offences Code containing offences punishable up to three years
imprisonment where parole, probation and conditional sentences can be
imposed in lieu of prison terms and can be handled under summary/summons
procedure where plea bargaining can be liberally invoked without the stigma of
conviction;
Economic Offences Code where property offences which affect the financial
stability of the country are dealt with by a combination of criminal and
administrative strategies including plea bargaining (both on charge as well as on
punishment) with a view to making crimes economically non-viable;
Indian Penal Code which will have only major crimes which warrant 10 years
imprisonment or more or death and deserve a full-fledged warrant trial with all
safeguards of a criminal trial
2. Institutional reform of police processesincluding investigation of crimes,
professionalization and rationalisation of court systems with induction of technology
and limiting appeal procedures to the minimum required
3. Victim-oriented criminal justice: restoring the confidence of victims in the system
and achieving the goal of justice; the system must confer rights
Enabling them to participate in the proceedings
Right to be impleaded
To engage an advocate in serious offences
Right to track the progress of the proceedings
Right to be heard on critical issues
To assist the court in the pursuit of truth
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right to seek and receive compensation for injuries suffered including

appropriate interim relief irrespective of the fate of the proceedings
Restorative justice:
Indigenous systems of quick, simple systems of resolution of wrongs which enjoy

community support, victim satisfaction and offender acknowledgement of obligations
Takes on board all three parties the offender, the victim and the community in a
harmonious resolution of the injury, maximising the sense of justice and restoring peace
and harmony in the community.
Restorative justice is distinct from mediation- directly addresses victim needs and
therefore emphasises the private dimensions of a public wrong help sustain interpersonal
relationships while reinforcing offender obligations
Reduce the workload on the system

Increase the sense of justice, as a whole
The new khap No, due process requirements are followed while participation is
enlarged and made transparent, inclusive and accountable
IASbabas Views:
With crime and violence constituting a major impediment for development and social
integration for a plural society like India, restorative justice can take the path of
accepting diversity as a social fact and thus, involving communities in finding ways to
correct the wrong.
India, should now be more open to experimenting new democratic methods of
reconciliation, attempting to bring about a change in the mind-set and leading the
concept of reconstruction of social fabric as a norm as well as a necessity for the smooth
functioning of the society.
Is restorative justice the same as mediation? Sociologically as well as logically, trace the
relationship shared between crime and society?
Critically examine the notion of victim-centric approach being a critical element that
should be included in the criminal justice system
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TOPIC:
General studies 2:
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges
pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local
levels and challenges therein.
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
General studies 3:
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
Indias new federal polity takes root - with special reference to 14th Finance Commission
The state budgets are now beginning to reflect the radical makeover in fiscal
relations between the Union government and the states.
The above radical makeover can be linked to the implementation of the
recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission (FFC).
One size cannot fit all:
At its core, the FFC championed the idea that one size cannot fit all; particularly
relevant in such a large country like India, which is culturally, topographically and
economically so diverse.
To be sure, this shift has been in the making, incrementally albeit, for the past two
decades beginning with the 10th Finance Commission; what the FFC has done is to
accelerate this pace dramatically.
Increased trust on states to manage their own fiscal future:
The FFC abandoned the idea of tied aid, in the form of centrally sponsored
programmes and grants and instead trusted states to manage their own fiscal future.
Not only did the states get the freedom to prioritize spending, the new formula
sharply increased the share from 32% to 42% of net Union tax receipts of fiscal
resources accruing to states.
It further allowed states committing to greater fiscal discipline greater leeway to
borrow from the market to fund their development priorities.
Sowing the seeds of co operative federalism:
Effectively, the FFC had sowed the seeds of cooperative federalism as states have
been accorded unprecedented fiscal freedom.
For the first time, public expenditure is now decisively in the jurisdiction of states.
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Consequently, states are now greater stakeholders and the implementation of the
single goods and services tax pending before Parliament for the past 10 years and
more will only bind this relationship further.
Clean-up of the power sector:

The Union government recently launched an unprecedented clean-up of the power sector
mired in accumulated debt of nearly Rs.4 trillion, which was not only impeding fresh
investments, but also threatening to snowball into a balance sheet crisis for banks that had
loaned funds to state power utilities.
UjwalDiscom Assurance Yojana or UDAY: The scheme launched last November2015, drew
up a contract between the Union government and volunteering state governments (Nine,
including Uttar Pradesh ruled by an opposition party, have inked this deal and have
already begun implementing it) wherein the discom debt was transferred to the state
governmentwho, in turn, would float bonds to fund it.
Further, the discoms were required to adopt transparent pricing rules and also
overhaul the creaking power infrastructure in their state with the end objective of
providing 24x7 power.
Way ahead:
Taking the two developments together, a new formula to share fiscal resources and
a structural fix to the power sector, means the Union and state governments
together have hit the reset button on the federal polity.
While one would resolve a key infrastructure bottleneck (even while it addresses a
mindset about public utilities being required to bear the burden of political
populism), the other provides unprecedented fiscal room to states.
Effectively, it confirms a new federal compact: an India where the sum of the parts
will be greater than the whole.
Connecting the dots:
Critically examine the evolution of centre state financial relations in India since
independence.
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Local Government and related issues

Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities
of various Constitutional Bodies.
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
The present Prime Ministers recent suggestion that elections to the LokSabha,
VidhanSabha and local bodies should be held simultaneously has brought to centre
stage an issue that has been raised intermittently, for years.
Leaders of several parties also raised the issue, leading to a Parliament committee
examining it.
Why the issue has resurfaced again?

The reasons that have prompted the proposal are
Frequent elections bring to a standstill normal functioning of the government and

life of the citizens and bring a heavy recurring cost.
It is true that normal work comes to a standstill to a considerable extent.
Typically, elections to the LokSabha are spread over two and a half months.
As soon as the Election Commission announces the poll dates, the model
code of conduct (MCC) comes into operation.
This means that the government cannot announce any new schemes, make
any new appointments, transfers or postings without EC approval.
Ministers get busy in the election campaign, the district administration
machinery gets totally focused on elections.
The cost of election, which is a major issue.
The costs of election have gone up enormously.
It has two components, the cost of management to the EC/ government. And
the cost to candidates and political parties.
Though there are no exact estimates, one guesstimate puts it at Rs 4,500
crore.
The bigger problem is the havoc played by the money power of political
parties and contestants.
Though the law prescribes a ceiling on the expenditure of candidates, the
fact is that it is violated with impunity.
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Another consequence of frequent elections is the aggravation of vices like

communalism, casteism, corruption (vote-buying and fund-raising) and crony
capitalism. If the country is perpetually in election mode, there is no respite from
these evils.
Is there any benefit from frequent elections?

Frequent elections have some benefits too:
Politicians, who tend to forget voters after the elections for five years have
to return to them. This enhances accountability, keeps them on their toes.
Elections give a boost to the economy at the grassroots level, creating work
opportunities for lakhs of people.
There are some environmental benefits also that flow out of the rigorous
enforcement of public discipline like non-defacement of private and public
property, noise and air pollution, ban on plastics, etc.
An issue that needs attention if the elections are held simultaneously:

Voting for the same party:
It is a widely held belief among political observers and politicians that the Indian
voter is astute and distinguishes between voting for her State government vis-a-vis
the national government.
As with most such electoral narratives, this too is devoid of any evidence.
The analysis shows that on average, there is a 77 per cent chance that the Indian
voter will vote for the same party for both the State and Centre when elections are
held simultaneously.
This trend of choosing the same party has gone from 68 per cent in 1999 to 77 per
cent in 2004 to 76 per cent in 2009 and 86 per cent in 2014.
Contrary to the popular notion that the average voter is acutely discerning of the
difference between voting for her State representative and national, there is very
little actual evidence of it.
Way ahead:
We need to readily acknowledge that in a complex plural democracy such as Indias,

electoral outcomes are a manifestation of various factors.
Whether elections to LokSabha and state legislature happen separately or together,
what is important is to curb the role of money and muscle power during elections, as
it undermines the democratic setup of the country.
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Critically examine the various factors that determine voter behaviour in India.
Social Issues
Role of women and womens organization, population and associated issues,
poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their
remedies; Social empowerment
TraffickingTime to put an end
Millions of men, women and children are victims of human trafficking for sexual, forced
labour and other forms of exploitation worldwide. The human and economic costs of
this take an immense toll on individuals and communities.
The problem of trafficking cuts across a range of development issues, from poverty to
social inclusion, to justice and rule of law issues, and thus has relevance for practitioners
throughout the development community
West BengalA transit point for human trafficking, the hub of internal and cross-border
human trafficking in India
Existing possibilities: Shares approximately 2,220 km of land border and 259 km of riverine
border with Bangladesh- unfenced, making cross-border trafficking in persons, drugs, and
fake currency seamless
Reasons: Promise of jobs
Trafficking in persons
Human trafficking is a process of people being recruited in their community and country of
origin and transported to the destination where they are being exploited for purposes of
forced labor, prostitution, domestic servitude, and other forms of exploitation
2003 UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially
Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organised
Crime, to which India is a signatory defines trafficking in persons including sex trafficking
and forced labour
Article 23 of the Indian Constitution: Prohibits human trafficking but does not define the
term
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Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013defined the term trafficking by substituting

Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code with 370 and 370A which deals with trafficking of
persons for exploitation (forced labour not included; as well as not adequately addressed
in other acts/laws)
Critical Concerns:
Double victimization of the victim
The cross-national victim and the trafficker are arrested in India, they are both
charged under the Foreigners Act of 1946according to the Act, if an offender is a
foreigner, he/she should be punished under this Act and deported. As a result, the
trafficked person is treated as a criminal for his/her unlawful presence in India.
While the perpetrator, if a foreigner, is deported to his/her home country following
the completion of the sentence, the victim is transferred to a shelter home in India
and is required, as per court orders, to remain there till the court hearing, since
he/she is the witness in the case
Aimless targeting:
Indian laws do not target traffickers and their associates or penalise them
adequately
The trafficker can be charged under Section 366B of the IPC which states that
importation of a female below the age of 21 years is a punishable offence
Provision- is rarely implemented, as police officers are mostly unaware of its
existence.
Delay in verification of the addresses:
May take as long as two or three years

Reasons:
Delay in confirmation by the Bangladesh government
Incorrect, incomplete, or vague addresses given by the trafficked persons
IASbabas Views:
There needs to an increase in NGOs dealing with cross-border trafficking as well as the
lack of adequate human resources needs to be dealt with at a greater pace. Good
coordination between the governments and NGOs on either side of the border can be
the best foot forward to tackle the issue.
The transit homes run by NGOs in collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF)
along the Indo-Bangladesh border can be set up. Once the trafficker and the victim are
apprehended by the BSF along the border, the victim can be sent to a transit home
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rather than to a police station till her antecedents are verified by the Bangladesh
government.
There is also a need for the BSF to develop a good rapport with child care and protection
agencies as well as community mobilisation, sensitisation of the BSF on the issue of
cross-border trafficking, and good networking between community-based organisations
and BSF border outposts.
Discuss the role of the stakeholders for responding to human trafficking.

Can human trafficking be regarded as a developmental issue? Discuss the risk factors
associated with the same.
Supreme Court: Not a court of everyday appeals

Indias Supreme Court
Acts as a final court of appeal- decisions are determinative; its pronouncements

constitute the law of the land
Acts as the ultimate arbiter on disputes concerning any interpretation of the
Constitution
Enormity of its burden:

Core task: deliberating on, and settling, questions of pure constitutional significance
Reality: ruling on run-of-the-mill civil and criminal appeals.
Core task: minimum of five judges sit for the purpose of deciding any case involving a
substantial question of constitutional law (Article 145(3) of the Constitution)
Reality: the number of cases decided by constitution benches (benches comprising five or
more judges), has steadily declined right from the Supreme Courts inception. Between 2005
and 2009, benches comprising five judges or more decided only a worryingly paltry 0.12 per
cent of the courts total decisions (this manner of functioning is far from what the
Constitutions framers envisaged of the Supreme Court)
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Core task: Not to be transformed into a forum to argue over ordinary disputes between
litigants that had no larger public bearing (designed for the lower judiciary and the various
high courts to take it up)
Reality: That which was meant to be used only in exceptional cases, where a particular
interpretation of a law required definite resolution, is being increasingly used by the judges
points out towards a deliberate decisions that is ultimately leading towards the downfall
Issues of accessing justice (Lower Judiciary):
There is only one judge for every 73,000 people in India

At the present rate of functioning- civil cases will never get fully disposed of, and it
will likely take more than 30 years to clear all the criminal cases presently on the file
of Indias lower courts.
Sol: systematic infrastructure and trained personnel (judges) are the need of the hour
Easing the Courts burden
Bottom-up approach:
Need for the strengthening of the lower judiciary; be viewed as the regular and, in
most cases, final appellate court, allowing the Supreme Court to be more
discerning in its use of discretion, thus substantially reducing its burden of acting as a
corrector of simple errors
Designating at least two constitution benches to hear cases, Monday through Friday,
thereby solving problems concerning the inability of the Supreme Court to devote
itself to its most important duty
Nobody likes backlogs:

Delay in the context of justice denotes the time consumed in the disposal of case, in excess
of the time within which a case can be reasonably expected to be decided by the Court
Creation of Additional Judicial Manpower Planning Authority to clear backlogs and

initiate swift disposal of new cases, eliminate delays and reduce cost.
Target for the disposal level at the national level should be raised from 60% of the
total case-load (at present) to 95% of the total case-load in five years
Ensuring that not more than 5% of the cases pending before them should be more
than 5 years old (5x5 rule) within the next three years
Constructive use of the Subordinate Courts
Issue: Tendency to fix many more cases than the Court can possibly hear on a day
and then spending considerable time every day in calling certain cases with a view to
adjourn them to a future date
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Sol: An attempt should be made in consultation with Advocates to estimate the

time, a particular case will take to hear, leading to reduction in the number of
adjournments
Establishment of a National Court of Appeal (NCA)
Would act as an intermediate forum between the Supreme Court and the various
high courts of India
SC to Union: Ordered notice to the Union of India and proposed to refer questions of
law concerning the establishment of such a court to a constitution bench of five
judges
NCA: To be headquartered in New Delhi, and would have different regional benches,
for relieving the Supreme Court of the weight of hearing regular civil and criminal
appeals, allowing the court to concentrate on determining only fundamental
questions of constitutional importance
NCAs regional benches- would allow greater access to litigants from remote parts of
the country, for whom the distance to New Delhi acts as a grave barrier to justice.
IASbabas Views:
To restore the Supreme Courts grandeur, the focus ought to be not on altering the
core structure of the judiciary, but in aiming to make changes that are more
pragmatic, that place an emphasis on the strengthening of the base of Indias judicial
edifice.
Need to focus and revamp the feeble infrastructure that we have installed to
support our justice delivery system by establishing a more robust subordinate
judiciary, that would not only negate any requirement on the part of most litigants
to approach the Supreme Court, but it would also free the court of its shackles,
allowing it to possibly regain its constitutionally ordained sense of majesty.
The justice that we are trying to secure should be just and ready as opposed to
rough and ready. Discuss
There is a need to make a scientific and rational analysis of the factors behind
accumulation of arrears and devise specific plan to at least bring them within
acceptable limit, within a reasonable timeframe-Discuss.
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TOPIC:
General studies 2:
General studies3:
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
development and employment.
Science and Technology - developments and their applications and effects in
everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of
technology and developing new technology.
Discover, invent in India
India, has a long tradition of excellent science, great scientists and scientific institutions, and
rich cultural history that respects learning and excellence which helps in making India a
scientific super power.
What does India reply on to become a scientific super power:
1. India possesses an immense pool of talented young minds.
Many have been attracted abroad, where they have made enormous
contributions to science and technology.
This overseas community has strong ties to the country of its origin and is an
important national resource that could greatly assist in the development of
India.
Given appropriate opportunities, many would return.
2. Indian economy is booming, now reaching levels of growth second to none but
China.
Realising the distant dream of Make in India:
The present Prime Minister challenged his nation to Make in India.

But in order to Make in India and compete with better or cheaper goods from
abroad, one must first Invent in India; and in order to Invent in India one cannot
just rely on the underlying science done elsewhere, one must Discover in India.
So the strategy is: Discover, invent, and make in India.
Need for India to be a scientific super power:
A country that aspires to become an economic superpower must first become a

science and technology superpower.
China has learnt this lesson well and is on its way to becoming a world leader, both
in technology and in basic science.
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India needs to promote investments in science and technology:
Realising the above stated aspiration requires investment.

Despite repeated promises, the percentage of Indias GDP devoted to research and
development has remained for 15 years at a paltry 0.9 per cent minuscule in
comparison with developed countries.
The US figure is 2.7 per cent, South Korea spends 4.4 per cent.
In the last 15 years, Chinese investment in technology, higher education and the
basic sciences has doubled.
China now spends 2.1 per cent, and this percentage is rapidly increasing.
In the US, companies spend much on research and development of their products, but have
realised that they cannot make truly new products without long-term investments in basic
science that are best supported by the government.
Problems hindering Indian science:
1. Indian science is burdened with an inflexible, irrational and outdated bureaucracy.
India imposes irrational bureaucratic regulations, such as severe restrictions
on travel for young Indian scientists and for foreign collaborators, as well as
forced retirement at a relatively early age for excellent, and sorely needed,
scientific leaders.
2. The system is highly politicised and without it being radically reformed and
modified, the scientific picture in India will not change much.
What has the government done to promote innovation ?
1. President of India declared decade 2010-20 has the decade of innovation. The
main aim of this declaration is to develop an innovation eco-system in the country to
stimulate innovations and to produce solutions for the societal needs in terms of
healthcare, energy, urban infrastructure, water and transportation.
2. Science technology and innovation(STI) policy 2013 :
Key elements of STI policy are :
Promoting the spread of scientific temper among all sections of society.

Establishing world class infrastructure for R&D for gaining global leadership in
some select frontiers of science.
Positioning India among top 5 global scientific powers by 2020.
Seeding S&T based high risk innovation systems.
3. NITI ayog initiatives :
Atal Innovation Mission(AIM) :AIM will be an Innovation Promotion Platform

involving academics, entrepreneurs, and researchers drawing upon national and
international experiences to foster a culture of innovation, R&D in India. The
platform will also promote a network of world-class innovation hubs and grand
challenges for India.
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Self Employment & Talent Utilization(SETU) : SETU will be a Techno-Financial,

Incubation and Facilitation Programme to support all aspects of start-up
businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in technologydriven areas.
Way ahead:
Reforming governmental institutions is not simple, and allocating scarce resources for
long-term payoffs is difficult.
But both are necessary if India is to develop the science and technology necessary for
its economic development and to take its rightful place among the scientific leaders of
the world.
Critically analyse the measures taken by the government to promote an ecosystem

of innovation in India.
Innovation is a means of creating sustainable and cost effective solutions for
inclusive growth in developing economies. Critically examine the relevance of above
statement wrt Indian context.
India cannot be an economic super power until it becomes a scientific super power.
Critically examine the above statement wrt growth of science and technology sector
in India.
TOPIC:
General studies 2:
Indian Constitution, significant provisions.

Constitutional Bodies - Election Commission & issues related to Election
Alcohol and elections seem to be the two great signifiers of Indian politics as they
both mark its deep sense of hypocrisy, populism, cynicism and realism.
Debates in constituent assembly over the issue of liquor ban:

1. The approach of Gandhians:
Prohibition of liquor, more than khadi, was often the ideological plank Gandhians
identified themselves with.
During the Constituent Assembly debates, the Gandhians, in their ideological way,
wanted to introduce prohibition as part of the Directive Principles of the
Constitution.
In this, they, the Gandhians, were almost strict and correct in their attitudes.
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2. Protest by the tribal leaders:

Many tribal leaders protested against the ban as it seeks to interfere with their
religious right as consumption of liquor brewed from rice was part of a tribal
religious tradition.
Constitutional provision wrt banning of liquor:
Article 47: Duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to
improve public health The State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the
standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary
duties and, in particular, the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the
consumption except for medicinal purposes of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are
injurious to health
Politics of democracy and poverty:
Prohibition of liquor has a different logic.

It is a part of the Indian politics of democracy and the politics of poverty that we
must try and understand.
Prohibition seeks to ban the production and consumption of alcohol in an attempt to
control the social consequences of alcoholism.
Banning the consumption of alcohol has been a part of electoral politics.
Many people falsely locate it as a vestige of Gandhian ideology.
Prohibition is part of the symbolic politics of India where we create official diktats in
order to conceal a series of epic violations.
But the logic and hypocrisy of prohibition lies in the fact that it helps get electoral
support, especially that of women.
Policing and the loopholes:

Prohibition, as sociologists will tell us, never works completely. It is a policing system with
too many loopholes.
Case study of Kerala:
The Kerala government introduced graded prohibition, arguing for the eventual idea
of a liquor-free State.
It did so by restricting the provision of liquor to be served only in five-star hotels.
Yet, one could not quite decide whether liquor was the cause of Keralas social
problems or a symptom of a wider social breakdown brought about by change.
The Supreme Court upheld the governments decision while contending that
introducing prohibition was a difficult task.
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Pressure from the tourism industry:
However now the Kerala government bans the consumption of hard liquor but
permits the consumption of beer and wine.
The tourism industry is often cited as a rationale for withdrawing prohibition.
The court itself read this decision as a two-step gateway to more consumption.
It is clear that the government is caught between two constituencies a civil
society of social workers and religious groups afraid of familial breakdown on the
one hand and a tourism industry afraid that tourists may stay away from a
puritanical Kerala on the other.
Way ahead:
The moral expression of prohibition is clear.

The requirements of revenue are equally demanding.
The real silence is about how to moderate the consequences of alcoholism.
Civil society and state must enter into a new conversation that goes deep into an
understanding of social life and its possibilities.
Knee-jerk moralism or instrumental politics is the last thing the issue around the
consumption of alcohol or governmentality needs.
Critically examine the reasons for growing demand for banning alcohol consumption
in India. Should alcohol consumption be banned in India.
TOPIC:
General studies 2:
General studies 3:
Disaster and disaster management.
When populism trumps public safety
The Sunday fire tragedy at the Puttingal Devi temple in Kollam, Kerala, which claimed
more than 100 lives, raises several questions with regard to public safety
management and the role of the district administration in ensuring safety during
occasions such as major religious festivals.
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Questions that rise after the incident:
The chief issue is whether the Kollam administration mainly the police was
incompetent or merely negligent because of external pressure.
An enormous KumbhMela that attracts several millions passes off without incident.
But a Kollam festival that draws just a few thousands ends in a colossal mishap.
How does one explain the contradiction?
Is it that the Uttar Pradesh civil set-up is more sensitive and efficient than its
Kerala counterpart?
Or is it a case of government reluctance to be tough on the eve of Assembly
elections?
Complex task of Indian administration:
One of the most complex tasks the Indian administration has to perform is the
handling of massive religious congregations.
On all these religious occasions, the local administration have to encounter devotee
indiscipline of the worst order, particularly the desire to be the closest to the
sanctum sanctorum.
Devotee excitement is usually compounded by the lack of control over the event by
the organisers, normally a local committee of citizens, some with a dubious
reputation for managing finances and some with high political connections.
Public safety, for them, is often low priority.
Festivals and fireworks:
In the Kollam horror, there are reports that the local administration had turned
down the request for a fireworks competition between groups which are regular
participants in the festivities and come from various other temples in the region.
If this was so, why was the order not implemented?
The distinctive feature of many Kerala festivals is that they cut across religions, and
are looked upon as more of a social event.
The fireworks display is the most exciting feature of religious festivals in Kerala. In
fact, it is a huge draw for foreign tourists.
A point to note here is no State government in India would like to antagonise even
the smallest of religious denominations.
This is the tragedy of our polity.
There are no signs that this appalling situation will change even in decades.
A statistical outlook:
Both stampedes and fireworks at festivals have caused a large number of casualties
in our country.
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Perhaps these account for far more than what we have suffered at the hands of
terrorists.
The stampedes at the Mahamaham Festival in Tamil Nadu (1992; 50 casualties), the
NashikKumbhMela (2003; 39 casualties) and Mandher Devi temple in Satara,
Maharashtra (2005; nearly 300 casualties) come readily to mind.
Consider these along with the fire accidents in Delhis Uphaar cinema (1997; 59
deaths) and Kolkatas AMRI Hospital (2011; over 90 deaths) to convince ourself that
we either do not have a uniformly stringent fire safety policy, or the wisdom and
courage to enforce it if we ever had one.
Lessons not learnt:
We have learnt only few lessons from these gory happenings.

The routine appointments of commissions of inquiry and suspensions of police
personnel are a knee-jerk response to what is becoming a human rights violation by
the state in neglecting fundamentals to regulate religious assembles and to strictly
implement safety measures on public occasions or inside public buildings.
To what extent religion can act as a tool for bridging social capital in India?

constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections;
The LPG reform -Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
Until 2013, 75 lakh predominantly rural, subsidised BPL connections were disbursed
under various schemes
Fifty-five lakh subsidised BPL connections are claimed to have been provided in the last
year under the Give Back scheme linked to the Give It Up campaign.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
The Rs.8,000-crore scheme aims to provide subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
connections to about 60 per cent of below poverty line (BPL) households (five crore
households in three years)
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Real test: how they translate the provision of connections to sustained use of LPG or
other clean fuels such as electricity or biogas
Concerns related to PMUY

Household air pollution
Use of: solid fuels such as biomass, dung cakes and coal for cooking
HAP: the second leading risk factor contributing to Indias disease burden
Poor sanitation: ranks 15th
According to the World Health Organization, solid fuel use is responsible for about 13
per cent of all mortality and morbidity in India (measured as Disability-Adjusted Life
Years), and causes about 40 per cent of all pulmonary disorders, nearly 30 per cent of
cataract incidences, and over 20 per cent each of ischemic heart disease, lung cancer
and lower respiratory infection
Cost and distribution

Cooking fuel should be available at an affordable cost to back up the initial provision of
subsidised connections as each BPL household would have to spend up to Rs.5,000 each
year on LPG even at current subsidised prices in addition to a one-time cost of Rs.1,800
for the connection (unaffordable to many).
PMUY- has proposed payment in instalments for stoves and cylinders to address this
challenge
The distribution system needs to be strengthened to be able to meet the expected increase
in demand, particularly in rural areas, as non-availability of fuel could push people back
towards using solid fuels
Steps needed to ensure reliable, sustained, last-mile supply
A large extension of distribution networks, especially in rural areas, since each rural
distribution agency typically caters to fewer customers than urban agencies
Robust implementation of direct benefit transfer schemes
Effective monitoring and grievance redressal systems to ensure that the problems in the
scheme are highlighted and addressed early
Accompanied by a focussed public relations campaign, similar to the national
tuberculosis or Swachh Bharat campaigns, to build awareness and create a demand
pull, not only for clean cooking but also for good service
Strengthening the refining, bottling and pipeline infrastructure
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Widening the reach

Need to widen the net for two reasons:
1. Known inclusion and exclusion errors in BPL lists
2. BPL may be a narrow definition of deprivation and many non-BPL households may
also not be able to afford LPG connections
What do you mean by the wider netAll rural households or all households except those
meeting well-defined exclusion criteria such as ownership of certain categories of assets
The Aadhaar legislation
Imperative to first determine who is eligible for that subsidy

Information required: Income and other such information, which is outside the
domain of the Aadhaar programme
Aadhaar database- only demographic information of individual
As per the new bill, Aadhaars only purpose is to target those individuals for
subsidies
Aadhaar Not a sole Saver; a sum of Rs 14,672 crore was saved in LPG subsidy for
the year 2014-15 under the direct benefits transfer scheme but the savings can be
attributed to a fall in global oil prices
Question of unidentified identity
Of the 15.7 crore active LPG consumers who received an average annual subsidy
of Rs 3,327 each in FY14, 13.7 crore have switched to getting cash subsidy in
their bank accounts rather than subsidised LPG cylinders
But as of March 2016, only 12.3 crore LPG consumers have provided their
Aadhaar numbers
Question Who are that the remaining beneficiaries then claims of Rs 15,000
crore of saving in LPG subsidy solely through Aadhaar are erroneous and
deceitful
Does there exist a direct relation of smokeless kitchens with economic development.
Discuss
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Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the
present significant events, personalities, issues.
The Freedom Struggle its various stages and important contributors or
contributions from different parts of the country
DR. Babasaheb Ambedkar 125th Birth Anniversary
The 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is an apt occasion to assess and reassess
his thoughts and ideology and their relevance in India and the world today
Democracy
Democracy is not merely a form of government. It is primarily a mode of associated

living of conjoined communicated experience. It is essentially an attitude of respect and
reverence towards fellow men
A society based on liberty, equality and fraternity should be the only alternative to a
caste society, and that is why he attached greater importance to the principle of one
man, one vote; one man, one value
Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracyIt
means a way of life which recognizes liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of
life. These principles of liberty, equality and fraternity are not to be treated as separate
items in a trinity. They form a union of trinity in the sense that to divorce one from the
other is to defeat the very purpose of democracy.
He followed the words said by the Irish Patriot Daniel OConnell
No man can be grateful at the cost of his honour, no woman can be grateful at the
cost of her chastity and no nation can be grateful at the cost of its liberty
Nationalism
Argued very passionately for adequate representation of the untouchables in the

legislature, executive and public service
Usage of nationalism as the core plank to take a stand against the struggling
humanity within the country and thereby creating fertile conditions for the upsurge
of rank communalism
The governing class in India always raised the cry of nationalism/Bharat mata is in
danger whenever the exploited classes demanded justice and fair and equal
treatment and affirmative action for representation in the legislature, executive and
public service
The governing class was aware that class ideology, class interests, class issues and
class conflicts would spell disaster for its rule and therefore always side-tracked the
issues and interests of the exploited masses by playing upon the sentiment of
nationalism and national unity
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Society
Caste is a notion; it is a state of the mind. The destruction of Caste does not therefore mean
the destruction of a physical barrier. It means a notional change.
Believed that the annihilation of caste and negation of capitalism are imperatives for
change and taking India and the world forward, declaring at the same time, that the
bourgeoisie (capitalism) and Brahminism are the twin enemies of the people
On demands of untouchables demanding separate electorates and being described
as anti-national in spirit- Ambedkar rejected the description by stating that separate
electorates for Muslims, Sikhs and Christians did not make them anti-nationals and
also mentioned that nationalism and anti-nationalism have nothing to do with the
electoral system and they are the results of the extra-electoral forces
Social Justice Caste is described as being anti-national and he wanted to address the scourge of
caste discrimination and exclusion through the instrumentality of law, which he
poetically described as the greatest disinfectant against inequality
Key components of social justice are liberty, equality and fraternity
In his speech in the Constituent Assembly, while stating that India is an integral
whole, he cautioned, The sooner we realise that we are not yet a nation in the
social and psychological sense of the word, the better for us. For then only we
shall realise the necessity of becoming a nation and seriously think of ways and
means of realising the goal. Therefore, he stressed on justice, not only political
and economic but also social justice.
Hindu Code Bill: To achieve gender equality and womens empowerment in full
measure
Muslim Society in India: Afflicted by the same social evils as afflict the Hindu Society
but, maybe, a bit more The Purdah System and its deteriorating effects upon the
physical constitution of Muslim women
Deprives Muslim women of mental and moral nourishment
Usually victims to anaemia, tuberculosis and pyorrhoea
Bodies are deformed, with their backs bent, bones protruded, hands and feet
crooked and ribs, joints and nearly all their bones ache
Heart palpitation is very often present in them and the result of this pelvic
deformity is untimely death at the time of delivery. Purdah
Hardly any organized movement of social reform among the Musalmans of India on
a scale sufficient to bring about their eradication
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So what then is an ideal society Existence of social endosmosis
An ideal society should be mobile, should be full of channels for conveying a change
taking place in one part to other parts
In an ideal society there should be many interests consciously communicated and
shared
There should be varied and free points of contact with other modes of association. In
other words there must
Statistics:
Almost 38 per cent of the SC community lives below the poverty line,
Only 43 per cent own permanent homes
only 17.7 per cent own homes in rural areas
Socio-Economic and Caste Census Data 2011: less than 1 per cent of the SC
community in rural areas had a member earning more than Rs. 10,000 a month
Economic
Analysed nationalism in the context of the demand of the Indian commercial

community/class that sought to replace Europeans in the field of trade and commerce
critically observed such profit-seeking orientation of the commercial class and
disapproved of their predatory economic pursuits under the garb of nationalism
He had made his viewpoint clear that the national movement was dominated by an
elite, of which the masses were the first victims. For, as he said in 1943 before trade
union activists, the working classes often sacrifice their all to the so-called cause of
nationalism. [But] they have never cared to enquire whether the nationalism for which
they are to make their offerings will, when established, give them social and economic
equality
Statistics:
Economic survey of private enterprise in 2005 revealed that the share of the SC
community in total private enterprise was a mere 6 per cent in urban areas and 10
per cent in rural areas, far lower than their population
The 2005 Economic Census shows that dalits in India own just 9 per cent of
enterprises despite constituting 16 per cent of the population; a majority of these
are small, single-person businesses
THE CRITIC OF GANDHI: Age of Ranade and the Age of Gandhi
In the age of Ranade the leaders struggled to modernize India. In the age of Gandhi
the leaders are making her a living specimen of antiquity.
In the age of Ranade, leaders depended upon experience as a corrective method to
their thoughts and their deeds. The leaders of the present age depend upon their
inner voice as their guide.
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Not only is there a difference in their mental make-up there is a difference even in
their viewpoint regarding external appearance. The leaders of the old age took care
to be well clad while the leaders of the present age take pride in being half clad
If the India of Ranade was less agitated it was more honest and that if it was less
expectant it was more enlightened. The age of Ranade was an age in which men and
women did engage themselves seriously in studying and examining the facts of their
life, and what is more important is that in the face of the opposition of the orthodox
mass they tried to mould their lives and their character in accordance with the light
they found as a result of their research.
In the age of Ranade there was not the same divorce between a politician and a
student which one sees in the Gandhi age
This Gandhi age is the dark age of India- It is an age in which people instead of
looking for their ideals in the future are returning to antiquity. It is an age in which
people have ceased to think for themselves and as they have ceased to think they
have ceased to read and examine the facts of their lives.
Ambedkar& WW II
Dalit Issue: Continued to collaborate with the colonial power in exchange for concessions to
Dalits and the working class at large
Religion of Humanism: Opposing Mahatma Gandhis decision, in August 1942, to launch the
Quit India Movement, he declared that the patriotic duty of all Indians was rather to
prevent such movements from creating anarchy and chaos which would unquestionably
help and facilitate the subjugation of this country by Japan
In July 1941, he joined the Defence Advisory Committee that had been set up by the
viceroy to involve Indian leaders in the war effort and to give to this forced
participation of India in the conflict a greater legitimacy.
In 1942, he entered the executive council of the viceroy as labour memberdeveloped social legislation
Managed to have passed the Indian Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill, making
compulsory the recognition of a trade union in every enterprise under certain
conditions
Also introduced the Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill and numerous
Factories (Amendment) Bills which were all passed
Obtained a larger recruitment of Dalits in the army and, in particular, the
reinstatement of the Mahar battalion
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constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector or Services
relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
A case of public health in India
Those at the helm of policymaking in the country have been, for some time, strongly
advocating austerity as the principle for public expenditure policies, particularly for
the social sectors.
The extent of austerity in health sector:
ArvindPanagariya, the vice-chairperson of the NITI Aayog, suggests that for just
three-quarters of a per cent of the GDP, 0.76 per cent to be precise, the
government can provide at least a modest healthcare cover for the bottom half of
the population after which there does not remain a case for additionally free
provision of the service by the government.
A keen look at the budget allocations for the health sector:
The projected 13 per cent increase of total allocation on health for 2016-17 over
previous years spending of Rs.33,841crore amounts to a nominal increase by
Rs.4,365 crore.
Using CPI-IW as deflator and assuming that inflation will stay at this years rate of 5.9
per cent, an estimate in real terms projects an erosion of Rs.2,000 crore. So, in real
terms, the increase in 2016-17 amounts to a mere 6.6 per cent.
This is especially meagre if we consider the fact that last years health expenditure
(revised estimates) had declined in real terms from actual spending of 2014-15.
In proportion to GDP, this years total allocation on health has reduced to 0.254 per
cent compared to actual spending of 0.256 per cent in 2014-15.
Gradual weakening of the National Health Mission (NHM):
One of the major concerns in the health sector of India is the gradual weakening of
the National Health Mission (NHM) whose main components are public health care
infrastructure other than tertiary care, programmes for prevention of
communicable diseases like TB, vector-borne diseases, etc.
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The share of NHM in total health budget has been gradually reduced during the last
three years from 56.2 per cent in 2014-15 to 54.1 per cent in 2015-16 to this years
allocation of 49.8 per cent.
What does the budget focus on then?
Another significant reduction is in Family Welfare Scheme whose allocation this year
is less than half of 2015-16 expenditures or less than one-third of expenditures in
2014-15.
The budget is primarily for promoting, procuring and distributing contraceptives
and other materials and for information, education and communication (IEC).
A tilt towards tertiary health care:
It is evident from the tragic deaths of women in Bilaspur sterilisation camp in

November 2015 (in a private set-up), that the IEC without infrastructure and
welfare services means nothing.
The maternal health and welfare component of family has been given just a mere
representation. Thus, instead of welfare, the budget is tuned to population control!
Medical care institutions, primarily in the tertiary care sector, see a boost of 18 per
cent over 2015-16 at the cost of primary and secondary healthcare institutions.
The majority of the population lags in access at that level.
What this policy programming indicates is that while the majority of the population
has been left to its own devices, the state has become a protector of the medicoindustrial complex catering only to the rich.
Neglect of allied sectors:
Peoples health is dependent upon allocation of allied sectors such as food subsidy
and ICDS, and these have declined in real terms.
Water and sanitation, which had faced significant budget cuts in 2015-16, have been
allocated just the amount incurred as expenditure for 2014-15 in real terms.
Allocation in MGNREGS, an important scheme to boost rural employment and
wages, has also declined in real terms from the revised estimates of expenditure for
2015-16, even without considering the Rs.6,000-crore pending payments.
As a percentage of GDP, allocation in food subsidy, MGNREGS and ICDS have
declined compared to 2015-16 and 2014-15, while that of water and sanitation
have reduced vis--vis 2014-15.
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Way ahead:
Mere reallocation of resources from the primary care sector to the tertiary with
paltry health coverage for a small section of the population through health insurance
is grossly inadequate.
The substance of the latest Budget for health is that it promotes not universal
health coverage but the medical care market.
What do you understand by universal health coverage? Explain the measures taken
by the government to achieve universal health coverage in India.
To what extent National Health Mission can be used as a tool for promoting better
public health in India. Substantiate.
For Detailed Analysis Healthcare issues & challenges refer the below linkshttp://iasbaba.com/2015/08/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-25th-august-2015/
http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-5th-6th-october-2015/
http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-22nd-october-2015/
TOPIC: General Studies 2
Governance Issues

Outcomes of weak governance
Horrific flooding in Chennai in 2015,
Delhis newly acquired status as the worlds most polluted city,
Mumbais forever-potted roads
The eye-popping rise in the number of rape cases from 165 to 643
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Cases of molestation rose from 483 to 1,675 over the last four years
What constitutes weak urban governance?

Weak urban governance refers to institutional defragmentation, whereby multiple agencies
often have overlapping roles, are run by officials who are not accountable to citizens, and
the absence of a single individual accountable to the polity.
Whose city is it?
Mayors are deemed accountable for cities but in spirit it is the chief minister. Cities are
controlled by armies of bureaucrats and the chief minister, while the worlds major cities,
like London, New York, Paris, and Shanghai, are all run by powerful mayors
1. Urban areas are not large enough for them to determine the fate of a general
election which ultimately leads to lack of focus on urban governance reforms.
2. Urban dwellers are not sufficiently represented in the sanctums of decision-making.
Delimitation, that is, allotment of the number of seats in the House of the People
(LokSabha) to the states, and the total number of existing seats in the Legislative
Assemblies was last done on the basis of Census 1971. According to the 84th and
87th Constitutional Amendments, this allocation will only be altered based on the
first Census after 2026 (Blocks focus + funds)
3. The economic might of cities makes them appealing to the political classes thereby
increasing their tendency to continue enjoying the significant leverage that can be
traded to raise funds which, in turn, are used to fight elections in rural India.
4. The lack of human resource capacity in the country spanning the political class, the
intelligentsia, the bureaucracy and the private sector proves to be the main reason
for the slow pace of reform
Eg: The ongoing debate on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill designed to
create a harmonized tax structure by subsuming several local body taxes, like the
entertainment tax, advertisement tax, entry tax, and luxury tax. If passed, the urban
local bodies (ULBs) will lose their own source revenue streams without adequate
legal provisions in place to mandate steady compensation.
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The 10 Point Urban Reform Programme

1. Reform the 74th Constitutional Amendment to empower city governments, bolster the
metropolitan system of government, and move to a system of a directly elected mayor.
2. Fix governance at the Centre and in the states to reduce fragmentation and facilitate
alignment of functions.
3. Make the office of the mayor politically relevant to create a culture of meritocracy and
performance.
4. Build world-class institutions to catalyse capacity at scale.
5. Establish a National Urban Finance Corporation of India to fund urban infrastructure
projects.
6. Set up the regulatory architecture required to facilitate efficient and effective urban
services delivery.
7. Reform the civil service, and establish executive agencies to hollow out inefficiencies.
8. Revitalize the role of the State Finance Commissions to bolster municipal finances.
9. Introduce state-specific laws on land use and transport to override legislative vacuum.
10. Deepen citizen engagement in cities to drive change across localities.
Is India following an incrementalist approach towards urban governance? Critically

examine.
TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governanceapplications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; Government policies
and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their
design and implementation.
Cities at Crossroads: Setting cities free
Background:
To have Indian cities with reasonable quality of life for their residents and a better
investment climate for investors, it will require massive investments in urban
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infrastructure. Lack of funding is usually perceived to be the principal constraint in

achieving this objective.
Fundamental reform in the institutions that govern the planning and management of
cities is the need of the hour to have to well-designed and well-managed
infrastructure and improvement in public service deliverywith efficient usage of
available funds.
Alongside Amrutand the Smart Cities Mission, we need to urgently spell out the
dimensions of institutional reform
What does smart city mean?
Smart Cities focus on their most pressing needs and on the greatest opportunities to
improve lives.
They tap a range of approaches - digital and information technologies, urban
planning best practices, public-private partnerships, and policy change - to make a
difference. They always put people first.
Objective:
Is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life
to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of 'Smart'
Solutions.
Focus:
Is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact

areas, create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring
cities.
Initiatives to strengthen cities:

AMRUT: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
It is an urban transformation scheme with the focus of the urban renewal projects to
establish infrastructure that could ensure adequate robust sewerage networks and
water supply.
Providing basic services such as water supply, sewerage, urban transport to
households and build amenities in cities which will improve the quality of life for all,
especially the poor and the disadvantaged is a national priority.
AMRUT is actually a new avatar of the existing JNNURM and will extend support to
till 2017 to those projects that are at least 50% complete under the earlier JNNURM.
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Smart cities scheme:
The Smart Cities Mission will focus on developing 100 select Smart cities by focusing
on optimizing efficiencies in urban services and infrastructure management, with
proactive use of technology and people participation.
The Mission will support each selected city with Rs 100 crore per year, for a period of
five years.
Bottle necks:
It is now almost 25 years since the 74th constitutional amendment mandated that
state governments transfer to the local governments a set of specified functions.
The unwillingness of the system to devolve responsibility and funding to the city
level is a major failure.
Need of the hour: Reforms

Ability to finance large investments:
Reform in the form of setting user charges for the delivery of a public service to
cover at least the operation and maintenance cost of the infrastructure asset,
including debt servicing, would yield a revenue model that assures repayment of the
loans raised from the capital market .
If equity is brought in by a private partner in a public-private partnership project,
then the user charge must cover a return on such investment.
State government must provide approval to city governments to raise user charges
while protecting the poorest by cross-subsidizing
Urban Planning:
Reform of assigning to urban local governments the function of urban planning,

including town planning, would provide them with the opportunity of activating a
market for land use change.
This would help them to unlock land value as they go about the business of land
zoning and appropriating a part of the consequent appreciation in the value of land
for financing urban infrastructure.
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Efficient Public service delivery:
The report of the high powered expert committee on urban infrastructure and
services (HPEC 2011) had recommended administrative and institutional reforms
designed to overhaul the system.
For example: A unified commandunder an empowered and accountable mayor, a
municipal regulator for bringing a degree of professionalism in the pricing of urban
services, and use of e-governance and e-enabled smart technologies for better
efficiency.
Strengthening grievance redressal:
Successful attempts at e-governance in cities such as Hyderabad, Bangalore, PimpriChinchwad and Surat are helping to create an environment for grievance redressal
and better service delivery.
Lack of funding and capacities are acting as bottle necks in other cities to have egovernance and better grievance redressal.
Omission of vital function:
The unwillingness of the system to devolve responsibility and funding to the city
level is a major failure.
Many functions have been devolved but major omission has been that of urban
planning, including town planning which has been retained by most state
governments.
It is now almost 25 years since the 74th constitutional amendment mandated that
state governments transfer to the local governments a set of specified functions.
Vital reform would be to engage city government urban planning in general, town
planning in particular.
Share of revenue:
The share of municipal town revenues in their total revenue was at a low of 53 per
cent in 2007-08 and declined further to 51 per cent in 2012-13.
As of now, property tax is a major source of revenue for these governments, but both
the rates and exemptions are set by the state government.
State governments to set up state finance commissions that would spell out the
principles for sharing a part of the revenue of the state government have not
followed the high standards set by the Central Finance Commission and they have
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not been able to challenge state-level political resistance to devolving funds to urban
local governments.
Way ahead:
Municipal Finance List
One way of reducing dependence on the state government for discretionary funds
would be to create aMunicipal Finance List in the Constitution that should specify
taxes that are exclusively in the domain of local governments.
GST: Goods and Services Tax
Opportunity provided by the GST, which is the most efficient tax (because it does not
cascade and its destination principle promotes India as a common market), should be
used to constitutionally ensure that state governments share a pre-specified
percentage of their revenue from GST with local governments.
GST would remain two-tiered but the revenue allocation would be three-tiered.
Guaranteed devolution of GST will significantly reduce uncertainty in the finances of
urban local governments and provide them with a basic cushion of financing to
discharge their constitutionally assigned responsibilities
Smart cities require smart way of financing. Comment.

Throw light on what are the bottle necks in urban planning and how to empower
Municipalities to play vital role in the effective urban planning to make urban living a
sustainable living.
Also Read:
http://iasbaba.com/2016/04/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-18th-april-2016/
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TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
Governance Issues
Manual Scavenging A question of dignity

Background:
In 1993, India banned the employment of people as manual scavengers. In 2013,

landmark new legislation in the form of the Manual Scavengers Act was passed
which seeks to reinforce this ban by prohibiting manual scavenging in all forms and
ensures the rehabilitation of manual scavengers to be identified through a
mandatory survey.
Despite progress, manual scavenging persists in India. According to the India Census
2011, there are more than 2.6 million dry latrines in the country. There are
13,14,652 toilets where human excreta is flushed in open drains, 7,94,390 dry
latrines where the human excreta is cleaned manually. Seventy three percent of
these are in rural areas and 27 percent are in urban areas.
the very existence of what Gandhi called a national shame, i.e. manual scavenging
is a degrading caste-based occupation, it should be a matter of grave concern that an
activity that has been outlawed by Parliament since 1993 has such divergent
numbers reported by various arms of the government.
What is Manual scavenging all about?
Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing or

handling in any manner, human excreta from dry latrines and sewers. It often
involves using the most basic of tools such as buckets, brooms and baskets.
The practice of manual scavenging is linked to Indias caste system where so-called
lower castes were expected to perform this job. Manual scavengers are amongst the
poorest and most disadvantaged communities in India
Why is there is a huge under-statement of numbers involved in manual scavenging?

The way government defines manual scavengers actually acting as a reason behind understatement of numbers
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The ways in which numbers are unaccounted:
the instruction manual for the Survey on Manual Scavengers in Statutory

Townsdefines a manual scavenger as a person being engaged or employed on a
regular or frequent basis.
A person engaged or employed to clean excreta with the help of appropriate devices
(like high pressure water jet etc.) and using proper protective gear, will not be
deemed to be a manual scavenger.
a large section of our citizens remaining unaccounted for as far as official records are
concerned include women (98 per cent of scavengers are women because patriarchy
is rampant in this strata of society too) .
who are engaged in scavenging and receive food in lieu of payment
Who work as contract employees indirectly employed by the Indian Railways ( the
largest employer of those cleaning excrement from railway tracks)
Numerous municipal corporations across the country.
Surveys conducted by activists estimate that there are actually over 1.2 million manual
scavengers in the country but as per the Socio Economic Caste Census 2011,1,80,657
households were engaged in manual scavenging for a livelihood; the report also recorded
7,94,000 cases of manual scavenging across the country.
Employing manual scavengers made an offence:
With the passing of the Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and their
Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the government is required to ensure the elimination of
unsanitary latrines
This act has made manual scavenging an offence punishable across India except
J&K.
Under this Act, offences are cognizable and non-bail able
The Act also prohibits the employment of manual scavengers and the hazardous
manual cleaning of sewer and septic tanks, and tasks the government with
maintaining a survey of manual scavengers and their rehabilitation.
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Way ahead:
Comprehensive Rehabilitation of the Manual Scavengers within a time bound framework
Manual Scavengers will be issued Photo Identity card
Government will provide initial cash aid
Children of the Manual Scavengers will be provided scholarship
Residential plot with financial aid will be allocated for the construction of the house
or a ready built house
Imparting Manual Scavengers livelihood skill
Providing concessional loan with subsidy for assuming alternative occupation
Extending any other legal or programmatic help
As a real tribute to Ambedkar on his 125th birth anniversary, Aspirational India must
demand the creation of 12 million jobs this year, and an end to 1.2 million
jobs(Scavenging jobs
Every job has its own dignity but engaging in manual scavenging is itself a question of
dignity. Comment
Mahatma Gandhi called manual scavenging a national shame and degrading castebased occupation, Suggest multi-pronged ways to end such social stigma.
TOPIC:
General studies 2
issues arising out of their design and implementation; Governance Issues
General studies 3
Science and Technology - developments and their applications and effects in
everyday life
Surge pricing Economics - A misguided ban in Delhi
Surge pricing is essentially an algorithm-based mechanism that determines fares

based on supply and demand
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Based on sound economic theory App-based services match demand ("riders")

with supply ("taxis") Both are variables, depending on external factors such as
time of day, location of pick-up and drop-off, as well as traffic conditions.
Thus, if high demand exists in one area without matching supplies, Uber's (and
Ola's) surge/dynamic pricing mechanism ensures greater supply to meet an
increase in demand (signalling mechanism for both drivers and riders)
Credibility The economics behind matching is what earned game theorists
Alvin Roth and Lloyd Shapley their Economics Nobel in 2012
Other Transportation
Airlines have the flexibility to raise fares depending on demand, subject to a cap
Railways sets aside some seats for those willing to pay more, based on the
knowledge that demand generally outdoes supply when it comes to train tickets.
Aggregators & the new Economy
Use modern technology to disrupt the traditional, and often moribund, market
Have succeeded by bringing in efficiencies in both cost and convenience, which have
been central to their popularity
Utility of the services
More taxi options

Reduced prices
Drivers under an aggregators brand earn more on an average than they would
otherwise
No fear about monopoly operations by multinational players
Ban on surge pricingMisguided:

1. Odd-even dimension:
The surge pricing ban has flowed from the imposition of the odd-even licence plate
rule, which has increased the demand for taxis.
A steady supply of transport vehicles to allay any disruption to lives and livelihoods is
necessary and such a diktat, at this time is almost like straddling a fine line between
incomprehensibility and inconvenience.
Cancelling or capping surge pricing will not only lead to a disruption in cab services in
the city, it is also poised to meddle with livelihoods that are dependent on these
transportation services.
2. Has proven to be counterproductivethe number of taxis plying on Delhis roads has

dropped
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3. Politically Incorrect: the signal the Delhi government has sent is that if the private sector
wishes to operate in Delhi, it is subject to government interference and control (Core vote
banks be troubled) (how retrograde politics compromises public interest)
4. Consequences for drivers operating, and commuters living and working on Delhi's
periphery Without dynamic pricing, which allows drivers from outside the city to
compensate for the long distances, the number of taxi operators coming into the city from
these areas would be limited; it would also push existing supplies towards areas where no
such laws exist.
5. The curious case of taxi unions and auto-rickshaw drivers a large vote bank, which is
demanding a revision of fares
Odd-even experiment: Would directly benefit this section by increasing public

dependence on public transportation
Collapse of private companies like Uber and Ola will give these unions the
opportunity to regain monopolistic tendencies - the same tendencies that gave many
taxi and auto operators powers to arbitrarily set prices based on distances, time and
moods force the public to accept the proposed fare hikes for auto-rickshaws in the
event of the odd-even formula becoming permanent
Alternate Solutions-At a glance:
Enhance options in terms of

Better modes of public transport,
Greater frequency of bus and metro services during rush hour
Adoption by mass transport of applications using similar algorithms to allow
passengers to plan their commute better
Enhance public awareness about how these algorithms work in commuters favour
Cap surge pricing to a predetermined multiple of the regular rate
TOPIC:
General studies 1:
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic

activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location - changes in critical
geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna
and the effects of such changes.
General studies 3:
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact

assessment.
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Disaster and disaster management.
This year India is facing severe drought conditions coupled with acute water
shortages across many regions
Definition of drought:
A drought is a period of belowaverage precipitation in a given

region, resulting in prolonged
shortages in its water supply,
whether
atmospheric, surface or ground water.
Types of droughts recognised in India:

1. Meteorological Drought:
It describes a situation where there is a reduction in rainfall for a specific period
(days, months, seasons or year) below a specific amount (long term average for a
specific time).
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has defined meteorological drought as
a situation occurring in any area when the mean annual rainfall is less than 75% of
the normal rainfall.
IMD has further classified droughts into the broad categories viz., a severe drought
when the deficiency of rainfall exceeds 50% of the normal rainfall and moderate
drought when the deficiency of rainfall is between 25 and 50% of the normal rainfall.
2. Hydrological Drought:
Hydrological drought is associated with reduction of water. A meteorological drought
often leads to hydrological drought.
There are two types of hydrological droughts viz., (i) surface water drought and (ii)
ground water drought.
3. Agricultural Drought:
Agricultural drought is concerned with the impact of meteorological/hydrological
drought on crop yield.
When soil moisture and rainfall conditions are not adequate enough to support a
healthy crop growth to maturity thereby causing extreme moisture stress and wilting
of major crop area, it leads to agricultural drought.
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4. Soil Moisture Drought:

This is a situation of inadequate soil moisture particularly in rainfed areas which may
not support crop growth.
This happens in the event of a meteorological drought when the water supply to soil
is less and water loss by evaporation is more.
5. Socio-Economic Drought:
It reflects the reduction of availability of food and income loss on account of crop
failures endangering food and social security of the people in the affected areas.
6. Famine:
A famine occurs when large scale collapse of access to food occurs which, without
intervention, can lead to mass starvation.
The present drought condition in India is manmade:
In the 1990s, it was the drought of a poor India.

This 2016 drought is of richer and more water-guzzling India.
This classless drought makes for a crisis that is more severe and solutions more
complex.
The fact is that the severity and intensity of drought is not about lack of rainfall, it
is about the lack of planning, foresight and criminal neglect.
Drought is man-made.
Failure of MGNREGA to prevent drought:
In the decade of 2000, there were rain deficiency years and there were government
programmes designed to build water structures across the country.
Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNRES) millions
of check dams, ponds and other structures were even constructed.
But as the intention was not to fight against drought, only provide employment,
the impact of this labour has never shown up in the country's waterline.
The structures in most cases were holes in the ground - that quickly filled up with soil
by the next season.
Modern day drought and climate change:
The modern day drought of rich India has to be combined also with another
development: climate change.
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The fact is that rain is becoming even more variable, unseasonal and extreme.
This will only accelerate the crisis.
It is time we understood that as drought is man-made, it does not have to stay. It can be
reversed. It can be managed. But then we really need to get our act together.
What needs to be done now?

1. Do everything we can to augment water resources - catch every drop of water;
store it; recharge groundwater.
To do this we need to build millions more structures, but this time based on
planning for water and not just employment.
And also giving people the right to plan, where to locate the water body and the
right to manage it for their need.
2. Revise and update the drought code.
It is not as if the richer parts of the world do not have droughts - Australia and
California have gone through years of water scarcity.
But their governments respond by shutting off all non-essential water use from
watering lawns to washing down cars and much more.
This is what is needed in India.
3. Obsessively work to secure water in all times.
This means insisting on water codes for everyday India (National Water policy
2012).
We need to reduce water usage in all sectors - from agriculture, urban to industry.
NDMA and Drought Management:

Delineate the chronic drought prone regions of India along with specific reasons for
existence of drought in those regions over the years.
To what extent do you think availability of water influences the socio economic
conditions of people and the economic growth of the country.
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TOPIC: General Studies 2

Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,
significant provisions and basic structure.
Human-centric Laws - Maharashtra Protection of People from Social Boycott (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2016
Historically
Mid-19th century Intra-community battles over access to public goods under the colonial
state had begun
1856the Bombay government denied admission to a Christian Mahar convert into a public
school on the ground that caste Hindus did not wish to associate with a Mahar student.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Dalit students were allowed to attend public schools,
but were directed to sit separately in a verandah outside the classroom; also barred from
accessing the common water supply.
Late 1920s: B.R. Ambedkars contributionThe issue is not entry, but equality
Ambedkar Exclusion occurs along multiple axes:
Through boycott,
Through stigmatisation, and
Through segregation (the case of the school verandah)
Launched famous Mahad satyagraha directed towards opening up access to
community water tanks that had been barred to Dalits
Launched a movement for entry into public temples, basing his claims on the right to
an equal standing within the community
Conceptualised legal solutions to the problem of community oppression, and in his
submissions to the Minorities Committee of the Round Table Conference, he
identified social boycott as the most formidable weapon in the hands of the
orthodox classes with which they beat down any attempt on the part of the
Depressed Classes to undertake any activity if it happens to be unpalatable to them
He quoted the Starte Committee Report of 1928, which had observed that *the
social] boycott is often planned on such an extensive scale as to include the
prevention of the Depressed Classes from using the commonly used paths and
the stoppage of sale of the necessaries of life by the village Bania cases have
been by no means rare where a stringent boycott has been proclaimed simply
because a Depressed Class man has put on the sacred thread, has bought a piece
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of land, has put on good clothes or ornaments, or has carried a marriage

procession with the bridegroom on the horse through the public street.
Proposed an anti-boycott law which would specifically prohibit the practice of
social boycotts few of Ambedkars proposals found their way into the postIndependence Protection of Civil Rights Act of 1955
Proposed to bring within the definition of boycott, refus*al+ to let or use or occupy
any house or land, or to deal with, work for hire, or do business with another person,
or to render to him or receive from him any service. Part of this was covered by
Article 15(2) of the Constitution, in its guarantee of access to shops, which was
understood by the framers to include non-discriminatory access to services.
PresentReligion-driven housing discrimination, leading to segregation is emerging as a

serious problem, especially in urban areas
Against the practice of excommunication

1949: State of Bombay passed a law called the Bombay Prevention of Excommunication Act,
which outlawed the practice of excommunication within religious communities.
The constitutionality of this Act was challenged by the head of the Dawoodi Bohra
community, who argued that by curtailing his powers of excommunication, the law
interfered with his religious freedom.
In 1962, a divided Supreme Court struck down the Act The judges in the majority
held that the practice of excommunication was an essential tool for maintaining
community discipline and cohesiveness, and consequently, was protected by Article
26(b) of the Constitution, which guaranteed to all religious denominations the right
to manage their own affairs in matters of religion.
Correctness of the majority opinion in the Dawoodi Bohra case
Undeniably, the Constitution guarantees religious freedom to communities, and also

guarantees the freedom of association but at the same time; however, the
Constitution also recognises that punitive community action can severely harm
individual freedom, dignity, and access to basic public goods.
Therefore, it curtails the power of groups in various waysprohibition of
untouchability, guarantee of non-discriminatory access to shops, public restaurants,
hotels, and places of public entertainment (Article 15(2)) horizontal application
of rights: that is, the Constitution grants individuals rights not merely against the
State, but also against other individuals (and groups)
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Maharashtra Protection of People from Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and

Redressal) Act of 2016
Represents another chapter (1st: first in the country to enact anti superstition law) in a
long-standing battle to secure individual freedom from the suffocating grasp of
ascriptive communities, whether based on caste or religion
Carries forward the judicially-aborted goals of the 1949 Excommunication Act, and the
rarely-used Protection of Civil Rights Act
Purpose: To prevent and punish the continuing community-driven practice of social

boycotts
Provides 15 examples of social boycott, which include

Obstructing individuals from observing religious practices or customs,
Severing social or commercial ties,
Causing intra-community discrimination,
Expulsion from the community, etc
Who will be penalisedPersons who

Directly engage in social boycott,
Instigate others to do so, or
Participate in the deliberations of any meeting organised with the purpose of
imposing a boycott
(On the basis of morality, social acceptance, political inclination, *or+ sexuality)
7-year jail, Rs 5-lakh fine for guilty; trial within 6 months of filing charge-sheet
The victim or any member of the victims family can file a complaint either to police or
directly to the magistrate.
To ensure time-bound results, it indicated speedy trial within six months of filing chargesheet.
Focus: Directed against caste panchayats which often function as community-based parallel
forums of justice, and whose diktats are invariably directed against recalcitrant individuals
who have been deemed to transgress the bounds of caste or community morality.
Criticism: Extensive focus on caste-panchayat driven community boycotts leading to a
failure in addressing the issue of discrimination. Therefore, a comprehensive antidiscrimination law, on the lines of the Civil Rights enactments in the United States and the
United Kingdom, can be enacted to fill the gap.
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Additional Steps that can be taken(Add-ons- For building up your perspective, should a
question like this appears in Ethics Section)
The provision of Social Boycott Prohibition Officer to detect the commission of offences
under the provisions of this Act; will also assist magistrate and police officers to
discharge their duties (Proper delegation as well as a coordinated response- Effective
Monitoring)
Need to also evolve the law for other states like Haryana, Rajasthan, Telengana and
Andhra Pradesh, where local panchayats play a major role in governing the lives of
people - to ensure their local system is not completely uprooted, and yet there is a check
on ill-treatment of the disadvantaged
What do you mean by the term social boycott? Will the decision to evolve a new
law on the same lines as that of the Maharashtra Law- yield positive benefits for the
society or will it stay riddled with inefficient laws just to please the voters?

The Law Commission in 1987, had called for increasing the number of judges
fivefold, but none of the governments that have held office since that time, showed
sufficient interest in closing the gap, while both the population and the volume of
litigation have grown rapidly
The settling of disputes is central to the duties of a well-governed state and to the
prospects of economic growth; Indias judicial process is not just unjust, but a severe
impediment to any other efforts to raise India out of poverty (significant economic
and social implications)
The urgency to pay attention thus, has become vital to the countrys future given the
governments emphasis on flagship initiatives such as Make in India and Invest in
India
Operational challenges facing the judicial system:

Requirement- about 50,000 judges
Judicial strength- mere 18,000
Pending cases- more than three crore cases
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Supreme Courts current pendency: 60,260 for a Bench consisting of 31 judges

Vacant posts f HC Judges- 434 posts
Vacancies at the level of the subordinate judiciary amount to almost a quarter of the
currently sanctioned posts; and it is even worse at the crucial high court level, where
44 per cent of appointments remain unfilled.
Even when names have been shortlisted to fill these vacancies, the executive has
been slow in confirming the appointments.
Even the currently sanctioned strength of the judiciary is insufficient to deal with an
avalanche of litigation the lack of empathy for poor litigants and under-trial
prisoners, who suffer the most because of judicial delay.
Way Ahead:
Bottom-up approach:
Need for the strengthening of the lower judiciary; be viewed as the regular and, in
most cases, final appellate court, allowing the Supreme Court to be more
discerning in its use of discretion, thus substantially reducing its burden of acting as a
corrector of simple errors
Designating at least two constitution benches to hear cases, Monday through Friday,
thereby solving problems concerning the inability of the Supreme Court to devote
itself to its most important duty
Nobody likes backlogs:
Delay in the context of justice denotes the time consumed in the disposal of case, in
excess of the time within which a case can be reasonably expected to be decided by
the Court
Creation of Additional Judicial Manpower Planning Authority to clear backlogs and
initiate swift disposal of new cases, eliminate delays and reduce costAppointing
more judges, including retired judges as ad hoc judicial officers, based on periodic
needs assessments, increasing their retirement age, and deploying judicial resources
efficiently
Target for the disposal level at the national level should be raised from 60% of the
total case-load (at present) to 95% of the total case-load in five years
Ensuring that not more than 5% of the cases pending before them should be more
than 5 years old (55 rule) within the next three years
Law Commission, in its 245th report two years ago, had pointed to the
impracticability of using the number of judges per million populations (the official
figure for India in 2013 was 16.8) as a criterion to assess the required judicial
strength. Instead, it had suggested a rate of disposal method by which the number
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of judges required at each level to dispose of a particular number of cases could be

computed based on analysis.
Adjournments are granted too easily and too often, leading to delays in the
administration of justice limiting reasonable grounds for adjournment would
reduce pendency considerably
Oral arguments could be replaced by written submissions
Constructive use of the Subordinate Courts
Issue: Tendency to fix many more cases than the Court can possibly hear on a day
and then spending considerable time every day in calling certain cases with a view to
adjourn them to a future date
Solution: An attempt should be made in consultation with Advocates to estimate the
time; a particular case will take to hear, leading to reduction in the number of
adjournments
Critically examine- in view of the current judicial crisis, if changing the core structure
of the judiciary has become indispensable to address the inefficiencies pointed out
by CJI Thakur.
TOPIC:
General studies 1:
Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture
from ancient to modern times.
General studies 2:
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
arising out of their design and implementation.
Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.
Indian Culture: Apathy towards Antiquities
Why in news?
The centre recently told Supreme Court that the Kohinoor diamond was neither
forcibly taken nor stolen by British rulers, but given as a gift to East India
Company by rulers of Punjab.
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And also added that India should not stake claim to Kohinoor because other
countries may start pressing India for return of their items.
An historical study of Indias stand on Kohinoor:
Till the 1980s, India did not ask for the return of the Kohinoor diamond.
By 2000 it changed its position and tried to satisfactorily resolve the issue.
However, in 2010, after U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron visited India, it again
changed its stand.
To a question raised in Parliament in August 2010, the government categorically
stated that Kohinoor was not covered under the UNESCOs Convention 1970
dealing with the restitution of cultural property, and hence the question of
recovery does not arise.
Now india is not interested in recovering Kohinoor from the UK government.
What does UNESCOs convention say?
The 1970 UNESCO Convention prohibits illicit trading and transfer of ownership of
cultural properties including antiquities.
However, it does not cover any recovery claims of antiquities either smuggled or
exported before 1970.
This instantly puts a significant number of antiquities lost by colonised countries
beyond any hope of return.
Indian government as per this convention is not interested to recover Kohinoor and hence
that statement was given to the Supreme Court recently.
A greater worry in India is its apathy towards antiquities
It seems unlikely that India will get the Kohinoor back.

But the greater worry is its apathy towards antiquities.
While countries such as Italy have not only successfully pursued stolen artefacts
abroad but also effectively protected them locally, India, which is equally
archaeologically rich and a victim of illicit trading, is far from it.
India lacks information on theft
India lacks an integrated database of existing and stolen artefacts.

Providing sufficient information regarding theft cases has been a struggle in India.
A case study of Italy:
Comparing this with the accomplishment of the cultural heritage squad of

Carabinieri, the Italian armed police force.
It has built an impressive database of about 1.1 million missing artefacts.
Set up in 1969, the Carabinieri is the most acclaimed police force in protecting
antiquities.
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The officers are well-trained in art history, international law, and investigative
techniques. In the last 45 years, the force has recovered more than 8,00,000 stolen
artefacts within the country.
The squad is also known for its aggressive pursuit of restitution cases.
Indian investigative agencies are poor performers in this regard:
At the national level, the Central Bureau of Investigation handles antiquities theft as
a part of its special crimes division.
The division also handles cases of economic offences as well as those relating to
dowry deaths, murders, and so on.
It has not built the capacity to deal with stolen antiquities.
A few State governments have special wings as part of their police force, but these
are also understaffed and unqualified.
A non helping national law:
The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, mandates compulsory registration of
antiquities.
However, the process is so cumbersome that not many antiquities are registered.
There is also fear that registration would attract unnecessary government attention,
and prevent the legitimate transfer of the objects.
As a result, a large number of private collectors do not register antiquities in their
possession.
Though the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee submitted a report recommending
changes in 2011, the government is yet to take action.
A bad state of Indias museum:
The state of Indias museums is another sad story.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of Indias Performance Audit of Preservation
and Conservation of Monuments and Antiquities in 2013 had scathing remarks
about the countrys poor acquisition, documentation and conservation systems.
The audit also raised serious concerns about the discrepancies in the number of
antiquities reportedly available in museums including the National Museum in
Delhi.
Under performing National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities:
In 2007, the Ministry of Culture launched the National Mission on Monuments and
Antiquities to complete documentation of about 70,00,000 antiquities.
Until 2014, it had documented only 8,00,000 artefacts.
Write a note on National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities.
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Interview question: Imagine yourself as the Prime Minister of India. What measures do you
take in order to get back Kohinoor, which is a symbol of our national wealth.
Diffusing the Judicial burden

Why in news?
Recently the Supreme Court had asked the centre to consider the request of setting
up National Court of Appeal with regional branches in Chennai, Mumbai and
Kolkatta.
However the Centre strongly opposed the plea saying that it is a fruitless
endeavour and will not lessen the burden of two crore cases pending in trial courts.
National Court of Appeal (NCA):

What is a National Court of Appeal?
The National Court Appeal with regional benches in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata
is meant to act as final court of justice in dealing with appeals from the decisions of
the High Courts and tribunals within their region in civil, criminal, labour and
revenue matters.
In such a scenario, a much-relieved Supreme Court of India situated in Delhi would
only hear matters of constitutional law and public law.
How will the NCA help ease the apex courts burden?
The Supreme Court is saddled with civil and criminal appeals that arise out
of everyday disputes.
As a result of entertaining these appeals, the Supreme Courts real mandate ,that of
a Constitutional Court, the ultimate arbiter on disputes concerning any
interpretation of the Constitution is not fulfilled.
By taking up the Supreme Courts appeals jurisdiction, the NCA will give the former
more time for its primal functions.
Backlog cases deviates the apex court from its primal functions:
The Supreme Court was meant to be a Constitutional Court.

However, the sheer weight of its case backlog leaves the court with little time for its
primal functions.
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In spite of recently accelerated rates of case disposal in the Supreme Court (in 2015
it disposed of 47,424 cases compared to 45,042 in 2014 and 40,189 in 2013), the
backlog was still a staggering 59,468 cases as of February 2016.
Inequitable state of affairs of the apex court in India:
Geographical proximity to the court is definitely an aspect of access to justice.

The fact that the Supreme Court sits only in New Delhi limits accessibility to litigants
from south India.
A study reveals that of all the cases filed in the Supreme Court, the highest numbers
are from high courts in the northern States:
12 per cent from Delhi, 8.9 per cent from Punjab and Haryana, 7 per cent from
Uttarakhand, 4.3 per cent from Himachal Pradesh, etc.
The lowest figures are from the southern high courts: Kerala 2.5 per cent, Andhra
Pradesh 2.8 per cent, Karnataka 2.2 per cent and a mere 1.1 per cent from Madras
High Court.
There is therefore an urgent need to find a solution to such an inequitable state of
affairs.
What does law commission say in this regard?
The 229th report of the Law Commission of India delved into this problem in depth
and came up with the suggestion of retaining the New Delhi bench of the Supreme
Court as a Constitutional Court and the establishment of Cassation (like devolving
power) Benches of the Supreme Court in the four regions at New Delhi,
Chennai/Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.
The report pointed out that since Article 130 of the Constitution provides that the
Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or such other place or places as the Chief Justice of
India may with the approval of the President, from time to time, appoint, the
creation of Cassation Benches of the Supreme Court would require no constitutional
amendment.
However the Supreme Court rejected suggestions to have benches of the Supreme
Court in other parts of the country.
Way ahead:
Now a constitutional bench is hearing to the plea of setting up of National Court of

Appeal.
The judgement will decide the future of NCA and accessibility of judiciary to common
man.
Critically examine the status of the criminal justice delivery system in India.
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To what extent do you think setting up of National Court of Appeal would ease the
burden of apex court of India.
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges
pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local
levels and challenges therein
The ironies of Small States

Familiar questions of the political terrain
Political instability (once inelegantly called horse-trading)

Containment of capacity of the anti-defection law
The regrettable tendency of parties controlling the Central government to inexorably
expand their writ
The readiness of State leaders to violate their own obligations as representatives of
the political public, and vitiate democracy
Formation of StatesDeepening of Democracy
Smaller political units facilitate contact between the government and the governed
Enables local populations to imprint their opinions and interests onto the
consciousness of their representatives
Demands for statehood followed struggles against injustice
State leaders have shown great willingness to play into the hands of the Central
government, with representatives forgetting the history of their own societies
Case of Chhattisgarh MuktiMorcha (CMM), Shankar GuhaNiyogi (from the late

1970s till 1991)
He was assassinated by the men of the liquor lobby one of the most
transformative social movements in the country.
Focussed not only on the struggle for wages, but also on alternative
development strategies that inspired radical political consciousness among the
Dalits and the Adivasis- giving us an enormously creative interpretation of
citizenship
When Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh
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Presently, according to the 2011 India Human Development Report, the

incidence of poverty among Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST)
households in Chhattisgarh is much higher than in other social groups in the
State and the country.
Chhattisgarh ranks low on Human Development Index rankings, with more

malnourished women, underweight children, and illiterate people than the
national average
People in the densely populated forests and hills of Dantewada and Bastarwhere a majority of the STs live are the most illiterate
Ironically, Chhattisgarh is a mineral-rich and power-surplus State
Jharkhand with vast natural resources
Accounted for 70 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product of Bihar before
2000 (but presently remains one of the most economically backward States of
the country)
The SC and ST population constitutes around 12 per cent and over 26 per cent of
the States population.
Poverty figures in these two communities are much higher than corresponding
figures at the all-India level.
A higher percentage of children of the communities suffer from malnutrition and

illiteracy.
Demand for Statehood:
Emerged from a 200-year-old struggle against exploitation
1970s- the Jharkhand MuktiMorcha led by prominent communists and tribal

leaders focussed on the direct delivery of justice to exploited tribal
communities in the mineral-rich areas, in agrarian districts, and in
plantations launched a concerted effort against displacement
The demand for statehood was part of the demand of control over
resources by tribal communities
State of Uttarakhand
It is inhabited by hill people (majority- upper castes)
1970s- Local communities mobilised against transfer of forest resources to

commercial companies.
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The Chipko movement in the Kumaon and the Garhwal regions became famous
for novel modes of protest and awareness of environmental harm (protested
against appropriation of resources and actions that impinged upon their bare
survival)
The demand for statehood on the ground of special needs was articulated by
leaders in national parties, and gained momentum in the late 1990s.
Deepening of Democracy or Political Vacuum?
A new exploitative elite With the formation of three small States the two paths
the fight against injustice and the drive to hoard power in the name of identity
have diverged replacing claims of representative democracy by aspirations to
political power and distasteful compromises made in pursuit of profit.
The political vacuum created by systemic injustice in both States have stepped the
Maoists, with their ideology of a new world geared towards the interests of the poor
and the oppressed.
CompromiseThe chasm between the needs of the people who struggle for survival, action
and inaction by representatives, and lack of remedial justice has compromised
representative democracy enormously
In the light of the divergence between justice and power-hoarding, discuss the
relationship shared between federalism, States, representative democracy and
justice?
Many State Governments further bifurcate geographical administrative areas like
Districts and Talukas for better governance. In light of the above, can it also be
justified that more number of smaller States would bring in effective governance at
State level? Discuss. (UPSC 2013 GS Mains)
Parliament and State Legislatures structure, functioning, conduct of business,

powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
Anti-Defection Law- Liberate the Legislator

Tenth Schedule
The Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985 added the Tenth Schedule to
the Indian Constitution to curb the growing tendency of political defections by
parliamentarians and legislators from one party to another after elections.
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The evil of political defections has been a matter of political concern and if it is not
combated it is likely to undermine the very foundations of our democracy and the
principles that sustain it
DisqualificationMembers of Parliament and State legislatures are liable for
disqualification if they leave the political party on whose symbol they got elected
and join another, or violate the party whip to vote a certain way in the House.
The one-third bar

Honest Dissent:While penalising individual acts of defection, it recognised the principle of
splits whereby if one-third of the members of a legislative party broke away and formed a
separate group or joined another political party, they could continue as members of the
legislature (individual defections have turned into a mass-scale malady)
Constitution (Ninety-first Amendment) Act, 2003:
The National Democratic Alliance government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee sought to

address this aberration by omitting paragraph three from the Tenth Schedule that
allowed one-third of the parliamentarians/legislators to split from their parent
party raised the wholesale defection bar from one-third to two-thirds
Left paragraph four in place, which allows two-thirds of the members of a
parliamentary/legislative party to merge with an existing political party or form a
new political party
Injustice to a legislators right to vote:

Legislators have become mere hostages of whip-driven tyranny (actual power residing in the
political party)Unable to vote according to his conscience, convictions, common sense and
constituency concerns
The party whip Directs its members which way to vote practically on each and every bill
(enforced adherence a member invariably ends up voting for a bill if he/she is on the
Treasury benches and against a bill if he/she is in the Opposition; parliamentarians
sometimes voting against a legislative instrument which they had supported previously,
depending on whether their party occupies the Opposition or Treasury benches)
Disincentivises lawmakers from seriously thinking, researching or even striving for best
practices to incorporate into legislation that is before the House for consideration and focus
their energies on procedural matters
Absence of a sunset clauseIf a bad law is enacted, it remains on the statute books for at
least a century
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Recent Trend: The usage of House majorities to get even Private Members Bills defeated at
the introduction stage thus, restricting whatever little space individual members have left
for legislative activity
Increasing Moral Deviations & Anti-Defection Policies:
Criminalisation of politics, disrespect to parliamentary conventions, parliamentary

disruptions and improper conduct of members, has added to the glaring legislative
paralysis.
The intention behind bringing in Anti-Defection law was to curb political defections,
promote party discipline and bring stability in the structures of political parties; on
the contrary, it has led to the following:
Curbs the Right to Dissent & Freedom of Conscience
Ban on retail defections & legalisation of wholesale defections
Empowering the Legislator

For the empowerment of the individual to coexist with the imperatives of political stability
and public probity The Tenth Schedule needs certain adaptations and further
strengthening so as to be of greater relevance to our democratic process today.
Tweaks that can help:
The disqualification of a member of a House could be made compulsory only on the grounds
that if he votes or abstains from voting in the House with regard to
Confidence Motion,
No-confidence Motion,
Adjournment Motion,
Money Bill
or financial matters contrary to the direction issued in this behalf by the party to which
he belongs to (as enumerated in Articles 113 to 116 (both inclusive) and Articles 203 to
206 (both inclusive))
These little changes possesses the potential to free up the legislative space and ensure that
every government strives not only for cross-party consensus on legislation but reaches out
to individual lawmakers rather than just their leaderships (deepen participatory lawmaking)
Can we get rid of the parliament and have a strong leader instead, to decide the path
ahead for India? Discuss
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TOPIC:
General studies 1: Social Issues
General studies 2:
and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutionsand Bodies
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector
A crumbling idea of progressChild Labour

2001 National Census
More than 12 million children in the age group 5-14 are engaged in exploitative
occupations that are detrimental to their rights and to the full development of their
potentials
168 million child labourers, 59 million out-of-school children and 15 million girls
under 15 are forced to marry every year
ILO: 5.7 million Indian child workers aged between five and 17, out of 168 million globally
What does the Constitution say?
Through various articles enshrined in the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of
State Policy, lays down that:
No child below the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine
or engaged in any other hazardous employment (Article 24);
The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age six
to 14 years. (Article 21 (A))
The State shall direct its policy towards securing that the health and strength of
workers, men and women and the tender age of children are not abused and that
they are not forced by economic necessity to enter vocations unsuited to their age
and strength (Article 39-e);
Children shall be given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner
and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth shall be
protected against moral and material abandonment (Article 39-f);
The State shall endeavour to provide within a period of 10 years from the
commencement of the Constitution for free and compulsory education for all
children until they complete the age of 14 years (Article 45).
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Burden of poor healthBronchial asthma, allergies, lung and eye infections, wracking
coughs, fevers and immunity-destroying illnesses such as typhoid and jaundicemust also
work to earn a livelihood (a socially toxic problem)
Indias mica minors
Little children, even as young as four years old, work with blistered hands to collect
mica in the dark, dungeon-like mines of Bihar and Jharkhand
The glittering mica is used by top cosmetic brands to add sparkle to the lipsticks and
eye shadows
They suffer from head and body injuries and cuts, tuberculosis, silicosis as well as
frequent heat strokes and long spells of dehydration.
Recent Interventions:
Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthis Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), the NGO working along
with American cosmetic giant Estee Lauder is working to save children from the mica
mines of Jharkhand and Bihar.
The health-the wealth & the shrinking childhood:
The winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Economics, Deaton (book The Great Escape)
analyses patterns behind the health and wealth of nations, and how does the burden
of bad health spells doom for a poor country
Describes medical milestones and serious setbacks: the successes of antibiotics, pest
control, vaccinations and clean water on the one hand and disastrous famines and
the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the other
Eg:An estimation by Kirk Smith of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) says that
smoke from an Indian cooking fire has toxicity the equivalent of smoking 400 cigarettes
per hour (not per day). Roughly, 780 million Indian villagers depend on dung, stones,
wood and other biomass for cooking. The World Health Organization estimates that this
kills 1.2 million Indians per year.
Bachpan Bachao Andolan
One-fifth of the children under 14 rescued were working in family enterprises

More than 40% of the rescued children were performing hazardous jobsfor
example, working in roadside restaurants (dhabas) or manufacturing garments,
leather goods, cosmetics or electronicsthat would be allowed under the amended
Act
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Gurupadswamy Committee:
In 1979; this committee was formed to study the issue of child labour and
recommend measures to tackle the same
Pointed out that poverty remains the core issue behind the issue
Need to ban children from working in hazardous areas and a regulation needs to be
well placed for the working conditions
Actions undertaken:
1986- Enactment of Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act (prohibits employment of
children in certain specified hazardous occupations and processes and regulates the working
conditions in others)
1987: Formulation of National Policy on Child Labour
1988: Launch of National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme (districts of high child labour
existence)
To tackle the problem of child labour in India
Ministry of Labour and Employment took a three prong approach
Set up a legal framework for prohibition and regulation of child labour

Use various development programmes to address the needs of working children
Set up the National Child Labour Project (NCLP)
Recent proposed amendments to the Child Labour Act of 1986:
Offers least resistance and relaxed the ban on children working in family-owned
occupations (informal sector and very difficult to monitor); Will encourage castebased occupations; use families for production
Relaxing the ban in the entertainment industry (one among the most exploitative
industries) appears like a concession to the advertising sector, which is using children
as a selling gimmick for all kinds of product
Extends criminalisation Extend the ban from children below 14 years to include
children below 18
Children aged 15 to 18 will be barred from working in only three industriesmines,
inflammable substances and hazardous processes
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Can a total ban on Child Labour in India see the dawn of the day? What are the
elements crucial in its realization of no-child-labour existence in the country?
How can a childs right to safety and a safe environment be ensured in the labour
industry? Discuss.
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INTERNATIONAL

Bilateral, regional , global groupings and agreement involving India and affecting
its interest
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on Indias
interests, Indian Diaspora.
Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate
Background:
India and the European Union (EU) have endorsed the 'EU-India Agenda for Action
2020' as a common road map for the strategic partnership in the next five years
during 13th edition of India-European Union Summit which was held recently
inBrussels, capital of Belgium. The EU-India strategic partnership was launched in
2004. The last summit i.e. 12th edition was held in 2012 in New Delhi.
The summit laid out concrete priority actions for the strategic bilateral partnership in
areas like trade and investment, climate, energy, water and migration in the next
five years.
The sectors of partnership range from foreign policy, counter terrorism and
disarmament to transport and space.
The Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) negotiations have remained
deadlocked over growing differences regarding greater market access sought by both
aides for merchandise exports
What is Strategic partnership all about?
A strategic partnership is a long-term interaction between two countries based on

political, economic, social and historical factors. Such a partnership manifests itself in
a variety of relationships. India has signed strategic partnerships with more than
30 countries.
India has strategic partnerships with the United States, Russia, China, Japan, UK,
France and others.
It is obvious that not all strategic partnerships are equally important. Some have a
dominant political element, while others have a prominent economic dimension. In
some cases, the security dimension may be the most important.
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What were the key outcomes of the recently held summit?

EU-India Agenda for Action 2020: Both sides endorsed the agenda to concrete the roadmap for the EU-India Strategic Partnership for the next five years.
EU-India Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA):
The BTIA negotiations have remained deadlocked over growing differences regarding
greater market access sought by both aides for merchandise exports.
Point of contention is that EU has consistently sought lower import duties on a range
of commodities. This time, the EU is seeking the lowering of tariffs on automobiles
and wine products.
Issues related to facilitation of greater movement of professionals from one country

to another, arising out of the Mode 4 provisions of the 1995 General Agreement on
Trade in Services is another point of contention between the two sides.
Both sides agreed to further the negotiations on early conclusion of the BTIA.
The new agenda pushes for a broad based approach to resolve trade irritants in
particular concerning goods, services and investments, and strengthen trade and
investment relations.
Terrorism:
Both sides adopted a Joint Declaration on Counter-terrorism to step up cooperation

to counter radicalization and violent extremism.
It will also allow jointly countering the flow of sources of terrorist financing, Foreign
Terrorist Fighters and arms supply.
Also called for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on

International Terrorism in the UN. They have also agreed to explore the possibility
of India and EUROPOL, the EUs law enforcement agency, to share intelligence.
Loan assistance:
The European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed to lend loan of 450 million Euros for the
construction of the first metro line in Lucknow.
Agenda for Action on environment issues:

EU has agreed to help projects including the Clean India initiative and the Ganga
Rejuvenation Initiative, in terms of developing a solution to clean up the river as well as
developing legal and governance frameworks for managing the basin.
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To control and organize migration:
The Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility (CAMM), which was also adopted,
is designed to control and organize migration a pressing concern for the EU.
Significantly for the EU, the Agenda for Action includes items on facilitating the
return of irregular migrants and the possibility of exploring a Readmission
Agreement returning visa over-stayers to their home countries.
The Agenda also includes the prevention of human trafficking and promoting
international protection as priority areas.
Points of special interest to India on the agenda are easier visa procedures for skilled
workers, IT professionals, and business travellers. For now, the CAMM is a political
declaration and not a legal agreement.
Arbitration procedure on the Italian Marines: Both sides expressed their confidence in
solving the marine case currently underway in the framework of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
What does strategic partnership mean? What are the key outcomes of recent held
India-EU summit which help in strengthening strategic partnership?
TOPIC:
General studies 3:
Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media

and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security;
money-laundering and its prevention.

What are panama papers?
The Panama Papers are an unprecedented

leak of 11.5m files from the database of the
worlds fourth biggest offshore law firm,
Mossack Fonseca.
The records were obtained from an
anonymous source by the German
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newspaper SddeutscheZeitung, which shared them with the International

Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
The ICIJ then shared them with a large network of international partners, including
the Guardian and the BBC.
Why the name panama?

Mossack Fonseca, the law firm is based in panama, hence the name panama papers.
Mossack Fonseca provides services like incorporating companies in offshore jurisdictions
such as the British Virgin Islands, it also administers offshore firms for a yearly fee and also
wealth management.
What do The Panama Papers reveal?
The documents show the myriad ways in which the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax
regimes.
Twelve national leaders are among 143 politicians, their families and close associates from
around the world known to have been using offshore tax havens.
The papers reveal that
Individuals have set up offshore entities through the Panama law firm.
Some of the Indians floated offshore entities at a time when laws did not allow them
to do so;
some have taken a technically convenient view that companies acquired is not the
same as companies incorporated;
some have bunched their annual quota of remittances to subscribe to shares in an
offshore entity acquired at an earlier date.
Still, some others have received income earned abroad and deposited it in the entity
to avoid tax.
Some have opened a bank account to keep payoffs in government contracts, or held
proceeds of crime or property bought with money made illegally in Trusts/
Foundations.
Why float a foreign company, why go all the way to Panama to register it?
The two big draws that offshore entities in jurisdictions such as British Virgin Islands,
Bahamas, Seychelles and more specifically Panama, offer are:
Secrecy of information relating to the ultimate beneficiary owner and zero tax on income
generated.
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One more advantage:
In fact, in Panama, individuals can ask for bearer shares, where the owners name is
not mentioned anywhere.
Besides, it costs little or nothing to set up an entity abroad.
The Registered Agent charges a few hundred dollars to incorporate an entity. It
doesnt take much time to incorporate one either.
Companies are available off-the-shelf and can be registered in a couple of days.
Whats the kind of secrecy that the Panama agent offered?
The offshore entity need not appoint natural persons as directors or have individuals
as shareholders.
The Registered Agent, Mossack Fonseca in this case, offers its own executives to
serve as shareholders or directors.
Sometimes, an intermediary law firm or a bank acts as a director or a nominee
shareholder. So the real beneficiary remains hidden.
The registered agent provides an official overseas address, a mail box, etc, none of
which traces back the entity to the beneficial owner.
In many cases, the shareholding of these entities is vested in a Panamanian Trust or
Foundation.
The Foundation further masks beneficial ownership.
A professional trustee is often the nominee shareholder of the Foundation.
The beneficiaries of the Foundations assets are mentioned in the Regulations, and
these Regulations do not form part of the Public Deed executed by the trustee.
Couldnt those in the list argue that when they set up these companies, FERA was a
draconian law and they had to do this to go around it?
Foreign Exchange Regulation Act severely restricted even current account transactions,
forget those on capital account. Since Indias foreign exchange holdings were low or
inadequate in the 1980s and 1990s, the law was aimed at preventing an outflow of foreign
exchange.
In those days of controls, many secretly opened Swiss bank accounts and offshore
entities by sending money abroad through hawala.
It was to these offshore accounts that money flowed in several cases of over
invoicing or under-invoicing of trade transactions.
But progressively, after liberalisation in 1991, and with an improvement in macro
economic indicators, FERA was replaced with FEMA in 1999.
And as Indias foreign exchange reserves rose and topped $100 billion in 2004, in
January 2004, RBI allowed companies to invest up to 100 per cent of their net worth
(now its 400 per cent of net worth) abroad by doing away with the $100 million cap
and started its experiment with limited capital account convertibility by introducing
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the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS)in February 2004 which permitted resident
individuals to remit up to $25,000 a year.
This was increased in phases to $200,000 by September 2007, but was reduced to $75,000
in August 2013 to arrest a sharp slide in rupee.
The LRS limit was subsequently increased again in phases and now stands at $250,000 a
year. This means, an Indian resident individual can invest $250,000 abroad in buying
shares or property or gift or donate to anyone living abroad up to this limit every year.
But RBIs intent and internal understanding in opening the LRS windows was to allow
resident individuals in the spirit of liberalisation to diversify their assets, promote
trade and boost exports and earnings, but not to let them set up companies, which
could be put to misuse.
So whats the next step once these names are out?
For the Reserve Bank of India, this issue has been work-in-progress.
It will have to take a call whether they can allow compounding (recognising that an
individual has erred bona fide and regularising the investment in the offshore
entity post facto by imposing a penalty) or insist that individuals wind up these
investments made prior to August 2013.
The Income Tax department will have to probe if there has been round tripping of
funds i.e. routing of funds invested in offshore entities back to India, and where
required, refer the cases to the Enforcement Directorate.
It will also have to see if the offshore entities have declared all their incomes and
assets to the Income Tax department.
Whats the relevance of The Panama Papers to the black money debate?
Offshore entities can be and have been used by individuals to remit funds abroad.
Globally, they carry a reputation of being vehicles set up by individuals and
corporations to evade or avoid tax.
Companies call this tax planning, the tax man sees it as tax avoidance.
With coordinated moves by G-20 countries to introduce stringent anti-money
laundering measures, as part of a global crackdown on tax avoidance, there is rising
international scrutiny over such jurisdictions and giant company incorporators such
as Mossack Fonseca which facilitate setting up of offshore entities.
Critically examine the treats to internal security in India with special emphasis on
economic security.
Critically examine the various measures taken by the government to tackle money
laundering in India.
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its interest

Background:
In a significant decision that could have far-reaching implications for Indias military
posture, India and the U.S. have agreed in principle on a logistics support
agreement Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) , this
would make it easier for both militaries to share each others facilities. The two
countries agreed in principle to sign an agreement on providing logistics but have yet
to finalize the draft of the agreement
LEMOA is a fine tuned version of Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and LEMOA will
be tailored for India and will not be a general Logistics Support Agreement (LSA).
LSA was part of the three controversial agreements that the US has been pursuing
India to sign for nearly a decade.
The U.S. administration has wanted India to sign three agreements to deepen the
already existing India-US military relationship.
Three agreements:
Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA);

Logistics Support Agreement (LSA)
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial intelligence.
What are these agreements all about?

Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) :
Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) is fine tuned version of

Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) is an agreement on sharing of military logistics
between India and the American forces and will facilitate support such as refuelling
and berthing facilities for each others warships and aircrafts on a reimbursable
basis.
A formal agreement, when inked, will access supplies, spare parts and services from
each other's land facilities, air bases and ports, which can then be reimbursed.
An agreement in principle on logistics would move India closer to [the] US as a
strategic partner
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Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA):
Signing the CISMOA would enable India to get encrypted communications

equipment and systems allowing military commanders to communicate with aircraft
and ships through a secure network.
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial intelligence:
BECA would provide India with topographical and aeronautical data and
products, which will aid navigation and targeting.
What is the significance of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)

agreement?
The LEMOA would be beneficial at the time of disaster relief operations like the one
India undertook in the wake of the Asian Tsunami and exercise done in wake of the
devastating earthquake in Nepal.
Maritime security, maritime domain Awareness
Military-to-military relations will deepen
Rules-based order and regional security architecture conducive to peace and
prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean will be established.
Defence Trade and Technology Initiative and initiate two new pathfinder projects on
digital helmet mounted displays and the Joint Biological Tactical Detection System.
How do US see this LEMOA agreement with India?
US want a stronger Indian military to deter, not provoke, conflict with China. Indeed,
this was not the case about 20 years ago. The most significant difference between
now and then is the growing capability and assertiveness of the Chinese military.
The trajectory of Chinas growing military capabilities threatens to widen the gap
between Chinas military capabilities and those of India. This is the kind of gap that
increases the chance of conflict. And the US and India have an undeniable common
interest in trying to prevent it from growing further.
The new approach has been branded the Third Offset Strategy. Like the two
earlier offsets tactical nuclear weapons and precision-guided conventional
munitions the US hopes that AI and associated technologies will help America
counter the quantitative superiority its rivals Russia and China enjoy in Eurasia and
the Western Pacific.
The US has other interests as well, such as maintaining its military edge and ensuring
that its crown jewel defence technology doesnt find its way into the hands of
adversaries like Russia.
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What is Indias point of view regarding deepening military ties with US?
India needs a policy framework and engagement with Washington to take advantage
of a tech revolution critical for its own security.
Rapid advances in robotics, machine-learning and big-data analytics are at once
driving the so-called fourth industrial revolution and the transformation of
modern warfare. At the centre of it all is the science and engineering of artificial
intelligence (AI), or computer algorithms that can perform many functions, such as
vision, voice recognition, decision-making and the capacity to process vast quantities
of information, which are usually associated with humans.
For India too, artificial intelligence (AI), might be critical in coping with the growing
gap in conventional military capabilities that has opened up with China. The Chinese
defence budget is now more than four times that of India and Beijing has devoted
considerable intellectual and policy energies to transform the organization and
doctrine of its armed forces.
AI is also likely to play an important role in countering Pakistans low-intensity
conflict against India through such proxies as the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Effective use of these will help India accelerate its own economic growth, address its
national security challenges and gain an effective voice in the international
regulation of autonomous weapons and robotic warfare. India was rather slow in
waking up to the impact of the cyber revolution; it cant afford to make the same
error in relation to the AI transformation.
Why there is anxiety amongst Indian strategic community that India is about to embrace
the US strategically and get locked in an anti-China alliance?
This anxiety is fuelled by three mistaken factors:
Firstly, lack of reading of Chinas Defence White Paper of 2015, wherein the debate
between the continentalists and the maritime people has been settled in favor of the
maritime lobby. China is going to become a maritime power in the Indian Ocean.
Second, One belt one road is the larger plan to change the geopolitics of the
Indian Ocean to support the permanent presence of a Chinese fleet. Its admittedly a
long-term plan.
Third, the Chinese are going full speed to get Gwadar and Djibouti ready for the PLA
Navy in the Indian Ocean.
Way ahead:
Though in surface combatants, the Indian navy will outnumber the Chinese taskforce
2:1, outnumber the maritime patrol aircraft 2:1 and be superior in strategic antisubmarine warfare and satellite communication infrastructure. India could put the
squeeze in the Indian Ocean but Indian navy is required to play a supporting role in
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ensuring freedom of navigation and ensure a peaceful Chinese rise than the ability to
squeeze the Malacca jugular as a strategic threat.
As India work with the United States to realize the full potential of India's Act East
policy, India also seeks a closer partnership with the United States to promote
shared interests in India's west, especially in the context of the emerging situation in
West Asia
India-US relationship will be one of the key global partnerships of this century.
Defence cooperation is a central pillar of India's multi-faceted relationship with the
US. A stronger India-US partnership will promote peace, stability and progress in
Indian Ocean region and the world.
Is Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)viewed as a move India

supporting US in forming any alliance against China?
Will the agreement Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) lead to
establish Rules-based order and regional security architecture conducive to peace
and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean? Comment.
TOPIC:
General studies 2:
its interest
India and its neighborhood- relations.
General studies 3:
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Maritime India Summit 2016: Taking initiatives to push maritime trade
Background:
Recent inaugural of the Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra is

Indias first ever Maritime Summit and the flagship event organized by Union
Ministry of Shipping.
The main focus of summit is to give impetus to Make In India and blue economy
under the Union Governments ambitious Sagarmala Project emphasizing on portled development
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Current status of Maritime trade:
Skewed pattern of trade:

Goods imports are 50 per cent bigger than exports, so ships that bring goods to
Indian ports often have no return cargo
In the case of some ports, the import-export ratio is as skewed as 90:10
Freight rates are high
Lack of port-based development as an industrial strategy.
Importance of Maritime sector:
The maritime sector has a vital role to play in Indias growth story. As India enjoys
long coastal boundary it is of paramount importance to revitalize the ports and the
shipping sector to increase capacity and efficiency.
Indias marine export-import trade has been growing at a rate of 4.5 per cent
annually and accounts for 95 per cent of total exim trade volume for India.
A three-pronged plan consisting of a workable policy, fiscal incentives and
infrastructure would ensure development of Indias coastal shipping sector and
strong growth.
Apart from having a multiplier effect on the economy, the maritime sector itself has
the potential to significantly contribute to GDP.
Indias main trade commodities are crude and petroleum products, bulk
commodities such as coal, iron ore and containerized cargo. Trade growth is
expected to remain strong, at 5-10 per cent, for most commodities over the next 10
years representing massive opportunity.
Ocean of opportunity:
The biggest benefit from a robust shipping sector will be massive cost-saving:
The cost for coastal shipping is Rs. 0.15-0.2 per tonne/km compared to Rs. 1.5 for
railways and Rs. 2.5 for road. This represents the potential to lower logistics cost
by Rs. 21,000-27,000 crore by 2025.
Coastal shipping can be a catalyst for coastal industrial clusters and fit in with the
plan to develop new smart port cities.
Inland water transport is an environment-friendly and cost-effective mode of
transportation, which has the potential to reduce logistic cost and relieve the
congestion on road and railways.
Compelling reasons to invest in Indian ports:
Government has allowed 100 per cent FDI in ports and 10-year tax holiday has been
extended to enterprises engaged in developing, maintaining, and operating ports,
inland waterways, and inland ports.
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Projected cargo traffic to be handled by 2021-22 is 1,695 mtaccording to the

National Transport Development Policy Committee, an increase of 643 mt from
2014-15
Around 2,422 mt of cargo handling capacity is required by 2021-22.
Additional cargo handling capacity of 901 mt is required to be created in the next 6-7
years.
Need of the hour: focus on the improvement of infrastructure and deployment of

technology
To project sea transport as the prime mode of transportation and effectively utilise our
7,517-km coastline we need
First and last mile connectivity

Large scale containerization of cargo
Development of efficient multi-modal transport services.
Setting up port-based SEZs at all ports housing a cluster of maritime-related
industries
Warehouses and ship repair facilities would help develop a robust maritime sector.
Working on improvising trade infrastructure:
Inland waterways extend to about 14,500 km across the country. In sharp contrast
to peer countries, only 3.5 per cent of Indias trade is being done through waterways
as against 47 per cent in China, 40 per cent in Europe, 44 per cent in Japan and
Korea, and 35 per cent in Bangladesh.
Colombo can handle more container traffic than all of Indias ports put
together because Indias ports are too shallow to accommodate big container
vessels.
Way ahead: increase port capacity with the help of private companies
For instance Adani private group of companies have increased the capacity of
Mundra port in Gujarat to overtake Kandla to become the countrys largest.
Building deepwater port at Vizhinjam in Kerala designed to take some of the transshipment traffic away from Colombo.
Strategic aspect of Maritime trade:

Apart from the length of the coastline, 7,500 km, Indias maritime potential also lies in its
strategic location on all major shipping highways:
India has begun to collaborate with neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar in

building waterways and port infrastructure. This is essential as ultimately it is
economics that provides the necessary push to take forward strategic overtures.
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Indian Navy played a pivotal role in containing piracy on the high seas and is
positioning itself as the net security provider in the broader Indian Ocean region
with capacity building, joint exercises and increased multilateral exchanges.
New emphasis is two-sided securing energy and trade routes to sustain economic
growth and keeping a check on increasing forays by other countries into Indias
backyard.
Recent Initiatives to strengthen maritime trade:

Sagarmala Project:
The key objective of Sagarmala project develop port infrastructure in India that
results in quick, efficient and cost-effective transport to and from ports.
It also includes establishment of rail / road linkages with the port terminals, thus
providing last mile connectivity to ports; development of linkages with new regions,
enhanced multi-modal connectivity including rail, inland water, coastal and road
services.
Key Activities under Sagarmala project:
Port-led industrialization and Port based urbanization

Port based and coastal tourism and recreational activities
Short-sea shipping coastal shipping and Inland Waterways
Transportation Ship building, ship repair and ship recycling Logistics parks,
warehousing,drilling platforms
Specialization of ports in certain economic activities such as energy, containers,
chemicals, coal, agro products.
National Waterways Bill, 2015:
The Bill identifies additional 101 waterways as national waterways.

The Bill repeals the five Acts that declare the existing national waterways. These five
national waterways are now covered under the Bill.
Bill states that while inland waterways are recognized as a fuel efficient, cost
effective and environment friendly mode of transport, it has received lesser
investment as compared to roads and railways. Since inland waterways are lagging
behind other modes of transport thus there is need to evolve policy for integrated
development of inland waterways.
Can Sagarmala project and National waterway bill pitch-in merry-time for maritime
trade in parallel with strengthening inland waterways?
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its interest
The Obama Doctrine

Foreign Policy Shift
Holds strong views on foreign policy issues; having little regards for the Washingtonbased tribe of U.S. foreign policy experts (The Washington playbook), and even
less for their enduring belief that military force is the answer to every problem
Exhibits little interest in the West Asian affairs and in the politics of oil at the same
time being harsh in his judgement of leaders of West Asian countries
Shows interest in the Pivot to Asia and the consequences of the rise of China and
India in the region; while being accommodative of China in his-scheme of outlook
Forsaking old friends
Display of distrust or disdain for long-established relationships and alliesthe black

hole and the Achilles heel of the pronouncements
The reluctance to accept his foreign policy mistakes, preferring to put the blame on
allies and friends
Holds a viewpoint that the West Asian sheikhdoms are free-riders and at the same
time, he sees an emerging Iran as a bright patch as far as West Asia is concerned.
The President is thus, preparing to jettison Saudi Arabia despite it having been the
U.S.s staunchest ally for the past half century and readying to embrace Iran
His criticism for Mr. Cameron as a mere tactician lacking in strategic vision does
sound the death knell for the Special Relationship that has been part of U.K.-U.S.
entente since the end of the Second World War (Libyan imbroglio)
Obama is also contemptuous of is Russias Vladimir Putin (events in Ukraine and the
Wests debacle in Crimea) describing Putin as business-like and eager to reclaim
for Russia the co-equal status that it once enjoyed with America
The core logic of the Obama Doctrine being:
The U.S. no longer needed to engage in geopolitical competition with powers like
Russia and China
The collapse of countries like Egypt was of little consequence to the U.S
The primary concern was to avoid risking the lives of U.S. citizens unless the vital
interests of the U.S. were directly involved
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To get others to do the hard work of fighting on issues relating to ensuring a rulebased international order and defeating terrorism.
Lessons for India
India needs to understand and formulate its own strategic viewpoint w.r.t. its own
strategic interests as well as Obama Doctrine before arriving at a certified
conclusion.
With no conflict of interest as far as the South and East China Seas are concerned, it
risks provoking China if it gets more deeply engaged on U.S. insistence when the
U.S. cannot be expected to come to Indias aid in the event of an India-China conflict
along the disputed land border or anywhere else
The U.S. has been willing to sell F-16 fighters and attack helicopters to Pakistan, so
that Pakistan can fight its battles in Afghanistan and the region as well as is willing to
placate Pakistan on the nuclear issue, even implying that Pakistans tactical nuclear
weapons programme was possibly a response to Indias Cold Start doctrinedespite
Indias concerns about this move
IASbabas Views:
Although, the new Framework for the India-U.S. Defence Relationship (signed in June
2015) as intended to increase strategic cooperation to help safeguard security and
stability across the region and around the world is touted as one of the defining
moments of the 21st century, it is imperative for India to take a closer look at such
entanglement with the U.S.
With the signing of a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) which
would ultimately pave way for a Strategic Logistic Agreement in the near future,
India is not only opening up to the U.S. in terms of buying military hardware but also
as a meaningful strategic partnership one, which has to pursued, keeping with our
national interests in the region and beyond.
While appreciating Obamas role as the likely bridge to an era of retrenchment,
burden-sharing, great-power accommodation and spheres of influence, India also
needs to construct a secure balance of power in Asia and the Indo-Pacific that will
have much to collaborate on with a changing America
(Logistics is the activity of organising the movement, equipment, and accommodation of

military forces forms the backbone of military operations and is considered the first step in
any military campaign)
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TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
affecting India's interests.
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's
interests, Indian diaspora.
G-20s warning on the global economy:
Why in news?
Recently Finance ministers and central bank governors of the G-20 countries met at
Washington and issued a communiqu regarding global growth trends and outlook.
Communiqu: http://www.g20.utoronto.ca/2016/160415-finance.html
An important thing to note in the communiqu:
According to the communiqu global growth remains modest and uneven and
also G-20 warned the large advanced economies against continuing their prolonged,
excessive reliance on unconventional monetary policy to power growth.
IMF and the world economic outlook:
The G-20 meeting was held as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released yet
another downward revision of its outlook for global growth.
Making the updated assessment even more difficult was the institutions warning
about the unusual range of risks, including the possible exit of the UK from the
European Union, along with other political risks to financial volatility as well as the
particular challenges facing commodity exporters.
A brief outlook of the report: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/update/01/

The disappointing outcome from the G-20 meet:
The irony is that despite the unusually high degree of consensus on the outlook for
the global economy and the policy implications, the G-20 again fell short of
committing to a collective and verifiable set of actions that could spur measures at
the national level.
This is particularly disappointing for two reasons:

1. The G-20 has shown its ability to act; and when it has, the results were potent.
Indeed, if it werent for the coordinated policy approach adopted by the G-20 at its
meeting in London in April 2009, the world could have fallen into a devastating
multi-year depression.
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However this coordinated policy approach is lacking now.
2. With companies sitting on so much cash or devoting it exclusively to financial

engineering, the unleashing of global growth does not need a big bang in terms
of policies.
A small bang would probably prove sufficient to unleash faster global
recovery, with the private sector doing much of the heavy lifting by using its
strong balance sheets to expand current and future output.
Sadder days ahead for the global economy:
Sadly, the required policy response may only come with a further worsening
of an already mediocre outlook for growth as well as deteriorating prospects
for genuine financial stability.
In the meantime, both excessive political dysfunction and alarming levels of
inequality will remain high as the global economy languishes in a frustrating
state of low growth.

1. Enumerate the list of various reports and their importance released by
IMF
World Bank
World Economic Forum
2. Critically examine the reasons for slowdown in the global economy with special
reference to China.

affecting Indias interests.
Chinas Water Hegemony in Asia

China has emerged as the upstream water controller in Asia through a globally unparalleled
hydro-engineering infrastructure centred on damming rivers
Released some dammed water for drought-hit nations in the lower Mekong river
basin
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Exhibition of significant utility of its upstream structures in fighting droughts and

floods
Power to control the flow of a life-sustaining resource
Own reliance on Beijings goodwill and charity With a further 14 dams being built
or planned by China on the Mekong, this dependence on Chinese goodwill is set to
deepenat some cost to their strategic leeway and environmental security.
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) initiative
An alternative to the lower-basin states Mekong River Commission

Designed to overshadow the US-sponsored Lower Mekong Initiative, which seeks to
overcome Chinese opposition to the Mekong treaty by promoting integrated
cooperation among Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam
China A dialogue partner but not a member of the commission (stay clued in on
the discussions, without having to take on any legal obligations had refused to join
the Mekong Treaty in 1995)
Rivers dammed by China The Mekong (Southeast Asias lifeline that is running at a record
low since late last year), the Brahmaputra, the Arun, the Indus, the Sutlej, the Irtysh, the Illy,
the Amur and the Salween
Fundamental Change in Asias Water Map
Before the communists seized power China had only 22 dams of any significant size
(Today: China surpasses 90,000)
After the communists took power in China in 1949
Guns establishing Chinas chokehold on almost every major transnational river

system in Asia
By forcibly absorbing the Tibetan plateau (the giant incubator of Asias main river
systems) and Xinjiang (the starting point of the Irtysh and the Illy), China became the
source of transboundary river flows to the largest number of countries in the world,
extending from the Indo-China peninsula and South Asia to Kazakhstan and Russia.
Chinas dam frenzy
Dam builders are presently shifting their focus from the dam-saturated internal
rivers (some of which, like the Yellow, are dying) to the international rivers raising
fears that the degradation haunting Chinas internal rivers could be replicated in the
international rivers.
Started erecting mega-dams Latest dams on the Mekong:
the 4,200-megawatt Xiaowan (taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris)
the 5,850-megawatt Nuozhadu, with a 190 sq. km reservoir
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Water-sharing:
China has simply ignored the idea of a water-sharing treaty with any neighbour, thus,
sparking concern, growing among downstream neighbours over China- seeking to turn
water into a potential political weapon (China has much leverage over its neighbours who
are reeling under very low freshwater availability)
Mekong basin:
China has denied that it is stealing shared waters or that its existing dams have
contributed to river depletion and recurrent drought in the downstream region.
By ramping up construction of additional giant dams, it has virtually ensured longterm adverse impacts on the critical river system
Landlocked Laos also plans to build more Mekong dams in order to make
hydropower exports, especially to Chinathe mainstay of its economy (with Chinese
assistance)
Can Chinas dam-frenzy be contained? What is the approach that the downstream
countries need to adopt to co-opt China in to rules-based cooperation?

affecting Indias interests.
Indias challenge in Afghanistan

Why in news?
Recently India hosted the sixth Heart of Asia (HoA) conference aimed at speeding up
reconstruction in war-torn Afghanistan and bringing peace and normalcy to the
nation.
Istanbul Process:
The Istanbul Process provides a new agenda for regional cooperation in the Heart of
Asia by placing Afghanistan at its center and engaging the Heart of Asia countries
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in sincere and resultoriented cooperation for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, as

well as a secure and prosperous region as a whole.
Sixth Heart of Asia conference:
The ministerial conference was held at New Delhi and it was attended by the 14
member states namely, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and
the United Arab Emirates.
Struggling Afghanistan:
The government in Afghanistan today, is struggling to hold key districts in the south
due to increased Taliban presence.
The government is also struggling to hold overdue parliamentary elections this year
amid the worsening security situation.
American commanders are asking Washington that US troop numbers remain at the
current level of 9,800, and not drop to about 5,500 by the end of the year.
Indias policy towards Afghanistan:
India has been demanding dismantling of safe havens and terror sanctuaries in the
region besides pressing for deeper engagement of various stakeholders for
Afghanistans stability and security.
China factor in Afghanistan:
China is stepping up its military role in Afghanistan.

China is making it clear that it wants to have deeper security ties with Afghanistan
and there are plans to strengthen counter-terror and intelligence cooperation along
with enhancing Chinas role in the training of Afghan military and civilian personnel.
China has become increasingly concerned about its extremists and separatists in
Xinjiang, where violence has killed hundreds in recent years, and sees security in
Afghanistan as key to stability in China.
Way ahead:
Till now Indias engagement with Afghanistan was moved by economic cooperation
and military engagement.
Now a time has come for Indiato evolve a comprehensive policy, which involves all
dimensions of power, to preserve its leverage in Afghanistan.
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For static part of India Afghanistan relations refer:

http://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Afghnistan_Dec2014.pdf
http://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Afghanistan_2015_07_20.pdf
To what extent do you think Indias internal stability depends on a stable

Afghanistan.
Do you think china factor plays an important role in India Afghanistan relations.
Analyse.
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ECONOMICS
TOPIC:
General studies 2:

issues arising out of their design and implementation
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating
to Health, Education, Human Resources
Indias Drug Industry

Data fabrication and duplicity at Ranbaxy
Penalties of $500 million on Ranbaxy

Increased scrutiny by the USFDA and other foreign regulators
Heightened focus on quality-related issues within the Indian pharmaceutical industry
Dysfunctional System:
An alarmingly high rate of substandard medicines being prescribed in publiclyfunded programmes like the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and places
like the Railway Hospitals and the Armed Forces Medical Stores Depots (AFMSD)
Percentage of locally procured substandard drugs at a high 32 per cent in one year
European companies were selling medicines in India that had not been approved in
their home countries, or, for that matter, in any developed country.
Ministry of Health had failed to investigate the officials who granted such illegal
approvals despite the Ministry giving a written commitment to Parliament.
Recommendation making mandatory basic quality testing such as bioequivalence
studies for all generic drugs was ignored (reason for rejection- India lacked the
infrastructure) but encouraged such testing for exports because countries like the
U.S. will not accept any drug formulation which is not proven bioequivalent.
Only a minority cases results in a prosecution and even in those cases, judges wilfully
ignore the mandatory sentencing provisions of at least one year of imprisonment,
preferring instead a simple imprisonment till the rising of the court, thus allowing
the convicted person to walk free as soon as the judge rose for the day.
Focus on improving quality
Targeted at only those manufacturing facilities that make products for export to
lucrative Western markets
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Little done by either the industry or the government to improve the quality of
medicines sold in less-regulated markets like India and its poorer neighbours in
Asia and in Africa.
Need of centralised licensing
Even when the drug inspectors are of a high calibre, very little can be done to stop
the flooding in of substandard drugs from Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhandbecause only the governments in the respective States can cancel the licences of the
erring drug manufacturers located there
Two legislative efforts in 2007 and 2013 to centralise such regulations failed because
of sabotage by the Indian pharmaceutical industry
Long-term Effects
Growing antibiotic resistance: a growing serious worldwide public health problem

which has a series of negative impacts such as prolonged morbidity, hospital stay
and increased risk of mortality
Birth of deathly superbugs
Public health, especially to the poor and vulnerable, thereby, increasing health care
costs and financial burden on the families
Related Articles:
Pharmaceutical Sector: Indias Drug Policy- http://iasbaba.com/2016/02/iasbabas-dailycurrent-affairs-19th-february-2016/
TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
to Health, Education, Human Resources
Indias Drug ControlApprovals & DPCO
The ban of 344 fixed-dose combinations
FDCs is a combination of existing drugs into one potent formulation

Helps to increase patient compliance with taking medication
Many FDCs in the Indian market are fuelled primarily by the desire to evade the Drug
Price Control Order (DPCO)
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Need to crack down
Lacks basic medical rationale

Being marketed without any supporting clinical evidence
Therefore, notification of bans on certain FDCs

The pharmaceutical industry took the government into a never-ending abyss of litigation
interim stays and longwinded hearings during which the industry continues to distribute its
existing stock by peddling the poison to the citizens of this country
The Approval
Before a drug is approved, it is required to be supported by clinical trials conducted

by independent medical experts present ban leads one to believe then that there
was no evidence to vouch for their safety in the first place
FDCs and other drug approvals in India have been plagued with irregularities which
the government has refused to investigate even after being hauled up by the
parliamentary standing committee on health
59th report of the committee (2012)- had discovered a shocking collusion
between the drug regulator, the industry, and medical doctors in the approval of
a set of drugs: buclizine, letrozole, an FDC of flupenthixol and melitracen
(Deanxit), and an FDC of aceclofenac and drotaverine
Noted that most of these drugs had received approval in the Indian market
despite the fact that advanced jurisdictions such as the US and the EU refused
similar approvals.
When the standing committee sought the files from the DCGIs to understand the
basis on which these approvals had been granted, the Government simply didnt
cooperate.
The Committee is of the opinion that there must be some very good reasons for Danish
Medicine Agency (Denmark) not to approve a domestically developed drug where an antidepressant drug would perhaps be in greater demand as compared to India. Curiously,
Deanxit is allowed to be produced and exported but not allowed to be used in Denmark.
The ever-existing Racket
Nature of the approvals
There is sufficient evidence on record to conclude that there is collusive nexus between
drug manufacturers, some functionaries of CDSCO and some medical experts.
The committee demanded the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare investigate the
manner in which these approvals were granted because there was prima facie
evidence of wrongdoing in granting these approvals
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The ministry set up an expert committee under VM Katoch to study the committees
report agreed with the recommendation of an investigation into the shady
approvals
December 28, 2012 , Submission of an action taken report to the standing
committee promising an investigation into the manner in which these approvals
were granted
No action was taken and in the 66th report tabled in Parliament on April 26,
2013, the committee noted its shock at the inaction of the ministry
Buclizine approval: The Committee takes serious umbrage over these more
than apparent dilatory tactics being adopted by the Ministry to somehow delay
action against the wrongdoers.
Approval of letrozole: The Committee finds it deeply perturbing as to why the
Ministry has failed to take action in this very open and shut case of impropriety
and criminal lapse. Though more than six months have elapsed, the Committee
strongly feels that if perpetrators of such illegalities and collusive acts which are
detrimental to public health are allowed to go scot-free, then the total collapse
of an ethical health care system is inevitable.
Approval of Deanxit: If any drug is promoted for unapproved indications, DCGI
has the statutory duty to take action and even cancel marketing approval. The
Committee is aghast that no action was taken against the Danish manufacturer,
Lundbeck even when it was openly flouting Indian laws. Compare the lack of
action in India with the United States where for a similar offence Pfizer had to
shell out Rs. 2,300 crores for promoting gabapentin for an unapproved
indication.
Indian drug control system (weakest at present) Present government is taking various
steps to
Strengthen the quality mechanism

Increase the awareness that all (companies) should move towards high quality
parameters
Increasing the number of drug inspectors
Increasing the drug controller staff
Banned 344 fixed drug combinations (FDCs), after an expert panel found that these
drugs lacked therapeutic justification and posed various health risks
Way Ahead:
Urgent need for an investigation into how approvals for these FDCs and the drugs
mentioned by the standing committee were granted in the first place
(corruption/incompetence)
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To ensure fairness or independence, it cannot be conducted under the aegis of the

ministry of health and therefore, the requirement of an independent commission
headed by a senior advocate of the Supreme Court to investigate this matter
The mere number of 15% products approved and certified by World Health
Organization needs to move up to 50%
Efforts need to be made to revive public sector undertakings (PSUs) of the sector and
ensure 'a continuous monitoring' mechanism
What are the major constraints looming over the advancement of the Indian Pharma
Sector? Suggest some measures
Is there a need for the establishment of a new Ministry for pharmaceuticals and
medical devices? Discuss.
Also Read:
Pharmaceutical Sector: Indias Drug Policy(http://iasbaba.com/2016/02/iasbabas-dailycurrent-affairs-19th-february-2016/)
Drug Pricing: Critical IllnessA Gold mine(http://iasbaba.com/2016/02/iasbabas-dailycurrent-affairs-26th-february-2016/)
TOPIC:
General studies 2:
issues arising out of their design and implementation; Development processes and
the development industry- Governance Issues
General studies 3:
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
Logistics sector in India: Removing the roadblocks in transportation
Importance of Logistics:
Serves as theprime requirement of a modern economy with a complex supply chain

taking care of the procurement, supply, and maintenance
Covers all that takes place between producers of various components and producer
of the final product and between the latter and the final consumer
Road transportation- the most important component of the logistics sector in India;
improving the efficiency of transportation would lead to improvement in the efficiency of
the logistics sector
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Existing differential
With an average speed of 20 to 25 km per hour, a vehicle on Indian roads covers 250 to 400
km in a day. In developed countries, the distance covered could be significantly higher about 700 to 800 km in a day. Thus, vehicles in India cover only 80,000 to 100,000 km in a
year; in the US, they cover up to 400,000 km
Why
Poor road conditions

Old vehicle fleets
Delays at toll booths and checkpoints
Solution:
Better alignment of policies across states and between the states and the Centre and
institutions
Innovative use of technology
The toll on roads

Toll roads: Way of mobilising resources for building better roads and maintaining them
properly by applying the "user pays" principle
Limited in India; planning underway
Issues- Congestion and delays at toll plazas
Solution (NandanNilekani Committee):
Need to expedite introduction of the technology of electronic toll collection (ETC)

ETC allows tolls to be collected while the vehicles move through the toll plaza,
without even perceptibly slowing down
Need to have in place a proper legal framework for suitable handling of violators
Check & Pay

Issues:
Long queues of trucks at border crossings as well as at the border between two
states- Two-fifths of the time lost on roads is due to stoppages at state borders
(Entry barriers- to prevent leakages and evasion of taxes)
Physical verification of road permits and waybills at checkpoints
Administrative delays due to paperwork
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Solution:
States need to learn from each other and incorporate the best practice and
standardise the form, without detracting from their powers granted by the
Constitution. Even in the case of GST, mutually binding agreements among the states
and the Centre is required.
The move from origin-based value-added tax (VAT) to destination-based goods and
services tax (GST) can help states in relaxing the requirement of road permits for
outward transportation
TIR or Transports InternationauxRoutiers (International Road Transport) Convention

Concluded in Geneva on November 14, 1975; can be adapted for transportation across
states in India
Under the TIR:
a vehicle remains sealed throughout the journey and is generally not inspected at
border crossings, except randomly or if an irregularity is suspected
Consignments are sealed at the origin by the relevant Customs authority and
technical specifications apply to the construction of load compartments or
containers
Authorised vehicles carry large blue-and-white TIR plates
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) prints and distributes the so-called TIR
Carnet, which serves both as international Customs document and proof of
guarantee
The Customs duties and taxes at risk throughout the journey are covered by an
international guaranteeing chain managed by the IRU.
Discuss the idea of opening road transport sector to the private players.
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TOPIC:
General studies 2:
interests
General Studies 3:
Effects of liberalization on the economy; Currency; Banking
Time for a single world currency
The world economic crisis shows the "inherent vulnerabilities and systemic risks in the
existing international monetary system and therefore, there is a need to better insulate
countries from the ills of one country or one currency
Dominance of Dollars
The pricing and trading of almost all standard commodities, including crude oil, are
carried out in dollars ("dollar goods")
Most international assets/liabilities are held in dollars ("dollar stocks")
The dollar represents the "vehicle currency" in the international foreign exchange
market
Role of the dollar (foreign exchange)
The exchange rate of any single currency vis-a-vis the dollar is taken as the most
important indicator for its external value
Almost all foreign exchange transactions concern trades between the dollar and some
other currency (the dollar serves as the "vehicle currency")
Exchange rate expectations are formed primarily with respect to future movements of
dollar rates
Thus
Influences the relative price between commodities and manufactures in

world trade,
The terms of trade between industrial and developing countries,
The speed of inflation and deflation in world trade
The level of the real interest on international debts
Historically speaking
Collapse of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates in 1971 paved way for
different crisis and mini-crisis because of the absence of any kind of global monetary order-
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Despite the faults it gave the world a monetary order, within which trade, investment
and portfolio allocation decisions could be made without the distorting effect of
uncertain, uncoordinated and volatile exchange rates
Utility of system of fixed exchange rates stands valid, thus, in a world even more
globalized today, and even more subject to destabilizing volatility
Negotiations on the new global currency

Urgent need
Destabilizing and destructive volatility in global trade

Investment and financial capital movement patterns induced or exacerbated by the
excessive volatility of flexible exchange rate regimes
National objectives leveraging damaging spill-overs for other countries (how
America's economic problems and by extension the dollar can wreak havoc on
nations around the world)
In the form of excessive volatility in capital flows and associated movements in
their exchange rates
Crisis of 2013 had badly affected India, and sothe right thing for the Fed and
others to do would be to take account of these harmful spill-overs when they
formulate monetary policy
Arguments against a global currency
Under fixed rates (or a common currency), countries would lose their ability to pursue
independent monetary policy, and that this loss would be significant (the correlation of
macroeconomic conditions across regions)
No parallel institution existing at the global level to establish adequate checks and
balances
Desirable to maintain some level of competition, as through a number of channels,
global currency competition provides a check on inflation
Major obstacles
Would require acceptance from nations that have long used the dollar and hold huge
stockpiles of the U.S. currency
Managing such a currency would require balancing the contradictory needs of
countries with high and low growth or with trade surpluses or deficits
Keynes
No national currency should serve as a world currency, instead, a genuine world

currency should be created as a basket of the main national currencies
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International settlements should be handled at fixed exchange rates by a "Clearing

Union."
Temporary disequilibria in global economic goods and financing should be corrected by
expansionary policies in the surplus countries and not by belt-tightening measures in the
deficit countries. In this way equilibrium can be restored at a higher rather than a lower
level of activity
Way Ahead:
The IMF should create a "reserve currency" based on shares in the body held by its 185
member nations, known as special drawing rights, or SDRs- should be used for trade,
pricing commodities and accounting, not just government finance.
The basket of currencies forming the basis for SDR valuation should be expanded to
include currencies of all major economies. Proper representation and a bigger voice for
the developing countries are the need of the hour
How does the interaction between dollar interest rates, dollar exchange rates and
dollar prices determine the movements in the real interest on international debt?
TOPIC:
General Studies 3:
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it; Banking
General studies 2:
issues arising out of their design and implementation; Governance
A cashless economy is a system where flow of cash or physical currency is nonexistent and all monetary transactions are done electronically via internet enabled
banking or wallets, and debit or credit cards; at most abolishing or at times, reducing
the physical presence between two transacting parties.
Such transactions can be purchases, bill & utility payments and clearances or
transfers and India moved a step closer towards becoming a cashless economy with
the launch of National Payments Corporation of Indias (NPCIs) unified payment
interface (UPI).
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Touted as one of the most important innovation of the financial sector with 19 banks
partnering with NPCI (an umbrella organization for all retail payments systems) to
offer services based on UPI which will have a significant impact on the ease of retail
payments at a time when mobile banking transactions (surged 82% over the same
period the previous year) is picking up.
Unified Payment Interface (will)
Make e-commerce transactions easier Improvement in the ease of making

payments, the ease of saving and the ease for buying financial products
Facilitate micropayments and person-to-person payments: e-payments on delivery &
digitizing last-mile payments
Allow customers to instantaneously transfer funds across different banks with the
use of a single identifier which will act as a virtual address and eliminate the need to
exchange sensitive information such as bank account numbers during a financial
transaction
Working of UPI
Interface- been built on the same infrastructure as the Immediate Payment Service
(IMPS), which is currently used by banks for real-time transfer of cash
Transaction limit for IMPS- Rs.1 lakh/transaction
Steps towards a cashless economy

Payments Banks
Objective: to accelerate financial

inclusion
Will provide basic savings, deposit,
payment and remittance services to
people without access to the formal
banking system; will not be in the
business of lending
Small finance banks- will offer basic banking

services, accepting deposits and lending to
unserved and underserved sections including
small business units, small and marginal
farmers, micro and small industries and entities
in the unorganized sector.
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IASbabas Views:
Banks should take upon the onus to facilitate its expansion by communicating the
benefits of its usage to their customers via various channels, to make it a norm.
Grievance redressal mechanisms need to be worked upon and effective technologies
need to be put in place to lead to its efficient working and expand its access to
formal financial channels
NPCI should work towards protecting the system from security breaches and
fraudulent transactions
Focus should also be towards bringing in those outside the payments universe and
those without smartphones under the UPI payment landscape.
Critically analyse the issues associated with payment banks in India

Does there exist a direct correlation between a developed economy and a cashless
economy? Justify your stand
Mindmap https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B12w56GDVUrSbW5Sd3ZHZUlZMVE/view
TOPIC:
General studies 2:
to Health, Education, Human Resources.
General studies 3:
India will struggle to cash in on its demographics
Indias working-age population hasnt grown fast since 2006; the growth rate is in
fact steadily falling; in 2027 the annual increase is projected to drop below 1%.
Census 2011 data shows that Indias working age population (15-64 years) is now
63.4% of the total population, as against just short of 60% in 2001.
Over the next decade, India is expected to be the leader is growth in terms of
working-age population among the worlds 10 biggest economies.
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India is home to 18% of the worlds working-age population.

There is a immediate need to have 2% annual growth in a countrys working-age
population to have a sustained economic boom but Indias working-age population
hasnt grown that fast since 2006. The growth rate is in fact steadily falling; upon
that in 2027 the annual increase is projected to drop below 1%.
What does Demographic Dividend mean?
Demographic dividend, as defined by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

means, the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a populations
age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population (15 to 64) is
larger than the non-working-age share of the population (14 and younger, and 65
and older).
Why Demographic Dividend is vital for India?
A country with both increasing numbers of young people and declining fertility has
the potential to reap a demographic dividend.
Due to this Demographic dividend there is a great potential for economic gains,
which has been termed the "demographic gift".
In order to realize this "demographic gift", younger population must have access to
quality education, adequate nutrition and health including access to sexual and
reproductive health.
Upon that by 2030, India is projected to reach its demographic sweet spot i.e
majority of its population will be working age, with a relatively small share of
children and elderly to care for.
Why are we not able to reap dividends out of demographic dividend yet?
Major portion of working-age Population are not working at least not in ways
that bring economic growth and social progress.
Lack of quality education and increased dropout rates in schools.
Rural regions still largely cut off from the national economy
Relatively affluent urban residents who fall working age group see no point in
looking for jobs.
In India women being major part of labour force are not able participate to their full
potential.
Labour-force participation among working-age women is too low.
Mismatch between workers skill and job markets requirement.
Due to automation and mechanization in middle skill occupations such as operating
machinery, driving vehicles, doing clerical work has squeezed workers out of their
jobs
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Legal uncertainty and misguided government policies discourage job creation, while
the transportation infrastructure and educational system are in need of giant
upgrades.
What are the mechanisms through which benefits can be reaped?

During the course of the demographic dividend there are four mechanisms through which
the benefits are delivered.
The first is the increased labour supply. The magnitude of this benefit appears to be
dependent on the ability of the economy to absorb and productively employ the
extra workers rather than be a pure demographic gift.
The second mechanism is the increase in savings. As the number of dependents
decreases individuals can save more. This increase in national savings rates increases
the stock of capital in developing countries already facing shortages of capital and
leads to higher productivity as the accumulated capital is invested.
The third mechanism is human capital. Decreases in fertility rates result in healthier
women and fewer economic pressures at home. This also allows parents to invest
more resources per child, leading to better health and educational outcomes.
The fourth mechanism for growth is the increasing domestic demand brought about
by the increasing GDP per capita and the decreasing dependency ratio.
What happens if we neglect to strengthen demographic dividend?
Indias youth bulge could just as easily turn into a youth bomb. If policies are
implemented ineffectually, or are not enough to cater to a large enough section of
the population, the result will be an over-abundance of young people who have not
been educated adequately and are unemployed or under-employed.
This in turn could build resentment as well as force this section of the population
into illicit activities leading to a rise in crime and terrorism.
What are the initiatives taken by the government to realize full potential of Demographic
dividend?
Increase in the investments on Public health, Education and creation of jobs (Makein-India).
Effort to connect more Indians to the national economy through the Aadhaar
national identification number system, which is now being followed up with a
project to link all Indians in a digital-payments network.
Digital India to bridge Digital divide to reap benefits out Demographic dividend
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Way ahead:
Given that Indias working age population will continue to be over 50% of the total
population till the end of the 21st century, there is enough time to exploit it fully for
the benefit of the country.
What does demographic dividend mean? Is Indias Demographic Dividend a Liability

or an asset? Critically Examine.
TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
to Health, Education, Human Resources.
General studies 3:
Analysing India's Demographic Dividend
Economic theory suggests that when the proportion of young people in a region
increases, a significant boost to economic growth should materialise. The post-World
War II years saw the West in general and the US in particular benefit from this
dynamic as the baby boomers delivered record productivity.
However, even as India's demographic profile today is similar to that of the US in

1960, contrary to popular belief, a demographic dividend is unlikely to accrue to
India anytime soon.
Demographic Study of India's Northern Belt:

India's rapid economic progress over the past two decades masks its abysmal performance
on social indicators imbalance between rapid economic progress and stagnant-cum-awful
social metrics is particularly glaring in India's northern belt (INB, the region spanning
Rajasthan in the west to Bihar in the east)
Emergence of dangerous socio-economic problems:
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The persistence of a skewed gender ratio
Only 43 per cent of India's female population compared to 57 per cent of the
male population
Only 901 women for every 1,000 men
The emergence of a "youth bulge" that is largely uneducated and/or unemployed
Characterised by the youngest population structure in the country - 20 per cent

of the population here is aged between 15 and 24
Lack of skills and education - only 71 per cent of people in the INB are literate
compared to 80 per cent in south India - the INB won't be able to reap the
benefits of its youthful demographic structure
Oversupply of under-skilled labour
Out of every 100 people in the INB, 64 are unemployed (the corresponding
number for south India is 36)
Could prompt mass migration to more developed regions in search of jobs

putting pressure on labour markets in the southern and western regions of the
country.
Gross domestic product growth in the most prominent sector of this region, that is,
agriculture, being consistently low
Accounts for 60 per cent of employment in the INB
Has consistently grown at a slower pace than the industrial and services sectors
in the last two decades
Per Capita Income: $1,200 in the INB (South: $2,000)
Destitute Population: widespread economic destitution in the INB, which accounts

for a much higher share of India's impoverished population (over two-thirds of
India's destitute people live in the INB)
Higher crime rates in the INB persistence of inequalities and poor employment
opportunities increase in instances of communal tension in the region social
unrest and, consequently, explicit economic losses
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Critically examine the factors that are responsible for the failure in reaping the
benefits of the demographic dividend in the northern region of the country despite
its rich cultural heritage. What are the required interventions by the government to
arrest these deficiencies?
TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governanceapplications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters,
transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
General Studies 3:
Marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology
in the aid of farmers

Background:
Trading of farm produce in India is set to go digital as the government plans to

introduce an electronic trading platform for farmers in its efforts to build a national
market and double farm incomes by 2022
The e-platform called National AgricultureMarket will connect 21 mandis or
markets from eight states in the first phase. The platform will begin by trading in 25
crops, including wheat, maize, pulses, oilseeds, potatoes, onions and spices.
Current scenario of agriculture and marketing:
As Agriculture and Marketing fall under state subjects, each wholesale mandi being
governed by its own Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) of the
states. Thus there is a variation in farm marketing from state to state and also within
the states as these mandis require separate licenses and charge different marketing
fees.
Farmers have no option but to sell their produce at the nearest mandi at a price
quoted by traders who suppress prices by forming cartels.
Falling prices of key commodities such as rice, wheat and cotton have dented farm
incomes in the past few years.
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Lack of unified markets has led to varying rates of horticulture crops such as onions
and potatoes in different states.
Lack of warehouses equipped with facilities for weighing, grading and
standardization of stocks sold through the electronic platform.
Lack of technology leading to lack of transparency in transactions, which eventually
hurts farmers.
Advantages of "e-mandi" platform - National Agriculture Market:
Goal of the NAM platform is to double farm incomes by 2022.

Farmers can sell their produce in any one of these markets where prices are quoted
higher
Platform will improve transparency and provide farmers with wider choice and
better prices. For instance: Karnataka already has a statewide barrier-free
electronic market for farm produce which has resulted in better price realization
for farmers by reaching out to more buyers, including food processors and organized
retail chains. The new national platform will broadly follow the Karnataka model.
The Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), the nodal agency for running
the new electronic platform will serve as an aggregator through its existing or
specially created local units.
Hurdles ahead:
Limited integration:
States like Kerala and Biharwhich do not have an APMC Act have to amend APMC
act to get integrated to the platform.
Several states levy taxes and duties on trading of farm produce and they may not
want to forego these revenue sources. For instance, Punjab does not want to lose
the Rs.5000 crore they earn from this route.
Way ahead:
The three critical prerequisites to be addressed to integrate a wholesale mandi with the
online platform state governments have to amend their APMC Act to ensure that there is
Single wholesale trading license valid across the catchment area

Single-point levy of market fees
E-auction as the mode for price discovery.
Inter-state trade:
Goal of a national market will fall flat if laws are not streamlined to allow for interstate trade.
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Inter-state sale of agri-produce will be allowed once the targeted 585 wholesale
mandis across the country are integrated with NAM by March 2018 after addressing
issues related to taxes among others.
Lack of Dispute redressal mechanism:

Lack of disputes settlement mechanism arising out of lack of quality standards of farm
produce traded on the platform. For instance: Selling apples over the electronic platform
claiming they are of good quality, but if the actual shipment turns out to be of a poor quality
then such disputes must be addressed to deliver quality service to customers.
Can "e-mandi" platform - National Agriculture Market, make agriculture

remunerative and de-stress agriculture distress? Comment.
TOPIC:
General Studies 3:
development ; Banking & related issues
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
General Studies 2:
Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Waging a minimum wage battle in the labour market
Background:
Welfare economists support minimum wages for their redistribution effects.

Mainstream economists argue that minimum wages drive down demand for labour
by companies. Andespecially relevant to Indiaminimum wages coupled with rigid
labour laws send firms scurrying outside the regular formal job market.
As per recent Economic Survey, firms thus hire contract labourers at suboptimal
rates, which reduces the chances of a Pareto improvement( A pareto
improvement is a neoclassical economics, an action done in an economy that harms
no one and helps at least one person.)
In this context, the executive decision by the government to provide a minimum
wage of Rs.10,000 per month to contract labourers. However, the policy has come a
step closer to universal wages rather than minimum wages .
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What is 'Minimum Wage'?
Minimum wage is the minimum amount of compensation an employee must

receive for performing labor.
Minimum wages are typically established by contract or legislation by the
government. As such, it is illegal to pay an employee less than the minimum wage.
The minimum wage attempts to protect employees from exploitation, allowing them
to afford the basic necessities of life. The minimum wage rate fluctuates between
countries, and sometimes between states or provinces.
Why Minimum wage is important?
Minimum wages help in lifting people out of poverty, helps low-income families
make ends meet and narrows the gap between the rich and poor.
The wages payable to contract workmen right now cannot be less than the rates
prescribed under the Minimum Wages Act 1948. But this is restricted to just 45
economic activities.
What are the recent trends?
Policy has come up to have universal wages rather than minimum wages .
Minimum wage widens the wedge between the two wage rates, by taking care of
permanent employees and contract workers, whereas universal wages involves
paying an optimal amount to every employed person.
Economic Survey estimates that wages are on an average 20 times higher in the
formal sector than the informal sector in India. The new minimum wage for
contract labour, an integral part of the informal sector, seeks to fix this wedge, at
least partially.
According to an estimate by V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, only 16.6% of the
informal sector gets covered under the existing Contract Labour (Regulation and
Abolition) Act, which deals with the wage norms of contract labourers among other
things.
What are the concerns plaguing labour market?
The Article 246 (with 7th schedule) of the Indian constitution puts the issues
related to labour and labour welfare under the concurrent list. However, the
exceptional matters related to labour and safety in mines and oilfields and
industrial disputes concerning union employees come under Union List.
The irony of putting labour in concurrent list is that today we have around 47 central
labour laws and 200 state labour laws.
For instance: We have separate laws for cine workers, dock workers, motor
transport workers, sales promotion employees, plantation labour, working
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journalists and workers in mines. There are varied definitions on child, contract
labour, wages, employee, workman, factory, industry, etc. Though most of these
laws are archaic, yet many of them are relevant for welfare of the labourers.
Contract workers have over the years become a way to circumvent Indias rigid
labour laws.
The Economic Survey duly notes that contract labour is growing rapidly in states
with more rigid labour laws, despite it not being the preferred first option for most
firms due to the contracting costs involved.
The new executive order will bring an amendment to Rule 25 of the Contract Labour
Central Rules will be in favour of workers but apprehensions doing rounds is that the
move would restrict workers to the informal sector rather than helping them move
into the formal sector.
Way ahead:
Labour reforms in areas such as industrial relations, small factories and employees
provident fund must be coupled with job creation to fix the issues of unemployment
and underemployment and facilitate the ease of doing business.
While ensuring contract workers financial security is important and it is equally
necessary to pursue labour reforms that can facilitate a faster transition to the
formal sector.
A reformed labour market is also a prerequisite for the success of Make in India and
improving the ease of doing business, and not a substitute to job creation.
Broader interests of the employers and the workers should be taken into
consideration, to use contract labour in non-core activities and also to some extent
in core activities.
The first requirement is to have a clear distinction between core and non-core
activities.
Multiplicity of the labour laws should be addressed.
Unification and harmonization of the labour laws should be done.
As employment is in the concurrent list of the Constitution, the support of the
states is also crucial for securing a flexible, transparent, thriving labour market. In
fact, the minimum wage determination for contract labour should be left to the
discretion of the states as part of cooperative federalism.
Minimum wages only treat the symptoms of a struggling labour market but the cure
would be to entail a more flexible labour market. Comment
Will fixing a minimum wage for contract labour resolve labour market issues?
Elucidate.
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TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
General Studies 3:
Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their
effects on industrial growth.
Need of the hour: Inclusive growth of small enterprises

Background:
Small enterprises are the best bet right now to create the millions of jobs that India
needs to create every year if it is to maintain social stability.
New data released by the Reserve Bank of India last week provides a good glimpse
into how small enterprises are the champions of the Indian growth story right now.
The data on 237,398 small private limited companies that are neither owned by the
government nor are in the business of financing shows that output by these
enterprises has been growing faster than the underlying nominal gross domestic
product.
This is in contrast to the more sluggish growth in the 5,788 listed companies whose
financial performance dominates public discourseespecially the over-leveraged
giants that are so important in the various stock market indices.
What is a micro, small and medium enterprise all about?
Two classes of enterprise manufacturing and service are recognized by the MSME
(Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) Act of 2006.
The MSME Act 2006 provides the legal framework for recognizing the concept of
enterprise, facilitating its development and enhancing its competitiveness.
These can be defined as micro, small and medium depending upon their investment
levels.
A manufacturing enterprise is termed as micro small and medium based upon its
investment in plant and machinery up to Rs. 25 Lakhs for Micro, Rs. 25 lakhs to Rs.
5 crore for small and Rs. 5 crore to Rs. 10 crore for Medium Enterprise.
For a service enterprise, an investment in equipment up to Rs. 10 Lakh qualifies as
micro, Rs. 10 Lakh to 2 Crore as Small and Rs. 2 Crore to 5 crore as medium.
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Why India needs vibrant small enterprises?
Small enterprises account for less than a tenth of GDP but nearly 45% of industrial
output and 40% of exports.
Small enterprises employ an estimated 60 million people because small enterprises
generally have lower capital intensity.
Data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development shows that
even the US is not an exception: small and medium enterprises made up 98.9% of its
total enterprises in 2005 and were responsible for 57.9% of jobs in that country.
The recent economic census showed that India has millions of tiny enterprises that
seem to have absorbed the millions who have left farming out of desperation.
What was the growth story of small enterprises in recent past?

India had tried to encourage small companies after the 1970s with the help of two barriers
of protection.
Firstly the ridiculously high levels of import tariffs for the entire economy.
Secondly, reserving the production of certain goods for small companies.
These two policies created inefficient small firms that were neither capable of scaling up nor
facing global competition after the 1991 reforms.
A government committee headed by T.K.A. Nair, in its 2010 report, identified credit
constraints as one of the key problems faced by small enterprises. It remains to be seen
whether new institutions such as MUDRA Bank can open up credit markets for small
enterprises.
What are the recent initiatives take by government to encourage Small enterprises?
India Aspiration Fund (IAF):
India Aspiration Fund (IAF) would invest in venture capital funds for meeting the
equity requirement of MSME start-ups and for this the initial corpus of Rs. 2,000
crore has been set.
Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) will be a partner and co-investor in this fund.
SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE):
It is a debt-fund which will carter soft term loans to MSMEs to meet debt-to-equity
norms and pursue growth opportunities.
SIDBI has set Initial corpus of Rs. 10, 000 crore under SMILE fund.
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Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI):
To develop clusters of traditional industries in various parts of the country over a

period of five years commencing 2005-06
To make traditional industries more competitive with more market-driven,
productive, profitable and sustained employment for traditional industry artisans
and rural entrepreneurs
To strengthen the local governance systems of industry clusters, with the active
participation of the local stakeholders, so that they are enabled to undertake
development initiatives by themselves
Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme(PMEGP)
A credit linked Scheme to facilitate participation of financial institutions for higher

credit flow to micro sector.
Its objectives are to generate continuous and sustainable employment opportunities
in Rural and Urban areas of the country through start-ups.
Can inclusive growth of small enterprises is considered as means to generate jobs

and elevate people out of poverty? Comment.
What is a micro, small and medium enterprise all about? Mention the recent
initiatives taken by the government to encourage small enterprises and also throw
light on how can these small enterprises add value in a big way to Indias growth
story?

Indian Economy and issues relating to mobilization of resources, growth,
Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their
effects on industrial growth
Indias jobless growth
Census 2011: The average growth rate of the economy was 7.7 per cent per annum,
when it was only 1.8 per cent for employment
The last quarterly survey by the Labour Bureau showed that India has never created
so few jobs, since the survey started in 2009, as in 2015: Only 1.35 lakh jobs
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compared to more than nine lakh in 2011 and 4.19 lakh in 2013 in eight labourintensive industries (the only ones that are surveyed).
Economic Survey (last year) during the last decade (2001-11), the growth rate of
the labour force (2.23 per cent) was significantly higher than the growth rate of
employment (1.4 per cent), which itself was several-fold less than the growth rate of
the economy.
President Pranab MukherjeeThe Indian economy today needs to generate 115 million
non-farm jobs over the next decade to gainfully employ its workforce and reap its
demographic dividend.
All arrows point towards Jobless Growth
Largely responsible for demonstrations by young Patels of Gujarat and Jats of Haryana in the
name of reservations (fall back on government jobs)
Public sector is shrinking: Government jobs, which were 19.5 million in 1996-97, are about
17 million today (Fewer jobsbadly paid because of the informalisation of the economy)
Factors behind Jobless growth

India has an employability problem:
While the services can rather easily recruit skilled white-collar workers (IT engineers,
English-speaking people for the call centres, etc.), the industry cannot transform
peasants into factory workers so quickly
Lack of basic skills training (6.8 per cent persons aged 15 years and above are
reported to have received/ be receiving vocational training)
Primary and secondary education (dropout rate remains very high with poor
education)
The minuscule increase in the share of education in the 2015-16 budgetfrom 3 to
3.1 per cent
Solution: A robust public education system

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
Employ 40 per cent of the workforce of the country

Represent about 45 per cent of Indias manufacturing output
Represents 40
Labour intensity four times higher than that of large firms
Make in India programme Revelation of the jobless growth syndrome (creation of the
manufacturing workforce seems unrealistic)
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Poor access to credit: approximately 95 per cent of units still require to be brought into
banking fold- resulting in them getting a small share of the net credit of Indias domestic
banks, whereas these banks are mandated to register at least 20 per cent year-to-year
growth in credit to micro and small enterprises
Erosion of state protections: With the positive discrimination going away in the making of
furniture, the replacement of carpenters by machines is feared by many since that would
mean that highly capitalistic big companies will import from abroad
Big companies being the main beneficiaries of the fiscal policy of the government: The
total amount of tax exemptions represent Rs 5,50,000crore in the 2015-16 budget, including
Rs 1,84,764 crore for Central excise duties and Rs 3,01,688 crore for customs duties
Connecting the Dots
Should a Greece-like possibility takes place in India, can the government deal with it
proactively. Discuss the steps that should be taken to contain the crisis.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Issues relating to intellectual property rights (IPR)

Science and Technology developments and their applications and effects in
Patents and Innovation

Computer Related Invention (CRI) guidelines Only software involving novel hardware is
patentable (will lead to speedy examination of eligible applications for patents)
Issues:
Loss of legal business (no patents, no patent litigation)

MNCsresult in the stifling of innovation
Is it really detrimental No; patents make no sense in the world of software as the
underlying platforms for all these areas are patent-safe, open-source software tools.
Open-sourceThe future
What is Open Source: software whose source code is available for modification or
enhancement by anyone (design being publicly accessible), embracing and celebrating open
exchange, collaborative participation, rapid prototyping, transparency, meritocracy, and
community development.
India: lack of distraction from patents
Government-funded SHAKTI processor programme at IIT-Madras: Creating open-source
mobile and server processors to replace proprietary processors
Lack of clear boundaries in software: Even law-abiding software developers who intend not
to violate anothers patent have no clear means of avoiding it and therefore, problem of
software patents ends up increasing the cost of software for all of society
Existence of Web:
Flexibility and sophistication today depends on freely available scripting languages,

such as Perl and PHP, invented by developers who deliberately did not seek patent
monopolies for them (Facebook runs on PHP)
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The current generation innovators various open-source foundations like the

Mozilla, Linux and Apache foundations, Facebook, eBay, LinkedIn, Tumblr and
innumerable other start-ups all share the same credo: royalty-free open source.
Critically evaluate the CRI guidelines and its utility in India
For more information on Innovation & Patents refer the below linksLegally Knotted Innovations- http://iasbaba.com/2015/10/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs16th-october-2015/
India lagging behind in Innovation- http://iasbaba.com/2016/03/iasbabas-daily-currentaffairs-29th-march-2016/
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ENVIRONMENT
TOPIC:
General Studies 2:
General Studies 3:
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact
assessment.
Clean Energy InvestorsWANTED
Biggest challenge for the renewable energy sector in India Absence of a financial
ecosystem fit to purpose and fit to scale
Even as India has aggressively scaled up its renewable energy targets, the financial
commitments have not kept pace. Hesitation among investors stems from many reasons:
Need for large upfront capital and long-term debt;

Worries about the credibility of contracts;
Project delays;
Uncertainty about revenue flows;
Foreign exchange risk;
Technology and product efficiency concerns
Reasons why India seems to be struggling

No single pathway to achieving the targets, particularly vis-a-vis solar and biomass-based
energy.
Each pathway requires different financial models

Much focus has been on trying to secure commitments for grid-scale projects
(investments were up 80 per cent in 2015).
But the Indian financial system has not innovated enough to move the needle on
smaller scale and decentralised energy projects.
Renewable energy is often conflated with solar power:

Solar photovoltaic investments have now surpassed wind but there is also the risk of
crowding out innovative (but riskier) financing for small hydropower or biomass-to-energy
projects
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Renewable energy is restricted to electricity:
A number of policy announcements from the current government are directed

largely to Re-based electricity whereas for cooking energy, much of the focus has
been on rationalising government subsidies.
Other applications - heating, cooling, and productive and mechanical power - have
received less attention than lighting
Way Ahead:
Different types of financial institutions (banks, non-bank financial companies,

multilateral institutions, bilateral funding agencies, institutional investors) must
envision their functional roles for different purposes
Strategic levelpriority sector lending, loan guarantees
Project levelcredit enhancement, private equity
Ancillary supportevacuation infrastructure, skills, R&D
Efforts need to be made to support some state governments in
Issuing green bonds regulatory guidelines restructuring one as a green bank
Innovative ideas for RE finance
Small-scale projects like rooftop
Aggregation of projects to create investible portfolios for institutional investors
Establishing terms on which these systems would integrate when the centralised
grid extends its reach
Find balance between rural projects (with likely more development co-benefits)
and urban sites (where commercial opportunities to scale might be greater).
Decentralised Clean Energy Sector needs to take care
Kick-starting new pilot projects or scaling a few interventions
Garner clear metrics of success to consolidate the lessons of the past and
determine which processes and innovations could be replicated across India
Co-ordination between different levels of governance
Need to give attention to how respective policies interact and in particular to
ensuring that regulations at the national (or federal) level complement those at
the local (or state) level
Harmonisation of clean energy policy priorities must carefully consider the needs
of rural regions, which are more likely to be home to larger-scale renewable
energy generation. National policies need to take into account the impact of
renewable energy deployment on host communities and thereby, adopt a
territorial approach to renewable energy deployment to avoid distortions in land
use and relative prices in host communities.
RE policy should link energy production to other industries such as farming,
forestry, and traditional manufacturing.
Regional authorities can foster social acceptance in two ways:
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Increasing understanding of renewable energy projects

Ensuring local benefits, as communities will more willingly accept some of the
costs of renewable energy installations if they stand to gain from such
investment.
Engaging in public-private partnershipsAttention should be given to
Value-for-money and adequate risk-sharing
Market sounding (which includes evaluating the strength of the private sector
market for the project, the private sector's capacity for achieving economies of
scale, and its relevant expertise), as well as the potential for risk transfer within
the PPP
Addressing these fiscal implications is particularly important in the case of PPPs
for clean energy infrastructure in developing countries for two reasons:
Because government may have to set aside public funds to support the clean
energy infrastructure once it has started operating;
Because pricing of the service has important implications for access to
energy.
What steps has the national government taken to align national and sub-national
policies that could have an impact on investment in clean energy infrastructure?
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SECURITY/DEFENCE
TOPIC:
General studies 2
affecting India's interests.
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's
interests
General studies 3:
Security challenges
Nuclear Security Summit
There is no nuclear security as long

as nuclear weapons exist, was the
blunt message carried by the
demonstrators on the opening day
of the Fourth Nuclear Security
Summit in Washington on March
31, 2016.
This message from the people and
the outcomes of the fourth nuclear
summit clearly indicate the
vulnerability of the nuclear security strategy of the world.
A history of the Nuclear Security Summits:

Key objective of nuclear security summit:The Nuclear Security Summits have been about
adoption of measures to prevent terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda
from gaining access to nuclear weapons, fissile or radiological material, or from attacking
nuclear facilities, through an array of national, bilateral or multilateral measures.
Failure of USA to keep up its promise:
It was President Barack Obama, who announced his initiative to convene serial
Nuclear Security Summits in his much acclaimed Prague speech in 2009.
But his key declaration in the speech was the re-commitment of the US to the goal of
a world free of nuclear weapons.
Thus accepting, nuclear disarmament and nuclear security were integrally linked.
What did USA say at the fourth nuclear security summit?
On the eve of the summit, the US President said: weve reduced the number and
role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy. We have also ruled out
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developing new nuclear warheads and narrowed contingencies under which the US
could ever use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.
This implies USA will not completely zero down its stockpile of nuclear weapons, it will only
reduce the number. (by how much ? is the key over here...)
A point to note:
USA reportedly plans to spend $1 trillion over 30 years on an entire new generation
of nuclear bombs, bombers, missiles and submarines.
After the Ukraine crisis, USA has reportedly ordered 200 additional nuclear weapons
to be deployed in Europe.
Will this imply an act of nuclear disarmament?

Outcome of the fourth nuclear summit:
The summit adopted a Washington Communiqu and five fairly detailed action
plans relating to key components of the nuclear security regime.
These are all directed towards the laudable aim of securing all nuclear-related
materials, devices and facilities so as to prevent access by non-state actors and
terrorist groups.
For the communiqu and the actions plans, refer the following links:
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/568be36505f8e2af8023adf7/t/56fef01a2eeb8
10fd917abb9/1459548186895/Communiqu%C3%A9.pdf
http://www.nss2016.org/2016-action-plans/
India at the fourth nuclear summit:
The Prime Minister announced several contributions to nuclear security.

India will participate in the informal international contact group, which fosters
cooperation in countering nuclear smuggling.
Indias own Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) will participate in
the group on nuclear security training and support centres and centres of excellence.
India has also announced that none of its research reactors will be using HEU (highly
enriched uranium) henceforth.
India also used the summit to focus on the threat to nuclear security posed by state
sponsorship of terrorist groups and the pursuit of risky escalatory policies such as the
deployment of theatre nuclear weapons.
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Critically examine the nuclear doctrine of India with special emphasis on the cold start
strategy.
TOPIC:
General Studies 3:
Science and Technology developments and their applications and effects in

Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media
and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security;
money-laundering and its prevention.
General studies 2:
Cyber-security trends for financial services industry
If financial inclusion has become an established vision for the government via
Initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India coupled with the surge of
ecommerce and introduction of digital wallets, the country has simultaneously also
become an attractive target for cybercriminals
In 2015, financial institutions were prime target of cybercriminals looking to
maximize their payloads and in fact, the impact of some high-profile hacks of
financial institutions, in the US, has been valued at over $100 million.
The financial services sector especially of the emerging economies, is more vulnerable to
cyberattacks and thus, necessary steps need to be taken to ward off the evil named
cybercrime
Increase Transparency
Need to establish uniformity in Asia when it comes to laws mandating the disclosure
of cyber breaches.
While sharing less with regulators may keep the heat off organizations in the short
term, it increases the chances of additional attacks targeting similar organizations
with similar techniques.
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Steps taken establishment of the Cyber Threat Alliancea group of cybersecurity

solutions providers coming together to share threat intelligence on attacks taking
place across the region, including motivations, tactics and information on those
responsible.
Increase Security
The level of investment in cybersecurity solutions needs to be accelerated (increase their
security budget by over 70%) as cybercrimes in India alone- more than doubled in 2015
compared to the previous year
Adoption of International regulations on cybersecurity
The introduction of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which aims to help US
companies to work with the US government to combat hackers need to be evaluated
by Asian countries as well as be adopted while fostering the principle of sharing the
cyberthreat information.
They also need to ensure that there are responsible privacy protections in place, for
the purpose of identifying, preventing, mitigating and responding to cyberthreats,
vulnerabilities and malicious campaigns.
A more holistic approach to cybersecurity

With new technologies there will be new vulnerabilities created, giving hackers more
opportunities to carry out targeted attacks and thus, there is a need to re-architect the
systems and networksfrom legacy platforms to adopting next-generation technology to
cover all bases, which include the network, endpoint and the cloud.
Big Data adoption for security purposes
Gartner expects over 25% of global firms to have adopted big analytics for at least one
security and fraud detection use case by 2016 and therefore, countries such as India, China,
and Singapore will find themselves at the receiving end, if they do not translate their failureto adoption of Big Data for increased security purposes.
Alarming third-party risk
Frequent instances of compromised client data due to lapses in vendors security

serves as a reminder that it is no longer just about banks, but also about their
vendors, subcontractors and suppliers who have access to the data
Regulators need to take a closer look into how banks are managing risk when it
comes to taking on third-party vendors, and as more enterprises in the region make
the move to invest in more resilient platform-based security platforms.
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Cyber security will only become more important as more devices, the internet of
things, become connected to the internet. Discuss.
TOPIC:
General studies 2:

General studies 3:
Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.
The way forward in Military command Indian Army, Navy, Air Force
Why in news?
Aiming to validate and fine-tune its strategy to take over enemy land via sea, the
Indian military has just completed a mammoth amphibious exercise 'JalPrahar' that
saw participation of all three wings of the armed forces in the strategic Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.
The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is the first integrated theatre command
in India with headquarters at Port Blair.
Andaman and Nicobar Command:
The Andaman and Nicobar Command is the only Tri-service theater command of
the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
aUnion Territoryof India.
It was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic interests in Southeast Asia and
the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the region.
Tri-service theater command:

Tri service/ joint warfare: Joint warfare is a military doctrine which places priority on the
integration of the various service branches of a state's armed forces into one unified
command.
Theater command: In warfare, a theater is an area or place in which important military
events occur or are progressing.
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Recent developments in China:
Early this year, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China adopted a tri-service
command in full, signalling its determination to undertake the deep systemic
reforms needed to create an effective command structure that might someday
credibly challenge the US.
In Beijing, on February 1, the PLA's seven "military regions", traditionally led by the
army, gave way to five geographic theatre commands (termed "battle zones") that
will now function on a tri-service basis, incorporating elements from the PLA Navy
and PLA Air Force.
The case of India with respect to creating theater commands:
In India, the debate over tri-service structures has focused mainly on appointing a
tri-service commander - a five-star "chief of defence staff (CDS)" recommended by
a Group of Ministers (GoM) in 2001; or a four-star "permanent chairman chiefs of
staff (PCCOS)", a half-way house solution proposed in 2013 by the Naresh Chandra
committee.
But there is little focus on the need to simultaneously restructure India's singleservice theatre commands, merging 17 army, navy and air force commands into
five-six tri-service commands.
Creating a CDS/PCCOS to oversee long-range force structuring and to deliver singlepoint military advice to political leaders would unquestionably make the military
leaner and more effective.
But creating tri-service theatre commands is crucial for enhancing battlefield
performance.
Note : Refer Naresh Chandra committee on defence reforms
Who are opposing the tri service structures in India?
Opposition to tri-service structures comes not just from bureaucrats and politicians,
but equally from within the military.
Neither the army, navy or air force chiefs want a military boss (CDS) or even another
equal (PCCOS).
And they certainly do not want to give away control over their theatre commands,
with these cutting edge units placed under some commander who reports
elsewhere.
www.IASbaba.com
P a g e | 130
Way ahead:
We have been slow to reform the structures of our armed forces.

We should promote 'jointness' across every level of our armed forces.
We wear different colours, but we serve the same cause and bear the same flag.
Jointness at the top is a need that is long overdue.
We also need reforms in senior defence management.
It is sad that many defence reform measures proposed in the past have not been
implemented. This is an area of priority for India.
To what extent do you think India needs a chief of defence staff at the apex level to
take the responsibility of decision making under critical and necessary conditions.
Differentiate between defence forces, paramilitary forces and central armed police
forces.
www.IASbaba.com
P a g e | 131
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Wealth, happiness and liberty- Restricting liberty to prevent self-destruction has the
makings of a nanny state that can lead to unhappiness
Live Mint
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Govt plans merger of anti-dumping, import safeguard bodies-The single entity will be
called Directorate General of Trade Remedies, which will be similar to US International
Trade Commission
Live Mint
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More rains wont fix Indias water crisis-India is in the unenviable position of making a big
bet on coal-fired power plants just as climate change raises the threat of once highly
improbable events
Live Mint
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The tip of the tip of the iceberg Panama

Hindu
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Reviving a good idea

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Name Of The Bill- LokSabha should create consultative mechanism for speaker to certify a
money bill.
Indian Express
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A lopsided strategic partnership- We should be honest enough to acknowledge our

strategic partnership with the US may be valuable, but has clearly defined limits
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Miles to go for Dalit entrepreneurs- Business Standard analyses the state of Dalit
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India world's largest recipient of remittances in 2015: World Bank- This despite a $1 bn
drop in remittances from previous year
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Auction process for dredging works should be made accountable- Consultants, public port
authorities, policymakers and administrators need to introspect on making tendering
financially accountable to secure best outcomes
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Trust in states fiscal responsibility vindicated- Contrary to fears of fiscal profligacy

expressed by some following the FFC award, the states have maintained fiscal prudence
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Fancy valuations of e-commerce marketplaces run into policy hurdle- The government
seeks to curb pricing power of e-tailers, responding to calls by brick-and-mortar store chains
that cant match the deep discounts that have propelled the exponential growth of online
retail
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The disruptive potential of P2P financing

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Oceanic opportunities
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A fragile peace in the Valley - Why managing the post-cricket match tension in Srinagars
NIT is a litmus test for Jammu and Kashmirs new government
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The power of symbolism

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P a g e | 157
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/the-power-ofsymbolism/article8481416.ece
Allow foreign university campuses, says Niti Aayog- The report has justified NITI Aayogs
support for the proposal on the ground that foreign universities will help meet the demand
for higher education in the country, increase competition and subsequently improve
standards of higher education.
Indian Express
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Delhi seems ready to compete with Beijing where it must and cooperate where it can-The
UPA government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh struggled to overcome many of
the traditional weaknesses of Indias China policy
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Lessons for unifying agricultural markets- Karnatakas experience shows success depends
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Governments stifling innovation ecosystem- Governments lack clarity on how to deal with
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Lessons from the Mallya case

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The new KG scam

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Country without a pause Simultaneously elections Parliament, State legislatures and local
bodies
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Chew on this: the risks of smokeless tobacco

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WBs green norms must not compromise on developmentIndia is the largest recipient of
World Bank loans and has received $52.7 bn
Hindu
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NITI Aayog takes steps to foster cooperative federalism- Officials said though the Aayog is
in news for big reports and recommendations, it has quietly managed to get some
fundamental changes done in the states
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RCEP negotiations: India likely to take a more aggressive stand- Commerce ministry
estimates that signing the agreement will lead to a revenue loss of as much as 1.6% of gross
domestic product
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Should bank defaulters list be made public?-Tarring all defaulters and bankers with the
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New law, statutory body imperative to foster fair trade practices in India- Frequent stories
of big brands indulging in false advertising should be no surprise, as there is no law to check
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How to better the new mediocre- With the IMF paring down its global growth forecast,
governments should first tweakeconomic policy to minimise vulnerabilities
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Defence preparedness: the way forward

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The road not taken

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India, OIC and the Kashmir charade-Anyone familiar with the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation knows its prosaic routine on J&K.
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A real game changer-Unified Payment Interface is a radical step forward

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Cyber security sector to create a million jobs-Nasscom set up a task force last year, to
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US, EU, Japan question Indias policy tweaks to restrict imports- Developed nations also
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Where are Indias female scientists?- More and more girls are taking up degrees in science,
but only a few go on to pursue scientific careers
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Battle for Bangladeshs soul

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The splinternet is here

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Should the CRR be abolished?- The RBI's reluctance to cut rates should be seen as a case of
inability in the face of inflation, while the refusal of banks to cut rates is a case of
unwillingness to reconcile to a lower profit margin
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Holds no water- Rational pricing of water for irrigation, not banning new sugar mills, is what
Marathwada needs.
Indian Express
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Universal wage error- Labour ministry making it harder to do business

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The Indo-US military alliance that isnt-The debate on foundational agreements is riddled
with superfluous issues
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Fixing educational policys failure-Reforms in pedagogy and school governance structures

are critical for addressing Indias learning crisis
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Community land reserves and affordable housing in India-We need a different strategy if
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One handshake among many - India-U.S. defence cooperation has grown enormously in the
past decade but it should be seen exclusive of Indias outreach to other countries
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Church and Court- It is unfortunate that courts have become arbiters of what constitutes
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Cabinet nod for amendments in Compensatory Afforestation Bill- Passed in Parliament, it

could unlock Rs 36,000 crore immediately to states
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Public versus private banks-It is not ownership but the way banks are structured and run
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Preparedness for quakes- Building codes need to be updated and enforced

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Can governance be influenced by young professionals?-A one-word answer to this question

isdepends. Depends on how programmes are designed and executed
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The underbelly of Indias silicon valley-What happened in Bengaluru this week has a lesson
for every Indian city. Its a warning that growing disparities must be addressed urgently
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Paris treaty: a lot of cost for doing very little

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Grain of truth- Punjabs wheat payment crisis strengthens the case for direct transfers in
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The right reply- High court scraps presidents rule in Uttarakhand. The Centre must heed the
message.
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Modi governments Vodafone moment-Arbitrarily invalidating private contracts, as with Bt

cottonseed royalties, will dissuade investors
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Innovation in priority sector lending- It has the potential to increase efficiency in banking
without sacrificing on larger inclusion and equity goals
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India U.S- Realism of the second year

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On going beyond Bommai - Uttarakhand High Courts verdict on Presidents Rule

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No proof required- GDP debate: RIP- Now that the new GDP data have implicitly received
the RBI good housekeeping seal of approval, perhaps we can all move on to more
challenging appraisals of the Indian economy
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Going on 60- Policymakers and politicians can no longer afford to ignore Indias rising
elderly population
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India among 170-plus countries to sign Paris climate deal-The move marks a major step for
beginning work on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming
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Villains or victims?The parliamentary panels blanket decrees on celebrity endorsements

may end up penalising the innocent
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P a g e | 171
Keep it parliamentary- As the two Houses meet today, there is a significant legislative
backlog and lots of questions about scrutiny of ministerial accounts
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Concern over India's nuclear liability law still remains: French firm- French firm EDF also
said that it will give a fresh pricing proposal for the six nuclear reactors for the Jaitapur plant
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India's first small finance bank launched-Capital Small Finance Bank opens 10 branches in
Punjab; to add nine more in FY17
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Making skills self-healing- One solution to India's challenges of education, employment,

employability lies in state govts adopting apprenticeships on a large scale
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New rule applies on service tax

Business Standard
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P a g e | 172
http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/new-rule-applies-on-servicetax-116042500011_1.html
US-India partnership: Full speed ahead?-The partnership can help India build up its capacity
to deter potential conflicts with China (and Pakistan) and become a net security provider
with the US. This is vital for India and global security
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Govt to increase checks on private universities- Fake degrees, irregularities in finance,

threefold increase in complaints have forced the govt and UGC to take a close look at state
private universities
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A case to revisit Indias land laws-Two-thirds of civil cases in district courts relate to land
and property matters
Live Mint
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The importance of IP rights for innovation- Protecting intellectual property of our

innovators ensures future generations will enjoy art forms as rich, diverse and creative as
those we enjoy today
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P a g e | 173
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Water will continue to be scarce - A focus on minor irrigation projects and drip irrigation
could go a long way in coping with frequent crises
Hindu
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Sensitise States, dont intimidate them

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First damage, then fix?-Public policy needs to figure out the complexities of the polluter pays
principle
Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/first-damage-thenfix/article8521132.ece
Of umbrage and exception

Hindu
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P a g e | 174
The measure of poverty- Estimates based on SECC and NSS data have different purposes.
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Aligning with the far to balance the near-Delhi must not let commonsense with Beijing turn
into a policy of self-denial with Washington
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True Panchayati Raj- NDA has kept its promise to make local self-government more
meaningful. Time for states to do their bit
Indian Express
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Saving Assad- Putins intervention has brought Russia back in a prominent role in the region
Indian Express
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/vladimir-putins-intervention-in-syriasaving-bashar-al-assad-regime-2770147/
Art of trifling- The National Green Tribunal has been brushed off, and it is its own fault.
Indian Express
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Twin narratives (Malegaon)-Clarity needed on political intervention in terror cases

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Privacy and the digital economy are at odds- Finding a balance between them will not be
easy for tech giants like Google
Live Mint
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A drought of action - India has a lasting infrastructure of public support that can, in
principle, be expanded in drought years to provide relief. But business as usual seems to be
the motto
Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/a-drought-ofaction/article8525416.ece
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This reform must begin within

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http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/this-reform-must-beginwithin/article8525413.ece
www.IASbaba.com
P a g e | 176
The Malegaon reminder

Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/the-malegaonreminder/article8525411.ece
Indian Express
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/2006-malegaon-bombings-caseconvicts-2771758/
Make The Link- Inter-linking of rivers holds the key to addressing water scarcity.
Indian Express
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-water-crisis-drought-marathwadalatur-water-train-2771756/
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http://iasbaba.com/2015/07/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-14th-july-2015/
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Buck stops at bench- Judiciary is part of the problem of judicial vacancy and case pendency.
It must also be part of the solution
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India is the biggest virtual exporter of water-Except for Brahmaputra and Mahanadi, all
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FDI inflows: short-term gain, long-term pain?- It would be prudent to separate current
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The chopper challenge for the CBI

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More medicine for less

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A cop-out called prohibition- It is a poor policy option. Alcohol abuse is a public health, not
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P a g e | 179
High air and water pollution in Indias 41 tier-II cities- Central Pollution Control Board finds
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Another missed opportunity : India- Pakistan

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The KG basin scam part II

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How to teach Sanskrit

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A higher well-being- In this article, we argue that the actual well-being of the household will
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P a g e | 181
Indian Express
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India gets its own GPS with successful launch of 7th navigation satellite- The country will
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A trade policy agenda for India-II

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Tribunal to redress PPP disputes faster- A PPP re-negotiation framework would also be
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More women falling ill, but they have lower access to medical treatment-NSSO data shows
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Current Affairs-April 2016

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Current Affairs-April 2016

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Page |1

The best way to predict your future is to create it

All the Best

Harking back to an interventionist era Article 356

India, EU summit agrees on new agenda for strategic partnership

The Obama Doctrine

Indias Drug Industry

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Patents and Innovation

Clean Energy InvestorsWANTED

DEFENCE AND SECURITY

Nuclear Security Summit

TOPIC: General studies 2

Maximum period: Three years

A proclamation of National Emergency should be in operation in the whole of

Resolution: Should be passed by simple majority

Perfecting the art of capitalising on dissidence (BJP)

Justification for the resort to Article 356 of the Constitution:

the disqualification of nine members for alleged defection ahead of a confidence

a sting video purportedly showing Mr.Rawat offering inducement to some of the

Sent by President K.R. Narayanan urging a reconsideration of the recommendation to

Since an Assembly cannot be dissolved prior to both Houses adopting resolutions

Hurdle posed by the anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule)

Problem of ageing populations

Low: Literacy level + present healthcare conditions

Social Security: Weakened + Declining

The paradigm shift required in perspective

AnubandhBhatt advocates the building of hundred-mile communities as a way to

Connecting the Dots:

TOPIC: General studies 2

Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary;

Towards restorative Criminal Justice

Fails to deter criminals owing to

right to seek and receive compensation for injuries suffered including

Indigenous systems of quick, simple systems of resolution of wrongs which enjoy

Reduce the workload on the system

Connecting the Dots:

Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.

One size cannot fit all:

Increased trust on states to manage their own fiscal future:

Sowing the seeds of co operative federalism:

Clean-up of the power sector:

Connecting the dots:

TOPIC: General studies 2

Local Government and related issues

Are simultaneous elections to Panchayat, Assembly and LokSabha feasible?

Why the issue has resurfaced again?

Frequent elections bring to a standstill normal functioning of the government and

Another consequence of frequent elections is the aggravation of vices like

Is there any benefit from frequent elections?

An issue that needs attention if the elections are held simultaneously:

We need to readily acknowledge that in a complex plural democracy such as Indias,

Connecting the dots:

TOPIC: General studies 1

TraffickingTime to put an end

Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013defined the term trafficking by substituting

Delay in verification of the addresses:

May take as long as two or three years

Connecting the Dots:

Discuss the role of the stakeholders for responding to human trafficking.

TOPIC: General studies 2

Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary

Supreme Court: Not a court of everyday appeals