IAS Parliament November

A R L I A ME
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IA A Shankar IAS Academy Initiative
CURRENT AFFAIRS - NOVEMBER 2016
SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

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IAS Parliament
A Shankar IAS Academy initiative
Published by
SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY
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Plot No.1742, Ist Floor, 18th Main Road,
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Anna Nagar, Chennai 600 040.
Phone : 044-26216435, 4353 3445,
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Mobile : 94441 66435 / 76677 66266
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www.shankariasacademy.com
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Email : enquiry@shankarias.in
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Contents
Sl.No. Titles Page No.
PAPER - II
1. INDIAN CONSTITUTION..............................................................................8
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1.1 MEDIA BAN..................................................................................................... 8
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1.2 SABARIMALA TEMPLE ENTRY ISSUE............................................................... 9
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1.3 IS PROHIBITION THE RIGHT OPTION?............................................................ 9
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1.4 DECRIMINALIZING DEFAMATION.................................................................. 10
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UNION AND STATE LEGISLATURE, EXECUTIVE AND JUDICIARY..............12
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2.1 SUTLEJ YAMUNA LINK (SYL) CANAL.............................................................. 12
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2.2 CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT BILL, 2016......................................................... 13
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2.3 UNIFORM ASYLUM LAW................................................................................. 14
2.4 LAND ACQUISITION LAW - CENTRALS ATTEMPT TO DILUTE........................ 13
2.5 SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS......................................................................... 17
2.6 STATE FUNDING OF ELECTIONS................................................................... 18
2.7 JUDGING THE PERFORMANCE OF JUDGES................................................... 19
2.8 JUDICIAL OVERREACH................................................................................. 19
2.9 JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS............................................................................. 21
2.10 ADDRESSING BACKLOG CASES IN SUPREME COURT.................................. 23
3. STATUTORY, REGULATORY AND QUASI-JUDICIAL BODIES......................24

3.1 BCCI REFORMS............................................................................................. 24
3.2 AMENDMENTS TO THE INTER-STATE WATER DISPUTES ACT....................... 26
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4. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND INTERVENTIONS.......................................27

4.1 NATIONAL CAPITAL GOODS POLICY 2016..................................................... 27
4.2 THE SCHEDULED TRIBES AND OTHER TRADITIONAL FOREST
DWELLERS (RECOGNITION OF FOREST RIGHTS) ACT, 2006......................... 28
4.3 ONE RANK ONE PENSION.............................................................................. 29
4.4 CHILD ABDUCTION DRAFT BILL.................................................................... 30
5. SOCIAL JUSTICE...........................................................................................31
5.1 STATE OF JAILS............................................................................................ 31
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5.2 A DUTY OF TOLERANCE............................................................................... 32
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5.3 TRANSGENDER OPTION IN RAILWAY RESERVATION..................................... 33
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5.4 NATIONAL E- HEALTH AUTHORITY.............................................................. 34
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5.5 PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHIT MATRITVA ABHIYAN................................... 35
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5.6 SWASTHYA RAKSHA PROGRAMME............................................................... 36
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5.7 INDIAS RESPONSE TO GLOBAL HEALTH CHALLENGES............................... 36
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5.8 NEW LITIGATION POLICY............................................................................. 37
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5.9 CHILD ABUSE............................................................................................... 38
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6. GOVERNANCE, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY................................39
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6.1 WAYS TO MEASURE GOVERNANCE................................................................ 39
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6.2 PROTECTION FOR RTI ACTIVISTS................................................................ 40
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6.3 OPEN DATA POLICY...................................................................................... 42
6.4 INTERNET CORPORATION OF ASSIGNED NAMES AND NUMBERS................. 43
7. INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.................................................................43

7.1 TRADE WITH NEIGHBORS............................................................................. 43
7.2 BOTTOM TRAWLING...................................................................................... 45
7.3 INDIA ON INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN BANGLADESH........................... 46
7.4 BIMSTEC - FREE TRADE AGREEMENT......................................................... 46
7.5 BBINS MOTOR VEHICLE AGREEMENT......................................................... 47
7.6 MARKET ECONOMY STATUS FOR CHINA...................................................... 48
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8. BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS..............................................49

8.1 INDIA JAPAN NUCLEAR DEAL........................................................................ 49
9. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS....................................................................50
9.1 NEW ZEALANDS ROLE IN INDIAS NSG ENTRY............................................. 50
9.2 MALDIVES LEFT COMMONWEALTH.............................................................. 51
9.3 TPP AND INDIA............................................................................................. 52
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9.4 INDIA TO COUNTER CHINAS STANCE AT RCEP........................................... 53
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9.5 RUSSIA LEAVES ICC..................................................................................... 54
PAPER - III
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10. INDIAN ECONOMY.......................................................................................56
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10.1 REVIVAL OF FRBM ACT.............................................................................. 56
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10.2 DEMONETISATION...................................................................................... 57
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10.3 TEMPORARY HIKE IN CRR......................................................................... 59
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10.4 FINANCIAL RESOLUTION AND DEPOSIT INSURANCE BILL.......................... 60
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10.5 UNDERSTANDING INDIAS FALL IN EXPORTS............................................. 62
10.6 EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK................................................................... 63
10.7 JOBS VS WAGES......................................................................................... 65
10.8 IS MERGER THE SOLUTION TO NPAS IN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS?............. 67
10.9 INDIA - CYPRUS DTAA................................................................................ 68
10.10 STATES RIGHT TO FISCAL AUTONOMY VS UNIFORMITY IN TAXATION... 69
10.11 DRAFT- BANNING OF UNREGULATED DEPOSIT SCHEMES
AND PROTECTION OF DEPOSITORS INTERESTS BILL, 2016..................... 70
10.12 ISLAMIC BANKING.................................................................................... 71
10.13 PHOTOCOPY VS COPYRIGHT.................................................................... 72
10.14 GLOBALISATION AND ITS ILL EFFECTS..................................................... 74
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11. AGRICULTURE AND RELATED ISSUES.........................................................75

11.1 KRISHIVIGYAN KENDRA.............................................................................. 75
11.2 IMPORT DUTY ON WHEAT.......................................................................... 75
11.3 WORLD BANK ADVISES INDIA TO CUT SUBSIDIES....................................... 76
11.4 PRIVATE FOOD GRAIN STOCK MEASUREMENT.......................................... 77
11.5 KERALA DECLARED DROUGHT-HIT............................................................. 77
12. INFRASTRUCTURE.......................................................................................78
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12.1 GUIDELINES FOR WIND POWER PROJECTS................................................ 78
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12.2 PORT DEVELOPMENT POLICY.................................................................... 79
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12.3 HYPERLOOP TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY.......................................... 80
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12.4 BANKS ON PROJECT FINANCE................................................................... 80
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12.5 REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY SCHEME (RCS)................................................. 81
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13. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.......................................................................82
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13.1 INDIAS MEMBERSHIP IN CERN................................................................... 82
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13.2 INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED SONARS........................................................ 83
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13.3 INDIAS SPACE ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONSTRAINTS.................................. 83
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14. ENVIRONMENT............................................................................................84
14.1 ENVIRONMENT SUPPLEMENT PLAN (ESP)................................................... 84
14.2 DELHI AIR POLLUTION............................................................................... 85
14.3 AIR POLLUTION - EMERGENCY MEASURES FROM ACROSS THE WORLD.... 86
14.4 MARRAKECH CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE......................................... 87
14.5 INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE............................................................ 89
14.6 GREEN NORMS........................................................................................... 91
14.7 HUMAN ANIMAL CONFLICT-NEIGHBORHOOD LEOPARD.............................. 91
14.8 NATIONAL WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (NWAP)................................................ 93
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15. DISASTER MANAGEMENT............................................................................94

15.1 SENDAI FRAMEWORK................................................................................ 94
16. INTERNAL SECURITY...................................................................................95

16.1 AUGUSTA WESTLAND CHOPPER CASE........................................................ 95
16.2 LIBERALISED BLACKLISTING NORMS FOR DEFENCE PROCUREMENTS..... 96
16.3 COASTAL SECURITY NEED FOR A SPECIAL FORCE................................. 97
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16.4 NO FIRST USE POLICY................................................................................ 98
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16.5 HOW TO CLEAN UP REAL ESTATE?........................................................... 99
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16.6 PROHIBITION OF BENAMI PROPERTY......................................................100
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PRELIM BITS CONSOLIDATION
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17. HISTORY................................................................................................102
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18 ART AND CULTURE................................................................................102
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19. GEOGRAPHY..........................................................................................102
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20. SOCIAL ISSUES......................................................................................104
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21. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND PROJECTS IN NEWS...............................104
22. GOVERNANCE........................................................................................105
23. INSTITUTES IN NEWS.............................................................................106
24. BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS............................................106
25. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS AND EXERCISES................108
26. ECONOMY..............................................................................................108
27. ENVIRONMENT.......................................................................................109
28. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY..................................................................111
29. SCIENCE................................................................................................115
30. INDEX AND REPORTS............................................................................116
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PAPER - II
1. INDIAN CONSTITUTION What was NDTVs defence?
It did not reveal any strategically sensitive

1.1 Media Ban details of arms, ammunition or the location
Why in news? of vital installations that were not already in
the public domain on other media platforms,
NDTV India had been asked go off air on or available, in high resolution, on Google
November 9, 2016 in a decision taken by the
Maps and other online sites.
inter-ministerial committee formed to look
into the channels reporting of terrorist attack They have not reported anything, that
on Pathankot air base. gravely threatened the operations and that
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other TV channels have not reported.
The channel has been censured for revealing
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strategic details of Governments offensive The charge that the news channel disclosed
strategy. that the air force base contained MiG
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warplanes, ammunition and mortars is a
What is the legality?
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well-known fact. It would not amount to
Rule 6 (1)(p) of the Cable TV Network Rules putting the Strategic offensive actions of
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the Government in jeopardy.
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1994 which says that no programme should
be carried which contains live coverage of any
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There was no reporting of the plan, that the
anti-terrorist operation by security forces and
Government had to tackle terrorists, nor was
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that media coverage should be restricted to
anything pertaining to operation of security
periodic briefing by an officer designated by
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forces revealed.
the government.
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Why is the ban detrimental?
The provisions were added after questions
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were raised about the media reporting of Violates the Art. 19 of the Constitution
2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. provides freedom of speech and expression
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which includes freedom of media to report
What is the medias role during emergency? in a non-coercive environment and also
Media plays a vital role in dissemination freedom against censorship.
information to the people, regarding the The reasonable restrictions was examined
developments on a real time basis.
in S.Rangarajan case and stated that the
This helps in ensuring their security of the anticipated danger should not be remote,
people. conjectural or far-fetched.
But this reporting should be done in The rules do not mention who determines
a sensitive and responsible manner by whether there was a breach of security.
protecting the strategic details of the
operations of the security forces. When many other channels also broad
casted the same content, picking on NDTV
This also includes, not revealing the video was not properly justified.
coverage of operations that are still going on,
among other things. Creates a bad precedent.
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Programme code of Cable TV act is vague. Why it is detrimental?
Onus lies on TV channel. Though Article 26 provides for freedom

of religious institutions to manage their
State censorship though permissible under religious affairs, restricting entry of women
extraordinary circumstances, has to be used into temple, is a direct violation of the
very selectively by the Government. And what fundamental rights that guarantee gender
constitutes extraordinary circumstances, equality.
must be defined in an objective manner with
absolute clarity. Else, it would threat the This custom is site specific and is not
followed in other Ayyappa temples.
freedom of press which is a very essential
facet of a vibrant democracy There is limited historical evidence to tell
us when the custom came into being and
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What should be done?
opinion is divided over whether the custom
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The media should report security threat is central to the worship of the deity.
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incidents in a responsible manner taking into What is SCs observation?
consideration the interests of the security
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forces and agencies. Supreme Court said that only essential
practices of a religion are immune from
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Standard operating procedure should intervention of state. Therefore in case
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be formulated. This should also include the Sabarimala board fails to prove that
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provisions for warning, before taking the prohibiting entry of women is as essential
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hard call to ban media as a punitive action. practice of religion, then the board cannot
claim immunity under Article 26.
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Judiciary should decide on the question of
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national security, not executive. The bench fixed the matter for hearing on
February 2017 and will analyse various
1.2 Sabarimala Temple Entry Issue
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aspects including the constitutional
provisions with regard to gender equality.
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What is the issue?
The custom in Sabarimala prohibits women 1.3 Is Prohibition the Right Option?
of a certain age group, from visiting the shrine Why in news?
- claims its sanctity from the conception of
the deity, Lord Ayyappa, as a celibate and Few state governments in India, have
notions of ritual pollution. resorted to complete prohibition of alcohol
sales to reduce consumption of alcohol in
What is the temple managements stand? their respective states. Ex. Kerala and Bihar.
It state that the issue is purely a matter What are the negatives of prohibition?
concerning the unique custom and tradition
In the absence of legitimate alcohol, locally-
followed in a pilgrimage center and hence a
produced illegal alcohol sales increase.
logical analysis has no relevance.
The government does not have any regulation
Sabarimala governing board has cited that over these illicit liquor manufacturers.
the Kerala Hindu places of public worship Hence, they do not contribute to the tax
rules, permits prohibition of entry of women revenue of the state.
where custom requires to do so.
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Illicit liquor is m anufactured in an conferences are no longer taking place in

unregulated and crude manner. Fatal the state. Delegates and businessmen prefer
methanol poisoning is common in illicit to fly in, in the morning, and leave in the
liquor. Methanol poisoning is also associated evening rather than stay overnight.
with loss vision among those who consume
them. What is the alternate?
Liquor smuggling from adjacent states is Create awareness to bring about behavioural
also seen to increase in states which impose change.
prohibition. By putting citizens in the line of
Liquor ban during working hours to ensure
needing to break the rules, the government
productivity and law and order.
is nurturing a culture of disrespect towards
the law. Rehabilitation centres have to be established
to help people willing to quit the habit.
Prohibition leads to increase in crime related
to illegal marketing of liquor. For Example
1.4 Decriminalizing Defamation
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- Morarji Desais likely well-intentioned
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but unwise decision to ban alcohol in the What is defamation?
Bombay Presidency in the early 1950s was
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the chief cause of the growth of the smuggling Defamation is the communication of a false
syndicates and the likes of Haji Mastan. statement that harms the reputation of an
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individual person, business, product, group,
Though well intentioned, it is against the
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government, religion, or nation.
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personal liberty and in way creates inequality
where the rich has access to liquor and poor How is it dealt in India?
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doesnt. In India, defamation can both be a civil wrong
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What are the difficulties in enforcing the and a criminal offence.
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prohibition? While a civil wrong tends to provide
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Smuggling - It is difficult to enforce prohibition for a redressal of wrongs by awarding
in any state, when adjacent states permit compensation, a criminal law seeks to
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punish a wrongdoer and send a message to
liquor sales. Liquor from adjacent states will
others not to commit such acts.
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be smuggled. In case of Bihar it becomes even
more difficult as it shares a long boundary In Indian laws, criminal defamation has been
with Nepal. specifically defined as an offence under the
Indian Penal Code (IPC) whereas the civil
Stigma - It is consumed by the youth and
defamation is based on tort law an area of
the middle and upper middle classes without
law which does not rely on statutes to define
any associated stigmas.
wrongs but takes from ever-increasing body
Finance - The implementation of the law has of case laws to define what would constitute
also had an adverse impact on the states a wrong.
finances as well as on economic activity.
Moreover, in a criminal case, defamation has
More than Rs.4000 Crore of tax revenues
to be established beyond reasonable doubt
are being lost by the Bihar commercial taxes
but in a civil defamation suit, damages can
department annually because of the ban on
be awarded based on probabilities.
liquor.
Section 499 and 500 of Indian Penal
Tourism - The hotel and hospitality industry
Code,1860 deals with Criminal defamation.
has been hit. Big weddings, seminars and
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It prescribes two years imprisonment with The ruling noted that the right to freedom
or without fine for a person found guilty of of speech and expression is not an absolute
defamation. right and has to be balanced with the right
to reputation which is protected under
What was Pre-colonial scenario? Article 21 of the Constitution.
The criminal provisions have often been used
The court held that criminalisation of
to pursue political vendettas. In the colonial
defamation to protect individual dignity of life
era, the law was used, along with sedition,
and reputation is a reasonable restriction
to jail freedom fighters.
on the fundamental right of free speech and
So-called SLAPP (or strategic lawsuit against expression.
publicparticipation) suits have been used
in the recent past to muzzle investigative The judgment holds far-reaching implications
for political dissent and a free press.
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journalists and prevent critical analysis of
the financial information of listed companies.
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In August 2016, the court also passed
What are the criticisms? strictures on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
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J Jayalalithaa for misusing the criminal
Activists against criminal defamation argue
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defamation law to suffocate democracy
that the possibility of being arrested by the and, the court said, public figures must
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police, held in detention and subjected to a face criticism.
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criminal trial will be in the back of the mind
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of a journalist when he or she is deciding However, it also underscored that criticism
whether to expose, for example, a case of was not defamation, the bench accepted their
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high-level corruption. plea that a trial court must be very careful
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in scrutinising a complaint before issuing
The criminal provisions have often been used
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summons in a criminal defamation case.
purely as a means of harassment.
What was governments response?
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Given the cumbersome nature of Indian
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legal procedures, the process itself turns The government has sought a report from the
into punishment, regardless of the merits Law Commission of India (LCI) on the issue.
of the case.
A joint consultation paper published by
What are Supreme Courts directives? the LCI in September 2014 notes that the
respondents overwhelmingly expressed
Defamation is one of the recognised
dissatisfaction with the present state of
exceptions to the fundamental right to free
defamation law.
speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a)
of the Constitution. Considering the need to repeal Section 499,
it acknowledged that criminal defamation
In Subramanian Swamyvs Union of India
laws violated international norms, and that
case, a bench of Justices DipakMisra and P C
the penalty of imprisonment up to two years
Pant approved the Constitutional validity of
was clearly disproportionate.
sections 499 and 500 (criminal defamation)
in the Indian Penal Code, underlining that International bodies such as the UN had
an individuals fundamental right to live with recognised the threat posed by criminal
dignity and reputation cannot be ruined defamation laws and have recommended that
solely because another individual can have they should be abolished.
his freedom.
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Tathagata Satpathy, a member of Parliament 2. UNION AND STATE

belonging to the Biju Janata Dal, is drafting a LEGISLATURE, EXECUTIVE AND
private members Bill entitled The Protection JUDICIARY
of Speech and Reputation Bill, 2016.
2.1 Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal
The Bill seeks to decriminalise defamation
and remove the chilling effect of old Why in news?
provisions that throttle free speech and
The Supreme Court on Thursday passed a
encourage censorship. verdict saying that it is unconstitutional for
The Bill seeks to remove the criminal the Punjab state government to terminate a
provisions while guarding the right to water sharing agreement with other states.
reputation with stronger, more effective What is SYL canal and its controversies?
remedies for civil relief, including apologies,
corrections and retractions, and the award 1960: Indus water treaty was signed between
of reasonable damages. India and Pakistan for sharing of Indus-basin
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rivers. This treaty gave India, absolute and
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The Bill will also attempt to set the maximum unhindered access to Satlej, Ravi and Beas.
claim limits and to bar governments, local
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bodies and other institutions, exercising 1966: Erstwhile Punjab was reorganised
statutory functions, from filing suits for into Haryana & Punjab (remaining state after
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defamation. carving out Haryana) came into existence.
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What should be done? Differences arose between the two states
over their share of the surplus Ravi and
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C r i m i n a l c o m p l a i n t s s h o u l d n o t b e Beas waters.
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entertained unless the damage to reputation
is prima facie, a serious one. There was a need to share the river waters
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among the newly created states and it was
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Unnecessary complaints should be dismissed decided to construct SYL canal to extend
at the threshold. That apart, complaints irrigation facility to Haryana and Rajasthan.
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cannot be entertained except on behalf of
the person aggrieved. 1981: agreement between Punjab and
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Haryana to complete SYL within 2 years.
Such a restriction must not be arbitrary or
excessive, and the impairment of freedom Haryana constructed its part of SYL canal
must be as little as possible. in 1980s.
This is not to say that defamation must not The construction was stopped when Sikh
militants gunned down two senior engineers
be discouraged.
and 35 labourers working on the canal. A
But decriminalising it will bring the IPC in decision was taken to rope in the Border
accord with Article 19(2), ensuring that the Roads Organisation, but not a brick has
means used to discourage defamation do not been laid since.
end up damping legitimate criticism.
1996: Haryana approached SC over delay.
Criminal defamation laws have been repealed
What was SCs judgment?
in most democracies and it is high time India
modernised its law to take cognisance of new Supreme Court in 2002 - Directed Punjab
modes of communication. to complete its part of SYL canal in one year.
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Supreme Court in 2004 - Directed Punjab 2.2 Citizenship Amendment Bill,

to ensure unhindered construction of the 2016
canal. This was to provide for Haryana share
of it water. Why in news?
What was Punjabs reaction? The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016,

which was introduced in LokSabha on July is
But within a month of the Supreme Court now before a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
order in 2004, the Punjab assembly enacted
Who are illegal migrants?
the Punjab termination of agreements act,
annulling all inter-state agreements on One, if a foreigner comes into India without
sharing Ravi and Beas waters. valid travel documents, like a visa and
passport, or two, having come in legally,
The Centre on July 22, 2004 sought the
they stay beyond the time period permitted
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opinion of the apex court on the validity of the
to them under their travel documents.
Punjab law through a presidential reference.
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The court heard the matter the next month Illegal migrants may be imprisoned or
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without any outcome. deported.
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How did the controversy develop further The largest number among the illegal
in 2016? migrants are from Pakistan (15%), followed
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by Sri Lanka (14%), South Korea (6%) and
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In March 2016, Punjab came out with
Iraq (6%).
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another law, de-notifying the land acquired
for the canal and for it to be returned it to its What are the new amendments?
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owners. Haryana challenged the law in the
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Supreme Court, which ordered status quo. Illegal migrants and their children are
ineligible for Indian citizenship under the
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Supreme Court has ruled that Punjab state Citizenship Act of 1955.
governments law to terminate a water
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sharing agreement with other states as The amendment Bill provides that illegal
migrants belonging to the specified six
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unconstitutional.
minority communities i.e Hindu, Sikh,
The courts reasoning draws from previous Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian from
verdicts relating to the Cauvery and Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan will
Mullaperiyar disputes, reiterating the not be treated as illegal migrants and will,
principle that a State cannot, through therefore, be eligible for Indian citizenship.
legislation, do an act in conflict with the
judgment of the highest court which has The Bill also relaxes the eligibility criteria
attained finality. for citizenship for persons from these
six minority communities of the three
The verdict is a timely reminder that it neighbouring countries.
would be destructive of the rule of law and
federalism, if a State were to be allowed to As of now, a person must have resided in
usurp judicial powers, by nullifying a verdict India for 12 of the 15 years preceding the
that has rendered findings on both fact and date of application; the Bill relaxes the
law. 12-year requirement to 7 years for this
particular group of individuals.
There is a scope for negotiation and
conciliation even now. The Bill seeks to add a new ground for
cancelling OCI registration violation of any
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law in force in the country. OCI cardholders to apply for Indian citizenship via the route
are foreigners who are persons of Indian of naturalisation.
origin.An OCI enjoys benefits compared to
other foreigners, such as the right to travel How it violates Assam accord of 1985?
to India without a visa, or to work and study As per the Citizenship Act, a person whose
here. name or whose ancestors name was registered
What are the issues? as a citizen in the National Register of
Citizens of India in 1951, is considered an
This amendment makes it easy to obtain Indian citizen.
India citizenship, for those fleeing religious
persecution in mentioned three countries But in Assam, the rule is different. As per
(Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh). But the Assam Accord, signed in 1985, people
it has lot of negatives. whose names were not registered as citizens
till the year 1951 but are registered after that
The Bill does not cover illegal migrants who till 24 March, 1971, are also considered as
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are Muslim, or who belong to other minority Indian citizens.
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communities such as Jews and Bahais from
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The proposed piece of new legislation seeks
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to extend this to December 31, 2014. There is
The Bill makes illegal migrants eligible for
a huge number of Bengali Hindu population
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citizenship on the basis of religion. This is
living in Assam, who have migrated to Assam
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in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution
illegally.
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which guarantees right to equality and
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Article 15 of the Constitution which prevents The new amendment of the Citizenship Act
the state from discriminating. seeks to provide them with Indian citizenship.
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If that is done the demographic pattern of the
This would mean, for instance, that the
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state will transform. The natives will lose
sizeable population of Hindu migrants from
their political say in their own land.
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Bangladesh living in Assam would become
citizens while Muslims who migrated to 2.3 Uniform Asylum Law
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Assam from East Bengal, half a century ago
Why in news?
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would continue to be harassed as illegal
migrants from Bangladesh.
Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugtis request
India is not like Israel, which is a Jewish for asylum in India has prompted calls for a
state, offering the right to return to Jews uniform and apolitical asylum law.
anywhere in the world. Since India is
Who are Asylum seekers and Refugees?
constitutionally secular, this amendment
against its spirit. According to the UNHCR, the UN refugee
The Bill allows cancellation of OCI registration agency, asylum seekers are individuals who
for violation of any law. This is a wide have sought international protection and
ground that may cover a range of violations, whose claims for refugee status have not yet
including minor offences like parking in a no been determined.
parking zone. Asylum has no defining criteria other than
This Bill does not actually give citizenship the willingness of a state to grant it.
to anybody. It only proposes to enable the Refugees are individuals recognised under
post-1971 stream of non-Muslim migrants
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1. The 1951 Convention relating to the What is the practice around the world?
Status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol,
As asylum is undefined, it has been widely
2. The 1969 OAU Convention Governing the interpreted by states to result in multiple
Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in forms of protection.
Africa,
Latin America has been protecting political
3. In accordance with the UNHCR Statute, dissidents who are excluded from refugee
individuals granted complementary status. In 1954, Latin American states
forms of protection, or those enjoying recognised each others sovereignty to grant
temporary protection asylum.
4. The UNs Refugee Convention of 1951 This conception of asylum travelled to Africa
links refuge to persecution on racial, too. Black liberationist leaders and Anti-
religious, national, social, or political apartheid fighters were protected through
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grounds. Therefore refugee status is
asylum.
narrowly defined.
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What is the misconception?
In 1969, Africa recognised that during
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war, people do not wait to be individually It is generally believed that political versus
M
persecuted, they flee en masse, and they are humanitarian conflict affects the heart of
all refugees. asylum but there is actually no conflict at all.
I A
During the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, Asylum can be granted for political reasons
many of those displaced were not technically
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and refuge for humanitarian reasons and it
refugees. Therefore the European Union does not have to be mixed up.
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treated a new form of asylum distinct from
refugee status. But asylum and extradition are related
A
concepts. Extradition law exempts a country
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The United Nations High Commissioner
from handing over a criminal if the offence
for Refugees (UNHCR) followed suit. The
committed is of a political character. This is
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distinction between asylum and refugee
known as the political offence exception. It
status has been recognised by the EU Court
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enables political asylum.
of Justice and several countries.
What is the significance of Asylum? It is recognised in the Extradition Act 1962,
that it is the governments discretion to allow
The duty to protect refugees is a widely people like Mr.Bugti to shelter in India.
accepted, binding norm of international law.
Is the uniform law necessary?
But the refugee convention refuses protection
to people accused of serious non-political If Mr.Bugti is accepted, it would not be
crimes such as terrorism. the first time that Indian asylum has been
Therefore governments routinely slap politicised. e.g Welcoming Dalai Lama in
fabricated terror accusations against their 1959 continue to be politicised.
political dissidents, to prevent them to seek
But the law need not be uniform.
refugee status.
Indeed it should vary so that victims
For such people Asylum is the last resort.
of targeted persecution are individually
Asylum need not be tied to national territory. protected, large groups fleeing war are
It can be granted by diplomatic missions protected as a group, and people displaced
abroad e.g Asylum to Julian Assange by by natural disasters are given transient
Ecuadors embassy in London. protection.
IAS Parliament
The principle that governments have wide What is its legality?

discretionary powers regarding foreigners
Though land is a state subject, acquisition
is as old as the concept of sovereignty. It and requisitioning of property is in the
has been reiterated by the Supreme Court concurrent list.
several times.
Article 254(1) of the Constitution states that
Protecting refugees in line with international if there exists a Central law on a concurrent
law is a duty which India must meet. But subject, then a State law cannot override it.
denying the government the ability to make However, Article 254(2) provides that if
sovereign decisions about who can receive a State law receives presidential assent
Indias asylum is counterproductive. after due consideration, then it can apply
in contravention to the Central law in that
Therefore what is desirable for India is a law
particular State.
which recognises that asylum and refuge
need not overlap. What are the concerns?
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These laws now passed by states allow for the
It should enable India to provide discretionary
acquisition has no safeguards presentin the
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political asylum regime for people like
2013 Central law, likeright to consent, social
Mr.Bugti as well as a mandatory refugee
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impact assessment and, in the case of Tamil
regime to ensure humanitarian protection.
Nadu, even rehabilitation and resettlement.
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2.4 Land Acquisition Law - Apart from these, there are also grave
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Centrals Attempt to Dilute jurisprudential concerns as follows
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Undermining Parliament - A hard-fought
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Why in news?
consensus that held the larger public
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The centre encouraged States to draft and interest cannot be diluted by misuse of
pass their own laws for land acquisition and a constitutional provision. The move to
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amend LARR Act 2013 was followed by a
get them approved.
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massive nationwide backlash which unified
What is the issue? opposition and the Supreme Court refused
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to entertain challenges to various provisions
The Right to Fair Compensation and of the 2013 law. Thus it clearly suggests that
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Transparency in Land Acquisition, the existing law was constitutionally sound
Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) and the public mandate was overwhelmingly
Bill, 2015 was introduced in the LokSabha against such amendments.
February, 2015 amends LARR Act, 2013.
Wrong precedence - Wherever a Central
It was passed only in LokSabha but not in government lacks the numbers to pass a law
Rajya Sabha. (on a concurrent subject) in Parliament or is
Therefore Finance Minister, in an attempt faced with public opposition, it will repeat
the same tactics.
to bypass Parliament, encouraged States
to draft and pass their own laws for land Wrong interpretation - Article 254(2) was
acquisition and get them approved by the never intended to weaken Central laws
Centre. merely because they were found to be
inconvenient. It was intended to bring in
Following this, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat changes to Central laws if there was a
have moved ahead with their amendments, genuine hurdle in implementing them in a
Rajasthan has a Bill ready and Telangana is particular State due to challenges peculiar
working on its version. to that region.
IAS Parliament
Legality - Also Supreme Court of India had Repeated enforcement of the Model Code
earlier struck down the attempts of the of Conduct (MCC) can be avoided. MCC is
government to pass off what is known as a set of legally binding dos and donts for
colourable legislation. What the government the Union/State governments, political
cannot do directly, it cannot do indirectly. parties and candidates, which on repeated
enforcement impacts effective governance.
Presidents assent - The Supreme Court
in Kaiser-I-Hind case(2002) held that the Why it is against democratic values?
words reserved for consideration in Article
254(2) would definitely indicate that there The idea of holding simultaneous state and
should be active application of mind by central elections is not practical without
the President to the repugnancy and the constricting democratic space.
necessity of having such a law, in facts and
India started off with simultaneous elections
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circumstances of the matter and cannot be
to state assemblies and Parliament. They
done without consideration of the relevant
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diverged as a result of political developments
material.
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that terminated the life of certain state
Therefore it is clear that the President legislatures before their full term.
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must act deliberately and consciously and
not merely on the advice of the Council of Sometimes, a government could lose the
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confidence of the House because of serious
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Ministers.
differences of opinion within the ruling party
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SC also held that granting of assent under or a realignment of political forces. Such
Article 254(2) is not exercise of legislative
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developments,though disruptive,reflect
power of President as under Article 123 political conflicts that are integral to
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(Ordinance Power) but is part of legislative democracy.
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procedure. Therefore the procedure is
subjected to judicial review. Why separate elections are desirable?
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2.5 Simultaneous Elections Apart from issues of funding and logistics,
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simultaneous elections would give
Why in news? governments immunity from the everyday
pressures of public opinion.
The prime minister has suggested that the
nation hold all elections to state and central The present practice of an election in some
legislatures all together, once every five state or the other every year or so often forces
years. governments to reconsider their plans and
policies.
What are the advantages?
Simultaneous elections would save resources, Given the federal nature of the Indian union
both of the government and of political and the diversity of the country, this is
desirable.
parties.
It will keep alive the enthusiasm of voters. Electoral reforms are crucial to combating
corruption but these also need to be done
Business of governance at the Centre could in a manner that does not tamper with the
improve by not having to worry about how a basic structure of Indias parliamentary
measure proposed by the Centre would affect democracy.
the outcome of aupcoming state election.
IAS Parliament
2.6 State Funding of Elections It brings new and growing parties in par
with the established parties, thus ensuring
Why in news? fair elections.
The Prime Minister wants a debate on If parties and candidates are financed with
transparency in political funding, as part of only private funds, economical inequalities
the drive to clean up black money. in the society might translate into political
inequalities in government.
How black money plays a role in elections?
Is the state funding a good idea?
Indian elections cost huge sums of money.
These moneys can hardly come from retail In theory, State funding would provide a
contributions of political-party sympathisers. level playing field for political parties and cut
It has to come from big corporate houses. out money power from the equation, but in
practice things may not work out so linearly.
But, contributions from corporate houses are
largely from undeclared income and, hence India collects only about 16% of GDP as tax.
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the contribution is not recorded. The state expenditure on many essential
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public goods such as primary healthcare
Why transparency in political funding is
and public health engineering is very small.
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needed?
Given this situation, the public resources
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This is a prerequisite for any sustained and
have to be channelled towards and not
effective cure for black money.
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diverted from such essential services, and
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As long as Indias politics is systemically that too to finance something that already
dependent on unaccounted money for its
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gets abundantly financed.
finances, there can be no decisivepolitical
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will to eradicate black money. F u r t h e r , i t w i l l n o t p r e v e n t p a r t i e s
from lobbying and getting undisclosed
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It compromises the integrity of governance, supplementary private funding, with
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corrupts the civil service, promotes crony associated implications.
capitalism and makes managing the
What is the solution?
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government a decisive core competence of
entrepreneurship.
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In India, the main reason for the prevalence
of black money in election spending is the
All this will change only if the sources of
unrealistically low limits set by the Election
political funding are made fully transparent.
Commission of India on campaign spending
What is state funding? by political parties and candidates. A more
realistic campaign spending limits should
The idea of state funding of elections is be set.
a concept designed to reduce corruption
by funding elections with government Part-public funding of election campaigns
money as opposed to individual campaign is a practice in some countries. e.g United
States and Britain. We could have our own
contributions.
version.
Many recommend that state funding of
The strict monitoring of expenditure by
elections can be the best way to achieve
political parties and their functionaries at
transparency in political funding.
every level, starting with the panchayat,
It is also believed that state funding is a polling booth area and municipal ward
natural and necessary cost of democracy. should be done.
IAS Parliament
Every party should disclose its expenditure Qualitative as well as quantitative -> These
every month at every level. include the rate of disposal of cases by a
This should be open to challenge by rival judge, the quality of judgments and legal
parties, media, etc. reasoning, knowledge of the law, behaviour
towards lawyers in court proceedings,
The Election Commission could determine
independence and transparency. Initially
the actual expenditure and ask the parties
used objective criteria to evaluate - eventually
to show source of income.
moving towards more qualitative criteria
Parties will have to collect money in the open. when systems have evolved sufficiently to
These steps will ensure transparency. reduce likelihood of bias and subjectivity in
assessment processes.
2.7 Judging the Performance of
Judges What is the solution?
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Why in news? The first step should be the clarifying the
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objectives of such evaluation - improving
The law department of Gujarat, on the quality of justice, pendency rates, and so on.
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recommendation of the Gujarat High Court,
Joint consultation with stakeholders,
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cracked the whip on 17 judges from various
cadres in lower courts, ordering their including judges, lawyers, academics and
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retirement for unsatisfactory performance. members of civil society to understand how
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best to initiate such a system in India.
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What is the need for evaluation?
Any codified system that emerges, in the
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T o e n s u r e g r e a t e r a c c o u n t a b i l i t y , form of guidelines or regulations, must
transparency and better and efficient
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be reviewed to ensure minimum bias and
functioning of judges. maximum transparency.
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What is the existing system? The Madras High Court - first time -
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has come out with qualitative as well as
By system of Annual Confidential Reports
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quantitative performance assessment of
(ACRs), which are completed by the senior-
most judges of the lower court, and reviewed its judges. Mixed reactions from lawyers,
by the State High Court. some of whom felt that this could unduly
pressurise judges to dispose of cases, and
Problems in ACR - ACR is not filled up encourage indiscriminate disposal rather
regularly - Not done in a transparent manner than delivering justice.
- Lack of uniformity in judicial appraisal
across the states - Not applicable for higher 2.8 Judicial Overreach
judiciary.
What is the issue?
What is the practise in U.S?
There is a strong debate over the reach
Judicial Performance Evaluation (JPE), the of judicial review power exercised by the
system of periodic assessment of judicial Supreme Court.
performance originated in the U.S. Sitting
judges were evaluated to inform voters about Given the weak relationship between the
a judges performance record for retention executive and judiciary, the subject is
elections. Retention elections allow the increasingly relevant to the functioning of
public to vote for or against the continuing our constitutional democracy.
tenure of judges.
IAS Parliament
What is a judicial review? By these judgments, court established the

foundational principles for the exercise of a
Judicial review is the power of the courts
wider judicial review jurisdiction traceable to
of a country to examine the actions of the
legislative, executive, and administrative 1. Articles 13 (Definition of laws)
arms of the government and to determine 2. 32 (Constitutional remedies),
whether such actions are consistent with
the constitution. 3. 136 (Special Leave Petition),
4. 142 (Enforcement of decrees and orders
The decline of Parliament as the highest of SC),
forum of our democracy, the perceived
insensitivity of the bureaucracy, a general 5. 147 (Interpretation of this Constitution)
distrust of executive power and loss of faith and
in the moral and ideological integrity of the 6. 226 (High Court Writ Jurisdiction) of the
political class collectively account for an Constitution.
expanded remit of judicial review.
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Thus the court declared that judicial review
How judicial review evolved? was a constituent power and an integral
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component of the unalterable basic structure
Some of the courts judgments can be recalled
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of the Constitution (KesavanandaBharati,
to indicate the evolution of judicial review,
1973).
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introduced on protection against the arbitrary
exercise of power, non-discrimination and How is the judicial review moving beyond
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constitutionalization of socio-economic its reach?
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rights.
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But in recent times the court moved beyond
In Maneka Gandhi case (1978) it established the socio-economic rights and the review
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the procedural fairness and reasonableness has been invoked in public interest to
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test to determine the constitutionality of the question major decisions of the government
exercise of executive power. concerning policy choices. e,g 2G spectrum
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and coal mine allocations cases.
In M. Nagaraj (2006) the court declared
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that Articles 14 (right to equality), 19 (right Challenge to proceedings of legislative
to fundamental freedoms) and 21 (right to
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assemblies and decisions of the Speaker have
life) stand at the pinnacle of the hierarchy also been entertained by the court.
of constitutional values and the court
recognised that the human dignity, equality In recent decisions like the voiding of
and freedom were conjoined, reciprocal and NJAC Act, has extended the courts review
covalent values and they are not to be read jurisdiction to domains till then regarded as
in isolation. the exclusive preserve of the executive and
legislatures.
The court in an expansive interpretation in
V. Markendeya case (1989) recognised the How judicial overreach could be beneficial?
Directive Principles of State Policy as the
conscience of the Constitution which give Supporters of a wide judicial review
shape and meaning to fundamental rights. jurisdiction argue that it sub serves the
rule of law, advances the cause of justice, is
It also expanded human rights jurisprudence consistent with democracy and rules out only
and recognised the citizens right to food, those choices that are obviously unreasonable
health, education and clean environment as
and inconsistent with democracy.
fundamental rights.
IAS Parliament
Why judicial overreach is detrimental? Judges of the Supreme Court and of the
High Courts in the States as the President
Parliamentary democracy is premised on
may deem necessary for the purpose and
the assumption that people exercise their
shall hold office until he attains the age of
sovereignty through elected representatives
sixty-five years. Provided that in the case of
and not through the unelected judges.
appointment of a Judge other than the Chief
Judicial supremacy, judicial excessivism Justice, the CJI shall always be consulted.
or judicial despotism is seen as antithetical Article 217: Every Judge of a High Court
to democracy and contrary to its first shall be appointed by the President.. after
principles. consultation with the CJI, the Governor of
It is argued that representative democracy is the State, and, in the case of appointment
as much a part of the basic structure of the of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the
Constitution as that of the judicial review. Chief Justice of the High Court.
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In some of its recent judgments, the Supreme What is the collegium system?
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Court has itself cautioned against ever It is the system of appointment and transfer
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increasing expectations from it.e.g In Santosh of judges that has evolved through judgments
Singh case (2016), the court declined to of the Supreme Court, and not by an Act
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entertain a PIL seeking a mandamus for the of Parliament or by a provision of the
inclusion of moral science as a compulsory
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Constitution.
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subject.
It is headed by the Chief Justice of India and
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In the NJAC case, Justice J. Chelameswar comprises four other senior most judges of
in his minority judgment stated that To the court.
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assume or assert that judiciary alone is
A High Court collegium is led by its Chief
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concerned with the preservation of liberties
Justice and four other senior most judges
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and does that job well is an assumption that
of that court.
is dogmatic, bereft of evidentiary basis and
Names recommended for appointment
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historically disproved.
by a High Court collegium reaches the
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A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court government only after approval by the CJI
had earlier opined that Parliament and the and the Supreme Court collegium.
legislatures, composed as they are of the
representatives of the people, are supposed Judges of the higher judiciary are appointed
to know and be aware of the needs of the only through the collegium.
people and what is good and bad for them. The governments role is limited to getting an
The Court cannot sit in judgment over their inquiry conducted by the Intelligence Bureau
wisdom. (IB) if a lawyer is to be elevated as a judge.
2.9 Judicial Appointments It can also raise objections but if the
collegium reiterates the same names, the
What are the provisions in the constitution?
government is bound by it.
Judges of the Supreme Court and High
How did the Collegium system evolve?
Courts are appointed by the President under
Articles 124(2) and 217 of the Constitution. First Judges Case
Article 124(2) says: Every Judge of the In S P Gupta VsUOI, 1981, held that the
Supreme Court shall be appointed by the concept of primacy of the Chief Justice
President by warrant under his hand and of India was not really to be found in the
seal after consultation with such of the Constitution.
IAS Parliament
It held that the proposal for appointment It stated that the recommendation should
to a High Court can emanate from any of be made by the CJI and his four senior most
the constitutional functionaries mentioned colleagues.
in Article 217 and not necessarily from the
Chief Justice of the High Court. It also held that Supreme Court judges
who hailed from the High Court for which
The Constitution Bench also held that the the proposed name came, should also be
term consultation used in Articles 124 consulted.
and means that although the President will
consult these functionaries, his decision was It was also held that even if two judges gave
not bound to be in concurrence with all of an adverse opinion, the CJI should not send
them. the recommendation to the government.
The judgment tilted the balance of power in Why has the collegium system been
appointments of judges of High Courts in criticised?
favour of the executive.
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The system is non-transparent.
Second Judges Case
N
It does not involve any official mechanism
In the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record or secretariat.
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Association VsUOI, 1993 overruled the
earlier decision and devised a specific It has no prescribed norms regarding
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procedure called Collegium System. eligibility criteria or even the selection
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procedure.
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The majority verdict accorded primacy to the
CJI in matters of appointment and transfers. There is no public knowledge of how and
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when a collegium meets, and how it takes
The court said that the recommendation
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should be made by the CJI in consultation its decisions.
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with his two senior most colleagues. What happened to the NJAC?
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It added that although it was open to the The government has tried twice to replace
executive to ask the collegium to reconsider,
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the collegium system with a National
the executive was bound to make the
Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)
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appointment.
unsuccessfully both times.
Third Judges Case
The constitutional amendment that sought
In 1998, President K R Narayanan issued a to create the NJAC, which had envisioned a
Presidential Reference to the Supreme Court significant role for the executive in appointing
over the meaning of the term consultation judges in the higher judiciary was declared
under Article 143 of the Constitution as unconstitutional in 2015.
(advisory jurisdiction).
The Bench that held that judges appointments
The question was whether consultation shall continue to be made by the collegium
required consultation with a number of system in which the CJI will have the last
judges in forming the CJIs opinion, or word.
whether the sole opinion of CJI could by itself
constitute a consultation. How are appointments being made now?
In response, the Supreme Court laid T h e c o l l e g i u m h a s b e e n m a k i n g

downguidelines which have come to be the recommendations for appointments and
present form of the collegium. transfer of judges.
IAS Parliament
In the 2015 ruling, the Bench had asked the The Collegiums counter-argument is that
government to draft a newMemorandum of recordings of reasons for overlooking a Chief
Procedure(MoP) after consultation with the Justice or a senior judge will be counter-
CJI. productive as the reasons specified may mar
his/her prospects of being elevated to the
A year later, the MoP is still to be finalised
Supreme Court at a future point of time.
owing to lack of consensus on several fronts
between the judiciary and the government. Judiciary also said that the upto three
judges from baris equivalent to either
What is Memorandum of Procedure?
restricting the intake from the bar or fixing
The court recommended to include eligibility a quota of the bar. And in neither case
criteria, transparency in the appointment does it fall within the framework of the
process, secretariat and complaints while Constitutional provisions.
preparing the MoP.
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The Parliamentary Standing Committee
The proposed MoP had following provisions: on law and justice apprehends that the
N
government may reject any name duly
Seniority & Merit The criteria of seniority,
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approved by the Supreme Court collegium
merit and integrity would be followed.
under the veil of those national security and
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Preference should be given to Chief Justices
larger public interests.
of the High Courts keeping in view their
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inter-se seniority.
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2.10 Addressing Backlog Cases in
Supreme Court
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Reasons in writing In case a senior Chief
Justice being overlooked for elevation to the
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Why in news?
Supreme Court, the reasons for the same be
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recorded in writing. Prime Minister called to create an All India
Judicial Service to expand the judiciary
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Three-judge quota The government
proposed that up to three judges may be What is the current scenario?
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appointed from the Bar or from distinguished
As of March 2016, 27.7 million cases are
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jurists with proven track records.
pending in district and subordinate courts.
Committee & Secretariat To set up an
institutional mechanism and a secretariat 3.9 million cases are pending in different for
that maintains a database of judges, high courts.
schedules Collegium meetings, maintains
Almost 60000 cases are pending in the
records and receives recommendations and Supreme Court.
complaints related to judges postings.
These three tiers of judiciary alone account
National Security The government also
for around 33 million pending cases.
insists on adding a criteriaof national
security and larger public interests Adding pending cases in Tribunals, the
for rejection of recommendation by the total number will be somewhere close to 40
Collegium. million.
What are the issues? What are the reasons for pending cases?
The government is of the view that the No of judges has not been increased to keep
reason in writing is necessary for the sake pace with increasing number of cases being
of transparency and to ensure there is no filed in SC.
favouritism.
IAS Parliament
Vacancies have not been filled in a timely The Indian Supreme Court accepts between
manner, due to tussle between Judiciary 15 per cent and 26 per cent of petitions. This
and Executive to gain upper hand in judicial is too high and represents a hollowing out of
appointments. the lower judiciary.
Number of cases going to Supreme Court Thus, strengthening of the lower Judiciary
using regular appeal provision, has been (computerisation and better case
increasing. management), improving the quality of
judgments being given in lower judiciary &
Absence of Alternate Dispute Resolution
High courts, establishing institutions like
mechanisms have resulted in heavy burden
National Court of Appeal and being more
on Judiciary.
selective on accepting cases, will enable the
Apathy of Government officers: Many Supreme Court to reduce its pending cases
cases that can be sorted out by simple and and to truly serve its role of a Constitutional
innovative executive action, are not resolved court.
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due to apathy of Government offices and they
end up in Courts. This is attested by the 3. STATUTORY, REGULATORY
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fact that, Government is the major litigant AND QUASI-JUDICIAL BODIES
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in courts.
3.1 BCCI Reforms
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What are the recommendations?
What was the issue?
A
The recommendations can be broadly placed
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under the following 3 headings: In May 2013, the Delhi Police arrested three
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players, S Sreesanth, AnkeetChavan and
Supply-side (more courts/judges) - A rigorous AjitChandila of the Rajasthan Royals on
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recruitment process, similar to the All India charges of spot-fixing.
Civil Services Examination, which will ensure
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a gradual supply of talent for elevation to the Gurunath Meiyappan, Team Principal of
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high courts and the Supreme Court. the Chennai Super Kings and son-in-law of
BCCI Chief N Srinivasan was subsequently
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Productivity (better procedures, work norms,
arrested.
shift systems); and
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The case unraveled a nexus between players,
Demand-side (alternative dispute resolution,
bookies, team owners and administrators
curb on government litigation).
involved in financial misappropriation.
First, despite six vacancies, the number of
What is BCCI?
Supreme Court judges has steadily increased
since 1950. There doesnt seem to be a great The Board of Control for Cricket in India
supply-side issue, at least in SC level. (BCCI) is the national governing body for
cricket in India.
Since backlog reduction in the Supreme
Court is probably primarily a function of The board was formed in December 1928 as
demand management, should it hear so a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu
many original and appellate petitions? Societies Registration Act.
The US Supreme Court receives 7,000 to It is a consortium of state cricket associations

8,000 petitions a year and hears (for oral and the state associations select their
evidence) 80. This is around one per cent. representatives who in turn elect the BCCI
officials.
IAS Parliament
BCCI covertly manages its annual revenue of He must be an Indian

`2,000 crore, about half of which is earned Not be above age of 70
by way of broadcast fees of `43 crore per
Not be a minister or government servant,
match, with the rest accruing from the
and
International Cricket Councils fund, gate
fees and miscellaneous sponsorships. Who has not held office in the BCCI for a
cumulative period for nine years.
It dont receive funds from the Government
Tenure: Each office bearer will have a tenure
of India.
of three years and no office bearer can hold
What were Mudgal Committees findings? the office for more than three terms. No office
bearer can hold two terms consecutively.
The Supreme Court appointed a special
committee under Mukul Mudgalto investigate Bringing BCCI under of the purview of RTI
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irregularities in the IPL and BCCI following Act.
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the spot-fixing scandal.
It legalized betting. The panel felt that the
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In November 2014, the Committee found IPL move would help curb corruption in the game
COO, Sundar Raman, CSK Team Principal and recommended that except for players
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Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals and officials, people should be allowed to
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owner Raj Kundra guilty of betting. place bets on registered sites.
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Further, each state is to have only one official
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The report found BCCI Chief N Srinivasan
guilty of not acting against the accused cricket association registered with the BCCI.
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despite knowing their violations. IPL and BCCI are to have separate governing
A
What were Lodha Committees bodies.
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recommendations? Three authorities, an ombudsman for
internal disputes, an ethics officer and an
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In January 2015, the SC appointed a
committee headed by Justice (Retd) RM electoral officer are to be appointed to oversee
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Lodha to determine punishments for those BCCI activities.
named in the Mudgal Committee report and The Lodha committee stated that politicians
to recommend reforms for cricket in India and government officials may not hold posts
particularly suggesting amendments to the in the BCCI.
processes followed by BCCI.
What was BCCIs response?
The Lodha Committee report banned the
The BCCI, in a Special General Meeting,
owners of CSK and RR for life, from taking
unanimously decided to file an affidavit in
part in any BCCI related cricket activities
the Supreme Court opposing the Lodha
in India. Committees recommendations.
The CSK and the RR franchises have been As the Supreme Court finds that the
barred in the IPL for 2 years. BCCI impedes and delays the progress
of implementing the Lodha Panel
Eligibility - As regards the office bearers recommendations, it has ordered to stop
of BCCI president, VP, secretary, joint funding from BCCI to State Associations.
secretary and treasurer certain eligibility
In an interim order it directed the board,
criteria has been fixed. i.e
and the banks, to not allocate funds to those
IAS Parliament
state units which hadnt accepted the Lodha The Union cabinet has proposed an agency
committee recommendations in totality. to collect and maintain water data including
those pertaining to rainfall, irrigation and
This step is to make the BCCI fall in line.
inter-basin flows.
Without money, the states will not be able to
The new agency will ensure that water data
function in the manner that they do and will
is regularly updated and this will obviate
have to give up their unprecedented defiance
the haste to collect data every time there is
of the last few months.
a water dispute.
The apex court also said that contracts above
Tribunal to adjudicate dispute - The cabinet
a certain sum will require the Lodha panels
has also decided to constitute a permanent
approval and that an independent auditor
tribunal to adjudicate on all inter-state water
will scrutinise the BCCIs accounts and fix
disputes over river waters.
this ceiling.
This will mean doing away with the current
It directed the Lodha panel to fix a limit on
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practice of having a separate tribunal for
the value of contracts the board can enter.
every inter-state river dispute.
N
An independent auditor will be appointed,
E
In recent times, the practice of creating a
whose clearance is required for all the high-
tribunal every time an inter-state water
profile contracts, besides fixing the financial
M
dispute crops up, has been subject to
upper limit for every contract.
criticism.
I A
The courts basic contention behind
These tribunals take inordinate amount
appointing the Lodha Committee in January
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of time and do not resolve the problem
2015 to revamp the administration cannot
satisfactorily. The Cauvery Tribunal, for
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be faulted: that the BCCI may be registered
example, took 17 years to give its final award
A
under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration
and the dispute is by no means resolved.
Act, but given the enormous following of the
P
game and the public money it manages, it The cabinets decision to constitute a
cannot be run like any other club or trust. permanent tribunal is in consonance with
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the National Water Policy 2012, which had
3.2 Amendments to the Inter-State
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pointed out that a multiplicity of tribunals
Water Disputes Act militates against the early resolution of water
Why in News? conflicts and tribunals often work at cross
purposes.
Recently, the Union cabinet announced
wide-ranging amendments to the Inter-State What are the shortcomings of ad hoc
Water Disputes Act, 1956. tribunals?
What are the amendments proposed? T h e s h o r t c o m i n g s s t e m s f r o m t h e i r

Constitutional status.
Agency to collect water data - For a country
beset with numerous water conflicts, the The Constitution attaches a special status
salience of this move cannot be overstated. to inter-state water disputes, whereby they
neither fall under the Supreme Courts nor
Collection of data is the first step towards any other courts jurisdiction.
resolving water disputes. The country has
lacked a specialised agency for the purpose. The courts can, at best, interpret a tribunals
award. The award is binding, but legal
IAS Parliament
anomalies have meant that a tribunals The aim of the policy is create game changing
decision is not enforceable one reason strategies for the capital goods sector.
inter-state river disputes have become
The key recommendations and elements of
virtually irresolvable.
the policy have been formulated to support
Non-compliance of tribunal awards by states and boost development of this crucial sector.
remains a weak link in dispute resolution.
The policy has been finalized after extensive
That might persist even when there is a stakeholder consultations with industry,
permanent tribunal. academia, different ministries etc.
What should be done? Some of the key issues addressed include

availability of finance, raw material, innovation
In recent times, scholars and administrators
and technology, productivity, quality
have recognised the limitations of the
T
and environment friendly manufacturing
litigation-centred approach to resolving
practices, promoting exports and creating
N
water disputes.
domestic demand.
E
Rights of lower riparian states or regions
What are its objectives?
and concomitantly duties of upper riparian
M
regions are finding their way into water To increase production of capital goods from
A
management discourses, globally. `2,30,000 crore in 2014-15 to `7,50,000
I
crore in 2025 and raising direct and indirect
An agency to collect water data can aid the
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employment from the current 8.4 million to
development of such a discourse in the
30 million.
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country.
The policy envisages increasing exports
A
A permanent water tribunal too can facilitate
from the current 27 percent to 40 percent
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the just sharing of water resources.
of production.
But it should be free of the legal anomalies
S
It will increase the share of domestic
of its ad hoc predecessors and also try to
production in Indias demand from 60
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work around the changing discourse of water
percent to 80 percent thus making India a
management.
net exporter of capital goods.
4. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND The policy also aims to facilitate improvement
INTERVENTIONS in technology depth across sub-sectors,
4.1 National Capital Goods Policy increase skill availability, ensure mandatory
2016 standards and promote growth and capacity
building of MSMEs.
What is National Capital Goods Policy?
The objectives of the policy will be met by
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry
National Capital Goods Policy. of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises
in a time bound manner through obtaining
This is first ever policy for Capital Goods
approval for schemes as per the roadmap of
sector.
policy interventions.
National Capital Goods Policy was first
Why we need such a policy?
presented by the Department of Heavy
Industry to the Prime Minister in the Make I n d i a s m a n u f a c t u r i n g c o n t r i b u t e s
in India workshop held in December, 2014. approximately 2 percent of the worlds
IAS Parliament
gross value added and 17 percent for its own What are the eligibility criteria?
economy. To sustain its economic growth
Eligibility to get rights under the Act is
over the coming decades, manufacturing is
confined to those who primarily reside in
identified as critical and also a prerequisite to
forests and who depend on forests and forest
employ millions of youth entering its labour
land for a livelihood.
market every year.
Further, either the claimant must be a
In a draft submitted in 2015, capital goods
member of the Scheduled Tribes scheduled
sector was reported to contribute 12 percent
in that area or must have been residing in
of Indias manufacturing output, in turn
the forest for 75 years.
translating into 2 percent of Indias gross
domestic product (GDP). What are the rights conferred?
Its multiplier effect on overall economic Right to hold and live in the forest land under
growth, by way of providing the durable the individual or common occupation for
habitation or for self-cultivation for livelihood
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secondary consumption goods, was noted
as significant. by a member or members of a forest dwelling
N
Scheduled Tribe or other traditional forest
A globally competitive and dynamic capital
E
dwellers.
goods sector is to bear a similar effect on
Indias manufacturing. Community rights such as nistar.
A M
What are the advantages? Right of ownership, access to collect, use,
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and dispose of minor forest produce( includes
The Policy will help in realising the vision of
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all non-timber forest produce of plant origin).
Building India as the World class hub for
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Capital Goods. Right to protect, regenerate or conserve or
manage any community forest resource
A
It will also play a pivotal role in overall which they have been traditionally protecting.
P
manufacturing as the pillar of strength to
the vision of Make in India. Right of access to biodiversity and community
S
right to intellectual property and traditional
It also advocates adoption of a uniform Goods knowledge related to biodiversity and
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and Services Tax (GST) regime ensuring cultural diversity.
effective GST rate across all capital goods
sub-sectors competitive with import duty What is the process of recognition?
after set-off with a view to ensure a level- The Act provides that the gram sabha,
playing field. or village assembly, will initially pass a
resolution recommending whose rights to
4.2 The Scheduled Tribes and
which resources should be recognised.
Other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, This resolution is then screened and
2006 approved at the level of the sub-division and
subsequently at the district level.
Why FRA?
The screening committees consist of three
The aim of the act was to ensure recognition
government officials (Forest, Revenue and
of the rights of the forest dwellers and also
Tribal Welfare departments) and three
involve the traditional forest dwellers in
elected members of the local body at that
conservation of forests and biodiversity.
level. They also hear appeals.
IAS Parliament
What are the provisions for resettlement? T h e i n d i v i d u a l r i g h t s t r u m p e d o v e r

community rights. According to these
People can be resettled from areas if it is found
statistics from the report on FRA, people are
to be necessary for wildlife conservation.
predictably keen to claim individual rights as
The first step is to show that relocation this enables them to encash real estate and
is scientifically necessary and no other other financial opportunities.
alternative is available.
The effectiveness of the act lies in the
The second step is that the local community implementation, which largely depends
must consent to the resettlement. on the inclination of the forest officials to
Finally, the resettlement must provide not implement the act in its spirit.
only compensation but a secure livelihood. 4.3 One Rank One Pension
What are the issues?
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Why in News?
Inclusion of Other Traditional Forest
N
The ex-servicemen groups demanding
Dwellers diluted the law by taking the
unconditional One Rank One Pension
E
focus away from the Scheduled Tribes who
(OROP) have resumed their protest at Delhis
have a symbiotic relationship of the tribals
M
JantarMantar. It had been called off six
with forest, which was the original intent
months ago after assurances from Defence
A
of the 2005 Bill. Tribals have emotional,
Minister ManoharParrikar.
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psychological and cultural attachments with
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the forest and they always lived in the forest What is OROP?
and cannot be separated from forests. The
R
same is not be said of the other traditional It seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is
paid to the defence personnel retiring in the
A
forest dwellers i.e. non tribals, who turn to
forests only for livelihood. same rank with the same length of service,
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irrespective of their date of retirement.
The cut-off date to qualify for holding of
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rights was initially prescribed as 25 October What are the current issues?
1980. It was changed to 13 December 2005.
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As for the implementation status, about
Tribal activists feel that it was meant to
Rs.5,500crore had been disbursed; of the
benefit the other traditional forest dwellers,
roughly 20.6 lakh pensioners, only one lakh
who are required to prove that they have
are still to get the money.
been occupying the forestland for three
generations as laid down in the Act. These are the following difficulties
The cap of 4 hectares in the land entitlement Financial - The scheme is effective July
of actual occupation. This provision hurts 1, 2014, with 2013 as the base year. The
those Scheduled Tribe families who have veterans wanted OROP from April 1, 2014
ancestral land in excess of 4 hectares. and 2015 as the base year.
There is no provision of compensation for
surrendering extra land. The veterans wanted to take the highest pay
scale of 2013 for revising pension and not the
The Forest Act overlooked the thousands of
average of the maximum and minimum as
pending cases against the forest dwellers
intended by the government and not to link
for minor offences. Although the Act confers
the OROP with the Seventh Pay Commission.
them the right over minor forest produce,
it has no provision for dropping the cases Implementing OROP will cost the government
against the poor tribals. at least an estimated Rs. 8,300 crore
IAS Parliament
annually and the Finance Ministry has to The contracting states will have to cooperate
take the final call on it now. with each other in expeditiously sending
back the runaway parent and the child to
Administrative The records going back
the country of the childs habitual residence.
further than 25 years were no longer
available which is a major administrative However, a return order would not decide
difficulty in introducing the concept. the issue of custody but would only ensure
If todays pension and emoluments are that the custody battle is settled in the
passed automatically to someone who jurisdiction of the country where the child
retired 30 years ago, there will be inherent has lived for most part of his life.
discrimination against terms and conditions What is the need for the bill in India?
of service which would lead to discrimination
under the Constitution. In the absence of a domestic law on inter-
parental child abduction in India, very often
Setting precedent - There is also the
children of NRIs who have grown up abroad
likelihood of civilian employees raising the
T
become silent victims of their parents marital
demand for OROP.
dispute when they are forcibly brought back
N
The government has proposed a review of by one of the parents.
E
every five years. The veterans want an annual
What are the provisions of the Draft Bill?
review.
M
There is still no clarity on the criteria of The draft Bill would be applicable to all such
A
premature retirement. Around 40% opt to cases of inter-country parental abductions
I
take premature retirement because they are where a child, less than 16 years old, is
L
not promoted and have to work on the same taken away from India by one of the parents
without the consent of the other.
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rank till their compulsory retirement.
A
The another issue is that the long delay in The draft law mandates setting up of a
the implementation of the OROP. Around 2 central authority, to be headed by a joint
P
million military personnel covered under the secretary level officer, where an aggrieved
OROP scheme. The arrears are to be paid parent can approach for the return of a child.
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in four half-yearly instalments. Only first
The authority would have the power to decide
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instalment has been completely paid so far.
all such cases.
4.4 Child Abduction Draft Bill
Makes an exception only in cases where the
Why in news? child has been taken away with consent or
The ministry of women and child development where returning the child poses some kind
(WCD) has been working on an Act to bring of grave risk to him or her.
Indian law in line with the Hague Convention What are the factors to be considered?
on the Civil Aspects of International Child
Abduction, 1980. In a majority of the cases, such children who
have adapted to the culture of the country
What is Hague Convention?
they are residing, find it difficult to cope up,
Hague Abduction Convention is a multilateral when brought to India.
treaty that provides an expeditious procedure
S i g n i n g t h e c o n v e n t i o n w i l l e n s u r e
to return a child internationally abducted
enforcement of custody orders of foreign
by a parent from one member country to
courts. Presently, a parent takes advantage
another.
of the absence of a domestic law and knows
IAS Parliament
if he/she brings the child to India it will be 5. SOCIAL JUSTICE

difficult to enforce the custody order of a
foreign court. 5.1 State of Jails
The draft Bill proposes to have a central Why in news?

authority to decide all child removal cases
and present before the high court, with its The eight alleged SIMI terrorists who were
recommendations. But to find the child, killed by Madhya Pradesh Police on Monday
the coordination mechanism between law hours after they had broken out of Bhopal
enforcement, the legal process and this new Central Jail.
body is not clear. What is the status according to NCRB?
A 2014 Berkeley University study for the US
Jail staff vacancies severely compromise jail
Justice Department, records that a lot of
T
security.
women are fleeing unfavourable conditions.
N
Forcing them to go back is not the solution. According to the latest data on prisons,
published by the National Crime Records
E
What are the recommendations by Law
Bureau (NCRB) for 2015, there is a vacancy
Commission?
M
of 33% among prison guards, and 36%
Recommends adding jail sentence (1 year among officers.
A
jail term) and making the absconding parent
I
pay for related proceedings - including the As many as 200 inmates escaped both in
L
cost of search, if the child is found to have jailbreaks and from custody while outside
prison premises across the country in
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been wrongfully removed from her habitual
location. 2015.
A
Prisons across the country are facing a severe
P
The Law Commission only makes an
exception in cases where the parent, involved staff crunch with over 27,000 vacancies
against the sanctioned strength of a little
S
in the alleged wrongful removal or retention,
did so in an attempt to escape from any over 80,000.
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act of domestic violence. This provision
Bihar and Jharkhand, have the most poorly
is specifically aimed at protecting women
guarded jails. Both states have over 65%
fleeing domestic violence.
vacancy among officers, staff and jail guards.
What are its shortcomings? Bihar, along with Rajasthan, also has the
highest vacancy among officers, at 71%.
Majority of those fleeing with children
are women, it is not clear whether the Madhya Pradesh, which also witnessed
penalisation, if findings of violence or abuse a similar jailbreak by three alleged SIMI
are inconclusive. activists of the same group in 2013, has a
vacancy of 28%.
A subsection allows for refusal to return the
child to non-conducive situations - But no Delhi has some of the most overcrowded jails
further explanation is given of what these in the country, housing over 220 inmates for
might be. every 100 that it should be having.
The recommendations do not safeguard the UP, which has the highest number of
rights of the weaker party a person unable prisoners and sanctioned strength of jail staff
to cover costs of litigation abroad. and officers, faces a vacancy of 33%.
IAS Parliament
What is the State of Muslims? Even if there is only one truth, it may have
a hundred facets.
Muslims make up 15.8% of all convicts and
20.9% of all undertrials in jails across the What is its significance?
country. This is higher than their share in
the countrys population, which is 14.2%. An unmistakable feature of any nation which
professes to be democratic is the prevalence
In some states, this gap is even far wider. of tolerance.
In Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the Tolerance is vital because it promotes the
percentage of Muslims in the incarcerated receiving or acknowledging of new ideas and
population was almost thrice the percentage this helps to break the status quo mentality.
of Muslims in the overall population.
It is particularly needed in large and
In states such as West Bengal, Gujarat and complex societies comprising people with
Rajasthan, Muslims have almost double the varied beliefs, as in India. This is because
share of undertrial populations in prisons readiness to tolerate views other than ones
T
than their share in the populations of the own facilitates harmonious coexistence.
N
states.
What are the ill effects of intolerance?
E
It is also important to compare these figures
with those of Muslim convicts languishing Intolerance stems from a strong assumption
M
in jails across states. A bigger gap between of the infallibility and truth of ones beliefs,
the two figures would show that while more
A
the rigid conviction about the rightness
I
Muslims are being booked in such states, of ones beliefs and their superiority over
they are not being convicted for lack of others.
L
evidence.
R
With the passage of time, this leads to forcible
Caste-based analysis shows that 34% of the imposition of ones ideology on others, often
A
convicts belong to the general category, while resulting in violence.
P
31.2% belong to the OBC category. Also,
21% belong to the scheduled castes, while At present, the virus of intolerance has
acquired global dimensions. Religious and
S
14% belonged to the schedule tribes. Almost
similar is the case for undertrial prisoners. political persecution has become rampant
IA
and curiously that too sometimes in the
Tamil Nadu also tops in use of preventive name of God Almighty or some Divine Power.
detention law with 1,268 detenues held
across the State in 2015. Intolerance has a chilling, inhibiting effect on
freedom of thought and discussion.
5.2 A Duty of Tolerance
Galileo suffered for his theory that the sun
What is tolerance?
was the centre of the solar system and not
It refers to the conditional acceptance of the earth. Darwin was a victim of intolerance
or non-interference with beliefs, actions or and was lampooned and considered an
practices that one considers to be wrong but enemy of religion for his seminal work, The
still tolerable, such that they should not be Origin of Species.
prohibited or constrained.
Nearer home we have the example of Raja
Disagreement with the belief and ideology Ram Mohan Roy, whose efforts for reform,
of others is no reason for their suppression, especially for the abolition of Sati, evoked
because there can be more than one path for fierce opposition because of intolerance.
the attainment of truth and salvation.
IAS Parliament
We must not revert to those dark days students did not hold their beliefs idly or out
because when that happens democracy is of any unpatriotic sentiment but because
under siege. they truly believed that their religion forbade
singing the national anthem of any country. It
An intolerant society does not brook dissent. concluded: Our tradition teaches tolerance;
Suppression of dissent by censorship is an our philosophy preaches tolerance; our
indispensable instrument for an intolerant Constitution practices tolerance. Let none
authoritarian regime. dilute it.
What are the legal backings for tolerance? Fundamental duty calls to promote harmony
and the spirit of common brotherhood
The necessity for tolerance has been
amongst all the people of India transcending
internationally recognised.
religious, linguistic and regional or sectional
The Preamble to the Charter of the United diversities
T
Nations proclaims that to achieve the goals What is the way ahead?
N
of the Charter we need to practice tolerance
and live together in peace with one another At present, the virus of intolerance has
E
as good neighbours. acquired global dimensions. Religious and
political persecution has become rampant
M
Another significant UN instrument is the and curiously that too sometimes in the
A
Declaration of November 25, 1981 on the name of God Almighty or some Divine Power.
I
Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance
A liberal democracy accepts the fact that in a
L
and of Discrimination Based on Religion or
free country, one can have different opinions
Belief which emphasises that it is essential
R
and should have equal rights in voicing
to promote tolerance and requires states to them. This is pluralism, and tolerance is its
A
adopt all necessary measures for the speedy ultimate rationale.
P
elimination of intolerance in all its forms and
manifestations. Therefore the practice of tolerance should be
the most fundamental duty of every citizen
S
The Supreme Court promptly in a landmark to curb the growing menace of intolerance.
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decision in the case regarding the screening
5.3 Transgender Option in Railway
of the film Ore Oru Gramathiley, laid down
Reservation
an extremely important principle: Freedom
of expression protects not merely ideas that Why in news?
are accepted but those that offend, shock
The Railways and Indian Railways Catering
or disturb the state or any sector of the
and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC)
population. Such are the demands of the
have included transgender/third gender as
pluralism, tolerance and broad mindedness a gender option alongside males and females
without which there is no democratic in the Railway Ticket Reservation Forms.
society.
The inclusion is in compliance with a April
Supreme Courts judgment in another case 2014 judgment of the Supreme Court of
- Bijoe Emmanuel vs. State of Kerala is also India in the case of National Legal Services
significant. Students belonging to the faith, Authority (NALSA) vs. Union of India.
Jehovahs Witnesses, stood up when the
national anthem was sung to show their What was the case about?
respect but declined to sing along. The The Lawyers Collective, a NGO had filed an
students were expelled. The Supreme Court intervention, on behalf of Ms.Laxmi Narayan
reversed the decision and observed that the Tripathy, a Hijra/transgender activist.
IAS Parliament
Sheseeked recognition of self-identified 5.4 National e- Health Authority

gender of persons, either as male/female/
third gender, based on their choice. Why in news?
The Government of India is now scheduled
The petitioner alleged violation of Article
to launch the National e-Health Authority
14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of
India by the IRCTC, by non-inclusion of (NeHA).
transgender/third gender as a gender A regulatory body, tasked with overseeing
option in its reservation forms. the digitisation of health information, NeHA
They also demanded special coaches and holds great promise.
reserved seats for the transgender community Our location, phone book, camera, voice,
in all trains, for their care and protection. fingerprints, and even our habits and
The NALSA in its petition had also sought movements are all being tracked.
several directions from the Supreme Court. This is facilitated through so-called
It includes
T
application programming interfaces or APIs
1. Granting of equal rights and protection that allow sets of databases or software to
N
to transgender persons communicate with each other.
E
2. Inclusion of a third category in recording
What are the advantages?
M
ones sex/gender in identity documents Healthcare APIs would allow the doctors iPad
to talk to the chemists cash register, and
A
3. Admission in educational institutions,
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hospitals, among others. lab tests to communicate with the hospitals
database.
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What was the judgment?
With selected access to healthcare data,
R
The apex court directed the Centre and the thousands of apps could be developed for
A
State governments to recognise transgender patients, doctors, researchers, and policy
as the third sex.
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makers
It also directed to provide them with the An app to remind mothers to vaccinate their
S
benefits accorded to socially and economically children, push notifications to remind you to
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backward classes. take your medication, or
The Bench observed that the non-existence An alert that you are traveling to an epidemic
of law recognising transgender as the third belt.
gender could not be continued to be relied
Scientists could search through hundreds of
on as a ground to discriminate them in
availing equal opportunities in education millions of records to find cures and validate
and employment. current practices,
Policymakers would be able to conduct
It said the Centre and the State governments
should disease surveillance and formulate public
health interventions, clinicians and patients
1. Develop social welfare schemes for the would have timely access to their records.
transgender community.
What are the challenges?
2. Run public awareness campaigns to
This seemingly utopian health information
erase the social stigma attached to them,
apart from considering carving out job ecosystem is not without rather obvious
reservations for them. challenges
IAS Parliament
The poor uptake of electronic records by What is the current scenario?

doctors in India
In India, one pregnant woman dies every 12
The lack of inter-operability between systems minutes, with 45,000 dying each year. Of
and devices, and them, less than one in five (19.7%) undergo
pre-natal health checks.
The legitimate concern for privacy, security
India is committed to work towards achieving
and safety of medical data are all formidable
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
barriers.
in maternal and child healthcare.
Any health information architecture proposed With the implementation of several schemes,
by NeHA must therefore hardwire technical significant progress was observed in the
or legal solutions to these challenges. maternal health care service indicators like
institutional deliveries and Ante Natal Care
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(ANC) coverage.
N
First, to get doctors to adopt electronic As per latest data of the Rapid Survey on
E
medical records (EMRs), any proposed Children (2013 14), the institutional
systems must be easy to use and affordable. deliveries in India are 78.7%.
M
Careful attention must be paid to human- With the objective to provide quality ANC
A
centered design and data minimisation to every pregnant woman the Government
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(collecting only the data you need). has launched the PMSMA, a fixed day ANCs
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given every month across the country which
The very lack of entrenched legacy EMRs in in turn can avoid many preventable deaths.
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India provides a unique greenfield to mandate
What is PMSMA?
A
an API-based ecosystem incorporating inter-
operability and standardisation at inception.
P
The primary objective of the programme is
to identify and initiate follow-up actions on
But the easier the data flow between entities,
S
high-risk pregnancies to reduce maternal
the greater the potential for abuse. Inter-
mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality
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operability will need more than law and
rate (IMR).
mandates.
Under the campaign, a minimum package
Substantial intellectual rigour must be of antenatal care services is to be provided
devoted to building safeguards to protect the to the beneficiaries on the 9th day of every
most vulnerable the patients. month under PMSMA Clinics to ensure that
every pregnant woman receives at least
The new law accompanying NeHA is expected
one checkup in the 2nd/ 3rd trimester of
to explicitly rest data ownership with the
pregnancy.
patients.
The scheme also encourages obstetricians-
5.5 Pradhan Mantri Surakshit gynaecologists (OBGY) and physicians
Matritva Abhiyan from the private sector and retired OBGY
specialists to provide voluntary services at
Why in news? designated public health facilities.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare It also launched the PSMA Web Portal & a
recently launched Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Mobile Application along with the 360 degree
Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) scheme which communication package to raise awareness
aims to reduce IMR and MMR. about the campaign.
IAS Parliament
The programme will provide special free Awareness about cleanliness of domestic
antenatal care to pregnant women. surroundings and environment.
This will ensure identification of high risk Provide medical aid/incidental support in
status like anemia, gestational diabetes, the adopted Colonies/villages.
hypertension and infection etc.
Documentation of demographic information,
These services including ultrasound, blood food habits, hygiene conditions, seasons,
and urine tests will be provided in addition lifestyle etc., incidence/prevalence of disease
to the routine antenatal check-ups at the and their relation to the incidence of disease.
identified health facility in both rural and
urban areas. Assessment of health status and propagation
of Ayurvedic concept of pathya-apathya and
Those pregnant women with unwanted extension of health care services.
pregnancies need to be provided with
safe abortion care services after proper What are the initiatives taken so far?
counselling.
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Developed banners, hoardings, posters,
handouts in Hindi, English and 07 regional
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A Mother and Child Protection cards has
been provided with a sticker indicating the languages.
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condition and risk factor of the pregnant SwasthyaRakshan OPDs organized in
women.(eg: Green Sticker no risk factor
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each village on weekly basis for providing
detected, Red Sticker high risk pregnancy) treatment for various disease conditions.
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Scheme targets women who have not received SwasthyaParikshan Camps organized on
or dropped out of ANC check-ups and a
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weekly basis.
minimum package of medicines such as IFA
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(Iron and folic acid)and calcium supplements Survey is undertaken in the identified
would be provided to all pregnant women villages to identify prevalent diseases.
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attending the PMSMA clinics.
Individual Health screening of people have
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Before leaving the facility every pregnant been done.
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women to be counselled, may be individually
For Health Promotion and health education,
or in groups, on nutrition, rest, safety, birth
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mass campaigning through rallies,
preparedness, identification of danger signs,
NukkadNataks focussing on personal,
institutional delivery and Post partum
environmental and social hygiene are being
Family Planning ( PPFP ) .
for creating awareness about hygiene.
5.6 Swasthya Raksha Programme
5.7 Indias Response to Global
Why in news? Health Challenges
Swasthya Raksha Programme was launched What are the reasons for new health
by the AYUSH Ministry to promote health challenges?
and health education in selected districts/
Changing weather conditions, shifting
villages.
agricultural patterns and ever-increasing
What are the objectives of the program? man-animal conflicts.
To organize Swasthya Rakshan Out Patient Increasingly interconnected world, with

Departments (OPD), SwasthyaParikshan frequent and easy movement of people and
Camps and Health/Hygiene awareness goods among the global nations is largely
programme. aiding the spread of diseases.
IAS Parliament
What are the instances? What is Indias role?

Japanese encephalitis (JE) outbreak India has played its part in the global fight
in Malkangiri district: While JE is not against HIV by providing cheap antiretroviral
uncommon in this part of the world, it is not treatment.
endemic to Odisha either. The first outbreak
in Odisha was in 1989 in Rourkela city. India been contributing greatly in making
Sporadic cases were reported between 1992 cheap generic medicines available globally.
and 1995, and in 2012, there was another We have been a major contributor to global
major outbreak in Malkangiri. pool of talented medical professionals.
Dengue epidemics have become so common
India has had some major successes such
that they barely raise an eyebrow. Until
as containing HIV infections and leprosy and
1970, it was limited to about half-a-dozen
eradicating polio, which offer valuable lessons
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countries. Today, severe dengue outbreaks
in public health management, particularly to
have been reported by more than 100
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poor countries with inadequate healthcare
countries.
infrastructure.
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Chikungunya, which was first isolated in
At the same time, there are also limitations
M
Tanzania in the early 1950s, has in the past
decade spread across Africa and Asia. In particularly with the vertical model for
A
India, chikungunya was initially reported in disease control (specific programmes for
I
1973 and then it disappeared for the next specific diseases)which do not allow for an
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30 years. In 2006, India suffered a major integrated approach.
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chikungunya outbreak. This year, India had Only the anti-malaria programme has been
a Chikungunya outbreak with more than converted into a more broad-based National
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12,250 cases from across the country. Vector Borne Disease Control Programme,
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Zika Virus: The virus was first isolated in which includes interventions against other
Uganda in 1947 and for many years after vector-borne infectious diseases such as
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that, only sporadic human infections were dengue and chikungunya.
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reported. In 2007, the virus caused an
T h e s e s t e p s m u s t b e f o l l o w e d b y
epidemic in Micronesia, followed by another
comprehensive review and restructuring
epidemic in French Polynesia in 2013-14.
of the healthcare system with a focus on
2015 saw a Zika virus epidemic in South
upgrading primary healthcare centres,
American countries.
manned by a well-trained cadre of health
What is the role of International professionals.
organisations?
5.8 New Litigation Policy
Traditionally, the World Health Organization
has been the leader in global public health Why in news?
issues but a funding crunch has tied its On the occasion of the Delhi High Courts
hands for many years now. golden jubilee in October, the Prime
Steadily, the US Center for Disease Control Minister broached the problem of excessive
(among a few other organizations) is rising government litigation.
to the challenge. A good example here is
The Supreme Court, since the 1970s,
the US government-funded HIV prevention
has berated successive governments for
programme, the worlds largest state-
being callous and mechanical in pursuing
sponsored global health programme.
litigation.
IAS Parliament
What is the need for a litigation policy? 5.9 Child Abuse

Government litigation reportedly constitutes What constitutes Child Abuse?
nearly half of all litigation in the Indian
judiciary. Child abuse has many forms: physical,
emotional, sexual, neglect, and exploitation.
Government litigation entails huge sum from Any of these that are potentially or actually
the public exchequer every year. harmful to a childs health, survival, dignity
and development are abuse.
It has contributed to judicial backlog, thus
affecting justice delivery in India. Violence may take place in homes, schools,
orphanages, residential care facilities, on the
A litigation policy can have a profound effect
streets, in the workplace, in prisons and in
on how the government thinks about itself
places of detention.
as a litigant, and can help curb the problem,
provided it is a constructed with a thorough It affects the normal development of a child
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understanding of the problem and offers impairing their mental, physical and social
N
solutions based on evidence rather than being. In extreme cases abuse of a child can
conjecture. result in death.
What are NLP 2010s shortcomings?
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What are its manifestations?
M
A
Government had launched a National Physical abuse: When a child has been
I
Litigation Policy (NLP) in 2010 to transform physically harmed due to action or lack of
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the government into a responsible and action (bystanders not helping) by another
efficient litigant. person.
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The NLP 2010 fails to provide a yardstick
A
Emotional abuse: Failure to provide a
for determining responsibility and efficiency. supportive environment for a child, so that
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they may develop a full and healthy range of
The policy states that there should be greater
emotional abilities.
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accountability regarding governmental
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litigation, and mandates suitable action Sexual abuse is engaging a child in any sexual
against officials violating this policy. activity that he/she does not understand or
cannot give informed consent for or is not
However, the text does not define this
physically, mentally or emotionally prepared
suitable action, or prescribe any method to
for.
conduct any disciplinary proceedings.
Neglect or negligent treatment is purposeful
The policy creates Empowered Committees
omission of some or all developmental needs
at the national and regional levels, to
of the child by a caregiver with the intention
regulate the implementation of the policy.
of harming the child.
But there is ambiguity about their role and
powers, resulting in lack of transparency in Exploitation can be commercial or otherwise,
their functioning. where by the child is used for some form of
labour, or other activity that is beneficial
The NLP 2010 also lacks any form of impact
for others. Example: child labour or child
assessment to evaluate actual impact on
prostitution.
reducing government litigation.
IAS Parliament
What are the problems with Child Abuse child protection is a primary responsibility
in India? of the family, supported by community,
government and civil society
It is largely a hidden problem. Numbers of
cases of child abuse in the home are hard Prevention of children from Sexual Offences
to attain because most of these crimes go (POCSO Act 2012): specifically address the
unreported. issue of sexual offences committed against
children.
Focus with regards to abuse has generally
been in the more public domain such as child Thus, a comprehensive approach has to be
labour, prostitution, marriage, etc. Intra- developed and implemented in letter and
family abuse or abuse that takes place in spirit to protect the children from abuse and
institutions such as schools or government uphold their rights.
homes has received minimal attention.
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6. GOVERNANCE,
In most cases, the families themselves are TRANSPARENCY AND
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not supportive to the child on account of ACCOUNTABILITY
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misplaced notions of family honour or that 6.1 Ways to Measure Governance
they have not taught the child to understand
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and then express any violations. Why in news?
A
A recent study adopts the statist interpretation
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What should be the approach to protect?
of governance and develops a measure of the
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Community approach: Increase awareness quality of governance as service delivery.
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and promote participation of community
including civil society in protecting children What are the conceptions of Governance?
A
from abuse. The idea of governance range from a simple,
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Empowerment approach: Empowerment of statist interpretation that governance is
what governments do, to a much wider
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Children through provision of Healthcare
(including psychological support), education interpretation of governance as the way in
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coupled with skills. which individuals, groups and institutions,
both public and private, manage their affairs
Legal approach: Provide protection from and resolve conflicts of interest in an orderly
abuse through legal provisions. manner.
What are the legal protections available? What are the findings of the study?
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) The quality of governance as service delivery
Act 2000 established a framework for is measured using the overall Governance
protection of, both children in need of care Performance Index (GPI).
and protection and for children in contact
The GPI is used to rate and rank the
with the law.
governance performance of major states in
National Commission for Protection of Child India in 2001-02 and 2011-12.
Rights (NCPCR) was established by the
It uses a common scaling technique to
Government of India in March 2007 by an
aggregate a set of 14 indicators that are
Act of Parliament.
based exclusively on official factual data, not
Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) perceptions or opinions drawn from samples
2008 - The guiding principles recognize that of respondents.
IAS Parliament
The literature points out the strong correlation infrastructure, efficient administrative
between the level of development and quality processes, etc, for private enterprise-led
of service delivery, which biases the GPI development.
towards more developed states.
In the other path, seen in less developed
We correct for this bias by using an alternative states such as Bihar, governments play the
Development Adjusted Governance Index dominant role in development since private
(DAGI). enterprise is quite weak.
Two main features that stand out from Governments need to drive both public
composite GPI and DAGI ranks are the investment-led growth as well as social
relative stability of the composition of the development. It is a moot question whether
best- and the worst-performing states, and this government-led path of development will
the sharp changes that appear when the enable these less developed states to catch
rankings are adjusted to control for the up with the developed states; whether there
impact of development. will be convergence or divergence across
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Indian states in the years ahead.
Five of the six best-performing states in
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The central government and Finance
2001 remained the best performing in 2011:
E
Commissions have a key equalising role in
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
this context. But whether such equalising
Kerala and Punjab
M
interventions will be sufficient for catch-up
At the other end, four of the six worst- is not clear.
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performing states in 2001 remained the worst
If not, regional disparities will continue
performing in 2011: Odisha, Jharkhand,
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to widen, with potentially severe political
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
consequences.
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Adjusting the rankings for development 6.2 Protection for RTI Activists
A
impact (DAGI) results in some sharp changes
Why in news?
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in relative ranks. Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and
Chhattisgarh are the biggest gainers, going Recently RTI activist Bhupendra Vira,
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up by 11, eight and seven ranks respectively. who used the Right to Information (RTI)
Act to unearth information about illegal
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Conversely, Gujarat and Kerala drop by five
construction, was shot after the information
ranks each, and Uttarakhand and Assam,
led the police to file charges against a
by four ranks each.
politician and his son.
T h u s , i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e q u a l i t y o f
What are the objectives of the RTI?
administrative inputs, a positive or negative
development legacy seems to have a strong The basic object of the Right to Information
cumulative impact on the quality of service Act is to empower the citizens, promote
delivery. transparency and accountability in the
working of the Government, contain
What are the paths to development? corruption, and make our democracy work
This has led to the emergence of two quite for the people in real sense.
distinct paths of development in the more It goes without saying that an informed
and less developed states. citizen is better equipped to keep necessary
In the former, state governments mainly vigil on the instruments of governance and
play an enabling role, providing good make the government more accountable to
the governed.
IAS Parliament
The Act is a big step towards making the What is the issue?
citizens informed about the activities of the
Government. The murders and assaults make it evident
that people seeking information under the
The right to information is considered a basic RTI Act are not adequately protected by the
human right in international law. government even though several remedies
have been suggested.
The UN Commission on Human Rights
These range from keeping the names and
says: Access to information is basic to
personal details of applicants confidential to
the democratic way of life. The tendency to
putting the requested information directly in
withhold information from people at large is
the public domain, assuming, of course, that
to be strongly checked.
the request is considered fair.
The RTI Act was enacted in 2005. Over four
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There is also merit in putting information
million RTI applications are filed every year. directly in the public domain as it obviates
N
duplication of applications, at the same time
D e s p i t e u n d e r - s t a f f e d i n f o r m a t i o n
E
protecting applicants who need not expose
commissions, and delays, the RTI Act has themselves as targets while publicising the
empowered citizens to hold officials and
M
information. Direct publication would also
politicians accountable. prevent the misuse of the RTI Act as a tool
A
for blackmail.
I
It has exposed many scams such as the
L
Adarsh Housing scam in Mumbai. As things stand, the RTI format requires
the applicant to provide his complete name
R
The information has often exposed the and postal address. There is legal ambiguity
A
nexus among politicians, bureaucrats and about the need to keep personal details
businessmen. confidential.
P
India does not have a specific privacy law, or In practice, the RTI request is often passed
S
a data protection Act. around among relevant government
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departments with all the applicants details
What is the situation of RTI activists? becoming public.
Since the Act came into force in 2005, at least In the analogous UKs Freedom of Information
51 individuals, including 17 women, have Act, applicants names are always blanked
been murdered and another five persons out, even in communications between
allegedly driven to suicide by harassment in government departments and in public
assaults linked to seeking information under uploads of responses to queries.
the RTI Act. What is the view of Judiciary?
This is in addition to the hundreds of cases The Calcutta High Court has suggested
where applicants and their families have that RTI applicants need not disclose any
been assaulted, harassed and threatened. personal details, other than, say, a post office
box number, or an anonymous email id, as
Maharashtra, with 10 such murders, and a point of contact.
Gujarat, with eight, lead the states where
such incidents have occurred, but there has The court said: It would be the solemn duty
been violence against RTI activists all over of the authorities to hide such information
so that people at large would not know of the
India.
applicants personal details.
IAS Parliament
However, this suggestion is not binding in NPDSA is being brought out with a view to
law. empowering the citizens to secure access to
information (non-strategic data) under the
What are the provisions of Whistleblowers control of public authority which further
Protection Act? leads to the transparency and accountability
Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011 is in the every public authority.
an Act of the Parliament of India which What is Open-data policy?
provides a mechanism to investigate alleged
corruption and misuse of power by public The government generates a lot of data,
servants and also protect anyone who which many people can use for various
exposes alleged wrongdoing in government purposes.
bodies, projects and offices. Centres open data platform which comprises
Whistle blowers Protection Act pending in over 42,000 databases which are currently
the Rajya Sabha has many amendments that available on a web platform includes those
such as revenue realised by Centre from
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prohibit the reporting of corruption-related
road transport released by the Ministry of
disclosures under 10 different categories.
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Road Transport & Highway, annual crime
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This would dilute the RTI Act in scope. databases released by the Ministry of Home
Moreover, the Whistleblowers Act does not Affairs.
M
provide explicit privacy and protection to RTI
India is among the top 10 countries in the
applicants.
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world in terms of putting out its data on the
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This is one of many areas where the need open data platform. So, people can conceive
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for a specific privacy law and data protection a large number of applications and services
law is acute. The RTI Act was a huge from this data.
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improvement in transparency of governance. Till now the data available on the platform
A
But instead of following through to strengthen data.gov.in was permitted for use only by
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the RTI Act and protect applicants, academics and government institution.
successive governments have tried to dilute
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Under the new policy Commercial entities
its provisions. including start-ups will be allowed to create
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commercial value added services based on
6.3 Open Data Policy
this data.
Why in news?
For an example of a value-added service that
The Centre is going to notify a policy on open could be offered using one of the databases.
data to put more data in the public domain, Some private entity could offer a list of past
allowing individuals to build apps or services owners for someone wanting to buy a used
for commercial purposes. car for a fee, based on the vehicle registration
data available on the portal.
What has been done earlier?
For the service, Government will not charge
The government had notified the National anything from the developer/user but the
Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy developer of the services may charge.
(NDSAP) in March 2012 and under its
mandate IT ministry and the National Ministry of IT is responsible for taking a
Informatics Centre (NIC) developed and decision on what data would be uploaded
to the platform, depending on the datas
run the data.gov.in platform for open data
strategic interest and of national importance.
sharing.
IAS Parliament
6.4 Internet Corporation of The internet will now operate in a multi-

Assigned Names and Numbers stakeholder model, which India also agreed
to support last year.
Why in news?
India has, over the past two years, increased
Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and participation at internet governance forums
Numbers (ICANN) recently met in Hyderabad as the number of internet users are steadily
increasing on track to touch 500 million
What is ICANN? by 2017. As a result, India has asked for a
greater say in running the internets order
It is an international non-profit corporation
of things. This ICANN meet in India is a
that has responsibility for Internet Protocol
global recognition for Indias role in internet
(IP) address space allocation, protocol
governance.
identifier assignment, generic (gTLD) and
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country code (ccTLD) Top-Level Domain What are Indias demands?
name system management, and root server
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Multi stake holder model of internet
system management functions.
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governance to ensure the governing bodys
These services were originally performed accountability to all member nations.
M
under U.S. Government contract by the
Setting up a root server in the country. Root
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
A
servers essentially manage top level domains
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and other entities. ICANN now performs the (TLDs) such as .com, .org, .net, and so on,
IANA function.
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as well as country-specific domains such as
like .in, .au, and .cn. There are only 13 such
What are the Criticisms of ICANN?
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servers, of which 10 are in the US, two in
A
ICANN was under the oversight of US Europe and one in Japan. Setting up a root
server in India is largely seen as the country
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Department of Commerce. Thus, US had
unilateral control over the functioning of having more bargaining power at internet
governance forums.
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ICANN whose mandate was to oversee the
functioning of internet which is a global 7. INDIA AND ITS
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resource. NEIGHBOURHOOD
Following the criticism, US Government 7.1 Trade with Neighbors
gave up its hold over ICANN and now an
operational framework for ICANN is being Why in news?
developed by taking inputs from all countries. There have been calls in India for an embargo
on trade with both Pakistan and China in
This new multi stakeholder approach that
the wake of political tensions with both
will be put in place will ensure accountability
countries.
to the global internet user community as a
whole and not just any particular country. This article examines whether such an
embargo would be an economically sound
What is the significance of Hyderabad option to pursue.
meet?
India China trade
The meeting is important because this is
the first time the global community will Chinese media has been deprecating
come together post the US Department of Indias dependence on Chinese imports and
Commerce giving up oversight of the internet. questioning its ability to live without such
imports.
IAS Parliament
Import - Imports from China account for 16.2 According to the IMF, India has the potential
per cent of Indias total imports. to amplify initial import shocks by 30% and
transmit to the rest of the world.
Trade deficit - India had its largest trade
deficit of $53 billion with China in 2015-16. Thus, any unilateral action by both the
nations to suspend trade ties might adversely
Indias overall trade deficit has been declining,
affect not only them, but also the global
its trade deficit with China accounting
economy at large.
for about 44 per cent of Indias total trade
deficit has been increasing over the last India Pakistan trade
five years, driven by declining exports and
increasing imports. Pakistan accounted for only 0.74 per cent
of Indias total exports, and 0.12 per cent of
Intermediaries - Indian imports from China imports in 2015-16.
comprise mainly of intermediates. India
imported chiefly telecom instruments, These figures mask the large volume of
informal trade between the two neighbouring
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computer hardware and peripherals,
fertilisers, electronic components, project countries.
N
goods, chemicals and drug intermediaries
According to certain studies, the volume of
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from China in 2015-16.
informal trade between these countries is
A ban on these imports will affect Indias twice that of the formal trade.
M
manufacturing capability.
A
A proper understanding of the benefits
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Revenue - Also, all these goods attract a of trade and attempts to redirect trade
countervailing duty (CVD) and special CVD towards formal trade channels will result
L
of 12 and 4 per cent respectively, while some in a substantial reduction in transaction
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of these goods attract a basic duty of 10 per costs, given the long circuitous routes that
cent additionally. A ban will mean a loss of
A
such trade takes, chiefly the Delhi-Mumbai-
tariff revenues for the Indian government. Dubai-Karachi-Lahore route.
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Price rise - A rise in the costs of manufacturing Gravity model of trade in South Asia
S
the final products using these intermediate
inputs would make our exports costlier, The Gravity Model, posits that the value
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thereby reducing our export competitiveness. of trade between any two countries, other
things being equal, is proportional to the
It may also give rise to black marketing and product of the two countries GDPs, and
smuggling. diminishes with the distance between the
For China - China, in turn, will have to bear two countries.
the consequences of lower imports from Example: the US carries out a lot more trade
India. with Canada and Mexico than with the entire
China currently has 206 import partners EU.
and the network effect of this trade, implies It has been estimated that a 1 per cent
that what happens in China doesnt remain increase in distance shrinks trade by 0.7 to1
in China.
per cent and vice versa.
Indias size and its openness makes it a
Political factors have, however, impeded
prime candidate to transmit any initial trade
Indias trade with its closest neighbours in
shocks that it experiences to the rest of the
South Asia, including China and Pakistan.
world.
IAS Parliament
In fact, South Asia ranks almost at the One way of preventing boundary transgression
bottom among Indias trading partners by and bottom trawling is to find a livelihood
region. alternative for Tamil Nadu fishermen and
equipping them for deep sea fishing against
The media in the respective countries
bottom trawling.
need to wake up to the economic reality of
trade and act responsibly. While political What has been done?
rapprochment may take time, a knee-jerk
reaction by disrupting trade may exacerbate Both sides made significant progress in the
the respective countries problems, as also recent talks which led to the agreement of
those of the global economy. the Joint Working Group (JWG).
7.2 Bottom Trawling The agreement on the three-point agenda of

the JWG would help end the long-standing
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Why in news? issue of fishing in the coastal waters between
N
R e c e n t l y S r i L a n k a u r g e d I n d i a t o the two countries.
expeditiously end unsustainable industrial-
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Both sides agreed that the JWG would meet
scale fishing in the coastal waters between
every three months.
M
the two countries.
Meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries
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What is bottom trawling?
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would be held every six months.
Bottom trawl nets are generally used to catch
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They also agreed that there should be no
shrimp and fish living on the seafloor from
military attacks by the Navies/the coast
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shallow coastal waters).
guards of the two countries in dealing with
A
When the weighted nets and trawl doors the fishermen and to set up a hotline between
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are dragged along the seafloor, everything the coast guards.
in their path is disturbed or destroyed,
Three-point agenda: JWG would have three
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including seagrasses, coral reefs or rock
gardens where fish hide from predators. tasks of expeditiously working to end bottom
IA
trawling, facilitating joint patrolling of the
This will completely collapse the marine coastal waters and working towards the
ecosystem. release of arrested fishermen who entered
into each others waters.
In addition to the shrimp and fishes, many
other animals are also captured and later What should be done?
discarded, including small fishes.
A livelihood alternative for Tamil Nadu
This overfishing happens because the gear is fishermen should be provided to prevent
not selective and discards a lot of dead fish. boundary transgression.
Overfishing is a direct threat to local fishing
communities and to tourism from sports Tamil Nadu fishermen had asked for a three-
year phase-out period for their trawlers. They
Fish that are discarded by the bottom trawler
should show greater understanding of the
are often juveniles of valuable species caught
plight of the Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen,
by other fishermen later.
who are economically weaker and yet to
Bottom trawling has been banned in many fully recover from a devastating war. A
countries like Indonesia, US and New more reasonable phase-out period should
Zealand worldwide. be formulated.
IAS Parliament
Equipping them for deep sea fishing should India started the electricity trade through
be done. the West Bengal border in 2013, but delayed
allowing similar trade through Tripura
A licensing system under which fishermen despite a strong recommendation from the
from both sides can fish on specified days State government.
using sustainable methods and permissible
equipment should be formulated. The issue was touchy because, Bangladesh
went out of its way in allowing transport of
7.3 India on Infrastructure equipment for setting up a large power station
Projects in Bangladesh in Tripura in the hope of getting a share of
the electricity. This flared up Anti India
What is the issue?
sentiments which prevented Bangladesh
In 2010, World Bank pulled out of the $3 Government from allowing transit route to
billion Padma Bridge project. Bangladesh North East India.
expected India to come in and finance the
project, but India delayed on replying and
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China jumped in and financed the project. As a democracy India is at a disadvantage
N
when compared to a single-party ruled
What is the inference?
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China, in decision making. But we cannot
Recently, Japan has offered an assistance of use it as an excuse any more.
M
$6 billion for Bangladesh. Identify projects in Bangladesh, that can be
A
China has offered a Government assistance beneficial to both Bangladesh and India and
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of $24 billion for 27 projects and another at the same the projects should be capable
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$14 billion in the form of private investment of earning public goodwill in Bangladesh.
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promises. Adequate officers at the ministry of external
affairs should be appointed to handle such
A
Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently
responsibilities.
granted $8 billion for infrastructure creation
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in Bangladesh to promote sub-regional While concluding deals with Bangladesh,
S
cooperation. India must take into consideration the
domestic aspirations of Bangladeshis and
IA
Therefore there is a feeling among the
act accordingly.
Bangladeshi public that, assistance from
India is too little and too late. 7.4 BIMSTEC - Free Trade
Agreement
The $1 billion assistance, announced by
India in 2010, took five long years to be What is BIMSTEC?
utilised. Such delays cause resentment
among the Bangladeshi public. Stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
India has not been able to create a transparent Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
visa system in Bangladesh. India grants visas
Members from both South Asia and South
for free. But, intermediaries charge ` 5,000
East Asia - Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri
for generating the e-token for appointment
Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. Thus
with the visa officer.
the association in an inter-regional one.
In the past, India has failed to take West Bengal
Was formed in 1997 in Bangkok.
along, in negotiations with Bangladesh.
Headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
IAS Parliament
Why India is focussing on BIMSTEC? The secretariat itself was set up only in 2014,
almost 20 years after talks started, and it is
BIMSTEC is Indias lynchpin in its Act
still in the process of studying and creating
East Policy. Member countries Myanmar
feasibility reports on the various sectoral
and Thailand are Indias gateway to reach
issues.
South East Asia for trade and economic
opportunities. What are the issues in talks?
Lack of significant positive outcomes in FTA talks were initiated in 2004 and
SAARC due to hostility with Pakistan, has almost concluded in 2014. But by that
guided India to look outside the South Asian time, the initial agreements became almost
region. redundant as the Global economic situation
Indias Act East policy and Thailands Look had drastically changed in the post 2008
west policy can complement each other, for financial crisis phase.
T
improving inter-regional ties. All nations have concerns on services.
N
What are the strengths of BIMSTEC? Especially on how to liberalise services or
E
to what extent it can be done, as well as the
The most positive thing in BIMSTEC is, there categories of services.
M
are no political conflicts or disagreements.
What has been done to improve connectivity?
A
Also, the South Asian countries (India,
I
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka) dont M o t o r V e h i c l e s A g r e e m e n t i n 2 0 1 5 :
L
have bilateral problems with the two South- Connectivity project involving the sub-
east Asian (Myanmar, Thailand) ones. group of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and
R
Nepal. It enables vehicles to enter any of
Historically, these nations were linked
A
the four nations without the need for trans-
through trade ties over centuries.
P
shipment of goods from one countrys truck
Huge market: The region brings together 1.5 to anothers at the border.
S
billion people or 21% of the world population
Kaladan project envisages connecting
IA
Accounts for almost 3.7% of global trade and Kolkata port to Sittwe port in Myanmar via
a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of sea route and then Mizoram by river and
over $2.5 trillion. road.
But, Intra-regional trade is currently very Asian Trilateral Highway, is set to run from
low at 2.8% of the total trade conducted by Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand
the countries. via Myanmar. The project is expected to be
completed this year.
What are the reasons for poor Intra-
Regional trade? 7.5 BBINs Motor Vehicle
Agreement
Poor connectivity among nations in the region
owing to tough terrain, under-developed Why in news?
border areas and the issue of funding.
Bhutans National Council has decided not to
The BIMSTEC nations being also engaged ratify the Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA).
under other groupings such as South
Asian Free Trade Area, the Association of What is MVA?
Southeast Asian Nations and the Regional
The MVA was first proposed by Prime Minister
Comprehensive Economic Partnership have
NarendraModi at the SAARC summit in
also made talks slow.
IAS Parliament
Kathmandu in 2014, but Pakistan refused Officials say if the Bhutanese government
to ratify it, as a consequence of which land- decides to give the agreement another
locked Afghanistan had to stay out as well. chance, it could ask for a joint sitting of
both Houses to clear the MVA, or to bring
India instead pursued a similar motor vehicle
agreement with the BBIN. The Bangladesh- it back to the National Council after a year,
Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles according to the rules of procedure.
Agreement was signed on 15 June 2015.
In the meanwhile, the BIN (Bangladesh-
It enables vehicles to enter any of the four India-Nepal) countries could go ahead with
nations without the need for trans-shipment building their logistics.
of goods from one countrys truck to anothers
at the border. 7.6 Market Economy Status for
China
India, Bangladesh and Nepal have already
ratified the MVA, after Foreign Ministers of Why in news?
the BBIN nations signed an agreement to
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allow ease of motor vehicular traffic on June India is not inclined to automatically grant
N
15, 2015 and diplomats did a trial run among the coveted Market Economy Status (MES)
the countries. to China this December under World Trade
E
Organisation (WTO) norms.
Along with its potential as a road link that
M
will extend to rail and waterways reducing What is MES?
A
circuitous shipping routes by 1,000 km, the
I
BBIN grouping is also seen as Indias way of Market Economy Status will ensure that
countering Pakistan in the SAARC grouping.
L
there should not be any no entry or exit
What is Bhutans scenario? barrier for the country.
R
No government can impose any tariff barrier
A
Bhutans National Assembly or Lower House
had cleared the Motor Vehicle Agreement Bill or quantitative restriction to protect domestic
P
and forwarded it to the National Council or industries to the coun try with MES.
Upper House in July 2016.
S
What is Chinas viewpoint?
However, protests from the Opposition,
IA
mainly over environmental concerns of China has argued that it should automatically
vehicular pollution increasing have derailed be granted Market Economy Status after the
the process. 15th anniversary of its accession to the WTO
In the 25-member National Council, the in December 2016.
government faced sharp questions on the
Citing the provisions in the Protocol on the
number of vehicles that would be allowed
accession of China to the WTO in 2001,
into the country via the Southern trading
Beijing has said WTO member countries
point of Phuentsholing and road capacities.
must fulfill their promise to deem China as
What is the way ahead? a market economy from December 2016.
Despite excellent relations between the two Several nations including in Africa and Latin
countries, India has been wary of leaning America, dependent on Chinese investments
too heavily on the Bhutanese government
to boost manufacturing are inclined to grant
to speed up the BBIN ratification as it
Market Economy Status to China.
could offend the sensitivities of the smaller
neighbour.
IAS Parliament
What is dumping? India argues that unlike in market economies

where prices of items are market determined
Dumping is an unfair trade practice of (based on demand & supply conditions),
exporting goods to another country at a price there is still a significant government
lesser than what is paid in the exporting influence in the Chinese market.
nation or their normal production cost,
thereby distorting international trade and Countries like India and US have referred
causing injury to the domestic manufacturers to the Chinese government subsidies for
of the goods in the importing country. various sectors, currency manipulation & the
related price fixing, absence of transparency
Why some countries oppose Chinas MES? in lending rates and the lack of proper
But granting MES to China will severely business accounting standards in turn cause
curb the ability of nations including India distortions in global trade.
T
to impose anti-dumping duties on unfairly Thus, India has taken sides with the U.S.
N
priced Chinese imports. and the European Union to refuse China
the MES.
E
Although China has made a number of
economic reforms in recent years, the
The intention will be to ensure Indias
M
Chinese economy remains fundamentally a
manufacturing sector is not hit by unfairly
A
non-market economic system dominated by
priced Chinese goods.
I
its government.
8. BILATERAL AND
L
The Government still plays a major role in
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
R
the economy, including the financial system,
resource and energy sectors, through 8.1 India Japan Nuclear Deal
A
ownership and control of many strategic
P
industries. Why in news?
S
C o n t i n u e d g o v e r n m e n t s u p p o r t i s The India-Japan nuclear agreement will
encouraging overproduction, distorting probably be signed during Indian PMs Tokyo
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prices and flooding the global market. visit for the annual bilateral summit.
When Chinese producers do not have to What are the procedures of signing the
bear the full cost of production, they can sell deal?
products overseas at prices that are less than
the fair value which creates an unfair price Negotiations between the Japan and India
advantage and displaces other countries for a civil nuclear deal began in 2010.
production.
Talks were suspended after the March 2011
This non-market economic system and accident at Fukushima plant and the talks
Chinas state-intervention in the economy resumed in 2013.
hurts other countries trade interest.
India and Japan have signed a memorandum
What is Indias stand? on cooperating in nuclear energy in December
2015.
Of the 535 cases where anti-dumping duties
were imposed by India during 1994 to 2014, However, certain technical and legal issues
a maximum of 134 has been on goods from must be resolved before a final agreement
China. can be signed.
IAS Parliament
For the process to be completed the deal The signing of such an accord would enable
has to be ratified by the Diet, the Japanese India to import Japanese nuclear technology
parliament. This has been a matter of and service.
concern since the matter has not been taken
NSG membership -Japan is the only country
up for discussion since the beginning of this
affected by nuclear weapon during Second
year due to historical deep sensitivities in
World War.Signing of CNA with India,
Japan on nuclear proliferation and political
signifies global acceptance of India as a
instability in their parliament.
responsible nuclear power and strengthen
What is the problem in the deal? the Indias claim in NSG membership .
The nullification clause in the deal has Funding - India is also keen on Japanese
been the source of contention between two funding for its clean energy projects. Signing
countries. It means that the nuclear supplies this deal will fasten the process.
to India would be cut off if India tests a Clean Energy - Indias ambitious carbon
nuclear weapon. Japan wants India to accept
T
emission targets under the Paris agreement
the clause but India has been reluctant so have brought nuclear power back into the
N
far. energy equation. Solar and wind cannot
E
India also demands that it be allowed to provide base-load power and they are prone
reprocess nuclear fuel from Japan, as long for fluctuations. Nuclear is the only carbon-
M
as India submits to inspections by the UN free way to satisfy that all important need.
A
nuclear watchdog IAEA. No decision has Japans Gain - Japan is looking to shed
I
been finalized regarding this yet. its post-war pacificism and become an
L
What are the advantages? autonomous diplomatic and military power
in Asia. However, Japan faces strong
R
India was excluded from nuclear trade for opposition from China and other victims
A
over three decades because of its position of of Japans imperial aggression. Japan sees
P
being outside the Nuclear Non-proliferation signing of Civil Nuclear Agreement as Indias
Treaty. acceptance of this new expanding Japanese
S
role.
Special agreements ended its isolation in
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2009. 9. INTERNATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS
India can now engage in nuclear trade
with those countries with which it has 9.1 New Zealands Role in Indias
since signed cooperation agreements, like NSG Entry
Australia, Canada, France, Kazakhstan,
Why in news?
Russia, the UK and the USA.
On New Zealand Prime Minister John Key
Technology -Japan holds an important
visit to India, major issues under discussion
position in international nuclear commerce.
are Indias membership to Nuclear Suppliers
It holds a monopoly on several critical reactor
Group (NSG) and permanent membership
components of high quality.
to United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Among the major players, only Russias
Why India opposes NPT?
Rosatom and Chinas two major state-
run nuclear are independent of Japanese India views NPT to be a discriminatory
components. Hence this deal is important to agreement, the governing rules are favourably
enhance Indias nuclear capacity. biased towards the P5 members of UNO.
IAS Parliament
India has opposed NPT, because there are What is Commonwealth?

two types of members in the NPT - Nuclear
Weapons State and Non-Nuclear Weapons The Commonwealth of Nations or the
State. Only five countries that had tested a Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental
nuclear device before 1970 were given the organisation of 52 member states that
status of Nuclear Weapons State. Any other were mostly territories of the former British
nation that wished to sign the NPT had to do Empire.
so as a Non-Nuclear Weapons State. It was formally constituted by the London
India tested its first nuclear device in 1974 Declaration in 1949.
which implies that the only option by which The Queen of Britain is the head of
India could sign the NPT is being a Non- Commonwealth.
Nuclear Weapons State.
Member states have no legal obligation to
T
What is New Zealands stand? one another.
N
New Zealand endorses Indias membership They are united by language, history, culture
E
to UNSC as a permanent member. and their shared values of democracy,
human rights, and the rule of law.
M
But on NSG membership, New Zealand holds
a hard line stance that, signing Nuclear Non What was crisis in Maldives?
A
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a prerequisite to
I
NSG membership. In January 2012, the then Maldives President
L
Mohamed Nasheed, ordered the detention of
New Zealand showed an understanding Criminal Court judge Abdulla Mohamed
R
of Indias clean energy needs and the for allegedly obstructing the police and
A
importance of predictability in global rules on accepting bribes to release certain criminals.
P
nuclear commerce in enabling the expansion
of nuclear energy in India. Protests erupted in 2012 in Maldives, over
claims of mismanagement of the economy
S
This stand indicates that, Indias NSG and intervention in the Independence of
IA
membership would gain consensus among Judiciary by the President.
NSG members, if it is able to bargain entry
based on its need to meet Global Climate The protests led to ouster of Nasheed in 2012
change commitments. and the then Vice President was sworn in as
President until elections.
Also, the success of Make in India programme
largely hinges on Indias ability to fulfil the On 23 February 2012, the Commonwealth
energy requirements of growing industrial suspended the Maldives from its democracy
base. and human rights watchdog and backed
Nasheeds call for elections before the end
9.2 Maldives Left Commonwealth of 2012.
Why in news? In the Presidential election held in 2013,
The Maldives on Thursday pulled out of Nasheed lost to current President Abdulla
the Commonwealth calling as unjust the Yameen Abdul Gayyoom.
groupings decision to penalise the island In March 2015, Nasheed was convicted
nation over the circumstances that led to under the Anti-Terrorism Act of Maldives
then President Mohamed Nasheeds ouster for arresting Criminal Court Judge Abdulla
in 2012 Mohamed.
IAS Parliament
Amnesty International has described the Obamas presidency and agreed last year, is
conviction as politically motivated, and the yet to be ratified.
United States Department of State expressed
The aim is to ease the flow of goods, services
concern at apparent lack of appropriate
and investments among them, and to
criminal procedures during the trial.
strengthen the rules on labour standards,
What was Maldives rationale to quit? environmental issues, origin criteria and
intellectual property.
M a l d i v e s i s a n e v o l v i n g d e m o c r a c y .
Rather than supporting the efforts, the It is seen as the most ambitious of trade deals
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group between these countries that have about 800
(CMAG) has intervened in the internal affairs million people and account for 40 per cent
of the nation. of the global trade.
The questions and uncertainties that the It will create uniform IPR rules will lead to
CMAG generated in the political environment an overall growth of 1.1%.
T
resulted in the loss of several investments
It will crackdown on wildlife trafficking and
and project financing opportunities.
N
environmental abuses.
E
Commonwealth turned a deaf ear to several
requests for help with technical assistance.
What are its disadvantages?
M
Due to already existing NAFTAs low tariffs,
Commonwealth has not been supportive of
A
around 700,000 jobs were lost to cheap
the new elected Government.
I
labor in other countries, most of which on
S i n c e N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 3 , t h e p r e s e n t manufacturing industries. These additional
L
government has enacted 110 articles of tariff cuts will lead movement of more jobs
R
legislation. Of these 94 are directly related away from US.
A
to the core values of the Commonwealth
It has provisions like protection of 10 years
Charter yet Commonwealth has censured
P
for trademark, to enforce copyright until 70
Maldives.
years after the death of the creator, etc. These
S
9.3 TPP and India provisions may be abused to censor online
content thereby hurting free expression.
IA
Why in news?
A company could sue any signatory countrys
With Donald Trump as President, the US
government, if it believed the countrys law
could see a renegotiation of some of its
harmed its copyright interests. This brings
existing trade deals with other countries,
the corporate on equal footing with the
especially TPP.
government.
What is TPP? IPR provisions like extensions of patent to
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a 25 years, allowing simple changes for re-
trade and investment agreement between the patenting will delay the availability of generic
US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, drugs.
Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada,
It may interfere in the necessary regulatory
Mexico, Chile and Peru.
laws like food safety, banking regulations etc.
India is not part of the TPP.
These are the reasons why India did not want
The deal, which was negotiated under Barack to be a part of it.
IAS Parliament
How will TPP affect India? Comprehensive Economic Partnership

(RCEP) agreement.
The US is Indias second biggest trade partner
and the single biggest export destination. What is RCEP?
India exported goods worth Rs. 2.6 lakh crore
to the US in 2015-16. The US accounts for RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement
over 15 per cent of our exports. (FTA) between the ten member states of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
It If the TPP were to go through, India could
(ASEAN) - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
likely see a diversion of its trade with the US
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
and European Union (EU) to TPP member
Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam and the six
countries, over a period of time.
states with which ASEAN has existing FTAs -
Countries such as Vietnam, which are Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea
among the biggest textile exporters to the and New Zealand.
T
US, could gain an edge over India thanks to
RCEP negotiations were launched in
N
freer market access.
November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in
E
The TPP requires its members to discourage Cambodia and have progressively become
the import of goods that have not been more complicated after 15 rounds and four
M
produced in adherence with internationally ministerial meetings.
recognisedlabour laws. This would impact
A
employment generation. Expected to be the largest regional trading
I
bloc in the world, accounting for nearly 45%
L
Indias merchandise exports to TPP member
of the global population with a combined
countries (apart from the US) would be
R
GDP of $21.3 trillion, it will also bring
rendered less competitive in the event of
the biggest economies of the region into a
A
enforcement of the agreement. Services
regional trading arrangement.
exports would also be hurt as these would
P
be replaced by trade in services between the For India, the RCEP presents a decisive
TPP member countries.
S
platform to influence its strategic and
India is trying to offset the possible trade economic status in the Asia-Pacific region.
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loss by engaging in ARSEP (Asean Regional
What is happening now?
Comprehensive Economic Partnership)
which consists of ASEAN and ASEAN FTA At the last ministerial in Laos held in August,
countries. India shifted its long-held stance of a three-
Trump, with his strong trade protectionist tiered, differential levels of tariff reduction
stance, has vociferously opposed the Trans- to a single one applicable to all the RCEP
Pacific Partnership (TPP) and has talked members.
about withdrawing from it. India is now mulling a two-pronged approach
In the light of the above mentioned issues on which it expects to round up support from
the move of withdrawal could work in Indias all other nations and in the process isolate
favor. China.
9.4 India to Counter Chinas Under the previous plan, the 10 countries
Stance at RCEP that are part of ASEAN were being offered
Why in news? up to 80% tariff liberalisation.
India is set to go against China at the Of this, 65% elimination of tariff was to come
upcoming negotiations on the Regional into force immediately upon completion of the
IAS Parliament
agreement. Another 15% tariff elimination negotiations since no other nation was on
was to happen over 10 years. In the second board with the idea. Commerce & Industry
tier, India offered 65% tariff elimination to Minister added countries were looking
South Korea and Japan, with whom it has towards a list of common concessions with
free trade agreements. minimum deviation with regards to some
items.
Similar levels of tariff reduction, if finalised,
are expected to hurt India the most as it has 9.5 Russia Leaves ICC
a relatively higher tariff regime. This has
always forced India to reduce tariffs much
Why in news?
more than partner nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has
signed a decree to withdraw Russia from the
India has a goods trade deficit with China
International Criminal Court (ICC), which
that has ballooned from $1.1 billion in 2003-
prosecutes war crimes, genocide and crimes
04 to $52.7 billion in 2015-16. The domestic
against humanity.
steel and heavy industries sectors have been
T
apprehensive that China may use the RCEP What is ICC?
N
to try and gain more market access in India
even as it remains unwilling to import more. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is
E
an intergovernmental organization and
Government believes that other RCEP international tribunal that sits in The Hague
M
nations shared the same concerns and would in the Netherlands.
A
support Indias position. To this end, the
I
number of tariff lines offered for reduction It is the worlds first permanent court
mandated to bring to justice people
L
as well as the phase-out period would be
different for China. responsible for war crimes, crimes against
R
humanity, and genocide.
The period for phasing out tariff lines for
A
imports from China could be 20-30 years, as The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty
P
it is essential to ensure Indian industry has which serves as the ICCs foundational and
enough time to improve its competitiveness. governing document.
S
The RCEP nations will deliberate on finalising What is the difference between ICC and
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the maximum number of goods on which ICJ?
duties will either be eliminated or reduced
ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries
drastically.
individuals charged with the gravest crimes
Under deviations, India may propose a longer of concern to the international community:
duration for either reduction or elimination genocide, war crimes and crimes against
of import duties for such countries. humanity.
The original target of concluding a deal was ICJs role is to settle, in accordance with
by end 2015. However, member nations international law, legal disputes submitted
have managed to only submit initial offers to it by States and to give advisory opinions
for trade in goods and services apart from on legal questions referred to it by authorized
initial reservation lists for investment. The United Nations organs and specialized
issue of tariff reduction had then taken hold. agencies.
The departure from the earlier stance The main difference is that ICJ settles
represented a normal progression in the arguments between countries, but the ICC
punishes people.
IAS Parliament
Why Russia left? Russia states that the withdrawal is based

on national interests and argued that
Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 from since Russia never ratified the creation of
Ukraine after a hastily called referendum, a the court, Wednesdays decree was just a
move that led to crippling Western sanctions. formality.
A separatist armed conflict later erupted in Peskov also dismissed the ICCs accusations
eastern Ukraine the following month, backed of an armed conflict in Crimea, arguing
by Russia. that Crimea joined Russia after a legitimate
popular vote.
On Monday, the ICC issued a preliminary
report in which it described what happened Russia in 2000 signed the Rome treaty which
in Crimea as an international armed established the Hague-based court, but
conflict between Ukraine and the Russian never ratified it.
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Federation.
N
What is the significance?
Russias foreign ministry insisted in a
E
statement that Russia wants everyone The tribunal is already facing a major
implicated in grave international crimes to pushback from African countries, who say
M
face justice but expressed frustration over its a Western institution focused on trying
A
the courts work in recent years. nations from the continent.
I
Putins decision, comes a day after the UN Burundi was the first country to withdraw in
L
General Assemblys human rights committee October. Three days later, South Africa also
R
approved a resolution condemning Russias announced that it planned to leave the ICC,
temporary occupation of Crimea, and followed by Gambia.
A
blamed Moscow for rights abuses and
P
discrimination against some Crimean Russias move further worsens the situation.
residents, such as Tatars.
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IAS Parliament
PAPER - III
10. INDIAN ECONOMY A focused policy communication will result

in a ratings upgrade for the India and lower
10.1 Revival of FRBM Act cost of borrowing for the private sector, which
is important for new capital and investment
Why in news?
formation.
In a bid to reinforce the commitment to fiscal
Appropriate fiscal deficit target - Given that
consolidation, a committee to review the
the total supply of funds through household
contours of the FRBM Act was instituted.
financial savings and sustainable capital
The committee is about to submit its report
flows are estimated at 10-12% of GDP and
by the end of the current month.
demand for excess funds from the corporate
T
What is FRBM Act? sector is estimated at 4-6% of GDP, a
consolidated fiscal space of around 6% of
N
The FRBM Act was first introduced in India GDP exists for States and the Centre put
in December 2000 to rein in burgeoning
E
together.
government deficits both at the Centre and
This implies a 3% headline fiscal deficit
M
in the States.
target for the Centre and States each. Hence
A
E n a c t e d i n 2 0 0 3 , t h e F R B M A c t an appropriate fiscal deficit target should
I
institutionalized fiscal discipline, by seeking be set.
L
to eliminate revenue deficit and to bring down
fiscal deficit to a manageable 3% of GDP by Need for guiding principle - A binding
R
FY08 from 5.7% of GDP in FY03. spending rule along with a medium-term
A
debt range that takes into account the
However, during the international financial specific institutional setting in each country
P
crisis of 2008, as government spending would help to enhance the policy credibility
became critical to revive growth amid sharp and facilitate effective monitoring that would
S
decline in private investments, the deadline ensure stability, fairness and efficiency.
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for attainment of the target was pushed
It would help the governments to adopt a
forward and later suspended.
countercyclical approach and limit the scope
What are the changes to be incorporated? for creative accounting.
The following issues need to be reflected Regarding a debt sustainability rule, a

upon. ceiling on government debt at 60% of GDP
can get adopted over the next three years
Point-based target - A debate originated on with indicators of sustainable debt serving
whether it would be appropriate to impart as guiding principles, in line with the
flexibility to the government by adopting a Maastricht Treaty guidelines.
range-based target as opposed to a point-
Independent constitutional body An
based target for fiscal deficit.
independent reviewer, a Fiscal Council, to
A point target infuses fiscal discipline by oversee the adoption of rule-based fiscal
limiting the room for government manoeuvres policy and to recommend future course of
and provides an unambiguous signal to the public policy advocacy.
bond markets.
IAS Parliament
A well-designed fiscal council with strict In 1978 the then government demonetised
operational independence will boost fiscal `1,000, `5,000 and `10,000 notes which
accountability and transparency and will was also aimed at tackling the issue of black
further add to the sovereigns credence and money.
rating potential.
The main difference between then and now
The upgraded FRBM framework will is that currency of higher denomination was
enhance the efficacy of Indias fiscal policy barely in circulation, unlike the `500 and
and significantly reduce the twin-deficit `1000 note today.
vulnerability.
India has one of the highest levels of
A r u l e - b a s e d s y s t e m w i t h r o o m f o r currencies in circulation at over 12% of GDP
independent advisory and oversight can and of this cash, 87% is in the form of `500
transform Indias fiscal architecture and and `1,000 notes.
T
create enablers for germination of green field
investment appetite. What was the current move?
N
`500 & `1000 notes will be replaced with
E
10.2 Demonetisation
new 500 and 2000 currency notes.
M
Why in news?
A close to 50 days time was given for
A
Citing the increase in the circulation of exchange.
I
black money in the country, Prime Minister The unaccounted money was subjected to
L
had initiated the demonetization policy on 200% taxation.
November 8.
R
There were also withdrawal limits which were
A
What is demonetisation? to be periodically revised.
P
Demonetisation is a radical monetary step Why is it demonetised?
in which a currency units status as a legal
S
The widespread use of cash in high
tender is declared invalid. This is usually
denominations has led to an artificial
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done whenever there is a change of national
increase in the cost of goods and services
currency, replacing the old unit with a new
which was reflected in the governments
one.
success in bringing out `1.25 lakh crore of
E.g When the European Monetary Union unaccounted money.
nations decided to adopt Euro as their Progressive shift to a cashless economy with
currency. a greater focus on electronic transactions is
being envisaged.
However, the old currencies were allowed
to convert into Euros for a period of time in Nullification of black money hoarded in cash
order to ensure a smooth transition through
Tackling of counterfeiting Indian currency
demonetisation.
notes
When currency was demonetised before Curbing of terror financing with fake
in India? currency notes
January 1946- Rs.1,000 and Rs.10,000 Curbing Corruption.
banknotes, which were in circulation were
demonetized primarily to curb unaccounted Curbing black money circulation during
money. elections.
IAS Parliament
Curbing corruption and black money in real What led to demonetisation?

estate.
Massive rollout of PradhanMantri Jan Dhan
The removal of large bills will make several Yojana (PMJDY) which gave banking access
criminal and illegal activities more costly to nearly the entire population.
such as tax evasion, human trafficking,
drugs, extortion and terrorism. The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign
Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax
Why ban high value notes? Act, 2015 became a disappointment as it
raked up only about `2,400 crore in taxes.
Unaccounted money often used in any form
of corruption or illicit deals usually takes the The Income Disclosure Scheme (IDS) where a
form of high-value notes, which in this case window of opportunity to declare their wealth
are the `500 and `1,000 bills. amassed through various means is given to
the people.
The Financial Action Task Force, a global
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body that looks at the criminal use of What are the challenges for RBI?
N
the international financial system notes
To ship enough currency notes to ensure
E
that high-value bills are used in money
laundering schemes, racketeering, and drug that bank branches are able to meet the tidal
M
and people trafficking. wave of demand
A
The logjam may be particularly acute in rural
I
Indias black economy is estimated to
areas where both bank branches and ATMs
be $400-500 billion, larger than several
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are in short supply.
economies of the world, and almost $3.5
R
billion is spent in currency operation costs While rural India reportedly has 6 lakh
annually. villages and had 44 crore savings account
A
holders, they were home to just 48,000 bank
P
In India, the `500 and `1,000 notes also branches.
constitute a huge percentage of the money
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spent by governments, political parties and The 12 lakh ATMs that are in operation across
the country will also need to be reconfigured
IA
candidates during general elections.
to dispense the new denominations.
A Centre for Media Studies report showed
Add on the necessity of ID-proofing all the
that nearly Rs 30,000 crore was spent during
walk-in depositors and one can visualize the
the 2014 general election, while official
chaos at banks over the next couple of weeks
spending only accounted for `7,000-`8,000
crore. There will be an urgent need for debit cards,
electronic transfers and mobile payment
The most important fact, however, is that platforms to be widely adopted.
the share of large-value notes has only been
increasing over the years. What were the challenges for the
government?
While some of this is no doubt due to the
On the other hand, there is no good estimate
natural growth expansion of our economy, it
for how much of Indias black money is in
also hints at the increasing size of the black
forms other than currency/physical notes
money economy.
such as gold, jewellery, land or any other
form of wealth.
IAS Parliament
While banning `500 and `1,000 notes will All two lakh ATMs now require manual
tackle the black money that is in the form recalibration. The new notes could have been
of hard cold cash, it wont affect other forms designed to the same dimensions as the old
of black money. ones to avoid this logistical nightmare.
On similar lines, this move will obviously A better communication strategy was needed
have little effect on black money stashed to reassure the public after announcing a
away in foreign tax havens. policy move of such import. In addition to the
Prime Ministers televised address and the
At a time when private investment has been
ministrys press conference, the RBI or the
hit and with factory output contracting,
ministry could have circulated detailed FAQs
scrapping high-value notes may prolong the
on the transition and its intent, in regional
economic pain.
languages, via district administrations.
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What the government needs to do now
Many small businesses were in informal
is to follow up the demonetization with a
N
sector and are affected badly.
vigorous push to ensure greater universal
E
banking access, and nudge the real estate Remote ATMs, shortage of cash and non-
sector to move towards greater transparency, availability of lower demonimation currencies
M
besides offering more incentives to encourage have severly affected rural population.
A
electronic payments and use of cards.
I
Lack of viable digital security, digital literacy
The challenge is not just in pulling out 85 and digital protection legislations make the
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per cent of the high-value currencies in move towards cashless economy a dangerous
R
circulation but also to ensure a culture of process.
compliance progressively.
A
Analysts suggest that demonetization is
What are the problems?
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merely a one-time intervention that reduces
An important part of the fairness of this move stock and does nothing about flow i.e the
S
was secrecy and surprise - announcing the fresh creation of black money with new
currency).
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decision as soon as it was logistically possible
with new currency was crucial to its impact. Therefore policies such as goods and services
The question is whether, in making tax (GST), tax deducted at source (TDS)
confidentiality their top priority, the and PAN requirements, the Undisclosed
government failed to think through the Foreign Income Act, Benami Transactions
numerous execution challenges that this (Prohibition) Amendment Act should be
mega move entailed. tightened.
It would certainly have helped if the RBI had This should also be followed by crackdown
printed and despatched the new notes of on gold and real estate to make the
`500 denomination ahead of the `2,000 to demonetization meaningful.
banks currency chests.
10.3 Temporary Hike in CRR
This, combined with printing an additional
buffer stock of `100-denomination notes Why in news?
could have helped many small businesses,
The RBI has asked banks to set aside 100%
tradespeople and daily wage-earners manage
of the deposits accrued between September
this transition with just a single bank visit.
16 and November 11 as incremental CRR.
IAS Parliament
RBI said the incremental CRR is intended to Bank of India (RBI) under the reverse repo
be a temporary measure within its liquidity facility surged 10 times to `1.5 lakh crore.
management framework to drain excess
liquidity in the system and shall be reviewed As a result, by Friday, the 10-year government
on December 9 or even earlier. security yield had fallen below the repo rate
of 6.25%.
What is incremental CRR?
What will be the implications?
The incremental CRR prescribes the reserve
The CRR requirement for banks has
ratio based on the extent of growth in
temporarily risen by `3.2 lakh crore. The
resources (i.edeposits).
current CRR is 4 per cent or about `4.1
In the late 90s, a 10% incremental CRR was lakh crore.
in operation, on the non-resident deposits
If the RBI maintains the CRR at 100% for a
to regulate (reduce) the flow of funds from
longer period, banks will soon have to face
overseas Indians.
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losses.
What is the reason behind the move?
N
Thats because the CRR is the portion of
deposit to be compulsorily deposited with
E
There could be three motivations for the
move. the RBI for which it doesnt earn an interest.
M
First, the surplus in the banking system due The CRR requirement is being applied
A
to demonetisation, at about `5 lakh crore, with retrospective effect, which is always
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was moving closer to the maximum absorption considered a bad move.
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capacity of the central bank. The RBI had
Moreover, there was no justification provided
`7.5 lakh crore of government securities
R
for why those particular dates were chosen.
(G-Secs) prior to the demonetisation, which
A
act as collateral to absorb banking system While the CRR increase will lead to tighter
P
surplus through the reverse repo window. liquidity and gilt yields moving up, neither
of these positions is sustainable. That is
The RBIs estimate of deposit accretion
S
because with each passing day more deposits
going forward might have prompted them to
are expected to come in, and with credit
IA
announce a large CRR hike. This puts aside
demand remaining low, gilt yields will fall.
any discussion around RBI running short
of G-Secs. 10.4 Financial Resolution and
Deposit Insurance Bill
Second, the process of putting in place
other liquidity-absorption measures such Why in news?
as issuance of Market Stabilisation Scheme
A new draft law (Financial Resolution and
(MSS) bonds was taking time.
Deposit Insurance Bill) for resolution of
And, third, the surplus rupee liquidity and financial firms has recently been released
sharply falling rates were also creating for public consultation by the Ministry of
distortions in the forward premia and Finance, government of India.
indirectly impacting the spot dollar-rupee
rate. This liquidity-absorption measure could The proposed new regime seeks to protect
reverse some of these distortions. consumers and public funds to the extent
possible, while maintaining overall stability
According to Crisil, between November 8 and and resilience of the financial system.
25, funds parked by banks with the Reserve
IAS Parliament
What is the necessity of the Bill? As a consequence, the public authority or

the government assumes most of the risk
Unlike traditional insolvency where affected of failure that would otherwise be borne by
parties are limited to the creditors of the the firm itself, and this reduces the incentive
insolvent entity, the impact of failure of a among the management of a firm to make
financial firm, for instance, a large bank or sound and prudent business decisions,
an insurance company is much wider and leading to the problem of moral hazard,
can have a domino effect on the economy. widely touted as one of the central issues of
Such a situation is by no means implausible the financial crisis of 2008.
or far-fetched.
Experience shows that the comfort of the
The filing of bankruptcy by Lehman Brothers too big to fail status had led to a series of
on September 15, 2008, was the first in a decisions which were misjudgment at best,
series of events, which precipitated the worst and speculation at worst.
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economic crisis in recent memory.
N
Bail-in on the other hand moves away
As the stakes in cases of failures of financial from the practice of using public funds
E
firms are very high, the authorities responsible and involves a number of restructuring
mechanisms,
M
for resolution need to be equipped with
necessary and appropriate powers to deal Including the cancellation or modification
A
with such crises. of liabilities owed by a firm (including
I
converting instruments from one class
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In this background, the proposed new law to another and creating new securities),
provides for an array of resolution tools,
R
which can be used by the resolution Cancellation of contracts; and for central
counter parties,
A
corporation, composed of representatives
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of the various regulators, the Ministry of Haircuts on the margins and collaterals,
Finance, as well as independent subject and
S
matter experts, in order to revive a failing Issuance of equity to the creditors.
financial firm.
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The tool of bail-in makes it incumbent upon
This piece discusses two of these proposed creditors of the firms to assume at least part
tools, namely bail-in and transfer of assets of the risk.
to another entity.
Additionally, as bail-in impinges upon the
What is Bail-in? substantial rights of creditors, it is imperative
that this power is adequately circumscribed.
Bail-in is the corollary of the traditional tool
of bailout. The draft Bill envisages a host of safeguards,
which must necessarily be complied with
Bailout implies infusing funds from a public during the operation of this tool.
source into a failed financial firm that
Only certain specific types of debts can be
traditionally benefits the shareholders or
written down, and liabilities like deposit
uninsured creditors of the firm.
insurance, wages and salaries, secured
As the government is often the primary liabilities etc have been excluded from its
source of such a liquidity injection, more purview.
often than not, taxpayers end up becoming
Further, the writing down of debts has to
financially liable for bailouts. be done in accordance with the creditor
IAS Parliament
hierarchy, and with due regard to key The objective is for the resolution corporation
attributes identified by the Financial to be in a position to take over the reins of
Stability Board (FSB), including the principle the firm and the powers of the individual
of no creditor worse off than in liquidation, regulators, to direct an orderly resolution, by
continuity of essential services, and protection the time the firm reaches a stage of unviability
of client funds. and enters the process of resolution.
What is Transfer of assets to another These tools are by no means exhaustive, and
entity? must be applied keeping in mind various
factors, such as a firms type, peculiar
This tool of resolution can assume a number
of forms. characteristics, risk profile, the portfolio of
creditors and investors, among others.
For instance, it can be done in the form of
a simple sale or purchase and assumption. Conclusion
Purchase and assumption is one of the most Ultimately, the aim of this law is to steer
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common modes of revival of a failing financial away from a one-size-fits-all formula and
devise the best possible solution, which takes
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firm.
into account the varied interests of creditors
E
The resolution corporation is responsible and consumers, while preserving the overall
for overseeing such a transaction, which is financial stability of the national economy.
M
carried out on the terms agreed between the
resolution corporation and the third party.
A
10.5 Understanding Indias fall in
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The features of this tool, as identified by the Exports
L
FSB, have been incorporated into the Bill,
What is the issue?
and include the power to transfer selected
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assets and liabilities of a non-viable firm There was a rise in export value in June 2016
A
to a third party, or to a bridge institution in comparison to June 2015.
P
formed for this purpose. The distinctive
feature of this transfer is that it does not But soon it declined during July 2016 and
August 2016 in comparison to July 2015
S
require the consent of interested creditors
or other parties. and August 2015.
IA
Segregating viable assets of the firm would What is the trend?
also enable the resolution corporation and
During April to October 2016, the growth in
investors to take informed decisions about
the dollar value of exports stagnated (0.02
its health, and the exact amount of risk that
per cent growth) relative to the corresponding
is entailed.
period of the previous year.
This may also serve the additional purpose of
the non-viable assets to be liquidated while Over a relatively long period starting 2011-
allowing continuity as a going concern. 12 the dollar value of Indias merchandise
exports has been stagnant or declining.
The draft Bill also provides for a number of
other resolution tools such as Clearly, the persistence of the Great Recession
in the world economy has affected India quite
creation of a bridge institution, adversely.
merger or amalgamation,
But the period since March 2015 seems to
acquisition,
have been worse than before.
liquidation, or any combination of these.
IAS Parliament
Thus, the growth in the dollar value of from India, have fallen because of the
merchandise exports over 2015-16 was a slowdown in China.
negative 15.6 per cent, as compared with
Rice exports boomed, because the policy
minus 1.3 per cent in 2014-15 and a positive
adopted by the previous government to
4.7 per cent in 2013-14.
offer subsidies to farmers raised prices in
But what stands out, is the extreme volatility Thailand and helped India to displace it as
of export growth in recent years, with growth the worlds leading rice exporter. But that
rates varying from a positive 21.8 per cent advantage is now waning with the Thai
to a negative 15.6 per cent. government choosing to aggressively dispose
of accumulated stocks in an environment of
What are the factors behind this trend? improved production.
Limited diversification of Indias export
Crude jolt: For long India has been importing
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basket: The top 10 principal exports in
crude and petroleum products because its
terms of commodity groups, account for as
N
requirements have far exceeded domestic
much as 78 per cent of total merchandise
production.
E
exports. What happens in the market for
these commodities has a major impact on Crude is imported and refined domestically
M
overall export performance. and to the extent that some petroleum
A
products thus obtained are more than the
The second is that in recent times the export
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domestic demand for such products after
performance of some of these goods has
L
accounting for imports, the balance is
either deteriorated or been characterised
exported.
R
by a lack of dynamism. For example,
four of Indias lead exports (Engineering However, with Indias demand for petroleum
A
goods, Gems and jewellery, chemicals and products increasing, the volume of export
P
readymade garments) registered negative or has fallen.
near zero growth rates during 2015-16.
S
This has resulted in a collapse in the value
Their growth performance, as well as of petroleum product exports from $60.7
IA
that of a commodity group like drugs and billion in 2013-14 to $47.3 billion in 2014-15
pharmaceuticals that was earlier showing and $27.1 billion in 2015-16. That too has
export dynamism, has been indifferent or contributed to the fall in the dollar value of
poor during recent months as well. merchandise exports.
While this was undoubtedly largely the result
Thus, an unusual combination of factors
of the global recession, the importance of
has intensified the adverse impact that the
these commodity groups in the export basket
global recession has had on Indias export
affected aggregate export growth adversely.
performance. All of them point to weaknesses
Thirdly, in the recent years, changed global reflected most starkly in Indias poorly
dynamism have allowed few traditionally diversified export basket.
not so important goods to find a slot among
Indias principal exports for a brief period.
10.6 Equal Pay for Equal Work
Typical examples are iron ore and rice. Why in news?
Iron ore exports that were large because of
The Supreme Courts ruled that temporary
demand from China and policy measures
employees are entitled to regular pay scale
permitting such low value-added exports
as the permanent employees.
IAS Parliament
What was the ruling? What is the problem in implementing?
The ruling was passed in cross appeals by the The two basic differences between the
Punjab government and temporary workers. temporary and regular workers are that the
temporary workers can be terminated any
It says the principle of equal pay for equal time without reason andget paid a fraction
work constitutes a clear and unambiguous of what the regular workers get
right and is vested in every employee,
It would be natural to hope that the SC
whether engaged on a regular or a temporary
verdict would have an immediate effect.
basis.
Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen, due
The specific ruling is for those employed by to the third difference between permanent and
the government. contract workersi.ethe access to collective
bargaining.
The court also fully recognises that some
workers could be permanent and others, As per the Trade Unions Act, 1926, any
T
temporary. workman who works in a factory can join
a union of that factory. But trade unions
N
The ruling has laid down many parameters typically have only permanent workers as
E
to decide whether temporary hands are doing members.
the same work as the regular employees
M
The reason cited is that contract workers are
before equal pay can be claimed. The onus of
not employees of the employer in question
A
proof is on the worker who claims equal pay.
(the manufacturing unit). Contract workers
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What is its significance? are hired by the labour contractor, who is
L
empanelled with the employer as a supplier
R
It reaffirms the concept of the right to of contract labour, and who pays their
equality enshrined in our Constitution. salaries. Therefore they should not find
A
representation in a union body formed for
P
The economy will get a boost when workers the purpose of negotiating with the said
are better paid. employer.
S
This sets the norm for the private sector as Can temporary/contractual workers
IA
well. participate in unions?
Once equal pay kicks in, the only reason Not being on the rolls of an employer does
employers have to keep some workers not disqualify a contract worker from being
temporary and disgruntled is the need for a member of a factorys union.
flexibility, reducing the plight of temporary Section 2 (g) of the Trade Union Act, which
workers. defines workmen, for the purposes of a
trade union, as all persons employed in
Also if workers are enabled to upgrade
trade or industry whether or not in the
their skills on a regular basis, such flexible
employment of the employer with whom the
employment terms would benefit them as
trade dispute arises.
well.
The Gurgaon District Court in Chander Bhan
A reform in labour laws to readjust the size case ruled that any workman employed by
of the workforce at short notice, hire new a factory irrespective of whether he was
skills, scale up or down, depending on way a permanent worker or not, was eligible to
demand moves, will make India competitive. participate in union activities.
IAS Parliament
But the fact isno union anywhere gives As a result, Indias contract workers, with
membership and voting rights to contract the exception of some PSUs in select sectors
workers. such as steel and coal, remain both heavily
exploited and largely un-unionised, with
Who are contractual workers?
the lack of unionisation and exploitation
Contract labour was initially employed reinforcing each other.
only for non-core work such as gardening,
The CL Act was enacted to abolish contract
cleaning, and maintenance. Soon, they began
labour. Ironically, it strengthened their
to be increasingly employed in production as
exploitation by offering a legal operating
well. Workers protested.
framework to labour contractors.
In response, the Contract Labour (Regulation
and Abolition) Act, 1970 (CL Act), was enacted. Before this legislation, temporary workers
and permanent workers could make claims
T
It expressly prohibits the employment of
contract labour for core production. on their employer and negotiate as members
N
of the same union. But the CL Act, introduced
But labour contractors easily circumvent this
E
a distinction between an employer and a
requirement through sham contracts. It is a principal employer and kept the door open
M
contract that may show a worker as having for expansion of contractualisation.
been hired for a cleaning job. But once he
A
enters the factory premises, he is engaged in What is the solution?
I
production work.
L
The legislations and judicial pronouncements
Why are they denied membership? alone may not change things much in
R
practice. The labour movement should come
A
In an industrial climate extremely hostile up with an answer to:
to any union activity, workers believe that
P
how to unionize contract workers,
forming a union that also includes contract
workers is bound to provoke the management Who are in one factory today, in another
S
into even greater hostility. the next&
IA
Managements refuse straight on to discuss Whose interests are all too easily played
off against those of permanent workers?
with unionists any issues concerning
contract workers. To truly reap the benefits.
recent times, companies frequently terminate 10.7 Jobs vs Wages

even a permanent worker for engaging in
Why in news?
union mobilization. Therefore contract
workers, who could be dismissed without any The applicants with PhDs and other degrees
consequences, are hesitant to form unions. were found among the application for
government peon posts in Uttarakhand
In most trade unionists, permanent workers
recently.
themselves dont want to extend union
membership to contract workers. In a factory, What is the issue?
say, that employs 300 permanent workers
India doesnt have a jobs problem but a
and 1,200 contract workers, any union that
wages problem. Our official unemployment
gives voting rights to contract workers would
rate of 5% is not a fudge and anybody who
instantly marginalize permanent workers.
wants a job generally tend to have one. But
they dont get the wages they want or need.
IAS Parliament
It is estimated that almost 85% of the 30 Gross vs Net wages

lakh applicants with PhDs, degrees, etc
For example, a monthly salary of Rs 15,000
for government peon posts in Uttarakhand
per month in a cost-to-company salary
recently already had a job
world only ends up as aRs 8,000 bank credit
The creation of high-paying private sector because employers are required to make
jobs is being distorted by three faultlines mandatory deductions of 45% salary for
in wages: Government vs private, nominal programmes like provident fund, Employees
vsreal, and gross vs net. State Insurance (ESI), Labour Welfare Fund
(LWF), Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) etc.
Government vs Private Wages
Government data suggests that workers with
People at the bottom are 85 per cent of the annual incomes of Rs 1.8 lakh do not have
numbers and greatly distort the labour any saving and cannot live on less than half
market because Class 3 and 4 employees get their salary. Therefore they prefer working
paid more than 200 per cent of their private for the informal sector where net salary is
T
sector counterparts for the same job. equal to gross salary.
N
They also have low performance accountability What are the solutions?
E
and high job security.
These fault lines distort high-paying formal
M
The huge number of government job private jobs and we need three regulatory
applications is not because people are interventions: Faster urbanisation, lower
A
running away from insecure low-paying regulations, and broader human capital.
I
private sector jobs but because people are
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Faster urbanisation in the sense that there
running towards overly secure high-paying
should be an increase to the number of
R
government jobs.
Indian cities with more than a million people
A
Government employment should be public from 50 to 200. High quality urbanisation
like having real mayors, robust city finances,
P
service with reasonable wages.
etc could create the virtuous cycle of higher
Nominal vs Real Wages formalisation, higher productivity and higher
S
wages.
Since we cannot take jobs to people in the
IA
short run, we need to take people to jobs. As bribe has become a core feature of real
estate, it has been bad for formal job creation
But the migration to cities is being negated
and labour migration and demonetisation
by the huge mispricing of land that directly
will bring down land prices, accelerate
affects living, eating and commuting costs
construction, and raise labour mobility.
in Indias few job magnets. We only have 50
cities with more than a million people versus Lower regulations are important for job
Chinas 375. creation because most of our workers work
in low-productivity enterprises that are not
Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh cant compete
productive enough to pay the wage premium.
with job magnets like Gachibowli, Mohali,
Gurgaon and Bangalore because the new Human capital is key. Neglecting primary
clusters combine an infinite supply of mixed school education for decades after
use commercial and residential real estate Independence is a mistake being amplified by
(happiness includes that the commute time the new world of work that disproportionately
is a key component of happiness). values reading, writing, arithmetic and soft
skills.
IAS Parliament
Also there should be a time-bound monitoring Thus, issues related to consolidating the
on three overdue and impactful interventions Indian banking sector have been debated
in regulatory cholesterol by the ministry of and discussed for many years and merger
labour. has been a preferred recommendation
consistently.
The Establishment code is part of a PF
account number and its a 5 digit code. 27 The government is of the opinion that merger
different numbers issued to every employer is the only solution to address the health of
should be replaced with a single Universal the PSBs.
Enterprise Number.
What is the point in merging, for example,
100 per cent paperless, presenceless, and State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of
cashless compliance for all state and Central Hyderabad with SBI, when in FY16 the two
labour laws should be achieved.
T
associate banks gross NPA ratios were in
The provident fund and ESI reforms fact lower than that of SBI?
N
announced in the budget makes the employee
Mergers by themselves do nothing to address
E
contribution to the provident fund voluntary
the issue of poor governance resulting in poor
and creates competition for ESI and EPFO
M
asset quality, except for the government can
by allowing employees to choose alternatives
say that instead of, for example, 10 weak
A
like NPS and health insurance. Such
banks we now have five, the better banks
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measures should be encouraged
having been made to swallow the weaker
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Recent youth unrest the idealisation ones.
R
of Burhan Wani by Kashmiris and the
reservation agitations by Patels, Jats, Gujjars Is the bad bank effective ?
A
have roots not in a job emergency but a The creation of bad bank may help transfer
P
formal job emergency.
the bad debts and take care of the stressed
assets, thereby helping the banks to start
S
10.8 Is Merger the Solution to with a clean slate. This might not be enough.
NPAs in Public Sector Banks?
IA
Unless the quality of management is
Why in news?
improved, the banks are going to incur assets
The problem of public sector banks (PSB)s of poor quality.
non-performing assets (NPA is getting worse.
In the last financial year 2015-16(FY16) their
gross NPA ratio rose to 9.5%, compared to Privatisation as an alternative - The
5% in the FY15. government could consider setting standards
Is Merger Practical? for the banking industry i.e., privatising
some of the inefficient PSBs while rewarding
Earlier, in 2009, the Rakesh Mohan-led profit-making ones.
Committee on Financial Sector Assessment
had proposed that the RBI should create Privatising loss-making PSBs will have a
a conducive environment for mergers and deterrent effect on the staff and management
amalgamations. of such banks.
The merger of PSBs had been recommended Also it will ensure that market discipline
even earlier in 1998 by the M. Narasimham- forces them to rectify their strategy, and this
led Committee. will have a ripple effect on other PSBs.
IAS Parliament
It is time to reconsider whether all 27 PSBs The treaty also expands the scope of the
are really required to serve the purpose of permanent establishments to allow for
social banking in our country and at what source-based taxation of business income.
cost.
It reduces the tax rate on royalty in the
Small and Payment banks - Small banks and country from which payments are made to
payment banks are expected to penetrate 10% from the existing rate of 15%, in line
deep into rural India, and therefore the need with the tax rate under Indian tax laws.
for a brick-and-mortar commercial bank It updates the text of other provisions in
branch is diminishing. accordance with the international standards
and consistent policy of India in respect of
Thus, merger is not enough to tackle the
tax treaties.
NPAs, better management of public sector
banks is of utmost importance. Privatisation The new DTAA will come into force after the
can play a key role in addressing the problem completion of necessary internal procedures
of NPAs. in both countries and is expected to be set in
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motion in India in respect of income derived
10.9 India - Cyprus DTAA
N
in fiscal years beginning on or after April 1,
Why in news? 2017.
E
Nearly three months after the Cabinets What is the significance of the deal?
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approval to the signing of the revised double Cyprus is the seventh top country from
tax avoidance agreement (DTAA) with
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which India gets maximum FDI inflow.
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Cyprus, India has now signed the new pact
with the island nation, which is a popular But it was the only country to have been
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tax haven. blacklisted by India as a non-cooperative
jurisdiction, due to lack of effective exchange
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It was signed in Nicosia by High Commissioner of information.
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of India to Cyprus and the Minister of
Finance of Cyprus. India and Cyprus had entered into a tax
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treaty in 1994, and are obliged to exchange
Similar agreements have been signed with information. On November 2013, the
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Mauritius and Singapore. Finance Ministry had notified Cyprus as a
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non-cooperative jurisdiction following failed
What are the provisions of the agreement?
discussions to secure the desired level of
The protocol for the revised agreement will cooperation.
replace the existing agreement signed in The new pact provides for assistance between
June 1994. the two countries for collection of taxes.
The new DTAA provides for source-based It also updates the provisions related
taxation of capital gains arising from to exchange of information to accepted
alienation of shares, instead of residence- international standards, which will enable
based taxation provided under the existing exchange of banking information and allow
DTAA. its use for purposes other than taxation.
However, a grandfathering clause i.e Is any country likely to benefit as a result
exemption clause has been provided for of the amendment?
investments made prior to April 1, 2017, in Experts say the Netherlands may emerge as
respect of which capital gains would continue
an alternative due the series of agreements
to be taxed in the country where the taxpayer
with Cyprus, Singapore and Mauritius.
is a resident.
IAS Parliament
The India-Netherlands treaty provides that if (a) Impose on goods imported from other
a company based in Netherlands holds less States or the Union territories any tax
than 10% equity in an Indian entity, it would to which similar goods manufactured or
not attract capital gains on the sale of those produced in that State are subject not to
shares to residents or non-residents. discriminate between goods so imported
and goods so manufactured or produced;
Even if it were to own more than 10% equity and
in an Indian company, the treaty allows it
to sell the shares to a non-resident without (b) Impose such reasonable restrictions
attracting tax. on the freedom of trade, commerce or
intercourse with or within that State as
10.10 States Right to Fiscal may be required in the public interest:
Autonomy vs Uniformity in Provided that no Bill or amendment
for the purposes of clause shall be
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Taxation
introduced or moved in the Legislature
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Why in news? of a State without the previous sanction
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of the President.
A recent nine-judge bench of the Supreme
Court, in the context of entry tax, has upheld The court states that Article 304(a) and
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states right to financial autonomy when it 304(b) are to be read separately and the
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comes to designing their fiscal legislation. states do not require Presidential assent to
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impose entry tax.
What was the judgment?
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Will the judgment reduce the number of
The judgment held that Article 301 of the
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litigations?
Constitution does not apply to taxes. (Free
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trade between states ensured in Article 301) However, this landmark decision of the
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Supreme Court does not really put an end to
Therefore, imposition of entry tax cannot
the entry tax litigations. Because the validity
be said to be restriction on freedom of trade
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of individual state law has to be decided by
and commerce.
the smaller bench of the apex court based
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The court has also overruled the concept on guidelines laid down in this case.
of compensatory taxes (developed in
That is, if entry tax is discriminatory in
earlier decisions) holding that the concept
of compensatory taxes does not have any nature, it will still be unconstitutional.
juristic basis. For example, if entry tax is imposed on
What are compensatory taxes? Taxes are particular goods entering into the local area
compensatory and valid if they are collected of a state and there is no corresponding levy
to provide certain service to the tax paying on the same goods manufactured within
units. A test for deciding whether a tax is the state, it is discriminatory, in which case
compensatory or not is to enquire whether the entry tax law of that state might still be
the traders are having the use of certain unconstitutional.
facilities for the better conduct of their
How this will affect GST?
business and paying not patently much
more than what is required for providing Uniform and harmonious tax laws throughout
the facilities. the country are a key objective of the
proposed goods and services tax (GST) laws
Article 304 states that the Legislature of a
as it would integrate India into a common
State may by law
national market.
IAS Parliament
However, such need for harmonisation is 10.11 Draft- Banning of

often viewed by states in direct conflict Unregulated Deposit Schemes and
with the principles of fiscal autonomy as Protection of Depositors Interests
incorporated in the Constitution of India. Bill, 2016
To achieve such objectives, a GST Council has What is the need for the bill?
been established to make recommendations
in relation to GST, including the rates of The government had constituted an Inter-
tax, exemptions and model GST laws. (The Ministerial group to identify gaps in the
existing regulatory framework for deposit-
GST Council consists of the Union Finance
taking activities and to check unauthorised
Minister, the Union Minister of State in
chit funds and Ponzi schemes.
charge of revenue or Finance, and the
Minister in charge of Finance or Taxation of And to suggest administrative or legislative
each State government.) measures including formulation of a new
law to cover all relevant aspects of deposit-
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However, in terms of the current constitutional taking.
scheme, such recommendations are not
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binding on the Centre or the states and they T h e p r o p o s e d b i l l i s b a s e d o n i t s
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are expected to follow the same uniformly in recommendations.
the spirit of cooperative federalism.
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What are its objectives??
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In the scheme of Indian federal and political To define the term deposits in such a manner
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structure, it is expected that any such that deposit takers are restricted from
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recommendations may not be acceptable to camouflaging public deposits as receipts
one or more states. which are outside the purview of the Bill.
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While the GST Council itself has been But it is not the intention of this Bill to curb
empowered to resolve any such disputes acceptance of money by an establishment in
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arising out of its recommendations, ultimately the ordinary course of business.
the Supreme Court would have the final say
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on such dispute. How is the definition redefined?
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If the Supreme Court uphold the sovereign Definition of Deposits to mean the receipt
of money as an advance or loan in any form
right of states to administer their GST laws
which has to be returned after a specified
in a consequent judgment, it would be a
time with or without any interest, bonus,
huge blow on the basic premise of GST
profit or in any other form.
uniformity and harmonisation and would
lead to similar distortions as prevalent under What are the revisions made?
the current tax regime.
Seeks to rope in CBI for probe in certain
The Centre, states and the GST Council cases involving fraudulent schemes.
should agree to and decide on an effective
To set up of an online database of information
dispute resolution mechanism, which would
on deposit taking activity in the country.
make it difficult for the Centre or states
to evade the recommendations of the GST Introduced a clause to give depositors
Council and would preserve the basic feature first charge on any asset created from the
of GST One Nation One Tax. deposits.
IAS Parliament
It plans to ban unregulated deposit schemes Usury is seen as the levying of unreasonably
and protect the interests of depositors. high interest rates while lending money.
The bill stipulates that any deposit taker Interest is Riba, which in its current
who promotes and accept deposits in interpretation, covers all interest not
an unregulated deposit scheme may be just excessive interest. Under Islamic law, a
punishable with imprisonment for minimum Muslim is prohibited from both paying and
term of two years which may be extended to accepting interest.
10 years and with a fine which may extend to
Thus, Sharia banking means money can only
twice the amount of aggregate funds collected
be parked in a bank without interest and
from subscribers, members or participants
this money cannot be used for speculative
in such schemes or arrangements.
trading, gambling, or trading in prohibited
Being a social welfare legislation, prioritizes commodities such as alcohol or pork.
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the interests of depositors over others.
What is the rationale for Sharia banking?
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What are the conditions to be fulfilled for
The Sachar Committee report released
CBI probe?
E
in 2006 said that Muslims hold 12.2% of
Depositors, deposit takers or properties accounts in public sector banks and 11.3%
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have to be located in more than one State in private sector banks lower than their
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or outside India share of 13.4% cent in the population as a
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The total value of the amounts involved is whole.
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of a magnitude to significantly affect public A large chunk of Muslims are, however, a
interest
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part of the conventional banking system, and
Why is this revision required? both pay and receive interest.
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Proposing strict measures such as up to 10 This concept is aimed primarily at devout
years imprisonment and heavy penalty on Muslims who do not participate in the
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operators of such schemes. conventional banking system due to religious
restrictions, including not taking credit from
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Seeks to provide for a comprehensive code to
banks to expand businesses.
ban unregulated deposit schemes.
Some religious scholars have noted that the
Protect the interests of depositors.
interest in the conventional banking systems
If it becomes a law, it would override a clutch is not the same as usury, and the levying and
of existing laws, including those framed by receiving of interest at a fixed rate is allowed.
the states. Large parts of the Islamic world, including
Pakistan, adhere to conventional banking
10.12 Islamic Banking practices.
Why in news? Introduction of Sharia or Islamic banking
could bring more Muslims into the banking
RBI has proposed the opening of an Islamic
system, and help in the inflow of institutional
window in banks to gradually introduce
wealth from entities operating in the Islamic
Sharia-compliant banking in India.
world to the Indian economy.
What is Sharia banking?
Sharia banking is not restricted to Muslims
Sharia banking refers to banking activity that alone, and other communities could be
conforms to Islamic law or Sharia. allowed to participate.
IAS Parliament
How can a bank work without interest? What are the hurdles to implementing in
India?
While banking itself is premised on charging
interest, certain banks do structure their There is some political opposition against its
accounts in Sharia compliant ways. For those introduction.
who want credit from a Sharia compliant Because of the strict adherence to not paying
bank the instrument of Ijara (Leasing or or taking interest, Sharia banking will call
Renting) is available in which the bank for a complete overhaul of the banking
purchases the asset on behalf of the client regulatory system.
and allows its usage for a fixed rental. After
a mutually agreed time, the ownership of the There is also concern that India lacks
adequate manpower trained in Sharia
asset is transferred to the client.
banking.
Another instrument is the Murabaha, in
What are the steps taken?
which the asset is purchased by the bank at
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market price and sold to the customer at a In a report submitted to the government in
mutually-decided marked-up cost. The client 2008, a committee headed by Raghuram
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can repay in instalments. Rajan had suggested the need to have
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interest-free banking in India.
Musharakais a joint investment by the bank
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and the client, in which both contribute to The Kerala government had subsequently
funding an investment or purchase, and tried to co-promote an Islamic finance
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institution, but the move was challenged in
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agree to share the profit or loss in agreed-
the High Court.
upon proportions.
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The RBI has now said that given the
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For savings accounts, there are two kinds
complexities, Islamic banking may be
of deposits. In one, customers can deposit
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introduced in a gradual manner.
their savings and allow the bank to use this
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money. A few simple products which are similar
to conventional banking products may
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In the other kind, the holder allows the bank be considered for introduction through
to invest his money in specific projects and Islamic window of the conventional banks.
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gets returns after a stipulated term based on Introduction of full-fledged Islamic banking
how the business performs. with profit-loss sharing complex products
may be considered at a later stage on the
How prevalent is Sharia banking? basis of experience
A 2015 World Bank report estimated Sharia- 10.13 Photocopy vs Copyright
compliant financial assets to be in the
range of US $ 2 trillion. The Islamic Finance Why in news?
Industry has been expanding at a rate of A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court
10%-12% annually. is scheduled to hear an appeal against a
judgment which allowed a photocopying
In many Muslim countries, Islamic banking shop in Delhi University to continue to sell
assets have been growing faster than photocopied chapters from their books.
conventional banking assets. There has also
been a surge of interest in Islamic finance What is the case about?
in non-Muslim countries such as the UK, Publishing companies like Oxford University
Luxembourg, South Africa, and Hong Kong. Press had approached Delhi High Court
IAS Parliament
in 2012 to get a permanent injunction to on the material, and does not allow its
restrain Rameshwari Photocopier on the reproduction without permission except
premises of Delhi University from making for exceptions.
copies of chapters of books published
International agreements such as the Berne
by these companies and selling them to
Convention, and the Agreement on TRIPS
students as course packs.
allow countries to lay down these exceptions.
The publishers asked the court to ensure
Section 52 of the Indian Copyright Act states
the university obtains permission to prepare
that research or private study and by a
course packs after paying dues, from the
teacher or a pupil in the course of instruction
Indian Reprographic Rights Organisation
shall not constitute an infringement of
(IRRO) - a copyright society that collects
copyright.
licensing fees on behalf of publishers.
What was DUs defence?
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What is the problem with the course
DU clarified that no licence was granted to
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packs?
the Photocopier.
E
According to the publishers, the shop was
But the shop was allowed to run keeping the
violating their copyright and competing
interest of the students in mind.
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with the copyright holders by commercially
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exploiting their work and depriving them of The university also said the service of
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revenues. copying certain pages was necessary
because purchasing individual books is
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The publishers also objected to the fact expensive and several of the books are also
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that the university had allowed the shop to out of print or not available in India.
operate on its premises, and make copies of
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Teachers and students came to court in
books from its libraries and it is adversely
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support of the photocopier. They said it was
impacting the publishing industry.
unrealistic to expect all students to buy all
What was the photocopiers defence? books that had been recommended, and that
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the course packs carried very small parts
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It claimed that the course packs were only of the books less than 10% of the total.
being used by teachers and students in
the course of academic instructions and for What was courts rationale in the judgment?
research purposes, which are part of fair It ruled that while photocopying was
use of copyrighted material under the Indian reproduction of the copyright material
Copyright Act, 1957. as defined under the Copyright Act, it was
covered under the exception for fair use.
It also argued that across the world, students
were allowed to copy a limited number of The Bench expanded the definition of
pages from any work for use in research. teacher and pupil who are allowed to
reproduce copyright work and said that the
DU by granting it licence to work on the university as an institution was a teacher.
university premises and issuing books for
photocopying,had permitted it to create The court held that the course packs
contained very limited parts of the books,
course packs.
and could not be said to be competing with
What is the doctrine of fair use? the publishers.
The copyright law recognises the right Significantly, the court held that since
of ownership of the producer/publisher students could copy out large parts of
the books by hand as study notes, the use
IAS Parliament
of technology to facilitate the copying of as though the Eurozone banks were being
extracts could not be said to violate the law. too cruel. If a common man had borrowed
money from a bank and defaulted on his
What is the significance of the verdict?
obligations the bank would go after his
It has expanded the definition of terms in collateral for cause.
the Act to include the copying of work by
educational institutions. In globalisation, the common man sees a
rigged system that is harsh on him but is
This will help tens of thousands of students lenient to elites who do far more damage.
to continue to access study material that
may not be readily available. Another problem is the hypocrisy: Consider
the case of a worker displaced when a plant
The judgment discusses the balance between moves its operations overseas. There is a
the legitimate interests of publishers and provision for the host government to fund
the right of students to get access to books. the workers retraining. But attending school
and learning new skills is fundamentally not
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It has noted that copyright isnt a divine or an easy thing to do. Even if the worker does
natural right, but has been created under this and competes to find a job, he often loses
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statute, which allows for exceptions to the out to an immigrant who is willing to work
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right. for far less. The common man sees a double
standard at work: The government is giving
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10.14 Globalisation and its ill assistance to the displaced worker with one
effects
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hand but is taking it all away with the other
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with generous immigration policies that hurt
What is the issue?
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the very worker who was to be helped by the
In fewer than six months, two mighty retraining programme.
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countries who pushed glabalisation suddenly
Indifference - Elites dismiss complaints
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appear to be reversing course.
about outsourcing saying that it is a
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In championing such a reversal, Donald necessary by-product of globalisation. But
Trump and Nigel Farage of Britain identified the common man sees that this practice
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major fault lines in the concept of globalisation hurts people, families and communities like
nothing else.
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and skilfully communicated them to the
people. Neglection- The common man is also
What are the problems of Globalisation? deliberately forgotten for the greater good.
The recent climate accord eliminates CFCs
A major problem with globalisation is that it from use in commercial air conditioners. But
does not penalise bad actors. The bankers doing so will mean that air conditioners will
and traders were responsible for the financial get far more expensive for the worlds rising
crisis. But no one was punished and the middle classes.
banks were bailed out at taxpayer expense.
Every policy has winners and losers.
In a non-globalised world, there would have
Globalisation was fine as long as there were
been serious penalties imposed on hundreds
more winners than losers.
of individuals, including regulators.
Pride - When common men took their issues
For example Greece: It went amok with
to leaders in government, industry and the
highly irresponsible decisions that brought
media, they were often dismissed, even
Euro to the brink. But in an irony, it was
branded racist or bigots for not coping with
Greeces Prime Minister who made it appear
a changing world.
IAS Parliament
So the losers in the globalisation battle Provide weather and market related
formed a silent majority. They held their information to the farmers and others.
opinions from pollsters or even lied to them Governments forthcoming programmes will
when asked. And on election day, they took also be available on it.
their heartfelt disillusions to the privacy
of the ballot box without having to fear It will help create awareness about various
recrimination from anyone. programmes and benefit farmers and youth
in joining different training programmes
11. AGRICULTURE AND RELATED being organized by KVKs.
ISSUES 11.2 Import Duty On Wheat
11.1 Krishi Vigyan Kendra Why in news?
Why in News? The central government has scrapped the
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import duty on wheat.
The Central government has announced
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opening of at least one Krishi Vigyan Kendra Why the import duty was scrapped?
E
in all districts of the country.
The Centre recently announced zero import
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What are earlier measures? duty from the prevailing 10% to improve
domestic availability, check rising prices and
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It includes providing advanced Agriculture to address the concerns of dip in buffer stock
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technical assistance to the farmers near their of wheat and wheat-based products following
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farms itself. Besides, it has also announced two consecutive drought years.
opening of Apiary Development Centers in
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ten states. The big players in the wheat flour market had
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been demanding withdrawal of the duty, and
The government has called upon the farmers this move was to suit their interests.
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to use the residual husk after paddy farming
to make organic fertilizer, in paper making The decision of scrapping the import duty
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and Card-board Industry and as animal feed. ahead of the winter wheat crop is aimed at
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This will prevent the adverse effect of husk helping such agri-businesses by dumping
burning on the environment. wheat from foreign countries in India.
Further this measure will reduce the price

What are the features of Krishi Vigyan
of wheat in the market.
Kendra portal?
How did the farmers react?
The portal aims to provide information and
advisory to the farmers and facilitate online Farmers unions and agriculture experts
monitoring of the KVK activities. are anguished over the Centres decision to
scrap the import duty on wheat as they fear
It provides provisions for online monitoring that they will have to resort to distress sale
of KVKs. during the rabi season.
Reporting of major events of KVKs on regular The All India Kisan Sabha said government
basis and submission of monthly reports agencies had failed to procure wheat at the
online. minimum support price (MSP), and without
an adequate number of open purchasing
Provide information on different services centres, farmers are forced to sell their crop
being provided by different KVKs. at lower prices.
IAS Parliament
Wheat traders are expecting imports to The regions export basket does not reflect
cross five million tonnes this year. the substantial transformation of production
structures.
The cost of imported wheat would be far
below the MSP of ongoingrabi (Rs. 16,250 a South Asian countries have underperformed
tonne), resulting in crashing domestic wheat in terms of both the quantity and quality of
prices as the government has no effective their exports. Most firms in South Asia have
procurement mechanism in many States. low productivity.
While the exports have increased in India, it
Thus the scrapping of duty would be
has remained low in the rest of South Asia
detrimental to Indian agriculture as it will
and quality has generally remained low and
hurt the income of farmers.
has declined for some countries.
11.3 World Bank Advises India to Indias 14% annual export growth for the
Cut Subsidies last decade puts it in the first tier of South
Asian countries.
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Why in news? High import tariffs on cotton and man-
N
World Bank has advised India to reduce made fibres combined with ineffective duty
E
its subsidies and import duties to become drawback mechanisms have been the main
constraint to the growth of the apparel sector
an export powerhouse, in its recent report
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in India.
titled South Asias Turn: Policies to Boost
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Competitiveness and Create the Next Export South Asia, led by India, could triple its
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Powerhouse. share in global markets of electronics and
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motor vehicles and doubling its market share
What is the South Asias potential?
in wearing apparel (excluding textiles and
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South Asia with the increase in education leather) by 2030.
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levels, more than one million young workers
What are the recommendations?
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enter the labour market each month.
The World Bank report highlights four main
By 2030 more than a quarter of the worlds
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policy levers to boost the productivity and
working adults will live in South Asia.
thus the competitiveness of firms are
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As the work force ages and labour costs rise
To improve the business environment,
in China and other East Asian countries,
south Asia becomes the cheaper destination. Connect firms to global value chains.
What are the findings in the report? Leverage agglomeration benefits and
The report says India made substantial Strengthen the capabilities of managers
progress in developing top of the value chain and workers.
capabilities, such as becoming a global
Policymakers can encourage the flow of
research and development hub for major
resources to more productive firms by
auto-parts and electronics producers.
actively managing urbanisation and reducing
But 80% of the regions export growth came constraints.
from the sale of the same goods to the same
Bridge the gap between agglomerations of
destinations and the remaining 20% came
firms and pools of qualified workers with easy
from selling the same products to new
access to key domestic and export markets.
markets.
IAS Parliament
Invest more in training their workers, How to measure private stocks?

innovating new products and making greater
S t r e n g t h e n i n g A g r i c u l t u r a l M a r k e t
use of the Internet to buy & sell.
Information System, a G20 initiative was
11.4 Private Food Grain Stock set up in 2011 with the task of improving
Measurement agriculture market information and
forecasting national and international level
Why in news? stocks.
International Seminar on Approaches and Reliable information on private foodgrain
Methodologies for Private Food Grain Stock stocks is a challenge due to the non-existence
Measurement to be held on 9th November, of a scientific approach and methodology.
2016 in New Delhi.
While public stocks maintained as buffer are
What is the need for food grain stock used to absorb supply shocks to dampen
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management? price spikes, the paucity of information
N
Information on food grain stocks is vital for on the volume of private stocks is used by
private traders to rig prices.
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food security and can influence the world
prices of certain crops. The commercial storage and warehouses
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There is a growing need to ensure stock- maintained by commodity exchanges and
warehousing receipts by agencies such as
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taking of domestic food availability which is
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both accurate and up-to-date. This would the Warehouse Development and Regulatory
Authority play a crucial role in stocking for
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enable in framing adequate policies to handle
with food shortages, excesses and also plan private entities.
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for future production. E v o l v i n g a s c i e n t i f i c a p p r o a c h a n d
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methodology for measuring stocks held
Why private stocks matter?
privately and by commercial storage entities
P
In India, stocks of grains and oilseeds are held can help predict the direction of prices and
by various stakeholders, including farmers, the designing of appropriate public policy
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individual non-farmer households, the and business planning.
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Government (Central and State), processing
The Philippines conducts sample surveys on
units, traders and exporters.
a monthly basis to estimate private stocks
Often, these entities are fragmented across of rice and maize. However, the suitability
the width and breadth of the country. of this methodology for a large country like
India has not been tested.
Given the vastness of the country, the
seasonal and regional nature of production The upcoming seminar in New Delhi organised
and consumption, the operation of a large by the FAO and the agriculture ministry
number of small to medium entities in the will hopefully throw light on approaches
private sector, measuring privately held and methodologies for India and will help
stocks has been a challenge. design robust policies and focus on new
technologies and their integration into the
Adequate foodgrain stocks can help contain food grain stock data management system.
price rise. While stocks held by public
agencies are fairly well known, those held 11.5 Kerala Declared Drought-Hit
by private entities are not.
Why in news?
The growing involvement of multiple
All the 14 districts of Kerala have been
stakeholders, private stockists in particular,
declared drought-hit by the government.
often leads to price volatilities.
IAS Parliament
What is the present condition of Kerala? The government also has plans to rejuvenate
at least 10,000 private temple ponds of the
There is a deficit 34 per cent rainfall in the
total 40,000 in the State.
State during the South-West monsoon.
The Chief Minister had convened a high-level
During the North-East monsoon, it is
meeting on October 13 to work out plans to
projected that Kerela will have a deficit of
meet the impending drought situation
69 per cent rainfall even if 90 to 100 per
cent rainfall is received in November and
December. 12. INFRASTRUCTURE
The State Disaster Management Authority, 12.1 Guidelines for Wind Power
at its meeting under Chief Minister Projects
PinarayiVijayan decided to declare the entire
State as drought-hit. Why in news?
A moratorium will come into effect on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
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agricultural loan taken by the farmers. (MNRE) issued Guidelines for transparent
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bidding process for implementation of
The government will seek central aid to
Scheme for setting up of 1000 MW Wind
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overcome the crisis.
Power Project connected to inter-state
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The District Collectors have been given a transmission system (ISTS).
26-point guideline to be followed for drought-
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relief. What is the scheme about?
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Ministry sanctioned a Scheme for setting
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There has been no rain in October and
if this situation continues, there will be up of 1000 MW ISTS connected Wind Power
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drought-like situation, proclaimed by Indian Project on 14 June 2016.
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Meteorological Department (IMD).
The objective of the Scheme is to encourage
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The State was heading for a severe drought competitiveness through scaling up of
as Kerala had received deficient rains in the project sizes and introduction of efficient
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South-West monsoon. and transparent e-bidding and e-auctioning
processes.
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The North-East monsoon was yet to set in
the State and had not received pre-monsoon It will also facilitate fulfilment of Non-Solar
showers. Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO)
What are the steps taken by the Kerela requirement of non-windy states.
government? In order to facilitate transmission of wind
To tackle the situation, the government was power from these windy states to non-windy
also keen to encourage rain water harvesting. states provisions have been made in the Tariff
Policy to waive the inter-state transmission
There has been an average reduction of 22 charges and losses for wind power projects.
per cent water in the States dams when
compared to the water storage in September Under the guidelines the Wind Power
last year. Projects will be selected through open and
transparent competitive bidding followed by
The State was also gearing up to take
e-reverse auction and the capacity may go
measures to tackle scarcity of drinking water
higher than 1000 MW.
which is likely to be faced by the State due
to deficient monsoon.
IAS Parliament
What is SECI? A captive unit is a business unit of a

company functioning offshore as an entity
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is a
of its own while retaining the work and
PSU under the administrative control of the
close operational tie ups within the parent
MNRE, set up on September 2011 to facilitate
company.
the implementation of JNNSM and achieve
the target of it. Though some berths and facilities were
set up in some Major Ports following these
It is the only PSU dedicated to the solar
guidelines, the potential for development of
energy sector.
such facilities is not yet fully realized.
It is responsible for implementation of
Hence the need for the new Policy for Award
schemes of MNRE which includes large-
of Waterfront and Associated Land to Port
scale grid-connected projects under JNNSM,
Dependent Industries in Major Ports.
T
solar park scheme and grid-connected solar
rooftop scheme. What the new policy says?
N
12.2 Port Development Policy Under the new policy, concession will be
E
Why in news? granted to Port Dependent Industries (PDI)
M
for setting up dedicated facilities in Major
The Ministry of Shipping held a consultation Ports for import and/or export of cargo and
A
meeting with various stake holders on Policy their storage before transportation to their
I
for Award of Waterfront and Associated Land destination, for a period not exceeding 30
L
to Port Dependent Industries in Major Ports years.
R
in New Delhi.
Extension of concession period on conditions
A
What is the aim of the policy? including under-utilization of asset as per
P
the concession agreement may be allowed.
The policy aimed at bringing uniformity and
transparency in the procedure for awarding After a maximum of 30 years of operation,
S
captive facilities at ports. the waterfront and associated land in a
IA
The ambit of the Policy includes creation of Major Port will be allotted for construction
new assets as well as utilization of currently of berths, offshore anchorages, transhipment
unutilised existing assets such as vacant jetties, single point moorings etc.
berths. The Policy will be applicable to all It will be as per the terms and conditions of
the Major Ports. the Concession Agreement (CA) to be entered
The policy will enable optimal utilization into between the Port Authority and the PDI
of capacities in Major Ports and increase concerned.
revenue to the Major Port Authority. What is the way ahead?
What are the existing guidelines?
The policy will help generate committed
Under the existing guidelines for private business for the Major Ports on a long term
sector participation in Major Ports issued by basis by facilitating the development and
the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) in 1996 and operation of dedicated port facilities by
1998, provisions were made for allotment of industries which are substantially dependent
waterfront and land on a captive basis to Port on a particular Major Port for import and/
Based Industries including Central/State or export of their cargo and thus play a
Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) which catalytic role in the eventual realization of
fulfilled the prescribed eligibility criteria. the objectives of Port led development.
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Allocation of waterfront and associated land expected to be built by 2023 at a cost of

to port based industries on PPP/captive about $12 billion
basis is one of the major areas which have
Hyperloop technology can be implemented
been identified by the Ministry of Shipping
in nearly 3 years. Further it costs around
for participation/investment by the private
$1 billion.
sector in Major Ports.
12.4 Banks on Project Finance
Government of India has focused on Port led
development through the Sagarmala program Why in news?
as a key enabler for economic growth.
In the Banking Roundtable held last week,
Optimal utilization of land and waterfront at bankers made it clear that they are hesitant
the disposal of the Major Ports is of critical to go big on project financing.
importance in this context.
What is project finance?
12.3 Hyperloop Transportation Project finance is the financing of long-term
T
Technology infrastructure, industrial projects and public
N
services, in which project debt and equity
Why in news? used to finance the project, are paid back
E
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies from the cash flow generated by the project.
M
(HTT), a US start-up has submitted its Why are the banks hesitant in public
proposals to the trsanport ministry. financing?
What is Hyperloop technology?
I A
Bankers are clear that very few banks
L
would go big on project financing until the
The Hyperloop high-speed travel in pods
R
government created the ecosystem for the
inside a partial-vacuum tube is the
resolution of issues.
A
brainchild of Tesla founder Elon Musk
Due to the past experience in the recent
P
The basic design of the technology was open
years, bankers will now provide project
sourced in 2013 in the form of a white paper. finance only if they see a chance to recover
S
It is a capsule, with passengers, travels at their investment quickly in case things go
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the speed of more than 1200 Kmph, inside wrong.
a vacuum tube. The gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of
It uses power from renewable energy sources the banking sector stood at `6.3 lakh crore
like solar energy, regenerative braking & in the June quarter, and restructuring is
on in barely a fraction of these cases. This
wind power.
seriously limits their lending capacity.
These tubes stand on pylons that can
Schemes such as strategic debt restructuring
withstand quakes and crashes.
(SDR) and sustainable structuring of
The company has already signed deals to stressed assets (S4A) have not met with
build a Hyperloop between Abu Dhabi and much success. Under these schemes, banks
Al Ain. have not been able to
Bullet train Vs Hyperloop agree with promoters on valuation,

convert their debt into equity or
The first bullet train is expected to run find managers or new buyers
between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and is
to run the businesses.
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It is not just bankers who are hesitant to It will not be subject to any levies or charges
fund large-scale projects; even promoters imposed by the airport operators.
who have learnt their lesson the hard way
will want all the safeguards in place before The selected airlines will have to commit 50%
indulging in future projects. of the seats on RCS flights as RCS seats.
What is the way ahead? The number of RCS flights to be operated in

a week must be at least three and at most
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC),
seven.
2016, is expected to address some of these
concerns. Benefits under the Scheme will be available
for a period of 10 years from the date of its
There is no shortage of demand for funds,
notification.
which will only increase as the economy
T
grows. However, bankers want tighter How will it be implemented?
N
contracts so that borrowers understand that
the money has to be repaid and that they Guiding principles - RCS will be made
E
cannot lead lavish lifestyles at the expense operational only in states and at airports
of banks. which are willing to provide concessions
M
required under the Scheme. A Regional
A
The future of financing projects should be Connectivity Fund (RCF) will be created to
I
governed by take-or-pay contracts and if subsidise operations under the RCS. The
L
things do not work out, the funds are to be RCF will be funded by a levy or fee on certain
returned. domestic flights, at rates to be notified by
R
the Ministry.
There are enough honest promoters out there
A
who may have set up projects in good faith Financial support to airlines will be provided
P
but are unable to get them going because in the form of
of changes in the external environment or
S
regulations or public protests. Therefore a Concessions by central and state
IA
more structured approach should be in place governments such as reducing excise
where access to natural resources, land, duty on aviation fuel,
approvals and backward-forward linkages
Concessions by airport operators such as
are in place before funds are committed.
not levying landing and parking charges,
12.5 Regional Connectivity Scheme and
(RCS)
Viability gap funding (VGF) will be
Why in news? provided to the selected airline operators
from RCF, and state governments will
The Ministry of Civil Aviation released the be required to reimburse the applicable
Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) with share. VGF will be provided for three
the objective of facilitating regional air years from the date of commencement
connectivity by making it affordable. of operations of such RCS flights.
What are the key features of the scheme? The Scheme will be applicable to RCS airports
The airfare per RCS seat will not exceed Rs and helipads. The list of RCS airports and
3,500 and will be determined based on the helipads will be published after consultation
flight distance. with the state governments.
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13. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY What is Indias position?

India was inducted as an Observer at CERN
13.1 Indias Membership in CERN
in 2004. The latest upgrade allows Indian
Why in news? companies to bid for lucrative engineering
contracts and Indians can apply for staff
India became an associate member of the positions at the organisation.
European Organisation for Nuclear Research
(CERN). The associate membership would cost
India 11.5 million annually though it still
What is CERN? wouldnt have voting rights on decisions of
CERN is a European research organization the Council. India will formally become a
that operates the largest particle physics member around January after depositing an
laboratory in the world. instrument of ratification.
Established in 1954, the organization is What is Indias benefit?
T
based in Geneva. Becoming an associate member of CERN will
N
enhance participation of young scientists
It has 22 member states and four associate
and engineers in various CERN projects.
E
member states and other associate members
transitioning to full member status. It will also open opportunities for Indian
M
industries to participate directly in CERN
It is best known as operator of the Large
projects. The most significant outcome is
A
Hadron Collider, which found the elusive
I
that our industry can bid for developing
Higgs boson in 2012.
sophisticated equipment, software and
L
CERNs main function is to provide the instruments.
R
particle accelerators and other infrastructure
The aim of the LHC is to allow physicists to
needed for high-energy physics research.
A
test the predictions of different theories of
P
What is Large Hadron Collider? particle physics, including measuring the
properties of the Higgs boson and searching
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the
S
for the large family of new particles predicted
worlds largest and most powerful particle by supersymmetric theories.
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accelerator.
13.2 Indigenously Developed
The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of SONARS
superconducting magnets with a number of
accelerating structures to boost the energy Why in news?
of the particles along the way. The Government has formally inducted four
The collider is a type of a particle accelerator types of indigenously developed SONARS
with two directed beams of particles. In that will boost its underwater surveillance
particle physics, colliders are used as a capability recently.
research tool: they accelerate particles to What are the NAVAL systems that have
very high kinetic energies and let them been handed over?
impact other particles.
Recently, Kochi based Naval Physical
Analysis of the byproducts of these collisions Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO,
gives scientists good evidence of the structure has handed over the following four naval
of the subatomic world and the laws of systems to Indian Navy.
nature governing it.
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Induction of these Systems will increase the frequency and pulse shape in an emergency
underwater surveillance capability of Indian situation, so as to attract the attention of
Naval ships. Rescue Vessel in the vicinity.
All these Systems are to be productionised
in India.
13.3 Indias Space Achievements
and Constraints
ABHAY
What demonstrates Chinas aspirations?
Abhay (Compact Hull-Mounted Sonar
for Small Ships & Shallow Water Crafts): Chinas extraterrestrial ambitions are
Induction of Abhay (by replacing the vintage clearly lifting off, even threatening the
Russian sonar) enables indigenous sonar US-based National Aeronautics and Space
system to be installed on small ships, thereby Administration (Nasa).
enhancing the ASW surveillance capability
T
For instance, two Chinese astronauts
of the fleet to smaller vessel, like Shallows
N
Water Crafts, Light Frigates & Patrol Vessels, or taikonautsare currently aboard an
experimental space station called Tiangong-2.
E
which was hitherto limited to frigates and
destroyers. Also known as the Heavenly Palace, this is
M
HUMSA-UG the second laboratory to be launched by
A
the worlds second-largest economy, and
I
HUMSA-UG (Upgrade for the Hull-Mounted
the experiments are aimed at creating a
Sonar Array (HUMSA) Series of Sonar Systems
L
permanent space station by 2022.
for Ships): It enables smooth upgrade of the
R
capabilities of the indigenously-developed Since 2011, 11 taikonauts have travelled
legacy Sonar System HUMSA, by drastically
A
into space.
minimizing the existing hardware and
P
addressing technology obsolescence issues, What are Indias aspirations?
which is currently operational on-board on
S
India is yet to send a manned mission to
18 ships.
the moon.
IA
NACS
Indias first manned space mission is now
NACS (Near-field Acoustic Characterization being slotted for 2021a crucial step to
System (NACS) for Ship Sonars): It provides launch vyomanauts, or Indian astronauts,
a simple and operationally efficient means on the moon.
to determine the frequency-dependent 3-D
transmission and reception characteristics What is the status of Indias space budget?
of the hull-mounted sonar aiding in the
Budget is clearly a constraint.
optimum performance and maintenance of
the sonar. Indias space sciences budget, which is
meant to fund research into our planet, the
AIDSS
solar system and universe, is a mere $43
AIDSS (Advanced Indigenous Distress Sonar million, according to the Isros 2015-16
System (AIDSS) for Submarines): It is used annual report.
to signal that a submarine is in distress and
thereby enable quick rescue and salvage. Compare that with Chinas $110 million,
Japans $953 million and Nasas $5.24
It is a life-saving alarm system designed to billion space sciences budgets.
transmit sonar signals of pre-designated
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Further, the US had the biggest budget for By June, ISRO had launched 131 satellites
space exploration, spending over six times using indigenously developed launch
more than China, according to Organisation vehicles, 74 of them foreign satellites.
for Economic Co-operation and Development
figures for 2013. India has also successfully set a record with
the launch of 20 satellites in a single payload,
Indias total space budget estimate for 2016- one being a satellite from Google Inc.
17, according to the ISRO annual report, is
pegged at around $1.1 billion. India is now rated as one of the top six
countries having end-to-end capability in
This includes allocation for space technology, space technology.
space sciences, space applications, Insat
operational and administration costs. ISRO and its commercial arm, Antrix Corp.,
Compare this with the total space budget of is working on developing low-cost reliable
Nasa for FY2016 at $18.8 billion. space launch vehicles, similar to what the
US, Ukraine, Russia, China and New Zealand
What are the achievements of ISRO?
T
are doing.
N
Despite budget constraints, ISRO has many
achievements to its credit. Moreover, to expand inter-planetary research,
E
ISRO is seeking scientific proposals for
Set up in 1969, ISRO built Indias first aMOM-2.
M
satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by
the Soviet Union on 19 April 1975. 14. ENVIRONMENT
I A
In 1980, Rohini became the first satellite to
14.1 Environment Supplement
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be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch
vehicle, SLV-3. Plan (ESP)
R
ISRO subsequently built the Polar Satellite Why in news?
A
Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for launching satellites
P
Currently, developmental projects in India
into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous
require Environmental Impact Assessment
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to place
S
(EIA) clearance, and yet many are operating
satellites into geostationary orbits.
without even obtaining this clearance.
IA
In January 2014, ISRO successfully used an
indigenous cryogenic engine in a GSLV-D5 And if the construction of a developmental
launch of the GSAT-14. project begins without prior assessment and
clearances, the MoEFCC, as per its latest
ISRO sent a lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, notification, will still consider the project for
on 22 October 2008, and then the Mars clearance.
Orbiter Mission (MOM), which successfully
entered the Mars orbit on 24 September What are the key features of EIA?
2014, making India the first nation to
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA),
succeed in doing so on its first attempt.
2006 regulates the construction, expansion
ISRO became the fourth space agency as and modernization of developmental
well as the first space agency from Asia to projects that have a potential threat to the
successfully send a spacecraft into the Mars environment in different parts of India.
orbit.
This law mandates prior environmental
And it was really cheap: ISRO reportedly clearance to be obtained for a listed project.
spent only Rs450 crore on MOM.
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It is obtained through a series of steps What are the disadvantages?

that includes preparation of EIA reports,
ESP is a clever attempt to legalize EIA
engagement with project-affected
violation and gain corporate confidence,
communities through public hearings, and
an appraisal of project documents by a group thereby allowing violator to damage the
of experts. environment and circumvent the EIA
process.
What is ESP?
Among all cases filed in the National Green
Environmental Supplemental Plan (ESP) Tribunal (NGT), around 41% are cases
provides an escape mechanism to violators. where the NGT found faults with an EIA
Instead of following the path of an EIA assessment. Thus, EIA violation is a major
clearance, they can get away by paying in developmental projects. Allowing such
a penalty through specific investment violators to carry on, defeats the ultimate
T
activities. purpose of EIA.
N
As per the guidelines defined under ESP law: Many experts argue that this indirectly allows
E
pardoning of violations. Rather than building
An ESP is an environmentally beneficial
upon the Polluters Pay Principle, the ESP
M
project or activity that is not required by law,
looks like an attempt to promote corporate
but that an alleged violator of Environmental
A
development by using a contradictory Pay
Impact Assessment Notification, 2006
I
and Pollute principle.
agrees to undertake as part of the process
L
of environmental clearance. MoEFCC stated the notification has legal
R
basis in two judgments, one by the NGT
Environmentally beneficial means an
and the other by the Jharkhand High Court.
A
Environmental Supplemental Plan must
But neither of the two judgments condones
P
remediate, improve, protect the environment
EIA violations to be regularized post facto
or reduce risks to public health or the
nor does it prescribe a way out of these for
S
environment.
violators.
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ESP would allow violator companies to Valuation of environmental loss cannot be
continue their activities by paying a financial just compensated by pecuniary payment by
penalty.
the violator.
T h i s w o u l d t h e n b e i n v e s t e d i n a n Whether the fine amount would be collected
environmentally beneficial project or properly and utilized for restoration is
activity for an affected target group of doubtful. No mechanism has been proposed
stakeholders. to utilize the collected funds.
What are the advantages? The track record of MoEFC taking any
Many developmental projects have been punitive actions against violators is very
currently been stalled to non-compliance poor in India.
with EIA regime or for preparing an improper 14.2 Delhi Air Pollution
EIA. ESP would enable reviving these
projects.
Why in news?
In view of the intense air pollution in Delhi,
The Bad Loans issue currently plaguing the
visibility dropped to a distance of 200 meters
Banking sector can be substantially resolved
and all schools were closed for three days.
through reviving the stalled projects.
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What are the reasons? There is a need to move away from an

approach that focuses on a single polluting
Satellite pictures reveal that crop burning
source.
in adjoining states is the major driver of the
drastic drop in air quality in the national Farmers should be made aware of the uses of
capital region. stubble like Power generation, soil moisture
retaining, medium for growth for essential
Large-scale trash-burning across the city is
micro-organisms, organic manure, yeast
another factor.
making etc. They should also be supported
The base level of pollution is already high policy wise to initially take it up.
due to rampant urbanisation.
Smoke generating brick kilns should be
Why Stubble is burned? modernised.
Stubble is the cut stalks of cereal plants left Roads must be paved.
sticking out of the ground after the grain is
Poor burn waste during winter to escape
T
harvested.
cold. Therefore proper heat and shelter to
N
Rice is not a major crop in Punjab and be provided.
E
Haryana.
Public transport should be mad efficient
But the cultivation is recently increased due and private transport to be discouraged by
M
to MSP and availability of secured market i.e measures like higher parking fees.
A
government procurement.
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14.3 Air pollution - Emergency
Farmers use Combine Harvesters (machines) Measures from Across the World
L
to harvest because of the increased labour
R
cost. Why in news?
A
This leaves behind substantial amount of T h e N a t i o n a l G r e e n T r i b u n a l ( N G T )
P
stubble. It is non-palatable and the cost of announced emergency measures to tackle
collecting is very high. So it is burned to pollution which will come into place when
S
make the farm ready for winter wheat. air quality touches the severe limit.
IA
Wheats stubble is not burned as it being a What are the measures?
traditional crop, there is a demand for it to These measures include
use it as a cattle feed. So it is collected by
reaper after harvesting. Sprinkling water using helicopters,
What are the measures taken? Stopping construction activity,
Badarpur Thermal Power Plant closed for 3 Cleaning of dust from roads by mechanical.
days. Manual cleaning only helps in regeneration
of pollution,
Construction works around the city was
halted. Stopping stone crushing and
Odd-Even scheme was implemented. Stopping thermal power plants & diesel
generator sets that cause more pollution
What should be done? than is permitted.
All the above measures are temporary. These measures are somewhat different from
those put in place on bad air days in major cities
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elsewhere in the world. But it should be noted Heavy fines were imposed for flouting the
that all these measures are temporary measures ban, and the speed limit was set at a low 20
to handle extreme air pollution and not long term km per hour.
measures. Apart from this Delhi lacks effective
monitoring mechanism and long-term plan to An estimated 750 police officers were
check industrial pollution. dispatched from 5.30am onwards to about
100 busy roads and junctions to hand out
Beijing fines to those who ignored the measures.
Once among the most polluted cities in the Public transport and parking in residential
world, Beijing has had stringent emergency areas were made free to encourage people to
measures to combat chronic air pollution use public transport.
in place since 2011. These were formalized
in 2013. According to the government, the steps
were successful and helped cut pollution
T
The Chinese capital enforces an odd- significantly.
N
even road-rationing scheme for private
cars whenever a Red alert is sounded, 2015 was only the third time since 1997
E
immediately pulling some 1.8 million cars that the city had to implement emergency
measures.
M
off the roads for every day that the scheme
is in force. Mexico City
I A
An alarm will be sounded and messages will When it declares an air emergency, Mexico
L
be played in buses and trains asking people City bans a fifth of private cars from roads
to be cautious. on every day of the week.
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All schools are closed so that children are not
A
The temporary measure included ordering
exposed to toxic air, factories are shut down, all cars to remain idle one day a week in
P
and fireworks which are a major draw response to the notoriously smoggy capitals
during the Chinese New Year celebrations worst air-quality crisis
S
are banned.
It also offers free rides on buses and trains.
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Even outdoor barbecues, which are very
popular in local markets, are stopped. The city started its battle with air pollution in
the late 1980s and was the first to implement
All government departments have to ensure the odd-even scheme.
that only 70% of their vehicles are on the
roads. 14.4 Marrakech Climate Change
An alert is sounded on the day before a heavy Conference
smog day based on forecasts. Why in news?
Paris The twenty-second session of the Conference
When smog enveloped the iconic Eiffel Tower of the Parties (COP 22), the twelfth session
in March 2015, the French capital took half of the Conference of the Parties serving
its cars off the roads, much like Delhis odd- as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto
even scheme. Protocol (CMP 12), and the first session of
the Conference of the Parties serving as the
Only clean cars, those with uneven number meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement
plates or vehicles carrying more than three (CMA 1) were held in Marrakech, Morocco
people have been permitted to enter Paris from 7-18 November 2016.
and 22 surrounding areas
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What happened earlier? One of the biggest victories the rich nations
were able to score at Marrakech was in
Rich and industrialised countries are
getting their report on climate finance
obligated to provide climate finance to the
acknowledged into the formal negotiations,
developing nations to help them deal with
despite developing countries claiming that
the impacts of climate change.
it had used dubious accounting methods.
The rich countries have promised to mobilise This OECD report could now become one of
at least USD 100 billion per year from the the bases for defining climate finance. The
year 2020. OECD countries had tried this last year at
Developing countries have been demanding Paris as well and failed. But, they got away
to know the progress on this promise, but with it at Marrakech.
what has come from the rich world has They also got ensured to a considerable
disappointed as well as angered them. extent that there would be little new action
In an estimate released a few weeks ago, to reduce emissions or enhance climate
T
the rich countries have claimed that they funding till 2020.
N
were on road to raise at least USD 64 billion The developing countries had demanded that
just from public finance by the year 2020. the existing Adaptation Fund which provides
E
However, these estimates were based on a funds to developing countries from the rich
discredited OECD report released last year nations continue to live under the Paris
M
which had claimed that more than USD 60 Agreement unconditionally. But this was
A
billion dollars in climate finance had already achieved with attached conditions that could
I
flowed from the developed to the developing constrict it or even eventually choke it by
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world between the years 2010 and 2014. the time Paris Agreement gets implemented.
This both disappointed and angered the
R
Then there were a list of issues that needed
developing counties.
to be sorted out that were likely to fall off the
A
What happened in COP22? table in coming years. For example
P
It had the ambitious task of drawing up 1. For developing countries one of these
priority issues was to have a process for
S
the first steps on enhanced finance and
technology transfer, which is vital to advance setting a new collective quantified goal
IA
the Paris Agreement that entered into force on climate finance.
on November.
2. For developed countries it was to have a
If the UN framework convention (UNFCCC) is common time frames in which countries
the Worlds Constitution for fighting climate revise their targets periodically under
change that they all agreed to in 1992, the Paris Agreement.
Paris Agreement is the equivalent of a law Was Indias aspirations met at Marrakech?
and Marrakech Conference was supposed
to come out as a rulebook for it. Climate Justice did not find a mention.
Nor did Indias demand that developed
Its a settled concept that rules are meant to countries adjust their lifestyles to reduce
facilitate the implementation of provisions their emissions considerably.
of a law. But at Marrakech the developed
countries, tried to use the rule-making Even the reference to the long standing
process to subvert the law the Paris principles of equity and common but
Agreement. Their hostility came as a surprise differentiated responsibilities could find a
to many ill-prepared developing economies, very nominal space in the political statement
including India. called the Marrakech Action Proclamation.
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Indias actual negotiating team at the What is ISA?

Moroccan capital remained strained
The International Solar Alliance is an alliance
for human-power and greater political
of more than 120 countries, most of them
leadership. India was often found missing
being sunshine countries, which come either
from crucial closed door and parallel talks
completely or partly between the Tropic of
on climate finance.
Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
India had to also deal with the fact that
The primary objective is to collectively work
the BASIC group had become less coherent
for efficient exploitation of solar energy to
than ever before. It comprises of South
reduce dependence on fossil based fuels.
Africa, Brazil, China and India and stumped
the EU in 2009 by becoming the group of This initiative was proposed by our Prime
big developing economies that collectively Minister of India first during his speech at
bargained with the US at Copenhagen to Wembley Stadium, London.
T
shape the new climate regime. But, South
This initiative was launched at the India
N
Africa drifted somewhat away from others
Africa Summit and a meeting was held
in its national interest even before Paris
E
among them before the conclave of 2015
Agreement. At Morocco, Brazil demonstrating
United Nations Climate Change Conference
M
that its national interest and political
in Paris on November 2015.
alignments at climate talks had turned closer
A
to those of the US rather than to the BASIC This is a treaty-based inter-governmental
I
group. organization. The alliance will take the shape
L
of an international treaty once its rules are
What is the way ahead?
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worked out.
The issues that were the most difficult to
A
The Headquarters is in India with its Interim
resolve at Paris have been all put on the plate Secretariat being setup in Gurgaon.
P
for 2017 and 2018 to resolve.
The agreement will become operational after
S
The next two years would be politically as atleast 15 countries have ratified it.
low-key as Marrakech which may make
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political leaderships of developing countries The framework agreement says that the
take it easy. Indias flip flop on ratification members of ISA would take coordinated
and then the weak political preparation this actions through programmes and activities
year showed what the consequence can be. that will aggregate the demands for solar
finance, solar technologies, innovation,
A repeat over next two years could land India research and development, and capacity
in a regime where the provisions of the Paris building.
Agreement may say the right things but its
implementation would mean lead to just the The ISA aims to develop cost-efficient solar
reverse. The rules could un-write the law. technologies and applications.
It is also expected to mobilise $1 trillion for

14.5 International Solar Alliance funding solar energy projects by 2030.
Why in news? What is the working plan of ISA?
More than 20 countries signed a Framework The countries within the tropics also happen
Agreement on International Solar Alliance to be the ones in which the most growth in
which will take the shape of a separate energy demand is expected in the years to
international treaty once it is operationalized. come.
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The ISA is an effort to ensure that as In the light of these, the ISA has over the
these countries increase their electricity last year received solid support from a large
production, they should predominantly use number of countries, including those that
solar energy and avoid fossil fuels. are not exactly tropical countries.
However, this can happen only if the costs The US has repeatedly expressed its desire
of solar energy are competitive as compared to join the Alliance, and France actually did
to the traditional sources of power. so on Tuesday.
The ISA seeks to do three things to bring More countries are likely to sign up during
down the costs of technology as well as of the remaining days of the conference, and
finance needed for a solar project. also later. The signing has to be followed by
1. It seeks to boost global demand, which ratifications by the signatory countries.
will result in further reduction in the
How significant is ISA to India?
prices of solar energy deployment.
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The ISA gives India an opportunity to take
2. It seeks to promote standardisation in
global leadership in the fight against climate
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the use of equipment and processes for
generating electricity. Standardisation change.
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will make the manufacturing of The secretariat of the ISA is to be located
equipment and other hardware cheaper.
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in India. It will also host a meeting of ISA
3. And it seeks to boost research and assembly every year.
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development, particularly in areas of
India has promised to contribute $27 million
efficient storage systems.
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for creating building infrastructure and
Is ISA part of UN program? recurring expenditure for five years, till
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2020-21.
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Strictly speaking, the ISA agreement is
separate from the United Nations-mandated A part of this money will also go towards
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climate change talks that are held every year. creating a corpus fund that will generate
revenues for the budget of ISA.
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But it was proposed at the Paris Climate
Conference last year, and has become a
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What are the difficulties?
reality at the Marrakesh meeting now, in the
process getting linked closely with the UN Raising a large amount of money, like
climate process. $1trillion, is going to be difficult given that
developed countries have historically been
Can ISA be successful? stingy in funding renewable energy projects
The revolution in the deployment of solar in developing countries.
energy over the last several years has been Also such a large sum cannot be raised
made possible by a sharp drop in the costs from public sources alone. The ISA will have
of production of electricity through solar to devise mechanisms to mobilise private
cells. The costs have come down by 80%- finances.
85% over the last 7 years, due to a rapidly
growing demand. The new alliance will also have to work
in tandem with other bodies such as the
The total installed capacity of solar energy International Renewable Energy Agency and
across the world has risen by almost 8 times the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
during the same time. Partnership to bring a co-ordinated effort.
IAS Parliament
14.6 Green Norms What is a dismantallabe machine?
Why in news? Dismantallable drilling machine can be

Indias mining major Vedanta has requested disassembled easily once the drilling working
the Union mines ministry to arrange relaxation is done. Therefore, it can be carried without
from the environmental condition that makes doing any damage to the forest area. This
it mandatory to use dismantallable drilling environmental condition has been put
machine in the forest area of its gold mine. by the forest department of Chhattisgarh
government.
How is the non-coal auction done?
Under the old mining law, the state Why such a condition was put forth?
governments only had the powers to grant
Baghmara gold mine has approximately
the mining lease to any company as per their
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2,700 kg of gold metal, is spread across
discretion.
608 hectares in Balodabazar district of
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As per the new mining law Mines and Chhattisgarh.
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Minerals (Development and Regulation)
Amendment Act, 2015 which came into Vedanta won the composite license for
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effect from January 2015, the non-coal Baghmara gold mine in the non-coal auction
mines have to be auctioned by the respective this February.
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state governments.
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According to the company, around 90% of
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The first ever non-coal auction in the country the auctioned area is forest land.
began in December, 2015.
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The Union mines ministry has been calling As per the orders of state forest departments,
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the meeting of post-auction mining clearances the use of dismantallable drilling machine is
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and approvals faciltator (PAMCAF). necessary in order to protect forest resources
from adverse effects of carrying whole drilling
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A total of 17 mines, including the Baghmara machine.
gold block, has been auctioned till date.
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Why the company opposes it?
JSW group whose firm JSW Steel is the
largest steel company in the country won
In the third post-auction mining clearances
five iron ore mines in Karnataka in October
and approvals faciltator (PAMCAF) meeting,
only. Karantaka has auctioned total seven
the Vedanta representative said that
iron ore mines till date.
dismantallable drilling machine consume
In March, Essar Steel won the Ghoraburhani- a lot of time and labour and delays the whole
Sagasahi iron ore block in Sundargarh process of prospecting.
district of Odisha.
14.7 Human Animal Conflict-
What is a composite license? Neighborhood Leopard
The composite licence i.e. prospecting Why in news?
licencecummining lease is given for an
area where there is inadequate evidence of The leopard was captured on camera at the
mineral contents. While prospecting licence Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) in Delhi and
officials say it may have become a resident
is granted for exploring, locating and proving
as its pugmarks have been regularly seen
mineral deposits, the mining lease is required
for two weeks.
finally to extract minerals.
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What is the general perception? They use secondary forests or suitable

cropland as cover during the day and walking
Within 72 hours, officials decided to trap the human neighbourhoods after sunset.
and shift the big cat in YBP to Uttarakhands
Rajaji national park or Delhi zoo. With people around, there is always food.
Livestock, dogs, garbage dumps.
This was aimed at the safety of the animal
So given a patch in the vicinity to lie low
as there was a lynching of another leopard
during day hours, leopards will always be
in Haryana recently.
there among us. They are the most adaptable
While worrying for the Yamuna leopards of all cats, big or small, and great survivors.
safety, officials wondered if the animal When we rarely create fresh cover
strayed from its group and natural habitat sugarcane fields or urban biodiversity parks,
and if it would keep wandering far and wide, for example leopards may get to extend
causing trouble. their range.
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The perception that leopards belong to So if you spot a leopard where you did not
faraway forests is indeed common. expect any, chances are that the animal is
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not a new arrival, that it has always been
If a leopard is found amidst people, most
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using that space without ever blowing their
believe that it must have lost its way. Or cover. And without ever harming people.
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there must be a forest famine that made the
What is the situation in India?
animal to move out looking for food.
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India has at least 12,000 leopards. Each of
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The only remedy, they believe, is to catch it it must make a kill every week and most of
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and put it back in some remote forest or the them live among people, by far the easiest
nearest zoo.
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prey.
And if the authorities fail to do that, its
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Yet, human victims do not account for even
natural that lynch mobs take over in self- 0.001 % of over six lakh kills leopards make
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defence. annually.
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What is the actual reason? But the lynching of leopards have become
routine across India.
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This perception is the problem. Animals dont
Those tranquillised or trapped are no luckier.
stray. e.g If one tries to get rid of his house
Many die of injuries soon after.
cat by abandoning it many miles from home
it will invariably find its way back. So grant If anything, their proximity to people has
the big cats its superior awareness of its made leopards relatively easy meat for
coordinates and purpose, it always knows poachers. Estimates based on body part
where it is and why. seizures show that on an average four
leopards are poached every week.
A leopard spotted in a village cropland or
city outskirts is indeed looking for food. But What has to be done?
not necessarily because there is nothing to
hunt in forests. Just because a leopard is sighted does not
mean that the animal means harm.
In fact, leopards make strict rules in choosing
their prey. Some may go exclusively on non- Of course, both sides will panic in such a
wild diet. That is how they evolved to live situation. Panic triggers two responses: flee
around people. or fight. If the leopard gets surrounded by a
IAS Parliament
crowd before it can slip away, which is the What is NWAP?

case most often, it will attack.
The National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-
So is catching and releasing the animal back 31, has been finalised after consulting
states and other stakeholders, including
to a forest the solution? Unfortunately, that
conservationists.
is a recipe of disaster.
It will be a comprehensive plan to increase
Cats are territorial. If removed, they try to number of protected areas (PAs) and manage
trace their way back to where they belong. them through high-tech surveillance like
Imagine a leopard traumatised by and drones and centralised web-based digital
possibly injured during capture, captivity and equipment.
transportation trying to walk hundreds
It covers all important issues concerning
of miles through unfamiliar territories and
conservation from rehabilitation of threatened
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running into people it has learnt to despise.
species to integrating climate change in
That is why the zones of most acute conflict
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wildlife planning, control of poaching and
are around the leopard release sites. illegal trade, mitigation of human-wildlife
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conflicts and management of tourism in
By contrast, a leopard in its own traditional
wildlife areas.
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family territory is a safe bet. As a cub, it learnt
the area-specific dos and donts from its It fixes timelines for not only increasing the
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number of protected areas, but also initiating
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mother. It is familiar with the people around
and their habits. If routine precautions, a number of measures to strengthen
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such as not defecating outdoors or not surveillance and creating database of
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leaving children unattended in the open, endangered species.
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are followed, living with a neighbourhood Mobile technology - Besides promoting use of
leopard is a lot safer than crossing the road drones for surveillance, the plan talks about
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or driving that kills around one and a half using mobile technology to develop digital
lakh every year in India. field guides for easy identification of various
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wildlife goods and their derivatives.
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When a leopard is spotted, it should be given
Under these all the forest guards will be
the cat space and let to slip away.
trained to use such mobile-based technology
Crowd management is the most crucial which will use the data from the unmanned
primary response that help avoid injuries aerial vehicles (UAVs).
and save lives. Never surround the animal National level audits - To conduct national
blocking its escape routes. A cute house cat level audit of wildlife trade using scientific
can become a handful if cornered and it is methods to understand the change in global
unreasonable to blame a large wild cat. and Indian wildlife trade patterns to ensure
that preventive measures are in place to
14.8 National Wildlife Action Plan counter trade trends in the early stages.
(NWAP)
Population management strategy - On
Why in news? the issue of human-wildlife conflict, the
plan seeks to ascertain population status
The Centre will soon come out with a new and trends for various species involved in
14-year road map to strengthen measures intensive conflict situations with humans
for wildlife conservation in India. and develop population management
strategies for the various prioritised species
and regions.
IAS Parliament
Holistic approach - The plan also gives The first technical session aimed at enhancing
detailed guidelines where different central the understanding of disaster risk in Asia in
ministries including agriculture, water the context of changing climate and attaining
resources, power, mining, tribal affairs and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
human resource development can help the The session was led by Indonesia.
environment ministry in one way or the other
in the wildlife conservation plan. The second session, which focussed on
strengthening disaster risk governance
15. DISASTER MANAGEMENT to support the shift towards risk-resilient
development in Asia, was led by Bangladesh.
15.1 Sendai Framework Mongolia led the technical session on
Why in News? Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction for
resilience.
The Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster
Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 began in This session was aimed at increasing both
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India. public and private sector investment in
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disaster risk prevention to increase social,
The Conference will set the road towards
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economic, health and cultural resilience.
resilience by setting the direction for the
implementation of the Sendai Framework in The fourth technical session on effective
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the Asian region. response and building back better, led by
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Japan.
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What is Sendai Framework?
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It aimed at sharing knowledge and experiences
The Sendai Framework (2015-2030) was
of how disaster preparedness for effective
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adopted by at the Third World Conference
response and to build back better in
on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Sendai,
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recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
Japan in March, 2015.
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saves lives and protects development.
The SFDRR identifies targets and priority
India and United Nations Office for Disaster
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action areas towards reducing disaster risk
Risk Reduction signed a Statement of
reducing the damage caused by natural
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Cooperation during the second day of the
hazards like earthquakes, floods, droughts
Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster
and cyclones, through an ethic of prevention.
Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016.
The Sendai Framework is a 15-year voluntary,
The Statement underlined the guiding
non-binding agreement that maps out a
principles, objectives and areas of cooperation
broad, people-centred approach to disaster
between India and UNISDR towards the
risk reduction, succeeding the 2005-2015
effective implementation and monitoring
Hyogo Framework for Action
of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk
What are Priority Areas? Reduction (SFDRR).
Understanding Disaster Risk, Disaster What is UNISDR?

Risk Governance, Investing in Disaster
Risk Reduction for resilience and Disaster The United Nations Office for Disaster
Preparedness for effective response and to Risk Reduction (UNISDR) was created in
build back better. December 1999. Headquarters is in Geneva,
Switzerland.
IAS Parliament
UNISDR supports the implementation, follow- Six companies responded to the Request
up and review of the Sendai Framework for for Proposal (RFP). The requirement was
Disaster Risk Reduction adopted by the that the helicopter must be able to fly at an
Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk altitude of 6,000 metres at full load. Only
Reduction on 18 March 2015 in Sendai, one, Eurocopters EC 225, met the criterion.
Japan.
Even the EC 225 unsuitable as its cabin
height of 1.39 metres would make it difficult
16. INTERNAL SECURITY for a person to stand upright inside the
16.1 Augusta Westland Chopper aircraft.
Case The new specifications made in 2003, stated
Why in news? that the helicopters must be able to fly at an
altitude of 4,500 metres and that their cabins
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CBI produced former Air Force chief before
must be at least 1.80 m in height.
the court in Augusta Westland VVIP chopper
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case. In 2004, Air Marshal S P Tyagi took over as
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What is the VVIP chopper case? IAF chief and approved the new requirements.
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In February 2010, the Congress-led UPA This made Augusta Westland to enter the
government signed a government contract process and it later secured the contract.
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with UK-based Agusta Westland to buy 12
In 2010, Agusta Westland signed a `3,546
AW101 helicopters for the Indian Air Force
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crore contract to supply 12 AW101 helicopters
for Rs 3,600 crore.
to the IAF. Eight of these helicopters were
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The purpose of this deal was to have to be used to transport VVIPs such as the
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choppers fly VVIPs like the president, prime President, the Prime Minister, the Vice-
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minister and others. President and others, while four were to be
In 2013, however, the deal was put on hold used for other duties.
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by the government after Bruno Spagnolin, In recent investigations by the Milan Court
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CEO of AgustaWestland and GuiseppeOrsi, of Appeals, particularly in its 225-page
chairman of the Italian parent company judgment, Tyagis name appeared more than
Finmeccanica, were arrested on charges of once.
bribing middlemen to acquire the deal with
IAF. The judgment said, So, in the absence of
contrary indications, it must be concluded
The following day, then defence minister AK
that the reward bestowed to Tyagi family for
Antony ordered a probe into the matter.
their work in support of AW in relation to the
Early in 2014, the Italian court investigating race of the Government (of) India for military
the chopper scam names former chief of the helicopters amounts to 10,500,000.
IAF, SP Tyagi in the scam, stating that he
was bribed by Finmeccanica to sign the deal What CBI says?
with AgustaWestland. It was revealed during an investigation that
How was former Air Force Chief involved? such undue favours were allegedly shown
to the said UK-based private company
In 2000, The Indian Air Force had urged the
(AgustaWestland) by accepting illegal
Defence Ministry to purchase helicopters
gratification from the accused vendors
that were capable of flying in high-altitude
through middlemen and relatives, including
areas like Siachen and Tiger Hill.
his (Tyagis) cousin and an advocate.
IAS Parliament
It was alleged that Chief of Air Staff (Tyagi) India will now be open to doing business even
entered into criminal conspiracy with other with a banned firm if there is no alternative
accused persons and in 2005, conceded to available to its weapon system or equipment
change IAFs consistent stand that service in the market.
ceiling of VVIP helicopters of 6,000 metres
This will be allowed, on the grounds of
was an inescapable operational necessity
and reduced the same to 4,500 metres. national security, operational military
readiness and export obligations.
The CBI will seek custody of former air force
chief SP Tyagi for detailed questioning when It will be allowed after the vice-chief of the
he is produced in court on Saturday after his Service concerned (Army, IAF or Navy), the
arrest in a now-scrapped chopper deal that chief of the integrated defence staff or the
has kicked off a political controversy. additional secretary (defence production)
signs a certificate to that effect and gets
16.2 Liberalised Blacklisting
permission from the competent authority
Norms for Defence Procurements
(the Defence Minister).
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Why in news?
It also makes it clear that India will no longer
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The government introduced new liberalised impose blanket bans for 10 years on erring.
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blacklisting policy for arms companies in
its Guidelines of the Ministry of Defence Foreign companies will initially be suspended
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for Penalties in Business Dealings with for six months if the defence ministry feels
Entities with the aim of ensuring probity and that allegations of corruption against them
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transparency into defence deals. are serious. This ban will be reviewed every
six months and would in most cases not
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Why liberalisation was necessary?
extend beyond a total period of five years.
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The blacklisting of companies in the past
have heavily impacted the modernisation of With a review of the suspension order being
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our military. Some examples are undertaken within six months, the defence
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minister will decide if the subsequent period
Bofors Howitzers scandal and subsequent
of suspension has to be extended by six
blacklisting led to derailment of the plans
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for technology transfer and indigenous months at a time.
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manufacture. Army has not inducted aa Banning of business dealings may be ordered
single modern artillery gun in the last 30 only on the following three grounds,
years.
If a company accepts its misconduct,
HDW Submarines Scandal led to the loss of
the expertise gained in the construction of The CBI files a chargesheet against it or
diesel-electric submarines and the delay in A court or tribunal finds it guilty.
the induction of new subs.
This ban period will not be less than five
VVIP Helicopter scandal led to the situation
years for the following grounds,
of President & PM without any modern/
secure 3-engine choppers. If there is violation of the pre-contract
integrity pact,
What are the new norms?
The company is found resorting to
The new rules will apply to both Indian and corrupt practices,
foreign firms and agents or employees of
companies found to be directly involved in Unfair means and illegal activities during
the corrupt act any stage to bag a contract, or
IAS Parliament
If national security considerations The Navypatrols thehigh seas beyond 200

warrant the step. nautical miles given the heavy tonnage of
their warships.
But the ban period will not exceed three years
for non-performance or under-performance The ICG covers the waters between 12 and
or any other ground required in public 200 nautical miles.
interest.
In the process, the part of seas from the
The company with which business dealings coastline to 12 nautical miles which is
are suspended or banned will, however, afloat with a high density of smaller craft
be allowed to take part in new tenders for like fishing boats, mechanised trawlers and
spares, upgrades and maintenance for dhows becomes the responsibility of the
weapon systems supplied earlier. coastal/marine police forces.
The order of suspension banning of business
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Why police is not enough?
with an entity may be extended to its allied
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firms only by a specific order of the defence Today the police forces suffer from political
interference and thereby lack professionalism,
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minister.
which reflects in terms of poor public security
The entity with which business has been
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priorities.
suspended or banned will not be permitted
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to transact contracts under a different name The country has a poor policeman-to-
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or division. population ratio with just one policeman for
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761 people that translates into approximately
16.3 Coastal Security Need for a 131 policemen per 100,000 population.
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Special Force
Ideally, a policeman should cater to just
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What is the issue? 568 people at the rate of 176 policemen per
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100,000 population according to the Indian
As the anniversary of the arrival Ajmal Kasab
Bureau of Police Research and Development.
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and other terrorists and the subsequent
terror incidents is around the corner, coastal Therefore to expect the police forces to
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security management across the nine coastal prioritise coastal security is unrealistic and
states and four Union Territories has yet to it proves a weak link in the national security
fall in place. matrix.
Coastal security includes both military and Why a coastal police is necessary?
police roles that make it a challenge for state
governments to manage effectively. Only an active coastal police force could
possibly perform such a role which involves
Why Navy and Coast Guard will not be random checks on cargo that these myriad
enough? boats carry.
The Centre contributes considerably to Maharashtra chief minister suggested the
coastal security in terms of marine platforms proposal to raise a Central Marine Police
and funds. Force (CMPF) in June at a meeting to
The state governments would like to believe review the status of Indias coastal security
that the presence of the Indian Navy and management in Mumbai.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) across peninsular
The creation of a CMPF would relieve the
India is adequate to tackle sea-borne terrorist
police forces of an additional responsibility
threats.
for coastal security.
IAS Parliament
How should the CMPF work? weapons as a means of warfare unless first
attacked by an adversary using nuclear
The CMPF would have to be under the
weapons.
command of the ICG and mandated to patrol
the coastal waters up to 12 nautical miles. What are the advantages?
The police forces only require to designate A hair-trigger alert, to ensure that the other
an officer to coordinate with the ICG on side does not get a chance to strike first,
operational matters. does not have to be maintained and so
The proposed CMPF could be staffed by forces and equipment can be in a relaxed
former Navy officers to form the backbone posture. Nuclear forces can be maintained
of this force. in a de-mated condition waiting for orders
from higher echelons to go to a higher alert
Also some members of the fishing community
status, thus ensuring that command and
of each state could be recruited as marine
control stays firmly with the civilian political
police constables that would ensure local
leadership, which is a very important aim.
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participation and overcome the language
barriers and enhance familiarity with coastal Since there is no first use alert requirement,
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waters. the chances of reacting to a false alarm
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State governments perceive coastal security are nullified thus effectively quashing the
as a subset of national security. Therefore, chances of unnecessary chaos.
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the constitution of a CMPF would prove
The onus of taking the decision to escalate to
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necessary to secure the nations 7, 517-km
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a nuclear use lies on the adversary and not
coastline from sea-borne threats.
on the party having an NFU doctrine.
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A Tamilnadu Case Study
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A first use would result in international
Among the nine coastal states, only Tamil condemnation and weigh heavily on a
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Nadu has paid serious attention to coastal country with a first use posture.
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security due to the earlier threat from across
the Palk Straits from the LTTE. A first use posture still requires a country
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Raised in 1994, the Tamil Nadu Police to have survivable second strike capability
as there is nothing such as a splendid first
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Coastal Security Group (CSG) is a well-
trained force tasked to protect the states strike implying 100% decapitation of the
1,076-km coastline. adversarys assets and leadership.
The marine/coastal security police forces In a time of Indias efforts to gain membership
in the other eight cannot be operationally in Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) and United
compared with Tamil Nadus CSG. Nations Security Council (UNSC), NFU
should be strictly adhered to strengthen the
16.4 No First Use Policy
Indias image as a responsible power.
Why in news?
A NFU doctrine is cheaper to implement. For
Defence Minister ManoharParrikars recently India, which has many economic targets to
articulated personal view that is contrary to achieve, this is a very important factor.
Indias No First Use (NFU) nuclear doctrine.
The avoidance of nuclear blackmail can be
What is NFU?
achieved by India demonstrating its readiness
No first use (NFU) refers to a pledge or a to accept risks that are not less than that of
policy by a nuclear power not to use nuclear Pakistan. This is already happening through
IAS Parliament
the element of signalling in the conventional The government needs to move urgently on
exchanges between the two armies across this promise and block black money in real
the LoC in J&K. estate in every possible way.
The NFU policy is just right for India as it Why black money prevails in real estate
ensures security for the nation and does sector?
not detract it from its march towards better It was precisely because of this prevalence
prosperity for its people. of cash in the business that kept large
corporations away from it. In the 1990s,
Why Pakistan will not use nuclear
many of them had said they would monetise
weapons?
their idle land holdings to launch real estate
The questioning of Indias NFU doctrine came strong projects but they backed once they
out of the enlargement that has come about found out that a large chunk of the dealings
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due to Pakistans use of sub-conventional were in cash.
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methods under the overhang of its nuclear
The higher costs and the reasons for such
weapons. a prevalence are
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However, Pakistan knows that it cannot More than the primary real estate market,
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afford to use any nuclear weapons in a war, cash is prevalent in the secondary market.
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including its tactical nuclear weapons, as Sellers routinely under-declare the value in
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India would respond with massive nuclear order to save on tax. This is how black money
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retaliation as per its doctrine. gets generated.
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Additionally, with China heavily invested in It takes at least two years for a builder
Pakistan, it would be in Beijings interest to to get the mandatory sanctions from the
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ensure that the leadership of its geopolitical government after he has purchased the land.
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outpost does not take any rash decision of During this period, the asset sits idle which
initiating a nuclear exchange. adds hugely to the builders costs.
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16.5 How to Clean Up Real Estate? Moreover, builders normally get credit at
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higher rates than others. This is why most
Why in news?
of them launch top-end projects nobody
Realty stocks have fallen almost a quarter these days seriously talks of affordable
after November 8, the day demonetisation homes.
was announced. One of the reason cited for
Additionally, the speed money (bribe to speed
the move was to reduce the prevalence of up the process) paid by builders is always in
black money in real estate. cash and the amounts are huge. The builder
Prices could fall up to 25 per cent in the next needs to routinely replenish this cash, which
one or two quarters, builders reckon. he does by doing deals in black. This is a big
reason why builders opt for cash, even in
What can be expected? primary sales.
PM has said that the next crack down will Unless these problems are fixed, any attempt
be on benami property. to root out black money from real estate will
fail to address the situation fully.
There is some talk doing the rounds that he
may put a cap on cash transactions in the Unless these problems are fixed, any attempt
sector and anything above that will have to to root out black money from real estate will
be paid in cheque. fail to address the situation fully.
IAS Parliament
What is the solution? Under the Act, the term property has been
defined comprehensively to include not
With the crackdown on black money in
only immovable assets such as land, flat or
real estate, which could trigger a demand
house but also movable assets such as gold,
meltdown, land prices will hopefully begin to
stocks, mutual fund holdings and even bank
cool. This could help builders come up with
deposits.
affordable homes.
If the property is sold off, then the proceeds
But for that, it is important to make all
approvals transparent and remove all from it too are considered benami.
discretion from the hands of the bureaucrats.
Under the new Benami Act, property
This will ensure that builders dont have to
purchased in the name of a fictitious person
pay speed money and their land bank does
or where the payment for the property has
not idle for long.
been made by someone who does not exist or
Here, the states will have to take the lead cannot be traced too is considered benami.
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each state has its own sets of rules and
The Act covers all domestic benami property
regulations for real estate. That is why you
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will find that there are no pan-India builders transactions conducted since 1988.
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in the country. Each chooses to do business
How the act impacts the family?
in one or two states because it is not easy
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to get a fix on the rules and regulations in If you have bought some property in the
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all the states. name of your spouse or child from your
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known sources of income, it will not be
Regulation of builders, which protects
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home buyers, is important, but it is equally treated as benami.
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important to ensure that builders are not
You can also buy property for your brother,
fleeced by errant politicians and bureaucrats.
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sister, a lineal ascendant or a lineal
descendant but that must be held jointly
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However, there is strong resistance to any
change from the people who stand to lose with you for it to be excluded under the Act.
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from such a move for obvious reasons.
Lineal ascendants include your father,
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16.6 Prohibition of Benami mother, grandparents, great-grandparents
Property Transactions Act and so on and lineal descendants include your
Why in news? children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren
and so on.
Recently, Prohibition of Benami Property
Transactions Act was passed as one of the Apart from that, property held by the karta
measures to tackle black money. or a member of the Hindu Undivided Family
(HUF), the payment for which has been made
What the new Benami Property Act says?
by known sources of income of the HUF, too
Benami property is a property whose legal will not be treated as benami.
owner is not its actual owner.
How earlier and new legal framework
That is, while the asset is legally held in the differs?
name of a particular person (benamidar), it
actually belongs to another person (beneficial Though the earlier Act provided for
owner) who has paid for it and continues to imprisonment of up to three years and/or fine
hold interest in it. for parties entering into a benami property

IAS Parliament
transaction, the lack of an implementation What are the strict measures advocated
machinery made the act unenforceable. in the act?
If the available evidence confirms it, the
Rules for making the Act operational, such as
Adjudicating Authority (appointed by the
appointment of investigation authorities and
Centre) will order confiscation of property
the procedure for confiscation of property, by the government.
were never framed. The Act could, therefore,
not be implemented. Apart from awarding imprisonment of up to
seven years to the beneficial owner and the
Now, the new Benami Act provides a benamidar, others involved in the deal, too,
comprehensive implementation mechanism will not be spared. A fine of up to a fourth
and if you indulge in such transactions you of the market value of the property can be
imposed on all parties.
are sure to be punished.
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Those providing false information or
The Act gives the Initiating Officer (Assistant documents to the authorities may be
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or Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax) the imprisoned for up to five years and face a
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power to enquire into any person, place, fine of up to 10 per cent of the market value
documents or property in the course of of the property involved.
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investigation into any matter related to a Appeals can however, be made against
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benami property transaction. the decision. The Act provides for an
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Appellate Authority, appointed by the Central
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It also mandates officers from different government, for this purpose.
government organisations such as the
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Further appeals lie with the relevant High
Customs and Central Excise departments, the
Court but have to be made within 60 days
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narcotics department, RBI and SEBI to assist
from the decision of the Appellate Tribunal.
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the authorities tasked with investigation.
Another point worth noting is that theres no
If the Initiating Officer is convinced that you
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way you can have a benami property back
hold a benami property, you will be issued in your name.
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a notice, and, if required, the property will The new Act clearly forbids re-transfer of a
also be provisionally attached. property from the benamidar to the beneficial
owner. And if a re-transfer does happen, it
will be considered invalid.

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PRELIM BITS CONSOLIDATION
17. HISTORY It is one of the 7 monument groups in

UNESCOs designation of Kathmandu as
South Indian Liberation Foundation cultural heritage site.
It is also known as Justice Party founded in Karai-kulakkalnatham
1916, turns 100 this year.
A badland in Perambalur district of Tamilnadu
It is the fountain head of the social reform State, houses some of the best developed
movement and mainly worked to create Cretaceous marine fossils in the world.
space for the majority of the population in
the political sphere. It is known for unique lithology and diversity
of extinct marine life.
Historians described the justice party, the
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Self-Respect Movement and it was founded The site was declared a Gelogical Heritage
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by C.Natesa Mudaliar, T.M. Nair, and Site by the state government in 2015, for the
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P.Theagaraya Chetti. protection and maintenance of the marine
fossils.
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18. ART AND CULTURE
19. GEOGRAPHY
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Yakshagana
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Nuclear Power Plants in India
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Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form that
combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant Karnataka.
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make-up and stage techniques with a Kakrapar Atomic Power Station Gujarat.
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unique style and form. This theatre style is
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
mainly found in the coastal districts and the
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Tamilnadu.
Malenadu region of Karnataka, India.
Madras Atomic Power Station Kalpakkam,
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A Yakshagana performance begins in the Tamilnadu.
twilight hours, with an initial beating of the
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drums of several fixed compositions, called Narora Atomic Power Station Uttar Pradesh.
abbara or peetike.
R a j a s t h a n A t o m i c P o w e r S t a t i o n
A performance usually depicts a story from Rawatbhata, Rajasthan.
the Kavya (epic poems) and the Puranas
Tarapur Atomic Power Station Maharashtra.
(ancient Hindu texts).
Industrial Corridors and its covering
Pashupatinath Temple
states in India
India offers to assist in renovation and up
Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC)
gradation of Ghats adjoining Pashupathinath
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya
Temple.
Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The temple is located on the banks of Bagmati
Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor
River in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the
(CBIC) Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
capital of Nepal.
Karnataka.

IAS Parliament
Bengaluru Mumbai Economic Corridor 2. Okha-Kanalus Junction (Gujarat state

(BMEC) Maharashtra and Karnataka. 141 Kms).
Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) 3. Porbandar-Wansjaliya (Gujarat state

Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar 34 Kms).
Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. 4. Jammu-Katra (J&K state 78 Kms).
East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) West Status of Shale gas exploration in the
Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil country
Nadu. Gujarat (28 blocks) leads in the shale gas
Major Ports to be developed in India exploration followed by Andhra Pradesh (10
blocks).
Sagar Island (West Bengal) Kolkata Port.
Tamil Nadu occupied the third place in the
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Enayam near Colachel, (Tamilnadu) V. O. shale gas exploration.
Chidambaranar Port.
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Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and North East
Monsoon
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Paradip Outer Harbour (Odisha) Paradip
Port Trust. T h e N o r t h - E a s t m o n s o o n i s m a i n l y
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attributable to the persisting negative phase
Development in National waterways
of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which
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The Government has planned construction causes the Indian Ocean just south to Bay
of three multimodal Inland Water Transport of Bengal to warm up abnormally.
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(IWT) terminals on National Waterway- IOD It is an atmosphere-ocean coupled
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1(Ganga) at Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia phenomenon in the tropical Indian Ocean
and one terminal on National Waterway-2
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(like the El Nino is in the tropical Pacific),
(Brahmaputra) at Pandu. characterized by a difference in sea-surface
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Specified stretches of River Barak have been temperatures (SST).
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declared as National Waterway- 16 by the Positive IOD It is associated with cooler
National Waterways Act, 2016. than normal sea-surface temperatures in the
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eastern equatorial Indian Ocean and warmer
Development of river Barak for navigation is
than normal sea-surface temperatures in the
proposed in two stages.
western tropical Indian Ocean.
1. Phase-I The stretch from Silchar to
Negative IOD It is characterized by warmer
Bhanga (71 km).
than normal SSTs in the eastern equatorial
2. Phase-II Remaining stretch from Indian Ocean and cooler than normal SSTs
Silchar to Lakhipur (50 km). in the western tropical Indian Ocean.
Green Corridors Negative IOD & N.E. Monsoon Negative

IOD had a more direct and immediate
Railway sections free from any direct
impact on the North-East monsoon since the
discharge of human waste on track from
warmth builds up lower pressure over the
toilets of trains are termed as Green Corridors.
Indian Ocean where most of the moisture
Four sections have been chosen in the first gets directed.
phase for making them Green Corridor viz.
Lake Urmia
1. Rameswaram-Manamadurai (Tamilnadu
state 114 Kms). Irans Lake Urmia It was once the second-
largest hyper-saline lake in the world.

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The study indicates that climate change Jal Marg Vikas aims to promote river
and variability has contributed to the lake transport on 1,600 km stretch of Ganga from
desiccation and the dominate role of water Varanasi to Kolkata, also referred as National
usage leads to changes in the lake surface Waterway-I.
area.
The Jal Marg Vikas Project on River Ganga is
20. SOCIAL ISSUES being assisted by World Bank and the Inland
Waterway Authority of India (IWAI) is the the
Open Defecation Free implementing agency.
Kerala becomes the third Open Defecation UDAN
Free State in the country.
UDAN (Ude Deshka Aam Naagrik) is a
Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim were the first
regional connectivity scheme to enhance
two states that were declared open defecation
air passenger traffic in the country by
free in the country under Swachh Bharat
stimulating demand on regional routes.
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Programme.
Amount collected as Regional Connectivity
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Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh firs states to
become open defecation in urban areas. Fund (RCF) will be used to provide financial
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support to airlines in the form of Viability
Nadia in West Bengal was the first open Gap Funding (VGF) for operations under
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defecation district in the country. the Scheme.
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Mysore, Chandigarh and Tiruchirapalli are Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan
the cleanest city and Dhanbad is the dirtiest Yojana (PMKKKY)
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city according to 2016 survey.
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To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts,
21. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND during and after mining, on the environment,
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PROJECTS IN NEWS health and socio-economics of people in
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mining districts.
UJALA Scheme
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It provides for establishment of District
UJALA Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for
Mineral Foundation (DMF) in each district
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All is an energy efficiency scheme to promote
affected by mining related operation, The DMF
efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using
efficient equipment which reduce electricity is to be funded by statutory contributions
bills and help preserve environment. from holders of mining lease.
Under this scheme, LED bulbs at 40% of the 60% of the fund high priority areas
market price will be distributed to every grid like drinking water supply, health care,
connected consumer. sanitation, education, skill development,
women and child care, welfare of aged and
It is implemented by the Electricity disabled people, skill development and
Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency environment conservation
Services Limited (EESL).
40% of the DMFs funds (i) physical
Jal Marg Vikas Project infrastructure; (ii) irrigation; (iii) energy and
Jal Marg Vikas project of Inland Waterways watershed development; and (iv) any other
Authority of India (IWAI), plans to reach LNG measures for enhancing environmental
(liquefied natural gas) to Nepal via Gazipur quality in mining district.
in UP.

IAS Parliament
Setu Bharatam project Will connect farmers with breeders Central,

State, Co-operative, Milk Federations, and
It is an ambitious programme with an
private agencies.
investment of ` 50,000 crore to build bridges
for safe and seamless travel on National Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram
Highways. (RBSK)
The programme aims at making all national RBSK initiative aiming at early identification
highways Railway Level Crossing free by and early intervention for children from
2019. birth to 18 years to cover 4 Ds. Defects
at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases, Development
The project will do away with railway
delays.
crossings on national highways and it is
intended to prevent accidents and make The services aim to cover children of 0 -6
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travel safer. years of age in rural areas and urban
slums in addition to children enrolled
Housing for All
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in classes I to XII in Government and
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Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) - Government aided.
Housing for All in rural areas under which
22. GOVERNANCE
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an environmentally safe and secure pucca
house is provided to every rural household National Data Registry
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by 2022.
The government is developing a National
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FAME Scheme Data Registry that stores metadata about the
geospatial data stored by all agencies state,
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Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public
private and academic.
Enterprises has notified FAME India Scheme
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[Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Department of science and technology is the
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(Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India] for nodal coordinating agency and geological
implementation. survey of India provide accuracy to the data.
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It is launched with the objective to support Metadata Data that does not contain actual
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hybrid/electric vehicles market development source of data but only informs the nature
and Manufacturing eco-system. of data. It is simply data about data.
The FAME India Scheme is aimed at GIS Vs Geospatial data

incentivizing all vehicle segments i.e. 2
Geographical Information System (GIS) refers
Wheeler, 3 Wheeler Auto, Passenger 4
to a system where geographic information is
Wheeler Vehicle, Light Commercial Vehicles
stored in layers to provide spatial information
and Buses.
in a visualized approach.
e-pashuhaat portal
Geospatial data is the collective data (not only
Under the scheme National Mission on geographic data) and associated technology
Bovine Productivity, e-pashuhaat portal has a geographic or locational component
has been developed for connecting breeders attached to it.
and farmers regarding availability of bovine
germplasm, for the first time in the world. Copyright Act
It is the E-Trading Market portal for livestock The administration of the Copyright Act, 1957
germplasm and additional related services. was transferred to Department of Industrial
Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of

IAS Parliament
Commerce and Industry, subsequent to It is created by separating and bringing

the amendment in the Government of India together all Seismology and earthquake
(Allocation of Business) Rules in 2016. hazard related activities of India Meteorological
Department (IMD), under its ambit, for
Previously, The Registrar of Copyrights is deriving the desired scientific developments
the head of the Copyright Office under the in the field of earthquake science.
Ministry of Human Resource Development,
Government of India and in-charge of Commission for Agricultural Costs &
implementation of Copyright Act. Prices (CACP)
23. INSTITUTES IN NEWS CACP is an attached office of the Ministry

of Agriculture is mandated to recommend
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute minimum support prices (MSPs) to incentivise
(CMFRI) the cultivators to adopt modern technology
and overall grain production.
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
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is a marine fisheries research institute MSP for major agricultural products are fixed
located at Kochi, India under the Indian by the government, each year, after taking
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Council of Agricultural Research institute. the recommendations of the Commission.
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CMFRI is transferring its technology After receiving the feed-back, the Cabinet
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of seaweed cultivation to Andaman Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) of
Administration. the Union government takes a final decision
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on the MSPs.
It is known for its research project NICRA
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National Initiative on Climate Resilient 24. BILATERAL AND
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
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Agriculture.
Border Haats
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Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI)
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New India Bangladesh MoU to expand
Border Haats.
FSSAI rollout new scheme to upgrade food
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testing laboratories in the country to detect It is a Rural Market where traditional system
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the adulteration of honey and pesticide and of marketing the local produce through local
antibiotic residues in food samples. markets in local currency or according to
barter basis.
FSSAI, an independent statutory body
for laying down science based standards It is being setup between India and Bangladesh
for articles of food and to regulate their in 2010 along the border to improve the trade
manufacture, distribution and sale and without any duty and taxes.
transport for safe human consumption.
Pacific Indian Ocean Corridor
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India and Japan plans to develop Pacific
is the Administrative Ministry for the
Indian Ocean Corridor.
implementation of FSSAI.
The Corridor develops a network connecting
National Centre for Seismology
the Pacific to the Indian Ocean with the
The National Centre for Seismology, at objective on development of infrastructure
NOIDA, as a subordinate office, under the and capacity building projects, with a special
Ministry of Earth Sciences. focus on Africa.

IAS Parliament
UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize India has signed a contract with International

Seabed Authority for Exploration of
In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Polymetallic Sulphides in Indian Ocean
Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the and it provides India the exclusive rights of
birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created exploration in the area near the Rodridgues
a prize for the promotion of tolerance and Tripple Junction in the southern part of
non-violence. Central India ridge and a part of South-West
The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Indian ridge.
Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence Ashgabat Agreement and Lapis lazuli
rewards significant activities in the scientific, corridor
artistic, and cultural or communication fields
aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance Pakistan will join Ashgabat agreement and
and non-violence. Lapis Lazuli corridor.
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The prize is awarded every two years on The Ashgabat agreement seeks to create
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the International Day for Tolerance, 16 an international transport and transit
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November. corridor between Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The objective of
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International Seabed Authority this agreement is to facilitate the transport of
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International Seabed Authority It is an goods between Central Asia and the Persian
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intergovernmental body based in Kingston, Gulf.
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Jamaica and established by the Law of the The Lapis Lazuli Corridor is an agreement
Sea Convention.
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between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan,
It was established to organize, regulate and Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey seeking
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control all mineral-related activities in the to foster transit and trade cooperation by
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international seabed area beyond the limits reducing barriers facing transit trade.
of national jurisdiction, an area underlying
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most of the worlds oceans.
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Lapis Lazuli Corridor

IAS Parliament
25. NATIONAL AND The first exercise in this series was held at
INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS AND Jorhat in Assam in 2010.
EXERCISES
The 2016 version is being conducted at
Demchok Mission Tangail, Bangladesh.
Indian Armys Demchok Mission The The previous 2015 version was conducted at
mission is about laying irrigation pipelines in Binnaguri, West Bengal.
the region of Demchok in the in the Eastern
Ladakh Region in Jammu & Kashmir.
Surya Kiran
Demchok is a village located south of Indus It is the Indo-Nepal Joint Military Training
River and military encampment in the Leh Exercise.
district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It provides an ideal platform for troops of the
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) passes two countries to share their experiences on
Counter Terrorists Operations and Disaster
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along the southeast side of the Demchok
region and China claims it as a part of Tibet Management.
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Autonomous Region. Hand in- Hand 2016
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MitraShakthi 2016 It is the Indo China Joint Military Exercise
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It is India Srilanka Joint military exercise. Hand in- Hand 2016.
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2016 version of MitraShakthi was concluded The sixth India China Joint Training Exercise
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at Ambepussa, Srilanka. Hand in Hand 2016 was held at the
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parade ground, Pune.
2015 version was conducted in Pune, India.
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The aim of the joint exercise is to acquaint
Prabal Dostyk 2016
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both the Armies with each others operating
procedures in the backdrop of counter
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Prabal Dostyk meaning Robust Friendship
is an India Kazakhstan joint military terrorism environment.
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exercise. India- Russia Exercises
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The exercise was conducted in Karaganda Joint Military Exercise INDRA
region of Kazakhstan.
Joint Air Force Exercise EX AVIAINDIA is
The primary aim of this exercise is planned in 2017.
undertaking Counter Terrorism and Counter
Insurgency operations in rural and semi- 26. ECONOMY
urban environment under the United Nation
Mandate. Team Indus
Sampriti-7 It is the start-up that plans to send Indias

first privately-funded spacecraft to the moon
It is India and Bangladesh joint military next year.
exercise aims to achieve interoperability
in Counter Terrorism operations in The start-up is the only Indian Aspirant and
mountainous and jungle terrain under the among the four from across the world that
United Nations Mandate. plan to send spacecraft to soft-land on the
moon before DEC. 2017.

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The company is planning a 600 Kg moon The target will principally comprise of 40
lander and to launch it on a PSLV rocket of GW Rooftop and 60 GW through Large and
ISRO. Medium Scale Grid Connected Solar Power
Projects.
Mega Food Park
Oil Zapping
Mega industry status It is the Assams
Industry policy to give mega industry status Oil Zapping is a bioremediation technique to
to any project involving an investment of get rid of oil in the water using oil zapping
more than Rs. 100 crore. bacteria.
Mega Food Park It is an inclusive The Energy and Resources institute (TERI) as
establishment linkage from farm to processing developed the oil zapping bacteria consists
and then to consumer markets through a of five bacterial strains.
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network of collection centres and primary
Worlds Tiger Count
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processing centres.
The worlds Tiger count of wild tigers roaming
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Mega Food Park is a scheme under the forest from Russia to Vietnam has gone up
Ministry of Food Processing. for the first time in more than a century.
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27. ENVIRONMENT TX2 Goal In 2010, at St.Petersburg
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conference, all the tiger range countries
Clean Energy Equity Fund (CEEF)
agreed to double the tiger population by the
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The Centre, along with state-run power next Chinese year 2022. It is an initiative
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entities National Thermal Power Corporation by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and
Global Tiger Forum (GTF).
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Limited (NTPC), Rural Electrification
Corporation (REC) and Power Finance
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13 Tiger Range countries Bangladesh,
Corporation Limited (PFC), will soon launch
Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia,
a 2 billion dollar clean energy equity fund to
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Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia,
support the governments ambitious target of
Thailand and Vietnam.
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adding 175 GW renewable energy generation
capacity by 2022. Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger
conservation is being organized by Global
Indias government hopes the Clean Energy
Tiger Initiative.
Equity Fund (CEEF) will attract pension and
insurance funds from Canada and Europe. 2010 conference held in Thailand
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission 2012 conference held in Bhutan

(JNNSM)
2016 conference scheduled at New Delhi.
The Mission has set the ambitious target
Bhitarkanika Park in Odisha
of deploying 20,000 MW of grid connected
solar power by 2022, which was revised to The Park which has been in tentative list of
1,00,000 MW by 2022 during June 2015. future heritage sites of UNESCO is all set to
get the tag soon.
The mission is also known as National Solar
Mission is one of the eight- National Mission Dehradun based Wildlife Institute of India
which comprises Indias National Action Plan (WII) has recommended to UNESCO that the
on Climate Change (NAPCC). park be declared a World Heritage Site.

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Wheeler Island and the Gahirmatha Marine banks, science led innovations in genetic
scantuary are also in the future list. resources, crop diversification, issues related
to bio-safety, bio-security and intellectual
Background property rights.
Bhitarkanika National Park is located in
It is organized by the Indian Society of
kendrapara District in odisha home to Salt
Plant Genetic Resources and Biodiversity
Water Crocodile.
International.
It is a destination for migratory birds such
Agrobiodiversity It is defined as the variety
as the Ruddy Shelduck from South-eastern
and variability of animals, plant and micro-
Europe and Central Asia.
organism that are used directly or indirectly
The park is surrounded by Bhitarkanika for food and agriculture. It includes all
Wildlife Sanctuary which is the second species that are closely inter-woven in an
largest mangrove ecosystem in India after agricultural ecosystem.
Sundarbans.
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Biodiversity International
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The rivers Brahmani and Baitarani inundate
It is an international Non-profit research-for-
this park.
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development organisation, headquartered in
It separates swampy area of mangroves from Rome, Italy.
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Bay of Bengal.
The organisation delivers scientific evidence,
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United Nation Development Programme management practices and policy options to
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(UNDP) and Ministry of Forests had started use and safeguard agricultural biodiversity.
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Crocodile hatchery project at Dangmal in the
It is a member of Consultative Group of
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park in 1974.
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
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Clean Environment Cess consortium, which is a global research
partnership for a food secure future.
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Clean Environment Cess is a kind of Carbon
tax and is levied as a duty of Excise in order Hydro power project classification in India
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to finance and promote clean environmental
Government has set the target to reach 175
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initiatives, funding research in the area of
GW of Renewable Energy capacity by the year
clean environment.
2022 which includes 5 GW from Small Hydro
Prior to Finance Act, 2016, it was named as (up to 25 MW station capacity).
Clean Energy Cess.
1. Micro Hydro Up to 100 KW
Cess Vs Royalty Cess is a tax levied on
2. Mini Hydro 101 to 2000 KW
everyone Whereas Royalty is the payment to
the government in return for the permission 3. Small Hydro 2001 to 25000 (below 25
to engage in certain activities. Royalty is paid MW)
by concerned companies or persons who get
4. Large Hydro Above 25 MW
permission.
International Agrobiodiversity Congress Solar City
The basic aim is to motivate the local

The congress will discuss conservation of
Governments for adopting renewable energy
Genetic resources and knowledge sharing
technologies and energy efficiency measures.
on issues for efficient management of gene

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The Solar City aims at minimum 10% development of aero-engine technology,

reduction in projected demand of conventional which only few developed countries in the
energy at the end of five years. world possess.
In a Solar City all types of renewable energy INS Chennai

based projects will be installed.
INS Chennai, last of the P 15A Guided Missile
National LED Programme Destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian
Navy.
The programme is being implemented by
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), It is the indigenously designed third and the
a joint venture company of Public Sector last of the three Kolkata class destroyers,is
Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of packed with Surface to Surface Missile and
Power. Surface to Air Missiles and Anti Submarine
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Warfare capabilities.
Two components under this programme
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Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear,
(DELP) and Street Light National Programme Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare
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(SLNP), wherein household lighting and conditions.
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street lights respectively are replaced with
LEDs.
Project 75I
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The Project 75I-class submarine is follow-on
28. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine to
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DEFENCE acquire 6 diesel-electric submarines for the
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Indian navy.
INS Vikramaditya
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It features advanced Air Independent
CSL (Cochin Shipyard Limited) could repair
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Propulsion (AIP) systems to enable them
the largest Indian aircraft carrier INS
to stay submerged for longer duration and
Vikramaditya.
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substantially increase their operational
range.
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This aircraft carrier was purchased from
Russia and commissioned into the naval
It also have a vertical launch system(VLS)
fleet in 2014.
to enable them to carry multiple Brahmos
INS Sumitra supersonic cruise missiles, making the
submarines fully capable of anti-surface and
Sumitra is the fourth of the Saryu class anti-ship warfare missions.
ships, based on an indigenous design and
constructed by Goa Shipyard Ltd, India. It also armed with torpedoes and stealth
capabilities to suppress noise and acoustic
The ship has a range of 6,500 nautical miles signatures and Air- Independent Propulsion
and is capable of embarking one Dhruv / (AIP) fuel cells to increase submerged
Chetak helicopter. endurance and operational range.
Operation Rahat is one of the notable INS Shardul
operational task of INS Sumitra.
INS Shardul, an amphibious ship of the
Kaveri Jet Engine Indian Navy, is currently on a month long
deployment in Seychelles in keeping with
Kaveri is the indigenous aero engine and
the vision of SAGAR Security and Growth
DRDO for the first time ventured the
for All in the Region.

IAS Parliament
During the deployment, INS Shardul would It is in civil use in India, Turkey and Peru
also assist local authorities in providing and in Military use in India, Israel, Maldives,
logistics and medical support to the outer Mauritius, Nepal, Suriname, and Ecuador
islands of Seychelles. (contract was terminated unilaterally by it).
There have been already two deployments Light Combat Aircraft Tejas
in Seychelles P8I maritime reconnaissance
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded
aircraft in March 2016 and the second by
approval for the purchase of light combat
Indian Naval Ship Trikand in July 2016.
aircraft Tejas.
FDI in Defence sector
The Tejas jets are the improved Mk-1A variant
As per the current FDI policy, foreign manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics
investment up to 49% is permitted under Limited (HAL).
automatic route and beyond 49% through
It is a single jet engine, multi-role supersonic
Government approval route wherever it
fighter designed to replace MiG-21 fighters
T
is likely to result in access to modern
and primarily used by Indian Air Force and
technology.
N
Indian Navy.
E
The foreign investment proposals beyond
SPACE
49% are considered by Foreign Investment
M
Promotion Board (FIPB) under Ministry of GSAT 18
Finance.
A
It is Indias communication satellite launched
I
Foreign Investment Promotion Board by European launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-
L
231.
FIPB is an inter-ministry body having
R
representatives of various ministries and T h i s s a t e l l i t e w i l l b e p l a c e d i n t h e
Geostationary Orbit (36,000 km above
A
departments.
the equator), positioned in 74 degree East
P
Secretary to the Government of India, longitude in geostationary orbit.
Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of
S
Finance is the Chairman of FIPB. It is the 20th satellite from ISRO to be
launched by European Space Agency and is
IA
The other departments who are part of launched from the spaceport of kourou in
FIPB Department of Industrial Policy and French Guiana.
Promotion (DIPP), Department of Commerce
(DoC), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Its capacity is 3404 kg and carries 48
communication transponders in C-band,
Dhruv Helicopters upper extended C band and ku band for
providing services.
There is a legal battle between India and
Ecuador over termination of Dhruv Helicopter ISRO is developing GSLV MK III to replace
deal. Araine 5 in carrying heavy weighed satellite
like GSAT 18.
The Dhruv helicopter is indigenously
designed and developed by Hindustan Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS)
Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a multi-mission
helicopter for armed forces and civil use with NASAs MMS has set the Guinness World
a range of 700 km. Record for highest altitude fix of a Global
Positioning System (GPS) signal above the
surface of the Earth.

IAS Parliament
Its main objective is to map magnetic LIGO Observatory in India

reconnection and uses four individual
LIGO-India is an Indo-US joint collaboration,
satellites that fly in a pyramid formation
be jointly funded by the Department of
to map magnetic reconnection a process
Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of
that occurs as the sun and Earths magnetic
Science & Technology (DST).
fields interact
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
The mission is helpful to understand the Observatory (LIGO) -India mega-science
causes of magnetic reconnection which is project would establish a state-of-the-art
important for understanding phenomena gravitational wave interferometric Advanced
such as auroras on earth to flares on the LIGO detector in India.
surface of the sun and also understanding
black holes. A primary site has been identified at Aundha
in Hingoli district of Maharashtra as the
T
NASAs new missions preferred site for the LIGO-India Project.
N
CYGNSS the Cyclone, Global Navigation Shenzhou 11
E
Satellite System will be NASAs first Earth
Chinas longest manned space mission
Science small satellite constellation to
M
Shenzhou 11 space capsule landed safely in
collect data to improve hurricane intensity
the northern region of Inner Mongolia.
A
forecasts.
I
It separated from orbiting experimental space
RAVAN the Radiometer Assessment using
L
lab Tiangong-2.
Vertically Aligned Nanotubes is a cubesat
R
to detect slight changes in Earths energy Tiangong-2, which is the second experimental
budget at the top of the atmosphere. space lab, will remain in its orbit and remote
A
experiments will continue until it docks with
South Asian Satellite
P
Tianzhou-1, Chinas first cargo spacecraft,
which is set to be launched in April 2017.
South Asian Satellite likely to be launched by
S
GSLV MK III launch Vehicle in March, 2017. GOES-R
IA
It is proposed by Indian Prime Minister for NASA launches Next Generation weather
the benefit of SAARC Members in the SAARC satellite.
summit in Nepal in 2014.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric
It was previously named as SAARC Satellite. Administrations (NOAA) Geostationary
After Pakistan has opted out of this project, Operational Environmental Satellite-R
it is renamed as South Asian Satellite. (GOES-R), reaches its final designated orbit
in the next two weeks, it will be renamed
Supermoon GOES-16.
Supermoon, technically a perigee full Improved space weather sensors on GOES-R
moon a phenomenon that occurs when will monitor the sun and relay crucial
a full moon coincides with the moon being information to forecasters so they can issue
the closest it gets to the Earth on its orbit. space weather alerts and warnings.
The main cause of this event is that the Exoplanet

moons orbit around the Earth is not quite It is new super Earth planet with a mass
a circle but an ellipse a kind of squashed around 5.4 times that of the Earth, orbiting
circle. a very bright star near to our Sun.

IAS Parliament
The star, GJ 536, is a red dwarf which is The radio telescope covers over one million
quite cool and near to our Sun. square meters distance and it bring together
a wealth of the worlds finest scientist to the
The exoplanet, GJ 536 b has the short orbital project.
period of 8.7 days and the luminosity of its
star make it an attractive for investigating Countries involved in this project: Australia,
its atmospheric composition. Canada, China, Italy, Netherlands, New
Zealand, South Africa, Sweden and UK.
Mars Orbiter Mission 2 (MOM2)
Surya Jyoti -Photo-Voltaic (PV) Integrated
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan Micro Solar Dome (MSD)
is Indias first mission to Mars that was
In order to capture day light and concentrate
launched on September 24, 2014 from the same inside a dark room, particularly
Sriharikota on top of a PSLV C25 rocket. in urban slum or rural areas which lack
Mangalyaan is a technology demonstrator electricity supply, a low cost and energy
spacecraft carried only five instruments on efficient Micro Solar Dome has been tested
T
board with capability to survive and perform and developed.
N
Earth bound manoeuvres, with a cruise Micro Solar Dome
E
phase of 300 days.
The Micro Solar Dome (MSD) is a day and
Mangalyaan 2 on the other hand will be night lighting single device, that has a
M
featuring a much greater scientific payload, transparent semi-spherical upper dome
A
and will be fitted with a lander and a rover made of acrylic material which captures the
I
in addition to the orbiter. sunlight and the light passes through a sun-
L
tube having a thin layer of highly reflective
Transit of Extra-Solar planet coating on the inner wall of the passage.
R
A transit is a phenomenon in which a planet The Micro Solar Dome (MSD) is a clear and
A
passes in front of its parent star, blocking a green energy initiative of the Department of
P
small amount of light from the star, like a Science and Technology.
shadow of the planet.
ICARDA
S
Astronomers in Japan have observed the The International Center for Agricultural
IA
transit of a potentially habitable Earth-like Research in the Dry Areas, or ICARDA, hosts
extra-solar planet known as K2-3d. the largest collection of seeds in Morocco.
K2-3ds size is 1.5 times the size of the Earth. The crucial role of seed banks in protecting
The planet orbits its host star, which is half biodiversity is receiving increasing attention
the size of the Sun, with a period of about because of climate change, which threatens
45 days. Compared to the Earth, the planet to wipe out crops as dry areas of the world
orbits close to its host star get even hotter and drier.
OTHERS The Rabat centre holds tens of thousands

of seeds spanning from wheat and barley to
Square Kilometer Array (SKA) lentils and chickpeas inside a vault in near-
freezing temperatures.
Square Kilometer Array is a large multi radio
telescope project to build worlds largest The seed bank not only preserves these
radio telescope for exploring the Universe essential staples but develops them to
aimed to be built in Australia and South become more resistant to disease and a
Africa. warming climate.

IAS Parliament
LIDAR H5N1 and H7N9 of type A influenza have

caused serious infection in people.
LIDARLight Detection and Rangingis a
remote sensing method used to examine the The infections to humans have been
surface of the Earth uses light in the form of associated with direct contact with birds.
a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable There is no evidence of spreading through
distances) to the Earth. properly cooked food.
The light pulsescombined with other data H5N8 is a subtype of the influenza A virus
recorded by the airborne system generate that belongs to lower pathogenic subtype but
precise, three-dimensional information it acts as an incubator for H1N1, a highly
about the shape of the Earth and its surface pathogenic infection.
characteristics.
Swine Flu
T
A LIDAR instrument principally consists of
Swine influenza also called as pig influenza,
a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS
N
hog flu.
receiver. Airplanes and helicopters are the
E
most commonly used platforms for acquiring The known swine influenza virus includes C
LIDAR data over broad areas. type influenza and A type influenza known
M
as H1N1, H1N2, H2N1, H2N3, H3N2.
Topographic LIDAR typically uses a
A
near-infrared laser to map the land and It rarely passes to humans.
I
Bathymetric LIDAR uses water-penetrating
L
Solanum nigrum
green light to also measure seafloor and
R
riverbed elevations. A compound derived from the leaves of
Solanum nigrum, has remarkable efficacy
A
The Sunway Taihu Light
in treating liver cancer.
P
A new Chinese supercomputer system
The compound saponin named Uttroside B,
The Sunway TaihuLight, a new Chinese
S
has shown that it is 10 times more effective
supercomputer has topped a global list of the
than Sorafenib, the only drug currently
IA
fastest systems for a seventh straight year.
available for the treatment of hepatocellular
T h e n e w e s t e d i t i o n o f t h e T o p 5 0 0 carcinoma (common type of liver cancer).
supercomputer list was announced at
Solanum nigrum belongs to the family
the 2016 International Supercomputing
Solanaceae. It is also called as Black
Conference in Germany.
Nightshade.
The latest list marks the first time since the It is widely used in traditional medicine for
inception of the TOP500 that the US is not various ailments such as inflammation,
home to the largest number of systems. jaundice, bronchitis, asthma, leprosy,
29. SCIENCE and skin disorders. It is a rich source of
anticancer molecules.
Avian Flu
Brucellosis
Avian flu, also known as Bird flu is an
infectious viral disease of birds. Brucellosis is a dreadful disease caused by
the genus of the bacteria known as Brucella
There are many strains of this influenza infecting various species of Brucella cows,
namely H5N1, H7N9, H5N8 etc. It affects buffalos, sheep, goats, deer, pigs, dogs and
humans in rare cases. other animals as well as humans.

IAS Parliament
Brucellosis is endemic in India and that it National Ambient Air Quality Standard
could spread to humans.
It is published by Central Pollution Control
Brucella species are small, gram-negative, Board. It is empowered to set this standard
nonmotile, nonspore-forming, rod-shaped under the Air (Prevention and Control of
(coccobacilli) bacteria. Pollution) Act, 1981.
30. INDEX AND REPORTS It measures concentration of 12 pollutants

8 pollutants mentioned under Air Quality
Ease of doing business index index + Benzene (C6 H6), Benzo (a) Pyrene
It is published by World Bank. (BaP), Arsenic (Ar) and Nickel (Ni).
The index value represents regulatory Energy Efficiency Implementation

environments conduciveness to the starting Readiness
and operation of a local firm. It is the index launched by World Bank in
the study report Indias State Level Energy
T
It is based on 10 parameters such as starting
a business, dealing with construction Efficiency Implementation Readiness.
N
permits, getting electricity, registering The index takes in to account the states
E
property, getting credit, protecting minority endeavour to bring sector specific energy
investors, paying taxes, Trading across efficiency.
M
borders, enforcing contracts and resolving
A
Insolvency. The index benchmarks the readiness of Indian
I
States for energy efficiency implementation.
National Air Quality Index
L
Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra,
It is published by Central Pollution Control
R
Karnataka and Kerala are the top 5 states
Board. in terms of overall Energy Efficiency
A
It is a tool for effective communication of air Implementation Readiness.
P
quality status to people. Ambient Air Pollution Report
S
It measures concentration of 8 pollutants It is published by World Health Organisation
namely Particulate Matter (PM1.0, PM2.5,),
IA
(WHO).
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),Sulphur dioxide
(SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), It is a global assessment of polluted air
Ammonia (NH3) and lead (Pb). exposure and burden of disease which
presents summary of methods and results
It uses 6 categories to differentiate different of the latest global assessment of ambient
pollutant levels. air pollution exposure.

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IAS Parliament November

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A R L I A ME

CURRENT AFFAIRS - NOVEMBER 2016

SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

2.4 LAND ACQUISITION LAW - CENTRALS ATTEMPT TO DILUTE........................ 13

2.5 SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS......................................................................... 17

2.6 STATE FUNDING OF ELECTIONS................................................................... 18

2.7 JUDGING THE PERFORMANCE OF JUDGES................................................... 19

2.8 JUDICIAL OVERREACH................................................................................. 19

2.9 JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS............................................................................. 21

2.10 ADDRESSING BACKLOG CASES IN SUPREME COURT.................................. 23

3. STATUTORY, REGULATORY AND QUASI-JUDICIAL BODIES......................24

3.2 AMENDMENTS TO THE INTER-STATE WATER DISPUTES ACT....................... 26

Sl.No. Titles Page No.

4. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND INTERVENTIONS.......................................27

7. INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.................................................................43

Sl.No. Titles Page No.

8. BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS..............................................49

9.2 MALDIVES LEFT COMMONWEALTH.............................................................. 51

9.3 TPP AND INDIA............................................................................................. 52

10.6 EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK................................................................... 63

10.7 JOBS VS WAGES......................................................................................... 65

10.8 IS MERGER THE SOLUTION TO NPAS IN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS?............. 67

10.9 INDIA - CYPRUS DTAA................................................................................ 68

10.10 STATES RIGHT TO FISCAL AUTONOMY VS UNIFORMITY IN TAXATION... 69

10.11 DRAFT- BANNING OF UNREGULATED DEPOSIT SCHEMES

AND PROTECTION OF DEPOSITORS INTERESTS BILL, 2016..................... 70

10.12 ISLAMIC BANKING.................................................................................... 71

10.13 PHOTOCOPY VS COPYRIGHT.................................................................... 72

10.14 GLOBALISATION AND ITS ILL EFFECTS..................................................... 74

Sl.No. Titles Page No.

11. AGRICULTURE AND RELATED ISSUES.........................................................75

11.2 IMPORT DUTY ON WHEAT.......................................................................... 75

11.3 WORLD BANK ADVISES INDIA TO CUT SUBSIDIES....................................... 76

11.4 PRIVATE FOOD GRAIN STOCK MEASUREMENT.......................................... 77

11.5 KERALA DECLARED DROUGHT-HIT............................................................. 77

14.2 DELHI AIR POLLUTION............................................................................... 85

14.3 AIR POLLUTION - EMERGENCY MEASURES FROM ACROSS THE WORLD.... 86

14.4 MARRAKECH CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE......................................... 87

14.5 INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE............................................................ 89

14.6 GREEN NORMS........................................................................................... 91

14.7 HUMAN ANIMAL CONFLICT-NEIGHBORHOOD LEOPARD.............................. 91

14.8 NATIONAL WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (NWAP)................................................ 93

Sl.No. Titles Page No.

15. DISASTER MANAGEMENT............................................................................94

16. INTERNAL SECURITY...................................................................................95

16.2 LIBERALISED BLACKLISTING NORMS FOR DEFENCE PROCUREMENTS..... 96

16.3 COASTAL SECURITY NEED FOR A SPECIAL FORCE................................. 97

1. INDIAN CONSTITUTION What was NDTVs defence?

It did not reveal any strategically sensitive

Programme code of Cable TV act is vague. Why it is detrimental?

Onus lies on TV channel. Though Article 26 provides for freedom

Illicit liquor is m anufactured in an conferences are no longer taking place in

Tathagata Satpathy, a member of Parliament 2. UNION AND STATE

Supreme Court in 2004 - Directed Punjab 2.2 Citizenship Amendment Bill,

What was Punjabs reaction? The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016,

The principle that governments have wide What is its legality?

What is a judicial review? By these judgments, court established the

In response, the Supreme Court laid T h e c o l l e g i u m h a s b e e n m a k i n g

The US Supreme Court receives 7,000 to It is a consortium of state cricket associations

BCCI covertly manages its annual revenue of He must be an Indian

What are the amendments proposed? T h e s h o r t c o m i n g s s t e m s f r o m t h e i r

What should be done? Some of the key issues addressed include

What are the provisions for resettlement? T h e i n d i v i d u a l r i g h t s t r u m p e d o v e r